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HEADS or TAILS! This week’s theme is peace or piece. This is my second week!

Names meaning “peace” that I like:
1. Chessa (F, Slavic)
2. Eron (M, Hebrew)
3. Hume (M, English)
4. Noe (U, French) - Would look nice along with my ancestor, Helloe
5. Salome (F, Hebrew)
6. Winifred (F, Celtic/Gaelic)

There weren’t nearly as many names meaning “peace” as I thought there would be (well, not so many that I liked), so on a whim I looked up “piece” to see what might be there. I found something that might be valuable to my brother, Kyle, someday.

Kylene (F, Celtic/Gaelic) - Little Piece Of Land

So then I looked up “peas” and all I got was Nili.

Have a great Tuesday!

The Chef is taking a break this week, so I got my questions from Stone Girl.

Appetizer
What is your favorite vacation spot in the United States? A lot of people are going to think this is sad, but I love Branson, MO. I just do. I like being around older folks, things going at a slower pace, and Silver Dollar City. People let you in during the heavy traffic and are just all around nicer than what you’ll find most places. For beauty, I really like the Rockies and the countryside of Virginia.

Soup
If someone else (friend, co-worker, family) brings up a religious or political topic, how likely are you to join the conversation, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not likely, 10=very likely). If there is going to be a disagreement, 2. If I know pretty much where the person stands and it’s not too far from where I am, 10. I’ll talk politics (with my limited knowledge) all day with someone who isn’t going to turn it into a shouting match, e.g. Rosie O’Donnell.

Salad
What song do you listen to when you feel very sad? I’m not sad very often anymore. However, when I was in high school and bummed out about a boy or some kinda junk like that, I’d listen to Nina Gordon sing “The End of the World” over and over. How’s that for depressing? Let me think, I did have some sad times in college…okay, I just checked my last.fm charts for the spring of 2005 (aka, the semester that Liz could have flunked out of school - but didn’t - because she was always bawling over the last stupid thing some jerkface said or did. We’re talking, wearing a bathrobe, sad music on, sitting on my bed with a box of Kleenex. It was NOT pretty.) and it’s pretty telling. Let’s just go ahead and make a soundtrack for the most depressing point in my life (albeit a very dumb reason to be depressed. Scumbag.).

Break Me - Jewel
Main Title from The Notebook
This Years Love - David Gray
Tear In Your Hand - Tori Amos
I’ll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
Mark’s Song - eastmountainsouth
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
The Hard Way - Keith Urban
If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher
Rain - Patty Griffin
Lost In Love - Air Supply
Stupid - Sarah McLachlan

Main Course
Someone you really admire is coming over for a home-cooked dinner. What do you serve him/her? Hmm. I can’t think of anything that I am super impressive at cooking (Kevin and my friends like it, that’s good enough for me), but to give them a little taste of something that I enjoy, I’d make my mom’s Chicken Cheese Spaghetti. Oh, I love it.

Dessert
If the only form of transportation left in the world is by animal (horse, mule, camel, etc), where would you live? I move back down to Pernell, OK and live the way my great-grandparents did. Get myself a little house, plant a garden, grow flowers, and get a few cats for the barn.

What’s playing (randomly) on my iPod today.

1. “The Gift” - Gabriel Yared & Miriam Stockley from Autumn in New York
2. “Come On Eileen” - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
3. “Still Running” - eastmountainsouth (most favorite duo, ever.)
4. “Dreams” - The Cranberries
5. “Epilogue” - Mae
6. “Memory” - Elaine Page
7. “Good Morning Beautiful” - Steve Holy
8. “Sympathy, Tenderness” - from Jekyll & Hyde
9. “So Are You To Me” - eastmountainsouth
10. “Secret Garden” - Bruce Springsteen
11. “You Are My All In All” - Nichole Nordeman
12. “Pistol” - Trisha Yearwood
13. “Ant Farm” - Eels
14. “Ooh La La” - Goldfrapp
15. Love Theme from Jeux d’enfants by Philippe Rombi (which I just decided last night that would be the music that my bridesmaids process to )

I have been tagged on a number of blogs to list quite a few different things. Today I am getting to what Cricket, Destini and Lynn tagged me to do…list 7 interesting things about myself.

1. I have hitch hiker’s thumbs. You know, the kind that bend back really far. I think they’re hereditary.

2. I have only seen The Wizard of Oz one time. It was this past Christmas at Kevin’s parents’ house. Hopefully that’ll be the only time. Maybe it’s magical when you’re little, but I was not impressed.

3. I am an early bird, but only if the temperature outside my bed is close to the one inside. It is very hard for me to get up in the mornings if I’m stepping out into a cold room. My body just won’t do it. Since I try to save energy and not run heating or air at night, this becomes a problem.

4. I’ve lost 12 lbs. recently, which is pretty awesome.

5. I think I know the words to nearly every song by Trisha Yearwood. I love her. And man, she has good hair.

6. I have very manageable hair. And lots of it. I’m kind of a hairdressers dream…or worst nightmare.

7. I have a family that rivals the one in My Big, Fat Greek Wedding. Ask Kevin. They think he’s quiet, but really, he’s just normal.

1. Make chocolate pudding.
2. Top with generous amounts of Cool Whip Lite.
3. Midol. Midol. MIDOL.
4. IcyHot. Newly discovered miracle.
5. Lie on couch.
6. Watch TV. Preferably Lifetime Movie Network or something else mindless like that. Today I watched four delightfully predictable dramas featuring at least one woman in mortal danger. Cramps, mortal danger…same thing.
7. Get more pudding.
8. Make tea. Mountain Rose Herbs has a great selection. At night I like their Dream Blend. They also make a Moon Ease and Women’s Freedom tea for times just like this. (On a side note, I also drink their Happy Tummy tea whenever my digestive system isn’t being agreeable. So pretty much all the time.)
9. Change channel. No doubt LMN will be getting old now. Try any of the primetime crime shows. My personal favorites are Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Intent.
10. Reapply IcyHot. Go to bed.

BLEH.

It’s great. Use it. The pounds will melt away. If you do the pilates, not if you listen to the music.

1. “Something” by Jim Sturgess (from Across the Universe)
2. “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” by Rufus Wainwright
3. “Come Pick Me Up” by Ryan Adams
4. “Don’t I Hold You” by Wheat
5. “Musicbox” by Regina Spektor
6. “Breakable” by Ingrid Michaelson
7. “Apologize” by Timbaland feat. One Republic
8. “Raindrops” by Regina Spektor
9. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by T.V. Carpio (from Across the Universe)
10. “Secret Heart” by Feist
11. “Falling Slowly” by The Frames
12. “Light My Fire” by Will Young

1. Lights
2. Apple cider
3. Reading the second chapter of Luke on Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house
4. The cold
5. Toe socks
6. Minty flavored things
7. How the whole world seems so small and close
8. Reading over the break
9. Being with family I only see at Christmas
10. Pie. All kinds.

…or Heather and Liz’s Tejas Adventures. Whatever you like.