Miss Wisabus

Sheldon Cooper might be my guardian TV star. Oh dear.

by Elizabeth Posted on July 14, 2010

I watched a lot of Designing Women as a kid. And even more as a teen when it was in syndication on Lifetime. When I was a liberal, Julia Sugarbaker was my hero and when I came to my senses I was glad to see that Dixie Carter was on my side. That, and her name is Dixie. (Would Kevin be okay with that name? Hmm…he did just suggest the names Boo, Bonney, and Agnes in a public forum. Dixie could be a real possibility.)

Anyway. Do you remember that one where Charlene has her baby and she has a dream and Dolly Parton appears as her “guardian movie star” (1:47 in this video; the whole thing isn’t available as far as I can tell, but just the bit this video features is enough to make you cry and want to have babies LIKERIGHTNOW. Just me? Okay.) in a cloudy dream world where she proceeds to sing “Somewhere Out There,” which at that time had recently been made famous by the fabulous An American Tail?

Oh, you didn’t watch that? Shame. That little piece of TV stuck in my subconscious for years and years. It was the first place I heard that pretty song (before we rented An American Tail) and I remember being so excited about this episode and watching it the night it aired. And I remember it being the first thing I’d ever seen on TV that made me want to cry for reasons that I didn’t understand. You see, it was January 1, 1990 and I had just turned 5-years-old.

Okay, I’ll shutup now.

The point is, a few weeks ago I had a dream and Sheldon Cooper was in it. I’ll blame it on the fact that my hormones were wacky and I had some crazy thoughts running through my mind. But he was there to give me a message. And right now I am going to break my rules about what I post on my blog and say a word that my parents, grandparents, and really anyone older than me who shares some kind of kinship would NOT approve of.

TMI follows: Sheldon sometimes uses really technical language to get his point across, often taking much more time than what is necessary. Dream Sheldon was no different. He started off his speech by saying, “Coitus often leads to conception.” That’s right. Coitus. Who says that in a dream? Sheldon Cooper.

Sheldon was there to tell me that I was going to have a baby. And it was weird. But comforting and informative at the same time.

(Bet you thought I was going to end this post by saying that I’m actually pregnant*, right? BAZINGA.)

*I’m not.**
**Whenever I am, I’ll say I am. None of that “we” stuff. Seriously, I want to knock people’s teeth out when they say that. When have you ever seen a pregnant man (that has always been a man)?

Posted in Daily, TV, Videos | 5 Comments

Late Tuesday Night Jumbo Diet Dr. Pepper

by Elizabeth Posted on July 13, 2010

I have no idea how many ounces this thing is, but it’s too much, too late at night.

Pretty sure the rules of blogging say that 10:38 on a Tuesday night is the worst time to publish a post, but I’m doing this for the people. Not for whoever makes up those rules.

How much do you spend on groceries each week? One Week of Food could put that into perspective for you.
Very interesting essay on the manipulation and reuse of images in culture.
The Calorie Police (Do you think the ACLU would defend my right to consume calories in whatever form I please? Just asking.) There’s a double standard here, folks.
Micah’s post discussing “slow parenting” was eye-opening for me. It’s exactly what I hope to do someday. My parents raised us that way, to a certain extent. While it was not always on purpose (I know that much), I do appreciate that we were allowed to pursue our interests within reason and that we weren’t on the road every night of the week.
Mango Slaw with Cashews & Mint (This is a recipe for you, Heather)
Chagrin chagrin chagrin. Chagrin? Chagrin. CHAGRIN. Chagrin. (thanks, Rammi )
I’m linking this post because Misti is talking about guys named Make Time and Cob.
“Because I think the world knows just how much NBC, home of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, among others, has been in the tank for George W. Bush for lo these many years. Their relentless cheerleading for the former president, his domestic initiatives and his foreign policy has made them a laughing-stock among serious news organizations and a network no serious-minded person would admit watching.” – The Friar

Oh, and Clare got a haircut!

Posted in Bloggers, Daily, Features, Pets, Photos, Sunday Morning Coffee | 3 Comments

Get LOST, Matt! Pt. 3

by Elizabeth Posted on July 10, 2010

Oh, hi, Matt. And Tim.

. . .

My one word for Season 3: Transition. I’ve been told all along Season 3 is where the series really starts to get … confusing, if you will. I was content with the first two seasons. Sure, there were a few more questions raised in Season 2, but compared to Season 3, most of them seem … unimportant. I don’t want to say irrelevant because the smallest occurrence could have a significant impact on future events. Plus, the questions posed by this season seem … deeper. Like there’s more to them. It’s hard to put into words. Though I’ll certainly do my best… Continue reading →

Posted in Daily, Features, Friends & Family, Lost, Photos, TV | 2 Comments

In a funk.

by Elizabeth Posted on July 9, 2010

That’s not a real excuse for not blogging. I guess I’m just worn out. Or not taking enough vitamins (ahem, ANY) or something. Been having some weird pains in my hand that I am trying to ignore, but they show up different times throughout the day in that little muscly part of my hand at the base of my thumb. Somebody needs to block WebMD on my computer because I am exactly the kind of person who looks at it and then assumes that I’m dying.

Potassium, maybe? Too much soda, no doubt.

Anyways…

(I believe) I have an uncanny ability of knowing people’s tastes. As in, actual tastes. Once I’m around you for a bit I will start sending you recipes and pictures of food that I know you will like.
Or maybe it’s some subconscious effort to make everyone around me overweight.
I went through a Neil Diamond phase.
Right before my Glen Campbell phase.
People think I’m kidding about that because I’m 25 and couldn’t possibly have an interest in either of those guys BUT THEY ARE WRONG.
Also, when I was like 8-years-old I had the biggest crush on Davy Jones of The Monkees and didn’t realize that he was old enough to be my grandfather.
Allow me to make a list of men that I have had a crush on who are old enough to be my grandfather.
Nevermind.
Right after typing that last bullet point I was putting together a package to mail for PaperbackSwap and my arm was situated just right so that when I turned my neck I pulled a muscle or something. Now I’m in tremendous pain.
I hate having ice on me.
Just ask Kevin about that one time I had a very high fever and he had to get my temp down.
Ow. OWWW.

Posted in Daily, Listy | 3 Comments

Remembering Our Fallen

by Elizabeth Posted on July 6, 2010

In light of this weekend’s patriotic celebrations, I thought it would be a good time to share a more sobering experience I had recently.

While we were back east a few weeks ago, we visited Arlington National Cemetery. It was my first time to visit and there are few experiences like it.

We saw the Tomb of the Unknowns and were able to watch a few different groups lay wreaths there for the fallen.

The memorial for the victims of the Challenger explosion was something I wanted to view. Some of my earliest memories are of this tragedy being on TV and my family talking about it. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I wasn’t yet 2-years-old when that happened.

Both Kevin’s Pop-Pop and my Uncle Mike served on the USS Forrestal. Pop-Pop was aboard during the tragic fire that killed so many men. I got a picture of Forrestal’s grave before we were removed from the grass. Silly us, we didn’t know that you weren’t allowed on the grass unless you were there for a family member. It certainly wasn’t listed in any of the information we picked up at the visitor’s center.

Luckily, one of the graves that Kevin wanted to see was accessible from the path. This is the grave of Audie Murphy, an actor from the post-WWII era and the most decorated US soldier from WWII.

We had come to Arlington for a reason though. I have an uncle buried there and he was in the same section as Audie Murphy. We had found his section and grave number before going to the cemetery and Kevin and his parents waited while I trudged down the rows looking for his number.

It was hotter than blazes that day and I don’t handle the heat that well. I was glad that the first row I tried was close to his number.

268, 269, 270…

I skipped the big monument and went to the next single because it seemed logical to me at the moment.

287…What?

I couldn’t figure out what I’d missed. The only thing between the two single headstones was that big monument. I walked around the other side.

And there he was.

You see, my uncle, William Henry “Bill” Arnold, was on a plane about to head home. It crashed before they made it out of Vietnam. Wasn’t shot down. Just crashed.

He and 15 other men are right there. Together in death as they had been the last moments of their lives.

He was 29. Never married. No children. My mom was just 5-years-old when it happened, but she remembers being told.

And as far as we know, I am the only person in our family to ever visit his grave. (Not by choice, certainly, but distance makes it difficult.) I can’t help but be a little sad about that.