What is your favorite Christmas song?

Let’s get real. At holiday parties we get stuck making small talk. One of my favorite, easy, I don’t know you conversation topics is Christmas music. You can get jokey about how they play it too soon, trash how annoying Feliz Navidad is etc. But if I want to actually get to know someone a bit better, I will ask about their favorites and why. My own answer is a two-parter. I have a favorite song, but it isn't about Jesus. And that sort of feels wrong, since Christmas is REALLY about the birth of Jesus! So instead, I go with one Christmas song and one Christmas carol.

Christmas song
My favorite Christmas song is Silver Bells. I love it because it reminds me of how it feels in Portland during the entire month of December. Just the reference to busy city sidewalks, cold weather and the feeling that everything is festive! (even the traffic lights) It especially takes me back to what the holiday season felt like as a little girl. I have memories of walking through down town Portland from my dad’s office building all the way to the Keller. Of course we were going to see the Nutcracker! It is only a 5 or 6 block walk, but I remember it being so cold and not even being phased, it was Christmas after all! We were decked out in our holiday best. I actually vividly remember wearing a green and black velvet cape... so ahead of the trends! I just love the holiday bustle of the city.

Christmas carol
My favorite Christmas carol is Go tell it On the Mountain. It also happens to be my mom’s favorite. I’m a copycat. It is just SO GOOD! But somehow, it isn't super popular. How can that be!? The message of the song is spot on.

Did Harry Potter make me single?

I have had a really busy week. Because of this, spending my only veg time writing posts was not on my list of things to do. Food and TV won this week. Sorry! But I’m really not sorry. Then I was all of a sudden motivated. Why? Because I realized I have never really written about my love for Harry Potter on here before. What’s that you say? “Laura, you reference your love for HP often!” Wrong. Yes, I reference it, but there has never been a post dedicated to my love for the wizarding world.

So here we go. I love Harry Potter. It is my favorite book series of all time. Over the years I have re-read a bunch of the books. Book 3 was my go to during high school. But I mostly devour 5 through 7 at the pool each summer. Note: book 7 came out the summer before my senior year in college. So we have only been blessed with the entire series for about 5 years now. Crazy right!?  

I just started the series again. I can honestly say that I have never read the entire series in consecutive order before. I would re-read later books again, but usually just before the next one came out! I remember making my high school boyfriend take me to the midnight release of book 5. Poor guy. He didn't read them, and I was a crazy 16 year old obsessed with children’s books. He dumped me when he left for college a month later. I wonder if it had anything to do with my ignoring him to read that book? Huh. I guess we’ll never know. When I say ignoring him, I really mean it. After he chauffeured me around and stood in line with me to get that book, I had him drop me off at home and I stayed up all night reading. I am pretty sure he didn't hear from me for the next 5 days. I was such a charming teen…

My fave of all time is Half Blood Prince (book 6). I love it more than the others because there is romance!

Here I am in college dressed up as a quidditch player for a sorority date party. Libby was my date (no comments please).

The movies! Duh, I love them too. Awesome job Warner Bros. Did I go to midnight showings? You bet I did. Did I dress up? You bet I did.

We were 22 when this happened. We are wearing our graduation gowns from college. This would be embarrassing, but it isn't! Harry Potter is awesome. I’m not embarrassed in the slightest. Although, I got dumped that summer too…. Maybe there is a theme here. Crap! I love Harry Potter, but has Harry Potter kept me from love?

Have a great weekend folks! I'll be out at the Antone Ranch with the horses and a HP book!

My biggest concern was my tan.

For a long time my summers were spent at the pool. As I sit here at my desk, I reflect. Literally. My skin is so pale it is reflective. I long for the days where I spent my time at the pool! I will obviously be spending my weekend in the sun, but it is just painful to think of those former summer days while I am sitting here at my computer. I didn't have a care in the world. Or if I did, it was about a boy or something else stupid. Come back to me dear summer! I did not appreciate you as I should have.

Summer 2008. Ignore my crazy face. 

4th of July 2008 when we had missed the fireworks. I only added this because Brian is in it! I like him, sue me. 

At the time these photos were taken, the most important things to me (and probably Lauren and Marina) were as follows:
1. Being tan
2. Getting Lauren into Happy Hour (she was still 20)
3. Frozen yogurt

Happy sunny days my friends! Don’t forget your SPF 30!
This post is about college summers when we actively neglected out part time jobs and internships. Still to come? A post about childhood summers!

A look back at an old favorite: Troop Beverly Hills!

One of my favorite movies of all time is Troop Beverly Hills. Why? Because it is undeniably amazing. Let us go over a few reasons why it rocked then and continues to rock now. Shall we?

The best cinematic display of 1980s fashion! 

They wrote a song called cookie time.

Tori Spelling was a Red Feather.

The Freddy.

Phyllis Nefler taught us all a lot of important lessons. For example, you can have a black belt in shopping, never get a perm, true friends will always be there for you when your parents forget your birthday, and most importantly, you can do anything you put your mind to and you can be fabulous doing it!

"Are you drying your nails or do you have a question?" 

Thank you Phyllis Nefler!

Beverly Hills what a thrill! Beverly Hills what a thrill!!!

Random post today, but I am sure some of you are Troop Beverly Hills fans! If you have never seen it, I urge you to get your hands on a copy. You wont regret it!

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The art of the mixtape.

I am not old enough to have had the experience of waiting for my song to come on the radio and hit record as quickly as possible, just to ensure that my song was being recorded onto my cassette. Okay, maybe I did it once or twice. But just when I was in my (short lived) country phase. In hindsight, I am glad that I didn’t waste my “hard earned” allowance on country music CDs. Why? Because that means my money was instead spent on boy bands and trips on my bike to 7-11 or Dairy Queen. So much better.

Anywho, this post is about how I have officially lost the art of creating the perfect mix. I blame technology! And iTunes. And college. And terrorism (I just feel like terrorists should always be blamed).

My sister and I used to spend so many "homework hours" in high school illegally downloading music. Get off my back, you know you did it too! Napster was a thing. Remember? And at the time it wasn't illegal! Well… it might have been. Beyond the downloading, we also had an insane CD collection. It was the 4-per page book and it was amazing. I think it is still at my parents’ house! Now I am determined to find it. Anyway, because of our amazing music collection, we became artists when it came to creating the perfect seasonal mix. Oh gosh, and remember the importance of the sharpie art? Especially if it was going to a boy.

A perfect mix would of course have an appropriate rise and fall for your day:

- Starts off slow for the drive to school (3 songs)
- Awesome sing along jams for off campus lunch and car dancing with your gurls (4 songs)
- A medium song for the immediate post school wind-down
- A slow rise back up for pre-practice pump-up (3-4 songs)

These days with iTunes and even Spotify or Grooveshark, you can select an entire album and just “shuffle.” That is what I have been doing on my iTunes playlists for a while now… and I can honestly say that I have officially lost the art of the mix. It is gone. I take my most recent purchased albums and random songs and just hit shuffle.

At one time there were mix rules! I miss the rules. If you had new songs by a fave artist, you could only put a 3rd song by that artist if it was a classic. For example, if I was about to make a new mix that had some JT 20/20 on it, I could only put a third JT track on there if it is a classic (ala Cry Me a River). Do you catch my drift?

A mix by me would usually include some Britney. A mix by my sister would usually include some DMX Dr. Dre (My sister called after the post went up to correct me) or Biggie. She actively thought we lived in the hood. It was SW Portland, not the south side of Chicago Linds. BUT her hoodness did give her an uncharacteristic love of rap that carries through to today. Most people would be shocked to learn this fun fact. She comes off as so straight laced!

For a post with good playlists from someone who has not lost this art - visit Venus!

Alright folks, have a great Tuesday! Tomorrow is May. I hope you have all seen that ‘Nsync GIF. Okay, just in case:

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A news break.

I cannot stop watching the live news feed of everything that is going down in Boston and the surrounding areas. I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a little something happy when most of my news feed and twitter is so incredibly depressing. Brian Williams just reported that people in Watertown have been told that they should not answer their doors! Scary scary scary.

In my attempt to bring you a smile, please enjoy an episode from season one of Boy Meets World. Not only is this a great after-school special type episode that teaches about acceptance, but it is FILLED with future D-list celebs! Be on the lookout for Yeah-Yeah from Sandlot, the klepto guy from Can’t Hardly Wait, Val from Brink and that chick from Full House, babysitters club etc. It is basically a who’s who of future 90s stars.
Side note: Shawn had a sister in this episode!? She was never mentioned again...

Enjoy! And be reminded that the lesson Ke$ha taught us was really first shown to us by Boy Meets World and the free spirited Topanga Lawrence. We are who we are!

Also, no more blowing stuff up or killing people. Okay? That is enough. Seriously.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Spring Break is maddening.

Why did school give us spring break? I understand summers off for the teachers to regain sanity (so they don’t turn to the darkness and become evil). I also see why there is a winter break. It is so people can stay inside all day and not freeze to death for a couple weeks in the winter. You may think it is because of the holidays but you are wrong! It is a fact that *75% of the time, Hanukkah doesn't even fall during winter break! I call that holiday discrimination.
*Not a real statistic

But seriously what is the point of spring break!? It is just rude and discriminatory for us non-students/ non-parents of school age children. It is like it is expected that everyone just DOES spring break and escapes the remaining cold to go soak up some sunshine. As a non-student with a normal job, I say “down with spring break!” Even other normal people without kids, who have normal jobs, act like spring break is a real thing for everyone! Tell me, why does my news feed contain multiple people my age going on vacation to Palm Springs, Hawaii, Texas, Mexico, Bend and Whistler? They all have normal full-time jobs! Wouldn't they rather go at a less expensive time? AKA not spring break? You aren't in college anymore. It is time to let go.

One thing I do miss about the good old days of spring break is the awesomeness of the MTV spring break special! Remember the crazy guy VJ with long hair who was always chewing on a toothpick or cherry stem? He wore flares and platforms… must look him up. He was totally on something. I wonder if he is still alive. Songs that I recall from MTV spring break performances: the Thong Song by Sisqo and Tipsy by J-Kwon. Really mom? You let me watch that stuff!? Actually, you probably had no idea. I was sneaky like that. I don't really want to link either of those dirty videos. So instead, this video of J-Simps is hilarious! From the gauchos to her movements while singing... yikes. Enjoy!

I used to love spring break for obvious school escaping reasons. I assume I will love it again at some point. But for now, since I am bitter and at home, I say no to spring break… and yes to equal rights.

Like how I added that at the end!? I am SO political.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from 1989! If only we were still this cute.

It is Christmas, therefore I will not be putting effort into a post. Duh. Instead, I thought I would share a Christmas card my mother sent out when we were children. Obviously pre "dark years" (middle school).

Enjoy some time with your loved ones! I know I will. Merry Christmas to you all!

Endless possibilities and Harry Potter.

It is Friday and I am in SUCH a good mood! My coffee tastes extra caffeinated and my weekend plans are taking over my brain. Endless possibilities my friends. Endless. Reality is that I will probably do a bit of cleaning… but why rain on my own parade? I’m sure I will fall in love with a tall, handsome, Jesus loving stranger this weekend! Why the heck not? It could totally happen.

I also thought I would share a gem that was sent to me this morning. Here is a video that was recorded by my friend Hanna at the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1). We were in line (in the rain and cold) saving spots for some tardy friends. *Warning: Hanna F-bomb in vid.*

Obviously a killing curse is involved… what else? Truth is, I forgot about this. Thankfully I am now reminded that Lauren and Marina owe me FOREVER.

Happy weekend!

Open letter to Christina Aguilera.

Dear Christina,

You have an amazing voice. That is my first statement because your talent is outstanding and I want you to remember it as this letter continues.

Christina, I reflect on the days of "Genie in a Bottle" with fond memories. Time spent making up dances in the cul-de-sac on a hot summer day. Jumping on the trampoline and singing "Come on Over" at the top of my lungs. It was glorious.

Then you decided to be a Latin singer… before blossoming into X-Tina. At this time you also decided that clothes were optional, piercings were key to your look and thought spray tans were probably a good idea. Your songs on Stripped were dynamite, but something happened… were you confused? Trying to find "the real xtina”? I was confused too. But I did have a blast at the Stripped/Justified concert. I do wish you and Justin sang at least one song together though. I know it is weird, but that album reminds me of Christmas. My sister and I listened to that CD non-stop all winter, probably because every song was amazing. Personal fave: "Get mine, Get Yours."

After that, you somehow became linked to Target in my mind. Why is that? Back to Basics, Burlesque, that weird robot album… What!? You have the pipes! SING! That is all we want. I am a fan of you and your voice. I am going to speak for your fan base and tell you that good songs are the only thing we are looking for from you. We don’t need a new persona every few years. Just good pop music that is easy to belt to in the car.

I like you on The Voice. You are a sassy beez. You have a good dynamic with the other judges and it is fun to see you in a normal-ish environment. Although, your boobs are always out. You should tuck those girls in at least once a week... I promise they won't suffocate. Time for a new stylist maybe? I am excited for your new album! I have high hopes for what it may contain.

Remember Mickey Mouse Club? Me too.

Love,
Laura

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Green green, the ivy twines…

…’round my sorority.

Okay! I will admit it. I was a sorority girl and I loved it. Lately I have been feeling nostalgic, so here is a post to get it out of my system.

It is recruitment season and one of my favorite things about Greek Life was rush. I know I am kind of alone out here. Most people hate rush. It requires time and practices and planning.

The reason I loved rush so much is because it was time that all of my sisters were spending together! At rush practice we would have our moments to goof-off and socialize. It was fantastic quality time that forced sisterly bonding.

I loved rush so much that I decided to be in-charge my senior year. Well, they actually elected me to be in charge… sooo that’s tight. I'm awesome. Don't worry about it.

Here are a couple of the annual group shots that were taken after welcoming in our new members:

This was so many years ago!! I am too old to be writing about this.

My favorite things about sorority are probably unique. It wasn’t about the events, but instead about getting ready. I liked the quality time and preparation more than actually going. That stood true for recruitment, parties and really anything else! Call me a loser.

My class within the sorority was a lot of fun and one of my favorite traditions was strictly with them. We always went to dinner together after Pref. and no matter what was going on in our personal lives, that dinner was always filled with uncontrollable laughter. We were either really funny or really tired. Probably tired... It was the last day of recruitment after all.

The Pledge Class of '05

It is always fun to re-unite as your friends make big life changes too. The weddings have begun… How long until babies are in the mix!?

My preference (pun!) for preparation and pre-function stands true today. In regard to holidays, birthdays and even weddings! I usually enjoy the day spent planning, primping, cooking and bonding more than the event that follows.

Am I the only one who prefers the pre-party? There can be cocktails! Anyone?

Where were you during computer class?

Umm. Have you seen this?

These kids were in 5th grade in ’95. If my reasoning is correct… I was in 5th grade in ’97? Right? Whatever.

So, while these kids were making a PSA that correctly outlines how the internet will be used by our generation (cats and all)… I was busy using the computer for one thing. Oregon Trail! Seriously, during elementary school computer class my main concern was not dying of diphtheria, dysentery or the measles.

Well, I’m off. Gotta go forge the river. Actually, maybe it would be a better call to float across? Hmmm.

Traditionally Portland

Huber’s is a key Portland establishment that has been serving turkey and cocktails since 1879. They made it through the prohibition (serving Manhattans in coffee mugs) and continue to be a favorite spot among Portlanders. Nowadays they are famous for their turkey dinners, fiery Spanish coffees and classic ambiance.

With a rich history and tradition, as well as the ability to make reservations for happy hour (which goes until 6:30), it is an altogether win!

I went last night for HH with some friends. Of course I ordered a Spanish coffee!

Such a handsome bar.

Spanish Coffee! 

My sister asked the man making the Spanish coffees how many he thought he had made since working there. He said, "I have no idea, I have been here for 22 years." AMAZING! 

My apologies for the iPhone photos. I was doing so well using my real camera!

Portland on Dwellable

No Mom! It isn't cool to get hot lunch this year.

Can we please reminisce on what it meant to be ready for the first day of school? I mean, please. I know you had your first day outfits picked out weeks in advance too. The anticipation of the first day of school was intense! What classes are you in, who is in said classes? Very important. But not as important as the collage for the front of your three ring binder! You know… the one with the plastic covering on the front. My gurl Libby did a post about backpacks a while ago. And it was oh so true. The little details were game changers when it came to the first day of school.

You go in after 3 months of fun. You don’t have any homework yet, you are still tan and you are excited to see everyone. Plus, you are super confident in your awesome fall outfit (that it is still too hot out to be wearing).

Mom: “You can’t wear that sweater. It is going to be 80 degrees tomorrow.”

Me: “But the stripes on this sweater go perfectly with my overalls, doc marten sandals and butterfly clips!”

That is clearly an exaggeration. But you get the idea. It wasn’t just the excitement of the first day. New school supplies were the best. You would have them all organized perfectly. Your pencil pouch filled with #2s and gel roll pens. Everything smelled like pencil shavings and new spiral notebooks. I’m not sure if you guys will know what I am talking about, but I swear school supplies had a specific smell. Next week I will probably be thrown out of Office Max for walking around and smelling school supplies. I can see it now.

I am glad to be beyond that phase in life. I wouldn’t dare write a post about the excitement of moving back on to my college campus each year. Mostly because I would for sure start crying uncontrollably. You know, due to really missing college and still being in denial about this so-called adulthood.

Take a moment to curl your bangs, listen to the first 'Nsync album and put some butterfly clips in your hair. You owe it to 13 year old you.

"You're not going to Space Camp but at least you've got those remote control trucks and your confidence."- Kirk Fogg

(Kirk Fogg was the host of Legends of the Hidden Temple)

Over the Christmas holiday I was given the first season of Boy Meets World on DVD. Oh.Emm.Gee. I am telling you right now, that poo is hilarious. No wonder we loved it! Cory+Topanga=LOVE. It takes me back to those evenings of TGIF. What a line up! The 90s were the best! Boy Meets World, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Full House, Step by Step, Dinosaurs etc. Are you freaking kidding me!? Now that was good TV. Just pause and think about the baby from Dinosaurs. What was that? What a weird show. Remember when the brother was trying to prove that the world was round and walked all the way around the earth? Ummm excuse me?... I was never great at geography, but I am pretty sure that isn’t possible…

I would also like to inform you that a channel called TeenNick is bringing back our old favy shows. Apparently they are on “late night”… does that mean we are old enough to have our own version of Nick at Nite? Lord help us, we are getting old. This segment with vintage programming will be called The 90s are All That. Click Here for a trip down memory lane.

Here is a list of what shows have been featured in the promo:

(I bolded my favorites)

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

The Adventures of Pete & Pete

The Amanda Show

Are You Afraid of the Dark

Cat Dog

Double Dare

GUTs

Hey Arnold!

Hey Dude

Legends of the Hidden Temple

The Ren and Stimpy Show

Rocket Power

Rockos Modern Life

Rugrats

Salute Your Shorts

The Secret World of Alex Mack

Weinerville

How amazing is this!? I wish I had access to this channel. Why is it that the grand prize of the competition shows was always a trip to space camp? Okay, just to prove to you how much I loved Legends of the Hidden Temple. Check out Halloween circa ’07:

The lovely purple parrots. Libby was clearly jacked for Halloween!

Climbing treacherous territory (the stairs of the white apts)

Blue barracudas and a red jaguar

My fellow red jaguar

Remember how hard it was for those idiots to put together the silver monkey? Haha! It was 3 pieces! And the other prizes were a pair of Sketchers or a humungous “portable” boom box AKA Ghetto Blaster that took like 6 huge batteries. My sister got a boom box for Christmas once. I was still in the doll phase, but that boom box was giant super cool.  After receiving this boom box from Santa, we promptly went to Tower Records so she could get the newest Boys II Men CD.

I feel like I have left out so many good shows in this post. I mean, all my love to Saved by the Bell and Ghostwriter etc. I just don’t have time. I sort of feel that Saved by the Bell deserves its own post. You know? As I write this, I realize that I probably watched too much TV as a child. Maybe that is why I am so bad at math?...

PS. TV isn't all bad. Think about how much you learned from Wishbone!

Yikes! I am going to Powell’s tonight to get a book. It will be my weak attempt to compensate for this obscenely ridiculous television related post.

The outside world just doesn’t get the joke. Fishism.

Well actually, I’m the one who didn’t get the joke. Just a few years late (13ish), but I am currently watching Ally McBeal on Netflix. It is available under the watch instantly option. It seriously rocks. What’s not to love!? I am only on season 3 so don’t ruin it! I am now just getting many pop culture references from the past. For example, that dancing baby! Everyone remembers the dancing baby. A few of my people are watching as well. My gurl Marina mentioned that the dancing baby even showed up at the Emmys one year! We had no idea it was from Ally McBeal. Also, Billy just bleached his hair, as did my entire 7^th grade class. It just all makes sense to me all of a sudden. Why was that ever a good idea? Yes, I would like to dip my head (which contains my brain) into a bucket of chemicals! Perfectly reasonable. Not to mention it turned their hair yellow instead of blonde. Now, go be a normal person and have the chemicals painted on like the rest of us!

Anyway, my favorite character is Elaine. She is just wacky! So you don’t want wrinkles right? Wear a face bra. Duh.

We were just too young when Ally McBeal aired. But seriously, watch it. You won’t be disappointed.

Well, there goes your social life.

If you didn’t get that Clueless reference I am sad. Remember when socializing was more personal? I do. Life before we had texting and gchat. Life before we had Facebook and Twitter. We had to call each other!

OMGEEEE Remember 3-way calling?! Ah, the days of having a friend call a boy you liked (with you on the line of course) and asking if he “like likes” you. Or watching TRL while you try to figure out how to click back over to complete the call. All whilst wondering why Carson Daly only paints 2 of his nails. Now we have social networking. The most impersonal way of being “friends” and staying in touch. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. Minimal effort and you get credit for it! You “like” a photo or status update and you’re set for another 6 months. You wish someone happy birthday and you are off the hook. Talk about a way to keep up on your correspondence! I do miss the Facebook of yesteryear. Remember when it was just college students and we didn’t have to worry about keeping it kosher for our business relationships or potential employers?

Facebook has changed though. I don’t want to be the person who posts a status about their dinner, or about how wonderful their life is. Those people are freaking liars. I know what they are thinking: "I will post about the sunshine and my delicious summer salad even though I have cramps and a huge pimple. People will think my life is perfect!" Well guess what, life isn’t perfect. Let’s admit that we all wait for the ideal profile picture before switching it up. Yes, by chance I look really good here. This is clearly how I look all the time. I never look bad! I don’t think we are tricking anybody. They can click through and see that unflattering photo that hasn’t been untagged. The jig is up.

My main uses for Facebook are these:

1. Post pictures of and for my friends. Also for my mom, she likes to see what we are doing.
2. To creep. Yes, I said it. Who doesn’t love to see that so and so broke up with so and so? I sure do. It’s awesome!
3. To creep some more. I love looking at other peoples pictures. My mind starts saying things like, “cute shirt,” “that looks like fun,” “I want to go camping” OR “dang. She is pregnant?!” OR “gurlfren gained weight.” Yes, facebook is the place of judgment. It is absolutely horrible, yet true. You can’t deny it. It especially comes in handy when your friend’s exes (or your own) have new girlfriends. We can say things like this: “you are WAY cuter than her.” Etc.

Twitter:

I love twitter, mostly because it is less saturated with randoms. And because I can get news, gossip, current events and status updates from people I actually want to know about/ celebs.

One thing I am both thankful for and struggle with is the limit on characters. Twitter only gives you 140 characters. It is hard to be clever in 140 characters or less. At least I think so! I try to at least make my tweets worth reading. My favorite tweeter: Damian Fahey. Ask Nicole from My Little Blue Bag. She will tell you all about his hilarity. He has such a dry sense of humor I llol every time! Well, almost every time.

Due to this socially saturated technological world and the invention of smart phones. My people are constantly consumed by their mobile devices. Phones sit at the table during happy hours, dinners and random TV watching hangouts. Hey, I’m guilty too. It is just pretty ridiculous if you take a minute to think about it.

Now spend the weekend remembering the simpler times and make a 3-way call with some of your people. You won't regret it!