The Aughts

I have been wanting to do an end-of-decade list, but the task seemed daunting, so I just started writing down words & phrases that pertained to the Aughts and figured that would suffice. This includes good and bad and is in absolutely no order:

1. elopement
2. Spain poster
3. marathon
4. Florence, Italy
5. xanax/traveling better
   
6. Paris
7. 9/11
8. Naples, FL
9. Joshua
10. Somerset
11. Genevieve
12. Harper
13. Robin's wedding
14. 10-year reunion
15. home ownership
16. 2 car family
17. same job all decade
18. co-workers and interns coming and going
19. office flood
20. Hurricane Elvis
21. BOOKCLUB!
22. canoeing the Mississippi River
23. new friends
24. girl trips
25. crocheting
26. library controversy
27. Blue Parkways
28. interim director
29. robbery
30. PTSD
31. Max, Clara, Zeta, (were Sam and Abby born this decade?), Mia, Sherube, Henry, Liv, Annabelle, Nicholas, etc., etc., etc., etc.
32. Eddie Izzard
33. Facebook
34. Sketchwork
35. Listwork
36. Artwork
    
37. Urf!
    
38. Tobacco Bowl
39. Because I Said So
40. Dennis
41. shoes & boots from Toby
42. Weirdest Christmas
43. Happiest Christmas
44. rollerderby
45. broken arm
46. boxing
47. Formula 1 racing
48. baseball
49. White Sox in the World Series!!!
50. Spoon
51. Lord of the Rings trilogy
52. Wes Anderson movies
53. Jane Austen books
54. shows at Perry Nicole
55. road trips
56. diabetes
    
57. Katherine's wedding
58. Heather's wedding
59. Amelie
60. Lost
61. cell phones & texting
62. running
63. pilates
64. Project Runway
65. (more importantly) Tim Gunn
66. cocktail hour
    
67. so many paintings

Books I Could Totally Re-Read RIGHT. NOW.

1. Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen
2. Emma, Jane Austen
3. The Pleasure of My Company, Steve Martin
   

To the Girl in the Blue Honda Driving East on I-40 This Morning

1. If you can see that the driver ahead of you in the left lane cannot get into the right lane, it does no good to stay on that person's behind.
2. Once the person ahead of you, whose behind you are on, does get over to the right lane, you need to actually pass them.
3. Both of the above items require you to actually pay attention as you are hurtling a giant machine down the road at 75 mph.
   

Guestlist: Wii!

Top Four Phrases Yelled While Playing Wii on Christmas Day:
by Click (Daily)

1. Would you stop killing me?
2. Dad, I have a bomb.
3. Kill them all and let's get out of here.
4. Die! Die! Die!

Guestlist: Veggie Time

Things I did today to encourage my kids to eat fruits and vegetables
by Stephanie Chockleyblog:

• Let them get out of the shopping cart and choose their own fruits and vegetables
• Made ranch dressing for the vegetables
• Made cream cheese/marshmallow puff dip for the fruits

Fruits and vegetables eaten by my kids today:

• 
  

Cartoon Characters I Tend to Resemble

1. Velma from Scooby Doo




2. Marcie from The Peanuts




3. Edna Mode from The Incredibles

Tweeting Traffic Court

Since not everyone here is on Twitter, and because I crack myself up, I'm making a list of what I tweeted while standing in line for traffic court.

1. At 201 for traffic court, trying not to breathe in.
2. Not supposed to have my phone on in here, but wanted to make sure y'all are aware the kid in front of me is grinding his teeth.
3. Not sure why I bothered showering today.
4. How many times can you reapply Purell before your skin starts to sting?
5. Answer: 57 times in a 70-minute period. Ouch.
6. BIG EXHALE and a hazmat shower.

Favorite Versions of Favorite Christmas Songs

I love Christmas music. I love that we have particular music for one time of year. I've been listening to WRVR non-stop for days just to hear Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg, just so I can call my sister and hold the phone up to the radio (or computer), and noted that there are a number of really terrible - Seriously. Really. Terrible. - Christmas songs out there. There are also terrible versions of my favorite songs. Here is a list of antidotes to the terribleness.

1. Winter Wonderland - Johnny Mathis
2. Baby, It's Cold Outside - tie between Dean Martin and Leon Redbone/Zooey Deschanel
3. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
4. Five Pound Box of Money - Pearl Bailey
5. Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi
   
6. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
7. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Jackson 5
8. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) - Nat King Cole
9. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
10. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Johnny Mathis
    
11. 'Zat You, Santa Claus? - Louis Armstrong
12. something by Rosemary Clooney... probably Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?
13. O Holy Night - Johnny Mathis
14. Do You Hear What I Hear - St. Louis School Choir circa 1985... we always rocked that song
    

Songs with Questionable Status as Christmas Songs

1. My Favorite Things - I love this song, but what does it have to do with Christmas?
   
2. Mama Liked the Roses - It's on the Elvis Christmas album, but doesn't even mention the holiday.
   
3. O Come O Come Emmanuel - Okay, I get the sentiment with this one, but it is not what I would call festive.
   

Schnucks on Union - 2 Lists

Why I Still Go to Schnucks on Union Even though I Hate It:
1. It is exactly 1 mile from my house.
2. It is apparently the only store in Memphis that carries the toothpaste my husband likes.
3. Can't get enough of their rotisserie barbecue chicken.

Changes Schnucks Can Make That Will Keep Myself and Other Shopping There:
1. Stop stocking the shelves between 5 and 6 PM, including removing the stocking carts from the already narrow aisles.
2. Stop being out of everything that I need.
3. When you are out of something, leave a space empty where that product should go so that I don't walk around the store for 10 minutes thinking that product must have been moved to another area.
4. Teach the cashiers who need it the fundamentals of customer service.
5. Since you always seem to be caught off guard by all of the customers wanting to check out between 5 and 6 PM, I'm going to let you in on a secret: You have a lot of customers in the store between 5 and 6 PM, and should maybe up the number of registers open at that time.
6. Move the display table that is in front of the customer service window - you know, the one that leaves about 2 feet of space on either side of it, right when you are entering the store?
7. Make the first driveway, the one closest to the store, exit only.
8. Improve all entrances and exits, and the signs and arrows associated with them, including the less obvious ones to the adjacent parking lot and the one off of LeMaster.
9. Expand east like you said you were going to a couple of years ago.

Guestlist: Top 5 Long-playing Record Albums of 2009

By My Husband

1. "Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire - Eels
2. "God Help The Girl" - God Help The Girl
3. "Fortress 'round My Heart" - Ida Maria
4. "Electric Dirt" - Levon Helm
5. "Far" - Regina Spektor

Honorable Mention: "Those Darlins" - Those Darlins

States I Don't Like to Drive Through

1. New Jersey
2. the rest of Alabama
3. Florida
4. Louisiana
5. Mississippi
6. eastern part of South Carolina
7. Wyoming
8. Most of Kansas
9. Missouri
   

States I Like to Drive Through

1. Tennessee
2. Virginia
3. Pennsylvania
4. Vermont
5. Oklahoma
6. Kentucky
7. the northwest portion of Alabama
8. Arkansas
   

Weird Things in my Dream Last Night

1. gorillas
2. elephant sculptures - hundreds of them
3. Dr. Seuss-like trees with giant curled-up orange, yellow and brown leaves on them
4. my mother-in-law hanging up on me
   

3 Signs I Should've Stayed in Bed This Morning

1. got spaghetti sauce all over myself while checking on it in the slow cooker
2. poked myself in the eye with mascara
3. banged up my hand while making the bed
   

Roadtrip by the Numbers

• Miles: 3304.1
• Driver: 1
• Navigator: 1
  
• Dead deer on road: 11 or 12
  
• Live deer on road: 3
• Places we passed named Somerset: 3
• Hampton Inns we stayed in: 6
  
• Amount of money we gambled in Atlantic City: $5.25
  
• Number of times I'd like to return to New Jersey: 0
  
• New England states we've been to now that we've been to Vermont: all of them
• Times we visited Primanti Brothers to get sandwiches with fries on them: 2
• Times we called Vermont "cute": about 50
• Times we said Virginia looks fake (because it is too pretty!): also about 50
• U-turns: at least 9
• Horses wearing blankets: 4
• Brew pubs/microbreweries: 2
• Pizza places: 3
• Ladybugs in various hotel rooms: 5
• Waterfalls: 4
  
• Covered bridges in Vermont: 3
• Amount we spent on toll roads: probably around a million dollars
• Amount we spent on one breakfast in a hotel IHOP in Canada: also probably around a million dollars

3304.1 Miles in 14 Days

Here's where we went:

1. Nashville, to see Regina Spektor at the Ryman Auditorium
2. Pittsburgh, PA, to eat at Primanti Brothers and go to the Carnegie Museum of Art
3. to see Frank Lloyd Wright's house Falling Water, which is about an hour outside of Pittsburgh
4. Niagara Falls
5. Bennington, VT, because we've been to all the northeastern states except Vermont
6. Atlantic City, NY, because why not see the Atlantic Ocean, as long as we're over there
7. Charlottesville, VA, to see Monticello
8. Greenville, SC, to see Laura Caroline
9. Greensboro, GA, to visit my family for Thanksgiving
10. Peachtree City, GA, to visit T's family
    

Guestlist: Homework Assignment

Native American Names Suggested By Me but Rejected By Connor:
by Stephanie Chockleyblog

• Boy Who Says "Unnngghh"
• Chief Already-Knows-That
• Boy Who Doesn't Believe You
• Runs With Scissors
• Chief Won't-Eat-That
• Screaming Eagle (last year's name, assigned to him by the teacher)

Settled On: Charging Buffalo

My Nerdy Taste in Music

I love all of these, un-ironically:

• Hall & Oates
• Yes
• Niel Diamond
• the Amelie soundtrack
  

How the Show Flash Forward Is Trying to Be All Things to All People

• has an ensemble cast
• is vaguely science-fiction
• is an FBI drama
• is a hospital drama
• is a family drama
• as of this past week, includes a war story
• also this week, contained hints of The World Series of Poker

However, I continue to watch it.

Preliminary Grocery List That Sounds Like Something My Husband Would Eat

• eggs
• grits
• ketchup
  

Lists in Honor of the End of the 2009 Formula 1 Season

Favorite Formula 1 Drivers:
(in no particular order)
1. Mark Webber (pictured!)
2. Sebastian Vettel
3. Jenson Button
4. Rubens Barrichello
5. Robert Kubica
6. Lewis Hamilton

Best Looking Drivers:
1. Mark Webber
2. Jenson Button
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Giancarlo Fisichella

Drivers I Love to Hate:
1. Kimi Raikkonen
2. Fernando Alonso
3. Kimi Raikkonen

Drivers I Miss from Previous Seasons:
1. Takuma Sato
2. Juan Pablo Montoya
3. Michael Schumacher

Drivers I Wish Would Get Better Cars:
1. Robert Kubica
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Giancarlo Fisichella

Drivers That I Find Interchangeable:
1. Nick Heidfeld
2. Heikki Kovalainen
3. Nico Rosberg

Guestlist is in Time Out

Odd Places I've Put My Child into Time Out
by Heather (Mother of The Adventures of Clara)

1. The closet/organizing section of Bed Bath & Beyond
2. In the parking lot of a Walgreens on Summer Avenue
3. Outside of the Wal-Mart on Austin Peay
   

Things About Which I Didn't Get to Post Status Updates While My Facebook Was Broken

1. Driving to Nashville and back in one day to pick up my paintings, and that eating at Noshville made it worth it
   
2. Watching soccer on a Sunday morning with friends and mimosas
   
3. How pilates kicked my butt
4. Making plans to visit my Mom
   
5. What a great time I had skating
6. Looking forward to bookclub
7. How awesome bookclub is
   
8. How I should really carry my own hardhat in my car
9. A fun dinner at a Korean restaurant
10. Something about our anniversary - probably something like this: "Elizabeth Alley + Toby Long = 18 happy years"
11. How it was weird that it was cold at the Farmer's Market
12. How much I love Project Runway
13. What a delicious dinner we had for our anniversary
14. The lazy Sunday I spent in my pajamas
    

Guestlist: Wedding = Good Lord!

From Stephanie Chockleyblog

Wedding Weekend Lists (Sunday, October 11, 2009)
Bridesmaids:
Amy
Kayla
Cathy
Libby
Jen
Laura
April
Stephanie
Libby

Places where I ate and drank:
Paulette's
South of Beale
Nail & Skin Bar
Majestic
Jack Robinson Gallery
BB King's
Bogie's
A rented bus
Hunt Phelan

Toasts at rehearsal dinner:
Louis
Stephanie
Brian
Jackie
Susan
Ellis
Cathy
Mark
Tiffany

Shows my DVR recorded:
The Office
Flash Forward
Smallville
CSI
Medium
Monk

Locations for the wedding photos:
Hunt Phelan
AutoZone Park
Main Street
City Hall Fountains
Train station
Butler Park

Salons visited:
Nail & Skin Bar
La Nouvelle
Paggio's

Relatives in from out of town:
Roy
Sherri
Cory
Chris
Shannon
Carrie

Pregnant women at ceremony:
Jamie (38 weeks)
Amy (37.5 weeks and drove in from Chicago)
Carrie!

Places my kids ate while I was too busy to feed them:
Central BBQ
Las Tortugas
McDonald's

Day-of tasks assigned to me by the bride, delivered on index cards in an envelope that also contained a phone list of everyone involved with the wedding:
Deliver/pick up cake servers
engagement ring wedding rings (give 2 Brian before ceremony)
deliver cake stands yours & Sherri's take home cake stands
pick up wedding dress/tux from Hunt- take home

People who received their own similar envelope:
Everyone in wedding party
Bride and groom's parents
Shannon
Carrie
(at least)

Places I slept besides my own bed:
Tiffany's bed
The Magnolia Room at Hunt Phelan
(I don't have a third place, so this isn't really a list. Sorry.)

Cake flavors:
White chocolate with apricot creme
Strawberry with strawberry mousse
Maple with caramel filling
Vanilla with almond creme
Chocolate with mocha creme

Groomspeople:
Brian
Chip
George
Seth
Tom
Laura
Brad
Jamie

What We Learned at Bookclub Last Night

1. Though we enjoy participating in spontaneous singing, we only enjoy watching spontaneous dancing.
   
2. Earwax is bad.
3. There is something primal in Beyonce's "Single Ladies" that the babies really respond to.
4. Having short chapters is an important characteristic of a good book.
   
5. The non-remembering spouse has no business acting like he/she remembers things.
6. Many of us have no time for philosophy, but too many of us know what a "Lady Gaga" is.
7. If you look for it, sometimes life can be Beautiful with a capital B.

Unexpected Phrases That Were Repeated Surprisingly Often at a Party Saturday Night

1. "toilet in a closet"
2. "paying for the bootie"
3. "get out of town"
   

Other Blogs

I've been reading other blogs more than posting on this one lately, so I thought I'd make a list out of it.

1. Go Fug Yourself. A blog, not a command. My friend Mary Cashiola who has her own fabulous fashion blog clued me into this fabulous fashion find. Go Fug Yourself really makes one realize that either celebrities are not at all bright, or stylists are having a big laugh on a lot of people.

2. Fine Little Day. Another one of my Swedish blogs, though I'm not as obsessed with them as I was last year. That is probably due to the fact that I'm jealous that these lucky ladies seem to have lives that are all about constant creativity, interrupted only by coffee breaks, long walks and entertaining friends.

3. Harper! How cute is this little niece? Very.

4. Urban Sketchers. Love the Urban Sketchers, they are my people.

5. Design*Sponge Sneak Peaks. I love Design*Sponge anyway, but I especially love the Sneak Peaks because I looo-ooo-ooooove looking in other peoples' houses. Probably why I can't get enough of House Hunters & House Hunters International.

Guestlist: Southern-Sounding

Words and phrases that accidentally sound really southern when I say them, by Stephanie Chockleyblog

1. Friday Night Lights
2. Saturday Night Live
3. Tiffany and I
4. I don't know
5. Grocery store

Quotes from Greely Myatt's Lecture Last Week

1. "I steal everything."
2. "I have to always have the story."
3. "You've got to learn to talk about your work."
4. "Sometimes you don't have to work too hard if you pay attention."
5. "One thing's working but the other's kinda not."
6. "Anyone who listens to an artist needs to have his head examined." -more or less a Claus Oldenburg quote
   

Dear. Oh Dear.

1. Dear New American Paintings: Not all of Florida is actually the South. Please find another edition for artists from South Florida.
2. Dear Heidi Klum: If it were true that, "In fashion, one day you're in and the next day you're out," then you would not be hosting season 6 of Project Runway because you would be "out," having been "in" the previous day.
3. Dear Graffiti Perp: Okay, okay, we get it. You're all bad with your spray paint and your secret language. We're all sufficiently intimidated and impressed. In fact, we'd like to reciprocate. So how about you give us your address, and we'll go spray paint all your stuff. It'll be awesome.
4. Dear Women's Magazines: Not all women have long hair.
5. Dear Cafe Eclectic: I love you. I'd love you more if you understood that most lunch hours last an hour.
6. Dear Memphis Driver: Guess what. There's someone behind you!
7. Dear Gwen Stefani: I miss your crazy ska-inspired voice. Please bring that back.
8. Dear Mother Nature: Rainy Monday mornings are just mean. Cut it out.
9. Dear Hollywood: A remake of Fame? Really?
10. Dear Memphis Drivers: Green means go.
11. Dear Midtown Schnucks: Just go away. In lieu of that, how about not stocking shelves at 5:30 PM on weekdays?
12. Dear Spoon: Stop not putting out a new record. It's been 2 years!
13. Dear Hollywood and Wherever They Make TV Shows: Please cut it out with overly-groomed eyebrows on men.
14. Dear Fall Weather: We're all ready to wear our boots. Bring it on!

Memphis Restaurants That I Miss

1. Los Compadres was once a Cuban restaurant. I don't know the name of it because it was the only Cuban restaurant and therefore we just called it "The Cuban Restaurant." I miss it more than I can convey.

2. Peking Chinese Restaurant that was once in the back of Poplar Plaza.

3. Lam Hung on Madison - it is probably still a Chinese/Vietnamese place, but it's not the same.

4. Grisanti's on Airways - I think it was the original one.

5. Mojo's on Highland - had THE BEST baba ganoush.

6. Audubon Cafe on Park

7. Buntyn when it was on Southern

8. Bon-Ton

9. Cafe Francisco

10. The Hungry Fisherman

Places I'd Like to Go

1. Spain
2. London
3. English countryside
4. Ireland
5. Iceland with Heather & her family
   
6. Paris, again
   
7. Amsterdam
8. Sweden
9. Italy, again, but this time I'd like to travel to different cities
10. Vienna, for Christmas
11. Belgium
12. Switzerland
13. Vancouver
14. My Mom's house

Guestlist: My Husband Has Good Taste in Music

Top 30 Songs You've Never Heard (in alphabetical order):
By My Husband

1. "3 Turntables & 2 Microphones" - MC Honky
2. "Barbara Carr" - NRBQ
3. "Big Houses" - House of Freaks
4. "Black Coffee" - Humble Pie
5. "Bouncer's Conversation" - Liz Phair
6. "Bucknaked" - Scruffy the Cat
7. "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" - Dean Martin
8. "Diggin' My Potatoes (Acoustic)" - Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
9. "Do You Know What I Idi Amin" - Chuck E. Weiss
10. "Dog Faced Boy" - Eels
11. "Don't Smoke in Bed (Live)" - Nina Simone
12. "Fever" - Van Morrison & Dr. John
13. "Filipino Box Spring Hog (Live)" - Tom Waits w/Charlie Musselwhite
14. "Floyd" - The Busconductors
15. "He Likes the Sun" - Tanita Tikaram
16. "Inside Straight" - Dirty Dozen Brass Band
17. "Lucinda" - Tom Waits
18. "Masterman And Baby J (Demo Version)" - Randy Newman
19. "Mr. Lee" - The 5.6.7.8.'s
20. "No Missing Link" - Dan Bern
21. "Ring Worm" - Van Morrison
22. "Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus" - Sun Ra
23. "S&M Cowgirl" - The Busconductors
24. "Shonen Knife" - Shonen Knife
25. "Sticks and Stones" - The Zombies
26. "The Courtly Orangutans" - Lou Reed
27. "The Millionaire's Holiday" - Combustible Edison
28. "The Shadow Knows" - Link Wray & The Wraymen
29. "The Temptation of Adam" - Josh Ritter
30. "Venus" - Two Faces

BONUS!
Top 5 Record Albums You Don't Have But Should (in alphabetical order):

1. "Dan Bern" - Dan Bern
2. "Holiday for Soul Dance" - Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra
3. "I Am The Messiah" - MC Honky
4. "Moons of Jupiter" - Scruffy The Cat
5. "The Scraps Companion" - NRBQ

For Laura Caroline

For my friend Laura Caroline who is starting grad school tomorrow - things for you to think of during your first day of school:

1. If you need help being cool, think of this:



2. If you start to take yourself too seriously, think of this:



3. If you need something to make you smile, think of this:

Guestlist: Jolene

An incomplete list of songs titled "Jolene"
by My Husband

1. "Jolene" by Bob Dylan
2. "Jolene" by Cake
3. "Jolene" by Cory Branan
4. "Jolene" by Dolly Parton
5. "Jolene" by Janis Ian
6. "Jolene" by Jeremy Fisher
7. "Jolene" by Ray LaMontagne

A List for a Friend Complaining about Turning 37

Here is a list just for you of awesome 37-year-olds:
1. Julia Child did not go to cooking school until she was 37.
2. Loretta in Moonstruck is 37 when she meets & falls in love with Ronnie Cammareri.
3. This weekend Rubens Barrichello won the European Formula 1 gran prix this weekend - his 282nd race, beating 18 drivers younger than he, and one very bad 38 year old driver.

A Few Things That are Ridiculous

• PowerPoint
  
• Union Avenue
• American Apparel
  

Pizza at the Hi-Tone

Here's what we tried of the Hi-Tone's lunch special: $9 all you can eat pizza plus a salad & drink.

1. margherita
2. chicken mozzarella
3. Italian
   
4. pepperoni
5. barbecue
6. hot wing
7. cheese
8. cheeseburger

So Many Things I Can't Believe Today

1. I can't believe the Memphis Chamber used to have Memphis/Shelby County demographics on their website, and now you have to pay for them.
2. I can't believe I saw a young woman walking down the street wearing a midriff shirt.
3. I can't believe that right after I saw that young woman in the midriff shirt, I saw another one wearing suspenders.
4. I can't believe charities call businesses to ask for money, especially non-profit businesses.
   

John Hughes-est Characters

(based only on the ones I just watched)

1. Best Villian: James Spader as Steff in "Pretty in Pink"
2. Least Sense of Humor: Molly Ringwald as Andie in "Pretty in Pink"
3. Most Miscast: Lea Thompson as the Great Beauty Amanda Jones in "Some Kind of Wonderful"
   
4. Funniest: Anthony Michael Hall as Farmer Ted in "Sixteen Candles"
5. Hottest: Michael Schoeffling as Jake Ryan in "Sixteen Candles"
   
6. Saddest: Alan Ruck as Cameron in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
7. Wearing the Most Makeup: Eric Stoltz as Keith at the end of "Some Kind of Wonderful"
   
8. Best Supporting: Tie between Harry Dean Stanton and Annie Potts in "Pretty in Pink"
9. Still Most in Love With: Andrew McCarthy as Blane in "Pretty in Pink"
   

Memorable Birthdays

1. When I turned 4 we had cake with my brother's friend from 2 houses down, Adam, and my 2 cousins who lived next door, Amy & Jenny. The cake had one of those shaped sugar decorations in the shape of Snow White, and I was making everyone laugh with jokes about eating her head. It's my first memory of making my peers laugh.

2. On my 5th birthday, we lived with my Aunt Jeannie. I remember a bike (tricycle?) with a basket on the front being wheeled into Jeannie's kitchen. More than the bike, I remember that the basket was full of books.

3. My brother Richard and I spent a few weeks with our grandparents in Naperville, IL, the summer I turned 10, and we met up with our parents & little sister Katherine in St. Louis on my 10th birthday. We went to church (it was on a Sunday that year, too), we went to the St. Louis zoo, and saw the arch, which freaked me out. It seemed unreal, and at 10-years old I had a Buddhist moment in which I realized that everything was illusory or impermanent. Then we went to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner!

4. During my teen years I always requested the same birthday meal: shrimp and twice-baked potatoes, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and my Mother always complied beautifully. She makes the best cake.

5. Around my 17th birthday I'd made vague plans to do something one night with my best friend Robin, who was nice enough to come and pick me up, though because she was really late I gave her a hard time about it all the way back to her house. Back to her house, where a surprise party was waiting for me! I felt bad about giving her a hard time about being late, but not so bad that I didn't totally enjoy myself.

6. When I turned 20, Toby surprised me with a trip to New Orleans. I'd never really been anywhere on my own, as an "adult", and it was the first of over 50 trips we've taken together over almost 18 years.

7. On my 23rd birthday Toby gave me a "promise to get married when we're both ready" ring.

8. For some reason I remember everything we did the day of my 25th birthday, which culminated in a dinner with friends featuring rabbit as the main course.

9. When I turned 30 I wanted something special, but I didn't, and I didn't know what it might be that I might want if I really did want something special. But it didn't matter, because my best friend Heather took care of everything and threw me a surprise party.

10. The 30's, so far, all run together, much like the teen years, but there have certainly been some fun times, like a bunch of friends gathering at Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant, going to visit my sister right around my birthday and having her homemade frosting, and all of the rounds of "Happy Birthday" sung to me at bookclub.

11. So far today I've had a lovely Sunday morning with Toby, read a little, painted a little, and had a pimento cheese sandwich for lunch.

3 Songs I Could Listen to Right NOW

1. Rich Girl by Hall & Oates & Gartrelle
2. Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria
3. Love for Tender by Elvis Costello
   

3 Suggestions for My Sister's Etsy Shop

1. Crafterine
2. Crafty Kathy
3. Jewelrific
   

3 Inanimate Objects That Are Difficult to Control

1. clothes hangers
2. umbrellas
3. keys
   

Makings of a Good Tuesday Night

1. rain
2. wine
3. Lost
4. gesso
5. paper
6. pencil
   

Lost

Watching the last episode of Lost from season 4, I want to make a list of all the people Jack has given CPR to over the course of the show, but I'm afraid that'll have to wait until I watch it all again.

Weekend of an Overachiever

Or, How an Artist with a Full-Time Job Spends her Weekend:

1. finished a painting
2. finished a crochet project
3. cooked 2 chickens
4. finished reading My Life in France by Julia Child
5. designed a new afghan
   
6. finished another painting
   

Funny English Phrases from my Collection of Foreign Candy Wrappers

1. A fresh and tasty MUSCAT
2. Enjoy seasonal winter Pocky
   
3. Monkey Choco Banana
4. Pocky Mousse Purple Yam
5. mini fruit gummi candies in yoghurt soft candy
   

What We Ate at Bookclub Last Night

1. cheese, crackers and pate
2. quiche
4. soubise
4. salad with avocado
5. baked cucumbers
6. grilled pork tenderloin
7. pastries from La Baguette

Funny Answers from the Fast Money Round on Family Feud

• sex
• an hour
• feed them
• God
• monkeys

Sorry, I don't know what the questions were.

Things I Didn't Do in New York

1. Spot any trends.


2. That's not true - I noticed a few girls with this haircut, and it looked good on every one of them.




3. Get sick.
4. Go to any galleries.
5. Eat at Grey's Papaya, again.

What Did We Do in New York, You Ask?

Perhaps you've seen some sketches or pictures of our New York trip and thought, I wonder what else they did? Well, here's a list:

1. Rode the subway.
2. Walked in the rain in Chinatown - bottom of my pants got soaked but oh well.
3. Went to Jing Fong on Elizabeth Street for great dim sum, great atmosphere. They seat you at communal tables, where everyone who has already eaten gives you pointers on what to get and how to get it. This place has the carts of dishes that ladies bring by your table for you to pick what you want, but it is also acceptable to go hunt down a particular cart if it hasn't made it by your table.
4. Bought candy that I will draw but will never eat from a Chinatown candy store.
5. Went to the Guggenheim, the outside of which is looking lovely these days, for the Frank Lloyd Wright show, but it was soooo crowded, because it was Saturday, and there was a Frank Lloyd Wright show. Walked up 2 blocks to Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. We'd never been there before, it was much less crowded, housed in the Carnegie Mansion, and had an interesting exhibit that paired designers with makers of natural materials around the world (wool, wood, I can't remember what else).
6. Looked for a restaurant called the Beer Bar for dinner and, well, beer (for T), but it was closed. On a Saturday night? Went instead to Fonda del Sol and ate and ate and ate. It was a perfect way to spend a Saturday night.
7. Had breakfast at the Applejack Diner.
8. Took the subway to Brooklyn to go to the Brooklyn Flea, which was advertised as being "under the Brooklyn Bridge." You wouldn't think the Brooklyn Bridge would be so hard to find, but we had a bit of a difficult time. When we finally got there, there were fewer vendor than expected because everyone thought it was going to rain. There were also no food vendors, which was a disappointment, but I did buy an awesome dark-blue dress (to add to my collection of dark-blue dresses, on the purchase of which there is now a moratorium), and random snapshots to paint from.
9. Rested. Ahh.
10. Took a looooong subway ride up to Washington Heights to visit Cousin Joe Jr. (actually 1st cousin once removed, if anyone cares.) Had a FABULOUS evening enjoying the view from his terrace, enjoying the wonderful food he cooked us, enjoying all of the wine he had in his house, and most of all enjoying the conversation.
11. Took a gypsy cab back to the hotel. Our driver didn't know where Grand Central Station was, first suggesting that we wanted to go to Queens, then attempting to deposit us at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is at least also on 42nd. We found this hilarious.
    
12. Poor T went to a conference.
13. I went to Battery Park, roaming around with an impaired sense of direction until I found the Museum of Jewish Heritage and saw a wonderful exhibit on the writer Irene Nemirovsky. It was one of the best non-visual-art exhibits I've ever seen. It was interesting, moving, and just generally well put-together. I cried, I sketched, I bought a book of the exhibit.
14. Overcame the grief of that exhibit by shopping! Scored at Anthropologie, swore off H&M for good (because I'm not 16).
15. Still exhausted from Saturday and Sunday, T and I took it easy and went to the Stage Deli for dinner. It's hard to pay that much for sandwiches, but dang they are good, and they have excellent knishes.
16. T had to go to the conference again, poor guy.
17. I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art all day. Here's what I did there: 1) Pictures Generation exhibit looked very much like art school. 2) Model as Muse exhibit - I wrote in my sketchbook "kinda gross". 3) Sped through the Bacon exhibit - apparently it was about Francis Bacon and not bacon, which was disappointing - here's what I wrote down about it: "too many teeth." 4) Love the new atrium in the American Wing. 5) Love the new gallery under the grand staircases. 5) Enjoyed the Roxy Paine installation in the roof garden. 6) Loved the new Oceanic gallery.
    
18. Upper east side for dinner - excellent pizza. Didn't mean to travel that far for pizza, but it was good. Followed up with some Tasty-D-Lite.
19. Breakfast at Pershing Square - finally! I've been wanting to eat there the past couple of visits. The food did not live up to my expectations, but it is super cute in there.
20. Morgan Library - so neat! The actual library part was very interesting, and the exhibits were good, too. An exhibit of newly acquired pieces included: 1) a letter from TS Eliot - very funny, 2) pictures of Mark Twain that he added self-depricating captions to, 3) some sketch books, including one of Degas's, 3) an incomplete illuminated manuscript with a sketch of what was to be painted, 4) snapshots with detailed descriptions of a driving trip of Europe, by William Randolph Hearst, 5) lots of other fascinating stuff.
21. Went to the airport early enough to grab a couple of Nathan's Famous hot dogs for lunch.
    

The Upside of Being Sick

1. Being told by my husband to sleep late and take naps.
2. Discovering the beauty of working while lying in bed.
3. Finishing my bookclub book.
4. Watching a lot of 'House Hunters' and 'House Hunters International' - it's like HGTV knew I was sick.
5. Taking the prescribed amount of narcotic cough medicine.
   

Movie Quotes I Have Used in Conversation This Week

• "Your Schwartz is bigger than mine."
• "Soylent green is people!"
• "Aliens build it."
• "Nah, just circular."

A Moveable List

List of descriptions of Paris from A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway on a brochure from the Rodin Museum that I made while in Paris in 2005.

Big Sister for Hire

As a big sister, I am naturally overbearing, feeling it necessary to tell people how they could be doing things better. This is advice I would like to have given a young man sitting near me at lunch today:

1. When you're sitting outside at a restaurant, you're still at a restaurant, so don't put your feet up on a chair, and don't talk on your phone the whole time.
2. If you have to tell someone that you are mature, like you said to the person with whom you were engaged in a long phone conversation, that probably means you aren't actually mature.
3. If you feel it necessary to justify how much you drink, then the person on the other end of the phone is probably right to tell you that you drink too much.
4. While being friendly is nice, don't try to start a conversation with everyone within 10 feet of you. It just seems a little desperate.
5. Go back to that restaurant and pick up your phone, because you left it on the table.
   

I Make Stacks

Movies to "watch" in the studio.

Recent Random Pictures

1. Memphis Motorsports Park




2. Carpenter Sullivan Sossaman




3. Midtown Nursery




4. Central Station




5. Jefferson Avenue




6. Madison Avenue

What We Talked About at Thursday Night Dinner

1. the gays
2. racism
3. the Middle East
4. GK turning 3
5. men who knit
6. family reunions
7. Eddie Izzard
8. the cunning use of flags
9. Africa
10. YouTube/U2
11. China
12. Kim Jong Il
13. making ice cream
14. eating on road trips
15. The Yiddish Policemen's Union (though it was not actually mentioned by name)
16. Midnight's Children
17. loose teeth
18. Californication
19. personal grooming habits
20. high school French
    

Top 5 Cereals

1. Honey Nut Cheerios
2. Fruit Loops
3. Apple Jacks
4. Cap'n Crunch
5. Honeycomb

Cereals I actually eat: Special K Vanilla Almond or dry cinnamon Puffins as dessert.

Things That Go Through My Head When I Shop for Presents

1. Does he/she already have this?
2. This is too much, too big.
3. This is too little.
4. This is a stupid idea.
   
5. I should've done this a week ago.
6. Why don't they have anything decent in this store?!
   

Things I've Enjoyed Recently

OOPS! I did not mean to leave that negative post hanging out there for so long. To balance that, here's a positive list of things I've enjoyed recently. Notice how much longer it is than the previous one - once I started this list, it was difficult to stop!

1. Reading The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
2. Thinking about how Hornby's writing about reading would translate to writing about looking at art.
3. Reading Food Matters by Mark Bittman and trying some of his recipes (I'm not saying they all work, though. At least not when I make them.)
4. Sending flowers to my Mom for Mother's Day.
5. Cocktail hour at the Dixon's.
6. Seeing friends at the fund-raising event at work this past Friday, especially hanging out at Material with Hamlett Dobbins, who was nice enough to play Elvis Costello albums for me.
   
7. Going on a date with my husband to see Star Trek.
8. Leaving work early and taking a day off.
9. Planning a trip to New York.
10. Talking to people about Lost.
11. Gossiping about Jon & Kate Plus 8 with the woman bagging my groceries at Schnucks.
12. Thursday Night Dinner.
13. Using my new label maker.
14. Going to the Farmer's Market.
15. Going to the Asian Market on Cleveland.
16. Lunches with friends.
    

Things I've Recently Stated That I HATE

1. The Big Chill
2. grant reports
3. self-righteousness

Displays I Found It Difficult to Compete Against at the Elementary School Career Fair

1. a live owl
2. Coast Guard boat ("Dude, you can like get on a boat and everything!")
3. heart ultrasounds
4. martial arts guy with a board for the kids to kick
5. anyone handing out candy
   

Some Things I'm Not

• effusive
• tall
• poker-faced
• reckless

Art & Work Last Week

1. Saw a glass anvil.
2. Saw a metal quilt.
3. Used the term "tromp l'oeil" twice.
4. Was told I'd have made a good Navy man, due to the fact that I take my coffee black.
5. Someone used the word "amber" as a verb in place of "highlight," as in, "I noticed one sentence was ambered."
6. Participated in a critique.

Best Sports Announcers

1. Jonathan Green and Steve Martin for World Superbike
2. Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett for Formula 1
3. Hawk and DJ for White Sox games

List of Blogs

I have three blogs:

• Listwork
• Sketchwork
• Artwork
  

Why I Have a Stomach Ache Today

Because last night I had:

1. chips and dip
2. deviled egg
3. barbecue sandwich
4. glass of wine
5. strawberry cake
6. gin & tonic
   

Artists Pandora Needs to Stop Playing on My Station

• The Grateful Dead
• Led Zeppelin
• Elton John
• XTC
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Radiohead
• Neil Young
• Fleetwood Mac
• The Doors

Artists on My Very Own Very Mellow Pandora Radio Station

• Billy Joel
• David Bowie
• Elvis Costello
• Joe Jackson
• Paul Simon
• Squeeze
• The Beatles
• The Kinks
• The Police
• The Velvet Underground
• The Who
• Van Morrison

Odd Smells

1. My car smells like pizza.
2. My purse smells like vanilla.
3. My office smells like Fritos.

Other Elizabeth Alleys

or What I Find When I Google Myself

1. Myself, of course
2. Ms. Wheelchair Tennessee 2004
3. Actress
   
4. Author from New Zealand
5. Doctor in Seattle
6. Voice-over artist
7. Scholarship fund at University of Maryland
8. Genealogy information for long-dead people
9. Reunion information for middle-aged people

Old Dudes I Have a Crush On

1. Ian McKellen



2. Patrick Stewart



3. Bill Nighy

I Don't Just Make Them, I Read Them

Amy Poehler’s 8 Simple Rules for Being a New Yorker

1. Be nice to everyone, especially people wearing hospital bracelets.

2. Don’t ask white girls if they “left their ass at home.”

3. If you have to bring your baby to a movie, make sure he laughs at appropriate times.

4. Don’t eat Cheetos and then sit down at a fancy hotel piano.

5. If you are in Central Park and think you are getting mugged, first check to see if maybe you’re just part of a student film.

6. If you see Oprah at a fancy function, don’t grab her wrist and ask for money. Quietly sneak up behind her and whisper, “You give me that money, Oprah. You hear me?”

7. When walking on a New York street, try not to spit, litter, bleed, or take a crap.

8. If you need to do any of these things, try to do it between two parked cars.

(from Everything Random)

Overheard at Caritas Village

Went to grab some lunch at Caritas Village without a lunch date or anything to read. So what did I do? I eavesdropped.

1. "no dairy"
2. "embalming fluid?"
3. "calls herself the empress"
4. "he usually tells you everything 13 times"
5. "I'm a little teapot today!"
6. "Is that sandwich big enough for you?" (That one was directed at me - I was eating a giant, delicious turkey club. People are friendly there.)
7. "I dropped an old lady one time"
8. "you look at Obama he starting to look old already"
   

Fascinating Facets

1. First I saw this collection of faceted things that Visual Notes found on Etsy:



2. Then I noticed these images that Bookhou Journal posted for a show at Rare Device:



3. Then I saw these on Design Sponge:



4. And these on Oh Joy!:

Guestlist: Pest Control

A list from the back of a South Florida pest control truck, by Mrs. Katherine:

1. termites
2. iguanas
3. mosquitoes
   
4. land crabs
   

Guestlist: International Foods

Foods I had at the international students' luncheon Friday, by Sassy Molassy:

1. Tandoori chicken leg
2. Handmade eggrolls
3. Some type of spicy, green Indian stewed chicken with aromatic rice
4. Pureed white bean soup with hunks of lamb and something that makes it butternut colored
5. A spinach-stuffed phyllo triangle.
6. Two roasted white yam wedges
7. Three little fried balls of dough that they called doughnuts

List About a List About Making Lists

People who sent me this list from NPR.

1. Brian Dixon
2. Stephanie Chockley
3. Heather Ashley

Guestlist: Things To Do After School

Things to do when I get home today (in this order) by Connor of the ChockleyBlogs:

1. Practice writing last name
2. Learn to tie shoes
3. Play Rock Band
4. Help Mom cook dinner

I ♥ Office Supplies

I've mentioned before a couple of these items, but here's a more complete list of items that I CANNOT work without:

1. paper clips
2. mechanical pencils
3. legal pads (I have different lists and/or notes going on several different legal pads at any given time.)
4. manila file folders
5. red flair pens

Movies I've Seen at the Theater (!) in the Past Two Weeks

1. Taken
2. Paul Blart Mall Cop
3. Push
   

Interesting Words I've Heard Today

1. keelhaul
2. prevaricate
3. asunder
   

Fun Names on NCIS

1. Leroy Jethro Gibbs
2. Ziva David
3. Leon Vance
4. Mike Franks

Foods My Mom Made During My Visit

1. pimento cheese
2. beef stew
3. super gooey chocolate chunks
4. chicken georgia
5. potato and green bean salad
6. orange cake
7. lasagna rolls
   

2008 Was the Year I...

• gave up on houseplants
• reverted to a paper calendar
• saw Mt. Rushmore
• had my most unusual Christmas
• learned to enjoy cooking
• discovered rhythm

Guestlist: iTunes

A list of things Hamlett Dobbins bought with his 125.00 of Apple iTunes store credit he accumulated over a number of Christmas gift cards:

(In order of purchase)

David Sedaris’ When You Are Engulfed in Flames audio book
David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day audio book
Iron and Wine’s Our Endless Numbered Days record
Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods audio book
Bill Bryson’s The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid audio book
Crash Bandicoot game for Julie’s iPod touch
Season 1 of The State
Sheryl Crow’s song Real Gone from the Cars Soundtrack (for Ives, really, he loves that song)
Fleet Foxes’ self titled record.
Santogold’s song L.E.S. Artistes
Rivers Cuomo’s Alone Vol. 2 record
Zoe Keating’s One Chello x 16: Natoma record*

*part of this album was paid for by the amount remaining in credit and part of it was paid for by myself.

Requirements for Superhero/Action Movies

At least one of these must apply:

• silly costumes
• giant robots
• superheros are from another planet, have been bitten by spiders, or have been exposed to some sort of unearthly rays or gasses
• fighting abilities must be unrealistic
• monsters should look cool
• lots of destruction
• stars Dwayne Johnson
  

Movies That I Saw in 2008 and Really Enjoyed

1. Pittsburgh - looooove Jeff Goldblum
2. Norbit - did not suck
3. No Such Thing - Netflix this ASAP
4. Master and Commander - I was on the edge of my seat!
5. Hot Fuzz
   
6. Eagle vs. Shark
7. Juno
8. Nancy Drew
9. Music & Lyrics - I loves me some romantic comedy.
10. Marie Antoinette - this one stuck with me for a long time
11. The Aviator
    

Other Blog List

Here's a list on one of my other blogs, art...work. It's about art.

Guestlist: Cable Justifications

things that led to the decision to get cable (for the first time in my adult life) OR the technology domino effect
by Click (Daily)

1. our dsl sucks and is not likely to improve
2. so we need cable internet
3. the digital channels we get using rabbit ears s-s-s-stutter
4. the new shiny modern tv looks stupid with rabbit ears
5. the house alarm can now be monitored by cellular technology
6. so we can get rid of the land line and save a few bucks
7. cable is only a little more when you get the cable internet which is paid for by eliminating the land line

Guestlist: Continuing Education

I've got people making lists all over the place. This one's by my friend Dr. Christa.

Profanity Used by a Speaker Giving a Continuing Education Program on Immunizations:
1. God x 3 (ie-"My God")
2. Ass x 2 (ie-"Dumb Ass")
3. Damn
4. Suck
5. Poop x 2
6. Screw

Things I Did During Today's Program:
1. Updated my To-Do lists
2. Updated my calendar
3. Wrote in my journal
4. Sent Terron a text message
5. Made these 2 lists

Who Doesn't Love Sausages

From my good friend F.L.:
Fantasy George's Top Sausages

Notes on a Painting

Found this in a sketchbook:

1. background
2. legs
3. drums
4. sticks
5. foreground hands

Terrible Movies I Saw in 2008

1. The Lake House
2. The Last Mimsy
3. The Fountain
4. Modigliani
5. Speed Racer
6. Hancock
7. Mamma Mia
8. The Dark Night

Guestlist: Crazy Northern Words

by Secret Agent Mom
Places I Can Correctly Pronounce Thanks To My Upbringing:

1. Mahtomedi
2. Monangahela
3. Menomonie
4. Oconomowoc
5. Kandiyohi

Today, By the Numbers

• Minutes I overslept: at least 30
• Times I brushed my teeth by 4pm: 4
• Meetings: 2
• Uses of Wikipedia: 3
• Times I was told my outfit looks very Katharine Hepburn: 1 (same as the number of times I've been told that ever)
• Facebook status messages I came up with while listening to Synchronicity: 6

Guestlist: Cocktail Hour Discussion

Topics Discussed Over a Lenny's Party Platter at CH by Stephanie ChockleyBlog

• Training wheels
• Our parents' blogs
• Vasectomies
• Alternatives to vasectomies
• Scams successfully perpetrated on us by local bums
• Journalistic voice
• Cell phone habits of 11-year-olds
• Saturday Night Live
• Ways that you can and can not alter your MCS uniform
• Potty training
• Adults who have/want braces
• How men react when in the room for the epidural
• When to use the flash

Failed Attempts to Make Facebook Status Messages Out of Songs from the Police Album 'Outlandos d'Amour'

Elizabeth Alley...

...is so lonely.
...doesn't have to turn on the red light.
...has a hole in her life.
...hits everybody.
...was born in the 50's.

Recently Cooked

1. black bean soup
2. cornbread
3. mandelbrot

Shows That Will Finally Have New Episodes in January

1. The Closer
2. Lost
3. Flight of the Conchords

Guestlist: Thinkin' 'bout Candy

Songs about candy I can think of off the top of my head
By Richard Alley of Urf!

1. Candy by Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson
2. The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr.
3. I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow
4. Candy Says by The Velvet Underground
5. So Like Candy by Elvis Costello

Books I Read in 2008

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (bookclub)
2. There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene
3. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (bookclub - bazillionth reading)
4. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (bookclub)
5. Franny & Zooey by J.D. Salinger (bookclub - 3rd reading)
6. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
7. The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
8. The Artist's Guide to Public Art by Lynn Basa
9. Rowdy in Paris by Tim Sandlin
10. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (bookclub)
11. Bento Box in the Heartland by Linda Furiya
12. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
13. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (bookclub)
14. Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow (bookclub)
15. Waiter Rant by Steve DuBlanica (bookclub)
16. Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky
17. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
18. In the Tennessee Country by Peter Taylor
19. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon (bookclub)

Auxiliary List 1: Books I Didn't Finish This Year

1. Hold the Enlightenment by Tim Cahill (bookclub - sorry SMBD)
2. How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (I don't think I ever finished the bread section. Maybe soup.)
3. de Kooning by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan (I'll finish it eventually)
4. City of God by E.L. Doctorow (just couldn't get into it)

Auxiliary List 2: (Newly Read) Books That I HIGHLY Recommend from This Year

1. There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene
2. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
3. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
4. Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky