Happy Haunting

Today I'm being haunted. Not by ghosts or zombies or anything completely awesome like that, but by the damn Jeffersons! All morning long.

 ♪♫Well we're movin' on uuup. To the east siiiide. To a deluxe apartment, in the skyyyyy.♫♪ 

*Growls* Let me tell you that I haven't seen the Jeffersons since I was probably ten years old. I didn't hear the theme song anywhere, and I didn't even see a picture that reminded me of that show that used to make me crazy. I never thought it was all that funny..... again - complete white mid-western chick here. Maybe I should watch it again. Actually, maybe if I watch it again I can get that stupid song out of my freaking head!! GAH!!

See this happens to me all the time. Sometimes its whatever the hubs has the clock radio set at in the morning. I swear the B-52 were singing Love Shack every single day for a month when I got up. Then there was the Party in the USA streak; I blame Mr. 4 for that one. Thank God its just talk radio now, although I woke up on fire about the stupidity being pumped through my head at 4:30 a.m. a few days ago. Some jackass going on and on about how sharks look for people to attack because they can smell what they ate for dinner the day before, or some kind of gibberish like that. At least it wasn't Gun 'N Roses. For a   l o n g   time it was Axl screaming "Why don't you just..... f*** off." Do you know what that does to your day to have that be the first thing you hear when you wake up? That CD disappeared. (teeheehee)

So, its Friday and to haunt you on this weekend full of Halloween fun? What eats your brain? Is there a song? A quote? A person that you can't get out of your head? My list is long but you know that today, it just happens to be George Jefferson.

Quick housekeeping stuff::  Make sure you vote in the poll at the top right of the blog. You have two days left. I'll warn you now that the name of the blog may change. The content won't. It will still be me.

Now for some begging: I am a Photo Shop loser. My laptop is old and not able to handle the program plus, I'm too stupid to really do much on it anyway. Is there a super amazing reader that wants to volunteer their mad banner/header making skills if the title of this blog changes? I'm giving away free creative control here people. Going once..... going twice.....

Must... Eat... Brains!!

Mwhahahaha. Its Halloween week and in the spirit of the living dead, its time for a short history lesson on that monster we all know and love; the ZOMBIE! This post actually originated on my trip to New Orleans where I was schooled by the fabulous @OMFG_Its_Tami about Voodoo and Zombies and all that cool stuff that, being a white Protestant chick from Indiana, I knew nothing about. Ironically enough, I found this article from the University of Michigan about Haitian voodoo and zombies and the history of all that fun and creepy stuff.  I'm pretty sure people from the state just north of mine are about as white and protestant as I am, but seeing that it is a "scholarly" article, I'll take it as fact. Plus, I really like to believe in this stuff.

Let it be known that I have never been to Haiti. I have a lot of friends who have been there on mission trips and I have always wanted to go. None of my friends have ever come back with any good zombie stories for me. I'm disappointed. Not that I expect for them to start pouring in since they were Christian mission trips, but still, if you're there, get me some good history! That place is voodoo to the max and let me tell you, three days in NOLA showed  me that you don't screw around with that creepy shit!

So, back to the Haitians and their current trouble with the living dead. Yes, I said current. Its apparently not a thing of the past. Poor Haiti has been bombarded by one natural disaster after another, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and now cholera tear that country apart year after year.  The human loss from natural disaster, diseases, etc. alone is sickening. Death certainly is no stranger to the people of Haiti. They just found a way to put it on hold for awhile.

So, some Science guys were studying the zombie thing and went to Haiti to see just what was up with all the rumors of zombies in the area and guess what... THEY'RE STILL THERE! No joke! Check out what CNN.com has to say.

Spirit of the dead alive and well in Haiti

Apparently a concoction of some seriously high powered and deadly herbs, plants and  chemicals along with a bit of voodoo magic are used to replicate a "death like state". So, the person basically dies for awhile until the poisons are out of their system and they come back to life. And what do we have... zombies! Another version of the story that I was told is about the low lying spongy ground and what happens when you try to bury the dead below sea level. Let me explain it to you this way. Coffins are like little locked up canoes, and when they get on top of the water table, they float. The dead rise and again, we have zombies.

What do you think? Is it all a bunch of whoodoo voodoo, or are you ready for the zombie apocalypse in your area? Be afraid... be very afraid!

Isn't He the Sweetest Thing

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm a Peanuts fan. I'm forcing it down my children's throat daily in the hopes that they will understand that good cartoons are not Japanimation or Sponge Bob but really are about old Mickey Mouse, Peanuts, and Scooby Doo. Two sentences and I'm already sidetracked.... damn. Back to my point. I love Charlie Brown and all his friends and something happens at least once a day at my house to make me think of some part of some Peanuts movie. My favorite of all the characters is Linus. He always has been my favorite because of his sweetness, his absolute rejection of Sally who is my second favorite character, and his wisdom. He's the smartest of the bunch by far, although, I'm sure Lucy would beg to differ. *Now realizes that the rest of this blog will sound like preferential kid treatment.*  Its not. I love them all the same. Its just Mr. 4s day to shine.

So, last night on the way home from swim team practice, its the kids (all four of them) and I driving home to make dinner when Mr. 4 starts jabbering away. Mr. 4 is my snuggler. He tells me at least twenty times a day that he wuvs me in this little voice that I can only compare to Jonathon Lipniki in Jerry Maguire. 

And just in case you only read in Spanish; subtitles! Wait...


OK, so back to the story. We're driving home and, of course, there is a Charlie Brown cartoon on in the van. Tonight's episode: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Its the episode about the actual story of the Pilgrims only with Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Sally playing pilgrims. You know the one I'm talking about, right? Anyway, here is the conversation in Gavinese:

Gav: Mommy, I wanna go on a hairpane ride or a ship.

Me: That's cool Gav. Where do you want to go?

Gav: Hmmm. I fink maybe to college.

Me: College? *quiet laugh* Where do you think you want to go to college? (He has NO idea what college is by the way. I'm just fishing for info here and his voice makes me turn to mush.)

Gav: I fink its in Fort Wayne. *Nods* Ya, college in Fort Wayne wiff my boo bankie.

Me: {AWW!! Gah! This kid kills me.} So we're going to college in Fort Wayne with your blue blankie. OK buddy, what do you want to do there?

Gav: Hmm. I fink I just want to hang out. You know wiff boo bankie. He is so warm and he wikes to snuggle me. He's going to go to college wiff me. *Snuggles the blanket*

Now I just can't stop smiling. Gav, you are my Linus and I hope that even if its only a tiny shred of that "Boo Bankie" he makes it to college with you buddy.

"Maybe I'll make it into a sport coat!" - Linus Van Pelt

For more Gavinese along with some other funnies from the other 3 munchkins, follow @fromthemouthes on Twitter

Another Day, Another Holiday

  

You guessed it my crazy morons. Today is BACK TO THE FUTURE DAY! No joke. Just when you thought it was safe to head back to Hill Valley (a total oxymoron by the way). Its time to pull out your puffer vests, which should be easy since they are back in style and find a can of TAB, which I can honestly say I'm not sure they even sell anymore. If not, you should at least rent the movie(s) and pop some corn tonight because really, this is much better than CAPS LOCK DAY. At least you won't have a headache when its over.

And... if you're really looking to take it to another level, you might want to check out this article put out my msnbc.com that just so happens to fit BACK TO THE FUTURE DAY to a T! It looks super convincing to me and I'm all about living in the mystical. 

Cell Phone Time Traveler from 1928

(FYI... don't read the comments, they take all the fun out of the article. I hate people who can't play in La La Land with me. Live a little.)

Question of the Day: Pick one or answer both, its a holiday:

1. What would your superpower be? Mine would be to apparate. If you don't know what that is, my heart breaks for you.

2. If you could travel to a different time... When? Where? Me, Revolutionary War, Phillie. I really want to meet Benjamin Franklin.

Good Eats

I was reading over my blog roll this morning when I stumbled across Domestic Daredevils not so subtle reference to Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin and bread. I don't think there are three things that I appreciate more at this time of year more than Pumpkins, Charlie Brown and bread, so I was drawn in immediately. 

Today I'm going to make the very recipe I just linked you. I'm also going to make some chicken and rice soup out of some leftover chicken and rice (imagine that) that I have floating around my fridge. I'll tell you that its 80 degrees and windy outside today, but I'm freezing. I'm guessing this is Indian summer which can only mean one thing... its going to get colder which seems obvious but still makes me nauseous to think about. 

So in order to prepare for hibernation (Post Girl's trip to Florida in a week and 2 days) I'll start making foods to keep me warm. Hopefully because they are hot, and not because I'm going to gain weight, but eh, who knows. When I bake that pumpkin bread later today, we'll start the fat ball rolling. So be it. I'm cold!

    

So, you tell me. Do you hibernate? Do you look forward to the hell on Earth that some people so fondly refer to as Winter? Do have have a favorite food/recipe or thing to do when its colder than a witch's tit outside? Maybe I'm just a baby....  Hit me.

Not just for Egyptian Kings

Thanks Google. I might have to make these!

OK, so there was this lady in Costa Mesa, California who I'm assuming had the heart of an angel. I can imagine her working the soup kitchens, passing out coats and donating the shirt off of her back (Which is really much more feasible in California than Indiana because of the warmer weather... or so I think anyway.) Maybe she has a posse of friends that went out with her everyday to play checkers with them on a park bench, what do I know? All I do know is what I read in this article.

Police: Woman Drove Around With Mummified Body for Months

Here's the way I see it, well, kind of anyway. Halloween is coming and its a full moon and well, love does crazy things to people. It appears that this saint of a woman in Cali is dealing with some attachment issues and a sweet side that may qualify as a bleeding heart worse than mine. Back in December, she was building snowmen or making snow angels decorating palm trees in the park when she befriended a wonderful woman. I know this woman had to be beyond your everyday type person because of whats to come. They two decorated, drank double shot mochas with whipped cream together (paid for by the bleeding heart of course) and then bonded about the future of their friendship. The were a match, after all, you can find friends in strange places sometimes. 

As time went on, the homeless woman began to understand that the cooler nights and lack of shelters were bothersome. She consulted her friend the mocha supplier who generously allowed her to take shelter (sleep) in her car. After sometime, the homeless woman, who appears to be fifty to sixty years old became sick. Perhaps an undiagnosed disease or too many mochas. Who knows. It doesn't really matter. What matters is, she died. In the lady's car.

You ask how I know how the sweet woman had an attachment issue and her it comes. She left the woman IN THE PASSENGER SEAT!! And not just for a few hours, ooooh no. Try a few stinky, hot, rotting months over the hottest summer on record in SoCal. I would ask you to try and imagine what this is like, but I won't for the sake of your keyboard because I'm not sure any of us really want to imagine. The good news for the woman driving around the corpse of her dead friend who was now just skin and bones is that she was past the wretchedness that would cause you to gag and your eyes to water within 100 yards of the car, and had finally rotted away to a strong odor. (I'm thinking hog farm.) When the police found the, now skeleton, in the woman's car during a routine traffic call, they questioned the owner of the car, aka mocha supplier, and she just decided that she'd prop her up her dead friend and keep her. *shrug*

FYI, I totally made up the mocha stuff and the checkers, and the decorating palm trees thing. I don't have a clue what they did. All I know is that the woman driving the car was BAT SHIT CRAZY!