KG's Five Best Things Ever: 12/19/20

Take a look at the hottest trends and coolest items in my life this week. It's the Five Best Things Ever for 12/19/20:

1. Pantsuit Politics Podcast - Considering the Covid-19 Vaccine episode:

Dr. Chris Beyrer, a John Hopkins epidemiologist, joined Sarah and Beth on the 12/11 episode of Pantsuit Politics to talk about the development of the vaccine. I thought it was a great conversation about what went into the trials and the time developing the vaccine. It’s an extremely helpful episode to hear if you have concerns about getting the vaccine when it becomes available to you. Pantsuit Politics is one of my favorite podcasts and I recommend the show in general, and especially this episode in particular.

2. Amaryllis bulbs

I usually buy both my mom and me amaryllis bulbs for Christmas with the idea that if we plant them on Christmas day, we will each have a flower sometime in January. One day in November, the Internet told me it was the day to plant Amaryllis bulbs. “So Early!” I thought. I listened though and immediately bought the bulb and planted it. I sure am glad I did. It bloomed this week and it will knock your socks clean off because it’s so glamorous and beautiful.

3. Kenny Moore II’s interception against the Raiders

Just Watch it. Oh, you already saw it? I don’t care. Watch it again. It was incredible. You suck Derek Carr.

4. 642 Tiny Things to Draw book

My friend Carrie is an excellent gift giver. She gives gifts that are so perfect, you wonder why you didn’t already own them. This year, she sent me an array of wonderful things including a guinea pig Christmas ornament and also this tiny book called 642 Tiny Things to Draw. It has 642 prompts of small things to draw and the space to draw them. The prompts are creative and sometimes challenging.

5. Who Killed Mr. Boddy (Clue #1)

This month, I’ve been enjoying reading a few of my collection of kids' books procured from either Little Free Libraries or the clearance section at Half Priced Books. My favorite so far is Who Killed Mr. Boddy. (Clue #1). It’s a collection of 13 short mysteries involving the shenanigans of the Clue board game characters. It’s ridiculous. It has puns. Here is a sample from the book, so you get the idea:

Mr. Boddy and the other guests chased the old woman through the hedge maze. But they all got bushed. 

Then they chased her through the family cemetery. This must be a plot! Thought Boddy. 

Then they chased her through the miniature golf course, where Boddy’s shoes began to hurt his feet. There must be a hole in one, he thought.

Even though they steal, burn down the mansion, and try to murder each other, Mr. Boddy keeps inviting the group over every week. I don’t understand why they are friends.

Scholastic made 18 of these and I hope to find more of them in book bargain adventures in the future.

That’s it for this week, my friends. These are the five best things ever in my life this week. Maybe I’ll see you back here next week. I’m not making any blogging promises though. 

19 in 2019: Visit a Cat Cafe

Number three on my 19 in 2019 list was the needn’t to be explained “Visit a Cat Cafe!” I’ll go ahead and explain it anyway. I love animals. I like visiting animals at people’s homes or zoos or aquariums. I like looking at pictures of animals. The majority of my Instagram feed is made up of baby animal aggregators, zoos, Internet famous pets, and animal photographers. (The rest, if you are wondering, is crafty folks and hot people.) So, when this new trend of cat cafes started, I was ready. Somehow though, I managed not to make it to one in 2018 even though I really really wanted to. Even though some friends went to some without me! When I started thinking about my 19 in 2019 list, the cat cafe is one of the first activities that sprung to mind.

Present Participle List: January 2019

This was a busy, busy month at work. I worked a lot of overtime and then I got a yucky cold. So I waffled between working my butt off and being flat on my butt. Here are a few things that I got up to.

Watching:
Documentaries, lots of them.

Top Chef Kentucky: It’s been years since I watched a season of Top Chef, the show with the hottest judges in reality show history, Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. Nothing much has changed about the show and I prefer it that way. There are still the nice chefs and the cocky chefs and the nervous chefs and creative challenges in between in-show car and Whole Foods commercials.

Eating:
Shrimp and Grits: One of my 19 in 2019 goals this year is to cook new recipes. I subscribed to New York Times Cooking and cooked Shrimp and Grits with Garlicky Swiss Chard as my first two new recipes of the year. Then I ate grits again and again after that and at least another time after that.

Listening:

Radiolab episode: The Punchline Thanks to the recommendation by MJV, I checked out a hockey-based episode of RadioLab about the season when goon John Scott was elected to the NHL all-star game in a popular fan-fueled campaign. It could be an allegory of what happens when corporations try to use social media marketing without a complete understanding of how it works. It details the steps the NHL took to remove John Scott from the game and highlights their villainy. Sure, the NHL is run by jerks, but in this situation they go out of their way to be total dicks. I recommend this episode to sports fans and students of social media alike.

The Smiths
I read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, whose characters are big fans of the Smiths and I’ve been on a Smiths’ bender ever since. I’ve been listening to A Light That Never Goes Out a lot, probably an unhealthy amount.

Reading:

Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West This intriguing book by J.B. West, who served as usher and then chief usher in the White House from FDR to Nixon is filled with awesome tidbits about the first families he served. There is nothing salacious here as West has such respect for each of the presidents and their families. The book covers so many behind-the-scenes looks at important moments in American history including the Kennedy assassination and the death of FDR in office.

Playing:
Star Wars: Edge of the Empire

A Way Out
A bartender at my favorite bar Best Buds Gaming Lounge recommended A Way Out to my friend D and I and then we spent the next many hours and beers playing it. It’s a cooperative prison-escape jaunt that feels more like playing through a movie then a game. Yeah, there are a lot of cutscenes but you also get to steal a truck from old people! This playable Choose Your Own Adventure is very entertaining.

That's what I was up to in January

19 in 2019: Play an RPG!

It's still January and I've crossed another 19 in 2019 off my list! Number 7: Play an RPG! is now complete. I've been interested in playing an RPG such as D&D for years and even created some Shadowrun characters with a friend back in college and I still hadn't managed to actually play a game.

On Black Friday, I saw a screaming deal for the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire beginner game. I figured Star Wars was a great place to start my RPGing adventure, since I'm familiar with and love the Universe already. The package came with a condensed rule book, an adventure book, maps, specialized dice, four pre-made characters and another adventure available for download online. Knowing I wouldn't be able to find anyone to play in December, I set it aside for examination this month.

19 in 2019: George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

I couldn’t let January 2019 pass without knocking at least one thing off my 19 in 2019 list, so on January 13, my friend R and I headed up to Canada to check out The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. For just $5 admission, we checked #18 off the list!

After coworkers told me about the sanctuary years ago, I knew to expect a large number of birds when we arrived. What I didn’t realize is just how many species we would see. We saw:

8 Sick-Day Documentaries to Heal Your Cold (or help you take a nap)

I caught the mother of all colds last week and stayed home for a boring and lonely 3.5 days. Usually when I’m sick, I sleep a lot until the cold goes away. This set of symptoms was a different beast though and I didn’t manage to sleep much. I had a terrible headache that prevented me from reading, so watch TV I did. A lot. A whole lot.

Usually my sick day show watching consists of the Price is Right followed by some sort of nostalgic TV show like Magnum PI. Occasionally, I’ll watch a documentary or two. Since this sickness was some sort of extra sick, I decided to do some extra TV watching. So, I present to you: THE GREAT SICK DAY DOCUMENTARY FILM FEST OF 2019!!!

4 Reasons Why My TBR Pile Might Kill Me

It’s not hard to keep a TBR list. Anyone can make a Goodreads account and click the green “want to read” button or keep a handwritten list in their bullet journal. What takes a little more commitment and a lot more space is a physical TBR stack. This is where I find myself now, with a more than three-foot (Yes, I measured) pile of books taller than my nightstand next to my bed. With the paltry shelves of the actual furniture long full, I’ve expanded to the floor.

The Highest Peak of Book Mountain

My TBR stack was created by the following four-pronged fact attack and because of this it will mostly likely tumble over and bury me in a pile of unread books:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Review

I have never excelled at giving good movie or music recommendations. The problem is that I like too many things. It’s hard to give a helpful critique when I think many movies and music are “sssssooooooooo gooooooooddddd”.

Years ago, I told my friend Jonnie, while we were arguing about a band that I thought he should like, that he didn’t have an appreciation for enough pop culture. I said that if he had a sieve over his head that let in new music, the holes in his sieve would be too small to let anything through. He disagreed and yelled “YOU NEED SMALLER HOLES!” thereby letting the office know that the holes in my pop culture sieve were way too big and let in enough junk to drown me. Then he drew me the following cartoon.

The Dark Side of Choose Your Own Adventure

Do you ever have a tidal wave of memories that crash over you without warning from the recesses of your brain? This happened to me one recent Saturday morning when I had a distinct memories of a family road trip, stuck in the very back bench seat of my family’s silver 1986 Plymouth Voyager as we crossed the hot Eastern Washington desert, reading and rereading a box set of four Choose Your Own Adventure books. I remembered picking out the set at Costco and how special it seemed because my mom was buying me four books instead of just one.

Whatever caused my sudden and unstoppable need for a nostalgia-fueled afternoon of sifting through Choose Your Own Adventure books was now gnawing a small pit in my stomach. It was a thirst that needed to be quenched immediately. Time to track down some of these gems of my childhood!

 WARNING!!! 

The 7 Best Books I Read in 2018

In 2017 and 2018 I set a goal of reading or listening to 100 books or audiobooks. In 2017, I consumed 193 books mainly because I went on a huge children’s literature binge to combat my despair over Trump’s inauguration. That January and February, I went through loads and loads of story books and it was fun. It was a great antidote for the terrible news.

Last year, I ended up consuming 92 out of 100 books even though I started two book clubs and expected to easily meet my goal. I’m not unhappy that I didn’t meet my goal, just surprised. Last year was challenging for me, as I tried to balance the new commitment of spending time with my 92-year-old aunt who we moved from assisted living in California to a facility a few miles from my apartment. It was harder than I ever imagined. I spent a lot of time feeling sad and frustrated and that manifested in playing a lot of games on my phone and doing mindless internet scrolling.

I still read great books though and gave seven of them the coveted 5/5 rating on Goodreads. A mix of non-fiction and mostly YA fiction, they are, in no particular order:

19 in 2019!

Following the lead of Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft, cohosts of my favorite podcast Happier, I’m embarking on a list of 19 things I want to do in 2019.

1. Restart a blog! I miss reading all the blogs I read in the early aughts. I miss writing silly little posts about the silly things little things I love. To activate my writing muscles, I need to practice writing and I won’t write if I’m my only audience. Blogging gives me the illusion of other people reading it. In 2019, I will publish at least two blog posts each week.

2. Complete a Happiness Project! I’m a happy follower of the work of the aforementioned Gretchen Rubin. I love her podcast and her books especially, The Happiness Project. This year she is launching a yearlong course, The Happiness Project Experience and I’m going to actively participate in this class.

3. Visit a cat cafe! This one doesn’t really need explanation. I like cats. I like cafes. I'm going to go to one.

April Happy List

1. Cooking with friends: Dupree and I made chicken carbonara on Friday. It was fun to cook with him even though I hit him for eating the chicken while he was shredding it.

2. Tim’s birthday party: Tim reserved part of Barca for us and it was a ton of fun having our own section and lots of room to mingle. It was great to see old friends and party like it was 1997 along with meeting some of Tim’s coworkers and students.


3. Circus Contraption: My birthday present to Tim. It was one of those shows that made me love Seattle. Just the fact that little shows like this with amazing acts can exist makes me happy. We went to Via Tribunali for dinner after the show and it was an excellent date night. I think I could be a professional date planner. Seriously. I come up with the most fun things. Too bad I’m terrible at finding boyfriends.

4. Running: I’m taking up running. Well for now I’m still walking more than I’m running, but it’s good and I like it.

5. Justin: A new friend this year that is totally fun and also enjoys cartoons.

6. Tim Walker’s photography: It is a fairytale or circus act or make believe. His portfolio is incredibly inspiring. Look closely for those of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter. They are a treat. A crazy weird treat.

7. 80s movie and crafts night: This is the fourth month and so far it has been a success. We are watching License to Drive and I think I might work on some embroidery. You gotta love the two Coreys and we haven’t watched a really bad movie yet.



8. Reading: I haven’t done it a lot lately and it makes me feel like something is missing. I need to get back into the books I’ve started.

9. Kris Kristofferson: Rolling Stone had an amazing article by Ethan Hawke about Kris Kristofferson. My favorite bit from the article is on the website and it is definitely something you should read. Because of this anecdote and the rest of the article, I have a huge crush on Kristofferson right now. He’s supremely talented and I need to rent some of his old movies from Netflix. It might even help me out of my Paul Newman phase.

10. Cupcakes: Although I’m disappointed in the Ham’s new cupcake shop, I have it on good authority that there are amazing cupcakes being sold at the Farmer’s Market. I’m going Saturday to investigate.

11. Aziz Ansari: I first saw him at Bumbershoot two or three years ago, but now he seems be getting noticed. He was in Human Giant, then Scrubs, and now has a big role on Parks and Recreation. Worst Mix-Tape is an old favorite.

12. Blueberry season: I know it isn’t blueberry season yet, but I’ve been dreaming of making these blueberry almond cupcakes for months and I refuse to make them with frozen blueberries.
13. Laura: She’s always fun to hang out with, is quick to laugh and make me laugh, and provides good and supportive advice when I get whiney. She is a gem.

14. Carrie’s upcoming visit: Only two weekends until I see one of my number one ladies.

15. Etsy prints: Emily posted a link on Facebook with some letterpress prints that I need to own. For now, I’m enjoying looking at them online and dreaming of where I will hang them.

16. My brother’s dancing video: see below. I can’t stop watching it and I can’t stop laughing when I’m watching it.

17. Watching Dupree’s business come together: Going along for the ride while his dreams of a coaching practice become a reality is a joy to watch.

18. The most beautiful clock in the world: I’m bidding it on right now on Ebay. I’ll know if it is mine in a few days. I’m guessing the price will skyrocket, but for now I’m thinking happy thoughts. Perhaps I will hang it next to the print set above in my imaginary retro house.

19. The song from Circus Contraption: I’ve sung it at least once a day since we saw the show. It goes like this: “Love, love, love, we got it in slop buckets! It sloshes around in there. If some spills we don’t care. ‘Cause we got plenty of love to go around.” Then repeat for forever.

20. WE shows: I’ve probably seen them play 50 times. Maybe not that many, but it seems like that many. I’ve never counted. Anyway, I never get sick of it. Never ever. They are the most fun and it’s not just because they are my friends.

Peep Show

Happy Easter! I know it is now three days passed, but if you go to any major grocery or pharmacy chain right now, you can still get deep discounts on a variety of delectable Easter treats.

Easter is the undisputed candy holiday champion. Don't even attempt to argue with me. I will not be swayed. Halloween is all about candy, but it doesn't have a variety of its own special treats. On Halloween, all your costume gets you is tiny versions of candy bars you can get at full size all the time. This is not special. This is a trick being played on you! On Easter you get a basket of a variety of amazingly specialized treats delivered right to your door and you don't even have to walk around your neighborhood dressed like Slutty Spongebob for these rewards. What about candy corn you ask? Halloween has candy corn. Well guess what? No one except Judy likes candy corn. Easter has malted milk eggs, giant chocolate bunnies, fudge eggs with your name on them (personalized candy!), those amazing tiny hard shell Hershey eggs, and the Godfather of all candy, the mighty Cadbury Cream Eggs.

Easter also, most importantly for the sake of this blog entry, has Peeps. Peeps started just as an Easter treat, but now have branched out to snowman and trees at Christmas, ghosts at Halloween, and hearts for Valentine's Day. I'm one of the few people I know that enjoys eating Peeps. For reasons I don't understand, many people seem frightened by marshmallows manipulated into holiday shapes. Peeps have become more of a pop culture phenomena than actual food. Luckily for us, the Washington Post sponsored a Peeps diorama contest with some amazing results. Click through their slideshow to see Peep-based homages to Octomom, the Nighthawks painting, the US Airways crash on the Hudson, and other historical events and happenings. My personal favorite is Octomom, but Nighthawks took the grand prize. Many entries are highly detailed and very entertaining. Now Peeps are both food and art!

(Thank you Laura for bringing this contest to my attention.)

Your Tax Dollars at Work

My brother is a US Marine currently undergoing security training in Virginia. This is what they do in their off time.

(P.S. My brother is the adorable one in the front.)

February Intention Review

In order to stay accountable to my 2009 intentions, I must write about them every month. I thought I’d do a short review of the items that applied to February.

Complete two crafty projects a month.
This one was easy of course. I finished two mini-albums. (One on my trip to the San Diego Zoo in October 2008 and the other a Valentine’s day gift for Tim featuring pictures of us in college.) I did buy some materials for new projects though and this is one thing I’d like to stop doing. I need to be more economical and use supplies I already have to finish projects I’ve already started.

Read two books a month.
Last month I wrote that this goal should always be a gimme. Of course, this month, I didn’t accomplish the goal. I finished Oscar Wao, but started and did not finish two other books.

Go to at least one concert a month of a band that does not count one of my friends as a member.
I went to see Super Diamond for Z’s birthday. This again should be easy to accomplish every month. The first two months though, I saw bands that I’ve seen previously. In March, I want to take this one step further and see a band that is new to me.

Double the amount of money I give to charities over 2008’s total.
No action was taken on this goal in February. I need to work more on this goal this month. I think it will be a challenge to accomplish this goal this year. Last year, I had this same goal and it was easy, because I just doubled the amount of money taken out of my paycheck and given directly to United Way. I decided not to double that amount again this year, because although Bellingham’s needs are many, I’d like to focus on other areas. My two main areas of focus will be Donor’s Choose projects in Detroit area classrooms and supporting the Whatcom Hospice Foundation.

When selecting Donor’s Choose projects in the past, I would focus on high poverty areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The need is still great there, but I’ve been interested in and saddened by the degradation and decaying of Detroit for some time. It’s a shame that what was once one of America’s greatest cities is now reduced to ruin. In the last few months both Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone have featured articles on the city as it failing relates to their sports teams and music scenes. Although sending some money to classrooms in Detroit won’t save the city, it is something little that I can do from across the country.

Supporting the Whatcom Hospice is much more personal, as they provided outstanding care and support to my friend in his last days. The work they do eases some of the burden placed on the dying’s family and I’m thankful that they were there to help my friends.

Re-commit to exercise plan by working out at least seven hours a week.

This intention continues to be only half-way fulfilled. I did better than January, but still feel that I can work out more and harder. I’d like to try doing a longer workout in the morning, but that means getting up right away instead of hitting the snooze button.

Finally, just because I don’t want to post a boring blog without a picture, the above is a shot of me and my new favorite hat on the shores of Langley, WA at Mystery Weekend 2009. (Photo by Z.)

Happy List

February was a crappy month. It was split into two distinct parts. Before and after. First the worry about the rapidly declining health of a loved one and then too soon later the grief and anguish over the loss of that loved one. It was sudden. It was surprising. I am sad. Now, I focus on the superficial. Amidst tragedy, life kept moving. I laughed. I had fun. Things made me happy. Here is a list of those things.

1. Mystery Weekend: I think we’ve attended the Mystery Weekend in Langely for six years now. It’s the best kind of girls’ weekend. We collect clues, interview suspects, and map out motives. Oh yes, we also do a lot of catching up, shopping, and eating. It’s good to be surrounded by those that have known you the longest.

2. Woodland Wonderland Wood Maze: Of course I don’t need any more fabric, but my collection of blues and oranges is almost large enough to make a quilt.

3. Mr. T pattern: The full color pictures make me laugh every time I flip through the book.

4. Mr. Blue by Catherine Feeny: It’s just a sweet little song.

5. Super Diamond concert: Amazingly fun show with amazingly fun people to celebrate amazing roommate’s birthday. Bonus amazingness goes out to my new black dress.

6. Cupcakes and Zombies print: Two of my favorite things together. This will soon hang in my kitchen.

7. Kanye’s new girlfriend: half supermodel, half robot. I’m trying to quit online gossip sites, but I just can’t! I like she’s crazy beautiful in a weird way. (Side note: In this photo Kanye is wearing a letterman’s jacket from one of my high school’s divisional rivals.)

8. Books: I’m working on way too many now: World War Z, Happier, Blood Lite, Couch. It would be good if I actually finished a book sometime.

9. Cheese store: Bellingham’s Quel Fromage has way too many delicious cheeses. My favorite right now is called Barely Buzzed which has a coffee and lavender blend rubbed on it. Fancy, right?

10. Screen printing: Now that I have a giant tub of emulsion and four months to use it, I better make some more stuff. The only thing that impedes my progress here is my lack of Photoshop and drawing skills. It’s hard to make a design, but it is fun to print!

11. Roller Derby: The anticipation for this weekend’s match is building. I’m excited to go and cheer on F.L.A.S.H. Plus Laura got an amazing black eye at practice and I’m so jealous of it. She looks like a total bad-ass.

12. Carrie’s A Love Letter to the Lost: because it’s beautiful and perfect and I read it every day.

13. Downtown Bellingham art: There is a bunch of newish stuff on many street corners my favorite is the big tacky sword and the big red macaroni. I’m guessing it really isn’t called “big red macaroni” but that’s what it looks like and I haven’t been next to it to read a plaque.

14. De Blob: a strange, relaxing, adorable game for Wii.

15. Seeing Rob: I took a long weekend and went home to visit my brother while he was between training sessions with the Marines. Now that he is away from home, I value every opportunity to hug that kid.

16. Silly workouts: workout DVDs are some ridiculous fun. Lately I’ve done Shaun T’s Rockin’ Body and Working out to the Hit: Motown. I don’t know if they make me feel good because of the workout or because they are silly. I think it’s probably the silliness.

17. Music: I’ve been desperate for some new stuff lately, so I’ve been into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Dan Auerbach and Neko Case.

18. Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 09 show: crazy big weird lip treatments, crazy big weird feather outfit, crazy big weird high heels. It’s crazy inspiring.

19. Macarons: Cakespy profiled Honoeré, a new bakery on Capitol Hill. They make amazing macarons, which I first saw profiled on the Black Apple. I’ve been wanting to make them ever since, but need to taste a real one before I attempt it. Now I have the perfect place to go and try one and also the take pictures of the beautiful cookies.

20. Friends new and old: I’m lucky because thanks to old friends, I met some new friends last year. I feel especially lucky to have met Shannon because she is made of pure fun and wonderfulness. Thanks to my vast network of awesome friends, life is more fun and hard times more bearable.

He’s Here!

The Mr. T pattern has arrived and I’ve read the instructions and started ordering the needed supplies. First, I looked for the fabric for his skin, because I thought this would be the most difficult thing to find. I did all my shopping online, because the thought of going to some sort of doll-making supply store sounded frightening. The pattern called for “non-run interlock polyester knit.” I didn’t have much luck there, but using the search terms “doll skin fabric” I hit the jackpot. I settled on a chocolate cotton knit because the website describe it as “premium dollskin” and the Mr. T shade was discounted 50%. The fabric, a 3.5” needle, and matching thread are on their way to me. Once they arrive I can begin making my very own Mr. T!

While shopping for these supplies online, I discovered that doll making websites are totally creepy. There are weird doll patterns, naked eunuch doll bodies, and something called "alligator forceps." Seeing these things online just proved to me that I was definitely not prepared to venture out to a brick and mortar doll making supply store. *shudder*

Personalized Muppets!

The only thing I love as much as Mr. T is the Muppets. When I was a kid, My parents took me to see an exhibit of some of the Muppets at OMSI. I watched Muppet Babies and reruns of the Muppet Show religiously. The first movie I saw in the theater was the Great Muppet Caper. I wanted my own Muppet. Imagine my surprise when I realized that this is a possibility today. Shortly before Christmas, I discovered that F.A.O. Schwarz launched a make-your-own Muppet workshop. Popularity was higher than supply and the Muppet Maker was down all through the holiday season. It’s back-up now and offers a few basic shapes along with many eyes, noses, and outfits.

So, if you ever have and extra $90 that you want to spend on me, this is what I want! The best Muppet I designed was orange with the horn-rimmed glasses, a red nose, bald fringe and the plaid jaket. I named him Melvin Whipple. (Sidenote: Did you know that there is a cowboy poet named Melvin Whipple? I didn’t, but he seems like a cool cat.)

Finally, I just noticed today that a Jim Henson exhibit is coming to EMP this summer. This is exciting news. From the pictures, I think Rowlf might be there. This will be more exciting than seeing Yoda. Who’s in?

Jackpot!

I have found it! The thing I have wanted most in the world for some time now.

It is an original uncut pattern book from 1984 with detailed instructions on making your very own Mr. T doll. My love of crafts and Mr. T is well documented. This product is the perfect marriage of two things I hold dear. I only became aware of this pattern less than a year ago. I don’t remember how I found it, but I came across an article on gallery that was having an exhibit of 100s of Mr. T dolls made from the above pattern. Greg Rivera, the collector, had been purchasing these homemade Mr. T dolls on Ebay for some time and had even commissioned a group of artists to make Mr. T dolls based on the pattern for a charity auction. The show was back in 2005, but photos of some of the dolls can be found on flickr.

You better believe that if I knew about this pattern in 1984, I would have had my Grammy whip me up one of these dolls along with a full camouflage, denim, and sweat pant wardrobe. My Grammy has mad crafting skillz. (Yes; with a z!) She made me a Pound Puppy, crocheted Bert and Ernie dolls, clothes for my Barbies, and a whole raft of other amazing toys. If I sent her this pattern tomorrow, she probably would make me my very own Mr. T doll. She would think I was crazy, but she would do it. I think this is something I should try to do myself. The problem is, I don’t have mad sewing skillz, just novice sewing skills. (Too lame to end in z.) I have even less drawing skills, which I believe is how he gets his eyes and brows. Once the pattern arrives and I start the project, I plan on documenting my progress (or failures) here. Stay tuned!

25 Random Things

I was tagged on Facebook a million times, so I decided to double post here and there. Enjoy. Enjoy twice!

1. I love horoscopes. My favorite one this week said, “You've been riding a wave of positive energy. Help others get on the wave with you!” Dear everybody,
Come on in. The water is fine.
Love, Kerry
2. My Miss Richland softball team had a rivalry with H.A.P.O. bank’s team. I still boo when I pass the Richland branch. Zinn Photo forever!
3. This much I know is true: If you think you’re expert enough to make a list of the Top 10 Christmas movies ever made and you don’t include the Christmas Story on that list, then you are an idiot. Not only should it be on the list, but it should be and is the best Christmas movie ever made.
4. Recently, I saw another list by some self-proclaimed “expert” that had a major omission that made me discredit the entire list. I, however, cannot remember the topic of the list or whatever I thought was missing from it.
5. Recently and relatedly, I started taking Gingko Biloba in the hopes that things like #4 would stop happening.
6. Rainbow Connection is the sweetest song ever written. I have four versions of it on my ipod. I would like at least one more by someone who shall remain nameless. He knows who he is.
7. My brother is my hero and I have the sweatshirt to prove it.
8. I always say that Sorry is my favorite board game, but who am I kidding? It is actually Scrabble. A few weeks ago, I got three bingos in a row. Yes, I am bragging. I’m sorry, but that is just awesome. I don’t expect that to ever happen again.
9. If you don’t like the Muppets, then I don’t think you are worth knowing. I consider it an essential mark of a good and reasonable person. Seriously.
10. Also, I often judge people’s sense of humor on their opinion of MTV’s The State. If you don’t like the State, I probably won’t believe you when you tell me something is funny. I’m not proud of it, but a girl has to have standards.
11. I think animal nicknames and nicknames ending in the long E sound are pretty much the cutest thing ever. Someone recently called me pumpkin-head as a term of endearment. Some might be offending, but I liked it.
12. A short list of mythical/sci-fi/awesome creatures I like: vampires, zombies, unicorns, aliens, yetis, ninjas, pirates and monsters of all sorts.
13. A shorter list of mythical/sci-fi creatures that I dislike: fairies.
14. My favorite color is green and I usually like the green character the best. (ie Luigi and Martian Manhunter and to a lesser extent Cheer Bear, but I like him/her more because I think him/her should be called Irish Bear. Sidenote: Did the Care Bears have genders?)
15. I like making soap. I also like baking. A third thing I like to do is send packages of goodies to my friends. I am sad that you can’t send soap in with a package of cookies because it will make the cookies taste like soap. If I could figure out how to solve this problem, I believe my treat packages would be world-changing and unstoppable.
16. I remember what #4 was about: cupcakes! I read a list of best cupcake places and not only was Trophy not number 1, it wasn’t even on the list. I’m sorry St. Cupcake and Cupcake Royale, you are good, but you are no Trophy. (Maybe Gingko works?!)
17. My first celebrity crush was Bo Duke.
18. My second was Murdock from the A-Team.
19. I’m very ashamed when I don’t like critically acclaimed movies that everyone I know loves. I give these movies a 3-star rating in my Netflix queue, so people will think I have good taste in movies. Truth is I hated Donnie Darko and Lost in Translation. Let’s face it, I just don’t have good taste in movies. Caveman starring Ringo Starr is one of my favorites.
20. The worst hangover I ever had was after a night of playing Heroclix for shots. That is the nerdiest possible way to get a hangover.
21. The perfect date involves four stops: restaurant, arcade, bar with live music, cupcake or donut shop. If you go to Jules Mae you can kill two birds with one stone and play Skee Ball between bands. If you are in Portland you can go to Ground Kontrol and end the night at VooDoo Doughnut. The number one reason I miss the Crocodile is that I haven’t been to Shorty’s since it closed.
22. I love outside birds a lot. I don’t know the names of many. I think pet birds are disgusting.
23. Tacos should be capitalized. (For example: Tonight, I’m making Tacos! Gee these Tacos are superb.) They deserve the respect that capitalization in the middle of a sentence provides.
24. I’ve recently realized the supporting my family and friends’ endeavors is my greatest pleasure. Sure, I don’t have a band or make amazing cakes or do roller derby or sell my art or crafts, or want to be a Marine, but I know people who do. They kick ass and I’m so proud of them.
25. Meeting Mr. T would be my greatest honor. I don’t know what I would say, but it would be really cool to give him a hug.