Life Archives - Page 41 of 96

This week in…: Volume 39

November 13, 2015 by Jana 15 Comments

Not much to report this week. Let’s get to it anyway.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us for this month’s Show Us Your Books. Steph and I genuinely appreciate your participation and enthusiasm and we have another giveaway planned for you next month (linkup is December 8).
Finished Ready Player One, almost finished with Stoner, picked up God Shaped Hole (a book I read years ago and saw a picture of on IG but didn’t remember what happened so maybe it’s worth a reread).
Obsessively listened to Welcome to Night Vale. It’s genuinely the weirdest podcast I have ever listened to but it’s so, so funny and creative.
Stuck to my TV regimen of Fargo, The Bastard Executioner, Big Bang Theory, Mom, How to Get Away with Murder, and John Oliver. Looking forward to the next seasons of all the Netflix shows I enjoy (and the new season of Prison Break!) and am currently in the market for a new show to binge watch. Suggestions?
Everything in the next paragraph is true–On Monday, I got an email from the child’s principal that they had to put the school on soft lockdown due to police activity at a house a bit up the road from the school. Fortunately, she stayed home on Monday and I breathed a sigh of relief because I freaked out a bit that their lockdown drills had to actually be applied (note: a soft lockdown is one where the building is locked but normal activity continues inside the classrooms. Not an actual lockdown where they lock the school and the classroom doors and the kids and staff and teachers go into the breakout rooms). So I keep reading the email and it turns out, the lockdown and police activity were due to the emu that’s been running loose in my town for the last 2-3 months. Guys. We have an EMU on the loose AND NOBODY CAN CATCH THE DAMN THING. Everyone around here is mildly obsessed with this rogue emu because it’s hilarous. Our residents group posts pictures of emu sightings. People debate the emu. The thing is a freaking legend. We were even in the news!
I also learned that there have been orders to shoot him on sight, provided he’s not on private property, since apparently animal control or fish and wildlife or whomever has been charged with capturing him don’t have the capacity to humanely tranquilize him and he’s become a “safety hazzard”. I have so many thoughts on this, the least of which is I am appalled. He’s not harming anyone or anything and if people wouldn’t stop their damn cars to take pictures and/or selfies, he wouldn’t pose a traffic problem. If he were aggressive, I could understand. But he just wants to be left alone. And people and deer and cats and groundhogs run out in the middle of the road, too, and no one campaigns to shoot them. Fortunately, there are some great people where I live who are trying to get him captured safely and humanely. ETA: The emu has been caught, unharmed, and relocated to a farm.
Ticked a couple of items off the fall project list, which felt great, even if I’m sucking ass at NaNo (seriously, my goal is simply to finish my book not write 50K words so I won’t actually be a “winner” if I get to my goal). But I am writing a little bit at a time so I’m getting closer to the end.
Haven’t read much on the internets since I’ve been obsessively researching how to run my writing contest and podcast for work, recipes for the Whole30 the husband and I are currently doing, and all the tweets from The Bloggess’s thing about awkward moments. If you have a few spare hours and haven’t read those yet, DO IT. You will not regret it.
Got this funny from the husband:

This is our last weekend with the cheer gym we’ve been going to for 3 seasons. It’s a very bittersweet parting but one that’s necessary. She’s superexcited about her new gym and as a parent, I’m very pleased with it, too. Other than that, we’ve got nothing planned. Maybe a movie and some (necessary) food prep. Definitely books.

How about you guys? Any big plans?

Save

Thursday confession: Bad habits with a side of hypocrisy

November 5, 2015 by Jana 19 Comments

Confession: Sometimes I feel like the world’s biggest hypocrite.

I’m doing my best to raise a happy, healthy (physically, emotionally, mentally) child and I think, for the most part, I’m succeeding. She’s a pretty amazing, confident kid and I know that much of that has to do with me (and the husband. Need to give him credit, too). I like to think I give her good advice and support and encouragement and do what I can to instill healthy habits and from what I can tell, she’s learning them.

The problem is that I don’t follow my own advice. Let’s explore:

What I tell the child: You need to go to bed now. You need a good night’s sleep so you won’t be tired for school/cheer tomorrow.

What I do: Stay up until 2AM reading or plotting how to get my husband to stop snoring without resorting to violence and then get up, exhausted, at 7AM, unable to function at any decent capacity the next day.

What I tell the child: If you have a junky snack now, you need to have a healthy snack later.

What I do: Eat ridiculous amounts of non-healthy snacks throughout the day, sometimes forgetting to eat fruit.

What I tell the child: Clean your room. Make your bed. Pick up after yourself.

What I do: Leave my house a disaster. Forget to dust/vacuum. We won’t discuss the laundry situation.

What I tell the child: If you are having trouble, ask for help.

What I do: Continue to get frustrated and struggle because asking for help is not in my nature. See also: me not wanting to burden anyone with my problems.

What I tell the child: Work hard and practice and you’ll achieve your goals. Don’t set a time limit on achieving something you truly want.

What I do: Set unrealistic time frames and then quit when I realize I’ll never achieve my goals by the arbitrary date I’ve picked.

What I tell the child: Be proud of your accomplishments.

What I do: Never tell anyone anything because I’m 100% confident no one gives a shit.

It goes on like that.

The thing is, I want to follow my own advice because let’s face it, it’s solid advice. The problem is that I cannot get out of my own way to do it. I’d be so much more productive and better at adulting if I could pull my shit together and do what I say. But I’m stuck in old habits and ways of thinking and, despite the fact that I want to completely transform many of these behaviors, I struggle. A lot.

So, I’m asking you guys, what is your best advice for getting out of your own way and changing old, bad habits and behaviors? Because this hypocrite thing? It’s not working for me anymore.

Save

33 thoughts I had watching the World Series as a Mets fan

November 3, 2015 by Jana 29 Comments

I just spent the better part of the past week watching the World Series. Here’s what went through my head, in no particular or logical order:

OMG, we’re in the World Series!!!

O.M.G. WE’RE IN THE WORLD SERIES. I hope this ends well.

Who the fuck is Andy Grammer? Oh, he did a great job singing the national anthem. I bet Billy Joel will be better because BILLY JOEL.

WAS THAT AN INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUN OFF THE FIRST PITCH IN GAME 1??!

This is not going to end well if that’s how we’re starting the series.

Did the last few days cool their momentum? I think it might have. I don’t understand why they couldn’t start the series a few days earlier since both teams were done way before Tuesday. Stupid TV rules.

My sister was not alive the last time the Mets were in the World Series. I remember watching the games. I’m really fucking old.

Really, Fox? A worldwide broadcast and you didn’t think to maybe have a backup energy source? It’s okay, though, because at least now we don’t have to listen to Joe Buck. #everyonewins

Holy hell, if I see one more Matthew McConaughey Buick commercial I’m going to scream. These are the worst commercials ever. Who thought these were a good idea? That person should be fired.

I cannot look at Jacob deGrom’s hair anymore. I want to send him a bucket full of hair ties. Pull that shit back, man!

So we lost the first two games. We’re going back to New York now. They’ll do better at home.

SEE?! I knew Billy Joel would do a great job singing the Star Spangled Banner.

Noah Syndergaard means business because DAMN. That was a hell of a way to send a message to the Royals that he’s not fucking around.

Did we just win a game?! We did! We’re coming back, bitches!

I stand corrected. The Norm MacDonald Colonel Sanders commercials are the worst ones ever. They actually hurt to watch.

Oh, Steven Matz is a Long Island boy, playing for the Mets. How cute is that?

Just how many broken bats have there been so far?

I wonder which is higher–my cat’s body count or the number of broken bats in this series. I’ll bet it’s close.

We might win this game, too!!

How old is that pitcher?! I could be his mother.

I have never heard so much nonsense come out of one person’s mouth? Did Harold Reynolds really just compare playing baseball to a rat getting cheese? I seriously can’t listen to these people. It’s almost as stupid as Alex Rodriguez saying that if the Mets catch the ball, they’ll win. #icandotheirjob

CONFORTO!!!

CONFORTO AGAIN!!! The rookie is kicking some serious ass.

Oh, hey, look at that. Daniel Murphy just fucked up. And now we’re losing. Awesome.

If I could ever have a time when I could read people’s minds, I’d love for it to be right now. Because what are they thinking???

Okay. We’re down 3-1. We can still pull this off and send it back to Kansas City. Then again, if Kansas City wins, a) I can finally get some sleep and b) at least the Royals don’t have the luxury of winning at home. Good luck to them, being the winning team in New York.

Matt Harvey is on fire! Also, he looks like Rob Riggle. I think I might be the only one who sees that. But it’s so obvious!!

Top 9, we’re winning by two. We’re going to win another!!!

Oh, hey, look at that. Lucas Duda fucked up. At least we can stop (sort of) scapegoating Murphy.

We’re going into extra innings. Again. Splendid.

A five run 12th? Who does that? We’re fucked. There is no way we’re winning this year.

Being a Mets fan is the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done.

In case you missed the news, the Mets did lose the World Series. But they made mistakes which I won’t bother to bore you with, KC took advantage of them and overall, played better baseball. It was still a hell of a season for the Mets. I, and I think most other Mets fans, never expected them to come this far and they made us proud.

Here’s to next year!

P.S. Congratulations to the Kansas City Royals and all their fans. Well deserved and well done.

Save

This week in…: Volume 38

October 30, 2015 by Jana 22 Comments

Slow news week:

Finished Hate List and Galveston. Started Gangerland. Picked up Maybe in Another Life and The Financial Lives of the Poets. Next Show Us Your Books is November 10 and I’m hoping to have a few more finished to review for you guys by then.
Restarted the podcast Welcome To Night Vale. I listened to it for a while last year and then stopped and now it’s a book which is crazy awesome so I figured I’d catch up on the podcast happenings.
Watched season 2 of Fargo (well, the episodes that have aired). I heart Jesse Plemons which is why I even decided to watch this season even though I’ve heard amazing things about season 1. I figure it’ll make it onto Netflix eventually and I’ll watch it then. Verdict: it’s quite excellent. Even Kirsten Dunst who generally annoys the fuck out of me.
Baseball. Sigh. My boys better pull it together this weekend.
Beamed with pride at some of the decisions my child made this week. They were difficult, especially for a kid, but she did good. And her maturity surprised me, especially for an almost 9 year old.
Read this internet stuff: I like salad but it’s nice to have options: 39 healthy recipes for people who hate salad. I call this list hope for my book when it eventually is finished: 10 bestsellers that were originally rejected. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like to be there: A restrospective on the 80s Sunset Strip, featuring all the hairbands.
Got these funnies from the husband:

Have a great Halloween weekend! Maybe it be filled with all the Reese’s!

Save

Under the Covers with Erin and Jana: A Playlist

October 29, 2015 by Jana 19 Comments

This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Playlists

So, about a month ago Erin and I put together this crazy awesome playlist of hairband songs (WHAT?! You missed it? Well, you’re in luck because it’s still available for your listening/reading pleasure) and then we had the idea that we should do yet another crazy awesome playlist. Except this time we decided we’d take rock band covers of non-rock band songs. Think things like Train covering Aerosmith’s “Dream On” (which I suppose is really the reverse of what we’re trying to do here). DAMN. SO GOOD. Also, you should listen to Pat Monahan singing “Love Me Two Times” with the surviving members of the Doors. Well, the ones who were surviving in 2009. I think at least another one is dead now. I’m digressing big time here, as a music fan does when discussing music but perhaps I should circle this back around to the main point of the post.

Cover songs. That Erin and I picked for you to listen to and assembled into a handy list.

Have at it and let your ears feast on these:

Mr. Big, “30 Days in the Hole” (originally by Humble Pie)

Disturbed, “The Sound of Silence” (originally by Simon and Garfunkel)

Social Distortion, “Ring of Fire” (orginally by Johnny Cash)

Guns N Roses, “Live and Let Die” (originally by Wings)

Halestorm, “Bad Romance” (orginally by Lady Gaga)

I Prevail, “Blank Space” (orginally by Taylor Swift)

Steel Panther, “Don’t Stop Believin'” (originally by Journey)

Marilyn Mason, “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (originally by The Eurythmics)

Seether, “Careless Whisper” (originally by Wham!)

Van Halen, “You Really Got Me” (originally by The Kinks)

Metallica, “Turn the Page” (orginally by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band)

Shinedown, “Simple Man” (originally by Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Breaking Benjamin, “Enjoy the Silence” (originally by Depeche Mode)

Fall Out Boy ft/ John Mayer, “Beat It” (originally by Michael Jackson)

To summarize:

There were a TON of great covers we left off the list in the interest of space and time and not wanting to bore anyone. But let us know–what are some of your favorite cover songs?

Save

This week in…: Volume 39

Thursday confession: Bad habits with a side of hypocrisy

33 thoughts I had watching the World Series as a Mets fan

This week in…: Volume 38

Under the Covers with Erin and Jana: A Playlist

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says