Movie Meme

My bloggy buddy DC Urban Dad (whom, incidentally, I have met in real life and think is pretty great), has tagged me in a blogosphere game of meme. FilmFather started this lil ol' meme, and since I love the movies, I figured I'd be a sport and play along. And for the record, this was way harder than it looks. Go on, try for yourself.

So here goes, my 10 favorite movie characters. Warning, my taste in movies teeters on the edge of my musical leanings. Don't judge me.

10) Margot Tenenbaum - I admit it, I can't stand Gwyneth Paltrow but I love her character in The Royal Tenembaums.

9) Kaiser Sose - I've never looked at a Quartet brand white board the same.

8) George Berger - I wanted nothing more than to let the sun shine in after I saw Hair with my best friend Nancy my junior year of high school.

7) Bill Lumbergh - Office Space holds the same cringe factor as #6. And boy, I sure don't miss cubicle hell.

6) Miles - Sideways was full of neuroses that made me simultaneously cringe and crack up. And I don't drink merlot either.

5) Marty - Oh, how Natalie Portman brilliantly had Timothy Hutton wrapped around her young little finger.

4) Danny Ocean - Heart be still.

3) Ferris Bueller - I saw this movie in German the first time I watched it, and it still killed me. Matthew Broderick rocks, even though he married SJP. I still don't get that match.

2) Napoleon Dynamite - Come on, Jon Heder is so freaking hysterical. A liger? Funny shit.

1) Holly Golightly - My all time favorite movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's the only movie that's better than the book, and it's all because of Audrey.


So who makes your list?

Six Things You Really Wanted to Know About Me

My new pal DC Urban Dad tapped me to do this meme. You know I love to talk about myself, and I figure it's time for something light-hearted.

Here are the ever-so-simple rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six rules. Six things about myself.

1. I know all the words to Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." Note that Mac Daddy loathes this song so I sing with extra gumption when he's around. Just for kicks I put it on repeat on my iPod when I really want to test his unconditional love and my irresistability.
2. I have never been camping. Camping is not on my bucket list. Do not try to change my mind.
   
3. I have a recurring dream that my teeth are falling out one by one. I only know one other person who has had this dream. It's been on my dream playlist since I was in college 20 years ago.
4. I think American car companies do the suckiest job ever of usability and consumer testing. Companies that do not understand their consumers infuriate me.
5. I have an 8-inch long scar on my left knee from when I got caught in barbed wire when I tried to escape boarding school at age 15. From then on my letters home had a return address of Foxcroft Penitentiary. No one found that amusing but me.
6. I have an extra tooth in my mouth. Bird has the exact same extra tooth.
   

If you'd like to read more inane facts about me, go here.

Here are the lucky people I'm tagging. Please click and check out their blogs. They are all witty writers with a unique voice.

Mammaloves
The Edge of Insanity
Sarcastic Mom
Crunchie Mummy
Backpacking Dad
Mom Who Drinks And Cusses

An Omnivore by Any Other Name

I love food. I love to shop for it, grow it, cook it, eat it, serve it. I read cookbooks like they're novels, yet I never follow a recipe. The Food Network is like porn (when Giada's on, Mac Daddy would agree.). I joke that on my deathbed if I am allowed one fantastic last meal or one last orgasmic romp in the hay, I'd take the food. For one thing, the meal would last longer. No disrespect to Mac Dady here, but you're all with me on this, right? Right?

My boys eat everything without even realizing they are being adventurous. We had chicken cordon bleu (with swiss cheese and proscuitto...panko makes all the difference here too), carrot souffle, and an avocado salad for dinner the other night. These kids eat like kings, I tell you. They have already developed an affinity for tasty delights such as manchego, sushi (and we all love the eel, City Mama!), cannolis, roasted eggplant, and dal. They abhor typical kids menu fare such as dinosaur shaped nuggets (the authenticity of the chicken is debatable), canned fruit cocktail, and fried macaroni and cheese (WTF?!).

We are lucky to have a picky eaters in the family. Bird does not like potatoes at all, and Deal has trouble with the stringyness of snap peas. Mac Daddy won't touch apple sauce, and I won't eat liver, lima beans, cherries, raisins, or black licorice. I guess on paper I am the pickiest one of all. Mac Daddy even ate pig brain on a trip to Vietnam. No worse than what's in those nuggets.

Now here's a fun meme from City Mama.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (In my case, everything I've tried is in purple.)
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. I can't figure out how to cross out so I made the font extra small.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho 13.PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (Never again.)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (My grown up lassi is here.)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (Last week's 5:00 Fridays post)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (A major benefit of living in Krisy Kreme's home state!)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear (Does the jam count?)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (My favorite is with Hendrick's gin.)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores 62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst (One the best things about eating in Berlin!)
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (That's what I think is in those chicken nuggets.)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (Wrote about that too.)
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
2. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox (What my kids had for dinner last night as a matter of fact!)
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

A Story of Deception

My new bloggy friend and one of my fave reads, San Diego Momma, prompted me to write about DECEPTION today. I've got only 10 minutes and 250 words. Ready, set, write!

She wore a filmy silk crimson gown and teetering strappy heels. Supple peach lips, a gloriously shiny brown mane that bounced when she threw her head back in laughter, legs as tall as the dwarf coat check guy. Smoldering Gauloise in a Holly Golightly vintage cigarette holder with a glint of crystal encrusting the tip. Her own bling was heavy on her fingers and ears, rubies. Only rubies for her. She knew it would be sexier to keep her decolletage free of jewels to show off her well cut clavicle and long neck befitting royalty.

Men were showering her with cocktails and compliments. She flirtatiously laughed and reveled in the attention. She giggled on cue and absentmindedly twisted a strand of hair with her French manicured fingers between drinks. The offers came at at a fiery pace, but she smugly laughed them off. She wasn't going home with anyone tonight. Not tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow night.

She wasn't ready for commitment, and a casual fling wasn't an option.

She was the center of attention, yet lonely. Internal strife tortured her soul. Her life was a cliche. A B-rated screen play at best. She should really find a good therapist. And she should really tell her family. The mere thought of it made her shiver, goosebumps covering her strong taut arms.

Stripped of the gown, the jewels, the gloss, there were overdue plastic surgery bills, dental crowns, bunions, and Spanx. She spent a fortune on laser hair removal and colored contact lenses. Her shoes were special order from England a la Kinky Boots.