Home sweet home.



What I've done so far:

1) Went to see Juno (Delightful)
2) Eaten at Buddy's Pizza twice (Delicious)
3) Read two-thirds of the His Dark Materials trilogy (De-lovely)

Happy Holidays from mine to yours.

In other (current) news... this is crazy AND it's time again for my favorite online photo gallery.

My new hobby?

Searching the New York Times Archive from 1851-1980.

I've always loved looking at old articles on just about anything but this sure beats trying to use the microfiche machine.

Speaking of which, the other day one of our interns didn't know what a microfiche was. Imagine growing up in a world where you never had to use a microfiche...weird. Now I know how our parents must feel.

Anyway, I particularly like looking for events that happened in my neighborhood like this carriage accident:



Also of note is the "foundling" and "death from congestion of the brain" - what?!

I’d like to welcome you all to the world of Christian mime ministry.



Makes me think back on some pretty embarrassing performances I took part in back in my youth group days. Praise Jesus that Youtube didn’t exist then…

I can’t even decide which of these is best…This one even has ribbon dancers…



Apparently these mimes can be pretty intense… “Powerful,” “pulse-pounding” and “mind blowing” even...



For more examples of wild and crazy Christians, pay a visit to Godtube.

My new favorite reality star: Tanisha.

PIMP DOWN!!!

"Like snowflakes, no two fake vomits are ever alike"

oh hell yes.

I'm on a roll folks! Here's yet another trip video of our first stop at Bill Ellis' tasty buffet. This time with music! Thanks, Loretta.

PS- Be sure to scroll down this page as I've been a blogging fiend and there are loads of new posts.


Emily and Sam on the NC BBQ Trail - Stop 1 - Bill Ellis' from Sam L. on Vimeo.

Snow Day! from Sam L. on Vimeo.

Welcome to winter.

This afternoon Andy and I crawled down a manhole in the middle of Atlantic Avenue...



For a tour of the world's first "subway" tunnel.

It was dark and spooky.





But pretty awesome. Bob, the man who "found" the tunnel back in 1981, was quite a character.



Apparently there's an old railway car buried past here...



But for us, it was the end of the line.



After the tour, it was time to pick out this year's Christmas tree. Ain't she a beaut?



There's nothing like walking in to the fresh scent of pine. Mmm.

What's this? The first in a long series of videos from the vacation Sam took three months ago but is only now uploading? Don't wet yourself in excitement.



Emily and Sam on the NC BBQ Trail - Carl's Frozen Custard from Sam L. on Vimeo.


Do I have blogger-rhea these days or what?

Where are they now?

Rodney King

There has never been a more appropriate time to use the "phrase" WTF?!

TEETH the Movie

No wonder this was an independent film. Can you imagine the studio pitch?

Producer: So there’s this girl…

Studio Head: Yeah?

Producer: She has a vagina.

Studio Head: I’m with you…

Producer: And it has teeth.

Studio Head: (Pauses) Who’s in it?

Producer: Britney Spears.

Studio Head: SOLD. We’ll call it TEETH.

On a more serious note, this article made me cry.

Awesome.

'Twas a very lovely turkey day.

I flew in to Detroit on Wednesday and went straight to Joe Louis Arena to go see my Red Wings...

...and turkey bowling!


Turkey Hockey from Sam L. on Vimeo.

'Twas a white Thanksgiving in Michigan.

Linus was pretty excited about it.


A White Thanksgiving from Sam L. on Vimeo.

Linus was also excited to have some new rooms to explore...


Linus Likes to Dig from Sam L. on Vimeo.

As for Thanksgiving Dinner, it was me, my mom and sister this year - which was awesome because it meant I didn't have to shower or put on nice clothes. Hotness.



It also meant Heather and I got to bring back all the leftovers.

Friday it was off to the Palace of Auburn Hills and yet another Detroit sports game. If only I had gone to the Lions game on Thursday - I could have completed the trifecta!



They had crazy flame thrower thingies that made me literally do the duck and cover move the first time they went off. I'm super jumpy and it sounded like a bomb went off. Goodness, my nerves can't handle such things.



On the drive home Heather and I had to make a pit stop at one of our favorite places on the planet: the beef jerky outlet. Mmm mmm.



I drove the whole way... Ten hours is tons of fun with a hyper golden retriever in the backseat...and sometimes the front...



Clearly Thanksgiving had put everyone in the holiday spirit. This car had a red nose and antlers - and the driver was wearing a Santa hat. Gotta love it.



If I had a only had a car...

As much as working around 34th Street drives me crazy, on my way to the subway this evening I had to put my "too cool for school" attitude aside for a moment and join the other tourists in ogling the Macy's holiday festivities.



This was the cast of Mary Poppins rehearsing for the big day.



I'll be going home tomorrow for my first Michigan Thanksgiving in 7 years. Seems so crazy that it could possibly have been that long...but so it has.

Last night I channeled my inner Spice Girl – it was a “girl power” kind of evening.

1)I finally mustered the courage to do something I’ve wanted to do for a while.

2) I went to see Tegan & Sara at Webster Hall. I effing love them, their music just makes me deeply happy and they sounded great live (and had excellent stage banter!). I’m so used to going to these sausage-fest indie rock shows that it was really fun to go to a concert and hear girly squeals from the crowd.

3) On the way home from said concert Andy and I had a really bizarre cab ride.

Cabbie: Can I ask you a question?

Us: Sure

Cabbie: Did you just have the sex?

Us: Um, no. We went to a concert.

Cabbie: Do you have the sex?

Me: Together? (laughs awkwardly)

Andy: No. We’re roommates.

Cabbie: They say that after the sex the women like to cuddle. Or talk. They want to cuddle or talk after the sex. The men. The men, after they give the love they want to sleep. Why is this? Should the men give the cuddle?

Andy: If they want to keep the woman…

At this point Celine Dion’s “Because You loved Me” comes on the radio. I start singing along really loud and the cabbie turns it up full blast for me. This is really the only way this story fits into the “girl power” theme. Celine’s my GIRL!

Anyway, we get to our house and get out of the cab.

Cabbie: Wait.

Me: What?

Cabbie: Turn around. I never got a good look at your face.

Me: Uhhhhhhhh (briskly trots up the stairs into the apartment and checks the locks 40 times before going to bed)

Woo Hoo - more video fun!


Do the Clue from Sam L. on Vimeo.


How NOT to Get the Girl from Sam L. on Vimeo.

Remember a million years ago (okay, two months) when we had field day for my sister’s Birthday? I promised to post video of the infamous “Louisville Chugger” but, alas, I could never get the Blogger video option to work. THUS, I have decided to start a Vimeo account. From now on, if I have videos to upload, I will be posting them there and then embedding them on the ole blog. Huzzah.


Sam does the "Louisville Chugger" from Sam L. on Vimeo.

Porter Wagoner passed away yesterday- the man who launched Dolly Parton's career and about whom she penned "I Will Always Love You."

I will always love you too, Porter.

Saturday was Halloween. Well, no, not technically, but you know, Halloween's on Wednesday so this was the weekend Halloween celebration.

This year, Katie had the brilliant idea of dressing up as the cast of Clue (movie based on the board game, not the actual board game) and I must say, I think we did a smashing job.

Erica was the cook.



Poor woman got stabbed in the back.






Colonel Mustard, Ivette the Maid, The Cook, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, and me, Miss Scarlet.



First we went to this party on the Upper East Side that was kind of frightening...which I suppose was fitting as it was Halloween...

This man was very large and VERY naked.



So we ditched the apartment party and headed downtown...



























And we'll do it all again Wednesday night. Okay, maybe not all of it.

I still find it completely annoying for humor writers to use “Halloween is a holiday for girls to dress as sluts” as fodder- BUT this article in the LA Times did give me a little chuckle.

For the record, this year will be the first time in a while I’ve dressed up as anything “sexy” – and it’s only because we are going as the cast of Clue and I’m Miss Scarlet. What with Miss Scarlet being the proprietor of a whorehouse, it’s kind of hard not to make her look a little slutty.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...



It's been a rough month due to the whole surgery on my knee thing. But, I'm apparently a superstar healer and have been getting back in the saddle and - more importantly - out of the house.

However, I DID stay in last night to throw myself a NOT Mitzvah party for my 26th Birthday. I wore a dress my sister wore to the Homecoming dance her freshman year of high school - meanwhile, Erica wore the dress she wore to her ACTUAL Bat Mitzvah. Bravo.

Yeah, that's right, I went to a Rihanna concert last night. Me, a bunch of 13 year olds, and the gay male population of Manhattan.

You know you're jealous.

And thanks to the rainy NYC weather yesterday, everyone had their umbrellas up during "Umbrella" - it was truly magical ;)

Thanks, Andy, for the free ticket.

A wee bit belated...BUT,

Three weeks ago I went to Austin for the Austin City Limits Music Festival (my third time attending). It was a great time as always with great bands and great (hot!) weather. Even GREATER was getting to spend time with Emily and Steph - Steph having just moved away to Arizona and Emily being stranded in State College, PA. Anyway, here are some photos:

When in Austin, breakfast tacos are a must. I prefer mine sans eggs. I got one chorizo and potato, and one bacon, potato and cheese. Yum.



I got a pulled pork sandwich from Salt Lick for lunch and was pretty disappointed. I think all that amazing North Carolina BBQ ruined me for life. A "pretty good" pulled pork sandwich just doesn't cut it anymore.



Kaiser Chiefs were very fun. The lead singer climbed the scaffolding...but he hurt himself on the way down and limped through the rest of the set.



The Cold War Kids were good.



MIA invited everyone up on stage...then realized that was a horrible idea and kicked them off...only after her back-up singer asked everyone for pot.



Bjork is one crazy lady. She appeared to be wearing a giant gold garbage bag.





Emily brought me a tasty treat from Germany called "BIFI" (as in beefy). She found it in a vending machine and new that I must have it. The picture on the package makes it look like a pre-packaged corn dog, but basically it's a super greasy salami stick coated in some form of bread product.



It smelled like a$$.





MMMMmmm, BIFI.






A must-have accessory for ACL: The cowboy hat.




The sky was pretty during Lucinda William's rocking set.



And also before the night shows.