Crafty Sam

2009-10-15T22:12:00.006-04:00

Due to the persistent badgering from my friend Christie AND my mother, I've decided to start blogging again. We'll see how long this lasts...

As I seem to be the Brooklyn social chair, last Saturday I convinced Marta and Christie to attend the Brooklyn Skillshare with me. The first ever in Brooklyn, this was basically a day-long series of free workshops teaching all sorts of random skills from arts and crafts to cooking. I found out about it from Brooklyn Based - which you should all sign up for if you live in Brooklyn. Pretty much every week it tells me about something awesome I really want to eat, go to or participate in.

The first class I went to was Bike Mechanics 101. I had wanted to go to a screen printing class, but that was the only one requiring sign up and it was full. I figured I should learn a little about keeping up my bike since I have become a bike commuter in the last 6 months, so Marta's boyfriend Kenneth and I popped a squat for that class while Marta and Christie went off to learn about Henna. I learned a few new things about taking care of my bike, but more importantly, I learned that I am not mature enough for bike class. Way too much talk of lube, nipples and nuts. Sure, these are all bike parts, but I was one hot giggling mess.

Second up was Upcycling 101: Bottles into Glasses and Vases. More simply: learning how to cut glass bottles and turn them into useful stuff. This was by far the coolest class with the most awesomely fun energetic teacher(s). Jackson, who writes for the blog Super Forest, was bursting with energy - which could have easily been annoying, but was actually entertaining in this case. The demonstration pretty much consisted of showing us how to make the top of a glass bottle break off like magic in cold water over and over again, but that never ceased to be amazing.

Finally, I hit up Natural Jewelry Casting. I really had no idea what to expect with this one, but I have always been fascinated by learning how to cast jewelry and I thought I might be able to pick something up. As it turns out, this class wasn't really something one could pick up easily to try at home like glass cutting, but it was still pretty awesome. In a sense, it was like having an open studio session with the teacher Timothy Gasbarro as he melted down silver and poured it into a can of beans to make cool casts that he turns into rings, earrings, and cuff links. Pretty neat.

Overall, an inspiring day. Definitely made me want to go home and get out my craft box, laminating machine, sewing machine, scraps and all sorts of other artsy fartsy supplies and projects I've been ignoring for awhile. Like this blog... Does that count?

2009-02-16T19:20:00.023-05:00

What have I been up to the last month, you ask?

I have been reacquainting myself with this great country we call the U.S. of A.

First, there was a trip to see the PBR at MSG.

Three things of note:

1) They really do say a prayer before the bull riding begins.

2) The tour is sponsored by the US Border Patrol. I think this says a lot about the demographic.

3) Best ten bucks I've spent in a while.

Between pyrotechnics and riders being tossed about, I was thrilled from the start.

We (and all the other hipster kids) wore our finest Western wear for the occasion.

Yee HAW!

NEXT up? Friday Night Fights: Boxing and Muay Thai fighting in a church basement.

Again, pretty rad.

They had ring girls and everything.

The Muay Thai fighters do some sort of prayer ritual before the bout...

and finally, on Saturday! SATURDAY! SaturDAAAAAAY! it was off to the Izod Center in New Jersey for MONSTER JAM!!!

Yes ma'am, monster trucks in all their exhaust fume-y, eardrum bursting glory.

The day started with the wheelie competition, wherein the trucks drive over the junk car lines whilst popping wheelies. They are then given a score from each of three judges, who, as far as I can tell, are actually just random dudes sitting in the audience holding up paper signs...

This was the driver of Superman, the winning truck. Please note the Superman costume. I was kind of embarrassed for him, but he seemed like a good guy. Very well-spoken.

The second event was racing: two monster trucks going over the junk lines at the same time, trying to get across faster.

After a brief break, we got a special treat - my absolute favorite thing in the whole world: freestyle motocross!

My camera wasn't doing a great job capturing all the action, but, trust me, these are dudes on motorcycles doing rad tricks off ramps.

The donut competition was next, and I think my favorite. So simple, but so entertaining to see giant trucks spinning in circles.

Monster Jam! The Donut Competition from Sam L. on Vimeo.

And last and maybe least was freestyle - wherein the trucks each got 60 seconds to do anything they wanted. The downside was that all the junk cars had been smooshed to smithereens at that point, so there wasn't much good smashing to be seen.

Monster Jam! Freestyle from Sam L. on Vimeo.

By the time everything was finished, we thought we might pass out from all the exhaust fumes. Never have I been so excited to breath in "fresh" New Jersey air.

Next up, I'm thinking Wrestlemania.

God bless America.

2009-01-10T14:38:00.060-05:00

New Year's Resolutions:

1) Gain 5 Pounds
2) Don't become a vegetarian
3) Update this blog regularly

Well, at least two out of three are in the bag...

This year, I flew right over home in the Midwest and landed in the Northwest for the holidays... bringing with me the biggest snowstorm Portland's seen in 40 years. Luckily, my flight was only delayed a few minutes, but my mom and Keil's mom had 6+ hour delays. Ouch.

Heather's really kicked her inner Martha Stewart up a notch these days, so the first thing we did Christmas Eve was make our own marshmallows.

They were actually pretty easy to make, but very messy when it came to licking the beaters.

After that, we made some of our more traditional favorites:

Apricot Squares

and Russian Tea Cakes (known by others as Mexican Wedding Cakes - I'm guessing they're neither Russian nor Mexican in origin).

And for dinner, it was Zuni roast chicken and bread salad.

Praise be to baby Jesus, I love food.

So does Ursula.

We woke up the next morning to even more snow...

presents...

and, more importantly, Bloody Marys.

Later, a few of Heather and Keil's new friends who got stranded due to snow came over for Christmas dinner, and I'm pretty sure I was asleep on the couch by 8:30pm that evening with this little cutie...

It doesn't get much better than snuggling with a warm puppy on a cold day. No wonder my parents seem concerned about my love life...

The next few days found us tromping around a very slushy city...

...ingesting many a cup of good coffee and local brews.

As far as I can tell, the typical day of a Portlander looks something like this:

1) Wake up.
2) Enjoy an amazing cup of coffee.
3) Look at the clock - is it after noon?
4) If so, have a pint of local microbrew. No? Keep consuming coffee until it is noon and then switch to beer.
5) Around 3pm, switch back to coffee.
6) Oh look, it's 5pm, it's time for Happy Hour!
7) Go to a fancy restaurant for their Happy Hour menu. Enjoy a $5 fancy cocktail and some cheap small plates.
8) Go to a bar to consume more regional beer.
9) Hit the sack to rest up and do it again tomorrow.

Not a bad way to live if you ask me.

On Sunday, we finally got motivated to break the cycle and headed out to Mount Hood to check out the slopes.

The weather was actually pretty grodie and I had zero ski equipment with me, so we let Francie and Keil go cross country skiing, whilst Heather, my mom and I enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa in the "lodge."

The next morning, my mom left town, Heather and Keil went to work and I hit up Stumptown to do some travel planning the rest of our week - and by travel planning I mean looking up all the places Anthony Bourdain has been in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. In the afternoon, Heather met up with me for some sister bonding time. What better way to show your sisterly love than sharing a maple bacon donut from Voodoo? (Yup, another "No Reservations" stop)

Then it was Keil's mom's turn to go, and phase two of project "Christmas Vacation" kicked into gear.

New Year's Eve day, we hit the road and drove up to Seattle. Our hotel was right across the street from the new public library, so we popped in to check out what turned out to be a super cool building.

The building is almost all glass at crazy angles, which makes for some fun views:

They were super into fluorescent yellow there - which I felt made for a good fashion shoot:

Then we hit up the Pike Place Market, cause, you know, that's what you're supposed to do in Seattle.

Thanks to some research on Yelp, I found out that one of the bigger tourist trap restaurants actually has a super awesome Happy Hour oyster special, so we took a walk over to Pier 56 to take advantage (and check out some beautiful water views).

My compliments to the chef on some damn fine clam stew,

oysters,

and some other tasty treats from the sea.

My memory is a little foggy, but I'm pretty sure at that point we went back to the hotel and ate potato chips for dinner.

I was a little nervous planning New Year's Eve in a city I don't know, but, thanks to some more Yelp research, I actually found three great bars for us to hit up that evening.

The First stop was The Zig Zag Cafe - home to one of the finest bartenders in the U S of A.

That guy in the background still had the security tag on his coat...

The next stop was the White Horse, a little hole-in-the-wall on Post Alley that turned out to be a super cool spot. They had minimal choices of beverages, but that was totally fine by me, because one of them was an amazing porter...and they gave us peanut M&Ms, which turned out to be a magical pairing.

After quite a few Sam Smith Taddy Porters and some lively discourse with a few Canadians, we headed to what would be our final stop, Shorty's. The moment I read that it was a bar specializing in hot dogs and video games, I knew we'd be making a stop.

By the time we scarfed down some amazing Chicago-style dogs, we were all pretty tipsy, so we pretty much bailed for the hotel at the strike of midnight... and there was a pretty ridiculous walk home.

I was very excited about the SAM (Seattle Art Museum).

At this point, I really have to yelp about Yelp at this point as an awesome resource for finding cool non-touristy places to hit up when you're on the road.

After a pizza bagel breakfast of champions the next morning,

we headed to the great white north: Vancouver.

What completely stunning surroundings. This was the view from our hotel room:

After checking in to our hotel, we went for an evening walk in Gas Town.

This is one of only a few steam-powered clocks in the world:

The next morning, we walked over the Granville Street Bridge...

to the Granville Island Public Market.

We picked up some fresh bread, cured meats, pate and cheese and called it "brunch."

After a long afternoon of taking in views and exploring, we stopped for a snack at Japa Dog (thanks again, Tony Bourdain).

We chilled in the room for a little bit, enjoying the wonders of Canadian sports coverage: NHL, Pro football, college football and the World Junior Hockey Championships all on at once. God bless TSN (Note: In Canada, it's spelled "Sportscentre").

For dinner, we went to what is http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifsupposed to be the best Indian restaurant in Canada, Vij's. There was a really long wait for a table, but they plied us with snacks at the bar, so that was nice. The dinner itself was very tasty - the pork tenderloin was to die for.

The next day, we tried to go to the Museum of Anthropology but found it closed, so we went to Stanley Park in the snow. Stanley Park is the Central Park of Vancouver and is really quite amazing. Not only is it huge, but it's real woods and, like everything else in Vancouver, has spectacular water views.

This collection of totem poles from Northwest tribes looked beautiful in the snow.

And then it was time for another tasty meal - and a chance to warm up inside with a view of the English Bay, so we hit up Rain City Grill.

Keil got some insanely tasty mussels with garlic confit.

I went for a heavier dish... A perfectly cooked burger with a side of poutine - even though it was the wrong part of Canada.

After an afternoon of sitting in a pub (also with a bay view) watching the NFL playoffs, we went out for an outstanding sushi dinner at Tojo's. Tojo's is said to be the best Japanese restaurant in Canada. I'm not sure if that means much but it certainly says something in a town like Vancouver where there's such a large Asian population. AND, of course, Tony Bourdain also visited Chef Tojo on "No Reservations." We did the Omakase - meaning we told our server how much we wanted to pay and Tojo (who was the most adorable man) made us 5 courses of whatever he felt like - and he certainly didn't disappoint. The fish was incredibly fresh and practically melted in your mouth. The crab that we had in the rolls was clearly fresh out of the ocean and in season. A completely amazing meal.

Overall, I have to say that Vancouver was a bit disappointing. For years, I've heard nothing but rave reviews about the town, so my expectations were high, but my biggest complaint is that it just doesn't really have much character. The scenery was gorgeous, obviously, but the buildings are all identical high rises, the stores are all chains or just generic, and there are just about zero bars. Not that I need to go out and get crazy every night, but it stunk that if we felt like going out there really wasn't any place to go. It seems to be a result of high taxes on alcohol and really strict liquor license laws. I would certainly recommend making the trip in warmer weather and using the city as a launching pad to do outdoorsy things in the surrounding areas of British Columbia, though.

We drove home Sunday (probably 5.5/6 hours) and I took the red eye back from Portland that night.

Not too shabby.

2008-09-14T20:29:00.009-04:00

In the ongoing fun that is "Meredith September," this weekend was her bachelorette party.

Festivities started with dinner, drinks (and more drinks), and a "lingerie shower" at Cowgirl - a fitting locale for our Texas bride.

I bought Meredith a sexy sailor outfit, flavored whipped cream and edible undies...and in classic form ran into an old coworker in the checkout line. Awkward.

Erica was excited to discover that we're hand twins - including both having thumbs that face forward instead of to the side. Apparently that's a thing.

Erica also introduced us to a new drink - half beer, half frozen margarita. We call it the "marga-beera" though the technical term appears to be a "rickey." Whatever. I would call it "tasty."

The second half of the evening was spent at Second and Second for some karaoke action.

This guy did an excellent Meat Loaf.

Meredith did an excellent Kelly Clarkson.

I did an excellent Celine Dion.

"It's All Coming Back To Me Now" still brings the house down every time. My favorite "fan" was this big jock/i-banker dude who sang every word with me at the top of his lungs. It takes all kinds...

I have no idea how I managed to not only drag my but to street hockey today, but to also play a halfway decent game. Stefan and I stopped at the Pickle Festival to celebrate a Sky Fighter win and discovered that Gus' pickled tomatoes are incredible. I'll have to attempt to make my own with some green tomatoes from the rooftop.

In other news, I'm starting soccer again Friday. Will the bionic knee hold up? Only time will tell...

2008-09-09T20:54:00.034-04:00

I'm on a roll, people.

Two days in a row I have gone to the gym and two days in a row I am updating this blog.

Clearly the summer social life has cooled off a bit.

Speaking of my social life...

For the holiday weekend, the gang made the usual voyage to sunny Point Pleasant, NJ.

And participated in all the usual activities.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

And what IS the usual?

1) The Beach

2) The Pool

3) Boardwalk Food

4) Red's Lobster Pot

Marta and Chip participated in a healthy (more like unhealthy) dare wherein Marta had to drink a cup of her mussels juice...

...and Chip had to drink his garlic butter.

I think Marta got the better end of the bargain.

5) Pop 5 & Grandma Bern's Famous Pizza Rolls (aka The Reason There Are No Pictures of Me in a Bikini on this Page)

6) Drunken Putt Putt at Castaway Cove

They moved my boyfriend - which confused and saddened me at first...

But then I found him by the exit. Thank goodness.

This year we did have one addition and that was a fantastic cowgirl-themed Birthday celebration for Jenn.

And a pinata of course.

Which Jenn demolished.

And Andy decided to eat?

Good times. Good times.

2008-09-08T23:32:00.009-04:00

I've been a bad bad blogger. My bad.

I will do my best to make my way through the past month in pictures, but it may jump around a bit. Let's start with Sunday, shall we?

After holing up with Erica on Saturday with mucho TV and movies to ride out the rain, Sunday was gorgeous and the perfect day for Meredith's bridal shower in NJ.

I always feel weird at such things a) because there are many adult type people I don't know and have to make small talk with and b) because I suddenly realize that, holy crap, my friend is actually getting married.

It was a nice shower though. Beautiful flowers, good vino, and great food. Definitely couldn't have asked for more.

2008-08-10T09:19:00.008-04:00

Before I finish catching up on my last month, a brief check-in from crafty sam correspondent, crafty andy.

andy has been home in Indiana for the past week, and, after living with me for three and a half years, knows all too well that he couldn't go to the Indiana State Fair without sending me pics.

Andy's email:

Harley is the world's largest boar weighing 1121 pounds. the others should be self explanatory. enjoy.

okay, if all those were a little too morbid for you - this should make you feel warm and fuzzy (no pun intended...)

and what state fair would be complete without something carved out of a giant block of cheese?

Thx, Andy! And the rest of you can thank me for not posting the picture he sent of Harley's balls.

2008-08-06T20:24:00.013-04:00

Hi, strangers!

Thanks to the wonders of Time Warner Cable (cough cough) we've been without internet for a month. Hence the not posting.

BUT it's back and that means...

I have a whole lot of catching up to do.

A whole lot has happened in the past month. For instance, my garden grew:

Also, I got a giant street hockey ball shaped bruise:

And, you know, it was summer so, yeah, a whole lotta stuff went down.

I've taken the first step by actually transferring the zillions of pictures from my camera to the computer, so I'll try to actually post said pictures within the next week.

First things first...

Almost a month ago we went out for Debbie's Birthday.

Guess what came out with us?

A SUPER BOWL RING!

Katie's roommate works for the Giants and since they won and all, the entire staff got rings. Man, that thing was heavy.

Oh yeah, we also sang karaoke.

And then went to the Slipper Room for some burlesque hosted by a creepy donut man.

Alright, that was just a taste. Much more to come.

2008-07-15T19:17:00.002-04:00

Okay, I support Obama and all, but he's got to come up with some more current ad spoofs...

After noticing this Got Hope? tee, my coworker and I came up with some alternatives....

From me:

Obama: Taste the Rainbow

Wassssssssssssup, Obama?

Yo Quiero Obama

Can You Hear Me Now, Obama?

Snap Into Obama!

Obama: Mikey Likes It!

Obama: Bet You'll Bite a Chip!

From my coworker:

Absolut Obama

Obama: It’s the Real Thing

Obama Tastes Good Like A Candidate Should

Obama: Just Do It

Obama: Melts In Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands

Anyone else have any others? I'm sure we could go on forever and they'd still be funny...

2008-07-09T20:39:00.020-04:00

The weekend didn't go downhill from Coney Island.

Oh no. Much more fun was to be had.

Usually drunken putt putt is reserved for the Jersey shore. BUT, now that I know about the Randalls Island Golf Center that will certainly change.

Lisa, Shmu, Katie and I headed over there on Sunday for some beer, putt putt and drunk driving - driving balls that is. The golf center has a "beer garden" to hang at, or you can bring your beer out on the course (which we obviously did). Our game rules required a beer in one hand at all times whilst putting.

Beer + Golf Clubs = Friskiness

We may or may not have picked a fight with a father and his small child about hockey...

The theme of the day was "Sam's puts things in her mouth." Wow. That sounds bad.

Um, yeah.

Then it was time to hit the driving range.

I'm pretty mediocre at golf. Out of twenty swings, I'd say I hit approximately, uh, one ball. But when I DID hit the balls I got some decent distance and they went fairly straight.

After a brief burger break, we decided, "Aw, what the heck~" and played the second mini golf course. This time sans beer.

Another fabulous vacation day without leaving the city.

2008-07-09T19:45:00.000-04:00

My new favorite photo? The "down the hatch" shot.

These are from the 4th party on our roof.

2008-07-07T22:05:00.005-04:00

I love the Fourth of July in NYC. It's so great to stay in town and chill when everyone else is away traveling. Always a great time for parties and adventures. This one certainly didn't disappoint.

If you remember, last year, my sister and I dragged our hungover asses down to Coney Island to watch Joey Chestnut bring the Mustard Belt back to America. Though it was awesome just to be there, we were sadly a gazillion (scientifically speaking) miles away from the stage. I vowed to one day make it within' "reversal" distance of my personal heroes...

AND this year I made it happen. I rocked a few connections through work, and VOILA- VIP passes! Yes, folks, if you were watching on ESPN, I was that speck in the red dress standing front and center in the crowd Friday morning.

And now, a dream come true in pictures:

The pre-show included a performance by the US Trampoline Champion...

...which scared the crap out of me. Especially when they strapped on wake boards. Who thinks of these things??

And then the eaters were brought out... Aren't Pat Bertoletti and Sonya Thomas adorable?

I was actually standing with Patrick's family. I thought I heard the girl next to me say she was his sister, so I asked her if that was the case. Her response? "Sister-in-LAW. Not by blood, thank GOD." Yeesh. If I were Pat's sister I'd be super excited to claim him as my own.

Aww. Kobayashi and Sonya like each other.

A smiley "Black Widow" with a smiley hot dog.

And now, one of the best moments of my life.

Kobayashi actually looked directly at me and gave me a thumbs up. I'm totally blowing it up and putting it on my wall.

Kobayashi checks out the Mustard Belt.

"Kobayashi eats chestnuts for breakfast"

(notice the eye contact again)

Pat gets into the zone before the contest.

This man proposed at the contest. Brilliant.

Juliet Lee was named rookie of the year. Sorry, Dr. Bigtime.

And, of course, Badlands Booker rapped as usual.

Erica and I couldn't wait for the eating to begin.

The eaters not only choose their dipping beverage, but they bring it with them and pour it themselves. Joey Chestnut had warm water- it was steaming. The popular red Kool Aid choice made for some nasty spew.

***WARNING***
The following pictures are not for those with weak stomachs. HOWEVER, if you are brave, click for the enlarged images and be amazed and astounded.

Regulation ended in a tie of 59 hot dogs. But after the first-ever dog-off, Chestnut was again victorious.

"USA! USA!"

Kobayashi shows off his full belly.

I think I'm still glowing...

2008-06-28T20:44:00.011-04:00

After staring at it from my living room for three years, today I finally stepped foot on Governor's Island.

There was some sort of arts festival going on which we took very seriously...

and along with the arts came some "arty" people (read: bizarre).

Apparently I'm not the only one into hula hooping. It's so hot right now.

The main draw for us was this free putt putt course. Sadly, it was pretty crowded & frequented by a woman who decided underwear was optional and pieces of cloth wrapped around the waist count as clothing...but it will be up all summer.

I also got up close and personal with one of the new waterfalls. I had seen the others on a bike ride this morning, so I can officially check that one off the list.

Another thing I got to check off the list? David Byrne's "Playing the Building" - which conveniently kept us out of the insane downpour.

2008-06-26T18:21:00.000-04:00

A big congrats to the Doody Family.

2008-06-23T21:21:00.002-04:00

Grown Men + Small Bikes = Hilarity

The 1st (Annual?) BTSH Tricycle Race from Sam L. on Vimeo.

I just realized I never posted the footage from the first (annual?) BTSH tricycle race. Have I mentioned how glad I am I signed up for this league? As if the actual street hockey weren't enjoyable enough, the people that play said sport are also a ton of fun.

I'd like to point out that the video is under four minutes long and four beers were consumed during that time. You do the math. Needless to say, my pal James was highly intoxicated for the rest of the afternoon.

2008-06-21T13:08:00.002-04:00

Overheard in my living room window from the street below this afternoon: "Ex-CUSE me, do you know where I-KEY-YA is?!"

And so it begins.

2008-06-07T17:33:00.001-04:00

Riding the Bull from Sam L. on Vimeo.

Inner thighs of steel, people, inner thighs of steel.

2008-06-05T00:40:00.021-04:00

I can't go to bed until I post about...

THIS:

Yes, folks, my Wings won the cup.

And there was drinking out of the Wing Nut hat.

AND off of Chris' playoff beard.

What a joyous night.

2008-06-03T20:57:00.010-04:00

Guess what I had for breakfast this morning?

Okay, two strawberries don't really make a full breakfast, but they sure were tasty. I can't wait for more to develop!

Let's check in on my plant babies, shall we?

Beans and Beets:

Sunflowers:

Tomatoes:

Peppers:

And, of course, the strawberries:

2008-05-31T16:20:00.025-04:00

I heart Portland. It's like Brooklyn as an entire city. Or like the Austin of the Northwest. Or just like, you know, a really cool town. I wish my sister and Keil were still here, but after visiting them, I definitely know why they would decide to pack up and head to Oregon.

What do people in Portland love besides beer and espresso? Chickens. These chickens were for sale at a nursery. For ten dollars, you too can have fresh eggs every morning.

Heather and I took the pups to Wahkeenah and Multnomah Falls for some hiking.

Yeah, you try and get these dogs to sit still...

Linus couldn't get enough of the waterfalls.

Me neither.

Ursula? Not so much. Poor thing freaked out.

The postcard shot:

Saturday was a beautiful day so we went to Oregon wine country: the Willamette Valley. Our first stop (at 11 AM) was the Argyle Winery for some superb sparkling wines.

Drinking at 11 AM? That's crazy! They tried to send Heather to the nut house...

Next stop? The very picturesque Elk Cove

What with all the really adorable boys I saw on the streets of Portland, I started imagining my future wedding there...

Heather fully supported such an idea.

Then we had to head back to watch the Red Wings kick some arse. Another great thing about Portland? There's at least one hockey bar! Yay for Claudia's, a place where a Red Wings fan can actually go see hockey on a projector screen with sound with a bunch of other fans. New York, what's your problem??

Our final field trip was to the coast. Pictures speak louder than words in this case.

On our drive up the coast we stopped for some amazingly delicious Tillamook ice cream. They sure had some bizarre crap in their gift shop - like this wiener dog with a...butt plug?

The Oregon coast is a lot like the Northern California coast. There were a million places to just stop and take in the gorgeous views.

Trust me when I tell you there's a bald eagle in this tree... 'Tis but a speck in this picture, but it was there.

Of course, I also consumed a whole bunch of good food, great beer, and the best cappuccino I've ever had.

I leave you with these words of wisdom:

2008-05-27T20:59:00.004-04:00

I just flew in from Portland... and boy are my arms tired!

But seriously, folks, I truly am pooped. I took the red eye overnight and went straight to work. Therefore, while I'd love to catch you up on my (almost) week with Heather and Keil, it will have to wait for another day.

Meanwhile, here's a picture to whet your appetite:

Yeah, I'd say Oregon is maybe a little pretty.

PS- Go WINGS!!!

Game three versus Pittsburgh is tomorrow night at 8PM. Go, Ozzie, go!

2008-05-20T08:57:00.001-04:00

Last night I got to see The Swell Season (the adorable couple from the entirely lovely movie "Once") at Radio City Music Hall. Splendid.

Tonight I leave straight from work to go visit Heather in Portland.

Also, the Red Wings made it to the finals.

I'd say it's a good week.

2008-05-13T19:51:00.008-04:00

Pardon me, have you met my plant babies?

Yeah, you know you're jealous.
(Unless you're my sister and live in Portland with a real backyard...)

I've got: Strawberries, red peppers, yellow peppers, heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes, mint, cilantro, basil, rosemary, dill, green beans, beets, sunflowers, morning glories, poppies, and several other flowers I can't remember but will discover when (and if??) they bloom.

Okay, so I went a little crazy at Lowes...

Strawberries:

Peppers:

Tomatoes:

Herbs:

Mystery flowers:

Sunflowers:

A big shout out to Christie and Marta (plant aunts) for helping me plant these guys!

2008-05-12T12:11:00.000-04:00

I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to the the most ridonkuolous reality show you won’t find on VH1, “Groomer Has It” on Animal Planet. It is, I kid you not, the search for America’s next top… animal groomer? Wha??

I tuned in for the judges evaluation this weekend and almost peed myself when two judges in all seriousness got in a giant fight over whether a groomer should put cotton balls in a dog’s ears before giving it a bath.

Set your DVRs and thank me later.

2008-05-11T23:07:00.012-04:00

Christie and I decided to take advantage of the nice day today and head to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The best high in the world? Huffing lilacs.

Sadly, the cherry blossoms had already fallen from the trees, but we did find some other pretty flowers such as these peonies as big as my face...

We came across a cute little renegade duckling...

Christie had a long talk with the duckling telling him he really should come over and let her pet him...

She almost convinced him...

Until his mom came over and chased him away.

After the gardens we headed to Prospect Park to meet the gang. Sadly at that point it was a little chilly, but it was still nice to get in our first park day of the season.

TGI-Springtime.

2008-05-02T21:28:00.006-04:00

Hello, Dolly!

Recovered from her back troubles, I finally got to see my idol, Miss Dolly Parton, live in concert at Radio City Music Hall last night. It was everything I hoped it would be.

Memorable quotes from the evening - Dollyisms, if you will:

"People sometimes ask me 'Dolly, why don't you run for President?' and I tell them 'Haven't there been enough boobs in the White House?'"

"There are 2 types of mountain women: The ones that get married and have a lot of babies and the ones that don't get married and have a lot of babies."

"Thanks for spending your money on tickets to my show. I really need the money - cause you know, it costs a lot of money to look this cheap."

"I leave no rhinestone unturned."

9 to 5 was a real crowd-pleaser, so we were all excited when Dolly told us it would probably be coming to Broadway! I had actually already heard about the musical in the works, but it was nice to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

9 to 5 from Sam L. on Vimeo.

2008-04-30T23:07:00.004-04:00

It's all Detroit sports all the time right now.

Last night I went with Meghan to see the Tigers play the Yankees...

I kind of froze my ass off, but they won and then I got to go home, curl up on the couch with a blanket and watch the Red Wings make their series 3 and 0.

Hollerrrrr.

2008-04-28T21:17:00.005-04:00

Time to play catch up.

Two Saturdays ago Meredith and Chip broke in their new apartment (in Jersey! oy!) by hosting a Passover Seder.

As usual, it was good friends, good food and good fun. We read the Haggadah and even went through a songbook filled with gems like "Matzo Ball, Matzo Ball, Matzo Ball Soup..." (to the tune of Jingle Bell Rock).

Mmmmm, unleavened bread.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all have red-wine-stained lips...Four glasses? Check.

2008-04-24T16:38:00.001-04:00

Game one. Tonight. Versus.

2008-04-21T17:18:00.003-04:00

Another link-tastic post.

1) The Leila Texts:
A girl named Leila posts text messages she's been getting from people trying to text message some other girl named Leila.

2) I want this for my ipod.

3) This makes me very angry. Please send octopuses (or angry letters) to Gary Bettman.

4)Who wants to check out Stickball Blvd. with me?

2008-04-18T17:51:00.001-04:00

New trend:
FAIL.

Maybe not as adorable as LOLcat, but

pretty

funny

nevertheless.

2008-04-18T16:33:00.002-04:00

This happened less than 5 minutes away from my mom's house. God I love my hometown.

2008-04-18T12:18:00.001-04:00

The best game you can name is the good 'ole hockey game.

Game 5 tonight. 7:30 PM EST. Versus. Be there or be beaten with a hockey stick.

2008-04-17T21:13:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned I am now participating in Black Top Street Hockey? Yeah, I'm a member of the Sky Fighters. I already am bruised like no one's business. Our first game was last Sunday and we won in a shoot out. If only the Red Wings would take a page out of our book...

2008-04-17T17:05:00.003-04:00

You know which ad campaign is super effective?

This one.

I saw this poster from the National Peanut Board this morning on the subway and have been craving a PB&J all day.

In searching the interwebs for the poster I also discovered the American Peanut Council which has a way lamer marketing campaign. Do you think there are two rival peanut promoting factions in a giant US peanut war??

2008-04-14T18:12:00.003-04:00

I made you a MUXtape.

Anyone else having fun with this site?

I made my mix off of random stuff on my computer at work, so it's totally schizophrenic, but yeah, I'm glad to finally have a really simple way of sharing my current faves.

You can like totally bookmark my site to keep up to date and stuff. Fer sure.

2008-04-14T15:36:00.002-04:00

Game 3 tonight on Versus.

Mo Cheese is ready.

Are you?

2008-04-11T00:13:00.004-04:00

Okay, so it's been a few weeks since I've posted...

As Stephanie would say, "It's okay 'cause I caught my own bad."

I've had a good/busy few weeks but haven't taken any pictures and certainly haven't rested long enough to reflect.

Anyway, tonight I participated in a "Hula Hoop for Charity" event Katie threw at Ding Dong Lounge. Now, I haven't hula hooped in approximately 14 years, but after a little bit of practice I was a total pro (or so I thought).

This picture would be oh so hot had I not been completely pitting out...

I kind of blew it when the uber competitive part of me kicked in. I tried to show off by grabbing my drink from Katie and completely lost my flow. Ah well.

2008-03-27T18:40:00.002-04:00

PS - Stefan, being the awesomest friend ever, brought me bacon ice cream last night when we met our street hockey team out for drinks (yep, Sam has a new sport). It was just as delicious as I hoped it would be and went especially well with a nice Guinness. Yay for the ultimate non-kosher dessert.

2008-03-27T18:35:00.001-04:00

Guess who's having fun playing with the new Photoshop Express...

That would be me.

2008-03-19T22:08:00.002-04:00

omg, i love kiwis.

new zealanders. not the fruit.

i mean, i like kiwi fruit, but seriously, can i please marry Jemaine from Flight of the Concords right now?

I'm watching Eagle vs Shark and I'm only approximately 5 minutes into it, but I'm already in love. It's so brilliant. I guess I should wait until the end of the movie to say that but I'm feeling confident.

In other reviews...

Have you watched any of the new Fox sitcoms? OY. Horrendous. Parker Posey, I love you, but Amy Sherman Palladino sure was all over the place creating "The Return of Jezebel James." It's like it wasn't sure if it wanted to be a dramedy or a sitcom. It definitely SHOULD have gone the dramedy route. Instead they threw on a horrendous laugh track. Ew.

"Un-hitched"? Oy again. Again, great cast but BAH with the writing. Horrendous. And the totally offensive "goofy" Indian guy? Give me a break.

HOWEVER, a new sitcom that actually is pretty cute thus far? Missguided.

Great performances. Good writing.

Check it.

And now to celebrate my love...

2008-03-14T15:31:00.001-04:00

How did you get your name? Do you like it?

I’m quite fond of my name but its story is not a good one. Basically, when my sister was born, my parents liked the names Heather and Samantha. They named her Heather, so when I was born two years later I was named Samantha. It was the beginning of a long history of me getting Heather’s rejects. Just kidding. Sort of.

However, when it comes down to it, I’m just glad I wasn’t named Ima Hooker.

2008-03-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

Whatever producer thought up the photo shoot for last night's ANTM is my hero.

Two Words:

Meat.

Panties.

2008-03-10T21:13:00.001-04:00

I got a neti pot! I'm officially addicted to pouring water through my nose. I guess it's better than crack.

Works like a charm.

Just don't do what this guy does:

moron.

2008-03-10T19:00:00.001-04:00

OMG- thank God Jenn got me that ice cream maker for my Birthday! Will bacon ice cream be even better than bacon chocolate?

2008-03-10T17:18:00.006-04:00

But wait, there's more!

Meredith sent around her photos today so I thought I'd post some selects from those as well...

We stopped in Mrs. Field's for sustenance. The ladies behind the counter loved us and encouraged us to sing along to the radio. So we did.

This picture was taken after dinner when I was a little bit loopy (um, okay, drunk) and really excited to see some Elvis graffiti.

The End.

2008-03-09T19:21:00.010-04:00

My weekend:

Friday night I had Portuguese sardines and a tasty bottle of wine from Washington State with Erica at Le Petite Crevette.

Saturday was "see how many straight hours Sam can not only stay awake but be social" day. The answer is apparently around 20.

Meredith and Chip picked me up at 9:15 to go to Macy's for a 10 AM bridesmaid's dress shopping appointment. Of course, when we arrived the lady behind the counter told us we were not in their books, but she let us try things on anyway "to be nice." Then another saleslady asked us if we were shopping for prom dresses. Awesome. Glad to know I still look like I could be 17. Christie and I were actually quite thrilled with all the prom dress options and decided to try a few on...

Christie got lost in this one...

This one was my absolute favorite - I felt like Amy Adams in Enchanted.

We basically only tried on funny dresses at Macy's because the saleslady was such a heinous bi-otch and told us everything was either hidious or would only be flattering if Meredith's "girls" all had perfect figures. Cause, you know, clearly none of us do.

Our next stop was Simple Silhouettes in Soho. This is where we're going to get our dresses, but I didn't actually take any pictures there.

I did, however, take a picture of this ridiculous hat Jenn found in H&M... We decided this was Jenn's professional poker playing alter ego "The Black Widow."

After hiding from the blustery weather for 2.5 hours inside Spring Street Natural (and spiking our hot cider with the mini bottles of rum I packed) it was off to Here Comes the Bridesmaid. Yep, that's really the name of the store. No, they don't shout that out when you walk in. I am fairly certain I tried on about 47 dresses there. By the end of that appointment we were pretty much pooped...

...And needed another drink or five. So we walked over to Agozar for two-for-one hapy hour cocktails and a tasty dinner.

Oh, but the day was not over yet.

Christie and I split off from the group and went back to my apartment do I could change into my Bill Cosby sweater. Then we attempted to go to the new bar/restaurant Michele and Patrick of Stinky/Smith and Wine opened up, Jake Walk, but it was too crowded so we popped into Boat instead...

and THEN I met Andy and we went to Stefan's for the Bill Cosby Sweater party...where I remained until approximately 4:30 AM (damn, daylight saving time). Good golly.

The cake was Jello Pudding Shots (chocolate pudding with Kahlua).

Today found me dragging myself out of bed to go to brunch in the city with the Columbia gals. Somehow I managed to make it through, but when I finally got home again I definitely crashed on the couch for a few hours basking in the sun.

Moral of the story: I'm going to bed early tonight.

2008-03-07T18:37:00.002-05:00

Oh, Saaphyri. Remember when Monique told you to burn the name Saaphyri because it was a ridiculous name Flavor Flav gave you and then she asked you what your real name was...and you said, "Saaphyri"? That was fun.

I'm so glad you're going places...

2008-03-06T17:00:00.001-05:00

i got a cuisinart food processor :)

just gotta figure out how to carry this box home during rush hour...

2008-03-05T14:48:00.001-05:00

brilliant.

ps- i'm now the proud owner of a bill cosby sweater. the actual sweater kind, not the weird sexual thing.

2008-03-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

I saw this during the 24 hour Jackass takeover on MTV a couple weekends ago, but I was just thinking about it and how awesome it was... Spike Jonze makes cool shit.

2008-03-04T12:36:00.001-05:00

So, my Canadian friends are throwing a Bill Cosby Sweater party this weekend, which I’m really excited about. So excited, in fact, that I Googled “Bill Cosby Sweater” to get some good visuals before heading out to the thrift store for my costume…

To my great surprise, I noticed alternate definition numbers 1& 4 for “Bill Cosby Sweater” on urbandictionary.com. What the heck is wrong with people?! Who comes up with this shit? And I thought “Superman-ing that ho” was bad…

2008-03-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

I get as teary-eyed over Paul Potts' "Britain's Got Talent" win as the next girl, but seriously?

2008-03-03T18:23:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt so jealous of your friends you might die?

Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. But, man, nothing makes a girl feel as unaccomplished as finding out two of her friends/ex-coworkers just landed her dream job.

2008-03-02T13:50:00.002-05:00

VH1 has been playing some weird-ass commercials lately.

The other day at I saw one for Cardioke - a new endeavor from our pal Billy Blanks Jr. Put the fun back in fitness, people.

And just now I was solicited by the Hip Hop Magician - who, you know, all the celebrities call for their kids' Birthdays...

2008-02-29T20:42:00.004-05:00

Did Netflix ever bring you the perfect movie at the perfect time? Right now I'm watching Broken English and it's exactly the movie for me today.

2008-02-29T20:18:00.008-05:00

Slacker Sam finally has a night of rest and has uploaded her pictures from Heather's going away party. Huzzah.

These sisters go from cute to freaky in 14 seconds...

I recently found out that Danae shares my love of Degrassi: The Next Generation & Beyonce. I'm totally stealing her now that Heather's gone...

Mustaches were out in spades Saturday night.

Keil's best drunk deer in headlights:

2008-02-27T11:06:00.002-05:00

Today's news of note - to me anyway...

OMG. Step Up in 3-D.

King and Cougar - cool or just totally bizarro? I think I'm going with cool.

Beauty and the Geek meets ANTM?

When sci fi becomes reality...

2008-02-26T09:54:00.005-05:00

I said goodbye to my sister and Keil last night. Managed to hold it together and not cry until I walked away, but then I cried all the way home. You will be sorely missed.

2008-02-21T21:33:00.007-05:00

Every year Katie does the same thing for her Birthday: Free wings at Dive Bar. You get one for every year of your life. Not bad.

As tough as it is to drag myself to the Upper West Side on a Wednesday, I couldn't miss celebrating Katie's 30th. I remember when 25-year-old Katie was one of my cool "older" friends. Now I'm 26. Where does time go?

2008-02-18T11:29:00.002-05:00

oh my goodness, people. i know i'm way behind on this one, but Friday Night Lights is the most amazing show.

i DVR'd the whole first season when there was a marathon on Bravo months ago and I'm only just now watching it, but it's seriously unbelievable. PLEASE go rent the DVDs right now or watch it online and then write NBC a million fan letters so they will renew it for another season.

this is no Jericho, this is truly an outstanding piece of work.

2008-02-17T18:54:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness for long weekends.

The weekend thus far has been a repeat of Katie's Birthday celebration from last year.

Except instead of dancing with high school kids at a bar we shook our money makers at Niagara with college kids. Moving up in the world...

I was told by one of Katie's coworkers that I was his "favorite dancer of all time" over and over again, so that was pretty great. I do know how to shake it.

Sadly, I forgot to charge my camera battery so I only have one picture from the evening.

ALSO, we saw Step Up 2. Oh hells yes. I thought it couldn't get much better than Step Up 1, but the sequel totally delivered. No, I'm not being sarcastic. I really freaking love both movies. How can you go wrong with a wet dancing finale?

This morning I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed to go to a screening of Penelope with Christie. It was meh. The story had more holes than a groundhog farm. But I did get to stare at James McAvoy being all hot and broody for a couple hours... so that was good.

2008-02-15T17:15:00.002-05:00

My kind of Valentine's Day...

I actually went to high school with this girl. Too funny.

My actual Valentine's Day involved going to a girl's night at Marta's apt. where she fed me ridiculously good lasagna and tasty cocktails.

I know a lot of people get bitter and depressed on this holiday, but because I've always been single on Valentine's Day I've come to associate it with fun bonding time with the gals, and I actually really like it. Maybe one day I will experience the romantic version and see how the other half lives.

2008-02-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

We're sad that Heather and Keil are leaving us for Portland, BUT on the upside it means we've been having some really great meals lately...

Last night started off with food and (lots of) wine at Mercat.

We ate a whole lot of pork products (including jamon iberico, from pigs that have a 100% acorn diet) and then learned how to drink from this crazy contraption...

WE were maybe a little loud- good thing they hid us in the basement.

Then we took our drunk asses
back to Biny for karaoke. Much "Nasty Girl", hair metal and Celine Dion was enjoyed by all.

You're still not technically allowed to stand on the furniture, but, you know...we don't really play by the rules.

2008-02-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

Alice came up with a fun game wherein we scan old pictures of ourselves and solicit our friends for funny captions. Please do enjoy the picture and winning caption (yay, Lizzy) below. Feel free to comment with your own.

Sam: Now starring in the newest American Apparel Kids print ad.

Super Bonus Pictures:

2008-02-05T20:24:00.000-05:00

It's totally geeky, but voting really puts a smile on my face.

2008-02-04T23:06:00.000-05:00

Oh man. Nothing like watching Paradise Hotel 2 and America's Funniest Home Videos after a long day at work. My brain is officially rested.

2008-01-30T14:51:00.000-05:00

re: the double dip...

I'd just like to point out that research supports what my theory has always been: If you dip a chip in thick dip, whatever your germs touch sticks to them and goes right back in your mouth, so you really don't leave much behind...

just sayin'

2008-01-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

It was Clue Part Deux when Jenny threw a Clue party on Saturday. Since Halloween was all about the movie characters, I decided to go as Miss Scarlet a la board game this time.

I managed to retrieve my candlestick from Brooklyn Inn...where it has been held hostage since October 31st. The bartender seemed pretty sad to give it up.

A few folks thought this wig was my actual hair...maybe that's cause it looks just like Michelle's real hair.

Almost all the rest of the girls were Mrs. White (movie version).

2008-01-28T15:38:00.000-05:00

I love moms.

I accidentally left my candy in my stocking (including a bar of bacon chocolate!) and my mom just sent it to me along with my favorite Valentine's candy: Peeps strawberry creme hearts.

2008-01-28T11:35:00.000-05:00

Michigan girls are hot.

Pageant fans who make youtube videos are scary.

2008-01-27T19:15:00.000-05:00

Um, is anyone else watching this on TLC right now?!

I'm so creeped out and yet I can't look away.

2008-01-17T19:50:00.000-05:00

I'm fairly certain all the dumbest people in the world work for either Kmart, FedEx or Kinkos... and sadly I've had to interact with all of them in the past week.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pour myself a drink and watch horrendous TV.

2008-01-15T10:08:00.000-05:00

The News Roundup:

Darkest. Material. Ever.
Gotta love any serious news article that quotes Spinal Tap...

Sure, Michigan has its primary election today, but it's also auto show time in Detroit!

"If he was cutting trees, was he going to cut people next?"

2008-01-13T20:36:00.000-05:00

There's just something about Lisa's Birthday... it's always a little raucous.

This year, we surprised Lisa with a dinner at Samba-Le. I should have known it would get messy when about halfway through my first mojito I was already quite buzzed. The only pictures I have on my camera are pretty representative...

2008-01-10T18:21:00.000-05:00

Don't you hate it when you have a song stuck in your head but you don't know what it is or who sings it? Now you can find out!

2008-01-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

So, my sister tells me the quote below makes me sound like a crack-smoking maneater... It's not meant to portray my personal philosophy, it's meant to be funny. I was watching "Bad Girls Club" and one of the girls said that and I thought, "wow, that was a really cracked out statement."

So, yeah, just to set the record straight: You were supposed to laugh at that. I'm not like that girl in TEETH or anything.

2008-01-03T21:33:00.000-05:00

"I believe that I carry the gates of Heaven in between my legs and there's not gonna be just any man that's gonna come up to me and get what's here, which is pure goodness."
~Lyric (Bad Girls Club)

2008-01-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation
(Part 3)

By Sam

I was only home for a week this Christmas, but it felt like a whole month. Spending time with my family and friends made me realize just how old I'm getting. Yeah, I know, 26 isn't really that old in the long run, but it sure feels that way at the moment. You see, my dear friend Haley, whom I've known since the days of scrunch socks and Pocket Rockers, got married last weekend. She looked so beautiful walking down the aisle it made me a teary mess. Yes, underneath this cold, calculating exterior I'm a hopeless romantic. I got all misty when the Priest delivered his message about how we all are just looking for someone "who loves us for exactly who we are"- even if it was directly lifted from the movie Juno. However, there were some laughs as well. Such as when said priest had us pray for the "young, lonely people." Alas, I was ultimately reminded how old I don't look at the reception as the bartender carded me and exclaimed "You've got to be kidding me!" when she got a look at my age. All gussied up with full makeup she told me I didn't even look twenty. So I guess it doesn't really matter how old I feel because everyone thinks I'm still a teeny bopper anyway.

And now for pictures:

Meghan's dad got us a limo and it felt like we were going to prom. We made the driver drop us off way in the back of the parking lot because we were a bit nervous about upstaging the bridal party.

The happy couple:

One down, four to go...

Tracee and Wes may be next...

I always thought that it would be nice to have a winter wedding. The Christmas decorations were a festive touch.

Haley's cousin was a dance machine.

Lauren and I have been friends for almost 20 years. Craziness.

Didn't Haley make a pretty bride?

2008-01-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

I was disappointed to find that there weren't very many lights up this year...I'd love to say it was because people decided to go "green" this year, but I'm fairly certain it had more to do with Michigan's cruddy economy.

However, I was impressed by this house's collection of inflatables...

Every time I'm home I like to spend at least one day trotting around Detroit with my mom. I know it's a city that gets a lot of flack, but I'm really attached to it and my mom is a good resource for learning about how things used to be.

Our first stop was in Greektown for lunch. MMMmm, souvlaki.

Then we walked over to Campus Martius to check out the ice rink.

I realized I have no memory of ever being on Belle Isle (though I know we used to go to the zoo and whatnot), so that was our next stop. There's a lovely view of the skyline from the island.

We found the conservatory open so we popped in for a look-see.

The original conservatory was built in 1904 and apparently at Christmas the tradition is to have a giant poinsettia display. They had all sorts of neat varieties.

They also had HUGE date palms. Very impressive.

Just as we were leaving it started to snow. Not a bad day I should say.

2008-01-02T14:08:00.000-05:00

et tu, gmail?

2007-12-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-12-21T11:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-21T11:04:00.000-05:00

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?!

2007-12-18T15:24:00.001-05:00

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.

2007-12-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

My new favorite reality star: Tanisha.

PIMP DOWN!!!

2007-12-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-05T16:32:00.001-05:00

oh hell yes.

2007-12-03T18:39:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-12-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-11-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-11-30T12:55:00.000-05:00

Where are they now?

Rodney King

2007-11-28T15:14:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-11-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

Awesome.

2007-11-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

'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...

2007-11-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-11-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

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)

2007-11-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo - more video fun!

Do the Clue from Sam L. on Vimeo.

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

2007-11-07T12:59:00.000-05:00

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.