Social Media Clean Up

A few times a year my twitter timeline gets out of control. There are things clogging up my list that honestly I don’t care about keeping me from the items that I do and that’s not good. Granted a lot of that is my fault. I tend to follow first then ask questions later. Ahhh the ease of the follow button and instant conversation.

If you and I are watching a show and have a legitimate conversation about it I may follow you just to see if the conversation leads to anything else. If it doesn’t then the next clean up day you might not make the cut. However I’ve met some really great people on twitter using this method. Let’s face it Twitter is for the people you wish you knew unlike Facebook which is for the people you wish you didn’t know.

So how does one decide who stays and who goes ?

 

For me personally it’s when I look at your twitter name and can’t remember who you are. That signals to me that you and I haven’t “talked” in quite a while and the odds are that won’t change. In that case I pull up their twitter account and scroll down, if I see anything that I think wow I’m glad I saw that (a picture, a quote, a discussion about a book/movie/tv show) and will continue to follow.

 

If you RT all damn day the odds are you won’t make it past a few of my cleaning days. I RT a good bit as well but if it’s all RT and no conversation then frankly you are just an advertising bot and while I don’t wish you to be blocked or reported as Spam I don’t need it filling my timeline either. Or maybe you were someone I followed so we could discuss a show that’s no longer on the air and that was pretty much were our interests ended.  

It’s not that I wish any of these people any ill will, and if they choose to continue to follow me the more the merrier, but I’m more a quality person than a quantity person. I’m not someone who watching my followers numbers very closely, or follows you cause you followed me. I don't need thousands of followers/follows when I only talk to say 100 of them. This medium is called SOCIAL media for a reason, if we aren’t social, then I don’t necessarily need to see your media.

 

 

So here’s to a Social Media Clean Up day … here’s hoping we are social on the other side.

-marcy

It’s Time for Christmas Music

Yesterday I mentioned the MP3 Player is loaded with Christmas music, which to me is the official start of the holiday season. I love Christmas music, I love the fact that a lot of singers got their start singing these same songs in their respective church choirs or school productions. When I worked retail in High School/College it was my job to supply the store with music during the holiday season. I had so many CDs that we rarely heard the same song more than once.  It's a fact that people spend more when they hear Christmas music. It puts them in a shopping mood.

I especially love that no matter the type of music you are interested in rap, soul/r&b, country, classical, pop, cartoon, funny, sentimental, no matter what gets your grove on there is a Christmas CD for you. Plus this time of year sites, artists, and record labels give away free music which as you all know is my all time favorite thing on earth … FREE MUSIC is AWESOME!!!!

So I shared with you my Halloween playlist so now I’ll share with you some of my favorite Christmas songs and must have CDs:

Bryan White @bryan_White has 4 Christmas albums, each one better than the last. His most recent offer A Bryan White Christmas has an acoustic version of Linus and Lucy which is my holiday ringtone by the way, and a song called Finding Christmas which is about an adult rediscovering Christmas through their children’s eyes. It makes me cry …. Every…darn…time. The year before he released an EP of the same name that had two songs featuring his children, Jackson and Justin. I listen to Jackson’s Version of Jingle Bells in May, cause it makes me that happy. Justin’s version of Wish You a Merry Christmas is a perfectly captured moment in time that also makes me smile. However it’s One Bright Star and Holiday Inn on Dreaming of Christmas playing in my ears that really means it’s Christmas season. As I have said before Bryan could read the phone book and I’d buy it and love it. I’ve met his wife, met his children, met him, and have been a fan for many years. I love everything about him, from the way he carries himself to the fact that he literally gets better with each track he creates. I always say my favorite Bryan White song is his next one. Check out this artist then check out his other CDs especially his new CD Shine you will not be disappointed.

Alabama Christmas from the group Alabama @TheAlabamaBand is another must have during the holiday season. Listening to Tonight is Christmas gives me goosebumps, Santa Clause (I Still Believe in You), and A Candle in the Window are always on my MP3 player. Christmas in Dixie is my mom’s favorite, then again I’m deep in the south so that could have something to do with it. Alabama also has some of the tear jerker songs like Christmas Shoes for Mama, which leave the listener a blubbering mess by the end of the track. There’s also a really good Christmas Movie by the same name which is another good tear jerker.

Christmas with the Rat Pack featuring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin leave me yearning for a different time, a time when men wore suits, women wore dresses and everyone had a drink in their hand. This CD is filled with classics like Jingle Bells, White Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas as well as fun tracks like I Believe and Misletoe and Holly. Plus it has Frank Sinatra’s live version of Auld Lang Syne on it, that track alone makes this CD worth the purchase.

Cyndi Lauper’s @Cyndilauper Feels Like Christmas is your peppy happy music that just puts a spring in your step. If you are trying to finish off a project before vacation, or out doing some Christmas shopping this is the CD for you. She has classics like Silent Night and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree in the way that only Cyndi Lauper can but also has December Child, Christmas Conga and Heading for the Moon which will work hard to boost your Christmas spirit.

Dr. Demento Presents The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD is good for a laugh on your drive to the in-laws or Auntie’s house. Granted some of these songs are not very “kid friendly” but Christmas Dragnet featuring Stan Freberg and Daws Butler is a fun one, and I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas and Nuttin’ For Christmas are fun songs both you and the kids will love. Plus the CD has Christmas at Ground Zero from Weird AL and you gotta love some Weird Al at Christmas.

Additional Classics that always make my holiday playlist include:

§  A Christmas Carol – as read by Frank Petingell

§  A Sailor’s Christmas - Jimmy Buffett

§  Blue Christmas – Jessie Payo

§  Burl Ives Presents – Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Any and All tracks

§  Carol of the Bells -  by any choir, sit back and marvel at the talent it takes to get this one right

§  Christmas Day – Dido

§  Christmas for every boy and girl - Clint Black

§  Happy Birthday Jesus - Reba McEntire

§  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - James Taylor

§  How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Boris Karloff

§  I hate Christmas - Sesame Street – Oscar the Grouch

§  I Never Knew the Meaning of Christmas - Nsync

§  I Still Believe In Santa Claus - New Kids On The Block –--- Cause I do!

§  Jolly Ole St. Nicholas – Chet Atkins

§  Little Drummer Boy - New Kids On The Block –--- what can I say boy bands were built for Holiday harmonies and I eat it up!

§  Mele Kalikimaka - Jimmy Buffett

§  Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far From Home) - Jimmy Buffett –– however it’s Jimmy reading Twas the Night Before Christmas as a hidden track which is what really makes this track special.

§  Mr. Bailey – Eric Bay

§  My First Snow – Matt Morris

§  My Son – Oak Ridge Boys

§  Night Before Christmas On Sesame Street  - Sesame Street – David

§  Oh Holy Night - Martina McBride –--- quite possibly the most amazing version of this song ever recorded

§  Oh Holy Night - Nsync

§  Rocking Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

§  Santa’s On His Way - George Strait

§  Slow as Christmas - Clint Black

§  So This is Christmas – John Lennon

§  Some Children See Him - James Taylor

§  Talk a Walk Through Bethlehem - Ray Vega

§  The Birth of the King - Clint Black

§  The Christmas Song - Nsync –--- again boy bands were built for Holiday harmonies and no one … I mean no one did it better than Nsync

§  The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)- James Taylor

§  The First Noel - Nsync

§  The Secret of Giving - Reba McEntire

§  This Christmas Prayer – Steve Wariner

§  This One’s For the Children - New Kids On The Block –– a track created and used by the band to raise money back in the day for a children’s charity but which still speaks volumes today.

§  Til’ Santa’s Gone (Milk and Cookies)- Clint Black

§  Trans-Siberian Orchestra – their entire playlist

§  Twas the Night Before Christmas – Snoop Doggy Dog and Nate Dogg

§  Vince Guaraldi Trio – Christmas Time is Here

§  We three Kings - Blackhawk –– their harmony is beautiful

So that’s more or less my Christmas playlist I have a ton more and may share a few more throughout the holiday season, and will also share a few that I hate and wish to NEVER hear again. What’s on your holiday playlist?!

-marcy

It’s Time for Holiday Movies/Specials

While Golden’s favorite holiday is Drunksgiving mine is definitely the day that networks begin their holiday programing. Yeah I know … some networks have been showing holiday specials since June but those networks suck. I refuse to acknowledge Frosty or Santa in June. It’s just … well wrong and I’m not even talking about Christmas in July.

However now that the Turkey is eaten, the dressing is gone (sorry Golden no leftovers again this year) and my MP3 player is loaded with Christmas music so let’s get this holiday train running. I finished my holiday TV calendar earlier today and can’t wait to share it with you guys. At the latest the calendar will be posted on Dec. 1^st at the earliest it will be Sunday night.

I love this time of year, people tend to slow down, they talk more, they relax and they just seem to have a happier demeanor unless you are that asshat in the front of the line asking the cashier to scan each item and tell you the MFing price prior to you paying for it just to see if it might be on sale. As if you couldn’t see those prices prior to coming to the checkout. There’s not going to be this magical price just for you because you asked. It’s not like the stores are out there going we are going to only give this price if they ask and then when you do they say ….ahhh you caught us. No that’s not happening. Pay it…don’t pay it….. just get through the damn line. Seriously these people suck, they know who I’m talking to. Especially that bitch a the Wallgreens in southern Alabama today wearing the purple shirt over some black jeans. I nearly caught a case when you had to send your kid to the car to GET YOUR PURSE. I felt confident that you were kidding but nope your kid ran out of the store to get your purse, what the hell did you think was going to happen, was Wallgreens going to suddenly begin to give things away for free …. Um… no .. that wasn’t going to happen. You bitch. You weren’t cure and you weren’t be funny you were just being a bitch. There I said it. Just like that you ruined my Christmas mood before it really grew legs and ran down the street.

I’m going to try to fall back into my Christmas mood with a viewing of Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer on the CW then Frosty the Snowman and Yes Virginia on CBS tonight, while observing the awesomeness that is Drunksgiving after today’s shopping trip I’ve earned it.

-marcy

HAPPY DRUNKSGIVING Eve!!!

What?! You say you have never heard of Drunksgiving? Gather round children as I wow you with tales of the adult holiday known as Drunksgiving. It's a magical time of year. It lasts for 3 days, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after the U.S. observes Thanksgiving. I work on Thanksgiving so my Drunksgiving starts when I get off work at 10pm, but some people start observing Drunksgiving as soon as they leave the family gathering on Thanksgiving.

So for those of you that don't know how to celebrate Drunksgiving, let me go over the basics. The name "Drunksgiving" is derived from English terminology and loosely means "to get dat ass some kinda way by means of imbibing beers, alcohols and liquors." So for the three days of Drunksgiving you partake in the liquid spirits passed down by our ancestors. That's not all though. On Drunksgiving you decorate your house for the upcoming crimmus holiday. I personally use so much twinkle lights and glitter it looks like the inside of a drag queens disco ball. The better the decorations you offer up to the Drunksgiving holiday, the better your drinking experience daze, later in the holiday.

"So decorating and drinking? This is your holiday". No! That's just the beginning, now sit down, shut up, and stop interrupting me! Because on the first day, once you have discreetly packed you a travel adult beverage it's time to blow through ungodly amounts of money shopping! If you are doing Drunksgiving right, then you have just enough fight in you to beat down that old bitch at the Wal*mart for the last $5 crockpot. Once I drink through my "to go" spirits I usually try and make my reservations at the five star restaurant, Le Huddle House, for an afternoon breakfast before returning home to partake in a ritualistic dark nap.

Drunksgiving is celebrated differently in different parts of the world so some traditions are regional. Being raised in Alabama the second day of Drunksgiving (Saturday) is a very holy day. It is the traditional Auburn vs. Alabama football game. This is a sacred sporting event known to all in the south. Many a drunk man has suffered due to the outcome of this sporting event know as …. the … Iron Bowl. 

The rest of the Drunksgiving holiday is dedicated to wrapping gifts in a sloppy half assed fashion, of course more drinking and then random bouts of crying while watching cheesy ass crimmus movies. However as Drunksgiving winds down I experience the true Drunksgiving Miracle! When I realize....I live in the future! And in the future it's fucking magical. In the future we are able to spend shit loads of money by shopping online while not even wearing pants! This miracle realization allows me to blow through the remainder of my bank account and basically become Drunksgiving Santa. That's when I drunkenly purchase items for myself from China, only to forget about it when I sober up, until a few days before crimmus the FedEx guy delivers Sober Golden gifts that Drunken Drunksgiving Golden ordered!

So Happy Drunksgiving everybody. May your bellies be full with Drunksgiving cheer, happiness and liquor. May your home be shining and bright. May your gifts be wrapped in the prettiest of duct tape and ripped paper. May you never run you bank account below zero. And may you always be blessed with a true Drunksgiving miracle, a designated driver.

Hallelujah! All hail Drunksgiving!

-golden

 

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 27

Happy Thanksgiving !!!!

Instead of posting and having you guys read it I hope you turn off your computer, put your phones down, and enjoy the day with your loved ones, be they friends, family or both. I do ask that you be mindful of the people in your life that might need a boost like a friend whose got an empty seat at their table which was filled last year; or a friend who is going through a rough time at work, school, or in life; or a friend who isn’t able to get home to be with their families and is a little home sick. Drop them a message, a text, or a tweet and let them know you are thinking of them and more important THANKFUL for them.

Anyway you guys have a fantastic day wherever you are and whatever you are doing, we are thankful for you reader for checking out our blog and reading the crazy stories we put up here!

Marcy & Golden

 

PS We made it!!!! We had a goal of 27 posts in our 27 days for our Thankfulness Challenge and we made it!!!! :D

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 26

Tonight more than any other night of the year I’m thankful for traditions. The ones that begin on a spur of the moment, as well as those that last lifetimes. Some of my favorite traditions include rolling Toomer’s corner after a win, waking up early on Christmas Day to see what Santa’s brought, not packing for a trip until the night before (a tradition I’d like to break actually), but my all-time favorite tradition is helping my mom make her Crock Pot Dressing on the eve of a holiday. Oh how Thankful I am that my mom learned this recipe, perfected it, and is teaching it to me for me to make for years to come!

This dressing is DELICIOUS ! I can’t even form the words to describe how fantastic this dressing is. It’s basically a pan of cornbread, some butter, a box of chicken stock, a can each of cream of celery soup and cream of chicken soup, then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all up in a HUGE bowl, then drop it in a crock pot the night before the holiday. Then the hard part …. Waiting. When you go to bed you turn the crock pot on low and let it go all night long. Your patience is rewarded however when you wake up the next morning to a house that smells fantastic and the best breakfast you have ever eaten. Before you “taste test” the batch, cause who wants to give it to people if it doesn’t taste good right, turn the crock pot on high and let it run for a few hours before you serve dinner.

If you like your dressing more runny keep the cover on until serving time, if you like it a little dryer take the top off 30 minutes or so before you eat. Here’s the true recipe from my mom’s recipe box, her name is Wilma hence the recipe card.

Happy Turkey Day unless you are a vegetarian then just Happy Day!

-Marcy

 

PS don't tell Golden but mom says next time I come up there to see her mom's gonna make her some dressing for me to take to her cause it's soooooo yummy and Golden misses is.  :D (my test to see if she reads my posts)

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 25

Tomorrow is the most annoying day on the planet. It’s the day that ABC shows A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (at 8/7 central). While I love Charles Schulz and the care, love, and creativity he gave to his Peanut characters I have to admit my least favorite of all the Peanuts TV specials is the Thanksgiving one.

It completely stresses me out, Peppermint Patty is a bitch, everyone is mean to Snoopy, Charlie Brown needs to be punched in the face, and why in the world is Linus even involved? The gist of the story, cause I think at this point in the game there are no spoilers, Peppermint Patty finds out that she isn’t going to get Thanksgiving Dinner, and invites herself and Marcie over to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Charlie Brown, who is planning to go to his grandmother’s with his family, stampers and has no backbone to say hey Peppermint Patty get your own turkey I’m not going to be home! Then for some reason Linus is all don’t worry I’ll help you then bosses Snoopy and Woodstock around for the rest of the show and never once appears to appreciate it. Then as they are getting ready for Peppermint Patty and Marcie, Peppermint Patty calls and says hey Franklin is going to come too cause that totally makes sense. Charlie Brown again instead of saying um ..yeah no … just says come on over. Then tells his “crew” hey set another chair while I walk around being completely useless. Then Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franklin, Charlie Brown, Sally, sit down to dinner (I can’t remember if Lucy was there) and then Peppermint Patty has the audacity to complain about the dinner that Snoopy and Woodstock prepared for them. At that moment instead of Charlie Brown saying you know what you stupid bitch I didn’t even want you to come over, I had plans and now you are going to be mean to my DOG and his bird friend who made you dinner ? You know what get out just get out now! …. No he didn’t do any of that. He got so upset, was mean to Snoopy and walked away from the table. Sulking about how “stupid” he was. I’ve never hated him more in my life then at that moment. Then Peppermint Patty goes to apologize to CHARLIE BROWN … not Snoopy but “Chuck.” Then as the two of them are having a moment Charlie Brown’s grandma calls to say what time they need to come over and he’s all but my friends are here so I don’t think we can come and she’s all bring em so they all pack up into the station wagon and leave Snoopy and Woodstock behind. They then sit down and have a proper quiet dinner and finally seem happy. Then it goes off as Charlie and his friends are singing “To Grandmother’s House We Go.”

So as you can tell it’s my least favorite Peanuts special. I usually end up watching it anyway but by the end of it feel like I need a drink or a nerve pill. Over the years watching my family Thanksgiving dinners I’ve come to see the genius that is Charles Schulz. Peppermint Patty is the auntie who invites herself to dinner, not cause she really wants to be there but because it’s Thanksgiving and she feels like she should.  Charlie Brown is the family member who wants to please everyone not matter how it makes him feel. Snoopy is the mom who slaved over a hot stove/oven to very little appreciation. Linus is the family member who comes in and takes over hoping that the day will go smoother with their direction but not really helping anything actually come together. Charles Schulz perfectly captures the feelings and thoughts of a Thanksgiving dinner and placed it into a children’s program. Even at the end with the kids singing as they drive to Grandma’s is perfect cause no matter what’s going on in the house the kids usually have a blast and never realize there was tension.

I’m thankful that as an Adult I can fully see the genius that is Charles Schulz and where he was going with this story and thankful that he’s taught me how to act on Thanksgiving through it. So sit down tomorrow night and enjoy A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving at 8/7 central on ABC and then on Thanksgiving Day take a moment to tell the cook thank you, to tell the host you appreciate them letting you come over, and give thanks for having a place to go and people to be with. Then have a drink.

PS have you heard ... there's going to be a new Peanuts movie this time next year ! I'm so excited !!!

 

 

--Marcy