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

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 24

There are so many things that I am thankful for. If I had to sit down and devote an entire blog post to some it might seem petty or stupid because most of the things I'm thankful for are tiny things that you come across everyday without thinking. But sometimes little things can do a lot! So instead of hundreds of blog posts on these little nuggets of happy, I decided to take the logical approach. So i crammed them horribly into a song format. So, please to enjoy....

'Golden's Favorite Things of Thanks'

(May god have mercy on my soul)
 

Old books, Godzilla and pink puppy bellies,

Hot biscuits filled with butter and jellies,

Giant drag queens that sound like Cher when they sing,

I'd like to give thanks for my favorite things.

 

A crisp diet coke first thing upon waking,

The smell of my favorite foods when they're baking,

Laughter and silliness and saying the word "fuck",

I'm giving thanks for my favorite things that don't suck.

 

Movies and tv and snarking online,

Giving to others making me feel so kind,

The sound of alarms when you win big on slot machines,

These are my thanks for my favorite things!

 

When the pain starts

When the boss bitches

When I'm uber sad

I drink and then think

Of some favorite things

And then I start to feel less bad.
 

Time travel, new hair and having exact change,

Fresh cut grass, creating and learning new things,
Weirdness, artwork and Captain Crunch Christmas Crunch
These are the things I give thanks for so much!

 

Ketchup, space cats, strange friends and family,

Cartoons, wearing no pants and relaxing lazily
Listening to rain as I sleep and feeling happy,
I'm thankful for the strange things that make me, me

 

When I'm dog tired

When I'm totes pissed
When I stump my toe
I just think of my favorite things
And I'm so totally thankful that I'm not a ho!

 

-golden (@theonlygolden)

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 23

It’s the last Sunday of November, or as I like to call it the calm before the storm. Nope I’m not talking about families coming together for a delicious meal, or the dreaded Black Friday chaos no I’m talking about something way more dramatic and often more dangerous …. Iron Bowl Week. That’s right people I’m in the middle of ground zero for the chaos that is the Iron Bowl.

Let’s be real for a minute, Auburn is the underdog this year. Depending on which Auburn team shows up this game will either be really exciting or it’s going to be a big flop. Last year the game came down to several key moments, one second to be exact. It ended up being ESPNs game of the year. It was a satisfying game because it was one of those games that kept you on the edge of your seat. I hope for the same this year. I hate games that have a lot of hype but no follow through. Auburn can play spoiler this year but only if they come out of the gate playing as a team. They can’t give away yardage with stupid penalties, they can’t play possum for a quarter hoping for that last second miracle. We can’t let this Alabama team smell blood cause they will pounce and it will NOT be pretty if that happens. Alabama can be beaten but this might not be our year to give them that “L”. Then again I’ve always said the scariest thing in the SEC is an Auburn Team with nothing to lose.

The work week along is insane. People talking about the game in the hallways, emails being sent, shirts are worn, lines are drawn, this game people is a huge deal where I’m from. Even if both teams were out of the running it would be a big deal, it’s bragging rights. One team’s fans will have a little more swagger this winter at least until the A-Day Game. This year one team will go to the championship if they win, and the other gets to play spoiler, if they win.  

When Iron Bowl week is looming it can be very daunting. It used to be even worse when the game would be played on Thanksgiving Day. Some smart soul decided that was silly and it moved back to the weekend after Thanksgiving. Families don’t speak to each other, friends stop being friends, mixed families have a rough time, and all because two football teams are getting ready to take the field.

Strangers walk up to you and either give you a War Eagle or tell you that your team is gonna get beaten, depending on what colors you are wearing. A few years ago I was with a friend at a local tourist attraction wearing an Auburn shirt and someone yelled from across the lawn “Your team sucks!” my friend looked at me, "was he talking to you" … I said "yep" and kept walking. “HEY AWBURN! I’m talking to you!” the man yelled as I continued to ignore him. My friend said, "do you know him?" I said "nope…just keep walking". A few minutes later we walked past the man I gave him a nod, he flipped me off and we just continued on our way. My friend was shocked couldn’t believe it was that extreme. Later that same weekend I was walking around with an Auburn backpack on and someone yelled "WAR EAGLE!" I raised my hand in a peace sign and then from somewhere else I heard "ROLL TIDE" I threw that guy a peace sign too. That people wasn’t even during an Iron Bowl week, so that gives you a idea of what this rivalry can be like.

As you can tell I’m an Auburn fan, hence the Auburn gear. I’m also an Auburn Graduate Class of 2001. As stated in my post on Day 9 Auburn means a great deal to me. Win or lose Auburn will always hold a special place in my heart. I feel for these coaches and players. At best a player gets 4 years to win this game, the coaches on the other hand usually get far less. This game makes or breaks a coaches career. A good Iron Bowl means one more year of a job, a bad one means you need to start looking for boxes. I’ve often been thankful that my job does not depend on the performance of 18-24 year old kids. Win or lose there’s always next year.

So until Saturday WAR EAGLE reader and if your team isn’t Auburn may the players on both sides of the ball stay healthy, play well, and finish strong. Cause let's face it ... I can't be an Auburn fan without others being fans of other teams cause without those teams my team would have no one to play.

-Marcy

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 22

It’s been a while since I cleaned, like really cleaned, I’m talking dusting, I’m talking scrubbing, I’m talking full on cleaning fit. I’ve had a few weekends where I’ve not been home, and during the week it’s all I can do to hang up the towel in my bathroom. So basically it was time to get dusty, dirty and clean up the hovel I call my home.

I’m not a packrat, but I guess I can turn into one. What keeps me from full on packrat status is that eventually I can and will let something go. Today was one of those days. One that Golden would call “Shits Gotta Go day!” That’s not to say I’m wasteful, however there are times where I look at something and think why in the world did I need that … or who in the world gave me that. There are other times where I pick something up and take a minute to think of who gave it to me, dust it off and put back on the shelf.

When I’m in this kind of cleaning fit I keep a basket on the bed and if I come across an item that still has some life to it I throw it in the basket. My church has a room that they treat like a boutique that allows people to go in and get whatever they need. There’s what I call play clothes, items you’d wear bumming around the house, and more dress clothes that someone would wear to work or church. We have a group of homeless ladies that come and are allowed to pick what they need. So any clothing that I find that still has some wear in it will go there.

Our office does a toy drive every year, and coloring books, or kids toys that haven’t some life in them will go there. As a woman who is forever a kid at heart I have more toys in my room than a woman my age likely should. I’d like to say it’s because I have nephews but no … it’s not. I have a job, back off reader I buy what I want, and often what I want is dictated by my need to be forever 10-years old.

There are times where I would hold on to something then the next “Shit’s Gotta Go Day” will quickly let it go. There’s really no rhyme or reason for this I just get sick of moving it around or see that it really doesn’t have a “home” or a place and thus it’s time for it to go to someone else. For items that don’t fit into the two categories above or if say it’s July and no where near our toy drive I’ll take it to our local salvation army box and leave these items there.

The bottom line is that while I’m not using it someone else might be able to and sadly there are plenty of people out there in need. I’m thankful that I have the means to acquire items but also that I have the ability and mind to know when those items need to be let go. I just wish I didn’t wait until I had spend an entire weekend cleaning to “catch up.” Maybe mom is right a few minutes a day is a better way to go …. Ahhhh … that sounds like a lot of effort. Ok back to my cleaning fit …

--marcy

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 21

Social media is pretty great, it allows family members who live in different parts of the country to feel like they are sitting right next to one another, it allows high school and college friends to remain close after graduation, and it allows people to connect to their favorite shows, celebrities, and fellow fanatics. No matter where you live you can find someone out there with similar interests and thoughts as you.

However social media can also be evil ….. spoilers for shows you want to see but aren’t home yet …. Movies you want to see that you didn’t get to the theater yet… people who feel it’s perfectly acceptable to say anything they want because they are behind a keyboard.

I like to think the great things about social media far outweigh the bad, it’s just that the bad can sometimes be really really bad. Typically when you hit reply to someone’s post it can go the following ways: you never hear back from them, it starts a short conversation (that sometimes leads to longer conversations and a follow), or a nasty reply that you then get to ignore or acknowledge.

I’m a big fan of the “block” I don’t use it often but there are times when it’s necessary. When your timeline fills up with junk to the point you miss the actual conversations that make you log on to your social media to begin with it’s time to use the block. I’ve never understood the need of people to use this medium that is supposed to connect us and bring us together to spread negativity. For the record I've also found that those people tend to get even madder if you don't respond ... which makes me happy so BRAVO internet for bringing it back around to me.

So today I’m thankful for people that use social media and the internet in general to bring positivity and happiness to other people. A dear friend, @kyfurneaux started a movement called Make Someone’s Monday or #MSM for short thinking that everyone could use a little boost on Mondays. A little spark to get their week started off right, or just a reminder of their awesomeness as they transition from a weekend to a workday. So as you go through your weekend, and see posts by your friends make mental notes for people you might want to send a #MSM to. It could be as simple as #MSM @theonlygolden I hope you have a great week … or #MSM @bratmom I hope your son is feeling better or even a #MSM to a friend starting a new job.

Whatever you do take a moment on Monday and spread some love, some positivity, cause let’s all face it the internet is full of a ton of asshats and somehow they never seem to have internet connection problems. One of the amazing things about the universe I guess.

-marcy

PS Ky has recently written a book ... she's a Hollywood stunt woman and is awesome and fantastic and her book is too ... here's the link, check it out. ... http://www.amazon.com/Superwomans-Survival-Guide-Conquering-Unexpected/dp/1628736623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416626749&sr=8-1&keywords=ky+Furneaux

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 20

Friendship is pretty fantastic. Seeing a text from a friend, or getting a phone call and seeing your friend’s face pop up on your screen, or knowing that in XX days you’ll see a friend for the first time in a long while fills you with excitement, anticipation, and happiness. Friends can take a crappy day and make it great, or take a great day and make it crappy …it’s a two way street people. However today I’m going to focus on the good things that a friendship can do for a person.

Many years ago, nearly 10, a “Kelly girl” was hired to work in the department near mine, she wasn’t in my department but we sat near one another. This led to us going to lunch, and talking at the printer, and getting to know one another. She was an older lady and she fascinated me with everything she’s done. She used to manage a bar, she worked at a tax place, she’s lived in more states than I’ve visited, and she was really nice to me. Being an older lady she didn’t take anything from anyone, if she didn’t like something you did she told you, if she didn’t care for the way someone was acting she was not shy about it. As a younger person still unsure of herself in the professional world I watched her closely and learned a lot.

A few years ago she was diagnosed with COPD which scared the hell out of me, cause there was nothing I could do to help her. I learned how to use her oxygen tank, just in case. I got her husband’s cell phone number on speed dial, just in case. I watched her like a hawk now for more than just learning how things work, just in case. She’d have a coughing fit and I’d get nervous cause she literally couldn’t breathe. I told her once that I wouldn’t get too worried until I heard the thud of her hitting the desk. Which made her laugh which caused a coughing fit.

Then last year around Christmas/New Year’s she got pneumonia which literally almost took her down. She was in the hospital for several weeks, at one point on a ventilator which was the only thing keeping her alive. I was so afraid that we were going to lose her and at several points we almost did. However my friend is a fighter. From an early age when she was raising her daughter alone, then raised her grandson, with the help of her current husband, her life has been one battle after another. The stories she has told me from the days of running a bar, to having the love of her life (until she met her current husband anyway) hand her a gun and ask her to literally blow his head off when he was sick with terminal cancer make me cry and also see how strong she is.

She would have to have enough in her for one more battle. A few months before she retired she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was super bad on one side and kinda bad on the other side. After the initial shock of hearing the “C” word it start to sink in just what she had to face. It never crossed my mind that she wouldn’t beat this, I don’t know why but I just, from day one, felt like she wouldn’t have survived her pneumonia just to die from this. That this was just a part of her story, a chapter in her book but not the entire book. I told her this one day over lunch and she started to cry. After her pneumonia scare she was really emotional (still is really), and could lapse into crying at the drop of a hat. She thanked me because “you never treated me like a sick person.” Everyone at the office treated her like she was sick, and treated her with kid gloves and I guess I just treated her like … her. She has told me several times since that she really appreciated that.

As I said from day one I never thought that she was in trouble. What makes me write this is that I saw my friend today for the first time since her double mastectomy. We walked into her house with dinner for her family, a surprise visit kind of, and she looked and sounded amazing. She laughed that she lost 10 pounds with her surgery, I said see there you go almost ready for a bathing suit. She laughed, then coughed and laughed some more. Her husband hugged us and told her that our coming over made her so happy, he said she lights up when we are around and she laughs more. We surprised her on the day of her surgery by showing up before so she’d know we were with her in spirit. We knew she wouldn’t want us to come up after her surgery when she’s in and out of the medicine and not feeling well. He told us then that the second she saw us walking up her demeanor changed. She was calmer, and she was smiling something she wasn’t doing before we got there. I told him that she didn’t have to be brave for us like she did him and her daughter. She means the world to me and while I can’t do much for her at the moment I can at least be there for her and keep her positive and upbeat cause while her doctors, nurses, and medicines are a big part of her recovery her positive attitude and upbeat nature will get her far as well.

So today … more than ever I’m thankful that my friend is still on this earth, that she was able to give me a hug and laugh with me today. Here’s hoping for more days where I sit across from her because I’m not finished learning from her. She’s my hero. I want to be her when I grow up!

Marcy

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 19

Holy fuckballs it's cold!

I live in the US in the state of Alabama. We are by no means a tropical climate, but we are a southern state. The  weather here is usually suffering hot summers, an occasional hurricane and tornadoes that Dorothy would envy. But right now it is really stupid fucking cold outside. Last night the temperature was 25℉ and tonight it’s 43℉ but according to the weather channel it feels like 39℉. It's too cold, too early in the season.

So not feeling my fingers has totally got me fantasizing of the glory of Warmth. And I can tell you I am very thankful for warmth. That warm feeling you get when you slide on those overstuffed fuzzy house shoes after a hard day running around. The warmth of hot and sour soup as it goes down your throat and warms your belly from the inside. That awesome feeling of warmth when you crawl into what I call the blanket burrito. Where just the tip of your nose is exposed and it's coldness is a welcome contrast to the cozy burrito-y warmness of such a heavenly blanket happy place. Mmmm yeah. That's perfection.

 

The really stupid thing is that in just 4 days it's supposed to be 76℉ here.



So I'm sure at that time I’ll start fantasizing about how thankful I am for the Cool, but until then I'm going to grab my dog LuLu and strap her to me like a personal heat generator. She really isn't thankful me doing that, but fuck it. I'm a block of ice and she needs to contribute to my happiness, or get a job and pay the electricity bill!

Until next time....Stay Warm!

-golden (@theonlygolden)

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 18

Doritos are delicious.

They are super yummy, I know there are several kind of Doritos out there but for my money the only kind that matters is Nacho Cheese. I’ll be honest I love licking all the cheese off then eating the chip. I know right that’s disgusting. Sorry about that dear reader but I do love some Doritos. I remember that sad dark day when the Nacho Cheese Doritos were taken off the shelves instead replaced by other “flavors.” I was happy when I walked down the isle and saw they were back and as delicious as ever. Crunching on these chips makes me smile, the shape of them, the taste of them, all of it makes them super delicious. I've always like salty Vs sweet, tho my favorite thing is a crunch. A nice snap when I'm munching on a snack is what makes my taste buds sing.

 

Ohhh recipe time………. put a few handfuls of Doritos in a cast iron pan (cover the bottom of the pan) then add a can of chili (no beans please) and then some shredded cheese. Heat the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes (until the cheese is melted and the chili is heated) then you have a delicious dinner, at least until it gets cold. When it’s cold it’s way more than gross so be ready to eat it right away. The reason I am thankful for these chips today is because a friend of mine got a two-fur from the vending machine at work today and she chose me to share them with. They were yummy and it’s been far too long since I ate some. That will not happen again.

So today I’m thankful for Doritos and the deliciousness they bring to my life. Again not all of these posts are going to be deep, wonderful and thoughtful, some are just me crossing the day off the list and today … I can put a checkmark next to the 18^th and get back to watching Shield.

-Marcy