Sunday, March 29, 2009

PostSecret books.

Okay. I was a Psychology major during my undergrad years at UGA, so most things that have to do with human nature tend to interest me, but these PostSecret books have enraptured me! You must check them out. The idea was born in Maryland actually, by a guy named Frank Warren. He started a community art project. The task was simple. Take a post card and put down on it a secret you've never told anyone before - it's completely anonymous. He now has 5 books out and another coming in October! He maintains a blog which can be found at http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com.
Here's an example from the book A Lifetime of Secrets: "my biggest fear is not death, but of by chance running into the family of the boy whose heart beats inside my body." Here's another: "I buy antique pictures because it makes me feel like I have a family."
Wow! These are mostly decorated too, so the visual images really add to the secrets that are printed on there. I think I'll mail one in. You should too!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Once in a lifetime!




Okay. I can breathe now. Last night I met the New Kids on the Block. Yep. It was so cool. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be because with the 5* VIP pass comes 2 free mixed drinks, and I'd already had one so I was a little less inhibited. The I Love All Access folks waved us in and I walked directly over to Danny Wood and put my hand out to shake and he gave me a hug! Got a hug from Jonathan too. I told Danny that I liked his music and he said thanks...in terms of real interaction, there wasn't much time, but just the fact that I met them was the neatest experience. They are all so good looking! At our meet and greet in Hershey there were 198 women and 2 guys, one of which was a little guy who came with his mom! The other one was a husband I think! Otherwise there were a bunch of 20 & 30-something women who all felt 15 and happy as hell again. It was friendly, it was funny, it was exciting, it was surreal. It's like going back in time in some ways; hearing their music, dancing like a teen, singing at the top of my voice, being free and not having a real care in the world for a few hours. The concert itself was amazing, just like it was in October in Atlanta when I went but with some tweaks and twists. I didn't get to go when I was younger, so the kid in me is loving every single minute of this reunion tour and all the fans and friends I'm making. Just last night I made 4 new friends. Strangers were striking up conversations. We all had something in common! It was truly just real honest plain old fun. If you haven't done anything for yourself lately, and you like these guys - or liked them back in the day - go to a concert or at least buy their new CD and dance around your living room in your PJs with your headphones on like I did the night I first heard it.
There's something about these 5 guys. They are having as much fun as we all are. They certainly didn't have to do it for the money - and they are so shocked and grateful for the way everyone went nuts when they came back. Lots of sold out shows and screaming women all over the world. I had a blast last night! Here are some pictures! I also put up a short video on YouTube!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

A bit of irony.

My Dad is up for a visit this week and the first thing he wanted to go out and do was see some Amish farms in Pennsylvania. So we took the very twisty drive up to Lancaster. It was quite a thing to see - folks all dressed in black plowing the fields with a team of 6 horses. A horse drawn buggy sitting in the drive through at the bank (no kidding). Little kids all dressed in black walking home on the side of the road (scary) as school lets out. We stopped at what was supposed to be an authentic Amish shop. Wouldn't you know the very first thing I picked up was a battery powered candle with the Made in China sticker right on the bottom?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

The Amazing Zubber!

Remember when I told you that I'd entered my second childhood? It all started last May when we went to Disney World. Since then, I've just been having all sorts of fun with...well, TOYS! Now, I'm not riding tricycles or skating on a skateboard, but I am playing with my 4 year old. We make houses out of blocks, we make Cinderella's castle out of legos, and we made krabby patties out of play-doh. We watch animated Disney movies like Pocahontas and Tinkerbell. I honestly don't think I had this much fun with stuff even when I was a kid. I already described in an earlier blog what it was like growing up in the country.
We watch Nickelodean in this house, and there are lots of advertisements for toys. I happened to be picking up hardened bits of play-doh from the floor the other day when a commercial for The Amazing Zubber caught my attention. It's this molding compound that when mixed with "activator" turns into a substance like rubber. You can make all sorts of things. Little molded animals, princesses, army men, bouncy balls, and last but not least the thing that I just HAD TO HAVE right then...wristbands! You know, like the LiveStrong wristbands. So I went out the next day to Target (where they have everything that I love to buy) and snatched my Zubber Band making kit right off the shelf. I immediately went home and started to play...and the sad part is that making zubber is kind of hard and confusing for an adult when you first start, let alone a 4 year old. So I kept having to kick Sarah out of the equation of me making wristbands. With a sheepish grin I told her, "no-no, this is Mommy's toy!" The first one looked a little sloppy, the second one broke before it set, the third one I had to trim. Finally after several more I got pretty good at it and I've been making Zubber wristbands like a little factory for a week now! So much fun, so stress relieving, and it makes me feel rather crafty, which is not a normal descriptor for me. They should let me make an adult infomercial for this product. I could sell it as a stress reduction technique. Want to stop smoking? Try The Amazing Zubber! Tired of your kids? Just lock yourself in your bedroom and try The Amazing Zubber! Just make sure you're culturally aware before you go telling all your friends about it. Turns out Zubber is the Arabic slang for penis in the Urban Dictionary...