Happy Vladurday

Happy Vladurday

the best Christmas songs...to me at least

so I thought I would list my favorite Christmas songs in keeping with my list of Christmas faves. now I love most every song except for that damn Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. when I hear that song, I want to shove nails in my ears to prevent me from ever having to hear it again. anyway, enjoy!

Santa Baby as performed by Madonna. yes, I love this song. I love it's kitschy charm. really I love anything by Madonna so when she came out with this back in the day, I was hooked.

Silent Night as performed by Stevie Nicks. I love her voice. And hearing her sing all the verses of this lovely song is awesome. Actually if she sang it in its original German it would be epic.

Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC. AWW YEAH! who doesn't love this catchy song?! best part about this was it came out back when MTV still played music videos. remember that? no? well they did and this video was awesome.

Jingle Bells by the Barking Dogs. or maybe it's Dr Demento. either way... I freakin love this song.I could listen to this every hour the entire Christmas season and NEVER get tired of it. to me it's brilliant. I don't know why but it's like Shakespeare to me.

Christmas Wrapping as performed by The Waitresses. not really about Christmas but it has special meaning to me and my friends from where I used to work. I'll never start an IV at Christmastime without thinking of this song and my friends.

Do They Know it's Christmas as performed by Band Aid. GASP!!! once upon a time, when MTV played music  videos and there was new wave music and I desperately wished I was British, this song came out. and I loved it. I had the poster kind of like this pic in my room and I would just stare in teen love at  Sting and Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet. then when the video would come on I would freak out!! now each Christmas, I listen to this beautiful song and think about what it was for and remember how lucky I am. I think Sir Bob Geldof did such a magnificent thing producing this song and making it part of Christmas. I also watch the vid on You Tube and try and name all of the awesome singers, like I could do back then. sigh.

so that's my list. kind of modern I know but here you go. And as a bonus...

Happy Vladurday

My favotite Christmas specials or what I'm calling in sick for if they come on

okay, so someone I love suggested I put up a list of my favorite Christmas specials/shows so here it is. I chose these by weighing whether I would call in sick or be late to work to watch them. yeah, I know. I'm like that.

the Grinch. it's on enough so I wouldn't have to call in but I do love it. THIS version. NOT the live action version. I like the Boris Karloff narration. and the Tony the Tiger guy singing the Grinch song.

oh yes, Rudolph! I love this. I could watch it forever. so sweet. and it teaches a valuable lesson. I  freakin love those Rankin Bass shows!!

It's a Wonderful Life. yes. I love it. I watch it every year and still smile.

 the Flinstones Christmas. it isn't a special. it was a regular show during the season.I love it. Fred gets a job at Gimrocks as a gift wrapper to earn extra money for Christmas but ends up working as Santa and then being Santa. this is rare so yes indeed I'd miss work for this.

How the Ghosts Stole Christmas episode of the X Files. it has Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin in it. I love it. man I miss that show.

A Charlie Brown Christmas. it's a little older than I am and I remember it from my childhood. this is my all time fave. I have it on DVD and sometimes watch it when it isn't Christmas. it's sweet, naive, funny and perfect. I love it. it truly is my fave.


so that's my list. feel free to comment and let me know yours. next week I might do songs.

Happy Vladurday!

The Scrooge Rankings

well it's December and I thought I'd share my rankings of different Scrooges from my favorite Christmas story A Christmas Carol. now these are all my opinions and you might not agree but hey... feel free to comment. I'll go from least favorite to favorite.

Alistair Sim. I just didn't feel the menace and hard heartedness of his Scrooge. he was kind of a weenie and a bungler.

George C. Scott. he was too scroogey. even after he changed, I felt like he could still slip back to his old ways. he reminded me of Dick Cheney if he was Scrooge.(but isn't he?)

Mr. Magoo. now not that I don't like him. I do and I love this portrayal. just not as much as the rest of them.

Edmund Blackadder. again, I love this version. Blackadder's Christmas Carol. he's snarky and greedy and awesome. and I think Charles Dickens would have loved it. even if Mr. Scrooge didn't see the error of his ways.

Patrick Stewart. YES! LIKE A BOSS. to me this is the best Scrooge. he's bitter and cold but at the end his change is quite believable. I really felt sorry for him. besides the costars were awesome!

anyway, this is my line up. I'll probably watch A Christmas Carol about 19 times and once again try and make Smoking Bishop for our Christmas dinner. it's a mulled wine that is warmed. google it. you might want to try it.

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Happy Vladurday

well I'm back

so for a little over a month the blog has looked kind of like this due to, well, life. I started my new job on nights and I was quickly reminded that I'm not in my twenties anymore and can't work all night, sleep about 4 hours and then be good for the next 24 or however many hours. nope. I sleep like someone killed me for about 8 hours. and this shows no sign of slacking off. I don't know if I can keep this up because even though I sleep, I'm pretty useless the next day and that's just unacceptable for me.
then I went to the Florida Writer's Association's annual conference. it was terrific even though my novel Blood Betrayed didn't win an award. I had an awesome meeting with Marisa Corvisiero and got some stellar advice. so it was a win anyway. I'll definitely be back next year
also, I went on a fabulous trip to DC and NYC. it was probably the best trip of my life. I met my sweet secret boyfriend, we had a terrific time together and we went and saw Seminar with Alan Rickman. yes, I saw Alan RIckman in a play. live and up close and omg he was incredible. every writer or anyone connected with publishing should go and see this show!! its phenomenal. and not just because AR was in it. but that didn't hurt. then afterward the cast signed autographs for crazy fangirls like me. so I was like 18 inches from him while he signed my playbill. it was surreal. but my trip was incredible because I got to spend time with my fab boyfriend.
and then I've been doing NaNoWriMo. it's not going well. I am still lacking 16k words. lately writing has been like pulling teeth. I've been working on the same damn WIPs and the words just aren't coming like I want. 
anyway, so that's why I've been scarce. I know I suck. I'll do better.

happy Vladurday!

happy Vladurday!

happy Vladurday!

happy Vladurday!

the one where I blow off steam about crap

I'm mad right now. in one of my classes we have a group project where we basically are a team playing a game like Risk. it's for extra credit. easy right? except it's a group project where inevitably one or two people do all the work. I'm one of those people. and I'm already pissed about it. I have no time or tolerance for that. I want and need the extra credit so I am actively working at the game. no one save a few people (2) are trying. I got so irritated that we missed making a move that I sent the professor an email and posted to our group that if you don't want to participate to let the group know and if I don't hear from people by 3 hours before when the move is due, I would be making it and that was that. yes, it sounds like a bitch move but we're adults. I refuse to carry 5 or 6 people and let them get credit when I am just as busy with the same demands. if you aren't a team player then get off the team or let me know so I can help you. I don't mind. but if you just sandbag in silence, I'm not doing that. and I'm going to not be nice about it. maybe tomorrow I'll feel better but right now I'm pissed and short tempered and not very amenable to sorriness.