All that is Barenaked......

I am a huge fan of Barenaked Ladies. I've been to about 6 concerts and absolutely enjoy their music from beginning to end! It's funny because I don't have a "favorite" band of any other kind. BNL is it. Their musical style, crazy improvisation, and killer harmonies just make me happy. Plus - I know almost every word to every single one of their songs.....almost - I'm still working on their BLAM cd's! Ed Robertson and Steven Page are a great duo - add in Tyler, Jim, and Kevin, and it's a musical frenzy!! I leave you with this clip - one of many from Bathroom Sessions - all performed in Ed Robertson's bathroom. Enjoy!!!

Tis the Season

Thanksgiving has come and gone....the proof is in my refrigerator as I have a beef pie made from beef cubes and leftover mashed potatoes waiting to be devoured and half a pumpkin pie that Craig's sister, Sarah, made. It was a delicous holiday and I look forward to next year!

The Christmas season, however, is in full swing!! Our local radio station B101.1 has been playing non-stop Christmas music since Thanksgiving Day! It's quite fun, with the exception of hearing Celine Dion sing "O Holy Night!" What a way to ruin a beautiful song!!! Houses are adorned with Christmas lights and the air is finally cool and crisp. Yep - it's Christmas time!! I even watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" last night on abc.

Craig and I have started our Christmas decorating. Craig's famous "Rudolph Village" is already set up in our dining room. The entrance to our apartment has it's Seasons Greetings welcome mat, sparkling red berry wreath and our Noel sign sticking out of the ground.

We still have tons to do, though! Most of our nativity is up on our mantle. My grandmother made our nativity out of ceramic and it's absolutely beautiful. We have red berry lighted garland adorning the front of the mantle as well. The cd's in our 5 disc cd player feature: "Barenaked for the Holidays," "Harry Simeone Choral's Little Drummer Boy," "Peanuts Christmas," "Dean Martin's Christmas," and a cd devoted to 80's Christmas songs. A great mix of holiday tunes to celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

We still have to finish decorating our patio - which is simple! All we need to do is add our lighted Christams tree! We also need to put up our 2 Christmas trees. I know - you're thinking -, why 2? Well, I am anal. I like to have a pretty Christmas tree with matching lights and ornaments and a common theme. However, my husband's wonderful, yet eclectic taste doesn't fit in with that so a comprimise was made. He has his own tree - which will be on our "bar area" and everyone can see it through the window. It has ornaments such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Grinch, One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Like I said, eclectic! It's fun though, because we get the best of both worlds!

Between all the hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, writing christmas cards, baking, cooking, and any other crazy project that has to do with Christmas, it's always nice to sit back, relax with a nice cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and remember the true meaning of Christmas.....Christ Our Savior Is Born......tis the season!

Traditions?

Holidays always bring about traditions. Every Thanksgiving, after we are stuffed to the brim and after any important football games, my family would get together and watch Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen - it doesn't get any better than that!! It also signifies the start of the Christmas Season!!

So - what are some of your favorite holiday traditions??

I love me some Danny Kaye!!!

Mashed Potatoes Anyone?

It's that time of year, again! The time when we don't give a shit about what we are eating because everything is so damn good! Whether it's the homemade cookies, pumpkin pie, or any of the other tempting goodies that float by on a platter, it's all delicious and we'll pay for it come January 1st. Who cares!!! God didn't give us taste buds for no reason!!

It's my favorite time of year because I get to cook, and not just for myself and my hubby (which isn't a bad thing - just limited)!! We can't host a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner at our apartment because it is so small, but I can cook for a mass amount of people and bring it to their place!! I can't tell you just how excited I am for Thursday. There's not enough exclamation points!!!

My contribution for Thanksgiving is none other than my famous GARLIC MASHED POTATOES - insert choir of angels singing Ahhhhhhh! It's not just ordinary Garlic Mashed Potatoes - oh no - it's goodness that melts in your mouth and puts a smile on your face. It gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and no matter what, they always turn out perfect!!! I can't wait for the day when I purchase my potato ricer to make the MOST PERFECT MASHED POTATOES EVER!!!

What do I use, you ask? It's no secret and it's quite easy! Potatoes, obviously, peeled, cut into 1/4" chunks and boiled in salty water for about 20-30 minutes depending on the amount. I use a stick or two of Keller's Salted Butter - trust me - the brand is the difference. I also use sour cream, heavy cream, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and, of course, garlic. Now, when I usually make them, I use garlic powder. It easily dissolves in the potatoes and gives that flavor that everyone enjoys. Seriously - if you don't like garlic - why do you breathe? I may do something a little different this time around. I am thinking of roasting some fresh garlic and then putting that in a food processor and adding to the potatoes......hmmmmmmm......what to do?

We are also going to a party on December 1st in which hors d'oeuvres will be made. My yummy bruschetta and pepperoni bread will be on the menu that evening. Although, I am going to definitely experiment for that party!! I got some Wonton wrappers at Wegman's the other day and I plan on filling them with beef and cheese and then pan searing them and making a fabulous sauce for dipping! It's still in the works in my brain, but I know it will be amazing!!!

Ahhhhh - the smell of the holidays is definitely going to permeate from my kitchen!!!

What the HELL is going on??????

So - I live in South Jersey. We're literally 10-15 minutes from Philadelphia. I am sick - very sick! One of the lovely children from Oliver! gave me a nasty cold/flu whatever you'd like to call it, and I haven't been going to rehearsals. I am home last night, after eating some warm soup. Snuggled under a blanket with my cough drops, apple juice, and tissue box next to me. It's about 8:00 pm. I just took my Zicam Nighttime and know that mindless TV will be the thing to put me to sleep so I can rest. I turn on abc - Cavemen is going to be on. I happen to like that show - kinda funny - but nothing too intense that I would be pissed if I missed it if I fell asleep.

THEN IT HAPPENS - News reporter Jim Gardner is on LIVE with pictures of a police helicopter in the Frankford section of Philadelphia beaming it's spotlight down on the row homes looking for a suspect who shot 2, count them 2, police officers. They were serving a warrant to a 16 year old who had heavy drug dealing charges against him. 16 YEARS OLD!!!!! ARE YOU EFFIN KIDDING ME?

Let's put this into perspective shall we? This occurrence has probably been the 5th or 63th police shooting within the past MONTH! What are we, Camden? I cannot believe this!!! It's absolutely absurd!!! I read one of the local paper's news online and they have a forum in which people can voice their opinions on the news, articles, whatever......after reading some of these so-called opinions, it's starting to make perfect sense as to why this world is on a downward spiral!

People truly believe that this is a racist issue. I kid you not. "It's racism that bring people to hate cops." So let me get this straight - whether you are black, white, yellow, orange, or purple, even if the cop is the same race, you hate him? Why may I ask? I'll tell you why. Because kids these days have no respect for authority. Why do they have no respect for authority, because they were never disciplined when they acted out of line. I know, as a kid, if I did something wrong and got caught, I'd get the belt. Simple as that. My parents instilled fear in me and that's a GOOD thing. Not a BAD thing. Discipline is not based on "feelings" it's based on knowing the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately today, people are so scared to discipline their children for someone may label it abuse. GET OVER IT!

Stop giving your kids candy to make them behave and show them tough love!

I just had to rant. Sorry this blog isn't a little more interesting. Now back to the coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose and hacking!!

I know....I know....

First let me apologize to the 4 of you who actually read this blog - it's been crazy lately and thus, I have not had time to write. What have I been doing, you ask? Well.....

1. Oliver! is still up and running so my weekends are still shot!
2. Still working on rehearsals for Home for the Holidays and pulling doubles on Saturdays and Sundays with rehearsal/shows!
3. Trying to put together a Casino Night fundraiser for another theatre group
4. Sleeping

Yeah - that pretty much sums it all up. Throw in a full time job and BOOM - you have what I like to call "Lani Mayhem!" Yeppers!!

What can I say, I enjoy what I do! But, every now and then you must take a step back and realize, "OK, I've had enough!" I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!! After Home for the Holidays I am going to take a break! I know I have said it before and then I get roped into another show, but this time I am sticking to my guns! I do need a break! I'd like to come home after work and cook dinner for me and my hubby. I'd like to be able to get together with my friends who do not do theatre. I want to be able to not stress about stupid shit because everything else in the world seems to be caving in on me.

Don't get me wrong - I love theatre and performing on stage! I really do!! But I miss my husband. He's been so wonderful and supportive, and now it's time for me to hang up my dancing shoes for a while, and spend quality time with him. The holidays are upon us, and I'd like to not have to rush around and watch them go by without even remembering them!

Plus, this year is going to be tough! We've been able to go to Florida for New Year's to celebrate with my parents and this year, we simply cannot. Money, timing, everything about it is not in our favor. So I want to be able to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends, who are in NJ and actually have fun and not worry about flights, shows, packing, etc.

I am making a pact with myself - to enjoy this holiday season with my husband and family and to SLOW DOWN! Life goes by too quickly if you don't stop every once in a while and take it all in!!