Is it just me...?

Has anyone noticed that I'm a little obsessed with high school? I mean, it really does not matter how old I'm turning on my next birthday; I am perpetually 14 years old. Except for the times I’m 15…or 16…or, well, you get the picture.

I’m not really stuck in the past. Yes, I enjoyed high school (for the most part) and have mostly forgotten (suppressed) the bad things about it. And I do like teeny-bopper movies. Annnd...I’ve been known to read a young adult novel or two. But honestly. It’s not like I want to go back to that time in my life.

I think it’s just that the high school and college years are so overly emotional and dramatic that they automatically create distinct and potent memories. At least they did for me.

And so, when I think of my favorite stories, they often come from that time in my life. Maybe I should spend some time telling you stories about my 20s, though. Just so you don’t get together and do an intervention or something.

Although…I haven’t written it yet, but I’ve got a big Young Photo post coming up in a couple weeks. So, look forward to that. That, and a review of the HSM movies, should I ever give in to my inner 14-year-old and watch them.

What about you? Do you have an age that you revert to, even if just in your mind or your prominent memories? Or your movie choices? It could be that, too...

Musical Yearbook

Hearing the Eagles makes me think of high school. It makes me think of riding in my friend David’s old brown Chevette, listening to Seven Bridges Road and Heartache Tonight and Hotel California.

It turns out those songs weren’t released on the same record, so that tape we played over and over must have actually been a mix tape.

The Eagles make me think of high school. Then again, so do the Spice Girls.

What music takes you back to high school?

It Would Probably Be Quicker to Dye My Hair

Last summer I was pregnant and spending my evenings alone, as Mark was already working evenings. So I’m not sure what stopped me from watching “The Starter Wife,” a miniseries on USA. It wasn’t good taste or wise judgment. I know it wasn’t that. For whatever reason, though, I didn’t watch the show.

That all changed when I ventured into the world of Hulu.

Based on a novel that is the epitome of “chick lit,” Starter Wife was first a miniseries and, as of this fall, a regular series on USA. It stars Debra Messing as the wife of a movie producer who gets dumped by her husband and then by her so-called friends and Hollywood society perks. But don’t cry for her, Argentina. As with most stories in this genre, our plucky heroine pulls herself up by her Jimmy Choo bootstraps – with the help of her few loyal friends and new love interest(s), of course.

I readily agree with the Wall Street Journal on this one; it is “pure fluff.” And I can’t argue with the Seattle reporter who wrote, “It's probably unfair to say that flanking Messing's character with a rich drunkard and a gay husband is a throwback to ‘Will & Grace’ but how can a person not notice?”

Really, the premise of the show is silly, and the writing was largely clunky and clichéd. But after watching the first three hours of the miniseries last night (and staying up past my bedtime – good job, Photoqueen), I’m pretty sure I’ll watch the rest tonight just to see if the predictable ending comes true.

I’m not sure what about this show has caught my attention. I could be watching Arrested Development or West Wing or any number of shows now available online. I could be doing laundry. (Okay, not really.) I think it might be because I just love redheads. No, not like I want to marry a redhead. More like I want to be a redhead.

Anyway. That’s what I watched when I discovered Hulu. Anybody else watch this show? Or read the book? Or have an inexplicable desire to devour fluffy chick lit/flicks like a box of cake donuts? Or want to dye your hair a fiery shade of red? Anyone?

The Danger of Reruns and Hulu

Last year’s writers’ strike was a terrible event for all involved. Actors were out of work, writers were out of money, and suffering most of all, viewers like you and me were out of entertainment. Thankfully, just as we were all about to give up hope and the great art of television forever, the parties in dispute came to an agreement.

I won’t pretend to know what that agreement entailed. Actually, I won’t even pretend to know exactly what the whole strike was about in the first place. But I think it had something to do with online television shows. And money. It definitely had to do with money.

No matter what it was about, though, I’ve noticed since then that more TV shows are available online. And for free! It almost makes me want to give up my VCR.

Just kidding. We’re using that thing until it dies. (And considering it’s been around since Mark saved up his allowance to buy it in 1989, that could really be any day now. Any. Day.)

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve really tried to keep the number of shows I watch regularly to a minimum this year, in an effort to keep my television addiction – I mean, affection – under control. It’s an effort that’s worked pretty well so far and has been helpful when it comes to vital tasks like blogging and laundry. The downfall of that choice, however, is that when one of “my shows” is a rerun, I have nowhere to turn for mindless distraction.

Enter the holidays. And weeks of reruns. And a little website called Hulu.

Now, it’s not that I have lots of extra time or much free time at all. And I certainly haven’t crossed everything – or much of anything – off my December to-do list. But when faced with the thought of watching NO television last night, well, I just couldn’t handle it.

So I watched last week’s episode of The Office. Heh. Funny stuff, that.

And then…then, I turned to Hulu. Hulu, who says, “Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free.” Um, hello? What’s better than that?

So, I clicked. And vegged. And most certainly did not do any laundry. Two hours and 20 minutes later, I made myself log off. And dragged myself to bed.

And dreamed sweet dreams about my new friend, Hulu.

Stay tuned for scenes from next week’s very special episode of “How Photoqueen Wasted Away Another Evening.”

Do you watch TV online? Or do you DVR? Anyone else have an ancient VCR? [For those of you tempted to ask, no, I do not have an 8-track player or a turntable for those big, floppy CDs. I do, however, have a cassette player. So now you don’t have to ask.]

Product Review: Sweet Mint Orbit Gum

I tend to be a real stick in the mud when it comes to gum. Do not ask me to buy a different flavor. As a matter of fact, I get a little flustered if the packaging of my favorite gum changes. And don’t even get me started on how hard it is to find cinnamon Trident at the store these days (virtually impossible, if you’re wondering).

But if someone offers a piece of gum, well, you can’t just turn it down. That would be rude. And possibly foolish, in the case that said person was offering said gum as a polite way to say, “Whew! That pasta salad sure was garlicky, wasn’t it? I mean, dude. I can smell it from here.”

So today I tried a new kind of gum. And I liked it. It was like tossing a handful of butter mints in my mouth after devouring a piece of wedding cake and pretending that the mints were the calorie-free kind. But without all the calories. And the wedding cake.

Orbit’s Sweet Mint gum is good. Try some.

Gimme a break, gimme a break. Break me off a piece of that _____ _____ _____.

I do NOT have a crush on Andy Bernard! I don’t. I’m serious.

However, I love (LOVE) a capella music. Every year, we buy one Christmas CD, and last year’s purchase was the holiday album of Tonic Sol-fa, a four-man a capella group from Minnesota.

So, based on my love for the a capella, you might – like Chelley – assume that I love Andy Bernard from The Office. After all, he is quite the vocalist (see this video for proof, and thanks to Chelley for the link).

But I don’t. Okay? So quit.

I have possibly found Chelley’s future husband, though. Actually, I’ve possibly found her 10 potential future husbands. And their names are Straight No Chaser.

(Thanks to Peter Shankman for bringing this group to my attention!)

Maybe you all have heard of this 10-man a capella group that started at Indiana University back in the 90s? Apparently, the group had a reunion a couple years ago, put video of their old concerts up on Youtube, and almost immediately went viral.

Straight No Chaser sings fun stuff like “Teen Sensation Medley” and “Sitcom Medley,” serious (?) stuff like “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye" and "Lion Sleeps Tonight,” and holiday stuff like “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “Carol of the Bells.” But beware! Once you get started watching these videos, you might just get hooked and lose an hour and a half of your life.

Or maybe that’s just me. (But don’t even tell me you don’t like this one.)

What about you? Do you like a capella music? Do you own a pitch pipe? Are you actually a member of a barbershop quartet?

Edited: I finally found their website. I must have been crazy or blind this morning. Here it is, with a full history on the bio page.

Believing God

I ordered this devotional by Beth Moore, and I can’t wait to start it. Her Believing God study was one of the best I’ve ever done, so I know reading a snippet each day will be encouraging and possibly just as life-changing as the study.

I’m not ready for Christmas and certainly don’t want to wish away my days…but I can’t wait for January, when I get to start this book!

What's your favorite Bible study or devotional or class or learning experience?

Attention, Blog World! Photoqueen Needs Your Advice.

I said to Mark, "I'm looking for a picture where Annalyn looks real innocent."

He said, "Good luck. You might need to go back to the beginning."

So I give you innocent Annalyn - also known as sleeping Annalyn.

Really, she is a sweet girl. But she's also full of spunk and personality. That really came in handy when she was born almost two months early and needed strength and determination and will just to, you know, live. So I'll never be sad about her feistiness. However...

However, as she is transitioning from innocent babe to willful toddler, I'm not sure how to teach her to be a good girl. A sweet child. A well-behaved kid.

This morning, the three of us were snuggling in bed and Annalyn kept playing with Mark's and my hair. She's always liked doing that, and it's kind of cute. Until today, when she decided to forget how to be GENTLE (which we've taught her in regard to cat hair and human hair) and to start YANKING.

It hurt, okay? I know she's little, but it hurt.

We tried speaking sternly. We tried distracting her. We tried smacking her hand and then even spanking her bottom. (Please, if you are anti-spanking, don't lecture me. Just give me tips on alternative discipline!) NONE of this worked. I'm not even kidding, she just looked at us and giggled her head off.

Apparently, hurting Mommy and Daddy and getting in trouble for it is high-larious.

So...advice? Anyone? Please?

"It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

Quote from Abraham Lincoln

Happy birthday to my friend, Amber! You can call it your second 29th birthday all you want, but you have to tell me know how it feels to reach this landmark. (Please…tell me I’ll survive my day coming up!)

Six years ago, I quit my job and moved to Lawrence to start graduate school. I enrolled as a full-time student and a graduate teaching assistant, and it was one of the scariest things I’d ever done. Thankfully, God knew I’d need a friend and sent Amber to Lawrence at the same time. For that one semester – the five months that seemed so long, but was really such a short span of time – Amber was my bestest friend. She was the only person who knew what I was going through with teaching, with classes, with the crazy people in our program. Without her, I might not have made it.

Amber and I were so much alike that we just gelled from the beginning. I already told you that we started talking because she noticed my “hey, I’m a Christian” fish ring. So right away, we knew we had our faith in common. But we also had similar small-town roots and strong Type A personalities with perfectionist tendencies. (Correct me if I’m wrong on that one, Amber!) The best part is, though, that my friend, Amber, is funny and smart and sweet and considerate and still, even six years after I abandoned graduate school and Lawrence, one of my dearest friends.

You might want to call her Dr. Amber, though. Because unlike me, she stayed in school. And this year, she earned her Ph.D. and is now a professor at James Madison University in Virginia. I know she’s making a difference in her students’ lives, teaching them and mentoring them and encouraging them, just like she did at KU. Because she’s awesome like that.

So, happy birthday, Dr. Amber. I love you and wish you a happy, happy 29th! (That’s two “happys” for your second 29th, you know.)

Buy More Books.

We all know the world is suffering a recession right now. Banks and the automakers are asking for bailouts, and retailers are shouting in pain, even as we enter the month-long holiday frenzy. Publishing, struggling with ever-changing technology and media, is not immune, though some have said before that books are recession-proof.

So I guess it should not be surprising that this week, the largest Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson, was forced to lay off about 10 percent of their workforce. Reportedly, Random House, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Borders are suffering this week, too. This, of course, saddens me for the individuals whose lives are being affected. It's easy to read a story about the economy and think about the big picture; it's more difficult to allow myself to think about the people behind the story. The people who don't know how they'll pay their bills or feed their families or ever retire. I'm sad for those people, because I've been there and could someday be there again.

But I'm also sad for the publishing industry, this world of books that I so want to be a part of. (Even if I ended that last sentence in a preposition.) I'm sad for the company that kindly gave me an informational meeting in October. And to be honest, I’m concerned about what this means for my future career possibilities.

So, as you go about your Christmas shopping, I urge you: Buy More Books!

** crickets chirping **

What? Are you remembering my confession that I prefer to check books out of the library? Or thinking that we could probably make arguments to buy most any product as a way to boost the economy? Or do you think that we shouldn’t buy anything this season and save our money under the back porch or the guest bed?

Okay, okay, these are all valid points. Well, maybe not the hiding the money thing. I don’t know how well greenbacks hold up when under dirt. I realize I’m not exactly the poster child for supporting the publishing industry, a sad hypocrisy when compared to my love of books and desire to work in editing. But I’ll have you know that both Photobaby and my grandma are getting books from me this Christmas, and my niece and nephew will both receive a Borders gift card. So, I’m trying here.

What about you? (Seriously.) Do you think books are good gifts?

A book is a gift you can open again and again.
~ Garrison Keillor

Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas.
They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.
~ Lenore Hershey