The Candidates

I know you've been eagerly awaiting the announcement of my new celebrity boyfriend. I broke up with my last one because it turns out he's a lying, cheating sleazebag. Now, I will freely admit that there are times when I find arrogance attractive, but not from someone who claims to be a family man but is really just a massive idiot.

So I need a new celebrity crush. Why, you ask, don't I just promote one of the other men from my original list to the #1 slot? Frankly, because I don't want to. I like them where they are. Plus, I'm fickle, and whoever becomes the new #1 might not stay there forever, but my adoration for Josh and Zac is unwavering (for now).

Here are some of the men I've been considering for the title of Rebecca's New Celebrity Boyfriend:

Jude Law - His qualifications include the fact that he is British and completely dashing. He's definitely had some of his own struggles with fidelity in the past, but I have to admit that I like him in that "reformed bad boy" kind of way. Plus, have you seen The Holiday? I dare you to watch that movie and not come away from it with a crush on him.

Joel McHale - I like guys who are funny, and this guy is really funny. Not like Jim Carrey "hey-everybody-look-at-me-'cuz-I'm-so-funny" funny, but sarcastic, witty, observational humor funny. He's also really handsome. Add to that the fact that he is a devoted husband and father, and that's enough to make him a celebrity boyfriend candidate.

Ian Somerhalder - I could never watch anything beyond the pilot episode of Lost because I'm a total wimp and it was kind-of scary, but apparently Ian was once a cast member on that show. I love him because he plays "sexy brooding vampire guy" (also known as Damon) on The Vampire Diaries, my new favorite guilty pleasure TV show. He's like a younger version of Rob Lowe. It totally works for me.

Hugh Dancy - Another suave Brit to consider. Loved him in Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Jane Austen Book Club, and the fantastic period drama, Daniel Deronda. He seems like a nice guy, is married to the super classy Claire Daines, and did I mention he has a sexy accent? Definitely a contender.

David Anders - Have you heard of him? If you used to watch Alias, you know him as Julian Sark, the most appealing villain ever. If you've never seen Alias, I insist you Netflix season 1 immediately. You won't regret it. To be honest, I don't know much about David Anders. I know that despite his flawless British accent (there I go again) on Alias, he's actually from Oregon. I know he's going to be guest starring on Vampire Diaries soon. The truth is, sometimes the less I know about a celebrity, the more I like him. Does that make sense? It's easier not to get disappointed by a celebrity crush who isn't super famous and hounded by gossip. Like this next guy...

John Mayer - Ugh. I know I shouldn't like him... I know he's wrong for me... I know at some point he'll let me down... But I can't help it. I really like John Mayer. I like his musical talent and his insane guitar skills. I like his songs. I like to avoid reading interviews he's given so as not to tarnish my own idea of who he is and what he's about. I'm not sure he could ever really be my celebrity boyfriend, though. As much as I'd like to think that I could be the imaginary girl who could hypothetically change him, he is probably destined to forever be one of those famous people who has it all but really has nothing.

So, those are the options. Do you have an opinion? Tell me what you think. Oh, and if you're ever looking for a way to waste an entire afternoon, go ahead and do google image searches of all your favorite celebrities. Guaranteed to kill hours on end.

**a note: I know all I ever do is post about useless stuff like famous people who are hot. Sorry. I guess you'll just have to have a real conversation with me sometime if you'd like proof that I'm not a total lunatic.

2010: My (self-declared) year of fun!!!

So, the past few years have been... challenging. Challenging because I somehow managed to fade into the background of my own life, consumed with duties, responsibilities, obligations – all those things which, if you know me at all, you know are the core of my existence. Rules, boundaries, control, responsibility – who would I be without them?

[An aside: my mom asked me the other day why these traits weren't evident while I was in high school. I wish I knew the answer. Sorry I was a rebellious teenager, Mom. I think I've made up for it, though.]

Anyhoo, while I am not prepared to entirely abandon my sense of duty, I have decided that this year will be decidedly more fun. I'm going to do some things I haven't done in a long time, and I'm going to give up some things that aren't enjoyable or necessary.

Here's what I've got planned...

Laugh more
Sing and dance
Avoid chaos
Live vicariously
Get fit


This very weekend I begin my quest to laugh more. Ever heard of Jim Gaffigan? He makes me laugh. A lot. Which is why Santa conveniently put two tickets to a Jim Gaffigan show in Scott's stocking. Friday night we'll be laughing our bums off as we listen to Gaffigan's musings about ordinary things. Here's some of what he does best:



To top it off, we've hired capable people to stay with our kids so we can spend the night in the city. You know what that means right? I GET TO SLEEP IN!!! Bliss. I'm practically giddy already.

Pretty much the only way you'll see me sing and dance in public is if I am accompanied by thousands of other people doing the same thing. If you've read this post then you know that I was at one time a frequent concert-goer. But sadly, it has been over 10 years since the last concert I attended. But this year, that's gonna change! Because, you see, I am going to not one, but TWO concerts!!! First I'll sing and swing with this guy:



And two weeks later, I get to jam with this guy:



Michael Buble and John Mayer, you will be contributing to my fun this year. I am sooooo excited!!! There is nothing quite like seeing an artist you love perform live.

In an effort to avoid chaos and simplify my life, I have decided to abandon the kids' friend birthday parties this year. They cost too much, are a pain to plan, gifts received are just more junk to clutter up my house, and I just don't want to deal with it during my year o' fun. That sounded a little whiny, didn't it? Sorry about that. Anyway, my girls have been prepared and I'll make their birthdays super special regardless, but a year without invitations and party favors sounds heavenly.

One of my favorite aspects of parenting is the chance I get to live vicariously through my children when they experience something for the first time. Which is why it will be fun when my Mom comes to visit at the end of February and we take the girls to the American Girl store. Or when, at the end of March, my sister and niece come to visit and we take them all to see Beauty and the Beast. The look on my girls faces when we took them to see Wicked was priceless. So much wonder, so much fun!



You know what else is fun? Buying a new pair of jeans in a smaller size. That mild obsession with exercise I was telling you about the last time I felt inclined to blog... well, it's still going. Reality set in about 6 months ago when it occurred to me that my toddler was 2 years old and "baby weight" was sounding more and more like a lame excuse. So now in an effort to get fit I exercise, track what I eat, and watch as my clothes slowly get baggier. I feel great, though I'd love to know why my bra is now the loosest article of clothing I own. Losing boob weight is a side effect I could do without. ;-)

So, that's what my "year of fun" looks like so far. I think I'll be a better wife and mother if I can regain some of what I feel like I lost along the way these past few years. Honestly, I just like having some things to look forward to.

What are you looking forward to in 2010?

my current obsessions

Wow.

I'm a lousy blogger. I guess I've taken that "I'll blog when I feel like it" approach a bit too literally. Oh well.

So, care to hear about my latest obsessions? I should preface this by saying that I am genetically predisposed to obsess. My mom, whom I adore, is the master at taking an innocent interest in something and then allowing it to take over her life. Just ask her about Harry Potter. Or Twilight. Then prepare to be amazed.

Anyway, I've got a bit of the obsessive gene myself, though not nearly as pronounced. So here's all the frivolous stuff that has interested me recently:

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

I picked up this book at Costco (love Costco!) before a recent trip to San Francisco. I read the entire book on my flight there and loved it! Instead of starting a different book that I'd brought for the flight home, I just re-read this one. Because I liked it that much. I should warn you - it's YA and very Twilight-esque. But if, while you read it, you spend the whole time comparing it to Twilight, you'll be doing yourself a huge disservice. Given the image on the cover of the book, I don't think I'm giving anything away by telling you that it's about a fallen angel and a "mortal" girl. There's a sequel coming out next year and I can't wait to read it.

The Vampire Diaries

Have you been watching this new show? I was hesitant to watch it at first, thinking it would just be a lame Twilight knockoff, but it's not. Sure there are the inevitable similarities that you would expect from a story about teenagers and the vampires living among them, but The Vampire Diaries has definitely set itself apart with different mythology and some awesome characters. Like Damon, the sexy bad-boy vampire who is seriously evil and also extremely attractive. This is sooo my type of show. A real guilty pleasure.

Finding Cool Music

Every afternoon when the toddler goes down for a nap, I turn on some tunes as white noise for him and a little indulgence for me. Listening to the same thing over and over again gets dull, so I've been on a quest recently to find new pleasant music to listen to. I should tell you that my taste in music is very broad. I like stuff from almost every genre (okay, maybe not polka). The artists that get the most play on my ipod include John Mayer, Alison Krauss, Michael Buble, Taylor Swift, and Kelly Clarkson. But I also love OneRepublic, Kings of Leon, Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, Coldplay... like I said, my taste in music, while fairly mainstream, is pretty broad. I'm always searching for new music - here's what I've been listening to recently:

I highly recommend Meese, Matt Hires, Owl City, Greg Laswell, and Crosby Loggins. Check them out and tell me what you think.

Brace yourself, because this last obsession is just plain crazy...

Exercise

While I'm not nearly as perky about it as the lady in the above image, I have recently found joy - yes, you read that right - joy in exercise. After a 2 year stand-off, I finally made peace with my treadmill. I've made a rule for myself that I can only watch my DVR'd shows while I'm walking on the treadmill. Since Scott can't stand most of the shows I like to watch, this is a mutually benficial arrangement. The only time I can exercise is at night after the kids are in bed. Since I'm a night owl, this is the time of day when I have the most energy anyway. I find that I'm exercising about 5 times a week. On days that I don't do the treadmill, I either do yoga or Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred dvd, which is 25 minutes of high-intensity aerobic hell - but I'm always glad I did it once I'm done. I'm hoping that this new habit will stick and I can make it through the next couple of months without gaining any of those dreaded holiday pounds.

So, that's it for now. Clearly blogging has not become an obsession of mine.

Now I want to know - What are your current obsessions? I'm always looking for a new time waster.

:)

Toddler Woes

Each morning when I come downstairs, there is a ritual I go through before I can officially start my day. It goes something like this:

place toddler in high chair for containment purposes and give him a sippy cup of orange juice

check all cabinet locks to ensure toddler cannot open any doors, especially under the sink where he likes to scavenge through the trash

remove all items that toddler can reach from the table and counter

move kitchen chairs and barstools from their proper place and relocate to laundry room so toddler cannot push them around and climb up to access countertops, light switches, drawer contents, and, as he discovered yesterday, sharp knives

enable the lock on the fridge's water dispenser

push ottoman in front of entertainment center so toddler cannot open doors to push buttons or empty drawers

sweep family room for remotes, books, breakables - relocate to higher area like the mantle

check piano and move any music books to the top of the bookcase

shut and lock all doors upstairs and down, especially bathrooms and office

Once all this is done - and I've gotten quite good at doing it quickly - I can feed toddler and big sisters breakfast, then stand (chairs are gone, you see) and possibly eat a bowl of cereal. What I cannot do, though I want to, is crawl back in bed.

Guilty (TV) Pleasures

We've all got them, right? Shows we watch that we're not really willing to admit that we watch. For me it started my freshman year of college. My roommate, who meant so much to me that I can't even remember her name, brought with her to our tiny dorm room a portable TV and an obsession with the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Everyday at 2:00 pm, we watched the lives of Salem's elite unfold on that 12 inch screen. By the end of winter semester I was hooked. When I planned my schedule for sophmore year, I made sure that I had no classes during that precious 2:00 hour. Yes, I was that pathetic.

The good news is that I gave up watching Days shortly after my first baby was born. To be honest, I pretty much gave up watching any daytime television that didn't involve Dora or Elmo. But that doesn't mean I've stopped having shows that I'm embarrassed to admit I watch. So, it's time to confess. Here are just a few shows that I will now admit that I love. Two are no longer on the air, but that's what TV on DVD is for, right?

Dawson's Creek

This is where my love for Josh Jackson began. Who can resist his charm? Let me share with you some classic season 3 moments from one of my favorite episodes:



And:



The OC

Another great, dearly departed show. I love Ryan. And season 4 with Ryan and Taylor together was so much fun to watch:



And now for my current guilty pleasure...

Gossip Girl

I know this show is trash. I know I should dedicate my time to more worthwhile pursuits. I cannot help myself. Here is just one reason why:





So, now you know. I've got a serious thing for bad boys on trashy shows. Pacey...Ryan...Chuck. Or maybe I just like a pretty face...

Josh Jackson



Ben McKenzie



Ed Westwick



Okay, so maybe it's more about the men. You know what? I'm okay with that.
__________________________________________

I've told you my guilty TV pleasures. Now you tell me yours...

the infamous research paper

REDACTED!!!

I'm afraid the time has come to remove this highly amusing and thoroughly inappropriate post. Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted...

Hidden Treasure

It has been located.

I thought I had lost it forever, but I was wrong. Some of you may have heard of a certain infamous research paper I wrote long ago. Well, I found it buried in a box in the depths of my basement.

I haven't had time to sit down and read it yet. Once I do, you'll hear all about it...