Wait, is it October?
I feel like I just came out of a coma. A coma I was perfectly conscious for. I am fully aware of how completely I ignored everything and one since April. Not that I don’t have a damned good excuse, but I do apologize. It’s called the Black Hole. It’s caused by work. I’m not saying I have cleared the event horizon, but I am working at full engine capacity to warp out of this funk.
It came to me this past weekend. The Wife and I went to Morgantown, West Virginia with friends and family for the WVU game against Texas Tech. We tailgated and cheered and booed and witnessed a fight (more on that below) and I realized how disconnected I have become since being promoted in April. I haven’t written, or socialized or anything; it’s been stressful. So I’d like to apologize for being stressed out and mean and elusive and for letting Dump the Blog decay. I can’t promise I won’t still be that way from time to time, but I will try hard not to.
Now that’s out of the way, let me tell you about Morgantown. Not Morgantown, West Virginia; Morgantown the person. Morgantown is the daughter of some random dude sitting in the row ahead of me at the WVU game this weekend. He named his daughter Morgantown! I guess she got off lucky; he could be an Oregon fan. This gentleman had copious amount of enthusiasm (alcohol) for the home team. Unfortunately, he believed everyone else that didn’t have as much passion (meth addiction) as he was actively rooting for the other team. This lead to verbal insults and finally, some very choice sign language directed at the rows behind us.
Now I have seen a lot of creative ways to flip people off. I mean a lot! But I have never seen someone tattoo the image of a hand giving the middle finger on their right calf muscle. It seems like a really awkward spot. Once he had exhausted his actual hands in the exercise of vulgarity, he turned, bent over and lifted his pant leg to reveal the tattoo (all while using his wife’s head to balance himself on the bleacher). This was the final insult, apparently, that sparked the target of these attacks and Morgantown’s father to start rolling down the bleachers of section 220. The fight didn’t last long; rolling quickly down five rows of metal bench seats is the number one cause of short fights. We laughed, took pictures and flipped one another calf birds the rest of the afternoon. It was lovely.
So Dump is back, kind of. I want to know what you want me to write about. Comments please. Also, I’d like to thank a certain cousin-in-law-in-law(?) for harassing me about the blog and making me feel super guilty about all this time off.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
A Valentine’s Day Dump
The Wife: Happy National Greeting Card Day y’all! Seriously, Happy Valentine’s Day to all of our faithful Dump readers as well as those of you checking out the blog for the first time. Even though Valentine’s Day is a silly holiday that you don’t even get a paid day off for, I admit, it can be pretty fun. Sure it’s an excuse for florists, the greeting card industry and chocolate companies to bring in loads of money. It’s also probably the only time of year people clamor to buy those disgusting heart message candies that taste like chalk. Yet, Valentine’s Day is enjoyable if you just embrace it. And I have to say that I look forward to receiving my traditional Valentine’s Day heart shaped box of chocolates from the husband this year!
So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, with the help of Hobo Dan, I’ve created a top ten list of must-see Valentine’s Day movies. Don’t be fooled into thinking these are all romantic sap. Personally I prefer more comedy based movies to watch on Valentine’s Day. We’ve designed this semi-conventional but largely UNCONVENTIONAL list with a variety of tastes in mind. Feel free to share your Valentine’s Day movie choices in the comments below!
1. When Harry Met Sally – This movie is a personal favorite of mine. It’s also one that Hobo Dan loves as well. While romantic comedies aren’t necessarily “his thing,” he enjoys When Harry Met Sally. Billy Crystal (Harry) and Meg Ryan (Sally) are perfect in this movie and the story of their characters’ journey from dislike, to friends and eventually lovers is compelling, funny and quite realistic. I know When Harry Met Sally isn’t the first romantic comedy ever made, but it really did set a standard. Many movies have tried to use the premise of this movie and failed miserably. When Harry Met Sally just works!
2. Love Actually – Ok, we can group this as a Christmas movie since that’s the holiday it revolves around, but hello, look at the title. Love Actually is one of my favorite movies ever. Hobo Dan also insisted that it be included in this list. This movie can work for everyone on Valentine’s Day. It explores the different types of love in a humorous manner. It shows romantic love, unrequited love, blossoming new love, and my personal favorite, the platonic love of friendship! Walking Dead fans should check this out just to see Rick speak in his native British tongue!
3. Star Wars – Why not have yourself a Star Wars marathon this Valentine’s Day? In a relationship, single or just because. Ladies, by suggesting a Star Wars marathon, you are sure to become wife or girlfriend of the year. Star Wars has action but a touch of romance. Not to mention perhaps the most epically awesome “love quote” in history! “I love you!” “I know.” Like a boss.
4. Rocky – The first time Hobo Dan ever watched Rocky with me was on Valentine’s Day our senior year of college. While I consider this a Thanksgiving movie (it is!), Rocky is a perfectly acceptable movie for your Valentine’s Day. The love of Rocky and ADRRIAAANNN is epic. Not to mention, the love of sport! For even more fun, watch Rocky III and enjoy the bromance of Rocky and the incredible Apollo Creed! This movie will also encourage you to work out after Valentine’s Day, which is good since you will likely need to burn those heart shaped candies off.
5. Captain America/Thor/Iron Man – Any of these super hero movies can make your Valentine’s Day enjoyable. I grouped them all together, but you can pick your favorite or just watch all three. They are action packed, fun and throw in enough romance to qualify as a Valentine’s Day movie!
6. How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days – I just can’t not include this. I absolutely love this movie. It’s romantic, but hilarious too. I love the soundtrack as well! Sure it has a cheesy element to it, but it’s fun. I remember seeing this with friends on a Valentine’s Day when I was single back in the day. Like I said, it’s just FUN!
7. Brave – Disney Pixar’s most recent release, Brave, could easily be part of your family Valentine’s Day tradition! While no romantic story is present, this adorable movie shows the love between a mother and daughter. The love of family is very important! Brave also proves that you don’t need someone to make you happy. Merida is seriously the coolest Disney princess! If you have kids, this movie is especially perfect!
8. Harry Potter – Seriously you didn’t think I would include Star Wars and not the Harry Potter franchise did you? Any day is good for a Harry Potter marathon so why not make it part of your Valentine’s Day?! Harry Potter encompasses romantic love and more importantly, the love of friendship!
9. Annie Hall – Woody Allen must make this list somehow! Annie Hall, one of the few romantic comedies to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, is a fun movie that can be enjoyed on Valentine’s Day. It’s hilarious and while it is an older movie, the comedic situations really aren’t dated. Not to mention, this one has a REALISTIC ending and can show you that romantic stories aren’t necessarily Hollywood perfect!
10. Psycho – Ok so you just hate Valentine’s Day. This one is for you. If you want to forget the day all together, just watch one of Hitchcock’s finest horror films, Psycho. It is a really good movie, and hey maybe it can make you feel a bit better about some of your crazy ex’s? It’s a win.
There you go! I have to give a special BONUS nod to The Notebook, which just missed the list. I love The Notebook and even own a copy of it, but if I’m being honest, I would watch all of the above movies before it. If you love a pure romance movie like The Notebook for your Valentine’s Day though, then more power to you. We hope you enjoyed our conventional, yet primarily unconventional list of Valentine’s Day movies. Happy Valentine’s Day or just Happy Thursday, whatever you prefer!
So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, with the help of Hobo Dan, I’ve created a top ten list of must-see Valentine’s Day movies. Don’t be fooled into thinking these are all romantic sap. Personally I prefer more comedy based movies to watch on Valentine’s Day. We’ve designed this semi-conventional but largely UNCONVENTIONAL list with a variety of tastes in mind. Feel free to share your Valentine’s Day movie choices in the comments below!
4. Rocky – The first time Hobo Dan ever watched Rocky with me was on Valentine’s Day our senior year of college. While I consider this a Thanksgiving movie (it is!), Rocky is a perfectly acceptable movie for your Valentine’s Day. The love of Rocky and ADRRIAAANNN is epic. Not to mention, the love of sport! For even more fun, watch Rocky III and enjoy the bromance of Rocky and the incredible Apollo Creed! This movie will also encourage you to work out after Valentine’s Day, which is good since you will likely need to burn those heart shaped candies off.
7. Brave – Disney Pixar’s most recent release, Brave, could easily be part of your family Valentine’s Day tradition! While no romantic story is present, this adorable movie shows the love between a mother and daughter. The love of family is very important! Brave also proves that you don’t need someone to make you happy. Merida is seriously the coolest Disney princess! If you have kids, this movie is especially perfect!
8. Harry Potter – Seriously you didn’t think I would include Star Wars and not the Harry Potter franchise did you? Any day is good for a Harry Potter marathon so why not make it part of your Valentine’s Day?! Harry Potter encompasses romantic love and more importantly, the love of friendship!9. Annie Hall – Woody Allen must make this list somehow! Annie Hall, one of the few romantic comedies to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, is a fun movie that can be enjoyed on Valentine’s Day. It’s hilarious and while it is an older movie, the comedic situations really aren’t dated. Not to mention, this one has a REALISTIC ending and can show you that romantic stories aren’t necessarily Hollywood perfect!
10. Psycho – Ok so you just hate Valentine’s Day. This one is for you. If you want to forget the day all together, just watch one of Hitchcock’s finest horror films, Psycho. It is a really good movie, and hey maybe it can make you feel a bit better about some of your crazy ex’s? It’s a win.There you go! I have to give a special BONUS nod to The Notebook, which just missed the list. I love The Notebook and even own a copy of it, but if I’m being honest, I would watch all of the above movies before it. If you love a pure romance movie like The Notebook for your Valentine’s Day though, then more power to you. We hope you enjoyed our conventional, yet primarily unconventional list of Valentine’s Day movies. Happy Valentine’s Day or just Happy Thursday, whatever you prefer!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Slowtember
Sorry about the slow September everyone. We at Dump have been super busy with the Mothman 5k. Now that that's over, it’s time for us to get back to our normal ranting.
As a programming note, coming in October we will be on vacation and will be doing daily mini blogs like last year. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party included! We are kicking around the idea of posting some videos from the trip as well! Just what you all need, video of me being grumpy.
While we pull ourselves together this week, why don’t you all throw some suggestions in the comments for things we should write about in the coming months? Obviously we plan to see our fair share of movies, but what else would you like to see filling the blog on a weekly basis? Do any of you support the idea of a video blog (V-log) from us?
As a programming note, coming in October we will be on vacation and will be doing daily mini blogs like last year. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party included! We are kicking around the idea of posting some videos from the trip as well! Just what you all need, video of me being grumpy.
While we pull ourselves together this week, why don’t you all throw some suggestions in the comments for things we should write about in the coming months? Obviously we plan to see our fair share of movies, but what else would you like to see filling the blog on a weekly basis? Do any of you support the idea of a video blog (V-log) from us?
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Third Annual Mothman 5k
Shameless self promotion to follow...
Everyone, did you know the Wife and I put on a world class 5k road race every year? Amazing, but true. The Third Annual Mothman 5k run/walk will be commencing at 8:30 a.m. on September 15, 2012 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The run is in coordination with the Eleventh Annual Mothman Festival. You can pre-register for the race by going to this link, downloading the form and sending it in. Pre-registration costs $15 and ends on September 8! You can also show up the day of the race and sign up. Race day registration (or check in and pick up for those pre-registered) begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 8:15 a.m. The cost on race day is $20. The first 50 participants receive a Mothman 5k T-Shirt. All participants receive a goody bag. Optional hugs will also be on hand. Prizes will be given out for the overall Male and Female winners as well as age group winners. For more and up to date details, like Mothman5K on Facebook and follow on Twitter @mothman5k.
The race route travels through historic downtown Point Pleasant. Starting at the beautiful Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, the race travels up Main Street, past the Mothman Statue and Festival area, before turning right onto Ohio Street and then right onto Kanawha Street. A left hand turn puts you on a quick loop around the block near Harmon Park (Camden Ave. to Madison Ave. to Poplar St.) before returning you to Kanawha Street and heading back downtown the way you came. From there the course returns to Ohio Street and then finally back to Main Street. The finish line runs parallel to the iconic Mothman Statue in the heart of the Festival area.
As a former runner I can tell you this course is a lot of fun. Okay, we designed it too, so I'm biased. It is very flat save for a slight incline on Camden Ave. Except for a hundred meters or so of historic brick streets at the start, the course is all asphalt and well kept roads. The route will be well marked with signs, bright neon paint marks with a the pace car from the Point Pleasant Police Department. However, the roads are not closed to traffic during the race, so we do encourage participants to be aware. The course also crosses train tracks. No trains are scheduled at the time of the race, but we do ask participants to be advised and watch your ankles!
The start line at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park has a gorgeous view of the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. The Park itself has many interesting historical markers including The Point Pleasant Battle Monument, erected on October 10, 1909 as a tribute to a battle fought on the same date in 1774. The Park also has The Mansion House Museum, originally a tavern built in 1796, now a historic house museum. Very close to the start line is the Point Pleasant River Museum. The meat of the race takes you through historic downtown Point Pleasant, past the Mothman Statue and the Silver Bridge Memorial. Once the race is over we encourage all participants to stick around for the festival and explore the town of Point Pleasant.
Here is a map! To trick Google Maps I had to use a few extra Destination points (C and E). The start is Point A. Point B is the One Mile mark. Point D is the Two Mile mark. Point F is the finish line!
View Larger Map
The race route travels through historic downtown Point Pleasant. Starting at the beautiful Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, the race travels up Main Street, past the Mothman Statue and Festival area, before turning right onto Ohio Street and then right onto Kanawha Street. A left hand turn puts you on a quick loop around the block near Harmon Park (Camden Ave. to Madison Ave. to Poplar St.) before returning you to Kanawha Street and heading back downtown the way you came. From there the course returns to Ohio Street and then finally back to Main Street. The finish line runs parallel to the iconic Mothman Statue in the heart of the Festival area.
As a former runner I can tell you this course is a lot of fun. Okay, we designed it too, so I'm biased. It is very flat save for a slight incline on Camden Ave. Except for a hundred meters or so of historic brick streets at the start, the course is all asphalt and well kept roads. The route will be well marked with signs, bright neon paint marks with a the pace car from the Point Pleasant Police Department. However, the roads are not closed to traffic during the race, so we do encourage participants to be aware. The course also crosses train tracks. No trains are scheduled at the time of the race, but we do ask participants to be advised and watch your ankles!
The start line at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park has a gorgeous view of the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. The Park itself has many interesting historical markers including The Point Pleasant Battle Monument, erected on October 10, 1909 as a tribute to a battle fought on the same date in 1774. The Park also has The Mansion House Museum, originally a tavern built in 1796, now a historic house museum. Very close to the start line is the Point Pleasant River Museum. The meat of the race takes you through historic downtown Point Pleasant, past the Mothman Statue and the Silver Bridge Memorial. Once the race is over we encourage all participants to stick around for the festival and explore the town of Point Pleasant.
Here is a map! To trick Google Maps I had to use a few extra Destination points (C and E). The start is Point A. Point B is the One Mile mark. Point D is the Two Mile mark. Point F is the finish line!
View Larger Map
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Zoo and Baseball
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| Rhino! |
The Wife: On the 5th, we headed to the Columbus Zoo! Our annual zoo trip has become a summer tradition for us. Unlike last year, Google Directions didn’t cause a rage fest to occur and we made it to the zoo in perfect time without getting lost in the greater Columbus area. Boom! This may have been the hottest it’s ever been at the zoo as temperatures peaked over 100 that afternoon. Thanks Global Warming or Manbear Pig!? I am waiting for Al Gore to rescue us by taking this summer heat wave down to a breezy 75 degrees.
Complaining aside, the heat really didn’t bother us, and the day went swimmingly. Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! We got excellent views of some animals we never see and I was able to get some fantastic pictures. Other than witnessing a giant brown bear stare me down through the glass as he took a massive poop and seeing the male elephant try to mount the female elephant multiple times, the animals were great! I appreciate Jack Hanna’s work at the Columbus Zoo to make it different from run-of-the-mill zoos. The animals at the Columbus Zoo thrive in a more natural habitat setting and the zoo has taken efforts to protect endangered species. They deserve kudos!
Hobo Dan: Melvin the elephant steps up to the plate and takes a few practice swings. The crowd roars in excitement, and because they are all lions. A few nervous Zebras in the upper deck whisper about steroids use and the Hall of Fame. Melvin ignores it all, he is in the zone. The pitcher, a tall orangutan named Muffins checks first base and waits for the signal from his catcher. Fast ball, down the middle is the call. Muffins winds up and lets it fly. Melvin tenses and then swings... What, huh? Sorry, I took one look at the name of the post and started writing.
This has been a seriously hot week! I think it went to my head. What better way to cure the heat illness? Go walk around outside at the zoo! The animals had the right idea. "Lets sleep in the shade." If aliens do visit this planet, what are the chances they see us as the most intelligent species? We are always out running around in inclement weather (sun bathing, skiing), attempting stupid stunts (sky diving, ramping anything off of anything, every event at the Winter Olympics) and generally engaging in meaningless, unfulfilling activities (Facebook, waiting in line, E!, video games, blogging). These animals have it right. If it's hot, sleep. If it's cold, go inside a cave and sleep. Hungry? Caribou anyone?
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| Inside PNC Park: Pittsburgh, PA. Go Buccos! |
The Wife: Friday and Saturday served as “staycation” days, although we did manage to drag ourselves out of the house once to see The Amazing Spider-Man! Sunday we enjoyed America ’s favorite past time as we ventured to PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, for a baseball game. PNC Park is absolutely gorgeous and is known to be one of the most attractive ball parks. Other than the scorching heat, it too, was a great day as the Pirates smashed the San Francisco Giants winning 13-2! Us Pirates fans have had a rough 19 years, so it’s been great to see this team doing well, and being there to witness such a great win was awesome. Go Buccos!
Below our some pictures from our travels:
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| Snake ssssss! Attempted Parseltongue and it posed. Lol Harry Potter FTW! |
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| Gorillas are so cool |
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| Adorable baby gorilla |
Blog Note: As you know we have been doing some updates to the blog. Most recently we updated the About Dump and Relay tabs at the top of the page. Check them out!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Two Years Later...
The time has come to memorialize a faithful old companion. Last week, the Wife said goodbye to her first car. Such a melancholy thing is life. At every end, a beginning. At every goodbye, a hello. We lament today for old red, sure a... what am I saying? Good riddance you POS! Burn, burn, burn...
But the old red car has one last story to tell. First lets review the ways you've tormented me; it has been awhile my old nemesis. Check the links for the full posts.
From The Mouse: Posted 5/4/2010
A muffin pan.
Numerous boy band CDs.
A Coldplay CD.
A Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band CD.
A Credence Clearwater Revival CD.
Lynard Skynard's Greatest Hits.
A quick vac full of small pebbles?
Dead bugs.
$5.37
Two years worth of newspapers.
Two umbrellas.
A plastic Easter bucket.
A screw driver; flat head.
Two pins.
Trash, lots of trash.
And...
A large mouse nest, hidden under the trunk where you keep the spare tire. And under that nest? The Mouse. Dead, of course. The now ancient burial mount of the mythical beast finally discovered. Could this evil talisman sitting parked outside our home for the last two years be the cause of all the car troubles? Let me remind you the trouble has not been limited to the red car alone:
From Rage Quit: Posted 2/19/2011
Remember the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie? (yes Michael Bay that is their FULL name!) Remember when they all sat around the fire and meditated and Splinter appeared to them and they knew he was alive and they will find him? I am at peace now. The soul of the mouse appeared to me and spoke comfort. My debt is paid, he goes now to a better place. Maybe a BMW or Lexus.
But the old red car has one last story to tell. First lets review the ways you've tormented me; it has been awhile my old nemesis. Check the links for the full posts.
From The Mouse: Posted 5/4/2010
I am not an eye witness to the mouse. I didn't see the mouse. I will try to describe the beast using the details I took from my wife's rambling. The rodent, almost mythological in proportions, reached a massive length of over ONE INCH! That would make its fangs almost half a millimeter long. The demon creature has it out for my wife; she fears it will escape the car and enter the house in the night to murder her in cold mouse blood (kind of like how Mickey Mouse likes to sneak into Marvel Studios at night and rape Spider Man). The rain was still beating down when my wife demanded we stop so she can evade the evil mouse's advances. We soon came the the small gas station on our road and stopped under the cover. The wife leaped from the car and began to ramble on and on about the rodent and her hatred. At one point I think she slipped into tongues. Maybe the rat used its ESP to invade her mind. After a furious search, I found no sign of the mouse; at all.From The Bad Friday: Posted 5/14/2010
To my disdain, the car which that clever little rodent chose to inhabit broke down only days after his arrival. It just stopped. Well as you can imagine, upon hearing this news, my lovely, caring, compassionate and all knowing wife made her expert opinion be known. That little vermin must have been the reason for the car's sudden reluctance to start. I reassured her this was probably not the case. For a week the car was in the shop. The verdict? A blown fuse going into the starter, probably blown by some sort of short in the wiring. How ever did this short come about? The mechanic suggests that a mouse very well could have caused such damage.
So she drives off to work. I go home to revel in the glory of a day off. Later, I receive a text from the wife letting me know that the car smells of dead mouse. This news brightens the day further. At least it's dead; now I just have to solve that problem. Soon I sit down for some relaxing video games; peace. It's right then, that she calls me. We have just pissing-down-a-hair-clogged-drain bad cell phone service at our house. I cannot believe I was able to hear what she said. "Car won't start. I'm at Krodel park." I'm not even mad. For a moment I just stand there, bent in some funny angle striving for the optimum cell service of one bar. "Sure." That's the best I can manage before leaving to pick her up.From A Loss for Words: Posted 5/24/2010
I have off tomorrow what should I do? Well shit kids that's a rhetorical question. Tomorrow I have to take my wife's taint of a car to Huntington to the dealership to get worked on because the little POS still won't run. If the TV I bought last Christmas needed as much maintenance as the cars we own, I would not stand for it. Did you ever think of that? Break it down, most of the stuff we buy needs much less maintenance than our cars. Hell, I guarantee my wife and I use our TV more hours a day than our cars. I'm sorry I don't have to change the oil in my TV, or check the @$%#ing tire pressure! Car companies are you listening? no...
On a side note, the TV I am referring to in this post is, as of Winter 2012, also broken...From Holeless Pillow: Posted 5/26/2010
Oh, the suck I have endured. I bitch a lot about the wife's car, so I'll only say, it still sucks. Hard. We've spent money and time on it, we are frustrated. Things are out of hand. The house is a mess. Clothes, they aren't washed. We had to use the remainder of the Disney Princess paper plates from her birthday party to eat dinner. We have no food at the house; none. We DO have a giant tower of pizza boxes.From The Tire: Posted 9/29/2010
The truck I am using to drive while her car is being worked on? Its breaks went out on me today! THE BREAKS WENT OUT! You realize I was driving when this happened? WTF!!???!!? I could have seriously wrecked. I am not making this up.
It is in this vehicle of death; a car that begins seizures like shakes at 55 mph, I decided to leave the safety of home and set out upon the open road.It was shortly after this last post that the old red car stopped. One day it just said no more. For the past two years it has lingered in my yard. As much as I enjoy being a rural stereotype, it needed to go. So recently I made the calls required to have the vehicle taken away. Before this happy event could occur, I had to take one last tour through the haunted halls of the old mouse coffin. It must be purged of our personal items. Here is what I found:
I think most of you have probably figured out what's next. So, instead of boring you to death (I hope no one has died yet) the next portion of this tale will be over blown and exaggerated for thematic effect. I was just driving along, minding my own business when out of no where my front driver side tire explodes in a violent rage. Shrapnel is sent flying in every direction. I am sent swerving across the road. I hit the edge of the road and flip fifteen times down the highway before landing again. At this point I was still traveling at well over fifty miles an hour! The car careens left and right and only my nerves of steel and great strength are able the pull the car under control and bring it to a stop. For any one who is really worried about it, all that really happened was the tire when flat for no reason and I had to pull over.
A muffin pan.
Numerous boy band CDs.
A Coldplay CD.
A Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band CD.
A Credence Clearwater Revival CD.
Lynard Skynard's Greatest Hits.
A quick vac full of small pebbles?
Dead bugs.
$5.37
Two years worth of newspapers.
Two umbrellas.
A plastic Easter bucket.
A screw driver; flat head.
Two pins.
Trash, lots of trash.
And...
A large mouse nest, hidden under the trunk where you keep the spare tire. And under that nest? The Mouse. Dead, of course. The now ancient burial mount of the mythical beast finally discovered. Could this evil talisman sitting parked outside our home for the last two years be the cause of all the car troubles? Let me remind you the trouble has not been limited to the red car alone:
From Rage Quit: Posted 2/19/2011
I quit. Cars that is, I quit them. What two face backstabber came up with that industry? “Here I’ll sell you this vehicle for a ton of money but I’ll see you again real soon when you starting having problems with it.” Awesome. I’m going to buy some horses. I’ll ride everywhere I need to go. If something isn’t in reasonable range of me and my horse, then I don’t really need to go there. But knowing my luck the horse would break a leg and I’d have to shoot the damned thing and make some glue, or dog food. Even then, at least it would be useful to me unlike cars which break down and become the eye sore of rural lower class America. I might as well scatter a few plastic flamingos and half naked children around the yard and throw a barbecue. I’ll buy some Bud Light and wear a cut off denim t-shirt with a Dale Jr. hat and cook up some road kill steaks; skunk is in season. Odin help us all.I purged the car of all this junk and burnt the mouse carcase and nest as sacrifice to please the angered car gods. Oh Ford, father of thine cars, forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me of this mousy stank. Accept this gift of mouse piss soaked newspaper, seat foam cushion and other unrecognizable items. Take the body of this deceased creature and leave me be!
Around about ten minutes from our destination, we hit a large bump in the road. I thought nothing of it and we went on for a minute or so, when I realized the bump caused us to flat. We later went back to discover the hole was actually a branch of the Grand Canyon; how did I not see it? So since July we've dealt with three flats now. Actually, my wife and I are now past three years of marriage heading to four and we are averaging two flat tires per year of marriage. It was also very dark outside. Before I got out of the car, my wife asked if I knew how to change a tire and I almost lost it. She later clarified that she meant if I knew how to change the tire on the new car. I shook my head and told her to make me a sandwich. Then I threw that damned donut on the new car and we rolled out to the Olive Garden. I mean, we were already there, may as well eat.
Remember the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie? (yes Michael Bay that is their FULL name!) Remember when they all sat around the fire and meditated and Splinter appeared to them and they knew he was alive and they will find him? I am at peace now. The soul of the mouse appeared to me and spoke comfort. My debt is paid, he goes now to a better place. Maybe a BMW or Lexus.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Meltdown 2012!
Hobo Dan: So we planned to review Ted for you guys, then mother nature swung her giant ass up and around and took a huge old dump right on West Virginia, Ohio and most of the surrounding area. Power outages are everywhere. I have realized I am woefully unprepared for the end of days. What is it about these times that makes people lose their freaking minds? The heat maybe... Anyways, we are probably out of power till Thursday (if I am to believe the power company). I'm ruining my eyes and fingers typing this out on my phone for you because we left the computer at home. Oh by the way, today was supposed to be new cell phone day! Thanks a lot weather. Luckily we already have a Thursday blog queued up for you fortunate enough to have the electric sex.
We escaped to the in-laws for the time being, and the wife has settled down to watching a show called " Keeping Up With the Kardashians"? It is terrible. Seriously, why is this a TV show? Did I already die and this is my punishment? I kind of hope the power goes back out here so I don't have to watch it anymore. Ugh. Hey, keep safe, keep cool, and keep away from stray zombies...
The Wife: I always say things like "shopping is my favorite" or "napping is my favorite" for things I enjoy. Well due to the recent disaster that is this weekend, I will now proclaim electricity as my number one favorite of everything. Electric, please come back my lovely friend. If you do, I will never take you for granted again!
Well as Hobo Dan so eloquently described above, this weekend our area suffered a major storm. It all began Friday evening. We had plans to see Ted and write a review for all you fine Dump readers. I decided to take an epic after work nap (the best kind!) before we went on with our evening plans. Did I ever tell you when I'm really tired I can sleep through ANYTHING? Evidently this includes a horrendous thunderstorm and a TORNADO! Sure. Needless to say our plans were shot. We also had no food in our home. Terrific. Fortunately the Dollar General was the only store open in our area so Friday night was spent with a snack food picnic via candlelight. I should also take a moment to praise the iPad battery here. That thing allowed me to watch all of Step Brothers Friday evening and still had lots of battery remaining. I love technologyyyyyy, but not as much as you, you see...but I still love technology...always and forever!
Saturday our house turned into an oven and we baked and basically were miserable. Seriously no AC and temperatures above 100 do not equal a fun time! Fortunately my parent's home regained power so we quickly threw a bag together and have been staying there ever since. Oh blessed AC and electricity! I LOVE YOU! I was also able to even relax a little Sunday and catch up on episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. That show is pure art. HAHA! I don't care that it's silly, I enjoy it! Haters gonna hate, I guess!
In all seriousness, praise God we stayed safe through the storm and have a place to stay with power. We really miss our home but what can ya do? I just really hope this isn't the start of the zombie apocalypse like people are making it out to be! We will be on the zombie watch though!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
We escaped to the in-laws for the time being, and the wife has settled down to watching a show called " Keeping Up With the Kardashians"? It is terrible. Seriously, why is this a TV show? Did I already die and this is my punishment? I kind of hope the power goes back out here so I don't have to watch it anymore. Ugh. Hey, keep safe, keep cool, and keep away from stray zombies...
The Wife: I always say things like "shopping is my favorite" or "napping is my favorite" for things I enjoy. Well due to the recent disaster that is this weekend, I will now proclaim electricity as my number one favorite of everything. Electric, please come back my lovely friend. If you do, I will never take you for granted again!
Well as Hobo Dan so eloquently described above, this weekend our area suffered a major storm. It all began Friday evening. We had plans to see Ted and write a review for all you fine Dump readers. I decided to take an epic after work nap (the best kind!) before we went on with our evening plans. Did I ever tell you when I'm really tired I can sleep through ANYTHING? Evidently this includes a horrendous thunderstorm and a TORNADO! Sure. Needless to say our plans were shot. We also had no food in our home. Terrific. Fortunately the Dollar General was the only store open in our area so Friday night was spent with a snack food picnic via candlelight. I should also take a moment to praise the iPad battery here. That thing allowed me to watch all of Step Brothers Friday evening and still had lots of battery remaining. I love technologyyyyyy, but not as much as you, you see...but I still love technology...always and forever!
Saturday our house turned into an oven and we baked and basically were miserable. Seriously no AC and temperatures above 100 do not equal a fun time! Fortunately my parent's home regained power so we quickly threw a bag together and have been staying there ever since. Oh blessed AC and electricity! I LOVE YOU! I was also able to even relax a little Sunday and catch up on episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. That show is pure art. HAHA! I don't care that it's silly, I enjoy it! Haters gonna hate, I guess!
In all seriousness, praise God we stayed safe through the storm and have a place to stay with power. We really miss our home but what can ya do? I just really hope this isn't the start of the zombie apocalypse like people are making it out to be! We will be on the zombie watch though!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Thursday, December 29, 2011
2011: Dump Year in Review
Hobo Dan: So where the hell have we been? It’s been a busy fall, let me tell you. We organized a 5K run, attended some sort of gathering every weekend starting in mid-October, both have been sick (the Wife twice!), field dressed a cat, had another car problem (on the first day at my new job!), got a PS3, learned that my suit jacket (which I’ve had for two years) has real pockets and that they just sew them shut for packaging, avoided mowing the lawn one last time, fought with the Wife about jack-o-lanterns, fought with the Wife about everything else, apologized to the Wife about being wrong in all the fights, threw caution to the wind, had caution blown back in my face, ate a lot of holiday food and (if you can believe it) completely forgot/was too lazy to even think about blogging over the last few weeks. Our sincerest apologies.
The Wife: Again, sorry for the lack of posts as of late. Like many of you the holidays are an extremely busy time for us. Pesky sinus infections don't help with blogging either! First off, we've failed to review two awesome movies that we've seen this month. Sadly, our collective favorite movie of 2011 will not receive it's own separate review due to time constraints. But, we will discuss it briefly! I know, I know, you are BURSTING with anticipation!
The new Muppet movie, The Muppets, is without a doubt the BEST movie of the year! We saw this when I was feeling under the weather, but at the same time had cabin fever and desperately needed out of the house! Well, this film proved to be excellent medicine! It perked both of our spirits right up. Growing up always loving the Muppets, made the nostalgia of the movie particularly great. It even brought a few tears to my eyes when they sang the infamous "Rainbow Connection." So if you haven't yet done so, plan to see The Muppets! It delivers laughs and is just plain fun — something we all need every now and then! We also saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and it too, did not disappoint. It was much like the first film, clever, witty and action packed. If you can't make it to the theatre to catch this flick, give it a view when it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD in a few months.
Hobo Dan: I was not kidding when I proclaimed on the Facebook that The Muppets is my favorite movie of 2011. There is nothing to dislike about this film. If you don’t like it, you have no soul. After a year of being beaten to a pulp by the economy and society and idiocy and reboots and sequels and everything else, The Muppets truly energized me and made me feel good, young and happy; even if for only a short time.
The Wife: We suppose we should discuss our Christmas celebrations too. As usual our holiday was great, despite the aforementioned pesky sinus infection. We both got a lot of great gifts, had fantastic food, including quite possibly the BEST turkey ever that WE cooked for Christmas Day dinner, and of course, enjoyed new and old traditions with family and friends. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus, we hope your holidays were a blast!
So now for the burning question...how was our 2011? Well it's been quite an interesting year filled with new events and exciting change. For a year that started rather rough, it has ended quite well for both of us. The beginning of 2011 was filled with too much snow (funny now that we are complaining about the lack of snow where we live...grass is always greener right?). The winter months also brought the start of our Best Picture Project. Yes, we know it's been quite awhile since we last did a BPP review, but don't fret, more will be coming your way in 2012! In March we had quite a bit of fun on St. Patrick's Day! Gimme Da Gold! Then spring time brought about Easter and of course, my (the wife) birthday celebrations! Yes, celebrations, plural. Didn't you hear? My birthday is basically a month long holiday. FACT. Thanks to Charlie Sheen's insanity of the year, the slogan of this year's birthday bash was "Winning" as the tiger blood runs deep within my veins! On the day of my party, we also ran a 5K together and I took home a first place win! With my win, I got a $50 gift card to Dicks...so can we say...wait for it...wait for it...WINNING!
The spring also brought a personal accomplishment for me as I finally scratched "run a half marathon" off my bucket list. I successfully completed the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a challenge, but a great experience. It provided me with a sense of accomplishment in regards to my running that I had not had since college. To read all about my experience, check out my half marathon post! While the spring did bring many positive moments, it also began the start of some very challenging months, which continued into the summer. The stressful time and late nights of work often put a strain on our sanity. To help ease the stress, we relaxed by seeing multiple movies over the summer. We also met one of my goals of 2011, a goal that I never really thought would come true! Yes, we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Click here for a full recap of our magical experience. It was fitting that we got to visit the Wizarding World this year, as it was basically the summer of Harry Potter! While the books are my favorite, the Harry Potter film series will always hold a special place in my heart! Luckily I now own all of the films on Blu-ray, but it isn't the same knowing I won't get to anticipate a new movie anymore...that is until the emo reboot in twenty years. We also visited Walt Disney World, my favorite place on earth! Here you can find all of our mini summer vacation blogs. We can't forget that we also celebrated SHARK WEEK over the summer as well...you know otherwise known as the greatest week in television.
The end of summer and beginning of fall started to bring many good things to the DUMP family. I accepted a new job, which I love, and the husband accepted a promotion about a month later! Now that we are adjusting to our new positions, we hopefully will get back into a regular blogging rhythm for 2012!
So that brings us here. Despite the challenges, I think 2011 proved to be quite a great year. We hope to make 2012 even better! As we mentioned previously, we saw several movies this year...some good and some bad. Below we will each rank our top five movies of 2011. If you would like to further discuss our choices or tell us yours, please comment!
The Wife:
1. The Muppets
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Captain America
4. The Hangover Part II
5. X-Men: First Class
Hobo Dan:
1. The Muppets
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Thor
4. Captain America
5. Sherlock Holmes
We wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe new year! Be sure to look for our first Movie Monday post of 2012, set to publish Jan. 2. We will be sharing our thoughts on the recently released The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Hobo Dan: And finally, because I know you all have been waiting patiently, the most viewed Dump the blog post of 2011 was... Statesticles with a huge 466 hits!
The Wife: Again, sorry for the lack of posts as of late. Like many of you the holidays are an extremely busy time for us. Pesky sinus infections don't help with blogging either! First off, we've failed to review two awesome movies that we've seen this month. Sadly, our collective favorite movie of 2011 will not receive it's own separate review due to time constraints. But, we will discuss it briefly! I know, I know, you are BURSTING with anticipation!
The new Muppet movie, The Muppets, is without a doubt the BEST movie of the year! We saw this when I was feeling under the weather, but at the same time had cabin fever and desperately needed out of the house! Well, this film proved to be excellent medicine! It perked both of our spirits right up. Growing up always loving the Muppets, made the nostalgia of the movie particularly great. It even brought a few tears to my eyes when they sang the infamous "Rainbow Connection." So if you haven't yet done so, plan to see The Muppets! It delivers laughs and is just plain fun — something we all need every now and then! We also saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and it too, did not disappoint. It was much like the first film, clever, witty and action packed. If you can't make it to the theatre to catch this flick, give it a view when it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD in a few months.
Hobo Dan: I was not kidding when I proclaimed on the Facebook that The Muppets is my favorite movie of 2011. There is nothing to dislike about this film. If you don’t like it, you have no soul. After a year of being beaten to a pulp by the economy and society and idiocy and reboots and sequels and everything else, The Muppets truly energized me and made me feel good, young and happy; even if for only a short time.
The Wife: We suppose we should discuss our Christmas celebrations too. As usual our holiday was great, despite the aforementioned pesky sinus infection. We both got a lot of great gifts, had fantastic food, including quite possibly the BEST turkey ever that WE cooked for Christmas Day dinner, and of course, enjoyed new and old traditions with family and friends. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus, we hope your holidays were a blast!
So now for the burning question...how was our 2011? Well it's been quite an interesting year filled with new events and exciting change. For a year that started rather rough, it has ended quite well for both of us. The beginning of 2011 was filled with too much snow (funny now that we are complaining about the lack of snow where we live...grass is always greener right?). The winter months also brought the start of our Best Picture Project. Yes, we know it's been quite awhile since we last did a BPP review, but don't fret, more will be coming your way in 2012! In March we had quite a bit of fun on St. Patrick's Day! Gimme Da Gold! Then spring time brought about Easter and of course, my (the wife) birthday celebrations! Yes, celebrations, plural. Didn't you hear? My birthday is basically a month long holiday. FACT. Thanks to Charlie Sheen's insanity of the year, the slogan of this year's birthday bash was "Winning" as the tiger blood runs deep within my veins! On the day of my party, we also ran a 5K together and I took home a first place win! With my win, I got a $50 gift card to Dicks...so can we say...wait for it...wait for it...WINNING!
The spring also brought a personal accomplishment for me as I finally scratched "run a half marathon" off my bucket list. I successfully completed the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a challenge, but a great experience. It provided me with a sense of accomplishment in regards to my running that I had not had since college. To read all about my experience, check out my half marathon post! While the spring did bring many positive moments, it also began the start of some very challenging months, which continued into the summer. The stressful time and late nights of work often put a strain on our sanity. To help ease the stress, we relaxed by seeing multiple movies over the summer. We also met one of my goals of 2011, a goal that I never really thought would come true! Yes, we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Click here for a full recap of our magical experience. It was fitting that we got to visit the Wizarding World this year, as it was basically the summer of Harry Potter! While the books are my favorite, the Harry Potter film series will always hold a special place in my heart! Luckily I now own all of the films on Blu-ray, but it isn't the same knowing I won't get to anticipate a new movie anymore...that is until the emo reboot in twenty years. We also visited Walt Disney World, my favorite place on earth! Here you can find all of our mini summer vacation blogs. We can't forget that we also celebrated SHARK WEEK over the summer as well...you know otherwise known as the greatest week in television.
The end of summer and beginning of fall started to bring many good things to the DUMP family. I accepted a new job, which I love, and the husband accepted a promotion about a month later! Now that we are adjusting to our new positions, we hopefully will get back into a regular blogging rhythm for 2012!
So that brings us here. Despite the challenges, I think 2011 proved to be quite a great year. We hope to make 2012 even better! As we mentioned previously, we saw several movies this year...some good and some bad. Below we will each rank our top five movies of 2011. If you would like to further discuss our choices or tell us yours, please comment!
The Wife:
1. The Muppets
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Captain America
4. The Hangover Part II
5. X-Men: First Class
Hobo Dan:
1. The Muppets
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Thor
4. Captain America
5. Sherlock Holmes
We wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe new year! Be sure to look for our first Movie Monday post of 2012, set to publish Jan. 2. We will be sharing our thoughts on the recently released The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Hobo Dan: And finally, because I know you all have been waiting patiently, the most viewed Dump the blog post of 2011 was... Statesticles with a huge 466 hits!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Top Ten Christmas Movies
The Wife: Well here we are once again...It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry for our lack of Monday posts and movie reviews, it has been quite a busy fall for us! To make up for that we have an early holiday gift for you, our Top Ten Christmas Movies! These are the films we like to watch over and over and over and OVER again every holiday season!
Please note that all of these movies are so close, and with the exception of numbers one through three, it was very hard to rank them! So let's get started, shall we?
10. Die Hard — YES THIS DOES SO COUNT! Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas that brings the awesomeness of Bruce Willis and Carl Winslow...as a COP, of course! This film also has a young Snape in it. Basically Bruce Willis saves Christmas just like Rocky defeated communism. Win!
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon) — You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch! This flick doesn't need an explanation. I have watched this every Christmas since I was a tot!
8. The Santa Clause 2 — Not as good as the original, but still cute and funny. It just "feels" like Christmas in this movie and Tim Allen once again shines as Santa. This film paints a perfect picture of how I always dreamed the North Pole would look like as kid.
7. Jingle All the Way — I seriously LOVE this movie. I don't get the hate it tends to receive. I think Sinbad is hilarious in it and I love how it realistically portrays the crazy greed that the holiday season brings. Not to mention this movie is so unintentionally funny, and that makes it even more awesome! You would think that they would have given Arnold's kid in the movie a name that he could pronounce. Instead they named the kid Jamie, which sounds like "Chamie" in Arnold speak. "Chamie, get ya muddah on da phone please!" I would say that the little boy who plays Jamie is the only annoying aspect of this movie. George Lucas, did you not bother to watch this movie before casting this kid as a young Anakin Skywalker?
6. The Santa Clause — I wish I could put this movie higher on the list because I love it so much, but alas, I can't have a tie. As I mentioned earlier, Tim Allen is awesome in The Santa Clause movies. I credit this film for making me spell "Santa Claus" wrong for SEVERAL years. It also taught me that hot cocoa tastes best when "shaken, not stirred." The Santa Clause is simply wonderful. It's kid friendly, but has jokes that adults can enjoy too. As a child I was fiercely defensive when it came to the question of Santa's existence, so much so that I would argue with kids at school about it. I WANTED to believe and wasn't ready to let the magic of Christmas go. That's why I love this movie; it shows you that you can "believe" in Santa at any age. "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."
5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York — I absolutely LOVE this movie! When I was younger I preferred this over the original, however, due to nostalgia and my "older" taste, the first Home Alone is now my favorite. However, this movie is almost just as good. I credit Home Alone 2 for beginning my obsession with New York City. I still have yet to experience NYC at Christmas time, but it is on my list of things to do. Sure, people gripe that it's a carbon copy of the original movie mixed with more harmful traps, but I say why ruin a good thing? Home Alone 2 delivers just as many laughs and of course, gives you that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling.
4. Elf — How can you not LOVE this movie? I could watch Elf year round! I love Will Ferrell and I love Christmas, so this is the perfect combination! Along with my sister-in-law, I can pretty much quote this movie word for word. Elf is a hilarious, fun Christmas movie. In fact, it has become our traditional movie of choice when we celebrate Christmas with the husband's dad and stepmom. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"
3. Home Alone — Another favorite and probably one of my most constantly watched movies during the Christmas season. I LOVE Home Alone! This movie never gets old and I still laugh now just as much as I did when I first watched this at age five. I come from a rather large extended family, so it always reminds me of that. It also feels "Christmasy," so that's another reason why it's so good. When I watch Home Alone I find it necessary to have "a lovely cheese pizza just for me." I also always question if Kevin ever ate that awesome looking macaroni and cheese after his defeat of the wet bandits. Watching in 2011, I love noticing how dated this movie is and I love knowing that it couldn't be duplicated in the technology-savvy world we live in now. Home Alone simply makes me happy and it's not Christmas until I've watched this over and over, yes, and OVER again!
2. A Christmas Story — Many of you might be shocked that this isn't number one, but believe me it comes in at a very CLOSE SECOND to the number one Christmas movie. Again, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! A Christmas Story is just one of those classics that never gets old. It has so many great scenes and it's not Christmas until I watch this. While I own this movie, I still make sure I tune my television to 24 Hours of A Christmas Story starting on Christmas Eve evening. The dad is probably my favorite character. "Fra-gi-layyyy, must be Italian!" So many other great quotes come from this film as well. I love little brother Randy, especially when he is dressed in his snowsuit and "can't put his arms down!" Ralphie and his quest to get his perfect Christmas present, a Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air riffle, is classic! It reminds us of when we were little and desperately wanted our perfect Christmas present. The Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant is, of course, one of the best scenes. So politically incorrect, but hey, that makes it all the more funny. "Ra Ra Ra Ra!" I want a leg lamp...it's a major award!
1. Christmas Vacation — If you know me or my family at all this shouldn't come as a surprise! Christmas Vacation is my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time! It's hilarious and every year it just gets better and better! I always feel like I notice something new and funny with each viewing. Much like the jelly of the month club, my family quotes this movie all year because it is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year! Our quote fest really heats up on Thanksgiving! Clark Griswold's quest to have the perfect fun-old-fashioned-family-Christmas and all the obstacles it takes to achieve this equals awesome comedy. Cousin Eddie is at his best in this movie as well! To keep the blog clean, I won't do Eddie's famous quote from Christmas Vacation, but I am sure all you Christmas Vacation fans know it by heart! Clark's angry rants are another great aspect of this film. I should also mention that I love Rusty's facial expressions throughout this entire movie (by the way Big Bang Theory fans, Rusty is a young Leonard!). Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis are great too as are all the grandparents! Christmas Vacation gives me that holiday feel with laughter and, like many other movies on this list, it wouldn't be the holiday season without watching it several times. "And WHY is the carpet all wet, Todd?!" "I DON'T KNOW, MARGO!"
Before this post is wrapped like a perfect Christmas present, here are some honorable mentions: The Polar Express, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Muppet Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday in Handcuffs (yes, I know this is an ABC Family Original...but it's really cute), The Preacher's Wife and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.
There are several other Christmas movies that I love, but it could take forever to mention them! Let us know your favorite Christmas movies! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Please note that all of these movies are so close, and with the exception of numbers one through three, it was very hard to rank them! So let's get started, shall we?
10. Die Hard — YES THIS DOES SO COUNT! Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas that brings the awesomeness of Bruce Willis and Carl Winslow...as a COP, of course! This film also has a young Snape in it. Basically Bruce Willis saves Christmas just like Rocky defeated communism. Win!
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon) — You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch! This flick doesn't need an explanation. I have watched this every Christmas since I was a tot!
8. The Santa Clause 2 — Not as good as the original, but still cute and funny. It just "feels" like Christmas in this movie and Tim Allen once again shines as Santa. This film paints a perfect picture of how I always dreamed the North Pole would look like as kid.
7. Jingle All the Way — I seriously LOVE this movie. I don't get the hate it tends to receive. I think Sinbad is hilarious in it and I love how it realistically portrays the crazy greed that the holiday season brings. Not to mention this movie is so unintentionally funny, and that makes it even more awesome! You would think that they would have given Arnold's kid in the movie a name that he could pronounce. Instead they named the kid Jamie, which sounds like "Chamie" in Arnold speak. "Chamie, get ya muddah on da phone please!" I would say that the little boy who plays Jamie is the only annoying aspect of this movie. George Lucas, did you not bother to watch this movie before casting this kid as a young Anakin Skywalker?
6. The Santa Clause — I wish I could put this movie higher on the list because I love it so much, but alas, I can't have a tie. As I mentioned earlier, Tim Allen is awesome in The Santa Clause movies. I credit this film for making me spell "Santa Claus" wrong for SEVERAL years. It also taught me that hot cocoa tastes best when "shaken, not stirred." The Santa Clause is simply wonderful. It's kid friendly, but has jokes that adults can enjoy too. As a child I was fiercely defensive when it came to the question of Santa's existence, so much so that I would argue with kids at school about it. I WANTED to believe and wasn't ready to let the magic of Christmas go. That's why I love this movie; it shows you that you can "believe" in Santa at any age. "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."
5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York — I absolutely LOVE this movie! When I was younger I preferred this over the original, however, due to nostalgia and my "older" taste, the first Home Alone is now my favorite. However, this movie is almost just as good. I credit Home Alone 2 for beginning my obsession with New York City. I still have yet to experience NYC at Christmas time, but it is on my list of things to do. Sure, people gripe that it's a carbon copy of the original movie mixed with more harmful traps, but I say why ruin a good thing? Home Alone 2 delivers just as many laughs and of course, gives you that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling.
4. Elf — How can you not LOVE this movie? I could watch Elf year round! I love Will Ferrell and I love Christmas, so this is the perfect combination! Along with my sister-in-law, I can pretty much quote this movie word for word. Elf is a hilarious, fun Christmas movie. In fact, it has become our traditional movie of choice when we celebrate Christmas with the husband's dad and stepmom. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"
3. Home Alone — Another favorite and probably one of my most constantly watched movies during the Christmas season. I LOVE Home Alone! This movie never gets old and I still laugh now just as much as I did when I first watched this at age five. I come from a rather large extended family, so it always reminds me of that. It also feels "Christmasy," so that's another reason why it's so good. When I watch Home Alone I find it necessary to have "a lovely cheese pizza just for me." I also always question if Kevin ever ate that awesome looking macaroni and cheese after his defeat of the wet bandits. Watching in 2011, I love noticing how dated this movie is and I love knowing that it couldn't be duplicated in the technology-savvy world we live in now. Home Alone simply makes me happy and it's not Christmas until I've watched this over and over, yes, and OVER again!
2. A Christmas Story — Many of you might be shocked that this isn't number one, but believe me it comes in at a very CLOSE SECOND to the number one Christmas movie. Again, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! A Christmas Story is just one of those classics that never gets old. It has so many great scenes and it's not Christmas until I watch this. While I own this movie, I still make sure I tune my television to 24 Hours of A Christmas Story starting on Christmas Eve evening. The dad is probably my favorite character. "Fra-gi-layyyy, must be Italian!" So many other great quotes come from this film as well. I love little brother Randy, especially when he is dressed in his snowsuit and "can't put his arms down!" Ralphie and his quest to get his perfect Christmas present, a Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air riffle, is classic! It reminds us of when we were little and desperately wanted our perfect Christmas present. The Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant is, of course, one of the best scenes. So politically incorrect, but hey, that makes it all the more funny. "Ra Ra Ra Ra!" I want a leg lamp...it's a major award!
1. Christmas Vacation — If you know me or my family at all this shouldn't come as a surprise! Christmas Vacation is my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time! It's hilarious and every year it just gets better and better! I always feel like I notice something new and funny with each viewing. Much like the jelly of the month club, my family quotes this movie all year because it is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year! Our quote fest really heats up on Thanksgiving! Clark Griswold's quest to have the perfect fun-old-fashioned-family-Christmas and all the obstacles it takes to achieve this equals awesome comedy. Cousin Eddie is at his best in this movie as well! To keep the blog clean, I won't do Eddie's famous quote from Christmas Vacation, but I am sure all you Christmas Vacation fans know it by heart! Clark's angry rants are another great aspect of this film. I should also mention that I love Rusty's facial expressions throughout this entire movie (by the way Big Bang Theory fans, Rusty is a young Leonard!). Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis are great too as are all the grandparents! Christmas Vacation gives me that holiday feel with laughter and, like many other movies on this list, it wouldn't be the holiday season without watching it several times. "And WHY is the carpet all wet, Todd?!" "I DON'T KNOW, MARGO!"
Before this post is wrapped like a perfect Christmas present, here are some honorable mentions: The Polar Express, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Muppet Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday in Handcuffs (yes, I know this is an ABC Family Original...but it's really cute), The Preacher's Wife and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.
There are several other Christmas movies that I love, but it could take forever to mention them! Let us know your favorite Christmas movies! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Fall 2011!!!
Happy Fall everyone!
The Wife: Sorry for the lack of blog last week and the lateness of today. We've been tired and busy. Excuses excuses! Oh well, deal with it!
Well, this will mainly be a picture post. Fall has certainly arrived and we've brought in the season with festivals, apple cider and jack-o-lantern making. The Bob Evans Farm Festival, a yearly tradition, provided us with fall fun. Good food was had there and apple cider slushies were consumed. Apple cider was purchased as well, of course. Nothing says fall like warm apple cider on a chilly evening!
I also visited the Field of Screams for some Halloween terror. Unfortunately terror quickly became annoyance as the maze workers decided it would be fun to manhandle me and my friend. Next time a masked man proclaims that "the short blonde girl" is his, I will give a swift kick and run through the corn! Despite that, it was still a fun evening.
Pumpkin carving has of course been done and the husband insists upon making the traditional jack-o-lantern and as usual refuses to do any fancy designs. One of these days I will win that battle and we will get the carving stencils!
Also, our dog has enjoyed playing in the leaves.
Yes, fall has arrived. What are some of your fall traditions? We'd love to read about them! Also, stay tuned for next Monday's special Halloween post! We will be discussing our top Halloween movies!
The Wife: Sorry for the lack of blog last week and the lateness of today. We've been tired and busy. Excuses excuses! Oh well, deal with it!
Well, this will mainly be a picture post. Fall has certainly arrived and we've brought in the season with festivals, apple cider and jack-o-lantern making. The Bob Evans Farm Festival, a yearly tradition, provided us with fall fun. Good food was had there and apple cider slushies were consumed. Apple cider was purchased as well, of course. Nothing says fall like warm apple cider on a chilly evening!
I also visited the Field of Screams for some Halloween terror. Unfortunately terror quickly became annoyance as the maze workers decided it would be fun to manhandle me and my friend. Next time a masked man proclaims that "the short blonde girl" is his, I will give a swift kick and run through the corn! Despite that, it was still a fun evening.
Pumpkin carving has of course been done and the husband insists upon making the traditional jack-o-lantern and as usual refuses to do any fancy designs. One of these days I will win that battle and we will get the carving stencils!
Also, our dog has enjoyed playing in the leaves.
Yes, fall has arrived. What are some of your fall traditions? We'd love to read about them! Also, stay tuned for next Monday's special Halloween post! We will be discussing our top Halloween movies!
Monday, October 10, 2011
2011 Pumpkin Festival
Today we are differing from the usual "Movie Monday" post and are here to tell you all about the awesomeness that is the Pumpkin Festival!!!! We attended this amazing event, which was held in Milton, West Virginia, yesterday afternoon. Read on for pictures and ramblings about the festival's atmosphere and yummy treats!
The Wife: I often claim that summer is my favorite season. This is simply because of the weather. However, it seems that fall as well as the months leading up to the holidays and the holiday season itself is my favorite time of year! So, naturally I really enjoyed the Pumpkin Festival! I had always wanted to go and finally got to this year. The weather ended up being great for my first festival visit! I loved all of the fall decor, including the beautiful mums and well, obviously all of the pumpkins. The food was another great thing. I usually love anything pumpkin...so the festival was like a dream come true! Of the pumpkin treats, I bought some pumpkin fudge and then had pumpkin ice cream. The pumpkin ice cream was particularly amazing! I really want some more! The husband and I also snacked on roasted corn on the cob, which was a wonderfully delicious and light festival snack. I've never just chowed down on corn on the cob at an event like that, so it really amused me.
The vendors at the festival were pretty cool too. We ended up buying some WVU stuff and mixes for dips and salsa. Yumtastic! I would really recommend the Pumpkin Festival, especially if you enjoy the fall season, and of course, all things pumpkin! I would rank it as one of the best festivals I've ever attended. Everyone should plan to attend the Pumpkin Festival next year! I know I'll be back *terminator voice*!Hobo Dan: The Pumpkin Festival was fun. However, I do have a few complaints. First, why do we have to drive three miles through back county fields to park? It doesn't help matters to be following Mr. Glass car who can't imagine breaking five MPH for fear or his car shattering into pieces. Second, and this is a general grievance to all festivals and gatherings, if you have a lot of people coming from far away, put the restrooms close to the entrance. Some of us have to pee. As we walk the Appalachian Trail from the car to the festival The Wife decides to try and hold my hand. I love her greatly but say: "Dear, I'll hold your hand for the rest of the day, but not until after I pee!" Seriously, put your restrooms close to stuff. it doesn't help that the place was more crowded than Disney. I wish I'd had my machete. All and all it was a great day and sometimes I need not complain so much, but then what would I do to fill my time? I did enjoy the roasted corn on the cob. I find it odd I waited until October to have it for the first time.
Monday, September 19, 2011
2011 Mothman Festival: Recap
Once our race was done, we were able to relax and enjoy the festival. (Seriously directing a 5K is way more nerve-racking and a lot more work than just running in one!) We took our families to Tu-Endie-Wei, the riverfront park murals and showed them the awesomeness that is the Mothman Festival. Of course, Mothman Pancakes were consumed. Following the festival, we had our annual Mothman Cook-out. It was an epic time as usual.
So we will leave you with an awesome photo re-cap of the 2011 Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia!
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