My horrible Thursday Thirteen

In honor of Halloween I'm going to do my 13 favorite scary movies. I'm going to try to do them in the order that I watched them in my life, but I may get a few out of order.

1. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things .I don't actually know how old I was when I saw this movie, but I do know that I wasn't supposed to be watching it. I know that because I was hiding behind my cousin's couch while she and my mom watched it. Since I found the a review on BadMovies.org, I probably wouldn't think very highly of it today, but I remember that it was horrifying as a child. I mean the title alone...sheesh!

2. Let's Scare Jessica to Death. Again, I was young when I watched this movie and as an adult I don't really remember anything about it except that it used to scare the C-R-A-P out of me. Going back and reading the review does bring back some memories -- mostly of a very creepy lake.

3. Friday the 13th (Part I or II -- after that, too cheesy) When I was in the 4th grade, I met my best friend Kendal. We had so much in common -- one of those things being scary movies. Just about every weekend we were together we would rent one of the Friday the 13th movies. I can remember one night my mom finally gave up on us and went to bed with a "BE QUIET" warning. No sooner had she given her command than Jason appeared on the screen -- not doing anything, mind you, just standing there -- and we let out a bloodcurdling scream! Ah, good times. Good times.

4. Halloween -- This is my all-time-favorite yet most-hated scary movie. I almost cannot watch it at all and certainly not by myself. This was another favorite of mine and Kendals. In college I once watched this alone in my apartment but had my boyfriend on the phone the whole time -- LONG DISTANCE!

I have a tremendous phobia of people who just stand there and don't say anything (see: Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers!). Mr. Daddy loves to exploit this fear by turning off the light of whatever room we're in and then just standing there. Not saying anything. Not moving. I try to keep my cool and I usually manage for a few seconds but then I start running for whatever light is closest and screaming like a little girl.

5. Nightmare on Elm Street (Part I). In the summer before 6th grade, Kendal went to go live with her dad in the northwest corner of our state. We kept in touch and visited fairly regularly. Our birthdays were exactly a week apart and she invited me up for her birthday. Nightmare on Elm Street had JUST come out on video and a whole group of 7th grade girls gathered around to watch. Did I mention that Kendal's dad lived out in the middle of NOWHERE? Next to a very creepy lake? And that there was a purported monster who lived on the lake called the Cootiewah. Let's just say we didn't get a lot of sleep that night.

6. The Exorcist. When small girls start speaking in the voice of the devil, well, that generally scares the pee out of me (not to mention what she does with the crucifix! Yikes!). Also, by this point in my life I am starting to be more scared by things that seem like they could actually happen than I am raging homicidal maniacs with mother/sister issues.

7. Night of the Living Dead. This movie has been remade several times, but the original is the best. The fact that it's shot in black and white gives it a very gritty, realistic feel. It was the first movie (that I know of) to feature the shambling, flesh hungry zombies.

8. Silence of the Lambs. Okay, this is not a traditional scary movie in the same way that the others are, but still. If you can watch Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and not be scared and revolted and fascinated all at the same time, then you are a better woman/man than I am.

9. Scream. The scary movie that made scary movies cool again (along with reviving Drew Barrymore's career) (OH! AND uniting Courtney Cox and David Arquette!). I loved how it played on the "rules" of scary movies and yet was still scary.

10. Rosemary's Baby. If I had to guess, I would say that this is my mother's favorite horror movie. And for many, many years I resisted watching it. Guess when I finally watched it? Go on, guess. When I was pregnant. With Bubba. And already paranoid about every damn thing that could happen. Sometimes now I wonder if I DID give birth to the devil's child -- that seems like it could be the only explanation for certain behaviors -- but I never ate raw liver when I was pregnant, so I think I'm safe.

11. The Others. This movies stars Nicole Kidman and was one of the best spooky, give-you-goose bumps movies I've ever seen. Although Mr. Daddy fell asleep in the theater, he still says he enjoyed it (he says the dark atmosphere and the fog in the movie overwhelmed him and put him to sleep). There is something really creepy that happens in the movie but I won't spoil it in case you haven't seen it.

12. 28 Days Later. The main character of this movies wakes from a coma to find that he is one of the last people left alive in London. The rest of the city is populated with zombies that have been infected with a rage virus. BUT, these zombies don't just stumble along. They RUN. Fast. It gives me the willies just thinking about it. There's a scene in a tunnel that is one of the most nerve jangling things I've ever watched (through my fingers!). On the upside, there's Cillian Murphy to look at. And that's never bad.

And finally,

13. Shaun of the Dead. Made by the same people who recently brought you Hot Fuzz. Although technically a comedy (and it is hilarious), this homage to traditional zombie movies does have it's own scary moments. Since I'm no longer really a fan of scary, gory movies, this one is right down my alley.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen

In honor of the beginning of the post season and the Red Sox going to the American League division playoffs, tonight's Thursday 13 is 13 things about the Red Sox, their players and my family's membership in the Red Sox Nation. I hope I'm not jinxing them. I'm not QUITE as superstitious as Nomar Garciaparra -- well, at least I don't have a pre-blog ritual like his pre-batting ritual! (My apologies to those of you who either don't care for or don't follow baseball!)

















1. This is hanging in my hall right now. It hangs there year-round. I was worried a little at first that it might seem a little sacreligious, but surely God is a Sox fan. Right?



















2. Mr. Daddy painted (free-hand, I might add) on Bubba's wall in our old house and his wall was Green Monster green. That's the only thing I miss about our old house.












3. The Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry. There's nothing like a good
old fashion grudge match. Down with the Evil Empire!


4. This is what we do to traitors of the Red Sox Nation. Johnny, we hardly knew ye.

5. It's hard to see players come and go. But it looks like the new crop is doing pretty well. A no hitter. Huh. Have any of the Yankees gotten a no-hitter this year? Huh? I don't think so.













6. Do you know what that is? That is Dave Roberts stealing 2nd base in the ninth inning of game 4 of the American League Championship series. That steal kept the Red Sox alive. They went on to win that game, plus three more which sent them to the World Series.

7. Cowboy Up. Started by Kevin Millar (one of my faves that I miss). This was the rallying cry of the Sox on their way to the World Series.





















8. Jason Varitek. What a cutie! And he's a local boy, sort of. Graduate from Georgia Tech, which we'll let slide. He's the Captain of the team and an all-around good guy.






















9. The Bloody Sock. Some people claim this was staged. I loved Curt's response to the doubters -- "It was blood. You can choose to believe whatever you need to, but facts are facts. The 25 guys that were in that locker room, the coaches, they all know it. In the end nothing else really matters. The people that need to believe otherwise are people with their own insecurities and issues. Someone gave me a great idea to end this once and for all. No one will ever need to bring it up again. I’ll wager 1 million dollars to the charity of (anyone’s) choice, versus the same amount to ALS. If the blood on the sock is fake, I’ll donate a million dollars to that person's charity, if not they donate that amount to ALS."

10. The Idiots. You gotta love a team that don't take themselves seriously.






















11. Matt Damon's a fan. So, even if you're not into baseball you can still watch in hopes of catching a glimpse of this cutie in the stands!

12. Curse? What curse?

And for the coup de grace....





















13. Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thirteen things you'll never hear me say

Here are 13 things you'll never hear coming out of my mouth!

1. Sure I'll be your math tutor!

2. That was so fun, let's run another mile.

3. George Clooney is not attractive to me at all!

4. Cake? No thanks.

5. I prefer artificial sweetener in my coffee.

6. Go out to eat? Nah, I'd rather cook.

7. Money is no object.

8. I love the way my thighs look in this bathing suit.

9. There's nothing I love more than a good political discussion.

10. I have way too many shoes.

11. Let's get up early tomorrow.

12. Britney's new weave looks fantastic!

13. Blogs? Give me a break! Who wants to sit around and read about Betty Joe Schmoe's day?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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And now for an important announcement

It has come to my attention that many of the writers of the blogs I read on a regular basis, as well as many of the commenters on this here blog (yes, a lot of you are the same people, but I digress) are from the same general area. And an idea was born.

I think us girls (we girls?) should take a trip. I haven't yet decided what we should call ourselves. So far all I've come up with "Ladies who Blog, and Also Happen to Live in the Southeast"(or LWBAHLS, pronounced "Lowballs" but truthfully, the sound of that is not really what I'm going for here. (Disclaimer: I don't want to exclude any of my regular readers who don't happen to live nearby. All of you are certainly welcome to come if you can make it. However, as most of us are moms and are living, shall we say, financially creative lives, I know it's probably not possible. But you are invited and we would love to have you!)

Anyway, my original concept for the trip was for a weekend getaway to the mountains. We could split the cost of the cabin and all have a lovely time getting to know one another, in, you know, real life. Wacky concept, huh? But then Lulu had a great idea and suggested a regional winery tour, which I must admit, is a fabulous idea! And although Lauren, and Tammy, and el-e-e have a bun in the oven, one teensy little sip of wine won't hurt them. Right? I mean, I think studies have shown that it's even good for them. They NEED to do this.

So, what do you think? And can you come up with a better name? 'Cause that one up there, well, she ain't so hot.

Here are some regional wineries we could visit, courtesy of the Winegrowers Association of Georgia.

1. Blackstock Vineyards, Dahlonega, Georgia. Does this look gorgeous or what?


2. Chateau Elan Winery, Braselton, Georgia.

3. Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, Georgia. Mmmm. Red wine. Heaven!


4. Frogtown Cellars, Dahlonega, Georgia. This little place looks so charming! I just want to eat it! Erm....I mean drink it!


5. Habersham Winery, Helen, Georgia.

6. Montaluce, Dahlonega, Georgia.


7. Persimmon Creek Vineyards. Clayton, Georgia. One word. GORGEOUS!

8. Serenity Cellars. Cleveland, Georgia. How precious is this?


9. Sharp Mountain Vineyards. Jasper, Georgia. Their motto: The result is more than fine wine: it's an experience.

10. Tiger Mountain Winery. Tiger, Georgia. (I was going to add some photos, but their site was too slow to load!)

11. Wolf Mountain Winery. Dahlonega, Georgia. DANG! Their site says that one of mine and Mr. Daddy's favorite bands played there recently -- The Packway Handle Band. Awesome bluegrass! Awesome logo.



12. Three Sisters Vineyards. Dahlonega, Georgia. I gotta have me one of these t-shirts.


And finally,

13. Still Pond Vineyard and Winery. Arlington, Georgia. This one's kind of out of the way. Maybe we could save it for another weekend!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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And the winner is....

Laurel! Congratulations! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post the winner and the answers, but I'll post more about the why of that later. Laurel, if you'll email me your physical address, I'll drop the bracelet in the mail to you. Email email redacted.
Here are the answers:

1. Shag -- One of my all time favorites and a great movie to watch with your girlfriends.

2. The Jerk -- I love me some Steve Martin!

3. Sixteen Candles -- This is a classic in my house from Long Duk Dong. Our other favorite is "No more yanky my wanky."

4. Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Sean Penn as Spicoli. I'm not sure Sean Penn has ever topped that!

5. Bring It On! - Mr. Daddy couldn't believe I was actually listing this one but I LOVE this movie. I will watch it whenever it's on.

6. Fargo. I love most anything from the Coen brothers. This one is so dark and hilarious. We have several faves from this movie "This is MY deal, Wade" and "Is that your accomplice in the woodchipper?"

7. O' Brother Where Art Thou - another fave Coen brothers offering (plus it has George Clooney in it!!). We have several faves from this one as well -- "We found a whole gopher village" and "Damn, we're in a tight spot!"

8. The Princess Bride. I think I can quote this movie from start to finish. Too many favorites to list.

9. Raising Arizona. Yet ANOTHER Coen brothers movie. Plus, it has Holly Hunter in it. My other fave "My fi-ance left me."

10. Forest Gump.

11. Pretty in Pink. How could she not love Duckie?!? When he came in lip synching "Try a Little Tenderness" my heart just melted.

12. The Breakfast Club. Was there ever a better bad boy than Judd Nelson's Bender?

13. French Kiss. I love me some Kevin Kline, too!

There you have it! Thanks for playing!

First of all, thanks to all the nice ladies who left comments and compliments about my hairs. You girls are just so great. The only problem now is that my head is so swollen from all those compliments that I can barely keep it balanced atop my scrawny little neck!

Also, I finally figured out why that first picture bothered me so much. It's me, but it's....off...somehow. Distorted. I finally realized that it looks like I'm looking at myself in a Christmas tree ball ornament. You know how it makes you look all fun-house-mirrory. With your nose kind of pulled out and your head kind of squished. It's not quite THAT bad, but it's definitely off. In my opinion. And y'all, I have spent YEARS looking at this face and that nose is NOT right. And if those of you who actually know me think that it is an accurate representation...well, I don't want to hear about it! :)

Anyhoo, today's Thursday Thirteen are 13 of my favorite lines from 13 of my favorite movies. And I'm going to have a littel contest. You have to guess which movie they're from. And I'm going to leave it up to your sense of honor to see how many you ACTUALLY know without using The Google. The person who submits the most right answers by 5:00 on Friday will win a little something. And I mean a VERY little something. Remember when I wrote this? Well, I got very, um, excited and went and ordered a few of these:

If you win and you don't want one, please just pretend you do and you can chunk it in the trash when it arrives in your mailbox.

So without further ado, here they are. Again, they are not in the order of my favorite-ness. Not sure I could do that.

1. "Y'all, I'm wild. I guess I'e always been wild. I just didnt' know it."

2. "Hey, there's something wrong with these cans!"

3. "I bet the boys chase you around aprenty."

4. "Dude, that was my SKULL!"

5. "I am a choreographer. That's what I do. You are cheerleaders. Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded. What you do is a tiny, pathetic subset of dancing. I will attempt to turn your robotic routines into poetry, written with the human body. Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys."

6. "Found a clue, Margie?" "No, just gotta barf."

7. "Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity?! Two weeks from everywhere!"

8. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

9. "I think we got the best one."

10. "I'm sorry I ruined your Black Panther party."

11. "His name is Blaine?! That's not a name. That's a major appliance!"

12. "So it's sorta social, demented and sad, but social. Right?"

13. "Fester, fester, fester. Rot, rot, rot."

So there you have it. Let the games begin!


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



Thursday Thirteen - My favorite blogs!

Thirteen Things about Madame Queen Let me just say right off the bat that I'm kind of snap judgement (and judgemental) kind of person. If something is really, really popular I automatically think that it must be trash. If the general population is going ga-ga over it, it must be an opiate for the masses and not worth my time. And many, many times I've been wrong. Grey's Anatomy -- oh, it just another trashy soap opera type show. Wrong! Now I'm addicted and can't wait for the new season. American Idol -- give me a break! Who cares?!! I DO! I got hooked on the season of Chris Daughtry, et al and now I actually vote! Like a teenager! The other thing I was extremely scornful of was blogs. Who cares what random Joe or Joanne Schmo thinks about...whatever. Who wants to spend their time reading some random stranger's thoughts about stuff. I DO! I hereby officially apologize to all bloggers out there and officially declare myself one of you! I Love you guys! So, for my very first Thursday Thirteen, I'm listing my 13 favorite blogs. They're not in any particular order except for the first one. The first one is the one that started it all! 1. Faster Than Kudzu by author Joshilyn Jackson. Someone loaned me her first novel, gods in Alabama and I noticed in the back that she had a website. So I went, read some of her old posts and I was hooked. And hers was the only one I read for a very long time. I don't know why I never explored any others. But one day I was bored and I started clicking through some of the other links. And the rest, as they say, is history. 2. Woulda Coulda Shoulda I think the very day that I started reading this blog I noticed that Mir was moving to my town. Wha? I know how hard it is to move to a new town and not know anyone, so I emailed her and offered to help out with the "getting to know the town" kind of stuff. We emailed back and forth for a while and we've gotten together a couple of times and you know what? She's just as nice and as funny as heck as she is in her blog. Some of her posts have made me howl with laughter. 3. A Hole in the Fence by Sophie. I honestly can't remember how I came across this blog, but I'm so glad I did. Her life seems so similar to mine. Plus, she's got a Pumpkin and I've got a Punkin'! She's also got a very dry sense of humor which I appreciate. And last but not least, she gave me my Blog Star award yesterday -- my first blogging award and I'll always treasure it! 4. Lulu's Laundry by Lulu. Again, I can't remember exactly how I came across her blog, but this post hooked me. I think this is one of the funniest things I've ever read in my entire life. If you can read this without crying with laughter, there is something seriously wrong with you! 5. Suburban Turmoil by Lindsey. Lindsey used to be a television reporter and still works off an on in Nashville. Her post has just enough celebrity flash to satisfy my need for all things trashy, but intelligent enough to keep me coming back. 6. Precarious Tomato Mir turned me on to this blog because the author is also a local. I'm so glad she did because Tammy is hilarious. I've met her a couple of times, too, and she too is so nice and funny in person. And she's just recently announced that she's expecting her first child so she's opened herself up for ALL KINDS of mothering advice. 7. Maresydoats I found this blog through Faster Than Kudzu. Mar won a Blogging for Books award for this post. It so perfectly captured how I feel sometimes -- plus, the phrase "snuggly little snoozer" was just too perfect not to add to my vocabulary. Mar doesn't post often, which is disappointing for those of us who like her blog, but she's a busy lady, so I understand. 8. Miss Doxie I've seen a lot of people list Miss Doxie on their faves list - and there's a reason. She's funny as hell. She doesn't post very much either, but when she does, look out! 9. Daily Tragedies Again, not sure how I found her, but I started checking in and like the way she said things. And she's not afraid to be very introspective, which I admire. Plus, she likes the Beastie Boys and how can you not like that? 10. My Own Circle of Confusion A lot of the blogs that I'm drawn to have similar themes -- working (or sometimes non-working) mom, small kids, harried life. Anyway, I enjoy it. I keep going back. She only has two sets of clean sheets for the kids' beds too. I feel so much better! 11. The Tea Party Place Laurel was one of the very first people that I didn't actually know who commented on my blog! I was thrilled, so of course I checked her blog out and found that we have so many things in common. Once when her post mentioned that her son was sick and then she didn't post for about 5 or 6 days I actually got quite concerned. Fortunately, everything was okay -- well, as okay as 2 kids with strep can be. You should check out the pictures of her recent trip to her hometown. Amazing! 12. Stay At Home Mom Going Quickly Insane I swear, when I read her post I wondered if I was secretly blogging in my sleep under an assumed name. It was truly freaky. Go read this post titled "Am I Normal" and you will know what I look like in the mornings just trying to get out of the house. Freakily, freakily similar. In a good way! :) And finally, 13. Full Hands Mom This mom is an even newer blogger than I am, but I think she's doing a great job so far. I know for a fact that she has stepped way outside of her comfort zone to start blogging and for that I want to give her this... Keep up the good work! You're a star!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants