I was talking with Heather earlier and she mentioned she had #HomeChat coming up tonight on Twitter and I inquired as to what these homechatters would be discussing.

Raw foods.

Hold on, here. Raw? People aren’t supposed to eat raw bacon. Doesn’t Heather Solos know this?!

Now this is funny to me but Heather will be rolling her eyes about right now because that’s pretty much EXACTLY what I said during our phone conversation and she didn’t laugh then, either. She suggested I look up a couple of salad recipes.

OH! That’s right! Salad=raw. Sweet! I can do salad.

I am the chick who has decided to plant a million plants for her first garden; I like veggies.

The vegetable in my soon-to-be garden that’s causing me much consternation is the rainbow swiss chard. It looks beautiful on the seed pack and the kids are excited so I consider the chard a win. But here’s the thing: I’ve never eaten swiss chard. Or chard. See? I don’t even know what to call the stuff.

Because of the #HomeChat topic, I tasked myself with finding a recipe that’s RAW and involves swiss chard.

Avocado and Rainbow Swiss Chard Salad

Greens:

• 1 bunch of Swiss Chard, stems removed
• Other salad greens, if desired

Dressing:

• 1 avocado (mash half for dressing and reserve other half for salad topping)
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 2 Tb balsamic vinegar
• Juice from 1 lime
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Salad Toppings:

• 1 carrot, shredded–I’m going to use my Cosmic Purple carrots!
• 10-12 grape/cherry tomatoes, halved or whole…depending on the size–I think the black cherry tomatoes will look awesome in this.
• 1/2 c pistachios
• Reserved half of avocado, diced

Wash chard and whatever greens you’re using.

In a salad bowl, mash 1/2 of the avocado, olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Add the greens and toss to coat.

Add your salad toppings and toss again to make sure everything is coated.

Let the salad “rest” for about twenty minutes in the fridge. Right before you serve, test for seasoning and add kosher salt and pepper.

Come on! Raw doesn’t look half bad now, right?!

I’ve been following I Am Alive since I saw the initial announce trailer back in ’08. I’ve written about this on Kmart Gamer but I didn’t get into what I really wanted to get into which is the art direction.

This is BY FAR my favorite quote from my Kmart Gamer post:

I didn’t hear anything about the game for a long time and since I have the attention span of a lobotomized chimpanzee on meth, I completely forgot about the game. And then, there’s the announcement that the I Am Alive’s coming to PSN and XBLA.

Here’s the E3 ’08 announce:

I get that the ’08 trailer was concept. It’s job was to get folks excited and stir up the dust a bit; it totally worked for me. Unless your plan is to blow smoke up people’s asses and create distrust toward not only the game but also the company, the general art direction, mechanics and story should be set by the time that announce is released.

Read that last sentence again because there was a whole lot of blowing going on from Ubisoft.

Since there had been little to no information about I Am Alive in two years, I can only assume this E3 ’10 video from Ubisoft was them wanting to assure people that the game wasn’t actually dead. The look is similar to the original E3 video but with, what looks like, a bit of actual gameplay tossed in for good measure. And it looks like a PS2 game.

This is when I noticed the art direction changing and I wasn’t happy. Darkworks had the project until 2010 at which time, Ubisoft moved the project in-house and shifted it to Ubisoft Shanghai. The protagonist has been made older. The environment made darker and grittier. Silent Hill, anyone?

More PS2 looking graphics…maybe even Playstation graphics? It’s like they took grainy to a level it should never been taken and then “sharpened” it to the point of no return. What sucks is the story has gotten more interesting but the look of it has gotten worse.

From CES 12:

What do you think? Was the direction Darkworks was going just not working for the game? It was a PC game, originally…maybe Ubisoft wanted to cut some corners? What’s with the ridiculous lag on release? Like the newer stuff or the original direction?

I guess the main question is: will you buy this game?

And by “might” I mean “most likely and probably closer to definitely.”

I’ve been waiting on my seeds to get here for a few days now and as each day passed, I got more and more excited about the PURPLE bell peppers–Who knew there even was such a thing?!–and the green and yellow striped tomatoes and the fire engine red runner beans. The purple carrots Tucker requested, the candy apple sweet little peppers I bought at Cara’s request and the tiny, sour cucumbers the size of quarters I bought on a whim.

Basically I was having a mental makeout session with this imagined garden of the future.

The reality:

We are now the proud owners of 21 packs of seed–the rainbow swiss chard, peas and nasturtium aren’t pictured. The onions aren’t pictured either; I don’t have them yet. I bought one “bunch” of those dudes. Apparently a “bunch” is really A BUNCH since a “bunch” is five dozen plants. You just sit and think on that one. And I LOVE ME SOME ONIONS! But that’s a butt ton of onions.

I might puke. No. Really. I might be sick. It’s not the work that freaks me out..it’s the SHEER MAGNITUDE of what I’m undertaking. This is my first garden; I should have purchased a tomato plant, some lettuce and maybe something exotic like kale…you get the idea.

Instead, I have:

• Black Cherry Tomato
• Vorlon Tomato
• Dr. Wyche’s Yellow Tomato
• Green Zebra Tomato
• Quadrato D’asti Rosso Pepper
• Scarlet Runner Bean
• Unwin’s Mix – Dhalia
• Some sort of free flower pack thank you for buying so many seeds you have a panic attack pack
• Cosmic Purple Carrot
• Thyme
• Sage – Broad Leaf
• Basil – Dark Purple Opal
• Quadrato D’ Asti Giallo Pepper
• Melrose Pepper
• Purple Beauty Pepper
• Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumber
• Burgundy Okra
• Rocky Top Lettuce Mix

That list took me a very, very, very long time. Like you don’t even know.

I started this before I started dinner, did some of it whilst cooking, stopped to eat, worked on it while I sat on the bathroom floor while the kids played in the bath, put it on hold to talk to Tucker, took the kids out of the bath and put clothes on them and put them to bed somewhere in there and then watched My Drunk Kitchen with Tucker and I just got done! Hopefully, you’re just as tired from reading that sentence as I am from making that list.

You’re welcome.

So. Many. Seeds.

I was sitting at the dining room table with the seed packets all over the table and Cara was “helping” me “sort” the packets which really means she kept picking them up while I was trying to figure out just how soon I needed to get some of these guys started.

Answer? YESTERDAY! ACK!!!

Specifically my peppers–something I never thought I’d type or say–need to be in the “ground” eight to ten weeks before being transferred. I have four varieties of peppers. I really only want maybe two pepper plants per variety. Oh, shit. This is starting to sound like math. Word problems. Math. Someone help me!

So I’m sitting there and staring at the seed packs since I have faith in their ability to TELL MEEEEE how exactly I’m supposed to ONLY end up with two plants per pack when I was sent a bajillion seeds in each pack. Am I just supposed to flip those other seeds the bird? Do I start a bunch extra in case the “chosen” happen to be duds?

An heir and a spare, if you will.

Too much math. Writing brain wants to stick its fingers–if brains had fingers–in its ears–if brains had ears in which to stick said fingers of the brain–and scream, “LALALLALALALLALAL!!!” Again, assuming said brain with said fingers and said brain ears has said brain mouth…and a vocabulary.

I just want some dirt. And I want a seed. And I want it to grow up and be amazing. And then I want to eat what comes from that amazing science stuff.

It’s the little things, people!

I went into Ollie’s room to tuck him in last night and found someone had shivved Curious George.

“What happened to George?”

“He had a rip.”

“You found him with a rip in his neck or you created one with Cara’s wand?”

“He had a rip.”

Can’t blame a boy for sticking to his story.

Tucker took a picture of George for me so I could post it–he’s supportive like that.

In the body of Tucker’s email with the aforementioned stuffed George: “Oh the george-manity!!!”

I hate it when Tucker’s funnier than me.

So Blissdom is like a month or so away and I’m finally writing my post. Don’t judge. It’s been a hard week…or month…it’s been HARD!

ANYWAY!

I started my Blissdom Twitter list last night.

It took some doin’.

 

I may be TOO proud of myself but I feel I deserve the pride. This was my first list! Be proud of me!

So I’m one of the Blissdom Community Leaders and my “niche” is as a New Person person. I know there’s a technical/official term for the folks who should look me up but that’s eluding me at this present moment.

Basically, find me if you’ve never been to Blissdom and/or you’ve never been to a conference. I’ve been the “new girl” at a conference before. I know how it feels to think no one wants to talk with you. To feel like everyone’s giving you that look; you know the one I’m talking about.

I also know what it’s like to go to an ENORMOUS conference and be completely overwhelmed. The only difference between the little conferences and the big ones is you have more people to meet at the big ones. More people to get to interact with..more people to really get to know.

Cause that’s what conferences are about.

Here’s my video at E3 this year. I say “hands-on” way too many times but I was THERE and I met so many awesome folks.

E3 had +47k people. I managed to make it through without a mental breakdown. If I can do something like that, believe me when I say you can too!

Blissdom, for me, is a place I can go where I know folks and can feel “safe.” I know that sounds dumb, but it’s true. There are so many folks there who are right where you are. Chicks who are just starting out. Chicks who have been doing this blog thing for as long as I have. Chicks who you can learn from. Chicks who you can prop up when they need it.

Remember, even if you’re “new” you can make someone’s day just by saying, “Hi!” The little things are what really matter at a conference where everyone else is just as scared as you are. Promise.

So you’re wondering it you should follow me on Twitter and tag along at Blissdom?

A few things you should probably know about me:

• I have ADD. Like really. Shiny? That’s me. Don’t be surprised if I start a sentence and then come back to it 15 minutes later when you’ve completely forgotten the conversation. Just ask Heather Solos. She’ll vouch for me. Poor Heather.
• I’m bouncy. Think Tigger. “The wonderful thing about Amys, is Amys are wonderful things.”
• I drink. Alcohol. If that’s not cool with you, there are TONS of other awesome chicks to pair yourself with. I’m not saying that’s the only thing I do cause that’s just not true but I’m going to be imbibing at the social functions and I know that will turn some of you off.
• My eyebrow is pierce. While this may seem like a minor detail, again, I get some of you aren’t cool with that.
• I curse. Not all the time. Maybe not even part of the time but there are times when it just feels right and I do and you should know that.
• I’m not cool with the cold shoulder and/or the “holier than thou” act. You get me with all my honesty and brashness. I DO possess the art of tact but there are times when things just get to me. I don’t like confrontation so it’s not like I’m going to go all “after school” on someone but that kind of behavior just gets my goat. I hope you’ll understand.
• I’m a gamer and love just about everything pertaining to video games. If you have questions, I’m more than happy to answer them.
• I also know quite a bit about web design and the geek side of things. Again, you have questions? I have answers. “Grabbing the code” might sound scary but it’s easy as pie.

If I haven’t scared you off by now, feel free to follow me on Twitter: TheAmyTucker. Twitter is how I keep up with most people and probably how I’ll keep up with you. Maybe I’ll even start my own hashtag? #NoobAmyTucker, anyone? heh I crack myself up.

I look forward to helping you navigate the many halls of the Opryland Hotel [Hint: It's all about the carpet patterns.] and the many awesome sessions.

I can’t wait to meet y’all!

Everyone knows I’ve had major reservations about Showtime.

A bit of those “reservations” stem from me being a big baby and being bitter about this new expansion having absolutely nothing to do with Seasons from The Sims 2. It’s funny how an expansion that got on my nerves so much–snow in your house, anyone?–could end up being one of my “must haves.”

The other stem of my reservations…or something…has to do with the “social” aspect of the game. Initially, it seemed that sending your preforming Sims to others’ games would be an integral part of the game and that you would be penalized if you didn’t jump on board. Luckily, that seems to not be the case:

SimPort is the new and completely optional feature in The Sims 3 Showtime that allows friends to share their Sims by sending them into each other’s worlds by going on tour. SimPort is brought to you through a fun new menu that looks like a travel journal, allowing you to send your star Sim performers on tour to the venues and stages in your friend’s world to perform special shows. You can also invite a friend to send their Sims in to perform for you. You can customize the stage in your venue with special themed backgrounds, props, lights and special effects before your friend’s Sim arrives to make sure their performance is a hit with your crowd of Sims.

Read all of The Sims 3 Showtime producer Q & A here.

There were a lot of things I was thinking about writing today: how KmartGamer is no more…or it might just be on a break, how I’m a New Person person for Blissdom this year and how that scares the shit out of me but I know it’ll be gravy once I get to Blissdom and about how I’m starting to suspect that this malaise has more to do with the fact I can’t find my iron pills and less about being crazy than I thought.

Just call me Amy the Ironless.

And I need to pick that damn book-in-progress back up and get to work but I’ve put it off for a coon’s age cause I have to start at the beginning and fix what I broke but didn’t realize was broken and it’s not something I can just hold off on and start right now and THEN go back and fix it because it would bug me. And that all made complete since to me. What? You can’t keep up? Old school roller skates are the way to go.

But when I get right down to it, I just don’t feel like writing. So I’m just going to ramble since that’s what I excel at doing.

So maybe instead of calling me Amy the Ironless you should call me Amy the Rambler?

Rambeler?

Rambleer?

Just pick one of those and go with it.

To complete this post of random proportion, watch this video. My favorite line?

“Don’t knead your dough too much cause that leads to co-dependency.”

And we all slept until almost 10.

Hasta Velveeta, y’all.

Since the post from earlier was such a downer, I figured I’d post this to lighten the mood.

You’re welcome.

Pee Wee Herman shared this on Facebook and now I’m sharing it with you.

I’m writing this today but I’m going to post this tomorrow so you jump in your time machine and figure all that out.

The reason the time matters to me is that I know tomorrow I’ll be OK. Tomorrow I hope I’m OK. When this posts, I’ll know. Probably.

Yesterday–today–was a rough fucking day.

Cara and Ollie were/are like they always are: they’re kids. They fight. They hit. They holler. They cry. They’re little cavemen and it’s my job to shape that behavior. At least in a perfect world, right?

Tucker called home around lunch time and he just sounded…off. I don’t know how else to describe it. And I got off the phone with him fast because I was being a bitch and I knew it but I wanted to blame him because it’s easier that way.

I just wanted to run away. I wanted to hide. I wanted to go. To…not be anywhere.

Did I want to kill myself? Hell no. Did I want to die? No. Did I want to hurt myself? Nope. Did I feel like an utter and complete failure at everything, totally and completely. Yeah, yeah I did/do.

Everything was/has been setting me off and by “setting me off” I mean I was/have been crying at the drop of a hat. Sappy song? Yeah. Nice comment on Facebook? That, too.

I felt/feel worthless and realized/realize it’s getting close to when I’m going to have to figure out some way to explain some of this to Cara.

I didn’t spend all day in bed. I got them cereal. I cooked lunch. I made/am about to make dinner. I put on makeup but didn’t take a shower. I’m still functioning. But Cara knows something just ain’t right and…well…fuck me.

She’s five. She doesn’t deserve this stupid bullshit.

I’m tired of using the dumb past/present tense crap. I’m sitting here watching the kids play some dumb Lego video game and I’m about to cry. Seriously? How dumb is that? Granted, the game does blow…

The “sometimes Mommy gets sad” talk isn’t one I want to ever have.

Fuck. Me.

And now I have to make dinner.

Every so often, I end up with a bunch of videos I think are badass and all I want to do is SHARE THEM with you. And share them I shall! [Mom, I wrote about Cara yesterday. You can find that HERE.]

I have a whole feed for just this sort of thing. It’s the “Geeky” feed and you can find it below this and every post on Taste Like Crazy.

The Geeky feed brings you anything I write that has to do with videos I’m digging, video games I’m loving and/or hating and basically anything having to do with tech that’s getting me off at that point in time.

This first video is of a guy drawing his dad…with dots. Lots and lots of dots.

The next is “An arts and crafts history of the world.” It’s actually a music video for Thick As Thieves which I rather quite like.

This entire YouTube channel is nothing but this cat Maru. But that’s OK since Maru is damn cute.

Little known fact: I got my first job in radio because of Fatboy Slim; I won a CD of Fatboy Slim at the local radio station and ended up with a DJ job.

You know how people will call just about anything amazing and they’re talking about their dog learning how to pee outside or something mundane? Take heart! This video is amazing as in:

1. Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
2. Startlingly impressive.

[Watch for Ponyo.]

Last one is a cover of Gnarls Barkley. Here’s a super cool version in case you don’t know what song I’m talking about:

And here’s the cover by Kevin Hammond.

And those are all the videos that I’ve been meaning to share with you. If you have any you’re rocking right now, leave them in the comments section. Try and keep them to the NOT TOO sessay kind.

A while back I wrote about Sims 3 Legacies getting me excited to play Sims 3 again and I played my heart out. After a pretty long Sims 3 drought/burnout, I finally was enjoying the game again. I’ve been running only the base game and Pets with a Stuff Pack or two and some custom content.

I was having a blast.

And then EA announced the newest Sims 3 expansion pack: Showtime and I just got so damn tired. Maybe it’s because I write about games–not just Sims 3–and I know things have to keep moving forward but it’s just so freakin’ endless. Just when you start to enjoy a game, another comes out and there’s something new to try.

I’m usually game to hop on that wagon and go along for the ride but Showtime just leaves me feeling…blah. It’s that “blah” feeling that makes me wonder if it’s not so much the marching on of games that has been getting me down as it is the next expansion.

Showtime doesn’t DO it for me. No fuzzy feelings. No “HOLY SHIT! THAT’S AMAZING!!!” moments. Know what would give me that feeling?

If this bear was real and not just a prop:

Basically I’m waiting on a trick performing bear. Give me that and I might be drug by my the heels out of this funk.

Maybe.

I have a video all ready for me to edit down of Cara reading a Little Bear Beginning Reader book that we’ve had for a coon’s age that I’ve been reading to her since she was about three. She’s now five. We’ve gotten my money’s worth out of that book.

I’ve watched the video a couple of times to figure out how I wanted to cut the part where I had to get Cara a tissue cause she’s still getting over kennel cough–heh–and as I watch it, I see Cara’s reading some of the words but some of the words she has memorized.

I’m not talking “sight words” memorized. I’m talking the chick has memorized the damn book and she’s retelling it! Stop. That!

This is whole new territory for me since I have to repeat someone’s phone number in my head about a bazillion times as I flail around for a pen and/or pencil and/or blood so I can write down said number before someone says something else that shall throw my mind into a tizzy.

There have been times when I’ve asked Cara what really happened whenever whatever happened. Cara always has the answers.

I am SO SCREWED in a couple of years.

I tried to grow things when we were in the apartment and I managed to grow an impressive cache of purple basil I bought at Target on a whim. I have no clue as to what variety it was but it looked like these Dark Purple Opal Basil plants. That stuff grew like crazy and I used it in just about anything I could think of since I had so much of it. It didn’t have a strong basily flavor and was just so pretty…I just realized I miss my purple basil.

At any rate, Ollie was a youngin then and hadn’t developed the self-control required to keep his fat, little fingers out of my pots so Ollie pulled up all of my purple basil and then ground them up. That was the end of my basil growing days while we were in the apartment.

I’ve recently started reading about raised beds since our new backyard has massive drainage issues and DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW COMPLICATED THIS STUFF CAN GET?!

ONLY use rot resistant, untreated wood. Railroad ties are OK. Don’t worry about chemicals in the wood since they won’t leach into the soil. Use whatever you want but use a BPA-free plastic to cover the wood. ANY PLASTIC is evil. Don’t use the dirt from your yard. Don’t use compost. Definitely don’t use any sort of paper product in your compost. GMO plants/seeds are OK. GMO plants/seeds will cause you to sprout an extra arm.

And now my head hurts.

My mom’s mom had a garden until she physically couldn’t and I’m talking a HUGE garden. My father’s mother still makes a garden every year. The woman’s like 95 or something. That’s what I call dedication. The one thing that always struck me, even when I was little, was how easy they made it look. Sure they weeded and you had to till the ground and there was physical labor involved but they seemed unconcerned about the setting up of their garden. They just tossed in the seeds, complained about the birds and then their gardens just seemed to grow.

Surely it’s not as complicated as some of these websites make it out to be. Right? Surely it doesn’t cost as much as some of these websites say, right? Right?!

So I’ve made a sub-category especially for the garden so I can record the whole screwed up journey. Otherwise I’ll forget what I did and didn’t do. My memory’s broken. I gave the sub-category a fancy name: Garden.

At this very moment, this post is the only one in that sub-category but more will follow. You can receive emails specific to the Food and Drink category–which includes the Garden sub-category–if you subscribe to the baby feed below this post. Click on the Food and Drink icon and you’ll be good to go.

Since I blamed Sophie the Pitbull for giving us kennel cough and then drugged her up on hydrocodone and generally maligned her, I figured I would post a video of Sophie being a very good dog.

I mean, it’s not like she uses the computer anymore but at least this makes me feel better.

When I wrote about my eye trying die, I never expected I would still be experiencing crud. But it’s a different crud and everyone in the house is affected.

Including Sophie.

I’ve decided to blame Tucker for getting Sophie sick. There’s no scientific merit to said blame but it’s fun. So anyway, Sophie started coughing night before last and wouldn’t stop. It was this hacking nastiness that made you think she had something stuck in her throat. I would have felt bad for her if I wasn’t sure she was going to keep us up all night.

I was worried she had bronchitis that was going to move into pneumonia and that would be a suck way to die so the kids and I took Sophie to the vet. Apparently the bitch–has two meaning and both are apt–has kennel cough. The dog that’s vaccinated against everything under the sun has kennel cough.

Sonofa…

Apparently, while she was boarded at the vet over Christmas, there was a dog being boarded that was coughing. And Sophie got sick since apparently the Bordatella vaccine is kind of like a flu shot: it doesn’t protect 100% but will probably make symptoms less severe if you get sick. She got a bottle of “cough suppressant” medicine, AKA, hydrocodone–which made me think of Three 6 Mafia’s Sippin’ on Some Syrup cause I’m gangsta like that–and is blissfully doped up and not coughing. But we all are.

Damn.

Another fun fact: you can catch “kennel cough” from your dog since the disease is caused by bacteria and not a virus so it’s not vector specific.

Sonofa…

Have a great Saturday. We’re going to stay inside and do absolutely nothing except play video games and cough.

 

It’s not as yummy as bacon but it’s damn close.

“Throat is on fire. Kits sexting better thug.” IS NOT the same as, “Throat is on fire. Kids seem better though.”

Damn you, Swype! Dumb phone.

Today is my birthday.

I am not a fan of birthdays if they happen to belong to me and it looks like this particular birthday will be one of my least favorite.

Not only am I 30 today but my right eye feels like someone stuck tiny little needles under my eyelid. It started a couple of days ago and since then, I’ve been living like a cave person; all of the blinds stay drawn. No light for this girl.

Tucker went back to work today after having been home for a coon’s age…which sucks since it’s my birthday and since it’s my birthday, he should be home. Stupid jobs. Stupid responsibility. Doesn’t the world realize it’s my birthday and what I say goes?

To increase the birthday suck awesomeness, the kids are both sick. BUT, know what’s EVEN MORE AWESOME?! The Kung Fu Panda game has enthralled Cara and Ollie so that’s what they’re giving me for my birthday: them playing Kung Fu Panda so I can sit on the couch and watch Being Human on Netflix as I old my ice pack to my eye.

I’ve made this a tradition on Taste Like Crazy. I’ve done it every year for…several years and if I was the counting type then I’d go back and look. Let’s just leave it at a “tradition” shall we? I write! I don’t count!

This past year has been full of ups and downs but aren’t they all?

I’m pretty shocked I’ve ended up with this many posts I want to rehash.

At any rate, let’s just get to the posts, shall we?

My Favorite Posts on Taste Like Crazy from 2011

1. My Left Boob – My left boob decided to produce blood. Which isn’t normal in any country…or boob…or whatever.
2. Get ‘em Checked – I made this because of #1. I’m pretty proud of it.
3. Show the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Keep Going – Sometimes life is roses and sometimes life really, really sucks. Hiding the suck doesn’t help anyone.
4. The Belly Rub of Vulnerability – Sometimes going to vulnerable is where we have to go before we can be…free.
5. Four Pieces of One Heart - “That’s why the heart has four chambers; everyone gets one piece.”
6. KmartGamer: Take Me To E3 with You! – I entered a contest to go to E3 with Kmart. And then I crossed my fingers.
7. I Can Be Your Rock – I seem to excel at being a wimp. And then my husband needed me to be strong.
8. Do We Pay Too Much Attention To Our Kids? – How much attention is too much when it comes to our kids?
9. Sophie, The Goat Pit Bull, Ate Two Pounds of Homemade Caramel – I really like this one because I’m petty.
10. Ollie. A Bead. The Emergency Room. – As the title implies, Ollie put a bead in his ear. It was LOADS of fun.
11. I’m Going To E3 Cause I’m a Winner – Apparently crossing fingers helps you win contests to E3 since I won. WOOT!
12. We’re Evacuees Because of the Alabama Tornadoes – There were lots and lots of tornadoes and it was very scary. That doesn’t even begin to describe it.
13. Step By Step Easy Sun Dried Tomatoes Recipe – Super easy way to make “sun dried tomatoes.”
14. Six Good Things I Love. Six Bad Things I Hate. All A Part of Me – Good and bad…whatever. It’s just the way it is, right?
15. Self-Doubt and Green Haired Gilbert – When you write long enough–read that as when you’ve written for like a minute or so–you’ll encounter Gilbert. But Gilbert will probably be named something else. Just read the post. You’ll understand afterwards.
16. Video of Me At E3 – I include this because Cara said I have to include it. And who am I to argue with a five year old?
17. Father’s Day Comedic Gold: Hooker or a Maid? – It was funny at the time. In fact, it’s still funny.
18. Homemade Playdough Recipe – Playdough gets old and drys up and that costs money since you have to buy more. Solution? Make your own.
19. Falling – I wrote this a long time ago but I still love it even if Heather thinks it reeks of angst. Which, I guess it does.
20. I Spank My Kids – And then she wrote that.
21. Muse vs Plotting: Who Wins in a Cage Fight? – There’s the Muse and there’s plotting. Which is best? Which wins?
22. Sparkly Crotch and a Dance Fight – I’m not sure what’s going on either but it’s pretty awesome.
23. Suicide: The One Who is Fighting the Battle with Himself. – “Be a thorn in their side.”
24. The Night I Thought Tucker was Dead – I thought he was dead but he wasn’t. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared as hell at the time.
25. The Military: They’re Just Doing Their Jobs But Don’t Forget Them – I come from a long line of military and Tucker is Navy. I have some thoughts on this whole military thing.
26. Yesterday At Gymnastics or When Ollie Melts Down and Moms Are Cool As Hell – Who knew it only took a massive toddler meltdown to make one realize how cool people can be?
27. Where Do I Go From Here? – I still don’t have an answer for this one but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good post.

Tucker and I have reached an impasse.

He thinks old tech is old tech and that our kids aren’t missing anything by having not been exposed to ancient things like tapes, Playstations and printed dictionaries.

I hold that it’s a sad day indeed when Cara asks what cassette tapes are and then gazes in awe at Mom’s old wedding album and it wasn’t just because Mom was so young.

Then there’s the deal with the books.

I’ve always been a reader and I’m not quite sure how many paperbacks I currently have in my possession. And books take up a lot of space. Just ask Tucker if you don’t believe me. In fact, he’s spent the past several hours stuffing my books into our bookshelf. If Tucker had his way, all of those books would be digital and we wouldn’t have a book shelf.

But I can’t give up my books. Memories are attached to each and every one of those books. There’s a reason why it was always a bad idea for my Books manager to assign me to alphabetize the Children’s Section when I worked at the Hasting’s.

The feel and the smell of old books just does it for me. If you “get” it then you know exactly what I’m talking about. I love the old but I also love the new…

So maybe it isn’t so much that Tucker and I have reached an impasses as me, myself and I have reached an impasse?

I’m not afraid of tech. I embrace it. We pay the high price of being early adopters. The monetary high price. Technology can be a fabulous thing. I own a plethora of electronic books; they fit great on my phone. But every time I buy a book on Amazon and download it to my phone, I feel like I’m cheating.

The King is dead. Long live the King?

What side do you come down on? Leave me a comment cause I can’t tell if I’m just being a sentimental oaf or if Tucker’s just stupid…or both…

Heh.