Judge Not...

A few things have come to a head this week to inspire this post.

It started on Monday, when my friend Mitch and I had some interesting conversations over coffee (well, tea) on a variety of topics, including being judgmental of others, and how we ought to refrain from it. We didn't delve into this topic deeply, but I feel like even that brief discussion opened my eyes and ears to picking up that same message elsewhere.  

On Tuesday, I read a blog post from Dan Pearce, of Single Dad Laughing fame, that summed up, quite humorously, the various ways people not only butt into your business, but judge you for the things you do and the decisions you make. I saw myself in quite a few of these, both as having been a recipient of said judgment, and in being guilty of judging others:

http://www.danoah.com/2013/02/20-things-that-aint-none-of-your-business.html/

I'm currently in the midst of reading "The Grace Awakening" by Chuck Swindoll, and yesterday I got to a chapter about letting go. The main point was that God's grace allows you the freedom to either choose to follow him or succumb to the same sinful temptations you were unable to fight off without his help. This freedom, however, also extends to others and how you deal with them. If they are to have true freedom to pursue grace, then you must let them go, and that means refraining from interfering with their decisions. It's up to God to work through those decisions and work in their lives, and it's not up to you to decide what constitutes a poor decision or a good one. In other words: butt out, don't judge, and just continue to show them love and compassion.

Then today I came across this graphic posted on Believe Out Loud's page:

I liked it because, as I've stated in previous blog posts, the whole "love the sinner, hate the sin" adage has never sat well with me. And today it occurred to me that the "hate the sin" portion is actually a form of judgment. And judgment, by its very nature, is unloving. So how can you love yet hate at the same time? You can't.

Some might interpret this to mean that loving the person without hating the sin means condoning his sin, but I don't believe that's the case. A person's sin should not be within our realm to pass judgment on-- that is solely God's domain. It's not even our business to decide what is and what isn't sin. Again, that's entirely between God and the "sinner". All we can do, all we should do, is take our fellow, fallible human being and love them.

And how best to love someone than by refraining from passing judgment on them?

Of Maids and Muscle

This past weekend, in between meeting up with friends, both old and new, I got a chance to partake of two things that are pretty much on opposite ends of the "edifying" spectrum.

On Saturday, I had a chunk of downtime between brunch with the old UCSB Geeks and dinner/karaoke with my SB friends. So after cleaning the house, I settled into my chaise and promptly got lost in what is now one of my favorite books: "The Help"

I got the hardcover version, so it was a pretty sizeable tome. And one of the reasons I can zip through books like that so quickly is that I tend to skip over the long, rambling paragraphs that describe a setting or a character. Impatient as always, I prefer to go straight for the action and dialog. So for most fiction books like that, I really end up reading only about 80% of the entire book.

Not so with this one. This is one of those rare books where I slowly savor every single word. The writing is so good that the characters come vividly alive-- I can picture them and hear their voices in my mind. Of course, since I'd never seen the movie, the characters ended up looking a lot like characters from Downton Abbey, which I'm currently in the midst of watching ;-)

Moreso than an enjoyable read, however, it offered a good glimpse into what life was like in the South in the 1960's-- a time when racial tensions ran rampant. Not unlike "To Kill a Mockingbird", another perennial favorite. And I particularly enjoy books that are fiction at the core, but deal with real historical events.

When I got home from karaoke at around midnight, I couldn't resist picking the book back up-- and promptly stayed up till past 2:00am, finishing it. It was that good! Now I can't wait to see the movie-- it's next up in my Netflix DVD queue :-)

So after that edifying Saturday, I took a turn in the opposite direction on Sunday, when my friend Leah and I got together at my place to watch "Magic Mike".

I came into this movie with extremely low expectations. Which, of course, meant that it exceeded them :-) The plot was thin, but the acting was actually pretty decent. And I did like how they portrayed how the tables were turned-- how the men were used and objectified and seen as nothing more than a piece of meat, much like many women in today's society still are. I'm not entirely sure if the social commentary was intentional or not, but I definitely caught it.

The actual dance scenes, which comprised about half the movie, were okay. I confess that the main draw for me was Matt Bomer (whom I love as Neal Caffrey on "White Collar"), so I was a bit bummed that I didn't get to see much of him (hooray for deleted scenes, at least!)
Channing Tatum is not really my idea of eye candy. He's too overbuilt for my taste, and I don't find his face pretty in the least. What I was impressed by, however, were his dance moves. You wouldn't think that a big guy like that would be able to move so fluidly, but he did!
And Matthew McConaughey gyrating in a G-string? Not a scene I'd like to relive again, thank you very much. He's a little too old for that, and I just felt sort of sad and full of pity when I watched him do that last dance scene at the end.

"Magic Mike" was an enjoyable way to waste a couple of hours, especially since I got to hang out with Leah, whom I haven't seen since before her now-2-year-old began talking! But it further reinforced the notion that this is how I prefer my men: neat, fit, clean-shaven (for the most part, anyway), and dressed smartly:

Friday Five: Attraction Edition

Haven't done a Friday Five in ages, and lately Blogthings has been hosting their own Friday Five, so I thought I'd draw from them. Plus it gives me a chance to take one of their quizzes-- the answers of which are usually quite obvious, but are fun little time-wasters nevertheless :-)

Today's Friday Five is about attraction:

1. How accurate are your first impressions of people?
2. In your view, what sort of vibe do you give off?
3. If you’re in a crowd of strangers, what sort of people do you gravitate towards?
4. What is more likely to attract you to someone – their voice or their scent?
5. What Type Do You Fall For? Take the quiz and share your result. Is it true?

1. I've never been known for being an accurate judge of character, especially not with first impressions. But I think I get it right more than half the time. Maybe it's because I've gotten older and have had more experience dealing with different types of people, and can more easily detect the same patterns?

2. I like to think I give off a happy, carefree, approachable vibe. I feel like I'm more successful at it now than when I was younger, and I think that's maybe because I'm already settled and have no need to try and impress anyone.

3. I would gravitate towards people giving off the same vibe: happy, carefree, sociable and friendly. Maybe also the wallflowers, just because that what I usually was in social situations-- hanging back, feeling shy and timid, nervous about approaching other people. Sometimes it's a real relief to  have someone approach you and strike up a conversation. I'm still mindful of what it was like to be in their shoes, so I sympathize.

4. Ooooh, that's a tough one! A deep, beautiful voice (think Josh Turner) can make any girl swoon, and I'm no exception. But I think scents would do it more for me. In particular, I like a clean, fresh, crisp scent-- like a guy has just showered, put on freshly laundered clothes (I LOVE the smell of clothes laundered in Tide!), and applied just a little dab of aftershave. No cologne necessary-- in fact, I'd wager to say that most colognes would be too overpowering, even in small doses. A natural, fresh, clean scent is more to my liking. There is, after all, something to be said for the phenomenon of pheromones ;-)

5. Well, here are the results of my quiz:

You Fall for the Guy or Girl Next Door Type

You think that people make love too complicated, and what you want in a partner happens to be pretty simple. You're content with someone who's nice, attractive, honest, and normal. So how come that's so hard to find? You are fairly traditional, and you value security in relationships more than most people. It's important for you to find someone loyal. When you find the right person, you don't expect much from him or her. You're just happy to be together.

What Type Do You Fall For?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

I think it's pretty accurate. I've never been one for the dark, mysterious, bad-boy type. Or the dashingly handsome muscle dude that EVERY girl wants. This is pretty much evidenced by my "top 5" list that I blogged some years ago, and that hasn't really changed much (except to add Silas Weir Mitchell to the list-- whom, as you can see, also fits neither the "bad boy" or the "gorgeous hunk" type).

How about you?

Karaoke Ring of Death: The top of your playlist

Although I recorded mine in December for December's theme, the actual posting got pushed back a month in an effort to drum up more participation. I'm hoping that it was just the hectic holiday season that kept people busy, but if you like singing and don't mind recording yourself, I'd encourage you to give Karaoke Ring of Death a try! You can always check out more at:

http://karaokeringofdeath.wordpress.com

Anyway, this month's theme was the song that's been dominating the top of your playlist. I get to host Heather of Musings of a Girl, who bravely takes on one of the toughest songs anyone can do: Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". And if that wasn't enough, she rocks it a cappella, as well!



You should be able to find my song (Helly in stereo, again-- and since I recorded it right before Christmas, you can guess what kind of music was on my playlist at the time!) on Edwin's blog: http://blog.myadultbrain.com/

However, since it doesn't appear to have been updated with even November's KROD, here's a link to my video on YouTube in the meantime:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW7LL7r2y2M

Enjoy! :-)

Karaoke Ring of Death: Catchy Songs

This month's KROD coincides with the last day of NaBloPoMo, so I get to sign off this month of blogging with a bang! 

Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration. The theme for November was "catchy songs"-- that song you just can't get out of your head ;-) I get to host Edwin of My Adult Brain, who sings Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go". His commentary at the beginning is very apt, because that's exactly what happened to me-- was just starting to "get over" a song that had been stuck in my head for a while, and then having to actually sing the whole thing for KROD just extended that :-P

Anyway, watch Edwin reach for some of those high notes:


Catchy KROD from Edwin Schippers on Vimeo.

As for my own video, I had a brainworm that was, just like May's 80's theme, inspired by an episode of Glee. It also happened to be a duet and a song that I HAVE to lower at least 3 half-steps in key, so finding a duet partner on SingSnap, where I normally do my online karaoke, was a challenge. After a while of listening to various videos done in the normal key, I realized I had picked up enough of the harmony to just do the whole enchilada myself. So I decided to do just that.

You can catch Helly in stereo (both acoustically AND visually) at Kanriah's blog:

http://oneredwall.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/catchy-karaoke/

And of course, the main Karaoke Ring of Death website:

http://karaokeringofdeath.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/novembers-master-list-is-catchy/

How To Be German

One of the long-standing jokes amongst our circle of friends is that Allan is more Asian than I am, and I am more European (specifically, German) than he is. He likes Asian cuisine, while my idea of "Asian" is Panda Express.  And I favor meat-and-potatoes type dishes, anyway. He can eat with chopsticks, a feat I have not yet accomplished. I speak German in addition to English, he only speaks English. In other words, I am a Twinkie and he is an egg ;-)

Yesterday my friend Nick shared this article (by way of our friend Ulf) with me: http://venturevillage.eu/how-to-be-german-part-1

I about fell out of my chair laughing at each point, because not only did I wholeheartedly agree, but I could totally relate! Some of my favorites:

(you should be sleeping in a double bed made up of two single mattresses and two single duvets). What it lacks in nocturnal romance, it more than makes up for in practicality... 
Long before Allan and I got separate beds, we had already gotten separate comforters. There was no other way around it, because of our different temperature tolerances. Either he would have been too hot, or I would have been too cold. In keeping with Americans' penchant for luxury and excess, however, we did not get two twin mattresses pushed together. Instead, we got two double beds pushed together, creating the effect of one really gigantic bed. So I can totally related to the practicality of this.

Doesn't it look like one really HUGE bed?

21. Eat German "bread"This and the note on German breakfasts made my mouth water. I remembered the spread of fresh baked bread with butter, a variety of meats and cheeses, as well as sweet spreads like honey and fruit preserves. Oh man. If I had time to eat proper breakfasts in the morning before work, and if I could have access to steaming hot, fresh, Broetchen, I'd be in heaven.

...start accepting the three central tenets of Germanism. The three P’s. Planning, Preparation, Process.
as well as:
Make spreadsheets, charts and lists.
and best of all:
Just because they call it spontaneity, doesn’t mean it can’t be scheduled.

Hee hee. All I can say is: spreadsheets, anyone? ;-)

The language part had me rolling, as well. I won't even copy and paste my favorite parts here, it would consist of most of that section! Suffice it to say that I agree that English can be difficult to pronounce (more exceptions than rules), but relatively easy, grammar-wise. It's the opposite with German: easy to pronounce (just a few rules to follow and you're set), but incredibly difficult grammar, mostly because of the 3 different gender articles.

Germans fear any beverage that doesn’t fizz... Related to this is Apfelsaftschorle.
Truer words were never spoken. Apfelschorle, if you don't know, is apple juice mixed with carbonated water. To me, it's gross. I remember all too well the difficulty I had, trying to order a drink in a German restaurant. There was no such thing as non-carbonated water, and you didn't want to drink the stuff out of the tap. I always had to ask for juice, and even then I had to make sure to emphasize that I wanted JUICE, not Schorle. 

Here, meat is the linchpin of every meal. Being a vegetarian here is probably about as much fun as being blind at the zoo.
I don't think I need to expound on this. All my previous posts about our trips to Brummi's should evidence this well enough. 

19. Do Nothing on Sundays.
This reminds me of when I first came back to the US after serving my 4-year active duty stint in Mannheim with the Army. It was about 10:30pm on a Sunday night, and my mom needed groceries. So we hopped in the car and hit the local supermarket. It was a bit of reverse culture shock. I was not used to anything being open both late at night AND on a Sunday to boot! It was kind of nice knowing that you had at least one "day of rest" every week. Workaholic Americans could take a cue from the Germans in this regard!

There was more in that article (and the subequent parts 2 and 3) that I found hilarious, but these are just the highlights of my absolute favorites. I think Nick can attest to the fact that I was IMing him with a "LOL, OMG, soooo true" reaction at each new paragraph ;-)

So go on and read it. Have a laugh. And see how much you agree :-D

Good Food, Good Company

Few things beat a nice, relaxing evening spent in the company of good friends while we dine on delicious food. Last night, we got together with some friends at Brummi's, our favorite German restaurant, where the food is superb and the service is friendly, personable, and all-around awesome.

I've waxed often enough about the food and experience at Brummi's, so this time I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves :-)

Parking, which is normally abundant either behind the restaurant or on State Street right in front of it, was unusually scarce last night. I think part of it is because of the new cocktail lounge next door, which replaced the dive bar that used to be there. Anyway, despite being a bit late, we were still the first to arrive, and immediately settled down and set up shop with our cameras ;-) Here are some of the new table decorations:

Nick and Michelle were the next to arrive after us, and Allan aimed his camera at the door when we saw them walking up through the window.

Don't they look like celebrities making a grand entrance? ;-)

We didn't intend it this way, but the table division wound up such that the three Asians sat on one side, while the white folks sat on the other side. And at the head of the table? Straddling the divide? None other than Todd, of course! How appropriate!

Nick, Michelle, and me

Allan, Mitch, Anna, and Ulf

Anna and Ulf, wearing their best loving expressions

 

Cheers for the whole table! Yes-- those large beers are 1-liter portions.

We had a good time, hanging out, even though the conversation kept devolving, from dancing-as-euphemism-for-swinging, to testicles-as-speedbags and worse. Nothing spells a good time like raucous laughter with a good meal ;-)

We all got to partake of Veronika's Oktoberfest special, the Schweineshaxen (pork shank), in addition to the usual German delicacies like potato pancakes, potato dumplings, schnitzel, spaetzle, and soft, steaming pretzels :-9

Finally: dessert time! Veronika had made a delicious Black Forest cake that was super moist, and super delicious, mostly because the cake wasn't as icky sweet as most other cakes.

Veronika and I pose with the sumptuous cake

I, of course, opted for my usual Apfelkeuchlein (apple fritters) with homemade vanilla sauce. Tonight they were even bigger than usual-- thicker slices of apple, and more dough. No complaints from me-- it's always delicious!

A little slice of German mouth heaven

Ready to dig in. Guten Appetit!

We wound up staying at the restaurant for nearly FOUR hours. We all arrived around 6:30pm and didn't leave until past 10:00pm. By the time we got home and put Todd to bed, I could barely keep my eyes open, packing things for his lunch the next day. And I felt a little bad that we left a full hour after closing, but we all had a great time, even if we didn't get to break out into Veronika's favorite German song ;-) I'm sure the non-singers in the group were grateful! All in all, a really great evening with delicious, filling food, great ambience, and lots of wacky conversations with our friends. I'd call the night a success!

The "Other Men" In My Life

... besides my husband, of course. There's the obvious: the boy. I'm not sure he really counts, though, because he's equally the "other person" in Allan's life, too.

But there ARE two other actual men in my life that fulfill needs that my husband can't/won't.

Hehe.

Ponder that one for a minute ;-)

Now get your minds out of the gutters :-P I'm talking about two of my hobbies: singing karaoke and country dancing.

For the past two and a half years, my buddy Nick has been my singing partner. He's an awesome singer in his own right, and we often tackle duets together at karaoke. I think we sound good together, mainly because he's so flexible, adaptable and good at harmonizing. I can always count on Nick to join me in something that I may not feel 100% comfortable doing on my own.

Here's a sampling, a song we've done so often that it's sort of become our "trademark": http://sandywessel.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-krod.html


More recently, I've taken up country dancing. It started with line dancing, as I had zero dance experience of any kind, and it seemed like the logical place to start-- very methodical with its prescribed steps, and a solo endeavor, so I could focus on my own feet first. After I took some lessons, I began going to Creekside for their Wednesday country nights, and that's where I met Mitch.

I didn't think I would be interested or even ready for partner dancing until Mitch roped me in during some of the two-step and West Coast swing rotations at Creekside. I decided it wasn't so bad after all, and we ended up taking a couple lessons here and there together. Since we were both beginners, it was nice to have a partner that I felt comfortable with. Not having to worry about being self-conscious allowed me to focus on learning how to dance. And though I've gained a bit more experience since this summer, and have danced with a variety of partners (some quite experienced, even!) at Borderline, Creekside, and UCSB, Mitch is still one of the best partners I've had. They say that a good lead makes even the most novice of followers look good, and it's so true!

So there you have it. Allan doesn't sing and he doesn't like country music, so I'm happy to be able to partner with Nick and Mitch on those endeavors!

Heaven and Hell

Two years ago, I blogged about how love of God and love for your fellow man is exemplified by actions that pass the "lens of love" test: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2010/11/your-neighbor-that-all-to-it.html. Any "true Christian" behavior should stem from that basic principle.

I think the flip side of that is true, as well: that God loves you and that everything he does for you is likewise through that "lens of love", because he wants what is best for you.

As straightforward as this concept may appear, it also seems at odds with what Jesus said in John 14:6 : "... no one comes to the Father except through me". Many Christians interpret this to mean that if you don't accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior while on this earth, you will forever be condemned to an eternity in hell. I'm not so sure it's that simple, and to me, it doesn't jive with the notion of a loving God.

Now, I do actually believe that you only get to God through Jesus. However, I believe it with the following caveats:

1. You can do this after death as well as in life.
2. The way you live your life is the way you live your afterlife (and subsequently, dictates whether you go to "heaven" or "hell")
3. I absolutely do not believe in the literal "fire and brimstone" notion of hell. I believe hell is, quite simply, being removed from God.

Allow me to expand further:

One of my favorite books by C.S. Lewis is called "The Great Divorce". In story-like fashion, it paints a picture of what Lewis speculates heaven and hell might be like. Hell is, in essence, populated by self-absorbed people who cannot let go of their earthly desires, be it for money, fame, or physical pleasures. It is a depressing place to live, not because its residents are on fire with sulfur, but because everyone is so self-centered, jealous, greedy, spiteful and everything else they were while alive. Once in a while, a bus arrives from heaven and transports hell's residents to heaven. Heaven is a bright, beautiful, breathtaking place to live, and each passenger meets an "angel" of sorts who tries to persuade him/her to move to heaven. It is not an easy feat: because they are not well-developed, they cannot easily move about heaven. Even walking on blades of grass is a tormenting and near-impossible endeavor. The angels assure them, however, that with time and further development, their ghostly bodies will become stronger and more solid, and better able to navigate the heavenly realm. One by one, however, the angels fail as the passengers shrink away from this notion of hard work, offering up excuse after excuse. One man, a musician, must get back to hell so he can give a grand performance (vanity). Another is unwilling to give up his giant, luxurious mansion in hell (greed). Another man is unable to let go of his addictions (manifested in the form of a demon attached to his shoulder) because he cannot bear the initial, fleeting pain of slaying the demon, and because he has grown accustomed to having this demon around as a crutch. As with everyone else who eventually boards the bus back to hell, he cannot look past his earthly desires and feelings to see that a small amount of pain in giving them up is worth it to be able to live in paradise.

This story exemplifies the notion the way you are now, in life, is the way you will be when you die.

This also ties in to my belief that you have a chance to accept Christ when you die.

HOWEVER. (before you get up in arms about that statement) This does not mean that I believe you can conduct yourself willy-nilly and do anything you like when you're alive, because you've got a "last chance" conversion opportunity the moment you die. It doesn't work that way, either, because it all boils down to the condition of your heart.

The man who religiously attends church, tithes, and outwardly professes piety but inwardly remains full of deception, greed, envy, lust and vanity, will likewise carry these "deadly sins" with him when he dies, affecting his ability to fully embrace Christ, both while living and when dead.

The staunch atheist today? Will continue to be a staunch atheist when he dies. He will carry this closed-heartedness with him, so that even when faced with Jesus himself, he will refuse to believe.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is someone like my grandmother, who is the most selfless, caring and kind person I've ever met-- much more so than many so-called Christians. Her heart and ensuing behavior are the epitome of "Christ-like". But she happened to be raised in a country that had different (or none at all) religious beliefs. Many Christians would say that yes, indeed, she'd spend an eternity removed from God, simply because she wasn't fortunate enough to grow up in a place where God was talked about. I don't buy that. I believe that if she had had the opportunity to learn about God and Jesus while she was alive, she would have readily accepted him. And that's the main thing: she had a heart that was already receptive to Christ! When she died and met her maker, I have no doubt that she willingly accepted him then.

In a nutshell, to me, "going through Christ" does not necessarily involve openly professing belief in him, saying the sinner's prayer, and getting baptized. To me, "going through Christ" means being Christ-like yourself-- having a heart that is open to him. Everything else just naturally flows from there, from accepting God and Jesus to doing what its right, not because it's an "insurance" maneuver to secure a place in heaven, but because it's what you feel is the right thing to do. Going to heaven (i.e. spending eternity in God's presence)? Also flows naturally from all that.

It all boils down to the condition of your heart. God sees your heart, and allows you to respond accordingly, no matter what your circumstances. That, to me, is love.

Clean House

Believe it or not, I'm not a particularly sociable person. Whenever we go out to eat with a group of friends, Allan usually ends up doing more of the conversing than I do. So it's rather surprising that I've found myself enjoying entertaining folks at our own home. We've hosted our church's "Four Course Connection" for a couple of years, and have hosted several home karaoke and game nights, both at our previous apartment and in our current home.

I'd always thought that having folks over to our place would be too much work, but it hasn't felt that way at all. It's actually been kinda fun, taking advantage of our spacious living room and huge front deck.

Best of all, it keeps our place in tip-top shape. We try to do house cleaning every week, but sometimes that falls by the wayside, or we just do the bare minimum (like laundry) when we'd rather relax on a lazy Sunday. Expecting company really jump starts a frenzy of thorough cleaning that our house wouldn't ordinarily get, at least not on ay kind of regular basis.

And after we've given the house a thorough once-over, and company has departed? Well, we try to vow to continue to keep it clean (since maintenance is always easier, right?), but in reality, that usually lasts all of... one day. Maybe two ;-)

So, these days, I welcome regular company. Keeps us on our toes, cleaning-wise!

Belated Friday Five: Laundry!

Feeling lazy tonight, since we just got back home from a fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend in LA. So, since I didn't do a Friday Five yesterday, I thought I'd make up for it by doing it today, and keeping it low-key with a relatively simple set:

1. Washing machine: front-loader or top-loader?
2. Detergent: liquid or powder?
3. Rinse cycle: fabric softener or another additive?
4. And then: clothesline or dryer?
5. Do you fold things straight off the line or out of the dryer? What do you iron (or have someone iron for you)?

1.  Front-loader. They seem to clean more thoroughly than top-loaders, so we're die-hard front-loader users. Fortunately, all the communal washers we've used in our years of apartment living, prior to purchasing our own set, have been front-loaders.

2. Liquid. I feel that it dissolves and is distributed more evenly and cleanly than powder.

3. No additives. The only thing I ever add besides detergent is an occasional splash of bleach, when washing the whites. I do throw in a dryer sheet to keep the dryer load static-free, but that's about it.

4. If we had the space for it, I would totally get a clothesline set up and dry my clothes naturally. It saves energy and is much easier on the clothes. Unfortunately, that isn't an option for us, so I make do with dryer use for hardy clothes like undergarments and jeans, and then hang up clothes that I want to preserve longer (such as Todd's school uniforms-- so expensive!) onto clothes racks and from the shower curtain rod.

5. Only if it's regular clothing like shirts and pants that I don't want to wrinkle. Underwear and socks have been known to sit in the hamper for a few days until I find the time to fold them. I typically only iron my cotton dresses, and since I don't wear dresses THAT frequently, I don't wash them that often either, and hence don't have to iron them regularly. Thank goodness! ;-)

How about you?

Universal Studios

One of the most quintessential theme parks to visit in Southern California is Universal Studios. I mean, come on-- Six Flags is all over the country. Disney is all over the WORLD. But nothing says "LA" and "So Cal" quite like Hollywood.

So it is no surprise that in the many years I've lived in LA, I've been to Universal Studios numerous times. Most of the time, it's to accompany friends/family that visit us from other states and other countries. I always enjoy both the shows and the rides, and I think I actually like it better than Disneyland!

On our wedding night, Allan and I stayed at the Hilton next to Universal Studios, and visited the theme park the next day-- the hotel stay and park tickets were a gift from my parents. I've been there by myself on a company trip when I worked for Amgen.

The last time we were at Universal Studios, we finally got to bring Todd-- it was the summer of 2010, and my cousin and his family were visiting. Their daughter is about Todd's age, so it was especially cute to see the two kids run around and do everything together.

My favorite photo from Universal Studios is from March 2007, when my friend Lisa visited from Wales. She took this picture of Allan posing next to Frankenstein. It's a testament to how freakishly tall Allan is, that Frankenstein needs to wear huge, clunky shoes in order to be just a little bit taller than sandal-clad Allan!

We're planning to go again today, after some purchasing mishaps over the summer (when my parents were yet again entertaining friends from out of the country) left us with a couple extra tickets. Let's see how much has changed in the last couple years!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

The nice thing about participating in NaBloPoMo during the month of November is that there are a few guaranteed days to write about-- our anniversary, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday. The downside to that is that after a while, you run out of things to talk about on the same special day, year after year. For Thanksgiving in past years, I've discussed things I'm thankful for, as well as the food we eat every year.

Fortunately, this year, our friends Nick and Michelle gave me something to write about-- they hosted an "Un-Thanksgiving" dinner at their house this past weekend! They provided the main dishes, we guests provided appetizers, side dishes, dessert and drinks, and voila! A fun-filled meal!

One of the guests, Anna, made tiramisu for dessert. I like tiramisu well enough, but it's not one of my "OMG, best ever!" favorites. But this stuff!? Wow. If all tiramisu was like Anna's concoction, I could totally change my tune on that dessert ;-) Another couple brought homemade chocolate ice cream-- also very delectable. Nothing beats homemade when it comes to ice cream!

And the turkey! Remember how I blogged about how little I actually like turkey? Always too dry for my taste. Even the dark meat. Not this turkey. Well, I didn't eat any of the white meat (I rarely do, on any bird), but the dark meat from the turkey was perfectly done, and so moist and tasty I didn't need to spoon any gravy over it! 

The evening was very relaxing, as well. One of the guests brought her dog, but Nick and Michelle's naughty little beagle couldn't be distracted enough by his canine friend, to avoid jumping up on the table for scraps every chance he got!

Todd and a 2-year-old girl were amongst the kiddie guests, and Todd spent most of the evening playing with some of Nick's video games in the living room. That worked out well-- he wasn't bored by adult chatter in the dining room, and we adults could... well, chatter without having to watch every word we said ;-)

All in all, a very pleasant way to spend a rainy Saturday evening!

Faking Jealousy?

Remember how I asserted that one of the "cons" of husbands is that they are constantly consternating? Well, one of the ways Allan in particular manifests this is that he will intentionally say and do things that get an irritated, annoyed "WTF is wrong with you!?" rise out of me. Sometimes this is physical-- maybe he tries to tickle or poke me, or makes weird faces at me. More often, though, it's verbal, and he'll intentionally say something mocking or provocative just to elicit a consternated, confounded response :-P

There is, however, one technique that would typically work on most women, but doesn't work on me. And that is evoking the green-eyed monster.

Neither of us really gets jealous of the other. We're confident enough in our relationship that we don't worry about that kind of stuff. We understand that it's perfectly natural for us to admire other people besides each other. My take on it is: how can my husband really appreciate me if he's unable to appreciate (the beauty of) other women? It's like admiring and appreciating a beautiful painting in a museum without feeling the slightest impulse to take it home.

So, we don't get jealous when the other spouse talks (or even flirts a little) with someone of the opposite sex. In fact, I actually think it's kinda neat if another woman tries to flirt with Allan-- shows that he's still got it, even in his 40's ;-)

So if jealousy doesn't get a rise out of me, what does? Well, all those other tactics I mentioned above. And these days, with Allan trying those other tactics to intentionally get a rise out of me, I think I may have to resort to faking a jealous response the next time a girl talks to him. Maybe that way, thinking he's fulfilled his "annoy Helly" quota for the day, he'll lay off the actions that TRULY consternate me ;-P

What do you think? Do you think it would work? ;-)

When the Boy's Away...

Since there is no school tomorrow, my parents picked Todd up from school today, to take him to their place for the rest of the week/weekend. So while it's only a few days "off" for us, it's the little things that make it enjoyable.

Like my being able to drive straight home from work, not having to go all the way to school to pick up Todd, and then back home again. Assuming I don't get stuck behind a dozen cars that have no idea how to handle a roundabout, the trip from my office to our front door (well, back door, technically) takes about 6 minutes. These days, that means actually being home *before* it gets fully dark!

Not having to make lunch for Todd the next day. This may seem like a small thing, and in reality the chore takes MAYBE 20 minutes at most, depending on what I'm preparing. But for some reason it's one of those chores that really grinds me down. I think it's because there is more mental effort than physical effort involved. I have to plan ahead for these things, and do things like cook extra rice for dinner so there's enough left over for the next day. It gets so wearisome that I excitedly jump for joy (yes, literally) on days when I don't have to prepare his lunch for the next day.

Watching TV earlier at night, and not having to worry about turning the sound down. I think that speaks for itself ;-)

Since Todd isn't dry at night yet, I've taken to getting him up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom (I'm usually up around 4-5am, myself, to use the bathroom, so I figured I'd just get him up while I was at it). Sometimes I don't time it right and he gets wet before I can get to him, so there's the added chore of changing the sheets. Even on nights when he remains dry all night, just being aware that I need to get him up is enough to interfere with my sleep and keep me alert enough to make sure I get up. Not the most conducive to a restful night's sleep!

So yeah... we're going to enjoy these next couple of days immensely. Not because we have some big plans, but because the little things really add up!