Sing of bad things, not good

Magnet #556 - Sesame Place

Last night, The CW, a network that broadcasts no daytime soap operas, hosted the Daytime Emmy Awards. And, it was quite possibly one of the poorest-produced awards shows I've seen in all my years of watching awards shows.

I know, I know, I should be grateful the darn show is still being televised. But honestly, last night's production was total "amateur-hour" as one of my friends put it. And? She only watched the tail end of the show, where they didn't even have time to squeeze in poor "first time they've ever won in 22 years" Bold & the Beautiful's best drama acceptance speech.

She didn't get to see all the missed cues, silly and weird camera shots/angles, CUs that made no sense, no CUs when there should have been, a lack of dramatic pauses, uneven timing, inane segments that could have been cut for time (it's about the awards, not Vanessa's singing), and commercial breaks that seemed unplanned. Honestly, I was surprised they managed to catch the curse words in that one cute dude's award speech.

I love these awards. Otherwise, I wouldn't have shelled out the bucks to go to them while they were here in town. I love seeing the winners, even when I'm not watching their shows. I love watching the pretty dresses and pretty boys running around. And, I have a sense of how much hard work goes into these productions by hundreds of people, which is why it's upsetting that the result wasn't so hot. But at this rate, they would have been better off saving money and airtime and just putting on a chicken/fish luncheon over at one of the Renaissance ballrooms.

Moving on, today's the last day of August, which I just heard was "What will your legacy be?" month.

Two legacies shared the spotlight last night: Guiding Light goes off the air in September, after 72 years. They put together a pretty good tribute montage, followed by the shortest standing ovation ever for the entire cast on-stage. It was truly sob-worthy - whether or not you watch the show.

And, second, this magnet my friend brought back for me from Sesame Place shows one of the few bright spots of the show - the 40th anniversary spotlight for Sesame Street. They wove them into the show as best they could, with Big Bird and Elmo doing a red carpet interview with Lara what's her name from the pre-show, and then a running gag where ultracute Oscar the Grouch dressed in an old-school ticket-taker uniform, not letting poor Gordon and Elmo into the fabulous Orpheum.

Christina Oh introduced the montage and the cast for their achievement award (not sure why, but who cares, because she had the best cookie wand ever). The montage totally took me down memory lane, of us watching it in class. Watching the medley was superfun, and brought back more recent memories of seeing them here in NY for some other DEmmys.

Fun. Well, up until I saw strings on Big Bird's arm, and then when they were accepting the award, some guy had his arm up Cookie Monster, and moving his lips while Cookie was talking!

I dunno what that's about. We know they're all real, for cookie's sake. I dunno what all those other folks were doing on stage. Heh. (Though, I really do wonder what the parental protocol was for any young children watching. Because that wasn't traumatic - at all!)

I will say my favorite part was Cookie Monster eating the award. That was freakin' awesome. I wonder what flavor an Emmy is. Hee.

Hmmm. Me want cookies now.

eta:
Full list of awards winners here.

Hello, luvah

Magnet #555 - SoapNet's Love

So in complete opposites to my last SoapNet swag magnet for Punk, here's one on Love.

I finally understand Carrie Bradshaw's love of a good shoe.

Despite all the Imelda Marcos jokes that can be made about Filipinos, I'm most certainly not a shoehorse. I'm generally the basic inexpensive brown, black and blue - in heels and casualwear - and I'm a pretty happy camper. Every once in a while, I find a shoe that I fall in love with, and its usually something printed or embroidered with pretty colors.

But yesterday, I found the perfect shoe - comfy, despite its height, and I could walk across the slick poured concrete floor at Fossil, without busting my behind. In two colors, gorgeous black and brown - styled very 40s, with an art-deco'ish (even almost Frank Lloyd Wright-esque) 3.5-inch-heel.

Frankly, the heel is what sold me, because it's just so well designed.

Love.

Then, I went to go look up a picture of the shoe - a picture which totally doesn't do it justice, but I draw the line at taking a picture of my shoes. It's funny and fitting, and somehow Fossil, that their site says my shoe is part of their Vintage Sole collection, and the page header is "It's all about the architecture" and the blurb is all about the lovely design and attention to detail.

Oh, Fossil. How I love you. And especially your outlet store at outlet prices.

eta:
Yes, that's right. I just blogged about a shoe. I had a whole long and frankly lovely post about love in my head this morning, not to mention a good two weddings and another friend's baby due later this year to blog about love. And I still chose the love of a good shoe.

Dang. They better still be wonderful after the first day I wear them!

The tiger stands defender*

Magnet #554 - Princeton Tigers

There was a time I knew the mascot of every single NCAA men's basketball team between the ACC, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, Big 10, and the Big Eight. Yes, it was that long ago.

Seriously. A boy's dream girlfriend - I could list inane stats of the top 10 Div I ballers. After all, it's only expected of a Carolina Girl.

Well, not really. Really, it was because I had the best summer internship - ever. Editorial intern at the publishing house that put out the college basketball previews for most of the conferences listed above. Had to read behind everyone as a last check - on the stories, the players, the stats.

So. Much. Fun. And, they also put out those fabulous commemorative hardcovers for the NCAA basketball champions every year, and they had this terrific library - read, skids of boxes - of past books.

I managed to score the Carolina '93 book, as well as the Carolina '82 book. And of course, I gave them both away to the wrong boy. Man, those would be collectors' items now. Sigh.

Anyway. My friend went out to Princeton for an event, and picked up this Princeton Tiger for me. Supercute! Whiiiiiich is probably not what they were going for in terms of fighting tigers. He looks like he could kill me with his little smirky smirk going on there. Hah.

Actually, years ago, UNC redesigned their mascot, for almost the same reason. The old ram was too lovable looking and meek. And so they changed him to be all mean and unhappy, and quite frankly, scary.

I picked this guy for today because a couple of nights ago, I was talking with some friends about the mascots they had over the years. Interestingly, my sampling of a dozen people yielded several Eagles and Mustangs, Cardinals and Bulldogs. Some of the odder ones were the Wallabies, the Maroons, the Blue and the Aztecs.

Though, my all-time favorite? The Hot Rods. Yeah. Good thing that was an elementary school. Any older and we'd be making jokes all the way through the last buzzer!

*From one of the Tiger fight songs. What? I just got done saying I'm a Carolina Girl, I'm not going around spouting off other people's fight songs!

Openness is the essence*

Magnet #553 - John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Last night, Save the World Sister asked me why I'm not blogging on Ted Kennedy.

My response is two-fold. First and foremost, because it's a magnetblog, and I always feel weird blogging on someone's death. Second, I'm trying to keep from the trending topics on Twitscoop. It's weird, I know, but that's what I'm trying to do.

In the end, I can't deny a birthday request, especially for one who so very much would like to play football with the boys at A Kennedy Thanksgiving. So happy birthday, STWsis, with a birthday compromise.

This magnet is what it says - the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, where Senator Edward M. Kennedy is lying in repose through Saturday. I'm sure he's in that grand, nine-story atrium overlooking the water. And with stormy weather on the horizon, I bet it's simply awe-inspiring.

That's actually what I thought of I.M. Pei's building when I saw it. A little imposing, a little boxy, but still a little awesome. Oddly, it feels like it's marooned out in the middle of nowhere - when you drive up, you see the big black glass box popping up. And then when you're inside, it's even cooler.

I should have known Jackie Kennedy was part of the design process - of course, she'd lean toward Pei's sophisticated, somehow modern yet somehow classic work! I love that when they spoke early on in the process, the man tried to manage her expectations, saying that he'd not done a huge monumental work yet. I love even more that she took a chance on him. And what a result!

You really must visit this museum when you're in Boston. With your ticket, you get JFK campaign stickers! I mean, really, if that's not reason enough, I dunno what is.

Your first stop is a small exhibition space for people to get their Kennedy feet wet - really, it's a crowd-holding space before the Kennedy short film that will probably make you teary. Or, sleep, if you're a tired sister. Heh.

After that, the doors open, and you begin the journey through Kennedy history. It's fabulous. I love museums that create mini-experiences for the visitors. And here, it's section after section, with each major era or decision or crisis or aspect of Jack and Jackie, and a lot of the rest of the family on display for the world to learn.

It's weird just how much you're swept away by the terrific story, even when you know there's a tragic ending. By the time you finish at the very somber end, you're a little down and sad, just in time to exit the double-doors into openness and light...

...to walk into a quiet expanse surrounded by glass, allowing an open vista across the water to JFK's Boston. The room is empty, save for a few artifacts here and there. Pei intended the space as an area of hope, a place for quiet reflection - upon the man, his accomplishments, and what we still have left to do.

Quite powerful, really. Befitting of the man. And his brothers.

*- I.M. Pei, dedication program

Prêt-à-Porter a Bonjour Kitty

Magnet #552 - Hello Kitties

Ya'll know I love her. How cute is Miss Dress-up Hello Kitty in all these outfits?

She belongs to a little boxset I recently bought - an amazingly cute number from Running Press. So many magnets, for under $7!

I totally had a fun time mixing and matching the little outfits, and color-coordinating the paper.

The grand master plan was that as soon as I posted this magnetset, I'd actually bring in the set to work, so that visiting kids can play with her. I just know if I keep her here at home, I'll end up playing with her outfits again.

Mind you, I don't think it'll be that much different when I get them up in my cube. I've recently noticed that whenever I get stressed out at work, I start arranging and re-arranging my magnets.

No joke, man. I'll be having a conversation in the pod, and I find myself shifting my magnets from place to place, finding the right niches for them and whatnot. They've sort of become my worry beads. Which is better than the stress balls that I'm wearing out at my desk.

Rather, I can't use the stress balls because first, I find my hands squeezing so tight that they hurt like the dickens. And second, because I've also learned that I have a tendency to throw things like a five-year-old when I'm ticked off. Whether it's a stress ball, stress onion, or my blackberry is another question altogether.

Anyway, so yes, this Hello Kitty set's coming in to the office today. Just in time for all the kiddies to go back to school.

Good. All the more for me.

Lobster & magnet

Magnet #551 - Magnetic Lobby

Oh. My. Lavery.

I could use this plush magnet to talk about a messageboard that I've belonged to since 2006:

- a tight-knit group of posters tied together by their expulsion from Television Without Pity, a love of a silly soap opera, all things television, film, food, etc., and excessive use of cute wordicons;

- a really great support circle of friends who band together against the evils of the world smooshing more love and support than sometimes the people down the hall; and

- a slightly off-beat bunch of folks who have an untold love for a Lobster.

I could.

But I won't.

What I will say is that one of those friends sent me this superadorable and yet slightly scary and yooooooge (about the size of my hand!!!) Wild Clingers Magnetic Lobster made by Wild Republic.

Their mission statement is educating younger generations about animal kingdom, in a fun and creative way. They have some terrific toys on their site. Very cool. And? Mission so accomplished!

This guy's fabulous. Seriously. I think his magnetphotoshoot took a good five minutes. I had to find the right angle! His best side! He's freakin' awesome. And he takes direction well.

And you just know they have a collection of magnetic animals. Which I now have to collect.

On top of that, apparently, a portion of the proceeds go toward Abhaya Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit that provides housing, education and support to disadvantaged kids worldwide!

But, here's why I love these guys. They attached a whole insert on Magnet Safety! When I started typing this, I had thought it was pages and pages of Magnet Safety. Instead, it's this one paragraph:

CAUTION! Magnets may come loose. Do not swallow or insert into any part of the body. If swallowed, seek immediate medical attention. Keep magnets away from pacemakers, televisions, computer monitors, and any type of electronic media.

That one paragraph. Translated 23 times!!! I don't even know why that strikes me as cool, especially because I found myself mentally trying to calculate a translation estimate. Good grief.

Anyway, yay for a great magnet! I love that I can hug him, and squeeze him and call him...Lobby.

The seventh sister of hell

Magnet #550 - Ariel

Dudes. I had plans for today's magnet, and I threw them out the door the second I saw jeftoon01's art on deviant art yesterday.

He has a whole series of superfreaky, but amazing Twisted Princesses. On this magnet, cheeky Ariel looks so sweet and innocent and demure. Yet, here's the seventh daughter of Triton - jeftoon01's Ariel.

Part of me thinks it's wicked cool.

The other part of me wants to cover up the eyes of every Disney lover out there.

Please, won't someone think of the children? Hahahaha.

The joy of hex

Magnet #549 - Hex Sign

For whatever reason, I've been out to Pennsylvania Dutch country more times than I can count.

It's beautiful country, any time of year - rolling hills of green or white (in the winter), peaceful and lovely country roads, and nice people. Love it.

When you're driving through the region, you'll see these hex signs on the sides of every other barn you run into. In the 1800s, the Pennsylvania Dutch started using these to protect themselves from harm, and to invite good luck. Then in the 1900s, it started to pop up everywhere for the tourist trade, being used to label good and literature from the area.

Indeed, they were in most every gift shop I visited. And, of course I had to pick up the one that stood for joy and prosperity. It's nice because it has all the symbolic colors - it's quite amazing that different cultures view colors the same: white for purity, blue is for protection, the green symbolizes abundance, and the red, they say, is strong emotion.

Well, I haven't a barn to hang it up on, but I reckon my magnetboard will do.

Now see if you can dance...

Magnet #548 - Scotland

I got this magnet from a friend of mine who took about a month to live in Edinburgh, so that she could perform at the Fringe Festival. Cool, no? Well, the piper not so much, he's kinda scary lookin'.

Anyway, I picked this one for today, because in 1305, Scottish leader and national hero, William Wallace, was executed in London.

I think of two things when I think of William Wallace: The first is my former chairman who could trace his tree back to William himself. That's kinda cool. And the second, I think of scrawny Pacey dressing up in that Dawson's Creek beauty pageant episode, and doing the whole "You'll never take our freedom!" speech.

I do so love Scotland, and plan on going back at some point. And for more than 36 hours. I had gone up to Edinburgh with some friends for a weekend trip. Only, I couldn't stay the weekend.

Without getting into too much detail that will be forever hazily seared into my brain, we took the train up, did some touring around Edinburgh, tried some haggis pancakes, checked into our B&B, took a Ghost Tour, and then proceeded to go out that night.

In the words of William Wallace, they brought me to the ring, to see if I could dance. And dance I did. Oddly, without any real dancing. After several pub games, some other shenanigans with the locals, and a night that ended up with me sitting with a friend in the middle of a deserted Edinburgh street in the middle of an Edinburgh night - it was the funnest night ever. Followed by the worst rest of the night and morning after.

Rather than meeting my friend at the train station to travel around other parts of Scotland the next morning, I ditched him and got on the train with the longest travel time and furthest destination to sleep it off.

The train back to London.

Just terrible. And, one of my biggest regrets to this day. The one experience that's taught me about having too much fun while you're on the road.

So, to make up for it, eventually Scotland gets its own trip - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and every castle in between. The works

Cute, Cuter, Cutest - Guest blogger, DC Sister

Magnet #547 - NC Seal, or Sea Lion?

Still new (still possibly monthly) feature: This magnet came from my BFF, out of that NC Aquariums set.

But, as anyone who knows all three sisters will attest to - this magnet probably matches my middle sister best. She's arguably the "cute-cute" sister.

Well, cute is, as cute...magnetblogs, I guess. Enjoy the cute-cuteness!

- joy

____________________________________

My sisters and I talk pretty much every day. Huzzah, the wonders of Skype. We can talk, talk, talk so long it's like we're just hanging out at home having a grand old time. But. The one thing Joy hates is when I force her - yes, force her - to look at a cute animal photo online. This is our usual exchange:

Me [voice slowly reaching supersonic pitch] (indeed, no human can hear it - joy):
Awwwww, Joy-joy, lookit the cute puppy/bunny/giraffe/otter/ insertbabyanimalhere.

Joy:
*eye-roll (and yes, you can see eye-rolls on Skype - joy).

Apparently I'm just a sucker for anything cute. That's why I am happy to guest-blog on this magnet. Lookit how cute the little sea lion is!

Cute animals make me happy. And these days - with frustrations at work and a new condo (and all the stress that comes with that) - I'll take what I can get. So when it's one of those I'm-so-annoyed-I-can't-believe-this-crap kind of days, I always go to my Google Reader for little rays of sunshine.

What's there? Well, filed under "Cuteness" are only four of my favorite awww-inducing blogs ever.

1. Cute Overload.
This blog has been around for a while, but it never fails to make me squee. It's where I found otters holding hands. Best. Video. Ever. Of course now I can't find it on the site, but here it is on YouTube. It would take the hardest of hearts to resist its powers.

2. The Daily Puppy.
A puppy a day keeps the grumpies away. That is all.

3. My Milk Toof.
A recent find. Thanks, Joy! The photos and the words work so well together and the entries are so adorable I can barely stand it. It must take quite some time to get each frame of the blog just so. Thank you, Inhae Renee Lee, for helping to fill my cuteness quota.

4. ZooBorns.
This might be the best blog ever, at least in my mind. Poor Joy. She has had to view many posts from this blog because I send her links from the site all the time. I can't help it though! Who doesn't want to see baby animals from around the world?

Cuteness is the stuff of rainbows and unicorns and sugar and spice, and it isn't for everyone. Joy would have you believe she's not into it. But I know her Achilles heel: Bears. Extra points if they're falling asleep. (Ok, that one is cute. Supercute. - joy)

Hmm. I wonder if there's a career in cuteness. I'd like to get in on that.

Misty water-colored memories

Magnet #546 - Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry

You know how sometimes you have these weird, faded memories, and you're not always sure if they're real, or ever happened at all?

I've had one such hazy memory for as long as I can remember, and I could swear that I blogged about, because GoldenGait said something about it. (And of course, now I can find no mention of it!)

Anyway, the memory: I'm very little, and in this very dark room, with dark blue lighting and I'm eye-level with a diorama of some sort, and it's huge. We leave the room, and I'm in some darkened stairwell, with my mom and a little stroller, too.

In that stairwell, there's some sort of machine that makes wax blue toys and stuff, and I'm dying for one. My parents (the parents who used to take me to Toys 'R Us every week after playschool to pick out a toy, before the dreaded little sisters were born), my parents said no! (/spoiled firstborn)

So for years, I've always remembered that room. The dark. The blue. The dankness of the stairway. The toy I didn't get. But, here's funny. My parents don't remember that. At all.

I knew it was in Chicago. And I knew it was early days (either for me, or for my sister, since there was a stroller). But my parents couldn't tell me what museum. I'd always figured the Field Museum.

I was wrong!

During the Chicago trip, we had a girls' day out and visited the really, supercool Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, because of the Harry Potter exhibit (for DC sister), and because I wanted to see the Lego architecture exhibit.

So we went, and as soon as I saw the submarine MOLD-A-RAMA in one of the hallways, I just knew that this machine and museum were it! Dudes, I totally spent the two bucks to get that sub. And watch the darn machine work. First, it's not rubber, it's plastic. The machine pumps the liquid plastic into the mold, and then it quick dries, and it's pushed off the ledge and into the retrieval bin.

I know this, because I paid another two bucks. For a train. And then a tractor. I had a blast discovering those MOLD-A-RAMA machines. How freakin' delightfully kitsch! But, during our whole visit, I couldn't figure out why there would have been a dark diorama with blue lights. Besides which, where the heck was my blue toy that I've been waiting for going on three decades now?

While my dad was waiting for us outside, I was still wandering in the gift shop (of course), and I spied this magnet, and absent-mindedly wondered how I missed a castle. Then I saw postcards of the interior, and ding! I knew that was it!

Ya'll, I literally ran all the away across the museum to the Colleen Moore Fairy Castle (she was a silent film actress), and once there, it was confirmed as the place of my memories. You'll see my pics are a little blurry because of the dark, but also because I couldn't keep still my excitement! No joke.

It was superneat, and hella crowded with munchkins, so I didn't stay. They also didn't have the MOLD-A-RAMA for a blue castle, but I would bet money that they used to.

Oh, I dunno if what I remember was really a memory or not. And, my parents can still neither confirm, nor deny it. But I have to believe it. Otherwise, then that day was just creepy, huh?


In other news:

1. I should have known MOLD-A-RAMAS are collectible, with historians and everything. Of course. joytheorem proven again: There's a following for everything in this world.
2. I should have known MOLD-A-RAMAS are everywhere. And, they don't list the blue castle mold for Illinois. Which means that that whole day was just creepy. Unacceptable.
3. Finally, you must, you must visit this museum. And here's 75 reasons to do so, from the Chicago Trib.

eta:
*runs into magnetpost*

OMG, OMG, OMG! It's true! It's true! Check out the Fairy Castle link at the side! It's from the Museum of Science and Industry. And it's BLUE! OMG!

eta2:
Huh. Well, both sisters said this was in Wonderfalls. And I didn't believe it. But, here! Check it out starting at 5:31.

When you woke up this morning...

Magnet #545 - Chiyogami Butterfly

So, I totally couldn't help myself to second helpings from @KristinaMyers' Etsy store. I saw this gorgeous set, which lead me to this set of magnets. I had originally bought these for a work project - a new business pitch that fell through. And, darn, I had to keep these as part of my collection. Heheh.

YAY for pretty, pretty magnets!

I love days when stuff happens that leave you saying to someone, "did you think...when you woke up this morning...that you'd be doing [insert out of the ordinary activity here] now? Love that. Love saying it. Love doing it. It means that your day was moseying along and some sort of opportunity landed right at your door, and instead of running home to watch whatever you've DVR'd, you went ahead and did it.

For me, that was yesterday's "did you think...when you woke up this morning...that you'd be going to a play that a former coworker's twin sister wrote that starred your former chairman and oh, by the way, you'll be watching an additional four plays on the same night?"

Fun. It was fun. New York's great for finding off-beat things to do - that's part of why I dig this town so much. Last night, it was the semifinals for the Strawberry One-Act Festival.

And, while NY's often accused for being a soul-sucking city of concrete, metal and broken dreams, it's also great for nurturing creative talent. I saw five plays tonight - each with a different playwright, a different director, and a different cast. Then, I got to vote for my two favorites, to get them into the next round on Friday.

There were pluses and minuses for all the plays, and certainly, some of the work wasn't for me. But one thing's for sure - it was a pleasure to be around such creative people, in such a creative environment, watching such creative work.

Of course, I voted for the best of show, and hope that it makes it to the next round on Friday - Sue Hodara's play entitled Chrysalis, a multi-layered character study about a married couple and their 40 years together.

It was interesting seeing a former manager out of familiar elements. There was one hairy moment where the husband (my former chairman) starting disrobing. I gotta be honest, I was full-on ready to cover my eyes, in case it went further than his button-down. Hahahaah.

Still. Great work all around!

Behold the turtle.*

Magnet #544 - NC Aquariums Turtle

My BFF gave me a magnet set from the North Carolina Aquariums. I gotta be honest - I hadn't even a clue that there were aquariums in NC. I guess a lot has changed.

I picked this superadorable turtle to go first for two reasons.

The first is that the turtle reminds me of a family trip to the beach when I was seven or eight, and my grandfather insisted that we stop at the side of a country road to rescue a turtle. Or two, if I'm remembering correctly.

While it was probably the wrong thing to do, we picked up the turtle and brought it home, and I remember it living in the bathroom sink and the tub for a little bit. We fed it bananas. Dudes, I don't even know if turtles eat bananas, but these did. It's weird the things you remember, but it's a good memory of grandpa.

And the second reason I'm using this magnet, is because I've decided that for the time being, behaving like a turtle who doesn't stick her neck out seems to be almost as good as being an ostrich with her head buried in the sand. It's happier there, and I can ignore the world better, if I can't see it.

While it might not get me anywhere right now, the company's good, and I can hear myself think. It's nice.


*"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."

- James Bryant Conant, Harvard University President

There but for Grace

Magnet #543 - Oklahoma

Though this magnet, given to me by a friend, isn't quite fitting of the show, that's ok. Just be sure not to miss tonight's season finale for Saving Grace on TNT. Can I just say, if anyone had told me two years ago that Saving Grace would become one of my favorite shows, I would never have believed it.

From the pounding strains of the opening theme song by Everlast with Keefus Ciancia, through to the closing credits, this show holds me spellbound.

It's a rarity these days to see shows set in Middle America - Oklahoma City, to be exact. Like the folks on Friday Night Lights, you feel like you know this ragtag bunch of police detectives, whether you're watching them hanging out after hours together at the local bars, or pulling practical jokes of the Oklahoma vs. Texas football rivalry nature.

And, once again, for me, it's all about this bunch of characters, rather than the case they solve each week. Obviously, the star here is Grace. I've never, ever been a huge Holly Hunter fan, but she inhabits this role completely.

I told a friend of mine the other day that the reason I love watching this show, is because no matter what I do or how I behave in life, Grace Hanadarko always does something worse and behaves appallingly. She's a total train wreck, but somehow redeemable. And that makes me feel better. Is that bad? Oh, I know she's a fictional character, but you know how they say there's a kernel of truth buried in that there fiction.

But, it's more than that, really. I can never figure out if Grace is a character we're supposed to admire or hate, pray for or cheer on, or be completely appalled by. In the end, I think it's all of the above.

I saw somewhere - probably on someone's Facebook status - that Grace is when you think everything is falling apart and you realize something new is being created. But they make Grace so failingly human, that sometimes she's just painful to watch, and you wonder exactly what TV!God's redeeming there. It also makes you wonder what human failings Real!God gets to see in real life.

Mind you - I'm not the most religious of folks, and I really mocked the heck out of Saving Grace at the get-go, strictly because of the angel thing. I mean, Grace has Earl, her last-chance, hobo-ish angel trying to save her soul, whether she wants it or not.

To their credit, they haven't anvil'd the religious angle too much - a la Touched by an Angel, or worse, 7th Heaven. I think maybe the appeal here is that they show a grittier God, than the fluffy one that people usually portray.

So far, my favorite soul-searching moment was she was complaining to Earl, about how God makes us work so hard...and why doesn't God do more? And Earl replied, "Because Grace, if God did everything, what would you do?"

What, indeed?

It's the beast in me

Magnet #542 - Elvis IS

Hot. Seriously. That's what Elvis is.

Ya'll. I cannot believe that I haven't done a single post on Elvis Presley, even though I have a few Elvis magnets. I think one is from Graceland, and I love it cuz it's early-on, pretty Elvis.

Yesterday marked the 32nd anniversary of his death - and to honor him, my beloved TCM is doing a whole day of Elvis movies. What a treat.

In fact, it's still going on right now, with my second favorite, G.I. Blues with Juliet Prowse. Such a good one! And yay for a uniform. Yay.

Growing up there was one summer where one of the cablenets did a summer-long marathon, so my sisters and I saw most of them. If I'm not mistaken, it coincided nicely with our 50s/60s music kick, which meant every car ride was filled to the gills with fun music.

As TCM host Ben Mankiewicz said this afternoon, Elvis movies weren't high art. They weren't meant to be. Maybe not. But man, they sure are fun to watch.

Plus, hello. It's Elvis. Young and pretty, and with some sort of contract rider that meant he was shirtless at least once in every movie. Ok, I'm kidding about that last one. But that's what it felt like, watching each film. Heh.

I had so much planned for yesterday and when I started the day, it was the beginning of Jailhouse Rock, which I'd never seen before. Then came Fun in Acapulco, which I had dim memories of; Girls! Girls! Girls!, which I can't remember the plotline of anymore; Girl Happy, the one where he has to "protect" Shelley Fabares in Fort Lauderdale; then Clambake, again with Shelley, which I hadn't seen; and then my all-time favorite, It Happened at the World's Fair, with little Kurt Russell in an uncredited cameo.

I skipped King Creole, and took a break to watch Don Draper and his scarily true to life ad agency in Mad Men. But I'm totally DVRing, my favorite G.I. Blues, Roustabout, and The Trouble with Girls.

I'm totally bummed I missed Viva Las Vegas and Spinout, though. And sorrier that I missed Blue Hawaii. Sigh.

But goodness, these movies are pretty. And silly. With even sillier dialogue. For example, my post title. Or, when he gives the come hither look to whatever leading lady is playing opposite him, and drawls, "C'mere."

Whoa, hot. Yeah, I'd cross a room for him too.

I can't believe that Elvis did 31 movies over the course of 13 years - it's amazing. I can't believe how much I enjoyed this retrospective.

Thanks, TCM, for a thoroughly delightful and distracting day!

eta:
Ok. Must say that I saw the tail end of Roustabout, and didn't need to see all of it. And saw the beginning part of The Trouble with Girls, and given that it was produced in '69, and he was wearing a white (white!) suit with a blue shirt, I will likely not watch the rest of it. Sorry...but yay for G.I. Blues.

eta2:
Ok. Must say that I've got an hour left on this magnetpost, and I'm totally sitting here watching all of Roustabout. Seriously. Barbara Stanwyck. Love. It.

"Stingy piece of pie"

Magnet #541 - Rudy Burckhardt's Flatiron in Summer

That's what one critic called the Flatiron Building when it was finished.

I bought this magnet as part of an historical NYC photographs set from the Met. One of the things I love about New York City, is that it's forever captured in a million ways, in a million places, and in a million eras.

This photograph was taken in 1947, by Mr. Burckhardt, a photographer who was, according to this NYTs article, "famous for being underrated." That makes me a little sad, as does this shot of the Flatiron Building. The NYTs article claims this image was kept from greatness because of the "silly phallic shadow of the Flatiron hanging below it, turning the whole mass, building and shadow, into a weird blob floating down the street."

I love the Flatiron - and according to lackluster guide on the one and only Gray Line tour I've ever taken in town (don't judge), it's one of the most photographed buildings in town (that, I believe), and supposedly the tallest building in the world at some point (which is totally not true, silly Gray Line). The locals had always called that triangle plot of land flatiron, for the triangle irons of those days. So, when the Fuller Building went up, the name didn't stick (hear that, Sears Tower?), and Flatiron, it is.

I work down the street from this Daniel Burnham beaux arts building - one of the few he did in NYC, and each time I pass it, I can't help but examine it for more cool details. I had a couple of friends who worked in the building, complaining of small and odd-shaped offices. And, Ephemeral NY did a close-up on the faces recently, so who do you think ended up looking like a tourist staring up at the tall building.

For me, this building's always had a special place in my heart - since 1985, anyway, when Duran Duran's John Taylor starred in a little-known Sci-Fi series called Timeslip. The opening credits included a triangle building, and I remember squeeing when I figured out the Flatiron was, OMG, same building! What? I was young.

And, for almost a quarter of a century I've labored under that sweetly fangurlish belief, that this is where my John hung out as The Hacker. Until today, when I got curious about Timeslip, and did a search.

Stupid YouTube video, disabusing me of that silly notion.

Clearly, this building is not the Flatiron.

Hmph. Talk about a timeslip.

Meet you at the clocks

Magnet #540 - Melbourne, Australia

See? Love the ad industry, we're such great travelers! This one was from another friend who just got back from her trip down under. Yay, thanks!

I should have listened closer when she handed me this magnet...luckily she mentioned it was a train station in Melbourne. Of course, what would it be...but when I started writing this, I had to do some detective work. (Funny, cuz I'm watching Psych while I'm Googling.)

It's pretty famous - the Flinders Street Railway Station, supposedly the busiest in the Southern Hemisphere. The building's been there since the early 1900s, but the trains have been coming and going since 1854. A fairly interesting history, too.

I love visiting train stations around the world - they're amazing, quite frankly. From the welcoming great halls and waiting rooms, to the massive trainsheds and grand arches, to the happy hellos and teary good-byes, they're fascinating places.

I also love how major train stations seem to all have iconic clocks to meet under. Grand Central here in NY has the gold clock in the main concourse. The historic and savagely gone Penn Station in NY had a giant clock hanging overhead. St. Pancras in London has one. And Flinders is no exception, only they have several!

But what cracks me up, though, is whenever I say, hey, I'll meet you at the clock in Grand Central. Seriously? This is what GCT looks like when it's busy.

It's insane, and usually consists of a lot of lookin' around, and walking in a circle or two...probably coupled with a txt or a call - generally to ask what the other party's wearing that day. Hahahah.

Let the good times roll

Magnet #538 - Monaco, Casino de Monte-Carlo

So. One of the great things about being in advertising, is knowing a ton of absolutely wonderfully creative people. At work, copywriters and art directors may be the bane of an account girl's existence (and vice versa, I know), but as people and friends, they're amazing to be around.

They give great tips and suggestions to improve any creative endeavor, and inspire you to want to be better artisan. Even if what you do is collect magnets and tell silly stories about them.

Oh! And they also travel to awesome places like Monaco and bring back supertotally fabulous magnets such as this. I love these famous facade resin/ceramic/whatever they ares magnets!

So funny, when I unwrapped the bubble wrap on it, I had thought this building looked very familiar. A couple of clicks later, I found out that in the late 1800s, Charles Garnier was commissioned to build the Salle Garnier - and it's almost an exact replica of the Paris Opera House. (Hence the familiarity, since I just saw that 30-minute docu on the Paris house a couple of weeks ago.)

Also, the Salle Garnier seems to be part of a bigger entertainment group/complex - with a casino, and other performance/sporting venues under their umbrella...fairly interesting. Though not as interesting as how natives of Monaco aren't allowed to enter the casino to gamble! That makes me a little sad for the Monégasques.

I did look at the rules, though - very swank, the casino. If I'm not mistaken, I think it's the kind of joint that George Clooney was trying to build in Vegas - old school, very classy, jackets and refined adult behavior required. Well, la-ti-dah, Danny my love Ocean!

Anyway, yay for a pretty magnet! And, I wasn't kidding about the great tips and suggestions. I will entertain them from anyone.

I've already put a couple of suggestions in place - most notably, directing you guys to the full photobucket album. Totally starting to tag them on the album, so that you can see what magnets from whence they came.

And, what do you do when a friend gives you a pound of scrap construction paper remainders? Color-coordinated backgrounds! I really don't want to do them, because I kinda like a white, textured background on all my magnets, and I'm really lazy, but we'll give it a go. Heh.

What's bugging joy

Magnet #538 - Derian #37

Ok. So I know that this century hasn't been easy. And I know that much of what we're going through this last year or so is a result of the last eight. And, I know that Obama will need time to accomplish all he needs to get done to get our country back in gear.

But that's about all I know.

Sorry I'm a sourpuss today - it happens.

eta:
This was a totally different post before. I've decided to self-censor.

Coat of many colors

Magnet #537 - Elderly Couple, Uzbekistan, purchased by my sister Julie

Save the World Sister keeps bugging me to start giving people magnet bylines for magnets that are given to me. As much as I appreciate every single magnet ya'll have given me, I'm not going to start doing that.

The second I do, I have to go back through the last 535 magnets and figuring out from whence they came. What if I make a mistake? What if you're offended? No, I can't always give credit where credit is due - just know that I'm much appreciative if you've given me a magnet or 30. I love them all.

That said, Save the World Sister is the one who brought me this magnet from the far reaches of Uzbekistan, having spent time there with the Peace Corps. Thank you. Julie. Who purchased this magnet. Magnet #537. From Uzbekistan. Hee.

I'm picking this one for today because it totally reminds of the only two reality shows that I've totally gotten sucked into - BBC's Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? where they allowed the British public to cast Joseph from Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Maria from Sound of Music for the West End productions.

I couldn't help it. I know they both aired more than a couple of years ago in the UK, but just now got to us here in the States this year. I know they both had winners that I totally Googled, so that I was completely and totally spoiled for the endings. I know it was superduper cheesy and I got way too involved in the shows and the contestants. I know that my search engines have begun saving the phrase, "josephs/marias, what are they doing now?"

But, dudes. C'mon. It was Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was John Barrowman. It was Graham Norton. And there were pretty boys! Singing! With accents! Hells, yeah I was there. Every Sunday night. No lie. Even when the pretty boys from Joseph turned into the pretty girls from Maria. Odd how you get attached to your favorites, though. (And scary, too. Now I see how ya'll American Idol folks get sucked in.)

Oh, I know it's silly - but in high school, I had a thing for Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. Ok, really, it was a thing for my hot band director, who had a thing for Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, but still, I'm very grateful he introduced me to ALW's work. So of course I loved watching their musical performances from all of ALW's shows (Loved it all, except for when they made the silly Marias fight - that was downright degrading and seriously ticked me off).

I am still mad that BBC-A took so long in airing the two shows - I mean, two years? If they'd aired Joseph last year, I would have totally bought a ticket during my December Is there a Doctor in the House trip! Then I wouldn't have been so sad to miss out on David Tennant's Hamlet! I could have seen my beloved Lee Mead's Joseph, instead of anxiously waiting for him to get a Broadway role this season. And I totally would have gone to see Connie Fisher's Maria!

Oh, silly BBC-A. Don't even get me started about how annoyed I am that everyone's oh-so-excited that they picked up Doctor Who Series 5 to air closer to their UK transmission dates, and are even committing to airing them unedited. Right. That should have been by rote, ya'll. Hmph. I refuse to thank Garth Ancier for a decision that should have been made as a matter of course. (Of course, I refuse to forgive Garth Ancier for not hiring me in the first place. No, he didn't close any doors for me [see what I did there?], he should have just known I wanted to work for him.)

Moooooving along...so why this magnet for realz? C'mon. Lookit at the old guy's coat! It's totally a coat of many colors, there's yellow and green and purple and...

What?

Monsters that go emo in the night

Magnet #536 - The MonsterOlogist

A friend picked up this magnet from one of the BEA booths - looks like a YA book, and actually kinda cool. For definite sure, I love this magnet - very well designed, and I'd bet the book design is fab, too. Hmmm, I might have to check it out.

Lately, I've been reading young adult books - mainly because I don't have to think when I'm reading them. Don't have to worry about anything in the world, but getting to the next page.

It's great. Actually, I bought a few books on that Chicago trip, and at least two of them were YA.

I'm using this magnet for today, because I recently got caught up on the first three episodes of BBC-A's Being Human, with Doctor Who's Midshipman (Allons-y) Alonso Frame, Russell Tovey.

It's a Brit show - and if you've read even a handful of magnetposts here on joy magnetism, you know I'm a sucker for all things Brit. I want to love this show so bad. But I can't decide if I even like Being Human, the story of a werewolf and a vampire, who live with a ghost. The three are Gen-Y'ers just looking for their place in this world, each trying to figure out how to be human, while being...not.

My problem is that I'm not really drawn to any of the characters. They're way too emo for my taste, and my tolerance for emo is pretty darn high. The vampire's all broody-broody vampirekins, the ghost's too neurotic, while the werewolf is a bit of a freak. Mind you, the actors seem to play those parts to the hilt, love the actors, hate the characters. Russell Tovey is almost lampooning himself - with his overacted shrieks of horror, and his whining. Don't get me wrong - I love Russell Tovey, he's cute as a button, and the guy can act, I've seen him. But, his werewolf hospital orderly character drives me insane.

On top of that, with the exception of the ghost who learned what happened to her (in an episode she knocked out of the park), I don't really care about their storylines. Thus far, each of them have sort of had their own episodes, where we learn their backstory, or see them coming to terms with who they are as creatures of the night. And, there's an overarching "the big bad's coming" storyline, but I haven't been able to care, or be worried.

Admittedly - I'm totally over the whole vampire craze that the absence of Buffy created, so that may be what's turning me off about this show. But it's sad if I'm trying to figure out if I hate a werewolf or a vamp more...and a ghost wins for favorite character.

So in the end, I guess it's not really such a mystery after all - I haven't been grabbed by this show, like I should have been. Like I wanted to be.

Huh. A Brit show I don't like. Mark the date.

Hot time, summer's in the city

Magnet #535 - New York

I bought this magnet on Saturday, because I've been looking for an NYC temp magnet since the beginning of summer. And now today, it's expected to get up to 93, the first time in ages, since apparently that global warming thing's on the fritz.

At work, I sit under no less than three air vents, and they love to freeze me out. And, just once, I wanted to be able to call down to Office Services and say, "Dudes, it's 39 degrees in here, while it's 93 degrees outside. Do you have any idea of how much energy we're wasting by keeping the inside temps so darn low?"

So I bought this magnet to back me up. Only - I bought the thing on Saturday. And brought it on a bus to Jersey. And my aunt's house. And in a car back home to NYC. And in my non-AC'd apartment. And in two days, the temp on the magnet hasn't moved! So this morning, while I was getting ready, I stuck the thing in the fridge.

It's 11:15 now. Guess where that magnet's at.

Whoops.

I guess we'll figure out tonight when I rescue it from the icebox whether or not the thing actually works. Of course, I did buy it from a Duane Reade, and who knows how long it's been there.

Oddly, I hadn't thought about whether or not the NYC tourist industry has just decided to keep the Twin Towers on all their paraphernalia. If not, then that might explain why the thermometer doesn't work, I guess.

Oh, well. I'll just continue to freeze my bum off in the office. It's ok, since it's given me extended uses for all my corporate swag sweaters, hoodies, and vests.

But, jeepers, you'd think I work in the freakin' Arctic circle!

Magnetic City Limits, a magnetblog meme

Magnet #534 - Austin, TX

Sooo, I haven't been to Austin, TX, but SavetheWorld sister's fiance has, and brought this back for me. Yay!

DC sister totally wants to visit Austin for that music festival, but even though the town sounds cute as hell, the likelihood of me actually making a special trip to Austin just for music is very slim.

I'm not a big music fan, which I'm sure makes me weird in some circles.

Right. Because magnets don't make me weird in other, wider circles. Which actually brings me to my point.

I might have found my people, at least when it comes to magnets!

If you look at joy magnetism's positioning statement - the magnetic mission listed over to the right, in the green column, scroll down a bit - you'll see that I've always been looking for others who collect magnets.

I must admit that when I started my little magnetblog, I hadn't a clue that there were any other magnetbloggers out there. Seriously. I mean, of course, I did a little Googling here and there, but nothing ever popped up. I've never figured out why.

Like, I knew there were folks in Asia who collected and swap magnets with each other. But, I've never been very interested in trading my magnets, so I kinda just left that world alone.

What. I know it's kinda selfish, but I like that it's my collection, and that my own travels, and my own traveling friends and family are helping support my somewhat weird hobby. Mind, I'm still not sold on the idea of swapping...though I'm seeing that it's totally done just to widen the breadth and depth magnet collection.

Anyway, what got me thinking about this stuff, was my almost daily, frequent, multiple page-visiting, sticky visitor here (SiteMeter is such a wondrous thing) whom I swear must have read every single magnet entry on joy magnetism. I applaud her, because I dunno that I've even read all the entries. Hee.

When I got curious about all the visits, I questioned on one my magnetposts if that visitor was a spambot or an actual human. She commented, confirming that she was human, and that she was studying mine and other blogs, to do some research of her own, presumably to figure out her own voice, her own path and her own way to showcase her own collection.

But, when she started her blog, she mentioned other magnetblogs!

Dudes. I was like, whatchutalkinbout, other magnetblogs? I got curious, and looked 'em up. And from those blogs, popped up more blogs and more blogs!

Not. Even. Joking. In fact? Some dude in Russia came up with a whole wiki page for magnet collecting, and in fact, named the hobby! Memomagnetics! Whoa.

And? Apparently, they're called FMs. FMs! Me, the girl who loves to acronym everything, didn't know there was an ac for Fridge Magnets. Hah!

So, consider this magnetpost a magnetblog meme of sorts. Check out the magnetbloggers below - listed in no particular order. All of these folks have tons of absolutely fascinating and gorgeous magnets. Some tell stories, some just feature the magnets, some recreate and/or find photos of the magnet subjects, some are fun to look at, and some aren't even in English. Awesome.

Oh! And, the reason I'm using this magnet? It's because it's one of mine that I saw on someone else's blog. So funny to think that someone all the way around the world has something that's sitting on my fridge.

MagneticMine
World of Magnetic Lovers
Fridge Magnet...My Passion
AnnA_NyE
Fridge Magnets' Freak
Memomagnetica
Fridgemagnet_ru
Souvenir Shop
Magnet Junkie

A smile makes you go a mile!

Magnet #533 - Angry Little Girls' Damn, I'm Cute Button-nosed Smiley Face

Love this ALG magnet. Yet again, one that I made, since I can't get ALG to make them. Sigh.

Anyway - except for it not being a little Asian girl, this magnet fits perfect for today, as I spent all day with my super, supercute cousins and their friend in Jersey, making videos and stuff for a work thing.

It was a hoot, pretending we had our own little production company, running around setting up shots all over the house and the playground. The four of them were great in front of the camera - of course, my little divas were laughing and giggling, singing and goofing around.

It was a very much-needed day, after the last couple of crappy ones. As my 12-year-old cousin says, a smile makes you go a mile!

It's so funny how much our families are alike. My aunt and my mom have some of the same mannerisms and phrases, and they haven't lived in the same house for longer than I've been alive! And, my cousins and sisters and me share a lot in common as well...and I can't figure out if that's birth order, or that we're first-gen Filipinos, or if it's a simple case of nature/nurture, or whatever.

Either way, it was a blast hanging out with the girls, watching their silliness, and hearing their hopes and dreams...all the while, learning that I'm waaaay too old. Or, not old enough.

eta:
Eeeeeeep! I knew it would happen! I actually duped a magnet! I thought I'd used that ALG Damn, I'm cute magnet before! Shoot. My failsafe system, not quite so failsafey! No worries, at least I realized before the end of the day! Searching for a new one asap.

eta2:
Whew. Like I don't have a million smiley faces! I know you're shocked. Anyway, I musta had this one for years and years - it used to play You Are My Sunshine when you press his button nose, but sadly it sings no more.

As real as it gets

Magnet #532 - Sea World

Love. This magnet is sooooo pretty. It's a 2-D jobbie, and I just love how Shamu the Killer Whale jumps off the water and magnet surface.

A friend brought it back for me from her trip to Florida - thanks! She's the one who found out her daughter had sadly outgrown the Disney Princesses. Dudes, I actually think she had a better time at Sea World than at Disney.

I'm not entirely sure how that happens - but from what I've heard and seen, Sea World has rides now! Dudes, not just rides, but additional experiences as well. A waterpark? Swimming with dolphins? Whoa.

I went when I was little, but unless my parents hid them from me (totally, entirely possible), I just remember the hot sun, and alllll the walking we had to do to get from venue to venue to see yet another show, another tank, another tidal pool with another talk about the sea creatures inside.

I did like those shows though - from the ski shows to the swimming with Shamu, they were fabulous shows. Fabulous stunts - I blame those stunts for my parents not allowing us to waterski down at the lake.

Oh! Ya'll have to read Shamu's wiki - I had no idea that first, she's been around since like the early 70s, and second that Shamu's a stage name. Well, I mean, I sorta knew - otherwise, she'd be the oldest thing in the world, but dudes, three parks (San Diego, Orlando, San Antonio), over 30 years - that's a boatload of Shamus!

Still, I didn't realize how many different orcas they have in captivity. It'd be here that I'd rail against the captivity of killer whales for human entertainment purposes, but this is a magnet blog. Anyway, I'm sure that Sea World treats their creatures well.

Of course, now having visited the website, and been serenaded by their ballady themesong for the past several minutes, I'm mentally planning when I'll be able to get to one. I'm thinking SD ComicCon next year. Hmmmm.

And the band played on

Magnet #531 - Stanley Tigerman's The Titanic, 1978

I freakin' love this image.

I think I love it more because it's totally not a Photoshop job, it's a photomontage! What I can't figure out is if Tigerman actually composed the two images together and then took a picture of the whole thing to make it one image, or if he left it as two. I think it's the former.

This image is hanging in the Architecture and Design section of the Art Institute of Chicago - I just love that it's hanging there with all the pencil sketches and drawings and models of great works around the world. You see, Tigerman meant for it to be a critique on Chicago's architecture in the late 70s - or rather, what was being taught in architecture schools at the time. That's why he used Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Crown Hall building sinking into the water, calling it the Titanic.

Such a great image.

And so apropos for today, when I feel like I'm playing triangle for that band that refused to leave the Titanic as she was going down.

Oh good gravy, how melodramatic can I be? You're lucky I'm writing this at the beginning of the day, rather than being maudlin about it later on tonight.

Bad mood at black rock

Magnet #530 - Bad Mood

Picked up this pin magnet at ComicCon here in New York earlier this year, and then promptly forgot from which booth.

A quick trip to badagency.com reminded me that I got it at Sherrilyn Kenyon's kick-ass, two-story behemoth of a booth. I mean seriously, I love how a single author competes with the big boy booths of NYCC and holds her own, even putting some of the actual publisher booths to shame.

I mentioned last year how I was impressed by this woman's marketing prowess. I still am. It's quite amazing how much she's grown her audience, simply by being available to her fans at cons, holding cons of her own, and of course, writing good material. And a lot of it.

Full disclosure here: I've not read her work. I can't. I know me, if I do, I'll end up investing in all her various series, and the hotness that are her heroes, and then I'll become obsessed. I've watched it happen to at least one of my friends. She's fallen completely under the trance of the Dark Hunter series and its heroes, having flown through the DH backlist in less than a couple of months, and even stalked Forbidden Planet here in town for the manga book.

And if I'm not mistaken, it was all because I gave her the free book that was given away at NYCC. See how that marketing stuff works? Whoa.

Anyway, I'm picking this for today because it accurately reflects my attitude at work, and is a metastatement for a few other things as well. And, that's all I have to say about that.

eta:
I'm not gonna lie. This marketing stuff really does work. Having just visited the Bad Agency site, I'm totally picking up Bad Attitude now. Double whoa.

I'll have fries with that

Magnet #529 - French fries

Another one of my new @KristinaMyers magnets from her Etsy store!

French fries are a happy-making food, no matter where you get them. And I don't care if the world judges me for my love of McDonald's, but no one can deny that it's the king of the french fry. Nothing better in the world than a large fry and a Coke from MickeyD's.

Speaking of... I'm gonna go out on a limb here: I love McDonald's.

Go on. Judge me.

McDonald's is awesome. It's always been awesome, and I don't care if I die early, it'll always be awesome. Let me count the ways:

When I was really little - I mean before my little sisters showed up - my parents and I would go to McDonald's for breakfast after church. Happy memories. I'd get a Big Breakfast - back when it was still big, and the English Muffin came standard. Best three-is-a family memory meal ever.

When we were all little - my dad would say late at night, "Who wants a sundae?" And we'd pack ourselves into the car, jammies and all, and run to town. And there we'd sit, while my dad ran inside to get our sundaes, fries, and sometimes, apple pies. Best dessert ever.

When we were older - we went on a zillion roadtrips, and between the rest areas breaks, McDonald's was always the place we knew we'd always find, and where everyone could have something to eat - include my very picky dad. Best roadtrip food ever.

When I was sick - hamburgers from McDonald's were the only thing that I could eat when I was sick. Best cure ever.

When I was in junior high - Bop! and/or 16 reported to me that Big Macs were Jaunty John Taylor's favorite food. And therefore my favorite food. Best fangurl meal ever.

When I was in high school - I would get a two-cheeseburger meal, eat one burger and the fries before band practice at the college across town. And on the way back, I'd eat the other burger. Ever had a winter-cold cheeseburger? I swear, it's the best not-supposed-to-be-eaten-cold food ever.

Even now, I'm still buying Happy Meals - because, even without the Ronald McDonald cookies with Grimace and the Hamburglar, they're still the happiest-making meals ever.

Oh, I don't eat there every day, like that guy in that stupid movie. And even though I know it's not the healthiest of foods or the haute'est of haute cuisine, and even though I know it makes me what they politely call "a little downmarket," I still flat-out refuse to listen to any McDonald's haters out there. The ones who refuse to set foot in a stores, or scoff at the Dollar Menu, and look down their noses at a McAnything.

Funnily enough, it's those same pretty people in the elevators judging my Happy Meal box at lunchtime, who are taking extra deep breaths to take a whiff of my french fries. And wishing that's where they'd gone for lunch. I know. They tell me. Haha.

Those Golden Arches have always been there for me, and I'm happy to be several of those billions and billions served.