give me something good to eat...

I am not a huge fan of Halloween, at least in the scary/creepy sense. I don't like scary movies, and I've never stepped foot in a haunted house....so most of my Halloween memories are fairly wholesome...and centered around fun costumes and feeding my sugar addiction. As a kid, my mom would hand-sew my costumes...which I used to think was lame...but now I realize how awesome it was that I had a "one-of-a-kind" costume made just for me. I remember being so jealous of kids with their store-bought costumes. I desperately wanted to be Rainbow Brite for several years....I mean I totally could have rocked this costume...

I thought about being Rainbow Brite last year...unfortunately, the adult version of this costume is sooooo not appropriate to wear in public.  The trashy adult costume selection just makes me want to be a kid again...so I could  wear stuff like this:

or my absolute favorite....

(Mike is probably my favorite Pixar-Disney character...and the costume has a built-in candy pocket...it just doesn't get any better than that!)

I wasn't planning to dress up this year, but I was told yesterday that I HAD to. So I've opted to dress as "Sleeping Beauty"...my costume includes the following:

Pink dress

Pink eye mask

Tiara

Pink Fuzzy House Slippers

and I'll be carrying a pink pillow that says "Princess"

At the very least, I'll be comfy...plus I can take a nap and still be in character....

i heart chuck

Taylor and I informally designated Wednesday nights as our "chill out/TV" night. Our mid-week break usually involves chowing down on comfort food while we enjoy the latest Chuck and Heroes episodes via his laptop (due to the lovely falling out between KXAN and Time Warner). As if I wasn't already a huge fan of Chuck, they completely won me over with their latest guest star: Buster Bluth (he doesn't play Buster on the show...but I can't help but refer to Tony Hale by his Arrested Development alias)....and it looks like he will be on multiple episodes...

And I just threw in this clip because I thought it was funny....

feeling right this time of year...

I woke up this morning, and there was a cool briskness to the air...and I was once again overwhelmed by my enthusiasm for the fall season. I don't know if it's because I was born in the fall or if I'm just grasping at straws by looking for some type of logical reasoning...but something about this time of year makes me feel like the best version of me. It's as though I am completely and totally "at home".

I could list numerous reasons of why I love this time of year...the holiday season (I heart Thanksgiving like no other), the fashion (my obsession with cardigans is scary, not to mention the options that boots, scarves, etc provide), the colors, the food (there are so many fantastic dishes that just aren't "summer appropriate" like chicken and dumplings, chili, gumbo etc), college football (hook 'em horns!)...

but beyond everything else...you can feel it in the air...

say it ain't so, Joe...

This will probably be my one and only semi-political post of this year, and I will preface this by saying that it really has very little to do with the actual debate/political points of last night.

I have known for months now how I will vote in the upcoming election, so I haven't really felt the need to stay up on all the debates/gauntlet of interviews/political smoozing/etc. Yet for some reason I decided to tune into the vice presidential debate last night...maybe it was my curious nature getting the best of me or the morbid draw of watching a train wreck happen on live tv.

However, a catastrophe of national proportions did not occur (at least, from my point of view). I was actually pleasantly surprised by the performance of both candidates. BUT more than all the talk of policies, taxes, false promises for the future...something struck me more than anything else.

Joe Biden...

You see, here's a man that has spent his entire career working in the political machine, and instead of being the front man of his own campaign...he's essentially the (possible) first runner-up in America's largest/fiercest beauty pageant. 

He's done everything that a presidential candidate "should have" done (ie. spent serious time in the senate, chaired various committees, practiced law, etc)...he knows all the political jargon...he has the maturity that most have come to expect for the leader of our country.

But all of that doesn't really play into this election like it would have just four years ago...this is a year of historic changes in our presidential election...where the expectations of the past are no longer what the American populace seems to want. No matter which way the cards fall, there will be another "first" to add to the US History books.

Instead Biden is the head cheerleader of a man who is almost 20 years his junior...who doesn't have near the same experience or political pedigree...and Biden's slated rival is a spunky, wild-card  woman "of the people" who is making it known that she prefers not to be lumped in with the political guns of capitol hill.

All this to say that...I felt disappointment on behalf of Biden. Not because I want him to be our president....but last night while I was watching the debate, I just felt a wave of empathy for him....for being a guy put in his time (30+ years), followed the "how-to-become-a-president" pretty much by the book....only to realize that he's a Pip to a much more marketable Gladys.

ACL Videos...

Here are two of my favorite video clips that I took over the ACL weekend...I apologize in advance for the poor quality (sight and sound)...just know that these snippits do not do justice to the amazing performances delivered...

First up Jamie Lidell...unfortunately I realized that there was a bug on my arm part way through filming this, so you'll notice the camera droop and come back up...

and now a little of John Fogerty...this one is little more shaky, but I just could not stop dancing...

September Retrospect: My So-Called-Birthday-Hurricane-Festival of a Month

These are my playlists for my long drive home this upcoming weekend...

Part One:

September - Earth, Wind & Fire

In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins

Cheap Wine - What Made Milwaukee Famous

Hurricane - Jimmy Needham

Closer to the Sun - Slightly Stoopid

What's Been Going On - Amos Lee

Black Dog - Led Zeppelin

Nowhere Man - The Beatles

Blood on the Ground - Incubus

She's Gone - Daryl Hall & John Oates

Good Love is on the Way  - John Mayer

A Little Bit More - Jamie Lidell

Hold You in my Arms - Ray LaMontagne

Love Remains the Same - Gavin Rossdale

Sunshine of Your Love - Cream

Joy & Pain - Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock

Sittin on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

Where It's At - Beck

Part Two:

Another Day - Jamie Lidell

It's Beginning to Get to Me - Snow Patrol

The Garden - Mirah

Black River - Amos Lee

Another One Bites the Dust - Queen

Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates

Take Me to the Riot - Stars

Piano Song - Meiko

Instant Karma - John Lennon

Firefly - Jimmy Needham

Rump Shaker - Wreckx-N-Effect

You are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

Cochise - Audioslave

Bennie & the Jets - Elton John

Ramble On - Led Zeppelin

Under My Skin - Jukebox the Ghost

Map of the Problematique - Muse

Beg - Shane & Shane

Good Times - Sam Cooke