Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I want to be a part of it....NY NY.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Away We Went
I choose several movies that sound good to me (trying hard to find at least one non-chick flick).
Away We Go
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away

I abandoned whatever my original inquiry was (probably "interesting blog posts for people running out of ideas") in order to find out more about the anniversary. I found an fun article about the history of the show, including puppeteer Caroll Spinney, who has "played" Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the show's beginning. It's amazing to me that someone would devote their entire career to embodying a giant 6 year old bird, but I'm grateful that a show like this is still on the air.
I have countless memories of Sesame Street as a kid. I would park myself on the floor at my grandparent's house to watch, or enjoy an episode while I ate my morning cereal. I knew (and loved) all the characters, sang along with the songs, and soaked up all the reading, counting, and matching exercises I could. I remember even as a young kid, feeling involved in the show. It wasn't a passive way to pass the time....I felt like I was a part of Sesame Street, and the character's world was connected to mine. It inspired confidence in who I was and what I could do....oh, and it made me laugh. A lot.
That's one thing I love about the show- that it doesn't attempt to trick kids into learning- hiding some lessons in candy cartoon coating....they celebrate learning, and encourage kids to be curious, thoughtful, and inventive (not to mention tolerant, loving, and civic-minded). Plus they manage to cram in all this learning and stay wildly entertaining to children and parents alike.
It's nearly impossible to choose a favorite part of the show, as there are so many things I loved. Some highlights:
- Super Grover (like Grover, only even more hilarious)
- The Yips ("Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip uh-huh, uh-huh")
- Two headed monster (my mom's favorite)
- Snuffleupagus (I loved his eyelashes, and his sister Alice)
- The “One of these things is not like the other” game (I still sing this song if something doesn't look right in a window at work)
- Bert and Ernie (my best friend and I dressed up like them for Halloween one year. She had to be Bert because she was taller.)
- The Count (ah, ah, ahhhh)
- Luis (I don't remember much about him, except for that when my step-dad shaved his beard we teased him mercilessly telling him he looked like Luis. In hindsight, he didn't really....)
- Guy Smiley (Does anyone remember when he went on a safari and kept scaring the animals with his loud voice? hilarious)
- Mumford the Magician ( "A-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches!")
I know I'm leaving out a million things (Cookie Monster hosting Muppetpiece theater!..ok I'll stop) What about you guys? Did you watch the show as a kid (or have children that loved it)? What are your most memorable Sesame moments? Favorite characters?
Oh- and if you're longing for more, check out the DVD special- 40 Years of Sunny Days or the special edition book Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street. Or, log on to a special section of wikipedia, known as Muppet Wiki (and no...I'm not being compensated by Sesame Workshop...I just really love the show!)Sunday, November 8, 2009
Penny for Your Thoughts
So I go out on my deck to feel how beautiful it is and I see this:

I look a little closer and I notice this little guy:
There are no leaves and all the other pears have already fallen off and gone bad, but not this guy. He's holding on until the end. Whenever that is. I'm not sure if he'll ever fall off. So as I looked at it, I thought to myself, "If that pear could think and talk, what would it be saying to all the other pears and the leaves?" If I had to guess, I think it'd be saying:Saturday, November 7, 2009
Indian Summer
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wanna be my friend?
- close to your age (i.e. younger than "grown ups" but older than you....no one wants to play with stupid baby kids!)
- willing to play with you
Sure, it got a little more complicated when choosing a "BFF", but if you were looking for someone to play with, there were virtually no requirements, other than physical proximity. (This is especially true for boys, as playmates are often little more than a receiver for whatever ball is being thrown at the time).
But when it comes to making friends as an adult....it's a little bit trickier. There's no more play groups, no guaranteed bond of sharing a carpet square during story time. There are people you see day after day, but familiarity is no longer synonymous with "friend". Adults have their guards up. Screaming "TAG!" and hitting them on the back won't jumpstart a relationship. It's more complicated than that. It's a game of social intricacies now. Heaven forbid you look at another grown up and declare, "I like you. Wanna be my friend?" It's just not done.The challenges of instigating mature friendships have become increasingly obvious to me since we moved to a new city, where we didn't knew a soul. Sure, we've been here two years, but that seems like a nano-second compared to people who were born and raised here and have roots in the area that go back generations (and trust me...there are a lot of these people in Pittsburgh). Or even compared to the transplants who may be just as new to the area as me, but seem to have established themselves more quickly or easily. I'm intimidated by these people, and envy their sense of belonging. To me they're real life's version of high school's "popular kids". They're going prepped for the tailgating party, and I'm still roaming the halls trying to find my math class.
It's not to say we don't have great friends here, because we do, but interactions with new people always renew that little insecure voice in my head: "Why would they want to hang out with little ol' me?" It's hard for me to throw out the first invite, for I fear of sting of rejection. Which is why I'm thankful when someone else is willing to take that risk, to step out and test the waters of friendship. Last Sunday at church we ran into a couple from our small group; a couple that Dustin and I have grown to like, but have been too shy to talk to about hanging out. We chatted for a few minutes before the conversation began to wind down into "Well, see you Tuesday" territory, when the girl spoke up- "Hey, would you guys ever want to go out to dinner or something?" Why yes indeed we would. Who knew it was that easy?
Tonight they're coming over to play some games. Because apparently "grown-up friendships" aren't that different after all.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
My Heart Belongs to Pumpkin (and my tummy does too)
First up- the most important pumpkin meal of the day: Pancakes!


Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.
Now, the original recipe includes instructions for Brown Sugar Frosting, but it is a lot of work, and in my opinion, not worth it (mine tasted like straight butter...in a bad way). Instead, I recommend using a store bought frosting- cream cheese flavor would probably be delicious.
If you're feeling fancy: Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes. If not? Just smear it on there...people will eat them too fast to notice anyway.



