Yearly Archives: 2012

I know I typically use this blog for fun, entertainment, snarking, or to keep family and friends in the loop about our lives, and not super serious matters or PSA’s. But I read this today and thought it was important to pass along. Many of these I have heard/read many times before, but a few are new to me and make pretty smart sense. Regardless, it never hurts to be reminded. Please re-blog or pass along, if you feel so inclined.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly.
3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] They are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects, that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it. Pepper spray is a much more worthwhile deterrent.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like “what time is it?”, or make general small talk: “Can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter.”  Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell “Stop” or “Stay back.” Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yelling “I have pepper spray!” and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh – hard. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. If you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

AND FINALLY…

1] The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2] If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, Do not hand it to him. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. Throw it away and run in the other direction.

3] If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will.

4] Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) Do not do this. The predator may be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side and tell you where to go. As soon as you close and lock the car door, LEAVE.

5] A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side. Peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. (Do this too before riding in a taxi cab)
b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. It is always better to paranoid than dead.

6] Always take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.

7] If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, always run! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely will not be a vital organ.

8] As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

So, I think I’m obviously a little late on this one, but when I left work it was snowing out (it HAD to snow November 30th…couldn’t have waited 7 hours until December 1?) and I wanted nothing to do with thick wet snowflakes or blowing snow on dark, slick roads or blistering winds, so I picked up New Year’s Eve at the RedBox, made some spaghetti and meatballs, poured some wine, and settled in for a cozy, relaxing evening TV-side.

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And, you know, despite the fact that I’m about a year late because it’s nearing New Years Eve 2013, I kind of hate Lea Michele and Sarah Jessica Parker, and it’s a total clone of the movie Love Actually, it wasn’t too bad. Dare I say, enjoyable? I laughed, I teared up, and it filled me with “feel-good hope.” And now I really want to create my own resolutions list and celebrate a NYE in NYC! Even though our typical New Years Eve festivities include staying home, pajamas, pizza, movies, grasshopper shakes, and Wii games….couldn’t we get all gussied up, pop some champagne, deal with 5 billion crazy people, and do NYC, the Radio City Rockettes, horse-drawn carriage rides, and the grand ball drop NYE thing just once? I sure hope so! :)

In other random news –

A) Season planning for 2013-2014 is well underway and I have been reading new script after new script after new script, discussing them with fellow coworkers upon the conclusion of each one, and loving it. Best job perk ever.

B) There is a serious lack of information about the health of blue crayfish on the WWW, and it sucks! Because every time something unusual or concerning or even just different happened with our Mav or happens now with Ace and Gigi and I look it up, I hit instant brick walls. There needs to be more blue crayfish experts out there and damn it, they need to post their info online! The lack of information is infuriating. This must be something like how people feel when a loved one has a disease that the world seems to know very little about. You want to help, but how when nobody can tell you what it is, much less how to help?

C) Life of Pi – go see it. In 3D. DO IT. Ted and I did this week. Awesome flick. Awesome date night. Stunningly beautiful.

D) I was reading some blog recently that mentioned this organization. So I checked it out. Be prepared for your heart to break in two. Ted and I don’t think we even want kids, but I seriously meant to only take a quick look around to learn more about the organization, but instead spent hours on this website looking at these children, and I could not look away and I cannot handle the thought of these sweet kids, orphans, spending the rest of their lives confined to a crib or bedridden in an adult mental institution, receiving no love and minimal human interaction for the rest of their lives, just because they have downs syndrome or are HIV + or have minor developmental delay or a heart defect or a facial deformity (some of these things are perfectly treatable conditions even!), just because they weren’t adopted by their forever family in a timely manner. There are SO many of them. So many beautiful babies and kids, full of life, that just need a family to love them, and here we are in America, parents continually popping out kid after kid after kid until they have huge families of 5+ kids, when there are already thousands of kids, alive, most available for immediate adoption by older parents, single moms, and large families, who will be transferred to these facilities if nobody adopts them. If sure I’ll catch a lot of slack from a lot of people for thinking or even saying this, but I can’t imagine intentionally bringing another child into this world knowing that there are already children out there just like these little boys and girls who need a family and deserve a family. It feels selfish. They deserve to be loved and given a chance at life instead of spending their days alone and bedridden for the next 50 years while more and more healthy babies are popped out into loving, able homes. Feel free to disagree, this is only my opinion and we are all entitled to our own opinions, but I wish I could help every one of these children. I can only hope that anyone who is remotely interested in starting a family finds out about Reece’s Rainbow.

So, how was all that for random and all over the place?

Happy Saturday!

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Ted and I watched this over the weekend.

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and

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were on two nights ago.

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was on last night.

All I’m waiting on are

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and

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God bless!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May we be thankful for what we have been given, especially for the people in our lives, and generously share our abundance with others!

Have a beautiful day, for we all have something to be thankful for!

Who knew A Christmas Carol had so much to do with Thanksgiving? A happy accident. You can see where my mind has been lately, can’t you? ‘Tis the season for us theatre folk.

“You see, there is generosity aplenty in the natural world. One need look no further than a simple farmer’s harvest or in the young child’s heart to learn how to be thankful.” – Ghost of Christmas Present

“It is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt and Abundance rejoices.” – First Subscription Gentleman

“Business! Mankind should have been my business. The common welfare should have been my business. Charity, Mercy, and Benevolence should all have been my business!” – Marley’s Ghost

“He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service a pleasure or a burden. The happiness he gives…is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.” – Ebenezer Scrooge remembering Mr. Fezziwig

We all have the power within us to be thankful for what we already have, big and small – and often it is the simplest of pleasures that bring us the most joy. We all have the power within us to share what we have with those who have not, especially when we have so much to share. We all have the power within us to take care of others like it is our job, because it is. And we all have the power within us to bring happiness to others or to add to their burden. The choice is ours.

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I have seriously fantastic taste in winter pajamas.

Consider your Monday-Friday sleepwear officially covered.

You’re welcome.

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Well, you need something appropriate to tiptoe around the house in on Christmas Eve while you wait for Santa in your living room blanket fort, now don’t you?

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I feel strongly that a woodsy red flannel blanket, mug of hot cocoa, a blaze roaring in the fireplace, and a lodge in the snowy mountains would complete this ensemble. Does this remind anyone else of Topanga Lawrence from Boy Meets World? Also, you can’t pass up trendy reindeer. So, just give in to the adorable yet slightly impractical short-sleeved reindeer pajamas.

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Yes, those are indeed black velour footed pajamas (also available in red and plum). I know. Black velour footed pajamas. I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

You can rest easy now and thank me later. Life = complete.

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Thermal is terrific! To be fair, on the off chance that you don’t wear a knit beanie and waist-wrapped sweater to bed (what nonsense! I know I do.), I still think this cozy thermal union suit would be just dandy on its own. But thanks for the style tip, J. Crew!

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These Christmasy two-piece long johns totally come in adult sizes. I’m particularly drawn to the green stripes. They’re pretty nifty, and green is my favorite color. Better yet, they’re unisex! Now the man in your life can be Christmas-handsome too, and you’ll match! You probably had no idea I was so stylish.

(On that note, yes it actually does have something funny to do with these very same exact pajamas, please read this. Hilarious. Snarky. True. Match made in heaven.)

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Just kidding. Please don’t wear this. Or pose like this. Ever.

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You can also count these out (and the humans too). There is a line, and this is it.

I bet you think my five picks above are looking better and better, right?

Sweet dreams!

P.S. In all seriousness, those Xmas Eve hooded pajamas and the long johns need to be mine ASAP.

Thanksgiving is the BEST.

Easily in my top 3 of the “Best Holidays” category.

With that in mind, and after much time and consideration, our Thanksgiving menu is at last complete!

This year we’ll be having…

• Roasted turkey with giblet gravy and caramelized onions
• Glazed ham with maple-dijon cream sauce
• Roasted leg of lamb with fresh mint jus
• Grilled salmon with a traditional herb crust
• Sweet potato gnocchi tossed in a wheel of parmigiano
• Butternut squash ravioli with sweet fennel cream sauce
• Rigatoni and homemade turkey & arugula meatballs
• Baked acorn squash with brown sugar, cinnamon, and oranges
• Candied yams
• Italian green bean and mushroom casserole
• Rustic mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
• Sweet sausage and fennel stuffing
• Baked brie with almonds
• Stuffed sausage mushrooms
• Clams
• Crab cakes
• Fried oysters
• Corn fritters
• Mixed vegetable frittura
• Sicilian style fried calamari
• Shrimp and crab claws
• Aged and imported cheeses with smoked salmon, marinated artichokes, mussels, clams, and roasted peppers
• Tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella caprese
• Deviled eggs and relish tray
• Romaine salad with fennel and orange
• Croissants with herb-infused butter
• Chocolate fountain with assorted dippers including fresh fruit
• Flambé with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries
• Pie: Pumpkin, pecan, apple, berry, cherry, and lemon meringue
• Canollis
• Champagne

–

…clearly, we’re dining out this year.

–

I love planning fantastic dishes – traditional with a twist. A few family recipes passed down through the years and a few of my own adventurous creation. I love a good home-cooked meal made from scratch and with love. I love having my home filled to the brim with family, friends, food, wine, music, games, gratitude, and laughter. I love the sweet and spicy scent of a busy kitchen. I love decorating the table beautifully for the ultimate feast of thanksgiving. And I love celebrating Thanksgiving at home – where ever that may be.

But this year it’s just me and Ted. And though when we are together, we are always home, we don’t have a permanent place to call our “home” just yet. We may feel like squatters, but at least we’re together!

And so we’ll sleep in, cozily huddled beneath the blankets while the crisp winter wind nips at the windowpanes, instead of waking up at 5 a.m. to prep a turkey. And we’ll go to church, and share our blessings, and give thanks for all that we have and hold dear, and then we’ll go out to eat. Clearly, Ted found a stellar place; that delicious menu isn’t a sacrifice in the least! And we’ll eat and drink to our hearts delight. Champagne for everyone!

And when we’re finished, we’ll go back to the apartment and change into our pajamas, and roost, and relax, and nap, and watch football, and hang out with my wonderful roommate and her husband, if they’re around. We’ll turn on the music, and sip wine, and dig into a slice of freshly baked pie (that I will be making this year), and play a board game, and cuddle up in blankets, and maybe even build a fort in the living room, and laugh, and simply be together – thankful.

And we have so, so much to be thankful for.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?