Today, inspired by a scene in Step Brothers, I made a Mentos and Coke Fountain, and it was awesome.
I had to do it twice because Mark took the video sideways first. It's all good, though, because explosions have a low decreasing marginal return of fun. Why do you think they do hundreds of fireworks at every July Fourth celebration?
Because I had to buy a minimum of 6 rolls of Mentos at Kroger (?), I'm making this part one of a three part series in Mentos & Coke adventures, which will include a rocket and belly bomb and/or anything else you guys think of. Stay tuned!!
Why I Love My Readers, a One Month Recap
While you may think this blog is all about me, I want it to be more about you. Seriously. I love to write and hope that I can use this blog to learn how to connect to people through writing. I want you to enjoy reading this blog even more than I want to do 365+ New Things.
Through the first month of my blog's life, I got a little obsessive compulsive about people reading it. Early on I wasn't getting too many comments or followers, so I wanted to know if people were actually looking here or if I was shouting aimlessly into the blog-o-sphere. I got on Google Analytics to find out some info.
I already know a couple of things about my dear readers. I know you are all sadists, because my most popular post by far is the BUI post. I also know, however, that you guys celebrate when I achieve my goals, because my second most-popular post is the when I got into a handstand. I like this about you and hope you never change.
And now that I've asked for comments, you have given them freely! :-D Thank you to all of you who do comment. It makes writing and doing new things exponentially more satisfying when I know you are interested too.
Today, upon checking my visitor loyalty for the past month, I found this table that demonstrates who the real stars in my life are:
To the people who have visited me 26+ times a month, THANK YOU! I am so grateful you take out a couple minutes a day to read my stuff. I'm glad you either like my content or hate it so much that you like to make fun of it every day. Both work for me.
To those people who visited me 101-200 times in one month--I love you the most and owe you all copious amounts of chocolate and/or my firstborn children. I don't know if I even visit my site that many times per month, but am so happy you do. Please let me know the things that I can do to keep you excited about what I write. And if you like me this much, you should spread the love :)
Thanks to all the the others too who keep coming back! I'd love to get all the feedback you want to give. And If there's anything you want to see, I'd love to try it.
Through the first month of my blog's life, I got a little obsessive compulsive about people reading it. Early on I wasn't getting too many comments or followers, so I wanted to know if people were actually looking here or if I was shouting aimlessly into the blog-o-sphere. I got on Google Analytics to find out some info.
I already know a couple of things about my dear readers. I know you are all sadists, because my most popular post by far is the BUI post. I also know, however, that you guys celebrate when I achieve my goals, because my second most-popular post is the when I got into a handstand. I like this about you and hope you never change.
And now that I've asked for comments, you have given them freely! :-D Thank you to all of you who do comment. It makes writing and doing new things exponentially more satisfying when I know you are interested too.
Today, upon checking my visitor loyalty for the past month, I found this table that demonstrates who the real stars in my life are:
To the people who have visited me 26+ times a month, THANK YOU! I am so grateful you take out a couple minutes a day to read my stuff. I'm glad you either like my content or hate it so much that you like to make fun of it every day. Both work for me.
To those people who visited me 101-200 times in one month--I love you the most and owe you all copious amounts of chocolate and/or my firstborn children. I don't know if I even visit my site that many times per month, but am so happy you do. Please let me know the things that I can do to keep you excited about what I write. And if you like me this much, you should spread the love :)
Thanks to all the the others too who keep coming back! I'd love to get all the feedback you want to give. And If there's anything you want to see, I'd love to try it.
Day 50: "Too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns!"
I spent most of my K-12 years heavily committed to school and dancing, which significantly limited my ability to watch a lot of movies. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does elicit a lot of "What do you mean you haven't seen The Godfather?" and "You haven't lived if you haven't seen Mission: Impossible." "OMG..." *Commence exclusive talk about when he said yadda yadda and then the big plot twister where blankity blank happens.*
Well, one of those movies that has come up a lot is Top Gun, so today I donned my wings, feathered my bangs, got my wingman (Mark!) and watched it.
- I do love that Tom Cruise is seemingly cool and not all Scientology-ed out, saturated in boyish charm, and, well, a Maverick.
- I loved all the fighter pilot scenes because those guys are certifiable badasses.
- I especially loved Kenny Loggins rocking out throughout, to the obvious, Danger Zone, but even more, the ever-so-slightly homoerotic scene where the fighter pilots are playing beach volleyball to the tune of "Playing with the Boys."
- I'm glad I got to see what all the fuss was about with "Take My Breath Away."
But with all these pluses, I can't say that I loved it as much as I hoped I would. I guess I was taken away by all the fuss and didn't get that "O-M-G" moment. Hype gets the best of me. It always has.
I am still confused about a couple things though. How on earth did they get all of that film of them in those fighter jets? Did the U.S. Navy just send over a billion dollars worth of air equipment for these guys to play with? Okay, so I know that the actors weren't flying, but that must have been a big deal to arrange those kinds of props right?
And why were the men so sweaty? I couldn't tell at some points whether they were sweating or crying. You have to know why this was confusing to me.
Overall, I would probably watch it again for awesome '80's cheesiness and top-notch action scenes. But what I will watch over and over and over and over again is the "Danger Zone" music video I found in Bonus Features. It was better than the whole movie to me. I can't get enough of Kenny Loggins laying on white sheets, staring blankly into the camera while fighter jets explode in the background. Watch this and live.
Day 49: What in Hael?
I don't know if I could ever put my finger on why I never gave them a chance in the first place, but I can list a whole lot of reasons that I don't like them.
- I like books that are either nonfiction, philosophically interesting, award-winning or considered classics. P.S. "NY Times Bestseller" is NOT an award title
- I hate when anyone in America spells the word "fairy, "faerie," or demon, "daemon."
- I don't like gnomes, wizards, animal-human hybrids or Medieval power structures
- Unless it's Harry Potter, you should only be aware of one world, and it should not be called a "Realm"
Now, I am not one to invest much money in fantasy novels, so I picked this one up at the Dollar Tree. It was called "The Purple Emperor" from the "Faerie Wars Chronicles." Apparently this was a good book because the author was a New York Times Bestseller (you know how I feel about that).
The back cover started out with "When Henry Atherton returned to his own life in the suburbs of London, he thought all was well in the Faerie Realm..." Everything I hate all in one sentence (except the fact that he was not an animal-human hybrid, bummer). So I thought it was perfect for me to buy. If I'm going to buy a genre I hate, go all out, right?
So I was flipping through the book and ended up on A GLOSSARY PAGE. No piece of fiction needs a glossary page unless you are reading your first chapter book in third grade out of a textbook. Further, the Glossary had a "Key" to help you decode it--"FOL" Faerie of the Light, "FON" Faerie of the Night, "HMN" human.
I think that amounts to "FML".
Even better, while perusing the glossary, I came across this nugget,
"Hael--Polite Name for Hell."
No, "hael" is how the old ladies of the South say "hell."
I jumped into my cozy bed and opened to page one. There I was embarking on a story about how Lord Hairstreak (This author literally named a villain hair streak?) was trying to kill Prince Pyrgus who is about the become the Purple Empereor in the Fairy Realm (I will not stoop so low as to call it the "Faerie Realm"). Pyrgus's sister, Blue (yes, that is her name), is a fairy in love with Henry from London in the "Analogue World," but the portal between the worlds is closing! AH!
And then, after 100 pages, I started thinking to myself that I never gave this book a chance at all. Not even a little bit. I bought it at a Dollar Tree for $1.04, got it because the title was funny, and made fun of the content before I even started reading. This is the wrong way to approach a challenge. Maybe I should try reading something like "The Hobbit," or another classic to give a fair shot to the genre.
Sigh.
Anyone know of any well-written fantasy books that I should try? I'll attempt to make another "New Thing" out of finishing a fantasy book.
Day 48: BUI: Blogging Under the Influence ***UPDATED***
UPDATE: I've gotten SO MANY pageviews to this little ditty today. I guess it's like the long version of sending a mass drunk text? Perhaps you like watching me bare my soul in the least dignified way possible?
Whatever it is, my dear readers liked it! And by God, I will give my readers what they want! More BUI! (But not today, I still have a headache.)
And props to Drunk Leah for spelling tequila right 8 times. My grammar could use a shoe shine, but my spelling was AWESOME.
On that note, I'm finally going to edit this baby. Or make commentary. Mostly make commentary.
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Hello.
(Why Hello to you too Drunk Leah! So glad to see you on the other side *shiny, happy emoticon*)
Disclaimer: Relatives, please leave now. I will likely upset you if you continue to read this. Likewise, anyone under 21, this is not how you should act every Monday.
(Heads up, I should have probably said, "this is not how you should act ever." Why Monday was important at this juncture, I'm not sure. Am I saying it's okay to act like this every Saturday, but not every Monday? Okay, you're right, I didn't have ANY implications at this point.)
Right now, as my "New Thing," I am blogging under the influence. I've read that you should write drunk and edit sober. (I was channeling my inner Hemingway and didn't even know it! My next blogging masterpiece will rival "Old Man and the Sea") So that's what I will do. Only for the "Followers" who see this before I post it to Facebook, you can see this before I edited. CONGRATS!! Send me notes, I will edit tomorrow.
(No one sent me notes, or left me comments. Because while I get between 50 and 100 dear readers visiting my site each day who gladly take little pieces of my soul, they will not leave any piece of theirs :( Please leave me comments!! I love comments! I will give chocolate to every person who leaves me a comment.)
I am not proud of myself and my behavior, but it was a hard day. I have days where I feel an unnaturally low self-esteem. Where I realize that my pittance of a salary reflects on my self-worth and how I've blown all of my potential and how I was never as beautiful as I thought I might be.
(You should have heard how sad this was until I read it out loud and determined that someone may, in fact, call psychological services on me. I thought I could make fun of my plummeting confidence in the same way comedians can make their horrible, tragic life stories mind-bendingly hilarious. Sadly, I have no such powers. Sigh)
It makes me think of when I got my report card in fourth grade and didn't think I would pass up to fifth grade, because I have always had self-esteem on life-support.
(Great story development here, Drunk Leah)
Except under the influence of red wine or tequila, which makes me INTERSTING AND COOL.
Which should make this blog post interesting and cool!
But it probably won't be. (Scratch that--people loved it! Bonus points for tequila!)
My boyfriend took me out to the Mexican joint "Tacos & Tequila" to cheer me up with margaritas, which I had a couple (or more) and tequila shots.
Tequila likes me. Tequila makes me happy because before tequila, I was sad. Now I'm not.
HA! I have tequila. Tequila is where sadness goes to die. (Pure poetry! This can be the start of something beautiful)
And tequila makes "Step Brothers" freaking hilarious.
(I watched Step Brothers after tequila and LOVED IT. And I hate that kind of comedy. I am more of a drama/rom-com/dram-com kind of girl, definitely not a Will Ferrell type, but with tequila, all things are possible!)
And I am writing this post under the influence because it's new, and that's what I'm trying to do for this year.
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A sad ending to a sad story. But really, all things are better now. This whole thing started on a crappy Monday when one of my co-workers asked what I did for Halloween. She asked this before I had dulled my inner moody thirteen year-old with caffeine. I ended up saying things like...
"Oh, the only parties I knew of were in Athens, I don't yet have many friends in Atlanta."
"Wait, I have no friends in Atlanta."
"I have never had any friends, ever."
"But it's okay that I don't have friends because I don't have money to hang out with friends."
"Balls, I don't make much money either"
"I have no money and no friends."
"I bet I have no friends because I am ugly."
"I HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER THE WORLD!!!"
"...Tequila!"
Yeah. I know. My inner thirteen year old is a B.
Seriously though. All is well now...phew!
Whatever it is, my dear readers liked it! And by God, I will give my readers what they want! More BUI! (But not today, I still have a headache.)
And props to Drunk Leah for spelling tequila right 8 times. My grammar could use a shoe shine, but my spelling was AWESOME.
On that note, I'm finally going to edit this baby. Or make commentary. Mostly make commentary.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello.
(Why Hello to you too Drunk Leah! So glad to see you on the other side *shiny, happy emoticon*)
Disclaimer: Relatives, please leave now. I will likely upset you if you continue to read this. Likewise, anyone under 21, this is not how you should act every Monday.
(Heads up, I should have probably said, "this is not how you should act ever." Why Monday was important at this juncture, I'm not sure. Am I saying it's okay to act like this every Saturday, but not every Monday? Okay, you're right, I didn't have ANY implications at this point.)
Right now, as my "New Thing," I am blogging under the influence. I've read that you should write drunk and edit sober. (I was channeling my inner Hemingway and didn't even know it! My next blogging masterpiece will rival "Old Man and the Sea") So that's what I will do. Only for the "Followers" who see this before I post it to Facebook, you can see this before I edited. CONGRATS!! Send me notes, I will edit tomorrow.
(No one sent me notes, or left me comments. Because while I get between 50 and 100 dear readers visiting my site each day who gladly take little pieces of my soul, they will not leave any piece of theirs :( Please leave me comments!! I love comments! I will give chocolate to every person who leaves me a comment.)
I am not proud of myself and my behavior, but it was a hard day. I have days where I feel an unnaturally low self-esteem. Where I realize that my pittance of a salary reflects on my self-worth and how I've blown all of my potential and how I was never as beautiful as I thought I might be.
(You should have heard how sad this was until I read it out loud and determined that someone may, in fact, call psychological services on me. I thought I could make fun of my plummeting confidence in the same way comedians can make their horrible, tragic life stories mind-bendingly hilarious. Sadly, I have no such powers. Sigh)
It makes me think of when I got my report card in fourth grade and didn't think I would pass up to fifth grade, because I have always had self-esteem on life-support.
(Great story development here, Drunk Leah)
Except under the influence of red wine or tequila, which makes me INTERSTING AND COOL.
Which should make this blog post interesting and cool!
My boyfriend took me out to the Mexican joint "Tacos & Tequila" to cheer me up with margaritas, which I had a couple (or more) and tequila shots.
Tequila likes me. Tequila makes me happy because before tequila, I was sad. Now I'm not.
HA! I have tequila. Tequila is where sadness goes to die. (Pure poetry! This can be the start of something beautiful)
And tequila makes "Step Brothers" freaking hilarious.
(I watched Step Brothers after tequila and LOVED IT. And I hate that kind of comedy. I am more of a drama/rom-com/dram-com kind of girl, definitely not a Will Ferrell type, but with tequila, all things are possible!)
And I am writing this post under the influence because it's new, and that's what I'm trying to do for this year.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A sad ending to a sad story. But really, all things are better now. This whole thing started on a crappy Monday when one of my co-workers asked what I did for Halloween. She asked this before I had dulled my inner moody thirteen year-old with caffeine. I ended up saying things like...
"Oh, the only parties I knew of were in Athens, I don't yet have many friends in Atlanta."
"Wait, I have no friends in Atlanta."
"I have never had any friends, ever."
"But it's okay that I don't have friends because I don't have money to hang out with friends."
"Balls, I don't make much money either"
"I have no money and no friends."
"I bet I have no friends because I am ugly."
"I HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER THE WORLD!!!"
"...Tequila!"
Yeah. I know. My inner thirteen year old is a B.
Seriously though. All is well now...phew!
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