let's play cornhole!

listen, who wants to help me make a cornhole set? (TP...i'm really talking to you and jen...we'll have to make bean bags too). think about the hours of fun this could be in the fall as we enjoy football and backyard grilling. i'm sure that will samson would LOVE to learn how to play. who's in?

mint royale

i'm addicted to a seattle radio station that i listen to on the internet. kexp. every friday morning they play a song called "show me" by a UK electronica/dj-ish group called mint royale. i've just discovered the video (very anime) on youtube. one of the guys from de la soul sings with them on this one. i wanted to share...video link. this song makes me so happy.

who will it be?

let's see... spacey french aliens or the italians? i've got my money on italy to win the world cup. my household is against me, but i love them anyways.

good to be back home

what a treat to be pulling into the "driveway" this afternoon and be greeted by gwynnie, ty, and will. they were just getting home from a lovely picnic at woodland park. how we love the samson family!

ryan and i are so very glad to be back in kentucky where it was 77 degrees as we pulled in at 3pm. for the beginning of july, that's amazing. just monday it was close to 100 in b'ham. ugh. and yes, the water at the lake was the temperature of a nice bath. i loved it.

last night we stayed in nashvegas with our friend, bev. it's always wonderful to see her. ryan, of course, enjoyed our time at the brewery while we waited for bev to get her highlights. this morning we had coffee and ate breakfast at fido. if you're ever around nashville check this place out. we stop there almost every time we past through the city. it's easy to find and a good driving break. plus, i think that caedmon's call was eating there too. hmmm.

anyways, back to partying it up in KY!

sucks

well, my body offically wore it's old self down this week somehow and i got sick. so sick that i needed to be on antibiotics. this was probably partially due to daycare stress, but i haven't been getting enough rest or treating my body as the temple that it is. the worst part about it is that ryan and i missed papafest. i've been looking forward to that time with our community and for the opportunity to meet others that are doing great things around our country. it was certainly the best decision for healing b/c i'm headed out tomorrow for a week long vacation with the fam minus ryan. still, it sucks. oh yeah, i asked ryan if he's going to miss me for the week. he said "no-i like being by myself. do you want me to lie?" hurumph. he'll have fun. he's going to eat luscious, local, backyard-barbecued goat. and camp at three springs farm for two nights. i'll be in colonial williamsburg taking in the sights with my family. and riding on the lazy river at water country usa. maybe i'll get in the wave pool too.

we'll get to reunite next saturday and go to the lake. woohoo! watermelon seed spitting contest! ryan always wins.

oh yeah, i'm missing my ten year reunion this weekend. too bad. no weird conversations and potato salad for me. and there's the comparing of social status. and of spouses. what more would i want to do with my weekend?

world cup and style

this kid is amazing. fernando torres from spain. helped spain catch up to and defeat tunisia. now, i've found (through intense research) that there have been a few mullets donned on spanish players throughout the years. the top pic is recent, the bottom is a bit older. why is this ok? they think that just b/c they're footballers they can have bad hair day? can these guys actually pull this off better than someone from eastern kentucky?

could someone please explain the game of soccer to me?

video of the week

g. love is just some fun music. check this out...

love video

colonial williamsburg

here i come busch gardens! i leave for a week long trip on sunday with my parents to go visit my lil' bro, the opera singer, at b.g. he's in a dinner show called "holiday in roma". can't wait for this one. man, we're so different. i realized the other day that i haven't traveled for this length of time with my family since high school. there's a reason for that, i assure you. please pray for us. i'm trying to get up enough courage to ride some scary rides with my brother. he might be a dork, but i'm definitely the chicken. what are the odds that i'll actually get on a ride?

i love my ipod

this might be the best birthday present ever! who has bosses that score with the nano? 4GB! even better is that the next day, ryan had it all day. and of course he figured out that there are games before i did. my anti-technology husband loves my ipod. who would've guessed? so, we are a little bit behind, but it was worth the wait.

best dance video

when i was in middle school i LOVED janet jackson. then she got kind of slutty. i remember staying glued to mtv waiting for this video. i'm not sure how i got away with that, actually. my mom hated mtv, peewee's playhouse, etc. this is from the rhythm nation era. stellar. i even got to go to the concert in birmingham. sorry, i'm a dork. by the way, the superbowl thing was totally a wardrobe malfunction. it could've happened to anyone.

janet jackson alright

rock on

live acoustic version of i might be wrong by radiohead. seriously, thom yorke favors clay aiken, eh? sorry, thom is much cooler.

by the way, clay aiken is the first pic. thom yorke the second.

sad

well, i think that i might know what it's like to be depressed. usually i'm just anxious, but that hasn't been the case over the past few days. my days with zach are dwindling. it is now my job to drop him off at daycare in the morning. there are three jobs that i would consider worse than mine right now.

1. soldier in iraq
2. sanitation officer
3. coal miner

i've been lethargic every afternoon since i've dropped him off. monday and tuesday. am i sad because of the change in my life or is it because i dislike daycare? maybe both.

my friend laura went with me today. i asked her to come for support. i was concerned about whether or not i should stay with him for a bit, but his teacher always tells me to go ahead and leave. it was helpful to have laura's encouraging words as we drove away. what was hard today is that zach was crying for me. his caregiver, whom he trusts, was dropping him off at this unfamiliar place AGAIN. are there any good things about daycare that i need to know about?

i have to remember that it's only the third day of this. hopefully it'll get better.

first annual heavy metal drummer

get ready folks. lexington doesn't know what hit her. this is the summer for the first annual HEAVY METAL DRUMMER. you'll hear more about it soon. not sure of the dates yet, but it'll definitely happen in july. i want to make sure that james walsh will be in town for this one. to prepare: dust off the old air guitar and find your best rock star clothes. stay tuned...

ali g

i think this guy's british. he's stinkin hilarious. i found a clip from his show that i wanted to share.

this is definitely not PC. and totally NQR.

videos that are actually worth watching

since my birthday month officially started yesterday, i dub this month the "so awesome" video month. well, i would do that anyways, even if it wasn't my birthday month. the beauty of blogs...

this first video isn't outstanding, but it gets to the point. this song is top shelf, that's for sure.

kanye west-jesus walks

playing dress-up with jesus

oh my. not sure what to make of this one.

paperdoll jesus.

the worst videos ever

the worst three...here they are...

(in no particular order)

1. one night in bagkok. this was upon ty samson's suggestion. i'm sorry, but chess doesn't need to be paired with rock. or in this case, pop.

2. whatzupwitu. hopefully you don't remember this piece-of-shit (excuse my french) song. you won't even be able to stomach this whole video. eddie murphy sporting a wife-beater. gross. eddie murphy singing. stop. oh yeah, and then there's micheal jackson.

3. we built this city. abe lincoln has a cameo.

4. honorable mention. i can't wait. this is ryan's pick. if you actually watch this video you'll notice a dog with sunglasses on. well, ryan and his sister put sunglasses on while listening to this song right after they bought their first dog, maggie. what a cheese pie.

what's in this stuff?

this guy in dallas, tx who claims to love fitness and beer created a new light beer with "secret" ingredients that are somehow good for people? it's called s+ampede light. the + sign is supposed to represent the additives in the beer which they won't tell you what they are. sketchy i say. the website is pretty much the brewdude talking about how fit he is and how good this beer is. oh yeah, and some pictures of drunk guys and girls. some in the hot tub. and more about how fit he is. his secret ingredient is probably hot tub water or somesing.

are you joking?

since biscuit has an ear infection and is home with his dad, i got a surprise morning off. i just remembered that the dixie chicks album came out yesterday and have been listening to clips on amazon.com. it sounds a bit slower than i enjoy (laura flowers), but i'm curious to hear more of it. so i go on to read some comments about the album and find that despite the fact that they scorned our fair president at a london concert before the war started, their album is #1 in sales right now. i guess some country stations banned their music and the chicks apologized. anyway, i'm not as interested in that as i am in the worst lyrics ever for a song by country singer toby keith. lead singer for the chicks, natalie maines, called the lyrics "ignorant" so i wanted to take a look for myself. (the angry american) courtesy of the red, white, and blue lyrics.

these lines are my personal favorites:

justice will be served and the battle will rage

this big dog will fight when you rattle his cage

and you'll be sorry that you messed with the u.s. of a.

cause we'll put a boot in your ass

it's the american way

i'm waving my american flag right now. how patriotic.

no wallet?

what does this say about ryan...this morning he has gone to the farm. this morning i found his wallet on the bookcase. this morning he has driven and is driving back from the farm without his wallet. this morning i'm going to borrow all of his cash.

crappy video of the week

too good. you don't need to have a good voice to sing along with this song. check out the bling on this mofo.

oh baby you....

i'm taking ideas for the worst video of the month. please, please send them in.

good discipline

i just finished reading an article on eating locally. these folks in CA decided to take some time to eat only food that has come from no further than 100 miles away from their homes. article. this way of eating seems even harder than being a vegan. in kentucky, it would be much easier to do this in the summer and fall. winter might be a killer. it made me think about all the local foods that i've eaten recently: three springs farm eggs, kenny's cheese, bluegrass bakery bread made with weisenberger mill flour (not sure of the source), and greens from our backyard. even though my milk and yogurt are organic, they're from CA. definitely not 100 miles or closer. i'm thinking of taking on this challenge. or at least trying to have a certain percent of the food i eat be from within 100 miles. i will say this, if you're close to lexington and want a taste of some delicious local foods, there's a shindig called the "hamburger hootenanny" at a wonderful restaurant called the holly hill inn on memorial day. $15 dollars a person for local burgers, brats, salads, sides, dessert, fresh squeezed lemonade and iced tea. all local including kentucky ale and equus run wines (not included in price). reservations are necessary.

men with shoulder pads

here's the crappy video of the week. these men are obviously lip-syncing. but they're so hot. and they dance like champions. check out their keyboard player, he has an afro-mullet. very rare. oh yeah, for those that are weak-hearted there's a gratuitous crotch shot, so keep that in mind as you watch this video.

click this link: polly wolly crappy

ugh

i'm done with the today show. they had barry manilow on today and they were broadcasting from a cruise ship. there were actual people in the crowd who were singing along to his songs. who the hell is into barry manilow? what kind of person? my loyalties are with good morning america for the present. paul simon sang on their show. he's not aging well, but he's so much cooler.

three things i want to do with my life

1. join an ultimate frisbee league

2. write music and rock out

3. go climbing

i'm going to try and do all within the next year. if you're interested in joining me, let me know.

crappy video of the week

it's too bad that i know most of the words to this song. since i'm a female i should probably be offended by every bit of this video and song. but listen, anybody who sings a song standing on a giant ass should get a standing ovation, right?

i like big butts video

the chicks

i have to make a confession. i have enjoyed and do enjoy the music of the dixie chicks. it's the first girl band where i was impressed that a chick could play the banjo. they sound good in three part harmony and it's just flat out fun. there. their new cd comes out on may 23. here's a link to a sneak preview and small interview promoting the new cd: amazon dixie chicks taking the long way.

kentucky derby 2006

...here it is folks. another horse race in kentucky. i'm not sure what the best way is to guess at who might win, but here's the list. i usually pick by name. odds might mean something, but name is everything. this year it's going to be sinister minister. who's your pick? maybe we should put some money on this.

Post Position
Horse Name
Trainer
Jockey
Morning Line Odds
1
Jazil
Kiaran McLaughlin
Fernando Jara
30-1
2
Steppenwolfer
Daniel Peitz
Robby Albarado
30-1
3
Keyed Entry
Todd Pletcher
Patrick Valenzuela
30-1
4
Sinister Minister
Bob Baffert
Victor Espinoza
12-1
5
Point Determined
Bob Baffert
Rafael Bejarano
12-1
6
Showing Up
Barclay Tagg
Conrelio Velazquez
20-1
7
Bob and John
Bob Baffert
Garrett Gomez
12-1
8
Barbaro
Michael Matz
Edgar Prado
4-1
9
Sharp Humor
Dale Romans
Mark Guidry
20-1
10
A.P. Warrior
John Shirreffs
Corey Nakatani
15-1
11
Sweet Northern Saint
Michael Trombetta
Kent Desormeaux
10-1
12
Private Vow
Steve Asmussen
Shaun Bridgmohan
50-1
13
Bluegrass Cat
Todd Pletcher
Ramon Dominguez
30-1
14
Deputy Glitters
Tom Albertrani
Jose Lazcano
50-1
15
Seaside Retreat
Mark Casse
Patrick Husbands
50-1
16
Cause to Believe
Jerry Hollendorfer
Russell Baze
50-1
17
Lawyer Ron
Bob Holthus
John McKee
4-1
18
Brother Derek
Dan Hendricks
Alex Solis
3-1
19
Storm Tressure
Steve Asmussen
David Flores
50-1
20
Flashy Bull
Kiaran McLaughlin
Mike Smith
50-1

sit down. stand up.

i'm not sure whether or not this is the real radiohead video for this song, but it's pretty intense. maybe even ballsy. even if you don't like the band, this video is worth a watch. a well done anti-war plea.

WARNING...there are some graphic/disturbing images

sit down. stand up. video

sera cahoone

if you're a fan of the patty griffin, gillian welch circle of friends then check out this seattle based singer. sera cahoone myspace site.

she's toured with iron and wine. and she looks a little bit like parker posey.

may is crappy music video month

let's thank the band STYX for this week's video

link

best show...cancelled

after watching the two first seasons of arrested development all the way through, i decided that it was my new fave show. i was going to come home from the beach and actually have a show that i was going to watch every week. well, i got home and found out that it's been cancelled. bummer. why do shows like the "king of queens", "everyone loves raymond", and "american idol" get to stay on tv? oh well.

going to the beach

i don't usually get excited about going to the beach. it means putting on a swimsuit. for a woman, the first swimsuit outing of the season can be a chore. there's much prep involved. i usually prefer the mountains. now that i'm married to a man who would prefer the ocean anyday, i'm learning how to appreciate the beauty of the coast. i actually cried when we sat together for the first time on the pacific coast a few years ago. i'm becoming a changed woman.

soon, we'll get to sit together for the first time at the atlantic coast. much different scenery, but i'm sure it'll be beautiful. we also get to spend some quality time with his best friend from high school, his wife, and two young sons. and there's a hottub. and fresh seafood. and a bagel shop. i could probably go on and on.

outer banks...here we come. i hope nobody lays out on horse poop.

the bishop hides the eggs

my friend, kit's, sister posted this photo on her blog. this is her son hunting eggs at church on easter sunday. if you couldn't tell...they're catholic. i love this photo b/c of the mystery of ward's unseen expression. i mean, he's just hunting easter eggs and bam! here's this guy with a funny hat and robe on. definitely not the easter bunny. what a great photo.

what kids think about boogers

today in the car spencer asked me if i've ever had a dog. i said yes. i asked the same and he said, "yes, a hot dog". not funny by my standards, but hilarious by his. he then proceeded to ask if i'd ever tasted boogers. i said, "not that i can recall". he said, "they're not that bad. they just remind me that i need more moisture".

pearl jam on SNL

pearl jam was my favorite band when i was in eighth grade. i can't believe they're still around, but i'm definitely going to watch them tonight on SNL. or at least i'll try to stay up and watch them. lindsay lohan is hosting the show. she can be pretty funny i guess. snl lohan skit
question of the day...which pearl jam song rocks the hardest?

flighty humans

on my bike ride home today i was realizing that there are only a few people that i trust to do things well and on time. my time, that is. i don't know many people who want to stay in one place and put roots down. i'm sure it's obvious that we are a people of change. we have a hard time being happy where we are. it often seems better elsewhere. could it be better somewhere else? would i be happier living in oregon near the rogue river? what would i do there? how would i make money? who would my friends be? do ryan and i want to have kids so far away from our parents? would one river actually make me happier?

then there's the question of happiness. we can't always be happy.

i'm not sure what to do yet about becoming a person who lives in the day and works with the circumstances. maybe i'll try to be a woman of my word. maybe i'll try to be upfront with people. maybe i'll make friends, cultivate friendships, and say goodbye graciously when my friends leave and i get to stay.

i guess i'm just trying to prepare myself to say goodbye to friends that may be leaving. it's takes me awhile so i'm going to start now. right now i don't know anyone who's actually leaving. there's only talk. and i'm going to work on being okay with staying. with making a life here in kentucky. maybe i'll appreciate oregon more as a vacation spot.

the scarlet letter

funny SNL scarlet letter skit. link

if you enjoy quality literature you'll enjoy this.

patty griffin

i was introduced to patty griffin's music during my sophomore year in college. by two sorority girls nonetheless. (not all sorority girls listen to britney spears and not all sorority girls are shallow). i have so many great memories of this music. she's a brilliant songwriter and a beautiful singer. she's only about 42, but looks older than my 56-year old mother. by the sound of her lyrics, patty's probably had a hard life. last night i was able to see her live for the first time. a spiritual experience. my friend, laura, got us 4th row seats. we could see how tight patty's pants were, her disheveled hair, and that she wore pantyhose with her open-toed shoes. laura said she could get away with it, but we never could. true. we could also see her passion as she sang, her energy as she played the guitar, and her humanness. this show is right up there with the gillian welch show that i saw with ryan a few years ago at the kentucky theatre. anyways, if you've never listened to patty, let me know and i'll burn you some songs.

patty griffin npr interview

a higher love?

ok, i like to listen to classic rock. on my way home today they played "higher love" by steve winwood on the radio. this is the question of the day...should that song be considered classic rock?

british people are funny

i was introduced to the show "little britain" by my friends the maddocks. here's a religious clip from the show. little britain religious clip. if you don't enjoy weird british humor then you need to learn how to.

stop-right now

this is yet another reason not to have cable tv. "donna" has her own reality show starting this sunday on vh1. 90210 where are they now? who cares?

scary business

ryan and i watched most of "the future of food" last night. it's a documentary on genetically modified foods and how the monsanto co. is trying to control the whole world's food supply (my take). monsanto is the company that sells ROUNDUP weed killer. they are supposedly making a "terminator" seed that makes it impossible for farmers to take seed from this year's crops and use them again next year. the "terminator" seed is only good for one growing season. one word-MONEY! what scares me the most is that they are engineering these creepy "genetically-modified" seeds/food and these GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients are in pretty much everything we eat. here's a list of some foods that do and don't contain GMO ingredients-link

want to know what the hell GMO is and why it might be bad? link

you may not give a rat's about this, but the documentary is quite interesting and worth a watch. be prepared-it's definitely not a mindless movie.

becoming famous

well, i thought that by having my top 5 fave songs played on npr i would become famous. that might've happened if the host didn't address me as "julie". on the other hand he did pronounce "koch" correctly. you know what-maybe i don't want to be famous. they might put me in a pizza hut commercial with a short skirt on throwing cheese-filled pizza crust into some minor's mouth.

dorksville

i had the privilege of talking for 2 minutes with david dye yesterday. he's the host of "world cafe" on npr. out of sheer dorkiness, i emailed him my top 5 songs list b/c every week he plays a listener's list. so, he calls me up and we chat. i sound a bit like phyllis diller b/c my allergies are going nuts. the recording was for his friday show (tonight), but i think that show actually airs on sunday from 8-9pm on 91.3 in lexington. my list goes a little something like this:

1. mockingbird by ryan adams
2. i might be wrong by radiohead
3. black star (a radiohead song) performed by gillian welch and david rawlings
4. last goodbye by jeff buckley
5. peg by steely dan (good memories)

ryan wants to put groove is in the heart by dee-lite on his list. don't tell him, but it probably won't be chosen.

this just in

spring is here! this is the season of festivals and i have found the festival for you! (the you is generic b/c i really don't know who i'm talking to). DUKESFEST 2006! that's right you dukes of hazzard fans. at the beginning of june, nashville music city will host this glorious event. the general lee might even show up. i guess the whole thing would suck if the car didn't even come. let me know if you want any more info. maybe we can get a group and caravan. i'm getting my daisy dukes out right now! woohoo!

message in a bottle

for those of you who don't already know about mcsweeney's, it's a website of lists. some funny, some just flat out random. i found one about sting's possible "other" names. that sting, he's so hot right now.

link: sting's names

urkel and jesus

this is one heck of a sermon.

link: reverend urkel

mean dinner

what is the worst thing that you could serve someone for dinner? i'm asking because i'm tempted to serve butter bean pie for family dinner this week. it's savory and delicious, but is it mean? do people this far north still eat butter beans?

so weird

what the...? i just found out that ben harper and laura dern are married and have a small child. i would've never put those two together, but now that i think about it-it's kind of cool. i guess.

wrestlemania 2006

the hollaback girl vs. deborah harry. very scary. who's your pick?

we love tv preachers

this made me laugh out loud.

link: farting preacher

your xxx movie name

ryan and i were having a conversation with james and anna walsh a few weeks ago and discovered an appropriate way to figure out your xxx-adult movie name. your first name is the name of your first pet and your last name is the name of the first street you ever lived on. ryan's is "henry rhett". very sexy. very usable. i can't give mine...too inappropriate. what's yours?

wrestlemania 2006

ROUND TWO...owen wilson vs. lance armstrong. what do they have in common? they've both dated sheryl crow and they're both from texas. who's your pick?

wrestlemania 2006

ROUND ONE...dr. phil vs. dr. dobson. who's your pick?

spongeback mountain

james dobson would enjoy this parody...

link: spongeback mountain

for homestar runner fans

link: new strong bad email

THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS...

FROG LEGS!

alright, this is the deal. i give you culinary geniuses the secret ingredient and we'll see who comes up with the best recipe. this is only the beginning...

hey sweet thing

in honor of lent, i'm having a best sweet thing day on this blog. and i just wanted to put this big pint of chunky monkey on my blog. these are my favorites in no particular order. PS...newman o's are significantly better than oreos. what is your fave sweet thing?

jimmy fallon/parker posey dance for pepsi

these people are funny. link: pepsi commercial.