My maternal grandmother, my only living grandparent, turned 81 years old yesterday. Mom and I placed one candle on the cake and began the traditional festivity of singing Happy Birthday.
This is how the event unfolded.
We here at Two Beans Or Not Two Beans have recently been granted The Versatile Blogger Award!
*cheers, fanfare, confetti and ticker tape parade*
As with most blogger awards, its acceptance comes with having to earn it by following as set of rules. So, without further ado, the procedures are as follows:
Numéro Un.
Nominate 15 bloggers for The Versatile Blogger Award.
These lucky fellows are none other than:
1. Invader Stu from Invading Holland. One of my (Barb) favorite blogs of ALL TIME. A fair warning, though: you may bust a gut laughing when you read about his hilarious cultural shock life in the lowlands.
2. Emily from Emily in the Glass. Emily writes beautifully about France and wines and takes awesome photography.
3. Seilann from Sand from a Distant Shore. Her blog is quite underground, so be sure to channel your inner hipster when you read it.
4. Neenuh over at Francey Pants. Her talented Minnesotan humor needs more exposure, folks.
5. Tricia at Confessions of a Recovering Cynic. She's going to publish a book soon!
6. Crazy Cris at Here, There and Everywhere. Her hiking journeys across Spain are simply gorgeous!
7. Joanna at Dehydration and Procrastination. Whenever she posts new cartoons, it is magical.
8. Ash from Ash-Matic Does Things. This new-comer is indeed up and coming with a blogging punch! His imaginative take on activities are hilarious and featured with cartoons.
9. Brandon and Bryan from A Beer for the Shower. Start reading their blog posts and cartoons and you won't stop until you've reached the very beginning of it...or have died from laughter.
10. Harley from 1., b., Platypus....Her various topics will keep you reading. Some will make you think and others will make you laugh (One of coffee bean's favorite reads).
11. Doublexuan from Whiny Pencil. He is an illustrator with some AMAZING illustrations. Check it out and be amazed!
12. Dave from Blogography. His cartoons are just too cute and he always has a good story to tell. He also has some nice pictures on his posts.
13. The person from Arguing with a Doughnut. Has crazy cartoons :D You will love it!
14. Amy from Geek with Curves. If you like all geeky things, like me, then you will simply love this blog. (Coffee bean especially loves all the good youtube videos!!)
15. The person from Ikea Hackers. Coffee bean loves all things from Ikea!! So she just couldn't help herself...
(To the award's recipients: even if you don't participate in these sort of posts, or have won it previously, just know that we do genuinely love your blogs and wanted to show some recognition!)
Numéro Deux.
In the same post, add The Versatile Blogger Award.
A few weeks ago, I discovered the very wonderful and hilarious blog called Clay Baboons. Its blogger, the lovely Stephanie (who is decidedly NOT a robot), has made it a mission to rid blogs of comment word verification.
Being a mindful blogger myself, I delved into ridding comment word verification once and for all in my corner of the internet. The removal process itself is simple enough.
I scroll down to the "Settings" menu and I read the question:
I think I have figured out the exact reason as to why I hate city driving: it brings out the worst in me.
And the worst in me scares me to death.
Driving facilitates the animal side of my being, the one pushed by pumping adrenaline and profanity, to step forth. I devolve into a wretched, vile person who spouts wretched, vile language at complete strangers while wishing them the most venomous thoughts. My sentences are peppered liberally with a vulgar, four-lettered labio-dental fricative word that can be defined as the act of engaging in "bow-chicka-wowwow." I'm not saying that I am a complete goodie-two shoes; I am an adult and am therefore prone to using curse words. Yet when I utter this particular word, I become detached to respecting fellow members of human society and therefore lose any remorse that I would have felt. This profane person is someone who I don't recognize when I am a mere pedestrian.
The transition from pedestrian to driver is a harsh one for me because I am generally respectful of others. I will open the door for you. I will say "excuse me" if I accidentally bumped into you. I will even warn you if the bathroom stall ran out of toilet paper. Yet when I become the driver, I can no longer cling to the ideals of "please" and "thank you" because, apparently, no one else on the road does. No, the mere thought of being considerate to me is as foreign as knowing how to survive a four-way stop.
These inconsiderate drivers expect me to zoom at one hundred miles per hour when the signs clearly state that my car should not surpass forty. As a reward for me having the gall to respect the law, they honk at my vehicle like an enraged goose, cut me off and salute me with their middle fingers. The knowledge that I was not in the wrong when they were drives me insane.
However, nothing, NOTHING, will get me more riled up than seeing someone switch lanes without using the turn signal. I honestly don't know how I have avoided so many potential life-ending car crashes when some idiot zigzagged from one lane to the next without giving any forewarning. I know people say to live life dangerously, but they probably didn't mean it to be taken so literally!
I must also point out that some of the worst offenders of the lack of utilizing this vital device drive upscale cars. In the endless parade of BMWs, Mercedes Benzes, Audis and even Acuras, it seems none of the drivers know what the turn signal's purpose is, much less how it functions.
(Also: what is it with those new Mercedes Benz logos? I see them plastered onto the front of the vehicles like an unfortunate squirrel that became roadkill, and their sheer size is set to rival a rapping mogul's bling-bling pendant.)
I love Michael Buble and this love of mine requires me to stalk his every move. Recently, I discovered something I did not know about him, which of course took me by surprise. In his video I just haven't met you yet, He meets a woman who becomes his love interest, the funny thing about this is that I didn't know it was his wife in real life.
My first reaction was of course "AWWWWW HOW CUTE!!!" but the more I thought of it, the more I thought of what my encounter with my "special someone" would be.
*cue dramatic scene from my fantasy dream*
Don't worry. There are no spoilers here so feel free to browse this post at ease.
Chances are that if you are reading this post in the first place, then you are probably familiar with the novel's plot, but I'm not cruel enough to ruin a great reading experience for someone else.
If you haven't read Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, well, then, what are you waiting for???
After having consumed every word of this novel, I kid you not, my literature-major self wanted to sit down and write a 12-page historical-perspective essay on why this book rocks (that's a sure-fire indication that what I read had a positive effect on me). I'm very stoked about its movie premiere this week and plan to see it with some friends of mine.
I don't like going to the movies alone. Going to the movies with other people is the way nature intended things to be. How else will you relish discussing with others whether or not the film you saw was a cinematic masterpiece or a total way for conning you out of your cash unless they, too, were also a witness to the event?
(If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?)
I also like attending with others to movies that have been specifically based on books. You may not think it but such a determining event can be a fragile experience for a bibliophile. In the hours we spend reading about the wonderful descriptions, adventures and daring feats of our favorite characters, we develop an attachment to what they look like and, ultimately, who we believe they are. What if in the movie, the persona who we conjured as being strong, intelligent and independent is reduced to a silly, walking stereotype that is the complete opposite of who they are supposed to be? This is no longer about watching a movie. This is about having an image shatter and leave us with crushed spirits. It becomes personal.
In case I end up being devastated that yet another movie adaptation didn't do justice to a great book and its characters, I want to have someone be there to hold my hand, stroke my hair and assure me that everything is gonna be all right.
