"I Cannot Live Without Books" -- Thomas Jefferson

2011 Books Read List

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (what a way to start the year *shakes head*)
Duma Key -- Stephen King
The Passage -- Justin Cronin
Prom Nights From Hell -- Various Authors
20th Century Ghosts -- Joe Hill
Feed -- Mira Grant
Astro City: Life in the Big City (GN)
MorningGlories Vol 1 (GN)
The Academy -- Bentley Little
The Loving Dead -- Amelia Beamer
I Am Not A Serial Killer -- Dan Wells
She-Hulk vol 6: Jaded (GN)
Fables vol 1: Legends in Exile (GN)
Fables vol 2: Animal Farm (GN)
John Dies at the End -- David Wong
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife -- Mary Roach
The Undead- Flesh Feast. A Zombie Anthology
The Great Santa Search -- Jeff Guinn
The Vanishing -- Bentley Little
The Revelation -- Bentley Little
The Dead Zone -- Stephen King
Lisey's Story -- Stephen King
Fast Food Nation
Slammerkin
Double Cross James Patterson
The Johnstown Flood David McCullough
Bomb Queen vol. 1
Fables vol. 3
Fables vol. 4
Powergirl vol. 2
Batwoman vol.1
Gotham City Sirens vol. 1
Bomb Queen vol. 2
Imzadi (Star Trek)
First Contact (Star Trek)
Invisible Monsters Chuck P.
The Stand Stephen King
The Talisman Stephen King
The Bike Path Killer
Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
Her Fearful Symmetry Audrey Niffenegger
Ghost Stories of Chester County and the Brandywine Valley
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Death Masks by Jim Butcher
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
White Knight by Jim Butcher
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Changes by Jim Butcher
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
11/23/63 Stephen King
Winds of Change Jason Brannon
Zeitoun Dave Eggers
Catching Fire Suzanne Collins
Mocking Jay Suzanne Collins
The Undead: Zombie Anthology
Deadline Mira Grant
The Forest of Hands and Teeth Carrie Ryan
Fables vol. 5
Bossypants Tina Fey
A Stolen Life Jaycee Duggard

“Once upon a time in the dead of winter in the Dakota Territory, Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat down the Little Missouri River in pursuit of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized rowboat. After several days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then Roosevelt set off in a borrowed wagon to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. They headed across the snow-covered wastes of the Badlands to the railhead at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, the entire 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in Roosevelt’s eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina. I often think of that when I hear people say they haven’t time to read.”
― David McCullough

Grinch Approved Holiday Playlist.

If you know me at all you know that I'm not the biggest Christmas fan. There's a lot of reasons why, that I'm not going to go into here, but needless to say I'm kind of a Grinch. Now, I wouldn't be looting the Who's houses, but I would probably be sitting on my front porch in a rocker drinking a cold beer watching the Green One's shenanigans without putting a stop to them. What? Those Who's are loud what with all of their singing and love and friendship and whatnot.

I have thawed a smidge though. I put together a CD for work based off of the fact that we were all tired of hearing all of the same music on the local station broadcasting 24 hour a day Holiday music, and the fact that a friend of mine is inexplicably in love with "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas" and said radio station wouldn't play it.

So. Here, for your pleasure, is an Erin approved, Grinch accepted Holiday playlist.
(66 songs, abut 3 and a half hours )


I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas Gayla Peevy

All I Want For Christmas Is You My Chemical Romance

Angels We Have Heard On High Relient K

Sleigh Ride Relient K

Ave Maria Josh Groban

Blue Christmas Johnny Cash

Carol of the Bells Deana Carter

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) Chipmunks

Christmas Canon Rock Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Christmas In Hollis Run-DMC

Christmas In Jail The Youngsters

Christmas Is Starting Now Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Christmas Shoes FM Static

Christmas Time is Here Dianne Reeves

Christmas Vacation - End Credits Mavis Staples

Christmas Wrapping The Waitresses

Christmas, Baby Please Come Home U2

Deck the Halls Jingle Cats

Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid

Do You Hear What I Hear? Gladys Knight & the Pips

Dominick The Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey) Lou Monte

Fairytale Of New York The Pogues

The First Noel Smokey Robinson

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLaughlin

Good King Wenceslas Loreena McKennitt

Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer Stephen Pearcy

Handel's Messiah Relient K

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ella Fitzgerald

Here Comes Santa Claus Gene Autry

Hey Santa Claus The Moonglows

Holiday Season The Clarks

I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day Harry Belafonte

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Johnny Mathis

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Andy Williams

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Sixpence None The Richer

Jingle Bell Rock Brenda Lee

Jingle Bells Frank Sinatra

Joy To The World Aretha Franklin

Last Christmas Wham!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Dean Martin

Little drummer boy The Almost

Little Saint Nick The Beach Boys

The Man With The Bag Kay Starr

Mele Kalikimaka Bing Crosby

Mr. Snow Miser/Mr. Heat Miser Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

The Night Santa Went Crazy Weird Al Yankovic

Oh Christmas Tree Jingle Cats

Oh Come All Ye Faithful Twisted Sister

Oh Holy Night Tracy Chapman

One More Sleep 'Til Christmas Kermit the Frog (Muppet Christmas Carol)

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Jack Johnson

Run Rudolph Run Chuck Berry

Santa Baby Eartha Kitt

Silent night The Temptations

Silver Bells Bing Crosby

Thank God It's Christmas (Album Version) Queen

The Twelve Days of Christmas Relient K

The Twelve Pains Of Christmas Bob Rivers

Up on the Housetop The Jackson 5

White Christmas The Drifters

Wizards In Winter Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Wonderful Christmas Time Paul McCartney

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. Thurl Ravenscroft

2000 Miles The Pretenders

'zat you, Santa Claus? Buster Poindexter

Hell's Threshold (Hell's Threshold, a.k.a. Clark W. Griswold's rant. a.k.a. this:

CLARK: Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse. Ha!

I'm still here...

just don't have much to talk about, or more honestly feel like making blog posts. Welcome to Winter, enjoy your rut.

Halloween 2011

I didn't get to see the girls in costume, since Halloween fell on a monday this year they were with Mom. Oh well. Had fun dressing up for work though.

I'm 6 Years Old Today!

Elise making her birthday cake.
10/28/11

I'm not sure when it happened, but you went and grew up on me kid.
You are now my silly, smart, curious big girl. No more baby.
I love picking you up from school and listening to you tell me about your day.
I love it when you empty your folder across my back seat and show me all of your worksheets in the rearview.
I love how you happily crow "I GOT GREEN!" because you behaved in class.
I love your strip down to your undies "after school dance".
I love when you ask me questions about how things work, and then I hear you repeating it to your sister later.
I even love the "shades of teenage years to come" exasperated looks you give me when I'm being too silly for your newly refined tastes.
I love that you are kind and sweet and loving.
I love that you are not yet too old to come snuggle with me.
As much as I miss my drooly babygirl, I love seeing you grow up.
You will always be my LiseyPoo though, and yes, I will call you that in front of your boyfriend.
It's my right as your Aunt.
Happy 6th Birthday Elise!

Niagara Fails.

Girls weekend in Erie, with a planned trip to Niagara Falls...that was cut short by me being admitted to the Millcreek Community Hospital ER with a 3mm. kidney stone.
An awesome weekend sidelined by my failkidney.
In retrospect, I could not have been in better hands when I got sick. Gay, Lori and Shana are amazing friends for taking care of me.
I owe you guys a trip to the Falls.

Zombie Apocalypse Playlist

Since I was battling my own zombie stomach bug on the Saturday of the Zombie Fest and Bar-crawl downtown I'll post this today.

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PLAYLIST
Place your media player of choice on shuffle and....GO!

The first song is the overall theme for the apocalypse.
Muscle Museum -- Muse


The second song is what plays when you kill your first zombie.
Black Cat Bone -- Laika


The third song plays when you're getting chased by a horde
Jungle Drum -- Emiliana Torrini


The fourth song plays when you have to kill your loved one.
Howlin' For You -- The Black Keys


The fifth song plays when you find a group of survivors.
Jesus of Suburbia -- Green Day
Embedding disabled by request hurr durrrrrr click here
SKIP TO 1:49 TO GET STRAIGHT TO THE MUSIC
(also, one of my favorite songs...ever)

The sixth song plays when you meet a new love interest.
Pursuit of Happiness -- Kid Cudi ft. MGMT


The seventh plays when you have to make a final stand.
Smile Back -- Mac Miller


The eighth song plays when you think you've survived it all.
Pity the Dead -- Bad Religion


The ninth song plays when you discover a bite mark on you.
DOA -- Foo Fighters

(this is perfect..."no ones getting out of here alive, this time...")

The tenth song plays over the end credits.
Viva La Vida -- Coldplay