If I Had All the Time in the World...

I don't watch very much TV, but I do love TV. If I had 4 or 5 extra hours a day, I know I'd waste a good portion of them in front of the tube. If I had time to watch any television on a regular basis, here are the shows I'd watch (I apologize for the number of times I plan on saying "love" in this post. I'm just feeling the love):

Survivor. Yep, I do enjoy the reality TV. I used to never miss Survivor. I like imagining how I'd play the game. Of course, my version always involves going to a hotel at night.

The Amazing Race. This is my favorite reality show, by far. The people drama matters a lot less on this show. I love the challenges and all the world travel.

Top Chef. I can cook anything with a recipe. But these people blow my mind. I love watching what they create. Quickfire challenges are my favorite!

Project Runway. I haven't seen this show in ages, but I love it for the same reasons I love Top Chef. I can barely sew a single stitch, let alone create a whole ensemble. Plus, Tim and Heidi are the best. You are out!

30 Rock. Alec Baldwin. Everyone is great, but I adore me some Alec Baldwin. Plus, there are so many obscure Star Wars references.

Weeds. Sensational writing. I can't remember a show that has shocked me more or made me explode out in unexpected laughter and surprise more often.

Big Love. Polygamy. Weird, weird, weird concept for a show. Great acting. Great writing. Crazy storylines. It has it all.

Ace of Cakes. Andrew can't believe how much I love this show. The cakes are so cool! What's not to love?

Deadliest Catch. I can't even imagine having that as my job. I hate being wet. Wet and cold together? And having your life in danger? Every day? Riveting TV.

Glee. Every swing choir kid's dream show. I can hardly express my love for this show. Plus, Sue Sylvester is the epitome of the character you love to hate. Fantastic.

Thank goodness for hulu and DVD's. Maybe I'll get to watch a few episodes here and there of these great shows. Which shows do you love, if you have time to watch TV?

I Caved

I caved. I dressed up for Retro Day, and I wasn't a rebel with a toga. I have tight-rolled my jeans, taken the laces out of my plain white tennies, scrunched my socks, put a big scarf in my hair, and layered my tank tops under my cut-up Flashdance-style sweatshirt. It's honestly weird how comfortable I feel in the clothes of my youth. It's sort of like coming home. I wonder if everyone feels like that. Well, everyone except the people of the 70's who could never possibly feel at home in double knit polyester. I don't think that's humanly possible.

Homecoming Up & Down

This is Homecoming week, a fun week of dressing up and community spirit. Yesterday at Fairfield Middle School, it was Color Day. Each grade wore a different color, and the staff wore green. It was my first day at school after my surgery. I wore my long sleeve green & white t-shirt w/ khakis. I had no idea it was supposed to get up to 85 degrees yesterday. By the end of the day, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

Today was Favorite Team Day. I wore my brand new Hawkeye camouflage pants. They're black, gray, white, and gold camo. A student told me that he thought it looked like "yellow snow." I told him if his pee is ever that color, he needs to see a doctor immediately.

Tomorrow is Retro Day. Normally, I'm a big fan of going back to side ponytails and tight-rolling my jeans. But this week, I'm tired. I don't feel great. I get my hair cut after school. I don't want to be all decked out a la 80's, for once. The high school got Toga Day. I think that sounds fun. I could make my Retro decade the 00's, as in the 0000's. I considered it. I even messed around with a big bedsheet tonight. I just don't think it's going to happen. I might be a Scrooge tomorrow. Bah Humbug.

Thursday is Bad Hair Day. Don't I freaking live that every day of my life? Maybe I'll wear all of my hair things at once... scrunchees, headbands, clips, barrettes, etc. I'm working up to be inspired.

Friday is Black & Orange Day. Now, this I can do. I love my new bright orange Fairfield Middle School shirt that has my name stenciled on the back. True, it looks a little like a convict's jumpsuit, but I love it just the same. I also have a ludicrous black, orange, and silver bow that I'll probably put in my hair. Putting the front of my new short haircut (this is the time when I miss having hair long enough for a ponytail) up on top of my head makes me look like a toddler, but I do love those silly bows. 38 and still wearing bows in her hair, folks. I'd like to think I'll grow out of this, but I don't see it happening. I'll probably be 58 and still have those bows.

Happy Homecoming wherever you are. In small town Iowa, it's an event, let me tell you.

Book Banning Makes Me Crazy!

I wish that instead of trying to control everything that goes into our kids' heads (can you say losing battle???), people would talk to kids and listen to kids. I wish Laurie Halse Anderson had never been put in the position she's been in this weekend, having to defend her work. But, I'm proud that teachers and librarians and readers from everywhere are stepping up and helping her. We have your back, Laurie! Read the blog post that explains it all here.

Literature is a vessel, my friends. Literature takes us to places we've been. Literature helps us see new worlds. Literature helps us walk in the shoes of another. Literature shows us we're not alone.

Fight censorship.

4 Things I Love About Tailgating

1. I love that Andrew is learning to love football. He's becoming a huge Hawkeye fan, and it's so fun to enjoy this with him along for the ride. Here we are at last week's season opener in Kinnick Stadium.
2. The Hawkeye Mornin' Crew is a bunch of seriously fun people. We like to eat, drink, be merry, and cheer for our Hawkeyes. We meet every game day in the Hawkeye Commuter Lot, decked out in our finest flair. It's fun to laugh and be together.
3. I love the Iowa Hawkeyes, and so does everyone else around me. I've loved the Hawkeyes since I was 8 years old and we moved to Iowa City. My Halloween costume in 6th grade was Hayden Fry, for heaven's sake! It's fun to be around all these people who love football and who love the Hawkeyes.
4. I love being with my family. My family is weird and complicated. Technically, my mom and Mike were only married for 2 1/2 months before she died. Hawkeye football keeps me connected with my stepbrothers, Tim and Travis, and all of their families as well. I never dreamed I'd have such a fun pack of brothers. I love them, and having our football tickets together helps us to not grow apart. Even if we don't talk often throughout the year, we know we'll see each other several times during the fall.

Yesterday was a great win against the Iowa State Cyclones. The tailgate theme was bacon, and I'm sure the increase in our collective cholesterol count would scare off any health insurance provider. I tried a new recipe for bacon crackers that went over VERY well. See it here. The Iowa State game is always a big rivalry, and it was a good warmup for the upcoming Big Ten Season. 2 home games down, 5 more to go. GO HAWKS!

Headache from Hades, Part III

I had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Anderson yesterday. We looked at the 2nd CT scan of my sinuses, and what he had originally thought was a marble-sized pocket of infection is actually the size of a ping-pong ball. Yes. I said a ping-pong ball. In my head. Pressing against my eye. He told me he couldn't believe my vision hadn't been affected. Anyhoo... my surgery is scheduled for next week. Thank God I'm getting this thing out of my head. A 6-week headache is not my idea of fun.

Again, my CT scan was awesome to see. The infection kind of looks like a third eyeball. Please keep me in your thoughts as I go under the knife next week. Dr. Anderson hopes he can go in through the nose to take care of this, but if not, he'll have to make an incision by my eye. I prefer no incisions. Call me crazy.

And in case I haven't mentioned it lately, I have the best boyfriend in the world. He's taking the morning off to be with me during my surgery, and he's taking time the next morning to get me to my follow-up doctor's appointment to get the packing removed... ugh. Sounds pretty terrible. I'm just hoping I'm OK enough to go back to work the next Monday.

On a different note, tomorrow is Friday already! I love 4 days weeks with no Monday in them. Tomorrow is our first book club meeting for the year. We're discussing Pat Conroy's South of Broad, which I LOVED. I also love wearing jeans every Friday. I seriously live for this. It's a little sad. I can't help it though. I'm a jeans girl! My jeans, my books, my ping-pong ball of infection, and I all wish you a happy Friday! It's just hours away!

Unfair!

I would just like to state for the record that it is completely unfair how the human body revolts when healthy practices are reinstated into the regimen after an undisclosed amount of time.

That's all I (and my aching back and legs) have to say about that.