Cookin' Kumla

It took 4 hours to make the lefsa and 5 hours to make the kumla. But we were determined to make an authentic Norweigan feast! Our hard work paid off. Delish!!

Santa

For the past few years, since moving to Chicago, I have participated in a program where I 'adopt' a child in a low income community. What this entails is that the child will write a letter to Santa and then the letter is delivered to me. I then purchase gifts for the child based on their wish list and also on practicality. I then wrap the gifts up and they are delivered to the child's school where the teacher hands them out.

I just received my letter yesterday.

This year, my child is a 3 1/2 year old girl. Her wish list includes a pink coat, a pink stocking hat and a Dora the Explorer doll. She even drew me pictures of each item. :)

I think Santa and I can work something out to make sure she gets everything on her list. ;)

Tis the season for giving, folks. Wouldn't it be great if everyone who reads this blog buys an extra gift for a child this year and then drops it off a Toys for Tots location? (hint, hint)

Skooled

Chris Brown is my new obsession. I sure did call it when I said he reminded me of Michael Jackson. Here's a clip of his dance routine at the MTV Music Awards. He's not only breakin' but I see hip hop, tap and elements of ballet in there! And I love that 2 of his backup dancers are little kids!
Watch and be amazed...

Break It Down

I know the quality of this video isn't very good but HOLY SHIT this boy can dance. I caught a few minutes of the AMA's on Sunday night and was blown away by this guy's ability to breakdance. His name is Chris Brown and I have never really heard his music before but I actually dig this song, "Kiss Kiss". But more than that...he is one of the best B-boys I have ever seen. He makes it look effortless, but trust me....the shit he's doing is really f*cking hard.
Wow.
I will keep hunting for a better quality video but in the meantime, check this kid out.

Oh yeah, did I mention he's 18?!?!! His dance ability reminds me of Michael Jackson. This kid can do stuff no one has ever seen or done before. He is inventing dance styles. Amazing.
*Update - I keep watching this video over and over trying to catch all the poppin' and lockin' and other such moves. All it makes me want to do is go hit up a dance floor for a couple of hours. Carisa...you and me gots to find ourselves a dance floor sometime soon. There is a stage/cage/top of speakers out there with my name on it!!*

*The video has been taken down due to Dick Clark Productions and copyright infringment. But I'm on it...I'll get it back up as quickly as possible.*


i can't get the embedded html code anymore, so you gotta go to youtube to view it.

Aaaand now blogger is broken. sorry guys, you gotta cut and paste the link to see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1MSHfUWKwA

Sadia - LOVE! You run YouTube! What is up with that?!?!

Fall Into...

Anyone else lovin' the new Gap ads?

Math Equation

Last night, Carisa, Michi and I went to Goldie's to partake in $1 PBRs. The bar's slogan is "On The Cheap: All Day, Every Day". Now you're talking my language!

Then off to Martyr's to check out a Jam Band. But then Michi and I heard the call of Fourth Meal and walked 2 blocks to enjoy some tasty Mexican food at The Burrito House.
What a perfect evening. :)

A Room With a View

These are some photos I took from my living room window this morning. The Village looks beautiful right now.

American Gangster

Last night Carisa, Michi, Tim and I ordered some Homemade Pizza Company and watched a bootleg of American Gangster. It wasn't too bad of a copy either, except that half an hour where the audio was slightly ahead of the video. But it felt like watching a kung fu movie, which is sorta funny when the lead actor is Denzel Washington.

Anyway, I digress...

It was a really good film and I recommend you folks out there go and watch it.

It's getting cold outside so movie season has officially started.

Makes You Want To Jump! Jump!

Most girls know that if you want to look skinnier in a photo you should cross your legs. It should be a subtle cross, one foot slightly in front of the other. It gives the illusion of thinner hips.

But in the case of these two ladies....it makes them look like they are in desperate need of a bathroom break.

It also makes me think of Xriss Xross. "The mac daddy makes you wanna jump! Jump!"

Band of Horses

Paul, Leeeeee and I saw Band of Horses last night at The Metro. What an awesome show! They are so incredible live; it sounds just like their albums! Which is proof of their talent, because they don't rely heavily on engineering to cut a record.
The opening bands, on the other hand, sucked.

Fly on the Wall

Recent excerpts from conversations I've had with friends:

Carisa: So last night we were watching The Muppets and....
Olivia: I love that you just started a conversation saying you were watching The Muppets.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt: You going on strike anytime soon? [he extends his hand] [as she goes to reach for it, he pulls it back]"Psych."
Olivia: Awesome. I need to incorporate the word Psych back into my vocabulary.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee: What kind of wine should I bring? Should I bring any recreational drugs (i.e. meth or heroin)?
Olivia: Just bring cheap red wine so our teeth can turn purple.
Lee: I hope I can get the internet set up for you. If not, I will owe you one.
Olivia: If you don't get it set up, our friendship is over. And....I will steal your shoes. PSYCH!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's a Matter of Taste

the topic of the day is girls and boys. and personal preference. sarah and i discussed and here's what we came up with:
Sarah's preference - skinny boys with an awesome sense of humor. laughing is a must with her.
Andrea's preference - jesus-look-a-likes who play guitar.
My preference - Nerd-Hot. i like a smart boy, for sure. and they gotta be tall. at least 6 feet.

i know i've blogged on this before http://oliviamccain.blogspot.com/search?q=nerd+hot and we had a good list of nerd-hot folks, but I would like to add to the list...
Olivia McCain's offical Nerd Hot List 2007 (extension):
the character Chuck (from the show Chuck)
Conan O'Brien (he went to Harvard...)

Strike

Michi just sent me a quote regarding LOST and the writer's strike and it has me bummed out:
If the strike extends into the new year and beyond, there is a chance ABC may opt to delay the new season of Lost until the fall of 2008. Or worse yet, February 2009.

2009!!!! Nooooooooo!!!!
Doesn't it seem apparant to everyone that the writers deserve risiduals from webisodes and dvd sales? I know I've watched a couple of LOST episodes from abc.com and I've downloaded some episodes of Battlestar Galactica from itunes.
There are many ingredients that make up a successful show: actors, directors and writers all play an equally important role. They should all be paid appropriately for the success of the show they work on. Why are the studio execs being so greedy?
Most of my friends, luckily, aren't terribly effected by the strike because they work more in films then television. But I do think there will be a domino effect. If studios are losing money because their television shows have stopped production, they may not invest in so many films...which will effect whether my friends have jobs or not.
And Matty B...he edits the NBS show Chuck. So this strike is going to hit him dead on.

And I am grateful that celebrities are backing up the writer's guild but I also think we, as a society, need to be careful not to make them too much of heros during this who ordeal. Yeah Jay Leno brought the picketers donuts....but he's a multi-millionaire. He can afford to take years off work and not have to sweat anything.
Many of those people picketing have families and financial responsibilites. I hope the studio execs begin negotiations soon, for the sake of those involved who aren't wealthy.

And, because I don't want LOST to be delayed.

Razor

This just in: BSG Razor episode is being aired at the Evanston Cinearts Theater! Oh HELL YEAH I'll be there!!

Colbert in '08

Stephen Colbert has officially withdrawn his bid for the 2008 presidential election. Here's his statement he released to the press:

I want to say to my supporters, this is not over. While I may accept the decision of the Council, the fight goes on! The dream endures! ... And I am going off the air until I can talk about this without weeping.

What a brilliant way to cover up the writers strike. ;)

Rainbo Club

This is the result of 3 bars, multiple PBRs, 1 Jake Gyllenthal look-a-like and daylight savings.

Sisters before Misters!

InkWell

Josh!!!
Look what I found this morning: http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/071101/071101_inkwell.pdf

So now we can do the crossword puzzle together, every week!
*Note: this is just a temporary solution until I master the art of cloning.

And So Can You!

Here's the latest book I'm reading! It's pretty funny but I think it would be better if I would have gotten the book on tape. There's something about his voice and delivery that really adds life to his humor.

Still....Stephen Colbert kills me.

Colbert in '08!

1408

Last night, Sarah, Andrea, Sarah M, Ashley and I got together for some pizza, beer and a scary movie. The perfect way to bring in Halloween!

We rented Stephen King's, 1408. I was actually surprised at how scary the first hour of the movie was. It got a little weird at the end but all in all, we approved!

It had the usual Stephen King elements: the main character is an author, set in a hotel, and the author goes crazy in said hotel (The Shining, anyone?)....but there wasn't the typical 'spell the word backwards and it means something creepy/scary' like he usually has.

And John is my boyfriend so, of course, I have to support his work. Although he had bad 80's hair in this movie and a REALLY bad Ace Ventura type shirt on AND he seems to have gotten a little pudgy in the past couple of years. But love is blind, so what's a girl to do?

Happy Halloween, everyone! Boo!

Leathur Cheetah

Aawww yeah! Come rock out with me on Saturday while I jam to Joe's tunes.

Truly Outrageous

Friday night was Manno's Halloween party. I went as Jem from Jem and the Holograms. We all had a really good time! Thanks Manno for organizing the party!!

Brokeback Beagle

http://www.dooce.com/video/brokeback/brokeback.html
I wanna beagle so bad it hurts.

Twin

I have had two people approach me and ask if I am in the latest CB2 catalogue. I guess I have a twin...
http://www.cb2.com/catalog/viewonline.aspx?catalog_name=CB2Holiday2007
(page 2...girl on sofa talking on the phone)

Giada

I got to meet Giada this morning. I love my job.

Someone. Please. Explain.

I was all ready to blog about this new show I watched last night Samantha Who? And how much I loved the show. And how happy I was to see the girl from Gilmore Girls and the girl from that one show about the three sisters living in New York (which...i loved that show...whatever happened to it?)

And Christina Applegate is super cute and how I think this is my new favorite t.v. show.

But then I came across this picture.

Someone please explain what the f*ck is going on with this outfit.

Pumpkin Patch

Josh was in town yesterday! We walked down to Wrigleyville and had brunch at Salt and Pepper and then walked around the stadium. It was such a beautiful day for a nice long walk!

Afterwards we picked up some cider and headed to a pumpkin patch to pick up a couple of pumpkins. We spread out on the back deck and carved away. :)

After, we tackled the crossword puzzle together before I took him to Ohare.

It was great hanging out with him. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Celebrity Crush List

I took a peek at one of my fall-back blogs (I read it only when I have spare time at work...and somehow I am able to find spare time on a weekly basis): http://www.tnda.blogspot.com/

One of her latest postings was on celebrity crushes. It got me thinking. It's time I organize my crushes a bit, so here we go.

Boy Celebrity Crushes
1. Rodrigo Santoro (even though in 300 he looks like a bald, drag queen, Love Actually makes up for everything)
2. Justin Timberlake (I don't really like blondes but that boy can move!)
3. John Krasinski (this is not new news. I have been claiming him my boyfriend for over a year now)
4. Zachery Levi (he's new and if his t.v. show Chuck gets cancelled it may be a situation of outta sight outta mind...but until then, he makes me laugh and I like his hair.)
5. that guy who was in that bad movie I saw with Sarah K. and Andrea. He was a gardener for a woman and he had his shirt off in one scene and all 3 of us ladies had our jaw on the floor. Yeah, him.

Girl Celebrity Crushes
1. Katee Sackhoff (ok, apparently I don't mind blondes)
2. Maggie Gyllenhaal (especially with short hair and especially in Stranger than Fiction)

and i'm blanking right now on other girl celebrity crushes.

Whew. I'm glad I got that taken care of.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

Some of my friends in the MIS dept have been telling me about this book for a couple of weeks now. The book is titled I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. My friends said it was funny. They also stressed, over and over again, that it's crass.

I read the first 100 pages last night and learned the following lessons:

1. My friends are right, it's hilarious.

2. My friends are right, it's really, really crass.

3. I can't believe how some boys view girls.

4. I can't believe what some boys will do to get head.

5. I can't believe what some boys will do to get laid.

6. This book makes me hesitant to date. Ever again.

Update: after much thought, I realized what I have in common with this jackass of an author. he writes stories about the girls he's screwed and he gives them all hilarious nicknames that reflect their personality/looks/situation/etc.

I have been known to do the same (in regards to the nicknames). Here's a little list for you: Poetry Man, Agent BJ, Professor Creepypants, The Dentist, Bob Saget and Meka Leka Hi, Meka Hiney Ho.

Although I hate this author. I wouldn't mind hanging out with some of his friends. HILARIOUS.