why i love "how i met your mother"

And Neil Patrick Harris. Well, one of the reasons I love Neil Patrick Harris. Mmm, Neil Patrick Harris.

* insert squiggly, dream-like sequences lines and ... music. you know the kind i'm talkin' about ... *

Wait, no. Not that kind of blog. Not that kind of blog!

On Monday's episode of How I Met Your Mother, Barney and James (brothers played by Neil Patrick Harris and Wayne Brady) came across an old letter their mom had written but never sent. It was a photo of the two of them as kids with the words, your son written on the back. Realizing it was a letter to one of their fathers, the entire gang went to the man's house to meet him. Barney had a touching moment when he finally acknowledged that he didn't really believe Bob Barker was his father (his mother had told him he was) and he was finally ready to meet his real dad.

When a black guy answered the door, it was clearly James' father, not Barney's. Unable to accept that, Barney convinced himself he and James shared the same father and he was black for a day.

Legen ... wait for it ...



... dary!

sustenance for both the body and the soul

My lunch routine is usually quite...well, routine. I escape with two of my favourite my co-workers, we talk about stuff, we eat, we return to work. I thoroughly enjoy the company of said co-workers and look forward to getting out of the office everyday come 11:30.

But, I've gotta say that I do so adore my occasional chance to have a solitary lunch.

I'm taking a short breather from The Great Harry Potter Re-Read (I *will* finish the series this time. I *will* finish the series this time.) and after only fifty pages, am completely in love with David Nicholls's One Day.

The cup behind it is the cup from which I devoured what will from here forth be known as The Best Fucking Smoothie Ever™. The desire to go somewhere other than our usual lunchtime haunts had me scouring the web this morning for a new healthy-enough spot to try out and I stumbled across Protein Bar; a place I'd never heard of and is conveniently located a few blocks away. Please note: should any of you who may visit my fair city (and me!) also have the desire to see the Sears Tower (Willis Tower...whatevs), I'll be dragging you to this place because it is directly across the street.

After indulging in my Virgo tendencies and deciding from their online menu what I wanted (for the most part), I ventured over and returned with a cranberry walnut salad for my dinner at the hotline tonight and a smoothie for lunch.

I can now, without reservation, tell you that the Wrigley Peeled is a chocolate protein (you can choose from whey, soy, or egg), almond milk (you can choose from the usuals, soy, or almond), all-natural peanut butter, fresh banana, and agave nectar party in my mouth.

Thank you, my lunchtime companions, for taking the day off.

i don't LOL at my desk very often

But this morning? Hahahahahahahahahaha!

days of our lives - day 03

Your parents

I just wrote a lengthy post describing how awesome my parents are and as I re-read it, I realized it revolved solely around their role as parents. My parents are, first and foremost, individuals. So, I'm going to skirt around this one a bit and rather than writing something new, I'm going to use something I've already written.

Every year for Christmas, I make a gift for my family. My parents, my brother, his girlfriend, my aunt, uncle, and two cousins all get the same gift but personalized. Last year, when they each opened their box, the first thing they saw was a piece of paper that read:

After I had been on Facebook for awhile, a friend emailed me and suggested I finally get a profile picture. She sent me the Greater Than symbol with the simple explanation, "because you are." On those days when I feel "less than," it's a small but giant reminder...that I'm not.

Underneath that was a small painting of the Greater Than symbol done in either their favourite colours or colours that reminded me of them.

Finally, under the painting was another piece of paper that read:

And for the days when you need a reminder that is just a little bit bigger.

That piece of paper was taped to a picture frame, in which I had a list of "Why So and So Is Awesome." These are the ones I gave my parents:

Reasons Why Helen Is Awesome
...Because despite the fact we weren't terribly close while I was growing up, I never feel like that has hindered our relationship as adults. And the one we've worked so hard to develop as the best of friends.
...Because when we moved me to Chicago and a fellow driver was driving like an idiot, you blurted out, "cocksucker!"
...Because even though I'm 31 years old (edited: now, I'm 32!), on my birthday, you almost always wind up telling me the story of the morning I was born
...Because you took me to San Francisco (even if I had a lousy view!) (edited again: my father used to travel as an auditor and when my mother was eight months pregnant with me, she flew out to spend a week with him, hauling me around those crookedy streets and hills of The City by the Bay.)
...Because you're the only other person in the world who understands how much I miss Grandma Marion each and every day
...Because you don't treat Dad like a husband but as a partner and a friend
...Because even though we're adults and can take care of ourselves, you help Andy and I out whenever you can; in so many ways
...Because every year, other than spending it with the entire family, what I look forward to the most at Christmas is shopping and wrapping gifts and listening to Barry Manilow's Christmas CD (shhh, don't tell anyone about that last part)
...Because you stuck around
...Because of a ton of other reasons and some I've yet to discover

Reasons Why Al Is Awesome
...Because I trust you. And that doesn't come easy. Not easy at all.
...Because every time I think about the fact you named me Janelle Lynn so that it would sound "beautiful and French," it makes me smile
...Because you carted my girlfriends and I everywhere when we were younger and I'm sure, ridiculously giddy and obnoxious
...Because even though I know how much you wanted to, you couldn't bring yourself to take me to Chicago (edited: my mother and aunt drove with me out to Chicago when I moved because my dad had told me that even though he wanted to, "I just can't leave you there.")
...Because you brought me my pillow at college! (edited: I went to school two hours from where I grew up. At some point, I had left my pillow at my parents' house and NEEDED it. So, my father and I met half-way simply so I could have my pillow with me at school.)
...Because you passed on to me your bleeding heart liberalism
...Because you don't treat Mom like a wife but as a partner and a friend
...Because even though we're adults and can take care of ourselves, you help Andy and I out whenever you can; in so many ways
...Because I have no idea when it was or in what context it was but I remember you telling me, "you and your brother, and whomever you choose to bring with you, will always be welcome in this house. Always."
...Because of a ton of other reasons and some I've yet to discover

So, to sum up...my parents are friggin' awesome, mmmkay?

aural awesomeness

Random videos on random days when I'm in a random musical kind of mood.

The only song that makes me want to live, love, long for, lust after, and leave someone; all over the course of four minutes and five-five seconds.

if I could snap my fingers and be anywhere in the world...

It's there. I want to go there. I want to go there right now.

(Thank god for Jezebel)

P.S. To The Media: please be aware that in the future, in order to keep my mind in proper working order and my senses from going into complete overload, Christina Hendricks and Neil Patrick Harris are to *never* be photographed together. Thank you.

days of our lives - day 02

Your first love

From simple introductions to talk of a first love. Yowza. This one is a smidge tricky.

My first love was Stephen Capperell. My "late bloomer" status dictated that the majority of intimate / serious / long-term / whatever moments in my life happened...well, later. I met Steve when I was living in Rochester, after having graduated from college. But for the life of me, I can't remember if I was living with my cousin or if it was after Shawner and I had decided to roommate it up. Anyhoo...I don't remember exactly where but we met...wait for it...online and I remember talking for a week or so and then going to the movies (Along Came a Spider). It was a full-on first date kind of evening. He picked me up (is it just me or is it odd that I remember him picking me up but don't remember where the hell I was living?), it was a perfectly delightful evening and when it was over, he took me home.

I refer to him as my first love because he was the first person with whom I had a romantic relationship. He went with a friend out to Seattle one weekend to visit another friend and when I dropped him back at work after having met him for lunch the day before they left, he told me he loved me. And I told him the same. But you know how there's the kind of love you feel for someone because you simply enjoy their personality and company and there's the kind of love you feel for someone because when you come into each others' lives, you turn it upside friggin' down in such an amazing way, you're left wondering how the hell it's even possible for one person to have had such a profound effect on you? Yeah. Steve wasn't the latter. At one point in High Fidelity, Rob says about his relationship with Laura:

She didn't make me miserable, or anxious, or ill at ease. You know, it sounds boring, but it wasn't. It wasn't spectacular either. It was just good. But really good.

That was exactly how I felt about Steve. Things were easy and comfortable. There were other people, both before and after Steve, for whom I had much different and much stronger feelings. But I consider Steve my first love and enjoyed the time in my life when we were together. When I decided to move to Chicago, I knew my feelings for him weren't strong enough to warrant the effort it would take to make a long distance relationship like that work, so I ended things.

He eventually joined LiveJournal and we became 'friends' on there but I used the living hell out of that site, posted a good deal of personal stuff and locked most of it. Shortly thereafter, he stopped using his own journal and we just fell out of touch. Last I knew, he was still living in Rochester and happily married.

And...SCENE.