10 Mostly Realistic Resolutions for 2020

It's a New Year, people. And what's more, it's also a new decade. If that doesn't demand a list of mostly realistic resolutions, then I'm not sure what does. So, in the spirit of new years, new decades, new beginnings, and new blog designs (what can I say, flying pigs are my spirit animal)...I bring you my 10 Mostly Realistic Resolutions for 2020.

As ever, in no particular order...

1.  I will Facebook less. Let me say first that I don't think there's anything wrong with Facebook. Most of my family live in other states, so FB is the primary way I keep in contact with them. It's great to be able to see photos of them and chat back and forth to keep up on their daily doings and what not. But sometimes it's just difficult to tear myself away from the scroll. I should be cleaning the house. Or doing laundry. Or trying to understand quantum physics. And I'm a teacher. I should almost always be lesson planning. So yeah, more living, less Facebooking.

7 Questions for Ian Somerhalder

Given that my last post was in November, I may perhaps have lost all three of my loyal followers. What can I say? I've been out of blogging mode for awhile now...concentrating on my art and my family. But now that I'm facing a rather scary health crisis, and given that I'm just self-centered enough to want to read my own thoughts online, I figured I'd better start blogging again while I still can. And what better way to jump back into the blogosphere than with a post dedicated to my favorite man-crush, Ian Somerhalder?! 

Can I get a 'hells yeah,' people!

Now that I have your attention, let us get to the task at hand. Namely, my 7 Questions for Ian Somerhalder. You know, because 6 questions aren't enough, and and 8 would just be overkill. So here we go.

1.  How did your eyes get so damn blue?!

I don't even care if that photo is enhanced, your baby blues are some of the bluest I've ever seen.  It's so freaking distracting--in the best haunt-your-dreams-and-make-me-feel-like-a-15-year-old-girl kind of way. A girl could get lost in there...lose all sense of space, time, and reality. 

What was I saying? Oh right. The eyes. But moving on...

2.  Do you have a license for those guns?

There's something about your biceps. They're um, nice. Yes, 'nice', that's perfectly polite and ladylike. I am a lady, after all, and a happily married one at that. But a girl can look. I'm not blind. Am I right? And they're like, right...there. 

3.  How did you master that eye thing you do?

 And really, could you teach my Hubs how to do that? 

4.  How is it that you make blood and fangs look sexy?

Edward Cullen was hot, in a sparkly-and-overly-coiffed sort of way. But let's face it: you as Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries--YOU make vampires S-E-X-Y.  

 And BTW...

If you need to practice your biting technique, I'm totes available.

5. In which episode of TVD will you next appear shirtless?

Because, well...

Is it hot in here or is it just me? Lord have mercy.

6.  Can I bite that lip for you?

What? It's a legit question, people.

7.  You're a defender of animals and a warrior for protecting the environment, you're an amazing actor, you're kind and compassionate, you're a devoted husband (and your wife is equally amazing, dammit), and you're all gorgeous and sexy to boot. There's only so much a fan girl can take. Are you trying to kill me?

The bottom line is this, Mr. Somerhalder:

Well, actually, you had me at LOST, as the sweetly sexy character of Boone. But it's your good-bad-boy behavior as the immortal Damon Salvatore on TVD that captured my full fan-girl attention. 6+ years of blood lust and Mystic Falls and Delena and those blue eyes and shirtless shower scenes and that eye thing you do. I mean really, what's a girl to do?!

Now that I've asked you these 7 Questions, Mr. Somerhalder, please feel free shoot me an email with your replies. Or you can tweet me @TinaGrimes.

Deep Thoughts Thursday with Damon

I am all about trying new things, even here on the blog. So as I was wasting time Googling some almost fabulous gifs the other night, I came across some that inspired a brand spanking new category: Deep Thoughts Thursday. It will just be a way to share some not-quite deep thoughts and musings using photos and gifs I spy on the Web. You know, just for sh*ts and giggles.

Are you feeling it? Ready for the first one? Are you sure now?

Well, OK then.

You kinda had to guess I'd feature Ian Somerhalder (as Damon Salvatore) from The Vampire Diaries to kick off this thrilling new Thursday feature, didn'tcha? And really he's right, life does suck--I mean, sometimes. So here's to hitting the nail on the head, vampire style. But just in case that one wasn't enough for ya, here is one more to help you kick start your weekend.

And I like it too, Damon. In case it wasn't obvious.

So you see, the thoughts here are not necessarily all that deep. But it's too late in the week for deep thoughts anyway. Who really wants to partake in deep-thinking on a Thursday evening? I'm more about the funny than the deep, aren't you?

Anyhoo, enjoy my little dose of Deep Thoughts with Damon. And enjoy your weekend while you're at it.

Chicken and Rice Bake-a-Roni

Well it's not quite Tuesday, but I thought I'd share a new recipe so you can make it a Tasty Tuesday, if the mood strikes you. I found the original recipe on Pinterest, and I wanted to link to it here, but of course now I cannot find my pin! Figures. But anyway, I tweaked the recipe a bit, and made it for the first time this evening. So naturally I feel the need to share. So cheers to sharing, right?

I'm calling this recipe Chicken and Rice Bake-a-Roni. Catchy, no? Here's your list of ingredients.

• 1 Family size box of Rice-a-Roni, Chicken-flavored
• 1-22 oz bag of Frozen Grilled Chicken Strips (thawed and diced)
• 1-10 oz can of Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1-1/2 Cups of Sour Cream
• 1 Can of French Fried Onions

And the deets:

1. Prepare the Rice-a-Roni, per its package directions.
2. When the rice is finished, add in the can of soup and the sour cream. Stir well.
3. Add in the chicken and stir to combine.
4. Spray a 9x13 pan w/cooking spray, and then spread in your rice and chicken mixture.
5. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30-40 minutes, until heated through.
6. Pour the can of French Fried Onions on top, bake another 5 minutes.

You should end up with something that looks a little bit like this:

 Yeah, not my best photo, but it's definitely a bowl full of yummy in your tummy. Really. I promise.

And in a semi-random side note, I'll just add that I know what Ian Somerhalder's character, Damon, is about to say in the first gif in this post. In that scene Damon says, "here's to duplicity."

I think that proves once and for all--lest there was any lingering doubt amongst you--that I do watch entirely too much of The Vampire Diaries.

Things I Don't Understand-the Saga Continues

I had originally planned to come on here and rant a bit about something. But then that turned into a couple of somethings. And then I just decided that perhaps my rantics would be better suited to a Things I Don't Understand post. And since I haven't posted in awhile (which has nothing at all to do with laziness, I assure you), I bet you are simply chomping at the bit to read all about my daily confusion, aren't you?

So I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. Off we go with list of many things I do not understand...

Why the pump thingamajig (it's a word, I know it's a word, you can't tell me that it's not a word) in my bath products is never long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle. In the name of all that is good and Holy, why oh freaking why isn't the pump thingamajig long enough to reach the bottom? Do they really want us to have to remove the pump thingamajig every single time we need to get shampoo or conditioner out of the bottom of the bottle and shake it out?! Or maybe they just have not yet heard of quality control. Or maybe, just maybe, they really want us to just get so pissed while we're in the shower that we throw the bottle away and buy a new one? Yeah, that sounds about right. For the same reasons they want us to Lather, Rinse, and Repeat: TO MAKE MONEY. Capitalism, at its finest.

Twist ties on bread bags. What genius decided that it is a good idea to close a bag of bread or buns with a wired tie that you have to repeatedly twist, or untwist as the case may be, to get it open or closed. It's. Not. Fun. Like, at all. And you don't even know what fun is until you go to defrost a bag of buns in the microwave, conveniently forgetting that there is a metal twist tie on said bag of buns. And need I say it? It does not play nicely whilst in the microwave.

And speaking of microwaves, I do not understand why sometimes...

Morning People. Seriously. Just stop.

Why the post office lies. At least sometimes. I found a "Final Notice" in my mailbox the other day, for a registered mail small package. That wouldn't be so surprising if I'd actually ever gotten ANY prior notices before the "Final" one. And I watched the mailman put the notice in my box and then walk away--while I was home. Did he knock at the door? No. So I called the post office and asked how this could be--how could I be getting a "Final Notice" on something when I'd NEVER gotten any prior notices?! Their reply? "You should have gotten two prior notices." And yet, I didn't. Even though I was home every day prior to that, following the notice I'd seen online a week earlier showing that my package was "out for delivery." Hmmm. 

And if I hadn't called the P.O. at 4:45pm--only moments after I'd witnessed the mailman putting the "Final Notice" in my box and walking away without knocking--my package would have been returned to its sender the very next day. Yet the post office continued to repeat that I "should have" gotten two prior notices. Yeah well, I DIDN'T! Nor did I receive any knocks on the door when those two prior notices were supposedly delivered to request my signature. 

Advanced Quantum Mechanics. Just sayin.

Why anyone would have the desire to become a proctologist. Does it pay the most or something?

And finally, why some people are obsessed with Damon Salvatore/Ian Somerhalder.

I mean, some people are really obsessed with this gorgeous man and his hotness and acting abilities. No one I know, course. But there are people. You know. Just people. Typing this. Out there.

Yeah, so, the confusion continues. Carry on.

31 Things About Me

If you know me, you know that I'm an artist as well as a wannabe funny blogger. [Check out my ArtChickStudio.com blog, if you're interested. :) ] As an artist, I follow many art/artist blogs, one of them being the Willowing blog, by Tam Laporte. Tam recently did a post that included 31 things about herself that her readers may not not know, and she invited us to do the same and link up our post to her blog.

So in true Tinalicious spirit, and my ever-present need to babble, I thought I'd share with you 31 things about me that you may not know. And if you do know, just play along, K? It'll be a hoot. OK, maybe a hoot is setting an unrealistic expectation, but let's just roll with it, shall we?

1.  I hate short pens. Hate them! When my husband leaves one on the counter I throw it away when he's not looking. I don't know what to tell you. I need full sized pens!

2.  I can't stand brass. On anything. Not light fixtures. Not door knobs or hinges. And especially not faucets. As we remodeled our (1890) house over the years, all signs of brass were unceremoniously removed. Who decided brass was cool anyway? Brass is ugly. I'm sorry. It just is.

3.  I don't like shoes that must be tied. I want slip-on shoes, no matter the season. It's not even about laziness. I just don't like shoelaces.

4.  I need bifocals in the worst way, but I know they're expensive, so I keep putting off getting them. And as a result I have to take off my glasses or look out over the top of them to read fine print, or to see anything up close. It's embarrassing. Like it's not bad enough I'm nearsighted and have worn regular glasses since the 3rd grade--now I need bifocals too?! 

(Jack understands.)

5.  I am still trying to fill the void that was left when LOST when off the air. Vampire Diaries helps. So does Game of Thrones. And Downton. But dude, they're not LOST.

6.  And speaking of voids, I really want there to be a FRIENDS reunion show. I miss my FRIENDS. Know what I mean?

7.  I hate purple. Sorry, Barney.

8.  I'm an artist, and yet I've never sold any of my actual artwork. Hmm.

9.  I kind of want a tattoo, but I hate needles. Alas, I'll probably never get one for that reason.

10.  I worked at a McDonald's once in high school. It was the worst two weeks of my life.

11.  I don't have a favorite color. And the colors I do like seem to change every few years.

12.  My favorite perfume is Clinique's Happy. My second favorite is Rapture, by Victoria's Secret. Those are the only two perfumes I wear.

13.  I like my coffee like I like my Hubs: strong and hot. ;)

14.  I named my daughter after a soap opera character, Jennifer (Jenny) Gardner on All My Children, which I was addicted to in the 80's. I also just loved that name. 

15.  I'm not afraid to say the F-Word when I feel it's appropriate. My grandfather was a sailor. I proudly take after him.

16.  The first book that ever made me cry was called, The Devil in Vienna, by Doris Orgel. I read that was I was 12 years old. 

17.  The first movie that ever made me cry was Bambi, which I watched in the back of a station wagon with my grandparents at a drive-in movie theater when I was little.

18.  People that don't tip wait-staff well (or not at all) really tick me off. I've been a waitress. My mother was a waitress at one time. They don't even make minimum wage. Freaking tip them if you get good service!

19.  When I was little, when I'd get upset, I used to sit in my closet and pretend it was a way to transport me to another world. And no, I'd never even read the Chronicles of Narnia.

20.  I think penises are ugly. But don't tell the Hubs.

21.  Sometimes I like to use the word, penis, just to make sure you're paying attention.

22.  I'm addicted to art supplies. And office supplies.

23.  I seriously want to meet Ian Somerhalder. Granted, I may have mentioned this once or twice before.

24.  I really dislike summer and I spend much of it indoors. If it's not humid, and not over 80 degrees, I'll gladly go outside. But otherwise, forget it. I'm a Spring and Fall kind of girl.

25.  I'm very computer and tech-savvy, which doesn't make a lot of sense, considering how right-brained I am. 

25.  I seriously dislike liars, and if you're gonna lie to my face, I'm more than likely gonna call you on it, or just walk away in disgust.

26.  I think weather forecasting is a bit of a joke. They can't really forecast the weather accurately, at least not more than a few hours at a time. Yet people watch the weather and believe it like it's fool-proof. And then they get mad when its' not.

27.  I've seen UFO's. I'm not kidding.

28.  I had an avocado for lunch. I frequently have an avocado for lunch.

29.  I wish there was a pill I could take to make my fingernails stop growing. I keep them short, and I hate cutting them all the time. It drives me nuts.

30.  I love my family more than anything.

31.  I think writing lists of 31 things about one's self is much more difficult than it looks.

There now. Don't you feel like you really, really know me?!

People Let Me Tell Ya Bout My Best Friend

So the Hubs and I were sitting on the couch last night, watching the black box o' fun. I was kind of browsing FB on my iPad at the same time because it was commercial time, when I heard a familiar song. It went a little something like this...(click it to hear it):

People let me tell ya 'bout my best friend...

And I was like, HEY, I know that song! So I looked up to see what was on and it was a Bank of America commercial. And they were playing the theme song from one of my favorite shows as a child, The Courtship of Eddie's Father. I used to love that show. And I loved Bill Bixby too--whose character was a widow taking care of his only son. My parents were divorced at that time, so I guess I fantasized a lot about having a full time dad in the picture. And Bill Bixby was so sweet, and cool, and full of 70's awesomeness. What's not to love?!

Anyhoots...I said to the Hubs, "HEY, that is so wrong of Bank of America to be using that song in their commercial, don't you think?"

And he was drawing a complete blank. He had no idea what song that was or what it was from. And being that I know his memory is about as long as a ladybug's foot, I showed him a picture.

And his reaction was pretty much:

He was clueless. And suddenly, just like that, the man I love and married almost 30 years ago (this June!) became an enigma. Like, how can a 51 year old man NOT know The Courtship of Eddie's Father?! It's classic television. I question his very humanity in this moment! And all he could say in his defense was that "it sounds like it was a chick show."

A chick show? WTH?!

OK, so then I had to ask..."but you've seen The Nanny and the Professor, right?"

"What about, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir?"

"My Three Sons?!"

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner, folks. The Hubs has actually seen My Three Sons! And he looked just like Ian Somerhalder when he shook his head, yes.

OK, I might be lying on that last point.

But I still think my quasi-righteous indignation was totally justified at his ignorance with regard to television shows that entertained me in my youth. I mean, it isn't that he'd never watched them--it's that he never even HEARD of them! Seriously, that's just all kinds of weird.

And it's also very weird that Bank of America is using the theme song to The Courtship of Eddie's Father as its commercial accompaniment.  I mean, the tune that brings to mind images of a widowed father, his son, and their sage Japanese housekeeper, Mrs. Livingston, doesn't exactly seem relevant to marketing a bank. But hey, at least it inspired a blog post, right?

10 Mostly Realistic Resolutions for 2014

Well, it's that time of year, folks. It's New Year's Eve eve. You know, the almost-dawn of a dandy new year that always seems to require us to make useless resolutions that will prompt new goals for the year ahead. I personally tend to avoid resolutions. I mean really, why do we need to resolve to do things just because a new year is starting? I'm perfectly capable to making easily breakable resolutions on any of the other 364 days of the year. But whatevs. 

In the spirit of feigned enthusiastic participation, I'm going to bite the blogging bullet and set some mostly realistic resolutions for myself for 2014. None of that "lose weight" or "get fit" or "quit cursing" nonsense either. After all, I'm nothing if not original. So get ready. Buckle yourself in. Ready???

1.   I'm no Adele, but dammit I'm gonna sing. I love music, and I love to sing. But when I do sing, I sing very quietly, because frankly, I don't sing all that well. Whether I'm in my car, or in my office, or doing some housework, I usually sing only loud enough for myself to hear. But that's about to change. Why should I worry about what anyone thinks of my voice? Who cares if it sucks?! YOLO, as my grandson would say. So brace yourself, world. Sing loud and proud--that's my new motto. Spread the word.

2.  Conquer my fear of spiders. And Ian Somerhalder.  OK, maybe just the spiders.

3.   I will stop procrastinating. Like, as soon as possible. Or tomorrow. Or when it's most convenient. Stop hounding me, OK?

4. I'm gonna stop blaming the cat when I fart. I mean, that's just not cool, right? And sooner or later someone is going to realize that I don't even have a cat

5.  I will do less laundry. Just as soon as I figure out precisely how long I can wear the same clothes before they really start to stink. Or maybe I just need to stock up on Febreze. And shop more.

6.  And speaking of laundry, I will be much more proactive about shart marks. Because ew. Just ewww.

7.  I'll stop laughing so loudly every time I hear someone say the word, 'Pivot.' (This may be my biggest challenge of the year.)

8.  I'm gonna write like Dr. Seuss once in awhile. After all...

     I really like his writing style

     it makes me laugh, it makes me smile

     and life is short, we're short on time

     so why not write with words that rhyme?

 (If the Seuss man says it, it must be true!)

9.  At least once, I will remove the empty toilet paper roll and instead of replacing it, I will just leave it empty so that "someone" else has to get up and get a new toilet paper roll for themselves. That ought to teach 'em.

    

    

10.  I will watch more Vampire Diaries. Because I can. And because it's harmless and fun entertainment. And because life is too short to miss out on dancing hot vampires.

There now: 10 mostly realistic resolutions for 2014. I feel quite confident I can attain all of them too. Just keeping it real, don'tcha know. ;)

Happy New Year from me, Tina, at Tinalicious!

 

Obligatory Thankful Post

So it's November, folks. And you know what that means, don'tcha? No, I'm not talking about turkey, or parades, or football, or the award I deserve after I yet again endure 3 days of cleaning, baking, and cooking for a meal that will take all of 15 minutes to consume and that will be enjoyed by everyone but me. 

No, no, I'm talking about gratitude, and the obnoxious onslaught of gratitude posts that appear on Facebook and Twitter and the like as the countdown to Turkey Day continues throughout the month. Everyone is posting what they are grateful or thankful for. Repeatedly. Like, every day. And while that's all well and good, it can get a bit...annoying...to say the least.

People are spreading the virtual love and thanks for their families, their homes, their dogs, their health, their jobs, their kids, and all their many bountiful blessings. And don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for all those things too. But I thought I'd create just one post to share just a few little things that I'm thankful for that are, perhaps, overlooked by the rest of you.

So here goes.

I'm thankful for Fall and Winter--because not only do they mean a break from heat, humidity, and sweat that the warmer months bring, but they also mean that I don't have to shave if I don't want to. You ladies can't pretend like you aren't thankful for that too.

I'm thankful that November is Sweeps Month--because that means some good sh*t is gonna happen on my favorite shows. And The Vampire Diaries is at the top of that list. Ah, who am I kidding? It's the only show I really care about right now. So bring it on, Julie Plec: shirtless Damon, Damon in a towel, or maybe Damon playing Naked Twister. Surprise me. I'm waiting.

I'm thankful for International Delight Iced Coffee--because that stuff is just freaking G-O-O-D. And alternative ways to drink coffee are always something to be thankful for--especially considering there is no Starbucks in my town. I know. The horror.

I'm thankful for Game of Thrones--because Winter is coming. And because it makes me like people I hate and root for the Mother of Dragons and want to answer every question people ask me with, "Not Today!"  And if you don't understand any of that, I highly suggest you watch Game of Thrones. Like right now. Go ahead. I'll wait.

And finally, I'm thankful for turn signals. Or, more precisely, for people who actually bother to USE their turn signals. Because it's just kind of cool to know when the car ahead of me is going to suddenly change lanes or direction. You know, just for sh*ts and giggles. 

So there you have five things I'm thankful for. I'm sure I could come up with more. Lots more really. But I don't want to overdo it.

You can thank me later.

Linking this post up to Mama Kat's