Golly Gee!!

Tiburon had a fun meme -- ask for a letter & once she assigns you one, list 10 things you like that start with that letter. I decided I'd play along and she assigned me the letter "G". So here, in random order, are 10 things I like that start with the letter G:

1. Going places -- I love to travel. It's been a while since I've gone somewhere new and I'm itching to go exploring. Ireland, Croatia and Italy are the places that are really intriguing me currently, but I'm open to lots of different places and ideas.

2. Getting organized -- something I'm working on & desperately need to do more of.

3. Griffin -- my 22-month old nephew. He's developing quite a good sense of humor and it's a lot of fun to be around him and to watch him grow/develop.

4. Cary Grant -- The characters he played in the old movies are just about my perfect man: smooth, sophisticated, intelligent, with a wicked sense of humor and a dazzling wit. He also trained as an acrobat prior to acting, so there is an extra "something" in his movements that step his performance up to a different level. See The Philadelphia Story or North by Northwest or Bringing Up Baby to see what I mean.

which brings me to

5. George Clooney -- I've already admitted to his being a guilty pleasure of mine. After this little exchange between him and his father earlier this week here in DC, I'd have to say he's about approaching my Kryptonite.

6. Games -- I'm a big time games and puzzle person.

7. Gargoyles -- especially those with a sense of humor. If you ever come to Washington, DC, I highly recommend visiting the National Cathedral. One side of the building has more traditional gargoyles & grotesques, but the other side steps out of the box, so to speak. There are alligators, elephants, cats, dogs, etc., as well as a construction worker whistling at the girls who attend the all-girls school right next to the cathedral. There's also a Darth Vader.
8. Gourmet Chocolate -- I'm not above a Reeses Peanut Butter cup or the equivalent, but when I have the opportunity to indulge in some fine Belgian or Swiss chocolate, I pretty much never turn it down.

9. Good friends -- for they make this ride worthwhile.

10. Google Reader -- the ultimate tool for keeping up on those blogs I like to read.

Anyone else want to play along? If so, just let me know in the comments and I'll assign you a letter.

Late to the Party

I've got a confession to make. Up until a couple of months ago, I didn't have cable tv. (Yes, it is possible to live without it in this day and age.) I wasn't home enough to justify the cost (& it had gotten pretty darn expensive). But then, I switched internet carriers & got a bundled package back in the summertime & thus, I've slowly been catching up on all of those things I missed.

Like this:

Saturday night was the perfect storm -- my SO was in class all weekend (so I was on my own); we didn't have any dance gigs to do; and it was snowing (so who wants to go out in that). Sounded like a good night for a movie. I was about to pop a dvd into the player when I discovered that Disney was running not only HSM, but also HSM2 back-to-back. To top it off, these were the "What's What" versions, meaning they had little pop-up bubbles that contained fun facts, pointed out continuity mistakes or other movie quirks, etc throughout the movies. (The running tally of "who wore more hats" contest between Ryan and Kelsi for HSM2 was my personal favorite.)

Well, get me a plate of crackers & bring on the cheese!!!

And cheesy it was!!! However, I've already confessed to having been in musicals and occasionally rockin' a show tune or 2, so I can't pretend that I didn't enjoy the movies. I will just say that it's a good thing that I'm not lactose intolerant or it would have been a rough night!!

Guilty Pleasures

Mindi posted about some of her guilty pleasures & invited all of us to share ours. Ok, here goes (categories kept the same as hers to keep it parallel):

Movie: Dance flicks. Any & all. I wouldn't consider Fred & Ginger or Gene Kelly movies or classics like those to be guilty pleasures -- I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to admit that I love those. I'll even own up to Dirty Dancing, Center Stage, and Mad Hot Ballroom. But, there are other teen dance flicks that I don't advertise as much --

Step Up, Save the Last Dance, Honey, Take the Lead come to mind. What can I say? I'm a dancer/dance teacher, so I'm morally compelled, right? (That's my story & I'm sticking to it!)

TV Show: Again the dance shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars come to mind, but as above, I'm not sure they make me feel guilty. So, I'll admit to watching America's Got Delusions Talent. I also got into Lipstick Jungle earlier this year -- a trashy, primetime soap opera-ish show usually isn't my style.

Clothing: I've got a pair of "beach pants" that are loud/brightly colored. They are a really wonderfully soft rayon & they are soooo comfy, but even I have to admit that they're *ahem* an acquired taste. In my defense, I don't wear them out in public (except for after my surgery when they were the only things I could wear or for one dance every year where we encourage everyone to wear tropical prints & beach wear, so I just appear to have gotten into the theme.)

Music: I'll have to confess to occasionally rockin' some Broadway showtunes. I grew up on the old classic musicals & as a dancer, I've spent a fair amount of time performing in them. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, so I was never able to take a lead role, but often had the dance lead so I've got lots of good memories associated with them.

Food: Chocolate is my weakness, but again, I proudly own that. I will admit to snacking on the occasional PopTart (breakfast of champions!!) or finding that Little Debbie Swiss Rolls have somehow found their way into my grocery cart.

Restaurant: I don't really have one. If I eat out, it's often at a local, family-owned mom-and-pop Chinese or Thai restaurant & I'm happy to support small, local businesses.

Store: Target. Hands down, no question. I won't tell you the number of times I ran in expecting to spend $20 or so on specific items and next thing I know, I've got a cart full of stuff!

Celebrity Crush: George Clooney. I've been a fan of his since his days as Dr. Doug Ross on ER & nothing's ever changed my mind.

Oh, and can't forget John Krasinski (aka Jim from The Office) now can we?

So, how bout you? C'mon. We're all friends here. You can tell us!