"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have". - Frederick Koenig

Friday, January 27, 2012

Drink of the Moment: Oatmeal Cookies and Cream


Not so long ago, I was 'challenged' to take a shooter that sounded pretty yummy, but honestly looked like it could have been day old puke, and turn it into something pretty and girly.  Never one to back down from a challenge in the drink department, I took to work and tried out a few different variations on the theme.  So, to my boozy buddy out there (you know who you are) looking for a tiny corner of soothing girly solace from this big, bad, ugly world; THIS is for you.



  • Oatmeal Cookies and Cream

  • 1 ounce Buttershots butterscotch schnapps
  • 1 ounce Bailey's Irish Cream 
  • 1 ounce Jagermeister 
  • 1 ounce Goldschlager
  • 1/2 - 1 ounce warm milk or heavy cream
  • Dash of cinnamon

Warm milk or heavy cream and froth with an milk frother.  Pour first four ingredients at room temperature in a glass or mug of your choice, mix slightly with a spoon or stirrer.  Top with frothed milk/heavy cream, and a dash of cinnamon.

Note:  You can use more or less of the milk/cream, but I found that the more milk/cream used, the more it diluted the oatmeal cookie taste.  Also, the heavy cream (though caloric) was, of course, way better and kept the oatmeal flavor better than my skim milk.  If you're counting calories, maybe a half and half or 2 percent milk would be a good option.       


On a side note, if you're looking for something a little less warm and fuzzy, but still think the whole oatmeal idea sounds like a winner (in which case, you'd be correct), then maybe you'll feel a little more at home with my alternate version of this dreamy drink.



Basically you just take all of the ingredients except for the milk, and stir them in a shaker over ice  .. or not (you can actually just pour them directly into the glass over ice if you get lazier by the drink like I do), and top or rim the glass with the cinnamon.  I also played around a little with the flavors, going a little heavier on a flavor or two that I'm particularly fond of (which I'd highly recommend, especially if you're a fan of Buttershots).  I've decided to call it the 'Lazy Oatmeal Cookie'.  Enjoy!! 



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Monday, January 23, 2012

"My Special Dog Murray"

Here is a little smile that Jay shared with me a few days ago.  Though Murray isn't my own dog, I think that each of us can probably see a little bit of Murray, and also his owner, in ourselves.  It's such a great group of photos with a heartwarming story that brings a warm fuzzy giggle, and a great reminder that a little belief in someone, including ourselves, can make all the difference in the world.


(NOTE: Because the captions were being cut off of the original slide show on Tumblr, I've reformatted the original post to be seen here in its entirety.  I've also included the original slideshow as well though, for those of you that may be interested).   



Meet Murray ...
This is Murray when he was just a little pup.


His proud face ...
This is what Murray looks like now.


When he was just a little guy, he was brought into the vet's clinic I work at with major head injuries due to being attacked by another dog.  Luckily, he survived despite what we thought.

His owners abandoned him at our clinic, so after weeks without hearing from them ...

My family and I invited him into our home to live with us and the rest of our animals.

He is one fantastic dog.


He lays like this quite often.

He developed an underbite and a crooked nose due to his severe head injuries when he was a little pup.



His blissful face ...




His badass face ... 







Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Trying to Find the Fries



After a nice, leisurely three-day weekend of packing up the last of the Christmas decorations (yes, I am habitually slow at getting around to house-oriented chores if you hadn't already picked up on that from this post here), and spending some time at the Cinebistro for a fantastic dinner & movie with my favorite five-year fiancĂ© (make that habitually slow about getting around to a lot of things),  it seems as though it's back to work today.  Well, unless we're talking about the stove (which is still not working since Christmas) or the hot water heater (which decided that 2012 was just not going to be it's year to work either), or my lower back (which is independently on strike from cooperating with the rest of my body).  Not that I'll be able to cook, shower, or move around anytime soon anyway with the deluge of files that are sitting in my work inbox still waiting for attention from two weeks ago.  All things considered though, somehow none of it is really bothering me, and I'm in a pretty good mood.  I suppose that actually might make me more like that simple, oblivious, happy little bird than I thought.  Now all I have to do is find my french fry ... or perhaps in hind sight, I just provided one for myself.  :)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Clip of the Day: The Kills Premier 10th Anniversary Video

Looks like I'm rounding out the week with, yes, yet another music clip.  I don't suppose it's exactly creative, but at the very least it's consistent.  That's gotta count for something, right?  It also seems to point to a trend that has kept me up to a generally optimistic speed this week.  After not having to put in a full work week for the past two and half months (I know, you're totally crying for me now)I'm a slave to the wage again, and it has really just sucked.  BUT, there's nothing like a little new music bath to help wash away those wistful memories of freedom - or at least distract long enough to focus on something other than work for a second.  (As if I'd ever get distracted from my all important job duties, who would ever do that? Ha!)  Another bonus?  This is a re-blog from Nowness.com, so you actually get some professionally written word smack AND an honest-to-God interview with the artists to satisfy that reading habit instead being stuck with my smoke and mirrors attempts at classic literary genius. Yay for that!  Now let's watch, read, enjoy, and then get on to the weekend please!!!   




The Kills: The Last Goodbye on Nowness.com.


The Kills: The Last Goodbye

Samantha Morton Helms an Emotive Music Video Portrait of the Rock Duo

The Kills celebrate ten years of musical partnership with this poignant and playful video, directed by Oscar nominated actress Samantha Morton. The captivating, melancholic song “The Last Goodbye” offsets the hard-edged sound Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince are known for with haunting vocals and a nostalgic piano loop. "I wanted to make it completely different from anything we'd normally do," explains Hince. "I used an octagon keyboard from the 60s which takes flexi-discs with real bands playing and mixes them together." For the video—an experience Hince and Mosshart usually find unfulfilling and frustrating—the duo enlisted the talents of Morton, who made her directorial feature debut this year with The Unloved. Shot in monochrome on crisp, silvery 35mm, the video reflects the beautiful simplicity of the track, with an old-school photo booth providing an intimate backdrop for Mosshart's intense and heart-warming opening performance followed by a series of touching to-camera poses reflecting the musicians’ longstanding, spirited friendship. "Life goes on," says Mosshart of the touching ballad. "It starts off being the end of the world but then ends up alright." Here Mosshart and Hince share their memories of their first meeting and a decade of collaboration.
Alison on Jamie:
"When I first met him I thought he was the coolest guy in the world; I was completely fascinated by him. I had an immediate desire to do something with him – it was the best decision I've ever made. We've had so much fun over the past 12 years. I'll never forget our first gig—14 February 2002 in front of 70 people. It was the scariest moment of our lives. We couldn't believe we were doing it. We'd spent six months booking the tour, by letters as it was before email. We stayed wherever we could, going on the greatest adventure of our lives. By the end of the tour the rooms were full because of word of mouth. I remember those first years so clearly because you're so involved and so in charge of your destiny. I don't take any of this for granted—it's still as exciting and interesting and there's still more to discover."

Jamie on Alison:
"In 2000, I was in another band and she was staying in the apartment below. She would sit outside my window and listen to me play guitar, a bit like a stalker. When we first met, she was painfully shy. She'd grown up in a skate scene in Florida so she wasn't really aware of any bands. It felt incredible to be able to introduce her to the music I loved. She absorbed it all and loved it all. The first time I saw her perform was like watching Patti Smith for the first time. This awkward little sparrow on stage just had so much confidence and was obviously so comfortable performing. It was fascinating. I thought if I was going to be in another band it was going to be with her. She's my best friend and has been in every aspect of my life."
Produced by Juliette Larthe through PRETTYBIRD.
Cinematography by Florian Hoffmeister.



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Monday, January 9, 2012

Clip of the Day - Justice "On'n'On"

Happy Monday people!  At the risk of being repetitive, I have another musical 'Clip of the Day' today.  I know, I know, variety is the spice of life, and if that's the case then I am already turning into a nice big bowl of bland for 2012... blah, blah, blah.  At least there is musical variety compared to the last clip (which you can find here if you missed it), AND this one has a neat little EP coming out on iTunes at the end of the month.  Hope you enjoy one of the new tracks off of Justice's latest album "Audio, Video, Disco".  Tres spicy, eh?




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Friday, January 6, 2012

Clip of the Day - Walk off the Earth & Sarah Blackwood - Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye cover)

This was just shared with me (Thanks Jay!), and couldn't NOT share it forward.  I don't know anything about the band to determine whether or not I'm a huge fan of them as a whole, but I do think this cover is actually better than the original Gotye track.  Five very talented people, one guitar, and a beautiful song.  It's quite amazing, beautifully arranged, a bit of a surprise, and I just love it - what more can you ask for other than that out of life?  Enjoy!




Like it enough to make it part of your music library?  You can download it here for $1 USD (or contribute more if you like it that much): http://bit.ly/yrnlSA

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Head First Into a New Year








Happy 2012 ya'll!  I'm hoping that everyone said goodbye to 2011 with great zeal, and rang in this new year with hope, love, and the anticipation for all of the amazing moments and breathtaking beauty just waiting to unfold.  Here's to starting fresh, not looking back, and diving head first into this new year.  It's going to be a GREAT one, I promise.  :)