The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.69

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

I'm kinda obsessed with fonts. That's how I discovered Kevin & Amanda's blog. Free fonts. That's the first reason I like them - they'll even take your handwriting sample and make it a font. For free. As in Jamie New Roman. The second reason is great photographs. Grrr-reat. And finally they're from Alabama. We have to stick together.

Watch

Redbox is bringing me up to speed on Academy Award winning films. The Young Victoria won for costume design. And it won me over for sure with its history refresher and great frocks. I already liked Emily Blunt since Sunshine Cleaning and of course, The Devil Wears Prada. And its PG. Hard to believe they still make those for adults.

Listen

Sara Bareilles makes fabulous poppy piano music. And I like it. And her. She's saucy. Her first major-label album Little Voice was huge and her next album Kaleidoscope Heart releases later this summer. I will wait. Impatiently. Enjoy this cover of Take On Me - yes, that one.

Disclaimer: Now that I've written 69 of these, it's probably time to mention I don't recommend anything because I get it free or because I have some sort of illicit relationship with an author or producer or musician. I save all of those questionable dealings for owners of Chick-Fil-A restaurants.

The Post About Who's Sacrificing More Savings?

Here's a transcript of a conversation between my friend Caryann and me.

Background: She's about to move cross-country from California to Tennessee. She's also a diligent saver of money. Me? Not so much. She might seem the better person because of that, but she actually worries TOO much about saving. Yes, there is such a thing.

Me: You should just pay for the movers since it will only cost $500 more than actually doing it yourself.

Caryann: Maybe. It's just I'm running out of money.

Me: I'm sorry, don't you have about a quadrillion dollars in savings?

Caryann: But I don't want to touch that money.

Me: What is savings for if not for a time like this? Plus, do it for me so I don't have to ride in a Penske truck from Amarillo to Nashville. And excuse me! I sacrificed MY savings for you by buying that plane ticket to Texas.

Caryann: I can't help it if you only had $150 in savings.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About Lost: The Series Finale Shindig

I said the Losties would gather, and we did.

I hosted a small gathering of some folks who are willing to go overboard for a television show.

Just in case it comes up - those are generally my favorite people on the planet.


I like to set the mood.


And inform.


And create an appropriate island tablescape. Take that - Sandra Lee.


The Black Rock pirate ship. I'm sure it's scaled perfectly.


The mystery numbers in the form of Bakerella's cake pops.


Wild boar meatballs thanks to Samantha.


That smoke monster might make you pee your PJ's a little when you run into it the next morning on the way to the coffee maker.

I'm guessing, of course.


Party Tip #23: Decorations should hit every room. Especially where guests may sit a spell.

Speaking of guests...

Man in Black and Danielle.


Daniel Faraday.


Kate Austen, Smoke Monster, and Megan.


Dr. Christian Shephard.


Claire and Charlotte.


Hurley.


Sun and Jin (our version is from the general South, rather than South Korea.)


Aaron.


Aaron, Charlie, and Claire. Not pictured: Claire's axe.


Every party needs a favor, that's why we created you.

You can catch up on Lost by watching all previous seasons at Hulu. Or you can come to my house. We can whip up some crazy eclairs.

And that smoke monster isn't going anywhere.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About Thank You for Holding

I'm currently chasing a few things in real life.

But I'm coming back. Cross my heart.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About My Dad Not Loving Me Through Travel

My coworker Amanda is in New York.

This is because her father called her up one day and said "Let me take you somewhere fun, like New York." And she said "Okay."

And now they're watching Broadway shows and eating delicacies and seeing the sights.

Do you know where my Dad offers to take me?

Nowhere.

That's why I don't feel so bad about making him do stuff around my house.

This is my mudroom. It serves no purpose. I don't really do mud.

I don't even go out that door since Lizardgate 2008. But I hate to have wasted space.

Cue Ikea.

Meet Trones who will come to your house for only $39.99. The original intent is shoe storage (holds 6 pairs each) and I encourage you to consider that. But I had other plans.

Cue Dad.

See the instructions. And the pencil. And the level I didn't even know I owned. He's thorough.


And thorough-ness leads to Godliness. And it also leads to storage for all my baking needs.

It's not New York, but it's a start.

(images: Jamie}

The Post About Lost and Dead People Skills

This is a transcript of a conversation between me and my friend Joseph while we watched last night's next-to-last episode of Lost "What They Died For."

Joseph: If those dead people are ghosts, then how can they hold things?

Me: (condescendingly) They're not ghosts like in the movie "Ghost." They have different rules.

Joseph: (annoyed) Are you sure?

Me: Yes, I am confident.

Joseph: No, you are stupid.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About Pomp and Whatchamacallit

Doesn't she look hopeful? Optimistic? Bored?

This is my lovely friend Lauren who's graduating from high school in less than a week. (She's all gowned up for one of her many pre-grad events.)

I looked the same 16 years ago. Albeit my hair was much more extravagant and flammable than Lauren's.

What advice would I give to 18-year-old Jamie and Lauren and other high school graduates?

Go to college.

That's it. That's the entire text of my "High School Graduate Guide."

Do you know why?

Because no one ever says "Man, I wish I hadn't gone to college."

They might say they wish they'd gone to a different college or only taken 4 years rather than 7 to finish or majored in something cool like sociology rather than accounting. To my accounting genius friends, I sense your envy.

Class of 2010 - go to college. Any college. You'll never regret it.

Postscript: You WILL regret applying for that credit card on the Quad so you can get a free t-shirt and finding yourself still paying for a meal from The Cheesecake Factory 10 years later. You will.

What's your advice?

{image: Jamie}

The Post About Single vs. Married v.1

I am single.

Some days I want to be married. I want to be pursued and go on dates and say "yes" to an storybook proposal and set up our engagement television and plan an unforgettable wedding and live happily ever after.

Some days I shudder at the very thought of it.

So in honor of this yin/yang perspective, I've decided to start a feature on being single versus being married. And this is volume 1.

Writing critics would say I have to have a volume 2 in order to have a volume 1, but I can't work with that kind of pressure. For now, you get volume 1.

Believe it or not, this week goes to the marrieds.

You benefit from a little phenomenon known as "Eat as Two, Bring as One."

Married people think when it comes to signing up for an item to bring to a potluck that they only have to bring one item. This is all in spite of the fact they usually eat as two full-functioning adults. And some better halves put bingers to shame.

If you're single, you don't get to bring 50% of a casserole or a half-eaten bag of tortilla chips. Eyes would roll and gossip girls would chatter.

I guess that unity candle has more power than I thought.

Is that fair? Singles? Marrieds? Discuss.

{image: gruntzooki}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.68

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

A tumblr. site I delight in is Fake Science. It's tagline is "For When The Facts Are Too Confusing." If only these posters had been hanging in the halls of Bagley Elementary School. I would have dreamed of becoming a physicist rather than a party planner.

Watch

A great DVD pick for those lamenting love or celebrating love. I'm in one of the above moods today. 500 Days of Summer is the tale of one guy's memory-driven look at a failed relationship. I promise that's not a spoiler. They tell you in the first 5 minutes, it's not a love story. But it really is. But it's not. P.S. Superduper soundtrack.

Listen

Sometimes iTunes gets it right. When I purchased music by Shawn Colvin many moons ago, it thought I might like Mindy Smith. And I did. And I do. This is her cover of Dolly Parton's Jolene, with Dolly making an appearance. Her non-covers are also worth a listen.

The Post About Lying Down on the Job

Today, I suggested to our program director that she keep an eye on the bad weather because we might need to close the office early.

It's sunny and 84 degrees.

I cannot be expected to work under these conditions.

Plus, there are only 9 people in our office today. Normally, we top out at almost 30. One person suggested we go to a 4-day work week since Fridays are always a ghost town. Like it.

Another recommended more of us should work from home. Unlike it.

I made a list over a year ago about why I couldn't work from home. Let's revisit, shall we?

1. Easy access to a value pack of 100 frozen waffles.
2. Talk shows.
3. The nap after talk shows.
4. No clear rationalization for vast array of handbags and shoes.
5. Lizards.Lizards are so 2009. I now have ladybugs rallying the troops on my porch.
   
6. My obsession with creating the perfect iTunes playlist.
7. I can lie down anywhere in the "office" and no one will know.
8. YouTube.
9. Very clear rationalization for vast array of pajama bottoms.
10. Bathing moves quickly off my priority list.

Work from home. Good idea or bad idea?

{image: Jamie}

The Post About Losties Shall Gather

"Being the life of the party will be the death of me."

That's a quote on a tea towel hanging in my kitchen.

It's embroidered truth.

The invitation to the next party I'm planning.

Those in attendance will all be winners.

Flight included.

Only two episodes left until the bittersweet end.

Is it possible to love a television show more than some of your friends?

{images: Jamie}

The Post About The City Versus The Country

My parents still live in the house where I arrived when I was 3 weeks old.

No pictures since my parents apparently didn't have any film left after the first-born.

When people ask where I grew up, I sometimes answer "in the country." But is that a fair description? Let's recap this Mother's Day and you make the call.

First, I took a turn off the main road to the road that leads home. My friend Caryann says if you refer to any road in your neighborhood as the "main road," then you probably live in the country.

But please don't let her sway your assessment.

On the road, I encountered this:

Not unusual. This 2 mile stretch has more than a few pastures.

Nothing unique at lunch other than consuming an enormous amount of meat and cupcakes:


After we all took a nap, I left. When I was 1/2 mile away, a turkey came out of nowhere.

And not a baby turkey or a skinny turkey. But a fat motherturkey moving at the speed of sound.

I tried to swerve. I tried to stop. But neither attempt was successful. I hit that bird dead on.

Sidebar: Whenever I'm driving and I'm going to pass over roadkill, I close my eyes. I can't seem to stomach the reality of animal death.

So if I'm driving the weapon that's going to silence the gobble, gobble; then you can guarantee I'm eyes wide shut. By the time I looked in the rearview, it was just feathers falling lightly in the breeze. And no sign of a turkey.

Where was it? In my brain, the only logical explanation was it was trapped in the grill of my Nissan. And any moment, it would pull itself up above the hood, look me in the eye and with its dying breath say "What the heck?"

So I called Dad and he offered to check the car, so I headed back. However, I took a 3 mile detour since I was sure the other livestock were aware of my hit and run and were waiting for revenge.

My Dad found nothing. Not one trace of turkey face. I asked "Shouldn't we call someone?" He rolled his eyes and went inside for his 2nd nap.

So did I grow up "in the country?"

P.S. On the way back to my house, on yet another detour; I passed not one, but two homes with in-ground pools in the front yard.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.67

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Guilty Pleasures Edition: This is a short list of entertainment I consume that might embarrass me if word spread. So let's just keep it between us. kthanks.

Read

Sometimes you judge a book by its cover. And then you buy it. Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler is a diverse collection of strange, but hilarious essays about a woman run amok. A woman who's been in prison and has an affection little people.

Watch
I'm not ashamed of being a TV watcher. I love high-brow (Frontline) and mid-brow (The Good Wife). I also delight in lesser-brow. And Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane fits the bill. I'm a voyeur of her crazy life of being a mother, mogul and model. She is crazy fun.

Listen

Demi Lovato. I wish I could say it was just her music, but I might also watch her TV show, Sonny With a Chance. This song is Don't Forget, one of her many songs that have hypnotized me. Stupid teens.

Winner

As for your guilty pleasures when it comes to music, they range from disco to hip hop to classical to music requiring a complex spandex wardrobe. But there's only one winner:

amandawk: she won due to her twitter love for me, but the music folks might be surprised to know she listens to is country. Amanda, we won't tell.

Email me at jamiesrabbits@gmail.com to collect your iTunes bounty.

The Post About Lip Syncing Gurus

Ryan and Ethan's tribute to Jerry Seinfeld's Halloween bit.

Both the content and delivery are perfection.

The Post About My Problem with Ungifting

Webster's doesn't recognize "ungifting" as an actual word.

But I've used it three times in the last few days, so it's official.

"Ungifting" is the practice of purchasing a gift for a friend or loved one and then failing to give the gift to said friend or loved one. Plus, you use the gift yourself.

I'm an infamous ungifter. So much so that I found more than a dozen items in my 1200 square feet that should belong to other people.

Exhibit A:

I originally borrowed this book from a friend and loved it. So I decided to pay it forward and gift to another friend. It never made it to her shelf. I needed to keep it.

Exhibit B:

My brother collects Pez dispensers. He also imparted his love for all things Star Wars to me. He probably did too good of a job.

Exhibit C:

These were on clearance and I immediately thought of a sweet friend whose name starts with "M." Have I ever mentioned how much I love this color green? I'm banking on my married name justifying this ungift.

Exhibit D:

This is my most recent ungift. This was intended for my friend Caryann, but since Clinique doesn't have an upcoming Bonus Time, the smoking retro girl stays with me.

Plus, I do look cheap on occasion.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About $30 iTunes Giveaway

--COMMENTS NOW CLOSED--


If you've read many of my Rabbit Recommends, then you know I'm a fan of the acoustic songwriter-ish types.

But I do have a few guilty pleasures who don't quite fit in any playlist. Those outcasts include Ke$ha, Flyleaf, Jay-Z, Selena Gomez, and La Roux.

They're best served on the side of organizing a closet.

So what about you? In exchange for your honesty, I'll give one forthright rabbit reader $30 in iTunes moolah.

How To Enter
Leave a comment answering the question:
What music might people be surprised to learn you love?

**2 Extra Credit Entries**
Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do!

1. Be a follower of Jamie's Rabbits on Twitter.
2. Be a fan of Jamie's Rabbits on Facebook.

**You can accomplish both of these tasks by clicking on the links.**

Important Details: Open to everyone. Must enter before 11:59pm CST on Friday, May 7 to qualify. Winner will be chosen randomly using Research Randomizer and announced this weekend. Obviously, anonymous folks can't win unless they leave a name/email in the comment. Apple doesn't know me nor has any plans to break down my door.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.66

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns should find its way onto every Christian's reading wishlist. Stearns went from President of Lenox China to the leader of WorldVision and this book tells that fascinating story. Then he tells the more important story of children and families living in devastating poverty around the world. And Stearns challenges that Matthew 25 is our guide: "I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me. I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."

BONUS? In the month of May 2010 you can download the audio version of this book for free here.

Watch

When the 120 satellite channels and 150 TiVo hours provide no entertainment, then I find Seinfeld. I'll encounter episodes like The Parking Garage or The Bubble Boy or Serenity Now. This short video clip about the sadness that is George Costanza's life made me extra happy.

Listen

I love Coldplay. And I love the poor man's Coldplay: OneRepublic. Their second album, Waking Up, is delightful with my favorite cuts being Good Life, All This Time and the featured Marching On. If you like The Script or The Fray or {The} Lifehouse, then you should dig on this.