Christmas Songs That Bother Me: "Silver Bells"

It reminds me of New York City.


And that's the only reason.

How to Decorate a Christmas Tree

It's Christmastime, folks, and today's post will discuss the various important aspects of the fine art of Christmas tree decoration. First, the tree:


The type of tree you have can say a lot about you. First off, real or fake? Although there are merits to both, the people here at The Belair Road Blog Project prefer their trees living at the time of selection. On the other hand, the people here at The Belair Road Blog Project also prefer not to have to water the dying tree every day- like I said, merits to both. If you do choose the living guy you have another choice to make: which kind of living tree? This year, we went with a blue spruce, which we have never tried before. I give this tree a 10 for branches -- many strong ones for hanging heavy ornaments -- but a 4 for needles -- the prickly little guys complement my personality, but they stab little Pepper on the nose when she tries to sniff our shrubby friend. Still, the blue spruce is a nice addition to the living room, and as Dad put it, it looks very German. Okay, Dad.

The first thing to don the tree is lights.


Pictured are some classic white lights with green wire. Another option is to use colored lights, but for the past few years this has been a white-light family. (For a few years we had a string of all white lights, except for a few pink, blue, and green bulbs thrown in. Random? Yes. Reason? None that I'm aware of.) From what I've heard, untangling and testing strings of lights can be tedious and time-consuming work, but I wouldn't know (thanks, Dad!!).

Next, ornaments. There are a few basic types of ornaments that are usually seen on most Christmas trees.


First, the homemade or personalized ornament. These can range from ornaments with family members' names, as shown here, to ornaments made during a class Christmas party. Our tree has both types, plus a few others.


Next, the store-bought ornament. Cute and loved by collectors everywhere. The very best place to buy Christmas ornaments has always been Hallmark. They always have quality ornaments and cute series ones too (like the Snow Buddies seen here). This is one of my favorites -- you knew I'd have to sneak an owl in here somehow!

Finally, the simple, always-classy Christmas ball. Christmas ball ornaments are great because they come in a variety of colors and you know they will look nice no matter what. Sometimes you can even get balls with pictures or unique surfaces (for instance, we have a set that comes with faceted ball ornaments). This type of ornament is a must for the classy collector.

The final piece is the tree topper. For our topper, we use the belle of the Christmas tree ball, the angel.


Please excuse our angel, who looks like she is about to take a midnight flight. An angel is a good option if you want your Christmas tree to be guarded at night; however, I have always found angel-toppers a tad creepy. For a more secular Christmas, substitute a star for the tip of your foliage.

No tree is complete without a creepy Santa head!

So, real or fake, blue spruce or frasier fir, white or multi-colored lights, homemade or store-brought ornaments, Christmas trees and their decorations are an integral part of the Christmas season. Tonight, give your tree a big ol' hug for being so gosh darn wonderful. (Or don't. I won't be hugging mine, because that is one big prickly jerk.)












Laying under the tree, a la Grey's Anatomy.

Option 2: Scrap the whole tree thing and decorate a mini one, complete with mini ornaments, mini lights, mini tree skirt, mini train, and mini (but empty) gift boxes underneath.



Faster set-up, more compact, and less clean-up. :)

Merry Christmas!!

A new friend for the holidays

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later." -Mary Bly


My roommates and I adopted a kitten named Peanut Butter. We mostly just call her PB because Peanut Butter is too long for a cat so small. I usually call her Kitten. She's very precious except for the fact that she's a cat so she's not super social. She does not like to snuggle most of the time, but right now she is breaking her own rule to sit calmly in my lap. I think she's fascinated by my fingers on the keyboard. Some of her favorite activities include pouncing on feet, scratching and biting fingers, pushing DVDs off the shelf, and throwing herself around in her purple cube toy. I know I'm making her sound like a menace but she's really not. She just has strong hunting instincts and is extremely curious. She also loves walking on laptops and will do that whenever she has the opportunity.

This is PB with me. She is not really into getting her picture taken but she sat still for a long time so it was a good opportunity.

I never really thought I was a cat person...I still probably am not, but I do like having Kitten around. She can be sweet when she's not trying to take my fingers off with her sharp kitten teeth or drinking from my cup of water on the bedside table. One thing that frustrates me about cats in general is that they do not come when called. For all Pepper's aloofness, she responds when she hears her name. PB could not care one button about whether or not I want to see her. If she wants to see me, she will come over and scale my leg with her claws. If she's not in the mood, she won't even sit on the same couch cushion as me. Also, I'm pretty sure she has an attitude problem. Typical cat.

Christmas Songs That Bother Me: "That Holiday Feeling"

With the start the of week preceding Thanksgiving comes a slew of radio stations that begin to play Christmas tunes. Listening to such songs as "Let It Snow", "O Holy Night", and the ever classic "Do They Know It's Christmas?" can be a wonderful and relaxing experience. However, sprinkled in among the songs that make you want to sing while dancing in the snow are those select songs that make you want to hurl on the person or persons singing it (Note: This is how I feel whenever I listen to any Glee cover). One such song for me is "That Holiday Feeling" by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.


At first listen, this song sound harmless enough. I mean, even I, enemy of all things cutesy, can look past the cheesy banter that is present throughout the song. But the really horrifying moment comes in the second verse:

Eydie: Those reindeer soon will be here.
Steve: Won't mean a thing to me, dear.
Eydie: When Santa Claus begins his flight-
Steve: I hope he gets a flat tonight.

Now come on! What kind of sick person would wish for that to happen on Christmas Eve?? I don't even like children and I'd never wish that!! You, Steve Lawrence, are a disturbing human being. Someone dressed as Santa must have hit you as a child.


Also, I would like to point out that two lines later they refer to Christmas as their "favorite holiday of the year". Yes. I can see that. I can see how wishing for the dreams of millions of children to be crushed would somehow make a holiday worthwhile for you. Monsters.

And then they go on to use the "word" "mistletoeing". Even the spell check on blogspot.com knows "mistletoeing" is not in the English language, or any language for that matter. Come on, Stedie. (This is the celebrity name I've given them, because it combines both of their names as well as the word "die". Which is actually a word, and what they apparently want to happen to the dreams of children.)

Next line: "You think you're such a smarty". Well this literally came out of nowhere. At no point in the song did Steve claim to be intelligent. Luckily, neither did Eydie because I would have been forced to write a letter explaining why "mistletoeing" is not a word.
This random accusation is followed by, "Come on, let's have a party". Again, random and unsolicited. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he were talking about throwing a fun family Christmas party at which guests might partake in such activites as Pin the Tail on the Reindeer. As it so happens, he is most likely talking about a party in his pants, because his next line is "This is the season to be kind". I'll leave that one to your imagination.

The song ends with both of them singing about how they don't need a reason in order to kiss. Which is a good thing, because for them, watching an orphanage burning to the ground would probably count as a good reason to kiss.

The only thing more disheartening than this song is the comment section under the video on YouTube. One commenter says "This is gonna ramp up the Christmas spirit!". In what way, good sir, in what way? Another contributes: "Christmas was great because of my parents, and this reminds me of those memories!" Really? Did your parents slash the tires of Santa's sleigh too? Yeah, that would make for a memorable Christmas. One YouTuber hit the nail on the head with this one: "They don't make em like this anymore!!" True story. And let's pray they never do.

Look, I'm not saying that Steve and Eydie are really bad people. They're probably perfectly wonderful to be around. All I'm saying is that if they want me to believe that they are nice and caring and fun and all that, they should probably not have made a Christmas song that makes me think otherwise.

"Of course it is happening inside your head...but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

Luckily for you, this blog is NOT just happening in your head, it IS happening in real life! And luckily for humanity, this Friday marks the release of Part 1 of the seventh Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.




Bask in the glory, readers. Bask in the freakin' glory.















My plans have not been finalized, so I may or may not be seeing this movie on the date of its release. BUT I will definitely be seeing it in the near near future, you can be sure of that.

Harry Potter's on the home stretch now. It's scary and wonderful all at the same time.

P.S. To werealllosershere.blogspot.com: Darn you and your more-than-one-post-a-day excessive blogging. You make us here at the BRBP look bad. (Mostly just me, though. Kristin already contributes to the Losers Blog. <-- That is not meant as an insult. You named yourselves.) But you can be sure there are no hard feelings. (We don't have the attention spans or dedication to hold grudges for long.)

Music Review: Last Alaska Moon by Livingston Taylor

Every so often, I come upon an album that I just cannot stop playing on iTunes. Usually, I rediscover an artist I already knew I loved (e.g. Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Amy Grant, etc.) but Liv Taylor is totally new to me. It’s cheating a little I suppose because he is so much like his brother, James, whose music I listen to regularly, but Livingston is still a brand new find.

Liv’s latest album is Last Alaska Moon and it is wonderful. It’s not going to win any Grammys (which is probably a good thing since I think the music industry today is just awful…see previous post) but it’s good for a lovely and relaxing listen. The tunes are simple and predictable; I believe my dad described them as “Americana bluegrass,” an apt description in my humble opinion. With such titles as “I’m in a Pickle” and “I’m Letting the Whiskey do my Talking,” it’s hard not to be charmed by the songs and lyrics.

Although Liv’s voice sounds very much like big brother James’s, the distinction between them is evident. I consider James Taylor to be pretty much the best there’s ever been in the music business and even his own blood relatives don’t match his talent. It’s evident, however, that both musicians (and possibly their three siblings) draw inspiration from the Tar Heel State. There’s a track on Last Alaska Moon devoted to the first flight called “Kitty Hawk.” Liv also included a song called “Call me Carolina” on this album and I pity the deprived soul who’s never had the pleasure of hearing James’s “Carolina in my Mind.”

If this album was not readily available in the public library, I would consider purchasing it. I like it that much. I don’t think this music will be bumped from my Top Played list in iTunes until I start playing Christmas music. I recommend that you, my four readers, check Last Alaska Moon out of your library at your earliest convenience.

Awkward Moment of the Day

The Belair Road Blog Project is proud to present the Awkward Moment of the Day.



Okay, so maybe we're not proud...

The VMAs are trashy: Discuss

Here I sit watching the Video Music Awards. That, in fact, is a lie because my back is to my TV when I sit at my desk to type, but rest assured that I'm turning around to look at this train wreck at regular intervals. To me, the music industry these days is awful to watch. I enjoy listening to some of the new music on occasion (though not all the time...Ke$ha gets to me after a while) but I just lose all respect for them when I see them in person. Here are some of the questions I'd like to ask the music industry:

-Why do so many people refuse to remove their sunglasses?
-Why are there so many references to drugs/alcohol, not just at this award show, but also in the music itself? You are sending a terrible message to today's youth.
-Where are all your clothes? Some performers wear little more than underwear while on stage. (I'm talking to you, Miley.) This is unnecessary.
-Are you serious about Bieber?

I know there are more, but I'm pretty sure my IQ is dropping every second I watch this crap. Unfortunately I can't turn it off.

The Art of Sitting Still

Classes are in full swing again at this beautiful university. The good part about my classes is that I am in physically in class only 3-5 times per week due to online courses and those that only meet occasionally. The downside of this is that the class period is 2.5 hours long. I have not had to sit for that long in the same class for a long time. This is especially hard for me since my last semester was spent student teaching which was fun and dynamic and hardly ever boring. Now I have these long blocks of time when all I do is sit in an uncomfortable desk and listen to lectures. This is how the hours usually go:

5:30-5:45-- Oh, ok, this is pretty cool. I enjoy being in grad school.

5:45-6:15-- I didn't look at the clock for half an hour! Woo! Might enjoy a snack...

6:15-6:30-- All right, I think that about covers it. Let's peace.

6:30-6:35-- spent spaced out, no real thoughts

6:35-7:00-- It's way past my dinner time. My stomach is making the sounds a fork makes when you stuff it down the garbage disposal.

7:00-7:01-- DEAR GOD THAT WAS ONLY A MINUTE?

7:01-7:09-- When it gets to 7:10, there's only 1 hour left!

7:09-7:10-- 60 minutes left! That's when the big hand goes one time around the clock!

7:10-7:30-- I am literally dying of starvation. I vow to eat dinner before class from now on.

7:30-7:45-- How is this professor still talking? My brain is about as sharp as the edge of my pillow...oh God to have a pillow right now...

7:45-7:50-- Any time now, we're gonna wrap this up.

7:50-7:55-- Truly, I admire your perseverance, but I was ready to go 90 minutes ago!

7:55-8:00-- OK, Prof, let's get real. You're going to get paid whether or not you extend this class to the full 2 hours 40 minutes it's scheduled for. I, however, may not even make it home at this point because my stomach is eating itself due to a lack of proper supper.

8:00-8:01-- If I was a real teacher, I could be at home in bed with a pile of papers to grade. Grad school was a terrible life decision.

8:01-8:09-- ARE YOU STILL TALKING?

8:09--8:10-- class is dismissed and students blink slowly trying to figure out what happened over the last 2 hours.

8:10-8:11-- mad dash to the door

Really, I love grad school. I just wish I knew how to stay interested in the material for more than a few minutes.

The Gunpowder Brigade

Last Friday, a group of intrepid explorers took their lives into their hands and delved into the savage and untamed woods of Gunpowder Falls. Though they did not know it, they would meet beasts of unknown nature, plants of unknown origin, and butterflies of unknown motives. This...is their story...
While much of the previous paragraph was embellished for publishing purposes, the gist of it is all too true. On Friday the 16th, Kristin and I went with two of our sanest cousins, Erin and Zack, to take a "hike" through the trails of Gunpowder Falls.


After parking we applied liberal amounts of bug spray and, being ourselves, chose the less strenuous path through the woods.



The first "beast of unknown nature" spotted. We're fairly certain it's a blue heron. The photography's not the best due to sunlight, but looking at the reflection in the water makes it a little clearer.


This trail was not here before we arrived. We had to machete our way through the grass, then make sure a path was clearly visible. Also, we had time to build a nice little fence before leaving.Not exactly sure what Zack was pointing at, but it was probably a grizzly, judging by the bored, "not this guy again" expression on his face.



A few steps later we came upon some big rocks in the middle of the stream. After going all Lewis-and-Clark, we climbed the rocks to get a better view down the stream. Noting how nice a picture it would make, I had to climb back to get my camera, risking my life and the dryness of my tennis shoe.


Kristin found this guy loungin' next to a log that Zack was climbing on. His appearance sparked nervous ground-searching for the rest of the journey, as well as the quote of the day: "Zack, do you see the snake?!" "Yes, I extremely see him!!"

Some other wildlife we witnessed that day were: a baby deer and its mama, multiple tiny toads, several regular-sized toads, the devil in butterfly form, and the flash of a chipmunk fleeing into the underbrush. However, the discovery of reptilian life in the woods (go figure) prompted us to turn around soon after we reached the 6/10 mile marker. Covered in sweat and dried mud, we climbed back into the car, blasted the air conditioner, and praised Jesus for our lack of snake bites all the way to the local pool.

We hope to go back another day this summer, hopefully to explore a new route and hopefully with two more cousins. Until then, we'll enjoy the wildlife of Maryland from indoors.

Procastination Nation

A sensation that's sweeping the nation.

Why would you want to do summer homework when you can be watching trashy TV? There's no real answer to this.

My goal for today is to complete one and a half chapters of AP Bio work. My goal for the week is to complete the three and a half I have left to do, plus a vocab activity, plus finish Wuthering Heights. Woot.

Let the work begin.

Movie Review- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of The Twilight Saga. I have read (and even own) the first three books and I intend to read the fourth when it is published in paperback. I read them because I value the ongoing Harry Potter vs. Twilight debate and I only take people seriously when they've read both series with an open mind. I do have some positive things to say about Twilight (although not many) but know this: I will THROW DOWN for Harry Potter. In my mind, these two series should not even be mentioned in the same category and therefore should not be compared, but fans on both sides insist on debate.

The first hour of Eclipse is about brooding. Bella is brooding because she's still human and the love of her life wants to marry her (how dare he). Jacob is brooding because the love of his life is devoted to a bloodsucker and evidently he still has to wear a shirt to school because that is pretty much the only place we see him fully clothed. Charlie is brooding because he still hates his daughter's boyfriend. And Edward is brooding because he is Edward Cullen and he will brood if he wants to. I think this part went on far too long. It was like that YouTube sensation "Potter Puppet Pals" when Harry is banging his head against the wall muttering, "Angst, angst, angst."

After the gang graduates, the brooding finally takes a backseat to actual events. I'll spare you the details but the vampires decide to form an alliance with Jacob's pack of werewolves to fight the über-dangerous enemy. This is when the movie becomes not so bad. I might watch the battle scene again if it was free on TV and all the other channels were out. There is some cool fighting and neat vampire-shattering. I didn't dislike that part at all, though I can't say I loved it either.

All in all, this movie was not totally bad. The scenery is fabulous, with big sweeping shots of snow covered pines all over the place. Dakota Fanning and her Volturi minions were fairly awesome and somewhat frightening. Edward and Jacob had some entertaining one-liners and I admit I chuckled a few times. I'm not really in a place to judge acting so I can't offer any opinion on that. I'm sorry Team Edward, but I just do not see what the big fuss over Robert Pattinson is all about. He's mostly just surly and...glittery. Jacob is beautiful of course but, as a character, he just gets in the way.

I'm glad I saw it but I probably wouldn't pay to see it again. If you don't like the books you should probably avoid it. Almost all of it will most likely just tick you off. If you do like the books, then you probably don't even care what I have to say so go ahead and see it!

Under Threat of Injury

That's how I'm posting this. Kristin told me to update the blog. I told her I didn't know what to say. She said "Write about what happened today! Write about New Orleans! Write about going to Gunpowder tomorrow!"

Well. Now I'm being told to go bed. Under threat of injury.

People in this house need to decide what they want.

Addendum: No one actually threatened to injure me. It just makes for a more interesting post.

Soccer Mania

It's been a long time since my last foray into the blogosphere. I'm a bit disappointed that the BRBP did not take off as I had hoped it would, but these things happen.

I'm currently watching the USA-Algeria soccer match. It aired this morning and I watched it live, but my dad is watching the DVR version and I am compelled to give it a second viewing. It seems I will latch on to any sport in which the USA takes on other countries. For example, I enjoyed hockey at the international level during the Winter Olympics but I didn't follow the Stanley Cup. Also, there seems to be more media coverage on this Cup than usual because of all the outrage and bogus calls. So let's go red, white, and blue!

First Day of Spring!

It's officially spring and the weather here is wonderful. I got to wear shorts and flip flops when I walked the dog. :) Yayyyy!!!! Next stop, summer.