List-a-Mania 2016

I've decided to take inventory of some past lists I've made, and also wanted to include some new lists. I did this last year, as well. However, this year my favorite blog posts will be in a separate post.

This list was taken from a post about my [not-so] laminated top five list. (Jamie Cullum is the only one left from the original list!)

1. Lin-Manuel Miranda: Who DOESN'T think he's adorable?!?
2. Jeremy Jordan:  He was amazing in The Last Five Years and still makes my heart skip a beat. I hope to see him in the filmed Broadway version of Newsies.
3. Santino Fontana: Such a melt-worthy smile coupled with a great singing voice.
4. Jay Hernandez: The hottie from Bad Moms. That's all I need to say.
5. Jamie Cullum: I think it's his Harry Connick Jr. appeal (speaking of....I also think HCJ is sexy). He has such an amazing voice that it just sends tingles down my spine. He could seduce me just by singing!

Celebrity bucket list:
1. Lin-Manuel Miranda (see my post below about doing lunch with "legends.")
2. Mindy Kaling
3. The cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
4. Jamie Cullum (I'd be happy just to hear him perform live, at this rate.)
5. Sophie Kinsella (I'm hoping she'll come back to the US one of these days and stop in my neck of the woods. She didn't include my area on her tour last time and I was so jealous of people who got to meet her.)

Top Ten Favorite Blog Posts I wrote this year:
1. A vacation to my mind (inspired by Inside Out)
2. You know you're obsessed with Hamilton...
3. That voice! (A tribute to Jamie Cullum)
4. Looking back on a decade
5. Eleven reasons to watch Stranger Things
6. "Doing lunch" with legends
7. The show I'm "crazy" about
8. My obsessions
9. Give a little respect... (a tribute to a great friend)
10. Pictures worth a thousand memories (a glimpse into my childhood home)

Top Five Favorite Movies that I saw in 2016 (some might be from previous years). 
You can see how many movies I watch with my kids these days...

1. Finding Dory
2. Zootopia
3. Sing
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
5. The Intern

Top Ten Favorite Books I read in 2016. (Some may be from previous years or publishing in 2017.)
I've shared my chick lit favorites on Chick Lit Central (as Melissa A). I'm too lazy to put in my review links, so just trust me on this!

1. The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
2. The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
3. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
4. The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio
5. Orphan Number Eight by Kim Van Alkemade
6. The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman
7. The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti
8. Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
9. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
10. The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

My favorite new TV shows (not all of them started in 2016, but I may have not started watching until this past year):

1. This is Us
2. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
3. Fuller House
4. Speechless
5. The Goldbergs
6. Stranger Things
7. Search Party
8. Timeless (although I need to catch up on it)

Quite a year... I shared about some good things that happened in 2016, but don't have the motivation to write a top 16 list this year.

In honor of Festivus....

Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about three years, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

We will be posting bi-weekly as life keeps getting in the way.

Darwin Shrugged: Write about a time you changed your mind

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

Time for the airing of grievances...or at least one grievance for now!

Remember a few weeks ago, when I shared my thoughts after the election? Well, I was really trying hard to be diplomatic. To hope that the Cheeto would change and act like a President should. I was trying to be the voice of hope and encouragement.

Well, not anymore. I refuse to think of him as a President. I won't even use the word "President" next to his name, nor will I use the words "Vice President" next to his running mate's name. I kept thinking that I would give him a chance to earn my respect. It's been only a little over a month and he has completely destroyed any chance of receiving respect from me or the millions upon millions who did NOT vote for him. The fact that his opponent COULD have won, if popular votes held more weight than electoral votes, makes me nauseous. What is the point of electoral votes anyway? And what is the point of an electoral college who can't even DO THEIR JOB?!? We now have a giant Cheet (or is it "cheat")-o who won't listen to intelligence briefings, allowed Russia to hack the votes, freaks out about portrayals of him on SNL but is not worried about what is happening in Syria, tells people to threaten anyone who doesn't agree with him, plans to still run his business while in office, plans to NOT live in the White House, hires people who only serve of interest to him (at the detriment of the country), etc. The list goes on and on and on.

So yes, I am truly appalled, disgusted, dismayed, anxious, upset, frustrated, depressed, etc. over this decision and the inability to stop it. All I can think now is that I WANT there to be anarchy. I want people to be civilly disobedient. I want everyone to make him so damn effing miserable that he quits before he even gets inaugurated (and takes his homophobic running mate with him). I want him to feel even worse than teens who are cyber-bullied on a daily basis. Is that too much to ask?

And no...this rage is NOT because the candidate I wanted lost. Not even close to it. If Obama had lost to a Republican, I would not have been happy, but I would have dealt with it. I dealt with Dubya for eight years, after all. That is because he had the capacity to be a President. He didn't incite hatred. He didn't tweet stupid sh*t when he was being challenged. He didn't appoint people that served his own interests. No. This time around, things are WAY different. He's a complete joke all over the world and I also worry that this could start a war, now that we have such a weak link that will cooperate with other countries at the expense of ours.

I don't know how long we'll be able to tolerate this as a country, but I hope everyone will be loud in speaking out against all the acts of hatred, all the undoing of our progress, all the violations of the Constitution, etc. Please help me make some noise here. "When you've got a million voices singing, who can hear a lousy whistle blow?" ("The World Will Know," Newsies)

The Dixie Chicks said it best...and this was during the Dubya administration:



All I know is that I would rather eat avocados than take any of that orange medicine. And that is saying a lot since I think avocados are disgusting. However, everything about the Cheeto is vile and repulsive. Beyond disgusting.

Since we need to use humor to cope with all of this (thank you Alec Baldwin, who now has a job on SNL for the next four years), I've made a list of people (and characters) who would be better Presidents than the Cheeto. (I'll limit it to 10...for now.)

1. David S. Pumpkins
2. SpongeBob SquarePants (I find him incredibly annoying, but still a better alternative. At least he's happy all the time.)
3. The "autopilot" from Airplane!

4. Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear
5. The Burger King Mascot
6. Heihei from Moana
7. Jar Jar Binks (now you can see how much I really hate the Cheeto, if it wasn't apparent before.)
8. Tobias Fünke as Mrs. Featherbottom
9. The Demogorgon from Stranger Things because it is not as scary as a demagogue.
10. Caillou (I would tolerate his whiny attitude for the next four years over Cheeto's anyday!)

This is definitely not the end of my ranting. I will continue to post all the evil he is inflicting on our country whenever possible, in hopes to spread the word. I know there are people who are even angrier than I am. I felt sick having to tell my kids the results from the Electoral College's decision. Even my youngest child hates him so much that she calls him "stupid" and makes masks that depict how evil he is. She even imitates his facial expressions. If he's making THAT great of an impression on children, the feeling for adults is 10 times worse! (I envy my children's innocence right now. All they know is that he's a bad person. They don't know how worried we truly are.)

Some articles of interest, that also say exactly how I feel:
How Americans who did not vote for the Cheeto are feeling 
A columnist's response to Cheeto supporters

And then this:

It wasn't ALL that bad!

Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about three years, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

We will be posting bi-weekly as life keeps getting in the way.

I chose this week's topic: I know we all want to "flip the bird" to 2016. However, I thought we should write about good things that have happened in 2016 either in the world or in our personal lives, so that the year doesn't feel like a total waste.

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

Let's face it...2016 has been the year to forget. I saw a meme about burning the calendar at the end of the year. There's also a post about how the word of the year has been an extended version of the "F" word. Yeah, THAT bad! I do have to agree to an extent. This past year has robbed us of some great talent, starting with David Bowie and most recently, Florence Henderson. It's also been harrowing in terms of people I care about losing people they love (sometimes children).  I even lost a cousin way before his time should have been up. And a classmate (who is also the husband of one of my friends) getting really sick out of the blue.

Then, of course, there was the election. The one I've dreaded since a certain reality TV host became a nominee. The one that same person somehow won. The one that has made people, including myself, miserable and anxious for the past month.

So what is there to be happy about in 2016? What makes this year less of a complete waste of time? I'm here today to reflect on the good things in the world and in my personal life.

* I turned 40. It's something I had been looking forward to for a while, and I definitely enjoyed the outpouring of love on my big day. I still can't believe I'm 40 sometimes, but am also thankful to have lived this long already.

* The Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years! Being from the Chicago area, it's definitely something to celebrate, as well as bond with friends over.

* Hamilton. Although I haven't seen it yet, it has been one of my saving graces this year. I've become even closer with my kids because of it. I've made new friends as a result of starting a fan group. I've listened to the soundtrack more times than I can count.

* Going on a cruise with my family. It was nice to "escape" for a week and I loved seeing the delight on my kids' faces.

* Taking my kids to NYC. The older two were so little when we were last there together that it was like the first time for them. I loved seeing it through their eyes. I even had some new experiences, like going to Ellis Island, as well as seeing the Statue of Liberty up close. I even ran into a friend from high school at a museum. Only in New York...

* Great TV shows like Stranger Things, Fuller House, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Speechless, The Goldbergs (this is the first year I started watching), Search Party, and, of course, This is Us. Plus, all the shows I've been watching regularly for the past few years.

* Lots of wonderful books to read throughout the year. 2016 felt especially stellar in the good reads department. This is also the year I got into audio books.

* Some good changes at my job that have made it that much more enjoyable for me to work there. (Although some more friends left this year, which is not so good, I'm glad we can still stay in touch.)

* Making some new friends in my community, at work, and online.

So yeah, most of the list was more personal than global, but so be it! I am glad to see 2016 go in less than a month, but have some fond memories of the year to take with me into 2017. I'm just hoping some smart decisions are made in a couple of weeks, so I don't dread the new year!

What made 2016 tolerable for you?

Where's the "Party"?

Right here, apparently!

I had been curious to watch Search Party, knowing that it starred Alia Shawkat, who played Maeby on Arrested Development. Little did I know about all the other celebrities who would be on the show...or how addictive it would be. Only 10 episodes?!? I hope there will be a second season!

Search Party is snarky, to say the least. It has the feel of Curb Your Enthusiasm for the twenty-something NY crowd. However, there's also an element of mystery and intrigue.

I couldn't take my eyes off Alia, who played Dory on this show...a much more intense character than Maeby. I loved her hair and only wish mine would behave as well as hers did. She had such an interesting fashion style. Modest, for the most part, and somewhat vintage. All in all, Alia is an amazing actress and I hope she'll be in more TV shows and movies going forward. She's one to watch, for sure!

The all-star supporting cast includes Ron Livingston, Christine Taylor, Rosie Perez, Parker Posey, Michael Showalter (if you've seen Wet Hot American Summer, you know exactly who he is), and William Ragsdale, whom I haven't seen since Herman's Head (at least from what I remember). I even recognized the girl who played Janice on Odd Mom Out from one of the episodes (her name is Sas Goldberg). There are also some lesser known celebrities, with whom I've had personal encounters....

Marcy Harriell, who played Vanessa when I saw In the Heights on Broadway (and who now does some songs on the Moana soundtrack) played a small role on one of the more bizarre episodes. She has quite the laugh. And yes, her hair is just the same as in this picture (from 2009), which rivals Alia's hair.

Franca Vercelloni, who was playing piano and leading the songs my one and only time at Marie's Crisis, also had a small speaking role on a later episode in the series. I was telling my friend who went to Marie's with me that he and I are the only ones who would appreciate this casting choice! I'm obviously just a face in the crowd to her, as it's been a year and a half since I was last at Marie's, but she definitely stands out to me!

The "main" supporting cast was also fun to watch, even though my husband and I thought Drew was a total man-baby and that Elliot looked like Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly). Portia is adorable and reminds me of a cross between Reese Witherspoon and Brittany Snow, with some Hillary Duff tossed in for good measure.

Finally, there's the music. I love the music that accompanies the few seconds when they show the name of the series. There's not a full theme song or intro, just some cool background music that fits the feel of the show. (It's the fourth song on this page, at about 30 seconds in.)

Anyway, the series is just full of wild twists and surprises, as well as jump out of your seat moments! Definitely stick around for the final episode, which has a crazy ending that I did not see coming at all! It's very well-written and acted. If you didn't see the link at the top of the post (until now, at least), you can watch either clean (although I'm not sure how much) or explicit episodes on the TBS website. I dare you not to get sucked in and binge watch the entire 10 episodes in one sitting. Enjoy!

If you're still not convinced, check out the trailer (they switched out one of the actors though):