Henley Monday -

The Bachelor - Episode 5 Recap

Oh Journeyers, oh my sweet Journeyers. My deepest apologies for the bit of hiatus, but fear not, I've been watching all the drama and faux-mance for you. It's been quite the eventful couple of episodes, but it's amounted to SIX HOURS, so hunker down, grab a gallon of wine, and let's get started.

This week we're finally out of the Bachelor Mansion and traveling to Montana. There will be a group date, a one-on-one, and dun-dun-DUUUUUN A TWO-ON-ONE!

Over some powerful pretty shots of Montana, Sean shares that he can't wait to see "the women" because he already misses "them" and can't wait to spend more time with "them" this week. It's a rare occurrence of me actually being grossed out by the fact that this guy literally has nine girlfriends at once right now.

Catherine makes a heart with her arms and does all the work for me. This show parodies itself.

Despite Tierra's saint-like "patience" the one-on-one goes to Lindsay who has a seizure upon hearing the news. I'm kidding about the seizure, but she literally does cry about it.

The date card read "Let love soar" and in a truly shocking turn of events, they are traveling by helicopter on the Bachelor! Unprecedented levels of romance here. "It's that a helicopter?" Lindsay the substitute teacher squeals!

They land for a picnic on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation at Glacier National Park which is just a whole LOT of desecration of some really important land in our nation's history. But by all means Lindsay, continue squealing about Sean and your family on it.

Over drinks later they have a deep talk in which Lindsay says how scared she was as an "adolescent" because her dad was in the army overseas. And while that is a hardship I can't even imagine, she keeps saying "adolescence" and it's WEIRD and substitute teacher-y. Then they make out. She gets the rose.

And THEN they have a surprise in the center of downtown Whitefish, Montana is a concert from C-list country recording artist Sarah Darling. This episode is a perfect episode to complete the Bachelor drinking game. They slow dance, and Sean giggles almost as much as Linds.

Over on the group date, the girls greet Sean for a day of outdoorsmanship in the form of a deranged relay race! True to form. the winning team continues on the group date, the losers go home, and I think Selma might actually be a doll come to life.

Daniella has absolutely no chance in this thing, but she is so dumb and special to me. On first sight of the goats they will soon be milking (yes.), she goes, "Are those dogs?" Yes, Daniella, the goats are dogs.

Once again, there is an extremely physical challenge happening on a group-date for Sarah, the girl with one arm, and once again she’s forced to talk about how having one-arm isn’t going to hold her back.

Both Dez and Leslie have mentioned how willing they are to chug fresh goat milk in order to spend more time with Sean. It’s part of the relay race, and it’s kind of funny, but mostly just terribly, terribly sad. Ladies, Sean should be chugging goat milk to spend time with YOU. Or you know what? Let’s all be equal and if chugging goat milk is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, do it together. Come on now.

It’s an exciting race (it isn’t), and in a shocking (not shocking) finale, the Red Team pulls up from a slow start to win it all. The best part is Chris Harrison is live commenting on the events like it’s an actual sporting event. “Try to get that rhythm down. Find your rhythm,” he encourages as the girls saw a log and I just laugh and laugh and laugh.

Dez chugged the milk like a champ even though it was warm and came out her nose. She is adorable. The blue team are sad puppies who wish their boyfriend didn’t make them perform feats of strength to get close to him.

Sean is heartbroken at the cocktail party that he had to send those Blue girls home, and so he says JOURNEY and bends the rules. The blue team is coming back to the party to spend their important getting-to-know-you time with Sean! AHHHHHALJFASLDJLSK! They scamper to get ready.

Trouble is afoot though when Sean tells the red team that he invited the blue team over. The girls feel like all their hard work was for naught, but Sean realizes how stupid and arbitrary a game to spend time with him is if he’s sincerely looking for love.

So, when Tierra first heard about getting her precious two-on-one, she was ecstatic in her psychotic way. Now that the blue team gets to go back on THEIR group date, she feels upset and mislead. She thinks Sean should know just how patiently she’s been waiting, and is going to go hunt him down.

So Tierra sneaks up behind him while he’s being interviewed by one of the producers about the night. She does that never hilarious hilarious thing where she puts her hand over his eyes and says in his name in the most serial-killer way. He’s happy (I think?) to see her anyway.

They have a little chat outside on a bench, and she expresses how she came all the way to Montana (on ABCs dime) to spend time with him, and a two-on-one feels like a slap in the face. He just basically tells her to calm the eff down and sends her on her merry way.

Oh well, the party goes on. Dez’s time is quickly interrupted by AshLee and it’s all very stupid. It’s the dumbest. He kisses all of them and we see his tongue a lot. Daniella probably had too much to drink and cries about the fact that she can’t weasel her way into having time with Sean. They have disgusting, slurpy kisses. And she gets the date rose. Robyn is pissed. Did you forget Robyn was here? Me too.

Time for the two-on-one show down. Sean is thrilled to have time with Jackie (remember her? Don’t worry about it) and Tierra. Tierra is thrilled to be on a date with her “husband” and go horse-back riding! Sean and Tierra leave Jackie and her slow-poke horse behind.

Jackie is very pretty and very sweet, but she just doesn’t have it with him. She brings up Tierra and how she was very flirtatious with a guy at the airport. I appreciate her being specific about negative sides to Tierra, but she wasted her time talking about that!

The dinner on this date is so awkward and Sean speaks aloud what they all feel about wishing they could be anywhere else. So, on their one-on-one Tierra opens up about a past relationship with a guy who passed away after a battle with addiction. If this is true, this is truly sad. An honestly hard thing to go through, but I can also see why she’s so dramatic about everything because she only knew a dramatic relationship for her formative five year relationship. It also screams codependency to me.

Tierra gets the rose. Jackie is sad. Then Sean and Tierra watch fireworks lakeside.

To the cameras Tierra lifts her rose and says, “Hey! Two-on-one!” and laughs and I worry about their safety. There’s a producer named Cassie whom I feel kindred to and I’m worried about her whenever Tierra laughs her psycho laugh.

At the start of the cocktail party, the producers do my favorite thing. They pan slowly over a taxidermy scene of a coyote standing over the body of a dead pheasant. It’s as if to say Tierra will soon kill them all and stand over their bodies victorious. HA HA!

Sean and Dez have a weird conversation where she seems to fall from favor a little. I hate that. She’s the best. Don’t be an idiot, Sean!

Shockingly, while the girls are talking about how they’re sad Jackie is gone, Tierra clomps off in her high heels to completely isolate herself. “No one is jealous of that!” Daniella accurately says of Tierra’s little bitch fits. Robyn and Tierra argue more. Then while Tierra is yelling and swearing at them all, Sean walks right by and hears it all. But guys. You won’t believe it. The best part is that what he hears her saying is “I will bite. I am a scorpio. My stinger does come out when I’m pissed.” YOU GUYS HE HEARS HER SAYING HOW MUCH SHE RESEMBLES HER ZODIAC. HASHTAG BLESSED.

Sean is shocked that Tierra could be an angry and psychotic person. “I’m not a drama person at all,” are real words that Tierra says to Sean which is the marker of a person who loves and lives for drama.

In the end, Sean sends home Robyn because we all forgot she was here and all she ever did was provoke Tierra. Can't say I'm sad to see her go, but I wish her all the best in life.

Ok! That's one down, two to go! Check in tomorrow for more recap and romantic fun! KISSES (with no tongue because GROSS, SEAN).

The Bachelor - Episode 8 Recap

"Caliente pero no caliente"

Oh my sweet, sweet friends. Do you know how much I treasure each and every one of you? It’s true. We are few, but we are proud hate-to-love, love-to-hate watchers of the Bachelor and this season, my, has it ever leaned more towards the hate side. I enjoyed chiding Sean Lowe for being a little dim, but if Sean was dim, Juan Pablo is one of those cave salamanders who evolved blind because they live in the complete absence of light. But we’ll delve into that later, for now, it is time for the historic, and often ill-fated, Hometown Dates.

Nikki is up first which bodes well for her. They never put a particularly bad/eventful hometown in the beginning. She hails from Kansas City, Missouri and if my friend Candice’s mother is to be believed, it is known as the “Fountain City” and has the most fountains in America! It’s a beautiful fall day, and they are dressed like models in a catalogue.

“Being in Kansas, it’s the Midwest. And I kind of like a little cowboy!” Nikki says of her plans for their day. Sure. You can like a little bit of a cowboy, but as hearty Midwestern stock myself, I don’t think “cowboy” is one of the main descriptors of our men. Sturdy? Sure. Beefy? Absolutely. Cowboy? Ehhh.

  To prove his worth as a vaquellero, she takes Juan Pablo to a famous Kansas City bbq joint. It’s the real deal with plastic trays and sauces in bottles. Juan Pablo has never had bbq before and doesn’t even really recognize a rib. Turns out he LOVES barbeque though and is obsessed with the sauce. Then his final test of cowboy strength is to ride a mechanical bull in full daylight at an empty bar! Nikki just watches him ride around on the mechanical bull for awhile, and then he falls off. And then they ride it together. It’s yucky. Be glad you aren’t seeing it. Oh, and Nikki is in love with Juan Pablo and wants to tell him but can’t. That’s going to play out nicely.

Nikki’s family lives in a palatial estate. The mom, dad, and two brothers are all there. Nikki and her mom run away to have a chat right away. They talk about how there is a physical and a mental (HA) attraction. Her mom is right on board with her saying she loves him, with her saying that she would get engaged to him, with her being so head over heels.

  Now Nikki’s dad talks to Juan Pablo and it’s basically just a job interview to be her husband. He’s a sweet man, and Juan Pablo says all the appropriate platitudes. Nikki and her dad talk and the brother’s don’t even enter the frame of the camera. Nikki is tormented about telling Juan Pablo she loves him. And then he leaves. Byeeee!

Hey, y’all! We’re in Atlanta for Andi’s hometown. Juan Pablo is really excited. How excited? “Andi is just mmm,” he says.

Andi takes Juan Pablo to the firing range to shoot some guns. It is “some southern initiation” for sure, Andi. I like that she’s just doing her own shooting and target practice while Juan Pablo struggles in vain to get a bullseye. He finally gets one and makes good on their agreement that he can’t meet her family until he shoots a bullseye. Onward to her family where things aren’t all peaches and cream!

We’re meeting Mom, Dad, sister Rachel, and a brother-in-law. Her dad looks like a bald cave troll in an orange shirt in the most horrific shade of orange. As they tell the story of their aventuras around the world, Dad has already started grilling just about the number of women left at various points. He is red-faced and furious and sure that these two are just “infatuated” with each and not truly in love. That is a fair point dad. It’s like saying “I believe she believes she’s in love, but she’s not.”

Mom and Juan Pablo talk about not really anything. Then Mom asks Juan Pablo to show her his dance moves so he’s calls out ANDI BECAUSE HE’S SIMPLE AND DIDN’T REALIZE THAT SHE WANTED TO DANCE WITH HIM. Then he gets it and dances with Mom. They have fun.

Her father named Hy, which is the name of southern terror, sits down to grill JP. It’s all making something out of nothing just for TV’s sake. Juan Pablo asks in the end if Hy would accept him and his daughter in his own family. Then we break to commercial, but guess what guys it’s more something out of nothing because Hy says, “I won’t answer you because the person that is good enough for my daughter is going to come to me and say there is no one else in the world for me.” Which is really discerning. It’s a way of saying “let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” I like it. I know he’s tough, but he’s a good dad. Yay Hy.

When Andi talks with her sister tough, she plants seeds of doubt into an already doubting Andi. She brings to the surface a lot of the concerns and problems she’d been pushing down from the beginning. Andi just doesn’t know. Andi is unsure. She is still unsure when talking to Hy, and could see herself falling in love with him. So while Nikki is definitely in love, Andi is still seeing that she could maybe fall in love with him. She keeps repeating that she is “very, very close to being in love with him” which isn’t really a thing. It’s just the same as saying “I really, really like him! Maybe this could be something good!” Which is NOTHING. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE ALL SAY THAT? We all say it so often.

Now we must move along to Sarasota, Florida to see Renee’s hometown date! She’s so beautiful and is jumping out of her skin excited to see her son Ben for the first time in eight weeks. I love her. I just love Renee. She is too good for Juan Pablo. She is perfect.

They reunite with Ben and Renee is beaming. She and Juan Pablo watch his little league game, and Ben is adorable. What a cute kid. Too bad he gets to have some future emotional baggage meeting a Venezuelan lothario on TV. Juan Pablo says he’s so excited to have a son so he can play baseball, football, basketball with him. AND NEWSFLASH BUDDY: YOU CAN DO ALL THOSE THINGS WITH CAMILA TOO BECAUSE GENDER ROLES DON’T NEED TO BE SO FIMRLY DEFINED, YOU DINGLEBERRY.

Renee, Ben, and Juan Pablo come over to Renee’s parents’ Florida casual home to meet the parents and her brother. Everything goes very well with everyone. The family is so warm and accepting because they are Renee’s family, so of course they are a delight. She tells her mom that she is head over heels in love with Juan Pablo and her mom urges her to tell him. Her dad is so mellow and sweet. I just love these people. They are top of the line, good people.

Renee ends the night, but doesn’t end up telling JP she loves him. The competitor in me wants her to “win”, but I feel like this season “winning” is more who doesn’t end up with Juan Pablo. So I want Renee to be free of him and to find the best man in the whole entire world who can be a dad to Ben and a rock for her.

The producer’s know and love how much I know and love their tricks of cutting to random wildlife, and have started off each hometown thusly. We started with cows at Nikki’s, then geese for Andi, then pelicans for Renee, and for Clare? In Sacramento, California? For that darling woman we get a squirrel and a buzzing beehive. Never change, producers. Never change.

Clare is obviously at a 15 to start and we climb higher and higher from there. She does however make a good point that anyone can feel like they’re falling in love on the exotic trips they have been on so far, but it takes something special to feel that way in a simple park. And again, in the interest of being fair, Clare talks a lot about her father, but I get it this time. She’s home, and she misses him. I can’t hate a woman for missing her dad who’s passed away.

  I feel like if Clare had saved all this heavyweight emotional stuff for right now, I would have liked her more. She tells a story about how her dad told her that whenever she misses him to just go to water and throw a rock, and as far as she throws that rock, he’s never farther away from her than that. I’m choked up just retyping that! That is beautiful. But it’s Clare. And she’s pulled the Dead Dad card way too much before now. And she’s too much. And she’s insane. It’s making it hard. At this point though, she and JP deserve each other. They aren’t hateful scum (Courtney and Ben), but they are certainly quite the Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

But there is a reason we have saved Clare’s hometown date for last. A big, big reason. A HUGE reason. It’s her oldest sister guys. She’s a huge ogre, and she is the worst. Drama erupts as Clare, the youngest of six girls, brings home the first man since her dad died. One of her other sister’s Lisa though is very sweet, very calm and very approving of Clare’s love. Her mother Aurelia is just a beautiful, strong matriarch with perfectly coiffed white hair. Aurelia is bomb.

  Sister Madeline is also so kind and asks good questions, but not in a mean way. She affirms Clare and calls her heart “tender”. The rest of them are all so low-key and docile, how did Clare get to be so high strung and crazy? Just youngest sibling syndrome? Surely there must have been something else.

Aw snap. Now it’s time for Shrek (sister Laura) to get her claws into Clare. She tells Clare that “they” are not ready to give a blessing for her hand in marriage. Aurelia, who they keep calling “mama”, is sitting right there and can’t get a word in edgewise. Laura is being a condescending jerk; even Aurelia is like “I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m not going to let you manipulate mama,” Shrek says, and then she stands up and crosses her arms because Clare is “not respecting mama.” Mama is sitting right there. Then Laura stands up and walks to the edge of the garden just to “watch” Clare talk to Mama. Laura is a cranky old maid. Shut up and go home. I’m sticking up for CLARE, Laura! That’s how much of an asshole you’re being!

And now we are at the crux of the reason that Juan Pablo is actually just a stupid man. Aurelia and he chat for a hot second in Español. Aurelia is baller, but when she asks about the weather in Venezuela he says “caliente pero no caliente” which is “hot but not hot”. When asked about your home country that you miss so much, all you can come up with is CALIENTE PERO NO CALIENTE??? Come on, hombre. He just doesn’t even have thoughts. In English or Spanish, there are no thoughts in Juan Pablo’s hollow head. Aurelia knows you need to get out of town, despite giving you her blessing.

Let us sweep right along to the rose ceremony! Chris Harrison walks each woman down the green mile to wait out their nerves. Everyone is feeling nervous and tense because this is probably the highest stakes rose ceremony of them all. It would be hard not to take it personally getting dumped right after a guy meets your family.

Juan Pablo tromps out to give a boring speech giving thanks for everyone’s open hearts and open homes, blah blah blah, let’s get to the blood bath. Nikki is called first. Then Clare. And now we wait it out between Renee and Andi. It’s Andi.

Which means my girl Renee is going home. And she is so sad. And it’s hard to see Renee be so sad because she is a pillar of grace and dignity and kindness and strength. I can’t say enough good things about Renee. Juan Pablo understands the gravity of the situation because he starts crying as soon as he looks at her.

Even as they part ways, she is so gracious, and says she is grateful for the experience of opening herself up to love again. And he cries a lot. And tells her how much he respects her. And even though it’s not much, it’s something. It’s something to be respected. Renee you will flourish and find someone so much better than that old bag. I do even believe she has a good chance of becoming the next Bachelorette. She’s got a lot going for her in that department, but I almost don’t want that for her or her son. We’ll see.

So that is the end of hometowns! You guys, are you so excited that you get to come back TOMORROW for another recap?! I am excited. It means we get to spend more time in the alternate universe that is The Bachelor. They are promising us a very dramatic, very juicy Fantasy Suite episode. So pop over to find me on Twitter @Chasspod, hangout with me here on Tumblr for more recaps and other fun things, and don’t forget you can send me questions/comments with the ask button! I’m trying to start answering those more because I love interacting with you guys about all this hoo-ha. ¡Besos y hasta manaña, amores!

Henley Monday - Late Edition

As promised I bring you the second installment of today's double issue of Henley Monday.

It's Alexander Skarsgard. The second star of True Blood to be featured in the series, but how could I resist? How could anyone resist that stoic Scandinavian expression? Those eyes? That HAIR? These guys are KILLING IT with the henley/hair combos!

He stares as if to beckon you to join him on that bed of leaves and stare up at the clouds in the autumn sky as you while away the hours together warmed by the sun and the laughter you share. *sigh*

Henley Monday -

Yesterday was MLK Day and many of you had the day off to relax and reflect on the accomplishments of that great man and maybe watch some inaugural ceremony. Today is different though. Today is the Monday of your shortened week and sad, post-long weekend heart.

Worry not. I know how rough it is to get through shortened weeks sometimes. Sometimes they can feel the very longest of all, but Adam Scott is here to just listen. His cute, tiny face will stare directly and serenly at yours as you tell him the troubles of your work week.

This guy. He gets it. He knows how to be a man in a sweet, cozy henley and be a man who can support you. That's my kind of guy.

Henley Monday - I don't know you guys, maybe it's the chili I made our maybe it's the Winter Olympics in full swing, but this Monday was not so bad. I think it's definitely the Olympics. They lift me up and inspire me and also there are so many beautiful v international make athletes. It's truly a gift in the middle of this more than harsh winter. In any case, here is Richard Armitage looking fine so fine. Be bad with your British self, Richard! MMM MHMM!

Henley Monday -

Friends, brethren, it's Christmastime again. And for a few weeks now, I have searched for holiday themed henley shots as my personal gift to you. The searching was all in vain, but I'm not one to give up so easily. So for the remaining advent weeks, I will bring you some TOTALLY CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY (LOOSELY) RELATED pictures of gorgeous men wearing henleys.

TODAY for instance is a man we have already once popularly featured here on Henley Monday. He is a man of great pecs, bulging biceps, a strong jaw, and sweet, sweet blue eyes revealing his sensitive side.

It's Chris Evans.

Also revealing of his sensitive side is the fact that he is speaking to the next generation and inspiring children with his tales of heroism and good fashion choices. What a great example of the spirit of Christmas!

You can't not trust a man wearing a henley when he tells you to always believe in yourself and chase your dreams.

What We Can Learn from Ewan McGregor's Instagram

It has very recently come to my attention that the great Ewan McGregor has an Instagram account that he uses with regularity. And it is a thing of beauty. Are you thinking, "Oh, I don't know. I like his movies, but do I really want to see his big celebrity life in photos?" The answer is YES YOU DO. Why? Because these are the things we have to learn from him.

Ewan loves motorcycles.

Ewan especially loves his vintage 1929 motorcycle.

Ewan loves his dog Sid Smith.

Ewan loves his "bonnie" Scotland home.

Like, a lot.

Sometimes he loves Scotland and his dog at the same time.

Ewan wore a kilt to receive his OBE.

Ewan has an intricate half-sleeve tattoo that was done by Kat Von D.

Ewan really, really, really loves Sid Smith and misses him whenever they are twain. Going so far as to dedicate pictures to him. 

EWAN IS INCREDIBLY HANDSOME, BUT THIS IS NOT NEW INFORMATION JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER.

And for even more great Ewan pics just follow him on Instagram already!

#99 Toy Story - Not Just a Child's Play-thing

It's been just over a month since I had a dinner party at my place for the viewing of the 99th movie on the AFI list. At the rate I'm going, I'll be done with the challenge in...2014...crap...I need to step up my game. But at the risk of sounding despairing, let's just jump right into the run-down on this great American film.

The Good - The Bad - The Reason - The Food

                       The Good:

It's "Toy Story". It's a movie I loved when I was young and have learned to appreciate even more as I've grown up. This is, thanks to the careful crafting of John Lasseter, no accident. It was Pixar's goal when they set out to make a movie that would entertain the kids, but keep the parents happy too.  While this is now the norm, it was really one of the first "kids" movies to cater to both the adults as well as the kids.

It's seriously hilarious. When Buzz gets captured by Sid's little sister and gets all Stockholm-syndromy Mrs. Nesbitt?

              Truly horrifying child-villain Sid was voiced by late-90s teen heartthrob Erik von Detten.

So good.

It's a great story that has universal appeal. I think it's safe to say we all wished out toys would come to life and play along with us. Every single one of my Barbies had a unique name (the villain in the saga was played by a crop-haired fiend named Alanis), and I wished so hard every day that those dolls really came to life. Pixar tapped right into our wildest dreams and made them even cooler than we could have imagined. Best.

The Bad:

I think the bad in this case is more of a reflection on how good CG animation and Pixar has become over the years. The CG in "Toy Story" can at times look current and flawless, but sometimes the early stages of the process show through. There are a couple layers of blockiness they hadn't yet shaved off, and it can look strange. Again, this really reflects more on how far they have come in CG animation.

It's also short. Running at just 77 minutes, the pace moves along at quick a clip and can feel very hurried and a little chaotic. Compare this to "WALL-E" where we spend the first big chunk of the movie with two non-speaking robots, and it's a noticeable difference.

The Reason:

When "Toy Story" came out in 1995, it was the first ever completely CG-animated feature-length film. Now, almost twenty years later, CG-animation has become the absolute norm and it's because of the precedent set by Pixar. And, like I mentioned before, it was one of the very first family films that put jokes and bits in specifically for the parents/adults/older audience members. Just like in "Ben-Hur", I think "Toy Story's" position is based on how many precedents it has set. 

                                          Woody and Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Mayor of Hollywood Tom  Hanks and Michigan-native, Chevy-driving, Campbell’s soup-lover Tim Allen.

There are so many quotable lines that pop-up frequently in our generation. All of Woody's token pull-string phrases get dropped whenever anyone so much as says the word "boot". I dare you to say "Somebody's poisoned THE WATER HOLE!!!" to someone and wait for the inevitable "There's a snake in my boot!" or "Rrrreeeaaach for the skyyyyy"

On an end note, to really get a great idea of the kind of work and time and love went into "Toy Story", I recommend checking out the documentary "The Pixar Story." It's sweet and funny as well as an interesting look at all aspects of their very unique creative process.

The Food!

The obvious choice for the food would have been Pizza Planet pizza, but I didn't feel like slapping together a little 'za. I wanted to make something that would evoke childhood, a simpler time. I wanted the kind of food I would have scarfed down in between the hours of playing with Beanie Babies, Barbies, and Breyer horses (what was my thing about "B" toys?).

                                          This is Tour Guide Barbie from "Toy Story 2". Mattel was hesitant to use Barbie in the first film, unsure of how it would fare in theaters. When it became a huge success, they went in for the 2nd and 3rd.

I went with a six-cheese macaroni and cheese and hot dog casserole. I made a basic white-sauce then added one cup of cheddar, 1/2 cup of smoked cheddar, 1/2 of 4-cheese Italian blend (thanks Kraft!). The bottom of the casserole dish also had some of the Italian blend sprinkled. Mixed in with the cavatappi noodles were Nathan's all-beef hot dogs. Topped off with seasoned breadcrumbs, bacon bits, and parmesan cheese, I popped the dish into the oven until the crust was golden brown and all cheese bubbly.

It.was.so.good. We ate up every last bite.

We took a brief intermission during the movie to eat dessert. I made blonde-brownies following the recipe on the back of Nestle chocolate chips. Then cut them into bars and made ice-cream sandwiches! Delicious and rich and a little difficult to eat.

But it wouldn't feel like childhood if you didn't end up wearing most of your dessert, right?

Distraction 2012 -

The political climate outside today, right now, like this very second, is...heated, shall we say. Today is the most important day of the year, and it happens to only come around once every four years (like leap year or the olympics, only filled with painful anxiety). It's election day.

And while it is CRAZY IMPORTANT THAT YOU GO OUT AND VOTE, it's also important to keep yourself sane. If you're anything like me, starting right now, you're compulsively refreshing CNN and the New York Times every 10-15 seconds to keep up to the moment.

But this, my friends, is maddening. So I'll be periodically posting videos and pictures and fun things from the internet to keep your mind distracted from the pit of diarrhea-inducing anxiety in your stomach about the results of today's presidential election.

Here is a video of Hank Green (of Vlog Brothers fame. DFTBA, yo) bringing you fascinating information from this past week in Science. SciShow in general is a great rabbit hole of distraction, so feel free to keep clicking around that channel.

PS - I literally shed a few tears when he showed me pictures of the underside of the vampire squid. I cried. I'm definitely distracted knowing that thing is out there...WAITING.

Every time I look at this photo I can't help but clap my hands and squeal with glee because he is the most precious nugget.

ALSO, THIS TOO, IS PERFECT.

It's like if he stops prancing for too long, he'll die and so too would all of the joy in my life.