LGB!!

So tonight, I'm going to my first ever PLAY OFF GAME!! I can finally be one of those people who says, "Sorry, man, can't work for you, I got play off tickets." HA! Anyways, play off games are the best because people who are already crazy Blues fans get permission to be even crazier. Last year we went to the rally outside Scott trade before the game, and then over to Ball Park village to watch it, and people were INSANE! They go all out and decked out and are vicious towards the other team, and the other team has fans in town so people fight with them. We took the metro over and were waiting with a man and woman who had Blackhawks jerseys on, and we were eyeing each other up, ya know talking shit. A few nights after I noticed something in the back of a picture my husband and I took together. Bastards photo bombed us. Gotta hand it to them, it was pretty funny. Thats actually one of the better parts of playoffs. You get the fun rivalries between teams. You also get to rally outside before hand and possibly win free stuff. Then if you actually have tickets, when you go in there is a free Blues rally towel on your seat with one of the players names on them. Every game has a different name. Speaking of players, Tarasenko is back in and Steen, so we have everyone available for play and miraculously not out for an injury. My husband is of course way more excited than I am though, being a raving mad hockey fan. Literally every week, he's buying a jersey from someone off Craig's List or a T-shirt on sale at a store. Guy can't get enough of it. So, look for us way up in the nosebleeds. I'll be painted blue, and my husband will be shirt-less... Just kidding.  But seriously, watch the game, give the guys some good luck, don't shave your beard or what not at all during playoffs, apparently that's a thing according to my husband. Game starts at 8:30!

Picky eaters.

I myself am one of them. I can't go to a restaurant without ordering something that has been taken off from or added on to my meal. I absolutely DESPISE onions with a burning passion, so much so that even if an onion has accidentally touched a part of my food, I won't eat it. I basically eat the same 10 meals in rotation, mostly soups, pastas, and vegetable casseroles. Then if its fast food, only pizza (Papa John's preferably), Taco Bell (adjusted to my liking, of course) and Chinese food (Fried rice and Lo mein only, occasionally crab rangoon on a good day). That's basically my diet, in all it's lacking variety. So why was I even shocked when I birthed a picky eater as well?

Little G-man takes the cake of picky eaters. He can like chicken nuggets one day, then be throwing them over his shoulder the next. Every feeding is a gamble; will he eat today? Or will he swat the food filled fork right out of my hand? Is he going to squirm and yell and fight me when I put him in his high chair or will he tell me "More green beans?" This kid just down right refuses to eat anything! If I didn't lock him in a high chair to hand feed him myself, I doubt he would ever stop to eat. His favorites include apples (BIG TIME), popcorn, Goldfish (what little kid/teenage/young adult/parent/old person doesn't love those things?) and cashews (random, I know). But the only surefire way to his stomach lies in the Golden Arches... Good old McDonald's. The french fries there must be addictive because any time we drive by one and he sees the yellow M, I hear "Burger and Fries? Want Burger and Fries." So how can I not give in? It's really the only thing he willingly eats all of.

I consulted his pediatrician about it and she told me "Really, at his age, he just needs to eat something. If that's what he likes and he's an active toddler, don't worry about it. He'll eat normal meals with you when he's older." So I felt a little better about my picky little one. Don't worry, I still make him eat healthy things, basically by shoving it in his mouth and distracting him with Sesame Street YouTube videos, but whatever works right?........Right?

Oh gosh.

So as I am browsing the CNN breaking news page, I see one of the top most stories headline. "From stoner to accused Boston bomber...". Ohhhh gosh. They should really stop putting this guy in the limelight and only mention him when its about the trial. This article was much more than just the trial. Yes its is about how prosecutors are building a case with all of the evidence they have gathered and released said evidence in 24 photos. But what struck me in this article is how they also personified this boy. They said all of his interests, they gave his friends names and listed text conversations between his friends and him. He honestly did seem like a normal guy, up until he started talking about his "plan to paradise". It's so strange how people can harbor so many feelings of hate and still seem a-okay on the outside. He wouldn't be the first one to turn to hurting people because of their beliefs, but he has certainly put himself near the top of the list now. I hope that the people injured or killed by him last year can one day breathe easy, and not have that constant reminder or fear of that day. I hope that this boy feels remorse, at least. Mostly, I hope this never happens again. I hope people can just forget about him and move on, no more giving him fame, because that's exactly what they were trying to do by bombing us.

Here's the article if you're interested.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/us/tsarnaev-13th-juror-jahar-radicalization/index.html

Kids movies not so nowadays..

I recently watched the older 1980's cartoon film called An American Tail. It was, how should I put this, ..pretty Damn depressing. These mice are Russian and are trying to make their way into the United States in search of a better life. They lose their youngest little mouse, Fievel and go all over New York, fighting cats until they finally find each other. It was an odd play on this period in time, but it was also accurate.

 This is how immigrants suffered trying to come into the country, and build a new life. They also lost many of their family members along the way. Some even came by themselves. Some didn't make it at all. I feel like if I become a grade school teacher, this is a movie I would show as a lesson in history. The movie really makes your heart go out to these mice, yes mice, because you realize this could have just been an actual recollection of someone who had gone through it. So a lesson to us all, be grateful for your life now, no matter how rough you think you have it. Your family went through hell to let you have a better life than they had.

Academy Awards.

Last Sunday night, the Oscars premiered. There's something about seeing all of your favorite actors and actresses in the finest clothing imaginable, all together, under the same roof, and rooting against each other. They are all also rooting for each other. You can see they all secretly want that golden naked man all to themselves, but when someone else wins it, their face gives way to their true emotions. The tight lipped smile, and half hearted clapping is fairly noticable, and slightly heart wrenching.

There are also joyful moments, like having Neil Patrick Harris walk out in his underwear to make an annoucement. Also, when the movie Big Hero 6 won an oscar for Best Animated Feature. The main reason I was happy was because a local band from St. Louis called Greek Fire had a song in there and it gave them some of the publicity they deserve. I also enjoyed seeing The Rock announcing the win, and even his corny jokes with Zoe Saldana. I got emotional, along with everyone else when they showed all of the people in the film industry that they'd lost this past year. I grew up with Robin Williams constantly on my TV screen. I also found the win  of the documentary, CitizenFour, about Edward Snowden interesting. Kind of shows you not everything in life is rigged. Or maybe it is. Who knows?

I loved hearing the winners inspiration stories about suicide and womens rights, which Meryl Streep wholeheartedly supported. For all of the people unsure of their place in this world, these people won for them. Then Birdman won Best Picture. Which suited me, I always like to root for the underdog. It was a good year for the Academy, I'd say.

Here's the song by Greek Fire that was in Big Hero 6.

I f*ckin love TV.

It's pretty bad. I am becoming a monster. Not for the fact that I love TV, because hot damn do I love my TV, no shame here, but what I have resorted to watching. I have that problem where your favorite TV shows are not in season or have been cancelled, so you actually have a microscopic panic attack thinking about how you won't have anything to fill that 7:00 time slot on your Monday evenings off. See?! Monster! I have now found something, though.  Normally, I am one of those people who despises anything mainstream or people who worship what the media throws in our faces and tells us to.

But I do watch what my mom tells me to.

And that would be The Bachelor.
I know, I know.

But let me justify myself before you start in on the jokes.

The women on this show are THE epitome of what I hate about this society. My mother and I LOVE talking shit on all these whack jobs! They come on this show, completely plastic looking or covered in makeup, you know the kind of Kardashian type, trying to woo this suitor. Using the words "amazing" and "this experience" and "connection" or "bond" at least 10 times a show, these women proclaim their love into a camera for the man they have only been introduced to a few weeks prior. They pretend to be the kindest, sweetest, selfless, down to earth girls the guy has ever laid eyes on. In reality, they are the most deceitful, evil little turds you will ever enjoy hating. They make each others lives hell fighting for this man. I can see right through that facade. They just want the fame and the money of this man to support their shopping addictions and mani pedis.

But there's always this one girl that stands out...
She sees the same things you do in the other girls..
She brings them to light and pokes fun at them..
She actually is a kind, down to earth person..
THIS IS THE GIRL YOU F*CKIN ROOT THE SH*T OUT OF!!!

SHES GONNA TAKE IT ALL!
AND SHE DOES! AND YOURE LAUGHING AND CHEERING AND SCREAMING AT THE TV!!
....then you realize what an ass you're making of yourself.

And your husband questions your sanity...
So you scold yourself for being another part of the dumb media craze...

Then you go blog about it because you can't help yourself.

Jimmy Kimmel does a great job of making fun of The Bachelor if you want to take a look.

Traditions.

A tradition is defined as "the transmission of customs and beliefs from generation to generation." My dad is this. He IS the definition of tradition. I look to my dad for all of my interests, because ours our one in the same. We like to eat. Try new things. Drink. Travel. The South. One tradition we have in particular you would probably laugh at. We do Mardi Gras in St. Louis. EVERY. YEAR. And we do it GOOD.
I mention it because this weekend will mark our 15th year going to the parade. It started just going to watch, then tailgating in parking lots, and then to actually being a part of it last year. We're doing things our normal way this year though, by tailgating again. My dad makes this awesome jambalaya, packed with tons of shrimp, chicken and andouille sasuage. I'll make beignets like the ones at Cafe Du Monde. Just like they do in New Orleans. Then he has his own special recipe for Bloody Mary's that he always makes way too spicy, so we keep warm. It's rare Mardi Gras actually happens to land on a warm weekend. Like this upcoming one (20 blood chilling degrees and will dropping all day long). Since my brother and I have became of age, he's also started to make a different cocktail every year. Hurricanes, Hand grenades and Jungle juice. He goes all out. We basically just have a party with everyone who wants to join and it feels like family. It's what I like most about the St. Louis area. Everyone is so open to each other and it feels like you are home. I'll be traveling with my husband all over the country in a few months and possibly the world, with him being in the Air Force, and I know how badly I'm going to miss being in this area. So even if its only once a year, just go crazy with the ones you love. Make it count. And make it a tradition.

Recipe for my fellow foodies.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cajun-jambalaya-recipe2.html

Does anyone else...

..have an evil genius for a child? I mean seriously, my son can be downright Evil to the point of me thinking "...there is no way in hell he is that smart, but there is no way in hell that was a coincidence.."

 He recently had a well baby checkup (he is 2, and a terrible 2 at that). I told the doctor "You know, I realize at this age, he is going to test his boundaries and want to explore his independence, yada yada .. But he can be so mean and angry at times. Is this normal?" She replied with, "Oh yeah. A lot of them can be that way, but you do realize what that means, don't you?" I shake my head, and start to think the worst. "That means they're extremely intelligent." Relief washes over me, but of course I question it with "How in the hell-?" " She said "They know EXACTLY how to manipulate you, push your buttons, yell and scream just the right amount to get anything that they want." Holy cow. This woman knows her shit. So, let me tell you just how "brilliant" my son is.

At home, my son annoys our cat. He is SO mean to this cat, that I am actually worried for her well being. Then, I don't feel so bad, because she goes right back to the abuse after saving her life every five minutes, the dummy. We are always telling him, "Don't hit, Gavin, Don't hit." "Don't hurt her." "Leave her alone.", so much that he has started to repeat it, sometimes even while pulling the poor things tail. He knows... He knows exactly what hes doing.

Thus, the story progresses to us shopping at the grocery store. While in the cart, he pulls things off the shelf he wants and will scream if I try to take it away. This time, he grabs the Chips Ahoy! Birthday Frosting filled cookies. Now I know for a fact, he will eat half of one, leave it in my shoe, then never eat another again. Which means I get tempted and eat the package by myself, and feel like a fatty for days. So I refuse. I take it away. Then, I have angered the beast. He wails. He screams, throws his fits. I don't concede. Then he pulls out the big guns. "Don't hit, Mommy!" I freeze in horror. "Don't hurt her, Mommy!"  At this point, everyone is looking at me in absolute disgust. Let me just say, I have NEVER laid a hand on my child that was meant in harm. I'm too soft and too much of a sucker for his cute little face to ever be mad at him. Unfortunately for me, he has figured that out.

Needless to say we walked (more like sprinted) out of that store, never to return, but also with those damn cookies. My son the evil genius..

Here's the culprits.

So, about this blog..

I have decided this blog will mainly be about things I find humorous....and food.... I really like food. So, good thing I have a funny story combining the two! Now, as you probably have seen, I am Italian.  And blonde. Yeah. It's my mother's side that's Italian, which means if you don't love great food and eat large portions, you are either sick or will be scolded for apparently being on a diet you did not realize you were on. Anyways, we make great food. We're all very close on my mom's side, a lot of loud, unruly cousins and we all love to see each other. So, my cousin confessed this story to me on Christmas. He likes to cook and his food is phenomenal. He would bring his leftovers to work for lunch, keep it in the fridge and eventually some rat fink started eating it. Not all of it of course, just bits at a time, here and there. It started with pasta con broccoli and the last straw was when someone ate half of his salsiccia from Steve's Hot Dogs on the Hill. (which I recommended, that place is great.) Now my grandfather always said, "There's only 2 things Italians love...Spaghetti and Revenge." So my cousin did the unthinkable. He laced his food with laxatives to catch the culprit. Yes, yes, he really did. A direct quote from him was "enough laxatives for a man to give birth." After another two days of his food being picked over, the man finally came over and yelled at him because he caught on to my cousins scheme. In the end though, they both had a good laugh over it and the man apologized and said he would never again steal Anyone's lunch after that debacle. So a word to the wise, don't ever f*ck with an Italians food.  

And here's the link to the webpage for Steve's Hot Dogs On The Hill in case anyone was curious and likes food as much as I do.steveshotdogsstl.com 

Fun fact for ya, The owner is actually Steve Ewing, the lead singer from The Urge, a band from St. Louis.