GARDEN

We planted a garden this year. In our 10 x 3 foot box, we planted beans, tomatoes, snap peas, regular peas, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach. A few days after planting an animal started munching on our tomato plant. At one point the plant lost all of its leaves. Same thing happened with our wax beans. And then our garden dried out - I failed to adequately water it. Our spinach died (mostly do to no water, but animals munching on it also lead to its demise). In mid-May, we got a sprinkler and we started tending our garden with care. We also covered our garden to prevent animals/rodents from munching on our harvest.

And our little DC garden has thrived. 

Today we harvested wax beans, green beans and snap peas. And our little nearly dead tomato plant is thriving. We have nearly a dozen green full-sized tomatoes growing.

BEFORE AND AFTER

Yesterday started out wonderfully... we had a wonderful spread of food prepared, a big screen TV, friends, family, and a lot of black and gold (decorations and clothing).

Yesterday ended on a sad note for all the Steelers fans out there.

These pictures capture the before and after better than words ever could.

FOOTBALL

In case you haven't heard or noticed, it is football playoff time. And being from Pittsburgh, I'm a Steelers fan. I proudly wear black and gold. I've also been known from time to time to have black and gold plates, napkins, cups, and even M&Ms on hand.

I've also been known to proudly wear my Steelers shirt in Baltimore after important games have been won.

This Saturday, the Steelers are playing the Baltimore Ravens (boo). It is likely to be one of the best NFL games of the year. It's going to be hard fought and cold game in Pittsburgh. I am thankful that it is a local game and I will be able to watch it on my 13 inch TV with rabbit ears.

Like all good fans in Pittsburgh and around the globe, this is the prayer I'll be saying before bed tonight:

Our Father, Who Art in Pittsburgh, 
Football be Thy Game, 
Let Mendenhall Run,
6 Superbowls Won, 
On Earth as it is in Heinz Field. 
Give Us this Day a Playoff Victory, 
and Forgive Us Our Penalties, 
as We Defeat Those Ravens Who Play Against Us. 
But Lead Us into a Victory, 
and Deliver Us to Texas. 
For Thine is the D-Line, the Polamalu, and the Harrison.....A-Ben.

WHAT MAKES A SONG A CAROL?

I spend most of my days at home. To fill my home with the sounds of the season (and to distract myself from a crying baby), I'm listening to Christmas carols. Specifically, I'm listening to DC's WASH fm. They are playing Christmas music the whole month of December. For the most part, I'm enjoying the music. I've heard one too many versions of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but overall it has been a pleasant experience. Between the music, baking, the pine scented candle, decorations, and the best Christmas outfit for my baby (complete with RED Mary Janes!), I'm feeling quite festive this year. I received five Christmas cards today, which really made it feel like Christmas (btw... Mom, your Christmas card was beautiful. I see why you liked it so much).

Back to the music... I was thinking today, after hearing These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things (from The Sound of Music): what makes a song a Christmas carol? There is nothing in These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things that says anything about Christmas. Why do "we" then associate it with Christmas? Why does a station playing only Christmas music play such a song? Is there a history/story here that I'm missing? I associate the song with a terrible thunderstorm and a pillow fight. Again, what is the link to Christmas?

If anyone has an answer, please let me know.

Otherwise, enjoy this festive season.

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Tonight: our church prayer group is meeting to celebrate birthdays and Christmas, which means I'm comfortable taking the baby. Our group has been so welcoming of our little one, but I hate being the one with the screaming baby.

Tomorrow: venturing up to school to meet with my study group and introduce everyone to the baby. I'm a little nervous about driving up there alone with the baby, but am fairly confident she'll end up sleeping.

Studying: is going well. Tomorrow my study group is going to go over SAS (thank goodness). I'm nearly 3/4 of the way through all of my statistics notes and about halfway through my epidemiology flash cards. I'm feeling good about my progress, but nervous about my test. I need to get a lot of work done before January.

Upcoming events: visiting with neighbors tomorrow night and bringing them homemade bread and candy. Also preparing for my birthday... am I really 31?

FOOTBALL

David claims I don't love football; I love the Steelers. And he's right. Growing up in Pittsburgh you are taught to love the Steelers through thick and thin. There were some tough, ugly years in the late 1980s. And then there was the disappointment of the January 1996 Super Bowl, and the 2002 AFC Championship game against the Patriots (where some hotshot rookie named Tom Brady walked all over the Steeler's defense in Three Rivers Stadium, nonetheless). But everything came together on February 5, 2006 when "The Bus" lead the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl win. (The weekend of the Steelers' Super Bowl win was even sweeter for me because I was married the day before!)

The bottomline is I'm a Steelers' fan and proud of it. My PINK Steelers' jersey shirt goes to prove it (as does the baby's Steelers' onesies). Since we don't own a TV, I usually spend Sunday afternoons following the online ESPN ticker while the Steelers are playing. I can see up-to-date results throughout the game.

Yesterday the Steelers played the Ravens, in Baltimore, and it occurred to me that even though I don't own a TV there is a TV in my house. My dad brought a little 13 inch TV with him when he came for the week the baby was born. Since the Steeler game was the local game yesterday and my rabbit years successfully pick up CBS, I decided to watch the game. And I am so glad that I did.

What a game. What a way to finish things off in the last two minutes.

I'm so proud to be a fan. And so glad I was able to watch the game yesterday (it was the baby's first game and she loved it!).

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

Truth be told, I've been listening to Christmas music for several weeks now. I love the sounds of the season. Usually I don't allow myself to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but since Thanksgiving was so late this year I decided to get a jump start on my listening pleasures. Much to my delight, on Sunday when I walked into church music from The Messiah was playing.

Several years ago I took my mom to hear The Messiah performed at the National Cathedral. It was wonderful. Friends of mine are going to hear it this coming Sunday, but because of a birthday party and a nursing baby I'm not going to be able to make it. Bummer...

As a consolation I purchased a copy of The Messiah, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, on iTunes this afternoon - for the bargain price of $7.99. We'll enjoy the music throughout the Christmas season and beyond...

SNL

I've never been a huge fan of Saturday Night Live. Probably because it is on SO late. Even in high school I rarely stayed up past midnight. However, my interest in SNL was peaked last month when Michael Phelps was selected to host the season premiere. Who would have thought a swimmer would be given such an honor?!?

Since we don't have a TV and I'm rarely up past 11pm, I was eager to see what the critics had to say about Phelps' hosting... so the morning after his SNL appearance, I got on the internet before church to find some clips from and reviews of the show. I found very little about Michael Phelps; everything was about Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin.



The skit from the season premiere with "Sarah Palin" and "Hillary Clinton" was so funny. I watched it several times; laughing out loud each time.

For the past couple of weeks, I have gotten up a little early each Sunday morning so that I have time to watch Sarah Palin clips from SNL. Last night's skit on the VP debate was so funny. If you didn't catch it live or haven't seen it online, please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, spend ten minutes and watch it!

Other great clips can be found at www.hulu.com.

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Hulu: for those of you who are looking for yet another way to waste time during the day or evening, check out hulu.com. You can view FULL movies and TV shows - free and legally. I've been watching the first season of Chicago Hope this weekend (have watched four episodes) and am loving it. You can also watch The A-Team and the movie Weird Science. Enjoy...

'TIS THE SEASON...

... for football. Last Thursday David and I marked the beginning of football season by attending a Washington Redskins game.


Our outing to FedEx Field marked many firsts:

1. David's first in-person NFL game
2. My first non-Steelers in-person NFL game
3. Baby Dawson's first football game
4. My first pro-football game where there were cheerleaders.

We had great seats for the game and the weather (until the rain started to fall in the third quarter) was perfect. The Redskins lost (miserably). Attending a game in DC was much different than attending a game in Pittsburgh. Very few fans dressed in Redskins apparel (unlike in Pittsburgh where everyone knows to wear their black and gold). Additionally, the fans just lacked the energy and passion that is oh-so apparent in Pittsburgh.

Prior to the game, I thought long and hard about what I should wear. My choices: cute pregnancy cloths or my Steelers t-shirt. I opted for the cute pregnancy clothes (namely because my Steelers t-shirt looked a little too tight with my ever-expanding belly). Once I got to the game, however, I wish I had worn my Steelers' t-shirt!

During the game, I had my first (and hopefully last) opportunity to watch the Redskins' cheerleaders. In my opinion, they are not so much cheerleaders as they are scandalously dressed women who spend too much time on their hair and make-up and little to no time on their cheer/dance routines. I was appalled by the too short shorts and cleavage-showing tops these women wore. Not only that, but they were white (so you can only imagine what happened when the rain started to fall). They paid little attention to the game and never rallied the fans to cheer. When the music came over the loud speakers at the stadium, they did do some dances. But their routines were simple and boring (more of a showcase of their asses than a display of skills). And to top that off, they failed to point their toes when doing kicks.

I hate cheerleaders. Always have. (Don't get me started about the cheerleaders at my high school who actually won varsity letters for cheering.) Watching the Redskins cheerleaders perform last week only furthered my hatred. Baby Dawson, under no circumstances, will become a cheerleader.

As much as I hate cheerleaders, I love football, specifically Steelers football. And I LOVE the fact that the Steelers don't feel the need to have slutty cheerleaders performing each week on the sidelines. It's about the GAME, people.

J.J. ABRAMS

I'm a HUGE fan of his. If his name doesn't ring a bell for you, think ALIAS or LOST. He's the creator of both TV shows. ALIAS is my all-time favorite TV show, and LOST has become a Dawson-family favorite. I'm so looking forward to LOST beginning again - unfortunately we have to wait until January 2009. In the meanwhile, there is a new JJ Abrams show about to debut on Fox...

The show is called FRINGE. David and I watched the pilot episode last night... it was creepy, but so good. The show, in my opinion, is a cross between ALIAS, Heroes, and The X-Files. The show follows an FBI agent who is investigating "the pattern" of abnormal/scary scientific phenomena.

The pilot cost around $10 million to create - and it was worth it. The special effects were incredible (especially for TV). The storyline was easier to follow than ALIAS was and the main character, FBI Agent Dunham, is likable (just like Sydney Bristow). According to one article about the show, "it will focus on brilliant but possibly crazy research scientist Walter Bishop, his estranged son and a female FBI agent who brings them together. Episodes will explore self-contained mysteries of the paranormal, as well as the relationships between the three leads."

The series begins September 9th on Fox.