Happy Hollandaise!

guess what we had for breakfast?

best gift ever

we have a delightful, quirky, one-of-a-kind friend who's got a sense of humor that i just adore. it's a very specific brand of "funny," and sometimes i'll get a thought in my head that tickles me, and i preface it by saying to matt, "ok, this is totally [insert name] humor..."

this friend said he had a little Xmas gift for us, and that he would leave it in our mailbox. it was a homemade dvd, so we popped it in the player. what comes up is like a fireplace dvd with xmas music. you know, just a static shot of a roaring fireplace, i think there's a cable channel dedicated to this. but this is no ordinary fireplace dvd, because after a while... things start to happen. turns out, he made his own fireplace dvd, in real time, and every now and then would make something happen. like a paper airplane flying into the flames. or a nutcracker staging a battle and then getting thrown into the fire. we watched the entire 2 hour+ video, laughing hysterically. i guarantee that watching this will become a Patrick family tradition.

well, that was unexpected...

Randy Quaid goes off his rocker.

that looks about right.

the recent snow storm... as viewed from SPACE.

seen here

road weary.

left for work an hour early in an attempt to beat all the craziness. WAY less vehicles on the road, but way more wrecks and stalled cars. tomorrow i'm snowshoeing.

happy winter.

sometimes you just need to eat salty, cheesy bread, drink delicious wine, and bask in the brilliance of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. 

love her.

mindykaling: One of my greatest fears is I become really famous and then Keenan Thompson plays me on Saturday Night Live. #humblebrag

sad winter.

resisting the urge to cradle the space heater in my lap.

choppin' pecans to the beat of the avett brothers

this is the first smitten kitchen recipe i have made. and for the record, it was delicious.

Limber jack.

a delightful peek into my husband's workday.

miss you.

happy birthday to my sweet Annie Mae. the older I get, the more I miss you.

you just know he's like "wtf is this?"

baby elephant in Germany

i'd live there.

penthouse pyramid with Chihuly chandelier? yes, please.

get yer Glad Rags on

my husband is in a cover band called Glad Rags. (the actual definition is "party clothes.") when i informed the band leader of the *other* Glad Rags, without missing a beat he said, "well, that's awesome, because we play about once a month."

i like 30 Rock. i also love this article.

Why 30 Rock is a rip-off of the Muppet Show.

"And don't tell me you'd be surprised if Tracy started dating a chicken during sweeps."

bookmarked for future pick-me-ups.

http://www.dailypuppy.com/

love.

happy winter.

snow falling, Seven Swans on the stereo, Matt putting together his homemade sitar, me cuddled up with blankets, coffee, and HP6. all is very, very well.

um, thanks?

i came home to this mystery gift on our front stoop. so far no one has 'fessed up...

From Here to There.

finally saw the Alec Soth exhibit at the Walker. AMAZING. i wanted to take (most of) them home with me. especially this one... it was huge and emotional and incredible.

there are no words.

my husband emailed to tell me he accidentally sucked one of his dreadlocks into the vacuum cleaner. it is this thought (and mental picture) that is getting me through the rest of my workday.

system.

bills get the cat stamps, birthday cards get the dog stamps.

30oct10

biscuits & gravy at the seward with my man.

rush hour traffic:

crushing my soul, one day at a time.

RIP

so thankful for family, who gave Rocco an awesome doggy funeral. special props to 5 year-old niece Faith, who drew us a picture of Rocco at the pearly gates.

vacay in the Dells.

you know it's gonna be a good vacation when you pack more loungey pants than "go in public" pants.

my disease is spreading.

sometimes i have trouble uh.... talking. i think my brain works a little faster than my mouth, so when i try to talk as fast as i'm thinking, words get combined or skipped, or i say the wrong one completely. i think this is spreading to my writing skills, because i just wrote out my friday to-do list. items on the list:

grocerty store
wark out

FAIR.

Rush, KISS, Weird Al Yankovic... and now my husband.
MN State Fair Grandstand tonight!

Mazel Tov!

ah, september, month of the 4-day weekends... welcome, welcome.

the great minnesota get-together

us at the MPR booth (me still clutching the stick from my cheese-on-a-stick)

they shot grandma!

Other memorable moments from Johnson’s career [as a funeral director]:
- At a summer military funeral at Fort Snelling, the widow passed out from the heat just as the honor guard fired their rifles in salute. Right on cue, a small child called out, “They shot grandma!”

for the record, i'm a 5.

enjoyed a crash course in the Enneagram last night with my favorite 2's.

Wonderland.

you know it's a good article when you're still thinking about it 7 years later. great slice of Minneapolis history.

fake arms

matt and i watched this several times in a row. so funny.

work commute

just tested out the work commute via bicycle. 6 miles of lovely Midtown Greenway, views of Cedar Lake, and a nice quiet neighborhood. now if i can only get my muscles moving that early in the morning...

commune dreams.

i just finished Drop City by TC Boyle and i think it's affecting my subconscious. last night i dreamed that i went to the Weezer commune in Minnesota (?) and hung out with Rivers all night. he was really fun and nice and called me "sweetie", but he was not a good kisser.

vintage modern.

everything ages fast- faux vintage tech ads!

sigh.

home from paradise. i do believe that trip added years to my life.

my personal heaven.

sitting on the back porch of the beach house on Pawley's Island, watching the sun meet the saltwater marsh, listening to the Big Chill soundtrack with one of my dearest friends.

Someone is always watching.

So, I’m waiting in line at the Byerly’s Red Box to return our dvd and get another. There’s a family in front of me who’re renting like 3 movies, and they let their toddler daughter do all the touchscreen stuff. I’m getting a little annoyed/impatient. When their dvd’s are finally vending, the mom turns around and give a little smile and says, “sorry!” I just smile in return. So as they step away and I step up to the machine, she goes, “….um, are you Corey?”

Me: Corrie.
Her: …. And you’re married to….?
Me: Matt.
Her: that’s what I thought! Matt Patrick!
Me, while trying to return the dvd: yep… How do you know Matt?
Her: Actually, I knew him through [insert ex-wife's name]. I went to high school with her.
Me: oh! (can’t think of anything to say) Random.
Her: yeah, I’m X, nice to meet you! Yeah, I just…. I…. well…. IrecognizedyoufromFacebook. (looks embarrassed) I just… remember faces really well.
Me: Oh! Well, nice to meet you X.
Her: tell Matt I said hello!
Me: I sure will. Enjoy all your movies…


All the while, I’m thinking, “please leave before you realize I’m renting the second Twilight movie…”

loves it.

Proof that a) justice exists, and b) pigeons have excellent taste.

23july10

who has two thumbs and is going away on a surprise wedding anniversary getaway? THIS GIRL.

creative problem solving

Wayward Alzheimer's patients foiled by fake bus stop

20july10

the other night i had a dream that Matt sat me down and said the electric bill was $300 last month, so we can't use the AC unit anymore. the terror i felt was very, very real.

Mary & Max.

amazing, disturbing clay-mation film.

me & dan

sitting by the river in Stillwater, waiting for the pegtop show.

bye Mr. Bob!

this might have made me tear up just a tiny bit.

Jesus you are my [adjective] redeemer.

I always said there should be a Worship Song Mad Libs… someone finally got that ball rolling.

work woes.

if you're not wearing your hearing aid, then why are you calling people ON THE TELEPHONE?

a friendly little serenade.

5july10

why yes, i am holding a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies to the back of my neck.

c-stone

it's been 3 years, but it still feels weird not to be driving a van full of tents, interns, and brochures down to Bushnell, IL... the striped tents and hay covering the mud, those amazing coffees from the Gallery Stage, the smell of b.o. and port-a-potties, middle school boys with "free hugs" signs, baking in your tent by 9am, randomly running into that friend you haven't seen in years, shoulder-to-shoulder midnight mewithoutYou shows... such fond memories.

25June10.

one year ago today, matt and i were suit shopping while michael jackson was dying. later that night our wedding food was delivered, exactly one month early. here's hoping today is less eventful.

the wisdom of laypeople.

My heart beats rapidly knowing the Good Lord has blessed me with many gifts that are being squandered with this conventional lifestyle. I'm not sure what that means, exactly, but when I connect the dots, the lines go off the page.

-a friend on FB

raw.

Matt is turning into quite the raw foodie, and i am reaping the benefits. tonight's menu- eggplant noodle asian salad with strawberry pie for dessert, complete with cashew whipped "cream." so good!

weird science.

it's in comic form, but it's all true. seriously.

29may10

road trip. barn wedding. vegetarian potluck. fresh breeze and paper birds. candles in mason jars. friends and waterfalls. burgers & fries. laughing our way home.

amusing ourselves to death

i read this book on a college professor's recommendation, around 2000. according to this awesome comic, it's still quite prescient.

one of the few disadvantages of where we live.

i can hear Insane Clown Posse's Cabooze show from my backyard, if anyone is interested.

life on 16th ave.

scruffy-looking man in black, walking barefoot past my house, playing a tiny accordian. i love my neighborhood.

21may2010

attended my first MLB game in a decade, and first Twins game ever. while bummed that not one of our FIFTEEN runs warranted a handshake, twas still an excellent night with my husband, the light rail, Kramarczuk brats, and over 30,000 of our fellow Twin Citizens.

preparing for the end.

had a wicked LOST dream this morning. my subconscious knows what's up.

15may2010

lovely dinner date at Loring Kitchen, sitting semi-outside, sipping a Bourbon Fizz and watching the dog walkers & cricket players in the park... then strolling around to watch the sun set over the pond... perfect.

good life.

grateful for such a lovely weekend- quality time with Ann and her babies, buying our first grill and christening it with Lindsey and her thai chicken brats, going to see DeVotchKa & Gogol Bordello and thereby experiencing one of the best shows i've ever attended, marathon fabric shopping, and lazy movie watching while eating our 2nd grilled meal.

one yard wonders

a "just because" gift from my husband. he's the best.

wisdom from a blast from the past.

"It's not on my agenda to convert the world to a religion, but to convert the world to compassion and grace."

20march2010

just bought my first bottle of Clos du Val Cabernet. sounds like a pretty good 30th birthday present to me.

13march2010

breakfast at the Longfellow Grill
coffee and periodicals at the Riverview Cafe
2010 Academy Award-Nominated Animated Shorts at the Riverview Theater
Ginger Hop
Up in the Air

full but great day.

is it unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins?

"Cause and Effect" = if Tim Burton's Oompa Loompas wrote a Prince song

i do believe Barry would say YES.

i adore this.

and you thought Single Ladies couldn't get any awesomer....

Fierce!

Johnny Weir = Rufus Wainwright on skates.

someone make him do a routine to "Agnus Dei"....

tactful.

a barista friend of mine recently got super healthy and lost a bunch of weight. she FBed this quick encounter:

me, playing queen's 'fat bottomed girls'
customer: speaking of fat bottomed girls, what happened to you? did you get sick or something?

lost in LOST

to justify all the LOST i will be catching up on tonight, i am piling up house projects by the sofa to work on while watching. what remains to be seen is whether any of them will be touched, due to the pausing and rewinding and me going "wait is this 3 years later? or 3 years earlier? or 30 years earlier? or right now AND 30 years earlier?"

20jan

came home to discover that matt had painted our living room AND called a plumber to fix our shower. who's a lucky girl?

4jan

feet so cold it hurts. eff you minnesota in january.