Thanksgiving in Rhode Island

This past Thanksgiving, my sister, her husband and I—the eternally single sibling who now travels with her dog—went to Rhode Island for the weekend. The first place we visited was Providence, which, despite the fact that nothing much goes on there, is a delightful town. Sure, there are a lot of cute houses, colleges, and one heck of a mall, but that's pretty much it.

The second place we visited was Newport, and WOW is it cute. It's right on the water and is so adorable. We went on a tour of a castle where he Vanderbilts used to live called "The Breakers." It was ENORMOUS. I wonder why they felt like they needed such a big house. It seems like a waste of space.

The hotels in Rhode Island didn't allow dogs, so I had to sneak Bev in and out in her bag. She couldn't parade in and out like she usually does, but she got over it. I don't understand why some hotels don't allow dogs. They let bratty kids run up and down the hallways like little hooligans, making noise and spreading germs by touching everything with their sticky little fingers, but my little baby who just got a BATH and was wearing a cute little blue sweater (btw, she was WAY better dressed than most people there) had to sneak around inside in a bag. It doesn't make any sense.

Anywho, does anyone know why Rhode Island is called Rhode Island? I mean, it's not an island.

Dolly Parton Rules

I'm now obsessed with Dolly Parton. I mean, I've always been a fan of hers, but I just watched her on Conan and she's so oddly fascinating. I could watch her talk for hours because she's so... doll-like? Is that what it is? She doesn't look like a real person, you know what I mean? All I have to say is that I'm going to Dollywood. That's my next trip. She told Conan that she likes to order from QVC, and that when she does, she uses her married name, which is Dolly Dee. Who knew?

My Cat Drools

Okay, I'm not sure what's wrong, but Elvis seems to be drooling a lot lately. I'm not talking a little drop hangs from his mouth or anything, I'm saying that I'm finding puddles of drool all over the apartment. Why oh why is he drooling? See what I mean?

It's over there to the right. A big drool string. I'm taking him to the vet next week to figure out what's wrong, because it just can't be normal, right? Right. I did an internet search, and read something that said cats drool when they're happy. Maybe that's what's going on with him.

UPDATE: Elvis stopped drooling a few days after I wrote this, and the vet said he's fine (after he shoved a thermometer up his tush.) He said he might've had some food stuck between his teeth or something like that.

Made Up Words

I like to make up words. Yep. When I'm talking and I can't think of a good word to explain what I'm talking about, I just make one up. Like my friend is an attorney and I call what he does "lawyering." And those little cubicles where they do bikini waxes, I call those "publicle cubicles."

Anywho... every month Jane magazine has a new word in it that they or someone else made up. Here are some examples...

Almond Joy
n. A male camel-toe, formed when a dude's jewels are squeezed into tight jeans. Usage: "The Boss's almond joy is three times bigger than Steve Perry's. Not that that's something to be proud of."

Diet Strokes
n. Music-industry term for any of the hundred cute new garage bands coming onto the scene. Usage: "Those Diet Strokes must shop at the same marching-band-jacket surplus store as Julian."

Efemulate
v. To rip away womanhood (like "emascualte"). Usage: That efemulating bastard said I can't wear skirts to work.

Icarus dick
adj. Too proud; cocky. Pertaining to Icarus, the mythological guy who flew too close to the sun. Usage: "When I saw the new designs for the Twin Towers site, I thought, 'Ugh, they're so Icarus dick.'"

Noah's boy
n. An obnoxious show-off. Diner cooks use "Noah's boy" as slang for ham, since Ham was Noah's son in the Bible. Usage: "That Noah's boy is talking really loudly about his motorcycle again."

Poseur exposer
n. A band name that is sure to unmask novice fans because it's hard to pronounce. Geeky record store clerks get a lot of mileage out of these. Usage: "That loser just asked about the new Porky's Psychotic Monkey record. Poseur exposer in effect - everyone knows it's Gorky's Zygotic Mynci."

Pussyball
n. Tattooist term for the tennis ball given to customers who need something to squeeze in order to deal with the pain. Usage: "I'm not your pussyball - go to the bathroom by yourself."

Screwvenir
n. or v. A T-shirt, CD, etc. stolen from a one-night stand's house or the act of stealing the stuff. Usage: "Now that I have Physical Graffiti, I've screwvenired the entire Zeplin discography."

What are some of your favorite made up words?

The Skinny Mirror

I just moved into my new apartment, and the person who lived here before me left a full-length mirror behind. But the thing is, it's not just any mirror—it's a skinny mirror. Yep. As in "I look like a total babe in this skinny mirror" skinny mirror. As in "I wish others could see how hot I am in this skinny mirror" skinny mirror. Why on earth would anyone leave a skinny mirror behind?

Beverly's Tongue

Why does Beverly sleep with her tongue sticking out of her mouth? Is something wrong with her? Won't it dry out?

If she could talk, would she have a lisp? What's up with that?

Here's a close-up:

Pringles

Pringles are one good chip. How do you think they make them? Do you think they mash potatoes up and then spread the mash on some sort of curved thing-y before baking them? Really think about this. They can't just slice them off of a roll of some kind because of the curve. There has to be more to it than that. And do you think they add the flavors like sour cream & onion or BBQ to the mash batter? Or do you think they bake regular Pringles and sprinkle the flavors on afterward?

The Peculiar Pin

So I was walking down the street recently and something sparkly on the ground caught my eye. I bent over to pick it up, and low and behold it was a rhinestone pin of some sort, perhaps a pin my grandma would put on her outfit to "add some glitz." I put the pin in my pocket and walked home, and have since been sharing the find with my friends, but none of us can figure out just what the heck this pin is a pin of.

Is it a squirrel? A skunk? A rat with a fluffy tail? Seriously, what the heck is this pin a pin of? A possum? A beaver? A raccoon? What do you think?

To Pussyfoot

For some odd reason, I've been using the word "pussyfoot" a lot recently. I say things like, "I was pussyfooting around," and "he or she was pussyfooting around." Even though I'm not exactly sure what it means, I like it. I have a feeling that it means to "walk quietly and cautiously like a pussy cat." I mean, that makes sense, right?

So anywho, I was just wondering if anyone else is fond of the word "pussyfoot." Also, why did it take me so long to start using the word "pussyfoot?" And where did I pick it up from? Was it in a movie I saw recently? Or did I hear it a long time ago, bury it deep in my subconscious, and then recently have a dream that tapped into that area of my brain? If that's the case, then it's a shame. I could've been using it for a long time if only I hadn't buried it. But I guess it's better late than never, right?

Uggs are Ugly

Why is everyone and their mom wearing Uggs? I mean, let's be honest—they're ugly. Butt, butt-ugly. They're the Moon Boots of this decade. One day we'll look back at them like we do shoulder pads and fluorescent disc earrings and ask ourselves, "What in the hell were we thinking?" Uggs are dumpy, frumpy, and make even the tallest women look stumpy.

Now, I can understand why you might want to wear them if you live in the tundra—but in LA? No. When you're wearing a dress? No, again. When you're out on a Friday night in Manhattan? Absolutely not. Every store is sold out of them, which is a blessing in disguise for all the Ugg-less women out there. Believe me, it's a good thing you can't get your hands on them. One day you'll look back at photos of people schlumping around town in them, and you'll be thankful that you were late jumping on the bandwagon.

Uggs = Ugly.