Love Is All Around At Christmastime

     It's Christmas Eve and I just finished an Italian dinner full of fishy types of food ... If you're Italian, you know what I mean ... and while cooking that delicious dinner I was flipping through the channels to try and find something Christmas-y to watch and it got me thinking ... There are some amazing scenes full of love and happiness and joy in the movies that have been playing this past month.
     And here's a countdown of my favorite ones!

Top Five Christmas Scenes of All Time

5) Sleepless in Seattle (1993) - Empire State Building Ending Scene

"Destiny is something we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental." - Annie Reed 

This isn't necessarily a Christmas scene but I just had had had to pick it ... even if other great moments in this movie happen during Christmastime. For any girl or woman who spent any time liking any boy or man in the nineties ... whether she was ten and in love with Backstreet Boy or twenty-five and falling in love with a colleague, boyfriend, lover, or whatever ... She spent time wanting to be Meg Ryan and this is just one of the reasons why. Want another one? ... This one is definitely Christmas related.

4) The Polar Express (2004) - Believer's Bell Ending Scene

"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." - The Conductor

I love this movie. It breaks a little piece of my heart every time I hear a child say that they don't believe in Santa Claus. I think there's something innocent about believing in the unseen and the unknown, and in today's world I think kids need to hold onto their innocence as long as possible. Who cares if a kid is twelve years old and believes in Santa. Heck, who cares if someone is fifty and believes in Santa?! You know what? They are probably in a better place then most of us. 

3) Love Actually (2003) - Perfect Scene

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there ... If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around." - Prime Minister

If anyone had any doubt that this scene would show up on this list, then you do not know Christmas. You do not know movies. And you do not know women. This scene gives the quintessential example of what any woman wants from a man - honesty, creativity, sincerity, and a little bit of humor. While Kiera Knightly is a whole hot mess in this scene ... you know, with the whole being-on-her-way-to-looking-like-Skelator-thing and kissing a man who isn't her husband ... Andrew Lincoln is all kinds of wonderful. He's sincere and loving and, well, kind of pathetic, which makes him so much more believable. 

2) Serendipity (2003) - Skating Scene

"Jonathan Trager, prominent television producer for ESPN, died last night from complications of losing his soul mate and his fiancee. He was 35 years old. Soft-spoken and obsessive, Trager never looked the part of a hopeless romantic. But, in the final days of his life, he revealed an unknown side of his psyche. This hidden quasi-Jungian persona surfaced during the Agatha Christie-like pursuit of his long reputed soul mate, a woman whom he only spent a few precious hours with." - Dean Kansky

This entire movie is amazing ... and I could have picked a slew of scenes from it to be one of the best Christmas scenes, as most of them take place during the holiday season ... but I just love this scene at the skating rink. It's kind of magical and romantic how you can see Jonathan falling in love with Sarah almost instantly. And, coming from someone who is occasionally a cynic, that's saying a lot. I just love love in this movie. <3

1) It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - Homecoming Ending Scene

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey, that's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary." - George Bailey

Christmas is a time of coming together, appreciating the life you have, and helping your friends and family and this scene combines all those tenets into one. I don't think a Christmas has passed where I missed this movie, and I doubt one ever will. It truly speaks to the spirit of Christmas and the holiday season. If we all just gave a little more the rest of the year ... and maybe acted with the holiday spirit 365 days a year ... maybe the world would be a better place, at least in little ways.

So, there you have it. The top five holiday scenes according to me. Now go ahead and watch each movie ... because they are amazing!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Believe in what your heart is saying. Hear the melody that's playing. There's no time to waste. There's so much to celebrate. Believe in what you feel inside and give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need, if you just believe. [Believe - Josh Groban (ft. Beyonce)]

When Wonder Woman Tells You To Touch Your Boobies ... You Touch Your Boobies (Like Your Life Depended On It).

     You don't need superhuman powers like X-Ray vision or gamma-radiation-inundated strength to give yourself a monthly self-breast exam ...

     At least that is what a new advertising campaign out of South Africa is trying to tell you! The new campaign by Associação da Luta Contra o Cancer features four ads - each with a different girl super hero, drawn from their chin down to their mid-torso, feeling up her boobies for lumps! 

     The lucky ladies which are featured in these ads (suggested by their artfully rendered uniforms, of course) are ... Catwoman, She-Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Storm (of X-Men fame for you non-nerdy people, out there).

     The ads also all feature a comic-book looking caption that reads: Nobody's Immune To Breast Cancer.

     It goes on to say: When we talk about breast cancer, there’s no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against this enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor.

I would suggest clipping your nails before a monthly self-exam.

She-Hulk is Hella-Endowed. Just saying.

Leather and all that super hero clothing is cool ...
But I would suggest any type of metal be removed before a monthly exam.

Storm could totally donate her hair to women with cancer.

     I love this ad campaign. It not only has a positive message outwardly ... But it also has another message in the imagery ...
     These super hero women are all women who prevent crises from occurring on an everyday basis based on the actions they choose to do --- I mean let's face it, no one's forcing them to save the world. By choosing to perform breast self-exams, you are choosing to take a preventative step against cancer. You are choosing to check yourself for lumps and bumps and funniness and to report it to a doctor when you find it.
      Basically, you are being your own super hero. To yourself. To your friends. To your family. To all your loved ones.
     So, please do me a favor, ladies ... And gentlemen ... Go ahead - be my hero and go touch your boobies ...
     Just not at Happy Hour like this song suggests ... It won't end well. Trust me.


There's boobies of all different kinds but do you know the warning signs!? I touch my boobies for any strange lumps. I touch my boobies for any weird bumps. Touching is key to being lumpy free. So, please touch your boobies, touch your boobies, for me! [Touch Your Boobies (I Touch Mine!) - Taryn Southern]

Side Note: If you have discovered a lump or have any other signs of breast cancer, visit your doctor right away. You can access information about the disease here. If you would like to donate to breast cancer research, you can do so here. Or, if you have some long tresses you are willing to donate in order to have wigs made for those who have been affected by cancer, check out Pantene Pro-V's Beautiful Lengths Program (I'll post my before and after pictures next month!). 

Losing Faith In Humanity ... One Jackass At A Time.

      A 20-year-old man from Belmar, NJ and a 17-year-old boy from Lake Como, NJ have been charged with beating a homeless man after they posted a video of the attack on YouTube.
     I can't locate the video ... But when you hear about things like this, doesn't it make you lose a bit more faith in humanity ... if you're one of the people who have any left. What makes it worse is that at the end of the video ... when the homeless man is left bloody ... one of the attackers shouts back to him, "Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Whatever the fuck you are."

The kid went in for a hug ... then kneed the man in the groin. Nice. Real nice.

     Isn't this the time of year when we are supposed to be a little more loving? A little more accepting? Aren't we supposed to let people merge in on the highway? And throw an extra dime in an expired meter when we see the meter-maid walking up the street??? I mean, aren't we supposed to be helping each other out just a little bit ... even if it's just at this time of the year?! I'd like it to be all year long, 24/7 ... But God knows that's never going to happen ... So let's just make it happen around the holidays, people!
     Maybe I'm just naive or my faith in humanity is just too strong ... But I think we can all be better to each other. So just do it! --- Be a better person for goodness sake.
     Basically what I am saying is ... Don't be a jackass.

I never wanted to say this. You never wanted to stay. I put my faith in you, so much faith, and then you just threw it away. You threw it away. I'm not so naive. My sorry eyes can see the way you fight shy of almost everything. Well, if you give up, you'll get what you deserve ... Why don't you stand up? Be a man about it, fight with your bare hands about it now. (For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic - Paramore)

What's Wrong With The World Today - Any Newfangled Trend Kids Come Up With

     Let me paint you a little picture here ... assuming you're in your mid-twenties, early-thirties and we grew up in the same kind of suburban Desperate Housewives neighborhoods ...

     You're back in middle school and sniffing markers is the coolest new trend (if you weren't snorting pixie stix in the bathroom) ... You remember, right? You feel like a total badass whenever you took a whiff.
     It's every kid's gateway drug into huffing paint and glue. 

     Ahhhh, those were the days ... Not that I was a huffer or anything ... I mean, I did enjoy the occasional whiff of a Mr. Sketch every once in a while but I mean, honestly, who didn't!?

     Once middle school ended and we moved onto high school, if we didn't take the actual drug route, most of us were too busy trying to find ourselves and too busy with shitty high school drama to make up new, crazy trends. But, it seems like today, every time you turn on the TV, kids are doing something insane and weird that any normal individual would think absurd ... 

     Part of me thinks it's because they have too much time of their hands because everything is computerized and technological for them but that's another story for another day. So, in their free time ... they do things like this ...

Trend One: The Choking Game

     This "game" involves basically cutting off the oxygen to one's brain in order to either faint or get a short feeling of euphoria. Most cases involve kids choking each other, but there have been cases where kids choke themselves. Kids have been hospitalized, suffered brain damage, and died as a result of this game. Crazy shit.

Trend Two: Vodka Tampons and Butt Beer

     This one simply blew me away ... and was actually the inspiration for this blog post ... so thank you to the genius behind this little act of idiocy.

     Teen girls have been soaking tampons in vodka and then doing the obvious ... I mean, DUHHHH, what else would you do with a vodka-filled tampon? ... They are inserting them into their vagina so that the alcohol is absorbed directly into their blood streams. Teenage boys are inserting the tampons into their rectums. Apparently, a lot of teens seem to think that because they are not drinking the alcohol, they will beat a breathalyzer test.

     On top of this - to go one stupid, gross step further ... teens (and I am generalizing this to teens because I hope that no one older is stupid enough to be doing this shit ... or younger is being exposed to it) are funneling beer straight into their anus using a beer bong. WTFFFFFF!!!!!

     Couldn't they just sniff some markers? ... This is enough for me to want to lock up my potential, hypothetical future children in a closet for all of their teenage years and let them out when they are eighteen ... even if it means they will have to be a little socially awkward for a while - middle school years are awkward anyway.

     If I scared even one parent into talking to their kid about not putting a rope around their neck or putting beer in their butt, my job here is done.

Bring your friends. It's fun to lose and to pretend. She's overboard and self-assured. Oh no, I know. A dirty word ... With the lights out, it's less dangerous. Here we are now, entertain us. I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now. Entertain us. (Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana)

Side Note: If you or anyone you know is involved in Choking Game activities and need information or help, visit G.A.S.P., Games Adolescents Shouldn't Play, or the Dangerous Behaviors Foundation. Similarly, if you need information or help about alcohol abuse, visit SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (24/7) to receive free resources and to get referrals for treatment centers in your area.

December 7, 1941 - A Date Which Will Live In Infamy ... Or Will It?

     70 years ago today, the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor ... If it wasn't for reading it here ... Or seeing a random newscast about it ... Or a random facebook status update ... Would you have even remembered? Will your kids remember?
     The attacks at Pearl Harbor pushed us into World War II. It is a major event in our history and is not a date which can be forgotten. There were 2,402 military casualties at Pearl Harbor and another 1,247 wounded. Civilian casualties were far, far less in number ... but were also evident as a result of the attacks.
     We are a country that prides itself in remembering the service that our men and women put forth and honoring the sacrifices that they make ... So many lives were lost that fateful day, and subsequently, in World War II --- so take a moment today and remember what Pearl Harbor represents and to read and listen to the stories of the survivors. They are truly remarkable.

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan ... I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire. (Infamy Speech, President Franklin D. Roosevelt)