Music Monday #5: Power Ballads

29 Oct

A couple of weeks ago, La La over at Tales of a Charm City Chick wrote a post about power ballads. This is a woman speaking my language because I absolutely love songs where the singer is practically begging you to pull out a lighter and wave it in the air like you just don’t care. I asked her if I could steal use her idea for a Music Monday post, and she graciously agreed.

I tried to make a Top 10 list which turned into a Top 25 list which turned into a Top 500 list. I never realized how many power ballads I liked until I started writing this post. It started becoming a bit like asking a parent to name his/her favorite child, and unless you’re lucky enough to have a child like me, you just can’t do it.

So I’ve decided to take a different approach. I thought I’d pick a few power ballads that had a little more meaning to me, and share the stories behind the songs. Continue reading →

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NaNoWriNO

26 Oct

So, there’s this little thing called National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, it’s a challenge to get writers to complete a 50,000+ word fictional novel between November 1st and November 30th. The goal isn’t to write something you’ll eventually publish (although some do) but to flex your writing skills by pushing yourself to complete a project of this magnitude.

I know several people who have participated in it, and all of them ended up loving it despite being terrified at first. They were able to network with other writers, surprised themselves by actually finishing a novel, and none thought their end result was too shabby. I’ve wanted to join NaNoWriMo for the last couple of years, but sincerely haven’t (and don’t) have the time for it.

Continue reading →

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You Are Now At Shopping Altitude

23 Oct

I love traveling. I enjoy seeing landmarks, feasting on local cuisine, and going to historical museums to get my knowledge on. While I appreciate the luxury of travel, I’m not fond of flying. Between the security pat-down, flight delays, and cramped seating arrangements, it’s just not at the top of my list of things in life I fancy.

On my latest trip to Vegas, I was reminded that one of the things I do really like is the literature that comes in the seat pocket in front of you on the airplane. While I like reading the evacuation instructions and airline-specific magazine, the thing I really look forward to is SkyMall Magazine.

While most of the stuff in there is pretty standard fare, there are some tucked away gems which are so bizarre you have to wonder if the altitude is affecting your perception. I took the liberty of flipping through the latest issue, and finding the biggest “WTF?” merchandise SkyMall has to offer.

The Solowheel. For those who have an extra $1800 in the bank, and think walking is too damn difficult. Must be a unicycle enthusiast who loves looking like an asshat. Click on the picture to watch this bad boy in action.

Credit: SkyMall

Continue reading →

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Getting A Facelift

21 Oct

Well, I didn’t get a facelift, but my blog did! As many of you probably noticed, the header is remarkably different from the boring block lettering which used to be there. One of the great things about blogging is that it connects you with all sorts of people from various artistic corners of the web. One such person is my dear friend Tahira (TJ) Lubrano, the person who is responsible for how snazzy pants my site looks these days. I wanted to give her this little shout out as my way of thanking her for the hard work she put into making my blog easier on the eyes.

TJ’s art speaks to me on so many levels. It’s fun. It’s imaginative. It’s colorful. It’s happy. It’s playful. It’s beautiful. I could go on and on, but I thought I’d let her brilliant illustrations speak for themselves.

Continue reading →

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Mo Money Movember

19 Oct

So there’s this guy you may have heard of, and his name is Le Clown. If you haven’t, you need to educate yourself because there are two things in life I take very seriously: (1) Law & Order marathons on the USA network and (2) blogging clowns. Without those things, what’s the point of living?

There are a few things you need to know about him:

(1) He breastfeeds sock monkeys

(2) He hates Rush, one of the greatest bands of all time

(3) He has serious camel ball

He’s also a very generous dude who loves to have a million projects going on at once. His latest effort is the Bloggers for Movember campaign. Movember is a cause which takes place each November, and helps raise money and build awareness around men’s health issues, specifically testicular and prostate cancers. Something I was unaware of is that it also aims to do the same for men’s mental health issues.

It didn’t surprise me that Le Clown wanted to get involved. I mean, this is a guy who massages his prostate courtesy of Klout. There are a handful of ways you can show your support, all of which are outlined in his post (all applicable links below.) My favorite is the growing of a mustache (or beard!) during the month of November.

Naturally, I wanted to participate because not only do I love me some charity, but I love me some facial hair. “Jen, you can’t grow a mustache. You’re a girl!” Oh, on the contrary my lovely Hooked on Tonics. I’m partially Mexican and have the testosterone level of Lou Ferrigno. This means I get a five o’clock shadow at half past two.

I know it’s not November yet, but I thought I’d kick things off to get people motivated to throw their hat in the ring when the time comes.

A nod to Le Clown, a sexy French ‘stache

Continue reading →

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Seven Deadly Sins City

18 Oct

Last week I went to Las Vegas on business, and while I love Vegas for what it is, I find that I’m always beyond ready to leave by the end of my trip. Don’t get me wrong, I love the shopping and the shows and the food, but there are some things about the city that wear on me after being exposed to them for more than a couple of days.

Pregnant women in casinos

There are only a couple of things in life that make me want to actually punch someone in the throat. One of them is Americans who use British accents, and the other is pregnant women who treat their unborn children irresponsibly. While casinos have come a long way with their air filtration systems, it does not negate the fact that there are people smoking in them. Watching women gamble for an extended period of time infuriates me because the air she’s breathing becomes the air her baby is breathing. I get that pregnancy puts a major dent in a person’s party lifestyle, but one would think you’d consider that before letting a sperm karate chop its way into your egg.

Credit: Fotopedia

Continue reading →

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Search Engine Awkwardization

4 Oct

A few months ago, Timmer from Second Lunch put up this post discussing how he was getting views from a search term unrelated to anything on his blog. More recently, Le Clown put up a post on his facebook page noting someone’s affinity for sperm and McDonald’s led the searcher to his site. We’re constantly being told, as small blog authors, that we’re buried deeply in the interwebz. If this is true, how is it possible people are accidentally landing on our pages using the strangest of searches?

This got me thinking about my own search terms. If you’ve read even one post from Sips of Jen and Tonic, you’d know this is not exactly the kind of stuff you’d read to your kindergarten class before nap time. Well, unless your teaching certificate is from The David Hasselhoff School of Hamburger Eating. In that case, thanks for giving the children a really eye-opening education.

I know this was you Speaker7

Continue reading →

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HCP Announcement

3 Oct

This is a second blog I’ve started with the lovely Jen from The Modern Woman’s Society. If you’re crafty, love gifting, curious about DIY, want to contribute, or just love supporting friends, please stop by and say hi!

Jen's avatarHandmade Christmas Project

Hello my handmade beauties! Its Jen W. here!

I’m beyond excited that the Handmade Christmas Project blog is finally up and running! Full credit and unadulterated praise to the talented and articulate Jen S. for saying we go big with this idea! Crafting Jens to the power of two has the potential to unleash a Christmas craft cataclysm of amazingness. If you haven’t already read the post that inspired this spin-off blog, you can check it out here.

If you’re anything like the two Jens, there simply isn’t enough time in your life for all the craft you want to do. And if you also work full-time (like the two Jens) declaring that you’re going to make all your Christmas gifts this year could be a foolish mistake. FYI kids – as of yesterday, there are only 12 weeks until the big day. Or if you do work full-time, you…

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Le-duel: Jen and Tonic

21 Sep

Head over to A Clown on Fire and help me crush the competition in this post I wrote for Clown’s blogging duel against Edward Hotspur. Yeah, I handed his ass to him. Did you expect any less?

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WKRP Portland

19 Sep

A few days ago I posted about my opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of torturing the masses via radio, and it finally happened! I must admit I was a little nervous, but the host assured me it would all work out. He advised me to drink hot tea, and send him topless photos to calm my nerves.

My pumpkin brings all the boys to the yard
Credit: FaceInHole

Quite a few people showed up in the chat room, and I even had two callers. Granted, one of them was my parole officer asking me why I haven’t checked in with him in months, but still! The show was great fun, and I’d totally do it again if asked.

Some of you mentioned wanting a link to the broadcast since you weren’t able to make it. You can listen to the full show here.

For those who want to explore the links which were mentioned in the show:

Expats Post  (Excuse us while we’re under construction!)

“Lasagna With A Side of Advice” post

Bill Friday’s website

Radio show facebook fan page

If any of you are interested in becoming a member on Expats Post, or want to know more about the radio show, you can e-mail me at SipsofJenandTonic@gmail.com.

Thanks Lovers!

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