Human Oddities

That title just sounds "odd," but I must admit that I’m a sucker for anything on TLC or Discovery Health with the title “My Shocking Story“ or “Half Ton Mom“ or “My Giant Legs.“  The lives of these people are so fascinating. Albinos being hunted by witch doctors in Africa…yes please. The Tree Man from Indonesia (but wait there are two of them?!), obviously!  My DVR is set to record, and I enjoy watching the oddities in life at my leisure.

My coworkers love to hear about the newest weird show I saw the other night (okay, maybe not love, maybe tolerate).  I regale them with stories about people who can conduct electricity with their bare hands, the world’s tallest children or the latest stories about the morbidly obese. 

And while I don’t necessarily consider this too much of an oddity, my love of the Duggars (the couple with 19, yes 19, children) comes up now and again as well.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to see the lives of Jim Bob, Michelle, Josh, Jana, John David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordan and Josie?  And no, I didn’t cheat and look up their names.  And PS – Jackson and Johannah are my favorites.

And while I’m not a fan of “Little People, Big World,“ I do love “The Little Couple.“ The husband is 4‘ tall, the wife is 3‘2“.  She’s a doctor, he’s a businessman, and they’re building a new custom-made home in Houston, Texas. I feel a slight connection with the wife since she’s from St. Petersburg.  I mean, we’re practically neighbors.

The more I learn about the world outside my little piece of earth, the more I’m fascinated by the stories.  Of course, I’m sure my coworkers would like me to love shows about people just a little bit more normal, but really, who and what are normal?  I’m guessing that if I lived in the 1800s, I would be first in line to see the Elephant Man, the Bearded Lady and the Wolfman, but hey, aren’t we all just a little bit curious?

A Little Bit Country?

Now before you judge, I happen to love country music, horseback riding, Nascar, country line dancing and the like.  I know how that looks, so I’m ready for all the jokes.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to put on cowboy boots everyday with a big belt buckle and cowboy hat, or talk with a severe Southern drawl, but a girl can like the country things in life without totally being a complete redneck right?  I can hear you disagreeing from here.

So I’ve seen horse jumping competitions, the Professional Bull Riders tour, and I’ve done country line dancing a time or two or three or a hundred, but I’d never been to a Nascar race.  Well, cross it off the list folks because this year I went to the Daytona 500.  I had the most amazing time ever.  I can see why over 150,000 people attend this thing every year.  The rush of adrenaline still hasn’t faded (okay well maybe a little), but seriously, I’ve never seen anything like it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of stereotypical rednecks attending this race.  Almost everyone I saw looked a bit normal, like me and my group of friends.  Of course there was the occasional camo and this guy, but all in all, it seemed like a stand up crowd.  I was also blown away by the sheer amount of people.  The sea of humanity never ended, as far as the eye could see, and of course, they all parked and entered/exited in the exact same place.

Beyond all the people, the race itself was absolutely exhiliarating.  TV just does not do it justice – in terms of the speed, the noise and the strategy involved.  We were sitting in the front row along the front stretch, just behind the start/finish line, and the feeling of the huge mass of air that followed behind the cars was unreal.  We were sitting so close that specks of tire rubber landed on us every lap because the cars were going so fast.

I think everyone should put a Nascar race on their bucket list.  It’s completely worth it to see just once in your life, so you can really comprehend how fast these drivers go.  Make sure you go all out and rent a scanner too, so you can listen to the drivers talk to their spotters and crew chiefs.  It just adds another level of entertainmnent, and something to do for all those people out there that just think the cars go round and round in a circle.

I would say the worst part of the entire experience was getting there and leaving.  I’m sure its no easy task for law enforcement to manage the flow of cars, but there’s gotta be a better way.  I’ve decided that next year, because there will be a next year, maybe it would be a better idea to rent an RV and spend the weekend.  While this girl may be a little bit (okay a lot a bit) country, she is definitely not into spending the night in the great outdoors.  Give me a working bathroom and the creature comforts of home, and I’m in.

So in the words of all the grand marshalls for all the races and until next year….gentlemen….start….your….engines!

A Good Glass of Wine

Since I’m new to this blogging thing, I decided to start out with an easy one…wine.  What is better than a good glass of wine really?  Anything?  Coming home from a long day of work, putting on a good TV show and relaxing with a great glass of wine doesn’t get much better.

Truth be told, this gal’s on a budget, so my wine tastes are rather on the cheap side.  My experimentation comes through Publix BOGO’s and “2fers.“ Those are usually the first bottles I go for.  But a girl can have a great glass of wine on the cheap, and a few of these are right on the money in both taste and price.

Cupcake Vineyards

I think pretty much anyone who’s talked to me in person within the last few months knows that I’m pretty passionate about Cupcake wines.  I’ve tried almost all of the varietals – the Chardonnay being my favorite.  The label caught my eye, and then when I visited their website, the fact that they had cupcake recipes available to pair with their wines sent me over the edge.  Cupcakes and wine?!  Yes please.  Now, I tell myself that one of these days I’ll actually make one of their gourmet cupcakes to pair with the wine, but who am I kidding?  One look at the ingredient list sends this poor girl into a tizzy with the thought of trying to find them all at my neighborhood Publix.  Soooo….I settle for a glass and three Chocolate Kisses instead.  Works just as well!

Merdian Chardonnay

This wine was recommended to me by a client.  The best part, usually every couple of weeks it is two for $10 at Publix, which is a definite score.  It tastes great and does the job admirably, so I’m not gonna complain.  And it helps me keep my fridge stocked with a great Chardonnay for those days when you just need it.

So you’re probably thinking, these are all white wines – where are the reds?!  Well, I like reds too.  I don’t like to discriminate, but there’s just something about a nice, cold glass of white wine that’s so refreshing.  I’m slowly getting myself to drink more red wine, but it’s just not the go-to wine I think of when I’m in the mood for a glass.  When Cupcake wine was on sale a week or so ago, I did purchase the new Cupcake Red Velvet.  I had never seen that varietal, so I snatched it up.  It doesn’t hurt that some of my favorite cupcakes are Red Velvet ones either – and even as I type this I hear my grandmother yelling at me for eating them…all that Red Dye #40 or whatever.  I just can’t help it…so good.  Now if only they could make a Cupcake Wine that pairs well with Funfetti.  Delish!

To assist me in this endeavor of drinking more red wine, I purchased the Waring Pro Wine Chiller as a Christmas present to myself.  It has a great library of wines, and it’s supposed to chill your wine to the optimum serving temperature.  It takes a rather long time (longer than I’m wiling to wait), and it’s quite noisy.  The refrigerator would work just as well, if not better.  Final verdict - Don’t waste the money…it’s not something you’ll use as often as you might want.

All in all, my quest for a favorite red continues, so any recommendations are welcome!