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 This is a sponsored post.

The 100 Club

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (not to the top)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (some of them, anyway)
35. Seen an Amish community (they were on a date at Bob Evans)
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I wasn’t the one ill)
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (I made a record number of PB&J for one)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (no, but I was a professional lifesaver)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant


If you want to play copy/paste and bold the one's you've done....

3x9

I was tagged by the lovely Mummytips in Claire's new Three by Nine Meme. All you have to do is answer the nine questions below and then tag three of your blogging buddies so that you can learn a little something new about each other, so here you go:

Three names I go by: Blondie, Melaina, Mommy (all my other nicknames are related to my name!)
Three places I’ve lived: Cincinnati, OH; Washington, DC; Glasgow, Scotland



Three places I’ve worked: British Red Cross, Choice USA, Capital Hill/Congress
Three things I love to watch: American tv, Blondie Boy learning, Cincinnati sports
Three places I have been and love: Köln, Germany; Koh Samui, Thailand; Los Angeles, California


Three people that email me regularly: My Mom, ED Team & Sabrina
Three things I love to eat: Sushi, Skyline Chili, Jack Daniel's Chicken Strips



Three people I think will respond: JennyMae, MrsBro, Kaymee
Three things I am looking forward to: My Mo Mo coming to visit Monday, French beach holiday in July, Blondie Boy talking

The Naughty Step

Pippa tagged me in this meme a few days ago, but I was struggling to think who I would put on the naughty step. Blondie Boy woke up early this morning and I was flipping through the crap that is morning TV and heard a story about Billie Piper on GMTV and immediately I know who should go on the naughty step.

Photo from the Daily Mail.

Really Billie? I understand that she may not be blowing smoke directly in her son's face, but regardless she is smoking in very close proximity to her wee son. This is not okay in my book and I don't understand how people still smoke so close to small children. I HATE seeing mother's holding their child's hand or pushing a pram and smoking.

I do not let anyone smoke around Blondie Boy and if I know someone has been smoking they aren't allowed to hold him. I've read studies where even as much as residual smoke on clothing can affect babies.

Why would you knowingly endanger your child's life with something that can so easily be prevented? Ideally no one should smoke, but if you want to harm yourself, at least do it far, far away from children.

So I've gone ahead and judged Billie and think she needs time to think about what she's done. Who would you put on the naughty step?

I tag:

-Mrs Bro, The Thomas Chronicles
-Kami, The Mommy Diaries
-Vonnie, Adventures of a Lady in Training
-Andrea, Forever is Tomorrow is Today
-Allyson, Day in the Life

My chicken's pretty funky

I've started a bunch a post this week but not finished any of them. I could have written about CyberMummy, a belated post on the birth of my faux-nephew, dieting, Blondie Boy turning 6 months or even an easy one a survey post.

Red over at Resourceful Redhead awarded me with the sunshine award, but honestly lately I've been feeling anything but sunny. It's certainly not a lack of ideas that's fueling my writer's block, but I'm pretty sure I know what it is.


I'm homesick. It normally happens at some point after we get back from the States, but this time since we were home so long it has hit me really hard. I can't get back on the same timezone and I'm just sorta in a blah mood in general and it is affecting just about everything I do.

CyberMummy: I totally appreciate the fabulous people at Emma's Diary sponsoring me to attend and I had a great day listening and learning from speakers, liaising with PR folk and meeting other bloggers. However, I didn't come away with that warm fuzzy feeling of sisterhood everyone else has been blogging about. I felt like an outsider looking in; everyone seemed to know everyone else or had just made a new best friend. Between all the back and forth on twitter and blogs popping up on lists just makes me feel like I've failed at Blogger Popularity 101.

Faux-Nephew: My best friend had her baby boy 3 weeks early and I was in the same country as her, but couldn't go and see her. Logistically there was no way I could get to DC from Cincinnati and back with a 5 1/2 month old with all the stuff we had scheduled while I was home, but I still felt ridiculously guilty that my best friend in the entire world was so close, but so far away. Even just writing this right now I feel guilty and teary that I didn't find a way to make that 10 hour drive and meet her new son. I hate that I don't know when our boys will get to meet and I know that's because I live abroad.

6 months: Blondie Boy is half a year old, W-T-F. He's following the same growth curve and now weighs 16lbs, 8oz. We had his customary photo shoot, but I just can't be bothered photoshopping in the number 6 and pulling it all together. Otherwise I love the boy to bits and he constantly makes me smile and there absolutely nothing blah about him. Trust me even his poos are blah, they are more blech to be precise.

Dieting: Ugh. We all know I've done South Beach before and it really works, but I also know that South Beach and fresh food in general is really expensive. Being on extended maternity leave means being on a budget, so South Beach isn't going to be an option. I'm going to try the Special K Diet (2 bowls a day + one healthy meal), so if anyone knows anyone at Kellogg's please hook a girl up. In general I'm not happy with my post-pregnancy body, but let's not go there.

Sunshine Award: I'm supposed to tell you ten things about me and let you know ten other bloggers I like. Honestly I think I've been honest enough in this post and I'd suggest you try any of the people in my blog roll to the right.

This isn't my typical post and I know that; hell there's only one picture and it's not even of Blondie Boy. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but I am trying to keep it real. Wasn't blogging about stuff whether people like it or not one of the things CyberMummy taught us? So for those of you who hate this post, I'm sorry. I promise to post some fabulous pictures of Blondie Boy, taken by the AMAZING Kortnee Kate, tomorrow for you. See yet another easy thing I could have blogged about, but haven't.

Thank you for bearing with me and if you've ever been in a funk, especially a homesick funk, what do you do to shake it?

See you at Cyber Mummy?

Carly over at Mummy's Shoes has a little CyberMummy meet and greet party going on

- so here's me....

Name : Blondie
Twitter : @melaina25
Hair : Blonde
Eyes : Blue
Likes : reproductive rights, sexuality and health issues, scotland, zack morris, tattoos, chocolate chip pancakes, washington d.c., skyline chili, bagel sushi, krispy kreme, mountain dew & randomness

Sans Fards

So "sans fards" seems to be another trend that's all the rage. Jessica Simpson did it in Marie Claire (well, maybe not) and a blogger in Australia has come up with bloggers without makeup day.

When I first saw Emma at Me, the Man & the Baby, blog about this I thought "hell no, not me." The more I thought about it though, I thought what was I so afraid of? I love makeup, don't get me wrong, but even when I go out pretty much all I wear is eye-makeup.

So here I am, in all my translucent eyelash glory; no Touche Éclat, nothing. I took the plunge, so what about the rest of you? Will you go sans fards, too?

Vlog Interview

You may have noticed that vlogs seem to be all the rage on blogs right now. I thought I would take the plunge, but I had no idea what to say! My friend Stacia was in the same boat so we decided to "interview" each other; since we are 8 time zones apart, we sent each other the questions, so I guess it's more of a survey than an interview, but I digress.

NotBlondeHusband says my accent is all over the place, but I refuse to watch it because then I might not post it. Here it is in all it's glory; please go easy on me!

Untitled from Transatlantic Blonde on Vimeo.

Gorgeous Blogger Award

The lovely Lexi has bestowed another award on me! I might just have to thank her in person when we are visiting LA if she's not too busy being 35 weeks pregnant and all ;)

The rules for this award go as followed:

* Accept & thank the fellow bloggie who gave this to you

* List 10 things about yourself

* List 5 additional things that you don't like

* Award this to 10 other fellow bloggies

1) I've been keeping a secret. I've had a bit of a hair disaster. 3 box colors, a trip to the salon and silver shampoo later and I'm still not happy. Repeat after me: Blondes can't do boxes.

2) I'm somewhat superstitious in that I believe I can "jinx" myself out of things.

3) I don't currently own a bra that fits. I went to try and buy a cheapish one, but it had 4 hooks and I couldn't get them hooked and figured if it was that much hassle to try it on, it wasn't worth it and I'd rather put up with boob spillage.

4) I have delicious hands....seriously, ask Blondie Boy he loves them.

5) If I'm at home, 99.9% of the time I don't have pants on. I don't like them.

6) I have two tattoos and have had a total of 7 piercings.

7) I have a minor obsession with mascara.

8) I've seen Ben Folds in concert more than any other artist.

9) I love Louie Spence.

10) The only soap opera I watch is a bad Aussie one called "Neighbours."

Five things I don't like (I going to choose foods):

1) Oranges or anything orange flavoured

2) Black Currant flavoured anything (why can't the UK have grape stuff?)

3) Parsley

4) Coriander/Cilantro (I'm allergic and it's gross)

5) Jalapeños

I've had this post sitting for almost a week already and I'm too lazy to link to pass it on, so if you want it, leave a comment and I'll link to you here!

The Preppy Mafia

The lovely Mrs. Bro gave me this award:

I don't even really know if I'm a preppy but I think I may have gotten called a "prep" once and I certainly loved a Preppie (Zack Morris) back in the day....

1. Who is your Style Icon?

2. What is your favorite Socialite Lit. Book?

3.Favorite party theme?

4. Go-to Halloween costume

5. Extravagance you can't live without.

6. Living person you admire.

7. Greatest Fear?

8. Traits you deplore in yourself.

9. What talent would you most like to have?

10. What is your greatest achievement?

I have to tag 10 people, so in no particular order:

MSC

Lexi

KD

Caitlin

Alison

Sabrina

Noodles

Mrs Pink Pearls

Sare

Megs

Beautiful Blogger Award

Thank you to the lovely Mrs. Bro who awarded me with this award. Y'all should go check out her blog and leave her a comment about how wicked cute her boy Thomas is!

Here are the rules for the award:

~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.

~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.

~Tell us 7 interesting facts about yourself.

~Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blog.

1) I have elf ears (one is more pointy than the other) and I think it's pretty cute that I've passed it down to Blondie Boy and he has one, too!

2) I was in the Cincinnati Ballet Company's performance of the Nutcracker when I was 6.

3) I was the first ever Women's Studies graduate from the University of Cincinnati.

4) Jerry Springer sang "Puff the Magic Dragon" to my sister and I when we were little.

5) I kept my belly-button ring in my entire pregnancy and didn't take it out until I was literally in the operating room to have my c-section.

6) I'm right handed, but can only snap with my left hand.

7) I met Mark Paul Gosselaar at Kmart in the 5th grade and couldn't speak for an hour afterwards.

I award:

Mo: http://happiercows.blogspot.com/

Lorry: http://www.alteredsky.net/blog/

Shell: http://jmrockhill.blogspot.com/

Liz: http://itbeliz.blogspot.com/

Jessica: http://www.lovelyjubblylondon.com/

Andrea: http://andreaythomas.blogspot.com/

Cat: http://oldeggsandham.blogspot.com/

Ask and you shall receive...

Thanks to everyone who posted question in my delurking post; hopefully you're happy with my answers!

SaveThePolarBears! asked...
What's the best thing about living in another country?


Right now it has to be the fact that I am taking a year off in maternity leave and have no bills I have to pay off from Blondie Boy's birth.


What do you miss the most about your original home?


Friends and family, but after that Cincinnati food. Cincinnati has a lot of distinct food that you can only get in southwest Ohio like Skyline, Izzy's, Frisch's, LaRosa's, Montgomery Inn, UDF, Graeter's, etc.



How did you cope with the anxiety of waiting to go into labor?


Honestly I wasn't that anxious. I'm someone who doesn't get excited about vacations until I'm actually at the airport.

Jennifer asked...
will you be raising Blondie Boy as Jewish/ Catholic/ Agnostic?

Blondie Boy won't be raised any religion, but we will raise him with Jewish cultural traditions. For me being Jewish doesn't have to have anything to do with religion.

Will the wee dude have a bris?

No.

Will you raise him as Scottish - American?

He will be Scottish and American in both citizenship and culture.

Do you think you will stay in the UK now that we have a wean?

Our living in the UK is always dependant on jobs; if either of us were ever offered jobs in the US it would be something we'd both be open to, but right now we are happy here.

Will you find it strange that he will have an accent?

Probably, but I've been told I have an affected accent, so I can't judge!

Alie asked...
are you telling your son on a regular basis what a wonderful and amazing person his Aunt Alie is???????

He's been enjoying reading about a curious little monkey courtesy of his Aunt Alie.

MrsC asked...
What was your fav part about being pregnant?

When Blondie Boy would kick NotBlondeHusband in the head.

and ur least fav?

SPD and crutches.

What's you fav thing about being a mommy so far?

Eskimo kisses and the look of amazement that results.

Voyage asked...
Where did you get that awesome bagpipe with menorah picture from?

This e-card my Mom sent me a few years back:

What is it like being a Jew in Scotland?

I found Hanukkah cards for the first time in 5 years at John Lewis this year which was nice! My biggest problem is people who refuse to wish people "Happy Holidays" and insist that if they did it would be undermining British culture. Umm, no it's called being inclusive. Otherwise I'm not the best person to ask because I don't attend services or practice religiously.

Lorry asked...
If you were a tree, what kind would you be?

A Joshua Tree. Actually I have no idea, I just say that because of the ridiculous comment John Mayer made in Rolling Stone.


Where do you see yourself in five years?


I don't know! I'm really horrible at visualizing the future.


If a train were heading to Cleveland at 40 mph…


I'd feel really bad for the passengers going to the mistake on the lake.

Janine asked...
Is Motherhood what you expected it to be?

Again, I'm crap at visualizing things and had no expectations. Right now he pretty much eats, poops/pees, sleeps and repeats so not much there!

Laura McIntyre asked...
how are you handling all the recent changes?


I'm lucky that my husband works from home so he is here to help. Things are different, but it's a totally new routine rather than trying to adjust an old one if that makes any sense.


Is it what you thought it would be?


See above...


Noodles asked...
Curious how you thought the experience went in the U.K., versus in the U.S.?


I've never given birth in the US, but I'm going to say the biggest difference was probably that I was on a ward after my section (before I had the private room) and that I've come away with no bills to pay. Also the midwife came to our house for 10 days after Blondie Boy was born to check on him and myself. She actually came longer than that because his belly-button was stubborn in making it's appearance. I'm pretty sure you don't get home visits as standard in the US. Also all my prescriptions (pain meds, whatever) are still free until Blondie Boy turns one.


Confusha asked...
Just wondering, is this hospital Public or Private?


Public. You'd have to pay to give birth in a private hospital.


Petite_cou asked...

What accent do you think he will have when he is older?


I guess a lot will depend on where he goes to school, but I imagine he will have a bit of a transatlantic twang.


What accent would you love to hear?

I'm happy for him to have a Scottish or American accent.

Delurking is Delovely...

Apparently last week was "De-Lurking Week" in the blogosphere and since I had a couple of questions already on C's birth story post and I think I'm *allowed* to be a week late since I've got a 3 week old, I'm giving it a go!

This the chance for those of you who don't post comments to come out of the lurking closet. So go ahead comment/ask questions and I will answer as honestly as I can :)

So go ahead, here's your chance, what do you wanna know about the Transatlantic Blonde? There are over well over 100 of you who follow someway or another, and who doesn't like being a bit nosy?

"The Bucket List"

(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robbers
(x ) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
(x) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t.
(x) Made prank phone calls
(x) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain-naked
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
(x) Lived in more than one country
( ) smoked weed in jamaica
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
(x) seen a celebrity
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(x) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
(x) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
( ) Been to Disneyland/world
( ) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been

A Picnic on the 405

Here's how it works:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomThe first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7daysThird picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or something similar to put it all together.

5 - Put the result (or result) on your blog

Do you know how hard it was to not just cheat and keep refreshing until I found a name and quote and picture that I actually liked?

94/239

I'm a lazy blogger...

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun!!!


(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 8

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 16

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x ) Scary Movie 2
(x ) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 26

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 33

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 37

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) Kingpin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
Total so far: 47

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 48

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 52

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 56

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 59

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 62

( ) Best Bet
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x)Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 68

( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 76

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 79

( ) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(x) Basketball
( ) Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
Total so far: 85

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 89

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 Days Later
(x) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
Total so far: 91

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 91

( ) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
( ) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
( ) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
( ) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 91

(x) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal

Grand total: 94

18/100

1) Look at the list and put an ‘x’ after those you have read ENTIRELY
2) Add a ‘+’ to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.
5) The "average" person will have read 6 says the BBC.


1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen x
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee x+
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell x
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis x
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens x
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott x+
9. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell x
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck x
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll x
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl x+
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery x
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald x+
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell x
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens x
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett x+
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding x+
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding x+
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce x
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

TOTAL: 18

The list was compiled by the BBC in 2003 as the UK's favorite books. To be honest there are some here I think I maybe read, but I can't remember. I think I need to search out the USA's 100 favorite books, because I'll have probably read a lot more of them.

4 x 4

I’ve seen Abby, Lorry, Emily and others do this "meme" and thought I’d join in!

All you need to do is look into the 4th folder where you keep your pictures stored and post the fourth picture in the file and then explain it.

You see Robert Indiana's Love sculpture all over the place now, but I liked that this one was in Spanish. This is from our May 2007 trip to Bilbao, Spain. It was a joint birthday present for us both from NBH's family and one of my favorite trips because we drove from Santander to Bilbao and Bilbao to Pamplona.
I love a good road trip and the north of Spain is a beautiful drive. I'd love to go back and stay on one of the many gorgeous cliff side beaches we drove past.
Maybe if there is demand I will start back-blogging some of our trips and share pictures. So if you fancy hearing my "old" stories and seeing pictures let me know.

♥ 6 months ♥

Today NBH and I have been married for 6 months. We have celebrated so far by going to Tesco and watching football, don't be jealous. I stole this from Christie's blog, but here is a little survey and photos in honor of the day:

Answer these questions about you and your significant other:

1:: What are your middle names? B--- and R-----.
2:: How long have you been together? 5 ½ years
3:: Do you have any children together? No
4:: What about pets? Emma dog

5:: Did you go to the same school? He was an undergrad at Strathclyde Uni when I was postgrad.
6:: Are you from the same hometown? No, not even the same home country.
7:: Do you live in the same town now? Yes, in the same flat.
8:: Who is the smartest? I’d love to say me, but it is probably NBH.
9:: Who is the most sensitive? NBH says me.
10:: Where is the first place you went to eat as a couple? TJ’s gourmet deli in Georgetown for tuna melts; if you mean “sit-down” then J Paul’s.
11:: Do you wear matching clothes? No
12:: Where is the furthest you have travelled as a couple? Glasgow to LA is the longest single journey by plane, 8+ hour car drives and then a cruise of the western Caribbean probably logged a lot of nautical miles.
13:: Who has the craziest ex[es]? That would be me.
14:: Who has the worst temper? NBH says me and I said equal. He said that “Any answer in [my] head that [I}think is equal, assume [I am] worse. Anything [I] think [he is] worse we are equal.”
15. Who does the cooking? Probably leans slightly more towards NBH these days, but we generally split it. NBH makes mains and I tend to make starters and sweets.
16:: Who's more social? Depends; NBH goes out more often, but I am more outgoing.

17:: Who is the neat freak? Neither of us, unfortunately.
18:: Who is the most affectionate? NBH says he is, but I do more PDAs.
19:: Who is the most stubborn? We are both pretty stubborn.
21:: Who wakes up earlier? Me for work, but NBH at least one day on the weekend.
22:: Where was your first date? We never really had one. We met at Garrett’s and then ditched our friends to go to Rhino but it was heaving.

23:: Who said "I Love You" first? NBH.
24:: How did you spend your 1st year anniversary? We went to Paulo’s for dinner and NBH laughed at me when I asked a homeless man if he had any allergies before I gave him my leftovers.
25:: Who has the bigger family? We each have one sister and both our Dad’s have fairly big families, but NBH has way more cousins.
26:: Who is younger? Me, by about 2 months and 6 days.
27. Who is the life of the party? We’ve both been known to have a good time.
28:: Who do you hope your kids turn out more like? Never thought about it.
29:: Who wears the pants in the family? Emma (it says family).
30:: What's your favorite thing to do together? Travel.

31:: Do you have the same political views? Yes, pretty much. We are both liberal.
32:: Who has the most stuff? NBH  probably, but a lot of my stuff is in my Dad’s attic. We both have way too much stuff though in general.
33:: Who controls the remote? Me, except when there is sport on which is more often than you would think.

34:: Who does the driving? Mostly NBH unless I’m the DD.
35:: Who takes out the garbage? NBH
36:: Who does the cleaning? Neither of us.
37:: Who does the laundry? Neither of us.
38:: Who is the funniest? NBH thinks I’m the funniest and he says I think he is.

♥ 08/08/08 ♥

Wedding photos © White Imagery (click for more).