Rock Star Birthday Princess Week, Post 1: What I Wore
Tonight is my super stupendous awesome kick-ass Rock Star Birthday Princess Week party. I know nothing about this party other than when and where to be. Three of my best gals have been planning and organizing and meeting without me and just generally being super awesome the past few weeks so I really can't wait for 6:30 to get here to see what they've been up to.
On my way to work yesterday morning I received a speeding ticket for going 40 in a 25. I have never denied that I have a terribly heavy lead foot but, in my defense, there is a 200 yard stretch of the road I take to work that suddenly drops to 25. And I was daydreaming. Probably about you, but I digress.
The cop wasn't a total dick about it but he wasn't responding to my Midwestern Friendliness either. The more I think about it, I'd have been less mad about the whole thing if he'd just once acknowledged that he was writing me a $100 ticket exactly one week before my birthday. My 40th birthday. Humorless douchebag.
I announced my misfortune on Facebook as soon as I got to the office and it was later suggested that I'd received the ticket because I failed to show enough cleavage.
Haha! Good one!
See, the first thought I had when the cherries lit up behind me was, "Thank God I haven't done laundry in like three weeks and this top was the only thing clean." Sadly, it didn't help.
On my way home last night I re-enacted the moment by sticking my left arm out the window and taking this from Officer Humorless E. Douchebag's point of view:
(His middle name just has to be Eunich.)
And yes, I took this picture of myself while driving. I also waited to take it until I was traversing that particular stretch of Roaditaketowork Road.
That'll show him.
First up, the Premio Dardos Award, bestowed on EILCC on February 4, 2009 by ~E Deconstructed,"acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It's a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

LOST: small, black and white speckled motivation, missing since 4 pm yesterday; timid but responds to food that makes noise like bags of chips and boxes of cookies; no microchip, collar or tags but comes to the name "Maynard." Maynard is an indoor/outdoor inspiration and weighs about 20 pounds. One testicle. REWARD.
Curious about the genesis of our Memorial Day holiday I consulted my #1 research tool, wikipedia, and was particularly moved to learn this:
Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.
According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic Washington Race Course (today the location of Hampton Park) in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who died in captivity.
The freed slaves disinterred the dead Union soldiers from the mass grave to be inhumed properly reposed with individual graves, built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch, declaring it a Union graveyard. A daring action for freed slaves to take such in the South just shortly after the Union's victory. On May 30, 1868, the freed slaves returned to the graveyard with flowers they had picked from the countryside and decorated the individual gravesites, thereby creating the first Decoration Day. Thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers paraded from the area, followed by much patriotic singing and a picnic.
1.5 c. olive oil
¾ c. soy sauce
¼ c. Worcestershire
2 T. dry mustard
2 t. salt
2 t. black pepper
½ c. wine vinegar
2 t. parsley
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ c. lemon juice
2 1.5 pound unscored flank steaks or London broil
Mix above and marinade steaks overnight. Grill on direct medium heat about 5 minutes on each side. Let rest about 5 minutes and then slice thin.
I like to serve this on garlic toast but it’s also nice in a salad with bleu cheese (“black and bleu”) or Caesar dressing.
A list of things that I love to smell:
- the kosher dog stand at Busch Stadium (a heady blend of grilled meat, onions and kraut)
- new plastic baby dolls
- fresh cut grass
- a hard-workin' man
- gasoline
- permanent markers
- peonies
- roasting garlic
- Chanel #5 (I stopped wearing it after a suitor told me I smelled like his grandma. I also stopped "wearing" him. Bastard.)
- clean babies
- my cats
- lilacs
- new cars
- the dittos we got in high school (pre-Xerox)
- rubber cement (also fun for making fake boogers)
- multi-layer forms with that carbon stuff on the back of the pages
- hyacinths
- bread baking in an oven
- the beach
Penguinstock: An Aquarian Exposition
I'm sorry I stole your bike.

I've always told people the brutally honest truth. For most of my life it's gotten me in trouble. But I don't really know how else to be. Saying what's really going on is the only way I know how to deal with things.
I try to soften it. Sometimes I sing it or put it next to a pretty picture, or give it a cute nickname. "Who's my little passive aggressive cutie-pie?" I coo to deserving friends over the phone.
Over the years I've noticed that other people don't have the gift I do for saying exactly what is happening. And sometimes it means that they have to have sex with people they dislike for a long time, or hang onto crappy jobs, or confidence-annihilating stress.
So I decided to enable you, the coolest people of the world. So that your interactions are as clear and true and hilarious and uncomfortable as mine often are. And you won't be trapped in a situation you don't like because you can't say how you feel.
And just so you know enabling you has enabled me. Now that all I do is sell brutally honest greeting cards, people expect me to tell the truth. I don't get in trouble anymore. People who spend time with me know what they're getting themselves into. And they dig it.
I hope my cards help you dump someone not cool enough for you, or confess to pet murder or establish your boyfriends true sexual preference.
And if they don't help you do any of those lofty things, I hope they crack you the f*** up.To find Snarky Cards physical locations in Portland, or just stalk me better, hit up www.superalisa.com.

Sunday Matinee: For All The Mothers Up In This Beeyotch
For ease of navigation here's a running list (with commentary) of your EILCC 600-Post Show and Tell Extravaganza posts:
Tags Times Two from Skyler's Dad, the sweetest man in Blogaritaville and author of Some Days It's Not Worth Chewing Through The Leather Straps. Finding friends like this man is the greatest perk of blogging. Thanks, SD, for celebrating with me!
In a Sentimental Mood by The Lady Who Doesn't Lunch. I adore this woman. A-DORE. She is classy and funny and I want to sit with her by a pool, wearing big straw hats and reading trashy magazines while handsome men silently bring us mai-tais and fan us.
Scope-Tech: Gwen's Show and Tell Part I
I love it when you give this man a task; he always gives more than you requested.
Love Letters by Cora: Because Gwen Asked Me To
I thought about keeping Scope and Cora separated in this list but realized one of them would likely hack in here and rearrange things if I did, so I let them be. No monkey business over here, you two. EILCC has a low PDA threshold.)
mjenks, A Crown of Thistles: Stuff
Apologies to jenks, the man with whom I can be as un-PC as I want and he still thinks it's funny . . . I noticed early yesterday that some verbiage in this post was confusing and led jenks to believe that I was asking for pictures of your own pajama tops, so I re-worked one phrase but failed to mention the distinction to him. I'm sure he won't mind, he is the kind of guy who likes to do his own thing anyway. Also, when you read his post, pretend that all that really nice stuff he says about his new friend Kristine is about me; I did.
~E Deconstructed: More Postcards and Gwen's 600th Post
I expected to find a couple shirts that belonged to ex-boyfriends when I went digging through your closets and dressers and ~E has given us our very first one. This saucy little Seattle minx loves her special shirt so much she bought others just like it and marked "the special one" with a laundry pen!
Candy's Daily Dandy: Gwennie, Your Challenge Has Opened A Pandora's Box of Emotions
Candy's post proves that a woman will do anything for a pair of shoes she loves.
Are You Sassified?: Things I Want Thursday - T.I.W.T.
It would seem Sass couldn't resist the siren song of a Wordless/Blowing Up Shit/Six Word/Totally Awkward/Whatever Thursday but she managed to work in a story about a sweatshirt that has earned BFF status. God love her.
My best girl Whiskeymarie: "Pride" and "Dignity" Are Such Ugly Words
Holy buckets! I had no idea when I wrote the phrase "that pair of jeans you finally had to make into cut-off shorts and now you can't get rid of the shorts even though your ass hangs out the bottom like a $2 hooker" that I was speaking directly to her. You should not miss the ensemble she put together from the back of her closet. Priceless.
Scope-Tech: Gwen's Show & Tell - Part II - The Scope Coat
Scope not only let me peek in his drawers but also showed me his flare. I hope Cora doesn't try to cut me.
Suze of Suzel's Sass: Because She Said So
Huh. I never knew Suze was in the Air Force. Maybe I should stop giving her so much shit and using her credit card before she kicks my ass into next Tuesday.
Fancy Schmancy: What Gwennie Wants, Gwennie Gets!
Ahhhhhhh. Comfy duds and a special stuffed friend, perfect for the end of the day. That Fance, she always knows what we need.
Cowguy: ShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirtShirt
I've waited all day for our first "my family tried to get rid of it" story. I should've known it would be Cowguy. I can't wait to meet him and his peeps because they have a lot of fun. I've been stalking the Keota website more frequently now that the weather is better. One of these days our schedules will align and then I will magically appear in the crowd at one of their shows, like a tiny angel with a seriously foul mouth. Remind me to wear white when I go.
L'ananas, Solitary In Sanity: And Like a Facebook 5 Things
Yaaaay! Our first new person! I love it. L'ananas told me she didn't even have to think twice about her item and offered up a 14 year-old, almost-crotchless pair of shorts. Excellent. (L'ananas, I love your tag-line, "It's not you, it's me.")
Girl Interrupted, For Gwen: Better Late Than Never
I was only recently introduced to Girl Interrupted but as soon as I read her story about biting jellies (Jell-O) in the grocery I knew I had found another kindred soul. I live in awe of the scope of her passive subversion and wish we had "jellies" here.
Cash Register Jockey, Soakin' Up Paycheck: The Shirt (or Jumping on the Blogging Bandwagon)
Another EILCC newbie! Welcome, CRJ, and thanks for playing along with my silly reindeer games. In this post, CRJ shows us the Iron Maiden t-shirt he bought as a teen while on vacation with his family because he thought wearing it would make him cool. Anyone who says they never did something like this is simply a big, fat liar-mouth. Can you say "parachute pants?"
J.J. in L.A., Fun things to do for Gwen
Yes! Sick humor! Until J.J. came along our collective wardrobe was devoid of sick humor. Sad, really. And surprising. It's a good thing she was batting clean-up; we needed her.
Many, many thanks to everyone who is celebrating this EILCC milestone with me. You wonderful people are the reason I keep doing this; your friendships are my reward. I love each and every one of you.
Some of you mentioned not being able to participate due to busy schedules and broken (or nonexistent) cameras. Please don't let this stop you. I never meant to make rules that would exclude anyone. If you like this idea feel free to post anytime, with or without pictures. All I really wanted was to peek into your drawers and closets to learn more about you. Just be sure to let me know in the comments here (or here) that you've posted because I don't want to miss any of your stories. I'm going to keep adding to the list above as new posts roll in today so be sure to check back often!
I just couldn't wait until 666.
I was folding laundry on Sunday when I came across this pajama top that my mom gave me as part of a Victoria's Secret sleep set so long ago that I can't even remember what the bottoms looked like. This top has aged to a sickly grayish-yellow color, the ends of the sleeves are frayed, and the material is so thin now that you can almost see through it.
9:32 AM: I am pleased as punch that everyone is doing this!
Are You Sassified?: Things I Want Thursday - T.I.W.T.
My camera decided to act like a douchebag at the Derby party on Saturday (it's working fine now, thank you) and my friend Leslie's camera batteries were dead so she let me use her camera with my battery (both Sony.)

see more Lolcats and funny picturessoon some day arrive in your mailbox but until I have the gumption to get to the post office here's my gift to you: You will always be younger and taller than me.
This one's for Beckeye, whose Forgotten Classic Video of the Week series regularly sparks memories of my younger days, proving that we did, in fact, live the same childhood. She recently commented on the new tagline in my header and said, "I am dying laughing at your Spiders and Snakes tagline. JIM STAFFORD! I remember having that 45 when I was little and I loved that stupid song."
The B-side of your 45, Beckeye, was My Girl Bill. The only thing better than the collar on his shirt are the lyrics.
In preparation for Mother's Day, here's Jim singing a feel-good funny little song called That's What Little Kids Do on a Smother's Brother's Mother's Day show. Say that five times fast.
Thanks, girl, for prompting me to (re)discover Jim Stafford. I had no idea he was so entertaining. If it weren't for swine flu I'd totally make out with you.
Inspired by my last post I think y'all went out of your way to send me material last night. These are the texts that started arriving on my phone about 1 am and continued arriving until about 4:
- So u r on a dating website and u get a message from a pirate. Then u hear about gal pirate on another site. Do u hook them up with the goal that btween them they could have 20/20 Vision if it was opposite eyes and they stood next to each other?
- I needs assistance in how to best service the tranny quadriplegic will the bea arthur routine be appropriate or is it too soon
- Guys wearing camo r why i dance w my eyes closed
- Im proud to be your weird text! :-)
We're watching you.
Wanna make out?
- Gwen
- One part sarcastic, one part naughty, and all parts awesome. ~ St. Louis, MO ~ You can email me at guenosdias847 at gmail dot com.
That ain't no lie.
The award I give myself every Friday.








