Out.

The drive will commence shortly. See you Monday.

PSA: New TR

I feel it's my duty to report that Tyler Read has new music available on iTunes and Amazon.com. Hallelujiaville is the name of the CD.

They're very excited about the whole thing -- "it's the best thing we've ever done" has been said numerous times. And it is good. I'll vouch... and not just because I have to.

If you leave a review on either site, Josh happily strikes this pose, no matter where he is. It's like that angel getting its wings in It's a Wonderful Life, or a "Drop it like it's hot!" command at a bachelorette party; it has to be done.

I really like the CD cover, which is why I'm holding out for a hard copy. Which I better get for free. Ahem.

P.S. Italy friends, I feel like it should be available to you as well - especially via iTunes - but I can't make any promises.

DVR one, watch the other.

Who are the geniuses that put Lost and Glee in the same time slot?

Question of the day.

What is your favorite quote?

I'm slightly obsessive about quotes. Love them. And my brain can't come up with anything else of interest to post at this moment, so I'm hoping you'll help me out in the quote collection department and respond to my query...

Thanksgiving Again.

This is my chosen T'giving graphic for this year. It makes me laugh.

Last year I missed out on green bean casserole and deviled eggs because I was eating pesto in Italia. This year, I'm all in on the traditional fare and taking a few items from the horn of plenty ... that is, of course, if Josh and I make it to his family's Thanksgiving lunch in time to eat.

See, he's working a late shift Wednesday night, which means we won't LEAVE Nashville until 11 p.m. or later. And we have to drive 10 hours. This late departure does not please me greatly, as I do not enjoy traveling in this manner (by this I mean, driving long distances AND at odd hours of the day). I mean, obviously we're going to have to stop somewhere, but where? For how long? I have never slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot, in a van full of old fast-food bags before, and I don't want to start now.

Granger is afraid.

I just hope they save us (me) some deviled eggs at Becky's house. And green bean casserole.

A thousand years.

We met Donald Miller after he spoke (it was really good) Friday night. He also signed my copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, but the signature looks sort of like, "DLL" and I'm not sure what that's about.

Answer me, James Lipton!

I don't know why, but this weekend I looked up the Proust Questionnaire and the 10 questions James Lipton asks his guests on Inside the Actor's Studio. I want to do both at some point, but Proust takes a little bit longer - as one might expect - so I'm pretending I'm famous and answering James' 10 questions for myself, even though I hate picking favorites.

I'm just going to to take the top answer from my list and be content knowing my other, non-typed answers also matter. Feel free to respond with your own response in the comments.

1. What is your favorite word?
Haven't really considered it. Um..."plethora" is fun to say. I love the word, "git" but I'm not British, so I don't actually say it.

2. What is your least favorite word?
Never really thought about this one either. Everyone I know always says, "moist," but that doesn't bother me so much. Maybe... wart? That's a gross word. Or... pus. Ugh.

3. What turns you on?
Laughter. Johnny Depp.

4. What turns you off?
DBs and people that leer at others.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
Quiet ones: typing, pages of a book being turned in a silent room -- that sort of thing.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Fingernail clippers in action. Ugh, sick me out.

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Ass -- and variations thereof. Or maybe, sh*t.

8. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
Well, seeing as I don't have a "profession"...

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Sewage plant worker. My gag reflex couldn't take it.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Since it does exist, I imagine He'll say, "Love ya' kid, even though you yelled at Me a little too much in your 20s. But I'm glad we had some laughs along the way."

Million Miles

Tonight! Very excited about this...

We have to go back!

From EW Ausiello Files:

I’ve got a new numbers-related Lost mystery for ya. Anyone know what 02022010 means? I do — it’s the show’s return date!

ABC just confirmed that Lost will kick off its sixth and final season with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 2 from 9-11 pm. The requisite recap special will start things off at 8 pm. The following week, Lost will settle into its regular Tuesday-9 pm perch.

I think the lateness of this premiere has to do with those pesky Winter Olympics.

*Also discovered, Chuck is coming back on January 10 for two back-to-back eps, before airing one more on January 11 at its regular time!

Tim Keller

Every time I type his name, I accidentally spell it "Killer" first. Oops.

The lecture was fantastic. He basically did an overview of his new book, Counterfeit Gods, which is all about idolatry -- he started writing it when the economy crashed last year, fitting -- and then he took a few questions from the audience.

This may sound odd, but he had a very soothing voice -- not loud or boisterous. I wouldn't say he was soft-spoken, but he definitely doesn't boom things from the stage. And he was funny. And he shook my hand and signed my books.

Annnnd, this is the most intellectually illiterate post I could ever write about one of the most intelligent writers I've ever read.

Wanted: Dead or Alive

*As promised, our Western photos from the cruise. We are not afraid to cut you.
Look how hardcore. Trey is actually the most believable.

We were easy to spot.

Cruisin '09, Day 4 and 5

Sunday, November 8
Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away

Okay, fine. Here.

All of us squeezed into one room to watch the debarkation talk with the cruise director.

Afterward, the guys watched a football game. Together. Why does this seem weirder than when I pile up with my friends to watch something?

It was a slow afternoon... Kristi and I read in my room because people were watching TV and then asleep in hers. Other girls took naps. Then we woke up for a group, "wine tasting" before dinner. Just more of all 10 of us in one room...

All the ladies.

Weirdos.

The boys.

Kyle was in form. "Julian Casablancas!!"

M Deck

Before dinner we went for a stroll on the Promenade and ran into all sorts of fantastic things. For one, all the "professional" photographers had backdrops lining the hallway. Nic snuck in under the radar for this one.

This dude is the Carnival shopping expert. And one of the original Little Rascals, apparently.

It's possible that one of the photo backdrops set up on the deck was of the "sepia, costume-included, Western sort." And it's possible we took several shots at this stop. And maybe, if you're good, I'll show them to you later...

Dinner!

After dinner we decided to chance it at the onboard show, "Ticket to Ride," a tribute to the Beatles. Bad idea. B.A.D. Wow... they slaughtered the fab four. Josh kept calling the main singer Lance Bass, and the whole thing was just atrocious. Especially after seeing pure magic, like Love in Las Vegas. I mean, we were doubled over laughing through most of it... at the dancers/singers, and at the old lady who was LOVING it. She was clapping and waving her glow stick back and forth like an orchestra conductor. Man... she was more entertaining than the show could ever hope to be.

Dog?

*****

Monday, November 9
Home We Go

And there we are, waiting to debark. Somehow, earlier that morning, Nic got Josh corralled into doing various accents and acting out emotional movie scenes. I'm sure you can all imagine how ridiculous this was. Then, as we waited to get off the boat, it continued. With a story. Something about a button and Luxembourg the President and his son being kidnapped? I don't know... I do feel like we freaked out the couple sanding around us. See if you're not freaked out right now by the "workshopping" Kyle and Josh are doing on the plot. You can catch a tiny bit of their "in character" scene at the beginning...

Favorites/oddities of the trip:

1. Douchebetes: A new disease discovered and named by the guys one night. Some people have Type 1, some have Type 2. Don't be either.

2. Kristi and I were the only two who didn't take Dramamine or have a patch on. HXC.

3. Our TV stations were out of Denver. Why?

Counterfeit

Timothy Keller is speaking at a church in Nashville tonight. From what I can tell, it's "come one, come all," and Ellen and Josh are both working, so I think I'm going to trek to Christ Pres alone. I believe he's talking about his new book, Counterfeit Gods (need I remind you how I feel about The Reason for God), which I don't happen to own or have read yet, but, I mean, seriously, it's Tim Keller. Wouldn't you go?

*Do not be jealous about this. Or about me hearing Donald Miller on Friday. Or about the PW book signing next month.

Break from photos.

I'm taking a small break from posting the last day of cruise pictures. I'd love to tell you this is because of some reason that you'd actually care about, but in all honesty, I don't feel like sitting here for 45 minutes uploading pictures today, so... yeah.

There are other entertaining things in the world:

1. PassiveAgressiveNotes.com

2. Neil Patrick Harris is on Twitter

3. The worst commercial ever created. Thank you, Kay Jewelers.



4. I dyed my hair again yesterday. It's dark brown this time.

5. Last night we went to dinner for Josh's birthday at a new restaurant in the Gulch called "The Whiskey Kitchen." Yummy, tasty, high end-ish pub fare. And The Kings of Leon like to hang out there.