The Post About Chasing Rabbits With {Katherine: Grass Stains}

Welcome to my series called Chasing Rabbits With _______________. Each week I interrogate  someone I know to be more interesting than me. Today, I'm welcoming blogger Katherine from Grass Stains to the chase.

I stumbled upon Katherine's blog, Grass Stains, a few years ago and quickly decided I liked this stranger. She was honest and hilarious and shared the most humiliating stories. Surely we would be friends in real life, right? Right. She's the perfect example of a good 2D acquaintance becoming a better 3D friend. We share a love of good food, good TV and laughing until there's pain.

1. What line from literature would you use to summarize your life?
Ironically, these lines are both from the same book and both apply to my house at 7:30 on any given evening:

“This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we'll have fun.”
“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?”
William Golding, Lord of the Flies

2. Which celebrity would you like to be friends with in real life? What would you two do on a sunny Saturday? 
FOR THE RECORD. This is like Sophie’s Choice. For a celebophile such as I, choosing one celebrity out of the entire cadre of celebrities is lit-trally like asking me to name my favorite child.

Wait. Are these supposed to be one-word answers? Bygones. You know what you’re getting when you ask me an open-ended question.

I would say Jennifer Aniston, but I think she smokes and I can’t spend a day with a smoker. So … Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen is HILARIOUS, which is my number-one criterion for spending hypothetical time with ANYONE. She is also friends with ALL the best celebrities, and not the ones who are famous for doing nothing. She’s friends with the ones who I would want to be friends with and – let’s be honest – the ones who would want to be friends with ME if only they knew I existed.

We would spend the day riding horses on her ranch, petting all the other animals she and Portia have on their ranch (which is currently for sale, BTW), Ellen would answer every single question I have about every famous person I could think of – I mean, besides the ones she’d invited over to meet me – and while dining al fresco (that means outdoors, not naked), we would discuss Ellen and Portia’s design plans for their new home. They’re really into design, you know.

Am I sick in the head? KEEP IT TO YOURSELF, INTERNET.

3. What is your greatest extravagance? 
Going to my weekend scrapbooking crops twice a year with my friends. No kids, all meals prepared for us, pedal-to-the-metal scrapbooking for 48 hours. BLISS.

4. What is the best or worst hairstyle or “look” you’ve ever attempted?

In The Year of our Lord 2013, Sun-Inned, spiral-permed hair pinned to the far-right with a teal banana clip that matches your teal mascara, teal eyeliner, layered teal pocket-T and layered teal socks is perhaps ill-advised as a combination of fashion choices. But in 1988, I WAS KILLING IT ALL DAY LONG.

 5. Your perfect day would include what three things – not people? 

1. Chocolate – and I don’t want to limit myself here, so I’m going to say Chocolate In All Of Its Luscious Forms. That includes all Reese’s products, cakes, pies, ice creams, miscellaneous frozen treats and Jamie’s cake pops. Also, Butterfingers. They are chocolate-coated. So that is number one. Chocolate.
2. Scrapbooking. It remains, after 25 years, one of my favorite hobbies AND a hobby that my kids appreciate. I love to see how much they enjoy their completed albums.
3. TV. If TV were a person, I’d officially be a polygamist. My TiVo Season Pass list is over 50 shows long. And I have no regrets. I wrote about my favorite shows of all time here.

6. What is your favorite word and why? 
"Laughter." It makes a minute pass like a second, it strengthens me when I am weak. Also, it’s one of those confounding words that makes the English language what it is: “augh” = “aff."

7. Name 3 things on your bucket list. 

• Grab a pen on the first try that isn’t out of ink.
• Go on an African safari.
• Scrapbook the s*@! out of that safari.

8. What are a few websites you frequent that other folks should also frequent? 

• Emily A. Clark (interior design)
• Grasping for Objectivity (family)
• Plain Chicken (recipes)
• EW’s PopWatch (pop culture)

Note: Last week, Katherine wrote a vulnerable and moving post about struggle. Leave here, read it. Also, she did not know how to use Instagram for a long time which meant she used it incorrectly. In the most embarrassing way ever. 

Rabbit Readers: What's your favorite word and why?

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v. 122

Each week or so I post things of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens after my recommendation. Ignore, embrace, debate. Earlier volumes of The Rabbit Recommends can be found here.

This week's episode of my new pop culture podcast with Knox McCoy tackles life changing topics such as the war on emojis, Lindsay Lohan predictions and Kanye West as artist and j-hole. Knox and I had the biggest fight we've ever had. We may recover.

• Listen or download episode two.
• Subscribe on iTunes.
• Read episode show notes.

 

Plus, we answered these listener questions:

• Will there be a new Friday Night Lights movie?
• What will life be like after Breaking Bad?
• Is Ryan Gosling the Antichrist?

 Learn the answers here:




I've written about being a Mary Poppins fan. A new Disney movie Saving Mr. Banks follows MP author P. L. Travers as she meets with filmmaker Walt Disney during the production of her grand novel. The trailer above has me primed and ready for this Christmas season release.


Georgia Tech sophomore, Nicholas Selby, brought down the house in less than 2 minutes at this freshmen event.

 John Mayer released a new album this week, Paradise Valley, which I like quite a bit. I also want to like John Mayer again. I'm following the 7-Step Plan to Not Hating John Mayer Anymore. It's working.

Jessica from Meet the Buttrams wrote A Letter For My Children. I don't have kids and it wrecked me.

I will always love you thoroughly, even if it is imperfectly. Even when my heart wants to explode just from the sight of you sleeping, I can’t love you the way you were created to be loved.

Favorite Instagram

...via Erin Moon (erinhmoon). This is how a parent should document their child's life.

Favorite Tweets

The only unforgivable sins are murder and spelling it “should of"
— Brian Gaar (@briangaar) August 15, 2013

sometimes you just have to leave the piles of clean clothes on your bed and sleep around them. it's why I have a queen size bed.
— Molly Gentry (@mollsabeth) August 20, 2013

I'm convinced my mom just walks into the cable company each month, says "Fox News and Judge Judy" lays 20 bucks on the counter, and leaves.
— Nick Flora (@NickFlora) August 21, 2013

What have you recently read or seen or listened to that you've loved?

P.S. We have two winners from last week's Popcast Giveaway!

• Amazon Gift Card: Jacey (@thebalancedwife)
• iTunes Gift Card: Charlene Kuser

Email me at jamiesrabbits@gmail.com to collect your swag!

The Post About True Love Waits for KY Jelly

I am not a courageous person.

I'm no Daniel in the Lion's Den. I'm no Rosa Parks on the bus. I'm no Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 6.

But this summer, I decided to be brave. I filled my seasonal bucket list with items to push my comfort zone out into the wilderness. Or at least the far end of the parking lot.

Let's start with #6: Speak at Arc Light Stories.

Arc Light explains it best:

Imagine sitting around the dinner table with your closest friends. You’ve just cleared the dishes, and you’re moving on to coffee, or possibly a glass of wine. Someone says: you’ll never believe what happened to me today. Listen to this... That’s Arc Light Stories. Inspired by events like The Moth in NYC, Arc Light Stories features live storytelling. No notes, no outlines. Just great storytellers sharing great (true) stories. Sometimes funny, sometimes moving, and always engaging, Arc Light Stories brings people together as only good stories can.

Photo via Arc Light Stories. By Todd Helzer.

My friend Jen invited me to an Arc Light event many moons ago and then I kept going because of the laughing so hard and feeling all the things.

When I added "Be brave" to my summer to-do list, I knew storytelling at Arc Light would be one of the ways it could be accomplished. 

Now you may be asking yourself, "Umm...you seem pretty outgoing Jamie. And just pretty. Why is telling a story such a big deal?" Great question you.

I've written about how extroverts like to be with people. They DON'T necessarily like to stand behind a microphone in front of them and tell a story. Especially when note cards are traded for bright lights.

 Photo via Arc Light Stories. By Todd Helzer.

I was terrified to email Arc Light's founder, Taylor Robinson. But I did.

I was terrified to preview the story to him in rehearsal. But I did.

I was terrified to step on stage. But I did.

 Photo via Arc Light Stories. By Todd Helzer.

The story I told was about purchasing KY Jelly for the first time for a friend on his wedding day, Not as a prank, but because he needed it. It's as unseemly as you might imagine.

Listen to my 9 minutes of humiliation on the Arc Light podcast found on iTunes.  I can be found at #2.

My voice in the first 30 seconds will indicate how close I was to nervously nauseating on the front row. But I didn't.

Have you been brave recently? Tell me.

The Post About Chasing Rabbits With {Chad Gibbs}

I'm starting a new series called Chasing Rabbits With _______________. Each week I'll interrogate  someone I know to be more interesting than me. Today, I'm welcoming writer Chad Gibbs to the chase.

I met Chad at a writing conference and we realized we didn't hate each other despite being on different sides of a college football rivalry. He's got a sharp sense of humor, a ginger doctor wife and he's currently working on his 3rd book for Zondervan. Chad also writes an insightful and funny weekly column about being a stay-at-home Dad to new son Linus.

1. What is the strangest/funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a medical professional?
I got one pregnant! 

2. What is the best or worst hairstyle or “look” you’ve ever attempted?
Before my hair started turning white, it was very curly. I was okay with that, but I was also obsessed with The Beatles, so sometime during my senior year of high school I paid a woman $60 to put a relaxer in it. I looked like George Harrison for about twenty-four hours, then my hair started curling on the ends. Sadly, there is no photographic evidence of this day in the life.

3. What is your greatest extravagance?
Probably massages. I can’t walk past a massage chair in the airport or mall without handing them $20 to rub my shoulders. One day I’ll buy one of those chairs from Brookstone that cost more than a car. I hope they don’t give you the floor model though, because everybody and their brother has sat in that thing.

4. What is something your parents still do not know you did?
I don’t think you understand how hiding things from your parents works.

5. Your perfect day would include what three things – not people?
1) Waking up in Paris with {my wife} Tricia, but not in a drugged-and-kidnapped-where-are-we kind of way
2) You know, as long as I’m waking up in Paris, I’m not sure I need two more things to make the perfect day. But to humor you, we’ll say while out walking we bump into Gerard Depardeiu and
3) I get a $20 massage on Montmartre, paid for by Gerard. 

6. What is your favorite word and why?
I like the word ridiculous. My editor had to cut it out of God & Football 7 or 8 times. She told me it was my pet word. Please remember to have your pet word spayed or neutered.

7. Name three things on your bucket list.

1. Play the Old Course in St. Andrews
2. Attend a match at Wimbledon
3. Visit all 7 continents. By the end of the year I’ll only have one left, and it’s the really, really cold one. 

8. What are 3-5 websites/blogs you frequent that other folks should also frequent?
I’m really terrible at Interneting. I check Facebook and Twitter too much. Refresh my email too much, even though new mail pops up without me refreshing. I visit Yahoo sometimes. I read a few soccer blogs that no one reading this would care about, and I read a few travel hacking blogs. I guess if your readers want to learn about travel hacking, they can go here: www.thepointsguy.com This is where I learned to travel the world for (almost) free. However, if you’re in debt or don’t like the idea of signing up for credit cards, I’d skip this one.

Rabbit Readers: What's your greatest extravagance?

Note: I highly recommend Chad's books - so much so that I paid for them. You can actually get Love Thy Rival for free right now on Kindle. Also, follow Chad on Twitter. You won't regret it. You also won't regret working out tomorrow. 

That last bit was a note to myself.

The Post About The Popcast

I fancy me some pop culture.

I love sitting down to a good film like All About Eve or Mary Poppins or My Left Foot or Thor.

I crave playlists filled with The Black Keys and Kelly Clarkson and The Civil Wars and Keith Urban.

I'm all about a weekend marathon of Alias or Firefly or Doctor Who or Friday Night Lights.

And then there are celebrities. I really like knowing they're just like me by browsing photos of them at the nail salon or gas station or on vacation. Even though I quickly learn they can afford gel nails, premium fuel and weekend getaways to France. But still.

So a pop culture podcast is a perfect fit. Today I'm launching just that with one of my favorites, Knox McCoy.

The Popcast.

Our first episode covers a lot:

• Instagram is depressing the heck out of us.
• Is Pitch Perfect awesome or awful?
• No matter - Anna Kendrick might be the best.
• Why would you not watch Breaking Bad? I have my reasons. 
• Jennifer Lawrence and American Hustle.
• John Leguizamo versus Amy Adams.
• Will Smith's victory cigar from Independence Day.
  

Join us on this adventure. You can do so willingly by listening in one of three ways:

1. Directly download this episode.
2. Subscribe via iTunes.
3. Listen right here: 

If you need more encouragement to become codependent on us, I'm hosting a little giveaway.

Simply follow the instructions from Rafflecopter below. One winner will snag a $25 gift card to Amazon and one will get a $25 iTunes gift card.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fine Print: Open to those 18+ in US or Canada. Amazon and iTunes SURELY appreciate my business, but they don't know anything about this giveaway. It's all me.

The Post About Three Tweet Commentary

Here are a few expanded thoughts on three tweets I recently posted.

I just met a guy named Sam Hill. I resisted asking all the questions.
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) August 2, 2013

YOU GUYS. His name was on a name tag. It read "Sam Hill." He's a principal at a school where I assume everyone talks about his name but no one mentions it to him as if he doesn't already know.

I did some thorough research (clicked first link on a Google search) and discovered "sam hill" is an American English slang phrase for "the devil" or "hell" personified (as in, "What in the Sam Hill is that?"). Etymologist Michael Quinion and others date the expression back to the late 1830s.

THIS MEANS his parents were probably not raised by Jodie Foster/Nell and had a working knowledge of this saying YET named him that anyway.

Bold. I like it. I'm guessing Sam does not.

What's the oddest IRL name you have experienced first hand?

Yes, I'm sure you know someone who knows someone named Lemonjello or Orangejello. Let's move on.

The cashier at my local Sonic actually made me cry today, so no, I don't aspire to be the first female President.
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) August 5, 2013

I recently started following Pete Souza on Instagram. He's the chief presidential photographer, a role he also served under Ronald Reagan. One of my favorite documentaries is The President's Photographer (which you can watch on PBS.org). All that to say, the glimpses inside a west wing not involving Josh Lyman have prompted me to curb my aspirations of ever holding public office. Long hours, little sleep and all the yelling is simply not in my able-to-handle skills set.

This was never more tested than when pulling up to Sonic last week to order tater tots. They were out. I cried. Not figuratively. Literally. Then she tried to soothe me with a root beer float. I let her.

What's your favorite fast food item?

The best part of my day is pop-up Post-its.
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) August 8, 2013

I adore office supplies so obviously school starting back is a very magical time of year for me. I fancy it almost enough to enroll in something. Almost.

But the holy grail of all office supplies is the Post-It Pop Up Notes Dispenser. I have one at home, one at work and one at my parents' house. Just in case I need to remind them who their favorite child is. "Jamie" looks much better on a Post-It than "Keith."

Which office supply could you not live without?

The Post About Where The Time Goes

I used to have time. Time to write 600 words. Time to take white balanced photographs. Time to make lists and check them twice.

That abundance of time kept this blog populated. I liked it.

But my time went missing. Suddenly there were only 140 characters. There were only Instagram pictures. There were only pressing immediate tasks.

This summer has been filled to capacity with goodness. It's also been dusted with sadness.

I took time to road trip.

Atlanta with Rachel.

The lake. The river. Another lake. A creek. I'm a fan of water without sand.

Blue Ridge Parkway. God is a grade A showoff.

Asheville with myself. An upcoming post will outline why extroverts shouldn't travel alone.

Jackson with Haley and Molly to see Joseph and Amanda. The latter is from Canada and featured above as we make the most of our museum entry fee.

Knoxville to see Jessica and avoid orange.

I have ventured through my own fantastic city of Birmingham. I could not love a place more.



I went to camp. Lots of camp.



I relished summer classics.



I watched and podcasted the worst season of The Bachelorette.



Like I said, goodness.

The traces of sadness have simply been classic cases of unmet expectations. More on those another day. Pinky swears.

However, blahs have birthed something I needed. The time spent this season on projects and people who have disappointed is free.

That time is leading to more words, photographs, and lists of what I'll be chasing next.

Let's start with rabbits, shall we?

What's one thing this summer that's been good? Or not so good?

{images: Jamie}