You're on the thinnest of ice...

Who would have thought Don Draper has a sense of humor? Last year when Jon Hamm hosted SNL we were impressed, especially the "Jon Hamm's John Ham" sketch. We thought perhaps it was a fluke that he was so funny. Then he did a four episode arc on 30 Rock and he was great. Last night he hosted SNL for a second time and he was on point. Our favorite sketch (with "Sergio" as a close second) was an advertisement for a new restaurant that blends the finest pork products with the best champagne. Enjoy!

Speaking of Julie Andrews

I am reading this, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, by Julie Andrews. I am only 10 pages in but it is absolutely delightful! I've paused to read two excerpts from the book to Ben and I do so in my best english, Julie Andrews accent. Even after only being 10 pages in I'd recommend this read to any Julie fans! HA! (I'll let you know if my recommendation stands once I'm finished.)

Another... Cannon Beach Post... Will it ever end?

Who is tired of hearing about our Cannon Beach trip? Sorry for the excessive posts on this topic, we just had a lot to say and share about the Oregon coast! Besides this post there will only be one more and then we will move on to a new topic. (Promise.) Ben and I consider this blog to be like a journal so the large amounts of photos and memories from our trips are more for us to remember and for any of you out there who are interested to enjoy!

Micah and Uncle CoCo playing with the beach ball on the deck, look how close we were to the rock!

Miss Lyd's hanging out with her Dem!

Doppelgänger

This week is "Doppelgänger Week" on Facebook, a doppelgänger is a ghostly double of a living person. Yesterday while Ben was reading an Entertainment Weekly a friend of ours was looking over his shoulder and did a double take of this picture. He and Ben can't believe how much Amy Adams looks like me (or I look like Amy Adams) in this picture. I really admire Amy Adams so I'll take it!

I've also been told I look like:

Julie Andrews or more specifically Maria von Trapp. I don't see this one as much, maybe it has to do with the hair (or Julie's lack there of) but I love Maria von Trapp so I'll take this 'look-a-like' as a compliment as well.

Now for Ben, I've alway thought Ben looks like:

Jimmy Fallon. Ben doesn't see it, do you? Think Ben sans glasses... I think you'll see it! Not only does Ben look like Jimmy Fallon but I think they have similar mannerisms watch one Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show and I think you'll understand!

Who have you been told you look like?

Hey You Guys... Another Oregon Coast Post

On our recent trip to Cannon Beach, OR we made sure to stop off in Astoria. As you've seen a few posts ago Astoria is a pretty costal town rich in history. The Lewis and Clark expedition spent a winter there, Washington Irving wrote a story about the town, in 1847 the city welcomed the first U.S. Post Office west of the Rocky Mountains (thanks wiki), and oh yeah The Goonies was filmed there.

Like most children of the '80s I have a soft spot in my heart for The Goonies. I have easily seen this movie over 50 times (although when I told this to my older brother Adam he swears the number is closer to 100... he may be right). A couple days before we left for the coast I was talking about how excited I was to see the sites from the movie when Mandy confessed that she had never really seen the entire movie before. This shouldn't be a surprise but it was, in fact here is a quick list of extremely popular movies that made me who I am (not really) that Mandy has not seen:

Back to the Future trilogy (I made her watch the first one last summer)

The Karate Kid trilogy

Rocky I-IV (who cares about V)

Indiana Jones trilogy

Gremlins I or II

To be fair, Mandy didn't grow up with any brothers and she thinks it's crazy that I have never seen The Sound of Music (in its entirety) or Grease.

Anyway, we watched the film before we left and I can report that Mandy thoroughly enjoyed it. While watching we took mental notes of what we (I) wanted to see. Mandy went online and was able to find addresses and filming locations. While most of the movie is filmed in the Astoria area there are crucial scenes filmed in Cannon Beach as well as in So. California. When we pulled into town we met a local who told us everywhere we needed to go, he even gave us a city map that had the locations printed on it (see we are not the only ones who come looking for this stuff).

The movie begins with the Fertelli's busting Jake out of jail. The area looks pretty much the same although the jail is no longer in use.

Same jail, different color.

As the Fratelli's race from the cops through the streets of Astoria they somehow make it to a truck rally on Cannon Beach some 30 min away.

This was right outside the beach house. Wish I would have seen a rally but somehow I don't see that ever happening again due to fact that now the rock and the area surrounding it is a protected Marine Garden and Bird Sanctuary.

The museum where Mikey and Brand's dad (that's him raising the flag) works is actually the George Flavel House and right across the street from the jail.

Here I am on the porch.

The Walsh's home looked virtually the same except for the notable absence of the gate opening contraption. I was happy to see that the Astoria Country Club wasn't allowed to tear it down and build a golf course. This was perhaps the most surreal stop on our tour because that house and its landscape is pretty iconic to me.

I thought this picture was more appropriate to post than the one of me doing the "Truffle Shuffle".

Next door is Data's house. 1985.

Richard "Data" Wang's house 2010.

The people who now live in the Walsh's home are pretty cool about the fact that nerds from all over want to come and see their house. Aside from having their address listed on the cities tourist map, they also have this sign posted in front of their long driveway.

Mikey, Mouth, Data and Chunk are on the hunt for One Eyed Willie's treasure in Astoria but really they are searching in Ecola State Park. Which I hear is beautiful on a clear day but when we were there it was very wet and foggy so we couldn't see it all. Oh well, a reason to go back!

If you are wondering why all the previous pictures are only of me it's because at every location when I would ask if Mandy wanted to take a picture she would say "no, this is your thing." She was so nice to spend a day of her vacation geeking out with me. So here we are at Ecola State Park, cold, wet and having a blast.

Word of the Day

...and all the people caterwauled because we hadn't blogged in two days!

Ben and I have subscribed to a "Word of the Day," app on my IPod. We try to use the word two to three times a day to help broaden our vocabulary. It's been fun so far! Our word today was:

Caterwaul- to make a harsh scream or yell

Don't be a troglodyte, sign up for a word of the day email too!




Sorry for not posting... We'll be better the rest of the month.