What would you do with $50 at Target?

My mom gave me a Target gift certificate for Christmas. I was dying to use it, so Boo and I headed over there yesterday on my day off. Here's what I got for my money, baby:

• Two V-neck shirts, one in green and one in purple
• 70s Roller Disco, a Target exclusive compilation (LOVE IT)
• A compilation of 40 number-one hits from the 80s (LOVE THAT TOO -- I am so old that I remember when a lot of the songs hit number one)

I'm rocking one of the shirts and the compilation in the car. Boo is digging both too. Oh, Target: Is there anything you can't do?

A Fool-ish New Year's Eve

M and I went back and forth about what to do for New Year's Eve. After all, last year we stayed home out of necessity -- I was six days away from giving birth and big as a house. My OB had put the kibosh on unnecessary trips, so that meant a December 31 with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, a fire in the fireplace and me falling asleep at 10 p.m. So this year, I put our New Year's plans in M's capable hands. He decided we should go out and that Boo would go to his grandparents'.

Since we had a snowstorm, and I am essentially a homebody, at first I argued. But then I decided to go along with it. We had tickets to see the Fools at the Bull Run in Shirley, and after all, they were nonrefundable. So we braved the crappy roads (after all, we had Bruce, M's SUV) and freezing cold and went.

I'm glad I went out last night.

In case you're not familiar with them, and I wasn't, the Fools are a comedy band. As M put it, they are like Weird Al but R-rated. They are awesomely funny, a great, tight band and a lot of raunchy fun. We had a ball. And now my son has horns and noisemakers to play with.

So as U2 said, all is quiet on New Year's Day. Happy 2009, all, and hope you had fun last night.

A pool better than mine

The Colonnade Hotel in Boston has the only rooftop pool in town. And for $30, you can hang out all day. My pool has been open since Memorial Day weekend, but I haven't been able to go in because it hasn't been warm enough yet. Plus, it's not overlooking the Boston landscape. Righteous.

Happy Halloween

How many kids do you get for trick-or-treat? We usually get 100-plus. Leominster's pretty strict about 6-8, so I put the candy out this morning in case there's some kid hammering on my door when I get home from work tonight. My favorites are the little ones.

You should be dancing

M and I love to dance. Seriously. Love. To. Dance. I'm not saying we're any good. But we both completely lose our inhibitions on the dance floor. To wit, we were at a wedding Saturday night and boogieing down -- me with my big belly and all, M in his suit. It was quite a sight to behold. A lot of people were looking at us, but I'm not sure if it was in admiration or horror. I don't care either way. I love it, baby.

Indoor water park in Fitchburg?

In Dahnviz (Danvers for those out of town), there's an indoor water park called CoCo Key inside the Sheraton. I read in the Telegram this morning that a developer wants to buy the Fitchburg Best Western and turn it into a similar park. Here's the story. How cool would that be?

Ghosts in the machine

Want some retro '80s fun? Check out this online version of Pac-Man. It is dangerously addictive. Although, feminist that I am, I do prefer Ms. Pac-Man.

March forth!

You know, the only day of the year that's a command.

Yes, I am a dork.

Why Tetris rules all that is holy

Check out this wiki. A quote:

According to Richard Haier, et al. prolonged Tetris activity can also lead to more efficient brain activity during play. When first playing Tetris, brain function and activity increases, along with greater cerebral energy consumption, measured by glucose metabolic rate. As Tetris players become more proficient, their brains show a reduced consumption of glucose, indicating more efficient brain activity for this task. [16]

I am the Tetris queen

Young and sweet, older than 17.

Last night, I kicked ass on Tetris. I got to almost 25,000 points and 110 lines completed. I play it during commercial breaks or when M is watching something I'm not interested in -- in this case, Emeril. I find Emeril very entertaining to watch, but he's usually cooking something with shellfish, which I am allergic to. So I just listen. Anyway, I am proud of my video game accomplishment and had to share.