Nostalgia: Did you know that the brothers from The Adventures of Pete & Pete have a podcast?

source:  bigdamngeeks.com

One of my friends posted this a few months ago on Facebook. 

Like many people of my age group, I grew up watching The Adventures of Pete & Pete on Nickelodeon.  I always liked the weirdness and earnestness of the show, all the famous rock musicians that appeared, and that both Petes reminded me of my brother Pete. 

I've always wondered what happened to the actors who played Pete and Pete.  I've seen Big Pete pop up in a commercial here and there, and Little Pete used to appear on other Nickelodeon shows.  Then I didn't have to worry anymore, because a friend shared that they had a new podcast called The Adventures of Danny and Mike.  The Petes are grown up, still friends, and living in New York.  They're now going on adventures around town, talking about their day-to-day lives, and interviewing comedians and musicians. 

I love hearing that they not only landed on their feet, but that they're still friends and had a lot of crazy stories from growing up on a Nickelodeon lot, their early and late 20's adventures, and their regular day-to-day lives.  Sadly this podcast is only once a month, because I'd listen to it on a weekly basis.

If you grew up watching the show, you should definitely check it out.  It's a very nostalgic and funny hour every month.

Facts: What's in a name?

Part of my job is to compile facts about the students who graduate  each year from the school where I work.  It's always interesting to see through the five years what trends in names come and go.  For example, when I first started, so many girls named Emily and Jessica were graduating, but this year it's dropped way off.  I get the impression that some names get too popular, and parents try everything in their power to not name their children that.  But I also know that the person who pulls these stats in 20 years will be up to their elbows in Madisons and Evas.

One thing that's always interesting is that while boy names are usually the same five names, girl names seems more all over the map.  While there are very popular girl names, the pools of each name are far smaller.  The top names don't have 10+ girls, just 3-4.  Boy's names are always the same, it seems.  Michaels, Matthews, Johns.  Very rarely am I changing the list of the top boy names, but girl names shift every year.  I sometimes wonder if parents feel more adventurous with their young daughters, but want a classic name for their young sons.

(typing this, I know there are plenty of Jaydens, Bryces, Chances, and Bacons out there entering kindergarten who will someday be part of my graduation data reports.)

I think one of the reasons why I've always been interested in the names of who graduates from my school because of my name.  I had the #4 most popular girl's name in my year.  When I graduated from high school, of the 68 people in my class... 4 of them had my name.  I knew several girls with my name in college.  Of my office of 15 people, there are two people with my name.  And this year, it's head and shoulders the #1 girl's name of graduates.

I joked with my same named coworker that my mother thought she was being creative because she didn't know anyone with the name of Sarah... and my coworker agreed.  I looked at a chart and it seems to be on the decline from when I was born, but I don't see a year with very few Sarahs graduating any time soon.  It is odd to see the trend names of my generation fade out, though.  There's hardly a Jessica, Emily, Katie, and maybe a single Meghan graduating this year.

Pretty things: special cupcake delivery

My job gets pretty busy and stressful every April.  Lots of long hours, lots of planning and stress.  I was having a particularly bad day and texting my husband that I was feeling down, but as this is a common occurrence I thought nothing of it. 

A few hours later, I came back to my desk to find a special delivery from Sweet on Newbury Street.  He figured I needed a pick-me-up and a sugar rush.  I had a lemon cupcake and shared the rest with my coworkers.  We all appreciated his kindness.

I am a very lucky girl.

Facts: apartments by the numbers

This weekend I am preparing to move.  I wanted to break down living in Salem into the numbers:

4:  apartments I’ve lived in in Salem (including my new one).

3:  roommates I’ve had in Salem (including my husband).

3^rd floor:  furthest up I’ve lived.

0:  times I’ve lived above the first floor since the hell of moving in and out of a 3^rd floor apartment.

2:  pets in apartments.

2:  housewarming parties hosted.

3:  Christmas parties hosted.

1:  times the police have come to my apartment (when a woman on drugs rang on our doorbell at 3am).

1:  times the fire department have come to my apartment (when my husband thought the dying battery warning on the carbon monoxide detector meant we had a carbon monoxide leak at 2am.  It didn’t.  We survived).

2:  Presidential elections I’ve voted in since living in Salem.

7:  Halloweens I’ve either been a part of or tried to avoid in Salem.

3:  Trick-or-Treaters who have visited me at any of these apartments.

2:  rodent situations in my apartments.  The first was a mouse that I walked in on in the middle of dying in the kitchen.  The second was a rat that was wreaking havoc on my apartment.

5:  couches I’ve had (or roommates have had) in apartments.

1:  couches that didn’t fit up my 3^rd floor walk up.

Endless:  memories in all of these apartments.

Nostalgia: The National Geographic theme song

When I first got a cell phone, I always joked that I wanted my ringtone to by the theme to National Geographic specials.  I figured it would make every phone call, no matter who was calling, important and majestic.

Sadly, this wasn't one of the offered ringtones so I instead settled on the theme to Chariots of Fire... for pretty much the same reasons. 

Pretty Things: a wind-up bunny with an eye patch

Today at my part time job, I saw a bunch of very cute wind-up bunnies the owner bought for Easter.  They're insanely cute, both the wind-up toy itself and the packaging.  I decided to get one for my cat, Lewis, as a toy for him to play with.  The one I picked out I realized only had one eye.  It seemed a shame to toss him, as that was inevitably his fate.  I then decided to get creative and make him an eye patch and bring him to work with me to sit on my desk.  Don't worry, Lewis got a two-eyed bunny, too.

This wind-up bunny is essentially a cute Easter-themed version of James Joyce.

photo credit:  James Joyce Project

Pretty Things: googly eyes drain pipe

The other weekend I was walking to get coffee when I saw a drain pipe that someone had put googly eyes on to create a face.  I thought it was very cool, and a friend commented that it looked like a Muppet.

source:  me