Five Tings I Love This Week

5. Yul Brynner

I watched The King and I on TCM last night and was reminded of how much I adore Yul Brynner, although I really have only paid attention to two of his movies: the aforementioned Rodgers and Hammerstein musical (he originated the role of the King of Siam on Broadway as well) and The Ten Commandments, one of only two videos that my poor Catholic elementary school owned and therefore I watched at least twice a year between first and sixth grade.

Yul as either the Pharaoh or the king is a commanding presence. As the Pharaoh he is scary; as the King he is hilarious. I'm sorry Deborah Kerr, but I hardly pay attention to you when you're sharing songs and scenes with Yul (my favorite of which is the "Shall We Dance" scene - "We do it again!")

(Also, while we're talking about The King and I, can I just throw out there how much I love, love, love that Uncle Tom's Cabin dance sequence?)

4. Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Novels

As if Twilight wasn't bad enough, the Trifecta has become enamored with a new vampire series...well, actually it is an older vampire series. Charlaine Harris started writing her southern vampire detective series in 2001 and is currently on the eighth installment. We became aware of it when HBO developed it into a show staring Anna Paquin called TrueBlood. Naturally, we started reading the novels.

Well, now I am on the fourth book and let me tell you, these things are pretty damn addicting. This is not intellectual or thought-provoking reading. And these books definitely have more of an...um, adult bend than the Twilight books. But if you like mystery or suspense (or even trashy romance novels - heavier on the "trash" than the "romance") you might find these an enjoyable light read. Start with Dead Until Dark - it's the first one in the series. The show isn't half-bad, either.

One major complaint: Bill is a stupid name for a vampire.

3. CoffeeMate Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer

Normally I am not one for flavored creamers. I am strictly a plain half-and-half kind of girl. If it's iced, most of the time I'll drink it black. But when Stop & Shop started carrying these new flavors of CoffeeMate, I could not resist picking up the Italian Sweet Cream flavor.

It is the most delicious substance I have ever put in a cup of coffee - including Bailey's.

Just a hint of sweetness and rich creaminess combine for the perfect antidote to a dreary cup of coffee. It even masks the slight bitterness of work coffee, a miracle in itself. It might be slightly overbearing if you make your coffee on the watery side. But as long as Stop & Shop keeps carrying it, I will never go back to regular half-and-half again.

2. The Wii Fit

Noe bought me the Wii Fit for my birthday. He tried to get it for me awhile ago but it was sold out, no doubt due to legions of overweight people hoping to transform their lives with a video game.

If that sounds too good to be true, well, that's because it is. The Wii Fit is not going to help anyone lose mass amounts of weight. What I wanted it for was the strength training and yoga programs. I never lift weights or do strength training at the gym because I feel stupid and I am impatient, and yoga classes are WAY expensive. So I asked Noe to get me the Wii Fit to sort of inspire myself to do this stuff at home.

This thing is seriously cool. The balance board and some data you input calculate your BMI and you can chart progress and set goals. Some of the exercises are really good, and I love the yoga segments. The aerobic segments, while not incredibly tough or calorie-burning, are definitely enough to get your heart rate going between strength or yoga segments. Plus, the hula hooping looks so stupid that you will burn extra calories watching yourself or someone else attempt it (go on YouTube and search it and you'll see what I mean).

1. Fall

I realize that I am probably in the minority here, but I do not love summer. As much as I do love things like flip flops and dry rose, which are definitely summer things, I'd take fall any day.

I like the crispness in the air, the cool nights, campfires, and wearing long sleeves. We've finally started to have some fall-like weather, which has made me extremely happy. You can still do a number of summer things - ride your bike, go on walks, have campfires and cookouts - in the fall, and I think those things are even better when it's not gross and humid and you're not covered in sweat. Plus, fall brings one of the most fun holidays - Halloween, for dressing up - and one of the best eating holidays - Thanksgiving (though granted, that comes so late it is more like winter). I even like cooking more in the fall. Although I love the grilled foods we eat all summer, soups, stews, chili, and hearty pastas are my favorite dishes to make. I can't wait to make a batch of hot cider and throw our pumpkin-carving party this year...