A not-so-typical Friday Wrapup.

It’s finally sunny, everyone at work seems to be distracted by things non-work-related, and I’m already on my second cup of coffee. Something tells me that it’s time for the Friday Wrapup!

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I wanted to thank everyone who voted for me as one of the Top 25 Humor Blogs over on SkinnyScoop. You guys rock. And if I did the math correctly, which we all know is a big if, it looks like I came in 7^th out of 73 nominations.

I’ll take it!

I mean, if getting beaten out by The Bloggess and Filing-Jointly is what has to happen, I’m just glad to be in their company. Which sort of sounds like all of those poor saps who get nominated for Oscars and never win and are all like “Oh, I’m just honored to be nominated with Meryl Streep” and everyone knew they totally weren’t going to win because, hello, it’s MERYL STREEP.

But before I count my chickens, let’s wait for the “final” results, which are apparently being announced next week.

However, I think the best part about being nominated (there I go again!) is that (a) it wasn’t a nomination by a blood relative, myself, or a friend I paid to do it and (b) that CB voted for me and, in doing so, had to sign up to the website.

Also, just after that, this email exchange happened:

CB: I voted for you… but let it be known that in order to vote for you (because I’m not on Facebook) I had to register with Skinnyscoop and now I am officially a member of a group that sent me a welcome email advertising beauty essentials, parenting products, and the things ladies love the most right now. I believe my man card was just revoked.

 Me: Hahahahaha…..if I'd known that I totally wouldn't have asked you to do it! (but I'm sort of glad I did anyway).

 CB:  I take it you didn’t look at their home page. It opens with “a list of women who inspire me”… from Maya Angelou to Beyonce… from Margaret Thatcher to Madeleine Albright… I’m a member of a group who probably wouldn’t have me as a member. I can’t wait to get my first email from Oprah and an invitation to be on The View.

And this is why we work.

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So this week’s book recommendation I wrote about one of my favorite (recent) books. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? , um, rocks. If you think I’m even REMOTELY funny, then you will be laughing out loud while reading this. I promise.

Also, I may or may not have creeped out a fellow subway passenger yesterday who happened to be reading this book in assumed privacy yesterday.

Me: Oh my God, I love that book, isn’t it so funny?

Weirded out subway rider: Yeah, it’s great.

Me: What part are you at?

And then I did that weird thing where I sort of glanced over to try and read what part she was at so we could talk about it.

And then she pulled the book away.

WOSR: Um……

Me: Oh, sorry. I just get really excited about books sometimes. And Mindy Kaling.

And then I put my headphones back on and pretended like that didn’t happen. Which is my patent-pending go-to move when things get awkward.

What? Me? No, that didn’t happen. You totally just made that up. Now stop talking about it.

Anyway, go read the review and then immediately pick up the book at your local bookstore – if that exists in your hometown – or download it onto something fancy you carry around and prove me wrong.

And you’re welcome.

  

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On a much more somber note, after a heroic battle and a rollercoaster ride of emotions over the last several days, weeks, and months, DK passed away on Wednesday evening.  

First of all, thank you so much for your emails, Facebook posts, texts, and just general kindness over these last two weeks. None of it has gone unnoticed.

Second of all, while this is an incredibly sad, emotional, and trying time for CB’s entire family, I must say that the spirit of DK is living on.

He’s living on in the laughter over shared, remembered stories from decades past. He’s living on in the smiles of his two incredible, kind, generous, and funny children, both of whom I’m lucky to count among my friends. He’s living on in the unwavering strength and love and compassion shown by his wife. He’s living on in the faces of his five brothers and sisters and his countless nieces and nephews. And he’s living on in my brief but vivid memories of Jets games and Thanksgiving craziness. 

He will be forever missed but kept alive by the stories being told by this crazy, huge, funny, wild, and loving family. 

And boy, are there stories. (and if anyone from the family would like to pay me off to keep these stories off of the blog, I accept check, cash, money order, and PayPal.)

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And now for the Video of the Week. 

While I was tempted to post another Bruce song in honor of DK (like I did last week) I've decided to choose an artist that I'm pretty sure was totally up at the top of his list of favorites just below Mr. Springsteen. I mean, obviously.  

But in all seriousness (where I reside so infrequently), this song has been playing on heavy rotation on my iPod over the last two weeks, and seemed fitting for today. 

Enjoy.