Author: Go Jules Go

I heard you like to laugh. At my expense. Sounds like you're ready to take our friendship to the next level. You won't be disappointed. I swear on teeny, tiny baby chipmunks.
Chipmunks Forever, Just For Fun, Lists, Uncategorized

Today Is Special…and So Are You!

Go Jules Go
This is you, if you were a rainbow. Photo credit: http://www.goldengatephoto.com

Cherubic chipmunks, today is the most magical day ever. It’s:

11–11–11!!!

What, you mean you don’t always make a wish every time the clock hits 11:11? And your favorite actor‘s birthday isn’t today? …Hmm. Okay. If you don’t think today is special, maybe we should talk about other special things. Things for which you will not be able to deny their specialness.

On this most bewitching day, I’d like to introduce you to [some of] the people I hold nearest and dearest. Also known as…

People Who Rock My Guilty Pleasure World

1. Babs

Don't worry. She likes surprises.

Babs is the Mommasita extraordinaire. She taught me everything I know about guilty pleasures, namely, how to harmlessly stalk celebrities. Babs also showed me the way around a Long Island Iced Tea (or seven) and how to write a proper greeting card. Sometimes I don’t even know why I bothered with school.

Babs is special because she agreed to have a third child when she only wanted two. Also because she makes people feel good just by being around, and she doesn’t even know it.

2. Peppermeister

Look at this little baby-faced couple (circa 2005)!

My hubster, the one and only Peppermeister, taught me how to embrace guilty pleasures that I might have otherwise been too embarassed to share (er, like this one). He’s also the person who convinced me to start a blog, and is there any greater guilty pleasure than blogging about guilty pleasures (as I’ve mentioned before, it’s like trying to stare at the sun)?

Peppermeister is special because he once told a college english class -before we were dating- that I was “appropriately feminine.” Also because he’s the funniest, most selfless person I’ve ever met.

3. Bee-atch

On one of our more conservative shopping trips to Wal-Mart.

My Big Sis (actually, not-so-big – homegirl has lost almost 100 lbs. in the past year!) knows a thing or two about guilty pleasures. What she does with Pilsbury crescent rolls could blow your mind. She’s an inspiration!

Bee-atch is special because she lets me live vicariously through her dating life and is super-fun when she’s drunk. Also because she’s the only person I know who can dish it out as well as she can take it.

4. Bestie

I don't know why she didn't marry me. Look how happy I make her.

Some of you know Bestie, a.k.a. Jenn, from our stellar interview on JM Randolph’s blog. More than 11 years ago, Bestie rescued me from the depths of bad poetry despair and told me to have some g.d. fun! From animals dressed as other animals to vodka to hilarious Hallmark cards, she gets it.

Bestie is special because she thinks it’s funny when I’m angry. Also because she’s one of the smartest, most talented chicks on the planet. (Let’s see if I can convince her to introduce her music to the blogosphere…)

5. SIL

What a nice sister and girlfriend this band dude had - wearing his face on our shirts! And yes, this is in front of the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ.

SIL (sister-in-law) helped me write an entire blog post, and in fact it’s one of the most popular to this day. If that isn’t guilty pleasure inspiration, I don’t know what is!

SIL is special because she remembers more things about my life than I do. Also because she welcomes people into her heart and home even when they’re trying to secretly date her only sibling.

6. YOU!

Duh! You are totally special, too! I mean for starters, you have impeccable taste. You are also overwhelmingly attractive, and that counts for a lot everything.

You are special because you knew me when I was just an awesome blogger. Also because you take the time out of your busy day to encourage your fellow writers.

P.S. – If you’d like to repay me for all the compliments, please email me the secret(s) to levitation.

Animals, Chipmunks Forever, Just For Fun, Kvetching, New Jersey is breathtaking, Uncle Jesse

And on the 7th day, there was light (…and labradoodles in costume).

Go Jules Go
When Seasons Collide.

Once upon a time, Mother Nature had a stroke and decided New Jersey was getting off too easy. Sure, sure, there’s tolls on the highways and you can’t bring beer on the beach, but…no scorpions! So, she threw us a heaping scoop of hurricane with a sprinkling of tornado. Nah, she thought, still not cutting it. I know! Earthquake! That seemed to satisfy her for a while, but when October 29th rolled around, she was restless again.

Mother Nature decided she’d start with a smattering of snow. Odd, I thought, but pretty.

Who doesn't like a Christmas tree farm dusted with snow?

Then…BAM!

FULL-ON SNOW STORM!

By the way, that ‘bam’ was the sound of every tree in New Jersey falling on every power line. As the most densely populated state in the U.S., that’s a lot of power lines. The snow was too heavy and the leaves too plentiful; giant branches bowed and then broke.

We weren’t anticipating a true storm (there’s no storm like it on record [for October] since the Civil War), so when it really started coming down and we lost power at 1 o’clock last Saturday afternoon, we headed out in search of a generator and bottled water (we have a well that doesn’t work when we lose power).

We encountered 5 power lines down in under an hour...which is how long it took us to go 6 miles.

We got the last generator, and it was enough to power the fridge. Not the heat or the water. So we waited in the dark. And waited and waited. We blanched at the news that 95% of New Jersey Central Power and Light’s customers would have power restored by the following Thursday, the remaining 5% on Friday. By Thursday?! That was 6 full days away! We had needs! …Like showering for work.

Guess who was in the 5%? Yup. That’s right. 7 days of flushing the toilet with melted snow and creek water later…

I’M BACK!

Of course, I have to return with a bang, so for your viewing pleasure…

Uncle Jesse in costume!!!

I'm not sure he grasps what a privilege it is to be a chipmunk.

There are many like-minded souls out there, which fills my guilty pleasure heart to the brim. For example, I discovered via Twitter that last Halloween Second Husband bought a squirrel costume from Target for his brother’s dog:

He's carrying an acorn! OMG. (Click on picture for photo credit, but only if you dare.)

Annnnnd this is why Second Husband is about to get upgraded to Soul Mate status. I mean, a squirrel is almost a chipmunk. Does anyone else see interwoven destiny here? …No? Pssh. See if I try to pawn off my leftover candy corn on you this year.

I'm Going To Chop My Ear Off Any Day Now

Happy Halloween, Chipmunkins!

Go Jules Go

First off, I’d like to give a Halloween shout-out to Mother Nature, for inspiring New Jersey to dress up like the North Pole this weekend. Very convincing and well executed, Garden State. Who needs power and running water, after all? (You don’t need it to gorge on peanut butter cups, and I guess that’s what really matters.)

Now let’s get this spooky party started, chubby-cheeked chipmunks!

I heard you couldn’t get enough of my jack-o-lanterns, so I thought I’d share some more of my finest fun-est creations. I’ve been carving one every year for the past 15 years.

Voyeur Pumpkin (Pumpkin Masters carving pattern, 2009)

Watch out, he's coming for you!
Oh no! He's coming for ME!

Headless Rider (Pumpkin Masters carving pattern, 2004)

Halloween Window (Pumpkin Masters carving pattern, 2007)

Uncle Jesse Playing Uno Pumpkin (a gojulesgo original, 2010)

He cheats.

Boyfriend Pumpkin (a gojulesgo original, 2006)

Pattern inspiration – Peppermeister‘s old band t-shirts:

What’s your favorite Halloween tradition?

P.S. – Stay tuned later this week for Uncle Jesse’s costume and other fun tricks and treats.

Animals, PSAs, Uncategorized

Animals Dressed As Interviews

Go Jules Go

I don’t know, guys. I mean, chipmunks. You’re probably thinking there’s not much I could do to top my last post.

WRONG!

Check out the guest post interview (click here) I did for JM Randolph’s (Accidental Stepmom) AWESOME weekly feature, Full-Assed Friday. I interviewed my good kick-butt friend, Jenn, about her work at the New Jersey-based animal shelter, 11th Hour Rescue. Don’t think I can make that topic funny? Ha! Wrong again! 

Oh and if you’re suffering from contest withdrawal? Take a looksie at Tinkerbelle’s (Laughter is Catching) fun contest and prove that YOU dress the fanciest!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Photo courtesy of: http://members.petfinder.org/~NJ376/Index.htm.

I'm Going To Chop My Ear Off Any Day Now, Uncategorized, Vampires, Vlogalicious

And the Winner of GOGP’s First Video Blogging Contest IS…

Go Jules Go

Furry-in-a-hurry chipmunks, do you know how hard this was? A month ago, I decided to run a little video blogging contest, asking readers to submit a 30-second video about their silliest guilty pleasures. I wasn’t sure anyone would want to play along, and was thrilled (T-H-R-I-L-L-E-D) when Darla immediately jumped on board, encouraging several others to make a vlog soon thereafter.

I loved all of the submissions, for completely different reasons. I had a prize in mind for each and every one of you. Everyone is a winner.

Except there’s only one winner. 

This winner stole my heart while broadcasting from inside her closet. I think we can all agree her submission is hilarious – it even got Peppermeister laughing (and he doesn’t like to admit the things I think are funny are actually funny, even though they totally always are). That’s right. The winner is…

Deb from The Monster in Your Closet!!!

And now, I present to Deb her highly sought-after, one-of-a-kind prize: A custom jack-o-lantern! 

It started this morning with a sketch – should I try to carve Deb’s guilty pleasure (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), I wondered, or go with an homage to her blog theme (The Monster in Your Closet)? Here’s what I chose:

That didn’t seem quite right. So, I thought about making the monster look like Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.:

Still not right. Finally, I decided to make the monster a vampire-monster, to get the best of both worlds. He’s friendly because Deb is so sweet:

Next came taping the drawing onto the pumpkin, with Uncle Jesse (my dog) looking on curiously:

I transfered the outline of the drawing by poking holes into the pumpkin:

After carving, it looked like this:

And at last, the final product (picture taken, I should note, from inside my own closet)!

Hi Deb! My, you're looking winny today.

Congratulations, Deb!! You too are a guilty pleasure goddess. I would like to leave you with some Buffy dialogue about winning:

WHILE PLAYING THE GAME OF LIFE:

Anya: Crap! Look at this. Now I’m burdened with a husband, and several tiny pink children, more cash than I can reasonably manage…

Xander: That means you’re winning.

Anya: Really?

Xander: Yes, cash equals good.

Anya: Ooh, I’m so pleased! Can I trade in the children for more cash?

P.S. – If I stop responding to comments, someone please check Renée’s basement. (On a related note, if you haven’t seen her vlog submission, you really should watch it here. It puts the treat in trick-or-treat.)

Animals, Uncategorized, Vlogalicious

Where I’ll Be While You’re Entering My Vlog Contest (ENDS TODAY!)

Go Jules Go

Cheeky chipmunks, my video blogging contest ends today (October 22, midnight EST)!! You have about 14 hours to enter your 30-second video. By my calculations, this means you could do 8 billion (maybe slightly less) takes and still have time to qualify for the WORLD’S BEST PRIZE! You don’t want to miss out. Just ask Sprinkles.

In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying a lovely, relaxing Saturday with my two besties (b-day celebration in the hiz-ouse!), Uncle Jesse, Peppermeister annnnnd….a puppy!!!

My chipmunkalicious friend, Jenn, volunteers for 11th Hour Rescue, and is currently providing a foster home for a lil’ pitbull named Kelly.

Here’s Kelly. Get ready for an aww-attack.

Hi! I'm Kelly. You know you love me.
Imma show Uncle Jesse who's boss.
...Unless I get too sleepy.
Everyone Loves a Braggart...Right?, Just For Fun, Uncategorized

I Heard You Like to Laugh

Go Jules Go
He-eyyyyy.

Ch-ch-chipmunks! Did you know I’m famous?

All right. Cut it out. That wasn’t the funny part.

I was recently interviewed for Girl on the Contrary’s “Interviews with Celebrities” feature, and she posted the interview today. Check it out here! But only if you like things like smiling, rainbows and music. Or if you’ve been dying to know my thoughts on Bret Michaels. Either or.

Don’t forget – only two more days to enter GOGP’s AMAZING Video Blogging Contest! I cannot emphasize enough how awesome this prize is.

Photo Credit: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4752238023_534d31d34c.jpg.

Just For Fun, TV Junkie, Uncategorized

The Book Series That Lived (and Lived and Lived and Lived)

Go Jules Go

On Saturday night, I positively GOGP-ed to the Biography channel’s “Harry Potter: Evolution” special. Geeked. Out.

Harry Potter is a subject matter that, like Buffy, Glee or Twilight, I could discuss ad nauseam. Beyond reading the books each at least twice, I’ve watched ALL of the DVD special features. If you’ve done this yourself, you know Harry Potter special features trump them all. They’re very thorough, and it’s just so damn cool to see how they create this magical world. To think it all started in the mind of a lil’ writer named Jo! A lil’ writer like you. …Or me!

So, yes, I watched this Biography feature, fixated. I pondered very serious things: How did they know Emma Watson would grow up to be so pretty, and not taller than Daniel or Rupert? When my boss told me I reminded her of Luna Lovegood last Friday, what was the proper reaction? Peppermeister knew better than to interrupt. Until he couldn’t help himself and added his own deep thoughts.

“How much money does J.K. Rowling have?” He paused. “All of it?”

Well...she's brave. And she makes her own jewelry. That's...something.

If you were called a Harry Potter character, who would it be and why? (And what have you been geeking out on lately??)

Animals, Vlogalicious

Best Video Blogging Contest EVER Ends Oct. 22nd!!!

Go Jules Go

Chipmunk-a-doos, this is your friendly, WordPressure-freefilled reminder that the Best. Video. Blogging. Contest. EVER!!! ends one week from today, on Saturday, October 22nd.

Check out my own vlog and the rules here. 

You don’t want to miss this opportunity to win a STUPENDOUS prize! Just ask Darla. Or Deb. Or Renée. Or Leonore. Or JM. (I’m talking to you, Sprinkles. And you, GotC. And you, Byron. And you, Tink. And YOU!!!)

Now come on, get on the rock (yeah, you’ve gotta watch the vid for that to make sense)!

Just For Fun, Lists, TV Junkie, Uncategorized, Vampires

Guilty Pleasure Skeletons in My Closet

Go Jules Go

People who know me personally often refer to me as their fashion guru. People who know me via this blog have been blown away by my sultry romance novel book covers. By and large, the world outside my bedroom considers me one of the great style icons of our time.

Wal-Mart didn't even see this coming.

However, inside my bedroom, more specifically, my closet, there are some shameful guilty pleasure secrets.

My wrinkly t-shirt collection.

#1 – Julie Davidoski Cullen

Here's the first fictional high school (from Twilight) I pretend to attend. (Actually, this high school exists, but you know what I mean.)

#2 – Julie van der Geek

Annnd the second fictional high school I pretend to attend. This one is located right near Dawson's Creek.

#3 – Julie Timberfake

Yeah. I was totally part of the local crew for the 2000 'NSync World Tour. ...Not.

#4 – Julie “Team Lame” Davidoski

Tribute to the Jimmy Fallon Twilight/Robert Pattinson skit, Robert is Bothered. (The back says, "Team Fallon.") You don't even want to know how excited I was to get this last Christmas.

#5 – Julie TwiLies

For gym class at the Twilight high school. Oh. The Shame.

What treasures are you hiding in your closet?? 

P.S. – Can’t go without leaving this clip: