Road Trip Carmel, IN

As part of the Memorial Day excursions, I traveled to Carmel, Indiana to visit with family.  With three birthdays all in that weekend and having not seen them since my grandfather's funeral in December (which, let's face it, doesn't really count as "visiting"), a trip down was much needed!  I even brought the boy since my family lovingly joked that he must not exist if it's been a year and they haven't yet met.  


So, the two of us piled into the car on that wonderfully cold, Chicago, Saturday morning and headed out!  We didn't even have to worry about traffic as an 11:00am leaving time helped ensure the bypassing of traffic!  We figured either everyone left Friday or earlier that morning because the roads were quite clear.


I'd become accustomed to the I-65 scene, driving down multiple times a year when I went back to school at Miami, OH.  It's, let's see, flat...flat...and yup....even flatter.  The only "excitement" is the windmill field you pass through around exit 200.  Plus, I don't think that stretch of drive is ever truly sunny.  It's always cloudy and gloomy, like if you depress your driver enough they won't actually leave Indiana because they just don't want to drive through the gloom.  As a result, you'll need something to keep you interested since the scenery will definitely not do that for you!  Music anyone??


Sadly, we forgot ours.  Yup.  Aren't we smart?  Instead we actually had to talk to one another (eek! Shocking... remember that old art called 'conversation'?)  We actually had a really good time and made a few pit stops along the way.  
Note #1:  Coffee right before road trips is not the best of ideas.  
Note #2: A road trip to Indianapolis from really does not require very many pit stops.


We did however, stop at the following places.  Exit 230.  We picked up some coffee and a bathroom at the Marathon right there.  It right next to a trailer park which is right next to a "waterpark", which is a waterslide into a lake located behind the gas station.  In all my travels, that's a stop I had never made.


Exit 220 is the "Fair Oaks" stop at Winamac, or the "Look at how we milk cows and make all your favorite products" stop.  It wasn't open when we went, and we only needed gas, but word to the traveling, do NOT stop here if you want a deal on gas.  They are practically the same price as the suburbs of Chicago.  I'm pretty sure they know people will stop there anyways so they can charge whatever they want.  If you need gas, go to the "waterpark" Marathon or any of the stops further south of 220.  It's not worth it.  My boyfriend did however find it funny it's called Winamac.  (Win. A.  Mac. ... in case you didn't get it at first either)


Exit 130 is my favorite exit.  I stopped there religiously as I traveled to and from Miami.  As the midway point, it was perfect for a quick bathroom break and gas fill-up.  However, it also houses a Starbucks.  (*insert angelic "aaaah" sounds here*)  Love, love, LOVE this stop!  It's the Zionsville exit, in case you're more familiar with names of towns and not exit numbers, but still.  YAY!  


And lastly, you take 865 over to 465 to make the loop around Indianapolis to Carmel.  The Keystone exit is the closest stop to my aunt's, and I recently discovered Carmel is now famous.  It is the "Roundabout Capitol" with the most roundabouts of any city.  They have transformed that town into an amazing winding rollercoaster.  The ones on Keystone avenue are beautifully done, but the side street ones, while keeping traffic moving, cause more motion sickness than help to passengers.  Take a dramamine if you have a weak stomach.  


But, in all honesty, it was wonderful to see my family.  Three hours is a brief moment in the car anymore.  When I was younger I needed a break every hour or so, but now, with some good music and great conversation, three hours is almost a nice break. Now, we just have to talk to Mother Nature about making that stretch of Indiana a little more "sunny".

Oh the Monuments You'll See

So, back to Washington DC.  I heard from a friend whose daughter is there right now that it is absolutely and unbelievably hot, so I am 110% thankful we lucked out with the weather!  I little rain never hurt, and although a little heat isn't the worst of things, when you're outside all day trying to take in as much as you can, hot and muggy is not the most ideal weather.  


As mentioned, though, the weather was wonderful when I was there.  It rained the first day, which deterred from seeing Arlington Cemetery in its entirety, but otherwise it was sunny and beautiful!  And, that just meant I was able to soak in even more of the information and beautiful surroundings.  So, if you're heading the DC way anytime soon, here are a few things to know about the places you'll go (This gets long but has lots of photos!!!):


Arlington Cemetery:  an average of 27 funerals are held daily.  (that number, to me personally, is astounding!).  Arlington Cemetery is reserved for people who served our country, their spouses and any children who die before the age of 18.  It also holds JFK's grave, which gives a beautiful view of the DC area, and is the site of the Robert E. Lee house.  Also, be sure to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony, which happens every half hour on the :00 and :30.  Captivating!


Iwo Jima Memorial:  Beautiful.  Huge.  Gorgeous.  Looks like they're actually standing the flag straight up as you drive around the memorial...but I found the photo odd.  "War between the states"?  Isn't that called the "Civil War"? .... just saying....


The Cathedral:  It has a more official name than that, but I can't remember it off hand.  It's the largest or 2nd largest gothic cathedral in the US and houses a piece of moon rock in one of the stain glass windows.  If you've ever seen any of the cathedrals in Europe it's practically identical.

The Lincoln Memorial: Please spend more time at these memorials to really look at the intricate details and soak in their historical significance, because I hurried through them a little quickly.  Here, however, is a plaque on the ground stating "I Have a Dream" to show where Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his speech!  SO cool!  Then, when you walk inside the Lincoln Memorial, Lincoln is HUGE!!!  He is 19 feet tall (which I learned is because the freedom statue atop the Capitol building is 19.5 feet and nothing can be taller than freedom)...but still...he's HUGE!  And folklore says that his hands are making an A and L in American sign language and that the back of his head has the profile of Robert E Lee.  Hmm..interesting.  I believe the Hand one, don't know about the back of the head one.  But, also, on the right side of the building, the builders misspelled the world "Future" and wrote "Euture".  They fixed it, but if you look closely you can still totally see the mistake.  Ha!  Love it.  Thousands of years from now when people study our culture and come to see our ruins they'll wonder what "Euture" meant and why we tried to cover it up!

Mount Vernon: When you visit Mount Vernon, make sure to bring a book so you can sit on the back porch and just admire the amazing view of the Potomac River.  Oh. My. God.  It's absolutely gorgeous!  The grounds on the rest of the plantation are beautiful as well, but this view is nothing short of stunning.  It's absolutely no wonder Washington wanted to be buried there when he died.  It was comical, though, to walk through the house and realize that back then they had no running water and therefore no bathrooms nor indoor plumbing.  "Roughing it," by today's standards.  :-)  But they were also much shorter back then, as evidenced by the 5'8" clearing on the back stairwell.  Better duck!

(We done yet??) haha.  Almost! Stay with me!!

The Newseum: This amazing building is where I had the incredible privilege of seeing the Presidential Entourage from the top balcony!  Holla!! But really, this place is amazing.  They're 4D video at the beginning is fun and reminds me of "Hunny, I Shrunk the Audience" at Disney World!  The varying floors have so many wonderful things to see like a part of the Berlin Wall, the remains of one of the towers of the Twin Towers, and the Pulitzer Prize Picture winners that you'll easily stay busy for a good two hours if you really take the time to look at everything.  And it's true what the intro plaque on the wall to the photos says, you'll cry and laugh out loud at some of the photos.  I know I cried.  Twice.  HOWEVER....be SURE to stop by the bathrooms while you're there!! "To err is human" is the quote on the wall and then within different tiles are different newspaper headlines that probably could have been written better.  I have included two for your enjoyment!

World War II: And lastly, for now, the World War II monument.  Wow.  Just Wow.  It's understated when you first drive up.  I thought, "Please, pillars?  More pillars?  Really?"  And then I walked through it.  The sheer size of it will turn you speechless.  I highly recommend just sitting on one of the stairs and taking it in.  Don't talk.  Just sit and look.  It's overwhelmingly powerful and the crispness and proportion of everything just encompasses you and makes you feel very small, like you should be honored to be an on-looker.  It's really cool.  And, just for fun, if you have a chance, take a walk around the outside of the monument (on the Lincoln Memorial side) and you'll see the graffiti of "Kilroy was here".  It's illegal to deface monuments, but this was the artist's own doing in memory of all the "graffiti-ing" the Kilroy stamp created.  Lovely touch.  Touché.

So, whilst only a really small chunk of everything the city has to offer in terms of memorials, I hope your next visit affords you time to see all the above mentioned locations.  It's well worth your time and you'll love every minute, even if sometimes only in retrospect.  Happy Travels!

My Dear Grandma...

This week I attended my Grandmother's funeral.  It was awful and wonderful at the same time.  I'll explain.


Grandmas are wonderful people.  They light up a room and make you feel like you can take on the moon and the sun all at the same time.  They're your biggest supporters and loudest cheering sections...and biggest candy suppliers.  :-)  Unfortunately my grandmother died of colon cancer, and, although I did know it was coming, it was still not easy.  Luckily, I saw her on a Tuesday, and she died early Saturday morning.  It was eerie, because she knew she was dying.  I saw her Tuesday as I was leaving Wednesday for a trip for three days and wouldn't see her on her birthday.  Knowing I'm heading to Greece soon, she said "In case I don't see you, have fun in Greece."  Thinking she misunderstood I would be home by Saturday, I explained I would see her soon and she said "no, no, if I don't see you, have fun in Greece."  Right then I knew, so the phone call (or text) was no surprise.  The rest of the experience had it's moments.


First off, Adolf's funeral home is amazing.  Originally in Berwyn, the newest location is in Willowbrook off Plainfield and Madison.  It's only five years old and absolutely beautiful.  They have a gorgeous kitchen for coffee and families to fill with all kinds of non-nutritional treats!  The home is wonderful and the staff phenomenal.  I would recommend them to anyone. 


The actual wake and funeral were extremely trying.  I know my grandma is my grandma, but although I was sad to lose her, she was older already and people can't live forever.  The hardest part, however, was watching my grandfather break down.  I've rarely seen the man cry in my entire life and watch him sob uncontrollably as he said goodbye to his wife of 63 years and best friend for longer broke something inside me.  My eyes seemed to be perpetually red.  The worst, though, was the actual burial.  I knew we'd be going to cemetery (and I hate cemeteries), but I didn't know she was going to be buried right next to my mother.  Any shred of composure I held up to the burial was lost.  I sobbed uncontrollably almost the entire time I was on the grounds.  


Also, side note #1, people need to not be so dumb during funeral processions.  We have flashing lights, bright orange stickers, and drive at 5 miles an hour for a reason.  Do not try to pull in front of us or pass through the middle of our procession.  There actually exists the chance that the person behind the wheel is in agony and even sobbing uncontrollably.  You are just asking to get hit.  Also, side note #2, when people park on both sides of the cemetery drive because they are currently burying someone and have therefore taken up most of the drive, Do Not Try To Pull Through The Parked Cars.  Dear man who came less than and inch from hitting my bumper, I stand by what I said.  There is no way you are in a cemetery and actually in enough of a hurry that you had to try to maneuver through our parked chaos and not gone out the opposite direction.


Luckily, though, and back to the real issue, my family is amazing and finds a way to break the teary occasion with joy and laughter.  Yes, I laughed during the wake and funeral luncheon.  (Lunch, by the way, is always a necessity after such draining experiences.  Free food and drinks?  Yes please.  Funerals require replenishing of energy.)  During the days, however, we told stories about Grandma, had a "memory table" where we wrote things we remembered about her.  Some included that she was the best to watch scary movies with, she always stole rolls, butter, and jam from restaurants saying, "They're just going to throw them away!", she always wore a blue mu'umu'u around the house, she prided herself on her spoon collection from all the places she'd been around the world, she always hid candy in her purse for us to find when we visited, and she was always always happy when she answered the phone.  She was an amazing woman and I will miss her dearly.


So, in short, although trying, draining, and overall exhausting though the experience was, it was a wonderful few days.  Thank you to Bohemian Crystal for the wonderful food, Adolf's for the gorgeous accommodations, and my family for being so amazing.  We will miss you, Grandma.

DC - The Overview

Hello again!  Sadly, I will be the first to admit that I know I went missing for quite some time.  My apologies!  I have spent most of the last week (well, three days I guess hardly amounts to "most" of the week) in Washington DC with the 8th graders for the 8th grade DC trip!  QUITE an experience, needless to say.


Yes, there is a LOT to discuss and a lot to share, but I'll save specifics for specific posts to come, but right now we are in dire need of an overview!


Categories:  (drum role please) . . . 

• Worst Part:  Waking up at 2am on Wednesday to make our flight.  
• Worst Part (part 2):  rushing through the White House tour as it was moved to 7am and ...let me tell you...7 am is not "peak time" for 8th grade interest.  When a tour revolves around self-started questioning, there might be a better time for students than 7am.  All I'm saying. More that 20 minutes inside said building would be been wonderful.
• Most Unfortunate Part:  Pouring rain during the Arlington Cemetery tour because so much was lost with people trying to squeeze into umbrellas and not seeing the beautiful scenery and all it had to offer.
• Most Surprising Part: being privy to a hearing and seeing a 14-gun-shot salute during a burial at Arlington Cemetery.  
• Most Emotional Part: Visiting the Police Monument and watching a student lay a bouquet a flowers above his father's name.  I cried.  A lot.   
• Most Beautiful Part:  Standing at Mt. Vernon in the backyard overlooking the Potomac River.     ... now if I only had a book and a blanket...
• Most Relaxing Part:  Enjoying the outdoor sun for an hour on Friday, 11am.
• Most Amazing Part:  Standing atop the Newseum balcony, hearing sirens in the background and thinking it was just another ambulance, only to turn around and see the 8-car Presidential Entourage speeding down Pennsylvania Avenue!!!  
• Funniest Part:  Having our ghost tour lady say that funeral homes used to call up the ice shops because they had dead bodies to preserve, except, instead of saying it that way she said they called up the ice shops saying, "they needed ice because they had a stiff one".  Absolutely the wrong wording or an 8th grade audience.

As basic overviews go, that's a pretty awesome synopsis over the overall experience.  Most specifics to come about places to visit, inside scoops, and take on "tour" food.  :-)  

Beware the Pizza

For anyone who may have been semi-paying attention say, oh, in the last six months or so, I think I've sprinkled in my gluten-free diet change.  Yes, I am "gluten-free".  I put it in quotes because I'm not really officially anything.  I'm not allergic to it and I don't steer clear of it like an infectious disease or like Elfaba from water (if you read the book, Wicked, not just watched the musical, then congrats on understanding that correlation).  However, I do stay away from it as much as possible and make a conscious effort to buy as much as I can that is certified "gluten-free".  Overall I feel better, am less bloated, have more consistent and sustained energy, and don't get whack-o cravings like I used to.


However, on the wonderfully rare occasion I do splurge or find myself in an sans-gluten-free-friendly environment, I do eat gluten.  Tonight, I happened to chow down on some local, leftover, thin crust pizza, compliments of my dad's weekend pizza night.  It was just cheese, so it wasn't even stuffed with lots of crazy ingredients, yet, about 10 minutes after finishing my four squares, my stomach went Ba-BOOM! and screamed "I Hate You!"


For someone who bases daily routine on a healthy diet, especially one that is gluten free or vegan, beware the pizza.  All I have to say is...blah.  I feel blah.  All of the beautiful perks of my gluten-free diet have, over the last three hours, have completely disappeared, and I could kick myself for not having the hard boiled eggs I had originally promised myself for dinner.  Stupid, stupid, stupid!!  And, I'm not even saying all pizza is bad, but be weary of what you're eating.  Homemade pizza is great and often quite healthy as you can consciously control what you put on there.  Even some restaurants won't create the same internal consequences, but I should have known better.  Best to always tread slowly to steer clear of the upset stomach monster that lurks behind poor food choices.


So, lesson of the night?  No more pizza from that restaurant.  Only homemade pizza or deep dish, and even then, eat slowly and with great caution.  Sorry stomach.  I'll make it up to you tomorrow.  

Black Swan

Yes, I finally jumped on the bandwagon.  Took me way longer than most people, but I finally saw "Black Swan".  Natalie Portman was completely perfect for the role, having an air of self-doubt about her anyways, the character she played completely came to life.  The other characters were brilliantly cast as well, although Winona Ryder's role was all that important, to be honest.  However, Mila Kunis was phenomenal, and I haven't really seen her in much other than "That 70's Show," which I feel is a great show with annoying acting.  

Part of why it took me so long to see this movie is because I am a huge scaredy-cat.  I have an imagination that just runs wild when it's given even less than an inch, so I knowingly stay away from most horror or seemingly creepy films.  I wanted to be sure I could watch it from the comfort of my home in case I needed to pause it for a moment.  However, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined or even heard.  The "scary" part was more that the director never let you catch your breath and re-center your stress.  I felt just as stressed out for Natalie from the beginning of the movie until the end.  Yes, there was one really creepy scene, but that was about it.  It was really just stressful.


At one point in the movie, though, after you'd been introduced to both the mother and the director, I was asked the question, "Who do you think is worse? The mom or the director?"  If you haven't seen the movie then you probably don't know what I mean when I say that I think the mother is worse.  You expect the director to be a little pretentious and expectant in what he thinks he can get away with, but the mom's incessant need to keep control over her daughter and guilt trip her into everything and treat her like she's twelve is supremely disturbing.  I would almost say it is the cause of some of the most stressful scenes in the movie.  


In all, though, I almost half expected the ending, which was unfortunate.  I realized early on that a lot of the exaggerated scenes were simply illusions stemming from a disturbance inside Natalie, so the ending did not fully surprise me.  It did, however, make my heart go out to Natalie's character because I genuinely felt bad for her.  So, if you haven't seen the movie, please do so, but make sure you're ready to handle the stress from it have have a quiet space you can go to afterwards to digest it all or talk it over with someone, because it will definitely make your wheels spin.  


Now, if I could just get away with wearing some of that show makeup...

Choose 5

I recently heard the following:  If you want to know where you're going in life, look at the top 5 people with whom you surround yourself.  They will tell you almost exactly where you are heading.


Now, you might read that and think, "Um, please.  I decide my own life, so who I surround myself with doesn't make a difference.  Friends are friends, not your life determiners."  However, I would encourage you to think about that rebuttal carefully.  Your friends say a lot about you.  Are your friends outgoing and enthusiastic about life?  If they are, then my best guess is so are you.  Do your friends complain a lot?  Are they generally pessimistic and "nit-picky"?  If they are, then I'll guess you are as well.  What about their jobs?  Are they 9-5 ers and loving life or do they constantly complain about their jobs?  Are the entrepreneurial or unemployed?  I'm not saying the last part determines your work status, because things ebb and flow with economies, but it's worth considering.  Like often attracts like.  You've heard the term, "Misery loves company," well so does enthusiasm and positivity, it's just not always as easy to find.  


So, if you decide you have dreams you want to follow and achieve, look at who you surround yourself with because dreamers who associate with hardworking dreamers will probably get what they are wanting.  Dreamers who associate with "all talk no action" dreamers, will probably always be dreaming, but they might not actually get what they want.  And you deserve to see your dreams become realities.  

Oldie but a Goodie

Remember when movies were a big deal?  Remember when famous people were talented and capable singers, dancers, and played the big screen?  If you do, congrats.  You're old. 

Just kidding.  Kind of.  Movies today have changed drastically since the days when they first started.  "Talkies" were revolutionary, but, honestly, how many people know what that is?  So, today, when I sat in on a chorus class watching "Singing in the Rain," my curiosity equalled my scepticism.  How were 5th and 6th graders going to react to a really old movie.  (At least, "really old" to someone who only has 10 years of Earthly experiences that revolve around Sponge Bob, Facebook, Twitter, and Justin Beiber). 

In case you don't know much about "Singing in the Rain", it is a movie produced in 1952 about the transition from silent films to "talkies", or films with sound.  Staring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds, this film already promised to be a smash when it came out and a classic for those still around to enjoy it today.  However and pathetically enough, the only thing I knew about it was that it was about some people dancing in rain and included a really famous guy in the cast.  Lame.  (And yes, I know.  I don't win the AMC award of the month).  Happily, though, I LOVED this movie and, although I only was privy to a small snippet of it, I definitely would love to see it in its entirety.

Best scenes?  "Make 'em Laugh" and the vocal coaching, at least from the very small preview I had.  Astoundingly, though, not only was I laughing and smiling and thoroughly enjoying myself, but the students laughed at the right times, pointed to the screen when they wanted to share a funny moment with their friend, and genuinely seemed interested.  And better yet, they received a free cinematic history lesson in the process! 

So, while "talkies" may be a novelty of the past, remembering the classics and what made them revolutionary at the time is essential to understanding the progression of cinema and how we arrived at their Pixar creations and action flicks of today.  And, if you haven't seen it, make a point of Netflix-ing it, or maybe even reviving your dead and buried VHS player from its basement crypt.  (Remember what a VHS is??  That scary thing that ate videos when the rewind button didn't work).  Either way, this movie is a must-see and will surprise you at how much it makes you laugh and enjoy yourself even in a world that barely resembles that of the past.

¡¡Cinco de Mayo!!

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo y un saludo a todos!  Por favor, recurede que hoy no tiene que ver con la independencia mexicana (independencia de españa en 1810) sino que la guerra los franceses.  Entonces, cuando bebe la margarita y está comiendo las enchiladas, tacos, y flan, ¡Haga un saludo a la cultura mexicana!  ¡Qué buen día!


ok...and for those of you who looked above and thought..."Oh shit.  What language is that?" I shall translate:

Basically, Happy Cinco de Mayo!  And just in case you didn't know, NO, this holiday is NOT about Mexico gaining independence from Spain...no, no, and double no.  This holiday has to do with celebrating mexican culture as it pertains to the Mexican's fight against the french and Napoleon, the then dictator of Mexico.  So, while drinking on margaritas and chowing down on some well deserved tacos and enchiladas, salute the mexican culture and their incredible ability to stand up for themselves every 100 years.  :-)  ¡Olé!

Animal Instincts in a Human World

My boyfriend and I recently started watching the BBC special, Life, which is absolutely amazing and I hands down recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially if he has it available on blu-ray. WOW!  I find facts and realities of wildlife culture and survival intriguings (and the visual aids of said explanations beautiful).  Animals have developed such brilliant and vital survival tricks that you almost can't help but be in awe and even a little jealous at their ability to adapt and evolve so perfectly.

Therefore, this morning, while on a business call for my Arbonne business, you can imagine my intrigue when I learned that the guest speaker would be discussing the book Survivng Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master your Business and Life by Stefan Swanepoel.  Its business application is not the only niche for the book and can be applied to various aspects of life including work, personal growth, and, dare I say, relationships.  Having not read the book myself, I will impart a quick overview as relayed to me by today's guest speaker, however I would highly recommend, having now heard the overview, reading the book in its entirety.

So, (*drum roll please*), the much anticipated 7-steps to success and survival:

1. Endurance -
• this is you continuing to move you forward even when your body might say no.  It's a matter of the brain's ability to convince you to keep moving even when your body might be pulling a Betty White twix commercial.
2. Strategy - 
• this includes organization, goal setting (who are you? what do you want? Where are you going? how will you get there? and what you'll do when you get there?)
3. Enterprise - 
• show initiative, go against or stand above the crowd. 
• do you have a strong desire for success and achievement, energy, creativity, and ambition? 
• are you passionate and do you understand your own weaknesses and strenghts?
• ...and no, it is not related to the car company...
4. Efficiency- 
• break down your goals into attainable steps.  
• don't waste time on unnecessary things!  Get your priorities in order!
5. Grace - 
• display dignity, honor, respect, finess, and seek to make others feel important.
• (Dear Grace Kelly...It's not fair.  You cheated.  My first name is not one of these seven steps.)
6. Risk Taker- 
• review your goals and the different routes to that destination.
• have courage to step into uncharted waters
• MUST have a POSITIVE attitude!
7. Communication- 
• receive feedback openly, hear what people want, match your gestures with what you're saying, and ensure your visual communication is effective

Again, these are life survival skills, not just business ones, but they are so incredibly vercitile that their applications span across different outlets.  Whether you own your own company or are involved in a corporation, are a stay-at-home parent or just want to work on personal growth for you and not for some outside reason, these lessons are applicable.  Hey, nature knows what it's doing.  Don't get muddled into the real-life distractions we've created for ourselves and become a passive participant in your own life.  If you want something, go get it.  You want something to change?  Make it happen.  These steps, though, are the "cliff notes" of how to help ensure your success so you don't feel so alone and lost along the way.  And who knows? Maybe I'll even pick up the book and read it here in the near future, but I'll definitely keep you posted if any of the other animal stories from Life have additional tips to add!

The President's Speech

Recently, Obama held the White House Correspondence Dinner.  His speech was covered by CSPAN and aired for the people to see.


Now, regardless of your position on Obama, for those who appreciate humor, this video is priceless.  I love that people can not only make fun of themselves to lighten the mood yet still address true issues at hand.  He even roasted Donald Trump for a bit, which, if you have been seriously out of the loop, is actually a potential GOP candidate.  Yikes.  But still, enjoy the video.  It should give you a good laugh.