Yo, Let's Sumo

I'm usually up for anything that will lead to laughter - even if that laughter is at my expense. I get all sorts of wacky ideas but, fortunately for those around me, I'm generally too busy/tired/lazy to bring them to fruition. Last year, I suggested to Luisa and our friends, Kris and Kristen, that we host a Sumo Wrestling Night to raise money for the kids' school. I said something like, "Hey! Let's rent sumo suits and drink cocktails and wrestle and it will be amazing and funny!" And they all responded with something like, "Oh my god! That is a great idea!" because they all recognized a good wacky idea...or were thankful that there finally was a good wacky idea since they probably still remember the time I suggested we build a hay bale maze in the back  yard.

So, we put the event up for auction and got quite a few people to sign up though many of them were unable to attend. Last Saturday was the big night for our small group. We had cocktails, sake and Sapporo to go with lots of sushi. We had sumo suits and Japanese rap music (Yes, I am cheating on Nicki Minaj with a Japanese rapper named Hime). We even had brackets! Every tournament needs those, right?

Each match consisted of three rounds. I can now tell you from experience that three rounds is a lot of rounds when you are wearing a sumo suit. The more you move around the more tired you get. Luisa served as our referee.

The final standings were:

Third Place: Me

Second Place: Kris (one of the co-hosts)

First Place: AMIE!

I was pleased with my showing, especially after my horrible performance during the Christmas eve leg wrestling matches.

Here is a video for one of my three rounds with Kristen (who kicked my ass in leg wrestling). As you can see, I redeemed myself (I'm in blue):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5IReTRwvB4

Sumo wrestling is hilarious and fun but sumo dancing? Awesome. Thanks to Cathy for letting me post the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbO3x9n4SJM

And...if you need any recommendations on Japanese rap, I am your woman.

A Recap of 2011 through Hashtags

One of the things I love about twitter is hashtags. According to the Twitter Help Center, hashtags are:

The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.

Hashtags are more than that though. They add to a tweet. They can set a tone for the tweet and/or make it funnier. Sometimes, hashtags are the best part of tweets. I looked through the hashtags saved in my phone today and realized that they very cryptically summarize the past year of my life.

Enjoy the highlights!

#adventuprising2011

#bloodsports

#bossypants

#butiloveher

#dumbmom

#extremecocktailing

#firtworldproblems

#firstworldlezhairprobs

#fleecycleavage

#gaysharks

#GLBT

#goodjudgmentorPMS

#hot

#hummuslove

#ifirantheworld

#iam12

#imadethatmistakeonce

#iwillnotquittoday

#iWILLquitthisyear

#killingmesoftly

#lemonscone

#lesbiansexkitten

#longstory

#lowerexpectations

#lowerthebar

#mailorderbridesforlezzies

#mentalstatusexam

#mixedmetaphors

#moreoverskeeball

#parentingfonts

#physicaldecline

#sad

#sarcasm

#sexy

#shakingeverythingfromthehoodtodubai

#signsyouhavegivenup

#skeefight

#sorryaboutyourinternet

#sorryaboutyourvagina

#sowrong

#speedstickbaby

#spoonfightclub

#spooning

#spoonsisters

#textswithnocontext

#theglamorouslife

#themoreyouknow

#thingsineverthoughtiwouldsay

#tinman

#truelove

#twitterconfessional

#unitedagainstmuppets

#vodkafingers

#walksonwater

#whenbutchesbraid

#wineisaproteinbecauseisayso

#wordsneverutteredbefore

#youwishyougotmytexts

And my phone doesn't even save all of them. I can only imagine what gems have faded into the ether.

I can't wait to see what hashtags 2012 will bring!

Holiday Cheer

Home for the Holidays starring Holly Hunter is one of my favorite holiday movies. Why? Well, did you not catch that it stars Holly Hunter?! More than that, however, I believe the movie perfectly captures the way love and pain are often woven together in families. I also really love What's Cooking? but that's only because Kyra Sedgewick and Julianna Margulies play lesbians and I like to imagine the hotness of the two of them gettin' it on. Hey - I never claimed to be some sort of deep thinking movie critic.

My own holiday stories often include that love and pain I was talking about but a surprising lack of Holly Hunter and very little gettin' it on.

Today, on Aiming Low, I wrote about one of our worst Christmases ever and - trust me - there were others.

So, check out the post here: Home for the Holidays? No But YOU Tell Your Mom