Gone but Not Forgotten!

A sad tragic thing happened in the McGurgan household today.

I broke my favorite coffee mug! Only a true coffee person gets what a sad thing this is! I don't drink alcohol so coffee is the closest thing I have to a drug in my life!

Goodbye Sweet Friend...

I'm a Wild Thing... Are You?

I had very bad news today. Maurice Sendak, the author of Where the Wild Things Are passed away. As one of my favorite books as a kid I feel like one of my first mentors has passed away. I love great children's books. I kept all of mine from childhood and I still read them when I go back home. Great books like Where the Wild Things Are allow children to open their minds to magical places and imagine places where we can all be kings of the monsters! The darkness in Sendak's book is to be commended because it allows kids to explore the dark side of human nature and doesn't sugar coat. It's rare to find a kids book that is as layered as Wild Things.

I am a Wild Thing. Are you? I would like to thank Maurice for writing a wonderful book that I still enjoy introducing to kids these days through theatre. It is a wonderful children's theatre piece if you are considering it for your next season. All children LOVE it!

So, like Max I gnash my teeth and with roar declare, "LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!"
We need to dance and celebrate more in our daily lives. We need to have more fun and not worry so much. Sometimes we all just need a good rumpus.

Or we're going to become bitches and "Eat you UP!" as Maurice would say...

RIP Maurice...

What's your favorite children's book?

5 Things That Defined Growing Up McGurgan

I love my family. My mother was an incredible woman with amazing strength, patience and love to be able to raise three girls the way she did under the odds she did. My Mom is tough and made me like and respect being the presence of strong women. Growing up in the McGurgan house is something I look back fondly to. I was never lonely as a child because I always had my sisters around. I never felt unloved by my mom and therefore never felt that desire to rage against the machine as so many teenagers like to do so. We are not your typical Southern American home by any standards. Not a single one of us played soccer (the closest we got to sports in our house was my little sister doing competitive gymnastics and my older sister being a JV cheerleader. I never even got close to anything competitive other than public speaking and debate. I'm probably one of the least coordinated, least sports enthused people in the universe! Our house was a place of art and international culture. And in a tiny town like Griffin: it made growing up McGurgan a pretty unique thing.

The 5 worst things I ever ate!

 SCARY FOODS AHEAD!

I am a wanderer and foodie. Put me in a new place and I'll try anything! I have a nut allergy which prevents me from something but NOT others! Through my adventures in food I have discovered some amazing things. Oyster omelets in Taiwan, Pickled Radishes in Korea, Blood Pudding, Sweet Breads at a french resteraunt, escargot, kangaroo, Crocodile (Although these things are gross sounding they don't taste so bad.)

1. Betel Nut- Taiwan
Spotted in a street cart during last year's chinese new year. Juno and I happened upon these. Seeing they were popular with the locals we each got one. HORRIBLE! It tastes like the inside of cigarette and grass. We later found out Betel nuts were precursors to cigarettes in Taiwan, are highly addictive like tobacco, can ruin your teeth and gums and are illegal in some countries. I can see WHY!

What betel nuts can do to you teeth! EW!

Betel Nuts! RUN!