Happy Holidays & a Brief Announcement

Hope you had a great Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate! Here's a quick video:


Happy New Year and go to the Tumblr: http://patsandora.tumblr.com

Kid Pilgrim and Indian Answer Questions About the First Thanksgiving

I'm a total sucker for kids being funny and since tomorrow is Turkey Day, I couldn't help but share this LOL-worthy clip from iVillage.com.

Did you know that they had a Care Bear cake at the first Thanksgiving? Me either! Watch and learn many more interesting facts as a kid pilgrim and Indian give details about the very first Thanksgiving.


I have to agree with Dena -- Beef Frank's is an establishment best visited for desserts only.

"I Want It!" Holiday Gift Guides

Every month one of my favorite bloggers and Internet buddies, Roberutsu of Some Kinda Blog, does a beautiful roundup of all of the items he's coveting at the moment called "I Want It!"

This time he's put together four visually appealing spreads of some great gift ideas for your friends, family and maybe even writers of blogs that you may be reading right now (Hint: Gimme that suede shoulder sweater!)

Check out the awesome "I Want It!" gift guides from Some Kinda Blog (click the image for pricing and purchase info):

"When choosing gifts we tend to consider two factors: form & function, and an object’s compatibility to its recipient. It’s a lot like matchmaking, which can be a tough job.

With just a month left until Christmas, I’m sure many of you have already begun browsing for gifts. But in case you ever feel stumped while shopping for that “friend with everything” I’ve prepared some guides to help inspire some ideas, matched with four modern social archetypes. Good luck and happy giving!"

Just in case you're wondering, I'd like everything in the "cool guy" pile. Kthx. Happy holidays!

Which items do you want? Leave a comment!

Roberutsu is a graphic designer, photographer and director from the Canadian Plains. Get more of his favorites on his blog or follow him on Twitter @Roberutsu

Happy Halloween! Get Spooked by these Festive Viral Videos

Happy Halloween, everyone! Although you probably got all of your tricks and treats out of your system over the weekend (aka you are hungover today!) there is still time to celebrate even if you're stuck in your cubicle on this Monday Halloween.

Check out some clever, cool and creative viral videos that have been floating around the Web that pay homage to all things spooky scary!

The Statue of Liberty Turns 125 Years Old

Believe it or not, I have lived in New York City for over six years now, but I have never been to the Liberty Island, or even Ellis Island, to see the Statue of Liberty.

Today Lady Liberty turns 125 years old (she doesn't look a day over 95!) and to celebrate, please fill your brain with some interesting factoids about the Statue of Liberty, her origins and what's coming up for her in the years to come.

I mean, I'm still not going to push through tourists to see her in person, but I'll settle from the far-off views of her from lower Manhattan.

Lots of more cool facts and info from Yahoo!'s creative video series Who Knew?

Ellen Sends Her Reporter Amy (and Her Mom!) to Another Haunted House

Last month I shared the video of Amy Rhodes -- who plays the roving reporter on The Ellen DeGeneres Show -- getting the living crap scared out of her in a haunted house. She screams at everything in sight, and even things that are out of sight, while telling the ghouls and goblins that they're "so rude" and to quit scaring her even though she "knows they're getting paid."

This year Ellen sent Amy back to another haunted house -- actually, a haunted cruise ship -- as part of her sponsorship with the deals site Groupon. But, Amy wasn't alone this time! She was joined by her also easily startled mother, Mary Kay. Watch their adventure now:

Happy Independence Day!

Sharing this photo of me from my roof in NYC watching the fireworks over the Hudson River a few moments ago.


Hope you all had a great Fourth of July and spent it well with your family and friends!

A Blog About Things Turns Seven Today!

It was seven years ago today that I posted the first, incredibly riveting entry on ABlogAboutThings.com, which is hard to believe looking back at the beginnings of the site.

The past year has been great for me and for my interaction with all of you. We now have a strong Facebook following (like us, duh!) and are on Twitter, too. There has also been a great interest in popular areas like the ANTM All-Star Cast, the loud SunChips bag controversy and a continued interesting for people looking to find out what former reality star Ally Hilfiger has been up to. Plus, we've formed great relationships with all of our contributing writers and with mix master DJ RuBot.

Thanks to everyone who reads A Blog About Things, comments on the posts, watches our YouTube videos and shares us on Facebook! Can't say how much love I have for you!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I have to give a big shout out to my mom today as she celebrates her birthday!


My mom is rad and has taught me to be fun, adventurous and care-free. Case in point; check out my gift to her for her 50th birthday -- sorry for calling you out, Mom . A bi-plane ride over the Outer Banks of North Carolina.


Happy birthday, Mom! Love you!

"What Is Flag Day?" and Other Flag-Related Facts

Did you know today is Flag Day in the USA? Well, it is.

I've always known that Flag Day rolled around every June 14, but that's probably because I'm from Pennsylvania, which is the only state to celebrate it has a state holiday. But if you're unfamiliar with this yearly nod to the Stars and Stripes here's your handy cheat sheet.


Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the Unite States flag, which happened on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, but it wasn't until 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day. And in 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress. Now you know!

The US flag has been through countless redesigns before arriving at the flag we see today. I mean, imagine having to think of new ways to keep adding stars for each new state in the Union? The Betsy Rosses of the past had to get crafty. While all of the US flags have had some version of the stars and stripes (see a historical timeline with images here) some variations were definitely more creative than others, like:

What the Hell Is Groundhog Day, Anyway?

In case you didn't know, today is Groundhog Day; A day in which a small rodent in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania dictates whether we'll have an early spring, or six more weeks of winter. This year Punxsutawney Phil (I'll get to him in a minute) did not see his shadow, meaning that spring should come early this year. Totally scientific!


Groundhog Day may seem completely insane to some people, but as a Pennsylvania native I take special interest once a year (for a couple of minutes, at least) as to whether or not Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not.

Here's the jist of Groundhog Day for those who are only familiar with the Bill Murray movie. Punxsutawney Phil is a very famous groundhog who lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 of each year, the town waits for Phil to emerge from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob (you still with me?). If Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he predicts six more weeks of winter. If Phil doesn't see his shadow, he will predict an early spring. It's as simple as that!

Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

Today is my best buddy and vlog partner Carolyn's birthday! She is really my tried and true homey, and to celebrate her turning another year older (I won't say how old for fear of beating) I've put together a post with some of our best vlogs.

We've done a ton of videos together, be these are the six that really make me laugh out loud!












You can view all of our videos on YouTube, and you should go visit her site Serendipity & Spark and leave her some birthday love!

Happy New Year! What Are Your Goals for 2011?

Last year I made a vlog talking about my goals for 2010. Not sure if it's because I actually documented my resolutions, but I pretty much accomplished all of them, which is a great feeling. So, I guess I'm starting a new tradition because I've made another video for 2011. Check it out.


What are your goals for 2011? What do you hope to accomplish in th enew year? Leave a comment!

Happy Holidays from A Blog About Things

In an attempt to fully enjoy the holidays we'll be taking some down time for the next week or so. There will be a few updates here and there, but for the most part posting will be light until January.

In the meantime, I have to say thank you so much to everyone who reads this site and comments and shares their feedback. I can't even begin to say how much I appreciate it and how it pushes me to continue to find fun and interesting content to share with you.

I hope all who reads this has a wonderful holiday and rings in 2011 with a bang!

-Pat

See Ya, 2010! Jib Jab's Year in Review

As is evident by my recent string of "best of" posts, I am a sucker for all things summarizing the year that was. This year in review comes from Jib Jab and a lovely duet from puppetized versions of President Obama and VP Joe Biden.

After a grueling year of Wikileaks and oil spills, join the Oval Officers in kicking off 2011 by kicking 2010 out the door!

50 Christmas Movie Spoilers In 3 Minutes

Christmas is just a few days away, so there is only a short amount of time left to enjoy all of those holiday movies on TV. If you're too busy to catch up on the classics just watch this roundup by The Fine Brothers who summarize every Christmas movie out there in three minutes.

Bravo-lebrities Share Their New Year's Resolutions

In preparation for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live New Year's Eve Special on Bravo the ever-present host got some of the network's most notable stars (and a few special guests) to share their resolutions for 2011.

Check out what everyone from Sheree of The Real Housewives of Atlanta to Lance Bass and Anderson Cooper hope to resolve in the new year.

Vlog Challenge #8: Holidays

Before Carolyn moves back to North Carolina (I know!) we decided to film a couple more Vlog Challenges for your enjoyment.

Check out Carolyn and I with special guest players Morgann and Billy doing our best to eliminate our competitors.


There are a lot of holidays, y'all. You can view all of our Vlog Challenges here.

Santa Claus Is 2010's Trendiest Man

Photo by Getty Images/iVillage
This past weekend was Santacon 2010 in New York City, and never has Mr. Claus been more in style. From his facial and man makeup to faux fur and rugged footwear Santa hit all of 2010's trends for men.

Check out the full story I wrote for iVillage: The Most Stylish Man of 2010? Santa Claus!

A Very Ru-Mix Christmas

The holidays are here, and so is a killer collection of pop Christmas classics to get your bells a' jingling!

I know it may sound weird, a Hindu guy making an Xmas mix, especially since I don't really participate in the "American" tradition of celebrating the holidays but if there's anything abut Xmas that gets me excited it's the music. Perhaps it's due to what seems like hundreds of Christmas concerts I endured in my high school show choir but there's nothing like holiday music to lift your spirits. So, here we have a mix that encompasses all your favorite artists and and quite the range as well. After all sad Xmas songs may be the best of the genre. Download A Very Ru-Mix Christmas here

If you're digging all of The Ru-Mixes so far keep checking the blog or join the Facebook group!