It's the Most Wonderful Time... of the Semester....

I'm being sarcastic.  Things are piling up all around me!  Books to read, papers to write, novel excerpts due to professor, editing assignments due to other writers.... things are pretty hairy here at The Nan Stop.  So, I gave Gordon and Tinger the week off.  Gordon is visiting his grandparents in Rhode Island, and stopping by a farm to see if he can get some eggs to freshen up his face.  Tinger is at an unknown location, because we are under a security alert at this time.  Why you ask?  Because apparently, in the wake of Tinger's fame, several restaurants have been offering foods where the main ingredient is...TINGA.  Ahh!!  Look at this investigative photo sent to me from one of my best readers, Cindy.

Do you see this?!  Spicy Tinga Quesadilla!! What kind of sick person eats a Tinger?  I don't know.  But quite frankly, Gordon, Tinger and I don't want to find out.  So until this whole situation clears up, Tinger's gonna be out of the picture for a bit.  Yes, she's aware she owes a Dedicated Post to Alyx Voytilla for her Contest-winning photo, and Tinger promises to deliver!!  

Oh, if you're wondering why the Tinga Quesadilla photo is a little hazy, it's because Faithful Reader Cindy has been doing all of her investigation under-cover.  Of course, we wouldn't want her to get all mixed up in this!  Next thing you know, Wendy's will come out with the Asian Chicken and Cindy Salad. Noo!!  So here are some of the disguises Cindy wears when she heads out to dig up the dirt on this new Tinga craze. (Don't worry.  I'm not blowing her cover.  She would NEVER repeat a disguise. That's a rookie investigator mistake if she's ever heard one!)

Here she is hiding in someone's garden.  Apparently they were throwing their child a birthday party and possibly serving some kind of Tinga Pizza. 

Here's another at a Pro Basketball Game.  Cindy is quite athletic, so she tried out for the team just so she could follow a tip regarding Chicken Tingas and Fried Tinga Wings they serve at the post-game team parties.  

And finally, here she is in Paris.  Yes.  CIndy went all the way to Paris.  And grew a mustache.  And bought a monocle. That she wears on top of her glasses. Evidently, if there is a new food craze, the Parisians want in on it.  Cindy's got the low-down.... and due to her efforts, we are closer and closer to ensuring Tinger's safety!! Tinger is so grateful to her!  What a loyal and loving best friend! :)

I'll leave you now, knowing that I probably won't get a chance to write again for a week or so.  But please email me or send along comments to let me know how you're doing!  And thank you to everyone who sent concerned "What's going on with the Nan Stop?" emails and posts.  We like to know you care.  :)  xoxo

-NL

OH DAMN! YOU SO SPOOGLY!!

Dear Readers,

It.... is....now TIME..... 

to reveal....

the First Ever WINNER....

of Tinger's Halloween Spoogly Face Contest!!!
WHOO!!

This contestant squeaked through a vicious three-way tie with a single vote (that was ironically cast by another contestant in the three-way tie!!)  Before I announce the winner, I would like to thank the 6 contestants who so bravely let me plaster their contorted faces on my blog!!  The two Sarahs, Alyx, Aaron, Cyrus, and Kevin... you are the best!!  

And also... a special shout out to everyone who voted!!  

Here are some random photos of the voters....to help build up  some suspense for our announcement....

Here I am with my sister, Eunia.  She voted for Aaron...

Below, a photo of voter Sara W.... 

who selected Sarah A's photo for spoogliest!

And here is my brother-in-law, Han.... 

..... who voted for our WINNER..... drumroll please.....

AND THE WINNER OF TINGER'S 2010 HALLOWEEN CONTEST IS.....

Contestant # 2....

ALYX!!!  

ALYX!!!

ALYX!!

Congratulations, Alyx!!  The voting democracy chose you!!  Within the next week, The Nan Stop will give you your very own dedicated post, along with an autographed photo of Tinger, which you will receive via postal mail!  Thanks again to everyone.... and with this image of Alyx in your minds.... I bid you all an evening full of frightening dreams and a Happy Halloween!!

-NL

Announcement Day Becomes Announcement Night!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Tinger's Halloween Contest is in a Deadlocked Tie! (It's been very exciting getting your votes... three different people have been ahead and then behind, ahead and then behind....)  So voting will be extended to 10pm tonight to find an enduring winner!  Please remember to send your votes to my GMAIL address, Eunia.  I mean, everyone.  :)  And then, I shall do our final tally and announce the winner approximately 10 minutes before my bedtime tonight!  Feel free to remind others to vote... as Tinger and I have pestered quite a few people in the making of this contest.

In the meantime, for those of you who have already voted, here is something to help pass the time! Click on the link provided to enjoy this Halloween episode of my favorite show... THE OFFICE! 
Below you'll see Andy as everyone's favorite blood-thirsty heartthrob, Bill Compton. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!  

-NL

VOTERS Beware! It's About to Get Real Spoogly!

Good morning, and welcome to the Official Spoogly Photo Posting!! Here, I will be posting the 6 entries for Tinger's Halloween Contest!  (I'd just like to say, I've really enjoyed getting these sporadically in my email while walking to class or ordering a sandwich at Amer's.  They were like scary little "hellos" from some of my favorite people!)

I shall now post a "Before" and "After" photo of each contestant... This is because, you are not only voting on their overall spoogliness, but also, the degree of their transformation.

VOTING: After you take some time to review each set of photos, please cast your votes by sending them to me via email by NOON on Sunday, October 31st. (Please do not post votes directly to this blog, as we don't want your opinion to influence others!)  I'll be happy to post any of your emailed comments when I announce the winner on Halloween!  And remember folks, spoogly = SPOOKY + UGLY.
Remember contestants if you vote... you cannot vote for yourself!  This will help reveal a TRUE and unbiased winner!


Contestant #1: Sarah M
Here is Sarah "before"... looking lovely at her brother's wedding:

And now, Sarah "After:"

Contestant #2: Alyx 

Alyx before, here with her husband:

And Alyx "After:"

Contestant #3: Aaron

Aaron before, as a groomsmen in his best friend's wedding:

And Aaron "After:"

Contestant #4: Sarah A

Here is Sarah before, peacefully enjoying a beautiful evening:

And Sarah "After:"

Contestant #5: Cyrus

Here is a before photo of Cyrus's long lustrous hair:

And Cyrus "After:"

(He claims this is a spoogly haircut.  

Cyrus has always had a bit of a postmodern interpretation of life, so I will accept this entry.)

And last, but certainly not least, 

Contestant #6: Kevin

Kevin before, being outdoorsy:

And Kevin "After:"

(No, Kevin didn't spring up two heads for this photo.  

That's Sarah again... but please direct your attention only to Kevin... 

as Sarah is looking a little too cute + happy in this photo.)

All right voters.... on your mark, get set... REVIEW AND VOTE!

-NL

Counter-Balancing Act

Hello Readers!
First off, I'm deeply enjoying the few contest entries I've received thus far.  Whenever I need a good laugh, I just go to my iPhone, locate your emails, and then *click* to open photos of some of my loveliest friends in their spoogliest form!  That being said, there has been a lot of spoogliness on The Nan Stop these days, so I thought I'd counter-balance it while staying in the mode of Halloween.  Here are some more of Tinger's Halloween costumes, made from her new Tinger Puppets set!  (Thank you again and again, Matt and Jenny!)

Animal Print is big these days.  Tinger just goes with Animal.

Lion in the wild.

Michigan Wolverine with Panda Friend.  (Tinger Couture Collection 2010)

Remember folks, contest entries must be received by MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!  (And yes, to answer a reader question, it is fine to use the special Macbook effects with your photos.  The only rule is that you can't cover your face with a mask!)  If you want to review the contest details, please click here to be redirected to Tinger's original contest announcement.  

Tinger, Gordon and I are excited to create tomorrow's post -- where the submitted photos will be revealed!!  So get to your cameras and spoogly it up!   

Happy Wednesdays!

-NL

Tinger's Corner: HALLOWEEN CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

With Halloween right around the corner.... it's my pleasure to announce Tinger and Gordon's SPOOGLY FACE CONTEST!  (Spoogly = Spooky + Ugly.)  The concept is simple and all you need is a camera to participate!

PARTICIPANT CONTEST RULES:
1. Get out your camera and take the spoogliest picture of yourself possible.
2. Your face must be visible in your photo.  (Scary make-up or props are okay, but no face-obscuring masks!)
3. All participants are allowed only ONE entry.  Go ahead and take a few... but you must pick your favorite for the contest!
4. Email your entry to my GMAIL account by midnight on Wednesday, October 27th.
5. On Thursday, October 28th, I will post all the entries to my blog.  Everyone will be asked to review the photos and vote on the SPOOGLIEST ONE!
6. Anyone can vote in this contest, but in order to submit an entry.... you must be a Faithful Reader of The Nan Stop.  (See the folks in the right hand column.... those 21 people are, so far, our potential participants.)  If you're not yet a Faithful Reader, please sign up by clicking the Google Icon!  It's easy, and I promise you won't get any junk mail from Blogspot!

Of course, as the Managing Editor of The Nan Stop.... it would not be ethical for me to enter Tinger and Gordon's contest, but they have asked me to post some examples of Spoogliness.  Please see below:

I highly recommend taking your spoogly self-portrait right when you wake up in the morning. It adds an element of "yucky" to the "spooky + ugly" equation.

VOTING RULES:

1. As I said above, anyone is free to vote.  BUT... you can only vote once and... you CANNOT vote for yourself! 

2. Votes must be submitted to my GMAIL ACCOUNT by midnight, on Saturday, October 30th.  

3. Please do not post your vote in the comments section of the blog, as it may influence other voters!  I will be happy to post any of your emailed comments when I announce the winner!

4. The winner will be announced on Halloween Morning!

As with Tinger's last contest, the winner will receive a prize in the mail, as well as dedicated post....all about them!  

(Yes Dana Holcman, you are still encouraged to participate!!  If the voter democracy chooses you, I will modify the grand prize!)

So have fun, be creative, and remember.... for several of you, this will be your debut on The Nan Stop!  Let's take this opportunity to leave a lasting impression!   

And to set a spooky Halloween tone, I would like to share something from the Halloween USA store.  Meet Heggis and his crew of zombie babies.

And look what Heggis can do when his motion-detecting spirit is awoken!

That's right.... possessed head-spinning.

Full revolution....

Below: Heggis, Smirge, Dromedon, Beelzebaby, and Frank.

Happy Days Leading up to Halloween!

-NL

Monster Loves Presents!! Growl!!

The title of this blog is a reference to a gift my sister once gave me: a little pad of paper with a funny gremlin on it that said, "Monster Loves Presents."  Because, boy, oh, boy... I do!  I always have, ever since I was a wee child.  So yesterday, after coming home from a very very very long and tedious day of editing the first chapters of my novel, I went to check my mail.  (Ever since I made all my bills "paperless".... I love checking the mail.  Crate and Barrel catalogs.... The Ann Arbor Coupon Clipper.... cards from friends... love it all!)  So anyway, there was a little key in my mailbox yesterday, which indicates that I had a package locked in one of the bigger lockboxes.  Nice!!

To my delight.... it appears.... that Tinger has gotten her first piece of fan mail!!!  Oh my gosh.  Tinger was beside herself yesterday. Although we didn't open the package right at the mailbox, it appeared the packaging got a little torn in transit... so we peaked inside and took our first glimpses of an ingenious Halloween-themed Fan Gift for Tinger. I could barely get back to my apartment to open the package because Tinger was experiencing waves of excitement, flattery, and teariness that manifested into a moderate foot cramp.  "C'mon Tinger, get yourself together...Let's check this out!"

So here it is.... Tinger's first Fan mail.  ALL the way from Beautiful D.C.!!!  From none other than two of her biggest fans... Jenny Sullivan and Matt Seiler.... the newly married, smokin' hot super-couple who hail from our nation's capital!

TINGER PUPPETS.  Seriously?  I have no idea what I could possibly give Tinger that would be better than this!!  Look at all the little colorful Tinger Sweaters!  Equipped with googley eyes, buttons, pipe cleaners and felt in various colors.... along with a guide filled with hilarious ideas... this gift is the schizz!!  I won't lie.  I laughed so hard when I saw this... but then the laughter kind of folded into teariness.  Because if you think about this in a concrete way.... my friends sent an awesome, thoughtful and hilarious gift.... to my toe.  Chokes me up when I think about it.  :)   I'm gonna guess not everyone has friends like these.   Thank you Sullivan/Seilers.  Tinger love love loves this present.  And I love the creativity, humor, and thoughtfulness behind it.  xoxo

Other presents I've gotten recently.... yes.... from THE DENTIST!  Now let's take a look at the "Welcome Bag" I got after my check-up the other day....

Pretty fancy, right?  What was inside, you ask?  

Legit free stuff!!  Mug, magnet, mints, and a really nice pen that I've adopted into daily use.  But even better that this bag of swag, is the gift I picked up from Dr. Shariff yesterday.... my awesome new soft bite guard!!  He even let me keep the impression that he made of my teeth!  (Here, you'll find a Halloween-themed photo show of my new dental gifts:

This last series I call, "Disembodied Maxilla from your Nightmares."

And in the mode of Halloween.... I think I scared my new dentist.... (A sweet Middle Eastern man, about 5'6'' tall, with perfect English spoken in a charming accent.)

"Dr. Shariff.  This is great. It fits perfectly."
"Good."
"Hey, what are you going to do with that mold you made of my teeth?"
"Well, we have two.  One we put in your file.  The other we use to store the bite guard so it keeps its shape."
"Oh.  So what are you going to do with that second one now that I've picked up my guard?"
"They are considered part of your personal medical information, so we destroy it and dispose of it."
"Oh. That's a shame. Can I keep it?"
"What?"
"Can I keep it?"
"I don't see why not.  Do you mind me asking why you want it?"
"Halloween decoration."
"Okay.  You're all set Ms. Lee.  See you again in January for your crown appointment."
"Thank you!!  Nice...."

Happy Friday, Y'all!
-NL

Tinger's Corner: Meet Bookworm... and Grand Prize Revealed!

And.... hello!  Tinger here, with the latest installment of "Tinger's Corner: Perspective from Down Below by a Finger-Length Toe."

You may already know today's featured guest.... but if not, I'd like to introduce you to Bookworm.  

He is the keeper of the Letter Tile Library in a highly recommended iPhone App, also named Bookworm!  It's basically a word game that combines the general ideas behind Tetris and Boggle... and results in hours of fun!   All you have to do is find words within a screen full of letter tiles.  Touch the words, and the letters clear away.... giving you points based on word-length and letter difficulty... and allowing new letters to drop onto the screen.  If you identify an amazing word, you'll get special bonus tiles... (see the green, yellow, and blue-gem tiles below).  These tiles increase the point value of any word you make with them.  (The last time I got the coveted blue-gem tile was for the word Pedagogical.  It was riveting!!)  And every once in a while, Bookworm will give you the definition for a word that you've made.... so you can beef up your vocab while you play!  

Why are some of the tiles on fire, you ask?  Those are the much feared Danger Tiles.  If you allow them to get all the way to the bottom of the screen without putting them into a word.... they will set the whole letter-library on fire!!  And your game will be over!  

My only gripe about this game is that it doesn't accept some words that are CLEARLY words.  Such as:

1. Dork  (If there's no such thing as a dork, then why did I suffer so much through high school?)

2. Skeeze ("Did you see that guy staring at your butt?  What a skeeze.")

3. And finally... Jewy ("Nania's friends Stefanie Spiegel and Lauren Silver love tchotchkes, dreidels, and bagels with lots of smear. They are so Jewy.)   My apologies if this offends any of our Jewish Readers, but I'm fairly certain Stef and Lauren would be proud to be included in this sentence.

Although these egregious oversights are quite bothersome, Bookworm makes it up to us by accepting the following words:

1. Fug ("Look at what that girl is wearing.  It's totally fug.")

2. And... Nan ("I love being a staff writer at The Nan Stop.")

So if you play Bookworm, or decide to purchase it... please feel free to share your successes with us!  Snap a picture of an amazing word you've highlighted right before submitting it... or of a high score.... and we will post it in an upcoming installment of Tinger's Corner!  

I'd like to conclude this entry by revealing the prize that Dana Holcman received for winning our first Tinger's Corner contest! In addition to her personalized post, she also received an autographed photo of me, entitled, "Oops, I Did It Again!"  As you can see, I also included my one-of-a-kind blue "T" hat.  Here is a photo of the prize clipped to Dana's refrigerator....(next to her UofM football tickets!)

That's all for today!  Enjoy your Thursdays, and thanks for reading!  - Tinger

Fall Into October With Dana!

Ladies and Gentle-readers, It is my pleasure to introduce you to the WINNER of our very first Tinger's Corner Contest!!  Dana Holcman!!  Dana... this is your post!

Here are two photos of Dana with her big brother, Brad.  One, from childhood, and the other, from when they are all grown!! 

 

As you can see, they are loving and loyally devoted siblings and have been all their lives.  

Also, they are Michigan graduates and remain big fans!  Go Blue!!

Dana and I met and became good friends during our days at Walled Lake Western High School, where we both actively participated in Student Council.  Dana was also a member of Ski Club and was on the Tennis Team.  Here, I shall recall a conversation I once had with Dana about playing Tennis:

Nania: Hey, Dana.  You're good at tennis, right?

Dana: Well, I mean. I'm okay.

Nania: Cool.  I really want to learn tennis.  Will you play with me some time?

Dana: No.

Nania: What? 

Dana:  No.  

Nania: Oh.  Why not?

Dana: Because I like to actually play.  When you play with someone who doesn't know what they are doing, you don't actually get to play.  It's boring. 

Nania: Oh. Well, I thought you just said you're only "okay" at tennis.

Dana: I was just being modest.

Nania: Oh.  Okay.  See you in Calculus.

Dana: Cool. See ya. 

Dana, you may not recall this conversation, but it is quite possibly one of my favorite high school interactions, and I laugh quite a bit whenever I think back on it. My readers who don't know Dana may be thinking, "Oh.  This Dana girl is kind of mean!"  You couldn't be more wrong!  She is actually exceedingly nice, good-humored, universally well-liked by everyone who meets her... just straight-forward.  This is one of my favorite things about Dana... she is refreshingly honest, goes directly from point A to point B, and you always know where you stand with her.  I mean, if Dana hadn't just come out and said, "I don't play tennis with beginners," she and I would likely have gone through a series of awkward phone conversations and hallway interactions where I persistently asked her about playing tennis together and she persistently changed the subject.  

And if we ever did end up playing, Dana would have likely stood there patiently as I ran to and fro without being able to return a single serve, dodged tennis balls, and then tired-out after 20 minutes.

Instead, we were able to devote that time to doing things we both enjoyed.  Like eating delicious food, doing stuff for student council, and calling each other names. 

Nania Lee-Head Pee-Head, is one of my favorites. 

Dana currently lives in Chicago, IL, and works at a.... job.  I would tell you what she does, but despite the fact that she dedicated a good amount of time explaining it to me in clearly and with visual aids (I'm not kidding), I'm still not exactly sure what it is.  It's very fancy, businessy, and I guarantee she is excellent at it.  She also enjoys playing on an intramural kickball team called, "Kicki-Longstocking."  Her former team name was "Greenorrhea." Hahhah. Personally, I like the former better.

Here are some more pics of Dana:

Having a Good Ski.

Enjoying Las Vegas with Toni Braxton.

Getting Called Out for a Knock-Off Purchase.

And of course, here with Doogie Howser.

Now, I would like to introduce everybody's favorite Maltese Poodle Mix.... ROOKIE!!  Whoo!!! This is Dana's dog.  I would go on and on about how adorable and hilarious he is, but I shall let the photos speak for themselves. 

DOGGIE SPECS: ARF!

Full Name: Rookie Holcman

Date of Birth: December 12, 2004

Age: 5, soon to be 6. 

Place of Birth: Long Beach, CA.  As you can see, he has Long Beach in his blood -- as he is very chill and summer-loving. 

Oh, Rookie is also cleans up nicely.  (Notice the round-headed grooming that Dana has selected for him.) When he is not out enjoying the cool breeze of an afternoon car ride, he is quite chic and sophisticated:

Rookie's Hobbies: Eating Dingo Rawhides, playing fetch, hanging out with his doggie friends, and also playing with his favorite Monkey, Meshugeneh. (Sound that out.  Ma-shoog-in-uh!  Ha.) In the photo below, Dana seems to be under the impression that Rookie is "playing" with his friends.  Clearly, she walked in on some sort of Doggie Council Meeting and they are just trying to play it off.

I can basically guarantee you that the little dog up front is sitting on a note pad of some kind. 

Finally, here is Rookie's Senior Picture.  Senior from what?  I'm not sure:

Hail to the Victors, Rookie!!

I shall end this post with some very pressing interview questions that I posed to Dana via email.  That way, she will get to end this entry in her own words!  

(So as for me, I'd just like to once again thank Dana and all of the kind participants for entering this first Tinger's Corner Contest!  There will certainly be more contests to come!  Happy Friday!)

1. Dana, what is your favorite Television Show? This is tough. I love TV. When I was younger, Saved By The Bell. College years-Dawsons Creek. Now-Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, So You Think You Can Dance.

2. What is the most delicious meal you've eaten recently?: Actually last week when my Dad was here. We went to Mercadito-wonderful tacos and guacamole. Then the next night had an amazing 9 course dinner at Sunda. We particularly enjoyed their crispy cauliflower side dish and crispy brussel sprout salad. 

3: Would you rather have a bellybutton that dispenses ketchup or a nostril that could sharpen pencils? Easy-bellybutton dispensing ketchup. Who uses pencils these days? Plus, I have chicken scratch handwriting so they'd be of no use to me. :)

4. Since this is a writerly blog, please tell me....what is/are your favorite book/books? The Bible. Just Kidding! Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, Eloise by Kay Thompson & Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and right now I'm reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein which I'm loving so far.

5.  When you were 10 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? I believe it was a bus driver - no joke.

6. Finally, anything else that you would like the Nan Stoppers to know about you? I feel blessed to have such great friends and family in my life and can't wait to be an aunt in January. Oh! And, my birthday is April 27- gifts are welcome.

-NL