The Night (I thought) a Murderer Came to My Door

It's 3:15 a.m. and you're sound asleep in bed until your doorbell suddenly starts ringing on repeat. Like literally ding ding ding over and over and over. What do you do? If you're me, you freak the hell out. And that's exactly what happened during the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.

Earlier in the evening on Saturday I went to a show at Second City and then headed right home after because I was craving peppermint ice-cream and a night on the couch with a little Christmas Vacation. Chris was out with some friends watching Ariada play a concert up north at a bar called Schubas. I fell into a blissful ice-cream and space heater induced sleep around 1:30 a.m. and he still wasn't back yet. I'm pretty sure I was in my third cycle of REM sleep when Chris finally got home around 2:45 a.m.

It was right around 3:15 a.m. when our doorbell rang. Naturally, I sat right up and thought I was dreaming. But then it rang again and again and it didn't stop ringing. I immediately bolted out of bed and set our alarm. I usually have it set every night but I didn't Saturday evening because I knew Chris was coming home, and after he's had a few libations he occasionally forgets to enter the code after he opens the door and then the police show up. If you ever want to scare the shit out of someone ring their doorbell in the middle of the night. For whatever reason I was absolutely terrified. If Chris would have still been out I would have called the police in a heartbeat. But since he was home and every girl knows boys are the ones responsible for checking out things that go boom in the night, I insisted he answer the door- or at least check it out. In hindsight if this ever happens again to us I should probably call the police because it's actually pretty scary. Especially considering Chicago is officially the murder capital of the country. In the short amount of time we've lived here we've been robbed once, have been at home while our neighbors above us were robbed, and came home one evening to a college party gone wrong at the house across the street where someone was just stabbed and killed... And we live in Lincoln Park, which is like the safest neighborhood in the city. All that being said you're probably going to think I'm crazy in saying I still feel oddly safe here... I mean except for when my doorbell rings on repeat at 3 a.m.

Anyway, Chris was a little... out of it and it took him a while to understand what was going on why I was jumping around the room like a crazed chimpanzee telling him there was a murderer at the door. For reasons I can't understand he insisted on putting on jeans, a shirt, A BELT, and even his shoes before he answered the door. Count on Chris to want to be properly dressed no matter the situation.

Long story short, or perhaps this is more of a short story long, when Chris opened the door he found a hammered college guy staring at him stupidly. The guy took one look at Chris and said, "Whoops, this must not be my house," and he stumbled on his merry way. And that's pretty much the story of the night I thought I was going to get murdered.

And now for a plethora of totally unrelated photos from that story, but instead are from Saturday when Chris and I went to Chicago's newest gourmet experience, Eataly. Words can't describe how amazing this place is, hopefully photos can.

Happy Monday friends, be safe and don't let drunk college kids into your house in the middle of the night.

And PS don't forget about the holiday link-up Helene and I will be hosting on Tuesday. What makes you a kid at Christmas time?

With Love, Rachel

Introducing Rachel from With Love, Rachel.

1. Give us a little intro about your blog.

Hi there! I'm Rachel, the blogger behind With Love, Rachel. I am a Southern California girl  through and through, which means you'll likely find me in flip flops year around (unless it gets below 60 degrees, because that is cold, yo!) I'm an adjunct professor of writing at a university in Southern California, but don't worry; I'm not as serious or boring as my job makes me sound. When I'm not teaching, I'm experimenting with healthy recipes or traveling the world, and you can find a whole lot of that on my blog.

2. What are two posts you've written recently you really like and why?

1. Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse with Items in Your Purse and Kitchen. Because I like to be helpful.

2. The XBox is Plotting to Kill Me (and other randoms). Because I know the XBox One is a highly coveted gift this Christmas, but take it from me, it is very, very creepy.

3. What is on your holiday wish list this year?

A Galaxy Gear smart phone watch, so that my childhood dream of being Penny from Inspector Gadget will come that much closer to becoming true.

4. Where do you do most of you shopping? And are you an early shopper, or a last minute kind of gal?

I do most of my shopping on Amazon, because I hate crowds and parking lots! It's so nice to have the gifts come to me. That being said, I am a bit of a last minute kind of gal

5. What do you love most about the holidays?

My favorite thing about the holidays is finding that perfect gift, no matter how big or small, that I know someone will love. The grin when they open the gift is  priceless.

*comments have been turned off, say hello to Rachel by clicking here.

The Daily Tay's Best Week Ever

Good job friends, we've made it to another Friday. We've only got this weekend and then one more until it's the weekend before Christmas Eve, so make it a good one. I haven't got much time to diddle today so let's jump right into it, it's time for another edition of The Daily Tay's Best Week Ever.

Alright holiday shoppers, we'll take your overnight shipping and raise you one Amazon Drone, said the scientific geniuses at Amazon. Did you hear about this? Amazon is hoping to release their "octocopters" within the next five years that will enable them to send your packages directly to your home within hours, minutes probably, hell your lightly used novel you're not sure if you really want to read will probably be at your door step before you even click submit!

So I think it's pretty obvious miniature pilots must be having a pretty stellar week thanks to this announcement. They've been out of work since the 80s.

And then we've got Sunny the White House dog causing a ruckus, as usual. Do you know Sunny? No. Nobody does. And now we know why, because she's the black sheep of the White House. Sunny must have been given a bath immediately before a holiday party hosted for military families at the White House because she was running zoomies all around the dining room knocking over children left and right.

Thanks to Sunny's bad behavior, for the 83rd week in a row Bo Obama continues to have the best week ever.

And then we've got the fiasco from last night known as NBC's live broadcast of The Sound of Music. Oh guys, I don't even know where to start with this one. I love Carrie Underwood, I do, but bless her heart the poor thing couldn't act to save her life. I literally think if someone was about to drown her and told her to start acting if she wanted to live her eyes would go blank and her face would be numb, as it was for most of the evening last night.

Bless her sweet sweet heart though. I truly think the entire thing would have been a lot better if Carrie just would have sang I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats... I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires... Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.  Over and over and over instead of speaking at all. I hope I'm not being too hard on Care Care, because we all know she has more talent in one braid than most of us have in our entire body, but that's why she should stick to singing and tire slashing. #carriefan4life. Sadly I think it's Julie Andrews who comes out on top on this one. I'm sure she was snorting giggles and hidden oh no's under her breath from up above throughout the entire performance.

If you watched, what were your thoughts?

And did you hear the Kardashians released their infamous Christmas card photo this year? I don't know what the big deal is, it looks a little outdated to me. I mean jeans and white shirts, really? Hasn't this been done by every single American family ever?

And to conclude I have to say that in all honesty, I don't think anyone is really having the best week ever because we unfortunately lost a great person this week.  And no, I'm not talking about Paul Walker, even though from what I've gathered he was truly an amazing father, brother, friend and just a great person in general. But I'm actually referring to Nelson Mandela, a man who literally changed this world for the better in more ways than one.

Enjoy your weekend, life is too short not to.

The Daily Tay Answers Your Questions

Happy twenty days until Christmas, my friends! After doing a little browsing on my blog last evening, you know checking stats and, well that's basically the only thing I check, I happened to glance down at the "search keywords" that people are apparently searching out that brings them to my blog. This is what I found-

This leads me to believe that if people are googling these phrases, they clearly want answers. So I'll do my best.

#1. the daily tay
That's me! Good job, you found the site you are looking for. Unless of course you were actually looking for tay-taydaily.com which is a Taylor Lautner fan site. And if you were just looking for Taylor Lautner in general I suggest you check 2011. Or if you were looking for doingtaydaily.com you're a pervert and please take this time to get off my blog.

#2. daily tay
Pretty sure we just established this in #1. But if you're still confused, yes, my site is called The Daily Tay.

#3. quites for its just me and my son
So you're looking for quites eh? Do you mean quaaludes as in the drug? Because you're not going to find any of those here, for you or your son. And according to google quaaludes are a sedative-hypnotic drug and I really don't think you should be doing those with your children. Or do you mean quotes perhaps? Because again, I don't have many father/son quotes on here, wish I could be of more help. Maybe this will help.

#4. daily tay appendicitis 
While I appreciate the curiosity regarding my blog and its health, I must tell you this site has never had an appendicitis (that I know of anyway.) But if you'd like to know about the night that I spent in the Chicago ER thanks to a bean burrito and an enema I suggest you go here.

#5. things about me list you don't know
Good one! There's still so much I don't know about me, or you for that matter! But here's an article US Magazine did on me for their "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" page.

#6. tori spelling cameltoe
If I had a dollar for every time I've wondered about this myself... I'm searching my brain here trying to give you an answer when I just decided to google it and what do you know, a photo from my blog is the very first photo to appear on google search images. How bout that. Give it a try and see for yourself.

#7. a bottle for you a bottle for me
Well this is my ironic children's book I published with my amazingly talented friend, Kam. People are obviously inquiring about it because it's a perfect and unique Christmas gift for that friend of yours that is expecting! Or that friend that isn't expecting! Or that friend that loves/hates children! It's literally a one book fits all kinda thing.  Buy this book if not just for the images alone, see for yourself here.

#8. big people eat little people
They do? Oh no, I had no idea! What do you consider a "big person" I wonder? Am I big? Does that mean I need to start eating people? Or should I be fearful I will be eaten? I would actually like an answer on this one if someone doesn't mind.

#9. clam chowder crab cakes
The red or the white? I can never remember that.

#10. dogs that don't grow
Man, I hope this one isn't true. I would hate to see a dog that can't grow. Unless of course you're referring to a stuffed animal? In that case I suggest you check your local toy store.

Okay guys, that's all of them. I really hope this helped clear up some of your questions!

And just a little FYI I'm excited to announce a fun holiday link-up Helene and I will be co-hosting next week on Tuesday, December 10th. We can't wait to see your old pics, memories, and what makes you still a kid at heart!

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Bloggers Are An Easy Target

Bloggers are kind of an easy target. Anyone else ever notice that? I feel like we sometimes get kind of a bad rep. But I'll be real honest and admit it doesn't bother me, I actually kind of like to make fun of it myself from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I obviously take this site seriously and show up everyday here because it's something I genuinely love to do and watch grow and I am always more than grateful others show up to read. But still, I like to make fun of the stereotypes involved with bloggers and the blogging world in general. How could I not?

"The Blogger" is an exaggerated character I actually love to play in improv. Her name is usually Natasha or Olivia and she blogs at a site called My Pretty Princess Blog or something awful like that, and she loves DIY glitter pinecones and toilet paper rolls.  And she also loves to work out with her "Hubby Hubs Mchubberson McDoodles" and her toy Bichon "Cuddlers", who is literally a toy. I know it probably sounds really dumb and trust me it is, but it's a lot of fun. You should try it sometime.

The other day at Second City one of our exercises was to do a character based on one of our other classmates. Have you ever had someone "do you?" Get your mind out of the gutter, I mean do an impersonation of you? It's hilarious and also kind of eye opening. Megan, my pal in class who did me as a character, stood up and rambled on about blogging and her obsession with her dog the entire time and was pretty much just a complete lunatic. And I was laughing so hard because it was surprisingly accurate.

That being sad, I think it's time I clear up a few things about the stereotypes of bloggers, you know for my non-bloggy friends.

First of all, we're not all aspiring supermodels. I know it might sometimes seem this way given all of the photos we take of... well ourself. But it's not what it seems. Truth be told, I actually gave up on that dream long ago when in the third grade a rude little boy who shall remain unnamed told me I could never be a model because I would "break the camera my face is so ugly." Which ironically enough proved to be a little foreshadowing when a few weeks later I did actually break a camera at school photo day, but this had more to do with me being clumsy. Can't pretend it didn't hurt though...

But this is besides the point, however I will take this time to insert a photo of myself at one of those cheesy child Actor/Model searches that only take place in gross hotel lobbies that you often hear being broadcast on the radio as "Is your child the next big Disney star!?" Naturally I thought I was.

You can actually see the hope draining from my face in this photo as I parade myself and my "head shots" in front of the judge's tables. You know what's better than a homely looking girl from Nebraska with an awkward haircut and a forehead that should never have hair completely pulled back from it? A cute little Asian girl in pigtails. Now you see her don't you? And now you don't see me at all, just like the judges that day. It was just my luck that little girl was behind me because I didn't so much as get a glance from the judges thanks to her. And I will forever blame her for all of my failed dreams...

And that was just another unintended rant. Let me get back to my point. The reason for all of the photos is because one of the perks of being a blogger is that we often get sent really cool things from new companies that have to be photographed. I'm not ashamed to admit that getting sent free stuff and discovering new clothing/jewelry lines is one of my favorite things about being a blogger. Especially when it's from a company with a good cause, like for example this awesome Chevron necklace and Infinity bracelet that I am in love with from a great company called iSanctuary.

iSanctuary Jewelry is handmade by survivors of human trafficking, they provide dignity to survivors through professional opportunities and I happen to think that's pretty cool. So if you need some extra stocking stuffer ideas or gift ideas for your girlfriends, I would definitely recommend this site.

And this post accidentally just got way longer than I intended and I've only attempted to "clear up" one blogging stereotype. Guess there's always tomorrow. I'll end with one final image of why I know I'm just not destined to be a supermodel, this is me attempting to do the whole "not looking at the camera" look. It was going so well until Chris shouted, "Tay, what are you doing? Stop looking up like an idiot and look at me. I don't want to do this anymore."

Boyfriends/blog photographers. Gotta love them.

Sparkle Louder With Hpnotiq & Win!

Time is ticking to enter Hpnotiq's Sparkle Louder contest to win a once in a lifetime trip to NYC over New Years Eve to watch the ball drop! Like I previously mentioned, you and three girlfriends not only get flown to New York City, but you could also win an EFFY Diamond & Blue Topaz Ring valued at $1250. The deadline is quickly approaching- 5:00pm EST on December 8, 2013. So get to it!

To enter, go online and use Hpnotiq's sparkle app to show how you and your friends will be celebrating. Here's a photo I created using the app of Chris and I.

If you won how would you celebrate? My favorite part of New Years Eve is always to celebrate beforehand with a few cocktails and appetizers at a fun hotel! And New York has plenty of those. My Hpnotiq cocktail of choice would be:
The Dazzler- because I am a sucker for anything that has a little champagne in it. Here are the ingredients:
2 oz. Hpnotiq Harmonie
2 oz. Champagne                

Check out other great Hpnotiq recipes right here. Don't waste any more time and register today before time runs out. Why not bring in 2014 the best way you can? Cheers to another great year!

*Comments have been turned off, instead just go here and submit your entry!

The Ten Most Fascinating People of 2013

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Well guys, it would appear as if old Babs McGee beat me to the announcement of The Ten Most Fascinating People of 2013 yet again! I had it all planned out this year that I was going to reveal my list one day before her's, but apparently her people must have gotten wind of this because they went ahead and let their list leak a day early. So typical of Babs to do something like that.

You may remember my lists from last year, part one and part two. Well this year was just as difficult to choose only ten, so why waste any more time? It's time to reveal the first five ...

#1. People Who Still Believe Instagram Deals Are Real. 
As in "The First 50 People Who Like/Repost This Page Will Get a Free Pair of Raybans!"
The first few times I saw these posts (like two years ago) were kind of exciting and confusing (yet I still knew they weren't real.) Finally, I thought we were all on to this by now, but surprisingly enough I still see one pop up from time to time from hopeful Instagrammers. And that fascinates me.

#2. Tish Cyrus.
What's better than having a mom? A mom who is like totally your bestfriend, ya'll! Move on over, Dina Lohan, Tish is the new hot mom in Hollywood! How come I had a boring mom who wouldn't let me do drugs or dance naked in front of the world for all to see? I can't imagine how different my life would have been had I been lucky enough to have a mom who supports selling yourself at all costs in the name of fame. Keep on rockin, Tish Tash! And let's get a move on Smiley's little sister already. She's damn near thirteen, why haven't we seen her twerking yet?

#3. The Creator of The Obama Care Website.
I don't know who this person is, but they're fascinating to me. To be able to smooth talk their way through so many interviews to the point of actually landing this job when they clearly had no idea what they were doing? That's impressive. I wonder if they had to quick order the "How to Build a Government Healthcare Site for Dummies." In all fairness, it's said the site is supposed to be to handle up to 50,000 users at a time before it starts having problems. "That's more than enough!" said one man from 1752. Unfortunately it's 2013 and our country now has over 315 million people.

#4. Elf. As in Elf on the Shelf.
 It's fascinating to me how so many people on Pinterest like to spend hours creating bizarre activities for this guy to do. But am I the only one who wants to know a little backstory on him? What warrants him the right to bounce around your house watching your children's every move from various creepy hiding spots? Call me old fashioned, but I like to think only Santa is responsible for deciding who is naughty or nice. I just don't like the idea of some little snitch hanging around all the time reporting back to the big guy, I think it sends the wrong message. Maybe I'll just start my own tradition, it's gonna be called Snitch in the Ditch.

#5. Lamar Odom
Lamar or "Lammy" is the gift of 2013 that just keeps on giving. The drugs, the cheating, the disappearing act, the rap video. It's been said recently that he's going to leak even more truths behind the Kardashian family if they don't pay up. Even though I hate to admit it, I kinda want to know what these dirty truths are that Kris Jenner Flajnik is doing everything within her power to prevent from coming out. Perhaps Kris and Bruce aren't actually separated but it's a huge coverup because she actually ate him?  Weirder things have happened on the show.

Anyway guys, that's the first five of my list. Tune in next week to see my other five picks!