Operation: Dinner was a success!

I’m no Rachel Ray or anything, but the chicken cordon bleu I made last night was SUPERB! I was very impressed with myself and with the taste. J. only had two helpings because I made him save one for my sister to try. This might be my new specialty! (Ok, only specialty really, unless you count the macaroni and cheese that I’ve made really well 3 out of 4 times). Anyway, I also made garlic mashed potatoes, but I didn’t put enough garlic powder in. It looked like a TON when I sprinkled it in, but there was only a slight hint of it in the potatoes. They were still good. What ever am I going to cook tonight!? Probably something a little easier.. the rolling of the meat kind of got to me..

Another musical day… I heard the song “If” by Janet Jackson on my way to work and basically jammed to it like I did with Nelson yesterday. I loved that video and used to know all the choreography. I still caught myself doing snippets of it in the car this morning, if you can believe that. Anyway, I believe I was in high school when that song came out and I’m a little surprised that I didn’t realize until just now how dirty that song is. Granted, nothing gets bleeped because of the way the song was written, but “holy nasty sex, Batman!” I was so naïve and oblivious when I was younger. God knows what I thought his “smooth and shiny” was but I’m pretty sure I never once thought it was his dick! I also got a blast from the past with the song “Missing You,” by John Waite.. or so I thought. This version was John Waite in a duet with Allison Krauss and it was on one of the XM Country stations. I guess I’m old school because I like the original better. Add that to my list o’songs to download.

Top Chef concludes tonight. I wish I weren’t so indifferent to it, but with all the internet hype I kind of am. I guess I’ll DVR Project Design as I KNOW I won’t stay up to watch it. I’ve been at the gym by 5:30 for the last two days and that’s pretty early for me so if I make it all the way through Top Chef I’ll be impressed. Tune in anyway cause God knows there’ll be shitloads of drama from Ilan and Marcel.

Today has been a very weird day. By 9:30 this morning I had found out that an old friend of mine gave birth to a stillborn child, a guy I’ve bowled with for years was in a car accident and as of yet, can’t feel his legs, and that a girl I’ve drank and gone to the gym with (not at the same time) dropped dead in her bathroom this morning. I still have her phone number in my cell phone. It’s always said that bad things happen in 3’s so I guess I’ve hit my quota but still, what are the odds? Basically what I want to say is that you never know when or how something is going to happen, so take advantage of every opportunity you have to let people know how you feel. I’m a bit of the pot calling the kettle black on this one, but the sentiment is definitely there. My heartfelt thoughts and wishes go out to the people I’ve discussed and who shall remain nameless to save their privacy.

Yeah… I got a little maudlin on you, huh? To cheer you up, check out these two videos. I’m pretty sure the first one is staged because I don’t think anyone ever has or will go THAT Bridezilla, but the second one just made me laugh and wonder how they got everyone to go along with it.

I’ve been swamped most of the day (and really, still am) so I doubt I’ll be able to post again today. Therefore, hump to your heart’s content. It’s Wednesday after all. Have a good one!

Alright already

I'll STILL watch the finale....

A somewhat musical post

A couple of weeks ago, my XM Radio mount unsuctioned itself from my window. I’m assuming it was because of the drastic change to cold weather, but regardless, I left it in my car and made no attempt to put it back up. I basically just listened to CD’s for a week or so. Last week, J. fixed it for me, so I’m back to flipping through my XM channels every time I get in the car. I’ve also taken to bringing my remote control with me everywhere. I put it in my purse (I only meant to do it overnight, but I’ve gotten a bit carried away) and I forget to take it out. If I leave it in the car overnight, it doesn’t work due to the cold. I give myself another week or so before I lose it for good. Anyway, the point of all this is that I was flipping through channels this morning and landed on one of my favorite songs ever: (Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection by Nelson. I turned the volume up as loud as it could go and jammed my way to work. It reminded me of a musical experience I had last week. I was listening to conventional radio and I heard the song “All She Wants to do is Dance” by Don Henley. I love that song and as I was singing it, couldn’t figure out what other song it reminded me of that I was also very fond of back in the day. Anyway, come to find out, it was Eddie Murphy’s “Party All the Time.” Oh yeah.. I was both embarrassed and amused by my musical taste. If anyone asks, I will not admit both songs are on my list of songs I need to download to my Ipod but if you see me with a cheesy grin on my face at the gym, you can probably figure out what I’m listening to.

The light in my office/cubby is perfect for plucking your eyebrows. Can I get fired for that?

I want to reiterate to my fellow bloggers and/or fans: I am not a slacker. I’m a relatively smart person who is bored to tears and very irritated with her job. I’m not about to go postal or anything, it’s just that writing this blog and billing the time in which I do it to large companies really makes me feel better about my job and gives me a reason to go to work every day.

The Police are reuniting to open the Grammy’s. I hope they play “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” That’s my favorite. They might even step out on a reunion tour, but we’ll have to see if that comes to fruition.

Daughtry’s concert at Revolution Hall in Troy sold out in minutes! Granted, it’s not a huge venue, but maybe that will give him incentive to come back and do another show that’s NOT on the biggest drinking day of the year. Just a thought…

I used to be a huge MTV junkie. I could tell you the names of every person on every season of The Real World and Road Rules, and where the seasons took place. Somewhere in my late twenties I stopped relating and kind of gave up. Now there are shows like Next and it pains me to turn on the channel. The only time I see videos are in the early morning hours. Anyway, my point is that even though I want to hate MTV, I can’t. I am addicted to the Real World/Road Rules Challenges. I didn’t watch Laguna Beach, but I can’t miss an episode of The Hills. Dancelife may be kind of scripted, but I still love the drama and the dancing. My Super Sweet 16 has solidified my thoughts that I might not want to have children. Whatever happened to Twentyfourseven? You can’t put someone in rehab and then never get back to their story!!!! Finally, Road Rules starts up again tonight after a three year hiatus. They are putting 6 former contestants into the RV (which is only traveling around Los Angeles) and the viewers get to decide who stays and who goes, with unknowns waiting in the wings to take their place. I’m sure it’ll be on 1400 times this weekend so I’ll catch it. Whether or not I stick with it is another story. I got really sick of Road Rules about five years ago, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to commit to it. I was always more a Real World fan anyway and I think the last full season I watched was San Diego… or maybe Austin. My point is, I watched one episode of Denver and wanted to vomit, and Key West? Forget it.. I might try again for Sydney, only because I’ve been there and I’m kind of curious to how the strangers will fare in a different country, albeit an English speaking one. What I’m trying to say is this: “My name is Kara, and I’m an MTV reality TV junkie.” (All together now) HI KARA…. Now I know how Lindsey Lohan feels…

I'm a Big Girl Now...

I took my car to Hoffman’s Car Wash this morning before work. My dad took my car to Jiffy Lube last week, so I had a free wash coming my way. I avoid Hoffman’s at all costs, mainly because of a traumatic incident when I first got my license (much like I avoid Jiffy Lube because of the traumatic $60 oil change I’m ridiculed about to this day). The first time I took my car to Hoffman’s, I didn’t know that you put your car in neutral. How would I know? So, I slide my car into the slots and the man starts yelling at me. I can’t understand him and eventually I realize that he wants me to put my car in neutral. He’s ranting and raving like a lunatic and I’m subsequently mortified. Therefore, I don’t think I’ve been back since…. and I’m 30. However, after my ludicrous $190 spending binge at Shop-Rite, I had to suck it up and take what I could get for free. I was unsure if they’d be open at 8 am, but they were and I ended up in line behind my friend Matt, which was an entertaining coincidence. The minute I got into the slots I slid my car into neutral and the man working was very nice. I don’t know if I’m cured yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Last night I subbed for my sister in her bowling league, which is 800 times more competitive than mine. I always want to bowl really well when I bowl for her, but I seem to be in a bit of a slump and just couldn’t pull it together. I really need to practice my spares, but I don’t exactly have the time (or luxury) to do so. I’ve never thrown the ball this well in my life, but I’m not getting any breaks and I’m not picking up my spares. Those two things are kind of central. Anyway, I got home around 10, which gave me just enough time to get my shit together for the gym in the AM and put together clothes for work. I did talk to my friend C. Howe, which made me laugh, and that is always a good thing. He couldn’t stand to not know of my “clandestine meeting” that I alluded to yesterday, so I had to bring him in on the secret. When you’ve known me since birth, you have those rights. My mom also called and told me what she thought I’d be getting back on my taxes, which basically pays for my flight to Ireland and my spending money while I’m there. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Oh yeah.. and I’ll have to pay the State $4.00.


I don’t really see it, but I’ve lost 10 pounds! I’m excited, but I guess I thought it would go quicker. I mean… I’m working out at least 4 times a week and not eating half as much as I used to. Oh well, I guess I should just be happy that I can lose weight at all. Mom and I postponed our bet until February since we were having scale issues. We’re now using the regular scale instead of the digital. It seems to give a more accurate reading. Notice they don’t have digital scales at your doctor’s office!!! Granted, if it goes at this pace, I could lose 25-30 pounds before I go to Ireland.. THAT would make me happy.. I plan on starting to do some free weights on Sunday so hopefully I can tone up a bit. I can’t wear a strapless dress in Kate and Brian’s wedding, be skinny and have fat arms!

In news relating to today’s post title, I’m attempting to cook dinner tonight. For real.. not Chicken Helper. I printed off a few (hundred) recipes from this great web site for people doing Weight Watchers and I really want to try their Chicken Cordon Bleu. It’s one of my favorite meals and it’s probably what I will serve at my wedding. I will serve it with garlic mashed potatoes (don’t get excited.. they’re instant… baby steps). Anyway, I told J. about it and his response was “shouldn’t you start with something a little easier?” Is he right? Probably, but the recipe looks relatively easy and I really do need to learn to cook. He’s insisting upon coming down to actually watch me cook it, instead of just eating what’s left over after I eat my share. I just hope it works out. Chicken Cordon Bleu is not something you want to fuck up. I do need to check out the web site again today because when I printed the recipe, parts of it didn’t print. At first I thought I’d be able to figure it out, but in retrospect, that might not be the best idea. I guess I’ll write it down today.

TOP CHEF SPOILER - (Chris - don’t click if you don’t want to know) I’m not happy… 1) that I found out who won before watching the show and 2) that I couldn’t stop myself from reading the spoiler. Will I watch? Probably, but I won’t enjoy it. On to Top Design!!!!

Back to fashion

Well… if they looked fierce at the Golden Globes, they shit the bed at the SAG Awards. I wasn’t home to watch the red carpet, and saw very little of the show, but some of the dresses were just heinous. Ellen Pompeo, for one. She killed it at the Globes and looked like.. well.. I can’t even describe what she looked like. It just wasn’t good. She needs to learn the slicked back hair does nothing for her. Anyway, the usual suspects won awards (America Ferrera, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Hugh Laurie), but Little Miss Sunshine upset for Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, as did Chandra Wilson for Grey’s Anatomy. She took the time to thank her 10 cast members and “the one in rehab” during her speech. I’d say he’s pretty lucky she mentioned him at all! Grey’s won the best ensemble cast for a drama and The Office won for comedy. Steve Carell was beaten by Alec Baldwin for Thirty Rock, but he ended up with more than one “Actor” thanks to Little Miss Sunshine. The SAGs are usually a pretty good indication of what will happen at the Oscars, but let’s not give Little Miss Sunshine that statuette just yet.

Marcheline Bertrand, mother of Angelina Jolie, succumbed to cancer on Saturday in LA. Angelina, Brad and Angie’s brother James Haven were all present. Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized today, after enduring surgery on Saturday. He put up one hell of a fight but it just wasn’t enough and it seems euthanization was the best course of action. I don’t know if euthanization is a word, but I’m going to use it in this context anyway. Is it sad that I wrote more about Barbaro than Angelina Jolie’s mother? Society…

Brandy might be prosecuted for her role in a fatal crash in LA on December 30th. Seems Brandy was traveling a touch (or five) too fast on the highway and neglected to notice the cars in front of her were already stopped. There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol and Brandy was not arrested at the scene. If convicted for Misdemeanor Vehicular Manslaughter, she could see up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Apparently Gideon Yago is leaving MTV for Los Angeles (scroll down the linked site to read the story). Now if only we could get John Norris to leave. How old is he? 80? He looks more ridiculous and queenly every time I see him do the news. Note to John: A heinous blonde dye job does NOT make you look younger.. just more sad. Actually, I like both Gideon Yago and John Norris, but the man has been there for a million years. I don’t think his journalistic integrity is getting any better with those 20 years of one minute snippets on MTV.

In baseball news, apparently Curt Schilling insists he’s not retiring. In other news… who cares?

The weekend was not quite what I'd bargained for..

That’s not to say it was bad, just… different. Friday night I went to bowling and didn’t bowl as terrible as usual, which was a nice surprise. I then went to Meadowgreens for dinner with Tre and some of her co-workers. What was REALLY nice about it is that one of them insisted on paying for everyone! That was a nice surprise also! Anyway, after that Tre and I ventured over to J.’s for the party. We didn’t get there until 11:30 and there were only 8-10 people there, which was kind of nice and not at all intimidating. The minute we got there we started playing flipcup with the guys and we were having a great time. As flipcup was winding down, J. and his buddy decide they are going to wrestle each other (they both wrestled in high school and have helped coach a local high school team). Anyway, his buddy gets J. into a hold and basically “chokes him out,” which I think is a self-explanatory term. J. is supposed to “tap out” if he’s losing air, which he doesn’t do. Therefore, he thinks J. is ok and lifts him up so he’s standing. When he lets go, J. goes down like a ton of bricks and hits his head on the floor. It was the most excruciating sound I’ve ever heard! He’s out like a light and eventually the guys get him up and take him outside. He comes back inside and just sits on the couch with his head in his hands. He then touches the back of his head and he’s got blood on his fingers. I admit, I freaked out, but it was only a flesh wound. He didn’t crack his head open or anything so that was a plus. It’s pretty obvious he has a concussion, and you’re supposed to keep someone awake when that happens. Two of the guys are EMT’s so they were taking pretty good care of him, but he didn’t want to be babied so I kind of kept my distance. After a half hour or so he bolts up the stairs and pukes, then took up residence in the bathroom. He was freezing cold so I got him his comforter and plopped him in front of the heater in the bathroom. He could not get warm and I was getting kind of nervous. I was able to keep him awake until about 4 am, but then I was exhausted and passed out myself. I did continue to wake him up during the night and he woke up every time. I think he was getting a little irritated but such is life. He got up around 9 am with a nasty headache and we laid in bed the whole rest of the day. Actually, we slept for the majority of it as he (and his comforter) were being bed hogs so I didn’t sleep that well the night before. I only left him for two hours to go home and shower before I was back to keep a watchful eye on him. He took a 15 minute shower and I was about to barge in to make sure he was OK when I heard the water turn off. Paranoid much? We went to dinner and had planned on going to see “Smokin’ Aces” but he was feeling a little nauseous and barely ate his dinner. Plus, when we drove past the movie theater (we were already late and I HATE being late to the movies) the line was out the door. That was when I reiterated to him that I didn’t care if we went to the movies or not. We’ll probably go this week because I NEED to see my 2nd boyfriend Jeremy Piven. Anyway, while we were at Friendly’s, my friend Shell, her husband and daughter walked in. Shell had yet to meet J. so I was glad that could happen. Apparently her daughter (my goddaughter) thinks he’s cute as she kept looking back and giving me the Ok and Thumbs Up sign!

Sunday I was at the gym pretty early, before the crowd. I then went through all these recipes I had downloaded off the internet and made up a grocery list. I LOATHE grocery shopping and the store was in a bit of disarray as they are remodeling, so it was even harder to find things. To make matters worse, I was trying to buy things I’d never heard of so it was a little difficult for me to maneuver. My cart was completely full, which never happens to me! I get to the checkout and my bill is $190.58. Yes.. for one person. I couldn’t believe it. I better not have to go to the store for another month because that is insane. I can’t even say I bought a lot of expensive things.. it just all added up! I’ll keep you posted on how my forays into cooking go, as it looks like I’ll be doing a lot of it from now on. Poor, poor J.

I had a meeting on Sunday night but I’m not prepared to divulge the details quite yet. Hopefully in a few more weeks I can tell you what it was about and how it will impact me and my life.

Anyway, that’s how my weekend turned out. It’s back to Monday and I might get fired for punching one of the attorneys (he who made me cry) but other than that, all is well. We have a real estate closing tomorrow (our first one) and he’s driving me to drink.. I also might have to scoot out early because I might have to bowl for my sister tonight. I kind of hope I don’t because I was looking forward to having the night to myself (and I’ll miss Heroes) but I don’t really have anything else to do so I might as well help out my Dad by doing it if he needs me. So, that’s the scoop. I’ll try to get back with some gossip later on today.

Continuation..

Yesterday turned out to be way busier than I had anticipated. As always, this has it’s ups and downs, as it will today. The up was that I didn’t realize how fast time flew by. The down was that I was doing tons of work and even more was expected of me that I didn’t get done. I came in early today, anticipating the attorney I’m working under would also… but he didn’t. That, and I was already awake at J.’s house so I figured I might as well go in early so I can get out early and run a few errands before bowling. Anyway, now that we’ve figured out my schedule, let’s get to the good stuff:

Top Chef - As I said yesterday, it’s Ilan and Marcel in the final two and while I’m not thrilled it’s them, they really put it out there on the final challenge to cement their spots. Marcel wowed the judges and finally found a use for his “mad scientist” ways. His dish was innovative, yet was also able to tap into the traditions behind Hawaiian cuisine. As much as I have never liked him through the whole season, he deserved to be in the Top 2. I might even root for him, as Ilan has just turned me off as the season went on. He started out this real nice, fun loving guy and has turned into a bitter Marcel-hater. Also, there had been a 2 month hiatus between the last episode and the finale. You’d think the chefs could have handled more of Marcel’s attitude than they did. I was shocked that Elia and Ilan tried to throw him under the bus at the Judge’s Table by insinuating that he cheated, but having no evidence of it at all. For that alone, Sam should have gone into the final 2 over Ilan. He distanced himself from the other two, but his dish was just too traditional and the judges didn’t feel he put his personal stamp on it. I think Sam will be the Chris Daughtry of Top Chef - he’s probably better off NOT winning (no.. I won’t put up ANOTHER Chris Daughtry picture… it’s not ALL about him). Ok, I know that’s not true, but it sounded good, didn’t it? To continue, Elia’s dish was the only one that anyone said something bad about. Not that it was a bad dish, it wasn’t. The word of the day was overpowering, and her use of Mediterranean spices took away from the traditionalism of the dishes she was trying to recreate. Ilan was the only one to use taro in his dish, and he did it very well, which I think pushed him over the edge. He took a risk as taro is very difficult to make well and it looks like the judges took that into consideration when making their decision. All the chefs did well and it was probably their best work so far. It will be interesting to see Marcel and Ilan go head to head, as it’s obvious how much they loathe each other. I really don’t care who wins, as Sam and Elia were my favorites, but I’d kind of like to see Marcel win just to piss off the whole world. If that happened, I’d really wish they’d have a reunion show so he could rub it in Betty’s face who, like Ilan, got more irritating as the show went on. I really hope the finale isn’t a “super sized” episode like this past week. I had fallen asleep around 11 and when I woke up J. had to convince me that they had yet to eliminate anyone. Then I sat through about 10 minutes of commercials before the show came back on. Unreal. In other Top Chef news, it seems Ilan has up and quit his job. Kind of weird to do when the finale hasn’t even been shown yet. Maybe this is another Project Runway type twist, but I guess we’ll have to wait until next week to see for sure.

Project Design will start next week after the finale of Top Chef. It’s basically an interior design show based off Project Runway. Todd Oldham, designed and once host of MTV’s House of Style, is the host. I’ll definitely be watching this show, although I might not be able to make it through the first night. I like decorating and picking out colors and such so it’s possible I might like this show even better than Top Chef, as I know nothing about and have no interest in cooking .

Grey’s Anatomy was another great episode last night. I don’t want to get into details, but there were two marriage proposals, Izzie realized what she can do with her check, and Sloan is staying (for now) even if it’s just to terrorize McDreamy and Addison. The Chief retired and everyone wants his job, but when he went to his house to give his wife the good news (they’ve been estranged for a few months) he realized there was another man in his house. This could throw a wrench in the works of his retirement, as could next week’s episode when Meredith’s mother seems to be lucid and have her memory back. Interesting and entertaining twists and turns they’ve got going on.

I haven’t had a chance to catch up on my gossip, but if I do, you will be the first to know! If not, have a great weekend. My sister and I are heading to J.’s tonight for a party which should be entertaining, if nothing else. I can feel her trying to bail on me but I think she knows I’ll kill her. Time for me to get some work done so I can get out of here on time/early. Enjoy your Friday and try to stay warm!

There's a lot to get to, but no time in which to get to it!

Chris Daughtry is coming to Revolution Hall in Troy, NY… on St. Patrick’s Day. WTF? I can’t be there as I always make a pilgrimage to New York City on St. Patrick’s Day, and considering it’s a Saturday well, let’s just say it’s impossible for me to skip it for my first Daughtry concert. I have a feeling he’ll be back in the area soon and I’ll do some research to see how close he is in the days prior to and after that show. But you know what this means? Yep.. a gratuitous Chris Daughtry picture posted on the blog. Come on.. you knew it was coming!

In a follow up to one of yesterday’s posts regarding the death of Doug Blasdell from “Work Out:” It seems Doug was undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor, so we can only assume there were some complications stemming from that. He was hospitalized over the weekend and died rather suddenly so I guess that answers any questions I had yesterday.

Top Chef - Um… yeah… SO Not happy with the outcome of the final two. Sam and Elia were my favorites and while I knew Elia wouldn’t make the top 2, I thought for sure Sam would be there. Then again, considering the dishes they made and the instructions they were given, no one could be asked to leave but them.

I just got completely swamped at work so I can’t finish this post. If I can’t get to it tomorrow I will finish it over the weekend. Enjoy your afternoon and I’ll try to get out of work on time..

Later than I anticipated..

This afternoon has been slightly hectic, mainly because my friend Shell gave me this new web site with great Weight Watcher friendly recipes. Let’s put it this way - I have about 40 I want to print out after most people go home tonight. ME! And I can’t even cook for God’s sake! So, I wasted (well.. in work terms) an hour or so looking at all the recipes and making a list of what I wanted to print out instead of doing work. Now I’m slightly swamped and I have no one to blame but myself. I really hate it when work gets in the way of blogging.

Speaking of Shell, she also let me know that Capital Rep is putting on “Take Me Out,” a play about a gay professional baseball player. Apparently, most of it takes place in the locker room so very little is left to the imagination. If I’m not mistaken, Daniel Sunjata of Rescue Me was in this show on Broadway, just another reason to see it! Anyway, I’ve never been to Capital Rep and have always wanted to go so this might be a good reason to spend some of that saved (well, almost saved) money for my Ireland trip. If anyone’s interested in going, let me know. It has something for everyone!

Last night, me, Tre and J. went to the Siena B-ball game. It was a complete blowout by Siena, as this is the first year NJIT is a Division I team. We had a good dinner at Broadway Joe’s and a great time at the game, regardless of the score. J. and I went to his house afterwards and I passed out before 10. What can I say? I had a few beers and was up at 5 am to go to the gym. I need at least 7-8 hours of sleep to function. A friend of J.’s is home from Hawaii on leave, so he’s decided to have a party Friday night and I somehow convinced my sister to go with me. I figure this way I have someone to talk to when J. becomes a social butterfly/whore. It’ll be a smaller soiree than his brother’s so I don’t think I’ll end up losing him like I did there. Plus, I’ll be drinking instead of being sick and I admit, I’m slightly more social then myself. J. told Tre that she better not have shoes on if she passes out/goes to sleep. Apparently if you’re wearing your shoes you passed out, instead of just wanting to go to sleep. I have a feeling her shoes will come off the minute she gets in the house!

Not much on the gossip front either. Apparently Brandy was the cause of an accident in December that ended with a fatality. There appears to be no evidence of foul play, DWI or any of that stuff, but that’s gotta wreak havoc on your soul. I’m surprised it’s just coming to light now.

I heard a rumor that Isaiah Washington (Dr. Burke of Grey’s Anatomy) has checked into rehab. I didn’t know they had rehabilitation clinics for homophobia! Oh wait.. “behavioral issues.” Seriously… you gotta be shitting me. If someone feels a certain way about another race or group of people, you can’t brainwash them into thinking or acting differently. If only you could! I don’t know.. I’m sure he said it and he shouldn’t have bought it up AGAIN after all the hubbub had died down but I don’t really know what the right way to go about righting his wrong would be. I love all these celebs “checking themselves in” to rehab when you know the only reason they did it was to save their job (Tara Connor anyone?). Hopefully it works out because what he said was screwed up. Granted, he has taken responsibility but in this day and age it’s not that easy. I love that show and I’d hate to not see him on it. That won’t happen anytime soon though, as he has a pretty great arc coming up during February sweeps. From what I hear it’ll be hard to kick him off considering his storyline.

Time to finish off work for the day and head to the gym. I know, who thought I’d ever say that. When I get excited about it, then check ME into rehab!!! Happy Hump Day… Act accordingly.

Morning

If you remember correctly, I was enthralled with Justin Timberlake on SNL, especially his “Dick in a Box” skit. Well, someone has made a rebuttal to it for the ladies. Check out this site then click here to see the video she made on YouTube. It’s pretty funny and she’s gotten quite a bit of recognition for it. The video has appeared on The Soup on E!, Keith Olbermann’s show and other similar programs.

In other news, Doug, one of the trainers on the Bravo show “Work Out” died unexpectedly. No one has yet to say what the cause of death was, but the guy was in great shape and only 40 years old so I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering what the hell happened! He seemed like a really nice guy on the show, a father figure of sorts and my heart goes out to his friends and family members. It’ll be interesting to see how that changes the dynamic on the show and see how it affects everyone involved. I hope it’s something they do touch on instead of glossing over it.

Speaking of Bravo - tonight is the first part of the Top Chef finale in Hawaii. I really can't believe I got as into the show as I did considering I barely know how to boil water on the stove. (No really.. I'm not lying about that.. My friends in college used to crack on me for making Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the microwave) Anyway, we'll see who's hair grew in and who makes it to the final two for next week's episode (or at least we should!).

And the Award goes to:

Snubs:
Dreamgirls
Brad Pitt
Sasha Baron Cohen (So they say)

Surprises:
Ryan Gosling - Best Actor for Half Nelson
Abigail Breslin - Best Supporting Actress for Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine - Best Picture
Leonardo DiCaprio being nominated Best Actor for Blood Diamond and not The Departed (I didn’t see Blood Diamond but he was fantastic in The Departed, so I don’t feel like anything else can be that good)
Will Smith - Best Actor - The Pursuit of Happyness

Hopefuls:
Martin Scorcese - Best Director - The Departed
Peter O’Toole - Best Actor - Venus (has been nominated seven times and has never won. He almost refused an honorary Oscar three years ago because he wanted to get one on his own).

You can view a full list of nominations here. I’m relatively content with the way things went. I mean, I have yet to see Dreamgirls so I don’t know if it has REALLY been snubbed, but the movies that were nominated all seem viable. I adored Little Miss Sunshine, but can’t believe that it’s main characters didn’t get any nominations while it’s supporting characters seemed to steal the show. Then again, they really did steal the movie so I don’t know why I would be shocked about it. I REALLY want Martin Scorcese to win Best Director and I’d love to see Mark Wahlberg win Best Supporting Actor for The Departed. Eddie Murphy, fresh off his Golden Globe win seems to be the front runner, but you never know. Dreamgirls still got 8 nominations, followed close behind by Babel with 7.

In other news:

Not real sure what the deal is on the weigh-in front. Mom and I did weigh in and it looked like I gained almost a pound. I’m a little surprised by that, but I did eat and drink a bit this weekend so I guess it was bound to happen. Then Mom steps on the scale and it says she gained 5 pounds. There is no possible way that happened! I then weighed myself a few minutes later and I had gained a half pound in that time. So, it looks like it’d be in our best interest to get a new scale, although my mom’s chiropractor told her the best judge is a regular old bathroom scale. I tried it out and it looked about the same, so I just put the same weight as last week. This might derail our bet a bit, or at least that’s the excuse I’ll use if I lose.

Tre, J. and I are going to the Siena game tonight. I LOVE college basketball, but can’t stand professional. I’m not sure what exactly it is that turns me off, but I won’t watch it on TV. Still, I’d watch any March Madness game that’s televised. I’ve always loved going to Siena games. I remember harboring a love for Jim Cantamessa, mainly because Kara Cantamessa is such a cool sounding name. (Let me point out that he was WAY cuter at Siena... not digging on the shaggy hair). Incidentally, I googled him today and it’s quite possible he actually married someone named Kara. With a K and everything! I guess I’m just a little bitter because she would have the coolest sounding name in the world, that’s all. Anyway, we have seats in the First Niagara box which is nice because it’s all the soda and water you can drink AND your own private bathroom. I’m looking forward to going out to dinner and watching a decent game, although they’re playing NJIT so I don’t know if it’ll be a good game or not. I’m assuming NJIT stands for New Jersey Institute of Technology or something to that effect, which doesn’t sound like a MAAC team, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Not much else going on. Celebrity gossip is a little light today and so is my life! I’m afraid you all will have to suffer until something interesting happens. Incidentally, you all remember the pantyhose phone call from last week, right? Well, Chris, the guy I was SURE did it, just swore to me on his daughter’s life that he didn’t, so I tend to believe him. How weird is that? Now it’s even freakier since it was a random thing and after hours. I wonder if the weird guy would have left a message had I left work on time. Something to ponder… Enjoy your night.. In other words, watch Veronica Mars instead of the State of the Union.

Running late...

That's what I was this morning. Of course, no one will know because there was a nice traffic tie-up from I-90 to 787 that I got caught in so it looked legit. And no, I will not be taking the time off my time sheet because I don't ever take the breaks I'm entitled to. I think it averages out.

Anyway, it's been a crazy busy morning so I haven't (and don't) have time to post anything of substance right now, but I thought you Idol fans would find this interesting. I don't agree with them all (or remember them all for that matter) but since my boy made the list I'm a happy girl. (Before you ask, YES, I will take any opportunity to post a Chris Daughtry picture on this blog)

We will get to the Academy Award nominations this afternoon.. Couple shockers and some notables left off the list that we need to discuss. Well, I'll discuss and damnit, you will listen to every word I have to say!!!

Pictures from this weekend

Oh yes, it's ladies night....
But we let Kevin join the fun anyway
Our dinner bill was $69.69... Coincidence?

It can always get worse

As if he didn’t get enough shit from the other contestants on Top Chef, Marcel was injured and scarred by a bottle thrown in his face by a viewer of the show. He’s quickly going from the scapegoat to the guy everyone has pity for!

Heroes comes off their winter break tonight and I couldn’t be happier! I can’t wait to see what happens, as there is a new hero in our midst (apparently an Invisible Man) and two more who will get more screen time (Radioactive Guy and the Haitian). I still have the last episode of the year taped so maybe I’ll re-watch it before I tune in tonight so I’m up to speed.

Today is weigh in day. I’m not really sure if I did ok this week. I ate out a few times (always had a grilled chicken sandwich though.. so unlike me) and I also had a few drinks on Saturday night, but I have been hitting the gym at least four days a week so that might help counteract. As long as I lose something I’ll be pretty happy. You never want to gain anything back, that’s for damn sure! I admit, I’m looking forward to eating a chocolate covered Oreo tonight though. I practically had to hide it from Tre so she wouldn’t take it right out from underneath me!

Some of the contestants for the new season of Dancing with the Stars (beginning March 19th) were announced today and they include Joey Fatone of N’Sync, Laila Ali, Ian Ziering of 90210 and Billy Ray Cyrus. None of them really thrill me, but I’ll probably watch anyway. I saw Joey Fatone in Rent on Broadway and he definitely has rhythm. This might be another case where someone has a clear advantage, it’s just a matter of whether their charisma can pull it off with the audience. I’m curious to see who else the show digs up to perform. In other reality TV news, Season 8 of America's Next Top Model will premiere February 28. It's a pretty quick turnaround and I doubt no one but Tyra Banks is happier than me. I'm so f'n addicted to that show it's sickening.

Almost forgot - I DVR'd and watched the SNL episode with Jeremy Piven and he did a pretty good job. I mean.. he's a funny guy regardless, but sometimes that doesn't translate to live TV. I'm not sure if anyone really is watching SNL anymore and none of Piven's skits were "dick in a box" material, but he still put on a good show. Granted, he needs a little more practice reading the teleprompter (he said contact instead of connect in his monologue, which was absolutely hysterical) but all in all, he did a really good job. In other great Jeremy Piven news, it seems Melrose from ANTM has denied that she is dating him. I can breathe again.

Monday, HORRIBLE Monday

I do know it’s Sunday, bloody Sunday, but my slight change seemed operative for today. It’s a very “Monday” Monday.. I do thoroughly believe that I have a case of the Mondays. Not really sure why though. I got up just after J. left at 5:30 this morning to go to the gym. I was already awake, so why not take advantage of it? Swapped cars with Dad today, as he’s taking my car to get it’s long awaited oil change. I should NOT have worn a skirt considering I’m driving my Dad’s pickup truck and I basically have to pole vault my way into the driver’s seat. Anyway, for some reason I was insanely exhausted on my way to work and I have yet to recover. Maybe I’ll take a nap on my lunch break.

How was the weekend you ask? Well, Friday night I was very much looking forward to spending some time with J., but apparently it snowed in Cobleskill so he didn’t want to risk driving home. I swear, he’s a HUGE snow driving wussy, but don’t tell him I said that. Anyway, I had talked to him around 4:30 and he didn’t mention the snow or anything but said he was “pretty sure” he was coming home. Even that indecisiveness pissed me off so I was already slightly cranky. He then called and left me a message when he knew I’d be at bowling to tell me he wasn’t coming home. That pissed me off even more. I must have PMS because I wanted to cry at bowling, and really, was it that big a deal? I mean.. just because it’s not snowing here doesn’t mean it’s not snowing there! Anyway, I did end up calling him after bowling and he got the point that I was pretty livid about the situation and pretty pissed off. He then proceeds to ask what I’m doing the next night, but he has forgotten about my plans to go out. Sunday maybe? Sometimes men are so ridiculous. I mean.. really all I wanted was for him to say he was sorry that our plans got screwed up and he didn’t. When I said “well, it would help if you said you were sorry,” his response was “that’s nice. Of course I’m sorry, I didn’t think I had to tell you that.” Note to men around the world: we ALWAYS want to hear that you’re sorry.. sometimes even if you don’t mean it. So I went home and forced my sister to watch “Layer Cake” with me. It was ok. It was slightly hard to follow at times, but had a good ending I thought.

Saturday night me, Tre and Jen went down to Poughkeepsie to hang out with our friend Stephanie. We had a great time but I just can’t hang anymore. I was beat by 1 am and so ready to go. We ended up leaving around 2:30, subsequently getting pulled over (Jen has a lead foot and a State Trooper for a husband) and by the time we got to Jen’s house at 3:30 I wasn’t going to risk driving Tre and I home so we crashed at her place. I should be able to get the pictures up later on tonight so I’ll try to post one or two. The next morning Tre and I had to get up so we could go to a baby shower. It seems everyone I know is pregnant but for this one, I didn’t know until I got the invitation. It’s a girl I’ve known pretty much my entire life, but we don’t see each other that often. Anyway, the shower was from 11-3 but it broke up around 1:45, thank God. I mean, you can only ooh and aah over so many onesies and exersaucers, know what I mean?

As I was watching Sin City J. called to see what I was up to. He ended up coming down for the night and we watched the end of the Bears game and the first half of the Colts game. In all honesty, I couldn’t bring myself to watch the Colts game. We were watching “The Machinist” and kept going back and forth from the DVD to check the score. He insisted that if we watched the game the Colts would lose and I really didn’t think they’d be able to bounce back from a 21-3 deficit. However, they did and now I’ll actually WATCH the game on Superbowl Sunday (also my Dad’s 55th birthday). I was very happy to see Peyton Manning finally get to the Superbowl so now commentators can stop discussing how he sucks in “clutch” games. Shoot, I might have to get me a Manning jersey! Anyway, The Machinist is notorious for being the movie Christian Bale lost TONS of weight for, then had to bulk up to make Batman. His body was so utterly disgusting. I mean, you could see every bone in his body and his stomach was actually inverted. Looking at him was almost distracting to the movie. It turned out to be a pretty good flick though. When it first started I didn’t know what to expect, but there were a few twists and turns (which J., as always, figured out before I did) that really made the movie. I recommend it, but if you have body issues, don’t watch it. It really is hard to look at him and unreal to think of what he looked like shortly thereafter. As we were watching the movie, I heard something rustling around in the kitchen. I made J. go find out what it was and it appears a mouse found it’s way into our potato chip cabinet. I swear to god, it sounded like a woodchuck was burrowing it’s way through my entire house! Thank God he was there because I would have never gone to investigate, being home by myself. Dad is going to set some traps today and hopefully he’ll get the little bastard. I had warned Tre when she got home last night and he scampered across the floor in front of her this morning. I also warned her that I don’t do mouse droppings. Hell, it’s not even my house (technically)!!!

That’s all for now. Time to fake some work and then grab some lunch and perhaps some shut eye. I hope to be back later to dazzle you with my wit and charm..

Chock full o'links

That’s what this post is turning out to be. I hope they all work.

First off, here are my Best Dressed women at the Golden Globes (I don’t see the need to put a man on a best/worst dressed list. If he wore a tux, he probably looked ok, unless it was some garish color. Regardless, the Golden Globes/Oscars are about gowns.. not tuxes). Now that my rant is over, here goes:

Ellen Pompeo - I don’t care what anyone else says, this dress looked absolutely stunning on her. The hair was a perfect companion and I didn’t even care that the back was a little strange. The first time I saw her on the pre-show was when she was chatting with J. Lo and it took my breath away.

Jennifer Lopez - Speak of the devil.. the first time I saw her in this dress I thought she might have a baby bump, and that the dress wasn’t flattering. It was obviously a terrible camera angle because she looked amazing! It’s just as beautiful from the back as it is the front, and I’m not talking about her ass!

Drew Barrymore - After last year’s braless incident, girlfriend needed to step it up. She did and then some! This pale pink strapless gown fit her like a glove and I don’t think she’s ever looked more beautiful.

America Ferrera - She wasn’t on my first list, but the more I see her in this dress, the more I like it. The color was not something you see on a regular red carpet and it was very flattering for her body. Let’s be real people. She, Jennifer Hudson and Sara Ramirez are “big” according to Hollywood standards, but they look way better than a lot of normal people I know. So I understand the big ta-doo being made over the big girls winning awards and all but I’ll believe it when the women winning awards are a 26, not a 16 (which none of them probably are).

Reese Witherspoon - There’s no better way to get over your man than to look great on the red carpet. I loved the combination of the kicky red shoes and ruby bracelet with this bright yellow dress. Who would have thought that color would look so good on her. Plus, the hair was a nice change for her. You could tell she was having fun and not so tense after last year’s win.

Helen Mirren - For a woman her age, she sure knows how to play up her best assets. The color of the dress was beautiful against her skin, and she showed just enough of it to be flirty, yet act her age. Stunning..

Eva Longoria - She should never NOT wear navy. She said it was a color she’d never worn before and the dress was gorgeous. The beading on the bodice really stood out and it was very flattering.

Hayden Panettiere and Ali Larter - I don’t mean to group the two together, but they’re my girls from Heroes and I love them (plus, the only pic I could find on short notice was of both of them). Both went with the ever popular white, and I ADORED Hayden’s dress. It was sexy, but she still looked age appropriate. As for Ali Larter, the dress fit her like a glove and she could not have looked more gorgeous. I like that she just glammed up her hair instead of going for a prom like updo.

There two are my maybes:

Sienna Miller - I liked her dress the more I looked at it. It was interesting and not many people can pull that off. But the hair? NO ONE could pull that off. I can’t believe she actually had it professionally done. I mean.. someone did that on purpose!? I don’t get it..

Hilary Swank - I put her on my first list, but the more I look at the bows on the dress the more I want to puke. I still think it looked great on her and she was one of the few that wore the basic black on the red carpet and did it well.

Anyway, enough about fashion… (did I just say that?). Here are a few things that have either happened to me lately, or that I’ve been thinking about. How’s THAT for a Friday?

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Aaron Karo, but apparently he’s a comedian and author now living in LA. Anyway, ever since he was in college he’s been writing this blog/email about his life. My friend Rachael turned me on to him and I’ve read everything on his web site and signed up for his emails, named Ruminations. Definitely check him out. His stuff is pretty funny. I think his blog is what I’ve been striving to do with mine (minus the love of the Yankees) but have yet to perfect.

Dwight is back at Dunder-Mifflin. In last night’s episode he got a job at Staples, but didn’t seem to be making any friends. Oscar came back from his “gaycation” (thank you Kevin), and the staff threw him a welcome back party to celebrate his “Mexicanicity.” Angela lost it without Dwight and told Michael the truth about why Dwight went to Corporate, so he admitted his mistake and went to Staples to bring Dwight home. In the meantime, Andy continue to try to get on Michael’s good side, but it was more creepy than anything. Jim tried to recruit Karen to play a prank on Andy but she was too busy so Pam stepped in. They stole his cell phone (with a ring tone of Andy singing “Rocking Robin” - all four parts of the harmony), put it in the ceiling and kept calling it. It literally drove him nuts and he punched a hole in the wall. During Oscar/Dwight’s welcome back party, Karen asked Jim if he still had feelings for Pam and he replied that he did. She basically just left the room and that is how the episode ended. There was no trailer for next week’s episode. As we all know, I’m on Team Pam but I admit I feel for Karen. It’s one of those relationships where no one else is really going to get in the way and if Jim still had feelings for Pam it wasn’t really fair of him to date Karen. Oh well.. life sucks! In an Office related story, I was reading People Magazine at lunch today and there is an interview with Rashida Jones in it where she states she did date John Krasinski (and People spelled his name wrong - talk about a reality check) but they are great friends now and nothing more. Oh yes.. there’s still hope!

Finally.. I was at work until 6:30 last night. I did not get out on time at all this week so I’m leaving at 4:30 today. Anyway, I was sitting at my desk just after 5:30 when my phone rang. Now, I don’t get many calls but the caller ID didn’t come up so I answered it anyway. It was this guy saying “I’m wearing pantyhose, are you wearing pantyhose?” I was completely taken aback by it and didn’t know what to say. I think I stuttered a “what?” He said it again and I asked him what that had to do with me. His reply was “What kind are you wearing? Do you want to know what kind I’m wearing?” I said “no” and hung up. It kind of freaked me out because my cubicle is right next to our parking garage and the highway, so once it gets dark you can completely see in and it’s creepy. Anyway, I told the few people that were still left and our receptionist implied that it could have been Chris, one of our attorneys. It didn’t sound like him, but perhaps he has a voice disguising skill that I’m unaware of. I called him on it and he played coy, so I’m pretty sure it was him. I’m now trying to think of ways to get him back, but in a subtle way that won’t get me fired from my job…. at least not until I go to Ireland! Today I told him that he was the Dwight to my Jim, but he thinks I have it backwards. Now that I think about it.. he might be right.

Happy weekend to all. I hope to win some money at bowling tonight because (as I said last week) it couldn’t get any worse (it did). It’s time for me to do well and momma needs to go out tomorrow night! Maybe I’ll bring my camera and take some pics tomorrow of us girls out on the town. Then when the drama and fights start, I’ll have photographic evidence! Have a great one.

Time for Top Chef!

First off, here an interesting post regarding the drama on Top Chef Wednesday night. It will also link you to a post on Judge Tom Colicchio’s blog regarding the incident.

While we’re on the subject: Top Chef was a pretty decent episode the other night. It started with a quickfire challenge involving chocolate. I believe they have to make something sweet or savory. Ilan bit the big one and was really the only one that failed miserably. Apparently the judge was some big wig chef, but as usual, I had no idea who he was. The Chefs were all impressed and nervous at his presence though, so that must mean something. Anyway, Sam won the quickfire challenge. He wins his choice of courses in their elimination challenge, which is to put together a romantic five course meal in Santa Barbara. However, there’s a catch: No chef can use the same protein as another chef. Marcel plots to make something with seafood, but Sam (unknowingly, I swear) steals the first course and Marcel’s coveted lobsters. Ilan redeemed himself with a pasta (fideos?) with clams and saffron that everyone loved. Next up was Marcel, who ended up making a salmon dish with beets, even after Sam had decided he was using beets. Marcel screwed himself by not helping Sam plate his meals, so he basically had to beg others to help. Sam was the better person and did help him out, even though he insisted he wasn’t going to. Sometimes it’s like watching a kindergarten class on this show. Cliff’s dish was a train wreck, so much so that I don’t even remember what he made, just that no one liked it. Speaking of train wrecks, Elia lost it when her chocolate wouldn’t come out in the heart shape she wanted. Her dessert was still great, regardless of the chocolate heart she was lacking.

After this final challenge before elimination, the Chefs somehow finagle a video camera and proceeded to get kinda schnockered. Elia decided she wanted to shave her head, and the boys (well, Sam and Ilan as Cliff basically already has a shaved head and Marcel was probably off playing with himself before bed) said they’d have to if she did. She went through with it, as did Ilan. I’m glad Sam didn’t.. he’s quite pretty with all that hair. They then came to a general consensus to shave Marcel’s head. He does have some whacked out hair, it certainly couldn’t hurt. I bet he spends HOURS and bottles of gel on that puppy every day. Anyway, they wake him up and Cliff holds him down. He fights quite a bit but Cliff is insanely stronger than our little friend Marcel. Apparently someone was supposed to shave his head, but whoever it was chickened out. Eventually Cliff lets Marcel off the floor and he sleeps in the bathroom. He’s pissed and rightfully so. Anyway, the next morning Judge Tom comes to talk to Cliff and tells him he broke the rules when he manhandled Marcel, so he has to go. His look of shock was so genuine but he took the consequences like a man and left as gracefully as he could. He wished everyone luck and apologized to Marcel, even admitting he was a good cook and that he wishes him well. Later on we have the Judge’s Table, where Tom tells the rest of the Judges what’s transpired. I thought Padma was going to have a heart attack. It wasn’t THAT bad, get over it! She’s asking Marcel if he’s ok and apologizes to which he replies something to the effect of “you don’t owe me an apology” and technically he’s right. He already got one. Anyway, it seems pretty evident that the Judges weren’t thrilled with Cliff’s dish and he probably would have gone home regardless of the Marcel incident. The looks on their faces when they saw Elia and Ilan was pretty crazy too. Seriously.. as a woman, I might have slapped Elia right there cause that girl had a GORGEOUS head of hair! I mean.. yes, it grows back, but that takes time!!! No one will ever say that girl is vain cause she’s no Natalie Portman when it comes to bald, but she certainly seems to like it and I have a feeling she’ll rock it like no one else! Anyway, the Judges tell Sam and Ilan that they are going to Hawaii and then Padma tells Marcel and Elia to pack their knives and go…. to Hawaii!! Everyone is going to the finale! Honestly, I thought they’d cut it down to three, but I’m glad all four will go. Next week’s first half finale (which looks to NOT have a reunion show) looks pretty entertaining and Marcel might just buckle under the pressure. Then again, so might Sam. Remember, this is three months from the last episode so don’t be surprised when Elia has some hair.

All in all, pretty good episode and I’m looking forward to the finale. Top Design will premiere after the finale and then fill Top Chef/Project Runway’s time slot. I’ll probably watch it. It’s like I’m conditioned to go to Bravo on Wednesdays at 10!

I'm debating leaving early today but I hope to get some more posts in later on. Guess you'll have to check and see. If not, enjoy your weekend!!! Don't forget to root for the Colts and my boy Peyton on Sunday night!

Shocker..... (note the sarcasm)

Lindsey Lohan is in rehab. Much like Britney’s divorce, let me feign shock. Apparently Lindsey has checked herself into a facility named “Wonderland” in California. It looks to be at least a 30 day stay for our favorite hard partying starlet, which could really screw up her latest flick “I Know Who Killed Me.” Representatives for the film insist Lindsey’s doing an outpatient program, contrary to reports from a source on the inside. This is the girl that was out partying the day after her appendectomy so I’m sure the whole world was stunned to learn about this recent setback. She needs a meeting with the poster child for underage addiction, Drew Barrymore, ASAP!

Today has been a busy closing day. I got in at 8 am and I’ve barely stopped running since. I wore the most comfortable shoes I own (but as usual, that doesn't say much) and my feet are frickin' killing me! I did take a full lunch today, but my work time has been filled. So, I might have to wait until tomorrow to do my Top Chef post. Things didn’t go quite as I’d thought they would from last week's trailer, but it was still an interesting and drama filled episode. My best dressed list might have to wait until then also. It takes some time to find links and such and I don’t think I have the time to do it today.

I did just find out that it seems I’ve been given the go ahead to help out our litigation department, as was mentioned in my review. The lead attorney just mentioned to me that she heard I’d be able to help them out and that it would be greatly appreciated. I thought it would turn into an issue that got thrown by the wayside, but I’m happy to report it hasn’t. I have not “officially” been told that it’s ok but with her words of enthusiasm, I’m assuming everything will be fine.

Tonight is another episode of The Office. I’ve checked out the deleted scenes from last week and I began laughing out loud. Remember, Dwight K. Schrute quit Dunder-Mifflin, so this week it should be interesting to see if there is any way to get him back. I also decided to tape the Scrubs musical episode that airs after it tonight. Honestly, I don’t know if my DVR can tape two things on different channels at the same time, but I’m going to give it a shot. If anyone has any insight, let me know. I think if I watch one channel and tape another, it’ll be ok, but I’m not sure. I need to tape Grey’s Anatomy regardless, so I really don’t want to risk not taping that either. I have Grey’s on a series recording so I think that would take precedence over anything else I’ve set up. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Anyway, the show looked to be pretty funny and the musical numbers were written by the scribes of “Avenue Q,” by far the funniest Broadway show I’ve ever seen. Definitely check it out if you get a chance. If you’re not convinced, just watch this clip to see if it’s something you’d enjoy.

Quality time with Sue and dance class tonight. TGIF… these short weeks always seem so much longer than normal! More tomorrow, I promise!

This can't be happening...

Rumor has it that Jeremy Piven was "canoodling" and sucking face with America's Next Top Model runner up, Melrose at the Golden Globes afterparties. Please, PLEASE say it isn't so! I love the show, but no self respecting Emmy winner dates a reality show castoff! Come on! He can date a real model if he wants. I swear I would feel the same way even if it were Caridee.. (ok.. probably not, but I still would not be happy about it!)

Also on the rumor mill is that John Krasinski and Rashida Jones (Jim and Karen on The Office) might be having a second go round at their relationship. Apparently they looked pretty cozy, as did B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling (Ryan and Kelly). If that is the case then BJ is a pretty good actor as I'm always convinced he can't really stand Mindy. There are some deleted scenes from last week's Office up at NBC.com. I haven't had a chance to check them out yet, but I'm sure they're pretty comical.

Check out the rest of the gossip here.

Too much time on my hands...

I had more time than I anticipated, so I thought I'd get this out of the way.

It's old news, but Rodgrigo Lopez was FINALLY signed by Colorado, reuniting with his similarly named battery mate, Javy Lopez. Let's hope they're a match made in the mile high city. I doubt it, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, if you leave the O's on a low note it's almost inevitable that you'll have a career year somewhere else.... or get busted for 'roids. Either one. We got two minor league pitchers out of the deal but who really cares? We got rid of Rodrigo!

It's arbitration time and the O's have three players battling it out: Brian Roberts, Erik Bedard and Corey Patterson. Roberts asked for 4.6 million (I believe he was making just over 3 million last year) and the O's countered with 3.8 million. Not a bad offer, but if they're willing to offer Corey Patterson 4 million (he also asked for 4.6), why not B-Rob? It makes no sense, especially when they are consistently looking for outfielders that could cause Corey not to play every day. Don't screw over my boy or you'll get one crazy protest on your hands. Bedard asked for 4 million and was countered with 2.7 million. I'm not all that worried though. The O's are pretty good with the arbitration deals. The only one they have lost in recent years was with Ben McDonald, and that was quite some time ago.

Let's talk about clothes

I bought my gym clothes to work with me so I wouldn’t have to stop home before going there. I left them in the car. I’ve been complaining lately that I’m sweating like a pig at the gym but I don’t think that will happen today. At least not as early as usual. I mean.. it’s frickin’ FREEZING outside. My car windows have been frozen shut, which makes it very difficult to swipe my card to get in and out of the parking garage. But anyway, so.. my clothes are absolutely frigid and if it weren’t so darn cold outside, I’d trek to the parking garage and bring them in. But it’s way too cold for that crap. At least it’ll take a good 15 minutes before I look like a drowned rat, as opposed to the regular 2 minutes.

Speaking of clothes, I’ll first regale you with my Worst Dressed list from the Golden Globes (and why they made the list):

Cameron Diaz - Sweetie.. you’re a blonde.. not a brunette. And that floofy thing you tried to pass off as couture? No wonder Justin dumped your ass.

Salma Hayek - The dress wasn’t so bad, but the shoes she paired with it? They were heinous. It looked like she got them at Contempo Casuals.... Three years ago. I could swear the heels were cork. Oh Salma... you have the money.. spend it! Delicate shoes… that’s what the Golden Globes are about.

Meryl Streep - Just because you are an institution, doesn’t mean you have to look like one. She should have consulted Helen Mirren on how to dress your age, and still look beautiful.

Renee Zellweger - I didn’t not like her dress. I just wanted to know if anyone has ever seen her eyes, because in every picture I see, there are only two slits where her eyes should be. That and when she came on stage it looked like she was wearing her mother’s heels.

Vanessa Williams - Do I need to say it? Such a beautiful woman… such ugly hair.

Patricia Arquette - You’re well endowed. We get it. Move on. And wherever you move to, make sure it's FAR away from leather.

Beyonce - Oh honey no. I know you’re a newbie but the Golden Globes is not a party where everyone wears gold. It must hurt to try THAT hard.

Angelina Jolie - I didn’t not like her dress. I just hated that she looked like she wanted to rip everyone’s heart out of their chest during the whole red carpet. I mean… this is Hollywood and red carpets are the thing to do. At least pretend to like it. You’re an actress for Christ’s sake.

Rinko Kikuchi - Much like Bjork’s swan number, it will always be remembered… but not for good.. only evil. At least Babel won Best Picture. That takes a load off.

HAPPY 200!

Wow.. it's my 200th post. I didn't even realize it. Now I feel bad that it's going to be so god damn boring! I figured I'd warn you so you weren't expecting a novel of epic proportions. Then again, if you've been reading this you should already know better and be scolding yourself for thinking differently. Read on my friends..

I got stuck at work last night. I don’t mind having to stay when I’m prepared for it. I usually bring jeans and comfy shoes to change into. However, last night I was unprepared. Luckily, I was probably wearing the comfiest pair of heels I own (which doesn’t say much) and I was only here until 7:30… or at least that’s what I wrote on my time sheet. So, I didn’t get home until after eight which means I have yet to post my Best and Worst Dressed of the Golden Globes. I have a closing today (hence the late night last night) so I doubt I’ll get around to it at all. Maybe this weekend. If not, I’ll just throw down my opinions in regular, everyday conversation. After all, I already gayed it up with C. Howe during the Globes, so he knows my opinions. When movies like Dreamgirls come out and it's award show season, it really is put into perspective how much you miss your gay friends that moved away... And it's A LOT!!! (then again, it would be even if there were no awards shows).

I’ve been a little sketchy about mine and J.’s relationship as of late. I really think it’s just that our schedules haven’t been conducive to spending time together, and I’m just reading into things. I have my girly moments, and I'm entitled to them! As I said before, I’m trying to give him his space with this whole wake/funeral situation, so much so that I never even suggested we get together last night after my late night of work. I just assumed we wouldn’t, as it was practically 8:00 when I got home. So, when he suggested he come down so we could go to dinner, you can imagine my shock. I even told him that it wasn’t worth it for him to come down, even though I did want to see him (He thought it was supposed to be icy this morning so he didn’t stay over). He told me he wanted to see me, even for a short time (yep, I’m a sucker) so I agreed. We went to the diner that we always go to and it was good (food and company). Granted, we were both starving and probably would have eaten the ass out of a dead rhino, but who’s really paying attention!? After he shaved off the heinous goatee he stopped shaving altogether, so now he has a beard. I like it better than the goatee. It’s actually kind of cute. I “reserved” him for Friday night as I have yet to sleep with my boyfriend alone (minus dogs) in the year 2007. Totally defeats the point of having one. Anyway, things were absolutely fine and I think I was just being a girl about it. But if we break up next week, remember, I saw this coming!

Oh good god, American Idol. I hate this part. Please, please PLEASE get to the top 32 or 24 or remotely talented people before I lose interest. J. walked into the house last night and his exact words were “Oh Jesus, I knew you’d be watching this.” I had to explain that I really wasn’t, as this is my least favorite part of the show. I was just flipping through waiting for his arrival. I told him it was either that, or the Golden Globes Fashion Police on E! He didn’t know which was worse. But come March, my DVR will be working overtime.

Then again, who am I to judge? I flipped back and forth between Law & Order SVU and The Real Housewives of Orange County. I’m sorry.. I LOVE that show and I will not explain myself. Mainly because I can’t. I don’t know the allure, but I adore it, much like The Girls Next Door. I’m a reality TV junkie and I need to be stopped.

Talk about pathetic: I just had to call my dad to see if he would take my car in for an oil change. I’m at least 2000 miles overdue. Let me point out, that I’m only this far overdue because J. kept telling me he would do it. I even bought oil and the filter, a trip to Wal-Mart I’d give anything to take back however, he hasn’t really been around to do it and I don’t want to hound him about it. I’m using all my breath on him exchanging my Christmas presents :). Anyway, I LOATHE taking my car in for an oil change, mainly because I know nothing about cars and they always hose me at Jiffy Lube. I think I’m the only person that’s ever paid $60 for an oil change. Did I know that at the time? No, but now I know better. J. still laughs at me for it and insists I’m going to learn how to change my oil (Note to self and J. - I’m not). What makes it more pathetic is that I can’t afford to pay for my own oil change, even with the coupon I have. My paychecks did not fall at a convenient time this month, so I’m struggling pretty good. I’m going to have to dip into my paltry savings just to go out this Saturday night, as I made plans over a month ago to head down the Taconic State Parkway to hang with my friend Stephanie. She’s a State Trooper down that way and we rarely get to see each other, what with all of our busy lives and conflicting schedules. We planned it pretty far out so we were positive it would still happen, and it is. What I’m saying is, I need money for beer and not an oil change. I told my Dad I’d pay him back… it’s all a matter of if he remembers me saying that or not. Dads can be good like that.

I’ll try to catch up again later but I make no guarantees, as the stars don’t look to be aligning in my favor. Don’t forget to catch Top Chef tonight and enjoy your day o’hump!

I had weird ex-boyfriend incidents this weekend

The knocker upper called me last night and asked me if I knew anyone in politics in the county. I probably do, but off the top of my head I couldn’t think of anyone. I barely watch the news, let alone get involved in politics. He then tells me it’s because he’s trying to get a job at Brookwood (basically a secure facility for bad boys) and it’s very politically charged and he needs some sort of referral. Um.. since we’ve been reacquainted in the last two or three years, you’ve gotten fired from one job, and just stopped going to the others. Do you REALLY think I’m going to ask someone to refer you for something? I think not. I didn’t say that to him on the phone because I was still a little shocked by the question and completely enthralled with the Golden Globes, but I just might. Unreal.

Friday night, as I was just getting into The Transporter 2, my phone rang. It was my ex, Bill, who had moved back from South Carolina in August. We have yet to see each other. He mainly calls me to ask me questions about pop culture he can’t answer, and then says nothing for the rest of the conversation. If you call me, have something to say! Anyway, I didn’t answer the phone because I was tired, just getting into the movie and since it was 11 on a Friday night, I figured he was half in the bag. When I checked my voicemail at 12:30, I was right. The message was completely incomprehensible (is that a word?). I listened to it twice trying to make sense of it, but I got nothing. I deleted it, even though I should have kept it to terrorize him with. He called while I was at the gym on Saturday, but I never returned the call. I really didn’t have anything to say. I emailed him today and he was like.. “oh.. yeah.. erase that message.” Some people (myself included) should not be allowed to drunk dial.

There's no better weekend

than a long weekend. If you didn't have one, I feel sorry for you. I'm sitting here watching E!'s coverage of the Golden Globe Awards so I'm sure tomorrow I'll have a few things to say about the winners, losers and what people were wearing.

My weekend was pretty mellow, in all honesty. I came home from bowling Friday night and just vegged on the couch. I watched some stuff I DVR'd over the week and then FINALLY watched The Transporter 2. And then I rewound it and watched it again, as I fell asleep the first time. It had lots of action (some scenes more believable than others) and Jason Statham didn't take off his clothes nearly enough for my taste, so the movie was only OK.

Saturday had it's busy moments. I slept kind of late and then hightailed it to the gym, which was packed. I got my half hour of the elliptical out of the way and then went over to the treadmill. About five minutes into my workout, a guy gets on the treadmill next to me. No more than 30 seconds later did I smell something so bad that I almost threw up. It was definitely a nasty case of B.O. I'm sitting there sniffing myself to make sure it wasn't me, when I realized it was the guy next to me. Now, there were no more treadmills available in the gym so I stuck it out, but for 20 minutes I mouth breathed my way through my walking/running. I just really hope the hot guy next to me on the treadmill didn't think it was me. Then again, I look pretty heinous when I'm at the gym so I'll never have to worry about picking someone up there. It will not happen. If you can believe it, when I went to the gym on Sunday I had my choice of two treadmills: One next to the guy I went to high school with that coughs through his whole workout and then goes outside to smoke, and one next to the smelly guy. I chose the one next to the cougher and I just turned my Ipod up as high as it could go.

Saturday I got my hair cut... nothing drastic, just slightly shorter. Later on that night my mother and I went to a show at Columbia High School. My mother's friend's son was in the show and they have a very talented group of kids at that school. I had a pretty decent time. They did "Once Upon A Stage" which is basically a medley of songs from all these different Broadway shows. Some voices were great, some were just so-so, but it was a good time regardless. I came home and once again caught some stuff I DVR'd and went to bed. Which I thought would be great until my sister decided to come home at 12:30 with some friends to play ping pong. I hung up on her. I slept on and off until they called it a night around 4:30. Sunday I went to the gym (as we've already discussed) and I then went to a party that I was just making an appearance at. I got home at 11:45. No catching up on my Netflix like I'd hoped! Today was pretty mellow also. I ended up losing almost 4 pounds which made me really happy and I then had my favorite spicy chicken sandwich for dinner. Tomorrow is a new day!

Haven't seen J. since Friday. We've talked every day, but with the weather and our schedules, things haven't worked out too much lately. On Saturday night a friend of his died so it's going to be a very rough week for him. I'm really trying hard to be there for him, but he's a very stoic, internalized person and I don't really know what the right thing to do is. I want to spend time with him, but I don't want to be a pain in the ass about it either. Relationships are hard.

Anyway, it's time for me to sign off and start watching the Golden Globes pre-show. All the good people are starting to show and I can't miss a dress! Enjoy your night and I promise to be back to my usual, snarky, work-hating self tomorrow.

PS - Make sure you set your DVR for SNL on Saturday night. Jeremy Piven is hosting. Grrrrr

Can this day go any slower?

Slow news day on this front. Slow news day in my life, in all honesty!

Last night was dance class, and it was pretty much uneventful. I went back to J.’s, was attacked by dogs (and heinous wind - not fun while you’re filling up your gas tank) and we watched my shows that he DVR’d. Granted, he did it for his brother, but it was nice of him to play them so I could watch them too.

Speaking of which, The Office was a great episode: Dwight was late to work because he went to Corporate in NYC early that morning to deliver some documents for Angela, as she had missed a crucial deadline. The sales team partnered up for sales calls and Stanley’s reaction to Ryan’s crash and burn was nothing short of hysterical. Andy bit the big one on his trip with Michael and to redeem himself, badmouthed Dwight and got Michael to believe Dwight went to Corporate to undermine Michael (once again). Michael confronted Dwight and he resigned to avoid throwing Angela under the bus. That’s true love kids.. Angela seems to have an inkling that Andy is behind it, and I kind of feel bad for him. He has NO idea what she’s capable of, but I think he’ll find out soon enough. Karen found out from Phyllis that Jim had a wicked crush on Pam, but when confronted Jim downplayed it. She seemed ok with it, but let the tension commence!

I laughed my ass off watching My Name is Earl. Earl, Joy and Randy stole some silverware from the library/museum and because they were “too hot,” they buried them in one of the empty trailer lots. The episode basically told how they stole the silverware from the others from each of the culprit’s point of view. I think the funniest part was that before they told their story, they got their own “My Name is” moment on screen. I mean, who’s not interested in “My Name is Randy?”

J. is trying to get me into Scrubs, so we watched that episode too. I’ve caught it in reruns and found it pretty comical. He also let me borrow Season One, but as we all know, I need to catch up on Netflix before I do anything else! Anyway, it was a pretty funny episode. I guess if a show can make postpartum depression funny, anything is possible. Next week is the long awaited musical episode. The trailer itself was hysterical, so I might have to DVR that one also. At least I can clear out my DVR now that I’ve already watched the shows! That’s a plus.

Much to my surprise, I received my 3% raise in my paycheck this week. If I did get one (which I wasn’t quite sure of) I had assumed it would be effective at my year anniversary in April. I guess they took pity on me and decided to give it to me at the end of the year with everyone else. 3% really isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing! Once I get through this heinous pay period (seems all my bills are due at the same time) I think I’m going to sock away the extra money so I can have a little nest egg for Ireland. Every little bit helps, right?

We had a pizza party at work today for one of the secretaries. She’s quite pregnant and today is her last day before maternity leave. I had two slices of cheese pizza, even though I wanted about 5. We get the pizza from Pizzeria Sapienza, which is in the Knick/Pepsi/Times Union Arena or Center. It’s been the Times Union Center for about two weeks, but I have always called it the Knick and probably always will. Anyway, their pizza is REALLY good. I ran back during lunch to see if (points wise) I could have another slice. I took a very small one so I think I’ll be ok. Tonight is bowling and hopefully I will fare better than last week. What a train wreck that was. Other than that, not at all sure what my plans are. I have a long weekend for MLK Day, and I plan on using it to clean and relax. Sunday night’s weather is supposed to be kind of crappy, so that defeats my plans. I wanted J. to come down for the first time in what seems like weeks (oh wait.. it has been weeks), but if the weather’s bad it’s more convenient for him to be at his house as it’s closer to work. Wow.. I really might catch up on my Netflix and then some!

In celebrity news, both Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore are back on the market. I’m not a big Cameron Diaz fan and I think Justin can do better and hotter, so I look forward to his next pairing, although it looks to be Scarlett Johannson. I can give or take that one. Now if only Lucy Liu were single (is she?), it’d be a Charlie’s Angels trifecta. Aaron Spelling must be rolling over in his grave.

Hope you all have a great Friday and an even better weekend (preferably a long one).

Somebody get me a Guinness!

Instead of working, I decided to book my (and Crystal’s) flight to Ireland. The flights I’d picked out yesterday had gone up by two or three hundred dollars, so I had to pick again. I really wanted to get a non-stop flight, but considering I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg I had to deal with what I was given. So, we are flying out of Boston on Friday, April 6th at 7:15, which will bring us into Dublin, Ireland at 7:45 am on Saturday, April 7th. I think Rachael will be much more appreciative of that rather than the 5:30 am time I had originally found. The nice thing is, we’ll leave Ireland (ok THAT isn’t the nice thing) at 11:45 am on Friday, April 13th and return to Boston at 3:20 pm on the same day. This way, I can actually make it home before the jet lag hits. I can then begin my weekend of sloth and recovery. And of course, downloading my pictures off my camera. I took almost 200 when I went to Australia so I can only imagine what I’ll do between Ireland and England! I’m so incredibly exciting. It’s actually real now, which is so weird, but in a good way!

It’s been a slow gossip day, but since it’s late in the work day, I’ll see what I can do. If you miss “Dancing with the Stars” (and sore losers) Mario Lopez has been tapped as the weekend co-host for Extra. He will also be making appearance during the week as a special correspondent. Honestly, I didn’t know this show was still on. It seems the only time I catch any of it is at 1 am, and there’s no reason for me to be up that late on a school night.

Laura Innes is the latest casualty on ER. Her story arc has taken some strange turns over the last few years, and it seems her character is getting an opportunity that she just can’t refuse that will take her out of Chicago. It looks like Innes will be back to direct an episode or two, and is not against guest appearances as Kerry Weaver. It seems her only request was to not be killed off. Seriously, how many doctors can they kill? I mean.. the helicopter thing with Romano? God that pissed me off. I loved that guy! I mean.. he was bald and he had lots of attitude. What more could a girl ask for? I miss Romano….

My parents got my sister and I this drinking game for Christmas called DRINKO. It’s basically a play on the “Price is Right” game, Plinko. Apparently Target and Kohl’s have stopped selling the game because of complaints that they are promoting binge drinking. In that case, close all the fast food restaurants, because they are promoting binge eating and obesity! (I don’t mean that.. keep them open… even Long John Silvers). My point is.. if you don’t want to promote binge drinking, don’t buy the damn game.

Finally, it seems my favorite foreign hottie that speaks broken English, Rodrigo Santoro, let the cat out of the bag that his character would be killed off Lost. Seems he was interviewing with the Brazilian Rolling Stone (I think) and said he would be leaving Hawaii in a month or so and had no plans to return. Maybe he’s pulling our leg, but it’s more than likely that he’s not. Boy, what a short lived Hawaiian vacation that was. There definitely weren’t enough shirtless pictures of him floating around the tabloids, am I right?

Enjoy your evening.. Tomorrow is Friday (yay) and payday for me (double yay). Remember, Grey’s Anatomy starts up again tonight and The Office looks to be another entertaining installment. All I have to say is this: Phyllis and Karen with 80’s hair and makeup… Priceless.

Look who's pulling a Palmeiro...

And I'm not surprised why?

In other sporting news, David Beckham has agreed to a contract to play with the LA Galaxy. It seems his time at Real Madrid was up this summer, and he hasn't been all that happy with the amount of playing time he's been getting under their new coach. I can only imagine what his presence is going to do for American soccer. Also, it looks like more Posh Spice/Katie Holmes shopping sprees to come. What more could the paparazzi ask for? How soon do you think it'll be before Posh and Becks are pitched their own reality show?

Three things I've missed in the last 24 hours

1. Cal Ripken on David Letterman
2. Chris Daughtry on Craig Ferguson
3. My fleeting youth

I found a gray hair this morning. It’s my first. I should have just called in sick. Normally, I have blonde highlights in my hair, so if I did have a gray hair, you probably wouldn’t be able to see it. Well, my hair has been pretty dark as of late, so it stuck out like a sore thumb. I was blowdrying my hair like normal and the light hit it just right. I didn’t rip it out, as it might just be my eyes playing tricks on me.

How long do you think it’ll be before there are clips of Cal and Chris on YouTube? I’m pretty pissed I knew nothing about their television appearances. Way to go with the publicity! Not that it matters. I was out like a light by that time last night. As a matter of fact, my friend Amy texted me around 11:30 because Cal was hawking bats on QVC. Got that text this morning. Yep, I normally turn my phone off when I go to bed on school nights. Weekends, not all the time. Granted, I don’t have a land line so I should probably keep it on at all times in case there’s an emergency, but I haven’t gotten there yet. Anyway, I had gone to the gym last night and to make up for my Applebee’s mishap, I was on the elliptical for an hour, and the treadmill for 30 minutes. My legs feel like they’re going to fall off. I came home, made a quick dinner, packed my bag for tonight (dance class) and fell into bed. I forced myself to stay awake for Top Chef, which was only an OK episode (in my opinion).

The Quickfire Challenge was for the chefs to make a snack food, and they had three condiments to work with - Mayonnaise, Italian Dressing and BBQ Sauce. I was shocked at how many of the chefs were big fans of mayo! I can never remember what they make, but the mohawked guest judge chose Sam and Marcel as the winners. Oh yes, there were two winners. This is because the Challenge was to have two teams, each of whom is going to open a restaurant in less than 24 hours. Sam chooses Ilan and Mike; Marcel has Elia and Cliff. You can tell Cliff was none too pleased to get Marcel, but such is life. The boys name their Italian restaurant Lalalina (after their significant others - YEP, Ilan is straight.. I never was real sure until last week when he started bitch slapping Marcel with the virgin talk… gay men don’t do that) and the other group goes with MEC (their initials) for their upscale diner. Honestly, I was surprised they went with the diner concept, and that Marcel was so very open to it. I would think he’d want a foam showcase, but maybe he’s grown up. Cliff decides he wants to be up front, even though Elia has experience with it and expressed a great interest in doing it (HELLO FORESHADOWING) Anyway, the boys were nervous, as they’ve had Elia’s burgers and apparently they are to die for! The designers the groups were given didn’t really do too much, or at least waited until the last possible minute to do.. well.. anything! Elia got to see a side of Cliff she didn’t like when he continuously raised his voice at her. Not a good sign. Anyway, the customers came in and most chose Lalalina because “they can get a burger anywhere.” Um.. not THE BEST BURGER!!! Cliff kept the judges waiting way too long when they showed up at MEC and left a very bad impression on them with his “front of the house” skills. They thought the food was ok, but I think it could have been better had Cliff served it in a timely manner. The judges then head to Lalalina and are surprised to find the Italian restaurant doesn’t have a wine list. BIG no-no! Like.. Clay Aiken/Kelly Ripa no-no! Then, there is an olive pit on their table. Yeah.. the judges are insanely impressed at this point. Apparently Ilan wasn’t the best choice for front of the house either, as his skills didn’t impress the judges one bit. At the Judges’ Table, they can’t come to a conclusion over who won. It seems they’re all just trying to stay afloat and no one is really trying to win. So, the Judges bring each team in for a little pow-wow before they decide who will go home. Once they bring both teams in, Elia is sent out of the room first for taking a risk on the diner idea, and doing a lot of the work. Ilan and Marcel soon follow.. not necessarily because they did a good job, but mainly because they prepared the only dishes the judges found appetizing. So.. Sam, Cliff and Michael are on the chopping block. I’m pretty much thinking it’s between Cliff and Michael as Cliff was just horrible at everything he did, and Michael didn’t seem to do anything. His big flaw was not using up his entire budget at the supply store, although I don’t think you can blame him for that. I mean.. once the guys tell you they can’t afford wine, why would you buy wine glasses? Really, it seemed like Michael was getting in the way more than anything else, so it was his time to go home. I think he knew it was coming. I mean, the only real good dishes he made were when he was drugged up! But hey.. he made Top Chef history and he always had a smile on his face. Next week looks to be a STELLAR episode, as it looks like two people will be kicked off to bring us down to the final 3 in Hawaii. That is, unless they pull a Project Runway and use a decoy. It seems the rest of the group might do something a little mean to Marcel (shocker) and the episode looks to be a juicy one. I am already counting down the minutes!

Time to fake some work. Gossip and other such things will come along later this afternoon…

PS - Happy Birthday to my friend Craig... Love and miss you lots!!!

Does this disturb anyone but me?

The demise (well.. one reason for it) of Marilyn Manson and Dita Von Teese’s marriage was due to his burgeoning relationship with Evan Rachel Wood. If this is true, then I find it to be insanely disturbing. If it’s not true, I still find it insanely disturbing! The girl is exactly half his age, for one thing. Granted, she’s 19 and can make her own decisions, but what woman find attractive about this man, I’ll never know. Perhaps she’s going through this weird “I need to be like my character in Thirteen” rebellion. Who knows? The other rumor going around is that Lindsey Lohan was constantly calling the Manson/Von Teese residence because she wanted Manson to go out partying with her. Apparently he’s a hell of a cocktail party entertainer. All I can say is, WTF? All of you beautiful women (Rose McGowan included) can, and hopefully will, do better.

In Office news, it’s been confirmed that Joss Whedon (of Buffy fame) has been tapped to direct an episode. I can only imagine what kind of episode it will be. Maybe no one will speak, or maybe Pam will slaughter Angela. Either way, how can it be bad? Immediately following his installment, there’ll be one directed by J.J. Abrams, one of the creators of Lost. Those are going to be two crazy weeks in Scranton, that’s for damn sure!

George Michael has pled innocent to charges of being unfit to drive and possessing marijuana that stem from an incident where police found him passed out in his car and blocking an intersection in London. He was not in court, but his attorney passed on the plea. She also asked that the charges be dropped as his blood sample was taken illegally. We’ll have to wait until the next hearing to see what happens with that. I adore George Michael. His greatest hits is one of m favorite cd’s. I just wish he could get his shit together. Plus, shouldn’t all these famous people with DWI’s and the like, have a driver, or some sort of handler that would at least call them a cab? I just don’t get it.

If you can believe it, there was snow on the ground this morning! I truly believe this is the first time all winter there was more than a slight dusting of snow on the ground. I even slid a little pulling out of J’s brother’s driveway. Is it sad that it made me kinda happy? I mean.. I love all this nice weather as much as the next guy or girl, but it really is winter and if something doesn’t happen soon I can just see some crazy freak storm happening as I’m trying to leave for Ireland. Speaking of which, I spent all day looking for flights and found a non-stop both there and back. However, it didn’t occur to me until I told my traveling buddy about it, that we are flying back into the States on Friday the 13th. I’m not really a superstitious person, but it does freak me out a bit. Then again, Crystal is the girl who scheduled her latest child’s C-section on Friday the 13th, so I think it’ll probably work out. Regardless, think good thoughts on Friday, April 13th… deal? Have a great hump night and make the most of it!