The scariest day of the year

So they say... if you watched Reaper last night, you'd know Halloween is the Devil's nightmare, as no one fears him. So for this one day Devil, it sucks to be you! And on this ONE day, I have to wish my friend and blogmate Sandra, a very Happy Birthday!!!!

What an upset! Sabrina Bryan (of Cheetah Girls fame) got voted off Dancing with the Stars. I'm sure she'd be the first to admit this week's dance was her weakest, but she certainly did not deserve to go, nor did she and Cameron Mathison deserve to be in the bottom two! You could see the fear and disappointment in her face as she waited for the evictee to be revealed and I genuinely felt bad for her when she got the news. I admit, she kept it together really well but the disappointment was all over her face. I still think there's something going on between her and her partner though... Maybe they'll be the next Karina and Mario, but younger and more friendly! I know nothing about the Mormon religion, but I'm shocked to think they have more pull than the Disney Channel nation! I guess that's the perk of having fans who can stay up past 9 pm! Poor Jane Seymour.. First her mom dies, then she gets food poisoning!? This woman really is having a rough year!

Monday night I went to my sister's team's Sectional soccer game, after relaxing in Sue's hot tub for a while. BIG mistake.. It was FREEZING outside... even an extra large hot cocoa couldn't help me! Of course, the game went into overtime. After two 10 minute OT periods, they play two five minute OT periods before going into penalty kicks. I froze my tukus off! Luckily, Tre's team scored 45 seconds into the first five minute overtime and walked off with the win. They play against Ravena tonight at 5 pm in Broadalbin so, it looks like that's where I'm headed tonight. I understand the "no home field advantage" thing, but it's ridiculous to make both teams drive all the way to friggin' Broadalbin to play each other. Anyway, Tre is REAL worried about the game and rightfully so. Ravena is a good team and they're looking for sweet redemption since ICC knocked them out of Sectionals last year. I hope Tre wins, but I won't be disappointed if she doesn't.. at least not too much. We have a wedding Friday night at 5 and if she wins tonight, she'll play at 6 pm in Broadalbin so she can't make it. It should be a great time and it'd be a shame if she missed it but I think she'd get over it!

Last night Tre made me lift, upping our weight but lowering our repetitions. I wanted to DIE! We were supposed to do cardio but neither of us could feel our legs so we decided against it. I guess it's working. I lost .4 pounds at Weight Watchers, bringing me back to my usual total loss of 9.8 pounds. I just can't seem to get above that 10 pound hump! Perhaps putting more effort into my exercise and less food into my mouth might help! Damn Halloween and it's candy!

I bet I didn't even have a chance to go there the last few days, but the Yanks offered their managerial job to Joe Girardi. A good choice, but not exactly the fan favorite that Don Mattingly is. Rumor has it that Joe Torre will be offered the managerial job for the Dodgers and I wouldn't be surprised if Donnie Baseball follows him to LA. Can't blame him.. he's been around the organization forever and this was the Yanks chance to give him a well deserved break. WAY TO GO STEINBRENNERS!!! George is turning into the Peter Angelos of NYC!

I decided I'm taking J. to the Olive Garden for his birthday dinner. If he were my boyfriend, he would have gotten steak. But he's not, so Italian it is. Sucks to be him.

Robert Goulet died.. I told J this and he said "who's that?" I tried to explain and then he was like "OH, the Emerald Nuts guy!" Funny what people end up being known for in different generations, don't you agree?

This is one of my favorite movies, so I thought it'd be interesting. Check it out to waste the rest of your day. Hump 'em if you got 'em.

Cranktastic

I'm in a mood, but this made me laugh. I'll be back with more later.

Everyone likes free shit

Who wants a taco?

Wedding Pictures

Bride and Groom - Joey and Yoko
I don't know why this picture is so small, but that's me and Bob. He's getting married on Friday.
This is me, Joey (the groom), my sister and Joey's brother Bobby. We go way back. Ask anyone, I really ate the salad. Here is the actual photographic evidence. Granted, it only looks like I'm cheesing with the sald, but I really did eat it. Sweet Caroline always gets people out on the dance floor. And oh yeah... we might have been drunk. That helps too..

Whirlwind weekend

Where do I begin? How about at the beginning!?

FRIDAY - I went to bowling and had ONE good game... It's better than the NO good games I've been having lately, so I'll take it. After that, I headed over to the Super Wal-Mart to do some shopping. While I was there, J called and asked if I would pick him up from the party he went to. I had told him earlier I would, so I told him to just call me when he was ready. That turned out to be around 11:15 which gave me plenty of time to watch Private Practice and My Name is Earl. Anyway, I picked him up around midnight and he was very thankful, as it was raining like a son of a bitch and his only other option was to walk two miles to his brother's house in the pouring rain. And yes... he bought me breakfast. God, I love breakfast!

SATURDAY - after I left J's I headed to Hallmark to get a card for the wedding and for my friend Sue's birthday. I also ended up getting Christmas cards. I really shouldn't be allowed to be in Hallmark for any amount of time, although I'm upset that they seem to have gotten rid of their "Fresh Ink" line of cards, which are always what I gravitate towards. I then headed to CVS to pick up my prescription but also found a birthday card for J. As I'm standing in line to pay for the card, I see my friend Cybil, who I haven't seen or talked to in what has to be 10 years. As always, she looked drop dead gorgeous after busting out three children and I just looked.. well.. busted. I had yet to shower, it was still raining and I had been putting a hood on and off my head all morning. So, it was nice to chat with her, but it made me realize how inevitable it is that when you look your worst, you'll see someone you wished you looked your best in front of. Anyway, I had to get ready and head to my friend's wedding. I'll be honest.. I didn't expect it to be a rip roaring good time. The crowd skewed older and my sister was supposed to have a game so she wasn't going to be able to make it. Well, her game got rained out and we had a great time! I even ate salad. Yep.. a Caesar salad, but a salad just the same. Ok.. I stopped eating it once all the croutons, cheese and dressing was gone, but at least I made an effort (I'll post pictures to prove it once my mom sends them to me). We got home and into bed just around 11, which was perfect. I snuggled in under my new flannel sheets (Merry Early Christmas to me) and was so comfy I didn't want to get out of bed on Sunday. Speaking of which....

SUNDAY - Tre and I got up and hit the gym. We had to do our lifting, but that was all, as Tre wanted to go to the mall. She later decided she wanted to mow the lawn instead. Yeah.. I dont' get her. Anyway, while she attempted (in vain) to start the lawn mower, I settled in to watch America's Next Top Model and whatever was left in the DVR. After that, I made a tray of macaroni and cheese for my friend Sue's birthday. Her birthday was Saturday but I'm heading to her house tonight to chat and test out her new hot tub, so I thought for once, I would bring dinner. Plus, she's been talking about wanting to try my mac and cheese ever since I told her I could make it. I hope it turns out OK. I didn't cook it yet.. just made it yesterday and will cook it when I get to her house.. After that, I did my laundry, watched Stomp the Yard with Tre (decent flick) and got all my shit together, as J had said something about coming down. Well, when he called he asked if I could come up there, as he was pretty beat, so I packed everything up and hightailed it to his place. I got this really weird feeling about halfway there, like, I instantly fell into a bad mood. Then a black cat ran across the road (I swear.. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried). Weird.. but whatever. So, when I get to his house I called to have him open the doors for me, as my hands were full of mac and cheese. So, he did and as we were sitting on the couch he asked me what i was doing Wednesday night. Well, it's the only Wednesday that I don't have soccer, so I said probably nothing. He then asked if we could do his birthday dinner on Wednesday, as he found out his sister wanted to cook him dinner for his birthday on Thursday. I'll be honest... this didn't really upset me at first. It was inconvenient, but it's his sister and I understand. However, instead I started to cry. No reason why... just started to tear up. He's looking at me like I'm crazy and I'm trying to explain to him that I'm so not upset about the dinner thing, I was just in a mood! I felt like an idiot though. After I calmed down I did tell him that I'd really prefer not to change the dinner. I had cancelled an appointment to do it that night, and we both have the next day off so I thought it would be more convenient for both of us. Anyway, he agreed with me and said he would talk to his sister today. She knew we had plans already so it's probably not a big deal, I just feel like a moron for crying for no reason. I tried to explain that sometimes girls just need a good cry, but I dont' think he got it. Anyway, after that he was staring out the window and said "Can I tell you something?" I said "yes" and he mentioned that he had been seeing shadows on the front porch. Coincidentally, I had stopped in my tracks earlier that night because I thought I saw something on the front porch. So, we both freaked a little since the other one also saw something. It was really weird. We then watched "The Reaping." Well, I watched it while he slept. I give him credit for trying to stay awake, but 15 minutes in, he was a goner. It was... interesting. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Anyway, we went to bed right after it ended and of course, I couldn't sleep. He passed out in seconds and all I could do was listen to the millions of noises coming from the house. I kept jumping and looking behind me and he finally woke up and told me that I needed to stop. The door was locked, everything was fine. I did eventually fall asleep, but I cant' say I was thrilled to have him leave me there alone at 3 in the morning to go to work. I made him shut the bedroom door when he left. I don't know why but I don't really like sleeping with the door open. I guess if someone has to open the door to get to me, I feel like I have a fighting chance!

So, that was my weekend. Like I said, hopefully I'll have some pictures to post in the near future!

On to sports.... It happened. The Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies to win their second World Series in two years. Hey, I'm not happy but you can't knock the Sox! I mean, they certainly outplayed everyone and deserved to win. In other baseball news, it looks like not only will the Yankees be announcing their new manager this week (the rumor mill says it's Girardi), but A-Rod has opted out of the richest contract in baseball to be a free agent. (NOTE TO A-ROD: Baltimore isn't called Charm City for nothing ;) Give us a shot!)

That's all for now... try to get through your Monday and I'll try to find some more stuff for you to discuss amongst yourselves.

Karma's a bitch

I played rugby with this guy in college. Always seemed dumb as a brick, but nice enough and a killer body, which basically was enough to get him through. Well, he's proven the dumb as a brick thing in the past year. He killed a girl while drunk driving around Boston last April and was finally sentenced yesterday. I'm pretty impressed the judge didn't see through his line of bullshit. I'm not saying he hasn't learned his lesson, but he's had ample opportunity and until he faced jail time, didn't seem to show any remorse whatsoever. Let's remember though, these are my opinions and not an accurate representation of this guy. Course, I think they're accurate, but friends of mine who are closer to him will more than likely disagree with me. Let's just say, he'll get along real well in prison.. he's pretty... I know too many people in prison..

I can't get warm

I know.. it's probably one of the nicest days of the week so far, but I'm layering as best as I can and still can't seem to get my body warm. J and I went to the movies last night (more on that in a minute) and I was literally shivering through the entire thing. I'm thinking of heading to Dunkin Donuts for a hot cocoa to get me through this afternoon!

Ok.. the movies.. J and I went to see "We Own the Night" with Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg. I thought it was pretty good, however the picture quality was atrocious. You actually got used to it, but it was all streaky. We were in the last theater and I think there were two other people there, so I guess management didn't see the need to check that out OR close the door to the theater. I had to get up and do that myself. Anyway, I had been hounding him for a week or more discussing my craving for buttered movie popcorn. We got popcorn and the guy put it all right on top so you could see it glistening (Have I mentioned that J hates butter on his popcorn?)! Anyway, because I was wearing a semi-nice shirt (J asked why I looked so fancy just to go to the movies) you know I dropped buttered popcorn on myself. I was able to "SHOUT" it out when I got home, but boy was I peeved.. However, knowing my shirt had to be stained and the fact that i was freezing my ass off didn't deter me from enjoying myself! After the movie, J drove through the Taco Bell drive thru, as he hadn't had dinner yet and unlike me, popcorn was not enough to satisfy him. The guy in the drive thru was ridiculously polite and nice. Kind of TOO nice.. We pull up and he takes J's money and says "I like your sweater." I look at J and say "aren't you going to say thank you?" To which he replies "he's talking to you!" Let me point out 1) J wasn't technically wearing a sweater, nor was I and 2) He was DEFINITELY talking to J and told us so when he caught us giggling over who he was talking to. He then said something about my boyfriend or husband and I started to die laughing. What I wanted to say (and somehow restrained myself) was that everyone BUT J seems to know we're together. Hell, even the drive thru guy could tell!!! So, it was entertaining and J was only slightly uncomfortable with the homoerotic undertones of the situation. I, on the other hand, laughed my ass off the whole way home and have continued to do so every time I rerun the situation in my head. Serves him right.

I don't normally watch the news. I find it depressing and it angers me, so I just don't put myself in that position. However, I was looking at some local news on the internet this afternoon and came across this story. I don't really know why I clicked on it, but I did. When I saw the picture I thought "wow, that guy looks like someone I know." As I continued to read the story, I realized I had met this guy over the summer during Kate's bachelorette party in Saratoga. We had such a great time with him and his friends and he was the nicest guy you could ever meet! I know I didn't really KNOW the guy, but it was such a shock to actually see someone I had met on there, ya know? It's a sad situation and my condolences go out to his family. The weird thing is that he worked at Schuylerville and that is who my sister has to play in her sectional game tomorrow night. Small f'n world, isn't it?

Speaking of the soccer game, the Ichabod Crane girl's soccer team beat Bishop Gibbons 15-0 in their first sectional game. My mom called me at the half and the score was already 9-0. I'm glad I didn't go because it was a bloodbath. Tre's goalie had ONE save. One. The game started late too, because the ICC boys won their sectional game by a penalty kick. God, I'd hate to be the goalie for the other team. What pressure! So, not only do my congrats go out to my sister, but they also go out to Mattias, who coaches the boys. Both teams play their next games on Saturday.

That's all I've got for today. I'm having a bad hair day and just not in the mood to work, so I can't wait to head home, take a shower and hopefully catch up on some DVR'd TV before I head to bowling and hopefully don't suck as much ass as I have in previous weeks. I make no guarantees. Enjoy your weekend!

Oh, what a night

and I don't think I mean that in a good way. This is how mine went:

I got out of work slightly late and had just enough time to make lunch, pick out my clothes for the next day and turn down my bed before Tre was home and ready to go to the gym. We went to the gym and did our lifting, albeit with a few modifications, as we were short on time. We then stopped home to get our soccer stuff and headed to Quizno's (mmm... chicken carbonara sub) and THEN went to the school so Tre could chaperone the field hockey game. As I've stated before, I've never played field hockey (I realize now, not even in gym class) and I can see why. They blow the whistle every five seconds and the rules are ridiculous. You literally can't do anything without getting a penalty. If the ball hits you.. penalty. If your stick goes too high... penalty. At least they don't stop the clock every time the whistle blows. That would be awful! I would get so frustrated if I played! Anyway, we had to leave just as the second half started, but Ichabod ended up beating Taconic Hills 2-1 which is kind of a shame since Tre is friends with the TH coach, but such is life.

Soccer... ooh.. yikes. It was ugly! We ended up only having one sub which is WAY less than our old, slow asses need. We only lost 6-0 which was better than the 11-3 ass whooping they put on us during our last game, but we played terrible. No one seemed to be able to cover who they were supposed to be covering and some of the shots the other team made were sick! I mean, there were a few I didn't think were even possible shots to take and they made them. They've been playing together for five years or so and just know where their team mate is going to be. We haven't gotten there yet. I ended up having to defend against this woman who, literally, her legs were as long as my entire body. I'm not kidding. Her hip was probably at my neck. It was pretty evident I wasn't stealing a throw in from her! I did knock her down a few times... nice to see this ass is good for something! So, that was our last game of the season and we definitely played like crap, but better than the first time we played them. I guess that's something. One week off and then we're back in the thick of it and I can't wait! Granted, I'm so sore that walking up and down stairs is painful, but I think it's in a good way. I certainly worked off that chicken carbonara sub with all the running I did in the 50 minutes of the game last night, that's for sure!

The Red Sox ROUTED the Rockies last night 13-1. I believe there were all sorts of records set and everything. I don't want them to win, but that's not to say they're not a talented team and really have the momentum going to win. I just REALLY hope they don't! Yet another one you love to hate, am I right!? Perhaps all that time off was not a good thing for the Rockies and maybe, just maybe, that Colorado air will do them good starting in Game 3. I just hope it's a Series and not a sweep. Those are so boring! And oh yeah.. my friends who read this blog that are Boston fans... don't hate on me for having an opinion! I still answer when you call or email me to let me know the O's got their ass kicked by the Sox, and on the rare occasion when the tables are turned, I don't rub it in your face. Let's just agree to disagree.

I looked around, but nothing is really going on in the world of pop culture so I'm afraid I can't help too much. I do hope to go to the movies tonight, but we'll see how that goes. Try to make it through your Thursday unscathed!

One More Thing

Root for the Rockies.... they deserve it and as a New Yorker, it's against everything I stand for to root for the Red Sox..

Ok.. ONE (or two) more things...

Damages ended with a bang last night, although it still hasn't been renewed for another season. I imagine it'll only be a matter of time with the cast it has, and the reviews it's received. It's definitely as intriguing as Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck and I hope it continues to be a staple in the FX programming. Kristen Bell made her first appearance on Heroes and she's going to be bad. Very bad.. but in a good way! You can just tell. When a girl can shoot lightning out of her fingers it's just not going to end well..

I'm thoughtful

J's birthday is next week. I got him a toothbrush.

I'm disappointed that Mark Cuban got booted from Dancing with the Stars. I really thought he had improved and had been able to earn a reprieve, as Marie Osmond sucked it up, even before she fainted. However, I was sadly mistaken and he has since hit the road. I have a feeling Marie will be gone next week. The competition is really stepping up and I don't know how much longer the Mormons will be able to keep her in the thick of things. Then again, she wasn't in the bottom two this week, so I could be underestimating the power of religion.

This weekend is The Office convention in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Although none of the key characters (Michael, Dwight, Jim and Pam) have committed, I still think it would be a great time. Maybe I'll head down there next year and use it as an excuse to visit my friend Melissa and her husband Shaggy, who just moved down there this summer. Ya know, kill two birds with one stone type of thing.

I meant to blog about this yesterday, but I was cranky and not in the mood. Guess who is coming to Seattle Grace for a few episodes? Let's put it this way, if you thought Seth Green was a great guest star, this one is even better!!!

Tonight is our final soccer game of this session. We play the purple team, who is in first place and will continue to be after tonight. Come on, we won one game but we aren't that delusional!! We just want to put up a good fight and go out on a strong note, and I think we'll be able to. I'm really looking forward to it, but I have to lift with my sister first, then tag along while she chaperones a field hockey game. I'm kind of curious, as Hudson didn't (and doesn't as far as I know) have field hockey as a sport so all I've done is play it in gym class. I don't know if tonight is a sectional game or not, but it should be pretty competitive. Speaking of sectionals, my sister has her first game tomorrow night, which should be a shoe-in. The team she's playing has an 0-10 record, so as the first seed, we're pretty sure she's going to win. This means she'll play on Saturday night at 7 pm at home. That would be great if we didn't have a wedding to go to that afternoon, which now she can't go to. So, it looks like it'll be me, mom and dad heading over to the wedding. It's not really gonna be a boozefest or anything and my dad has to work early sunday morning so I'm sure we'll be home at a very reasonable hour, but I would have liked to watch her game. Then again, I think it's going to pour, so I'm not real down with that. I might not even go tomorrow night. Standing outside in the cold might not be worth it to watch her team give an ass whooping, if that's the case. I feel bad not going, but then I remind myself that she's COACHING, not playing.. totally different scenarios.

Anyway, I should get a move on. Lots to take care of before the soccer game so I can just collapse in bed when I get home. Hump 'em if you got 'em ;) (aw hell, hump 'em even if they're not yours)..

Funny pictures I've received

This first picture is my cousin Shelly's son... Apparently he got a little excited about this Halloween wig and decided to try it on for size... He has now been dubbed "Jerome" Bowes.. I think he looks more like Juan Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, but that's just me.. Makes me wonder what his real Halloween costume is!This picture is my friend Toine. Ok.. Anthony, but we took French together in high school and I've called him Toine ever since. Apparently he had a crazy beard for a while, but decided to shave it off.. into the oh so flattering handlebar mustache. Apparently the girl in the picture with him felt as good about it as his wife and he has since shaved it off.. But it had a good run.

Scared Straight

Not so much...

One of those nights

I'm having one where I just don't want to talk to anyone. I want to watch my shows, not go to the gym and have McDonald's.. and I did. I might have to skip weigh in tomorrow.. After this week, it's NOT going to be pretty. I need to kick some ass at the gym and with my eating habits this week or I'll never hit that 10 pounds mark.. EVER. It's just that for some reason, once people start to notice that I'm losing weight, I decide I can eat again, instead of being motivated to do more. I don't get it. Wednesday is the start to a new week.

Holy shit! Marie Osmond just passed out after her samba on Dancing with the Stars. Apparently she "forgot to breathe." I hate it when that happens.. That's like when people say "oh, I just forgot to eat." Um... no you didn't and if you did, you're an idiot and abnormal (no offense Marie).

Ok.. softball party pictures:

This is my cousin's cousin Anne, my sister, me and my cousin Chrissy. We had a great time having a cousin's party night and we plan to continue that on New Year's at Anne's house.

My cousin Shelly showed up later and completed the cousins night.

Finally, me and Jen having some of Kenny's special drinks.

The party was a blast as always and I stuffed myself with Barry's chicken cordon bleu. I already can't wait until next year.

Ok, I'm not into live blogging or anything, but I just adore Mark Cuban on DWTS. It's obvious how much weight he's lost just from doing the show. He looks great and he's having so much fun. He's certainly far from the best, but you have to respect someone who tries as hard as he does and really wants to please everyone. I give him a lot of credit and I might actually vote for him tonight! Speaking of tonight's TV - Kristen Bell finally joins the case of Heroes. It's gonna be one hell of a night. Enjoy yours and GO COLTS! :)

Let's Go Rockies

Ya know.. it's not even that I hate the Red Sox.. I hate the Red Sox fans. I mean, they sucked for 86 years and now they get in my face regarding the last time the O's won a pennant. Um.. it was less than 86 years ago so how bout you suck it? That, and just because I'm from New York doesn't mean I give a shit whether the Yankees win or lose. I'd rather root for the Yanks than the Sox, but it's not going to change my life regardless of who wins, nor is it going to change the lives of said Sox fans. So, there's my soapbox.. Jump on up and root for the Rockies.

The rain was horrendous on Friday night. Not as horrendous as my bowling, but it was pretty bad. I feel like I've forgotten everything I've ever learned about bowling over one summer and it hasn't been pretty. I need to practice. Anyway, as I was playing a spirited game of beer pong on Friday night, my mom called to tell me not to drive home, as the rain was pretty bad. That was at 10:30. I braved everything at 12:30 and while it was quite dark and a little tough to see, I'm sure it wasn't as bad as when she called.

I'll post some pictures of the softball party later on. I got a new cell phone on Saturday so I spent most of Sunday programming and downloading new ring tones as opposed to posting pictures. It's a Katana II by Sanyo and it's so damn cute. I might even be in the correct digital age, finally! When I showed the girl my old phone she actually said "oh yeah.. you need an upgrade." Anyway, I shut the computer down so I could clean the hellhole we call a home and then never got motivated enough to turn it back on again. That and there was a So You Think You Can Dance season 2 marathon on MTV. You should be shocked I even left the house! I still didn't get to see every dance and every episode, but I saw more than I had originally, which was nice.

Tonight is Dancing with the Stars and Heroes. I still need to watch last week's episode of Heroes before I tune in tonight, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'm wavering between doing some cardio or going to the Total Body Sculpt class at the gym. I'd like to do something different but I don't really want to go by myself and not going would give me a little bit more free time than usual. I have a feeling I'm going to talk myself right out of it before the day is over. So, I'll let you know how that goes when I post some pics from the softball team party later on tonight. It was a great time and even with all the boozing I was in bed early and woke up without even a slight hangover. THAT is a good party! I also got to see some pics of J in the suit I picked out for him at the wedding he went to this weekend. Let's just say I did a good job. Of course, knowing him the whole suit probably didn't stay on too long, but at least he did make the effort to take a pic or two while he still had the whole thing on, which is more than I expected!

I know it's gorgeous out, but that doesn't make the day go by, so here's something that might help you out. Enjoy your Monday and I'll post some pics later.

It happened

The Old Hags put one in the win column! Yes.. we won our first soccer game of the season last night and it was an exciting victory. Granted, when the game started the other team only had four players on the field, but they ended up with a full team within a matter of seconds. They didn't have any subs (we had 3) so I'm sure they were tired, but too damn bad! We beat them 6-4 and BOY were they pissed! I guess no one likes to lose to the worst team in the division! As a matter of fact, the goalie called Nikki a whore when Nikki pressured her for the ball. It was pretty funny, considering my mom and next door neighbor were there watching and heard her say it! We had some really great goals and definitely played the best game we've played all season. We ended the night with some beers, way too many wings and even way more too many nachos at Beff's on Everett Road. It was so much fun and we decided we would play the next session and even came up with a new name (Lavendar Lushes). We wanted it a tad more dirty but Soccer Mary wasn't budging! Perhaps we just need spectators to motivate us to win! Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to do with the one week off we have in between. I've had so much fun playing that I don't want to stop!

In response to my own post from the other day, I'm happy to report Rick Kranitz has been named the new Oriole pitching coach. Hopefully he begins a new legacy of great pitching for the O's. (Ok, I'll take so-so pitching at this point, but I have high hopes!!)

I wish I had more to say. I've missed pretty much all my TV shows so far this week (except Reaper and Damages - that shout out was just for you, Sandra) so I can't even blog about those. I'm going to try to catch up soon, but I make no guarantees. After all, I have to go bond with the gym after work and who knows what debauchery (or sleep) that could lead to! Hopefully I can catch up a bit tonight though because my sister isn't home. She got the opportunity to go to the Boston College - University of North Carolina women's soccer game at BC tonight. She's then going to dinner at the house (all 20,000 square feet of it) of the CEO of Harrah's Casino in Vegas. She's excited, but a little overwhelmed! So, I have the whole house to myself tonight and will more than likely use it by snuggling under a blanket and watching TV. It's sad the things we do when we're alone, isn't it!?

Enjoy your Thursday night... watch The Office and Grey's Anatomy.. I believe this is the last of the one hour Office episodes, which will really allow me to get to bed earlier on Thursday nights. This waiting until 10:00 to start watching Grey's is really kicking my ass! 9:30 is much better for me and that's really all that matters. Tomorrow could prove to be a busy day as my boss wasn't in the office today, but I'll try as best as I can to post. If not, I'll be sure to have some entertaining pictures from the softball party on Saturday. That, I can almost guarantee! Enjoy your night while I head home to bask in our win.... and will continue to do so until next week's colossal ass whooping!

I'm in love!

Don't get your hopes up.. the chat that I had with J didn't go THAT well... ;) Ok.. I'm not sure it went well at all but we got a lot of stuff out in the open, but no real conclusion. But who cares? I have found a new love and it is.....

America's Most Smartest Model.

Oh yeah... I mean it. It's a trainwreck of epic proportions and I have loved every second (and been mortified by the fact that I do love it) that I have watched. I just happened to catch it late last night (after a STELLAR episode of Damages) and could NOT turn the channel. Seriously, check it out. I can't believe some of these people are A) models and B) breathing on their own. It's a mess and I can't wait till the next episode.

Floyd Mayweather FINALLY got booted from Dancing with the Stars, yet shared the red spotlight with Mel B., which surprised everyone involved. Marc Cuban looked completely overjoyed that he was not in the bottom two, but it was pretty evident that it was Floyd's turn to go no matter who he was with, and take Karina with him. I managed to breeze through Monday night's performance show on my DVR and as much as the practice sessions are cute, they're SUCH a waste of time. I got through the performances in about a half hour-forty five minutes so basically half the show (if not more) is filler. Anyway, there were some great performances, mainly from Sabrina Bryan, Helio Castronieves, Cameron Mathison (even with his cheesy costume) and Jennie Garth. It might come down to a family battle between Derek and Julianne Hough, which I'd be ok with. I really like her and Jennie Garth really seems to be coming into her own. That, and her husband was on Damages, one of the best new shows of the year. Last night's episode was once again filled with unexpected twists and turns and as much as I'm looking forward to next week's season finale, I'll be sad to see it go. Although I'll be able to watch SVU a whole lot more! Oh but wait... The Real Housewives of Orange County are on Tuesdays at 10.. Sorry SVU!!! Priorities.. Anyway, for those of you who don't know what you're missing, FX is running a Damages marathon on Saturday starting at 8 a.m. Get your Frobisher fix!

I had expected a pretty nasty WW weigh in, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I only gained .4 pounds. I mean, the cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory alone should have set me back at least two pounds. I'll probably pay for it next week, as I am going out for wings after soccer tonight and this weekend is our softball team party. Barry always puts out a fine spread (and the food isn't bad either ;)!) Still, I'll take my .4 pounds and pray to God I can manage to drop a pound to reach that elusive 10 pound mark. I shouldn't bitch.. I'm feeling pretty good and my clothes fit better, but you just want to be able to say that's what you lost, am I right!? Anyway, tonight we have a soccer game at 7 pm which is our last early game. We're going to celebrate by heading to Beff's on Everett Road afterwards. We've driven past it every time and it looks like a good place to knock back a few beers (after a win would be nice, but we're not getting any hopes up) and have some wings to celebrate what a good time we've had. Next week is our last game for the session so hopefully tonight we can get some more information on when the next session starts. I am going to not like having a week or more off! No one ever thought I'd say that, least of all me!

Hump the day away and I'll try to blog again tomorrow!

Let's Talk Baseball

I know, I've been a huge baseball slacker this year. It was a pretty busy summer and since my O's shit the bed kind of early and my XM has been doing the same, it was kind of hard to keep up on the games of my boys. Now that the season is over, things are happening. Yep... that's how we roll.

The O's parted ways with pitching coach Leo Mazzone late last week. If you recall, Mazzone was the miracle worker behind the Atlanta Braves stellar pitching, but for some reason, it never came together in Baltimore. The pitching prospects weren't terrible.. until they hit the field and/or the disabled list. If Mazzone can't help, I'm curious to see who can. There are rumors going around about hiring Alan Dunn, who joined as bullpen coach midway through the season, along with former Florida Marlins pitching coach, Rick Kranitz. Hell, it can't get any worse, can it?

The O's also lost Vice President Jim Duquette in early October. He resigned, citing a change in his daily duties once Andy McPhail came on board as President of Baseball Operations. Duquette has consistently worked in concert with Mike Flanagan, who also might suffer at the hands of McPhail's house cleaining. However, as I said earlier, things are pretty glum in the O's clubhouse. As much as we adore the men that work for them, maybe it's time to move on and bring in some new blood (I'm talking about the players too!). There seems to be little to no bad blood between Duquette and the organization though. He has stated that the O's are on the verge or turning things around and that the situation might not be as dire as it seems. Do I believe him? Not entirely, but I sure hope he's right!

The winter meetings appropriately begin in December, and it's possible the O's could make some impressive moves. They've already released Jaret Wright and Victor Zambrano, leaving some room for improvement. Hopefully the starters from last year (who have a ton of potential) will return injury free and the O's can get some much needed help in the bullpen. Trembley will be sticking around as coach, although I'm not sure how I feel about that situation. There are ups and downs to each. He's shown that he's a stickler and doesn't take any shit, which I think is a good thing. I just wish he had some more experience to pull from. Looks like McPhail is willing to give that to him. I don't even want to talk about players just yet (but I will.. a little). Corey Patterson is up for free agency and there are talks to dump him for Torii Hunter. I'm not saying I don't like him, but why are we always willing to give up solid players (and Patterson does have speed which has been a plus this season) for guys that are on the way out? I mean, I don't know how old Torii Hunter is, but it feels like I've been hearing about him for YEARS and I can just see it being another situation where a player comes to the O's and dies a slow, painful death. But send him to another team and he THRIVES (see Eric Byrnes). If we get him, I hope he thrives with us. That'd be a nice change. I think they'll stick with Millar, although sometimes I'm not sure why. He's entertaining though, and I do enjoy when he sticks it to the Sox...

Speaking of the Sox, LET'S GO CLEVELAND!!! Granted, I think I'm gonna root for the Rockies in the series, but I sure as hell would love to stop listening to the Red Sox fans go on and on about how great their team is. I'm sure the TV ratings will once again be nonexistent for the Series, but if it means no Red Sox or Yanks, I'm all for it. The Rockies swept the DiamondBacks for their first World Series berth, and the Indians are now up 3-1 on the Red Sox. No game tonight, but the fourth (and what could be the deciding) game will be played tomorrow night in Cleveland, giving them a chance to clinch the title in their hometown.

Heat Nazi

That's what my sister is. She refuses to turn on the heat until November 1, unless it snows or something. I don't know about you, but it's been pretty freaking cold at night. Our house doesn't get much sun as there's a lot of tree cover, so it's always freezing. The other night I put my electric blanket on my bed, thinking that would be enough. It wasn't. Last night I went to bed in flannel pajama pants (thanks Shell), wooly socks, a t-shirt and a hooded sweatshirt. I never took anything off during the night, nor was I ever too hot. When I checked the thermostat this morning it was 59 degrees in the house. When I said something to Tre about it, she told me to get another blanket. I know I'm always cold and such, but 59 degrees? Sometimes I'm sure it's warmer outside than inside.

The start to a wonderful day?

I just made my breakfast (egg and cheese on a 100 calorie english muffin) and my egg was twins! I had noticed that it was much bigger than the other eggs since I bought the dozen, but today it proved to get me my money's worth.

Let's start with the weekend rundown: I went to bowling Friday night and amidst the insane suckage, I got a new bowling ball. I wasn't technically supposed to get it this early, but it happened that way and there was nothing I could do about it. I them met some friends out for drinks at Melino's. I called it a night earlier than most (I think) as I had the yard sale to contend with on Saturday morning. However, I had a good time.. played some darts, shot the shit and hopefully Amy will send me any of the pictures I happen to be in! Against my better judgment I stopped at McDonald's on the way home to get a large fry.. only because I'm obsessed with the Monopoly game and am DETERMINED to win something this year. When I say obsessed.. I mean it..

Saturday was the yard sale. I was up at 7 to shower and put everything out. I'm not normally the one that does the heavy lifting but when Tre got back from the gym she told me she pulled something in her back and it was pretty painful, so I had to pick up the slack. Not my idea of fun, but what can you do!? I had to run into the house at one point as one of my old (and most annoying) clients showed up. He does NOT need to know where I live! After that I got my massage that I have been waiting months for. An hour has never gone by so quickly! It felt really nice but I was all greased up so I had no intentions of going to the gym like I'd initially thought. However, when I drove by there was NO ONE there so I figured it was a sign that I should go. There was one other guy there and we happened to get in each other's way the whole time. It was pretty funny in all honesty.. I got home to help clean stuff up and leave some random things on the lawn for free. Only one piece of shit bike is left so that went pretty well! I then showered and headed to J's to help him buy a suit.

I don't even know what to say about that situation. It seems like everyone but him sees that we're together and it's starting to get really draining on me and my psyche. I'm trying to be good and be "friends" but we do things friends don't do and that's just too much. Anyway, we hit up the Mens Wearhouse in Colonie and the minute we get in there this guy comes up to help us out. He was really nice and helpful. He measured J and we all went over to look at the suits in his size. I started picking out suits, as J didn't want to make any decisions; everything was completely up to me. It was like having my own little Ken Doll! So, I pick out a few suits and then realize they're Calvin Klein and Liz Claiborne. Knowing J won't have a clue who either of those people are, I looked at the prices: $400 and $300. I subtly asked our guy to show me some suits from the lower end of the spectrum, which he did. I picked out a nice charcoal grey suit (I figured he'd get some more use out of it if were gray or black) and J wen tto try it on while me and Neil (my new suit friend) looked at shoes. He was constantly asking me questions about whether or not I thought I would be able to get J to dress up more and I replied "oh honey, I wish." So, we picked out a nice pair of simple black shoes and after the seamstress came out to do some measurements, we headed to another table where they had put together shirt and tie combinations. I had it narrowed down between a combo with a white shirt and burgundy striped tie (I really liked this one and I thought it was more of a purple than a burgundy, but the boys disagreed) and a light blue shirt with a matching tie. The light blue shirt was kind of patterned so I asked if they had a plain shirt and that's what we went with. J has really nice eyes so I thought it would be perfect. As we're looking at the shirts, Neil asks "well, what color is your dress?" Oh Neil... let the awkwardness ensue! My reply "it doesn't really matter as I'm not going to the wedding." You could have heard a pin drop. I almost felt bad for the guys that were standing there. I mean.. why wouldn't Neil assume I was J's girlfriend!? I had free rein over whatever was going on in that store and we never said otherwise. And oh yeah... J said he wasn't sure if he got a date to the wedding (cause men don't realize if it only says your name on the invite, you're flying solo) and he says "don't make any plans for Saturday." Um... yeah.. that's so not going to happen for reasons more than I have my softball team party that night... Anyway, we get everything situated and after J drops over $400, it's time to go. It's still early so I ask him where we're going and he motions across the street... to the CHEESECAKE FACTORY. I think my exact words were "are you fucking kidding me?" (for those of you that aren't caught up: J had a bad cheesecake factory experience once and vowed to never EVER go again, no matter how hard I begged... and I did). He was like "what!? You went out of your way to help me out and I wanted to go out of my way to do something nice for you." Yes.. it sounds great but it's really the principle of the thing that he just doesn't get. I tried to explain that, but I'm pretty sure it was to no avail. We did end up going there and after waiting ONLY an hour, we got a table. Dinner was pretty good and even though I wasn't hungry, I got cheesecake out of spite. Peanut butter fudge ripple or something to that effect. It was insanely good. I ate it last night after I ate my leftovers for dinner. So.. that was my night.. he helped me with my football picks and I stayed at his place because he asked and told me he wanted me to. He then came over Sunday night and we watched a movie and passed out halfway through. But we're not together at ALL...... Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to start a conversation I might not be pleased with the ending of.

I went to the outlets in Harriman with my mom on Sunday. EVERYTHING was on sale and we had coupons so I did pretty good. The only things I'm upset about are that no pocketbooks at Liz Claiborne caught my eye and that my mother tricked me into leaving the Adidas store without buying three t-shirts I had my eye on. We went to Nike and I was so loaded down with bags that I forgot about the shirts at Adidas. Oh well.. next time.. I fell asleep on the way home and I fell asleep HARD. I was so beat.. when I got home I settled in on the couch to do laundry and watch the shows I'd missed. However, my sister had erased two out of three episodes of SVU so I didn't have as much to watch as I'd thought! I also watched Catch and Release with Jennifer Garner. I think it got shitty reviews but it wasn't a terrible movie. I thought it was pretty decent and entertaining. I rounded out my Kevin Smith double feature (he played one of the best friends in Catch and Release) by settling in with J to watch Clerks II, which is the movie we saw on our first movie date. He doesn't own it yet so I might get it for him for his birthday. He did, after all, get me a present for mine after we broke up. Guess that'll depend on how "the talk" goes. I should really do that before his birthday so if it goes south, I don't feel guilty about not getting him anything! :) We both passed out halfway through the movie and slept HARD.. Guess we were both a tad worn out, which is surprising cause he's back in his "insomnia" phase. Ugh.. enough about that, although it's kind of become all consuming, as I'm sure any woman can understand. I'll keep you posted....

Now, I'm just trying to get through the day. I had these great intentions of going to this Total Body Scuplt class tonight and then heading to my sister's soccer game, but she's since told me it starts at 6:30, not 7 and my motivation is minimal. Plus, I'm having a decent hair day and I don't want to ruin it since we might be headed to Monday Night Football at Meadowgreens after the game. Ah, vanity... the bane of my existence.

The things you can find

My parents are holding a garage sale at my house this weekend, so my garage is FILLED with all these things they've pulled out of their attic and basement that my mom wanted me to look at and decide if I wanted to keep. My standpoint is that I haven't seen it in the three or more years since I moved out of my parent's house, so it was a good bet that I wouldn't want it. However, I had forgotten about the few months I lived back at home in between our apartment debacle and my sister buying the house. So, I found the rollers I'd been looking for last weekend (ya know, to give my 'do a little poof for the wedding) and all my dance shoes that I thought were lost and gone forever. I had looked for my tap shoes last year, but to no avail so I had to borrow my cousin Lindsey's to take my tap class! I may never use them again, but it's nice to know they're there. I also found an autographed Cal Ripken picture (which no one in my family would have sold or thrown away) and some shoes I had forgotten I had. I let go of my cowboy boots though. Grantd, they were great for Halloween and all, but I don't see my line dancing period of life coming back to haunt me, so someone might come out of the yard sale with a pair of slightly used cowboy boots for real cheap! There are TONS of size 12 pants and jeans so if anyone knows of someone who's a 12, they could revamp their whole wardrobe for a pittance! The yard sale was supposed to start today but the downpours that lasted through the early afternoon put a damper (hee hee.. get it.. DAMPer) on the festivities. Mom will go at it tomorrow and then I persuaded her to use the proceeds to hit up the outlets in Harriman on Sunday. Guess that means I should help out a little bit... Ugh...

If you know anyone who's a Transformers fan, click here. I had to do it for J., and I ended up laughing my ass off just listening to it. I know nothing about the Transformers but the name "frenzy" was just too good to not use.

In great TV news, Seth Green has landed a guest spot on Grey's Anatomy... As if McDreamy and McSteamy weren't enough.. In not so great TV news... ok.. you all know how much I adore this show so I'm not even going to pretend I don't.. The Real Housewives of Orange County will be back on November 6, but WITHOUT original pseudo housewife Jo De La Rosa and her creepy ex-fiance/manager Slade Smiley (seriously.. that CAN'T be his real name). Then again, Jo never really was a housewife.. but not the point. A new housewife has been slated to join the ladies and I'm excited, because I thought this show's run was over. Again.. I LOVE me some Bravo.. it has to be the best channel out there. I adore Jeana Keough.. she's so down to earth and knows how good she's got it and actually does work for what she's got. And she named her daughter Kara....

Heading into the weekend.. meeting some friends for drinks after bowling tonight, where I'm picking out my early Christmas present (duh.. a bowling ball - there's one named "attitude" which I think is totally me). I can't stay out too late as I have to get up and help out at the aforementioned yard sale tomorrow morning. Then I bail on my mom to get a massage, hit the gym and go suit shopping with J. It's gonna be one hell of a weekend. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I (hopefully) enjoy mine!

Gay Disco

That's what my office is reminiscent of at the moment. My overhead light is flashing on and off (there must be a short or something) and I'm jamming to "Too Funky" by George Michael. What more could a girl ask for? Ok.. I'm alright with the George Michael but the light is really starting to irk me. It usually does that a couple times a day but it's been pretty constant all day and is starting to drive me up the wall.

Speaking of a gay disco, my friend Chris is coming home in December and he's INSISTING that me and Tre have people over so he can play drinking games and have a good time. Who am I to say no? I'm going to have to make a list of movies to see while he's home because no one ever wants to see the same movies as me, but Chris. I'm going to keep him very busy and drunk off popcorn and jujubees!!!

Apparently, I'm deceptively fast. That's what one of my soccer teammates told me last night. Granted, I put in a lot of hustle, but I'm anything but fast. I even got relegated to the bench on my trainwreck Albany co-ed team because apparently I wasn't fast enough (that and there was this weird love triangle on the team involving my sister and it would have been obvious if they had benched her, being an all-star and all), which is funny because I'm the same girl who won a race to solidify my starting position on my college rugby team. Anyway, I look like I'm going fast because I pump my arms really quickly. I've heard it's funny to watch but unfortunately, I don't go any faster. You would think the momentum would propel me but it doesn't. We got beat again last night in soccer (shocker). The game was actually going really well at the half. I felt like we were playing well and putting in a good effort. I dont' know what happened in the second half but it was a bit of a clusterfuck. Granted, we did play WAY better against this team than we had our first game (which WAS our first game) so that's something, but we just want to win or score a few goals! Maybe we should practice.. Next week our game is at 7 p.m. and afterwards we're going to Beff's on Everett Road for some wings and beer. I think we deserve it, although we might get booted for smelling pretty bad, as we did last night. Lifting beforehand didn't help me much either. I'm getting used to it, but my body is still tired today.. I collapsed in bed when I got home but was rudely awakened by my dripping nose at 4:45. I contemplated taking Nyquil, but figured I'd pass out for hours and I couldn't miss work today. I "misplaced" some documents that are needed for a conference today so I had to look for them. Ok, it's not 100% sure that it was me that lost them, but the last place they were seen was on my desk so I pretty much look guilty. I combed through every single file in our office and couldn't find them. I'm telling you.. short weeks are a BITCH...

I love food...

I don't know how it happened (and I'll probably suffer for it next week) but I lost 1.4 pounds at Weight Watchers this week. Granted, I didn't go last week, but I've been a slacker of epic proportions in the food department lately. Ok.. I mean the GOOD FOR YOU good department. I ate the bad food like it was my job the last few weeks. Well, maybe I wasn't as bad as I've made myself out to be, but it sure did feel bad. Imagine my elation when I saw the lady at WW writing down a lower number than what was previously there. That puts me at 9.8 pounds lost (damn you that pesky .2 pounds) and do I feel it? Kind of. I had a pair of pants on yesterday that didn't feel as tight as normal, but I just don't see it. Granted, people say they do, but you never know if they're just being nice to your face and calling you a fat ass behind your back. A woman at the gym said to me "god, the last time I saw you was a few months ago. You're looking great." I know she meant it as a compliment (she's a super nice lady) but it sure didn't come out that way! I think I'll feel better about it when I only have one chin in pictures... that'll help.

Wayne Newton was booted from Dancing with the Stars last night. He shared the red bottom two spotlight with Floyd Mayweather. I'm not a big fan of either of them, but considering I like Cheryl Burke a MILLION times more than Karina Smirnoff, I wish he'd been given another chance to dance. Perhaps the ladies will bring it this year, as opposed to the last few years when the men have really stepped it up. Next week one of the dances will be the paso doble, which should help separate the men from the boys. It's an entertaining and powerful dance (from what I've seen in the past) and I imagine it'll be fun to watch, whether the stars fuck it up or not!

I've avoided posting this, but (as almost the whole world knows) Hung has won Top Chef. As I said last week, I kind of knew it was coming as a friend of mine messaged me on Myspace about how I would be disappointed in the judges, which I was. Don't get me wrong, Hung is a great chef and I understand why he won, but I love me some Dale and really wish he'd pulled it out. I think what makes me most upset is that the nail in Dale's coffin was Hung's chocolate cake. Hell, even I can make a chocolate cake, know what I mean!? I'm sure great things are to come from Dale, Hung and even Casey, who shit the bed big time in the finale. She knew she had no shot from the get go, but proceeded to blame EVERYTHING involved.. It's too bad. I wouldn't have minded seeing her win either, nor would my friend Amy who had her in a pool she and some friends had going. Amy was SOOOO excited about having Casey that I tried real hard to not let her know what a disappointment it would be to watch the finale. At least her man won the bet and maybe he'll take her on his winning four course, gourmet dinner... Maybe... I'm waiting for Bravo to give Dale his own show. I think he ranks right up there with Tim Gunn as one of my favorite Bravo people...

I woke up yesterday not feeling so great. My throat was scratchy and my nose was runny. I know.. attractive, right? After I got home from Weight Watchers (which I went to for the first time by myself... yep.. I'm a big girl) I settled in on the couch wondering what I would do for dinner when it came to me... WENDY'S. If anyone knows me, they know my favorite Saturday ritutal is hitting up Wendy's for a spicy chicken sandwich meal, plain with cheese. They would also know that I haven't done it ONCE since I started Weight Watchers. Last night was my cheat night so I went for it big time. It tasted like pure heaven, and I'm not exaggerating. It's funny how food can make you so happy, isn't it? I then watched "Say Anything" which I taped off TV a while back and just hadn't gotten around to watching. I wouldn't say I didn't like it, but I guess I just expected more. Perhaps part of it was that I felt like I was forcing myself to watch it, which never helps. Granted, it was good in that as usual for a John Cusack flick (even in the early days) there was a cameo appearance for my man, Jeremy Piven, but I guess there was just so much hype about it that I expected more. Still.. I give my thumb up and probably would have done so even more had I watched it 20 years ago when it came out. After that I started feeling kind of shitty so I vegged on the couch and watched Bones and Reaper. What a grisly combination! Bones had a plot about "pony-play" which is basically S & M when one of the parties pretend they're a horse.. Interesting.. I get fantasy and role play, but this was a little different. But hey, to each their own. I didn't even bother watching Damages as I knew there was no way I'd stay awake for the whole thing. I'm going to try and catch it before I head to the gym for lifting with Tre, which she is making me do BEFORE our soccer game at 9:00 tonight. It may take an act of God to get me out of bed tomorrow morning.

So, I'm going suit shopping with J. on Saturday. I had told him I'd do it a while ago and when he asked me, I said probably. Last night I called to let him know I could definitely go and he told me he'd take me to dinner as a thank you for doing him this favor (which I already knew... at least had assumed). Anyway, he then tells me that he's not telling me where he's taking me, that it's a surprise. I have no problem with that, but if he takes me to the Cheesecake Factory, you'll more than likely hear me scream from here to Australia. Backstory: J had a bad experience at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant down near the city WAY before we got one in Albany. He has vowed never to eat in one again and even when I begged when we were together, he wouldn't go. So, if he thinks it's nice to take me there because he knows I like it, I might kill him. This is yet another one of those "boyfriend type" things he's done lately that make me wonder wtf is going on. Granted, I am pretty sure he won't do that, cause of how stubborn he is, but you never know. Why are men so god damn weird and difficult!? If only Earl were here to take me away from all this drama...

Kerplunking for Earl

No, you won't get the title of this post quite yet.. but stick around and it might all make sense.

I woke up early Saturday morning so I could make it to New Hampshire with plenty of time to primp before I had to head to the ceremony for my friend Maki's wedding. I made great time (I thought it would take three and a half hours and it took barely 3) and we were earlier than expected for the ceremony, which is better than being late! The ceremony was very nice.. I believe it was in the church the bride has always wanted to get married in and it was full of unexpected twists and turns, all leading to the culmination with a kiss. And let me tell you, it was the longest and sweetest kiss I've ever seen at a wedding. I think people started leaving before it was over. It was THAT long..

I'm not sure what I think of the bride. She had called me one day while I was at the race track in Saratoga to get my address. However, I thought she was my friend Eryn, so I was probably not quite as.. well.. funny to her as I was to me (and would have been to Eryn). Eryn was at Camden Yards that day (she's a Red Sox fan) and was constantly calling me with game updates (btw - the O's ended up winning thanks to Kevin Millar - talk about salt in the Red Sox wound eh?! ) so when the phone rang AGAIN with a 603 area code, I just assumed it was her. Well, it was Maki's soon to be wife, which I didn't realize until after the conversation was over and Eryn called me again. Anyway, while going through the receiving line, I tried to apologize and make light of the situation but she kind of gave me this weird look and that was about it. Let's just say that we didn't speak for the rest of the time. I apologized profusely, but apparently that wasn't enough! Oh well, it's her day.

The reception was not quite what I'm used to. It took place on Maki's family farm, underneath a few tents. We stopped to get beer on the way, as no one knew if it was cash bar, open bar or BYOB. Luckily, I picked out Mich Light and that is what they were serving at the reception (cash bar, but we did get a few freebies in our plastic souvenir mug), so Eryn and I kept walking back and forth to the car to fill up our glasses. It was a long walk down a dirt road in heels and that was a bit much. Shortly thereafter, I changed into my flip flops. I never did change my outfit.. I was pretty comfortable in my dress. It did start to downpour about halfway through the reception so I took another trip back to the car and got my sweater (and oh yes, another beer). We didn't end up staying too long at the reception which was fine with me. I felt pretty good and was looking forward to a good night of sleeping. It's a shame they didn't decide to have the ceremony at the farm because the view and foliage were absolutely beautiful! It was a beautiful day and even the rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Everyone had a great time and we even managed to cut a rug on the dance floor before I had to go.

My dress was a little low so I kept pulling it up to make sure I was flashing "church boob" as opposed to "night out boob." Well, I managed to get a few bug bites at the reception so my friend Jess was trying to cover me up. She was attempting to tell me the bugs might go spelunking in my cleavage if it was showing, however she said "kerplunking." She'll never live it down. I haven't seen my friends from college in quite some time so they were trying to get me to bring them up to speed on the J. situation. As I bought them up to speed, Jess and Amy were trying to make sure that while I am hanging out with J occasionally, that I'm not missing out on any other opportunities (Sadly, I'm not). For some reason, Jess used the name "Earl" to describe my nonexistent next boyfriend so from now on, I'm kerplunking for Earl.. I feel so bad for the next guy I date. He'll have no clue as to why my friends refer to him as Earl.

I laid pretty low on Sunday after the three hour drive home. I tried to hit the outlets in Lee but I drove around for 10 minutes and still didn't find a parking spot, so I gave up. When I got home I settled in on the couch and watched Knocked Up. I wasn't sure what to expect but I thought it was great! I laughed my ass off and really enjoyed it. I really like Katherine Heigl and I just thought all the guys in it were hysterical. I wasn't a very big fan of "The Forty Year Old Virgin" so I never thought I'd enjoy "Knocked Up," but I really did. I might even give Superbad a shot! J bought 1408 over later on that night, which I'd been dying to see. I mean, John Cusack AND Samuel L. Jackson!? What more could you ask for? It was.. interesting! I think I have to see it again in all honesty. It was one of those movies I'm not sure I totally got, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. J, not so much.. He made it through about an hour before he fell asleep. Some things never change. He and I have been talking and hanging out more lately and I'm not quite sure what to think. I asked him today why it feels like we're together, just without the pesky "boyfriend-girlfriend" title. His response was that he doesn't feel that way because we're still only talking like once or twice a week. Then he asked me to help him pick out a suit on Saturday. I can't win..

I had today off and it was GREAT! I slept until 9:30 (after being woken up at 7:45 by a huge crash of thunder!) and headed to the gym with Tre around 10:30 or so. She kicked my ass! We upped our weight, but lowered our reps. I was exhausted after we got done but there was no time for a nap, as Fish had invited us over for a roast beef lunch. I love eating at Fish's.. That girl can cook! It was wonderful and got me nice and full so I could go to the grocery store. While at the store, I spent the whole time texting with Jason because he insists that moment is spelled "molment." Oh god, I wish I was kidding, but I'm not. He is DEAD serious and really thinks that's how it's spelled. He's consistently trying to get me to go home with him after bowling so he has tried to bet me "a night" that he's right. I told him I was so confident that he was wrong that I would take the bet. I told him to let me know when he realizes he's wrong. Surprisingly, he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I spent the rest of the day doing laudry and switching out my winter and summer clothes, even though it's still kind of warm out. My parents are having a yard sale at our house on Saturday so I wanted to make sure I went through everything I had before then. I think today was my only day to do so. Now here I sit, watching Dancing with the Stars and getting ready to watch Heroes. I know, live vicariously through me... it's a good time!

Why do I bother?

I actually remembered to take some chicken out of the freezer before I went to work yesterday morning, which is a miracle in itself. When I got home I perused my recipes for something to make and came across "Crunchy Ranch Chicken." It basically consisted of combining Corn Flake Crumbs (I had corn flakes and made my own crumbs with the help of a plastic sandwich bag and an unused measuring cup), parmesan cheese and Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning. Well, I didn't have Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning, but I did have Ranch Dressing mix, which I took to be the same thing. When I poured it into the mixture, it was green. I'm talking... GREEN like keg beer on St. Patty's Day. I combined it anyway, slapped it on the chicken and put it in the oven. As it cooked it began to look a little less green, but I still wasn't expecting anything. My sister came home, looked in the oven and said "oh." That is not a good sign. Some 45 minutes later I combined it with the best invention ever made: Niblets in butter sauce for one (thank you green giant) and settled in to eat. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It had a slightly strange taste, but it wasn't bad. Tre even said it was tasty. I dont' know if I'll try to make it again, but at least I didn't throw up and I didn't have to throw it out.

Our soccer game went pretty well last night. We only lost 3-1 and while the other team was big on the pushing, they weren't as big on the whining. We even got our shirts, which may have helped prompt our turn around. They're violet and everyone liked them (including the other teams). We're thinking next session we need a better name because the Old Hags just isn't cutting it. Violet Va-Jay-Jays has a nice ring to it. We played really strong and got hosed on a penalty play that made the game 3-1 when it should have been 2-1. It probably didn't help that there were two women on their team that Nikki kept calling "the brothers." Oh yes.. they looked like men and played like them too. They were very aggressive and we weren't enough, although I did end up getting violated while going up for a ball. When I came down her legs were wrapped around me. I told her next time, she better buy me a drink first!!!! Ok, I really didn't, because NO ONE but our team has a sense of humor! They take it very seriously and hardly crack a smile. We're laughing and joking the entire time and since we're not going to win a million dollars or anything for winning the league, it's going to stay that way. I pulled my hamstring while trying to kick with my right foot, so it felt nice to sit in the hot tub again after the game. I slept like a rock and I'm still tired. Well, I wouldn't say I'm tired, but my body sure is. I have to lift on my own today which should be interesting. I really hope I can do it myself because I really don't want to ask some musclebound guy to spot me when I'm barely bench pressing the bar....

The Top Chef finale was last night and I haven't watched it yet. However, I've been told I'm going to be disappointed in Gail, Padma and Tom so I'm sure Hung won. It certainly means Dale didn't, because everyone knows how much I love Dale. I guess I'll have to watch it after the gym, as it's been insanely hard to avoid stuff on the internet so I don't find out what happened! Only 6 more weeks until Project Runway!

I'm headed to New Hampshire for a wedding this weekend. It's my friend Maki from college and to be honest, I never expected to get invited. He's a guy I adore and played rugby with, but we really don't talk unless we're at the yearly reunion, so I was shocked when I got the invite in the mail. I debated not going, but it'll be a nice opportunity for me to see some of my friends that I've been trying to get together with, but to no avail. Hopefully I can sleep on Monday cause it doesn't look like it'll happen anytime before that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the wedding, but very curious to see how it goes. The invite touted it as "fun for all ages," and it takes place on his family farm. Now, my friend Shannon's wedding was at her parent's house but it was under a tent with a floor and the biggest portable potty trailer I've ever seen. I have a feeling this will be nothing like her shindig. I mean, I'm wearing a dress and heels and bringing a chance of clothes... jeans and flip flops.. Maki puts on some great parties (so I've been told.. I never go as there's camping involved) with plenty of fun and debauchery. However, the father of the girl he's marrying is a preacher and I'm not sure her family has been subjected to his friends quite yet. I have a feeling it will be way more toned down than everyone thinks, but we'll have to wait and see. Either way, it's supposed to be a nice day and I'm sure it'll be a blast. I'm staying with my friend Eryn, who lives a half hour - forty five minutes from Maki. My other friends are up my ass about camping there, which shocks me as they've known me for at least 10 years and know how I feel about that. I'm content to shack up on Eryn's couch with her dog Jackson snoring in my face.. I plan to take plenty of pictures, something that's been lacking on the blog recently. I hope to make up for it this weekend as I really didn't take any pictures this summer. I don't know what was wrong with me.

I have lots of DVR'd TV to watch so I'll update you on what I feel needs to be updated.

And oh yeah... don't know if you heard, but Britney lost her kids.... I bet you haven't, cause NO news outlet has reported on it at all.. Glad I could help..

PS - This is my obligatory O's post.. YAY!!! The season's over... Let's do something in the offseason (yes.. I believe I might have posted this word for word last year, but hopefully Andy MacPhail can make my dreams come true... or at least get us to .500). Now I have to pretend to be a Yankee fan.. is it wrong to wear my "Real Women Don't Date Yankee Fans" to go watch them play?

Reality TV Trainwrecks

This couldn't have happened to a more deserving person...

I'm on Team Bonaduce... someone get me a t-shirt!

People have issues

Yesterday I sent out an email that I received from a friend about some puppies that were abandoned, and looking for homes. A few people called after I sent the email and we found out the puppies had already found homes, which was great, but sad for those who were looking for puppies. So, I get this email today from a woman I have never heard of:

I don't know who this chick is, but 2 people were interested at this office,& no one called backIf it's some hoax, it's not at all funnyKeep your damn pictures

My response:

1. I don't know you nor did I send this email to you personally, so please don't come at me the way you just did. It's rude, as is referring to woman as chicks.
2. It's not a hoax, the dogs have already found good homes which I found out after sending the email out. Since I was not the one who sent it to you, I couldn't exactly let you know that now, could I? I'm sure the woman has received tons of calls and that is why she didn't call back. Take your aggression out on someone else and lose my email address. Thank you.

I mean.. for real!? She really sent me that email... I have no idea who this woman is and WHO DOES THAT?! So, whichever of you morons in my inbox sent this to her (let me know if you want to know who it is.. I'd love to splash her name all over my blog but god knows what could happen), you're dead :)

NOTE: She apologized in an email after I sent this one. Apparently the whole thing started in her office and it had nothing to do with me. Again.. karma... and killing 'em with kindness... Still.. who does that!?

Reality Check

I usually end up having a decent relationship with my exes, as is evidenced by the fact that my mother (when J and I broke up) asked "are you gonna stay friends with this one too?" (My answer was that yes, hopefully we would stay friends, and we have. Although there is a slight problem with the fact that right now our friendship is more of a convenience thing, but that's totally beside the point). My point is, I got a random email from an ex of mine today. We dated when we both worked at the bank together, which was my first real job out of college (10 years ag0). I don't know if I'd necessarily say we ended on great terms, but as the years have gone by we've kept in contact sporadically. I have his email and know where to find him, that kind of thing. Well, today he emails me and tells me that his girlfriend had their baby back in July, things are going well, blah blah blah. Of course I congratulated him because I really am happy for him, but did I feel like hearing it? Course not! I mean.. no matter how long ago it was, what girl wants to hear that her ex married/knocked up/fell in love with someone else? Have I mentioned that I have PMS? So yeah.. while I'm truly happy for him I guess I just wasn't in the mood to hear it. Is that so bad?

Poor Albert Reed got booted from Dancing with the Stars. I really did feel bad for him because he had done a good job (definitely better than his final two partner in crime, Wayne Newton) but people just don't know who he is! I mean, if it weren't for Josie Maran, he probably would have been in the bottom two last week also. I was not really surprised with the results although saddened to hear Jane Seymour's mother died. That was the real reason Jane did the show and I hope she'll be able to continue on in her memory.

My DVR is REALLY pissing me off. Shows are getting cut off and i'm missing not only what's happening next week, but important tidbits. It happened on Heroes (the scene where Claire cuts her toe off and waits for it to regenerate is priceless) and Grey's Anatomy (luckily my friend saw it and told me what I missed which was CRUCIAL, but no spoilers here)! Tonight is the supersized, live Top Chef finale so if it cuts off and I don't find out who wins there's going to be a not very happy person on your hands. BTW - I found this tidbit of information interesting, yet not really surprising. Speaking of great shows, if you haven't tuned in to Damages, do so! It's one of the greatest shows on television right now and while I can't wait for it to be over (only so I can know for sure what the hell is going on and to take one more show off my DVR), I don't really want it to end.

Tre had me lifting again last night and we did abs. I dont' know where they are, but wherever that is, it HURTS.. I'm more sore today than I was last week, that's for sure! I iced my right shin last night because I haven't been able to run on it since Saturday. It felt better last night, but it's kind of sore today. I'll ice it before soccer and see how it goes. I think another ass kicking is imminent tonight, but we'll have to wait and see. We did a little strategizing in the hot tub last week, so we'll see if that comes to fruition.

Things I've learned from or about TV this week:

I am Nathan Petrelli... I don't know how I feel about that.

Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971 (Thank you Alex Trebek)

You can defeat any dead guy as long as you have a vessel from the Devil (Reaper)

Close your blinds if you plan to dance around your apartment naked (Private Practice)

Karma's a bitch (The Hills)

Enjoy your hump day and if I can still breathe (and walk), I'll post again soon!

I was wrong

An ounce of M & M's is worth three points, not two. Has that stopped me from eating about 5 or so ounces today? Absolutely not.. PMS is a bitch..

Monday comes so early

I did manage to finish watching Grey's Anatomy, shower and get to bowling on time, although I have no idea how or why. I am continuing to bowl like shit but I guess that happens. I think I need a new ball. Maybe Santa will get one for me. I came home and watched some other stuff I DVR'd before it was 11:30 and I realized it was way past my bedtime! The next morning I got up to trek to Kingston in order to take the Legal Assistant 2 civil service test. I wasn't real thrilled about it, as I was going in there completely blind. I couldn't find any information on line as to what would be on the test (practice questions, etc.) so I walked in there with my #2 pencils, a calculator and the hope that I wouldn't bomb it! Well, I'm pretty sure I bombed the legal research section (I don't do it nearly enough so it's not something I know a whole lot about), but the rest of it was ok. The questions are just silly, SAT like questions. You have to figure out what the best way to say something is and of course, more than one answer looks right. As a matter of fact, two answer on one question were EXACTLY the same. I went over them with a fine tooth comb to be sure. Unreal.. so.. apparently it takes MONTHS to get your results back so maybe by February or so I'll find out how I did!

I hit the gym after that, but couldn't run. My hamstrings and calves were killing me from lifting with my sister so I walked instead. I ran home to make some trays of macaroni and cheese (my speciality, mainly because it's the only thing I know how to make), shower and high tail it to my friend Sarah's party. Tre and I got there and knew no one but the hosts (well, I knew a few people from playing softball with them, but I don't really KNOW them) so after eating, we started playing beer pong at least an hour and a half before we wanted to. We pretty much dominated and had a few comeback games, which put us in bed by about midnight - 1:00. We left Sarah's around 8:30 the next morning and we were both back in bed by 9 am. We were so lazy that around noon, Tre TEXTED me from her downstairs bedroom to see if I was awake. Then we continued to have a texting conversation about what we wanted to do for food (we chose Taco Bell). We totally wasted the day, and a gorgeous one it was! We left the house to go to my aunt and uncle's for cake and a bbq for my cousin's birthday, but that was it. I think we were probably both in bed by 9. I watched "The Professional," which I really liked. I love Natalie Portman and this was her first big movie. I've wanted to see it for ages and finally had the chance to. I didn't even fall asleep which was amazing since I watched it in bed! Problem was, I was so overtired that I couldn't sleep... no comment..

So here I am today, just trying to get through the day without putting my head down on my desk. It's worked so far, but it's kind of too early to say what the day will bring. I have to stay a little late because one of our clients is coming in to execute her will. After that I plan to hit the gym, make some dinner, do some laundry and watch Heroes. If I last that long, bed will be in the very near future!

Casey, Hung and Dale will battle it out in the Top Chef live finale on Wednesday night. I was sad to see Brian go, but someone had to and if it wasn't Hung, he was my next choice. I honestly don't care who wins, as long as it's not Hung. No one thinks they deserve it as much as he does! Self confidence is not something this guy lacks. I laughed my ass off though, when Hung was doing his "why I want to be here" speech and Tom Collichio just looked.. bored. Best of luck to Dale and Casey. I adore them both and hope they pull it out in the end!

Enjoy your Monday. If anything good happens, I'll be back!