Wednesday, December 31, 2008

My cubicle is right next to a kitchen/pantry. Yesterday at 9:30, someone cooked what smelled like garlic bread. It turned out to be a garlic bagel, but I don't think I've ever craved chicken parmesan so bad in my entire life.

Every time one of my single female friends sends me a picture mail, I have this feeling that it's going to be a picture of their engagement ring. I'm almost happily surprised when it's just a chain text. Not that I don't wish for my single female friends to get engaged (as I hope they do for me), but I like for other people to revel in my single misery. It's only fair. I even do this when it's people who would probably never be getting engaged this soon into their relationship, or don't have a relationship at all to speak of. As the NY Lotto says "hey, you never know!" I mean.. stranger things could happen... (Strange yes.. but regardless of her octogenarian love, I still think she's great and want her to be happy and have lots of babies!!)

Remember my cute new boots? Yeah.. I didn't think today's snow would be so bad, so I didn't wear them. To quote Pretty Woman: "Big Mistake. Big. Huge." My feet are wet and I'm not liking it. I'm sorry new cute boots. I'm not used to having them, so I don't know when it's appropriate to wear them (apparently).

Soccer ended on a high note last night when we pulled out a win and quite possibly tied for 1st place in our division. I still have not scored, but did play offense for a while. That was a tad tiring, so I went back to defense where it's more fun to beat people up.. until they stick their nail in your eye. Yeah... that kinda hurt! I made up for it by blasting my own player with a pretty hard kick. She had to pull her lip out of her teeth cause it got a little stuck up there when the ball slammed into her face. She was a trooper though, and she can play with us anytime! Next session starts next week and we have a newbie coming (well.. not really newbie.. just haven't played in a while newbie), so we'll see what the competition is like!

This goes out to J, who always cracks on my "Ghetto Cable." Who's laughing now!?

2 great new mug shots for you: Charles Barkely was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Arizona while Matt Dillon was caught going 106 in a 65 MPH zone in Vermont. Seriously? 106? in VT? He's lucky all he got was arrested and not killed by a moose!

I only caught the first episode of The City before I fell asleep, but so far so good. I mean.. do I believe any of it is real? NO.. Am I confident Olivia Palermo is going to be the new Heidi? ABSOLUTELY! I really hope she shows Whitney the ropes and such, but this is semi scripted reality TV and entertainment!! It wouldn't work out if she were sickeningly nice to her all the time!

Ok.. these pictures can NOT be true! I've already told you how much I can't wait for Confessions of a Teen Idol, but if Eric Nies really looks like this, I don't know if I can take it. I mean.. you were a MODEL and on THE GRIND for God's sake.. show some respect..

Getting close to time for me to head out for my New Year's bash at the Best Western in Albany. I'm really looking forward to it, as I've never done anything like this before for New Year's. In fact, I've had pretty sucky New Year's the last 7 or so years! I'm hoping this one will usher in an amazing 2009! Happy New Year to all, and to all... a good night!!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

This is a comment I got regarding last night's blog post about the Wu-Tang concert:

Hi.I'm one of those crappy "opening" acts from the Wu show. I'm not here to disagree with you, if you think we're crappy, that's your opinion, and I'm fine with it.After attending at least as many shows as I've performed, I've found that there is a place for openers. We're there to loosen up the crowd, and is usually a necessary evil, even for people as big as WU.My friends and I have worked extremely hard to get where we are, so imagine all the even crappier groups that didn't make the cut.It's difficult to perform in front of almost 2,000 people, most of whom don't want to see you at all. Again, not trying to change your opinion. Just bored and looking for reviews of the show. I hope you continue to enjoy live music, and that maybe I've shed a little light that will help you give a chance to future opening acts you may encounter.Happy holidays.-Local Opener

I feel like I should... respond. I did say there were crappy local acts, but I guess that's not exactly how I should have put it. There actually were a few acts my friends and I enjoyed, but considering we had to sit through a million of them to get to what we wanted to see, I wasn't real excited about it (I might have been the only person there who had to work the next day, so waiting till 10:30 for Wu-Tang to come on was not a high point for me). The one thing we continued to say was that it must really suck to be these guys.. just trying to get their music heard, and people being so... well.. some were downright rude and threw stuff at the stage, which was totally uncalled for! I can't imagine going to work and having someone yell "you suck" at me throughout the day. So, I want to take this time to apologize to the local opener who commented on the blog, and all the others who opened. Maybe I thought you sucked, and maybe I didn't, but regardless, I did feel bad for the situation you were in and I appreciate the response being so... mature and articulate. Geez.. I'm totally hitting into stereotypes right now, right? You're right kids.. I expected to get F bombs dropped on me for saying what I said, and I didn't, so I'm happy about that.. However.. since prertty much all the songs I heard dropped them, you can imagine my surprise!

So... support your local acts in 2009!!!

PS - as I reread last night's post I realized that I did say I'm sure the acts weren't bad.. I just wasn't really into hearing them.. so I guess I don't feel as bad as I did 10 minutes ago, but still.. crappy might have been... a bit much... ;)

Monday, December 29, 2008

Today was a tough day. The week between Christmas and New Year's should just be vacation for everyone. It's such a waste. I swear, I walked into the bathroom at work today and was like "oh god.. I look like I got rode hard and put away wet." I really did. Terrible hair, pale face and ridiculous dehydration. I blame the Wu-Tang..

Yep.. last night was the Wu-Tang Clan concert at Northern Lights. I tried to take some pictures, but for the majority of the concert I was behind the tallest guy in the room, so the pictures are pretty much blurry lights. We got there just before 8:00 and sat through a PLETHORA of crappy local rap acts and then JAMZ 96.3 DJ Big Ray. I don't know for sure what exactly he was doing.. He basically had a DJ play old school hip hop songs and he danced... Which would have been fine, had he done it for like.. five minutes. And I'm sure those rap acts weren't that bad either, but after sitting through about 15 of them and hearing "you ready for the Wu?" as many times, seeing another Eminem wannabe get on stage was about as bearable as wisdom teeth extraction minus the drugs. Not to mention, the insane amounts of weed being smoked EVERYWHERE (um.. hello security.. how hard can it be to find the smokers? I mean.. they're the people with the cloud coming out of their mouth!) It wasn't even really the weed that bothered me, it was the people who thought that gave them free reign to smoke cigarettes as well! Wu-Tang FINALLY came on at 10:30... 2 and a half hours after the concert was supposed to start.. They were worth the wait though.. They sound exactly like they do on the CD's and while I admit, I really knew very few songs, the energy was crazy! It was a fun experience, but not one I plan to repeat anytime soon. I am friends with people who I don't want to get as close to as I did to people last night. I got stepped on, pushed, poked and almost burnt. My neck hurts from craning it to see who Tara says is "my man... Cappa Donna," and my calves are sore from standing in one place for four hours. Good times... :)

In case you're one of those people who have little to do New Year's Eve/New Year's Day and the following weekend, this list might help you out. I really would like to see all the episodes of Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust. Seriously, it's a good show... that I could never seem to find after I saw like.. two episodes!

Zooey Deschanel is getting married.. but no one's 100% sure if Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are.. And oh yeah.. apparently the rumor is that J. Lo and Marc Anthony are going to announce their divorce on or around Valentine's Day after they bid their marriage farewell with a duet at his concert. Is that not the craziest thing you've ever heard... and kinda SOOOO crazy it could be true? I hope not though.. Twins need two parents... we're tough to take ;)

Bristol Palin (my sister's Halloween costume) had her first illegitimate child, named Tripp. Am I crazy, or isn't one of her brothers named Tripp? I mean.. I don't claim to follow politics, but it sounds familiar!

Soccer is tomorrow night due to New Year's, and it's our last game of the session. We've got gals dropping like flies, but we should have enough to play tomorrow night. We were missing a few key players the last time we played this team, so it'd be nice if we could pull out the season with a win. However, if I remember correctly their passing skills were far above ours, so we'll see what happens. Regardless, we'll come out with a winning record, so that's a good thing! If anyone has some free time and wants to cheer us on, the game starts at 8!

Anyone know anything about bluetooth? I really want to get one, but I know nothing about them. I saw one on the Sprint site for relatively cheap, so I guess I just want to be sure I'm getting the right thing. However, I loathe going into the Sprint store at the mall and since everyone and their mother got new phones for Christmas, I figure I'll have to wait for quite some time.. Something I don't exactly have a lot of on my lunch break.

Pretty busy next couple of days so I need to get a move on and pack my stuff for New Year's.... get the missing sleep I've lost... and check out crunchless abs online. Only $9.99? How can I go wrong!? I'll tell you.. after looking at the site and putting in my order for the complete crunchless abs kit, they tell you that every other month they're going to send you a new video for the low low price of $19.99. You can cancel at any time by calling their customer service hotline, but I can guarantee I'd forget and then be royally pissed when I get another video that I PROBABLY don't want. The jury is still out..

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Mine was pretty darn good, as usual. I got the adorable snow boots I wanted, which means there'll probably be no more snow this season, cause that's the luck I have. I also got ear muffs and a fleece, so apparently someone thinks I'm going to snow blow... fat chance. Tre and I got Wii Music, which entertained everyone on Christmas Day! Some of the pictures we have are hysterical. Everyone is concentrating so hard on this stupid game! It's pretty funny..

So.. tomorrow night my sister, our friend Tara and I are going to see the Wu-Tang Clan in concert. Besides worrying about getting knifed, I really don't know what to wear. I have a feeling my new Liz Claiborne sweater set wouldn't be the right choice.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen got engaged. At least she won't have to change her initials.

Nick Markakis is skipping the World Baseball Classic this year because apparently, HE'S GOING TO BE A FATHER... Um.. what? He was supposed to be the daddy to MY out of wedlock baby!!!

I'm slacking on news and have to meet Keefer for lunch, so I better get a move on. She's not bringing the kids this time, so there's less of a chance I'll get stabbed with a fork.. hopefully! Enjoy the weekend!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I really don't mean to swear, but are you fucking kidding me? Seriously!? The Yankees?

It's NOT a merry christmas in birdland :(

Friday, December 19, 2008

How could I forget? The O's finally got a shortstop. I know.. a real one too! Granted, I've never heard of him, but he seems better than all the two bit jackasses that played it.. well.. last year. He's even in his 20's, can you believe it? Things are still sketchy in the Mark Teixeira meetings, as some mystery team has placed one hell of a bid for him. As an O's fan, you can guess I would speculate it was NOT the O's, however their name is still in the running as the Red Sox seemed to have walked away from the table. The O's are still in.. but so are a lot of other teams who don't have a jackass douchebag owner. But that's just my opinion.

No one went home on Top Chef in the spirit of the season and partly because all the cheftestants banded together when Hoseah and Radhika's proteins were ruined thanks to someone not closing the refrigerator. I would think the ability to close a fridge would be a prerequisite for getting on Top Chef! Anyway, I'm kind of glad because there was a strong possibility Jamie could have gone home and I think she's funny and I want her to win something. She really IS always the bridesmaid for like.. the millionth week in a row.
Another day, another snow storm. You'd think I live in upstate New York or something! We've heard all week that this storm was coming, so I sucked it up and got up crazy early so I could get to work by 7:00. I had a few things that HAD to get done and I wanted to leave before the snow started to fly. I ended up leaving at noon, when the snow had just started and thank goodness I did. It was brutal! It was like nothing was done to the roads. I made it home in one piece, after sliding right past my driveway. That was fun..

So those remains found in Florida really ARE Caylee Anthony, but there isn't much more information regarding her death. There is some really shady shit going on in this case, I'll tell you that!

Speaking of shady shit, I want to know why anyone in this world who has a television and/or reads the news, would marry Drew Peterson. And what kind of daddy issues do these girls have that actually DO marry him!?

Speaking of marriage, are we REALLY shocked that it's not legal yet? Seriously, what exactly is Spencer's job, besides being a douche. Cause I could see him having money if he were paid for being a douche, cause he IS a pro... but as far as real jobs go, what the hell?

Well.. this is good news, but I'm not exactly thrilled that Cloris Leachman will also be on. I've had enough of her.

There'll be new blood on True Blood next season (and hopefully I'll manage to watch the end of the first season before it starts)...

I don't watch Samantha Who? but Billy Zane has always been one of my favorite baldies, so I might have to give it a shot.

If you haven't seen it, you still can catch it on Hulu, but you can also find Dr. Horrible out on DVD this past week.

Ew. That about sums it up.

One of my men is sick... I should probably nurse him back to health, but it's not clear exactly what his issue is!

I can't wait for Damages to start. I mean, when the season ends with your boss basically trying to kill you, where do you go from there?

Some mornings when I leave the house, I feel like I look pretty good. Good hair day, my clothes fit.. you know, good stuff. Then I walk into work, where we have a reflective kind of mirrored door. I'm hoping the images get distorted cause if my thighs are really that big, I might use next year's vacation time for some plastic surgery.

Nytropalooza's next to last game of the session ended in a tie, which sucks, but considering we only had just enough people to play most of the time, we'll take it. I was pretty beat after that game, I'll tell you that! Hey, a tie isn't a loss. We then ended up at My Place for dinner after the game and I really don't know if I've ever seen seven girls eat that many wings in my life. I guess that game gave everyone one hell of an appetite! We also managed to convince one girl to play next session and two others to join us on our yearly sojourn to NYC for St. Patty's Day (I've already requested the day off).

Believe it or not, I'm only 31.6% addicted.

Went to see Four Christmases last night, which was pretty funny and basically a Swingers reunion, and there is nothing wrong with a Swingers reunion! It was short and to the point, and no matter what was said, I think Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon had pretty believable chemistry! Tre and I just watched Baby Mama and it was hysterical. I honestly don't know how they managed to get through some of the scenes.

Hope I've made up for my lack of posts in the last few days. I've been a LITTLE busy! I got up pretty early this morning and my mom wants me to go Christmas shopping tomorrow, so I have to get up pretty early again, so I'm heading to bed in a few. Drive safe and enjoy your weekend!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

My friend Eryn sent this email to me today, regarding what young kids said when they were asked what being in love meant. These were their answers:

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love..' Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired..' Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that.. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night..' Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

And THAT is what made me cry.. Got all teary at work. It could be the PMS, but I thought it was pretty sweet. I'm especially fond of the highlighted ones.. Apparently I've never been in love, cause NO ONE gets my french fries.. NO ONE!

Monday, December 15, 2008

OH MY GOD.. I can't wait for this train wreck to air!!!

We all know I love the new 90210, but I'm not quite sure I can hop on the Melrose Place train...

This should be interesting..

Slow day on the news front and unfortunately, I have no interesting tidbits to tell. Oh but wait..

Twilight - VERY good! I've yet to read the books, but I intend to before seeing the next flick, which is set to open in November of 2009, if I'm not mistaken. Taking over for Catherine Hardwicke will be Chris Weitz, of About a Boy fame..

It took me about three weeks, but I finally managed to watch all of Cinderella Man. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was AND mad at myself once again for not seeing it in the theater. I am so mad I missed Russell Crowe's movie glory days.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

I guess I'm going to have to start going to the movies a little more. With the totally active social life I've got going on at the moment, I don't think it'll be a problem. Here's my take on the Golden Globe nominees:

Best Picture, Drama: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire." I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road. I've heard great things about Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader too, so obviously I have to reserve my vote on this one until I see at least one of the films!

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "In Bruges," "Mamma Mia!" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." The only one of these movies I've seen is Mamma Mia, but I REALLY want to see all of them excpet Happy-Go-Lucky, which I haven't even heard of.

Director: Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"), David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and Sam Mendes ("Revolutionary Road"). OK.. the more I try to do this post, the more I realize I kinda can't touch the movies, cause I haven't seen any of them. Instead, I'll tell you who I'd be ok with winning. In this category I'd have to go with Sam Mendes. Why the hell not?

Actor in a drama: Leonardo DiCaprio ("Revolutionary Road"), Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler"). I think this one is too tough to call. I mean.. Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio almost cancel each other out as far as matinee idol type of guys, although Brad's never won for a lead role, so this could be his shot. However, he's got some tough competition in Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey Milk and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon (award shows LOVE it when you play a real person). Mickey Rourke is a long shot, but a kind of sentimental favorite and it'd be interesting to see him upset them all.

Actress in a drama: Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Angelina Jolie ("Changeling"), Meryl Streep ("Doubt"), Kristin Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You Too Long") and Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road"). I haven't been able to see it yet, but I'm really rooting for Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married." She's had a tough year and has gotten a lot of acclaim for this role. I also have yet to see Changeling, but we all know how much I still love my Angie..

Actor in a comedy or musical: Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Colin Farrell ("In Bruges"), James Franco ("Pineapple Express"), Brendan Gleeson ("In Bruges") and Dustin Hoffman ("Last Chance Harvey"). I doubt it'll go to a stoner, but James Franco was hysterical in Pineapple Express and since Huey didn't get a nod for his contribution to the soundtrack, I'll have to give it to Franco!

Actress in a comedy or musical: Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Sally Hawkins ("Happy-Go-Lucky"), Frances McDormand ("Burn After Reading"), Meryl Streep ("Mamma Mia!") and Emma Thompson ("Last Chance Harvey"). I'm kind of indifferent to this one.

Supporting actor: Tom Cruise ("Tropic Thunder"), Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder"), Ralph Fiennes ("The Duchess"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt") and Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight"). I'm sure it'll go to Heath Ledger (the Globes are usually sentimental like that and he does deserve it), but if Tom Cruise upsets Robert Downey Jr., I'll be shocked. He was funny, but not award show worthy!!

Supporting actress: Amy Adams ("Doubt"), Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler") and Kate Winslet ("The Reader").
There I go again with the indifference!

Best Television Series, Drama - Dexter (Showtime), House (Fox), In Treatment (HBO) MNad Men (AMC) and True Blood (HBO) I'm ok with either Mad Men or True Blood. Both are really great shows and maybe by the time the Globes come around, I'll know how True Blood's season ended.. MAYBE

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama - Sally Field (Brothers and Sisters), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), January Jones (Mad Men), Anna Paquin (True Blood), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) I will always love my Olivia Benson, but I'd like to see Anna Paquin take it home.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama - Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment), Michael C. Hall (Dexter) Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Hugh Laurie (House), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors). I have to give it to Jon Hamm, mainly because I don't watch any of these shows on a regular basis.

Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical - 30 Rock (NBC), Californication (Showtime) Entourage (HBO), The Office (NBC), Weeds (Showtime). 30 Rock is an awards show darling, but I have to stick by The Office, as always!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy or Musical Series - Christina Applegate (Samanatha Who?), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Debra Messing (The Starter Wife), Mary Louise Parker (Weeds). I'm pretty impartial to this one as well, mainly because I kinda like them all!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical Series – Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), Kevin Connolly (Entourage), David Duchovny (Californication), Tony Shalhoub (Monk). Alec Baldwin will more than likely win, but I still love Steve Carell as Michael Scott.

And finally, my two least favorite categories, as I don't think it's fair to include actors/actresses in miniseries in this category:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Eileen Atkins (Cranford), Laura Dern (Recount), Melissa George (In Treatment), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers and Sisters), Dianne Wiest (In Treatment). Nothing I watch.. indifferent.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Denis Leary (Recount), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Blair Underwood (In Treatment), Tom Wilkinson (John Adams). Have you met me? I'm rooting for the Piv all the way!

Friday, December 12, 2008

What a night! I wasn't really worried about anything until my Mom called and "suggested" that I not sleep in my own room becuase there was a good chance branches could fall down and my room has LOTS of trees surrounding it. So then I got nervous. Around 11:30 I had settled on the couch and then I started to hear what sounded like gunshots, but it was branches cracking all around the house. I have to say, it was one of the scariest things ever. Tre and I kept trying to find the safest place in the house, which turned out to be the pool room. Luckily, I was smart enough to scarf up the papasan chair so I was a little more comfortable than Tre was! She got over her fear and went into her bed shortly before 3 and I think I went in shortly after. Yep.. we slept in her bed because not only did we lose power, but we lost heat. This morning it was 58 degrees in our house and I couldn't exactly feel my fingers. So not good! We had to get our basement pumped out by the fire department, so we then had no hot water as our hot water heater was flooded (or some other technical thing). Our power went on at 11:30 this morning and luckily, the house didn't take too long to heat up. The hot water has now also been fixed, so we're basically back to normal, which is more than I can say for most people who have heard they might not have power back for up to three days. I've come to the realization that I am WAY too high maintenance to not have power.

Here are a few pictures of the carnage:
This first one is the pine tree in our back yard, taken from my bathroom window. Those are ALL branches underneath the tree.

This one was taken on the side of our house, and I'm pretty sure it's the big bang I heard just before the power went out. This is the tree outside my parent's house, in the neighbor's backyard. Looks like lightning hit it, not ice!This is the tree that fell on my parent's neighbor's car and into her back yard.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Nytropalooza notched an unexpected win last night, beating Sunshine (the first place team) 3-0. Granted, they didn't have one of their star players and their leading striker was apparently hurt and in the goal, but one person does not a team make! We played really well and scored three GORGEOUS goals en route to our win. Shannon got leveled and called a douche bag, but I was just happy that this week it wasn't me that got the shit kicked out of me! Early game next week in case anyone wants to spectate!

Today's weather sucked, but at least I made it to and from work in one piece. I'll be honest, the roads weren't as bad as I though they'd be. I think they'll be way worse tomorrow, which is why I'm pretty sure I won't be making it to work tomorrow.

I was just about right when it comes to the housewife who's leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County: Lauri has decided to spend more time with her family, which considering her son's circumstances, is probably a good thing! I haven't had a chance to watch this week's episode yet, but I should probably apologize to C. Howe for spoiling the fact that Gretchen's man died. I honestly didn't know anyone but me actually cared!

Macaulay Culkin's sister has died after being hit by a car in LA. It is NOT a good week for celebrity offspring!

The O's traded away Razor Ramon, but at least for once there's someone waiting in the wings to take his place. It may not be over yet, but rumors are that the Red Sox are gonna fight hard for Mark Teixeira. I have a feeling SOMEONE WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS (for those not into baseball, I'm talking about Peter Angelos) won't let the O's compete for him. I'm just saying..
This really sucks. I had a LONG list of things to blog about but I was so excited and eager to leave work that I left it there. When I go back in (hopefully on Monday) it's not going to make any sense.

No one I know is having a holiday party this year, but if they were, I would attempt to make these. They could be my NEW specialty!!!

Someone is now going to have even more Daddy issues... and I can't wait to watch it unfold!

I am a little ashamed to admit this, but since I know some of you will be with me (and when I say "some of you" I mean Tara), I feel ok with posting it. Now that I've heard of it, I'm kind of excited about Confessions of a Teen Idol. Not so much about I Love Money 2, but that probably won't stop me from watching that trainwreck unfold.

This one was kind of surprising, and I like the way they TRIED to be subtle about it. 14 months?! Damn shame I say.

I'll take whatever Dawson's Creek reunion I can get, even if it's just good old Grams.

Ok.. I think I did alright considering my lack of a list. I know I still have the Golden Globe nominations and I'll try to devote a post to those tomorrow or this weekend, once they sink in. All I have to say is that my man, the Piv, is once again nominated. Just one more reason to watch the red carpet AND post a picture of him in formal wear. Not necessarily good formal wear, but formal wear just the same.

Enjoy your night and drive carefully!!!

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Rumors around town are that T.R. Knight is leaving Grey's Anatomy because he's "unhappy with his storyline." Um.. at least he HAS a storyline. I mean, Izzie's sleeping with a dead guy for god's sake!!!

So, apparently Oprah's pushing 200 and she's ashamed. Well ya know what? She should be. I'm sick of hearing about her thyroid. If I had Oprah money I don't think there'd be any reason for me to be more than a size 8! I mean, you could have your own private chef, trainer and plastic surgeon for the money that woman has. Even if she really does have a thyroid condition (which they have medication for and since I am Anti-Oprah, I'm not so sure that's the case), I think she's just being lazy, but that's just my bitter opinion. I'm chubby because I don't have Oprah money.... but if I did.... I'd be the hottest housewife in Columbia County! Ok wait.. if I had that kind of money it's doubtful I'd still live here, but you get the point.

So, J and I had "the talk" about our relationship the other night, and I don't think things are going to end well. Basically, that they ARE going to end. Right now we're "thinking" about why we're together, since the other night, neither one of us could really come up with a good answer. That's not a good sign, right? Today at work, it was one of my co-worker's birthday. Anyway, to add insult to injury, her boyfriend came in to take her to lunch and subsequently proposed to her. It was sweet and all, and I'm happy for her, but do you really want someone else to be starting a new life and being sublimely happy when you're miserable and only two years away from a "geriatric" pregnancy? To answer that question, no.. you do not. However, congratulations and happy birthday go out to her anyway cause hey, I'm just that kind of person.

The Orioles are at the Winter Meetings. Will they do anything? Doubtful, but at least they ARE thinking about it.

I found one of my old friends from high school on Facebook today, and it made me very happy. I haven't talked to her in years! She reminded me of a skit we had to do in high school English, where we had to modernize Shakespearean plays. Ours was Othello. There is a great section of our senior video that has me waxing poetic about my "black man, black man, my dear moor Othello." Ok, it doesn't SOUND funny to you, cause it's kind of a had to be there thing, but if there were You Tube in those days, this certainly would have made it on there!

Sadly, Mark Ruffalo's brother has died from a gunshot wound sustained last week. There's lots of speculation as to why he was shot, but the latest is that he was the big loser in a game of Russian Roulette. I had no idea people played the odds enough to still do something like that! So NOT a game I want to play! I bet there is WAY more of this story to come to light!

Tre and I are headed out to see Twilight tonight, finally! We've been trying to go since it opened, but we could never get it together to do so, so I guess I'll have to let you know what I think at another time. It'll be way past my bedtime by the time we get home! In other Twilight news, Catherine Hardwicke will not be back for the sequel "New Moon," due to scheduling constraints.

Last night on The Hills, Whitney went to NYC and had her interview with Diane Von Furstenberg. I'd hate to ruin it for anyone but she gets the job, which will begin her new spinoff show "The City" which debuts December 29th. I don't want to want to watch it, but I do.

Tonight on The Real Housewives of Orange County, one of the housewives will leave the show, as I've previously mentioned. I'm thinking it might be Gretchen. Through reading her blog on Bravotv.com, I've come to find out that her fiance Jeff did not survive his bout with Leukemia, and it would be logical for her to have to leave the show to take care of him. Sadly, I hope this is the case because besides Lauri, I really can't let any of the others go. I just can't! Then again, it seems the ladies aren't ALL friends.. big shocker, right?

Time for me to get out of here. Don't forget - tomorrow is hump day and since I plan to live vicariously through others, someone please hump what you've got!

Monday, December 08, 2008

I really have never liked Rachel Zoe, but her show on Bravo was like crack and I'm so excited it was renewed for another season. I also LOVED Tabatha's Salon Takeover and Bravo did not disappoint me.

I check this site every day, so imagine my surprise to find the reader of the day was from ATHENS, NY! Crazy, right?

I realled liked her in The Devil Wears Prada, so I might be ok with her dating my favorite Polack, John Krasinski, much like her ex seems to be.

We all know I love The Hills, and I have to say I've always felt the same way.... about Lo AND satin pants..

I've been on the treadmill three days in a row. Yay me. It was a slow day and I've got some things going on that I'm not quite ready to tackle on the blog, so you'll just have to bear with me! Hope you got through your Monday and that the rest of the week goes by just as quickly!

Saturday, December 06, 2008

I've been meaning to post a picture since I made the "announcement" last week, but this is my friend Toine's newborn daughter, Taylor Gracie. Being a woman, I know enough not to post a picture of the baby and parents, as Toine looks like it's any normal day and poor Kelly just had a baby. It's just not fair to anyone involved ;). She is a cutie though, isn't she?

I've also been meaning to post pictures from our girl's night out. Granted, I wasn't there for the majority of them, as I was too busy being passed out, but here are a few of the pictures I was still awake for:

Shannon played hairdresser with her cute pink flat iron.. It'd be a GREAT Christmas gift Shan!

See? I may not have felt good, but I sure did look FABULOUS!

This must have been early..

Today is Hudson's annual Winter Walk and Fish is hosting the party of the year (after Nytropalooza of course). My camera is charged and this will be my first foray into drinking again since that night. I had two beers at bowling last night and to be honest, they didn't even taste that good. It's amazing what one bad night can do to you!

I've been pretty productive today. I walked a few miles on the treadmill and first thing I did was head to my nemesis, Jiffy Lube. Luckily, no one else was there and they guy that took care of my car was really nice and didn't try to sell me on anything! As I'm checking out he tells me that there's an air filter listed on my receipt, however there is no charge for it. Apparently, the manager from the last time I was there had a habit of forgetting to put air filters in the cars, one of which was mine. So yeah, I've been driving around without an air filter for the last three and a half months. I don't know anything about cars, but I'm pretty sure that can't be a good thing! I should have known though. If I remember correctly that manager was bald and pretty cute. There had to be something wrong with him (besides the fact that he worked at Jiffy Lube, who has a habit of screwing me in the bad way).

Enjoy your weekend and I hope to post more pics soon!

Friday, December 05, 2008

If you're not doing the speed limit, don't put your high beams on me after I pass your slow-moving ass. If you had driven anywhere near the speed limit, I would not have had to pass you, which therefore negates your reasoning for putting your high beams on. You're just acting like a douchebag, which kinda makes me even happier I passed you.

Know what else makes me happy? Bowling well, and I did that tonight. I shot 213-213-221. I know, I know, I could have gotten that triplicate patch I've been eyeing my whole life (sarcasm) but it didn't work out. Still, it's rare for me to have three 200 games when I bowl a 600, so I was pretty thrilled with myself. Next week is position round and we're in first place. I hope we keep it that way. I like winning money.

This afternoon we thought there was a gas leak in my office. Come to find out, it was the stench of one of the attorney's snacks. I can't remember the name of it, but it was some sort of Chinese fruit that is notorious for it's gruesome smell. Who wants to eat something that smells like natural gas?

Is it sad that I was a little forgiving this morning while watching Casey Anthony's jailhouse talks with her family on the Today Show? I know.. I have issues.

I'll end this post with good news: Kathy Griffin got her coveted Grammy nomination for her comedy album! I honestly never thought it would happen, but it did and I"m thrilled!
Yesterday I got a message from a friend of mine, basically berating me (in a good natured way) for sending him a Christmas card that said Happy Holidays. To be honest, that doesn’t bother me. I didn't get the cards to be PC and accomodate all my friends. I don't even think any of my friends celebrate anything BUT Christmas. It was the only one out of the four boxes I bought that didn’t have a reference to Christmas and I bought the box because I thought it was pretty. Sue me.

To be honest, I could care less what you wish me. I celebrate Christmas and that's what important to me. It’s the holiday season, what’s the difference!? I know someone who won’t shop at Home Depot because they don’t say Merry Christmas. I mean.. come on! As far as that’s concerned, it IS a business and you’re supposed to cater to everyone. As for me… just be happy I spent $.42 and then some sending you a card. It means I’m thinking of you and just didn’t want to write “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” in your card because after signing 60 or more, my hand gets tired!!!

Guess we'll see which whiner gets a card next year... ;)

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Last night's soccer game had it's ups and downs.. especially for me. We only had one sub, without Tre and Nikki there, so everyone had to bring their "A" game! Literally a minute into the game, I was dribbling the ball up the field and all of a sudden, I was down on the ground. I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with my shoe getting caught in the turf. I now have scratches from the turf from my calf up to my thigh. I'm not looking forward to shaving.

Anyway, we ended up ahead 5-1 at one point after the half, and that is when the other team decided to take their goalie out. Their HUGE, hard kicking goalie. Yeah.. she decided to play the front line which left myself and someone approximately 1/3 this girl's size to defend her. Well, she scored two goals, one of which sailed by our goalie's head faster than anything I've ever seen. She was like "I've been a goalie for a long time, but I was NOT getting in the way of THAT!" I'll admit, it was scary! I went down shortly after she headed a ball into my nose and decided that was a great time for a sub to come into the game in my place. We ended up pulling out the win 5-3, but it was a tough final 5-10 minutes, as most of our team played defense just to stop big bad goalie from scoring and/or killing one of our players.

Next week we play against Psycho Goalie, who is our most hated nemesis. Unfortunately, her team is pretty decent so hopefully we can keep up this momentum and if not kick her ass, maybe get in some cheap punches instead. It's times like this I realize how much I miss rugby. I think I have a lot of aggression.

I will never understand why you would trade away your most valuable players, but if anyone's gonna do it, you can bet it'll be the O's. Seriously, the blog will be black if Roberts or Markakis goes.
Someone is leaving my beloved Real Housewives of Orange County. It better be Lauri or Gretchen.. I like them, but I can live without them. If Jeana leaves the show, I might have to follow suit! (OK.. I’ll never be able to quit cold turkey, but I WILL be VERY upset).

Looks like the recession is hitting some of the Atlanta ladies where it hurts!

Heidi says “oh yes, there WILL be Project Runway.” Skinny bitch better be right.

Alex got sent home on Top Chef last night, for an inedible Crème Brulee. I called it from the get-go cause they spent WAY too much time on him in the episode, when I’d barely known his name just a week before. Top Chef is about as good at editing as Top Model.

No grammy nods for Taylor Swift and The Jonas Bros. are nominated for Best New Artist? I wonder if the texts are gonna start flying!? PS – I don’t consider no nods for Miley Cyrus being a snub, but Taylor Swift!? She has insane pipes AND has sold a bazillion albums already.. What is going on with the grammy nominators?! Ok.. I stopped watching the grammy's years ago so I don't really care, but I do LOVE Taylor Swift.. Can you tell!?

I got an email from my dear friend Toine after my black/brown post yesterday:

Your blog was good. I am really big on staying away from black/brown myself and people who aren't aware of it stick out like a sore thumb! So.....black cashmere sweater, light tan pants, black shoes. Question....light tan socks to match the pants? Or black socks to go with the shoes?

He’s so metrosexual and I adore how he knew not to wear the tan socks, but asked anyway. Don’t you love how he threw in the fact that he was wearing cashmere? Must be nice to work for the Braves.. I hope I’m not embarrassing you Toine.. it’s when I DON’T talk about you that you should be worried!

You have to love good guest stars. I mean, this sure beats Izzie screwing a dead guy (albeit a hot, sweet dead guy).

More on last night's soccer game to come.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Here's your interesting "winter" tidbit for the day.

Remember kids, there are two sides to every story! As much as I feel bad for her (and am thoroughly ashamed to admit it), I'm even more ashamed I kinda feel bad for him too! What is this world coming to?

For real.. don't you want to know where Miss Cleo is today? Sadly.. I kinda do...

Ok.. I'm no Scrooge, but I'm not a huge Christmas fanatic. I don't listen to Christmas music, and the only thing I insist on watching every year is Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas (if you haven't seen it, you don't know what you're missing). However, this might be the ONE Christmas song I sing along to, and it's nice to see I'm so not the only one! Granted, I can't say I've heard any of the cover versions they post on the site, but I might have to check them out! I wonder if Huey or Counting Crows have done one? Now THAT would be awesome :)

I am not yet caught up on True Blood, as Sue and I haven't been able to get our schedules together so I can finish out the season, however it looks like I will have a good shot of seeing it before it comes out on DVD. However, if you don't like nude scenes, you might want to find another show to watch cause True Blood seems to be the Queen!
This should be a no-brainer. If you're wearing anything black - wear black shoes! Don't wear a gray sweater, black pants and brown shoes. It doesn't work. Also, even if you're wearing brown pants and a black shirt.. wear black shoes, cause you're never gonna get the brown in your pants to match the brown of your shoes.

Every day when I turn into my complex at work, there's this moron that puts her left blinker on to turn right. Granted, she's taking an immediate left after that right, but there is no possible way to take a left when her blinker is on and it irks me.

I can't believe Hootie and the Blowfish didn't make this list.

I had a productive lunch hour: I made my New Year's Eve reservations. I haven't had very good new year's and this year I'm gonna try to turn it around.. even though I'd probably rather be home in my jammies, eating Wendy's and watching a Rock of Love Girls: Charm School marathon. I also ordered some of my dad's Christmas present, so I'm practically done, which is a good thing. A mall is NOT where I want to be this holiday season!

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

All of them will work, but I'm partial to #23.. it's not an every day thing you know, especially in the winter. Who wants to waste a good shave!?

Is Britney's comeback ever going to involve ACTUAL singing and not lip syncing? I'm a little ashamed to say I watched part of her documentary on MTV... and kinda felt bad that I call her batshit crazy all the time. Kinda..

Members of the State are all over the place, but I want to see them back together again! Read on to find out what would be a REALLY great present for me...

I've been really busy at work lately, which has been nice. Sure does make the day go by. However, some people aren't quite ready to trust me. That's cool - stay later to do work I could have done for you. No skin off my nose, right?

I'm still in shock that it's December.