This week saw some improvements and some missteps. Those who improved were Shannen, Jake, Niecy, Pam and Erin. Nicole was fantastic again, and Kate was awful. Buzz was fun to watch but didn't fare so well this week. Chad was a disappointment.
Pam came out and did a fox trot and was captivating to watch. She was charming and fun and hit the steps with precision.
Niecy also did a fox trot and did very well. She was elegant and smooth.
Shannen did a jive that challenged her but she showed growth.
Kate did a jive and showed fear. I kid you not, the look on her face was terror. She was not happy to be there and hopefully everybody realized it and won't vote for her.
Tomorrow is the first elimination. Hopefully it will be Kate.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Better Late Than Never
Okay, I'm on board.
Sunday I bought Glee, Season 1 Vol. 1 at Target for the low, low price of $17.99. Low and behold, I like it!! Now I just have to catch up before the second part of the season resumes on April 13.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dancing With the Stars - Season 10
Tonight was the premiere of season 10 of Dancing With the Stars. I see Belinda Carlisle has already been voted off. With that said, I won't be recapping. I'll watch but I won't take notes. Maybe I'll toss out a comment or two each week.
New set this year, the backstage lounge has been replaced by the celeb-aquarium just up a few steps from the stage.
I enjoyed Niecy Nash, I think she'll be fun. Pam Anderson is a hot mess and totally a blast to see dance, and she's not bad!! Evan Lysacek thinks he's great but I'm here to tell you, he's not all that. And that Kate Gosslin was awful and a bitch on top of it.
No results show this week, they'll all dance again next Monday and then someone will go home on Tuesday.
New set this year, the backstage lounge has been replaced by the celeb-aquarium just up a few steps from the stage.
I enjoyed Niecy Nash, I think she'll be fun. Pam Anderson is a hot mess and totally a blast to see dance, and she's not bad!! Evan Lysacek thinks he's great but I'm here to tell you, he's not all that. And that Kate Gosslin was awful and a bitch on top of it.
No results show this week, they'll all dance again next Monday and then someone will go home on Tuesday.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Imagine my surprise...
...when I was looking at my own blog and realized that I have 22 followers. Stop laughing, Daniel!! There was a point in time when you had 22 followers, perhaps on day 3, but I digress. Maybe you've all been there a while, just waiting for me to say something, maybe tomorrow I'll have lost some of you. I hope not though. Thanks for following!! *kiss*
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Happy List
Welcome back to another chapter of me. There's no good explanation for my absence. I haven't been abducted by aliens, I have not been swept off my feet by an attractive and wealthy suitor, I haven't been traveling the world. I just haven't had a lot to say. Winter drains me of energy and creativity I guess (is it boastful to call this blog "creative?"). But, spring is rapidly approaching, the weather is changing and today on my drive home I saw hints of green sticking out of the ground, telling me that in a week or so we should start seeing tulips and daffodills.
But I haven't crawled under a rock, either. I've been out and about, doing stuff and keeping busy, finding things along the way to celebrate and smile about. Allow me to share. In no particular order...
"Telephone" by Lady Gaga, featuring Beyonce - I'm kind of at a loss for words on how to describe this video. It's more than a Music video, it's a mini movie, that's a cross between 70's blacksploitation and women in prison films, but the women are heroes. There's dancing and poison, and tough prison guards, kitchy hair and hats and the Pussy Mobile. It's 4 quarts of crazy and I can't stop watching it. Find it on YouTube. You'll be amazed.
I've become the primary cook in the house ever since my mom broke her hip last fall. It's been a challenge coming up with things to cook that we can both enjoy. Part of the task is getting mom to eat so that she'll put on weight. I could prepare the things that she would normally fix but I've found that I have better success with new things. Big flavors, things that are different but familiar. I take recipes from online, from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, and from The Food Network.
Yesterday I picked up Rocco Dispirito's new cookbook "Now Eat This." I paged through it briefly at the store but took it with me to Starbucks where I paged though it and studied each recipe. Luckily I took a book of Post-It notes as I now have over two dozen recipes tagged that I want to make. Rocco has taken over 150 favorite foods and reworked the recipes so that each dish is 350 calories or less per serving. Dishes like macaroni and cheese, chicken cordon bleu and chicken fried steak with sausage gravy. Rocco surveyed fans on Facebook and Twitter and received feedback on many of his ideas so fans got a sneek peak at the recipes he was perfecting. I'll let you know how they are as I make them.
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland - I had been hopeful that this movie would be good and I was not disappointed. I went on opening weekend wtih Dan, Luis, Tina, Denise, Polo and Steve. We all enjoyed it very much. It's in 3-D, and it's the first film I've seen in a theatre in the "new" 3-D. I was amazed at how vivid it was. I'm a fan of the technology and of this film. If you have not seen it, definitely go see it!
ABC Comedy Wednesdays - I have a problem taking on new television shows. I'm no television snob, I'm not someone who allows himself only a couple hours of TV a week. I only limit myself because I don't need any more distractions that will have me sitting on my fat ass every evening. However, there's that hour of television on Wednesday that I adore.
Modern Family is well written, it mingles the lives of three separate families, who all happen to be related, so their stories often connect with one another. It's just a nice portrayal of three very different family units.
Cougar Town also makes me laugh out loud. I've been a Courtney Cox fan for years and it's nice to see her back on TV and in a show that is smart, clever and showcases her comedic timing. She works with a great cast, all of whom bring something great to the show. If you watch Modern Family but turn off the TV after it ends, consider watching this show, too.
I'll admit it, I waste a lot of time on Facebook. Much of that time is taken up by FarmVille. I love my little farm, looking at my animals, tending to my trees, planting and harvesting crops. It's mindless and on more than one occasion I've come home from work after a bad day and my farm has put me in a good mood. It's silly but then again, I tend to be silly, too.
I treated myself this year when I got my income tax refund. I was responsible and bought tires for my car, but I had enough remaining to buy myself a new iPod Touch. My previous iPod still works but the charge wasn't lasting as long. Since I didn't pay for my previous one (I won it at work for meeting a recruitment goal), this is the first one I bought in 6 years. I can see the screen when I'm working out, I like the touch-screen capabilities, and I have apps! It has most of the functions of an iPhone, minus the ability to make calls, take pictures and endless wireless connectivity. I can use the internet features anytime I can pick up a WiFi signal. It's fun to sit at Starbucks with it, listen to music and play online.
This last item is not something that I have right now, but looking forward to it makes me happy. Belinda Carlisle wrote her memoirs and the book Lips Unsealed will be published on June 1 2010. Unsure if it will be a complete tell-all of her life, but she has said that it's inspirational. In recent years she's been a practicing Buddhist, she's taken up yoga and has been living a healthy lifestyle. The book should be about the journey to where she is now. I feel like I know a lot of it already, but I'm guessing that much of it will surprise me.
There's a short list of the things that have me feeling happy and excited. What's on your list? Do you enjoy any of the things I've been enjoying? Do you have any suggestions for me? Please share!
But I haven't crawled under a rock, either. I've been out and about, doing stuff and keeping busy, finding things along the way to celebrate and smile about. Allow me to share. In no particular order...
"Telephone" by Lady Gaga, featuring Beyonce - I'm kind of at a loss for words on how to describe this video. It's more than a Music video, it's a mini movie, that's a cross between 70's blacksploitation and women in prison films, but the women are heroes. There's dancing and poison, and tough prison guards, kitchy hair and hats and the Pussy Mobile. It's 4 quarts of crazy and I can't stop watching it. Find it on YouTube. You'll be amazed.
I've become the primary cook in the house ever since my mom broke her hip last fall. It's been a challenge coming up with things to cook that we can both enjoy. Part of the task is getting mom to eat so that she'll put on weight. I could prepare the things that she would normally fix but I've found that I have better success with new things. Big flavors, things that are different but familiar. I take recipes from online, from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, and from The Food Network.
Yesterday I picked up Rocco Dispirito's new cookbook "Now Eat This." I paged through it briefly at the store but took it with me to Starbucks where I paged though it and studied each recipe. Luckily I took a book of Post-It notes as I now have over two dozen recipes tagged that I want to make. Rocco has taken over 150 favorite foods and reworked the recipes so that each dish is 350 calories or less per serving. Dishes like macaroni and cheese, chicken cordon bleu and chicken fried steak with sausage gravy. Rocco surveyed fans on Facebook and Twitter and received feedback on many of his ideas so fans got a sneek peak at the recipes he was perfecting. I'll let you know how they are as I make them.
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland - I had been hopeful that this movie would be good and I was not disappointed. I went on opening weekend wtih Dan, Luis, Tina, Denise, Polo and Steve. We all enjoyed it very much. It's in 3-D, and it's the first film I've seen in a theatre in the "new" 3-D. I was amazed at how vivid it was. I'm a fan of the technology and of this film. If you have not seen it, definitely go see it!
ABC Comedy Wednesdays - I have a problem taking on new television shows. I'm no television snob, I'm not someone who allows himself only a couple hours of TV a week. I only limit myself because I don't need any more distractions that will have me sitting on my fat ass every evening. However, there's that hour of television on Wednesday that I adore.
Modern Family is well written, it mingles the lives of three separate families, who all happen to be related, so their stories often connect with one another. It's just a nice portrayal of three very different family units.
Cougar Town also makes me laugh out loud. I've been a Courtney Cox fan for years and it's nice to see her back on TV and in a show that is smart, clever and showcases her comedic timing. She works with a great cast, all of whom bring something great to the show. If you watch Modern Family but turn off the TV after it ends, consider watching this show, too.
I'll admit it, I waste a lot of time on Facebook. Much of that time is taken up by FarmVille. I love my little farm, looking at my animals, tending to my trees, planting and harvesting crops. It's mindless and on more than one occasion I've come home from work after a bad day and my farm has put me in a good mood. It's silly but then again, I tend to be silly, too.
I treated myself this year when I got my income tax refund. I was responsible and bought tires for my car, but I had enough remaining to buy myself a new iPod Touch. My previous iPod still works but the charge wasn't lasting as long. Since I didn't pay for my previous one (I won it at work for meeting a recruitment goal), this is the first one I bought in 6 years. I can see the screen when I'm working out, I like the touch-screen capabilities, and I have apps! It has most of the functions of an iPhone, minus the ability to make calls, take pictures and endless wireless connectivity. I can use the internet features anytime I can pick up a WiFi signal. It's fun to sit at Starbucks with it, listen to music and play online.
This last item is not something that I have right now, but looking forward to it makes me happy. Belinda Carlisle wrote her memoirs and the book Lips Unsealed will be published on June 1 2010. Unsure if it will be a complete tell-all of her life, but she has said that it's inspirational. In recent years she's been a practicing Buddhist, she's taken up yoga and has been living a healthy lifestyle. The book should be about the journey to where she is now. I feel like I know a lot of it already, but I'm guessing that much of it will surprise me.
There's a short list of the things that have me feeling happy and excited. What's on your list? Do you enjoy any of the things I've been enjoying? Do you have any suggestions for me? Please share!
Monday, February 15, 2010
This and That, continued
I know, not very original. Oh wait...I think the TV game show Jeopardy would call this "potpourri."
It's been a while since I've posted and I know I said I'd do a better job at posting regularly. I'd like to say that I've been busy but I just haven't been inspired to write. There just hasn't been a lot to talk about. But, I've got some stuff so we'll just go with it.
A couple weeks ago, Denise informed me that her television broke. Not good, knowing that the Winter Olympics were fast approaching. She was going to make it happen, work some magic and have a new TV by the opening ceremonies. Polo came up with a great idea, he suggested that we all buy Denise an early birthday gift. So we pooled our funds and surprised Denise by presenting her with a new televsion set. We all went out to dinner and as nearby table was celebrating someone else's birthday with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" we sang along and Tina threw a card at Denise, confusing her. The timing could not have been more perfect. We celebrated with delicious food and margritas.
Unrelated, a couple days later, I found myself sick in bed with food poisoning. I say unrelated because there was too much time between that dinner and when I got sick. I'm attributing it to a jar of preserves that I had in the pantry. It was sealed when I opened it but perhaps the batch was not properly preserved. All I know is that I don't recall ever being so sick. No details, but it was UGLY. My knight in shining armor, Dan saved the day by bringing me Gatorade, which was about the only thing I could stomach for about 36 hours. I was in recovery mode most of the week.
By Friday I felt fine and I'm glad because I got to enjoy an evening out with my dear friend Steve. Since he travels back and forth and spends half of each month out of town, we get to go out a couple times while he's in town. It was a fun night, but because Steve knows a lot of people and doesn't see them very often, much of the evening was spent watching him socialize and catch up with people. I get it, I don't mind it, I enjoy watching him having a nice time, but something about Friday night left me seriously feeling like a third wheel. I would wander away for a while, seeing who I could find to chat with and I just had this overwhelming feeling that people were looking through me and not at me. It was one of those night where I felt completely invisible, to the point where if I didn't leave, I was going to lose it. I said my goodnight to Steve and I came home.
Saturday was a better day. I ran some errands and had some me time at Starbucks. I ended up not going out Saturday evening because I decided I wasn't up for a redux. Knowing that the following day was Valentine's Day, I wasn't in the best frame of mind anyway.
I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. I'm sure I've blogged about it in the past. No, I don't feel like looking at last year's post, I'll bet I was pretty bitter. This year was no exception and I wasn't looking forward to the day. I got up early, went to the gym, then went to Crate and Barrel. Wouldn't you know it was filled with happy couples doing their bridal registries? What was I thinking? Okay, maybe the cute gay couple wasn't registering (not legal, ya know) but they were having a nice time shopping together. Needless to say, my visit was a quick one. I ended up stopping off at my friend Cyd's house to help her clear some things out of her apartment. She's moving next weekend. Afterwards I came home and prepared a delicious shrimp stir fry. I was celebrating Chinese New Year.
Over the weekend I got new tires on my car. The original ones were still on the car, they were over 5 1/2 years old but only had 38,000 miles on them. However they were showing their age so it was time. Next up will be brakes. Those will happen in the next month or two.
I mentioned the Olympics earlier. Did you watch the opening ceremonies? What did you think? I thought they were great. How exciting was it to see the team from the United States enter the stadium? I love all of the pageantry. I couldn't help but tear up when the team from the Republic of Georgia entered. They were solem and wore black arm bands out of respect for their team mate who had been killed during luge practice earlier in the day. Aside from the glitch with the lighting of the torch, I thought this opening ceremony held its own without trying to compete with the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
So that's what I've been up to? What about you?
It's been a while since I've posted and I know I said I'd do a better job at posting regularly. I'd like to say that I've been busy but I just haven't been inspired to write. There just hasn't been a lot to talk about. But, I've got some stuff so we'll just go with it.
A couple weeks ago, Denise informed me that her television broke. Not good, knowing that the Winter Olympics were fast approaching. She was going to make it happen, work some magic and have a new TV by the opening ceremonies. Polo came up with a great idea, he suggested that we all buy Denise an early birthday gift. So we pooled our funds and surprised Denise by presenting her with a new televsion set. We all went out to dinner and as nearby table was celebrating someone else's birthday with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" we sang along and Tina threw a card at Denise, confusing her. The timing could not have been more perfect. We celebrated with delicious food and margritas.
Unrelated, a couple days later, I found myself sick in bed with food poisoning. I say unrelated because there was too much time between that dinner and when I got sick. I'm attributing it to a jar of preserves that I had in the pantry. It was sealed when I opened it but perhaps the batch was not properly preserved. All I know is that I don't recall ever being so sick. No details, but it was UGLY. My knight in shining armor, Dan saved the day by bringing me Gatorade, which was about the only thing I could stomach for about 36 hours. I was in recovery mode most of the week.
By Friday I felt fine and I'm glad because I got to enjoy an evening out with my dear friend Steve. Since he travels back and forth and spends half of each month out of town, we get to go out a couple times while he's in town. It was a fun night, but because Steve knows a lot of people and doesn't see them very often, much of the evening was spent watching him socialize and catch up with people. I get it, I don't mind it, I enjoy watching him having a nice time, but something about Friday night left me seriously feeling like a third wheel. I would wander away for a while, seeing who I could find to chat with and I just had this overwhelming feeling that people were looking through me and not at me. It was one of those night where I felt completely invisible, to the point where if I didn't leave, I was going to lose it. I said my goodnight to Steve and I came home.
Saturday was a better day. I ran some errands and had some me time at Starbucks. I ended up not going out Saturday evening because I decided I wasn't up for a redux. Knowing that the following day was Valentine's Day, I wasn't in the best frame of mind anyway.
I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. I'm sure I've blogged about it in the past. No, I don't feel like looking at last year's post, I'll bet I was pretty bitter. This year was no exception and I wasn't looking forward to the day. I got up early, went to the gym, then went to Crate and Barrel. Wouldn't you know it was filled with happy couples doing their bridal registries? What was I thinking? Okay, maybe the cute gay couple wasn't registering (not legal, ya know) but they were having a nice time shopping together. Needless to say, my visit was a quick one. I ended up stopping off at my friend Cyd's house to help her clear some things out of her apartment. She's moving next weekend. Afterwards I came home and prepared a delicious shrimp stir fry. I was celebrating Chinese New Year.
Over the weekend I got new tires on my car. The original ones were still on the car, they were over 5 1/2 years old but only had 38,000 miles on them. However they were showing their age so it was time. Next up will be brakes. Those will happen in the next month or two.
I mentioned the Olympics earlier. Did you watch the opening ceremonies? What did you think? I thought they were great. How exciting was it to see the team from the United States enter the stadium? I love all of the pageantry. I couldn't help but tear up when the team from the Republic of Georgia entered. They were solem and wore black arm bands out of respect for their team mate who had been killed during luge practice earlier in the day. Aside from the glitch with the lighting of the torch, I thought this opening ceremony held its own without trying to compete with the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
So that's what I've been up to? What about you?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
This and That
So January is over, the first month of 2010. I hate the month of January. Always have, always will. Okay, I guess I don't hate all of January, Just the last 30 days of it. January 1st is usally fun with everybody still feeling a little of the holiday spirit (unless they're feeling like a brick fell on their head from the previous night...I've felt like that a couple times), but after that it's all downhill.
Why do I hate January? It's winter in Chicago. It's dark when I wake up to go to work, it's dark when I'm getting home from work. Everybody is back from vacation, traffic is a crap shoot. And if the weather is bad, that just makes the commutes that much uglier. Speaking of weather, and Chicago, and January, chances are it's not going to be very pleasant outside. Snow, ice or frigid temperatures are common place. People are tired of it. They're cranky because of it.
Professionally it's a challenging month because there are a lot of questions about benefits, deductions from paychecks, whether their time-off accruals are right. Then it's always a guess to see who will be the first to ask "when do we get our W-2 forms?
Thankfully W-2 forms were issued a couple weeks ago and everybody was happy, including me. I filed and already received my refund (no I didn't go and get one of those rapid refunds that take a chunk of your refund as a service fee), I filed online and apparently my taxes are so simple they didn't take much checking. Having endured such a blah month, I bought myself a new iPod. I've now got the iPod Touch and yes, I get aps! Mind you, I don't have a constant internet connection, it only works if it finds an hotspot or an unsecured internet signal. Regardless, it's pretty and I like it. I also bought new cookware. I too is pretty and I like it. While I would have loved the All-Clad, I ended up getting Cuisinart. It may not be top of the line but it's better than the old Farberware I had with the handles that were about to fall off. The problem is, it's so pretty, I'm afraid to actually use it.
Every year, I try to do something responsible with my tax return. This year, I will buy new tires for my car with the remainder of it. I've been talking about new tires for the car since last summer but kept putting it off. I have a very slow leak in one, so I don't think I can put it off much longer.
January is over, thankfully. The Groundhog saw his shadow today so it looks like we've got another 6 weeks of winter. Duh. I mean, the groundhog is cute and all, but did anybody really expect, if he didn't see his shadow, that tomorrow we'd be sitting outside in shorts? Me either.
Valentine's day is in a couple weeks. I couldn't care less about it. Bitter, you say? Yes, but I have been for years. Bite my ass, Cupid!
Anyway, that's my story. What's new with you?
Why do I hate January? It's winter in Chicago. It's dark when I wake up to go to work, it's dark when I'm getting home from work. Everybody is back from vacation, traffic is a crap shoot. And if the weather is bad, that just makes the commutes that much uglier. Speaking of weather, and Chicago, and January, chances are it's not going to be very pleasant outside. Snow, ice or frigid temperatures are common place. People are tired of it. They're cranky because of it.
Professionally it's a challenging month because there are a lot of questions about benefits, deductions from paychecks, whether their time-off accruals are right. Then it's always a guess to see who will be the first to ask "when do we get our W-2 forms?
Thankfully W-2 forms were issued a couple weeks ago and everybody was happy, including me. I filed and already received my refund (no I didn't go and get one of those rapid refunds that take a chunk of your refund as a service fee), I filed online and apparently my taxes are so simple they didn't take much checking. Having endured such a blah month, I bought myself a new iPod. I've now got the iPod Touch and yes, I get aps! Mind you, I don't have a constant internet connection, it only works if it finds an hotspot or an unsecured internet signal. Regardless, it's pretty and I like it. I also bought new cookware. I too is pretty and I like it. While I would have loved the All-Clad, I ended up getting Cuisinart. It may not be top of the line but it's better than the old Farberware I had with the handles that were about to fall off. The problem is, it's so pretty, I'm afraid to actually use it.
Every year, I try to do something responsible with my tax return. This year, I will buy new tires for my car with the remainder of it. I've been talking about new tires for the car since last summer but kept putting it off. I have a very slow leak in one, so I don't think I can put it off much longer.
January is over, thankfully. The Groundhog saw his shadow today so it looks like we've got another 6 weeks of winter. Duh. I mean, the groundhog is cute and all, but did anybody really expect, if he didn't see his shadow, that tomorrow we'd be sitting outside in shorts? Me either.
Valentine's day is in a couple weeks. I couldn't care less about it. Bitter, you say? Yes, but I have been for years. Bite my ass, Cupid!
Anyway, that's my story. What's new with you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)