Merry Christmas Eve Eve...

So, here it is...Christmas Eve eve...also known as Festivus in certain circles.

So, in keeping with the spirit of Festivus, let us all gather around the aluminum pole and air our grievances...

KennyG is on my XM Radio, playing a soulfully painful rendition of my favorite Christmas song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. It's my favorite song, because it's tinged with sadness...and yet it's so hopeful. Kind of like how I view the holiday. It's long been documented that I'm not much of a Christmas person. I try to avoid whatever I can. I don't go to parties. I don't participate in "Secret Santa's". I decorate my house as much as I can, hoping against hope that merry decor will somehow fill me with the Christmas spirit and un-scrooge me. No such luck. Humbug! Humbug I say!

I'm grinchier than the Grinch himself. I bake and I cook. I shop and I wrap...all with a grimace and a scowl. I am not merry or bright. I'm more sour than bad eggnog. I find no joy in this time of year.

Yet, somehow, I always think "Well, maybe I'll feel differently next year".

But, I never do.

This year is last years next year. And I'm even humbuggier than I was last year.

I had a small sparkle of hope tonight...hope that perhaps next year will be better...but, why do that to myself? I ought to know by now that next year is never going to be better than this year. It only gets worse. I get older, more dour, sadder and lonlier. I sit and feel sorry for myself, that I have less of a life than I want. I have no one to kiss under the mistltoe. That I only want one simple little thing for Christmas that I never get.

Tonight, I found myself yelling at my TV Box. Seems the single and childless Shepard Smith is off for the holidays. Working in his place? The very married with children Trace Gallagher. That's right. TGallie has to work while Shepard is off relaxing. I remember back in the day, on Christmas Eve, Kathy Levin of QVC, who was Jewish, always took the last shift of the night, so that hosts who celebrated Christmas could spend Christmas Eve home with their families. The network would go off the air for the holiday when she signed off (generally with her dog) and not come back on until after Christmas. I guess that sort of spirit just doesn't exist anymore. TGallie has to work, while Mrs. Gallie and the two little Gallies celebrate without him. Humbug, Shepard Smith. May you be visited by 3 spirits to learn the true meaning of Christmas. Maybe I need to be visited by them as well...

But next year will be better...but only if I skip Christmas and go to DisneyWorld...

/end grievances

So, to you, dear Constant Reader, I bid a Happy Festivus...the holiday for 'the rest of us'...

MyFace...or...SpaceBook...

Ok, let it be known that I truly dislike these newfangled interwebz networking sites. They confuse my feeble mind and then I have to ask a kid half my age how to do things on them. Don't like 'em.

Of course...not liking them doesn't make me impervious to peer pressure...

I first got a myspace page a while back when a friend wanted me to view some b-list celebrity's page and see the messages left by the faithful. It was pretty good for a hoot & a holler. But then I let it go by the wayside...until I had to log back on just to see photos...TERRA. So I would pop on from time to time, change a status, and make friends with Captain Jonathan Hillstrand from Deadliest Catch...and not much else. Eventually, that went by the wayside. Just too confusing and too not fun!

Soon, however, friends from both real life and the internet started bugging me to get on facebook. Are you on facebook? they would ask. No, I would say, I don't believe in networking on the interwebz. What if Mike Rowe wants to stalk me?! However would I hide from him??

Eventually, however, push comes to shove and while one friend shoves, you know another friend has gotten down on all 4's behind you so you'll eventually fall over and agree with them. And I did.

I got me a facebook.

...which I often call "my face"

Hey, I don't know these things...I'm a grown woman!

But, regardless...I'm there...and TV's Mike Rowe now has the ability to stalk me...as if he hasn't done that all over the internet already ;)

Of course, I'm having fun on facebook. All my friends are there...as well as some new friends, like former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and the man who, to me, is the best reporter on FoxNews, Rick Leventhal.

Of course...I am also now friends with someone I find amazingly sexy...Rick Reichmuth! I'd never, EVER message him...but I did leave a comment on a photo of Rick with radio's Delilah...only because I had a completely different image of her in my mind. But yeah...Rick Reichmuth is now my 'friend'...from a distance.

And this, dear reader, brings me to another reason I don't like internet based networking sites: Unwanted visitors.

Already, I've had a friend request from some nutty person with a 'message' to spread, and another from a person I knew years ago, but have no desire to reestablish ties with (those of you who know me, know exactly who this is and the whole story behind it). I ignored both, and Mr Message went off to find new disciples.

Now, you would think that this person I used to be friends with would get the hint, but, after phoning my home, sending a letter, sending several emails to an account I have no access to and have no desire to access, all without responses, they've now requested to be my 'friend' again. That ship sailed many many years ago and won't ever return to port. I ignored the request, figuring that this would surely be the hint they'd get. But did they? You'd think they would, wouldn't you? Nope! Message not received! Well...not by them, but a message was received...by me...from...them!

Now, what do you do? Do you let this person you don't want to be involved with force your hand and respond to them? Or do you do what you really didn't want to do but appear to have no other choice and....block them?

Hope that message has been received now....

Sexy Thang...

In all my bah humbugginess, I forgot to mention one thing...

I had Fox & Friends Weekend on either Saturday or Sunday morning (what other day would I have a WEEKEND show on, eh?) And first and foremost, I must say, I don't really miss the somewhat cardboard Greg Kelly on there. Sure, he was some nice Marine Corps eye candy, but personality wise, I've known wood to be more animated. Unless GKel was talking about something he was passionate about, he was rather quiet.

That's actually not what I wanted to post...that was just an aside. The title of this post is "Sexy Thang..." and that is not Gkel.

Oh no.

Right now, to me, the Sexy Thang on FNC is...meteorologist Rick Reichmuth.

Yum.

The weather here in the Greatest City in the World turned bitter cold this weekend and our intrepid weather hunk was outside the studio, talking to the masses...looking heavenly in his black wool coat and gloves, wind tousseling his hair just a bit.

All I can say is it woke me up quickly :D

Rick Reichmuth...THAT's sexy :)

Humbug...

Well, the tree is FINALLY up!

And that's it...just a tree. There is no village this year, no plans for cookies. There is no Christmas card list yet...although I have received several already, for which I thank you, my friends :)

Truth be told, I have very little in the way of Christmas spirit this year.

What even IS Christmas spirit, anyway?

I remember when I was a child, the buildup to Christmas was huge. There were toys to remember that you wanted, whispers to be listened for, and Santa to be good for. As I got older, I enjoyed Christmas on a different level, looking forward to shopping and decorating and baking. So elaborate my plans, that I often would be working furiously into the wee hours of Christmas Eve just to finish wrapping gifts!

Last year, I forced myself to do a huge, elaboate village. I don't do it for others, I do it for me. I love doing the village. I get tired, achy and irritable, but the end result gives me a sense of satisfaction that I don't achieve very often.

This year, bah!

I can't even be bothered. Sure, I've bought the supplies and even a few extra accessories, but while the mind may be willng, the body and spirit are not.

So, with the tree up, I can concentrate on getting a few small vignettes assembled quickly tomorrow. A basket with a battery operated house in it to serve as a centerpiece on the coffee table, a house on a cake stand to decorate the kitchen. A house in a fishpot for some added cheer, and maybe another house here or there.

Perhaps, I'll find some spirit along the way...it sure would do me good....

The Importance of Being Earnest

With all due respect to Oscar Wilde, this post has nothing to do with his story of the same name. Rather, it is about disingenuous people who pretend to be sincere, all while knowingly deceiving others.

On the surface, we expect people to be relatively honest. Or at the very least, honest about the big, important things. Life's experiences, though, often teach us otherwise. People often lure us into their web of deceit, feigning earnestness. We, eager, trusting and all to willing to believe follow, fixated. Sometimes, our eyes are opened early on. Other times, we are led down the winding garden path for all too long, before we realize that the gilded pedestal we've put someone on is crumbling and only made of clay.

Such is the case of a certain low level celebrity. A person who posts on their own message board and recently launched a site of their own for "philanthropic" purposes. A person who can bloviate until the cows come home and who will never, ever admit they are wrong. A person with a not so hidden agenda who enjoys accusing fans of having them themselves. A person who wants to be worshipped as a god while stepping on those considered to be beneath them, focusing instead on fangirls a decade older than they, who lap at their feet while they grovel and beg for attention. A person who sits back and basks in the adulation, turning pitbull on anyone who dares question the Great and Powerful Oz.

A philanthropic website is one thing. Creating a message board where your 'fans' can 'discuss' and 'contribute ideas' to your unstated mission is another. It proves that the site is little more than a vanity project, something to have the old ego stroked over. Somewhere that you bring your pets in to run but SHHH!! Don't let anyone know, otherwise tempers will flare and someone may lose favor with companies willing to pay big bucks to hire them to speak. When the truth rears it's ugly head, it's greeted with jeers and nasty missives from so called moderators who's very existence is jeopardized by the truth. The truth is shut down, opting instead to live a lie...a lie that was green lighted by the very person who personally stated that they would lead their efforts with honesty...a line obviously meant to deceive.

I can no longer support this person, or the idea of what their mission was, because one deceit casts doubt on all other efforts, showing that you place no importance on earnestness.

A Few More

While I found the tone of the World War II Memorial to be one heralding the glory and greatness of the men and women who served and won, I found stark contrast just down the Reflection Pool at the Vietnam Memorial. It's dark granite walls rise up, bearing each name engraved like a scar from a hard fought battle. People leave small momentos~a photo, a flower, a pin. Even a loaf of Wonder Bread. Over 30 years later, and we still have not healed.













The memorial to the nurses





Washington Monument. It's not all that pretty, but it photographs so well





Some other photos...

Lincoln Memorial from the World War II Memorial


Lincoln Memorial

Photographic Proof!

Ok, I promised photos, I'm delivering photos. Now, my abilities to post photos on here are limited, at best. Please do not judge me by my posting capabilities. Instead, please judge these photos on their own merrits. I was, for the most part, shooting blind in DC, because it was so sunny that I could not see what was showing up on the screen!


World War II Memorial...the sun shining on the Pacific theatre tower


World War II Memorial...inside the Atlantic theatre tower


World War II Memorial...over 4000 stars, each representing 100 lives of the Greatest Generation lost fighting for freedom


World War II Memorial...Kilroy was here


World War II Memorial...a monument truly befitting the Greatest Generation

The Long Weekend

So, I took a couple of days off from work, and headed down to Maryland to visit with my cousin and her family. While we don't get to see one another often, we do always have a wonderful time together and this visit was no exception.

We started down on Saturday morning, stopping off at the local diner for an early breakfast at 6am. My eyes were blurry and barely open, even after the coffee. A 3 hour snooze later, and I awoke right at the toll for the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Happily, I'd slept thru that part of the trip and did not have to face down the bridge I loathe. Annie's house was just a hop, skip and a jump away from that point :)

After greetings and some coffee and bagels, we all piled into 2 cars (yes, there were that man of us) and headed to the Renaissance Fair...only to turn because of the line of traffic to get there! We headed to Home Goods and had lunch at a nifty place called The Italian Market. Good sandwich :)

We headed home, and waited around until it was time to head out to dinner...that's right...we were going to Medieval Times! Ok, I will admit to making fun of the commercials for it. I mean, seriously...JOUSTING?? Well, we got to the place, which was in the Arundel Mills mall and naturally we laughed at the cheesy little castle set up. We walked in, and promptly had a red and yellow striped paper crown slapped on our heads. Yes, our knight was the red and yellow knight. We decided he would be the Knight of McDonalds, based on his color scheme. We had our photo taken with a princess (she didn't look very royal...just like she had on part of a Halloween costume, but was missing the essential part of the princess get up: a crown) Anyway, we found a seat and waited for our color to be called to enter the arena (I kid you not) We amused ourselves by taking photos and making fun of our crowns. When we got to our seats, we were in the first row. Oh joy! We were given nifty little flags to wave that looked like something a beginner in rhythmic gymnastics would be using, and waited for the show to start. The horses were beautiful. The actors, not so much. We joked that they were all theater majors from Towson University who needed jobs (see that, Mike Rowe? Medieval Times could possibly have been in your future had your arm not somehow found it's way up the business end of a cow ;) ) There was some overly dramatic dialogue, some nifty horse play, some interesting fight scenes, and some very busy "squires" chasing around the arena with giant baskets on sticks: horse pooper scoopers, if you will. All of this went on while we ate our better than expected chicken dinner~with our hands. That's right folks! Medieval Times does not provide flatware! Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, greasy fingers and all! We headed home, and ended our night by singing karaoke...because that's just the way we are when we are together LOL

The next morning we were up, bright and early to head into DC. Well, that was the plan. By the time everyone rolled out of bed and showered, we didn't get OUT of the house until after 11am...when we had wanted to be in DC a half hour before that. But, when we finally got there, we headed to the WW2 Memorial, where Ranger Sandy was going to be meeting us. I don't think there are words to describe this glorious memorial. It is a monument truly befitting the greatest generation. Placed unobtrusively between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, the WW2 Memorial stands in majestic honor to those who served, both abroad and on the home front. It is truly a memorial to the entire generation, honoring those who served, those who gave their lives, and those who did what was necessary at home to keep the country going while fighting the war. Fountains rise up in majestic glory as two towers flank them, one for each theater of operations: Atlantic and Pacific. There is a pillar and wreath for each of the 50 states as well as US territories involved in the war. Over 4000 stars stand proudly behind the fountains, one for each of the 100 lives lost in the hard fought effort to win the war. Ranger Sandy told us that they actually fly veterans in for free on Wednesdays and Saturdays and Senator Bob Dole is generally on hand to greet them. Sunday was no exception. There was a veterans group at the memorial, easily identified by their T-shirts. We knew Bob Dole was there when Ranger Sandy ran back to the Ranger Station and was surprised to find the Senator there and had the good fortune to have her photo taken with him!

After we walked around the memorial and found Kilroy, Ranger Sandy led us down the reflection pool and toward the Lincoln Memorial, where we found the Vietnam Memorial. Such stark contrast to the WW2 Memorial. While the WW2 Memorial celebrates the victory, the Vietnam memorial has a much darker tone to it. 800 feet long, the Vietnam Memorial is a black granite wall with the names of the fallen and those still listed as MIA etched on it. It is a somber and sobering reminder of a war not nearly as popular as WW2, if a war can be popular at all. We noted things left at the wall by visitors: photos, flowers, unit pins and a loaf of Wonder bread. It's as though the wall's primary purpose is healing. On the other side of the wall, down a little path, is the memorial for the nurses. 4 nurses were killed in action during Vietnam. It is a group who's service is necessary but has often gone unrecognized.

After hoofing it back to the rest of our party who had decided not to take the little stroll down to the Vietnam Memorial with us, we thanked Ranger Sandy for the wonderful tour and headed home, where we played a rousing game of Clue after dinner (honestly, you just can't make this stuff up) because, much to my cousin Mikey's dismay, the giant HD television had gone kaput...ON GAME DAY! So, we really had no other choice but to do something other than watch TV LOL

Monday was a relaxing day. We slept in, then went to Bob Evan's for breakfast (mmm...biscuits!) and did some shopping after. We went to Olive Garden for dinner, and then played more Clue (TV won't be fixed until Wednesday LOL)

Tuesday...well...we came home, our fun filled weekend officially over.

I want to thank my cousins for a WONDERFUL and fun filled weekend!! We have to do it again soon...but this time, you all have to come up to NY!! Thanks again to Ranger Sandy for being kind enough to give us a fabulous tour of the memorials, giving us info and insight we never would have had without her! Oh, and we'd never have found Kilroy without her!

Photo's will be uploaded and posted later...

Tomorrow is back to work...bah!

So...

So Madonna has said she doesn't want Sarah Palin anywhere near any of her shows.

Uh..Madge? Um, yeah...I think Sarah Palin has more pressing matters to worry about than going to you second rate show. I don't think you should think so highly of yourself. Oh, and one more thing: You're from MICHIGAN, not London. Knock off the fake accent and get your poor kid an eyebrow waxing.

It's sad when 3rd rate celebrities try to use current events to get attention and publicity. Who really cares? They come crawling out of the woodwork during every election year, offering up their opinions on talk shows and news analysis programs.

I just want the whole lot of them to get the hell off my television. No one CARES what you think. In fact, since all of your careers are in the crapper to begin with, it's a safe bet that no one has cared about you for quite a while at this point. So, crawl back up to your ivory towers where you can stare at yourself in your mirrors and lament about your lost youth.

Something A Little Different...

I was poking around the world wide web and I found this...Shepard Smith's graduation address to the class of 2008 at his beloved Ole Miss.

Ok, he does go on for a bit (conversely, our speaker, who's name and importance escapes me) told us he'd be brief, as it was 98 degrees in the sun that day...our black caps and gowns only making it worse. That's all I remember of his brief speech, and I have to wonder if these graduates will remember anything more than "Shep Smith spoke" at their graduation. Long winded as it is, it's a very touching speech, and I think he speaks from his heart. Ten seconds later, life does indeed change....

Ok...

Here I go, getting all political again. I don't like politics and I don't want anything to do with politics. I just want all these taintwhistles OFF MY TV BOX!

But since they're all ON my tv box...and on every frickin' channel on my tv box...I have no real choice but to have something to do with politics. So, here's tonight's observation on something I just heard on the VP Debate:

I watched that stupid Democratic primary debate, and I distinctly HEARD Obama say he would sit down and talk, unconditionally, with Iran.

I also watched the first Presidential debate, and I heard him reiterate this, stating that Henry Kissinger himself suggested an unconditional sit down with Iran.

I also watched FNC the next morning, when Henry Kissinger himself issued a statement declaring that he never, ever advocated in any way, any unconditional sit down with Iran.

And here is Joe Biden, saying that Obama NEVER said he would have an unconditional sit down with Iran.

Now, I KNOW I'm not senile yet. I also know I'm not stupid. I know what I've heard, and I know I'm not wrong.

It has to make one take pause, sit back and think...does Obama think I'm senile? Is he counting on it? Does he think I'm stupid, because, well, I'm not. Does he think I have a hearing problem? I don't. I can hear a pin drop. Does he think I'm wrong? Because he knows damn well I'm not.

This is where we go wrong. We continue to elect career politicians who are so used to lying, so used to pandering to different special interest groups, so used to doublespeak that they honestly have NO idea what they stand for. They remind me of that character in The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Mayor...the one who's face spins around for different expressions. Now, I'm not saying politicians are two faced....I think they have much more than just two faces....

Now, if our chief executive has to adhere to term limits, why does the rest of Congress not have to? Why has Ted Kennedy or Joe Biden been in the same job for decades...decades where nothing has gotten done, where partisanship has been key, and where things have only gotten nothing but worse for the American people.

God, I miss Ronald Reagan...

McCain/Palin '08.

Oh. My. God.

Ok, all of you...I want ALL of you OFF MY TV BOX NOW!!!

Good sweet grief!! How can one man use so many words and yet say so little?? Is that even possible?! How can anyone seriously consider such bloviation to be an actual platform?

I think I need to keep my television tuned to Discovery or Cartoon Network until after the election...

I Have A Few Things To Say...

Ok, remember when I said I wasn't a political person? Well, I'm not. But, I am going to put that aside for a few minutes as I type this up, because I'm beginning to get really pissed off, and I have a few points to make. So, sit back, put your partisanship in the little cup of water on your bedside table and listen up:

Lisa's Talking Points

~ WHY do politicians take statements made by the opposition out of context and then spend days spinning and trying to not have the actual context the statement was made in known? I saw this occur this morning by one candidate, and, because I knew the context the quote was actually made in, it really iced my cookies. The candidates surrogate then went to extreme measures to attempt to say that the actual context wasn't important. Ahem...DO WE LOOK STUPID?! OF COURSE THE CONTEXT MATTERS! THIS WAS NOT A FREE STANDING QUOTE AND YOU KNOW IT!! IF WE CAN'T TRUST YOU TO TAKE A QUOTE IN THE PROPER CONTEXT, WHY SHOULD WE TRUST YOU TO RUN OUR COUNTRY?!!

...and no, I don't expect an answer to this...because the candidate obviously HAS no answer to this, aside from the same tired old rhetoric that's been spewing forth from the gullet for months now.

~ WHY is the main stream media so afraid of Sarah Palin? It's gotten so that you cannot watch a newscast or read a paper without hearing something derogatory about her. It doesn't even have to be anything about her record (and, for the record, as a mayor and governor, she does, indeed, have a record of executive experience) Half the attacks are personal. From Oprah refusing to have her on her show (be careful there, Oprah, your partisanship is showing) to a supposed "joke" on SNL being little more than "today it was reported that Sarah Palin took travel expense reimbursement money to travel from her house to the executive offices". Yes, THAT was the "joke". Of course, what they didn't tell you is that the executive offices in Alaska are in a city some 800 miles from her home, and that reimbursement of travel expenses is allowed.

See, it's crap like this that makes me angry. No one knows much about Sarah Palin, yet people dive right in, making accusations that are easily proven false (that Palin's baby is really the offspring of her teenage daughter) and making statements with no basis in truth (how do the writers at SNL know whether or not Palin knows what the Bush Doctrine is?) Personally, I think the media see a woman who is as energizing and exciting...and it messes with their not so hidden agenda.

~ STOP WITH THE SHOUTING! EVERYONE AND THEIR FRICKIN' UNCLE IS YELLING ON MY TV BOX AND I'VE ABOUT HAD IT, DAMN IT! Is it any wonder I turn the pundits off and watch Cartoon Network instead? ROBOT CHICKEN DOES NOT YELL AT ME!!

And for God's sakes, stop assuming that everyone watching you is ignorant. Pundits, please see my first point about politicians thinking we the people are stupid.

~ Stop already with the damn polls. Every day, there's not just a new poll...there are MULTIPLE new polls, with hairs split so finely there's no way to decipher what the hell any of it even means. Next thing you know, they will be telling us who gained a point with potentially undecided voters who wear green underwear and have hairy warts on their chins.

~ Again...STOP YELLING AT ME!!

~ The arrogance...drop it. ALL OF YOU....

~ One candidate continues to attack another, saying he has no plan on how he's going to fix the economy...yet the candidate attacking can't say what his plan is either. All he does is give rhetoric about how he's going to fix it...but never is there a how involved. So, in essence, he has no plan either. Doesn't his attack on the other for having no plan make him a hypocrite?

~ All of these vague commercials about getting the truth, and the alternative energy and the listen to what we have to say dot coms...who the hell are you and why should I visit your website when I have abso-freakin-lutely NO idea who you are, what you stand for or why you even care?!

and, lastly...

~ T. Boone Pickins...GET. OFF. MY. TV. BOX. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

What Is Sexy?

Years ago, Jovan Musk perfume used to run an ad asking "What is sexy?". They'd then show images of things considered to be "sexy".

Today, while watching tv, I happened upon someone and thought "Hmm...THAT'S sexy". And I thought...why not list what all I find sexy in my blog? Because, you know, I don't really have anything else to talk about tonight ;)


What Is Sexy?

~ Mike Rowe's bare hairy chest and arms

~ Confidence

~ Bruce Willis

~ Power

~ A well dressed man

~ FNC Meterologist Rick Reichmuth's hands and arms

~ Pierce Brosnan

~ The ability to make me laugh

~ Deep blue eyes

~ FNC's Rick Leventhal in a tshirt


(and what was it I saw on TV and thought was sexy? Rick Reichmuth's hands and forearms...luscious!)

Let's Get Political...

Ok, I never do this, and I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm not a very political person. I don't follow party talking points and I don't vote party lines. While I'm registered Republican, I don't consider myself a Republican. I consider myself a Reaganite. For the record, I have been a supporter of John McCain for the last 8 years and am thrilled that I will finally have the opportunity to thank him for his lifetime of service to our country by casting a ballot for him for president.
That said, I have a few 'talking points' of my own to make about this coming election.

When I look at the state of our great nation, I know we need a change. There are many things wrong with our economy, our policies and yes, our politicians.

First and foremost, my one pet peeve about politics are the political parties. Why do we need these? Why do we have to have something that fosters an "us vs. them" mentality on every blessed topic? Why can't people run for office on personal merit rather than party talking points? Why?? George Washington himself was suspect of parties, realizing early on that they were more divisive than anything else. It serves absolutely no one to have this constant tug of war over everything from major policy changes to the smallest minutia of every day governing. Bipartisanship is a good thing, and I know that John McCain thinks this way as well...just witness his relationship with Joe Lieberman.

That brings me to my next point. How many of our elected officials are willing to stand up for what they believe in? Not a whole hell of a lot, to be sure. Regardless of their party affiliations, so many of the men and women we hire by voting into office are too worried about offending the base that they blindly follow party talking points, regardless of whether or not they are good for the constituency and the country. Joe Lieberman is an exception to the rule. He formed his own opinion on Iraq and followed thru on it, even at the expense of his party support and nomination for reelection. I can't have anything but respect for someone willing to lose everything in order to stay true to their own principles.

Now, changes in our policies and the economy are harder topics to discuss. Everyone has his or her own ideas on things. Some people are for gay marriage. Others dead set against it. Personally? I don't see what the big deal is. There are some gay couples who've been monogamous far longer than some straight couples. And who am I to judge? As the good book says, judge not, lest ye be judged. Abortion is a volatile topic as well. As a woman, I find myself to be pro choice. I don't know that I would ever have an abortion, but I want the ability to make that decision for myself, should I ever be in the position to have to make an agonizing choice like that. Economic policies, trade restrictions, taxes...major, major topics in this election year. I don't know much, but I do know one thing: making changes to most everything I've mentioned here would take an act of congress. Very little power has the president on his own (wow...how Yoda~like of me!)

Now, that brings me to John McCain. Yes, I like him. I have liked him for 8 years now. I like that he talks TO me, not AT me. I like that he can make a joke and take one too. I like that he's soft spoken and compassionate. I like that he doesn't care what party you subscribe to as long as you are willing to have an open mind and work together. I like that this is a man who has spent his entire life in service to his country, and has both the physical and emotional scars to prove it. I like that, despite what has happened to this man because of his service, he still believes, like Ronald Reagan did before him, that America is inherently good. That our country is the "shining city on the hill". I like that John McCain puts country first. I like that John McCain is proud to be an American.

TV's Mike Rowe Sings A Capella

The back story here is that Mike Rowe's former high school music teacher and choirmaster, Fred King, passed away recently. Mike, along with 3 other men he used to sing with in high school, sang a little tribute to their teacher.

I think it must be quite a wonderful testament to the kind of man Fred King was that so many of his former students thought so highly of him to turn out for this service. This must have been of great comfort to the King family, and I'm sure that somewhere, Fred King was smiling.

TV's Mike Rowe Works...

And summer is over. Labor Day weekend, as is it's custom, escorts summer out as our children go back to school and we go back to work.

After a refreshing weekend at the shore where I took too much sun and bought too many new pairs of flip flops (oh come on...if you could get ElizaB's half price, you'd buy them too!) I returned home and to work and to the internet.

I was surprised to see what greeted me over on the dirty jobs board...it was a link...a link to a site Mike Rowe had set up...something called "mikeroweWORKS".

Of course I clicked on it.

Not quite sure what it is, though.

Oh, there was a 7 minute long video of Mike, standing in his dining room, beer on the table in the background, talking to the camera about the role of the modern day proletariat, vis a vis something or other, invoking images of Rosie the Riveter, talking about our crumbling infrastructure yadda yadda yadda....it's all stuff I've heard him say over and over again, from the Fast Company article to posts right there on the DJMB.

Now, I understand, in theory, what the man is attempting to do.

He wants to get the word out that there ARE indeed other opportunities out there besides college. There are careers that are good, albeit dirty. He wants to be, in effect, a public relations firm for the blue collar worker.

A noble cause, to be sure.

But...what, exactly IS mikeroweWORKS? HOW is he going to get opinions and ideals to change? What is his mission statement? What are the goals? What are the steps being taken to achieve these goals? Every successful campaign has a firm mission statement, with a clear and concise idea of the steps being taken to reach intermittent goals en route to the ultimate goal.

Now, everyone who knows me knows that I do, indeed, love Mike Rowe. He entertains me, and makes me smile. He's a thinking woman's sexy. So, with that said, I have a few things to say about Mike Rowe and his works:

Rosie the Riveter: UR DOIN' IT WRONG.

Mike chooses to use the image of Rosie as an icon of the working man, a champion calling men and women to careers in industry. Nice idea, but not exactly right. Rosie was WW2 propaganda designed to get women out of the home and into the factories during the war to keep the country going. They were there to replace the men who left the factories empty while they were off fighting in Europe and the Pacific theaters. Without the women taking up the gauntlet and keeping industry going so the country could survive and so supplies could continue to the military, our war effort could all have been for naught. THAT is who Rosie the Riveter is.

The Proletariat: Where are the Marx Brothers when you need them?

Mike chooses to use the term "modern day proletariat" to describe the blue collar worker. But...why? Why use such a negative word, Mike? A word that conjures up images of a dingy gray Cold War Soviet Union, where masses of people stand in line, hoping for a loaf of bread while Red Army guards stand watching? Why use a word so closely associated with Communism and the Iron Curtain? Is it because it's a big twenty-five cent word that makes you sound smart? Or do you not think that those you are speaking to and of will 'get' the negative connotation? I'll lend a hand. Here is the dictionary.com definition of proletariat: "The lower classes; beggars." Case, rested.

Our Crumbling Infrastructure: What Infrastructure?

Ok, this is where Mike really loses me. Is he saying that the infrastructure of our nation, which we all know IS crumbling, is crumbling because we lack the labor to maintain it? Because, if he is saying that, well, it's just not true. There is no shortage of manpower to restore and maintain things. What there IS a lack of are appropriations of funds by local, state and federal authorities in order TO maintain them. If a local government does not appropriate adequate funding for road maintenance, eventually those roads are going to fall apart. That bridge in Minnesota did not fall because there were no workers to repair and maintain it. The bridge in Minnesota fell because the authority charged with maintaining it did not appropriate adequate funding for it. This is the problem. Unemployment is high. People are out of work. People are skilled and willing to learn in order to earn a fair wage. Monies are not being earmarked to fix our roadways and bridges and our power grids. Monies are being funneled to special interests and pet projects instead. The only way Mike Rowe can change any of this is for him to change government by running for public office...in every town, county and state in this great nation of ours. Even TV's Mike Rowe can't do that.

I wish Mike and his works well. I hope he is able to reach whatever the goals of the endeavor are. Actually, I hope that eventually he is able to articulate clearly what those goals actually are. Only then will he be able to reach them!

Lazy, Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

Here it is. The end of the summer. I'll be making my annual Labor Day pilgrimage to the Shore for my traditional summer fare thee well to the beach. My pale legs will surely reflect the sun more spectacularly than the sand ever could. Once again, my summer goal of "a really good tan" went unfulfilled.

Summer has a way of getting away from us, doesn't it?

We have 3 scant months to have a summer in. Those of us who work conventional office jobs have weekends, plus a couple of weeks worth of vacation in which to get our fill. Life, however, often interferes with those perfect beach days. Groceries need to be bought, and houses need to be cleaned. Errands demand attention while laundry beckons. As much as we want to lounge on the beach, ice cold bottle of Corona beside us, sweating droplets of condensation down its side and into the sand while we absently read a book, we don't always get our way.

Such was my summer.

Not that I'm complaining. I did have a pretty good summer. I started if off on Memorial Day weekend with the most AMAZING concert ever~a private Eric Clapton concert in a 2500 seat venue. Awesome and awe inspiring. I doubled my pleasure by the end of that week with an Eagles concert in a private box at MSG. Both of these shows were gratis...although some bugger did scratch my car in the lot across from the Garden. No worries though...what's an SUV without a little battle scar from the big, bad city?

I had a couple of nice weekends at the Borgata in Atlantic City which, while not profitable, proved to be relaxing and refreshing.

I did some shopping, netting a hot pair of Michael Kors silver sandals for a song (have I mentioned my Michael Kors obsession?) I also got the most adorable Michael Kors top on sale...what can I say? Adore him! The Coach outlet was kind to me as well, and I actually put the Louis Vuitton away for a bit to use a new Coach...but you know I just can't live too long without Louis ;)

I saw a couple of movies, and went to dinners with friends. I watched too many hours of Olympic coverage and my friend accidentally squirt ketchup all over himself as we laughed until we cried.

Alaskan King Crab was the critter du jour as Deadliest Catch fascinated me, along with Captain Jonathan of the Time Bandit. TV's Mike Rowe, well, what can I say? He's TV's Mike Rowe and always will be. I watched less FNC and more Discovery Channel. I know How It's Made, how to be a Mythbuster, what goes into making The Deadliest Catch and who is responsible for all those Dirty Jobs.

I laughed and cried and fell in and out of love. I made life changing decisions and changed my mind, only to contemplate them once more.

All in all, a pretty good summer...even if I didn't get that really great tan.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go start planning the annual Christmas Display. You know how quickly the holidays creep up on us once Labor Day is over!

Just The Fact's Ma'am

Ok, so I have always been under the impression that magazines employ people as fact checkers. You know, the people who get a draft of an article and then set about confirming things stated as fact in the article, be it a celebrities birthdate or the population of a town.

Well, after reading something tonight in, of all things, TV Guide, I have to wonder about them.

The article in question was basically who makes what in TV land. There was very little text. It was mostly done in chart format. Different charts for different categories. Things like Prime Time Series, listing how much per episode various starts of shows make.

Well, under the heading "TV NEWS", you will find the big guns like Katie Couric, who makes 15 Million per year and Matt Lauer who makes 12. Who's #4 on that list, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you. It's someone from FoxNews who makes between 7 and 8 million per year named SHEPHERD Smith.

That's right. SHEPHERD.

The only problem is....well...Shepard Smith does not spell his name "Shepherd".

A quick visit to the FoxNews website could have given any fact checker...or mail room employee...the correct spelling of Mr. Smith's name. Since that obviously wasn't done, we know NO ONE checked the spelling of the mans' name.

Now, if we were talking about Matt or Brian or Tom, I wouldn't expect anyone to check the spelling of the name. But Shepard isn't exactly your garden variety, run of the mill, every day moniker. It's a name that is, for the most part, unusual.

So, wouldn't it stand to reason that someone~anyone~check for the proper spelling prior to the article going to press?

If it's too much trouble to check the simple spelling of a name, how do we trust the validity of anything else published in TV Guide?

How do I know for sure that Dirty Jobs will be on Tuesday at 9? Or that LOST will be on at all? Did anyone bother to check and make sure?

So, I'll do the fact checking for you, TV Guide:

Click here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1260,00.html

More Mike Rowe...

...from the Planet Green launch.

This one tickles my funny bone...and you may realize why...

I Love Mike Rowe...

Here he is at the Planet Green launch, imploring us to conserve.

Oh Captains, My Captains...

So, my first full season of Deadliest Catch has come to a close.


WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!


What the heck was I thinking by NOT watching this show?! It's not like I didn't know about it! Hell, RubyAnne has been trying to get me to watch it for ages now! But no...it took a holiday marathon over Christmas to make me sit up and say Whoah!!

This show has a little bit of everything! There's action, adventure, suspense and Jonathan Hillstrand.

Yes, I'm in lust with a , goateed, mullet wearing, tattoo'd crab fisherman.

Go figure.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few observations here about what happens out on The Vast Bering Sea...

~ Mike Rowe is probably the single best narrator in the business today. And not just because he's HOTT with his shirt off ;)

~ Of all the Captains~and I hold each one in the highest regard~I think that Sig is probably the most skilled captain.

~ Of all the deck hands, I find Edgar to be the most engaging. Perhaps it's only how the show is edited together, but Edgar has a sparkling personality and a wicked sense of humor that comes out.

~ I just don't like Captain Keith of the Wizard. No idea why. Just something about his personality. He seems to like to hire greenhorns, and then hates the jobs they do. Well, if you don't like having 2 greenhorns on your boat, don't hire them! Hire more experienced fishermen! I'm sure that there are men who have worked crab boats before who are looking for work up in Dutch Harbor. Hire one of them instead of some yutz who's never crabbed before.

~ While I didn't like Captain Sten Skaar of the North American at the start, I grew to appreciate his professionalism at the end. Sten had the daunting task of entering King Crab season 2 weeks behind schedule while still having to catch his quota. At first, with his fancy Norwegian sweaters and ski bands, I thought "Oh, another rich boy trying to be a tough guy", but Sten proved to be a formidable captain, even after his vessel was badly damaged in a storm. What I truly appreciated about Sten was, when he told his greenhorn he wouldn't be back next season, he put a positive spin on it, unlike when Keith let Moi go. Now, granted Moi wasn't exactly the greatest deckhand in the world, but I thought Keith could have handled the whole situation better, like Sten did. Sten handled it with class, telling his greenhorn to take the experience and build on it, because he'd fished the Bering Sea. Keith just wanted to yell and scream at Moi (and anyone else who happened to be in his path) and be the big bad captain. NOT classy, Keith. (see how much I dislike him? This was about Sten and I turned it into a rant about Keith LOL)

~ I was secretly overjoyed when the Wizard turned out to have a hole in one of it's tanks, allowing the crab to escape. Ha ha!! Wizard 1, Keith 0!

~ Time Bandit and the Hillstrand boys...'nuff said :)

~ Captain Phil and his offspring, "Ding" and "Dong". It was a hard, hard season for the Cornelia Marie and her crew. Her beloved captain having serious medical troubles, coughing up blood and forcing his young sons to maybe have to grow up and take responsibility before wanting to. His oldest boy Josh, seemed to take the situation the hardest. Worried, he spent much time trying to convince Phil to turn the ship around and head to the hospital for treatment. Eventually, Phil relented to both his son and his friend Murray and sailed to the hospital in St Paul where he learned that a bloodclot had passed thru his heart and into his lung. In the end, Phil had to sit out the remainder of opilio crab season while Murray took over the boat and his sons tried to concentrate on fishing. These events eventually led to Josh rethinking his vocation...

~ The Nothwestern is, to me, the prettiest boat in the fleet.

~ After the Catch...The Captains of the Vast Bering Sea, sitting in a bar, talking to Mike Rowe with beer all around. I just wish it was longer and less structured, because I'm sure there were some terribly funny moments we missed out on.

~ I really want a Time Bandit hoodie :D

~ I'll settle for a Dutch Harbor tshirt like the one Mike Rowe wears all the time :)

Boom De Yada...

Mike Rowe in his element, poo free....and the Captains...my Captains...out of their element, but giving it the old college try. Just look at my Captain Jonathan...

I have NO idea why I find Jonathan Hillstrand so amazingly sexy. He's nothing like any man I've ever found attractive before. Truth be told, he's the first man with a mullet I've found to be totally sponge~worthy.

Mike Rowe's sponge~worthiness goes without saying, though ;)

Dear Constant Reader~

Life's been particularly trying of late...after a fun filled week bookended by amazing concerts, I've had my nose to the grindstone and it's been wall to wall work and no play.

But, as fate would have it, Lisa turns out to be the cousin of a cameraman from a particularly "muddy" show.

So, you may ask, faithful reader, what does this have to do with me? Nothing for now, but there is going to be a party the next time the cousin and his crew are in town, and yours truly will be on the guest list! Of course, I'll only go because Lisa is my good friend and I can't disappoint a good friend, right? ;)

Take It To The Limit...

So, after a 4 day weekend celebrating Memorial Day that included what was, to me, the ultimate concert I've ever attended (within my limited realm of concerts) in the Clapton show, I returned to work to find an email looking for takers for tickets to the Eagles Friday night show at Madison Square Garden.

THE EAGLES?!!!

Holy Hannah in a Handbasket!!!!

FREE tickets in the Dow Jones LUXURY BOX?!

My very first thought was "I can't go...I don't have anyone to go with or any way to get down there". Then I wondered...there were a few tickets, and I was told there were NO takers...so would my parents like to go too? I knew my mother liked their music, but my father thinks music stopped after 1950. So I phoned and asked. Since they knew how much I wanted to see them, but how the cost was always so prohibitive, they agreed.

So, I scored 3 tickets to the Eagles...free...in a Luxury Box.

I did a happy dance!!

I decided to work thru lunch and leave the office at 4. Good thing I did, because of the crane accident up on 91st there would be mega traffic no doubt. We decided to drive, to avoid sitting in traffic in the city in a taxi with the meter running. We ended up sitting in traffic on I95! Took us almost 2 hours to get to the FDR Drive! Once on the FDR, it was smooth sailing to the Garden, kamikazi pedestrians notwithstanding.

We arrived at MSG around 6:15 and paid $43 for 10 hours of parking that I was sure I wouldn't need. We decided to get something to eat inside the arena, and waited for the doors to the Lux Boxes to open. Once inside, we had to take an elevator up to the 10th floor. There were 2 buttons in the elevator: 3 and 10. So, we pushed 10 and zipped upstairs to a nice open lobby. We then were directed to a narrow hallway. Our box number was 1024. We stood at 1000, and started our trek...uphill. Yes, we were indeed in the attic of Madison Square Garden. Even the ceilings were slanted like in an attic.

We got to our box and were the first to arrive. Inside a waitress was setting out chaffing dishes with hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken fingers in them, along with condiments and wraps. There were chips, dips, cheeses, crackers, fruits and bowls of M&Ms. There was also a fully stocked bar with top shelf liquor and juices and sodas.

The Lux box was at the very top of MSG. I swear, if I had the nerve, I could have reached out and unscrewed the bolts from the ceiling, thats how HIGH we were. And while I knew that MSG has the worlds largest suspended roof, I never knew it was concave. I know it now!! Wowza!

The one thing that freaked me out was the seating. The booth was open, with maybe a foot high piece of glass that came up to around my waist being the only thing between me and a certain freefall to the blue seats below. No thank you. There were two rowes of stadium seating, and I opted instead to sit at the bar behind those two rows. I kept my back against a solid wall and felt much better about it.

It started to get very warm in our box, and we looked for the air conditioning, but were informed that the Garden had turned the a/c off, as requested by the band. Thanks guys! Heat, as we all know, rises. So by the time the arena filled up and the band took the stage, we were doing a slow boil. But it was all worth it.

The Eagles took the stage at 8:30, wearing black suits, white shirts and black ties. They played for about an hour, a mix of their classics and some selection from their new album, The Long Road Out of Eden, their first full studio album in 28 years! They took a short break after about an hour, and returned, jacketless, to play a GREAT acoustic set! The rest of the night was a mix of old, new, and solo music. Joe Walsh brough down the house with his version of Lifes Been Good and I finally got to hear Boys of Summer live!

The ending was the best though. They closed on Desperado and the stage was dark, except for the spotlight on Don Henley, in his suit, singing. Just beautiful!

Heat aside, this was a fabulous concert. Not as musically awakening as Clapton was, though, because unlike that show, I knew 90% of the songs sung at this one! My father had NO idea how good they were and totally enjoyed the show. My mother was surprised at how much of their music she knew, but never realized it was them.

I loved it! The show ended at around 11:45 that night and by the time I got home, I was just exhausted...from excitement? or maybe heat exhaustion? Whatever it was, I dropped like a brick and slept until after 11 this morning!

I would SO go see them again, except this time in an outdoor arena where I have a chance of catching a cool breeze somewhere ;)

Wonderful Correction...

So, it's been brought to my attention that the set list I posted for Saturday's Eric Clapton show at the Borgata was incorrect...what I posted was the set list for Sunday's show. As I said, I only knew 5 songs by name LOL To be honest, not knowing the songs names did not diminish my complete enjoyment of the show. Musically, it was the single best show I have ever seen. Ok, he's not a showman like Ricky Martin, but hey, will Ricky Martin have a career in music that spans 40-odd years like Eric? I think not. Hip shaking is not an art. Eric Clapton lets the music speak for itself. So much talent. I'd go see him again tomorrow if I could!!

So, here is the correct set list...

1. Tell The Truth
2. Key To The Highway
3. Hoochie Coochie Man
4. Little Wing
5. Outside Woman Blues
6. Double Trouble
7. Don't Knock My Love
8. Drifting
9. Rockin' Chair
10. Motherless Child
11. Travelling Riverside Blues
12. Running On Faith
13. Motherless Children
14. Little Queen of Spades
15. Before You Accuse Me
16. Wonderful Tonight
17. Layla
18. Cocaine

Encore:
19. Crossroads


Thanks to Eric Clapton Online for the correct list.

Wonderful Tonight

As some of you know, my mother scored free tix to a private Eric Clapton concert in Atlantic City this weekend.

Now, I am familiar with Eric Clapton, and I know some of his music, and I even have one of his cd's but I'd never consider myself a 'fan'. I simply went because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the man considered one of the ultimate guitar players of the rock era, in the "Event Center", small venue. Plus, it was free.

We went down to Atlantic City Saturday morning, and had to pick, up the tickets. They changed both the location and time of the pickup. I got to the line (yes, they stand in line, but now I know why) and there were maybe 100 or so people ahead of us. We had to go into one of the nightclubs at the casino to pick them up, and it was the first time I was in one...I'm far too old, too fat and too clothed to go into those places LOL Once inside, the lines were broken down by you last initial, and we picked up the tix. They didn't look like tickets from ticketmonster. They were just glossy bookmarks that said ERIC CLAPTON with the date. I looked on the back and it said "SECTION 200" with a seat number. So I moseyed on over to the box office and checked out the seating chart. I was in the back of the floor section. Not too shabby when you consider the capacity was only around 2500.

We were told "the show begins at 8 PROMPTLY, so make sure you are IN YOUR SEAT by 8!" several times by those in the ticket pickup, so I had my kiester up there by 7:30. Come to find out, the "Event Center" was nothing more than their grand ballroom with temporary risers set up and a bunch of banquet chairs strung together in front of them. By banquet chairs, I mean those little scalloped back chairs they squeeze 10 of around tables at weddings. The kind not made to be comfortable, just functional.

Now, anyone who knows me knows I don't have an ass made for "functional". To say we were squished is an understatement. None of us knew where to put our arms, since we didn't know each other and decorum dictates that you not squeeze your neighbors bewb unless you know their name. Happily, the people next to us didn't show, so we spread our big butts out LOL

8:00 pm promptly came...and no Eric. People start chatting. The woman in front of me scored front rows at Newark for the Eagles the following night (hate her!) the one along side of me had a son in law who worked at PNC Art Center who said Clapton sucked the big one the night before at PNC. The tall girl on the other side of me knew the waiter we knew from Ballys. Yakkity Yakkity Yakkity. Mike Rowe would have loved it. So, it was pushing 8:20 and still no Eric. Tall girl decided she needed a drink (open bar for the big gamblers, don't ya know!) and when she came back in she said "NO WONDER he's not onstage...HE'S OUT THERE GETTING A DRINK!" :)

Anyway, 8:30 rolled around and the house lights finally went down. Eric Clapton stepped out on stage. Now, I'm not familiar with a whole lot of his work, to be honest. I know some songs by name, and others by sound, but the entire body of his work is too vast and too before my time truthfully. I knew the sound of the song he opened with, but not the song.

But from the opening chords, I was mesmerized.

I have never, in all of my life, heard anyone play guitar like Eric Clapton.

While I was expecting a lot of rock, what I got was a much more mellow blues oriented show. He switched guitars several times, and seemed to have a designated 'guitar wrangler" who took care of it all. He even did an acoustic set.

I was a tad bit disappointed when he didn't do the acoustic version of "Layla". However, when he broke into "Wonderful Tonight", he thoroughly redeemed himself for that. What an amazingly beautiful version!! And of course he did play the rock version of Layla, so all was right with the world.

I did kind of feel bad for him. Here he was playing, his heart out, putting emotions and feelings into his guitar playing. But, because this was an "invited guest" show, it was not a rabid Eric Clapton fan fest. Rather, it was a bunch of people, ranging in ages from I'd say late 70s-early 80s to about mid 40s. I was among the youngest there. The really old folks sat there for a song or two, then left. In the beginning, the response from the crowd was a mix of wild applause and reserved clapping.

As the disinterested went back to the casino to begin losing money toward the next invitation only show, those of us left started to really get into the show. I knew he was winding down when I heard "Running on Faith" and realized that it was the first song that I knew the name of. He was surely ending by playing his bigger hits. By the time he got to "Wonderful Tonight", the audience was singing and starting to come down from the risers to move to the front of the stage. When he closed with "Cocaine", everyone was singing along with him.

Here is the set list...the date is Sunday night's show (the paid audience...seat prices were $500 and $400 for floors (my seats were $400 ) and $300 & $200 for the risers, but when you factor in that it's only 2500 seats, it makes it worth it for a real fan to pay that for the intimate setting), but I do believe it was the same show we saw:

25 May 2008 Set List / The Borgata, Atlantic City NJ:

01. Motherless Children
02. Key To The Highway - EC started the song on slide, then switched guitars mid-song
03. Hoochie Coochie Man
04. Little Wing
05. Outside Woman Blues
06. Double Trouble
07. Don't Knock My Love
08. Drifting
09. Rockin' Chair
10. Motherless Child - EC used a 12 string Martin in open tuning with a capo at the 5th fret
11. Travelling Riverside Blues - EC used a black strat set up for slide with open tuning.
12. Running On Faith
13. Tell The Truth
14. Little Queen of Spades
15. Before You Accuse Me
16. Wonderful Tonight
17. Layla
18. Cocaine

Encore:
19. I've Got My Mojo Working (with Robert Randolph)


Some random musings:

~Saw several older audience members who sat there with blank expression on their faces for most of the show. I doubt they knew who he was, and probably weren't even sure what kind of music he played when they got the tickets.

~Gamblers can be arrogant s.o.b's. The ticket distribution was random. Basically, the earlier you got there, the closer your seats. And yet, there were still some kicking up a fuss because they felt they should be closer than they were. Seriously, its a free ticket. Sit back and enjoy!

~Older women like Eric Clapton. There was one old gal behind me screaming WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! into my ear for half the show. Ouch. There was another who started dancing the second he came out and didn't stop until the show was over. She's a huge Clapton fan. At one point, a couple of random younger guys were dancing with her. It was too funny. I saw her the next day and she was STILL on a cloud LOL

~Eric Clapton is God. I said this to my friend after the show, and just found out tonight that that is actually a statement made by fans. If you said to me tomorrow "You want to go see Clapton?" I would say YES!!!

~MY MOTHER, who never likes anything, is now a fan of Eric Clapton. Enjoyed the show thoroughly!

Hotty Toddy

So yesterday, Shepard Smith gave the commencement address at his beloved University of Mississippi~Ole Miss.



As you can guess, I'm quite proud of him.

But not everyone seems to be.

I read a few negative editorials prior to the commencement, and in some ways, I could understand their point of view.

No, no one was sore that someone from the dreaded FoxNews stable was giving the address.

What they were a little perturbed by was the fact that Shepard Smith, while an alumnus of Ole Miss, was not a graduate.

While Shepard attended the University for 5 years, he never moved his tassel from one side to the other and heard the words "you are graduated". He never received a diploma. And yet, he is probably one of the most successful people to ever attend the university.

A man without a college degree was giving an address to those who graduated...with the degree he so obviously lacks.

I could definitely understand why those editorial authors were a bit distressed by the choice of Shepard Smith as speaker. How can you possibly have someone who dropped out of college and became successful address people who worked very hard to earn their degree at their own graduation.

As Warner Wolff would say, let's go to the video tape.

Shepard is highly regarded as the most successful, most watched anchorman on cable news. Recently, FNC rewarded him for this with a huge payraise~an estimated 7-8 million dollars per year. He is top rated, highly praised and easily recognized. He is authoritative, funny, charming (that damn impish grin that totally sucks me in every time!) and unquestionably the best reporter on his feet when on the scene.

But...did he learn the skills to be the best at Ole Miss? Or is it something that lies more within his nature, some skill that he honed and nurtured on his own?

I have nothing against education, as I myself am a college graduate and would not have the job I hold without my degree.

But, is a degree in Journalism something that Shepard needed to do his job? According to Smith himself, he took all of his journalism classes, and was missing only a Spanish class to graduate.

The whole point of a college education, one where we not only take the classes required for our chosen major, but also other required classes in subjects we aren't majoring in, is to get a well rounded education. To be able to be versed in other subjects, which do indeed all come into play at various times in our lives.

Shepard is missing this.

I'm not saying hes not qualified to do his job. I KNOW he is. But, I do know that it nags at me a tweak at times that I know he doesn't have his degree. And it makes me wish he'd just take the darn class online and get it done. But then something happens~a Hurricane Katrina or a war in Israel or a bridge collapse in Minnesota~and there he is, the best reporter on his feet, giving me the details from the scene. And I know that Shepard Smith is the best that there is. He has honed and fine tuned his skills to be the sharpest out there.

And that's when I think, while I'd like for him to have his degree so that he could say YES I DO HAVE A DEGREE IN JOURNALISM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, I know that having a degree in a subject does not MAKE person good at it. I can assure you, there are reporters out there with degrees in Journalism who are NOT good reporters, just as there are accountants out there with degrees who can't set up a spreadsheet if their lives depended on it.

No, Shepard Smith is a damn good reporter, degree or no degree, and those who graduated yesterday at the University of Mississippi were damn lucky to have him expound on life for them.

I hope they listened and learned.

Ever Feel Like Mike Rowe is Stalking You?

So, it seems that these days, Mike Rowe is everywhere.

First, it was the Ford F150 commercials, which have me pointing out the attributes of the vehicle every time I encounter one (which suddenly, is quite often. Honestly, who would think that there would be so many pick up trucks in NY?) Because of Mike, I now know that the Ford F150, which has the largest towing capacity in it's class, also has closed tow hooks, as opposed to the open ones it's competition employs. What does this mean? Beats me, but I'm guessing that if I were indeed in the market for a pick up truck, I'd know.

Soon, there was more Mike Rowe on my tv box than there had been before. Besides his weekly appearance on Discovery Channel, Mike Rowe now seemed to be telling me I needed a Ford Focus. Mike...why? Why would I even want a Ford Focus when you know I am clearly in love with my little turd? No, I will not be having any of this Ford Focus nonsense. Just take your little Ford Focus and your sexy smooth as honey voice and go stand over there in the corner, thank you.

Now, my new addiction happens to be Deadliest Catch. After getting sucked in during a Marathon over the Christmas holidays, I have been looking forward to the new season of Deadliest. Deadliest is on on Tuesday nights, in the typical Dirty Jobs time slot. Why is Discovery Channel doing this? Once again, it beats me, but one thing I do know is that Mike Rowe has, thru a series of promo's~including one where he sits inside a crab pot~gone out of his way, nay, above and beyond his call of duty, to ensure that I know that he, TV's Mike Rowe, will be moving, along with his show Dirty Jobs, to Monday nights while Deadliest is on. That's right. There was Mike, on my tv box once again, trudging thru snow in Dutch Harbor, Alaska while wearing a big and apparently furry hat, using that term...yes...he called himself "TV's Mike Rowe". Some things, you just can't make them up ;)

But now Mike is also doing a promotion with HP, the computer people. On HPs website are a series of little videos starring...who else? Mike Rowe! Well...Mike Rowe and his cameraman Doug Glover and of course Dave Barsky, who apparently smells like a Barsky. In these videos, the trio travel around and stay connected to the rest of the world via a kicky new HP laptop that has a nifty swivel screen and a cool touch screen thingybob that Mike can write on with a little stylus....kind of like he's answering Final Jeopardy. What is technology beyond my comprehension, Alex? You can access these cute little videos on HPs website (just search for Mike Rowe and you'll find them) I think you'll all like the one with Nicole the best, won't they, Mary?

Anyway, I continue to encounter banner ads on websites starring...who else? MIKE ROWE! Yes! Those HP banner ads are everywhere! Besides seeing them on Discovery's website, I have also encountered them on Photobucket AND on my site meter! I am actually shocked that Mike isn't staring at me from the top of the blogger page right now, smirking at this as I type it!

Now, don't get me wrong. I adore Mike Rowe...as some of you already know. It's just that he continues to pop up in the most unexpected places, startling and distracting me. If I didn't know any better, I'd get the feeling he's following me. Not that I'd mind, of course. Mike Rowe can come on over anytime, as long as he brings a bottle of wine and a nice fresh cheesecake :D

The Vast Berring Sea...

Ok, I'll admit it. I only started to watch the marathon of Deadliest Catch that was on over the Christmas holidays because TV's Mike Rowe, who I love and adore, was the narrator and sometimes popped up on screen.

However, over the course of that marathon, I came to find that, even with out the narration of Mike Rowe, I liked Captain Sig and his brother Edgar. Captain Phil made me laugh and Captain Jonathan was a skilled skipper. I came to like these men and found the work that they did fascinating.

In preparation for the upcoming season 4, beginning on Tuesday night, Discovery has once again graced us with a Deadliest Catch~athon this weekend. My television only switched channels when I woke up in the middle of the night and Discovery Channel was off the air.

The men who brave "the vast Berring sea" to fish for King and Opilio crab earn every penny they make. And I think I am now hearing Mike Rowe whispering "the vast Berring Sea" and "Opilio crab" in my dreams because I've watched so many episodes in such a short period of time.

Which brings me to another point: TV's Mike Rowe (seriously, don't you know me by now? It ALWAYS comes back to either TV's Mike Rowe or Shepard Smith, doesn't it?) Discovery Channel has seen fit to move Dirty Jobs (coincidently, with Mike Rowe) to Monday nights in order to show Deadliest Catch on Tuesday nights, in the slot formerly occupied by Dirty Jobs. In a series of promos filmed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, the home port of the crab fleet, Mike Rowe tells us all about this. In fact, in one spot, he actually refers to himself as "TV's Mike Rowe". Hmm. In yet another, he's locked in a crab pot, the wire basket that is used to catch the crab. I have to say, he looked quite at home in there.


Dutch Harbor seems to suit you, TV's Mike Rowe...by the way...I loved the hat ;)

Business is Business, Part Two...

So, I am here again tonight to expand upon last nights post...so, let's do this Survivor style with a recap and I'll channel some Jeff Probst...

Last time in MY WCKD WCKD WAYS, a post was made about TV's Mike Rowe, the host of Discovery Channels Dirty Jobs. The post chronicled Mike's day of promotional television spots in New York City. As usual Mike Rowe looked HOTT. First up, Good Morning America where the geniuses who host tried to frighten Mike with a fake snake and where Mike shoved half a chicken breast in his mouth in a desperate bid to stave off hunger. Next, Mike Rowe taped an interview with Bill O'Reilly of the Fox News Channel. The contents of that interview will not be revealed until the interview airs at a later date. Finally, Mike appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on CNBC. It was there that Mike Rowe discussed his 7 Habits of effluent people, a list he said he compiled from his experiences. Mike and Donny concluded that people who did manual labor were much happier than those who spend their days in cubicle farms, pushing paper around. I took exception to this statement and explained why. Tonight, I take it a step further...

It occurred to me, after re~reading my post from last night, that maybe I didn't explain my position clearly, that perhaps I left out some thoughts. So, let's get to it like we are playing for reward.

I brushed on the fact that TV's Mike Rowe generally works with the owners or the crew chiefs at his jobs, not always the simple bottom rung worker. It's easy for someone who owns a company or who's high up on the food chain to be happy in his position. Part of why people are dissatisfied with their jobs, however, has little to do with the actual work, and everything to do with the environment they are working in. How they are treated in relation to how others are treated, how the general morale around them is, and how well they are being compensated for their troubles. Satisfaction doesn't always revolve around being happy with the task you are performing.

It is possible to like the work you do, but dislike the way your boss treats you. Not everyone is the boss's favorite, regardless of what kind of work you do, and watching coworkers being treated in a better way than you are treated doesn't make for a happy or satisfied worker. Likewise, if everyone around you is miserable, odds are you will be too. There are some places that just are NOT happy work environments. You could hate where you work stapling papers together, but take the same job of stapling papers together and move it to a happier place, and you are suddenly the happiest worker on the planet. It has nothing to do with the work and everything to do with the work place.

And compensation. We all want to be paid well and earn a fair wage for the work we do. Sadly, most employers want to minimize their costs in order to maximize profit, and wages are indeed a cost of doing business. Sure, some people make good money. But some people, doing the same job, don't. It's never fun to know that the person sitting next to you, stapling the same papers together that you're stapling, is making more money than you. It makes you angry and dissatisfied. You know you are worth just as much, and vow to find an employer who will show how valued you are. Once again, nothing to do with the job itself, and everything to o with where you work.

I think that TV's Mike Rowe has missed a very important part of the big picture. It's just as easy or that ditch digger to not like how he's treated by his boss and not like what he's being paid for digging that ditch as it is for an accountant.

I'd like to suggest to Mike Rowe that he add a caveat to his 7 habits: "The variable of work environment mixed in with any of these 7 habits can change everything."

Will Lisa continue to expound upon her thoughts and insights culled from over 20 years in accounting? Will TV's Mike Rowe continue to make generalized statements on national TV based on the fact that he's crawled thru mounds of both animal and human excrement? Or will Mike Rowe read Lisa's comments and learn from her experience and insight?

Find out on the next installment of MY WCKD WCKD WAYS!

Business is Business....

So, TV's Mike Rowe has been in NYC mucking thru the dirt...going on shows to promote Dirty Jobs.

Yesterday, he was interviewed on Good Morning America, where they had a very lame mechanical snake on the floor...why? I have NO idea. The only host that I knew was Robin Roberts, and I only know her from her reportage from New Orleans during Katrina. I honestly think that the last time I watched GMA, David Hartman was still the host. And yes, I am that old. But, I digress. Mike was his usual charming self, dressed in well fitting jeans, a black shirt open enough at the neck to see a few of those lovely chest hairs, and...brown shoes. At least they weren't those ghastly beige Hush Puppy slides ;) Anyway, the last segment they did was Sarah Moulton cooking chicken in a balsamic glaze. Apparently Sarah no longer has a Secret on FoodNetwork and instead is on PBS now. But again, I digress. They did the cooking segment, and then everyone...and I'm guessing that the everyone's present were hosts, but like I said, I have NO idea who anyone other than Robin Roberts is on that show. So everyone, including TV's Mike Rowe, went over to the food. I have no idea when the last time Mike ate was, but apparently it was not within the last 24 hours before the show. He shoved what had to be half a chicken breast right in his mouth...and then Robin Roberts proceeded to ask him a question and hold a microphone to his face. Mike, keeping his mouth closed, politely declined to speak. Boy was raised right. I think Robin had a little crush though, judging from the way she was salivating over Mike instead of the food :D

Next up....Mike meets O'Reilly. Well...so far all we know is that Mike taped O'Reilly...to be aired at a later date. Now, there are some on djmb who think perhaps Bill will be mean to Mike, but, having seen him interviewing celebrities before, I'm sure Bill got a kick out of Mike slogging thru poo, but was probably more than charmed by Rowe. People who don't watch FNC or OReilly and who only know what their detractors say about them really won't have any clue until they see the actual interview and see how nice Bill can actually be. So, we wait for the air date to be announced.

Meanwhile, Mike WAS on Donny Deutsch's show, The Big Idea, on CNBC. I'm not much of a fan of CNBC to be honest...Jim Crammer is, to me, everything that is wrong with business TV. I will admit to watching Michael Eisner's interview show...but his guests are generally more 'entertainment' oriented than business. Take last night for instance...he interviewed Kenneth Cole (I like Kenneth, but not really his shoes lol) and Vera Wang. I enjoyed the Vera Wang interview and found out that the first wedding gown she designed was her own! But, again, I digress. I haven't watched Donny Deutsch (who I have a special nickname for, but shall keep it to myself) for quite some time and noted that they changed the format of his show. Gone is the big sofa and casual attire on Donny. In are what appeared to be high chairs and a suit on Deutsch. Mike was still wearing the nice jeans...and those brown shoes.

So Donny and Mike discussed Mike Rowe's 7 Dirty Habits for effluent people. These would be 7 'rules' that Mike says he's learned from his experience doing about 200 of these dirty jobs over the last 3 years, things that will make you happier in your job. Now, I don't have to tell you that I do, indeed, like Mike Rowe. I find him intelligent, charming, funny and dare I say he has one of the finer chests on TV. What I don't find him is an expert on business. TV's Mike Rowe has never worked corporate. He's never had to create financial statements from vague information. He's never had to tick and tie a spreadsheet or spent 4 hours searching for a one penny difference. He's never had the company he worked for sold or found himself a victim of down sizing. In short, TV's Mike Rowe is hardly someone who I would turn to for expert advice on business.

So, Donny and Mike began to discuss these 7 habits. Mike talked about honesty, and passion and how he opted to leave the film of himself hurling over the side of a boat in the episode, because it was more 'real'. When you are vulnerable, he offered, it makes people trust you. True that, Miguel. But, then both Mike and Deutsch decided that people with dirty jobs are much more satisfied with their jobs than those of us with white collar office positions, essentially because there are visual cues that tell them they've made progress with the job. Using Mike's example, a ditch digger is satisfied at the end of the day because now there is a ditch where there hadn't been one before.

This, I have to disagree with.

I watch Dirty Jobs, and often times, the person Mike is working with is the boss. That means that if they don't own the business, they are at least the crew chief of the operation. He's not working with the poor schlub who makes $7/hour to haul rocks from point A to point B for 8 hours while the crew chief yells at him to get the lead out because he's not moving fast enough. I wonder what that fellow would say to TV's Mike Rowe if he were to ask him how happy he was with his job? For that matter, I wonder if TV's Mike Rowe has ever asked the 'worker bee' how happy he is?

As for the visual cues, like I said, Mike Rowe has never worked as a paper pusher in an office. I have visual cues all day, every day. When the pile or reconciled invoices is higher than the pile of unreconciled ones? That's a visual cue that I've made progress. When all of the client invoices have been run and the girls have stuffed them all in the envelopes? That's another cue. The billing cycle is over. The work has been done, and done correctly.

There is a reason it's called "work" and not "play". Work is never pleasant, and I'm sure that there are days when even TV's Mike Rowe wakes up and doesn't want to go to work.

If TV's Mike Rowe wants do perform a REAL dirty job....then he needs to work in corporate accounting for a day...

Top 5 Movie Scenes...

So tonight I got home in time to see a little bit of O'Reilly...not even sure why I had it on, to be honest. I just flipped around and stopped on FoxNews. Anyway, O'Reilly was showing his 5 favorite scenes from movies, including a scene from Dirty Harry, Godfather and A Few Good Men.

It made me think...what are my five favorite movie scenese?

So, in no particular order...let's give this a whirl..

5: Princess Bride: the sword fight between Inego and Westley. It's a perfect blend of skill, grace and witty dialogue.

4: Moonstruck: Ronnie sees Loretta, all dressed up, waiting in front of the fountain at Lincoln Center

3: Steel Magnolias: Sally Fields breakdown at Shelbys funeral. No one does nuts like Sally. Without fail, I cry every time I see this scene, and I've seen it many many times.

2: Out of Africa: Denys takes Karen on a picturesque plane ride over the Savannah.

1: Birdcage: After thinking that Armand no longer loves him, Albert takes his toothbrush and waits at the bus stop for the bus to Las Copas. Armand goes after him, and the two sit on a bench as cruise ships laze in the bay behind them. Armand pulls out a palimony agreement and for the first time Albert realizes that everything Armand owns is really in his name. Armand tells him who cares who owns what. There is only one place that he calls home, and its only because Albert is there. They sign the papers and Armand declares "There. Now you own half my life and I own half of yours". The couple sits, holding hands quietly on the bench, and you know that's what love is about.

I know, its odd that my #1 scene is a gay couple sitting on a bench in Miami Beach. I just think that that scene shows what real love is. You don't look at it like it's two middle aged men holding hands. It's more like seeing a long married couple rediscovering why they fell in love in the first place. It's also my favorite movie :)

How Embarrassing...

I'm so embarrassed. I've been out of the loop for some time now, but I hadn't realized how disconnected I'd become until I pulled out my iPod tonight and found out that it had been so long since I'd used it my battery was dead! So I sit here, charging...and charging...and hoping with my fingers crossed that it's not too late. I'd hate to have to drop more cash at that damn Apple store to get another...and now they are so small I doubt I'd be able to even SEE the screen. Gah.

I've been ill, and I've lost touch with everything and every one for a while, but since I have nothing to say, I guess I'll just post a few...say it with me...RANDOM MUSINGS...

~ being ill sucks, but the Louis Vuitton store tends to make it all better, even if only temporarilly.

~ I have some pretty excellent friends

~ Teddy's elbows are sharp and hard and leave a mark

~ I like Tilapia

~ Mike Rowe in a short red robe...so yummy I could eat him with a spoon...

~ A winter in stiletto heeled boots has wreaked havoc on my poor beleagured feet. They are saying OUCH!! right now and begging for flats tomorrow. I think I'll oblige them.

~ the date on my watch is wrong

~ As much as I love Shepard Smith, I have to say the man has very poor taste in ties

~ I'm addicted to How It's Made on Discovery

~ LOST is even better this season than it was season 1

~ Some sitcoms do NOT age well

~ Seinfeld is always good :)

~ Insurance companies don't make you feel very insured

~ Gotta go...MIKE ROWE just came onto my tv box...yummmm ;)

I Guess I'm "It"

Ok, Sandy 'tagged' me which means the following:

The rules:
*Link to the person who tagged you.
*Post the rules on your blog.
*Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
*Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

So, here's the link to Sandy: http://fakemonkeys.info/imarunnernow/?p=111#more-111

I've posted the rules.

Here are my 7 random facts:

1: Once when I was around 4, I came face to face with an old midget in Korvettes. I am told I stood there, screaming in his face until my mother grabbed me and ran.

2: I still have a schoolgirl crush on Donny Osmond. Oh come on! He's adorable and you know it!!

3: I am allergic to red wine. If I drink it, I get red splotches all over my body. It's like one of those old light show's you'd see at the Bush Gardens back in the late 70s~except without the heavy metal soundtrack.

4: I fell off a horse in 8th grade. No, I didn't get back on.

5: I don't like the back of my neck touched. It makes me cringe. Uless, of course, it's a romantic situation...then all bets are off ;)

6: When we were in high school, a friend and I used to squeeze under a chain link fence to get to the back door of the ice rink where the NY Rangers practiced. Sadly, thru the window, the only nekkid one we saw was Eddie Johnston.

7: In high school, I wanted to follow my dream and major in voice to persue a career on Broadway. I was going to be the next Patti Lupone. Sadly, one cattle call audition at the local theme park shattered that dream. Not that I can't take rejection. Just that it made me realize that no matter how talented you are, there is always someone with more talent. And it wasn't always your talent that got you the part...it was whether or not you fit the look. I decided that I needed to eat, and became an accountant instead.

Ok, here's an embarrassing admission: no one I know has a blog!! I'd tag Sandy again, but she did it already! If any of my friends who read here have blogs, please...leave me a link so I can tag you! Do MySpace pages count as blogs? If they do, I can tag Katy and Misty..maybe Ronda? I dunno...let me know, people!!

An Addendum to Super Tuesday...Wacky Wednesday...

Just a short addendum to last night's post....

What a long, strange trip the last 24 hours in television have been...

First off, I DID get to see my sweet Mike Rowe on Kimmel! ABC put the show on after their political coverage ended, at 1am eastern time. As an added bonus, the always adorable Drew Lachey was on first. Then Mike, resplendant in his manly glory, came out wearing dark jeans, black boots, and a gray vneck sweater with a white t under. Sweater clung to and showcased the manrack nicely :) It was worth staying up till damn near 3am for :)

Second, my ever darling Shepard went nuts, not once, but twice in the last 24. On Tuesday he read a letter from a viewer who apparently emails him daily, criticizing him. Well, Shepard went all Shep on her, saying he's wanted to do it "for years". Hillarious viewing and classic Shepard. Then, today, a contributor made a comment about the Democrats having to 'hold their noses' when they went to vote for their candidates. When Shepard asked her to explain that comment, she cracked "this is why I love Fox", as though Shepard had made the comment. Once again, Shepard opened up a can of whup~ass on her. Good for you, Shepard Smith!

I do take Shepard to task a lot in this blog, and I will be the first to admit that. Let me clearly state that, well, I do indeed love this man and would be proud to shake his hand and buy him a beer. I just want to see Shepard be all that he can be.

As for Mike Rowe, well, I just want to see Mike Rowe shirtless :D



***end of short addendum***

How Super IS Tuesday?

Meh...not so much...

My tv box has been overrun with newsies and politicos and I am NOT amused!

Mike Rowe of DirtyJobs with MikeRowe was to be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. So I turned on ABC here in NYC at midnight to watch...aaaannndddd.... TALKING HEADS!!

WHAT?!

WHERE IS KIMMEL????

WHERE IS THE MIGHTY ROWE?!!

I WANT MY MIKE ROWE AND I WANT HIM NOW!!!

*sigh*

Hasn't all of this politicizing gone on long enough now? It seems like I've had candidates talking at me for YEARS now...and now it's starting to disrupt my tv viewing habits and I have had just about enough!

First they interrupt a talk show with MIKE ROWE on it...have they no brains in their heads? Wait...don't answer that....they are politicians, so it's fairly self evident that no, they DON'T!

What's next??? Pre~empting LOST?!

I am so not amused right now!

Sure, I have me some live late night Shepard Smith, but honestly...what am really in the mood for tonight is some squeeky clean and sultry looking Mike Rowe...particularly when you consider the ugly tie Shepard is wearing right now (sorry Shepard, but I have offered to style you on numerous occasions, my love)

*sigh again*

I understand Mike was his usual charming self, respendant in a gray v neck sweater with a white tshirt under, blue jeans, black boots and tossled hair.

Charlie Gibson is a poor substitute for Mike Rowe...