Let's Do One More...

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Oh good God NO!

3. Do you own a gun? Nah, this is NY ;)

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? This is NY...we don't HAVE a Sonic

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? always

6. What do you think of hot dogs? We have this hot dog stand here called Walters... www.waltershotdogs.com

7. Favorite Christmas song: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee...black and strong

9. Can you do push ups? Now why would I want to do that?

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry a gold bracelet with a starfish charm that my parents gave me

12. Favorite hobby? reading, baking

13. Favorite movie? I have several: Its a Wonderful Life, Birdcage, Arsenic & Old Lace, Ferris Buellers Day Off...the list goes on and on...

14. Do you have A.D.D.? No, I'm very focused

15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I bore easily

16. Middle name. Marie

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. I'm tired, my feet are cold, where in the world is Mike Rowe?

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. TV Guide, chocolate twizzlers and a box of jujyfruits

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? coffee, water, diet coke

20. Current worry? Why the man I love doesn't love me back

21. Current hate right now? the man I love

22. Favorite place to be? at the beach

23. How did you bring in the New Year? Sitting at a Cleopatra machine at the local casino

24. Where would you like to go? to the beach, of course!

25. Name three people who will complete this? its on my blog, but all are welcome to fill it out!

26. Do you own slippers? yes...black fuzzy Hello Kitty ones, but I never wear them

27. What shirt are you wearing? lavender henley

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? oh I hate them!

29. Can you whistle? Yeppers

30. Favorite color? Black or pink

31. Would you be a pirate? AARRRGGGHHH!!

32. What song do you sing in the shower? Whatever song catches my fancy at that time

33. Favorite girl's name? Sloan

34. Favorite boy's name? David

35. What's in your pocket right now? lint

36. Last thing that made you laugh? a post on a message board that I belong to

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Flintstones!

38. Worst injury you've ever had? broke my ankle when I slipped on some ice in my driveway

39. Do you love where you live? Yep!

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? five of them!

41. Who is your loudest friend? That'd be Sher

42. How many dogs do you have? zero

43. Does someone have a crush on you? So I've been told

44. Do you have a college degree? BBA with a major in Accounting

45. What is your favorite book(s)? There are a few: The Stand by Stephen King, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, Shoeless Joe by WP Kinsella, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

46. What is your favorite candy? anything chocolate

47. Favorite Sports Team? Yankees, Rangers

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I haven't really given it any thought...how about Lola by the Kinks?

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Watching Mike Rowe do a dirty job ;)

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Is it Saturday?

Some Bloggy Goodness..

Had a dramatic day on the old world wide web, so it's time for a little levity...

1. What is your occupation? Accountant
2. What color are your socks right now? Socks? What socks?
3. What are you listening to right now? Food Network...its a seafood cookoff challenge
4. What was the last thing you ate? Sucking on some JujyFruits
5. Can you drive a stick shift? If God had wanted me to drive a stick, He wouldn't have invented automatic
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Burnt Umber
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Ted? I think? Or Sue?
8. How old are you today? Ha...thought you'd catch me, didn't you??
9. Favorite drink? regular is water, alcoholic is White Russian or Margarita
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hockey or Baseball
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Why...no....not at all...this is my beautiful natural color...
12. Favorite reality TV show? DIRTY JOBS!
13. What was the last movie you watched? I think it was Steel Magnolias
14. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving
15. What do you do to vent anger? Rant and cry
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? I had this stuffed giraffe that I adored so much, I snapped his neck!
17. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall
18. Hugs or kisses? Depends on who's hugging and who's kissing ;)
19. Cherries or blueberries? Meh...neither
20. Do you want your friends to email you back? Why the heck not
21. Favorite dessert? CHEESECAKE!!
22. Who is least likely to respond? I KNOW I scammed this from an email, so this is N/A I guess LOL
23. Living arrangement? Upstairs in my own little world
24. When was the last time you cried? Had a good old fashioned bawl on Saturday night.
25. What is on the floor of your closet? Probably Jimmy Hoffa it's been so long since I've seen the floor ;)
26. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? Sherri Ann is my oldest friend...I don't mean in age...just in length LOL
27. What did you do last night? Uhh...manicure then out to dinner
# 28 is missing....
29. What inspires you? Random things, not one specific thing
30. What are you afraid of? Growing old alone
31. Plain, cheese, or spicy burgers? I can has cheezburger? ;)
32. Favorite breed of dog? I like big dogs...mutts preferably.
33. How many years at your current job? 8 years...feels more like 80 though
34. Favorite day of the week? Friday
35. How many states have you lived in? Just 1...when you live in NY, theres no point in going anywhere else, right ? ;)
36. Celebrity crush? Right now its a draw between Shepard Smith and m luscious Mike Rowe
37. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? I don't think it's allowed by law
38. Who is your favorite NFL team? I DON'T HAVE ONE. UNLIKE SOMEONE WHO'S A BAND WAGON JUMPER ON~ER (*cough*shepard*cough*) ;)
39. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? yes...the kitchen is hard wired to the wall
40. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? SNOW PLEASE!

Dilema...

Upon my return to work this frigid Monday morning, I was greeted by a chorus inquiring "WHERE ARE YOUR COLORS?" Well...my colors are right here: black slacks, gray sweater, black scarf.

I was a speck in a sea of Giants blue.

I was then informed that I had "better" find myself a Giants shirt to wear to the office, because professional office attire was not acceptable...at least not when the Giants were going to the stupid~er~superbowl.

So, here is my dilema: Unlike others, I don't follow football. And, unlike still others, I don't band wagon hop. (And Shepard, I hope you realize last nights post was in jest. And I still don't know if Los Angeles has a football team, but I do now know that Chicago is...Da Bears...)

So...do I go to Modells and get a Giant football shirt? Or do I just wear a nice Ralph Lauren buttondown with a little polo pony on it as I usually do??

What. Say. You.

Shep? Wanna weigh in here? ;)

Band Wagon Jumper On~ers

So tonite the NY Giants beat the Greenbay Packers.

Since I have absolutely no football loyalties whatsoever, it really meant absolutely nothing to me. I am not one to jump on any sports bandwagons. I'm either a fan, or, I'm not. Simple as that for me.

For some people, however, band wagon jumping on is an artform. My neighbor is one of those. She jumps on and acts like shes been a fan all of her life when, in reality, shes rooted AGAINST the team she's now such a die hard fan of. It's irritating. When the NY Rangers were winning their Cup in 1994, she called me with 30 seconds left in the 7th game of the finals to talk about the game. I was 30 seconds away from winning the first Stanley Cup in 54 years, and she wanted to chat about how good the goalie was. I just screamed I CAN'T TALK TO YOU!!!!! and hung up. She still complains to this day, that I hung up on her.

I seem to recall that, in a taped interview on foxnews.com, one Shepard Smith declared that while he was a NY Yankee fan, he could not stand ANY other NY area teams...

Hey, Shepard....can you explain this?



This is the photo that you emailed to Greta Van Sustern tonite and that she posted in her blog.

Please don't tell me that you are a Giants fan now because Eli Manning is the QB and since he went to Ole Miss you are now a fan of the team. Does that mean that if Eli goes to, I dunno...who else has a team? Los Angeles? If Eli goes to a Los Angeles team (hmm...I'm not completely sure they have a team...Los Angeles...what? The Raiders are in Oakland with the A's. LA has the Dodgers for baseball, but, uh...I have no idea if they have football. Let's change that. Does Chicago have a football team? Chicago...uh...Dallas. I know Dallas has a team!! So let's go with Dallas, shall we?) Ok, let's back it up now...Shepard, does your newfound loyalties to the NY Giants revolve around the fact that Eli Manning is the QB, and does that mean that if next season Eli finds himself with the Dallas Cowboys (see...I told you I knew Dallas had a team!) because Tony Romo ran off to Mexico with Jessica Simpson and subsequently got run out of town by the fans, would that mean that you would abandon the Giants in favor of Dallas?

Tsk tsk if this is true, Mr. Smith. I was a huge fan of Bucky Dent, but when he left the Yankees, while I continued to follow Buckys career and remain his fan to this day, I was and still am, a Yankee fan.

Loyalties, Shepard.... ;)

Simply The Best

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I've always loved to sing and to listen to all kinds of music. M earliest ambition was to be a singer, like Judy Garland or Barbra Streisand. In high school, my goal was to be the next Patti Lupone. I wanted to be a Broadway baby, win a Tony and have my name on a marquee on The Great White Way. Or, I would sing with the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. As it was, I was the only one in my glee club who could reach the high notes in Handels Messiah. Of course, unlike Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs, I never did make it to the opera. And I've only walked past Carnegey Hall. My first and last audition was a cattle call nightmare, and while I had more talent than some, there were those with more talent than me. The rejection killed both me and my dream. So, I focused my energies on singing into a hairbrush and on MTV.

Over the years, I've accumulated a vast collection of cd's (records at first...remember those? Black vinyl disks that you played on a turntable with a needle...you find them in antique shops now) My current cd collection could be referred to as eclectic, since I have everything from classical to punk in it. I just love music, and I let my mood dictate what I listen to.

It's easy for me to associate music with events in my life. Sometimes a song can just take me back to a time and a place, and make me smile.

Take tonight. I was on my way to Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy of Fast Company, since the cover boy for the month is none other than the afore mentioned Mike Rowe (great article, but some of the photos seem heavy on the air brush or the bronzer ;) ) when Tina Turner's Simply the Best came on the radio. Talk about taking me back...back to June 14, 1994. The night that the NY Rangers lifted the curse that had plagued them for 54 years and finally won the coveted Stanley Cup.

Hockey players covet, above all else, the elusive Cup. That's what they play for, the glory of the name engraved for eternity on The Cup. That glory eluded the NY Rangers for a half century. That all changed on June 14, 1994.

As the fans rejoiced and the players celebrated on the ice, the fancy men from the NHL prepared for what would be the most joyous occasion to ever grace Madison Square Garden: The Stanley Cup presentation. A table was set up on the ice, and a rubber mat unfurled over it. The noise of the Garden faithful reached a fever pitch as two men wearing white gloves slowly carried the most sacred of all trophies to the table, where it sat while the NHL Commissioner took the mic. Knowing how long the fans had waited, Bettman cut to the chase, and proclaimed "CAPTAIN MARK MESSIER, COME GET THE STANLEY CUP!" With that, The Captain skated over to the joyful screams of the fans. He waved, shook the commissioners hand, and picked up The Cup.

That's when Simply the Best started to play..."You're simply the best! Better than all the rest!"

As The Captain grinned and skated The Cup around the ice, holding it up so those lucky enough to be near the glass could reach over and touch it, the rest of New York City joined in the celebration. This was a win for the fans. There were tears of joy, both on the ice and off, and goosebumps as well.

I relive that moment in my mind every time I hear that song. The images so fresh, so clear, that it's almost just like that special early summer night. We won't be having a Stanley Cup celebration this season, but that's ok, because the one we did have was Simply the Best.

But Eat At Your Own Risk...

I was perusing the "Mike's World" section of the Dirty Jobs board at discovery.com today and happened across a section of Mike Rowe's top ten lists. It's a fairly amusing read, to be honest. I've found out that, like my friend Tom, Mike is a big Rush fan. And unlike me, he likes Moby. But listing The Cure as his #1 on his iPod redeemed him in my eyes (sorry Tom ;) ) I also found it interesting to see that Mike and I have some similar favorite movies. Does this mean he likes chick flicks or I like guy movies? Seriously...I think it just means we like to laugh. Why else would we both have Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles on our lists? And who doesn't feel redemption at the end of Shawshank Redemption?

But what I really found intriguing was his list of 10 people, living or dead, who he would invite to a dinner party if he could. This is Mikes list:

10: Richard Pryor
9: Helen of Troy
8: John Cleese
7: Jesus of Nazareth
6: Mark Twain
5: Amelia Earhart
4: Groucho Marx
3: Angelina Jolie
2: Oscar Wilde
1: Frank Sinatra

It is, on it's own, a rather odd compilation of guests. I can't imagine what they would talk about amongst themselves. And poor Helen of Troy~she wouldn't even speak the language, although I bet Groucho would have a few comments to make. Good thing Mike didn't invite Harpo as well, otherwise Helen and Angelina would be running from him all night, and Brad would be none too amused. I wish Mike had given the reason he would like to have these guests at his dinner party. It'd offer a little more insight into the list, aside from "Oh, he likes to laugh and be around beautiful women and powerful men."

So, I thought about it a little more.

And I wondered, if I could invite 10 people for dinner (catered, of course. I wouldn't want those who were still alive to have to eat my cooking. Their living or dead status may just change if they had to do that) who would I invite, and most importantly, why?

So, here, for better or worse, is my list:

10: Mel Brooks ... because he makes me laugh

9: Carl Reiner ... because we can't have the 2000 year old man skit without him

8: Bucky Dent ... because I never got to thank him for that Home Run in Fenway Park back in 1978

7: Mark Messier ... Oh captain, my captain...

6: William Faulkner ... to spin stories of the long, hot summer for us, of course

5: Ronald Reagan ... I usually don't like politicians, but to me, Reagan was different. He truly believed that America was good and that we really were the shining city on the hill

4: Shepard Smith ... oh shut up...it's not because I have a small *thing* for him. It's because I want to discuss his career, and what he's seen over the last 20 years, and how it has affected him on a personal level

3: Bruce Willis ... Ok, this one is purely superficial. Bruce is my #1. I worship and adore him

2: Princess Diana ... who wouldn't want to have dinner with her and talk? We could talk about our favorite DuranDuran songs

1: Mike Rowe ... to show him how awesome my dinner party is...and see what he thinks of my guest list!

What I've Learned So Far This Year...

Here we are, only fifteen days into the brand new year, and already I have learned some most important lessons:

~ It doesn't pay to be good or nice.

~ No matter how foul a mood I'm in, I will ALWAYS sing along, outloud to the "Laaaa la la la laaaaa, la la la laaaa" part of Simple Mind's "Don't You Forget About Me".

~ It doesn't matter how hard you work or how good you are at what you do, it's all about how much they like you.

~ Chocolate always makes it better.

~ Those people who say they are your friends? Yeah, them. Don't believe them. They aren't.

~ A look at Mike Rowe's beautiful chest can put a smile on my face.

~ I'm much more dangerous when backed into a corner.

~ Just when you think someone can't POSSIBLY get any stupider, they prove you wrong.

~ Has there ever been a more beautiful sentiment expressed in song than "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel?

~ Regardless of how much I say I don't, I'll always have a soft spot for Shepard Smith and his impish grin.

~ That which does not kill us truly makes us stronger.

~ I make DAMN good chili.

~ People are effing CRAZY!


Just think...I've learned all of this in just fifteen short days!

Imagine what the rest of the year has in store for me!!

Where's that picture of Mike's chest when I need it??

Strange Dreams

So last night I fell asleep to a repeat of the Shep & Greta show. For some reason, instead of dreaming about Shepard Smith, as I would have hoped to, I dreamed about Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs.

Now, dare I say, Mike's pretty darn easy on the eyes~except in this dream.

It was very, very, weird.

I was downtown, in a building that I recognized but could not place. It was near Madison Square Garden, though. And it was decorated inside like it was the 1970s. For some reason, I think it was actually One Police Plaza, except that it was in the wrong neighborhood. Anyway, inside the building was an outlet store, like, the QVC outlet in Lancaster, PA, selling all sorts of reduced and tacky Christmas crap. Naturally I was shopping. Then I noticed a handsome man lurking in the very 70s lobby. He was wearing jeans, a button down shirt and had a messenger bag slung. He was also wearing the ugliest beige suede shoes I had ever seen. They looked like closed back clogs, with elastic gussets at the instep. Something like an orthopedic shoe worn by a Keebler elf. And I realized: THAT'S MIKE ROWE FROM DIRTY JOBS!! He looked at me, realized I knew who he was, and ran out of the building. I couldn't help but get the feeling he was stalking me. So, ever the frustrated law enforcement officer, I took off after him, but alas, he was gone. I went back into the shop and continued to shop. It was set up like the tables I saw at the Gingerbread House competition they show on FoodNetwork every year. I hung around That 70s Lobby for a while, waiting for my ride (I have NO idea why I was waiting for a ride~or even who the ride was, but there I stood) It was cold outside, and the people walking past the large windows were bundled up. And there he was...Mike Rowe, messenger bag slung, no coat on, shirt open enough so that I could see a tease of the downy hair on his beautiful chest, staring at me through the window.

Yes, it was true.

Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs was stalking ME.

That's when I woke up.

Not sure what was in the bag I had from the QVC outlet store in That 70s Building, or what was in Mike Rowe's messenger bag, but what I REALLY want to know is...

WHERE THE HELL DID MIKE ROWE GET SUCH AN UGLY PAIR OF SHOES???

Observations...

Some observations I've made the last few days:

~ It doesn't pay to be good or nice

~ The opening notes of "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & The News make me smile

~ I can never, ever be bulimic...ever

~ The man I love is never going to feel the same way back

~ Principles can cost you...and you have to be willing to pay the price. Sometimes, it IS worth it

Welcome 2008

I'm not a believer in new years resolutions. Too many compromises and disappointments come into play after making them. I do, however, believe in setting goals. My goals for this year are for a certain person to open up his eyes and realize it's ME, and to get my book published. Of course, I had the same goals last year, and attained neither. This is what happens when the end result of achieving your goal rests solely in the hands of another.

For all others, I have hopes. Let's see what sort of hopes I have for those mentioned in my blog in 2007...

For my friends and family, I hope for good health and well-being. I hope for happiness and love. I hope that they hope the same for me.

For Shepard Smith I hope for nothing but the best that life has to offer. I hope for continued ratings wins in your time slot, I hope for the respect of your peers, I hope for more stories that bring out the best in you...maybe Paris Hilton can go to jail again, Shepard. Yes, you would love that, wouldn't you...particularly if the circus were in town.

For FoxNews and Fox Business Network, I hope for enlightenment. I hope that you learn that not everyone wants their news and business analysis given to them by identical clueless wonders in push up bras and short skirts. I hope you realize that your newscasts look like a parody of the late, great Robert Palmer's videos. Might as well face it, NewsCorp, you're addicted to bimbos.

For the bimbos of NewsCorp, I hope for an epiphany: Please realize that your looks won't last forever and beauty fades, but brains are forever. Oh, and some of you do indeed have fat arms...

For Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs, I hope for faith. Mike, you are funny, smart...and then there's that chest. I would not hope this for you if I did not find that there was "something" about you. Instead, I'd refer to you as a slab of beefcake, a mimbo, or just "that hot bloviating buffoon of a man". I'd see you as a beautiful man, but not much more. Instead, I hope for you the realization that just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist or have feelings. After all, you can't see your viewers...you just have faith that they will tune in.

For that one particular man...you don't even realize that I'm talking about you. And you never will. You don't see me in the same light I see you. And I have to live with that every day. Yes, you hurt me more than you can or will ever know. It still hurts, but I'll be fine. Not that you care. Because you don't care about me at all, regardless of how I feel about you. I know it's trite, but its true: It's your loss. But your loss becomes my loss. And you don't even know it.

So, after ringing in the new year sans alcohol (a new experience for me) at a craptacular local Lotto casino where an old broad in her sixties with too much red lipstick on tried to get me to go to the party with her (I must look lonely or something) I've made my New Year Hopes...

...And all I really hope for is that 2008 be better than 2007.

Happy New Year!