My Wckd Wckd Ways

We Interrupt The Regularly Scheduled RobRant....

2009-08-23T17:46:00.004-04:00

...to bring you a few choice words from our Founding Fathers, since there seems to be some confusion as to what they intended, and a few others for whom "The Greater Good" was not just a catch~phrase:

Let's open with this one, which seems very appropriate these days...

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.

James Madison

The Father of our Country:

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.

George Washington

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

George Washington

Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals.

George Washington

No, not the beer...

A government of laws, and not of men.

John Adams

Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.

John Adams

There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.

John Adams

Perhaps the one who invokes him so much should sit down and actually listen to him...

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

Abraham Lincoln

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Abraham Lincoln

Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.

Abraham Lincoln

Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.

Abraham Lincoln

I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause.

Abraham Lincoln

One of my favorite Presidents...

A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference.

Thomas Jefferson

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.

Thomas Jefferson

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

Thomas Jefferson

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

Thomas Jefferson

All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.

Thomas Jefferson

Delay is preferable to error.

Thomas Jefferson

Perhaps the wisest of them all...

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.

Benjamin Franklin

And a little bit for me, from the Great Communicator...

Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.

Ronald Reagan

Man is not free unless government is limited.

Ronald Reagan

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

Ronald Reagan

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Ronald Reagan

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.

Ronald Reagan

RobRant!! RobRant!!

2009-08-17T19:10:00.004-04:00

So, every time I post it, in my head I hear Wayne and Garth saying "RobRant!! RobRant!! Excellent!!! Patry On!!!"

I have no idea why...but it works...go ahead...try it.

Anyway, as you may have guessed, this will be yet another RobRant.

I don't know why it is, but as much as I love that kid, he sets off something inside me~other than the old hormones.

Perhaps I need to change the name of this blog from My Wckd Wckd Ways to RobRant: Because Sometimes Beauty Isn't Enough.

So, in this latest edition of the RobRant, I'm going to address young Mr. Pattinson directly. Because it's my blog and I said so. Truth be told, while he's the straw that stirs my drink, he's also been icing my cupcakes of late (sounds dirty, but it's not...unless he gets that icing all over himself and I'm forced to lick it off...but I digress...)

So, here we go:

Robert! Listen up here, buckaroo! I have some friendly words of advice for you...and maybe some not so friendly rantings in the RobRant portion of the evening. I suggest you read, comprehend and get that thoughtful, pensive look that you sometimes have on your beautiful face. You know the one. You know what it does to us...and so do we. I'll do this in bullet form, so it's easier to read:

1: Hiding in Plain Sight: Dude, I don't care if you like to boink tree stumps or Harry Potter himself, so don't be making this about jealousy or whatever. I know the odds are greater for me to win a Gold Medal in Olympic Womens Figure Skating than ever having an encounter of the carnal kind with you, so don't be thinking that's what is driving this rant. Because it's not.

What I want to tell you is this: Currently, my pet, you are a man with a bounty on his head. As such, you need to be aware. There are ways to stave off the vultures. There are ways to stem the rumors you don't wish to address. And you're doing it all wrong.

If addressing the situation directly is not feasable (personally, I am a fan of directness and honesty, as I abhor people who are disingenuous) then you have two options: You can be MORE DISCRETE or you can play with your hunters. But remember, the critter who plays chicken on the interstate eventually ends up as critter du jour at the local roadkill cafe. Discretion is the better form of valor, they say, and I could not agree more in your case. Stay away from enclaves of paparazzi and their natural hunting grounds. Avoid places where they are known to be living and breeding. When going out with friends, walk with someone else, for when you are walking with the rumored one (you know we do not speak that name on this blog) it becomes a feeding frenzy worthy of it's own week on The Discovery Channel

2: You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: You want to be famous, yet you want to be private. Sorry, wrong answer. Part of the trappings of fame are the little nuisances known as THE PRESS. Because THE FANS, who are the ones who put you into the strata where you currently reside, want to know, THE PRESS will take whatever liberties they can to give it to them. Such is the high price of fame and fortune. If you wanted to remain a private citizen, without the invasions of privacy, the rumor, the speculation, the innuendo, the constant, chronic magnifying glass on your every move, then, my pouty lipped friend, you should have become an Accountant.

3: Overexposure, RPattz is Thy Name: Damn, but you are ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE! I LOVE you and I say this! It's getting so that I question even going to see New Moon! I feel like I was on set with you filming it, and have been living in your suitcase for the last 3 months! In fact, I think I was possibly the person who did the horriffic mending job on your precious Stoli shirt. You can't swing a Cullen without hitting something that bears your image or speaks your name. Scale it back a bit, hot stuff! Like Def Leppard once said, it's better to burn out than to fade away! I am going to harken back to point #1 here: discretion. That stinky toque you are so fond of and your Eyegor hoodie (Young Frankenstein reference) do not a disguise make. In fact, if anything, it draws attention and makes people wonder: OMG!! WHAT WAS RPATTZ DOING THAT HE'S TRYING TO HIDE!! ARE THOSE CIGARETTES?? IS THAT A BEER? OMGOMGOMG!!!. See? Scale it back some, my precious.

4: Play Nice: I've noted that when you are with certain people, you seem less nice than when you are alone. I don't know if this is just something I'm interpreting, or if this is something others have noticed as well. But, as I mentioned in point 2, the fans, for better or worse, are the ones who have elevated you to the level you are at. It doesn't cost you anything to smile, say "Hi" or "Thank You" and pose for a photo, which you do...when you are alone. Sad but true, people will remember the negative before they remember the positive. Say "Tom Cruise" to me and I immediately envision nutso jumping up and down on poor Oprah's sofa, screaming I LOVE HER!!!. See what I mean?

5: Character: Not Just For Playing in Movies: This goes back to point 1 again. If you are bumping uglies with a certain someone who looks like she was rode hard and put away wet, isn't it a disservice to each other to not admit it? To not want to be the one jumping on Oprah's sofa (I'll say this much: do that and I will burn everything with your name, image, performance on it as well as petitioning the State Department to revoke any and all visa's and access to this country that you have, sweetcheeks) But you get my point, right? At the end of the day, all we really have is our character. The kind of person you are. I'd hate to think that yours wasn't nearly as strong as your jaw line, lover.

So, there we have it. RobRant over. On to some air guitar and a little bit of RobLuv :D

RobRant Redux

2009-08-09T16:55:00.004-04:00

Ok, while I'm not nearly as annoyed with Robert today as I was yesterday, I'm still not ready to crawl back into bed with him. Well...maybe if he asked sweetly...maybe...since the estrogen appears to be flowing today...MAYBE....if he's lucky...or HOT...

Anyway, there's a little bit more RobRant on the horizon...yep...I feel it coming...like a hurricane...or a snowstorm that makes the ankle I broke a decade ago ache like a betch.

Ooh...oohh...here it comes....I shall address Robert directly, since I'm really ranting AT him as opposed to ABOUT him, as with yesterdays RobRant...

ROBERT!? I know you are not from this country. You are, however, a guest here. And as such you need to respect the rules, regardless of how things are done in your country of origin, how "uptight" you view we puritanical Americans, or how many millions you've earned at the box office! (I know...wtf am I even thinking with that last statement? Pssh!) It was noted that you were spied swigging Heinies with the one-who's-name-we-no-longer-speak-of on this blog...that's right...the 18 year old. Now, while YOU may well be of legal drinking age in the Golden State (see...that's what California was known as before the Governator arrived and dubbed it Cal-Lee-For-Nee-Yah), your date for the evening was not. As such, you should be an adult, grow a pair, step up to the plate (baseball term) and say to the barkeep "Ahem, excuse me, Gov'ner, but this young lass is not of legal age. Perhaps a Diet Coke or a Shirley Temple would be a more appropriate libation" instead of corrupting a minor (even though I do believe the corrupting is being done in the opposite direction...watch your hot little ass because the smaller the bitch, the bigger the bite, my dear)

And another thing, which has iced my cookies more than you can know: you're alleged driving prowess. You have been aaaallllll over everywhere whining about your inability to drive, your bad driving ability, your "joke" or "clown car". Yep, you have, so don't deny it. I have the Leno clip right here on the old blog to prove it (Oh stop whining!) Anyway, yesterday I viewed a pap clip last night (shut up...odds are you watch them too when you're bored) and there you were, driving a PORSCHE...with ONE HAND. Yep. Good old self effacing Rob Pattinson, who is such a terrible driver and not at all a car guy...who owns a joke car that's always broken but has a good soul...gone Hollywood and apparently lying about it. Why lie Robert? Hmm? Why claim to not be a good driver when you actually are? And we know you haven't really driven in like, 2 months, since you were in NYC and NO ONE drives in NYC...at least not natives. Maybe it's only Mad Dogs and those pesky Englishmen who drive in NYC? And if that was the case...why were you always spotted in a taxi or walking?? Yeah, because you didn't drive for two months, dingleberry! (google it) But there you were, very self assuredly, gunning it and steering with one hand out into Los Angeles traffic like an old pro. I've been driving 30 years and I'm not sure even I could have done that in my nifty little SUV, let alone a Porsche (seriously...was it just me or did that sucker look like it was an automatic? Who the hell drives a Porsche that's an automatic? Fast foreign cars are supposed to be stick, not automatics!)

And, as long as I'm bitching at you, lemme ask another: Why is it you can dig deeply enough for a PORSCHE (and an ugly green one at that!) but not for a new pair of pants?

Oh, and one more thing...seriously, all this covert crap? Yeah, it's old. Old. O-L-D. You know you're shacking up, so pack a bag and both of you stay wherever it is your doing the deed. Don't frigging duck in and out, duck paparazzi where you KNOW they are going to be, then get all bent out of shape and pissed off because paparazzi were exactly where they always are and grit your teeth because you had to endure the onslaught to get to some clandestine meeting spot somewhere else after leaving the place you were trying to not be seen at in the first place.

Again, I say, Robert Pattinson, GROW. A. PAIR. You're 23, not 13. Suck it up and act like an adult!!

Whew...that felt even better than yesterdays RobRant! :D

I will give Robert points for one thing: Last night, at his pal Marcus Foster's show, he was lovely to a fan. She got a beautiful photo with him, and he gave her a huge smile. How classy you are when not under the influence, my muse....

OK...

2009-08-08T21:56:00.003-04:00

Ok, here's the thing: I can't NOT like Robert...I am sort of BOUND to him.

You see, as a frustrated and as yet, unpublished writer, I needed a muse. The book I was writing was stalled. I had writers block in the worst possible way.

And then came Robert Pattinson.

Like a cool breeze over the mountains.

He inspired me and suddenly, it was all clear. The work flowed from me.

Without him, I cannot finish my work. So, you see, I am dependent on him. I may actually claim him on my 1040A this year.

So, I need to work through my issues in order to get back to work.

Here's what I'm going to do...I'm going to hash out all of my issues with him and his...uh...crack whore...

Ok, here's my issue: From before ever hearing the term "Robsten", I have not liked Kristen. I just get a vibe off the girl that she feels she's better than everyone. I got the vibe that she thinks she's better than even Robert. In some interviews and videos, to me, she seems annoyed that Twilight turned out to be all about Rob and not about her. I don't know why I got this vibe, or if it's only me that gets it, but 9 times out of 10, when I get a vibe like this, I am right. Anyway, after seeing photos of her sparking up a doobie outside an apartment in LA, a hotel in Vancouver and rolling a joint in plain sight at a restaurant in Italy (with Robert sitting right there, I might add), I really did not like her. I abhor drug use of any kind (most people who've had drug addiction within their families feel this way) and to see someone flaunting it in this manner to me is reprehensible.

Moreover, she just reminds me of the kind of girl you all knew in high school...the one who would sleep with the popular boy even though she didn't really care for him, just because she knew everyone else wanted him and she was the one with him. Yeah, that's why I think she likes Robert.

I just don't like her. I don't like that I feel she'll lead Rob down the garden path, and I don't like the drug use with or without Robert.

Now, Robert...I have many issues with you, my muse.

I'll start with the lessers and work my way up:

First off...WASH THE DAMN HAIR ALREADY! We get it...you are an Artiste! You aren't concerned with the same shallow, physical things the rest of Hollywood is concerned with. You are 'a guy'. We get it. Point taken. Now take a freakin' shower and wash the friggin' hair because I can smell you 3000 miles away!

And ditch that damn blue plaid shirt. You know the one...the one where you cut off the long sleeves to make them short sleeves. No one believes it was ever a short sleeve shirt, Rob. We all know you made it a short sleeve shirt yourself. How do we know? From the frayed edges and long threads dangling off of the poor snip job. While you are at it, please toss the following into my Weber Kettle BBQ: the mended Stoli shirt; the stained and mended blue/gray chino's with the sewn up knees that you've been doggin' since your Harry Potter days; both of your knit toques. They've got to stink from here to heaven and back again. Do your part for our environment and burn them both, please; those damn Nikes. You made kajillions for these last two movies. Spend some of it, and I don't mean going to Modell's to buy yet another cap to shove your greasy, odiferous locks under or yet another windbreaker like my 72 year old father wears. You don't have to go to Armani or Nordstrom. Just go to Old freakin' Navy and spend a couple bucks on a few pair of jeans so you don't have to dog the same pair day in and day out, staining the stains that are already there. Dude, do you stand those frigging jeans up in the corner of your room every night? I don't even want to think about the undies...I shudder at the thought...

Moving on...Robert...stop playing games. You are 23, not 13. Grow a damn ball and admit whether or not you are bumping uglies with her. I have little to no respect for people who are either in a relationship or are 'more than friends' and won't admit it for whatever reason. In Rob's case, I'd say his reasoning for not admitting would be because the fangirls would hate it. Since a large portion of his appeal is based on the fans, he'd really screw himself by admitting he's screwing her.

But still I don't like games, I don't like deception. And I hate the whole women-who-spend-the-night-with-a-guy-and-sneak-out-the-next-morning-in-the-night-before's-clothing. Robsten notwithstanding, women who do this tend to have an attitude of "I'm in control. I'm calling the shots. I'm independent and liberated". Uh...no, you are not. You are just giving him exactly what he wanted and he's smugly eating a burger while you're seen leaving in exactly what you were seen entering in the night before while the staff snickers behind your back. (This also brings up the question of what kind of a man lets this sort of scenario play out? One with little to no respect for the woman he's boinking?) Plus, you can't sit there and say with a straight face that if they did spend the night together at his hotel, she was unaware it was going to happen. Even Rob wouldn't be that gullible. It stinks to me of ready made PR. You don't go to a hotbed of paparazzi activity if you don't want to be seen. You go somewhere discrete. There are plenty of places you can go. One of the two has a place right in LA. There are TONS of hotels that the pap's aren't camped out in front of like they always are at Chateau. So, if you are going to be in a highly visible celebrity fish bowl, stop trying to sneak out like you don't know you're being photographed and aren't proud of yourself and your indiscrete indiscretions. Stop trying to pretend you're annoyed you've been spotted, because, clearly, if you didn't want to be seen, you'd have gone somewhere where you knew you wouldn't be seen.

And, Robert, I'm going to apply this to you too: Stop being all annoyed at the pap's for taking your photo as you walk/attempt to drive/try to run. You are staying at a hotel with a permanent paparazzi encampment at it. You've been there enough. You've been photographed there enough. You know what goes on there. Stay at the Four Seasons next time. Stay at a Marriott. Stay at Kristen's or rent a damn apartment yourself. Just stop acting pissed and annoyed when you walk right into their nest. You aren't Moses. The Red Sea is not going to part for you and your stinkin' Yankee cap.

And...that brings me to the last portion of my little rant that I'm going to direct right at Robert: You are wearing a NY Yankee cap~constantly. You were in NYC for 2 months. Did you ever even SEE a game? Even on TV? Can you even name the Yankee shortstop? Hmm?? Can you??? And...do you really think that NO ONE knows it's YOU under it?? It's been photographed in the last 2 months more than Derek freakin' Jeter has (do you even know who that is? I bet you don't....) Here...I'm gonna give you $250. Ask Pat Sajak if you can buy a clue.

/rant

Now...let's see if this works and my demons are exorcised....

Aaaannnnddd.....

2009-08-07T20:53:00.003-04:00

....the bloom is off the rose!

Didn't take very long, did it?

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday, I was all mushy and gushy. Today, not so much.

Sad to say, but I'm totally turned off now....

My 100th Post!

2009-08-06T22:00:00.003-04:00

And they said it wouldn't last!

I've covered a lot of ground during my first 100 posts here on My Wckd Wckd Ways. I've covered a little somethin' somethin' of my Shepard Smith love...and a little somethin' somethin' of my Shepard Smith hate. I've covered my dirty little Mike Rowe love and come clean with a little bit of the Mike Rowe hate. Now I've moved on to the RPattz luv...can the hate be far behind?

So, what shall we talk about for my 100th post?

There's so much to say, and so precious little time to say it in (who am I kidding? I can type all night...but I doubt you'd continue reading, dear Constant Reader.

Oh wait!! I've covered my Rick Reichmuth luv and haven't ever, ever had any Reichmuth hate!! I still luvs me some of the Reichmuth...when I'm up early enough on weekends to catch his sexiness on FNC :D

But, enough of the past....let's move on to a bright new future.

Let's talk about ROBERT PATTINSON!

Robert, Rob, RPattz, Patty, Spunk Ransom, Teh Robbler...whatever you choose to call him, there's no denying that boy is H-O-T. That I could have birthed him during my Senior Formal in college does not enter into the equation~EVER! It spoils the fantasy that way.

I have currently a small yet growing pile of various magazines on the corner of the desk. All have one thing in common: photos of Robert Pattinson are contained therein. I have fetched magazines out of the recycle bin because they have one teeny tiny photo of Rob in them. I have a folder on the desktop of my MacBook Pro (the same computer that Robert Pattinson himself prefers, I might add) that says "Robert Pattinson". Essentially, all of the images that are on the pages of those magazines are also confined digitally to my little folder.

I have watched Twilight at least 6 times since discovering both it and Robert in early June. I have watched the movie, the movie with the commentary (Robert, seriously...get over your frickin' eyebrows!), the extra scenes, the making of, the becoming Edward thingy...I've watched it all, and still...it's not enough.

I watch YouTube videos (thank you, Sherry, for the Leno video which started the whole she-bang in the first place ;) ) I watch YouTube videos on my iPod touch when I'm away and find some wifi. I look at my own pink Yankee baseball cap and think "Why, it's almost identical to the one the Robinator has been wearing since he flimed here in my fair city...except for it's pink!", I pretend that those aren't sweat stains under his arms in some photos, and that it isn't dandruff on his shoulders...or grease in his hair.

I even made a special trip tonight to get the current Entertainment Weekly Magazine...because Robert is in it.

Yes, I am a woman somewhat obsessed with Robert Pattinson...and I KNOW I'm not alone! The only difference is I don't steal my child's copy of Tiger Beat for the poster :P

So, yes, I have made my 100th post about Robert Pattinson. Here's hoping the next 100 posts are all about the Rob~luv and not about the Rob~hate.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, the video that started the whole obsession off...Robert Pattinson on Leno:

After All, a Girl Needs a Hobby...

2009-08-04T20:01:00.003-04:00

After months of resistance, I finally came around. I mean, you can only hear about it so many times before you finally heave a heavy sigh and look, just to shut some folk up.

As the Borg said, Resistance is futile.

I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. How can you not? You fall madly in love and you don't even know why. Edward Cullen dazzles you.

So it was that over Memorial Day weekend, having no money to be down shore, no plans other than drifting wherever the wind moved me, and, thanks to a head cold and miserably rainy weather, not much motivation to do much of anything, I found Edward Cullen. Happening upon a paper back edition of it in the CVS, I finally gave in to Ruby Anne's suggestions that I read Twilight. 72 hours later I found myself running through the raindrops in the parking lot of the Barnes & Nobel's, desperate to find the remaining 3 books in the trilogy, having devoured Twilight and the on line posting of the unfinished draft of Midnight Sun.

That's how I discovered Edward Cullen.

At the suggestion of no less than 3 very reputable friends, friends who shocked me with their devotion to a fictional teen age vampire, I ordered the dvd of the movie Twilight from Target...because it was only at Target that one could find the special 3 disc edition, you see. I waited impatiently until it shipped, and when it finally did arrive, I found my heart beating faster as I loaded the dvd player.

I already knew that the sloppily dressed, greasy haired English boy who played my divine Edward in the movie was not in any way, the image I had in my mind of MY Edward. Oh no, not at all. I'd seen photos of the lad. He was slight, scrawny, even, while MY Edward was a lean yet muscular god. MY Edward was neat, clean, and wore Armani. The English boy who played him? Looked like he needed a bath and directions to a good dry cleaner.

So, imagine my surprise when I found that, while physically, movie Edward was not what I had envisioned in my mind, he was the emotional embodiment of MY Edward. Edward's soul twisted and turned in Robert Pattinson's portrayal.

And so it came to pass that Edward Cullen led me to Robert Pattinson, my new hobby.

Yes, he's 22 years younger than me...but he is legal in all 50 states and Canada.

Yes, he's hygienically challenged, but wouldn't getting him clean be half the fun of it?

Yes, he's a terrible dresser. He can't button a shirt. He mends t shirts that deserve to be burned. He wears too tight, too short suit jackets. He wears those God awful Nike's everywhere. He wears wind breakers that look like he stole them from my father...and he wears them in 80 degree weather. But, the only thing that all of this means is that he'd have to be stripped down in order for me to rebuild and redefine his...uh...style.

Yes, he's English...but he does have an amazingly self effacing wit and fabulously hairy body, much to my surprise!

And, yes, this does make me a cougar, but it makes the rest of my friends, all the most wonderful people on earth, cougars as well, so I'm in very good company :D

Now, having read all 4 books of the Twilight Saga, as well as the unfinished transcript, and after repeated viewings of the Twilight dvd (with and without the hilariously funny commentary) I sit and wait impatiently for the November 20 release of the second film adaptation in the saga, New Moon, so that I can be with MY Edward again....

Yeah...I know...I need a new hobby :D

When You Start Believing Your Own Press...

2009-04-26T00:23:00.004-04:00

Those of you who know me, know that, for a long time, I was a huge fan of Shepard Smith.

I say "was" because, I simply can no longer watch this man.

I noticed it a while back...around the time he signed his big cushy contract. He'd started changing a little before, in fact. Maybe bolstered by the idea that networks were perhaps interested in him? Whatever the case, I started to see a change in him early on. He'd already ticked me off with his continually referring to himself as "a New Yorker" while bellowing how he was a proud Mississippian. No, you are one or the other. You are not both. At least not in THIS city, bucko.

I can't even put into words what it was. Perhaps an attitude, an arrogance.

It seemed that, suddenly, Shepard Smith thought that HE was more important than the story.

Before that, I would tape both his 3pm and his 7pm broadcasts, and watch with interest each night. Shepard was bright, funny and interesting. He did what he said he would do: read the news without bias. No editorializing there!

This was why I liked Shepard Smith.

But as soon as I saw the change in him, I knew it. It was the same change I'd seen years earlier, when MSNBC anchor, and my favorite newsman at the time, Brian Williams, was tapped to replace Tom Brokaw. There was a sudden air of arrogance, a conveyance that he was better than I was.

The same change that I sadly saw in Shepard Smith.

It started out small...Shepard editorializing this small story or that. Jumping in over other reporters, yelling to get his voice heard first. The way he'd talk over the car chases he is so fond of showing.

But then it started to escalate. Shepard began to editorialize and give his opinions on THE NEWS.

How can you sit there, and say you deliver the NEWS, fair and balanced, when you are interjecting your opinions, be it a sarcastic snicker, or a scoffing laugh.

It got so that I would turn him off midway thru the broadcast.

And it really shone thru during the elections.

I realized that Shepard Smith was no longer a NEWS man and had moved on to news ANALYST when, during the election he made a statement about how the South was going to show how far it had come by electing a black man. THAT, Mr. Smith, is YOUR opinion, not a news fact.

It got particularly bad during the election, when Shepard continually allowed his partisanship to show. We got it, Shep. You were for Obama. Your point was driven home.

After the election, he actually stated that he saw absolutely no media bias during the election.

Huh?

I'm guessing he never picked up a copy of the New York Times during those months, of flipped on any of the major networks newscasts or snuck a peek at his cable counterparts. I guess that, during this past election cycle, Shepard Smith lived in a bubble.

I knew it was completely over for me where Shepard was concerned when I heard him mocking Glenn Beck. Now, I don't watch Glenn. I'm sure he's a nice enough fellow, and from what I've seen of him, he has said some things I can agree with~and plenty I can't, but that is neither here or there. It's the idea that he was openly mocking the man, in front of him, right on television. That's just cruel.

Now comes word of Shepard dropping yet another expletive live on the air, this time on the Strategy Room, FNC's internet based show. Shepard, opposed to the 'torture' that is waterboarding, had a melt down. Too bad Glenn Beck wasn't there to mock him...odds are good old Shep wouldn't like it very much once the shoe was on the other foot.

(And this brings me to one other point...waterboarding. By the definition of torture in the Geneva Convention, waterboarding is NOT torture. I think that everyone screaming that it IS torture (and citing the Geneva Convention while doing so), including that dim bulb in the chandelier masquerading as our Commander in Chief, fails to realize this. Or perhaps our new clueless administration doesn't want them to realize it....kind of like the old fable about the Emperor's New Clothes...once they opened their eyes and actually saw what was in front of them, they failed to believe. I think that is a huge fear of this administration and the reason our new President has been campaigning for reelection for the last 100 days. No one out there screaming that waterboarding is torture has ever been thru waterboarding. They are calling it torture because they are being told that it IS torture, so they blindly believe and follow...independent thought is a dangerous thing to a naked emperor...but I digress...)

Back to the post at hand...

When you are so fond of saying that "this is the news, fair and balanced" and want to brag about how you DELIVER THE NEWS, then perhaps you should DELIVER THE NEWS, not your opinions. Sadly, you'll no longer get THE NEWS from Shepard Smith. Sad, really. He was the last evening broadcast I could get actual NEWS on. Now, I'll have to try to catch Trace Gallagher for the news.

I'll end my rant here, and also note here that I reserve the right to edit or delete any posts that are made in this blog.

Missed a Month?!

2009-04-13T22:53:00.003-04:00

How'd I do that?? Not post for a month?

Well, probably because I've been rather preoccupied by other things in real life, and as such, haven't had much to say.

So, since I'm sure so many of you have been chomping at the bit for more of my Random Musings, I'll toss you a bone....

~ Is it just me, or does LOST just get better and better??

~ Why is it the people who really have no good reason to be full of themselves usually are the ones who ARE full of themselves?

~ Trampy girls...why do they always seem to get whatever they want?

~ New show Castle...I want to like it...but I don't.

~ Just Born brand jelly beans are yummy and addictive!!

~ I actually enjoyed last night's episode of Dirty Jobs...sled dogging in Alaska done especially for Discovery Channel's Alaska Week. TV's Mike Rowe wasn't nearly as annoying as he's been lately!

~ Rick Reichmuth...he makes me smile. Rick Reichmuth in a fancy black sports car makes me smile even more :D

~ the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get

~ Does anyone know ANYONE who enjoys going to the grocery store?

~ I really miss Seinfeld.

~ I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it was that made me find Shepard Smith attractive.

~ Deadliest Catch returns tomorrow! Can you say EXCITING?!!!

~ My new iPod Touch is awesome!

~ Captain Jonathan Hillstrand...'nuff said

Your Tax Dollars In Action!

2009-02-28T01:24:00.004-05:00

As many bloggers do, I have a little site counter attached to this blog, where I can see where my hits are coming from. It's so interesting to see hits from Europe reading my post about the private Eric Clapton concert I attended (many thanks to the Eric Clapton Portal for posting the link!) and to see how many people are googling TV's Mike Rowe and his latest venture, mikeroweWorks.

Sometimes, I get a little surprise...like, tonight.

Many times, the name of the company that the hit is coming from shows up on the counter. I've seen some large corporations, colleges and universities, among others. I've even had hits from government offices.

But, imagine my surprise tonight when I took a hit from none other than Fannie Mae! That's right! The embattled mortgage company that we, as taxpayers, have to bail out. It's good to see my tax dollars in action, as someone who's being paid with my hard earned money is sitting there, goofing off, googling about who designed a certain website. It's good to see that, even though I had to take a 10% pay reduction at my job because of the real estate crisis (created, in part, thanks to Fannie Mae and the sub-prime mortgage fiasco) that someone gainfully employed at Fannie saw fit to mess around on the internet while probably still earning the same salary they earned prior to this financial meltdown.

So, if I may be so bold, I would like to ask the Federal Government for some of my tax dollars back. Specifically, I'd like the money that was paid to this person who saw fit to waste the hard earned and dwindling cash that I am paying them in order to ensure that they retain a job and our country's economy doesn't implode on itself under the weight of bad loans made by their employer.

Maybe it's time we started demanding accountability for our money from these institutions if we are going to be spending our hard earned money to save them. Something to think about....

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!!

2009-02-26T22:09:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time, I was a young pre-teen girl, reading Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine...for the pics of my faves, you know ;)

Things were very different back then. The articles in these publications were sugar coated pabulum designed more to sell record albums and drive up TV show ratings rather than give you the real poop on those faves who's pics lined your bedroom walls. Not that we knew otherwise. We were more than happy to think our teen idols were as squeeky clean as we were!

Anyway, like most of the rest of the girls my age at that time, I was sort of outgrowing Donny & Marie (does anyone ever really outgrow Donny Osmond? Seriously...the man's a grandfather and I'd STILL do him in a heartbeat!) and looking for more 'grown up' music. I found that sound in the voice of Les McKeown, lead singer for The Bay City Rollers. No, they weren't from Bay City, Michigan. These five lads were from Edinburgh, Scottland, and they had the tartan to prove it! The lineup consisted of the afore mentioned Les, lead singer and the driving force in heartthrob, guitarists Woody Wood, Eric Faulkner, bassist Alan Longmuir and his drum playing blond brother with the little Dutch Boy hair cut, Derek. Alan later left the band (which he and Derek had actually founded as The Saxons) and was replaced by Ian Mitchell...but more on him later.

Now, you're going to think I'm weird (unless you already thought I was, and, in that case, this does not strike you as odd at all) but I just went up into the top of my closet shelf where all that 'stuff' lives. You know that 'stuff'...the stuff you just can't bring yourself to part with. The prom corsage, the gift a sweet boy you had a secret crush on gave you at your 12th birthday party, a postcard from a long forgotten friend...that 'stuff'. I have my grandmother's old jewelry box up there with some of this 'stuff' in it. There's a little adjustable ring with a distelfink on it, a NYC subway token, a pendant with my name twisted in silver wire that I got at a long gone fair, beaded earrings from the 1980's, a high school yearbook photo of me, and some ticket stubs from NY Ranger hockey games at Madison Square Garden.

There is another ticket stub in there. It's hot pink and it says SECTION 204 ROW B SEAT 12. It's dated May 9, 1977 and it's face value is a whopping $8.00. It was from my very first concert...The Bay City Rollers.

Yes, I had the Rollermania bad, though not as bad as some of those at that show. There were girls with their hair cut like Woody and Eric, wearing the same style ankle high pants with tartan around the cuffs, wearing tartan scarves around their necks. Before the Rollers, I'd always called it 'plaid'. My school uniform as plaid. But the Rollers wore TARTAN!

I went to the show with my cousins Diane, Maria and Joanne. Joanne had graduated high school and was working at the time. She waited in line on her lunch hour at the box office for the tickets. By the time she got up to the window, all that were left were singles. She did, however, manage to get two fairly good seats together. My mother was somehow elected as 'the parent' to bring us. She took the worst seat. Maria was OVER THERE, and Joanne was WAY OVER THERE. Diane and I had two choice seats on the aisle. We sat there, like two little ladies, in our jeans, sneakers and cute girl tshirts, like two little ladies, while the girl with the Eric Faulkner haircut sitting next to us explained how we'd need to sit back when the music started so she could rush the stage. This was our first concert. We thought it was going to be like a play. Everyone sits nicely and enjoys.

Wow, were WE idiots!

If I recall correctly, the 'opening act' was a clown...yes...a clown. We really didn't pay attention, since we were in awe of the Faulkner~headed girl. Her mother actually let her cut her hair that way? And where did she get pants LIKE THE ROLLERS WORE?! We looked at our Toughskins and Keds with embarrassment. We were failures as fans.

Then, the lights dimmed and the music started! IT WAS TIME FOR THE BAY CITY ROLLERS!

As if on cue, the Eric Faulkner girl charged the stage~along with just about every other girl in the audience. Diane and I looked at each other, embraced and screamed as only 12 year old girls can. It was almost as ear piercing as the music!

Suddenly, there was my mother in front of us. With a mighty index finger in our faces she said "I'll be in the lobby. DON'T MOVE" And she was gone. In an attempt to see better, we sat our butts on the top of our chairs, ensuring a much better view, and continued to scream.

We screamed for an hour.

And when it was over, we went home, dazed, deaf and hoarse.

So, tonight, I perused YouTube, and thru the magic of the internet, I got to experience Rollermania once again...

Ah...Dedication with Ian Mitchell on lead vocal. Here's how it went: Ian replaced Alan in the original line up, and Diane and I fell in love immediately. Looking back, I can't help but wonder why. Then again, we were kids, and so was he. Ian was all of 17 at the time he sang this song. Anyway, we were soooo excited to be seeing OUR IAN at the concert. In the weeks leading up to the show, we would look at the glossy pictures of the Rollers in Tiger Beat and 16 and sigh, knowing soon enough, we'd be in the same room as our sweet Ian. Then we read it: BREAKING NEWS IN 16 MAGAZINE! IAN IS OUT OF BCR!! Our pre~teen hearts broke into a thousand pieces! No Ian?! Who would sing Dedication?! There were only 4 Rollers at our show...but who even remembers the music? :D

It Ought To Be A Law...

2009-02-17T20:33:00.003-05:00

What with our new president signing nonsense into law, I figured he could sign another frivolous one into law as well, as long has he's in a singing mood:

Let it be known throughout the land that Rick Reichmuth, meteorologist for FoxNews, must never, ever cover up by wearing a suit while giving the forecast. Instead, he must always wear these jeans and a snug polo shirt:

Then we can all sing the "I'm Just a Bill" song from the old Schoolhouse Rock series :D

As I've said before, this is what's sexy, and right now, I need all the sexy I can get in my life.

Sorry for scamming the pic from our facebook, Rick...please consider it a birthday gift from you to moi * bats eyelashes provocatively at The Reichmuth *

The Lesson of Icarus

2009-01-19T16:20:00.002-05:00

Perhaps, dear Constant Reader, you remember the Greek myth of Icarus from a long ago school lesson. Perhaps not.

In any event, I am going to use my first entry of the new year to demonstrate to you why it is so important that we never forget history, as we become doomed to repeat it.

Icarus was the son of a gifted craftsman named Daedalus. Daedalus had created a labyrinth for King Minos where the Minotaur was to be imprisoned. Daedalus and his son Icarus were exiled to the island of Crete after the King discovered that Daedalus had helped the Minotaur to escape. In an effort to escape their exile, Daedalus fashioned a pair of wings on which he and Icarus were to fly away on out of wax and feathers. But, the father warned his son, that if he flew too low, moisture would weigh down the wings, and if he flew too high, the sun would surely scorch them. Travel between the two extremes, he cautioned.

Of course, you know how this ended. Tragically, as most Greek stories do, with the boy so delighted in his freedom of flight that he soared ever so high, allowing the heat from the sun to melt his waxen wings and sending the boy crashing to his death.

The lesson gleaned fro this fable is to remember not to get too close to the sun, as you may very well be burned.

How true this lesson is, even today.

Only today's entry is about celebrity and how what we see isn't always reality. Celebrity, for what it is worth, is little more than smoke and mirrors, with heavy editing involved so we see only what our celebrity of choice wishes us to see. It's nothing new. It's gone on as long as man has existed. But it is only when we get too close that we begin to see the cracks in the facade, where the truth has a tendency to ooze out a bit, if you pay attention closely.

Obviously, I did not pay enough attention in class when we were reviewing this myth. Perhaps, if I had, I would have avoided any involvement with the message boards of TV's Mike Rowe. Perhaps, if I had, I wouldn't have been so disappointed in what I've come to realized of late, and that is that the internet version of Mike is perhaps the real version of Mike, and that maybe the TV version of Mike is really only culled together by directors and editors. Charm and charisma can only hide so much, I'm afraid. Eventually, you start to see things and become aware of the truth.

Likewise, it appears that only a certain kind of "fan" is acceptable on the afore mentioned message boards. Only a certain kind of pandering and gushing warranting any sort of tip of the hat from the object of their desire. All others are left to swing in the wind at the mercy of the hungry vipers who fancy themselves to be the chosen ones. Some are ignored completely, apparently so offensive in their daring to be seen and heard that they are never to be spoken to, only about in thinly veiled ways. Others are berated and belittled publicly in order to pay for their grand sin of attempting to talk to TV's Mike Rowe. The remaining few who maybe have working brains and are able to think for themselves are left to fight for their rights to keep their opinions, as while the chosen are entitled to have them, those with brains clearly are not.

Sad, really, as this is a man who has, within the last 6 months, embarked on a crusade of sorts to highlight the need our country has for skilled laborers. Of course, you won't find any evidence of this on the website that bears his name and was apparently born for that express intention, as it has devolved and has become little more than a place for the faithful to vie for attention, agreeing with everything Rowe and a few "key" disciples say. They then snipe at other interlopers who dare attempt to feel a little bit of the sunshine that is Mike Rowe on their faces, regardless of the validity or importance of the post in question. The fact that the fearless leader is self admittedly at a loss for what his project even is holds no concerns, as to question would surely put one on the fast track to being viewed in an unfavorable light. Instead, the sniping at key offenders, the gushing at chosen postings, the orgasmic postings around anything from The Master instead continues.

So, I heave a heavy sigh, dear Constant Reader, for as they say, the best of intentions do go awry. I flew too close to the sun, it seems, and as the wax melted, I saw it for what it really was.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve...

2008-12-23T23:59:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-12-16T21:30:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-12-11T01:26:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-12-08T00:29:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-02T21:43:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-22T22:03:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-10-22T21:50:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-21T15:47:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-10-07T22:36:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-10-03T21:58:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-10-02T22:05:00.004-04:00

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.

2008-09-26T21:13:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-09-17T23:02:00.004-04:00

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?

2008-09-13T22:16:00.005-04:00

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...

2008-09-12T23:44:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-09T21:19:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-09-04T21:14:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-27T22:38:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-12T00:32:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-08-06T22:44:00.002-04:00

...from the Planet Green launch.

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

I Love Mike Rowe...

2008-08-06T22:41:00.003-04:00

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

Oh Captains, My Captains...

2008-07-23T21:36:00.007-04:00

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...

2008-07-23T21:31:00.003-04:00

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~

2008-07-02T00:26:00.000-04:00

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...

2008-05-31T23:45:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-05-27T22:11:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-26T23:36:00.004-04:00

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

2008-05-11T23:22:00.003-04:00

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?

2008-04-26T23:56:00.005-04:00

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...

2008-04-13T21:51:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-03-28T00:09:00.002-04:00

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....

2008-03-26T00:41:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-03-14T22:52:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-03-07T00:38:00.004-05:00

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"

2008-02-22T17:33:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-02-07T00:51:00.000-05:00

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?

2008-02-06T00:54:00.000-05:00

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...

Renewed Faith...

2008-02-01T00:23:00.001-05:00

First things first. I have an addition to everything I've previously noted about what I've learned so far this year. I'd like to add this: be wary of all earnestness. This is something that Mike Rowe has said many times, and appears to believe in whole heartedly. Yes, Mike...I am beginning to believe you on this one. As we seem to differ on so many other things, it's nice to have this common ground, don't you think? I have become acutely wary of all things earnest...as I am sure Mike himself has become. Thank you, Mike, for teaching me something besides how well you wear dirt.

Now, on to other important issues.

Previously in this blog, I have taken Shepard Smith to task for forgetting about the Katrina victims in his home state of Mississippi. Tonight, however, I am thrilled to report that he has NOT forgotten. At the end of FoxReport, Shepard, who was speaking in a soft, quiet voice, told of an email he received today from an old friend he hadn't seen in 30 years. The friend still lived in the Mississippi gulf, and told of the trials and tribulations facing his family and many others, and concluded by saying that they would indeed persevere. A graphic appeared on the screen, www.mississippi.gov , and Shepard noted that while much headway has been made, they still need our help.

I have to admit it, I was completely feeling the Shep~luv when he did that. It doesn't take much, really. It only took a minute at the end of his broadcast. He reaches so many people, and is widely respected. Just a small word from him, a gentle reminder, can do a world of good.

So, thank you, Shepard Smith, for restoring and renewing my faith in you. Enjoy your Superbowl adventure. You earned it!

Let's Do One More...

2008-01-24T01:23:00.000-05:00

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..

2008-01-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-01-21T11:01:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-18T23:51:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-01-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-01-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-01-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

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!

Out With the New, In With the Old...

2007-12-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

Here we are, once again quickly approaching the end of a year, with the dawning of a new year close on the horizon.

As the saying goes, it's Out with the Old, In with the New.

But this year, I'm twisting it up a tad.

In with the Old!

Out with the New!!

Meaning, Shepard Smith is returning to the Number 1 spot on my list.

His replacement, Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame, has fallen to #2.

Maybe he just needs to stop posting on his own board...or I need to stop reading it. It seems to me that every time he posts something, it's long winded and difficult to read. And once I'm able to get through it all, I get the impression that it was nothing more than smoke and mirrors...all that bloviating and...nothing. Big words do not a quality post make. Lots and lots of big words don't work either.

I'd much more appreciate a simple sentence with actual meaning than something that goes round and round for 7 or 8 paragraphs and wastes my time.

I'm not a fan of having smoke blown up my butt from anyone, regardless of how beautiful a chest he may have or how much he makes me laugh. Give me a straight answer. And if you don't want to give that straight answer, a simple "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to answer that" will suffice. I'm a simple woman with simple needs.

If you are looking for someone to gush about you, I'm not your girl.

If you are looking for someone to pump up your ego with praise, I'm not your girl.

If you are looking for someone who will give you right in everything, I'm not your girl.

But, if you are looking for someone who will appreciate you for what you are, then that's me.

If you are looking for someone to give you an honest appraisal of something, that's me too.

If you are looking for someone who will keep you grounded, well, that's me too.

Don't try to impress me. Just show me who you are, warts and all.

After all, every frog prince has his warts.

I've seen Shepard Smith's warts. I've seen him, candid and without barriers, laying his soul bare for all to see. I've seen him not making excuses for that nakedness. I've seen clear through to Shepard's heart. No big words. No bloviating. No talking and saying nothing.

Just his true heart.

Maybe Mike needs to start watching Shep...

...And So This Is Christmas...

2007-12-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

All of the hustle and bustle of the pre~Christmas season has come to an abrupt ending with the dawning of the day this morning.

Christmas is upon us, and fleeting as we speak.

The presents we wrapped so carefully in gilded paper now lie unwrapped and strewn under the tree. The gilded paper in a plastic bag in the trash, destined to find it's way to a recycling plant in the morning. The cookies we devoted so much time to baking are now eatten and stashed in plastic containers.

Tomorrow begins a new phase of the holiday season: The Day After.

It's the day for mega~sales...sales even better than they were during the last couple of shopping days for Christmas. It's the day that this years Christmas decorations go on sale..HALF PRICE!! Don't forget to stock up on that half price wrapping paper!!

We return every year to the malls the day after Christmas, bearing gifts we want to return.

This didn't fit, that's the wrong color, and who the hell thought I'd like THAT?!

We return the things we don't want...take that money...and buy the things we wanted but didn't get.

It's an annual ritual that we repeat every year. It's as much a part of the Christmas holiday as the tree.

And it's one I am proud to say I will NOT be participating in this year...everything I got is just right :)

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

random musing

2007-12-20T01:10:00.001-05:00

Are the voices in the GoPhone gingerbread men commercial those of Steve Buscheme and Adam Carolla?

Just When You've Lost Faith In TV...

2007-12-20T00:29:00.000-05:00

So it's no real secret that I watch a lot of TV. Well, I shouldn't say that. I don't exactly watch it. Generally speaking, I'm at my desk, typing on my computer, with the TV on in the background. Unless it was Survivor or LOST, I rarely turned around and devoted all of my attention to any particular show. Even Shepard Smith's newscasts did not garner my full attention, much as I love him.

All of that changed when I discovered two "new" shows this past year. I say "new" because both have been on for a while...it just took me this long to find them.

The first one is Psych on USA. How I missed this gem is beyond me. It's about a fake psychic and his partner who work for the Santa Barbara police. Sean may not be a psychic, but his observation skills make him a great detective. Corbin Bernsen plays his father. I actually find him sexy now in a way I never found his Arnie Becker back on LA LAW. This show is more than a who done it. It's witty and funny and sharp. Kind of how Monk was when it first came on. I'm not saying I don't enjoy Monk anymore, but it's lost some of it's zip over time. Psyche is more like House if Dr House weren't always such a downer. Their Christmas episode was great...fresh and funny and sweet. Can't wait for the new episodes in January!

The second "new" show I discovered was Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe...but if you are a dear Constant Reader, you already knew that. I'd seen bits and pieces of the show over time....like the dog groomer episode where Mike, dressed in a fuscia floral shirt, worked on the pampered pups. At the time I flipped around to it I thought "Wow, that poor guy. He's cute, but...yikes!" I also watched parts of the ostrich farmer and the crew cruise. At the time I found Mike somewhat cute and very funny. Had no idea what the premise of the show was. All I knew is that these men were on a cruise, and the guy in the cap found it very funny that the chubby one took a tumble while ice skating. Then, one night, as fate would have it, I came upon the show as it was just starting. They were in a salt mine, and as Mikes narration pointed out, they were going to show some behind the scenes stuff...how they film the show. I kept it on and was truly fascinated on several levels. First off, the fact that the fucameraman stood there holding that camera for what had to be hours at a time (cameraman turned out to be Doug), the idea that this man, with no training whatsoever in this field, would go down into this mine and do the work in there, and the thought that this Mike Rowe was really quite adorable. I enjoyed the show, and after, went to discovery.com/dirtyjobs like Mike directed me to at the end. The rest, as they say, is history. I like the jobs that Mike does, providing insects aren't involved. He brings to the forefront the men and women who do jobs that are necessary, and that we either don't know about, or are glad we don't do ourselves. I also love the fact that he is quick of wit and can easily make me laugh and smile without having to take his pants off. Then again I love the fact that he's not afraid to take off his clothes and that he really does have a beautiful body for a man of his age. That and I'm just a sucker for a beautiful hairy chest *big smile*

Once we get LOST back, and the new episodes of Psych and Dirty Jobs start up in January, I don't know if I'm going to even have time to blog ;)

Fox Bimbo Network

2007-12-19T00:02:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine watches the FoxNews late night program Red Eye on a regular basis. The other day, she sent me an email regarding something that happened on it one night. One of the guests was a woman from the newly formed Fox Business Network who apparently has an MBA from Harvard. During an exchange, Andy Levy, who is one of the regular Red Eye panelists apparently had to explain to the Harvard MBA what capitalism was, as she seemed to be confused.

Our entire economy is based on capitalism. How could anyone with a business degree be confused about it?

I do not get Fox Business Network, and it's just as well. As a businesswoman myself, I dare say that if this person is representative of the network, then I am grateful for not getting my business news and analysis from them. As it turned out, the same FBN woman who got confused about capitalism on Red Eye was on StudioB and again appeared to need guidance from Shepard Smith in order to get through the segment.

I have seen photos of the women on FBN. Mostly young women, mid 20s to early 30s. Mostly wearing what one can only conclude to be the required wardrobe of any female on air Newscorp employee: short, tight skirts. Most are the required hair color: blonde, with a smattering of brunettes thrown in just to make sure no cries discrimination. As a person actively involved in the pursuit of capitalism, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that I care less about what the person delivering my business news and providing me with business analysis looks like, and more about their ability to comprehend the information they are delivering. I want to know why something is a good or bad investment, why someone filed Chapter 11, how new tax laws will affect my future income. I don't want someone who reads copy, giggles and shrugs.

I am not impressed with the letters MBA attached to a name. Personal experiences have taught me that any monkey with the ability to read, memorize and regurgitate can achieve this distinction. It doesn't necessarily mean they can then apply what they memorized to the real world. There is no real substitute for good old fashioned experience.

For what it's worth, I'd rather watch grizzled old Jack Welch, bald Michael Eisner or oddly coifed Donald Trump discussing business than a 25 year old Harvard MBA with a few months experience at a large brokerage house who decided they too cute and were much better suited for TV than actual application of that MBA.

I've watched and listened to Neil Cavuto for years and always referred to him as the adult version of Alex P. Keaton. His insight and business acumen are well known and respected. So I have to ask: What the heck are you doing over at FBN??

Random Musings...

2007-12-18T00:27:00.000-05:00

Things have been hectic here of late. Between getting the house ready for Christmas and getting myself ready for Christmas, I haven't had a lot of time for much else.

Sooo...where to begin?

The ville is done! Whoot whoo! The Perfect Mike Rowe~cosm has been duly photographed and documented. Too bad Mike Rowe isn't around...it'd be a perfect Dirty Job for him to take the damn thing down after the holidays. I'm sure he'd love it. I know I do *rolls eyes*

Here are a few more pictures of it:

Of course, there'd be more perks in it for Mike to come take it down than there are for me to take it down. For one, I'd be so appreciative that I'd give the boy an amazing massage...no one's ever given me one of those. I have to pay $10 for 10 minutes at the salon LOL Mike could actually be the lucky recipient of various forms of thanks...ahem...is it warm in here?

The tree is also done. After much trial and tribulation. Here's a pic of that:

The first guests came over on Friday, family friends who had dinner with us. Wine flowed freely and for the first time in a long time, I was a bit tipsy. It wasn't so bad until I woke up the next morning with drunk mouth...bah! I didn't think I drank that much! I was up and out early, stopping by the diner for breakfast and then off to FINALLY do my Christmas shopping at Lord & Taylor. Finished up my father, and he finished up my mother. Since Rosie's old HP has finally outlived its usefulness, I opted to order her a cheap Dell desktop. I just got notification that it shipped today and should arrive on Wednesday. The fun part will be getting it into the house to wrap without her seeing it...need to brainstorm on that one. Of course, I know my Christmas day will basically consist of moi installing the new pc and doing the dishes...ho ho ho.

Weather here has been frightful. Saturday night a nor'easter blew on in, and I do mean BLEW! The winds were horrendous! My bed is in front of the window, and the noise from the ice pellets that were falling being thrust against the window, walls and roof kept me awake until 5am! When I finally fell asleep, the sun was coming up. Of course, I got very little sleep, and after the heavy slushy confection was removed, it was off again for more shopping. I returned home exhausted, and having to install a new plasma tv for my parents. I hit the bed hard and slept well, not wanting to get up this morning for work.

I finally got the ingredients I need for baking. Of course, the almond paste I need was on special this week and they were out of it. Time to go traipsing around looking for it. What fun! Hope to start baking on Wednesday...after I pick up my Secret Santa gift...

Shepard Smith has been looking fine to me of late. I know I have taken him to task here often, but I truly do like the guy. He's funny and witty and smart. It's just that sometimes he's also infuriating and agitating. But then he smiles that impish, crooked little grin, and some days I just want to twist my fingers thru his curly locks. I don't know why. He's just adorable sometimes. Rick Leventhal is back in Iraq now. Now THAT is a man. He's truly beautiful. And hes a great reporter. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Rick, above and beyond the fact that I find him incredibly good looking.

You know, it's not so much that I don't like the holidays, it's the holidays that I think don't much like me. I'm always rushing around...and for what? I spend about 40 man~hours putting up a village that only a handful of people come to see. I bake cookies and no one eats them. I buy presents that get returned. And I'm alone. This is the only time of year that it really bothers me, being alone. A certain person has little to no regard for me, and that hurts...mostly around now. If I were to go POOF! and disappear forever, they wouldn't even notice. It's getting harder and harder. I can sincerely understand why depression and suicide rates increase over the holidays. Compounding it for me, my birthday is a few days after Valentines Day...another celebration I can't participate in.

I've waited for years for my ship to come in. And always, it sails right on by. Everyone else seems to get my ticket to board, and I am forced to stand on the dock, waving my hanky, wishing those others a bon voyage while I stand alone and forgotten.

Ho Ho Ho indeed....

The Bimbo~fication of FNC

2007-12-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

Used to be that when I wanted to know what was going on in the world, I turned on FoxNews.

Used. To. Be.

Now, I hesitate when I have the remote in my hand. Do I really want to watch FNC?

Do I really want to take the chance that if I turn on what used to be on my TV box (thanks, Shep) nearly 24/7, there will be some short skirted, low neckline wearing 20-something bottle blonde stumbling over the TelePrompTer?

I've watched Fox News faithfully for over two years...ever since watching Shepard Smith's emotional reportage from the I-10 overpass in New Orleans. Back then, you could count on GOOD reporting. People like Shepard, Trace Gallagher, Jon Scott, the amazing Rick Leventhal, Phil Keating and Adam Housely. But the list didn't end with the men. Far from it. They also had the likes of Jane Skinner, Julie Banderas, Martha MacCallum, Catherine Herridge and Jennifer Griffin reporting and anchoring. Women who could hold their own with the men.

But now, professionals like these are few and far between on the network.

Now we are over run with sorority girls. Giggly, bubbly princesses wearing micro minis hiked up to show the maximum amount of thigh, unable to read the TelePrompTer, making uninformed comments and laughing inappropriately.

It's no way to start our day when the worlds first Audioanimatronic anchor is sitting alongside Anchorwoman Barbie in her short leather skirt and lingerie top, giggling before turning on their "serious journalist" voices to report a tragic story.

Gone is the previous professionalism of the network, the 'get the story at all costs' feeling that oozed from my TV during Katrina and the conflict in Israel. Or any real news story.

Good, female journalists are relegated to irregular shifts, overnight headlines and rare occasions of covering breaking news. But long live the bimbo on FNC! She will be on both Studio B AND FoxReport, giggling about the story she's reading but knows nothing about...she's just reading what they told her to read, having to be told what to say by the anchor because she's apparently so enthralled by her own image in the monitor she's forgotten what she's talking about but remembers to smush her headshot together with the anchors to pretend they are kissing.

And the bimbos are getting high praise from upper management!

Now, here's the thing. I have nothing against pretty young women with color treated hair (come on...when your dark roots are showing, you seriously cannot expect anyone to believe that's your 'natural color') making good. Lord knows I was once one myself. I was lucky though. I got by in life on my merits. Maybe I got a little extra because I was pretty, but I am still able to get by, and get by in a good way, because I did not rely on my looks when I was younger. I feel bad for the Courtney Friel's of FNC. The Julie B's and ED Hill's will be around for a good long time. Looks, as they say, fade. Brains...those will serve you much better than those little bra inserts that puff up the cleavage ever could...

Picture Perfect Mike Rowe~cosm

2007-12-10T00:02:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie...finally finished the 'ville (AND the tree...but more on that after the pic..) and wanted to post a quick picture of it. Here it is (although I'm sure my ineptitude in sizing will cause only a small portion of the picture to show LOL):

Now, on to the tree.

I had picked up a new tree on Halloween...yes, that is how much they rush the seasons these days. I had actually had time to go scope out the tree's and decide which to pick up prior to Halloween and went Halloween night to get one!

Well, Saturday I opened the box. Looked a bit large. It was only supposed to be 7ft, but the circumfrence of the first layer of branches was much bigger than our old Treezilla. There had to be somethign wrong. I continued to assemble it, putting the second section on. That's when I realized this tree was much larger than it was supposed to be. In the store, I was able to touch the top of the tree without a step stool. At home, this was not the case. So I wrestled with the damn thing and finally got it back into the box and into the back of the Sportage.

Back up to Fortunoff!

Picked up a very full 6.5ft tree in its place. Not my original choice, but the results of the Annalee tree are magnificent.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get the ornament boxes out of the way.

In the meantime, I think that right now, all my perfect little Mike Rowe~cosm is lacking is an actual Mike Rowe! ;)

The Perfect Mike Rowe~cosm

2007-12-07T00:27:00.000-05:00

So I have FINALLY finished that @$%&#* village.

It has made me foul of temper and ill of spirit.

But now, it's done.

FINISHED.

almost...

Just have to hook the skirt onto the table, set up the large lit trees that go around the table, and put all the mess away. But that's tomorrow night. For now, I get to breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to setting up the tree on Saturday.

I look at my 'ville as a microcosm...it is a miniature, perfect world. Everything is decorated. The paths don't need shoveling. Children play, adults shop and everyone is happy.

Too bad the real world isn't like my 'ville.

If it were, all of my Christmas decorating would be done. My tree would be up and be perfect~it would be a real tree, but it wouldn't dry out before Christmas and the needles wouldn't fall off when I took it down after the holidays. The boxes for the decorations would retrieve themselves from the attic and likewise return magically. No sets of lights would blow~ever! All the Christmas baking would be done and everything would come out perfect and taste divine. Oh, there would be big Martha Stewart style sugar cookies too. Decorated with great details and actually looking like what they are supposed to be~as if Martha herself had decorated them. All of the shopping would be done and the shimmering wrapping festooned with ribbons. Everyone would get the perfect gift and everyone would simply love everything they got. Of course, there'd be no traditional Christmas debt, because, remember, this is a perfect world. And in this perfect world, I'd be curled up on my sofa, watching the twinkling lights on my perfect tree while drinking mulled wine and nibbling perfect sugar cookies...with my head on Mike Rowe's delectable chest and his strong, loving arms around me...

...now, THAT would be the perfect Mike Rowe~cosm ;)

Festival of Lights

2007-12-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

Tonite marked the first night of Hannaukah.

Or, as my officemate Sam refers to it, the Jewish Christmas.

Now, I'm not Jewish, but my officemate is. So, I put a little Menorah in our office in honor of Hannaukah...and that was enough to set off the first rant of the season...something about how Hannaukah has become so commercial, even a Christian like myself was celebrating it.

It's no secret around the Wing that Sam is a notorious holiday grinch, and each holiday season, he launches into what we've come to affectionately refer to as "the rant".

Both Christmas and Hannaukah, he argues, are holidays with beautiful sentiments. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, while Hannaukah celebrates the miracle of the oil. We cheapen these holidays with commercialism. Christmas, he says, is not about Santa. Hannaukah is not about 8 gifts. To Sam, these things cheapen what should be meaningful celebrations.

While Sam rages against the holiday machine, garlands and trees and lights go up around him. I'm not innocent here, with my Menorah, Christmas tree, and red basket of candy canes scattered festively all around our office.

But, deep down, I know that Sam is absolutely correct. Hannaukah is not about lighting Menorahs and giving 8 little gifts (or even one big one). It's about celebrating a miracle that happened so long ago. Likewise, Christmas is not about Santa, elves, reindeer and trees. It's also about an ancient miracle.

We seem to have forgotten that. We rush around, looking for just the right gift...something that was requested, something that will elicit squeels of delight. We worry about trees and lights and villages.

We forget the reason for the season.

Maybe, this holiday season, we all need to slow down a bit, put down the garlands and the sale flyers, and step back for a minute.

Step back and think, and try to remember those amazing miracles that happened in a desert land so long, long ago. Miracles who's impact was so profound, we celebrate them to this day.

Remember the reasons for the seasons...

Make Me Feel Better...

2007-12-03T21:42:00.000-05:00

Blech...I am so sick. I was up most of the night, unable to breathe, and consequently, unable to sleep. When I finally did fall asleep, I woke up a couple of hours later with a migrane, unable to fall asleep again. So I called in sick and went back to bed...where I stayed until 1:30 in the afternoon! I never stay in bed like that, but I couldn't even lift my head off the pillow. I finally did fall asleep, and when I woke up, I was able to eat something and have some coffee, and I felt a bit better.

Then I layed down again, and found out I had a delima. Should I watch Shepard Smith or Mike Rowe? Both were on at 3pm, but who was going to make me smile more and feel better?

The episode of Dirty Jobs contained the infamous geoduck segment...something I'd never seen in its entirity. But Shepard wasn't on Friday, so I opted to tape Mike and watch Shepard.

Turned out Shepard was sick too. Made me sniffle even more. Must be something going around the city LOL

I have to say, I did indeed enjoy Mike and the geoduck more.

There is something just so appealing about a 45 year old man (who happens to have one of the top ten chests in my estimation) acting like a 12 year old boy. He made me laugh and smile :)

And I felt a little bit better, so, thanks, Mike :)

Did I mention I can't wait to get back to bed? Hope I can sleep tonite because I'm out of sick days for the year!

Shop Til You Drop

2007-11-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

Tonite I went up to Bloomingdales after work. There was a big 'private' sale going on, and it involved coupons. So we had dinner at the cafe (where, to my surprise, a coupon was also involved) and headed to the mens department to find what we could for Dad for Christmas.

Historically, I have done very well in Bloomingdales for my father for Christmas. Alas, this Christmas, that was not to be the case.

Aside from the Polo section, the rest of the clothing in the mens department appeared to be centered around either brooding emo boys or attorneys. Gray prewashed stenciled tshirts or a rainbow of ties fanned out across table after table. Take your pick. Nothing there really for a man of my fathers age.

In the end, I left the store with 2 pair of Via Spiga boots for the price of one (thank you again, coupon!), some Bogdan's mint reception sticks and mascara. The nice saleslady gave me the free gift even though my purchase was $4 shy of the "free with purchase" price.

It's funny though. The mens department at Bloomies always makes me think of Shepard Smith. I think it's the brightly hued neckties or the geometric pattern dress shirts. Or something. Whatever it is, a visit to the Bloomingdales mens department always makes me want to make over Shep.

It's not that he doesn't dress well...it's just that he doesn't dress the way I feel he should. If he would only consult with me, I could no doubt make him one of the best dressers on television. Even better than that walking ego, Brian Williams (and this comes from a woman who has renamed a shade of blue "Brian Williams Blue". Say what you want, the ego does dress well)

The offer is on the table, Shepard. Anytime, any Bloomingdales or Nordstrom...I can work wonders ;)

The same offer is extended to Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs...except if I ever got him undressed, DRESSING him would be the last thing on my mind...

Thank God tomorrow is Friday...I seriously need a couple of days off!

In the Ville...

2007-11-27T23:38:00.000-05:00

So I started my Christmas Village...you know...the one I swore up and down I was NOT doing this year under ANY circumstances.

Yep.

That one.

I got all the kristmas krap out of the attic on Sunday, and set it all out. Houses on one table, people and accessories on the other, electrical gizmos to enhance the village experience in between the two. A box of trees here. Bag of mountains there. Lord & Taylor shopping bag full of wires under the table. Styrofoam as far as the eye can see.

Hey, Mike Rowe...want to see a dirty job? Come over to my house and set up my ville...I'm covered from head to toe with ground styrofoam snow, chopped mylar and glitter...two different kinds of glitter, at that! And let's not forget the tackywax! Gotta have the tackywax! Otherwise everthing just sort of topples over from the floor vibrations...and once you have your scene set, the LAST thing you want is for your damn people or your stupid streetlights to topple over.

Yes, as you can see, the Christmas Spirit has filled me.

The end result is usually quite stunning visually. It's not so much the scale of it~compared to others, my village isn't that large.

The devil, as they say, is in the details...and I try to put as many of those in as I possibly can. Alleyways with trash cans, street details like firehydrants and telephone poles, a festive village square. It's time consuming and at times, maddening, but in the end, I guess its pretty worth it.

But I seriously cannot wait to finish.

I missed the first showing of Dirty Jobs tonite...hope I stay awake for the second show. Gotta have my Mike Rowe fix! I hear tonite he gets to sniff diapers...bet he was thrilled ;)

...and so it begins...

2007-11-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It's a time when we are supposed to sit back, enjoy a feast with our loved ones, and reflect on the past year, giving thanks for how good we have it. Just like the Pilgrims did all those years ago in Plymouth colony. They were grateful for living thru the harsh winter, and for the friendship of the Indians, who helped them survive.

Except that, we don't exactly DO that anymore, do we?

Instead, we obsess over where we are going. Who is going to be there? Who's coming to our house? Who's bringing what? Is the turkey big enough? What kind of potatoes is she making? Who's doing the dishes? What time does the WalMart open for those Black Friday sales?

Where is the thanks?

Where is the gratefulness?

Where is the reflection?

Everything is rushrushrushrush.

Everyone's worried about getting past Thanksgiving and on to Christmas.

No one stops to smell the turkey anymore.

Thanksgiving has stopped being about giving thanks and has become the Official Kick~off of Christmas.

So, on this Thanksgiving eve, I've decided to sit down and reflect on what I am truly thankful for, instead of dwelling on what is lacking in my life. Oh, there is plenty that is lacking~job satisfaction, someone to love and share my life with, a home of my own...the list is long and makes me feel sad.

But what do I have? What have I been blessed with? What should I be joyful that I have and give thanks for?

I've been blessed with parents who care a great deal about me, maybe too much. But they are always there, a safety net so that when I fall, at least someone is there to help me up.

I'm grateful that I have a job. Inasmuch as I despise what I do these days, and like where I work even less, at the very least, I make a little bit of money and can splurge at Bloomies once in a while when they have a sale. The Michael Kors pumps on my feet are proof of that. I am thankful for them, and the sale that put them there.

I'm thankful that FoxNews resigned Shepard Smith to a multi~year deal at a high salary. I like Shepard and I'm glad he's being treated right by his employer. Actually, I'm glad that I see someone who is good at what they do being treated well at their job. I may not be treated or paid very well for breaking my back at my job, but at least I know there is hope because I can see that there are indeed employers who reward good employees. Maybe someday I will have one of those jobs.

I'm thankful that I found Dirty Jobs on Discovery channel. It makes me realize that there are people out there who do what some of us would consider beneath us so that we can live in a civilized world. I am grateful that I found Mike Rowe. He and his beautiful chest are easy on the eyes and he makes me smile. He gives me hope that there are indeed men out there who can make me laugh without having to drop their pants.

I give thanks for the good friends that I have. For Sherri Ann, who, while we don't speak often, has been a steady beam of light for me for some 30 years. For Katy, who's helped me get thru more than she knows. For Ruby Anne who is like the southern version of me. I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I have are good and strong and true.

I'm grateful for my mind. Because, while I sometimes fear I am losing it, it is what keeps me going, what helps me get thru. It is what helped me to write the book I hope to one day publish. Hopefully, one day soon.

And, I'm thankful for my sense of humor and the ability to laugh at myself~before others can, I hope.

There may be a lot of things that I want in my life that I don't have, and maybe some things that I have that I don't want, but there are always things to give thanks for. Remember, no matter how bad you think it is, there is always someone who has it worse. Tomorrow, I will have a good dinner with my family in a warm, dry place. Not everyone can say that.

So, please, on this Thanksgiving, on the eve of the blessed holiday season, take a moment or two to sit and think...and thank.

One More Day....

2007-11-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

All I have to do to have a nice 4 day weekend is get thru one more day of misery. Think I can pull it off? Goodness knows today was the LONGEST day in a long time! Good Grief how time drags when you don't want to be where you are!

So Shepard Smith wished us all a Happy Thanksgiving tonite...he's off for his holiday. I remember a couple of years ago, the day before Thanksgiving, he was quite excited. Said he thought of Thanksgiving as a "grazing" holiday, since all you really did all day was sit around and eat, then eat some more. He's right. Most traditional families do just that.

But not mine.

No, mine has to go to the casino for Thanksgiving.

No turkey.

No cranberry sauce.

No stuffing.

No asparagus patties.

I sound like Ralphie narrating A Christmas Story at the end, when the Bumpus's dogs get into the house and eat the Christmas turkey.

Guess I'll be having something from the buffet for dinner. Maybe they'll have turkey? I know we had turkey dinner that Thanksgiving we spent at Walt Disney World.

Told you we were different ;)

$hepard $mith

2007-11-19T19:04:00.000-05:00

So the big news in the news game today was Shepard Smith and his new contract with FoxNews.

Historically, Shepard has never discussed the terms of his contracts, which is something that I think is his prerogative, really. It's not my business how much he makes. I'm not signing his checks.

But this contract is different.

In a deal that is said to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 years, 7 to 8 million dollars per year, Shepard Smith has now eclipsed his cable news peers and become the highest paid cable news anchor, putting him in the same neighborhood as network stars like Brian Williams.

Somewhere, Keith Olbermann is crying.

I do have to say, it's about damn time. I know that I have taken Shepard to task previously in this blog, but it's not because I don't think he's good. Quite the opposite. I think he's amazing newsman, and I have stated that in the past. No other anchor man on our television today, network or cable, works as hard as Shepard does, or throws himself as deeply into his stories as Shepard. Sometimes emotional, sometimes funny, always on his game. To me, he is worth every penny.

Of course, that doesn't mean constructive criticism of his shows is off limits here... ;)

Real and true congratulations to you, Shepard Smith, and an old Irish blessing for you:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Jib Jab...

2007-11-16T22:18:00.001-05:00

you can do some baaaad things with that....mwahahahaha...

Just Sayin'...

2007-11-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

I got home tonight in time to catch the last 10 minutes of the new and improved FoxReport with Shepard Smith.

Now, before I go any further, regular readers of this blog (if there are any of you LOL) and anyone who knows me personally, all know that I do indeed love Shepard Smith. I feel he's the best anchorman out there today, and one of the finest field reporters in the game today. He's also not afraid to laugh at himself and crack a joke, even if it's not in the most appropriate spot.

OK, disclaimer in place, I now can proceed.

I flipped on FNC just in time to see a report from the Palestra.com, a college news website that seems to have caught
Shepard's fancy. Apparently, tomorrow is a big game for Ohio State University's football team and the students were celebrating by tossing themselves into a body of water...in 40 degree temperatures. College kids usually do crazy things like this...at least they did back in the day when I was in school. But...is this news?

The next segment dealt with Vegas...David Copperfield's first show since the rape allegations, and OJ Simpson. The ever classy Trace Gallagher was in Vegas, reporting on Copperfield. Then Shepard launched into a story about OJ and his "posse"...detailing the differences between and "entourage" and a "posse" in a segment called "Just Sayin'", with a graphic of what looked to be a silouhette of Shepard, shrugging.

OK, back it up there, Smith. Aren't you the man who, while doing press to promote the changes being made to FoxReport, said how you were getting rid of the teases and what not to bring MORE news to the people? In fact, I am looking at an interview you gave to TV Guide online this past August about just such a thing.

And here is a quote from that interview...

"We have to do more news. We've already given up the "coming up" teasing that we were known for in the early days. We've taken all of the time and put it into content. We did that because viewers said that's what they wanted. Viewers have said, "Stop telling me for 45 seconds what you're going to do in the next four minutes." So we have. We're not going to do more crap. We're not going to do more titillating [stories], Hollywood-movie reviews and jokes. We're going to do less of that. There are other places that do that better than we do. I don't make any apologies for the way we've done it in the past. There was an atmosphere where it was acceptable because people didn't have so much of it. We need to do news."

Things called "The Daily Britney" and "Just Sayin'" and items about college kids getting pumped for a big game from Palestra.com aren't "news"...at least not by the definition that I know news as. They may be interesting, curious, entertaining and maybe even funny. But they are not news.

Personally, I don't care what is used to fill a newscast. Just don't promise me more news and deliver more gossip.

I'm just sayin'...

;)

Don't Try This At Home!

2007-11-16T01:04:00.000-05:00

www.elfyourself.com

if I could figure out how to get the one I made in here, I'd do it!!

edited to add...figured it out!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9519425061

Dear Shepard...

2007-11-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

I was poking around my desk, which is essentially an avalanche waiting to happen, when I unearthed an old issue of TV Guide...from back when it was, well, TV Guide size. The cover date was Sept 25-Oct 1, 2005. CSI Returns! Screamed the cover! Inside was a special edition of a page called "News Flashes", where TV Guide spoke to 3 of the news faces of the then recent Hurricane Katrina~Brian Williams of NBC, Elizabeth Vargas of ABC and Shepard Smith of FNC. Each journalist had a single column about their coverage. After reading it again, I decided to write an open letter to Shepard Smith.

Shepard's column on that page told of how FNC forced he and his crew to leave their perch on the I-10 overpass in New Orleans because they were worried about their mental health, but how after a few days, he headed to his native Mississippi.

This is how Shepard's column ended:

"Says Smith, 'I want to tell their individual stories.'"

Over two years have passed. During his initial visit to Waveland, MS, in the first week after Katrina, he had met a man named Brian who had a little dog named Rocky. Brian and Rocky had ridden the deadly 30 foot high wall of water as it washed away the town and had managed to survive. That night, upon his return to the scene, Shepard sat at a makeshift candlelit table with Brian and a few of his friends, all survivors, talking about the disaster, their survival, and their desire to rebuild. Shepard Smith sat there, legs crossed, Waveland cap on his head. He looked at peace. That Christmas, he returned to Waveland and followed up with Brain and his little dog, now living in a FEMA trailer.

Shepard returned to the region again for Holy Week the following spring, giving an update on the clean up efforts, and asking residents after losing everything, what, if anything, could they possibly be giving up for Lent. He also returned for the first anniversary of Katrina, reporting on the clean up and rebuilding that was going on in the region.

I haven't really heard much of anything about Katrina since then from Shepard. A report here and there, FEMA this, Mayor Nagin that, Governor voted out, but beyond that? Nothing.

Where are all of the individual stories that you wanted to tell, Shepard?

I think Shepard Smith missed a monumental opportunity.

Forget for a minute that he is a newsman, and remember that he is a man. A man who grew up in small town Mississippi, who'd father still lives in that same small town. A man who still lives and dies with his beloved Ole Miss Rebels. A man with the ability to tell a story and leave you enthralled.

A man with a forum and an audience...yet he did nothing.

Now, I'm not saying he didn't do anything to help after Katrina, not at all. I know he participated in a fund raiser with Governor Haley Barbour in DC after the hurricane. I am sure that he himself has given money, and quite possibly time, to help rebuild the Mississippi Gulf coast. I know he cares. As he told his viewers during the initial shock of Katrina, that is his home.

But he did not tell us those stories that he told TV Guide he so wanted to tell in the initial wake of the disaster, the tales of survival and of loss. Of rebuilding and of redemption. Of sadness and joy.

Yes, Shepard Smith missed a huge opportunity...and his loss is our loss. We will never get to hear those individual stories. We will never get to know, to cry, to mourn with those whose lives were changed forever that day or to rejoice in those small personal miracles that we all know occur. We don't know if Brian and Rocky are still in their FEMA trailer, or if they were ever able to rebuild their home.

Shepard Smith has what I consider to be an extraordinary gift. He has the ability to tell a story and to compel you with it. He has a way of holding your attention, of making you care. He is able to have his passion reach out thru your television screen and into your heart. He has the ability to make a difference.

I guess I just expected more from someone I respected like Shepard Smith. I thought he really would decide stand up, step to the front and make a difference, especially for his beloved Mississippi.

Come on, Shepard...make a difference...

Darn That Smile

2007-11-13T23:28:00.001-05:00

So Shepard sucked me back in for a moment tonite. First by referring to his FoxReport and it's new set as a circus tent. Then he gave that darn impish little grin of his and my heart just melted a little bit. Must. Resist. Impish. Grin.

Moving on...it was hotter than the gates of Hades at the office today, giving me reason to believe that I am, in fact, correct, and we do indeed work in a portal to hell. You know what that makes the bossman....

There was a new episode of Dirty Jobs on tonite...but first, there was a repeat of Mike Rowe's second visit to the alligator farm. This time, Jerry took Mike on an alligator egg hunt, complete with real alligators...and fire ants. After seeing this tonite, I have to say I am glad we don't have fire ants in NY. Poor Mike. First the ants got him on his hands and arms. They seemed to gravitate to his armpits and up to his neck, leaving welts in their wake that were at first painful, then itchy. The really bad part happened when they somehow managed to get into his pants. I don't know how much this man makes for this, but I don't think there is any amount of money that could possibly compensate someone for having his manbits nibbled on by fire ants. I'll admit it...I laughed. But I did feel guilty for laughing at his pain. Later on, an alligator tail nailed him once again in the jewels. Guess it just wasn't Mike Rowe's day *guilty smirk*

The new episode took place first at the San Francisco dump. Oh. My. God. You never consider what happens to your trash once you bag it and can it and the dude with the stubby little cigar in the corner of his mouth takes it away. You never think about the people who process your trash. Yes...people actually process the trash. I swear, I felt as though I could almost smell the garbage, thats how disgusting it was. I have to wonder if the Dirty Jobs crew has, by now, lost their sense of smell. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. They seemed to get a reprieve from major stenches in the second job of the new episode, which took place at an animal sanctuary in Georgia. Well, there was poo, and a pig, but it had to smell like paradise compared to the dump...even when shoveling poo. Well...it was frozen poo. Or so he said...but this is another man who's smile makes me forget why I was grossed out.

Seriously...I need to tie one of these men and keep him at the office, so when I'm sitting there wondering if we are having a group hot flash, they can smile at me and make me forget I'm melting!

Sorry, Shepard...

2007-11-12T19:39:00.000-05:00

For over 2 years now, I've loyally watched and loved Shepard Smith of FoxNews. Laugh if you must, but the guy is good. Witty and funny when he can be, serious and tenacious when he has to be.

However recent, changes to both of his shows have rendered them, to me, sadly, nearly unwatchable.

Don't get me wrong, aside from what I view as a loud, obnoxious set, FoxReport, the 7pm newscast Shepard anchors, is still good. Quick and concise stories packaged up neatly...just delivered with a little too much flash for me.

My problem lies with StudioB, Shepard's 3pm show. I used to enjoy StudioB much more than FoxReport. It was a looser version of FoxReport, highlighted by a segment, usually at the bottom of the hour, called "Skinnerville". It was here that Jane Skinner would read the half-hour headlines, and then interact with Shepard about anything under the sun. There were many laughs to be had during Skinnerville, and it was always, to me, and others I know, the most enjoyable segment of either of Shepard's shows.

Sadly, all of that changed about a year ago, after Jane got her own show the hour before StudioB. Sure, at first, it continued, with Shepard reading the bottom of the hour headlines for Jane, then carrying on a "Shepardville" during her hour and then the traditional Skinnerville during Shepards hour. It was short lived and soon we lost both Shepardville and the beloved Skinnerville.

For a while, I honestly didn't really enjoy StudioB, but I didn't find it unwatchable.

Enter Courtney Friel.

Now, usually I don't really care who's delivering the story, providing I can get the facts in a clear, concise manner.

Ms. Friel is neither clear nor concise. FoxNews has seen fit to shove her down our collective gullets at all turns. Weekdays, weekends, late nights, you name a program and there's always a good chance she's going to pop up on it.

At first, it wasn't so bad. She's new, I thought. Maybe she needs time to adjust.

Well, the honeymoon, as they say, is over.

I'm going to try to say this in the nicest terms I possibly can. Below is a list. At one time or another, while on air, Courtney Friel has been guilty of at least one:

Preening
Giggling
Forgetting what she was saying
Flirting
Watching herself in the monitor
Complaining her arms looked fat
Saying something completely inappropriate

About the only thing she hasn't done on air is wave while mouthing "I'm on TV!" excitedly. At times, I've wondered if I've wandered into some parallel universe where the Brady Bunch is still on and Marsha got a job on TV. FoxNews has a lot of very pretty women on it's staff, but they are all highly professional and I have never seen any of them giggle and tell Shepard Smith that their arms look fat on TV.

I'm not saying Courtney Friel is a bad person. Far from it. I'm sure she's a very nice person. What I am saying is that she is not what I want to see when I turn on a news report anchored by someone who I respect as a news journalist. I just don't feel she fits in with the news. She belongs more on an entertainment show instead. But as long as she is on StudioB, I will no longer be watching.

Sad end of an era that started for me over 2 years ago with Shepard Smith's outrage on a dark and hot bridge leading from New Orleans into New Gretna, Louisiana...

How Come Bridezilla?

2007-11-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

Since Discovery has seen fit to not show me any Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs this weekend, despite the program guide I printed out off the website this week, I was left instead to flip around the dial and hope for something watchable.

I found that this morning in the form of Bridezilla's on WE.

I don't know how really "watchable" Bridezilla's is...it's more like driving past a train wreck and having to slow down to take a peek.

Each week, Bridezilla's treats us to two or three women who are stressing out over their impending weddings. "Stressing" being a kind way of saying "bitches on wheels".

I just don't get it. These women scream, cry, threaten, abuse, and generally carry the diva act to new heights....and the men they are marrying sit there and take all of this, then coddle them.

Where do they find these guys?

Is there a store at the mall selling them? Because if there is, I sure as heck have missed it! Maybe they were a Today's Special Value on QVC that sold out while I was sleeping (hmm...Mike Rowe...did you ever sell any of those during your stint there? ;) )

In any event, it just numbs my mind how these high maintenance, highly demanding, overly controlling and conniving women seem to always find these salt of the earth men to cater to them and their every whim.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a woman such as my self who isn't strung nearly as tightly, can't find a man worth diddly.

Maybe if I had the temperament of a spoiled Chihuahua I'd have better luck?

I try not to think about it, but WE seems hell bent on shoving miserably spoiled brides in my face at every turn.

Maybe this is why I find Dirty Jobs to be such a breath of fresh air. No way you'll be seeing Mike Rowe catering to the whimsies of a demanding bride...he'd just toss her into the mud :)

...and have I mentioned he's not too hard on the eyes? Particularly when shirtless? ;)

I LOVE The 80s

2007-11-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

Flipping around tonite, since Discovery has seen fit to make me wait until tomorrow night to see Mike Rowe again. I happened upon the last hour of Vh1's top songs of the 80s countdown.

WHAT. A. BLAST!!

Music and videos I haven't seen in forever!

Jessie's Girl

Time After Time

Like a Virgin

Don't Stop Believing

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Livin On A Prayer

Of course, most of the songs I heard, plus a whole lot more, are readily available on my iPod. But the videos? I miss the videos.

I remember life in college. Get up in the morning and turn on the tv. Of course, rarely was it ever off MTV...then again, this was also back when the "M" in MTV stood for "Music". Back then, it was like turning on the radio. Wall to wall music, 24 hours a day, with 5 shifts of "VJs". These were 3 men and 2 women who acted like dj's on the radio, except with music videos. We had JJ Jackson, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood and Martha Quinn.

JJ Jackson was the old radio veteran. Mark Goodman had long curly hair and was the 'rock' hottie. Alan Hunter was the blonde haired, blue eyed boy next door with a little edge. Nina Blackwood hosted "Headbangers Ball" and Martha C Quinn was the cute girl.

Of course, this was a time before cell phones, blackberries and the internet. A time before iPods and "downloading". A time when the term "multi~tasking" didn't exist. Life was simpler. You got up, you got dressed, you went to school, you came home, did your homework and had your social life...all to an MTV soundtrack.

MTV had standards back then. If a video came to them with questionable content (explicit sex, nudity, heavy with violence) they would refuse to play it and send it back for editing before airing. I remember watching Friday Night Videos on USA Network to see the "uncut" versions of DuranDuran's "Girls on Film" or David Bowie's "China Girl" just to see what we were missing. By todays standards...what we were missing was mild.

During each hour, videos would play, then there'd be a break where the VJ would come on and talk about the music, give you tour info and music news and generally act as seguay between videos. At the top of every hour, and animated Apollo~era rocket would take off and the MTV theme music~nothing really more than some cool guitar riffs~would play, signaling that it was indeed the top of the hour. On the half hour, a shorter version of the rocket went up. This was really the only way we knew what time it was, since the whole 24~hour news channel "lower third" concept hadn't been invented yet. Sadly, the day the Challenger exploded on takeoff changed all that. I remember on the hour after the accident, the usual rocket did not go up. Instead, a senior vice president of the network was on, explaining that, at least for the time being, there would no longer be a rocket out of respect.

Live Aid was the crown jewel, and possibly the pinnacle of MTV back in the 80s. Two concerts, one in JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, the other at Wembly Stadium in England, going on simultaneously, being broadcast live, all to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Brainchild of Bob Geldoff of the Boomtown Rats, Live Aid would go on to become the stuff of legends. Phil Collins played Wembly Stadium, then flew across the pond, to play JFK. The biggest names in music played. All for a good cause.

Of course, time passed and I graduated college and went on to the business world. Music started to change and I found myself watching less and less of MTV. MTV itself started to change, too. The original 5 VJ's were eventually replaced. A new 'regular' show~a game show~was now on MTV's schedule. Then more "regular" shows started showing up. Eventually, the "M" in MTV was silent. Now, its rare to find a music video on...music television. It makes me sad, really. And seeing a show like this countdown tonite makes me nostalgic and wanting to yell

I WANT MY MTV!!!

Withdrawls...

2007-11-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen a Dirty Jobs episode since Friday night. I think I am officially having Mike Rowe withdrawals

I just can't help it! The show, and it's host, are addictive! What's not to like? The premise alone is intriguing: take a man who's not skilled in a basically manual labor type job and drop him into the job for a day, to learn and do it. Make it a very DIRTY job and make the man have a sexy deep voice and an amazingly hairy chest just to get my attention and you have a winning combination!

Pardon me while I indulge myself and attempt to satisfy this need I have...

Feeling much better now ;)

It Always Comes Back To The Poo...

2007-11-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

So I was away for the weekend with some friends at the Borgata in Atlantic City. While the gaming was uneventful (I lost again in what must be the second longest streak of futility this side of the Chicago Cubs), the company was great!

Everyone did their own thing in the casino, but convened at Wolfgang Pucks restaurant for dinner. There was a line prior to it's opening, since the tavern part where we decided to dine does not accept reservations, so my mother gamely waited. Wolfgang Puck was there, it turned out, because he was in one of the shops signing his new cookbook (it also didnt hurt that this past weekend players of a certain level which I am not received a beautiful Wolfgang Puck knife set) Wolfgang walked out to the front entrance of his restaurant at around ten to five, and decided everyone must be let in right then. His right hand man happened to be standing next to my mother, who remarked "Wow, he looks so much younger in person than he does on tv!" and there was Wolfgang with his arm around her, thanking her for the compliment. They also talked about his turkey episode on Food Network, my mothers favorite network.

Well, dinner, it turned out, was indeed a disaster. The waiter was less than interested in taking our orders, and even less interested in getting them right. The salads were nice, except for the one ordered without the blue cheese dressing...which came dressed none the less. The burgers were an even bigger disaster...cooked not to order, and the cheese that was supposed to be melted on them was just slapped on top! One of the managers happened to be walking over to our table with the ketchup she noted had not been delivered by the waiter, when she heard me grumbing about the not melted cheese. Now, dont get me wrong. I'm not really that high maintenance food~wise. I just expect that if the cheese is to be melted, that it is (and I have had this burger on numerous occasions, and it was never like this) Long story short, the waiter had been let go earlier in the week and was just finishing out his last shift, therefore not really having much interest in whether or not he did what he was supposed to do. It was then that Wolfgangs man, who we learned was named Alex and worked for Wolfgang for 12 years, came over. He decided that he would take care of desert for us.

While waiting for desert, Wolfgang Puck once again appeared. The place went nuts! This is a celebrity chef who thoroughly enjoys his celebrity status. Pleasant and smiling, he shook hands and took photos graciously~unlike the dour Bobby Flay, I might add.

He even took a picture with moi!

Yay for cameras in cell phones! Boo for cameras in cell phones with no flashes!

My first celebrity photo~although I would have preferred if it were Mike Rowe ;)

Desert arrived...or should I say ever desert on the menu arrived!

We had strawberries and creme, banana cream tart, pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate mousse souffle, chocolate brownie souffle and apple crumble.

Now, this is also when the fun~and poo~began!

The chocolate mousse souffle was put down, and Tony turned to me and said "That looks like a giraffe took a dump in the dish!"

To which I responded: "Actually, giraffe poo looks more like cocoa puffs!"

Next out was the pumpkin cheesecake with a fruit melange and a dollop of ice cream. It wasn't your ordinary dollop, however, and it looked more like one of the fish regurgitated by the birds on the "vomit island" edition of Dirty Jobs.

As you can imagine, the conversation went right into the litter box from there!

And I think my friends are now highly intrigued by Dirty Jobs...and giraffe poo!

That Dirty Boy...

2007-10-31T23:32:00.000-04:00

Watch out, Shepard Smith. I have a new pretend boyfriend, and this one is a Dirty Boy...

Some nights, there's just nothing on TV. You flip and flip and flip until the battery in your remote dies a slow and anguished death. And your left with nothing.

On one of those kind of nights, my remote died on the Discovery Channel, where I'd often watched brave men dare the elements so that Red Lobster can have "All You Can Eat Alaska King Crab" promotions. Hearing the narrators voice, I thought this was another episode of the Deadliest Catch. It wasn't. Instead, it was another show with the same fellow. And this time, he was on screen.

I watched with amusement as he mugged his way thru a series of disgusting jobs~jobs you or I would never want to do for all the money in the world. His deep baritone voice describing the work as he valiantly attempted it. And he wasn't too hard on the eyes. I was, to say the least, intrigued.

I knew I knew him from somewhere. But from where? I would be hard pressed to tell you. At first I thought, Oh, from Deadliest Catch. But he's not onscreen for that.

So I scratched my head and did what I always do when someone catches my eye.

I Googled him.

Mike Rowe, narrator of the Deadliest Catch, host of Dirty Jobs...and former QVC host.

I'm pretty sure I bought SOME piece of crap from this man at some point during his tenure at QVC, since he worked my then QVC addicted butts favorite shift: Midnight...when the Today's Special Value was unveiled!

Of course I never bought that Katsak from him. My cats were far too intelligent to fall for that, may they rest in peace.

But I digress...back to Mike Rowe and his Dirty Jobs.

So, over the course of a week, I found that this show was ALWAYS ON. There was even an 8 hour marathon! He apparently is to Discovery what Geraldo is to FNC (I know only a few folks will 'get' that LOL) So I watched and I watched and I watched. Sometimes, I was fascinated. Sometimes, disgusted. More often than not, I was disgusted.

Mikes humor carries him thru each of these jobs with grace and charm, regardless of what the job is. Alligator wrangler, chicken sexer, USAF Jet fuel tank repairman, bovine inseminator, turkey farm ranch hand. You name a disgusting job, and odds are this man has attempted it. Particularly if it involves "Poo". Anything with Poo...catching Poo from a cow, squeezing it out of newborn chicks, sweeping or shoveling it up after animals, rinsing it off equipment in a waste management facility, mixing it into a funky cement (only to have it inadvertently fly into his mouth), removing it from a majorly disgusting salvage toilet...well...you get the picture.

Generally, buy the end of a job segment, Mike is covered with something...dirty. Mud, coal, paint. If it can spill on him, odds are it will.

Sometimes, though, we get treated to Mikes chest, and as anyone who knows me can attest, I do indeed appreciate a beautiful male chest. Tom Selleck, Bruce Willis, Tim Allen (shut up, Sarah LOL) and now I will add Mike Rowe to that collection~er~list

So for this, and much much more, I thank Mike Rowe for entertaining and delighting me...with his wit and his, ahem, "hotness" ;)

Trick...or Treat?

2007-10-31T23:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!!

Sadly, this year, I was ambivalent about my favorite holiday. Lack of spirit around me has apparently trickled down and bummed me out.

Not for lack of trying on my part, though. I decorated my desk at work, even bringing in a light up Jack O Lantern and pumpkin deedly bobs to wear on my head, but to no avail. I kept the radio on a Halloween station all day and sang along to Don't Fear the Reaper. I baked a cake for the office with orange icing and candy corns spelling out BOO, but it was all bah, humbug.

Maybe because the holiday was mid week?

I used to decorate and dress up. I used to put up a graveyard in the front yard and play with the kids who dared enter. I used to wear costumes to work and get into character. I used to watch spooky movies in the dark. I used to carve Jack O Lanterns. I used to ENJOY Halloween.

Today, alas, it was business as usual. I even went to the store to pick up the new Christmas tree I ordered.

If I'm so grinchy about my favorite holiday...whatever will I do when my LEAST favorite rolls around?

Humbug...Christmas is less than 2 months away.

...On The Path Unwinding...

2007-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

Rafikki appeared on the stage, and she called out to a gazelle in the balcony, who answered her with a call of his own. Silently, two giraffes majestically sauntered across the savannah behind Rafikki, who was calling to another animal in the balcony, who answered.

And the tribal rhythms began.

Elephant, rhino, gazelle, zebra, and birds all regally moved down the aisles of the Minskoff Theatre and onto the stage, where Rafikki silently held up the cub Simba. All heads bowned and knees bent as the Circle of Live began.

And I was moved to tears.

I had waited for 10 very long years to see The Lion King on Broadway. There was never the time, money, or energy to go see it. Something else always needed more attention. Then, an offer I couldn't refuse appeared in my email and I took the opportunity~discounted tickets! How lucky was I!

Truth be told, I would pay DOUBLE what I paid to see this show again. I have never seen anything nearly as beautiful as this mounted on a stage. It was like no play I have ever seen. My seats were in the sixth row orchestra, on the right hand side of the theatre. Right on the aisle. The rhino passed right by me on his way to kneel before the newborn Simba. As close as I was, after a while, it was difficult to see the actors as actors and not as lions, heyenahs and an old baboon.

For two and a half hours, the actors on the stage were not men and women. They were great beasts of the savannah, hunting, fighting and playing. It was an amazing transformation and something that will stay with me, on the path unwiding, in the circle, the circle of life.

Take Me As I Am

2007-10-16T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight I finally got to poke thru my recording of FNC's Studio B. I enjoy Shepard Smith and tape him to watch later, which often doesn't come.

Anyway, there was a story regarding a Dutch researcher and his theory that by 2050, humans will be marrying robots.

OK, that theory is OUT THERE, on that I do agree....

BUT...

During his discussion with the requisite expert, Shepard got a little rant in about how women, once they get you, try to change you. The expert said that was because women by nature are fixers while men, once they make the conquest, just sit in the relationship content. Shepards response was that was when you ate more transfats and drank beer.

Now, just let me preface this by saying I adore Shepard Smith. I don't think there is a better anchorman or field reporter out there today. I also like that he's not afraid to laugh on the air.

But that remark made me wonder...has that been his experience with every woman he's been with?

Are all women like this?

I ask this as a woman...a woman who's never tried to change any man she's been involved with, aside from asking him to wipe the food off his lapel.

Am I the anomaly?

Or do all me feel that all women want to make them into Stepford Husbands? Take any man we can sink our claws into in order to have a man, then force him to change into the kind of man we want?

I don't think I have ever looked at a man and thought "Oh, diamond in the ruff" and thought how I would change him. I have always taken people at face value. Since I'm told men are people too, I take them at face value as well. If there is nothing attractive about them in the first place, why would you want to even be with them?

Maybe Shepard needs to sit back and take a good look at the women he chooses....are they going out with him because he's sweet, makes them laugh and has a nice smile? Or are they with him because he's on TV and makes a lot of money?

Maybe then he'll find someone with whom he can be himself...

I Love The 80s

2007-10-10T21:07:00.000-04:00

Just a quick 80s update....

I was watching TV when this commercial came on. It was obviously a car commercial, but my bad eye for vehicles (the last car I was able to identify by the lit taillights at dusk was a 1985 TransAm...IN 1985) made me think it might be for Volkswagons.

Images passed across the screen, while a voice droned on about how we didnt set out to become a legend blah de blah.

Then I looked up.

The voice said something about a pop culture icon.

And there were "Andy" and "Blaine" from Pretty In Pink (one of the Holy Trinity of 80s movies) standing in front of a car, kissing.

Thats when I realized...the commercial was for BMW.

Funny how the image of Molly Ringwalds quirky oddball locking lips with a still hot Andrew McCarthy as rich spoiled boy can bring that sort of enlightenment to me.

Of COURSE it was a BMW...no self respecting spoiled rich boy in the 80s would be caught dead without one!

Need further proof? watch Jackson Browns "Lawyers in Love" video and see what sort of car our yuppie hero is paddling out of his sunroof in ;)

Field of Dreams

2007-10-08T00:33:00.000-04:00

I just finished crying. No, it wasn't a bad cry. It was a good, cathartic cry. The cry I have everytime the long dead John Kinsella approaches his son Ray to thank him for giving them a place to play, inquiring "Is this heaven?"

A lot of people mistake Field of Dreams for a baseball movie. But it's oh so much more. It's a movie about lost opportunity and how far we'd go to get just one moment in time back. It is a movie that uses baseball as a metaphore. Unlike most baseball movies about redemption, Ray Kinsella isn't redeemed by baseball...he uses it to redeem himself.

Tonites showing on AMC was accompanied by little blurbs about the movie...and about how all things seemed to fall together magically to make it the movie it became. Based on WP Kinsella's first novel, Shoeless Joe, the studio decided to change the name to Field of Dreams to disassociate it from baseball. Amazingly enough, WP Kinsella hadn't wanted to call his book Shoeless Joe at all. His title for it was "The Dream Field".

When things so magically move into place, you know something special has occurred. Field of Dreams is the sort of movie that makes you feel so good at the end that you seemingly become redeemed right along with Ray.

The Field of Dreams is still there in the cornfields of Iowa, still working its magic nearly two decades after the mystical movie filmed there. For some, its a place of joy, allowing them to relive moments long gone in time. For others, it's a place to make peace with their past, to find what Ray and John Kinsella found on a cinema screen so long ago.

It's a rare occurrance...when the movie gods smile down and create something as special as this beautiful, gentle movie.

"Is this heaven?"

"No. It's Iowa."

News At The Speed of....Wow...

2007-10-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

So today is the 11th anniversary of FoxNews. Congratulations to FoxNews!!

Now, since I don't want to start "cookie~gate, part deux", let me preface this by saying that my preferred news channel is indeed FoxNews and that my preferred anchorman is Shepard Smith. How can he not be? He doesn't take himself too seriously. He does, however, take his job seriously. He's not afraid to bear his soul while reporting...and he's not afraid to make himself the butt of his own joke. If I could apply a word to him, it would be "adorable"...something I'd be hard pressed to apply to any other anchor man (with the exception of Anderson Cooper...but I just find Coop adorable~it has nothing to do with his acumen when reporting the news. Shep Smith, on the other hand, is the whole package)

That said, I have to say this much: I am having a very hard time adjusting to the new set on the FoxReport. Yes, I know that it was time for a change, and I know that it's a beautiful state of the art studio, designed to bring us news at, well, at the speed of live.

I know this.

But I am just finding it busy and hard to concentrate on what's being said. I find myself watching a screen on Shepard's left or the little spinning things in the lower third or I'm looking around the screen when the little digital noise that's made when the lower third changes comes on.

I just can't quite adjust to it.

I know it's only been two weeks, but when I got home Friday night and found that Trace Gallagher was sitting in for Shepard (Yankee road game? LOL) I almost felt relieved and shut my TV off. I also avoided the weekend FoxReport for the same reason.

I hate not liking the new FoxReport. I know how proud of it Shepard is, and how excited he was about his new set (Greta Van Susteren even shot a handicam video of him taking her on a tour of the new studio before the grand unveiling) but I'm just not feeling the love.

It took me a while to adjust to the lack of Skinnerville and the broadcast from the news room for Studio B. Maybe I just need time to adjust to it. I'm an old doggie...it's hard for me to learn new tricks.

Attention Celebrities....

2007-09-28T23:00:00.000-04:00

Hey you...celebrity...yeah...you...the dude on TV and the bimbo on the glossy cover.

Who do you think you are? Just because you are famous and have photographers following your every move, do you think that qualifies you to tell everyone else what to do and how to think?

Having a forum doesn't make you a spokes person for "common people" who don't have access to the media by passing your own personal choices and ideas off as theirs.

Having a forum doesn't give you the authority to speak for anyone.

NO one has elected you spokesperson for the world.

And no one has asked you to dictate to them how you think they should vote.

Achieving celebrity does not give you an automatic Ph.D. in Political Science.

Face it, most of you barely got out of high school. Your grasp on finance is so poor you need to employ 'business managers' to handle your money, and it's often years before you figure out you've been embezzled from. And most of you can't even spell "embezzled."

Most of you cannot form a coherent thought without having someone else write it for you.

Therefore you are NOT a noted expert in politics, economics, international relations, or the military. You, my good sir, are no Tim Russert, and you, dear lady, are not Condoleeza Rice.

Attempting to sway a vote the way YOU feel it should be swayed based on your own personal beliefs by using your celebrity is downright wrong. You purposely mislead impressionable people who may be starstruck or lazy or both.

You fail to remember that you are little more than a musician, or an actor, or a model. Not a great thinker.

Try to remember that next time you have access to a media outlet and make a fool of yourself trying to discuss global warming or some other Hollywood cause du jour. And try to exercise something called RESPONSIBILITY. If you don't know what that is, ask your assistant to look it up on dictionary.Com for you.

...and speaking of cause du jours....whats the matter, Hollywood? Has the red AIDS ribbon lost favor with you? Does it clash with your fancy award show garb? Or is it not vogue to care about AIDS victims anymore?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I live in the same country with irresponsible, self serving attention whores like you. Give me a forum, and I will say as much, because like you, I have just as much right to speak MY mind as you do.

I Love The 80s

2007-09-27T23:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, as if I have readers (haha!! Katy and RubyAnn, you better be reading this!) I've decided to add a "regular" feature of bloggy goodness to My Wckd Wckd Ways...

I LOVE THE 80s!

That's right...I am a proud 80s girl!!

So I've decided that I would start making posts about the 80s...music, movies, tv, and me!

So, todays topic...what I like to call The Holy Trinity of Totaly 80s movies....

Thats right....

Sixteen Candles
Breakfast Club
Pretty In Pink

The thread that joins them together?

Why, none other than the 80s movie "it" girl...Molly Ringwald, who stars in all three.

Now, I have NO idea how Molly became the girl that the boys all wanted and the girls all wanted to be like, but somehow, she did.

I know I used to try to get my little 80s bob to look like a brunette version of her hair from Breakfast Club all the time...and wear mauve Clinique lip gloss like the shade she wore in that movie as well.

Why? I don't know. Maybe it was so Judd Nelson would want me too? (not that I ever found him attractive...well...maybe a little in St Elmos Fire...I was more into Andrew McCarthy back then)

Anytime I'm flipping channels and see one of these movies on, I have to stop and watch , no matter how far into the movie. So many memories are tied up in them...both happy and sad. But regardless, it makes me happy to remember those times.

Even when I hear one of the songs from those movies, I smile. Like tonite, I was driving to the diner for dinner and Simple Mind's "Don't You Forget About Me" came on. A smile instantly came to my lips.

Perhaps I'm overly sentimental about them, but these are the movies of my youth, part of the environment that molded me into the dynamic person I hope I am today.

And that's why I love the 80s :)

The Big Mac

2007-09-26T22:42:00.000-04:00

No, not the McDonald's sandwich...the computer.

I read Greta Van Susteren's blog on Foxnews.com with fair regularity as it can be both funny and informative. So imagine my surprise this morning when I found a plea for help from Greta.

She couldn't open a PDF file. And wouldn't you know it...the ONE thing I DO know how to do is open a pdf! I even know what program to use to open it with! Amazing, I know, but true! So I was eager to share my singular grain of knowledge with Greta and her readers. Of course, just about everyone knew you needed Adobe to open the file with, but for one shining moment, I knew something about computers!

Like me, Greta uses a Mac. I'm new to the world of Mac and entered it with trepidation.

How silly of me.

My troubles started back in early summer, when a strong lightening storm passed over my neigborhood while I was at work. As luck would have it, a bolt of lightening decided to make contact wiht the earth outside my home, rendering 3 televisions, the sprinkler system, alarm system, garage door opener and my 4 year old laptop useless.

I wasn't too broken up, to be honest. The laptop's time had come. I was desperately trying to make it hang on until the end of the year so that I could save up to get a new one. One of the tv's time had come too. And I had already gotten its replacement but had been too lazy to carry it up the stairs, so it survived the strike.

I did my research on a new laptop, and had settled on a $1400 HP with a kickin' 17" screen and all sort of bells and whistles...and Windows Vista.

Now, EVERYTHING at BestBuy came preloaded with Windows Vista. So, knowing that it was only a matter of time before I had to upgrade to Windows Vista, I bought the laptop in good faith. I got it home, hooked it up, hooked up the new modem with the wireless router and...nothing. After 2 and a half hours on the phone with Verizon tech support, it was determined that my modem "had issues with Vista". So I packed the modem up, and headed back to BestBuy the next night, exchanged it for a new modem I was assured didn't have issues with Vista, and tried it again. Still nothing. This time I tried the tech support line for HP. After an hour and a half on the phone with a lovely gentleman located somewhere in India, I still had no connection to the internet. I decided to return the laptop to Best Buy. Sure, the picture on the computer was beautiful, crisp and clear, but what good was it to me if I couldn't get online? It was little more than a $1400 game of Mah Jong. At BestBuy, the geek at GeekSquad had to test the computer before they would give you a full refund (meaning they wouldn't charge you a 15% restocking fee). Well, even the geek couldn't get it to connect, and determined that Vista had compatability issues with the Norton antivirus that was also preloaded on the computer.

Up to this point, all I knew about a computer was how to push the button and turn it on. Now I can discuss compatability issues rather coherently.

As I dejectedly lugged my shiny new laptop to the customer service counter for my full refund, a man waiting in line for hte Geek Squad whispered to me: "Pssst...get a Mac".

The same words my coworkers had been saying to me thru my ordeal.

So, it was with great fear that I entered the Apple store in my local mall. Timidly, I walked around the table with the laptops on it, skillfully dodging Yuppies monopolizing salesmen and running children hell bent on beating the adult to the open computer. I read the product descriptions on Macbook and MacBook Pro a like, and after several visits and conversations with sales staff, I settled on the MacBook Pro, which proved to be more difficult to procure at my local store than I had thought. I was finally able to get a staffer at a different Apple store to hold one for me, and was soon nervously pushing the power button on my sleek new machine.

The initial butterflies were all for nothing. I can safely say that my MacBook Pro is the easiest foray into computing that I have ever had! I can only hope Greta Van Susteren feels the same way :)

Christmas in July....Sort of...

2007-09-26T00:06:00.000-04:00

So autumn is upon us...well...on the calendar, anyway.

Today in New York, the mercury hit the mid 80s and tomorrow is expected to be near 90. In New York. At the end of September.

That I've been picking up odds and ends for the new Christmas tree I have to get this year isn't the unusual thing...doing it while wearing flip flops is.

My mind is at the beach when it should be on planning the intricate Dept 56 village I construct each season. I should be slowly stocking up on tacky wax and ground Styrofoam snow. Instead, I want to be outside in the warm sun and not inside the florescent lit Michael's.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the extension of summer~the warm breezes rustling thru the turning leaves while the sun warms you to the soul. It's just that it makes it more difficult for me to concentrate on the important upcoming events.

How can I pick out a Halloween pumpkin when I'm longing to be by the sea?

I think I've hit upon the perfect solution though...move to the beach!

Now...to find a job that'll pay me to sit with my feet in the sand and a margarita in my hand...

I'm Single, Not Desperate

2007-09-24T23:18:00.001-04:00

It's no secret I'm single. Sadly Single. Woefully single. Single. Single. Single.

Single like Sally on the old Dick Van Dyke show.

With one exception.

Sally was desperate, so much so that she put up with Herman Glimshire...and his mother.

I, on the other hand, am pretty particular. I don't want to be with someone just to be with someone. I want to be with someone because I WANT to be with him.

Does that make any sense?

Of course, that doesn't mean that others don't think I should be with someone...ANYONE...just to be with someone. I don't want a profile on Match.com so that I can find some other person desperately seeking a partner and finding someone suitable to settle with. I don't want to settle. Ever.

Over the weekend I went with my parents to a local diner for lunch. Being frequent visitors to the diner, we know the staff, including the owner, who sat down with us to chat. Naturally, it was during this time that my father "remembered" his boss's wife telling him she'd 'found' someone nice for me. I didn't even know I'd commissioned her to look. My father took great delight in telling us about this...this....window washer. A self employed window washer who was also several years my junior. My parents and the diner owner took great delight, heartily laughing at my expense, while I voiced my objections at the entire situation. A window washer? I am a professional, I protested, red-faced, and therefore seeking an intellectual equal!

I acted insulted, but in reality, I was angry and hurt...and embarrassed. It made me feel like I was some sort of failure, so great a failure that someone thought "Hey! Here's a single fella who's actually breathing! He'd be perfect for Lisa!"

Why do people insist on having to try to 'set up' single people? Why is it so difficult to comprehend that maybe single people are happy being, well, single?

If I wanted to be married, goodness knows I could have been married to any number of men. But, much like the ugly step sisters and the glass slipper, I didn't find the fit comfortable.

I had a philosophy class ages ago in college, and while I don't remember exactly who's philosophy it was, I do remember the theory: The search for true love was the search for ones "other half". Back at the beginning of time, man was a being with two half's: male and female. One day, man angered the gods who decided that man had to suffer and split the two parts in half, setting them down on opposite sides of the world, and forcing them to search for their one true love, their other half.

Perhaps my "other half" has the same terrible sense of direction that I have and is as hopelessly lost as I am.

In any event, I'll wait for him. The law of averages tells me we'll eventually cross paths. And when we do, we'll know...and we'll find our way together.

Squeezing the Juice

2007-09-19T21:34:00.000-04:00

Simon and Garfunkle once asked "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"

A profound question, even by the standards of that day. A time when an athlete so swift of foot and sure of swing was held up on a pedestal, lauded like the gods of Olympus. They wrote songs about men like Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, a man of mythic proportions.

Fast forward half a century, and one Orenthal James Simpson, a hall of fame football player, who made us all know that Hertz was "the superstar in rent a car," sits in a courtroom facing double murder charges while a nation watches, transfixed, hanging on every word of testimony.

What a difference 50 years makes.

OJ Simpson, once the darling of pro football, is now a media pariah. The poster boy for how bad things really can get. Even though he was found not guilty of the murders of his ex wife and a friend of hers, the stigma still remains. No one wants to touch the man most Americans feel killed two people.

Perhaps its simple human nature~if they accuse you of something, then there must be some sort of merit to the accusations or they wouldn't have charged you in the first place, right? Or maybe he was acquitted because, while guilty, the prosecution was unable to piece together a coherent case for the jury. In any event, the fact that remains: he got off.

In the 14 years that have followed, OJ has been in and out of the news, losing a civil judgment to the father of the young man he was accused of killing and for some sort of assault in Florida.

And now, he is once again in trouble, and everyone who was involved in the murder case seems to be weighing in on the cable news channels, joining in chorus with show hosts, chirping about how maybe this time justice will finally be done.

But...wasn't justice done already? The man was found not guilty by a jury of his peers. THAT is what our justice system is about. Inasmuch as we may believe that someone committed a crime, when push comes to shove, it is up to that jury to weigh the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense and determine which side is telling the truth. Whether we like it or not, the jury found that the evidence presented to it did NOT prove beyond a reasonable doubt that OJ Simpson murdered two people in cold blood on that warm June night so many years ago. And whether we like it or not, that acquittal cannot be "corrected" in any way with this new trial that he will be facing for robbery charges. This is a new case, with new circumstances, new evidence, and perhaps most importantly, a new prosecution team and new jurors. He should not be found guilty because he "got away with murder that time." He should be found guilty because the evidence presented proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed the crime, and for no other reason than that.

My Wckd Wckd Ways

We Interrupt The Regularly Scheduled RobRant....

RobRant!! RobRant!!

RobRant Redux

OK...

Aaaannnnddd.....

My 100th Post!

After All, a Girl Needs a Hobby...

When You Start Believing Your Own Press...

Missed a Month?!

Your Tax Dollars In Action!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!!

It Ought To Be A Law...

The Lesson of Icarus

Merry Christmas Eve Eve...

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

Sexy Thang...

Humbug...

The Importance of Being Earnest

A Few More

Photographic Proof!

The Long Weekend

So...

Something A Little Different...

Ok...

Oh. My. God.

I Have A Few Things To Say...

What Is Sexy?

Let's Get Political...

TV's Mike Rowe Sings A Capella

TV's Mike Rowe Works...

Lazy, Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

Just The Fact's Ma'am

More Mike Rowe...

I Love Mike Rowe...

Oh Captains, My Captains...

Boom De Yada...

Dear Constant Reader~

Take It To The Limit...

Wonderful Correction...

Wonderful Tonight

Hotty Toddy

Ever Feel Like Mike Rowe is Stalking You?

The Vast Berring Sea...

Business is Business, Part Two...

Business is Business....

Top 5 Movie Scenes...

How Embarrassing...

I Guess I'm "It"

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

How Super IS Tuesday?

Renewed Faith...

Let's Do One More...

Some Bloggy Goodness..

Dilema...

Band Wagon Jumper On~ers

Simply The Best

But Eat At Your Own Risk...

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

Strange Dreams

Observations...

Welcome 2008

Out With the New, In With the Old...

...And So This Is Christmas...

**random musing**

Just When You've Lost Faith In TV...

Fox Bimbo Network

Random Musings...

The Bimbo~fication of FNC

Picture Perfect Mike Rowe~cosm

The Perfect Mike Rowe~cosm

Festival of Lights

Make Me Feel Better...

Shop Til You Drop

In the Ville...

...and so it begins...

One More Day....

$hepard $mith

Jib Jab...

Just Sayin'...

random musing