Hottie of the Week!

I am such a degenerate blogger. Really just a major major slacker. The only explanation I have is that work will be picking up 10 notches each day from now until July and the majority of my home life is spent reading the addicting-like-crack Twilight series. Thanks to Leigh, no wait, thanks to both the Archibald ladies for getting me to read this teen (or are they tweens?) series and wasting my nights away wondering just what the heck will happen to Edward the vampire and Bella the damsel in distress. I fought it for weeks before ever opening the front cover and then I continued to fight it all the way through the first book. I grimaced and gagged each and every time Edward said something ridiculously cheesy and overly romantic to Bella, so you can imagine how exhausted I was when I finally finished the book a day later. It's teen fiction, I kept telling myself...don't compare this to Hemingway for god's sakes. Sure enough, just a few hours after closing Twilight and writing it off as a one-time deal, I found myself wondering what would happen to our dear leading lady and her glittering vampire love. By that evening, I was in complete distress. I NEEDED to read the second book New Moon like NOW. Like a bad drug, it has crept up on me, taken over my mind and won't let me read anything else until I know for sure these two silly lovebirds end up together forever in perfect undead harmony.

So what does this have to do with our hottie of the week? Well, I have yet to see the movie version of Twilight, but I have seen the previews and read the reviews. I just cannot picture anyone but Robert Pattinson as Edward. Because of that I have disturbingly formed a serious crush on the poor boy (I think he's 22) and can't stop fantasizing that his vampire character self will come and save me from my boring human existence. Sound crazy? It totally is but ladies who have read this, fess up...I know you feel the same exact way. This is why romance novels are just horrible for you. It takes reality and spins it completely on its head and leaves you utterly confused. I'm going to need a good solid dose of Clockwork Orange or something by Tom Wolfe to bring me back down after this.

In the meantime, fans of Twilight should enjoy our Hottie of the Week, Robert Pattinson. I prefer him with the shorter hair, but I suppose the longer hair wouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Enjoy! He's a bit too pretty for my normal taste, but he gets a 10 out of 10 in my current mental state.

RIP John Updike

GTD's have to go!

As we move another day closer to Superbowl Sunday, (and yes I do know who's playing, I watched both playoff games and am rooting for AZ and hot Kurt Warner, amazing how he gets better looking with age and a shave!!) Anyway, most people are firming up their plans for what Superbowl party they'll be attending, what food they'll be bringing, how many beers they'll crush on their foreheads, etc....and I'm no different. I've been asking Nick what he wanted to do for the Superbowl for a couple of weeks now because that's the obsessive kind of planner I am and have thrown out some ideas to friends who I know are in the same boat. Normally I would shy away from hosting a party because Brentwood (our home as it is fondly nicknamed), has been the victim of countless gatherings, late night post-bar dance parties, messes, spills, visits by cops, etc...and I usually, although Lisa helps when she stays over, get the brunt of the clean up duties. So, it is only thanks to 2 recently acquired lovely new flat screen TV's and our new found ability to join the HD revolution that would have me considering hosting such a Superbowl party myself.

Last week a friend of ours invited us to his home for the event and Nick and I had agreed to go, so when I asked him about it today he asked what our plans were again; apparently he forgot about his previous invite, and threw out the invite to Lisa as well. Next he relayed his concern of only having one 37 inch non-HD TV. At this I offered to have them over instead to watch on our new setup and then he asked if we were going to my in laws for the game. Once again, confusion flooded my mind...did he not already invite us once last week, and then again today, and now he's wondering if we're going to the in laws. I restated my invite and then he responded with a "well we've gotten a lot of invites, it'll be a Game Time Decision (GTD)!" It was right about here when I lost it. Let me just order this again for you to avoid confusion:

1. He invited us over

2. We accepted

3. He reconsidered due to the size of TV

4. I offered to have them over instead

5. Suddenly he has invites and will wait until the morning of and what? See how the weather is? Ask the Magic 8 ball? Decide based on however he "feels" when he gets out of bed that morning?

Is it so much to ask that you commit to a plan so my cleaning of the house and preparation of food isn't in vain?!? Honestly, I know there are people out there who love to fly by the seat of their pants but did you ever think about how that affects the people who make the plans in the world? I find myself and Nick, and I include Lisa in this as well because she's basically my sister-wife minus the sexual privileges, constantly doing all the work to make plans for everyone. Every Wednesday/Thursday we start asking what everyone's doing for the weekends, we make the calls, write the texts to make sure everyone knows where to hang out or what's going on and I have just finally realized after playing Jenny Coordinator for 6 years that it is one helluva THANKLESS JOB!! Maybe its just the three of us that wants to get people together and the rest of our friends would be happy not seeing each other regularly, I don't know but the GTD's are really getting on my nerves. It's awfully difficult to make reservations of any kind or get a table big enough to accommodate all the GTD makers when we never know if they're coming or not. LAME LAME LAME!!! Ok, I've ranted enough for one posting, gotta make a GTD about lunch now! :)

You Will Thank Me

My friend at work just sent me this link and I am delighted to share it with you. Remember how those toy commercials used to say things were "hours of fun!"?? Well, this is better than any Barbie Dream House or Snoopy Snow Cone Maker. This is Diamond Dave.

http://www.thetyser.com/

America's Song

Ok, so as excited as I am to watch today's inauguration speech I can't help but want to upchuck a little over yesterday's episode of Oprah. I don't watch a lot of Oprah but I got a treadmill for Christmas and it was installed yesterday afternoon so I tested it out at the same time Oprah was on. To no surprise, she's in D.C. filming at the Kennedy Museum for a special 3-Day inauguration series in support of her winning candidate which I understand, it's a big deal!!! The show started off with guest stars Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher talking about how this day means so much to them and how they've been inspired to serve the community and country and I think that's great!! Demi premiered a commercial she directed which depicts tons of celebs making verbal commitments and promises to do everything from turn off their lights to save energy (P.Diddy), to being a good mother, (Ashlee Simpson) and it's all part of a campaign to work together for the community which is obviously a great cause! So I'm cruising through the episode when I see a, "Coming up next" clip for "THE WORLD PREMIERE OF AMERICA'S SONG" and they show bits of Bono, David Foster, and Will.I.Am in the promo. So I fast forward through the commercials and as the lights go down on stage David Foster starts out on piano with a choir behind him and begins 4:43 minutes featuring Will.I.Am, Faith Hill, Seal, Mary J. Blige singing on stage and the chorus goes, "My America, Your America, Our America is beautiful." So the song isn't great, I mean it's definitely no "We are the World," but it's a sweet little simple song, and then it all goes to hell in a hand basket. About halfway through, via pre-recorded video footage, Bono, shown in a studio with American Flags hanging from every wall, sporting those hideous trademark blue tinted shades, has to go and be a big fat turd. He starts out by flashing peace signs and then moves to some serious fist pumping as he sings his 10 word verse and then they cut to Oprah swaying in the crowd with hands raised high, and I just really wanted to gag!! And btw, I'm well aware he's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 3 times and he's been named Man of the Year by Time Magazine, but he's such a tool! Southpark once again hit the nail on the head with their Season 11 "More Crap" episode where Bono is revealed to be an actual giant turd, they're so right!

Maybe I'm too cynical or critical, or maybe I'm just secretly jealous of his amazing sunglass collection. Either way, this whole charade was just a bit much for me to swallow, they said they threw it together in less then a week and you could tell! I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, I'm excited for the country's future but it's just gotten to be a little over the top if you ask me. But enough said, here's the link to 'America's Song' from yesterdays episode, you can judge for yourself and tell me if you think I'm way off.

http://www.oprah.com/article/world/peopleandpolitics/pkginauguration/20090119_tows_americassong

I Facebook Vicariously

Well, it's been a few months since I cold turkey quit the Facebook. I'm sure many of you are wondering how I'm doing out here on my own with no friends. Well, first, thanks for your concern and second, I'm doing well thanks. I will admit that the withdrawal was not easy. I was used to logging in several times a day to read all of your updates and it wasn't an easy habit to break. I had to find other outlets for my mouse hand and in the process have discovered some really entertaining websites and blogs. I will admit that my newfound online habits don't feature nearly as many pregnant belly photos or break-up announcements, but I am fighting through it. Once I got through the always tough first week with zero relapses, I knew I could make this stick. I started filling my mind with important things like should I read Twilight or should I not, should I believe these rumors about Oprah being an ex-crack addict or should I not...instead of worrying about what my best friend from 5th grade was having for dinner. I've really grown through the process.

Now that I've had a few months away from the circus of social networking (and let's face it, the election is over so all the crazies have quieted down, right?), I've found myself reflecting on my past relationship with the Facebook. No, I won't ever go back fully, but I have found a happy medium. See it's easy: I beg my friends for juicy gossip and updates on everyone that I used to stalk...er view. Some might call it cherry picking, but I think it's kinda perfect. I still know who got knocked up, who broke up, who got engaged (RUPS!! I'm calling you soon...I hope this is still your number), who is getting fat, and who still has terrible taste in music. It's everything I ever wanted to know without having to put myself through the same scrutiny.

Now, I'm not recommending anyone do the same, mostly because then I won't know what's going on, but I'm here to say it can be done. There is life after Facebook...one that I live vicariously.

Party Fowl!

If you're an animal rights activist you should probably stop reading now because I'm going to offend you. I am not an animal hater, but I'm not an animal lover either. I eat all sorts of animals and I'm thinking I should really up my intake of goose. Specifically Canadian Goose. After watching yesterday's terrifying reports about the U.S. Airways flight going down in the Hudson River after the right engine sucked in a flock of geese, I'm really curious as to why it's illegal to kill those damn birds. Several years ago, a friend of mine nearly went to jail for hitting a goose as it was crossing the street at night and it makes me wonder about our legal system if hitting a bird is on the same jail time level as possession of illegal substances. Clearly there are too many geese and birds in general if airports are forced to employ all sorts of measures to clear the birds from the runways; measures including patrol dogs, falcons flying around the perimeters, high pitched whistle noises to keep them away, etc.... I think we should all do our part and aim for the geese on the road next time!! Okay, so I'm not really that cold hearted!

Birds have been a nemesis of mine as long as I can remember, from the family of geese that attacked my cousin April while we were at Seaworld to the lone flyer who defecated on my head at Mackinac Island on vacation to the disgusting Seagull that felt the need to poop on my bare stomach at the beach after attempting to steal my sandwich. Its clear that birds and I don't get along!! And it's not that we just don't like each other, Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' scared the heebee jeebees out of me as a child and it didn't have anything to do with them bringing down a plane, now I have to add that to the bird nightmare list! I nearly wet my pants in the Piazza San Marco square in Venice watching my Dad let the pigeons eat the birdseed off of his arms and shoulders, it's like a nightmare come to life!! So anyway, I'm not saying we should all buy firearms and head to the nearest duck pond but I am going to thoroughly enjoy some Peking Duck as soon as possible, P.F. Chang's here I come!!

Bush's Best Speech EVER

Just a quick reminder that our 43rd President is going to address the nation tonight in a farewell message. It'll be on at 8pm (EST) and whatever you're watching will surely be interrupted. Try to remember the good times...try really really hard.

Celebrity health update!

So I wanted to give a quick update on Jeremy Piven for all of you readers out there who have his poor mercury poisoned body on your nightly prayer list. He appeared on Good Morning America this morning to set the record straight on the gossip going around about him wanting to party instead of finish up his lead role on Broadway's Speed-the-Plow. He claims to have had no protein over the LAST 20 YEARS except by eating fish!! And he was convinced that this was the healthiest thing he could do for himself, well that and eat all these weird Chinese herbs. He hasn't had an aspirin in all that time either! I mean seriously! Just fish and sushi for 20 years?!?! Have you ever heard of a balanced diet Piv?!? Obviously you don't have to have a big hunk of cow every night, although I would love to daily consume a whopping Kansas City Ribeye from Mastros if my waistline would allow it, but there's other ways to get your protein, like nuts, eggs, I mean eat a protein bar for pete's sake! I'm continually shocked that people think it's healthy to completely eliminate entire food groups that are necessary for a reason. It's all about moderation and balance. He did admit that he thought it was a really healthy way to live and has obviously been proven wrong. I believed him when he said his dream was to be on Broadway and that it was a humbling experience to be forced to rest by doctors but I could just be blinded by my love for his character Ari Gold on Entourage...he's totally on my free pass list...but only as Ari Gold. Cheers to your health Piv!

It's So Cold in the D

I want to apologize up front today for my snarky, annoyed attitude as of late. I'm finding it very difficult to celebrate life when it's below zero outside and all my pants have salt stains down the back. That being said, I've become very inspired to just bisatch about certain things that I find annoying or weird or just dumb. I stumbled upon one of those things today and I'm actually not even sure what to call it. For our local readers I hope you will recognize this thing and maybe you will agree with me, maybe you won't. I am annoyed today at this collective group mentality that certain things ONLY happen here and it must be if we were born here then clearly we are all a part of this genetic group that these things happen to. Allow me to try and explain.

Yesterday on the Detroit Free Press website (freep.com) I read another article about the plight of Detroit and how Detroiters are doing this and doing that to survive. They are all fighting through this economic crisis as only Detroit residents can. They've got the grit and the strength to tough it out and get down to business. You know, they grow em different here in the D. I'm not sure what they are saying by lumping everyone together like this...is there something in the water? Are they all born with their middle finger in the air? Somehow I doubt it. Sure the conditions make people tough, but I'd argue that it has nothing to do with their nature....likely something to do with nurture. And nurture is learned behavior that anyone anywhere would develop if they lost their job or had to dig out from 12 inches of snow everyday. No one is going to roll over and die. If people in California were suddenly hit by a major crisis be it a natural disaster or a mayoral scandal would they run for the hills and never come back out? My point is that I just think people here and everywhere are human...nothing more, nothing less. You adapt to your circumstances and just keep going. I find it annoying and pandering when journalists try to brand people in the city and even the burbs as being part of a unique group of badasses that aren't going to wither and die like the rest of the country would in this situation. Last I checked people were rebuilding New Orleans and NYC is still standing.

Along the same lines, I came across another article today, again on the freep, entitled "D is for Dummies." It's about the reckless driving that ONLY takes place in this tiny little southeastern part of Michigan. Did you guys know that you are THE worst drivers in the entire country?! How about that for an accolade! I'm sure icy road conditions in other states don't cause people to spin out or get stuck in ditches. It apparently is segregated to our little corner of the world. One commenter firmly agreed with the author by posing the rhetorical question "What? People don't know how to drive in Michigan?!" Something must have gone horribly wrong in all of our Michigan sponsored driver's ed classes. That's the only explanation I can come up with for why we as a group "don't know how to drive." I'm putting money on the fact that there is an article just like this in every newspaper in the country branding their hometown population as THE best this and that or THE worst bla bla bla. So why do people feel the need to form these group labels? I guess it makes everyone chuckle and say...yeah, we are tough! Or - of course that woman cut me off last night...Michigan has the worst drivers in the country! Everyone feels better being a part of a group, no matter if it's good or bad. I just think it's kinda silly.

Diary of a Newlywed....Uninspiring January

I recently heard on the news that the middle of January marks the highest rate of suicides committed...morbid?? Yes!! But I have to tell you I can sort of see why!! The high of Christmas cheer is over, we've all packed on a few extra pounds of winter insulation so our self confidence is shot, and probably worst of all, our credit card bills arrive detailing every bit of our holiday excess line by line. And lets not forget those NYE resolutions we've all made but secretly know we'll break by February. We take down the bright Christmas lights, the sparkly, shiny Christmas tree, (or if you're us you leave it up until Easter), and if you live in Michigan you realize you have at least 3 months left of gray skies, the inevitable tire and wheel damage from countless potholes, and hours of shoveling snow ahead of you. And to make matters worse, there are no three-day weekends for months!!! Unless you're a teacher and get winter break, (and in that case I hate you) the rest of us will be slaving away, 5 days a week for the next 12 weeks straight, oh the misery!! I think the furry critters really have it right with the hibernation thing, that sounds pretty amazing to me right now, a long, cozy winter's nap!! Anyway, when this time of year comes round I do a couple of things in hopes of surviving the deep freeze with my sanity in tact:

1. I begin spending 25% of my computer time searching for warm weather vacation deals and dreaming of palm trees, steel drums, and frozen daiquiris

2. Drink, drink, and then drink some more, I usually go through a wine phase right about now

3. Register and actually pay to run a half marathon (this will be my 3rd year running, my 2nd time in the Country Music Marathon in Nashville this April)

4. Actually finish some home projects since there's nothing else to do...2 years ago we painted the entire basement, last year I painted the whole upstairs, and this year is the mother load: The Manhattan Project:

A reorganization project of massive proportions!

Because Nick lived in his house which is now "our" house for the last 4 years and because we had planned to put the house up for sale until recently I stashed my belongings wherever I could find a place when I moved in without really merging all of our stuff together. This has resulted in closets, dressers, every available surface filled with each of our belongings in no orderly or logical fashion. I have sock drawers in the room next door to our bedroom and t-shirts in another guestroom dresser. So it is with great ambition and a great deal of trepidation that I set forth on the quest for total home organization. My biggest challenge will without question be Nick. I've recently figured out that I have to find ways to outsmart his natural laziness. I have to make it the easiest and most logical thing for him to drop his boxers in the place I really want them (FYI, that's not the bathroom floor!) and the CD's...oh the Japanese Mini LP's! I've accepted the fact that his collection of mini LP's is on a neverending growth trend and that he refuses to store them in the basement, the location of the Great Flood of 07, when the water heater exploded. So I bought a nice looking CD storage cabinet and put it together, with the help of my sister, over the weekend and voila! he got really excited to organize and put away all of his mini-LP's! I might be onto something here, not that it's any brilliant revelation, I just have to think one step ahead of him and set up storage and organization systems that make it obvious, convenient, and effort free to keep things organized and put away. More obvious then the neon colored sticky notes I was leaving all over the house reminding him to put his coat in the closet and check the dishwasher to see if his dirty dish can go in there! You know, the more I think about this the more I realize I should probably hire a kindergarten teacher to help me with my strategy, because that's the level of his organization skills!! Look at the colors and neatly stacked shelves in the pictures, they do teach kids how to organize an put stuff away!!! Nick was probably hiding the latest issue of Cream magazine underneath his desk during that lesson...

Anyway, I have a lot of work ahead of me but I have no excuse because there's nothing else to do around here while we endure the arctic frost coming our way!! Wish me luck and please send any tricks I might be able to use on Nick!!

The Golden Globes

I know you're all busy spending your days and nights worrying if Anne Hathaway will indeed win an Oscar for her performace in Rachel Getting Married (is that movie even released yet?). And I know you've lost countless hours of sleep over the cinderella story of the year: Slumdog Millionaire. As those of us in the entertainment industry know, the Globes are always a pretty strong forecast of what's going to happen at the main event. Truth be told, I only caught the last hour of the 5 hour long telecast (including the Red Carpet Spectacular), but I have access to the internet here so was able to catch up on all the drama and hijinks that I missed! Here are a few of the highlights and lowlights:

- Kate Winslet wins for BOTH Supporting Actress and Actress!
Take that little miss Hathaway! I don't really know why, but I have something against Anne Hathaway right now. I think it might be the fact that she's been writing her Oscar acceptance speech since May...or maybe it's because she does one non-chick flick movie and suddenly transforms into Meryl Streep...I dunno. Either way, I think Kate deserved both awards because she's just that awesome.

- Slumdog Millionaire wins almost everything
They snagged the Best Picture Globe and it looks like smooth sailing to the Oscars. I saw Frost/Nixon last night and now I'm torn between these two for Best Picture. But, you gotta love an underdog and that Bollywood dance at the end kinda seals the deal for me.

- Mickey Rourke wins Best Actor!
Don't call it a comeback! But that's actually what it is, so yeah you can call it a comeback. His acceptance speech was one of the best last night. From his underwhelmed expression (Kate...take notes) to his expletive exchange with Director Darren Aronofsky...pure gold. Now if only the rumors about him hooking it up with Evan Rachel Wood were just nasty gross lies. But somehow I can see her thought process here - Mickey Rourke doesn't look so bad nekkid after Marilyn Manson. Sorry...I just dry heaved a little.

- Sasha Baron Cohen bombs
He came out to introduce Benjamin Button as a Best Picture nom and failed to get the swanky crowd laughing. Specifically, he made a crack about Madonna firing her personal assistant (aka Guy Ritchie) and the celebs couldn't contain their displeasure. Expect Sasha to disappear under suspicious circumstances within the next few weeks.

- Brad and Angelina run away from Seacrest during Red Carpet
I didn't see this live, but Seacrest has been talking about it all morning. I guess he tried to drag them over to the E! booth several times, but Ange wasn't having it. He really doesn't get it. They are not there to answer silly questions or talk to mere mortals. They are there to look fabulous and make everyone else feel terrible about themselves.

- Some of those dresses were hideous!
As usual, there are many best and worst dressed lists floating around online. I've posted a few select pictures here for your viewing pleasure. As always, it's much more fun to talk about the bad, so let's focus on that. Drew Barrymore's hair made her look like a 1950's housewife that popped a few too many pills. Volume can be a good thing, but I thought this was going to take flight. Renee Zellweger's dress is just beyond. Beyond bad. Yes, it's see through on top, but is she wearing a nude colored bra??? The black dress and the fit just gave me a creepy Addams Family vibe.

On a positive note, Eva Longoria looked stunning in her looong red gown.

Last but not least: Ricky Gervais is hilarious
He walked onstage with a pint glass, scolded the crowd of movie stars for talking over him and then proceeded to tease Kate Winslet about finally listening to him about making a Holocaust movie. Everyone knows, Holocaust movies = big awards!
I vote for him to host the Oscars next year...a little good-humored ribbing is exactly what they need.

Working it out...signals crossed

Signals. We all send and receive them, sometime we misinterpret them, sometimes we practically invent them, as in the "I want you" eyes a person of the opposite sex is giving you from across the bar, yeah, sure they are. While it's hard to know for sure what signals someone you've never met is sending I think that I've got a good handle on what messages or vibes people are putting out at the gym. There are the girls that want to be watched so they work out in the smallest, tightest, outfits Lycra will afford them with a face of flawless makeup and their ponytails teased to perfection. Lord knows there is a never ending supply of guys who wear wife beater's, tank tops, or painted on underarmour with a 4 day a week tanning habit; they clearly love themselves. Then there's the serious athlete in running shorts, chafe-free tank top and top of the line shoes who is there for the sole purpose of shaving off seconds for an upcoming marathon. And then there's my personal favorite; the 40-55ish gentlemen who wear knit shorts that leave little to the imagination or sweat pants with the gathered bottom, a gold's gym tank top with chest hair curling out from the top and sides complete with weight belt and a gold chain. Many of them sport an amazing mustache as well! Then there are the people like me who are honestly there just to work up a good sweat, burn as many calories as possible, and tone up. I try to get in and out in less then 60-75 minutes and I prefer to do all of the above uninterrupted.

So, seeing as how I've been approached twice recently by two separate guys (this is not me bragging by the way!!), I'm trying to figure out exactly what I'm doing wrong here. Am I sending out the wrong signals or is it the guys who are choosing to ignore what I think are my blatant leave-me-alone vibes?? Readers, you be the judge!! I should start by setting the scene and in order to do that properly I must take some of the blame. On days when I'm going to lift weights, I try to remember to leave my wedding bands in my locker. My hands get swollen from all the cardio and it's can be annoying to have them grinding against the weights. So there I was on the stair climber, the ones with actual stairs instead of the pedals, with my ipod nano strapped on one arm and a gigantic book in my hands, (I like these stairclimbers because it's not much jostling and it's the only cardio machine I use where I can actually read while getting a really intense workout) when some guy, never caught his name, decided to get on the stairclimber right next to me. Mind you there were 12 empty ones in the rest of the row. He started up his program and after 20 seconds or so asked if I do the stairclimber often and if so, how long and on what level. I make a big motion of turning down my ipod and putting my finger in the book so that he knew he was interrupting me before answering his questions in a very friendly manner. Hey, I'm not a complete bitch, I'd just rather read and listen to my ipod then make chit chat while I'm doing cardio! He seemed satisfied with my answers so I made another big motion of turning my ipod back up and looking back down to find my page. Right when I found my place he looked over again and asked if I've ever been to the Novi Lifetime Fitness and pretty soon he'd asked me a dozen questions covering everything from what classes I attend here, if I drink regularly and what brand of vodka I prefer, what I do for fun, how much I weigh, how many times I work out a week, what bars I've been to, where I live and when he's really desperate and I've tried 5 times to go back to my book he comes up with, "so you shop at Costco?" "Huh?" I say, and I'm thinking to myself, did this guy really just ask if I shop at Costco? I looked at my ipod, book, and finally he pointed out that I have a Kirkland water bottle which is bought in big cases at Costco. Ah yes, we finally have something in common, we both have Costco memberships, maybe we're soul mates!!! When his 20 minutes were finally up, (thank God!), he asked if I was going to be done soon and if I was leaving right after. I told him I still had weights to do and that I'd see him around. I finished up the rest of my program and after returning my book to my locker headed over to the weight section and started on my usual routine. I'd passed by him on my way to a machine and given a friendly wave when I could tell he was about to ask something but I just kept on my way hoping the wave would suffice. I was on the bicep curl machine, literally halfway up my arm curl when he leaned over my back, close to my face to ask if the studio in front of us was doing Yoga. I mean seriously, I'm right in the middle of a frickin set, not only is this annoying because he won't leave me alone, but it's awful gym etiquette to interrupt someone in the middle of a weightlifting set! I mean take the hint already!! My headphones were clearly visible, did I really look like I wanted to chat while pumping iron?!? Ugh!! This was our last encounter because I finished the bicep machine and did a quick ab set on the mats before high-tailing it out of there. So on my way home I thought through every single signal he'd missed or misinterpretted to make him think I wanted to keep chatting. In retrospect I could have just said something about me and my husband right away to cut him off but isn't that kind of an A-hole move? Guys, at what point in an opening conversation is it appropriate to bring up the significant other without being rude?? And furthermore, was it me encouraging him by smiling and answering his questions or was he just stubbornly ignoring my earphones, book, and short answers?

No Reservations - Detroit!

My stalker alarm is going off at full strength right now!! Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel show No Reservations is in Detroit this week filming an episode for the new season! I can't remember if I've obsessed over this show yet on here, but I love it. It's quality Cable TV. If anyone is downtown today, please drive around and look for a film crew and then call me. I'll be there in no time and Tony and I can run off into the cooking show sunset. I have a feeling he could be at any of the following places:

National Coney Island
Motown Museum
Rouge Plant
Roast - new fancy restaurant in the Book Cadillac
Hamtramck

I hear that this episode will play during the next season that starts in June/July. I can only imagine how beautiful winter in Detroit is going to look to the rest of America in the middle of summer. Oh well...at least he's here! Keep your eyes open and $20 to anyone who gets his phone number for me.

Far and Away...

Happy 2009 everyone, hope you all had a fabulous holiday celebration! Before I get into any blogging I want to first thank my very wonderful co-blogger, or rather the only diva blogger of late for shouldering all of the posts for the last two weeks while I've been on vacation. She's done an amazing job keeping the blog going and although some of you were probably hoping I would permanently take a leave of absence :) I'm back and ready for the new year!

First let me recount my two weeks far away in vacation land. I would be telling you a big fat fib if I said I was too busy to blog while I was gone, because that is the exact opposite of what I was. Nick and I, along with his twin brother, Chris and his girlfrined Kim joined the Brandon's at their vacation home in Scottsdale where we ate, drank, laid by the pool, watched countless movies and games of football and did a lot of shopping. I wish I had some dramatic story to report on from my travels but truthfully the most exciting thing was eating lunch at a table next to Wayne Gretzky and, (shock! his super hot wife and adorably blond children), in a cute little cafe called The Herb Box in Scottsdale.

We did, however, manage to stir up a little fun in Las Vegas where we spent 2 nights for New Years Eve. We began NYE with Bloody Mary's in the Mandalay Bay Sportsbook and watched the Kansas football game. We saw the Beatle's LOVE Cirque Du Soleil show at The Mirage and about 10 minutes into the show, which uses lots of fog machines, my right eye started to really feel irritated. The theater is pretty small and intimate and definitely not the type you want to get up and leave for a potty break so I resisted the urge to rub my eye makeup completely off and tried not to look like a pirate while keeping one eye closed the whole time. After the show we had a lovely dinner at this fab Japanese restaurant which I missed half of, partly due to having to remove my fake eyelashes and touch up my eye makeup in the bathroom, and mostly to wait in line at the Mirage gift shop behind eight 22-year old tools who were dashing back and forth from the line to get into JET nightclub to buy little shooters of vodka to mix in their minute-maid orange juice. I'm sure I am guilty of this at some point in my drinking past but I couldn't help but be annoyed at the time when I really needed to purchase some damn visine!!

Anyway, after dinner half of our party really wanted to leave The Mirage and gamble at Caesar's Palace. We left Mirage to find the streets blocked off and people filling every available walkway in Times Square Fashion. It was only 10:30pm and the place was nuts! People were already stumbling, throwing bottles, screaming, swaying to music, it was quite a sight, and one I was horrified to see included a few parents with 1 year olds in strollers!! It's called America's Adult Playground for a reason people...because it's for ADULTS!!! I couldn't believe that people were out there with babies and small children while they were surrounded by tons of unruly drunk people, it was scary!

So, after winding our way through the maze of people on the sidewalks we finally got inside Caesar's Palace and it became clear we weren't going to find a craps table with 8 empty spots. Our group decided to split so the parents headed back for Mandalay Bay and we searched for a bar. Two cherry bomb's later we found a table with a $25.00 minimum and proceeded to donate hundreds of $$$ to Caesar's, but hey, Elton John and Cher are really hurting for some cash so it's all for a good cause! The strip puts on a huge fireworks show at the stroke of midnight but did we see it?!? No! I was in fact rolling a hard eight at that very moment and managed a quick peck on the cheek to my honey. Apparently this didn't do much for my luck because we never rallied.

The rest of the night is pretty much a blur, but I do recall running down the sidewalk in my dress, Nick's suit jacket and my bare feet, (this will officially be the third time I've gone shoeless in Vegas, thank god they keep the sidewalks clean!) And there's even picture evidence of us stopping for a photo-op in front of the Bellagio and Monte Carlo fountains. We had a little gambling rally at Monte Carlo but it must not have been that great because I just checked my credit card balance and noticed a tiny little cash fee for $6.19 on a withdrawl of $200.00 at Monte Carlo. Don't remember that at all!! At a little past 5:00am we stumbled to our room and neither of us had the wherewithal to make me wash my feet before getting into those luxurious cream colored sheets, sorry to gross you out! The next morning was awfully hazy but from what I remember, I'm pretty sure we had a good time! Overall, vacation was great but it is nice to be back home, even if there is a half inch of black ice on the roads!

P.S. These are not my feet, I hope mine are cuter, even when dirty...

Happy New Year - 2009!

And I'm back! Sorry for the slight delay in posting my year end reviews. New Year's Eve happened and I have a lot of explaining to do. See I did something that I'm only now beginning to fully understand. I'm not proud of it and if I could go back to that moment and do it all over again, I wouldn't feel the shame and embarrassment. Yes, the last few days I've been wrestling with a decision I made. A decision that in effect kicked off my next 365 days and will forever be the first thing I did in 2009. I requested Britney Spears' hit single Womanizer.

Now before you condemn me and point fingers...maybe even say "I told you so", allow me to explain. After reflecting on my choice for the past 48 hours (most of which I was in and out of consciousness), I have come to the conclusion that it's not a terrible song. I am owning up to my decision (and it was MY decision, no one forced me) and trying to look on the bright side. I can't lie and pretend like I didn't want to request the song or even (the classic) blame it on the alcohol. No, I was fully aware of my surroundings when I chose to write "Britney Spears Womanizer" on the DJ request list. I even ignored the pleas of the DJ and blocked out the sounds of my friends begging me not to do it. Nothing was going to get in my way. My irresponsible actions could have led to massive dance floor buzz kill or even the worst case scenario, solo dance off. But luck was on my side that evening, the dancing continued, and the only trauma I have to deal with is in my own head. I'm slowly getting over the initial shock, moving into sadness, and will eventually within the next few minutes likely arrive at acceptance.

There...I accept it. Sometimes you just want to let go of it all and request a little Britney. I don't care what others may say anymore...put her crazy ass on and I will dance. And now, in 2009, I have the confidence to admit this in public.

Happy New Year!!