Razzle Dazzle Em

A couple weeks ago I was doing my daily perusing of the People.com website. I read an article about a new venture that the illustrious Kim Kardashian is exploring called Shoedazzle. Despite the hilarious name, the website was actually intriguing. I'm not one to turn down a pair of shoes, or a pair of shoes each month, so I read further. Shoedazzle is an online shoe service that is customized to fit your taste. You sign up, take a very short personality/style quiz (consists of choosing between various celebrities as your style icon and various shoes as the ones you are most attracted to), and voila! Within 2-3 days, the personal shoe stylists at Shoedazzle send you 5 shoes to select from. You are allowed to select one shoe per month for a monthly fee of $39.95. If you don't want a pair of shoes one month (or 12), you can opt out by the 5th day of the month and they won't charge you anything. However, if you do want a pair you just select from the 5 pictures/descriptions they send you and you are done. Your shoes will arrive within 7-10 days in a very attractive shoe box along with a prepaid return label. I keep trying to find the catch in this situation and I've only found two fairly small ones. First, you can either exchange the shoes or return them for a refund with the prepaid shipping label. Sounds great. The only catch is there will be a $5.95 restocking fee if you decide to return. Second catch is what happens if you forget to "opt out" by the 5th day of the month. They will charge your credit card for $39.95 and send you 5 pictures to choose from. If this happens and you still do not want the shoes that month, you will accrue credits that you can use another month. So technically, they will never charge you for nothing...you will always get a pair of shoes even if you decide to wait a few months.

I was tempted to see what 5 shoes they selected for me from my personality/style test, so I went through with it. I got pictures of 4 high heels (we're talking at least 3 1/4" high) and one pair of flat gladiator sandals. I have a feeling that they mostly send high heels along with one or two flats per month, so it's a good variety. Since we're going into summer, I chose the sandals on a whim...gladiator is not something I'm sold on by any means, but I'm willing to try. They sent my shoes and I received them about 5 days later in a really nice package containing a free gift (a pashmina) and my return label. The shoes are surprisingly solid quality (I forget the brand name but this guy has stores in California and is by no means a high end designer...more like knock-off brand). I tried them on and looked a bit too much like Cleopatra for my taste, so I'll probably send them back - you have 30 days - for an exchange. I'm not sure if I'll keep this up for very long. I don't exactly need a new pair of trendy shoes each month and I certainly can't afford $39.95/monthly for these shoes, but it's a fun thing to do every now and then. I'll just have to remember to opt out each month or those credits will pile up as high as my shoe room.

You can check out the website at Shoedazzle.com.

Guys, my apologies.

And finally! A very happy belated, by a day, Happy Birthday to my fellow blogger diva Leigh Brandon! She celebrated her big 27th yesterday and will continue to celebrate all week long with the grand culmination of events taking place this Saturday for what is lovingly known as Divafest around these parts. Here's to a fabulous birthday week!

Fashion Smashion...

After perusing one of my favorite daily blogs, bagsnob.com, I came across the link to their sister site, Couturesnob.com, which lists several bullet points of what they are featuring for the day. Today's top point read, "How to work the YSL Jumpsuit", and I immediately had to click on it. Lately I've found myself mentally stressed over whether the jumpsuit coming back into fashion is a good thing, (yes I know I need to get a life or live a day in someone else's life who has real problems!). I'm not super trendy but I try to keep up on what's happening in the fashion world and introduce some of the latest trends into my normal wardrobe. I've seen jumpsuits start to make a comeback and although I would never consider wearing one I think I can see where it might be okay on someone much taller and slimmer then my 5'3ish" frame. It was on the runways last year but you really know it's hit the mainstream when you start to see it at Express and I just so happened to see one there a week ago. They were all on sale which leads me to believe that they're not selling well and since I haven't actually seen anyone in Michigan wear one I'm hoping it's because everyone else is banishing this fashion trend as well. Watch me post this blog and then find an adorable one at Target later this spring that I can't live without! Anyway, I often look to couturesnob.com, not for advice but just to get their take on new trends and now that I've seen their opinion on the YSL version, I might have to take them off my blog list. Please see picture at your right. Yes, it's Yves Saint Laurent the high-end fashion house, it's new, its edgy...but does anyone else think it looks like a pair of men's sweatpants that were just pulled up over the model's chest?!? I don't think I'm way off here but I know Nick has several pair of Ohio State sweat pants that I could instantly make into my own chic twist on this horrific outfit! What happened to flattering a woman's body?? Yeah, that idea has obviously died with this trend. And please, please, please tell me who would find a woman sexy, hot, or attractive in this without being embarrassed to be seen with her? Oh but wait! Now I see YSL did a version in sequins, ah yes....well hey, obviously sequins completely change the feel of the whole thing, I mean its way better in when you throw some glitz at it! No longer is it just a casual jersey knit, shapeless pair of sweat pants, now it's much more saggy crotch pirate pants goes to Vegas!!! If you want my fashion advice, stick to jeans that fit you, a sequin tank top and you're be miles ahead of this trend in class and style!

Sporcle

I don't have a clue what Sporcle actually means but I have my own definition: "An amazing way to kill anywhere from 10 minutes to an entire Friday night on the couch!" Thanks to my bro-in-law Toph, I was recently turned onto this website which he found after he got trapped at our house last Saturday evening while his car keys were stuck with Nick and I for the night in Howell. Sporcle.com is a gaming website advertising "mentally stimulating diversions," for anyone who has a few minutes, a brain, and a computer. A simple front page will show you the newest games and they're all basically trivia quizzes. Currently the newest games are Brazilian Footballers, Top Rated TV (US), Move Score Composers, Palindromic Words, 80's Video Games, etc... Yesterday I played U.S. State names and they showed a map of the U.S. and I had to type in every state name in under 10 minutes, ( I got 49/50, Missouri was staring right at me and I couldn't think of it for the life of me!). Today I tried company logos and they showed 30ish logos that you tried to name in under the allotted time. Some of the quizzes give clues, like in the palindromic words: "A fast moving vehicle" - you type in RaceCar. While some of the stuff is trivial, I actually think these little quizzes could be a healthy way to spend a few minutes. With 15 categories ranging from Entertainment, Holidays, History, all the way to science and even a random category, its easy to test your knowledge of countries, capitals, word games, amino acids, animal adjectives, etc... And after playing Catchphrase last weekend its clear that everyone could stand to brush up on some of these categories, especially European capitals! It's easy to log on, you don't have to sign up for anything and you won't be barraged with advertisements so give it a try the next time you're bored at the office or when everyone ditches you on a Friday night!

The Midwest girl in me...

You know when you're driving along and you see someone running or biking in spandex shorts and a long sleeve shirt and you peek up at your temperature gauge and it says 38 degrees and you think to yourself, "geez, those people are real idiots dressed like that running around in this weather?" Its safe to assume they're from the Midwest. Then there's the first day of above 50 degree weather when you can drive by your local college and all the girls are sure to be sporting the latest trends in short shorts and tank tops?!? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about Lease! Well who can really blame them, it's tough surviving the long dreary winters and we all want to soak up as much outdoor friendly temps as possible, me included.

I'm usually pretty practical about outdoor activities but I think the long winter plus 2 days of temps in the 60's recently has screwed with my sense of reality. Anyone else who knows what it's like to spend 4-5 months stuck inside on the treadmill, elliptical, swimming pool etc... will surely agree that the first glorious day of sunny outdoor running weather is heaven! I wouldn't call myself a nature girl but I enjoy being outside and especially getting my runs in on the real pavement when possible, but that first day of running outside is different. Its like I'm one with nature, the birds chirp along with every Christina Aguilera tune that plays on my ipod and Wilcox Lake doesn't smell nearly as sewerish as usual, in fact it almost smells like rainbows! And no matter what kind of day I've had or how little sleep I got the night before, that first day brings out the Lance Armstrong in me, I could practically shout "Live Strong!" from the top of my lungs and run all the way to Tennessee with the energy that comes from that high. So what happened this year was a little bit of a fluke. Just one week ago, we experienced 68 degrees for the first time in what felt like a millennium and I got in a great outdoor run at lunch and proceeded to rollerblade with Nick after work. The problem is that once you get back outdoors you really hate to go back inside to the treadmill. So I got outdoors again on Wednesday and skipped Thursday, planning to go biking on Friday. I woke up to sunshine streaming inside my bedroom and was thrilled with the idea of getting outside again so when I stepped out the door in my Adidas pants and a long sleeve t-shirt I felt a chill but figured I just needed an extra layer so I grabbed a thin fleece. I met Zach over at my parents house to borrow their bikes and he showed up in shorts so I thought for sure we'd be fine. About 50 yards down the street we commented that the sun wasn't as warm as we were hoping and definitely not the kind that warms you up enough to cancel out the sharply cold wind. It was supposed to reach 43 degrees but I doubt that accounted for the wind chill. We complained about the cold but figured we just needed to get our hearts pumping so we pedaled faster and tried to warm up. About a mile later our teeth were chattering, Zach was experiencing all that comes with cold wind up the shorts, (not that I checked) and my eyes were tearing so badly from the wind. I wanted to be tough Midwest girl who is used to the cold enough to soak up the sun and enjoy the fresh air but I couldn't feel my fingers and I think Zach was on the verge of tears so we gave in and raced back to the house to sit on the couch and warm up. I know it's typical to get a few extra warm days in March but I was really hoping I could withstand the rest of the March and April temps along with those above average days. It's back to the treadmill and episodes of The Tudors for those cold days but at least I have Jonathon Ryhs Meyers to keep me warm!

Most Amazing Hat Ever

I'm not a hat girl. I've never been able to get into hats even when I have the best intentions. I usually get laughed at in some way or the other, so I've found it's just best to be cold. Our friends at Cabela's Outdoor Retailers would disagree. If you've never been to this ginormous retailer in Dundee, MI then allow me a few moments to explain. It's big, like shopping mall big, and carries everything from firearms, bows/arrows, various other weapons of animal destruction, clothing, shoes, fishing gear, golf equipment, camping supplies, bunker necessities, flannel and camo patterned everything, animal heads for your favorite cabin wall, and even a restaurant serving the most delicious roadkill and exotic game dishes one carnivorous person could handle. I've been there. It's a long story. Anyways, my friend Andrea stumbled upon this doozy of a hat today and had to share it with everyone. I think if you can pull this look off, you will survive all world-ending atrocities that could possibly occur (nuclear war, comet disasters, the big one, those damn pythons taking over Florida, and especially the financial crisis because your bunker is probably stocked with enough trail mix and beef jerky sticks to last till kingdom come.) Behold the Bridger Mountain Man Coyote Fur Hat:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp;jsessionid=AJ4X153EQC4KFLAQBBICCN3MCAEFCIWE?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=&id=0005161951025a&navCount=0&podId=0005161&parentId=&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XJ&rid=&parentType=&indexId=&cmCat=netcon&cm_ven=netcon&cm_cat=&cm_pla=&cm_ite=netcon&rid=0180101070502&hasJS=true&_requestid=98653

Yes, it's a long link, but so worth it. If you want some amazing reading material today, please do read the 6 handy reviews. Comedy Central couldn't write this stuff.

BTW friends, my bday is coming up and I wouldn't mind giving the hat look a try again

RIP to one of Detroits finest...

I'm not sure if I missed the original news story because of my trip to Chicago but I just heard about the passing of Bill Davidson this morning on my way to work. For anyone that pays attention to local news, Detroit business or Detroit sports you'll be familiar with Davidson's contributions to the metro area over the last 50 years but for those of you not up to speed I'll give you a little background. Davidson was born in Detroit in 1922, attended the University of Michigan for his undergrad where he ran track before earning his law degree from Wayne State University. I first heard the name Bill Davidson shortly after my senior year in high school when I worked for a janitorial service that cleaned commercial offices, one of which was a Guardian Industries glass manufacturing plant in Flatrock. We used to clean the labs where tests were conducted on windshields and I especially remember the towering mountain of shimmering green glass next to the factory door. Fast forward to one of my first Pistons games sitting in VIP seats just 16 rows behind the players bench asking Nick who a cute, frail, little old man was sitting just to the left of the basket in the court side seats when I heard that name again. I soon found out that Davidson was not only a extremely successful business owner having taken Guardian Industries to international success, but he was also responsible for one of the greatest sports arenas which I was fortunate enough to be sitting in at that very moment. Davidson bought the Pistons in 1974 and built a new practice facility and the Palace with his own money. He went on to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightening in 1999 and the Detroit Shock shortly thereafter. What I just recently learned is that the Pistons were his third choice for a Detroit sports team to purchase back in the 70's. His bids for the Lions and the Red Wings were rejected before buying the Pistons. Just think of the success he's brought the Pistons, Shock, and Lightning, and the Lion's said NO THANKS!!!! Just goes to show that the Lion's bad decision making goes back MUCH MUCH further then Matt Millen, honestly people how do you still root for them?!?

But I digress, Davidson has been a fixture of Pistons games over the last few decades, wearing the same dockers style slacks, polo shirt and what I can only describe as a member's only type jacket to all the games and sitting in the exact same seat with his family and friends surrounding him. At the start of every halftime he mounts his little scooter and probably takes a much needed bathroom break before returning for the rest of the game. I don't know how many team owners sit court side but I'm guessing more of them hang out in one of their suites and I just think it's so cool that he wanted to watch like everyone else and be a part of the atmosphere at the games. Much like his dedication to his sports teams, he's been committed to giving back to our community with his generous philanthropic donations to the University of Michigan, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Children's Research Center of Michigan, and Detroit's Parks and Recreation Department just to name a few.

He was regular guy who never wanted a piece of the limelight, just wanted to see his teams succeed and Detroit along with it. I'll never forget watching him struggle to hoist the championship trophy overhead after the Pistons won the NBA championship in 2004, their first since the Bad Boys in 1990. So thankyou Bill Davidson for your committment to our community and for being one helluva Detroiter! You will be missed!

Hottie of the week....

For all you out there who requre a good sense of humor in a male partner I've got the guy for you: Demetri Martin. His name might set off a sense of recognition in the back of your brain if you've been flipping through the channels lately and seen a commercial for his brand new show on Comedy Central called Important Things with Demetri Martin. I stumbled across a preview for his show while watching Southpark a few weeks ago and then saw a link referring to him on my homepage which led me to Youtube where I found a 14 minute clip of one of his standup routines and nearly wet my pants while watching it. Similar to Stephen Lynch, Martin incorporates guitar and props for his comedy but that's where the similarity ends. Martin has the most astute powers of observation I've ever seen and the random stuff he comes up will have you hunched over with a stomach ache from laughing. Formerly a writer and guest star on Conan O'Brien, and a guest star on the final episode of Flight of the Conchords first season he's finally landed his own half hour show each Wednesday on Comedy Central at 10:30PM. Each show focuses on one main theme, so far he's done a show about power, lines, chairs, and safety and each time he uses different skits, sketches, and jokes to illustrate the random things he picks up on, for instance, he draws a coffee mug and then talks about how lines can really make all the difference so he draws three lines above the mug and suddenly it's a steaming hot cup of coffee, then he adds three parrallel lines to the side of the mug and suddenly it's a steaming hot cup of coffee careening off the page. Martin is totally original and creative and if random humor is your type of funny, he's your guy! I give him a 26 as our hottie of the week!

Physical Fitness 6/10: He's definitely cute and we see him in a toga as Demetrecles in one of his regular sketches and while he may be on the skinny side it totally works for him!

Mental Stimulation: 12/10: To be a writer on Conan you pretty much have to be a comedic genius, and he did go to Yale on a full ride law school scholarship before deciding to quit a year early and follow his dreams of a career in comedy.

Body of Work 8/10: He doesn't have a lot to his credit but his guest apperances on The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Conan, and a show for the BBC have landed him this gig at Comedy Central so hopefully it's just the beginning!

Here's a link to the Youtube clip, give it a chance and then try out his show on Wednesday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFrfeJ8dKM

Detroit City Council STFU

I have about had it today with the Detroit City Council. I don't live in the city, and never have or will, but I have to hear about these jokers on TV and read about them daily in the local newspapers. They fight so much with each other that I don't think they've accomplished anything since I've been alive. One look at the city and anyone can see that. The past few weeks have brought a flurry of press for this obnoxious bunch. Cobo Hall, where the auto show and various other shows that give out pens and notepads in small goody bags are held, is crumbling bit by bit into the ever-expanding wasteland. This week alone AutoRama was plagued with leaky ceilings and soiled carpet. It's clear that this supposed tourist destination needs a serious remodel. Enter the City Council. Now, honestly I'm not up on all the minute details of the so-called deals that are going on to renovate the hall. All I know is that in a last minute, off the books meeting to stop the city from turning over the hall to a regional authority (read, OUTSIDE and anywhere but Detroit) for renovations caused a shit storm for the council. My favorite council-person (ever since she wore a tiara to a council meeting on her birthday last year), Barbara-Rose Collins was so moved by the moment that she broke out in gospel song and shouted "Onward Christian Soldiers" from the top of her lungs, in the middle of the meeting. And do you know what the other members did? THEY JOINED IN.

Collins and her fellow choir members accused Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson of wanting to take over their land, just like the European ancestors did so many years ago. Yes, people, you know where this is going, went, whatever. Even though the city can't make a good decision to save its life, we're going to get a history lesson from a grown woman in a tiara.

Kiss the Auto Show goodbye if they let this type of behavior continue. Thousands of jobs will be lost and countless businesses will suffer, yet again, because of the mindset of people like council member Joann Watson:

From the DET NEWS: Council Member Watson said everyone wants the expansion and the jobs they would bring. But she and others said the current deal amounts to a giveaway of an asset that the city's taxpayers had purchased.
"Everyone wants jobs," she said. "We want ownership."

Why don't we start with jobs? Then see if you can handle ownership.

Speaking of jobs or the lack thereof, Jay Leno is one upstanding awesome dude. I'm sure most of you have heard by now that Leno will be doing his stand-up thing at a FREE Palace of Auburn Hills show for anyone in Michigan who is unemployed. Leno has always been a big car guy and this is his way of saying thank you to our depressed auto industry. Parking is free, food and drink is free (out of his pocket and sponsored by Pepsi), and anyone who shows up and says they are unemployed will be given admittance. Now, if that isn't one of the coolest things I've heard in a long time, I don't know what is. So what could be the problem with Jay's thoughtful and gracious offer?? Just leave that to the City Council to figure out.

Councilwoman Martha Reeves would like you to know that the Palace of Auburn Hills is not in the city of Detroit. It's actually in Auburn Hills, which is in Oakland County and should not be confused. Reeves feels that if Leno is coming to this area because of the Detroit Auto Industry, then by god, he should do his show within the city limits. It doesn't matter that he is doing this out of the kindness of his heart (and maybe some publicity), or that ANYONE in Michigan can attend - and yes, Martha, Detroit is still in Michigan, or that people with decency don't look a gift horse in the mouth and ask if it can come back another time to play a smaller venue that has crappy parking and horrible bathroom facilities (Joe Louis Arena I'm talking to you). You say THANK YOU and figure out a way to rent a few buses to get all of the inner-city unemployed people out to the fancy schmancy Auburn Hills area for a night of recession-friendly fun. Tiara's are optional.

God Bless the U.S.A.

I'm a firm believer that fun is created. It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, it's about the people you're with, your attitude, and the ability to make anything fun. My theory was tested to damn near the breaking point last Friday night.

When it comes to going out I think I'm pretty low maintenance. I enjoy high class martini bars, dance clubs, hole in the wall dive bars, karaoke joints, sports bars, Irish pubs, etc...and there are few places I just won't go. Friday night started out at the Whitmore Lake Tavern where Nick and I met up with most of his extended family for dinner. We'd already agreed to go out with the fun Aunts, Uncles, and cousins afterward and left the plans to them. When I first heard that we were going to a place with karaoke I thought, "Great, we always have a good time when Nick can belt out the sounds of Neil Diamond, Milli Vinilli, and John Secada!" So it came as a bit of a surprise when I heard that it was the South Lyon VFW hall who was hosting a karaoke night. I have nothing against VFW halls in theory and I've been in at least one with my Dad and don't recall having any negative memories of my visit there. I feel great pride for my Dad who served in the Army in the early 70's and think it's great for veterans to have an official place to gather and be recognized. I now realize that whatever memories I have of a VFW Hall were completely deluded. Just two steps into the building and my nose and eyes were assaulted by the wall of smoke hanging in the air. It makes logical sense why they lack proper ventilation since there are hardly any windows!! This VFW hall might as well be carved into the side of a mountain because it was basically a dark gloomy cave! Another few steps into the hall and it was clear we were the youngest patrons by about 30 years. We got the once over from everyone in the room and I was suddenly aware of how overdressed I was in my Joe's Jeans, boots, short sleeve aqua bar top and cardigan. I'm not sure if the Vets have ritual where they get pumped up for a night out by hunting something before they make their way to the bar but they were definitely prepared to do so in their camouflage shorts, pants, jackets, and hats. If you've ever been to a NASCAR race the crowd is quite similar, lots of Goodwrench hats, race team jackets, a plethora of beer company T-shirts, and a serious need for an army of dentists!

Nick was the first one to sing and generally Sweet Caroline really gets the crowd going. The audience; however, didn't seem to feel the connection with Nick. I think they thought he was taking himself seriously when he threw a few fist pumps high into the air and danced around to the beat. Normally people join in on the "Bah, bah, bah" parts or the "So good, So good, So good" interludes but it was pretty quiet and stone faced around that room besides our table. This though, proved to be just a result of the early hour, (it was only 8pm), and veteran's and their friends sure can drink. And once they get the heavy drinking going, they don't even mind dancing. Notice the pictures I've included with this post. The gentleman in the green sweatshirt and tapered jeans was quite the ladies man, taking countless females to the dance floor where he'd slow dance or really get his groove on and dip down to the floor. And some of the women really embraced their sexy sultry side later on in the evening with their booty shaking, swaying, and hair flipping, it was quite a party! Overall it turned out to be an okay night, the people watching alone was pretty entertaining, I think next time I'll just need to drink more!

Tales from the D

I love a good soap opera. I grew up watching All My Children and Loving with my mom and grandma and I can't help but follow the scripted drama of today's "reality" shows. Love affairs gone wrong are one of my favorite topics. So imagine my joy when I heard that the text messages between the former Detroit mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick and his head of staff Christine Beatty were released for all to read. These text messages have really given me hours of voyeuristic happiness. They became public in batches, a few months in between each release. I was like a kid at midnight waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out. I checked back at Freep.com several times a day until that amazing PDF file was finally posted for the world to see. And disappoint they didn't. The first batch that was released several months ago was a bit on the R rated side, with even a possible X rating. I mostly dry-heaved through those, but like any trashy drug store novel, they were impossible to put away. Hotel room rendevous', late night "sexting", intimate discussions about bikini waxing, it's all there.



This last batch (and by batch I mean thousands of messages), was released at noon yesterday. It covers most of what happened between 2002 and 2005; that's four years of their illicit love affair, illegal activities, and Kwame's inflated sense of entitlement. You couldn't make this stuff up even if you wrote memoirs for a living. A few of my favorite bits:



- Kwamster dropping some serious BS to poor, lonely Christine. He called her "the Wind Beneath My Wings", my soul mate, and actually used lines from Barry White songs.

- Christine responded several times by joking about how it's not like she wanted to marry him...right now...ha haha LOL...

- LOL is their favorite abbreviation...they had many laughs together, especially about getting caught by their spouses

- Kwame's wife chimed in every now and then, but the only thing she wanted to talk about was when she would get her "Navi"...otherwise known as the city paid for Lincoln Navigator. In the middle of Kwame and Christine telling each other how their love will never die and they will express that feeling tonight at the Marriot in Southfield, Carlita K. drops sentimental lines to her husband like "WHERE IS MY NAVI?!" "CAN I GET IT BEFORE THE 2004'S COME OUT?"

- Christine had serious self confidence issues. She would constantly apologize for not "looking cute" for him at the office. She even decided to get a bikini wax so that she could be cuter. He responded with a gag worthy line about how he was going to be "all over that bikini wax area later"....huuuuurlll....I'm really sorry about that.

- Finally, when they had time to discuss work it gets interesting and not just disgusting. It was them against the city and they were going to destroy anyone in their path. It's completely obvious to anyone who reads the messages that we were dealing with a bunch of crooks who were more concerned about their love fests and Navigators than actually doing good for this sad excuse for a city.

I applaud the Detroit Free Press for staying on top of this story all the way to the bitter end. Now if only someone can bring justice to the family of Tamara Green (aka Strawberry the stripper), we'll have closure to this whole mess. And just a word of advice to the Kilpatrick's new neighbors in Houston, TX. If they have a party, you might want to skip it.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

This week I learned a new word. Ok, it's not exactly a new word in my ever-expanding lexicon. I grew up watching Tweety bird and Snoopy cartoons and I've probably imitated a bird sound once or twice in my life, but this new definition takes the cake. Tweeting. The word alone makes me laugh. Then toss in the meaning behind it and it becomes one of the most hilarious and awe-inspiring words I've heard. I was watching The Daily Show this week when Jon Stewart mentioned a serious case of Tweeting that was taking place during Obama's Address to Congress last Wednesday. What is this tweeting and how does one tweet, I thought to myself. Jon explained that quite a few of our elected officials were logging into their Twitter accounts during the speech to update their status, or in Twitter speak - "What Are You Doing?" Well, according to their Twitter pages, most of them were doing everything BUT paying attention to their President. Didn't their mothers teach them better than this:
Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) tweeted, "On the House floor for Pres Obama's historic speech to Congress. I have the honor of escorting him. If you're watching, I'm wearing white."
- Oh Cathy, white before Memorial Day??! Someone call Tim Gunn.
"I am sitting behind Sens. Graham and McCain," Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA) tweeted.
- Clearly Robert is one of the cool kids. Sounds like some VIP seats to me!
"Now Supreme Ct. I did big wooohoo for Justice Ginsburg. She looks good," Sen. McCaskill said a few minutes later.
- Last time I heard a big wooohoo it was from Vicki of the Real Housewives of the OC. Keep those woohoo's coming Senator McCaskill.
And as the speech began, one tweet by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) took a unique tone.
"Aggie basketball game is about to start on espn2 for those of you that aren't going to bother watching pelosi smirk for the next hour," it read.
- If only us real people could talk about our bosses at work this way.
"Some Republican Senators are standing and clapping, including McCain. Great!" Blumenauer said, adding a few minutes later, "One of the teleprompters is directly between the President and me. But I am sure he delivered the line about stark budget realities to me."
- Or you could just be suffering from delusions of grandeur, Blumenauer.

Which leads me to my main point. Delusions of grandeur...perhaps that is what is behind this revolution of TMI. If we're all honest with ourselves, we really don't think that people care THAT MUCH what we are doing right now, do we? Sure we all dable in it on Facebook and Myspace, but this Twitter situation really gets down to the basics. No photos, no comments, no BS...just a venue every minute of the day to tell everyone you know exactly what you are doing at that very minute. Maybe I'm just raining on the parade because my daily activities aren't worth tweeting about, but I don't even think I want to read about what the people who are supposed to be running our country are doing. I just want them to do it. And maybe put down that Blackberry and listen to the President every now and then. They can resume their tweeting during recess.

Long awaited arrival...

With the sun shining and temperatures in the double digits, I think it's finally safe to say that Michigan is on it's way to thawing out. However, I'm sure by typing this I'll jinx us into hitting record lows next week. Either way there is a 58° forecast in the very near future and I plan to break out my bikini and baby oil! Okay, so that's a bit of an exaggeration 1. because I've still got some winter insulation going on and 2. because it's pale, white, and pasty and shouldn't be forced on anyone's eyes. Oh well, at least we won't have to wear those down puffer coats which is about all you can ask for in March!! Unfortunately this time of year brings something besides the sunshine, melting snow and end of hibernation: the dreaded return of the geese. For anyone who read my blog about the evil geese who caused the Hudson River landing you'll already know that I'm not a big fan of these creatures. Well, I woke up this morning in a great mood. After a solid night's sleep, I was up early to get a run in with plenty of time to pick up bagels for an coworker's birthday. I was thoroughly enjoying the sunny morning when I pulled into the parking lot and spotted the stupid stupid geese. There they were, (I've named them Maude and Claude), waddling their squat ugly butts in front of the driveway just so I had to come to a complete stop and let them pass. They come back here every single year and make sweet chicky babies on one of our parking lots little grassy islands where the utility pole is located. Before they commense in fornication and parenthood I'm convinced they pretty much live just to torment me. They await my arrival to work most mornings and hiss at me while I'm walking from my car to the building in order to distract my attention as I step in the minefiled of poo they leave all over the sidewalk! Maude and Claude are on a real power trip, you'd think they own the place! Sometimes they bang their beaks on our front door, then as if they know precisely when we're all watching, turn around and let the greenish shite flow all over the doorstep! If that isn't bad enough, I occassionally have to walk out the back door to avoid them and if I get within 10 feet of them they flap their wings, hiss and I swear they want to have me for lunch! The only good thing about them is the goslings that are born in a couple months, that is pretty cute to see them hatch and learn to walk around, but in reality they all turn into big mean geese. This year I'm taking a stand, they're not gonna push me around anymore! I'll walk where I want to and leave the building from whatever door I please! Just you watch Maude and Claude, I will live in fear no longer!

Stay tuned for what is sure to be many more geese stories...