Crazy Mom

When I was a kid, I had friends who were twins named Nina and Elise. Nina and Elise's mom was rumored to be crazy. I don't know that for a fact, but she certainly acted like it. She was horribly mean to them--yelling and cursing at them for no good reason. Then they would leave for school and she'd open the window and yell out to them, "I love you--have a nice day." Sometimes, I feel like I'm turning into Nina and Elise's mom. Like today--I was tired and cranky to begin with (had a late night and feel overwhelmed by all the holiday crap I have to get done), and then discovered that H "misplaced" her Nintendo DS. It's likely in the house somewhere as they're not really allowed to take them out, but it really irritated me that she had no idea where it was. They have so much crap that they don't even notice when something huge like a Nintendo DS is missing. And then looking for it compounded a bunch of other issues--how they leave their crap everywhere, never clean up after themselves, have the attention span of gnats, etc. So I was horribly mean to them today, and then felt terrible about it when I put them to bed, so was extra nice. I kind of understand what Nina and Elise's mom was going through, and I wonder if people think I'm crazy.

The Joys of Home Ownership

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a new heating system for our roof so the gutters wouldn't freeze up.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a new furnace for the first floor family room.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a new furnace for the rest of the house.

I hate to see what else I'm getting. Wouldn't it have just been easier to say it with flowers?

Speaking of flowers, the beautiful orchid plant given to me by a client has long since lost its blooms, and is now a barren looking plant of 3 long spikes. I've done a lot of reading on how to care for it, and am hoping for new blooms soon. But so far, things look bleak.

I'm happy for Nick and Starr--they were definitely the most capable team. I'm also happy that Ken and Tina seem to have had a happy ending--Phil was not the only one moved by the ring exchange.

TMI

Fiber One bars have too much fiber.

T made the travel hockey team--it's a good thing, since I got his travel soccer report card today, and soccer clearly isn't his sport. When his sister, who is the antithesis of athletic (at least with respect to soccer), gets higher marks than him, that ain't good.

We ate at Graham Elliot the other night. The food was great and the service was fun and filled with light banter, but never crossed the line like it did at Joe's. (Still have to send Rich Melman my complaint on that one.) I had buffalo chicken and scallops, and A had sweetbreads (ew!) and pheasant. I'm a pretty adventurous eater and have in fact tried sweetbreads once, but I certainly didn't enjoy them enough to eat glands voluntarily again. Our dining companions had Caesar salad (I got to eat all the white anchovies!), risotto, venison tartare (another ew! from me), skate and something else that escapes me. The desserts were phenomenal. Definitely one of my favorite meals, right up there with Aigre Doux.

A had his second shoulder surgery today. So far, so good--keeping my fingers crossed....

Rude!

I don't know what pissed me off more: the fact that the doofy frat guys are in The Amazing Race finals instead of Dallas and Toni, or the rude woman who sat next to me on the train this morning. The empty seat next to me had a newspaper wedged in between the seat and the back. A woman got on the train, looked at it and said to me "excuse me" clearly indicating that she wanted to sit there. I told her it wasn't mine. She continued to stand there just looking at me and the newspaper. I should have just turned away and continued reading my newspaper, but instead I tried to help her by pulling the offending newspaper out. Well, it was wedged in there pretty well, and took me a couple seconds to yank it out. She just stood there the whole time, holding up a line of people behind her. I finally got it out and another woman who had been waiting took it from me to throw in the trash. Then the original rider sat down, saying nothing to either me or the woman who threw the paper out. A "thanks" considering we got her seat ready for her would have been nice.

I think I am forgoing a new coat this winter (it's a recession!) but I have been checking out the puffy down coats anyway. I saw a really nice one today--it was white with a fur-trimmed hood... and it was worn by a dude.

T confessed to me that the only reason he said he only wanted kisses for Christmas was because he was hoping Santa was listening and would be so happy to hear him being a good boy, that he would get extra presents. I'm less mad at him for being untruthful than relieved that I can give him his gifts now and impressed with his ingenuity!

The Accidental Recessionista

I must have somehow anticipated the current economic crisis because I am in a good position to save money on poinsettias this year: I still have mine from last year. Actually, I think I'm less of an economic soothsayer than just plain frugal. My poinsettias held up pretty well after the holidays last year and I didn't have the heart to throw away healthy plants. So I moved them to my kitchen windowsill where they flourished. Now the only trick is to get them red by Christmas. I googled "how to turn poinsettias red" and learned that they need 12 hours of darkness at a time in order to turn red, starting in September. I did not speed things along by placing them in a closet before daylight savings time ended, but they're getting 12 hours of darkness now so hopefully they'll be red at some point before December. If not, I'll just have green poinsettias--how could I bring myself to buy new ones at this point?

I also canceled HBO today--I'll reinstate it when Entourage starts again, but in the meantime, I'm saving $18/month.

H is a teenager in an 8-year-old's body. She had a meltdown yesterday because she was frustrated that (i) she broke a stupid toy dinosaur from the American Museum of Natural History ("it was a special keepsake from New York and I'll never get another one," she sobbed), (ii) she could not get her diary to lock and (iii) her room was a mess. It was a complete emotional breakdown and a scary foreshadowing of her teenage years....

Dandrew

Watching Dandrew on The Amazing Race is just painful--please, please get eliminated already. On the other hand, I think Dallas and Toni are becoming one of my all-time favorite teams. I have a lot of admiration for the great job she did raising him to be such a solid guy.

Christmas season is soon upon us and the kids and I have talked a lot about how fortunate we are, and how we already have lives of excess. T has said that he only wants 2 things for Christmas: a kiss from me and a kiss from daddy. He didn't even want to put up his stocking for fear that Santa might inadvertently leave him something. I kept telling him it was OK to maybe get a couple things (I have the Wii and some games and accessories waiting!), but he's adamant about not getting anything. I'm curious to know if he'd really be OK with having nothing under the tree Christmas morning. H, on the other hand, is such a material girl. She understands that she doesn't need anything, but there's so much that she wants, and she's having a hard time giving that up.

Entourage is on hiatus until the summer, and I think as part of my recession plan, I'll cancel HBO until then.

Yuck

Dropping one's BlackBerry into a tub of caramel dip is not good on so many levels....

The Amazing Race

I still think Terence is a big wuss who's too in touch with his feelings, but Sarah kinda grew on me and I was kinda sorry to see them eliminated (though I knew from the get-go that he would wuss out on the eating challenge, even before I knew he was a vegetarian). Definitely sorry to see them eliminated ahead of the frat boys, who not only manage to be unlikeable because of their utter doofiness, but also because of pretty much every other character trait they have. I don't even feel bad that the divorcees mocked them. Dandrew give not only frat boys a bad name, but also nerds and Jews. I generally like the other 3 teams, so if these idiots somehow end up in the finals instead of one of the teams that actually deserve it....

H is really into finance lately. She watches Squawk Box with A and announced today that she knows what a bailout is. The kids both noticed that a nearby bank changed to a Bank of America, so we talked about how companies merge sometimes because one company is not strong enough to survive on its own, but if it merges with another, they can save money and continue. T then commented that he was sad that the local Carvel (which closed a couple months ago) could not merge before it went out of business.

Return of the Critters

Camelback crickets, ladybugs and black flies, oh my! Thank goodness the Orkin man is coming tomorrow.

I've connected with a bunch of old high school and college friends on Facebook. It's amazing to me how great everyone looks. But then again, I assume people on Facebook are largely a self-selecting group--I highly doubt I would put myself out there if I had gained a ton of weight or not aged particularly well....

The Discussion

Here's how it went, with a big preface about how this was very mature conversation, and her friends might not know it and it wasn't meant to be gossip fodder, and she shouldn't go around telling people what she knows, but if her friends ask, she should tell them to ask their moms:

Me: PMS stands for pre-menstrual syndrome.

H: What's a syndrome?

Me: A syndrome is like a, well, a sickness. No, not really a sickness, more like a condition.

H: Like Down's syndrome?

Me: How do you know about Down's syndrome?

H: It was in the Main Street book I read. Let me show you.

[H jumps out of bed and to her bookshelf to grab the book. I'm breathing a sigh of relief thinking our PMS discussion is over.]

H: See, here Robby has Down's syndrome. He was very excited to get cupcakes, but he's 16. Most 16-year-olds wouldn't be excited about cupcakes, right? So people with Down's syndrome act a little young?

Me: Yes.

[Silence]

H: So what's the rest of it mean?

Me: Have you heard about periods or menstruation?

H: Only from Jessica [a babysitter], when she told me she got her period and asked me if I knew where you kept some stuff.

Me: Oh right [I forgot about that and avoided the discussion then]. Anyway, when girls are ready to have babies, and their bodies may be physically ready as early as 11, but that doesn't mean you'd have a baby then....

H: Yes, like that girl on American Idol who was like 18 and already had babies, but then you couldn't go to college or do other things.

Me: Right (thinking how did we get on the topic of teenage pregnancy?). Anyway, the uterus prepares each month with a lining that has nutrients for the baby, but if there's no baby, the lining is shed, and blood comes out your vagina.

H (contorting her face in horror while simultaneously stifling giggles): OK.

Me: So before you get your period, some women get puffy and cranky, and that's called pre-menstrual syndrome, and that's PMS.

H: OK. So what does it mean in the song? You PMS like a b****.

Me: PMS can make you cranky.

H: OK.

THE END

Mmmmm

Cosi Greek salad. Yum. Cosi bread. More yum. I'm in a happy, happy place right now. It will be hard to face my Lean Cuisine again tomorrow.

It was also nice to leave my office to get lunch. If I hadn't, I would have never seen the woman in the building wearing a dress with a cut-out back (no joke). There was a diamond cut out in the middle of her back--it spanned the width of her waist and was probably about 6 inches at its tallest point. Now I don't know for sure that she was wearing this to work, but considering it's noon on a Tuesday in a downtown office building, it's likely. My office's fashion guidelines include this summary: if you would wear it to a club, you shouldn't wear it to work. Never really thought that needed to be articulated--until now.

Also saw more than one woman with bare legs. I'm a big proponent of bare legs and will even go bare in the winter with tall boots on occasion. But come on people, it's 30 degrees outside--put some tights on with your skirts and pumps!

God I sound like a fashion fuddy duddy....

Hot 'N Cold

Thank you Katy Perry, for making me have to explain to my 8-year-old daughter what PMS is. I wasn't quite ready to open the door to discussions about the birds and bees, but I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. But I was hoping for later.

In other news, I think I've hit saturation point on the Lean Cuisines. It's getting harder and harder to get excited about what's in my freezer. So I think I'm taking a break today and treating myself to a store-bought lunch. Cosi salad, here I come!

Obama

So the election is over and we have a history-making president-elect. On the one hand, I'm excited because Obama inspires so many people to aspire to be and do so much more. On the other hand, I do not envy the situation he inherited and I have my doubts (as I always do) about how much change one man can truly effect. Especially since at the end of the day, I believe that politicians are politicians. Maybe I'm cynical, but McCain is someone who I always thought broke the politician's mold, and look how that turned out. Anyway, I was in NYC on Election Night and it was electrifying to see how passionate and excited people were--from the cab driver listening to election results on our ride in from LaGuardia, to the throngs in Times Square.

More than anything, I'm glad the election is over. I was getting really tired of it all. Good luck President Obama.

And baby (still) makes three

Well, the five baby guppies are all gone, so we're back to our original family of three. On the one hand, I didn't exactly want more guppies, but on the other, it's kind of sad that the babies can't survive more than a few days before being eaten by mom and dad.

In other critter news, it's ladybug season here in the house....

The Catty Divorcees

I would really like to spend some time in that alternate universe where Christy and Kelly have superior intellect. Superior to whom? Amoebas?

Foiled!

This was supposed to be a big night for me: A and H are away on a daddy-daughter campout and T is at a friend's house for a sleepover, so I was going to climb into bed and whiz through Harry Potter 5 (I stayed up until 2 am yesterday finishing Harry Potter 4). The idea was I'd finish while H was still reading it, and then give it right back to her so she wouldn't even miss a step. I cleaned the kitchen, finished some paperwork and then went to H's book to retrieve the book. But darn it, it was gone! It looks like H took the book with her on the campout. Why, oh why, would she do that? There is zero chance that the book will see the light of day--between planned activities and hanging with her friends, there is no way she will crack that book. I am so bummed--guess I'll finish laundry and then get a good night's sleep.

p.s. I cleaned the guppy tank the other week. It was beyond murky--opaque is more like it--and more disturbingly, it was starting to smell like rotten eggs. Now that the water is clean, the guppies have rediscovered each other and... we have baby guppies again. Many of the eggs have been eaten (hurray for the circle of life!) but I saw 5 fairly big babies today. Let's see if they survive the next few days--must suck to constantly be looking over your shoulder, wondering if your mom or dad are going to eat you alive. Literally.

Mmmm, Popcorn

The problem with this healthy eating/austerity plan is that I get really hungry in the afternoon so when I'm at the train station on my way home, I give in to the temptations of this and justify it by saying that I've saved enough calories and simoleans to indulge.

Watching What I Eat Sucks

How is it that I'm just now discovering that my office kitchen has an ice cream cooler stocked with treats, courtesy of our client, the ice cream company? It's probably best that I did not know about this earlier, sayeth I while munching on a Fiber One bar because that Healthy Choice chicken artichoke panini was not very filling.

Still sticking to the brown bag lunch austerity plan. Healthy Choice has been very disappointing. Lean Cuisine is tastier, but the overall issue is that none of these options are very fulfilling--I'm still hungry! But then again, I'm always hungry!

I went to a friend's house last night for our book club meeting. It was a little more animated than our usual meetings, because this was the book, and the author was there. I really liked this book. There weren't any "takeaways" per se, but the little vignettes were entertaining, funny, wry, touching and something a lot of people could relate to.

I've more or less given up on DWTS. When there's no eye candy for me, there's no joy.

Poor Rocco! Yea Leanne!

Rocco is out, but Kenley lost Project Runway, so my reality TV week has been salvaged. Unfortunately, my last impressions of Rocco have to be those hideous pirate shirts.

I am addicted to the Harry Potter books--I just finished the third (all three this week) and am holding off on starting the fourth because I'm sure I'll get sucked in. H told me the fourth was her favorite. Plus, she's still on the 5th, and I can't overtake her.

Smorgasbored

This post is a random collection of thoughts while I procrastinate....

I thought I re-programmed my Ti-Faux to keep recording for 1 hour after The Amazing Race's end time, but apparently not. So now I'm down two episodes and have to fill in with TWOP's recaps.

The austerity plan continues, though I deviated a bit this morning and had an iced tea from Starbucks instead of McDonald's. I was going to make up the difference by pocketing lots of Splenda on my way out, but I forgot, so perhaps I'll have to make another Starbucks exception later this week. Today's lunch was Healthy Choice's Chicken Marsala. Not a big fan. Healthy Choice has been a disappointment for me, so I stocked up on Lean Cuisines--will report back on those after I try them.

I fancy myself a somewhat early-adopter, but I'm only now reading Harry Potter. To be fair, I did try to read the first book back when it first came out, but didn't find it at all interesting. Now that H is reading the series (she's on book 5, I think), I decided to give it another go, and I have to say, what the hell was I thinking? I started the first book last night and couldn't put it down--I'm about halfway through. It's magical and gripping. I can't wait to read them all.

Another hot Chicago Marathon yesterday--Steve ran a 3:20. He was disappointed, but it's an awesome time, heat or not! The kids were with me and now I tell them when they feel tired about running during their soccer games, think about those marathoners!

Recession Meals (and not)

So as part of my new austerity plan, I've brought breakfast and lunch in to work every day this week. Breakfast is easy--either a bagel from New York Bagels and Bialys or Trader Joe's oatmeal (which, by the way, is thick and delicious). I'm not really a fan of pre-packaged lunches (those Stouffer's beef chop suey dinners when I was a kid notwithstanding) and we rarely have leftovers from dinner, so this was a bit of a challenge. Here are my reviews so far:

Healthy Choice Five-Spice Beef & Vegetables Steamers: One of the five spices had a very strong and overpowering flavor. Wouldn't buy this again.

Annie Chung's Udon Noodles: Really tasty and could pass for freshly made. Only complaint is that I was still hungry after I finished, but actually I had this problem with all my meals, so maybe I'm just a pig. Will buy again.

Trader Joe's vegan pad thai with tofu: OK, but didn't really taste like pad thai. Probably won't buy again.

Of course, the few bucks I saved on brown-bagging lunch and breakfast was put toward a great dinner at Aigre Doux. This was one of the best meals we've had in a while. On the bartender's recommendation, I had the calamari salad. It was good, but pretty standard fare. A had a great heirloom tomato salad. My loup de mer special was delicious--especially the lentils and I'm not ordinarily a lentils fan! A had some veal duo that included veal cheeks--not my cup of tea, but he inhaled it. This was much better than the dinner we had at Joe's Stone Crab the week before and cheaper--then again, the wine wasn't flowing like it was the previous week. And we had much better service--you would think that if a table was dropping over $2000 on dinner, you would get good service, right? Well at Joe's, you'd be wrong.

That one

I don't always agree with Maureen Dowd, but I think that one hit the nail on the head with this one.

The only, and I mean only, good thing about Maks and Misty withdrawing is that it gave Rocco a reprieve. Unfortunately, I'm sure that'll be a short-lived reprieve.

It's a sad, sad day

White Sox out, Red Sox in. Maks out and Rocco in a freakin' puffy pirate shirt. The Amazing Race cut off from my Ti-Faux because of football and 60 minutes. Enough said.

Please...

... pretty please tell me that the only reason that Kenley is still on the show is that they wanted to wait until the very bitter end to cut her to make the elimination all the more painful. There can be no other reason. Kenley, the reason you are and were always left out is because you are one of the most annoying human beings to ever take a breath. Seriously. On par with that annoying family on the family edition of The Amazing Race. I can't take her for one second more on my TV screen. Actually, I'll take the one second when she finally gets cut. Please oh please let that happen.

I caught bits of the VP debate tonight. Biden is definitely a skilled orator, but he didn't always answer the question that was asked--too busy linking McCain to Bush. And on that point, I wanted Palin to just say, "for pete's sake Joe, let's quite dwelling on Bush and the last 8 years and start talking about McCain and the future!" She definitely seemed nervous and out of her element, but she got a couple good zingers in.

Go, Rocco, Go!

Well thank goodness Rocco is safe. He's certainly more deserving than Kim or Cloris. I did feel bad for Kim yesterday, what with it being the anniversary of her dad's death and all. I felt worse for Mark, though, when he was talking about how happy he was that his dad was still in the competition, but he chose the unfortunate wording of "I'm happy my dad's still alive." Oh, Mark.

Also watched my ti-fauxed episode of The Amazing Race. I love the mom and son team (I will even forgive her naming him "Dallas") and I hate the New York dating team. HATE. I was mostly sad that I am not on this show! I would be so good.

Rocco!

I get a kick out of the fact that when I type Rocco DiSpirito in my Google search box (yes, I was cyber-stalking him), the auto-fill suggests "Rocco DiSpirito gay." And when the search comes up, Google suggests as a related search "Rocco DiSpirito girlfriend." I guess I'm not the only cyber-stalker out there....

Project Runway is Torturing Me!

ARGH! How is it possible that Kenley, that annoying, whiny, disrespectful, one-note hack, is still around? I can only hope that the producers decided to string her along to make that final cut (when she doesn't make the top 3) all the more painful. The best I can say about her is that she looked great with her hair and make-up done (and not done a la that stupid 40's pinup girl that she's been channeling) and that I look forward to the runway beatdown that was previewed for next week.

I forgot how much fall TV kills me. I barely have enough time for DWTS, Project Runway, Grey's Anatomy and Entourage. And pretty soon The Amazing Race will be on. And Real Housewives? At least Project Runway is winding down. But that means Top Chef will be starting up. And American Idol in January. I think I need some more interests....

Goodbye Girl Crush

Poor Edyta. She never stood a chance with that Jeffrey guy, but I was hoping she'd stick around longer than one week. Oh well, I guess now that my girl-crush is gone, I can focus on Maks! And Rocco! I did not think Rocco was nearly as bad the first night as the judges said, and I thought he could have used more hip action last night. No really, I'm not saying that out of my own self-interest. He was so adorably goofy. Sigh. I am also loving me some Warren Sapp. Fat boys can dance! I am shocked at how bad Kim Kardashian is--girl, Bruno is right: what a waste of ASSets. I am also shocked at how much weight Cheryl Burke put on. How does that happen when you dance all the time?

Ouch!

I believe I now need to amend number 51, because I think I was stung by a bee over the weekend. I was taking a golf lesson when I felt a pinch on the back of my thigh, and then pain. I didn't actually see a bee fly away, but a red bump soon formed, and the whole area was red and sore the rest of the day. The pain then developed into an itch. I'm a little bummed that I didn't see the bee, because I would love to definitively know that a) I have been stung by a bee and b) I am not allergic. But, I'm 99% sure that's what it was, so I'll go with it. It's surprising how much a bee sting hurts! And now, a new number 51: I occasionally get these random, weird long hairs, like on my cheek or neck. They're very fine, and tend to grow in the same places. One day I'll just notice these so-called mutant hairs and tweeze them out, but that of course makes me wonder how long they'd been there, and whether anyone else noticed them.

Flerg

This? Was hilarious. I hope Tina Fey pops up a lot this season (that's not a commentary on whom I want to win the election--I just think her depiction of Sarah Palin is funny). One of by-products of this skit has been the proliferation of the word "flerg" (alternate spellings "flurge," "flirge," "flirj"). I, probably like thousands of other viewers, had no idea what it meant so promptly googled it. Google is great for tracing the spread of (mis)information. Lots of people had theories, which I'm sure they pulled out of their asses: first lady I'd rather get elected, first lady i'd rim job (ew!), first lady is really gay. I, of course, went to the most authoritative source: Urban Dictionary. The funny thing is, flirj is now on the home page, but I don't think that's actually the right definition--I think somebody made this up post-skit and it just spread through the worldwide web like wildfire. I think what Amy Poehler meant was flerg, a limp penis. If you look at the date of this entry, it clearly predates the skit. Have I really spent this much time of my life dissecting this? OMG.

Get off my screen!

Kenley has got to go. Her overinflated sense of self, cackle and just general annoyingness have way overstayed their welcome on Project Runway. I had my ups and downs with Terri, but seeing bitter, angry Terri last night made it easier to say goodbye to her. Poor Blayne. What my little orange oompah-loompah lacked in talent and taste he more than made up for in entertainment value and I was sorry to see him go. Overall, this season is just so meh--no real villains to root against, no real talent to root for. I think I'm rooting for Leanne--her dorkiness is kind of appealing. I think Korto is talented, but I wish she'd not be such a sourpuss all the time!

Today is the 7th anniversary of 9/11. Each year, my memories of that day fade a bit, but tears still spring readily to my eyes.

Hugs and Kisses

I kiss my kids on the lips. Apparently, that puts me squarely in the minority, along with Nastia Liukin and her dad. Their mouth-to-mouth displays during the Olympics didn't squick me out a they did a lot of people, but then again, I can't imagine kissing either of my kids on the lips at that age. At what point will we transition from mouth kissing to cheek kissing? As with many things, I will take my cues from my kids--like my cue to stop walking around my room naked when they're around will be when they say, "gross mom, can you please put some clothes on?"

Speaking of kisses, the whole hug or cheek/air kiss thing can be really awkward sometimes. In NY, everyone cheek/air kissed, so that's what I did and when I went in for the lean, it was always a smooth smooch. Here in Chicago, most, but not all, people hug, so the landing can be clumsy when one party kisses and the other party hugs. It just happened to me yesterday when I saw an old friend who just moved back here after a stint in NY. I went in for the hug, she was expecting a kiss, so we ended up with my cheek pressed awkwardly against somewhere between her cheek and lips. I'm thinking I should always lean in with an authoritative and definitive intent to kiss to set expectations.

Is John McCain Harrison Ford?

I caught the tail end of Air Force One the other night and thought that McCain's campaign should jump on it and point out similarities between the movie and current events: Harrison Ford's president is a brave former soldier-turned president; McCain is a brave former POW who hopes to be president. Glenn Close is a woman VP; Sarah Palin is a woman who hopes to be VP. There was some stuff going on with Russia that led to the hijacking; there's some stuff going on in Georgia now. Spoooooky parallels....

Random thought: How often do you get new nail clippers? I couldn't find my old ones so just bought new ones. Used for the first time yesterday--wow, cutting nails with a sharp set of clippers makes a world of difference.

No running; running for President

The broken toe still hurts and worse, the rest of my foot is not right--running twice over the last week probably didn't help because I'm sure I was compensating for the broken toe, thereby causing me to run with an unnatural gait. So long story short, it looks like no half marathon for me. For someone who still hates running and who was dreading the race, you would think this was a gift, but weirdly, I'm disappointed. It's partly because I did actually train most of the summer, so now all those painful runs seem for naught. I'm sure it's also because of my competitive nature. Anyway, even if the toe/foot felt miraculously better by next week, I have not run any significant distance since early August, so I would be woefully unprepared.

Reading all the armchair quarterbacks coverage of the Palin speech has been interesting. Predictably, both liberals and conservatives huffed and puffed and either got pissed off or gloated, but nobody really seemed to be the voice of reason. So here I am. For all the critics out there who criticized her lack of policy specifics: guess what, this wasn't the forum for it. She was preaching to the choir here and only needed to do exactly what she did: be charismatic and engaging and get the crowd riled up about their opponent. And for everyone who gloated about her hitting it out of the ballpark, it's really not that impressive when you consider the stadium was the equivalent of the pee-wee leagues and she hit it off a tee. I'll be more critical when I see her talk specifics in a debate with Biden. One of the things that pissed me off the most was all the mocking of Obama's work as a community organizer. The idea of individuals getting involved with bettering their communities is, I thought, fundamental to the Republican Party platform--they should be praising him for this activism, which shows local, individual works over big government involvement in action.

The New York Times had an interesting piece on McCain today. In a nutshell, he's a man torn between a genuine desire to serve a higher cause and a selfish desire to succeed. In a way, I think the same could be said of Obama. With either of them, and maybe a bit more so with Obama, I feel like we're on the precipice of something really exciting and different, but that glass half full becomes a glass half empty when I start thinking about whether either candidate can really change business and politics as usual. With McCain, he has historically shown that he is willing to make enemies within his own party and risk his own personal success in the meantime. Obama hasn't been around long enough to show the same, but the way he inspires people is, well, inspiring. Obamaniacs can be a bit annoying though. They're usually the ones crying foul about making the election a personality contest when in reality, they're all about the cult of personality. Policy is what it's all about? Really? Do the Obamaniacs who relentlessly bashed Hilary really believe that their dislike of Hilary was based on her policies? How different were her policies and positions from Obama's? As far as I can tell, not very. They didn't like Hilary because they didn't like Hilary, plain and simple, and to claim otherwise and to talk about policy over personality is pure bullshit. It also ignores the reality that for a large number of people, they do vote on personality. It's the only way to explain how W got elected not just once, but twice, and to ignore that reality can prove fatal to the Democrats this fall.

I love Piper Palin

That girl is a star. The shot of her smoothing down Trig's hair was priceless. And her Miss America waves to the audience at the end of the speech? The girl was born to be on stage. I was actually impressed with Sarah Palin's speech. For somebody who has never spoken to such a large audience, she came across as articulate and confident. Joe Biden might even say clean--ha! I think it was a bit hypocritical to call Obama out on being all rhetoric because I didn't exactly hear concrete plans from her (though the RNC was not exactly the right forum for it), but she will definitely resonate with a lot of people, especially in flyover country. The irony to me is that people view the Obamas as elitist intellectuals, but the truth is they are the very definition of the classic American success story: he's the child of a single mom who pulled himself up by his bootstraps; she's the child of working class parents who dealt with many of the same issues that today's middle-class face. Yet a lot of the country just can't identify with them, whereas the homey-ness and plain talk of McCain and Palin carry a lot of appeal. Before last night, I thought Palin might be a ploy to skate through the convention and then have her withdraw so McCain could pick Lieberman, but now I think Palin is in in for the long haul. Most of my friends are predicting an Obama landslide, but I say don't count McCain out just yet. It's easy to not "get" it living in our urban environment, but I also don't "get" why NASCAR is the most popular sport in the country and the Ford F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the country, but the fact is, they are.

Running and Dancing

Less than 3 weeks until the half marathon and if I asked the Magic 8 Ball, it would surely say, "Outlook not so good." I am going to the podiatrist tomorrow to x-ray my foot to see if my toe is broken or just badly bruised, because it still hurts like h-e-double hockey sticks. Even if it's not broken, I need to find out if I can run on it--I'm guessing if it hurts, the answer is no.

On the bright side, Dancing with the Stars starts soon and Maks is back! Also, Rocco di Spirito is a contestant! Did I ever mention I like dark-haired men?

Verbiage

People, "verbiage" is not synonymous with "wording" or "language."

What Would You Do?

While walking to work today, I passed a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk. He appeared to be homeless, and it was unclear whether he was sleeping, passed out or even breathing. In the 5 seconds from the time I spotted him to the time I walked by him, a rush of thoughts came to me: Was he dead? Sleeping off a bender? Was it my social responsibility to stop and check on him? Did I really want to touch him? Should I at least call 911? Would this even qualify as a 911 emergency? Was this some social experiment in the vein of the Kitty Genovese studies? Well, I didn't stop, but called 311 when I got to the office a few minutes later. I figured that was a happy medium response. Turns out somebody else had already called and somebody was already dispatched to check on him. So I can continue my day with a clear conscience and a happy appreciation for 311, which was remarkably efficient.

Hot Wes Mess

So sad to leave eye candy Wesley leave so early (even though I'm sure he doesn't even play for my team), but that dress really was, in the words of Christian, one hot tranny mess. I cannot believe they picked Suede's dress as the winner. The only rationale is that Bluefly didn't really want to commit to manufacturing a ton of dresses, so they picked the dress that they knew only a handful of Carrie Bradshaw-wannabes would actually buy. And Suede, where do I even start? First, your name is Suede. Second, you refer to yourself in the third person, and third--hell (or "h-e-double hockey sticks" as T would say), I don't even need a third because the first two reasons are enough for me to dislike you on sight.

The Little Things

It's easy to get down, discouraged and frustrated, and it's amazing how a small gesture can turn things around. Work has its ups and downs--a lot of downs lately as I've been busy and plagued with crazy deadlines and unrealistic expectations. So I've been feeling frustrated and unappreciated until just a few minutes ago, when I received a beautiful orchid plant from a client with a simple note saying he enjoys working with me. Actually, this is not the first time I've gotten something from a client--I've gotten lots of beautiful floral arrangements--but those were usually in response to a particular crazy project and this was more of a general appreciation. So nice, and it totally lifted my spirits!

No Good Deed...

... goes unpunished. Or however the saying goes. H had guppies in her classroom this year and the guppies needed new homes when school let out. They seemed relatively low maintenance (i.e., no special tank needed), so I acquiesced to H's pleading. We started with 5--2 adults (male and female) and 3 babies. Two of the babies disappeared, the victims of apparent guppy infanticide. Then the parents started to reproduce, well, like guppies, and the other day there were about 2 dozen new babies. Thankfully, the parents continued their carnivorous ways and we're down to about 10 babies. It's survival of the fittest in our house! But I still don't know what I'm going to do with all these guppies.

T planted some type of bulb at school and brought that home for the summer. It hadn't sprouted anything, so I've been faithfully watering and nurturing it, hoping to help it grow. Unfortunately, the only thing it seems capable of is being a breeding ground for gnats, which I've spent the last couple days swatting dead. It's like the fruit flies from last summer all over again. I finally gave up and with a tinge of guilt, put the pot of dirt with unsprouted bulb outside to peter out.

Swinging with Trader Joe's Popped Potato Chips

These are my new favorite salty snack. They taste a bit like Munchos (love the processed potato flavor!) but are definitely better for you--120 calories and 4 grams of fat per 22 chip-serving. The only downside is that they're so addictive, I could easily polish off the entire bag (3 servings) if I wasn't careful.

Summer TV is really slow (thank goodness for that, as I was running out of hours in the week to watch TV!), so the only regular show on my watch list is Swingtown. I started watching out of curiosity because it takes place in my town and was written by someone who grew up here, but the show has really grown on me. It's not only entertaining and funny in a cheesy way, but is actually somewhat meaningful, exploring the relationships of people my age and socio-economic status, which is maybe why I like it--not that I can relate to the swinging aspects. Nosiree, not me.

Hershey's Orange Creme Kisses

I just had these for the first time and despite my trepidation, found them delicious. I think I was nervous because I was envisioning something akin to a chocolate-covered orange slice. Don't expect chocolate--the white chocolate makes it more like a Creamsicle, but smoother and more intense. I think they're only around for a limited time, though, so time to stock up.

Man Cold

Wowza--it's been a while since my last post. A finally had shoulder surgery for his ski injury from March (or should I say, he finally bothered to get it looked at, and scheduled the surgery pretty quickly after he discovered that he broke the shoulder socket and tore his labrum), and it has been a tortuous week. Sure, I feel bad for him, but I feel even worse for me. It's funny, because all women who know about the surgery have the same reaction: men are lousy patients. One friend even directed me to this hilarious Man Cold video, and it's spot on. A is not a demanding patient, but he basically lies around, looking and acting miserable. I wish he'd at least articulate something I could do for him, because I don't have much patience or pity for his general state of unhappiness. This past week has got me thinking that there must be some correlation between the origins of the word patient (as in my miserable post-surgery patient) and patient (as in my general lack thereof).

T has been in desperate need of a haircut and we finally got it done yesterday: a faux-hawk. He initially wanted a buzz cut, then settled on a mohawk, and I compromised with a faux-hawk. I even took him downtown to my salon, because I'm not going to let just anyone touch his hair for something this dramatic! It actually looks really good on him--the boy could make almost any hairdo look awesome. As much as I liked his floppy surfer do, I like being able to see his eyes! His soccer nickname was the shaggy dog, and he said now Coach needs to give him a new nickname!

Yes! Stephanie won Top Chef! All is right in the world, though for a moment, the show gave me a scare with all the Lisa praise. I actually met Stephanie in person and she's just as low-key and down-to-earth as she appears on the show. The kids got a kick out of meeting her, and we can't wait until her new restaurant opens.

Work woes

For once, I'd like to be the client. I guess I am sometimes the client when I use outside counsel, but I am a nice client with realistic expectations (or so I like to think). No really, I do think I'm a good client.

Signed,

Frustrated and working on a contract late at night

Sex and the City!

One of the perks of spending as much on a luxury car as my parents did on their first house is being invited to a special screening of one of the hottest movies of the year. Mercedes-Benz has some nice product placement in Sex and the City, and our local dealer held a viewing party last night. And the verdict is....

Manohla Dargis got it wrong. This was a really, really good movie. I was really happy with the way the series ended, so had some trepidation about the movie, but I thought it was really well done. Have I made myself really, really clear? The movie was more like a continuation of the whole series rather than a 2-hour stretched out episode, and that's why it worked. I watched the series religiously when it first aired, and for me, it was pure escapism. The characters were caricatures of themselves, the situations outrageous, the clothes fabulous and the lifestyle fantasy. The movie was more real--the characters may have been more fabulous versions of real women, but Carrie, et. al. were more real in the movie than they ever were on the small screen. Miranda and Steve's marital woes? Real. Miranda thinking she got stood up by a date when in actuality he died? Not so much. Samantha's feeling confined in a relationship? Real. Her fling with an octogenarian? Not so much. Etc., etc. I also disagree with Ms. Dargis about the roles for the male characters. I think the men should not have been a central part of the movie; their purpose was to really showcase the women, and were relevant only with respect to the situations the women got themselves into. This was a movie about women and their relationships. The men were ancillary, just like in real life--ha!

My one small quibble with the ending was Samantha's story arc. I feel conflicted about her ending her relationship with Smith, and I'm guessing many would say that's consistent with her character. But to me, her character showed a lot of vulnerability in the series (notably in her relationships with Richard and Smith), and I think underneath that tough-single-girl exterior lay somebody who really, just like the rest of us, just wanted to be loved.

Sure the storyline was a tad predictable, but the roller-coaster ride we took to get to the storybook ending was well worth the price of admission.

Top Chef is Torturing Me

Ugh--how is it that the talentless hack Lisa, she of the sourpuss face and crap disposition, is still around? Spike was arguably just as lacking in talent, but at least he seemed like the kind of guy you might actually hang around. I loved it when Rick Tramonto said at the judges' table that he was trying to judge on cooking, not personality--that was clearly a reference to the unpleasantness that is Lisa. What difference does it make--Antonia and Lisa shouldn't even unpack once they get to Puerto Rico since it'll be a Stephanie and Richard showdown. Go Stephanie!

Thumbs Up and Down and Everything In Between

I Saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall last week and while it was pleasant enough, I was a bit confused by it. It wasn't really a comedy, though there were a few laugh-out-loud moments. It certainly wasn't a drama. I guess someone described it best when they said it was a good date movie; of course, I saw it with girlfriends. One of the things that I found most annoying about the movie was that it was so unbelievable that he'd pick Kristen Bell over Mila what's-her-name. Mila was so much cuter and cooler in every way.

We also saw Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and I Am Legend. (Aside: blockbuster.com is awesome--I love being able to trade movies in at the store so we essentially get twice what our plan allows.) Before the Devil Knows You're Dead was good, but a little slow (A of course fell asleep, but then again, he falls asleep during most movies). And Marisa Tomei's constant nakedness seemed a bit gratuitous. I have mixed feelings about I Am Legend. I chose it knowing it's a bit of a horror flick, even though I'm a huge wimp. In fact, I spent most of the scary parts of the movie (when Will Smith found the next, the final fight scenes) reading my book (the grown-up equivalent of hiding under the covers) rather than watching because I was s-c-a-r-e-d. I actually really enjoyed the movie (the parts I saw, anyway). In fact, I even checked out the alternate ending, which I've never done for any other movies. The alternate ending answered some questions for me and was more consistent with some of the holes in the plot: When Will Smith commented about the complete de-evolution of the dark-seekers, that was clearly inconsistent with the elaborate trap they laid out for him, and I thought that point would be re-visited. So per the alternate ending, they hadn't completely de-evolved. In fact, they retained many human characteristics, including insight into the Will Smith character to know that his extreme loneliness would lead him into the trap. So the alternate ending made sense in this context: the distinctly human trait of love which would lead the main dude to go to extreme lengths to retrieve his main chick. But that ending seemed a little too pat, and I think I preferred the ending that made the final cut, even if didn't fully address some of the plot developments.

Off to see Sex and the City tomorrow night--I'm lucky enough to go to a pre-screening. I was a devotee of the show during its original run, so am a bit excited, but not in a Star Wars-geek kind of way. Side note, I have seen it incorrectly it referred to as Sex in the City almost as often as I've seen it referred to correctly.

Kids Today

My kids live like rock stars. They really, really do, and I hope they're not going to turn out to be spoiled rotten as a result. We took them downtown over the holiday weekend and stayed at an incredible hotel. They swam in the hotel pool, had a steakhouse dinner and watched holiday fireworks from the floor-to-ceiling windows in our hotel living room. While watching, H turned to me and said, "Do you know what would be really cool? Watching the fireworks from a boat." Actually, H, do you know what's really cool? Being able to watch them at all! Argh!

We had dinner at the Chicago Chop House. As of today, I'm going to start writing quasi-restaurant reviews in the hopes of parlaying my meager descriptions into one of my dream jobs: restaurant critic. Ha! The 4 of us shared a 48 oz. Porterhouse and some appetizers and sides. The steak was good, but nothing else was particularly notable, and in fact, the service was downright terrible. Terrible by any standards, and atrocious by steakhouse standards. I had a flavorless Caesar salad, T had the smallest shrimp cocktail I've ever seen, and H had not particularly good oysters (the only kid I know who's eaten and loved raw oysters since she was 2). To be fair, they give you a lot of food--the steak came with 2 salads and 2 potatoes, but if it's not good, what's the point? We skipped dessert because the service was s-l-o-w and we didn't want to miss the fireworks. I don't feel the need to go back.

Lunch at Luxbar was much more of a highlight, especially the truffle fries (which are a bit of a cliche these days, but still damned good when done right). The Kobe beef sliders were also awesome.

I love the flavor of kimchi: spicy and sour. In essence, it's pretty much Korean sauerkraut, which makes it a perfect accompaniment for hot dogs.

TV Injustice and Kinda Justice

Dale went home? And Lisa the Angry Lesbian is still around? Ugh. I couldn't have voiced my feelings about Top Chef better myself, except I would never call Lisa charming. There goes my prediction for the Top 3--now I'm hoping it's Antonia, along with Richard and Stephanie. Not enough Bourdain last night.

David Cook is the American Idol! While I'm happy for him because I think he's very talented and more deserving than David Archuleta, I feel sad for little Davey A because I think he needed the titled more. Plus I don't want his dad to beat him for not winning.

American Idol (bigger yawn)

I thought David C's rendition of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was underrated, and David A's rendition of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," overrated. Both songwriter songs sucked, but I think David C's sucked less and was at least not the predictable treacly ballad those things usually are. And boo on David A for reprising "Imagine," complete with embellishments and runs, and cheers to David C for ending with a beautiful, understated song. David A always looks like he's going to burst into tears while he's getting the judges' critique--is he afraid of the whoopin' his daddy will give him if he doesn't get good reviews?

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one out there who gets irked by poor grammar and punctuation.

American Idol (yawn)

Good-bye Syesha. I don't hate you like I did at the beginning of the season, and I think you'll have a nice Broadway career. I think I figured out why David Cook is more appealing to me--his facial hair disguises some of the pastiness and doughiness that I found so off-putting. I don't dislike David Archuleta--I actually find his "gosh-ness" genuine and refreshing. I just don't care for his musical style. I think it's more likely that I'd go see a Rock the Cradle tour than I would the American Idol tour.

While walking to work this morning, I saw a woman wearing the tightest jeans ever. Now I wear my jeans snug, but these were obscene, and not flattering in the least. They were so tight they squished her butt and pushed it down halfway into her thighs, and she walked stiff-legged, like she's been horseback riding for the last 10 days. Who were here friends that let her buy these jeans? And if they weren't there shopping with her, haven't they seen them since? How can they let her leave the house like this?

100 Things About Me, part IV

76. I have PMLE and a host of skin allergies
77. I once worked at a White Hen Pantry, where my duties included making deli sandwiches, assembling the Sunday paper and restocking the cooler (I took hits of Reddi-Whip when I was doing this)
78. I'm not religious, but sometimes hedge my bets, like an atheist in a foxhole (though I've never been in a foxhole)
79. I care about the environment, but am not fanatical about it
80. At one point, I could name the entire starting line-up of the 1983 Chicago White Sox, including pitching rotation and star relievers
81. I sometimes leave my earbuds in even if my iPod is off, to discourage people from talking to me
82. I believe you catch more flies with honey than vinegar (even if I think the saying is not quite right, because why would you want flies?)
83. I like homey aphorisms like "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar"
84. I went to dictionary.com to make sure I was using "aphorism" correctly
85. I dislike people who refer to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's"
86. I dislike people who walk 3+ abreast on a sidewalk
87. I'm not very sentimental
88. But Grey's Anatomy makes me cry pretty regularly
89. I have been depressed
90. I think I may be allergic to certain red wines
91. I have never broken 100 while bowling
92. I have never scored par on any golf hole
93. I prefer tap water to bottled--you get fluoride and conserve plastic
94. I was a bit of a teacher's pet in grade school
95. I have never had a flat stomach, and don't believe I ever will
96. I am a bit fanatical about chap-stick and hand lotion
97. I floss every night; I used to brush first and then floss, but I recently read an article that said you should floss first to loosen all the stuff between your teeth, and then brush to sweep it away (when I flossed second, I rinsed afterward to accomplish the same thing)
98. My left eyeball squeaks when I rub that eye
99. My hips "pop" when I move them the right (which would probably actually be the wrong) way
100. I think my kids are really special

American Idol

I remain as uninvested as ever, yet still have to watch. No question that Archuleta can sing, but not the kind of music I would ever listen to. Ditto Syesha--have fun on Broadway! And I do like David Cook and find him entertaining, but he's no Blake Lewis. (Though I have to sheepishly admit that I never bought Blake's album or even any singles--I wish he just straight up sang some of the songs on it rather than beatboxing on every single one.) I've gotten over DC's giant melon head and general doughiness, but I can't overlook that face he makes when he hits a high note. Carly made the same face, and it was worse on her because of the Brit-teeth. I think we're headed for a David v. David showdown, with Archuleta playing the part of Jordin Sparks and Cook playing Blake Lewis. I think the outcome will be the same, too.

I read about the cute kids dancing on DWTS last night and found the clips. Brandon and Brittany were definitely good, but how adorable were Jaryd and Cara? Cara and I even share the same taste in men.

p.s. Look who figured out HTML/linking/whatever you want to call it?

100 Things About Me, part III

51. I've never been stung by a bee
52. I love massages
53. I wanted to be a television anchor when I was a kid
54. Andy Taylor was my favorite member of Duran Duran, I think because I wanted to focus on one of the less-popular members of the band because it would improve my chances with him
55. At various points in my childhood, I took the following lessons: piano, violin, tae kwon do, ballet, tap dance
56. I tried out for the girls' softball team once in high school; needless to say, I did not make the team (see #7)
57. My winter pedicure color is "I'm Not Really a Waitress"
58. I've never waitressed
59. I only starting wearing flip-flops a couple years ago because I never liked the feeling of something in between my toes--I guess I'm over that now!
60. I hate wearing socks
61. I have low blood pressure
62. My heels don't touch the ground when I'm in the downward dog pose
63. I like trivia
64. I'm not a phone person
65. I got glasses when I was about 10, and switched to contact lenses about 2 years later
66. I'm a dog person
67. I once shared a hostel room with a noisy lizard (never saw it, only heard it)
68. I always reconcile my bank accounts, but have not gotten one checking account to balance in a couple years
69. I read all the Judy Blume books, including the dirty one "Wifey," when I was a kid
70. I once borrowed books from the local library on a school field trip, and did not return them for over a year (too embarrassed once I realize they were overdue)--my mom returned the books and talked her way out of a big fine
71. I don't believe in ghosts, but am still a little scared of them
72. I won free family portraits while on a family vacation to Hawaii
73. I used to be really good with names, but not so much since having kids
74. I don't mind doing laundry
75. But I hate ironing

Happy Mother's Day

Happiness is the kids bringing me breakfast in bed. Bonus is it being totally edible! Hooray for toast, cut-up fruit and water! Bummer is having husband's birthday fall on Mother's Day, so you can't even play the "it's Mother's Day" trump card.

100 Things About Me, part II

26. I prefer Miracle Whip to mayonnaise
27. I don't like bananas, but I do like banana bread, banana Runts and banana Laffy Taffys
28. I have a graphite stain in my knee from when a freshly sharpened pencil fell straight into my knee in grade school--we pulled the lead out, but it left a stain
29. I like to tweeze stray hairs not only on myself, but also on A
30. I have had two root canals
31. I can't do sit-ups without someone holding my feet
32. I really, really want to be on The Amazing Race (and even applied once)
33. I've always wished there was that one thing I was really good at--still searching for it!
34. I like doing crossword puzzles
35. I get carsick
36. I don't like beer (except fruity Belgian beers), but will drink it occasionally
37. I have never bounced a check
38. I want to be friends with Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
39. I play Mega Millions when the jackpot gets really, really big
40. I can type about 80 words per minute
41. I'm a pop culture junkie
42. I always have room for dessert
43. I have never colored my hair
44. I can't skate because I have weak ankles--that's my story and I'm sticking to it
45. I am impatient
46. I have been to 5 continents
47. I have bungee-jumped and sky-dived (or is it sky-dove?)
48. Gambling makes me nervous
49. Famous people I have met: Mario Batali, Derek Jeter, Henry Kissinger, Muhammed Ali
50. I think I'm a good judge of character

100 Things About Me, part I

1. I like pedicures, but never get manicures
2. I can burp the alphabet (it's a hit with the kids and their friends!)
3. I'm pretty good at standardized tests
4. I think it's better to be naturally smart and maybe a tad bit lazy, then a little dumb by nature but very diligent
5. I love salty and sour food, like pickles, salt and vinegar chips and Buffalo wings
6. But I don't believe you're either a salt person or a sweet person, because I also love Milk Duds, strawberry shortcake (but only if it's really shortcake and not pound cake) and creme brulee
7. I'm pretty uncoordinated and unathletic
8. But I'm a decent runner and skier
9. I kept a diary when I was younger, and think there's a correlation between diarists and bloggers
10. I love shoes and bags
11. I delivered T without any anesthesia (I'm not a fool or a martyr--just got to the hospital a bit late)
12. I have scars on both shoulders: from a vaccination on the left and from arthroscopic surger on the right
13. I can't carry a tune
14. I am uber-competitive
15. I like dark men, which doesn't explain why two long-term boyfriends in college and law school were redheads
16. I clip coupons
17. I hate confrontations and conflict, yet still ended up as a lawyer!
18. I have back fat
19. I'm a bit OCD
20. I don't drink coffee in the morning, but like a cup after dinner once in a while
21. I can't tell the difference between regular and decaf
22. Asparagus makes my pee smell funny
23. Coffee too
24. I subscribe to The New York Times and Us Weekly
25. I was a member of the Rick Springfield fan club

New Beginning

I was writing a mass email the other day and had my entire contacts list up. Susan's name is still there. Obviously, I should delete it, but it seems too cruel to do it so close to her death. Mother's Day is this weekend, and I think it will be really hard for Phil and the girls. I'm thinking of calling, but I don't know if that would be too awkward. Nobody tells you how you're supposed to handle things like this. I've been thinking about Susan a lot lately. I am in decent health and decent shape, but I know I can do better. I was eating my beloved Swedish Fish the other day when I looked at the ingredients list and thought to myself, "Do I really need to be putting carnauba wax in my body?" Don't they clean cars with that? I was so inspired by the way Susan lived her life the last few years. She obviously had much stronger motivations with regard to her diet, but good clean living would do all of us a little good. So while I don't want to go to extremes or adopt a cheesy "this is for Susan" motivation, I do want to feel inspired by what she did and maybe think twice before reaching for that Milk Dud. I thought about making a "May resolution" or something stupid like that, but why does it need to be a big momentous occasion? So as of today, May 8, I am going to try to take better care of myself by being pickier about what I put in my body. No point doing all that damn running if I've got nothing to show for it a roll of Rolos later.

Cnn.com ran an interesting article about bloggers yesterday and mentioned this blog: http://snickollet.blogspot.com/ (sorry, still haven't figured out the linking thing--man I'm a Luddite). Anyway, not only is it a really good blog, but I really connected with it on so many levels: parenting issues, husband was Korean, the C word. And I was inspired to write more frequently. So as of today, May 8, I'm going to write more frequently and hopefully more substantively. But I won't give up writing about reality TV.

Speaking of which, good riddance to Nikki on Top Chef last night. Dude, step up to the plate and take some ownership--her abdication of responsibility was totally ridiculous. Hung Lite--I mean Dale--was a little annoying at Judges' Table, but man, I wouldn't have been able to bite my tongue either.

Why Can't This Be Love?

When you sit down next to a stranger in a crowded public place, and this stranger has terrible B.O., is it rude to get up and move to another seat?

Imagine a graceful segue here....

So American Idol is probably down to the most boring Final Four ever. Jason Castro's coffeehouse schtick is wearing old--it seems even he's tired of it. I don't hate Syesha like I used to, but she pushed me close to that last night--likening your personal journey on AI to the civil rights movement? OMG. David Cook has gotten less pasty and doughy-seeming to me, and I like his musical style, but he's still a (very) poor man's Blake Lewis for me. And David Archuleta. What more can I say? Your glory notes and runs are getting very, very old. I really, really don't care who wins and would never see the tour.

On the other hand, I would totally go see a Rock the Cradle tour, especially if the House Band played. Jesse is entertaining as hell, and though Crosby's hawt-ness has faded a bit for me, I'd still watch him. Is it wrong that I find Kenny Loggins strangely attractive? And I thoroughly envy Lara Johnston's perfect body, especially her bodacious badonka-donk.

Saw Sammy Hagar in Tahoe last weekend. Two observations about Sammy: the dude's a stud--rock star, tequila maker and bar owner. What more could a guy want? Second, he's a great performer--he's having a great time and seems really invested in making sure his fans are having a great time as well. What more could a fan want? Tahoe was awesome, too--would love to go back to ski or in the summer. Am also going to read that book about MIT card counters in Vegas before hitting the casinos again....

The C Word

It's everywhere, even in my reality TV escapes. The camera shot of David Cook's brother on AI yesterday brought me to tears. And even freakin' annoying Simon on The Real Housewives of NYC moved me when he talked about the death of his stepfather. The kids were watching AI with me yesterday and asked about David Cook's brother. They also know that Susan just passed away from cancer (and when we talked about that, H mentioned that the father of one of her classmates died of cancer), so I think it was natural for H to ask me, with a tinge of worry in her voice, "how do you get cancer?" I sort of sidestepped the question, but I think it makes sense to talk about it intelligently, but without creating needless panic.

I was pleasantly surprised by Mariah Carey. I figured she was just a dumb chanteuse, and was impressed that she actually wrote all those songs. She also seemed to give coherent, good advice to the singers.

Oh Alex and Simon. Alex, for somebody who fashions herself as an intellectual, cultured socialite, you would think you would know not to say "it's important to Simon and I." That's one of my biggest pet peeves--to me, it's the sign of someone who tries to appear smart because the "and I" construction is one of those things that was drilled in to you during grammar lessons, so the person goes to that as a knee-jerk reaction even though the "and me" construction is actually the correct one in certain usages. Oh Alex, way to shame that NU degree (in so many ways). Their kids were total nightmares. Who brings toddlers to a formal dinner party at a nice restaurant and then allows them to run amok? And Francois? Stick it. His whole "I'm too smart for you" at the child psychologist's office was so not charming. I was pretty amused to see that he will be attending a public school in Brooklyn--oh, the horrors.

Death and Taxes

My dear friend Susan passed away last weekend. She had been battling a very rare and lethal cancer (ocular melanoma that metastasized in her liver) for the past few years so while her death was not unexpected, it remains tragic and heartbreaking. She was only 38 and leaves behind a wonderful husband and 2 amazing little girls. Since I got news of her passing, I've vacillated between being perfectly normal (surfing the Internet, watching trashy TV) and being overwhelmed by moments of incredible sadness. Susan was an incredible person--smart, funny, self-aware--and I'll miss her.

New York Socialite - NOT!

Oh my hell--what was up with Paula's boobs last night? I couldn't focus on anything else, so have nothing else to say about AI. I also caught the trainwreck that is The Real Housewives of New York City. Alex and Simon are complete boobs--maybe that's the theme of this post. Apparently, Alex went to Northwestern, but I don't know her--not sure we even overlapped. But I'd be willing to bet that she lived in Jones and fancied herself to be theatrical. They are so completely ridiculous and must be mortified at how they're coming off--nah, that would require a sense of self-awareness that I doubt they possess. I love how they claim they like to vacation in St. Bart's in the off-season because they enjoy the quiet, yet talk constantly about networking and making connections. Ain't making any connections while everyone else is in the Hamptons! Maybe Alex could hock that hideous dress she wore to opening night at the Met and they could put that money toward a Hamptons share. I like Bethenny because she tells it like it is (and because I'm going to try her skinny margarita recipe) and Jill because she seems real--she's not exactly Brooke Astor but doesn't seem to have any aspirations to be anyway (not like you, Alex). Ramona is a disaster and LuAnn seems to be a relatively harmless snob, though she'd better prepare for years of therapy bills if she continues to call her son by the feminine "Noelle" instead of his given, male name "Noel." But Alex and Simon, you are the main reason I continue to watch this trainwreck because you are so pitiably ridiculous.

Drop one, add five

So H dropped tennis, which was once a week, and replaced it with swimming (3x/week) and hockey (2x/week). And I dropped DWTS and ANTM, and replaced it with Rock the Cradle and, on occasion, The Bachelor. Hmmm, clearly my scheduling/balancing acts need some work. H did OK on hockey skates. She did comment on how hard it was (maybe now she'll give her brother some props!) but seemed to have fun. We'll stick it out this spring, but I will not be shedding any tears if she drops it after this session. She's already talking about taking hip-hop/poms next year, and she showed me a little routine she made up. Not sure I should be encouraging a rap that ends "You mess with me, I'll mess with you," complete with chicken-neck movement.

I wasn't going to watch Rock the Cradle, but when my friend Trish told me Rafael was one of the studio musicians, how could I not? It was kind of horrifically bad--I'm rooting for Crosby Loggins because, despite his uncanny resemblance to his dad and his Zippy-like pin-head (or was it just a badly proportioned jacket?), I agree with June Ambrose that he's "secretly sexy." He reminds me a little of Adam Levine--here we go with the dark brooding type again....

We had a couple days of actually decent weather recently so I went running for the first time since the Phoenix half in January. I ran 3 miles on Friday, and then 3.5 on Sunday. I actually feel OK--I think the only reason I survived the initial 3-mile run was because I was running with a friend, and sheer pride pushed me along (plus I think being in Telluride a couple weeks ago helped acclimate my lungs to a lack of oxygen). Of course, it's going to be 40-ish and gray for the foreseeable future, so it's back inside to the elliptical for now.

Hockey and Teeth: Like Oil and Water

T lost one of his front teeth last night--the same one that got knocked out when A was watching him when he was about 1 1/2-years old when he fell off a chair but that A shoved back in out of sheer panic more than anything else but that miraculously turned out to be the exact right thing to do and that even more miraculously did not discolor and managed to stay in until now. Now he looks more like a hockey player than ever! In fact, his hockey coach was pretty psyched that he got a little blood on the front of his jersey during practice one day when his tooth was especially loose. And I quote, "it looks awesome! Don't wash the jersey!" As I've asked myself before, this is the sport I'm pushing on my kids? Speaking of which, H's first hockey practice is tonight. Should be interesting, as she's only been on figure skates, never hockey skates. But H surprises me with her athleticism--she's an awesome skier, and just made the swim team. She's definitely not the fastest swimmer, but is very precise and methodical with her strokes. Clearly she got her athletic genes from me--ha!

Not surprised to see Ramiele go on AI last night--her spirit really seems to have been broken. I'm so uninvested in this season--I really couldn't care who wins, as long as it's not Kristy Lee (why did it take me this long to realize there are two "Cooks" this season?) Syesha or Carly. And Carly, Simon may not have been nice about it, but that outfit this week was not doing you any favors.

I'm calling the Top Chef Top 3 right now: Stephanie, Richard and Dale (aka Hung Lite or Hung v.2). I do not like the angry lesbian Zoi. Manuel was all class in his exit last night. Ryan and Spike are decent eye candy, but kinda toolish.

Rocky Mountain High(s) (and Lows)

Just back from spring break in Telluride with some friends and their kids. Here are the highs and lows:

High: H skiing double black diamond mogul runs
Low: Me having to take the bail out run around and wait for her at the bottom--I'm proud of her, but it's a bit humiliating being out-skied by a 7-year-old (guess I'll be taking a bumps lesson next year)

High: T skiing a black diamond mogul run
Low: A good 20 feet of that being on his butt

Low: Friend we were with dislocating his shoulder
High: He's an ER doc, and re-set it himself (ew!)

High: Same friend feeling better and testing his range of motion later that night
Low: Friend dislocating it again in the process (and re-setting it again)

High: T getting big air off a jump in the terrain park and landing on his feet
Low: After landing on his feet, falling backward on his butt, then forward on his head (thank goodness for helmets!)

High: Everyone skiing the Plunge
Low: Not being able to locate "I skied the Plunge" t-shirts after telling the kids about them and getting them all amped--that was whack

High: Scenic drive on winding mountain roads past Ralph Lauren's ranch to the airport
Low: Said winding mountain roads inducing carsickness in both H and T, which then almost triggered a chain reaction of puke amongst the rest of us! We pulled over and the local police stopped to make sure we were OK, then proceeded to direct traffic as we got everyone cleaned up. We put all the pukey clothes in one suitcase--I feel bad for the TSA screener who inspected that one!

High: 6 days of skiing under robin's egg-blue skies
Low: we now look like a family of reverse raccoons

I spent last night and today in re-entry mode--going through mail, grocery shopping, laundering pukey clothes, watching recorded shows. I think Stephanie is the chef to beat on Top Chef. And sadly, I'm a bit bored by AI--I still like David Cook (but he's no Blake, despite Randy's comment about him being the most original contestant ever--as if), Jason Castro and Brooke White, but nobody really grabs my attention and we won't be going to the concert this year. Last week's Rock of Love was great not only because Megan finally went (yeah!), but also because Heather rules!

Tainted Guv

Poor Eliot Spitzer, or Eliot Mess as he should now be known. I honestly don't have an issue with his using an, ahem, escort service, but I think with the image he's cultivated for himself, he's going to have a hard time recovering. And if I were his wife, I'd be seriously PO'd that he was wasting that kind of money! Seriously, I told A last night that if it were him, I'd be less mad about the hooker and more mad about the $3000!

If He Serenaded Me With "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"....

So for a host of odd reasons (mostly because I'm a lemming), I went to see Bret Michaels (formerly of Poison and currently of Rock of Love) on Sunday night. I was pleasantly surprised by the show. I was also mildly horrified that I apparently know more Poison songs than I thought. He did some covers and was altogether pretty darn entertaining. He's very self-aware and embraces his cheesiness/tawdriness, which I love. He's also proof positive that you can take any not-that-attractive and/or somewhat cheesy dude, slap a guitar on him and instantly make him 100x hotter than he otherwise would be. Big John was there (shoulda asked him for my "pass"), as were Ambre and Inna. Inna is indeed a "tank" and Ambre is much prettier in person than on the show--she looks younger and less haggard.

I've realized that reality TV is taking over my life, so have cut off not only America's Next Top Model, but also Dancing With the Stars. I'm pretty OK with this, especially since the eye candy that is Maks is not on this season.

Bohemian Rhapsody

T has been obsessed with this song ever since he watched Michael Johns sing it on American Idol. So I downloaded it to his iPod in his room and he's been rocking it out. It's so darn cute to hear him sing "If I'm not back again this time tomowwow, cawwy on, cawwy on" since he can't say his R's.

Hello.... Is it Me You're Looking For?

I did like David Cook's rendition of this song last night, but I can't get fully on board with him for admittedly shallow reasons: I don't like his comb-over, and he's too doughy for me. I liked Jason Castro again, and was less gaga over David Archuleta. And Randy, did you really think INXS sang Don't You Forget About Me? I am bored with Danny, David Hernandez, Luke and Chikezie, and they can go at any time.

What a Day for a Daydream

So far, I'm pretty underwhelmed by this season of AI. In fact, I was so nostalgic for last season, I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday on YouTube watching the magic of Blake Lewis. He was so darned musical, talented and easy on the eyes, and no one else seems to have that combination this year. I like the musicality of Jason Castro, but I don't see myself becoming a fanatic. And David Archuleta is definitely a great vocalist, and he seems genuinely nice and humble, but he doesn't make me feel like a crazed fan. Michael Johns is definitely pretty, but he lacks Blake's musical talent. David Hernandez is kinda cute--in that gay stripper sort of way. I don't have a strong opinion about any of the girls, except that Carly needs to fix her teeth. I also think she's overrated, and the fact that her husband (he of the scary tattooed face) hasn't been shown on the show recently is clear evidence of the AI powers-that-be trying to make her palatable to Middle America. I still like Brooke, but there's no "wow" factor there, either.

I'm just back from a girls' weekend skiing in Keystone. It was 40 and sunny the whole time, and I've got the reverse-raccoon look going on now. One of the girls brought Red Vines--so much better than Twizzlers. They're like the red laces of my youth....

The Girls of AI: First Impressions

Kinda liked half; kinda didn't like the other half.

Kinda liked:
Alaina: Pleasantly surprised; I figured she and Kady would be interchangeable. But did Paula say Diana Ross' rendition of the song was "dreadful"? Wow, guess she won't be guest judging again.
Kady: See above. Also love the impressions.
Amanda: Love how mom looked like a Stepford wife. Also, couldn't help but think her insurance company probably is not loving her for admitting on national TV that she pulled out in front of the semi....
Brooke: Love her. Bonus for getting Simon to talk about "washing up liquid"
Ramiele: Cute.
Asia'h: Like her, but she seems a little too happy when she talks about dead dad.

Kinda didn't like:
Kristy: Meh.
Joanne: Meh again.
Amy: Tritto meh.
Alexandrea: Agree with Simon on this one. Did. Not. Get. It.
Syesha: Don't love the song; she seemed cocky.
Carly: Overrated. And she makes weird faces when she sings. Also cocky--"being sick is no excuse." And what's with the flu? It somehow escaped all the boys?

So here's something non-reality TV related. I know, pick your jaws up off the floor. I am excited about this election year and love how the whole country seems energized. It seems that both parties have candidates that people are really excited about, not just "the lesser of two evils" as seems to have been the case the last couple elections. Illinois has an open primary, and I didn't even know which primary I was going to vote in until I literally checked the box on election day. I get the Obamania, though the longer the campaign wears on, the more his luster is wearing off. Like this whole deal with whether he'll abide by his campaign finance pledge if he wins the nomination--flip-flopping is very unflattering, especially on a politician who seemed so refreshingly unpolitical. And I think Michelle Obama has handled her comments about being proud of her country (or more accurately, lack of pride) really poorly. You know what? People don't want to hear backpedaling and political spinning. "What she really meant is...." Bullshit. She meant what she said and I would have respected her a lot more if she owned up to it: "Yes, it's been a rough last several years, with the U.S. in a war it has no business being in, having the majority of the rest of the world hate us because of it, having an economy going in the toilet because of funding this ill-advised war, but guess what? I sense change, and that makes me proud." Damn--maybe I should be her publicist....

The Boys of AI: First Impressions

Liked for various reasons: David Cook, David Archuleta (talented yet humble), Robbie Carrico, Jason Castro, Michael Johns (for admittedly shallow reasons), Colton Berry (loved the Ellen DeGeneres comment!)
Didn't dislike, but know they won't be long for AI: Jason Yeager (even though he's got the sympathy factor with the son), Luke Menard (even though he looks like Orlando Bloom (as pointed out by H))
Meh: Danny Noriega, Chikezie, David Hernandez, Garrett Healy (even though he seemed like a nice enough, sorta humble kid)

And yes, I remembered all their names from the show and didn't even need to refer back to the AI website.

I'm dropping ANTM from my Ti-Faux; reality TV is getting too time consuming and I'm instituting standards. Except when it comes to Rock of Love 2, which I got sucked into watching last night. And Millionaire Matchmaker. At least I haven't resorted to Ti-Fauxing them. Yet. Rock of Love 2 could come in handy if I somehow end up at the Bret Michaels concert next month....

Hockey is a scary sport, even if you have all your teeth

I am haunted by the Richard Zednik/throat slashing accident over the weekend. Really, truly haunted and obsessed. T plays hockey, and my friend is trying to get me to get H into it (girls' hockey is a no-cut sport at the local high school and yes, we are crazy for thinking about this even though it's 8 years away) and after watching that, I'm thinking to myself, "this is the sport I'm pushing my kids into?" And I relay my concerns to A, who tries to reassure me that it was just a freak accident and it's never happened before, and of course he's wrong because all the articles about Zednik reference what happened to Clint Malarchuk 19 years ago so of course I've been on YouTube watching footage of both incidents. Did I mention I was obsessed?

Speaking of obsessed, I'm still mildly obsessed with running (or more specifically races--why bother if you're not going to be timed?), though my IT band has sidelined me for now. Hopefully after physical therapy, I'll be good to go this spring/summer. The Phoenix half marathon was good--I did better than Chicago, but did not break 2 hours, which was my goal after the 10K Turkey Trot. Then again, I was injured and untrained, so I should be happy for just finishing in one piece! My crazy running friends were thinking of doing another half in Reno, but I think the altitude, injuries and lack of training scared us all away.

Skiing in Snowmass last month was awesome, though mildly depressing since it looks like this is the year H surpasses me in skiing ability. I figured it would happen at some point, but I guess I was hoping it would be more like when she was 17 and not 7. But I'm so proud--I can't help but beam when people watch her rip past and ask me how long she's been skiing. I don't even want to calculate how much we invested in ski school, but it looks like it paid off!

I guess I'm thankful that the writers' strike is over so that Grey's Anatomy will be back on soon, but I was enjoying the free time I had by not having to watch so much TV! There was a nice little lull between the end of the Amazing Race (pretty good season, but pretty indifferent abut the winners) and the start of American Idol where I was watching very little TV. I think I'm going to drop ANTM from my repertoire--once Grey's Anatomy is back and Top Chef starts again, my Ti-faux will be very, very full.

Happy New Year

We survived the whole holiday season, and I think the kids had a nice Christmas. I almost blew it big time--in all the craziness, I inadvertently bought H a gift from Santa that she already had. When she opened it, she eyed it suspiciously and said, "this is really weird, but I already have this, and Santa doesn't make mistakes. Don't you think this is weird?" I think she really wants to believe, though, so we ultimately decided one of the elves must have made a mistake. She also was suspicious of the fact that she didn't get everything on her list, and got other things that were not on her list, but I assured her that Santa knows best. Really, Santa does.

I'm headed to Phoenix for a half-marathon next weekend, and it's going to be ugly. I have not run much at all since I strained my IT band while running through snowy streets last month. So while I was feeling really optimistic after my fast 10K in November, now I'm going to just try not to do worse than I did in the Chicago half this time around. I am relying on sheer determination to get me through the race.

The Orkin man came last month and I have not seen those horrible camelback crickets since. Does that mean a pile of cricket carcasses is rotting behind my walls? Ewww.