O.C.

No major comments except that Mischa Barton is not a good actress. And she needs to stop slouching. Stand up straight, girl! Also, I don't like Hailey's hair. With the long bits? And the weird, curled bangs?

Next week! Someone leaves the O.C. for good. Looks like a car accident. From Marissa's reaction, it could be her mom, her sister, or perhaps, a completely inanimate object on the stretcher. See what I mean? Bad actress.

My money's on either Caitlin, Luke or Jimmy. Because it looked like she was trying to act like she was crying. Hard to tell, though.

In other news, I still feel like crap. My chest hurts when I move. That cannot be a good sign.

Sick

Gradually, over the course of today, my throat became itchier and sorer. And then I started sneezing and started feeling a bit stuffed up. By the time I had made it to the gym, I decided I really did not want to get changed into gym clothes. So I waited for my hubby in the parking lot (he meets me there and gets his things from the car). I waited for about 45 minutes while people kept driving slowly by my parking place, honking at me to get my attention, asking me if I was leaving. I finally decided to leave, but I did a circle through his walking route from town. I finally get home and guess where he is? And where he's been for the last hour? Yep, he's at home.

I've eaten very spicy salsa to help me drain my sinuses, got into my pajamas as soon as I got home, and now I'm feeling a tad worse. I've taken a couple of non-addictive sleeping aids to help me through the night (because we don't have any night time cold medication). I pity the cold that is still with me tomorrow. 'Cause I've been working out and I'm ready to kick some viral ass.

Eternal Sunshine

We went to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this weekend. I loved this movie. It is one that I will definitely have to see again to catch parts that I missed. And I keep thinking about it. And remembering other clever bits. I don't want to tell you what happens because you really need to see it. Jim Carrey was great; Kate Winslet was excellent. It was very romantic and sad.

There were kids in the theater making all kinds of noise - talking loudly, crinkling wrappers, etc. - and I missed some of the essence of the movie because I was sending them death thoughts. And after the movie, as we were walking out, a group of the boys said: "I thought this was going to be an action movie." Man, they must have been disappointed. Just leave the theater if you can't sit and enjoy the movie. Don't ruin it for everyone else.

The hubs also went and rented Gothika and Wonderland. Neither of which I would have rented. And both were pretty disappointing. Gothika was trying too hard to be scary and freaky and it was really just dumb. And Wonderland just didn't do it for me. Dylan McDermott had a very bad wig and fake mustache. If you are going to get paid to be in a movie, grow your hair out. Wigs are pretty much always noticeable. And distracting. And Paris Hilton has a cameo. Enough said.

Apprentice

Okay, this will be quick because I'm tired and I just talked to my sister for over an hour and now I'm ready to go to bed.

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Love the previews for the show - "glamorous" to describe the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Hee hee. That is delusional.

I think NBC is playing the Nick & Amy thing up a bit. I don't know if it is really there between them.

I agree with Troy - the other team is sleeping on the bus? But who is Troy's team calling? Until you get there, whom do you call? I don't know. I can see both sides.

Hideous casino. So trashy.

Troy's team gets in with a carpenter? Big wheel? Maybe there is a reason it is stashed in a back room?

But the rental car idea? You can win a rental car in Atlantic City. No thank you.

Katrina - seriously, not everything should be sold with sex.

Fercos Brothers? Isn't that Siegfried and Roy, only in A.C.? Cheesy.

Troy's team negotiates with a little boy?

No, Troy, the tiger show is dumb.

Ew, Amy. Not the time to find out about Nick. Think, girl! There are cameras everywhere!

Trump is making hair jokes?

Bill got exclusive rights to VIP check-in? Smart.

Bill calls the other team's models "hookers"? Nice, Bill. You jerk.

Poor tiger. You look so tired and bored.

I think the tiger was a bad idea.

No Trump comments this time? What 's that about? Maybe he caught on that we were catching on?

Trump appears to dramatic trumpet music. Cheese, personified.

Brock? Is that the George assistant replacement's name? With the porno mustache?

Amy lost for once.

Ugh, maybe Troy wins the game altogether.

Uh oh, Katrina is kicked off. Amy favored Nick and that can not bode well for her. But Katrina is gone; next week shall be very interesting.

America's Next Top Model

Some thoughts.

Shandi gets kicked off! Her last photo shoot was not the best and she did not seem very into it. But she was a very strong contender and I hope someone scoops her up.

Both Yoanna and Mercedes were amazing during the beauty shoot.

What was Tyra wearing during the first elimination? Awful outfit from the 80s. And why does her voice get so soft when she is doing her elimination speeches? And why is Janice Dickinson on this show? Who? Exactly.

The runway part was great. I thought they both did excellent. Very hard choice. I agree that Yoanna, overall, is the better model. She can be high fashion and has an incredible face. But I love Mercedes and I hope she gets a modeling contract, nonetheless.

And what was Tyra wearing during the final elimination? Ugh. Does it look like she is wearing a wig? Her hairline is a little too perfect to be real.

Yoanna is the winner. I think either of them would have been a perfect choice.

Actually, any of the last four models.

And I'm out.

Not Helping

So last night I had not one, but two, bad dreams. Not really nightmares, but disturbing, nevertheless. And my very sleepy hubby, when I came back to bed and told him I had had a bad dream, tried to help. He groggily patted me on the head and said: "It's okay, it's not a dream."

When we have kids, he's not doing the after-nightmare comforting.

Gifts!

Yeah! After a poopy day of headaches and dizziness, what do I find on my doorstep?! Tuppermail from daymented! Rice Krispie Treat! Hubba Bubba Bubblegum (I LOVE bubblegum, by the way) and her Frankenstein Mix CD. Sweet! Thanks, my dear, you have made my week.

In other news, I did have a zombie dream last night. But I was kind of removed from it. It was more like I was aware that there were zombies running around everywhere, but I never saw them during my dream.

Zombies!

We went to see Dawn of the Dead yesterday. Very good; very scary. Lots of "don't open the door!" moments. And lots of fun - they did a great job of injecting humor into the movie. We saw it during the day so we'd have time to recover before going to bed. And it was really strange to come out into the mall afterwards. I kept hearing zombie noises and kept turning quickly to see if we were going to be attacked. Make sure you stay through the credits. Another funny moment was after the credits were through - the main movie theater crap musak came on and everyone started laughing. You just have to see the movie.

Apprentice2

After watching their initial meeting with Trump, I think we really are down to the best. Well, except for Katrina.

Oh, Sam. That nasal voice, that huge (yuge) forehead, sunken eyes, Napoleon complex. Still so scary.

The good old days when it was all about midriffs and sex and tube tops.

Omarosa is totally psycho. Completely off her rocker.

Ew - a "rub and a tug"? Troy, who says that? Really.

Sam and his idiotic football analogies. Freak. And his extremely creepy glare at Trump when he was fired. Yeah - Trump is only saying Sam is not scary because he knows he's in the crosshairs when Sam comes back with the shotgun.

Little squirrelly Jessie - a very weak link.

Trump was impressed that Amy was chosen back to another team. (could that mean she wins?)

Omarosa met with a doctor? No blood? Only a little bump? And then she went to the hospital? Man, what a diva baby.

I still don't know what Katrina and Troy were trying to negotiate with the apartments. Katrina sucks. How did she lose that apartment? She really needs to go based on this recap. Why, again, was Troy unethical? What were they negotiating? I still don't get it. Somebody help me here. If they both wanted the same apartment, how do they negotiate?

Frickin' Trump Ice. Ew, Heidi is wiping her nose all the time. Is she on coke? "What's her face"? - nice, Nick. Jerkoff.

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<tangent>

Kudos to Verizon for jumping on the Trump bandwagon so quickly. And for producing an ad so fast. It usually takes companies so long to catch on. Just take the "Who let the pigs out" commercial for some cable company.

Ooh, Dawn of the Dead. Hubby's nightmares be damned - we are totally going to see that this weekend.

Is ER still on? When do you think they jumped the shark? It was over for me when Juliana M. left. Or maybe even before that. Maybe when George left.

</tangent>
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Yikes, Katrina, that mini skirt is scary.

Casinos are glamorous? And he's talking about Atlantic City. Ugh.

Seriously, Trump, it's not "yuge", it's "huge".

I think I'm going to stick with Katrina being fired next time. It sounds like only one person is fired next week. But, I could be wrong on that.

Apprentice

From Page Six today:

"DONALD Trump's "favorite" guy on "The Apprentice" apparently didn't make the cut. Nick Warnock, the redhead salesman, is back in Los Angeles working as a copier salesman at "The Copy Doctor," an authorized Xerox servicer at 6500 Wilshire Blvd. Spies in the building noted the friendly Warnock was gone for a while, "but now he's back in the elevators again." No word on whether Warnock is still flirting with fellow contestant Amy Henry."

Did Trump call Nick his favorite? When was this? Looks like he's out of there, though.

(info also here)

Thank you

I would like to take a moment to thank Cosmopolitan. The much overlooked and oft-derided (by me) magazine that I rarely read. There you were, at the gym. A much dog-eared copy from a previous month and probably year. You had me at your blaring headline - "How to find your G Spot!"

While the hubby was changing after his workout, I quickly read the article. And then I made him read it.

And then we went home and played: "Honey, come in here, I need you to help me find something."

So, thank you. It's been a very, very fun week.

Frickin' Snow, Again

Made it out of NJ before the snow got too crazy. Nothing was sticking to the roads until I hit Massachusetts. I guess I skirted the edge of the storm on the drive back up. If I had left an hour later, I would have been in some deep doo doo. There is crazy snow here. I almost didn't make it up the driveway to our apartment. And my wonderful hubby bought a big bottle of Shiraz. I'm a happy camper. The last report I heard said we are supposed to get about a foot of snow tonight. It looks like a full-on blizzard out there. And to think I saw robins on our lawn a couple of days ago. What do the poor fair weather birdies do when it starts to snow? Are they terribly confused? Do they find shelter? Do they think it is all of a sudden winter again and head back from whence they came? I see no birdies out there right now.

View from the front window.

View from the side window.

Cars in the parking lot. 4:30 p.m.

The hubs shoveling the front steps. Because even though it is a blizzard, we ordered Chinese/Japanese for delivery. If they are crazy enough to deliver, we are lazy enough to order.

Outta Here

I'm off to NJ/NY for another trade show. I'll be back on Wednesday. More later.

Wonderfalls

Halfway through the show (warning, link leads to a Flash site) and I'm loving it so far. Very snarky lead actress. Surprise lesbian sister. Blind date who is allergic to peanuts and develops a sudden huge goiter on his neck. And the sisters decide to do an emergency tracheotomy by stabbing him in the neck with a pen. Erotic sponge bath. There are gold monkeys and red, wax lions who talk. Excellent. You should watch this. Do it.

And I am home alone while the hubby is out playing poker and chess (dirty!) (and who knew they could be combined??!?). We bought wine and beer before he left and I'm a bit trashed. My head is weaving a bit as I try to type this. ;) Have a lovely weekend. Maybe I'll add something later. It's too hard to type right now.

Wink, Wink

Oh yeah. All I'm sayin'. (for styro)

Sea Monsters

Do you know who the funniest person in the whole wide world is? (hello bad grammar). Estella, with her brilliant sea monster critiques. Mine is the "Mr. Pinky Spare Hair".

Apprentice

Carolyn's not pleased with someone. My bet is on either Katrina or Nick as she is saying that they did nothing.

USA Today is betting on Troy to win. I don't think so. I'll have to find the link for that story in today's paper. I saw it on a coworker's desk.

So Nick and Bill are pimping out the women to ride the rickshaw? I hate to admit this, but I agree with Katrina a bit. Bill is only trying to exploit her looks. Her ideas weren't that bad and she was being eclipsed by their love for Amy. Not that Amy's advertising idea was bad; it was great.

Trump's sage advice for this week is that they need to think outside the box. So Troy's team is going to lose.

Heidi cannot walk in heels - totally bow-legged.

Seriously, Troy, get rid of that stupid hat.

Nick is a coward and he gave all the money back to that advertiser. He is not a salesperson at all.

Trump may fire all of them? Well, I hope at least Troy and Heidi go. Not sure why I defend Kwame. He wasn't exactly pulling his weight around there. If it had been Omarosa driving the rickshaw, she would have said that all her non-existent customers were racist.

Ew, again with Nick and Amy. Amy, Nick comes off like a total jerk. Just a warning.

Ugh, Heidi, your mom has cancer and you are out there sucking on a cigarette. How classy, you skank.

It looked like Troy only had a little bag with him when he went to the boardroom - where are all his clothes?

Troy and Kwame have formed an alliance?

Ugh, that M&Ms commercial looks like an upset stomach. Very revolting.

So, I was wrong, Carolyn was talking about Heidi.

And Heidi is fired. Good riddance, hatchet-face.

Pooped

I've been so tired lately. And I keep biting my thumbnails. And my hair has been looking crazy. And the new khakis I bought still make my ass look huge. At least our apartment is clean. And I love my job. They've given me control of the look and content of the website and so I'm happy. Ish. It was warm and spring-like and then it got cold again and started snowing. I'm having issues with our graphic designer who used to work for the company but is now an outside vendor who still thinks she works for the company. She is very threatened by me and shows me this by lying and being obnoxious. Luckily my boss has my back. And so do most people at the company. Anyway, no more company talk. I have pictures from this weekend that I still need to post for you all to see. I seem to be sleeping okay; why am I so tired? I've gone to the gym three times this week already. I can't tell the difference yet, but my hubby and I took pictures of ourselves last weekend and then are going to take pictures each week so that we can compare the change. All I can say about the photos is that man, I've put on a few more pounds than I thought, and, my left nipple is lower than my right one. Just thought you'd like to know. I hope people from my work are not reading this because I'm going to get some strange looks over that one. Can you tell I'm in a bit of a funk? How do I snap out of it?

Significant Others

Just watched the first two episodes of the new series on Bravo. Looks pretty funny so far.

Other than that, I can't think of anything to write about. More later.

Pirate Mail!

Or is it skull mail? Maybe the skull and crossbones are warning me that these lollipops are poisoned? Maybe I should have my hubby try one first, just to be sure. Just teasing, they look delicious.

Just as I was in a funk about the snow and cold, what do I find on my doorstep? A package from the gorgeous Mia! With lollipops and Bart Simpson! Thank you, my dear!

Toothpaste practical joke

As promised, the story I alluded to last week:

My husband used to work nights. He would get home about 2 a.m. or so each night and I was usually asleep. Well, on April Fool’s Day one year, I decided I was going to play a joke on him. Our apartment in California was a duplex. The two bedrooms and full bath were upstairs, while the kitchen, living room and ½ bath were downstairs. I pretended to be asleep when he got home. Or, at least, I tried not to giggle out loud while he went into the upstairs bathroom to brush his teeth. I could hear him start brushing. And then his brushing got slower and slower. Finally, mouth completely numb, he leaned into the bedroom and asked: "What did you do to my toothbrush?"

I had put Anbesol on his toothbrush, knowing he would be too tired to notice.

Snow

After a lovely weekend with lots of sunshine, it is now snowing and gray. Is this Mother Nature’s last wintry hurrah? She’s quite the practical joker. The birdies, which have been merrily chirping outside our windows, are now very confused. And our kitties, who have been used to the window being open for them to chatter with the birds, were greeted this morning by a wintry blast.

In other news, I made a yummy country cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries for someone I know. The country cake recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook. It is a dense yellow cake with vanilla and orange flavors. Yummy. There is a lot of sugar in the recipe, so it develops a nice, crunchy top and a dense, moist center. It would be a great batter for modified strawberry shortcakes – by putting the batter into muffin pans instead of one big cake pan.

Starsky & Hutch

We went to see Starsky & Hutch on Saturday. Very funny. Some parts were a little slow, but there were several scenes that were worth the price of admission. I had tears running down my face during a couple of them. If anyone knows the name of the actor who played Dancing Rick - and what else he's been in - I would be most grateful. They don't list his character anywere and he looks very familiar.

They spoof a scene from Easy Rider, so the hubby had to rent it yesterday. I'm not sure if I've ever watched it all the way through. Quite the movie about intolerance.

We also rented Intolerable Cruelty - also enjoyable. George Clooney has great comedic timing and I actually liked Catherine Zeta Jones in this one. The Coen brothers are quite the team.

Weekend

As stated earlier, my sister and her adorable family is in town this weekend. It was also my dad's birthday this week, so there will be a mini celebration for the old curmudgeon. We all chipped in and bought him an outdoor/wildlife camera that he can install near their pond to catch wildlife au natural. They have moose that come by the pond and they have yet to actually see them in person. They recognize their tracks, but never see the actual animals. So this present should be a big hit. We might also go to see Starsky & Hutch tomorrow night. Very excited to see that movie. I have a bit of a crush on Owen Wilson and his penis nose. It's okay, my hubby is fully aware of this. Tomorrow morning is going to be a crazed tornado of cleaning around here. The hubs is out playing poker and I'll be damned if I sit at home cleaning while he's out with the boys. Instead, I'm indulging in red wine and bra-lessness.

In other news, my site hits DOUBLED QUADRUPLED today because Omarosa (apparently I've been spelling her name wrong) was kicked off The Apprentice. 95% of the searches that reached my site were for "Omarossa". Who knew that a lot of people spelled her name wrong? And, thanks for visiting. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Apprentice

Yowza! Kwame in boxers!

Yep, as predicted by JJ last week, they evened out the teams again. Amy again. Trump doesn't like Amy? Interesting.

So they are going to choose artists. I really like Megan's work. But you can tell that the team doesn't get her. They don't care for her work and they think she's a freak, but they love the money they could potentially make on her.

Giles has nice work, but I think it is pretty safe. It will match my couch kind of art. My first impression.

I guess the point is to make money, but it means that if they do make money themselves, and are in the enviable position to buy art, they will buy very traditional, safe artwork. That is just my opinion, though.

What does Omarosa know about the art world? I thought she worked from "a president".

And Nick picks the safe artist.

Megan's artwork is very reminiscent of Bosch. I'm sure they could have talked to her or someone else that could have reinforced why she was part of the group from which they were to choose. And I would have invited art professors and artists from the city. Also, it couldn't have been that hard to research whom the top buyers of modern art are in the city. And called the big guns to tell them about her exhibit. But that's just me.

I love how they keep cutting to Omarosa wearing the white and pink and looking/acting all serene.

Heidi is very trashy and she does swear a lot. And I'll still make fun of her - but I have to tell you, as much as it is hard to watch her arguing with Omarossa, it is great television.

If Omarossa is so hot, why don't we see her trying to sell Megan's artwork? What little we see sounds extremely unconvincing.

I'm starting to get the theme here. When Trump, mid-show, relates his sage advice, he is telling you who is going to lose.

Trump wants Omarosa out of there - he is totally attacking her.

Oh, shut it, Omarosa. No one cares about your stupid bump on the head.

And then she bursts into the Board Room! While they were trying to discuss the team!

Yippee! She's out of there. Good riddance.

Math

My hubby's lecture was tonight. Man, he's good. I understood maybe 25% of what he was saying - but he was so convincing! And energetic! I'm even more convinced that he should be a professor of mathematics.

In other news, I caused someone to shoot Diet Coke out of her nose because of a story I was telling. Now that is a compliment if I've ever seen one! I'm too tired to tell you the story tonight - but I promise it will be forthcoming soon. Let me just say that it involves toothpaste and April Fool's Day.

Voting, etc.

We went to vote this morning. There was a man outside the polling location with Dennis Kucinich signs – which I think is illegal. It’s at least illegal in California – I think there can’t be anyone within 300 yards of a polling location who is trying to influence voters. Also, we both walked in with our drivers’ licenses ready and they thought we were strange. "Oh, we don’t need to check your ID." Doesn’t that seem odd? And ripe for fraud? I could get a list of voters and say I’m someone else. For instance, I could get a group of my friends together and find all the Republicans in the area who never vote. And then have all my friends say they are those people and vote Democrat. Or go into another state and do the same thing? Not that I would; I’m not that kind of person. But who’s to say that someone hasn’t been doing that? Why don’t they check your ID? We were also disappointed that they weren’t handing out “I Voted” stickers at this location.

In other news, so far I've been to the gym 4 times. I’ve been doing 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical trainer (LOVE this machine) and then a round of circuit training. I’ve decided I'm going to do legs one day and then arms another. And alternate my abs workout. My hubby keeps overdoing it at the gym. I keep telling him that the old "no pain, no gain" motto is not true – you can really hurt yourself by overdoing it. But he won’t listen. Instead, he pushes himself too far and then limps around moaning the next day. The boy will never learn.

Spring, etc.

It’s starting to feel like spring around here. It’s been in the 50s the last couple of days (which may not seem like much to you folks in sunnier locations – but imagine a 50 degree increase in temperature). Big news. We’ve had the windows open (screens closed) for the kitties so they can smell the birds and trees. I bought a gardenia candle when I was in Chicago and it is making the whole apartment smell like Hawaii. The gray fog of winter feels like it is lifting. Also, we purchased a year-long gym membership at a local club and we are both excited about getting back in shape. I think I’m currently the heaviest I’ve ever been. And it is time to start getting fit again. I’d like to lose about 15 pounds. We are headed to the Cape several times this summer, so it will be great to feel better about wearing summer clothes.

My parents’ dog Goober had another seizure this weekend. She’s been having them lately and I’m afraid that that is not a good sign for the future. She is about 15, but still has a lot of energy and spunk. It doesn’t seem like she is in a lot of pain or anything; she just keeps having seizures. They last about 10 seconds and are pretty scary to witness.

My older sister is coming to visit with her husband and their two adorable kids. And they might actually visit our apartment – so this week is spring-cleaning time. She has a housekeeper who comes twice a month and their house is always spotless. And they have two kids (ages 3 and 5) and a cat! We are going to move the couches, vacuum, Swiffer, dust and mop. Nothing we can do about our ugly couches, but at least the place will look clean. I’m happy the weather is warming up – it means we can air out the place as well. Of all people to visit our apartment, I get most nervous when it is my sister. She says she doesn’t care, and that all she wants to see is the kitties, but I know that can’t be true. And this will be the first time my niece and nephew have seen our place. I collect lots of knick-knacks, so it should be fun to see their reaction. I’m sure the kitties will hide immediately.

Oscars

Man, they run long. Jack Black and Will Ferrell were funny. As were Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Uma Thurman was wearing a very strange dress. No big surprises. Nicole Kidman looked gorgeous. Joan Rivers is a train wreck. No big political speeches. Overall, very subdued and well behaved. Boring.