Would you just look at that!

Take a look at this guy

First I have to say, Holy Carrots and Cabbages, Batman!  Have you seen anything cuter?

But if you read further into the story and see about the weirdo human who wants to look like Jessica Rabbit. wtf?  Why would you want to look like a cartoon?  And is this what she says to her plastic surgeon?  Because if it is, I think it would be time for a psych consult, don't you?

I keep picturing those wieners on Nip/Tuck saying "Tell me what you don't like about yourself" and she says "Oh, I just look too, um, you know, life-like.  Could you make me more cartoon-ish?"  No problemo!  What a nutter.

But the bunny, oh that bunny!  What a handsome guy he is!

De-cluttering

Our city management has on-going brush and large item pick-ups. Every neighborhood has 2 scheduled times a year that you can throw out anything your little heart desires to be rid of, and this is ours!  Yea!!!

When we bought this house it was from the original homeowner who drew up the plans and had it built. It was in 1977 according to all the custom made cornice boards that were atop each and every window in this house.  For those of you who don't know this, 1977 was a big year for gold and avocado green.  Guess what color all those cornice boards were?  Different shades of gold and avocado green, that's what!!

So back 5 years ago when we bought this house and we were re-doing things, painting, re-texturing walls, ripping up the 30 year old avocado green shag carpet, etc. I had the crew put all the cornice boards into the garage thinking that I would have them recovered and put up with the new draperies.  Five years later I still haven't put them up!  I am leaning another way on the whole window treatment thing and the cornice boards were just not part of the new plan.  So, out they went!

We cleaned and organized, and purged, and even mopped the garage floor.  We organized what was leaving, what is going to a thrift store as donations, and what is moving to one room from another.  We worked hard, is what I am sayin'.

I found things that I thought were gone forever.  I found projects that I hope I will finish in my lifetime.  Otherwise my kids will be stuck having to toss them and feeling guilty about tossing some of my treasures.

This is one of my main catalysts for purging; that my kids not hate me when they have to go through all this shit when I die.  Or pass away.  Or go to be with the Lord.  Or whatever euphemism they use in my obituary.  Have you seen the kids of the hoarders on those t.v. shows?  They are miserable.  They have real resentment for their parent and the fact that they chose piles o'crap over a quality relationship with their kids and grandkids.

My other reason is that I am finding that I feel lighter, free-er, and generally not as weighted down by all the possessions.  I find that instead of adding to the quality of my life, they are now just a burden, something I have to clean, something I have to keep on my inventory list.  Do y'all have inventory lists?  I started doing inventory when we were moving every couple of years to different countries.  They all require a complete inventory of your household goods that you are bringing in and out.  What a job that used to be!  Now there are programs that are soooooo helpful!  It will sort by room or by type of item or by $$ amounts, whatever you want.  Every few months I have to go in and update the inventory and it really keeps me aware of what we have.  What items are important enough to keep in your house, keep taking care of, and keep on your inventory lists?  What items can you let go of?  Better yet, how much better and unencumbered will you feel if you get rid of a bunch of junk?

When your possessions stop bringing joy to you and become just another thing to pick up and dust and hope the cats don't knock it off and break it, that for me is when they become "junk".  That is when they need to be set free and become a new treasure to someone else.  I have released all sorts of treasures this weekend!  Woot!!

Oh, and you know what's funny?  Everyone, including me, has always thought that 99.9% of the clutter, and junk in our possession is mine.  It is all me.  I am the one who can't let go.  No one else takes any blame for the piles o'crap.  And my son pointed out after we caught Mr. Big Ed going through the throw-away piles THREE DIFFERENT TIMES that it might not all be my fault!  Love it.  It is funny how my stuff is treasures and his stuff is crap.  And vice-versa.  : )

One more thing:  anyone remember the Tea Hoarding Challenge of 2009?  Well, I made it through and did really well and was well into the stash when 2010 rolled around.  And you know what happened? I started buying more tea, that's what happened.  And the shelves are just as full as they were beforehand. So I am issuing myself another Tea Hoarding Challenge.  NO NEW TEAS!

Here's the fine print on the Challenge:  If it is chamomile, sleepy time or joint comfort teas, things that are medicinal and for health and for others; they can come in the house.  If it is just a new and fabulous flavor of tea.  Nope.  I am going to work through the millions of teas here and that is that.

Wish me luck on my continual growth and releasing of items.  And most importantly the releasing of the need for items.

Goobers, they are everywhere!

And they are lucky Goobers, too!  Get a load of this guy.  Did you look at his picture?  Did you say to yourself, "Hmmmm, self, I wonder what he might possibly want to spend some of those millions of dollars on?  Hmmmm?  Maybe taking the girlfriend's kids to Disney?  Or maybe taking the whole darn family to, oh I don't know?  How about the DENTIST????"

And then take a look here:  Hilarious

And one more:  Even more hilarious

Happy Friday, everyone!

Nightstand Reading Redux

Yes, this is the book I am FINALLY reading!  I finished the Oscar Hijuelos book a couple days ago and picked up this tome and am now 10 Chapters in.  I have since peeled off those tacky Goodwill stickers so that the cover is all clean and pristine, by the by.

And this may be the last big book I read before my Kindle comes in!  Oh Happy Day!  I did receive a notice that my Kindle has been shipped.  I don't know from where it has been shipped.  Does anyone know where Amazon actually is?  Are there many locations around the country from which they ship?

I have been perusing the Amazon site to check out all the Kindle book selections to see which ones I want first.  Any suggestions?

Reading the Obits but later than usual

I can't believe it is already Wednesday and I am just now posting about the past week's obits.  But here goes!

Firstly, I got a real kick out of one for a 90 year old lady.  (Hurray for making it to 90!!)  Her name is Lorene.  She had a twin sister named Coriene, and another sister named Geraldine.  Ha!  I bet that never got mixed when Mama was yelling out the back door, or anything.

Then there was a really cute lady who never had her age mentioned or her birth date at all.  But here is how it started "was released from the cares of this Earthly Existence on the morning of  . . . .  Many were by her side as she approached the threshold of her new life."

Sadly there was a notice that a 44-year-old Lt. Col. who formerly lived here, had been struck by a speeding vehicle outside his home in NJ.  But get this, it was back on Dec. 14th.  I wonder why the hold up?

This next one was the most beautiful and moving tribute to a loved one I have seen yet.  Of course it is long so there is no way I am going to type the whole thing, but here is a little bit of it. "Liz who lived a large life with three careers, three ex-husbands, the globe as her playground and a passion for helping those in need, died on  . . . . . "

No small children or homeless veterans this week.  There were several cancers and Alzheimer's listed as cause of death.  And!  it was really nice to see only 2 full pages rather than the usual 3.  So there are a few things to be thankful for.

Talk about typos!

Hurry, quick, go read this article

Hilarious, right?  Did you notice this?

Calling it "nothing more than a silly mistake," the Penguin Group head of publishing said the book that called for "freshly ground black people" versus "freshly ground black pepper" was a typographical error that should have been caught by their proofreader, but was unforunately missed, reports AP.


They couldn't even get the proofreading done correctly when they were apologizing for the bad proofreading they had already done!  OMG!


Hire some real people and quit relying on spell check and the like.  Now.  

I did it!!

Yes indeedy!  After more than 2 years of planning and researching, I did it.  I ordered the Kindle DX with AMEX reward points.  It did take me more than 2 years of swiping that AMEX card for gas, for groceries, or whatever to have enough points accumulated to get the Kindle for free!!!

Due to arrive in 14 days or less.  Last fall I started wavering about this wondering whether or not I would prefer to have an iPad.  And the iPad is awesome for music, movies, surfing, all sorts of things, but as an e-reader it is not making the cut as I read in Consumer Reports

So since I have wanted a Kindle for more than 2 years, and since I was able to obtain one for free, I bit the bullet so to speak and spend the points!  Woot!!

Reports to follow as soon as it shows up.  Snoopy Happy Dancin' going on here!!

Recipe & fun flavor combinations

Did I tell y'all about the cuppie cakes I made recently?  I took about 4 different recipes and combined them and came up with what I thought was darn near a perfect treat.

Maple Bacon Cuppie Cakes

That's what they were.  I was not thrilled with something in the cake batter, I think it was the self-rising flour AND baking powder both.  But there was a weird after-taste thing that I need to get rid of.  When I get it perfected I will post it for you.

There is just something about the combo of salty and sweet that works.  Like popcorn with a big box of Milk Duds dumped in.  You never know when you stick your hand in the tub if you are getting salty and crunchy or sweet and chewy.  Love it!

Another thing that is salty and sweet that is good is eating high quality (why would you ever bother with low quality??) vanilla ice cream with Lay's potato chips.  Now, that is a great treat when you are sad.  Or depressed.  Or whatever.

Other really fabulous flavor combos that can't be beat:

Bacon & garlic

Bacon & spinach

Spinach & Nutmeg

Dark chocolate & raspberries

Raspberries & Mangos

Turnip greens & that vinegar pepper sauce stuff

Chocolate and Chiles

Vanilla & Scallops

Beer & Lime

Ok, now I am hungry.  Any good flavor combos that you love?

The Taxman Cometh and sundry thoughts

It's that day again.  Why, oh why, are we surprised every year when this deadline rolls around?  We know it is coming.  We see it happen each and every year.  Silly procrastinators.

This is not me that I was referring to.  I am related (by blood and marriage) to a great many procrastinators who would never finish anything if it weren't for the last minute deadline.  Not me, it makes me nervous, anxious and extremely agitated for things to be put off to the last flipping second.  And yet, everyone around me does this.  It's like they thrive on the tension of "will I make it or won't I?"  Nope, not for me.  Get it done and get it over with.  That way you can relax and do the things you want to do.

Right now on my desk are all my papers and forms for my DONA recertification.  I have been working on this for the last 2 or 3 weeks.  Guess when it is due?  Would it be today?  NO WAY!  That would make me Mr. Big Ed.  No, this is due in July.  But it is a process.  And it takes time.  So I am trying my best to methodically get through it all and have it ready to go in plenty of time.  I want the recertification people to have all the time they need to wade through it and not put my licensing in jeopardy quibbling over getting my paperwork in just in the nick of time.  Let's face it, I am an anal-retentive dork.

I noticed that since I posted about the little returned Russian boy, no one has come back to my little pink blog.  I waded in where I shouldn't have, I guess.  I certainly hope I stepped on no toes or offended anyone.  That was certainly not my intention.  But unintentional offenses are still offenses in my book.  So please accept my apologies if you were offended and you are still around to receive these apologies.

I went out to one of the local universities last night for part of a literary event they were holding.  Two of my favorite authors were there.  One was introducing the other.  It was really wonderful.  Her remarks were really for the students who are wanting to pursue writing.  I was going to say "writing as a career" but that is wrong.  How many writers pursue writing as a career?  John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks, Danielle Steele.  But really good writers who have a need, a longing, a desire so strong they can't ignore it, those writers might be offended by the phrase "writing as a career".  So anyway, she was addressing these students who have a passion to write (better, yes?).   Even I got something out of it.  Aside from a bit of hero worship by getting to sit at her feet and listen to her read her work and then talk about how she came to this particular idea and answer questions about what happened to characters.

And what I know is that she would have never apologized for offending readers.  She would want you to be offended and sit in that feeling and figure out why you were offended, what bothered you about what you read, and to then get mad and translate that to your own life.

There is nothing like a feisty, strong-minded Southern woman, is there?

Nosy Neighbors

You know the ones.  The neighbor that knows all the interesting stuff going on in everyone else's driveways.  Front yards.  Through the front windows.  And wishes they could be a fly on the wall inside those homes just for a few harmless minutes to find out wth is going on.  Those neighbors.

When we were looking at this house to buy it five years and two months ago, the then-home owners told us about the across the street neighbor who was basically the neighborhood spy.  We were thrilled!  If you want a safe house, where better to be than right in front of the guy who is checking out every person that drives down the street, or better yet happens to stop.  You would pay a fortune for that kind of security detail.  This was a huge plus in our book.

Turns out, there is not just one neighborhood spy on our street.  There is another!  Oh. My.

It just gets interesting-er and more interesting-er.  This person likes to check things out too.  Only not as up front about it as the other one.  This one actually has binoculars.  This means spying can be done from longer distances and in more of a stealth mode, don't you know!

The binocular-wearing neighborhood spy claims bird watching as a hobby.  And let's be fair, there are a ton of birds here to watch.  Tons of birds.  All sorts of birds.  If you had a catalog of all the birds in North America, this would be the place to find 80 - 90% of them.

And the original neighborhood spy?  He is the sweetest, kindest person ever. He patrols our street all the time, he helps neighbors bring their giant trash bins up and down the driveways, he rescues loose dogs and cats, he brings water and cokes to workmen who are doing jobs at other people's homes. (and of course, he tells them how to do that job better, more efficiently, or faster)

And I hope to be as good a neighborhood spy as he is when I get older.  For now, I will just take my binoculars to the backyard and watch the hawks making low, slow, lazy circles as they scan the neighborhood for prey.

Love,
Gladys Kravitz II - in training

New Widget!!

So exciting!!!  I found a new widget and it is located in the upper right hand side of this page.  Shelfari is the name and bookshelving and recommending is the game!  OMG!

How much fun have I had the last hour just playing around?  I love, love, love this.

So from now on, I might just put a little heads-up notice that I have added some great books or reviews or something on my Shelfari shelves.  Check it out, you readers will love this free widget.

Return Receipt Requested

I am not sure I should be writing about this.  I am not sure I know enough about it to make any judgments. Who among us is qualified to judge anything, anyway?  But I am going to try to step into these dark, murky waters anyhow and I am going to try to not be a judgmental twit.

Surely, everyone has already read about the little Russian boy whose adoptive mother (American) stuck him on a one-way trip back to Russia with a note attached that pretty much said Return to Sender.  If not, read Here or for a more global perspective on this, try Here

Here is a pic of the boy when he was returned to the authorities:

Now if that little face doesn't break your heart I don't know what would.

As I said, I don't know too terribly much about this particular case, BUT what I do know is this:  Artyom is a child.  A human being with feelings, emotions, and a need to belong.  He is NOT a pair of shoes that pinch.  He is not an appliance that doesn't quite match the rest of the kitchen.

Where is it written that you can return a child?  Where is it written that when parenthood gets tough, you can ask for a full refund?  Where is it written that you can get a do-over when you find yourself in over your head?

Nowhere.  That is where.

You can't return a child.  Adoptive or biological.  Neither can be sent back.  When you sign up for parenthood no matter how it happens, you are in for life.  Life.  Not a few months, not till it gets difficult, not till you see signs that your parenting is going all wrong, not only until your child shows signs of an illness.

It takes a special person to raise (rear or bring up) a healthy child with no emotional scarring from that upbringing.  For the rest of us, we muddle along and do the best we can.  We put the needs of our children first.  We do without, so that our children can have more.  We hope and pray that our decisions are made in the best interest of the children.  And we pray some more.  And we hope that the old saw "paying for your raising" or "the sins of the father visited upon the child" won't apply to our babies.  We hope, we pray and we hug and kiss those children and want the best for them.

Personally, I have gone from wanting my kids to grow up to be President, to wanting the "best" for them, to now just wanting them to be happy and fulfilled people who care about their fellow man.  Not because of any failings on my children's part, but because I think I have settled into a more realistic frame of mind. Because what is more important than that?  Anything else is just icing on the cake.  But you have to have a good cake as a base to put the icing on, right?

I am guessing that if that mother who sent this boy back to Russia was asked hypothetically before she was granted the privilege of being a mother if she would get rid of a child because of a diagnosis of cancer, or muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis, or any number of illnesses she would have been appalled at the question.  Yet she is claiming that this child has some sort of emotional or mental illness and she is rejecting him.  I haven't seen anything yet that says there was any type of diagnosis or treatment offered, just her word that he was unmanageable.  The Russian authorities are saying the boy has new scars and are documenting their findings.

For her to take a child that was born and raised the first six years of his life with an alcoholic mother, and most likely has some fetal alcohol syndrome (as is reported)  and then the next next year of his life in an orphanage, and only give the adoption six months is just crazy to me.  No matter what the boy's issues may be, he is living in a new country with all new people, a new language and only given six months to adjust before being rejected?

This whole thing is unconscionable to me.  I don't for even one second think I am the one with solutions or answers to this issue.  I do think we should all open our hearts and find some compassion for this little boy, Artyom, and come together to help him grow up strong and healthy.  Hillary is right, it does take a village, and we are all part of this global village.

Say a prayer for this boy, and send all the healing vibes and positive energy you can muster his way, he is going to need it.  And let's just go ahead and add a prayer that he finds some good parents who will lead him into adulthood without any more trauma.

Current Reading Material

Here are some books that are on my night stand.

I stacked them up for the picture and the one I am currently reading is in the middle!  So I will start out telling you about the one on top.

This is the second book by Jeannette Walls.  Her first was her memoir called "Glass Castles".  This one she is calling a true-life novel.  It is the story of her grandmother's life, but she couldn't verify some of the details and she ended up filling in the gaps, as it were, so it is a "novel".  What a fascinating life she led!  Really interesting.  It's a page-turner, that's for sure.

How nice.  I left the El Cheapo sticker over the author's name.  Oscar Hijuelos is so talented.  He is famous for his Mambo Kings book you may have already read.  As you might guess, this book is set in Cuba.  You might also be able to tell from the hairstyles on the cover that it is set mostly in the 1920's and 30's.  So far it is a really good read.  I reserve the right to revise my ratings till I see what kind of ending we get!

This one that is at the bottom of the stack, was similarly at the bottom of the stack the last time I showed you my nightstand book stacks.  This is because it is 625 pages.  I need to clear my calendar to get into a book this big and really give myself some time to absorb it.  I may have mentioned that this author, Margaret George, wrote "The Memoirs of Cleopatra" that I read about 10 or 12 years ago.  Now that book was so amazing!  So when I saw this one on the shelf at Goodwill (as you might notice from the sticker) I snatched it up.  And on the back cover of this one it notes that she also did similar books on Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots.  I guarantee I will be haunting Goodwill to see if either or both of these show up.  

There is something really compelling about these historical novels.  Years of research go into them to get all the details accurate, but the author has the freedom to inject their own character into that setting.  A really good example of this is "Texas Women" by Janice Woods Windle.  She wrote about the women in her family during the time of the Texas Independence and of course she filled in with some family stories that can not be verified, but most surely could have happened!

Your turn.  What are you reading?  Or planning to read and can recommend?

T.V. shows 2010 Part 5

On to t.v. updates!

Survivor - Who is with me when I say "Ha!  That is EXACTLY what you idiot Villains get!"  What a bunch of maroons!  Sadly, the only one who was making any sense at all on their camp was that idiot Coach the Dragonslayer.  and now he is gone.  Evil Russell is such a puppetmaster and apparently puppetmaster trumps dragonslayer in the game of Survivor!

AR - Way to go Cowboys!  


DWTS - Please, we all knew Buzz Aldrin had to go, but did he have to go BEFORE Kate Gosselin?  Talk about a slap in the face insult!  Send that witch home to her brood already!

Saving Grace - They went and killed off Grace's GeePaw.  That's a cute Grandpa name, isn't it?  And they honored his wishes and let him die where and when he wanted.  I can't tell what is going on with Earl.

Real World/RR Challenge - New challenge starts up next week.  Anyone watching?  Anyone care?  

Castle - Mummies! Curses! Falling gargoyles!  Oh My!

Modern Family - "It's like Steve Jobs and God got together to say Happy Birthday Phil"  That has to be the funniest line ever uttered on t.v.!!

Tool Academy - Snooze-fest of a finale, dontcha think?  Jacob?  Really?  Would someone please take that boy for a makeover?

Breaking Bad - I wonder when Walt will figure out his days are numbered?  What is up with Jesse?  Skylar is becoming a badass!

United States of Tara - Have I mentioned how much I love John Corbett?  I would watch this show just because he is in it.  Luckily, this show has a great cast, fabulous writing (thank you Diablo Cody!)

Don't you love it!  You're welcome.


Biggest Loser - Melissa is gone!  Again!  Woo Hoo!!


I believe Glee starts back right away.  And!!!  The Tudors is back this coming week.  Final season for ole Henry VIII.  When this comes out in a boxed set I will probably have to have it.  This is so good.

Raindrops on Roses

and whiskers on kittens.

Here is what I saw today when I was out and about in between rain showers.  Firstly, I smelled these roses and then I realized they were ROSES!  There were two huge round shrubby things as tall as I am and I did not recognize them as roses right off the bat.  I didn't have my camera with me and had to make do with my phone.  And I really tried to show the beauty of the glistening raindrops on the petals and the leaves.  I swear to you it was like the bush was sprinkled with little diamonds.  That's how much shining and glistening was going on.  Here are the photos!  Enjoy.

Spectacular!  That's all I can say about those.  I sure wish you were all here to smell them.  It was a joy to behold.

And since I mentioned the whiskers on kittens:

There is Little Lester Buster on top and then his brother Stanley Manley below.  Such charming, handsome boys.  And I don't think Lester looks a thing like Hitler.

One of Jonathon's friends came over one time and took one look at Lester Buster and said "That cat looks just like Hitler".  Rachel Pie's friend who was here says "There is a website about that".  I was so bumfuzzled.  First off that anyone would think my snuggle bunny Lester looked like Hitler and that there was a website devoted to cats that look like Hitler.  It is Cats that look like Hitler  So I go there every now and again and scope out all the cute "Kitlers".  Mr. Big Ed thinks we should enter Lester Buster and  have him win.  I don't think that would be a good think to win, myself.

Another cute cat website I found is this one  It is cats that look like Wilford Brimley.  Ha!

Easter Obits

There were a TON of dead people in the obits today!  I mean, they are all always dead, but there aren't always so darn many of them!  And I will get right to the highlights as soon as I tell you about how my a/c is not working.  And it is about 1000% humidity outside which makes it even worse inside to feel sticky AND hot.  But I am suffering in silence.  Cause that's the kind I am.  The long-suffering-in-silence type.  Heh!  Not so much!

I have tried to be really respectful to the dearly departed and their remaining families and sometimes it seems like I just have to share the first AND last names with you because they are so priceless together. How can I do that and still maintain some decorum?  Oh, and by the by?  It is 88% humidity right now.  and no a/c.

If your name was Kermit V. Bjorge would you go by the nickname of BJ?  You know what Kermit BJ did? He fell asleep in the arms of Jesus early on April 2 at the age 68 after a battle with cancer.

Next was a really cute lady with white hair that looks like she used those little pink foam rollers at night. She was apparently dressed and waiting when the Lord came to take her home on April 1.  I bet the rollers were off and hair was all in place for that trip!  You know where families put "in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to such and such"?  Her family put "in remembrance, the family asks that you read the Twenty-third Psalms."  Awww, isn't that nice?  I like that.

Eleanor, 93, made the transition from physical life to immortal life on Friday.  While Ernest "a truly great man of the "greatest generation" exchanged this life for one even better on April 2."

Sandra gently flew away on angels' wings as she entered the Love and the Light of God on March 31.

Most interesting family names this week goes to the family of Mr. Jesse E. Tatro.  He was married to Alice.  Both of these are good first names, right?  Their children had pretty good names too.  Now we come to the grandchildren and some people just shouldn't name babies, as you will see by the list here:

Adam, Marcus, Victoria, Sean, Ryan, James, Pam, (pretty normal so far) Brandy, Taunya, Brian, Jess II, Christina, Evelyn, Jolyan, Andre, Westley, Elise, Mireille, Cheyenne, Hailey, Lorcan (LORCAN??), Yorick (????), Asher, Cole, Caden, Layne, Skye, Kalani, Adrianna, Cameron, Devani, and last but not least Aryanna.

Whew!  That is a lot of grandkids and it runs the gamut from Pam to Yorick.  Very interesting, is what I am saying.!!!

Ok, this brings me to my favorite obituary of the week.  I am not going to re-type the whole thing, just the highlights because it is priceless!  And it will make you wish you knew this lady!  I am betting she was a lot of fun.

Maureen K., age 71, picked up her Darts and Bingo Marker and continued her journey with our Lord on April 1.  She is preceded by her Parents and Sister.  Survived by sister Muralee, daughters and son-in-law Bernerd and Lisa, Robert and Linda.  Grandchildren, Zachary, Patrick, Destinee, Desiree, Cory, Serenity, Hunter, Tiffany, Rocky, Kristine, Daniel, Andrew and Kaitlyn.  She loved Life, Bingo and Darts. (Is anyone else loving the random Capitalization???)  For so many of us that called her "Ma" or friend; we will always miss her and think of her often.

Very sadly, there was a small child in here. A beautiful little girl who went to be with the Lord on March 30 at the age of 11.  The last sentence was "In Kelli's honor the precious gift of becoming an organ donor will benefit many lives."  Doesn't that just tug at your heart?

I am off to get something cold to drink and sit under a fan in the dark where it is cooler and wait for the a/c guys.

T.V. shows 2010 Part 4

Wasn't yesterday's April Fool's post about Jesse James funny?  I don't normally like to laugh at someone else's misfortune, but let's face it, he deserves it.  What a douche.

On to t.v. updates!

Survivor - OMG I am soooooo pissed.  That idiot Evil Villains Tribe is decimating themselves and who will be left standing?  Cockroaches and Evil Russell, that's who.  Poor Boston Rob, he thought he knew where everyone stood regarding alliances, etc.  But no.  Well, now he can go home and be with Amber and their new baby.  I wonder if they get some sort of psychological counseling before they re-enter society?  Meanwhile over at the Heroes camp, way to step it up Colby!  I love that guy.  He is really an honorable person, isn't he?

AR - I was truly sad to see Jeff & Jordan go.  Especially going BEFORE that idiot Caite and her boyfriend!  Those two are so dumb and so mean to each other!  And our poor little cowboys are now in last place.  Come on cowboys!  You can do it!

Saving Grace - You could have knocked me over with a feather when I looked at my dvr list and there was a brand new Saving Grace episode.  I had no idea that it was starting back right now.  I had read somewhere that they are going to wrap things up this season and finish it.  And the way Grace is going it sure looks to be that way.  I have really enjoyed this series.  Way to go Holly Hunter!  Go out on a high note!

Real World DC - They finished up yet another boring season of RW.  Even though this was the typical young people acting like fools, drinking too much, hooking up too much, NEVER CLEANING!, etc, they stepped out a bit by showing them doing some good work at non-profits and trying to pursue some career avenues.  And I loved the ending where they showed a lot of photos of them in the house and around town. That was really nice.

Now let me back track for just one minute.  What is the deal with the non-cleaning?  There are eight people living under one roof and they are all slobs?  Not one of them want to clean up after themselves.  Not one of them think they should take out the garbage.  They are getting to live in a fabulous house that they would otherwise never get to see, much less live in and the best they can do is trash it and act like fools?  Shame on them.  I bet their mamas are all embarrassed.

Castle - Wow.  Just wow.  They are really getting interesting on this show.  It is so good.  And I love that Nathan Fillian (sp???) He is a doll!  His mama and his daughter are wonderful.  It is a great show.

Modern Family - Hands down, this is the best new show on t.v.  Hysterical.  Love, love, love it!

Tool Academy - Praise the Lord!  Ding Dong the witch is dead!!  Hooray that nasty Jennavecia is gone! I don't like her.  I didn't ever believe a word that came out of her mouth.  I never trusted her motives for being there.  And the longer I watched it the more I was concerned about Kyle's sanity and good sense.  I think that boy might not be right.  What could he possibly be thinking?  Run, Kyle, Run!!!

Breaking Bad - the new season has come back with a vengeance!  You just can never tell what is going to happen next.

United States of Tara - new season just started back up.  And after several months of no alters showing themselves, Buck is back!  And Buck has the hots for Joey Lauren Adams!  Poor Tara just "thinks" she has never had sex with a woman before.  She might not have, but Buck is certainly getting busy and using her body!

Biggest Loser - No real surprises on who goes home.  However . . . .   Can you even believe that they brought back that Evil Woman from Texas?  Gawd, how it shames me that Melissa is from Texas!  There's another one that makes me question Lance's sanity.  She is just Bad News Bears, is what she is.

I know I am forgetting something really good.  But my brain is just only retaining a certain amount of information.  This is mostly due to 1/2 of it being pre-occupied with Ernest T. Bass and his continual barking at The Colonel!  If he doesn't STFU I am going to squirt him in the face with the water bottle!  Ye Gads!  Shut Up Ernest T.!  Flea bag dog.

Now that I said something negative about Ernest T, I have to say a positive to even out the karma.  My friend Debra has a cute little dog named Ronald who goes by the name of Ronnie.  Anyhoo, she takes Ronnie to classes on Saturday to learn agility and stuff that keeps his little brain occupied so that he doesn't get into trouble.  That's how it is with these overly smart dogs.  So she was showing me that Ronnie can twirl and "touch".  This is what you do when you want them to learn to touch your hand with their nose.  Then you can gradually move up to putting your hand on light switches and having them turn them on and off.  Things of that nature.

So yesterday I decided that Ernest T. is certainly smart enough to learn to do that.  I don't think he would like to learn to twirl, but he could do "touch".  We sat down with a box full of small treats and I showed him what I wanted him to do.  For 30 minutes he resisted (like he always does because he is the most stubborn dog on the planet) and then all the sudden the light bulb went on and he touched my hand. I moved my hand higher and higher and he still does it just right.  We switch back and forth between "Shake" and "touch" and he never misses.  Isn't he the most clever boy you ever heard of?  Clever and a bark-aholic, but still very clever.  : )

Today is Good Friday and I wish you all a very happy Easter weekend filled with the joy of the holiday and lots of family to share it with.  Oh, and some eggs and some Peeps!!

New reality t.v. update!

It has been a while since I did one of these.  So I thought I would just link you to one of my favorite t.v. reviewer sites.  Check it out!  Here