That doesn't really help me...

Me: "Honey, I'm going to the grocery store. What should I get for dinner this week?"

*LONG PAUSE*

DJC: "I dunno. Variety pack." He said it like I was supposed to know *exactly* what he meant.

Me: "Sorry, what?!"

DJC: "Yeah, variety pack!"

Me: "Ummm, ok...?"

Needless to say, I came home with a veritable smorgasbord of randomness. Hope he's hungry...

Tuesday couch potato report

Ok kids, its time for the weekly round-up of your fave guilty pleasure TV shows. And when I say "your", I mean "my". ;)

First off, I tuned in to my very first episode of Dancing With the Stars last night. Could that show *BE* any lamer? Ugh. The dancing sucked, the band sung abhorrent covers of cheesy Top 40 songs, and I think one dude even tore part of his bicep during his "Latin" number. Imagine having to explain that one to the ER doc that sees you..."Well Doc, I was doing the cha-cha-cha and on the second pirouette before the dip, I felt it snap". LOL (On a serious note, it did look very painful and quite traumatic. I hope he's OK.)

My current favorite reality competition show is another VH-1 gem called "Miss Rap Supreme" (link in the sidebar). Genius, this show is. It features a whole bunch of "ladies" that aspire to be the next great female rapper. One of the contestants hails from Germany and English is not her first language. One can see how awesome the potential is with that one. Dubble LOL! And if someone could explain to me why it is that I find MC Serch so attractive, I'd be forever indebted.

I hate to say it, but I am very close to being OVER Lauren Conrad and her uber-whiny antics. Honey, LET IT GO! Bummer, too. I used to have a reckless love for The Hills and now Lauren's schtick is just old and tired. She needs to smile, and above all else, stop waiting for good things to just fall in her lap. I'm tired of seeing her mopey face. And its so painfully obvious that everything Lauren and company do is scripted, despite The Hills being marketed as a "reality" show. Meh.

Lastly, with the addition of digital cable in our household came a ton of new channels, like the NHL Network, which I've raved about previously, and another gem called Music in HD. This channel features live performances of some of today's (and yesterday's) hottest musicians. Yesterday, I caught a re-run of Pearl Jam's version of VH-1's Storytellers. I'm not ashamed to admit that I sang along with nearly every song. I love Pearl Jam. I don't care what anyone says about how weird Eddie Vedder is. "Alive" will always be one of my favorite songs. Later that same day, I watched a little of Snoop Dogg's Storytellers special. It was amazing. Needless to say, I'm in love with this channel.

The Sharks play game 3 of their mediocre series with Dallas tonight. I say "mediocre" when really I mean "totally effing PATHETIC". They've yet to win a game. Dallas isn't even that good! At least the game is in HD. Watching hockey on the non-HD channel just doesn't cut it anymore. Spoiled, I am.

On that note, I just realized that I have been blogging about watching WAAAAY too much TV. I've gotta go outside and do something...like...NOW. =)

Foodstuffs

This weekend, DJC actually talked me into a trip to a place that he considers Heaven on Earth: City Beer Store in San Francisco. Not familiar? Check it out. Most times he wants to go, I mention how I can't stand beer and blah blah blah. But on Saturday, the weather was warm and a cold beer sounded good. I couldn't turn him down. Nevermind the fact that we hadn't eaten at all. We'd just get the cheese plate there! And beer is like bread anyways, right? ;)

Well, here's what we got for our $6.50 (beers not included):

(click to enlarge and witness the ridiculousness for yourselves)

There you have it. Four of the tiniest slices of cheese known to mankind, six slices of bread, ten salty (but delicious) almonds, and a small handful of dried fruit. So edgy! So hip! So avant garde! And for all the smack I just talked, soooooo yummy! We settled on two cheeses to try: Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam, which tasted like creamy butter, and Jasper Hill Farm's Winnimere. Oh my stars, if getting my hands on more of this delectable cheese wasn't so difficult, I'd be in bad shape, physically speaking.

While the meager cheese plate did little to fill us up, the beers we consumed filled in all of the remaining empty places in our tummies. It was a good day.

Here's the beer wall (which still doesn't cover what they offer, because I couldn't get the two refrigerators or the taps in the shot) and the building that City Beer is in:

________

Don't say that I never included any pics for you beer or architecture whores. =)

Later that same night, we met up with LG and hubby for dinner at Fellini. Normally, I love this place. Great Italian food, a decent wine selection that won't break the bank, cute decor and lots of parking! FREE PARKING! In Berkeley! I know!!!

But Saturday night, the food was just...off. It wasn't bad enough to warrant placement on DJC's restaurant shit list, but it wasn't the best we've ever had there, either. I wonder what LG thinks...

And now that I've been writing about food and beer for a while, I'm hungry. Off to the kitchen to find something to calm the rumblings...

Warning: Pointless musical rant ahead!

Ok. So. We've got some serious business to discuss, today. I'm gonna lay it all out for you guys...

I love live internet radio shows. Some of the most amazing mixsets I've heard have been off-the-cuff, thrown together at the last minute, not archived live gems at sites like Netmusique and Bassdrive. And maybe all these years I've just been spoiled by the quality of DJs that both NM and Bassdrive have been able to attract. Spoiled by ridiculously good music and mixing skills that speak for themselves without a lot of needless chatter over top. That's the way mixsets should be. If the DJ is truly talented, he or she should be able to communicate via the music. (right, Kasper?)

Well, earlier today, I tuned into my new fave show on Bassdrive called Aperture Radio, which is usually hosted by a cool bloke named Dan Marshall. I love Dan's style...super chill, but every now and then, he throws in an unexpected track that sounds like it doesn't quite fit, but is somehow perfect. Big up, Dan! You kill it every time you spin!

But, darlings, whoever filled in for Dan today was an unholy MESS. Not only could this guy not spin, but he NEVER SHUT UP! Like seriously. He must have jibber-jabbered for the entire two hour show over every, single track. Every other minute was "BIG UP!" this and "EZ!" that and, honestly dude, do you need to shout out your "mum"? Is it too much to ask to be able to just listen to the tunes? And, please just post a tracklist after the show. I don't need to hear you announce every single track ID.

I mentioned this to DJC earlier and he said that sometimes DJs have to talk over promos or tracks that are unreleased so that people don't rip them off. Which I can totally understand. But I hardly believe that one can locate two whole hours' worth of unreleased or promo tracks. Maybe I'm wrong.

Funny thing is this is not an isolated incident. Its becoming more and more common for DJs and MCs to feel like every second of music has to be filled with some sort of chatter. I honestly loathe MCs. True, there are a few decent ones out there, but when they're bad or even just mediocre...man, they can really change the mood of a whole mixset...and not for the better.

DJs like Netmusique's co-founder Hali have the right idea. Just play the tracks. Mix them together expertly. Create a mood. Don't fuck it up with too much talk. Let the music speak for you.

Ok, that's it. I'm all ranted out for today. The sun is shining and its Friday. Go out and enjoy your weekend and be safe. Catch ya'll back here soon. =)

Control

With respect to my professional life, I have very little control over what I'm doing these days. So, I've compensated by controlling other aspects of my life. Like how clean our house is. And how many days a week I go running (and for how long). I've also been trying to really control what, and how much, I eat.

If that's the case, why, then, do I only want to eat cookies? And not just any cookies, mind you. Cookies from this place are worth a drive into downtown Oakland and a thirty minute hunt for a parking space. SO deelish, they are! Two days ago, I went on a serious bender and took down like four of them in a sitting. Gluttony? Yeah, maybe. SO?!? ;)

DJC brought home a dozen from the bakery near his office yesterday. It's all I can do to keep from RUNNING to the kitchen to have a delectable mocha cashew chip cookie for breakfast.

I may be able to control how many times a week I vacuum the same, already clean floors, but I cannot control my appetite for cookies. I'm off to devour one now. My mouth is literally watering as I type!

Weak, I am! LOL

Next up: Dallas Stars

Let's see...where to start?

Game 7 last night...Sharks vs. Flames for all the marbles (well, all of the first-round marbles). AMAZING. I swear, DJC and I yelled SO loudly that I'm sure our neighbors hate us.

Here's my latest Bleacher Report article.

When the Sharks acquired Jeremy Roenick, I was quick to jump all over the old guy. He did come out of retirement, after all. Its not like he was some youngster with speed and agility...

...or so I thought.

After last night's superhuman efforts, I am a Roenick loving FOOL! GO #27! And remember this?

Not only is he a great hockey player, but he seems to have (*gulp*) rhythm. Who knew! And I gotta love a guy who just doesn't take himself seriously at all. (love the spotlight in the vid! Hilarious!)

JR, call me! We'll go cut a rug! =)

I definitely smell what Barack is cookin'!

I have a dirty little secret. I love the WWE. Actually, I love wrestling in general. Although I don't watch it anymore, I used to live and die by it as a kid. In Plano, Texas, wrestling was religion and I was a devoted follower of the Church of the Body Slam. I'd wake up early to watch it every Sunday morning, much to my father's disliking. In the early 80s, the only things hotter than the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were the Von Erich brothers:

Oh, how I loved Kerry Von Erich. He's the one with the heinously awesome mullet on the left in the pic. My dad took me to meet him once at an electronics store where he was doing an appearance. As a silly, 10 year-old kid, I swooned. He was as sweet as could be and I just liked the way he moved in the ring (BT, I know you'll understand what I mean!). After my family left Texas, I lost track of the mighty Von Erich clan.

Then, out of nowhere, about ten years later, Kerry Von Erich showed up in the WWF (before the World Wildlife Federation wanted their acronym back) as the Texas Tornado. He looked older and way more freakishly tan, but still the same. Then, mysteriously, he dropped out of sight. Time moved on and although I continued to follow the WWF and later, the WWE, I never really thought much about Kerry Von Erich. It was only recently that I learned that almost every single Von Erich had died from a drug overdose or had committed suicide. Sad, really.

And now that we're finished with my self-indulgent walk down memory lane, let me get to the goods.

Earlier tonight, DJC and I were watching the evening news and saw this gem:

Apparently, all three presidential hopefuls will be on the WWE's RAW tonight, going after the everyday man's vote. The best part of this video? Barack Obama's schpeel, followed closely by John McCain's run at wrestling humor. HillRod, though? FAIL.

"Do you smell what Barack is cookin'?" and "Whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCain-iacs run wild all over you?" Are you kidding me?! GENIUS!

And please note Obama's amazing smirk after he delivers his line. SO proud of himself, he is. Freaking awesome. DJC and I both laughed out loud.

Best.Promo.Spots.EVAR!! Enjoy! =)

Stuff from around the way...

As a former diver, this totally cracked me up.

What? It's Monday morning, I'm still jobless, the Sharks lost last night, and I have to go to an interview today at the EDD to prove that I've been looking for work. I needed a silly, harmless laugh, OK?!? Hee-hee! =)

In other news, damn it, ITS TRUE!! I totally love New Balance running shoes, although my reasons have less to do with Nike's sweatshops and more to do with the fact that Nikes just DO NOT fit human feet. I implore you to find a single person on this Earth who wears Nikes because they actually fit or feel good on his or her feet. Damn you, Air Jordan, for making inferior footwear so popular amongst the masses of teenage hip-hoppers and amateur thugs who will spend hundreds of dollars on one pair, but then cannot afford a simple belt to hold up their sagging pants. Damn you, indeed! But I digress...

When you meet a person wearing New Balance shoes it is a good idea to ask them about the marathon for which they are inevitably training. If they say “I’m not training for a marathon,” this is a good opportunity to raise your status by saying “oh, I thought only runners wore those. My running club all wear New Balance except for a few jerks who won’t shut up about Asics. I’m still a bit sore from the 10k run this morning.”

And ya know what? I like Asics, too. Both Asics and New Balance are very good shoes for people with feet that tend to pronate...like me. But again, I digress. The above paragraph is just awesomely hilarious. Raise your status... AAAHAHAHAHA!

Go out there and have a great Monday! Cheers to ya! =)

Additions...

I just need to see how it works. I'm willing to bet most of you won't even notice it's there. Don't worry, it's not permanent. I just need to see how it works.

Happy reading and happy weekend to you all! =)

The best run...EVAR!!

Two days ago during one of my more difficult runs, I lost an earring. And not just any earring. One of these:

The ones I have are like the middle pair in a 14 gauge. I loved them. Once I noticed that the right one was missing, I shook out my t-shirt and fleece in hopes that it got pulled out when I removed my clothes after running. No dice. I was pissed. I had to accept the fact that it got pushed out by my fleece's collar somewhere along my run. I told myself that when I got a new job, I'd replace it, but not until as they're not exactly cheap. Thank goodness they're sold individually instead of in pairs.

Yesterday, as I set out on my run, I figured I'd take the same course as I had the day before just in case I might stumble across my earring. It was a long shot, but I thought what the hell.

Looking at the ground while running can get old real quick. But fortunately, I used the fact that I was actually looking for something to distract me from how much I suck at running and how badly my knees were hurting. I saw lots of sticks and tree matter, but no earring. It was gone. About a mile in, I gave up looking. And just as I did...

...something shiny caught my eye. Could it be my earring?! No...there is no way, I thought. And yet, I got excited and ran faster.

As I got closer, I realized that sure enough, there was my carefully crafted surgical steel earring laying on top of a speed bump. I think I actually said "YES!" really loudly, although I can't be sure. I was so excited. It's a little scratched up, but no worse for wear.

I finished my run with a huge smile on my face, which is a first. Usually, by the end, I am ready to either pass out or vomit. But not this time. And all because of one little earring! YAY!

New links added...

...over there ----------------->
(In the sidebar)

Everyone's got their own sense of humor and I'm sure you all must think I'm a loon from time to time. But, I must draw your attention to one of my new fave sites...

The FAIL Blog has got me in hysterics today. Especially this one.

Sick, I know. But OMGFUNNY!

Go ahead and laugh. You know you want to...

Running on Empty

I know I have several friends and readers that are serious runners. For you all, I have a question...

Seeing as that I've got lots of free time lately, I've been running almost daily. While that doesn't seem like a big deal, it is. Here's why.

My legs. My big, massive hunks of Type IIB muscle are designed for nothing more than quick bursts of power and strength. Distance? Endurance? Forgetaboutit. Seriously. With this in mind, you can imagine that my runs aren't very long. I can handle maybe 4-5 miles TOPS before my legs are just spent. Some days, its less than that. Walk breaks are frequent and necessary to avoid cramping in my calves and hamstrings. The good thing about Type IIB muscle, though, is that I recover fairly quickly with minimal soreness.

Lately, though, my legs are sore almost constantly. It usually takes A LOT of effort on my part to get any kind of lasting soreness. Squatting massive quantities of weight, yeah, that'll do it. But what I've been doing lately is not even close to that and the soreness is just as bad. Am I just doing too much? Should I take a break to let my muscles recover? Would walking the same distance be a better idea, ya know, just to keep things moving?

Your thoughts?

Bleacher Report

My latest article for Bleacher Report is up, although I have to take back some of the nasty things I said, as the Sharks really seemed to turn things around last night, beating Calgary 3-2. It was quite a game!

The awesomest thing about Bleacher Report is that I've chosen to write anonymously, and while you all might know my writing style, most of the people there who read my articles do not. With the exception of the admins, who I've communicated with via e-mail and have seen my real name, most people at B/R think I am a guy. And even though I have no problem with being a hockey-loving female, I almost like that my writing is perceived to be male. It's kinda funny to me...

Anyways, go out and have a great day! I'll catch you all back here soon! =)

Popular? Why?

So. You ever hear a new song on the radio and then over the course of a week, hear that same song at least fifty more times? Have you ever wondered why exactly that song is so popular? Is it because the radio powers that be say so? The influence that mainstream media has over its consumers is a funny thing. I know I've found myself thinking that I like certain types of music just because the radio tells me they're popular, only to find that I don't really enjoy the songs at all once I give them a good listen (Green Day is a prime example of this). The same thing goes for TV shows, TV personalities and movies.

Here's a quick run-down of all things pop culture that I know I'm supposed to like because every other human on the face of the Earth does, but I'm just not in to:

1. Bob Marley: I'm sorry, I just don't get it. Try as I might, I can't stand reggae.
1.5. Jack Johnson: Popular surf rock? Seriously? The Beach Boys also fall into this category.
2. Nirvana: Don't understand why its so cool to like Nirvana. Dave Grohl is excluded from this discussion. I (heart) the Foo Fighters. Like, lots.
3. Oprah Winfrey: Good lord. So obnoxious. Throw your money around, crazy lady.
4. Forrest Gump: People LOVE this movie and I totally HATED IT.
5. Martha Stewart/Rachael Ray/Regis and Kelly: Ick. Ick. Ick. Kill me now.

On the other hand, though, there are certain things about pop culture I cannot get enough of. I know it's wrong, but I can't help it. Sometimes I feel a little dirty (Ok, not really, but you get the picture).

1. Bobby Flay: Ugh, I KNOW! But damn it, I love that guy! I just watched an episode of Throwdown! where he takes on a Philadelphia lady in a mac-n-cheese battle. I am now inordinately hungry.
2. The Hills: MTV hit pop culture gold with Lauren Conrad and all her Hollywood drama. Deee-lish, it is!

So very strange, this whole idea of liking something just because it's cool to do so, no? Ever happened to you? What is it about pop culture that you can't stand despite the fact that every media outlet is telling you that you should?

Discuss. ;)

Buyer Beware!

While cleaning the tub today, I made an interesting discovery.

If you purchase Arm & Hammer's SCRUB FREE Bathroom Cleaner with Oxy Foaming Action, thinking you've got it easy because the bottle says "No scrubbing required!", take note.

Scrubbing is TOTALLY required.

That is all. Happy cleaning! =)

Fun in Craigslist-land

Last Thursday, a bunch of us were supposed to go check out RJD2. The smart folks bought tickets ahead of time. The ones who can't plan that far ahead did not. The show sold out. Guess which group I fell into?

At 5pm, I found myself trolling Craigslist in hopes of finding someone with two tickets to spare, at a reasonable price. I was in luck! There were three posts from people with extra tickets. I quickly responded to all three posts and waited for a replies. I got one. The following e-mails recount what transpired:

Me:
I'm interested. How much are you asking?

Him:
$50 each
(author's note: face value of each ticket was $23)

Me:
Ouch! Just to make sure I've got it right, that's $50 per ticket, yes?

Him:
Yes....an UNBELIEVABLE $20 over face....I'm such a dick huh...Like when people charge $35 for a T-shirt that costed [sic] them $5 nobody bats a fucking eye..
(author's note: actually, it was more than $20 over, but who's counting. Math is hard, anyways)

Me:
Wow...Ummm, thanks for your puzzling response, I guess. I never called you a dick, dude.
Have a good night.

Him:
Sorry...not YOU personally but our SOCIETY deems that Tickets are the ONE thing that for some reason one cant mark-up but EVERYTHING else is fine and understood....not you, our society and specifically our town...

Me:
It's all about supply and demand. I'm sure you'll find someone willing to pay what you are asking, it just won't be me. Good luck.

There were more e-mails from him, but nothing as interesting as that awesome, unprovoked rant.

Worst part of this story is that I had to eat crow twenty minutes later and actually tell him I would take the tickets at the price he was asking. BL was in need of one, too, and was already on his way up to the city. So I agreed to meet this guy at the ultra-hipster cafe across the street to pick them up. He sent me one final e-mail describing what he and the two people he would be with looked like.

I waited and waited and waited...and waited. I watched a random guy walk back and forth across the street, looking agitated. Though he seemed to be waiting for something, he was on the other side of the street, and he was alone. Couldn't have been my guy.

Turns out, it was. After BL and CGI arrived, I asked the guy if he was the one from the e-mails. He said yes, then asked where I had been all night. Ummm, hello?! Sitting at the cafe where YOU told me to meet you! He informed me that he had just sold my tickets to someone else. Rats! Never fear, though...CGI quickly came to the rescue and drew exact replicas of the stamp the club used on the inside of my and BL's wrists and we skated in, scott-free! The show was amazing.

The next day, I received this e-mail from ticket-man:

Dude....SO sorry....But I walked in there 3 TIMES! Were you the guy with tall blond shoulder length hair? If so, I did everything but get right in you face...I had the ticket envelope in one hand and 2 tickets in the other, even holding them in the air!

Last time I checked, my name is a girl's name. And he didn't come in to the cafe.

Aaaah, Craigslist...always good for an adventure.

RJD2

In honor of the creative styles that we're going to rock out to tonight, here is a small sampling of some of my favorite sick RJD2 tunes:

Again, this is just a few of my faves. If I missed yours, let me know and I'll add it in!

Totally looking forward to kickin' it tonight with some of my closest friends. YAY for good times! =)

Passing the torch on politics

On a sunny California day, amid controversy and protests, the Olympic torch made its way along some of the lesser known streets of San Francisco. Today's stop in the City by the Bay was to be the one and only torch relay stop in North America. After what happened in Paris earlier in the week, San Francisco officials did their best to keep protesters, spectators and even torch runners confused and on their toes to avoid the same sort of situation. The route was changed a multitude of times and the closing ceremony, scheduled to happen at Justin Herman Plaza, was canceled. Torch runners had to share their time with another person to ensure that all 70+ people would get a chance to hold the Olympic flame after the course distance was cut in half.

Local news channels provided nearly four hours of agonizing play-by-play coverage, even when nothing was happening. The media sensationalism might have seemed like overkill to some. But all the protesting and the torch relay actually happening was a big deal and people needed to hear about it.
My thoughts on the whole thing? I fully agree with Tibetan protesters who feel China's human rights policies need a serious overhaul. Hillary Clinton recently called on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, stating,"The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for presidential leadership." While this statement cannot be argued in my eyes, Bush's decision to boycott the ceremonies, if he chooses to do so, will have little or no political ramifications. Since his Iraq war blunders and foreign policy oddities, no one listens to, or takes the advice of our fearless Commander in Chief. Certainly no one in China. But still, I can see her point.

Now, if Senator Clinton called for a U.S. boycott of the entire games, THEN I'd have something to say. To bar Olympic caliber athletes from competing in the world's most prestigious games because of political reasons seems silly to me. I understand that by abstaining from participating, countries make a VERY clear statement about whatever their leaders feel strongly about, but for the athletes, that opportunity may only come around once. To take that away from those who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their sport in hopes of competing on the world's biggest stage seems crazy to me. Did those athletes have any sort of say in shaping their country's foreign policy? No, you say? Then why punish them by taking away the one thing they've worked so hard for? Aren't there better ways of making a political statement?

In a strange way, I almost feel like the recent attempts to halt the Olympic torch relay follow the same lines of crazy. I understand that the protesters want their message out there and thanks to the media coverage, they've succeeded. But to block something as pure as the Olympic flame, which symbolizes a time when politics were put on the back burner for the duration of the games, goes against the Olympic spirit. Make no mistake, I am not pro China. I'm just pro athlete. I'm pro fair competition. I'm all for an Olympic games free of political grievances.

I call for a separation of sports and state! Who's with me?

Idol, Rock the Cradle, Step It Up and Dance

Alright. We've got some serious business to discuss here. Namely, the state of reality competition television. I know...heavy stuff, right?

I've been watching a fair amount of TV lately (Yay for unemployment!) and happened to catch all three of the above listed shows yesterday. While Idol is now in it's seventh season, Born to Rock and Step It Up and Dance are brand spanking new. And with any luck, there won't be a second season for either of them.

First, let's get the Idol talk outta the way. I've had mixed feelings about this show the entire time its been on the air. The auditions can be good for a laugh, and its always fun to choose early favorites. But, as long as I've been watching the show, NO ONE has topped Frenchie Davis:



If she made an album tomorrow, I would buy it. Talent like this is out there, but since Frenchie, we just haven't seen it (except for David Archuleta. They should just give him the win now. Jeeez, the kid's good. Not Frenchie good, but still pretty damn amazing).

Oh wait...I forgot about this guy:



And he's from Cal! GO BEARS! Civil engineering represent! What what!!!

Next on the chopping block is MTV's latest atrocity entitled Rock the Cradle. The premise is similar to Idol, but the contestants are all offspring of once famous rock, hip-hop and R&B stars. What's in a name, you ask? A LOT. Bloody hell, these kids are bad. For all it's shortcomings, at least the Idol contestants can sing! With the glaring exception of Al B. Sure's! son (who was so memorable, I didn't even catch his name), its possibly the strangest mix of "singers" who would be laughed off of the stage, if it weren't for their parents' names. Yeah, it's every bit as bad as it sounds. The only bright spot? The blond bombshell Jesse Blaze Snyder, who bears a striking resemblance to one o-chem lab partner of old...

Up next: Bravo takes a stab at the popularity dancers everywhere have enjoyed since So You Think You Can Dance? became a huge hit with Step It Up and Dance, hosted by none other than Elizabeth Berkley of Saved By the Bell and Showgirls fame. I'm all for any show that doesn't make dance look like a joke (*cough* Dancing With the Stars, Your Momma Don't Dance *cough*), but I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on this one yet. The premise: a bunch of professional dancers square off in weekly competitions, group style. Boring! And the dancing...not all that great. I'm hoping it gets better. I want it to get better! PLEASE let it get better!

Thank god there's hockey on tonight.

Ouch.

I haven't looked, I mean really looked, at gas prices in over a year. Even though I'm happy about not giving any more money to Big Oil via the company gas card, holy poop on a stick!

Yesterday, I paid $3.56/gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. And I was thrilled with this price. The Chevron station up the street was charging $3.81! Thank God my little car is far more fuel-efficient than the corporate gas-guzzler.

Fuck Big Oil and their repeated record profits. Horse shit. All of it.

That is all.

Randomness

Yesterday, I had my acrylic nails removed. I've had them on for quite some time and had gotten VERY used to not having to worry about polish chips and the like. But with unemployment comes a need to cut costs wherever I can, and clearly, the nails were a frivolous expense that I just couldn't justify. So off they came. And I have to say, as stubby as my hands look now, it's nice to have my fingertips back. Last night, during back to back episodes of The Hills, I painted my newly chopped (and very short!) nails a shade of deep red. I had tried to tell myself earlier in the night that I would just let them breathe for a bit with no polish. But when The Hills started and I saw everyone's nicely manicured hands, I couldn't resist. I knew it was gonna happen, too. Damn you, Lauren Conrad and your perfectly polished nails!

When we brought home our new flat panel TV, I knew we'd need to upgrade our basic analog cable as well. Digital, and especially HD, is SOOOO nice! And there are all these extra channels I never knew existed!! Like the NHL Live network. All hockey, all the time! Who could ask for more! Last night, DJC and I watched the highlights of the 1991 Campbell Conference finals between the Minnesota North Stars and the Edmonton Oilers. I've never seen such amazing haircuts in all of my life and current Dallas Stars standout Mike Modano was only 20 then! In fine fashion, I found myself rooting for the underdog North Stars by the end of the second game. (Ok, Ok, I know I said I'd try to confine my hockey ramblings to Bleacher Report, but my NHL Live excitement knows no bounds. It's like when Bear found the History Channel. All war, all the time!)

In my search for a new job, a good friend has offered to help. He knows a big wig at a well-known company and said big wig has offered to submit my resume to HR on my behalf. While this may seem great on the surface, I'm actually really scared of this whole situation. I'm not exactly...how shall I say it...qualified to do anything at this well-known company and I'm afraid my good friend, in his well-intended, incredibly thoughtful effort to help, has oversold my capabilities. I don't want to submit my resume and cover letter to the big wig, only to have him read it and laugh at my lack of qualifications, thereby putting a strain on his professional relationship with my friend. It's seriously stressing me out...

Lastly, I've thought about re-posting some of my favorite entries that I did in the past. What do you all think of this idea? Of course, these posts will have no identifiers and no names included. But reading through some of my old stuff, I've written some semi-decent stuff that I don't want to get lost in the transition. Your thoughts?

The most wonderful time of the year

That's right kids. It's PLAYOFFS time again in the NHL, which means the hockey season will last another 3 months, at the very least! YAY! And since the Sharks have been kicking ass lately, you can bet I'm totally thrilled about their chances to take it all this year. DJC has already started growing his playoff beard.

I've been busy writing over at Bleacher Report. Here's a link to my profile, which also has all of my articles listed. If you're really that into hockey, check 'em out. I'll try my best to keep my hockey ramblings confined to that site and to not bore you all with them here anymore. I know no one loves the silly sport as much as I do...

I'll probably be writing lots more both here and there in the future. As of today, I have 0 interviews lined up and lots of free time. Ugh.

Happy Monday! =)

Adjusting

So, here I sit at 10:10am on a Thursday, in my pajamas and slippers, wearing my glasses, hair a mess, zero makeup. SO glamorous is the life of the recently unemployed! Glamorous and weird. Not having to get up when DJC does (or before him!) is strange. And although I miss the little things, like the free perks, I'm realizing there are a few positives here as well:

1. I can totally drive like an asshole now that I am not driving a vehicle with the company's phone number plastered all over it.
2. I got really used to checking e-mails from my PDA at all hours. I was so connected and attached. I could reach out and connect with anyone at any time of day no matter where I was and more annoyingly, my coworkers could do the same. And they did. At like 1am. It's nice to not have a data plan with my new cell phone. I kinda like being unplugged.
3. I can do pretty much anything now for a paycheck. Although my skills are geared towards one particular industry, I don't need to stay in that industry. Its fun to look at random jobs.
4. I have time to write for Bleacher Report. Here's my first article. Some of you who read my stuff religiously might recognize this old post. I thought it was relevant and I didn't want it to get lost in the internet void. I think I'll be writing another article soon. It's pretty intimidating, though...

It's also nice to be able to meet up with friends for lunch and only have to worry about their schedule. Time, although still very much a factor in terms of money, isn't really a concern of mine. I just look at the clock every now and then to see how long until DJ comes home...

So very glamorous, no? ;)

Laughs...

I just got Rick Rolled. Hilarious! I totally needed the laugh today! The Rick Roll is the new goatse.

The worst part is that I can totally sing along with all the lyrics. I secretly (heart) Rick Astley.