No comparison

Yes indeed, ya'll...this IS Lady Gaga before she went off the deep end and started channeling the hell out of Madonna and Roisin Murphy. THIS is talent. THIS would have sold plenty of records on its own merits, without all the insane costumes and eccentricity. But people like a spectacle, and Lady Gaga is nothing if not exactly that. Too bad all that musical talent had to fall victim to her image...

P.S. I HATE when people compare her work to Madonna. Madonna did stuff like this. And this:

No one can touch that shit. Lady Gaga is good, but I just finished watching her new video for "Alejandro" (yeah, I put eight whole minutes in!), and she might need to take a different angle. Madonna's schtick was successful because no one had ever done it before. Lady Gaga's vids are a good attempt at originality, but when I can recognize elements from at least four of Madonna's videos, she can't be considered on the same level.

No one can touch Madonna. Period.

Hilarity lately

Do yourself a favor:

Go to the nearest bookstore, carve out roughly thirty minutes (you'll understand why in a sec), find Chelsea Handler's latest book called Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang and go straight to the chapter entitled "Black on Black Crime".

You'll get through it in less than the allotted thirty minutes, but you'll need that extra time to catch your breath, re-read it and thoroughly appreciate the pictures. Yes, there are pictures. The whole chapter is literally laugh-out-loud hilarious and is possibly the funniest thing I have read in a long time. If there wasn't photographic proof, I might have accused her of making it up. But, it was real. And its incredibly funny.

You can thank me later...when you can breathe again. =)

Pretty things for your Wednesday...almost Thursday

There's been way too much bellyaching on this blog lately. Can't have that. So, to cheer things up a little, here are some pictures I took earlier this afternoon at Anthropologie on 4th Street in Berkeley:

Love these little guys! I kinda have a thing for owls and I am totally in love with cookies, so these adorable cookie jars combine the best of both worlds. Although I think they are both so cute, I like the white and green one better. Something about those big eyes that just speaks to me.

I also thought this newspaper bird was super interesting and creative. There were all sorts of little critters throughout the store today, but clearly, this one took a lot of time to create. Its very sweet. Be sure to click to see the larger version and all the detail.

These beautifully colored plastic things were hanging from the ceiling by the windows. Since it was a wonderfully sunny day, the colors were extra bright. I mean, clearly, they're just old colored water bottles all cut up and splayed out, but they still reminded me of the extraordinary glass flowered ceiling of the Bellagio's lobby in Las Vegas. Of course, that whole installation was done by Dale Chihuly and is an incredible, multi-million dollar work of art. Antropologie's version...well, they're sort of the poor man's Bellagio. But I still appreciated the colors and the textures as the sun shined through.

Aaaaah, there. I feel a little cheerier already. The sunshine definitely helped my mood today. Fingers crossed for more sun tomorrow....

Documentation FAIL

I'm taking a general nutrition class this semester. So far, we've learned the basic chemical compositions of water and carbon dioxide, the difference between a calorie and a kilocalorie, how to read the nutrition label on various foods, and why the American food supply is killing us slowly. Really, nothing groundbreaking. If nursing schools didn't need to see this class listed on a piece of paper proving that I took it, I'd have dropped it on the first day. Its so far beyond lame, I fear my head will explode during lecture most days.

Anyways, our current assignment involves documenting what we're eating for five consecutive days. I had been doing well up until today, Superbowl Sunday. DJC and I were invited to a party and upon arriving, we were greeted by the most ridiculous spread I've seen in a while. As far as documentation goes, today was a giant mess. Seriously...LOOK:

I think its safe to say I had some of nearly everything in these pics. Please note the box of See's Candy in the last one. Yeah, I tore it up. But as much as I mowed through almost everything offered, I did skip this one:


Yeeeeccch. Spam sushi. DJC had the best quote of the day, "I like the way it looks, the presentation. I'm not having any, but I like the way it looks." Hahaha. Yep, that's about right.

But there weren't only savory options to graze upon. There were sweets. Aaah yes, there were sweets. Behold, my Kryptonite:

Red. Velvet. Cupcakes. The ONLY thing that kept me from faceplanting in either one of these containers was that the cupcakes weren't good. I mean, even a mediocre red velvet cupcake is still pretty good, but these really, REALLY weren't. Such a crime against dessert, they were. So sad. Thankfully, these filled the void:

Holy moly. How the HELL am I even going to document everything that passed by my lips today? I honestly don't know where to start. Perhaps I should start by making it to spinning class in the morning....

DATS WUTS UP!

HURRY! Watch this before it gets taken down!!! CLICK!! NOW!

Yeah, the song isn't the greatest, but HOLY MOLY, the performance as a whole is reeeeeeee-diculous! The outfit! The artistry! The fact that she's actually singing! The water! The athleticism! The BALLS on that chick (not really, but you know what I mean)! All of it, straight up amazing. By far, the coolest thing that happened at last night's Grammy Awards.

And as much as I've come to love Taylor Swift, I was a little embarrassed for her during her performance with the legendary Stevie Nicks. Taylor's songs sound pretty good on the radio, but hearing her live made me realize just how much post-production work goes in to her music. Little country lamb can't sing, ya'll...and she certainly couldn't hang with the likes of Stevie Nicks. It was almost painful.

Anways, this concludes your pop culture update for now. I haven't finished watching the rest of the show yet. I'll get back to you if anything interesting happens in the back end. Word.

Figure skating originality FAIL

Here I am, sitting on my new couch, dressed in fleece, sweats and Uggs, eating a chocolate croissant and ready to catch up on several days' worth of DVRed goodness. So many trashy shows to watch! Whatever will I choose first?!

But alas, I made the mistake of checking to see what else was on TV before diving in. And I found a figure skating competition. Its a little known fact that I am an absolute SUCKER for figure skating. And with the 2010 Winter Olympics right around the corner, there's a ton of figure skating to be had on TV these days. Cool! But as the top female Russian competitor took the ice, I became frustrated. Here's the thing:

There's a world FULL of amazing music out there. Why must every freaking female skater for the last 20+ years use Bizet's "Carmen"?! I mean, seriously. There are only so many ways it can be done, and no one can really do it better than Katerina Witt in the 1988 Olympics:

I think the ice skating code of points should be officially revised to ban "Carmen" from ever being used again in any competition. My god. Since Witt's gold medal performance, anyone and everyone has tried to re-capture her magic. Its just soooooooooooo painfully overused! Hell, Beyonce even starred in an MTV atrocity of pop-culture called "Carmen: A Hip-Hopera". This stratospherically bad display of horseshit also starred Lil' Bow Wow. Based on that fact alone, the graceful, elegant sport of figure skating should shun "Carmen" from competition use forever and ever, amen.

That's all. I'm done ranting now. I just wish skaters didn't play it safe with such an unoriginal, yet beautiful, piece of music. Taking the easy way out never pays off. Pick some different music, for crying out loud.

My major food bender

Lately, I haven't done much but eat. Not that I'm complaining or anything. The food has been just delicious, but I haven't been to the gym in several days. I'm getting a little squishy. Whatever, though. It's all good.

Here are a few pics from my recent food adventures:

These pics are from Monk's Kettle in San Francisco where we had lunch on Saturday afternoon. The giant pretzel with cheese sauce and mustard was beyond freaking tasty. And oh yeah, the beer was pretty good, too.

These drinks were enjoyed on Sunday afternoon at Beretta, also in San Francisco. My good lord, they were amazing. No, your eyes do not deceive you...those are basil leaves floating on top of the right and left drinks. In the pic, we've got two Lonsdales (L and R), one Il Gitano (in the back) and one Old Rasputin motor oil beer. Aside from the beer, they were the most unique cocktails we've ever had. And the food was super delicious, too. The company was also an A+. Damn right it was a good day.

If I thought the pretzel from the Monk's Kettle was huge, I had no idea what was waiting for me at Suppenküche in San Francisco earlier tonight. DJC's dad's arm is included in this picture for scale. It was seriously insane. After disposing of the onions, because you all know how I feel about onions, I dove into this thing and did my best to take it down. For dinner. Yes, that thing was my dinner. I did the best I could, but I could only get through about half, and that was with help. It was sooooooooooooooo good, though.

Suffice to say, if I don't make it in to the gym soon, I will be in serious trouble. We've got more dining outings planned for the rest of the week still! Wish me luck!!

Bits and bobs

The Parking Debacle: I decided today would be a wonderful day to pay that $41 parking ticket I got from the City of Berkeley back in June. Yeah, I waited...MUCH too long. But today was the day. I knew it was going to be more than the original $41, but I had no idea just how much more.

I logged on to their website and clicked the link to enter my citation number. Imagine my utter SHOCK when the total came up as $123!! WHOA! And then, to add insult to injury, there's a $2 "convenience" fee tacked on for those who choose to pay online. Well, that just wasn't going to work for me. I immediately closed the payment window before going any further. I needed an explanation. But as I tried to click to other parts of the site, it froze. Then it just simply refused to load at all. After a few frustrating minutes, I decided to call. Yeah, that wasn't really working either. I kept getting the annoying three beeps with "We're sorry. All circuits are busy. Please try again later".

Finally, after trying another number, I was able to get through to a wonderfully helpful lady named Tamara. She explained that due to state budget issues, the City of Berkeley has had to impose some parking fee "increases" (I could totally tell that she was making the quote signs with her hands when she said increases. LOL!). What this means for idiots like me that forget to pay in a timely manner is that the fee has gone from $30 to close to $80. I nearly dropped the phone. I whined and complained and carried on until Tamara put me on hold. When she came back, she explained that she was willing to waive the late fee so that all I had to pay was the original $41 fine. I quickly gave her my credit card number before she changed her mind. TOTAL SCORE!!!

Chain Restaurants: Alright, I admit it. In some cases, I love a good chain restaurant. You always know exactly what you're getting, no matter what city you dine in. The quality is totally consistent, no matter if you're stopping at a Chili's in Honolulu, or if you're hittin' up the local Panera in Wauwatosa, WI. Its strangely comforting to know that your skillet queso will taste exactly the same in an airport in Nashville, TN as it does in Walnut Creek, CA.

Recently (like today recently), we finally got a Panera in one of the local shopping plazas. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I know their sandwiches and soups are generic at best, but its nice knowing exactly what you're going to get. I totally enjoyed my broccoli cheese soup with half a turkey sandwich today, which is exactly how its been at every Panera I've ever been to (although I must admit, I'm paying for it a bit now...heartburn).

In the same vein, DJC has informed me that there's a new Specialty's opening up right near his office. OMG, they have the best cookies in all of the land. Especially their black and white cookies. I could take down several of them if pressed. I'd hate myself later, but I could do it. Specialty's also has soups and sandwiches that are only slightly less generic than Panera, but equally as tasty. And dependable. You know that when you walk through their doors, you will always get a decent meal.

Ok, that's all. I'm too sore to type any more, thanks to last night's Core class from hell. I am looking forward to reuniting with old friends tomorrow at BT's BBQ, though. Mmmmm...BBQ.

You're supposed to feed a cold, right?

And starve the flu? Have I got that right? If not, I don't know what the hell is going on with me, then. Long story short, I am as sick as a dog right now. Have been since I woke up on Saturday morning. Not that it's slowed me, or my appetite, down too much, though...

Saturday night, DJC, BL and I hit San Francisco to blow off a little steam and to check out on of my fave DJs ever, the darn cool Sam Pool (also known as SPL). Last time we caught up with this guy was in November and he was spinning dubstep, which he is not that well known for. Hard and rough drum n' bass is his specialty and Saturday night, he was scheduled to drop "gunshots to the chest" at Underground SF. We feared that the place would be packed seeing as that it was Pride weekend, but there were the perfect amount of people there; not so many that dancing was difficult, but not too few that the night could be considered a bust. Anyways, we drank. And drank. Shenanigans ensued. BL slept in his car. It was an awesome night full of good friends and great music.

The next morning I awoke to an empty tummy. Feeling pretty shitty, I decided that the only thing worth eating could be found at McDonald's. Now, it's probably been a good 5 years, maybe more, since I've been to a McDonald's. Seriously. But for whatever reason, I NEEDED a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, hash browns, a McCafe, and orange juice. To add insult to injury, I didn't even get out of the car when I went. Hey, the drive-thru was empty and I was tired, damn it. GO ME!!

Let me just say that I enjoyed every single greasy-ass bite of breakfast. And, my iced vanilla McCafe latte was better than the ones I get at Chargebucks. Yeah, seriously! I got it with nonfat milk (which is pretty hilarious considering my calorie fest with the actual food I got) and it was cheaper than anything Chargebucks offers. I might never go back there again and just stick with the McCafe!! Weird, I know.

Yesterday, I woke up with a miserable sore throat and a craving for donuts. Sure, I could have just gone to Jamba Juice and gotten something healthy, but when I'm sick, the body gets what the body wants. I savored every bite of a delicious glazed donut.

Today, my car just mysteriously steered itself to Taco Bell for a Volcano taco (OMG, YUM!)

Needless to say, if I don't get well enough to make it back to the gym soon, I'm gonna be in some serious trouble! LOL!

I was doing so well...

I don't know what happened. For the last 28 days, I had been eating really healthy and hitting the gym consistently for at least an hour each time. I was starting to see results. All was well.

And then today came along, and the wheels done falled off the bus, ya'll. The alarm went off at 8:15am and I figured that I had plenty of time to make it to the 9am CORE class. Apparently, I turned the alarm off and the next thing I knew, it was 10am. I say that I apparently turned off the alarm because I don't remember doing it and am convinced that the gnome that lives under the bed and steals one of each of my socks did it. In any case, I was stuck in a super-sleepy haze for the rest of the day. I really felt like everything I did was in slo-mo.

Then there's the lunch issue. I meant to eat some lean protein and maybe some vegetables. Instead, I found myself at Arizmendi Bakery, where I saw myself reach into the cases containing freshly baked, fragrant breads and rolls again and again. Yep, I went on a full-throttle, break-neck bread bender. I left the bakery with one cheese roll, one corn muffin and one chocolate Thing. It wasn't pretty. By the time I got to class thirty minutes later, I had consumed the entire corn muffin and half of the cheese roll. I came back for the chocolate Thing two hours after that.

Today is DJC's birthday. He and a coworker hit up The Trappist for a few celebratory beers and I joined them after class. As I've gotten older, I've found that I can't really handle drinking beer anymore. I jsut feel so bloated. Well, today I decided to have a huge, refreshing glass of Allagash White (basically, a Belgian witbeir...like I know what that means...DJC is the resident beer snob). I was very full when we left, but seeing as that I had only eaten various breads for lunch, real food sounded like a good idea.

We walked next door to Tamarindo, which neither of us had ever tried before. We ordered SO. MUCH. FOOD. I know I should have stopped after the third round of tapas showed up, but my god, all of the food was SO AMAZING, I just couldn't stop. Now, I'm sitting on the couch, shifting uncomfortably from side to side, wishing that I would have stopped when my tummy told me to. Holy ooof.

Today redefines over-doing it in every sense of the word for me. Too much sleep, too much bread, too much beer, and no matter how freaking delicious it was (and believe you me, it WAS), too much Tamarindo. I'm supposed to take a 90 minute combo kickboxing/dance/yoga class tomorrow morning. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

Here are a few pics from earlier, in case you want to see parts of my gluttonous day:

I think it's safe to say I'll be eating salads and drinking water for the next few days until I detox. Because, damn, I seriously fell off the wagon today.

My fascination with this ridiculous song continues...

Thanks to an AMAZING find by JZ, I give you this. (As an aside, I think it sucks when people disable the "embed" feature. Booooooo!) Say what you will, but DAMN, boyfriend is killin' it! Hilarious.

Then, there's this one:

No, your eyes don't deceive you...that IS indeed Justin Timberlake on the right in a black leotard and heels. Double hilarious.

And I know I'm totally behind on this one and dozens of people have already pointed this out (as always), but it bears repeating that Beyonce's video is a 1000% RIP of Bob Fosse's old school choreography. Obviously, this is not the original music used for the piece, but it gives you a pretty good idea of where Miss Sasha Fierce got her moves from (even if they have been sexified a bit):

See what I mean? Pretty damn similar. Even though I wasn't even a glimmer in my parents' eyes when this piece first came out, EVERY dancer has seen it at one point or another. It's hard to believe that Beyonce's work is completely original after seeing this.

But, what am I getting all bent out of shape about...who cares?! The song and video are fun. And if JZ ever makes it back to the Bay Area, she and I just might have to have a little dance-off. I'm working on my moves. Are you? Whoo!!

As much as this hurts to admit...

...I was totally wrong about Uggs. Damn it, I know. You might want to sit down. This is an EPIC post. Srsly.

So, I've gotta go to Milwaukee for Christmas. Yeah, you read that right...Wisconsin. In December. As you may or may not know, I don't do cold. AT ALL. In years past, when I've gone to Chicago for Thanksgiving, I've always made poor footwear choices. Whether bringing boots with heels that are too high and uncomfortable to do any sort of real, actual walking, or bringing along shoes that seem warm until the freezing wind, snow and slush on Michigan Avenue turns my little piggies into popsicles, trips to the Midwest have always been a huge shoe FAIL for me. I was determined to be more comfortable, warmer and drier this year. So, I bought a pair of Uggs. Black, classic, short, kids' Uggs, size 6M.

Just an FYI: for those of us ladies with smaller feet, say under a size 8 1/2, don't spend your money on adult Uggs. A kids' size 6M is equal to an adult size 8. Same shoe, cheaper price. You're welcome... =)

Anyways, when I taught high school not too long ago, all the hoochies young ladies wore tiny Abercrombie and Fitch microminis and Uggs. All year 'round. No matter the what the weather was like, the wardrobe never changed. Skirt that left nothing to the imagination, no tights, and Uggs. It was possibly the most HORRID fashion trend I could have ever imagined (keep in mind, the Crocs-virus had not yet been unleashed onto society). I loathed Uggs. They just looked so silly. I even seem to remember giving BT a fair amount of shit when she received a pair of Uggs slippers as a gift. And she swore that they'd never be worn out of the house!!

Well kids, today is a new day. Maybe because I wore 4" heels all day, and my right Achilles tendon has been hurting lately (especially after the amount of jumping I did in tonight's Core class), but I'm wearing my new Uggs now, and I'm serious when I say that I'm never taking them off. So comfortable! SO WARM! They feel like heaven on my achy feet. Even though I swore I'd never, ever, EVAR succumb to the Uggs, I have no doubt that they'll serve me well in Milwaukee. Feel free to rip into me if you must.

Yeah, I probably could have gone with something from La Canadienne and been a little more stylish, but hey, its Milwaukee and would anyone really think more of me for wearing a stylish shoe? My guess: No. The Uggs will do just fine, thanks. =)

Land of Confusion

I read earlier today that noted whiner Kanye West is still pissy about the fact that he hasn't won any major awards for his noise music and videos. Boo-fucking-hoo, you ungrateful bazillionaire. Guess what, dude? Aside from one or two catchy songs that get stuck in my head for all eternity, your music kinda blows. I don't know anyone who would willfully admit to listening to it.

Anyways, in the same article where Kanye belly-aches about not being recognized as one of pop music's elite, he mentions that he's now changed his style around to sound more like Phil Collins in an effort to gain more listeners, popularity and respect. I have one thing to say: ZOMGLOLROFLMFAO. Seriously? Dear GOD, this should be rich. I can't wait until these new songs released.

Now, here's the funniest part of all. I REALLY like Phil Collins and Genesis. I think anyone who can play the drums (really well) at the same time as singing the lead in all of his band's songs is a ridiculously talented bad ass. I used to steal my dad's vinyl (yes, vinyl) Genesis albums back when I was a kid and play them late at night. I'm a total closet Phil Collins lover! The fact that a little bitch musician with an obvious identity crisis like Kanye is now trying to emulate the Phil Collins sound will just make his music that much more immortal. Thanks to Kanye and is unoriginality, kids today will know who Genesis is. And perhaps that's not a bad thing. I only hope that he does the Genesis style justice (Oh who am I kidding?! This is Kanye we're talking about here, for crying out loud! Never mind...)

Anyways, all this talk of Phil Collins has made me want to listen to his music for the rest of the day. Thanks to imeem (for once), I was able to locate one of my favorite Genesis songs. Its not well known at all, but here it is for those who are interested:

And now, here's one that's a little more popular:

Aaaah, the 80's. God love 'em. =)

Discovery Channel scores again

Have you seen Storm Chasers? It airs on Sunday nights on the Discovery Channel and follows two teams of crazy people meteorologists and one IMAX filmmaker in their respective quests to intercept and film tornadoes. OMG, I am obsessed with this show and more specifically, with the personalities of the people it follows. Let's discuss, shall we?

First off, I'm gonna come right out and say it... Josh BUGS me. He's just sooo wishy-washy and unsure and conservative and careful. To a fault. Correct me if I'm wrong, but being a Debbie Downer buzzkill and chasing tornadoes aren't two things that really go hand in hand, no? All he does is sit in his little truck and look at his Doppler radar (which is malfunctioning most of the time) and make wrong decision after wrong decision. Damn, I want him to grow a pair and make a call based on instinct and feeling and stop depending so heavily on technology.

In Josh's misguided entourage of six plus vehicles is Sean, the IMAX filmmaker and his mighty TIV. Since Sean is at the mercy of Josh's overly-cautious calls as to which storm they're going to chase, the Josh/Sean segments of the show consist of a lot of pointless driving, very few tornadoes and even less footage for Sean. I honestly don't know how he manages to maintain his cool. If I were in the same position, I'd have told Josh and his DOW to pound sand a LOOOOOOOONG time ago. I feel bad for Sean most episodes. You can almost feel how badly he wants to do the complete opposite of what Josh thinks.

The second team of fools tornado chasers is headed up by Reed. I like Reed. He is shithouse NUTS. He runs this website and generally works in the same area as the Josh/Sean team. The difference is that Reed had ZERO access to Josh's uber-fancy Doppler, and still manages to be in the right place at the perfect time to snag some un-freaking-believable footage. Reed has what Josh just can't fake: instinct and balls as big as church bells. He just knows where the tornadoes are going to be. And, did I mention that he's totally nuts (but in a good way)? It makes for seriously entertaining TV.

Weather is cool. So is this show. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you check it out. Its good for a serious couch-adrenaline rush. =)

Fright Night 2008

Ahhh, it's that time of year again. The leaves are falling, daylight savings time is almost over, and grocery stores are stocking mass amounts of sugary goodness in anticipation of the one night a year where costume-clad children (and punk-ass teens) knock on their neighbors' doors and beg for sweets. Countless girls will dress slutaciously, trying to pass off a black leotard, fishnets, a fresh bikini wax, 4" heels and a headband with ears as a cat costume. This year, my sister will be going as a skanky Alice in Wonderland. The dance instructor at my gym will be teaching the Thriller dance on Thursday.

Yes indeed, Halloween is almost here and everyone's feeling it. Even the TV stations have gotten into it by showing non-stop horror flicks. I awoke early this morning (I'm coming down with something...and when I'm not feeling well, sleeping is difficult) and parked my tush on the couch at around 8:30am. I watched a little of the one movie that will always scare the sh*t of me, and then around nine, I changed over to The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Holysmokes. SO scary! Broad daylight or not, this movie creeped me the hell out. Jennifer Carpenter? CREEP-TASTIC!!

As my faithful readers know, I'm WAY into horror movies and being scared, mostly because I know in the back of my head that none of it is real... and, well, because being scared is oddly fun. But The Exorcism of Emily Rose was based on true events, and I've always had a strange, macabre fascination with demonic possessions, stigmata and exorcisms. This movie does a very good job of making the viewer question what he or she believes. The reviews weren't the best, but I actually thought it was very well done...and scary as hell.

If you're looking for a good scare this Halloween, I recommend this one. It'll make you think, jump and shiver all at the same time.

And if you're looking for something more, stop on by the Horror Movie a Day blog. With over 400 horror movie reviews, you're sure to find a flick to suit your particular taste for gore, fear and terror there. BOOOOOO!

Cash Rules Everything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M, Get tha money, Dollah dollah bill, ya'll.

Whoo! Longest title evar!!

In light of the American economy's recent massive suckage, I thought I'd post a few of the frivolous consumer items that have caused my money and I to part ways...

LOVING the cool kick of Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips glosses. I'm a sucker for new makeup and colors. So much so that even while I was unemployed and damn near broke, I picked up Ginger and instantly fell in love. Last week, I stopped in to my local Sephora and snagged Brandi and their newest product, the Buxom Lips Full Color in Stella, which is more like a slick lipstick than a gloss. I'm diggin' it all the same, though. MUAH!

My old college pal Goose shocked us all when he packed up and moved to Hawai'i several years ago. Since then, he's been tirelessly working on a new beverage...one that has the opposite effects of the Red Bulls of the world. The delicate blend of native Kava root and chamomile mellows the drinker out, while imparting a sense of focus. Its called Ozia and its finally available in stores throughout Hawai'i. Its also available shipped to the mainland by the case. I recently put in an order that arrived on Saturday. I have to say, it's like nothing I've ever tasted before. It's definitely good, but its a bit of an acquired taste. In any case, I'm proud of him for having a vision and following it through. Cheers, Goose!

In other parts of the food and drink department, I enjoyed Trader Joe's chocolate croissants and a glass of Montevina Pinot Grigio on Sunday morning. It was totally indulgent, totally delicious and a perfect way to spend a day off from the gym. And Montevina always has something fun going on at the Big Crush, where I will most certainly be dropping a lot of cash. So soon!

And then there's Cal football tickets. And THANK GOD, hockey season is starting soon. I'm sure Lucky_girl and M and Miss E and JE will surely want to take in a few Sharks games. As for DJC and myself, we can't hardly wait...

It's only money and you can't take it with you...right? ;) Happy consumerism!

Cheese hangover

BT and Miss E came over yesterday to watch all of the DVRd Olympic stuff and to just hang out and catch up. They brought fresh farmer's market cheese. LOTS of cheese. And a peanut butter cheesecake that Arvay recommended we try. We ate cheese, bread, grapes, raspberries and more cheese until we couldn't eat anymore. After a ten minute break to melt the chocolate, we went for the cheesecake. Throw two bottles of wine and staying up waaaay too late watching the amazing swimming competitions into the mix, and you've got the makings of complete and total overindulgence.

I think I ate too much yesterday because today, I don't feel so hot. TOTALLY worth it though.

Like DJC said, "There's nothing better than consuming lots of food while we sit on the couch and watch other people in peak condition exert themselves." Amen, dear.

Hooray for cheese and peanut butter cheesecake! I'm off to work and then to the gym...for about two hours. ;)

Project Runway Season 5: Week One

Ok. So, I finally watched the Season 5 Project Runway premier. As JZ and I discussed earlier in the day, I am excited again. YAY! Heidi looks amazing...and judging by the length of the two dresses she wore in this first episode, we'll get to see what's underneath soon! Double YAY!

As for the contestants...same people, different season. Kinda yawnable. All except for one. Our dear tanorexic Blayne.

So, last season,Christian Siriano had this thing...whenever he would talk about himself or anything that excited him, he would say, "FIERCE". He said it so much, it became his schtick...and over time, it was kinda cute. He gradually broke the souls of the American public with his fierceness over the entire course of the show. He didn't blow is fierce wad all at once.

Blayne, bless his orange little heart, used "girlicious" like 5 times in the premier episode, even going so far as to actually write it down the leg of his model. (Seriously?! Ick.)

I wonder if Blayne has seen what I consider to be the best Skeezy Coke-han flick, "Mean Girls". There's a scene where Gretchen Weiners is trying desperately to fit in and be cool by saying "That's so fetch" over and over, until finally, Regina George steps in and says, "Give it up! Fetch is never going to catch on!" Gretchen looks crushed, but she knows Regina is right.

Blayne's "girlicious" is like Gretchen's "fetch". You need to give it up, boyfriend. That shit ain't gonna catch on. That's what's up.

The Boob Tube: Updated!

Ok, so I know we have LOTS to discuss in the world of television, but I've got another interview this morning and will not be able to cover all the delicious stuff until later. But...

On SYTYCD, the top 20 performed for the first time. I have the beginning DVR'd because I missed about 40 minutes. What I did see, though, I loved. Chelsie Hightower and Matt...just beautiful. Here's their performance from last night to keep you entertained until I get back:

(thanks kelxk3l!)

We also have the Top Chef finale and winner to discuss. PLEASE don't post anything about this yet, as I have not watched it! God bless the DVR.

I'll be back soon! In the meantime, wish me luck! =)

UPDATED:

The interview went very well. I rewarded myself with a huge plate of chicken mole, rice and beans from my fave place near home and a serious veg-fest in front of the TV with last night's SYTYCD and Top Chef. Where to start?

I think its safe to assume that if your name is Courtney (or Kourtni) or Chelsea (or Chelsie), life on SYTYCD will be pretty good for you this season. It's also safe to say that if you answer to Chelsea, or any derivation thereof, you will have *ri-goddamn-diculously* long, amazing legs that will become the focus of any dance choreographed for you. I, for one, applaud the choreographers that will exploit this.

It's entirely too early in the season to pick favorites, but so far, I am totally loving EVERYONE. Seriously, there wasn't a single number from last night's show that I didn't love or enjoy on some level. There's a ton of talented dancers with with personality for miles. I was a little scared after the abysmal Vegas auditions, but in fine SYTYCD style, the producers have definitely saved the best dancing for the main show. YAY! Make sure to catch the results show tonight to see who gets the boot first...

As for Top Chef...total SNOOZEFEST. Listen, I'm glad a female finally won (Go Stephanie!), but my goodness, the finale was about as bland as the pork belly Richard served for his third course. Where was the drama, the scandal, the tampering with other chef's oven temperatures?! Last night's final episode, for all intents and purposes, consisted of nothing more than three people cooking. And from what the judges had to say, not cooking particularly well, either. Blah.

At least Hell's Kitchen is still exciting. I swear, I could listen to Gordon Ramsay curse at the prospective chefs all day long. And next time someone I know really blows it, I'm not gonna hesitate to call him or her a "DONKEY" in my best British accent. That's good TV, right there.

Straight through to Vegas? Seriously?!

So, ok. By now, you should all know I possess an unnatural love for SYTYCD and all things dance in general (Dancing With the Stars excepted). But here's my beef with this season's auditions thus far: They took close to 200 dancers to the next round in Las Vegas, and honestly, we've seen maybe a handful of those people. Who are they? What's their story? We want to see them!!

I don't know how other viewers feel, but personally, I don't need to see all the poor souls that Fox feels the need to exploit because they believe all humans are Schadenfreuds. Some of those people, I truly felt bad for. I know that Nigel Lithgoe is behind both American Idol and SYTYCD, so it makes sense that the same formula is applied to both shows. But, more than ever, this season's SYTYCD auditions seem to be going the way of Idol, where only the heinous people get air time, because they're considered "good TV". And I understand that once a show gains a certain amount of popularity, as Idol and SYTYCD have, strange folks will come out of the woodwork to try to get on TV. But, I fell in love with SYTYCD because it used to avoid that type of shameless ratings-whoring, and now...well...*sigh*. It kinda leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth.

Before getting to the actual Milwaukee auditions, last night's two hour show started out with several dancers who did make it through to the next round from previous cities. Why they weren't included the first time around is anyone's guess. This look back also gave me the distinct impression that there just wasn't enough content, good or bad, to fill the two hour slot. Boy, was I right. There was a whole lotta "meh". Some great, some terrible, but most were right in between. And if you've ever watched the show before, you know the "meh" doesn't usually fly. But, for whatever reason, so-so dancer after so-so dancer made the cut, snatched their ticket to Vegas, and ran out of the auditorium before the judges realized their mistake. Even DJC commented on how "blah" everyone seemed and how surprised he was at how frequently tickets to Vegas were dished out.

This is not to say that everyone featured last night was underwhelming. There were flashes of brilliance from time to time. Take, for instance, Cooper Zamorano. I literally got chills:

I hope to see him in the Top 20, which is revealed during another two-hour bonanza tonight. I was also left wanting more of Kourtni Lind and Evan Kasprzak. Now that all the riff-raff has been weeded out, hopefully the level of talent Fox chooses to display will pick up a little. Because after last night, it can't much more boring or bland. I invite the SYTYCD faithful to throw their two cents in...

Will what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas? Stay tuned! =)

(again, word to Kelxk3l for uploading the clips!)