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!