I Caved!

I swore I would not get hooked on American Idol this year...but then I thought it ok to watch the beginning stuff (not religiously, just here and there)...then with no new TV thanks to the long writers' strike I needed something...then some of the stories drew me in a little...and somewhere between there and here I did it--I am unfortunately hooked!

The girls sang last night and here's my for and against picks:
For: Ramiele something er other.
Reason: She's very good, and seems sweet. Plus you don't see many Filipinos in the music industry in the US.
Against (though I very much doubt she'll be kicked out tonight): Kristy Lee Cook
Reason: At first I thought I would like her cause she had a horse, then found out how she sold said horse so she could have money to goto Philly even though he was the best horse ever. Now I'm totally against her, and hope she gets kicked out soon. Plus too many blondes and she recycled "Amazing Grace" and used it twice, which I thought was lame.
A Recap of the Girls Hollywood Week:


Boys:
For: David Archuleta
Reason: He'll probably win the whole thing, plus loved his rendition of "Imagine."

Against: Hmmmm, I thought they all weren't that great except for David...so I guess noone in particular.
A Recap of the Boys Hollywood Week:

Share your picks for who will win next week and make me feel less lame.

In a Falsetto

Those of you who know me know that I'm not big on V-Day. It's the one day of the year that I specifically say I don't want flowers.

Why? Cause every other lame a$s is getting them that day and it doesn't mean as much to me as something special like our 9 year anniversary in March--I know, I feel old now, though in my young defense I was a teenager when the Hub and I first started dating in college.

This February 14th however I thought it would be nice to make something for each other. You know something special with thought and effort like a homemade card when you were a kid. So we did our little thing and to be honest even though it was my cute idea I worked so much overtime for work and then was sick the day before V-Day that I was a bit under prepared and hoping we could push the homemade stuff til our real anniversary or whatever. Well the Hub held me to it and he made me a homemade dinner and dessert. The dinner part was very nice but a little non special since he is a good cook and loves to make me homemade meals anyway (the real way to one's heart), but he doesn't really do dessert so that was sweet (corny double entendre not intended!).
-Bench in Maui
Anywho, I had a few surprises up my sleeve so it worked out alright.

So I guess what I'm blogging today is a Happy Belated St. Valentine's Day and an I love you shout out to my Sweetie!
we can talk in this key right here
but any time u want me to take u up
baby jump on this elevator
promise there aint nothin greater

I Know Nothing About

So Many, Too Many Things;
I See I've Come to the Wall-
I'm Turning Around Now
I'm Spinning Around Now

Some of my friends are going through big life events this year:
Babies, Weddings, Buying a House...

While I have advice on planning a wedding and buying a house, I've got nothing on housing a baby for 9 months (I'm open to advice from those who have)...

Here are some articles that may be useful:

Caught my eye on Yahoo finance:
5 Pitfalls That Trip Up Working Moms

This one was one of the featured "How To" of the day on Google:
How to Plan a Wedding in 6 Months

This one caught my eye on My Yahoo!:
Realtors: Home prices to post another decline in '08

Though these are usually good life events, they can certainly be stressful, so good luck to you all!

xoxo

Harry, another day we will feel better about this
And we'll go through yellow yards, to the library lions
closing our eyes, spinning in autumn.

-The Innocence Mission

Cute Face, Nice Size

Stay kitted hood wit it...

Found this article short but good so hence the sharing. Yes, I'm still up...a bad habit I formed this week doing work for work. It's been a busy few weeks...I guess this lack of sleep in itself is bad for my health. Ho hum. Nor have I been to the gym at all this week now that I think of it. Well I guess since some plans I had got canceled I have no excuse not to go this weekend.

Fitness and Good Health: The Tricks That Work are Free
Posted Wed, Jan 30, 2008, 10:36 am PST
94% of users found this article helpful.

How is it possible that every year Americans spend more money on diet and weight loss aids and, research shows, every year we get fatter?

Something is not working. So let’s stop doing it. Stop buying every new weight loss remedy. Stop eating low-fat, low-carb, sugar-free and so on, because there are no free lunches, so to speak. None of this is calorie-free. Stop saying you’ll exercise tomorrow.

Get back to basics, start at the beginning, do the things that actually work – and remember, they’re free!

I know it’s almost too simple to say but:

Add 20-30 minutes of exercise to your day. I want to get up in the morning and take a 20-minute walk – period. Walk away from your house for 10 and then 10 minutes back and you have just done 20 minutes of calorie-burning aerobic training. Or, if you are really pressed for time in the a.m., on your lunch break, break a little sweat (nothing radical), just walk at a steady pace for 20 minutes.

Reduce your food intake; eat less at every meal. At home, prepare a dish of food that is moderately sized, a small (4-5 oz) portion of protein and vegetables and maybe a little soup or a salad (in a small salad bowl) to start. At a restaurant – plan to take some home. Ask the waiter for a take-away container when you order, and make a habit of taking part of your meal home.

Keep it simple so you will really do it – daily – and things will change. Give it 14 days and report back to me – I’d love to hear what you think.

Happy Trails -
Debbie Rocker

P.S. Props to the first person to name that song in the title.

I Don't Feel Right

when you're gone away

Seether Lyrics

It's hard to believe it was a year ago today that Simba died. He's so very much fresh in our hearts and minds...before today I could think back on what I was doing a year ago and Simba was in so many of those memories; last year's Christmas (where we put a bow around his neck and I warned him not to knock over Baby Jesus in the ceramic manager; that Jesus would not be happy with him),last Halloween (where he tried to snag some of our Oktoberfest), last year's move (where he cried the whole way in the rental truck I drove with Grandpa Di who tried to calm him in his thick Italian accent and tell him it was ok), exploring stairs for the first time, pretty much anytime we drink beer around the cats we remember his fondness of it...

So Many Memories:
-A game the Hub used to play with him...when he tries to play the same one with Darla or the boys they don't quite get it.
-His extraordinary patience with SD, who never grew up with pets...
-The sense of keen awareness he displayed...I swear he thought he was a human and not a cat.
-The bond he shared with Darla Beans...
-The way he would get mad at us if we went away for the weekend (or worse on vacation).
-The tricks I taught him..
-His genuine concern for David when he cried.
-His fondness for anything carb based (bread, pasta, beer, cereal) which I did not feed him, but he always found a dropped scrap if there was one.
-His curious nature...
-His love for the laundry basket.
-The way he would, without fail, greet us when we came home.
-His habit of jumping on the sink in the bathroom when I came home from work in our old Boston apt.
-The way he would sit like a human...
-His intense dislike of the WWF Panda I got in the mail from making a donation.
-The way he recognized himself in the mirror.

I'm afraid of forgetting these things, much like the way my 6 year old self was afraid I'd forget the sound of my Memere's voice (sadly I have). I'm alone tonight...just me and the cats. The Hub is on a business trip in Chicago. We visited his grave yesterday and brought flowers that a kind soul had given to me earlier last week. They still smelled good and I love flowers but don't like to see them die. It's a peaceful pet cemetery yet sad to read some of the plaques. We haven't visited in a while because it's hard to find with the snow. He's # 945 until we buy a stone. Burying him there cost more than my wedding dress, but we're glad we have somewhere to go when need be, and we can just walk there.

The worst feeling we have is that we weren't there with him during his final moments. The vet said it was most likely Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (a heart condition) and even if we had known or seen signs there was nothing that could have been done. I just hope he knew we would have wanted to be there with him...Darla has recovered from the loss, but it was hard for her at first. I wonder if she's forgotten him...

A small comfort I can take in his death is that I never would have met Milo or Oscar and they are certainly very much loved, and special in their own ways.

There's never a day I don't miss him...


You'll always be the best cat ever.

Ready for Superbowl Sunday

Due to certain circumstances the Hub and I decided to buy an LCD High Def TV. Actually he was bigger on it than I was; I'd rather renovate the kitchen with our newfound windfall, but whatever. Our old one is only 3 or 4 years old and suited me just fine. So he did some research to find the best quality and size for the best price and off we went to make our purchase last weekend.

We got to BJs and looked at the different brands he had researched and decided on a Phillips b/c of the way it looked. However, I took a look at the same one but 5 inches larger and thought even though it's too big for our current place it makes sense to have something we would grow into when we buy a house. I voiced that and other visual reasons and we ended up getting the 47 inch. Yes, me who didn't even care about an HD TV pulling the Hub's arm to get a larger, slightly more expensive one!

So we get it home and out of the car with a little help from our neighbors and Darla checks it out. Then hops in the empty box even though she doesn't have a clear way to get back out. Here she is in the box looking up and then an action shot as she proved even though she is tubby she can still jump like the rest of them, and she cleared the box completely.
BTW when you're carting away a new huge TV and a Pat's beach chair (ours broke) you never knew you had so many stranger friends. People kept talking to us in the store and inviting themselves over our place for the big game. It was funny.

I actually don't have a picture of the TV and the plot thickens but I really have to get going--gotta make a pre-party and then a game party...adios for now.










GO PATRIOTS! Good luck boys--here's hoping you stay perfect!

It's Not Just Boston Fans Who Are Crazy...

Dog gets dyed blue by insane Giants fan; grants me an interview

By MJD

WNYW in New York is holding a "How True Blue Are You?" contest, soliciting fan submissions of photographs that show how loyal fans are to the Giants. Joe Gannascoli, the man who played Vito Spatafore on The Sopranos submitted a picture of he and his wife holding their dog, which they had, in support of the Giants, dyed blue.

Gannascoli appeared on Good Day New York this morning to put his Giants fever on display. Meanwhile, I reached out to the dog himself, and he was good enough to grant me the following interview.

MJD: Good morning, sir. I couldn't help but notice you're blue.

Blue Dog: You're a sharp one.

MJD: It doesn't sound like you're happy about this.

Blue Dog: Ya think so, pal? How would you like it if you woke up tomorrow morning and you were blue from head to toe? Come on, buddy. I freak out when I get those weird brown rings under my eyes, and I'm supposed to be happy when I'm turquoise? And thanks for that, by the way ... you dolts couldn't even get me a decent shade of blue. I gotta walk around here in freakin' pastels.

MJD: Yeah, that shade may be more appropriate for Easter.

Blue Dog: I'm not a bunny rabbit, either, douchebag.

MJD: Do you see any upside to the dying?

Blue Dog: At least they left my crotch white. That way, my tongue doesn't turn blue.

MJD: That's good. So, do you even like the Giants?

Blue Dog: The Giants? I don't even know who the hell they are. Who are these Giants people keep talking about? How damn big are they? 10 feet? 20 feet? Is that was all this Cloverfield nonsense is about?

MJD: No, they're not actual Giants. They're normal sized people. "Giants" is just the nickname for a football team.

Blue Dog: Oh, great ... that makes sense. Yeah, because dogs love football. I love it when they do that blitzing and the diving and the homeruns and stuff. Yeah, it's great ... hike me the pigskin and I'll dunk it.

MJD: You're not interested in football?

Blue Dog: I'M A DOG, BUDDY. I'm interested in meat, things that are made to look, taste or smell like meat, screwing with the cat, and licking myself. That's about as far as it goes.

MJD: Do you have any plans for the Super Bowl?

Blue Dog: Yeah, smart guy, I do. I'm gonna walk around at some idiot's Super Bowl party, and a bunch of morons are going to pet me and go, "Awww, look at you! You must love the Giants!" You know, like I had some choice in being blue. Before the party's over, though, I'm gonna bite a kid's finger off and pee on an old lady.

MJD: That actually doesn't sound like a bad party.

Blue Dog: You wanna come? You can come ... but if you show up without some industrial strength dog shampoo, I'm gonna pee on your foot.

MJD: I have other plans. Thanks for the time, though.

Blue Dog: Ah, shove it.

For the Love of Cats