Bobby Kennedy Jr

Ironically in the same weekend that I watched Bobby, I also read an article that my mom found - an interview with Bobby Kennedy Jr in the January 2007 Oprah magazine.

There were several exterts that caught my attention. One being Bobby's opinion on how we can reduce fuel costs and reduce our dependence on oil in the Middle East. I wish I had the article so I could explain it but basically if we all reduced our consumption (ie drive a prius what gets 44 mpg intead of Hummers that get what, 10 mph) then we would be helping the economy. He has a theory of pollution-based prosperity which was an interesting take on how to improve the environment.

He also pointed out that all of American is in love with celebrities and gossip and his point is that we know more about who wore what at an awards show or who won American Idol than what is going on the news. I think this is true and very very sad. I know that I for one read Entertainment News everyday and even get People magazine every week. Maybe I should change that subscription to Newsweek. I do think as American it is our priveledge to learn about different issues and form opinions. Maybe I should have an opinion outside who should win Dancing with the Stars or American Idol - I think we all should. It is our right and our duty as Americans.

One extert from the interview about this Bobby talks about his Father's legacy:

"he felt ..America is the last best hope for humanity. And that we had this historical mission to build a country that would be a paradigm to the rest of the world and to about what human beings can accomplish if they work together and maintain their focus on a spiritual mission....He wanted to invite people to our country who were communists and who were all kidns of people and debat them, because he believed on the merits that this country was so good and that is ideas were so good that we shouldn't be scared of debating or meeting with anybody.''

Makes you ask what America missed out on by not allowing RFK to lead this country. What would he have done? Where would we be now? I think it would have been an interesting ride and wish we could have seen it..lived it.

Another topic that Bobby Jr and Oprah discuss was how the opinion of America has changed since the JFK/RFK days. I think he said it well and I tend to agree with his words. Here is a short extert:

"When I was a boy, my father took me to Europe-Greece, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany, England, France. Everywhere we went, we were met by huge crowds, sometimes hundreds of thousands of people who came out because they loved our country. They were starved for our leadership. They looked to us for moral authority. They proudly named their streets after our presidents. And I remember after 9/11, the headline in the French newspaper lea Monet was WE ARE ALL AMERICANS. For two weeks after 9/11, there were spontaneous candlelight vidils in Tehran, initiated by Muslims who loved our country. It took more than 200 years of disciplined, visioniary leadership by Republican and Democratic presidents to build these huge reservoirs of public love. We were the most beloved nation on the face of the earth. And today-in six short years, through monumental incompetence and arrogance, this White House has absolutley drained that reservoir dry. America has become the most hated nation on earth. There are five billion people who either fear or just don't know what to think about the US. For me that's the most bitter pill to swallow."

In my opinion, we have lost that American feeling. We now live in a land where everyone feels that they have a right to sue someone for looking at them wrong. We live in a land where we think we are the greatest, the smartest, the best and every other country should be glad that we reach out to help them. That is not why America was founded. I hope that we are able to reverse the damage that has been done to the environment over the last 10 years and I hope that we are able to repair the American spirit not just at home but across the globe.

Movie Reviews

So I am cheating by writing this review right after my book review but waiting to post it. This weekend, I saw The Good Shepherd and Bobby.



The Good Shepherd

This movie was loooong - 3 hrs long. I think a few scenes could have been cut so the movie was shorter. I must admit the setting that I watched this movie was a little loud so I missed some of the quiter moments of the movie - and there are a lot of these. I think overall the movie was good and Matt Damon did a good job - even though he doesn't really say much. It is kind of like watching Tom Hanks in Castaway and he just is my himsel on the island. Anyway, the movie is good if you have 3 hrs to spare and a quiet place to watch it. Angelina Jolie is in the movie but in a very small role. Alec Baldwin is even in the movie and I for one barely recognized him. As a side note, it also had Gabriel Macht in a very small role - I first saw him in the romantic comedy Because I Said So and think he is very good looking and apparently is was in an episode of 90210 (my college TV show of choice)! I give this movie a B.



Bobby

I wanted to see this movie when it first came out last Nov but it seems that it made a quick run through the theatres and the critics weren't too kind to the movie. At about halfway through the movie, I would have agreed with the critics but the ending of the movie makes the movie. You see how all the people the movie has been following (the kitchen mgr, bus boy, campaign workers, hotel mgr, salon owner, lounge singer, couple on vacation) all are affected by the tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being shot. I thought the movie did a good job of seamlessly transition between real footage of the shooting to the movie shots covering the same event. My dad and I watched this part of the movie in silence. After the movie ended, it gave us a lot of food for thought. What would have happened had he not been shot? Why did Bobby get ahead of his security? Why were all those people in the kitchen? RFK went from a high to a very big low - he had just won the CA primary and given a speech to a roomful of supporters only to be shot a few mins later and dash a roomful of people's hope... a country's hope. You see how all the people spent their day leading up to the shooting and how after the shooting, they are all equal and only one man doesn't survive. I give this movie an A+ mainly for the conversations that it will start and a glimpse into history that is slowing fading in our country's memory.

Book Reviews

I have taken a break from blogging - not purposefully, I just havent had inspiration. But of course, inspiration hits all at once so I am going to write a few blogs and post them over the next few days. So first up, Book Review time!

I have recently read Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama. I picked it up in the airport bookstore after going through about 20 books and finding none of them satisfying. Every back cover seemed to either be like a romantic themed book or a murder/mystery book that I had read a 1000s times. So I went with the lesser traveled road and purchased Obama's book partly because it was different but mostly out of curosity to find out more about the man who has thrown his hat in for the presidency. I would say that this book is a memoir - a true memoir not a memoir like A Millon Little Pieces is a memoir. Obama wrote the book after law school and the book traces his life from childhood in Hawaii, to his first big job in Chicago, and then to Kenya to explore his father's past and find out who this man was that loomed in his life yet never really played a role. I thought the book was well written and interesting. I would say the years in the Chicago were least interesting to me but were important in explaining the journey Obama has taken through life. My one argument with the book is that Obama keeps seeking to understand who he is as a black man. But he isn't a black man - his mother is white and his father is African. He is part white yet he is always struggling as a black man in a white world. I do appreciate the journey and the experiences he has, I just don't know why he doesn't feel equally compelled to trace his white history as well. Overall, an A+ and a good read that I would recommend.

As an aside, while I was reading this book I sat next to a young man in college who had read the book and was starting The Audacity of Hope - Obama's recent book. We discussed the merits of Obama and I think his ideas are great and would be behind him for the presidency except that he seems young and doesn't have the experience. I wish he had waited 4 more years or 8 more years to through his hat in because I think his unique life experiences and opinions would (and will and does) serve our country well.

Enough of the political banter, on to the next review. I just finished The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer. I have read several of his other books and classify his writing in the same strain as Dave Balducci. His books always center around the White House and major players in the government. This was a great read and while it follows the traditional murder mystery outline, it has a lot of good twists and turns and several underlying plot lines that keep the reader interested. I think his writing is a breath of fresh air in the murder/mystery genre. I will keep coming back for more as long as his books involve characters from DC who play major roles in government whether that be in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch. I hope he continues to write interesting books for us all to enjoy.

For Lost Lovers

Here are 2 websites that I have found very helpful in helping me navigate the world of Lost and to help me see the things that I missed.

Screensnaps of things you may have missed - http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/

Lost Wikipedia - http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Now that we won't see Lost for 8 more months, I have even more questions than before and a lot of unanswered questions that I think have been lost (excuse the pun) in between the Others, the hostiles, the back of the plane people, and the original cast. In an attempt to keep the Lost questions fresh ...for 8 long months. Here are my thoughts/questions after the finale...

1. Do they really get off the island?
2. Why didn't Charlie run out of the room and then shut the door?
3. Why did Locke kill Naomi only to walk away seconds later when Jack calls for help?
4. If Ben really didn't want Jack to call for help, why didn't he give a bette reason than "you don't want to do this"? If I was Jack, I definitely would want to do it because Ben and the Others kidnapped me and killed some of my own people. Hello, Ben!
5. Who is Jacob and how is he related to everything?
6. Does Richard really not age or was it bad make-up?
7. Why doesn' Mikahil ever die?
8. What happened to Ben's friend Annie? Did she get gassed too?
9. What happend between the gassing of the Dharma Initiative and the plane crash?
10. Who was Kate going back to in the flah foward?
11. Is the flashfoward going to come true?
12. Where are the igloo people that Penelope hired to find Desmond?
13. What's with the smoke monster/machine on the island?
14. Did Walt and Michael really return home?
15. Juliette - friend or foe? What is her motivation?
16. For Kate - Jack or Sawyer?
17. Does the guy who plays Hurley get his feelings hurt with all the fat jokes?
18. Who did Jack talk to on the phone? / Who was Naomi working for?

I tried to get to 20 but I am done thinking about this for 8 looong months!

Map of Visitors

I can check where folks come from to view my page via StatCounter so I wanted to share who has visisted recently because I thought it was pretty cool. I have had visitors from Australia to Thailand to Egypt to the US. This is where the servers are located so the people aren't necessarily in that area but I am thinking that if the server is in Egypt then someone in that area is probably checking out my blog. Very cool!

Element and Artuzzi's

I ate at 2 new restaurants this weekend – this is has been one of the easier lists to complete. I am already up to 29 new restaurants! Element is in the former Cherry location on West Peachtree in Atlanta. It was fairly empty when we were there and we were there 8-11pm on a Sat. They server Spanish tapas and I would definitely recommend this place to friends. The restaurant is multiple levels and they even have some lounges separate from the dining tables that are perfect for a happy hour. We all ordered several tapas – my favorite were the tuna, goat cheese, asparagus, and chicken. Element seems good for groups (we were a party of 9) but also cozy enough for a romantic dinner for 2. Parking may be the only bad thing about this new restaurant – they utilize the AVS parking next door but that is only 6 spots so you either have to find street parking or pay in one of the midtown lots.

I was pleasantly surprised with my dinner from Artuzzi’s. When I walked in, I thought I was at Moe’s or one of the other Raving Brands restaurants because of the bright décor and dining area. Like Moe’s you can see your food being prepared but you can chose dining service vs takeout. I ordered mushroom ravioli with freshe sauce (eggplant, tomato, mozzarella, olive oil, basil) and it tasted just like one of my favorite pastas from Figo. Artuzzi’s seems like a fast food Italian restaurant but the food was up to par with Maggiano’s and Figo. The prices were more than Eats (my favorite dive in Atlanta) but I definitely plan to go back because the pasta was fresh and very flavorful!

Celeb Sighting

I had my first celeb sighting (if you don't count Mike from the Real World NY and I don't count him) in Atlanta on Sat night. I saw Charles Barkley at Lotus Lounge. I got there at 1115 and he was already there and he was still there when I left at 130. He was just hanging out at the bar. My friend got her picture taken with him because it was her bachelorette party but I only got within about 5 ft of him. I did talk to his trainer for a few minutes but that is close as I came so meeting him so I guess I am 1 degree away from Charles now. For the most part, he seemed to be hanging out and people weren't really bothering him too much. I would hate it if I was trying to hang out with my friends and kept getting interrupted. Ironically, we were in a VIP lounge and he was just at the bar so he was very accessible and seemed very friendly.

One Decision

It is kind of crazy to think that one decision can totally alter your life. Of course when you think of all the mini-decisions that make up your day and combine them with you big decisions, it definitely makes for a wild ride called life. I was thinking about this today because of 1 recent conversation and 1 recent news event. First, I was thinking of a friend who had a child in high school and basically that decision that was worth 5 secs of pleasure has cost a lifetime. I am not advocating that the child shouldn't be born, I am just pointing out that his life was forever altered and some may consider that it is a grade B life when it could have been grade A because that decision led to more seemingly "bad" decisions. I also thought about all the kids the decided to go to class one Monday morning at VT and others that slept in - this ended up being a life or death decision. Very scary. I then thought about a car accident that i had a few years ago, I almost got off at the exit before (I was so close to doing that) but went one more exit and got into an accident. It makes you wonder about all of the little decisions that you make (going back inside because you forgot something, waiting for a stoplight instead of running it, going jogging at 4pm instead of 6pm, etc) that could have totally altered you life. It is so crazy! Kind of like that movie Sliding Doors with Gweneth Paltrow - I wish I could know which decisions would lead to a more fruitful life and which ones would lead me down a bad path. Guess this is why life is an adventure and we all do the best we can. Something to think about.

Why I wouldn't date...

MSN posted 2 articles this week - Why I wouldn't Date Him and Why I dumped Her. I thought these 2 articles were interesting for a couple of reasons. One was that the article about why I would date Him hit home with many. Many of the reasons listed are the reasons I wouldn't date someone - bad manners, being cheap, zero ambition, being neglectful, and being too indepedent. I can remember one date where the guy barely tipped on our dinner and I thought he was being cheap. I have dated a guy and a friend has dated a guy where you often wonder what their ambitions are, they move from job to job aimlessly and just want them to get their act together and priorities straight. I also think communication is important and once you have been dating awhile then sometimes the guy does become neglectful. Once I was waiting up for my boyfriend to come by at 11 and he didn't show up until 1 - I didn't care that he was late, I was mad because he didn't call to say he was going to be late. Not because he has a curfew and has to check in with me but because I worried that something happend to him. I don't think I have experienced a Mr Independent but I am sure that that would bother me and of course bad manners speaks for itself. If you are rude - a boyfriend or a friend - I rather not spend time with you.

So aside from the "him" article mimicking most of my own thoughts, I thought it was interesting that the "him" and "her" articles were quite different. It just shows you what is important to women and men are different. The dumping her article includes reasons such as being dependent, nagging, being obsessessed with marriage, wanting more affection, and wanting to make over the guy. Some of the reasons tend to match up - men dumping women for being too dependent and women dumping men for being too independent. I can easily see why a guy wouldn't want to be a girl with these traits.

Phidippides

Last Friday, I went to Phidippides in Atlanta to buy some new running shoes. Normally, I just buy the cutest pair of New Balance around but after running 13.1 miles and wanting to get back into running and minimize my pain, I thought it was best to get some advice on running shoes. As soon as I walked in, someone offered to help me. First I jogged to the front of the store with my current shoes and the guy watched me. Somehow from the short jog, he knew that I tended to roll my foot in when I ran and we needed to correct that. I also filled him on some of my common injuries so he could figure out the best shoe for me. So from that point on, I think I tried on 8 pairs of shoes. I have never tried on that many. After trying each pair on, I narrowed the shoes down by puttong one shoe on one foot and a different one on the other and jogging through the store. I even swamped L to R a couple of times to try both sets of shoes. After all of that - probably 20 runs through the store - I settled on a Nike pair. I did tell the guy after awhile of trying on shoes that I was just going to pick the pretty ones - he thought this was entertainging. Of course I think every pair I tried on was some version of navy so they pretty much looked the same. Then the guy suggested going up a 1/2 size - who would have thought! So today, I wore my new size 9 Nike shoes for the first time tonight and they are great. My run was good and my feet felt awesome so from now on, I plan to go to a running store before I buy any shoes! I definitely recomment Phidippides - it is near the LA Fitness in Ansley Mall. The folks are very nice and it is a local store with one other location. They also sell the sports jelly beans and athletic clothes.

Unisex Bathrooms

I know it has been awhile since I have posted but I have been busy and haven't had much inspiration. However, inspiration hit last night when I went to Cafe Asia for dinner with 2 male co-workers and 1 female co-worker. One of the males excused himself early on in the dinner to use the restroom. When he came back, he told us that the bathroom was unisex. I of course checked it out for myself and I will admit it was rather strange to round the corner and see a guy washing his hands as I was walking to the bathroom.

To be a little more descriptive and paint a better picture, here is what it looked like. The sink is like a trough - one long stainless steel sink with a lot of facets. All of the stalls have doors that go to the ground and have ceiling to floors walls. There are actually portals on the doors with etches of men or women. I think you can go in either because the stalls are the same but it does kind of force you to pick the girl or guy one depending on your gender.

The unisex bathroom challenges a lot of social norms like girls going to the bathroom in groups to talk/gossip about their dinner companions. I noted to one of my male co-workers that I could now ask him to go gossip in the bathroom. Of course that also leads to thoughts of the mile high club bathroom scene but it wouldn't exactly be mile high. Also if you think about what goes on in the bathroom, I am not sure I want to know what guys are doing and vice versa. So this unisex bathroom idea intrigued me. I thought it was interesting - not necessarily bad but an interestering experiment that challenges social norms. Thought I would share so you all could ponder.

1Q Update on the 29th Yr

I thought I would post an updated on how I am doing on my 29 Things list. Some areas I am doing great, others are still at zero. So from the top down, here is where I stand.

1. Number of Flights - 25, it helps when you travel twice a week
2 Hrs of skiing - estimate 18 hrs but probably skied 29 miles
3. New Restaurants - 14
4. Ran 13.1 miles - not sure I am up for the 26!
5. Hrs spent on dates - 12, I am surprised it is this high, maybe I need to count in days:)
6. Cities - 9
7. Books - 6
8. Exercise more than 4 times a week - 5
7. Hrs of Community Service - 2
8. Donate - $150

And coming in at zero - Meeting new people (surely, I have met new people this is just hard to keep track of, even writing this I thought of 3 new people that I have met at work), Save (I have saved money but I may spend it so we will know at the end of the yr how this turns out), Play 29 holes of golf (this may not happen), Beach for 29 hrs (need to work on planning this), Cook 29 meals (I need to be at home to do this one), lose 29 lbs (that is probably too many but so far it is 6).

When God Winks on Love

Yes, I just wrote a review on the book When God Winks and I followed that up with a more recently published book by SQuire Rushnell called When God Winks on Love. This book was filled with more examples of god winks in the love department - so definitely a book probably geared towards women. There were some good takeaways from the book which I decided to share in this review.

• SQuire mentions that Love LAUGHS and the key to a sucessful relationship is Laughter, Appreciate, Understand, God, Honor, and Support.
• Godwinks are like signposts - they don't tell you where to go, they just support that you are going in the right direction.
• Start everyday with the expectation that it will be a good day, don't just hope that it will be a good day. This will change how you experience each day.

There are some other good points but I will leave it for you to find those when you read the book!

J. Paul's in Baltimore

My parents and I ate at J.Paul's in Baltimore on the Inner Harbor. The area reminded us of a mix of Jacksonville, FL and Sydney, Australia. I don't think the folks in Australia would appreicate being compared to Baltimore - so instead of riding on a 22 hr plane ride, just head on up to Baltimore. Baltimore is known for their crab cakes and there are any number of places that have them in the Inner Harbor area. Some of those places are chains - McCormick and Schmidt's, Cheesecake Factory, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Legal Seafood - so you can eat at most of these places throughout the US. So we hoped we picked a local chain by going to J.Paul's. They roped us in with a free appetizer coupon that we picked up at the Visitor Center. We got the crab cake slider appetizer - they looked like Krystal burgers but with a crab cake instead. Dad and I got the crab cake sandwich and Mom got the crab melt. All the food was excellent. And to distinguish themselves from other restaurants, the meal comes with a side of pretzels instead of the usual bread or rolls.

Review Time!

I rented three movies this weekend - I was only going to rent 2 but when I was at Blockbuster, I couldn't decide so I just got all 3. Here is my review of those movies.

Casino Royale
Casino Royale was awesome. I wish I had gone to see it in the theatre. It had a better storyline than some of the Bond movies and it was action packed. It wasn't quite the predictable storyline of Bond gets bad guy and Bond gets girl although it did use that formula. I think this movie protrayed a different side of Bond. You see him care about a woman and fall in love with her, not just use her and go on to the next Bond girl in the next movie. I also like the plot better and thought the movie did a good job of using cool gadgets (ie the car with the defiblator). I would definitely buy this movie - it helps that Bond is hot and it has a good love story. The opening scenes in Uganda are kind of slow and you wonder if you are watching Spiderman as Bond chases a guy up a crane and through a building. I do love the shower scene where Bond is comforting Vesper - love it! This is definitely a must see movie.

The Holiday
I didn't have a lot of expectations going into this movie. I rented it so I could watch a romantic comedy and maybe have a few laughs. I think both the Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslett storylines were well done. I thought Cameron's storyline made me laugh and cry more and Kate's really touched me as she grew into her own skin. Kate's story mirrors my own past so I guess that hit home and Cameron's story just made me laugh (and cry!). This was definitely a feel good movie and I am glad I rented it.

Little Miss Sunshine
I really wasn't sure what to think going into this movie. I had a vague idea about what it was about and knew that it had gotten acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival (I think that is where it came from) and then was really popular. This is a good story about a family and how family's grow together. I must admit when the story began and when they were all sitting around eating dinner, I thought "why am I watching this when I could just have dinner with my own family - who happens to be very funny". But the story grew on me. I thought the message at the end was really good. One of my favorite quotes/themes was that life is really a beauty pageant. Everyone is trying to be the best - look their best, act their best - when really we should all just be ourselves. This was a good "message" type movie.

2:32:40

That is how long it took me to run (and sometimes walk) 13.1 miles through Atlanta. It was a hot day, I am glad the race started at 7am! We go to see the sun come up at we were running through the 4th ward, then headed into the shady area of Inman Park, through Little Five, down Freedom Parkway (that is a lot of concrete and was very boring), through Va Highlands (always entertaining and also shady), through Piedmont Park (what a good idea!), around midtown (not sure why we looped Juniper) and then down Peachtree (or should I saw up Peachtree) to the finish line. I was glad to take part in the inaugural ING Half-Marathon in Atlanta. It feels like quite an accomplishment - especially to finish in 2:32:40 - I was hoping to be under 2:30 but was a little slow on Peachtree. There was a point during the race - mostly when I was on Peachtree - that I thought I might die. It was everything I could do to go past 14th, 13th, 12th, etc streets. I did put on the iPod about that time and it got me through to the finish line. The cheering crowds throughout the race definitely helped. I will say that I haven't felt just right all day which kind of stinks but the face that I can say that I ran 13.1 miles is kind of cool!

Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner

Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is a very entertaining intellectual read. The book doesn't really have a theme according to the authors and I would agree that there is not one common thread throughout the book. Each chapter could stand on it's own. The chapter titles themselves are very entertaining - Why do drug dealers still live with their mom? to What do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in Common? The book attempts to look at every day questions and apply math to figure out causality or correlation. The book has supplied me with great work lunch conversations and has made me think outside the box on certain topics. For example, the authors explain the decline of crime on the legalization of abortion. This has proven to be a very controversial topic which surrounds the book. This argument at the very least leads one to realize that maybe we should dig deeper when given an explaination for a particular situation. Maybe the Brady Bill or more police doesn't really help reduce crime. Maybe there is something out there that happend 40 years ago that later caused crime to drop. So next time you hear the news or listen to a politician, stop and think about what they are saying and what really may be the cause of the problem. This is definitely a good read if you want to be entertained while learning something.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room

I went to the Oceanaire Seafood Room this weekend in the ATL, it's roughly at 14th and Peachtree. It is actually a chain - but what isn't these days. The menu changes daily because they fly in fresh fish every day. We kind of took a tapas approach to the menu even though it isn't a tapas place. We had the shrimp and grits appetizer (too yummy!), crab cakes, spinach salad, and lobster bisque. Had I saved room, we would have had the baked alaska. They light it on fire and it looks really cool so I will have to do that next time. So if you are in need of a fancy place to take a date (the place is fancy but you can wear business casual or even casual), then this is your place. This is restaurant #12 in my New Places to Eat category. I am doing well in this area:)

When God Winks by SQuire Rushnell

I just read When God Winks by SQuire Rushnell on my flights from DCA to ATL. I have actually started 2 books in between this book and my last read Everyone Worth Knowing but I am still working on them. This is a very quick read - it just takes a prolonged flight of about 2 hrs. The full title of this book is actuall When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life so really it is no coincidence that I am now writing this book and no coincidence in the timing of my life and reading this book. This book has some good insight into how life really has a path and that God has certain coincidences planned to let you know that you are on the right path or to let you know that He is thinking about you. The book gives many examples of winks in other peoples' lives and encourages you to think about all the winks in your own life. While I didn't have anything to write down my thoughts while I was reading (which the book recommends), here's one that I don't mind sharing:

When I started grad school right before the orientation, I was standing in the hallway with all of the other students. No one was really talking - I am guessing because the folks didn't know one another and some didn't even speak English well. The girl standing next to me strikes up a conversation and through a series of questions we find out that not only are we both starting the PhD program, we both lived in the same area of town, and in the same apartment complex. This girl is now one of my good friends and was there for me throughout grad school when I needed a good friend. Ironically, a lot of our evenings were spent watching Friends together and just haning out. Looking back, I know she was placed in my life for a reason and the fact that we started talking that first day of school and that we lived in the same complex was God's way of saying I was on the right path.

So if you have been wondering about all those coincidences in your life or wondering if you are on the right path, I would encourage you to read this.

Everybody Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger

My latest review is for Lauren Weisberger's book Everybody Worth Knowing. This book is by the author of The Devil Wears Prada. If you are in the need of a good girly read about a girl, a hot PR job in NY, and love then this is your read. It won't stretch your imagination but it is entertaining. Not much else to say other than it was entertaining and a good way to pretend you are part of the NY night life!

Men and Women Can't Be Friends Part 2

So again my theory that men and women can't be just friends has been proven true. I do think some married men and women can be friends and even single people and married people of the opposite sex can be friends but that is getting off the topic. Men and women can't be just friends because eventually someone will want something more. And once the line is crossed - whether by action or words - you can't go back. Things will be wierd. You can try to make it not be wierd but it will be. Because now you wonder what each and every action means. You try to interpret it, analyze it, beat it to death. Of course this is where us women should realize that actions mean NOTHING to men. They don't think, they don't plot, they don't scheme, they just do. They mean nothing by anything that they do. But us women ALWAYS want it to mean something so we try to figure it out. So once that line is crossed and one party isn't interested or doesn't want to pursue things, then please do us women a favor and shut the door. Don't leave the door open or even cracked because then we will wonder, ponder, analyze. If the door is shut we will just think you are a jerk but the good news is that we probably think you are a jerk anyway so either way you lose. I know that I am personally guilty of not shutting the door - you say "sure we can go out again" but really you don't want to and you don't return calls or avoid the person because you don't want to hurt their feelings. I have done this - guilty as charged. But being on the other side of things, please hurt my feelings. Just tell me how you feel and what you think. Either way, I will think you are a jerk and I will be mad, hurt, upset but I will get over it. And I will still think you were a jerk.

After all that bashing and channeling Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy, I feel like I should leave on a positive note. Here is an article that my mom sent me about How to Choose a Man to Marry.

Why?

Why is it that some people ALWAYs have a boyfriend or girlfriend? You know the people I am talking about. They get out of a 2 year relationship or a 6 month relationship and next thing you know they are seriously dating someone else. Or if they aren't seriously dating someone else, they are serially dating - one guy/girl Fri night, a different girl/guy on Sat, etc. The bigger question is why can't I be one of those people? I think I was that girl in college - I always had a steady boyfriend - maybe a few months of singledom here and there but I was alwaysdating someone seriously. Then somewhere between a year out of college and now, it has been nothing. Well, not nothing but not anything to be excited about. I think I lost my mojo, I need the eye of the tiger again. I don't know if it is because I am content doing my own thing, I am not in the right place to meet people, I don't seem available. I just don't know. Someone send me the eye of the tiger!

I know you have missed it - I am getting all SATC on you again. I must admist my last few posts have been boring and pretty poorly written. I will vow to do better! I guess now that I have material, I am more inspired to write something interesting/funny and of course related to being single!

Kimpton Hotels

I highly recommend Kimpton Hotels. I have ben staying at the Topaz Hotel in DC for several months and they are the nicest people. I almost feel like I come to a second home here which I think they strive to make their guests have that feeling. Today, I even have goldfish in my room - like 3 real goldfish - a white one, a gold one, and a small one. They are so cute. I have pets in my hotel. How great is that! The staff here definitely take care of me. They give me the same room every week that I like, they have my key ready when I get to the hotel on Monday, they have passes to the nearby Y so it is like working out at my own gym, they put apples in my room, they sent me a Christmas gift. If you have to travel for a living - give the Kimpton Hotels a chance.

Home Depot

I was driving near a Home Depot this weekend - it is actually a closed Home Depot but has always been a spot where folks hang around waiting to pick up work. I watched a mini-van drive through the empty parking lot and the van was literally swarmed by people. If I had been inside, I think I would have been more than a little bit afraid. Apparently the folks in the mini-van weren't looking to pick up day laborers and continued to make their way through the parking lot. After witnessing this, I thought why does this group of 20+ men stand and wait to see if they might get work day after day. It was already lunchtime by then and I don't think too many people would start to look for workers after lunch but maybe they do. How could you live day to day, hoping to get work and being so desperate to beat out your neighbor for work that you would swarm a car? I can't event imagine a life like that. I suppose they do it becasue they are illegal immigrants and can't do legit work. But how sad.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

I just finished Nicholas Spark's latest book Dear John last week. It was the 3rd book I started this year but the 2nd one for me to finish. I am still working may way through the 2nd book. I think I have cried at the end of every Nicholas Sparks book. His books really are all the same - he makes you fall in love with the characters and then some tragedy happens and it makes me cry. The ironic thing is that I am not a cryer - I didn't cry during We are Marshall and that movie was really touching given it was based on real events. So I was pretty mortified when I am on a plane crying because I just finished the book. I wouldn't even say this was my favorite Sparks book. Of course I fell in love with John and Savannah the main characters but really only Part 1 of the book was good. Part 2 and 3 didn't really give a lot of detail and hear I am crying anyway. The first book I ever cried while I was reading was The Notebook - another of Sparks books. I have actually read it twice and was able to keep my eyes dry during the 2nd reading. I watched The Notebook on Friday night and luckily made it through with dry eyes - I still love that story though. So there is my not-really-a-review of book #2 in 2007.

Ban Smoking Govenor Purdue

My friends and I went out last night and what I learned was that NY, CA, DC and many other cities/states have it right. Smoking should be banned in all restaurants and bars. I don't want to smell like smoke or inhale smoke when I go out. Please ban smoking in all bars in Georgia.

I LOVE Grey's

Grey's Anatomy has to be the best show on TV. Every week I watch, the show somehow tunes into something relational that I can related to. This week Derek and Meredith show that when you are in a relationship and fight, you still show up. You still love each other even when you disagree. Kristina learned that you don't have to win - sometimes just running the race is enough. Addison and Kereve learned that just because a kiss happens - it doesn't have to change anything. And Richard learned that life will pass you by if you wait to long. Such good lessons. I love it.

It is Friday

I don't really have a cohesive idea for this post so it is really just going to be a bunch of random things that I just want to put out there in the world. First thing is that my new favorite song is I Don't Feel Like Dancin' by the Scissor Sisters. I listen to the song like 4 times a day and it is always in my head. It has a good beat - kind of reminescent of the Bee Gee's. Definitely good times!

Last night I watched Grey's Anatomy. I think I have figured out why the show is so good - it is because we can all relate to the storylines and these storylines sometimes hit straight into our heart. For instance, last night when George was having to decide to let his father go and then say goodbye - I was actually crying because I have been there before (never had to say good-bye - not yet - but I have still been in that hospital room when you don't know if this could be good-bye). I am not a crier either so you know it is touching if I am crying! I also like the simplicity of the struggle on how to sleep between Meredith and Derek. After the intial excitement of the relationship, what makes the relationship stick or come unglued is the everyday - the living together and compomising. It is good to see that part of a relationship on TV and not just the lustful/romantic parts. These parts are real.

Since I was on a plane last night, I watched another episode of 90210. I thought that show was good when I was a teenager/early 20s but now it is almost laughable. Maybe the later seasons get better but the first season is weak and full of bad hair, bad slang, and bad outfits!

That's all for now. Happy Friday!

Music - Social Networking

A friend of mine just introduced me to this new website that will track what music you are listening to called Last.fm. It is pretty cool because it shows you what you listen to, gives info about the artist you are listening to, compares your musical tastes to your friends, and lets you make friends with folks that like the same music as you do. It is sort of like MySpace centered around music.

It is kind of scary that I am freely letting someone track what sort of music I like. I think if you are smart enough and have access to enough computer databases, you could probably put together a file on everything I do from where I eat the most, what music I listen to, when I go to the gym, etc - everything we do nowadays is tracked so if someone wanted to map out my life then they probably could. Very scary.

Red Flags for Dating/Relationships/Marriage

A co-worker and I were discussing dating this week and came up with a list of red flags for dating and once you have moved into the relationship. And while neither of us have been married, we know some things that could be very damaging once married if you don't pick up on them before you get married. So in no particular order and mixed together, here are the flags (ie the things you should stay away from):

1. Be of the opposite sex (as in if you aren't of the opposite sex then it is a red flag)
2. Smoking
3. Have a crazy religion (individual's can define this on their own)
4. Short (too short for a girl and not tall enough of a guy)
5. Bad teeth (sure you can fix this but if they haven't noticed by now, they don't care about dental hygiene)
6a. If your date/boyfriend/girlfriend tends to morph into you. In other words, their likes are now your likes and they don't seem to have their own individual likes. From the movie Runaway Bride, know the kind of eggs that you like don't just like scrambled eggs because I do.
6b. In a relationship, if you are always doing what one person wants then that is bad. Have your own likes and don't follow what he/she wants to do. Stand up for what you believe in and like to do. It is fine to do things you don't like because the other person likes to do them but don't give up your personality for the sake of them. This is similar to #6a so I put them together.
7. Beware of folks that seem to have a hidden side. You don't want to marry them and find out that this whole time they were hiding something from you or didn't disclose everything. This is tricky to identify so just be on the look out for strange behavior.
8. They are an only child - only children seem to be selfish so just beware. On a related note, if they have a crazy family or seem extra attached to their family/siblings then try to digger deeper about what is causing that connection and see if you want to be a part of it. It is always good to ask "Do I want these people to be my child's grandparents, aunts, and uncles?"
9. Overweight- at this age, we should be in the best shape of our life and should eat/exercise like it
10. You don't want to eat breakfast with them for the rest of your life (ie you can't imagine waking up to them everyday and having to talk to them at breakfast).

I will end on 10 because it is a nice round number. I may add more later but that is all for now.

Old School 90210

My sister gave me the greatest Christmas present this year - the first season of 90210 on DVD. I just laughed and laughed when I got the present because it is so great. In college, 90210 reruns would come on at like 4, 5, 6 and 11 and I remember sophomore year just watching the show over and over again. I remember when Dawson's Creek came on the air and the young-ins in the sorority wanted to take over the house TV to watch that and us old folk wanted to watch 90210. We were so into the show that one of my boyfriends said "Brooke, you know that Brenda, Dylan, Donna, Kelly and Brandon aren't real people!". Very funny memories.

So I have begun watching my new prized possession lately. So far I have watched the first 2 episodes of 90210 which by the way came out in 1990. I cannot believe how bad they dressed - I mean pants up past their waist, yellow leggings with a pink skirt and a print top, ripped jeans with plaid fabric behind it - it is just crazy stuff! The hair is bad too - especially Shannon Doherty's in the 2nd episode because she has hideous bangs. They even say old school stuff like “nimrod” – who even says that today?

I am not even sure that I ever saw the original premiere of 90210. I did notice that they must have taped the premiere and the 2nd episode a few weeks/months apart. Here are my observations of the first 2 episodes. First, Brenda's hair color and style is different - that is the most notable one. Second, the front of the Walsh's house is different looking and same with the interior. Third, Dylan McKay (aka Luke Perry) isn't even in episode 1 - he was definitely my favorite character. Fourth, Dylan lives in a hotel in the 2nd episode and I am pretty sure when he is college age/after college that he goes back to living in a hotel - that is when he was dating Valerie and Vanessa Marcil's character. Fifth, there are a lot of guest stars in 90210 that are famous in their own right now.

The Camel Club

I just finished reading The Camel Club by David Baldacci. It is a fiction book centered around a mystery involving The White House, Secret Service, the NIC, and some guys who meet to discuss conspiracy theories and call themselves The Camel Club. The book is long - about 560 pages in paperback. Not only was the book a good story, it also gave me a lot to think about culturally and how folks outside the US view Americans. The story includes context of real life events like the war in Iraq and the struggle between the radial Muslims and the US. One character is a women who has moved to the US for the sole mission of sacraficing herself for Alah. She view Americans as excessive - excessive weight, excessive car size, excessive "stuff". She hates everything Americans stand for because she grew up with bombs falling all around and she lost all of her family members to violence. By the end of the story she does find herself envying the peace of American but still ends up sacraficing her life for the great cause. The book also talks about how Muslim countries are afraid of the US because of all of our fire power - this makes senses because they are surrounded by violence. As Americans we don't believe our country will resort to nuclear weapons but as a person growing up in this radical countries, they don't know that because all they know is violence. The book gave me a lot to think about as to how the world views Americans and while we take for granted our lifestyle, we really do have it great and should appreciate the little things in life and not live to excess. We should also take the time to understand the other cultures and viewpoints of the world - understand the history of those views and what has shaped their views for 100s of year. If you want a good read, I would definitely recommend this book because it tells a good story and leads you to think introspectively about our culture. Incidently, it is Book 1 of 29 on my 2007 list!

Corteo

I just saw the Cirque de Soleil show Corteo this evening in Atlanta. This is the best Cirque show that i have seen (I have seen Allegra and then knock off Cirque show called Cirque Dreams). This show is not to be missed. The music is great, the acrobatics and performances are awesome, the story is interesting, the acts are funny and the costumes are cool. As I was sitting there I thought back to ancient times when performances would entertain kings and thought this was surely a show fit for a king. It was amazing what some of the performers could do. I think my favorite was the trampoline/acrobatics but they also had performers hanging from chandeliers, balancing on ladders, rolling in rings, jumping from bars and even playing a song with just glasses. The funniest thing was the midget attached to huge balloons and she just jumped from hand to hand in the audience just floating - too funny. It was a good mix of entertaining acts (ie the midget and balloons) to amazing physical feats (ie the acrobatics). Here is an official list of acts from the website: Adagio Duet, Bouncing Beds, Chandeliers, Cyr Wheel, Juggling, Ladder, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Paradise, Teeterboard, Tightwire, Tournik, Helium Dance, Glasses, Teatro Intimo, and Puppet Artist. Upcoming shows are in the following cities: Dallas, Houston, Columbus and Denver. Book now because the show sold out in Atlanta. If you don't want to take my word for it there is a min preview of the performances on the website - definitely check it out.

The Year of the 29

This year I turn 29 and to honor my final year in my 20s, I have decided to theme my "Things to Do in 2007" list towards the number 29. Some of these "to do's" may or may not be achievable but I think it will be fun trying. So to supplement my usual list, I now have a 29 themed To Do List. So to kick off 2007, here are some of the things that I want to do this year...

29-Themed To Do's

• Meet 29 new people
• Read 29 books
• Visit 29 cities (this may sound crazy but I travel with work now and think this is doable)
• Eat at 29 new restaurants
• Save at least $2900
• Give at least $2900 to a charity
• Do 29 hrs of community service
• Go on 29 hrs worth of dates - and this will not be a continuous 29 hr date:)
• Work out at least 29 mins a day/4 times a week
• Play 29 holes of golf
• Fly on 29 flights
• Spend 29 hrs at the beach
• Spend 29 hrs skiing
• Run 29 miles (okay, 26 miles in a marathon)
• Lose 29 lbs (No worries, not going to do anything unhealthy and I already started counting against this number in Fall 2006)

Places to Visit:

• Phoenix, AZ to see Callie
• Syracuse, NY to visit Mindy/Andy
• Austin, TX or Puerto Rico with Jane
• Boston, MA to visit Andrew
• Prague, Czech
• Ski somewhere
• Beach somewhere

Things to do:

• Go/Be in Weddings: estimated 5

Carryover's from 2006 list:

• Steeplechase in Atlanta
• Art Walk on the First Thursday or Castelberry Hill Art Walk
• Complete a sprint triathalon
• Take a dance class
• Skiing in Chile

You may ask how I plan to keep up with all of this but have no fear, I have an Excel spreadsheet and will post what I can at the end of 2007 so you can see how I did. I will also probably add to the list as the year goes on so stay tuned for updates.

Best Kept Secret in Atlanta

I have found the best kept secret in Atlanta - Castleberry Hill. It is a very transitional area but has great trendy restaurants. I went to No Mas Cantina last night and not only does it have great Mexican food and great margaritas, the atmosphere is unlike any othere Mexican restaurant in Atlanta. No where else can you order a lounge chair along with your tacos. They have a warehouse right next to the restaurant with eclectic furniture and some of that furniture is advertised right in their menu. The area also sports a sushi restaurant - Wasabi - and a pizza place - Slice (the original). Definitely an area of town worth checking out.

How did I do in 2006?

I am reposting my "Things to Do in 2006" list now that the year is coming to a close. I am busy working on my 2007 list and will be posting that soon. In the meantime, here is a recap of my year. I think I did pretty good on accomplishing and doing some "new" things this year.

In 2004, I decided to create a "Things to Do List" every year. That idea was really born out of the Summer of 1999 when a bunch of us girls lived in Atlanta and decided to have weekly dinners at a new restaurant that we had always wanted to try. It was a good way to get to know the city around us and enjoy all good places to eat. The list started with restaurants we wanted to try and has expanded across many areas. The only rule is that whatever is on the list should be something brand new to you so that you are doing something new and enjoying the city around you. So, my 2006 list is a work in progress but this is what I have so far...

Restaurants to try:

• Agave - Done, would definitely recommend
• Alfredo's - Done, would NOT recommend
• Six Feet Under - Done, I love this place. It is such a hole in the wall and has great food.
• Mosaic - Didn't make it
• Soleil - Didn't make it
• Portofino - Didn't make it
• Misto - Didn't make it
• McKendrick's - Didn't make it
• Vino - Didn't make it
• Pura Vida (Fri nights salsa dancing) - Didn't make it
• Rathbun's - Didn't make it
• A new restaurant featured in Atlanta's Restaurant Week - Done, went to 2 restaurants for Restaurant Week (Dailey's and Trader Vic's, also went to a restaurant in DC for their Restaurant Week- Zatinya's).
• Fun restaurants that I did try but weren't on the list. Most of these are in DC: Lauriol Plaza, Matchbox, Pizza Paradiso, Old Ebbitt's Grill, French Bistro.

Events to go to:

• Steeplechase in Atlanta - Missed it because it is always around Easter
• Smyrna Beerfest (this isn't a new to do but it was fun so I have to include it) - Missed it but went to the Decatur Winefest for the first time in Nov
• Art Walk on the First Thursday - Missed it because I am on an airplane every Thurs
• Cirque Dreams in May - Done, wasn't as good as Cirque but it was cool to go to the Fox and see a singing/crazy stunts event. Also going to a Cirque show in 2007 - Corteo
• ACC Tournament in Jacksonville, FL - Went and saw the Jackets lose to Wake, so sad!
• Away Football game - Went to Clemson and the ACC tournament
• Atlanta Aquarium - Went twice and once in 2005 - very cool place to visit
• Thrashers game - Always a good time to see hockey
• Gig on the Grass - Very good times in the summer with great music
• Summer Movies at the Fox - Saw Pride and Prejudice for the 2nd time and still loved it! Very fun wine and cheese event beforehand.
• Screen on the Green - Done in both Atlanta and DC.
• Number of weddings attended: 5

Goals:

• Learn Italian before I go in Sept - I bought the CDs but didn't learn it, shame on me. It would have been helpful.
• Complete a sprint triathalon - Moved to the 2007 list along with running a marathon.
• Take a dance class (Yes, I have been inspired by Dancing with the Stars) - Moved to the 2007 list.

Movies to see/rent:

• Brokeback Mountain - Done, the more I thought about it after the movie, the more I liked it
• Just Like Heaven - Done. An okay movie, Definitely a renter.
• Elizabethtown - Started but had to turn off because I wasn't a fan of the coffin scene
• End of the Spear - Done
• Walk the Line - Done, it was very good. I even bought the DVD.
• Failure to Launch - Done. What can you expect from a romantic comedy.
• Pride and Prejudice - Done, also very good.
• Derailed - Done, better than the critics gave it credit for
• The Break-up - Done. What can I say, I like Jennifer Aniston.
• The Sentinel - Done. Very action packed.
• Talledega Nights - Still haven't seen.
• Casino Royale - Hope to see soon.
• Dejavu - Done. Liked it better than the critics did. But definitely not sure the chain of events are possible or even make sense.

Trips:

• Skiing in Vail - Done. The most beautiful skiing ever!
• Wedding in Italy (not mine but a friend's) - Done. Very awesome trip. The most gorgeous scenery that I have ever seen.
• Beach trip - Done (Destin, FL, Ocean Isle, NC and Tybee Island, GA)
• Skiing in Chile (this may move to my '07 list, it has been a rollover since '04!) - Moving to 2007
• Bed in Breakfast at Lookout Mtn - Not going to do, but did go to a Bed and Breakfast in Hendersonville, NC for a wedding in Dec.

Runner's High

What they say is true. After running for a significant distance, when you are done you feel like you have accomplished something. I just finished running about 4.8 miles for about 50 minutes. That may not seem like much but that is the most and longest I have fun without stopping for a walking break in probably 3 years. I started training for a half marathon that is in March and this week is the 5 mile week. I estimated I ran 5 miles and when I drove it, I came up short so good to know for next time. I feel good though. My feet and right knee hurt but I am going to the doctor soon so hopefully I will be able to remedy that problem and continue with my training program. I wanted to write this up in my blog so when I think I can't do it or don't want to run, I will be reminded of the Runner's High. Of course I was outside running in 65 degree weather in December - not sure how many 65 degree days we will have between now and March but the important thing to remember that I can do it. I probably would have kept on running except I had to get home to meet some friends. Some days I don't even want to run the 1 mile but today I was in the zone and gosh it feels good. Half marathon, here I come!

Team Aniston

I really can't stand Angelina Jolie - anyone that knows me knows that I am definitely on Team Aniston. I can't believe the latest entertainment news where Angelina's says that she didn't mean to break up Brad's marriage but that they just had a special bond on the set of "Mr and Mrs Smith". Come on! If the other person is married then you shouldn't even consider any romantic relationship with them. They are MARRIED! You should only ever look at them as friends. Now I don't think Mr Pitt is blameless by any means - he decided to open up to Jolie and essentially let her in and push Jennifer out. You wonder why there are so many divorces out there because no one really means "Until Death Do We Part", they really mean "Until I find something better" or "Unit I find my True Soulmate", whatever that means. Sometimes folks get married and it doesn't work out for whatever reason but to me it should never be because of another person. Once you are married, you should respect your husband/wife and do everything in your powe not to stray. Even if you have to make rules that seem crazy to others to keep you in check, like not riding alone in a car with a female. Sure that sounds extreme but if you aren't alone with a female in the car that isn't your wife then would you ever end up at that person's house? Would you ever end up letting them into your heart where only your wife should be? Sure it sounds crazy but really it is a protiective marriage. Jolie even says in the article that she know Pitt was already married to his best friend yet she chose to bond with him in a "special way". I think the respect for the institution of marriage needs to become important in our society again. Set crazy rules. Protect your marriage. Protect your wife!

You can check out the article I read on Q100's website or the MSN article. An exert from Q100 is below:
Angelina & Brad's Family PhotoFor the first time, Angelina Jolie explained how she fell for Brad on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." She insists she never meant to break up his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. Angelina says when she met him, she “knew he was with his best friend, someone he loved and respected.” She says that’s why she was so surprised when they formed “this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened."

The Mystery of Men

I saw this article Mystery of Men by David Zinczenko on MSN today so I thought I would get back to my SATC writing roots since I haven't touched on the subject of men lately. This article came at the perfect time because I was thinking of blogging about "Are men really that clueless or are they just not into you". While Mr Zinczenko addresses some good points about men, I want to know why they act clueless all the time. If you are throwing hints their way, does the guy just miss them? Is he ignoring them? Does he just want to be your friend? I don't get it. If you have thoughts on whether men are just clueless or maybe they aren't into you or maybe it is something else, feel free to post.

Line Rider

I wanted to share this time waster with all of you bloggers out in the world. I will warn you to not click on this link if you want to get anything done in the next few hours. This is quite addicting. Here are the links:

Line Rider
A Line Rider example on YouTube
New and Improved Line Rider

Very funny stuff.

The Worst Show on TV

Last week while I was enjoying my vacation, I also enjoyed a lot of TV. I believe I came across the worst show on TV. It pretty much showcases how low America has sunk for entertainment. The show I am talking about is William Shatner's Show Me the Money. The tagline which was stolen from the Jerry Maguire movie could have promise but doesn't. Basically the show is under the guise of being a triva show but complete with strippers shaking their booty throughout the show. The contestant is asked a series of trivia questions - for each round, they have a choice of 3 questions but can pass up to 2 times in an attempt to find a "good" question to answer. Once they have "locked" in to their final answer, the contestant picks a girl in a skimpy outfit dancing around a pool (some may call them strippers). Once the girl is choosen, she pulls out a scroll with a money amount. The amount is added to the contestant's pot if their answer is correct but is removed if the answer is wrong. The contestant can be wrong 6 times or right 6 times before they are done. I felt dumber as I watched the show especially since most of the questions are pop culture related and anyone who reads People magazine or watches MTV will know. I was more offended by the strippers dancing in unison every 5 seconds - the auidence might as well have gone to their local strip club over watching this show. At least the local strip club has promise to be more entertaining.

The Book

I am shocked that anyone and I stress ANYONE would think that it would be a good idea to have OJ Simpson write a book titled "I Did It, Here's How It Happened". How did this book even get published and shipped so that it had to be recalled? If Simpson or his agent brought this idea to a publisher, they should have never given him an appointment to talk about it. That is ridiculous. If I didn't think he was guilty before, then the book definitely makes me think he is guilty. I think the book gives reason to judge him even more harshly in the court of public opinion. The book should have been titled "I would have done it this way so I wouldn't have been caught" because isn't that really what he is saying? He is lucky that he wasn't convicted and now he is exploiting the fact that he was tried and found not guilty instead of keeping a low profile and just simply "being" part of society. I feel bad for his children because they not only lost their mom but people believe their father killed her. I feel bad for Nicole and Ron's families to have to yet again relive this nightmare. What was the publisher thinking? After the whole James Frey debacle (remember his book A Million Little Pieces?), shouldn't publishers be held accountable for what they publish? I am all for freedom of speech but I am also for personal integrity and I don't think you are upholding your own integrity if you allow criminals and liars to take advantage of freedom of speech to make a buck.

Studio 60

I love “Studio 60”! This show and “Brothers and Sisters” have held my interest since they both started this Fall so it falls among the ranks of Lost and Grey's Anatomy to me. I don’t think Studio 60 has gotten the attention it deserves and I am glad that NBC has decided to order more shows and keep it on the air. I think before they try to give the show the ax, it might be wise to move the timeslots around and not just give up because it may not do that well on Monday nights. This show is intellectually stimulating and there aren’t too many of those on the air. It is in a league of its own and actually makes you think about issues and tackles topics that are usually taboo in television like religion. Maybe the fact that the show challenges you to think and talk about issues around the water cooler at work turns some people off but not me. Wikipedia says that this show attracts 18-49 yr olds that have college educations and make $70K-$100K+ … which makes sense because this is the group that tends to discuss/debate more social issues. I am surprised that NBC would air two shows with similar themes based on SNL– Studio 60 and 30 Rock – in the same season. Not sure what they were thinking when they decided that line up. It would be like Scrubs and ER being on the same network – dumb. Amid all the CSIs and reality shows, Studio 60 brings some great acting and writing back to TV. I really like the relationship and dialogue between Matt (Matthew Perry) and Harriett (Sarah Paulson) – they have thought provoking convo while trying to ignore their feelings for each other but also trying figure out their relationship. Danny (Bradley Whitford) is a great character dealing with his own issues (a former cocaine habit) and leads the ensemble cast complete with Amanda Peet, Steven Weber, DL Hughley, Timothy Busfield, and Nathan Corddry. The show lifts the veil on the inner workings of a tv show and lets you see the decisions that have to be made to put a show on the air and to keep it afloat. If you find that you have some time at 10pm on a Monday night, give this show a shot. I guarantee that you will become hooked like me and won’t want to miss it.

Great Movie Quotes

I was rereading my blog about all we women want is a little romance. It reminded me of one of my favorite "romantic" and true quotes from Runaway Bride:

"Maggie Carpenter: [on the perfect proposal and her actual proposal to Ike Graham] Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me. "

I think sometimes we get caught up the romance and the idea of a wedding and when it comes down to it we aren't in love with another person, we are in love with the idea of "love". I love this line because I think it shows that you know love is more than just about romance - it is about being there for someone else in the tough times, it is about a partnership, it is about forever no matter what (well, there are some exeeptions but in general an "I do" should mean "I do forever" not "I do until something better comes along"). This quote acknowledges that there will be hard times, there will be times that you fight, there will be times when you want to leave but you want to travel life with this other person and you want to go through those times as well as the good times. I love it!

LLQ2 - Log of Lost Questions #2

Now that Lost has gone on a hiatus until Feb. I thought I would update my questions. I am trying to keep some old school plots for season 1 and 2 alive - I want answers! I originally set out to write my Top 20 questions (and some are repeats from my original post because they are still open questions) but an extra question sneaked in there. So here are my Top 21 Lost questions after the "Fall finale".

1. Who is Jacob – one of the Others said that “Shepard wasn’t on Jacob’s list”?
2. What happened to Karl? He must have been killed according to Alexandria but why was he in the cage in the first place?
3. Why did Juliet lie to Ben about Alex asking about him? Why was Alex asking about him?
4. Where the heck have Charlie and Hurley been?
5. Why was Claire taken (this is a season 1 question that still isn’t answered)?
6. Why was Libby in Hurley’s psych ward? Now that she is dead, will we find out?
7. Where the heck are Walt and Michael? Are they really home? How did they get there?
8. Does Kate love Sawyer or Jack? I am guessing that Kate loves Sawyer and that Jack loves Kate.
9. What about Desmond?
- Where did he come from?
- Does his fiancé know where he is?
- What’s up with the igloo at the end of last season?
- How can he predict the future (ex. His comment to Hurly about Locke chasing after Jack, Kate, and Sawyer before Locke actually did it.)
10. What’s with the 2 new characters? Are we going to see their back stories? At least the "back of the plane" people made since. These 2 that randomly are hanging out with Locke, Sayid, etc just seems wierd. The girl is a bit annoying (although I loved her on "Related").
11. Why kill off Eko – why not Charlie (I don’t like Charlie’s character)? Didn't Eko control the black smoke in a Season 2 episode? Why couldn't he control it this time?
12. Are we going to see Eko in any of the flashbacks?
13. Where’s Roussau?
14. Five out of the 20 “main” characters have been killed off – Boone, Shannon, Artz, Libby, Ana Lucia, and Eko? Who else will die?
15. Are the Others really on another island? What’s up with their real village (episode 1 of season 3) and the fake village (last episode of season 2)?
16. Where is the lady that was holding Walt in the “fake village?” What were they doing? Why did they hold Walt?
17. How did Locke regain his power to walk? What was the accident the put him in the wheelchair in the first place?
18. Is Sun carrying Jin’s baby or the other guy’s who was killed/committed suicide?
19. What’s up with the cages and the random aquarium? Why are the Others holding just Jack, Kate, and Sawyer? What do they want with them?
20. Why do the Others make Kate and Sawyer clear rocks? Who are the other people that are clearing rocks?
21. What’s up with the map that we saw in the now imploded bunker?

Six Degrees of Separation

Today at work, I was contemplating the theory of 6 degress of separation. I started to think of all the people that I could connect to that would reach someone famous or some far corner of the Earth. I will start with the traditional way to connect to Kevin Bacon.

me - coworker - coworker's brother (Denzel Washington) - in Philadelphia with Tom Hanks - in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon

me - coworker - coworkers son - married to PDiddy's sister - PDiddy - JLo

me - high school friend - in band with Charles Kelley - brother of Josh Kelley - dating Katherine Heigel - works on Grey's with McDreamy (aka Patrick Dempsey)

me - college friend - works for Sonny Perdue (GA govenor) - interviewed on the Today show's Matt Lauer - interviewed crazy Tom Cruise - marrying Katie Holmes

me - college friend - has an uncle - worked for Jimmy Carter - met with world leaders (only 4 but it could go so many directions)

me - college friend - was on Oprah - she's been to Africa to give out soccer balls (only 4 again but that is practically a country!)

me - college friend - her sister writes for the soap opera General Hospital - Kelly Monaco - many more stars

So I could go on but these are the bigs ones that I thought of. I think the world may really be connected.

Don't Stand by Your Man

Here are some things that really make me mad when a girl gets in a relationship. My friend and I were discussing it over email and I thought it was worthy of a post. So here is our list (not in any particular order).

1. When girls all of a sudden have ZERO personality when they start dating a guy and everything is now about HIM and what HE wants to do.
2. When girls are attached at the hip with their significant other. It is like you think he is going to leave you if you don't spend every waking minute with him.
3. When girls ditch their own friends and all of a sudden HIS friends are YOUR friends and your friends are left to hang out and wait to see you until after you guys break-up.
4. When girls bring a date to girls night outs.
5. This relates to #1 but when the girl can't make any decisions without the input of her guy. It is one thing when you are making a joint decision (ie buying a car, house) but when you have to ask him if you can do X or what you should order at a restaurant - it is just annoying and results in #1.

I am sure there are more but those are the biggies that we discussed. Feel free to comment and add your own things that annoy you.

Do you hate going through all those automated phone systems?

This is from my friend Bob but I thought it was important to share with the rest of the cyber world. Every annoyed when you call your bank, mortgage company, or any other business and you just want to talk to someone and can't seem to press the magic key to get a person? Well, here is

Coke's new drink - Enviga

So Coke is coming out with a drink, Enviga, that supposedly helps burn calories. They do have a disclaimer that says the drink should not be used as a weight loss substitute. Of coures diet and exercise are the best methods to lose weight. Also, this article it shows how many Envigas you must drink to burn off say a Coke - well it is 7 cans of Envigas which will cost you $9.42 (at $1.29 a can). That is craziness. It looks like a drink that belongs in the Red Bull family based on the size and shape of the can.

On a related note...someone recently told me that the caramel coloring used in diet drinks (like Diet Coke, Diet Dr Pepper, any brown colored diet drink) actually slows down your metabolism so you should drink clear diet drinks like Diet Sprite, Diet Mountain Dew, etc. I tried researching this on the internet and couldn't find anything about caramel coloring slowing metabolism. If anyone knows if this is a myth or not, please let me know.

Too Thin in Hollywood

Sunday I was watching Jerry Maguire on TV and noticed the Renee Zellweger looks quite healthy in this movie. Then I thought that she actually looks closer to her Bridget Jones' self which is suppose to be about a fat person who is struggling to be thin. Then I thought about Renee in Chicago and how everyone thought that was the healthy Renee. even though to me she looked super skinny. (I tried to post in all the pics of Renee from these movies but couldn't do it so if you are interested, please look at her pics using all the movie links. )

You wonder why young girls and women in general have such a messed up view of their bodies. Seems that actresses succumb to being thin once they make it big in hollywood. Another example is Felicty Huffman. Look at her in Season 1 of Desperate Housewives and look at her now in Season 3. I even read an article where she said that she felt the pressure to loose weight because she always had people measuring her for wardrobe. At least Felicity can contribute some of her new looks to her new running regimen.

We Just Want a Little Romance

I think Meredith on Grey's Anatomy has it right - we women just want to be romanced. We want to feel special, we want to be taken out to dinner, we want to be told that we are beautiful. We don't want it to be a competition, we don't want it to be just about the physical. We want a connection. I wish I could find the dialog from Thursday's episode online so I could post it here. I realized tonight, that dating has stopped being romantic and I don't know why and when it happened. There is no romance these days only bad dates and one night stands. There needs to be more. We as women need to demand more from our dates. We need to have respect for ourselves and demand romance. Call me, woo me, date me. Bring a flower to the door, pick me up at the door and not just blow your horn, call to see how my day is going, email me to say why you like me and that you enjoy spending time with me, give me a card for no reason, make me feel special, take me out to more than dinner and a movie...I want to find my guy who I say "I want to sit across from you at breakfast for the rest of my life."

LLQ Reincarnated

This is for my friend Jeff - a repost of my Log of Lost Questions with his answers from the comments. Plus new answers based on the season premiere and of course more new questions! Jeff's comments in blue, mine in pink. Also, here are two blogs about LOST that you may find helpful - Lost Mysteries and Lost Answers.

1. How is Hurly going to find the camp? - Hurley isn't a tracker, I think he is going to get lost.

Who say's he will? Besides, isn't he already "lost"? Can you get lost when you already are? Jin and Sayid should be nearby to help him...

2. How does Desmond's girlfriend know that she need to look for a magnetic force in order to find Desmond? Maybe she doesn't know the two are connected, so if that is the case, why is she tracking big magnetic fields?

There are thoughts that Desmond's girlfriend's dad is the head of hanso foundation. Remember, she said early to Desmond in the final episode flashback, when you have money you can find anything. She probably knows her dad sent desmond off to the island and she has ideas on how to find him.

3. Are Mr Eko, Desmond, and John dead? - I hope not! I would like to see Desmond as a new character.

I hope not...I doubt they would kill off 3 major characters like that...maybe 1 or 2 of them tho. I'm guessing Desmond survives..he has quickly become a key character...

4. What's up with the people in Russia? - Maybe they are responsible for the polar bears.

i think the experiements on the island are probably responsible for the bears
Looks like the bears may have been in the cages that Sawyer and Kate are in now based on the Others comment about the bear figuring out how to get food in 2 hrs while it took Sawyer all day.

5. Is the "What does one polar bear say to another polar bear?" code for something?

most definitely

6. What's up with the wierdo Hanso Foundation commerial and the even wierder websites that they refer you to?

its part of the new interactive experience that they are trying to create. at least they are trying to be original
I read a posting on the message board that said the writers should focus less on the interactive stuff and more on the plot. I would agree! They also said to stop the flashbacks but I rather like those.

7. If the key destroyed the machine where you have to enter the code every 108 mins, how did that help? - Now nothing is keeping the magnet from discharging. I think I may have missed something about the whole key thing.

im not sure the point of the key was to simply destroy the machine. it probably is intended to destroy something else so the machine isnt necessary anymore.

8. Did Libby's husband's death cause her to go crazy? Was she crazy before or after she met Desmond?

i'm not sure libby was ever crazy. she may be an employee of hanso foundation who has a hand in picking people to come to the island..or something like that

9. Was the companion in the hatch, Katie's Dad (also Sayid's trainer)? - This is from my co-worker.

i think he was the head army guy who let Sayid go..dont know about kate's dad

10. Will Walt and Michael really be rescued? - They can't be off the show because we still know nothing about Walt's powers.

have to wait for that one

11. If the "Others" are good, why do they have people tied up?

don't think we really know if they are good or not yet. the others have definitly killed people...cant imagine there are often good reasons for that

12. What's up with the "Other's" costumes?

no clue

13. What will they do with Kate, Sawyer, and Jack? And what was that look between Kate and Jack? Love?

no clue...the look implied they were up to something and had a plan..and sawyer's look implied he didnt know what they were up to
Based on the premiere, all 3 are in cages and being held prisoner. I think Kate will pick Jack. Does the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle remind anyone else of the McDreamy-Meredith-Finn triangle on Grey's?

14. What is that mysterious black smoke in the jungle?

good question

15. What is that underground machine in the jungle?

don't remember which underground machine u are referring to
Remember the machine that tried to suck John down in the ground but whoever he was with stopped it someone. John was all like "let the machine take me and I will see what is down the deep dark hole" but the other character saved him from that.

16. Why did Jack think that the "Others" would attack them if they didn't follow Michael into their trap? - They could have just gone back to the beach.

sometimes even doctors arent the smartest people in the world.

17. What was that bright light and noise? Did it bring down "another plane"? - Maybe we will have "other plane people" next seaon.

no clue...possible

18. Why do we still watch this show? - It is about nothing really.

why did we watch seinfeld for 10 years. its entertaining.

19. What's up with that combo of numbers? - 4 8 15 16 23 42

no clue
Based on some of the interactive stuff on the internet, the numbers are related to an equation on how to sustain life. These are the factors in the equation but not sure what the variables are.

20. What brought this group to the island? How are they all related?

i think the entire backstory part of the show is telling the story of how thhey are all related. it seems they all have a somewhat tortured past. Whether it was "planned" is unknown.

21. Why was Locke's ability to walk restored on the island?

most likely related to the island's electromagnetic forces etc...

Looks like you are all set for season 3 now. Yay!

22. How are the Others living in what looked like a civilized society? They were having a book club discussion - it looks very grounded and folks have their schedules and routines.

23. Why is Ben in charge? How is he in charge?

24. Are Ben and the new girl married?

25. What is this show about? - I could have this question on the list 1 million times because I have no idea what it is about and why I am sucked into watching it.

26. Why did Ben want a list of everyone's names? He seemed ready for this and had a plan when the plane came down?

27. How long have the Others occupied the island? Were they there when Rousseau landed? Are the Others ageless?

28. Who was the random guy in the cage next to Sawyer? When he was caught from trying to escape, what did they do with him?

Okay, I am done for now. Too much to thing about. Too many questions to keep up with. Too many storylines. Maybe they should kill some of the weaker storylines like the ones about Charlie, the Australian girl, Rose, etc. Let's just focus on Jack, Sawyer, Kate, John, and Michael.

A Cool Site

This is a cool website that tells you all about the day you were born. It also offers some other interestings stats.

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

3 oz

So the travel restrictions have been lifted on liquids - well, at least revised. This is an exert it taken from a Yahoo News article on the topic:

"Most toiletries can be in containers no larger than 3 ounces, and they must be zipped up in plastic bags that are quart-sized or smaller..."

"After testing a variety of explosives, the FBI and other laboratories found that tiny amounts of substances — so small they fit into a quart-size plastic bag — can't blow up an airliner."

Now if you read this at face value, you think "Great, glad they tested that and figured it out. I feel safer." But if you step back for a minute, you realize that this logic makes no sense. I can bring on 3 oz, you can bring on 3 oz, I can get a few buddies to bring on 3 ozs, and soon you have a lot of ounces. So how does that take care of the fact that a variety of explosives in "small" amounts can't blow up a plane. You do the math. Do you feel safer? I think I rather check my liquids!

3 New Shows

So I have found 3 new shows that may be added to my "must see" list of shows for the year. So far I always watch Grey's Anatomy and Lost. The new shows that I like are Six Degrees on ABC, Brothers and Sisters on ABC, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on NBC. I am sure one or more of these will be cancelled or that I will lose interest over time. Right now I like all 3.

Six Degrees is good because it is in NY, I like Erica Christianson, and it seems like a good idea. Although, we all may be separated by 6 desgrees but once we all meet each other then aren't we all linked?

Brothers and Sisters reminds me of an updated version of the show Sisters. This show could do well since Calista Flockhart and Sally Field are part of the ensemble. I also like the Calista's character is going to be a political analyst on a TV show - lots of good topics. Also there is some deep rooted issue between Calista and Sally's character. During one converation during the premiere, Sally Field's character mention 9/11 - interesting how they are incorporating real life events like this. I really liked the Dad character and the actor (Tom Skerritt)and yet they killed him off in the last 5 mins of the first show. Could be hit but may need better storylines.

Studio 60 is definitely brings something new to the table (other than the fact that it is based on creating a show like SNL). I like Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford and Steve Weber and Amanda Peet. There were some funny lines in the first show and if you can get Chandler out of your head and the West Wing character then this show could work.

Someone's "George" is someone else's "McDreamy"

The Grey's Anatomy countdown is finally over! I figured out yesterday when I was reading this article why I love Grey's Anatomy so much. It is because we see ourselves and our friends in these characters. We live through their same situations - no we aren't all doctors and perform miracles everyday but their pains, their loves...their lives are just like our own.

I have said for years that if you look around, everyone has a crush on someone so by default someone has a crush on you and you just don't know it - Sans "Someone's 'George' is someone else's 'McDreamy'." Everyone in college (and even now) has a nickname for someone they like - it is probably becuase you don't know their name so you have to call them "Blue t-shirt guy" or "Mr. Hottie". They don't know you but you wish you knew them. The same is probably true for you - you are someone's "Blue T-shirt girl" or "Ms Hottie". You won't always know who is your George vs you McDreamy out of all the "Blue t-shirt guys", but hopefully you will figure it out.

The trick in this world is for all of us to come together and find our McDreamy and get past all the George's in our lives. But you have to get through the George's sometimes to learn what you want in a McDreamy. Hopefully Meredith will figure out who is her real McDreamy - the doc or Finn. My vote is for the doc!

Social Networking

This is a topic that I find very fascinating and I think most people that blog or use other social networking type websites, will too. Here are some articles about social networking from the New Scientist which I got originally from The Impact of Social Networking on Society.

1. Living online: The end of privacy by Alison George
2. This is your space by Amanda Gefter
3. I'll have to ask my friends by Sherry Turkle
4. I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by Google by Bruce Sterling

One article mentions how folks have no qualms about putting their personal information or personal thoughts on the web yet they don't go around work shouting about their religon, favorite band, etc. Now many companies are googling names and looking up information about their potential new hires on the web. Often times employers find information that they rather not know (ie how drunk you got last night) and will probably use this information against you. Why do folks (including me) think it is okay to post to the world intimate details yet you would never say half of the things to your friends, family, or co-workers.

The articles do caution users from posting personal information and point out that websites such as myspace do allow users to protect their privaacy but even people that are concerned about their privacy, don't use them. Interesting. Definitely food for thought.

Vacation in Italy

I wish I had kept a journal the last 10 days so I could look back and read my thoughts and experiences of my vacation in Italy. After every vacation (or at least a good one), I think it is important to reflect on what you learned and how you want to make changes in your life or what new things you want to try. After being part of the real world now for 1 day, I think I have lost some of the deep thoughts that I came back with. I do want to savor this moment and be able to relive it, so I thought what place better to do that than my blog. So here are my thoughts...

Spending 10 days in Italy was awesome - in fact, awesome doesn't even do the experience justice. I think everyone should take a week vacation every year so they can get out of the normal routine and experience something new, learn to appreciate what you take for granted, and get a little R and R. If you can go somewhere exotic, like Italy the definitely do it. It is so great to see another culture. You learn to appreciate free bathrooms in the US but you appreciate the people of another country and eat and enjoy their gelato! Tuscany is beautiful. Looking out on our villa into the rolling hills full of sunflowers, olive trees, and grapes is amazing. Each day I got up to fog and watching it slowly burn off and reveal the wonders around. I ate pasta with amazing flavors (my new favorites are a bread crumb pici and pesto gnocchi) and enjoyed the Italian pizza and of course the wine. I wish I knew more about the wine - we had 3 wine tastings during the trip and I wish I had understood more about the grapes and what makes a wine and about DOCG - after this trip, I want to learn more about all of that. I also have a list of movies to see: Under the Tuscan Sun, Roman Holiday, Gladiator. Anchorman (so I get all the jokes from the week).

On Thurs, I sat by the pool and looked out on the hills and just savored the moment and took a mental photograph that I hope to never forget. I was truly part of an experience for the last 10 days. About 30 people lived, ate, traveled, shared, and attended a wedding for our dear friends. Nothing can take the memories away and no one can truly understand the full experience unless you were there. The bride couldn't have been more beautiful and the hillside wedding was out of a story book. The love between the bride and groom and their families was visible. The joy on the friends' faces and the bonds made are strong. I hope to keep the friendships made (go F Team) but I know it will never match what we did in Italy - sharing 4 plates of food in Sienna, waiting on the ring, Mousse gelato, holding my hand as I climbed the leaning tower of Pisa as my fear of heights took over, seeing Fibonacci, drinking Orangchotas at the train station, shopping in Florence, finding the restaurant and market that I visited over 6 yrs ago, late night talks in the kitchen, the wine tastings, bed hopping throughout the villa, trips to the trains, drinks at the NY Bar, luggage left line in Rome, the Coliseum and Vatican, 3 hrs of sleep in the Courtyard Marriott, the endless food on the flight back from Rome. I have made new friends and miss having 30 people around me to do something with 24-7, I didn't even miss my normal "me" time that comes from being alone for the majority of the time. Thanks to Jimmy and Angela for inviting me on this amazing experience - I am glad that I could share it with you!

Things I want to do/remember from the trip:
- Remember that you don't always have to be so busy, it is okay to stop and smell the roses. Italians are way more laid back than Americans.
- Learn the language or the basics before you visit. You want to revert to Spanish as a back-up but that may not work.
- Family is important - take time to enjoy your time with them.
- Take a special vacation each year. Make sure it is at least a week long because you need that much time away from work.
- Go abroad. See history. See a different culture. Eat new foods. Get out of your comfort zone.
- Save money to go on said vacation - eat in instead of out, don't buy that shirt that you want, etc.
- There is nothing like spending 10 days with strangers to help you bond. I miss the days of college where someone was always around to do something. Your friends are important - both old and new friends
- Keep a journal (on vacation and maybe every day)
- Learn something new or have a new hobby - don't get stuck in the grind of every day