While Not Making Other Plans

2012 Aussie Open: Rafa in the Finals

2012-01-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

(Not the winner, but always a champ!)

So I'm not distraught and I'll tell you why. Nadal could've lost this match in the fourth. Easily. He was down to sets to one. He was struggling. He was serving down 3-4 at 0-40. One more point to Djokovic and it would be 5-3 for Novak to serve it out and that would've meant lights out and a very disappointing loss for Rafa. But then suddenly Rafa fought back. He won the next 5 points to hold his serve. He then fought to 6-6 and a tie break. Then he was down 5-3 in the tie break! Still he fought back again and won the 4th set! The 5th set was really incredible. Very impossible to predict who would take it. It became the longest match in the Aussie Open record books at 5 hours and 53 minutes. In the end, that Djokovic magic came back and got past Rafa at 7-5 in the fifth. It's sad, of course. I wanted Our Hero to win, my friends, but I'm not devastated because here he really competed like a champion.

(I think the dish is still a nice piece of hardware. Also don't you want both pairs of those rad shoes??)

I hope he takes away a lot of positive things from this tournament, even though it is admittedly a seventh straight Final loss to Novak. The past two years Rafa crashed out of the Aussie Open in the quarters and this year he made it back to the Finals. Even though he didn't win, I feel like he had to have reached a place in the 4th set where he mentally believed he could win and that he was not just going to hand Novak a 4-set victory. He would be aggressive and take it to him and fight like hell against whatever odds. Again, maybe it didn't quite work out at the very very end, but I liked what I was seeing from Rafa in those 4th and 5th sets in terms of fight, not to mention his mental and physical toughness shown in his quarterfinal and semifinal wins earlier this week. I feel good for Rafa heading into the rest of the season. I believe he will eventually get another win against Djokovic. He still holds a 4-game cushion in their lifetime head-to-head match up, so hopefully Novak can't go 11-0 through this year against him. Gotta give credit to Novak too. That guy just finds a way to win. When he should be over and done with. You can talk to Roger Federer about that too the last two times he faced Novak in the semis of the US Open. Novak should not have one those matches being double match point down. But he did. What can you say on the day besides, "Too good"?

Hopefully Rafa can now take a little bit of a rest on the tour before jumping into the next big tournament. There's about six weeks or so before the tour heads to Indian Wells and then Miami. And then the clay court season begins. As always I'll be wishing Rafa the best. VAMOS!

And of course the tournament wouldn't be complete if Rafa didn't flash us some skin. Thanks for reading! See you next tourney!

2012 Aussie Open: Rafa in the Semis

2012-01-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

(Rafa increases his lead in his head-to-head record with Fed to 18-9.

Now if only he can reverse his head-to-head trajectory with Novak...)

Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, will be playing in his second Australian Open Final after beating Greatest Rival of All Time Roger Federer 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4. It was a hard fought and convincing victory. Federer had been playing at an amazing high level and had not lost a match since his semi-final in the US Open back in September. Rafa found a way to get the job done. He has been physically fit and mentally strong. I'm so happy for him that he's gotten back to this place so early in the season.

Of course, the guy he'll face on the other side of the net is stinky ol' Djokovic who just refuses to lose ever. Ugh, how I'd ever so hoped it would be Murray instead! Murray had a 2 sets to 1 lead but just couldn't get it done. Rafa has now lost 6 straight finals to Novak. It would be so great to put last season behind us, and start 2012 by breaking the streak. Is it possible? Yes. Rafa is playing well enough. Djokovic does not seem invulnerable this tournament. But will it happen? I don't know. I'm nervous. I also gave the edge to Federer in the semis though, so goes to show what I know.

I am pretty sure the Final starts at like 3am tonight EST, and I won't be up to watch it. I just can't throw off my sleep schedule that much, even for Rafa. I'll go to bed wearing one of my Nadal t-shirts and say my prayers (not that I think God is seriously paying attention to a tennis match!) and hopefully I'll wake up and see that Rafa secured an easy three set victory! That's probably the least likely of all outcomes, but this Final does have the feel to it like anything could happen. Whatever the score, I'm hoping that my final Aussie Open blogpost will feature a picture of Rafa biting into the Championship Trophy. We're almost there! VAMOS!!!!

2012 Aussie Open: Rafa Quarterfinals

2012-01-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

(Shout, shout. Let it all out. These are this things I can do without. Come on. I'm talking to you, Chair Ump. Come on.)

Our Hero, Rafael Nadal advanced to the Semifinals earlier in the week with a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych. This was a hard fought win. Nadal almost lost the first set serving at 5-6, but then fought off 4 set points to force the tie break. Then he got a totally bogus call from the chair ump that set up a set point on Berdych's serve and he lost the set. SO BOGUS. But Rafa pressed forward and took the next three sets with increasing ease and confidence as Berdych wore down. Good! I didn't like Berdych's attitude in his 4th round match against Almagro anyway!

Next up is Fed. Oh, boy. They should play their match sometime this evening or late night or possibly tomorrow morning. Their matches are always great. They have only played against each other in Australia once when Rafa won the final and Federer cried. Surely, you remember?

(they look so young! it was only 3 years ago!)

That was a rough day at the office for Roger.I think Federer has the edge this time around though. He has just been dismantling all his opponents the past week and a half. Del Potro could do nothing against him. I thought that match would be way closer. Still you never know. Rafa knows how to play against Fed and win. He knows what it's going to take. I think he's at a place where he can bring his best. I can't believe this is the first time they've been in the same half at a Major since 2005! There was no other option for much of that time since they were always ranked 1 and 2 in one order or the other. Now at 2 and 3 times have changes just a little bit. I hope whoever wins here wins the title. And of course I hope even more that it's Rafa. Vamos!

2012 Aussie Open: Rafa Round of 16

2012-01-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

(Rafa's feeling the heat Down Under, but not the pressure as he rolls to another straight set win.)

Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, is into the Aussie Open Quarterfinals for the sixth straight year after beating Feliciano Lopez in straight sets 6-4. 6-4. 6-2. Rafa continues his winning ways despite having more and more body parts wrapped for protection. He started the match with a taped right knee, and then added a left ankle strapping during the third game of the 1st set. After that, he played fine and said he felt good. The last two years Rafa has had to withdraw due to injury during his quarterfinal match, so hopefully that won't happen again this year.

His next opponent will be Thomas Berdych who received boos from the Aussie crowd after his win over Almagro, because he refused to shake hands with Almagro following the match. Berdych was upset because he felt Almagro intentionally tried to hit him with the ball on an earlier point. It wasn't a point that determined the match and Almagro immediately apologized for it, but Berdych wasn't satisfied. Hopefully the Aussie crowd won't forget this show o disrespect and be fully supportive of Rafa in his quest to make it to the semis! Vamos!

Kelly Clarkson: My Rock Star Muse Takes Radio City By Storm!

2012-01-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last night I got to see My Girl Kelly Clarkson blow the roof off of Radio City Music Hall. Luckily it stopped snowing earlier in the day, so performing sans roof was not a huge inconvenience for the sold-out crowd. I went by myself, because no matter how many ways I tried (online advanced sale, online regular sale, actually going to RCMH box office during Christmas Spectacular madness) I couldn't get two tickets together. Clearly, no one else there had this problem, as perhaps I was one of the only solo-seaters in the joint. No matter, as Kelly would tell us in powerhouse vocals, "Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone!"

I have always loved me some Kelly Clarkson. Has it really been 10 years since the first season of American Idol? She and I were much younger then. I think we are both much more awesome now. I actually wrote most of the early drafts of my show, "The Timing of A Day" while immersed in her 4th studio album, "All I Ever Wanted" and did lots of my revisions to my new show "Vestments of the Gods" while listening to her latest album "Stronger." There's just something about her voice and her music that I find artistically and creatively inspiring. She is my rockstar muse. And she genuinely seems like a cool chick to hang out with. So maybe she does like Ron Paul's limited government stance on politics. You know when Election Day rolls around she's voting Obama. :)

Anyway, I hadn't seen Kelly perform live since her Addicted Tour, which was like 3 albums ago. I was very excited to see what she would perform at Radio City now that she has 5 albums in her catalog. Would it mostly be stuff from the last album? She has so many older hits to cover to please the fans. How would she balance it? I was very curious.

Radio City was a great venue for her. She said at the beginning it was her first time ever being there and her excitement was obvious from start to finish. Oh, before I get into the show, I should share my experience being in the space. I got frisked on the way in! I looked so unassuming and didn't even have a bag with me! I guess the guy chose me because i was alone so he was only delaying me going in and not a group of people. But for serious, it was the metal-scanning wand and I had to open my coat and then one of my very top pockets on my left shoulder had a tube of chapstick in it. The guy was like "can you remove that please from your pocket?" I did so with a pleasant smile, but I couldn't quite hide the incredulousness from my tone as I said "It's just my chapstick." I mean, what did he suspect it was? A blow dart for when I try to take out Ms. Clarkson from my seat in the second mezzanine? I mean, come on now. Anyway, my view of the stage was great. I sat next to the most reserved gay couple I have ever seen in my whole life. They hardly reacted to anything and almost never stood up the whole time even when everyone around them was standing and there was no way to see the stage otherwise. C'mon, guys! Loosen up! Get into it! Feel the beat! The couple on my other side was not much better. At least the row of girls behind me was really into it and the couple in front of me as well. People, get up and dance! It won't kill you. It will make you stronger.

The show itself was a very straightforward delight. They had the required laser light show going on the whole time that fits her style of uptempo pop songs, but there otherwise weren't a lot of bells and whistles on stage. No big dance numbers or set pieces or costume changes. Just great music and really strong versatile vocal performances. She sang for about an 1 and 40 minutes straight (Matt Nathanson did about 45 minutes of an opening set and was a good appetizer while we waited for the delicious main course) and what she gave to us I like to characterize as "Kelly's American Sampler". She sang basically all her hits over the past 10 years, with a few covers and some new album songs also in the mix. She sang 25 songs! It was a taste of everything she could and everything she's known for. I left feeling very satisfied. This was the set list. It's sub-divided into four acts and the encore so you get a sense of where the beats were where Kelly could run of and down a liter of water before she kept going. :

SET LIST:
Dark Side
Behind These Hazel Eyes
Since U Been Gone
Gone
You Love Me

Heavy in Your Arms (Florence + The Machine Cover)
My Man (Funny Girl - Broadway Tune Request)
I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James Tribute
Medley: Kelly Albums Through The Years
The Trouble With Love Is -Walk Away - How I Feel - I Want You

I Know You Won't (Carrie Underwood Cover)
Don't You Wanna Stay (with Jason Aldean - who was seen onstage as a Jolly Green Giant-sized projection)
Let Me Down
I Forgive You
Already Gone
Breakaway

You Still Won't Know What It's Like
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)
My Life Would Suck Without You

EXTENDED ENCORE:!!
Never Again
Because of You
Mr. Know It All
Miss Independent

The only big song left off the list was "I Do Not Hook Up" and I didn't really notice until the concert was over. Since U Been Gone came VERY early. I think, as a crazy screaming crowd, we were expecting it later. All the covers that came during the 2nd quarter (as I've divided them) were really solid. I'd Rather Go Blind was a stand out. As was her cover of I Know You Won't, which might be one of my favorite songs Kelly's ever done. She first covered it on her Unplugged Special and I'm really glad she threw it into the mix tonight. It was an unexpected delight.) People who were not me recorded them and put them on YouTube, so here's a sample of the awesomeness. I apologize for the shaky-cam on their behalf.

The Encore was really nice. She sang a really stripped down version of Never Again. She dedicated Because of You to Reba, who was in the audience. And then rocked out through to the end. I have to say it tat while ending on Miss Independent made sense thematically, it was one hit that most of the audience couldn't sing all the way through. Most people (me included) really only know the parts that go "WHAT IS THIS FEELING TAKING OVER??" and "WHAT HAPPENED TO MISS INDEPENDENT?" and the rest of the song is just fun to jump around to. As opposed to say "Breakaway" or "My Life Would Suck Without You" or "Since U Been Gone" which everyone there knew by heart. Still the band rocked Miss Independent really hard. You can't fault them their own little rock out at the end. :)

The night was a total treat. So happy I got to go. I left feeling energized and inspired. Thanks, Kelly! You are the best. Keep on rockin'. I'll keep coming back for more.

2012 Aussie Open: Rafa Round 3

2012-01-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

(Is Rafa casting this towel aside, or summoning it to himself with x-men-like mental capabilities?)

Our Hero, Rafa Nadal has made it to the Round of 16 following his win in straight sets over Lukas Lakko 6-2 6-4 6-2. It was a quick match - under two hours - but it took 15 minutes to complete the first two games, which featured long rallies and two breaks of serve. After that though, Rafa took over for good.

Rafa's right knee seems to be in fine working condition and his serve is very strong. His attitude seems to be very positive (for Rafa, at least) and he's getting the job done without having to use all his intensity. It looks good for Rafa to at least make it to the semis. But first he'll meet fellow countryman Feliciano Lopez in the next round. It's not a gimme of a match by any means, but if it's a good day at the office, Rafa should get through without too much drama. With Filo making it through, that means there are no more American men left in the draw, an at my time of writing this Serena is the only American female left in the draw either. C'mon, America! We can do better than that! Tough luck this year, I guess. We do have some talented young guys and girls coming up the ranks.

Looking at the competition ahead Rafa and Murray have much easier paths than Novak and Fed currently do. Novak is currently demolishing everybody in his path, but still to come is the tricky Raonic (provided he gets past Hewitt, which he should) in the Round of 16 and then most likely Ferrer in the Quarters before Murray in the semis. Fed in comparison has Tomic on his plate and then likely Delpo. Who does Murray have to face? LLorda? Monfils? not til Tsonga in the quarters should he really be challenged. And once Rafa gets past Filo his biggest threat in the following round is Berdych. That's not so bad. I'm very interested to see if the top 4 can make it to the final 4 again. But mostly I just want Rafa to keep winning. He's always the main focus. Vamos!

Aussie Open 2012: Rafa Round 2

2012-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

(Swinging his way through Round 2)

Nadal got through his second round match in fairly straight forward fashion (was it yesterday? the day before? tomorrow? who can tell with the time zone difference), beating Tommy Haas in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. It looked initially like it was going to be a much quicker match than it was with Nadal ahead 5-1 in the first with a break point/set point on Haas's serve, but then Haas stormed back and won the next 3 games to close within 5-4. Nevertheless, Our Hero got the job done closing out the set on his next service game. The writing as pretty much on the wall from there.

It's still early in the tournament and Rafa is not playing his ultimate best, but he's playing well enough to get the job done in straight sets. Next up in Round 3 is Lukas Lacko from Slovakia. I love that guy's name. He shouldn't provide too much of a problem for Rafa. There are some other really interesting 3rd round match-ups shaping up throughout the draw. I'm interested to see what happens with Tomic vs. Dolgopolov, Fed vs. Karlovic, and Hewitt vs. Raonic.I'd also like to see Isner beat Fee-Lo, but then that puts him in line to face Rafa in the 4th round, and then he'd have to fall. Sorry, Americans! It's already kinda rough out there with Fish and Roddick gone early. Before Nadal-Isner becomes a reality to stress over, first we gotta get through Round 3... which might air tonight here and be happening on Friday down there? Gah, time zones! Vamos!

At Disney World, Every Day is a Marathon - Day 1

2012-01-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

(The Journey Begins...)

Ahh, Disney World in Orlando. Always a great vacation spot. I have been 7 times in my life. So I average a trip about every five years. Within that time there is always something new that's been built or revamped. I've gone with different assortments of friends and family, and it's always a unique experience. I really love it. This time would be extra special for two reasons. 1) I would be going with my dad and my two sisters, and I honestly don't think we've all been on the same vacation together in 25 years. We weren't really big vacation people growing up. So this was gonna be our big family trip as adults - 10 people total including my brothers-in-law and nieces and nephew. It would be the youngest generation's first trip there. Very exciting! Also exciting? Reason 2) I was running the Disney World Marathon. Why was I doing this? I honestly have no idea. I decided I wasn't running the 2011 NYC Marathon and then immediately needed a NEW marathon to run. Disney seemed like the most fun. I got to run through the parks! And then go on rides! My family thought it sounded more fun than crazy and decided to make a whole big trip out of it. So here I was in the beginning of January 2012 getting my bags packed for Orlando. The thing is, every day at Disney is a marathon. To illustrate this fact, here's a blow-by-blow of my time there, with helpful hints sprinkled along the way for all you people who may be planning a Disney trip in the not-so-distant future!

It's Wednesday night. I leave early in the morning. I'm nervous. I feel like I have not really prepared enough for this marathon as opposed to others I've run in the past. It's a new course. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hoping I just make it through in a decent time. I'm trying to focus on packing, but I'm paying more attention to Breaking Bad which I've been streaming endlessly for the last few days. I'm almost done with Season 3 but I'm not gonna be able to completely finish it off until I get back. There are just so many hours in a day and I have to get at least a few hours of sleep before the plane ride in the morning. The plan for the trip goes like this My sister Nancy and her family got in on Tuesday night so they will be there when I get there though I don't know what specific park they are going to that day. My other sister, Ams, and family and my Dad are getting in late Thursday night and I'll see them Friday. We are all staying in different hotels, because anything else will be way too much coordination for my family. But perhaps it's nice we're not all on top of each other. Disney Planning Tip #1: Factor in breathing room. Disney can be overwhelming! I make sure I have my boarding pass and room reservations all printed out and ready to go and get to sleep around 11:45pm. I'm gonna get about 4.5 hours of sleep tonight. Let's see how this goes...

THURSDAY

(Airport to Hotel to ESPN WWoS to Hotel to Hollywood Studios to Epcot to Hotel)

4:15am - Wake up. Shower and shave. Watch an episode of Breaking Bad as I pack the last of my things. I have slept a surprisingly solid 4.5 hours. Having done much of the packing and watching of Breaking bad the night before, I get the last little toiletries together and head down to my pre-arranged taxi only about 10 minutes late. I somehow manage not to leave anything important behind! A miracle!

5:35am - I arrive at LGA. Go through security. They examine my bag for what seems like forever. Perhaps most people do not pack a dozen protein bars, 3 hard-boiled eggs, four packets of grapes and sliced apples. But ti's not liquid so they let it slide. Disney Hint #2: Outside food is allowed. Bring snacks from home! It will save you a bundle on out of pocket expenses!

6:35am - I board the plane. I'm always nervous that by sitting toward the front of the plane the overhead bins will be full by the time I get on and my carry on will have to be checked. Since my carry-on only fits some plane models sideways not long-ways, the chances are greater than I like. Luckily the bin above my row is not taken when I make it inside. Score!

(You can fly!)

7:00am - Take off. We'll be down there in roughly 2 hours. There is no inflight entertainment during this flight. There is, however, complementary drink service and snacks! Hooray! It is apparently still barely above 30 degrees outside in Orlando at this time. the hell? It shouldn't be THAT cold! Everyone in the plane is shocked. The Pilot assures us that it's still not sunrise there and it will warm up. Hmm. That sounds like a lie. I decide to read a little of All The Kings Men to pass the time on the flight and.... zzz....

7:30am - I awaken to find that the young lady and her mother sitting next to me have snacks and drinks. And the snack cart has moved away from our row. WTF? The girl next to me couldn't nudge me or something? Do I LOOK like I'm going to want to pass up free food?? I hate her. They are certainly not as nice as the Tisi's were heading to Rome. The people next to me now are such bad seat mates. I bet they would try to steal my oxygen mask in case of a loss of cabin pressure! Luckily, we don't have to find out. Instead, I wave the flight attendant down and get myself an apple juice, bag of mini-pretzels, packet of lightly salted peanuts and a breakfast cookie. Hooray! So many treats! After that, more reading and dozing continues.

9:00am - We being our decent, and my ears start to pop. This is usually a very painful problem for me. I took a mild decongestant before the flight which helps, but I realize now I have no gum in my coat pocket. The girl sitting next to me has a pack of Trident. She gives a piece to her mother. Do they offer me any, even as I desperately eye the package? No. I'm seated next to she-demons, I tell you.

(Orlando International Airport. Missing from photo: Construction and improper signage.)

9:45am I'm off the plane and away from those odious gum-hoarding banshees. The Orlando Airport is a bit messed up. There are a million signs telling you which direction not to go and only one small sign pointing the right direction to freedom. Meh. I make it to the Disney Express Bus and they ask for my bus voucher. Bus voucher? I don't have a bus voucher. What's that? It's in the coupon book Disney sent me that I thought was garbage and left at home? Damn. I guess I did forget something I needed. Helpful Hint #3: Bring everything that they send you in the mail with you on the trip. It will serve some purpose! Ah well. they printed me a new pass pretty easily. I'm ready to get to the hotel, unpack, get my race package stuff and head to the parks!

10:05am The bus driver tells us it is a 35-minute drive to get to the Disney All-Star resorts. No! My day is already slipping away. Every minute in transit is a minute not on real rides!! I take this time to call my sister Nancy who is already in the parks. I find out she is in Hollywood Studios. She does not have park hopper passes and has to be in Hollywood Studios all day. Helpful Hint #4: Go for the Park Hopper Passes. I haven't checked what the difference in price is and I don't care. You might find you like one park better than another. You might not need a whole day in one of them, or you might miss a ride you really wanted to go on one day. Park Hopper gives you more flexibility to see what you want to see as much as you want to see it. So I have a Park Hopper but Nanc's family doesn't. That means I'll go see them in Hollywood Studios in the afternoon before heading to my special Marathon Weekend Pasta dinner that's being held in Epcot that night.

(All-Star Movies Resort, Here we come!)

10:40am. I get to Disney All-Star Movies resort, my home base for the next 5 days. A tackier decor you could not imagine, but it was within my budget and is on Disney grounds and is certainly nice enough for me, so there you have it. It takes FOREVER checking in, because the people in front of me have a million problems with their reservation. Helpful hint #5: If you can do online check-in in advance of getting to Disney, take that option. After 10 minutes, I finally get through, get my room key and get on with it. I ask the check-in person about my Pasta in The Parks dinner but he can't tell me where it is in Epcot. Only that it is in Epcot. "Maybe it's the whole park?" He offers. "The WHOLE PARK?" I say back, with a skeptically raised brow. Later today, I'm going to have to pick up my race bib and goodie bag at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Maybe when I get to the registration expo, someone there will know.

(Look through my window, yeah, to the street below...)

10:55am - I get to my room in the Mighty Ducks section of Disney All-Star Movies. Everything about the building is encased in giant-sized Mighty Ducks iconography. It makes it look more like it belongs in the Disney All-Star Sports Resort, but what can you do? Maybe Mighty Ducks was really popular when they built this place. My room is totally fine... except for a few strange things. My bathroom has no bathtub. Just a curtain and a drain in the floor.

(tubless)

My brain is so rattled from the lack of sleep and early flight that I can't make sense of it. It takes my wonderful friend Suki to explain to me over FB that I'm in a handi-cap accessible room. (note: I don't have internet access in my room for the trip. it's 10 bucks a day, and. with internet already on my phone, I say F-That. I can go without using internet on my laptop for a couple days.) The handicap accessible revelation makes me a little anxious. Am I supposed to have the handicap accessible room? Have I been placed here incorrectly? Is this like stealing a handicap parking spot? Is someone else who really needs it going without? I am concerned. But I'm losing precious minutes of my Disney Day that I simply can't afford, so I just go with it. I quickly unpack and freshen up, and head out to catch the shuttle to the ESPN Wide World Of Sports complex to get all my official race stuff for Sunday.

(Race Registration Time!)

11:15am I'm on the bus to ESPN Wide World of Sports. I had to wait a little while for the shuttle and I was very impatient. I realize I need to chill the eff out. Helpful Hint #6: Breathe. You are on vacation. Things in the South move slower than I like them to move. There will be some unavoidable waiting in line this weekend. I think I'm feeling extra nervous right at this moment because I feel unprepared for the marathon and don't actually know how I'm going to get through it three days from now. I hope that once I get all my race stuff in order, that will at least be one weight off. I should mention at this point that it is NOT a warm day. The sun came up so it's not in the 30s, but MAYBE it's in the high 50's? MAYbe. Anyway, ESPNWWoS is a very nice facility, but one I don't feel the need to spend more time at than necessary, mostly because there are no rides here and I want to go on rides. I walk as fast as I can without running to the Field House to get my packet. It's a ginoormous place. I find where i'm supposed to go and they ask me for my Release Form. Release Form? Damn, two things I left without! At least they were things I didn't know I needed to have, so it's not like I "forgot" them. Luckily Disney assumes people will show up with nothing they need and has every contigency plan at the ready. I go to an "I forgot my shit" computer station and print out a new form and sign it. They give me my race stuff. I ask them where the Pasta In The Parks dinner is. They have no clue. They suggest I go to information. Information doesn't know where it is either. They tell me when I get to Epcot, someone there will know. MAYbe.

(The crowds say, "Buy! Buy! Buy!" Owen says, "Bye, bye bye!")

I head over to Josten's Center to get my Race Shirt and Goody bag. The place is a mad house. People are buying all sorts of Disney marathon race gear. The check out line is at least an hour long. Fools. You are wasting your entire Disney Day on a line that only leads to a register and not a ride? This is folly. I grab my goodie bag and weave my way through the hordes to get out of there as quickly as possible. On my way out, I notice a station that will allow you to send text messages to spectators so they know your split times on the course. I figure this will be useful for my family to know since I have no idea how long it will actually take me to run the marathon. I put all their cell phone numbers into the system and head out, but as I'm leaving I notice that I do not have my folder with all my important trip receipts in the bag. I must've left it at Registration when i was looking for my Release Waiver. Gah! I make my way back through the Field House. The people thankfully still have my folder. I also realize that I have not gotten any info on the Race Retreat I paid for. Race Retreat is basically VIP treatment before and after the marathon. The nice registration lady shows me where the Race Retreat table is. So even if I had not left my folder here, I would've needed to come back here anyway, but possibly would've realized it too late. Good thing I was going fast enough to trip myself up into realizing I really needed to slow down.

(I took a picture of the Directory to help me remember things and then never went to Champion Stadium. D'oh!)

11:45am. Okay, I've got all my stuff and I'm ready to get to the Parks. Only I can't go directly to the parks. I have to go back to a hotel and get on another shuttle that goes to the parks. Helpful Hint #7: Know your shuttlebus route ahead of time! UGH. Fine. I wait for nearly 20 minutes for a shuttle back to All-Star Movies. I also brazenly cut a few dozen people in line when the bus finally arrives, but whatever. I'm one person and everyone else is traveling in groups of 4's and 5's it seems. I'm hardly noticeable and taking up very little space. I need to get on with my day. My cutting winds up really amounting to nothing anyway as another All-Star Movies bus follows directly behind the one I got on. Back to the Hotel and then off to Hollywood Studios!

(Nothing screams Hollywood like a giant Magician'a Hat!)

12:15pm. I get to Hollywood Studios! My first park of the vacation! There is the giant Sorcerer Hat in the middle of the main walkway. Originally the iconic symbol of this Park was the Water Tower with the Mickey Ears (back when the Park was called Disney/MGM Studios) and you can barely find that thing on the map now. I make my way toward Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster. Nancy and her fam are in Beauty and The Beast Stage show right across from that area. The lines at those rides are already too long and the Fast Passes are far far later in the afternoon. Helpful Hint #8: Make the Fast Pass System Work for you! It's Free. No line is worth waiting on longer than 25 minutes. Suddenly as I'm walking, I feel woozy and a bit of a headache is coming on. It's been a long day already. I need food. And not protein bar-type food. Something that's been cooked. I get myself a hot dog with pulled pork and coleslaw on top from a food station. It costs 9 dollars and tastes amazing. As I'm finishing up, my sister, brother-in-law and two kids find me after their show lets out. Those kids are the cutest and the best! Nanc got me a fast pass ticket to Tower of Terror for later in the day. That rules! In the meantime we go see Muppets 3D and a Disney Junior Stage show. The Disney Junior stage show has no seats. You just sit on the ground, or in my case you lie down on the ground and try not to visibly be asleep. The show is very cute. My 6 year old niece and 3 year old nephew ADORE it. I feel kinda bad for the one human dude in the show because he has to be SO high energy and the audience is giving him nothing. I mean they enjoy it, but it's all very little kids who are mostly shocked and awed into silence. So it's him doing this show all day long with a bunch of puppets backing him up. I feel for him. I hope he is happy. He did a good job. I feel like we should be tipping him on the way out.

(Photo op time with Pooh Bear!)

5:00pm after several trips around the park and several photo ops with different Disney characters My sister and her family head of to their dinner at the Brown Derby while I go off to figure out where the hell my Pasta in the Parks dinner is in Epcot.Helpful Hint #9: Each Park has a buffet meal option. Seek these out. They are the best value for your dollar and the food is great, plus dessert and unlimited drinks are included But before I leave Hollywood Studios, I decide to go on the Great Movie Ride. This ride is kinda... I don't know, dated? It's not very interesting, but it's the rare instance where the ride is much longer than the line and you get to sit down the whole timeand you can kinda take a nap if you need to. So I get on the ride and it's this big boat of a vehicle that has to be able to hold at least 60 people. The tour guide is all "Ready for a trip to the MOVIES?" I'm like "YEAH!" the 40 other people on the ride are like "eh." Don't worry, Tour Guide Lady. It's me and you. We'll get through this together!

(Epcot: After Dark)

6:00pm I get to Epcot via Shuttlebus and ask the guy at the security check point where Pasta in the Parks is happening. He tells me it's between Canada and the UK in the World Showcase. Great! Finally some answers. By now, it's pretty dark out. The sun has set. And because Epcot is set up for maximum fireworks awesomeness all the outdoor lighting is set very low to the ground. As I weave in and out of stone sculptures by the giant globe I feel like I'm gonna get mugged. I'm not. I mean, it's Epcot. But that's how it FEELS. Figuring it's just after 6pm and dinner lasts until 8pm, I decide there's plenty of time for me to go on Journey Into Imagination starring Figment the Dragon. The ride, and Figment especially, are favorites of mine from my childhood. They have revamped the ride since then, and it's not as good as it once was in my opinion, but it's always great to see Figment again and to sing the Imagination theme song. The woman operating the ride could tell I was gonna be a total weirdo about it (my overly wide eyes and giant grin were perhaps a tell) and she tried to set me up in my own car so I could geek out without disturbing anybody, but then these two stupids who were behind me in line didn't listen to where she instructed them to go and they got in the back row of my car anyway. Helpful Hint #10: Listen to where your ride operator tells you to go, and ollow instructions! Whatever, fools. You get to see me clap and sing along for the next 5 minutes as the ride goes by. I'm not dialing down my glee for your benefit.

(Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow. horns of a steer, but a wonderful fellow!)

6:30pm. So happy to have seen Figment, I head off to dinner. Have I mentioned I'm exhausted? Because I totally am. My feet are so tired and I've notice that the sole of my shoe is coming off and the sneakers I brought are not going to last me another day. Hmm. What to do about that? Dinner first. I find there's this giant event space tucked discreetly away down a side path between Canada and UK. Never would've notices it otherwise! These Disney folks sure know a few things about design. I go to walk in, and this very nice lady is all "where's your wristband?" I'm all "What wristband?" Then I see all these people walking in wearing wristbands. How did they all get wristbands when nobody i talked to all day could even tell me WHERE in Epcot the dinner was? Luckily I have something just as good as a wristband - a RECEIPT OF PURCHASE! I show the lady that I bought my Pasta ticket, and she checks her printed records because as I mentioned before, Disney works on the assumption that you will have forgotten everything you need for your stay. So I'm finally given an entry wristband and allowed in.

(Food! Glorious Food!)

The space is very cool. It's HUGE. there is a buffet with really delicious food and unlimited drinks. It was totally worth the price of admission which was only like 40 bucks or something. I had several kinds of pasta, salad, bread, chicken and desserts. Yum yum yum! I talked to a bunch of random runners who were sitting at a table that had an empty seat for me. I learn that several of them had been at Disney for almost two weeks! How could this be?? I honestly couldn't imagine staying at Disney for that long. Not that there isn't enough to DO at Disney to spend two weeks on, but it still seems like a very long time. Also I found out that several people were doing the Goofy Run. This is a specific challenge where you run the Disney Half Marathon on Saturday Morning (picking up a Donald-shaped medal for your efforts) and then running the FULL Marathon the FOLLOWING DAY! That to me is insanity! Who would do that to their body? I honestly can't imagine it. You do get a Mickey-shaped medal from completing the Marathon and then a special Goofy-shaped one for completing both races. I have to admit a Goofy-shaped medal is pretty enticing, but I still can't imagine myself ever doing it. Still, knowing that I "only" had a marathon ahead of me to run, made me feel better about my prospects of finishing not last on Sunday. It was also at this dinner that I got to take a picture with Goofy - in the classic back-to-back pose (i have several like this from other trips) and one hugging. I accidentally hit him in the face while saying goodbye and he definitely let me know how he felt about it in Goofy antics. The cast members who play Goofy are the best. They have so much personality. Logically I know it's weird to hug an adult in a Goofy suit so fervently (especially since there's a good chance he's probably like 10 years younger than me now... yeesh) but I don't really care. That's what Disney's about. Goofy hugs!

(Me & Gooy!! Birds of a Feather)

8:00pm - I should go home after dinner, because I'm barely on my feet, but I do not go home. I go on rides. I go on Spaceship Earth - which had this whole new interactive computer component I'd never experienced before. Besides showing me the animatronic history of the world, it showed me a possible future in which I had a cartoon ginger boyfriend and we vacationed in space and I looked very thin and happy. Very progressive, Disney!

(I'm so happy there is travel in my future!)

Then I went on Destination:Space which simulates the g-forces of space travel. There is a green lightweight version and an orange heavyweight version. I went with Orange. Gary Sinise was narrating what we were supposed to do but it was really late and I was tired and not paying attention but then he was like "You have to press the right buttons when I tell you to or maybe everyone DIES!" and then I, along with the strangers next to me started getting nervous. We were also instructed that if we started to feel sick we should not lean forward, look down or try to shut our eyes. The ride was equipped with barf bags. They were not ornamental. This ride was really intense. I was so happy when it was done. Now I was ready to go back to the hotel. There's fireworks after 830pm around the World Showcase, but I can't even deal. Disney is never short on fireworks.

(Home sweet home. Note the Mighty Ducks artwork on the wall, in case you forget which hotel you are in.)

9:15pm - I get back and get myself organized for the next day. I feel totally wiped out. Today was LONG. What with the flight and the back and forth to ESPN and then two Disney parks. I had two more days of this to go before the actual marathon. Before I completely collapsed I sent a message to my Dad and other sister who were coming in that I would be headed back to Hollywood Studios in the morning (Still had to go on Star Tours and Rockin' Rollercoaster!) and then over to Animal Kingdom in the afternoon.

10:00pm Blissful Sleep... until 7am Wake up call!

Next Time: Hollywood Studios Redux! Plus, Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom!

Some Song Like You

2012-01-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

(this song hates to show up out of the blue uninvited, but it couldn't stay away it couldn't fight it...)

Listen, I love my girl Adele just as much - if not more - than the next person. I thrill at her success. I'm glad her throat is healing fully after surgery. She's having a strong start to the year - "Set Fire To The Rain" is currently #2 on the iTunes singles charts and her album 21 is still amazingly at #1. She'll probably win a bunch of Grammys next month. And that's all great! But I need to call a seasonal moratorium on radio play for "Someone Like You." It's way too cold outside and gets dark way too early these days to be dealing with this song right now. It wasn't so noticeable in late November through December because the airwaves were monopolized by Christmas carols. But now it's full-on Winter-minus-the-Wonderland time, and the song is back with a vengeance. I hear it at the supermarket, at the drug store, in corner cafes - even at the gym! "Someone Like You" is not a song to which you want to run on the treadmill or lift weights. Not even the dance remix of the song. (Also? There should not be a dance remix of this song. Yet there are several.)

"Someone Like You" is a great song, sung beautifully by a great artist, but if the sun is still setting before 6pm and the temperature is hovering around freezing, it's just not the right time for it. We're all fighting against Seasonal Affective Disorder as it is. Winter Wipeout can only do so much to raise the human spirit in these dark and depressing times. This song ain't helping the cause. How about radio stations take a break from playing it for awhile? Definitely through Valentine's Day and probably on through mid-March. We can reconvene and reassess at that point. Okay? Thanks y'all.

2012: New Year, New Challenges

2012-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

(Cheers, to the new year! Rafa's marching orders for 2012 are to live - and drink - responsibly.)

Okay, so getting those few first awards shows and sports shows out of the way, time to turn the spotlight/magnifying glass/microscope back on myself. 2012 feels like it's going to be a year of transition. Closing doors and opening wisdowm. Perhaps giant earthquakes and floods and volcanoes. Perhaps just a progressive increase of climate change. But it's definitely a time of stripping away that which is not needed and nurturing new ideas and opportunities so they can flourish.

What to challenge myself with after the Year Without Cookies? I must say I have enjoyed the opportunity to have a cookie and the occasional soda again these past two weeks. Amusingly, now that I CAN have them again I find I've developed a strange psychological aversion to them. Now that I can choose to have them, I find myself turning them down anyways, or consuming them in much smaller quantities. Which is where I really wanted to get to really, so I guess we can score last year as a success!

This year, I decided to give up my cable. I haven't completely given up TV. I wouldn't be happy doing that. I enjoy some of my programs. But I increasingly felt I was searching the upper reaches of the cable channels to watch things simply because they were on. I don't want to do that anymore. SO I've got my basic networks (yay parks and rec! yay wipeout!) and the other basics (yay downton abbey!) and that's fine but I also had to say goodbye to MSNBC (Chris Hayes! Rachel Maddow!) and ESPN (sports!) USA, TNT, AMC, Bravo and all the rest. It's better off this way. More time to write. That's the focus now. If I really need a fix of something new I can check out any of the many series that are available on Streaming Netflix I thought I never had time for in the past. For instance; Breaking Bad. I never watched it before New Year's Weekend and then floored through it's first three seasons. What a fantastic show!Seriously, y'all. If you haven't yet done so, check it out.

So the focus this year is on increased creativity, mobility and simplicity. Remove the clutter. Explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To Boldly Go Where No O Has Gone Before.

Also I need to take a yoga class and finish reading Name of The Wind because I've been telling myself I would do both those things for the longest time and still have not scratched them off the list. 2012, baby. 2012.

Aussie Open 2012: Rafa Round 1

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

(Rafa's back in action!)

Well, here we are barely two weeks into the new year and already the tennis season is back in full swing with the first of the Grand Slam events underway. I swear, it's like the season never ends. It's just the years that keep changing.

Anyway, Rafa here is seeded No. 2. His quarter is not so bad. He is in the same half as Federer so they could meet in the semis. Novak's quarter in the top half seems like a more difficult road, but if he makes to the semis you'd have to favor him over pretty much anybody on that side, especially Murray. We'll see! Should prove an interesting tournament these next two weeks.

First things first; First round! Rafa won pretty handily against American Alex Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. What could prove troublesome is some right knee pain that Rafa experience after a tendon tightened on him in a strange way while he was lounging in a chair in his hotel room the night before last. Hopefully he continues to feel better and can get treatment during his day off before facing Tommy Haas from Germany in the second round. None of the prognosticators are really picking Rafa to win the tournament or even make it very far, given his nagging injuries and mental vulnerability of late, but I'm sticking with him for sure! Don't call it a comeback! Vamos!

Tommy and the Pats

2012-01-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

(I miss your long hair, Tommy, but you're still my guy. Thank you for ridding me of Tebow.)

I was filled with joy this Saturday Night when my boy Tommy and his team of Patriots took down Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in such an authoritative way. I haven't been a fan of Tebow. Some people find him inspiring. I'm not counted among their ranks. I don't begrudge people their faith, and I understand the concept of praying for strength and focus and no one getting hurt before a sports competition. And also hoping for a little luck. But it annoys me as much when people think God cares about them winning in the NFL as it does when people think God really cares about them winning reality game shows. Sure, there's genocide and famine around the world but I'm sure God's true priority is you holding the Vince Lombardi trophy so you can then tell more women they shouldn't have access to family planning. Ugh. I can't take it! I'd like a lot less Focus on the Family, and a lot more Focus on My Gameplay with my pro-football viewing. Thanks.

In the lead up to the game between the Pats and the Broncos, almost all the attention was on Tebow and not on my Tommy. I'm not saying Tebow can't become a great quarterback, but let's not compare them as if they are on the same level. They are not. Yet. So after a total pummeling with the Broncos losing 45-10, all the crazy Tebowing, the new version of St. Elmo's Fire and all that other stuff can finally be retired for the rest of the post-season. Thank goodness. Smell ya later, Tebow. My team still has some football to play. And the fact that a Giants-Pats Super Bowl rematch is still a possibilty is very exciting to me. Although, I'm sorry you lost, Packers Fans. I know what it is to have an almost perfect season ended by the Giants... it's tough. You'll get though this. I promise.

In the meantime, I figured if Tebow could have lyrics of an oldie re-written for him. I could rewrite some lyrics for my guys as well. I think Sir Elton John would approve.

Tommy and The Pats

Hey kids,

shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around

You're gonna hear em shouting "Tommy!"
Solid walls of sound

Say, Tebow and Foxie, cannot beat them yet!
Oh! Cause they're so spaced out!

T-T-T-Tommy and the Pats
Denver is gone and it's wonderful!
Oh Tommy, he's really keen

Wes Welker's coming through, Gronkowski too!

Scoring 6 touchdowns in a play-off gaaaame!

T-T-T-Tommy and the Pats.

Tommy! Tommy! And the Paaaaaats!

Say, Tebow and Foxie, have you seen them yet?
No! cause they both crashed out!

T-T-T-Tommy and the Pats

Broncos are through and it's wonderful!
Oh Tommy, he's really keen

Wes Welker's coming through, Gronkowski too!

Scoring 6 touchdowns in a post-season gaaaame!

T-T-T-Tommy and the Pats!

Tommy! Tommy! And the Paaaaaats!

Tommy and the Paaaaats!

2012 Golden Globes - Not Enough Blood, Sweat or Tears

2012-01-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

(JTL sums up my thoughts on the night in one word. But I'll keep writing about the awards anyway.)

Why, hello Blog! It's now 2012. I haven't posted at all yet in the new year. Today will change that, as MLK Day has been dedicated as a writing day, so all the odds and ends of posts will finally make it to "Published" status. There is much to talk about, but we will start at the most recent and work backwards and then jump forwards. I have always been a fan of non-linear stories.

So the Globes! Usually a fun awards show uniting our Hollywood favorites from TV and the silver screen. The last two years with host Ricky Gervais their was a heightened sense from the audience that any sort of nasty or offensive joke could be hurled their way, which put the room on edge despite all the alcohol they were consuming. This year's telecast just didn't have much sparkle for me. Jesse Tyler Ferguson photo-bombing Eric Stonestreets's nomination Wile E. Coyote-style with the word card, summed up my experience with the Globes. Lots of expected winners. A couple of frustrating headscratchers (Kelsey Grammer over Bryan Cranston???). But having just watched 10 hours of Downton Abbey this weekend, I was primed for more drama or intrigue than was actually on hand. At least Gervais, Madonna and Angelina speaking in British accents was a comfort. But Gervais didn't really bring that much to it this year. I wanted him to go for the jugular, have the audience nervous. I wanted the winners to be more over-emotional in their speeches. It just didn't happen. I think also part of the problem was that I just haven't seen many of the nominated movies this year. In 2010 and 2011, I had somewhat organically seen almost all of the nominated films from the previous year, but this time it feels like the only one I've seen is The Artist. There aren't a lot of giant crowd pleasers in the mix. Still even if the awards were a little sleepy, and the movies not well-known there were some highlights.

Christopher Plummer Wins Best Supporting Actor! How can one vote against Captain Von Trapp? One cannot. One should not. I love him. I have not yet seen Beginners, but it makes me happy that he is getting recognition for the role. Dude has been working in the industry for 7 decades. I hope he takes home the Oscar next month.

(the man of the three-plus hours.)

George Clooney rules all. Clooney should host next year. Everyone loves him. If George Clooney told a joke at your expense in front of your peers and for millions of people watching at home worldwide with that trademark twinkle in his eye, you would first say "Clooney knows my name!" and then, "Thank you, sir. I'd like another!" Between his joshing of Brad Pitt by taking to the stage with his cane, trying to convince David Fincher to hand Meryl Streep her forgotten reading glasses, and giving a tip of his hat to Michael Fassbender's endowment during his own Best Actor acceptance speech - I'm telling you Golden Globes, Clooney is your man.

Madonna wins? I am confused as to how "Life's A Happy Song" from The Muppets was snubbed in the Best Song category. I'm expecting the Academy to correct this mistake. Instead Madonna won, and I guess she said something about something (I vaguely recall her saying she was too busy being a writer-director-producer-British Person to POSSIBLY write a song for the movie... until she did!) but the part I liked best was when she was talking and someone dashed across the back of the stage in full view of the stage. Sadly, they were not streaking, and the moment of intrigue quickly faded.

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy harmonize for the nominees. These two singing a little ditty to the Best Supporting Actress nominees was cute and attention-grabbing and graciously in-tune. Well-played.

Presenters Behaving Badly. It was certainly better banter than we got from Rob Lowe and Julianne Moore when their prompter broke and they had to read a print-out verson. And THEN they didn't even have the good manners to stand still while the creators of Downton Abbey gave their acceptance speech for Best TV Miniseries/Movie. They kept making faces at someone in the front of the audience until someone must have told them they could be seen in the wideshot and then they (sorta) behaved.

Amy Poehler, Robbed Again. Look, I don't watch that HBO show with Laura Dern. I'm sure she's fantastic. I like Laura Dern just fine. But Parks and Rec is the funniest thing on TV. And Amy deserves to win for it. Do right by her next year, Emmys. For serious. SAG Awards? Aren't you coming up soon? Take the lead, here.

(Puppy POWER!)

Wins for The Artist mean that cute-ums dog can take the stage! If I've only really seen one nominated film this year, I'm glad it's The Artist because I think that's a fun and fantastic film. A win for Score seemed inevitable. A win in Best Actor was a little less expected since Jean Dujardin says practically nothing the whole film and you'd think the "talkie" films might have an edge. But the win for best Comedy/Musical meant the whole gang got to go up on stage and that meant the little dog too. Uggie is the best, and certainly an important element of the film so I'm glad they let him join in the on-stage celebration.

So that's basically it. I would also say that the order the awards were given out this year felt especially disorganized. No wonder stars sometimes leave for the bathroom during their category, it's almost impossible to follow along as they jump between movies and tv, supporting actors and lead actors, you barely have any idea what's left to hand out once you're two hours in. But in case you are interested in seeing the full list of winners, here they are in reverse order of how they won. It wasn't the Best of Globes, nor the Worst of Globes. But Jessica Lange DID win for her supporting work in American Horror Story, so we can all walk away happy.

Best Picture (Drama): The Descendants
Best Actor in a Movie (Drama): George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Picture (Comedy or Musical): The Artist
Best Actress in a Movie (Drama): Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Actor in a Movie (Comedy or Musical): Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best TV Series (Comedy or Musical): Modern Family
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Supporting Actress in a Movie: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Actor in a TV Series (Comedy or Musical): Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama): Claire Danes, Homeland
Best Foreign Language Movie: A Separation (Iran)
Best Supporting Actress - TV Series, Miniseries, TV Movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
Best Animated Movie: The Adventures of Tintin
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Best Actress in a Movie (Comedy or Musical): Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Idris Elba, Luther
Best Original Song: “Masterpiece,” W.E.
Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Best TV Series (Drama): Homeland
Best Actor in a TV Series (Drama): Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Miniseries or TV Movie: Downton Abbey
Best Actress in a TV Series (Comedy or Musical): Laura Dern, Enlightened
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

A Year Without Cookies - Week 52. COMPLETED!!

2011-12-31T07:21:00.000-08:00

(mmm... pass the plate!)

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In thin mints? Somoas? In trefoils?
In cups of cola?
In root beer, in Tab, in Fanta, in Sprite?

In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?

How about looooove? How about loooooove?
How about love?
Or Chips Deluuuuuuuuxe?
Try Chips Deluuuuuuuuxe?

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand snack times to plan
Five hundred twenty-five thousand ix hundred minutes
How do you measure the health of a woman or a man?

In truths that he learned
Or in times that he cried
In dreams which he yearned
For the sodas deniiiiiiiiied?

It's time now to chow down
For the struggle finally ends
Let's celebrate
Remember the year
then have cookies with friends!

Remember the love
(Oh you got to, you got to remember the love)
Remember the love
(And soda's a gift from up above)
Remember the love
(Share love. Give love).
Measure in love....
(Measure, measure in Chips Deluuuuuuxe!)
Seasons of love...
And Chips Deluxe....

It's been a year! I did it! It's nice to know that self-restraint is possible. Now it's over. Oh thank heaven, it's no longer 2011! Give me that plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies over there! Nom, nom, nom, so good!

The 700 Club!

2011-12-31T06:46:00.001-08:00

(is this the little blog I carried, is this the little blog at play...?)

As 2011 comes to a close, the blog has come to a fun milestone. 700 posts! I cannot believe I have written so consistently here for 4 years. Thanks to everyone out there on the interwebs who has stopped by in the past several years to see what I had to say about whatever. Be it a theater review, or Olympics coverage, or a TV recap, or a love letter to Rafa, or my Year Without Cookies, my little google stats thing lets me know that people continue to come by. :) I always think I have the best readership because almost nobody ever leaves comments. I don't say that sarcastically. The occasional, "good post, O!" is always a treat, but I don't think I could really deal with a bunch of really intense ALL CAPS misspelled comments every time I posted about an episode of SYTYCD in which anonymous people tell me how I'm a dumbass who doesn't know anything. It's nice enough that people stop by now and then, read and go on with their day. :)

As I reach 700 today, I went back and read my original post about why I was starting to blog. It was called "Plans" and you can read it in full here. But my basic idea was this:

"I believe the Lennon quote goes: Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. But what if you are not busy making other plans? What if there are no plans and no momentum towards making them? I am not by nature a self-planner. I mean, it's my day job to organize other people's schedules and make plans for them, but that's different. It's like with chefs who don't cook for themselves at home. Right now I have peanut butter and jelly prospects for the future.... I have lofty ideas about what I should be able to accomplish in my life and it ain't gonna happen unless I get out of my comfort zone and try new things. When I get inspired, I will follow through. Now that's my plan."

So that's where the whole title for blog came from. Reading that first post back, I am satisfied that I have continued to follow last marching order. When I get inspired now, I will follow through. And the past four years have been filled with inspiration. And love. And boredom. And anger. And comfort. And self-discovery. And objective achieved. And facing new challenges. And setting new bigger goals. In essence, making plans.

I'm glad I've developed a place where I can come write about it all. :)

A Year Without Cookies - Supplemental: Other Dessert Sitchies

2011-12-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

(WARNING: Objects in picture are larger than they appear!)

As the Year Without Cookies clocks down its final hours, I feel like it must be noted that while there were no cookies consumed and no sodas imbibed, it certainly wasn't a year without sweets. DEFINITELY not a year without chocolate. I probably relied more heavily on things like mini chocolate bars or mini-peanut butter cups or low-cal pudding packs to get my chocolate fix. Desserts in general are delicious, and I cannot go without them. But even so, I must have put a bit of a dent in my sugar intake by eliminating the two greatest offenders.

That being said, they serve a dessert at the Museum of Natural History that I consider simply over the top. Just looking at it gives me a sugar rush and has me reaching and inspires a Pavlovian need to reach for a glass of milk and guzzle it down. It's a brownie served on top of a cupcake. Really? I mean, REALLY? This thing is crazy. It's just too much. Of course Migu always asks me to get him one for a snack, but even if we shared it, that would be overkill. Could you imagine me trying to get him to sit down and do his homework after eating even half of one of those things? He'd be spinning around like the Tasmanian Devil.

So not all desserts are created equal - especially in terms of sugar and calorie intake. If I was going to eat this thing, I might as well just down a whole carton of Chips Ahoy's and call it a day.

Less than 48 hours to go! Woohoo!!!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 51

2011-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

(Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow...)

The Panettieri house, after Christmas dinner...

Dad: HEY, DON'T YOU WANT SOME CHRISTMAS COOKIES? EAT SOME CHRISTMAS COOKIES!
Owen: I have not eaten cookies all year.
Dad: WHAAT??
Owen: I HAVEN'T EATEN COOKIES ALL YEAR!
Dad: OH...

Neither of us is hard of hearing. We just talk LOUD.

Merry Christmas, Folks. The last largest hurdle has been jumped. Less than a week to go now.. It's almost done. There were many wonderful Christmas cookies on display this week, but I avoided them all. It was a tough one. Home-made cookies. Store-bought cookies. Somehow they always taste sweeter at the holidays.

I bought myself a post-New Year's box of Mallomars this week. Somehow they always seem to disappear from store shelves during Christmas week. So I've got those delicious treats chilling in my fridge. Less than a week to go. It finally ends!!!

Other Christmas Gifts

2011-12-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

(Soon to be found on the Island of Murderous Misfit Toys)

I was xmas shopping for my nieces last week at Barnes & Noblez and came across lots of great gift ideas for the girls. Fun and crafty toys and games were in abundance, and there were no lines! Weekday shopping is the best. Among the cool toys I found, there were even these monster Barbie doll things that seemed popular among the few shoppers there that I wound up buying, even though I thought their insanely thin arms and legs promoted poor body image (I at least bought the versions of the dolls that were wearing the most clothing so they're not totally slutty on top of starving.) Among the cute and cuddly toys section of the store, I came across a display of dolls that creeped me the eff out.

(She is not your friend. Neither is Bunnicula sitting there next to her.)

What is up with the eyes? Maybe you can't tell from the glare on the packaging, but they have dark button eyes that make them look like Other Mother from Coraline.

(See the resemblance? Gah!)

Other Mother was a scary frightening monster! Why would you want plush dolls that looked like her? At least the slutty monster Barbies I bought don't look like they're out to murder you and eat your soul. They go to high school! Learning is fun!

Clearly I don't understand the Lalaloopsy design aesthetic. Regardless, you won't be finding these Other Xmas Gifts on this Santa's sleigh this year.

Happy Solstice from Xena, The (Possibly) German Warrior Princess!

2011-12-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Everybody Loves a Good Winter Solstice - including Xena, Warrior Princess. Since Holiday-Themed episodes on TV are a must, and the events of Xena pre-dated Jesus and Christianity (mostly. Eventually the One God and Archangels and Heaven and Hell were thrown into the mix), Xena and Gabrielle instead celebrated Solstice. Since all Holiday Episodes on TV must be shout outs to older Holiday Movies, the second season of Xena featured a riff on A Christmas Carol. I tried to find a decent clip of it online to share on this special holiday occasion and youtube did not fail me. It's the whole episode dubbed in German! (At least I think it's German? Yeah, I'm gonna go with German.) How did Santa know all I wanted this year was a German Xena? Youtube is the gift that keeps on giving. Gods bless us, everyone.

Good Solstice to all, and to all a good night!

Amazing Race 19: Leg 12 Recap! The FINALE!

2011-12-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

(These are the champions, my friends.)

Episode Twelve Fake Title: If We Had One Million Dollars, We Could Get Ourselves Out Of This Dump!

Starting City: Panama Viejo, Panama
Pit Stop City: Hotlanta, Georgia USA! USA!

1st Place: Team Bert & Ernie Reward: $1 Million
2nd: That Other Dating Couple
3rd: Footballers Lives

Roadblock: One team member had to type out the team's next clue by using an old-school typewriter. It had to be free of mistakes and the paper had to have been loaded correctly so the message was straight on the page. The typewriters did not have a 1 key, so the person typing had to figure out that the lower-case l was the same shape. This task was lame. I mean, it was sorta funny to see all the teams momentarily flummoxed by a non-computer typing apparatus. And they did have to figure out that an l looks like a 1, but it's the LAST LEG. Is this a task that's really worth anyone's time? It was kind of a bust.

Also of Note This Week: No actual Detour this week, but plenty of side tasks along the way to the finish line:

That Other Dating Couple and Bert & Ernie, lamented the final US city destination because it happened to be Atlanta, the city Footballers Lives calls home. Marcus and Amani were obviously excited to have it work out as home-field advantage, until they actually got there and almost immediately fell behind.

Once in Atlanta, teams traveled to FlightSafety International, picked a flight instructor and then hopped into a Learjet flight simulator. They had to successfully complete a simulated landing from an altitude of 2,500 feet to get their next clue. One team member was pilot and the other co-pilot. It seemed like this task actually took some time to complete. TODC got things done right on the very first try. It took Bert & Ernie two attempts and Footballers lives got absolutely sunk when it took them TWELVE attempts to get it right. Marcus kept veering off the runway during the landing. Amani remained patient and supportive throughout because she's amazing. Once they got stuck at the flight simulation, Footballers Lives was out of contention for the win for good.

The clue from FlightSafety, told teams to go to "the residence formerly known as 'The Dump'" That's a reference to the house of Margaret Mitchell, which the teams had to figure out on their own, and was the site of the typewriter Roadblock. Somewhat hilariously, That Other Dating Couple actually wound up at a giant used furniture store in Atlanta called The Dump. They spent so much time there that they too fell out of contention for the win. The last few seasons ended in very close finishes, so it was kind of bizarre that it became obvious so early in the hour that Ernie and Cindy were clearly going to win.

After the Roadblock, teams had to figure out the numbers in the typed-out clue had to do with Hank Aaron:and had to go to Turner Field, and the parking lot where Aaron's 715th home run is commemorated. Once there they had to deal with a large vertical map and climb along it, tracing the Race course by looping a rope through a series of carabiners on the map. The countries were not labeled. One team member worked on the map while their partner could shout directions from the ground. Teams were not allowed to use notes while working on the task. Cindy took the task for her team and sailed through it. The other teams were still so far behind that there was little suspense. Man, final legs in previous seasons were MUCH tougher than this.

The Amazing Race editors tried to make the ending look closer than it was by making it seem like Cindy and Ernie were getting screwed up by the taxi driver's constantly recalculating GPS, but TODC were too far behind after their trip to The Dump. So Team Bert & Ernie wins! They plan to use the money to build a company that will save the world. Hooray! The world is saved!

I am actually content with a Bert & Ernie win. I looked back at my early predictions and thought they'd be Top Half, so it's good enough for me!

But... I do think overall this Race was easier than those in the past. I can't recall any needle-in-a-hay-stack challenges (after the very first task), giant puzzles, eating challenges, physical endurance challenges or extreme sport challenges. It was a lot of go from A to B, do something pretty pedestrian, keep on moving. The speed bumps were super easy. The Hazard came and went with little fanfare. It seemed like the Unfinished Business season last Spring was a lot tougher. I mean, I appreciate the Race going to new locations this season, I just wish the actual challenges within the Race were more... challenging. This might be the first season where Killer Fatigue never set in for any team out there. I think that's a sign that the Race needs to take it up a notch for Season 20. I still love the show, and generally enjoyed the season. I think they cast it with very agreeable teams this year. So that's a plus. I have faith the show can recapture the magic of previous seasons. Just remember this formula, Show. Likable teams + varied foreign locations + difficult challenges = a successful season. I will still be watching in the Spring. Onward Racers!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 50

2011-12-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

(The Last Delicious Temptation of O)

FIFTY WEEKS! Very nice, O. Very nice. It's just the final two hurdles of Christmas Week and New Years Week and we're done.We can build this dream together. Standing strong forever. Nothing's gonna stop us now.

Yet temptations abound. I was in my boss's house this past week and there were homemade cookies and I was told I could "eat as many as I want." I honestly don't know if my boss is even remotely aware that I've been on my Year Without Cookies and how close I am to finishing. It must have come up at the office at some point, but I don't think he's that conscious of it. He was probably just trying to be a good host. Unless he's trying to undermine me right at the end. Neither option would surprise me. He sometimes likes his psychological games!

I did take a good hard look at what I was missing. . oh, home made cookies look so good! They are much harder to turn down than store-bought cookies. Still, none were consumed. I'm sure they will come to haunt me in my dreams.

Soon we will be down to single digit days! AAAAHHH!!!!!!

They Called It Puppy Love

2011-12-13T05:19:00.000-08:00

(Someone is not taking the loss of this cute-ums pup seriously.)

So I'm ashamed that when I saw this flyer hanging on the wall of the elevated subway platform last week, my initial reaction was something along the lines of, "They want their dog back, even if it's dead? They would give money to the person who returned it dead? Would they give more money if it was still alive? There must be an incentive to not killing the dog before getting the money, right? Unless they are following some kind of Pee Wee's Big Adventure philosophy where the person who returns the dog is obviously the person who stole him originally, so he/she doesn't deserve any reward!"

And then of course I thought about it for two more seconds and realized some asshole must've scrawled "Dead of Alive" on the poster just to be funny/cruel. So I am ashamed I was momentarily confused by this defacing of a Lost Dog flyer. The little guy is super cute and I hope the family that lost him gets him back - alive, please - this Holiday season.

A Year Without Cookies - Week 49

2011-12-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

(yum! yum! gimme some!)

This week, I was walking through CVS and came across the display shown above in the cookie aisle. Soon all of this will be mine again!

Week 49! I can't believe it. On-Maternity-Leave Co-Worker Suki came by the office this week and while we mooned over her totally cute-ums baby girl we both marveled over the fact that the year was almost over and I was actually going to make it. It's very exciting to be right at the end, my friends. Very exciting indeed.

My time in the cookie aisle reminded me that I have so many tasty options to sort through on my eventual Cookie Reunion Tour. I assume I will first go for chocolate chip cookies, because that only makes sense. And I have to buy myself a box of Mallomars this week to keep in my fridge for the beginning of 2012. It's too hard to find them after the holidays.But after those kinds are gobbled up, there are so many more varieties at the ready. Woohoo!

Next Week: We're at 50. FIFTY!! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I LOVE it! At this point, I might become a licensed joyologist.

Amazing Race 19: Leg 11 Recap!

2011-12-11T07:12:00.001-08:00

(Not pictured: Front Runners & Obvious Finalists, Team Tricky. Oh... wait...)

Episode Eleven Fake Title: Someone Called and Now He Knows Something and We're Going Somewhere.*

*-actual quote from Cindy as three teams race blindly toward what they hope is the Pit Stop. Welcome to the Semi finals!

Starting City: Brussels, Belgium (Again)
Pit Stop City: Panama Viejo Panama

1st Place: That Other Dating Couple Reward: Trip to Turks & Caicos
2nd: Team Bert & Ernie
3rd: Footballers Lives
Last Place: Team Tricky - Eliminated!

Roadblock: One team member had to cross a tightrope between the San Francisco Bay Towers in Panama. The rope was 35 stories high and 65 feet cross. Giant safety harnesses were used. Nobody seemed to fall of the wire. Boo! Not that I wanted them die! Remember I mentioned the safety harnesses!

Detour: A choice between Fillet and Sole. In Sole, the more popular task, teams traveled to the Salsipuedes Market where they had use a piece of leather to make the sole and strapping for a pair of sandals for a customer. Once a cobbler cleared their work, teams would receive their next clue. In Fillet, teams traveled to Panama's largest fish market, El Mercado de Mariscos, where they had to deliver fish (using their hands) to different marked stalls each only only accepting a certain kind of fish, and a certain weight. Once they were done with their deliveries, the fishmonger would give them their next clue. Footballers Lives were the only team to do Fillet even though their cabby brought them first to Sole. This was the first example of how the cabbies were trying to work together to get the teams to the same places without really listening to the teams. Personally, when dealing with a bunch of crazy American tourists who don't know where they're going and have cameras following them, it seems like a sensible approach on their part.

Also of Note This Week: I kinda thought the Detour and the Roadblock were kinda lame this week. Making sandals? Carrying fish? Walking on a rope? Meh. We're trying to get to the finals here!

Before getting out of Brussels, teams had to dress up as the two bumbling detective characters from the Tintin comics and figure out their names. There were three options, and teams covered all of them. Thomson and Thompson, Dupond and Dupont, and Johnson and Johnston. I guess as detectives they have aliases. Then, they had to find a man dressed as Tintin standing in front of the Tintin mural at the metro station (Belgium loves Tintin!) and tell him who they were dressed as in order to receive their next clue.Team Tricky thought they were Charley Chaplin. Oof. No. They even knew that had nothing to do with Tintin and still went with it. This was the first of a few bad decisions on their part this leg.

Once they got to Parara Puru in Panama, teams signed up for times to receive a temporary tattoo the next morning. The tattoo would give them their next location: the San Francisco Bay Towers in Panama City. This was also kind of random and inconsequential. Go for REAL tattoos! Now that I'd be interested in watching!

At Cathedral Square, teams had to find the name or image of the Pit Stop (Panamá Viejo) in the dresses and jewelry of dancers in the plaza: This was kinda tough because the racers didn't know exactly what they were looking for. It seemed like only one of the dancers had the actual words written on her dress and most of the time she seemed to be holding her skirt in a way that obscured the actual words. Team Tricky, who got their first with a sizable lead, misinterpreted the words on the jewelry and think it has something to do with Balboa. That leads them on a wild goose chase to the Panama Canal and then to a statue of Balboa at Avenida Balboa, both of which are wrong. The other three teams arrive at the Square pretty much together and though TODC gets the best information about the Pit Stop, once all the teams go back to the cabs, the three cabbies talk over the phone and decide where they are supposed to go and how best to get the teams there. Again, I think this has less to do with the cabbies caring about it being a race and the teams competing against each other and much more to do with them coming to a consensus as to where they, as drivers, ought to go since their passengers are so clueless. Eventually, the three teams DO get to the Pit Stop ahead of Team Tricky, so the Snowboarders fall from first to worst and get eliminated.

I'm actually okay with Team Tricky exiting. They certainly have enough fabulous parting gifts from winning so many previous legs. They would've been heavy favorites to win had they made it to the final leg, but now we have three pretty evenly-matched teams heading into the finals. TODC have not been particularly strong on any leg, but I believed they would completely collapse under Killer Fatigue awhile ago and they did not. Bert & Ernie are solid competitors but almost always mess up right at the end of a leg and lose first place so we'll see if they can beat the odds in that regard when it matters most. Then there's Footballers Lives who work great together, are solid competitors in tasks but can't seem to navigate themselves anywhere when driving is involved. If they have to drive themselves anywhere toward the end of the last leg, I would not count on them pulling through. Luckily the last leg usually involves a lot of taxis. I guess that's so contestants don't cause accidents as they drive recklessly toward a million dollar paycheck.

Next Week: This one's for all the money! Panama to the U.S of A. Dating Couple. Engaged Couple. Married Couple. Someone's bringing home that check! None of the teams have been heinous to each other throughout the race, so I'm okay with however it plays out.

Spain wins 2011 Davis Cup!

2011-12-04T08:33:00.001-08:00

(The Reign in Spain falls mainly on every plain.)

Congrats to Our Hero, Rafa Nadal and his Spanish teammates for winning the Davis Cup trophy this weekend over Argentina. This marks their 5th Davis Cup Trophy in the past 12 years and 3rd on the last 4 years. Clearly, the depth of the Spanish roster has been quite impressive over the past decade to produce such consistent results. It's also a very nice way to end the season for Nadal, who had a rough go of it at the ATP World Finals last week and suffered a string of tough defeats in Finals throughout 2011.

(Rafa grabs Monaco's ass, before handing it back to him in the first match of the tie.)

This weekend he absolutely thrashed Juan Monaco in the first rubber 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 and then held off a strongly contested Juan Martin Del Potro in the 4th match 1-6. 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (0). In between, David Ferrer came back against DelPo in the second rubber 6-2, 6-7 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to give Spain a 2-0 lead and then David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank won a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory Saturday over Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez keeping Argentina's hopes alive, but still on the brink of elimination.

Spain hasn’t lost on clay in Davis Cup for 23 ties, and holds the record at 21straight on home soil.

Argentina was trying for its first Davis Cup trophy in its fourth final. Always the Bridesmaid in Argentina! :( I'm very glad Rafa got to win 2 points for his team and his country. I hope these wins inspire him to come back in 2012 with renewed aggression and determination to win. 4 Grans Slams await, plus the Olympics in London! Time for Rafa to be #1 in the world again!! Vamos!!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 48

2011-12-04T07:00:00.001-08:00

(Happy Minty Holidays!)

Wow. Week 48? Is there really so little time left in 2011? It has all just been flying by. It still doesn't feel quite like Christmas. Maybe it's the climate changey high temps in the 50's and 60's in NYC. Maybe when I get my tree next weekend it will start to hit home that I have to buy gifts for people. This week marked the arrival of some Christmas candies - not cookies! - that I ordered from a couple of co-workers' kids in their annual school drive months and months ago. Delicious mint chocolates! yum yum yum! I am planning to rely on Andes Candies to get me through the holidays. Andes Candies always make me think of my Grandparents. They knew quality chocolate treats!

The long runs have finally started kicking in (and kicking my ass) with Marathon training. I'm so glad i'll have empty cookie calories to enjoy the week prior to the race. And I really miss having a nice tall glass of Sprite with my carbo-loading pasta dinners. Soon. SOOOOON!

Amazing Race 19 - Leg 10 Recap!

2011-12-02T19:31:00.001-08:00

(Mmm... Delicious Detour! Cindy and Ernie make the most out of a truly tasty challenge.)

Episode Ten Fake Title: The Untrue Pigeon

Starting City: Brussels, Belgium
Pit Stop City: ...Brussels, Belgium? We didn't go very far, did we?

1st Place: Team Tricky Reward: Customized Ford Mustangs!
2nd: That Other Dating Couple
3rd: Team Bert & Ernie
4th: Footballers Lives
Last Place: Team Out-To-Pasture - Eliminated!

Roadblock: One team member had to test drive a Ford Mustang. Teams first had to accelerate to 100 mph and then brake at a designated spot. They then had to go through a slalom course within 16 seconds and without hitting a giant airbag, and then finally two victory doughnuts before they received their next clue. I would not have liked the slalom. That's not really my speed. Pardon the pun. Andy seemed very jealous that Tommy got to do the Roadblock for his team, but then he prayed that the Lord would take away his negativity and it lifted right off of him. I think maybe he could've gotten over it without Divine intervention. But that's just me.

Detour: A choice between Water and Waffle. In Water, teams used provided materials (pontoons, rope, and wood) to build a raft and paddle down the Lieve canal for two halves to their next clue. In Waffle, teams had to build a waffle stand and then bake and decorate 18 Belgian waffles to the chef's satisfaction before receiving their next clue.I definitely would've chosen the waffles. At this point in the race, I would not have had the patience to try to build a giant raft that could conceivably fall apart in the river. On the other hand, making lots of waffles (and conceivably snacking on a few that weren't up to presentational standard) sounds much more up my alley. That Other Dating Couple had two waffles arranged in the wrong order

Also of Note This Week: After being spared elimination (again) at the the end of the last leg, Bill and Cathi did not even have to complete a speed bump this week. It didn't really help though as they couldn't get out of last place for the rest of the leg. They got close, but navigation issues kept holding them back.

At Muur van Geraardsbergen, teams released 100 homing pigeons and then were given an address to chase the pigeons to. Once there, teams would be able to retrieve their next clue from one of the pigeons. The address was not as far as some teams seemed to think it would be. Signage in the town might have been bad as well as Team Bert & Ernie got very lost and went from 1st to 3rd. That Other Dating Couple actually had one of their best legs to the huge surprise of yours truly. By the time Bill and Cathi got there it was too late at night to release the pigeons, so they just got the address of the other destination and drove themselves there to get the next clue.

Bill and Cathi got a nice Greatest Moments edit at their elimination. There was falling. There was flirting. There was a lot of love and support as they got lost driving. There was hard-body weightlifting posing. These two came across as lovely people who were definitely life partners in every sense of the words. I'm glad they lasted so long so we got to know them better. Nice Race, Bill and Cathi. Nice Race, indeed.

Next Week: We leave Belgium! We head to Panama! There is walking outside way up high between buildings. The fight is on to reach the Final 3! Onward, Racers!

The Rafa-Less 2011 ATP World Tour Championships, The Finals!

2011-11-28T16:59:00.001-08:00

(To the victor goes the spoils, and several tons of confetti!)

Woohoo! Roger Federer beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 for a record sixth title in the ATP World Tour Finals.This marks Roger's 70th title in his career. Simply amazing. Well done, Fed!

It looked for a moment like Tsonga might repeat his come-from-behind Wimbledon victory over Fed after taking the second set tie break, but Fed reclaimed dominance in the third. Federer really was a cut above everyone else this week. He never lost a match, looked fresher than the three higher and (much younger) seeds and was just his usually elegant and awesome self. It's really been an amazing end of the year for, Roger. You're making 30 look like the new 20, FedEx! Thanks for that!

Now Fed can go relax with his lovely wife and kids, Murray and Djokovic can recover from their physical problems, and Rafa can go play some MORE tennis this weekend in the Davis Cup Final for Spain against Argentina and hopefully regain some mental edge with some victories there. Vamos!

The Rafa-Less 2011 ATP World Tour Championships, Semifinals

2011-11-26T19:40:00.001-08:00

(Fed can beat you with his eyes closed.)

Semifinal Results!
Federer def. Ferrer 7-5, 6-3
Tsonga def. Berdych 6-3, 7-5

This year's ATP Finals bring more career milestones for Fed! He has now reached his 100th career final by beating Ferrer. If he wins tomorrow he'll claim his 70th title for his career and a record sixth season-ending tournament title.

Tsonga is into the final for the first time, in only his second appearance here. Good for him!

With this win, Federer climbs past Andy Murray to No. 3 in the year-end rankings, with Djokovic and Nadal keeping their No.1 and No. 2 positions respectively. That feels more right to me. I didn't like seeing Federer ranked below Murray. Fed's got 16 Grand Slam titles and Murray has zero. I'm just saying.

Federer becomes the fifth player to reach 100 finals in the open era, joining Jimmy Connors (163), Lendl (146), John McEnroe (108) and Guillermo Vilas (104).

Federer has really been on fire through the end of the season. It would be wonderful to see him finish off the ATP Finals on top again and I hope he makes it! He's already beaten Tsonga once here, but Tsonga is tricky! He's bested Federer before. He knows what he needs to do. We'll just have to see how it goes! I'm rooting for you, Fed!

Rafa & The 2011 ATP World Tour Championships, Round 3

2011-11-26T05:38:00.001-08:00

(Tough times for Rafa. I will have to rename the blogpost for the semis...)

Oh, boy. Here's how the groups were ranked at the end of the 3nd Round of Round Robin:

Group A:
2-1 David Ferrer - ESP - Semifinalist!
2-1 Jurgen Melzer - GER - Semifinalist!
1-2 Novak Djokovic - SRB
1-2 Andy Murray -GBR / Janko Tipsarevic SRB

Group B:
3-0 Roger Federer - SUI - Semifinalist!
2-1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - FRA - Semifinalist!
1-2 Our Hero, Rafael Nadal ESP
0-3 Mardy Fish - USA

So in a surprising twist, the top 3-ranked players in the field will not make it out of round Robin play. Djokovic, Nadal and Murray all were upset by lower-seeded players. Murray got injured and replaced, Djokovic admittedly ran out of gas after having such a successful season, and Rafa has seemingly misplaced his explosive on-court nature. I feel for him. I hope he has a good showing at the David Cup Finals and that it inspires him to find that mental match toughness in 2012. I still love you, Rafa!

Looking ahead, Ferrer will face Federer in Saturday’s first semifinal, and then Berdych will take on Tsonga in the late match. This will be interesting! It's a really great opportunity for all these guys. Federer has to be the favorite to take the title at this point, but Ferrer should provide a great challenge before he gets there. And for the other three guys, they have a chance to take the year end title for the first time! I'm hoping the tourney winner is whoever wins the Federer-Ferrer match. Should be fun! Vamos (Ferrer)!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 47

2011-11-26T05:20:00.001-08:00

(Thanksgiving Cookies! Gobble, Gobble them up!)

Turkey Time! A time to give thanks! I am thankful that there are only 5 weeks left in the year for me to be living without cookies and soda. I had a delicious feast with family out on Long Island. Very few veggies to be seen on this T-Gives. Lots of turkey and stuffing and potatoes and cranberry sauce and yams with marshmallows - all so good! There were many desserts. I brought special thanksgiving themed cupcakes for my nieces from the local bakery by my house like I do every year. It's nice to supply the dessert that my nieces prefer over the other 5 or 6 cakes and pies that are on hand. There were, of course, homemade cookies that looked SO GOOD, but I had to pass on them. Soon, home made cookies, soon you will be mine again.

5 weeks to go! The finish line is just around the corner!

Rafa & the 2011 ATP World Championships, Round 2

2011-11-24T19:48:00.001-08:00

(Rafa's just not feeling it in his fight against Federer.)

So I'm already a little behind, but here's how the groups were ranked at the end of the 2nd Round of Round Robin:

Group A:
2-0 David Ferrer - ESP
1-1 Novak Djokovic - SRB
1-1 Jurgen Melzer - GER
0-2 Andy Murray -GBR / Janko Tipsarevic SRB

Group B:
2-0 Roger Federer - SUI
1-1 Our Hero, Rafael Nadal ESP
1-1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - FRA
0-2 Mardy Fish - USA

You will note that Murray did in fact leave the competition due to injury and Tispsarevic took his place. Tip than lost to Melzer. So he inherited a losing record and did nothing to improve it. Group A is still a bit of a toss up though. I think if Novak beats Tip and then Melzer beats Ferrer. that would put them all at 2-1 and then I'm not sure how they rank them by points to figure out who makes it through.

Nadal needs to beat Tsonga to move to the semis. I think this is a tall order. Rafa got so totally handled by Fed in their match up. Rafa says it's not injury or illness that contributed to the lopsided loss. I just don't think it's in the cards this year. But we'll see soon enough! Vamos!

Food! Glorious FOOD!

2011-11-24T04:53:00.001-08:00

(Lots of people out there could use some more.)

Ahh, Thanksgiving. How long I have waited for a plateful of home cooked turkey and stuffing!! Maybe there will be a stray vegetable on the dish as well. Sometimes they have a way of sneaking in there and taking up space that should be occupied by delicious baked-in-the-bird stuffing. Hmph. Vegetables.

I'm thankful for a lot of things this year, not the least of which is for the food I'm about to receive. The idea of being hungry without food troubles me greatly. Considering my usual hobbit's daily diet of 1st Breakfast, 2nd Breakfast, Elevensies, Lunch, Snack, Supper, Dinner, and Dessert, food should always be at the ready. Yet so many people, young and old go without. It makes me sad. Times are very tough and local food pantries struggle to keep up with the demand. I urge everyone who is traveling home to enjoy a delicious meal today to consider making a monetary or dry goods contribution sometime between now and Christmas to an organization that helps the less fortunate. I'll provide links to two charities I like - Citymeals-on-Wheels and City Harvest below. If you have time to volunteer at a soup kitchen or toy drive or something of the like this season, you're aces in my book as well. Aces, I tell you!

Gobble it down and enjoy, my lovelies. And give thanks!

For more information and to make a donation to Citymeals-on-Wheels you can go here.

For more information and to make a donation to City Harvest go here.

Amazing Race 19 - Leg 9 Recap!

2011-11-23T09:08:00.001-08:00

(Phil is ready to Hulk out if the judges give him a low score on his posing. PHIL SMASH!)

Episode Nine Fake Title: Flex Your Muscles in Brussels

Starting City: Copenhagen, Denmark
Pit Stop City: Brussels, Belgium

1st Place: Footballers Lives Reward: Trip for two to Panama
2nd:???
3rd: ???
4th: ???
Last Place: ??? - presumably not eliminated

The episode ended on a "too be continued" with us only knowing who came in first, and that despite the check in, all teams were to immediately keep racing. D'oh!

Roadblock: One team member had to memorize a poem on the base of a statue of Hans Christian Andersen and then take a bike and navigate themselves to the Teatermuseet i Hofteatret, where they would have to recite the poem exactly (with dramatic flair! don't forget!) in order to receive their next clue. A map to the theater was located on the front wheel of a bicycle they were to ride to get there. If there were any mistakes with the words, or they did not perform it dramatically, a judge would make them ride back to the statue and start over. Most teams lost some time on this task having to do it more than once, but Cindy actually got it done on the first try, even though a group of tourists decided to sit and take pictures on the statue while she was trying to learn the poem!

Also of Note This Week: This was an interesting leg in that the teams jumped through three countries: Denmark to Germany to Belgium and they still don't get to enjoy a pit stop after all that. They are gonna e tired and cranky next week, that's for sure!

Despite all the country-hopping, there was no official detour this week According to the interwebs, the Bodybuilding Pose task in Brussels that concluded the episode was actually part of a Detour during the Race, but no one chose the other task, so it was made to look like just a required additional task in post-production. I wonder what the other task was that nobody wanted to do? Was it the eating-related task I keep waiting to see this season? For the Bodybuilding task, teams arrived at the Concert Noble and competed in a posing competition in honor of Jean-Claude Van Damme, aka "The Muscles from Brussels". Racers put on speedos and bikinis, covered themselves in posing oil, and had to learn a series of poses for judging. If the 3 judges gave them a combined score of 12 or better, teams would receive their next clue.The judges were so tough on this task I thought people were doing fairly well, but the judges kept scoring them with ones and twos! Damn. I thought all the teams looked pretty good in their very skimpy outfits, and of course Out-To-Pasture seemed to be in great physical shape even though they are the "old people."

Mid-leg the teams all had to go to Legoland Billund. There they had to find the Pirate Carousel which is sort of like Mad Hatter's Tea Party at Disney. Spinning Tea Cups galore! Teams were given a box containing Lego puzzle pieces. While the ride was spinning, they had to assemble the puzzle to reveal their next destination. Teams could only work on the puzzle while the ride was spinning and then they had to raise their hands when the ride stopped like they were at the end of a Top Chef Quickfire challenge. Several teams experienced motion sickness in this challenge and I would have been right there with them. I do not like to be spun. One go around would've been okay. But multiple successive rides while trying to focus on assembling a puzzle? That's too much for my sensitive tummy. Luckily, everyone got through with just nausea. That Other Dating Couple had to try the puzzle twice after pieces got flung out of the tea cup on their first try.

Team Bert & Ernie were doing a great job at maintaining their lead until all the teams got bunched again on the train from Germany to Belgium. Then they lost their connecting tickets for a mid-trip transfer! Luckily the conductor didn't come through on the second half to check their tickets and they were in the clear. Also, after several legs of strong racing, Team Out-To-Pasture once again couldn't figure out the right way to get anywhere, getting lost multiple times in multiple modes of transportation. It will be interesting to see who is the last to complete the bodybuilding challenge and if the last team to arrive gets hit with a speed bump.

Next Week: To be concluded! The Pit Stop order is revealed and then they hit the ground running for more fun in Belgium! Make-shift raft building! A crazy trip to a speedway! Onward Racers!

Rafa & the 2011 ATP World Championships, Round 1

2011-11-21T15:52:00.001-08:00

(Rafa is ready for the Year-End Championship!)

So while those of us here in The New World will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Holidays this week, across the Atlantic, nobody really cares about that too much. Instead, they are focused on TENNIS! The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals are happening in London right now! The top 8 players of the season face off - first in two round robin groups, followed by single elimination semis for the two in each group with the best records, and the winners of those face off in the finals! Woohoo!

Here's how the two groups are comprised, by current rank:

Group A:
1. Novak Djokovic - SRB
3. Andy Murray -GBR
5. David Ferrer - ESP
7. Jurgen Melzer - GER

Group B:
2. Our Hero, Rafael Nadal ESP
4. Roger Federer - SUI
6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - FRA
8. Mardy Fish - USA

The Finals are played on an indoor hardcourt, which with its quickness and ball bounce is least suited to Rafa's game. This is one major tournament he has never won. It will be tough for him to take the title in best of 3 set play. But this is an interesting field this year of contenders this year and he might have an opening. Djokovic has been dealing with some nagging injuries at the end of his stellar season, so he might not be in the best condition to take this title. Federer hasn't won a Major in awhile, but he comes in here having won his last two tournaments and looking great. Murray is a giant question mark. Ferrer can be a real threat if he's mentally and physically peaking at the right time. Fish and Tsonga I don't really think have a shot, but Tsonga has some impressive wins over Federer, so we'll see how it all shakes down. Rafa should definitely make it to the semis, but from there forward it's anyone's guess who actually makes it through to the Final match. He hasn't played at all since mid-October, opting instead to mentally and physically recharge from his string of losses in Finals this year. It should be really exciting how these guys all match up right now

After one round played in both groups, the current standings are:

Group A:
Djokovic 1-0
Ferrer 1-0
Melzer 0-1
Murray 0-1

Group B:
Federer 1-0
Nadal 1-0
Fish 0-1
Tsonga 0-1

It was a good first round. The only real upset was Ferrer over Murray (who seems to be injured) but all the
other matches went to a decisive third set. Nadal and Federer face off in the next round. Should be an exciting match and it should tell us if Nadal taking off so much of the fall season was the right choice for his match readiness. I'm sure hoping Rafa can do it. Vamos!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 46

2011-11-20T17:56:00.001-08:00

(You were always on my mind...)

So this week, while meeting some new people for the first time, I told them about my year without cookies and they were amused. I told them about the dreams I had about how I would think I was drinking soda, and how they were like addiction dreams and they were intrigued. I told them I no longer had those dreams and they were slightly disappointed. But then of course after having that conversation, what did I dream about that very same night? What else but finding myself with a glass of coke on the rocks in my hand, sipping away at it eagerly and then feeling horribly guilty! Oh, talking about the dream summoned the anxiety and imagery right back to the forefront of my subconscious (if such a thing can even exist.)

Up next, holiday season truly begins. All sorts of new and festive cookies enter the marketplace and into kitchen cookie jars across America. Here comes the last brutal test. I am ready for it!

Amazing Race 19 - Leg 8 Recap!

2011-11-13T18:48:00.001-08:00

(Speckles will get you through your Detour- quick as a bunny!)

Episode Eight Fake Title: In Speckles We Trust

Starting City: Samali District, Malawi
Pit Stop City: Copenhagen, Denmark
1st Place: Team Bert & Ernie Reward: Trip for two to Fiji
2nd: Team Out-To-Pasture
3rd: Team Tricky
4th: Team Footballers Lives
5th: That Other Dating Couple
Last Place: Team Nemo -Eliminated!

U-Turned Teams:
Team Out-To-Pasture, Courtesy of Team Bert & Ernie
Team Nemo, Courtesy of Team Out-To Pasture

Roadblock: One team member had to dress in period costume and learn a three-part dance from a similarly costumed instructor. Once the Countess okay their dance, they would receive their next clue. These were some of the best costumes ever on TAR! So expensive-looking! I thought Cathi and Amani looked the best, but the boys and Sandy also looked good. The dance didn't look THAT hard. Zac sure lost A LOT of time trying to figure it out.

Detour: A choice between All Hopped Up and All Churned Out. In AHU, teams had to properly construct a Kaninhop course (a steeplechase run for the cutest bunnies EVER), then both team members have to a run a rabbit of their choice through the course without any mistakes. Once complete, the bunny handler would give them their next clue. In ACO, teams had to make six sticks of butter by using a butter churn and then stamping out the sticks using a special mold. Once complete, the dairymaid would give them their next clue. I cannot believe almost all the teams initially passed on racing the bunnies! Sure animals can be tricky, but BUNNIES?? Thank goodness it was a double U-turn so two more teams had to work with the bunnies and we got to hear that much more of the delightful bunny theme music and see the cuties jumping over the little fences. SO GOOD. Snaps to Speckles the Rabbit who successfully completed the course for both Out-To-Pasture and Team Nemo.

Also of Note This Week: Where do we start? There were so many changes of the team order tonight. It was very exciting and I was almost afraid that it would be non-elimination and render all the repositioning irrelevant. Luckily that was not the case.

I'm not sure how much time they had at the last pit-stop but there's no way it was twelve hours. The first teams left in the afternoon and there's no way they finished the last leg at 2am. I wonder what the deal was there.

Teams were given a flight from Malawi to Copenhagen but were allowed to hunt for better flights if they wanted to. All the teams did this at various travel hubs along the way, except for Footballers Lives. In my opinion, this was WAY too passive a move. It didn't get them eliminated, but it certainly could have. The fact that the other teams had to wait for the morning to search for their next clue erased most (but not all) of their lead on Footballers Lives. Oddly the team who got the best flight actually wound up getting eliminated. Granted Team Nemo did lots of other things wrong this leg.

Once in Copenhagen, teams had to climb to the top of the Vor Frelsers Kirke, locating two clues on the top of the tower. The first was a flag at the very top that said "Borg Slot" and the second was a banner on a nearby building that said "Frederiks". Once combined, it namedtheir next location: Frederiksborg Slot. The banner was not always visible. That Other Dating Couple did not get the clues right and lost all the time advantage they had over Footballers Lives who were on the later flight. Footballers Lives then got completely lost on the way to the castle, putting them squarely back into last place.

So we get another double U-turn this week and neither team who took the opportunity to use it, used it on Team Tricky! I couldn't believe it! Neither could they! Bert & Ernie used it on Bill and Cathi because they just wanted to win the leg and to give them some breathing room to do it. Honestly, it looked like Ernie was gonna pass on using it again, but Cindy was not having it. After losing first by inches last time, I understand that she wanted to increase their lead and get the win. It actually didn't effect where Out-To-Pasture finished, but Bill and Cathi's u-turn of Laurence and Zac contributed to them getting eliminated.

Lots of navigation issues this week. Footballers Lives got lost on the way to the Roadblock. TODC got lost on the way to the Detour and Team Nemo, most detrimentally, got very lost on the way to the Pit Stop.

I don't buy that Team Tricky couldn't have beaten Out-To-Pasture to the mat. They must have believed that Cindy & Ernie had already won the leg and that second or third wasn't gonna make that much of a difference. It seems like a crazy thing to assume, (Bert & Ernie could've also gotten lost en route to the Pit Stop) but I can't believe that Bill and Cathi can beat those two in a foot race and they arrived in the parking lot at basically the same time.

We learned over the course of the roadblock that Bill and Cathi met in middle school and married the day they graduated college. Cindy and Ernie met over shots in a bar. I like both these couples very much. I still can't imagine Bill and Cathi winning, but they are posting consistent front-of-the-pack finishes now. They could make it to the final.

Team Nemo seemed finished while they were still racing. I don't think they had Killer Fatigue per se, but they were just not mentally in the game. Too many mistakes for far too long. No real expressed passion to hang around. No emotional reaction to being eliminated. No real emotional arc to their relationship for the season. For such accomplished sailors, the wind was definitely taken out of their sails weeks ago.They seemed content to stop where they were. The rigors of the Race were not for them. They weren't unpleasant, but I won't miss them in the field.

Next week: Acting Lessons! Tea Cup Rides! SPEEDOS. Body building poses. I'll tell you right now Bill even at his advanced age has a better body than you or me. Basically, he could be in the Immortals. Or Captain America. Jeez. Only 5 teams remain! Onward, Racers!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 45

2011-11-13T18:25:00.001-08:00

(The Higher Learning of Bad Eating Habits)

Another week marked down in the books. We are almost there! I can feel it more and more as a reality. I can remember a time long ago in college when I would consistently eat Chips Deluxe chocolate chip cookies and a can of Mug root beer for BREAKFAST (yet still to this day, no cavities!) and look at me now! Being 45 weeks in, it feels like the time has flown by, but those early months certainly didn't feel that way. The constant cravings. The addiction dreams. I just have to get through the next two food-based holidays and then life can get back to a new normal. What will that new normal be? I was talking about it with a friend earlier today, and I will certainly reincorporate cookies and soda into my diet, but in a more measured way. They won't be the foundation of my diet as they were in the past.

That's all for now. Week 46 is coming up fast. I forget how quickly these last few holiday season weeks all rush together. I need to start thinking about gifts and ornaments and non-cookie desserts to bring for Thanksgiving Dinner. Mmmm... it's almost Turkey Time!! Gobble gobble gobble all those non-cookie foods!

Amazing Race 19 - Leg 7 Recap!

2011-11-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

(Awkward Photo Finish - Andy and Tommy edge out Cindy and Ernie for 1st Place at the mat. But will this short-term gain come back to haunt them in the long run?)

Episode Seven Fake Title: All The Fight Has Gone Out of Them

Starting City: Kumbali Village, Malawi
Pit Stop City: Salima District, Malawi
1st Place: Team Tricky Reward: 15K Gift Card
2nd: Team Bert & Ernie
3rd: Team Out-To-Pasture
4th: Team Footballers Lives
5th: Team Nemo
6th: That Other Dating Couple
Last Place: The Squabblings -Eliminated!

Roadblock: One team member drives a bicycle taxi, taking a customer carrying fish to one of three different destinations written on tags on the fish. After they dropped off their customer, they take the fare and bring it back to the bus station to trade in their earnings to the dispatcher for their next clue. How far they actually have to travel is unclear, but it looks like some racers go off in the wrong direction for quite some time. Jennifer from the Squabblings lost the leg on this task. After she found her fish location and got the money she realized she left her clue with her brother and didn't know what to do next. Instead of going back to the dispatcher to get the clue (which was what she was supposed to do anyway) she just stood still, hoping another team would come by.. They didn't. And after what seemed like a VERY long time, she finally went back, but by then it was too late to catch up. Amazingly, the siblings didn't fight about it all. As soon as they start getting along, they get cut! Sadness.

Detour: A choice between Dugout and Lugout. In Dugout, teams participated in a canoe race on Lake Malawi using traditional canoes (read: heavy, difficult to paddle) to go out far into the lake and circle around a buoy and then paddle back to shore to receive their clue. In Lugout, teams had to wade out to a ferryboat on the lake and unload cargo and passengers (!!) from the ferry by carrying them to shore. The list went: two boxes of cabbage, two bundles of sugar cane, two bundles of brooms, one chair, one fan, and eight passengers, before they received their clue from the boat's porter. The Lugout task was insane. As hard as it was to operate the canoes it was SOOO much harder to carry eight adults back to shore without anyone getting wet. I have no idea why Amani and Marcus chose to do this one over the simpler canoeing. Marcus looked WRECKED afterwards, and that's a strong dude right there.

Speed Bump: Before the Roadblock, Footballers Lives had to solve a slide puzzle that, when completed properly, looked like the Malawian flag. It seemed to take them awhile. Those things can be tricky, especially if you feel crunched for time. I wanted to push them out of the way and do it myself. I love slide puzzles.

Also of Note This Week: It seemed like there was a drastic temperature change throughout the day in Malawi. People were wearing layers and you could see their breath in the morning, but by the afternoon they were kayaking on the beach and it looked HOT. It made me wonder what time of year it was during filming. or if that's just how it normally goes in Malawi.

The episode interviews told us that Justin is gay and that his sister is supportive of him and loves him. I immediately became nervous that having them become mutli-dimensional characters who got over their initial racing problems meant they were not long for the race. Sadly, I was right. But I'm glad that Justin is out and proud and supported by his family and I'm glad he did not blame his sister for their elimination when she obviously felt terrible about how she slowed them down.

Tonight featured a Double U-Turn - where you can force a team that's behind you to complete both U-Turn options instead of just one before they can advance. Three things of note here. 1) Lots of teams seem hesitant to U-Turn people, citing that it's a not nice tactic and you make unnecessary enemies, but I would TOTALLY stick to a competitive team if I got to the U-turn before them and definitely if I was in the back of the pack and needed to create some space with the team behind me. Take out your competition! Team Bert & Ernie had a chance to take Team Tricky down a peg and make them do the second Detour. They opted not to do it. Team Tricky paid them back by running as hard as they could to beat Bert & Ernie to the mat for their 5th (FIFTH! in seven legs!!) leg win. Bert & Ernie were NOT pleased. It wasn't a very chivalrous move on Tricky's part. I get their competitive spirit, but they've won a lot, and it was just one leg. Careful boys, there's more than one way to make unnecessary enemies on this Race.

2) Team Nemo was toward the back of the pack and U-Turn'ed Footballers Lives. Unfortunately in terms of strategy, Footballers Lives was already ahead of them and the U-Turn was wasted. What is with Team Nemo?? They just can't get it together. I don't understand their decision making process at all. It's almost like they never watched the show before racing. I just don't get it.

3) The U-Turn Station is now all high tech like you are ordering a Blockbuster Express movie from a vending machine instead of just sticking a cardboard picture of the team to a U-Turn sign. I don't know if this technological upgrade was really necessary. It sure looked weird in the middle of such an undeveloped area as the lakeside beach of Malawi.

Team Bert & Ernie used the Express Pass they won in the first leg to skip the canoeing. Unfortunately, they could not find the "Jamaica Shop" to get their next clue to the pit stop and, as mentioned before, got overtaken by Team Tricky only a few feet away from the Pit Stop mat. So the Express Pass is now out of play. Let's hope that eating challenge never shows up!

Team Out-To-Pasture keeps showing themselves a much stronger team than That Other Dating Couple despite the decades between them in age. Out-To-Pasture might be older but they are definitely wiser, with much better communication skills. Over on TODC, Sandy keeps telling Jeremy not to yell at her every time they have a disagreement. All I want to do is yell at her, "HE'S NOT EVEN YELLING AT YOU!" Seriously, he's not. She just seems really uncomfortable with any frustration or annoyance or exhaustion that creeps into his otherwise level speaking voice. I have seen people yell at their boyfriends/girlfriends on this show before. Jeremy is not even in the Top 10 of worst offenders. Not yet, at least. There's always next week!

Next week: Off to Denmark! There are bunny races! Bunnies are actually jumping miniature fences! Yes, Show! YES! Footballers Lives seem to experience airport woes. Bert & Ernie seem to rethink their U-Turn Strategy against Team Tricky when the opportunity once again presents itself. Ooh, DRAMA! Onward, Racers!

If I Win The Lottery You'll Never See Me Again...

2011-11-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

I posted this to my facebook wall, but I wanted to leave a link to it here too. Last week, Global BC (as in British Columbia) sports anchor Barry Deley won a lottery for B.C. Children's Hospital for 2 million dollars or a new luxury home, (Take the money, Barry!) which is awesome if not exactly newsworthy, but the REALLY awesome part is that the drawing was being broadcast live by the station he worked for. He won live on the air!

He was not at the studio when it was announced, but the response of his coworkers who were behind the news desk is delightful. At first they weren't totally sure it was him, because the guy drawing the winning ticket actually read the name wrong, but as the reality of the situation settles in for them, their excitement in trying to get in touch with Barry is so sweet. Watch for yourselves!

I especially like how the female anchor has her smart phone just out of the shot presumably so she can text and check her email as soon as she's not on camera. :) I also like the way she tries to get the intercom phone away from her co-anchor who does not trust to operate it. She actually snaps her fingers at him! And the male anchor just can't believe it it happened. And the BC accents make the whole thing that much more adorable. They miss the whole sports segment talking about it! We'll never know what happened with local BC football!

It's also very sweet that Barry has a personal connection to the hospital running the lottery. as his daughter had a successful battle against leukemia seven years ago and the Deley family has been very supportive of the hospital ever since.

A Year Without Cookies - Week 44

2011-11-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

These are my friends.
See how they glisten.
See this one shine...
How he smiles in the light.
My friend.
My faithful friend...

Speak to me friend.
Whisper...
I'll listen.
I know, I know you've been locked
out of sight
all these years, like me
My friend...
well I've come home to find you waiting.
Home, and we're together!
And we'll do wonders.
Won't we?

This was a tough week for wanting cookies. Someone decided to truly test me by stocking the cookie jars with Nilla Wafers. Man, how I wanted a tall glass of whole milk and a dozen or so Nilla wafers for dunking.

One assumes that my cookie fast will be broken with chocolate chip cookies, but Nilla Wafers and Mallomars are also going to have their day in the sun. First Soda could go so many different ways. Root Beer? Cream Soda? Cherry Coke? Sprite? I just don't know. But I have 8 weeks left to dream about it!

OMG ING NYC!

2011-11-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

(Taking it to the bridge! Onward Racers!)

Congrats to everyone who ran the ING NYC Marathon today! It's such a great event and whether it was your first time or your 20th time I applaud you taking to the streets of the five boroughs to complete your 26.2 mile journey. I'm so thankful (as I'm sure all of you are as well) that our freak snowstorm hit last weekend and not this weekend and that instead of a windy slushy nightmare, you were treated to an absolutely beautiful fall day for running!

Knowing how important it is to have cheering faces all along the race, I took the N in to Queensboro Plaza and got out to watch the masses of runners take that important turn around mile 15 up onto the 59th street bridge. Running on that bridge is tough because you are running on an incline, there are no spectators, minimal sun, maximum wind and it's just TOUGH. I was happy to take an hour and stand on the corner and wave and shout last words of encouragement as people made their way onto the bridge. The crowd was great, the cover band that was helping everybody run to some rockin' tunes was awesome and it was just a really inspiring experience.

(Birdseye view from the elevated platform at Queensboro Plaza!)

I stood with these two women on the corner who were looking for separate people and charting their progress along the route on the iphone apps set up for the race. Those things are great. The NYC Marathon really is a the forefront in making the race a really interactive experience for spectators. I didn't see the people my new friends were there to support but I did spot Top Chef Winner Richard Blais running by as well as Survivor Winner/Amazing Race contestant Ethan Zohn amongst the runners (for the record, Blais was running ahead of Zohn, but Zohn seemed to be holding up better physically at that point in the race.) It's fun just to see people with their names on their shirts and you can scream for them and most of the time they don't actually see you, but you can see it register on their faces and sometimes it gives them a little boost of energy. That's a great feeling.

(the runners just keep coming!)

I love Race Day in New York. It's so inspiring. And it makes me realize I have been too lax in my prep up until now for the Disney Marathon in January. November now has to be all about running and writing. those are the two main focuses for the end of the year. It was great to watch the Race today and remember how gruelling it is but also how personally rewarding. I can't wait to be ready for it again!

Amazing Race 19 - Leg 6 Recap!

2011-10-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

(Justin and Jennifer perform "Who Got Paid for Driving To The Pit Stop?" from their sibling cabaret act for the locals in Malawi.)

Episode Six Fake Title: That Wacky Tobacky or Good Golly, Malawi!

Starting City: Bangkok, Thailand
Pit Stop City: Kumbali Village, Malawi
1st Place: Team Tricky Reward: Trip to Private Island
2nd: The Squabblings
3rd: That Other Dating Couple
4th: Team Nemo
5th: Team Bert & Ernie
6th: Team Out-To-Pasture
Last Place: Team Footballers Lives - Not Eliminated!

Roadblock: At a giant tobacco warehouse, one team member had to put on a workman's uniform and transport ten 200-pound bales of tobacco leaves through a maze-like path to a drop-off zone using only a hand-cart,one bag at a time. That's 10 trips! This seemed like an incredibly physical task. Throughout the path, there were many workers blocking their way, cheering and shouting and dancing, perhaps because there were 14,000 pounds less of tobacco they had to move themselves that day. Once completed, teams got their next clue. It must have been extremely hot in there because whenever someone finished they looked absolutely wrecked in the taxi afterward.

Detour: Teams chose between "All Sewn Up" and "Not Grown Up." In ASU, teams went to the White Horse De-Sign Tailor Shop in an old packed-crazy market and used a manual sewing machine to finish the suit of a customer in order to receive their next clue. In NGU, teams went to Lilongwe LEA School where they use provided everyday materials to build toy trucks. Once it was properly constructed and functional, the headmistress would receive their next clue. I cannot imagine the nightmare of trying to sew on one of those machines. I still have anxiety flashes about trying to sew scrap pieces of fabric together in Basic Production Techniques for Theater Studies at Wesleyan. Still, I guess if you can sew this seems like a no-brainer. Most teams chose the school and had a delightful time building toys for the children there and interacting with them.

Also of Note This Week:

The flight path from Bangkok to Malawi had to be one of the longest in race history. The Amazing Yellow Line bounced around the globe through Singapore all the way to Johannesburg and then up to Malawi. It looked like a day of flying at the very least.

Half the legs so far this season have now ended in non-eliminations. Producers, I like this cast too, but eventually you are gonna have to start letting people go. I'll give you a pass this week, because the team that would've gone home was Team Footballers Lives and I just said last week they were my pick to win. So naturally they had a close brush with elimination.

Team Out-to-Pasture and That Other Dating couple are getting increasingly lopsided in their Roadblock distribution. I'm pretty sure no team member can do more than 7 throughout the race. They are already at 5-2 in favor of the men. Cathi and Sandy are gonna have to start taking some challenges for their respective teams. Especially with the threat of an upcoming eating-large amounts-of-strange-things challenge looming on the horizon. Neither of these ladies look like they could pack away a lot of exotic cuisine.

Team Tricky didn't mention God once this week and I didn't miss hearing about Him one bit.

Team Footballers Lives got added character depth by talking about a daughter with unspecified "special needs." I think she's basically okay though since they're alright with separating from her for the weeks required to run the race around the world. It seems like the show is trying to manufacture some family drama that might not really be there. Regardless, Marcus and Amani have been conducting themselves throughout the race that would make all of their children proud. I dig these two.

After the detour teams raced to the R-K Furniture Shop, where they had to pick up and transfer two handcrafted wooden beds to Kumbali Village, by vehicle and then physically carry the beds to the Pit Stop map.Teams would use these beds for an overnight stay at the village. I was just thinking to myself earlier in the day that they hadn't done a pit stop camp out in a while!

The clue at the Furniture Shop also told them they could ask the shop owner to call a truck for them to move the beds. So of course Team Nemo doesn't read this and tries to have their cab shove the the beds on top or inside their tiny cab. The cab driver sanely declines. THEN they read the full length of their clue. Guys, read the effing clues in their entirety! Useful information is provided all the way to the end!!!

Team Tricky wins their fourth leg so far out of six, but it's their THIRD where they won thanks to penalties faced by teams who got to the mat ahead of them. This time it was The Squabblings neglecting to pay the truckers that took them to the village that caused a last second reshuffle of the order. Team Tricky are strong competitors. The other teams can't afford to let these late-in-the-leg stupid mistakes give the snowboarders these freebie wins.

On the march to the Pit Stop, Cindy of Team Bert & Ernie tried to balance the bed on her head as she was walking. This was... ill-advised as it was way too heavy for her to walk that way. Ernie was too far away carrying his own bed as she collapsed to the ground - uninjured, thank goodness - but rather hilariously she wound up completely flattened by the bed frame. Both Cindy and Ernie laughed about it which was endearing to see.

Less endearing was the increased bickering of That Other Dating Couple. The bickering is increasing. Tempers are high. Nerves are fraught. They are still using the Race to decide the future of their relationship. If that's the measuring stick they want to go by (and I don't think it's a good one) then it looks like they should split up. They both seem nice, but The Race seems like a more intense experience than their relationship is ready for. Sorry! :(

Phil mentioned via voiceover how Team Bert & Ernie still has that Express Pass in their pocket allowing them to skip one task. They haven't needed it yet, but I wonder if they will actually get out of Malawi without using it since Phil brought it up. If i was them, I'd be holding it for that aforementioned Food Challenge that by looming. Skipping food or a needle-in-a-haystack challenge would be the best use of that Pass. They'll have to play it sometime soon though. I don't think they get to keep it past Leg 8 or 9 per the rules.

Next week: More Malawi. More bickering for That Other Dating Couple. Racers work as Bicycle Taxi Drivers. The shoe is on the other foot now, Racers! A Speed Bump task for Footballers Lives that will probably take 15 seconds to complete. Onward, Racers!

Daria Returns?

2011-10-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

I've walked past the following billboards in Times Square several times in recent weeks.

Somehow, when I catch this out of the corner of my eye, my brain processes this as a billboard promoting the return of Daria.

You can understand how that's possible, right? I mean, Daria is basically a cross between Zooey Deschanel and that odd cartoon baby character voiced by Jonah Hill.So if you are rushing by fast your brain just smooshes the two together.At least mine does. So there's a moment where I think "Daria, is coming back!" and get excited, but then I look again, and catch my mistake. It's too bad. Daria was such a fun show. As far as I know, there are no real plans to bring her back, but Beavis and Butthead made their way back to the small screen so never say never. :)

A Year Without Cookies - Week 43

2011-10-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

(A Birthday Week Without Cookies.)

My birthday was Wednesday! I took a page out of the Parks and Recreation play book and spent a week celebrating "Treat Yo Self 2011" style around my birthday. I took in a bunch of shows, hung out with friends, bought myself some fun gifts, but still did not indulge in cookies or soda. I did have a wonderfully delicious mint chocolate cake for my birthday. - Thank you, Gracie! - and that more than made up for the lack of cookies. From a small party with friends at my place, I am left with about 3 liters of soda in my fridge. Sigh. Maybe it'll keep for 9 weeks. Then I can go CRAZY!

9 Weeks to Go! 2012 is so close! But in the way stands the greatest test of all... A Christmas Without Cookies. I am note prepared...

Amazing Race 19: Leg 5 Recap!

2011-10-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

(Operation Dumbo Droppings - The Doublemints have the time of their lives cleaning up after the cutest baby elephants you ever did see.)

Episode Five Fake Title: I'm Gonna Get You on a Slow Bus to Bangkok...

Starting City: Phang Nga Province Thailand
Pit Stop City: Bangkok, Thailand - M.R. Kukrit Heritage House
1st Place: Team Footballers Lives (they were thrilled like they won the whole race) Reward: Trip to Bali
2nd: Team Out-To-Pasture (also thrilled like they won the whole race and they didn't even win the leg!)
3rd: Team Bert & Ernie
4th: The Squabblings
5th: Team Tricky
6th: Team Nemo
7th: That Other Dating Couple
Last Place: The Doublemints - Eliminated!!

Roadblock: Surprise Double Road Block! In the first Roadblock, one team member had to search in the jungle for a man playing a traditional Thai flute. They then had to search underwater in the pond in front of him for a bundle that contained a ceramic carp. There was a clue in the carp that led the teams to a nearby location where they had to take apart a traditional spirit house which they then delivered to Wat Chalong. The second Roadblock saw the team member that sat out the first Roadblock rebuilding the spirit house they picked up after the first Roadblock. Upon assembling it exactly, a monk would give them a bag of food and their next clue.

Speed Bump: Liz & Marie had to shovel elephant dung and wash an adorable baby elephant before they could proceed to the first Roadblock. The Doublemints were over the moon for both tasks, screeching with glee upon seeing the elephants. If they had to be eliminated, at least they didn't miss out on the elephants.

Also of Note This Week:No Detour on this leg!

Teams did not start exactly where they checked in from the last leg. I'm not sure why they moved off the floating soccer field, but they did.

Teams got to ride elephants to the first Roadblock. This was fun for some (Tricky, Doublemints) and stressful for others (That Other Dating Couple.)

The clue about the Spirit House did not tell teams they would have to reassemble the Spirit House when they brought it to the next location. Some couples thought to take notes or pictures (Footballers Lives, Out-To-Pasture) while others had to go back and look at the proper placement for all the decorations (Nemo, Bert & Ernie). I find it amusing that while so many teams have difficulty reading their clues, on this task mos of them intuited the twist that they ha to reassemble it. I am sure if the clue actually SAID they had to reassemble it, somehow more teams would've missed that info and lost time. :)

Team Tricky out of nowhere suddenly got the Super Religious Christian Edit. I don't know what that was about. I firmly believe God doesn't care where you end up in a reality competition. I like when they are more fun and taking it all in and not praying to God to pull them through to victory. That's just me.

Team Nemo is having some communication issues based on the power dynamic of the relationship. They made two big blunders this leg - first when Dad-partner Laurence dismissed Son-Partner Zac's idea to take notes on the Spirit House before taking it apart, and then Dad getting mad at him for having to go back and take notes, and then later Zac wrongly convinced his dad they had to get off the first class bus they were taking to Bangkok for a local bus instead, forcing them to go back to the bus station and lose several hours of travel time on other teams. They don't really fight, but they don't listen to each other in stressful situations, which is weird to me given that they are experienced sailors. You'd think they'd be strong communicators, but they seem increasingly out of their element - even last week when they were lost in the boats! Even at the mat this leg, Phil was like "you can't win racing like that."

Getting to Bangkok by bus proved crazy for almost everyone. Most teams took regular buses that travelled overnight and took FOREVER. Then they had to cab a million other places. Cabs were ripping people off left and right. Except for the Doublemints who had ZERO money and were given charity rides seemingly all over the country. They were very humble and grateful for it though, so that was nice, but clearly it was their time to exit. Ernie & Cindy had the sweetest deal by taking the (not forbidden by the rules) express bus while everyone else had the local.In Bangkok, teams went to Noi Canal, and fed fish at the canal using the food they got from the second Roadblock, before they got the clue to the pit stop. this struck me as a pretty random task, considering it was still another taxi ride to get to the pit stop, but I guess they had to do something before ending the leg in Bangkok. Maybe it was a cooler experience in person.

The Doublemints were very gracious in their exit. They obviously had a very tough year with the passing of their father, and while they were not the strongest racers, I enjoyed their positive adventurous spirit and their expressed understanding of the special opportunity the race is to see the world. They will be missed.

Team Footballers Lives continue to be lovely and awesome and strong and smart. They are my current pick to win! Hopefully this doesn't doom them to be eliminated in the next leg!

Next week: Racing through tobacco fields? Does next week's episode come with a warning from the Surgeon General?? Onward, Racers!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 42

2011-10-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

(Were they really sold out of coconut or did they not even bother to stock them since everybody wants chocolate chip?)

Have I discussed the Subway Dilemma before? I feel like maybe I did. It's been 42 weeks of this, so it's more than possible it's come up before. It's hard to find new territory 40 entries in. Just pretend like it's new to you.

So I enjoy getting myself a subway sandwich from the show down the street from my apartment every now and again. Their 5-dollar foot long sandwich offer is a good deal, even on the occasions where the sandwich maker tries to cheat me on tomatoes or green peppers. But occasionally I get it as a meal which comes with a gigantic drink and a snack on the side. There are many snack options but my favorite one of course is the two (sorta) fresh cookies option. I have not been able to partake in this option all year and it creates a unique sense of sadness in my heart. I like the subway cookies. The chocolate chip, the double chocolate chip, the white chip macadamia nut, the chocolate chip with M&M - you can mix and match to your heart's content. There are also oatmeal raisin and peanut butter and a couple other flavors, but... eh. The whole point is the chocolate!

So instead I get sun chips. The sun chips are fine but they're not as good as cookies. I will not be missing them for much longer though as there are only 10 weeks left in the year! That's right! Only 10 weeks!! It's crazy. Maybe I will do a countdown of fond cookie memories for the next 10 weeks until the self-imposed ban is lifted. Man, life is about to get sweeter....

Amazing Race 19: Leg 4 Recap!

2011-10-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

(Even if The Race don't last forever, The Doublemints know they've still got each other. They can lounge under their umbrellas. Ellas. Ellas. Hey Hey Hey.)

Episode Four Fake Title: Phuket Doesn't Rhyme with "Bucket"

Starting City: Borobudur, Indonesia
Pit Stop City: Koh Panyi, Phang Nga Province Thailand (Floating Soccer Field)
1st Place: Team Tricky, Again!! Reward: 5K in cold hard cash
2nd: The Squabblings
3rd: That Other Dating Couple
4th: Team Bert & Ernie
5th: Team Nemo
6th: Team Footballers Lives
7th: Team Out-To-Pasture
Last Place: The Doublemints - Non-Elimination!!

Detour: A choice between Coral Reconstruction and Beach Preparation. In each task, teams first road on speedboats to another island's beach. (The boat chase was gorgeously shot. Well done, Show.) In "Coral Reconstruction," teams built a coral nursery out of pipes. Once it was built, they had to use a kayak to take the structure and a bunch of coral out to a buoy to create an underwater nursery. Once complete, a marine biologist would give them their next clue. In "Beach Preparation," teams would have to set up 20 beach chairs and 10 umbrellas in a replica of how an existing set was arranged. Once they were set up correctly, teams would receive their next clue.All chairs and umbrellas had to belong to the same set which was specific to each team and they started out all jumbled up and packed into a small storage area, so sorting them out became a time-consuming ordeal.

Roadblock: Teams traveled to Koh Yao Noi Island, where one team member would have to climb the island's sheer rock wall until they reached a bird's nest that held their next clue. It seemed like later teams might have had to climb higher to different bird's nests once the lower ones were snatched up. This task was not as much of a challenge as it might sound in writing. No one was shown having a problem with the wall. The detour was the tougher part of this leg by far.

Also of Note This Week: Teams could not fly directly to Phuket, which meant stopovers in Jakarta where the top two teams on an earlier flight became the bottom two teams when they got screwed in the changeover. But then it became a moot point because all the teams got bunched up for a night sleeping outside waiting for the area holding their next clue to open for business in the morning.

Several teams mispronounced Phuket, so that it rhymed with "bucket." I wonder if Standards and Practices considered bleeping it considering what it sounded like, even though it was clear they were not trying to curse. It still made me laugh to hear it. Heeheehee!

I would've picked the Coral Detour, because it seemed much cooler, but it was also deceptively a lot harder. The frames of the nursery did not want to stay together in the water, and the tides made it almost impossible not to drift away from the bouy. 6 teams initially tried the coral, but only two teams completed it. Everyone else had to double back. The Doublemints had a terrible time with the umbrellas despite all the other teams stopping to give them advice.

The Squabblings had their best outing to date. They only fought with each other a little bit, and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. The clue given to the teams after the Detour was just a compass and dubloon with holes in it. They were instructed to travel north for 13 minutes until they reached the island which you could see through the holes in the dubloon, called Soap Island. This can only be scored as a total shout out to Goonies, and I love the show more than ever because of this. The Squabblings also get extra points in my book for correctly identifying the Goonies shout out and for delightedly quoting the movie as they sped along on their way.

That Other Dating Couple had some communication breakdowns this week. It was bound to happen. I think it came mostly from stress and lack of sleep and not either of them being total assholes. Still the fatigue is only going to get worse. They are gonna have to dig deep in order not to fall apart completely.

Team Nemo somehow got lost in their boat after getting to Soap Island. This is extra hilarious since they had a map AND they are trained sailors.

The Doublemints were not eliminated at the end of the leg. I'm okay with that because I still like all the teams and don't feel the need to say goodbye to any of them soon. I'm still kind of amazed that there's no one on the race this season that I actively dislike. Team Tricky continues to impress, finally winning a leg without another team incurring a penalty. Everyone else seemed to really appreciate the beauty around them and treat the locals with courtesy and respect. Where have all these people been hiding during casting previous seasons??

The Pit Stop was a floating soccer "arena" which seemed to be a floating dock that was set up as a soccer pitch. I was confused. If the ball went out of bounds - as it tends to do A LOT in soccer - wouldn't people have to keep jumping in the water to retrieve it? It seems like that would slow a game down considerably, no?

Next Week: It's a good thing all the teams loved Thailand because we are hanging around for another week. The Doublemints will have to face a Speed Bump and the challenge of getting along with no money, since they never got theirs changed into Thai currency. As if they needed to make the next leg harder on themselves, they certainly found a way! Onward, Racers!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 41

2011-10-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

(Like Eve tempting Adam with the apple from the Tree...)

It is Week 41 of no cookies and soda. This was a pretty straightforward week, so not much to say. It just flew by with the usual temptations and longings. New this week, was my co-worker Tony literally putting a large, warm-from-the-oven, chocolate chip cookie directly into my hand as a gift. He got it for me as a treat thinking I would enjoy it. My response was kinda "You do realize I haven't been eating these for 40 weeks and I've been talking to you about not eating them for all of those 40 weeks, no?" But his wife just gave birth to a lovely baby boy. He gets no sleep. So perhaps A Year Without Cookies just isn't registering for him. I forgive him. I respectfully gave him back the cookie.No offense taken by anyone involved.

Next up it's Week 42... and thus the 10 Week Countdown to the end of the Year Without Cookies!

Amazing Race 19: Leg 3 Recap!

2011-10-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

(Guess who wasn't eliminated this week?)

Episode Three Fake Title: Legends of The (Previously) Hidden Temple

Starting City: Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Pit Stop City: Magelang, Magelang Regency (Borobudur), Indonesia
1st Place: Team Tricky, Again! Reward: Trip For Two to Dubai
2nd: Team Nemo
3rd: That Other Dating Couple
4th: The Squabblings
5th: Team Bert & Ernie
6th: Footballers Lives
7th: Team Out-To-Pasture
8th: The Doublemints
Last Place: Team Nomi - Eliminated!!

Detour: Teams chose between "Rice Field" and "Grass Fed." In RF, teams carried lunch to rice paddy workers, and then got down and dirty planting 300 rice seedlings before receiving their next clue. In GF, teams had to fill two bags with freshly cut grass (to the very top!) and then pick up two (super adorable) sheep from a shed and drag them along to their pen. After delivering everything, they had to dump six buckets-worth of water they got from a well into a trough for the cute-ums sheep. Teams were only allowed to use two buckets at a time. Once the trough was full, they would receive their next clue.

Roadblock: One team member had to walk around the top tier of Borobudur, an amazing formerly-hidden Buddhist temple, counting the statues of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, while also paying attention to the positions depicted in the statues. The racer would have to give the correct numbers of Buddhas by shape and also a demonstration of their hand gestures to the nice expert guy who was waiting for them. Once they got the numbers and positions correct they got their next clue.

Also of Note This Week: No airports this week!

At the start of the leg, teams had to join a group of Dutch colonial-era reenacters on a bike ride from the Kraton through the streets of Yogyakarta to Fort Vredeburg to get their next clue. Team Tricky takes the opportunity to perform all kinds of moves on their bikes like they are in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. On Team Bert & Ernie, the pedal falls off of Ernie's bike causing Bert to freak the eff out as all the teams pass them as a dude tries various remedies to get the pedal back in place. Bert is so intense, but Ernie never loses patience with her or tells her it's a big character flaw. She's definitely the complainiest of all the Racers (outside the Squabblings, natch) but I still like her and both of them as a team.

The baby sheep in the detour were so cute. They were not very much in the mood to go where they needed to go. They should've been more helpful! They were on their way to food and water! Still of all the disagreeable animals to drag from Point A to Point B, i'd choose baby sheep over oxen, or camels or ostriches any day.

So many people fell on the slippery slopes of the Detour that it felt a little like Wipeout. Fine by me! Falling is hilarious as long as no one gets hurt. And it looked like everyone survived unscathed. Props to Cathi for keeping a positive outlook despite many a pratfall. I have no idea why Footballers Lives changed detour tasks midway through. All they had to do was stuff their bags with a little more straw. Why start an entirely different task? It seems like they panicked. It almost cost them dearly. Also Footballers Lives? If someone gives you the answer to a riddle, try to remember it for 10 minutes and then think about how it might APPLY to the riddle once you're asked to solve it. Team Tricky was so nice to them and they didn't capitalize! So strange.

Dearest Teams: Read your clues! Team Nemo would've come in first had they not gotten a penalty that Team Tricky even WARNED THEM about. Team Tricky is really growing on me fast. Honestly, this might be one of the most overall likable casts I've seen in a while. I'm not really sold on the Squabblings, but everyone else I find easy to cheer for.

It was an interesting twist that the Roadblock and Pit Stop were at a location that prohibited the teams from running. Borobudur looks like such a stunning location. All the teams seemed really taken with it. I can't believe it was at one point hidden away by surrounding jungle. It seems like it would take A LOT of jungle to hide something that size. But in terms of hurrying to the Pit Stop, teams had to remain respectful of the site and walk at a brisk pace. Another interesting reshuffle right at the end occurred when some teams had to go pack to the parking area to settle with their taxis while others had done so before entering the Roadblock. This helped save Team Footballers Lives and sealed the fate of Team Nomi.

People should never go on Reality Shows to win the money! Especially this one. You go on Amazing Race to see the world. That's it! If you think you could really use the prize money to ,as Melissa McCarthy might say, "get me outta a couple of jams." you're in the wrong place. You try to go as far as possible to see as much of the world as possible, and then at the end - if you make it that far - try to come in first for the prize. You don't plan on the TAR money prize money to provide for your family. Just like you don't play lotto instead of working a regular job to provide for them. I mention this because Team Nomi seemed particularly upset to miss out on the chance for the money, And I'm sure it would be helpful in their lives! I would like a cool million too. It would help in my life. But Kaylani seemed really upset that her daughter would think her a failure for not winning, which seems crazy. She'll be proud of her mommy regardless... unless her daughter is like that little girl who plays Will Ferrell's landlord in that Funny or Die video.

Next Week: Phuket all, we're headed to Thailand! Onward, Racers!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 40. Yeah, that's right. FORTY!

2011-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

(I am not responsible for those bite marks. Geez, how often do I say that in a week?)

40 weeks. Can it truly be?? Only 12 weeks to go. I really feel like I'm going to make it to the end now.

This past weekend at the Mud Run, I almost had a moment where I completely forgot about the Year Without Cookies. While waiting for my race to start, I went over to the free snack stand where they were giving out bananas and oranges and Oreo cookies. I was looking for a little energy boost right before the race and almost scooped up a cupful of cookies without realizing. Thankfully, a little red alert went off in my brain right before I popped them into my mouth. It was like a scenario in one of my soda dreams where I don't realize what I'm doing until it's too late. If I break the rules of the Year Without Cookies, I want to do it with some premeditation. I don't want some silly accidental slip up. I had the bananas as a pre-race snack instead.

Also this week, something that never happens. I went into Equinox downstairs from where I work to get some chicken soup from the cafe. That's not the thing that never happens. That happens often enough. (I've had a bad cold/fever all weekend that started late last week and it continues to do a number on my throat. I currently have no voice. It's not pretty to listen to.) What was rare was that the dude behind the counter had a half dozen freshly-baked jumbo-sized chocolate chip cookies that he was just giving away for free! "It's a promotion!" he said, trying to get me to take one off the tray. "You don't want it?" I DID want it! But I did not dare take it. The cookie vultures on line around me swooped in with their greedy little claws and snatched them up very quickly so it wasn't a long torment I suffered. But passing up a free freshly baked chocolate chip cookie? Such a test of strength.

Week 41 is on it's way. We edge ever closer to the end of the journey...

Here Is Mud In Your Eye! (And Everywhere Else!)

2011-10-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

(this is the one official picture of me that I can find. I love that I look like The Living Dead. Braaaaiiins!)

So last Sunday was the New York Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run in Orchard Beach. Along with tennis lessons, the mud run was the new physical challenge set for myself for 2011. It's your basic 10k race with an extra abundance of mud and several physical challenges along the way. It was great! Here is my recap of the event.

It started with a ride out to Pelham Bay Park on the 6 train. It didn't take as long as you might think considering it's the last stop in the Bronx. From here, shuttle bus service was provided by the race to Orchard Beach. "Shuttle bus service" turned out to be one school bus going back and forth in a loop picking up hundreds if not thousands of people. The line to wait for the bus was a long one. Luckily I left with plenty of time as a buffer. When I finally got on the bus , the driver claimed there were two buses doing the loop, but it sure didn't seem like it.

(me at almost the front of the line to get on the bus. I started waiting where the line currently ends. You can see it went on and on behind me.)

The set up at Orchard Beach was very nice. There were lots of stations set up with different sponsors and they gave out bananas and oranges and cookies pre-race so the runners had a little bit of extra fuel. There were military tests of strength, places you could buy race-themed gear and a well organized baggage area away from (most of) the mud. Race organizers played fun music by the race corrals and there was also live music by the lunch area. It was a very festive atmosphere. I thought it was very well-designed. The end of the race finished right in this main meeting area, which added to the excitement. You could see the finishers from the earlier 5K races making their way through the final mud pits.

It was warm and sunny that day, but it had rained the day before which meant the field itself was naturally muddy in some places and it was funny to watch runners who had not yet raced, delicately trying to step around the puddles and not mess up their shoes, while those who had already completed the course just stamped around regardless of what the ground was like. It just seemed funny that we were about to dive headfirst into mud, but beforehand, we tried to stay as neat and clean as possible.:)

The course went like this:

(Course Map! Click to embiggen!)

They started the race in waves a few minutes apart. I was lucky enough to wind up in Wave 8 with my co-worker Fabby and a theater buddy T.Caine. We were right at the front of our wave when the start gun went off, and though we put ourselves in the 10-minute/mile range, we all took off much faster. T.Caine especially shot out like a bullet. The first leg of the race was right on the boardwalk along the beachfront. It was such a nice view to take in, but we couldn't lose focus that we were off and running!

The obstacles went: ladder wall, tube tunnels, military hurdles, low crawl (under netting, no barbed wire was on hand. A relief!), more tube tunnels, cargo climb, mini-mud pit, low walls, hay bales, climbing wall, water run, slippery wall, and then the main mud pit for the grand finale. In between all those obstacles were some really beautiful (and muddy) trails through the woods around Orchard Beach. It was a unique kind of race for me for a couple reasons. For one, it was an entirely new course. All of my longer races have been on paved roads and mostly in Central Park and this course one is definitely not like that. You have to be a lot more aware of what's ahead of you and where your feet are landing. It reminded me a lot of my days in junior high and high school running cross country. It would be very easy to roll your ankle out there if you spaced out. Another big difference between this race and others was that due to all the mud and the obstacles, I couldn't run with my ipod. This meant running without music, which I pretty much never do. So it was an interesting challenge to do the run without any uptempo beats pushing me along.

(The Slipper Wall was one of the last obstacles on the course which you could also see from the Welcome Area. The dude climbing while standing up is not following directions. You're supposed to do it on your knees or your stomach so you don't slip and kill yourself. I found it was really painful climbing on my knees so I had to pull myself up with just my arms. I'm so strong!)

ALSO, there were no mile markers or clocks along the course, so nobody really knew where they were in terms of distance or pace as we were running along. All the obstacles were staffed with workers to make sure no one got hurt and to help people along, and supply water, but no one seemed to know how far into the race they were posted or at least they refrained from telling us when questioned. I figured that by the time I got to the mini-mud pit I was halfway through, but it was tricky to pace my energy without knowing for sure. Also a lot of the second half of the race seemed to be running uphill which was killer!

From the very first obstacle I realized I didn't have any problem climbing things, but getting over them gracefully was more difficult for me. I had a tendency to get to the top and then fling my leg over the side with a bit too much momentum, thus launching myself over without a way to really stop myself from toppling off the other side. This was most evident on the military hurdles, the first of which I totally fell off of going over. Luckily I just landed on my butt and quickly got up with an "i'm okay! i'm okay!" (note: no one around me was concerned at all. I was talking to myself.) and launched myself over the next one and got through it fine.

(Post-race. Still attractive. I used the bottle of water they gave me after the race to try and wash off my hands so I could get into my bag. Still it was a really messy endeavor.)

So obviously, from the pics you can tell I got very very muddy. The run advertised that there would be rinse off stations on-site. In my head I pictured... I don't know, showers? Not like they would create some spa out in the woods... but I don't know. What we got instead were a bunch of hoses with minimal water pressure hooked up to ice cold tanks of water. Trying to rinse off this way was more of a challenge than anything faced on the run. It would've taken me hours to try and rinse off in this fashion. Plus it was FREEZING. After trying for about 10 minutes and getting nowhere, I realized most people were abandoning this method to just walk back up the beach and rinse off in Pelham Bay. This was much more effective and the water temp was much more tolerable.Oh, and did I mention that even though I picked a giant bag worth of clothes to change into, I forgot to pack a towel? Yeah, that was really not good planning on my part. It made drying off a very creative process. Thank goodness it was an unseasonably warm October day.

(nice and clean after my swim! I had to use my clean shirt as a towel, so I'm just wearing my wind breaker without a shirt underneath. Just like Rafa after a tennis match! Vamos!)

I have to give props to the race for their delicious hamburger lunch provided after the race. It was a decent sized burger with fresh, lettuce tomato and cheese along with a bottle of water and assorted bags of chips. They tasted great. The whole atmosphere of the event was really a lot of fun. It was also very nice that Very Pregnant Co-Worker Suki who lives close to Orchard Beach stopped by to cheer on me and Fabby. How I refrained from giving her a big muddy hug, I'll never know! Even if I mentioned a few negatives here, overall it was a fantastic day and I'm happy I took this physical challenge. The obstacles were fun. The company was great. I would definitely run through the mud again!

Come See My Play "Processing" At the Abingdon Theatre Benefit Tuesday Oct. 11th!

2011-10-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! A new short play I wrote called "Processing" is being produced this week as part of the Abingdon Theatre's Moral Dilemma Comedies Fundraiser Series. There are two performances tomorrow night - Tuesday at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. All the info is below. The cast is a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing them tomorrow night along with the 5 other plays showcased. I hope to see you there in support of a great theater!

Abingdon Theatre Company

312 West 36th Street, just west of 8th Ave.

Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 1st Floor

6 playwrights + 13 actors + 5 directors = 6 new plays

Six playwrights take on the challenge to write a 10-minute play

inspiredby Abingdon’s current production,

BLAME IT ON BECKETT, by John Morogiello.

$10 suggested donation at the door.

There are no reservations.Only 55 seats per show!

Box office opens 30 minutes prior to curtain.

SERIES A

Tuesday, October 11, 20116:30pm & 8:30pm

Playwrights:

Will Arbery ● Josh Krigman ● Dara O’Brien

Owen Panettieri ● Jack Rushen ● Bara Swain

Featuring:

Kim Allen* ● Gail Merzer Behrens* ● Danielle BourgeoisSue Brady* ● Peter Brouwer*

● Chris DavisGus Ferrari ● Michael Hardart* ● Tom Lacey* ● Martin LaPlatney*

Tony Neil* ● Doug Rossi ● Jennifer Rubins*

Directors:

Heather Arnson ● Jessica Creane ● Benjamin Shaw

Catherine Siracusa ● Bara Swain

Stage Manager: Ashley Nicole Zednick

All participants are donating their talent to present these staged readings as a benefit for

Abingdon’s NewPlay Development Program.

* Member, Actors’ Equity Association

Thank you for supporting Abingdon Theatre Company, whose mission “to develop and produce new playsby American playwrights” has driven the development of more than 300 original plays since 1993.

For more information, visit our website @ www.abingdontheatre.org

Tea Without Sympathy: The Single Guy's Complaint about the Common Cold

2011-10-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

(Not Pictured: Anyone Else Who Cares)

Taking care of yourself when you are sick blows. Right now I have a bad sore throat and an up-and-down fever. Also my TV is broken. Could it get any worse? Yes. Of course it could. I count my many blessings daily. Need it get worse for me to complain about it? No.

It seems perfectly normal to want someone to be there to take care of you when you don't feel well. Is that so much to ask? Being single and living alone and being your own caregiver is not fun. You can't tuck yourself in. You can't go out and buy chicken soup and Tylenol and tissues while you're asleep in bed and then surprise yourself with the supplies when you wake up (believe me. I've tried. It's called dreaming.). You can't ask yourself if your head feels warm or if you'll please go out and buy another thermometer while sit slumped on the couch because you don't think the old one still works because it really feels like you have a fever and this stupid thing beeps that it's done at 96.2 and that just can't be right. None of that stuff feels right when you're alone!

Someone should be around to make a big deal out of the fact that you are kind of unwell. In the marriage vows when it says " in sickness and in health" most people tend to think of that as BIG sicknesses - like you pledge not to bail if your spouse gets cancer or suffers a debilitating injury or comes down with Alzheimer's (well, some people don't think that one counts.) But I think it also means that you pledge to be over-the-top in the sympathy and care giving department if your mate comes down with something not-so-major-but-still-uncomfortable during the annual cold and flu season.Year in, year out, that's when they count on you the most. And you shouldn't be all snippy about it.

Single loners like me don't have that. I've told several people today I'm not feeling well and their reactions have been non-plussed to sympathetic. (For the record, actors tend to have the strongest emotive responses because they are naturally dramatic and usually live without health insurance so the idea of sickness scares them more than most. Their "get well soon's" are very appreciated.) But are they running over here to take charge and tell me that if I take a shower maybe I'll feel a little better? No. And should they? No it's not their problem. It's my problem. I just wish it WAS someone else's problem. (Also, current FB comments to my status updates about not feeling well? Zero. 625 "friends," indeed!)

That's why I think there should be some kind of care service for those people who are sorta just not feeling well and don't have anybody around to complain to. I would gladly pay a small hourly fee to have someone come over and pretend to care that it hurts when I swallow, and agree that Dayquil gelcaps really aren't that effective after all, and simply ask, "Is there anything else I can do to make you more comfortable?". It's like combining hospice and an escort service but you take out the dying and the sexual favors. Lots of people babysit kids, are there no caring souls out their who will babysit the germ-infected for a fee?

This seems like a truly fantastic idea. A real moneymaker. I can't believe no one has introduced it into the market yet. You have the sniffles, you dial 1-800-I AM-SICK, you tell the customer service rep, "I'm siiiiiick" and you give them your address, and someone comes right over and sets stuff up so you're more comfortable. They are like, "oh no! oh no! are you okay? It's because you are working yourself too hard. Get back in bed!" and then they call work for you and tell your boss you are NOT coming in, nor will you be answering work emails, and then they make you tea and toast and find a good game show on TV if it's not time for Price Is Right. Or they bring you a magazine. I will call this business Tea AND Sympathy. And I will start planning the rest of the business model as soon as I feel better...

Amazing Race 19: Leg 2 Recap!

2011-10-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

(The Doublemints and Bert & Ernie prepare to descend into a Cave of Wonders.)

Episode Two Fake Title: Give Us Your Money! All That You Got!

Starting City: Martyr's Shrine Taipei, Taiwan
Pit Stop City: Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Yogyakarta, Indonesia
1st Place: Team Tricky! Reward: Trip For Two to Ireland
2nd: Team Nemo
3rd: Team Nomi
4th: Team Bert & Ernie
5th: The Doublemints
6th: That Other Dating Couple
7th: Team Out-To-Pasture
8th: The Squabblings
9th: Team Footballers Lives
Last Place: Team Survivor AND Team Domestic Flight - Double Elimination!!

Roadblock: One team member had to descend down into Goa Jomblang, a giant beautiful whole in the Earth, where they had to search for a traditional Javanese mask and dagger (they weren't hidden, it was just really dark) before returning to the surface via hella-large wooden ladder to exchange them for their next clue.Nobody complained about being afraid of heights (though a few mentioned it in passing.) Everybody took a moment to enjoy the view.

Speed Bump: Apparently somehow different from last week's "Hazard," Team Out-To-Pasture had to unravel a big rope that stretched across a yard. This looked super easy and seemed to be located about 100 feet from the Roadblock so it wasn't really a big obstacle for them to overcome. Why do they even include these as a penalty?

Detour: A choice between "Shake Your Money Maker" or "Be a Ticket Taker." In SYMM, teams had to dress up in costumes with one team member dancing in the streets, while the other played a gamelan in order together earn some money. In BATT, teams had to go to the Mal Malioboro and park motorbikes to earn the money. I would have parked the bikes. It seemed like a more certain way to make the cash. People can either tip you for your dance or not, but they have to tip you for parking their bike.

Also of Note This Week: All teams knew from the beginning it would be a double elimination and were particularly nervous that they had to be ahead of two teams instead of one.

After completing the Detour, teams had to make their way to the Aisyiyah Orphanage to donate the money they earned in exchange for their next clue. HOWEVER, there was a visible sign - in English - on the table where they handed in the money that instructed teams to donate all of the money they had on their persons. Teams that did not donate all of their money were not allowed to check in at the Pit Stop and had to go back to the Orphanage to complete the task before their leg was done. How many of the teams read the sign? ONLY THREE OUT OF ELEVEN! This created quite a reshuffling of the teams right at the end of the leg. It was very intense. I liked this twist. I hate when teams just run around in a panic and don't read. I like that in the past few seasons the Race has really tried to force the teams to pay attention to what they are doing and to READ THE CLUES!

The Dating Couples continue to treat each other with respect and support and hopefully that trend will continue since they seem to be not going anywhere anytime soon. Over on Team Bert and Ernie, Cindy freaked out about losing 1st place when they had to go back to the Orphanage, but her freak out was not directed at Ernie and he in turn did not lash out at her or tell her to shut up, so it's cool. Over on Team Squabblings, the brother and sister continue to fight about nothing other than their entire lives of knowing each other. They have got to learn to breathe or they are gonna MELT. DOWN.

Unfortunately, with the elimination of Team Survivor and Team Domestic Flights, my predictions for the season are shot to hell. I like Ethan and Jenna and Ron and Bill. They raced pretty well, they didn't attack or blame each other when they made mistakes and they would've been safe had they read the sign at the orphanage!!! Alas, it was not meant to be for them. They were very gracious in their exits. I will miss them!

Next Week: Bert and Ernie have broken bicycles, Out-To-Pasture does multiple face plants out in a pasture, and the secrets of ancient temple cause problems and mental breakdowns for all. Plus elephants! Onward, Racers!

Friendly's: Empty Chairs At Empty Tables

2011-09-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

(You will live! Friendly's, you're going to live! It's too soon! Too soon to say good-bye...)

Today on Gawker, I read some truly horrifying news. Apparently, Friendly's is $225 million in debt, and on the brink of filing Chapter 11. This is the worst news ever. I love Friendly's. My one true lament about living in the city is that there are no Friendly's close by. I bring this up with friends every now and again and they all say the same thing: a Friendly's would never survive in NYC. I don't understand why! We have every other awful chain here, why not one that serves mediocre food and delicious delicious ice cream desserts? But apparently they were right and I was wrong, as the whole franchise seems to be going under.

I am not ready to say goodbye to the SuperMelts, the Fribbles, the Happy Ending Sundaes (yes, that's what they are called) the crispy chicken salads, the place mats you can color on in crayons at any age, and of course the free refills of soda. I will never be ready to let it all go. The news has brought back a flood of memories about my favorite little chain restaurant where, as the slogan says, "The Ice Cream Makes The Meal." Damn, right it does. Let me share with you a few stories...

* As a little boy out at Friendly's with my family, I decided I would not get mint-chocolate chip ice cream in my sundae as I always did. I informed my mother I would try another flavor. For some reason, she discouraged me. Perhaps she thought that as soon as it came out I would turn my nose up at it and request the MCC? But I relented and told the waitress when it was time to order dessert that I would have the mint chocolate chip. She said she was sorry but they were out of mint-chocolate chip. My mom then made some off-hand remark "that I must have ESP" and that's why I was fine with going with another flavor when my favorite wasn't an option. I spent the next several decades believing I had some low level amount of ESP, looking for signs of superior mental and believing that it was always strongest whenever I was in a Friendly's.

* There was a time in maybe 10th grade or 11th grade when my group of friends was at Friendly's and I faced off with my friend Becky as to how much soda we could drink in one sitting. Friendly's gave free refills, which only seemed fair since the glass was filled 85% of the way with ice. So I know I had root beer, and I think Becky did too, but Becky might have had coke or diet coke. That's not really the point. The point is that I got sick off the root beers. I didn't throw up or anything. I just was not feeling good at all during the late stages of the Refill Challenge. I was not meant to be a competitive eater/drinker just a constant one. I think we both stopped tied at 5 or 6 sodas. This was with a full meal. And we probably stopped not because we were so sick, but because we both acknowledged we would need room for dessert. How I was not a fat child and never had a cavity is a mystery to me. Also, I never learned my lesson with free refills. I will drink and drink until my stomach and bladder are ready to burst. This is evidenced by two Pink Lemonade Ordeals in Disney World (each one several years apart, same on-site restaurant though. I'm SO classy on Disney vacations.) and also just recently during a heat wave when again I could not get enough Pink Lemonade here at home before I made myself physically nauseous. But that one time in Friendly's with the root beer challenge started it all.

* My absolutely favorite dessert is the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. I take mine with mint chocolate chip (as noted earlier). Some people find the flavor of combo of mint and peanut butter an unpleasant prospect but it's my FAVORITE, especially Friendly's peanut butter syrup and their own MCC ice cream. My friend Sandi who I met during HS also loved this combo, and if you find someone who likes the same somewhat off-beat dessert as you, I swear you've probably met a friend for life. I know I did! :)

(picture this with mint ice cream and we're good to go. If you don't it sorta looks like someone mashed up a calico cat and stuck it in a sundae dish. It doesn't look that way with mint chocolate chip ice cream!)

* In college, there was a Friendly's within driving distance of Wesleyan. I didn't have a car, so I didn't go their often with friends. Occasionally I did. I remember a sign language dinner there that was particularly fun - and actual deaf people came over to talk to us! But mostly I saved my Friendly's visits for when my Dad came to visit. He hated Friendly's. He always wanted to go to one of the nice restaurants around campus. I didn't care. I was getting my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae and he was picking up the tab! Now before you judge me too harshly, bear in mind that he was coming to visit on some occasion that had to do with celebrating ME. Like it was around my birthday, or he was coming to see a show I was in or something. If he came during his birthday, I might have gone somewhere else.* I at least made reservations for the family at Tuscany Grille for when I graduated. See, sometimes I was thoughtful.
* - This is a lie. My dad's birthday is my half-birthday and I would've claimed half-birthday privileges to go to Friendly's. I know I'm a monster.

Usually my phone conversation with my dad before he came up to visit went like this:

Dad: Where do you wanna go out to eat for dinner?
Owen: Friendly's.
Dad: WHAT? NO! Not Friendly's!
Owen: Yes, FRIENDLY'S!
Dad: We always go there! I want to go somewhere else!
Owen: WELL I WANT TO GO TO FRIENDLY'S!! IT'S MY DAY!
Dad: AWW! C'MON, OWEN!
Owen: NO! FRIENDLY'S!
Dad: Aahhhh.... shit.
Owen: YAY!! FRIENDLY'S!

It's not like I chose to go to Wesleyan because there was a Friendly's nearby, but it sure didn't hurt its chances in the selection process either. Anyway, one time Dad came up and I think I was in a show, this must have been spring of my Junior year, and he took me and my girlfriend Gracie to Friendly's before seeing the show. I remember I was REALLY sick with a fever that day, but I refused to say so out loud because I had a show I had to do that night and I really wanted my sundae and would sit through dinner in order to get it. (Oh, side note: I keenly remember Friendly's having a smoking section that was not separated by ANYTHING. It was the same air. Now smoking is outlawed everywhere.) So I'm not feeling well and I open the menu to choose between the two entrees I always get and I notice there is a new item on the menu. This was amazing since the menu at Friendly's was basically the same for the last 100 million years. The new item? A Fishamajig.

(to this day, it's hard to look at a fishamjig without my stomach getting tied in knots.)

That's right. A thing-a-majig made out of FISH. And the name was registered name no less! So basically it was mystery fish blended up and served with melted cheese. I can't remember the rest of the description. I just know that at the time, the idea of the fishamajig made me want to puke all over my coloring book-style place mat. My Dad and Gracie are talking about all sorts of things and I'm just sitting there trying not to throw up. Finally, I pull it together, close the menu and wait for the waitress to take my order as a cold sweat from the fever runs down my brow. The waitress stops first at the booth directly behind me and what does the person sitting there order? You guessed it! A FISHAMAJIG! So not only would I have to think about a fishamjig, i was going to have to smell it all throughout my meal. Somehow I made it through. I kept my mind focused on the peanut butter cup sundae that awaited me and held my nose and got through it. My dad and Gracie didn't know how bad off I was until I told them about it later. Such a good actor I was! And of course my performance later that evening on stage was equally sublime.

One last short tale before I wrap up. Several years ago I was on my way to New England to share a nice weekend away with some friends at their families house. His mom picked us up at a train, I think (the details are kinda fuzzy in my head) but I know it was late and we were driving through CT and we were relatively close to the Friendly's near Wesleyan and I somehow convinced everyone it was a good idea to find it and eat a late dinner there. I don't know how I did this. Maybe I just kept saying "FRIENDLY'S" really loud over and over again until everyone thought the only way to shut me up was to go there. Of course we got lost and went well out of our way from our actual destination, but I'm pretty sure my friend's mom eventually got us to a Friendly's, even after I was more than ready to give up the quest. The rest of the weekend was lovely, don't you worry.

So as you can see from this small spattering of stories, Friendly's holds a special place in my mind, in my heart and in my stomach. So many fun memories of youth and early adulthood. If this really is the end... well, please don't let this be the end. I'm not ready to sing Empty Chairs at Empty Tables at a Friendly's memorial service. Will someone at least show me how to mix a Fribble before they all close their doors for good? I don't want future generations to grow up in a more un-Friendly world... and I need that peanut butter cup sundae....

A Year Without Cookies - Week 39

2011-09-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

(it's that time of year again.)

Week 39. Look at that end-cap of goodness pictured above! This is what greeted me when I went grocery shopping this week. I wanted to buy every box! Unfortunately for me, it says "cookies" right on the packaging. Mallomars don't really count as cookies do they? are they baked like cookies? I'm gonna have to think long and hard about this one and at the very least buy a few boxes to store in my freezer. Don't they look amazing? And a total steal at only $4.89 a box!

This week I mentioned I was at 39 weeks to Co-worker Suki and she remarked that she was 36 weeks into her pregnancy. She has been sick nearly every day for 36 weeks an I have been hungry for cookies every day for just as long a time. Who has walked the tougher road? It's hard to say. But I am fairly certain that she only has about four weeks to go (or maybe less. that baby seems ready to arrive at the party a little bit early to me. She's so big! Is there really a whole month left of baking in the oven... like a giant delicious cookie?? mmm.... delicious baby-shaped cookies...) and then after that I will continue to soldier on for another 12 weeks. So all things considered, it's a toss up.

Next week is week 40! FORTY WEEKS! I am stunned it's gone on this long. It's the 4th quarter of the year. And with it comes the biggest test of all. Holiday Season. Oh, boy.

Amazing Race 19 - Predictions and Leg 1 Recap!

2011-09-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

(Here we go again! The world is waiting!)

Welcome back, TAR fans! It's season NINETEEN! How can this be? A decade flies by so fast... Anyway, I'm very spotty in picking winners and losers on this show, but it never really stops me from trying. Here's the run down of who we're dealing with this season and where I think they'll end up.

Andy & Tommy

The Bond: Olympic stoners! - er, snowboarders! Olympic Snowboarders!

I dub thee: Team Tricky (for SSX Tricky of course! Pure Bliss! I AM this!)

Impressions/Predictions: Stoner teams are the hardest to predict. I think if they make a big navigational mistake while driving they might not have the hustle to get back into it. I say they finish bottom half of the pack.

Ethan & Jenna

The Bond: Survivor Winners and long-term couple, And Ethan is also a post-Survivor cancer survivor.
I dub thee: Team Survivor! (obvious, I know, but it works on multiple levels.)
Impressions/Predictions: These two are proven fighters and winners, each with their own million from CBS to prove it. I think they'll go far in the field, but I thought that about Jeff and Jordan a couple seasons ago and that didn't work out well for me. Still I'll go with at least a Top 4 finish.

Laurence & Zac

The Bond: father and son, nautical enthusiast
I dub thee: Team Nemo
Impressions/Predictions: Fathers tend to break down physically on the race as the race draws to its conclusion. I like theit chances to get far, but maybe not to the end. I say they finish in the Top Half of the pack.

Ernie & Cindy

The Bond: couple; recently engaged.

I dub thee: Team Bert & Ernie

Impressions/Predictions: I usually hate dating couples on this show. It's always the weakest bond and leads to the worst kind of whining and bickering. Even worse than siblings (which we'll get to shortly). But technically they are engaged and I thought they were kinda cute in the first leg, so I'll say Top Half finish.

Justin & Jennifer

The Bond: Siblings who fight a lot!

I dub thee: The Sqwabblings

Impressions/Predictions: They are gonna fight with each other the whole time. That might just be how they function though. It might be annoying to listen to, but with siblings it's not necessarily their undoing. If they can pull it together before Kilelr Fatigue sets in they could make a good run. I say they finish Bottom Half of the pack.

Bill & Cathi

The Bond: Grandparents, Farmers
I dub thee: Team Out to Pasture
Impressions/Predictions: These two are just not long for this game, I don't think. They seem nice, but they got WAY too confused in Taiwan. I don't think they have the speed or the energy to really compete. Sorry, Bill and Cathi. You seem lovely. I would love for you to prove me wrong. I say Bottom half finish for these two.

Liz & Marie

The Bond: Twin Sisters
I dub thee: The Doublemints
Impressions/Predictions: I feel like they should be stronger on paper than they were in the first leg. So now I'm confused. A relatively simple task seems to almost completely undo them. But as twins, it's not gonna be a lack of relationship strength that will undo them. So we'll see. There are 11 teams, so this one I'll leave as my Wild Card.

Jeremy & Sandy

The Bond: dating couple who've been divorced before, but not from each other.
I dub thee: That Other Dating Couple

Impressions/Predictions: I don't remember anything about them. So that must mean they didn't yell at each other. That's a plus for any dating couple on this show. But I'm not invested in them right now either. I don't get what their hook is supposed to be. So let's say Bottom Half finish and I won't be too disappointed when I forget they were ever here.

Ron & Bill

The Bond: Domestic Partners, both flight attendants
I dub thee: The Domestic Flights (or The Gay Stews. I can't decide. I like both names.)
Impressions/Predictions: They should kick ass with all the traveling experience! ...it's the challenges I'm a little concerned about. They seem to be in good shape, but maybe they are secretly older than I think they are? Hmm... I'm still gonna say Top Half Finish for them.

Amani & Marcus

The Bond: Married to the NFL
I dub thee: Team Footballers Lives
Impressions/Predictions: Marcus sorta speaks for both of them in the interviews, which is a little weird, but Amani just seems like a lovely quiet person. I want to hear more from Amani. They seem like a strong, capable functional pair. If they don't get done in by a horrible taxi or something they should be strong competition. Top Half Finishers.

Kaylani & Lisa

The Bond: ex-Vegas Showgirls
I dub thee: Team Nomi (how could they NOT be??)
Impressions/Predictions: Well, they will make one million mistakes every leg of the race, but they also seem to be the kind of people who have divine intervention continually saving their asses. They almost lost at the very beginning when they lost a passport at a gas station en route to LAX. Luckily some nice dude and social networking got it back to them at the airport in time. I hope they stick around so I can keep calling them Team Nomi, but I don't think they'll be very good racers. Bottom Half Finish, I say.

After going through everybody, I'd still say the safest bet to win is Ethan and Jenna. But you never can tell when bad luck or Killer Fatigue will unexpectedly take out a team. I've decided I'm going to do ever-so-brief recaps of the show this season. So without further ado:

Episode One: Confucius? We hardly know us!

Starting City: Hsi Lai Temple in the foothills of Hacienda Heights,CA USA
Pit Stop City: Martyr's Shrine Taipie, Taiwan
1st Place: Team Bert and Ernie! Reward: Express Pass for later on in the race
Last Place: Team Out to Pasture (non-elimination leg)
Detour: None!!
Roadblock: 1-800-CONFUCIUS. One team member made their way to a phone that played the proverb,"In all things success depends on previous preparation, and without such previous preparation there is sure to be failure. Then, without written notes, he or she had to repeat the proverb verbatim to a temple monk. It would have been a lot easier if there was a comma after "In all things" instead it sounded like "in all things success," so people just tried to remember the words instead of understanding the meaning of the phrase and a lot of people got MESSED UP. There was a giant "WRONG!" graphic that filled the screen every time this happened and I laughed and laughed each time.

Also of note: At the Starting Line, teams had to search needle-in-a-haystack-style through several hundred umbrellas for ones that had the correct set of letters (TAI) printed on them. When those three letters combined twice with six other letters they were given (WANPEI) the name of their first destination would be revealed, namely: Taipei, Taiwan. Confused yet? The task was actually not that hard and seeing the WANPEI clue, I immediately thought Taiwan, but Phil's instructions were really uncharacteristically jumbled (even worse than my description, frankly) and adrenaline must have been off the charts for these guys while waiting to start so I forgive the racers their initial confusion. Once Phil got the correct umbrella, the teams could leave. The last team to complete the task was stuck with the Hazard, which seems to be the new name for the Speed Bump. The Hazard went to Team Nomi.

Later, at the Ximending Commercial District, teams were told to "look up" for their next clue, and had to figure out that their clue was on an electronic billboard written in Chinese that directed them to Taipei Confucius Temple. This was harder to figure out than usual, because there were MANY things with the amazing race colors in the district and I don't think the Race ever used red and yellow digital balloons as a route marker before. Plus if you don't read Chinese, the message just blends in with all the other non-English writing all over the place.

At the Dajia Riverside Park, teams rode with a dragon boat team, which looked like it was going to be a Detour but then it wasn't. I wonder if there was a detour they just cut for time so we could see Team Nomi freak out about losing a passport. Hmm. One team member had to drum to keep pace, while the other person joined the rowing crew. Nobody seemed to have to go twice and it didn't seem like anyone got the opportunity to pass anyone else, so... it was kind of just filling time.

Next Week: A shocking first-ever double-elimination! I hope it doesn't work out like SYTYCD this summer where two decent teams get booted before their time by an unlucky twist of fate. Now you have to not only worry about coming in last, you have to worry about being second to last! I'm sure everyone will freak out accordingly. Onward, Racers!

A Year Without Cookies - Weeks 37 & 38

2011-09-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

(Orlando's Top Chef "Surprise" is that there's no root beer float in this root beer float.)

Well, it has been two more weeks and still no cookies or soda for O. Marathon training has picked up, and my desire for cookies has increased exponentially. We are almost at 40 weeks in the year, folks. Surely I'm not going to be giving in now just from an increase in appetite... although some "friends" on the FB never miss an opportunity to suggest that I break and indulge in a cookie. It will not happen, Underminers! You have no power over me!

The other night at dinner I was splitting a dessert with someone and as we going over the many delicious options on the menu, one was a sundae that had a cookie base at the bottom. My friend suggested I just eat until we got the bottom layer so that he could enjoy the entire cookie. Listen, I'm not that disciplined or that nice. Once I was digging into the sundae I was not going to stop. And even if I could, was he going to leave me with that much more of the other layers to compensate for him getting the full cookie layer? Unlikely. Ice cream was ordered instead.

The temperature has dropped slightly here in NYC which should be conducive to a drop in the desire for a cool refreshing soda, but the humidity this week has been horribly obnoxious, so refreshing drinks are still in demand. Speaking of soda, this week I caught an episode of Top Chef: Just Desserts where this contestant made a root beer float that had no root beer float in it. Seriously, you can take a look at it up top. This dessert was rated poorly by the judges and almost got him sent home. But MAN, it made me want a real root beer float. I mean REALLY...

Week 39 is just around the bend! The last of the weeks in the 30's. The end of the year seems to be approaching at lightning speed!!

Emmys 2011 - Reflections

2011-09-19T04:38:00.000-07:00

(And the winner of Miss Emmy Funny Lady 2011 goes to...)

It's Emmy Night! Where people on a bunch of shows I don't actually watch compete for trophies, and I turn to BFF as we sit on the couch eating cheese and crackers and I say things like, "oh, she's supposed to be really good on that show." For the record, I've never seen anything on Showtime, I've never been able to find where FX is on my cable box, I only watch True Blood and Game of Thrones on HBO and I only watch Walking Dead on AMC. So basically, it's going to be me rooting for Modern Family and Parks and Rec and Game of Thrones all night. Not bad horses to back, in my opinion, but there you have it. My predictions for who I'd want to win are as follows: There are some close races this year, so I'm only listing who I want to win and whoever is not that who will "likely win" can go eff themselves.

Best Comedy: Parks and Rec
Best Actor in a Comedy: Louie CK, Louie
Best Actress in a Comedy: Amy Poehler, Parks and Rec
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Ty Burrell or Ed O'Neil, Modern Family
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Julie Bowen, Modern Family or Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Best Drama: Game of Thrones
Best Actor in a Drama: Jon Hamm, Mad Men or Kyle Chandler, FNL
Best Actress in a Drama: Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife or Connie Britton, FNL
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Margo Martindale, Justified
Best Reality Program: Deadliest Catch
Best Reality Competition: So You Think You Can Dance
Best Reality Host: Cat Deely (already decided. She didn't win. Sad.)
Best Variety, Music, Comedy Show: The Daily Show

We'll see how that goes during the night!

BFF and I miss out on pretty much all the red carpet madness because Football ran long and then walking across the street to pick up our thai food somehow took a half hour. We believe they just never put our order in. LAME! Thank goodness we had already filled up on delicious Beecher's Flagship Cheese from 7-7:30!!!

I only made one status update during the show, but if I'd made more they would've gone like this:

Jane Lynch Sings! Yay! The opening number is on the longish-side but props to all those stars who showed up to do their bits. Also? NIMOY!!!! We miss you, protesting Alec Baldwin...

The Emmy-Tones might be better in concept than execution, but I love them anyways. Hi Joel McHale,,, and the rest!

Julie Bowen wins! So excited! I hope this marks a trend for first-time winners. They are always more fun than the same old people/shows winning every year.

Juliana Marguilles is so pretty but... it kinda looks like the top of her dress is a child's princess trashcan? I'm sure it looks better in person.

Ty Burrell wins! I'm 2 for 2 on predictions!! I hope Ed O'Neil eventually wins for this show. It was a very strong year for Ty though.

Um, Modern Family has now gone 4 for 4 in the awards. If any show can find a way to sweep categories it's not even nominated in, it's this one! MF SWEEEEEP!

Not so thrilled with the Gervais bit. It's basically "Miss Lucy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell" but by Gervais. On tape. I shrug my shoulders, sir!

Go away, Charlie Sheen. In the words of Jessica Myrtle Spano, "Face it. It's over."

Steve Carrell loses again for The Office. No more chances left for him for this show. :( Unless he comes back later on and is nominated as a guest actor! :)

Amy Poehler is my hero. She just marched up on that stage and hoped those other funny lady nominees followed suit with the bit. And they did! I love it. Having all the nominees up there Miss America-style might be my favorite Emmy moment ever. And the moment of celebration between them all when Melissa was announced as the winner was genuine and delightful. Amy really should've won. Melissa McCarthy is a fun surprise win and it was cute she got a tiara and flowers as well and was moved by the moment. I've actually seen her show and she is very funny in it and I'm glad it didn't go to one of those Pay-Cable not-actually-a-comedy comedies. But it's weird to me that people would vote for her over Amy. Maybe she got some spillover goodwill in the industry for her hilarious work in Bridesmaids? Oh and here's a Bridemaids DVD commercial right after she gets the award. Interesting...

Amazing Race wins again!! I love TAR, but was pulling for SYTYCD, especially with the pattern of 1st time winners we are seeing tonight. If Am.Idol couldn't win this year with all the changes, it ain't ever gonna win.

The comedy/variety writing awards always have the funniest intros. Hooray for puppies, Timberlake... and Stephen Colbert!

Daily show wins again!! Colbert is still a genius!!! Love to Colbert!!!

Zooey Deschanel. The dress and the make up is a no from me. Sorry.

Bolton comes to sing about Jack Sparrow. Maya Rudolph lets us know it's okay if it's in a three-way. Thanks for playing, Lonely Island!

FNL wins for writing??!!??? Yay for them. Is there a Best Drama upset in the works?

Margo Martindale seems like a badass on a show I don't watch. She is so excited to win. I'd probably collapse on the stairs too if I won, and I wouldn't even be wearing a dress, I don't think!!

Was there any way they would not give the directing award to Scorsese? This is not the Oscars. They won't make him wait forever.

Peter Dinklage! Game of Thrones! I'm glad the show and the actor got some Emmy love here. Very well deserved!

Dear Producers Of Any Show Or Movie Out There: Sadly, the presence of Katie Holmes really adds nothing to the mix. She is just not interesting! I know. We all wish it was different. But it's not. Plus, she won't dress well or do her hair, just to spite you. Trust me, I've seen it happen too many times. WAY too many times. Much Love, Owen.

Kyle Chandler wins for FNL. I'm glad he could understand that his name was called. The way the Charlie's Angels girls screamed it, I had no idea who had won. I hope Hamm and Carrell share a stiff drink after the show. Denied again!!

Miniseries Movies Hour. zzzzzzz..... Just have Downtown Abbey and Mildred Pierce split them up equally off-screen and get us out of here by 10pm!

I'm all for slimming down and eating healthy, but Turtle from Entourage now looks like he couldn't way more than 95 lbs. Eat a chesseburger, dude. This cast turned Jane Lynch gay!

*This is the one I posted - Dearest Award Shows, there's really no need to have people sing live during an in memoriam segment. They wind up competing for attention with dead people which is not classy. Neither is using a fog machine during the live singing. Yours Always, O

RIP Andy Whitflield. I didn't watch your show, but I followed your story and it makes me sad the cancer took you from your wife and two children at such a young age. :(

Kate Winslet is SO THRILLED to win an Emmy! She's hugging it out with everybody. in the audience I guess when you lose so many Oscars in a row. you figure it will take more than two chances to win an Emmy.

Mad Men wins Best Drama, but the Best Drama of the night was whether it might actually lose to FNL.It looked close there for a minute!

Modern Family wins Best Comedy. Parks and Rec is my favorite in this category, but the writing was on the wall from early in the night. The cleavage on the younger MF daughter's dress is making me really uncomfortable. Her boobs are huge and OUT THERE. How old is she in real life? Not old enough. Put those things away, young lady! Julie Bowen needs to go Bad Cop on her immediately. Do as she says, little one, not as she does.

150 tons of confetti are falling from the ceiling and bury the Modern Family team alive on stage. That's one way to prevent a repeat win in this category next year.

No more trophies to hand out. Here are the night’s winners:
Outstanding comedy series: Modern Family
Outstanding drama series: Mad Men
Outstanding miniseries or movie: Downton Abbey
Outstanding lead actress, miniseries or movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or movie: Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Outstanding directing for a miniseries, movie or dramatic special: Brian Percival, Downton Abbey
Outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie: Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
Outstanding supporting actress, miniseries or movie: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Outstanding writing for a miniseries or movie: Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey
Outstanding lead actor, drama: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Outstanding lead actress, drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Outstanding supporting actor, drama: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Outstanding directing, drama: Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire
Outstanding supporting actress, drama: Margo Martindale, Justified
Outstanding writing, drama series: Jason Katims, Friday Night Lights
Outstanding variety, music or comedy series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Outstanding directing for a variety, music or comedy series: Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live (host: Justin Timberlake)
Outstanding writing for a variety, music or comedy series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Outstanding reality competition: The Amazing Race
Outstanding lead actress, comedy: Melissa McCarthy Mike & Molly
Outstanding lead actor, comedy series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Outstanding writing for a comedy: Steve Levitan, Jeffrey Richman (“Caught in the Act”), Modern Family
Outstanding director, comedy: Michael Alan Spiller (“Halloween”), Modern Family
Outstanding supporting actor, comedy: Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Outstanding supporting actress, comedy: Julie Bowen, Modern Family

The show ends on time! I thought Jane was a lovely and enthusiastic host. I'm excited so many 1st time winners won this year. Thank you Beecher's Cheese for the delicious snacking food throughout the night Next year: Amy Poehler wins!!! Thank you and good night!

United States of Rafa 2011 - The Finals

2011-09-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

(Positive spin... hmm... 1st is the worst, 2nd is the best?)

Ooof. I hate thatNovak Djokovic!

No, but seriously. What can you say? Our Hero, Rafael Nadal tried his best.He tried to find solutions to weaken Djokovic throughout the match. Nothingworked. He tried moving back when Djok was painting the lines. Didn’t help. Hetried moving in to crowd him and break down his volley. Didn’t help. Novak isjust playing fearless tennis right now. Everything is working for him. Despitesome momentary bouts of tiredness (which mostly come from not losing ever andhaving to play every tournament to its end) his game right now has no flaws.He is brimming with confidence and positive energy. There are no solutions tobe found when facing that kind of opponent. Rafa fought hard, but Novak justcouldn’t be beaten. It won’t always be that way, but this year that’sdefinitely the story for these two. Right now, Novak’s got his number.

The match itself was frustrating as a Rafa fan. He went up2-0 and the start of the 1^st set and then lost the following sixgames to lose the set 6-2. He was up 2-0 in the second set and went on to losethe set 6-4. They would play these exceedingly long games with multiple deucepoints and Rafa had many chances to capitalize, but Novak always came up withsomething amazing to rip the game away from Rafa in the end. The third set tiebreaker was amazing and theone real triumph of the match for Rafa. Each player was firing and returningretrieving these unbelievable shots. The spectators at Arthur Ashe weregasping, the people watching with me at Midtown Tennis Center were shouting (itwas a pro-Nadal crowd). It seemed impossible that Nadal had to work so hard towin a point. He was winning them, Novak seemed to momentarily slow down just ahair and Nadal took the third set. I was excited for him to take the set, butit felt a little like their match at Wimby this year, where Rafa lost lopsidedfirst and second sets and the got the third but faltered again in the fourth. Iwas on the subway coming home for most of the fourth set and when I got aboveground and saw the score was 5-1 favoring Djokovic my heart sank. I know hetried his hardest. It just wasn’t in the cards this time. I felt bad for him,because I saw how hard he was playing, I see how hard he plays every match.

The situation reminds me of a Buffy quote from the end of Season 3: Asjustice goes, it’s not unpoetic, don’t ya think? I mean, I can apreciate the irony. For years Federer could beat anyone on the planet except Nadal, and right now Nadal canfind a way to beat anyone… except Djokovic. How many of Nadal’s Grand Slam Finals came at Fed’s expense? More then half of them – SIX! (4 French, 1 Wimby, 1 Aussie.) It’s asucky situation, but Nadal has been on the better side of that equation a lot.Now he’s on the worse side. He’ll be back on the good side again. That’s whatmakes it a rivalry for the ages. :)

Novak’s win doesn’t diminish all the amazing success thatRafa has enjoyed for the past several years. Rafa may only have three titles sofar for the year which is less than usual, but it’s still a great showing andhe did compete in the championship match for six other titles, which means he is playingvery well overall. And the year’s not over because it’s the longest effingseason in sports, so there's still time for more success! Rafa will fight and win another day! Vamos!

United States of Rafa 2011 - Semifinals

2011-09-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

(Back in the finals again!)

Our Hero, Rafael Nadal will get the chance to defend his 2010 US Open title tomorrow, after defeating no. 4-seed Andy Murray in the semifinals on Saturday 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. It was a very solid performance from Rafa. I think I only saw a couple points of it while it was unfolding, as I had a lovely wedding to attend just that evening. But I was happy to check the score on my phone once the reception was in full swing and saw that Rafa had one. After that shaky first round match, he's really played a fantastic tournament.

So the final will be a rematch of last year's final. Djokovic against Nadal. Ugh. It amazes me that only a year ago I felt GOOD about this match up. Nadal has lost 5 finals to Novak this year, including the Wimby Final. I really hope Nadal can take it to him tomorrow afternoon, but recent history and Novak's unbelievable success throughout the year would suggest that at the very least Nadal is not the favorite to win. That's kinda okay though, Rafa feeds off struggle and feeling like the underdog. I know my guy has it in him. I just hope it translates on the court tomorrow.

I can't believe Novak even made it to the final this year. Somehow, his semifinal with Federer turned out to be a crazy repeat of last year when Federer had match point against Djokovic on his serve and somehow Novak came up with these total go for broke insane shots that landed in and wound up shifting the whole momentum of the match right at the end. I felt so bad for Fed. I wanted him to win!! Hopefully history from last year will continue to repeat itself and Rafa can take another Slam title. I just want him to be able to play his absolute best and if Djokovic still beats him, then there's nothing else that can be done. You just have to say "too good." But despite my pre-match fretting, there's no reason to believe Rafa can't win again. He's a champion. He's playing amazing. Only one match to go. He can get it done. VAMOS!!!!

United States of Rafa 2011 - Quarter Finals

2011-09-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

(Rafa is all freakish intensity as he destroys Andy Roddick in the quarters.)

The US Open continues to zip along now with clear skies as we try to cram all the later rounds of play into the next three days. Luckily, all the extra matches in a short amount of time does not seem to be having an ill-effect on Our Hero, Rafael Nadal. He completely pummeled Andy Roddick in their quarter final meeting yesterday, taking it in straight sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. It was a shame for Andy, who could not shake off the fatigue from an intense battle with David Ferrer the day before in the Round of 16 to put up any sort of fight against Nadal. I was actually surprised Roddick managed to get passed Ferrer, who has been playing really well this year and is currently no, 5 in the world. Roddick gave that match his all, and it was not enough recovery time for him to be at his best again. He just had no weapons against Nadal who was in rare form, even by his high standards. One telling stat: Nadal finished with 22 forehand winners compared to ZERO for Roddick. Zero? That's unbelievable! Not typical Roddick at all. Rafa took the opportunity of facing a hampered Roddick to secure the match in under 2 hours. That means he comes in the fresher man against Andy Murray (who had a hard fought win over John Isner yesterday) when they play their semifinal match... this afternoon. Stay healthy, guys! Whichever one of you meets Federer or Djokovic in the Final on Monday is gonna have a tough mountain to climb!

Fun facts: it's the second time this year the top four men have advanced to the semifinals at a Grand Slam. It also happened at the French Open. Also it's the third straight major, Nadal and Murray will face off in the semis. Rafa beat Murray in 3 sets at the French Open and in 4 sets at Wimbledon..We liked the results at this year's French! Let's see that happen again! We want Rafa over Murray in 3 quick sets! Vamos!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 36

2011-09-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

(get this boy some cookies!)

Another week down and no cookies and no soda. This week seemed to breeze by with the Labor Day weekend mixed in. I didn't face too much horrible temptation this week. Except once when it was really humid out and I walked into a little deli and there was a delicious looking cold bottle of root beer staring at me through a freezer door. IT was a tough 10 seconds of longing before I broke away.

This week's exciting discovery was that I'm thinner than I thought I was! Oh, not by a lot. It's not like I'm in line to star in The Machinist 2: A Year Without Cookies, or something (but seriously, what a great title!). I was trying on my suits yesterday, though, for my friend Jessie's wedding which is happening TONIGHT (so excited to see her and party with some of my oldest friends!) and I was ready for the suit pants to maybe be a little tight since I haven't been doing my usual running regimen all summer but nooooo, oh, they all fit so nice! It was a lovely moment. I mentioned my good news on the FB and my friend T, suggested it might have something to do with my no cookies and soda crusade. I'm gonna to go with that theory. Thank you, Year Without Cookies, for giving me some breathing room in my dress-up duds! I will try to post photographic evidence of me looking smooth upon my return from the ceremony in Philly!

United States of Rafa 2011 - Round of 16

2011-09-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

(Rafa loves the US Open so tenderly...)

After what was pretty much 48 hours of constant rain in NYC, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, advanced to the quarter finals with a straight sets victory over Gilles Muller on Thursday 7-6(1) 6-1 6-2. Because of the crazy rain, Rafa's bottom half of the draw is in a race to play catch up, and the tourney will still have to end on Monday instead of Sunday. That means in 5 days (Thursday through Monday) the players in Rafa's half will have to play 4 best-of-fives matches. That's a lot of hardcourt tennis and it puts whoever gets through in the top half of the drawer at a definite advantage heading into the Championship Match. We can only hope that Rafa has some easy matches against tough players so he has enough left in the tank to face either (hopefully!) Federer or (regrettably, probably) Djokovic on Monday.

So far so good. Rafa had a kinda tough first set, but that was mostly because he fell behind 0-3 back on Tuesday morning when the tournament tried to make them play in the rain. Nadal was NOT pleased with that decision. Upon resuming the match two days later when it was not raining, Rafa quickly climbed back into the driver's seat and then Muller was kinda like "whatevs. it's over." and the next two sets just breezed by.

Up next is Andy Roddick, and this is not a match up I like. I'm not particularly worried for Nadal, I just take no pleasure in seeing Roddick lose. I want Roddick to do well also. But if I can choose only one, of course I choose Nadal. Hopefully it will be a non-taxing three-set victory! Vamos!

Run For Your Life If You Can, Little Boy - Take 4

2011-09-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

(In 18 weeks, my next Finisher's Pic will feature Mouse Ears!)

This week started my 18-week training period for the 2012 Disney World Marathon. That's right, lovelies. 2012 is less than 18 weeks away! So yeah, if you are sitting on some New Year's resolutions or accomplishments for 2011, it's really time to get on it!!

Saturday night I had this incredible dream about running. It involved dodgeball, sleepwalking track teammates and me Latin-ballroom dancing with Angelina Jolie to a song called "Heaven" which doesn't exist in real life. Trust me that it had these amazing brass section "Pow! Pow!" moments where we hits these awesome poses. As great as all the window dressing of the dream was, the best part was really how much I enjoyed the running. I was running around on this track at night and just loved it. I wonder for how long in real time I was running around that track. In the dream it felt like I kept going and going, but it probably was just a matter of minutes or seconds in my head. If only I could zip through the actual marathon that quickly, 18-weeks of training would not be required!

I've begun a new intermediate marathon training schedule (that downloaded so easily into my outlook calendar! I was impressed! In previous years I had to add all my daily runs manually.), and while I will miss the NYC Marathon in November, it was definitely the right choice to give myself the summer off from training and take a longer hiatus from running. Running a different race and training at a different time of year, along with taking tennis lessons in the meantime, was just the mental and physical change-up I needed to keep things fresh. Plus, running through all 4 Disney Theme Parks is gonna be awesome!! We'll see how awesome I think it is when I have a 20-mile run to complete in mid-December, but for now it's all good. "Run, Owen Run!" is back up and... well, running!

United States of Rafa 2011 - Round 3

2011-09-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

(Rafa is a fierce competitor! No cramping his style!)

So Our Hero, Rafa Nadal, won his third round victory over David Nalbandian on Sunday, taking it in three sets - 7-6(5), 6-1, 7-5. The first set is a great example of why I love Rafa so much. He was down 5-3 serving at 0-30, and it seemed like he should lose the set. He was not playing his absolute best. Nalbandian was playing his absolute best. Yet somehow, with his back against the wall, Rafa found another gear! Against the odds, he won the game, broke in the next game, won the following game and then took the set in a tie break! Nalbandian must have been so pissed! To play a set so well and somehow still lose??? That's the brilliance of Nadal. Until it is literally game, set, match against him, you have to still give him a better chance than pretty much anybody to turn his fortunes around.

So he wins the match, but all anyone can talk about it is the leg cramps he suffered during his press conference. It was unfortunate timing but not all that shocking that his legs would cramp after the match. It was incredibly humid on Sunday and he was sweating a ton during the match. But the cramping in the presser was kind of an intense moment. If you haven't seen it, you can see it here. Watch as no one moves to help him for over two and half minutes!

Rafa is fine. It was a momentary thing. I saw him on the practice courts today and he was not suffering at all. :) Here's hoping he has an easy uneventful win over Gilles Muller in the Round of 16. Vamos!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 35

2011-09-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

(Pick you poison.)

Another week successfully avoiding cookies! But I came across the craziest soda fountain you ever did see. On my trip to see Spy Kids 4, I noticed that the good people at Loews E-Walk 42nd Street have brought their soda dispensary technology into the 21st century. Instead of filling your cup with 85% ice and 15% soda behind the counter, they now give you a cup and send you over to this giant dispensary station which holds every kind of soda known to man (or perhaps just owned by Coca-Cola Company. I did not notice if Pepsi products were also available. I did not get soda, but there was a lemonade option. So i pressed that button on the screen. Yes a screen! And then a sub-screen of 5 additional flavors of lemonade I could have. Grape Lemonade? Tempting, but I stuck with regular old fashioned lemonade. I got Migu a Sprite and that also had an additional sub-screen of flavors to choose from. Grape-flavored Sprite? I might be back to try that one in 2012.

It's a veritable wall of soda. So many delicious possibilities! I would not want the unenviable task of going into the guts of that machinery whenever a certain flavor ran out. It must be an endless maze of tubes and vats of soda in there. But at least we the consuming public can reap the benefits. It's not Star Trek-level replicator technology, but we're getting there. In the meantime, we can control the ice to soda per cup serving ratio. That's progress!!

United States of Rafa 2011 - Round 2

2011-09-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

(Rafa swings into action in the Second Round!)

On Friday, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, reached the third round of the U.S. Open when Nicolas Mahut retired from the match with an abdominal muscle injury trailing Rafa 6-2, 6-2. Nadal's form was much much better in the second round than it was in his very long 3-set win in the first round. That's a good sign! Unfortunately, because the match was abbreviated, there's not a lot more to take from the match, other than to say I like Nadal's blue shirt that he wore for Round 2 a lot better than the yellow one he wore in Round 1. Stick with the blue, Rafa!

There have already been a record 14 players who quit during singles matches through three rounds of this year’s U.S. Open. That's crazy! The previous record for an entire Grand Slam tournament was 12 at Wimby in 2008. I don't know what the issue is, but it's hard for me to believe ALL of these players couldn't continue. What kind of conditioning are they doing throughout the year that they can't stick it out for 3 sets at the final Grand Slam of 2011? I mean, we're talking less than a week of play. I'm sure there are several legitimate injuries and I'm not a physician to make the call on personal health issues, but FOURTEEN? I think some people need to show a little more heart when they are down in the score and just finish it out.

Luckily Rafa doesn't seem hampered by injury. You know he's gonna give it his all every time he's on the court. He next plays David Nalbandian in the 3rd Round, who can often times prove to be a tricky opponent. I know Nadal can make it to the second week, so I can see him on the practice courts at the Open on Monday! Vamos!

Spy Adults?

2011-08-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today I took Migu to see Spy Kids: All The Time In The World aka Spy Kids 4. I thought I took him to see Spy Kids 3D, but there's no way. He would've only been 2. We just must have watched it a million times on DVD. I DID take him to see Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D, which is in the same vein. Anyway, the last time we saw the original Spy Kids in action, they looked like this:

(Game Over? Oh, no. They'll eventually press Start to Continue.)

What adorable children. Now they look like this!

(The one in the middle is a green-screened Jessica Alba Kangaroo)

They are adults??!!?? How did this happen? Granted they are not trying to be Spy Kids. They are basically adult mentors for new Spy Kids. But like I said: They're adults. (For the record, Daryl Sabara is only 19, but hey he can vote even if he still can't buy beer, so we mark him down as an adult as opposed to still being NINE.) Has it really been seven years between movies?? Have we all gotten this much older in between Spy Kids movies? It's a scary scary thought. This was the blessing of the Harry Potter movies. Sure we watched the kids grow up, but we saw them so frequently, the gradual maturing seemed normal and Daniel Radcliffe never really had a huge growth spurt so it wasn't a whole lot for the brain to handle. It's only when you look back at Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets when you're like, "damn, those were some little kids."

But the Spy Kids became Spy Adults while my back was turned. And now I feel really old. Was it really more than a decade ago when we saw the first Spy Kids in college? All The In The World. Spy Kids? Hardly. I'm going to each lots of chocolate and pretend it's still the summer of 2001.

United States of Rafa 2011 - Round 1

2011-08-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

(Rafa's facing an uphill battle this year at the Open, but I still believe in his chances!)

The US Open has begun! It's already the last Major of the year. 2011 has just been flying along. It's Rafa's first match as defending champ. Remember how exciting last year was? I sure do. Those were good times!!

This year, Rafa is having some issues. They all seem to be mental which is kinda staggering. He just seems to have lost his confidence. Uncle Toni thinks so too. Maybe it comes from having already won everything. The only real motivator for Nadal now is to... win it all again? Win just the most important ones again? I dunno. With the great year that Novak is having, Rafa seems just to be having a hard time finding that extra gear to get him over the top. He really doesn't have anything left to prove. Anyway, I still love him no matter how this tournament goes, but I hope he finds a way out of his funk.

This 1st round match was a nearly-three-hour struggle before he beat 98th-ranked Andrey Golubev from Kazakhstan in three sets: 6-3, 7-6 (1), 7-5. It was not a pretty straight set win. Nadal trailed several times. He was down 3-2 in the first set, then 5-2 in the second AND third set. He fought his way back each time, but he easily could have lost either or both of those sets. Golubev had his chances, serving for the second set at 5-3, and for the third set at 5-2 AND 5-4. Nadal broke him each time. With all that experience winning, Nadal found a way to grind through. That's how you gotta do it sometimes.

Next up is is Nicolas Mahut in the second round. He can have an unbelievable serve. Let's hope Our Hero finds more of his dominant form and has an easier match through to the third round. Vamos!!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 34

2011-08-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

(A sweet tooth, but you'll notice no cookies!)

You know what's an effect way to deal with cookie addiction? Have a few of your teeth yanked out of your mouth. You will effectively not want to chew for several days and that will bring you that much closer to another complete week of not having cookies or soda. This is not a tactic that you can employ against cravings every week. You only have so many wisdom teeth and then i don't recommend going to permanent teeth you need to chew. I had to have my top two wisdom teeth out last week and it took a couple days, but I think I'm on the mend now. I can chew, but my teeth kinda generally ache. I think that while the swelling has gone down, there's just a bit of bruising still to get over in the gums. They gave me some strong prescription pain meds, but I've been getting by on just the super motrin. I don't need to self-medicate to forget about cookies.

I will come up with new ways to avoid cookies and soda next week that hopefully don't involve physical pain and swelling. Hypnosis, perhaps? It's worth some investigating!

Rock U Like A Hurricane

2011-08-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you're living on the Eastern Seaboard I hope you had as uneventful a time with Hurricane Irene as I did. It's great that we were spared, even if we were (over)prepared. Everything at Casa de Owen was fine. Candles were bought. Flashlights were found. Movies were watched. Food was eaten. Video Games were played. Outside, the rain Fell. Winds Blew. The transit system shut down and the Rafael Nadal book signing I'd been waiting for with such joy was canceled... the transit system shut down and the Rafael Nadal book signing I'd been waiting for with such joy was canceled!!! Now I realize that in the LONG RUN my chance to meet Nadal and have him sign my book and my 2009 US Open Tennis Ball I got off him and have our eyes meet for half a second is not worth risking the safety of millions of people by keeping the city open for business until 9 or 10pm on Saturday. But in the short run... I mean we basically shut down the transit system for nothing!!! Oh, I'm so sad to have missed my chance to meet him! Maybe they will reschedule? I don't know. I doubt it. But they do want him to sell that book. So maybe? Sigh... We'll see.

Anyway, the hurricane's gone and it's back to work tomorrow. And after 4 days of basically sitting at my house after having my wisdom teeth pulled Wednesday and then being on Hurricane Lockdown, I'm ready for a change of scenery. The past 24 hours, I've tried to lift my spirits over missing Rafa by remembering I still have a chance to see him on the practice courts at the Open on Labor Day (let's be done with storms that day, okay Mother Nature?) and I've also got this delightful new Hitler Spoof video to watch and laugh at time and time again. Hitler's rage is a decent equivalent of how I felt when I learned I couldn't see Rafa on Saturday.

There's always next Monday for dreams to come true. Next Monday is not far away...

A Year Without Cookies - Weeks 32 & 33

2011-08-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

(Pret Cookies. So Delicious! ... I seem to recall...)

Hello all. Not much happened to report in my cookie-less soda-less world in Week 32, but then Week 33 was nothing but sweet temptation. It all started last Saturday at the NY Renaissance Faire - you should go! So much fun!) when my good friend Ellaree offered me some of of her deep fried Oreo cookie. It looked so delicious! But I declined. Later as the sun momentarily broke the clouds and shone down brightly on us, she offered me some of her soda. Again I declined, and told her to stop being in Eve in the Garden with the apple. She meant well. She did. She just forgot all the rules. Luckily, I kept myself full with steak on a stake, roast turkey leg and chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick. And delicious fresh lemonade. SO GOOD!

Then this week at work was like navigating a minefield of delicious cookies. Suki was having pregnant cookie cravings for chocolate chunk cookies from Pret and it seemed like everyone else there wanted in on the action as well. Those cookies smell so good and the taste even better. Day after day of the aroma was driving me crazy! One of those days I actually went to pick them up for everybody (I'm so nice!) and carrying 8 cookies back to the office without taking nibbles out of any of them took intense resolve.

Also, yesterday Sukes and I went to pick up lunch at McD's and seeing the Dr. Pepper option in the soda fountain made me we want to launch myself over the counter, slam the button down and start guzzling straight from the nozzle. I have spoken of this before with Dr. Pepper. I don't know why it has such control over me!

There are now less than 20 weeks left in the year. How can that be???

SYTYCD 8: Top 4 and Finale: The Queen of The Beasts Takes Her Crown!

2011-08-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

(um... spoiler alert? perhaps you already heard...)

This is it, Dance Fans! Top 4. Part 1 of the Finale. It all comes down to one performance night and then we crown the winner in the season finale! 4 more All-Stars are on hand! In terms of the contestants, we've still got 2 Contempos, 1 Jazz Hands, and 1 Breaker left to dance for us. Tonight's guest judges are Kenny Ortega, and Katie Holmes. I'll tell you right now that neither of them says anything relevant the whole night and their comments won't be recapped. Also, I watched this live with my friend Sles who was very annoyed with KH for dressing down for the occasion. It's true, she looks like she's off to play tennis on a public court. She looks even more silly because she's next to marry who is wearing a lovely evening gown. It should also be noted that Mary's hair is out of control in terms of length. She looks like she's Rapunzel. I'd flat out say it's too long, but since she's survived cancer I'll say she's free to wear and wig or weave she damn well pleases... just maybe a couple inches shorter? Anyway, time for dance! Each contestant will dance 4 routines and a solo tonight. You read that right. I won't address the solos other than to say they are all good and that before hand we get treated to our annual sit down chat with Cat interviews. We don't really learn anything special though. It's been an amazing journey for all of them, basically.

Here we go!

Melanie and Marko, disco w/ Doriana Sanchez. Dancing to: "I Feel Love," Donna Summer. Concept: Uh... it's Disco! Oof. This routine is not good. It's definitely set to a classic disco song but the music is not propulsive. All the lifts look labored. The skimpy style of costume is not flattering to Melanie's frame. Marko, for his part, looks flat out exhausted. How's he gonna make it through 3 more pairs routines and a solo? It feels like Doriana did not choreograph this piece to their strengths at all. It's a shame that after so many great routines, Melanie and Marko's last routine together is something of a misfire. The guest judges are very gentle in their critique, not really saying much of anything, but Mary thinks the lifts and transitions looked rocky. Nigel also thought it was something of a struggle - especially for Marko. This dance will henceforth be known as the Unfortunate Disco of 2011. Hopefully producers stuck this one at the beginning so we'd forget about it after watching 15 more routines... dude, there are 15 more routines!!! Fasten your dance belts. It's gonna be a bumpy night.

Sasha and Mark, jazz w/ Sonya Tayeh. Dancing to: "Raise Your Weapon," Deadmau5. Concept: Sasha as explored through dance. Ooh, this will be good! Mark and Sasha are a great match. Mark, straight off the Gaga Tour, has become such an impressive dancer since his season and he's in such amazing shape. It's a strong routine with lots of intense and angry movement. There's some wonderfully weird section where Mark movers her around like she's a spider taking part in a wheelbarrow race. It's really a great routine. The judges all rave about it. Mary thinks Sasha matched Mark in power and intensity. Nigel reminds us all of the "warrior princess" arc Sasha has been delighting us with for the past several weeks. Battle On, Sasha!

Tadd and Joshua, hip-hop w/ Lil' C Dancing to: "Hustle Hard," Ace Hood. Concept: N.O.S. Just go with it. It's Lil'C. Tadd is doing fine here, but Joshua reminds us why he won this competition from among the stellar competition featured in Season 4. He just hits it so hard and has deniable charisma. Tadd gets a little outshone here, even though he does well. It's the danger of this kind of choreo where there is not a lot of partnering so the all-star can't dance in service to the contestant. Mary says he brought the hustle hard, but you can tell she doesn't 100% believe it. Maybe she 80% believes it. Nigel still thought Tadd was too sweet. I thought Tadd was too sweet only because of who was dancing next to him.

Melanie and Robert, contemporary w/ Stacey Tookey Dancing to: "Sacrifice," Sinead O'Connor. Concept: unrequited love. Melanie, of course, acts the hell out of it. The movement is quite beautiful and again Robert really comes through as a great partner. It's a little sad though. I hope Melanie gets a really fun, high powered moment tonight. Nigel thought Melanie picked up gauntlet thrown down by Sasha. Kenny says he'd push to the front of the line to work with Melanie, so Cat corners him about putting her in the Dirty Dancing remake. Cat then turns around and demands 20% from Melanie as an agent's fee. Cat is a smart lady!

Sasha and Marko, Broadway w/ Spencer Liff. Dancing to: "Whatever Lola Wants," Ella Fitzgerald. I wonder if Tyce will ever do Broadway on this show again? I hope he sticks to contempo and jazz. Concept: Marko is a nerdy waiter and Sasha is in a really sexy evening gown trying to seduce him. I like the character work and dancing here a lot. They are a cute couple. Maybe there is too much of a full set here. I usually find that distracting. There are some creative lifts here and overall it's a lot of fun. Much much better from Marko than in the Unfortunate Disco of 2011. Mary thought the comedy really worked for the number. The Clark Kent glasses confused her that it was even Marko! Sigh. Nigel, to my surprise, kinda pisses all over the routine. It didn't knock him out. I honestly don't know what they couldn't done better here. Cat's a little baffled too, but keeps it all moving along so we don't dwell on his crankiness. I love her.

Sasha and Tadd, cha-cha w/ Mark Ballas. Dancing to: "Raindrops," Basement Jaxx. What's the DWTS dude doing here? Anyway the concept is basically a naughty cha cha. The execution on stage is really a mess. As part of the routine, Tadd slaps her behind right at the beginning of the number which struck me as tasteless. There's nothing inherently wrong with a little pat on the toosh in a dance, but this one felt wrong. That's not what sinks the number though. There are a million missed hand connections, the energy is weird, the music is weird, and it just doesn't look like a cha cha. Fatigue has set in for these two. This is even worse than the Unfortunate Disco of 2011. In judging Mary's like "let's get real." Too many elements were missing and it went nowhere. Nigel thinks it was uncomfortable to watch. Agreed. The judges are happy that there is still more ahead for these two, so they can end on a better note than this.

Marko and Lauren Froderman, contemporary w/ Tessandra Chavez. Dancing To: "Shirk," Me'Shell Ndegeocello. Concept: Another Sad Relationship. This one is very emotional. It's very beautifully danced and Lauren and Marko have a great connection. I'm so glad Marko got to have this moment after the Unfortunate Disco of 2011. In judging Mary says Marko thrust greatness upon himself. She really has been Marko's champion this season. Everyone has praised the girls throughout but I feel like Mary has tried to not let Marko get lost in the shuffle. Nigel says he's been disappointed so far during the finale, but that Marko brought it with this number.

Melanie and Tadd, jazz w/ Ray Leeper. Dancing to: "Show Me What You're Working With," Sista Monica. Concept: Fight and rip Tadd's clothes off. Melanie is bad ass and is acting the hell out of the piece again before anything even really happens. I love her!! Then she takes off her shoe and flings it right into Tadd! Then she goes on dancing in one heel! and she looks amazing! She just keeps her other foot in the shape as if it had a heel underneath! It's awesome. Eventually she gets to be completely barefoot as Operation: Undress Tadd goes into full effect. They battle and dance and Tadd winds up in novelty boxers with giant hearts. This was a very fun number and had high energy which is nice for Melanie's shot at the title. Nigel notes Melanie's character work at the beginning. Mary says Tadd was fabulous and loves how Melanie can strut across the stage like nobody else. All in all, a nice recovery for Tadd and a great showing for Melanie!

Melanie and Sasha, contemporary w/ Stacey Tookey. Dancing to: "Heart Asks Pleasure First," Ahn Trio. Concept: Oppressed housewives. Each of the ladies has their own triangle of misery lined with a picket fence. I don't care for the fences. It's my thing again with too much scenery. These two are good enough to CONVEY feeling trapped without me seeing the literal boundaries. Anyway, the dresses look gorgeous. The costume department must have wanted to kill themselves when they saw how many numbers were in the pipe for this week. Sasha and Melanie are beautiful together here. I prefer this dance of their to the Sonya one from a few weeks ago. Mary applauds them for being amazing for the whole season and this dance is no exception to that. Nigel suggests they both join dance companies after the tour because anyone would be so lucky to have them. AGREED!

Marko and Tadd, Gumboot Stepping w/ Chuck Maldonado. Dancing to: "B.O.B.," Outkast. Concept: Coal Miners. This is actually a version of stepping from South Africa. Also? It's kind of a weak performance from the guys. Tadd is hitting it pretty well, but Marko isn't as sharp him, so they're out of sync. But after two hours of dance, they are both exhausted. Perhaps this dance was a little too ambitious given the amount of dancing being asked of them in one week's rehearsal time. Or maybe it's just positioned too late in the show. Ooof. I can't watch. Is it over? It's over. Mary sees no reason to dump on them since they obviously are not going to threaten Melanie or Sasha for the title, and they did their best while clearly running on empty. She just tells them they did great. Nigel, however, doesn't see it the same way as Mary, and takes this opportunity to say that a a girl will win the competition. The rest of the panel and Cat all give him "WTF?" faces while Marko and Tadd just smile and cling to each other for support and are all, That's great. Can we go sit down backstage and drink some Gatorade?" Nigel could've been a lot classier here. Not the first time I've thought that over eight seasons of show, is it?

Tonight's Dances in order of my preference!
Sasha and Mark's contemporary
Melanie and Tadd's jazz
Marko and Lauren's contemporary
Melanie and Robert's contemporary
Marko and Sasha's Broadway
Melanie and Sasha's contemporary
Tadd and Joshua's hip-hop
Melanie and Marko's Unfortunate Disco of 2011
Tadd and Marko's Gumboot stepping
Tadd and Sasha's Cha-Cha

Part 2 of the Season Finale should come down to a contest between Melanie and Sasha. Both are so deserving!

Results Show. Dude. It's the FINALE. We start with a top 20 routine that features the Bottom 16 going to town Mad Max style all over the stage to "Wanna Get Hype" by Route 78 with choreo by Sonya. It's cool and kinda awesome that they get to come back and do an original number for the finale. And despite the giant hair and crazy make up, it's fun to try and pick out who is who. I see Nick and Ricky and Missy and Jess and Iveta and... wait who of the guys dyed their hair platinum blond??? Oh dear. The top 4 come out for the last little bit of the song and end up center stage. Yay!

Crammed behind the judging table tonight are Lil'C, Robin Antin, Tyce DiOrio, Sonya Tayeh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (yay!!), Mary and Nigel. All the judges go down the line saying nice things to the final four. The only thing that really stands out besides JTF hilarity, is Nigel publicly apologizing for dissing the guys at the end of last nights show. That was big of him.

Then we get a montage of the season and I tear up. It was really intense, guys! It was a very good season. Time for the the encore performances selected by the judges. We get:

From Mary: Sasha and Kent's Wall Dance. Amazing again.

From Nigel: Melanie and Marko's Kiss Hip Hop. Even better than the first time. They are feeling the moment in the best way.

From Robin: Tadd and Lauren's Hat Dance. Really? I'd have preferred Tadd and Jordan's Vulture Dance. The first time through Tadd lost his hat for a key part of choreo and Lauren accidentally punched Tadd clean in the face! But the second time through they are flawless and awesome.

Then we get a hilarious clip package of the choreographers trying to explain the concepts behind their crazy routines.

More encores!:

From Lil'C: Robert and Miranda's Woodpecker Hip Hip. Hmm. I'm glad they featured non-finalist routines, but I would've preferred Nick and Iveta's quick step. But this routine is fun and they are obvs thrilled to get a featured moment in the finale.

From Cat: the Top 8 Circus Routine. This one is taped. Presumably the stage set up and intense costume and make-up was not adaptable to the live show with a million other routines to service.

Then we get another original number. The current UK Champ, Matt Flynt is joined by Nick and Jess to do a tap routine. It's part of Matt's prize for winning in UK to perform here. They are amazing! I have to feature it here. SO GOOD!

More Encores!
Mary: Melanie and Neil - Total eclipse of the heart. This one is a SMIDGE below the level of the original performance. Just a smidge. It's still super-amazing.

Jesse: Marko and Allison - Crying Mom Contempo. Super intense. They both are emotionally wrecked at the end.

Tyce: Top 10 Girls - Geisha Routine. Still 10's across the board. For real. The girls are so strong here. Hi Ryan! Hi Caitlynn!

Then we get a recap of last night's show. Most of the negative comments are edited out except for that Cha Cha, which was unavoidable. The recap is mostly narrated by Melanie and Sasha with a few comments from Marko and Tadd. Take from that what you will!

Then it's time to go from 4 dancers to 3. The first one out is Tadd. He takes it super well. His montage includes messages from the three other finalists. I get choked up a little bit. Tadd is gracious and lovely in his goodbye, gets a giant bouquet and walks off stage. Congrats, Tadd. You rocked.

More Encores:

Lil'C: Ashley and Chris in the Prison Dance. It's fun to see these two get a moment in the finale too. I would've preferred one of Ricky's numbers though. It doesn't look like we'll be getting one of those. Too bad! The scarf one would've been cool.

Then the Final Four get sucked into a commercial for the Glee 3D Concert movie.

More Encores:

Nigel: Sasha & Twitch - Misty Blue Breakfast. So so good. These two are great together.

Sonya: Top 10 Guys - Matrix Doors Routine. This one is really great again. Alexander is the one who dyed his hair blond! Oh, Alexander.

Jesse: Caitlynn and Pasha's Tango. Taped?? Pasha was around the whole effing season and he's not available for the finale? It's great, but since the show is live I'd have preferred to see Caitlynn and Mitchell's Celine Dion number. That was really great and they are both in studio. Still this is undeniably a stand out routine of the season.

Mary: Melanie and Marko's Statute routine. They don't have time for the statue make up, but I swear it's even better than the first time. There's so much more between them now then when they first danced it. They know THIS is their last time dancing together on the stage, not that Unfortunate Disco of 2011. And they are so present with each other. It makes me cry.

Now it's time for three to be trimmed to 2. And it's Marko who is out next. Melanie vs. Sasha is in effect. Marko hugs the girls and they head off stage to hug and cry. They are the first all-female finale two in 8 seasons. Cat congratulates him on being the last man standing. His montage is really lovely. I get choked up AGAIN. Jeez, Show. "Money's paper. Contracts are paper. This is our life." Marko says tearfully. He is the best. Melanie is losing it in the pit beneath the judges table, and Sasha is trying to get her head back in the game. They are all so amazingly supportive of each other. Quite a bunch of artists they found this year!

Final Encore!

Nigel: Melanie and Sasha, Beasts Unleashed! This is actually MUCH much tighter than it was when Gaga was in the studio. It's still not the piece that affects me most emotionally of the season from either of them, but it's a strong showcase of their power and dominance of the season.

So it's time for a joint montage for Melanie and Sasha. Again, I cry. I love these two! It's finally time for the final results. The runner up got 32% of the vote and the winner got 47%. Oh, wow. That's not even close. Before Cat says it, I become certain it's Melanie. I would've thought it could be Sasha in a tight race, because she came on so strong these past few weeks, but Melanie has been so dominant since her first audition, I can't imagine she'd get such a small percentage of the overall vote comparatively.

And I'm right! MELANIE WINS!!! Wow, she defied all the rules of Showmentum. She started strong and just never gave up her lead or faltered. Sasha would've been a totally acceptable and enjoyable alternative winner, but Melanie's skill, artistry and popularity was simply undeniable. Confetti explodes out of everywhere. Melanie cries and is overwhelmed with joy. Cat hugs her and closes out the season as the rest of the Top 20 rush the stage and put Melanie on their shoulders. It's delightful. The End.

This was really a delightful season with lots of memorable routines and contestants. Good work, show. Good luck at the Emmys next month. Also a special shout to the youtube poster SYTYCDFanS08V2 who has such high quality clips of all the season's routines, highly organized in different playlists arranged by episode. This is my trusted embedding source!

I'll be seeing you next summer, Dance Fans!! Goodnight!

(Thanks for the Dance, Class of 2011! I hope to see some of you show up as Future All-Stars!)

In The Mouths of Madness

2011-08-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

(A smile is worth a thousand feet of advertising space.)

If you're like me and you happen to commute through the Columbus Circle subway station a lot, then you know how the long-ass walkway from the entrance at 57th and 8th Ave to Columbus Circle proper (where the ABCD and downtown 1 trains connect), has been a long-time victim of construction/renovation woes. It seems like it'a gone through 4 or 5 cycles - spanning the course of several years - where they'd lay down tiles, almost get to the end of the job and then tear it all up and start over. Now it seems the floor is finally complete, but they still have much left to finish on the station as a whole.

For instance, it seemed at one point like they were aiming to create retail space on both sides of the tunnel. Hence they lined the walls with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, presumably so people could see the merch inside. That's the way it is underneath 8th ave at 42nd st. It eventually became clear, however, that all people were going to see looking through the glass was massive amounts of construction equipment and bags of cement. Since that's not pretty to look at, the MTA came up with a way to obscure the fact that they were never gonna finish this project and also bring in a little pocket change. They covered all the glass with advertisements! But not a bunch of different advertisements. Oh no! They did one HUGE advertisement with the same images being shown over and over again.

First it was a horrible Levi's ad. A guy and a girl looking bad in bad outfits in a bad photo spread. Oh, how it hurt my eyes! And it was all over the place! The thing with these giant ads is that its impossible to avoid looking at it unless you walked with your eyes shut, which I don't recommend in the subway (or elsewhere).

Then they got rid of that one and replaced it with an ad for Mohegan Sun. This one took 4 guys and 4 girls and matched them in every pairing imaginable so that every gay, straight or bi person out there would be able to see they too could have a good time at Mohegan Sun. This ad campaign was much more tolerable in terms of design, color scheme and message than the Levi's ad.

But now they've gone and replaced that with a bunch of giant mouths. I mean GIANT mouths. They are everywhere!! And they are TOO BIG!

(giant mouths with giant shiny front teeth and giant mouths with no front teeth!)

(giant mouths with beards)

(giant mouths with braces! giant mouths all the way down the line!)

(giant crazy mouths!)

Crest is responsible for this insanity. I get that the teeth are all clean and THANK GOD it's not some anti-smoking ad because you KNOW those people would be forcing us to look at black lungs and tobacco stained teeth and amputated fingers and zoomed-in tracheotomies given the chance. But still... If the whole station has to be covered in ads, can it not be giant human orifices, even clean ones sponsored by Crest? I'd really appreciate that, MTA, so that I don't go out of my mind or have to change my whole commute around just to avoid them. Thanks!

Alice Jacobs is on Hulu (And She's Dead & Loving It!)

2011-08-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

(Watch this!)

My super-good-friend Alex's super-good movie, Alice Jacobs is Dead, is now available for viewing on Hulu! You should check it out. It's really quite good and it's quick and engaging - it's just about the length of an episode of Saved By The Bell and you've watched all those a million times by now. Try this instead! Better production values all around. It has been on the Film Festival circuit for some time now and has won top honors at ComicCon in San Diego, DragonCon, The Coney Island Horror Festival and many others. If you like zombie movies, or just awesome movies in general, click the link and be entertained! Alice Jacobs is on Hulu!

A Year Without Cookies - Week 31

2011-08-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

(Happy 31 weeks from the Baskin Robbins, dude!)

It's the 31st Week of A Year Without Cookies. This week zoomed by fast. It was another very warm couple days in NYC and soda was greatly desired. Instead I drank a lot of iced tea. Maybe too much. Maybe 2012 will be the Year Without Iced Tea. Hmm... something to think about!

I had a cookie dream this week. It was not exactly like the soda dreams. The soda dreams have me drinking soda and then remembering I shouldn't. This cookie dream never got that far. Instead I was standing in front of a large table filled with cookies. mostly Christmas cookies. The kind that come in the tins and have sugar sprinkled all over them. Maybe they aren't specifically Christmas cookies but we eat them a lot around Christmas. So I'm at a giant table filled with them. I pick the ones I want, put them on a plate and then head to a computer lab that i think was the Science Center Lab at Wesleyan, and sit down at an old school Apple IIe. But I never actually ate the cookies. So I never felt the guilt. But the following day I was trying to figure out where I saw such a nice spread of cookies and only later remembered it was only in my mind.

Week 32 and I'm not looking you straight in the eye!