Thursday, September 16, 2010
JHud is Losing It Like She's Getting Paid for It!!!
I am really proud of her, as any new mother knows, those doctors really stress proper health and good weight management to have a healthy baby. Ever since JHud had her baby she's been on a weight loss kick.
She first just lost some weight then suddenly Weight Watchers got her to be a spokeperson and after that sister has been doing it for herself (what? her wallet is attached to her so same thing!).
I think she looks great but the comments below are disheartening. They alter between keep it real ("why all this over the top promotion about being thin") to grief ("I feel like we lost a comrade to the other side") and also praise at how JHud looks good now and did before.
I am plus size myself and I don't like it. You have to be positive when you're in this state or else it leads to depression.
I know I'm working at becoming smaller but this is difficult to impossible for various reasons but at least I'm trying.
I admire JHud for her weight loss and her stance on both sides of the issue. You can't be plus size forever and stay healthy. Hopefully she will be happy at a good size and be an inspiration to many others.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
RHNY - UPDATE
Apparently not for the entire, day-in day-out madness but there will be needed "Bethenny moments". Good for her!
Bethenny is a total sweetie and I love how she is so emotional and yet goofy. Her vibe is cool and I'm digging the chick. I hope her new show is a bit less disjointed and manical next season. She needs to settle down as on that how she's all over the place and looks stupid but on RHNY she looks so normal and settled.
But that's what you get when you sit too class to the ballet, you see em sweat.
Here's Johnny!
He's got a movie about to drop called, The Tourist, that he did with Angelina Jolie. For some reason, she's got her accent from Tomb Raider and he sounds like he's JM Barre (Peter Pan).
All that I can forgive, but even I soundly object to Johnny's usual rattails morphing into a bad Victorian wig. Seriously, what did he tell his chick when he got back to the trailer:
Johnny's French chick: Oh, now you're hair is naturally curly, oui?
Johnny: With a little help from others, darling.
The next best thing is the fact that Jennifer Connolley's husband, Paul Bettany, is in this.
I'm holding opinion on the chemistry between the main characters as I think Johnny works well with everyone and AJ can do the same morphing thing but there are times when that sameness can become irritating and false since neither person is giving anything genuine to work off of.
For those of you who read my blog and are interested, here you go.
What's Up Blogs
Me likey this blog post where she tries to teach Japanese via cartoons. Ooh so nice, I read it twice.
My favorite vagrant is keeping this fresh as usual. I found kinkofry from this blog. This My Fair Lady thing is hilarious and probably what really happens in real life when people try to change others. The Nancy Drew thing above is so very funny. I can imagine Robot Chicken taking this some POV.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Found My Camera!
That is the link to the reviews and specs of my future camera which I will be taking to Paris. So super excited!!!
A co-worker, who was formerly a graphic artist, helped me make the final decision. She pointed some things out and basically said this was a good camera.
Now, I'm trying to find a bag that will hold the laptop and the camera. Looking for a nice simple messenger bag that is not over $100.
Here's to hoping and online shopping.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday Nothingness
Sure enough the gutter guy called when he was 30 min away took another hour to show up after I arrived home and tried to tell me that it would be $3500 to put up gutters for an 1800 sq ft house.
Dude I priced the gutters they cost $500 even with labor this shouldn't be more than $1000. Even if he started there just to bargain, that would still leave me at the $2000 mark and I only want to pay $1K.
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I've moved on to another book called, In the Merde for Love by Stephen Clarke.
Just started reading this and it's a continuation from A Year in the Merde. It almost picks up exactly where it left off with Stephen hooking up with the half Indian girl who is a friend of the Barbadian beauty he was hooking up with.
So far the wit with everyday situations is still there. He's having adventures and describing French life so that all non-Frogs can envision themselves traisping down the Champs-Elysees. Loving this.
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I'm supposed to be practicing my French daily. Not really doing it due to fear and fear. I know I'm going to France in November. I know I need to know French to get along in France in November. But I'm really feeling some serious butterflies when I think about it and I can't concentrate.
Whatever, I'll conquer this feeling like a Victorian did Everest.
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Going to have a change for the blog in two forms. I'm going to start posting regularly and I'm going to talk about my eating/spending habits as well as my writing. I really want to get at least two chapters a day in and I figure with this as my tracking device that I can do that.
Here's to hoping.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Handy Man Special Day!
So as I'm at work my handyman is at my house putting together the following:
- Exercise equipment (spinning bike, treadmill)
- Weed Whacker
- Two small 3-shelf bookcases
- Pumping up tires on my bike
Hopefully all will be done and dude won't have to spend too much time doing it since I'm paying for it.
What I'm Reading Now:
A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke
This book was awesome. The author found a contract job in Paris and had such minor little BS things happen that with his wit he blew them up into fantastic stories. The receptionist was plain faced and mean, HR was rude, blah blah blah. The thing that saves him is his boss who sets him up and causes an almost national scandal by importing mad cow beef from England into the country and illegally sublets apartments.
A fast read once I got into and very well worth a read. I only read it because I'm headed to Paris in November but I'm glad that I did.
Our Man in Jamaica
BBC Radio 7 radio play about Noel Coward as a British spy trying to take down Castro. Very funny with Noel getting tons of great lines and everyone seeming so realistic and fantastic.
It's the monster's beginnings. Hannibal lived in Russian territory and his sister was cannabilized before his eyes he became a mute and went on to conquer the minds of millions.
Very slow going because the author is reading and he's not doing a good job. Forgetting to change his voice and being very monotone. The story is excellent, however, when listening to a book the voice is everything and not the author's words.
As I wrote this post, I'm at work and the weather did a massive shift. The wind has picked up and it's gotten much darker. Going to rain soon and I'm glad. Will save money on having to water my lawn.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Kimani Press
I must admit that I don't often read Kimani Press but I like the books I've read. It's just I couldn't find anything that really touched me like I have in other Harlequin lines. I decided that the best way to remedy this was to write for myself.
After all, I'm not that much of a wild card that there aren't more people like me.
Here's to hoping!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Gay Paris For Me
I'm planning my trip everyday now and trying to learn French. I hope to get some passable phrases and be able to communicate with someone and make an internet friend.
Who knows that may be possible?
Here's to advenutre and renewing my passport.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
How to Hepburn
LESSONS ON LIVING FROM KATE THE GREAT
WRITTEN BY: KAREN KARBO
ISBN: 10-1-59691-351-7
I got this book from the library as well. The lovely Collier branch in Houston, Texas, my favorite branch outside of the Central Location. I got it mainly because of the cover (which you can’t judge books by) and the fact that I am a fan of Katherine Hepburn.
She was a woman who understood the world and her place in it. She loved passionately and with all her heart and she let nothing stand in the way of her goals. Sandra Bullock would come the closest to her true style underneath while no around comes close to her almost manly aggression and stubbornness.
This book, however, is written like a bad Barbara Taylor Bradford novel. So let me says this, BTB can be a great read, A Woman With Substance is awesome! However, she overuses her adjectives and you can find yourself skipping parts because they are repeated so much. (Emma Heart was indomitable and implacable but her enemies always knew she was fair and just, yadda yadda.) Apparently, Katherine Hepburn was brash. At least that’s the thought that Ms. Karbo wants to beat over our heads. She tries to show us through anecdotes but interrupts the showing for more telling.
This would be OK as this book is not a biography on KH but it is Ms. Karbo’s interpretation of KH’s life and how we should emulate her. We’re supposed to look at KH’s responses to things and not only go oohh and ahh, but figure out how we should respond in kind should these same set of life circumstances befall us.
For example, page 6 – The Importance of Being Brash, Katherine is arriving in LA wearing couture that is hugely inappropriate for the weather and general California looks.
Instead of getting the doctor, Hepburn discusses fashions for her first movie, A Bill of Divorcement. She makes a wise crack and gets one thrown right back at her and thus forming a life long friendship.
What does this show us, ladies? What goes around comes around and actors/actresses are opportunists who fight for their chance to the top and will sacrifice (even their eye health) to get there.
The book doesn’t quite make it as a self-help/new living style. It ends up falling short and makes me think less of KH than thinking more of her. In truth, KH was just a woman with goals and a focused mind in real life. In movies, she was an outstanding actress who found good roles with good people (other actors and directors) and wowed the audience. Thankfully, for her and us we still remember and admire her in the movie roles she played.
However, emulating her caustic wit, comically gruff voice, and manish mannerisms will only get you labeled a bitch or worse. (Remember the feminist of the 80s – yeah ladies, we’ve been there done that and got no where with it.)
What made Kate Great was her singularity as an entity. She wouldn’t be great if she were common. Emulate her way of walking, her hairstyle or her manner of dress. But if you were to act like Kate it would lead to problems. Remember the real Kate understood the world and her place in it and I’m sure she would agree.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
iPhone & Me
I really want to be a techie person and have lots of gadgets but I'm not that way. I've only got a few on there so far.
Contacts
Bejeweled 2 - Favorite thing so far!
Alarm Clock
Good Reader (to read pdf and other software)
aNote (to do list)
Couch to 5K (I really want to be a marathon runner and this app is supposed to help)
Ambiance (white background noise)
Flashcards (to help me study different subjects)
Math Ref
Word Search
Hangman
I've already begun to not play with it as much but let's face it, I don't have a high powered job and I'm not needed 24/7. This fun is my wii on the go.
Speaking of Wii, when I got the iPhone, I also got the bundle package from AT&T which means me and Comcast have parted ways. Also, it means that I'm saving between $60 - $80 a month. I'm waiting to confirm for sure since I haven't had actual bills yet. It also means, I had an adventure with the cable guy.
Let's start off with the window shall we? Everyone knows, when you order cable you get a window of service from the company. The window I got to choose was 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm and I liked that window. It was reasonably small and meant I could go for a late lunch and be back to work.
The really sweet guy who showed me a pic of his wife and kid assured me that this would be the case and that all would be well. Not sure why I fell for that line but I just liked the guy and wanted to believe him.
The guy shows up about 2:15 pm and didn't call before he arrived like the store guy said he would because of the hook up he had. He left a bit before 7 pm.
Unfortunately, I fell asleep and didn't call into work until 4 pm. My boss, didn't chew me out but he did stress letting him know before hand. (I've got to work on this wishful thinking = reality stuff.)
In the end, not only did the nice man get me AT&T cable but he also hooked up my Wii and showed me how to log on to it.
So far. Not really happy with AT&T. Mainly it's channel and remote confusion that is causing the problem. I'll see in a couple of weeks once I've made sure I have the shows I want being recorded if all is well.
I do like the option of being able to go online to record shows. That could really help me in getting my act together on the recording front.
Monday, May 17, 2010
NASHVILLE NOIR - A MURDER SHE WROTE MYSTERY
A MURDER SHE WROTE MYSTERY
A NOVEL BY JESSICA FLETCHER & DONALD BAIN
Based on the Universal TV series created by
Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson & William Link
ISBN: 978-0-451-22927-4
I was a huge Murder She Wrote fan when the series was on and even in repeats I still DVR them. Remember when Jessica and Seth found the guy drowned in the desert! Genius, sheer genius.
In Nashville Noir, Jessica is back on her home turf of Cabot Cove and one of their own is a soon to be rising star. Apparently, the people of Cabot Cove don’t try that other small town stuff of keeping young people at home. Instead, CC has grants given to young people with potential in the arts to send them to another state or city for them to receive tutelage and live without having to work. In this situation, Cindy Blaskowitz, is the chosen one and because she leans towards country music she is being sent to Nashville.
Now, in MSW there was some trite writing and some things seemed forced even in the later years since Jessica had to leave CC in order to keep the viewers from wondering why every other small town had a murder every 10 – 20 years and CC had them almost twice daily. I’m not looking in this book for a new Hemingway or Shakespeare but I did want some semblance of common sense. The show had deadlines and inevitably the stars and co-stars/guest stars would have had input and wanted changes; all making it understandable if not necessary not to have perfect writing in the script in sacrifice for time and budget.
However, this is a book and books are a different animal. You are able to write several drafts and since this is obviously being written to follow the series should have planned with enough forethought to prevent silly mistakes. After all, there is a guaranteed following for this book and the publishers should have spent enough money in preparation to make sure people were satisfied. Poor editing on the writing and publishing end makes me think this was rushed.
Page 13 has the initial plot twist of Cindy no longer being happy in Nashville due to her record label giving her best song away to someone else and worse yet putting that starlets name as co-writer all without her knowing about it. In response to this bombshell delivered by Cindy’s mom Jessica says, “That’s outrageous,” I blurted, “to say nothing of illegal. It’s fraud. It’s theft. It would be like taking one of my novels, putting another writer’s name on it along with mine, and publishing it without my knowledge or approval.”
No, Jessica, it would not be similar to what you just said it would be exactly what you just said. Because you repeated the “real-life situation” Cindy’s mom told you and put yourself in it. Makes me wonder about the psyche of someone who single-white female themselves.
In real life, mothers and daughters argue and go back-and-forth, but when written it interrupts the progression of things and throws the reader off balance. Cindy and her mother arguing on the phone and the constant mother advice of being polite got on my nerves and I couldn’t wait for the scene to be over.
There is also the notes to the readers without explanation. Jessica goes to Nashville and visits a diner “where a waitress took my order of a bowl of fruit and a narrow wedge of buttermilk chess pie, a tasty but very sweet Southern specialty she’d recommended.” Umm… excuse me, Fletcher/Bain, shouldn’t you be showing and not telling? Why not have the conversation with the waitress and have Jessica say I’ll take that blah blah the rest of the order blah. This is another factor that threw me off and almost irritated me, this was originally written for television where the luxury of bad expositions weren’t available and they had to include everything as conversation or a found letter or some such thing. Why not follow up on that tradition here instead of doing the worst mistakes a writer can make?
Page 178 Det. Biddle speaking, “…no love lost between him [the victim’s son] and his step-mother either… They barely said two words to each other in the waiting room.”
“Not a Norman Rockwell family,” I [Jessica Fletcher] commented.
“Meaning?”
“Not the sort of loving family the artist depicted in his paintings,” I explained.
“Not at all.”
OK, once I got into the rhythm of the book things picked up. I knew what I was getting into when I read the inside cover flap, Jessica on a travel excursion solving a murder or MSW – The Later Years. The poor editing and bad writing faded after a while and you enjoyed the usual twists and turns that MSW provides. Towards the end there are a slew of suspects to choose from which heightened the suspense just like old times. Finally, the villain is revealed and all the clues are laid bare.
I must admit to really liking this book but only because it’s based on the TV show. Had it been anyone else’s first attempt I wouldn’t have finished reading it. I got this book from the library but if you’re going to buy it $22.95 is the price though of course by now it should be a bit cheaper on Amazon and the usual sources of book buying.
Out of 5 stars
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Monday, May 3, 2010
New Beginnings
He wants me to lose 70 lbs in one year, but I'm going for my like 100.
I've taken 2 years to change my eating habits and it should be easy enough to lose the weight. Going to keep track of things to see if I can and if not, why.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Who Gonna Check Me, Boo? - Or Atlanta Chicks Have Balls
Loved it!!!
NeNe and Sheree are back to being friends. Sheree had the nerve to pimp her She by Sheree line by wearing a t-shirt on the show but the producers treated her like she was pregnant and hid her behind wine bottles, a kitchen island and friend with a cute haircut.
Sheree's husband isn't paying the bills and she's got to support herself on a more limited budget. So instead of getting a "real" job she decides to throw herself a freedom party and move into a smaller house.
This small little thing (biting the style of Shannon Moakler) cost her so much in time but gained her much TV respect and drama. The party planner (why can't she just have friends over and some cake with pigs in a blanket?) Anthony doesn't listen to her much like her former assistant who gave a great face pretending to care but didn't do a whole lot of much. This time she gets more than a bad guest list she gets cussed out, threatened, and then her mother insulted.
Absolutely fantastic. Haven't seen all this kind of something come from nothing since I was in school.
NeNe is doing well, she needs help decorating her new house but who doesn't and with her gay husband Dwight on duty she'll have her house being the best of the best in no time.
Lisa is Lisa being all sweet and bitchy at the same time but managing to make the sweet come out more. She was the one who told Sheree about NeNe singing and ended Kim's friendship with NeNe and I just don't trust her. Why didn't she just stay out of it like DeShawn did?
Speaking of the removed one her replacement is Khandi who is in the music industry and (unlike the others) really makes her own money. She has one daughter and is engaged to someone with 6 (yes, that's right SIX) kids. Her daughter is NOT happy with this wedding and refuses to call her future steps her sisters/brothers but instead calls them "friends" (did Sheree coach her to say that?)
I loved the show and missed it desperately when it was away. I like how these shows boil down the nothingness of life and make it look like something.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Housing Scarage
I live in a pretty great 2 bedroom apartment and I'm happy here except for the parking situation. I kind of have a curfew of 9 pm because if I get home any later than that I don't have a place to park. I really don't like having a million mexicans partying on the weekends and having to deal with walking through the condom minefield to my door because the teens are leaving the house and having quickies right out in God's house (AKA parking lot bushes).
I would love to have a garage and not worry about the weather to get to my car. I would love to be able to put my favorite designs into practice from my favorite DIY shows. However, I'm really nervous that this can not come to be. I'm hopeful but I've done some dumb things that could hurt me. #1 is co-signing on my sister's car as she has rarely paid the bill on time and now she's going to be over a month late for some BS reason.
Piece of advice to the planet. DO NOT CO-SIGN FOR ANYONE!!!!
Le sigh. Whatever. I've got Plan A and Plan B so I'm not worried but just getting anxious until I know things for sure.
Here's to hoping and wishing.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
No Chelios - Late for Class
Not a usual problem except I was 30 minutes late and was the last student to enter the room and figured out I needed to buy a stupid access code in order to do things properly. :-(
I can see the future a bit and in relation to college textbooks, the paper versions are going the way of the dinosaur and publishers are having more things online and what not. I would love that as doing CTRL+F in order to look up something is a grand sight better than hoping a word is in the index and flipping pages.
I like the track this is taking but being in the middle where I still have to drop a couple of hundred on textbooks AND $60 on an access code really blows.
NHL Playoffs Detroit vs Pittsburgh Penguins
I'm sure many people will wonder why a born and reared Texan would have a passion for hockey. I'm not married or dating a transport but rather I love the Olympic games. Winter Olympics 1980 was a major year.
The time was in the middle of the Cold War. Jimmy Carter was president, Americans hated/feared Russians and vice versa, and the US had never done well in hockey during the Olympics. If you look at the NHL roster you'll notice a propensity towards consonant letters and thick Eastern European accents. But in 1980 a near miracle occurred when the US beat Russia and eventually took gold against Finland. I remember watching that and thinking hockey was the coolest sport ever. I didn't have cable but as soon as I got it, I got hooked on ESPN and fell in love with hockey.
Advance a few years and I'm watching hockey and it's their mid-season joke around fest where the MVPs of everything come out and perform for the fans and there being interviewed is Chris Chelios.
He was so cute and playful like a child and I fell in love.
Before this hockey crush came the one I had with the greatest #2 ever - Jaromir Jagr.
His hair was A LOT longer and wilder when he played for the Pens but that's why I loved him. I used to have a pic of him as my screensaver and no one understood why I liked a wild mountain man. See how childish and innocent his smile is, that's what I like.
(But let's be honest, my crush on the Nelson twins was also based on their long wild hair.)
Strange what trades will do to you. When Lemieux and Jagr were ruling the roost, Pittsburgh was my favorite team but when Lemieux retired and Jagr cut his hair, my loyalty shifted to Chicago and Chelios with only occasional strays. Now, I'm fully committed to the Chelios cause as he gets less and less playing time and I have to strain and play to see him skate.
So this playoff season is a little wierd as I was not on the Ov bandwagon when Detroit was winning and I practically hated the Wings. Now, I'm nuts about them and hope they take home the cup.
In a sport where momentum means nothing, and home advantage means everything playing the final game in Detroit I'm sure they will.
Go Wings!!!!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Dark Night of the Scarecrow & Peanut Butter
I developed this habit as a child as our family life revolved around the TV. We usually ate our dinner in our laps watching TV unless it was learn to use silverware properly or from the parents' mistake night then we ate around the dinner table.
One night CBS had a TV movie on and it was some kind of special event. They promoted the heck out of that thing and as a child in second grade all of 6 years old I wanted to stay up late to see it. My bedtime in elementary school was 8:00 p.m. which was right before the made for TV movies came on. Plus, I had to take a bath and get ready for bed before that time. This movie however was on a Friday, a stay up night so I could see it all the way through.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow was a great movie - so super scary it made you jump and hide behind your hands as you saw the poor innocent man who helped the young girl get away from the vicious dog only to be murdered inside a scarecrow who later kills the posse members who hunted him down.
To celebrate the night my mother fixed homemade peanut butter cookies. This was a rariety in our house because my mother was allergic to peanut butter. It made that movie stick in my mind and when I came across a recipe for flourless PB cookies from Joy the Baker I had to try it. Will update with results later but here is the link
Adventures in Car Fixings
The fed govt does require some car maintenance and on this track I went to get my car inspected. Multiple time inspectee first time failee.
Totally bummed about failing, it makes me feel stupid. Not as much as failing kinesiology (college gym) twice but enough. I knew my tires were bad because of the light on the dashboard and the ever growing baldness of them, but in times past it was enough to pass. But not this time.
I'm building a house and am virtually there with the down payment the $600 for the tires was my refrigerator money and now I'm still steaming over that. Jeez, I wish I had total and complete control of my life. I just want to do things when I want them done the way I want them done and no sooner and no later with no changes, variations, or adjustments. Is that so much to ask?