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It's been a while....

2012-01-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted.

Seeing as it's 2012 (yay!!! ) /sarcasm , I guess in 2012 I resolve to blog more.

I not only want to blog more, I want to blog with a focus. I don't really have that much of a focus. I do have a food blog and I have a blog for my dogs, but I don't post on those as much as I should. So I think I'd like to give THIS blog some focus. I can't very well ramble on about everything and anything and expect people to be interested, right?

So -- 2012 -- the year of more blogging and more focus. We'll see!

Happy new year everyone!

Help raise funds for the Humane Society's SpayDay 2011

2011-02-13T14:35:00.001-05:00

Please vote for my cute little Astro! It's his first photo contest and he's all nervous he won't get any votes. Votes will make him feel so happy! Click HERE to vote for Astro!

OK in all seriousness, the Humane Society's SpayDay 2011 is such a worthwhile cause and every dollar raised goes directly to spaying and neutering animals.

You can vote for as little as $5 so please help if you can :)

"Astro"

For more information on the Humane Society, please visit their website.

Changes in Attitudes

2010-02-14T09:10:00.013-05:00

I'm a Jimmy Buffett fan. This won't come as a surprise for those of you that know me. I've been to over 30 concerts, most at "Great Woods" (aka Tweeter Center, aka Comcast Center in Mansifeld, Ma but my love of Buffett music and concerts has brought me to Jones Beach, NY and even Las Vegas a few times. So bottom line, I love the music, and seeing Buffett live, is just something everyone should experience, oh at least ten or twelve times.

So on Friday, I received an e-mail from Ticketmaster (aka TicketBastard) saying Jimmy Buffett tickets for Mansfield, MA were going on sale on Saturday February 13th. I checked the dates, and it was looking good. I decided to try and get tickets right when they went on sale. Just so you know, tickets are generally hard to come by. They sell out within minutes (one time it was 4 minutes) of going on sale. You have to be really lucky calling in or using the internet.

As luck would have it, come Saturday morning, I woke up way to early (for a Saturday) and got distracted doing this and that and completely forgot about buying the Buffett tickets. I didn't remember until this morning at 8:00am -- 24 hours after they went on sale. On a whim, I went to Ticket Bastard and punched in 2 tickets, best available. I got the spinning icon and waited, and waited, and lo and behold, what was presented to me? Two Tickets. Available right now, for me! The seats were in section 15, all the way to the end. Now, those who know Great Woods/Tweeter Center/Comcast Center will recognize that section 15 is one of the "newer" sections that they built on a section of the lawn. So basically these are uncovered seats on an area that used to be the lawn (so they're not particularly good). Still, a seat was a valuable thing at a Buffett concert and I was happy anyway.

Happy, until I saw the price. I went from happy to confused, to downright pissed off. I think this screenshot captures it perfectly:

Do you see this? Base price for a crappy seat is $128.50? And, that's when I saw... the bear... hmmm no, that's not what I meant; I meant that's when I saw the "convenience charge". Sitting there, glaring at me - bold, cocky, and utterly ridiculous. But it was there, nonetheless, saying to me, "yeah, we know you really want these tickets. You're going to pay me, this fee. If you don't, some other sucker will!"

So I ask, what is a convenience fee? I assume it's something imposed on you because you are using the internet vs. walking up to a Ticketmaster window (do these still even exist?) -- however anyone who knows anything about anything, will realize an automated system (i.e the website) is cheaper to run than hiring a bunch of people to actually sell tickets (whether in a shop or on the phone)! Furthermore, the convenience fee is per ticket - which means that even though I am doing one transaction, the fee is per ticket. So it doesn't make sense that the convenience fee is anything to do with anything, except putting more money in TicketBastards pockets. It's important to note that Ticketmaster charges different convenience fees, based on the popularity and venue of the concert. Check it out - some are $13.50 per ticket. Some have none, even. So this 'convenience fee' is an arbitrary fee that they use to just plain get more money out of their customers.

And now that TicketBastard & Live Nation have merged, it's not going to get any better.

Now, the $7.50 facility fee per ticket? Isn't the $128.50 enough to cover that? I know that Comcast paid millions to get their name on the billing, however, why should I have to pay for it?

And finally, who sets the ticket prices? I have to say that I feel that $128.50 is a bit greedy for that seat (or any seat, really). Surely Mr. Buffett makes plenty of money on record sales, merchandise, beer, tequila, restaurants, prepared foods, and kitchen appliances that he doesn't need to bilk his fans for every last cent they have when they see him live. We love the music, we love the scene. We'll even buy an overpriced $40 tee-shirt, drink lots of Landshark Lager, do shots of Margaritaville tequila, and proudly display all of our Buffett paraphernalia we bought in the gift shop after dining at the Margaritaville restaurants. Clearly, Jimmy, we are giving you our money. Do you need to charge so much for the tickets?

I'm speaking with my wallet. I'm not buying ticket master tickets. I'm not going to any shows at the Comcast center, and sorry Jimmy Buffett, but there'll be a few less "real" parrotheads in the audience this year... I don't want a 12 pound Nestle crunch for $25, I'm mad as hell, and I don't want to take it any more.

From "Trouble on the Horizon" that Jimmy wrote in 1997 -

I hope that all the greedy bastards in the world

Come back as lobsters.

You know that life at the bottom of the food chain

Suits them well

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:05:00.002-05:00

For Halloween we dressed up as a "scary dead bride and groom". I wish there was a better name for our costumes but that's the best I could come up with.

We actually won 1st prize at my friends Scott & Jessica's halloween party (and there were some great costumes there, too!) ..

Leftovers?

2009-04-18T10:10:00.003-04:00

Ever cook a fabulous meal but had some leftover ingredients that you don't want to waste? Well the folks at the Kitchn have compiled a list of what to do with all sorts of leftover ingredients...

Check out the list here.

I'm unravelling...

2009-04-15T19:11:00.004-04:00

I'm going to become unravelled. (Not literally, of course)
I've signed up for this e-course that will help me see the real me. I don't know anyone that's done it but it sounds like a really interesting journey.
From the website

The Unravelling process is a new way to view your world, taking time to appreciate the beauty around you. And we do this in the simplest way – we stop and look.
We’ll be using the camera as a tool to unlock how we see not only ourselves but also the world we live in, including the immediate surrounds of our homes, places of work and our friends and family. We’ll delve into the past and turn our thoughts towards the future.

To read more:
http://www.waysofseeingmyself.com/Ways_of_Seeing_My_Self/home.html

The price for the 8 week e-course is 65 GBP (approximately $100 USD) so if it's not that interesting I won't feel terrible about it. I have to say, I'm pretty excited about this thing! It starts May 4th, stay tuned for more.

Resolve

2009-01-13T20:38:00.004-05:00

It's January 13th already -- new years was almost 2 weeks ago. My how time flies, doesn't it?
Anyway, I did manage to make several resolutions this year -- except I'm not really calling them 'resolutions' -- I've never been super successful with any New Years resolution so I figure I best be calling it something else for a greater chance of success.
So -- what are my 2009 goals? Glad you asked!

Eat more green vegetables

No trans fats! This will involve some label reading because not all foods that advertise "0 trans fats" are actually free of trans fats. You have to look at the ingredients and if you see "partially hydrogenated" oils .. bam! Trans fats. The labels can say 0 if they are less than .5 gram -- so this means that foods with hydrogenated oils have up to .4 of trans fats, and if you eat several servings of these "sneaky" foods, you could be getting a lot of unexpected trans fats

Diet. Well not really a diet per say -- but healthy eating. Whole foods -- and only 20% fat per day.

Increasing good fats like almonds, salmon, avocados

Drinking more water -- I used to be so good with the water but lately I have just stopped. I need to go back to ensuring at least 64oz per day

Drink green tea - it's so good for you so I'd like to drink at least 1C per day

Ditch the fried foods -- I never really used to eat them that much but for the past year or so they've crept back into my diet. I want to eliminate them as much as possible. I do know that here and there it may be unavoidable but I will try to avoid at all costs. Besides, a baked sweet potato tastes just as good as french fries to me

Tracking calories - I want to track everyday so I can see my progress.

Exercise. I need to get back into it. I never really enjoyed it but I do know it's a necessity. Ideally I'd like to aim for 5x per week but I'll be overjoyed with 3x per week at this point

De cluttering! This is a big one. I have TONS of shoes, handbags, and clothes that I need to sort through and get rid of. I want to have an organized closet! I plan to sell off my spendy bags and shoes and donate the clothing. With the handbag money, I'll probably buy more handbags, but my collection will be more rounded and I'll only keep bags that I will carry.

Long list, huh. Well I 'officially' started on January 7th. I have remained on track for all the health goals and I have lost 5.4 pounds (note the neat ticker I have on the right side of the page (if you're reading this on my blog site)-- it will update as I lose weight). I haven't started exercising or de-cluttering but that is coming soon!

Reinterpreting Pumpkin Pie

2008-11-25T01:05:00.006-05:00

So how delicious does a pumpkin pie martini sound? I'll answer that for you - it sounds damn good! Instead of making a boring old pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, why not whip up a batch of Pumpkin Pie-tini's ?

Ingredients:
Graham cracker crumbs
1-1/2 ounces milk (or splurge and use half and half -- it's the holidays)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1-1/2 ounces vanilla vodka
1-1/2 ounces white crème de cacao
Cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions:
Rim a chilled martini glass with graham cracker crumbs.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, shake milk and pumpkin puree to combine. Pour in vodka and crème de cacao and shake well. Strain into the graham cracker-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

The recipe makes 1 martini but you know as well as I do that one martini is never enough -- so multiply the recipe amounts by 8 and make a whole pitcher. Share if you like.

Do you heart handbags? Have I got a deal for you...

2008-11-19T18:41:00.012-05:00

I heart handbags big time, and my all time favorite brand is Belen Echandia. Never heard of them? Not surprising... I really believe they are the best kept secret in the handbag world. To put it lightly, the bags are simply amazing. The customer service and quality is superb and the leathers are divine. Oh, did I mention they are handmade in Italy? No "Made in China" stamp on these bags! (There's something kind of disheartening when you spend $500, $1000 or more on a bag that is mass produced on an assembly line).
The genius behind Belen Echandia is the super fabulous and very nice Jackie Cawthra. How cool is it to have a conversation with the founder/creative director of the company where she helps you with your handbag purchase decisions? I'll answer that -- it's very cool indeed.
Additionally, BE offers a bespoke service so that should you desire, you are able to customize and create the bag of your dreams (I am patiently waiting for my bespoke Luxe Chocolate Glossy Hug me and my Turquoise Angel Purse -- both should be arriving soon!) Seriously, I really could go on and on about how great these bags are.

Well let me get to my point!

Jackie is having a fantastic sale on what she is calling Pink Tuesday- you know, as opposed to black friday...(I think "Pink Tuesday" sounds much more fun and happy anyway, don't you?)

So... Jackie is offering (for a full 48 hours starting at 4pm GMT on Tuesday, November 25th) a rediculous, unheard of 40% off any in stock bag! Simply select your bag, add to your cart, and use the code: newbie at checkout.
Of course you can contact any of the BE girls (Jackie, Ashley, or Rose) to help you with your purchase as well -- that's the beauty of buying a Belen Echandia!
This promotion is only for the newbies and is an outstanding opportunity to own a Belen Echandia Bag.

Full details can be found here.

Please note: If you purchase a bag or sign up for their mailing list, please mention you were referred by me - Katie (khargraves (@) yahoo.com)--and I'll be entered in to win a fabulous BE prize.

Also, check out my BE Love Me Mini in Black Crash's appearance on the BE home page, or visit the BE World Tour

The bags pictured in this posting are the Love me in Black Crash and theHold me in Plum Crash. (the Love Me is my absolute, postive 100% most favorite handbag ever. I own it in Black Crash and beautiful Petrol.

Rue la la

2008-11-09T14:50:00.002-05:00

Rue La La is an exclusive online destination of premier brand, private sale Boutiques that are open just two to three days each. Joining is free, but you must be sponsored by an existing Member. Brands include Frye, Gucci, Natori, Betsey Johnson, Vera Bradley, and more!

To join, visit http://ruelala.com and click the link for "referred by a member" and enter in my e-mail address - khargraves (@) yahoo (.) com. (Remember to remove the formatting and spaces).

Or, if you prefer, post a comment with your e-mail address and I will send you an invite.

Island time

2008-11-04T06:36:00.008-05:00

A while back, I visited Barbados for a vacation. While we were there, we rented a little car so we could explore the island. One morning, we headed out early and lo and behold, what did we come across? Traffic. Now, Barbados doesn't really have a highway system so this traffic was nothing like traffic jams we have here in the US. In Barbados it's more of a single lane road with smaller roads perpindicular to it. People live on the perpindicular roads and are trying to merge into the traffic, which moves fairly slowly indeed.
So there we were, trying to turn left (towards Bridgetown - we were in St. Lawrence Gap) and faced with traffic. Matt and I just kind of looked at each other in frustration, but almost as soon as we arrived at the intersection, someone let us go - and they didn't just let us go, they let the 5 or so other cars behind us go as well. I was amazed. And it wasn't just the road we were coming in on, every time a road merged, someone stopped and let ALL the cars onto the road. I'm thinking to myself, "Don't these people have to get to work?? They're going to be late!" and I actually started to get all worked up about it. As we continued to sit in traffic I began to see that this is just another facet of "island life" in motion - the laid back, "not in a hurry" kind of attitude that I love - Why is it that I don't mind waiting a few minutes for a cocktail in a bar in Barbados, but home, if the bartender hasn't started working on my drink within 5 seconds of my ordering it, I start to get upset. I am so impatient.

Here in the US (at least in New England), IF someone lets you go they hurry up and get on your tail so that no more than one person is allowed into traffic. God forbid the guy behind you also gets to turn onto the road. Sometimes nobody will let you merge into traffic and they don't even look at you -- it's like people have this feeling that if they don't look at you, they can ignore you. Now, I admit, I am completely guilty of all this as well. We are in such a hurry that we forget sometimes the common pleasantries and courtesies we owe each other. Why are we so concerned with "not letting people get ahead of us" or "getting there first"? Are we all always running late or could we take a few seconds and allow someone to go in front of us? I know I can, and I will start to (try to) improve my level of impatience while driving. While sitting in traffic, I can pretend I'm back on sunny Barbados, on Island Time...

Years grow shorter not longer...

2008-10-30T21:03:00.004-04:00

So as many of you know I'm (kind of) a big Jimmy Buffett fan and while most people kind of think that it's all about the margaritas and mayhem, it's really about more than that. Don't get me wrong, the icy cold salted margaritas are great, as is the party in the parking lot when Buffett rolls into town. The parrotheads flock to the parking lot hours early, setting up tents, tiki bars, mock beaches complete with mini pools, and so much more. We spend the day dressed in tropical shirts, wearing flower leis and grass skirts. We drink margaritas, umbrella drinks, and coronas, laugh, and everyone is happy. We have no worries or troubles. We have "escaped" into the place we'd like to spend our time every day. After the parking lot we head into the concert where we sing every word to ever song and it never gets old. Truth be told, the concert ends far too soon and we head back to the parking lot to our cars waiting to take us back to our everyday lives.

But it's in our daily lives where the fact that you're a parrothead really shines through. Jimmy Buffett is first and foremost the ultimate dreamer. His stories tell a song, and speak a truth that we just seem to all understand. His lyrics remind us that we are on this earth only for a short time and we should all enjoy the ride. The years do seem to grow shorter, it's no lie, in a blink of an eye, it goes from New Years to Summer to Christmas. As a child you think that life goes on forever and the days seem to never end. Somehow, as adults in this hectic world, we lose sight of that. Have we just lost our childhood innocence? Is there away to get it back? I think that the music and escapism of listening to Jimmy Buffett kind of gives us that .. if only temporarily.

The trick, I think, is figuring out how to keep that feeling permanently -- Not feeling the need to "escape" but enjoying every minute and every day you have here -- because it'll be over before we know it.

Be Fierce!

2008-09-13T14:13:00.007-04:00

Today, there is more hope than ever for people facing breast cancer. However, there is much work to be done to find promising new treatments, increase awareness about the importance of mammograms, help all women get access to screenings and care, and connect those impacted by the disease with the information, day-to-day help, and emotional support they need to wage their battle against breast cancer.

I believe that hope for a world without breast cancer starts with me. That’s why I'm walking in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Providence on Oct. 19. Not only is this my opportunity to join my community to fight back against breast cancer, it is a way to inspire hope by raising funds and awareness to help those facing the disease and save more lives.

And you can be a part of it, too. Please visit the Team Fierce page and join my team or visit My Page to make a donation.

All donations, no matter how small will help!

Everyone's got an inner BAD gal...

2008-05-10T19:01:00.005-04:00

If you wear black eyeliner (and these days, who doesn't) you know it's tough to find perfection in an eyeliner. Ok so "perfection" is pretty strong of a word for makeup -- but Benefit's BAD gal black eyeliner comes as close to makeup nirvana as possible without being totally weird. Seriously -- You can throw out all your old pencils that pull and tear your skin or disappear by lunchtime -- this one glides like butter over your lid and stays put all day. You like to smudge it? Smudge away -- it is perfect for the smokey eye look that everyone's all into right now. This thing's got Rock n Roll with staying power -- You won't be disappointed.

Benefit BAD Gal - $18

Puppy love

2008-04-19T08:26:00.004-04:00

So we've decided on a Polish Lowland Sheepdog. Their polish name is Polski Owczarek Nizinny, or PON for short.

The litter was born on March 14 and if all goes well, we're getting the puppy on May 14th.

Still need a name but hopefully that will be evident once we see him. We don't know which puppy we are getting yet - the breeder is going to select one for us. We're pretty sure it will be a male dog though.

Guiltless Designer Shopping!

2008-02-22T18:10:00.006-05:00

Love the fancy brands but hate spending a ton of money? Join the Gilt Groupe !

Launched in November 2007, Gilt Groupe brings the invitation-only sample sale to all of America, through our website. Gilt Groupe’s sales, which are exclusively online, provide members access to coveted fashion and luxury lifestyle brands at sample sale prices. Every sale is designer-specific, and held over a one day period.

Gilt Groupe’s team of buyers hand selects both established and up-and-coming designers relevant to members, from American designers like Zac Posen to Italian designers like Alessandro Dell’Acqua.

As a preview, Gilt Groupe’s production team creates a reel to introduce each designer brand to members and makes additional background information available through our website so that members have the opportunity to fully experience that particular brand.

Membership is by referral only and there is no fee associated with joining!

I am a member at Gilt -- if you'd like to join, simply visit http://www.gilt.com/account/register
and use my e-mail address finzup_kt@hotmail.com as the referrer.

Just like when Harry Met Sally ... only better.

2008-02-11T18:04:00.002-05:00

OK I never thought I'd be blogging about blush. Seriously -- I love makeup, but out of all the makeup I own, I generally consider blush to be my least favorite item. I never even used to use it. But that all has changed - bigtime!

I've seen the light. I've been using Nars blush in Orgasm. Silly name for a blush, right? Well - not really. The color is a peach hue - and when applied on the cheeks, it gives you a glow that looks like you've just spent hours romping in the hay - I called it the "JFF" - Just f**ked flush!

I don't stop at my cheeks either - I put a little bit on one side of my nose, and on the line of my forehead, too. I don't know if anyone has looked at me and said, "geez, that girl looks like she just had some serious fun" but for me, it's worth it.

Nars Blush in Orgasm is $25

Totally tubular

2008-02-07T01:21:00.002-05:00

Do you remember laughing uncontrollably? Hard to remember sometimes, in these hectic days of running around, "getting stuff done", working, and fixing this and that.
Sometimes you wake up and realize you cannot even remember when you've had such fun.

I'm not trying to get all depressing here.. so I'll get to the point. This past weekend I went to Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH and went tubing. Yes, tubing. What seemed like an overpriced thing to do to "fill the day up" actually turned out to be something awesome.

On the outside, it seems pricey - $18 for 2 hours or $24 for the whole day. So we figured that as long as we went down the hill at least six times, it'd be worth it for the all day pass. We got our tickets and headed towards the pile of tubes. We each grabbed one and headed towards the lift line. (Yes, they even cart you up to the top of the hill -- making that $24 a bit more bearable).

We got to the top and found that a few steps away was another lift. Thinking it'd be less crowded, we headed up there. The lines were about the same, but it didn't matter. It took less than five minutes to wait in line and get to the top. Now -- there were three tracks ajacent to each other. You could go alone, or in groups. Some tracks were "too fast" for 3 adults to go at once, so they limited it.
My first journey was solo. I brought my tube to the top of the hill, sat in it and waited for the go-ahead from the teenager working on the hill.

"Spin or straight?" the kid said to me with a blank stare.

I looked nervously around -- what should I do? Finally I realized I was taking way too long, so I just said "spin". I have no idea WHY I said spin -- I hate to spin. But it was too late to change my mind. The kid spun my tube around and shoved me off - fast. Let me tell you, if you've ever felt like you were heading down an icy slope in an old Yugo with no roof or no working brakes - you know kind of how it felt. It was scary; but it was fun. Although I screamed my head off (I *think* I might've swore ("ohhh shiiiiiiiiiit") too - probably a big no-no at a family friendly location - but it couldn't be helped.) I had a blast. The wind whipped through my hair as frantic thoughts of flipping the tube over and bashing my head in ran through my head. When I reached the bottom, I instantly ran back to the lift line for more.

The second time I went in a group of two. I went with my sister. We each sat down at the top and when faced with the "spin or straight" we both emphatically said straight. We flew. If going alone and spinning like a whirlygig was fun, than going in twos and flying was like fun on steroids. As the day went on, we rode alone, in a group of two and even in a group of three. We rode sitting in the tubes, sitting ON the tubes, and also on our stomachs face first.

Whichever way we went, we smiled ear to ear and laughed like idiots. It was truly fun and something I need to remember to do everynow and then.

Shameless plug.. forgive me!

2008-01-09T20:36:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't like a bit of healthy competition?

I love Ebates. Seriously, I do. My next check is going to be $135 (yes I'm painfully aware that I shop a lot). But now there's Big Crumbs.

Will they steal my love away from my beloved Ebates? We'll see. One thing really cool that Big Crumbs has that Ebates doesn't - Big Crumbs offers you cash back on ebay purchases.. and I do shop quite a bit on ebay...

Only time will tell if Big Crumbs will steal my heart (and pay me back!)

Imbibing on the Holiday

2007-11-20T16:16:00.001-05:00

Here's a cocktail that is great for Thanksgiving...

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Wild Turkey
1/2 oz Applejack
1 tsp Rose's lime juice
4 oz Cranberry juice

Mixing instructions:
Fill highball glass halfway with ice, add ingredients and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Of course you can also make it as a martini (which is what I would do. For the martini use:

1 1/2 oz Wild Turkey
1/2 oz Applejack
1/2 tsp Rose's lime juice
1.5 oz Cranberry juice

Add all ingredients to martini shaker. Mix and strain into chilled martini glass. YUM.

Ridiculousness reinterpreted

2007-10-28T14:22:00.001-04:00

The dictionary defines the word ridiculous as: causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable: a ridiculous plan.

I beg to differ.

I'd like to propose a new definition of ridiculous:

Let me give you a tiny bit of back story on this one. Last week, my bf and I went into the Sports Authority (in Warwick, RI if it matters to you) to look at a paintball product he saw on sportsauthority.com for $89.99. We bring with us, a coupon from the newspaper that was for $25 off $100 or more. So we figured he'd buy his paintball thing and we'd buy something else for $10 and be able to use the $25 coupon. Simple, right?

Not so much. So we get to the store and the exact same product was $119.99. So doing some remedial math, I realize that even with the $25 off he'd still be paying more than if he ordered it online.

More backstory: The Sports Authority brick and mortar store is not affiliated with their own website (go figure, right?). If you ever shop at Dick's Sporting Goods online you'll notice that the products (inventories, pictures, descriptions, and prices) are the exact same. So it's not hard to figure out that Sports Authority's website is one that is not really their own. They've just sold their logo to a sports website. That bothers me some, but then I guess there are other brick and mortar stores that sell out as well (i.e. Target).

OK, so then I realize that the Sports Authority does price matching. We go up to the desk and ask if they do match online retailers. The woman (looking extremely DIS interested in us) says that 'yes' they do online price matching. Here's how our conversation went from there:

Me: Great! We found this item on Sports Authority.com for $89.99 and you sell it for $119.99. Can we price match it?
SA: Yes but you need to bring in a print out of the price from the website.
Me: { Politely } Well, we're here right now in the store. Can you just go online and verify the price for us ?
SA: No. We need you to bring in a print out.
ME: { incredulously } Are you kidding? You don't have Internet access in this store?
SA: Nope. You need to print it out and bring it in.
Me: { Leaves the store, muttering } That's ridiculous.

As we walk to the car, I get angrier and angrier. Thoughts going through my head that further substantiate that Sports Authority is the epitome of ridiculous:
If it's really true, what the employee said, then it follows that you could print out anything from anywhere and they would honor it without verification?

Lets say I'm sneaky. Lets say I go to SportsAuthority.com and edit the html of the page before printing it. Let's say I make the paintball thing cost $29.99 instead of $89.99. I hit print.
I waltz into my local Sports Authority store, and they will just honor it, without verification??
I find it difficult -- no, wait - that's not right. Actually I find it impossible that they do not go online and verify price matches. This means, that the customer service clerk was a complete liar; they must verify price matches. Seeing as how they price match online retailers, they would definitely have an Internet connection available.

So either the Sports Authority is ridiculous because they will accept any printed piece of paper with a price on it
or
they're ridiculous because they'd rather have customers leave their store and buy from sportsauthority.com (where someone else earns the profit) than help them out.

Either way - Ridiculous !

Jessica Simpson Tried to Kill Me Today

2007-06-13T23:43:00.001-04:00

Boy do I love shoes. I really do. Especially the platform sandals with lots of sexy straps. I kind of like how tall they make me feel. I don't think they're that difficult to walk in - they do have a platform after all.

So tonight, I'm in Nordstroms. Completely sober, mind you, and I spot a sale rack. Instantly I'm drawn to these platform sandals. I put one on. My size. My color. A good price. Now I'm happy. But then something happens.. my foot starts to wobble a bit; then I can't stop it. I twist my foot and my ankle touches the floor, while I'm still standing. Ouch! I almost fell and knocked down the size 8 sale rack at Nordstrom

I take the shoe off, a bit sad, looking at it with contempt until now completely reserved for rival Red Sox and Yankees fans. I look at the brand and see "Jessica Simpson" written in nice cursive letters. I make a mental note to stay away from all things Jessica Simpson from that point on. I don't take the attempt on my life lightly!

So, I work through the pain in my ankle, and continue to shop. Now, I'm not kidding you one bit when I say that on EVERY damn pair of shoes I looked at after that, what did I see? "Jessica Simpson". All cursive and cutesy. Beckoning me to stick my clumsy foot in it and try it in. Go ahead, try them on; You know you want to. I swear the shoes call to me.

They're sexy, edgy, fun, flirty, AND dangerous; probably not unlike the *real* Jessica Simpson; but that's a story for another day. In any event, I find myself completely loving them for some reason, despite their sheer lack of any sort of practicality whatsoever. I didn't buy them but still, someone needs to stop this girl before she actually manages hurts someone! Next time the Nordstrom's shoe rack might not survive my attempts to try on sexy shoes. Maybe ultra high heels should come with a warning label. Now that is most definitely a blog for another day!

Craptastic!

2007-06-03T00:25:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been so excited for crap?

I have. Repeatedly!

So there's this website -- www.woot.com they sell all sorts of random stuff - radar detectors, headphones, kitchen computers, camera memory, screaming monkeys, etc. They do one item per day until it's gone. Sometimes they have what's called a "woot-off" where they sell one item after the other for a random amount of time (a few days usually). Anyway, at some point during the woot off - in between the dry but strikingly unpretentious chardonnay and the plastic green frog that can detect leaks (aptly named "leak frog") there's an item that comes up for sale called a "Bag of Crap".

Just try and get one of these guys! They usually last, oh about 10 seconds or so and they cost $1 plus $5 to ship. You can buy 3. So, for a measly $8 you can look forward to waiting up to three weeks for a bag of.. well, crap.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the first one running five different "wootbots" while continually refreshing the page every millisecond, hoping, praying for the coveted Bag of Crap (BOC). I know I'm not alone (the "server too busy" message tells me so). So why do we do it?

Well, a teensy tiny percentage of crap buyers actually get something good. One time a lucky wooter got a Wii. Several more people have gotten things like Roomba's (now who doesn't want a robotic vacuum cleaner?? for $8!!), Robosapiens (scare the kitties!), and a host of other cool things.

Of course for every "good" item there are about 600 crappy items. I've seen people get used coffee makers, answering machines with messages from mexican inmates, broken glassware, jesus bandanas, mexican action figures that don't actually move... (I guess they're really just plain old mexican figures). It's almost worth the $8 just to get some crap to talk about.

Yesterday I won my third bag of crap. My past 2 craps were nothing to write home about (a phone for deaf people, an ugly furry owl keychain that my cats won't even play with, 2 camera bags (actually every bag of crap comes with a "bag" and up to 3 "craps"), an insulated pub glass and the aforementioned mexican (non action) figures.

Hopefully in 21 days time I'll be posting about my new Robosapien robot that can sense my presence and conduct my evil bidding, but if not, well it'll be interesting anyway. W00T!

Right out the window

2007-05-19T19:26:00.001-04:00

I have to vent. I just don't know about people and thier manners these days! I don't understand how difficult it is to RSVP for an event. It's not like the person has to do anything other than to e-mail, call, or write!
Recently, I've had the amazing (aka heinously stressful) job of planning my sister's bridal shower. I mailed out professionally printed invitations (old fashioned "snail mail") to each event. On the bottom of the invite it was clearly marked 'RSVP by [date]' with a working phone number.

As the date got closer (and the 'RSVP by' date had passed), I wondered why not everyone had responded. We called people up and asked them if they intended on coming to the shower. I got responses such as:
"Oh, I can't attend, I'm working that day."
Ok so how am I suppoed to know this?
"Oh, I really meant to call you but I'm trying to get a babysitter."
A phone call letting me know this would be appreciated!
"Yes, I'm coming. "
I'm not a member of the psychic friends network so how the hell would I have known this?
"Yes, I'm coming and I'm brining a friend and her child"
#$%^& (blood vessels bursting)
ANSWERING MACHINE.
So I leave a VERY NICE messaging asking for a response by x date. Of course none arrives.

What the hell is wrong with people? Where has etiquette gone? Do people realize that brisal showers cost money? We had to provide a headcount in advance. We were charged on that headcount. If more showed up, we were billed more of course.

I came up with a few theories as to why people don't rsvp:

1) They don't know what RSVP means. No excuse in my book. If I were to receive an invitation with four letters on it next to a phone number, even if I didn't know what the letters meant, I'd call that number. The number is there for a reason.
2) They decide they can't go and don't bother to call.
3) They decide they can go and don't bother to call.
4) They plan on RSVP'ing but put it off until later and forget
5) They lose the invitation
6) They are ignorant assholes and plan to show up with their kids unannounced because they are entitled to.

The shower was in March. The bachelorette was in May - same kind of thing. I guess people just don't rsvp anymore. It just annoys me and I needed to vent. Please people -- when you get an invitation RSVP right away! Forgetting is not an option. If you lose the invitation, call the host/hostess of the party. Parties cost money and it's just the courteous thing to do.

There is no excuse!

Ok I feel better.

Talk amongst yourselves

2007-04-03T07:00:00.001-04:00

Ok question to think about -- is the NBC TV show 'Deal or No Deal' really a game show, or just a blatant display of American greed?

Is there any skill involved in this alleged "game" show or is it just having the smarts to know that 50/50 odds are terrible when it comes to a large sum of money? I mean you're pretty much guaranteed a prize of some sort just by being on; so IMO it's something more of a lottery prize. (get picked to be on the show = guaranteed winner). It then just depends on how greedy you are as to what prize you get.

I hardly watch the show because I can't stand it (but I must confess that when I do watch it, I get hooked -- I must know how it ends)

So I'm curious what people think!

Kick me!

2007-03-30T07:30:00.001-04:00

So I'm the type of gal that goes on various types of 'kicks' -- it maybe a food (my "Mexican food kick" certainly didn't do much for my diet (or my love life!!)), or an activity (like my "staying up late playing Cake Mania" kick -- don't laugh I know I'm not the only one!), or a task (like my recent "constantly search for cheap vacation deals, even though there's no possible way I can travel right now" kick), or an article of clothing (like my "obsessed with underwear" kick -- I seriously bought an insane amount of underwear in like a 2 week timespan.. nuts!!)
Basically, I find that I LOVE something, and then I suddenly cannot live without it - I feel compelled to constantly do/eat/buy whatever my current "kick' is. In a matter of time (something usually around a month or two), the kick is over .. and sometimes I even laugh at my obsessions --- like I see the Cake Mania icon on my desktop and chuckle - God I was so tapped playing that silly game until like 3.. ok 4 AM !!

My new kick is Coach. I hope it's not just a kick though -- I've always loved Coach. My first Coach bag was a beautiful green Optic Hobo with ladybugs on it (courtesy of the best BF ever). I LOVED that bag but would never spend that kind of money on a bag; he did - and I was hooked. Anyway, fast forward to about 2 years later, and I seriously cannot get enough Coach! I have bought wristlets, scarfs, charms, bags, and am considering dropping some serious dough on not one, but TWO bags, a wallet, and a(nother) charm.
Do I need all this stuff? Is this just another "kick" that I'll be remembering fondly -- my "love affair with Coach kick" ??
Right now I'm in the middle of it so, of course, in my mind, this is so NOT a kick -- it will never end. I will own and carry my Coach babies forever (or at least that's how I justify the spending?).
So where is this blog entry going? I'm not sure -- I guess I'll find out if this is just another one of my kicks (like the "getting sloshed on washington apple martini" kick) or something that will last longer. I hope it's the latter!

Shower me with love

2007-03-22T07:22:00.001-04:00

So my sisters wedding shower was last Sunday. It went off without a hitch. I can't quite explain the level of stress I was under prior to the shower. Nothing went wrong, a few people even indicated it was the BEST shower they had ever been to! One woman even said I should become a party planner (a secret dream of mine for a while now). It was tropical themed (anyone who knows me or Kara wouldn't be surprised at that, I'm sure) and you felt the "sunny warmth" even though there was snow on the ground outside and it was 30 degrees F. When you walked in you were hit by the heat from 3 fireplaces. The room was a warm yellow color; Tropical flowers were everywhere. Island steel drum music played in the background making you feel as if you had stepped into a bar/restaurant in an exotic tropical destination. Everyone was given flower leis; drinks were served with fancy tropical umbrellas.

The cake

Fabulous, right? Wrong. Hours (and days) later, I'm STILL so stressed out!

Before the shower I thought "all my worries will be gone once the shower is over." Well, my worries didn't go away, AND now I'm not even sure what it is that I'm so worried about!

Kara loved the shower and the bridesmaids that planned it with me had a great time as well.

OK now on to the bachelorette party!

I'd like to stop the world please.

2006-12-21T20:03:00.001-05:00

It's four days until Christmas and all I can think is, "Holy shit"
It's like I can remember stressing out for last Christmas as if it was only yesterday, and this one is already here. Time is starting to go by faster than I can handle. Will I just close my eyes and wake up just in time for next Christmas?

I wish there was a way to make the world stop for a while.

On that note I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy 2007.

2007.
2007?
2007 !!! What the @#$%^&*, it's already 2007?!

Movie Review: The Departed

2006-11-09T15:43:00.001-05:00

The Departed is the kind of movie you have to pay attention to at all times. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though - you feel sort of like you have been through something after this movie ends. I suppose you could watch it and not pay as much attention - you'd probably still enjoy it.
The movie is basically about rats and organized crime in Boston - There's a mob guy working inside the police and there's a undercover officer working inside the mob. So each side is working to find out just who the rat really is.
The movie has an all star cast - Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Walhberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen, Alex Baldwin to name a few. They all play their parts exceptionally well. Mark Wahlberg's character is not only serious, but also funny, in that serious kind of way.

This movie is work the trip. 4 palm trees! :)

Picture du jour

2006-09-15T07:20:00.001-04:00

Totally salivating over this one. It's Moorea Bay, in the South Pacific:

Visions of sugar plums

2006-09-15T06:26:00.001-04:00

Ever watch an old(er) movie, music video, TV show, etc and think to yourself, "I wonder if these people are still alive?" I'm not talking about celebrities - I'm talking about random people you have never heard of, background people, extras, even the animals! I don't know if it's morbid or just a natural thought that other people have as well.
When I watch something, I think like - "ok so this tv show was filmed in like, 1977 - that's almost 30 years ago - I wonder if that guy over there in the background, with the long hair and striped shirt is still alive" or worse, I think - "ok so this tv show was filmed in like 1977, so that cute dog over there, is 100% most certainly DEAD.". And then I feel bad. I think about if the dog had a good life. As for the people, I also kind of wonder what they did after making the tv show/video/movie/etc. Sometimes I even make stuff up about them - an alleged sort of life that explains in my head who they really are. Weird.

Gush

2006-08-28T19:58:00.000-04:00

I can't even begin to describe how cute my cats are, so I took pictures.

To the left you will see Elmo playing with his new furry black mouse. After sitting there posing for a few minutes, he began to attack his furry friend.

This picture can be seen below:

Notice how intently he stares at the mouse while he clobbers it with his dagger like claws.

My second kitty is Lucy. She is so beautiful but somehow not that photogenic. Her pictures don't come out looking as pretty as she looks.

Here she is sitting in Matt's favorite chair. I think it may become the "Lucy Chair"...

Anyway, the kitties are adjusting well to the move. It has been only one day since they arrived, but they are claiming their own space (even as I speak).

Talk amongst yourselves

2006-08-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Question - In the movie theater, why do people clap after a movie? What's up with that phenomenon? I mean, clapping generally is used when people want to express their appreciation for someone or something such as a play, or speaker, etc.

Dictonary.com defines applause as, "Approval expressed especially by the clapping of hands". So are these people basically standing up and announcing their approval for the movie? A movie is basically an inanimate object - it can't hear that people in the movie theater are clapping in appreciation for it, so why do it? Is it because people want to announce their approval for the movie so everyone in the theater can know? I mean why does anyone else care if other people in the movie enjoyed it? Why do we care what Joe Moviegoer in the 4th row thought of the movie? Does it change your view of a movie if people start to clap?

Some thoughts:

A) People clap because they are bursting with "good feelings" after the movie ends - Ok so if this theory were true, wouldn't the same people clap at home after a good movie? I highly doubt these applauders are standing up in their living room clapping after watching a five star flick. Surely there are other times when people burst with "good feelings" - Do these people clap after a good meal in a restaurant? After a torrid afternoon of hot sex? After drinking that delicious coffee first thing on a Sunday morning after some rediculously good sex but before reading the paper?

B) People clap because they want everyone else arond them to know that they enjoyed the film so much that they are bursting with "good feelings". Ahh now this one may make a smidge more sense. The first clapper - he's the guy that starts it all - I mean once he starts, the rest of the people in category A or C also join in and start their clapping. Makes me wonder if this clap initiator guy is intentionally clapping or it is just an automatic response to the silence that fills the theater after a good movie. Is this guy the one that must always be first? Does he crave attention? Does it give him some secret satisfaction to know that HE started the clapping that everyone joined in on? Does he look around during the applause and think with a smirk of pure satisfaction, I started all this ?

C) Clapping is a way to unite the audience - When the whole theater breaks out into clapping after the flick - it sends the message that everyone enjoyed the movie and if you didn't enjoy it, there just might be something wrong with you. This is sort of like a weird form of peer pressure - Say you really didn't care for the movie and everyone around you is clapping away like crazed monkeys - maybe you'd eventually join in. Maybe you'd leave the theater wondering what it was that you missed in the movie. Maybe you'd even go see it again - or tell someone that you really liked it, when you really didn't. Maybe you'd just leave feeling insecure and shitty - or maybe - just maybe you'd leave wondering wtf is up with all that clapping.

Movie Review - Little Miss Sunshine

2006-08-18T07:11:00.000-04:00

Little Miss Sunshine is about a highly disfunctional family that travels by VW bus from New Mexico to California so that their daughter Olive can compete in the "Little Miss Sunshine" beauty pagent. Olive's dream is to become a beauty queen and the opening scene shows her watching a beauty pagent and imitating the winner. Her grandfather has been helping her to reherse her talent routine and she practices daily. They can't afford to fly to California, and due to circumstances, they all must go together in the VW bus to California.

The father, Richard (played by Greg Kinnear) is the inventor of a "9 Step Program" on being a "winner" and his opinions on avoiding loserdom are quite funny. He is suave, tanned, and styled out like a typical "motivational speaker".

Dwayne (the brother) doesn't speak (by choice) and reads philosophy. He hates everyone. He hasn't spoken in 9 months. He wants to be a pilot, and his mother bribes him to go on the trip by promising to allow him to go to flight school.

Sheryl, the mother, is a divorcee - Olive and Dwayne are not Richards children. She appears to be the glue that holds everyone together.

The Grandpa is hysterical. He has many vices all of which add a lot of humor to the picture. He is Olive's "coach" for her beauty pageant.

Sheryl's brother Frank (Steve Carell) is there as well - after a failed suicide attempt he must live with Sheryl and her family, and can't be left alone, so he's also along for the ride.

Okay, so mix all these people up with their problems, and the movie is an abolute trip. Many things happen along the way that could be construed as negative - but overall, the movie, to me, had a positive vibe. You see, Olive is not a beauty queen. She is a plain girl, with a bit of a belly and big bucked teeth. In reality she has no chance in a beauty pagent - but her family, with all of their problems never tells Olive that she can't do it.

In reality most families under stress (to put it lightly...) would simply skip the 800-mile, 2-day treck that they can't really afford, and simply tell their child, "Sorry honey, you really dont have a chance at winning and we can't afford it, so you don't get to be in the beauty pageant".

Not this family. They stand beind Olive in persuing her dream (win or lose) with confidence, and to me, that was very uplifting and positive.

Overall I thought Little Miss Sunshine was supremely funny and very well made.

Five green palm trees.

Walking contradiction

2006-08-17T06:28:00.000-04:00

Ok so I kind of came to a realization the other day - I'm a walking contradiction (at least in a fashion sense...) !

I mean I was out and about this weekend, and I began to look around at everyone - they all were dressed in what I would call a "style". Preppy, country-club, couture, ghetto fabulous, granola, grundge, grandma, etc - they all "fit in" to a certain style classification. You could look at these people, and kind of get what/who they are based on what they were wearing.

So I looked at myself and here's what I saw:

Big black Baby Phat sunglasses (Ghetto fabulous)
Coach purse (Designer, trendy)
Distressed brown Leather flat thong sandals (Hippie chic)
Brown khaki capri "dockers style" pants (Preppy)
Cream colored silk tank top with green cotton crochet vneck sweater (?? meets granola?)

So I felt kind of silly. I mean why can't I have a particular style? I mean I wouldn't describe myself as one particular style. I don't shop exclusively at one particular store or department at Nordstroms.

So my question is - Do you have to "fit in" to a certain style classification to be considered stylish?

I began to think more and more about it and my first instinct was to say, "Well my style is a blend of other styles". But the more I thought of it, was I taking the easy way out? I mean can a persons sense of personal style simply be a mish-mash of pieces from other styles?

This all kind of coincided, timing wise, with cleaning out my closets. I had previously decided to sell all my "nice" clothes that I didn't wear to a consignment shop. I thought about the clothing I was getting rid if - there were over 150 pieces in all - it all didnt fit into a style either! I mean I'm getting rid of everything from suede to satin to Ralph Lauren to items from Hot Topic.

So I guess what I need to figure out is - Do I have my own style? Does it even matter? I mean do your clothes define who you are? Looking around at people, I tend to think sometimes people DO fit in with their style and other times, I think they may be pretending (or striving?) to be something they're not.

I certainly don't want to fit into that last category - I don't want to try to be something I'm not. So maybe my hodge podge style is me.. Who knows.

Like riding a roller coaster!

2006-08-10T08:58:00.000-04:00

Apparently Rehab makes you famous. It's not only fun, it's the IN thing to do, thanks to my favorite actor (note the dripping sarcasm here) Mel Gibson.

Now I hear Robin Williams has "found himself drinking again" after a whopping 20 years of sobriety! (not sure how you just happen to find yourself drinking again. Did he just happen wake up with a face full of bar snacks and an empty bottle of cheap vodka and say, "holy crap! I guess I'm drinking again!" ?)

Hmmm... is he perhaps jumping on the Mel Gibson trainwreck or is it just plain old coincidence?

Let's see:

* Robin William's last hit movie? Um.....assuming we don't count voice parts in cartoon movies, I'd say his last great movie was maybe 'The Birdcage' - waaaaay back in in 1996 or possibly 'Good Will Hunting' in 1997...

* Up and coming movies? SIX!!

Mrs. Doubtfire 2 (2007) (in production) .... Daniel Hillard
The Krazees (2006) (announced)
License to Wed (2007) (filming) .... Father Frank
Man of the Year (2006) (post-production) .... Tom Dobbs
Night at the Museum (2006) (post-production) .... Theodore Roosevelt
August Rush (2006) (post-production) .... Wizard
Happy Feet (2006) (completed) (voice) .... Ramone

Does rehab make you [more] famous? I guess we'll see ... oh, and will Lindsay Lohan be next? Stay tuned. . .

Movie Review: Talladega Nights

2006-08-06T12:29:00.000-04:00

OK so I really loved Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. So when I saw the trailer for Talladega Nights a few months back, I laughed outloud and fully expected something of the same caliber.
When the movie finally opened, I went to see it with high expectations. I kind of couldn't wait to sit there and laugh for a while.
Well I can say the movie fell short, in my opinion. The jokes just weren't "funny enough" - they lacked that extra bit of something that induces the "laugh out loud" laughter. Don't get me wrong, there were some funny parts to the movie, but they were mostly the scenes from the trailer. Speaking of the trailer, the movie didn't even include all the parts (I'm sure they'll be on the DVD though...)
Anyway, I really liked the concept but I think the whole thing could have just been, well, funnier. I mean seriously - is "Baby Jesus" really such a funny joke that it needed to be referenced throughout the movie?

Movie Rating:

My Own Movie Rating System

2006-08-06T11:36:00.000-04:00

My very own copyrighted highly subjective rating system for movies.

(Five green palm trees FGPT) - This is the higest rating a movie can get. You should definitely drop whatever it is that you're doing and go see this movie. Your life will not be complete until you have witnessed the beauty and awesomeness that is this movie.

(Four blue palm trees FBPT) - This is a great movie but there was something about it that stopped it from achieving the five green palm trees (FGPT) rating. This something, however does not detract from the movie substantially, and therefore you should also consider going to see this movie immediately, if not in the very near future.

(Three purple palm trees TPPT).
This movie is good, but not great. It is a movie that is worth seeing, but you may want to go only when there's nothing else fun to do, or when you unexpectedly find an extra $20 in your pants pocket. Movies with the TPPT rating are excellent for renting and watching on your own TV.

(Two orange palm trees TOPT). This movie borderline sucks but there is something about it keeping it barely afloat. Maybe there's this one great scene that makes it so good, or there's one character that saves the movie, or even a memorable funny line or two that will be repeated over and over again (think Napolean Dynamite) for months. After seeing a TOPT movie, you may wish for your money back, or pray that the time wasted on the movie would be returned to you. Think carefully before venturing out to see a TOPT movie.

(One brown palm tree OBPT). Do not waste your time on this movie. You will hate yourself for ever thinking you might find a modicum of something slightly good about this movie. This movie will make you regret not staying home and scraping the two week old dog poop from the many grooves in the bottom of sneakers with a toothpick. It's the worst of the worst. A pointless movie that fails to even be pointless enough. Don't waste your time or your money.

Point du jour

2006-08-02T06:29:00.000-04:00

Point: Why do we care what Mel Gibson thinks about Jews? Furthermore, why should the Jews care what Mel Gibson thinks, either?
I mean why do we give celebrites so much power/authority? They are just beautiful people that make movies - they are not people that should be leading the thoughts and ideals of this country, religious or otherwise!
I read the following quote online today, "His apology prompted one rabbi to invite Gibson to speak at his temple on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. Other Jewish leaders say the healing process will take some time."
Healing time? Are you kidding??
He was piss drunk (an admitted alcoholic) and said some anti-Jewish statements to the arresting officer. Healing time? For who?
Again I just don't get why the Jewish community needs to HEAL when an actor/director babbles something to an officer during a drunk driving arrest. It becomes all about his drunken comments and subsequent "heartfelt apology" for his anti-Jewish comments - and then it becomes about the "healing" of the Jewish community. Again - is there something I don't quite understand here??
People, lets not forget that we have freedom of speech in this country. He's allowed to have his opinions whether or not they're politically correct (or even true). The fact that he has sobered up and said they are not his real opinons should just make the whole thing moot. But no. The Jewish community needs time to heal, call the press.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing this because I'm a Mel Gibson fan. I'm just sick and tired of reading front page news stories about his dumbass comments and his lame apology. Mostly, I'm just outraged that someone drunk out of their gourd said some stupid comment to a cop gets to be classified as NEWS, and for DAYS on end. I'm tired of it all.

Chilled to the Bone

2006-07-31T06:39:00.000-04:00

Ever hear those people that say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity"? What do you think of when you hear these toolbags say this? Am I to assume these people truly believe that if there was no humidity that the 100 degree temperature wouldn't be that bad? Perhaps these idiots might like to take a trip to the Grand Canyon in July - 115 degrees in the shade, not a stitch of humidity. Know what they'd say then? "It's a dry heat; it's not that bad". Whaaaat?? Dry heat? As if this heat isn't as bad as the "hot and humid" heat? An egg won't fry on your dashboard because the heat is DRY?

Give me a break.

These are the same people who complain all winter long that it's "tooooo cold.. brrrr" but in the summer complain that it's "toooooo hot (and humid)". In the spring it's "tooooooo wet and rainy" and in the fall, it's just "sweater weather".

Why can't we just enjoy the current state of the weather rather than gripe about it and long for something else - only to complain about that, once it arrives. By the way, did I mention it's wicked friggin' humid today? Boy do I long for those cool September days...

Sunday sunday sunday!! (I love dive bars)

2004-06-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

I love dive bars. A few of us went to a dive bar last night. Found out beer was $9 a pitcher instead of $7. I had previously thought that $7 was expensive for a pitcher of crap beer in a dive bar and so I was surprised at the $2 price hike. Seems that more and more people want to "slum it" at a dive bar.... causing them to raise their prices.
The crowd was eclectic - it was karoake night. We saw everyone; group home residents wearing slippers, homeless people, dirty old man drunks, college kids, artsy folks with some cool tattoos, punks with some very interesting hair, gangstas, hockey players, and of course the karoake requirement: American Idol wanna be's!
Another favorite dive bar of mine has black walls, a "in the round" type bar with non-movable bar stools. The requisite jar of pickled eggs sits on the bar along with some bags of chips from 1985. Bottled beer is key. Here, you don't get the draft beer - the glasses are too scary; crusted up with all sorts of science fair gone wrong sticky stuff. Squatting is an abosolute must!! The bathroom is a 2x2 foot room with a wood palate on the floor (to save you from stepping in the puddle of god knows what on the ground) and the toilet is permanently stained a nasty brown color. The jukebox kicks ass and they even have a pool table (not level of course).. This place rocks!

What are YOU looking at?

It's been a while....

Help raise funds for the Humane Society's SpayDay 2011

Changes in Attitudes

Halloween 2009

Leftovers?

I'm unravelling...

Resolve

Reinterpreting Pumpkin Pie

Do you heart handbags? Have I got a deal for you...

Rue la la

Island time

Years grow shorter not longer...

Be Fierce!

Everyone's got an inner BAD gal...

Puppy love

Guiltless Designer Shopping!

Just like when Harry Met Sally ... only better.

Totally tubular

Shameless plug.. forgive me!

Imbibing on the Holiday

Ridiculousness reinterpreted

Jessica Simpson Tried to Kill Me Today

Craptastic!

Right out the window

Talk amongst yourselves

Kick me!

Shower me with love

I'd like to stop the world please.

Movie Review: The Departed

Picture du jour

Visions of sugar plums

*Gush*

Talk amongst yourselves

Movie Review - Little Miss Sunshine

Walking contradiction

Like riding a roller coaster!

Movie Review: Talladega Nights

My Own Movie Rating System

Point du jour

Chilled to the Bone

Sunday sunday sunday!! (I love dive bars)

Gush