Must See TV

When I talk about a show I like, it's usually because there's a lot of laughter (Two and a half Men) or drama (Grey's Anatomy) or hot guys with guns (24) but this time it's totally different. I think it's a show everyone should see.
It's called "My Life As A Child" and it's on TLC Mondays at 6pm central. This week was the first episode, and I wasn't sure about it. But I fell in love with these kids. Basically, they give kids a video camera and they record their lives.
There was a 7 year old boy living with his mom and sister in an apartment in a bad neighborhood in Baltimore. He talked about murders in his neighborhood, and how all he wanted to do was be able to play outside. He lived with his grandmother during the week to go to a good school, and he walked up to her one day while she was cooking and thanked her for everything. He also told the camera that he thinks she is so strong and confident, and he wants to be like her.
There was another boy, living in LA, who had cerebral palsy. He was taking karate classes, and at the end of the episode, during his karate-themed birthday party, he was given his yellow belt. He talked about just wishing he could walk. His service dog was his dog slash brother. And his parents...he couldn't say enough good things about them.
It really is a fantastic show. Seeing life through the eyes of a child...it doesn't get any better than that. So if you get a chance, check it out.

The Good Stuff

I guess it all started when Rob & John moved to Australia, and sold us their snowblower for VERY cheap. We needed it today. We've gotten probably 13" of snow in the last two days.

It continued today when I opened the door to talk to my husband who was trying to shovel out the end of the driveway because the little (but much loved) snowblower we have couldn't stand up to what the plows had put there. I found an envelope in between the doors, and in that envelope was a beautiful mother/child necklace from Lisa. Thank you!

It "ended" when our neighbor came across the street with his heavy-duty blower and got us out of the end of our driveway.

It restores a little bit of faith in humanity, and I think we all need that sometimes!

complete randomness

i have a lot of time to think lately...what, without a job and all. don't worry, i'm looking. just maybe not really hard....

our garbage man rocks. we put out so much CRAP last night, and he took every last piece of it. even the suitcase that showed up out of nowhere...that wasn't ours. i was afraid there was going to be body pieces in it or something. yes, i watch to much crime tv.

all of that crap (besides the suitcase of course because it wasn't ours) came from what my friend referred to as "nesting". yes, i am nesting. and i didn't even know it until someone said "you should be nesting". we have thrown out so much stuff that we dont need to make room for the baby. and that, my friends, is nesting. it feels damn good too.

i think i'm going to have sushi for lunch today. not the raw-fish kind, because that is a no-no, but the cooked stuff. i'm dying for it.
*the sushi was fantastic! i think i mostly like the wasabi and pickled ginger!

i have a new resume that looks really great, thanks to a friend of my husband. if you know anyone who needs temporary office work in my area (i'll do anything. filing, answering phones, stapling, whatever) i'll do it. or a decent way to do computer work from home. i can be counted on up until around august 1st. i don't need a lot of money, i just need a reason to get out of the house. and i can't go shopping. cuz that's just silly.

i'm going away this weekend on the yearly trip with the AWOL group. all the women in my husband's family (I'm the youngest by 10+ years), including relatives from texas and elsewhere, get together once a year for a weekend of fun. we don't go far away, and we don't really do much, but it's time away from the men and kids, and that's what matters. i've already been assigned as designated driver...by my husband's 71 year old mother!

Thank you to the neighbor who brought back our Wisconsin Badgers yard flag. It flew off at some point a few weeks ago, and someone was kind enough to put it in our mailbox. It didn't help having it up last night, but we do appreciate having it back!

ok, i think that's it for now. i need to go get my sushi. which means i must get dressed. being unemployed, i don't do that much anymore!

I'm gonna miss it

While I won't miss some parts of my job, there are MANY parts I will miss. A LOT. I watched an interview with Kenny Chesney online this morning, and realized I'll probably never see a concert of his again. If I do, I'll probably have to pay for the tickets. I've only had to pay for 1 of the 5 or 6 of his I've seen. It'll be sad to be out of the loop. I've seen a lot of up-and-coming artists before they were stars. And I've seen a lot of stars. I got to hang out with Darryl Worley after one of his shows, listening to him talk about the civil war. I sat on a bus and talked with Shelly Fairchild and Steve Azar. I picked Trent Tomlinson up at his hotel and drove him to a show. I took Emerson Drive to their hotel to shower, and back to their show. I stood ON STAGE while Tracy Lawrence sang. I sang WITH Phil Vassar during "Piano Man". I helped choose winners of backstage passes to huge concerts. I got to introduce Kenny Chesney on stage before he really hit it big. I got to hear a song live before it hit the radio. I got to hear stories that I could never repeat. I got to take friends to concerts they never would have gone to. I got to dress up once a year and present awards to local artists. I got to eat dinner with Carolyn Dawn Johnson. I got to sell merchandise for artists like Jennifer Hanson, Josh Turner, and Bomshel while they performed. I chatted with Joe Diffie's merchandise girl while he was on stage. I got to help set up the stage for a Sugarland performance.

It was a wild ride. I'm gonna miss it. But, I have to remember that things are going to change for me in less than 6 months, and I'll have many more memories to make!

Are you SERIOUS?

That's my best blog-style Dick Vitale.

Vanderbilt BEAT #1 ranked Florida today! That, and the fact that I AM eligible for unemployment make me VERY VERY happy!

(I didn't do anything that means "misconduct" at work, I just had bad judgement! yay!)

Happy weekend to all!

i got fired today

i was going to leave anyway. i just wanted it to be on my terms.

Ready to make nice? Did she really say that?

The Grammy's were on tonight. I flipped it on in the beginning because there was nothing else on. I was happy to see the Dixie Chicks' performance. I am one of those "true fans" that have stayed a fan through all of the crap from the last nearly 4 years. And finally, tonight, it seems they are getting some of the respect back that they lost from the industry.

They sounded FANTASTIC. And what else? Oh yeah, they won ALL FIVE GRAMMYS THEY WERE NOMINATED FOR. That's pretty amazing.

The last one of the night had them all choked up, as well it should. And Natalie Maines said "I'm ready to make nice!"

People are coming around. "They say time heals everything..." It's about damn time.

GO Kentucky!

The Kentucky men's basketball team needs to be ON FIRE tonight. They need to upset Florida. So please, if you have it in you, pray to the basketball Gods real quick. Thank you! Bucky won again today, and UCLA lost, so things are looking good.

Ok, enough of that. I have a feeling major changes are in the VERY near future (like Monday) so keep your fingers crossed.

I know it's a lot to ask (the praying and the finger crossing) but all I ask is do what you can!

WHAT?

Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband, Prince Frederick von Anhalt, says he may be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby.

Seriously, this is a news headline on yahoo's front page.

this is going to get ugly/interesting/sordid REAL fast.

i can't think of a title. seriously.

nothing is going on with me. i'm seriously bored. i didn't do TC's 3 word wednesday yesterday...i spent most of my time working on my taxes. the only "exciting" thing was that yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of when my husband and i met. he brought home dinner and dessert, and then we watched the badgers beat penn state. and then lost returned.

i'm not only bored, i'm boring.

sorry 'bout that.

Knocked OFF

You were right "up there" at the top of my totem pole. you were a rock star. and then you treated me like crap.

now you're







down here.



thanks for the realization.

I love pictures!

"Hey...what is the ball doing over there?"

Doesn't this just about sum up the Superbowl?

*edit: This poll is on CBS Sportsline
Who's your pick for the Colts' MVP of Super Bowl XLI?
Joseph Addai
Rex Grossman
Dominic Rhodes
Peyton Manning

That cracks me up!

I almost felt bad

For the Bears. ALMOST. The way they started....I really thought the Colts were screwed. But, as luck would have it, Rex Grossman sucked and the Colts pulled it out. I'm not a "fan" of the Colts, just a Bear Hater (as a Packer fan, you have to be!)

It was nice to see Manning get that monkey off his back. With the Bears' defense as good as it was this past season, they'll have more opportunities.

did anyone else notice the commercials really got crappy after halftime?

I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over...

Yes, my friends, I have been watching Dawson's Creek lately. A lot. It's on at 3am weekday mornings on "The N" (I think it's called Noggin during the day). I record it and watch at my leisure. Recently they went back to DAY ONE on Dawson's Creek...so it has been kind of fun. I didn't realize Ali Larter was on the show. Or Tamara Taylor, who played Grace (charlie's girlfriend at one time) on Party Of Five. I like going back and watching shows from days-gone-by!

Thursday, thanks to TC, I got to try MAC & CHEESE PIZZA. And let me tell you, it was darn tasty! There's this little place downtown called Ian's, and while their music is a bit off (loud or quiet? on or off? YOU decide!) the pizza was good. And I plan on going back! Plus, it's right next door to a long "lost" favorite, Dotty Dumpling's Dowry. I say "lost" because it used to be in a different location, and I wasn't sure where it moved to. Just know that I tend to not pay attention to my surroundings much. Unless I'm on a road trip...then I'll read all the signs out loud to you, knowing full-well you can read just fine on your own.

Anyway, thanks TC for the pizza!!

I won't be speaking for a while...

At least not about college basketball. Or sports in general.

Except to say "Go Colts".

What's with all the news?

Seriously. How often do we need to see the news on TV? Well, if you're in the Madison area, you have LOTS of choices.

We start out the day with the 5am local morning shows
cbs, nbc, abc all have two hours, and then go to the national shows for the next 2 hours. except for NBC which goes 3. CBS then goes back to local news for another 1/2 hour.
the CW has "the daily buzz" that lasts 3 hours

NBC and ABC local have another 1/2 hour news at 11. CBS has local at noon.

NBC local has a 1/2 hour at 4

NBC, CBS and ABC locals have 1/2 hour at 5, followed by 1/2 hour national news on each station at 530, not to mention BBC news on PBS.

at 6, there's more local news on ABC, CBS and NBC for 1/2 hour, and the Jim Lehrer news hour on PBS.

ABC actually has ANOTHER local news cast for 1/2 hour at 630.

There's a bit of a break for prime time television, and it starts over at 9.

Fox and MyTV14 both have 1/2 hour 9pm news.

At 10pm, we have the local NBC, ABC and CBS 1/2 hour news.
At 11:05, it's nightline on ABC.

Are you KIDDING ME? this city does NOT have that much to talk about. That is (if I counted correctly, and I don't feel like counting again), TWENTY SIX HOURS OF NEWS in a matter of 18.5 hours.

And that DOESN'T include the actual news channels, like CNN.

Good for TWO!

Up until this point, Bucky has been "sharing" the number 2 spot with UCLA. Bucky was #2 in one poll, #3 in another.

NOT ANYMORE!

It's not "official" that they'll be number 2 all alone yet, but the chances are good, considering UCLA LOST! And Bucky WON! That is so great...now if Florida would just lose a game, we'd be number 1!

Do you know the ABBA song Fernando? Go to this page, scroll down to the "links" box and take a listen to the lyrics. It was done by a local morning show, and is actually being featured in Sports Illustrated!

Can I get that AND that?

I took my nieces (5 and 9) shopping today. We gave them homemade giftcards for Christmas, and today was the day to cash them in. It was a pretty simple day, except trying to explain to a 5 year old that two items costing $8 and $20 is more than the $25 you have. I guess we learn/teach new things every day!

I came home after that and needed a bit of a rest. Napping is commonplace in my house these days. After what was way too short of a nap, I decided to run to the grocery store. That's when I got the call.

Our only available part-timer (who was working at the time) was sick. She needed someone to cover. And since the boss is out of town and the guy in charge is doing mornings this week...well, that meant I got to come to work. It's been a while since I was awake, and not laying in bed, at 10pm. We'll see how tonight works!

Some GA and a little GP

Grey's Anatomy...can this show BE any better? Man, I just love it. I didn't sob like a maniac last night, but I think that was more about my state of mind (a little more stable) than anything. How long did it take YOU to figure out how the free clinic would be funded? And the proposalS at the end. What's up with THAT????? Ah...we wait til next week. Again.

Much to my delight (I love Nick At Nite, thankyouverymuch) starting February 12 they are bringing us the fabulousness that is Growing Pains! Let me tell you, if ever I had a crush on a tv star, it was Kirk Cameron. I can't wait til the marathon starts!

Ok, that's it for now. Big(ger) news coming. As soon as I can get it out properly!!!

Does it make me crazy?

If you're a follower of Grey's Anatomy, and you watched tonight's episode, you will understand.

I laughed for the first five minutes. Meredith and her snoring. I can completely relate to McDreamy. When I met my husband, he snored BAD. I used those damn wax ear plugs. Then with George freaking out because Izzy's check was missing. He cracks me up SO much.

I laughed and/or teared up for the next 40 minutes. You know, when Christina tried to keep food from Burke. And when Addison told Callie about her past. Just general ups and downs. It's why I love this show.

And then I cried for the rest of the show. Not just tears, but actual sobbing. From the point where George and his family were at the table for the 2nd time, deciding what to do...up until the bar scene at the end with Addison and Karev. It wasn't all bad tears. There was the good tears when Burke told Derrick, with Christina in the room, that he hadn't had any tremors.

Know what? I don't even care if it makes me crazy. I still can't wait until next week.