Living Reflections from a Dream

Yet another episode in the seemingly endless oddball things which can only happen to me...

On my train ride home I was standing, minding my own business, when suddenly coffee was everywhere... down my leg onto my shoes. The man sitting in front of me apologizes and all is well. Then he proceeds to stare at me for about 5 minutes straight. I'm ignoring him.. he seemed a tad odd. Seriously - balancing a cup of coffee on the gym bag on your lap? Who thinks that will work out?

After departing the train and arriving at the gym, I discover I have huge booger hanging out of my nose. All I can think is: you spilled coffee all over me, stand at me perplexed for 5 minutes, but you can't tell me it's time for a tissue? Nice!

Then I commence changing into gym attire. Now, some of you may recall that I just returned from vacation. Again, here is where I was:

Some of you may also be aware that I'm a pasty white Irish person from the Northeast USA. In other words: I burn. Yes, I'm still peeling.. all over my legs. I quickly pull off the tights I was wearing and with the tights comes flying into the air a plethora of dead, peely skin. Oh.. it was so gross.

To make matters worse, I've been back 2 weeks and my savage tan is fading. So I started using one of those moisturizers that gives you a 'glow' in an attempt to maintain my tan. Let me tell you what happens when you're peeling and you've used this glow stuff: the dead peely skin? It turns brown. I'm looking down at my legs and the skin the didn't go flying in the air from the tight removal: brown and streaky. I look skin graft patient.

Oh, and the skin that isn't peeling? A lovely shade of has a lovely 'glow' which can only be described as: orange.

Oh, it was outstanding! I go to the sink and and sort of rub some water on my legs. I'm sure no one will notice.

Yeah.. right. Cute guy on the ellipitical machine next to me? Staring at me as if I have an infectious disease. Couldn't wait until I could escape.

I've learned my lesson (again): there is no use fighting your skin. Embrace your outer pastyness!

If you're reading this you know or at least "know" someone with the wit and skill to put her eye glass case on top of the toaster oven. Then the next day toast something.. then the day after that attempt to use the eye glass case only to discover it's now partially melted and attached to the toaster oven.

Not everyone can make that claim!

From 7 whole relaxing days on an island. Yes 7 days with no circles under my eyes... using concealer only to make my nose look a bit less red.

As you can see, it was pretty tough to take:

More photos to come, but for now know that Red Sox fans are everywhere... even in dive bars on Caribbean Islands:

One of my new years resolutions in addition to blog more, watch less tv and lose some weight (I think that last one is required of all resolutioners), is to cook more. I am woeful at cooking, mostly because I just never have time to try.

I am now the owner of a cookbook and more than 1 spice. Babysteps, people, babysteps.

Today I made this egg creation, which I assure you looked way more appetizing than this picture suggests.

In fact, it was much less appetizing than this picture suggests. However, last week I made something that looked horrific and turned out to be quite tasty, so perhaps it all works out.

How are you doing on your resolutions?

Working at home is a dull. I'm really wishing I had some Bailey's to put in my coffee.

resolution time. The 2 busiest weeks of the year at the gym are upon us.

My resolution: to be more organized so I can do more of the things I really enjoy doing. I just found out Mike Huckabee is training for the Boston Marathon while running for President. Who could possibly do both of those things? Talk about organization. But then again, two weeks from now, he may not being doing both of those things anymore.

Have a happy and safe New Year!

is Buffalo Tom. Well Buffalo Tom and Tom Brady perhaps.

Buffalo Tom makes me so happy. If you could have seen my shit eating ear to ear grin watching them last night at TT's.. you would know I speak the truth. How amused was I by Bill Janovitz's 'This Old House' t-shirt? SO amused. Only to become more amused he announced, after he and Tom were about ready to go, but Chris was nowhere to be seen: um, we need a bass player. Uber amused! And then they played Mineral and Sodajerk (my secret dream is that they will let me sing that with them one day. If you're reading this, Buffalo Tom, I've got moves! The vocal range of a frog, but I've got moves) and my current favorite, Thrown (a song I listen to each day as I travel to work because it puts me in a calm, zen like place. I need this to face my day in the office). It was an outstanding outing.

In the background, prior to BT hitting the stage, the Pat's game is on tv. For long stretches of the game, it was a tad nerve wracking. My friend says to me: well, they have to lose sometime. To which I replied: actually, they don't. Look at this score. Tom Brady won't be having this! Just then a pass bounces out of Randy Moss' hands. Yikes. But all is redeemed on the very next, almost identical play and the Patriots continue their historical ride.

I know I had a few beers, but did I hallucinate an ad for John McCain with Curt Schilling after the game?

Beyond baseball updates constantly, the Crackberry does have other value: entertainment during my 6 hour commute yesterday. Yes, I said 6 hours.

It all started with a 9am meeting in NY. I didn't want to go. There was going to be snow - a predicted 1 to 3 inches - in the afternoon. I envisualized myself and my co-workers trapped in Laquardia for a few hours due to shuttle delays. I told them: immediately after the meeting, I'm going right back to Boston. They scoffed at me. They implied I was being a big whiny baby. But we did go right back. We got on the 12pm shuttle back and it was already snowing in NY when we left. The flight was fine. We got in at 1:30 (40 min. late - on par for the shuttle). That is when the nightmare began.

See, we did not know when we left lower Manhattan at 10:30 am that the entire working population of the city of Boston would start evacuating between 12 - 1 pm due to the storm (which had changed from 1 -3 inches to 6 - 10 inches). We were flying into a trap.

Actual photo of the parking lot this morning. That car behind the snow? One of those huge Denali SUV's - the kind of car I need a boost to get in to.

We got off the plane to see perhaps an inch on the ground. No big deal. This is New England. My co-worker says he'll take the T back to the office. I said: oh no. I have my car, I'll drive you. It's a 5 minute drive this time of day.

2 hours later, my co-worker has abandoned ship at South Station to catch a train home and I begin my commute home. Traversing the streets of South Boston seemed easy at first, and then: gridlock. Gridlock is isn't even a strong enough word. There were whole 15 minutes spans of time where I didn't move at all. I just stared and stared at the white pickup truck in front of me and listened to Tom Caron wax on about the Mitchell report on 'EEI. Painful, painful, painful, excrutiating commute. One in which I could actually put my car in park, get out, clean off the accumulation, get back in the car and that white pickup would not have moved at all in front of me.

Eventually, I got so bored that I just started emailing people on the blackberry, calling people, texting people. Anything for entertainment. Some of my co-workers are probably thinking I'm a lunatic as I've now sent them my thoughts on everything under the sun.

Eventually we start running into abandoned cars, which just make things worse. I started wondering what would happen if I ran out of gas. I'm going to have to go to the bathroom at some point. Just as that thought crossed my mind I watched someone 2 cars ahead jump out and run into a patch of trees on the side of the road. Oh, this is so not good.

Finally, about a mile from home the traffic began to really move - I'm talking 15 mph - warp speed! Naturally, a big chunk of ice formed on my wiper blades causing most of the windshield to remain blurred. At the time, I was on a 4 lane road which was down to 2 lanes, with quite a bit of swirving going on. There's nowhere to pull over except into a snow bank! I can't stop. So I'm leaning way forward, Mr. Magoo style, to see out the 4 inch slice of clear windshield available to me.

Finally, 6 hours after leaving the airport, 10.5 hours after leaving NY, I arrived home.

Here is a stat for you:

20 minutes: Time for me to get to the airport when leaving at 4:45am 12/13

6 hours: Time for me to return from the airport when leaving at 1:30pm 12/13. That's an 1800% increase.

I can't believe I'm writing this down, when all I want to do is repress all memory of the experience and never drive on snow again.

The biggest thing I learned at the big 3 day corporate offsite (yes, held in December) is:

The biggest value of being chained to the old Crackberry is the ability to get up to the minute updates from the outside world on the state of Satana trade. So nothing was actually resolved... the combination of not knowing and deadly boring presentations might have killed me.

Recently I realized I have got to get more organized. So far this effort has consisted of reading: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity (so I've had the book 3 weeks and I'm on p.20 - shut up! I've had the 7 Habit of Highly Effective People for probably going on 7 years now). Anyway, in the first 20 pages I've learned that you need to write things down. So I got myself Day Timer and have an official to-do list - on paper, not just in my head.

Earlier this week I opened up the list and found an incredibly easy task: set up eye doctor appointment. I need a contact lens exam to get a refill of lenses. So I make the appointment and was feeling quite pleased with myself. Right up until I realized I had done an incredibly dumb thing in the name of being organized: I had made the appointment for today, the Saturday after Thanksgiving and my appointment is at Lenscrafters: in the mall. Yes, I have voluntarily set myself up to go where I never, ever go. The mall the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I set off for the mall early, anticipating the full parking lot, the driving endless loops around looking for a space, and when one is discovered, the mile long walk. But none of that happened. I parked in the second row from the mall door. Is this the bizarro world? The mall is most definitely not swarming with people . What is going on? Is Xmas a bust? Folks are running around madly overspending on crappy gifts? I'm now officially afraid for our economy. Our stupidity in overspending and going into debt is what keeps us afloat!

On my way back to my car, I passed through Sears. They seemed to have non-stop deals and specials being announced on the PA. "All appliances are on sale!" "Deals in the toy department!" "All appliances are on sale!" I guess nothing says Merry Xmas like a new dishwasher. And then: "Attention shoppers. Any customer who comes to the home goods department in the next 5 minutes will receive a free
stainless steal knife! No purchase necessary. All you have to do is show up with a smile". Are you friggin' kidding me? Frazzled Christmas shoppers with knives? In what universe was this a good idea? I have to get out of this mall..

I'll glaze over the part where I went to Lenscrafters and they informed me they were going to charge me $120 extra dollars as a fitting charge for the contacts - even though I already have contacts - because I hadn't purchased them there. I said: that is absurd. I'll just go back to the place I got the ones I have, who never charged me that. Note: this means the entire trip to the mall was mute.

I am so not in the holiday spirit...

My Mini is cruising across the ocean very soon...

I'm just not a red car or racing stripes or check mark kind of girl. The only decoration will be it's Red Sox sticker:

Which was the first thing I went out to buy after putting down the deposit.

And FYI... to appeal to my practical side (or help talk my practical side into this purchase):

Mini's are #1 in re-sale value

and are the 8th greenest car

that I am the only person on the planet who has never read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter movie... and I really don't care to.

someone you work appears with a really bad haircut?

I mean: wo! What happened here.. bad.

I started with: oh you got a haircut.
He replied: I hate it
Me {phew! he already knows}
Me: it's not so bad. It's good for summer. It's a whiffle. {do they still call them that? not attractive on those in their late 30's}
He: It's heinous! I don't know how it happened. My usual barber wasn't there and I went to this other guy. He just went crazy!
Me: {staring... still sort of agast}
He: That's what I get for $7 I guess.
Me: $7!
He: $10 with tip!
Me: You got robbed.
He: I know. It's hideous. You can say it.. go on.
Me: There are certainly better looks for you. {this is as good as I've got for ya, buddy}

I need a change.. a kick in the butt, if you will. I have this overwhelming feeling of: blaahhhh..
And I think this may be beyond a weekend of getting loose at Foxwoods. I need a rut buster and I'm taking suggestions.

So far my idea is:

A new car! Queue the Price is Right theme song (when I was a kid, my mother watched religiously and when won cars, they would scream like they'd just won a billion dollars)

I'm currently obsessed with the Mini Cooper. I have 2 Mini owning friends who LOVE them. So I went to the Mini site, I created my own Mini online and when I registered so I could save the configuration, the terms you must agree to include a whole list** of funny things, one of which was: I agree to avoid ruts . OMG! It's a sign.. I must buy this car. Think of how much fun it will be!

Then the practical side of my brain says: This is insane. It's SO small. It's not practical. What about snow? AND there is nothing wrong with my current car, which is only 5 years old and paid off. This would mean adding on car payments - is that really what I want? Suze Orman would notapprove.

Then again, as I'm reading Eat, Pray, Love. Maybe I need to quit my job and travel to Italy, India and Indonesia for a year.

** the rest of the list is:
And I agree to change my locker combination to include the number 1964 (the year we won our first Monte Carlo rally).
I agree to chase squirrels around the park every now and then and giggle like a madman while doing it.
I agree to be more adventurous and try to avoid homogenized restaurant chains.
I agree to name my first-born Cooper.
I agree to bare the soles of my feet to the earth and feel grass, sand, stones, and streams.
I agree to watch the movie "The Italian Job" as soon as I can.
I agree to at least think strongly about learning to play a musical instrument.
I agree to consider painting the roof of my house in contrasting colors.

I am downloading Journey - Escape from iTunes right now. I had this on cassette tap as a kid (I know I just dated myself) and I just HAVE to hear... those crazy nights, I do remember in you-th. I do recall, those were the best times, most of all....

I'm officially regressing.

How to respond when a friend turns to you and says:

Quick! Give me something witty to say that includes douche bag and cunt!

Oh the pressure....

Hmm... I don't know, I don't know. Those aren't funny.

Come on!

Ok, how about: Only a douche bag would think cunt was an acceptable word. :)

But I don't want them to think I think they are a douche bag!

Ya... that is what the smiley face is for.

What if they don't get it? I'm trying to flirt here.

Flirting with Douche bag and cunt? I am SO blogging this!

Giggle burst all around.

For background: the requested witty saying was to be made in response to a conversation between friend and her intended where intended didn't think cunt was a pejorative.

Double Your Now Playing List
Problem: An old friend, a young niece, or let’s say your parents, are coming to stay with you for a week this summer and you’d rather not have them judge you by your Now Playing List. Solution: Create a second “guest-proof” Now Playing List, so your secret obsession with saving 73 episodes of Seinfeld (or whatever entertainment fixation you have) is safe behind a four-digit password. You’ll decide which recordings will be displayed on this screen (which will be your default Now Playing List every time the TV is turned on), and which shows do not. You can also decide which channels can be surfed in this “zone” and which are forbidden. Furthermore, getting in this “zone” will also safeguard your guest from accidentally deleting something you wanted to save forever, so really, everybody wins. But before I tell you how, here’s a dirty, little secret: KidZone doesn't have to be just for kids.

1. From TiVo Central, select Messages & Settings, then Get TiVo KidZone
2. Use the on-screen menus to create a password and select an age range (if you don’t have kids, select 12 and under)
3. Add or remove any programs or channels you want to make available in live or recorded TV for your guest
4. Rest assured knowing only you have full access to every recording on your TiVo box.

Bottom line: Don’t let the “Kid” in TiVo KidZone fool you. If you’ve ever dreamed of doubling your Now Playing List, this could be your new favorite feature. Try it.

or is it on the wagon?

Anyway, I've been eating healthy and I haven't had a soda in almost 2 months. Today, suddenly, I've gone crazy. I just ate a bag of peanut M&Ms and cracked open a Diet Coke. I'm shocked and awed to tell you that my palate is telling me: Diet Coke is gross.

DIET COKE - staple of my diet for many years. DIET COKE - which was my only liquid intake on many a day past. It's disgusting. I can't stand the taste. Bleechh..

OK, one more sip, just to make sure.

No, the fake sweetener taste is nasty.

I don't know who I am anymore...

and me, I say my prayers, and I just light myself on fire and walk out on the wire once again...

I was listening to Counting Crowes this evening and wondering where all that Gen-X, Mid-90's angst went off to.

Holy crap... I've discovered that the X-Files are on TNT. At all kinds of wacky hours: like 3 - 6 am... not that it matters when you have Tivo. So the show with the most haunting theme (aside from Twin Peaks) is back in my life. I've signed myself up for a season pass and now I'm addicted to watching Mulder & Scully ride again. It's all here: the syndicate, black oil, Skinner, The Lone Gunmen, the Smoking Man - the episode with Giovanni Ribisi AND Jack Black that kept me up nights and the bad guy it's hard to hate, Alex Krycek, who is so hot he almost burns the eyes. I miss those days...

(sort of early in the am for Bob Seger bastardizations, but...)

I take great pride in maintaining my car (my baby!). By maintain, I do not mean that I touch the car. I believe I've mentioned here before my independent, I can do anything you can do attitude - except when it comes to the car. When it comes to the car, I'm a total girly girl. I know nothing. I will bring it to the dealer every single time and pay more money (I'm sure) just to have someone else do the dirty work.

Recently I took my car in for it's big 15,000 mile checkup. I dropped it off with the naivete of a child: it's here for it's checkup! Imagine my surprise and horror when they called and said the "struts are leaking and should be replaced". Oh, I reply - acting as if I know what struts are. Then she tells me that will be $600. Yikes! Then something odd happened. She told me that because my car had such low mileage and I bring it to the dealer, that Honda has agreed to pay for new struts as a "good will repair". The only thing I will have to pay for is a realignment after. Hmmm... why am I am suspicious? Ever heard of a car manufacturer pay for a "good will repair"?

It's the triple whammy: St. Patrick's Day on a weekend during The Tournament and the Red Sox in green uniforms.

Utopia! Bring on the Guinness!

This is sort of embarassing to say (as someone who works in a technical field), but I just managed to get wireless set up at my house. It didn't go smoothly, but I perservered. I am quite pleased with myself.

Watch me cruise around the place, laptop in hand!

or: I am an uber dork and I'm about to prove it.

I recently discovered a long hidden away box in my house. When I opened it, I gasped with recognition. Yes, it was my 100 Mb Zip Drive from the dawn of time (ok, circa 2000):

Yes, back in the days when 100 Mb seemed like a fairly large amount of storage for an individual. Also in the box: 5 100 Mb zip discs. Ooo.. What COULD be on them?

Staring at the dust rising through the air as I pulled it out of the box I thought: there is NO way this thing is going to work with Vista. May have to crank up the old machine (the one so slow I could take up knitting while it boots). The attached cable came out last: parallel port? Holy crap. Definetely need to boot the old machine (and hope it's old enough). Without a doubt, I don't have any software for this thing (and good grief, it probably came on diskette).

I look at the back of the old computer and their IS a parallel port. I plug in the unit and hope for the best. Windows informs me it can't load my tape controller device. Ok. How can I get the driver? Hmm... Who makes this thing? Oh right.. Iomega. Do they still exist? THEY DO! And a simple search of their website produced the driver for the 100 Mb Parallel Port zip drive. Holy crap. The site helpfully informs me it will take 2min. on a 56k modem to download the driver. I'm sure everyone else using this machine is still on 56k! I download it and I'm off.

Gotta run now. I've got a 100 Mb disc marked "stuff to keep" to sort through!

I love Suze Orman. One thing she tends to preach is not to buy things you can't afford - do you need it or do you just want it?

I wonder how she will view my taking her new book on Women & Money out of the library rather than buying it. After all, I don't need it, but I do want it.

and I'm already wondering: does the world really need a new tv show about Irish gangsters? Won't it suffer in comparison? The answer is: I'm not sure just yet, but the Black Donnellys seems good so far. Set in NY so we are spared the appalling imitation Boston accents. And the writing is so good that I searched out who is responsible. Answer: Paul Haggis.. he of Million Dollar Baby and Crash fame (and nominated last night for Letters from Iwo Jima) - not too shabby.

But where have I seen this kid playing Tommy before. Somewhere when he was much younger and skinny. Ah yes, The Virgin Suicides.

'Departed' sequel in the workshttp://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-departed30jan30,1,684428.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Obviously, it should be Madelin and Dingham raising (of course!) William (Will) Costigan III. Costello's long lost younger brother, let's call him Billy, returns to take over the enterprise and tries to recruit young Will. The hijinx ensue.

Contact me, Bill Monahan, I have tons of ideas. Perhaps we could work in a wicked pissa or 2!

And Martin Scorsese and The Departed passed!

(blatantly ripped off from Universal Hub)

I'm giddy like a school girl.

Here are my Oscar predictions.. I barely got through most of the nominated films in time (I've seen 3 of them in the last week), but here goes.

Best Picture:
I Want to Win: The Departed (thats The Depahaated to you!)
Will Win: Letters from Iwo Jima (I think it will sneak in. They'll give director to Marty (finally), and Best Picture to Eastwood as a consolation prize.
Babel shouldn't even be here and Little Miss Sunshine, while good, it's not Best Picture material.

Actor:
I Want to Win: Leonardo DiCaprio (though he should be winning for The Departed, I'll take this)
Will Win: Peter O'Toole
Ryan Gosling was amazing, but not quite at the Leo level. I think people have Forest Whitaker-lash. But.. how is it possible that Ken Wantabe was not nominated. Shit aint' right!

Actress:
I Want to Win: Doesn't matter because Helen Mirren is it, baby.
Will Win: Helen Mirren

Supporting Actor:
I Want to Win: Mark Wahlberg. From Marky Mark to Oscar in 13 years. That alone deserves an Oscar.
Will Win: Mark Wahlberg.
And the Good Vibrations will roll throughout the theatre. But Dijmon Hounsou could have a shot. He was amazing in Blood Diamond and I don't know why no one is talking about him.

Supporting Actress:
I Want to Win: Rinko Kikuchi. This was a ballsy performance communicated entirely physically.
Will Win: Jennifer Hudson

Directing:
I Want to Win: Martin Scorsese
Will Win: Martin Scorsese
Or I'm boycotting the Oscars for the forseeable future.

Foreign Language Film:
As if I've seen any of these. One of the following will win. :)
"After the Wedding," Denmark; "Days of Glory (Indigenes)," Algeria; "The Lives of Others," Germany; "Pan's Labyrinth," Mexico; "Water," Canada.

Adapted Screenplay:
I Want to Win: William Monahan, The Departed
Will Win: William Monahan
Or I'll send Frank Costello after the voters.

Original Screenplay:
I want to win: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
Will Win: Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis, Letters From Iwo Jima

Documentary Feature
I Want to Win: An Inconvenient Truth
Will win: An Inconvenient Truth
Has anyone seen any of the other nominees??

My new years resolutions included such things as:

watch less tv
spend less time online
read more
write more (especially on the pathetic links only blog I've got here)

That writing on the blog and spending less time online may be in conflict, what is a girl to do? The fact is that having a job that doesn't allowing for blogging at work severely cuts into blogging time and I never realized how much! But I really did have good intentions after the new year. I wrote about the Charlie Card, but then (trama!) my personal laptop first had battery problems, shortly followed by a complete and utter death... without even the courtesy of the Sad Mac Carrie Bradshaw got when her laptop died. Fortunately, I had happened to back up a few days before so I wasn't completely tramatized, just overwhelming devestated. Watching the man at Circuit City pack it in a box because it "had to go away" to be fixed. Had to go away is what people tell little kids when someone dies or goes to a nursing home! My computer can't be dead! It's only a year old (and I did not appreciate the man at the store referring to it as an "older model"! My computer isn't ready for the nursing home and it's much to young to die.)

My computer has been gone for a week and a half. I could no longer avoid my addiction: I must get online! So today I cranked up my ancient desktop, which is about as fast as FEMA is responding to emergencies. Mamma mia.. I could take up knitting while Photoshop opens on this thing. But anyway.. here it is, yet another design... just for those of you who didn't like the old one because it hurt your eyes. And we'll see if I get back to a regular writing scedule.

Today a woman I work with came by my desk to give me her children's review of the cookies I made for everyone in my group pre-Xmas. "They LOVED them! They asked if you would make for them!"

Meanwhile I'm thinking: they were Tollhouse, from a frozen cookie log. Do you think I have time to make 8 dozen cookies from scratch, or even a mix? How long do I let her rave on? Do I tell her they were Tollhouse or do I just bask in the glory of perhaps the first time I've ever been complimented on my cooking?

Oh, let the basking commence! I think I still have a glow around my head.

It's true! Rudolph, Hermey, Yukon Cornelius, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster & Santa reunite and take a trip to the Island of Misfit toy this Friday night on CBS!

I will be unable to watch as I'll be off to an office Xmas party (let the hijinx ensue!), but believe me I'd rather be home watching Rudolph. Of course I'm totally ridiculous - I own Rudolph on DVD, but it's still exciting for the once a year viewing on tv.

Meanwhile, the great mystery of what makes Dolly a misfit, remains unsolved...

Yesterday, while waiting for someone to arrive to do some work at my house, I perused the Tivo Suggestions list and there it was: The Real World - Denver! I watched both the first and second episodes and I have absolutely no excuse except it was like an accident you can't turn away from when you drive by.

Holy crap. In the first episode we meet our cast of characters as we always do. Right away the hot girl with no self esteem zoomed in on the hot frat guy player type and they spent half the first night making out. In his confessional, he claims to not want to be in a relationship and that he will be careful in this area with his roommates. Right... The second night, they continue making out while the roommates are out boozing it up. However, when they return home, frat boy tells no self esteem girl that he just likes kissing her and asks if she is cool with that. She says ok, but she clearly doesn't mean it. She then goes to sleep and he commences fooling around with a different roommate, the skanky one (with incredibly large fake boobs), they then burn pizza and have sex. In his confessional he says he feels no self-esteem girl wants to trap him romantically, while skanky is just having fun.

Episode two begins with the skanky one feeling bad about this because clearly no self esteem girl likes hot frat boy (but not so bad that she can't go out to brunch with him and flirt madly. Then she turns home to confess the whole sordid affair to no self-esteem girl, there is much crying and exclaimations that the two girls love each other and would never really hurt each other. In her confessional, skanky says she feels like a whore, she would never hurt no self esteem girl, they are best friends. No self esteem girl will be at my wedding! Hello?! You've known each other for less than 2 days. Have these people never seen the Real World before? There is NO WAY this end can well. You know he's going to be sleeping with that skanky girl again. But it gets worse. After having discussed that she now no longer likes hot frat boy, no self-esteem girl, goes out and picks up some other guy, brings him back to the house to parade around in front of hot frat guy... who actually seems a bit jealous (but is it only the editing?). Later, after the guy leaves, she tell hot frat boy that she doesn't want to be serious, either, just have fun. Who is she kidding? Then they get into the same bed together with no shirts on to end the show. Forget having seen the Real World before, has this girl been in the real world thus far? Does she really think this is going to work? Is she really just going to pass over that he, momments after making out with her, sleep with someone who is her "best friend".

I'm incensed at her behavior. I'm incensed at myself for watching it.

The checker at the grocery store tonight, a young man of approximately 15 years of age (so by my math he was born in 1991)... and he was wearing this:

I think I'll spend some time facing my mortality.

Crocs are wrong on principal, but Syracuse Crocs... that borders on the obscene. I'm highly disturbed.

The two worst days to go to the gym are: the day after New Years day and the day after Thanksgiving. These are the days that the people who show up at the gym twice a year show up. I don't care how much you ate on Thanksgiving, flannel elastic waisted pajamas with bears on them are not appropriate attire. If you can't squeeze yourself into your usual workout wear, get some yourself some new attire: like the guy running on the track in his new sweatpants with the "L" stickers all down his ass.

You didn't think this would a tale of a trip to the mall, did you? No way would I subject myself to that on the day after Thanksgiving. I have no desire to be trampled by people after cheap goods from China.

So much to be thankful for.. starting with this photo: