Food Envy

Jenny and Aaron are heading off to Scottsdale tomorrow. I am envious of the food opportunities they will have while out there... Jamba Juice (stop #1 on Jenny's list I'm sure... she printed out maps of every location before she left), Chicken Madeira from Cheesecake Factory [salivating...], Baja Fresh, and In-N-Out Burger... MY GOD I would love a Double Double with Cheese right now!!

Jenny is so kind though, she is seriously considering trying to bring back a Jamba Juice for me.

LJ, I know your heart is in the right place, but I would never forgive myself if you ended up with sticky, soupy, staining Banana Berry all over your clothes. So I will be happy living vicariously through you until I too can get to a liberated city (that also has a Sephora =).

On a side note, if anyone knows how to ship food that needs to stay cold, let me know, because if it's easy enough, I'm pretty sure my brother would be more than happy to ship me some Lola's Mac & Cheese. I, in turn, will likely have to send some Sesame Chicken from King and I.

Missing Mom

Two years ago today was the worst day of my life. As most of you know, my Mom didn't survive the fifth surgery that started with what was supposed to be a "96% success rate" open heart surgery 3 weeks earlier.

It's not any easier, it's just that you focus on it less often (as if you had a choice to focus on it or not - if only it were that easy).

I still have alot of bitterness... the doctor made it sound like she was going in to get a tooth pulled - when she called to schedule her surgery, they joked, "we have an opening today, why don't you come on down". OH, that's just HILARIOUS... so she could have died a month earlier?

And how the doctors spun things... before the surgery, they made it seem like nothing to worry about, AFTER it was, "this was a very serious sugery" and "your Mother was a very sick person". Thanks, a little late to take that stance. You then always wonder if seriously understanding and weighing the risks might have changed things.

I'm also convinced that the ones that normally die are the old ones, like Rodney Dangerfield (God rest his soul), not the 56 yr olds.

I won't let the anger overpower my blog, I try to keep my blog light, but it's so hard without her. My Mom was the kind of person who made everyone around her feel special, she went out of her way to be generous or to make others laugh. There really aren't many people like that in life. I thank God she was my Mom.

Break a Leg Bro!

My brother, Eddie , moved to LA last month to rekindle his acting career. He's taking a class with Howard Fine and last week, auditioned for a movie in Vegas. Yesterday, he got cast! They told him he nailed the audition!

Here's the description of the film:

"The Run", a short film based on the short story of the same name by H. Lee Barnes, is about a degenerate gambler, trying to escape his debts and the lives he's destroyed, leaves Las Vegas for the last time on a midnight drive to better days in San Diego, but before he gets there, he becomes plagued by a hunch that one last time at the blackjack tables might be worth going back.

Eddie will be playing "Slick" - a guy who basically distracts the lead character. It doesn't surprise me, Eddie's always been slick and too hip for his own good. It films in Vegas in November...

Knitty Night

Amy's book, Knit Wit, is awesome and the party was so much fun. I wandered around Lettuce Knit saying, "I want to knit a stuffed animal"... later, I got my number pulled for a door prize (shocking as I rarely win) and, lo and behold, of the two prizes left was this wonderful book, The Knitted Teddy Bear: Make Your Own Heirloom Toys with Dozens of Patterns for Unique Clothing and Accessories.

So I better get my butt busy making heirlooms for Mya and Tyler... and maybe a few other "kids at heart" if I can be quick about it!

Maybe I should rename my site "The Daily Buy" since shopping is also a focus... But first, I must rant.

Yes, I love food and I love to eat - but that doesn't mean I eat until I weigh 300 pounds. And, yes, I love to shop - but that doesn't mean I buy $300 purses or $400 shoes.

To the contrary, I have strong limits on what I will spend on any given item, limits that are likely much lower than most in my tax bracket. How much is too much? It varies depending on brand, opportunity, covet-ness, discount, etc. But in general, whether it's a Marc Jacobs or not, I am unlikely to pay more than $50 for a purse. Yet because I love to shop, some people assume I spend a boatload.

Maybe because I was brought up in poverty, I actually take offense to being considered a frivolous spender*, especially when the accusation is levied at me from my Sister's Mother-in-Law.

Seriously, can you believe I am being criticized by MY SISTER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW? That's what MY m.i.l. is for.

I get extra bitter when I think about the fact that our Mom would never comment on someone else's family like that. My Mom would have been the most wonderful Grandmother in the world to Mya and Tyler. Instead, they're stuck with this self-centered (not to mention alcoholic) person.

Rant over.

*This rant is not meant to criticize frivolous spenders. For them I say "more power to ya". It is meant to criticize my Sister's Mother-in-Law!

Did a bit of shopping this past weekend. Me trying to be on a spending freeze is like Ben Affleck trying to be celibate - good in theory until some woman throws herself at you.

This little baby threw itself at me... and given that I'm not about to pay over $100 for a handbag, I broke down and bought a much less expensive but still utterly adorable Dooney & Bourke Heart Flap Wristlet.

My apologies for being slow on the draw. Here is a link to pictures of my new Nephew and my favorite niece (which I can say because she is my only niece).

And more pix of Mostly Mya (is that like "Just Jack"?)

Ok, hubby is now officially addicted to Party Poker which means I may never have use of my home computer again.

Toronto was excellent, though I can't help myself from envisioning how the Colin encounter should have gone (no, I'm not talking raunchiness here, I'm talking conversation).

My brother is having major drama. I won't go in to detail, but let's just say he could easily provide rivetting content for a few of these reality shows for E!

Saw Jerry Seinfeld live tonight, totally hilarious. Even "Not so Goodtime Charlie" was laughing like crazy. Especially at all the wife jokes.

And finally, I heard on NPR that the Germans are developing a cell phone that detects bad breath. It's about damn time! Now we need a shirt that alerts you to BO and shoes that tell you you're a little unfresh. OK, I'm a little obsessed with smelling good.

In regards to Phobias... Jenny doesn't think she suffers from Metathesiophobia (fear of change), but I think she might suffer from Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). Aaron may suffer from Coulrophobia (fear of clowns - though just claims to dislike them, not fear them). And I definitely suffer from Apiophobia (fear of bees) and Spheksophobia (fear of wasps)! I don't think Chuck particularly fears or dislikes anything, except of doing something wrong, like, say, parking on the wrong side of the street before 6pm.

I also have an aversion to belly buttons but that's not a phobia, just a negative physical reaction in response to the mention of, pictures of, but most especially, the poking of bellybuttons.

I've been a bad blogger. Keeping busy... update:

Truck broke down on the way home from 1000 Islands... lug nuts broke, wheel almost came completely off (would have surely caused havoc), waited 3 hours for a flatbed tow truck to bring us and the truck 106 miles to a garage 4.5 miles from home... as we begin to ride our bikes the rest of the way home, Chuck sees that his bike has a flat tire (no, REALLY)... I am already determined and defiant, so I ride my bike home, at 7:15pm, almost dark, 4.5 miles, ALL UPHILL... then get the car, drive back and get Chuck, who's bike won't fit in the car, so we wait another half hour for Jenny & Aaron to come help us and, after leaving the inlaws house at 1pm and missing Matt's going away party, we finally get home at 9pm that night. Whew!

The next day, my nephew Tyler Michael is born, doing well, but with a little hole in his heart (which shouldn't be a problem).

Mya is handling the new baby well for the most part, one meltdown yesterday, after which she broke into hives (watch out if she learns that she can use that to her advantage to gain sympathy)

Watched Bands Reunited - New Kids on the Block - have had "whoa oh oh oh oh" stuck in my head for the last week... just when I had escaped it, Jenny sang it again today, reigniting the insanity in my brain (she will pay)

Toronto was amazing, can't beat sitting there finishing up a nice dinner and seeing Colin Firth wander up!

Did more visiting/helping sis with two kids that are now, officially, "a handful".

In the midst of great joy at a new life come a deep, deep sadness that my Mom is not here to be the most loving, doting Grandmother to those kids.

My new nephew - Tyler

My new nephew - Tyler Michael was born yesterday!

Ooooh - my Sister's water

Ooooh - my Sister's water just broke, looks like Tyler is coming today! Chuck & I are on our way to Syracuse to babysit Mya!

horenda

horenda,
originally uploaded by tostina.

This is what Jenny thinks of Splenda.

If shopping were an olympic sport, I think I'd have a shot... at least in the Bargainhunting category... I tend not to buy things that aren't on sale.

Jenny's a triathlete shopper too. Today she said, "if left unchecked, I would have a rice krispie treat maker, a bubble gum maker, a root beer machine...".

I can picture the Olympic story now, as told by Bob Costas...

"JENNY, UNCHECKED"

"This young woman, from humble beginnings, started small. She bought an egg cooker and a tupperware container specifically for Pizza.

Soon, she couldn't stop herself from buying the Presto hot dog cooker and the soft serve ice cream maker. Every specialized small appliance and kitchen gadget drew her in, until finally, broke and with only a small narrow path running through her house, she was forced to sell it all on eBay and use plain old ziploc bags to pack her lunch.

Today she's back in top form to compete for her first Olympic medal in Specialized Product Purchasing. We go live now to Fokas for the gold medal round against France."

Do people in cars think they have an invisibility shield around them? The other day I'm in the car, on my way to Wegmans, when I look in my rearview mirror and, WHOA! The guy behind me has his finger so far up his nose I thought he was going to hurt himself.

HELLOOOOO, I can SEEEEE you!

I don't think you need to read an online FAQ to know that you shouldn't pick your nose while driving.

He was a young guy too, the type you might THINK would be SOMEWHAT concerned with decorum and image, especially when surrounded by other cars... Nope... after he digs in his nose, he sticks his other finger in his ear. Seriously, what is someone thinking when they're doing this? If I'm desperate, I will at least crouch down and do the whoops-I-dropped-something move while I correct any cosmetic difficulties.

I'm still coughing and still an Olympics junkie, hence the lack of posts. I think Alexei was robbed of at least a silver on the high bar - the judging never seems to mesh for me...

I just watched Misty May and Kerri Walsh beat the Brasilians (sorry Yelli) to win the gold in beach volleyball - they won every game and every match throughout the Olympics - pretty amazing. And talk about a celebration... Between the butt cheeks and major displays of affection, I think that Beach Volleyball is going to be the new black.

Then, as if watching the medals ceremonies wasn't enough of a tear jerker, to know that Misty May recently lost her Mom and that her Mom's name was also Barbara, I was a sobbing wreck. I'm sure her mother is very proud.

I'm sick. Coughing up a lung every couple of minutes. Stayed home yesterday and slept until after 5pm. Ya heard right! On the plus side, caught some of the Olympics. Yes, I am an Olympics junkie, there I said it.

Some Olympic Observations...

I thought Judo was highya-judo-chop! type action, but instead it was more like wrestling. I'm confused...

Soccer players have some serious stamina.

Andy Roddick about gave me an ulcer yesterday after blowing a 40-love lead, then 6 match points... to finally win his match!

Swimmers have very white teeth, likely from the super-bleaching-action of the pool water.

Michael Phelps gives Xtina a run for her money with the low-rise pants. Hubby insists his plumber crack must slow him down (but he's still winning gold, so I say, let the sun shine in!)

Swimmers win hands down for looking the silliest while preparing to compete.

Brendan Hansen (ths silver-medal-winning olympic swimmer) looks an aweful lot like a young John C. Reilly (the actor)



Oh, and what can I say about Sexy Aleksei, except... they should show more of him!!

Photo courtesy of nbcolympics.com

I was a bit floored when Karlene posted a comment to my "Trilogy of Terror" post that there was another movie with a killer doll that had left a big impression on her as a youth. It's actually a Twilight Zone episode called Living Doll, in which a "Talky Tina" doll that comes to life and terrorizes the mean step-father of the little girl who owns her.

I KID YOU NOT!! TALKY TINA!

She tells him, "My name is Talky Tina and I think I hate you" and "My name is Talky Tina and I'm going to kill you!"

First reaction: Yikes! Second reaction: need to see that, then walk around saying scary things to hubby so no one else can hear... mwah hah hah! Then again, he IS CHUCKY.

What are the odds that Hubby and I would both be immortalized as evil dolls? Just proves we were just meant for each other. Let's just hope our kid isn't Seed of Chucky!

My boy Jeremy Piven is back on the small screen, in the the new show Entourage on HBO. Unfortunately, he plays a slimey, rude agent. Between that and his role in Old School as an uptight nerdling Dean with ginormous glasses, I'm losing a little of the Pivenatuation I previously had. Looks like I need to rent Serendipity and old episodes of Ellen.

I love Entourage though, something a bit different. My brother is back out in LA to get his acting career going, maybe he'll be in the same boat too - a rising actor with family and friends soaking off him (he wouldn't mind this at all).

Through some odd discussion thread - as usual - I asked Jenny & Aaron if they'd ever seen the movie where a little tiki doll comes to life and runs around with his little spear, yelling "ay ay ay ay ay ay" as he tries to kill the woman in the movie... no glimmer of recognition...

The internet proved me not to be delusional... the movie, Trilogy of Terror, from 1975, stars none other than Karen Black. Turns out it's a bit of a cult classic. My brother called right then and I asked him, "remember that movie with the tiki doll...?" and he replied, "ay ay ay ay ay ay ay". Even though he was so small and should've easily been drop-kicked, that itsy-bitsy, biting, stabbing, freaky little tiki doll managed to scare the crap out of us.

The movie is now in my Netflix queue and I hope to be sharing the glorious cheesiness of it with J&A very soon.

PS - Aaron, you might not want to look at THIS LINK.

Gone to the Dogs

Why do people love dogs so much? They love you unconditionally, don't talk back and it's been scientifically proven that they are infinitely cuter than humans. A relatively new "Lifestyle" mag for dog lovers - Modern Dog - tries to use the most attractive humans to compete, but, alas, Pam & Paris' cuteness not withstanding, the puppies prevail.

My favorite toy company, Leapfrog, just announced that they have teamed up with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide talking books about health to Afghan women. The books will allow the women who cannot read to learn also.

The snippet of the book I heard on NPR said, "Touch a picture that shows what to do with muddy water"... I couldn't tell what the answer was... Now I'm curious... Either way, it's a noble cause and I'm sure it will not only have an impact on their health, but I think the women will find it a bit fun too, as most Leapfrog products tend to be (I still chuckle when I think of Mya scanning her tummy, boop, boop, boop).

I heard a bit of an
interview on NPR today about
Avenue Q - a Tony-award winning
broadway musical - with puppets.
Think Sesame Street meets
Reality Bites.

I'm all about Muppets with Attitudes.







.

Best Bite

So while I'm doing Top 10s... and my blog IS called Daily Bite (stemming from my love of food)... I should include my:

TOP 10 FAVORITE FOODS OF ALL TIME (order subject to change daily)

Pellegrino's Buffalo Chicken Sub

Love Hearts*

Vanilla Latte with Whip from Starbucks

Frozen Faux Ho's (Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls)

Double Double w/fries from In-n-Out Burger*

My Grandma's Italian Cookies (Chocolate Balls and Pizzelles)

Sesame Chicken from The King and I

Chicken Madiera from Cheesecake Factory*

Baked Mac & Cheese from Lolas*

Jamba Juice Smoothies*

*These represent items not available in Rochester, which is, to say the least, both a travesty, depressing, and behind my driving desire to travel west as often as possible and somehow, someway, someday, bring them to Rochester!

Honorable Mention:

Maggie Moos Ice Cream - a new ice cream place in Eastview Mall, has delicious ice cream, yummy mix-ins, and a delicious waffle cone, worth the money AND the calories! (My fave - Dark Chocolate with Heath Bar mixin)

Banana Laffy Taffys - if I eat one, I will eat 20, they are dangerous!

Jenny and I (and those of you who have your own blogs) are not only trendwatchers, but we actually contribute to a bonified trend just by talking about trends. According to Trendwatching.com....

"CURATED CONSUMPTION: millions of consumers following and obeying the new curators of style, of taste, of eruditeness, in an ever growing number of B2C industries..."

"CURATED CONSUMPTION is behind magazines morphing into catalogues, which then morph into eclectic stores, it's behind DJs, restaurant critics, opinionated bloggers, and rap stars giving consumers access to their playlists, their cribs, their top 10 lists."


Cool. On that note... My Top 10 Beauty Products of All Time

10. Tigi BedHead Hair products (yummy scents, cool packaging, cool names, and they work great)

9. Duwop Lip Venom (tingly, yummy, supposedly induces Melanie Griffithesque lips)

8. Clean (to smell like fresh laundry)

7. Tweezerman tweezers (pluck, pluck, pluck)

6. Loreal Lineur Intense Eyeliner (for my inner metal head)

5. Origin's Never a Dull Moment (to exfoliate)

4. Mac Veluxe Eyeshadow (soft as buttah)

3. Bathina Body So Fine (smells great and can double as a hair wax)

2. Frizz-ease hair products (to keep me from looking like Rosanne Rosanna Danna)

1. Shu Emura Eye Lash Curler (don't leave home without it)

You may notice that a former favorite of mine is missing - Brown Sugar Body Scrub from Skinmarket. That's because Skinmarket went out of business - UGH!!

It's a Right Brain, Left Brain Thing

Today, Jenny and I attended a brainstorming session at work. Invited not as part of our jobs, but because a fellow employee recognized our creativity, unusual thinking, trendwatching and awareness of all things current. It was a very rare treat to have unspoken, unofficial, seemingly non-job-related talents recognized and utilized in a way that may actually help the company make money, rather than just making the environment fun for others (though we're good at that too).

It was a bit of a challenge to try express creative thoughts while amongst Nuclear Physicists and Material Scientists who want to talk about polymers and circuit boards, but it was an interesting, fun experience and Jenny and I came up with some kick-ass ideas. I just wish I'd have found this Strange Matter web site before the session.

For Those About to Rock

The t-shirt contest went well. I wore my vintage AC/DC concert shirt, circa 1981. Mind you, this is an authentic, earned shirt, not one bought off Urban Outfitters last week. That puppy is older than 99% of the pop stars that would sport it if I dared to sell it on eBay. (Yep, old and proud!) I didn't win, but I enjoyed rockin old school.

Hello my name is Tina and I'm a shopaholic

Now that I have your attention...

Bare Necessities is having a sale (of sorts), where you get a free pair of undies with the purchase of a pair. I'm all about free with purchase.

Chiasso is also having a big clearance sale. They have very cool stuff.

I also would like to max out my credit card at the West Elm sale.

Must play more lotto.

We're having a t-shirt contest for our Diversity event at work.  Here are some t-shirts I like... but would be inappropriate for this or any work related event...

Favorite Beauty Product of the Moment

I bought a tin of this Bunny Balm in Pineapple Pin Up a while back because I thought the packaging was too cute. One day, while vaining over the frizz that was rapidly expanding the girth of my hair, I, in desparation, found only this lip gloss. So I rubbed it into my Rosanne Rosanna Danna 'do, and, miraculously, it smoothed my hair into "don't hate me because I'm beautiful".

I'm all about using beauty products inappropriately.

I fantasize about food more often than a teenage boy fantasizes about Britney. I plan vacations around food. Yet I try hard not to indulge freely and become the size of a small trunk-endowed circus animal. So you can imagine my delight when I found the Hungry-girl site! It is a site after my own heart and waistline.

From my visit with Mya this past weekend to celebrate her second birthday...

Her current vocabulary (Aunt Tina's note: Mya was born 10 weeks early so is slightly behind developmentally, but, by age 4, her genius will far exceed that of any mere mortals)
- cheese (both for the camera and the food)
- auggie (for my doggie, Grizzy)
- uckie (for my hubby, her Uncle Chuckie)
- wa da (asking, what's that?)
- ball (yep, you guessed it, ball)
- bah (bye said with some unknown accent, perhaps she's secretly watching Sean Connery movies when no one is looking)

Words we're pretty convinced she said but has not reliably replicated:
- hello
- stitch
- grandma

Other Observations

She has a very outtie belly button that Aunt Tina may have to fund the surgery to get fixed since Aunt Tina has major belly button issues. We're talking an outtie of Lenny Kravitz proportions here. AAAAaaaahhh, I can barely type/think about it.

She holds up a finger for #1, then tries to do 2 but can't figure out how to hold down fingers 3 & 4.

She's very into nodding yes or no and is adament about her decisions

She is using the Leap Frog grocery cart to scan her face and her belly (wonder where in the world she got THAT idea!?)

I'm not sure if I think this is funny or sad... but Vince Niel is getting an extreme makeover... here's the article:
------------------------------------------

"Rocker Vince Neil begins a three-month extreme makeover today for MTV's version of "The Swan." "I call him `The Mallard,' " said Lia Gerardini, Neil's girlfriend. At 43, the frontman of the legendary rock group Motley Crue is the first rock star to join the reality re-do craze.

The new Neil will be revealed August 28, after seeing a lot of a trainer, a plastic surgeon and a lifestyle counselor. Starting today, he consults with a plastic surgeon and cuts out drinking.

"It's not just for me, but for my career," said Neil, who is in negotiations to reunite in January with Motley Crue, if he and former drummer Tommy Lee can get past their feud.

MTV is billing the show as "The Remaking of Vince Neil." At stake for Neil is a recording contract and the opportunity to work with a top producer and a recording artist.

------------------------------------------

Poor Vince, swapped out groupies for big gulps once grunge governed and fame fleeted, didn't you? You live in Vegas, so I know the In-n-Out burgers got you too, Vince. You love the double doubles with cheese, you KNOW you do!! It's all right, we're all friends here. Your safe now. We understand. You can be Anna Nicole-esque without surgery. We believe in you!

I'm visiting Mya and Sherri today. I made Mya a cake and she dug in, she loves sugar, just like the rest of the family. She's napping right now, but earlier was loving the Leap Frog Shopping Cart we got her. It has a scanner, so the funny part is, even though it is meant to scan the grocery items, it will also scan other things... so just like in my dream a couple weeks back, I can hold it up to my mouth and scan (boop, boop, boop).

Mya turned 2 today!! My mother would just be beside herself with this beautiful child. Sherri calls her mini-mom because Mya's so silly, just like our Mom, always laughing.

From sad poetry to silly health facts...

Earwax = Good; Boogers = Bad

I used to write poetry alot. I'm no Jewel, but I thought maybe I'd start again - to express my sadness semi-constructively, as opposed to just spewing bad news. So here goes...

So close I can feel your breath on my shoulder,
but with clarity, the coldness envelops me.
I shudder, unable to protect my weak flesh.
My heart grows heavy, my mind fails me, my eyes blur.
I cannot see through the pain,
I am blind.

.

LA.com is having a contest where you can win a year of In-N-Out Burgers and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf drinks! Unfortunately, you have to be a resident of California. So here's my plea... if you live in California, PLEASE enter, PLEASE win, then PLEASE take me for a double-double, naked (the burger, not you or me), with a chocolate shake... then later, we could grab a latte at CB&TL. Sounds like a plan to me.

In looking for toys for a work event, I found found these items to be amusing in a slightly perverse way... Are there any jobs out there that require the ability to take something completely innocent and turn it in to something lewd? I'd be very good at that job.


BENDABLE SPORTSMEN


PORCUPINE BALLS


STICKY SNAPPY BALLS

So I'm torn between keeping my blog lighthearted or posting what's really happening in my life. Because what's really happening in my life is mostly bad. I'm like "Debbie Downer" from Saturday Night Live.

Not sure if I should post about my "romantic" dreams about celebrities or the news that my brother's Hodgkin's Disease may have returned.

In an effort to keep myself from taking the bridge, I'll take the lighter route.

So I had a "romantic" dream about George Clooney the other night. Alas, it did not turn out as I'd hoped. It started off well... we were at the same movie theater, we made a connection, we looked into each other's eyes... we began to kiss... (still going well), then, suddenly, George's head got much bigger, just at the top, and his hair got very sparse and diseased looking... and the last thing I remember of the dream was thinking, "he's hideous... you don't have to keep going with this just because it's George Clooney..." then I woke up. What a rip off.

A few nights later, things got a little racier with... David Schwimmer... yes, I know, wtf? It's MY dream and I know I wouldn't choose to be fondled by David Shwimmer if I had any conscious control over it. But in actuality, the dream wasn't so bad, David had a way with his hands.

In the non-romantic-but-still-very-strange part of the dream, I was also scanning barcode items with my mouth - boop, boop, boop. Now that would be fun.

Better news today. My sis was released from the hospital this morning. I drove to Syracuse, picked her up and brought her home. Her hubby was much nicer to her today too. I don't think he realizes how condescending and accusatory his words and tone of voice can be. He needs to realize and adjust before he does too much damage to the relationship - and my Sis.

So I got to visit with her and Mya, who was still a happy little camper despite Mike making it seem otherwise.

I now feel the need to stay very close by until she's had the baby. She really doesn't have anyone to rely on other than me. Even if her husband wasn't a jerk, he still can't afford to take many days off from work since they live off just his income. My Sister and niece are so precious to me, even moreso now that Mom is gone, and I want to do whatever I can to help them through, as I know they would do for me.

So I got home from Syracuse, changed, and headed off to Jenny & Aaron's Post Wedding Party. It was alot of fun, great food, and FINALLY there was some serious cake-up-your-nose smooshing! Superb!

My sis, who is 7 months pregnant (and with her last pregnancy, was hospitalized for 2 months and had the baby 10 wks early), had to go to the hospital today. She had neck and chest pains this morning. She went in at 8am and they did test after test but couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finaly, 12 hours later, they determined that her muscles were deteriorating because her thyroid is low. She is doing better and should be going home tomorrow, but I'm still very worried.

Last time my sis was hospitalized, she was in Rochester and my Mom was alive, visiting her every day. Now she is in Syracuse, with no Mother to comfort her or keep her company, with a daughter at home being "cared for" by a complete and utter Asshole for a husband who instead of telling her "everything is fine", tells her that the baby is "being a bad girl", is "a spoiled brat" and yells at the baby and makes her cry while they're on the phone... i.e., making Sher worry even more about Mya. It breaks my heart. I don't think I've heard him say one nice, not snide thing to her in the 3 years I've known him. Assbite.

I just pray that my sister gets through this safely and then smartens up and leaves his stupid ass. She is a wonderful person, does EVERYTHING for him, and doesn't deserve the miserable bastard turning his misery on her. She deserves to be treated beautifully and be happy.

I am famous for not seeing anyone famous when I'm in celebrity-infested areas. So when I was out in Vegas and LA last week, I, of course, did NOT bump in to Ben gambling at the Palms or Brad grabbing a latte at Starbucks or (the one I truly hold out hope for), George Clooney buying hair dye at Ralphs Drugs... (mind wanders... "I can help you out with that George, I am quite experienced with at-home coloring"...)

So my brother, who just moved back to LA two days ago, tells me how he was shopping at Whole Foods today (I LOVE that store!!) when the girl in line ahead of him turns around and is... guess who... Drew Barrymore. She asked for help putting her groceries on the belt because she had gotten ahead of her cart. He said she was "perfectly sweet" and "looked fabulous". I'm sure tomorrow he'll be at Jiffy Lube and Leo DiCaprio will be there waiting for the oil change on his Toyota Prius to finish, and they'll chat about basketball.

A closer picture of the t-shirt Jenny made for me (of me) for the party. That's exaclty what my dress looked like! I don't think I was having such a good hair day though.

I did my bridesmaidly duty and helped Jenny taste cakes this week. It was torture ;-) I think we sampled cake from at least 6 bakeries around town. Jenny and I were cake monsters, eating cake for lunch, eating cake in the car, feeding her cake while driving, cake, cake, cake!

All in all, the Baker Street Bread Company, on Park Avenue had the best cake and the best attitude.

Let's all address the elephant in the room here... we may need to take turns playing bride every month so as to partake in the underground cake sample offerings available to those "getting married".

It's not really Tuesday. Well, it is, but really it's 1:30am and I'm WIDE awake. Good Internet... find me lots of info... Bad Internet... keep me up until all hours. Actually, it might be a chicken-egg thing. Do I stay up late because I'm on the internet? Or do I stay on the internet because I'm up late?

Things that keep my mind racing until 1:45am... Mom, Mom, Mom... did I miss a therapy appointment... that dream the other night about George Clooney (it was all going well until his head got big and ugly)... Christian Bale as Batman - "Holy Religously Named Hottie, Batman!"... the new toy idea Jenny and I had, that might just finally make us rich, and let me quit this job I despise... the ant infestation in my kitchen... middle school ant jokes... remember the one where the kids hear a ghost singing, "I see you're hiney, all white and shiney, if you don't hide it, I'll come and bite it" and it turns out to be an ant floating in the toilet bowl? Anyone? Beuller? Anyone?

With that, I must attempt sleep.

After much pain, including 3 calls to Time Warner and one call to India (Dell) at 2:30am, I finally got my internet working again. It was painful. I heard phrases I don't ever want to hear again, like "ipconfig" and "winsock".

Had a good weekend. Went to see the live stage show of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It was great. I especially enjoyed seeing a larger-than-life drag queen run her (his) hands through hubby's hair. Seriously though, it was a top quality off-broadway show with amazing music and some impressive dance moves. I highly recommend it if it comes to your town. Proceeds help the University of Rochester Aids Vaccine research.

My glam rock name is "Diamond Freak". Get your glam rock name from the Hedwig site.

We also went to see the movie Dodgeball. It was hilarious -(aside from the HORRIFIC belly button scene, which nearly sent me into a coma). Jason Bateman was especially funny, though I'm not exactly sure why. If you go, be sure to sit through the credits for the extra scene at the VERY end, it's worth it.

Feeling zombielike... when I go to Vegas, I not only adjust to the time change, I over adjust and stay up until 5 am (read: 8am NY time!)... Those casinos MUST pipe in happy-perky-gas, pure oxygen perhaps? So Tuesday night I got a decent amount of Ambien-assisted sleep, but last night I opted to go au naturale, thinking I was soooo tired that I would be asleep before my head hit the pillow... I was wrong. I started to worry when I was still WIDE AWAKE at 12:30am. All in all, probably slept about an hour. I'm not sure how new parents stay vertical.

I'm back from Vegas (with an excursion to LA). I wish I had better things to say. It was a bit of fun mixed with alot of family drama. My brother and his wife are breaking up. Not a good scene.

Aside from that, I enjoyed... playing Blackjack at the Palms (much to my dismay, Ben Affleck did NOT come and sit next to me and offer me pointers)... eating Chicken Madeira at The Cheesecake Factory... having a Banana Berry Jamba Juice... eating In-N-Out Burger... laying by the pool in LA... hiking Runyon Canyon... listening to my brother's friend sing in the lounge at Mandalay Bay... and playing with Buddy (my Bro's doberman... pictures soon)

Made it to Vegas safely. Was super tired though, got 2 hours sleep Sunday night, then worked a full day (got dropped off at work at 7am), then hopped on a plane at 5pm, flew for 6 hours, landed in Vegas, then went out to Mandalay Bay for a few hours. Sometimes it's like I'm on crack. But I'm not.

Oh, and I posted pictures of Jenny's wedding on here blog!

Oh, BTW, blogging from my

Oh, BTW, blogging from my cell phone =)

On my way to Vegas

On my way to Vegas - sitting on the plane in Chicago. Have to admit, I'm a bit nervous over the elevated terror warnings

I do love Ohare's rotating

I do love Ohare's rotating plastic covers on their toilet seats! I'm also amused that Jlo got married the same day as Jenny!

Jenny and Aaron's wedding was absolutely beautiful. The solo by Aaron's sister Amy and the Violinist and Pianist really added such elegance and romance. But don't let that fool you, Aaron and Jenny were still using celery sticks to look like walruses later that day.


After the reception, hub and I headed to Syracuse to visit with my sis and Mya. Here are some new photos of the girlie, who turns two in a month! 

Today is my 13 year

Today is my 13 year wedding anniversary - Hub sent me a dozen roses. He's a keeper!