Buddy

My brother's dog Buddy arrived from Las Vegas yesterday. We are going to give him love and attention while my brother gets his life back on track.

Buddy is a very tall (as in, "hey, what's this on the counter" tall), intimidating looking Doberman, but is really a big, sweet baby. He carries around his toy and wants to sit on your lap. I am going to enjoy having Buddy around, despite the fact that at 3am, he nuzzled my face and needed to go pee. He's still on west coast time. =)

Devastating

I came home and watched the news. The disaster down south from Hurricane Katrina is so devastating. I can't figure out if the disasters are getting worse and more frequent or if it just seems so because we have massive news coverage, but either way, it's just heartbreaking.

At first I thought many who stayed were stubborn or stupid, but when I heard on NPR that many people did not have cars with which to leave, or money for gas or hotel, it began to make more sense. I remember a time in my life when I did not have enough money to buy a sandwich, much less fill up a $40 tank of gas. So I can relate to being broke and having little or no choices.

Now, with a good job and a comfortable life, I can, at the very least, make a donation. Along with a donation to the Red Cross to help the people, I donated to the Humane Society to help the animals.

For Peetza Sake

When I was in 6th grade, at the mall with some friends, I remember seeing a t-shirt that said,

Sex is like pizza, when it's good, it's good, and when it's bad, it's still good.

I had no idea about sex at the time, but I knew I really loved pizza. And now, after 14 years of marriage, if asked to choose between sex or pizza... let's just say, pms week would be no contest. Extra cheese please.

The pizza we had in NYC was delicious. One of these days I want to do my own Pizza Tour of NYC and identify my favorite. I guess I'd have to be there quite a while, then have pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I could do it. Don't challenge me. Or if the Dairy Council wants to sponsor me, all my Pizza evaluations will include something like "though the crust was perfect crispness, the amount of Mozzarella Cheese® was slightly deficient".

A wonderful weekend in NYC is coming to a close. We had a great time!

NY, NY

We are going to NYC tomorrow. I'm very excited. I love NYC. I love people watching. I love the culture. I love the food. I love the shopping. I love the fashion.

We will be seeing Spamalot again (so the guys can laugh as hard as we did) and going to a Yankees game. Jenny wants to buy a baseball glove, more for protection than to catch a souvenier ball. She doesn't want a Fever Pitch incident. My brother is excited too. He collects Yankee hats and is hoping I get him one (in the peanut-head size of only 6 7/8) and get it signed by Derek Jeeter. As if that might happen. But I'll try. We also may catch some Fringe Fest happenings.

I did my usual obsessive-compulsive nightly travel research and though at one point I had four hotels reserved, I finally narrowed it to the Dylan. It looks nice (and hip) and I got a great rate - I just hope the bed is comfy and the toiletries are good.

(Note as a result of hours on the internet: it seems you almost always find the cheapest rate direclty on the hotel's website!)

So, I am ready to guzzle down a Banana Berry Jamba, eat some Pommes Frites and enjoy the city!

Liccy Piggy

I don't like black licorice, but these little licorice piglets are just so adorable!

Route 29 Napa has lots of other yummies too, like chocolate covered potato chips and, something that sounds similar to one of my favorite candies, Chewy Peps - chewy peppermints. And since it's been shown that peppermint increases your alertness and decreases your appetite, those Chewy Peps might just turn out to be diet candy!

Goodbye

This really saddens me. I grew up watching Peter Jennings. Lung cancer is a bitch. It claimed my Dad at 46. Not to say that his 2 pack a day habit didn't contribute, but his generation got hooked before they knew how bad it was for you.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Abby!

Balance

Well, obviously the chubby comment was not enought to keep me from eating four - count 'em, four - Krispy Kreme original glazed today. One in the morning. One in the afternoon. Two in the evening. DEE-LISH. Mmmm, my chubby little cheeks were sore from smiling through the pure joy that is a Krispy Kreme.

Oh, and I had a banana. That's the key, balance.

Which reminds me, when the hell is that Cold Stone Creamery going to open here? Little ole Rochester with an Apple Store and a Cold Stone. It's only a matter of time before IKEA reocognizes the potential here.

PS - go Marty (Rockstar INXS)

Chubbarific

Someone on Jenny's blog saw her pic from In-N-Out Burger and posted a not so nice comment -

...all you talk about is porking out on highly processed foods! what a crack up to see your chubby face!

- well, that was my chubby face, not Jenny's.

The irony of the comment is that 1) In-N-Out uses only fresh, non-processed ingredients and 2) I'm well within the healthy weight range for my height according to the National Institute for Health

But either way, as for 'porking out' on yummy food, sign my fat-ass up because I'd rather enjoy life than be a stick in the mud (literally and figuratively).

At the Golden Gate Bridge - brrr

Shawn Cassidy was in my dream last night, looking exactly as he did in 1978. He was my first big crush. Until Andy Gibb came along and stole my heart.

Last week, as I'm driving to work, I notice a spider hanging from my side mirror, clinging on for dear life. Part of me is rooting for him but most of me is accelerating faster and faster to get him to blow off! Then floomp, he crawls up into the mirror, safe and sound. Push him down a little and he's easily the size of a dime, ie, big.

The next day, no spider. Can't decide whether I'm relieved or disappointed.

Friday I notice a fresh web. He's still here. Arrive at work, there he is, hanging down from the mirror and I think, did he really hold on the whole way? Through my 72mph driving? Holy crap, that's a super spider. Then, floomp, he crawls up into the mirror.

The real horrific part is that HE could be a SHE and in some short time, my car will be swarming with little spiders. For sanity sake, I resolve to believe it's a he.

As I get in my car after work, I begin to wonder if he might find his way inside my car. I'd feel this tapping on my shoulder and hear, "hey, nice digs in here... leather... niiiiccce" as he rubs his hairy little legs across the seat.

Then I think I see something out of the corner of my eye - AAGH! Nothing. Then I think I feel something on my foot. AAAGGHH! Nothing. I conclude that I am being parachnoid (paranoid of arachnids).

As I come out to my car the next day, I see a fresh web yet again from mirror to door. Ugh, he's still here. But I get in the car and - AAAAAGGGGHHHHH - there is a web built from my steering wheel to the dash. My nightmare has come true. I wasn't paranoid, he WAS in my car. Somewhere. Hiding. Waiting. Determining the best time to jump out at me. I can see it now, caught driving recklessly, "well Officer, a spider jumped out at me".

If I Raid my car, I'll probably do more damage to myself than the spider. He'll just find a way out and go, "aaah, fresh air", while I'm inside choking.

Well, he can have my car for the next few days while I'm out of town, but after that, I am RECLAIMING MY CAR and my SANITY!

more on this later

In Excess

Hubby and I are totally hooked on the show Rock Star: INXS. It's American Idol but dirtier, hipper, and cooler songs. I can barely resist the urge to pull out my black eyeliner, dig out my studded writstbands, make my hair REALLY big, and dust off my Iron Maiden albums...

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the guys in INXS have held up, a couple of them still look pretty hot for old guys (in denial that they may be dangerously close to my own age). Quite a different story over at Celebrity Fit Club. Imagine my shock and disgust to see Jani Land of Warrant all chubby and boring looking. Not that he was a prize back then, but what has to go wrong in your world to end up on Celebrity Fit Club? Ugh, and Willie Ames. Charles was in Charge, but Willie was in the kitchen.

This birthday calculator is silly but fun. For me it said,

"There are 126 days till your next birthday on which your cake will have 37 candles on it. Those 37 candles produce 37 BTU's, or 9 food calories. You can boil 4.23 US ounces of water with that many candles."

ouch, babe.

Then it said, "Of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritable and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self-confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood, loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner."

Ah, horoscopes, they're just so magical (read: sarcasm)

Name and Fortune

Jenny and I were at Michael's the other night & spotted yarns from Moda Dea - whose website Natalie designed - and loved the cool yarns. And they had awesome names, like Fur Ever, Jai Alai, Chichi, and Vixen, whose name alone made we want to buy enough to knit every call girl in Vegas a dish cloth.

Then I was online-window-shoe-shopping to feed my combo shopping/internet addiction and realized all the shoes have cutsie names too, like Smurfs, Truffle, Smooch, and Tiki Bar.

Who has these jobs - naming yarns, naming shoes, naming lipstick, naming nail polish? It seems easy, but is it? How many ways can you describe pink?

I want to be a namer. I think I'd be a good namer. I'd have to go places to get inspired. Like the zoo. But then I'd probably end up naming some pink nail polish "Baboon Bum" or "Piggy Pants".

"If, as you live your life, you find yourself mentally composing blog entries about it, post this exact same sentence in your weblog."

I do, but then I forget, or I get nervous that I'll write and offend someone. But mostly I forget. Blasted aging.

The husband is ideal. The friends are extraordinary. The work can be enjoyable. The family is...

AAAAGGGHHHH! That's where things go awry. The family is challenging.

Somebody get me a drink, or grab me my credit card, or give me some Zantac, or let me sleep all day, or turn on some ridiculous reality tv, or tell me a joke, or feed me some Krispy Kremes, or give me a punching bag with my brother-in-laws face on it. Hurry.

Off the Wagon

Holy Overeating Batman! The special events over the past couple days have offered a plethera of tempting treats and sent my resolve to eat good into the toilet.

Though delicious, Marie's Rasperry Vinaigrette dressing on romaine is no match for cake, peanut butter cookies and Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip.

Tomorrow I will get back to fruit & veggies & chicken or I'll have to buy a new wardrobe to support my new friends - the extra 10 pounds that I've been hanging out with lately.