Sasquatch and "Nessy" sitting in a tree

For the record, I do not think that this is Bigfoot either. Pranksters, I would say. In fact, yes, I will declare shenanigans on this one entirely. Not true. (Still, kinda creepy.) It's always fun when these things pop up on the Internets. It's like new technology that has "found" the Lochness monster. Crazy possible, but not likely.

I'm just saying...

So I take a few days off from the blogging, and look what happens. "Cats and dogs, living together; mass hysteria!"
1.) I told you that the Red Sox would win the World Series. We got our American League Champions t-shirts in the mail today. Yep, they're collector's items, just as I knew they would be. I would have loved to have been in Boston today for the victory parade, too! As it is, we're content to live with the knowledge that within the five years that Brian and I have been emotionally invested in Boston, the team won two championships. Before that, it was an 86-year drought. I'm not saying that we won the rings for them, but ... .
2.) Now I know that I've been a vocal critic of Sabrina on Dancing With the Stars. I've said that she's only on because of her Disney show, The Cheetah Girls. I've said that she's irritating. But I never said that she was a bad dancer. I've got to tell you, I think the viewers messed up this one. There is no way that Sabrina deserved to get kicked off the show tonight. It's wrong. I was plenty fine with saying goodbye to Marie or Jane. I'd have allowed Cameron to leave, but would have whined a bit. I think I would demand some kind of recount. Clearly, I'll have to start voting again. The show is a mess without my opinion in the mix.
3.) I'm quite distressed about Robert Goulet. He was one of those fantastic entertainers that, thanks to my mom's encouragement of my random enjoyments, I know was a good performer (I saw Camelot, on stage, in which he played King Arthur), and a funny guy (got to love Laugh In). He was one of those celebrities who seemed to appreciate a good joke, even if he was the butt of it, and rolled with pretty much everything. The world of entertainment has lost a powerhouse today, my friends.
4.) Britney's new album, Blackout, has hit the streets. I got an e-mail from iTunes about it. I'm not sure if I'm interested. The problem is that I've read that it is quite good. I suppose I'll catch the 30-second previews of each song and decide based on that. I'll let you know though.

Fire, fire, go away

My heart goes out to all these people. I feel so helpless for them, and so afraid, too. Wildfires are a way of life out there in Southern California, kinda like earthquakes, but when one comes along this devastating, it's really so much harder to wrap one's head around the consequences of living out in that state. My friend, Josh, almost had to evacuate, but thankfully, the fire switched directions and he and his family were able to stay home. I can't imagine the fear and uncertainty of having to evacuate your home. What do you take with you? People and pets, of course, but what else? What stays and what gets tossed in the car? Photos, I guess, but for so many of us, packing photo albums takes a couple boxes. I look around and wonder what I would grab if confronted with having only time to take what means the most to me. It really makes you appreciate how peripheral so much of our stuff is in our lives. Even now, looking around me, I can't decide on any one thing or things that are that important. I guess it must be the intensity of the moment that would help in that situation.
Mom tells me that the winds have died down out there. Let's hope that the flames will follow suit soon.

26 new experiences so far

Is anyone else out there love, love, loving the Starbucks iTunes Song of the Day? I simply can not get enough of them. I've got Brian collecting them every morning, and get a little jolt of joy whenever I can get one myself. (Like yesterday. Dave Matthews Band.) The songs are only available until November 8, and the download codes expire the end of the year, so I feel like it's a great find every time I get one. Sometimes, yes, I really am that simple.
What I'm digging about the songs the most is the fact that all but maybe two or three so far are songs that I would never download from iTunes on my own. I love the thrill of adventure in getting something from an artist I've never heard of, and listening to a new song that I could absolutely love or really, really hate. Is there anything else in the world that has that kind of an unpredictable twist to it? (Besides baby gender or Lost.) Is there any other situation that we could enter into blindly, but know that, no matter what, we'll be safe at the end of the trip? It's fantastic.

I knew they'd win

Stuff from today:
1.) Um, go Sox! The Red Sox, in their infinite ability to come from behind and rip the snot out of an opposing team, have beaten the Cleveland Indians and earned their way into the 2007 World Series. I have already bought our American League Champions t-shirts, and am excited to have them become the collector's items that the 2004 American League Champions t-shirts became (due to a Sox win of the Series). So the party begins Wednesday night! Be there or be square, kiddos! Red Sox kick ass!
2.) Brian replaced the faucet in our kitchen with one that, well, looks better, but also doesn't make that high-pitched screaming noise every time we turn it on. I was not a fan of this improvement idea. But having a finished product that, quite frankly, I didn't think would turn out that well, is an excellent mind changer, so I'm now pleased that Brian took the initiative and did it. Here's a picture of my kitchen in the middle of the job though.
3.) We visited the Great Pumpkin Festival at the Desert Botanical Garden this afternoon. I had no idea how this would go, so can say that I'm pleasantly surprised, but will not do it again. First of all, $10 each for B and I. Secondly, $1 each for the hayride that is required to get to the pumpkin patch. Next, said pumpkin patch is really just a bunch of pumpkins sitting in rows in a dusty, hay-covered dirt patch in the desert. Also, the hayride wait was about 45 minutes in the sunshine (with a baby who suddenly refuses to wear a hat). On the plus side, we got a free pumpkin. The whole thing was all about the pictures of the kid in a pumpkin patch though, and I got those with more to spare. So, while worth it, I'll be looking for a "farmier," "patchier," and "pumpkinier" place next year.

Schilling's pretty good

So obviously, what should have gone down in those two games in Cleveland, is that I should have been wearing my Schilling t-shirt. Because remarkably, in wearing the shirt during the last two games, the Red Sox have been able to pull out victories, and have now forced a deciding game seven in Fenway Park tomorrow night. I predict that they will win. They're on a hell of a run right now, and I don't think that the Indians, who looked so deliciously defeated tonight, are going to be the team to stop them. And I think that the Rockies, who have been thawing during this past week, will have a hard time coming up with the momentum that they will need to take on a raring and ready-to-go Red Sox team. Glimpses of 2004 flitter through my head, and I'm so excited for my team that I could just pee. Right here. Seriously. Pee.

Another good lesson in acceptance

It's official: Albus Dumbledore is gay. In the greatest piece of "who really thought that much about it," J.K. Rowling outed the old wizard on the final stop of her book-reading tour the other night.
Here's part of the Associated Press article.
[Rowling] was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."
"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.
She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards.
"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."
Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."
To tell you the truth, I never thought anything about it. I just assumed that Dumbledore was an old guy who decided to follow his magical path, and that love just never came his way. Rowling's right; now I see how the falling out with Grindelwald was so much more a betrayal.
Here's more from the article.
Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000, also said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority."
Not everyone likes her work, Rowling said, likely referring to Christian groups that have alleged the books promote witchcraft. Her news about Dumbledore, she said, will give them one more reason.

And then the momentum shifted

Five most memorable moments of tonight's Red Sox win over the Cleveland Indians, in no particular order, except numeric ...
1. David Ortiz congratulating Josh Beckett in the dugout on a game well pitched, and then hugging him from behind while laying his head on Beckett's back. So cute to see Big Papi engaged in such a fun, grateful and humble gesture.
2. Video highlights of Jonathan Papelbon dancing and goofing off after the team won the division.
3. Kevin Youkilis' triple that scored two to put the game, more or less, out of reach for the Indians.
4. Hearing Joe Buck talk about all the Indians players who went on record saying that they did not want this series to go back to Boston. They're scared. I like that. Boston can be brutal on the guys-who-play-the-Red-Sox, so Indians, you're down for the count.
5. Um, just the fact that they live to fight another day!

GO SOX!!

Colbert Nation can rock the vote

ITEM!: I love, love, LOVE that Stephen Colbert has announced his candidacy for the President of the United States. Seriously, I would totally vote for him before a lot of these other people. How absolutely, amazingly fun would it be to have a falsified, caustic political satirist as our president? I think it would be fantastic. What a way to go ... having someone who really has no stake in the actual politics of the race take all the other candidates out for a ride. How much more fun would it be if he actually won? Wouldn't happen, I know (I'm not that naive), but what a fabulous possibility!
ITEM!: What do you think about little Jessica McClure getting a million dollars when she turns 25? She doesn't even remember the whole well incident! And who were these people that sent money? What was money going to do? How was writing a check supposed to help the little girl in the well? Must be the same peeps who send their lunch money to television evangelists. Props to Jess's parents though for not blowing the cash on cars, houses and strippers.
ITEM!: I'm heading back to Best Buy tomorrow because the guy who hooked up the stereo didn't attach it to a permanent power source. I'm sorry, but isn't that a whole chapter in Mobile Installation 101? Where to plug in the stereo? Anyway, the guy will hopefully dig right in to that tomorrow morning. I'm sick of losing my radio presets every time I turn off the car.

Vibing for the Sox

~ First of all, I can't believe that we lost to the Indians again. That's just a bad thing. (I prefer my Big Papi smiling and pointing to the sky.) I mean, I know they can come back, because after all, I did witness the great comeback of 2004. But odds are that my beloved Red Sox will be watching the World Series on their televisions rather than from the dugout. I do have faith though; I wear my Schilling t-shirt and send all my best vibes out to them!
~ I just finished filling out all our new health insurance information. Jeez, that's some repetitive stuff to go through. Thankfully, it was pretty straightforward, so not as painful as it could have been.
~ I didn't even watch the results show for Dancing with the Stars tonight. I've got to tell you, I don't really care all that much this season. I think it's my irritation for Sabrina, or the fact that I don't really care about them or want any one particular person to win. I've been perfectly happy just fast-forwarding through the show the next day on the DVR, and letting the world vote for me. (I agree with tonight's departure too, though I'm a bit concerned that Floyd Mayweather may come back to the ballroom looking for some heads to roll.) But even that information I got off the Internets this evening. I'm so much more into watching Chuck and Heroes than DwtS, and I'm okay with that.
~ Blogger is having issues with posting pictures tonight, so I'll have to forgo the image of Big Papi that I have to accompany that top paragraph. But if it's working tomorrow morning, I'll get it up there. If for any reason, just because I like having pictures on every post!

There's a Starbucks right at the airport

Dude, you all, I am so tired of typing. I just finished responding to everyone who replied to the latest batch of Sydney pictures, and I'm pretty exhausted from the effort. But I knew that I could not leave you hanging for an other day without a blog post.

J.K. Rowling, the amazing author behind the Harry Potter books, has begun a U.S. reading and signing tour. Her first stop was Los Angeles, and the next couple this month will be in New York and somewhere else not Phoenix. I must find out if she will be here! I would love to hang out in line for an hour to get her to sign a book for me! What a cool thing! Ugh. I just found out that she'll be making only four stops in the U.S. and that the other one is in New Orleans. Goodness, would it be so awful to stop in the desert for a quick cup of coffee? I'd be interesting company! I promise, Jo! Come visit me!

Sniffles suck, but so do overdoses

Really, I can't believe that so many parents fly in the face of doctor's orders and go ahead and give their kids cold medication. ... May I rant? ... I mean, seriously! All the packages say, "For children under 2, ask your doctor." Doctors, of course, say don't give them any of it. That's what the American Academy of Pediatrics says. Member pediatricians say the same thing. It's the parents who think they know so much better here that are to blame. Giving a baby cold medication does nothing but make a parent's life easier, in theory, by quelling a cough or stuffy nose or the like. But when faced with dangerous dosages and unpredictable consequences, why do these parents continue to play with their kids' health? Suck it up, you parents! Don't sleep for a couple nights! Suffer through the cold with your baby!

Now, on to the pharmaceutical companies:
Wonder why, all of a sudden, the companies have chosen to voluntarily pull their product off the shelves? It's because they are all being brought up before the FDA in a couple weeks to discuss their claims about what these infant medications do. And the best way to combat a potential public relations mess is to be able to say, "Yes, that's true! And that is why we pulled the medicines off the shelves already! We care about the consumer more than profits! We are good!"

I just love him so much

Today is the excellent Ollie G.'s birthday. I can't believe that he's seven years old! Not quite a senior citizen, but certainly getting up there. So we celebrated with a visit to the dog park, and he feasted on a yummy dinner of New Zealand venison and sweet potato. I believe that he is somewhere sleeping off his day right now. I swear, I thought that after all the running this morning that his little heart was going to pop! (This is him resting in some shade before running off again.) Sydney and I chased, ran away from, and tossed a tennis ball for our favorite four-legged pooch, hopefully making his birthday a great one. He deserves it; he's such a frickin' rock star.

Oliver's birthday haiku:
He's the best dog ever,
though he sleeps left/right,
denying us comfort.

Clyde's a good dancer, too

Dancing with the Stars recap:
Well, I had hoped that Wayne Newton would get the boot tonight. I'm so happy that the rest of the world agreed! Poor Cheryl Burke though, stuck with Wayne this season and Ian Ziering last. It's like the producers don't even want to give her a shot at winning anymore! I guess that means that, after her win this season with Helio (sure thing!), Julianne will be stuck with guys with no rhythm and an inescapable inability to dance for the next couple of seasons. That sucks for her.

p.s. Just the sight of those cheesy paw prints on Sabrina's outfit made me cringe. She bugs me. As does blatant narcissism. Witness Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley as one of the entertainments on tonight's results show. Oh yeah, and Anne Heche and the Carpoolers guys (last night)! Go ABC! Way to pimp your shows to promote your other ones! When do we see Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly and Terry O'Quinn? Dylan McDermott and Michael Vartan? The guy from Pushing Daisies?

Model attacked on runway; butterflies suspected

ITEM!: I think that the next time I go home for the weekend, I'll have my hair cut. It’s getting way too long for me to handle. It’s either all in a ponytail, or all in a ponytail. I know that the weather has a lot to do with it, but I’m just not digging it at all. Of course, since it’s still a few weeks before I make that trek back to Cali, I’ll have plenty of time to think about it.
ITEM!: I finally, FINALLY, got the iPod-in-the-stereo thing taken care of today! YAY! I am the proud owner of a new car stereo that my iPod can plug into directly. No more FM transmitter, no more cheesy reception. It’s crystal clear music for me from now on, my friends. Never again will static interrupt a particularly rousing rendition of “Take on Me.”
ITEM!: I’ll count myself among those disappointed by Marion Jones and her admission of steroid use in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. That’s a drag in so many ways, but mostly because it just dashes the hero-worshipfulness of so many younger runners. I’m glad she had to give the medals back to the Olympic Committee. Now if only they can take back the fame and fortune she got because of those medals, too.
ITEM!: Anyone know a good way to get World Series tickets? I’m thinking that if it’s the Red Sox and Diamondbacks, Brian and I have got to be at those games. “It’ll be expensive,” says B. “Yeah,” says I, “but worth it.” Now that’s a game that, unfortunately, Sydney won’t be able to attend with us. Regular season? Sure, take the tyke and let her whine her way through the last three innings. World Series? That’s a serious game, my dear, and serious ticket prices. We’ll be finding someone to hang out with her that night, that’s for sure.

Cleveland Indians! Come on down!

Even though it's harder for me to keep up with the Red Sox while out here in Arizona, I am still a happy member of the Nation. And tonight, I'm even happier, since the beloved Red Sox have swept the Angels (again) on their trek through the baseball postseason. Such a lovely thing, isn't it, to see the Red Sox kicking serious booty while the Yankees (even though they won tonight) are kissing someone else's. It's unfortunate that we aren't the team sending those loathsome New Yorkers back home for the winter (Go Indians! Beat the Yankees!), but at least they'll be stuck watching the Sox sweep the Indians too, and then make the World Series championship their own again. Lovely! As it is, at least I know that the remaining games will be on our television stations out here. Damn Cox in Arizona for not having Red Sox games on all season. Damn them!

Master baiter. That's funny.

I think that everyone should wear slutty, innuendo-laden, ripped-up, and tacky clothes on their next Southwest Airlines flight. The fact that anyone who works for the airline can straight up tell you that your clothes are offensive to them, and that you can therefore be thrown off the flight for not changing them, is ridiculous. I guess the Southwest CEO sent a generally worded memo to everyone in the company that, no, they do not have a dress code for passengers. Of course, it should also have stated that the employees are not gods in their own rights, and that just because they understand that "Master baiter" could mean someone who masturbates, it could also mean that someone is a master at baiting a fishing line. Get over yourselves, Southwest employees! How many people did that really offend or upset? Just you? Really! Let the people wear what they want to wear!

Do you have this one in a 10?

I think that I could wear this shoe. I wouldn't, but I do think that I could.
So many times I look at a shoe and wonder, "Will I be able to walk around in that?" Of course, if I'm looking at a clog or mule, I automatically know that I won't. (I hate having to constantly think about my shoes: "Squeeze toes, shoe stays on; squeeze toes, shoe stays on," echoes through my head with each step.)
With a shoe like this though, I wonder. It'll stay attached to my foot with no extra effort or concentration. It'll support my non-existent arch. It'll be comfortable, I hope, and give my ankle some extra bolstering while walking around town or dancing in a club.
The drawbacks include, obviously, its hideousness. And the wedge heel -- as I absolutely hate wedge heels. Positives: it will match most everything because every color is represented in the shoe. It will make my stems and seat look longer (legs) and better (butt). It'll demand attention.
Still, it's not the Steve Madden plaid heels I bought just for the fun of it. These are probably much more expensive than those shoes were. So I could wear them, but probably wouldn't.

It's not a sugary and soft wall either

I think I've hit what I'll call "the cupcake wall." I went today to our new favorite spot, a cupcake bakery, to try some of the shop's strawberry cupcakes. You see, every day the bakery showcases, not only the usual daily cakes, but the weekly special cupcakes only available on that particular day. Monday and Thursday are, among others, strawberry cupcakes days. So many of the shop's offerings are kinda gross to me, such as the chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting, vanilla cake and coconut frosting, brown sugar cake and coffee frosting, and Oreo -flavored cake and vanilla frosting, but some are super yummy enough to make me want to at least try everything. My current favorites is a red, chocolate cake with a white frosting. The strawberry cupcake, sadly, does nothing to dethrone the red yumminess. "It was okay," Brian agreed, "but nothing too special." Anyway, this leads me to tonight's sickening reality: I've hit the cupcake wall. I don't thin I can look at another one for at least two weeks (which is good, since that's when Mom comes out again and I want to take her there). The last cake is sitting in my stomach like a lead brick. And not like a sweet, puffy red brick. Nope, like an actual red brick.

Isn't a beget a candy bar?

Yay! The Halloween decorations are officially up around the house, and we've got a distinct air of mischief and candy throughout our halls. I'm so happy! Of course, half of the stuff is new, some of it is still in the box awaiting next year and a bigger space, and other things had to be moved once or twice already because they just weren't high enough to avoid little fingers. We've got witches galore, jack-o-lanterns aplenty, a plethora of ghosts, and a nice selection of skeletons.
I've thrown away the rest of the Halloween Oreos. We've almost finished all the Twix bars and Snickers that we bought a couple weeks ago. The M&Ms seem to be lasting, but that will not be the case once the others are gone. I will, I think, buy Mounds and Almond Joys next time I'm at Target. It's a cunning tactic: buy the candy that you absolutely will not eat, begets body not expanding; begets a mind that will be happy.

I also was going to write about Britney and her kids, but the whole thing is so f*cking sad to me, I really didn't know where to begin. Here's hoping the next headline won't be a suicide announcement. She used to be so pretty. Now, she's just pathetic.

[Editor's note: I know that a beget isn't candy. It's just a fun headline.]

Dear Sirs, NO CAVEMEN!

I've got to tell you: I think I could rock this Dancing with the Stars thing. All I need is to be a star, and I'd kick this competition's ass. Well, probably not, but I would LOVE to try it! Yes, hard work. Yes, competing on national television and you could fall on your butt like Jennie Garth did. Yes, getting kicked off. But still! How much fun does that look like? So cool to be learning in such an intense amount of time!
And I am loving Helio and Julianne. I think I'll forecast them and Sabrina and Mark for the finals. I will vote for Julianne and Helio all the way. That girl, Sabrina, is bugging me on the most simplest level. I don't know what it is, but she's on my last nerve and there's no getting her off it.
And my god, would ABC please stop showing the cavemen? Odds are that the stupid excuse for a show will be off the air in a couple weeks anyway. Don't waste my time and injure my eyes by showing those dudes on a bright, happy show like DWTS. I'm gonna write a letter.

Anyway, it's been a whole week since all the new shows started, and I think that, now, I will share with you my television schedule.
Monday: Dancing with the Stars, Chuck and Heroes. My DVR is busy that night.
Tuesday: Dancing the with Stars results show
Wednesday: Pushing Daisies (we're gonna try this one out), Gossip Girl, Bionic Woman
Thursday: 30 Rock, The Office, Big Shots
Friday: n/a
Saturday: n/a
Sunday: Shark
I must say, thank goodness there's no Jericho or Lost until mid-season. I'm booked up for a while!