This season, I dance with apathy

Did you notice something missing on the blog over the last two weeks? Something, maybe, sparkly and shiny? Something twisty and turny? Something dancy?
Yes, my friends, we are two weeks into the new season of Dancing with the Stars, and you won't find anything about it up here. I have decided to take this season off. I am vacationing from the show. I respectfully decline to watch it. I don't care at all about the "stars" in it, nor am I caring how well they dance with the "pros." And it's really very liberating to my head, heart and television-viewing psyche.
If you remember, I missed the first episode in that unfortunate DVR hiccup. Having missed it, I chose to not catch the second and third episode of that first week. Now, this week, I've decided that I really just am not interested in it at all. And especially with all that Cloris Leachman nonsense and the pros I don't know. The only people I am remotely interested in seeing are Misty May-Treanor and Lance Bass, but neither one of them are really enough to make me change the channel, or do the samba with my DVR again. I'll just sit this one out ... be a wallflower, if I may ... and catch up with them next season.

I don't fear the stirrups

I've got an appointment for a colposcopy tomorrow morning. My yearly pap smear showed some irregular cells, and the follow-up visit with the doctor is the fun and interesting colposcopy. I've had one before, you know. Out in Boston, I had an irregular pap show up. Obviously, there was nothing to it, else you would know, so I'm really treating this one very cavalierly. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I seriously don't think it's any big deal.
You want to know what's weird about this appointment tomorrow? It's the first time I'll be seeing my actual doctor since the week before Sydney was born. I had the on-call doctor deliver Sydney. My six-week, after-baby appointment was with the nurse practitioner. So was my yearly wellness check the following year; as was this most-recent appointment, with the nurse practitioner. Even though this visit should be all nerve-wracking (I guess), I'm really kind of excited to see the doctor. She is super nice, and we got along super well, so I'm sure it'll be a pleasant visit.
And what would you all rather be doing at 7:30 a.m., if not spending time on an exam table?

She did, you know, absolutely destroy them

Alright, I've finished the first three books of the Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer. I'll admit to enjoying them, though I've become a bit irritated with the main female character, Bella. I'm not sure why, she just seems a bit dim as the story progresses, and certainly beyond selfish. I would say that her attitude could be contributed to the fact that she's so young, but in every way, the books paint her as a more mature girl. In that, the attitude doesn't compute. I agree with her on one point, Jacob and Edward should both stay away because she is a horrible person. They both sound too cool for her. Blah, blah, blah.
At any rate, I'm ready to dive into the fourth book, Breaking Dawn, which is the last of the series, and from what I remember hearing after it was released weeks or so ago, a lot of the fans are/were very unhappy with what happens in it. I'm intrigued, and I could go either way: Bella could choose either Jacob or Edward and I'd be disappointed with them accepting her. So I'm going into this one with an open mind. Nothing Meyer writes could possibly disappoint me more than how Anne Rice butchered her Vampire Chronicles in the end.

Casual viewer of the show; loved the movie

I had such a happy girly evening tonight ... all by myself. I sat on my bed, eating a yummy slice of key lime pie, drinking a Starbucks mocha, and watching Sex and the City: The Movie. By the way, what a great little movie! Loved it! It's a drag that it was such a classic girl-night experience and the closest heartbeat to me was my male dog, instead of all my divas and I sitting around a large and glowing television pigging out on ding dongs, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with how this particular Saturday night ended up.

I'm terribly vexed

I wish I knew more about the economy, so I could have a better understanding of what's going on than what I've gleaned through Jon Stewart, snippets of talking heads on news channels, and some time watching the guy on Mad Money tonight. I hate being so ignorant of it, and the worst of all, not really getting why it's so bad, and how it can get worse. I'd love to say that I obviously didn't pay attention to my college economics professor, both times I took the course, but I really don't think all this was covered. All I remember is supply versus demand and all that. There was nothing about how mortgage companies and banks can just fold so quickly and quietly, with nary a whimper or ripple to let anyone know ahead of time. It's just wrong, but still, outside my realm of understanding. Never before has my dislike for numbers and their tricky ways built such a brick wall in front of my understanding of a situation. It irks me. And vexes me. And confuses me. And angers me.

I hate her character's name though: Sookie

So I feel like the headline of the last post probably was a bit too randomly specific. I'll explain: HBO is showing Charlie's Angels lately. You remember that scene where they're "undercover" at the party at Tim Curry's Japanese pagoda from Kyoto? When Cameron Diaz's character is flirting with Luke Wilson? Well, Lucy Liu tells her, after she's crashed and burned in conversation, to "flip your god-damn hair." Every time I think about Daisy's flipped eyelid, that's the phrase I hear. I thought I'd use it as a headline, but every time I look at it, I don't like it. I could fix it, you know, but won't. If I did, this post wouldn't make any sense whatsoever.
Are you all watching that HBO show, True Blood? I'm hooked. I'm watching this week's episode again, right now. I like that it's shown on Sunday night, when there's nothing else for me to watch. I like that it's kinda down and dirty. I dig that Anna Paquin and the aunt from Twister are in it. And I like that, after I've read and watched so much vampire stuff in my life, this is still pretty fascinating to me. And it's gritty. That's the word I've been looking for: gritty.

Flip your god-damn eyelid

First, I digress: Did you hear that Clay Aiken is gay? Is this news? I'm irritated that it's anyone's business but his; that he has to declare it on the cover of People magazine; and that it took him so long to share it with the world, like we didn't know already. Jeez, some of you people. If you all quit acting like being gay is a big deal, it will stop being a big deal!

Today, I took Daisy to the vet ... again ... for another random health issue ... again. Apparently, the third eyelid can flip back, leaving a very pink blobby-looking thing in the corner of a puppy's eye. Left untreated, the eyelid flip can cause permanent damage. Treated, it costs $84, and may have to be fixed with surgery. Grr. At any rate, we visited the vet again, and all is well. So you know, an eyelid flip can happen because of some trauma, such as running into something, getting hit by a toy or something, or after some vigorous rubbing and scratching. Who knows how Daisy managed it, but it's all better now ... and I feel like I should be on first-name basis with the vet.
Also, I watched last night's Terminator online tonight. This is the first time I've done that, and it proved to be a good, if a teensy-bit frustrating, experience. I dig the 32-second commercials though. The video went wonky once or twice, but a little pause-and-play action had it back on track. I had to watch it on Brian's computer though, as my iBook, for some reason, doesn't like video to run smoothly at all. That's the only bad thing you'll hear me say about my Apple.

Sadly, they don't come in red

Part 1: We've decided that we're just going to fix my car, and not worry about getting something new for a couple more years. In the end, it's like, why go through the hassle right now, when I can go through it this time two years from now when I've got a job and can feel fine picking what I want to drive? This way, no arguing, compromising or negotiating need be done, and I'll still have a red car in my parking spot. You know, until I'm driving the space shuttle, that is.
Part 2: Sydney has figured out how to climb out of her crib. And in response, her parents overreacted, and immediately took down the footboard for a toddler bed, then replaced it, and finally just turned the crib around so the high part is on the outside. I'm going to switch it back tomorrow, and hope that I can just un-learn her this particular practice, and get her to keep her butt in the crib until I get her.
Part 3: I caved to my television addiction and picked up a DVR cable box for my bedroom today. I had it all set up and ready to go, recording both Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dancing with the Stars tonight. However, and of course, I got all distracted and flustered dealing with my kid, her crib and her father that I accidentally canceled the recordings ... both of them. So here I sit, all ready to watch Terminator, and all I've got is the first 30 seconds of DWTS. What the frick? I've decided that I can live without tonight's DWTS, since there are still parts 2 and 3 on Tuesday and Wednesday. And hey, Terminator is available online, so I'll be watching that tomorrow during nap time ... but still after I've watched Gossip Girl, which I still recorded on the living room television.
Part 4: Daisy's an independent puppy these days, no longer being kept in her little sleeping pen. We've gone a few days without any accidents, and she's been good about going out when she needs to use the facilities. In fact, this morning when I got up, she was waiting in the doorway to the bedroom for me. I walked to the balcony with her, and she peed outside, just like good puppies do! Next week, carpet cleaners!!
Part 5: I'm tired, guys. I'm off to bed.

A peaceful exit

Okay, well, Grandma died last night. So unreal, going from diagnosis to death in just six days, isn't it? She was comfortable at the hospice home, and they took really great care of her. And the nurses knew it would be Saturday, so we were out there that morning, and said our goodbyes. Actually, probably everyone else said their goodbyes. I just gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her to be a good girl. It's odd, you know, having constantly referred to someone as mean, kinda evil, and cold for all those years, only to really miss her when she's gone. I always thought that Grandma would live into her 90s, just like Great Grandma did. I thought we'd have at least another decade to deal with her irrational and inexplicable dislike of some people. And at least another decade of worrying about her driving; or having to wear socks in her kitchen; or wondering if I would ever get one of her handmade afghans for my baby. But even with all that, there's no doubt in my mind that wherever she is now, she's at peace, and hopefully, there's decent iced tea to drink and good pudding to eat.
You know, she was the strongest of all of us. Sure, sometimes, it's what made us wonder how on earth we came from her loins, but on a day like today, it makes me proud that it helps me keep it together, and knowing that she expects more from me than to sit around and cry. That's no help, and "whoever said life was fair."

p.s. A special thank you to Lisa for spending time on the phone with me while I drove out to Chandler; Andrea for her sweet voice mail message; Jeannine for her thoughtful e-mail; and especially to Jeff and Liz, who called me for a chat, but, more importantly, bought groceries for my mommy and hung out with her for a while today.

Tell me what YOU think

So they won't be able to actually transform the car into a BMW, but it may become one just the same.
Look: the dealer wants a grand total of $5,200 to fix all the things wrong with my car. That number includes a flushing of the transmission, replacement of the timing belts and the water pump for $2,300. Okay, the timing belts are showing some signs of definite wear, so they do need to be replaced, but not immediately. What is immediate is the catalytic converter (which my service guy has finessed to be covered under warranty), the intake manifold ($1,630), the front driver side door lock ($275), the front passenger side door lock (which is $370 because they had to break open the door to get it unlocked), and an oil change. So that's the immediate. The issue with the timing belts has messed with my peace of mind enough so that I know I need to take care of that. But do I?
So, then there's this: the Blue Book on the car is only $4,100. The dealer wants $5,200 to fix it all. Huh? Question: Why pay more than what the care is worth when I'll only be driving it until I have a job, and goodness knows what tremendous thing will have to be fixed next year? Do we want a car payment or not? Of course, we were planning on getting Brian a new car this season anyway. But now, it's become a necessity for us to either spend $5,000 on the old car that will only decline more in value, or just get me a new car. And while I would love, love, love a new car, I did not want one this way. You all don't understand how much Brian's going to whine about this, and is already. "Why can't my car be the broken one?" he asked me tonight.
Well, we've got some time before deciding, but not really. I give my sense of stress with these timing belts a couple weeks. And the tires really do need to be replaced. More money into a car that isn't worth it, right there.
So, I'm curious enough to make a question out of this: What do YOU think I should do? Post a comment.

The a/c isn't cold enough either

When it rains, it pours, right?
So, the car's got issues lately. And I've got a laundry list of stuff to be taken care of tomorrow when I leave it at the dealer to be fixed up. You ready for it? First and foremost, the front passenger door will not unlock. Yes, it's a ridiculous problem for any car to have, but it is still a big problem. Whenever Mom and I go anywhere, she has to crawl through the driver side, over the parking brake and gear shift, and finally into the passenger seat. When we stop somewhere, we look like a clown car with everyone piling out through one door. Also, the front doors won't unlock with the keyless entry. Second, the brake light is flickering on and off on the dashboard. This means that the brakes need to be checked. That, of course, means that they'll probably have to be replaced. Third, yes, the car makes a fantastic sputtering noise when driving, and while idling. It's sexy ... and not at all what I paid for when I got this particular vehicle. Fourth, the driver side window squeaks really, really loud when it's rolled up. Fifth, they're having a special to change my oil and complete a full-body inspection for $89. And finally, I'm having them rotate my tires, which probably should be replaced instead, but they definitely need to be rotated as soon as possible.
That's a list and a half, right? Jeez. I feel like, conservatively, there is no way I'm getting my car back within one day, or for less than $1,000. What do you think? ... And, that's without the timing belt replacement and transmission flush that the guy recommended since the car has more than 72,000 miles on it (a service that, on its own, costs about $2,000).
At any rate, the stuff's got to be fixed. Not the least of my issues is that frickin' door lock. It's driving me batty. I forgot how inconvenient it is to have to lock and unlock the doors with the key. Especially when I've got Sydney, the human wiggle worm who would rather walk, and bags from wherever I've been in my arms. So tomorrow, I get it all fixed. No doubt I'll have a rock-solid rental car, too.

A bad scene

So, how to begin. Well, I guess I'll just spit it out: my grandma's got terminal pancreatic cancer that's metastasized to her liver and back, and the doctor's doesn't think she'll survive the next 30 days. "She's full," I guess, is enough of a diagnosis to have us all scurrying to make sure her last days are comfortable and pain-free. Good luck with that, but she seems to be a comfy camper on morphine, among other things. Mom, Auntie Donna and I have been frequent and extended visitors to Grandma's hospital room. However, today, she was moved to a hospice home. I haven't been to visit her there yet, but Donna says it's really nice. We'll check it out tomorrow once Mom and Aunt Jacque get back into town.
So, to say the least, this is going to be a weird month or so. It's laying heavy on my mind. What's worse is that I'm kind of having to deal with this the same way I dealt with Howie. Meaning, I'm not dealing with it at all. I've got Sydney to keep moving along happily; I've got Mom to keep sane; and I've got any manner of others that I'm being strong for.
But also, given the opportunity, I wouldn't know how to act or what to think anyway.
So, my friends, that's how it's going right now.

Not every poem needs to rhyme ... so says I

I've got so much to blog about tonight,
but my head's in a jumble.
Really, it's just not right,
and this morning, our world took a tumble.

So I'll get into it tomorrow,
after I've talked with some people,
but for now, this is it.

Ike visits Houston

Okay, it's Saturday afternoon. Sydney's asleep; I've read most of this week's Entertainment Weekly; Brian's comfortable "watching" college football; Mom's out and about with Auntie Donna. It's pretty much a perfect moment right now. Except that Daisy just hurled a little bit on the carpet at my feet. Whatever.
So, I'm a bit worried about Jon, Emily and Benjamin in Houston. I chatted with Emily a couple days ago, and she told me that they would be "hunkering down," for the hurricane. I watched the news with a fair amount of trepidation last night as Ike slammed into Texas. I've thought of calling a hundred times this morning, but I'm sure that they're fine, and the last thing any phone lines need is me being all, "Hey. You okay?"
Perversely, and with all the hindsight this morning affords me, I kinda wish that the hurricane had rolled through the town when Brian and I were there. I've always wanted to experience every type of weather, and a big, fat hurricane like Ike would have totally fit the bill. But alas, there was no such excitement over Labor Day weekend. {sigh.}
I'll call them tomorrow.

Project Bynes; Chapter: Ears

Okay, I'm going to throw it out there: I think there must be something wrong with Amanda Bynes' ears. Consider it, no matter how her hair is styled, you never see the fronts of her ears. She's always got these large, straight plaits of hair hanging in front of her ears, alongside her face. In the beginning, it was cute that she insisted on having her hair like this. Now though, she's a bit older, and the hair curtains just aren't cutting it anymore. I've always thought she was a pretty girl. I actually really like her eye makeup in a lot of her movies; it sets off her green eyes really well. So this is, in no way, a bash on Bynes.
But then, along came this movie, Sydney White, on HBO a few weeks ago. I watched it ... well, part of it ... in stunned silence. I mean, look at her hair! (There at the bottom left.) And it's like this in every scene of the film! It's at this point when I thought, you know, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of her where you can actually see her ears unobstructed by her hanging hair. And then I thought, well, I wonder why that is. I even popped through all her photo pages on IMDB, and seriously, there are no pictures of her with her ears on display. (I'm not stalking. Just doing research and proving a point, you weirdos.) So clearly, there must be something very wrong if she'd go ahead and wear a ponytail like this, and wear it in a movie where people would see, and think that it would be a good move. Ugh.
Please, someone. Help this girl and tell her it's okay to pull back all her hair and let her ears show. This may become a very real quest for me, you know.
...
...
...
Jeez, I need a job.

Maybe Coach, maybe Kate ... we'll see

It's like the shops know that Mom and I are planning a day at the mall on Friday. I received an Internets-only, 20-percent off coupon at J.Crew for three days only, ending Friday night; Brian got a 30-percent off coupon at Lucky Brand for this week in the mail; and Gymboree is having its Baby Sale and earning Gymbucks. And ... I really need a new bag. Huzzah! Coincidentally, I was planning on stopping in those shops Friday anyway. Fate! Kismet! Destiny! Yummy shopping!
Of course, all that fun isn't for a couple days. Mom will be arriving tomorrow, around lunch time, and happiness will ensue for the next few days! Yay me!

I feel like there's something else I wanted to tell you, but I can't remember. I hate it when that happens. I'm sure I'll think of it at 3:17 a.m., but there's no way I'll post a blog then, as I'll be all tired and barely mobile. I still can't think of it. Damn. Whatever.

The big letdown

Well, it's been about 12 years since I first saw the last first-season episode of The Big Easy, and having seen it again last night, I can say that it was just as disappointing as I remembered it being then. When I started watching the DVDs a couple weeks ago, I remembered liking the show, but then also being very irritated with how it ended, or at least with what happened to motivate me into not watching it anymore. I couldn't remember specifically what bugged me, but knew that whatever it was, it left a meh in the pit of my stomach.
I would describe it for you as a bit of the Moonlighting curse, but really not so much. These two main characters, Remy McSwain and Anne Osborne, had some healthy sexual tension throughout the entire season. It was really good stuff in the first, like, five episodes, but then it kind of faded into the background ... up until the final episode of the season. Finally, they're stuck in a life-or-death situation! Finally, they're admitting that they want each other! Finally, they're making out again!
Of course, because it's television, they get interrupted, there's the big plot climax, and then the situation is resolved. But then, they are together again in Remy's apartment, and they totally want to act, and then decide that they will, and then ... pow! Fade to black as they're walking into the bedroom?! What the frick is that all about?! Argh! All the tension and none of the payoff?! Frustration!
But then it dawned on me: duh, this is exactly what happened 12 years ago, and I'm exactly as irritated. And if I remember right, season two begins in a funky way, and made me even more disenchanted with the show. Season two comes out on DVD in a couple weeks. And since I do these things to myself, I will Netflix that season, too, and bring the pain.

John Connor cut his bangs! Yay!

I'm sure you're all very, very concerned about how my Monday night television viewing went this evening. It only consisted of two shows still this week, but something occurred to me this afternoon that I hadn't thought of when I first blogged about this: Monday Night Football. Ugh. Not that I don't enjoy the football ... I do. It's just, well, damn, could there be one more thing that I'd like to watch on this one night? Frick. This week, I recorded Gossip Girl for tomorrow's nap time, and watched Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I told Brian straight up that he would have to take point with Sydney from 7 p.m. to bedtime at 7:30 p.m., except for commercial breaks, because I had a show to watch. I've got to say, this is going to be hard with only one DVR in the house. I'd be able to tackle three of my four shows if I had a DVR in the bedroom, too. I wonder, is it worth the additional $16 per month to get one? I guess we'll have to judge that situation for when it hits its zenith in a couple weeks. Ask me on Sept. 23.

The good, the good and the ugly

Good: Look at that, you all! Britney looks like a regular pop star again! Here she is, rocking the MTV Video Music Awards, and cleaning up with three awards. I feel like everyone seems to be pulling for our girl again, with all the positive reviews, accolades on the red carpet, and happy comments from last night. I'm just ecstatic that her participation in the show was not at all the train wreck we witnessed last year. I get chills just thinking about it, and not in a good way. Yay Brit! Keep up the getting-good-at-being-you-again stuff! We've missed you!
Good: I hate commentator arguments on television. I can't stand watching those shows, with the round tables and opinionated guests, and listening to them try to one up each other and attempt to out-talk the other into changing their mind. And when they're talking politics, it's even worse. And when they're a bunch of bitchy girls, it's even worse than that. So it is with glee that I hear that Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews of MSNBC have bee demoted from political anchors to commentators. They couldn't stop bitching at each other, making snide comments, and slamming the parties and their politics. So, MSNBC has pulled them back into their opinion places, and announced that David Gregory will be the voice of reason for the rest of the presidential race. I dig opinions, people, you know that, just not on a supposedly subjective newscast. And I bet Brian Williams had a good thing to say about it too, after he was asked about it by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show last week. (I heart Jon Stewart.)
Ugly: Dude. Tom Brady's out for the season, and we've got little Matt Cassel filling in for him. An undefeated trip to winning the Super Bowl simply will not happen with this kid. Nor will it happen with anyone else they pull in to workout with the team. You know who's super pissed, don't you ... Randy Moss. That guy was looking for a Super Bowl ring this year, and I believe they were going to get it, simply because they have to still be really mad with how last season ended. Seriously, I'm pouting, because I wanted to see it happen. Well (she says in glass-half-full optimism) maybe they can still take the big game, even without Brady. There are a lot of other talented guys on that team, and they could turn this whole incident into a do-it-for-the-gipper motivational tool. We'll see. One game at a time, guys. You know what I hate, is all those other "football" fans who are excited with this Brady news. Get a grip, you punks. Can't you appreciate a good player when you see one? Why be hating?

Storks in Warsaw ... no relation

Why do companies insist on dicking around with a perfectly good product in the name of progress? Who asked them to change anything? Who is that person, specifically? I want to kick their butt.
It's the little things that really bug me, and right now, the "new" Facebook is one of those little things. The homepage is all different; the font for "my" feeds is just too big; and I can't have all my boxes on the main page, which is really irritating me because I love, love, love having a picture of Oliver on the page, as well as the cool countdown. So I guess my bitch is with Facebook.
What is it, Facebook? You too good for the simpler, better looking format? You gotta mess with it? Bastards. Keep it real, and keep me happy. It makes the world a better place when I'm happy, you know.

Doggy doors are awesome

Seriously, if this puppy ends up being potty-trained at 10 weeks old, it'll be crazy. Happily, but with concern, we moved the puppy pad out onto the balcony this afternoon, and I'm afraid, but pleased, to say that there haven't been any accidents inside since ... yet. Of course, we had to take Daisy outside all afternoon, every 30 minutes or so, to show her where to pee out there, and then wait for her to go, and then give her big, loud positive re-enforcement and a treat. But anyway, a few hours later, the pup goes outside by herself to poop. And then, like half an hour later, she went outside to pee! An independent move to venture outside for urination?! Reason to party!! Of course, I know that she could very easily regress and just open up on the carpet where her pad used to be, but let's have some optimism! And you know what this all means, right? Kimmie gets to call and schedule some carpet cleaners! Rock on!

The pressure of the planning

So I've gotten myself all worked up about something that's kinda lame, but still is enough to make me plot, scheme and manipulate a situation and how to make it work best for me, even though there's nothing I can do to change it. Sounds great, huh? You're fascinated, aren't you? You'll be disappointed to learn that it's only about fall television.
I got my Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview in the mail this afternoon, and have already devoured it. Of course I would, it's featuring Gossip Girl on the cover. But in this awesome preview, the editors tackle television night by night, starting with Sunday, and working through Friday.
What's my ridiculous concern? Four ... yes, four ... shows that I'm watching are shown on Monday night, at the same time, 7 p.m. Arizona time. Dancing with the Stars, which begins Sept. 22; Chuck, which premieres Sept. 29; Gossip Girl, which has already started; and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which begins Sept. 8, are all conspiring to make my life just that irritating. Would it kill a couple of these networks to move their shows to Wednesday, when there's nothing scheduled that I'm interested in watching? So ... how the frick am I going to solve this dilemma, all with keeping Brian from having to deal with my issue? I'm going to have to find out which shows are available for download. I know Gossip Girl is, so that's one less concern that night. I'm going to have to do some research, clearly. I suppose I'll watch DWTS live, because that's a decent-sized obsession. So it's Chuck or Terminator to be DVR'd out in the living room. Of course, if I can talk B into playing a video game during that time, I could record both of them. Huh. My head's beginning to hurt. But even more of an of course, is that I could fix it better by having a DVR in the bedroom. And yet, I still rebel against giving Cox any more money than I already do.
It's just too much to deal with now. Tomorrow at Tara, I suppose.

Make it good enough to watch again, STAT!

Do you remember, back in the day, when ER was a really, really good show? It's magnificence can be attributed to several things that the show offered at the time (not the least of which were the fantastic George Clooney and Julianna Margulies), but among them was Anthony Edwards and his character, Dr. Mark Greene. The show was so great for so many years. And this year, its last, is ripe with the stunt casting. Included in such casting is Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance, as well as the return of Noah Wyle's Dr. John Carter (ER, hear me. Please, please make Carter's return less dramatic. His issues were so plentiful and angsty that I got emotionally drained just trying to keep up).
Anyway, Greene is showing up as a part of a flashback (remembering, of course, that he died several years ago of a brain tumor). So it'll be a couple of scenes in a "very special" episode, and Edwards will have fulfilled a portion of his pact with the karma gods by making older fans of the show happy. I won't lie, I imagine I'll probably watch that episode just because of it.
And what of ER's most famous alumnus? How frickin' tickled would all us girls be if George Clooney actually did make his way onto one of the show's final episodes? His Doug Ross and Margulies's Carol Hathaway appearing as a special goodbye at, oh, say Carter's funeral? (I hear that they refused to show at Greene's funeral because they didn't want to steal any of Edwards' departure thunder. Cool of them, but still, I'd have liked to have seen their faces in that scene.) Anyway, I'm hoping to hear about Clooney and Margulies soon, aren't you now?

Uncle John wants YOU!

For some reason, I find myself at a crossroads when it comes to Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin. I'm not sure for what I should be most offended: the fact that the Republicans think that women are such blind sheep that they would completely shift political ideologies and issues to follow any vagina-sporting nominee into the White House, no matter her party; or that Palin is being paraded around in front of the country like a shiny toy that McCain finds a use for now, but will quickly drop should he make it into the big house himself next January. (What's too bad here is that I liked her spunk and sassiness up there on stage. We do need a woman like that in the White House. Why, oh why, couldn't she be a Democrat?)
Sure, she'd be vice president ... just a heartbeat away from the presidency (I'm beginning to hate that saying. Someone give me a new one), but she's also such a blatant show of pandering that I'm really kind of surprised that no one seems to be saying to McCain, "Hey! This is ridiculous! They'll figure it out!"
Oh, yeah, and did you hear that she's got international experience because Alaska is up there in the north right next to Russia? Dude from Fox News: If that's all it takes to foster international experience, let's nominate the guys from Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Maine, because of their extensive experience dealing with ... Canada. Or the peeps from California, Arizona (wait...), New Mexico, and Texas (I see a trend here). Let's throw in Florida, too, because it's so tight with Cuba.
I'll not go into the family thing because I know as well as anyone that no one can control a family member. There will always be the teenage pregnancy, the drunk brother, and the incarcerated cousin. Every family has issues. Leave them alone.
Instead, we should focus on the report that McCain had only met Palin once, and spoken to her twice, before asking her to run as vice president. Or that she's so proud to be an outsider in Washington. Personally, I'd like someone who knows the ropes in there if needed. And really, what's so wrong with being liked by the people? If being liked wasn't such a big deal, then the polls showing Pres. Bush's declining approval numbers wouldn't matter a bit, would they?
At the end of a night like tonight though, you've got to love the Republicans' short-term memory loss: "Let's not discuss the clusterfuck we've created over the last eight years. No, no. Instead, we'll make you afraid of anyone who wants to change the status quo and try to build a better country than what we've got now. Because, look around, people, we're doing awesome."

Three thoughts to think

A couple of random things:
1. I'm on the hunt for a new cold Starbucks drink. I've decided that I'm not liking my iced, decaf, grande, nonfat, with whip mocha lately, and I'm having a really hard time coming up with a summertime replacement. The black iced tea is okay, but I don't love it. I'm not a huge fan of green tea, either. The iced coffee drinks? Initially, a great thought, but they don't brew their decaf cold, and I simply can't drink caffeinated coffee. So, someone, please help me! I'm taking all suggestions.
2. I've got five mosquito bites as souvenirs from the trip to Houston, and they are bugging (ha!) the hell out of me. The tally: two on my left arm; one on my right arm; one on my left hand; and the last is on my left baby toe. (Baby toe! Whatever!) Ack! I'm covered in calamine lotion, and they're still irritating.
3. I've finished the first of Stephenie Meyer's books, Twilight. I loved it, really. But now, I'm all nervous. I heard that the fourth book in the series disappointed a lot of her readers. I don't like the idea of getting all sucked into a fantastic series of novels only to go into it knowing that I might really, really, really not like the ending of it all. But still, because I sort of like to torture myself sometimes, I bought the second book in the series, New Moon, today. And I started it already. My downturn into potential heart-breaking disappointment begins anew.

Five mosquito bites ... and they really itch

Okay, I'm super tired, but I know it's been days since I blogged, so I thought I would toss something up here for you and hope that it sticks as a decent post.
Brian and I just got back from a weekend in Houston. I know, I know, Houston in August? Dumb much? But we went to go meet Jon and Emily's new little boy, Benjamin, before he got too much older, and really knew that we only had this weekend to do it. But here's the fun part that I bet you missed in my first sentence: "Brian and I just got back..." Yes, my friends, I just returned from my first weekend away from my child ... and it was F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C. I loved that I didn't worry about her at all because she was with Lisa and Brad (my sister in-law and brother in-law). I loved that I didn't have to change a diaper for more than 48 hours. I loved that temper tantrums and hunger weren't my issues to deal with for those days. I loved that we could be that couple that we were about 23 months ago, before that little tornado entered our lives.
Don't get me wrong -- I missed her terribly. I really find myself wondering how I got through those days without even the littlest baby hug or a look at her smile. But I'll tell you, I'm really proud of how well I did with the whole thing. I wasn't psycho calling Lisa every two hours. I didn't cry once ... not once ... from the moment of leaving her in Tucson, to getting her back today. And that, more than anything, tells me that I'm a pretty well-adjusted mom, even if the child is my life and sunshine for every waking (and sleeping, come to think of it) moment of the day. I'm so excited that I handled it so well. And even more excited that Sydney handled it well, too. She didn't cry when I left, and apparently, didn't miss me all that much during the days she was with her Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brad. The whole situation, from beginning to end, was a positive and happy thing for me, and I'm totally looking forward to doing it again!