A snitful of snow

We're supposed to get a huge dump of snow here this weekend; anywhere from five to 12 inches, according to meteorologists' predictions. (Here's the satellite image of clouds currently building over the Northeast.) I don't know, but I think I may declare shenanigans on this one. I mean, how many times have they told us to get ready for some "extreme blizzard" this winter, and had it turn into nothing but an inch or two of quickly melting snow? Well, most of you don't know that answer, so let's just say that it's happened quite a bit. But at the mention of predictions like these, the whole state goes into a hibernation frenzy, with people rushing out for firewood (if they have fireplaces); wine (if they have drinking issues); blankets (if their heat doesn't work properly); snow blowers (if their backs get sore or they have heart issues); and plastic chairs (if they need to "save" their parking spots once they dig their cars out). It's a lot like watching ants scurry around their hill after they've been disturbed. The funny thing is that all this preparation costs money and gets the people amped up, but then the payoff is rarely worth their effort. So even with this "severe storm," I'll be sticking with my weekend plans ... which ... er ... were really nothing to begin with. But it's the principle of the thing!

A lot that you already kinda know

Roberta forwarded on one of those fun questionnaires in this morning's e-mail, so I thought I'd post up some of my responses. Oh, and here's Mom's floral arrangement for the week.
What time did you get up this morning? 6:48 a.m.
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Brokeback Mountain last weekend. Super good, and worth all the attention it’s getting!
What is your favorite TV show? More than one: Lost, Scrubs, Gilmore Girls, 24, Alias, My Name is Earl, The Office
What did you have for breakfast? Decaf venti nonfat with whip mocha
What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican! I could dig into that every day and be a very happy person!
Your favorite potato chip? Lay’s barbecue flavor.
What is your favorite CD? Currently, I’ve got U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb on heavy rotation in the car.
Favorite item of clothing? I simply could not live without a substantial supply of jeans.
What color is your bathroom? Um, a lime green color that I’ve fallen for.
Favorite time of day? Mid-afternoon
Where were you born? Los Angeles
Are you a morning person or night owl? Totally a night owl.
Do you have pets? Yep, The Beast
What did you want to be when you were little? I had four aspirations: archaeologist, astronaut, actress, helicopter pilot
Favorite candy bar? Twix
Ever been toilet papering? Yes, only once, at Kerry Kelleher’s slumber party in fifth or sixth grade.
Favorite day of the week? Saturday
Favorite ice cream? Ben & Jerry’s Brownie Batter
Favorite fast food restaurant? Seriously, it’s McDonald’s
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? As of today, J. Crew
What are you listening to right now? Shuffling through the iPod, but the last song was Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”
Lake, ocean or river? Always the ocean; preferably, in Hawaii
All-time favorite concert? Gotta say, it would be U2 with Sarah this year

She's just not that into it

So I've been trying to figure out my total and complete apathy towards the Grammys. I talked it through with Sarah this morning, and have come to a, perhaps shortsighted, realization: I like the music I like, dig the artists that I dig, and don't allow time, interest or patience for the music and artists that just don't do anything for me. That's not to say that I don't like a specific genre, because there are good artists with music I've liked in every musical genre. Last night, I enjoyed seeing LL Cool J, Sly Stone and Linkin Park as much as I enjoyed Madonna, U2, Paul McCartney and Kelly Clarkson. The difference, I think, is that music, for everyone, is such a personal love-hate choice. We love some acts and songs, dig videos and tend to appreciate brilliance, but also are able to change the radio station every time a song or artist comes on that we don't like. The ability to dislike an artist or song is easy to adopt, since nothing's simpler than pushing a radio button. And because of those artists that do nothing for me, I have little interest in seeing them winning awards, thanking their agents and God, and performing on national television. (Of course, full disclosure demands that I tell you that I did flip between the awards show and every other channel on TV, just so I could see the bands, songs and singers that I like.)
Now, to turn it all grade school on you, I loved that U2 won so many awards, and, during the televised portion, Mariah was empty-handed.

The anti-Grammy

I should be watching the Grammys right now. Tonight, Brian and I sat down to watch The Legend of Zorro, and I completely spaced on the Grammys, until Sarah texted me about U2's performance on the show. So apparently, I missed U2, Madonna and Kelly Clarkson. Damn. I suck.
My punishment for missing the first 90 minutes of the show was to be stuck watching Mariah sing into her sparkly microphone. I wish I could get into this, but I just can't.
Brian's playing a videogame, so I can't even watch Lost. I guess I'll head back into the bedroom and make myself sit through the rest of this show; but knowing that there's another 90 minutes to go will make it a lot harder to tolerate. What's wrong with me? No idea...

Six-item lunch special

ITEM!: This is the kind of Vanity Fair attention-getting that I'm looking for. A while ago, I wrote about Vanity Fair's cover model, Lindsay Lohan, and how I felt the magazine was turning into a gossip rag for showcasing more "celebutante" than "celebrity." The magazine's Oscar issue is always a good one, with clever, beautifully photographed, star-studded cover art. This year's issue is no exception to that rule, featuring a nude Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson posing with Tom Ford, that month's guest artistic director. For the first time in a couple months, I'm excited to get my issue of the magazine.
ITEM!: Have you seen the ads for the new Kissables candy available from Hershey? They're little Hershey kisses covered in a candy shell in the shape of a little kiss. They're tiny, and super cute, yes? Alice shared some with me the other day, and I'll give you my opinion: Aside from them being a blatant rip-off of the M&M in a new shape, they were yummy, and a new fun candy to dig in to. I recommend.
ITEM!: The Grammy Awards are on tonight, and I'm conflicted as to whether I want to watch or not. Pros: U2, of course; Madonna; unscripted hijinks; watching Mariah Carey lose; something to write about in tomorrow's blog. Cons: Jamie Foxx singing ... again; watching Mariah perform; Bruce Springsteen; everyone thanking God for their talent and award recognition; having to regurgitate it in tomorrow's blog. Good points on both sides. We'll see where the evening takes us, I guess.
ITEM!: I admit to being sucked into Grey's Anatomy, thanks to all the ads for the show during the Super Bowl. I'll be on board Sunday for the second half of the "Code Black" episode. I'm not sure if I hope it will be just as good so I enjoy the show, or worse so I don't have to add another television show to my already jam-packed evening schedule, but I'll keep you posted.
ITEM!: Brian and I aren't sure yet how much time we're willing to devote to the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. We watched, with interest, the commercials during our hour of Scrubs last night, and discussed the toll such a commitment may take on our already bustling lifestyle. While there was no absolute resolution, we did have kind comments about Apolo Anton Ohno from the last Olympics; recognition of the female snowboarding competitor from the documentary we saw months ago; and a "how are snowboarding and luge real sports" conversation. I suppose that's encouragement enough for our inevitable burst of patriotism next week.
ITEM!: John Corbett, actor from Sex and the City, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Northern Exposure, has released a country album. As of now, he says he'll stick with music as his day job, but hasn't ruled out acting again, especially if the project is right. That's good news, because really, I can't wait for a sequel to Raising Helen.

More new animals

In my continuing quest to keep you all abreast of new animals being discovered throughout the world, I bring you a picture of a new frog. New species of frogs, butterflies, plants, and yes, even a mammal or two, were discovered in an isolated Indonesian province by scientists exploring the remote jungle.
The expedition to Papua on the western side of New Guinea island was organized by the U.S.-based environmental organization Conservation International and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.
The scientists said they discovered 20 frog species — including a tiny microhylid frog less than a half inch long — four new butterfly species and at least five new types of palms. One of the most remarkable discoveries was the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, an arboreal jungle-dweller new for Indonesia and previously thought to have been hunted to near extinction; and a new honeyeater bird, which has a bright orange face-patch with a pendant wattle under each eye, said Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the trip. Read the AP article: click here.

Hyperlinks

Everyday, it seems, I learn something new about the blogosphere: Alice just taught me how to create a hyperlink in the text of the blog. (Actually, she taught me how to do it on the magazine's Web page, but we both really knew why I was interested in learning it.) This is not "new" news to blogs, completely on the contrary, but I just learned how to do it, so now, if you can believe it, It's all about... will be even more interactive!
And just for being such good little puppies while I learn something new, check this out about the next Harry Potter movie. (Hee, hee! You see how it works?! This is AWESOME!)

The ads have it

That's twice so far that I've been scooped by my blog readers: once by Tara over the Golden Globes, and this morning, by Amy, who wanted to know my take on the commercials during last night's Super Bowl. It was my intention to dive into the ads this morning, after doing some more research, and give you my opinion.
And to kick it off, we've got this from Amy: I pick either the Ameriquest one with the lady on the plane or the Bud magic fridge! G picked Benny Hill; and D picked the monkeys working in the office.
My preference, and the first to have B and I laugh out loud was Bud Light's "magic fridge," and the revolving wall. Brilliant, with just the right amount of guy humor, but still broad enough to appeal to everyone. Another one of my faves was the small Clydesdale trying to pull the Budweiser carriage, and the big horses behind pushing, though he didn't know it. Brian dug the Sierra Mist airport security "beeping;" the touch football game where the guy tackles the hot girl; the FedEx cavemen; and of course, GoDaddy.com's breaking tanktop strap. Others that made me giggle: hiding beer in the office walls; the sheep streaking the game; MacGyver; and Kermit's new Escape Hybrid (above, and I'll be checking it out online today).
Some that we didn't dig at all: the Overstock ad (I don't know why, but I hate those ads. So cheesy and breathy); monkeys; Fabio; the Whopperettes and their musical show, yikes (left); Diet Pepsi as talent; Boomer's play-by-play on The Shaggy Dog; and the Escalade on the catwalk.
Movie promotions; razor ads; ESPN phones; and Sharpie ads were fine, but nothing that we wouldn't expect to see during some other event. There was just a lack of huge, big, mega-magic in this year's ads. Notice that there were no erectile dysfunction ads, too, which is good, and minimal toilet humor and boobs. I was really pleased by Dove's self-esteem ad, too (above left), and hope that the spot's positive reaction may actually convince the ad companies that it's not just guys who watch the game.

Super Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and B and I are getting ready for our hours of pre-game analysis; stocking up on snacks; and preparing our butts for the sofa time. There's a certain beauty to not caring which team wins the Super Bowl, and though most New Englanders haven't felt it in a while, I think they could learn to appreciate it, too. It's just so much simpler to only be interested in seeing a good football game.
I dig watching football. It's like the last bastion of true male competitiveness, where the strong, swift and intelligent survive. Football players are among the last true warriors. They depend on their own physical strengths, and capitalize on their competitors' weaknesses. They compete in every kind of weather, any time of year. (My favorite football visual is the two opposing teams lining up over the line of scrimmage, in cold weather, and you can see the players' breath as they prepare for the play. It's so frickin' masculine that it's almost a turn-on. They're all, "Grrrrrr. I'm gonna tear you up.")
The Super Bowl is something special though, as it's for all the marbles, bragging rights, and swagger that the league has to give out, and the players show it in every run, catch, touchdown celebration and tackle. There's no messing around that this is the biggest game of the year.
What? You want to know if I have a pick for who'll take home the Lombardi trophy this evening? My heart tells me that it would be nice to see Seattle win for the first time in team history, but my head says that Pittsburgh has the momentum, and experience, to take it all. So I guess that's my pick: Seattle should win, but the Steelers will. (All predictions subject to editing throughout the game.)

It's the breeze, baby

I was catching up on my My Yahoo! page today, and decided to dig a little deeper into the site's Ask Yahoo! page. Guess what I found! An almost-answer to one of life's big mysteries and an explanation into one of Oliver's greatest enjoyments.
Dear Yahoo!:
Why do dogs love to stick their heads out of car windows?
Everyone has witnessed the rapturous joy dogs experience while sticking their heads out of car windows. Amazingly, we couldn't find any scholarly research to explain the behavior. Here are three theories we came up with...
1. The sensation of a brisk wind against your face carrying with it scents and fast-moving sights is appealing to many humans. So imagine speeding against the wind with the ability to sniff up to a million times better and to perceive movement at a much quicker pace.
2. Everyone wants a better view. Dogs are no different.
3. Dogs sense what every teen instinctively knows: it's inherently cooler to travel on wheels than by foot.
Of course, most vets and animal peeps say that such an activity is bad for the dog, i.e., potentially dangerous to their eyes and ears (infections from dirt, bacteria and the like), and maybe fatal (you know, falling out and everything). In theory, Brian and I have solved both these problems by allowing the open-window fun only when someone's in the passenger seat to hold him, and by purchasing the always-popular "Doggie Goggles," to protect his eyes.
However, Oliver's such an effective whiner that we crack the window even when it's just him in the seat; and he refuses to wear the goggles at all, so he's allowed to stick his head out without them. We argue against the practice, but Ollie tells us that this is what all the popular dogs are doing, and that he'll be able to pick up better-looking bitches if he cools in the window minus the dorky shades.

Groundhog Day

I love that this old-wives' tale still has the legs to be considered a truthful indication to the next few weeks of a season. According to Punxsutawney Phil, and his uncanny ability to see his shadow this morning, I'm told that we will endure six more weeks of winter.
This blurb from the AP, who was there to report on the event:
"It's been really wonderful. This is just a ball. I'm having so much fun," said Nancy Durr, who came from Paxton, Neb., to the small western Pennsylvania town about 65 miles north of Pittsburgh to celebrate her 50th birthday. She had been outside awaiting Phil's arrival since about 2:15 a.m., a rub-on Punxsutawney Phil tattoo on each cheek.
...
Each Feb. 2, thousands of people descend on Punxsutawney for a little midwinter revelry, celebrating what had essentially been a German superstition. The Germans believed that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.
According to the Groundhog Club, Phil has now seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 14 times and there are no records for nine years. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.

Yet another bad choice

I'd never deny my love and appreciation for the Britney, but I'm beginning to think we need to start classifying her as we do "young Elvis" and "Elvis: the Vegas years." Who didn't fall for the pretty blond when she was rocking out to "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops...I Did It Again"? Even when she started going a bit raunchy with "I'm a Slave 4 U" and, yes, I do dig the song, 'Toxic." I loved that she and Madonna did a slightly disturbing video together. I love that she was all, "I'm a virgin," and wasn't. I love that she was playing the Southern-girl sex-puppet thing with aplomb. (Not a word I use lightly, I'll tell you.)
But then, we suffer through the last few years: The ill-fated marriage in Vegas that lasted 55 hours or so. The rerun Mix CD last year that no one bought because no one knew about it. And finally, and perhaps more damning to her state of mind, the Kevin Federline debacle. This includes, but is not limited to: cheesy music videos; photo ops in trucker hats; smoking like a chimney; um... Chaotic; leaving a pregnant mother in the lurch; "PopoZao" and a rap career; barefoot in a gas station bathroom; and amazing staying power on Go Fug Yourself.
But this latest decision, to guest star on Will and Grace, the show that entices and tosses more guest stars per season than ... well, I can't think of any other show that even comes close. I know that Madonna did it, but her character was stupid. Actually, all the big-ticket celebrity guest star characters are pretty stupid ... and over-the-top ... and, more times than not, entirely outside the realm of the show. Rumor has it that they're teasing Britney's background by casting her as a Christian conservative who will co-host Jack's gay-themed television show/station. Huh.
I'm pretty sure that this whole thing will end badly.

February avatar

I've decided that this avatar thing is going to be in a constant state of flux: shifting and changing from month to month based on the events planned for me during that time. Two constants, at this point, will be the ponytails and Oliver (whether or not he's directly involved in the event or activity the avatar is endorsing).
So here's February '06...

But he's huge in Germany

Dudes, the Hoff is hooked on a feeling.

"Strong, and will be stronger..."

In this day and age, when information travels faster than the speed of the Internet, there aren't too many people who don't know the state of our union every day. The annual speech, therefore, has become more of a good-intentions initiative, where the president, no matter the party, has the floor and their countrymen's attention undivided and uninterrupted, to share ideas and plans for the coming year. Brian and I did watch last night's State of the Union address, and in so doing, I came up with a fun tally. Here's the State of the Union, by the numbers:
40 -- standing ovations (including 1 from the Dems, who celebrated the failure of the Social Security initiative)
29 -- "spontaneous" displays of applause
16 -- veiled (or not so much) smacks to the opposing political party
15 -- times we heard " 'Merica"
14 -- references to the enemies of freedom
14 -- smirks (including 1 accompanied by a wink)
11 -- obvious intentions to tug on heartstrings
10 -- references to the greatness of democracy
8 -- implications of force against someone who doesn't do what he says
7 -- verbal dodges of anything bad going on in Iraq
4 -- references to God, the Almighty or something along those lines
3 -- new commissions that will solve nothing and cost us in taxpayer money
3 -- slams against gay marriage (including 1 comment about "activist judges")
3 -- anti-abortion comments
2 -- mentions of Sept. 11, 2001
1 -- incidents of trying to shame government officials and citizens for engaging in debate
1 -- mentions of New Orleans, Mississippi, Alabama, and the hurricanes (that's it for one of the largest natural disasters to hit the country?)
1 -- finger wag at the Dems in the hall
1 -- wimpy wave at the end
And finally, my favorite: 2 -- more years of listening to this yahoo.