To Watch or Not To Watch?

That is my question for the day. Tonight marks the premiere of the latest season of America's Next Top Model. I don't usually do reality TV, but this show is a guilty pleasure. I watched seasons 3-6 and liked them (although my personal pick never won). It's just something about these young girls and the (faux) glamour of being a beautiful model. I skipped last season, so I am trying to decide if I should jump back on tonight.

The problem is that I watch very little TV. I watch two shows right now - Bones and Scrubs. So, wouldn't you know, ANTM comes up at the exact same time as Bones. I do not watch TV for 19 1/2 other prime time hours, and it has to be scheduled at the same time! Bones will not be on tonight (due to an extended American Idol), so should I watch or not? Guess we will know if about 7 hours!!

Thinking about vacation

This time of year rolls around, and I start thinking about vacation. I guess it is the long winter months and coming off of the holidays that makes me think of my next time off. I am also an obsessive/compulsive planner. I want to know what is going on, and when it will happen. So, I am researching a variety of different vacation alternatives.

I think my top choice is a cruise. You get so much bang for your buck with a cruise. You get to enjoy the benefit of changing scenery and exotic locales without moving your clothes. My current obsession is a Bermuda cruise. I found two today that seem promising. One is a 5 day cruise from Baltimore (very easy drive), the other is a 7 day cruise from Philadelphia. I'm liking the Baltimore idea because we could spend an extra day there, and I have never been. I do wonder, however, if a 5 day cruise will be enough. But will 7 be too long? A seven day cruise means 4 days in Bermuda. Will that be too much? Too many choices!

There is always a different location. I was looking at Yellowstone. Those brochures make me tired - there is so much driving involved. Then there is the whole rustic/camp thing. Let's face it - I'm a girl who likes to be pampered.

Maybe Montreal? We have been talking about that for a few years. I have never been to Canada.

Well, there will be no decisions today. The saga will continue...

I guess I shouldn't be too upset - Boston is already booked for June! But, do family visits (even to a really cool city) actually count as vacation?

Oh, Oscar!!

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the year - Oscar Night. Yes, I watched the entire, nearly 4 hours, show. I am very tired today. I think the main reason I love to Oscars so much is that I love to see the gowns. My personal favorites of the 2007 Oscars - Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, Helen Mirren, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Worst dresses - the magnificent Meryl Streep. Sadly, she did not channel Miranda from "The Devil Wears Prada." It looked more like she dressed for "Kramer vs. Kramer." Thank goodness she is a brilliant actress!

Cate was gorgeous in an Armani Prive gown in gray. Reese was stunning in a blue strapless Nina Ricci. If only I have an event (and a body) that I could dress up in a gorgeous gown!

I though the show overall was pretty good. Ellen was a great host - funny, but not over the top. I thought the speeches were good, particularly Forrest Whittaker's moving monologue about achieving dreams. And Martin Scorsese! I was so glad to see him win and to see "The Departed" take home the big award (Diane Keaton looked fab giving out the Best Picture Award). I liked the surprises, too. I still can't believe Alan Arkin won, "Pan's Labyrinth" did not, and Melissa Etheridge beat out the Dreamgirls. Course, I was glad to see Melissa take the statue.

So, tonight I will watch "Fashion Police" on E! to see all the gorgeous people once again and hear the great trash talk from Debbie, Mr. Jay, and Miss Jay! I can't wait!

Much ado about Babel

We saw "Babel" last night, and it just does not compare to "The Departed." I need to change my vote on the Oscars website. It was trying too hard to be an international "Crash", but it did not work for me. It was a bit too slow. Still, Brad Pitt was hot! Too bad he didn't get more screen time.

Week's Update

Well, I haven't been able to write much this week, so here's what has been going on in my life:

1. We rented "The Departed." It was a wonderful film with great acting. I enjoyed the plot twists - it kept me guessing. It was violent, but, to me at least, the violence was in context. It made sense to the plot. We will see "Babel" tonight. I wanted to see all the Best Picture nominees before Oscar night, but I will not be able to see "The Queen" or "Letters from Iwo Jima" in time.

2. We went to our second play in the series, "The Light in the Piazza." It was good, but not as much fun as "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." I am looking forward to the next one.

3. Finally, finally finished the stupid newsletter!! I took it to the printer this morning. I thought I would be done Wednesday night, but I could not save the files to our flash drive. I freaked out. It turns out that our drive was too small, so we bought a bigger one (to be expensed) last night. So many problems with the whole thing, but now it is complete. Of course, I have to start on April next week!!

4. We went to a triathlon seminar last night. It was very interesting to hear all the tips and tricks from people who have competed and completed events. Bill will participate in his first triathlon in August. I will do my first one probably when pigs can fly.

5. Brittany is still a freak. Stay in rehab, girl!

Gotta love President's Day!

My company has a unique employee benefit. We get two floating holidays a year. A floating holiday, per se, is not unique, but the way it is handled here is. You have to pick which 2 days you will take at the beginning of each year. They give you a list of minor holidays, but you can choose any day of the year you would like. I chose President's Day and Columbus Day. It was great to be able to have the whole day to myself on Monday. Guess what I did? Shopping, of course!!

I went grocery shopping in the morning, them straight to the nearest mall. I got some great shoes at my mecca, Nordstrom, and purchased some cute clothes at Express. I used all my coupons to get good deals from Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret (the tiniest string thongs you have ever seen, but it was free!). I met my wonderful husband for lunch, then went to two other shopping centers. I also shopped online (Banana Republic - mecca #2- was having a great sale, but I couldn't find my sizes in the store). That's a great day for me - unlimited shopping in sparsely crowded malls!!

I can't wait until October 8 for my next floating holiday!!

News Alert-Transformation to Complete Freak is Done

Need I say more?

Courtesy of People.com

Had a Good Day...

I did not spill my coffee or break a shoelace as the song states. Anyway, Valentine's Day was really good. Bill and I went to a restaurant we had never been to before last night. It is a small place in a strip mall, but had very good Italian food and a romantic atmosphere. I really enjoyed Bella Monica. Of course, my date was fantastic. Bill had their special garlic soup and lasagna, I had the salad and lobster ravioli which was shaped like hearts for the occasion. We each had a glass of wine and shared a flour less chocolate cake for dessert. It was a delicious dinner.

After dinner, we went briefly to the mall. What a better way to spend the evening than a dinner with my guy and the mall!! I got a great dress from Banana (on sale!) for the spring. Now, I just need a new pair of cream shoes to make the look complete...

When we got home, Bill surprised me with a gift card to a spa (Yeah - pedicure!!) and as wonderfully sweet card with a handwritten note (my guys is very good with words). I gave him a bottle dryer to go with his beer kit. Not romantic, but he did like it. All in all, I had a good day...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Happy Valentine's Day to All!! We had a little party at work today. Last week, each person drew a name from a hat, then had to write something nice about that person to be shown in a Powerpoint presentation today. Here is what mine says:

"Although I don't know my valentine very well yet, I have heard that she immediately jumped in and started helping the M**-** Team. My experience is that she is friendly, pleasant, and always has a smile for me. She is just the right person for M**-** and I'm sure she'll be great help to the company and a fun person to work with!"

I'm happy!

It's good to have friends

I have been trying to get on this website to blog, but had problems all day yesterday. So, finally, I can talk about my weekend and beyond.

Saturday was a day of working on the JL newsletter and finally finishing the first draft. After that first, we had another first - our first Supper Club. Three couples met at a local restaurant for out first outing. It was great fun. Our friends are very interesting and we found some previously unknown links. It was great to hang out with everyone. The three ladies in the group all met through an interior design class we took last year. Since then, Janet and I have taken 2 other classes together, and I convinced Urvi to join The League. Now, we share Supper Club as well. I love that we can still do things and have fun.

Janet and I went to an interior design seminar Monday night at a local design group. It was interesting to hear a professional talk about design. One of the biggest points was that design is everywhere - it is present in the way you dress and the way you arrange food on a plate. I like that thought.

I just wish I had a few more friends on the newsletter committee. The President sent back her thoughts today. I feel like she tore my baby into shreds. I no longer have plans for Saturday. I was so proud when I sent it out. Now, I am back to the drawing board. The last draft took about 10 hours and 1/2 gallon of tears. I hope to make the revisions in half the time without tears.

Things are not so bad...

I have to say that I am a panic-er. When something is given to me to do and I am not quite sure how to handle it, I go into a panic. I have been doing this same thing for quite some time. I freak out and panic, yet I always find a way to complete the task. Here's a prime example:

I freaked out about my committee leaving the publication of our newsletter to me. I sent e-mails to the powers that be about needing help. They put a special agenda item in the meeting on Wednesday to get help. I felt like a idiot. I have already done 3/4 of the newsletter by myself. It really wasn't hard, just time consuming. I panicked, and now I look stupid because I don't need help anymore. The newsletter looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I guess I should have more faith in my own abilities.

Live Music

Last night, Bill and I went to The Lincoln Theater in Raleigh to hear some live music. The venue was great. It is a small place, but very comfortable. There are seats near the stage, and plenty of room for standing (we had to stand). There are a series of short walls where one can lean, so it wasn't bad to stand. There is no smoking downstairs which was great for us. We saw Crosby Loggins (son of Kenny Loggins) as the opening act. He was pretty good. There were only 3 members of the band. Crosby plays guitar while two other guys played a violin and a box, respectively. Yes, I wrote a box. The guy sat of a music box and played it with his hands. It served as the percussion. It is a real instrument. The main act was Joe Bonamassa. He is a bluesy rock guitarist who sings. I have to say, he is the best guitar player I have ever seen. He made amazing sounds. I have never seen anyone play so quickly. He was accompanied by a bassist and a drummer (who was amazing as well). If they are heading to a city near you, I would recommend seeing them live.

PS - We had dinner at the Flying Saucer and I added 2 beers to my tally. I now have 15 beers out of my 200!

Dirty and Rotten

Last night, we went to see the first play in our 4 pack of season tickets. We saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We were way, way up in the balcony. While we couldn't see the actors faces and expressions, we sure could hear everything. The music was great. Each and every actor in the play has a wonderful singing voice. It was truly a pleasure to hear everyone, ever if we couldn't see them well.

It is interesting that there is a musical solely based on a movie. I thought the movie was great, but I would have never thought it would work as a musical. It does. It is just as funny and charming as the original movie. So, if the tour is coming near you, be sure to have a Dirty, Rotten night at the theater.