My TV and the life that revolves around it

It’s been a while since I’ve written on my blog. I suppose this is because things have been kind of busy… And the thing is, it’s mostly TV and reading that have been keeping me busy. For a while there after I first moved out on my own, I debated what I wanted to fill my life doing. And now that I’ve completely fallen in love with TV, I’ve actually got a schedule going every week. Here is my TV viewing schedule for the fall, or as of this week anyway:

Mondays

• 12:15 a.m. – Tim and Eric. OK so I have to admit I am DVRing this for the boy, but occasionally I will an episode or two.
• 8 p.m. – Gossip Girl, Dancing with the Stars. So far, not impressed with Gossip Girl, and it’s actually kind of getting on my nerves. I’ll probably continue to watch this season but after the kids go to college, it always gets bad. Dancing with the Stars is unfortunately the show I put on the back burner to watch later. I can usually watch the 2-hour shows in an hour or less. That’s not saying a whole lot about the show itself.
• 9 p.m. – Heroes – yes, I’m actually trying to give it a shot even though last season was such a disaster.
• 11 p.m. – Daily Show
• 11:30 p.m. – Colbert Report

Tuesday

• 8 p.m. – 90210. Don’t ask why I am continuing to watch this show. It’s not very good.
• 9 p.m. – Dancing with the Stars, Privileged. Again, Dancing is on the backburner because I absolutely LOVE Priviliged. It’s a fun, smart and cute show, and I absolutely love Joanna Garcia!
• 10 p.m. – The Rachel Zoe Project. Why do I continue to care and watch this show about Rachel Zoe. I gotta be honest, I’ve heard her name but didn’t really know who she was until I started to watch this show. I hate her assistant, the blonde one, the one everyone will hate after watching the show.
• 11 p.m. – Daily Show
• 11:30 p.m. – Colbert Report
• 11:40 p.m. – Gavin and Stacey. I absolutely love this show and love that the BBC repeats it at a later time because it’d be hard to catch otherwise!

Wednesday

• 8 p.m. – America’s Next Top Model, Pushing Daisies. ANTM is sooo cheesy. While the show is an hour long, I wait until 9 p.m. to watch it because it will take me about 25 minutes to watch the whole show. I’ve never seen Pushing Daisies, but I’m DVRing until I can catch up on Season 1 on DVD, which I’m getting on my Netflix next!
• 9 p.m. – Project Runway. I love love love Project Runway and hate that it’s taken me so long to get into the show.
• 10 p.m. – Top Design. I’m learning to like this show but there are a lot of people on the show that honestly don’t deserve to be on it. If I had a budget like that, I could probably do just as well on some of those designs as others on the show.
• 11 p.m. – Daily Show
• 11:30 p.m. – Colbert Report

Thursday

• 8 p.m – My Name Is Earl. So far, so good – off to a good season!
• 9 p.m. – The Office, Kitchen Nightmares, but this week, it will be the VP debate. Last week’s office was so great, so I am sad it won’t be on this week. But I guess the VP debate will suffice. I am also looking forward to the return of 30 Rock, easily one of my all-time favorite shows on TV.
• 11 p.m. – Daily Show
• 11:30 p.m. – Colbert Report
• Friday
• 10 p.m. – The Soup, and Best Week Ever when it’s on. I don’t understand the schedule behind Best Week Ever. It’s on one week and off the next. What gives? I used to prefer Best Week Ever over the Soup, but now I’m definitely leaning toward The Soup more.
• 11 p.m. – Daily Show
• 11:30 p.m. – Colbert Report

Saturday

• 9 p.m. – Chuck. I’m bummed that I have to DVR Chuck on a Saturday because it comes on the same time as Dancing with the Stars and Gossip Girl. Why can’t they just move Dancing with the Stars to a 9 p.m. time slot on Mondays? I hope that Gossip Girl starts airing on Sundays again soon though so I can record Chuck on Mondays. I think I’d rather watch Chuck than Gossip Girl. This week just didn’t have a repeat for Gossip Girl.
• 11:30 p.m. – SNL. OK, I’ve DVRed this two weeks in a roll now and not watched it yet. Maybe I should stop DVRing in hopes that I will eventually watch it. Probably is not going to happen.

Sunday

• 8 p.m. – The Simpsons
• 8:30 p.m. – King of the Hill
• 9 p.m. – Family Guy, I Love Money. Yes, it’s the finale to I Love Money. And yes, I know it’s an absolutely awful show full of scheming, manipulative losers… But it’s fun to watch when ironing and doing other household chores.
• 9:30 p.m. – American Dad
• 10 p.m. – Skins, Mad Men. These two have to be two of my favorite shows of the summer and fall. I can’t wait to see how both unfold.

Now that I’m looking back at it, I can’t believe I watch SO much TV! I honestly don't want to think about it! Yikes! Well, don’t worry. I mean I’m not only TV’d up. I’ve actually been getting a few books in. In fact, I just finished 3 books from the Philip Pullman “Golden Compass” series and I’m currently reading the third part to the “Twilight Saga.” And movies, the most recent one I saw was “Choke,” so I’m still getting those in too. Arg, can you believe this is my life? Good times!

Football to come to UNC Charlotte?

Dubois: Add football in 2013 – if boosters will pay
UNC Charlotte Chancellor suggests 6-month campaign to raise $5 million with $1,000 seat licences
By David Perlmuttdperlmutt@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2008

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phil Dubois recommended to university trustees this morning that UNCC suit up a football team by 2013, but punted to boosters and other football supporters to raise $5 million in six months to help pay for a $45.3 million stadium complex.

As expected, the trustees took no action, but will vote on Dubois' recommendation – including the lofty benchmarks to gauge public support -- at their Nov. 13 meeting.

Dubois made his recommendation during a trustees meeting, telling the crowd, "I believe this is the time when there's white smoke coming from the chimney," referring to the signal given by Roman Catholic cardinals when they select a Pope.

Dubois' announcement then received extended applause, some of it apparently coming from trustees.

A huge hurdle would be raising the $5 million through non-transferable seat licenses -- he calls them Forty-Niner Seat Licenses -- at a time when the economy continues to sour. Dubois proposed selling 5,000 licenses for $1,000 just for the right to buy season tickets.

He said trustees could extend his six-month deadline to nine months, or a year.

"The people who say they want football, now have to help pay for it," Dubois said in an interview with Observer reporters. "The surest way to demonstrate you're willing to pay is to put out a tangible amount of money that shows that support.

"Let's not wait for some long period of agony to decide if the support's going to be there. Let's decide now. And if it is, then we'll go forward."

If not? "Then it goes away."

He said UNC Charlotte athletics director Judy Rose is confident the money can be raised.
To pay for football, Dubois put less of a burden on students than what was proposed by a football feasibility committee.

That committee recommended student fees increase by $300 per year, or $150 each semester, phased in over the next four years.

Under Dubois' plan students would pay $25 each semester in 2010, $50 a semester in 2011 and 2012, and $100 each semester in 2013, when the team would start playing.

The $200, or a 1.4 percent increase in student fees, is "consistent with the amount that the vast majority of students ... indicated that they would be comfortable paying for a football program," he told trustees.

Dubois said he's heard concerns about raising fees from adult night students and graduate students.

"We have an obligation to consider that education is expensive, and we have an obligation to help them get their college degrees," he said.

Dubois proposed that a team start playing in a Division 1-AA conference "for the foreseeable future," and not set a timetable to elevate the program to Division 1-A by 2016, as recommended by the feasibility committee.

"You have to build a solid program with a solid fan base," he told the Observer. "If you want to move to Division 1-A by Day X, you'd never be admitted to a Division 1-AA conference because no one would want you."

To satisfy federal Title IX regulations, UNC Charlotte would introduce three women's sports: Lacrosse in 2016; field hockey in 2019 and swimming or another third sport in 2023.

Dubois said he'd prefer an on-campus expandable stadium, starting with 12,000 seats, near the light rail that is scheduled to be extended to UNCC by 2015. The $45.3 million complex would include a sports building with offices for coaches, locker rooms and practice fields.

Football, he said, is part of the university's long-term strategy for growth. The Charlotte campus is expected to enroll 35,000 students by 2020.

Other research universities that size play football, he said.

Yet in making his recommendation, Dubois said he doubts a football team would bring significant private donations, or draw higher quality students, or that a team would open a floodgate of private donations.

"There is nothing in our institutional history or in our alumni profile that suggests that our coffers will be filled by gridiron gold," Dubois told trustees.

Football, he said, would "enrich the student experience," boost school spirit and create a stronger bond between students and school -- a key ingredient "in helping a student persist to achieve his or her academic degree."

It would also give the Charlotte region "ownership" in UNCC.

"Like it or not, athletics have a lot to do with capturing the public's imagination about public institutions," he told the Observer. "I would like to think that the public is fascinated with our research and public service. Sometimes it is. But athletics opens doors for research partnerships -- for student internships. It gets the public to pay attention to ... your academic enterprise.

"Getting Charlotte and the Charlotte region to own this institution, I believe, will be enhanced by football."

Dubois said he's a football fan, but likes basketball more. Yet football, he said, has consumed 80 percent of his work at UNCC the past six months.

If his recommendation is approved, it will be up to Rose and her department to raise money and field a team.

"I've done my part," he said. "I have other responsibilities and I intend to get back to them."

Read the article here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/104/story/199771.html

Advertising on School Buses

Wow, looks like you can REALLY advertise on anything! Read this article from Advertising Age.

Strapped for Cash, Schools Eye Bus Ads
Several Michigan Districts in Talks to Accept Ads on Kids' Transportation
By Emily Bryson York

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- In addition to the usual yakking, fighting, kvetching and comparing of lunches, kids on Michigan school buses may soon be gawking at ads. A number of the state's cash-strapped school districts are in talks with marketing groups to broker deals to sell ads on buses.

"Times are hard," said Mike Gwizdala, director-transportation at Bay City public schools.
"The fuel prices are definitely affecting all transportation, whether it's a school bus or a metro bus. It's definitely having an effect on a lot of people, and school districts are in that boat."

Terry Prewitt, executive director-financial services at Saginaw public schools, said he's reviewing several vendor proposals. He added that any ads would have to be "age-appropriate" and "subject-appropriate." Saginaw transports nearly 1,000 children every week. The vast majority of them are under age 12.

It is illegal to advertise on the outside of school buses in Michigan. Any ads must be placed inside.

Mike Eichhorn, president of Crossroads Marketing & Consulting in Davison, Mich., is one of the vendors competing for the Saginaw contract. He hopes to score business with major national advertisers by creating a cooperative of Michigan school districts. He also has had discussions with representatives of Bay City and Goodrich public schools and is meeting with Detroit public school representatives this week.

Precedents
As a father of three, Mr. Eichhorn added that he is sensitive to parents' concerns about advertising to kids. He said he was surprised to see an ad for Tyson chicken and a Pepsi machine in the lunchroom when he recently dropped off his 6-year-old.

Michigan school districts have tried school-bus ads in the past, but the returns were disappointing. A spokeswoman for Michigan's Ypsilanti public schools said the district discontinued its advertising program because "it was not as successful as we had hoped." The district partnered with a credit union, a health center and a cellphone provider.

School-bus advertising has sprung up in other areas as well. Cherry Creek public schools in Colorado brought in $54,000 in bus-ad revenue last year. That was a little short of projections, said district spokeswoman Tustin Amole. The money was used to purchase GPS's and cameras for the buses.

Cherry Creek's major advertisers include local TV stations, recreational centers and even the U.S. Army. Ms. Amole said the school district avoids "junk food and other kinds of advertising," and that there have been no parental complaints since the program started in 2006. The ads, however, are on the outside of buses, not the inside.

Advertising to children, particularly in a captive environment, remains a thorny issue, especially considering pledges among food marketers blamed for America's obesity epidemic to limit marketing unhealthful food to children. The South Carolina School Board banned school-bus ads last week, and any measure undertaken in Michigan is likely to be controversial.

"Advertising on school buses exploits a powerful symbol of education and subverts parental authority by making exposure to brands compulsory," Josh Golin, associate director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, wrote in an e-mail.

Read the article here at Advertising Age, too.

Not-quite-so-thin is in for models at Fashion Week

This headline caught me off guard and kind of excited me about the changing face of the modeling industry... And then I read the article.

Not-quite-so-thin is in for models at Fashion Week
By MEGAN K. SCOTT, Associated Press Writer

If model thin is always in, at least there were fewer protruding collar bones and ribs to be counted at New York Fashion Week.

Models were up to sizes 2 and 4 — not 0, according to Nian Fish, chair of a fashion designers health initiative. Designers rejected prepubescent 13-year-olds. And at least one super-thin model who had the audience talking a few seasons ago was noticeably absent.

"I think a lot of the direction from the designers has been a much healthier approach," said James Aguiar, co-host of Ultra HD's "Full Frontal Fashion," who noticed more curves and smiles on the runway.

Avril Graham, executive fashion and beauty editor at Harper's Bazaar, also saw a healthier look and more diversity: "We're obviously going through a season of a less cookie cutter look."

That is a small relief to those who have brought attention to the cause of eating disorders in the fashion world, though many say there's a long way to go.

"I saw a few that looked better," said Finola Hughes, host of "How Do I Look?" on the Style Network. "I actually saw some breasts, which was great. But there was one show I went to and everyone looked really skinny."

The question of how thin is too thin has been tossed around since Kate Moss made her modeling debut 20 years ago, ushering in an era of "heroin chic." In 2006, at least two models died from complications linked to eating disorders, which prompted some in Europe to try to ban skinny models from the runway.

Efforts were more modest in the United States. The Council of Fashion Designers of America held workshops on eating disorders and recommended that designers keep models under 16 off the runway, offer healthier snacks backstage and require those identified as having an eating disorder to seek professional help if they want to continue modeling.

"I think there's progress," said Fish, creative consultant for KCD Worldwide, which produces fashion shows and events. "The girls are still slim. We didn't want them not to be slim. We wanted a projection of health."

Some critics consider the industry's efforts lacking because they still let skinny winnies rule the runways — while the models suffer to become walking hangers.

As a new model at 15, Coco Rocha said she went to Singapore and lost 10 pounds in six weeks. When she returned to the U.S. she was so obsessed with food, she beat herself up over eating an apple.

"I'll never forget the piece of advice I got from people in the industry when they saw my new body," she wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "They said, 'You need to lose more weight. The look this year is anorexia. We don't want you to be anorexic but that's what we want you to look like.'"

Rocha is one of the few models to speak out about the issue, even as ultra-thin models find their way into pro-anorexia "Thinspiration" videos. The question isn't just about model health; it's about who will win the hearts and minds of the teenagers and young girls who look up to them.
Young girls can now see more realistic shapes on television, from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to the plus-size winner on "America's Next Top Model." And models have largely disappeared from the covers of magazines, replaced by celebrities who generate their own is-she-too-thin headlines.

But that doesn't mean models aren't influencing girls and women.

Carol Weston, advice columnist for Girls' Life Magazine, said she gets letters from tween girls who want to models or are looking for weight-loss advice. Modeling "seems so glamorous," she said. She said many teenagers confess that they starve themselves, purge or use diet pills.
Eating disorders groups have recommended requiring adult models to have a body mass index of at least 18.5 — the lower limits of a normal weight — and an independent medical certification affirming that they do not suffer from an eating disorder.

"They do drug testing for sports. Why? To keep competition clean but hopefully also to save lives. That's what we want, too," said Lynn Grefe, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association.

But such measures are called Draconian by Dr. Susan Ice, a medical director for an eating disorders treatment center and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America health initiative.

For now, the goal is simply to raise awareness, said CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg.
"I think that it's a good thing to do it the way we're doing it as opposed to throwing those poor girls on a scale and terrifying them even more," she said.

Because of the initiative, some models were identified as having an eating disorder, referred for treatment and are back on the runways, Fish said. Some who didn't look healthy weren't used.
There has been some pressure for designers to increase their model size to a 6, but the designers prefer models whose modest curves don't compete with the clothes, Fish said. London recently dropped its plan to require medical exams for models because of a lack of international support.
"Thin is going to be the ruling look — until someone says, 'I want voluptuous,'" said Fish. "I don't know if that ever is going to come back."
__
AP Fashion Writer Samantha Critchell contributed to this report.

Come on! A size 2 or 4?

On another note, today the AP reported that Nicole Kidman was the most overpaid celebrity. Really? What has she been in lately? But I am excited for her reunion with Baz Luhrman for this fall's "Australia."

Sebastian

Dog who doesn't like to use the bathroom outside when it's raining gets raincoat.

The Bridge to Nowhere

I completely agree with this article from NPR's David Folkenflik. Oh, listen to the "liberal media."

Truth Squad: Palin On 'Bridge To Nowhere'
by David Folkenflik

Morning Edition, September 11, 2008 · Pretty much wherever she goes on the stump, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin tells voters she killed Alaska's now-infamous "bridge to nowhere" in portraying herself as an anti-pork-barrel reformer.

And yet, pretty much every time journalists have compared Palin's record to her rhetoric on that proposed bridge, they've called a foul. The results — whether from CBS News, USA Today, the Anchorage Daily News, NPR or some other outlet — have been remarkably consistent. The surprising thing is how little effect that journalistic fact-checking has had on the campaign trail.
"It is pretty striking that so many news organizations have looked into this independently and come to the same conclusion — that she didn't play that much of a role in ending the bridge," says Bill Adair of the St. Petersburg Times and the Web site PolitiFact.com. "And yet they continue to say it — day in and day out.

"I just hope the voters will stop to take the time to learn what's true and what's not — from us or from some other source — and then make their own judgment," Adair says.

'Thanks, But No Thanks'
Palin, the first-term governor of Alaska, usually offers up a formulation like the one she offered at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

"I told Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks, on that bridge to nowhere,' " she told cheering delegates. "If our state wanted to build a bridge, we were going to build it ourselves."

She has repeated it at campaign stops since, as recently as Wednesday, and the anecdote has become a key element of her political biography as the campaign of her running mate, Sen. John McCain, casts her as a reformer in his own image. McCain has consistently opposed projects that are funded through specific earmarks tucked into larger legislation.

"Whether it's killing the bridge to nowhere … or vetoing $500 million in government spending in Alaska over the last two years, she has earned and deserves the title of reformer of her state," says Ben Porritt, a spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign.

A Complicated Record
Palin's record, however, is more complicated. The bridge involved would have connected the small town of Ketchikan with a sparsely populated island that has an airport. The bridge would have also cost several hundred million dollars. It is true that as governor, in 2007, she announced the project was dead.

But, as McClatchy Newspapers political reporter Margaret Talev says, "She was for it before she was against it — and actively for it before she became actively against it." McClatchy owns the Anchorage Daily News, which has covered Palin's quick ascent in state politics thoroughly.
While running for governor in 2006, Palin said she supported federal funding for the bridge, and she praised the state's two senior lawmakers, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, who were promoting the project.

But it came under national fire, and as Stevens and Young became tainted, political support for the project ebbed. (Stevens is now facing federal charges in a political corruption trial. Both Stevens and Young are battling for re-election.)

Congress dropped the specific designation of the more than $200 million in federal funds for the bridge, instead releasing it for use for any Alaska projects. Palin wanted to direct the money to other projects that would prove less embarrassing. So, according to major news organizations that examined Palin's record, there was no "thanks, but no thanks" moment.

Last Rites For The Bridge
"Even in Alaska, there were a lot of people who were opposed to it. So it's not like she boldly stood up against it," says Adair of the St. Petersburg Times. "What she did was, seeing the political reality, she ended it."

"It's not that she really killed it — but she did perform the last rites," Adair says.

As for the larger issue, as a small-town mayor, Palin hired lobbyists, and as a mayor and governor, she sought such targeted earmarked funds herself. The Associated Press reports that Palin is seeking another $200 million in such projects for Alaska next year.

Adair calls Palin's account of her role in the bridge's demise a "half-truth."

Jack Nelson, the retired Washington bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times, has a tarter term for it: "It is a lie," he says.

That's not a word most journalists use, because it is so charged. Nelson says he can use it because he is retired.

"Most of the time in past campaigns, when major news organizations have come out and said that something is totally false, the candidate will drop it," says Nelson, who was a reporter for more than five decades. "In this case, they are repeating it over and over and over."

But with so many other sources of information and opinion online, revelations in mainstream news organizations don't pack the same punch that they once did.

Campaign Defends Palin's Record
And Porritt, the McCain-Palin spokesman, says there is no reason to back down.

"There have been a number of distortions about Sarah Palin's record as a reformer," Porritt says. "But this isn't about claiming the title. This is about having a record to back that up."
Porritt points to journalistic site FactCheck.org to prove Palin is telling the truth. But FactCheck.org wrote last week that Palin's line about the bridge is "inaccurate."

In fact, FactCheck.org cited the "bridge to nowhere" first in its list of reasons why it concluded Palin was "short on facts" during her speech at the Republican convention.

Listen to NPR's coverage on which candidate is actually a candidate for change: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94499918&ft=1&f=1102.

VMA recap

I can't believe I'm even doing a recap. But I have to admit, it was a LOT better than last year's show. Well here are my notes from tonight's festivities.

1. That was not an "opening" to top last year's performance Brit-Brit.

2. Rihanna sounded awful. It's easy to tell how bad she sounds because she struggles from her "regular" singing voice to falsetto. Very rough indeed.

3. The VMAs set looks like a larger set of TRL.

4. I laughed at Russell Brand because I don't think anyone else laughed at him. I thought he was pretty fun, energetic and exciting... But maybe not for this crowd. I love his jokes about the Republican party unfortunately.

5. The youngest Jonas brother doesn't open his mouth when he sings. Instead, he looks like he's grinding his lips and teeth to make noises, I mean, to sing. When I first heard them, I thought it was Nick or Aaron Carter making a comeback. I do have to say, their VMA performance was cute.

6. WTF is up with Michael Phelps' headgear?

7. I can't believe Leona Lewis, who I lovvvvve, would stoop so low as to do a single with Lil' Wayne. WTF was up with Lil' Wayne's pants during the performance. That was just inappropriate.

8. I'm bummed that MTV is taking advantage of the Twilight series and that the Twilight series sold it's soul to MTV.

9. While she doesn't sound that great, I love that girl from Paramore. She's such a cute, petite, little thing!

10. I love Christina Aguilera (always have) but she was TOTALLY lip singing (lip-syncing?) tonight. Ugh, that was disappointing to see.

11. Who's Tokio Hotel? And is the lead singer actually a girl?

12. I think Kid Rock wears sunglasses because he doesn't want people to see and realize how old he actually is.

13. Who is Brit-Brit's stand-in boy toy? I'm so behind on celebrity news!

14. I'm incredibly bummed that my DVR canceled my recording of "Skins" because of the VMAs and a show I've yet to watch, "Mad Men." Now recording the 2 a.m. re-run of "Skins" and hoping to watch tomorrow. Last week's episode took me completely off-guard because it was about topics I'd never thought would be discussed. So crazy, but enjoyable. I heart Chris.

Quick list

1. Thanks to today's pop culture, I think that a new stereotype for Asians has evolved - they can dance. Just look at America's Best Dance Crew, Dancing with the Stars, and So You Think You Can Dance.

2. I can watch a lot of bad TV and even I can't tolerate the MTV Music Awards pre-show. The VMAs were bad last year; will they be bad again this year?

3. I don't want to say that the VMA's are a reflection of today's youth, but I do think they are a reflection of what today's youth aspires to be. Arg.

4. I discovered that I had on-demand service this weekend... But I still don't think I'm missing out.

5. I think Netflix has steered me wrong in my recommendations. I love a good foreign film (and I believe I indicate that in my ratings), but I just endured 3 pretty painful French films. Maybe it's where I'm at in my life right now; I just don't understand or appreciate them. I can see why they were acclaimed - the music, the scenery, the simple nature of the films, etc., etc., but so far, not my type.

Write more later tonight or perhaps later! For now, I'm dipping into the red wine I've been eyeing on my wine rack for the last couple of days. Now that's restraint!

It's been a fantastic week!

Despite all the awful rain this week, I am feeling like I am truly having a blessed week. Perhaps it’s my reward because I was patient beyond belief last week, especially since I had the two dogs and got very little sleep. Even this weekend, I didn’t get to catch up on sleep because I wanted to be attentive to the babies. Perhaps I should see the rain in a symbolic way – a great thing that is washing away all the drainage I felt last week. Does that even make sense?

Anyway, here is my list for the week, hopefully with short descriptions. Instead of a random list, this is a list of things that have helped to make this an absolutely great week.

1. The boy got a big raise, which equals good things to come in the near future!

2. I finally opened a YouTube account! I don’t know why that is so great, but in the future, I hope it will be beneficial. LOL

3. Sebastian is showing me how completely grateful he is to have me in his life. He’s wanted to cuddle SO much this week and I am LOVING it. Perhaps he is sensing that he is going to be having a pretty important procedure next week… Snip snip.

4. My dad turns 50 this year, and we’re going to throw a HUGE party! Best part – I’m getting to do decorations. My decorating service is officially open for business!

5. I got to see John Mayer AND OneRepublic in concert – FOR FREE! I swear I am DESTINED to be a John Mayer fan because this is the second show I didn’t think I would get to go to, but got FREE tickets!

6. I have a new friend in Greensboro, and she’s awesome! So far we’ve already shared a sporadic John Mayer concert experience in Raleigh, danced, had a few brews and got soaked all on the concert lawn in the rain, ate free pizza at a school neither one of us attended, drove the opposite direction on a one-way street, got lost in the ghetto, and learned about each other’s past 20ish years!

7. I’ve discovered some really great shows on BBC America. I’m officially adding “Skins” and “Gavin and Stacy” to my DVR queue.

8. My Netflix is back, yo! And it kicked off with a great movie, “Les Choristes.” Tomorrow I get the first “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”

9. I’m excited to be getting back into politics. It’s going to be a great election season!

Dierk's Bently - yes, I'm in love

There is nothing better than a song that makes you tap your foot as I am doing right now to a song by Dierks Bentley. I’ve recently fallen in love with his music. I thought his other songs, like “Every Mile a Memory” and “Come A Little Closer” were OK but they didn’t wow me. I knew he had a big following though… It wasn’t until he released “Trying to Stop Your Leaving” that I FINALLY caught the buzz (what I’m listening to now actually).

The sad thing is, this song doesn’t even have very good lyrics (and I’m one to love a song just because of its lyrics). I just LOVE the music and how he sounds singing it though. My favorite part is when he sings, “But the river keeps a-running.” So crazy how a little part like that makes such a big deal to how much I like a song! The harmonies are really great in the chorus, the guitar in the bridge – simple plucking at first, and then it builds up – and the twang sound, maybe from a slide guitar, in the background. So great!

And because of this ONE song, I’ve warmed up to all his other hits and now I’m head over heels in love. Other favorites are “Sweet and Wild” which features the super talented, but not well known Sarah Buxton, “Come a Little Closer,” “Free And Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and “Settle for a Slowdown.” I know I’m just running through is greatest hits, but that’s the album I got, but hey, now I’m hooked. That’s all that matters, right?

This has been the longest week ever

1. I love the OneRepublic CD. They reminds me of The Fray (only because The Fray hit mainstream first), but their musicality is more mainstream. Their CD, “Dreaming Out Loud” sounds like it’s better produced overall. I put the album away for a month or so because I had been listening to it obsessively for about 2-3 months… And well, I pulled it out again recently because I was in a lovey-dovey mood thanks to the new (released in November 2007) Westlife CD. I forget how great it really is. I can’t decide which song is my favorite because there are so many good songs. This one goes into my albums I didn’t think would be good but I’ve fallen in love with. Once in a while, a CD will completely knock me off my feet because I just didn’t expect it from that artist. Others in this category include Nelly Furtado with “Loose,” James Blunt with “All the Lost Souls” and David Gray with “Life in Slow Motion.”

2. So Chloe, my sister’s dog, has turned out to be a nightmare. I don’t think my sister knew her dog was like this, mostly because her dog is an outside dog. Our training and care of our dogs are completely different. As my dog is an inside dog, I do a lot of things to cater and adjust his habits so he is used to being inside. It seems Chloe wants to be an inside dog too, perhaps because of the heat outdoors or maybe it’s because she is a puppy and is used to being around someone, and not another dog. I’m not really sure what it is, but I’m trying to break her habits. I’m trying to learn to trust her, but her two accidents on my carpet, despite being taken outside, within 2 hours is making me question whether or not she can be trusted. Isn’t that an awful relationship to have?

3. I might actually have the weekend to myself – which will be great. All the boy’s plans of coming up are falling through because of this meeting here and there, which is fine by me. May be we need a weekend apart (although the last time we tried that, he ended up coming on a Sunday evening anyway… aw, he misses me, too). I need a break because the dogs together have been a nightmare. Sebastian is very aggressive and defensive when other dogs and even sometimes people are around Chloe, so once he starts, she starts… And it feels like it’s never going to end. This is how it has been ALL week, in and outside of my apartment. I keep trying to get used to it, but to no avail. Ugh I think my breaking point was when she used the bathroom inside. I stuck her outside, turned up my TV and just ignored her and Sebastian. Don’t worry. I only did it for about 30 minutes. But it was enough to energize me for our 30-minute walk afterwards. Anyway, about the weekend, it will just be a good opportunity for me to bond and learn to trust Chloe since I’ll be home so she’s not crated nearly all day. And I’ll be in my pajamas and/or more comfortable clothes, and I can either catch up on TV or watch romantic comedies allllllllllllllllllll day. Ugh, doesn’t that just sound like a dream? I can’t wait!

4. I have a secret confession – well, not so secret now – to make. I want to listen to the Jonas Bros. CD! I know if I was five years younger, I would be all about them, similar to the way I was crazy about NSYNC. I recently watched “Camp Rock,” and the sing-along version, too. And it was surprisingly cute and fun. I can understand the love and the hype over the Jonas Bros now. I guess one of these days, I’ll break down and get it.

5. It’s crazy when something like the Jonas Bros. reminds me of how childish I was only five years ago. A lot of people think I’m older than I really am, mostly because of the way I carry myself and the company I keep. I guess that’s a compliment?

6. I think I have lost my sense of humor. I’m trying to find things that are funny, because I love funny things! But lately, it just seems I think things are “cute” and I “awww” and “ooo” at them. I think the last thing that made me laugh out loud and ridiculously was “Tropic Thunder.” That was so refreshing.

7. So I’ve caught the buzz and jumped on the bandwagon for vampire romance “Twilight” saga. Besides all the ooey-gooey romance stuff, the first book was enjoyable once it picked up. The second book was slower. And then the third was more exciting. I think the romance was a little too much for me, but I can see what people love the series. I am getting myself excited about the movie, due out this November, watching MTV specials about it, watching the trailers and reading up on the cast and crew. I love the guy playing the main vampire, Rob Pattinson. He’s hot and he was good in his “Harry Potter” role. So far, he’s looks and acts the part. Whether or not it will come through in the movie, we will see. I’m going to read the next book soon, which I believe is the last for now… I’m trying not to read any reviews on the book, because I’ve seen the headline for one review – and it was not good… I don’t want to spoil it for myself though – although, if my expectations will be low enough, I might actually enjoy the book more.

Anyway, this list was supposed to be short and sweet snippets. But as you can see, they’ve turned out to be long, painful paragraph. Will write more later, hopefully as better, more thought out entries.

I'm not gonna fight you on this one

I know that people always say that if you're love, you'd be willing to do anything for that person. As some songs say, I'd die for you. But in reality, is that really how you show you truly love someone? Some say that I'm so mean to my boy. I don't think that expressing my true opinions and feelings, and laying everything out on the line all the time is being mean. It's just my expression of honestly. And isn't that a key factor in the foundation of a relationship? I like to think that our relationship is ultimately a compromise, a way for us to complement each other in areas where else we might lack. He is passionate about important things and I'm passionate about the details of those important things. He's the ying and I'm the yang. Isn’t that what love is really about? Appreciating and loving someone for everything that they are?

Anyway, despite how one “loves” another, I bluntly told him last night that I would never fight another girl for him. It’s never doubted my mind that others have been interested in him, and in more ways that a friendship. And that is totally fine. It doesn’t bother me because ultimately, it’s his decision to stay with me. I don’t understand why love triangles exist. If someone doesn’t want to be with you, why do you want to be with them? Get over the physicality of it, because that’s usually the reason why. Someone else will come along who will be better and if not better, you make them better. That’s what truly loving someone is all about – making compromises and working together to make each other better people. I think that’s what made me fall for him and him for me. We make each other want to be better people in life, in our goals and what we expect and want out of everything we do.

Now I know that he would never cheat on me, but if he wanted the freedom to see other people or be with someone else, I’m not going to fight for him to see that I’m the better choice. I think that I lay everything out on the line and I give 110% every time. If he can’t see that, then he definitely doesn’t deserve me. And if you can’t give someone yourself wholeheartedly and 110% of the time, then you don’t need to be in the relationship. Don’t force yourself to love someone. That’s now how love happens or not even why it exists.

Maybe I am too strong mentally when it comes to relationships. Perhaps this is why I’m always “mean” or more aggressive… but I like to think that I’m in a point in my life where I am comfortable enough to not second guess who I am and who I want to be with. Anyway, that’s my blog entry for the week. Ugh, I will try to write more in the near future!!!

Short list of thoughts for the day…
1. I’m excited but also nervous to see Chloe today. I bet she’s bigger than Sebastian now.
2. My boss is awesome. I love my job!
3. I am getting Moulin Rouge back today. I haven’t had it in my possession in like 5 years! NO joke. And yes, it is my favorite movie!
4. Tropic Thunder, here I come… I think and hope.
5. OK OK, I keep denying to myself that I don’t like the Twilight series – which I am catching up on via audio books… But, I can’t seem to stop listening to them. Hoping to finish Eclipse this weekend.
6. Are people who read really smarter? Does listening to audio books count?

Yes, it's Monday

Well as I'm writing this, it's barely past midnight... But I will still include it as Monday because it feels like a LONG week already. Because I want to go to bed earlier tonight, I'm going to just do a short (maybe long) list.

1. It sucks when you find something perfect but you decide for all that it would be best to let it go. Ugh... bye bye perfect dress.

2. I've not showed Sebastian a lot of love the past few days because I found out he has tapeworms. This morning felt like the longest when I had to go to the vet, get him tested, get drugs and then follow him around until he pooped. Yuck... I think I made up for lost love this evening though.

3. The boyfriend thinks he can really take on having a dog. He wants to keep Sebastian for a week. Could I possibly part with my other half for a week?

4. As I'm getting ready for bed, I am wondering if I can trust Sebastian in the bathroom tonight. It's become his favorite place to sleep because I always move him out of the kitchen into my room. The bathroom is the halfway point between the two so I guess it's his way of compromising. Take a lesson from this dog boys! I have trust issues with Sebastian and the bathroom because lately, his favorite thing to do is to unroll my toilet paper. The other day, I found him halfway in the tub. Maybe he's more human than I thought!

5. I watched the Teen Choice Awards tonight. Wow, do I feel old! Thanks to my obsessive TV-watching habits now, I did know a number of the so-called "teen stars" of today. Here's to the Jonas Bros (yes, I have "Camp Rock" in the DVR hold, but have yet to watch), Gossip Girl crew (in the box every Monday - even reruns!), Miley (go'on wit yo bad self hosting the show, you can tell she is so commercial) and Hayden Panettiere (yes I had to look up how to spell that).

6. I DVRed "Finding Nemo" in high def today. Actually DVRing now. Let's hope it's truly in high def so I can anticipate seeing it on Blu-ray. Rumored to not happen until February 09.

7. I DESPERATELY need to be laying in bed by 11 p.m. more often!!!

8. Goooooooooood night!

Harry Potter News

So author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling announced on her website yesterday plans for the release of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." The Tales of Beedle the Bard will be published on December 4, 2008, by Rowling's charity, Children's High Level Group, in an exclusive agreement with publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic and with Amazon. All proceeds will go to the charity. There will be a regular edition ($7.59) as well as a limited number of collector's edition ($100, which will include 10 additional illustrations not featured in the standard or even the original group of books).

According to Rowling, "the new edition will include the Tales themselves, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, and with illustrations by me, but also notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore," these notes were of course found in his papers following his death.

Sebastian - the nonstop barking dog?

Tiny Dog Has Been Barking Nonstop For 6 Years

Thanks for sending along Observation Bubble.

New Harry Potter trailer

Watch it!

Fat Princess Game

Feminists cry foul over Fat Princess
Does Sony's cartoony castle game cross the line?
By Ben Silverman

She's plump, powerful and ready to cause more controversy than "SuperSize Me."

She's Fat Princess, the star of Sony's upcoming video game of the same name. Debuting at last week's E3 expo, the colorful Fat Princess is a capture-the-flag game with a twist: you can thwart capture attempts by locking the once-thin princess in a dungeon and stuffing her full of cake, thereby increasing her girth and making her harder for your enemies to haul back to home base.

According to popular gaming blog Joystiq, two feminist gaming sites have already voiced their displeasure with the weighty issue.

Feminist Gamer's "Mighty Ponygirl" rings in diplomatically, suggesting a new way to play the game altogether.

"Instead of running out into the forest to find cake to fatten up the princess with, why not go out and find gold (which is a lot heavier than cake) to stuff into a treasure chest. The more gold in the chest, the heavier it would be, and the harder it would be to carry," she said, before adding, "Oh, but that's not as "cute" as cake and fat chicks. Right."

Over at Shakesville, however, writer Melissa McEwan cuts to the chase, telling Sony she's "positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative ---holes."

Sony has yet to issue an official response, although Joystiq did receive a particularly informative update from James Green, Fat Princess' lead art director, who clued gamers in on the origins of the game:

"Does it make it better or worse that the concept artist (who designed the look, characters, everything) is a girl?"

Crocs sales plummet

Let me just put it out there that I am not a fan of crocs - especially those with the holes on top. I thought for a while that I may get a pair to just have because hell, they were so "in." But alas, I did not, and apparently, all the hype has died down because their sales have plummeted like there is no tomorrow...


Crocs stock plummets after warning

By STEVE LADURANTAYE
July 25, 2008 at 11:06 AM EDT

Shares of Crocs Inc., the once high-flying shoe maker, fell 47 per cent at the open Friday after the company warned it wouldn't come anywhere near its previously announced expectations for the quarter.

The company had told investors they could expect profits of 42 cents (U.S.) to 47 cents a share in its second quarter, but it said after the market closed Thursday that 3 cents to 7 cents would be a more reasonable expectation as sales volumes declined. Analysts were looking for 41 cents.

“Although we made important progress reducing costs in our manufacturing and distribution platform, primarily shutting down our Canadian facility and lowering our headcount, it was not enough to offset the lower than projected sales volumes,” chief executive officer Ron Snyder said in a statement.

Crocs shares closed trading Thursday at $8.95 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. At the open Friday, they were trading for $4.73, down $4.22. They were trading for as much as $75 in October, as the company's brightly coloured, lightweight shoes peaked in popularity.

Mr. Snyder said retailers around the world were being “extremely cautious” with their orders, and were keeping leaner inventories than a year ago. While sales were up 65 per cent in Asia and 13 per cent in Europe in the quarter, the gains were less than expected.

“We are obviously disappointed with the economic situation in the U.S. and parts of Europe, however, we remain confident about the long-term prospects of this business,” he said. “We are currently in the process of sizing our business to be profitable on lower projected sales volumes, and these cost actions will continue through the end of the year.”

Sales projections in the quarter were lowered to $218-million to $223-million, from $247-million to $258-million.

For more on this story, read it here.

Predictions for the marketing industry

How Are We Doing? And How Will We Do?

PricewaterhouseCoopers' 2008 Global Media Forecast
By Maxwell Lakin Published: July 25, 2008

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Consulting and analysis firm PricewaterhouseCoopers released its five-year global entertainment and media forecast this week. PwC Entertainment & Media Practice Chairman James O'Shaughnessy in New York and Managing Partner Marcel Fenez in Hong Kong note that this latest version of the report, which is now in its ninth year, marks emerging-market growth, in addition to unprecedented established-market gains.

MediaWorks takes a look at the forecasts for several of the media market's largest sectors, including internet-access spending and internet advertising, TV advertising and subscriptions, newspaper and magazine publishing, radio and out-of-home advertising, and recorded music, film and video games.

Internet advertising and spending posted notable gains through the past 18 months, and is projected to steadily increase over the next five years. In general, and with the exception of the lapsing recorded-music sector and a struggling newspaper market, the media industry has done well for itself of late. PwC estimates that total global media and entertainment spending rose 6.4% in 2007, with internet-access spending in particular posting a 16.7% increase.

Read more about these predictions at Advertising Age.

Sebastian Look A Like

Or maybe Sebastian just looks like this dog... Anyway, this is a maltipoo, Jessica Simpson's maltipoo to be exact.

And here is my baby.

I can see some differences, but overall, pretty similar. A lot more similar than Sebastian and Falcor!

I promise I will not write about my dog.

I promise I will not write about my dog.

I promise I will not write about my dog.

I promise I will not write about my dog.

I promise I will not write about my dog.

So in love...

Let's see if this works...

'Nuff said.

For you fans...

This was a really interesting article from Advertising Age. It's especially an interesting read for people who are into the entertainment industry and definitely if you are into marketing and PR.

'Iron Man' vs. 'The Dark Knight'
Which Superhero Movie Packed the Biggest Media Punch?
By Antony Young Published: July 24, 2008

Summer blockbusters "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" both showed superhero-like powers when it came to pulling in box-office receipts. "The Dark Knight" delivered a thumping $158.4 million last weekend -- an industry record. "Iron Man's" $98.6 million initial weekend take surpassed all expectations. Talented directors, great lead talent and sensational reviews from critics were naturally a major part of both films' successes. But the marketing and media behind these two Hollywood franchises was a critical ingredient to maximizing both films' potential. Paramount developed the "Iron Man" media strategy for Marvel Entertainment's first funded production, while Warner Bros. was behind "The Dark Knight." The companies took quite different media strategies. Let's review how well they did.

Read the rest of the article here.

This made me laugh

I was telling a colleague that I "felt old" this morning because I was listening to Westlife and Celine Dion.

Colleague says: celine dion is never old. the hoe can sing. when i first heard her everyone thought she was black

Me: she's not really a "hoe" LOL

I'd never think of describing Celine Dion that way, so it made me nearly laugh out loud at my desk when I read that. Oh goodness!

The Little Things in Life are the Best!

So I absolutely LOVE Pandora. You put in a favorite song and/or artist, and the program pulls up songs that are similar. Then as you listen, you can rate songs you like and don't like, creating an overall better playlist of songs to fit what you want to hear. After weeks of nagging him to try Pandora.com, I got this e-mail from him the other day...

"Pandora knows me pretty well….started with Flaming Lips…then Modest Mouse then Beatles….then Radiohead.

Sorry it took me so long to try it."

I told him that this e-mail was one of the best I had received in a long time. It shows he listened and he appreciated my thoughts. A rare time, but happy that it happened. Isn't that sad that a gesture so small and insignificant was so significant to me? It's all about the little things in life!

Most Innovative Celebrities in Digital Media

I thought this was an interesting article. Who knew? Do you think these people actually get online, or do they have a publicist who manages a team behind it? Also, why isn't P. Diddy on this list. I hear, but have not seen, that he has some pretty great online videos! Anyway, just sharing...

Announcing The Econoclast10: Most Innovative Celebrities In Digital Media
By Rafat Ali - Wed 23 Jul 2008 09:00 AM PST

In conjunction with our EconCeleb conference later today, we present the Econoclast10, a top 10 list of the most influential and innovative online celebrities. Whether they’re blogging, investing, entertaining or, well, updating their MySpace profiles, these celebs are finding new ways to reach and interact with their fans. Check out the fancier, illustrated version here.

Our Econoclast10 is below. Please feel free to tell us which picks you agree with—and which ones you don’t—and add your own nominations in the comments.

#1) Will Ferrell, Chris Henchy and Adam McKay: The trio’s venture FunnyorDie.com has funny videos featuring celebrities, comedians and you. HBO, which couldn’t make its own comedy site work, recently took a small stake in the site. The trio has wrangled in a plethora of Hollywood’s hipper comedy elite to contribute to FunnyorDie.com and other sites in its network. More named after the jump...

#2) Will.i.am: Black Eyed Peas hip-hop star Will.i.am has his own social network online, Dipdive, and has struck a deal with RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) to put it on Blackberry handsets. He also served as a spokesperson at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Beyond that, Will is responsible for the “Yes We Can” video supporting democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, The video was released on Dipdive.com and YouTube.com, and featured 35 stars including Kate Walsh, John Legend and Scarlett Johansson. It was viewed more than 17 million times and inspired dozens of others to follow suit.

#3) Ashton Kutcher: Ashton Kutcher co-founded the production company Katalyst, which has created TV shows and movies. The company has gone digital and signed a deal with AOL (NYSE: TWX) to produce five programs each with at least 20 mini-episodes to be distributed on AOL.com and AIM. Kutcher is also creative director for tech start-up Ooma; Kutcher’s spearheading the marketing campaign and producing viral videos to promote this service.

#4) Oprah Winfrey: Oprah.com has daily coverage of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and provides millions of users with extensive expert advice, interactive workbooks, photos, video, inspirational stories, books and product information from the show. For some early online cred, Oprah was a founder of multi-platform Oxygen Media long before most people knew you could have multiple platforms. Now she’s partnered with Discovery. In addition, Oprah’s Book Club allows members to connect with other readers from their local area or around the world. Oprah also has a webcast named, “Soul Series,” and an online adaptation of “Live Your Best Life.”

#5) 50 Cent: From drug dealing to fame with the release of his 2003 album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” Curtis James Jackson III has become a rap mogul, founding G-Unit records and achieving multi-platinum success. In addition, Fifty founded the G-Unit Clothing company, has dabbled in movies and consumer products, and has used his Web sites, 50cent.com and thisis50.com, to push the promotion of 50 Cent events and memorabilia arguably more than any urban rap artist to date.

#6) Stephen Colbert: Well known for his popular Comedy Central show, “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert has used the Internet to interact with his fans in new and innovative ways, from Google SEO to a presidential campaign complete with Facebook groups. A winner of the 2008 Webby Awards for “Person of the Year,” Colbert has also used his fame and success to raise funds for his education charity, DonorsChoose.org.

#7) Radiohead: At the end of 2007, Radiohead released their newest album, “In Rainbows,” online in a “pay what you want” form. Some artists are commending the move, most notably, Bono, and others, such as Coldplay, have followed suit by offering their latest single online for free. Radiohead has since re-released their album on-demand on Last.fm and now have their own branded section and new music video available on Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and iGoogle.

#8) Peter Gabriel: From his initial fame as the lead vocalist of the rock group Genesis, Peter Gabriel has had a successful solo career and more recently has become a pioneer in digital distribution for music. Gabriel backed OD2, one of the first digital music companies We7, and more recently TheFilter.com, an entertainment site that filters users tastes in music, movies and Web video.

#9) Tila Tequila: Beginning her career with modeling in “Playboy” and “Import Tuner,” Tila Nguyen had begun to find some success as a reality TV star and TV host before her MySpace page catapulted her to fame and “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” debuted. She is now turning to music and with an unconventional tactic: instead of signing with a major record label she will release her first songs only online.

#10) Martha Stewart: Martha Stewart has made her mark in the digital space with MarthaStewart.com, which not only houses her blog and social net, but also recipes, gardening tips and home decorating advice, to name a few—oh, and did we mention she reads the WSJ on her Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) Kindle? This year her company bought Emeril and a large stake in wedding planning community site WeddingWire. Late last year, it launched the Martha’s Circle network, enabling advertisers to reach targeted audiences via its niche blogs and sites. Additionally, MarthaStewart.com has everything from recipes to entertaining ideas, and her TV show. The Martha Stewart brand has integrated partnerships online with companies including 1800 Flowers, Everyday Food and Macy’s.

Cute dog

So I'm going to become the old lady that loves dogs and all the silly things they do...

Sebastian - a small version of Falcor?

Some believe that my dog looks like that creepy dog in the Neverending Story. Yes - the long dog that can fly... Here are the comparisons!

This is Falcor...


Now this is Sebastian...


Do you see a resemblance?

Another day, another thought

I am quite proud of myself today. My life since moving into my own place has been quite boring, of course except on weekends. I come home from work, take my dog, cook dinner and then watch TV until bed. Yes, that’s me – 7:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. How sad right? As of lately, I have become OBSESSED with TV, mostly because I know how much it is costing me and because I have DVR. I DVR everything now, even at the same time as I’m watching the show. Anyways, I’m proud of myself because after watching “Kitchen Nightmares,” I decided I wanted to return to an old love – music. So I turned off my tele!

I came to my computer, turned on the “Mamma Mia” movie soundtrack and started dancing around the apartment. This led to singing, then dancing with Sebastian (yes, he danced with me because I don’t have another man in my life who will) and then vacuuming. As I write this, I am sitting in my room – deskless, exhausted, sweaty and yet, smelling like clean carpet. Can you believe that is what has made my night? I swear I need to live a more exciting life. But then again, we choose our own destinies right? I keep saying, one of these days… Ugh I just need to make the leap. Save up for a few years and then take a few weeks off and do things I want to do.

Go to San Francisco or Los Angeles. Hell, go to the West coast!

Live it up big in New York and/or Vegas.

I think I could only be so extravagant for a week or so. And not just because of the finances, but I think mentally, I have to be grounded. At the end of the day, that’s the kind of person I am. Just someone who is grounded and simple. I joke a lot that I’m a 40 year old person in a 20 year old’s body, and friends confirm this. Some say it’s because I’m wise, with which I have to disagree. I think it’s because I’m into things I shouldn’t be into yet – like having kids, yes my maternal clock feels like it’s just ticking away, having a home, etc. I mean, goodness – I’m not even 25 yet! Give me a break! Wait five more years! Haha. Well, for now I have Sebastian, and he’s quite a handful already.

There are so many other thoughts, but alas, it is beyond my bed time. Until I can gather all my thoughts, a list of my random thoughts will suffice for the evening…

1. I’m annoyed that he only calls me when it’s convenient for him. What’s the saying? Don’t make him a priority when you’re only an option to him.
2. I am sickly in love with Westlife.
3. I don’t care what anyone says, I DO like the country version of “Home.” It features the kick ass Miranda Lambert.
4. I think I am getting annoyed with my cell phone already. It’s only been a few months!
5. It’s official, I’ll be in GSO for another year at least!
6. Times have changed since I started blogging. A colleague told me yesterday that I should reserve my blog for more interesting things like cool videos and funny pictures. Hope readers will still enjoy my random meanderings anyway... But I'll try to find some cool videos eventually...
   

1. I love it when we have brainstorming sessions at work.
2. I had leftover Chinese for lunch. Might have not been the best choice.
3. Sending out that [impersonal] e-mail blast about my new blog has gotten me in touch with old friends. Nothing I love more!
4. If you're not doing on August 1, join us at Village Park in Kannapolis for a movie on the lawn!
5. I am such a bad mom. This morning, Sebastian woke me up at 5:30 a.m. barking, so I brought him into the bedroom with me, shut the door and went back to sleep. I think he whined for a little bit because he doesn't like being confined to my room anymore, but then he laid next to me and went to sleep soon there after.

Police: Women Arrested In Monroe May Be Sex Slaves

POSTED on WSOC-TV: 10:28 am EDT July 21, 2008

MONROE, N.C. -- Two women arrested in a prostitution investigation at a North Carolina massage parlor may have been sex slaves illegally brought to the United States, police said.

Son Jarkowsky, 40, owner of the parlor in Monroe, was charged Saturday with trafficking people and allowing a business to be used for prostitution. Police said she violated a total of 33 city ordinances.

The massage parlor opened in 2007 and police said it catered to male customers, but that females who sought massages were ignored.

Police said the business advertised on the Internet and customers came from hundreds of miles away.

Two employees also were arrested, one on a charge of an attempted crime against nature and the other on two counts of indecent exposure.

Sgt. T.J. Goforth said the women didn't speak each other's language and slept on mattresses in the parlor. He said it wasn't clear if they ever left the business

Goforth also said authorities were seeking counseling for the employees.

The four-month investigation showed one woman was from China and another was from South Korea. The probe began when officers received a tip in April and sent undercover officers into the business.

RELATED STORY: Police Shut Down Spa, Arrest Owner On Sex Charges




Nice Charlotte, nice...

Random note

I think in another lifetime, Colin Firth and I were meant to be together.

If not Colin, Chris Martin...

Another list

1. Yes, I enjoyed "Mamma Mia."
2. http://mylifesucks69.blogspot.com/. 'Nuff said.
3. I'm so cranky today.
4. Poor Sebastian. He must hate me cranky. Nhia + Cranky = lots of yelling
5. One beer down. Another 12 pack to go.

Old and New Things

Last night, the boy and I discussed one of the most used high school yearbook acronyms - KIT (keep in touch). As you and friends exchange yearbooks, you leave notes including what you'll be doing in the summer, phone numbers, addresses and in my time, e-mails :). We were looking at his own yearbooks recently and he joked that he should try calling some of the numbers that had been encrypted in his book of memories. After all, friends and acquaintances had invited him to KIT. But he said that he just didn't feel like he should keep in touch with others if they weren't willing to do the same. I whole heartily disagree, but maybe that is why I'm in public relations. I've always known I wanted to be in public relations because I like being able to network with others, I like being social and I like the opportunities public relations can open. Most of all, I like what PR can accomplish through understanding these separate entities. I don't think that I treat my friends like I do business professionals, but the way I am with my friends helps me in tackling the business world.

I like to think I have friends in almost every chapter of my life - high school, college, and definitely at all of the jobs I've held. Maybe these people are just acquaintances, but I like to think of them as friends. These aren't people that I just knew, but people I continue to keep in touch with, whether it's every day, every week, every month or even years in between. It amazes me how much people transition in the time that I have know them and I'd like to continue to follow the steps they make because life is all about the experiences people endure.

Since I am talking about old friendships, there is one thing I will definitely reprise for my blog. A friend of mine used to always post lists on his blog - lists of thoughts, rants and every now and then, to dos. They were so fun to read, but short snippets so I didn't feel like he was dragging me on and on about what he was thinking and doing. And I like to start posting lists on my blog as well. So in his honor :), here is my first list!

1. Sebastian is the funniest, but sweetest dog in the whole wide world.
2. Can't wait for the wedding this evening
3. I finally saw Dark Knight - it was a LOT better than I thought it would be.
4. I anticipate going to see "Mamma Mia." Ugh, will someone go with me?
5. I miss Justin Vick, to whom this list is dedicated.

I do love Coldplay, but this may be too much

Coldplay to team up with Miley Cyrus?!

Coldplay singer, Chris Martin, says he would like to tour with teen Disney actress, Miley Cyrus, in a bizarre musical match up.

Martin, 31, revealed his secret admiration for the Hannah Montana actress and aspiring pop singer, 15, saying: 'I like Miley Cyrus... I like the TV show.'

Quizzed on a possible touring team up, the Viva la Vida singer, said: 'I'd do it. Anyone we like or respect, no matter how different they may be, we would play with.
Miley

'She's doing something quite different... I just think she seems to have a sweet character.'

Would you like to see Coldplay and Miley duet?

Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun... A new day has come

This is my first official entry since my last one nearly two years ago. Things have changed so much in my life, and for that, I’ve decided to delete all my previous entries. For one, I am no longer in college. Took 3 ½ years to finish up my degree in communication studies. And now I am young public relations professional – learning the trade, already in a second job.

Second, I’m no longer in a floundering relationship. I had always been on the brink of a break up going into college and even during it. My assumption was that it was the person I was seeing at the time. I’ve come to realize that a lot of those problems stemmed from my own insecurity. Now I’m fatter and even less attractive than I have ever been, but feel more secure and confident in who I am and how I look than ever. I’ve had my ups and downs – as life will have it – and I’m sure I will continue to have those, but for the most part, I am content with my life. I believe a large part of what I was going through when I was in college was just because I felt I needed to be overly dramatic, and boy, did the drama follow. But the tides have changed. I’m no longer a young adult, and feel I have truly moved into the adult phase of my life.

Third, I have responsibilities now. And I don’t mean the responsibility of nagging my boyfriend to spend time with me or the responsibility of going to class on time. I have a small apartment and another life that depends on me. I think we all have a need to feel needed or responsible. My dog satisfies that for me. He is everything I could’ve ever hoped for and completes my life in a way that I didn’t know he could. And I actually pay all my bills now – rent, electricity, water, cable and more.

Well, what’s to come? It’ll be documented here in my very own, revamped online journal. Hopefully it won’t be allllllllllll about my dog, as some have speculated… Thanks for visiting and I hope you’ll come again.

hi world. be back soon