nippytucky

I forgot to mention how ELATED I am that FX has commenced the new season of Nip/Tuck. OF COURSE I tuned in Tues night!!
Some highlights--
I looooved the sequence of Christian & Sean prepping for a night out clubbing. I concur with the wise gents in ZZ Top: every girl *is* crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man. Those dudes can dress-- seriously!! It could be that is a happy side effect of them being a small percentage gay for each other. Also muy caliente? The new McNamara/Troy offices. This makes me think they must have had a nice fat start-up "egg". Although the scene with the fish repo dude suggests otherwise.
The "Hearts 'n' Scalpels" show-within-a-show thing was damned funny...in especially Bradley Cooper deadpanning "I'll be there in 10. . . . .10 orgasms" Oliver Platt was amazing too. Thinking back on it, they sure as hell packed in as many guest stars as they could for the season premiere. Quite near maximum capacity, I'll bet. Oh, and I felt awful for Daphne Zuniga's character ... that scene with Christian scrawling all over her photo with lipstick....that just killed me.

Speaking of TV (and revisiting the top topic du jour), I guess I can download podcasts on to my iPod. I already feel the need to call it something other than iPod. I sense that I will be using it super often, and in that case, I don't want to just call it iPod like ALL of them are called. So I think I am going to have to name it. That's one to mull over. A good name for my iPod. Oh, right-- don't you look at me like that (as if I've gone bat guano loco at long last) !! People name their flippin' cars don't they? Oh , anyways, I was on about podcasts, si? It occurred to me: this would be a way I could catch up on all those HBO or Showtime shows that I always think look neat but I've dismissed as forever unattainable because I have no intention of paying for cable (ever!!). The Tudors, for instance, looks very promising. Is that getting renewed for a 2nd season? I wonder... Also, I would check out Flight of the Conchords, get a peek at Reaper (although I think I do get the CW..it's just hard to locate amongst my channels). Yessss, that would be good.

I had this in mind when I checked out the iTunes site. I figured that had to be the go-to site for such a thing since Steve Jobs and his iBastards seem to rule with an iRon fist (haa)... I was skeptical that I could find usable downloads elsewhere, y'know? It seems though, you cannot even browse if you don't have the iTunes player installed? Whyever the fuck not, I ask you? I happen to be a big fan of browsing--both in actual real life stores and in the online shops. But I can't even peruse the fucking wares if I don't install this hella-invasive install on my work PC? Damn youse guys!! Of course, I installed the iTunes player on my home (aka Laura's) computer, but I would never do that on my office PC (and probably I'm barred from doing so anyways...)! So my dream podcast roster waits to be compiled some other day. Waaaah....

iRule

I got a smattering of lovely gifts for my birthday. But the most preoccupying one , the BIG TICKET item..is an 80 gb iPod Classic.

Don't get me wrong...I do love it. But I am having the damnedest time getting my music onto it. See I have a BUTTLOAD of music on my sister's PC. Some of the songs I've ripped off of CDs when making mixes. Those (165 songs) I've been able to sync to the iPod. HOWEVER, there are lots and LOTS and LOTS of tracks that I've downloaded via Puretracks.com that are giving me trouble. The simplest (and PRICIEST) solution would be to re-buy all these tracks from iTunes but uhhhh..no fucking way am I doing that! There's gotta be another way!! The weird thing is...none of these download tracks show up in my iPod..and yet when I connected the iPod to my work PC and right clicked on the device, selected "Explore" ALL THOSE TRACKS SHOWED UP !! I wasn't able to play any of them...they simply aren't there when I navigate around on the iPod, and when I tried to play them on the PC it gave me an error message....some twaddle about licenses (whatev!!). But the confounding fact remains: they ARE fucking in there somewhere!! Right?? Ugggh!! The whole deal is frustrating me big time. And I find Windows Help & iPod/Apple Help to be...anything but helpful. I need LIVE assistance. I need . . .I need THE NERD HERD.

I've really been dwelling on the negative side o' things--namely these 300+ kick ass songs that I can't play on my new iPod. Why does the iGestappo have to make this so g.d. hard for me, huh? But what I **should** be doing is saying-- Hooooraay, I have this shiny new toy. It has cool games on it and 165 very fine songs.

At present, I am thankful that I was able to get some Beastie Boys up in this thang. I have 4 Beastie tracks on the iPod:
1.Brass Monkey
2.Triple Trouble
3.That's It That's All
4.The Brouhaha

I am right now rocking out to #4 on this list. Never really got any Top 40 Radio airplay but believe you me, clown, it is a DAMNED enjoyable 2minutes and 13 seconds.
Y'know when discussing the Beastie's canon, music nerds are usually all "blah blah blah..Paul's Boutique..yadda yadda.." I guess that's their most pioneering & most critically acclaimed album, but for me "License to Ill" & "To the 5 Burroughs" are the must-haves. And I do have them. Those 2 along with "Hello Nasty" (but strangely, I never listen to that one) Before long, I will never handle any of those CDs ...they will all just be tracks on my iPod. I'm suddenly very sentimental about my ol' mountain of CDs. Sentimental about CDs in general, really. It seems a foregone conclusion that they WILL go the way of the Dodo, but it seems strange to think on a whole type of store being wiped out, nationwide. I wonder if it would work if CD stores evolved instead...they could become a place where you came in with your iPod or equivalent device, hand it over to the staff after choosing songs off a sort of menu and then the employees would do all the tiresome techno-grunt work for you. This type of establishment would be handy for folks who either: a) possess outmoded equipment not in keeping with the high tech times OR b) possess outmoded skills not in keeping with the high tech times. I know it's hard to believe (in light of this post) but I do fall more into category a than b.

OK so I've beaucoup download frustrations, and glum reveries on the eventual demise of the music store, but aside from all that, I'm quite happy with the new iPod. I'm sure I'll rally and become truly assimilated into the iPod nation before long, right? I am pretty smitten with the whole clickwheel dealie. That's good fun. Y'know, owning this is apt to bump me up into a whole new technological caste. And that means that I MUST now obtain that laptop that I've been passively pining for forever. But first, all the must-have i-Pod accoutrements....

Happy Birthday to meeeeee

...and John Keats, and Dan Rather, and one of the Beastie Boys (not my favorite one, but still, Beastie Boys are AWESOME) and Vanilla Ice. Bonus-- I am the youngest of this birthday crew (unless you consider Keats to still be 25 yrs old as he was when he died in 1821)

So yeah, happy damn b-day to me. I'm still rather vexed by that figure--the big 3-0-- but it is undoubtedly better than the alternative (that'd be the dreaded dirt nap)

I wore my costume to work today. I am oscillating between congratulating myself on my bravado and, at other times, feeling like a massive tool. As a...uhhh...vampiress cryptkeeper, I guess is what I am... I have this long black wig on. It keeps getting in my face and getting caught on stuff. I must keep brushing it aside in a very Cher -like fashion. Going to the bathroom, incidentally, was no easy feat.

RIP Goulet

I was very sad to read this a.m. that Robert Gooouleeeeeet had passed awaaaaaaaay while he was awaiting a lung transplant.

Ok to be totally honest, I wasn't a fan of Goulet's music, though I did like his recent Emerald Nuts commercials. What I really fell in love with was the Will Ferrell version of Bob Goulet. This here is some of the funniest funny shit ever (100X better than his Neil Diamond schtick, by the way)

Heroes last night..

HOLY HELL, HRG!! I do like you when you're a badass (like when you nearly broke the hand of that snotty manager at your fake job-- that was terrif) but that was excessively harsh!!

When HRG blew away his ex-mentor I did a double take--an actual, physical double take(blink & a head shake). Had I been enjoying a beverage at that moment, I mighta even done a spit take. Nothing says "Thanks but no thanks on that job offer" like a bullet to the head, right? I hope they're not taking HRG back into evil bastard territory. I only started liking him mid season 1. But after "Company Man" (I think that was the episode) I was very pro-HRG. If they are making him evil again, I don't think I'll be able to withstand the emotional roller coaster ride (j/k---I AM aware it is just a show). Claire is starting to lose trust in HRG again, and if he keeps on this course it should be easy enough for West to drive a fat ol' wedge in that daddy-daughter relationship. HRG has seemingly concluded that Clare having a boyfriend would mean his DEATH, but I don't think that painting necessarily says that. It only establishes that after he's killed, Claire & some dude will be making out in some shady corner near his dead body. There *may* not be a cause-effect relationship there. Claire could be : a) oblivious to dead HRG and getting her innocent smooch on OR b) terribly sad about her dead father, needing consolation via ... getting her smooch on. HOWEVER, with Claire starting to distrust her Dad , AND West having the traumatic past encounter with HRG (and he is due to identify Mr Bennett as the nefarious HRG of his bad memories in next week's eppy) I think the show is trying to insinuate that that kiss is: c) a "Yaaay--we killed HRG" celebratory kiss.

Who knows. I'm still in HRG's corner...a little less vociferously after his recent COLDHEARTED behavior. If he keeps this up, I intend to downgrade that to "tenatively in his corner".


As for other storylines... my sister really likes this Caitlin dame that Peter is "palling" around with this season. I think she's 10X better than (ick!) Simone, but still awfully dull. I think I'd rather see sweetPete hook up with Elle (Kristen Bell's character) instead. Ok YEAH, she killed his friend (hey, they weren't best friends by any means) and is considerably more on the "evil" side of the spectrum than Peter, but that would make for some compelling relationship drama, no? An intriguing juxtaposition of naughty & nice?


I'm pretty bored with Hiro's lame-ass exploits in 17th century Japan. Oy! That whole snoozefest had better tie in to the central storyline REAL soon. I think that the Kensei character has potential though. It's his banner's symbol that's been scrawled on all the faces in that old photo right? So could he be picking them off? If he can't be killed, I guess it's not a *huge* leap to conjecture that he makes it to the 21st century... They want (they=the writers) us to believe that Parkman's dad is the culprit there, but I don't buy it.


And the only interesting thing about Senora Inkyeyeballs and her twin bro is that they're carting Sylar back into the U.S. I find the brother is marginally more likeable now that Senora has exhibited her other super powers (aside from the killing people one) -- INCREDIBLE naivete and HORRIBLE instincts about people.

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I am super sleepy today ..(apparently this is a dull new blog motif w/ me) ...I didn't get all that much sleep this weekend and then last night I stayed up late watching Game 4 of the series. In true dabbler fashion, I didn't watch it from the very start, tuning in at about the start of inning 6. But I did watch it 'til the end...saw Kielty's homerun and even more impressive, Ellsbury slamming into the wall to catch what would've surely been a homer. ..it was a good game. I'm never as interested in these things when one of the teams has a giant lead. Right up until the end, it seemed like it coulda gone either way. But of course, I'm glad it went the way it ultimately did. I wore my Sox hoodie in celebratory homage today. If I were a full-fledged fan, I suppose I would've painted on my car or something...isn't that what those people do? I mean, if I really break down my happy feeling, it's 40% me being happy for the boys and 60% glad that House won't be preempted for a Game 6.



I can't believe that I retained any grogginess after stepping foot outside today!! I definitely was NOT ready for 26 degrees! I wore g-damn MITTENS this morning!! Frost on my pumpkins, indeed!!

Speaking of pumpkins, I have been doing a bit of carving lately. I carved one last Wed night for Sadie (a monster trick or treating on one side/ her name surrounded by polka dots on the other) . Then Sat night I went to a pumpkin carving fete at Lisa's and carved a ghoul jack-o-lantern (learned that a lino tool is a great implement for pumpkin artistry) and last night I carved a bear jackolantern. Other good things I did this weekend: surprised mi amiga Jill for her b-day Fri night, gorged on apple waffles de Billiam, lunched with Celina & Jill on French onion soup that had rather too much bread in it (lunch was otherwise terrif), picked up my Aunt Laurel on my way southward on I89 and brought her to Lucy's birthday party (she turned 3 on the 25th) grazed and watched Lucy-booey open presents and then off to aforementioned carving fete at Lisa's ....where I further gorged on Pepsi, 'ghetti & meatballs & apple crisp. Shit, I ate a lot this weekend. So , that part was not so good. But everything else was maaaahvelous. If only I had a day off for some recouperative slumber...

wake up..a-li'l Snoozie , wake up!!

I had the hardest time dragging my arse outta bed this a.m. I'm sure it doesn't help that I set my alarm for 7:10 with the intent of getting up at 7:40 am, fully intending to avail myself of that snooze button. Rationally, I see how the snooze button is a foolish innovation but I can't quit it. I'm a snooze junkie. As solo inhabitant of my apartment/bed, I guess snooze overuse is my damned prerogative (lame consolation prize though it is).

I am SOOO not a morning person. I swear 8 days outta 10 the first word out of my mouth is "Fuuuuuuuuck!"

I had a dream this morning where I was approached by a peacock as I walked out to my car to go to work. ("approached" makes it sound like he was trying to sell me magazines or something. This was not the case.) It was a seriously fucked up peacock though, all bruised & bedraggled as if he'd been hit by a car. And he's staggering toward me. My conscious mind broke in here and commented "Maybe he wants you to take him to the vet". But DreamSandra, true to my actual anti-bird sensibilities, leapt up on to the top of my car to avoid the wounded bastard. Yeah, I especially didn't trust him because he was wounded. DreamSandra has nary a scrap of mercy, apparently. But them I'm on top of my car and think "Shit, I can't stay up here. I've got to get to work!" So I jump down and shoo the bird away and then head off to work. That's it. I know, I know. Sort of an anticlimatic dream. There's this tense stand off, fraught with all sorts of dramatic/narrative possibilities and then it all resolves so quickly & banally. But this dream hit me after I'd hit the snooze button (for the first or second time? I can't recall...) so I had time constraints to deal with here!! But just you imagine if I'd had all night to dream this dream!! We mighta wound up with some epic human-avian battle!! Something akin to...

newly acquired tuneage

songs I bought / burned to CD this weekend...

1. Radio Nowhere [Bruce Springsteen]- I really dig this song. It surprises me that I like a *new* Springsteen song, though. I had thought he'd lost me for good in the mid '90s when he was doing sappy soundtrack contributions (see:Philadelphia , Jerry Maguire ) But perhaps not. This is the Bruce I like.

2. Lazy Eye [Silversun Pickups]- I'd heard this song on the radio and became quite smitten with it, but had the damnedest time tracking down the song name & artist. I had never heard of the Silversun Pickups (don't think many people have..)

3.When Did your Heart go Missing? [Rooney] This is a recent song, but something about it makes me want to sport Reebok Freestyles with very bulky neon-hued socks and then dance like I'm in Wham's Wake Me Up Before you Go-go vid.

4.An End has a Start[Editors]-- poppy moody neuvo new wave. Nice.

5.LDN [Lily Allen]-- I felt predisposed to like Lily Allen ...on account of her cute Britishness (as opposed to a SCARY Brit a la snaggletooth Amy Winehouse) and even cuter wardrobe. But then I heard this song and thought--you guessed it--"really cute!" I especially like the horns. Evokes Culture Clubs "I'll Tumble 4Ya" but maybe it's just me...I seem to presently be of a mindset to assess all music in 80s pop context.

6.Umbrella [Rihanna]-- Rihanna is also immensely adorable. (So there-- not all young celebrichicks are scary and/or disgusting trainwrecks. Have faith..) I dig this song, even if I did resist it a bit at first. Luckily, I don't own any umbrellas, and generally choose not to use them (just one more thing to schlep around, and I actually like the rain) because I suspect repeated listenings to this song may permanently alter the way I say "umbrella. ella. ella. aye.aye. aye..."

7. Give it To Me [Timbaland/Nelly Furtado/Justin Timberlake] I don't know whose song this is exactly...they all have pretty equal mic time. I think I downloaded off Timbaland's album...

8.Stronger [Kanye West]- I love this song. I didn't want to (I don't want to enable Kanye's attitude problem) but I couldn't help it.

9.How We Operate [Gomez]-- Great beginning of the song (that's a banjo!! I've jammed along to Rainbow Connection enough times to know a banjo when I hear it! BRAVO for rockin' the sadly underutilized banjo, senors Gomez!!) and then when it picks up the pace it is just killer, but it gets a smidge draggy toward the end.

10.1234 [Feist]-- In a cute-off, Feist ANNIHILATES both Rihanna & Lily Allen with this song. I so love this song. The only possible competition (in aforementioned hypothetical cute-off) would be (reaching 30+yrs into the past) Melanie with Brand New Key (ok..good... seems I'm breaking out of that strict 1980s musical frame of ref.)

11.Keep on Lovin' You [REO Speedwagon]-- I'm certainly not the REO Speedwagon nut that my sister is. But this, I do concur, is one of the best sing-alongs ever. And it gets bonus cheez points for being prominently featured in Drive Me Crazy. And there is a rattlesnake sound effect hid in there...I had never noticed that before. How did I miss that??

12. Such Great Heights [Postal Service]

13.Chasing Cars [Snow Patrol]-- the fact that these fellahs are Irish and when, not singing, speak with delightful Irish accents.... that just makes the whole emotional earnestness thing they 've got goin' here oh so much more endearing.

14.I'm On Fire [Bruce Springsteen]-- best Boss song EVER (sez me)!!!

15. Wake Up Call [Maroon 5]

16.Ayo Technology [50 Cent & co.] I really like this one. Y'know.. I find myself wanting Fiddy to bring back that mad catchy "Go-- go-- go SHAWTY Ish yo birfday" in one/some of his new songs. But I don't suppose that will ever happen...WAH.

17. The Way I Are [Timbaland]-- initially I was a li'l peeved at Timbaland for propagating substandard grammar, but after I got past that, I found that I rather enjoy this song.

mean bastard monkeys

From time to time, I find a news item so compelling, I will read it aloud to the office. THIS bit o' international news is one such item.

I only hope that a good amount of those stupid seagull-feeding bastards (that vex me so) will read this news story and make the f***ing connection. . . .

baaaaad girl

Jinkies! I knew I'd been a-slackin' but didn't really realize how SERIOUSLY derelict in my blogging duties I'd been ('til I logged in just now). I'd beg yous to forgive me but... LOVE means never having to say you're sorry, right??

As is my custom, my first post following a mini-drought is going to be short-ish (and lame-ish) as I regain my momentum. So I will use this space/ time to tie up some loose ends left a-dangling from posts past. Ones that you didn't know were dangling because you weren't all that interested in the first place. Stupid, I know. But in the interests of finishing what I started...

My Cosmo bachelor of the year vote--- I whittled the list down to 3 and then decided to NOT decide. I voted for all 3... I used my work email to vote for Connecticut , my home email to vote for Idaho , and my dad's email address to vote for South Dakota.

Halloween costume-- I have resigned to be a .. .um, I don't exactly know what to call what I'm dressing up as. It's sort of like the love child of a zombie-mummy and a vampire. I bought a long black straight wig and a black& white make up kit. Also picked up a black rose because I thought I would like having a prop. And I bought a bunch of cheesecloth, with the intent of making some kinda shroud (I was inspired by the below pic from Martha Stewart mag's Halloween edition)

speaking of Martha Stewart's fine periodical, I was a smidge disappointed in her Halloween edition. I recognized content from years past. I didn't realize it was a "best of" kinda compilation thing, but I'm sure it was intentional. But still...pretty shoddy, Maaaahtha.

office banter topics dujour

I don't know why I don't have IM screen caps to post anymore. I guess we have really foregone IMs in favor of hollering these days. It's just as well though, since 90% those images wouldn't expand to readable size when clicked on anyways (such a pain in the ass!!).

But anyways, here's what you've missed out on today--

**Just 5 min ago I was asking for an opinion--does 4pages/ 87 items of an Amazon wish list make me a GREEDY person?? The jury is still out on this issue, but we collectively decided that total $$ is a factor to consider, as are one's wish list compiling intentions....are you clicking everything that you like just as a means of bookmarking it or have you serious intentions of acquiring all list items??

**We were talking Englebert Humperdinck (I can't recall WHY) and Lisa said "You know his name is really Gerry Dorsey" and I said "NO, it's Arnold Dorsey" and this developed into an argument that escalated into a bet. Well, we found (check here, if you wanna brush up on your E-Hump facts) that in 1936 he was born Arnold George Dorsey, and when he began singing professionally at age 17 he took the stage name Gerry Dorsey. Lisa says this means we're both right, and she doesn't lose the bet. But I say that I am righter and I win. He's not really Gerry Dorsey as she said...his g.d. birth certificate says ARNOLD. Gerry was just a rough draft pseudonym. Maybe I'm "splitting hairs" here but-- eh, no, no I'm not. I'm righter.

**We frequently deal with this purchasing dude who has the last name "Ripple" and today he made this total bonehead mistake. This inspired me to say, "Maybe he's been hitting the RIPPLE too hard" But nobody got the joke. And then I second guessed myself. .. I felt almost positive that "ripple" -- aside from being a yummy flavor of ice cream (namely--Fudge Ripple, not my fave, but DAMN tasty) was a type of booze. So I hit that mecca of knowledge Wikipedia and found this (ripple was a type of "fortified wine" no longer sold--I'll just throw that in here in case you're sick & tired of following my links all over everywhere ). I further discovered exactly why I had this definition of the word ripple resonating in my noggin-- it was a favorite quaff of Fred Sanford on Sanford & Son.

In other H-ween news...

.... I have no idea what to dress up as for Halloween. YESSSS, I am on the cusp of turning

7Q-65=145 years old (solve for Q...I cannot bear to type the actual #. It distresses me so!!) and I still dress up for Halloween. But I don't know what to be this year. Maybe as a nod to my turning 7Q-65=145 , I oughtta dress up as an old biddy. Or (totally ignoring the milestone bday ) I could dress up as somebody from a board game. Y'know, Lollipop Princess from Candyland...Mrs Peacock from Clue. A Clue costume would be rad. Granted, no one would know who the hell I was, but I would be amused by it.

Incidentally, did y'all know that Clue was dreamt up in the UK and it then (and still is in the UK) was called Cluedo ?? WHAAA? Is that even a word?

Speaking of Clue / Cluedo I just added the 60s vintage Clue (that edition that I always gaze at longingly when in the Target toy section) to my Amazon wish list (it's an opportune time, 11 days before my b-day to repost a link; it has grown a bit since I last linked to it) . Oh, speaking of wish list fodder, this Sat I was mentioning to my Aunt Lorraine my sudden, arbitrary fixation on Dark Shadows , and she went off about how she used to be SOOOO addicted to that show. She used to "race home from work" (her words) to catch it everyday. She more or less confirmed that I'm not obsessing in vain here.

spooktacular screensaver!!!BoooWWAAHA HAA!

These are the pics I have in my screensaver slideshow (special for the H'ween season)










This werewolf one is my desktop pic

oddball compliments

Last night I went over to my Aunt 'Rainey's house for dinner. MAAAAN, if I put on a meal like she does I would have to start cooking 2 or 3days in advance!! There was turkey, stuffing, rolls, mashed taters, gravy, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce....apple pie a la mode. Now, I realize that Canadian Thanksgiving was on Monday but this was not in belated celebration of that. No special occasion whatsoever, just your average ginormous Hump Day feast. Against my better judgement...I ate like Mr Creosote.

Another dinner guest there was my Aunt Lorraine's friend/neighbor Dora. She is this spry old lady, very sweet, who has been sort of adopted as an honorary family member. She generally laughs at all my jokes, and really that is all I require in any dinner companion.

So just before dinner last night, Dora remarks to me "I like your teeth" to which I actually responded "Come again?" And she says "Your teeth. You have such pretty teeth." How odd. It wouldn't be the most bizarre-o of compliments, except for the fact that I know my teeth are not great and certainly not "pretty". I mean, I do think there's a lot of truth to the old saying "You're your own worst critic" but in this case I am being perfectly objective and factual in reporting that my teeth are UNpretty. I accepted pretty gracefully (I wisely suppressed my immediate reflex-- to contradict her) and just said "Mmm. Thanks."
Like I said, Dora is a very sweet lady. That being so, she really doesn't seem the type to pass around phony compliments. I concluded that either she just has a very broad notion of "pretty" or the poor woman is getting cataracts...

Boy Crrrrrrazy

Reading over my offerings from yesterday....both posts striking me as SUPER obnoxious today. I really was all-consumed with doing all research needed to make an informed vote. Now that my homework is done, my total consumption has been downgraded to idle contemplation. I still intend to vote...not sure for whom, but I expect to have some epiphany or have it come to me in a dream perhaps.

Speaking of dreams, I had very strange elaborate dreams last night...this long series of disjointed vignettes. Incredibly no cameo appearances from any Cosmo bachelors whatsoever...

27 Dresses

Just watched this recently released trailer. I do enjoy romantic comedies, but generally I defer seeing 'em until they're available for rental, but I just may seek this one out in the theater. Being somewhat of a semi-pro bridesmaid myself, this one may resonate more with me than the standard rom-com fluff would. Plus, I also enjoy James Marsden (as I believe I've mentioned) and dude doesn't get enough work. Maybe that's his choice, I dunno (wants time at home w/ the Mrs. & the kiddies, maybe) but I do feel compelled to support what sporadic motion pictures he does appear in.

I noticed that they styled him much foxier than they did for this November's Enchanted. . .

Bachelor Battle UPDATE

OK, so I've watched all the available videos and, as predicted, it did alter my list. First of all, I was appalled that only 22 out of 50 bachelors submitted a video. That's less than half! (See I can do math, Winnie Cooper!!) It is almost always a good idea to submit a video. It helps a contender gain a stronger "foothold" in the voter's brain.. . . so to speak.

Now for Mr MI (on my list) it might have benefitted him not to do a video. His production values were so shoddy I almost crossed him off my frontrunner roster. His saving grace?? That he babysits his niece & nephew (so do I!! Neat!!) And sure, I do realize he was shamelessly exploiting that fact, but I think his choice of ploy shows actual insight on his part. Ummm, unlike the umpteen sports montages & perpetual flexing found in some of the other vids (I thought Mr Montana's was--hands down-- the worst. Sure there were others sorely lacking in stage presence (ie:FL) and/or terrible production values (MI,TX & more), but MT proferred the only video that I found downright ANNOYING)

Mr NY does not even appear to be the same dude in the Mr NY profile photo. He is considerably more handsome in his video. And yet, this did not win him a place on my list...because he is still a smarmy stock trader. I appreciate the nod to National Lampoon's Vacation, though, guy.

Mr MA won personality points with his funny video, but the fact remains that he looks like Jason Biggs-gone-gym-junkie. And this is the COSMO BACHELOR OF THE YEAR prize (a big 10 thou at stake, baby) so I gotsta vote for the "whole package"

Mr CT moved up on my top contenders list. He seemed like a very likable guy. He was much more clever about playing that " good with kids" (& borrowing from "The Landlord" short, methinks) angle.

KS /DE/ SC -- all -like NY-- got more "aesthetics" points with me (foxier in action than in their photo) but all seemed to be jackasses so, NO they did not make the list.

But I said the list changed , and indeed it did. I ousted VA from the list and replaced him with NE (also foxier in vid than in pic).



Ultimately, I'm still undecided about my vote. CT is looking good but also I am especially fixated on SD. He is not ,like, off the charts hot, but he's cute in a kinda unique way & has one sultry stare in his photo. And then his video really got me... the whole sandwich slapping bit. I like a guy not afraid to make an arse out of himself. Oh, which reminds me, Mr RI also charmed me with his vid, the pipe , the phrase "Magna Sum AWESOME" the fact that he said he's reading a book on Teddy Roosevelt (whether he is or not) , so he moved up on the list too, although SD & CT have the edge over him (because they're cuter).

So on the one hand I'm inclined to proclaim SD & CT to be the front-most of the frontrunners, but then on the other hand, I'm thinking, is it cool to penalize AZ, ID, NM,OH, & WA just because they didn't submit videos??? Since I'm not overly concerned with treating CO, LA, OR, TN, or IL unfairly I guess that makes the revised front runners list--
SOUTH DAKOTA
CONNECTICUT
ARIZONA
IDAHO
WASHINGTON
NEW MEXICO
OHIO

I will let youse guys know what I vote when I do vote....if I can ever make up my mind.

the BIG Debate

Heather and I had been conferring the past 1 or 2 months on the Today Show wedding, discussing the options for dress, rings, cakes,etc. and voting faithfully. Well, those big nuptials transpired on Oct 5 and Heather and I had this noticeable votable issues void ever since Friday. Quite serendipitously I happened to catch the tail end of Entertainment Tonight (or was it Extra?) and they were yakkin' about the 2007 Cosmo Hottest Bachelor Search. Where a presumably "hot" single fellah is submitted from every state--1per state--and the public **votes** on which fellah gets the illustrious "Bachelor of the Year " title. Oh, and $10,000. Really, Cosmo? $10,000? I mean, 10k is nothing to sneeze at (I'd sure as hell take it) but you guys can't do any better? Circulation down??

Anyways, early this a.m. I alerted Robin and Heather to this competition and urged them to check out candidates along with me HERE. It looks like (from my quick peek at the archives) that previous years' crops were better but even so, I cannot make up my mind. The following is my preliminary list of faves-- it's a fairly giant list, and I obviously need to weed out some bachelors. I mean, I've not yet read the voting rules, but I assume you can only vote once. Anyways, as I IMed to Robin :" this is like grocery shopping when you're hungry!!! And I happen to be STAAAAARVIN'!!" Further substantiating my metaphor, cute newlywed Heather has proven to be superhumanly finicky, only giving her stamp of approval to ONE contender!! Nuts! Oh, anyways, without further ado, MY picks ---

Arizona (an artist!!! Niiiiice)
Colorado (ok, so, a ski instructor is not the profession I had picked out for my dreamguy, but still, the guy 'fesses up to liking chick flicks...that's big. Also, I am fond of his pointy chin)
Connecticut (Not a STUNNER; but DJ is a cool job -especially with the overabundance of fitness trainers on this list. Also he describes himself is goofy. Goofy is good.)
Idaho (he definitely is cute, but this is a lousy picture...it looks as if some photog totally ambushed him unawares when he stopped mid-hike to take some agua at a lovely brook. I had to put a graphic designer, a self-proclaimed "art nerd" on my frontrunners list. Oh, and I dig his notion of an ideal date-- sweet.)
Illinois ( I initially excluded Mr IL from my list, because I was turned off by his being a mathy guy. I know Winnie Cooper would scorn me for saying so, but MATH MAKES MY BRAIN HURT. But then Heather, who **amazingly** thinks IL is the only worthwhile bachelor, convinced me that I wasn't being fair. I do like his answer on "Girl Get-up He Adores")
Louisiana (Same thing as I said w/ Mr Idaho... cute potential but bad pic. He's sporting a really dumbass smile here but I was touched by the nominators' appraisal of him: "James truly cares about the people around him and is very respectful of women.” I am also a fan of the champagne...as I'm sure you've been told)
Michigan (Not sure why this guy stays on my list. He is way cute, but I found nothing appealing in his profile at all.)
New Mexico (Same comment as I had for ID & LA. This guy shoulda sported a shirt. He is mucho pasty hued and seems to be kinda indiscriminate in his ink. But he had several commendable answers-- his appreciation of mystery, manners-- I like that. On the "con" side...another fitness trainer. Blecccch)
Ohio (Cons: a biotechnology & business admin student. Yes, smart is good --VERY good-- but I like a dude with a more creative bent /Pros: HELLO?? Look at dude. Also he claims to appreciate brainy chicks. Bonus!)
Oregon (see commentary for Michigan. Ditto that)
Rhode Island (CON: He's fairly cute, but I don't like that dweeby smiley face he's making here/ PRO: appreciates sense of humor--even better he appreciates CHEESY humor)
South Dakota (PRO: likes a sarcastic sense of humor? Hello!! Also I'm amused that he lists watching Grey's Anatomy as one of his hobbies. Is he into that show on account of how it mirrors his own med student life with such eerie accuracy?? Funny, I never considered Grey's as any paragon of realism/ CON: big fan of a woman's toned, athletic tummy. Yeeeeeah. Maybe if he's still single at 25 or 26, I'll be up to snuff by then. . . .)
Tennessee (CONS: I can't come up w/ any cons with this dude...except maybe that "stop & smell the roses" is pretty trite & cliche. But that's nitpicking. Also I tend to think of pro footballers (not soccer type footballers) and neanderthals & thugs. But that's just speculation, unfair bias on my part. I'll bet he nets a nice salary ,eh? PROS: "looking for a woman who will be there for me no matter what and who will be my crutch when I need help" and then he says " I love you’ is such an incredibly powerful phrase. It’s the best gift a woman can give to a man.” Awwww. A *sensitive* , non-thug NFL player? Such an anomaly!!)
Virginia (another one Heather coaxed me into adding to the list. She thought his being a fighter pilot was mad impressive. He's cute enough, but I'm unsure that he belongs on my list with the creme de la creme)
Washingon (CONS: I think he's very foxy, but, strangely it really bothers me the way this photo is cropped...NO, not at the bottom. But there's one small chunk of his head out of the picture and it makes me irrationally suspect that there's be something hideous going on with his hairline in that area. Also his sexy overalls fantasy is DUMB /PROS: calls himself astute & sarcastic. "Sarcastic" has somewhat of a negative connotation, really, so I like it when dudes are honest enough to describe themselves thusly. And I like guys who use the word "astute". Hot. Also he probably is very foxy and probably there is nothing up with that mysterious cropped-out portion of his noggin.)

Now, I do enjoy a slice of "beefcake", but just the same, I noticed I feel slightly favored toward all the guys with their shirts on. I felt like they exude more dignity or something. Like, I imagine this photog wanted *everybody* to go topless, but some of these guys were all "No, ma'am I'm sorry. I am MORE than just awe-inspiring pecs and rock hard six pack. I have a SOUL" Ha haahaa haha

Okay this list of frontrunners is *very* preliminary. Very subject to change. Especially since we realized we couldn't access Mr Oklahoma's profile. I told Heather to figure out a way and I was going to take a break and do some actual work. Her findings were that there was no way to Mr OKs profile, but you could only check him out by watching his Cosmo.com video. To which I was like, WHAT?? There be VIDEOS?? Ohh, man this could change everything! I know what I'm doing with my lunch hour!

In fact, I am going to commence video watching NOW. Probably my next post will be a total rewrite of the preceding list....

I heard the Wings/Paul McCartney original version of "Live and Let Die" on my way home tonight. I really can't decide on that song-- whether I prefer the original or the Guns 'n' Roses remake. Both have their commendable qualities. I guess I love 'em both.

Speaking of song covers....

I guess I had known that The Bangles "Hazy Shade of Winter" was a remake, but I'd forgotten it. And I'd never heard the original Simon & Garfunkel version until today. I do adore Simon & Garfunkel but-- sorry, fellahs--- this particular song is better with the rrrRRAR! of electric guitar.

Blender -- for delicious smoothie making only

Everytime I read some music-related news item that cites a poll or article from Blender magazine, I come away with the impression that the Blender mag crew (and possibly their readership) are the snobbiest music snobs to ever roam the planet. Needless to say, I don't tend to agree with their findings.

Just like I do NOT agree with this. I was always charmed by the rhyming of "shake & cough" with "Nabokov" . Shows that the dude cracks open a book from time to time. Literacy is hot, no? And dissing Robert Plant? C'mon! I think you're just trying to manufacture some controversy here, aren't you??? AREN'T YOU, YOU PRETENTIOUS BASTARDS??