Gossip Girl is Back!!!

Thank goodness the show that I know and love has returned! Finally last night's episode of Gossip Girl brought back the sex, lies and campy fun that has been missing from the show since before Christmas. I did not think it could happen but Little J's birthday did bring back the pizazz. Five things I loved about the new episode...

1. Serena is bringing back the "bad" girl and losing her "save the world and all my friends" attitude. By disappearing to Spain (and sending her plans via text to her mother) she has decided that she is in a rut (and she was). What took you so long Serena?

2. Chuck and Vanessa together "no strings attached", its just sex. Take that Nate and your boring self.

3. Jenny inviting everyone on to her party by posting on Gossip Girl. Stupid yes but still funny.

4. Rufus and Lily not moving in together. Thank goodness they nipped that one in the bud. How boring and easy would that be?

5. Doroda in general on all of the episodes. She is just hilarious. I love that she has become Blair's confidant. It so adds to the campiness of the show.

*Please note that I did not add Nate and Blair back together as one of my favorite moments. Although this pairing led to Chuck and Vanessa the entire "romance" was too boring for words.

Hopefully the show will not lose any of its new zing when it returns on April 20th. Here is hoping that it is "back" for good!

NBC renews 'Friday Night Lights' through 2011

Just saw this headline and for those of us who thinks that this is one of the best shows on television...yeah!!!!!! See full story here. They are going to continue to air the show on DirectTV in the fall but then we get it on regular NBC in the Spring. As long as it stays on the air that is fine with me.

The Amazing Race - Who Will I Pull For Now?

I watched The Amazing Race last night with a heavy heart when I realized that Mel and Mike (gay father/son team) were going to be the ones to go home. They got off the plane in Thailand and trusted a cab driver (you can never do that) and one wrong turn later they were out of the game. I am so upset. Who will I pull for now? My son keeps telling me I needed a plan B and I don't have one for the remaining teams. The remaining teams are:

Cara and Jaime - The NFL cheerleaders who have no respect for anyone who does not speak English. These two get frustrated with anyone that does not understand them (which is a lot) and continue to yell until they get their way.

Lakisha and Jennifer - Sisters and former basketball players, these two are not bad and seem nice but I lost a little respect when the one who had to run in her underwear announced that she did not wear underwear and that she had a great body (learn some humility sweetheart).

Margie and Luke - This is the team with the mother/son combination and the son is deaf. You would think that I would pull for them (love the underdogs) but Luke had a hand in sending hot Kris home so I will forever hold him responsible for not getting to see Kris run through Russia in his underwear.

Mark and Michael - The short (are they little people?) stuntman brothers are fun to watch because they can never get it right (think the blonds just shorter) but one of them has a mean streak and I cannot pull for that.

Tammy and Victor - Overconfident, over athletic brother/sister team that normally can do no wrong. Victor and his smug self just bothers me.

So there you have it (hee hee), who do I pull for? Who do I want to win? Who do you want to win?

Play It Again....

On my first official day of Spring Break (the kids don't get out until 2:45) I am getting ready to go to the pool and read but I thought I would check out Facebook first. The new thing on Facebook is to list 5 of your favorite things (movies, songs, books etc). One of the lists caught my eye and instead of posting it on Facebook, I decided to post it here.

Which 5 movies would you watch over and over? Now I think that I have stated (for the record) that I do not like movies that are sad, depressing, or thought provoking. I like happy endings! Therefore the following 5 movies are the movies that I will watch at any time to put a smile on my face or to cheer me up. These are the movies that if you pass them (surfing for something to watch) and they are on TBS, Lifetime, Bravo etc, no matter where the movie happens to be I will stop to watch.

1. Hoosiers - One of the best sports movies ever. The classic Cinderella story guaranteed to make you believe in the underdog.

2. When Harry Met Sally - I can recite this movie because I have seen it so many times. To this day one of the most romantic lines in a movie (to me) ever. "You are the fist person I want to see in the morning and the last person I want to speak to at night."

3. It's A Wonderful Life - Cheesy I know but who doesn't want to believe that the whole town will come together to help you. And that you actually meant something in your life.

4. Father of the Bride - Steve Martin is so believable as the Dad that you forget he is not your Dad. I still get teared up when the daughter calls from the airport at the end of the movie.

5. Sixteen Candles - Jake Ryan! Enough said.

Now I do have many more that I love but these are my top 5. Did I miss any good ones?

Spring Break!!!!!

I am officially on Spring Break! This is the good thing about being a teacher...I actually get excited about breaks like this. So tomorrow while my children are in school and I do not have to work I will be at the pool (its 83 degrees) drinking something fun and reading my book. I might get my posts done at some point but for the next week I am in vacation mode. Later Taters!

By the way I have not been in vacation mode this week; I just have not been home. I still need to watch The Biggest Loser and The Amazing Race and I will.

Gossip Girl - In Limbo

Has anyone else been a little disappointed in Gossip Girl the last two episodes? Last week was dull and this week was dumb. Nate is back in the family fold and so Vanessa is out (OK that is actually fine with me) but Blair cannot decide if she wants to be bad or good, Chuck is good (maybe), and Serena and Dan are floating around trying to save the world. I need the pizazz back in the show. Does anyone think that Little J's birthday is going to have the needed pizazz? We'll see...XOXO!

PS I did love the fight between Chuck and Doroda!

Can You Go Home Again?

I left 80 degree weather on Friday to head to 50 degree weather in North Carolina. I went home to see friends and celebrate a baby shower (and get my Bojangles fix). All weekend I felt a little off. Everyone talks about their life and what is going on with other friends but no one can relate to my life at all. Sunny South Florida is not North Carolina and the differences are seemingly huge. I love my friends and have known all of them since I was very young (6 or younger) but this move (on my part) seems to have put a wedge between me and them. I know that people drift apart and I would be devastated if that happened but if I am honest with myself it already has. I might be feeling a little sorry for myself today too because I feel so far away from everything. Blah Monday and all that.

By the way, the good news is that I was able to get my Cajun Chicken Biscuit Combo with Seasoned Fries and a Sweet Tea!

The Week in My Shows

My two main "Reality" shows that I have to watch every week are; The Amazing Race and The Biggest loser (now I watch others but these two get watched before anything else). My one other show that jumps to the front of my Tivo is Gossip Girl. Without further ado here is my quick take on these three shows this week and I hope to be back to normal next.

First, as stated before Gossip Girl was a huge disappointment. I have been waiting a month for new episodes and this is the tired shit they bring to me. This secret society thing that Chuck had going on was just stupid and now you want us to believe that Blair would rather be with no name Carter as opposed to Chuck Bass. As for Dan's "affair" with the teacher (who looked 15 by the way) dumb and dumber. She was too mousy to last very long and I was glad to see her leave. The play on The Age of Innocence did not work and became even more far-fetched when Serena discovered that the object of her affection was gay. I say Bring back Georgina (my God did I really say that?)!

The Amazing Race was the usual of high energy teams moving from place to place and then a hiccup. The Roadblock ended up being that one person from each team had to strip down to their skivvies and run a few miles in the cold Russian climate. So this is the Roadblock that comes up after Kris is eliminated! Really? How could you do this to me? Anyway, all the other teams completed the task as the flight attendants came in last (she had to do her run in a thong). But no elimination this week so everyone stays. As always, I hate when that happens (unless it is a team I love).

Finally, this week on The Biggest Loser the contestants all got to go home for a week and....run a half marathon? Yes they got to see their families but the challenge for the week was to complete a half marathon (13.2 miles I think) and the person with the fastest time received $10,000. With a little game play involved Sione won the money. The weigh-in was what you would expect for the teams after spending a week at home and once again the Blue team loses to the Black team. So who goes home? It should have been Audrey (not that I wanted that) since Ron, Kristin, and Cathy had an alliance but Cathy sacrificed herself (now this is how a mother should be Helen) and she was sent home. On to next week and I am ready to see one of the Black team members get sent home (just not Mike).

This is my synapses for the week (not bad right) and I finished my part of the gift for my parents. So maybe I can do it all...wait where are my children?

Memory of Natasha Richardson

When I was growing up my mother did a lot of acting. Mostly regional theater (which is why I am so open minded about certain things) but she did get an occasional movie. Movies do get made in North Carolina. Anyway, my mom had a fairly decent part in a movie called The Handmaids Tale (based on a book about a futuristic society) with one of the stars being Natasha Richardson. My mother mentioned meeting this nice young woman who asked and was interested in her (our) large family. She asked about our growing up on the coast and about different family vacations and even visited my mother in her trailer to talk and get to know her. It is funny that I remember my mom talking about this unaffected woman so many years later. And every time I saw Natasha Richardson in a movie I remembered how my mother described her. She was, as mom said, a woman who loved her job but who wanted a family more than anything. How upsetting that her children lost her at such a young age.

I am a little busy...

I have some major opinions about Gossip Girl, The Amazing Race and probably The Biggest Loser as well (if I could just get around to watching them) but this week is a little crazy. Here is why:

My parents, who were high school sweethearts, were married at the age of 19. This year not only do they both turn 60 but they also are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. My siblings and I have decided to present them with an album of "the past 40 years" and trying to coordinate pictures and ideas over 4 states is virtually impossible. I live in Florida, my sister is in New York, my other sister is in Maryland and my brother is in North Carolina. We just cannot seem to get it together, so any computer time that I have had has been spent on this album (the anniversary is next week and we have to order it by Friday).

So please, once again, bear with me and I will catch up. I promise! And for the small handful of you who read my Blog just know that I am writing a strongly worded letter to the makers of Gossip Girl to let them know how disappointed I am that I waited so long for a new episode and Monday night was what I got!

How I Met Your Mother

Did anyone else watch last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother? Hilarious!!! Absolutely fabulous!! I was literally laughing out loud. Just wanted to know if there is anyone else out there who loves the show as much as I do. The reference to A few Good Men was priceless: Ted finds out that Lily has sabotaged more than one of his past relationships (because of her retiree front porch test) and demands the truth. And of course the "discussion" between Marshall and Barney about men in nightshirts was just as funny. But I have to say that the funniest moments of the show were when everything is going on in the living room (Ted and Lily fighting, Marshall and Barney having the pajama discussion) and in the background on television Robin is doing her morning talk show in which every major event happens, all at one time. I did not know which part to pay more attention to. I wanted to give a shout out to the show because I have not laughed that hard since....The Naked Man episode (or was it the Whoo girls?).

America's Next Top Model - Melee in NY

I think that I told you that I was watching America's Next Top Model and had planned on doing recaps but...after watching the first few episodes I could not bring myself to do it. From the screeches of the girls whenever Tyra (or the J's for that matter) walks in the room, to the fake Mission: Impossible reference on makeover day, to the complete overuse of the word "fierce"; I have had enough. I fast forward more than I actually watch and any word that I would use to discuss Tyra just seems inappropriate.

Imagine my surprise (this is in my sarcastic voice) when I discovered yesterday that ANTM caused a Melee in New York at a casting call. I checked to see if anyone was hurt and then could not stop laughing. Read the full story here on People.com.

I will say my piece and be done...a melee for a show that has succeeded in launching ZERO careers is absolutely fantastic! The diva herself, Miss Banks, wants everyone to believe that she is all-knowing about the fashion world when all I can see is a has been (who can "smile with her eyes"). She attempts to promote positive body images while in reality she enjoys promoting herself. I just don't understand what all the fuss is about!

Shockingly This Did Not Last!!!!

John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston Call It Quits – Again

I am not mean and evil. I really do like Jennifer Aniston and hope that someday she finds true love...but really is anyone actually shocked that this did not work out? See the full story on People.com (here).

The Biggest Loser - Face Off

Damn this time change. I still cannot seem to get it together but I at least wanted to acknowledge a few things about Tuesday's show.

• Obviously Mike was able to pull through for the teams and he lost 11 pounds (this is where we were left hanging last week) but no one really had time to enjoy the win.

• The Black team continues to win everything...the challenges, the weigh ins etc. I really thought that this was the week that winning would bite them in the ass but once again they won and a member of the Blue team was sent home.
  
• Explanation of above winning statement if you did not watch; the Black team won the challenge and the prize was 24 hours of luxury. No one worked out, they drank (and smoked), ate crappy food and generally let it all hang out. Even with all that they won the weigh in.
  
• I hated the way that the show set up the weigh in this week with the "face off". Each member of the Black team went against one member of the Blue team. The team with the most winning combinations won. Stupid and stressful and needlessly hard for the women that had to go against the men.
• Is anyone else sick of the cousins (Sione and Filipe)? All they do is bitch and moan about Jillian and then when Jillian actually calls them out for their behavior (while they were on the luxury prize) they get pissed and cross the line back to Bob. I am not normally a Jillian fan but these boys need to grow up and accept their lumps if they screw up.

• Sadly Mandy was sent home (again never any discussion about Ron leaving and he can't do anything). It was touching to watch the sisters have to decide between each other; each one wanting to sacrifice for the other. In the end Mandy accepted her fate and went home.
  

I will do better next week (with my recaps). The show is starting to get more interesting...just one other note to NBC. We d not need all of the crazy twists! Keep things simple and about the weight loss (and human behavior) and we will still watch. I promise!

Long Day....

I am going to whine just a little. I just got home after a very long day and have had no time to sit down at all. I still want to discuss The Biggest Loser from last night and would like to trash talk Tyra at some point (I have to find time for that) but I want to feel fresh and energized. Therefore give me one more day to do so and I will make sure that my recap is posted at some point tomorrow. Have a good night and happy hump day!!!!!

The Amazing Race - The Highlights

It's over! No more eye candy on The Amazing Race now that KRIS and amanda have been eliminated. I watched Sunday's episode last night hoping that the hot man and his woman would overcome the challenges and stay in the race but alas it was not to be.

And they were screwed by the "sweet" deaf guy and his mother. Yes you read that right people...Margie and Luke U-Turned (a race term that means that the racers have to complete two tasks instead of one) Kris and Amanda and they could never recover.

As for the rest of the race; the little people, Mark and Michael, do not seem very smart. They are constantly missing things or walking right by obvious clues. It is amazing that they are still in the race.

Speaking of which, hell has frozen over because the flight attendants, Christie and Jodi, finished first this week. I was shocked and I assume that they were as well but their faces (as always) were devoid of any expression (too much botox I assume).

Till next week and without Kris and Amanda I will be rooting for Mel and Mike.

How I Met Your Mother's Cool Guest Star!

Don't forget to watch tonight's episode of How I Met Your Mother! Laura Prepon is guesting as Ted's college girlfriend. I was huge fan of That 70's Show and loved Ms. Prepon accordingly so I am looking forward to her being back on television. Plus I always love flashbacks on HIMYM. I think it is Ted's hair.

Petite, Small, Husky, Large

Twice a year I shop for my children. OK more than that but I actually devote time to their clothes twice a year for the season change. This year I noticed something that is a little disturbing. My son, who will be 8 this summer, is small. If he were a girl we would say petite but not the best word for a boy. Anyway, I have a difficult time finding shorts that fit his waist but don't make his legs look too skinny. Most of the clothing that I have bought for him this year is a size 6. On the other hand my daughter is big for her age. She will be 5 in a few weeks and I bought size 5 clothing only to return it because it did not fit. The point is that I am now buying size 6 for both my 8 year old son and my 5 year old daughter. I want this to be switched. I want my daughter to be petite and my son to be the one that is a little bigger only because I never want anyone to ever get picked on. Its funny because we never think about the size of our children until we have to buy them clothing. I know that all children go through stages and eventually my son will have growth spurt and my daughter will slow down but it is funny to me that they are wearing the same size clothing this summer. I will not mention it to them (my son would be devastated) but I guess she can borrow his shorts as needed.

Funny...

My sister-in-law sent this to me today and I thought it was funny. Then I started thinking maybe she was trying to tell me something.

Bunko (or Bunco)Tonight!

I am furiously cleaning today because I am hosting Bunko at my house tonight. For those of you not in the know, Bunko is a mother's excuse to get together with friends and drink; on a school night. It is a dice game that does not require a great deal of concentration so that we can concentrate on other things (like drinking and talking shit).

Last night I watched the first half of America's Next Top Model and got bored (not a good sign) and I have not checked out Make Me a SuperModel (but I will). I did watch the reunion of Top Chef and was excited that Fabio won Fan Favorite.

So anyway, back to the vacuum and I will check back later.

Later taters.

The Model Shows Are Back

Two model shows are back tonight with a vengeance (OK I don't know if vengeance is the right word but they are back).

Tyra returns to the CW at 8 with America's Next Top Model. Last season I finally got my fill of Ms. Banks and I don't know how much I will watch this season but...it is always hard to resist.

Also starting tonight on Bravo at 10, Make Me a Supermodel is back for the second season, with Tyson Beckford as its host.

I will check out both shows (when I get a chance) and see which one I will actually pay attention to and get emotionally involved in (and then let you know).

The Biggest Loser - Who needs food?

I abhor reality shows that are supposed to eliminate someone every week and then have a week that is "to be continued". It pisses me off and ruins my week of television (OK not really but when you have your mind set on something and it does not happen it messes up your psyche). Last night on The Biggest Loser no one was eliminated and nothing too exciting happened. OK a few things were worth noting.

Another week on the Ranch and another week of the Black team domination. Both the challenge (a cooking challenge with Rocco) and the other challenge (packing boxes for the Food Bank) were won by the Black team. The Food Bank challenge gave each member of the winning team free groceries for the year and the Moms on the Blue team really wanted to win. Sadly they did not but in a surprise (and extremely sweet) move Mike gave his free groceries to one of the Moms because he (being only 18) did not have a family to feed. I am liking him more and more!

During the weigh in Alison announced that if each player had lost 7 pounds (1 pound per day) for the week then no one on either team was going home. So for the remaining 11 players the total weight loss had to be over 77 pounds. At the end of the episode it was poor, young Mike (bless his heart) stepping on the scale having to lose over 9 pounds to keep everyone in the game. And that's where it ended (dammit). So we won't find out until next week if anyone goes home and how Mike's weight loss was for the week. I hate not knowing!!!!!!!

Faking it? I don't know.

My child did not want to go to school today. She had a tummy ache, a head ache, a cough (due to cold), a sore throat and the list goes on. She literally found every ailment imaginable to avoid going to school. Now she is 4, she should still want to go to school daily. Nothing is going on in the classroom, all of her friends are still her friends; she just did not want to go. I checked for fever and looked at her throat and patted her on the bottom on her way to school. My question is, at this age, how do you know if they are faking it? In this situation it seemed as if she just wanted to stay home but I have had days where they have complained of something and I (like my mother) do not believe in staying home unless there is vomit or a fever. My child is already a drama queen; how much more of this do I have to look forward to and how do I know what is real and what is not?

The Amazing Race - In Brief

I have started watching The Amazing Race on Monday nights with my children (they love it) so any comments I have will not be posted until Tuesday. This week's episode was not very exciting but I had a few items that I wanted to voice. For a full recap check out EW. com here.

• I love that Mike and Mel (gay father/son team) came in first this week. They are fun to watch and I just love the relationship that they have. Both father and son can get a little snarky but then there is a hug or kiss and all is right with the world. I loved that Mike uttered not one word of complaint about wearing the gymnastics uniform (and it was tight!). If we could all be that laid back (I am saying this now who knows what will happen next week?)?

• I hate it when a team that I don't care about gets eliminated. Sounds weird I know but if you are not invested in the pit stop the the show loses its luster.

• Kris is still hot!

• Vampires are everywhere. Who knew that The Amazing Race would jump on that bandwagon.

• I am not crazy about Victor and Tammy. She seems sweet but he is so controlling (big brother) and the crying thing this week was a little contrived (I was not moved).

I am still trying to decide who to pull for so next week it is. Later taters.

What?????

I was reading People.com (as I do daily) and came across their top article about The Bachelor last night. Now I no longer watch the show (I stopped watching the year Jesse ended up with Jess) and have missed most of the drama this season so maybe I am reading this wrong but...the article says that the guy proposed to one and then dropped her for the other 6 weeks later. Are you serious? And he did this on national television? If anyone watched last night let me know I would love to hear your thoughts. See the full story (here) on People.com.

One other quick question. This Melissa girl (the one he proposed to and then subsequently dumped) looks like one of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders from Making the Team (I watch so much stupid television), is she?

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

My husband is out of town until tomorrow and I have trouble sleeping when he is not home (cheesy yes I know). Look I am from a big family and never had my own room let alone my own house. I don't know what to do with myself. Anyway, this extends my reading time at night and I was able to finally finish Candace Bushnell's (of Sex and the City fame) most recent book One Fifth Avenue.

OK, here's the thing; I want to love her books. I want to be sophisticated and love the New York lingo and her choppy writing style but I don't. I have read all of her books and while they were mildly entertaining I just could not walk away and recommend it to someone else. I like the idea of her books. You know life in New York, people with important jobs, living on cool streets like Fifth Avenue, going to benefit dinners; all the things that are so not me. I want to lose myself in this world and I cannot. Her sex is too graphic (and I am not as prudish as you might think), the twists seem a little far fetched and the stereotypes of people are too elementary. I don't want to say "don't read it" but read it when you have nothing else available. The only thing that I was able to really glean from the book is that people in New York will do just about anything for the right address? Is this true?

My Own Version of The Biggest Loser

I let all of you know that my family and friends were doing our own version of the Biggest Loser (post here) back in January. We are now two months in and I have lost a total of about 7 pounds. In fact we decided to do two small monthly prizes at the end of January and the end of February (the big prize is the end of March) and I found out today that I won for February. Yeah me! I am very excited; although today I have eaten like a pig. Also just another exciting weight story, I fit in to my skinny designer jeans this weekend. We went out Saturday night and I was able to wear (meaning button and breathe) my designer jeans that have not fit me since last summer. I am hoping to lose a few more pounds but I thought that you all would appreciate.

Now what will I eat for snack time?

The Roller Coaster

I have this idea that marriage is like a roller coaster. Sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down but it always comes back around.

Lately my husband and I have been in that downward motion. Every little thing that comes out of his mouth just grates on my nerves. We are fighting constantly and both of us are so tired and stressed that we cannot allow ourselves to have a good time. Last night we took a step back in the right direction (upward swing) and talked, laughed, and relaxed with our friends. After 12 years of marriage (and 16 years together) I never doubt that we will get back to the top it just sometimes takes longer than others.

I spoke with a girlfriend recently who asked how I knew that the upward swing was always going to happen? How did I know that we would not continue on the downward motion and never come back up? Honestly I don't know how I know this. I just do! It's kind of like knowing that your husband is the exact person for you. I just know. I always know (and have complete faith) that eventually we will come back around. During our down moments I may not always know when the up times are coming back but I have faith that they will.

It's Sunday and I am being a little introspective today. Weird I know but no football and it is yucky outside.