Jamie-Lynn Spears Pregnant

...and somewhere Dina Lohan slept well last night.

The dramz...I love it!

Tebow for Heisman!

The ceremony is Saturday night. Pray for Tebow! The greatest athlete in all of sports! And the universe!

Absolute die of happiness!!!

The Sex and the City Movie trailer!

http://movies.aol.com/movie/sex-and-the-city-2008/30247/video/trailer-no-1/2033774

Project Runway

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Project Runway is back in full effect! And goddamit this is a good show. With guests like SJP and Tiki Barber already having been on I can't wait to see what is on tap the rest of the season.

So far, my front runners, in no particular order are Christian (fierce!), Rami (elegant!) and Jack (lovable! gay! talented!) and Kit (cute! fun! fresh!) I just get so happy over this show I can't help but use one million exclamation points.

Last week, I tried to do my realtime thoughts on it, but 4 p.m. darkness makes me too tired to do much but watch and cheer.

And this season, I am making a solemn vow that I am using every connection I have to get myself into the finale at Bryant Park. What sucks is that the last three seasons it would have been a simple phone call but I was out of town. This year may be harder, but come hell or high water, I'm going to give it my best shot.

See you soon Tim Gunn!!!!

The Couple That Goes on TV Together...

...stays together? That is not my motto - am I right Jessica Simpson? - but it is kind of fun. This morning, GC and I volunteered to be a part of a segment we put together for one of my clients on the local CW channel. We had to be up at 5:15 a.m. but it was worth it - a good time was had by all. Check out GC and I getting our blood flowing, way too early this a.m., live on TV here in NYC.

http://cw11.trb.com/news/local/morningnews/?track=nav

Updates

I received my warning email from Kaplan - I'm back on the blogging train. For a number of reasons. Here goes:

1.) Perhaps most exciting is that I just added the internet to my phone. Yes I know I am 25 years behind in this, but it now means I can blog on the go. Now that I live in Queens and get cell phone service on the subway. Holla!

2.) Thanksgiving was busy. I flew home, spent a few days in Boca where I caught up with the must-sees - Jesse, Lucy, Sister, Parents, Gilad - then drove up to Tampa where I met GC's mom (and dad) and finally saw all the things I've heard so much about including Saddlebrook, Tampa Lanes, Del Mabrey, Rich & Kristy's dachsunds and Max's House. It was amazing and relaxing and I loved it. Can't wait to go back for Christmas!

3.) Work has been insane! But going well.

4.) I'm going to see the Wu-Tang Clan in January. Die of excitement!

5.) Project Runway is back! I heart Christian! He's the funniest because he's so damn high on himself. But he can back it up. I also love Jack, Kit and Rami. So far, it's been an AWESOME start to my favorite show. And this year, I am SO getting myself to the finale under the tents in Bryant Park! I am always out of town, but this year, it's happening.

6.) I'm addicted to Scrabulous on Facebook. Please challenge me in a game if you are bored! Or love it too.

7.) I love living by myself. I just have to get plugging in terms of decorating. So many ideas, so little time. So little money.

8.) I want a kitten. But don't think I'm home enough. Still thinking about it.

9.) Doing New Year's in New York and GC is having a major party. E-vite coming soon but mark your calendars!

I think that is all for now. I am so behind on posting pictures and what not, will get that done when I can.

Pick Pickler!

I loved Kellie Pickler on American Idol and I'm so glad she is doing well in country music. She's too cute and her voice is amazing. I thought her performance last night at the CMA's was amazing...and showcased a side of her we haven't really seen. I think she's going to make a good country music artist. Poor thing - she hasn't had it easy but she's doing good for herself.

Something Not to Do on Halloween

So...on Halloween I made what just may be the cardinal sin of complimenting someone on their costume. And that is - make sure they are in a costume.

I was out with GC, his roommate and a bunch of her friends. Those friends were then joined by other friends.

One of those boys sat down at our table and I stared at him for a few moments taking in what I saw. Long hair, swept across the forehead to one side. Polo shirt. Khakis. And then it hit me, and I said, "OHHH! Are you Zac Efron???"

He looked at me blankly and then replied, not so nicely, "Ummmm....nooo. I'm just me." As in "Um, no" period. "I'm just me." Period.

I turned away in horror as GC's roommate and her friend began to literally crow with laughter. And I felt HORRIBLE. I was so embarrassed. But only for a few minutes because I looked again and if this guy was indeed trying to be "just himself," then he was doing an awfully good job of also looking "just like Zac Efron."

See photo evidence here on why I am RIGHT.

For all my Lexapro peeps! Or those thinking about it.

Once again, O, the Oprah Magazine, is here to help.

I saw the following article which can help everyone prone to a freakout every day. What I wish the author did a little bit better is go into chronic anxiety - imagine what the author describes as a snafu or a fubar, but every day, over every little thing - this is how I felt before I finally took control and got on a pill.

It's not something I hope to take forever - but during this crazy time that seems to be called "My Twenties" it is helping me slow down and figure things out in a normal, healthy way. Freaking out to the point of tears, not sleeping, waking up groggy and nervous and constantly trying to calm and talk myself down - was not working and taking a toll on my quality of life. So I encourage you to read this article and take its advice, but if you find yourself constantly working to maintain some level of sanity, make an appointment with your doctor to explore your options.

(Oprah.com) -- The military has given the English language two words that brilliantly articulate different types of crises: The first is snafu, an acronym for "situation normal, all f***ed up." The second is fubar, which stands for "f***ed up beyond all recognition." As we travel the bumpy road of life, we must prepare to deal with both.

Fubar situations are huge disasters, the kind that come with an implicit "get out of normal obligations free" card and often require a rethinking of where your future is headed.

Smaller snafu crises -- the broken toe, the stolen wallet, the babysitter quitting on short notice -- can be incredibly disruptive, but usually they're not life changing; they're more likely month changing or 10-weeks-of-Vicodin disruptive.

But a short-term crisis is still a crisis, so here's how to weather your next snafu:

Go ahead and freak out

One fine day in 2006, a wild deer wandered into a Target store in West Des Moines. He skidded around like Bambi on ice for 20 minutes, until employees herded him through the automatic doors to freedom.

On surveillance videos, the deer is wearing an expression I've seen on many human faces during minor crises -- a look that says, "I feel fine, but what the ... ?"

I mention this because there's one way in which deer handle crises better than humans -- at least according to "Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma" author Peter Levine, Ph.D., who holds two doctorates, one in psychology, one in medical and biological physics. Early in his research, Levine noticed that when animals are traumatized -- even a little bit -- they react by trembling, running, kicking, and thrashing around, which is what that deer did.

Meanwhile, human Target shoppers reacted with stiffness and consternation, because we generally try to subdue physical "emergency" reactions.

After falling down stairs or arguing with a co-worker, we make every effort to keep our eyes, voices, and hands steady, determined to show through our physical motionlessness that we're in complete control of our bodies, moods, and lives (no matter how many Xanax this requires).

Levine noted that people who have physical emergency reactions often cope better with crisis, and show fewer symptoms of trauma afterward, than people who hold still. Stress compels action; in snafu situations, Mother Nature gives just one instruction to all her children, and that instruction is, "Move!"

When the unexpected strikes, find a private space and let your body do whatever it wants. Heave, kick, shake your head like a wet cat. Then let that energy flow into constructive action, whether it's contesting a credit card charge, yanking cactus spines out of your child, or slapping duct tape on a broken pipe.

I got a chance to test this advice when one of my car tires blew out. After regaining control of the fishtailing vehicle, then coaxing it over to the freeway shoulder, I went a little crazy, shuddering and shouting incoherently for about 10 seconds.

Sure enough, this seemed to open up a channel to calm. Feeling very alert, I got out and changed that tire with my own profoundly nonmechanical hands. I drove away feeling so empowered, so conscious of life's fragility, that even the disruption of my schedule hardly bothered me. I do believe letting myself have those initial 10 seconds of physical freak-out cleared my mind and body for positive action. Thank you, Dr. Levine.

Release your expectations

Not all problems are this quickly resolved. My flat tire rearranged my day, but you may have a disaster that lingers for weeks or months, such as your brother-in-law. The situation, whatever or whoever it is, will eventually be resolved, but in the meantime it requires accommodation.

Realizing this is like being turned upside down. We hear our plans falling out of our pockets and smashing into countless questions: "How will I meet my deadline?" "Who'll walk the dogs?" "Can I even tie my shoes with this cast on my arm?" Our knee-jerk reaction is often defiant refusal to let go of expectations: Somehow, we insist, we will stick to our schedule.

I've heard you can trap a monkey by putting a banana in a jar, then punching a hole in the lid just wide enough for the animal's hand -- not wide enough, that is, for the hand plus a banana. The monkey's refusal to release the banana is what keeps it stuck.

This is what happens when we hang on to expectations in the face of crisis, and it can turn a snafu into an utterly fubar situation. Working when you're sick, you end up in the hospital. Rushing tasks after a slowdown, you drop or break or miscalculate something crucial. Pushing yourself beyond emotional limits, you lash out and damage a relationship.

Conversely, learning to let go of expectations is a ticket to peace. It allows us to ride over every crisis -- small or large, brother-in-law or end-of-quarter office lockdown -- like a beach ball on water. The next time a problem arises in your life, take a deep breath, let out a sigh, and replace the thought Oh no! with the thought Okay. If it's hard to sustain this perspective, go immediately to step 3.

Narrow your time aperture

It took me decades to learn how to surrender expectations. I wanted to let go; I just didn't know the procedure. Then a meditation teacher put it in terms I could understand. Imagine, he said, that your life is going badly -- you're underpaid, and you've just discovered that your spouse has started smoking. You go for a walk in the woods, trying to clear your head. Anxiety eats at you: Should you demand a raise? What if your spouse gets lung cancer? Troubling scenarios spin out in your mind. You can't stop worrying.

span style="font-weight:bold;">Then you walk around a rock, and there it is: a bear.

At that moment, it becomes almost magically easy to stop obsessing about your lousy job and your spouse's lungs. You have no trouble surrendering your worries -- in fact, as you sprint back to the safety of your SUV, you let go of verbal thought altogether. You've attained the enviable clarity meditators call one-pointed attention.

This is how you let go of expectations: by giving full attention to the snafu at hand. Forget about finishing your errands and focus on holding this bandage to this cut, right here, right now, until the bleeding stops. Do what is needed with full concentration: Find the spare tire, turn off the water valve, call your therapist. Be here now, and you'll realize there's nowhere else you ever need to be.

Make loosey-goosey plans

As you focus on the present, you'll find the next step arises almost automatically, and then the one after that. Your thought as you run from the bear is to reach the car. Your aim as you press on a wound is to stop the bleeding. Unlike plans made in calmer circumstances, which may be detailed, researched, and rigid, the ones you make when facing snafus should be so loose that they're almost floppy.

One year, when I lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I decided to run the Boston marathon. On a snowy afternoon, I took a bus to Wellesley, which lies at the halfway point of the marathon route. The idea was to run home, both training and familiarizing myself with the terrain.

I overlooked only one thing: I have absolutely no sense of direction. After running for an hour, I noticed that Boston was not where I thought it was. After two hours, I was jogging past eerie, deserted factories. After three hours, my world was empty country roads in a pitch-dark blizzard.

Peter Levine would have been proud of the way I eventually freaked out, stomping, kicking, and, yes, using strong language. My tantrum freed me to release my expectations of knocking this off in a few hours and accept that I was well and truly lost. This allowed me to narrow my focus to the immediate situation, and I immediately formulated a plan: Retrace my route by following my own footprints.

It worked for a half hour, until the falling snow obscured my tracks. By then I could hear the rumbling of motors, so my approach changed: Follow the noise. This took me to a freeway, from which I could see a distant glow of city lights. I followed them to downtown Boston, where, switching strategies one last time, I caught the subway home. Staying loose and flexible not only got me through a snafu but proved I could run for six straight hours. After that the marathon was a cakewalk.

The plans that take us out of short-term crises almost always proceed like this. A strategy that works well one moment is useless the next. That's okay. Keep moving. Keep letting go of expectations. Keep your attention on the here and now, and keep adjusting.

And finally, refuse to contemplate the distant future until the snafu is over. Cancel lunch, obsess later about the social fallout. Look in the yellow pages under "flood repair" without wondering how much it will eventually cost to replace your carpet.

The difference between unthinkable disasters and short-term crises is that if you follow these instructions, life snaps back to being surprisingly normal surprisingly quickly. Think what that deer must have felt as he roamed the aisles of Target, wondering why the humans were forcing him toward a wall of glass and metal. Imagine his gratification when he finally triggered the door sensor.

That's the way a minor crisis ends. It's almost anticlimactic: You look up from the one step that has your full attention and realize you're out of the woods. Or, if you're a deer, back in the woods. Back, in any case, to the world you're used to, where snafus are typical and things occasionally get fubar, but where you feel in your DNA that things are exactly as they should be.

California Dreamin'

So last Thursday I got word that I'd be traveling last minute to LA for business. It's been a good, long while since I traveled for business so I was pumped, in addition to the fact that this business travel actually was going to be fun. We had been planning for months to do an event at the LA Galaxy game and when all was said and done at the end of the day, I got my David Beckham sighting. Is there really any more to tell to this story? Probably not. i saw David Beckham in the flesh. So..yeah, that's really all I have to say about my trip to LA!

I'm also, sadly, still without DVR, tho cable is still very much up and running. The cable guy forgot to bring the converter and so I told him I'd bring it to exchange myself. I'm DYING to see the new shows, specifically the one on WE about the woman who talks to the dead. I need to check out that show. I'm all caught up on Heroes, so that's all good. I also think I'm going to like The Bionic Woman and I discovered John Edwards still shows Crossing Over on Lifetime. Right now, I'm all about sci-fi and cable news channels. Because I'm so cool!

But nothing proved how cool I was like last Thursday night, when finally, three years into my time in NYC, I finally, FINALLY! fell in the subway. And it was a good fall.

I was rushing down to my clients office to grab some things that I'd need for the LA business trip and inexplicably, I wore flip-flops to work even though it was clearly going to rain that day. Not only did I wear flips, but I chose a pair that I've seriously had since junior year of college - a red pair of Old Navy ones that I just can't throw away because they've defied the odds and lasted so long - they deserve to still walk the streets. But not in the rain, because the bottoms are completely smooth.

So I'm doing my best to get down there relatively quickly, carrying a big heavy bag of stuff from the office while simultaneously trying to stay somewhat dry. I started to go down the subway steps when I thought to myself, there is no tread on these sandals, and literally, not 1 second later, I feel my feet slide completely forward in front of me, and I'm going down.

The wierdest part was, I was really not embarrased. I was more annoyed than anything. The subway was flooded, so I fell in a puddle of god knows what water, at least three inches deep. I made a splash as I fell. My hair came out the pontytail, and some guy had to help me up. I got to the bottom of the stairs and realized what had happened. I felt my soaking wet butt and realized that I had finally broke the streak of non-falls. Hopefully it's the last, I'll make sure to bring out my trusty rainboots if I even see a cloud, but I have to admit, it felt kind of nice to finally get this one NYC must-do out of the way.

Gracias, Adj

The Gators may have lost on Saturday (sigh, and I talked a lot of smack before halftime, which all came back full force by the end of the evening) but I had a great heart-to-heart with one my dear friends here and it really made my weekend. And really, my week.

I've been thinking (probably too much)about the direction of life again and had it not been for GC last Friday night being his usual, rational, calming self, I would have probably come home, drank a bottle of wine on an empty stomach and sulked around the apartment, crying, or worse, wanting to cry but feeling bad that I wanted to.

But then Adrienne and I talked, and I realized, once again, that I'm not alone. That just become some people feel comfortable with this or that aspect of their life, that no one really feels totally complete. Not quite yet. And maybe, for most people, not quite ever - and that is more normal than people who do seem to have it all figured out. I finally realized - people who have it all figured out are the wierdos. And those weirdos...are probably lying anyways.

So with that my mind, and dove headfirst into this crazy week, confident that whatever is going to happen, will..and that I will just roll with the punches (yes, once again I had to remind myself to do this) and deal with it. Because I'm hardly alone.

oh yeahh...f* you wierdos! stop ruining it for the rest of us!

A Little Something to Get You Going

As we toil away at our less than six-figure (but not for long, hopefully, am I right millionaire-hood?) jobs this a.m., here's a little jumpstart for all the ladies out there:

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0709/gallery.women_mostpowerful.fortune/index.html

RIP

It's a cruel and sad reminder, but always keep your eyes and ears open, report suspicious activity, and never, ever take your friends, family and loved ones for granted:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070928franklin,0,2335283,full.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

Success!

This morning, I went into the deli right by my work where I go ever day for my coffee, and the lady knew my order before I gave it. Which by the way, is "large coffee, milk and sugar."

Success!

But Come Back Down to Earth

I know how lucky I am, see previous post, and I never want to take that for granted. I am beyond sad to read that family members of Nailah Franklin, believe she has been found, dead:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/27/missing.woman.ap/index.html

And here is another story that broke my heart: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/27/sextape.search.ap/index.html

A Full-Circle Moment, If There Ever Was One

Like millions of other girls across the world, I hold Sarah Jessica Parker on a very, very high pedestal. I'll probably never be able to separate her from Carrie Bradshaw,and she will forever remain the most ideal New Yorker in my eyes, minus the dramz with Mr. Big because I would have never stuck with him for that long. But I digress.

I also feel a special connection to Carrie, not only because she lived the fictionalized version of the life I want to live in reality (read: successful writer about her own personal adventures, sick apartment, shoe closet to die for), but because I would be lying if I said my move to NYC was in no small way inspired by her. It's not the whole reason I moved, obviously, but I think any girl in their 20s who has moved to New York has done so with the character of Carrie Bradshaw firmly in mind.

On my very first time out to dinner in New York, at a restaurant called Turkish Kitchen, it was like my third day here, I saw her and Matthew Broderick eating out with another couple. To this day, I'm dying to know who the other couple was and how they got to eat with them and I was regulated to sneaking looks at their table by pretending to go to the bathroom. In any case, I was convinced it was an omen. Maybe it was.

Last night, GC and I decided to ride the train home together so we could work on our Tshirt company, we had our first business conference call (Thank you Gina C.!) and he took me around the corner to a movie set.

But not just any movie set. THE SEX AND THE CITY MOVIE SET!

And we stood there and watched Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha filming one of their infamous brunch scenes, where it was very clear Miranda was annoyed about something and speaking to Samantha about it, and Carrie was laughing..and GC was hugging me from behind and I had my own apartment to go home too and I swear to God if lightning had struck me dead right where I stood, I would have been OK with it.

It was all very girly, but all I could think of is that if 22-year old Lia could have zoomed into the future and seen this scene, she would have been very happy indeed.

Nailah Franklin

This story has really struck a chord with me. Perhaps it's because it's a girl around my age, working hard, making her money, having fun....just disappearing without a trace. The main suspect is a man she casually dated, suspected of making threatening phone calls to her, as of late. Her family is begging everyone to keep their eyes and ears open, and to pray for her. Please do so.

Attached, really small, is the most recent article from today's Chicago Tribune. You can look it up here, as well:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-franklin25sep25,0,5348874.story

Moved In...

So I moved into my new apartment this weekend, and despite some challenges and setbacks (no thanks to you New York City traffic police!), I am in, relatively drama-free. Relatively.

However, it was all worth it. Saturday night, post-move in, we were too exhausted to move, so we fell asleep around 2 a.m. which is pretty much when we finished.

But Sunday night, when the first guests had gone and I just couldn't organize/clean anymore, GC and I sat on the couch, ate dinner and a dessert made of ice cream and coffee liqueur and eventually fell asleep watching TV.

I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I am Happy and Life is Good

It's been a little hectic post-family cruise trying to find the time to blog about it, because I've been gearing up for crossing another goal off my life's checklist - finding my own apartment and living alone.

I'm beyond excited to move to Astoria this weekend, with help from the best boyfriend in the world and one of my best friends in the world. It makes me feel good to know that I'm moving into my own space, being helped by two people who have shaped me so much. I know it sounds corny, but it jsut all seems to make sense.

In fact, life is making pretty good sense right now period!

So stay tuned for more, and more interesting stories from the cruise but probably next week when I have time to do it from my couch in my new living room bit**es!

Yay!

I'm back from the family cruise, having, literally, slept my way around the Carribbean. I rose only to get to the bathroom, eat, see a show (even participating in one...I got hypnotized!) and socialize with my family. I was awake, tops, 9-10 hours a day for 7 days straight. It was glorious.

So I got back to NYC today determined to find an apartment and sure enough, I found the PERFECT! one today and I took it. I'm so BEYOND EXCITED. For the first time, I have my own place and it's awesome.

More to come, I'm getting back into the swing..but rest assured there are plenty of drunken stories of my family, dramz, me getting hypnotized into thinking I won 2.2 million dollars...and so on.

In addition, before I left I hugn out with Producer Laura, Hal Sparks, a member of Twisted Sister, and others at Caroline's comedy club. Quite surreal. Quite fun.

Family Cruise - The Prequel

We haven't even gotten to the boat, the drinking and hilarity have already commenced.

I met my family in The Brew House of Newark Liberty International Airport where they were already at the bar, ordering round numero uno at 1 p.m. Chuckie, Al, Frankie, Dena, Aunt Shev and Bob wound up having two beers each before we got on the plane. Nancy had two glasses of wine. I had one beer. Tweety had a Diet Coke.

We get on the plane which only has 70 passengers and I immediately lay down across one whole aisle and fall asleep for the rest of the flight.

I awake upon descent to find Aunt Shev and Chuckie (for all those who don't know Shev is Chuckie's mom), speaking in pig latin to one another...from four rows away. The entire family is rip-roaring drunk, having commadeered the back of the plane to chug beers and do shots with one steward who found it all hilarious. He later gave me a dirty look for not being wasted. He slips Chuckie three mini-bottles for the road as we get off.

I should also mention that the sexagenerian crowd on the plane did not like us very much. Maybe it had to do with Chuckie yelling, "Everybody get your hands up!" as the plane began to point down and him and Al rode out the rest of the ride like they were on a roller coaster. He then yelled, "Yeah everybody, we're in Vegas!!!!" Our cruise leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale. No one besides 9 of us seemed to get the joke.

Following the plane ride of fun that I totally missed, we dropped everyone off at their hotels and places they were sleeping and I then made my parents high-tail it to Publix where I got the sub and potato salad I haven't been able to get my hands on for 9 months. I felt like a thirst that had lasted a thousand years had finally been quenched. Florida people will know what I'm talking about. All the rest of you need to learn.

Finally, we all end up talking around the kitchen table like we always do. My dad heads to bed, and then its me, my mom and tweety somehow on the topic of sex change operations. A friend of theirs from back in the day, who met his boyfriend when they were both cross-dressers, now wants a male to female sex change. Problem is the boyfriend had the operation a few years ago and wants him to remain the boy. Tweety and my mom were debating the getting the operation so late in life (the guy is 57), the health problems he'll probably have since he's sick anyways, etc. etc. when my mom says, "Yeah...plus, it must hurt to get your friggin' d*** cut off, too." I'm pretty sure, out of her innocent face, that's the quote to top for the rest of the trip.

Lot's O'Updates

All's been quiet on the LiaLand front because I have about 10 million different things going. But they are all mildly interesting, so here it goes.

1.) As previously reported, I'm on the hunt for new apartment. This may be the single most horrific undertaking a person can take on in New York City. Never will you meet as many shady, personality-devoid freaks in your life, as you will when you are dealing with NYC brokers. More on this to come, because the stories are so unbelievable, you'd think I was lying, except I've been taking pictures. Oh yes, I've been taking pictures. It also takes up a lot of time. Time I should be blogging with.

2.) I'm leaving tomorrow for the 2nd Annual Family Cruise. 16 family members. 10 rooms. 1 ship. 3 islands. Hilarity to ensue. 3,000 passengers who should be very familiar with us come vacation's end, one week from tomorrow. pictures will be posted.

3.) Tshirt company plan in full swing. GC and I are taking on the industry. and we're going to wrestle it to the ground, beat it senseless. kill it. bring it back to life. and kill it again.

4.) AG has bedbugs.

5.) I went a paltry 9-15 in my first week college football pool.

So that's the short version of life the last week or so. If I can, I'll blog from the cruise, where last year, I heard quotes like the following:

Dad: squealing like a small child: It should be illegal to have this much fun!

Mom (in response to a complaint from someone who didnt want to attend the muster drill): I bet on the Titanic they didn't want to do the muster drill either. Think about that.

New Britney...

So, we just listened to the new Britney song, "Gimme More," and the three of us here in the office agree...we LOVE it. I mean, I still hate her...but dammmit if that girl can't make some good-ass pop music!

Check out perez if you want to hear for yourself. We prefer the T.I. version!

I Plan to Be Pretentious

This Saturday, GC and I have plans to attend the US Open. Giancarlo will be wearing a seersucker suit, as this is the only time of year he can do so. I play to coordinate in a similarly Hamptons-like outfit, all white...natch.

I know it's not much, but these are the types of plans that make me happy on a Thursday afternoon, when the weekend is oh so close.

I think smooches would be an appropriate sign-off. Smooches!

Cha-Cha-Changes!

So..just as I brought the blog back from dead, it turns out some major life changes happened at the same time.

The very long story made very short, is that I’ve come to the decision to try living alone! I think it’s the right time in my life (thank you Lexapro!) and I’m really excited. When I was looking at my first two apartments earlier this week, I was mentally decorating in my head and picking out color schemes – and I realized that I was truly having fun. So that’s how I know it’s okay. Plus, I come from a family of five, I’ve never lived with fewer than 2 other people, and most of the time it has been 3 others…it will be an interesting experiment for myself to come home to a place that is all my own.

So right now I’m looking all over NYC, but also Astoria and the nicer parts of Brooklyn. I’ll definitely get more space and bang for my buck out in the boroughs…which is awesome, but it will be sad to not be a true city girl. It’s so the Sex and the City episode, when Miranda moves to Brooklyn and Carrie is horrified. I totally get it now. The mystique/allure of living in the city is a hard one to pull away from. But then you view an apartment for $1,450 a month that’s 250 square feet and you come right back down to Earth.

Stay tuned – I’m going to start posting the photos of the NYC crapholes that rent for thousands of dollars every month! It’s crazy!

Sad but True

So the official organization for my profession recently released a list of speakers and panel experts taking part in the upcoming annual convention.

Having been around the block a time or five now, I recognized many of the company presidents and vice presidents lined up to talk.

As I went down the list, my thought process went a little something like this:
- crazy
- ha! What is she doing there
- never sees her kids
- heard she’s a psycho
- I know him, he’s cool
- Yikes! Who would want to work for her
- I did work for her, she’s a nutcase!
- I heard he’s nice

Two things made me sad about that. One, was that it was all true. Second, was that out of the list, I found the men to be the only ones considered sane. I started to wonder why that was. Are new york women especially crazy (yes)…is it the pressure of this industry and the city that makes them that way (probably)…is it trying to balance the demands of a successful professional career with a fulfilling personal life as a female (definitely)…do men have it easier in both those areas (absolutely)…and so on.

I offer no answers. I have no solutions. In ten years time, given that I’m already on anxiety medication now (future post that I haven’t gotten around to yet), who knows what I will be like when there’s a possible kid or two at home. Maybe I’ll be there too. Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll live some kind of life in the middle. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so I’m not going to bother with years down the line…but it was interesting and sad at the same time.

I'm a Video Game Nerd...Who Knew?!

So, if there is one thing I have learned from dating a video game expert, it’s that I missed the video games of my youth. I forgot just how much I loved Jaws and Tetris, Klax and Super Mario Brothers.

The good news is, I’m obsessed just like I was in second grade! Between Wii and Guitar Hero, it’s hard to keep myself focused sometimes.

But I’ve found a mini, pocket-sized obsession that helps curb the cravings – the Nintendo DS, a portable gaming system that includes a little IQ game I can’t get enough of called Brain Age.

The best part about Brain Age is that when you first take it (5 mini games that test your Memory, Analyze, Compute, Identify and Think skills) you see where you’re strengths lie – for me it was in memorization and computing – which is not surprising if you know me at all. Thinking and Analyzing – not really my thing!

But then you can practice to increase your skills in each category until you learn to be sharper and faster. I’m happy to report that about 3 weeks later, I’m not just about even in all areas – basically I’m an f*ng genius!

But seriously if you want to prevent Alzheimer’s and just get sick of Su Do Ku sometimes, pick up a Nintendo DS. And if you are really serious, get Guitar Hero, because it’s the best game ever made.

No big deal, but our band name is The Eyetalians, and our debut album “Ready…Set…Dago!” should be in stores once I master Free Bird on Medium.

R. Kelly and Transvestites! Not Together

R. Kelly Should Just Disappear

On my way to work this morning, I saw a number of R. Kelly “Trapped in the Closet” door hangers all over the ground. While I was grateful they were actually on the ground and being walked all over, I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone really cares about R. Kelly’s new video. Does anyone still like R. Kelly? Does anyone think this ridiculous “Trapped in the Closet” series is interesting or anything more than R. Kelly further diving into the deep end? I’m officially adding R. Kelly to my list of “people I don’t give a flying f*** about.”

Friday Night …Transvestites!

After another awesome Death by Roo Roo Show at the UCB, GC and I decided we wanted to play Guitar Hero…again. So we loaded up on some Sparks and beer, just like real rock stars would, at a bodega near the theater.

While inside, we both immediately noticed an attractive, older woman with amazing legs looking through the alcohol section. She was noticeable because she had gray hair and glasses, but was in a silver mini-dress that just screamed LOOK AT ME!

We had already drank two beers each, so we were feeling like we should say something, when her friend came over with a bottle of Voss water and remarked how it would make an excellent dildo. I think the surprise that registered on both our faces was blatant, because silver mini dress looked over at us and said to her friend something about how she had a number of ideas on how she could make that happen.

I don’t remember exactly how we got to talking to her, but we got to talking to Silver Mini Dress who turned out to be SO NICE. She was an in-transition transsexual, named Jasmine, in the process of becoming a woman. She was going to be part of a documentary called “There Are No Mistakes,” and was also working on getting her own talk show. We also discussed her tattoo idea, which would be to inject colored silicon under your skin so that you could push it into different shapes every day, and have a new tattoo whenever you wanted. All of this information came out in approximately 3-4 minutes.

And then we proceeded to play Guitar Hero until 6:30 a.m., me on bass, GC on lead. Improv Comedy, Transvestites and Video Games and a sunrise bed time – perfect Friday night!

The Ten...and McWigger!

The Ten

I didn’t hear much in the way of previews for this movie, which is a shame because it’s Nick-Cannon hilllllarious (am I right, Chappelle fans?) Before you go watch it in the movie theater, which you should, first check out the trailer at: http://www.apple.com/trailers/thinkfilm/theten/.

If you don’t think that’s funny, then don’t go see the movie. But if you are mildly amused, go see the movie.

But don’t go see the movie if you aren’t willing to do the following:

1.) Make fun of the bible
2.) Laugh at rape jokes
3.) Obsess over how funny Paul Rudd is

If you can do the above, go see the movie.

McWigger Run-In!

I don’t know how he does it…but he always manages to pop up when I’m by myself.

I had no cash this morning, so I had to stop at McWigger’s coffee shop because you can use your debit card there. Of course, the last five times I have gone, I’ve been with someone and he is no where to be found. The very first time I go alone, he’s sitting at the counter talking to Hockey Scout.

I noticed them at the counter, but I decided to pretend to be in a pre-coffee morning daze. However, when adding milk and sugar to my heroin substitute, I caught sight of a dog wearing a rain jacket. I had to look up and check it out further, and while doing so, I made eye contact with Hockey Scout. He waved and I said what’s up, which prompted McWigger to turn around. Deciding to be cordial, I said “What’s going on, long time, no see.” To which he replied, “How have you been?” I replied, “Oh you know, just working. Same old, same old.” And he replied, “Well, it could be worse.”

And then I screamed, “Go FUCK yourself!”

No, just kidding, I didn’t say that. I just said, “Yeah you’re right. See you all later.” And then I left.

All in all, a pleasant exchange. It seems so long ago that I was getting stabbed with my own pen while trying to do the Soduku puzzle in peace and getting change thrown at my head, and let’s not forget getting yelled at in the bank, but I guess it was only a year ago.

For all those who may not be familiar with the McWigger Chronicles, go to the homepage of my blog at www.lialand.blogspot.com, and go back in the archives to this time last year. You’ll be equally horrified and amused.

I'm Back...and Think Obama May Be Behind in the Polls

(Cue music. “Try Again” by Aaliyah and Timbaland.)

It’s been a long time, I shouldn’ta left you…(left you) … without a dope blog to read to. Read to …Read to Readto….and you get the point.

I’ve taken a long hiatus from blogging. I sit at a computer the better part of 9 hours Monday through Friday. I sent out roughly 75 – 100 professional emails every day (in addition to 10 or so personal, and Gmail chatting)…so you can imagine that the last thing I want to do at the end of every day is go home and type some more.

But…since I find myself writing blogs in my head all the time, I figured I should get back on the horse…whereas the horse is a keyboard…but I’m not physically on the keyboard or anything, but my fingers are. And I’m typing and not actually riding my computer, or anything like that. Just regular typing.

Anywho, the point is, I see and hear too many funny things to not be blogging. Really, I’m doing it for you people! And even though the book is still something I want to write, it’s kind of right now in a holding pattern that I’m hoping will spring to life if I’m blogging again. (I’m still counting on your financial backing, Kaplan.)

So to begin again, I think I’ll start with a story that combines good old New York City racism with the elderly population that lives in my community.

My story begins last Saturday. It was a warm and sunny 125 degrees, and GC and I were in the midst of freeing him from C.U.N.T. (Claudia’s UpperWestSide Neighborhood Territory. Get your minds out of the gutter!) Walking, ever so slowly and delicately in front of us, was a little old East Village woman.

For those of you who may need clarification, old East Village women tend to clothe themselves in house dresses, complete with mis-matched socks AND slippers, handkerchiefs firmly in places on their hair, Eastern European lineage firmly asserted via glaring looks and body posture.

Walking next to her was the typical East Village girl.

For those of you who need clarification on her, she’s about 5’9” and if her hair is brushed, it’s probably somewhat frizzy. Her sunglasses are large and she’s probably wearing the same (or a similar) house dress as the old East Village woman, but she bought hers at a “vintage” store and paid $300 for it. She also probably has on slouchy socks and ankle boots.


So..our cast of characters complete, GC and I walking and talking behind them…when out of nowhere, our characters interact.

The little old woman stops, spins and turns to the hipster, grabs her by the arm and asks, “ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE!?”

The hipster turns, broken out of her iPod/emo revelry says, “What?”

The old woman, looking annoyed, repeats, “I SAID…ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE?”

The hipster replys, “Um, yes I think so.”

The old woman yells, “GOOD! BUT DON’T VOTE FOR THE BLACK ONE!”

I thought GC’s head was going to snap off, the way he threw it back and laughed. It was totally absurd. I should also mention at this time, that the woman was very hunched over, and using a walker.

The hipster, annoyed to have been bothered with such trivial matters as our presidency, moves on without so much as batting an eye. GC, however, not so much.

Without missing a beat, he turns and asks the old woman, “Are you going to vote?”

And she looks at him completely blankly, like she didn’t just ask that question of someone else 10 seconds prior. She says, “Huh?”

And GC says. “Are you going to vote in the next presidential election?”

And her eyes get clear for one second and she exclaims, “Oh yes…!”

And he asks, “Who are you voting for?”

And she proclaims “Hilary Clinton!”

And he says, “Not the other Democrat?”

Her eyes got dark and she said, “No. We need a woman in the White House. The other one seems fresh.”

And then her eyes clouded over once more. And we turned to go. But, the little Eastern European woman is not voting for Barack Obama because he “seems fresh.” I wasn’t sure, but now I can firmly state, that racism is alive and well in the elderly, female Eastern European community of New York City.

Greece is Burning

I'm back!

Sorry that it's been such a long time sine I posted. I know how bad I suck. I"ve just been super busy at work and to be very honest, I now spend so much time talking and typing on the job that it's the last thing I want to do when I get home.

However, right now I'm on vacation, and I wanted to send an update on Annette's and mine's greece vacation. So far, so good, we're both minimally burned, pretty well tanned and learning that we can sweat from places neither of us even knew were capable of producing sweat(eyelids, elbows, etc.). It's been a pretty steady 90-100 degrees, which is great when you're at the beach...not so much when you have a 40 pound back pack on your back and are trying to buy a phone charger at 12:15 p.m. so you can run back and catch the 12:30 bus to a hotel whose location is not quite clear.

However, that was really the only semi-anxiety-ridden half hour of an otherwise very relaxing week. Our agenda is pretty much sleep, eat gyros, walk to see the sights, take a nap, repeat. In varying order, but that's more or less it.

Except today, we rented a four-wheeler to see Santorini and I drove up and down mountains with (and without) guardrails, leading down to 250 foot drop offs. After my 15-minute get acquainted session with the ATV, I gunned it and now have an ATV on my Christmas list. But seriously, we were able to see the whole island of Santorini and 3 of its 6 or so main beaches. Including Red Beach (red sand) and Perisi (black sand.) That was pretty cool for me since I'm used to Florida white sand. It's sad to both AG and I that this is now what's interesting and not the crazy party scene. Which doesn't exist really in Santorini, but does in Ios, which was our first island stop and will be the subject of an entirely different, future post.

We're here for one more day and then we move onto Naxos, then back to Athens for one night and then I'm back in tha N-Y-C.

Anyways, that's the short version, I'll throw up the longer version on my blog soon, which will include the Athenian hookers, Ios douchebags and the older Greek's men preference for one certain redheaded Cuban that have also been an integral part of this trip.

Whatever Life We Get is Bonus

After what can only be described as an emotionally insane week, I've finally felt my brain start to rest a bit. Not sure where this all came from, but I guess from time to time, we're all allowed to flip out about where our life is at, where it's going and how to maximize it as best we can.

I think my freak out was due in no small part to the four year anniversary of my college graduation having been on May 3. One of my best friends, who has been in college the entire time since I left, just got her first job and is making a very, very significant amount of money more than I am. Which is frustrating because though her four years have been filled with studying, and I'm not going to say that was easy and stress free, I've spent the last four years working hard, getting stressed and recently realizing that I no longer care to be super successful at what I've chosen to do and now it's time for a chance. Granted, she is going to be a P.A., and so she rightfully should make more money, but it didn't stop me from kind of taking a good look around and saying can I do more? Can I do more without working myself into the ground? And will I be happy? Big questions like these stress me out because they have no answers. But I've finally calmed down.

Yesterday, I was on CNN.com and came across this article. It really just proved the point that though we all have problems, they could always be worse. Maybe I am freaking out over some things, but at least those problems can be solved. Not everyone's can. And at least my problems have to do with the experiences that come from life, and being in love, and working hard and following my dreams. Not everyone gets those chances.

Whatever life we get is bonus

Editor's note: The following post is written by Miles Levin, a young cancer patient profiled on tonight's "360." Miles' personal blog can be read at www.carepages.com, page name "LevinStory."

Through his blog, Miles has talked about cancer and life with tens of thousands of readers around the world.

Looking through my living room window, I suspect being outside would feel wonderful, but I really wouldn't know. As I write this from my bed, my entire body feels saturated in a sticky, toxic nausea, with chemotherapy pumping through my 18-year-old veins. Like Michael Jackson's moonwalk, chemotherapy has this strange way of moving a person another step towards life and death at the same time.

Twenty three months ago, I was diagnosed with stage IV rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare pediatric muscle cancer affecting only 350 children a year. With odds like that, and with a 20 percent chance of survival, I can only deduce two possibilities about the universe: God's plan is evident in every little shifting of the breeze, or it's totally random. I don't see how there could be much middle ground.

I remember my first chemo round, staring at the ceiling and trying not to cry. The agony was stunning. I've long since learned to go ahead and cry. How could this have happened? Yet as with anything that happens, it happens, and then suddenly you find it has happened, and more things keep continuing to happen. Chemotherapy has instilled in me a visceral understanding that all bad things will pass in time ... but that all good things will too.

I set out on a 19-month course of treatment, chronicling the journey on an online blog. Little did I know that my little Web site intended to keep extended family and friends informed would find readers all across the country and even the world, including such countries as Japan, Australia, Germany, Brazil.

My journey became our journey, with treatment finishing last December. For a brief, hopeful month in January, it appeared to have been successful. My scans were clear. But, as is so common with cancer, there were still sub-detectable rogue cells lurking in distant corners of my body. Within weeks, they swarmed forth again and my body was infested once more.

A recurrence of my kind of cancer has been hitherto incurable, although I still cling to a slim ray of hope. But in all likelihood, I am in the last few months of my short life.

Unlike many cancer patients, I don't have much anger. The way I see it, we're not entitled to one breath of air. We did nothing to earn it, so whatever we get is bonus. I might be more than a little disappointed with the hand I've been dealt, but this is what it is. Thinking about what it could be is pointless. It ought to be different, that's for sure, but it ain't. A moment spent moping is a moment wasted.

I accept what is to come, but I cannot rid myself of a deep mourning for all those experiences -- college, marriage, children, grandchildren -- that will probably never be mine to celebrate. What solace I do find is in the knowledge that I have done everything I can to transmute this terribleness into something positive by showing as many people as I can how to endure it with a smile.

I don't believe you can ask for any more, but if I could ask for something, it would be to be able to go outside into the glorious spring air, feeling healthy and blissfully clueless as to how lucky I was for it, if only just for an hour.


Oh and I promise to stop the serious posts soon!

American Idol vs. the American Presidency

You know I'd have to do some research, and quite frankly I'm just too tired and lazy right now to do it, but I have a feeling that more people voted in last night's American Idol than probably voted in the last presidential election. Anyone care to do the research I don't feel like doing?

If so, I think we figured out how to increase voter turnout in 2008 - bring in Earth Wind and Fire and donate 10 cents from every presidential vote to children in Africa!

Is UF Trying to Kill Me?

I keep getting these amazing emails reminding me how awesome Gainesville is and how I should return to school. The last thing I need in the middle of a busy work day is a reminder of how responsibility-free and incredibly awesome my college days were. Emails like this do not help! Even if the University of Florida is the greatest academic and sporting institution in the universe!

Dear Lia,

Great things are happening in Gator Country! We're at the top of our game, and we're not just talking about basketball and football! It is the loyalty and commitment of alumni like you that will ensure that we stay there.

Please take this opportunity to watch this dynamic presentation and come back to Florida!

Thank you,

The University of Florida

My Celebrity TV World is Blowing Up!

Rosie O'Donnell is leaving The View (why can't it be Elizabeth? Unless Rosie is getting her own show. That will be the only way this is acceptable.) Heather Mills was voted off Dancing With the Stars (which I don't watch, but eagerly scan the gossip columns each week hoping for a leg incident, which is sick, but necessary) and for the first time, Idol was Sanjaya free last night! Love it b***tches!

In other news, I am back in the gym so that my five pounds heavier frame can get back down to its fighting weight in time for Greece. In the early morning sunlight the other day, I got a good look love handles and immediately decided enough was enough. So I've cut back on portions (sigh) and started working out again.

And next Thursday, I head off to Las Vegas for a little fun and sun with the fam. Mostly fun. Things are looking up!

UFC - Who Knew?

So...spring is here and with it, my motivation to get back in the gym and maybe see the abs that had just started to peek through before Christmas came and wreaked its havoc on my routine and waistline.

Today, when I was running on the treadmill, the guy next to me turned on the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the same time that Good Vibrations came into my headphones (compliments of GC and his gift of early 90s dance music). As it turns out, watching huge men kick and punch each other in the face, along with the combination of Marky Mark (followed by Kriss Kross = kick ass!) is just what it takes to make you want to run like 77 miles. Alas, I only ran one because that's my maximum...but goddamit if it wasn't one of the fastest miles ever.

Stephen King is a Genius!

Stephen King is one of the most fascinating people to me. I once read that he reads, on average, 80 books a year, and his career is obviously to be envied by any wannabe novelist, like myself. One of the things I've come to enjoy about Stephen outside of his own work (of which I'm not a huge fan but can definitely appreciate) is his perspective on the outside world, that he gives in his columns for Entertainment Weekly.

The following is his take on violence in creative writing translating into violence in reality. As someone who would rather write for a living, I did think about the implications of writing something that may be disturbing to someone else. What might happen to the creative process? Stephen King articulates and I agree.

And one of these days, I'll start generating original thought on my blog again. Sigh.

EDITORS' NOTE: In the wake of the Virginia Tech murders and subsequent reports that Cho Seung-Hui had raised alarms in the English department with his writing, we asked novelist and Entertainment Weekly contributing editor Stephen King for his thoughts on the links between the creative process and violence. Where, exactly, does one draw the line between imagination and disturbing expression that should raise red flags?

I've thought about it, of course. Certainly in this sensitized day and age, my own college writing — including a short story called ''Cain Rose Up'' and the novel RAGE — would have raised red flags, and I'm certain someone would have tabbed me as mentally ill because of them, even though I interacted in class, never took pictures of girls' legs with my cell phone (in 1970, WHAT cell phones?), and never signed my work with a ?.

As a teacher, I had one student — I will call him George — who raised red flags galore in my own mind: stories about flaying women alive, dismemberment, and, the capper, ''getting back at THEM.'' George was very quiet, and verbally inarticulate. It was only in his written work that he spewed these relentless scenes of gore and torture. His job was in the University Bookstore, and when I inquired about him once, I was told he was a good worker, but ''quiet.'' I thought, ''Whoa, if some kid is ever gonna blow, it'll be this one.'' He never did. But that was in the days before a gun-totin' serial killer could get top billing on the Nightly News and possibly the covers of national magazines.

For most creative people, the imagination serves as an excretory channel for violence: We visualize what we will never actually do (James Patterson, for instance, a nice man who has all too often worked the street that my old friend George used to work). Cho doesn't strike me as in the least creative, however. Dude was crazy. Dude was, in the memorable phrasing of Nikki Giovanni, ''just mean.'' Essentially there's no story here, except for a paranoid a--hole who went DEFCON-1. He may have been inspired by Columbine, but only because he was too dim to think up such a scenario on his own.

On the whole, I don't think you can pick these guys out based on their work, unless you look for violence unenlivened by any real talent.

Your Problems Are Not That Big

It's dawned on me today that given yesterday's tragedy at Virgina Tech, my problems are not that big. If my biggest problem is that each morning I have to wake up and go to a job that doesn't stimulate me, like 8 trillion other people in America, then maybe I'm doing okay afterall. I'm not saying its right that the mass of men live their lives in quiet desperation, but sometimes the universe shows you that things are worse. That there are people in this world who need help. That there are bigger things outside of your window if you can stop being concerned with yourself long enough to pay attention.

Reading the transcripts and stories of whats beginning to surface is absolutely heartbreaking. You can't help but put yourself back in your own college classroom, wondering what it would be like if you were taking notes one second, and dropping to the floor in the next wondering what the hell is going on.

What breaks my heart most is that the media is already trying to make a story out of blame. That the cops didn't act fast enough during the first shooting to lock down the campus. Having come from a large university myself, I know for a fact that if a shooting took place in a dorm, at 7:15 a.m. no less, when 95% of students are still asleep, there would have been no way to shut down an entire campus immediately. The second shooting occurred in the 9:30 hour, when 85% of the campus would still be asleep. Further, without knowing any facts of the case in the dorms, there is no reason the police should have shut down the campus.

I remember on 9.11 I was working at the gym, closing it up after it was determined that school would be closed that day, and as late as 2 p.m. students were coming into work out. When I told them the gym was closed because of that morning's attacks, many had no idea what I was talking about. They hadn't turned on the news or signed online that morning. I imagine it was very similar at Virginina Tech. On large campuses, news travels slow. And never underestimate the bubble that most students live in for four years.

In any case, I remain glued to the ongoing coverage and updates and today, find myself, a little less concerned with my own miniscule problems. As we all should.

Hanging on by a thread...

I think the nor'easter (and I hate that word, I think it should just be northeaster and as a matter of fact, i've been pronouncing it that way out of spite) has finally invaded my brain. Yesterday was lovely when I got to lay in bed all day and watch movies with GC, but the rain is not quite as fun when you have to walk through it to get to work. After GC left, i tried to do my taxes (now filing for an extension), watched the sopranos and entourage and then literally twiddled my thumbs for three hours. I didn't feel like going to sleep. The Sunday night dread of the work week ahead kept me up in an attempt to try and extend the weekend as long as I could. Because it was an amazing weekend. And that's why I was all the more annoyed that the rain finally got to me and started to bring me down. A little bit of rain on the weekend can be nice, as it was during the day. But when it comes down relentlessly, and you can't go outside because of it, that's what you have to draw the line.

It got me thinking about this article I've been trying to begin writing about happiness in your 20s, in the 21st century. The fact that I had Sunday night dread really irked me. I feel like I'm getting too old to feel this way. I'm not saying I'm ever going to wake up on Monday morning going "Hooray! It's time for work!" but must I dread the feeling of waking up in the morning? According to some of the interviews I've been conducting too, I'm not alone. Is it just where I'm at right now? Is this just a fact of life? Isn't there a better way?

I can't wait for the rain to clear up so that my thoughts get cleared up too. I'm at work and I'm not dying...and to think I stayed up until 1 a.m. thinking about it. Crazy.

Best Article on Imus Yet

Since you can't help but follow the Don Imus story...here is what I think is the best article yet on the matter. Roland Martin consistently puts out some of the best opinion columns and this is no exception. Happy to know that at least one member of the media is not letting Mr. Moral Compass himself, Jesse Jackson, or Media Scandal Ambulance Chaser Extraordinaire Al Sharpton, influence their opinions on this. Though the Don Imus "scandal" is no doubt a long time coming and well, well overdue...this is really the issue, in my opinion, as well.

Roland S. Martin
CNN Contributor

Editor's note: Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago.

No one would have thought that when Rosa Parks opted not to give up her seat to a white man in 1956, a dozen years later blacks would have the full right to vote, the ability to eat in hotels and restaurants and see Jim Crow destroyed.

We might look back in a few years and come to realize that the removal of Don Imus from the public airwaves put America on a course that changed the dialogue on what is acceptable to say in public forums.

The downfall of a long, successful and controversial career, on the surface, took eight days. But for Imus, this has actually been 30 years in the making. He has used his sexual and racial schtick to pad his pocketbook. Only this time, he ran up against a group of women who presented such a compelling story, his bosses couldn't ignore the reality of his sexist and racist rant.

Although the National Association of Black Journalists led the fight to oust Imus, there is no doubt that it was that moving news conference by the Rutgers University women's basketball team that cemented the demise of Imus. Vivian Stringer was poised and strong in demanding that America look at the 10 women and see them as the real face of Imus's slurs.

And that is really the issue we must focus on. So many people tried to make this a race issue. But for me, that wasn't the primary point. I never wavered from the attack as one of a sexist. It didn't matter that he was trying to be funny. He insulted a group of women who are already accomplished.

Then again, that happens to women every day.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, a New York Democrat, is smart and talented, but to many, she's nothing but an opportunist. She's called too aggressive, not cute and is slammed regularly. But she should be praised for being a woman who has achieved a lot in her career.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is portrayed as a bumbling idiot, but her academic credentials are impeccable. You can disagree with her ideology, but to question her womanhood is silly.

Women all across this country have to play by a different standard. They often make less than men, even when doing the same job; are accused of being too tough when they are the boss; and are treated as sexual objects.

America, we have a problem with sexism. Don't try to make this whole matter about the ridiculous rants made by rappers. I deplore what's in a lot of their music and videos, but hip-hop is only 30 years old. So you mean to tell me that sexism in America only started in 1977?

Now is the time for this nation to undergo a direct examination of the depths of sexism. My media colleagues shouldn't go just for the easy target ­ rap lyrics. That is no doubt a logical next step, but sexism is so much deeper. It is embedded in our churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, Fortune 500 companies and in the political arena. We should target our resources to this issue and raise the consciousness of people, and expose the reality.

Don Imus should not be the period. He can be the comma. Civil rights organizations, media entities, women's groups and others have an opportunity that they can't pass up. We have the chance to seize the moment to begin a conversation ­-- an in-depth one ­-- that has the opportunity to redefine America along the lines of race and sex.

I hope and pray that we have the courage to do so.

My iPod Was on Fire!

Am I the only one who sometimes gauges how good their day will be by the songs that your iPod randomly plays in the a.m.? I only get 7 or 8 songs door-to-door for my commute to work, so I take very heavy stock in the songs that I choose to play.

Today may have been one of my best random shuffles ever! In order, the songs were:

- I've Got Friends in Low Places, Garth Brooks
- Wind It Up, Gwen Stefani
- The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani
- Stutter, Joe featuring Mystikal
- Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield
- Gotta Get Through This, Daniel Bedingfield (and sidenote, does anyone know if they are bro and sis?)
- Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand
- Lubbock or Leave It, the Dixie Chicks

and had I not arrived at work by this time the next would have been oldie but goodie, Foolish by Ashanti (and sidenote, what the hell ever happened to her?)

Maybe shaping up to be the best day ever!! We shall see.

The Sopranos..the Beginning of the End

In celebration of one of the greatest TV shows to ever eminate through the airwaves and into my world - the Sopranos - I unintentionally engaged in a day of all things Italian.

Hungover from a very quick, very awful Saturday night, mostly spent over the toilet in my bathroom with only a vague recollection of how I got there...I dedicated my entire Easter Sunday, not to Jesus, as I probably should have, but to Tony, Christopher, Carmela and company.

It began when I noticed that James Gandolfini was the guest on Inside the Actor's Studio. I gave it my full attention, realizing that Gandolfini is a complicated guy with a lot of anger...and pretty much born to play Tony Soprano. After I finished, I noticed Michael Imperioli, whom I recently spotted out in NYC and had to keep from screaming and running over to him, was the guest on Conan O'Brien. So I watched that. Followed by reading on EW.com a review of the 10 best Soprano episodes ever.

When my stomach was well enough to consider food again, it didn't strike me as much coincidence that the only thing I had to eat in my house was manicotti. So I cooked up some pasta, heated up those m'cots...and ate as I watched episode 1.

I was so happy today when the review on EW.com echoed my feelings. I watched the whole episode with my heart in my throat. The writing on The Sopranos is unbelievable. You never know what's foreshadowed, what double meanings lie beneath words and actions. And the sadistic yet sweet nature of Tony makes him one of the all time great characters ever to appear on television. His gentleness with his niece juxtaposed with his fight with Bobby, his order for Bobby to kill for the first time, his taunting of Janice...is amazing.

Even last year's episodes where Tony hovered between life and death and nothing "happened" and everyone complained, I loved those episodes. It's so hard to inject symbolism and meaning into TV, yet David Chase and company do it every time and so seamlessly...mixed with humor and violence...it's freaking amazing.

So anyways, I can barely wait for the next 9 Sundays to come and go so that all of our questions can be answered. Will Tony ever go to jail to pay for his crimes? Will Carmela die? Will AJ go over the edge? Is Christopher out of Tony's good graces forever? Who's the next to get whacked? Where the hell is Pauly Walnuts, I want to see him! So many questions!!!!!!!! I love it!

Best Night Ever....EVER!

So for the third straight time ... the Florida Gators are the number one team in the country! Back-to-back basketball titles...first time since 1991-92....one national football championship...and the first time one school has held both titles simultaneously. It feels good friends. In the words of BMarten, "damn it feels good to be a gator" a la Office Space.

Props to my girls who arrived at the Gin Mill at 6 on the dot to stake the claim to our viewing area. Props to GC who came out and celebrated even though its not his team, and even though I told him, that "you will never experience this." haha. oops. And big props to one BMoney, who found the game FROM ITALY and then called his friends in America to join in the celebration. That's a true fan right thurr.

Holla!

Back to Back to Back

If tonight goes as planned, the Florida Gators will win their third national championship since 2006...two back to back national championship basketball titles, with a nice football championship title in the middle. You know what I ate for lunch today? A delicious national championship sandwich.

Reason I am Lazy #456

I just read a story that an astronaut, currently orbiting IN SPACE, is going to run the Boston Marathon while ORBITING THE EARTH FROM A ROCKETSHIP.

And I can't seem to find the energy to get to the gym after work. Insert sad face here.

Pretentious A-Hole

'Idol's' Sligh: I wanted to quit earlier

I saw this headline on CNN, immediately rolled my eyes and opened it up to read. I didn't like Chris from moment one past Hollywood week, when Simon criticized him and he shot some kind of weak comeback in his direction. You pretentious a-hole. I will never understand these kids who come into these competitions and say that they "wanted to lose" or "just wanted to see how far I could get." I hate it because the judges send home somewhere around 99,975 people who would slit your throat for your spot. Some who can actually sing, some who really can't...but all who would be GRATEFUL for making it as far you did, and who could probably hold their breath when they sing.

Let me tell Chris something via my small blog that he'll never read. "I'm bringing chubby back" is not that original. You are not that funny and not that unique.

If you love music so much, wouldn't your dream be to have it on your job and not just get on some American Idol tour, that as soon as its over, will send you right back to Butt F***, NC? Idiot.

For all those who care/dont have much to do today: http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/30/americanidol.sligh.ap/index.html

PS- I promise to start blogging about something other than AI soon. Even I'm bored with myself.

You Know How Disillusioned I Am?

I didn't even watch Idol this week. Not the performances or the judging. (I did save though so I can see Gwen and Akon's performances.)

Yes that's right I got my updates through my cousin (holla! Thanks PM) and Ew.com (thank you Michael Slezak). I even did my pool w/o so much as bothering to look for myself.

I think my point, to myself, was well proven when Sanjaya didn't even make the bottom three. I vacillate on whether he's going to make it to the top 5 or even 2 or not, and I try to decide if that would be hilarious or not.

The only reason I think it would NOT be hilarious is because then the show would be in trouble. Given that Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry are all best sellers/Grammy Artists, clearly the competition can't go on if people are not going to vote for the absolute best.

The only way around it that I think would work is a judge's veto. I saw this on Grease You're the One That I Want, when it happened to be on during my cleaning the other day and I was too lazy to turn it off. The audience votes and the least favorites get put in a bottom four, but then the judges can "save" someone from elimination if they think they've been put there unfairly. That way, someone they think doesn't deserve to be there can get eliminated. Perhaps this could work for Idol as well. Just a thought.

But that does nothing to help this season and my only concern is how Sanjaya will style his hair next. And will Lakisha ever prove she's more than just a really good singer (aka show some originality), if Melinda will ever excite me. I am rooting for Blake I decided.

Sigh.

I Suck

I know. I suck. Work is crazy. I have a new boyfriend. I was enlightened to the Nintendo Wii and specifically Wii tennis. I have about 45 side projects and activities going on at all times...something has had to give and its been my blog.

However, I have about 22 posts that just need to be edited and finished including:

- My double celeb spotting at the Odeon in Tribeca
- My date with death ...and Chipotle
- My St. Patrick's Day rodeo ride
- A new mouse beat down (hint: I win.)
- Pia's going away
- My growing unrest with American Idol
- My impending head explosion about the return of the Sopranos
- and much more

But I can't write right now. Please don't unbookmark me, the online equivalent of the kiss of death. I'll be back soon, I promise!

Stephanie Edwards Goes Home

To be honest, I’m not very sad. Good singer, no star quality.

What INFURIATES me is Chris Richardson being in the bottom two. NO WAY AMERICA! COME ON!!!! I MEAN COME ON!!!! He was awesome on Tuesday night.

He wasn’t like Haley who took none of Lulu’s advice and sang the song all long and drawn out.

He wasn’t like Chris Sligh who couldn’t keep his breath.

And God knows he wasn’t Sanjaya, with his fingerless gloves and faux-rockerness. Dear God. I mean I appreciated him coming out of his Michael Jackson Junior shell, but he’s still creepy and bizarre. I hope he wins.

As for that bizarro pig-tailed girl, I think GC said it best:

“Man...that girl is doomed to a life of loving too-pretty boys and/or gay men.”

I'll be Here Come June

It's official. In just a few short months, June 20 to be exact, me and two friends will be headed off for our party vacation to Greece! Greece has been a dream of mine since 6th grade and after touring Athens for a few days we are going to island hop the isles of Mykonos, Ios and Santorini.

It's kind of hard to wrap my head around since it's hailing here today, and it's three months away, but the flight has been paid for and my a$$ needs to start hitting the gym hardcore to have one iota of a chance of looking decent next to European glamazons.

A Semi-Injustice on Idol

I'm not entirely sure how Sanjaya skated away with not being voted off yet again, but I at least this time, the person who did go home sucked too. Both Brandon and Sanjaya did the vocal equivalent of getting on their knees and blowing a song on Tuesday, and if it was possible to have both of them leave, that would have been the ideal situation. Whatever. We all know Sanjaya will suck again next week, and I'll wait with baited breath to see if whatever national coalition is rigging his vote tally comes through to save him yet again. What might be ultra-hilarious, is if Sanjaya somehow makes it into the final two or something...although not ideal, given the mediocrity of the season, that might just give us something to enjoy.

AI: The Top 12

I'm sorry I've been absent. Life has been busy. I've gotten your angry text messages and phone calls, and trust that I've been following and am angry myself.

With that said, let the anger continue.

Brandon: First of all, I hated the way he sang this. I know I can sing this song better, I've heard myself in the shower do it and if I don't say so myself, I'm awesome. Ugh. And did he forget the words at the end? Good god. Go back to behind Xtina. You suck.

Melinda: Though I don't think she has star quality, at least we know we can count on Melinda right now to a.) deliver her song, b.) remember her words and c.) bring her A-game. And now that I've watched her tonight I actually really liked her. I like her cause she wants to win and she gets out there every week and sings. Plus, I own those shoes in red and I know how hard it is to stand in them. Props to her. Melinda kicked ass.

Chris: Hmm he lost the glasses, I'm kind of digging it. But I hope he has contacts in or he might trip and fall. I know I would if I didn't have mine in. With that said, Melinda is a tough act to follow. And he's singing Endless Love, which is maybe the cheesiest song ever. But he's "making it his own" and for that I can give him props. Ummmm, this was alright. It wasn't the worst ever, just not the best ever.

Gina:Hmm she's about halfway through and I'm kind of bored. WHERE ARE THE STARS AMERICAN IDOL? ARE THEY SITTING AT HOME ON THEIR COUCHES BECAUSE YOU SENT THEM HOME AND THEN AMERICA F*ED UP COMPLETELY? Jeez, I don't know. This wasn't bad, just not great.

Sanjaya: OH. JESUS. CHRIST. Did he hot curl his hair? Curling iron? WTF? And this song? From SISTER ACT II, one of my favorite movies ever???? I can't believe we have to watch him and not AJ. I'd even rather watch corny-ass Jared. The backup singers must be dying inside to know this kid gets center stage. He should sacrifice his spot. He didn't even sing. Dear God. Dear God. Dear God. No. No. No. Someone put this poor kid out of his misery.

Haley: Yawn. Yawnnity-yawn-yawn. She forgot the words too. This is the only reason I don't fast forward, lest I miss that kind of stuff. Cause my finger was on the button. This is almost as bad as Sanjaya.

Phil: I really want Phil to do good because I like him and I think he can sing. He looks a little awkward up there ...but at least he sounds alright. The good thing about Phil is that he can turn an okay song good because he can hit the big notes which I guess, in this competition means you are like, the best. I don't know, it's about so much more than singing though. It's like the X factor. Poor Phil doesn't have it. But he can sing good. That's good enough for me right now.

Lakisha: Thank God for Lakisha. That's all I need to say about her.

Blake: This could be interesting. Vamos a ver. This sounds like it could be super awesome from his segment with Diana. Come on Blake. Please. Well his outfit kicks ass, that's good. And at least he is unique and trying. Unlike, ahem, well everyone but like two people. I think he could have done it slightly faster and sang it more and it would have been a bit better. For this one, I'll actually listen to the judges and not fast forward to the next person. *after judges* I could totally be a correspondant on this show.

Stephanie:I like Stephanie too, because she's in it to win it. I like her little attitude. I don't think she's a star either, but at least the girl comes out and sings. I missed her missing the words...oh well. The show is almost over and I can be put out of my misery.

Chris:He is so damn cute, thank goodness. His voice isn't the best but at least he's fun to watch. If he went on tour with JT one day, my head my explode. Anyways, I think Simon will rip this apart because his vocals are thin...and he hides it with the runs...but at least he is entertaining. And he's trying. Hooray Chris.

Jordin:Another one who we can hopefully count on to sing the s*** out the song. She reminds me of Callie from Grey's Anatomy. Anyone? Anyone? I feel like Jordin would be great on Broadway. I'm not sure she's a pop star. And Sara Ramirez (Callie on Grey's Anatomy) won a Tony on Broadway for Spamalot. Coincidence anyone? Coincidence?? Anywho, this was fine. A solid good.

My only thought at the conclusion of this show is that it's just too bad multiple people can't be sent home and we could start the season over or bring back those unfairly ousted. I'm sad. But if Sanjaya doesn't go home tomorrow I will throw my TV out of the window.

AI: Boys Week 3

I'll be honest, I don't even know if this will be worth my time, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Here goes nothing....

Oh, but PS, I'm just watching the performances and only listening to Simon. I'm fast forwarding past everything else. I want to watch other quality TV tonight...like Heroes.

Blake: Um Jimmy Walker Blue? What the F*** was that? I might give props to doing a 311 song if 311 was doing it. Where's the singing? Oh my god. Just shoot me now. He sang like half the words wrong and I know b/c I sang that song for like a year straight. Randy liked that? I'm confused. Please Simon bring a dose of reality into this. Oh my god not even you Simon? I'm scared. I'm cold. Confused. I just violated my own rule about not watching the judges.

Sanjaya: Christ did he straighten his hair? And the hula? I would laugh at his wierdness if my heart wasn't breaking at watching my favorite show die a slow and painful death. I would give him props for being better than last week but my hatred is too far gone.

Sundance: I still want to like him but this isn't star quality people. I feel like this is awful karaoke...oh wait cause it is. I think I had a knife nearby earlier. I'm going to go find it so I can slit my wrists.

Chris: My favorite so far in the competition. Please do good. Please. THANK GOD. THANK GOD FOR JT-LOOKING CHRIS! I LOVE HIM. I'm going to listen just to make sure the judges say what they should. Randy, check. Paula, check. Simon...ummm good enough check.

Jared: Ok this kid should stop with the faces a-sap. It's kind of annoying me...almost. And he's just doing a pretty good job with the Stevie song, which is not easy And so many have failed. Ok that was pretty good. Finally, someone steps up to the plate. Finally. And wow, Paula made sense for once and didn't just hurrah someone....wow. Good.

Brandon: Will Brandon bring it tonight? He's got such a good voice he's not using. Doesn't sound like he chose the right song...again. I think this is an odd choice for him and I'm not sure why he wouldn't have chosen a power ballad or something that would tearjerk people into voting for him. I think Brandon is going to find himself back doing background vocals very soon. That was really wierd.

Phil:First off, I'm so glad the stylists on this show are talented and give him a hat b/c he looks funny w/o one. I don't like the key he is starting out in. I think he sounds like a very old Kermit with a sore throat. Now that he's in the chorus it sounds better, and the falsetto is nice. I like that Phil comes out and sings. This was alright. Better than some of the others.

Chris:I'm not sure why I don't like Chris anymore. Maybe because my disillusionment with this show is transferring to everyone on it. Where is that knife from before? I'm kind of bored and my wrist looks way too intact. I feel like I could see this in Second on Second (my fave karaoke place) on any Saturday night. And I'm serious. This is no star. Ugh.

Um alright well I'm totally underwhelmed and I think Sanjaya better be gone, and maybe Brandon. I hope Phil's past performances carries him through.

Ok, I'm watching Heroes now.

AI: Week 2

So to be honest, I sat here for like two hours, watching the girls week two, feeling pretty bored the whole time. Taking notes for my blog but feeling listless. I didn't think anyone really killed it and I was tired. I didn't watch it last night because I was having the best night ever and didn't have time.

So then I just watched the results show and I give up. I truly just wasted two hours of my life tonight, because it doesn't even matter, America voted AJ home and Sanjaya gets to stay. I just am so disgusted it's ridiculous. I mean I love this show, but the thought of having to watch Sanjaya again, when he really shouldn't be there in the first place, makes me sick. Cause AJ is so good. Whatever. I'm so disgusted right now.

So disgusted in fact that I can't even write about my amazing night last night and just to give you an idea it involved me, my hot date, ninjas and the two biggest celebrity sightings I've ever had. I'm going to bed. I'm depressed. I can't even watch Heroes from Monday.

The Cutest Thing...Ever?

If this isn't the cutest thing ever...I don't know what is. There is a better post than this coming later today, but I couldn't resist.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/28/indonesia.tigers.orangutan.ap/index.html

AI: Boys Week 2

Well, first of all, it's no secret that the boys cannot suck ass tonight. Considering that only two or three look top-12 worthy, they better prove that the AI system of taking six guys and six girls is fair. I mean, it's clearly not fair, but let's just try to get six boys who sound good enough to be there. And we'll deal with how to improve the system in season seven.


Phil: Comes out sounding like Sting...which he'll never be as hot as...however, I really enjoyed him. And, he moved around the stage so that the overall lightbulb staring into the camera effect of his bald head wasn't as obvious. I don't think he completely blew me out of the water, but I'm impressed, and give him a solid 8/10.


Jared: I feel like taking on Marvin Gaye is always hard because of the slow tempo and fact that Marvin is kind of like the deathtrap of taking on Stevie Wonder..you better be better, or you're going to be either ok, or suck. Jared is hot enough, that's for sure and I can tell he's trying out there...and his falsetto is just fine. I don't know if I loved it. 7.5/10.

AJ: Before AJ sings, I'd like to just say that I'm excited for him because I think he was one of the better ones last week after thinking about it. And now that he's opened his mouth, I really like this song so he better not f* it up for me. So far, so good. I wish he really kicked the shit out of the song, but I liked the semi-hip-hop vibe he put in. I think I'm going to give him an 8.25/10. Yes that's right, quarter-point biotches.

(Preview commentary: umm Sanjaya wearing that hat, better make this work or I will be merciless.)

Sanjaya: Not to be insensitive, but can you really be totally affected by someone who died when you were five? I understand spiritual connections and what not, I'm just saying. But I'll save my critique for the performance. Which, um, is boring and awkward. Big surprise. If he is not gone next week I will officially punch my TV so hard that I will hit him in the face despite the fact that we were on opposite coasts. 5/10. No, 4/10. Oh wait, he just talked and made no sense. 3/10. No...let's just go for 2/10. I'd give him 1/10 but I want to save that special score for someone who comes out on stage and has a heart attack and dies...thereby making a true score impossible.

Chris: I did not realize Chris was married. Interesting. I hope Chris doesn't piss me off with arrogance again. Let's see. I'm not crazy about the song, he better turn it out with the quickness. Not happening...(15 seconds go by...)...maybe happening? (10 more seconds go by...)...not happening. I'm bored and I've picked up my tweezers to see if my eyebrows need any work. They do! Good I can zone out now. 6/10. I can't believe the judges liked this.

Nick: I knew he was going to dedicate this to a girl...so we just broke up. It's fine, luckily I have a current object of affection. So far, he sounds pretty good. I like the sound of his voice. Simon is snapping...but did he lose it at the end? I can't tell if that was on purpose or not. That was a bit wierd. 7.75/10.

Blake:
Did we just hear that he is attempting Jamiroquai? Best idea ever? Let's find out. Hmm..this is a bit of an odd choice...I kind of want him to jump on treadmills priorly built into the ground and hop around in a cool way. But he's not. I think this was a valiant effort, but not quiiiiite there. Also gets a 7.75/10.
(As usual agree with Simon. And I'm fast-forwarding through Ryan's argument with Simon b/c I can't deal.)

Brandon: Once again, I'm really hoping Brandon knocks it out because I think he is better than what he showed last week. Very interesting song choice and I like the way he started it out. I actually really liked this, I thought it was understated and simple...and for once that worked. 8.5/10! I agree with the judges that you should go up and there and sing your heart out, but I see where Brandon is coming from too. Hmm...if he doesn't come out and Celine Deon it next week, I'm off the Brandon train.

Chris:He's not really helping the I'm-not-JT cause if that's what he's looking for...but you know that will never be an issue for me. The world could use 25 JT's. It would be a warmer and sunnier place...with no winter, and no war, and every dog would always be as cute as it was as a puppy and babies would grow older slower and...well you get the point. I loved it! This was 9/10!!

Sundance:Sundance seems like a nice guy...and I'd like to root for him. He has a good voice, but that Chris is going to be a tough act to follow. However, I feel like this is a pretty good karaoke and dear god, I'm sounding just like Simon. Where is my job at Rolling Stone? Oh Sundance, I'm so sorry. The judges liked him but I only think I like this 7/10.

So my vote tonight is for the JT-like Chris...by a mile. And goodbye to Sanjaya for sure...and then either Sundance or the other Chris.

Winter Blues Have Got My Ladies Down

(** Warning...unabashed girly post** )

I don't know what it is about this time of year...whether its the anticipation of summer and the fact that the cold just won't go away. Or the fact that we're all in the throes of our mid-twenties and requisite quarter-life crisis', but every single one of my girlfriends seem to be smack in the middle of a huge depression. I'm just kind of coming out of mine, no small thanks to a huge nervous breakdown following a bad day at work two weeks ago today, resulting in me crying (finally!) to my mom on the street corner, right in front of a huge Starbucks window where everyone inside had a front row seat to my hysterical sobbing. Until I moved it inside because of the cold and just gave them the goods first hand. Good times. And that's not mentioning the cab driver who got to witness it from the onset and received two dollars and two bags of potato chips for his trouble. But that's another story for another time.

No, all my friends feel unfulfilled with their lives and it's tough. On one hand, it's good to know you're not alone...on the other, you just wish it could go away and you could feel normal again. I think, unfortunately, this times not so coincidentally with being able to wear a tank top and flip-flops again, but it also has to do with just pushing through this uncertain time of life and trying to enjoy what's in front of you, while it's there. Cause for the most part, life is good. It's very easy to get caught up in what's not good and focus on that instead.

So, that's why I was very pleased with my iPod this morning when the first song it chose out of the gate was the Dixie Chicks' "Taking the Long Way." Not only may this be the best song ever (sorry Nelly Furtado but Natalie Maines and I have been tight since my high school days), but I also just bought the Dixie Chicks' documentary "Shut Up & Sing" which took all of two seconds to make it into one of my favorite movies of all time. If ever you need to feel better, find inspiration or just need a push to stand up for yourself, watch this movie. I've been thinking about it non-stop since I watched it and it's really helped me stay focused on the positive.

Anyways, for all my girls (and anyone else for that matter) out there who just need a reminder that it's okay to do things your own way, no matter how much longer it may take...Natalie Maines, as always, has got the answer.

My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel

I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow

By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to

No I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

It's been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I'm getting' it back on the road now

But I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
The long
The long way around

Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around