Namaste

There I am...doing yoga on top of a mountain. Well...I should be clear - that is not actually me. But I have started doing yoga! Close enough.

I asked for some yoga equipment for Christmas (a mat and a couple of blocks) and I am finally putting them to use. My goal is to get up early on Mon, Wed, Fri and do a 30 minute routine. So far this week, I've accomplished my goal.

What's great is that I found some awesome yoga programming on Comcast OnDemand. There's not only yoga, but also some cardio workouts and most are in the 20-30 minute range, which is perfect. And what's also nice about this workout is that I don't have to leave the house and face the bitter Michigan cold.

Basically, I'm feeling one with my chakras and in balance with the universe. It's pretty awesome. Namaste.

MTV Reality

One word. Coral. She's back and she's better (and more botox'd) than ever! Have you seen the previews for The Gauntlet 3 yet? It looks insane. All the crazy people are back for this one. I'll be watching, that's for sure. And I would watch even if it weren't for the writer's strike. Yeah, I said it.

Also, I hope that you're watching Rob & Big. This season seems a bit outlandish, but I don't really mind. Where else are you going to see turtle races (Speedy Cla-cla-cla-cla-claxton), pool murals, shooting Spidey with a net gun, mini horse races and doonbuggeys on the same show? NOWHERE! The slow-mo replay of Speedy sliding down the stair ramp was the funniest moment of TV since the "D*** In a Box" sketch on SNL. If you haven't seen it yet, why the hell not? Nothing else is on!

Untimely

The news of Heath Ledger's death has been on a lot of web sites and blogs, so I won't dwell on it. But it is very shocking and sad. Especially for his family and friends. While I was reading about it yesterday, I found this article that talks about how the AP has asked for a few obituaries for "at risk" Hollywood stars under 30. Britney Spears happened to be the first one they requested. If that's not a wake up call for Britney or her family, I don't know what is.

Hold that bus!

I ride the bus. Yes, I use public transportation. While I consider myself to be pretty eco-friendly, the reason I ride the bus is not entirely because I like reducing my carbon footprint. There's no free parking downtown where I work and it's just convenient for me to hop on the bus. It picks me up outside our apartment entrance and drops me off right in front of the theater. So easy! And it's free! There are no downsides!

Until tonight...when I missed the bus on my way home from work.

Oh sure, everything's rosy when you catch the bus. But when you miss the bus you realize that there are in fact very few options available for you to get home. Which is why I made the tough decision tonight to walk the 2 miles home.

You know what? It was surprisingly OK. Sure, it was cold (about 30 degrees) and yes, it was dark, but Ann Arbor is pedestrian-friendly, so it was well-lit and I had my ipod to distract me from the notion that I was getting more exercise today than the entire last year combined. Which means I can cross "work out" off my to-do list for 2008! Yes! Now that I'm all set with exercise, I think I'll try and catch the bus the rest of the year.

Long Time, No Post

I know, it's hard to believe, but it has been almost a month since my last post. So with that in mind, I must warn you ladies that this post will probably be one of my longest. In fact, I think I'll have a couple of mini-posts within this one. There is just so much to share!

A Total Wreck:

No, unlike the rest of the world, I'm not referring to Britney Spears, I'm talking about my little brother's car. I have attached a photo:


Chase was hit as he drove home from school on Thursday, causing his car to flip. He is fine and we are very grateful for that. Now to the funny part of the story (now that we know he is fine, we can find the humor in it) - He called Rusty after it happened to tell him he had a wreck, but failed to mention to Rusty that as they spoke, he was hanging upside down in his car. Rusty only found out Chase's car had flipped once he called the police to make sure they were on their way to the accident and they told him they were on their way to a roll-over. Chase basically hung upside down until the authorities arrived on the scene to help him get out.


Stupid, Cheap, Ghetto-Purse:
I have always been a firm believer in the old saying, "You get what you pay for." So I honestly don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to buy this stupid cheap purse in Dallas. Don't get me wrong, I really like the look of the purse and enjoyed that I could hold it on my forearm and it wasn't a bucket bag. I even overlooked the cheap leopard print on the inside of the purse.I told myself, "I'll just keep it zipped up and you'll never know it's in there."
Sounds like a great solution, right? WRONG. See, here is the thing, when you buy cheap purses they don't last very long and it's usually the fault of the zipper. Take this purse for example, I bought this purse on December 30, while shopping in Dallas. The dang zipper broke on the purse on January 11, while I was on my way to work. And the best part? The reason the zipper broke is because it got caught on the cheap leopard print lining of the purse. So now I have reverted back to my Tano, and have decided that I will never carry a cheap purse again. Let do the math: You can spend a smaller amount on a cheap purse, but you'll probably only carry it for two weeks, or you can spend a little bit more on a nicer purse and carry it for years. It really all boils down to the cost-per-ware and believe me, the "CPW" on my Tano, is much lower than the "CPW" on that stupid, cheap thing.
Moral of the story: Less is NOT more when it comes to matters of the wardrobe.

Top 15 songs of 2007

For me, 2007 differed from most other years because I didn't watch MTV in the morning before work. I have a rocky relationship with MTV. I wish they would play more music videos all day, but I learned to live with only being able to see them in the morning before work. Well, they've almost entirely stopped airing videos at that time anymore. Even when they do, it's mostly rap and emo/punk/whatever that doesn't interest me. So, I had to rely on other sources to introduce me to new music this year. One of them was a local radio station here (107.1) that plays a lot of new music by singer/songwriters, which is what I've come to really like. Eric also introduced me to a good deal of new music this year. I really have no idea where he finds the stuff, but he'll say he's found something that he thinks I'll like and usually he's right. Here's my list of the top 15 songs that I liked listening to this past year. Most of the albums were released in '07, but I got a late start on others.



There you have it! I would highly recommend the albums by Ryan Adams, Feist, Neko Case (hers is from 2006) and Amy Winehouse. Overall, they were my most listened to albums of the year. I hope that others would post their top 15, 10, 5 or whatever songs for the year - I'm interested in what others are interested in!

No Job = Even More TV

And since TV blows, let's talk about a few commercials. I just saw a DirectTV commercial that looked locally produced, so I doubt you will have the great fortune of seeing it for yourself. Two young boys are playing with a race car track in their living room. Their dad is watching/playing as well. Suddenly, the boys get up and say "We're bored, dad. We're going outside." The dad appears heartbroken. Heartbroken that his boys would resort to such devices as "outside." He immediately thinks to call DirectTV in order to make sure that they can have enough channels so the boys won't ever be bored enough to go outside again. It's officially the worst commercial out there right now.

Running a close second is another local gem, this time for a local TV station's website. It's a close-up shot of a printer that spits out pages. Each page has a few words that by the end of the commercial, tells how their website is better than the other local TV station sites. You're probably having a hard time picturing this commercial because you're thinking "surely it's not just an old printer spitting out page after page with a few words on it." Well, it is. What kills me is that more often than not, it's followed immediately by a "Go Green" promo for the same station.

Last week USA had a Psych marathon for an entire day. I watched a few episodes and I had no idea that advertisers expected millions of old people close to their death watching as well. During every single commercial break, and I'm not exaggerating, there was a commercial for life insurance. They were as bad as you would expect for daytime TV with most of them beginning with two people talking about funeral costs. I just found it odd that they were on during a Psych marathon. I just don't see Psych as a show that older Americans enjoy. But maybe I'm wrong.

What the Hellga?

Last night, Eric and I tuned into the premiere of "American Gladiators." Whatever, don't judge us! If you haven't seen the old American Gladiators, then you're missing out on some great sports entertainment. We had to see if this new version was even half as good as the classic. The bad news is, it's not. Let me explain why the new version is much, much worse:

1. The arena. A lot of the games are actually the same. There's the Gauntlet, Joust, that one with the rings, and of course, The Eliminator. The problem lies in the space they allowed for the construction. There's obviously a lot of reuse in the games. The Wall also doubled for the start of the Eliminator and I get that it makes sense to try and save on space. But when the Rings has about 6 rows to choose from, it's just no fun. The classic version had about 30 rows, it seemed! That really allows a player to think out a strategy and outwit the Gladiators. Not so much with the new version - there's hardly time to think before you're face-to-face with a huge gladiator.

2. The hosts. Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali. Let me tell you, even combined they are no Larry Czonka! And they've increased the number of player interviews, going so far as having Hulkster interview each contestant BEFORE the event and Laila interview them RIGHT AFTER the event. Just shut up, already! I don't need to hear how excited and pumped up a player is to beat the Gladiator. And even worse is talking to the players right after. What do you want them to say? Half the contestants on the show are cocky SOBs who talk themselves up so much it's almost impossible to take them seriously, anyway. Don't put a microphone in their face every chance you get. And for reals, Hulk Hogan is terrible. His trademark, "Brother!" is inserted at the end of every sentence (when talking to the gentlemen, of course) and it drove me insane. Where's the Czonka-strator, anyway?

3. The contestants. I don't think I can blame the show for this, but all the contestants are really arrogant and obnoxious now. I think this is due in part to how people in general have changed over the years. From businessmen to professional athletes, everyone makes a much bigger deal about themselves now. Back in the day, people were more humble and gracious. And I realize that I'm 25 years old and it doesn't make sense for me to say that, but I watch reruns, people, and I know how it was!

I will say that the one positive thing that the show has going for it is that all of the Gladiators are absolutely terrifying. Much more so than the classic version, where you could tell that the Gladiators were mostly just beefed up guys and girls who took their job seriously in a good-natured way. This time around, I feel as if the Gladiators are all basically crazy. They have that look in their eye that they want to eliminate the competition at any cost. I was legitimately scared of at least 5 of them, 4 of them guys.

In short, with nothing else to watch this TV season, I could be persuaded to watch again mostly to make fun of it, and maybe with the sound off. But it won't make it as part of the (dwindling) rotation, brother!

Ommmmm...

I went to the fitness center at our apartment complex this morning. Try not to laugh at that opening statement. Anyway, I peered into the glass door and saw that with the exception of some flip flops, the rooms appeared empty. Feeling safe, I opened the door and walked in. Much to my surprise there was a man meditating in front of the mirror. It was completely silent in that room. Imagine how loud it must have been as I poured myself some water from the water cooler. When I stepped on the elliptical, I felt like I had just dropped a hundred pots and pans on a hard kitchen floor. The man didn't move.

I went on with my workout and he eventually finished up his meditation and left. Initially I was feeling terrible for interrupting him. The elliptical machine was so loud in that quiet little room. By the time he left though, I had decided that a fitness center is no place for meditation and, if anything, he interrupted my workout by making me feel like I had to be silent. Okay, maybe that's a bit much, but still, go meditate in a private space next time.