Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Ok, it's been entirely too long, hasn't it? Lots has been going on with yours truly, so instead of fussing with my dogs "MySpace page" on Dogster (for real, the dog. You can access her page over on the side bar - click on the clueless-looking pooch), I decided to do a little updating of my own (at long last, right?) Update: I changed something and Boo's icon disappeared, so here it is...

So, biggest news is that both P. and myself have new jobs. We got them within 2 weeks of each other - and they're both in Jupiter. Whatta co-inky-dink, huh? I am leaving the ad agency I have been working (if you call surfing the net, watching YouTube videos, searching for alternate employment and writing blog entries for PCJ working) for since September for the greener pastures of a recruitment company, where I will be a marketing writer (hmm...writer, haven't done much of that in a while...a future post will detail my recent experience.) My new boss is P.'s long-lost brother. He loves to fish and seems like quite the jokester. Good.

P. has left the Japanese tackle/line company he has worked with for 3 (I think) years and is going to be doing ad sales at an (American-run) fishing magazine. He's happy as a clam, and I'm happy for him. Boo...always happy. Now, can I interest anyone in a home in Port Richey?

Geez, what else? Well, I met Wylie from "The Biggest Loser" last month - what a sweetheart. (The interview's over at PCJ.) The blogging for dough has been very good to me and I really have fun doing it (it is also responsible for my sanity over the last few months.) We celebrated our 2nd anniversary a few weeks ago (big milestone for me) and I am starting to get the wheels in motion for a church ceremony (P. wants to do it for our 5th anniversary, I'd like to do it sooner. We'll see...) We are going to Japan at the beginning of May and I am beyond psyched for that. I am trying to learn some basic Japanese, but, damn, it's really hard. I'd like to get beyind only being able to say "My name is Christine" in Japanese (which is all I ever said to my Japanese tour groups at Universal. Then we took some pictures.)I do know the important stuff though - sake, biru and sho-chu! Oh, and Pocky, of course.

My sister Colleen is getting married in July, which provided me the perfect excuse to get my best friend Kib down for a visit (as he is officially part of our family, and has been to everybody's nuptials - except for Keirnan and Tom's Illinios Adventure.) I haven't seen him since the "second time around" and I miss him terribly. I have been having fun with my old friends from high school though - and we are currently planning our 25 year reunion (yikes!) of our grade school graduation. I saw a bunch of those folks in October, but I am anxious to see a few more people I grew up with.

What else? I think that's pretty much everything for now. The new site is (hopefully) going up on April 22nd, so look for that! I promise to post well before that (and God willing, this will include photos of Mom with Jim Gaffigan! We are seeing him next Saturday. Hooooot Pockets...)

This One's for You, Kathy...

...and, yeah, for me too.

I promise to getting to update this neglected blog real soon!

Tick...tick...my 15 minutes are up...

I guess I should finally write about the audition. I tried out for a trivia competieion on a well-respected cable network that starts with a V a week and a half ago. Didn't go well. First was the hotel. God, that hotel. The (Sub)urban Lodge over by Universal. Here's my review of it that I just posted on Trip Advisor:

Title: Yikes.

I lived in Orlando for quite a few years, so this is more of a "shame on me" but I had seen this property from the outside and it looked fine and the price was right, so I booked a room for the weekend (part business, part pleasure). Looks can be deceiving! When I arrived (prior to the 3pm check-in), the desk clerk (who I think was bolted to the desk. In the three days I was there, she had on the exact same clothes every day....weird...) informed me there were no clean rooms. I wish at that point in time that she said "ever", as I would have left right then. She was having a great deal of difficulty in locating the maid. I returned at 5pm, only to be informed (along with some other people with reservations) that there were still no rooms to be had, and the elusive maid was still nowhere to be found.

I finally did get a room, but not the non-smoking room I had reserved. It absolutely reeked of stale smoke. There was a hole in the bathroom door and the carpets were beyond sticky. I did get a nice check-in gift - a 6-pack of Bud Light left from the previous guest, which made me wonder if there truly was a maid in this place. But hey, free beer! It's a good thing I had it too, as the cable connection in the room was awful, and any program could be seen if you squinted through the snow! And along with the beer, I had company - a whole bunch of roaches. I knew I'd be out most of the next day, so I just sucked it up and slept with one eye open, as some of the clientele were a little sketchy (not my roach roomies though!)

The next day I bought an air freshener - not much help. When we drove back in the afternoon to change, we were greeted by the odd combo of vomit and weave hair in the parking lot (I wish I was making this up.)

Needless to say, I will not be making a return visit to this motel. Ever.

The audition itself was quick n' painless. I think I only missed about 5 or 6 questions out of 50. Jim missed more. Joe missed a lot. The worst thing was that the only team that passed the test was named after my doppleganger, Tina Yothers. DAMN YOU, TINA YOTHERS!

I probably said more than I should have, as I signed a confidentiality agreement. Just had to share what I could. On a more pleasant note, I got to see Huey Lewis at Universal Mardi Gras. He's definitely still a DILF! I promise to give a more detailed update of my goings-on real soon!

In the Interest of Equal Time...

I'm not the only one producing commercials around here - hubby is quite the auteur as well. Check out this spot for his company, which he wrote and produced (and, by the way, this spot has been actually deemed "too hot for ESPN!) Here 'tis...

My first commercials!

I thought it would be easiest to post these here, instead of sending out a bunch of VHS tapes! These are the first commercials (well, actually, they're public service announcements) that I have ever written, cast and produced. They got rewritten more than I would have liked them to been, the kids were (surprisingly) easy to deal with (can't say the same for their parents!) and I am still proud of the results. So, here goes...

Spot #1 - "Depending on You"

Spot #2 - "Choices" (very happy with my casting on this one!)

Spot #3 Kids Come First

Spot #4 - Making Memories (my personal favorite)

So, what do you think?

Resolution Addendum

I forgot some (minor) things I was going to resolve to do this upcoming year. One is not to be so stressed out about things I can't change (this is a biggie...definitely should hold a top spot on the list.) Another is to take better care of myself (Moisturize! Take daily vitamins! Go to the dentist!) Lastly, I got an email from Georgia State, pushing my graduation date back yet again. Should I put "finish my MA" on the list? Hmmm...

Why Bother?

I don't know why I even bother with resolutions, they're always the same, which means I must be bad at keeping them. But for some, unknown reason every year I do it again - in a journal, blog or diary. So, in the interest of consistency, here goes - feel free to join in if you know the words...

1. Lose weight (this has held the #1 spot since I think I was 10.)
2. Write more. Ok, I guess I technically did "get published" this year, writing for Pop Culture Junkies, but I need to write more towards my "GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL".
3. Less TV - except for work-related viewing. I need to stop watching crap reality shows like "Wife Swap"!
4. Less soda. For real. I need to stop being a "Coke Addict" in a big way!
5. Go to church more often. Time to stop feeling like a heathen and time to turn in my membership to the Christmas and Easter Club!
6. Be a better wife.
7. Be a better friend (sound familiar?)
8. Ok, this is a new one, start my third blog. Content under wraps for the moment.
9. NEW JOB! (This should really be #1 this year.)
10. Less procrastination - I'd like to get our wedding album done before our 2nd anniversary!

That's it - let's see how I do this year! Happy New Year and a great 2007 to you!

The Last of 2006

Well, I promised I'd catch up! Here are some of the cool things that have happened to me since August - in words and (mostly) pictures...

I finally got to spend some "quality time" in California. I went out to take part in the Disneyland Half Marathon and visit my friend Rose. I detailed the race over at Runnin' Fitz, so I won't reiterate it here. We did do some other awesone stuff. I did see Disneyland and it was a blast. We terrified Rose's son Matthew by going on every single dark ride in the place (he was especially scared of Mr. Toad.) He loved Pirates of the Caribbean though. We actually managed to go out after our 13.1 mile trek and saw The Groundlings in L.A. (for the uninitiated, they are a Second City-like sketch/improv troupe whose alums include Phil Hartman, Pee Wee Herman and (my favorite) Jennifer Coolidge (aka Stifler's Mom.) We also stopped by a Los Angeles institutionfor after show cocktails - Jumbo's Clown Room. All I can say is...wow. Google it. The few days I spent there went by way too fast. I'm hoping for a return trip in September of '07!

In October, I met my new brother-in-law, Tom (far right, seated). We had kind of an unofficial reception for them at my parents' place in Naples. He is a very cool guy and a perfect match to my sister Keirnan (who just got her esthetician's license in Illinois. She works at a spa called Egea in Evanston - so if you are in need of a facial, look her up!)

Also in October, I went to what should have been my 20 year high school reunion (Long story - in a nutshell, we moved to Boca Raton when I was starting 8th grade. I had to leave my childhood friends in Miami Shores. The reunion was for the high school I would have attended had we stayed in Miami.) I hadn't seen a lot of these people since 1982. Scary, huh? It was so much fun and in addition to the gals in this photo, I saw a guy who always invited me to be the sole chica at his birthday parties. Explains a lot - if you know me and my past (fraternity little sis, more male friends than female, etc.) I saw the pictures from my high school's reunion, and this bunch had way more fun than they did (besides, all of my remaining high school buddies vetoed attending. I was really actually looking forward to it. Despite the fact that I didn't have the best of experiences in high school, I did have the potential comments of my smart-ass husband to look forward to!) I have to thank Rose for inviting me to this shin-dig!

Mexico. Yeah....those of you who know me are aware of my previous Mexican adventure. Those who don't, sorry, but I'm not recapping. Suffice it to say, I am lucky to have had the chance to make a return trip - "The Redemption Tour"! This time around, I was pretty much under the weather for the whole damn trip (at least it kept me from drinking too much!) And, no, it wasn't Montezuma's Revenge sickness - just in case you were wondering! We fished, we partied, we hung out with some very cool guys from California (who were in the same frat as Will Ferrell at USC) and yes, we did make a return visit to see "Mexico's Finest Showgirls" - who weren't quite as fine this time around, if you ask me. This is Paul at Cabo's Smallest Bar - all of the pictures of me are blurred for some reason (and no, they weren't self portraits!) All in all, nice, uneventful fun...well, except for me losing my tourist visa! Thanks, Mrs. Kagalis and Spanish 5!

Wine Fest Weekend! Ok, we headed back to O-town for EPCOT Food and Wine Festival for (I think) the 5th time. I have a bad reputation about this event. In the past I have lost my car keys, fallen down (twice) and haven't made it around to all of the World Showcase countries in the past 2 years. (I blame the sake room in Japan.) This year my friends Susan and Christine came along for the ride. I actually made it around not once, but TWICE! I made t-shirts that needed to be signed by a representative of each country, so I knew I had to collect all of my autographs or carry around a souvenir of my failure for 365 more days! I only had one glass of sake (see?) Sue really liked the champagne! My poor friend Johanna was the recipient of quite a few drunken phone calls that day. We also managed to piss off an entire busload of tourists on the way home!

The night before, Paul and I went to Monsterween - a huge Halloween party in Kissimmee, sponsored by my all-time favorite radio show. We had to do something "adult" for Halloween because Paul wanted to wear his flasher costume - complete with frighteningly realistic looking "member." Since I don't want to offend anyone, no pictures here - email me if you'd like to see it. So insted, here's me in my "Naughty Cop" ensemble with "Flavor Flav" (most popular costume of the evening, with Hunter S. Thompson a surprising second...)

Speaking of radio shows, I was national in December on the Opie and Anthony show (well, on XM and some stations across the ol' US and A.) It was a lot of fun. Here's me with Opie...

...and Jim Norton (who, by the way, is a phenomenal comedian).

2007 promises to be a great one! 2007 WDW Half Marathon next week and audition for VH1's "World Series of Pop Culture" next month. Keep reading for all of the recaps and (hopefully) photos - maybe BellSouth will give me a break soon!

Day-um!

I feel like a part of my youth is gone. R.I.P. Godfather of Soul - peace, unity, love and havin' fun...

Playing Catch Up!

Happy Holly-days! Thought I'd catch up on my blogs (as a prelude to my New Year's Resolutions post - which ought to prove amusing, to say the least!) So, expect a number of posts recapping the past few months over the next few days - and put your laughing hat on!

Getting into the Holiday Spirit!

Ok, I've decorated the house, addressed my Christmas cards and watched "Elf". But I'm still not 100% in the Christmas spirit. So, thanks to You Tube, I found some Christmas cheer from the 80s, when I was young and impressionable, and still believed in holiday magic. First up - Billy Squier. Here's a chestnut from a time of innocence (free from "The Real World" - when they actually played videos on MTV)...

Next up, Hall and Oates. I was reminded of this when I saw ads for their new Christmas album last night. John Oates is in his full porno-stache glory in this one, and Daryl Hall couldn't look dorkier. But, I defy you not to enjoy this rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock":

In determining my favorite Christmas video, this one comes in a close second. It's actually from the 70s, but it's classic Elton - enjoy!

Ok, this is my all-time favorite and a classic of early MTV. Pee-Wee, Bryan Adams and the original VJs (R.I.P., JJ Jackson). Since my favorite Christmas song of all-time ("Slick Nick" by Fishbone, if you're curious) does not have an accompanying video (a damn shame, if you ask me) take a virtual trip to Kingston and have a Reggae Christmas...

I'll try to dig up some more faves...happy, happy, merry, merry!

I am the GWAR-rior!

Many, many boyfriends ago, I was forced to attend DragonCon in Atlanta. Not a big comic collector, I spent the bulk of my time hanging out with the cast of the original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” at the autograph area (the lady who played Veruca Salt was really cool.) The one indelible image I took away form the Con was that of walking down Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta (from the registration area to the expo center) behind GWAR. I knew the band from their appearances on the Jerry Springer Show and Beavis and Butthead, but to have them standing right in front of me was a sight that has been burned into my retinas. Foam rubber, latex, platform boots, codpieces and the whitest asses I have ever seen in my life (oh, another nice touch was the painted-on six-pack abs. I need to remember that for next bikini season.) I don’t know how this motley assortment of musicians didn’t cause a dozen accidents on the street, as cars screeched to a halt to see the bizarre parade. Fast forward to my first date with who is now my husband. I told him I had always wanted to see them perform live – which pretty much cemented my place as future wife (well, that and a slightly off-key but enthusiastic karaoke rendition of Pat Benatar’s "All Fired Up".) So, when we found out that Oderus Urungus and the gang were coming to Florida, we couldn’t buy tickets fast enough.

The Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale is located (as far too many businesses in Florida are) in a strip mall. The crowd was eccentric – to say the least. Lots of black attire and tats, boys in eyeliner, chicks in patent leather boots and one boy with pink hair wearing a nurse’s outfit. There were 2 opening acts – The Red Chord, who were pretty darn good (best song title “The Thrashin’ of the Christ”). They also dispensed beer bongs to audience members, so much coolness abounded. Of course, there was also much stage diving, crowd surfing and moshing. The second band was called Municipal Waste, and I couldn’t get into them. The lead singer, who looked vaguely like Elliot Yasmin from American Idol was one of those singers who puts the mic really close to his mouth and makes all of the song lyrics sound like “Unga unga unga rowrrr” (or something like that.) The guitar, percussion was cool, but I like my lyrics somewhat decipherable. They weren’t really winning over the crowd – I’ve never heard metal fans giving a golf clap before. Then, it was time for Oderus, Beefcake the Mighty, Balsac the Jaws of Death, Jizmak da Gusha and Flattus Maximus (more like Flat-Ass Maximus from what I saw lo those many years ago in Atlanta!) – the Scumdogs of the Universe themselves, GWAR.

Hubby is a long-time GWAR-rior and was looking forward to being covered in blood and doing a little moshing and stage diving of his own. We crammed ourselves into the middle of the (really hot) room and prepared ourselves for a full-on metal assault. The guy behind me was desperate to start up a chant, but was having no luck (he started with “O-DER-US! O-DER-US!” AND WENT TO “GWAR! GWAR!”) The rest of us were trying to get the lone girl on her boyfriends shoulder’s to “get the f*** down!” The band came out and the first decapitation ensues, spraying everybody with fake blood. The crowd couldn’t break up to form a mosh pit, as it was so tightly packed, so the end result was more of a fleshy wave ebbing and flowing over the floor (sounds sweet, but in actuality it was much more sweaty and aggressive than that.) I lost my footing and hit the floor (and no, I was not drinking or wearing my requisite 4-5” heels.) Someone fell on top of me and I bent in a way I never had before. My hubby finally pulled me out of the fray and I moved to the side to enjoy the show from a less claustrophobic vantaqe point. I have actually only ever heard a few GWAR songs, and the acoustics of the venue were such that I really couldn’t decipher what song was being played at any given moment. The show was pretty much foam rubber-covered character comes out (George Bush, the GWAR “super fan", Adolf Hitler, a cop, a T-Rex, etc.) gets dismembered, disemboweled or suffers some other obscene indignity, spews blood or some other viscous fluid on the crowd and then the band launch into song. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. My husband said he only recognized about 4 of the songs (one of which was called “Sadaam A Go-Go” and the other was “Sick of You”, which they ended their set with…I liked that one a lot), which makes me feel good, as I recognized none of them. The band were musically talented – if you could get past the spectacle on stage, but we have a bunch of their tunes in our shopping cart on I-Tunes, and I’m looking forward to checking them out. Despite the mob, the sweat (I think I lost 2 pounds last night), the smoke (tobacco and the “other” kind) and the risk of being trampled, the big question remains - did I have fun? Hell yeah! Would I do it again? Hell yeah!

Enough is Enough!

Ok, "The Man" (aka BellSouth) is no longer going to keep me down! I have to work out the right brain ASAP! You know, you can have it all (great hubby, devoted pooch, awesome house, close family and friends) but there's always going to be a dark lining on that silver cloud I like to call life. This time it's the job. Yeesh. I just wish that whole "fairy princess" thing could've worked out for me, because I just don't know if I'm cut out for the advertising biz. Last week I had to supervise a 2-day commercial shoot with 20-plus kids and a cantankerous Southern lawyer who couldn't read the teleprompter, no matter how big the type was on it (I do believe Stevie Wonder could have read the damn thing!) Those of you who know me, know how much I do not enjoy the company of children. So, you can probably figure out what kind of an experience I had - especially when (unbeknownst to me) my boss cancelled lunch for the young'uns. That and having to deal with a bunch of poilte-but-pushy stage moms (can my child have a close up?) and you can see why I pretty much wanted to shove my head in the oven last week. At least a nice, relaxing family Thanksgiving calmed me down a bit. I promise to update this thing on a much more regular basis - as it is one of the few things that's keeping me sane. As I'm still on dial-up (and an antiquated computer at work - no USB ports!), you will have to paint pictures in your mind, until such time I can add them. But, starting tomorrow - recap-o-rama!

Hey, remember me?

I still hate BellSouth. They suck. A lot. I'm still a prisoner of dial-up and it stinks. I am trying to figure out a way to get pictures up here, as I have a lot of exciting adventures coming up in the next few weeks (and I'd love to post some recent pics from California.) My work computer doesn't have USB ports (I feel like I'm in the first segment of the "Carousel of Progress"!) and it takes for-ever to upload pics to my email at home. Yeesh! I am creatively stifled - big time! AAAAAIIIIIGGGHHHHHH! Ahhh...better...

Damn You, BellSouth!

Just wanted to give a brief update. I have dial-up now, so it's impossible to post all of this witty banter and pictures! We're settled into the new digs and I have a new job with an ad agency in West Palm (and I'm still blogging on Pop Culture Junkies.) I'd write more, but I'm still recouperating from my California adventure (details and - hopefully - photos to come!) and "Female Trouble" is on IFC (can't resist a li'l old school John Waters! Later!

P.S. Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Wintrow - one of my best FSU friends, Teej, just got married last week!

Alaska Adventure Recap - The Exciting Conclusion!

Day 4
Today we left Valdez and headed to Seward. I had my first wildlife encounters today. As we were driving,we saw a moose on the side of the road. P. is fearless, and got some nice photos of the creature. They are really big. I guess they are used to having tourists (most of them in RVs - I swear I have never seen so many of those things in one place in my entire life!)pulling over and taking photos of them - kinda like Paris Hilton and the paparazzi (or something.)

Anyway, our second encounter occured at a nature preserve. You could drive from animal to animal (we dubbed it the "lazy zoo"). We saw more moose, elk, deer, foxes, owls, an eagle, and, at last, bears (yay, bears!) Of course, I took a million pictures, so if you'd like a million pictures of bears, email me!

Seward is a lovely town. The marina area is filled with quaint shops and restaurants (as well as the obligatory glacier tour companies and fishing charters.) We stayed at an adorable cabin that one of P.'s friends owns - definitely the best accommodations we had on the trip. We had more yummy seafood - including a superb crab bisque - for dinner (good thing I'm not 100% vegetarian anymore, huh?) and hit the hay.

Day 5
Today we went out fishing for salmon and halibut (with Crackerjack Charters - had to give them a plug!) This trip also marks the first time my seasickness (which I only get occassionally) made me take a nice long look overboard (if you know what I mean!)As they say in the Gilligan's Island theme song, "The weather started getting rough..." It was cloudy, cold and windy out there. We had been blessed with some beautiful weather the first few days, so this wasn't unexpected. We were out wityh a bunch of execs from Red Bull, which was cool (again, I was the only lass on board). For me, fishing was tough (for P., not so much!) I caught a few Red Bull execs, which frustrated me to the point that I had to take a break. After the weather calmed down, I managed to hook a salmon, a halibut and a few dogfish (small sharks). P. managed to collect about 30 lbs of halibut for our freezer (yum!) Wewent out to dinner that night with Andy (the charter captain) and his wife Nici (who owns the cabin) - very nice people (Fun Fact: Andy looks like Tom Wopat from "The Dukes of Hazzard"!) The next day was our early day, so off to bed...

Day 6
Today we went fishing for sockeye salmon on the Kenai River. We were up before 5, and it took us an hour to get to the lodge. From there it was another 45 minutes to the boat launch. I got to wear waders for the first time (not a good look for me, I'm afraid!) and use a fly rod (I felt very "A River Runs Through It"!) I did ok - I actually landed a fish (no surprise, P. landed quite a few - the guy behind him in the photo that looks homicidal is actually our guide). All in all, another 15 lbs of fish are headed back to Florida!
Day 7
Today we made our way back to Anchorage. We were supposed to go fishing, but the weather was pretty grim. Besides, something captured my attention the minute we rolled into Seward, and I couldn't stop thinking of it the whole time we were there. There is a training facility for one of the Iditarod teams in Seward that's open to the public. So, you know what this means - SLED DOGS!! They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here's your "awww moment of the day"...

Oh, alright, here's another one...

I got to dress up like an Iditarod racer, see one of the dogs from that movie "Eight Below" and go on a sled ride (oh, and, of course I took a million pictures. If you'd like a million sled dog photos, email me!) On our ride (we used a summer sled - with wheels on it that they use to train the dogs in the off-season) I leraned that not all sled dogs are Huskies or Malamutes - they are a bunch of different breeds (and a lot of mixed breeds) that are put together as a team based on their unique attributes (some dogs are faster, some stronger, some have more endurance, etc.) Here's the team we went out with:

After we got back to Anchorage (our hotel had a walk-in freezer for fish - only in Alaska!) We headed (once again) to the Sea Galley for the "Last Supper" (more crab!) and then ventured into downtown for a little fun with P.'s new friend, who just happened to be in town that day. Ryan is a Blue Angel, and he and his fellow Angels were in town for an air show. So I got to party with the Blue Angels - pretty cool, huh? Here's a photo from one of the local watering holes - you will only "get" this if you saw "Bubble Boy"...

We went to a few bars (one of which was called Platinum Jaxx - which sounded like a nudie bar, but wasn't) and P. intorduced the boys to his world-famous Backdraft shot. Here's a photo of one of the guys in the process of enjoying this fine libation...

What a way to end a great vacation, huh? The next day, we took the long, uncomfortable flight back to Florida. Next up - California!

Alaska Adventure Recap - Day 2 and Beyond

Since I'll be Internet-less until Monday, I figured I'd better finish up this recap, so here goes...

Day 2
Today we left Anchorage and headed for Valdez (yes, as in Exxon Valdez - remember that?) I won't bore you with my slightly blurry photos of the scenery on the loooong drive there (mountains at 55 mph don't look as good as the real thing), but will show you a very cool (literally) sight - the Worthington Glacier. These things are all over the state and they are breathtaking. Valdez is a really small town. It's probably only a few miles around. There's a market (it's too small to be considered super) a video store, a liquor store, a few gas stations and diners and a Subway. The marina was the center of activity here, with nature cruises, kayak tours and fishing charters. Our hotel was right next door and it was really nice (for the second night in a row we were upgraded to suites, for no reason whatsoever. I like this place! We ate dinner in the hotel and it was surprisingly good (finally sunk into some delicious Alaskan salmon. Mmmmm...)Since we had a long day ahead tomorrow (and there really wasn't much to do - we did get to see "Flavor of Love" though!) it was off to sleepy-land for us.

Day 3
Today we went Salmon Shark fishing (I had never heard of them before either). We were out on a party boat with 4 other men. Yes, this was a close as I got to an Alaskan cruise. At least I was on a boat - but I did miss Isaac slinging fruity cocktails my way as I relaxed on the Lido deck. Oh well...

Fishing was tough. I got a shark nibbling at my bait - he even came back 3 different times, but I couldn't hook him. P. was having problems getting the fishies to bite as well. There were 2 sharks caught on the boat. I didn't like the fact that the sharks were killed, because they were beautiful (sorry, that was your PETA-approved moment of the day)so it's probably just as well I didn't get one. P. has photos, but I don't think you'd want to see dead sharks, so here's a shot I took in the hotel parking lot of a bunny's tush...

More to come...

At long last - the Alaska Adventure Recap!

I have to get this done before I no longer have Broadband (new house is dial-up - ewwwww!)so, without further ado...

Day 1
Wel, obviously, the bulk of day 1 was spent on the plane. We flew Alaska Airlines, which was ok, but they didn't have an in-flight movie, per se - they had a individual set-up where you had your own little monitor (that you had to pay for, 'natch) where you could choose from such fine films as "Phat Girls" and "Curious George" - thank God for my iPod! Once we landed, we strpped the Alaskan feed bag on for the first (of many) delicious dinners. We went to a place called the Sea Galley. Tacky name, great eats. We had Halibut Nuggets, which upon seeing them, we dubbed them Halibut Boulders! Halibut has now overtaken grouper as my favorite fish. We also got crabs (get your minds out of the gutter - we had a delicious assortment of snow, Dungeness (spelling?) and Alaskan king crab. But enough of that, I'm making myself hungry! As Paul and I are creatures who crave culture, our obvious next stop was the local adult entertainment establishment. Yeah, strip clubs are pretty much the same wherever you go (in the states), but you can't pass up a place called The Great Alaskan Bush Company, now can you? The place definitely takes the prize for ambiance - it's done up like an old, wild west saloon, but the ladies are far from Miss Kitty. Mixed among the patrons of the establishment was a ladies (and I use the term loosely) softball team, who apparently had just won a tournament and were out for a night on the town. They upped the people watching ante to a whole new level. One of the ladies looked like Erik Estrada (I swear). Too funny. We decided to cut out around 11pm, and when we stepped outside, it was still light out (the whole week I was there, I never got used to that!) Fortunately, the hotels have those thick, light blocking curtains, so slumber came quickly.

I have to go pack some more. I'll be back later with day 2 and beyond...

Hey, aren't you...?

No one tells me I look like anyone famous. When I was in college, I got Jodie Foster and Ellen Barkin. I didn't see it. The worst was being compared to Tina Yothers from "Family Ties" (by a guy I used to date!) So, after that crushing blow, if I looked like someone famous, I didn't want to know - it's better that way.

So anyway, my hubby has told me that a few people have mistaken him for Tamap Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden lately. Hmmm...let's see...

Here's the hubby doing something unusual (sure!)

Here's Gruden.

I can kinda see it, but since fishing is involved, I think this pic may prove a stronger resemblance...

Oh, yeah - it's him! (Sorry P., couldn't resist! At least no one said you looked like Andy Reid!)

Happy Birthday Colleen!

My sis is 34 today - she has already informed me that's she's going to Chili's for her birthday lunch so I'm confident she'll have a good one!

Well, it's Friday - the end of a kind of slow week at work. I'm in the process of phasing myself out at work and I have less things to do during the workday (that and the whole office has been slow.) So I decided, just to get the right brain going, to do one of those cute "I-Pod Shuffle" pieces. 7 (usually it's 5, but I have that kind of time. If things continue to be slow it could be 10 or even more) random songs that pop up on the pod and my thoughts on them. Sounds like fun, huh? Here we go...

"Shambala" - Three Dog Night: "Joy to the World" was the first 45 I ever owned (and my favorite sing-along at Howl at the Moon) and I love this band. I have Joy and it's B-side, "I Can Here You Calling" (very funky for a bunch of white boys) as well as this song on the ol' I-pod. I need more Dog - at least "Old Fashioned Love Song".

"Get Set" - Taxiride: This is one of those faux psychadelic songs that came out in the mid-90s. I think it was in a movie. The whole CD is pretty good. I have nothing more to say about this one, sorry.

"One Way Street" - Go West: I loooove Go West - especially that guitar player - I think his name is Richard Drummie. Let me check...yup. My college roomate and I fantasized about marrying them - Richard for me and lead singer Peter Cox for her (yes, pathertic as it is, I fantasized about celebrity relationships long into adulthood). This is one of their mellower tunes - I think I'd have to pick "Goodbye Girl" as my favorite - oh, and the remix of "Call Me" from "Bangs and Crashes". Ok, getting a little music geeky here...

"Burning Up" - Madonna: I remember when I hated Madonna. My gay friend forced me to listen to her first album every time we got in the car (a gay man who loves Madonna? Who woulda thunk it?) I thought she was whiny - but it didn't take long to become a big fan of the Material Girl - I dressed up in the "Lucky Star" video get-up for a high school costume party (complete with knock-offs of her boots from Desperately Seeking Susan which I still have (again, pathetic - isn't it?)

"Hung Up" - Madonna: 2 by Madge in a row? I like this one because of the ABBA sample. That's pretty much it. I kinda gave up on Madonna after "Ray of Light", but this one is catchy.

"Good Morning, Good Morning": Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees & Paul Nicholas: I was hoping my baby Peter turned up! This is from the soundtrack of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the movie that I have seen more times than any movie ever. I remember when we got cable for the first time, and watched every single viewing of this movie the month it was on (it had to be over 20 times.) I lost count around 50 or so viewings. I also watched it on my 21st birthday, when my purse was stolen (as in no ID) and I drank Heineken that someone had to buy for me with my friend Patrick (who's an actual movie star now!) It obviously holds a special place in my heart!

"Show Me the Way" - Peter Frampton: What could be better than a Frampton 2-fer? Not much! Of course this is the "Frampton Comes Alive" version. I (obviously) have a lot of his songs on my I-pod. Favorite? "Baby, I Love Your Way" (which would have been our wedding song if I'd had my way) and "Penny for Your Thoughts", but his songs are kind of like your children - it's so hard to pick a favorite.

"Mr. Blue Sky" - Electric Light Orchestra (yeah, it's number 8, but I'm exquisitely bored...) These guys had me at Xanadu. This is such a peppy song, great for morning workouts!

"Belief System" - Double Drive: I saw this band a few years ago at Music Midtown in Atlanta. My then-boyfriend and I got in a fight during their set. Ah, sweet memories...Actually, this song rawks.

"Rhiannon" - Fleetwood Mac: Peter Frampton and Stevie Nicks - my 70s idols. "Dreams" is still my favorite karaoke song of all time, but this one is cool as well.

Ok, the guys from Clerks II (a must-see) are on Opie and Anthony now. Later 'taters!