AY AY, OH OH!!! (hands in the air everybody!)

First things first - a quick shout out to Christian Huygens for updating my blog and making it snazzy and disneyfied. I love it! What do you guys think? Thank you Christian for the update and thanks for my wristwatch!

Sorry I haven't written a blog this week - work has been INSANE so I haven't been able to. But that's okay b/c in two days, I'll be on my way to the Mouse! I absolutely cannot wait! But that also means you'll have a week without me so don't miss me too much!

And finally, I'm going to take a moment to brag about myself. I don't ever really do this as it's just not in my nature, but I'm really proud of something I'm accomplishing. You see, since August 1, I've been on a carb free, low calorie diet and joined Curves for exercise. As a carb junkie, I went overboard and really needed to lose weight. And I hadn't exercised in a long time, using work as an excuse. Now, I'm not on the "eat a pound of bacon, low carb diet", I eat chicken, turkey or fish and a ton of veggies and one piece of fruit a day. I also drink 64 oz of water a day - a thing I hate - but I add no-carb crystal light to it for flavor and it helps. I haven't had a chip, bread, potato, pasta or dessert in two months. I also go to curves 5 days a week.

So, I had to get weighed and measured at Curves today. I've lost a whopping 36 pounds and 26 inches total! I can't believe it! It's so nice to see results when working so hard.

This is especially gratifying b/c it is the first time in my life where I am doing it the healthy way, with no gimmicks, drugs, over the counter crap, just honest to goodness healthy dieting and exercising. You see, I used to be anorexic/bulimic from 15-23 when Mr. Bean snapped me out of it. I was about 100 pounds at 5'5". So ever since then, I've been scared to diet b/c I didn't want to be on that path again. So to see that I can lose weight in a healthy way without going crazy in the head or becoming anorexic or bulimic means a lot to me. So now I'm bragging.

So thanks for listening to my brag; and I'll see y'all in about a week and a half!

I got a very nice Apology.

So I sent the host of the Jackie Martling show, The Wolf, a note complaining about it. The Wolf is also a radio personality around here. I essentially sent my blog with some modifications. I have to say, he was very gracious and offered tickets to another comedy show.

I'm not going to take them though and just let him know I appreciate his thoughtfulness.

Thanks Wolf!

I can't handle anymore laughs this weekend.

So, this was the weekend of the comedian circuit for me. I went to see Kathy Griffin on Friday with some friends and then Mr. Bean and I went to see Jackie Martling, formally of the Howard Stern show, on Saturday. I was excited to see Kathy Griffin, not so much Jackie. But I was going into it with an open mind, as I do love Howard Stern and he did some funny things in his day. Plus I was really interested to see the distinct styles of both.

First, I love Kathy Griffin - loved her D List show, enjoy all of her specials, I LOVE HER. She combines three of my favorite things - entertainment news, gossip and laughter. Well, the theatre (which is large - about 2500 seats) was sold out. And I was in about the 20th row. Despite of the number of people there, I had a great view and honestly, I felt like she was just chatting with me like we were old girl friends shooting the shit. That's one of the things I love about her - her delivery. It's really like talking to friends. It's not the tried, true and boring, set up, delivery, laughter. It's just stories. And she relates them in an amazing way. And although she is such a tiny woman (and very skinny in spite of anything she says about herself), she really fills up a stage with her personality.

Another thing I liked and appreciated about her was, despite the fact that I've watched all of her specials, shows, etc., she repeated not a single thing in this show. Everything was new and fresh and also very current, including things that happened this past week. I was impressed by that, especially when that exact annoying thing happened when I went to see "Last Comic Standing" - I had already heard 95% of their jokes on the show - I was ticked then but definitely not now with Kathy!

The show was two hours (how on earth is she able to talk that long?) which flew and I loved it. Well worth my $40 and I will see her again. Only thing I was disappointed about was that she wasn't selling anything - I totally would have bought something.

On the other hand was Jackie Martling. Now, as I stated earlier, I wasn't looking forward to it - but I know I'm objective in my opinion b/c Mr. Bean felt the same and he was really excited about the show; and from the reactions of the audience (which I'll get into a little bit later), I know they felt the same way too.

The show was AWFUL. Not just bad, AWFUL. First off, let me say that my ticket was for me to see "Jackie the Jokeman", stated literally like that. That's not what we saw. We saw "Jackie, the guy who thinks he can sing, but can't man", "Jackie I'm part of a band man", "Jackie the awful song writer man" and even a little of "Jackie the Old guy man". I guess we did see "Jackie the Jokeman" for about 15 minutes of the two hour show, so contractually speaking, I can't sue him for not giving me some jokes; but considering I paid $30 pp for tickets to see "Jackie the Jokeman" as it was advertised, it wasn't enough for me.

And from what I can tell from the audience, this was not what they were expecting either. This show was not his normal show and we weren't warned that it wasn't going to be. My first indication that something was up was when we walked into the theater and there were instruments on stage and many microphones - UH OH, what is this all about. Then when Jackie came out, he came out with a bunch of guys with banjos, drums, guitars - country music type stuff - OH OH. And then he introduced his new band and how it would be a different show - double OH OH.

And then the songs came. Now Jackie may think he can sing, and according to him he had a band in the 1970's, but he most decidedly can't. And I thought his backup singers weren't so hot either. And Jackie wrote a lot of the songs - and they weren't good either. In fact, my Mr. Bean writes better songs when he is teasing me and singing. Maybe we should go on the road. But he kept singing, and singing, and singing, and wouldn't stop. And he was the type of person who would sing the refrain at the end of a song what seemed like a million times, making the song that so much longer and unnecessary.

And everytime someone would yell they wanted jokes, many times he waved his hand like no thanks. This reminded me of a Harry Connick Jr. concert I went to with Mr. Bean (anniversary present - we used one of his songs for our wedding dance) when he sang no standards, nothing we knew, let his back up play long interludes in the middle of a song while he left the stage, and got pissed off and yelled at people when they asked for certain songs (b/c he was playing nothing the audience knew). I didn't like that show and I didn't like this one either.

And the audience hated it too. And boy did they hate it. As the night went on, people started leaving in droves whenever he started playing another song. Other people were yelling for more jokes. Once, when he put his guitar down, people literally cheered, thinking we would get more jokes. Another time, when he said he was going to sing another song, I kid you not, there was a palpable groan from the audience you could hear FROM THE AUDIENCE AS A WHOLE. Not one person, the whole audience. People were also yelling no more songs, do more jokes, to no avail. One guy in front of us was so pissed off, he couldn't stand it. Also, when he said he and his band were finalizing a CD that was coming out in I think November, there was only a smattering of clapping. The reaction to the CD was so bad that Jackie even commented on it.

And when they were playing the last song, that again seemed to go on forever, as soon as Jackie said it was the last song, there was a mad exodus in full rush form. People could not get out of there fast enough.

So that was two hours of my life and $30 I'll never get back, and I miss them both.

So to sum up, Kathy Griffin excellent; and "F U JACKIE!"

I can't buy fancy stamps anymore.

So I thought it was pretty neat when the U.S. Post Office started offering stamps with different themes on them: flowers, leaves, elvis, etc. I liked it, bought them and had no problem handing out Elvises everywhere a letter needed a stamp. I refused to buy the "love" ones though b/c I would never tell a bill collector I loved them, even if it was just a stamp. I do remember, however, how mad I was at my mom when she used those stupid flag stamps on our wedding invitations instead of the love stamps - that's the only time to use them - who doesn't use love stamps on wedding invitations? Mr. Bean still complains about that.

But now they are just too fancy. So fancy that I get excited to buy them and then don't want to use them. Kind of like the Yankee candles I buy but then never use b/c they were expensive and I don't want to ruin an expensive item.

For example, they had Disney stamps. I would agonize everytime I would use one; and b/c there were doubles, would go around using one of each and then go around again, from least fave until the sad day I had to use my favorite Disney stamp (It was Snow White).

Now, I have the superhero stamps that I don't want to use. You know, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and more. And there are no repeats. So I am devestated each time I have to use one. Needless to say Green Arrow and Flash went first. Now, I'm down to only a few and it makes me sad.

So for now on, I'm only buying the yuck flag stamps. No one cares about them.

I'm never wrong . . .

But this is one of those times I'm really glad I was. Welcome Back to Earth shuttle crew. I'm glad to see you made it home safely. Enjoy your family and friends.

And NASA? Next time we decide to send something up into the black abyss of space, lets make sure nothing is going to fall off, okay?

I'm on a Roll Baby!

What is this, my seventh day of blogging in a row? I'm CRAZY baby! Things may become a bit more sporatic the next few days as I have a huge project at work, then travel to NYC for work, then more work, then a Kathy Griffin show, a Jackie Martlee show, a festival to go to, more work, and then vacation.

Just a little bit busy, don't you think?

So anyway, I really wish I didn't have to go to NYC. Honestly, I don't like it much. It's not clean, it's too crazy and I'm just happy to go home from it all. I'm just glad I don't live there.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled program of work . . . .

Houston, We have a problem . . .

So now there is smoke in the International Space Station. So much so the astronauts had to don their space suits. And this is after a few pieces of the space shuttle came off during lift off. But according to NASA, it ain't nothin' but a thang.

Anyone else besides me worried they aren't going to get home safely?

So Much for Sunday being a Day at Rest.

Yep, your Bean is here at work, since 7:30 a.m., on a Sunday - this is the second Sunday in a row and I have a feeling that it will happen again next Sunday as well. This is one tradition I don't like continuing.

My goal, however, is to be out of here at noon, 1 p.m. at the latest. I hate Sundays at work. What I really want to be doing it to catch up on my tv shows.

One thing I did enjoy, however, was going to Catskill Game Farm yesterday with some friends and their kids. Great stuff.

I'm really sad to see the place closing down for good on 10/9 after 73 years, but after going to the place, I can see why. I went when I was a baby (don't remember it) and my friends were the same, but it seems like they haven't done much to keep up the place for the 73 years. I bet if they spruced it up a bit, lowered the price a little ($17.95 pp for adult), and made the place handicap accessible, they could really have something.

I must say it was weird to see a place that was so NOT handicap accessible. It was VERY hilly. So much in fact that it was VERY difficult to push strollers up the hill, especially since one of my friends has 16 month old twins. We literally had to have three people CARRY up the stroller. And there was a whole section where strollers, wheelchairs, etc. weren't allowed - the feeding area which was huge and the African area which were the lions and rhinos - and that was very big and it was heavy carrying 16 month old babies around. And there were a ton of strollers around - so it was a bit weird and difficult to manage.

But I have to say the food was good - pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, hotdogs. I was impressed.

So go before they close - if only for the memories.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Nope, it's not Christmas, it's Fall TV season! Old shows coming back - new shows to enjoy. Here's my list of old and new I can't wait to see!

Old Faves:

1. Bones - started watching it last year for Angel (David Boreanaz - what a hottie!), stayed for the writing and characters. Great show about a woman (Bones) who is an anthropologist who solves crimes by looking at bones - it sounds boring but is really great.

2. Veronica Mars - pls more people start watching it! This a great show about a teen sleuth, now going into her first year of college. This show reminds me of Buffy without the vampires - that kind of writing - LOVE IT! And if Josh Whedon and Stephen King love it, it can't be all that bad.

3. Smallville - Another cutie, Tom Welling, but I'm just a huge fan of superheroes and seeing how one grew up is fascinating to me.

4. Lost - I feel lame writing this b/c everyone does. I just want to know what the deal is! But I do have to say they better pick up the pace this season b/c last season bored me a little.

5. Gilmore Girls - I really go back and forth on this, however, b/c I really hated last season, especially the finale. So I'll give it a shot, but it better start getting better.

6. Amazing Race - My dream, to travel the world and this show does it. Plus, I love the Philiminator.

7. Grey's Anatomy - Just keeps getting better and better each year. Plus, once again, another hottie, McDreamy.

8. Battlestar Galactica - Just an amazing SciFi show that is NOTHING like its original - the new is dark where the old was funny - the new has excellent writing where the old didn't. It's just frakkin' unbelievable!

There are other shows I watch and like too, these are just the top 8. Now, onto the new ones:

1. Heroes - once again, I love superheroes and watching them start out and learn their powers sounds like a win, win to me.

2. Six Degrees - I love any show by J.J. Abrams (except "What about Brian") so this one is a go for me.

3. The Nine - nine people whose lives change forever b/c of a bank robbery. Just sounds interesting to me.

4. Jericho - I'm a sucker for "the world is going to end and are we the only ones left alive?" genre shows

5. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - sounds cool seeing the behind the scenes of an SNL type show - we'll see if it lives up to it's hype.

So that's it for the new shows. I'm mostly going to watch shows I've grown to love but these new ones may keep me interested. What are you excited to see?

My Love/Hate Relationship with Black Friday.

Every year I say I'm not going to go. Then I get the papers on Thanksgiving and see that one item I JUST HAVE TO HAVE and it's usually something for Mr. Bean. And of course the only time I can get it is at sleep o'clock in the morning - or as we all know - the hour when even the mummies and zombies are asleep.

But I find the one thing - and off I go. And sometimes I'm happy and sometimes I'm torqued off.

One year, I was on the news for my stupidity of getting up so early.

Another year, I was out of town, but that didn't even stop me. I got a darth vader mask which talked (don't ask) and a video camera for Mr. Bean. And don't forget the two Dora dolls that danced and sang "I did it! I did it!" (No, that wasn't for Mr. Bean, although he and his coworkers got a kick out of it - one to a friend's kid and the other to the Toys-for-Tots). Then my car got broken into but thankfully they didn't find that stuff.

Last year, I was bound and determined not to go - but Target showed a Game Boy system which included games, travel accessories, etc. for less than $100. So I got up so early I was NUMBER 1 IN LINE. I know, you can either applaud me or call me an ass. Needless to say there were HUNDREDS of people behind me.

So doors open, we run - and yes, everyone was running which is insane and immature if you ask me. So off I go to electronics and the electronics guy shows me what it is - and he showed me and others the wrong thing. So those behind us got all of the games and I was SOL. Boy were we pissed! After a ton of arguing, etc., we got a discount on all of the stuff together - but it still cost more than the system did.

So this year, I said enough is enough. No more black friday. I decided I was so certain I was not going to go that I was literally leaving the country.

But if someone knows there's a "Black Friday" in France, please don't tell me. I don't want to be tempted.

I'm feeling a bit guilty, and a little unamerican as well.

So, as you know from the previous post, I dumped my trip to California, which was supposed to be a 13 day affair from Los Angeles to San Francisco, to instead go to Paris for six days. I had some valid reasons for doing it, one being the boss' decision I couldn't take the extra week being one of them and my love for France being the other.

But I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit guilty about it. You see, other than the eastern seaboard, I haven't seen much of the Good Ol' U S of A. I've been to Chicago and Phoenix - that's it. So, when I was starting to plan the California trip, I was thinking this would be a good chance to learn how the other 1/2 lives - literally.

And for one who hasn't seen much of the U.S., I've seen quite a bit of the world as a whole. I've been to the Caribbean, Venezuala, England, France (3 times), Italy (twice), Switzerland, Greece, Amsterdam, Monaco. So it's kind of sad that I'm once again forgoing visiting the U.S. to travel outside of the country.

Oh well, Vive la France!

So I've Been Gone, What of it?

I'm feeling a bit defensive as there are those who have been complaining b/c I'm not writing a blog - well guess what people, I have a life. And while not normally so busy, the past month has been crazy to say the least. Usually my life is not much of a life other than work and sleep, so it's nice some different things have been on my calendar.

First, I had a week off in August to RELAX. This means no computer, no television (don't worry, I taped everything in advance on my DVR), no phone - "not a single luxury" (everybody sing along!) We went up to the Adirondacks, Big Moose Lake to be exact, and spent time boating, hiking, going to movies (three!), reading A LOT of great books, taking ski lifts up mountains, feeding deer in our backyard (I'll post some really cool pix later); and most importantly, spending time with my lovely and loveable Baby J. She is the sweetest thing ever, and it was really nice to be with her. If you want to hear the details of the trip on a podcast, go to www.saturncast.com and listen to show #3 where I give my trip report LIVE.

Then I had to work for four days. While it doesn't sound like much, I had to work hard as I took a long weekend for Labor Day to go to Virginia to see the family and of course my niece (3) and nephew (13 months). While I love my sweet angel of a niece, my nephew was a HUGE grump. So much so I now call him Sir Grump-a-lot. Mr. Bean calls him Earl of Grey Socks as that is all he is getting for Christmas b/c of his attitude. I think I held him for a total of 5 minutes in 4 days. Had a great time with the family; however, the plane ride down was horrendous and we got stuck in Philadelphia which was not a place I wanted to be stuck in. If you want to hear that saga, I would recommend going to www.saturncast.com and listening to show #5.

The worse part about the trip, however, is that it just confirmed my panic of flying planes, especially small ones. Because to go to where my family lives, you have to ride those crappy prop planes which only hold 50 people - yes, almost the same type that just recently crashed, and yes, I was thinking of that the whole time with every bump, etc. I DO NOT LIKE FLYING. I was having a full blown panic attack each time. Large planes don't bother me so much but those small planes make me want to have a heart attack. So before the next flights, I'm going to have to get some drugs to help.

If you don't listen to podcasts, you can also go to www.saturndiary.com which is a blog where you can see the show notes for both shows to read the saga and also see the two blogs written while stuck in Philadelphia to hear our morbid story. You see, Mr. Bean is aka Christian Huygen - I always liked older men.

Then, work has been insane ever since. I've been working weekends, long hours and it won't end until our trip to the Mouse on September 30th. I'm excited but it seems like a REALLY long time until then because of work issues.

And finally, Mr. Bean and I ditched the trip to California and are going to Paris instead. Although I'm excited about the trip, it was hell to get plane tickets. If you want to hear my rant on the issue, surprise, surprise, go to www.saturncast.com for the special news alert by me regarding all of the problems I had buying the tickets or go to www.saturndiary.com to read the show notes.

So I've been busy. Deal with it.