It's All Too Much

I have returned to bring you an important message about bacon

2010-12-13T21:15:00.005-05:00

Well, I thought since it has been over a year it was time to maybe write a few times on this blog, before most likely taking another hiatus (lets be honest, most people don't break patterns, that takes like work and years of therapy). To catch you up, I still think Brandon is an obnoxious twit and that Dylan is totally misunderstood. I have a job now, so sadly my 90210 watching only takes place on the weekend. Though to be honest, you can only watch these episodes so many times (who am I kidding, so many times means a limitless number of times at least until they get to the point where Kelly's rehab roommate tries to kill her and then things begin to go off the rails a little).

So anyway, oh right, maybe me catching you up wasn't only supposed to involve talking about 90210. I do occasionally do other things and have other thoughts. For instance, during my time of unemployment I took up baking. I mean I have always sort of enjoyed baking from back when my mom and I would make ice cream cone cupcakes for my birthday (I made these for a friend's birthday in the spring and they are still awesome. Only need to find a way to get better tasting flat bottomed cones, but I digress), so when I had a lot of time on my hands and needed something comforting/cheap to do, baking seemed like a great option. Plus people get so happy when you share homemade baked goods with them, seriously it is like a natural high.

So now that it is cold again, and you can turn on the oven without wanting to kill yourself, I have been trying to keep baking and experimenting and tweaking recipes to make them my own and so forth. My brother has been bugging me to make some chocolate chip bacon cookies for awhile, but other things got in the way. But then the other day he had bought bacon for something else, so it was in the fridge and I happened to have basically all the other ingredients around the apartment, and it seemed like a nice way to make Monday better, so I did it, I made bacon chocolate chip cookies! And let me tell you they are awesome.

I searched around the internet to get some ideas about what other people do. A lot of recipes candy the bacon first, which is just putting some brown sugar on top of it when baking. I decided not to do that, but might try that at some point in the future. I also decided to add maple syrup in place of vanilla. I stopped adding vanilla to my cookies awhile back for a few reasons:

1. The ladies who make Levain cookies said they don't use vanilla and that it is useless, so hey, if it works for them it works for me.

2. When I was unemployed I felt vanilla was pricey, and since I had good word it was useless, donzo. I am curious who the vanilla lobby is and how they somehow got everyone to add it to every recipe no matter what you are making. It is like a weird conspiracy.

3. Once I stopped using vanilla I realized it was in fact useless and unnecessary. You have all probably tasted some of my cookies, and told me you enjoyed them. Were anyone of you thinking, I enjoyed these but I miss a weird hint of vanilla that detracts from the actual flavor of the cookie? Good, I am glad we all agree.

I have totally forgotten about what I was talking about and now can only think about the weird vanilla lobby. But I guess I could save that and let it be its own post some time (lets be honest, it probably won't be because that would require me actually posting).

So, the recipe for the chocolate chip bacon cookies, in case you wanted to try them (though I will be making them again, so if you ask nicely you could maybe try mine):

1 stick unsalted butter (leave out to soften)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup (I eyeballed it...I would maybe add a bit more next time)
1 1/2 cup flour (a little less than that actually, fill up the 1/2 cup about 3/4ths)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt/kosher salt (don't use table salt)
1 cup chocolate chips (plus a little extra - my tip for baking - always add a bit of extra chocolate to whatever you are making)
7 strips of bacon (I used 6 this time, but felt that extra strip would have put it over the edge)

Preheat oven to 400F

Bake bacon for 15-20 minutes, until nice and crispy. Drain bacon with a paper towel, leaving a little oil on it. Let it cool for a bit, and then crumble into small pieces.

Turn down oven to 350F

I don't have an electric mixer, so I do this all by hand. If you wanted to use a mixer (you and your modern conveniences)I have no clue what settings or anything like that. Anyway, since it is probably only Jason and Becky reading this, that point is moot anyway.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add in the egg and mix. Add in the maple syrup and mix. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet dough and combine. Stir in chocolate chips and bacon. The dough will be pretty thick.

Make the cookies as small/big as you desire. Leave a few inches in between each round on cookie sheet since they do spread a little. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is my first attempt at writing out a recipe for people to follow. It would make me happy if someone tried it and enjoyed it. I will try to post some other recipes as I bake this winter. And no this isn't going to become some blog that only posts recipes! It will also continue to be a blog where no one really posts much at all.

I did take some pictures of the finished product and stuff, but I am not totally sure how to post a photo, and don't really feel like trying to figure it out right now. I am sure it is easy, but frankly, people don't use their imaginations enough anymore, so this is a great opportunity for that. Your welcome.

Happy bacon and cookie eating to all!

Dylan McKay for Sainthood!

2009-11-17T12:14:00.002-05:00

As I brought up in the earlier post I am on a mission to make people understand that Dylan McKay is not a bad boy, in fact he is probably the saintliest of all the 90210 boys (and year I am looking at you Brandon). Now, he does have some skeletons in the closet, but who doesn't. And eventually the series will explore his darker side, but based on the storyline where Jim Walsh decides that Dylan is absolutely by no means allowed to see his daughter, well it makes Jim look like an idiot (which is another mission I am on and will explore more in the future). Lets look at the evidence:

1. Brenda goes to live with Dylan and Dylan sleeps on the couch! Um, yeah exactly, he doesn't try to take advantage of a vulnerable Brenda who is fighting with her parents. What is more upstanding than that?

2. He doesn't approve of Brenda lying to her parents. In fact, several times he tries to convince her to stop going behind their back and be honest, he even offers to face the music with her because he is a stand up guy.

3. He helps Brenda make up with her parents! Yeah that's right, the same people who have told him he is a bad seed (well not Cindy because Cindy is awesome and smart, but Jim is a chauvinist pig who never listens to her). Okay, so I will come clean and say that he does have some selfish motives because Brenda is being annoying and driving him nuts, but still, he put up with her AND helps her go home!

4. I just want to reiterate the point from the previous post about how he lives alone, in his own house and NEVER has a party or like stays up late watching bad tv or really doing anything that a normal 17 year old would do. I mean that is responsibility. That is trustworthiness. That is the person I want my 17 year old dating!

Okay, that is what I got for now. But this is something that perplexes me that we are supposed to view Dylan as this dangerous bad boy. He is like the most upstanding person on the show. I get why Brenda is attracted to him though I mean her dad is constantly telling her she can't see him, that is dangerous - yeah that seems like a good way to get your daughter to stop dating someone.

Jim Walsh is an idiot!

Thoughts?

I want to sex you up!

2009-11-13T16:05:00.004-05:00

When I saw that the Color Me Badd episode of 90210 was on today I got really excited! As you saw in my chat with Becky from the previous post this was a seminal moment in my young life. My favorite tv show was 90210 and one of my favorite bands was Color Me Badd – the two together – um, perfection! Now, I suppose I should be ashamed to admit this, but screw it, I totally wore out that Color Me Badd cassette, they totally rocked!

Without further ado – my breakdown of the episode, enjoy!

Donna: I was into Color Me Badd before anyone ever heard of them
Kelly: Yeah you and 10,000 other people

Okay, so I love how Donna thinks it is cool to have been into them before anyone else. I mean you hear people say this about like The Beatles or something and you think they are obnoxious, but to say this about Color Me Badd, well I am pretty sure even at the age of 10 I thought Donna was lame. And I also love Kelly’s come back as if 10,000 fans is a lot? I mean that is a pretty limited fan base, I am giving the point to Donna here.

Felice (Donna’s mom): I don’t want you hanging out at the sunset strip, isn’t that a little seedy
Donna: Is it?
Felice: Of course it is”

I don’t know, but I just found this exchange to be funny.

Hotel worker: The hotel is for registered guests only (As Brenda, Donna, Kelly and David try to walk into the Bellagio where Color Me Badd is staying and they are trying to stalk them to get free tickets to some special concert they are having).

Um, this always happens on tv, but have you ever had trouble getting into a hotel? They are four teenagers from Beverly Hills, they aren’t dressed like bums, there is absolutely no way that they would have a problem getting into the hotel. PUHLEASE!

Dylan: I am a human male.

So, if you feel the need to make this statement you obviously have some insecurities, right? I often question how Dylan is considered a bad boy? I mean yes, he was an alcoholic, but he is sober now and like really into being sober. He has his own house at like 16 and never throws a party or does anything particularly crazy. You're telling me there wouldn’t be a party here every weekend? Every night? In fact, the only party I can ever remember him throwing is a bbq that 8 people attended. Oooh what a bad boy!

Oh I always forget about the stupid sub-plot where the guys order a stripper (really?) and Andréa comes over to study with Brandon. First of all, who goes out in the rain without calling? I mean, what if he wasn’t home? You just rode the bus and probably had to walk a bunch, in the rain? I hate rain! I don’t even like the think about going out in it. She is like single white female or something. Call ahead! So now the guys are freaking out, I mean Andrea might write a four part series on this for the Blaze (she totally would or probably just force Brandon to write it).

Ah a time before cell phones! Steve tries to call the stripper to call her off, but gets her home answering machine because she already left. Shit! What are they going to do?!

And they won’t tell her to leave because they don’t want to tell her a stripper is coming, I don’t know, why don’t you tell her that you are having a guy’s day? Why not tell her she wasn’t invited and to back off! Better yet, tell her she looks like a 35 year old and she will run home in the rain crying and maybe even kill herself or something (very special episode)!

Now we are pretending the stripper is Cindy’s niece. Hijinks!

Meanwhile, Donna’s mom is slumming it on the sunset strip for a “meeting.” What meeting could she possible have at the Belaggio hotel on a Saturday? Then again, we know that Donna has a learning disability, so we can’t really blame her for not cracking the code, but what about the rest of them. I mean David must be mega smart since he was somehow able to graduate early because all of his friends were. I don’t know about you, but in my high school that was a totally valid reason for skipping a grade.

David: Plan b is to think of a plan b.
See, he really is mega smart. Oh that silver!

Kelly is a total bitch. She comes up with plan b by stealing a key, but ditches David and Brenda in the process and then Donna – even though she doesn’t even like Color Me Badd? All she had to do was like whisper to them, come this way… I am on a mission to remind people what a bitch Kelly is since they tried to make her all saint like once Brenda left. Girl is a grade a bitch. I mean Donna has been established as basically the world’s biggest Color Me Badd fan (I mean even bigger than me) and yet Kelly, her supposed best friend ditches her when she has the keys to the kingdom! Bitch.

OMG Donna just saw her mom KISSING another man! No Fuckin way! That was her so-called meeting? I can’t even believe it. I think even when I was 10 I saw that one coming.

Ok, so once Kelly gets to the floor the group is staying on she gets mistaken by a groupie as a groupie. And Kelly like doesn’t even understand what a groupie is. It is amazing!

Kelly to groupie: I don’t get it, what do you want from them? – Really Kelly, you used to be a slut like two years ago, you know, you totally know…

Groupie (In a really condescending tone): What are you doing here; you don’t exactly look like their accountant or anything.
This is awesome; they should make a show with this funny groupie. I mean good point; Kelly says her and her friends want to just meet them. BORING! You are 17, live a little. Have a beer, do something!

Um, Kelly lends one of the guys a dollar and doesn’t realize until the guy says his name that he is Brian Abrams from Color me Badd! And now they are all out in the hall! Aaaaah! This is so exciting! They are so dreamy! (For the record, they are so not, they are freakin weird looking, why did I like these guys? Oh right, their beautiful music!)

Kelly’s big question to the group is, so, I hear you guys get mobbed at malls now? I mean I know she isn’t Andrea or Brandon, but come on, you couldn’t come up with anything better than that. And best of all is this:

Kelly: I am personally sick of malls
One of the dudes in Color Me Badd: I kind of miss it

Malls are totally last season.

Oh Donna is acting all pissy and as always no one figures out something might be wrong. You’d think Brenda would be more attuned to these signs since she just did this herself! After a tearful phone call with her dad she finally breaks! That took a lot less time than to get Brenda to break! But then again, Donna is lot weaker because she has a learning disability.

Meanwhile, back at the casa Walsh, Andrea the investigative reporter sits and chats with the stripper for like hours and never even thinks something is up! Andrea decides to go (since it is clear Brandon isn’t sleeping with her today). And now it is time for the stripper to do her thing. To Color me badd! That is such a weird coincidence? But alas, now the guys know her so well and feel uncomfortable with her stripping for them! What about that statement before Dylan, that you are a human male? More evidence to the contrary, just saying.

OMG Cindy and Jim come home and the stripper is still there! The stripper introduces herself to Cindy as Cindy’s cousin! HILARIOUS! Brandon has a great cover though, different Cindy, Cindy sanders, but Cindy isn’t really buying it, wouldn’t she be Steve’s cousin too? Why would you introduce her like that! Jim chalks it up to weird California families. Oh the Walshes! Doesn’t Cindy remember that we found out a few weeks ago that Steve was adopted, so insensitive.

David (trying to comfort Donna): Maybe your mom and day have some kind of arrangement.

How exactly is this comforting? Have you met Donna? I think this might freak her out even more than her mom just simply having an affair!

Kelly finally calls them to tell them she is with Color Me Badd, took her long enough. Brenda is all excited that Kelly got passes, but then she remembers Donna’s ordeal and that it is rude to be happy. And then tells about what happened and that she should definitely still go and report back. Um, Kelly isn’t even a fan of them? Maybe Donna needs her best friend? Or maybe she should offer Donna the chance to go? I mean it is her favorite band, wouldn’t that cheer her up? Brenda is being pretty clueless here. She hangs up the phone and doesn’t even tell Donna that Kelly is with them? WTF?

Donna and her mom have a showdown in the lobby. EMMY EMMY EMMY! They won emmys for this, right?

Brenda (to her parents): Donna had a kind of weird thing happen to her today.
I personally think it is a great way to explain what happened….

So, Donna’s mom comes to get her at the Walshes but she refuses to go and so just leaves to let her cool off and Cindy comes to comfort Donna.

Cindy: Whatever she does in her own life has nothing to do with you.
Donna: How can that be?
Can we say narcissism!

Now comes the inappropriate part where Cindy tells Donna all about the time where she almost cheated on Jim in the first season. Um, really? NO! Not okay! And there is no way that once Donna deals with her own stuff she wouldn’t tell Brenda this. I was a 16 year old girl that is how it works.

Please note that Brandon and Brenda are talking in their bathroom? Why, I do not know. And then Jim comes in! I guess the acoustics are better in there?

Jim: Tough news about Donna”
Brenda: This morning she was Donna, and now she is still Donna, but a completely different Donna”
Some other things are said
Jim: We really are square

OMG Jim found the stripper’s business card!
Jim: Brandon in two years remind me to tell you about my bachelor party
Um, no, he holds such a double standard it drives me crazy! Can you imagine if Brenda had hired a stripper? Guarantee you she wouldn’t get that reaction.

Aaw Donna and her mom have a nice heart to heart. And then she encourages her to go out with her friends! She never does that! Maybe things will be okay after all. Did you know one of Nat’s burgers is actually the best medicine, not laughter like was previously thought.

Okay maybe Kelly isn’t such a bitch, she did bring Color Me Badd to meet Donna at the peach pit! OMG OMG OMG! I think they would have flipped out a little more, Donna blurts out one omg. No way she keeps it that cool if she is as big of a fan as she says she is. I call liar!

We get a nice musical performance from Color Me Badd to end the episode. AWESOME!

Whatever happened to Color Me Badd? I’d like a where they are now.

"Didn't she take a shower last night?"

2009-11-13T12:45:00.011-05:00

I'm baaack! You are probably all going to wish I wasn't, since once again I am switching gears and devoting this blog to re-living the classic high school years of 90210! Get excited! To begin I am doing it gchat style as I gave Becky a play by play of the episode, it will be like you were living in the house with the Walshes! ENJOY!

disclaimer: Becky is actually quite smart, despite some of her comments in the chat below. She may or may not have been drunk during this discussion.

disclaimer 2: Much appreciation if you forgive what I am sure is atrocious spelling and grammar.

disclaimer 3: Sorry for the appearance of this post, I am apparently not too savvy, but you loved me for other reasons, right?

Are you still here? Next up: Color Me Badd! Strippers! Donna gets a problem!

Things that Debbie likes

2009-03-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! This is Becky guest blogging for Debbie! I know. Jason, you must be really excited since you 'check this blog once a week' and it hasn't been updated since November. Well, besides Erin's post yesterday. YES, I read it.

I am Debbie's knight in shining armor, stepping in to write a blog entry and SAVE this blog when everyone-Jason and Erin, had lost hope for it.

I must admit, I kind of lost hope for a little while too.

But it's fine, cuz here I am and there you are and we're going to get this show back on the road. I had a hard time thinking about what I could blog about here. Sure, no one's reading so it doesn't really matter...but what about my inner critic? The little bald guy, with glasses, wearing a suit, with a pocket watch in hand who's critiquing my every move? I need to please him. I NEED TO PLEASE HIM! That's what she said.

But I also need to please Debbie. And she's a tough crowd. So let me blog about things Debbie likes. *please note that this list is no way supposed to be considered a definite guide to who Debbie is and what she likes. it is just a few things I could think of...and I'm not very smart*

1) The Wire. I don't know anything about this show except that it mostly takes place in Baltimore. I have been to Baltimore before. It's pretty fun. There's that whole inner harbor area that's pretty, and you know...um...some other things that are there?

2) Seinfeld. HMM. Debbie really likes Seinfeld. I really don't like Seinfeld. I just feel like the characters are all obnoxious and selfish. In theory the episodes are funny, but then when I sit down to watch one I'm just like 'why is this happening to me?'. The same goes for...

3) Curb Your Enthusiasm. What I said about Seinfeld, just ditto it. The part about Debbie really liking it, too. She really does like 'curb'.

4) Trying new foods. Debbie considers herself a 'foodie' and loves to try new foods. You know of a new thai place, she's down. You heard about an awesome Korean wing place (true story) and want to go? She'll accompany you. You want to order food for lunch and have heard of a place selling pretzels with an olive on them next to a hamburger patty (untrue story)? She'll probably try that too. Now, this doesn't go for all fast food obviously. Cuz like right now there's DELICIOUS looking new sandwich at Dunkin' Donuts. It's basically two waffles with egg and possibly cheese and possibly bacon in the middle of them. A WAFFLE SANDWICH. I don't think Debbie would want to try that. Well, maybe she would...but not from Dunkin' Donuts. Or maybe she would. Well, she at least wouldn't like it if it had vanilla frosting. I know that much.

5) The Decembrists. OH YES, Debbie really likes The Decembrists. She's gone to see them a bunch of times and she talks about them. And when I asked her to give me new music for MIPOD she gave me a few albums of them. Thanks, Deb!

6) Annoying people.

HA! NO SHE DOESN'T! MAN I GOT YOU GOOD!

7) Chocolate. Debbie really likes chocolate. Like, really likes chocolate. In particular, she likes dark chocolate.
8) BECKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know if it's because I'm adorable, or if it's because I'm creative, or if it's the way my teeth are shining INSANELY in this picture...but Debbie kind of likes me. And I kind of like her too.

8) Relaxing. Debbie really likes relaxing. She curls up in her sweatpants and her Queens long-sleeved pink shirt (you know the one I'm talking about, right Jason?) and she can stay put for hours. Good for her!

9) Not relaxing. Debbie also likes going out. In particular, she likes going to bars for happy hour, out to new restaurants (see above), over to her friends' places (preferably if they live near her), to do karaoke ('Livin' On a Prayer' anyone?), to do stuff for Barack Obama, to parties....and lots of other things.

10) The TV show 'Chuck'. It's apparently very funny. HMMM

11) Coach Bags. Is this list painting an accurate picture?

12) Cheerios for breakfast. I don't know if she really likes this...but she certainly does eat them so...they can't be all bad, can they?

13) That song 'And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free!'. She and Erin did a horrifying rendition of it once. HORRIFYING. I've lost so many hours of sleep over that memory...you don't even know.

14) ERIN! I would be remiss if I didn't mention Erin in here. She guest blogged for Debbie too and definitely deserves some credit/a shoutout. So Erin, HI. Debbie likes you!

And what about...

15) JASON!! Debbie's one loyal blog reader and brother. She likes him too...or at least I think she does. Where would we be without you, huh? WHERE?! No really, where?

In conclusion, Debbie might be a Seinfeld/'Curb' watching, new-food trying, annoying-people hating, relaxing-loving, Decembrists-listening gal, but in the end it all comes down to this picture:

Debbie, and the three people who either a) read this blog or b) now write it.

BYE!

Yes We Can Blog for Debbie!

2009-03-10T16:49:00.008-04:00

so, i told the debster that i would blog for her, in her stead, even, whilst she's gallivanting around israel. slacker.

i don't have so many blog ideas of late, but in honor of jason, who checks at least weekly (in vain) to see if debbie has actually blogged, i'm going with....

do you know what really grinds my gears?

do you know what really grinds my gears? when someone, due to their own incompetence misses out on something, and then they proceed to ask you a million questions and make it your responsibility to fix it. Like it's your fault they're in the pickle to begin with. that really grinds my gears.

do you know what else really grinds my gears? when someone dressed up as a pot smoking polar bear punches little kids in the nose. don't get me wrong, a lot of kids deserve a good nose punching, but let's be honest. polar bears don't need any more bad press. their habitat is going out of style like...i don't know, i'm not very stylish. that's not the point! the point is, if you're going to smoke illegal substances and punch children, don't pretend to be a polar bear. be a koala. mad props for mustering up the energy for punching people while high. every commercial i've seen of late involving marijuana makes it look like you'll never move again. so, yeah, that really grinds my gears.

do you know what else really grinds my gears? having to pee, but being too lazy to get up. i'm going to work on that right now, actually.

Countdown to Obamageddon: less than 48 hours until polls start closing

2008-11-02T19:36:00.004-05:00

Just to update all of you, I am in fact going mental.

I hope all of you are dealing with the upcoming election better than I am, if you are, any wisdom from you would be much appreciated (though lets be honest, something is kinda wrong with you if you are dealing with this sanely).

This entertained me, though it also made me uncomfortable because I mean, how stupid can these people be?

Countdown to Obamageddon: 2 days to go

2008-11-02T11:06:00.002-05:00

Wow, so here we are, less than 48 hours until the polls open, how are all of you doing? I've been better, very nervous, hoping these next 48 hours go by quickly. I've been kind of busy these past two days, so I haven't had time to watch any Obama speeches, I know you have all been waiting with breath that is bated. So, you can wait a little longer, while I tell you about what I have been doing with my time (I suppose you could just scroll down to the videos, but lets be honest you all love to read my boring commentary).

1. Canvassing! Yes that is right, my brother and I carpooled with two strangers to West Philadelphia (where I was born and raised on a playground where I spent most of my days) to canvas for Barack Obama. It was a really amazing day. It is rare to feel like you are really doing something that could help or make a difference, but I do think yesterday we got a few people to vote that might not have, and we got some people who will volunteer who wouldn't have, but mostly we talked with people we would never had a chance to meet, people whose experiences are very different than mind, but because of Barack Obama we all realize that there is more that unites us than divides us, sometimes we need someone to come along and remind us of that. I mean we met awesome people like Cynthia who pretty much insisted we come into her home and fed us delicious food and who discussed with us for her disdain for all things Mccain and Palin and why Obama is so important to elect or the 90 year old lady we met who talked about how she was the first black woman to vote in her precinct. I am so glad I went, it was a really terrific day, but still didn't make me any less nervous about the election, but I can tell you, Southwest Philly is in the bag for Obama!

2. Friends! So, friends are great and all, but can be kind of time consuming. I mean they always want to see you, and spend time with you and talk to you. And I mean I want to do the same things with them, except right before the election, when I kind of just want to be home watching Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow and checking the same 6 blogs for the hundredth time that day. But I am lucky that my friends have forced me to not only do this, since then I would probably be going even crazier than I already am.

3. Work. I used to blog at work, ah those were the days. Work has been really busy recently, I've had all these meetings, and stuff to do, I mean it is so rude, don't they realize we are so close to an important election and my mind should be focused on these things, rather than Tu B'Shevat.

4. Halloween! I am not really a fan of Halloween, but I am a fan of cute little kids dressed up in cute costumes, and so I tolerate Halloween for this. I may have almost stole a few children, but then I reminded myself that if I was a convicted felon I wouldn't be able to vote, and I love voting, so that would have made me sad.

Now, that you've gotten through that on to the videos. I am posting three to make up for the days that I didn't post any. The first isn't too long, but the second two are on the longer side. It is Sunday though, what else are you doing (besides watching football, and this makes a great companion piece)? I thought these three speeches would all go nicely together, so sit back and remember days that seem like yesterday, but also seem like three years ago.

South Carolina Victory Speech

MLK Day Speech

Philadelphia Race Speech

Countdown to Obamageddon: 6 days to go

2008-10-29T20:59:00.003-04:00

I just watched Obama's half hour infomercial on tv. Check it out here:

Okay, so my brother tells me that this does not count as a speech, and he is right. I may have promised that I would post a speech everyday (I am too lazy to go back and check if I actually promised this, so I am just going to do it. Check out Barack Obama at the Virginia Jefferson Jackson Dinner, it is a half an hour, so a bit of a time commitment, but well worth it.

I am going too crazy today to really write anything coherent. 6 days, I don't know how I am going to make it 6 days. I am like a loose cannon that can burst at any moment, so I would tread carefully around me for the next 6 days.

Countdown to Obamageddon: 7 days to go

2008-10-28T22:39:00.003-04:00

One week, how am I going to get through this week?! I am starting to go crazy, the polls are in our favor now, everything seems to be in our favor, so why can't the election just be today? Alas, no one asked me when I thought election today should be, so I am left waiting another week. I am feeling frustrated with the waiting, and so tonight was the perfect night to go back to the night where it all really started, the night where we were able to believe that this was all possible.

As Barack Obama says "sometimes there are nights like this." And January 3, 2008 will be a night I will always remember, and as of now it is probably the greatest political night I have ever known (though I am hoping that will change in one week). Barack Obama winning Iowa is crazy! There are like 3 white people there! White people don't vote for the black guy, he is too inexperienced, he doesn't connect to voters, he doesn't talk about details, and so on and so forth. But he did win, and with that one win millions of people began to believe in the possibility of hope, and that maybe this time we didn't have to settle. One of the most striking things about watching his Iowa victory now is how much Barack Obama has grown as a candidate. So many of the complaints that were made against him are simply not valid anymore. He has become someone who can role up his sleeves and get to the specifics and connect to voters on a very real level. It has been an impressive transformation to watch. So watch and enjoy, and think back to this cold January night.

Countdown to Obamageddon: 8 days to go

2008-10-27T19:33:00.003-04:00

Today was a long and frustrating day, so I am going to keep this fairly short. It is so bizarre to watch this primary speech of Obama's (from New Hampshire). I almost forget sometimes what an amazing orator he is because he has had to hide a lot of that during the general election in favor of being specific and practical. I have no doubt that he can't wait for the chance to once again lift us all up with his words, I know I can't wait.

YES WE CAN!

Countdown to Obamageddon: 9 days to go

2008-10-26T16:24:00.007-04:00

So, I was talking to my dad on the phone yesterday, and he was wondering why I hadn't posted on my blog in so long, the idea that people have actually been checking my blog, and wanting me to post, well that strokes my ego, and so I decided I must give the people what they want. My dad suggested I blog about the election, which makes sense since I don't really think or talk about much else these days (and if you are talking to me about something else, know that I would rather be discussing the election).

I've enjoyed politics for a long time now, it is like watching sports for me, it provides entertainment, but also heart break - and as we all know, I like a healthy dose of competition. As much as pundits and the news media annoy me, I can't get enough of watching them, well at least right now...

My complete dorkiness has been coming out more recently. With only nine days to go until the election I find myself quite restless. I have been waiting and working for so long for this day to finally come, and yet I cannot quite bring myself to believe that what I want to happen might actually happen. That isn't the way things I invest in usually work out. To pass some of the down time I decided it would be fun to countdown by watching one Obama speech a day, as a way to help release some of my nervous energy. I enlisted my brother to participate in this excerise as well, since there are only so many times you can discuss how you are more qualified to be vice president than Sarah Palin or how John Mccain has run a negative campaign. See we all want to talk about how awesome Barack Obama is, and how he has run this brillant campaign, but that might be jinxing something, so by watching these videos we can discuss this in the past tense, while letting the future play out as it will.

So, today we were going to watch Obama's speech from 2002 opposing the Iraq war, but the video footage from that has been lost. Which I must say is bizarre, to be reminded of a time where things like that happened, and that wasn't long ago. I mean if you want to see any moment of the 2008 presidential campaign it is right there on youtube, but a moment from only six years ago is lost forever. We watched Obama's 2004 convention speech instead. I have seen this speech so many times and it just never gets old, and always gives me chills. I encourage everyone to watch along with us, and appreciate the possibility of what our country could be if this man gets to be president.

I'm not ashamed to say it: I am in love with a robot

2008-07-12T19:50:00.003-04:00

So, we all dream of a day where we will meet someone that sweeps us off our feet, someone that we want to spend the rest of our lives with, yada yada. I had always thought that person would be a human, but go figure, it is a robot. I am just SO ahead of my time. There is this robot named Wall-e. He has cute droopy eyes and is a little scrappy, he is a hopeless romantic and likes music. Sounds like the perfect catch, right?

Now, there are of course a few problems here:

1. He is a bit of a pack rat, and those that know me know that I hate clutter and too much stuff and all that. But listen, if we have to get a storage unit or whatever we can, I think we can get past this.

2. He is a bit clingy/whiny. I am someone who needs my space. And I am slightly concerned that Wall-e will always need to know where I am, and will need me to call him like every 15 minutes (I might not mind this so much once I have my iphone). So, he would need to get some therapy and learn to give me my space. We will figure it out.

3. He is in love with someone else (aren't they all)? So, this may be a problem with no solution. I mean even an idiot can see that Eve (Eve-aah) and Wall-e are meant for each other. And I think I love Wall-e enough to let him go and be happy.

Wow, it was good to get that off my chest. I will try to find a way to mend my broken heart.

Seriously though , if you have not done so already, go see Wall-e, it is really good. It has messages about the environment, and the bizarre ways that humans choose to interact with each other and lots of other good stuff about technology, waste and not caring about what happens to our world. Plus a cute little robot named Wall-e who will dance his way into your heart (to Hello Dolly, of course). Enjoy!

To hell and back

2008-07-09T09:58:00.002-04:00

Dear Jason, Erin and Becky (my 3 beloved readers),

I am so lucky to have all 3 of you, and I am of course so sorry that I did not give you all proper time to comment on my post, though Becky is still the only one that gave suggestions, so you guys should both stop your whining and get to work. Anyway, right now I am freezing, literally shivering, so it makes it hard for me to think. I can't really complain either because my a/c at work had been broken, and it had been really hot, so I am trying to enjoy the temperature. I don't understand why the only two options are 40 degrees or 90 degrees, why can't we find a happy medium. Besides being freezing I am in a surprisingly good mood today, I really can't say why. Maybe it is because I made my lunch today, for once, so I am feeling accomplished. I went to Trader Joe's last night, so I actually have food that I can prepare for the first time in months. I love TJ's, they have great stuff that you can't get other places, and it is actually reasonably priced, which is rare. However, the place is always a madhouse, this is to be expected, but yesterday was above and beyond anything I had witnessed there before. I was actually traumatized by the experience. Trying to get to the cheese and pizza bagels (which they didn't have anyway, ugh) was one of those experiences that I cannot discuss because I have already repressed the memories as a defense mechanism, our brains need to protect us from experiences like that. Anyway, in the end it was worth it because I have things to make for lunch, and stuff like that, yay!

Maybe I will write more later...

Love,
Deb

She's Pam to my Jim

2008-07-08T11:04:00.005-04:00

Dear Becky (my one and only reader),
You must feel honored, I realize now that I am apparently only writing this blog for you, my one and only reader. But since you are a dedicated reader, and took the time to write a list of ideas for me, I feel obliged to continue writing for you, the keeper of all those Cape Cod Summer homes. I look forward to going to Cape Cod. I have never been, and I am excited to just get a way for a few days, and take a road trip. As I told you yesterday, I don't really think I can make a whole blog post out of this, I have pretty much said it all, oh wait, I am psyched for the seafood, especially those scrumptious looking clam strips your had a picture of, mmmm. I really enjoy traveling and seeing new places. In fact, if I had more money (or really any money) this is what I would spend it on. Then again, I also really like being home, I like my own bed, and I LOVE my pillows (even though I kind of want new ones), but one of the greatest feelings is getting into your own bed after not having been in it for awhile. Don't you agree? Okay, this post has become totally bizarre. I will try to be more amusing next time.
Love,
Debbie

Power to the People

2008-07-07T11:42:00.002-04:00

I really am making an effort to post on this blog (at least for the past couple of days I have been). It is challenging because I can't really think of anything to write about. Pretty much the only things on my mind right now are my excitement about getting the iphone on Friday (I have been waiting for 2 months with a broken phone and a broken ipod) and the Wire (this is usually what I want to talk about, but I have actually been re-watching it from the beginning).

I have decided that I am not really in the mood to do this Becky/Erin blog competition anymore, but see, that kept me with something to write about, I never had to think about a topic, and now, I actually have to come up with ideas, the horror!

What I have decided is this, if people are actually out there reading this, then you will post possible ideas for the direction of this blog in the comments, and if no one posts, I will assume no one is reading or no one cares to read this anymore, and I can go on another 3 1/2 year hiatus. So I am putting the pressure on you, my dear readers (anyone? anyone?). Speak now...

I'm Back! Part 2

2008-07-04T17:20:00.003-04:00

Anyone out there? Anyone? Yeah, I didn't think so. I mean I might just be the most unreliable blogger out there. Basically, I don't really know why I haven't been blogging lately, possible reasons:

1. Dukie - I thought I pretty much dealt with that situation, but then I was actually in Baltimore last weekend, so that brought up a lot of old feelings.

2. Procrastination - my tried and true excuse, except I would be lying if I said this was the reason - I mean I think to actually procrastinate you have to have at least some intention of doing something, and to be honest, in the past three months I really have had no intention of blogging, ever.

3. Better things to do - I mean this is true, in the past 3 months I've become old, traveled to Israel, went to a conference, went to Baltimore, and done a number of other things, I mean, geez, I am rewatching every season of the Wire, this requires my full attention.

4. Reading blogs - sue me, many times I would rather read a blog than write a blog. As I've previously mentioned, most of my thoughts and ideas come from other blogs, so this is important to my being able to hold conversations with people.

I'm kind of boring myself right now. But I am really determined to post today. I just guest blogged for Erin at her blog, and now I am posting on my blog, I mean 2 blog posts in like a half hour is pretty impressive, not too many people do that (except most actual bloggers).

I really am going to try and post more, so do check back, and feel free to give me suggestions of what to write about because frankly, I clearly need some help.

I'm Back

2008-04-04T20:48:00.004-04:00

Hello dear readers,
To the 2 or 3 of you that still actually check up on this blog (what's wrong with you?) I want to say that I have not actually fallen off the face of the earth. I did go to Israel for a week, but mostly I was not writing in my loving respect for Dukie. However, we must find ways to move on from great tragedies, and so I have decided it is time to start writing again. Erin has not really been blogging that much lately as she too has been off on travels (or maybe also depressed about Dukie?), and Becky wrote about leprechauns yesterday, and I just don't really know how to comment on that. So I just wanted to check in, say hey, I have not left you all on a 3 1/2 year hiatus. Hopefully, Becky and Erin will give me lots of great material, but I may also write about some other stuff, since contrary to what it may seem like, I do think about things other than those 2. So in honor of Becky, here is a list of things I have been thinking about while not writing this blog the past month:

1. Barack Obama - I really want him to be our next president.
2. TV - I miss new shows being on, and I am ready for them to be back. I need my 30 Rock fix.
3. Dukie - Though that probably went without saying.
4. Baseball - It is so great to have it back, it was a hard off season, and good to have some of that bitter taste out of my mouth.
5. My Hoosiers - They broke my heart, they are going to be crap next year, they depress me more than Dukie does.
6. Work.
7. Israel - I guess this is sort of like work, I was there, it was amazing.
8. My birthday - It is in a little over a week, I feel old, but also not too old, that probably doesn't make any sense.
9. Becky - Because she is sitting right next to me, oh and also her facebook daughter Jewish, who used to think I was lame, but now loves me because I give her food and gifts.
10. Silent meditation - I have decided that I want to go for a day or 2 to one of those silent retreats. I know people don't think I can be silent for that long, but I think it would be amazing.

Alright, so I think Becky is starting to freak out that I am not devoting my full attention to her, so I am going to go deal with that. But it is great to be back (sort of).

With loving respect for Dukie

2008-03-09T14:58:00.004-04:00

Today is judgment day, not for Erin or Becky, but for Dukie. I suppose once I know his fate I will be able to get back to the actual purpose of this blog. Or perhaps my life will no longer have any meaning, and I may not be able to find the will to write. I appreciate Becky and Erin's lack of blogging while I have been going through this. I know it has nothing to do with them not having the time, not being able to think of things to write or going through sugar withdrawal. I know it is out of respect for Dukie (even if they don't realize it), this is nice of them. Erin did a post about interns on Friday, and Becky had a frightening and hilarious (frighteningly hilarious?) post the other day about things she is thinking about...maybe somethings are best left in our heads. I would apologize for not commenting on these and other posts and just in general for the lack of posting, except I don't think anyone actually cares, in fact, I am getting bored just writing this. I am going to get back to watching IU lose to Penn State (Seriously, wtf?!) and worrying about Dukie.

If I am not at work tomorrow, you know why....

A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for Dukie

2008-03-03T21:08:00.006-05:00

Today is a day I don't really feel like blogging, but will anyway because I have been pretty delinquent of late. I think I have lost a large chuck of readership, and may be down to the original 3 (Jason, you still with us?). I felt like both Becky and Erin wrote entertaining blogs today, so I should comment. I am no longer going to post the link to their posts directly because I don't feel like doing this, but the links to their blogs are on the side bar. Obviously Becky and Erin know the links, so Jason, if you are still with us that was for you.

Now as per usual with Becky's post there is something ridiculous that makes me not able to pay attention the the rest, in today's entry it was her saying that making coffee for people at work was her craft, like making a beaded bracelet craft. Becky is ridiculous, which is one of the reason I like being friends with her, and so this made me laugh, and also reminded me why I keep her around.

Now Erin is also ridiculous, she has decided to give up sugar for the month (not for lent, but because she is taking part in this crazy 30 day bet thing, see her blog for details). Erin loves sugar, just read her post about ice cream. Today's post is a gem, it is a letter to sugar. It is quite hilarious, but also sad when you realize she is not really kidding. This is a type of humor I like, tragic humor.

Like in my last post, about Dukie, I know many people might have thought I was doing it to be funny, but I really was (am) very worried for Dukie. In fact, I watched the penultimate episode again last night, and got teary-eyed again. So in case you were all wondering, I am still concerned about this situation, and will be until next Sunday when I know Dukie's fate. In which case, I may have to fling myself off a building. Or move to Baltimore and become a foster parent to children like Dukie (but kids can be kind of annoying). So, these are my friends, one considers making coffee a workday craft and one writes letters to sugar. But then again, I spend a lot of time talking about a 15 year old fictional television character, so who knows, maybe they are actually more normal than myself, who knows...

Fun facts are being suspended this week in honor of Dukie not having anymore fun facts.

If you live in Texas or Ohio, or know someone that does, tell them to vote for Barack Obama! I am happy to give lots of reasons, but one would be that I don't know if I can handle him losing and Dukie becoming a junkie in the same week, seriously, do you want to see a grown woman melt down (maybe you do, which is rude).

Where's Mr. Presbo when you need him?!

2008-02-28T10:32:00.003-05:00

Yes, it has been awhile since I posted. I bet you all were beginning to think it might be another 3 1/2 years, I was beginning to think that as well, but I am still here. I have had a busy/tiring week, and so haven't been much in the mood to write.

Actually, the real reason I have not written is that I have been spending my time worrying about Dukie from the Wire, and being happy for Bubs (Reginald!), and so have not had time to write on this blog. I can assure you that if Becky or Erin had written a heartfelt post about Dukie then I would have found the time and energy to write, and probably would have awarded them 100 points or something crazy like that. Since I know only 1 of my 7 readers watches the Wire, I will explain that Dukie is a character, a kid on the show. We met him last year during the shows absolutely brillant 4th season that focused on the Baltimore school system (it may not sound riveting, but it is). We learn that Dukie is a really smart kid, with lots of potential. However, Dukie comes from a family of drug addicts who steal from him. Anyway, it was starting to look like maybe Dukie would be okay. And I mean okay in relative terms, since his source of income was his best friend who was becoming successful in the drug world. Now, I am hoping you are all going to watch the Wire someday, so I am not going to say much more, but I will say this, I am extremely concerned about the fate of Dukie. I have been concerned all season about Dukie, realizing how distraught it will make me if he does not come out of this okay, but also realizing that he probably won't (and that probably makes more sense in terms of the themes of the show). The 2 week build up to the finale is driving me crazy. I need to know he is going to be okay. And yes, I will be seeking therapy because I do realize it is ridiculous to spend this much time discussing a fiction character, but you don't understand, you need to watch, and then you will. I realize this blog is supposed to be commenting on Becky and Erin's blogs, but frankly, I was way more interested in discussing this today (everyday?). If only Dukie had a blog, then it would work out much better.

Erin's fun fact: She is going to Boston next weekend.

Becky's fun fact: She is going home to Connecticut this weekend.

Debbie's fun fact: She is having a beer pong tournament with her cousin's this weekend.

Dukie's fun fact: He is really good at math and computers.

Don't call me creepy (call me awesome)!

2008-02-23T11:24:00.003-05:00

Check out Becky's post from yesterday:
Becky's sick, being sick is not fun, as basically everyone knows. Becky is really stating the obvious with her list, but since she is sick, we will cut her some slack. Now, I have certainly said on this blog that I don't mind a little shameless pandering to earn points, but I don't really enjoy begging, especially when there are so many nice things to be said about me (there is a lot to say). Number 1 rule, I'd avoid calling me creepy while also begging. So the lesson of today, less begging and more saying nice things about me for a bonus point. Feel better Becky (and you will get some sympathy points)!

Erin's fun fact: She owns lots of tights, and sometimes likes to lists the ones she owns.

Becky's fun fact: She sometimes brings cookies and candy in for everyone at work, this is appreciated.

Debbie's fun fact: One of my proudest moments is picking Adrien Brody for best actor at the Oscars, no one saw it coming, but I did! (Side note: I used to be really into movies, and amazing at Oscar predictions. One year in high school I got all but 2 right, including the ridiculous categories. Slowly, as I've gotten older, I've stopped seeing movies, and stopped being as good at these predictions, not that I am bad, just not as good. My brother even beat me in our annual pool last year, and I'm not having high hopes for this year).

Here's a story about a girl named Kate

2008-02-22T10:22:00.005-05:00

Check out Erin's post about Kate
Check out Becky's post about Kate

This is our first instance where Erin & Becky each wrote about the same thing, I like this idea, it is helpful to our competition because we can do a real comparison. Erin starts off at a bit of a disadvantage having only met Kate once, where as Becky has met her more than that. What I get out of both these posts is that Kate Palley is great - she seems to have a great sense of humor, her email to write about her gave me a really great laugh during a particularly crazy day. She also seems really fun to drink with (happy hour anyone?). I love Becky's lists about why she likes people, they usually have way more to do with her than the other person, but it is her blog, so I suppose this is okay. Becky and her sister seem to have a great relationship, so that is nice, it is a great thing to have a close relationship with a sibling (isn't it Jason!?). I like Erin's post on Kate because it has a picture of the rabbi from the Simpsons episode where Krusty gets Bar Mitzvahed. I enjoy this episode (Kate, I bet you do too)! I like episodes of TV that play on Jewish traditions. It makes me feel special, like I get a joke that 98% of the population doesn't, but since the 2 % that I am a part of controls the media (and money) we get special jokes all the time!

Okay, so my Dad has begun reading my blog (hi dad! leave a comments!). His response to this blog was lukewarm, to put it nicely. He wants me to write more about myself and less about Erin and Becky (I kind of already thought the blog was mostly about me), but for my Dad, I will start including a fun fact about myself as well.

Erin's fun fact: She once sang the latke song, and danced while we walked to the subway, this made me laugh.

Becky's fun fact: She draws pictures on post-its (or once she made me a chick out of post-its). This gives me something to hang my desk. She also drew me a ghetto flower.

Debbie's fun fact: I like doing tasting menus at good restaurants, the first time I did this was at a restaurant in Dublin (Jacob's Ladder, check it out), and I thought it was the coolest idea ever, I still do.

I think we are up to 7 known readers of this blog! Tell your friends, lets get it to 10!

It won't be 3 1/2 more years...most likely

2008-02-21T21:20:00.003-05:00

Its been a crazy couple of days, and I haven't had time to properly post. However I will be awarding a few points to both Erin and Becky, since I don't want there work to go unnoticed, as well as deducting a few points from myself for not posting (in the interest of fairness). Tomorrow I will comment on each of their blog posts about the hysterical Kate Palley (who sent a very funny email that you can check out on Erin's blog).

Sleep well, and see you all tomorrow.

I've made a huge mistake

2008-02-19T10:28:00.004-05:00

Apparently my subjects didn't take my threat about commenting seriously (which is understandable because if you've met me you would know that I am not particularly scary of threatening), but needless to say I am very discouraged that they commented on one post, but then assumed all was forgiven. This situation is being monitored, and we shall see if they take the time to rectify it.

Erin's fun fact: She lives 5 blocks away from me, this is fantastic.
Becky's fun fact: She lives a little over a mile away from me, not as fantastic.

Check out Becky's post from today:
Today Becky posted about the things she likes about Erin, and while not as great a post as the one about me, I like Erin too, so I approve of this. Now, I find it fascinating what Becky looks for in friends, shoes are obviously important, as is taste in television shows, and a sense of humor. I don't really care so much about the shoes a person has, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to have a nice collection, especially if they are my size (let me know, I am a 7 1/2 or 8). Now, taste in television is definitely important because I love tv, and I like to talk about tv (I even took classes in college about tv, communications baby!), so I am with Becky, part of the reason I like her is because she likes Arrested Development, I remember her telling this to me and thinking to myself, okay, I could probably be friends with this girl (and now we are). Speaking of tv, I really wished more of my friends liked the Wire (or any, except my brother). This show is amazingly brilliant and more people should watch it, not only will it make me like/respect you more, but you will love it, for real.

I'll be back later if Erin decides to post today...

She did not do that!

2008-02-18T21:29:00.004-05:00

Check out Becky's post from today:
Becky goes with a theme post today about President's. There is usually one portion of Becky's post that makes me forget all the others, today it was her making me look at a picture of our current president right after I finished eating (3 points are being deducted for this). Excuse me while I go vomit....okay, I'm back now. I must say that in Becky's true totally ridiculous fashion (which I love by the way) she mentions that she likes how president's wear red and blue ties, and that she likes these colors because they remind her of specific things she like - may I say, this section made me laugh, because most of the things Becky mentions come in a variety of colors, for instance flowers, yes there are red flowers, which is the category she put them in (never mind that there are also blue flowers), but flowers can be yellow, green, purple, white and pretty much any other color (other things she mentioned that come in a myriad of colors, Gatorade and Popsicles). Anyway, at the moment I can't really say anything else about this post because I am still irritated I had to look at that picture. I am going to go look at a picture of Barack Obama to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

Due to the holiday I am taking the day off from fun facts.

It is all about me, as it should be!

2008-02-17T22:49:00.005-05:00

I'm interrupting our usual programming to tell you to click here for hilarity (hat tip to Jason for finding the fun)!

Welcome back, I hope you are finding that as amusing as I am.

Becky and Erin have eached earned themselves a bonus point (so I guess it sort of cancels each other out) for posting comments, they have proven how well they respond to my threats, but we shall see if it was a one time thing, or if they really learned their lesson.

Check out Becky's post from today:
This may be (definitely is) a shameless attempt by Becky to garner points, but I don't really care, I LOVE it! I mean come on, blogs like this are totally self indulgent, I mean we all sit here writing about things that while they may be amusing are really pretty meaningless. Just wait though, just wait until someone devotes a blog post to things that make them like you/make you great. I mean, it isn't like I didn't know all of this before (I don't really lack in the self esteem department), but to have it out on the internet for all to see, I mean the internet, I love the internet, that is just fantastic. Now, I shouldn't get caught up in all this self congratulatory stuff, believe me, I see through what Becky is doing, but should I not encourage it? Who doesn't like people sucking up to them? I mean that is one of the points of wanting power, and don't most people want some form of power? They get to hold it over people, and make people do things for them. Now, I know Becky may not have written this about me if I didn't create this ridiculous blog and be the keeper of an even more ridiculous arbitrary points system, but isn't that part of the reason I created this blog? Maybe, maybe it really was that I was procrastinating from work, or maybe it was a little of both. I don't really seek power most of the time, but it is nice to have a little, even if it is of the most ridiculous variety possible (I think I actual prefer this kind of power). Now, let me just say, if I thought Becky was just making a bunch of crap up about why she likes me to get points I would deduct points, but Becky comes from a sincere place, and that should be rewarded (see: Obama, Barack). So, please take note, I like when people write nice/funny things about me.

One correction from Becky's post, I mostly watch MSNBC, not CNN.

Mystery!

2008-02-17T17:35:00.003-05:00

Check out Erin's post from today:
I related to this post, because I myself have a useless (possibly useful for some things) brain filled with every episode from the west wing and sports night (I'll happily do a reenactment for you) and countless other tv shows and Beatles trivia and other random crap. I too usually have a good memory for birthdays and names and faces. I will say I found myself a little concerned for Erin's sanity with this one, I think she is one more forgotten birthday from jumping off the cliff. Do we think her blog is being read by a couple of people she doesn't know (unlike this one that is read by 3 people, all of whom I know, and know each other) and that person left this random comment? Or maybe it is an evil friend who just knew how to push Erin's buttons (okay, so you probably think it is me now, but I didn't know about this particular button before the post, bonus point for Erin for teaching me something knew about herself). We all like a good mystery, this post will keep me coming back to her blog (as will the fact that my blog is all about reacting to her blog), I like Erin NEED to know who this person is.

Side note: I am appalled by the lack of comments on my blog, I realize only 3 people read this, but the blog is about 2 of them, you'd think they'd maybe have an opinion, points will be deducted, you are on notice.

Erin's fun fact: She doesn't wear matching socks, like ever.
Becky's fun fact: She had an internship that she likes to talk about.

The rise of BERIN

2008-02-16T11:33:00.005-05:00

Check out Becky's post from today:
This was an enjoyable one to read on a Saturday morning, kudos Becky! First off, I do feel like she places blame on lots of things, I mean if you don't want to be blogging, no one is holding a gun to your head. And also, why can't you blog in a more comfortable position, for instance I am happily curled up on the couch right now, it is wonderful, the position you were in sounded horrifying. Becky also mentions the time honored tradition of the weekend morning lay in. I love this, everyone loves this, even Paul McCartney (there is a classic scene in the Beatles anthology where he talks about the joy of listening to new music on the radio on weekend mornings; fun fact about me, I LOVE the Beatles, and own the Beatles anthology on both vhs and dvd). I mean how much better would going to work be if we all had a little time on weekday mornings to lay in bed until we were ready to get out, ready to take on the day (I really love my bed). This is the first appearance of a picture on Becky's blog, I like pictures (have you heard they are worth a thousand words, that is quite a bargain). I don't think using pictures is copying Erin because Erin is hardly the first person to use pictures on her blog, or maybe she is come to think of it...Anyway, Becky gets a bonus point for having a pretty picture because I feel like handing out a bonus point. And I can't believe I've gotten this far without mentioning my favorite part of this post, the part that raises it up and puts it on another level, BERIN, you finally got your nickname, done! awesome!

Special Sabbath addition of fun facts:

Erin's fun fact: She doesn't eat regular bacon (only turkey bacon, crazy girl).

Becky's fun fact: Like me, she would totally eat some shrimp wrapped bacon with cheese melted on top

Deducting points from myself

2008-02-15T23:54:00.003-05:00

Check out Erin's post from today:
I really liked my idea for this blog, it really amuses me, but the problem is I now feel this immense pressure. I mean I blogged yesterday when only Becky posted, so in the interest of fairness I feel I need to blog today with Erin being the only one who posted. I know they both crave my commentary and approval (and I am pretty sure with my brother out of commission with the flu, they are probably the only 2 reading this, hi!). Anyway, Erin throws out a list today, and as I have previously stated, I am a huge fan of lists. While Erin should have gone to class, I am touched that her parents are so supportive of her, as long as she is honest and witty. I am trying to imagine what I would do if I had kids, and they weren't witty. I mean how boring would they be?! Would I hate them?! Okay, getting a little off track, I like the fact that in this post we learn a bit about the history of Erin - separate from her blog, I learned today while she was showing me through her year book that she was in a lot of clubs, and her high school had really random clubs (my high school was a blue ribbon school of excellence, which is why I can be so judgmental). I am really starting to bore myself with this post, I think I am going to take a point away from myself. Note to self: stop blogging when you are really tired.

So, I forgot to write fun facts yesterday, and I know my many loyal readers really look forward to this (i.e. Erin mentioned it to me in passing), I will do my best to not forget this again, I guess I should probably deduct another point from myself (I am not doing well here, meaning since I apparently decided to include myself in the points system).

Erin's Fun Fact: She owns really cool movies, like Teen Witch (but sadly not Just one of the Guys or Newsies).

Becky's Fun Fact: She prefers the white side of the black (shouldn't it be brown?) and white cookie. This either makes her racist or the perfect person to share said cookie with.

Becky takes the lead!

2008-02-14T21:05:00.003-05:00

Check out Becky's post from today:
I am ridiculously tired today, I can't even really explain the exhaustion level. I wasn't going to write because I felt that whatever I said would be incoherent, but then I realized this would not be fair to Becky, and Becky brought candy for everyone at the office today, that is nice, and sometimes niceness should be rewarded (though not always). So, while I am too tired to even remember what I just read of Becky's post today, I do remember the delicious chocolate, and the fact that she was apparently hit by a car once on Valentine's Day, so I am mean this has to involve at least a couple of pity points. Erin did not post today, so for the first time in this long (2 day) experiment, Becky has the lead.

Slush Puddles and Babies

2008-02-13T14:45:00.003-05:00

Check out Becky's post from today:
First off, Becky gets a bonus point for posting so quickly after I called her and Erin out for not posting at a time that is convenient for me, as well as feeling the pressure after Erin posted (and received some bonus points). I see that Becky is responding to a little healthy competition, and this pleases me. Now, Becky continues with what has become her signature list format, and as I said yesterday, I enjoy a good list. This one doesn't really give us much to argue about because no one really likes slush puddles (though someone in Erin's position with really cool boots doesn't really care if they are around) or post offices (the lines are almost always long, slow, etc.). I preferred Becky's list yesterday, it overwhelmed me with rage about her Seinfeld comment, and excited me with a hot button issue like Iraq. I say more of that, and less of slush puddles. Though I must say that major props are given for ranting about a crying baby, not enough people talk about babies being annoying (yes I think that many of them are cute, but still annoying).

For the record, I like humor about controversial subjects (so does my brother who is one of the 3 readers of this blog), things like babies and nazis make for good comic fodder, keep that in mind. And if you want to entertain Jason (who is sick, so a good joke may help him feel better) make a good wife beating joke, nothing he enjoys more.

Bonus Points!

2008-02-13T14:30:00.004-05:00

Check out Erin's post from today:
Here we have a classic Erin post, complaining about work and spending an entire paragraph gushing over boots she bought a few months ago. I have to admit, they are pretty awesome boots, and I could've used a pair on my way to work today. Erin's post is relatable to all of us (much like Seinfeld) as most of us when we get up in the morning don't want to go to work, even if we don't hate our jobs or anything, the idea of laying in bed awhile longer is almost always an appealing one. Additionally, I like the use of the word dallied, in fact, I think it should be used more. Erin will receive 1 bonus point for the use (but I will then deduct 1/2 of that for her commenting on how she thinks it is awkward).

Additional points system note: Erin will receive a bonus point for putting her post up first (I withhold the right to not always give a bonus point for this).

Problem Discovered

2008-02-13T13:53:00.005-05:00

We are only on day 2 of my retooled blog, and already I have found a problem. Since the purpose of this blog is to comment on Erin and Becky's blogs, it means I am beholden to them on when I write. For instance, I have chosen this moment to procrastinate my work, except they are choosing other moments (or other methods of procrastination), and therefore I am left with nothing. So I will post our fun facts of the day now, and I suppose go do some work, fine!

Erin's Fun Fact: We work in the same department, the Israel Advocacy & Education Department

Becky's Fun Fact: She doesn't really have a department, but she pretends she is in one called the Executive Department

Cumulative Scoreboard*:
Erin: 8
Becky: 7 1/2

*They are each being deducted a point for not writing when it is most convenient for me.
*Going forward the scoreboard will be located on the side bar.

Fun Facts

2008-02-12T16:24:00.000-05:00

I bet you were all thinking I would never write again, but now here I am with 2 posts in a day, making it more like an actual blog.

So, instead of boring you with bios of our dear Erin and Becky, I will provide you with a "fun" fact about each of them with every post.

Erin's Fun Fact: She loves ice cream (specifically Haagen Daaz pomegranate chip)
Becky's Fun Fact: She likes to wear headbands

Check out Erin's post from today :
I think it tells us a great deal about Erin, she has a pretty big ego, and wants everyone to know who she is. Now, since she says that this is one of her dreams, I think it makes me a great person because it shows that this blog isn't being written like so many others for selfish reasons, it is being written to make dreams come true. I like Erin's post because it makes me feel good that I am doing something for my friend.

Check out Becky's post from today:
Wow! I am a bit overwhelmed with thoughts on this one, but then I read the part about Seinfeld, and now that is all I can focus on. Seinfeld is awesome, there really isn't anything to understand. You see, it is a tv show, so the fact that you wouldn't necessarily want to be friends with these people in real life (I would, read in to it what you will) is okay, you can still laugh at all the crazy, but semi-relatable situations they get themselves into. I mean who among us hasn't poisoned our fiance with cheap wedding invitations, seriously Becky! Moving along, I do like what Becky is doing with her blog, all these lists, lists are fun, lists give us things to talk about and argue about, which I enjoy. I like that she went out on a limb and got a little controversial with her Iraq talk.

I've decided for the time being I will have an arbitrary point system that only I will understand, but as we move further along, perhaps you will see the pattern, and be able to determine what I mean.

Scoreboard:
Erin: 9
Becky: 8 1/2

State of the Blog Address

2008-02-12T14:54:00.000-05:00

I figured I'd give blogging another try, I mean lets see if this time I can get to 3 posts before taking a 3 1/2 year break. The thing is, I feel like there are blogs out there for everything. Certainly for the things that interest me most there are more than enough to go around, politics, tv, the mets, food, you name it there is a blog about it; and I probably read it. Therefore I don't always see the point in me writing a blog, I mean what else can I say. On average I would say 85% of my conversations in a given day are me talking about something I read on a blog or reacting to something I read on a blog. This is not to say that I don't have original thoughts, I do, though usually someone else had them as well and put them in a blog, so I don't want to be redundant.

Tangent:A personal blog like this one is supposed to be like a journal, and much like this blog, I have tried to keep journals my entire life, and have a stack of them that mostly contain blank pages because I give up trying after a time. I am a person that took a journal with me on a 3 week trip to London, Amsterdam and Belgium, proceeded to not write in it once, but then came home and did a mega recap of it after the fact. This thought process doesn't make much sense to me, so i doubt it will make sense to anyone reading this (that'd be you Jason, since I know you diligently check this site once a week to see if I have gotten the urge to write, this diligence has finally been rewarded).

Anyway, with that out of the way (what that was I am not exactly sure), I will get to the new purpose of my blog, I don't believe there is another blog out there doing this, and so it seemed the only logical choice for me to make. My blog will now be about commenting on Erin and Becky's blogs (check back later to find out who Erin & Becky are). We will judge them, we will love them, we will disagree with them (and maybe even agree sometimes). Is there a point to this exercise, not really, though maybe the fact that there is a blog whose sole purpose is to comment on their blogs will change the way they write their own blogs, or maybe no one will care (likely outcome), and we will move on to blogging about things that everyone else is blogging about (Why to vote for Barack Obama, why Johan Santana is amazing, why everyone should watch the Wire, etc.). So, start placing your over/under bets on how many entries I will crank out.

To get yourself acquainted with our subjects check out:
Erin: http://erinelan.blogspot.com
Becky: http://beckysaysthat.blogspot.com

I will be back with a little info on who Erin and Becky are, and then the fun will begin.

In the 'land' where I was born

2004-07-16T16:15:00.000-04:00

So, I thought it would be fun if I try to title my posts with a beatles lyric. Not just any lyric, one that I feel encompasses the things I am ranting about on this blog. Of course, it means that I need to actually post on my blog, so we will have to wait and see if that begins to happen more frequently.

This country is really in need of some help. Come on people, I know everyone is born with a brain, so how about from now on we choose to use them, at least most of the time anyway. You can forgo the use of the brain when What Women Want comes on TNT, and you feel compelled to watch it for some unknown reason, perhaps it is because we are creatures of habit, and TNT knows this, so they figure if they put the same movie on everyday we will just work it into our daily routine. We need that 20 minute fix! We missed this part the last 5 times we saw it, finally! But anyway, this election is fast approaching, and so it really is time to put the thinking caps on. As much as I do not understand the Bush supporters, (I mean why are you supporting him? Really, I want to know), the thing I get the least are the undecideds. I hear people all the time saying things like "I think Bush has made some wrong decisions, but I am not really sure about this Kerry guy." Lets just ignore the use of some when saying he makes wrong decisions as this is the least of the problem, or maybe it is a large part of the problem. Perhaps people are under the assumption that while Bush has made a few mistakes here and there, that he has also done some really great things, things that would make us all look past those pesky little mistakes. Where are these good things? Show me, tell me, I cannot wait to hear! I'm sure John Kerry, should he be elected, should America choose to use their brains on election day, will make his share of mistakes in office, these guys are human, I accept this. However, what I believe is the key difference is that they will come from a good place, come from a place of wanting to create a better world, not of greed and corruption. Bush doesn't just make mistakes, he lies about those mistakes, and usually you learn at about the age of 6 that this is not a good idea. That the mistakes just double and triple until you have dug yourself into a hole that you can never really escape. Some of this may have made sense, some or all of it may not, but all I really meant to say was VOTE KERRY/EDWARDS, or I don't even want to know you.

Welcome

2004-06-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt at a blog. Forgive me if it is mind-numbingly boring. I will do my best to make it as enjoyable an experience as possible. Expect a lot of aimless rambling, and probably lists because I enjoy making them. I'm going to say that I will most likely grow bored of doing this blog rather quickly, though you will probably grow bored of reading it much faster. Only time will tell.