Online window shopping

I'm still hoping to get these shoes for my birthday



and coverage in today's NYT Magazine got me looking at sweater dresses ("swiftly racking up votes for the retail world’s Homecoming queen") to go with them.


Like this off-white BCBG ribbed sweater dress ($278 at nordstrom.com). I'm all about the not-black dresses with black tights this fall.

Of course grey is going to be huge this year. So classic ($148 at anntaylor.com). With this dress, I would do grey tights with the black shoes.

This Juicy Couture dress ($298 at nordstrom.com) would be cute in the winter with a long-sleeved black bodysuit & tights under it. I'm planning to take several of my empire-waisted summer dresses into the next season that way.

I've already picked up this adorable Isaac Mizrahi red trapeeze dress from Target (yes! Target! $34.99!). I've already worn it over a short-sleeved black shiny t-shirt and gotten tons of compliments.

Lastly is this Ella Moss Rosebud dress ($167 at nordstrom.com), while not a sweater dress is so very pretty with such a flattering cut. This will totally work for fall over a turtleneck and dark tights.

I have several things I want to tell you about so bear with me as I run down my list.

#1
This morning I woke up to the news that some guy two streets over from me STABBED HIS PARENTS and was on the loose and a massive manhunt was taking place in my neighborhood. Later this morning the news was that he was wearing a green robe and carrying a blanket. As well as the knife. Also that he's mentally disabled. Later they found the robe. Which means a crazed, naked, armed & dangerous killer is roaming my neighborhood. And I've seen lots of news trucks but not the first police cruiser. Which means that we're not safe at all but at least if something happens to us we'll be on TV.

#2
I am really loving Ken Burn's documentary The War. My dad was a WWII veteran. He was in France and later Germany. He was a truck driver, so he landed at Normandy D+2, bringing in supplies. I wish I could remember more of his war stories, especially now that he's gone. My favorite person in The War is Katharine Phillips, the old Southern belle from Mobile. I especially like how she refers to the soldiers as "ow-wa beau-weeze." And you thought the ladies in Steel Magnolias were overacting.

#3
Apparently, you could make an entire episode of The War about things I did not know about WWII, including: that Italy switched sides somewhere around 1943 (WTF??), that uboats actually attacked all up and down our east coast (I thought they were out in the middle of the Atlantic), that our military pretty much sucked ass for the first several years we were in it (I'm still amazed we ever came out on the winning end), and about "flak."

#4
Don't even get me started on how the American government completely stomped on the civil rights of its own citizens during the war. Thank god THAT can never happen again. Oh, wait a minute...

#5
In other TV news, House was great last night, if you haven't seen it yet. Old-school, before they tried-to-make-him-go-to-rehab House. Ornery and disrespectful and inappropriate. Good stuff. I have such a crush on Hugh Laurie.

#6
Finally, My Kid received his 8th grade TCAP scores today. He scored "proficient" in reading, language and social studies, and "advanced" in math, science and geography. I have no idea whose kid he actually is.

5 Things that I'm finding smugly satisfying today

1. That bastard Warren Jeffs got what was coming to him.
I hope they put him away for a long, long time and he gets forced into an unlawful marriage behind bars.

2. My Kroger store got ALL NEW, charcoal grey, smooth-rolling, clean and rust-free shopping carts.
Is it wrong that I'm so excited by this?

3. It's day 3 of The War, which has been a really interesting and informative series.
Never mind that some of the facts may or may not actually be true. It's info-tainment.

4. Three words: HOUSE SEASON PREMIERE
Big Daddy's recording it on his DVR for me, because see #3 above

5. The doc says my new meds have the very fortunate side effect of possibly causing me to drop a few pounds.
So I totally went to Kroger and bought Cap'n Crunch and Krispy Kremes.

Things I Found Implausible in the First Episode of Gossip Girl

1. The rich blond-haired girl looks to be in her mid-20s.
No wonder she has no trouble scoring underage drinks.

2. The rich asshole boy attempted to date rape not one, but TWO girls in the first episode.
This is a plot line that I hope will be repeated often.

3. The sweet rich boy, the one we're supposed to be sympathetic to? Slept with his girlfriend's BFF last year.
So not all that sweet really.

4. The outcast poor boy who's in love with the rich blond girl (but she doesn't know he's alive) scores a date with her in the very first show.
It took Seth WEEKS to get Summer Roberts to notice him.

5. The poor freshman ingenue is so, so good that her character is completely unbelievable, what with: addressing hundreds of invites to the "Kiss On The Lips" party just to get one herself, making her own party dress since her dad can't afford designer duds, almost being date raped by the asshole rich boy at the party and hooking her outcast brother up with the rich girl of his dreams ALL IN ONE SHOW.
I'll give her this, though: the dress turned out a whole lot better than Andie Walsh's pink disaster.

6. The conversation between the two rich boys over a joint in Central Park about "Are we destined to become our parents?" was highly unoriginal.
And possibly stolen from The Breakfast Club.

If you subscribe to that anti-Christ theory about the end of the world, you may want to take heed

Are you watching this interview on 60 Minutes with Ahmadinejad? OMG, remember when Cole used to turn into The Source on Charmed? And his eyeballs would turn totally black? That's exactly what this guy looks like.

When TMI becomes a dangerous thing

Cyberchondria: the misuse of the Internet by people who mistakenly believe that the information they find is sufficient to make a self-diagnosis.

Ya'll, Big Daddy it a total cyberchondriac. He will go to site after site, checking his symptoms and assuming the absolute worst. Let's say, for instance, that his glands are swollen. After checking with 30 sites, he would come to the absolute determination that he has lymphoma. Because look! It's listed it on all 30 sites.

He becomes completely obsessed, then he gets annoyed with me because I don't have all the faith in Dr. Web that he has. He wants to talk to me about his life insurance and what I should and shouldn't say about his illness when he's lying in the hospital bed unable to speak. When I don't take him seriously he thinks I don't care. Of course I care. I will care all the day long when someone WHO ACTUALLY ATTENDED MEDICAL SCHOOL tells me there's something wrong.

Yesterday he went to his parents' cardiologist for a physical. They told him his cholesterol is high and his triglycerides are off the chart. They ordered a CT scan to find out why he's having headaches and jaw pain. I went with him to that this morning, you know - so someone would be there with him WHEN THEY FOUND THE BRAIN TUMOR.

God knows I love 'im, but he certainly does provide some quality entertainment now and then.

Hey good-lookin'

I promised you the recipe to this yummy brownie pie:

My Neighbor Miss Anna's Brownie Pie
Cream together:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup pecans (optional, but recommended)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Bake in greased pie pan at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. And chocolate syrup.

And because I'm feeling generous, there's also this quick and easy and very yummy recipe that's a lifesaver when you have just walked in the door and everyone's hungry and you'd love to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Stovetop Chicken & Mushrooms
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp granules
1 pkg (8-oz) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 bag Success brown rice

In medium skillet, cook chicken in hot oil until golden brown. Add wine & bouillon. Cook at high heat 2-3 minutes until bouillon is dissolved and liquid is reduced. Add mushrooms. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. While chicken is cooking, prepare rice according to package directions (which is to boil in bag 8minutes. I know this b/c I serve Success Boil in Bag brown rice at pretty much every single meal.). Serve chicken and mushrooms with hot cooked rice. Throw some frozen green beans in the microwave for 6 minutes and you've got a well-balanced meal.

Emmy Fashion Recap - Not much to see here

There wasn't really all that much to get excited about at the Emmys last night. Overall, the show was lame, the host sucked, the set was ridiculous and the fashion only moderately interesting.

Everyone on the 'net this morning seems to agree that Katherine Heigl wins for best dressed. I think she looked great, sure (and how could she NOT? I mean she's gorgeous. Maybe the most beautiful girl on TV) but the whole look just left me a little bored.

Strapless was the way to go this year, which was unfortunate, really, since superthin is still in and a strapless dress does absolutely nothing on an 89-pound girl. Case in point, Ali Larter:

This strapless is a knock-out color, especially on Kristen Bell. It's too bad the designer couldn't make it look less like a towel that had been thrown on after a shower and more like a red-carpet-worthy gown.

The jury seems to be out on Kyra Sedgwick - some of the sites I've visited thought she looked simple and pretty; others didn't care for what appears to be a lampshade doubling as a bodice.

I, for one, feel very strongly that one should not wear feathers unless one is an avian and able to fly. Ahem, Vanessa...

Another good rule of thumb is YOUR GOWN SHOULD NOT BE THE EXACT SAME COLOR AS YOUR SKIN.

Nevermind the fact that she could be smuggling the entire cast of Heroes underneath that voluminous skirt.

There was a very definite hair trend going on last night - a short in back, longer in front, wavy bob kind of thing. I was not a fan. When you saw it, you kept wondering if part of the hair was pinned up in the back? Or maybe just caught in the collar of their dress?

Now Eva always looks great but you get a pretty good idea of this reverse-mullet here. To which I say, either DO the Posh-thing or DON'T, but quick jacking around with it. Sandra Oh was sporting it, too.

As was Rebecca Whatever Whatever.

Overall, I'm giving my Worst Dressed vote to Ellen Pompeo, who appears to have aged about 37 years from the last time we saw her.

Yikes. That is about the most unflattering look I've ever seen on a person, save Gweneth's goth turn at the Oscars that one year.

Who I liked? I gotta give props to Mary Louise Parker, who looked pretty rocking in her strapless dress. (Although this is not the most flattering shot of her. Still, it's the only one I've been able to snag. What's with all these sites putting their photos into flash presentations?? Geez.)

Also? Gotta love America Ferrerra and I hope she never, ever buys into the anorexic starlet thing.

Some of the fashion police are saying that this dress looks cheap, but in action, it looked fantastic on her. This is how you wear strapless. And the girl knows how to pick a color, right??

Lastly, people are always singing her praises, but I haven't been a fan of her red carpet appearances lately. Until now.

Because wa-wa-WOW! Heidi Klum looked HOT. Except...wait...what's with the hair?? It's pinned up in back, right?

Live Blogging the Emmy Awards

Hit refresh for continuing coverage

7:01 - Opening song and dance number by...cartoon characters? The first sign that perhaps Fox's selection of hosts may not have been the most qualified. Cut to shots of audience members who look as confused as I am.
7:02 - first cut-to-black-Sopranos-ending joke
7:04 - Conan's hair is ridiculously high tonight
7:06 - the set looks suspiciously like an American Idol set, doesn't it?
7:08 - technically difficulties cause us to miss half of Ray Romano's jokes
7:10 - so...someone else did the opening number and now Ray Romano's doing the opening monologue, thus confirming my suspicion that Ryan Seacrest is completely superfluous.
7:11 - second cut-to-black-Sopranos-ending joke
7:12 - AWARD: Supporting Actor in Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven (Entourage). I don't watch this show b/c I gave up my digital cable after a full year of fighting with that damn box and trying to make it work. But I heard it's a good show.
7:14 - is that Vanessa William's natural skin tone? B/c it looks like really bad fake tan
7:15 - AWARD: Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Terry O'Quin (Lost). I quit watching this show in the second season when it got all weird and shit. But I remember that he was pretty good in it that first year.
7:16 - Terry's speech insinuates that the Lost cast works a lot harder for their money than that Desperate Housewives do. Boo-yah!
7:21 - Ryan Seacrest is back on and I still have no idea what he's doing here.
7:22 - Tina Fey and Julia Louis Dreyfus - what a great pairing.
7:23 - AWARD: Supporting Actress in Comedy Series: Jaime Pressly (Name is Earl). She is pretty fucking funny on that show. But I feel obligated to issue another skin discoloration warning.
7:25 - Kyle Chandler and Kathrine Heigl - most attractive pairing.
7:26 - hold on people. my meatloaf is burning...
7:36 - I'm back. I understand I missed yet another comedian on stage doing Ryan's job for him.
7:37 - Don't like whatever the fuck Eva Longoria has done to her hair. It's like the reverse-mullet.
7:39 - AWARD: Supporting Actress in Drama - Katherine Heigl. This one didn't surprise me at all. She's had some great storylines. And she's so popular and so well-liked.
7:44 - I don't watch Conan O'Brien. Is the writing really that much better than Daily Show, Colbert Report and David Letterman? Wow.
7:51 - Musical numbers? What's the point in this? Sure, I love Tony & Christina as much as the next girl, but this is just dragging out the show. And umm...should she be standing up on the piano in her condition?
7:53 - Alec Baldwin looks like a waiter. He should fire his stylist.
7:54 - Rob Marshall. This is the guy who directed Chicago, right? He just thanked someone I know in his speech.
7:56 - you just can't feel bad about yourself if you lose to Robert Duvall, you know?
7:57 - wait, did he just brag about how much his made-for-tv movie made? I wouldn't think that's a very prudent move.
8:03 - has it really been 30 years since Roots? I remember watching that with my family. I learned a lot about American History watching that miniseries.
8:05 - every time I see Cicely Tyson, I'm always surprised that she's still alive. I think because the first movie I ever saw her in, she played a 101-year-old woman. She looks great, too. For 130.
8:08 - what? "5 Chinese girls"? And...did he just say "The Jewish boys were great"? I think Robert Duval may be loosing his ever-lovin' mind.
8:09 - Hayden Panatiere looks pregnant in that dress. Also, yet another skin discoloration alert. Her skin and her dress are the same color. Yikes.
8:15 - you can tell I'm only in this for the glamour and the celeb factor, b/c I could care less about directing awards.
8:34 - sorry about that. Dessert break. Remind me later to give you my recipe for yummy brownie pie.
8:36 - I love Kyra Sedgwick dearly, and you know that The Closer is one of the only shows I watch regularly. (Although I did love me some Weeds that one season when my digital cable worked.) But isn't it time she got rid of those curtains of hair? Hell, she's older than me. She still wears her hair like one of the Olsen twins.
8:38 - great. another music break. I should've waited to eat my pie.
8:39 - oh man and are these guys ever sucking up the lip syncing.
8:43 - the cast of The Sopranos? It looks more like the entire studio audience just walked up on stage. Another show I never watched - although I gotta admit, they've made it look awfully good here tonight. Too much violence for me.
8:50 - you know, I love me some Helen Mirren. I said this at the Oscars, and I'll say it again: She makes me proud to be a woman.
8:55 - we're 2/3 through, and I still don't know why Ryan's even here
8:56 - that's the girl from Cold Case. I don't watch the show, but I'd know those bangs anywhere
9:05 - wait, did Al Gore just win an Emmy? First an Oscar, and now this? I find this most disturbing.
9:08 - Brad Garrett & Joely Fisher: most inappropriate pairing
9:10 - I like Teri Hatcher's dress, but I think it would look a lot better on a woman with a few curves. They're trying to create cleavage and all they've done is squish her up all out of shape.
9:13 - Stanley Tucci, looking pretty orange
9:17 - I must be getting tired b/c it seems to me like they're giving the same awards over and over.
9:23 - Ryan is dressed like Henry VIII. I don't even know what to say about that. It serves no purpose and has no point, so it's just like a cheap gag. A really BAD cheap gag.
9:25 - okay, I'll bite. any comedy sketch with Rainn Wilson in it has got to be good.
9:29 - yeah, that shit was funny. That was worth watching the show for. When Rainn started rapping, "You can be my black Kate Moss." Kanye: "I never win."
9:30 - Amazing Race is a really exciting show. I do love it, but that's only b/c I've never seen Project Runway. What channel is that on anyway? I think I should start watching it.
9:36 - Jon Stewart & Steven Colbert. LOVE EM!
9:37 - quote of the night: "If entertainers stop publicly congratulating themselves, then the earth wins!"
9:38 - AWARD: Lead Actor in Comedy - Ricky Gervais (Extras). Jon Stewart: "Ricky Gervais couldn't be here tonight, so instead we're going to give this to our friend Steve Carrell!" Much chest-bumping and screaming ensues.
9:40 - AWARD: Lead Actress in Drama - Surprise! Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)! Not such a surprise in that she has obviously won awards before and you like me! You really like me! and all that. But I was counting on my girl Kyra. Or that the voters would go with the sentimental vote for Edie Falco.
9:42 - Excellent speech. Wait, did they just cut her out, too? Or is it another technical error?
9:51 - Debra Messing is entirely too skinny, but then again she always has been. Is a strapless dress really the most flattering on a woman who has the figure of a 12-year-old boy?
9:52 - AWARD: Lead Actress in Comedy - I am SO HAPPY for America Ferrara! She's awesome and she looks amazing! I hope she has a long and very happy career ahead of her.
9:54 - OK, maybe it's my TV? Because even Jimmy Smits is looking a little orange to me.
9:55 - AWARD: Lead Actor in a Drama - James Spader (Boston Legal). Man, he keeps winning this one, year after year. "I feel like I just stole a pile of money from the mob."
9:56 - Is that his wife? She's very pretty. He gave a pretty hip speech. OK, I like him. He's part of my generation. As opposed to America, who was born the year I graduated high school.
10:02 - AWARD: Comedy - 30 Rock. I don't know, I've watched this show once. I thought parts of it were kind of funny but I just didn't get it. Maybe you have to watch it a couple times before you catch on.
10:07 - AWARD: Drama - The Sopranos. I just said to Big Daddy, "Surely they're going to give it to The Sopranos." The TV writer at USA Today had picked them to be the big winners tonight but it hasn't been so. On behalf of Charlie Sheen, Kyra Sedgwick, Mary Louise Parker and the rest of my generation, we'd just like to thank The Sopranos for bringing back a much-loved old Journey song.

Good night everybody! Come back tomorrow for PHOTOS and FASHION TALK.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT!

Because I imagine you've had just about enough. God knows I have. So let's move on, shall we?

And what better topic than....FALL FASHION. I am seeing some great stuff that I love love LOVE!

Like this fabulous INC dress which I am completely crazy for: (And dudes! It comes in petite!)

Not the least reason because it's going to look SO CUTE with tights and these shoes, which are my MUST HAVE for the season:

(If you're not totally convinced, go to Stuart Weitzman's home page and be blown away by the model in gray. And while you're there, click on the shoes and check out numbers 11, 12, 16, 20 and 21. Seriously. I want to marry this man.)

Side Bar Fashion Tip (at no extra charge): Mary Jane's, like these, are going to be HUGE this fall.

This dress is so hot

And this one, too

b/c how great is that figure-flattering band across the waist going to be?

Lastly, I don't think I can live without this trench:

Everything I've shown you here is from two simple and affordable collections - INC at Macy's and White House Black Market. Now get out there and see what you can find.

Where Things Stand

First, as always, thank you so much for all your kind words of encouragement. I love that about you.


We had a somewhat painful conversation with My Kid last night. The gist of it is, someone has accused him of something that he claims he has not done. I guess it's just he said-she said right now, b/c the school is not punishing him. They've merely asked us to take care of the situation. And I guess we have. If any of the complaint at all is true - even in jest - I'm sure that it won't happen again. My concern is if in fact the complainant is, err...unreliable in some way (whether she is mistaken, or making it up, or whatever) I'm concerned that it could recur, in which case the school would take action. For now, we just go on and hope that it's all behind us. Just so you know, it wasn't anything horrifying. Let's just say that if it were true, I'd be more disappointed in his behavior than angry at him.


I also spoke to my brother yesterday. He seemed to be in better spirits. He said he felt a lot better. You know what it is they say about a secret shared is a burden halved or whatever, right? So that's good, although I'm still heartbroken over what he's going through.


And there's not really much I can do about my friend's mom, or any of the people going through the continuing effects of Katrina, for that matter. My friend was an only child and her mom was pretty young when we were in high school (she had her 20-year reunion my senior year). After I graduated I went through some family stuff and I ended up living with them for about a year. So it's hard for me to hear how she's falling apart. The way I'm dealing with that is through my writing. I'm currently working on a short story that's based around Katrina and the aftermath.


So that's all that. In addition to the depression I've been having some anxiety attacks lately. What with all this, right?? I'm going to talk to my doc about switching back to my old meds b/c they seemed to have worked better for me and I've just found out that it's also used to treat anxiety. Anyway, I'm hanging in and just trying to get up and show up every day. Sometimes that's all you can do.


That...and blog.

I don't know how much more of this I can take

First, I got an email from a friend from home, telling me how horrible things are in our hometown. The one that was destroyed by Katrina. How the Mississippi coast is furious for all the attention New Orleans has gotten, considering the fact that the hurricane actually came ashore in Mississippi, and that's where the most destruction occurred. She said that the suicide rate has sky rocketed and that her own mother is dealing with some pretty severe depression. And by "dealing with" I mean that she's drinking heavily and not doing well at all.

Then, my brother calls and tells me that he & his wife are splitting up. They've been married about 12 years I think? Together for about 5 before that. Two kids, age 10 and 6. He tells me he's on anti-depressants now but they're not really helping. He says he's so depressed and resentful and sorry to be such a bother but he has no one to talk to. I love my brother dearly - he's the one person in my family that I really LIKE - and it's breaking my heart.

THEN, I get a call from My Kid's school this morning. He may be in a bit of trouble for something that is pretty upsetting to me. I'm waiting until we all get home this evening to get to the bottom of it, but when the guy from the school called my first instinct was to get in the car and drive out there right now and straighten this thing out. The administrator who called said that when he asked My Kid about the complaint, Kid denied knowing what the guy was talking about. I just don't know what to think right now.

I sincerely just want to get back in bed and start this whole month over again.

Not Live Blogging the VMAs

Because I imagine I'll be asleep before the second hour starts.

But did you watch? Come on, admit it. You did. You were curious. What you think?

I thought it was WEAK. First, bad, bad choice of costume. She did not look cute in that sequined bra and boy shorts. Yikes. I figured she'd be lip syncing, so I'm not even going to complain about all that. But my god I expected her to bring the dance. And she did NOT. She looked completely hesitant and half-ass. I wonder was she fucked up?

What did you think? If you missed it, I imagine it's probably up on YouTube by now.

A Legitimate Sadness

This afternoon I was driving home from getting my nails done and I guess NPR was playing some sort of tribute to Luciano Pavarotti - something from the 3 Tenors, I believe - and I tuned in just in time to hear the great voice singing Nessun Dorma from Turnadot. (If you're not familiar, this is the song the British "Got Talent" winner sang and Michael Bolton once famously mutilated on an awards show of some kind.) I had to pull over the car because I started crying so profusely. Nothings saddens me more than the loss of a great talent.

I wish NPR's remembrance of Pavarotti on Thursday had focused more on how he brought opera out of the elite opera houses and into the living rooms of the masses, rather than how he eventually became so difficult to work with. I would think that, of all the media outlets, public radio would most appreciate this contribution that he made to the art. I think I'm going to write them and tell them that.

Battle Plan

Man, have I been feeling The Depression lately. I don't know what it is - usually it doesn't come down on me this hard until much closer to the holidays. I'm thinking part of it may be My Kid starting high school and becoming so grown up (dude, he's wearing cologne now) and self-reliant and not really needing me so much anymore. (Except for clean clothes.) (And rides. Lots of rides.) But it's like I don't really identify myself as someone's MOM anymore. Which leaves what? Whoa, a big old void, that's what.

And I start to wonder the purpose of my life. And it seems like other than my job (and the laundry), there isn't really a reason to get out of bed. Which then leads to me spending an entire three-day weekend in bed.

So here's my action plan for fighting The Depression:

1. Try church. I would imagine a lot of people turn to religion to help them discover their purpose. My most immediate issue with church is that I don't believe that there is one true religion. I believe in a God, or some sort of Spirit of the Universe. I don't think God is a man, so I don't see how there could be just one image or one version or even just one God. All of which makes it a little difficult to find a church, right? So I called another working mom, who is a local blogger that I've been meaning to meet up with ever since I found out that we both work downtown, and we met for coffee the other night after work. I reached out to her for two reasons: a) she writes on her blog about being a Unitarian Universalist [I hope I'm saying that right] and b) she seems really in touch with her own purpose in life.

(Sidebar here about Kaleigh:
I expected her to be tall and imposing; I don't know why. She's actually petite and very sweet. "Sweet" is something that people from the South say a lot - "Oh, I love her! She's so SWEET!" I really don't say it often but I say it to describe Kaleigh because she truly is very sweet. She has this soft, sweet, almost child-like voice. It was really fun meeting her. Also? She's very smart and so grounded and we have very similar political persuasions.)

So I don't really know what to say yet about the UU church except that I'm pretty sure they believe in something. I'm just not sure what yet. Love and fairness and kindness to all peoples, I guess. Which is right up my alley. So I think I'm going to visit this Sunday. Which leads to Part Deux of The Plan:

2. Have something to get up for every day. I've got work Monday through Friday and now I'll try church on Sunday which just leaves Saturday. My old homegroup has a really good book study meeting at 8 a.m. Saturdays so I'm going to start going back to that. If I'm tired from getting up early, I can take a nap later, but it's important that I get my ass up in the mornings.

3. Start SOME SORT of exercise routine. This is always high on the list of recommendations for people fighting The Depression. Endorphins and all that. I've been talking about this since Florida so I finally reached out to the nearby Curves. I'm hoping it's not god-awful expensive, because I seriously think it's the only sort of exercise routine I can deal with. And stick to. And not hate with the burning fires of hell. I also want to get back into yoga which was so, so good for my back when I was doing it regularly and also for the relaxation and meditation part of it.


End of plan. Well, one more thing. I'm going to talk to my doctor about my medication b/c several months back he switched me over to the generic version and I'm not sure it's working out so well for me, although I'm also not sure it would take this long to become apparent either. So I'm going to talk to him and see what he thinks. After my disastrous experiment with generic birth control pills this year, I've pretty much decided to never ever use generic medications again, insurance company be damned.

Perhaps this is a case of fashion repeating itself

Because you've really yet to see what my hair cut looks like exactly, I now have these photos that were taken of me whilst I was making a presentation:

And also this one (where I am talking with my hands, as I am wont to do):

Neither of which really give you a very accurate view, and frankly, both kind of remind me of this:

RY! DELL! HIGH! BEAT THE CAVALIERS!

Whenever I'm at a football game, I always want to yell that cheer in my best Dody Goodman voice. But I figure no one around me will get it and I'll just appear nutters.

Well sports fans, it's that time of year again. Yesterday we went to the first U of M game. It was sunny and hot and we barely made it to half-time. OMG it was so fucking hot.

We played Ole Miss and my lord there was a lot of bloody red at that game. Since I hail from Mississippi, I hate Ole Miss in a way that people in Memphis really can't comprehend. There's a reason why you can walk on any college campus in the state and buy a button that says "Go to Hell, Ole Miss." It's the uniting factor among us. Hate. Hate Ole Miss. Them and their damn Hoddy Toddy shit. Ugh.

We were down 20-0 at the half and ended up losing by only 2 points. So disheartening. But that's what we get for playing an SEC team in our opening game. Anyway, I won't be going back to another game until it cools off a bit. I only went to that one because it was Ole Miss. There's no one else I will sit in 95 degrees to root against. Tennessee maybe, but I don't think we play them here this year.

Basketball is just around the corner too. I heard we're ranked pre-season #1 by ESPN. This may be our year (she said, for the third year in a row).

Party Pics from a real camera

My Kid with Spice Girl (left) and Alex, the two organizers of the party.

Eating pizza with (from left): Alex, Spice Girl and Alex. For all intents and purposes, we're just going to assume that everyone at the party was named Alex.

Five cute girls and one really nutty guy (who was one of Kid's roomates on his eighth-grade trip this summer).


The guy on the left was Mr. Middle School; the one in the middle is the class clown, as you can probably tell.

We got sparkler candles which I thought would be a lot of fun. Turns out they're incredibly hard to light. Spice Girl nearly caught the plastic table cloth on fire.

The girls thought it would be fun to put ALL the candles on the cake, rather than just 14. It was a complete disaster.

All the kids went to middle school togehter but only about 90 percent of them are at My Kid's high school. It was a kind of reunion for the other 10 percent.

Twenty-five 14-year-olds completely disrupting the dinner of the other pizza cafe patrons.