Tough Day

So I was up before 6 this morning. If you know me, this is WAY out of the ordinary. Usually I snooze until the very last minute. Anyway, story for another day.

Today has been a long day, so you are going to have to go elsewhere to see what I've been writing.



First up, I have a guest post up at Diets in Review about altering your family's favorite recipes for the upcoming holidays.

Next, I've been talking about the smells of Thanksgiving and what's going to be on your table next week over at Inland Empire Family.

Finally, have you liked me on Facebook? I'd love it if you would. Shameless, I know.

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A Side Note

Another baseball season came to an end tonight.
(Click to read the rest of the story.)

High School Reunion

Originally published on Inland Empire Family, April 4, 2011.

Springtime always takes me back to my senior year in high school. My whole life ahead of me, I was going to go far away to college and reinvent myself.


Reinvention is hard work and, like most college students, I didn’t really have it in me. I did enough to get by. I graduated with a decent GPA. I got a job; I moved across the country. Then it was time for my 10 year high school reunion and my ‘big reveal.’I guess the joke was on me. My name tag kept falling off and I was worried about it until someone that I hardly knew in school told me “Oh just throw it away. Everyone knows who you are anyway.”

All these years later I’m not so sure that I’ve changed that much, either. Yes, I’m married now, have children, a mortgage, drive a mini-van and have a 3-car garage, but inside and out I’m amazed at how much I haven’t changed.



And while I’m no longer an insecure 17 year old that wants to radically change who she is, I’ve grown to (mostly) love who I am. I still love jamming out to cheesy ’80′s techno dance music, drinking margaritas (where I lived, the drinking age was lower then!), going to parties with my friends, and taking a day off to get lost in a great book.

This summer I will plan and attend my 25th class reunion. I will stress out over the perfect outfit and that I haven’t lost these pesky 10 pounds that I found this winter. I will smile and laugh and hug all of the people that I haven’t seen in 25 years, some who will be attending our reunion for the first time. I’ll squeal over the ones that we aren’t expecting and shed a tear over the ones that won’t ever be able to join us again.

What I won’t do is try to reinvent myself this time. I like me just the way I am and always have been.

Tease

See what I did? Posted several days in a row, sucked you all back in to my crazy, and POOF! I disappear again. Suckers.

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I answered some questions from Headless Girl? Well, my friend Karen answered tehm on her blog, too, and her answers are so sweet that you must go read them right.now. and leave her a comment to let her know how cute she and her family are. Go on....then come on back, ya hear?

Some of you know that I also write for a local website here in California, Inland Empire Family. Well, they also have a print magazine and I'm their featured blogger this month! So, yes, this means that today I will be driving around my fair city trying to scare up some copies to hang on to. (Shut up. So would you.) (You can see it online if you go to the above link. The print magazine is in the top right hand corner.) (My new articles will now go up every Monday so you'll know when to find me there. But don't stop with just me, there are great bloggers to read so check them all out.)

If you've been paying attention you'll know that my parents will be here this week and I'm so excited. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, which is a pretty long time. We're going to do all manner of fun things like dusting and laundry and cleaning chandeliers. Should be a blast for them, no? Kidding, Mom and Dad! We're actually going to start the baseball season off with a bang on Saturday with Opening Day ceremonies and a game at 7:30 pm. Hopefully the scheduling gods will shine on Headless Dad, and he and my dad can get in a round of golf this week, too. (I think it's been a year and a half since they have played golf together. That is just crazy!) So if I'm a little scarce this week, now you know why.

Well, I guess that's all the updates you need for today. Seriously, I know the excitement is killing you.

Behind

On Wednesday we had a food allergy scare and, as the saying goes, I'm so far behind I'll never catch up.

Laundry
Cleaning
Birthday week next week, haven't shopped
Parents coming in town
Ironing

You know the drill....

However. After I get a bunch of this stuff done I plan on getting back here to tell you about that food allergy scare and a few other things like how awesome Headless Dad is. Seriously, I couldn't have gotten through this week without him.

Meanwhile, check out what I've been up to around the ole interwebs:

I Love... over at Inland Empire Family. Ironically, I wrote this mere hours before my week blew up.

and I guest posted over at The Big Toy Book about birthday season... Uh, that would be fall if you weren't sure.

OK, well, see you soon! Happy Friday!

I have my tickets, do you?

What do I have tickets for? Go find out!

Family Fun Night...

...close to home!

Do you remember when we, as residents of the Inland Empire, had to drive all the way to LA or Orange county to see great shows with our families? Read more over at Inland Empire Family!

For your weekend reading pleasure...

By me: 

Have you answered this week's Just Curious question? There's still time!

Kodak Bus Tour: Easy Share is Easy!

Brett’s Back: Favre Retirement Watch, Part Too Many

NCAA Football Starts Tonight

Budgeting

8 Tips for Back to School Success

Minor League Baseball is coming to a close ...

Not by me, but still awesome:

Big Babies

Sexting: One more thing for parents to worry about

How to make your blog addictive like World of Warcraft

Oh my goodness, this recipe is SO GOOD! Tomato Zucchini Pie (This link wasn't working well. I'll check it again in a while....)

Non-Toxic way to Polish Silver Jewelery

The most amazing post, by Jodi. Obsession. If you haven't read it yet, you must. And send it to every teen girl and woman you know. It's been a VERY LONG time since a post has resonated this much with me. Srsly. I keep going back. Maybe it will soak in one of these days.

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!

The Last Olympic Straw

I recently wrote about my dissatisfaction with NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I really and truly thought that I had gotten it out of my system.

Oh, how wrong I was.

So here I sit on the last morning of the games wondering if we’ll get ANY COVERAGE AT ALL. You see, according to the KNBC website and the listings guide on cable, Olympic coverage came on at 9 am. Really? Because all I’ve seen is Access Hollywood (rerun) and Monk (also a rerun.) The hockey game-GOLD MEDAL GAME AGAINST CANADA is supposed to be on, as well as a few other events that are having their final rounds today.

This is absolutely unacceptable, NBC. You say that your ratings are high? Honestly, it can only be because we have NO other options for viewing. Have you polled anyone lately? And, quite honestly, I think I’m done with you as a network, local and national. This has been the final straw.
Here’s how I think national Olympic coverage should look from you, NBC (and CBS, ABC, and FOX should take notice, should there be a change in networks for the next games. Please?!)

Morning show- Fine. Cute stories about athletes, whatever. Depending on the time zone of the actual games, I get this. (The morning crew has actually done a great job of interviewing the athletes.)

Just after the morning show: LIVE COVERAGE

Noon: 30 minutes of local news.

Afternoon: LIVE COVERAGE

5 or 6 pm: 30 minutes of local news, 30 minutes of national news.

Evening: LIVE COVERAGE

10 pm: 30 minutes of local news

THE END.

Seriously, it’s only 2 weeks out of every 2 years. There is nothing that can’t be put on hiatus for those two weeks. With everyone having digital television now, if a network or local affiliate feels the need to air their regular programming they can now create a digital 2.0 channel for those programs and leave the regular channel for people to find the coverage of the Olympics easily. If you really need your dose of pop culture and celebrity news there are plenty of other networks and online outlets for that.

Here on the west coast we have had to wait until 11-12 pm to watch the medal rounds and races. Why is this if we’re watching it taped? If we tape it to watch later, the morning shows ruin the results. Watching is just not the same if you already know the outcome.

As for the actual coverage? It, too, has been horrendous. Someone actually made a chart of the time that was dedicated to each category: advertising, special stories, Bob Costas, medal ceremonies, etc. Costas is getting more coverage than replays and medal ceremonies COMBINED. The Olympics are not about you, Bob, they’re about the athletes, their competition, their competitors, and their medals. Last night he actually said “If you’re in the central or mountain time zone you can figure it out for yourself,” which I found pretty lame. I tweeted “Bob Costas is a douche,” and I received the following reply from Glennia: @HeadlessMom Amen to that. A botoxed, toupee-wearing douche at that. #shutupcostas. 

Really Bob? As the announcer it’s your JOB to be able to tell the viewers when their national coverage begins and we only have 4 time zones. I guess we’d really be in trouble if we had something like 11 like Russia does.

Thank goodness today is the last day. I honestly don’t think I could take much more. Here’s to a new network getting the rights for the next Olympic games. One that will commit to getting it right.

(Cross posted on Draft Day Suit and Inland Empire Family)

What I've Been Up To

Taking pictures at IEF.

Talking football at DDS-Twice!

Wishing Carmen a quick recovery.

Updating my blogroll and my BlogHer'09 peeps. (See, Mr. Lady? I did it! Did you?) (See also? If you don't find your name on one of those lists, it was an oversight. Comment or email me and I'll fix it.)

Also? Y'all really worked out my commenter muscle yesterday but I'm up for more. Did I miss your Delurker day post? Yikes! Let me know and I'll come by and comment.... Unlike the 100+ of you that visited but didn't comment. Uh, that's what Delurker day is all about, duh!

Derailed

"I had high hopes of hitting the ground running this year and starting on all of the projects that I have in my mental list."

Read the rest over at Inland Empire Family!

Resolutions

In the spirit of the season I’ve been thinking of what resolutions I should make for 2010..... [read the rest over at Inland Empire Family!]

It's Crunch Time!

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. Every mom I know has ‘the look’ this time of year. Oh yes, we smile and say the right things but when you look close? The bags under the eyes give it away. [Read the rest over at Inland Empire Family...]

I am now writing for Inland Empire Family, a local magazine that has a great online presence. There are great bloggers over there, and lots to check out, especially if you are here in Southern California. I'm thrilled to be a part of the Churm Media online family. Come check us out!