Daily Deb

Still climbing...

2010-05-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

On May 17th I'll be turning 40. Let me say that again so it registers in my own mind. 40. Eeesh. I don't feel forty. <----- I wondered if it would look/feel different spelled out. Nope.

This past weekend I went home to celebrate Mother's Day. In Massachusetts I was surrounded by my family all gathered in one spot to celebrate all our moms. In addition to celebrating our moms, I was also surprised with a birthday party. Out came the cake and candles and with that, the funky birthday hat, flashing buttons and all sorts of traditional, mandatory over the hill jokes.

The next day I was in CT to celebrate Mother's Day with BJ and her side of the family and again I was surprised with another birthday cake, proudly displaying the fact that I'm turning 40. And along with that cake came the same over the hill, "Jack Benny" jokes. (Look it up if you don't get it.)

I know it's all in fun and I had a great time and felt more loved in one weekend than I knew what to do with. I am truly blessed with the best family and in-law family anyone could ask for.

But the thing is, I don't feel forty. I don't know what forty is supposed to feel like but I know I don't feel it. I guess I thought that at forty I'd have it all figured out. Or at least some of it. It seems like most people at the age of forty know what's going on. You've gotten your degree in college and work a career in that field. You have kids and a family if you want them. You basically already know what your path in life is and you just continue on going about your business and living your figured out life. At least that's been my assumption.

But now it's me. I am going to be forty and I don't have any of it figured out. None of it. I look at that number and wonder where did all the time go? What did I do with it? Sure, I've been busy doing, being, living and going down the roads the universe has put in front of me, but even with all of that, I'm still unsure of where I'm going.

I recently got laid off and am still looking for work in television production. I've also used some of my time off to work on my writing, submitting a book proposal to a publisher and magazine articles for print. So far I haven't gotten published, but I know I enjoy writing and would love to make a career out of it. I also love improv and acting and wonder if I should continue to pursue that avenue. A lot of my friends are doing it, why can't I? There are so many different avenues I'd like to consider and I have New York City at my fingertips, yet I can't seem to get a firm grasp on anything it has to offer.

I don't know, I guess I'm just doing a lot more reflecting this birthday than in past years. It's almost like my go with the flow pass has expired and I'm sort of forced to take stock of my life and take control over where I want it to go. I know I have so much more to do and be and it's time to get nitty gritty, figure it out and put one foot in front of the other to get there.

Sure, all the cards and buttons and cakes may say I'm "Over the Hill"...

...but I say, I'm still climbing.

And so it begins...

2010-01-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

As it usually happens in the television industry, you go about your day when out of the blue you get a phone call from someone you never contacted yourself about a job you didn't know existed.

Yesterday I got a call from a senior producer over at ABC who has a booking/story development position that just became available for the show 20/20. Yes, that 20/20. One of the anchors over at truTV (Court TV) gave her my name. And so it begins...today...the interviewing, the questioning, etc. Do I want to stay in news? Do I want to continue to book guests for a living? Do I want to chase stories? Is ABC a good fit for me? Will they want me?

To be continued....

Twenty Ten, Two Thousand and Ten...

2010-01-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm a little late, but I'm pretty sure there's not a statute of limitations on Happy New Year wishes. So, Happy 2010!

And as I wrote that I'm curious if you read it as twenty ten or two thousand and ten. Apparently this has become a pretty big debate. I think I'm going with the two thousand and ten, since it seems to roll off my tongue better. When it was 2009 we didn't say twenty nine, right? And does it mean if this is twenty ten that all future years will start with 20? Will it be two thousand and eleven or twenty eleven? Don't be surprised if you start to see shirts printed up sort of like the Hollywood "Team Jen" or "Team Angelina" tees only they will be "Team Twenty Ten" and "Team Two Thousand and Ten."

But anyway, I digress...soooooo, Happy Two Thousand and Ten. :)

No matter what you call it, the new year brings about changes for most people. It's a time to check in on the past and see what you've done and move ahead to where you want to be. I like new beginnings...I feel it a few times throughout the year, mainly on New Year's, the beginning of spring and on my birthday. I know some people don't make resolutions. They feel like it puts too much pressure on themselves, but I think there are times when you should put pressure on yourself. A lot of people become complacent and just go through the motions. But life can get boring that way and I believe you have to take stock and push yourself in order to move forward and grow. And so what if you don't keep all your resolutions. By not keeping some, you learn a lot about yourself and learn what is really important to you and what isn't.

I looked back at my resolutions for last year. By putting them in writing, I am now able to go back and reflect on which ones I kept, which ones need work, and which ones I can toss away. Some I kept up with and because of that I can now add to them and continue to move forward in that direction since it is clear to me that they are important. I was able to continue them throughout 2009 so they must have been. Some I did a little bit and some I totally tanked on. And that's not to say that I should just toss them out, it could also mean that I am blocking them and if I unblocked them and worked on them, it could prove to be beneficial to my growth.

After looking back at last year's resolutions I now have my new list. A few from last year are still on there, and a few more are added. It will be interesting next year to see where I started and where I ended up.

One of my old resolutions was to write more and I had been slacking in that department. I write blogs (which have been more infrequent than I'd like them to be) but also I want to write more articles and I have been working on a book/proposal for a lot longer than I'd like. And just as I was dusting off my old files and getting going in that direction, the universe opened up to support me. Gotta love when you're on the same page (ba dum bum) as the universe.

Out of the blue I received an email from my new, older and much wiser, friend in the industry. She asked how it was going with the proposal and gave me some sage advice. She then made me an offer to help me get started when I finish it. I don't want to go into too much detail about it (somewhat superstitious) and so I'll just leave it at that for now. But it's a bit of a boost and I'm energized to keep going with it.

So, what are your 2010 resolutions? Which direction do you need to go in order to grow and change in a positive way? If you haven't made them in the past, don't worry, get started now. The past is the past...in the new year there's only one way to go...forward.

Happy New You!

xoxo
Deb

A Merry New York Christmas...

2009-12-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

I love these lyrics...

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, wherever you are!

xx
Deb

The dog days of unemployment...

2009-12-09T15:41:00.001-08:00

Sorry for not writing sooner, I've been super busy...sigh.

HA, who am I kidding? Most of you know I was laid off right before Thanksgiving. All of the NYC Court TV staff were let go and the network moved production to Atlanta, GA.

So what have I been doing with myself? Well, somehow the past few weeks have flown by. The first week I was off it was Thanksgiving so that was pretty busy. Right after that I came down with something so a few days were spent lounging around taking care of a flu/sore throat thing. Now I am just starting to settle in and enjoy the break a little bit.

I have a bunch of things I want/need to do and I think I just need to create a list and check things off one by one until they are done. I have two books going that I want to finish, some movies I recorded I want to catch, license plates that need to be returned to the DMV (oops!), some major writing to do, phone calls to catch up on, presents to wrap, etc.

Nick is enjoying the company during the day, but he is also keeping me busy too. When it's nice out, I take him on a longer walk to the P. A. R. K. I spell it out because that is how I'm used to saying it. If you use the word in any capacity on his walk, as in, "Hey, why did that guy park there?" he digs his claws into the cement and pulls and tugs his way towards it. Soooo, the other day I took him on his walk and told him where we were going. Here's what I'm talking about:

When we're done, he is usually wiped out and looks like he does in the header pic.

I have also been doing improv and am in the level 3 group of classes right now. It's a ton of fun and we perform after each level which is great. It's nice to be around a bunch of creative, funny people who are willing to let themselves go in a group format. There's no script, just suggestions and off the cuff scenes, but by following the rules of improv we somehow pull it off. This is a blurry rushed shot of backstage right before we went on:

We got our tree the other day and now the whole apartment smells like Christmas. We always get a real one. I grew up with them and to me, the smell of it can bring me right back to being ten years old rushing into the den in the morning to find a pile of presents.

Here's this year's masterpiece:

I am almost done shopping. I started early again this year so I had a few things piled up, but now that I'm out there I see so many things that are cool gifts. But, being unemployed puts you in a different budget bracket so I'm trying to keep to my list.

Other than that, just enjoying the down time and taking advantage of lounging around in my pajamas while it rains and sleets outside. That's probably the best part because although my summertime, frantic flip-flop runs for the bus were horrible, nothing is worse than the sleety, icy, big-booted run.

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday season.

More later...

Let's hope there's never a fire!

2009-11-11T11:41:00.001-08:00

Walking through NYC to get lunch I came across this building and was curious what it said on the door. If I didn't have to get back to work right away, I may have tested it out, but hopefully for anyone who works there, it's just a sypo (sign typo).

How confusing is THIS?

But come to think of it, if you did work there you'd at least have a good reason for not showing up to work!

Randomness and 18 days

2009-10-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack in updating...I think I've been more in a Facebooking kind of update mood as opposed to a blogging mood. Since some of you aren't on Facebook, I figured I'd update here as well. But, maybe I can update you on what's been going on lately, in sort of a Facebook/blogging kind of style.

So let's see...

There's 18 work days left before we are all booted out of our jobs here at truTV. There's even less than that before production gets moved from NYC to Atlanta. Our last official production day is November 13th, but we have to stick around for a week or two (as of right now) to wrap things up nice and tidy before we leave. So in case any of us try to forget that we're wrapping here soon, the assignment desk has been gracious enough to post a COUNTDOWN of work days left, right in the center of the newsroom. So every morning when we walk in, we're aware of how many days we'll be swiping our truTV badges down at the security desk on the way in.

I need to stop procrastinating. I have SO many things to do that I thought, "Eh, plenty of time." Someone asked me today when we were told we were out of work in November and when I figured it out, it was back in JUNE. What?? How did it go by so fast? So now that there's...eh hem...18 days left, I'm sorta trying to figure out what to do first. There's packing up, getting my reel done, pulling everything off my work computer and sending it over to my home computer, pulling together all my contacts, throwing out the junk and oh, yeah, let's not forget looking for a new job. OY. Soooo, I'm going to have to get back to basics and just list everything and get cracking.

In the meantime, I've been pulling myself away from a few online sites that I'd peruse frequently. I realized it is time to re-focus and spend less time looking at what other people are doing and concentrate on what I need to be doing. I still poke around here and there, but it's a lot less and mostly just scanning as opposed to spending any real time reading through things. I still have a couple of favorites that I'll continue to go to, but for the most part, I've been stepping back a bit.

I'm now putting myself on a budget. A bright red countdown to when your job ends will do that to you. And if you've ever had to collect unemployment in New York, you'll realize it pays SQUAT. Luckily we get severence packages, but that will eventually end as well. I wonder if I can ask someone at the assignment desk to come to my house and post countdown numbers to when my severence is about to end. Hmmmm.

Anyway, what else. OH, I've been doing the improv thing. Got a great bunch of people that I'm taking a class with. Some funny, very witty people. It's 3 hours of on your toes, anything goes comedy and it totally flies by. I used to do improv when I lived in L.A. and missed it, so these are some great refresher classes and a great way to get yourself outo of your own head and just let things go. Signed up for another class with some of these same people that will start immediately after this one, so at least I'll have that to look forward to.

So I have a lot to think about and have been doing some pondering about life in general and what direction I may find myself going in. Television has many avenues to pursue. I've been down a few already...news, reality, talk, etc. So we'll see where I land. I'm looking forward to the change, just a little nervous about not having any control over it, at least in the beginning.

Other than that, I've just been busy with life and family and everyday things. A few weeks ago, most of you know, BJ's grandfather died. He was an amazing man and is sorely missed by so many. I sincerely hope none of you ever have to watch a 90yr old woman bury her 93yr old husband of 68 years. It was one of the most heart wrenching things to see. The services were beautiful and now BJ's Nana is trying to find her way without the man she spent the greater part of her life with.

On a happier note, we went home last weekend to spend time with my family and to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. Family came in from all over and it was a lot of fun. She is a stereotypical Italian grandmother. She was so mad that she was wearing jeans and sneakers that she wouldn't come into the room for her party! She thought she was going to a Halloween party for some of my younger cousins so she dressed for that. Coupla glasses of wine and she was over that and everyone had a great time. I can only hope to be that stubborn when I'm 80.

So the Yankees are in the World Series. I still can't believe I live in Yankee-ville. It's so hard for me as a Red Sox fan to want them to win, so I'm silently rooting for the Phillies. I don't need to see another Yankee t-shirt with the number of series wins scribbled on the back. I do like Jeter, I think he's a great all around player and seems to be a decent guy who eats, sleeps and breathes baseball, so I'm happy for him that he's in it, but as for rooting for the Yankees in general, eh, just can't do it.

Other than that, just keeping busy with this, that and everything in between. I'm eating too much Halloween candy, started Christmas shopping already and basically just taking it day by day.

So that's what's been going on in my world for now. I'll keep you posted as the days get counted down.

xoxo

Nick's first cameo...

2009-10-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

For all the pet owners out there, this video offers tips to keep your pets safe on Halloween. And Nick makes a cameo as a Fire Chief!

Watch 'til the end for his close-up in the credits.

Happy, safe, trick or treating.

NOTE: If the video box is not displaying (technical difficulties) you can see him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia95W35W7KM

Breakdown...

2009-09-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

So little by little things have been going kaput in my world and I'm not entirely sure where the transition is all leading. All I know is that one thing after another has been breaking down and new things have come into the picture.

First it was our refrigerator, which led to us getting all new stainless steel appliances. Then it was our computer. Luckily we had BJ's MAC from work...well, until that fried a day later. So we ended up having to get a new computer. Not sure why we waited so long since it makes all the difference in the world to have a fast, working computer, but anyway, I digress.

In the middle of all that, I found out my job is gone the end of November when all production of court trials gets moved to CNN headquarters in Atlanta. So sooner than I planned, I'll be at a new job.

Then, as I was playing in a football league, I broke my finger in two places. It completely forced me to forget about playing and use those nights to do other things. So I've jumped back into improv and have more time to concentrate on other areas of the entertainment world. Nights and weekends were filled up as it was, so sports, for now, are off the table and freeing up more nights. Interesting tidbit: It was a quad muscle injury that forced me to stop playing competitive women's tackle football which eventually led to the move to Los Angeles to get into the entertainment industry. Hmmmm. Ok, so maybe I'm starting to get it. I need to use my time to further my entertainment career. Takes awhile, but eventually I catch on.

Anyhooooo, going back to appliances, a few weeks ago our toaster oven stopped toasting on one side. Out of pure laziness we just dealt with it. We'd toast one side, then flip the bread slices over and toast the other side. Eventually we got tired of that and went out and got a new, regular toaster.

Then a couple of weeks ago I noticed that our coffee maker wasn't working right. I typically set the coffee the night before, program it to go off just as I'm coming out of REM and when I get out of bed it's all brewed and ready. Until they figure out how to insert an IV with caffeine in the morning, that's how I'll stick to doing it. But last week it stopped working completely. Now the self clean button continuously clicks on, steams away the water and I wind up with 1/8 of the water in the pot and thick, brown, murky coffee. So we've reverted back to the French press method until we can get to the store for a new IV...I mean - coffee maker - with an auto program function.

Then the other day I was making calls from my cell phone and no audio was coming out of it. No one could hear me, and I couldn't hear them. I have called and hung up on so many people. And when people call me on it, I can't answer it. I have to dial my cell voicemail from another phone. I haven't had time to get it fixed yet and I'm kind of putting it off because I'm not in love with Verizon's touch pad options they currently have out. I'm going to need something that can do it all, phone, internet, etc because the end of November they are going to take my work Blackberry away. So I wait and people think I'm screening my calls on my cell. I can still get txts, so if you're one of them who is trying to call me on my cell, just txt me, that works.

And lastly (I hope...knock on wood) in the past couple of months, our 96 Jeep Cherokee we had been driving for over ten years finally started going way downhill with squeaky brakes, a screeching belt, an AC system that was fixed twice already and a "what the hell is that" clunking noise whenever you turned the wheel. We have road trips coming up and it was clearly unsafe. So last Saturday we bit the inevitable bullet and became the proud new owners of a BMW X5 SUV.

The thing I'm trying to figure out in all of this is that all of the above have been forced changes. We would not be making these upgrades and I wouldn't have made any changes if it weren't for a mass breakdown going on. I'm not sure if the universe is trying to give me a kick in the ass and saying, "Stop being so complacent. Wake up, move onward and upward" and just figured it would do it itself since I wasn't. They don't teach a course in Universe 101, so I have no idea what the message is.

I'll be interested to see where I land after all of this settles down. But at the moment, if you're listening universe, please just let the elevator work when I get in it.

New Blog Post...

2009-09-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

As you know, BJ and I just got back from a trip to Europe. We went to London and then took the Eurostar over to Paris. Each place was unique and so different, I figured they should each get their own blog. I'll start with London.

We did the regular touristy things like visit Buckingham Palace, did an interior tour of the state rooms which was a limited tour that they only do for 6 weeks in the summer and then also saw the changing of the guard ceremony held outside in the front of the palace. We saw Big Ben, the London Eye and St. Paul's Cathedral where Princess Di and Prince Charles got married. We walked through various sections like Covent Garden, Piccadily Circus, Trafalger Square and spent a couple of days in and around SoHo. We loved it. London was just a happy, partying, live it up kind of place.

One thing that struck me the longer we stayed there was how straightforward the British are. It's hard to come up with a specific example, but listen to them the next time you see someone English on TV. They definitley have a very direct way of saying things.

The funny thing was that as we were walking around I noticed that that directness wasn't just verbal, it was also in the various signs posted around London. There's no guessing what they are trying to tell you.

Here's a few of my favorites:

Yes, if you want to use the subway system, it is underground. So that's what they called it:

And when you get off your train, you don't have to look for the word "exit." You want to know the way out? Here you go:

If once you get out of the underground you want to smoke, just know this:

There was one sign I probably could have used when I almost got hit by a car. (Note to self: When you know that Londoners drive on the opposite side of the road than the US, do not look in the same direction you would in the US before crossing the street. The cars will be flying at you from the other side.)

So when you are at a crosswalk and thinking of crossing, no sense decyphering color codes, this sign pretty much sums it up:

On this one, I think I may like the picture even better than the directness of the words, but well, you decide. You should definitely be careful when you are walking through construction zones:

After all that walking and traffic dodging, you will probably be hungry. No worries trying to figure out what kind of a food a place has when you stumble upon this:

You may be tired walking around all day and want to take a cab or drive yourself if you have a car. Good thing there's THIS sign or you may not know what was coming up ahead:

And last but not least, you may want to do some shopping, either picking up something for yourself, or someone you love. Sorry Mom, but you're not getting this for Christmas!

Hey, at least while you're over there, you know what you're getting, right? All in all it was a fantastic London experience. We loved the people, got to see some old friends, learned about British royalty, saw the crown jewels, found a few amazing pubs...then a few more...then a few more. We had enough time to do pretty much everything we wanted to do and we had a great time all around.

Halfway through the week we packed up our stuff and headed to the train station for our trip to Paris. How was that?

You'll just have to read that next time.

A monumental vacation...

2009-09-08T13:27:00.001-07:00

Just got back over the weekend from our vacation to Europe. I will definitely blog in much more detail when I can.

We had an amazing time and it was a fantastic way to celebrate our 10yr anniversary. If you get the chance to go to Europe, GO.

London was so cheery and happy. Spent a lot of time checking out the city, the abundance of pubs and the different sections and hung out with friends who live in England. We would love to go back sometime.

Next we moved on to Paris. For the most part, they don't really enjoy Americans. At least from what we could sense. Every now and then we'd meet someone who was okay talking to us and helping us, but for the most part they seemed to get off on life being difficult for us. We stayed with our friends who speak French, so that helped.

The city itself is BEAUTIFUL and we did a ton of sightseeing. More on that in the next blog or two.

For now, it's back to work, back to routine and back to working off all the beer, wine & cheese!

More later for sure....

Turf wars...

2009-08-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

There is a photo copier next to my desk at work that needs to be taken away for two reasons. First, I constantly get photo copier chatter first thing in the morning when I arrive at work and then in spurts throughout the day. "E7, what is that error?" "Is this thing not working again?" "Which tray takes the paper?" "How long does this thing take to warm up?" "Is this new?"

Listen up people, I don't work for Canon!

And the second reason is because I can't see a damn thing when someone leaves the lid up. My friend and segment producer of our show sits on the other side of this thing and half the time she turns around to tell me something she has to get up and close the copier lid. If I need to put it down I have to go around my desk and put it down so it doesn't slam. I decided to do a quick study and noticed that nine times out of ten, the culprit is a guy. This sparked a whole debate about those guys and the probability that they most likely also didn't put the toilet seat down at home.

So often you hear women complaining about the guys, and guys complaining that the woman should put the seat back up when they're done. It can sometimes get into as much of a heated debate as universal healthcare, gay marriage or whether or not God should be used in the Pledge of Allegience in schools.

So it got me thinking about my own house and the subtle little turf wars that go on between BJ and I on an almost daily basis. Here they are, in no particular order:

#1 THE AC/HEAT

I turn it up...when my toes start to freeze I look at the gauge. Sure enough, BJ has turned it back down. When sweat starts to form on her forehead, sure enough, it's because I've turned it back up...so she turns it back down...and so on and so on.

#2 THE CEILING FAN:

I hate it, BJ loves it. I don't mind a breeze when I'm outside, but when I'm trying to fall asleep and my hair is blowing in my face, I can't. BJ turns it on, I turn it off. When I wake up in the morning, sure enough, it's going again.

#3: THE ICE MAKER MACHINE

We recently got new appliances and the refrigerator has two variations of ice that you can get out of it, cubes or crushed.. I prefer the cubed because they last longer which keeps your drink colder longer. BJ apparently likes the crushed ice, because every time I go to the dispenser and don't look at the little red light, little chips of ice come splattering all over me, my cup - and the floor. I click it back to cubed and sure enough, I can hear the crushing sound spewing out of it when BJ goes to fill her cup up.

#4: THE TV

This could have also gone under the COUCH category because she who snags the couch first also gets the remote. If I get to the couch first and turn on something I want to watch, I pretty much control the TV until my show(s) are over. As soon as I get up and do something else like take a shower or get on the computer in the office, BJ turns on one channel: THE FOOD NETWORK. There could be breaking news that Osama Bin Laden has been captured but we'd never know it because we'd be waiting to hear what the next secret ingredient was going to be on our marathon viewing of Iron Chef. *This also occurs the other way as soon as BJ gets up from the couch.

#5 VERN

Ahhh, yes, my cat. BJ has nicknamed Vern, "Ticky" because well, he is sorta stuck to me at all times. If I get on the computer, Vern is on the desk. If I get on the couch, Vern is on the couch. If I get up and see Vern still sitting all comfy on either of those two things (or any other object, such as a duffel bag, sweatshirt, gift box on the floor, etc) I tend to leave him there purring. BJ, not so much. "He doesn't need to fur up every single thing in the house." So I'll typically hear, "Get DOWN Vern" and then a plunk off of whatever he's been on that BJ finds unsuitable.

There are others but those are the major battles on any given day. But after listening to the men & women around me debate the toilet seat issue, I'll take a marathon viewing of CHOPPED anyday over falling into a toilet bowl at 3am.

What are your turf wars at home?

Chips...

2009-07-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Blogger is medicated and using abnormal typing techniques. Typos may exist.

Some of you are friends of mine on my Facebook page. You may have recently seen a status update that went something like this:

Deb is off to play her first football game of the summer...

A few hours later you may have seen a comment by BJ that said:

That turned out to be a good idea.

Cut to 2 minutes left in the first half. Our QB is getting pressured, sees me kinda open and throws me a pass. Hard. Two defenders are on me so I go towards the ball. As I am about to catch it, I break a simple receiver rule. I turn to run before actually catching it. What happens next is that the ball hits my left index finger so hard that it breaks it. Twice. Instantly I know it's broken, it feels different than a regular jam, which is painful enough on its own. I take my receiver glove off and it's not pretty. I attempt to put it back on and give OJ a run for his money in the glove won't fit category. I tell the team in our next huddle that I believe my finger is broken. A few looks, a few lookaways mouthing ouch and the whistle blows to end the half.

At this point I should have gone home, BUT, we only had 3 of the required 3 girls to play, so I finished out the game. After the game I got home at about 9:40pm and as I walked in the door, BJ was at the tail end of a cooking contest show and was gearing up to hear who won.

"How was your game?" She asked, one eye on the TV.
"I think I broke my finger." I held it up to show her.
"Whaaaaaaaaat? For real?" she whined, the other eye on the TV knowing what was coming next.
"I have to go to the ER. Will you drive me?" Sort of a rhetorical question.
"But they are about to announce the winner." DVR is a girl's best friend.

We take off to the Hoboken University Medical Center with it's brand new, state of the art ER. It was nice, as far as ER's go, I just wish doctors and nurses wanted to be there as well as the 25 patients waiting in the ER when we arrived at 10pm. Understaffed is an understatement.

We walk in and as I'm giving the woman at the checkout counter my information, BJ proceeds to ask how long the wait is, as if we're at P.F. Chang's looking for a table for two by the window. She told her she had no idea and we walked over to claim our two seats which were in a good area directly facing the TV. We settle in and we wait, and wait, and wait. It becomes clear to us very quickly that we are in for a long night. BJ had to work the early shift at 6am and it was already 11:30pm so we decided she needed to leave, get Nick out, get herself ready and try to get some sleep. I left with my insurance information and a credit card, but no cash. BJ gave me a $20 bill that I would need later to take a cab home and left.

Midnight came and went...12:30am...1:15am. The same people who were there before me were still there. Hacking, crying, sighing loudly, etc. I was getting really hungry and it didn't help that one guy, who I'll nickname "Chippy", was behind me and kept crunching on snacks. Where were they coming from? I think he went through three bags of chips and a candy bar before they called him into the back. Apparently he wasn't suffering from a stomach bug. Finally I got up to see where he kept going and there it was - a full vending machine. But wait, I only had a $20 bill. I looked around...no one there looked like they had any interest in breaking it. My stomach growled, begging my brain to figure out a way. Deflated I turned to head back to my seat and that's when I saw it. In the new state of the art ER, they had a vending machine that took credit cards! Not kidding:

I slid my handy, dandy Visa through the slot and walked off with my Lays. I figured that would be enough because I'm sure to get called soon.

1:30am...1:52am...2:10am...WTF?!! BJ kept texting me throughout, not able to sleep wondering when I'd be coming back. In addition to barely being able to stay awake, a throbbing and shooting pain consistently running through my finger and hunger coming back, I also had to pee. I had been waiting, hoping they'd call for me and I didn't want to gone when they came to get me. But it was getting past the point of being able to hold it, so I told the desk receptionist where I was going and to not let them leave if they came to get me. She seemed thrilled for me to be instructing her.

So off I go to the bathroom, finagling everything with one hand. Ever try to lock a public restroom door with one hand? Figuring this would be the last time I'd be able to go, I stayed there for a minute to make sure I was completely empty. Satisfied I finished up and went back to my spot near the TV.

I was sitting there for only a couple of minutes and then I heard it. That familiar call.

"Ms. Coat?" Louder. "Ms. COAT?!"

I stood up, almost letting it go, but couldn't. "It's Cote. Pronounced Cody."

"Come with me, Ms. Cody." She made sure to say it with a bit of sarcasm. I couldn't believe my luck. Less than five minutes had passed since I got back from the bathroom.

Now you've been following along with me and know that I got there at 10pm. I got into my ER curtain spot at about 2:35am. I was cold, sweaty and exhausted and must have smelled pretty sweet since I didn't have a chance to shower after the game. I had had it, but relief set in when she said the following.

"We're going to get you a Percocet for the pain and get you in to get an xray for that, ok?"

"Perfect." I replied.

She spun around and put a plastic cup in front of me.

"I just need you to pee first so we can make sure you're not pregnant."

Oh come ON.

"I literally JUST went about five minutes ago. I can't go now." I pleaded.

"Well, we can't give you pain medication or take an x-ray until we know for sure." She said.

I felt my inner Shirley McClaine from Terms of Endearment coming out.

"Trust me, there is absolutely no way I'm pregnant." I said, staring at her.

"Well, we can't know for sure until we..." I cut her off.

"Unless it is the Immaculate Conception, I'm not pregnant...I'm..." She cut ME off, started walking away, waving her hands in the air.

"I don't want to hear anymore...I don't want to hear it...at least try." She said as she left the room.

"But....I...just...went...." I stuttered, partially to myself.

So there it was, staring at me.

I took the cup and went into the bathroom. Maybe, just maybe there would be some left. I did the one handed thing again and tried to pee. Nothing. At. All. I flushed, thinking maybe that would help. Nothing. I looked over at the sink on the other side of the bathroom. Oooh! I'll run the water. I shuffled over to the sink and naturally, it's a freaking sensor sink! The water would only stay on for as long as my hand was under there. It wasn't happening so I went back out dejected, with nothing.

The nurse gave me a look of disappointment and said she'd go and get the doctor anyway. Two minutes later she came in with these:

Ice waters. With lots of ice chips.

"Drink these and hopefully you can go so we can get that test done. I only need a few drops." She said as the doctor came in.

He looked me over said it was broken but he wanted to get the x-rays done to see how things were. He then asked the nurse if she got me any pain medication. I took a swig of my ice water and chomped on some ice getting ready to reply.

"Not yet." she said. "We haven't been able to get the pregnancy test done."

"I just went before I got in here." I said, defending my pee handicap.

At this point the doctor became my favorite person on the planet.

"Is there a chance you could be pregnant?" He asked me.
"No." I said through more ice chips.
"Well, even if she was, Percocet is an approved drug for pregnant women." He said to the nurse and added, "Get the paperwork together and just have her sign that she said she's not pregnant."

He turned to me. "We'll get you into x-ray and get you the Percocet."

I nodded my head, like a five year old. I was SO tired.

At this point, it was after 3am. I get my Percocet, and I wait for the nurse to take me to x-ray. About 20 minutes goes by and I start to feel the Percocet kicking in, as well as my finger continuing to swell. Bored, I figured I'd start taking pictures of my finger. I managed to get one decent one before the nurse came back to get me. Pretty, huh?

I get in and out of x-ray and head back to my curtain area. And I wait. And I wait. At about 3:30am the ice waters started kicking in. I looked around for my nurse. Nowhere to be found. Do I still need to pee in the cup? The doctor said I just needed to sign something. But I always love a good competition and this was between me and the nurse who I really don't think believed that there was no chance I was pregnant.

Back in to the bathroom, I one handed it again. And this time, I managed. I came out of the bathroom holding my cup like I was holding the Olympic torch, proud of my accomplishment. The nurse was practically standing outside the bathroom door waiting for me. And within a few minutes, there it was. My first ever pregnancy test...and go figure, I wasn't pregnant.

At this point the doctor came in to go over the x-rays. Yes, it was broken as he suspected, but it was broken in both joints, the top and middle one. The top one had a "chip" fracture and the middle one was just plain old broken, but since it was in a joint, I had to go to an orthopedic in case it required surgery.

Another nurse came in to put a splint on my hand. It was a little much, but she seemed really into her work so I just let her keep wrapping:

I texted BJ (who was still up) and told her I was done and calling a cab to head home. I started at 10pm and ended at:

Yes...4am. By the time the cab showed up and I got home, it was 4:45am.

The next day I went to the orthopedic who confirmed the two breaks. He wrapped my finger in a much smaller splint and wants to see me back again in two weeks to change it out and start moving my second joint a bit before it heals too much and gets too stiff.

As I was checking over my credit card statement, I couldn't help but laugh at the line item that pretty much summed up my whole night.

7/20/09 VENDOR ASX MACHINE NJ: $1.00 CHIPS

Good luck!

2009-07-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I thought I could almost become one of the people on trial that we cover at work. The image ran through my mind of the newspaper headline: "Court TV producer snaps, chokes department of motor vehicle representative."

For real, the DMV has never been a pleasurable place to go, but after today it is now waaaay up there on the list of places I wish I never had to go to again - right behind the gyno and dentist. But, renewing a license is mandatory, so I had to go. I knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience, but I figured if I had all my ducks in a row, I'd be at least a little ahead of the game.

I would have loved to do all this online, however the New Jersey DMV makes you go in person to get your license renewed because of some new anti identity theft program they have established. In other words, if you don't have everything they tell you to bring, you're not going to get a license.

So, the first thing I had to do was make sure I had all of the information they were going to need to quickly process my paperwork. I logged onto their website, checked how many points I needed (6) and checked off all the identification I'd be bringing. Between my passport, social security card, license and birth certificate, I was way ahead of the game at 9 points. So I organized all my information last night, attached it to my credit card I'd be paying with and sent an email to my supervisor reminding her I'd be in after the DMV. She wrote back, "Ok, good luck!"

Good luck? Hmmmm. I should have known then.

I will start off by accepting some responsibilty for the fiasco of a morning I had...after all, two people, BJ being one of them (this tidbit will come in handy later) told me to go to one particular DMV station in Bayonne, NJ and I decided I'd go to another one. Mostly because I knew where I was going and according to mapquest, it was the closest one to get to.

So off I went this morning with all my ducks still in a row to get my license. As I got in the car I saw the gas light on. Damn! I forgot I needed to get gas. There's ten more minutes out of my morning. I filled up the tank and drove the twenty five minutes to the address that was online. The closer I got I realized I couldn't see anything resembling a DMV. I drove up one way, down the other and around.

Twice.

I finally stopped into the Motor Vehicle inspection station and was told by the one guy sitting in the office with coffee cake crumbs on his shirt and a smirk on is face, that that office had closed down about a year ago and that only inspections were being done there now. I silently cursed him for his condescending tone and wished he dropped his coffee cake muffin thingy on the floor. I can only hope he did.

Caffeine deprived, frustrated and even more late, I got in the car and called BJ. It went like this.

"Hello?"
"Hey, can you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"My Secaucus DMV closed down. They only do inspections."
"You should have gone to Bayonne."

Why?

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

"Yeah, I know, but I didn't. Can you tell me how to get to Bayonne?"

"I'm not in the office yet, I'll do it when I get in."

So I headed in the direction of Bayonne until BJ she called me back with directions. I will spare you the next thirty *&#$!ing minutes of trying to find the DMV. But I will tell you it included about 4 U-turns, 3 blown red lights, one uncoordinated attempt to yell to another driver in the car next to me for directions, and getting stuck behind 2 summer field trip bound school buses. I wound up pulling up next to a cop (yes, with expired license in my pocket) and asked him where the DMV was. I was apparently still ten minutes away. So I got BJ back on the phone and she gave me more directions from where I was.

FINALLY after a few freak outs and considerating taking this weekend's four hour road trip with an expired license, I found the damn DMV.

I grabbed my ducks, proud that at least this part should go smoothly, and walked in. As you can see from the photo above it seemed like the morning rush had come and gone. Something good came from all my wasted time. I got my paperwork, filled out my name, address, social, checked off organ donor and walked up to the four reps who had complete control of my life for the next hour. Trying to make my morning a little better, I approached my rep with a nice smile on my face, plopped my paperwork on the table and proudly displayed my 9 points.

"Snatchy" as her name will now be throughout the rest of this blog, barely looked up, slid my birth certificate back to me and snided, "What's this for?" I replied, "In case you needed it." "I don't." She mumbled. Okay, soooo this is how it was gonna go.

She held up my filled out paperwork. As if she was talking to the counter, she asked, "Is the address the same?"

"Uh, no." I said as I pointed to the paperwork. "That's my new address."

She flipped over my expired license twice, noticing that neither the address or the sticker on the back matched my new address. I swear at this point I saw her smirk.

"You need to show proof of residence."

"Huh?"

"Your addresses don't match. You need to show proof of residence. You got a utility bill?" she said as she was already sliding my papers back towards me.

"No."

"What about insurance, or registration?" She was now looking over my shoulder at the line behind me.

"I don't." I said, knowing that the Jeep insurance and registration were both in BJ's name. Why was this information not online when I diligently did my work to find out what I'd need to avoid all this aggravation?

I nearly begged.

"But I have all of this other stuff. And for real, it took me an hour to get here and I have to go to work." I could feel my face getting red and any ounce of patience I had was already long gone.

"Don't matter. Without proof of residence, I can't put it in."

I told her I'd go out to the car and try to find something. She offered me good luck and called for the next person. Why does everyone wish you good luck when it comes to the DMV?

There was no way I was going to have time to go all the way back home, get a utility bill, go all the way back and also get to work in time to do what needed to be done for Monday's show. I was starting to freak out. I rifled through the Jeep and within the few minutes I was out there managed to find and lose both the insurance card and the registration. I finally found them again. They were useless since my name isn't on them because BJ and I aren't married.

Don't even get me started.

Ten minutes of this and I finally pulled everything out of my work bag. Ah ha! In there was a credit card bill that had my new address on it. It was an old one I had in there that I needed for an account number way back when. Luckily I never took it out.

Armed with my new duck, I walked back into the DMV and towards Snatchy. But she was occupied already and a another rep was open and called me forward. She was pleasant and had a big smile on her face.

"Is this the correct address?"

Uh oh. What to do...what to do...what to dooooo. Since I had my new info, I figured I'd be honest.

"No. But it's right here, on this bill." I said, pointing directly to the address section on the credit card bill.

"But this is from November of 08. We can't use this. It needs to be within 90 days."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!

"But...that's the right address..." I was practically trembling.

Short of bringing our condo TO the registry, there was no way I was gonna be able to prove that my new address was, in fact, my new address.

"Well, what should I do now?" I asked, Smiley.

"Well, we'll just have to put in your old address and print it that way. When you have time, log onto our website and change it in there and we will send you a new sticker."

"WAIT, you can do that?!! Then why didn't anyone say that a half hour ago when...."

Snatchy - not to be outsmarted - jumped from her seat and ran over to us, leaned over my paperwork and rambled incessantly in Spanish. She got louder, arms moving, looking at me and then at my paperwork.

I cut her off.

"Actually, that'd be great. I don't mind if my old address is on it. I'll just get a sticker later. Thank you so much." I said dramatically.

More Spanish flew back and forth. Snatchy huffed her way back to her chair and never looked up.

"Why didn't she tell me that earlier?" I asked Smiley, loudly so Snatchy could hear.

"I don't know. But we'll process it this way, but don't forget to change it online."

"I won't" I said as I glided with my new paperwork past Snatchy's station. She never looked up at me, but I could see her face was as red as the pen she was marking everyone's errors with.

By the time I got up to the window to have my new picture taken, I was caffeine deprived, hungry and exhausted. I was about 2 and 1/2 hours into this process. The girl snapped my picture and asked if it was ok. I could have had crossed eyes and six chins and I wouldn't have cared.

"It's fine." I sighed.

She handed me my information back and my new license and told me I was good to go. I walked by Snatchy's area one last time to see if I could catch her eye. She hid behind her monitor. I snapped her picture anyway because I know she knew I was there holding up my cell phone at her.

I tucked everything into my pockets and hightailed it out of there before anything else could go wrong. As I pulled out of the DMV parking lot, it was as if the caffeine Gods were with me. Look what I saw!

I nearly ran over two people trying to walk by the Jeep as I screeched my way across the street. As I was leaving Dunkin Donuts with my large iced coffee, a older woman approached me. She wanted to know if I had a disposable bag she could use to put some of her things in. I didn't but suggested that maybe the Dunkin Donuts people could give her one.

"You see," she said, "I have to go stand in line at the DMV and I don't want to carry all of these things so I need a bag."

"Oh, that's a good idea." I said.

And as I unlocked my door to get back into the Jeep, I turned to her and said, "Well, good luck."

Time for a change...

2009-06-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last week there were a lot of rumblings about what was going on with our network. Well, yesterday we officially found out.

In November of this year, all live trial coverage will not be produced out of NYC anymore, but moved to CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, GA. For the viewers, they may only notice a few changes in format, different anchors hosting and perhaps a different look to the trial coverage they are used to seeing, but for the NYC production team, there's a major difference.

We are all out of work come November, 2009.

There were tears, scared expressions of "What do I do now?", "But I just bought a house." and the end all be all question of "Why?"

The answer is simple...it's business. We are too expensive up here in NYC to run what they can run out of their own space in Atlanta. In this economy, everyone is looking for ways to save a buck, or, um...several million, so it was inevitable that somewhere down the line a bright eyed accountant was going to catch on to a simple money fix.

Television is a very unstructured, risky business to get into. I've had about four years here at 600 Third Avenue in NYC and it's been just what I needed to settle back in from our trek back from Los Angeles five years ago. It was the most stable TV gig any of us have ever had. It was perfect for me at that time in my life. However, I wrote a bit ago about looking for a change in the "When being settled is unsettling..." post here on the blog. Apparently the universe was reading.

So what does this mean for me? Time to reevaluate and focus. On what I don't know yet. I have at least 5 mos to figure out what I want to do next. In the short term, I have a meeting with HR to discuss all the formalities and sign some paperwork.

It's a little nerve wracking, but at the same time exciting to know there's a change coming for me in the future. A new job, new commute, new section of the city to explore, new friends to make, new bars and restaurants to frequent, new sights, etc.

So basically, I think it's been time for a change for awhile...but now it's coming whether I like it or not.

For those of you who want to see the official announcment running now on all the television news sites, click here.

"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."

Gotta love New York....

2009-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Sorry for the delay in writing, it has been pretty busy. Work has been hectic and there's something very big going on next week that not a lot of people know about. All I know is that there are eight extra HR reps that set up shop on the 2nd floor (we are on the 3rd floor) and the rumor mill over at truTV is in full swing. Are they doing away with live trials? Are the live trials now going under CNN over at Time Warner? The rumor that five extra security guards are on hand for Friday of this upcoming week (for badge returns, escorts out, etc) isn't helping either. Unemployment is at and all time high in our country, and morale is at an all time low in our offices.

No one knows what is going on yet, but everyone is channeling their inner Suze Orman and frantically checking their bank account balances, 401K's, calculating a possible severance pay and flipping the couch cushions looking for spare change. It's not a fun environment right now, but I am trying to remain optimistic. It won't do me any good anyway if I get too stressed out about it. It won't change the final outcome either way, so I remain as calm as I can and wait to hear the facts of why those eight life changers are getting all hooked up down one floor from us. Tick tock, tick tock.

So while I wait, I use up some of my health insurance benefits. Each year I try to do all my yearly doctor appointments in the same month so I can just bang 'em out and be done with them. Also, it helps to not forget to make the appointments. So last week I had a few appointments, one of which was a physical.

Now, when you go to a doctor's office, no matter what city you're in, you want the place to be clean, right? That's a no brainer. So imagine my surprise when, at the end of my visit when I was attempting to give a urine sample, I look over and the above picture is what I see. I have a pretty good idea of what it is, but had to get closer to get a better look.

AYUP. Here it is:

Catches mice, lice, roaches, etc. But you know as well as I do that this is NYC. So it's there to catch, what else - a rat. And from the looks of the CATCHMASTER, it appears as though it may have already lost a battle with one.

In about four seconds flat, I became a URINE SAMPLE MASTER and hightailed it out of there before I witnessed any rat catching mastering going on.

Gotta love New York....

Squeezing it...

2009-06-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we had a bunch of things to do, mostly errands and workout appointments, BJ's family in town, etc. But about a week or so ago I got invited by Frank Sinatra, Jr's wife Cynthia to go see Frank perform at the Blue Note in NYC. Cynthia is a criminal defense attorney and comes on our show at truTV every now and then when she's in the city. Even though we had a busy weekend, we decided we would squeeze in the show too.

We were told to get there early because the tables get filled quickly and even with VIP tickets we weren't guaranteed good seats. So we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there.

However, it is NYC and you are bound to stumble upon one delay or another, as I can attest to on my frantic commute to work every day. Stalled buses, random delays, traffic, derailed trains, you name it. So on our way to the Blue Note we began walking in the direction I had scribbled on a post it after I pulled up where the Blue Note was on hopstop.com. Things were looking good, we had plenty of time.

Until we hit the police barricades and throng of people.

We zigged and zagged past some of the crowd, a crazy amount of NYPD cruisers and secret service cars until I zigged us right smack into a cop. For "security reasons" we had to go around. And by around, he meant we could zig zag our way back to where we started and go down the next block.

Squeezing in and around the excited pedestrians on tiptoes holding out cameras was no easy feat but we managed to head down the next block - where we were greeted by yet another blocked path and police officers. Two more blocks down and still barricades. In fact, an entire section of NYC was blocked off. Eventually we figured it out. The President and Michelle Obama were in town on a date! Everyone was waiting for the motorcade to come by.

As much as we wanted to hang out and try to sneak a peak, time was ticking off the clock and I knew Cynthia was going to be waiting for us, so we kept walking. Getting frustrated and sweaty, I finally stopped in front of another cop. "Okay, HOW do we get THERE." I said pointing in the general vicinity of where my post it map said I needed to be.

The cop pointed to the park across from us. "Go where everyone else is going."

Gotta love NYC cops.

We finally get to where we need to be with ten minutes to show time. Cynthia is there waiting for us and hands us over to the manager. He signals a waitress to help us find two seats and when I turned to follow her I couldn't believe my eyes. Instead of naming the place Blue Note, they should have just named it Fire Hazard. It was packed. And not just packed, but tables pushed against tables with chairs everywhere. People in every direction and every table was full. We realized fairly quickly that we'd be sitting at a table with complete strangers. We finally got shown to a table but in order to get into it, three people had to step out, I had to do a major gut suck and ask four other people at the table behind me to "excuse me" as BJ rambled on loudly about how ridiculous the situation was.

To make a very long story short, the manager came back for us and moved us to another table that was closer to the stage and much better. Still a tight squeeze, but at least we weren't staring at the strangers with us in the last setup.

As we got settled we heard some clapping and rumbling and it was then that we saw Tony Bennett coming in! He walked by us and was shaking hands and high fiving people all the way to his table which was a few feet away from us. I spent half the time looking at him as I did at the stage.

A few minutes later the band started playing and Frank came out. He sang a few of his own songs, but then started singing his father's songs. He told really cool stories about back in the day, how things were done, how some songs came to be. At the end of his last set he said he could probably squeeze in one more song and ended his show, appropriately, with "New York, New York."

After the show we got to go up to the dressing room to say hi to Frank and chat with Cynthia again. Just as we were going in, Tony Bennet was coming out. He seemed really nice. Inside, Cynthia and I talked about work a bit while I also listened to Frank talk to his sax player about technical issues and stage things. Being back in a dressing room is a neat experience since you get to see how things go down in between shows, etc. The sax player poured himself a huge glass of Jack Daniels and left to get ready for the next show at 10:30pm. We took a quick picture with Frank and then left him to prepare for the next show.

Heading home, we came across a Mr. Softee truck.

We decided we'd split something on our walk back to the train station. BJ ordered and the guy handed her the ice cream cone. The cone had a crack down the side of it and ice cream was already oozing out of it.

"My cone is cracked." BJ said to him.

"No it isn't," he said back, all New Yorkee.

"Yeah it is." she said, holding it up to prove her case.

He looked at it, then at her. And as if he had been with us all night, he said in his thick New York City accent,

"So squeeze it."

Birthday treasures...

2009-05-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I celebrated my birthday. And although I’m still in the same age bracket as last year when those random internet surveys pop up on the internet, I’m definitely creeping up enough to notice the effect of another year that has tick-tocked itself right off the calendar.

For me, birthdays are a little bit like New Year’s when I take a look back at where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m hoping to go. I get that feeling of a fresh start to a new year of whatever life has in store for me. And in the middle of all that life are the people I have had around me along the way.

Sure, it gets wacky. You lose track of friends you had when you were ten, eighteen, twenty five, etc. You are in and out of relationships. You make new friends at work and at play, new family members are born or get married into your life, etc.

And so on my birthday, I was blessed to be thought of by many of those people who I’ve circled the earth with for a period of time. And they are truly, each in their own way, treasures.

BJ was the first to say Happy Birthday. She brought home flowers, took me to dinner, got me a present and then brunch the next day with her cousin and his wife and baby. My in-laws all called.

My mom called and recounted the story of when I was born…eh hem….six weeks early and at 3am. I was a 7lb premie. Good thing I was early.

My family called throughout the day. My almost 15 year old nephew texted me. That was quickly followed by a text from my almost 12 year old niece, who must have been standing right next to him.

My aunt, away for the weekend celebrating her own birthday, called from the car with her friends and sang a fantastic (possibly wine induced) rendition of Happy Birthday.

My sisters emailed and then called, taunting me about my new age. I reminded them they’ll always be older than me.

My grandmother left me a voicemail asking if I was out or suffering from a big head. Now, I suppose I’ve been told I have a big head at times, but clearly she meant a hangover. In her card she also recounted her version of when I was born. As my parents rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night, she rushed to relieve the neighbor who was at our house with my sisters who were sleeping. She said she couldn't sleep a wink, but not because of anticipation of me being born, but because “Ernie” - the turtle that my father had brought home for us - was scratching at the dishpan he was in, trying to get back to his pond friends. My grandmother was panicked he was going to crawl on her head which was next to his pan near the couch. But, she said, it was worth it because then I “came along.” A grandmother’s memory is one of the truest treasures there is.

I had a fun, long conversation with my father. “I saw my last daughter being born, I’d like to be in there,” he told the doctor as they rushed my mother into the room. “I’ll be back to get you,” the doctor answered. He came back, “Well, Mr. Cote, congratulations, you have another daughter.” Apparently I was in a rush to get going on this journey. His final thought was, “I mean, what can a turtle do to you anyway?”

Some of those friends I had when I was ten, eighteen and twenty-five years old, whom I recently got reacquainted with, all wrote on my “wall” and sent me emails, as did some new friends who I’ve picked up along the way from here, there and everywhere.

My anchor and co-workers took me to lunch, bought me some cool presents and sang Happy Birthday around an amazingly, perfect birthday cake.

And what started the whole treasure fest of a birthday was my present BJ bought for me. Which was, well, a treasure box. She got it off of Rosie O’Donnell’s charity page on Etsy.com. As many of you already know from reading my blog, Rosie built an art center (the Maravel Arts Center after Pat Maravel, a woman who took Rosie under her wing and into her family when Rosie’s mother died at age 10) in the theatre district that caters to kids who come from some of the poorest sections of NYC. They are the kids who are in the public school system where art, theatre and music have been ripped out of the curriculum. They are the kids who don’t have a shot at anything and who would most likely never get out of where they are if it weren’t for this new art center that some of them get the privilege to attend. But in order to keep the center running, Rosie has taken it upon herself to continue to do her part to raise more funds for it.

Most of you know she is a former talk show host, television, film and Broadway actress. And yes, an outspoken, loud, activist. But some of you may not know she’s also an artist and all around crafty person. In order to raise more funds, she puts some of her artwork up on Etsy.com and all the proceeds go to the center. She also matches, dollar for dollar, the money brought in on that page. I have visited the center, watched some of the kids rehearse. I smelled the new paint, polished floors and brand new equipment. The center is one giant goosebump of pure positive energy. So the fact that my birthday present was going to help out the center was a gift on its own.

But thrown in was a little bit of a bonus. Apparently when BJ bought the treasure box off of Rosie’s etsy shop online, there is the option to “contact the seller.” So she emailed Rosie and told her it was my birthday and that she bought the treasure box for me and even though it was already autographed, she wondered if she could personalize it before shipping it.

And she did.

When I opened it and flipped it over I saw her familiar signature. And then added on the bottom was - HAPPY BDAY DEB (C9).

The box came filled with fun little trinkets to get me started on my next year of new memories and new treasures.

And because of all of you, just like the box, so is my heart.

Product placement at it's finest...

2009-05-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

How do you know the manager at the CVS on 42nd and 3rd Avenue in NYC is a woman?

Completely surrounded by an entire aisle filled with boxes of tampons, maxi pads and other feminine items was this one lonely rack of a possible extra item you may want to pick up.

For real, there was nothing else hanging anywhere in the aisle, but these:

Ok?

Big GAY blog...UPDATED

2009-04-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a blog building up for some time now and just couldn’t find a way to piece it all together in my mind to make it coherent here. There is too much to say and it’s all swirling around in different categories, so the only way I can sum it up is to say this will be one giant, mishmash of a gay blog. I have no idea where it’s going and no idea where it will end, but if you’re here, you may as well come along on the written ride.

The thing is, every day I could come in here and write about something gay. Some story in the tabloids, some homophobic comment I overheard that is just so ridiculous it almost doesn’t even warrant a response, news about gay marriages being allowed (or not) in certain states, some celebrity who needs to come out, news about yet another hate crime involving a gay person, the thousands of our military’s finest getting kicked out of the service for being gay, etc. The list goes on and on and on.

You may not notice it as much as gay people do if you’re not gay. But if you constantly heard the word “straight” in front of every newscast segment, or read the word “straight” as it was used as an adjective to discuss every day issues, you might notice that. If you’re Irish and the word Irish was in front of various issues and reports, you’d probably notice how often it was being used. Start listening, watching or reading to see how many times the word gay is being used and you’ll see what I mean.

And to be completely direct, I don’t have enough space here to write all the rebuttals to the insane stereotyping and ignorant comments I’ve read or heard in the past few months. Feel free to research issues on your own though. You will learn a lot, even those of you who think you are open minded. Oftentimes you don’t even know you are saying something that is offensive or stereotypical and by reading a few things you will gain a better understanding of the issues at hand.

Anyway, what has brought all of this to a blogging boiling point is that we are covering a case over here at truTV that is starting tomorrow. It is a hate crime case out of Colorado of a transgender woman, Angie Zepata, who was brutally murdered by a guy named Allen Andrade when he found out she was a pre-op transgender person while they were on a date. In the quickest possible way to get the details out, he snooped around her apartment while she was out, saw some stuff that indicated that Angie was biologically a male and waited for her to come home. When she did, he grabbed her crotch, felt a penis and beat her to a pulp with his bare hands and then when that wasn’t good enough, he grabbed a fire extinguisher. Thinking she was dead, he covered her body with a blanket and began cleaning up his mess. When he heard a “gurgling” sound and saw Angie try to sit up, he grabbed the fire extinguisher again and made sure he finished the job. He then took off with her car, keys and credit cards and left her there. Angie’s sister went looking for her when no one in her large family heard from her and found her dead in her apartment.

And yes, Angie is a she. She may have been born with male genitalia and was brought up as a boy, but she never felt like a boy on the inside. Everything in her mind, heart and soul reflected she was a woman. The outside didn’t match one thing she was feeling on the inside. And at age 16, she was brave enough to tell her family what she was feeling. They embraced her and loved her for who she was, not the penis she was born with between her legs. Born Justin, they all supported her and called her by her chosen name, Angie, and she became just another woman in their family.

Andrade was eventually found, with the car, keys and credit cards and is now on trial. He confessed to the murder, saying he killed “it”, but the cops didn’t stop questioning him when he said he didn’t want to talk anymore, so the judge won’t allow the confession to come into trial. The jury won’t hear it. But what they will hear is a taped recording from the jail where Andrade brags on the phone to someone about how the prisoners are all afraid of him because of his ability to wield a fire extinguisher and how “all gay things should die.” There is no question he did it, the question will be how much time he will serve for it. The prosecution has included a hate crime charge to this murder, and because Colorado includes transgender in their hate crimes laws under sexual orientation, they can add it. There are only a handful of states that include transgender under their hate crimes laws. In fact, not all states include sexual orientation at all in their hate crimes legislation. Sex, race and religion are included, but not sexual orientation. So in some states you’ll get a more severe penalty for killing someone because they are a woman, or black, or Jewish, but not if they’re gay. But anyway, I digress. Back to Angie’s senseless murder.

See, if you were born as a straight person, knowing inside and out who you are and living in a completely matched body, mind and soul - consider yourself lucky. You have the easy way out in this world. You just go about your business, not having to worry that someone wants to “show you what it’s like to be with a real man” or that there’s a group of insecure haters lurking around a corner waiting to beat you to death because you are gay - or they think you are gay. If you're straight, you are afforded all the rights that our country and Constitution have to offer. You don’t have to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees to line up these rights for yourself that everyone else gets just by being born on U.S. soil. Don’t get me wrong, if I could snap my fingers and be straight would I? NO. I am comfortable with who I am and being gay is only one part of me. I am comfortable the way God made me and I was born exactly the way I was supposed to be – as me. And Angie was too. She was born with enough strength to realize she had a happier life ahead of her and born with enough courage to begin making those changes.

Unfortunately in this case Allen Andrade fell victim too. No, I don’t have a soft spot for the homophobic coward. What I mean is that he is a victim of society's pressures. Our society makes it seem like being gay is the worst thing in the world. Does that give him a license to kill? No, but hear me out. See, Angie Zapata and Allen Andrade had gone out before. Angie performed oral sex on Allen. Allen liked Angie and was attracted to Angie, the person, Angie the soul. All of that happened independent of any outside body parts. It wasn’t until Allen Andrade found out Angie still had male genitalia that he murdered her. So even though Andrade liked Angie, the thought of anyone perceiving him as gay was worse than taking another human being's life and going to prison for the rest of his own.

The problem (aside from Allen Andrade being a cold blooded killer) is that in our country gay is perceived as being bad. Gay is wrong. Gay is gross. Gay is weak. Gay is stereotypical. Gay is a sin. Gay isn’t “normal” in the eyes of so many in our society. The reason people think all of those things is because they don’t really know gay people. If they did, they would see that gay people are the same as straight people. And don’t get me started on the news reports that start off with “Gays want xxx…” What if the news started off with “Straights on are the verge of…” Seems weird, right? We aren’t some mass that’s moving along in the world, we are individuals. People who happen to be gay. I think when you take off the word "people" it makes it easier to hate a targeted group.

Bottom line is that the straight people who are homophobic are so because of ignorance. They don’t know that gay people live their lives in the same way straight people do. The only difference is that we love someone of the same sex. You have heard of some people who are heterosexuals most of their lives and then find they are attracted to a member of the same sex. Oftentimes they will say that the sex doesn’t matter, they fell in love with the person, the soul of the other being. If Allen Andrade never grabbed the crotch area on Angie, he may have even fallen in love with her for who she was. (There is a whole other issue of when Angie should have told Allen about being a pre-op transgender. And who knows when she was going to. They had just started dating. If she told Allen Andrade, would he have been secure enough in himself to just walk away or would she have been murdered sooner?) But the bottom line is that the way “gay” is perceived in this country needs to change so people won’t kill or be killed just because you are gay or someone thinks you are.

So read this again and pass it on...In fact, pass this blog on. There is nothing wrong with being gay. If you got to know a gay man, a lesbian or a transgender person, you would see that they are people, not labels. They are human beings with hopes and dreams and lives and families, the same as any straight person. I don't know what some straight people think gay people do in their every day lives, but if they got to know them, they'd see we are just like them. We live our lives the exact same way everyone else does. We have parents and siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends. We have ups and downs and all the same feelings and emotions as anyone else. It is up to all of us to correct the ignorance and to teach that it is not okay to pass judgment on something you know nothing about. And please don’t use the word tolerate. I don’t feel that I am someone who you should have to “tolerate”, thank you very much.

Some of you reading this may have same sex tendencies but opted to live a heterosexual life that isn’t all that great for you, just easier. If that’s the case, I feel bad for you because you are missing out on a life of truth and full happiness and are most likely bringing along an unsuspecting partner/spouse with you. And if that is you, then live with that choice but don’t inflict pain or judgment (or legislation) on those who are brave enough to be who they truly are and to live their one life here on earth as happily as they can. You would think that here in the United States, you know, the country that has that pesky little document that goes something like this: We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” that you’d leave others alone to pursue their own happiness while you searched for yours.

And if you’re one of those who makes comments about gay people and think it’s hilarious, think about the message you are conveying in your own world, with your families, your children, your children’s friends. What you think is a funny remark or what you think is a harmless joke, can be the beginning of a long line of growing ignorance, hate and bias. Your simple joke could start another ripple of a younger society growing up thinking it is okay to make fun of, beat, or kill a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person.

And the media needs to change its tune too. I wrote a blog awhile back when Snickers ran that awful campaign where the two mechanics accidentally kiss while sharing a Snickers bar and then proceed to beat each other up with various tools in the shop. Click HERE for that blog. It’s everywhere and I am just one person so I can’t show you all of it, but thankfully there is an organization, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) that is a media watchdog and takes to task those shows and networks that portray the LGBT community unfairly. (LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender).

A couple of weeks ago while watching Saturday Night Live, a digital short came on that was a parody of the new film "Fast and Furious" but the short was called “Fast and Bi-Curious” - which is kind of funny…Yes, gay people do have a sense of humor. And the video was funny, right up until they showed a cast member playing the part of a totally disgusted girl at around the 1:18 mark. They had to show an element of disgust in there. So to all the kids out there who were watching it, or online watching it after the fact, they see that it’s not “right” and it’s “disgusting" and that is what they base their opinions on. It spreads hate and ignorance – to millions of people. You can see for yourself here:

I’ll leave you with the story of 11 year old of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover who recently committed suicide because of some awful taunting he endured on a daily basis at school.

He was someone the other students called 'girlie,' 'gay' and 'fag.' His mother said the bullying was worse than the breast cancer she had survived four years ago. Daryl Presgraves from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network organization said, "When you are in elementary school, one of the first things you learn is the feeling of hurt when you are called 'gay' or 'fag’. It doesn't matter if you are gay or straight. The term 'gay' has become synonymous with "uncool." The expression 'That's so gay' is one of the most heard in school, and students recognize it as derogatory," he said.

For that full article on Carl, click here: When Words Can Kill: 'That's So Gay'

According to that article, “Carl's suicide comes about a year after California eighth-grader Lawrence King was shot and killed by a fellow student in his classroom for supposedly being gay.”

Now you tell me…

Does the perception of what it means to be gay in our society need to change?

***UPDATE***
As each trial goes on, the light of truth begins to be shed on the real story. Since we could only get one side of the story due to the fact that Angie Zepata is dead, the pieces of the puzzle got sorted out and fit together by the witnesses and attorneys on both sides.

As expected, there was more to the story than first reported with some very big arrows coming out of the trial testimony and some DNA evidence that all pointed towards Allen Andrade himself being gay, or perhaps bisexual. Some pretty convincing circumstantial evidence gave everyone the idea that Allen Andrade knew that Angie Zepata was transgender and that it wasn't a surprise to him after all.

His supposed hatred of gay people and his rage that fermented and exploded on Angie Zepata was most likely his own hatred for himself. Angie drew out of him something he couldn't like about himself or admit to anyone. The pressure that society places on gay people was enough to push Allen Andrade to kill Angie because she was the one who could reveal his deepest secrets.

The jury deliberated for only a couple of hours before coming back with a verdict of guilty on all counts. First degree murder, hate crime, life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After the verdict, Angie Zepata's mother gave a heartbreaking statement. The one blessing in all of this was that Angie had a loving family who accepted her for who she was and loved her unconditionally.

Sadly, that is not always the case. Often many gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender adolescents are kicked out of their homes and out of their families forever.

It is imperative that the stigma attached to "gay" ends, so that so many young, beautiful lives don't have to.

When being settled is unsettling…

2009-03-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in updating, there just wasn’t much to write about lately. Not sure if it’s because its still freezing out and I’m not getting out much or if it’s just because things are going along smoothly. In fact, I think it’s the smooth part that's the problem, so why not write about that. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be thrown for a loop with a major bad bump in the road (just in case the universe is reading) but I just don’t know what to do with myself when I don't have a lot going on.

Those of you who have known me for awhile know that I’m used to doing a zillion things at once. Not so much in the daily basis, multi-tasking way although I do tend to do that as well. Ask BJ who wishes I’d stand still for a second while she tries to tell me something. But what I'm referring to is doing a bunch of life type things at once. For example, when I was in high school, I played three sports and also worked a part time job. I was used to taking off after class for practice or a game and occasionally then rushing to work for a few hours and then getting home after that. Homework? What homework? Somehow though, I managed to get it all done.

In college I played three sports and also had a work study job. I worked “security” which basically meant I had keys to all the buildings and walked around making sure professor’s offices were closed up, buildings were locked, the lights were out and no one was hanging out anywhere they weren’t supposed to be. I should have been watching myself, because well, let’s face it, having keys to all the buildings can come in handy at times. Especially when you had no groceries in your room, and access to the kitchen in the cafeteria. It’s a great way to keep your friends close when you show up with a loaf of bread and blocks of ham and cheese at 10pm.

Anyway, the athletic seasons all overlapped with each other and quite often I’d show up to class in my uniform and equipment bag and leave early to head over to the trainer to get wrapped before a home game or to catch the bus for away games. When the bus rolled back onto campus later that night, I’d get out at the security office and grab my keys to go about my rounds. Homework? Again it worked somehow.

After college I got my first job, commuted an hour each way, played in summer softball leagues, indoor field hockey, etc. I got my first taste of the entertainment industry by working that same full-time job and then spending the majority of my nights and my weekends working on an indie film in Boston. I’d leave work and drive into Boston, getting back to Worcester really late at night and then do it again the next day. I managed to get an Associates Producer credit, my first small acting role and a big enough bug to force me to quit the corporate world and venture out to Los Angeles. More on that later…

In addition to the entertainment industry, I was also accustomed to playing sports competitively and I really missed it. In the middle of a flag football season, a friend of mine got involved in starting up a woman’s pro tackle football team. A new league was formed, the Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL) and a few of us from the flag teams went over to play. Because the league was just starting out, we all worked our regular day jobs and then drove an hour to the practice field and practiced for 2-3 hours and then drove back. It was a huge commitment and you had to put 110% into it in order to be successful and also to not get hurt.

I played a season in the WPFL and then another season in the National Women’s Football Association (NWFA), a second league with a team closer to home that I got on. There was a lot of travel involved and almost every night and weekend was devoted to the team and the league. But when the mayor of the city comes to your first home game and proudly bellows over the loudspeaker that history is being made, you know you’ve just accomplished something great.

After I hurt my leg and couldn’t give it my all, it was time to re-focus. I was still interested in all things entertainment and eventually made the move out to Los Angeles. With that move came a total upheaval of everything I had ever known. I didn’t have my corporate job, only knew one person who worked in television out there and had to relearn how to live on below minimum wage in one of the most expensive cities to live in. I started taking acting classes, fell in love with improv, took classes and performed on some of the stages that were at one time home to many stars, both dead and alive. When money got really low, I took my first job working in television production, thanks to the one friend I knew out there. Often, the TV jobs would come and go within a six week to three month period. We’d all be sitting around eating lunch, the “suits” would walk in and the second they turned around and left we’d be told we were off the air. It was a crazy environment, a lot of work, and a whole new world. It kept me on my toes, moving and occupied.

A couple of years later when I moved back east there was a lot going on. Trying to make new tv contacts, find a job, a new place to live, crashing on couches and in a hotel for a couple of weeks while I waited for BJ to get a job transfer from CT to NYC. It was a ton of driving back and forth, apartment searching, new friends, a new show to work on, etc. To say it was busy and stressful is an understatement.

And speaking of moving, on that return move back home, it was the sixth time BJ and I had moved in I think as many years. At one point, we even moved next door to where we were. Not kidding. In fact, since we’ve been together, we’ve lived in four cities, and are now in our seventh apartment. I swear Thelma and Louise moved less. Anyway, after BJ’s transfer to her job in NYC and my hiring over at Court TV, things started to settle down a bit.

As far as working in television goes, Court TV (well, truTV now) is the most stable gig anyone in television production could have. It combines the corporate world with the entertainment world. Normally in entertainment, you don’t have health insurance or paid vacation days. Hell, there have been people who have been canned for not coming into work one day. It's super competitive. The days are random, you never know what time you’re getting done for the day, etc. Now, I follow court cases and for the most part it’s a 9-5 television job. Unheard of, really. I have PTO days and health and dental. I’ve been here since November of 2005. On any given day, I typically know when I’m coming and going and what I’m doing.

As for home life, BJ and I have been together for almost ten years. We’re a well oiled machine, without any big issues or changes. We can speak in short hand or just with looks, sometimes even mental telepathy works (how did she know I wanted her to pick up milk?) and we have our daily and nightly routines down pat. We just celebrated our first year in our condo on March 17th.

I’m as settled as I’ve ever been and well, quite frankly, it’s a little unsettling.

After work, I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. I have never been the kind of person to come home from work and plop on the couch for the rest of the night to watch TV. I have my favorite shows, on DVR, and I plow through them, commercial free when I feel like sitting for 25 minutes. I don’t nap. In fact I really don’t settle down to sleep until almost midnight. I now have a casual football league on Sunday nights, and work out a couple of nights a week, but I know I need to do more.

I recently had an email exchange with an older, new friend who is wiser and way more accomplished than I am. Every time we email she’s always in the middle of accomplishing something else. She’s won a few Emmy awards, published a couple of books, produces television when the right project comes along, is producing a musical, and just got back from a major soul shifting trip for charity. When I asked her “what’s next?" she mentioned how she wrote a children’s book which is out with her agent, is looking around for radio and TV outlets to promote the charity and is currently taping segments for a new cooking show where she’s the cooking expert. She ended with “Otherwise I'm open again to whatever is coming next.” She then added…

“How about you?”

So it got me thinking. What is next for me?

I'll keep you posted when I find it. But if the universe is reading, eh hem...

I'm open again to whatever is coming next.

Hope you're hungry....

2009-02-23T14:04:00.001-08:00

The other night walking home from dinner in NYC, I saw this sign. OK, first of all, by the time you even get to the 100th tapa, do you really think you'll have room for one more free one? I love the disclaimer on the bottom..."while supplies last"...how many do they keep on hand?!!

And how long can you stay and keep ordering...a week?

So anyway, if you're really in the mood to tapear (go and eat tapas) you may want to bring along about 80 of your friends and family if you're planning on going to this place.

An open letter to Bonnie Hunt...

2009-02-19T12:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Bonnie,

PLEASE stop putting your dog Charlie on the show. For real, no matter how many times Nick sees Charlie, he freaks out. Not sure if he doesn't like him, or he's completely jealous of his air time, but for some reason, he goes nuts.

EVERY TIME.

If we have to beg, we will.

Thank you.

Signed,

The Neighborhood.

Love, Loss and opportunities...

2009-02-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well know that I love NYC. I see it as a city full of charm, dreams, opportunity, energy and chance. One of the good things about working in the city is that I have the opportunity (there's that word again) to jump on things that interest me if I find out about things late or with only a couple days notice. Last night was one of those nights.

I found out that my fav celebrity, Rosie O'Donnell was going to be in a stage reading of a Nora Ephron play, titled Love, Loss and What I Wore. Nora Ephron is a major Hollywood writer and director and I love her writing. She has either written or directed (or both) Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Bewitched, among many others.

The play is in the beginning phases and is based on the book by Ilene Beckerman. Here's the premise: This captivating little pictorial autobiography for adults, a life told through clothes, features Beckerman's brightly colored drawings of the vestments she wore at different times in her life, accompanied by diarylike entries. She grew up in Manhattan in the 1940s and '50s, and we see her elementary school outfit, ballet costume, prom dress, etc. After her mother died, her grandparents, not wanting her to live with her father, took in Ilene and her sister; she never saw her father again. In 1955, at 20, she married her 37-year-old sociology professor in Boston. They soon divorced, and in her second marriage, which also ended in divorce, she had six children, losing one in infancy. She is now v-p of an advertising agency. Beckerman's extremely reticent text never illuminates these events, but her minimalist self-portrait is a wry commentary on the pressures women constantly face to look good.

The stage reading is just that, five actresses sitting on the stage reading the play. There's no movement or acting, they are all cast in various parts and act out the scenes while sitting with the script in front of them. It's a way for writers and directors to see what works, or doesn't, in the script. The play is only being read six times and it has a rotating cast of various actresses that you can see if you click on the top picture. There were just two small problems for an overplanner like myself.

#1 - You don't know who will be in that week's reading until they post it a couple of days ahead.
#2 - The entire run is sold out.

When I found out late that Rosie was going to be in it, I called the theatre and asked what they had for a cancellation policy and they said if I went down there when the box office opened at 6:00pm I could get on a standby list. If anyone cancelled, they'd go down that list and offer tickets to people who wanted them. The play was in Union Square which is a really cool part of the city, so if I didn't get in, I'd putz around and then take the train home.

So after work I shot down to the theatre. I was early and the doors were locked, so I hung out and waited. It has been nice here in NYC lately, but when the sun goes down, it gets cold again. I wasn't dressed right and soon after standing there waiting, I started to get pretty cold. I spotted a Starbucks and ran in for a coffee to warm up and headed back to the theatre. Finally the box office opened up and I got my name on the list. I was the third one if any tickets became available. Since it was also a benefit performance for Dress for Success, the box office person said not many people have been cancelling, but to come back at 7:45 and wait outside. It was at a super small theatre, only 99 seats, so it wasn't looking too good. But since I had already been out there for 30 cold minutes...what's another 105? I started walking around Union Square, ducking in and out of stores I had no intention of buying anything in. I was freezing so I bought a hot chocolate and lallygagged in the bakery for as long as I could stand the looks from the cashier.

Finally it was time to go back to the theatre. I got in line - outside again - with the other standby people. Barbara Walters walked into the theatre. Marlo Thomas then walked in. Nora Ephron was chatting with people in the lobby. Finally the box office people came out and at 7:58pm they called my name. I was the last one to get in.

I got my ticket and was quickly escorted to Row G, Seat 7. Sitting next to me was Marlo Thomas's stylist who was chatty and fantastic. I asked him if he thought there'd be an intermission and he said no. I looked at the program - 90 minutes. My mind flashed to the coffee and hot chocolate and hanging out in the cold and instantly I had to pee. It was 8:12pm and they hadn't started yet. Did I have time? My stylist friend said, "If you're going to do it, do it now." He was right. The theatre was so small I'd have to practically walk ON stage to get to the rest room if I had to go during the show.

I "sorry'd" and "excuse me'd" my way out of the row and ran down to the exit towards the bathroom, trying to get there and back as quickly as possible. As I frantically swung open the door, I ran SMACK into a wall of actresses and directors! YES, the entire cast. You could have heard a pin drop. They stared at me, I stared at them. The director was waiting for me to say, um, anything, so I said, "Do I have time to pee?" and it was obvious they had been a second from entering, so I looked at them and said, "Uh, never mind, I'll wait!" and ran back into the theatre as they all laughed. It was pretty funny.

The play was great. Casey Wilson was one of the actresses. You may know her as one of the newest cast members on SNL. She was fantastic. Rosie was great, in both her poignant and comical scenes. She always gets the laughs. Marlo Thomas was great and Debi Mazar (Entourage is her most recent work) was fanstatic as well. She's so rough around the edges which was perfect for some of her lines. More on that later...

After the play everyone headed to the lobby to talk to the actresses. It was packed and I had to spend a couple of minutes beforehand, eh hem, in the ladies room, so I was stuck way in the back. Not being a celebrity, I can imagine all you want to do is get out of there because honestly, some of those people wanted to tell them their whole life story. I know Rosie from her blog and past book signings and events, so I wanted to say hi to her and snap a picture for this blog if I could, but I wasn't able to get up front. She was there with her wife, Kelli, who was in the same row as I was and who I met during my less than graceful bathroom attempt. She was super nice, but I can imagine they both just wanted to get out of there.

I inched my way towards the front until I was just about at the door. Rosie and Kelli walked out and I followed behind them (not in a stalkering kind of way, just didn't want to miss her). As she was heading to her car I yelled, "Ro!" She turned around and saw me and headed back towards me. "Hey Deb..." We had a hello hug and I told her I enjoyed the reading and asked if I could grab a picture. Kelli was already in the car and Rosie seemed to be in a bit of a rush so I didn't want to keep her too long. But she said "Sure..." and I put my arm out as far as I could to take the self pic of us.

Rosie looked at the angle of the camera and said, "Move in closer, you're not in it." I mumbled something like, "Oh, I don't know if..." and then *flash*, the camera went off. THIS is what I got:

OK, so she was right. She looked at the picture and said, "Give me the camera, I have longer arms." Here's the 2nd take:

She made sure that it came out first and then headed back towards her car. Unfortunately she got stopped again, but managed to keep that conversation short. I told Rosie I'd see her on Thurs at her own charity event for Rosie's Broadway Kids and she said, "Oh yeah? OK..." and she waved bye and got in the car and they took off.

I turned to head towards the train station and as I did, I almost bumped into Deb Mazar again! She was outside with her friends. I asked her if I could get a picture and she said sure, and then she took the camera from me. HA, Maybe she new what was coming. Anyway, she lifted the camera to take a picture and as she said "You wanna get one of those self..." *flash*...the camera went off. This is what that one looked like:

"Fuck!" she said and laughed. "We need another one." Here's the second one:

We chatted about Entourage for a bit and then I headed inside to see if Casey Wilson was hanging around. She had booted right away I guess. But Nora Ephron was still there so I had a second to talk to her, tell her I love her writing and get a quick picture. She couldn't have been nicer. Here we are inside the lobby.

As I walked out the door again to head to the train, I realized my feet had just about thawed out from all the waiting around outside I had done before. But watching them do the reading, seeing how it's done in the pre-stages of a play going up, taking a few pics and getting to chat with them for a bit was definitely worth it.

I wonder what opportunity the city will offer next....

Childhood payback...

2009-02-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

As a kid my parents would take me and my two sisters to an amusement park every summer. We would go to Whalom Park in Lunenberg, MA. It was one of those old school amusement parks with a fantastic rickety, wooden roller coaster. I used to ride that thing over and over and over again, every time trying to get the back cart since it whipped around the fastest.

Part of the fun of being the youngest sibling was that my parents would always put me in the middle of my sisters on the ride, for extra protection. A nice sentiment and quite comfy for me, however being the kind of kid I was, it wasn't much fun for my sisters on certain rides.

One of our favorite rides was the Sizzler, or as we called it in our MA accents, the Sizzlah. You can see if from the video, but if you can't access the video on your computer, here's a picture...

You see the way it whips around? The person on the end (depending on which way it was whipping) would always get jammed into the side of the cart. And it was all metal. So what would I do? On each turn, I'd lean further into whichever sister was on the end. Why? Because it was hilarious. She'd be laughing from the ride and at the same time trying to tell me to stop because it must have killed. I loved it.

Well, today after work I got onto a crowded (for a change) bus in Port Authority to head back home. At first I didn't think there were any seats, but as I continued walking through the tiny center aisle stuffed with puffy, winter coats and work bags, I spotted the seat in the far back against the window. I settled in and waited. I was in the back where the seats aren't really defined, it's just kind of a row. There was really only enough space next to me for two other people and as luck would have it, two women were heading back, so I figured I'd be okay. The guys are bigger and take up more seat space, so whenever I have women sit next to me it's a lot more comfortable. They settled in and we all claimed our space.

Until...

Another woman who can only be defined as "walking chaos" came bumping and sashaying to the back of the bus with what had to be the largest shopping bags on the planet. She then proceeded to squeeeeeze herself into the sort of 1/2 seat that was remaining on the other end of the row. I shifted. I shuffled. The woman next to me did the same.

Before I knew it, I was jammed against the railing of the bus. And it was metal. And no amount of puffy down filling was going to help. I tried to finagle a quarter inch of space, but there just wasn't any room. I was stuck, but I just had to make it to Hoboken.

The driver put the bus in drive and then FLOORED it. I think she was pretending to be Sandra Bullock in the movie Speed. And because she was going so fast, with each turn she took, my ribs hit the side of the bus. The girl in the middle must have never taken a "core building" class at the gym because she couldn't keep herself upright to save her life. She leaned into me on every turn. I probably would have handed her my gym pass if it weren't for the fact that my arms were stuck to my sides like I was in a straight jacket.

Finally the bus pulled into Hoboken and people started to get off which gave us more room. Brenda Bag Lady finally got off and we all shuffled back to a normal position. I started to get feeling back in my rib cage, which is always a good sign.

The next stop was mine and as I hobbled off the bus, Sandra B. took off. I turned to watch it leave and had to smile.

On the back of the bus, behind all the dirt, salt and winter grime, was an old, faded advertisement for Six Flags Amusement Park.

I may have to go this summer. I wonder if they have a Sizzlah.

Crazy karma...

2009-01-13T13:05:00.001-08:00

So last week I was rushing through Port Authority to catch my train to get to work. Haven’t quite gotten the hang of a few of my resolutions…mostly these three:

Get to bed earlier. (And by earlier, I’m hoping at least by 11pm or so)
Get ready faster in the morning. (I’m a putzer…)

Get into work on time. (See above)

So there I was rushing through Port Authority when out of the corner of my eye I saw a man leaning up super close to a billboard and smiling. I don’t remember what the billboard was for, that wasn’t what caught my eye. It was the fact that this guy was leaning up so close to it and grinning from ear to ear.

Slowing my pace down a tiny bit, (there are swarms of people all over so I couldn’t completely stop) I took in the scene. He had his left hand up to his left ear and in his right hand he held a wire from his headphones. I followed the path of the wire and saw what looked to be the other earpiece. He was holding it up to the ear of one of the people on the billboard and in his mind, I guessed, he was playing his music for the person in the ad. And he was thoroughly enjoying it.

As I walked by I felt sorry for him. Hundreds of other people would also be walking by watching him as well and although there’s really nothing anyone can do for someone in those situations, it still gets you thinking. What makes some people crazy like that? What didn’t connect right at birth? Was it an accident? Can he not afford his medication? Has he always been like that? Sigh.

I continued on my way with my unanswered questions and went to work where I told my friends and coworkers about the guy who put his earpiece up to the person in the print ad in order to share his music. They chuckled but also felt sorry for him.

After work I headed to the elevator bank and bumped into a production assistant who I see all the time but never had a conversation with. He doesn’t say much and when you walk by him he either looks straight ahead or puts his head down. So I thought I’d initiate a conversation with him while we waited and took the elevator down.

After a few minutes of awkwardness the elevator doors opened, I said goodnight to him and walked with a quickened pace to distance myself from him. That way I’d avoid walking to the bus or train with him and having to continue the conversation. I know, I know, I’m a social butterfly.

Anyway, I headed to the platform and just as I was getting down the escalator I saw a train approaching. If anyone has ever tried to catch a train in NYC you know that you have to bolt for the open door or you’ll miss it. I counted once and got up to sixteen whole seconds from the time the door opened and then slammed shut into a guy’s shoulder. So you gotta move. Granted, another train is typically coming a couple of minutes later, but well, it’s NYC and anything can happen and before you know it, there’s a train delay. So when you see one, you’ll knock over the elderly to make it, trust me.

I just made it onto the train and frantically flopped down onto the nearest seat. I turned my head slightly and saw that the shy production assistant had also just made it on. He was a few feet away and as I saw him, I swore he turned in my direction and saw me as well. So in order to help ease his shyness again, I smiled and yelled to him jokingly, “You know you really need to stop following me!”

Only he didn’t hear me, or see me either, for that matter. He turned the other way and sat down and as he did that, I saw he had headphones in his ears and was listening to his iPod.

Ummmm…

I turned back to look directly in front of me and it was then I noticed there were about fifteen people all sitting there who only saw me frantically run onto the train and then yell (to no one), “You know you really need to stop following me!”

I know they all thought I was crazy. I took my blackberry out of my pocket and even though I had no service on the train, I pretended to read my emails. Anything to avoid direct eye contact with the other passengers.

After the train I started walking back through Port Authority on my reversed route home. As I walked with the throngs of commuters, I saw clusters of people all lined up against the wall, standing super close and facing the same billboards from earlier. Huh? Here’s what I saw as I first approached:

I was practically in slow motion pace in order to get a better angle to see what they were all doing when I finally saw it.

LOOK! See the white painted on headsets? The billboards have plugs in them for you to plug your earphones in and listen to the ads!

And then it dawned on me. Apparently my crazy guy from the morning wasn’t so crazy after all. He was actually ahead of the game. Sigh.

But I bet those people on the 7 train are now all telling their friends, spouses and co-workers (or blogging) about the poor woman who’s brain didn’t connect right at birth, or who couldn’t afford her meds who ran onto the train yelling to no one to stop following her.

Karma is crazy, huh?

Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha changes…

2008-12-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Change.

Hmmm, where have we heard that word before in the past year? I believe an historical Presidential campaign was run on that word. It will definitely be interesting to see what comes about on that front.

But - the changes I’m talking about are the personal ones that we make every year. Ayup, it’s that time again!

Right about now most people are taking stock of all they did or didn’t do in 2008 and looking ahead to all the things they want to change about themselves, their lives and their worlds in 2009.

Some people don’t like to make New Year’s Resolutions…or they just say that because they know they won’t keep them, so they pretend to not like the concept of making them. Maybe this year their first resolution should be to actually make resolutions. Anyhoo, I happen to like them. Everyone needs to have goals, otherwise how do you grow? If you never aspire to have or do things, then what’s the point of going through the day to day? Sooo, don’t take the easy way out and not make any. Look at what changes you want to make and start fresh in those areas.

Even the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square has changed. This year the ball has doubled in size to 12 feet and is being lit up by about 32,256 L.E.D. bulbs…which means it’s more environmentally friendly than in previous years. Another change is that they are keeping the ball up on display year round…so if you were planning on standing in the cold, nowhere to move, getting peed on crowd in Times Square this year, no need. You can catch the ball some other time you venture into the city.

So with that, here’s my aggressive resolution list…in no particular order.

Be more in the present. (I’ve lost my keys, only to find - after 20 minutes of searching – that I already put them in my pocket!)
Spend less time online. (Well, from the mindless sites…)
Eat more organically grown foods. (Are there organic M&M's?)
Work out more. (I’ve already started this one)
Don’t waste time. (Make sure what I’m doing moves me forward, not stagnant)
Improv/Perform more. (Taking a new class in January!)
Get to bed earlier. (And by earlier, I’m hoping at least by 11pm or so)
Get an agent. (Need this to get anywhere in commercials and acting)
Volunteer/Donate. (Been on my mind a lot, need to do it)
Write more. (Continue working on book, blog more, submit articles to mag's, etc)
Snack less. (Munchies kick in at work around 3pm)
Get ready faster in the morning. (I’m a putzer…)
Get into work on time. (See above)
Be more green. (Change out lightbulbs, lower heat, recycle, etc)
Read more. (Books, not the internet)
Socialize more. (Get lazy if I go home first)
Take vitamins. (Multi, anti-oxidants, etc)
Brush Vern more. (This may be the first one to go)
Be more spontaneous. (I plan my snoozes…does that tell you something?)
Be less “list” dependent. (Hopefully #1 will help)
Take advantage of all NYC has to offer (Tired after work so mostly just go home)
Talk to people more. (I tend to rely on email and text)
Go on more trips. (Weekend getaways, vacations, etc)

I’m sure I’ll be adding and changing this list as the months go on, but it's a start.

Soooo, what’s changing in your world?!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Heading for the hearts...

2008-12-23T12:22:00.001-08:00

I'm heading home for the holidays and can't wait to see everyone. In times when life gets hectic and the phone calls become more infrequent and emails get returned a few days too late, or turn into quick text messages, it's nice to have a reason to hit the brakes and spend some quality time around a table with those you love the most.

There's nothing like family and friends, food, cheer, laughter, memories and all around togetherness to remind you of what is important in life. I'm grateful for all the hearts I'm going home to.

So from me to you, happy holidays. Be safe, be happy and be merry!

Have a fantastic holiday everyone!

PEACE OUT.

Uh oh...

2008-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

Let there be light!

2008-12-04T13:30:00.001-08:00

So last night while the big tree at Rockefeller Center was being lit, we were putting up our own slightly smaller version in our living room. Sure, our tree experience was just a little bit different than the lighting of the Rockefeller tree. It was a lot warmer at our place and even though we were tripping around tables, rearranged furniture, boxes of decorations and two curious pets, it was definitely a lot less crowded than NYC.

But there were also some similarities. Just as the space for the big tree was cleared, we also cleared our space. This is where our task may have been more difficult than the team in the city since BJ and I practically had to arm wrestle to determine whose choice for placement of the tree would win out. She wanted to put it anywhere my cat, Vern, wasn’t going to be. That left us with the terrace, the roof, the garage, someone else’s house, and oh yeah, the office – where we could close the door.

I wanted the tree in the corner of the living room where we could see it and smell it all day and night. BJ’s argument was that we use the office a lot and when the door is open we walk by it and would be able to see the tree in the corner. That way we could keep Vern away from it at night.

You knock one tree over in your lifetime and you’re banned for life. Sheesh.

I eventually convinced BJ that Vern is almost 16 years old and not interested in batting the ornaments around anymore so it would be fine. But something tells me if this tree goes over, I’ll be hearing about if for the next 16 years of my own life.

Anyway, here’s the spot:

Next we got the tree. I cannot choose which candy bar I want ½ the time, never mind pick out the right Christmas tree. And BJ’s not much help either. I always feel bad for the service person who gets us anywhere we go because we tend to change our minds, ummm, constantly, and BJ usually calls four people in her family for their opinion before we pick out anything. She once had her sister on the phone looking up consumer report scores on flat screen TVs - while the sales guy was standing with us waiting. Enough said.

A ½ hour and three tree guys later, we eventually settled on a tree. Here it is after it got delivered. Yes, they deliver everything around here:

And just as they did in the Big Apple, we set it up and let it stand for a while before decorating it. If it looks like it’s leaning to the right a little bit, that’s because, well it is. Every year we insist we are getting a new stand and every year we forget. So we used our old stand with the stripped screws and hoped to get at least two of the four to screw into the tree to hold it upright. We got them to go in, sorta. This was the 3rd attempt. Since we both lean “to the left” – bad dum bum – we kept trying to spin the tree around so it would too. But it’s got some weird trunk thing going on and is not quite spinnable, so we left it alone.

As the singers and dancers were doing their thing on NBC, we decorated our tree. Most of our ornaments are from places we have been together. It’s really kind of neat to pull them out of the box and remember those trips. Different islands, weekend getaways, local and long distance trips, etc. I pulled one ornament out that we got on our cross country drive to L.A. back in early 2002 when we stopped at a rest area/mall in Oklahoma. It reminded me that BJ bought ½ the store in a shopping frenzy while I quickly went to the bathroom. I came out and she was signing the credit card receipt. And for some reason almost everything she bought had a chili pepper on it. Ahhhhh, memories.

Then I pulled out an ornament BJ’s mom gave her from her trip to Alaska. And shortly after that I pulled out a large wooden ornament carved in the shape of a moose. Hmmm…Alaska...a moose...the tree leaning right.

Great. We have a freaking Republican Christmas tree in our house.

So anyway, just as the Rockefeller Center tree was lit up, we lit up our own. Here’s our masterpiece. For some reason you can’t see the lights, but they are on. At least the star is shining bright.

Fingers crossed Vern doesn’t knock it over, otherwise he - and the tree - will for sure be out on the street!

I swear...

2008-12-02T19:29:00.001-08:00

A blog is coming. I swear....

The curtain call....

2008-11-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

Went to the musical Pal Joey Friday night at the Roundabout Theatre in NYC. As you may have seen from my blog below, BJ is a big fan of Stockard Channing and since she was in Pal Joey, we went. It was pretty good as far as musicals go, but Stockard was fantastic! Also, a big surprise was Martha Plimpton who was belting out songs left and right! More on her later...

So the show ends and I got to catch the curtain call on video. I love curtain calls...gives me goosebumps every time and standing ovations make me cry. There's nothing like the theatre.

Anyhoo, we bolted out of our seats after the show and headed to the stage door to get our Playbills signed by Stockard and others in the cast. I had to call on some old basketball skills and box out the woman to my left with an oversized pocketbook (I mean, really, what the hell do you need in a bag that big?!) and wound up right up against the barrier, facing the stage door.

A few cast members came out and then finally Stockard Channing came out. She couldn't have been nicer. The only problem with our fantastic spot was the horrific angle for pictures. BJ got her to sign her Playbill, and while she was doing that BJ told her that her favorite film she was in...NO, not Grease, thank God...was The Truth About Jane and she thanked her for doing it. Stockard was so nice and thanked her and then agreed to take a picture. At this point, BJ proceeded to move the barrier herself to get closer and attempt a better angle.

"Charles" the too into himself security dude had to do something to make him look necessary so he yelled at BJ..."Don't move the barrier!" to which Stockard looked right at him and said, "Charles...really." It was classic. I don't know if BJ looks so happy because she is getting her picture taken with Stockard or because Stockard told Charles to back the F off!

After awhile, Martha Plimpton came out. She has been in a ton of movies and one that really stuck out to me was Chantilly Lace. So when a fan behind me said "The best movie you were in was The Goonies" I sorta blurted out..."Uh, yeah, no, it was Chantilly Lace" to which Martha looked at me with big eyes and said, "No way! WOW." It was such a blast from the past and not one well known so I think I surprised her. The film was almost entirely improvised...the director would give them concepts and ideas, but the dialogue was all them. It's a pretty good movie about a group of old friends coming together and all their old history, etc. Rent it if you can...

Anyhoo, here's me with Martha...I tried to switch sides to get a better angle, but there's just no real way to do it when you're smooshed up against a barrier and a pushy woman with a bag the size of Texas.

After the show we went to our favorite place, Joe Allen, for some drinks. I met a guy at the bar who worked in film and tv so we started talking. At this point, BJ had made friends with the bartender, a waitress and the coat check lady! I looked over and the bartender was refilling her wine glass for free while they all talked politics and everything else. By the time we got ready to leave, the restaurant had closed and the wait staff and bartenders were all cracking open beers.

Figuring this was our own curtain call, we hailed a cab, fought about the fare from NYC to Hoboken, and then had him drive us home.

It was a verrrry long night, but definitely worth it.

The end.

Not Rizzo….Not Rizzo…Not Rizzo…

2008-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

OK, so you all know by now BJ is a wreck around celebrities she likes and admires. You have witnessed the Maura Tierney fiasco the first time she met her and then watched her turn into a nervous wreck waiting for Maura outside the theatre on her last appearance. She has also lost her interest in speaking pre-meeting Melissa Etheridge.

Well…here we go again.

Another one of BJ’s favorite celebrities is, as she calls her, “The Stockard.”

Stockard Channing is in a new Broadway musical and preview performances start this Friday night. It is called PAL JOEY and ayup, you guessed it. We have tickets.

BJ brought them home last night and is already in pre-stalking the stage door, pre-nervous chatter and pre-don't let me make an ass out of myself, mode.

I told her last night, whatever you do, just don't call her Rizzo. She's worked so hard to get out of that shadow and the least impressive thing you could say to her is "I loved you in Grease."

I told BJ, repeat after me, "Not Rizzo, not Rizzo, not Rizzo." I saw the look of fear on her face...you know as well as I do she's going to walk up to her and say, "Hi Rizzo..."

I tried to tell her she'll be fine, she's seen her in so many other things and just to talk about her performance tomorrow night, etc.

But BJ knows herself too well.

"Please dont let me get into a diddy of Sandra Dee..."

Now the fear was on my face...

"I won't...." she said in a 'give me some credit' tone to her voice. And then she added...

"But I do want a picture with her..."

Oy vey...

Thump thump...thump thump...thump thump.

2008-11-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hear that? It’s the nation’s heartbeat. We just got it back…

Last night was amazing for so many reasons...the historical component of Barack Obama becoming the first African American President, the number of people who voted, the number of first time voters coming out, states notorious for being Republican now voting Democrat, individuals who were staunch Republicans voting Democrat, etc. Last night was a message the American people wanted out there, and got it out there, loud and clear.

We have had enough.

When I went to vote after work yesterday, there were two lines, one down machine and numerous exhausted workers. At one point a voice bellowed out from behind the line of A-L’'s..."First time voter and he’s not listed! Maria...first time voter!" Maria went to help, took the young man in his baggy sweats and baseball hat and walked him over to a table to fill out a form. I got goosebumps as he hunched over and started. First time voter...Thousands of them across the country were filling out forms at that same moment and had been throughout the day. He caught me looking at him and we locked eyes for a second as we smiled. Without saying a word we both knew we were on the same page of a very thick history book.

Unless you were in a coma, this entire election was riveting for everyone. You couldn’t turn on the television without seeing the candidates, nor listen to the radio without hearing about them. If you walked by any newsstand, there they were. I have been following it all along so there was no way I was missing it last night. I huddled on the couch with my laptop, my furry friends and some snacks as I toggled between the internet and the TV in order to watch it step by step.

BJ was at work, in the newsroom at 1010wins.com. We talked about every half hour or so, or sooner if she heard something before it was announced.

“Barack won Pennsylvania! He just needs another key state.”
“McCain camp is emailing that they don’t see any way to win this.”

The phone rang again at about 10:50pm.

“It just came across the wires, Barack won Virginia. They are going to announce him President at 11pm.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

And then sure enough…11:02pm, in a bright red breaking news graphic, history was written across my flat screen:

Barack Obama, President Elect.

I swear I heard the nation breathe a huge sigh of relief...or maybe it was just me.

Both McCain and Barack Obama gave great speeches and Obama proved he has what it takes to build a bridge from way left to the far right.

Now it’s up to us to all walk across it together.

VOTE.

2008-11-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

There are no excuses. The polls are open all day. You've gotten mailings telling you where to go. The candidates have been in the news constantly talking about their policies and platforms. You have seen their running mates who (in the event of a tragedy) would then take over as President. If you are still "undecided" you have issues. There, I said it. But seriously, vote. It doesn't matter if your vote doesn't match your significant other, or your boss, or me.

I mean, if you really want to vote for the Republican, old guy who went along with Bush on his policies 90% of the time in the past 8 years and who has a female running mate who wants to take away your rights as a woman, then who am I to say, right? I mean if you don't care that we continue to pump billions, er, I mean trillions of dollars into the Iraq war all the while Iraq is banking a $79 BILLION dollar SURPLUS and has no intention of giving any back to us, then so be it. And if you want to vote for the candidate who wants to continue to give tax cuts and bailouts to the wealthy, then hey, vote for who you want.

And if all that sounds good to you do me a favor. Come a little closer to the screen. Just a little bit clossserrr. A little bit closerrrr...SMACK!!

C'MON!

Most of you out there who I know and love, are not wealthy. You have no business wanting a Republican with the same policies and voting records as Bumbling Bush in office. Who are you kidding?

So go vote. And vote OBAMA/BIDEN.

In any event, make sure your voice is heard.

Otherwise, you have no say in the next four years if things don't go your way.

Child's play...

2008-10-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid everyone in the family was always at the same house for the holidays. Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas were pretty big and everyone went. It didn’t matter if there was a blizzard, or if someone was sick, somehow everyone managed to get there. There was always a ton of food and laughs, and when it was time to leave, I'd give the obligatory twenty minutes of hugs and kisses goodbye around the table.

As I got older, there were weddings and babies and new family traditions started. Some of us went off to college, some of us moved out of state, and some were on that rotating “in-law” schedule. Regardless of which category you fell into, each year the major holiday gatherings were smaller and smaller as everyone went in different directions.

So when my Grandmother’s birthday rolls around, everyone does what they can to go home. It is the one time of the year where the majority of us are in one place. It brings back some amazing memories and it’s always a good time.

That was this weekend.

In a time where emails take the place of phone calls and voicemails take the place of visits, it was nice to know that we were all going to get in some quality face time together. My cousin who was in the KC Royal’s minor league system and who rarely got home for visits was now home. My youngest cousin is now two. Some baby teeth are missing from his seven year old, brother’s mouth. It seems that in my family as soon as the youngest turns three or four, someone has a new baby. So the house can get a little crazy with the kids running in and out, the screeching laughter, the fighting, the crying, the blaming, you get the idea.

The funny thing is, by the end of the day, I could have been mistaken for one of those kids.

See, when we left New Jersey a little after 9am, I decided I would make toast with jelly for the ride. Halfway through trying to balance my travel mug, steer and eat, I plopped a big blop of jelly on my thigh. I tried to get it off with my thumb and it smeared into a longer stripe. I drove the rest of the way with a sticky thumb and stained pants.

Shortly after arriving at my aunt’s house for the party, the kids were out playing football. Since I played for a couple of seasons, I went out to throw the ball around a little. That turned into a bit of horsing around where I proceeded to tackle my niece and in doing so, slid half way across the side of the lawn. End result was a big grass stain on my knee and some wet New England mud under my nails.

A couple hours later we were doing cake and my aunt made my grandmother a ricotta cake. Now, I do like ricotta pie and all, but when you think of birthday cake, it normally doesn’t have ricotta in it. But, my grandmother, being the 79 year old birthday girl, requested it so she got it. I channeled my inner adult and went for a plate.

Until…out of the corner of my eye I saw that my other aunt was holding a whole tray of decorated, frosted cupcakes. I think I stepped on a small child trying to get to that tray of sugar. Every bit of mud laced, frosting on the fingers lick was well worth the extra time I’ll be spending at the gym this week.

When it was time to leave, I did the twenty minute, now non-obligatory roundtable of hugs and kisses and headed towards the car. I looked back past the kids still running around the yard and through the picture window of the living room. I could see those who were left sitting around the kitchen table, laughing, eating and spending quality time together.

I realized when I got in the car to drive away, I wasn’t heading home - I was leaving it.

Happy Birthday, Gram.

Signed, Epstein's Mother...

2008-10-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

OK, so remember that show Welcome Back Kotter? Remember how Epstein would miss class and he’d try to pass off a note to Mr. Kotter to excuse himself? And the note would always end with “Signed, Epstein’s Mother.” What made it worse was that Epstein would always be mouthing the words as Mr. Kotter read the note…just another sign that he wrote it himself.

Well, it appears that we have a little Epstein in our family.

Here’s a bit of background for you. My older sister Cheryl’s daughter is my niece Amanda. Many of you remember her from my post about bringing her to NYC for her birthday trip. You can read about that here.

Anyway, Amanda was sick a couple of weeks back and was out of school. I can always tell when Amanda is home sick because she is online on her MySpace page and emailing me and anyone else who will write her back to help her in her fight against boredom. I get flagged all the time, “Amanda has sent you a message”, etc.

So last week I saw that I had a message from Amanda. I wrote back and asked where she was. She said she was home…turns out my sister was the one sick this time and wasn’t able to drive her to school. They recently moved (temporarily) and are too far away for Amanda to take a bus so my sister needs to drive her in, and there was no way she could take her. So Amanda was fine, but clearly bored.

I emailed her back and told her she’s missing too much school and from now on, even if it’s her who’s sick, she has to get her butt to school. No matter what. I think I even said, “I don’t care if you have a temp of 104 degrees, you’re going.” Yeah, I'd make a great nurse. Anyway, she knows how important I think education is and she knows I push her to do well with her grades, etc. She wrote back, “Ok” and then I never heard back from her. I’m sure me pushing her about going to school and getting good grades was the last thing she wanted to get into on her freebie day off.

So imagine my surprise when yesterday I get flagged again that Amanda has sent me a message. I go into my email and I have THIS:

“hey deb this is cheryl how are you doing amanda was sick for a cupple of days she had the runs okay well wright me back bie”

Ok, so unless my sister graduated with F's in spelling throughout her schooling, or reverted back to her childhood, my little Epstein was home, pretending to be my sister so she wouldn’t get in trouble for not going to school again.

I wrote back and said, “Hi Amanda. Do you feel better?” I got back this response:

“yeah amanda is feeling alot better she went to school todaylove,cheryl.”

So I emailed my sister for the scoop. Apparently my sister was sick again and not able to get my niece to school because of it, but Amanda knew I’d be upset that she didn’t go so she pretended to be my sister. Oh boy....

My sister went to a doctor yesterday, I’m waiting to hear how it went.

In the meantime, my niece better do extra homework and make up the time she's missing.

Otherwise, it's up her nose with a rubber hose.

The Mr. Magoo School of Tourism...

2008-10-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

I had to run a few errands on Friday so my walk across town to Port Authority was a different route. I love walking different paths to and from work sometimes. The city is so different in different areas. This particular night I was down by 34th and 3rd and was walking up to 8th and 39th to get my bus home.

Now, I’ve been known to have a little tunnel vision and miss a few things in my surroundings…I once didn’t see an ambulance that was practically on the football field to carry away a teammate who was knocked out a few plays before…and yes, I was told the ambulance had its lights going and was there for quite some time, but in my defense, I was playing a game and there is a helmet that blocks your peripheral vision. And sure, an ambulance is a pretty big thing to miss, but hey, at least it wasn’t a national landmark.

This is a sign I saw on my walk...

OK, that could be very helpful if you are a ways away and wondering if you are heading in the right direction, but c’mon, the Empire State Building is literally a half a block away from this sign!

Seriously, if you missed this sign, you’d walk right into the building.

So for all you Magoo’s out there…you can feel safe knowing you have a comrade in the “signs division” of the Travel and Tourism Dept. of NYC who is ready and willing to direct every inch of your touring.

But if you don’t see any signs to help you, don't worry...the other thing you may want to do is, quite simply, look up.

Break a leg...

2008-10-08T12:29:00.001-07:00

Now you may think that from the title of this blog I am in performing in something, right?
Nope!

I know someone who is?
Nope!

BJ took on the chore of vacuuming recently, and in the process, BROKE THE LEG OF THE KITCHEN TABLE!

I'm not kidding. It cracked completely down the middle.

For those of you who read my previous blog, Divided we will clean, you know there are certain chores that are mine and certain chores that are BJ's.

Vacuuming has always been - and clearly will always need to be - my chore.

Peace out people...

2008-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, so watch the video above for hilarity with Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin again from this past Saturday Night Live. I have watched it a zillion times and it is STILL funny. She has outdone herself again.

And speaking of Saturday Night Live, they had a joke in their "Weekend Update" segment that related to what I’ve been doing for the past five weeks. It went something like, “O.J.Simpson was found guilty of first-degree kidnapping, robbery with use of a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon...annnd murder.” Too funny. But yes, O.J. Simpson was found guilty on all counts in his latest brush with the law. Note to self, never storm into a room and demand your stuff back while friends are carrying guns on them. More importantly, don’t do this after publishing a book called, “If I Did It” detailing how you’d kill your ex-spouse and a friend, all while every American who is alive and breathing knows you did it and got off. I don't think there was a jury on this planet that was going to let him get away again.

Yes, O.J. was doomed from the beginning. The law is the law in Vegas and he broke it, but if it wasn’t O.J. and was just some average “Joe six pack”, (wink)the majority of the charges wouldn’t have been brought and who knows which way the jury would have voted.

So for O.J. that means he’s in jail. For me, it means freedom. If you’re someone who emailed me, called me, came to my blog or just wanted to check for a pulse over here, I now have my life back and will try to get back to you. We were covering it here “gavel to gavel” and it was pretty time consuming, to say the least.

And for those of you who come here for some fun and lighthearted poking fun of life, I apologize for ending this blog on a somber note, but today is ten years to the day of the brutal hate crime beating and murder of Matthew Shepard. I blogged about Matthew and the issues surrounding homophobia and hate in a blog called "Scarecrow”. Those of you familiar with Matthew and his story will get the reference, and if not, click here for that blog.

There have been strides made, but there is so much more that still needs to be done. Gay people aren’t allowed to fight for their country and are getting kicked out of the military daily. We aren’t allowed to get married on a federal level which would give us all the same rights as heterosexual couples. We aren’t allowed to adopt needy children in some states. Hate crime legislation is still tied up in Congress. With this kind of second class citizenship dictated from the government down, it’s no wonder people think its okay to beat someone just for being gay. And since I’m talking about government, don’t even get me started on the McCain/Palin ticket. They invite discrimination since they are against all of those things above. Please, people, if you know me and love me, vote for Obama/Biden.

Here’s a quick summary of what happened to Matthew. This could be anyone. You, me, your daughter, son, sister, brother, mother, father, niece, nephew, etc.

“Matthew was lured from a campus bar shortly after midnight on October 7 by two men (Aaron McKinney, 22 and Arthur Henderson, 21) who told him they were gay. He was driven to a remote area near the Sherman Hills neighborhood east of Laramie, tied to a split-rail fence, tortured, beaten and pistol-whipped by his attackers, while he begged for his life. He was then left for dead in near freezing temperatures. A cyclist who found him on Snowy Mountain View Road at 6:22 pm, some 18 hours after the attack, at first mistook him for a scarecrow. He was unconscious and suffering from hypothermia. His face was caked with blood, except where it had been partially washed clean by tears.

Matthew died at 12:53 am on Monday 12th October 1998, at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his family at his bedside. Hospital officials said Matthew had a fracture from behind his head to just in front of his right ear and a massive brain stem injury which affected his vital signs, including his heart beat, body temperature and other involuntary functions. There were also approximately a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck. He was so badly injured in the attack that doctors were unable to operate. He never regained consciousness after being found, and remained on full life support.”

For more information on Matthew Shepard and his family’s fight to erase hate, go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation website.

What can you do to erase hate? Don't laugh at hurtful gay jokes. Don't buy into the stereotypes. Talk to people about why you're offended over something they said that's defamatory against gays and lesbians. Tell them you have a gay relative or friend and that they should educate themselves on what it really means to be gay. Read. Research. Talk to gay people. Lead by example. Educate homophobes. Speak up.

Peace out people.

Sharpening her #2's...

2008-10-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

So unless you’re living under an iceberg in Alaska, you have probably heard that Sarah Palin and Joe Biden will debate tonight. It shouldn’t be as important as a debate between McCain and Obama since, well, they are the ones running for President, but you know as well as I do, millions of people will tune in tonight to watch the train wreck live.

How can you not? I mean if you haven’t seen her interviews with Katie Couric, please click here for the videos. Take your pick since they are all comic relief at its best. And speaking of comic relief, you have to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s opening from "Saturday Night Live" last week. Click here for that. Tina and the SNL writers didn’t have to write the material for that last sketch since they used Palin’s words almost verbatim. It’s HILARIOUS.

But here’s the thing…you learn in sports to never underestimate the underdog. You can’t look ahead to the next game until you’ve won the game your in. And many times the underdog wipes out the opponent who was totally expected to win. It happens all the time.

So Joe Biden cannot get cocky and go into this debate feeling superior. Sarah Palin has had a month long crash course in all facets of government and has been known to be a better debater than an interviewee. She will have talking points and answers to expected questions and have been rehearsed on many of the subjects they are expected to cover. Biden can’t go in thinking he’s got it in the bag. It’s anyone’s debate to lose. And in fact, the stakes are higher for Biden since Palin has been the punch line for the past two weeks. If Biden loses to her, what does that say about him?

But she is still Sarah Palin and you can’t help but tune in to see if she gets that deer in the headlights look. And we all know she is notorious for not answering questions directly. This is mostly because she doesn’t have any answers to the question she is being asked! The only direction she can then take it in is in circles, which is why it gets so funny.

There are rumors she may wear her hair down so she can have an earpiece in her ear for help when she’s stuck. I have this image of her slyly looking down at her arm, discreetly pushing up her sleeve to look at last minute, smudged pen scribbles of answers to the questions like a college kid during a final exam they aren’t prepared for.

Or maybe they can get her one of those football sleeves where the quarterback wears the plays on their wrist so when the coach yells out a number they can look at their arms and call off the play.

Picture it...

Moderator: Governor Palin, what is your plan for getting out of Iraq?
Palin: Looks at #6 on her wrist and states robotically, “Surge is working. Can’t just bail.”

Sigh.

Whatever you are doing tonight, either record the debate or change your plans and watch it live. It’s going to be the best show on the air.

Well, until Saturday night, since Tina’s probably sharpening her #2’s right now getting ready to write another knockout opening for this weekend.

Until then…

A visual weekend...

2008-09-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

When I was leaving work on Friday, BJ texted me that someone at work handed her two tickets to see Alanis Morissette at Radio City Music Hall for that night. I had never seen Alanis perform, so I wanted to go. I had to run home to let Nick out first so I grabbed my camera while I was home and headed back into the city. I had it with me over the weekend so I thought I’d take you on a visual tour of what I did.

First up on Friday night was the Alanis concert. It was great. Alanis ROCKS out.

After Alanis we decided to go for a drink at one of our favorite bars, Joe Allen. It is tradition that after we go to a show in the city, we swing in there for a drink or two…or three. It is right in the theatre district and is super cozy inside. White lights, brick walls with posters and pictures from Broadway and television shows, etc. Definitely go for dinner or a drink before or after a show the next time you are in the city.

On Saturday we went to go see an improv troupe perform. When I lived in L.A. I took improv classes at The Groundlings and Improv Olympic and fell in love with it. I like the short form improv games like you see on Who’s Line is it Anyway. While out in L.A. I was briefly in an improv troupe and it was so much fun and I miss it. Here in NYC there are a ton of places to take classes and it’s on my short list of things to get back into. It’s just a matter of finding the right place to go. This particular improv show that I wanted to see is called ComedySportz and it’s a competition between two improv teams and the audience determines the winning team.

On the way to where the show was being held, The Broadway Comedy Club, we bumped into Tracy Morgan from the show 30 Rock! He is also a former member of the Saturday Night Live cast. He was sitting outside of a DVD shop in his bright yellow Lamborghini and was sooo nice.

As we walked into the theatre there were posters on the walls of people who had performed there before. Rosie O’Donnell’s was the first one I saw. Go figure.

And in a weird twist, the next picture we saw was Tracy Morgan!!

Now, if you read one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I missed “a whistle” and how I was going to get hooked up with a trainer soon, etc. Well, here’s some video from the improv show. I think the universe is reading my blog.

And if that's the case, I’d like to request a position on an upcoming variety show that a particular person may be announcing she has soon. Eh hem...just putting it out there.

But anyway, I digress. Here's my whistle. And c'mon, who doesn't like to go smowmobiling?! (Reference to the last clip in the video below)

On Sunday I did not make it to the gym class I wanted to go to…I decided not to set my alarm and if I got up in time, I’d go. I woke up ten minutes after the class had already started. But I did go running and work out on my own so I don’t feel too badly about it. After my workout I had an appointment for a massage that I soooo needed. I had a gift certificate I hadn’t used yet so I went. It was one of the best massages I have had in a long time. When I called BJ to tell her I was done (she was picking me up afterwards), she said I was slurring. Yeah, it was that good.

Sooo, that’s my weekend in a nutshell. Well, I did also go grocery shopping, watched some shows that were on my DVR and chilled out a little bit, but I didn’t think you’d need to see pictures of me plopped on my couch with bedhead, a coffee stained t-shirt and Vern (my cat) sprawled all over me.

So, how was your weekend?

This is getting ridiculous...

2008-09-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

I swear to God I’m suing the Republicans if my blood pressure gets any higher. They are driving me absolutely nuts with their duck and cover tactics and political pawn moves. There’s no time for their bullshit right now. This election is coming in November whether they like it or not. It’s time to get this show on the road.

They’ve had ads that flat out lie or completely stretch the truth. Palin is taking her sweet time to get on air and attempt to give us some answers. McCain asks to delay the debate on Friday.

ENOUGH.

Sure, McCain wants to be in Washington to help with the bailout plan, but why should that prevent him from the debate on Friday? Because he doesn’t have time to prepare and get his answers rehearsed? Does he not know what his ideologies and plans are already that he can’t just go and debate what he believes in? Why can’t he do more than one thing at a time? He should have this stuff down by now, no?

Palin, quite simply is a joke. No wonder SNL’s season opening sketch was viewed a kadrillion times on youtube and the ratings for the show were sky high. I’m nicknaming her “Punchline Palin” because there’s not a comedian in the country who doesn’t want her to win so they can keep her in their acts. She has no idea what she’s doing or saying. She’s barely spoken to the media except to repeat her few tag lines. She’s like a broken record…I’m sorry, Sarah, what did you tell Congress about the bridge to nowhere? Oh yeah, that’s right, ”thanks but no thanks.” How could I forget that. And yeah, yeah, we get it…lipstick. Gotcha.

Since McCain halted his campaigning to head to D.C., Palin feels like she should too. Really? Why is that? Would she be an embarrassment to the Republicans because even they know she’s pretty to look at but she has no idea who, what, when, where and how and they don’t want her speaking without her training wheels around her?

She is being protected from reporters when she meets with foreign leaders. How dare the Republicans think they can get away with that? What are they shielding her from? Did they think we’d all just sit back and say, “Oh, okay, they need some privacy.” We may have let things slide in the past eight years and look where that’s gotten us. So too bad McCain and Palin…we’re on to you. You’re not getting away with a thing.

I have been saying all along that we just need the debates to start. Put it all on the table once and for all. Forget the ads. Forget the jabs in the press from either side. Get out there and debate the EFFING issues! But McCain is flaking on the debate. He doesn’t get to do that. He’s not a friend who decides he really doesn’t feel like going out with you on a Friday night so he comes up with something else he has to do. He is running for the highest office in the world. Do we really want someone who runs away and hides or makes excuses? And if you really wanted this job, don’t you think you’d do whatever it takes, go anywhere, do anything to get the job, this close to the election?

But now that I think of it, I hope McCain does stay away on Friday and gives Obama a national platform to call him out and address millions of Americans. It will be the biggest freebie ad for Obama and McCain supporters would (hopefully) smarten up and see who they'd be voting for.

Palin can sit out campaigning too. I don’t have an act so I have no use for her. She can sit back and be proud as a peacock of her gun toting bikini shots and moose killing photos, fitting right in with her gun-toting Republican cronies.

Fine by me, maybe this time they’ll finally shoot themselves in the foot.

A whistle...

2008-09-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

I watched the movie Invincible on my iPod the last couple of days on my commute into work. It stars Mark Wahlberg as Vince Papale, a guy who tried out and made the Philadelphia Eagles team in the 70’s, even though he never played college football. It’s a very inspiring story not so much about football, but more about “heart” and the will to succeed. Vince Papale was a substitute teacher and part time bartender. He tried out and against all odds, pushing and fighting his way through, he made the team. Watching the movie brought back a lot of memories for me and I realized more clearly what is currently missing in my life.

A whistle.

Specifically, a coach’s whistle.

Since I was a very small child, I played sports. I have home video of myself at about age five in the backyard playing whiffleball with my father. I actually slammed the bat down and pouted when I missed the ball. I was competitive at such an early age, even with myself. I played Little League and Senior League softball all growing up and looking back now I was probably more serious about it than other kids my age. In fact, when I was twelve years old my team lost the City Championship game in major extra innings from a bad call by an umpire who wanted to go home. We all piled into the back of the pickup truck for the ride back to our home field and no one said a word through the tears. I got home and wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper about the lack of qualified umpires. Yeah, I was that kind of kid.

I moved on to high school and wound up playing three sports, field hockey, basketball and softball. Year after year each sport rolled over into the next, without a break. That continued into college but for my first year I skipped field hockey to go straight into basketball and then softball. Sophomore year the field hockey coach asked me to play. I joined the field hockey team and played left wing on offense. We always wound up in the playoffs and so while the field hockey season was extended, the basketball team was starting to practice. I’d finish field hockey and head over to basketball. We’d ultimately end up in the playoffs there and so after about 1/2 a day off, I’d head over to softball where the team had already started indoor training.

After college, competitive leagues wind down for women whereas the men seem to have more options. I did find a few leagues though and played slow pitch softball and indoor field hockey for a bit, but it wasn’t the same. I eventually got into a flag football league which was great and much more competitive. That led me to the most physically demanding sport I’d ever played, women’s tackle football.

I started playing in the WPFL (Women’s Professional Football League) for the New England Storm. I wrote a CNN Sports Illustrated Diary about the first season of women’s tackle football in R.I. If you’re interested, you can read some entries here. Start from the bottom in October since that was my first entry and work your way up.

Living in CT at the time I found my way the following season to the CT Crush, a team in the NWFA (National Women’s Football Association). You haven’t tested yourself until you make it through a season of tackle football. Football pre-season camp made all the others look like a walk in the park. It was pure physical and mental stamina and 150% heart.

After I injured my left quad muscle, I couldn’t do ten squats without it rolling up into a ball and football is not a sport you can play half-assed. It was after that season that I decided to switch careers and made my way to Los Angeles to enter the world of entertainment.

And while the entertainment industry is where I should be, I am still lacking something in my life. I can feel it. And I realized on the bus ride in, its sweat and dirt and grass - and the whistle. Watching the movie, the coaches were screaming at the players, players were riding each other, the drills were repeated, whistle after whistle after whistle. It’s a familiar sound to me. It is part of me and I realized this week how much I miss it.

Sure, I have a membership to the gym and I go here and there. I run after work now and then. Sometimes I get BJ to play catch with a softball or I find a basketball hoop to shoot around a bit. But it’s not the same. There’s no one in my face telling me to “push it” and “go again.” There’re no whistles to beat, no gasping for breath and no sweat dripping in my eyes.

I need that.

So I checked the gym schedule and there’s a sports conditioning class on Sunday mornings. Not sure what it entails, but I’m going to check it out this weekend. And today I made a call to a personal trainer and we’re coordinating schedules.

I wonder if she’ll have a whistle…

Divided we will clean....

2008-09-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

BJ and I somehow found a way to divide up the every day chores. It was never planned or written in stone, but somehow they got divided based upon our skills and personalities.

For example, BJ loves food and loves to cook. I could survive on Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles in order to not do dishes. So for the most part, she is in charge of food. She shops for it, cooks it, orders it in, cleans it up, packs lunches, etc. She has no trouble sticking her hand down the drain to pull out the clog of food mush or figure out what “that clanking noise is down there.” If I open the fridge and a strange odor comes out of it, I quickly shut the door, announce that “something wreaks in there” and BJ is in charge of doing a clean sweep to figure it out. I have no desire to take over that area.

I am in charge of de-cluttering. If it is a scrap piece of paper, junk mail or a flyer, it goes into the trash in four seconds flat. If it’s specifically addressed to BJ, I will yell to ask her if she wants it at the same time I’m stepping on the garbage pail lid popper and throwing it out. Anything I’m unsure about, I pile it up and put it somewhere I know she’ll see it. Either on the computer keyboard, in the very front of her bureau, directly on her work bag, etc. If we ever won Ed McMahon’s million dollar sweepstakes, we’d never know it.

I am also in charge of figuring out anything that has to do with the electronics, programming of gadgets, attaching things to other things…To witness BJ forcing an attachment into a hole that it clearly doesn’t belong in is pretty comical up until the point that she begins to frantically bang it in with a hammer or pound it in with the floor.

If there is an errand that needs to be run, typically BJ is the one to go, especially in the morning. I will not move pre-coffee.

If it requires any sort of math, it’s me. We have had small “discussions” over what piece of Tupperware is big enough (or not) to hold whatever food item BJ is attempting to stuff into it. It usually goes something like this:

ME: “That’s not going to fit.”
BJ: “Yes it will.”
ME: “No it isn’t. Here, use this one.”
BJ: “Watch, it will fit.”
ME: Handing her the bigger container and a sponge when it spills over.

Our system isn’t perfect, but it seems to work for us. That is, until one of us attempts to cross over to the other side…

Last night on my commute home I got a text from BJ. “Can you grab the laundry detergent out of the Jeep on your way up?” Uh oh. BJ was doing the laundry. That’s one of my tasks. She hates doing laundry. I wasn’t home…I didn’t see her start it. We barely had any detergent left…the new bottle was still downstairs in the garage.

I felt a weird sense that my territory was being invaded. Yes, there is major control freakiness running through my veins… Did she sort it? Did she accidentally throw something in that is dry clean only? Did she wash on cold? How can she be doing laundry if the detergent bottle was almost empty? That was the first thing I asked when I got home. She swore there was “at least a capful” left in the bottle.

About an hour later she called out to me. “I swear I can’t do laundry!”

Oh boy…

I come around the corner as she’s pulling items out of the dryer…it was like a circus dryer…the more clothes she pulled out, the more kept coming out. I had that circus theme song running through my head…”doot doot dootal lootal loot doot doot doot…”

“Look!” She says as she holds a pair of my jeans up.

Here’s what they looked like:

Everything else in there looks the same. I don’t know how much she tried to stuff into one load, but I don’t think I’ll need to do laundry the rest of the weekend.

So I think it’s safe to say we should probably leave some of the chores up to the person they belong to.

Sigh...I wonder what she's going to order for dinner tonight...

Soooo over OJ Simpson!

2008-09-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

OK, so normally I could give a rat's ass about what OJ Simpson does. He can golf, sit in his Florida home, write books about how he'd do a crime "if he did it"...whatever he wants to do go for it. The only time I have a problem with it is when it's illegal and the media insists on covering it because the public insists on following it. And since I am in the media, and happen to work for a television network that has "gavel to gavel" coverage of high profile court cases, this makes my life a living HELL.

As if booking one show isn't enough of a puzzle, I am now booking TWO shows...one at 11-1pm and another special west coast feed from 4-6pm. Not to mention there are two time zones I'm dealing with and two other shows on our own network that I'm competing with for guests. I'd equate it to trying to do two sudoku puzzles simultaneously without duplicating the same answers as the other two people trying to do theirs. It's only Wed and I want to crawl under my desk and take a nap. And this freaking trial is expected to go on for six weeks or more!

So please, OJ Simpson...the next time you think about doing something illegal...allegedly... think of the rest of us in the media who have to work double duty, overtime and weekends to cover the messes you create?!! Or better yet, maybe if no one cared (media and public alike), maybe he'd stop getting involved in murders, road rage cases and alleged robberies and kidnappings in order to get some attention. Surely someone, somewhere has to have some common sense.

And now I have to run because I see a PA (production assistant) walking my guest down to the wrong studio! HELP ME.

Who's big idea was THIS?!!

2008-09-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Walking from the east side where I work over to the west side of NYC to Port Authority yesterday, I stumbled upon this nice little cafe area on 40th and 6th Ave where people were sitting, enjoying a coffee and just taking a little break. How nice, right?

WRONG! They built it right in the middle of the freaking street! LOOK!

If you've ever walked through the streets in any section of the city, you know the last thing we need are more cafes.

There are so many other things this space could have been used for...For one, the sidewalks could have been made wider since there are thousands of pedestrians all trying to get to where they need to be at breakneck speeds. If you've ever been caught behind a double stroller while trying to catch a train, you'll get it.

How about more parking? Try circling a NYC block looking for parking. It's near impossible and it usually ends with you pounding your fist on the steering wheel and paying $40 for a garage spot.

Or how about a lane for bicyclists, skateboarders, scooters or the cops on horses? Most of the time they are in the middle of the traffic and inches from getting clocked. But noooo...some genius thought a street cafe was the way to go. I didn't snap a picture, but this setup is mirrored on the other side of the street too.

If you've ever walked through NYC, you know how crazy the drivers are and how close pedestrians get from being clipped by a cabby, bus or veteran NYC driver at every corner...imagine now trying to cross the street when you are standing on a slab of the cafe in the dead center of the road as the cars are whizzing by!

Well, you don't really have to imagine it...I took video.

I think I might walk an extra block or two today to 41st or 42nd and avoid the Road Kill Cafe as much as I can...

Burn baby burn....

2008-09-10T10:44:00.001-07:00

One of the things that we liked about our condo was that there was a sprinkler system in the unit (and the whole building) so that in the event of a fire the sprinklers would kick on. I never really paid much attention to them, other than knowing they were there.

Yesterday as I was walking up to our apartment, I saw the fire department sign in the hallway. I have walked past it for six months now, so I figured this time I’d take a closer look at the system they had in place.

It’s a funky setup with pipes, valves, gauges, bells and whistles. I looked closer at one of the gauges and that's when I noticed it.

The temperature is set at 100!

OK, so if I don’t get stuck in the fire, I’m going to get third degree burns from the sprinkler system. Just imagine that ER visit….

“Oh, you poor thing, you got burned by the flames…”

“UH, nooooooo…”

What’s next? EMT’s putting carbon monoxide masks over patients who are having trouble breathing?

BLOGGER NOTE: It has come to my attention that this gauge may be a pressure gauge and not a temperature gauge. If that's so, they why the hell isn't it on 300?!! I don't want a trickle on my head if I'm battling flames.

Home sweet home...

2008-09-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it. Got home from a quick trip over Labor Day on Wed night…worked Thurs and Friday and then took off Saturday back to CT for a baby shower. We have certainly put some miles on the Jeep this summer…seems like every weekend we were either in MA or CT for birthdays, weddings, anniversary parties, niece sitting, showers, etc. The summer flew right by me...we didn’t even get in one day trip to the beach and I only got to surf once and hit two beach towns all summer.

And now it's winding down…but thankfully, so are the organized events in every other city than the one we live in.

When we got back yesterday I felt a sense of relief that we didn’t have anything to do in either MA or CT (where our families are from) until sometime in October. I have my weekends here, in Hoboken and NYC to do so many things I have wanted to do that couldn’t because we had everywhere else to be. We’re going to do some work on the condo…we have a whole closet full of boxes and things we need to go through and get rid of. We want new blinds and appliances. I want to take a couple of new classes that generally run 6-8 weeks and include weekend days. I have some shows I want to see, restaurants to try, couches to crash on when I’m in a movie mood, Nick needs to get to the vet for shots, gym classes to attend on Saturday and Sundays, the all important Fall TV schedule to gear up with, writing to do, organizing and de-cluttering and just plain old CHILLING OUT in the condo.

So with that, I’m off to Target tonight to get some things I have needed/wanted for the past couple of weeks but didn’t have time to go get…clean up the condo a bit (it does not look like the above picture at the moment) and who knows…maybe a little grilling on the terrace.

If you happen to hear a big sigh later, no worries, it’s just me plopping on my couch with my remote and furry friends…

"I did good..."

2008-09-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

She loves her...she told her she was her "favorite celebrity in the world" the last time....but this time, she did good. :)

More on the beach trip later...Off to CT this weekend for a baby shower.

For the rest of September/October, I have vowed to myself that I am staying put...this summer I have spent 1/2 of it in the Jeep. Time to do some work on the condo and enjoy NYC!

Who knows...maybe Maura will be in another play in the city...

Is this becoming more than my Rosie friendship...er...addiction?

Enjoy!

Maura Mission Accomplished...

2008-08-31T08:25:00.001-07:00

She did it. And she wasn't that bad!

But I do have video. :)

Coming soon....right now, heading to the beach - without the laptop.

Back on Thurs...

Catcha then...

- Deb

Video coming, I promise...

2008-08-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow night we are going to this new play starring Maura Tierney and Dylan McDermott, among others. I have blogged before about BJ's failed attempt to remain cool the last time she met Maura. If you haven't read it yet, click here.

Tomorrow night there is no telling what will happen. Last night BJ informed me that Dylan McDermott is from her hometown of Waterbury, CT and actually went to her high school.

At first I thought, "oh no" she is going to nervously yammer on about Waterbury, CT. But then I thought it could be a good thing because at least she'll have something substantial to talk to him about when he comes out the stage door.

However, I really hope that conversation occurs after she sees/meets/stalks Maura.

If not, Dylan is going to think she was born with a wandering eye that was never corrected because the entire time they are talking, she's going to be looking with one eye around his head for Maura. I know this for a fact.

And yes, I will get it allll on video. Stay tuned!

18 million cracks...

2008-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Please tell me you saw Hillary Clinton's speech last night at the DNC. If not, let me tell you what you missed and then Google it. Or better yet, click HERE. (Video is different than the one above - which you should be sure to watch. It's only about 3 min).

Make sure you watch the whole DNC video…she kicks it into high gear around the 14 min mark and just keeps going with it. And if the 18:45 mark (and on) doesn’t give you at least one goosebump, call 911 and have them come check your pulse.

We all know Hillary lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama and that she didn’t get picked as Barack’s VP. That went to Joe Biden who was sitting in the crowd next to Michelle Obama as Hillary came out to give her speech.

So imagine for a second that you have to go out and give a speech and support the person you lost to, and speak highly about the VP candidate that beat you out as well, in order to ensure that those who supported you and voted for you – all 18 million of us – now turn their support to those other two individuals. Not an easy feat, right? Just one shot with such a captive audience to make it all right, to say what you think, tie up loose ends and thank everyone for their support, while lending yours to the new team. To go out there and continue to fight, only now for someone else. Well, that’s what Hillary had to do.

And she nailed it.

The speech she gave last night was so empowering, so hopeful and so energizing, it was hard not to jump up and high five the TV. She is woman, and we heard her roar. If you watched it and didn’t feel any of that, run immediately to your OBGYN and get on estrogen therapy.

And if you’re one of the women out there who doesn’t like her because of the way she laughs, talks, breathes, stayed with her husband after his affair, cried on the campaign trail, etc.,that’s fine. I can’t stand the way Bush squints his beady eyes and shrugs his shoulders when he laughs. And let’s face it, if affairs and immoral conduct were to be the decision makers, there wouldn’t be a Congress at all. But I digress…The point is, you may not like her for a variety of reasons, but if you are a woman, I sincerely hope you realize - you owe her.

You owe her for running. You owe her for her brain, her dedication, her perserverence, stamina and her grace. For fighting and chipping away at the glass ceiling that prevents many women (yes, you) from reaching the top tier levels and getting equal pay. And if you were watching her all along her journey, you saw that she certainly got a lot of cuts from that glass.

But did she curl up or run away? Hell no. Not during the nomination battles and certainly not last night. With millions watching, she knocked it out of the park. She took her opportunity to show America what they won't have and yes, it still stings a little bit.

But I will vote for Obama because he has relatively the same platform as Hillary and I do like him. I think that he will do his best for those citizens in the middle class and below. The nation has had enough of the privileged getting all the goods. I will also vote for Obama because I simply cannot vote for McCain. He is against so many things I am for. A woman’s right to choose, women getting equal pay (yes, we still only get 70 cents to a man’s dollar and yes, McCain is against equal wages)…gay soldiers allowed to serve and fight for their country, allowing same sex couples to be married at the federal level and thus awarding them all the same rights as straight couples...stem cell research…and the list goes on and on.

So last night as I watched her begin her speech with “Thank you, thank you very much. Thank you all. Thank you” as she waited for the thunderous applause to die down....

I actually said out loud, "No Hillary, thank YOU."

Gloria Gaynor has nothing on us...

2008-08-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it through! Thurs-Mon with a hyper 11 year old touring NYC. About midway on Saturday I started to think that one of us wasn’t going to make it. Then we hit the Hershey and M&M stores in Times Square and I got a chocolate high that would take three days to come down from. It was then I knew I’d survive - and so would she. Gloria Gaynor has nothing on us...

We had a blast…we went everywhere and did everything. We had a ton of laughs and really got to bond a lot. When I got home from bringing her back, the apartment was really quiet and we missed having her around.

But living with a kid gives you a whole new perspective on life. As adults, our rules to live by change and we realize we are sharing this world with millions of people.

Kids? Not so much.

Here’s a few “life rules” that I found kids live by. Oh, I know there’s more. Maybe some of you moms can pitch in.

But in five days, I have a pretty good list:

If you’re up, everyone should be up.
Even if you only eat one slice of pizza, you can still drop a ton of crumbs.
No matter where the adult goes, be right behind them. Really close behind them.
Breakfast of Champions is a vitamin, juice box and the marshmallows from a bowl of Lucky Charms.
When all else fails, load it up with ketchup.
Just because you open a door, doesn’t mean you have to close it.
If you don’t like something, just spit it out.
When standing in front of a major monument like the Statue of Liberty, be consumed by some other small thing around you.
Public bathrooms are a major attraction, even after you’ve been in there four times in one hour.
Clothes don’t need to match, or be clean, in order to wear them.
Fart anywhere, without warning, especially when they wreak.
It’s best to just say what you are thinking, very loudly and without any hesitation, no matter where you are.
It’s okay to lose a souvenir, but only if it’s one you didn’t pay for yourself.
Water is meant to be splashed.
Bed head is totally acceptable to go out with.
Touch everything.
Always wait for the show to start before announcing you have to pee.
Sing Mama Mia as many times as you can in five days. Even if you don’t know the words.
When a rain storm blindsides you, don’t wait for the adult to get the umbrella out, get as wet as possible.
When you’re tired, hang on the nearest adult’s shoulder with all your weight and drag your feet.
Burps are uncontrollable.
If one person says no, wait until they leave and ask the other person.
Insist on taking your own vacation pictures, even if you chop the head off of everything or get blurry shots.
When sharing a drink with adults, backwash into it. You'll get the whole thing.
There is no question you shouldn’t ask.
When it’s time for bed, run down a list of excuses as to why you can’t sleep.
If there’s a concession stand, buy something. Anything. Even if you don’t really want it.
The best place to try out all different kinds of cartoon voices is on a three hour drive home.

And to that, here’s a short video from our trek through the city. More pictures to come and a longer video with pic’s, but for now, here she is!

NYC may never be the same...

2008-08-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

The Tasmanian Devil on crack is coming to NYC!

I'm picking my 11 year old niece up tomorrow and she's staying until Monday.

GULP.

On the agenda? American Girl Doll Store and Theatre for a show and overpriced doll, Times Square (multiple times), Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, FAO Schwartz, Rockefeller Center, etc.

I'll try to update as we go along, but if not, definitely after I bring her back home and wake up from a lonnnnng nap Tues or Wed.

What language barrier?!

2008-08-12T06:56:00.001-07:00

So the other day my friend sent me the above picture txt to my cell phone. She was somewhere getting a pedicure and thought I’d get a kick out of the sign they put up advertising their flip flops in case you don’t have any. Too funny…

So the next day I had an appointment after work but I got back into Hoboken early and had time to kill. I putzed around Hoboken’s main street and saw a nail salon. I thought about getting a pedicure myself but when I looked in the window it was super busy and I didn’t think I’d have time.

I crossed the street and found another nail salon (there are tons in Hoboken) and took a peek. It wasn’t that busy and the guy at the counter said he could do it right away. I had time so I figured I’d get one.

After I was buffed and painted he led me over to the dryers. I sat, plopped my bag down, stuck my toes under the dryer and opened my US Magazine. I flipped back to the page where Lindsay Lohan was kissing her girlfriend and the caption said, “Is she or isn’t she?” Ummmm, it doesn’t take a Mensa member to figure that one out, but I was getting a kick out of the “investigative reporting” they were putting into it.

I shifted in my chair and looked up at the brochures sticking out of the file on the counter and that’s when I saw it.

Randomly, I was in the same salon my friend was in the day before!

So either the establishment saw my friend take the picture or someone was nice enough to tell them, but either way in one swift rip, they instantly erased the language barrier from their sign.

Imagine if it were that easy to take something back you said, did or wrote?

I want a rip function for life!

Bonjour! We have more rights than you do…

2008-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

OK, so some of you may be a little tired of the whole gay marriage debate. Sorry, but I’m not. And I’ve been cranky lately, so you’re gonna hear…er…read about it.

Got an email from a friend…”Hey, what are you doing this weekend?”

I wrote back, “Going to a wedding party in CT. Friend’s of BJ’s family…she got married in France but they are having a party here in the U.S. for her U.S. friends and family.”

That got me thinking…these two people who got married in EFFING FRANCE can come here to the U.S. and are legally a married couple in this country too. In fact, they can cover their eyes, spin the globe, put their finger down to stop it and wherever their finger lands, they are still considered married there.

BJ and I, on the other hand, can drive four hours to MA and get married, but when we drive back to NJ where we live, we aren’t legally married anymore the second we cross over the state line.

So as I pack for the weekend I check off my list of things not to forget. License, check. Clothes for party, check. PJ’s, check. Card and gift, check.

Card and gift. My mind flung forward thoughts of all the bachelorette parties, bridal showers and weddings we have participated in or attended in our lifetimes and all the things we have contributed to the happily married couples. New clothes bought for the occasion, dresses never to be worn again, hotel rooms for away weddings, weekends, money, gifts, etc. Thousands of dollars between the two of us for other people’s big days.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the people whose weddings I attended. I am happy for their happiness. And I don’t necessarily need to have an overpriced party to put me back in debt for the next five years. But what really frustrates me is that our relationship isn't looked at as equal by our country, by many in society and most importantly, we don't get the same federal protections for our relationship as everyone else. And okay, if we're being completely honest here, a new blender every now and then would be nice.

So now I’m thinking, you know? Maybe we should get married each time a state allows it. We could order 10,000 invitations and just change the state when that new state allows us the same rights as everyone else.

Debra Cote and Billie Rama cordially invite you to witness their union in MA…
Debra Cote and Billie Rama cordially invite you to witness their union (MA scratched out) in CA.
Debra Cote and Billie Rama cordially invite you to witness their union (MA and CA scratched out) in [insert next state to allow it].

Imagine the money and gifts we could get if we invited 200 people to each wedding.

Something to think about.

OH, and if anyone out there is curious, we want new appliances for our kitchen. So I’m throwing it out there. We like the Home Depot or Sears.

Merci beaucoup!

Where cancer's elves are hard at work...

2008-08-07T07:51:00.004-07:00

I think I think too much…

2008-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ever have those periods where nothing seems to make sense and the more you try to make sense of things the more confusing those things get? In fact, even that last sentence is confusing.

That’s where I’m at lately.

I’ve been told that as a kid my favorite question was “why?” Like any typical little kid I was apparently curious, but to the point that it didn’t matter what the answer was, I wanted to know more. I think if I were my own parents, I’d have completely wigged out by the time I turned seven.

“Why can’t I go out?” Because it’s raining. “Why?” Because we needed it to. “Why?” Because the sun was out a lot and it dried everything up. “Why?” Because the sun is hot. “Why?”

You get the drift.

And although I’m a lot older than that little person I used to be, my thirst for answers still continues, only with much bigger - and more complicated - questions. Lately I look at my life and think, “Is this it?” Are we here on this Earth to get up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, clean up after dinner, watch TV, sit on the computer, get ready for the next day and do it all over again? I don’t think that is what we evolved into human beings for, but then again, how can we know?

Are we all meant to change the world? Are we all supposed to make a mark on this Earth in the 80-100 years we have on it? (I hope to be on the higher end of that scale, but that seemed about right)…I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t take breathing and life for granted, and I have a ton to be grateful for, and I am, but I need to know what else I’m supposed to be doing. I feel it in my bones that there are greater things for me to achieve. There’s more for me to accomplish and a bigger mark for me to make here. There are happier, more fulfilling hours and minutes to be spent on a daily basis.

This has been consuming me lately. My iPod is full of inspirational songs meant to flip on my drive and energy and pursuit buttons. Lyrics filled with desires and dreams and moments of making it from artists who at one time were right where I am. The “you can kick me when I’m down but I’ll still get back up and make it” kinds of songs. And its not necessarily people doing the kicking…it’s the universe, the world, my own procrastination, lack of time and energy, and all the other obstacles that get in the way.

So I ride the bus and the subways and walk the streets in NYC and I think. Think, think, think, think, think.

I think of where I want to be. What I really want to be doing. What is preventing me from getting there? What is the first step to take to move me in the right direction? How do I get more time to do the things I think I want to be doing when my world is already full of other things I need to get done? Why can’t I just relax and live? Are other people content and happy doing the normal everyday things? Why is that not enough for me? When will the universe clue me in as to what my purpose is and give me what I need to get there? Why isn’t it easier or happening faster?

There's a paragraph in a book I’ve been reading off and on about finding your life’s purpose. You know, one of those books that makes you, eh hem, think. Some of it makes me more confused and some of it makes sense. There is one part where the author uses a popular analogy about a guy who is constantly begging God to let him win the lottery. “Please God let me win, just once. I need the money. I am poor. I have nothing. Let me win the lottery, God."

And God finally responds, “My son, if you want to win the lottery, please, buy a ticket.”

So there it is.

I’m not doing my part. I’m doing too much thinking about what it is I want to be doing - and not enough of actually doing it.

Sigh.

So, with that, I’m off to buy some life tickets.

For the love of God...

2008-07-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

I just ordered two tickets, 3rd row from the stage for this new play coming around.

If you look closely (click the picture to make it bigger) - GUESS WHO is starring in it.

And here we goooooo.....

For those of you new to the BJ/Maura Tierney chronicles, click HERE.

How Nick felt about getting up this morning...

2008-07-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

"Chirp!"

2008-07-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret I’m not a morning person. I’d much rather stay up until 1am watching the late, late shows than be up at 6:00am to start my day. I used to sleep late a lot on weekends, but lately if I’m in bed by midnight, I’m up by 8:30am or 9am. That’s fine. I do well on 8 or 9 hours of sleep. During the week is tough because it’s a “school night” and so we really try to get to bed earlier, it just never happens. I have a hard time getting ready to go to bed because I’m putzing around doing other things. The TV is on in the background, I’m on the computer checking blogs and Flickr pages and learning and working in iMovie to make some videos, etc. By the time we walk the dog one last time and give Vern his pill, refresh pet waters, etc, it gets late.

So last night it was probably around midnight when I finally got the light turned off and started to fall asleep. I don’t think my brain was even contemplating REM yet when I thought I heard something. “Chirp!” I turned over. Whatever it was, it will go away. A minute or so later…”Chirp!” I rolled over again. “Chirp!”

At this point even the dog sat up and started to growl. I looked at my cell phone to see if it was possessed. Nope. Still sitting there with my three alarms set in order for me to get up for work. BJ can’t understand the fact that I actually plan my snoozes…”Who plans a snooze?” But I know myself. I hit OFF on one and then instantly fall back to sleep. But eight minutes later, alarm #2 is going to go off. By #3 I realize I actually need to get up. It’s my system and I’m sticking with it.

What I did notice though, was that the time on my cell phone was 5:20am! Five hours of sleep isn't going to cut it.

“Chirp!”

At this point Nick starts barking and the chirp noise continues, followed by a woman’s robotic voice, “Low battery. Low battery.”

BJ finally proclaims the obvious, “One of us should get up.”

I go out to the living room where I’m greeted by Vern who wants to walk in between my legs and shake his tail against me. BJ is holding Nick’s snout together so he’ll stop barking. He is semi trained to bark when the smoke alarm goes off, so it’s not his fault, but it is 5:20am. BJ is caught between telling him to stop it and also that he’s a goooood boooyyyy.

In the meantime the chirping and “low battery” announcement isn’t stopping. I finally get the step stool, reach the smoke alarm and locate the battery.

“Low battery.” “Chirp!”

I rip the hell out of the back of the alarm and feeling empowered holding the dead Duracell, I begin my groggy descent off the step ladder. From a distance I hear, “Carbon Monoxide. Carbon Monoxide. Chirp!”

The other smoke alarm clear across the room is now going.

“What the EFFFFFF!!!”

“Good boyyyyy. Goooood booyyyyy.”

“Chirp!”

I look at the battery-less smoke alarm and see that the wires are still connected to it. The same wires are apparently connected to all the alarms in the apartment. I swear if I could have reached I would have ripped it apart with my teeth. I pull the alarm down as far as I can and look at the color coded wires. I feel like I’m in a horrible remake of Macgyver as I strategically pull out one wire at a time. I pull the red one. Makes sense, right?

“Chirp! Low battery. Carbon Monoxide.”

At this point I’m ready to breath in the damn carbon monoxide and call it a day.

I go for the black one.

“Chiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp-p-p-p-p.”

Ah ha! It stopped.

I put the step stool away and now Vern’s looking for a treat. What the hell did he do to get a treat?! So I take one out of the bag and throw it into the office so he doesn’t see me ditch him and run back into the bedroom.

I settle back in and try to fall back to sleep. I toss and turn for what seems like forever. I think I finally fell asleep an hour later.

“Beeep! Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!”

AYUP. Snooze number one goes off. I wasn’t sleeping, but damn it, I wasn’t getting up. So I waited for all three snoozes to go off before getting out of bed.

I’m not the Energizer Bunny after all…and apparently neither are my batteries!

Why did you tell her I was nervous?!

2008-07-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, I was away in Northampton, MA for the weekend and was trying to load a few videos before posting. I was able to post a couple...once I get some time I'll combine them and make one big video. We went to two shows, one Wednesday in NYC and one Friday in MA. Both shows had such different energy, different set lists and different types of crowds, but they both had one thing in common - an amazing performance by Melissa Etheridge. If you haven't seen her perform, GO. It's a must.

But for now, let's go back to the Meet & Greet on Wed night at Madison Square Garden. As you know BJ interviewed Melissa on the phone and has been a fan for a long time. She met her once, way back in 2004 in San Fran and was nervous and didn't really say much. So THIS time would be different, right? Wellllll...sort of.

We got there early and had 45 minutes or so to get our tickets and meet and greet passes, grab a quick bite and then get back in time to meet Stephanie, the Tour Accountant who would take us back. Hanging around waiting to be brought back is exciting for some...and for others, it can definitely make you a little nervous.

Here's BJ and I having an in-depth conversation prior to going in:

Finally Stephanie said it was time to head back. We walked through the maze to the backstage area and waited in a holding area with a few other people. Some of Melissa's band members were back there talking to other fans. After a few minutes, Melissa walked in with her tour manager, Steven.

Melissa was spending time with each group of fans and then she came over to us. BJ was great! She introduced herself as the one from 1010Wins.com who interviewed her and they talked about the interview, etc. I introduced myself as the girlfriend who helped practice the "mock" interviews prior to the actual interview. Melissa was fun, engaging, laughing and attentive. We talked about life on the road with twins, how her wife Tammy was holding up touring with the babies, enjoying motherhood for now before she goes back on tv, etc.

And that’s when it happened.

Tammy is an actress and was on a show awhile back that was short lived, but hilarious. Not sure why it didn’t make it, but for whatever reason it ended early. Tammy played a drunk, nanny. OK, so maybe that was it. But anyway, she was great in it. So BJ says to Melissa, “Tammy was fantastic in that show.”

And that's when I saw her eyes glaze over and I could practically see every last memory cell hightail it out of her brain.

“The show...Ummm...Oh gawd, what is the name of that show? It was on the networrrrkk...(finger snaps here)...What was that show?? I swear it’s because I’m here talking to you. Ohhhh...ummmm..."

So Melissa, figuring she’s got a concert to do in ten minutes chimes in…”Committed.”

“YES! (BJ points at Melissa) Committed! Yes. She was fantastic.”

We started laughing and I said to Melissa. “Yeah, she’s a little nervous.”

Melissa said, “Awww, c’mon, we’re just people.”

We talked a little bit more about her hair growing back to the rocker stage, how Rosie helped BJ backstage at No No Nanette with what to start her interview with, etc. At that point Melissa said, “Oh really? She’s back in my dressing room right now.” BJ says you could see my brain spinning a mile a minute and I could care less that I was standing with Melissa Etheridge. Kinda true…but I eventually snapped back to where I was!

She talked with us for a bit more before she headed backstage and we went to grab a couple of beers before heading to watch the show. Recapping the meet & greet BJ says to me, “Why did you have to tell her I was nervous?” “Ummmm, because you blanked out on Committed??” HA.

It was a phenomenal performance. Melissa told BJ in her interview that the New York crowd just shows up ready to go. She doesn’t have to do a thing, from the minute she starts playing, they are right there with her. She wasn’t kidding. All around it was a fantastic night and the meet & greet really did go well.

Then we moved on to Northampton, MA on Friday!

Everything about the Northampton show was different from the NYC show. It was an outdoor venue, small, buggy and muggy. But, our seats were much better at this venue than the MSG show. We had row M smack dab in the center. We could see Melissa talking to her band, creating the show on the spot. We saw all 3 of her strings break at different points in the concert. When she performs, she rocks the house and sometimes takes it out on the guitars!

We were with our friends and it was more of a vintage Melissa show from way back in the days when she did the smaller, outdoor venues. At the end of the show, we went down to the front and we were only a couple of rows back. I stood on a seat to get this video, so it’s a little shaky. I have more to post and will hopefully get to them soon. But for now, this is Melissa at the end of her show where she plays one of her classics “Like the Way I Do” for what seems like forever.

OH, and BJ also stood on a chair next to me...but her experience was slightly different than mine. For that recap, check out her 1010Wins blog here.

Should be good....

2008-07-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

OK, so tonight's the night! Well, the first night...Mind you, we have tickets to Friday's show in Northampton, MA too. But, like they say in sports, don't look ahead to the next game, concentrate on the one you're playing.

So, off we go to the theatre at Madison Square Garden for the Melissa Etheridge concert tonight. For those of you who remember, BJ interviewed Melissa for 1010Wins. You can hear that interview here.

Because of that interview, she asked the PR people if Melissa was doing any meet and greets before the show. He said yes and put her on the list (+1). I'm the plus one. :)

So a little after 7pm tonight we'll be talking to Melissa EFFING Etheridge!

The last time we met Melissa it was in San Fran in 2004 at the start of her LUCKY tour. We had no idea what to expect and were newbies to the whole meet and greet process. BJ wanted to be first in line. We were. Since it was her birthday, she had a birthday card she asked in a 5 year old voice to have signed. She squeaked out a request for a hug and we were done. Melissa was honestly trying to keep the conversation going with US, bless her heart.

We got back to our seats and after we settled down we saw Tammy (Melissa's wife) come out. We got back in line...only to be kicked out by Melissa's people. "But we want to say hi to Tammy." "This is a Melissa meet and greet, you already met her." So we sat back down. Luckily we had VIP seating as well and we hung out upstairs and watched the show from there.

The only thing that we didn't like was that Melissa doesn't take pictures in the meet and greets. That was then. Maybe now she will. I have to get BJ on video trying to locate the meet and greet person though. That will be classic. I may need to stop off and get some Xanax on the street.

We are going with no expectations...that was our pact. And as BJ reminded me, she's "the queen of low expectations." True...she's the pessimist to my optimism. We're the ying and the yang between crazy dreams and slaps of realities.

It's exciting to meet a rock star. One who is also a gay icon. Who knows how we'll act tonight...But this time, trust me, we will not be first in line. And this time we at least have BJ's interview for them to talk about. And BJ's got her interview CD she wants her to sign. And her Awakening CD she wants her to sign. And our meet and greet passes we'll ask her to sign. So we should have plenty to talk about.

This time, we should be a little bit calmer, cooler...collected.

But I bet BJ asks her for another hug.

Stay tuned....

Vacation videos....

2008-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

**NOTE: At the 37sec mark on the video below it freezes, not sure why. Just move the button to the 38 sec mark. However, I think you'll already know what comes next. :)

Back to reality...

2008-07-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well, as fast as the vacation came, it went. It was fantastic and I don’t think it could have come at a better time. Case in point, night one of vacation as I went to brush my teeth, I put a blob of face wash on my toothbrush instead of toothpaste. Uh, yeah, I apparently needed some time off...

Rehoboth is a fantastic beach town…it has something for everyone. The boardwalk has salt water taffy, ice cream cones, popcorn stores, fries, pizza slices, etc. There are a bunch of arcades (be sure to check back tomorrow for the video of BJ getting rid of some work aggression), an amusement park, slush machines and all kinds of t-shirt and variety stores for all your last minute beachy kind of needs.

We started off at a B&B that I will only give you the name of so you DON’T stay there. Canalside Inn. The owner, Steve, was extremely rude and the room was filthy. We are so not divas and we were traveling with the dog so we knew we weren’t getting into the Taj Mahal, but if you could have seen this carpet and the dirty stained chair you would have slept in the car. It was nothing like they advertised on their website and after too many nasty conversations with Steve, he finally divulged it was their only room not yet renovated which is why it didn’t look like the other rooms. Thanks for letting us know in advance!

So we cornered him at breakfast (where another customer was perusing the lame bagel display) and he said he’d give us our money back if we went somewhere else. Now, its Fourth of July week and I’m sure he’s thinking where the hell are we gonna go? Leave it to BJ…she called all over Rehoboth Come and found us a room that takes pets for the rest of the week. You had to see the look on Steve’s face when we went back and said, “OK, give us our money back.” And don’t think we didn’t tell everyone we talked to about his bad business practices. Hell hath no fury like two over-worked, over-commuted, over-stressed, and just plain over-it vacationers...

So as we unpacked our things, I was starting to settle into vacation mode. As I pulled out the camera and the iPod, I was happy that we decided to not bring the laptops. This was vacation…a way to get away from it all. But what do you do when it all comes with you? You stay connected. After all the plugs, cords, batteries and electronic devices were out, I had to laugh. Sure, we left the laptops at home…but we brought every last replacement for them. You know, just in case we needed them. And as I took this picture, I was holding my own cell phone! You can take the girls out of the city but...

We had great weather, a new great location, great food, drinks, beach, ice cold drafts, more food, more drinks, and sun, sun, sun. The water was freezing to the point that I lost my breath when I dove through a wave…and later on it got pretty rough. I learned that they dredged the beach recently and so there’s no gradual drop for the waves to crash, so they crash right at the shore. It was a pretty funny sight watching all the people scramble to get out of the waves, parents doing the arm yank on their kids to keep them from being hurled feet from where they started. It was funny up until the point where I got caught in it. As BJ said to a friend on the phone,“Yeah, Deb got bitch-slapped by a wave…”

I grew up at the beaches in the summer…I have spent hours in the ocean…body surfing, diving around, gauging waves and the undertow. But this time it was way too cold, I couldn’t breath and it was like the ocean was trying to kick everyone out of it…so would I be nuts if I still took my surf lesson the next day? I called the instructor and told him I couldn’t breath in the water…he laughed and said it was no wonder, it’s COLD. Apparently there was an “up-swell” where the warm water was getting blown off the top by the wind and the water underneath was coming up. But I wasn’t to worry, he had wetsuits.

So the next day I walked to the meeting point and wound up taking my surf lesson after all. I zipped up my “spring suit” (which is another way to say a sexy, three quarter length, skin tight black wetsuit) and wobbled down the beach with the others, holding my board and watching as the waves got bigger and bigger. I wasn’t so sure it was going to go smoothly. What is that universal law? What you put out there comes back to you?

I, and the others taking the lesson, had no business being out there. This was not Maui ocean! Wave after wave after wave came crashing down on us. On my first paddle out, a seasoned surfer got thrown off his board and he didn’t have a strap attached to it (that also gets attached to your ankle) so the board went flying as well. Directly at ME. I dove off my board to duck under his surfboard and it missed my head by inches. However, as I came up, the board went down, got caught up in the wave and nailed me right in the thigh. If the Guinness Book of World Records had a category for charlie horses, I would be in it. The instructor asked if I was okay or if I wanted to get out. I stayed out there and got knocked around some more and thrown off my board and swallowed up by wave after wave after wave. And I loved every minute of it.

At one point I was sitting on my board, bobbing up and down just staring across the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. The sun was glistening off the water, I had that crazy workout, tired but relaxed feeling and I just sat there for a minute, soaking in the salt water and sunshine. And then I saw it. A black, shiny FIN going by. I blinked 200 times in 4 seconds to see if it was just the sun gleaming off the water, but nope. It was a fin! My heart started pounding and I thought at that particular moment I’d be a good candidate for the fight, flight or freeze psychological study they do on people in fearful situations. But instead of doing any of those, I did the logical thing.

I looked around to see what everyone else was doing.

You know when you’re on a plane and the turbulence is horrible and your imagination has you nose-diving then crashing and burning? But then you look at the flight attendants who are walking up and down the aisles serving hot coffee and cookies? Or they are standing up in front, chatting and laughing amongst themselves like its been smooth sailing all along? They make you feel better...hey if they’re not worried, why should I be?

I did the same thing out there on the ocean. I checked the fin and saw how playful it was, bobbing around the waves and having a blast. The other surfers also recognized it and turned back to their boards to catch the next good wave. Instantly the Jaws theme song left my head. Yes, it was a dolphin. Once I settled down, I realized how amazing it was to be sharing that space with it. I watched as it bobbed all the way out of sight and then turned around see if I could play in some waves as gracefully as it did.

No chance of that, but by the end of the lesson I felt like I had accomplished something. I felt like a fighter that had gone ten rounds and didn’t run out of the ring, or in my instance, the ocean.

I got home and excitedly told BJ all about my surf experience. The long walk down the beach carrying the board, getting hit by the guy’s board, the achy, worked out arms, getting tossed by the waves and of course, the fin.

She looked at me like I just told her I went for a root canal.
“Yeah, ummmm...NONE of that sounds appealing to me.”

So now we’re done with vacation…back to work, back to commuting, back to stress and back to the reality of every day life.

But I can’t help but wonder...

How much fun is that dolphin having right now?

The universe's sense of humor....

2008-06-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, today I had no choice since I was running that late.

I did the flip flop run...and it wasn't pretty.

You know you can't call me...

2008-06-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago today, I went to the wedding of my good friends, Jenn and Ken. We all went to college together...At the wedding was another good friend of Jenn’s, someone who went to high school with her. Her name is BJ. Well, it’s Billie, but she goes by BJ sometimes and it is how we were introduced. My friends from college and her friends from high school sat at tables next to each other. We were, I suppose, the gay contingency at the wedding, although I think we all would have found each other anyway, even without the strategic seating arrangement by Jenn and Ken. Soon after, the tables started to mix it up and I wound up sitting next to BJ. Over way too much wine and too many hours into the night, we found an instant connection.

Nine years later, we are still together.

There’s not enough room on this blog to go into everything we’ve experienced together…all the ups and downs…the moves, the jobs, the losses of those we loved dearly…human and furry…the career changes, family dramas, new births, good purchases, bad purchases, vacations, geography dilemmas, anxieties, petty arguments, biiiiig arguments over petty things, movie nights, once only meteor showers, holidays, road trips, concerts, birthdays, promotions, unemployment, art, double doses of PMS, tears, laughter, “the cats”, happy hours, home movies and so much, much more.

And to BJ I say, thank you, for all of those experiences. Thank you for growing with me and for coming along with me on my journey as I follow you along on yours. Somehow we have managed to meld the two roads together.

So on this 9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY today, there’s only one thing left for me to tell BJ. It's the same thing I said at the end of that night that kicked off this whole ride.

“You know you can’t call me…”

Where are the Go-Gos when you need them?

2008-06-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

As I frantically flip flopped my way (yes, flip flops, that IS part of the reason you work in television - the lack of a dress code) to my bus stop, I heard the rumble of the engine and looked up just as the tail end of my bus was zooming by. I thought about running for it, but not even Jackie Joyner-Kersee would have made it, never mind me and my beach attire.

And besides, I didn't want to give the passengers on the bus the satisfaction of having my frantically waving arms, flailing bags and me in that awkward flip flop run stuck in their heads as they comfortably settled in for their ride. I know, because I have witnessed others trying to get to the bus in time and it is hilarious when they don't make it. HILARIOUS.

So I became one with the fact that I'd be late for work (for a change) and settled into a normal frantic pace. Because I wasn't gonna let another bus go by in front of my face. I can become one with the situation the first time, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the universe mess with me twice.

The thing with the commute is that it is so random. The bus will say 8:30am on the schedule, but that really means 8:24am or 8:36am or 8:42am, etc. You get the idea. There's traffic and weather and people holding up the line, etc. And then who knows when the next bus will show up. Then you add the train schedules, delays and the tourist traffic, and you literally have no control over your commute.

I got to the bus stop, out of breath and sweaty and stood in line with the other out of breath sweaty people who missed the last bus. My blackberry started buzzing with work people needing this now and that later. A strand of hair was stuck on my face, but I couldn't find it as I tried with my two free fingers (I have the iPod, blackberry and bus pass/ID mess in my hands) to get it. After six air plucks I gave up. You know when you know a hair is there but can't get it? UGH. Where are the Go Go's when you need them? As if on cue, their theme song started playing in my head in that Ally McBeal kind of way. At that moment, vacation was all I needed. Well, that and for a bus to show up...

But wait! I am going on vacation! Tick tock, tick tock. I will be on vacation the week of the 4th! This year we decided to stay local (local being within the United States) and have always wanted to check out Rehoboth Beach. It's a very gay friendly beach community and BJ read it is the "Key West of the Mid Atlantic." Now, you may have read my impressions the last time we went to Key West...so let's hope it's a little more P-Town and a little less Key West. But we have had friends go to Rehoboth awhile back and love it, so we decided to give it a try.

I grew up going to the beach for vacation. The ocean is as much a part of me as the blood running through my veins. It is where I can relax and let my mind go. The smell, the sounds, the seagulls, the shore, the surf...I can't wait.

On the agenda? Surfing...I fell in love with it in Maui as you can see from the below photo. I had no idea I was smiling after I was done.

I also want to rent a boat although I gotta break this one to BJ who is not a great swimmer and not exactly excited over the boat rental thing...we did it on Catalina Island awhile ago and let's just say her life jacket was bigger than the boat we rented.

Anyway...there will be reading, running on the beach (beats running for the bus), drafts on the outdoor decks, seafood, shopping and lots of fetch w/ Nick, which he LOVES:

So forgive me if I'm in la la land a little this week...I've got CDs to burn, directions to print, all seven pairs of flip flops to pack, camera batteries to charge, confirmations to make, outgoing voicemails and out of office messages to create without rubbing it in that I'll be off all week on vacation, etc.

But on Friday when I get off the bus for the last time before vacation, the bus driver will probably think I'm off my meds when I do a happy kick off the top step getting off the bus!

Sigh. Only four more frantic runs for the bus to go...

You know you'll have a bad commute when...

2008-06-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Florence Nightmare....

2008-06-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so there's a few professions that I've never attempted for real that I think I'd be good at. Personal trainer, life coach, writer, actor, director, psychiatrist, coach, etc. I know I am a good television producer and am definitely in the right field of work in entertainment because I am creative. But one profession I don’t think I should get into or should ever attempt to do is – NURSING.

I just don’t have that bedside manner I guess.

Case in point…Last night right before bed, I was in our office shutting down the computer as BJ was putzing around cleaning up the kitchen. A few minutes go by and I hear a loud clunk in the sink and BJ yelling “Aaahhhhhh!”

Now, the one thing to know about BJ is that she handles pain pretty well. Me on the other hand? I apparently can be a bit whiney. But the thing with me is that I can get hit in the chest with a softball, cracked in the fingers by a field hockey ball or stick, get an elbow to the eye in basketball or have three, two hundred pound women tackle the crap out of me in a full contact football game - and be fine. But give me a headache, toothache, sunburn, hangover or even a stubbed toe and you’re gonna hear about it. But BJ? Not so much. She could be in a car wreck and still go out to a happy hour and have a great time.

So I instantly follow up her “Aaaaahhhh!” with a “What?! What happened? What?!”

I hear her mumble…”Ouchhhhh.”

So I get up.

She apparently was washing a very sharp knife and missed the sponge and hit her thumb. AYUP. As blood was dripping into the sink, I quickly grabbed a dishtowel out of the drawer and told her to make sure she put pressure over the cut. It didn’t look like she had the towel on the right spot, so I said louder (because in emergencies it always helps to yell), “Over the cut. Put pressure right on the cut!” BJ fluffed the dishtowel around a bit to appease me. “It is on the cut, it IS.”

She pulls the towel away and it continues to bubble up bleeding.

ME: “Keep the pressure on it!”

BJ: “Okay, okay! Do we have any peroxide?”

ME: “I don’t know, maybe in the box under your sink…”

Since everything isn’t fully unpacked yet, I found the cardboard box that we dumped our “pharmacy drawer” into when we packed and started to rummage around. Why were there outlet adapters, playing cards, bungee cords and a thimble in the pharmacy box?! A thimble??! Anyway, no peroxide. But what WAS in there were a few sample packages that BJ had grabbed from a goodie bag at a local CVS that had a grand opening. Excitedly I dug one up and read the front…”For diaper rash, insect bites, and small scrapes.” Diaper rash?!? We are so far away from having a baby in our apartment…why do we have six sample packets of diaper rash ointment?!?

I leave that bathroom and go check the other one. Maybe the peroxide is in the other bathroom. Nope. I head back to the first bathroom that BJ is now in. I tell her we don’t have any peroxide and she says – I swear this is the truth – she says:

“I just poured some Listerine on it and it burns.”

YA THINK?!?!!

Listerine?!! WHY? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY??

The best we could do was put some diaper rash ointment on it and a bandaid. I unpeeled the bandaid and put it on her finger, pushing down hard on the cut to add more pressure to stop the bleeding. Apparently it was a little too much pressure…

BJ: “OWWW. Florence Nightmare!”

I opened another bandaid and gently put it across the other part of her thumb and watched as the blood seeped through. The director in me wanted to orchestrate a whole emergency room bandaging operation, but hey, if she was willing to use Listerine as an antiseptic and bleed out overnight, what could I do about it?

At least we know her thumb won’t stink or itch!

Got thunder?

2008-06-10T19:08:00.001-07:00

We are at the end of a heat wave...the kind of heat where you want to sit in a tub of ice water 24/7. The kind of heat that no matter how loose and light your clothing is, it sticks to every inch of your body. The kind of heat that makes everyone band together and the topic of conversation starts and stops with "Phewww, it's hot out there, huh?"

It's also the kind of heat that brings on major thunder and lightening storms.

As you can see from the picture above, Nick is slightly afraid of thunder. His tail goes down, he runs out of whatever room he's in and frantically paces the apartment looking for anything he can hide under. We couldn't find him in his regular spots, which are typically in the closet or under the futon, so we went looking for him. BJ found him in one of the bathrooms, fully protected from the thunder by the TOILET.

We tried to coax him out but he wouldn't budge so we let him stay there. When we went to check on him again he wasn't behind the toilet. He decided it wasn't big enough. For this thunder, he really needed to hide...

So he picked the next best spot - the shower!

He stayed in there until the thunder stopped and quietly made his way back to the living room. After a few nods of encouragement from us, he seemed to be back to normal somewhat. But I think all the excitement wiped him out since this is how I found him after the storm was definitely over.

If only I could get him to believe that God was bowling...

A clean slate...

2008-06-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

As I reached over to flip the page on my calendar at work today, I noticed the scribbles and markings I had written into the daily boxes throughout the month of May. Important dates, small tasks I needed to do that seemed so important at the time, birthdays, celebrations, appointments, etc. I had something to do every week…May was filled with hopes, dreams and new beginnings in various forms.

Here’s what I experienced:

An aunt’s birthday, a gift, phone call and well wishes
Mother’s Day, phone calls, gifts, cards
A surreal backstage visit with my favorite celebrity, Rosie O’Donnell
My 38th birthday, phone calls, gifts, extra moisturizer purchase
A new baby’s Christening
Memorial Day, remembering the soldiers past and present
Housewarming gathering, party with friends to break in new condo
Paid off debt

So now as I look at June I see a clean slate. I can make the month of June into whatever I want it to be. Sure, there are a few areas that need new scribbles...an upcoming wedding, a 9 year anniversary with BJ, vacation plans, etc.

But the rest of those empty squares? Those are up to me to fill with joyful times, peaceful moments and other life experiences. Because next month when I flip that page again I’ll be able to see what I did with my time and I hope that I enjoyed whatever I did.

What will you do with your blank squares?

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” - Oscar Wilde

My inner Suze Orman....

2008-05-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. Today I just paid off the last of my remaining credit card balance. I can’t tell you how good that feels to know that my hard earned money is not going to make anyone over at CitiCard any richer than they already are. It has taken me about 3 years to pay it off and I vow to never do that to myself again.

Here’s the deal…I don’t even really call it credit card debt…it was more of a life loan. Hey, whatever gets you through it, right? But for real, back in 2002 I realized that the majority of my extracurricular activities was spent doing things like taking acting classes, screenwriting classes, working at a local TV station and working on an independent feature film shot in and around Boston. That movie, Working Stiff, was an amazing learning experience for me both behind, and in front of the camera. I walked away with an Associate Producer credit and a small role. I played Hattie, the wardrobe lady. Click here to view the trailer.

During that time working on the film, it wasn’t even like I was working. It was such a cool experience to be involved in. I knew then that my life as a business person in computers was over and so I finally ventured out west to sunny California to pursue a career in entertainment. I didn’t know really what road I would wind up on, but I just knew that I had to go where the roads were. What I learned quickly was that going from a career in computers to unemployment and starting from scratch at the bottom of the barrel is not easy to do, mentally, emotionally or materialistically, especially when all that happens to be in Los Angeles, CA. So many things to do, people to hang out with, parties to go to, well, you get the drift.

I did a ton of background work on films and TV shows out there and eventually got offered a job as a production assistant on a TV show. I was broke, so I took it. In the meantime, I took classes at the famous Improv schools out there (nothing like standing on the same stages as some of the Saturday Night Live people and others on sitcoms through the years gone by) and other acting classes.

After awhile, BJ got really homesick so we moved back. I got lucky that a friend of mine from Los Angeles got a job on a show here in New Jersey and so she hooked me up and got me in. It was the revamp of A Current Affair. I worked my way up to Producer and am still on the television production road at the moment. And yes, I’m still taking acting classes here and there and attending seminars with casting directors, etc. I took back with me all the training and things I’ve learned in L.A. and with that, all the purchases and experiences I had swiped through those little machines along the way.

So since 2005 when we returned back to the east coast, I have been fortunate enough to work pretty steadily. I have been at Court TV (tru TV now) as a booking producer (put the guests on the daytime shows for the anchor to talk to) for about 2 and ½ years and have been chipping way at the L.A. debt since. It’s a tough thing to do when you still have outside interests that you want to do that chew up your cash (such as the acting classes, seminars, shows, etc) but you have to balance it out. It makes my progress go a little bit slower than I'd like in those other areas, but I do what I can when I can. I'm learning to trust that everything happens in the time frame that it is supposed to.

The process of paying off the debt wasn't painless, trust me. Packed lunches, cooking dinner in (in the NYC area that is hard to do with all the options), we’re still driving our 1996 Jeep Cherokee, putting anything extra down on the debt, hand me down furniture when we moved home, renting a cheaper place than our friends, renting movies instead of going out, etc. All the things Suze Orman tells you to do. In fact, if Suze had her way, we’d stay in and crochet lint from our pockets and knit ourselves new clothes.

But that being said, I have recently started paying attention to Suze Orman and I find that she makes A LOT of sense. Especially for women! How many of you are out there that don’t really know what is going on with your finances? How many of you feel trapped that you don’t have your own account or don’t have any of your own money saved up in case you need to leave? If you are single, what happens if you lose your job and can't afford your bills alone? You need to take care of yourself and start paying attention to those things. You never know what could happen in life and where you will need to be and when. At least if you have the money available to you, that part of the equation can’t hold you back. It’s not complicated. Her advice starts from the beginners to the pros. Check out her website here. After perusing her site, trust me you will be wiser about money.

So today I breathe a sigh of relief that my own weight of the debt is gone. A chip here and a chip there…a sacrifice here and a sacrifice there has really paid off. If you are in a similar situation, know you can do it too. Put $10 aside if that’s all you have. Pack your lunches, reuse things, sell things you don’t need, downsize if you have to. Channel your own Suze Orman…Just DO whatever you need to do, because the payoff is worth it.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite, current Saturday Night Live players, Kristen Wiig impersonating Suze Orman. This is just a small promo shot…she does a bigger sketch on SNL every now and then. Check that out here.

But for now, enjoy this – for free!

Meet and Greet #2....

2008-05-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

I think we could get used to this!

So I told you last week that BJ would be interviewing her favorite female rock star…well, it happened!

A couple of days ago she heard someone yell out to her at work, “Hey Billie, Melissa Etheridge is on the phone for you.” OK???

So she went in, hand shaking with the worn piece of interview questions she’d rehearsed…the one where I put in parentheses the words (PAY ATTENTION) and (FOCUS) because for one, she has a problem with that and two, it’s MELISSA ETHERIDGE.

I know first hand from blanking out around Rosie that it is hard to speak coherently to a celebrity you love, never mind having to do it for work and be professional.

She did the interview and it was fantastic. Now that it has had songs looped in and pauses stripped out, it’s up for the public to hear and read. Listening to the audio is better because you can hear the laughing and the banter which was great.

You can listen to it at 1010Wins by clicking here:

BJ INTERVIEW WITH MELISSA ETHERIDGE

After they posted it, she emailed Melissa’s “people” and let them know the interview was up and asked if it was possible for her to meet Melissa at her Madison Sq. Garden concert. They said sure! (And don’t think I won’t be tagging along behind her…)

BJ was fine when we met Rosie in her dressing room…mostly because she was recording it for me and also because Rosie’s my deal. But Melissa Etheridge is BJ’s thing…the last time she met her was at a meet and greet in San Fran when Melissa opened up her Lucky tour. BJ insisted we were first in line, then looked at her like a five year old and asked her “Can I have a hug?” We tried to get back in line again, but her handlers looked at us like, “Crazies, get out of line.”

So this time she’s already met her once and she’s interviewed her on the phone…She should be okay July 9th when we do the meet and greet pre-show.

But then again, it’s BJ, so you never know! I'll be sure to blog about it then so check back if you can.

Walk this way...

2008-05-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you’ve seen or heard anything about driving in New York City, you’re probably aware that the cab drivers are nuts. They drive around at breakneck speeds, change lanes without warning and without slowing down, swerve, merge, cut off other cars and honk their horns like they have tourettes of the wrist. Oftentimes it is best not to look and if you happen to be traveling with rosary beads, go ahead and get them out. The cabbies own the road and they know it.

Until…

The walk signal changes.

There are no pedestrians out there with as much attitude as New York City pedestrians. I’m not talking about the tourists who are looking up at buildings, snapping pictures, flipping their maps right side up, etc. I’m talking about the people of New York City who work in the city. Those who have someplace to be five minutes ago.

These pedestrians will walk right in front of any car, truck, horse and carriage and yes, taxi cab to get across the street before the light changes. They walk with the attitude “Go ‘head, hit me. I’m in the crosswalk and will sue your ass.” I’ve witnessed many pedestrians pound on the front end of a car whose driver made the mistake of trying to squeak through the tail end of a changing light. Birds a’ flippin’, swears being passed back and forth like normal conversation, chests puffed out, horns blowin’….

Ahhhh, New York City.

Where the pedestrians may not always have the right of way, but if they do, you’ll know it.

The videos...

2008-05-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a few videos from the No No Nanette night!

They are all pretty quick videos...didn't want to get into any trouble recording ... especially in the dressing room when Rosie wasn't in there with me yet. The last thing I wanted to do was annoy her or get BOOTED for recording something I wasn't supposed to!

“Happy” song at the end of No No Nanette:

Curtain call. Rosie points up...a shout out to her mother:

"Get in bloggers…DebC9":

In the dressing room:

Have a great weekend!

The Dressing Room...

2008-05-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Most of you know the story by now, but going to No No Nanette was fantastic! Rosie was GREAT in it as was the rest of the cast...And you saw that Rosie’s assistant invited the bloggers to a special meet and greet after each night of the show. Most of the bloggers went on Saturday night and they had a great time getting to know each other and talk to Rosie. BJ and I couldn’t go that night, so we got tickets for Sunday, Mother’s Day. Turns out, I was the only blogger that night so instead of waiting for Rosie to come out towards the stage door, her assistant came by and brought us up to the dressing room to see her!

I have never been backstage or in a celebrity's dressing room (well, unless you count Mickey Mouse at Disney World when I went on a softball spring training trip in college)…so that part was exciting to begin with! But the rest of it was super cool…

There were tons of cast members mulling about, fans and family members all hanging around getting ready to leave and crew people all taking off for the night. We bumped into Beth Leavel while waiting to get in to see Rosie…Beth was super nice and signed our playbills, etc. We hovered around as Rosie talked to this one and that one, hugging mothers of cast members and talking about the show and their talented kids.

She came out of the dressing room to say hi to another person and her assistant said “that’s a blogger”…so when Rosie walked out, she sort of shoved me towards the dressing room in a fun way saying “get in there bloggers, get in there…” I stood in the dressing room as she was outside the door talking to someone from the cast and their family.

I took a very quick video of the surroundings…didn’t want to be too pushy and didn’t want to run out of battery power! I hope to post it soon...I think it's about 6 seconds total! Inside there were a few flower arrangements, water bottles, checklists of things that needed to be done and in what order (attach hat, attach mic to Rosie’s hair, etc)…her tap shoes were on a shelf, her costumes were hanging…the bright lights went around the mirror…it was really cool being back there. And then she came in…fortunately at this point BJ had the video camera going otherwise I might not have remembered any of it.
The bottom line is that she was so nice and so funny and so gracious and so down to earth and so, just everything you could hope for when going backstage to greet an artist you respect.

She started the conversation saying, “I have to tell you something…” I said, “What?” She explained her blog and how she sees the questions and how she can’t see the blogger’s name who’s asking the question until she opens the question. But somehow, when she clicks on a question she likes, she sees that its one of mine. Well people have been writing in to her asking her why she always answers my questions…they write in asking if she knows me, if they changed their name to DebC9 would she answer them, etc.

She said people were starting to get mad…so she said that now when she goes in to answer a question, if she sees it's me, she backs out and doesn’t answer it! I said, “Well, that’s okay…” and she said, “But I have to say, it IS weird that when I go in and think, oh, that’s a good question, I click on it and say, shit, it’s her again! I can’t answer it!” So she backs out of it. It was pretty funny. She said, “I don’t know though, there’s this weird connection…”

I got a chance to tell her that I appreciate when she does answer me and that I have a zillion questions for her...we laughed about a few things and just sort of hung out talking about stuff. She even answered a question from BJ about her interview with Melissa Etheridge (Rosie and Melissa are friends) that was coming up and she told BJ not to be nervous, to definitely talk about the breast cancer, etc. (More on the interview later)...

Then I asked her if it would be okay if I called my mother and if she could say hi. She said, “if you want me to” which was amazing since she had yet to still go to the stage door and she was sick and had just performed for two hours. I got my mom on the phone and handed it to Rosie...she talked for a bit, said I was “well dressed, articulate and behaving” which is always a plus for someone to say to the woman who raised you!

She handed me the phone back, gave me a hug and BJ as well…we walked out with her and her assistant and snapped the picture above before she took off to visit the fans still waiting at the stage door and we went out the other entrance. It couldn’t have been a more perfect ending to an already great night.

I’m not sure when I’ll get to go to another event she’s doing…but I did notice she’s doing a book signing in Framingham, MA the end of the month. That is about 20 miles from where I grew up in Worcester. So I’ve sent an email blast to all my MA peeps letting them know that she’ll be there and hoping they will go buy the book (proceeds go to her charity) and support her.

And while they're there, they can say hi from DebC9.

OH, and hopefully videos coming soon so check back!

A different time and place...

2008-05-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

Back in the day my Nana was a singer and performer. She played the piano and sang at my parent's wedding. She loved to dress in fantastic, glitter-filled, coordinated outfits full of costume jewelry. As a kid, when we went to visit, she’d send us off with bags of make-up and pieces of her jewelry collection. I've learned that she used to go around and perform at some clubs in Worcester, MA but was never afforded the opportunity to take off for NYC or Hollywood to see where her talent could take her.

She came from the era where you reached a certain age and got married and raised your kids. Taking off for stardom wasn’t an option for her. Unfortunately I never got to see her perform, or hear her sing. She died when I was about fifteen years old. She liked to smoke and she liked to drink and she loved to perform. I have a record of hers but I haven’t tried to play it, or get it re-recorded onto a CD because I’m afraid it may get ruined.

So, in the spirit of Mother’s Day weekend, I’ll share with you a story…

Awhile back, BJ got free tickets from work for the musical, The Drowsy Chaperone…It was a great, upbeat show. Drowsy is “the uproarious tale of a pampered starlet determined to give up show business to get married and her ruthless producer intent on sabotaging the nuptials. Add to this a Latin lover, a debonair groom, an English butler, a pair of gangsters disguised as pastry chefs and a very tipsy chaperone, and all manner of mix-ups and mayhem are set to ensue.”

Playing the part of the Drowsy Chaperone was a phenomenal actress, Beth Leavel. She takes over the stage and sings like Judy Garland and Liza Minelli combined. So anyway, midway through, I started to feel a presence around me. It wasn’t until the Drowsy Chaperone belted out the song “As We Stumble Along” that I realized it.

The Drowsy Chaperone reminded me of my Nana. She was all glitzed up, cocktail in hand, belting out the song. I felt like she was there with me, my Nana, watching the show. It was as if that could have been her, had she been born in a different time and place.

Afterwards I bought the show CD for that song. I went home to play it and when I flipped the CD over I noticed its number placement on the CD. It was #9, a significant number in my family. Then I noticed the intro narration to the song was titled “Beatrice Stockwell.”

My Nana’s name was Beatrice.

And so now cut to eight months later and we head over to No No Nanette to see Rosie play the character of the maid. The part called for a sassy, loud mouthed maid and without even seeing it, you know its perfect casting. When we bought the tickets a while back, we didn’t realize that the day we bought our tickets for was Mother’s Day. I also didn’t know or read much about the show and other cast members until a couple weeks ago when they started rehearsals. I just knew Rosie was in it, and wanted to support her and go see her perform.

The cool part?

Beth Leavel is in No No Nanette. And again she belted out songs that would give you goosebumps for weeks.

When she came out, I couldn’t help but look up and give a little wink to the heavens.

Happy Mother’s Day, Nana…

Round 3...

2008-05-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Going to see a musical this weekend, No No Nanette…Sandy Duncan is in it as well as some others who have been in some other shows we’ve seen. Beth Leavel is in it and she played the Drowsey Chaperone when we went to see that. She was fantastic in that and it will be cool to see her in another show. And the other person who’s in it? None other than Rosie O’Donnell.

Now I’ve been to two book signings and the second one was better than the first one in terms of actually being able to speak like a normal human being. So for No No I wasn’t that worried because we were going to wait out by the stage door to get our playbills signed and Rosie would come out and talk to all the other people at the door waiting for the cast, so there really wouldn’t be much time to talk to her anyway. I know she’d come over to say hello because she now knows who I am from her blog and also the book signings. In fact, some people write in to her on the blog and ask her if she knows me because she answers my questions so much and they want to know why. She responded with this:

i met her at the book signing
i dont know y
i like her ?s

So I was all set to say hi at the stage door and have her and the cast sign the playbill and be done.

But, what I didn’t know was that a group of us who are on her blog regularly would be getting an email from her personal assistant that says the following:

“Rosie and all of us are so thrilled that you are coming out to show your support for her appearance in Encores! No, No, Nanette. As a token of our appreciation, Rosie would love to say hello and thank you personally at a meet and greet following the performance you are attending.”

Oh boy…here we goooooo again.

The only thing this time is that BJ will be with me so it will definitely be different. You all know how SHE gets when she’s around celebrities. By now you all know the Maura Tierney incident. And it really doesn't even matter WHO it is. She once ditched her parents outside Jersey Boys to run across the street to catch a glimps of Lance Bass in Hairspray. Not kidding. And then there was Chazz Palminteri. Who? Exactly.

Something comes over her when she thinks she may miss out on the signing/meeting opportunity out there. So I'm looking forward to seeing how she is when we get to the meet and greet with Rosie. I don’t say a word, BJ doesn’t stop talking. We ought to make a great pair, Freezy and Rambalina.

So be sure to check back after the weekend for pictures and video. This time I will definitely bring the video camera!

OH, and BJ’s interview with her all-time favorite, female rocker?

SCHEDULED.

OK, this could be good...

2008-05-02T13:47:00.001-07:00

I don’t want to give it away, but another BJ classic could be coming around…

If you thought the Maura Tierney incident was bad, just wait.

There’s a chance…a slim, glimmer of hope, that she may be interviewing her all-time favorite, female rocker before said all-time favorite, female rocker performs at Madison Sq. Garden on her upcoming tour.

This would be the tour that BJ has, so far, bought two sets of tickets to, for two separate venues. Yes, you read it right. Same performer, same tour, two separate venues, four tickets.

Be sure to check back every now and then to see if this interview happens!

Huh?

2008-05-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

The cooster....

2008-04-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you know by now that BJ doesn't like cats....well, let me rephrase that, she likes cats (kind of) but just not living with them.

Some of the reasons why?

1) The litter box...
2) Litter pebbles on the floor...
3) They can jump on things...
4) They insist on cutting you off whenever you have your arms full...
5) When you can't find them, you have to look up, in, over and around everything...(see #3)
6) They throw up hair balls...
7) They make a horrible screeching noise when you accidentally step on one of them...(see #4)
8) They scare the hell out of you when they jump on you when you're sleeping...
9) They knock things over...
10) They aren't good travelers..
11) They have various meows at various times that mean different things...
12) They shed on everything...

I don't think it would be so bad if we didn't start off with two of them which allowed us to have experiences with all of the above.

When we drove cross country we had two cats and a dog with us. The dog slept on our lap. The cats were in their crates behind us meowing and meowing and meowing. Vern was mixing his meows with hyperventilating. When we got to our hotel, we'd take the cats out, the cat silos for food and water, the cat beds, the litter pan, litter, etc. The dog, we'd hook him to his leash, grab his bag of food and in he went. It was a classic Mastercard commercial. "Traveling with a dog? Priceless."

They say dogs just want to be around their owners but cats are extremely connected to their environment. Case in point, when we moved to Los Angeles, Vern was so out of his element that for some reason he ate floss out of the bathroom basket. The next day he was in his box struggling for half the day. Turns out he had poop coated floss hanging way out of his ass as he proceeded to run and jump all over the moving boxes and the apartment. Ever try to catch a freaked out cat with poop coated floss hanging out of his butt? That was not one of his finest moments.

The fur ball thing is not good either. BJ thinks it is a cruel joke that mother nature played on cats..."you don't have to have baths, you can clean yourself with your tongue, but then you're going to vomit up a huge fur ball every time." So basically they are the bulimics of the animal world.

And sometimes they would do the vomiting at night, so when you wake up and are barefoot, SPLAT. You step right in it. This has happened on a number of occasions to, guess who? AYUP - BJ.

The litterbox is always a joy, especially since we have lived in some pretty close quarters. In L.A. we lived in a tiny one bedroom apt with hardly any windows. Often we'd come home to a nice present in the box...BJ would bust out the industrial size can of Lysol and single handidly destroy part of the ozone layer trying to get rid of "the stench."

And then they do that thing when they clean around the litter box after going. You know, they whap at the walls, the sides of the box, and all around every inch of space near the box. This is how Vern wound up turning the heat off (more than once) when we first moved in. He punched around so much that he'd knock the switch off. I can't tell you how many times we'd be watching a movie and you could hear Vern going at it. BJ would mute the TV... "OK, is Hillary Swank in the litter box??"

And of course, no shopping trip would be complete without hauling up a 30lb bucket of cat litter..."Friggin' litter..." is usually what I hear mumbled as BJ walks behind me up the stairs.

One of the latest incidents involving my little furry friend was when a guest recently stayed overnight for a couple of nights. The first morning she got up and asked what weird noise Vern was making. Sort of a meow, sort of a weird call. He can make this weird "gow, gow, gow" noise at night, or when he wants my attention. She said he did it early in the morning.

The next morning, he apparently did it again. As our friend put it, "I looked at the time to see if its the same each day and he totally does it as soon as the sun comes up! He's like a rooster. He's a cat/rooster...he's a cooster." So fair warning to all of you who may stay over in the future...we have a cooster that may wake you up bright and early.

So has Vern done anything new and weird in our new place? Aside from turning the heat off every now and then, he's now decided to do something else. He's never done this before and I'm a little worried about him, but he's acting "normal" in every other way. Seems he's taken to drinking water out of the toilet!

Here's how I found him today:

I'm not entirely sure why he's doing that since I clean and fill his regular water dish daily, but all I can tell you is that it hasn't helped his case with BJ.

But at least for now, if we can't find him, we know where to start looking.

Home sweet home....

2008-04-21T13:27:00.001-07:00

This weekend we finally dug into the rest of the boxes, got some pictures hung around most of condo and really have just the office left. We have a few Broadway posters and the Rosie painting I had her sign that we still need to frame and they are going in the office, so we haven’t hung anything in there yet.

Here’s a few pics of the new pad…sorry not enough time to write more, but wanted to get the pics up at least...and yes, we had BJ’s parents visiting, so that’s why it’s so clean!

More later…

Shout out!

2008-04-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to BJ for getting promoted from Senior Web Producer to Managing Editor of 1010Wins! She is now responsible for the entire website and running her own staff.

1010Wins has been around forever and is THE news radio station and website for New York City. She's worked really hard and has paid her dues, so it's about time she gets rewarded for it and Im so proud of her.

Their motto is "You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world."

Soooo, whats to come? Well, its a news site, and its New York City, so you can imagine how much news occurs in the city that never sleeps. And at this point it looks like neither will BJ!

The first thing on the agenda? Delegate, delegate, delegate! Someone else will be going into the city at 3am to cover the latest explosion, private plane flying into a building, a 4am murder or a long anticipated Pope visit.

If you have a chance, please click away on all the latest NYC news. Every click helps her site traffic stats which will look good for her. Send the link to your friends and friends of friends if you can. The website is www.1010Wins.com and is on the list over on the right hand side.

Have a great weekend everyone...hoping to post pics of the condo by the end of the weekend so come back if you can.

Propano?

2008-04-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

It is with great regret that I left the condo over the weekend without the video camera. No, not for recording us picking out the above grill from the selections at our home away from home, Home Depot.

THAT process was easy!

We had a super customer service rep who knew about the different grills, gave us a great discount since our new grill was a floor model (and already assembled which was KEY for lugging it up the stairs and using it for cooking dinner instantly) and who made our process a lot easier since I've said before it can take us an hour to decide what we want for take-out. The video, however, WAS needed for the 2nd half of the grill experience.

Getting the propane tank filled.

Seems the Home Depot is located right next to the Holland Tunnel entrance into NYC. Therefore, Federal regulations prohibit HD from filling up the tanks with propane. But, as our super informative HD garden center rep told us, the gas station “right next door” could fill it up for us.

That would have been great information if there weren’t roughly TWELVE gas stations in and around the Home Depot. In addition to that, every other block is a ONE WAY street.

We pulled into an Exxon and it went a little like this:

Roll down window on BJ’s side:

BJ: “Do you fill up propane tanks here?”
Gas Station Attendant (GSA): “Que?”
BJ: “Propane. Do you do it here?”
GSA: Blank stare.

SHELL station #1:

Roll down my window:

ME: “Hi, do you fill up propane tanks here?”
GSA: Scared look on his face.
ME: “Gas grills. Propane. Do you do it here?”
GSA: “Nooo…ah…no propeeen?”
ME: “No propane fill ups here?”
GSA: “Noooo.”

LUK Oil station:

My 2nd attempt:

ME: “Do you fill up propane tanks here?”
GSA: "Noooo...no here."
ME: "Grill propane tank. Do you know what that is?"
GSA: "No, no."
ME: "Do you know where we can get a grill propane tank filled?"
GSA: "Que?"
BJ: "JESUS CHRIIIST."
ME: "Propane tank..do you know...oh, forget it."

We negotiated our way back through two sets of one way streets and one illegal u-turn and found our way to a MOBIL station. Before I even put the car in park, BJ was getting out, talking out loud.

"They have no idea what the hell we're talking about. I'm showing them the God damn tank and then I'm taking Spanish lessons so I'm not a God damn foreigner in my own God damn country."

The unsuspecting gas station attendant headed over. BJ held the tank up in the air.

BJ: "PROPANE. Do you guys fill it here?"
GSA: "No. No propeeno. Shell station."
BJ: "Really? Because two minutes ago they couldn't do it."
GSA: Blank stare. "Shell do propeen." He pointed to a different Shell station.

SHELL station #2:

Pulling into the Shell we decided if they didn't do it, we'd head home and find a place online or ask a friend of a friend where he got his.

BJ got out of the car, armed with the tank and marched her way over to the open garage door. She was gone for a few minutes and when she came back she was with....drum roll please - a GSA walking behind her carrying a FULL propane tank!

After cooking on the grill, I made sure BJ turned off the tank. Didn't want any to seep out, since after all our U-turns, one ways and shortcuts, I'm slightly afraid we won't be able to find the right Shell to refill the propano tanko and we'll wind up hucking it into the middle of the Holland Tunnel traffic and buying a new George Foreman grill!

Our second home...

2008-04-11T09:39:00.001-07:00

Heading out this weekend to our home away from home! On the list this weekend is a new grill and terrace furniture. For the past 2 and 1/2 years our grilling was done on a 10" George Forman grill, inside.

Nothing against George, George Jr, George the III, IV or V, but we're reeeaally looking forward to grilling outside on a real grill.

I may bring a video camera with us since it could be amusing for you to watch BJ and I attempt to make a decision on which furniture and what grill to buy. I already feel bad for the sales person.

Have a great weekend...check back for pics and video!

Deb

Book signing #2!

2008-04-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Went to another Rosie O’Donnell book signing…it was great. She has a new book out, Crafty U and I got one and also brought a poster I had gotten at her art show so she could sign that. I wanted to frame the poster for our new office in the condo but waited until she could sign it before getting it framed.

The book is really for parents and children to do crafts together and since I don't think Nick or Vern would do well with paints and a glue gun, I think I'll give it to one of my sisters. It's a way for parents to interact with their kids in a fun way instead of being on the computer or watching TV or playing video games.

Those of you may remember my last book signing when I wasn't able to say anything to her really. Well, this time went better than the last time, that’s for sure. I actually was able to talk to her and we talked about her answering some of my questions on her blog.

It went something like this:

ME: "Some other bloggers think you answer too many of my questions."
ROSIE: "I do answer your questions a lot. You must have good questions."
ME: "Either that or really good timing."
ROSIE: "Yeah, or that. People think I know you."

Here's us chit chatting:

Here's her signing the poster that I'll put in the office.

The really cool thing about Rosie and these signings is that all proceeds from her books go to her charities for kids. She was up at 5:00am getting hair and make-up done, went over to GMA to do two segments there to promote it, then on to Martha for more segments to promote the book, then over to B&N to do the book signing…all for free and all to promote a book where 100% of the profits goes to underprivileged kids. She has her For All Kids Foundation and also has the Rosie’s Broadway Kid’s charity which I think is my favorite. This charity’s mission is below:

Rosie's Broadway Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts. Using professional teaching artists, Rosie's Broadway Kids offers classes in dance and music and a professional theater experience for children who might otherwise not have the opportunity. Its goal is to inspire excellence, motivate learning, uplift the human spirit, and to instill a lifelong appreciation of the arts.

In addition, she gutted a building and is renovating it as an Arts Center for the kids. It is named after one of her teachers who was influential in her life, Pat Maravel.

She also donates a boat load of money to other charities other than her own…veterans, AIDS research, Katrina victims, etc.

Basically she is one of those famous, rich people using her power for good!

It was a fun day...there were a lot of other bloggers there who write in on Rosie's blog and Rosie definitely knows who we are when we say hello. It's a pretty direct way to communicate with someone you admire and I think it's great that a celebrity reaches back out to her fans in the ways that she does.

Sooo, that's it for now.

Letting the cat out of the bag....

2008-04-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

Moving is never easy…and we’ve done it way too many times (6 times in 9 years I think) including a move from one house next door to another and a 3,000 mile move cross country from Northampton, MA to Los Angeles, CA. THAT trip included two cats and a dog and took about four days. Since those moves, many things have changed…but the one thing that stays the same is the fact that moving is NOT fun.

This latest one started on Saturday morning. Now, those of you who know me know I’m not a morning person – AT ALL. I am absolutely 100% night owl. If I could start my work day at 9pm instead of 9am I’d be so much better off.

So as I battled with the moving company about what time to start, we finally settled on 8am. I was fine by that because a couple friends at work who used the same movers said they were about 45 minutes late for their own moves so I was fully prepared to be alert and caffeinated by then.

Imagine my surprise when my phone rang at 7:20AM and it was the movers outside! OY. We quickly got dressed, I turned the coffee pot on and went out to meet them. The two guys and a truck for six hour deal turned into three guys and a truck for a four hour deal. I didn’t have the stamina – or the caffeine – to argue, so we got going. As the movers kept going in and out, Nick was tied to a small table in the middle of the chaos and would wag at them hoping they would kick his squeaky ball as they walked by.

Vern was in his travel bag hyperventilating in the bathroom.

There were many moments from the move that are memorable, but I think the most classic moment had to be when BJ offered the head mover, “Paul”, something we were going to throw out. The background is that Paul was flirty with me in the morning. It was harmless and at one point I said to BJ “I think he likes me.” Neither one of us really cared…I mean, hey, if it made him show off and work harder and faster, fine by me.

So anyway, throughout the morning BJ kept offering them things to take and he kept telling her that they weren’t allowed to accept anything. Finally she offered him one last thing and he said, “I can’t take it…give it to your friends…or give it to your boyfriend.”

She looked at him and then pointed to ME. “That’s my boyfriend.” His eyes moved to me. I looked at them both and there was a slight moment of silence. I put on a big Cheshire grin and put my arms up - “SUURPRIIIISE!” He looked like a deer in the headlights. “Really?!” He pointed to me, then BJ, then back to me. “Really? You two are…” and then never finished. It didn’t stop him from flirting with me and at the end of the move he said, “If you guys are going to party, let me know.” Yeah, we’ll get on that invite reeeaaaal quick.

After they were gone we were left with the aftermath of a move. Boxes in every corner, mixed up in rooms they didn’t belong in. The office became the dumping ground for every box that now didn’t have a home. I finally let Vern out of his bag (seems letting the cat out of the bag was our theme for the move) and he walked all over the new place, bumping up on things, his head and nose to the floor and his tail up high, meowing to me and anyone who would listen. He had NO IDEA where he was or what the hell was going on.

At one point that night we got cold and BJ realized the heat wasn’t coming on. That was weird because every other time we were over there it had worked perfectly fine! We tinkered with the heater and the thermostat for almost 40 minutes and BJ was getting ready to call the gas/electric company to have them schedule a visit. I went over to the tank in the utility closet where we are keeping the litter box and Vern's food and water and noticed the switch for the heater was OFF. Apparently VERN had rubbed his cheek on the switch and turned the heat off! BJ isn’t a big fan of cats…well, especially living with them…so you can imagine that went over well.

So as we settle into the new place this weekend and things start to calm down a bit, I thought I’d share some statistics with you from the move:

How many things we put out in free boxes on the sidewalk: 26
How many things BJ took back OUT of the free box: 1
How many free boxes we put out: 5
How many minutes it took for the free box to disappear: 8
How many trips to Salvation Army: 2
How long it took us to clean out the old apartment: 2 hours
How long it took the movers to move us: 4 and ½ hours
How many times the movers farted in the hallway of our new place: 3
How many times we’ve said, “Just put it in the office”: 21
How many times we lost the box cutter knife and scissors? 8
How many pulled muscles from doing absolutely nothing strenuous: 3
How many Advil we’ve each gone through: 16
How many times BJ said, “Aren’t you glad I made you take Monday off?” 6
How many times we’ve said, “It’s still downstairs in the Jeep”: 7
How many times we’ve moved the aluminum foil to a different drawer: 3
How many new HDTV cable boxes we’ve been through: 2
How many times BJ has called the cable company: 5
How many times we’ve called the condo management company? 4
How many places Vern has been that he shouldn’t have: 6
How many times Vern has turned off the heat: 2
How many boxes Vern has coveted: 3
How many adjustments to the tension rods in the bathrooms? 7
How many times the shower rod/curtain fell? 1
How many times BJ has said, “friggin’ cats”: 23

And the final stat...drum roll please!

How many times I have sworn I’m never moving again: 8

Hpapy Readign!

2008-04-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Since it may take a couple of days to blog about the move, I figured the next best thing would be to point you in the direction of BJ's blog "Cheaper Than Therapy" over at 1010Wins.com! She has her own blog there under the section titled, "Can't Make This Stuff Up" which also includes wacky stories from around the world.

And since I noticed the above "Chceks Cashed" sign when we were out together last night and drove sloooowly by it so she could snap the picture, I thought it would be okay for me to use her latest blog entry for your enjoyment. Here's it is:

'April Fools'

What's wrong with this picture?

It's on a building in Jersey City promoting Check Cashing services.

Here's what I'd like to know: Exactly how many people missed the blatantly obvious misspelling of the word "checks" allowing the sign to actually make it to the side of the building?

Do you think they transpose numbers when they're cashing checks too?

"Here is your $105"

"But that check was for $150"

"Did you SEE the sign?"

Luckily, if you want to buy lunch after cashing your chcek, there is a MdConald's nearby.

Right? Ok, so if you want more to read while I'm away, check out BJ's blog over at 1010Wins. Feel free to pass it along to your friends as well, for those who want a taste of NYC or just want to laugh at the outrageous.

Hvae a gdoo dya!

Moving sucks!

2008-03-31T14:39:00.001-07:00

Enough said...

Will write more and update you with pics and stories in the next couple of days!

Check back soon...