My Little Gems

Recently, I've noticed that my taste in pleasurable reading has changed. Usually I like to lose myself in a work of human drama. Fiction was the way for me to go. That was until I picked up A New Earth, This I Believe and This I Believe II. A New Earth was an Oprah Book Club selection, but I must have had the channel turned off the month she was featuring the book. Eckhart Tolle asks his ready to take a spiritual journey with him in this book. Now I know that you may be thinking, "Oh no, not another person telling me to let go and let God." Well not to worry, he doesn't do that in this one. He challenges us to let go and just be. Powerful, I know.

This I Believe and its II are short essays by extraordinary everyday people on the various things they believe about life. The essay compels readers to reevaluate how it is that they come to their own beliefs. Both books are provocative and refreshing. They are also a breath of fresh air.

I once heard a saying, that reading is the easiest way to give someone a new perspective. My little gems didn't fail to deliver.

The Old, the sick and the sudden

I am sure that we have all heard that old adage that bad things happen in 3's. Well death, depending on how you look at it, is one of those bad things. The week of June 22, 2009 was an incredible example. Monday began with the death of Ed McMahon. At the time of his death he was 89 years old. Thursday the world woke up to the news that actress Farrah Fawcett had lost her 4 year battle with cancer. The world went to bed in shock at the sudden death of Michael Jackson.

These deaths have sent me into reminiscence mode. I grew up with these 3 souls having a tremendous impact on me. As a kid, I didn't get to watch much television, so it was a treat to be able to sneak late at night and watch the antics of Johnney Carson. I waited with baited breath to see how my ladies from 'Charlie's Angels' were going to crack the next case. I will admit that I wanted to be Sabrina Duncan (played by Kate Jackson). I thought she was brilliant. Who didn't have a favorite Michael Jackson song?

As the weeks have passed on since their deaths, I have had to take stock and examine each of their legacies. What gift has each person left to make this world a better place? I can only speak for me.

Ed McMahon has left me with the importance of laughter. One cant sleep on the fact that laughter is an integral part of life. I wish that more people would do it. Farrah Fawcett helped to teach me that women are more than just a pretty face. She taught me that we are smart, we are talented, we are multi-faceted, we are independent, we are strong, we are brave, and most importantly...we are love.

Michael Jackson taught me that God's gift to the world is music. I don't think that anyone has lived or will ever live that understood that better than he did. He had the ability to unite all people, all races, all religions...simply by sharing God's gift. It was all about the music.

I remember when I was a kid, my cousin Pebbles (Lisa) was beginning to take a deeper walk with God. To demonstrate to us mere mortals that she was serious about her new path, she decided that she was going to give up all of her love of "worldly music" including her almost obsessive love (my opinion) for Michael Jackson. I think most of us were happy for her new life, even if it was just to see her take those humongous Michael Jackson posters down from her wall. Pebble's took a giant step in her faith shortly after PYT began playing in regular rotation on the radio. I remember walking into her bedroom and watching her dance and sing... "I want to love you. PYT...Pretty Young Thing...And I'll take you there." She explained that she heard it and just couldn't help herself. There was just something about the music. She understood that God showed his love in every one of his creatures.

It was always funny when I heard folks that were older than me say, "Ya'll youngins dont know this or that...I ain't now like it was back then." The world lost some great people the week that was June 22, 2009. I'll have a good time telling the "young folks" what they've missed.

My New Favorite Thing

What is the verdict? Excellent, excellent film. Go see it and if you can swing it, see it at an Independent Movie House.

Barack-sploitation

They say that the wheels of commercialism will turn no matter what. In this economy I would've been hard pressed to find anyone making any money. Then Barack Obama was sworn in as America's 44th President. I braved the meticulously cold weather on Tuesday and went to DC, so that I could say that I was a part of history. I was awestruck by two things: 1) how very nice and well behaved everyone was. DC police reported that not one of the 2 million people that was reported to be in DC that day was arrested. 2) I was dumb founded by the amount of Obama gear that people were selling. Let's see...I saw:

1. Obama Coins
2. Obama hats, tshirts, socks, shirts, shorts, and underwear (yeah...figure that out)
3. Obama blankets and throws
4. Obama lanyards and key chains
5. Obama mugs, glasses, shot glasses
6. Obama bobble head dolls
7. Obama Chiahead
8. Obama stationary, pens, pencils
9. Obama bumper stickers
10. Obama clocks, wall hangings, paintings
11. Obama 44 Sneakers (oh, by the way...they lit up)
12. Obama sunglasses
13. Obama dog collars

14. Obama buttons

15. Obama golf balls

16. Obama paperweights

But by far the worst offending Obama items are the Sasha & Malia dolls put out by Ty. Of course Ty came out with a statement that said that the dolls had nothing to do with the two sisters and that the release of the dolls on Inauguration night was pure coincidence. Each doll is $9.99.

I guess someone has to make money.

7 Pounds

I'm not a fast paced, shoot 'em up, fight aliens, & save the earth kinda gal. With that being said I've always waited for Nexflix to bring Will Smith to my door.

I decided to go to the theater to see 7 Pounds because I couldn't figure out what is was about from watching the trailers. It also didn't help that whenever I asked people about the film I got a strong reaction on both ends of the spectrum.

I will only say this. GO SEE IT! If you want unusual. If you want tear jerker. If you want to feel good about having second chances.

The film also stars Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson.

BTW: Under the umbrella of full disclosure, I want to say that I cried in the final scene with Dawson and Harrelson. I also want to say that Michael and I went together. He likes shoot 'em up, alien movies. The more explosions the better. He let me know that the next film like this that comes out, he'd be happy to sponsor a Girls Night at the Movies.

I Love...

Tina Fey. She is hysterical! More than that she is reallly smart. Hysterical and smart. You cant beat that. She left Saturday Night Live to do 30 Rock and most of us (including me) held our collective breaths. But she has joined the ranks of Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroid, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Chris Rock. They have been able to go on to do big things outside of SNL. You can see that I could go on.

She is damned funny. Thank you Tina Fey for making the last days of this election cycle bearable.

I Wanna Be like Dana

Oprah's season premier featured 175 Olympic Athletes fresh from Beijing. Yes, Oprah talked with Micheal Phelps, she interviewed the Redeem (Men's Basketball) Team, the Beach Volleyball chicks, and all the gymnasts. But by far my favorite was 41 year old swimmer (and silver medalist) Dana Torres.

She said one thing during her interview that really stuck with me. When asked about her age and competitive swimming, Dana responded, "the water doesn't know how old you are." When asked if she would continue to swim and perhaps try for the 2012 Olympics, she said, "After an Olympics I usually want nothing to do with water for a while, but now I kinda feel like I want to keep going."

Dana is my hero.

Big Up fi mi Countryman!

The footage from Beijing's Birds Nest has been off the hook! That is all!

Compelling Television

In my opinion, TV in the summer doesn't really offer much. I mean reruns and the barrage of reality shows just doesn't do it for me. But I have to admit that over the past 2 weeks, I have been glued to the tube.

Christie Brinkley's divorce from Peter Cook has been riveting. I mean it has sex (Peter with the 18 year old and the porn), it had intrigue (you mean you didn't want to know why Christie was walking around with the dinosaur diorama?), and it provided the media outlets with enough sound bites to take them until the A-Rod trial kicks into high gear. On a sad note, Peter got 2 million of Christie's estimated 60 million and visitation rights. On a good note, Christie has reportedly said that she will never marry again.

Jamie Lynn had a baby girl. I am happy for her. I just hope that all the girls out there that think they can do it because Jamie has done it just remembers that Jamie has money, an infamous millionaire sister, and people that want to pay her for baby pictures.

A Red Sox fan and a stripper came on a television "news" magazine to say that they weren't surprised that Alex Rodriquez was getting a divorce. They wanted to know what took his wife so long to file.

They were asked if they felt bad about the role they may have played in the marriage breakup. I am happy to report that the Red Sox fan said she wished A-Rod well.

What a lovely family! I watched the interview on Access Hollywood. What a coup for Maria Manounos! Seeing clips of the interview on FOX, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, Bloomberg News, CNN, The View, Regis & Kelly was a little creepy.

Party Like It's 1984

This past weekend was a weekend that I needed and was definitely a long time in the making. I was invited to a 40th Birthday Party on Saturday. All attendees were required to dress in their best rags from the 70's or 80's. I decided on 70's Hippie. My date (and everyone else for that matter) did 80's Crush Groove. The evening was full eating, dancing (Lord, that is another blog), and reminiscing about the the past.

Do you remember...

1. Now and Laters
2. Pop Rocks
3. Boston Baked Beans
4. Lemon Heads
5. Sugar Daddy's
6. Charleston Chews
7. Candy Cigarettes
8. Mary Janes

What about....

1. Crush Groove
2. Fat Boys
3. Run DMC
4. Purple Rain (God, I love that movie)
5. Asymmetric Hair Cut
6. Bamboo Earrings
7. Human Beat Box
8. Adidas Outfits
9. Madonna
10. Flashdance

Kung Fu Panda

While it wasn't Beauty and the Beast or my absolute favorite The Little Mermaid, Kung Fu Panda was a cute one. This story about Po (voiced by Jack Black) who dreams of being trained by the greatest Kung Fu master in all of the Valley of Peace. The only problem is that he is a clumsy and very overweight panda. Yeah, yeah as the plot would have it, Po is the "Dragon Warrior" (of course he doesn't know it) and is destined to fight the Evil One (Tai Lung) and save all of the valley. Po just has to overcome his many obstacles: he doesn't know any Kung Fu, he doesn't have any confidence in himself and he has to gain the support and trust of everyone.

Typical storyline, but I won't ruin it for you. I mentioned Kung Fu Panda because it was a film that your entire family can see. It didn't have any adult innuendos or sex themes. The film was funny in all the right (typical) places and parents can rest assured that they won't have to explain anything to the little ones when the film is over.

Wisdoms of Our Fathers

Yesterday, the world lost a great, great man. Tim Russert the Washington, DC Bureau Chief and Moderator of Meet the Press died of a sudden and massive heart attack. He died doing what he loved to do. He died preparing for his show Meet the Press.

As a child of the Washington, DC news circuit, Tim Russert's face was one of those faces you expected to see. You expected to see him because he was a local guy. He was a good guy. You expected to see him on your television, asking some politician to explain the various inconsistencies in their words. Whether he was talking to our local mayor or the President, we could always depend on Tim to be stern but kind. We knew he would be direct and at the same time comforting.

What is so overwhelmingly poignant is that he has passed and right before Father's Day. It is so poignant because people who knew Tim knew that he loved his family. He made us all love his dad (Big Russ) and his own son (Luke). He lived for those two men.

With his sudden loss, I can say that Tim Russert has taught me a lesson in the way he lived his life. He has taught me to live my life being accountable to something and to someone. He has taught me to hold others accountable as well. He has also reminded me that life is so very short and that it sometimes takes us down unexpected roads. Mr. Russert has reminded me that we should continue to embrace life...live.

Tim Russert, it has certainly been a pleasure, you were a wise man indeed. A father figure to us all. You will be missed.

Headlines in Sports

I am not really a sport fanatic, but I try to keep up so that I can participate in the conversations at the water cooler. These are the conversations that I will participate in this upcoming week.

Farewell to Jim McKay, the man who made me having to watch sports on television as a kid tolerable. He is the man who made the phrase "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat," enter pop culture. As an adult, it has amazed me that I have held all other sportscasters to the standard that he has set. GOLD.

The Record that Wasnt to Be. Big Brown came in dead last at the Belmont Stakes. His odds of winning Belmont was 1-4. Maybe we will have a Triple Crown winner next year.

Barry Bonds and his lawyers entered not guilty pleas on all 15 of the various charges stemming from the 2003 Steriod Investigation. He ended the season last year a free agent. The 2008 Season is underway and every team decided to pass.

I'm In Love with Chris Matthews

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a news junkie. I'm a junkie not because I am interested in the "fine, fair and balanced reporting" that I am probably not getting. I am a junkie because I love the drama, the tag lines, the attention getters and one liners that these reporters use to get the ratings. I love the showmanship. "Hillary lashes out against Obama, Hanna Montana speaks out about the drama of the photos. Star vs. Barbara. " Oh and let's not forget that the coverage is....LIVE (from one place or another).

Chris Matthews is different. He tells it like it is. He says what other folks won't say and he says it to the very people I have absolutely no trust or love for: Politricktians.

Today on the Chris Matthews Show, Chris basically broke it down for the audience (and his panel). He let us know what any politician running for President has to do in order to get elected. Here it is in a nutshell:

1. Tell Teachers that you will pay them more and cut out performance testing.
2. Tell Factory/Blue Collar workers that you will give them jobs and not send them over seas.
3. Tell Jews that you support Israel.
4. Tell women that you support Choice

5. Tell Blacks that you understand Slavery and that you support Civil Rights and equality.

Chris went on to say, "Every person running for political office knows this, how come this seems to be escaping Obama?"

God, I love Chris Matthews.

Elvis has Left the Building

Pope Benedict XVI has left Washington, DC. Traffic has returned to normal (if there is such a thing in DC) and Metro isn't crowded in the middle of the day.

I'm not Catholic and I've never been one to be impressed with celebrity or famous people, but I have been following the media coverage of the Christian faith's equivalent of the Dali Lama. I just want to know why this mortal's visit to America is such a big deal. I've tried to get my Catholic (and non-Catholic) counterparts to explain it to me, but sigh...no such luck...I haven't gotten an answer that rests comfortably in my logic.

And then it hit me. Their explanations aren't supposed to sit well with me logically. The explanations should rest well with me emotionally. I am just supposed to be excited that they are excited. I am supposed to be happy that they have someone that they look up to. I am supposed to be happy that he came to be near them and to make them feel a little closer to God. I guess I can't be that annoyed by someone who is able to spread joy just by being. I wonder what this world would be like if we could all do that?

Camelot Comes Back to the Campaign

My Sunday routine is to go to Pilates and then return home. Then I make a pot of coffee and read the Sunday NY Times. I usually read the Arts section, then Style, followed by Travel. If I have more coffee left then I read the Health and then Opinion. I love The Post & The Sun, but the NY Times is my weekend mental treat.

I guess you can surmise that I had coffee left to drink this morning.

I must admit that when I saw the title "A President Like My Father", my immediate response (in my most cynical voice) was "here we go. What does this woman have to say about the campaign?" I was actually going to skip it all together. Then my eye caught this:

"Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible."

The talk on the news tonight is whether Caroline's endorsement will help or hurt Obama. Truthfully, I don't think it matters. I think Caroline just wanted the rest of the world to know (if they haven't already caught on) that change - real change; life altering and foundation crumbling change is possible. Change that isn't even conceivable is within our reach. Believe.

You can read Caroline Kennedy's OP-ED here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

Star Gazing

I just returned from a relaxing extended weekend in Las Vegas. The "official" reason that I am giving for my visit is that I went to celebrate a coworkers' 40th Birthday. The "real" reason is that I went was to just to get away. You know when you need to see a different kind of sunrise? A different sunset?

Vegas didn't disappoint. I've been to Vegas more times than I should probably admit. I mean it isn't my favorite place on earth, but I go each time I get the chance because the more Vegas stays the same, the more it changes.

It was a virginal Vegas experience for 3 of the people in my group, so being the people pleaser that I would like to think that I am, I didn't make any special plans (for myself) for this particular trip. I just decided that I'd leave myself open to whatever the cosmos deemed appropriate.

Friday night we arrived at The Paris Hotel (my favorite cheap Vegas Hotel) earlier than scheduled. Can I say, go Southwest Airlines? I had Sexy Pomme Frites (seriously, that is what they were called on the menu) and a glass of Riesling for dinner. I went back to my room, unpacked and went to bed.

Saturday morning, I got up and watched the sun rise, showered and then left to meet the birthday girl at The Bellagio for a champagne brunch. On the way to The Bellagio, I ran smack dab into the my very first frenzy. It was complete with the lights, the camera flashes, the shoving and pushing of the crowd, the hysteria and a few very serious men in black suits. Of course I was completely annoyed until I heard someone say, "Can you believe Barack Obama is having breakfast in the Paris?" Yes! Barack Obama was in the hotel. He was there to greet folks at the Buffet and to thank Nevada Caucusers. OK, I will just say that Obama's smile is nicer in person. What a charismatic man! I hope I don't get stoned for this, but the Pesto Mashed Potatoes and the entire bottle of champagne (yes, by myself) are the only things I remember about brunch.After brunch, I decided that I needed to walk off my Obama and champagne buzz. While in line at checkout counter inside Jean Philippe's Patisserie, a very nice lady gave me 3 huge oatmeal cookies (oh my God were they good) and a Hillary for President sticker. She said that the only way I could show my thanks for the cookies was to come to Planet Hollywood and listen to Hillary's victory speech. I really, really considered going, but then I saw how quickly everyone cleared out of Jean Philippe's to go over to Planet Hollywood. I had dark chocolate covered pretzel sticks instead.

Saturday night, I returned to The Bellagio. The Birthday Girl wanted dinner at Sensei. I had really decadent piece of trout with brown sugar crust and another glass of Riesling.

Sunday morning, one of the Vegas Virgins asked me if I wanted to go running. I ended up running (OK jogging) 10 miles of the strip. I know, can you believe it? I usually only run if a dog is chasing me. I did 10 miles...without stopping. Go me! After the jog. I headed to MGM Grand for lunch. Upon entering the lobby, I noticed that the lobby was absolutely swarming with girls. They were all between 9-12 years old. They were all dressed in pink and black. I will admit, I took the bait. I asked one of the few adults that I saw what was going on. I was kindly informed (it was more like a 'duh' lady) that Miley Cyrus was in the house. Yup, Ms. Hannah Montana herself was in the hotel, she had a concert later that night. What amazed me was that so many of the girls were lined up and ready to attend the show, but it was just the middle of the afternoon.

I guess now that I think about it, I am no different than they were. The girls were blinded by star light, just as I was the day before.

By the way, I'd like to thank the staff at the Mandara Spa (especially Eddie) http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/paris-las-vegas/casino-misc/spa-detail.html for making that dead weight feeling in my legs go away. You guys rock!