Whine & Cheese

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Todd asked me last night if I was happy or sad that 2004 was ending.  That was a tough question to answer -- and the best I could offer up was my all too familiar response of "I don't know."   It was not a very Dickens-ish "best of times, worst of times" year for me... just relatively small fluctuations around the middle.  No complaints really.  While most of us would welcome the high-highs, it is the low-lows that often counteract that I am glad this year was pretty much free from on a personal level.

Looking ahead I think I have to work more on self-motivation.  I allowed physical and mental laziness to take over this past year.  I am in my 5th year of working for myself/at home and while that is great in so many ways, I often feel like I am in a holding pattern.  While you do have to get yourself out of bed and "off to work," you don't have to go through effort of making yourself look presentable or physically going some place.  And while the subject matter of my jobs do change, the actual process does not... so it is often the case of same shit, different day.   In my previous job, I could not really predict what the day would hold... while that can be quite stressful, it does keep you on your toes.  That said, I could not imagine ever returning to an regular "office" environment.  It is not like we did not have enough work either, we had another record-breaking year financially... so I am not sure what the solution to this one really is.

So while work is a necessary evil... and I do not really see how that will really change in the foreseeable future...so I guess the answers lie elsewhere.  I have been a little disappointed in myself that I have let a couple of other things slide. 

I used to be a pretty avid reader, but I think I can count the number of books I read this year on one hand.  In "good" years, I may have read 20+ books.  Again it is lack of motivation -- it is far easier to sit in the recliner and have stories spoon-fed to me from the television set rather than to sit down, flip pages, and create the own visuals in my head.  It is something I really do enjoy, so why don't I do it?

I have also been very negligent about going to the gym.  The last time I wrote about a prolonged absence from working out, it motivated me back into action... though not for terribly long.  I will admit the gym is not something that I looove doing... however, I do see results from the "work"... so why do I stop?  Granted there have been times when I have seemed to hit a plateau on seeing results, but I am sure there are ways around/beyond it.  I can probably have a body like I admire on some others, but I have to admit I often wonder if all the time, work, sacrifice is worth it.  Also, in order to get that body I have to eat well and eat often, and that is something that I have had trouble in the past doing as well.

One thing has bucked the trend -- blogging.  This is something I enjoy doing and since September 2003 have done without interruption.  Given my "issues," I am a bit surprised.  I guess it gives me an outlet during the day.  As I have mentioned in the past, this blog is my water cooler.  Without co-workers or much (or often any) work conversation during the day, it gives me a chance to talk.  I am not sure how many people are actually "listening" but I guess that is not really the point.  It must be serving some purpose if I continue to do it.

I admit to having a little blog-envy of those who can get dozens of comments when they get a sniffle or share some small snippet of their day... but I guess there is a pressure when you have a devoted following... so while I am sure I have some regular readership, I guess it is not necessarily one that inspires devotion.

Well, this turned into a much more reflective entry than I anticipated... I guess this is serving more as an internal wake-up call... to do things that I enjoy, to do things that I may not necessarily enjoy but at least provide some tangible results, and to keep doing things that are serving some purpose even when it is a bit sketchy what those things are...

So stay tuned... Happy 2005 To All!

Julie Chen Wins HoH Competition

Since I received a few hits about Julie Chen this past week, I figured I would go ahead and confirm the news that the Big Brother hostess did tie the knot with CBS president Les Moonves. The marriage took place on December 23rd at a private residence in Mexico.  The couple is vacationing at a resort in Cabo San Lucas. It is probably safe to say that we will be seeing a Big Brother 6 (and 7, and 8!) as well as Ms. Julie on The Early Show for the forseeable future.

No word yet on who has won the Golden Power of Veto.

Here are a couple of links:
Les & Julie Tie The Knot (NY Post) - this link may eventually not work
Moonves, Chen Honeymoon in Mexico (Zap2It)
I (Do), Robot (TVGasm) - as usual, their hilarious take on the vows

Fine Wine #15: Patrick Wilson

The Fine Wine department has been a bit slow of late.  Not too much new television and other things going on.   But as noted, in yesterday's post... there was some FW action in the film version of The Phantom of the Opera... thanks to our now latest inductee, Patrick Wilson.

A long-haired (or should I say long-wigged - since Patrick seems to be a tad follically-challenged in real-life) version of Wilson is quite dreamy as Raoul -- the good guy who tries to pry his childhood sweetheart Christine from the hypnotic hold of the Phantom.

The role of Raoul should pretty much finalize this 31-year old, 6'1" Wilson's transition from the New York stage to an actor that will be turning some heads on the national level.  Wilson spent most of his early years on the road and The Great White Way.  There Wilson earned two Tony award nominations for his lead roles in The Full Monty and the most recent revival of Oklahoma.  His non-theater breakthrough role is much more recent... part of the stellar HBO production of Angels in America where he played the self-loathing Gay Mormom lawyer, Joe Pitt.  Wilson joined much of the rest of the Angels in earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.  Wilson also had a film role in 2004's The Alamo.

Resume aside... best yet Wilson does not mind getting naked!  He showed off his buff bod in Angels (including the memorable stripping scene on the beach) and needless to say, doffed his clothes nightly on the stage during while doing The Full Monty. 

Found a nice page of photos ... including some partially-nude (and quite fun) pix of Patrick from his Full Monty days (those are near the bottom of the page).  We look forward to seeing more of Patrick in the future!

Nate News Link

An unusually high number of hits today on W&C... thanks to Nate Berkus... if you are looking for the story go here:

American who survived tsunami tells of devastation

While I certainly wish Nate the best and hope that they find his friend (reported to be photographer Fernando Bengoechea), I have to chime in, as some other bloggers have done, that it is a bit sad that a handful of Americans are what's making news here in the States with a death toll of 22,000+ locals.  But hopefully Nate's first-hand account will bring the attention (and aid/assistance!) to this truly horrifying story.

UPDATE:  For more information check out my comment section, there is a a link to a blog that will provide the latest information on Nate and Fernando.

A Mixed "Phantom"

Caught Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera over the weekend, my guess is that whatever your thoughts are of the stage production is what you will think of the film version.  It is a fairly faithful adaption (some backstory is added in and one of the big "ta-da" moments is shifted to later in the story), so I suspect their will be little movement on the "love-hate" scale for most folks.  I saw the stage production long after its Broadway debut (it sometimes takes a while for shows to hit the road)... it was good, but, at the time, I did not totally get what all the fuss was about.  Again, I suspect that this may be the reaction of Phantom first-timers of the movie version.

I have warmed up to Phantom a bit over the years.  It is still not one of my favorite musicals, but it is far better than the majority of new musicals that are landing on the stage these days.

There is little to complain about when it comes to the production value of the movie version.  Freed from the limitations of the stage, the sets are truly impressive and sumptuous - although director Joel Schumacher seems to have borrowed some of Baz Luhrmann's visual touches from Moulin Rouge... while the stunning opera house's lobby is probably something one can experience at a billion dollar Las Vegas hotel-casino.

Overall, I found the performances to be a bit robotic - though, once again, this is a similar issue I have with the stage version (and ALW productions in general, where the music definitely takes precedence over the characters). Schumacher wanted a younger cast of "unknowns" in the leads.  The results are a bit of a mixed bag. 

Emmy Rossum is deservedly receiving the most praise and attention for her role as Christine.  Only 16 at the time of filming, Rossum is the epitome of innocence in both appearance and voice. Stage veteran Patrick Wilson (most recently seen in HBO's Angels In America) is just fine as Raoul - one corner of the story's love triangle.  Raoul is not given all that much to do except be the "light" vs. the Phantom's "dark." But Wilson is certainly easy enough on the eyes to do justice to the role.  Then we have Gerard Butler as the Phantom.  Butler's voice echos that of the original stage Phantom, Michael Crawford, but here I think the movie may have been more well-served with going with a bigger name for the lead role.  While Butler does not do anything wrong, I think it would have given the film version a bit more oomph to see a major star in what has to be one of the best known roles of modern day theater.

Merry...ummm... Happy Holidays

Figured I would get one more post in before the holiday...which I know is Christmas.  This year the holiday vs. Christmas debate seems particularly highly fueled.  How can the religious right think the country is trying to hijack Christmas after the election and all that other crap!  But the newscasts did not disappoint, I heard both "put the Christ, back in Christmas" and "Jesus is the reason for the season"... I think those quotes have become just as much as a holiday...errr Christmas tradition as those incessant carols!

I was starting to wonder where all my friends Christmas cards were... the family and extended family were pretty good this year in getting theirs out, but my collection seemed a little sparse.   But I guess my friends are just procrastinators (no wonder I like them!), and five cards arrived in the mail today.  I was happy to see them all. Many included "Christmas (form) letters"... I know these are often put in the league of fruitcakes in terms of  kitschi-ness and undesirability...but I have to admit that I truly love them.  The majority of my friends are thousands of miles away... and sadly my knowlegdge of their lives have become equally that distant as well (a new baby?!? the little kid I knew is now 21 years old?!?). 

So while seeing all the return addresses put a smile on my face, I have to admit to a little twinge of sadness as I read through them.  These folks were a huge part of my past... I would think we had to have spent thousands of hours with each other... most of them pretty darn good... but we have all moved on and grown older... and without and exception I can think of, living the "adult" lives we anticipated and dreamed of.  Sure some of the details and the path (and some detours) taken might be different - but in the end, I think everything had worked out just fine for most of us. 

So happy holidays - Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Joyous Kwanza, Merry/Happy Chismukkah... or just enjoy the day(s) off!

TAR6: Hanging in Hungary

A brief public service announcement for TAR fans ... do not expect a resolution to this past week's "To Be Continued" cliffhanger this coming Tuesday.  Entertainment Weekly is reporting that next week's episode (airing December 28th) will be a "clip show."  Thought it was too good to be true, that we would get a new episode during the holidays.  The Race continues on Tuesday, January 4th.

If you are looking for something new between now and then... be sure to check out The Amazing Race Home Page -- the "Insider" (Under the "Video" menu, click on "Insider Player") has a lot of unaired footage of the teams.  One that I would highly recommend is a clip called "Perk Up" -- it is between Adam & Rebecca -- Rebecca's facial expressions are priceless!

TAR6: Keep Your Shirt On

A quick look at last night's TAR episode "They Probably Should Have Some Counseling" (Berlin to Budpaest):

Put Something On
More shirtlessness last night, but not the kind that most of us were all too excited about.  Unfortunately, Gus decided it was time to show us again that the next reality show he needs to go on is The Biggest Loser ... but alas my general complaint here is with Jonathan.  Now, I have no problem ditching the shirt during a strenuous challenge (i.e. the cannonball detour)... but he really should have put it back on when he got into the cab, and onto the train, etc.  My thoughts would have been the same even if it was Aaron or Jon... though I probably would have been a little less vocal about it!

My Favorite Cabbie
A totally classic TAR moment as a Budapest cab driver kicked the annoying Jonathan and Victoria out of the vehicle.  He didn't seem too worried about losing the fare either - heck I would pay them to leave my cab!  Good to see someone finally stand up to this asinine (and all too common TAR) behavior... 99.98% of the world does not care that you are in a Race!

Team Scream
I don't know if Jonathan and Victoria have been given a "official' team nickname, but I am going to dub them Team Scream.  Thankfully, there was no physical abuse in this episode (read this Zap2It article about them getting reprimanded after the Berlin incident) - but they didn't let us down in the verbal department.  Their incessant pestering of Gus and Hera was pretty awful and uncalled for... those two got seats on the plane since they went to a different travel agent and didn't piddle around looking for a better flight.  They probably had no clue what Team Scream was doing at the point anyway... but alas that did not stop Jonathan from condeming Gus as well as random airport employees about 'losing the Race' (again, no one cares!).  As expected, Team Scream are engaging in spin control via their own website (which I refuse to link to) - saying, among other things, that they are "deeply saddened by the storyline that CBS went with".  Whatever.

To Be Continued?
What the heck?!  Barring another non-elimination leg, it appeared that Lori and Bolo were sure goners.  But in a first-time (???) twist, we were left with a black-screen and the above words.  The wrestlers did not appear in the previews for next week, so we are just left to wonder if they are given a holiday reprieve or if it is just a ratings strategy to keep us tuned in for a rare new episode of television next week.

Bah Humbug!

Things have made a 180 degree turn work-wise... yesterday I was lamenting (and certainly not complaining) that there was not a whole lot to work on... and today I have plenty of things to keep me busy for the rest of the week.

One of my clients woke up today and sent through three things to work on.  One they hope to get me by Thursday and want things back on Monday.  Merry Christmas, huh?  And likewise, my tentative time off next week has turned into "did you have any plans?" I am not really stressing out about it... although I did get a bit pouty earlier today... I know Santa Claus is coming to town, but I am a big boy and I can pout if I want to! (And besides I already have rec'd my packages from "home"). 

It just usually works out this way... there is no work when you wouldn't mind it and vice versa.  I'd rather have been busy yesterday than have this stuff lined up for the end of this week.  But, I am sure I will have opportunities to take an afternoon off here and there over the next two weeks... so I will just deal with things as they come.  Oh well... that's your dose of "whine" for today!

A Scratching Post

Not terribly motivated here, which when you work from home and on your own is a problem.  So, if I am not working I should at least find something else to do to be productive.  Technically, I just have the next two Fridays "off" -- otherwise, next week I am pretty much "on call" -- not that this differs all that terribly from my every day work schedule.  You just do the work that needs to be done and work for the amount of time that it takes to get it done.  But I should still be in normal work mode this week, but with things a bit light I am finding it hard to "look" for stuff to do... so while I get some clothes in the washer, what "better" to do than blog?!

This past Friday, I decided to get a scratching post for the cats.  I had my first wave of cats declawed (no lectures please!), but when we adopted Lola last year we took a "wait-and-see" attitude.  Since she did not destroy anything in her first 6 months with us, we decided to not declaw.. and since we didn't have to spay/neuter (these days our Humane Society takes care of that for any animal they adopt out) it was also not a 2-for-1  surgery deal either.  Anyhow, we now have had our latest addition Elvis for about 3-4 months now ... and he is quite the scratcher.  He hasn't really destroyed anything yet... but he seems to well on his way to possibly doing that.  Lola actually allows us to trim her claws, but Elvis once again is proving troublesome in that area... so I figured it was time try a scratching post.  I got one with some heavy rope tied around the base column, since I figured I didn't want to have the cats thinking they could claw up anything that was carpeted.

The cats were curious about the new piece... but were not seem terribly impressed by my demonstration of how to use it... granted my fingernails are never allowed to get tool long before I pick away at them and tear 'em off (that is not as painful as it sounds).  I read somewhere that if you put catnip on the post that they may be more attracted to it.  I haven't used catnip in years.  A couple of my cats did have wild reactions to it, some did not... but even the ones who liked seemed to become less affected by it as they got older.  So I haven't bought catnip for years.

Well, let's just say Lola and Elvis went nutso.  Lola started rubbing every portion of her body all over the post, especially her head. This caused Elvis to come over to investigate and soon he started to show signs of getting "zoned out" on it.  It was quite entertaining...and I could only wish for a human version of this!  (Well, I think it is called pot...but anyways).  They occasionally latched their claws into the post, but it just seemed more like an accident that any intention to "scratch." 

Over the weekend, they were still scratching at their "favorite" chair...but sure enough on Sunday afternoon, but cats used the scratching post to scratch!  Whaddya know?! Now if I can just wean them off the chair... I guess I should get a squirt bottle, that usually works.  I sprinkled Elvis with some water off my hands when he was scratching and he pretty much flipped out with the couple of drops that hit him... so I think it will just take some patience and consistency.

If anyone has advice on how to (better) encourage use of a scratch post, please feel free to leave a comment...but I think we are on our way.