Whine & Cheese

Day 108: On US Soil?

Today is the big day!  My MINI Cooper should hit US soil for the very first time!

The Don Pasquale is scheduled to dock at Port Hueneme,CA today ... from there it will be unloaded and head over to the distribution center in Oxnard, CA.

Of course, I had to map this out... so, thanks to Google Earth, you can see it is a very short hop... the distribution center is at the first "5" in that street address below.

So it's back to the phones lines to await word that it is "officially" arrived at the distribution center... and after that... talk of "months" and "weeks"... will finally be down to "days"!

Free Dolly Download!

Get thee to iTunes.... NOW!!

iTunes is offering a free download of Dolly Parton's Oscar nominated "Travelin' Thru" from TransAmerica. 

It appears to be a "today only" offer... so hurry!

Thanks to Towleroad for the heads up!

UPDATE:  The Dolly download is still available today (Wednesday)... so maybe it is free for the week...

Scary Dreams

Like most folks, I rarely remember my dreams.  But this morning, I was able to recall one.  Now, when I say "scary"... I don't mean an "aaaah! nightmare"... just one that is kind of "what the frick" was that all about?

The scene:  a crowded outdoor party of some sort... Drew Lachey is off in the distance... and I yell out something to the effect of "You have me to thank that there even was a Dancing With The Stars 2"...

Then he starts walking over ... with brother Nick in tow... and I say "Oh, bringing the pretty boy brother along with ya"

All this is said in a joking manner... but Nick (and Drew) are walking over with this giant dandelion blossom thingy (you know the ones with all the "fuzzies" that you could blow on and send all the seed off into the air?)... it is like the size of a basketball... they threaten (again all in a joking manner)  to blow it in my face, but instead it disperses at my feet...and they walk away...

And I say something like... "yeah, I made you famous... again!"  And that's it.

No three-way sexual fantasy... I guess my subsconcious couldn't allow itself that one!

So just very strange... so somehow I was on the original DwtS and was so popular that they brought it back for a 2nd season... haha!  But I guess this on ranks right up there with... playing in a professional tennis tournament, being on Big Brother, or having Kelly Clarkson as my best friend.   

Ok, I guess I'd better stop before I admit to anything more...

Monday Mish-Mash

Just a bit of stream of consciousness for this Monday...

First off, thanks to Scott & Buckaroo for a bit of spontaneous social interaction this weekend... it was so nice to have someone to talk to over the weekend, and even occasionally allow them to say something when I had to catch my breath.  Todd gets back on Saturday... and I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel now... thanks guys!

Speaking of Todd, had a chance to talk with him on Saturday night... this was thee first time since he landed in Hong Kong last weekend.  Currently in Malaysia, this is "leg two of three" of his business trip.  We have been e-mailing every day... which has been nice.  I posted some more pix of his from Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking of Todd in Malaysia... what a surprise, he was able to watch American Idol!   He saw the first "boy's night" and also the results show... it was broadcast in English with Malay subtitles... who would have thunk that?!   He also said they cut out some commercials... Ryan would say they would "be right back" but they would move on to the next singer... nice!   Oh Ace, Todd sends his regards ...

Speaking of Ace, Bent Blog has posted some younger, pre-long hair pictures of Ace (be sure to click the "More Ace Young" link)... looks like a totally different guy... and yes, there is one pic sans shirt.  So I guess the debate begins... long hair vs. short hair.  I am leaning towards the current longer hair look... though I think I would prefer it to be a bit more tamed down.

Speaking of reality television... how many times did we need to see the finalists' "journey" on the Dancing With The Stars finale last night?  I think we had at least 3 re-caps... and that doesn't include the ones we saw on Thursday!.  Also, it was a tad over-melodramatic when the 3rd place team was eliminated midway thru the telecast and had to "leave the competition right now"... to think they missed all that standing around for the last 43 minutes of the show!   Ok, that's it... trying to not be the "spoiler" for Todd ... so no comments re: the winners/order of finish please!  ;-)

Speaking of Sunday television... I decided just to TiVo the Closing Ceremonies on the re-broadcast rather than watch it time-shifted last night.  Figured I will fast-forward thru most of it... will probably watch it tonight.  I have to admit by the middle of last week, I started losing interest in the Games, just had enough of it.  Last night, I finally got back to reading my book which I had not picked up once during the Olympics... hopefully I can get around to finishing it this week!

Ummm... segue, segue.... ok, just back to reality television.... don't forget The Amazing Race 9 (9??!) kicks off with its traditional two-hour premiere tomorrow/Tuesday night. 

Scott, this is your official reminder to give TAR a try... so no backing off new TV shows just yet!   

Our man Phil had a little piece in this week's TV Guide about the first leg... won't give too much away, but the first leg takes the teams to South America... and unlike the claustrophobic Family Edition (Family Edition, what's that?!  repress! repress!), teams will travel more than 50,000 miles this season!  Even before they left the States, the Philiminator said the teams had already started "naming" each other... BJ and Tyler were (of course!) "the hippies" ... and one of those guys dubbed the buxom-duo of Danielle and Danielle... "The Double-Ds."  If you need a refresher, check out my TAR9 teams post.

Finally (!!!)... we've reached another W&C milestone...this is Post #800... wow!   And belated congratulations (because it is such an honor!) to Kenna for leaving the 700th W&C comment just about a week ago.

AI5: Caption This

Ok, yes, still a little too much time on my hands... screen-capped some stuff from American Idol this past week and thought I would play a little game of "Caption This" ... feel free to add your own in the comments.

To be warm and naaaaked at my siide... oh yeah, that should get me some calls... what else, what else?

I'll be your daddy... oh yeah, definitely through to next week

How did I get into the middle of a Burger King BK Broiler commercial?

Paris gets a glimpse of her hair in the television monitor just off-stage.

This sitting, clapping, smiling is just too easy... oops, did I just wet my pants?

Concentrate, concentrate...
Paula increases her degree of difficulty with the tricky "touchdown"/sea lion clap combo.

Hong Kong Pictures & More

Todd just e-mailed me some pictures from Hong Kong.

I went ahead and posted them on his blog, So Anyways...

UPDATE:  Todd made it to Kuala Lumpur and has already sent some pix... glad I made him take the digital camera... so go on over and check those out too!

Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy

This long-distance dedication goes out to Todd in Malaysia..

The least I could do was post some pix of his imaginary other boyfriend, Drew Lachey, doin' it freestyle on Dancing With The Stars... to yes, Big & Rich's Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy... 

Darn!  I think I could have got lucky tonight!

This is definitely "Keep Until I Delete" on the TiVo ;-)

UPDATE
Given the judges' rankings (Drew, Stacy, Jerry) on Thursday... subject to change with one more judging on Sunday... Drew & Cheryl win in 3 of 6 possible scenarios:

Drew/Cheryl win:  Win outright if receive the most viewer votes (of course) or if the order of finish is Jerry/Drew/Stacy

Stacy/Tony win: Must receive the most viewer votes - win viewer tie-break if Drew finishes 2nd, win outright if Drew finishes 3rd.

Jerry/Anna win:  Win three-way viewer tie-break if viewer vote order is Jerry/Stacy/Drew

UPDATE #2
For those looking for a video of Drew/Cheryl's performance, try here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXNGYMgKwJQ

I Am A Volcano

I'm back!
(Why do I sense this statement was not greeted with any surprise?)

Remember how just a couple of  hours ago I mentioned that I should probably just zip my lip during my appointment with my account?  Well, mission not accomplished.

My current state reminded me of this passage from Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation (now available in paperpack!):

When I am around strangers I turn into a conversational Mount St. Helens.  I'm dormant... dormant... quiet... quiet... old guy loners build log cabins on the slopes of my silence.  Then boom... it's 1980.  Once I erupt, they'll be wiping the verbal ashes off their windshields as far away as North Dakota.

Let's just put it this way, my accountant has a MINI Cooper... enough said for the reason behind this particular "eruption"!

But that got me thinking... W&C is my own personal volcano... explosive in thoughts, unpredictable topic-wise, and, more often than not, a lot of written "ash." 

My buddy Scott wrote yesterday of blogging sometimes being a grind.  I have to say a rarely feel that way.  When faced with blank TypePad post template...  the question is not "What am I going to blog about?" but "What am I going to blog about today?"  Just one little word, but a big difference.

Now this is not to say I am not susceptible to "the grind"... there are many (many!! many!!!) times I hit the motivation and inspiration brick wall in life... even things I really love doing... cooking, reading, working out (well I don't love, even like, working out... but you think the results would keep me motivated)... so, even I am baffled, why this phenomenon has yet to surface in my blogging.

I guess I am not terribly worried about my readership (no offense, dear readers).  I just don't feel (or need!) the pressure of having thousands of readers each day awaiting my next pearl of wisdom...and heck, the posts that send my stats into the stratosphere are usually among the silliest things I blog about. 

As I have admitted before, W&C is not terribly focused... it is an A.D.D. mega-mix of reality television, tennis, studs, Coopers, movies, music, politics, books, dogs, cats, ... well, you get the idea.  So I have these little core audiences, they drop by... but if today's post de jour is not to their liking, off they go (Hmmm.. is this why my average visit length is 54 seconds?).  But I like having my little group of "friends" who I know will pop up when I post something on that particular subject.

I think when blogging turns into something for "them" vs. something for "you" that's where it gets problematic.  Before I type the first character into TypePad, I know that it will probably please somebody...  but certainly not everybody... and that's okay. 

Sometimes when Todd comes home from work, I'll glumly say of a comment-less post... "I really liked my post"... to which he'll respond (every time, bless his heart!) "I could tell."  So what was intended as a whine (!!) about a non-reaction, really circles back to the real reason I blog... so what?  As long as it made/makes me happy.

So welcome to my volcano... or maybe I should say geyser, like Old Faithful, W&C goes off pretty regularly...  and if you miss it... another eruption, maybe more to your liking, is usually right around the corner.

Talk Talk

I have just about reached the half-way point!

Todd should be wrapped up with the Hong Kong portion of his trip and headed (even as I type this) to spend the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, then he's off to a neighboring town in Malaysia for his work-related activities for a couple of days... then one last stop in Bangkok before heading back here next Saturday.

Overall, I have been doing pretty good.  Blogging has been a huge help... it allows me to "talk" (granted it is mostly a one-side conversation)... but it truly provides a much needed outlet, even more so during this time when I have been alone pretty much 24-7.   

But, yesterday, I went in for my 3x/year teeth cleaning and I pretty much talked my dental hygienist's ear off... which, I have to tell you, is pretty hard to do with latex-gloved fingers in your mouth! 

But I really like her and it is certainly nice to see the same person for the past couple of years (and mondo bonus points that she doesn't leave the suction thingy dangling from the corner of my mouth!).  She asked me about what's being going on since my last visit... but I told her I was more excited about the next 4 months... so talked about the Cooper and ... well, you'll just have to wait for that!  I will tease and just say another countdown lies ahead... only one countdown at a time here at W&C ... so stay tuned.

I am going to the accountant later today... now I just have to remember to just shut up a bit!

So just some more random stuff:

• No MINI Cooper updates to speak of.  The ship has not shown up again on the tracking site, but it did leave Panama on the 19th and should be somewhere off the Western coast of Mexico.  It should dock in Los Angeles on Tuesday... I can hardly stand it!
• In my two weeks of solitude post, I briefly mentioned a "scare" with our eldest dog Mindy. A few weeks ago I really thought her time had come.  But she made a mini-comeback... as she has done countless times over the past year or so... but her health is trending downward... the "comebacks" are more like one step forward, for every two steps back.  Right before Todd left, she had an ultrasound.  If that showed cancer or something equally bad, "the decision" likely was going to be made.  The good news was no cancer/tumor, the not-so great news... the vet still thought it was a good idea that Todd signed the paperwork for "the decision" just in case something happened while he was away.  She has been doing pretty good this past week... again not great... now if I can just convince Toby that Mindy "just doesn't want to play anymore."  Ok... whew.. back to the fluff...
• Only one mini-surprise elimination last night on American Idol (at least for me) with Becky.  Granted I didn't think she would last all that long, but still a little shocked that she was the one of the first to go.  Guess folks did hate her because she's beautiful...
• Which I think also does not bode well for Stacy on Dancing With The Stars.  I didn't watch last night's show yet, but I have a feeling it is Drew/Cheryl's to lose.  On TVGuide.com, Drew was leading Stacy by 30%+ on their "who should win" poll earlier this week.  Personally, my vote (if I did vote) would go to Stacy/Tony, but I certainly would not be disappointed if it ends up being Drew/Cheryl.  I probably won't blog about this since I want to keep Todd (who has Internet access) spoiler-free from the results on this one.
• Big fan of The Daily Show, and this week's Time Magazine printed a classic quote from Mr. Stewart, so I thought I'd share:  "Let's just dive into the [Katrina] report.  Who's to blame?  Everyone!  The report even singled out New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse for his failure to kick it up a notch."

May or may not be back... if not, have a great weekend!

Express Lane: Issue 2

Not that I expect this to be a weekly (just a "whenever it's needed") feature... but it looks like we have enough items saved up for another Express Lane summary:

Parton's plea for tolerance - Like we really need another reason to love Dolly.  Speaking of her Oscar-nominated song 'Travelin' Thru' from 'Transamerica'... "you can't be that prejudiced and hateful and go through this world and still be happy."  Amen, sister! (2/23/06)

Raver among role players on network pilots - Will this lead to the untimely demise of 24's Audrey Raines?  She still seems to be in love with Jack Bauer and that's usually *not* a good thing! (2/22/06)

The White House is busy... watching '24' - Hmmm.  A weasly President who prefers others to run the show.  Don't tell the public what's really going on. Torture=Good.  I really don't see what WH staffers find so appealing about this show. (2/22/06)

15 of the 24 American Idol 5 finalists plan to thank God first if they win - Via Reality Blurred.  God better carve out some TV watching time -- over half of the seminfinalists have God or JC at top of their "thank you" list when the confetti rains down and they sing their sappy first single.  Also, more here on the betting odds. (2/21/06)

Another Day, Another Destiny! Les Miz Will Return to Broadway - After ending its Broadway run in 2003, Les Miz is returning for what is billed as a 'special limited six-month engagement' on the Great White Way this fall.  One Day More, indeed! (2/19/06)

Vegas, the new Gay Mecca? - Like I need more reasons to go to Sin City!   This column speaks of the influx of Broadway shows to the Strip... and speculates about future Celine Dion-like gigs for Bette Midler and Cher in the coming years! (2/19/06)

Lachey Seeks Support, Jewelry From Simpson - Ah, the tables are turned!  Remember Nick had the more successful career at the time of their marriage...but after a $30 million 2005... no pre-nup, may mean pay up for Jess! (2/19/06)

Kid Rock, Scott Stapp latest in sex tape scandal - Before you get too excited, it is NOT with each other... but tag-teaming some (female) groupies back in 1999.  Hmmm... 7 years ago... Stapp was probably still hot and sexy back then... before his chubby drunk/druggie (allegedly!) stage. (2/18/06)