Whine & Cheese

Crazy Busy (Or Just Crazy)

I am hoping next week settles down a bit... is it just me, or does it always seem that on a cusp of a vacation you are brought the the edge of insanity.  Folks are coming out of the proverbial woodwork work-wise and I have this annual hellish black-hole of a project that is zapping my spirit..

...and within the past day or two, our darling almost six-month old puppy has decided to get destructive on us... making a good dent into some furniture... probably delayed payback for cutting off his balls a couple of weeks ago.  Plus his relationship with the more unstable and mentally fragile cat continues to deteriorate.  This is particularly not fun when said cat is laying on your chest/stomach, gets scared, digs in, and jumps off your chest... leaving nice claw tracks through whatever shirt you are wearing.   Oh, and after a few good weeks... he's also had a couple of accidents in the past couple days!

... and we have quite the active weekend ahead... so no rest for the weary (and Todd has it at least 10x worse than I do when it comes to work)... a musical tonight, catching Kathy Griffin on Saturday night, and visiting with Todd's Dad (and Mom) on Sunday for Father's Day.

To end on a positive and happy note, my search hits often give me a giggle (a google giggle?).. .and this one was too good not to share. Check out the gray bar at the very bottom of the graphic to read the whole search... I particularly love searches that ask a question!

Have a nice weekend!

Back Seat Action?!?

One of my greatest amusements in maintaining this blog is checking out search hits. 

I would guess 70-80% of the time, folks will not find what they are looking for... one search word/phrase coming from one post with (an)other being pulled from a completely different and unrelated entry.

A perfect example of this is item #12 below...

...since I don't quite recall ever doing the horizontal shuffle in my MINI... let alone blogging about it.

But I couldn't help but wonder ... what exactly was this person hoping to find?!?!

Tips? Pictures?  If it's at all possible?  And if so, how to do it with any kind of comfort?!

But it put a smile on my face.

Now as far as the other searches go, while I dabble in #11 at W&C occasionally... I would likely send them over to Scott's if they are looking for that type of home.

And, believe it or not, I can help with the other one... on a lark, I posted some pix from a certain episode of Desperate Housewives that featured #13 (well kinda)... and over the past year, it has proven to be one of my most steady and popular search hits.

Why Is A Strikeout A "K"?

This particular search hit seems to come up at least once a week...

So I figured it was time for it to be an official "Googlemania" post... where I try to fulfill a search hit request that was never really addressed here at W&C (this is post that this particular search hit is going to).  And heck, every so often, I should do one that does not involve a visual with someone without a shirt on!

So in scoring a baseball game, why is a strikeout in baseball referred to as a K?

In 1861, Henry Chadwick invented a scoring system which used a series of letter symbols.   He selected "K" for "struck out".   He explained that "K" was the prominent letter in the word "strike" and it would be easy to remember.   The reason a strikeout isn't a "T" is because "struck" was the preferred term of the day. Also, a "S" was already used for a sacrifice... and "SO" for a shout-out shut-out. Stories have circulated that M.J. Kelly of the New York Herald was the first to use "K" for a strikeout and that it was because it was his last initial.    Actually, Mr. Chadwick was the first baseball editor for the New York Herald and Kelly learned it from him.

But what about forward and backward Ks?

The forward ("as is") K, is used for a batter swinging on the 3rd strike. 

The backwards K for a called third strike is a more recent scoring devise. The backward K signifies the batter was caught looking - the K is drawn as if looking back to see the ball go into the catcher's mitt.

Hope that helps!

Rafael Nadal Shirtless

Bad News
Rafael Nadal had to retire with a shoulder ailment in his quarterfinal grass-court match (vs. Lleyton Hewitt) at the Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club today.

Good News
We finally get some quality shots for the long overdue and eagerly anticipated...
Rafael Nadal Shirtless post!

Now... ahem... you'll have to excuse me... Enjoy!

Googlemania: Bradley Cooper Shirtless II

... or You Give Me Fever... in the right way.

I have been getting quite a few search hits for Bradley Cooper these days...

I am guessing it is the buzz from his role in the Broadway play, Three Days of Rain, opening tomorrow... though his female co-star making her Broadway debut seems to be getting all the press (Julia Roberts?  Anyone, anyone?).

Just last week, I stumbled across this picture of Brad... it is a fairly recent pic (though the text mentions his not so long ago cancelled series Kitchen Confidential)...and, heck  it was just too adorable not to post!

So to assist in my Google search hits:
Bradley Cooper shirtless
Bradley Cooper in a bathtub
Bradley Cooper bare feet (fetish alert!)

For my first round of BC Shirtless... click here.

Googlemania: TAR9 Eric & Jeremy Shirtless

In preparation for tonight's new episode of The Amazing Race, last night had to catch Todd up on the two-hour premiere that he missed while he was away on his business trip.

While re-watching the opening sequence where we were introduced to the teams... I decided I must face the very grim task of creating some screen-caps of Eric & Jeremy as they cavorted on the beach and basketball court without shirts.  The things I do for this blog!

... and for Googlers too!  This lack of modesty from these Floridians (Can you blame 'em? If I looked like that someone would have to explain to me the whole "shirt" concept thingy!) generated some buzz on my search hits last week, too.

So without further ado, I present my montage of:

The Amazing Race 9 Eric & Jeremy Shirtless

(more stuff after the pix...)

Thanks to "J" in the comments for alerting me to some more non-TAR pics of this duo (click the link to "pop-up" the picture)... first we have the two of them just standing around in their underwear for some reason and also pretty yummy pic of Jeremy (I'm thinking he must work out).

Googlemania: Roger Federer Shirtless

Thought it was time for another edition of Googlemania... again, this is the little W&C feature where I take a search hit that is bubbling under the radar and try to move it on up the list (which I have been fairly successful at thus far).

Since it is Valentine's Day, I thought I take this already kind of humorous picture and have some fun:

In this almost shirtless shot, it almost looks as if the #1 tennis player in the world, Roger Federer, is trying to make a little heart for us (so I just helped him along a bit).

But since that is just a teaser, let's get to the real thing: Roger Federer Shirtless

These shirtless pix are kind of hard to stumble by... unlike a lot of other tennis players, Roger does not seem to doff the shirt all that often... and certainly not "on purpose."   We are just lucky to get an occasional AP/Getty photo at a changeover or a practice session.

Now Roger likely won't be making an appearance in any A&F catalog or swimsuit calendar... but that is what I really like about him.  He is fit and trim without being tongue-hanging, knock-out bod gorgeous... just pretty realistic and accessible. Though I do hear he is physically more impressive in person (unfortunately, I can not tell you this based on first-hand experience). A commentator at this year's Australian Open said he had shoulders like a linebacker.  Hmmm. And heck, it is nice to see a little chest fuzz for a change in this plucked, shaved, nair-ed world!

Steve Carell Golden Globe Acceptance Speech

I have been deluged with (okay, maybe had a couple dozen!) search hits for Steve Carell's very funny acceptance speech for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for The Office at last week's Golden Globes.  I did mention it (along with many others) in this entry, but of course did not take the time to write it all down (along with many others).

I have not seen a transcript of Carell's (btw, one thing I learned during all this and screwed up myself... Steve's last name has one "r" and two "l"'s) speech anywhere on the Web, so when I saw that Bravo was re-airng the Globes this past weekend I decided to TiVo it again and meet the demand by getting it down in print.

So here it is... apologies for not getting the names Carell mentioned towards the end of the speech right.  Carell's asides (those "not written" by wife Nancy) are in italics:

Wow, I really did not expect this... so I did not write anything, however my wife did and handed me something.

[Carell holds up piece of paper]

I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for this great honor. I would also like to thank my wife Nancy for her constant support and for being so beautiful tonight...

That's true

Thanks also to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for creating such a wonderful groundbreaking piece of television and to Greg Daniels for his talent, courage, and sheer audacity.

This is good.. thank you

Also, to my wife for giving me two wonderful children as painful as her labor might have been.  Thanks also to an excellent cast, crew, and writing staff all of whom I am indebted to ... if it weren't for you I wouldn't be here right now.

Hmmm... I don't know about that

Steve Salor, Michele Bowen, Matthew Lavon, Holly Burrell.... Nancy, my precious wife, who put her career on hold in support of mine and who sometimes wishes I would let her know when I'm going to be home late so she can schedule her life, which is no less important than mine.

To my parents, for not making me go to law school... and finally, to the love of my life, my wife Nancy.

Thank you very much.

Googlemania (see also):
steve carell acceptance speech
steve carrell acceptance speech
steve carell golden globes transcript
steve carrell's acceptance speech
carrell globe speech
steve carrell's golden globe speech transcript
steve carrell's globes speech transcript

Update: Thanks to The Very Unofficial Steve Carell Site for providing a link to this post!

UPDATE!  A whole year later I am getting a bunch of search hits all over again for Steve's Golden Globe speech (guess it's thanks to those NBC commercials promoting this year's telecast).  Of course, the acceptance speech is on YouTube and here it is:

UPDATE #3 (2/15/07):  Due to the Viacom copyright claim... the video of the acceptance speech is no longer available on You Tube.

Googlemania: Bradley Cooper Shirtless

Ok, I don't want to go into the weekend on serious notes (especially after the two earlier posts from today!)... so, since I had so much success with the first go-round...

Google searchers rejoice... we have Bradley Cooper Shirtless

Yes, I managed to get D0ug Sav@nt Sh1rtless (purposely altered to prevent misdirection!) from the 40s on W&C search hit list into the Top 10.  Brad is currently ranked around 30, so let's see what happens to him!

The first two shots are from his younger years while on Alias, while the darker shots (sorry!) are from his stint on Jack & Bobby last year.

I was joking that I should name my MINI Cooper after that silver-haired fox on CNN... but "Bradley" is looking pretty good to me now.

Have a great weekend!

Googlemania: Doug Savant Shirtless

Since I have started keeping track of my search hits again, I thought I'd provide a public service and start to address some of those search requests.  Most W&C search engine traffic leads to disappointment... folks clicking those Google or Yahoo links do not often find what they are looking (hoping!) for... so I thought I'd change that.

Now I am not going to go crazy and try and handle them all (though I do have a "need to please")... just the more popular search requests (those in my "top 50") and those that can be presented in a PG-13 fashion.

So, our inaugural Top 50 search request is <drumroll please!> Doug Savant Shirtless

Yes, folks want to see Desperate Housewives' Tom Scavo showing some skin.... and there was no better episode than the one where he donned a thong in hopes of wooing wife Lynette. 

Congrats to Mr. Savant... in an age where youth=beauty it is pretty impressive that folks are looking for some 41-year old shirtlessness!

Googling AI4 Contestants

Well, as expected since I have posted the full names of the American Idol contestants the search hits are starting to roll in.  Overall, Constantine is by far is "winning" this race.  But what I really love is when other "searched" words that are "hooked" up and lead to a hit to my site. 

Any blogger who checks their stats regularly, knows this phenomenon quite well.  You can be talking about "Joe Smith" in one post, innocently mention "jockstrap" in a post three weeks earlier and that will ultimately lead to a blog hit for "picture of Joe Smith in a jockstrap"

My most popular search "attach-ees" are "g-a-y" and "s-h-i-r-t-l-e-s-s."  These just drive in the hits ... and inevitably hooked up, however bizarre, with any famous person I mention.  So which Idol contestants are leading in these categories?

Well 5 of the 12 have already had the above 3-letter word attached to a search...
Mario, Constantine, Joseph, Anthony, and Jared

With only 2 guys making the "sans shirt" list thus far...and they score the double:
Mario & Constantine

Carter Oosterhouse Shirtless

I was saving this pic for a rainy day, thinking it would be more figurative than literative... but alas it is raining today in the "Valley of the Sun" so I figured it was time to unleash one of my most popular search hits:  Carter Oosterhouse Shirtless.

With my hits for my most recent "cash cow" TAR6's Aaron likely to start dropping off soon, I figured it was time for a brand new search hit "pick-me upper."   And now I can finally give all these Googlers what they want!

I also thought it was a good day to do this since Carter, the latest in a line of hunky carpenters on TLC's Trading Spaces, is in town this weekend appearing at a home expo show.  I don't think I will fight the crowds of screaming women and gay men. Heck, he won't be (un)dressed like this anyhow!

So without further ado... Enjoy!

I have a feeling this might be a mutliple post day... so check back later for possibly more.

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.

I've Been Googled: The List

Work is crazy today (why do things always seem to get hellish right before a getaway?!)... so not much time for a full-blown entry. But I thought I'd alert you to another fun feature here on W&C...

One of my favorite things is checking out the strange and often hilarious search hits that I get on this site. I have often commented on them in this blog. But since TypePad has the cool "list" feature, I figured I would start a running sidebar list of some of the better ones... it is much easier to add a quick item to the list instead of put together an entire blog entry about them.

I will still do that from time to time, but if you scroll down past the Fine Wine hunks on the left and you will see the inaugural crop of my favorite and most recent search hits.

Yes, if you click on those links it will take you to a search engine page where W&C will often be one of the primary "finds" - talk about twisting your words around?!

Have a great weekend!

I've Been Googled: Edition V

It has been well over a month since I have done a "Googled" entry -- the wacky collection of searches that land people to my blog.

With the Olympic Games just days away from ending, let's look back at some of the more classic searches. And folks, do you really have to search for "Michael Phelphs shirtless" - the guy makes his living shirtless! Go to Yahoo or CNN...it is not like trying to find one of Bob Costas (now watch me get a search for that)!

Here is my special Olympic sub-edition:

Yahoo! Search Results for: michael phelps in low speedos
Are there "high" speedos? Well, I know there are bikinis that more resemble granny panties, but most of the speedos I have seen, are pretty darn low...especially on Mr. Phelps... on that Time Magazine cover as well as in that AT&T commercial.

Google Search: phelps and olympics and peeing
Geez, doesn't he know NOT to tinkle in the pool by now?!?

Yahoo! Search Results for: is speedos necessary for diving
Not that I should throw any stones when it comes to grammar...but should it be either "is a speedo..." or "are speedos..."? But I digress, I guess that the actual answer is probably no. I am surprised that diving attire has not followed the trend of swimming with those longer "shorts" ... though we are not going for aerodynamics in diving. But in my opinion and aesthetically, I think speedos ARE necessary.... and while we're at it, given what women volleyball players are wearing (or not wearing), I think speedos should be necessary for the men in that sport as well!

Google Search: accidental water polo nudity at olympic games
I hear this does happen all the time... those water polo guys pulling down speedos in the heat of competition...accidental? Well, that is for you to decide. As far as pictures of this, I think these particular pictures are something that the mainstream press won't be sharing with us.

That concludes the Olympics portion of this post, here are some other "good" ones:

My Search: pictures from michael tata autopsy
Ok, I know Tata was on a reality show (American Casino)...but c'mon isn't this taking things a bit too far? This isn't CSI!

Google Search: two gay frat brother rubbing backs
Don't know really what to say about this one... nice visual, very specific... ummm... keep looking...

Google Search: Jeff Probst's "significant other"
Mr./Ms. Googler what are you implying here? Afraid to type "gay"? To the best of my knowledge, Jeff is not married, attached or gay. But to throw some gas on the fire (because after all "fire is life"), I have heard that Jeff's workout partner is none other than Colby Donaldson...but I think it ends at the gym folks... but wouldn't you like to be a member at that gym!?!

Google Search: reichen lehmkuhl boyfriend charlie
Sometimes a Google search does make me want to find the answer...especially since I definitely do not have it. But yes folks, Reichen from The Amazing Race 3 is Chip-less and has a new boyfriend of four months...thankfully not James from Boy Meets Boy or one of the Queer Eye guys. Reichen is part of a new website called thefishbowl.com - a gathering of ex-reality stars who are trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame (I will probably have more to say on this in the future). Here is a story and pictures of Reichen traveling back East to introduce Charlie to the parents.

Google Search: the largest cheese shoop in London
Funny in two ways... first just the idea of looking for the biggest cheese retail store in London, and second, misspelling shop as "shoop". How did they land on my blog? Could it have been that I wrote about having the "Shoop Shoop Song" on my MP3 player.

I've Been Googled: Edition IV

It has been awhile since my last IBG entry. This is my semi-regular look at the funny and strange search hits that bring people to this blog. Where have all the good Googlers gone? Or maybe I just have to start writing about more interesting things!

Here are the "best" from the past few weeks:

Google Search: colby donaldson caught on hidden camera
Where? What was he doing? What was he wearing? May have to check out that search for myself!

Google Search: "star jones" marrying fag
Ok, I too have read the rumors about Bridezilla Jones' soon-to-be husband, Al Reynolds. Reynolds allegedly attended a predominantly male Halloween party dressed as Bam-Bam from "The Flintstones" -- the costume consisting of a Speedo and Reynolds carrying around a bone (I am assuming the bone is unrelated to the Speedo). Did I mention this party was on Fire Island? The couple released a statement that they "have discussed all relevant parts of our personal histories...We ask that people will respect our love and commitment to each other and refrain from destructive rumor, gossip and innuendo, as we happily plan our marriage and life together as husband and wife." But "fag"... c'mon wouldn't this Googler come up with something better like homo or fairy!

And this edition's "winner"!
Yahoo! Search Results for: how to kick heroin at home, what over the counter drugs should be taken when coming down
I don't know what is scarier about this one:
A) Someone thinking they can kick a heroin habit at home
B) Thinking an OTC drug will help
C) Searching for how to do this on Yahoo!
D) That I actually used all these words in my blog
E) That someone clicked onto my blogspot.com link for the answer

Dolly On The Mound? / Fall TV

It has been awhile since I have done an "I've Been Googled" entry. My search hits have just not been that funny of late...or maybe it just takes more to get a LOL one these days. But this one I think goes on the all-time classic list:

MSN Search: DOLLY PARTON NUDE PITCHERS - My hunch is that this has nothing to do with water pitchers... is someone just looking for a pic of Dolly's Big Units?

***************************************************

The networks have announced their anticipated schedules for the fall. While it is no secret that my TV watching is pretty much out of control, I think I am going to be a little more picky about adding new shows onto an already crowded list of returning favorites.

This past year I gave 7 new shows a shot -- only 3 will be back for a 2nd season... Las Vegas, Hope & Faith, and Arrested Development.

The best news of that bunch was AD, a truly original show that will never (ever!) appeal to a mass audience but was saved due to nearly unanimous critical praise and an almost instant ascension as a cult classic. Vegas probably did not deserve a renewal... a purely guilty pleasure and back this fall thanks to 4 pretty women and 1 pretty guy (sorry Mr. Caan, not you)...it certainly wasn't due to its writing... the storytelling scraped the bottom of the barrel several times this season so I have no idea what they are going to come up with for season two. H&F only survives thanks to the charismatic Kelly Ripa... this "we've seen it 2,567 times before" sitcom is truly dreadful...I only watched it (sometimes!) when I was looking to kill 22 minutes in front of the TV/TiVo.

Not surviving: The Lyon's Den, Coupling, Karen Sisco, and Miss Match. Coupling sucked from the start (hard to believe since the BBC original is so funny) while Den was starting to find itself just about the time NBC pulled the plug. I enjoyed both Sisco and MM and was disappointed to see them go...both victims of poor time slots and impatient TV execs.

So what will I be giving a shot this fall:

Joey - Okay I wasn't a Friends fanatic (it had long stopped being "Must See" for me), but I will give LeBlanc a shot... and more so Drea de Matteo as I hear a not so distant cousin of her Sopranos Adriana. The pilot was shown at the NBC fall schedule unveiling and, believe it or not, the buzz was good.

CSI: NY - I can count the number of episodes I have seen of either CSI on one hand...so I am not sure if this will last long on my list...more a victim of finding the time for another one-hour drama. Also, have never jumped on the franchise bandwagon (shockingly for a TV addict like me, I have never seen even *one* episode in the Law & Order franchise). But I like Gary Sinise and Melena Kankaredes (or however you darn well spell it..though never watched Providence) seem to be an appealing co-lead.

Dr. Vegas - Rob Lowe and Sin City. That is pretty much the reasons, though the concept of a show revolving around a hotel/casino physician seems to be pretty darn shaky. I have a hunch that this turns into "Why Did I Ever Leave West Wing: Part Deux" for Lowe. Also, features ex-Sopranos star...Joey Pants.

Desperate Housewives - The most intriguing new show of the bunch... solely on the casting of three of my favorite TV ladies of the past: Marcia Cross (Melrose Place's crazy Kimberly), Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark), and Felicity Huffman (Sports Night)...also toss in Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer of Twin Peaks, who will again be playing a dead person).

I've Been Googled: Edition III

It has been a craaazy week: 3 MLB baseball games (Spring Training last Saturday, Opening Day on Tuesday, and another one tonite), the house getting painted (looks great and, now that it is done, absolutely needed it), the busiest work week in awhile, and, in general, anxiety steadily building over my parent's arrival in two weeks from tomorrow... my brain is pretty much flat-lining at the moment!

So without much of an original thought in my head (well, except maybe a little discourse about karma and Lex from Survivor) what better to pull out the blogger hat but another edition of I've Been Googled! I believe we are up to Chapter 3 in this wacky review of what people think will be answered by clicking onto a link to this very site:

AOL Web Search Results for: "Serious Jai Rodriguez Fan Fiction"
The questions surrounding this one abound! Are these fictional (perhaps sexual...wink, wink) fantasies about Queer Eye's "culture vulture"? What is "serious"...Jai, the fan, or the fiction? Why my site? Oh yes, I used each of those words in one month's time... these are Internet searches after all!

Google Search: Carrie's dress in penultimate episode season 6 sex in the city
Ok, I remember the dress. Remember it was the huge, flowy one that Carrie wore in Paris and fell asleep in after waiting all night for the Russian? But I am more impressed that there is someone else out there who pulls out their SAT dictionary and comes up with (and expects to find a search hit on) a word like "penultimate."

Google Suche: biggest bloop-bloops movie
I am hoping this is just some kind of language barrier... note the "suche" and not a "search." Or it could be that I am not up on hot new phraseology...is "bloop-bloops" some distance cousin of "bling-bling"? In case you are wondering, I did actually write the phrase "bloop-bloop" in this blog...but I was just trying to describe the sound TiVo makes when you fast-forward.

Google Search: gracin "goin down" video
I know what this is really about...someone looking for a video of Season 2 American Idol contest Josh Gracin performing the Garth Brooks hit "Ain't Goin' Down Until The Sun Comes Up"...but this search sounds more like the singing Marine is involved in some "don't ask/don't tell" porno movie.

Google Search: "josh duhamel" nude coffee table
Oh the images going through my head!! Can it be on my coffee table? Anyways, this person left out the most important word...coffee table book. Hopefully, the Googler saw my new link to my F.A.G. list which notes the book where Joshie is featured in. Also, added some new pix links in my Josh section (including one of him in a speedo).

Have a good weekend!

The Return of... I've Been Googled!

Okay just out of topics today. Didn't sleep well last night and my workload is just kind of not doing it for me...so just in a "ugh" type of mood....just very, very unfocused in general! So rather than whine about that (and do so badly), I will fallback on what is to become a regular feature of my blog...trumpets please!....I've Been Googled! These are actual Google (okay Yahoo, MSN, etc too...but it is more fun to say GOOGLE!) searches that landed folks on this site:

Yahoo! Search Results for: breakout of small bumps all over the body
Ewwww.. thankfully I didn't write about this specifically or unfortunately for this
poor person... hopefully they headed over to WebMD (not that they're much help either over there!)

Google Search: clay aikens dating
Not sure why the plural on this search...when I referred to "Aikens" in my blog I was using as a noun defined as "a dorky breakout star with an amazing voice competing on nationally televised singing show." But being a person who tries to keep up w/ gossip... I have not heard anything about Clay dating...or whether that would be a guy or a gal (btw, no strong gaydar beeping for me on Mr. Aiken...I think he is just a shy Southern boy who did not have confidence w/ the ladies...well, wait a minute that was me when I was growing up, well except for the Southern part).

Google Search: "nate berkus" official site
When looking for an "official" website it is always worth taking a wild stab at
something like this: www.nateberkus.com, it is his design firm page...so don't get all excited and expect to see pictures of him sh*rtless or n&de or n#ked...keep searching folks!

Well that's it for today... guess I better start writing some stuff that will come u with more intriguing searches. See you tomorrow with the Idol recap... rumor has it that it is "Country" night... should be interesting!

Google Q&A

I need to save up my creativity for tomorrow's wrap-up of tonight's big American Idol wildcard show... so today, I thought I would take the time today to help out some of the poor souls who land onto this blog thanks to Google/Yahoo/etc. searches.

Google Search: gestation for bassett hound
Thankfully I do not know this from personal experience...but another search yielded the answer... approximately 9 weeks for any dog breed... whether it is a Yorkie, Great Dane or Bassett Hound....well unless you happen to be on Sex and the City then it is about 6.5 days.

Yahoo! Search Results for brad pitt classically handsome
Someone needed to search for this?! Yes, he is...NEXT!

Google Search: name of lisa leuschner's song on american idol
In Group 2, she sang a song called "Sweet Thing"... don't ask me who sang it originally...

Google Search: Kiss My Brass Tour pictures
Bootlegbetty.com is a great place to go for all things Divine...here's a link to some photos from Bette Midler's current tour.

Google Search: "real time" "bill maher" "new rules" gay marriage
Love Bill and the show... you can always find a transcript of the latest (and always hilarious) "New Rules" segment here: HBO: Bill Maher: New Rules.

The March 5th rant ended with gay marriage...here is a small excerpt: "Plus, let's face it, when people talk about homosexuality being not natural and an abomination, they're not talking about the women. Nobody seems to find anything so abominable about Britney Spears tonguing Madonna or Gina Gershon in bed with Jennifer Tilly, or anything else on the third shelf of my library. No, in America, when a man puts something in another man, it had better be a bullet."

Yahoo! Search Results for josh duhamel gay nude photos
Well, personally any nude photo of Josh automatically makes it a "gay" photo in my opinion...haha! The Las Vegas hottie has lately risen to the top searches involving famous names in some various stage of undress.

So to help quell the masses...I finally found a link to a fairly non-naughty website where they show some of what Joshie has to offer... for you folks on the job, I would probably wait until to you get home...

The front is cropped before getting to far below the belt...but at least you get view of the back(side)!

Missing Link & Mega Hits

Should I have hurt feelings that someone removed a link to my blog? I feel pretty silly for even admitting it. I was pretty surprised to get the link from this blog initially...it is pretty specialized topic-wise. I dip into that "theme" every so often - but it is surely not my focus... heck, I do not have a focus.

Now, I am not looking for reciprocity when it comes to blog links...in fact, in my brief history as a blogger/blog reader I think it is probably done far too often. I do not link with the intention of getting a link back (though if I do, that's great!). The blog links I have off to the right there meet my tight criteria of being some magical combo of: entertaining, well-written, informative, insightful, and visual simplicity (some blogs I click on are such a "busy" assault on the eyes I don't even get around to reading anything). I also "monitor" a blog for usually a couple of weeks before adding it. Being consistently all those things I stated above is perhaps the toughest task of them all.

Why should I care that one link is gone, when I have quite a few others and definitely "feel" the increased (dare I say loyal?) readership over the past several months. I think it all comes back to that common human inclination of concentrating on the 1 negative instead of the dozens of positives.

Okay, now that we solved that... I feel better! :-)
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I guess I just have to look at my blog stats to see if interior designer "Mr. B" is on Oprah. Yesterday was a repeat episode of one of his appearances...I hesitate even to mention his full name ever again since I am increasingly guilt-ridden about all the disappointed folks thinking they will find him in various stages of undress on this site. I guess the only service I am providing is confirming that he is "gay" for all the dozens of searches looking for that particular tidbit.

Hopefully Zionide does not mind me "sharing" these searches with me...little did I know how right he was about the volume (I won't mention how I ever stumbled onto his blog in the first place!).

Pre-Holiday Weekend

Having trouble staying motivated work-wise... I think everyone is just about ready to "call it in" and just get on with the holiday already...eke out the rest of today and then hang in there on Monday and Tuesday...we can do it!

Weekend plans include the Shania Twain concert tonight and then just finishing up the holiday preparations -- which really isn't all that much. Shopping is all done and and everything is wrapped up...wrapped up very badly mind you. My gift wrapping ability ranges from adequate to horrid...my final gifts were more the latter...from incorrectly measuring how much paper was needed to fully cover the box to ending up with seemingly yards of paper to try and fold up the sides (which I think resemble life-size origami french hens at this point). Oh well, I guess my wrapping is part of the "charm."

Otherwise, just picking up stuff for the holiday meals. For Christmas Eve, a New Mexican feast of posole and carne adovada is on tap. For Christmas Day, it is a roast with various side dishes (in other words, I am still not exactly sure). For desserts, I am planning on cheesecake cookie squares (recipe from Grandma) and apple cake (recipe from Food TV's Rachael Ray)...and maybe some pumpkin oatmeal cookies (recipe from box of pumpkin bread).

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The latest odd searches that lead people to this blog:
"saddam chia pet"
"saddam got run over by a reindeer"
"funniest version of holy night"

Saddam, The Gym, Googlers

Has anyone else had their fill of watching Saddam's open up and say "aaaah" and have his hair picked through for ticks (or maybe they were just checking for split-ends)? I know it is just all about humiliating "the dictator" -- but I got the point the first 72 times I saw it.

That is the problem with news "events" with clips that only last 20 seconds...we get to see them over and over and over again. Worse yet while at the gym last night I got to see it on multiple TV screens all at once!

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Speaking of the gym, I returned last night after taking two sessions off (I usually go 3x/week). Geez, you leave and come back to behemoths at every turn -- and here I was starting to feel good about my progress. While I have no desire to get "huge," I still wonder what these guys are exactly doing? I know I can't turn back the hands of time and become a 20-something...but there are certainly plenty of guys around or over my age with impressive bods. I have been fairly good about working out. But I guess that is the problem right there -- "fairly good" is not gonna do it.

But that brings us to the next issue - discipline, or lack thereof. My life often feels "free-time-challenged" so an extra 2 or 3 hours per week at the gym per week is not a priority (nor likely!). Additionally, I am not a big eater. I am guessing some of these guys are probably chowing down thousands of more calories than I am in order to build those muscles. Then we can get into all those supplements -- and again, beyond an occasional protein bar/shake, I am not getting into any of that stuff. So while I am very pleased with my progress, I am not sure how much further I am going to get without making some changes.

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I am still getting a kick out of seeing what Google/AOL/Yahoo searches are leading people to this blog. I am guessing 98% of folks are ending up quite disappointed.

By far, the most popular search is for Mr. B...you know Oprah's designer guy. I shamelessly "plugged" him for hits in my December 8th entry -- and boy did that seem to work. I hesitate to mention him by name anymore...since I am certainly not providing the goods everyone is looking for!

Surprisingly, I am getting a lot of hits for "Chia Pets" - one of my topics on December 5th. I hope I did not offend any Chia owners/buyers with my off-the-cuff remarks about it being the ultimate gag gift. Definitely underestimated the public's response and need for more things Chia!

The funniest search (and its happened at least twice) is for Kelly Ripa Dunk Tank.
Now, since I am a somewhat regular viewer of Live With Regis & Kelly, I know what this is about. Kelly and Regis did dunk each other in a segment on their show...but I never wrote about it! "Kelly Ripa" was mentioned in passing regarding her primetime sitcom, I used the phrase "slam dunk" in another entry about the presidential race, and finally I made note of TV's Karen Sisco wearing "tank" tops. Pretty strange, huh?

The Holiday Season is Here

Well, now it is officially the holiday season. After viewing at least a dozen commercials for Chia Pets over the past few days, The Clapper finally made its triumphant return to the airwaves...and with snazzy new musical accompaniment to boot!

I can understand the intrinsic value and purpose of "The Clapper" (even beyond assisting bed-ridden grannies) but are Chia Pets really anything more than the ultimate (and longest running) holiday gag gift.

Are the pottery designers at Chia so overwhelmed by requests that they must come up with new creations each year to satiate the demands of the American consumers?

Is the miniature clay pot lobby a stronger force in DC (blackmailing the FCC) than I think?

Or is the debut of Chia Shaggy and Chia Scooby Doo just a thinly veiled scam to force collectors to shell out more of their hard earned money?

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I finally received my first handful of folks stumbling onto this blog thanks to a Google search!

The majority were any combo of the following:
Shania Twain, Password, Pre-Sale, NBC, Concert, Ticketmaster, Fan Club
This was in reference to my entry about whether or not to pay for pre-sale concert privileges. Folks probably left pretty disappointed since I did not offer up the magic word. I don't know if concert tix are still on sale or how ethical it is to reveal it... but as the classic game show line goes [in a hushed tone], the password is... SHANIA. The originality of it don't impress me much.

The other search was the following:
Survivor, Jon, Grandmother
Again... another disappointed reader. I never did specifically blog about Jon's "Big Lie" on Survivor, but I did have two separate posts about: Jon and his fellow castaways and memories of my grandmother.

I certainly appreciate the hits, but this makes me wonder if searching Google is really a good way to get answers.