Just wanted to acknowledge that I made an error in my rant about BL yesterday. The teams are Black and Red, not Black and Blue. I guess that I was reaching back to a past season that held my interest longer than this one…as they say, “my bad” (bleh, I hate that phrase…)
It’s about time!
It’s about time…I was ready to wash my hands of this show out of shear boredom!
How about you?
It seems that the B&J team finally got their heads on straight for the first time since this season has begun. And without Bob or Jillian getting in their faces about it, which totally surprises me. Is it me, or are they going extra easy on the contestants this season? What gives??
Funny how just one change to their normal routine can rouse them out of their sleep-walking like stupor. A bit of whining to go along with it (which always irritates me even though I should be used to it by now but seriously, they’re all adults for goshsakes, grow-up!) but in the end they pulled it off.
The interesting thing about last week’s double-digit dynamic is that nobody made comment on how the changes in the gym may have been a contributing factor. Once the Blue Team started sharing the gym it became louder and busier in the gym while they were working out, which was irritating, but they overcame it. You’d think that at least Jillian would bring it up after the weigh-in and make them all take a long hard look at what pushes them to be better and how they managed to get out of their “comfort zones” without failing – and actually succeeded! I think the Jill-meister needs to phone me for some psychological coaching advice…
Now to talk about Arthur…really, what the heck was that about?? Who makes that kind of decision and feels good about it? The challenge was bad enough (eating chocolate to gain control over the game) but to use it as a way to over-indulge is just gross. THIRTY-FIVE PIECES people!! That’s not gaining control of anything if you ask me. And then to trade the Black Team’s strongest two players for the Blue Team’s weakest two was just incredible. Why not take Rulon and his buddy and really upset the Blue Team? That would throw them completely off balance to take the “brains” of that side away. If you’re going to try to play the game you should at least know how to play it first! And what is going on between him and the green team anyway? He knows that they’re after him…huh?? I need to go back and review the tapes to catch that idea, I must have missed something.
So now the pot has been stirred and the throw-down has finally happened. I loved it when Jillian told her team that Cara was “afraid” of her because Jillian knows her stuff and it works. Did you see Cara’s face on that comment? Loved it! (but I do have to admit that to me Cara’s face always has that stupid look on it like she just stepped in gum or dog poop and didn’t know it was there or how to get it off of her shoe)
And while Cara and Brett’s team is making great progress, and their workout style is different from B&J and getting great results overall, the challenge of having to put foods in order of calories was an eye-opener for all involved. To watch the Blue Team struggle endlessly to put those five dishes in order was almost painful! Plus it made you wonder if it was going to turn into a fight near the end…makes you wonder what Brett and Cara have in their plan for giving these people “the tools” to keep the weight off once they leave the ranch. Are they expected to just subscribe to Jenny Craig or Seattle Sutton and live on delivered meals for the rest of their lives?
If you don’t understand what is going into your body you can’t control it, bottom line.
So we said goodbye to “Q” and that didn’t really make or break it for me – was anyone really rooting for him by now? I doubt it. But I do believe that it will make the Blue Team stronger which is something that the Black Team needs to watch out for this week.
It’s finally getting good, down and dirty, this is when the fighting begins. Bring it on!
Biggest Loser, tonight on NBC. 7pm Eastern/8pm Central
Don’t miss it…it’s just getting good.
Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels…
With all of this talk lately about new astrological signs I’ve decided that there needs to be a new astrological sign that uses a squirrel to identify it – and that sign would belong to me. I am willing to give up my status as a Scorpio to be identified with my true sign of the Squirrel. I have had my share, actually more than my share, of squirrel related adventures or challenges and now I am having yet another.
While trying to enjoy my first cup of coffee on a quiet Sunday morning I heard an odd sound coming from the upstairs. The boys were still sleeping and Ray isn’t home…so who could be making that scraping sound upstairs?? Is it a scraping or a shuffling? Hmmm…
I went to check it out (nervously) and wandered into the kids’ playroom where the noise was coming from – it felt like a bad movie “don’t go in there!!” (They always go in there though, don’t they?) But upon closer inspection, with nothing jumping out at me, I could hear the noise coming from the ceiling in the playroom. A grinding, scuffling, gnawing noise…ugh!! Squirrels.
Are they inside the attic? Or just on the roof? Should I try to sneak out and look? If they hear the garage door open they will surely scatter and find their hiding places to wait me out…because they are sneaky and tricky like that, the horrible little monsters. Should I look up in the attic myself? (no way – that’s just asking for trouble!)
So, I went back downstairs to sip my coffee and decided to call somebody…on Monday. But I didn’t, I waited and realized that it wasn’t bothering anyone so it could wait until Spring.
Wrong.
This past week, on Thursday I believe it was, I was doing my tidying around the house and putting the kids’ toys away when I went into the upstairs playroom.
O…M…G!!! The stench was unbelievable!!
Not a “did somebody die in here?!” kind of stench, no. This was a “who let the cat pee in here?! …and when did we even get a cat?!” stench.
I quickly scanned the room with my bionic eyes that can detect where a smell is coming from (yes, it’s true, you’re given that enhanced sense when you become a mother. That and the ability to survive on two hours of sleep a night for approximately four years, use a glue gun like Martha Stewart, and dispose of chewed up gum from a toddler by simply popping it into your own mouth without wanting to throw up. Anyway…) Alas, I could not find the offending odor or spot from which it was wafting and realized that it must be coming from overhead. The squirrels!! They’re using our attic as a litter box now. UGH!!
Did I make that call finally? Yes. Even without discussing it with my husband, or my children or any other living thing. It was a decision that had to be made, and quick.
So now I wait…and wait…for the pest control guy to show up and figure out how to evict this crazed vermin from our home. Good luck to the man that they send because that attic space is almost completely inaccessible unless you are a pygmy midget with contortionist abilities. This I gotta see. But I suppose, in the end, there will be cutting into drywall above our heads and yet another project to be done in our new dwelling that I am named foreman of the progress.
Mark my words: from this day forward all bets are off. If a squirrel tries to cross the street while I am motoring down the same street in my mini-van I refuse to even try to swerve. I’ve been nice, and I’ve been forgiving, but peeing in my home changes all of that!
War has been declared…and I take no prisoners.
Go big or go home!
I don’t know what you thought of last week’s incredibly lopsided weigh-in (no pun intended…wait, is there one there? anyway…) but I was gobsmacked at the numbers that the “mystery team” was pulling down. Double digits!! And the sickening part: someone from the team HAD to go home! How ridiculous is that?!
And what really irritated me aside from that incredible imbalance on the show, was when Q made such a plea to stay because he’s “not strong enough to go home and do it alone” – but his wife is?! Talk about throwing someone under the bus. He’s a slacker and and selfish, I think that we can all agree on that from what we’ve heard about his need to “get my burn”. Then and now it’s not about the team at all, it’s all about Q. Which must also transfer into his marriage from what we can tell by his actions. And talk about a reason for Larialmy to seek counseling (aside from her odd name that I can’t even begin to understand how to pronounce from it’s spelling) – she’s put herself last…again. So, basically, she’s learned nothing about WHY she got to this point if you really want to get into it.
While the B&J team is getting numbers like 4 or 6 (and they’re HAPPY?!) they are able to have immunity as a group. You’ve got to ask yourself “what’s the point of this season?” Really.
Seriously. Are we supposed to feel good about Bob and Jillian this season or learn to turn on them? After all that they have done for us, and for those lost souls that have come to them looking for hope and a new life, are we the at-home viewers gearing up to kick them to the curb? It appears that way to me. What are they doing wrong this season? What is wrong with this group of people this time around? Don’t they get it??
Just take a look at past seasons and the numbers that those people were putting up on that board. We had Rudy doing double digits just about every week! And even the women were giving us more than 3 or 4 pounds…with the exception of the slacker Elizabeth from last season, but I digress.
I’m definitely not ready to give up on B&J, but c’mon guys! Make us believe in you! Do some real butt-kicking and make them not only sweat, but cry!! I want to see these people actually TRY to lose weight, not just “celebrate the little accomplishments” . If I wanted to watch that B.S. I’d join Weight Watchers and go to a meeting every Tuesday night, for Godssakes! Not waste my time watching these lazy butts, that’s for sure.
Newsflash: everyone is NOT a winner! Geeze, what is wrong with this country?? You can’t always feel good about bad things. Sometimes you’ve got to get angry and MAKE IT HAPPEN!
So we look to tonight for some new answers – hopefully. Maybe this is a turning point for B&J. I sincerely hope so, they need a wake-up call and so do their players.
On a side note, it didn’t take long for Brett to cash-in on the advertisement dollars did it? HA! I knew it! (yes, a bit smug, but I could see that coming a mile away. Next he’ll be hawking his DVDs of his soon-to-be famous karate workout…mark my words)
Tonight on NBC: Biggest Loser Season 11
8pm Eastern/7pm Central
And if you’ve started to lose patience with this show (which I am sad to say I feel that I am this season) you might want to check out “HEAVY”.
It’s a new show made by the same guys who came up with the brainchild of Biggest Loser. It’s only been on for three weeks, but it’s pretty impressive. Two real people with morbid obesity and real problems working with two “unknowns” trying to set them on the road to a normal life and good health. Check your local listings or look for it on On-Demand. Trust me, if you like BL you’ll love this too. 😉
Tell them I'm not home!
A telemarketer!! That is one of the most aggravating calls to receive, anytime of day or night. But I have to admit that I do have some sympathy for those that have to make those calls, since I once tried it as a part-time job…and hated it!!
My palms broke out in a rash, I felt sick to my stomach everyday before I went in to work and could not stand the rejection and rudeness of some of the people that I had on my call lis – I actually had one guy scream at me that I was disturbing his ailing mother who had just had open heart surgery with my phone call (and I was just giving away a free Sears charge card!)
So the next time a telemarketer calls, as much as you hate the thought of it, try to show some kindness and politely reject them if you must reject what they are offering. It’s a really tough job and only a few are very good at it, trust me.
One last tip: they need to hear you say “no” three times before they can accept and hang-up. Really.
Ranting…just because
Every have “one of those days” and wonder what the hell you did to deserve it? Today is my day, I guess.
It started out lovely enough – school was back in session, the boys woke up happy and ready to go, I had my first Apple/Mac class in our new location, made my maiden voyage to the Container Store…and the morning was going well, really. Then…it began.
It only started with an innocent email (isn’t that how it usually begins? I wonder…) My son’s kindergarten teacher, who is one of the sweetest women I have ever met, sent out an email to myself and another mother regarding the upcoming class party that we were enlisted to bring items to. A reminder? Sort of, but more of an informational reminder in my opinion. The third mother – who, in my opinion, obviously has parenting issues and lacks any decent social skills adequate of adult status – had already supplied all expected supplies and insisted (yes, INSISTED) that she really, REALLY wanted to do this all herself. Is that okay with us??
Well, dear reader, if you know me at all, most days I would shrug it off and say “rock on, more power to you” but for some unknown reason it just didn’t sit right with me. Maybe it was the added comment of “your jobs have already been taken care of” or “you can still attend” that put me in a foul mood, as if I needed a consolation prize from some higher being and that this would suffice.
Let’s mention here that this party duty was assigned to me by the luck of not being able to attend the first parent meeting of the year where all of the over-achieving parents vie for special placement on the volunteer roster. So I drew the short straw, so to say, by getting the Valentine’s party in the first place. Seriously, anybody with any experience in school activities knows that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the “biggies” – Valentine’s Day is sort of a filler until you get to Easter, and thankfully everyone can celebrate it the same way!
It’s not the pre-purchased paper products that I am lamenting over, it’s the thoughtlessness of one individual that affects others because they are too self-centered to realize that they are creating a “situation” where once there was none. How, you may ask? Had the idiot parent just picked up a telephone – oh excuse me, a cellphone or iPhone – or even emailed the other two parents involved and made their case to go it alone I am sure that my reaction would have been much tamer. But she involved the teacher as if she was unable to reach us any other way (we do have a school directory and there has already been an email list circulated in the first month of the year, so it’s certainly not unimaginable to make personal contact on your own with another parent from your child’s class) and figured that this was the perfect solution…not!
Okay, so I’m ranting. It didn’t help that my contractor decided to declare another “snow day” for himself without a phone call, or that my vacuum fell apart the first week that I have decided not to have a cleaning service clean my lovely home, or the 45 minute wait for 5 minute sandwiches to be delivered from Jimmy Johns, or…need I go on??
Yes, it’s just “one of those days”. Could it be that whole rollercoaster ride of relocation that I am feeling or is it just general frustration with life in general? Are people just more stupid than they were when I was a kid, or am I just more demanding and just as big of an idiot for making those demands?
Grrrrrr…it’s making my head hurt and I feel like kicking a puppy
(not really, it’s just a metaphor, trust me)
Welcome to Week 5 Unknowns!
If you are as excited as I am about this week you’ve probably already checked-out the episode recap
and other details on http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser
It’s always good to see it broken down into bite-sized pieces to easily digest and relive…but I have to comment on Don (are you surprised? I didn’t think so.) If anyone really believes that supposed rant of his to Jillian I’ve got an Oscar with my name on it to show you! Are we really supposed to believe that he and his brother had no idea that they were going to gain weight last week?? Maybe they didn’t expect to gain NINE POUNDS EACH, but they had to be doing something to reverse the affects of working out 6 hours a day.
C’mon! anyone who is trying (read that again: TRYING) to lose weight knows the frustration with eating that one teensy helping of something forbidden and having to pay for it the next day or week. And usually it’s just a pound, maybe two. But NINE POUNDS?! and they have no idea?! Please, Officer Don, I want you to swear that in a court of law.
On other subjects and players I wasn’t too surprised by, Courtney’s need to have a mother/daughter talk and define herself to Marci was typical for BL. It’s Ashley (pink team Season 9) and her mom all over again. “it’s not your fault, it’s mine” blah, blah, blah. While that may be the grown-up thing to do and admirable to let that parent off the hook we can’t help but think to ourselves (or at least I can’t help but think to myself) that it is partly the parent’s fault. Where do our children learn their eating habits and their fitness habits? We can’t keep blaming fast food advertising for this people. It all begins at home, within your four walls. Man up and admit it! If it wasn’t a parent’s fault that parent wouldn’t also be there for Godssake! (or also be 100 pounds overweight, or on diabetes meds, etc.)
I know that it makes good TV, but it’s not a true reality check. I wish that they had a mediator come in for these talks and say something like, “well Courtney that is a very important step for you to take responsibility for yourself and your future health, and I applaud you for that, but really don’t you think that your Mom and Dad had something to do with the fact that you were 400 pounds before you turned 18? Shouldn’t your parents own up to the fact that they never cooked a decent meal and always stocked the cupboards with Doritos, Fritos and other processed foods? That you never really had a naturally cooked vegetable in your life until you came to the Ranch?? I’m writing to NBC and offer that suggestion…
The real kick for tonight will be when the two groups are reunited and we see if they are going to support each other or play against each other. How will the new trainers fit into this on a weekly basis? I personally think that when the “unknown” team comes back to the Ranch there will be a true line of division for the next few weeks until teams start getting picked-off. Should prove to be interesting. A new psychological twist for BL.
Tonight a new beginning for half of the teams and a new avenue for BL’s trainers.
Watch it, 8pm/7pm Eastern on NBC.
I’ll be watching, how about you?
A Memorable Job Interview
Drink today and drown all sorrow
In my relatively short working life (well, I’m still working – just at home changing the world one boy at a time, thank you very much), I have had more than my share of interviews – and some more memorable than others – but there are one or two that still really stand out in my memory.
I had recently graduated from college and was finally getting my feet wet with “real” interviews – not those regular interviews like I had had before for my 15 or more odd jobs over the previous 6 years. McDonald’s was tough, but these were for my real, grown-up life!
I was interviewing with a local newspaper for a layout position. The only challenge on that day for this interview was the fact that I had a raging head cold. Difficult to be not only intelligent but also creative when your head feels as if it is stuffed with cotton and you have to breathe through your mouth!
Not to worry, my mother came to my rescue with “daytime cold medicine”. Now, let’s not forget that this was about 20 years ago and daytime cold medicine (in my opinion) was slightly different back then. Non-drowsy hadn’t really been perfected…at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Anyway, I take the medicine and get dressed in my “power suit” and sensible black heels, and head out to the newspaper that I am lucky enough to have gotten the interview.
While I am in the waiting room to go in with the editors, I glance down and think to myself, “gosh, she’s got nice legs, very toned and shaped. I like her shoes, too.”
The legs…are my own.
Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. Thank goodness drug testing wasn’t an issue back then…
BL 1/25/11
I can’t say it (or write it) enough…plus 9 pounds?! Plus 9 pounds?!
Are you freaking kidding me??
That’s what we left our contestants thinking to themselves last week on BL. One of the twins was sent home – the whiny one, thankfully – and the other remains to prove that he “truly wants to be there” (like we haven’t heard that before!) and to show the world that he’s not a quitter (like his slacker brother…) And we all know that everyone can have a bad week – look at Courtney’s weight loss from last week – but plus 9 tells the world that they were trying to gain weight and weren’t even smart enough to make it look good. And they’re police captains! For the love of Extra gum! (mint chocolate chip, of course…)
Why do people try out for this show and then martyr themselves on National TV? Why do they complain and whine about how much they miss their families and offer to go home in the place of other people that they barely know? Don’t they watch this show before they try out?! Did they think it was an easy ride, with secret family get-togethers and late-night buffets? If it was the first season I could understand, but we’re at Season 11 folks! Get a grip on reality!!
Personally, I think there should be a disclaimer or addendum to their contracts once they accept a spot on BL stating that if they ever utter the words or phrases “I’m not 100 percent here” or “I just miss _____” (fill in the blank) or anything similar in message meaning that they don’t really want to be there, they will be promptly booted out the door and will be responsible for their own airfare along with the cost of the taxi ride to the airport.
No limo, no homecoming party pre-planned. Just “there’s the door, slacker.” Maybe then they’d really think before they signed on the dotted line.
Aaaarrrrggggghhhh!!!! (my frustration is too much to contain sometimes)
Hopefully this week everyone is on track and we’ve weeded out the weakest of the herd. But have we?? I have a sneaking feeling that Arthur’s dad is only there for Arthur and isn’t totally sold on the idea that he also needs to be there. And as for the other twin…they were awfully similar in their weight loss (and weight gain!), not to mention every other area of their lives. But only time will tell, won’t it?
I won’t even get into the “mystery trainers” this week – I’m still too disgusted by last week’s twin sideshow…the time will come when the MT team loses their immunity and has to really play the game.
Speaking of time…NBC, Tuesday night 8pm/7pm central
I’ve got my water bottle ready and my healthy snack
(the Milk Duds are off my radar ever since I lost a filling with one…sad, but true)
One last comment…what the hell is Bob doing making tax return commercials?! Has the Earth shifted off of it’s axis and life as we know it is spiraling toward a black hole where black is white and TV trainers are tax return advisors?? He has “people” who do that for him, doesn’t he?
Just curious…
Creative Expression is an Art Form
My creativity shows when I least expect it I believe. I don’t go out of my way to “express my creativity” – that seems so…uncreative. I have an art degree, which by definition should tell the world that I am indeed creative, but I don’t usually point that out to anyone. The reason? Too much pressure.
You see, once you’re pegged as a “creative type” people change their expectations of you. You go from someone that they may trust with the big project to someone who’s flighty and needs to be given tasks that don’t count as much, the person that they’re not willing to invest in for fear that you won’t live up to the expectation. You’re not a “doer” in most people’s eyes. Plus, if there is a creative project (the school art fair, the company Christmas party, etc) and they know that you’re the creative type they turn to you and expect to be “wow-ed” by your ideas. And when they’re not? The disappointment is visible. (sigh)
I don’t do well with pressure of this kind. I guess you could say that I am an introverted creative type.
If you listen very closely and watch me from a distance…I may just blow your mind. It’s been known to happen. Really.
Crazybutttricia 