Phew!

It was down to the wire, but I finished it! Woohoo! Look for my wrap up on Monday. Very interesting (and damn long) book. It took me almost three weeks to read this book. I really think that might be a record!

Now I'm on to lighter fare, I think The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful one! Eat lots, calories don't count today!

Of Hijacking, Holidays and Marking a Sad Day

Hi Everyone! Hope you're having a great week and are looking forward to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I know I am!

I'm headed home shortly to start baking pies and getting the other stuff I'm taking to the family party tomorrow ready. But here are a few quick hit things:

1- The reviewers of RNTV have hijacked the site today. You see, it's the M's birthday, so we decided to throw a party. If you're at all a fan of RNTV, please come by and toast the M's.

2- I really think it's not possible for me to care less that Brooke Burke won Dancing with the Stars. I hate reality TV and managed to watch not one single second of the show -- as I'll do again with Idol when it comes back in January. I'm also pretty frustrated with my Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, I loved Denny too, and think any excuse to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan on TV is a good one. But, he died, y'all. He's dead. Let's all move on. The storyline is ridiculous.

3- I swear to you all, I'm going to finish Kushiel's Dart this weekend! I've got to. I've got about four books I've got to read and review. So I've honestly got to get this book read!

4- I would be remiss if I didn't note that today marks the one year anniversary of the shooting of the Redskins All Pro safety Sean Taylor. Sean was one of my favorite players and probably the most gifted athlete on the team. The team misses his physical ability, and we fans miss the excitement that he brought to the game. The Redskins will induct him into their Ring of Honor before Sunday's game against the Giants. I'm hoping that the emotion of that day lifts the team and helps them to actually give a challenge to the Giants, who are probably the best team in football. But I think most Redskins fans will watch the tribute with heavy hearts. He's genuinely missed.

Anyway, I hope that each of you has a really lovely holiday. I'll probably be offline for most of the holiday weekend. But wish each of you and your families a very happy, safe and delicious Thanksgiving.

The Top 10 Sexiest Movies Ever

Finally! Entertainment Weekly gets one right. I'm ever confounded by EW's lists, and yet strangely addicted to them. This time, it's the Top 50 Sexiest Movies Ever (Movies 50-25 here, and 24-1 here). Here's the Top 10 List

1- Out of Sight
2- His Girl Friday
3- Mr. & Mrs. Smith
4- Body Heat
5- Bull Durham
6- Don't Look Now
7- Y Tu Mama Tambien
8- The Last of the Mohicans
9- A Walk on the Moon
10 - Before Sunset

OK, so I haven't seen three of these movies, Body Heat, Y Tu Mama Tambien and Before Sunset. But I've seen the rest. And for once, I TOTALLY agree with Out of Sight as the sexiest movie. The sexual tension between George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez is incendiary and their chemistry is incredibly hot. There's a scene in the trunk of the car that will get pretty much anyone's blood pressure going.

I also love the pick of His Girl Friday, which is one of those "talk, talk, talk" movies. But again, the chemistry makes the sexiness.

I was disappointed not to see Tequila Sunrise on the list. I think that the love scene between Michelle Pfeiffer and Mel Gibson in the hot tub is one of the sexiest I've ever seen. But overall, nice job, EW. Usually I think you guys have made glaring errors, but I'm pretty happy with this Top 10 List.

What do you think some of the sexiest movies are?

Hitting the Midway Point

This summer I began hearing folks talking about fantasy series of books by author Jacqueline Carey that began with a book called Kushiel's Dart. In fact, I think it probably started with Carolyn Jean, who picked Kushiel's Dart as one of her six Desert Island books. Since I have found a number of wonderful suggestions through the bright and thoroughly intelligent Desert Island chicks, I picked Kushiel's Dart up. I started it eagerly, not at all daunted by the 900 pages. Alas, it did nothing to draw me in, and about 50 pages in, I blogged, asking if other bloggers had had trouble getting into the story. I got a mixed bag of answers both yes and no. I decided to put the book aside and start another fantasy series, The Black Jewel trilogy by Anne Bishop. I read my omnibus copy of TBJ cover to cover relishing the inventiveness, the drama and dark, dark mythology Bishop had created. But more than anything, I was blown away by the love stories in the trilogy.

So later, when CJ mentioned that she'd had a really hard time getting into TBJ, I was surprised. And a plan was hatched, I would read Kushiel's Dart, and she would read Daughter of the Blood, the first in the Black Jewel trilogy.

I dove into Kushiel's Dart again last week. I will be the first to admit that the world is a complicated one. It's full of many different factions, and much political intrigue. On top of that, our heroine, Phedre circulates throughout her childhood in a caste system of houses of prostitution. Interestingly, the land she lives in subscribes to the policy of "love as thou wilt," which means that there is no particular stigma to prostitution, although they are considered to be "servants."

I would describe the book as lush, and Carey, the author is clearly a lover of words. I've stopped several times to re-read words in their context or even to look them up as I've tried to glean their meaning. Usually I kind of skim over words that I'm not familiar with, but I've learned in the reading of this book that every word is critical. Even so, it took probably 200 pages for me to really begin to feel a compulsion to keep reading.

I adore court intrigue, and Phedre is not just a prostitute, but also a spy. She is taught by a man who uses any kind of political intelligence, so Phedre learns not just the secrets of Namaah (how to pleasure someone), but also to listen and play the political game. Phedre is highly valued because she is the only known anguisette, or someone who takes extreme pleasure in pain. I believe that the overarching story is going to be a game of intrigue between Phedre and a sometimes lover and friend of her father-figure, Delauney. The woman's name is Melissande, and if Phedre is new to politics and sexual intrigue, Melissande is an expert. She plays Phedre false and betrays her, and this is when Phedre learns how thin the line between love and hate. She hates Melissande, but still feels that Melissande can control her sexually.

It's a fascinating and very complicated book.

The action is coming fast and furious now, and I'm completely enjoying the ride. I can tell that some sort of a confrontation between Phedre and Melissande will come, and I'm rooting for Phedre to be much smarter this time, as I don't think she'll underestimate the lengths that Melissande will go again.

Have you read Kushiel's Dart? Did you like it? Or hate it?

Yucking Someone Else's Yum

I am the first to admit that I am a tremendously picky reader. There a ton of romances that get an immediate pass from me. The first and biggest category being any kind of a romance that looks like it might be "ha-ha" romance. I find that funny romances tend to have cartoon covers or punny titles and I avoid them like the plague. I tend to directly out of hand decline to read any of them. There are a few exceptions to this rule: Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Kristan Higgins come to mind. I love all of their work.

But generally, funny romances don't work for me.

I also have serious issues with any kind of BDSM in an erotic romance. Mostly because I do not associate pain with pleasure. I can't begin to imagine how causing pain or humiliation can in any way be a turn on. I've read enough of these books to understand that in most cases, the sub is the one with the power, but the books just don't do it for me at all.

The beautiful thing is that with a genre as big as romance, there's enough variety to go around.

But sometimes, I'll read a thread on a blog where readers take it personally when others don't feel as passionately about a book as they do. They end up making personal attacks, or saying things like, "Did you even read the book?" It always stumps me. I don't really understand why it's not OK for readers to have different opinions. Or why personal attacks are made when readers don't agree. We're all grown-ups, right? (Well, maybe except for JR Ward's fans, I think many of them are teens.)

I think that part of this phenomenon must come from "fandom." Look, I'm a huge fan -- of lots of things. There are certain books that I adore, and yes, I'm always really sorry when I've recommended a book to someone and they end up not liking it. But I try really hard to respect the reasons that they give for not liking the book. And in a lot of cases, I end up nodding my head and saying, "I see your point." Does it diminish my love for the book? No. Does it make me lose respect for the reader? No. Unless they end up saying something along the lines of "The book was really stupid." Or something equally unconstructive.

I just believe that as adult readers we have to respect the fact that we're all different and that there are occasions when we're not going to agree. And not yuck someone else's yum

My Eyes! My Eyes!

It is a well known fact that my dad has a little thing for Sarah Brightman. He enjoys her voice and her semi-rock operatic persona. He's known for blasting her in the car -- much to my nieces' chagrin. In fact, he enjoys her so much, that I mulled over inviting him up for last night's Sarah Brightman extravaganza at the Verizon Center.

Thank God I didn't. Here is just one example of the costume horror that went on at the concert last night.

Here's Part I.


And, brace yourself, here's Part II...


Many, many things strike me about this outfit. The first is, in picture #1, is the dress bustled in the back? The second is, how much does the damn thing weigh? The third is, for God's sake, why a swing?

It's a lot to take. Pass the eye bleach.

All The News That's Fit to Print

Hi Everyone! I thought I'd give a quick update of what's going on in my life...

I'm still reading Kushiel's Dart. It's going MUCH better. The first 150 pages were extremely draggy as the author had to do a ton of world building and kind of set the scene. I'm now on about page 350 and the action is moving along much faster. If you remember, CJ and I have swapped books, I'm reading Kushiel's Dart and she's reading Daughter of the Blood. We're both just about at the midway point, so look for a midway post either this weekend or Monday. Then we'll wrap up on December 1st or there abouts.

I've had a ton of bad news this week. Not for me personally, but my friends seem to be going through a really rough time. Scott's mom is in the hospital and my friend Inga's dad died very suddenly yesterday. So if you're the type, send up good vibes or prayers or thoughts for both of them, please.

I'm so sick of Twilight, I'd like to puke. The amazing thing is though, have you noticed that there don't seem to be any TV ads? I've seen barely any, and yet, I feel like I'm totally overwhelmed with the hysteria over this movie. I hope for my niece Abby's sake that it lives up to what she wants it to be. Since I got her hooked on the series, I hope she loves it. Me? I'd rather read the book. I don't even think I'll see the movie until it comes out on HBO or Starz or wherever.

Yesterday I was thrilled to find my oldest friend Nikki online. She's not on facebook, but her hubby is. Nikki has twin girls named Lucy and Eve who must be about five. I found out that she gave birth to a baby boy in August. How fun is that?? I find Facebook to be a collasal time sucker and highly addictive. I love that I've been able to reconnect with so many people! And the fact that I'm going to see about 10 of my sorority sisters the Saturday after Thanksgiving is so thrilling for me. I've also managed to reconnect with Shannon, who was my best friend in college. I absolutely adore her. Isn't it amazing how you can just pick right back up with someone as if it's been a week rather than three or four years since you've talked? Nikki is the same way. I feel really blessed to have them both as friends.

Tomorrow night Tracy and I are going to try out a new restaurant at Reston Town Center. It's called PassionFish and is owned by the same restaurant group that owns Ten Penn and Acadiana and DC Coast. I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, it's restaurant week, so dinner is $35! Woohoo! Normally it would probably cost us $60 each to eat there. I love me some restaurant week!

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. I've missed my family and will be glad to get college updates from my nieces. The Friday after Thanksgiving we always do the Reston parade. Which sounds hokey, but really is a ton of fun. My b-i-l, Brad, always has us march for UNICEF. We all gather mid-morning. It's usually freezing cold. We drink Starbucks and laugh and hang out and then we walk the route, which is usually about 1/4 of mile and we collect money as we march the parade route. Usually we manage to collect a couple hundred dollars, which is fun and makes you feel shiny inside. Then we go to Brad and Sara's for pizza afterward.

Anyway, other than that, not too much is going on with me. I'm looking forward to the new Nora Roberts coming out next week. I love her stuff and will be glad to have something new to read. Ehem, assuming I'm done with Kushiel by then.

What's going on with you? Reading anything good? Seen any good movies?

2008 Sexiest Man

Bravo People, another excellent choice after Matt Damon's beautifully played campaign for 2007 Sexiest Man Alive.

This year's sexiest man:


Yup, I can get on board with that choice, even though Meghan kind of ruined some of his appeal with the peeing story.

Other choices:

Jon Hamm -- who evokes my boyfriend Jeffrey Dean Morgan for some reason in this photo.

Blair Underwood, who let's face it, is just a gorgeous, gorgeous man.

And last but certainly never, ever least in my book:

Becks. 'Nuff said. Although, why is he wearing a sweater vest at the gym??

What do you think of this year's sexiest man?

The Soundtrack of Your Life

I am someone who is very sensory oriented. Smells, sounds, and tastes can all trigger memories for me. For example, just the smell of Caleche perfume immediately makes me think of my mother. Every time I eat shrimp creole I think of my sister. Whenever I hear the tune Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star I think of my niece, Lauren singing it when she was 4.

But it is music that most evokes memories for me. Good and bad. There are certain songs that really stand out in my life for me. Here are some:

Crazy for You by Madonna - This song was playing on the radio the first time I kissed a boy. I have no idea what happened to Andy Hill, but he was my first kiss. I got into the car after that boy/girl party just positive that my mother would know I'd been kissing. I was in 8th grade.

California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas - This song makes me think of my oldest friend, Nikki. I grew up with Nikki, she's like a member of my family. We used to sing this song in harmony while cleaning up the kitchen all through junior high school and high school. I never fail to think of her when I hear the song.

Does Your Mother Know You're Out? by ABBA - This song makes me think of my Mom. She loves ABBA and this is her favorite of their songs. I remember how pleased she was when I bought her ABBA Gold. We used to listen to it in the car all the time.

Don't Bring Me Down by ELO & Boogie Shoes by KC and the Sunshine Band - Both of these songs make me think of my nieces, who I delighted in torturing in the car by singing these at the top of my lungs. It's the great circle of life, their dad tortured me, I torture them. See how it goes?

Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas - This song never fails to make me think of my B-i-L, Brad, who I've known since I was 6. In particular it flashes to him cleaning the kitchen at the beach with this song blasting and him singing it at the top of his lungs. It's a perfect memory.

In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel - Makes me think of Scott. And, no, not for the reasons you're thinking. When we were freshmen in college, Scott made one of those famous "mix tapes" for my suite-mate Tammy. In Your Eyes featured prominently in it, and frankly ever since it's made me think nostalgically of the goofy 18YO guy who so "loved" a girl (who was dating another guy) that he went to the trouble of making a mix tape. So sweet...and also a little creepy. LOL!

Stayin' Alive by the BeeGees - Never fails to make me think of Amy. Who loves this song with a passion. I always picture her dancing around our 30th birthday party singing it. I'm not going to lie, there were adult beverages involved.

So there you go, a small smattering of the soundtrack of my life.

What's on your soundtrack?

Weekend Wrap Up

I'm sitting here watching the Redskins - Dallas game, which is as fierce a rivalry as exists in professional football. I'm hoping that my Redskins can eek out a win, but the truth is that Dallas needs the win more than we do, and they're playing with a huge chip on their shoulders. We just pulled ahead, but who knows how it will all end up. And I'm taking this opportunity to yet again post a photo of Tony Romo. Because, look at how cute his dimples are.

Anyway, I had a terrific weekend. I took Friday off, to help prepare for our Thanksgiving dinner, which was a rousing success. But it turns out that on Friday night my office building was broken into! Unbelievable. The thieves went literally office to office breaking into any locked drawers and trashing the offices. They managed to steal the Football Pick 'Ems league money that was for the remainder of the season, about $176 in cash. Jerks! They also got a bunch of small electronics and an IPod. The police seemed to feel that it was probably thieves who were looking for money for drugs. The good news is that our cameras got a clear look at the thief, so maybe that will help, but I'd expect that we'll have some new and more rigorous security to go through from now on.

But as you can see from my post below, the Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and a load of fun. On Saturday I got up and went to Tysons Corner because I had a 30 percent off coupon for the group of stores owned by the Gap. So I managed to buy two pairs of slacks, a sweater, and two long sleeved t-shirts for $108. And then I took my handy-dandy coupon and went down to Old Navy and bought a fleece pullover and some hipster undies. Then I went to DSW (my personal Mecca) and bought a really cute pair of low heeled pumps to wear with trousers. All in all a really good day! Saturday night I did pretty much nothing, watching The Godfather, which is one of those movies that I could watch over and over and over again. Except that it was on AMC, so some of the language was changed, which bugged me.

Today I've pretty much done nothing at all. I cleaned the house and went grocery shopping and pretty much killed time waiting for the Redskins game, which I'm now watching. I'm still slogging through Kushiel's Dart, which I'm reading at CJ's behest. It's a fascinating book, but I'm not even kidding, 900 PAGES! Argh! But the book is full of politics and court intrigue and features a really interesting heroine. But it's not necessarily easy reading. I've forced myself not to read ANYTHING else. But it's slower going than I'd like. I've been reading on it for about 3 days and I'm on page 129. I'm still aiming to be done in time to write my review on December 1st. We'll see how it goes.


In other news, Hugh Jackman was at the beach this weekend. Do you think he works out?

Thanksgiving Potluck

Beth sets a gorgeous table!

Adult Beverages.

Christine does dishes.

Left to right: Rachel, Amy, Neal, Jenny, Scott, TJ

L-R: Karen, Michelle, Mark, Christine, Greg

Mmmmm....dessert.

We had a fantastic dinner last night. We served 18 for dinner at three tables. It's always fun evening which is kid free. Not that we don't love the kids, but we find that the parents *love* to have a night away from being Mom and Dad.

On the menu: turkey, gravy, two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of mashed potatoes, green beans amandine, squash, cranberry relish and rolls.
For dessert: apple pie, pumpkin pie, triple chocolate cake and cheesecake.

Delicious!

A Little Friday Pretty

I don't watch the show, but I know a damn good looking man when I see one.
Mr. Jon Hamm from A&E's Mad Men.
Delicious.

This made me laugh out loud.

Ninja cat, part II

A Smorgasbord of Random Thoughts

Hi Everyone - So as usually happens at least once a week, I have no specific topic to blog about (baaaaaad blogger), so I'm gonna ramble.

1- I will be the first to admit that generally country music doesn't do it for me. There are certain acts I like (Dixie's), certain songs I like ("Live Like You Were Dying"), certain singers (as much as it pains me, Carrie Underwood, post-"Jesus Take the Wheel") but generally I'm not a fan. Mostly because of country music's penchant for remaking songs that should never be remade (Tim McGraw I'm looking at your verison of "Tiny Dancer." That's a big NO SIR!) But I tuned into the CMA's last night for all of four minutes. Long enough to hear the winner of the Best New Artist Award, Lady Antebellum. Surprisingly, I kind of liked them. Enough that I believe I'll be downloading their album. Also, I found it interesting the Darius Rucker is now singing country. Anyway, I'm pretty excited to see the red carpet fashions too.

2- I managed to watch two new to me movies yesterday while I was teleworking. First was Dan in Real Life, which stars Steve Carrell. I'm not going to lie, Steve Carrell gets on my nerves. Generally I don't find him all that funny, and he's kind of like Robin Williams to me, exhausting. But I actually quite enjoyed this movie. Even though Dane Cook was in it (I can't stand Dane Cook). But his presence was offset by Dianne Weist and John Mahoney being in the movie. Weist rocked it as the matriarch of a big and boisterous family. "You'll be doing dishes...alone." Awesome. Plus, I enjoyed Carrell's interactions with his daughters. Especially his 14YO daughter who was in the throws of her first love affair. When he puts the kabosh on the boyfriend visiting, she shrieks at him in that truly young teen way, "You are a murderer of love!" So great. I thought that Carrell had a really nice chemistry with Juliet Binoche, who I love in everything. Overall, it was a sweet little movie that I'm quite pleased to have seen. Overall grade is a B.

Second was Juno. I really meant to see Juno when it was the in the running for an Academy Award. I really did. I thought that it was funny and touching and brilliantly written. I thought Ellen Paige was wonderful and strong and cooky. What I really liked about the movie was that even though it handled a serious topic, it did it was a sweetness of nature about lightness of touch that I appreciated. I liked Juno's interaction with the people who would be adopting her baby. And I thought her reactions to things were priceless. Overall grade is an A. I'll be buying this movie.


3- Tomorrow night is our Thanksgiving Dinner with friends. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone, and hopefully will have lots of fun pictures to show. I'm taking tomorrow off to do some cooking and to go over the Chris and Beth's to help set up and then of course, clean up. As I said before, this is my favorite party we do.

4- I'm still reading Salvation in Death. Not a good sign at all. Usually I gobble upJD Robb books practically in one sitting. I'm on chapter 19 of the book and still just can't seem to really connect with it. But, as I think about it, I realize that I've had an off year with Nora this year. I like her new trilogy fine, although I didn't much connect with Sign of Seven, the first in the trilogy. I really was not a fan of Tribute (I think I gave it a C) but figured that was mostly due to the fact that the story focused strongly on home renovation, which I hate with a bloody passion. H. loved it though, so I'm sure it was me not the quality of the writing. Up next for me is Kushiel's Dart, which I'm reading at CJ's behest. She's reading Daughter of the Blood at mine.

That's it. I have no other thoughts.

What's going on with you? Have you seen any good movies? Are you reading anything good?

Holiday Movies

I love the movies and I love the experience of going to the movies (although not the price). I love to go to the theater and buy a ticket and get my Diet Coke and peanut M&M's and go find the perfect seat (halfway up on the left or right).

I don't know if it's the lingering effect of last year's writers strike, but there are only two movies coming out this holiday season that I really want to see. The first is Australia by Baz Luhrman. I love an epic movie, and this one is not just an epic movie, but an epic romance, which thrills me. I love Luhrman's style, were everything is just slightly too much. Too much color, too much drama, and yet, usually so perfectly conceived. He's a visionary director and because of my deep affection for Australia (one of my very best friends growing up is Australian), I can't wait to see it. The fact that it stars two of my favorite actors, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman is also a factor. I'm hoping to put together a girl's night out to get see it the weekend after Turkey Day. Should be fab!

The second movie that I'm looking forward to is Doubt, which stars Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. I don't completely know what the movie is about, except that it's set sometime around the civil rights movement and it's about two Catholic nuns and a Catholic priest. Looks like Streep's character thinks that Hoffman's character has done something inappropriate with a student at the Catholic school where they both teach. I love Streep and Hoffman and think both are among the finest actors who ever lived. Almost every holiday season, I go at least once to see a movie by myself. My guess is this will be the one.

I had been excited to see Twilight, but the truth is, the glut of information about the movie has kind of turned me off. I'm sure my niece, Abby, will go and see it, and I expect I'll hear what she has to say and then wait to see it when it comes to HBO or Starz or whereever.

What holiday movies are you looking forward to?

My Inner Two Year Old and other thoughts...

The older I get, the more I think I'm just not cut out to be a Mommy. This is based mostly on my need for sleep. When I don't get enough sleep, I become as truculent as a 2 year old who has missed their nap. I get over tired, short tempered, and flat out cranky. Today is one of those days. I awoke last night at 2 A.M. and didn't fall back to sleep until about 3:45. Thus, when my alarm went off this morning at 6:45, wow was I not ready to get up. And I was just in a meeting today where I got admittedly incomplete instructions on a project, and inside I just wanted to smack the person giving instructions in the head. Usually I just mentally roll my eyes and move on. But today, I'd have liked to have smacked her one. As I said, overtired.

I drove to Durham this weekend, which was fun. Got to catch up with my parents and had a chance also to see a couple of friends from college. We didn't do much at Mom and Dad's, just ate out. Alot. Which was OK because I had a pretty good handle on myself and didn't overindulge for once. So I did some good eating, but nothing over the top. Go me.

I finished a couple of books last week. The first was A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr. I enjoyed the book, but not as much as the first three in the trilogy. I think mostly because I thought it was a little too sweet. Like it gave me a toothache. I'm guessing I just wasn't in the right place and I'll read it again, but it was a B- read for me, which surprises me because Robyn Carr is a straight A read for me usually. I also read Flat Out Sexy, which I mentioned below. Enjoyable read. Fun and fluffy with plenty of great attraction and hot chemistry between the characters.

I'm currently reading Salvation in Death by JD Robb. The story is interesting, and revisits some of my favorite characters. It's been an interesting experience because I am also making my way through the In Death back list, and am listening to Divided in Death, which is one where Eve and Roarke are in a fight for most of the book. It's an interesting juxtaposition and an entertaining one. I don't know what I'm going to do when I've finished listening to all of the In Death books. They are some of my all time favorites and have kept me entertained for months.

On Friday, we're having our third annual Thanksgiving pot luck. Which I think is my favorite party that we do all year. We're having 18 guests for dinner (this year at Chris and Beth's house). We serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and everyone brings their favorite dishes. It's loads of fun and a great chance to get to catch up with everyone. So I'm taking Friday off and H. and I will head over to Beth's in the AM to help set the table and get ready. Then I'll come home and do some cooking, while H. goes back to work for a meeting. H. and I have it pretty easy this year. We're bringing a triple chocolate cake, green veggies and a couple of bottles of wine. So it really will be no sweat for us. We'll stay late to help with dishes and to clean up. It's an exhausting party, but the best one we do all year. I'm going to try to take lots of pictures this year. Which will be fun.

Other than that, I'll try to get to Tracy's at some point this week so I can catch up on Friday Night Lights, which I've missed the last couple of episodes of. I also have about 15 shows on my DVR which I need to watch. So I'll do that too.

Also, it's Cowboys week here in DC. As we approach Sunday night, DC will get up to a fever pitch. This is a must win game for the Skins as we really can't afford to lose our second place spot in the NFC East. Additionally, we've still got to play the other two NFC East rivals in the upcoming weeks and we need to have a good record in the division so that we can make the playoffs. I don't expect that we'll be headed to the Super Bowl this year, but I do expect to go to the playoffs. That is, if we don't blow it first.

Last, happy birthday to one of my all time favorite people in the world, Heather G. She's a beloved friend, hilarious woman and an all around super cool chick. I hope it's a magical birthday, Heather. Full of fun and drinks and only good things. I love you!

What are you up to this week? What are you reading? What movies have you seen? Doing anything exciting?

And the slump is over!

I read a book last night that has been getting a ton of buzz around the romance internets because of the Dear Author, Smart Bitches campaign "Buy a Contemporary, Save the World." It's Erin McCarthy's Flat Out Sexy.

I read this book in approximately four hours, gobbling it up like Reese's Peanut Butter cups. The book features one of my favorite storylines, older woman/younger man. He's a rookie Nascar driver, she's the widow of a Nascar driver. They meet at a charity event and the sparks fly immediately. So immediately, that they end up having a one night stand. Tamara (our heroine) is mortified in the morning when she awakes to find that she's still in bed with Elec, the younger man. First, her reaction is freaking priceless, she ends up wailing, "I'm a cougar!" Which in light of yesterday's blog just totally cracked me up. Second, what unfolds is a tremendously sweet and hot romance. What impressed me most was the author's ability to never cross over the line. The story is made of cliche, and yet, it never quite slips into it. Tamara is constantly concerned with her young kids, and how the rest of the world will react. And Elec, rather than being resentful, is considerate and understanding. Sure, he pushes to be sure that they'll be together. But he never crosses over the line. With some very funny scenes and secondary characters, Flat Out Sexy is a winner. Now I can't wait for the next in the series, Hard and Fast.

Hopefully this means I'm done with my mini-reading slump.

Cougar Alert!

My goodness Wills has grown up purty, hasn't he?

And look at how that white t-shirt is wearing Taylor Kitsch.

Never let it be said that I don't love you, Ame.
Although my goodness, does he have like 13" waist or what??

Last but not least, someone who is at least of an appropriate age!

Enjoy!

Paranormal Fatigue

Shiloh Walker blogged over at Bam's yesterday about paranormal reading. Mainly, her question is, "With all of the paranormals out there, are you getting tired?"

I'm definitely suffering from paranormal fatigue. I read almost exclusively a certain kind of paranormal romance. I like them dark and angsty. I like a powerful mostly alpha hero. I don't mind a kickass heroine, but these days, I'm more intrigued by a more or less "normal" heroine who isn't constantly whipping out her broadsword. So that already cuts a large swath through any kind of humorous romance. If there's a pun in the title or a cartoon on the cover, I pretty much immediately disregard it. But even still it seems like the paranormal market is still booming. Lately I've noticed more mer-folk and angels coming along.

My point is that, as the market fills more and more, I begin giving fewer and fewer new authors a chance. I read most of the paranormal "biggies": Singh, Ward, Aguirre, Gleason, Ione, Briggs, and Wilson are just a few. But unless a new paranormal is getting a ton of positive buzz, I'm unlikely to pick the book up. Anymore, the glut of girls standing either looking over their shoulder with their tramp stamp showing, or standing in super high heels and patterned tights with little to no head, are making it harder and harder to discern by the cover whether a book would be of any interest at all to me. So, I'm just not buying any.

How 'bout you guys? Are you suffering from paranormal fatigue? If you are reading new paranormal authors, where are you getting the recommendations? How do you separate the wheat from the chaff?

Your Vote = Free Donuts

Well, due to my ongoing reading slump, I've got nothing much to talk about reading-wise. I'm still listening to the "In Death" series by JD Robb on my iPod. I think that the reader is superb. I'm up to Imitation in Death (the last paperback), and I have to say that it's one of my favorites of the series. Roarke's ongoing battle with the grill makes me giggle.

If you'll all forgive me, the next paragraph will be about football, so skip down if you don't want to read. Last night the Redskins showed what they are -- a good football team who has a long way to go to get better. We were out hustled, out intensity-ied and generally pushed around by the number one defense in the league. While that doesn't so much bother me, a lot of the cons that people mentioned about the Redskins at the beginning of the season still hold true. We have an aging offensive line who has a very hard time putting up enough of a fight to give Jason Campbell time to throw the ball. Our defense, while incredibly stout, still can't be on the field for 40 minutes and expect to win. And Carlos Rogers' drop of that interception is just unacceptable. I'm glad we have a bye week because they're banged up and need it. But I still won't be surprised to see them drop some games that they absolutely should win. If anything we're regressing as a team. And it's painful as hell to watch.

I did my civic duty this morning. I got to the polling location at about 6:20 and hopped into my car at 7:42. So, it took all together about 80 minutes to vote. While standing in line for that amount of time isn't much fun, it's always an honor and privilege to do my part. I was talking with a friend today though, and I really believe that Election Day (presidential elections) should be a National holiday. Every of-age person in the United States should be afforded their full opportunity to exercise their right to vote. It's once every four years, and for those workers who are hourly employees or only work minimum wage jobs, they should be given the chance to take a day and place their vote. I don't think it's too much to ask, and frankly, I'd happily give up my Columbus Day long weekend to see that it happens.

I'm headed to Durham this weekend to see my parental units. I'm hoping to pretty much just hang out and relax, but we'll see what my Mom has in store. Sometimes she's happy to hang and sometimes she wants to be out and about.

So, if you voted today, I hear tell you can get a free cup of coffee at Starbucks, a free donut at Krispy Kreme and a free scoop of ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. Also, the Daily Grill is doing free apps. There's no reason to be hungry on Election Day.

As for me? I'll be home watching the returns and hoping that this country will give us the change we need.

Confession

OK, so I have to admit that I am a lover of the teen/college angst movie. LOVE THEM!

Further proving that I have absolutely no life whatsoever, on Saturday evening, I was flipping through channels and found one of my favorite movies that combines two loves of mine: college angst and ballet. Yes, it's Center Stage.

Now before you judge -- well, despite your judgment -- I *know* this is a terrible movie. I know it. The acting is stilted, the psuedo cute bad boy is totally NOT HOT (and his acting is unbelievably bad), and Peter Gallagher's eyebrows are still mesmerizing. But man, look at all the pretty ballet. So of course, I stopped and watched. And not only did I stop and watch, but yes, I made H. watch with me (an exact quote from H.: "It's like watching a train wreck. It hurts me."). Imagine my little thrill when I found out that directly after airing Center Stage, Oxygen network would be airing its sequel: Center Stage 2: Turn It Up! Yeah baby!

So, of course, I had to watch that too.

I'll say this about it, that's two hours of my life I'm never getting back. The movie was wretched. I mean, truly wretched. Pseudo cute bad boy guy was in it again, except now he's a pseudo cute bad man with a really, really bad Caesar haircut that's been bleached even blonder. But the dancing was fun, although very little of it was ballet. And for all that Peter Gallagher "starred" in it, he was in about three scenes.

Like I said, two hours of my life I'm never getting back.

Do you like Center Stage? What's your favorite really bad movie?