I'm ditching five pairs of shoes, countless sweaters and tshirts...all to tame the "possesions" beast before Lance moves in.

Having a little more clothing than your partner is one thing...having three times as much is just sad. :)

Why?

Why does gas station = country music? And why is gas $3.09?!?

New habits...

Some days it's really hard to put in the gym time (inertia is a
killer!), but I've been really happy with the outcome.

Breathing is good.

Oy, but all those germs...

Also, remind me to tell ya about the happy-inappropriate-yoga
guy...never thought stretching could be so...wrong.

Lance's first NYC subway ride

I promise we weren't consulting a map!

I just thought this pic was cool. :)

How rude of me!

I don't think I ever showed you where I lived. It's a cute old
townhouse that'll soon be living two guys...and two cats. Meow!

Um

This new iPhone just might change the way I blog...

Revised opinion...

I watched "Private Practice" again last night and I have to revise my initial review of it. It's actually good television. Depending on how stuck in its own circles "Grey's" is tonight, PP just might leapfrog into my favorite medical dramedy.

The writing was much better on the last episode. Each of the storylines was woven well, with resolutions coming as a surprise instead of acting out the desire of some screenwriting software's pre-determined act breaks. The characters all got time to shine, maybe because Taye Diggs was underused--eye candy and acting skill is a lethal combination. More than I ever wanted to know about vaginas (which could be good for the nation because they're not getting it in school), but still.

My last complaint, however: can Addison go through a cold opening without talking to herself, much less repeating a ridiculous phrase over and over again? "It's raining! It's raining!" Sheesh! We get it! If this is just another way to infantalize a powerful woman with a post-graduate degree and two board certifications to make her more likable, then No Thank You. Give me a break.

My review of the new Fall season: Meh

Signs of autumn are few in the Tampa Bay area. Sure, our humid wet-clothes air is jostled by a cool breeze every once in awhile and the evenings are almost bearable, but we never get colorful leaves or crisp mornings. About the only sign of fall in Florida is TV premier week on all the networks. When I see the DVR pile up with unwatched shows, I know that pumpkins and turkeys are soon to come.

This season, there are so many new shows that I'm finding it hard to care about more than one or two of them. They're all vying for top place, American Gladiators style, each time I press "Play" on my remote. Each one will also have to take on, Iron Chef style, each of my firmly rooted returning series, i.e. Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Battlestar Gallactica, Weeds, Stargate: Atlantis, The Sarah Silverman Program and Doctor Who.

The contenders:

1) Private Practice - So, it's a Grey's spinoff. I get that. Addison just happened to be one of my favorite characters...on Grey's Anatomy, that is. The Addison of Private Practice barely has her old personality and is now arrogant, needy, and indecisive. It's great to see all these good actors working the ensemble thing, though (especially Amy Brennemen). I want to love this show, and the writing shows a glimmer here and there, but the whole thing reaks of a midnight "Steak and Shake" run--the idea must have seemed great at the time, but the execution and the payoff have little to be desired.

2) Bionic Woman - This show really works. Lance and I both realized that the pace of the show is much slower than a cable drama, but the richness of the characters makes up for it. Michelle Ryan delivers her performance with preternatural verve; every line, every move, each gaze, they're all filled with the kind of intensity that could cover up plot holes and hackneyed lines for at least 3 seasons. I haven't even mentioned Katee Sackhoff yet! It's a pleasure to watch her vamp up the screen. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.

3) Torchwood - The pace is uneven, the hour sometimes drags on, but the ensemble cast makes this X-Files meets Doctor Who--with a dash of sexiness--good popcorn TV. Out of four episodes, three have been exciting, with one being the equivilant to "CSI: Cardiff". Bleh.

4) Dirty Sexy Money - For Peter Krause, there was no really no where to go after Six Feet Under than to something slightly better than mediocre. And this show really tries for that. It seriously is like watching an unfunny Arrested Developement with a murder plot. Some of the plot shockers have a bit of a naughty twist, but they mostly just come off forced. I wanted to like this show, but I think I'll save it for when I want to see the interior of New York apartments I will never have.

The subtext here is that all of the shows are really mediocre. I'm trying not to think that the Golden Age of TV is over for the time being, but I really think it is. Formulas mean more than creativity for the long-format show. I wouldn't be surprised if the best stuff we see in the next few years will all be online. The only show that really will make it to the top of the heap for me is Bionic Woman, I'm afraid. I only have so much time...and I want to save some time for jumping into a pile of orange and red leaves...oh wait.

Just a handful of almonds...

I've taken up a different eating pattern the last few weeks that seems to be working on my weight after, what, like 16 years?

All I've done is start eating 6 small meals a day, each about 2.5 hours apart. That and replacing my normal snack with almonds and raisins and smoothies...smoothies I make myself, not those 1000 calorie dealios from chain stores.

That, plus the gym, has really been working on my gut. It's crazy! I know it'll take a long time to reach "fit", but I can see results every day, so I'm kind of addicted to this moderate, yet effective plan.

In other news, Lance and I are going to visit NYC later this month, so I'm totally gearing up. Got me some walkin' shoes.

I guess it's weird to end a blogging hiatus like this, but I just have to say it:

If you feel like the world is filled with negative people or that everything around you is sad, depressing, and out of sorts: it's you, not them. Adjust your focus.

It's not that I'm tired of Negative Nancys, or even have them in my life, it's just that I want to remember that thought if I ever get caught up in the situation of thinking everything around me is crap. =)

Repost this or...

I find it funny that people will reject the very idea of belief in God, as if believing in something you can't see is completely ridiculous, but will then repost a chain letter about a people getting hit by trains if they don't repost or sewer children coming for their souls if they don't pass the chain along.

Some people will believe in flashes, not in a slow burn.

It's like paying for 99 cent cups of coffee here and there with a no-limit American Express card...and the coffee's not that great. Grainy, shitty coffee on an Amex.

There's a problem with vacations for people who think heavily for a living...there's nothing to do but look out into the sky or make small talk, leaving a deficit of activity that has to be filled up with something. Sometimes that "something" is a realization or a catharsis that sweeps away unresolved feelings or answers a subconscious question, but much of the time, the "something" is just one worry or aggravation after another.

Sure, on vacation, I'm relaxing...but the thing is: I'm bored too.

Admitting it is the first step. =)