Please Make It Stop

Can someone please make Beyonce go away?! Top 5 Reasons I Need Beyonce to fade off into the sunset:

1. Her voice is embarrassing.
2. The acting is embarrassing.
3. Her lyrics are embarrassing.
3. The dancing is embarrassing.
4. The constant campaigning to sing at Obama’s inauguration is even more embarrassing.

Favorite Videos at this Very Moment:

1. Old Gregg, from The Mighty Boosh
2. Craig Ferguson on Democracy and Duty – He is becoming one of my favorite people on the planet.  (He first impressed me with this monologue, which I found to be well-crafted and truly moving.)
3. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin – Brilliant!
4. Well, this is a really old one, but I can’t do a list of videos without the Betty Glover Library Workout Tape.
5. Jon Stewart on Republican Hypocrisy – Sure to be a classic!

The Omnivore’s Hundred

I came across this on the Chocolate & Zucchini blog, although it appears that it originally came from Very Good Taste.  Great idea!

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (Bold doesn’t really show up in the theme, so I’m adding italics as well.)
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (Strange that I’ve never had it, but…)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht (Hated it.  But when in Russia…)
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (Um, I’m from Appalachia.)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (Just this morning!)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas (Doesn’t everyone have that one odd coworker who always brings in weird snacks?)
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (Yeah, I went to college.)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (Weird coworker again!  And those roly-polys I used to snack on when I was little.)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (Seriously hated it.)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (Again, college.)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (People, don’t taunt.  I’m from Appalachia!)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef (But thanks to Top Chef, I feel like I have.)
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (Can’t eat Black Beauty!)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish (Please.  Served fresh all the time less than a block away.)
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Not bad–I’ve got 57.  And you’ll notice that I didn’t strike though any of them.  Granted, I didn’t look them all up, but I know myself.  I’ll try anything once, even if it is potentially lethal.  (Roadkill, anyone?)

Favorite Olympic Moments, Thus Far

Anyone who knows me knows that I can’t pass up a major sporting event.  Add a bit of pageantry and drama, and I’m sold.  I’m the girl who is still crying over the fact that the Great Outdoor Games and the Eco-Challenge are no longer happening.  (I’ve still got my fingers crossed for the return of the Outdoor Games.  Not sure why I love watching competitve sawing, but I do.)

Well, needless to say.  I’ve been practically glued to my TV for the past week.  I’m pretty sure I can’t keep up this pace much longer.  I might have to forgo the rest of the games for the sake of my sanity.  But, it’s been a while since I’ve had a list, so here it is:

1. The look on Michael Phelps’ face when Jason Lezak took the last-second lead in the men’s 4×100 relay.
2. Seeing Nastia Liukin cheering on Shawn Johnson during the final rotation of the Women’s All-Around Final.  (That scoring was a little wacky, wasn’t it?)
3. Yao Ming’s 3-pointer.  You know the one.
4. While I’m on Yao, he was pretty darn cute holding that kid during the opening ceremonies.
5. I know you’ve seen it, ’cause they keep replaying it–Bela watching Liukin’s final event.
6. The US men’s volleyball getting through group play undefeated.
7. And just now, Dara Torres giving up her pre-race routine to make sure a competitor gets to race.  Very classy.

Favorite shows to watch this summer:

1. Duh… SYTYCD
2. My Boys!  Why don’t more people watch this show?  Am I the only person in the world who relates to a story about a girl with a bunch of guy friends?
3. In Plain Sight – It’s early yet, but I kinda like it…
4. Last Comic Standing
5. Oh, I’m ashamed.  Wipeout.  I didn’t even mean to watch it.  It just happened.  And then I couldn’t stop laughing.  I’m so ashamed.

Things I’m into right now:

1. Brett Dennen – If I didn’t know better, I’d think Paul Simon and Tracy Chapman had a red-haired love child.
2. Jason Castro on American Idol (I know, I know. I still suck. It’s practically illegal, but baby boy has some killer eyes.)
3. Alana Davis’ first album
4. Grilled portobello sandwiches on ciabatta bread
5. My new Smithsonian magazine subscription

Favorite Poker Players to Watch on TV:

1. Daniel Negreanu – How can he not be? Just to watch him call out his opponent’s hands… Damn.
2. Erick Lindgren – OK. So he’s my poker crush. That pushes him to the top of the list.
3. Jennifer Harman – Even though the nose twitch can become tedious, I still think she’s fun to watch.
4. Gavin Smith – He’s completely fearless. Better yet, he’s got a great sense of humor.
5. Doyle Brunson – Duh.
6. Howard Lederer – He was really the first player I remember following. I haven’t actually seen him play in a long time.

Obviously, I’m not a big fan of the drama queens (Phil Helmuth, Humberto Brenes, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, etc.) I appreciate the people who spend more time on the game than playing to the camera.

Not that anyone cares.

Top 5 Books I’ve Read Recently

I highly recommend any of these…

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
3. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
4. The Last Season by Eric Blehm
5. The Wild Trees by Richard Preston

What’s New?

Not much!

Still no word from South Africa. Work is a bit chaotic right now…we’re going through a big restructuring process and people are dropping like flies. I think my job is safe, but one can never tell. It’s definitely a bad time to ask for a leave of absence, though. Gotta come up with a new plan.

I bumped in to my long-time crush the other day. I still think there’s real possibility there, but there’s a hurdle I just can’t seem to get over. OK, a few hurdles. But I’ll figure it out somehow. He’s been very encouraging on this whole dropping-everything-and-going-to-Africa thing. I hope it’s not just to get me off the continent! But I don’t think I’ll see him again until after the holidays.

I caught up with my gay husband and my gay lover this week, which was good. My gay husband really wants me to move to DC to be near him, which I agree would be great. I’m just not sure that I can move to be near him just to share him with his boyfriend:) And I’m going to be able to see my gay lover and his boyfriend on my trip to my parents’ for Christmas. If only I were a gay man… Why are all the great men in my life gay? How did I become the woman with a posse of gay men around me? I guess it doesn’t matter–I wouldn’t trade either of them for a… Well, maybe.

Played poker last weekend for the first time in a while. Just me and the guys from the regular game. It was really good to catch up and just play, even though my game was crap! I really need to get some practice in. Even though I was playing such shit, I managed to get to heads up with a pretty big chip lead, but after four hours and 10 diet cokes, I lost my concentration. It’s the first time I have played at the bar since I quit drinking, and I might’ve overdone it with the caffeine. But, I didn’t have any desire to drink, so that’s good. Over four months without a drop! Not bad.

So, in honor of the holidays, my Christmas Wish List: (Don’t worry, I don’t expect any of it!)
1. iPhone
2. bicycle
3. flat-screen TV
4. a new job
5. an idea of what to get for my family

OK, that list made me realize how lucky I am. I don’t really want or need much of anything. But, I would love a bicycle…

My 5 Favorite Things Right Now

1. Bertolli Frozen Pasta Dinners in the Bag – Don’t read the nutrition label. That alone will kill you. But they’re ready in 10 minutes and they’re yummy! Does anyone know a good cardiologist or trainer? I’m gonna need both.
2. Sweet Honey in the Rock – I pulled out my old CDs of them, and I’ve been remembering why I love them so. Damn shame the greatest ones have retired.
3. House – I don’t know why I didn’t watch the show before. Everyone says it’s gone way downhill this year. If this is the bottom of the hill, I can’t handle the top!
4. Flirting – I’ve become very flirtatious lately. Don’t know why, but I’m having fun doing it.
5. K. – The same K. I dated at the beginning of the summer. We’re definitely not dating anymore, but I’ve found that I have a really good friend. I’m happy that I have someone who’s just free and easy. No drama. Just fun.