Enough is Enough

Random Stuff That Makes Me Happy

Way to go, Antwerp.

Showtime

Ah, the good old days. When residents of Los Angeles (which basically means anyone between San Diego and Santa Barbara) thrilled to the nightly display of athleticism that was Pat Riley's Lakers. The 5 guys named above brought so many unique abilities - on and off the court - together to create an exceptional team, and such a fun one to root for. There was also Coop, McAdoo, McGee, Kupchack, and Jamal Wilkes (so many UCLA alums in that group). After years of being beaten down by those awful Boston Celtics, the Showtime era was our time to win and shine and put a song in the heart of every Laker fan. Which song, you ask? Why, Randy Newman's "I Love LA," of course.

This shirt, which can be purchased here, is a shout out to those great, great days of being a Laker fan, watching Dancing Barry in the stands at the Forum & Paula Abdul on the court. Some young foolish teenage Laker fan, who later had a life size poster of Magic Johnson on her UCLA dormitory wall, may have even worn her Lakers t-shirt, hoping to spread the love, on a visit to Boston.

Phil Jackson and Kobe and Staples Center are all OK, but they'll never be Showtime.

Blog Vomit

Wow, I just realized that I didn't blog during the entire month of February. I know it's a short month, but still. Bad me. Between birthday, Valentine's, family visits, Uppercase Living, and the normal day to day stuff that comes with a busy household (not to mention the OctoMom), it seems my blog got neglected. Not that anyone noticed (other than my mom).

So here's a quick rundown to catch you up. I'll spare you the promises of more frequent blogging; we both know that's a crapshoot. If it makes you feel better, know that I miss this and if I thought anyone was reading it, I'd feel awfully guilty.

• My baby turned 3. I can't believe it, but the potty training battles assure me that it's true. We had a Spongebob Squarepants party complete with kelp shakes and Krabby Patties. Photos to come. Someday.
• I'm now in the planning stages of a Mario Kart party. It seems that my days of sparkly princess parties are behind me. Boo!
• Speaking of birthdays, Ray turned 40. He seems to have survived it! Sadly, there was no big trip or party (Thanks, Economy) but we had a nice celebration and he's gotten over the trauma.
• Softball season is underway. Softball practice is at the exact same time as dance. This sucks. Softball doesn't. It's fun to be back in the bleachers, watching the girls who have improved so much since last year, and the younger ones just starting out. I love that Julia loves this stuff so much. The reality is that the practices and games are quite a pain to manage, but it's totally worth it.
• I backed my minivan into a parked truck yesterday and smashed a taillight. SO ANNOYED.
• The bad news: my old piece of crap cell phone finally died. The good news: I got a new BlackBerry Storm. The bad news: I haven't figured out all its idiosyncrasies yet. Like why I only get some of my email. I'm fearful that this will warrant a call to the call center in Bangladesh or the Philippines.
• I expect Ray to have a new job by the beginning of next week. Of course, this is wonderful news and it'll be nice to have an income again. But it's been SO nice having him around these last few months. The kids and I have loved it. The new job will be close to home (except for when he's traveling) and I expect it to be good for our family in the long run. It'll be a while before we dig out from under the financial impact of his being out of work but we'll be fine eventually. I'm proud of us for not getting on each other's nerves (much) the entire time he was home and am already trying to figure out how to minimize his office time and maximize our family time.
• UL continues to be fun and rewarding. I am excited to have a new team member who also happens to be a friend. Great products and great promotions have made this a good time to be in this business.

There you have it. I would love to post some pictures of the Spongebob Party here soon. If nothing else, it'll maybe discourage some poor misdirected mom from endeavoring to punch enough holes out of yellow cardstock to make it look like a sponge. And you wonder why I haven't been blogging?

Why I Have So Much Gray Hair

Ethan got out of bed tonight to ask me an important question:

"Mom, what is a phallus?"

"What?"

"A phallus."

"What?"

"Like, foul?"

"Ethan, where did you hear that word?"

"On Spongebob."

"What sentence was it in?"

"Do you mean where did I get that word?"

"YES!"

"Well, Spongebob said 'That is the second phallus thing I've ever eaten.'"

Standing Strong

Old Friends

I got an email from an old friend today that started out:

"Time to check in with you again because you've been on my heart."

My friend lives out of state and I think I've seen her three times in the last 10 years. But somehow, we remain in touch (thank you, Internet) and today, somehow she knew how much I'd love hearing from her. If someone's on your heart, check in with them. They'll love it.

Golden Globes Fashion Wrap-Up!

Because I'm totally shallow and I pretty much only watch awards shows for the dresses, I thought I'd share with you my catty comments about the presenters, winners, etc. kind of in order of their appearance.

Jennifer Lopez-Thumbs Down. Great dress, great color, but not on her. It totally accentuates her hips and butt and she doesn't really need any help there. The hairstyle is also too severe and doesn't help the look at all. Too bad.

Kate Winslet-Thumbs up. Understated, classy and that accent makes her seem even more elegant.

CNN-Big Thumbs Down. Have you heard of the West Coast geniuses? Way to splash the winners on your home page. and spoil it for those of us who thought we'd actually watch the show to learn the results.

Sting-Eh. Not loving the Castaway look but still, he's Sting.

Eva Longoria-Thumbs Up. Gorgeous color and a very pretty dress that only she could pull off. I'm not loving all the cleavage, but that's just me and the pretty scalloped edge does showcase the girls nicely. I would've liked to see some gems around her neck (rubies or sapphires would've been great), but still, she looks beautiful and very ladylike.

Miss Golden Globe-Whatever.

Laura Dern-Thumbs down. Her dress and jewelry are pretty enough, but I feel like she could have looked so much better. Her dress, though nice, was plain and she could have looked really amazing. Plus, political speeches annoy me.

Eva Mendes-Sadly, thumbs down. I would've loved to give her a thumbs up because I saw her necklace on the red carpet footage and fell in love with it. Gorgeous. But her dress looks like it's throwing up and her hair looks like my 3 year-old cousin Sophie put it up for her. No offense, Sophie.

Anna Paquin-Holy shit! When did Anna Paquin grow up? And go blonde? I like her updo, and her ability to resist the urge to get breast implants. But she has got to stop going to Letterman's dentist.

Ricky Gervais-Two thumbs up. Hilarious. Never disappoints.

Best Motion Picture, Animated-Woo hoo!!! Finally, a category I've seen all the nominees of!

Sally Hawkins-for God's sake, eat a sandwich. And some pasta. With butter. And bacon. And a chicken. I'm afraid she won't have the stamina to walk all the way to the stage to accept her award.

Drew Barrymore-Thumbs down. Drew, HURRY! Get back in your time machine and fire your stylist. Have you happened to look in a mirror tonight? I did see her purse on the red carpet and it is so pretty, as is her jewelry, but it's not enough.

Demi Moore-Thumbs up. She looks gorgeous, although the halter on her dress doesn't look like it belongs there, and also looks like it's strangling her. But she looks lovely. Too bad she looks better than her daughter.

Waltz With Bashir-woo hoo and a hearty Mazal Tov.

Maggie Gylenhaaalll-Thumbs down. Not liking the poofy curtain dress. And the updo makes her look old. And the earrings don't go.

Laura Linney-Thumb sideways. If Stacy and Clinton and I have said it once, we've said it a thousand times, "If you wear a color that's too close too your skin tone, it makes you look washed out." So, even though her dress is gorgeous and someone else would look great in it, Laura Linney, who is the same color from hair to skin to dress, looks like a big, beige blob.

Elizabeth Banks-see above. And her dress looks like it's been done before.

Seth Rogin-Looks good, sounds dumb. Find a new shtick.

Slumdog Millionaire-Woo hoo. A win for best screenplay and a bunch of other stuff, including Best Picture. Duh. It was SUCH a good story! Slumdog Millionaire screenwriter: your shirt is too big.

Amy Poehler-Good enough for a new mom. Please, please, please come back to SNL Amy.

Grim Reaper Anti-Tobacco Ad-Thumbs up. Such a good ad. Seriously, who still smokes?

Renee Zellwegger-There are not enough thumbs in California to point downward. WTF??? Is Renee maybe preparing for a role as a crazy white trash spinster? Did she piss off her stylist who put then put one over on her a la "The Emperor's New Clothes?" Has she finally gone over the damn edge? Or did someone bet her that she couldn't possibly show up looking worse than she ever has in her life? If so, they so lost that one.

Megan Fox-Thumbs up in a big way. Gorgeous dress. Could've chosen nicer jewelry. Overall, the look is wonderful, but the tattoos, not so much.

Paul Giamatti-An accomplished actor, to be sure, but to me, he'll always remain Pig Vomit.

Glenn Close-Thumbs down. She looks like the matronly 2-pack a day smoking hostess at your local family-owned Chinese restaurant. Patty Hewes wouldn't have been caught dead in that getup.

Tina Fey(lin)-Hate to say, thumbs down. She would have looked so great in a beautiful jewel tone. Her hair and makeup are also too severe. She could maybe borrow Jane Krakowski's stylist next time? Then she could look old and wear the same color as everyone else.

Pierce Brosnan-DREAMY!!!! Always. Same with Kiefer Sutherland.

Kate Beckinsale-Eh. Again. love the dress, not the jewelry and hair. And curiously, the top of her dress makes me want to go find some raspberries and chocolate shavings to put on top.

Jane Krakowksi-Thumbs down. Another white dress. Blah blah. Cute haircut but her makeup makes her look old and dated. And she needs a better bra.

Sigourney Weaver-Yawn.

Sandra Bullock-Seriously? ANOTHER white dress? The other ones look better. I love ruffles, but Sandra's just make her look like a wedding cake. And not one of those cute trendy ones on Ace of Cakes.

Salma Hayak-Surprise. A white dress and an updo. She looks a little like the mummy with the wrapping and shirring. But in a good way.

Penelope Cruz-Thumbs up. An off white dress with just enough shimmer and sparkle. Her hair down (what a risk-taker!). Pretty jewelry and makeup. Well done.

Frieda Pinto-Thumbs way down. Too bad. She's beautiful. But her dress looks like a crumpled up grocery sack. So disappointing. I would've loved to see her in something bright and gorgeous. I'm so bummed about the dress that I won't even say anything about her carrying her evening bag onstage. It's her first time at the Globes; she'll learn.

Cameron Diaz-Thumbs up. Color at last!! A pretty coral shade and her hair down and flowing. She can sometimes make questionable wardrobe choices but tonight she picked a winner!

House-Damn! I was so rooting for House. Mad Men Shmad Men.

And there you have it loyal readers. Another awards show, another 3 hours of me commenting on celebrity wardrobes as if I have a clue what I'm talking about. It was a fun show, especially with all the Brits saying "Mumbai" over and over. Loved Sascha Baron Cohen. And Tracy Morgan in his white jacket. Kate Winslet was lovely and I have a feeling she'll be giving a few more acceptance speeches before the awards season is over. Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange seemed drunk. And seeing drunk celebrities is is why you tune in to the Golden Globes after all. Speaking of celebrities, we saw Charlie Sheen at lunch today.

An 80-degree January day, celebrity sightings at lunch, and an inconsequential awards to show to blather on about. Really, a perfect Los Angeles day.