Summer TV Guilty Pleasures

Around 4pm on Tuesdays I start to get a little giddy. Why? Because I know in a few hours I'll be giggling at someone's attempts to run across four big balls.

We don't watch reality tv, not that we've made it a rule to live by but what isn't trash tv usually seems to be pretty addictive and we don't need that distraction. BUT, this summer we are hopelessly addicted to Wipe Out and I Survived a Japanese Game Show. We laugh so hard during Wipe Out, not only are the contestants' wipe outs funny but the hosts' comments are hilarious. John Henson cracks me up with his sign-off, "Good night and big balls." We find ourselves cheering for contestants on Japanese Game Show and envious of the rewards given to the winning team.

I don't know how long these shows will last but I'm enjoying them for the moment.

Funny Bumper Stickers

We got a kiwi 2008 Honda Element three weeks ago and love it. It's very spacious inside and is a pretty smooth ride. There are two hilarious bumper stickers for the Element: "You're being passed by a toaster" and "Screw Aerodynamics." I laughed out loud when I saw both of those.

Our green toaster or as I like to call it sometimes, the green hornet:

Xbox 360 Commercial - Water War

This is one of my favorite commercials ever. I love the song (The Teddy Bear's Picnic), the idea of a huge neighborhood water balloon fight, and the way this was filmed. My favorite bit is at 53 seconds when the little boy is taunting someone and a split second later a water balloon explodes next to him.

All of the Xbox 360 ads from this campaign were very entertaining but this one is my fave. Enjoy.

Another Anniversary

For the last five years sometime during the first week or so of July I stop in my tracks and think "Oh my gosh, my MS anniversary is coming up." For some reason it takes my breath away. No matter what I'm doing whether I'm walking Rusty, reviewing a portfolio's monthly returns at work, inspecting a fresh peach at the market or folding laundry in the bedroom, I pause and relive that afternoon.

A friend forwarded a link to a NYT article last week where the writer described his heart attack as "one of the moments in his life that defined his life, as if he'd crossed an invisible 'before and after' line and realized nothing would be the same." For me it's been like that.

I think about how when I woke up that Friday morning I had no idea how my life would change forever. I think about how sad I was, just incredibly sad, for so long. During the phone call with my neurologist's office everything instantly seemed hopeless and meaningless. I remember thinking how unfair it was: I was 32 and supposed to be going to grad school, not learning how to give myself an IV of solumedrol to halt my latest relapse or evaluating the available MS injectible treatments to try to slow the disease progression. But after a while you figure out that life is fair, it can just be unlucky.

Despite the crappy card I've been dealt I have been lucky with the treatment I've received. I was lucky to find a research-oriented neurologist and lucky to have participated in the Campath clinical trial. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that it looks like everything is going to be ok.

So tomorrow is my sixth MS anniversary and first blog anniversary... happy anniversary to me.

Emmy Nominations

The Emmy nominations have been announced and I'm delighted to see that HBO's "John Adams" received 23 nominations. The entire cast was fabulous, the costumes were beautiful, the cinematography was flawless, and the script and sets were incredible. It was a fantastic miniseries and I recommend it as a rental to everyone.

My new favorite comedy 30 Rock received 17 nods. My favorite show Lost received seven nominations, including Michael Emerson as Ben. He plays Ben so well; the bad guy that you can't quite hate.

I'll throw this out to the universe. It would be great if all of the Emmy gift bag recipients would put their goodies on eBay and donate the funds to the various relief organizations who are helping in China, Myanmar, Africa and areas here at home.

Benini Sculpture Ranch

Sam, Rusty & I visited the Benini Sculpture Ranch last Saturday and it was a fun outing. An incredible collection of large scuplture are strewn about this 140 acre ranch near Johnson City, TX. LBJ used to own this ranch and it is now owned by Benini, his wife Lorraine and their foundation.

You can stay in your air conditioned car and drive through the ranch to admire the art or you can park and stroll through the hills and experience the scupltures up close. A visit to the ranch is a great day trip from Austin. Here are a few photos from our visit.

An Age Old Question Properly Addressed and Answered

Yes, I'm a firm believer in toilet paper being hung over rather than under. It tears better, it hangs better and is just more aesthetically pleasing. A friend sent me this link last week where the author has effectively used science to prove that the tp should hang over, not under. Yea!

Their brilliant conclusion:

Restroom attendants, janitors, maids, facilities crews, and responsible
toiletowners take note: Don’t use the under-hung method for your toilet paper
rolls. It leads to the destruction of our precious resources and the pillars
of civilization as we know it!

Look at Who's on My Side

If Paris Hilton is on my side then I've got nothing to worry about. ;-)

Seriously though, her heart's in the right place and any press is good press, right? Good for her for helping out with some MS fundraising.

A Nice Morning

We went to Butler Park this morning for our morning walk with Rusty and it was very nice. It's been cooler since yesterday afternoon so we wanted to enjoy the break in the heat. We strolled around the many sidewalks, walked around the reflecting pool in front of the Palmer Events Center and enjoyed the early morning view of downtown Austin coming to life. Below is a shot of Rusty resting after his walk.


After about an hour of strolling around we went around the corner to Flip Happy Crepes for a delicious breakfast. It was a busy scene this morning at the crepe airstream which was great to see. I love seeing a small business enjoy such success.

It's starting to warm up now and we're praying for rain. Come on rain gods, give us a good dousing.