Interesting... Didn't see that coming...

American Cities That Best Fit You:

80% Honolulu 55% Atlanta 55% Miami 55% San Diego 50% Austin

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

I'm still in shock

I did it. I actually woke up at 6 a.m. and worked out BEFORE work.

And... I LOVED it.

What a great feeling to have accomplished something before you even get to work.

I hope I can keep it up!

Amen Mitch Albom. Amen.

Mitch Albom: Mayor's text message scandal has a sports page feel

(Freep.com) They call him the Hip-Hop Mayor, but that always has been misleading, for he is less a musician than a jock, with a jock's sense of entitlement, a jock's bully muscle, a jock's entourage, a jock's approach to women, and, most of all, a jock's eternal belief that he can fight his way out of anything.

Having seen enough sports scandals, the Kwame Kilpatrick mess feels all too familiar. First, like an athlete in hot water, he blames rumors. When it's proven more than rumors, he blames "haters." When it's proven more than haters, he blames the media. When it's proven more than media, he blames racism. When it's proven more than racism -- when it's proven to be tangible, chargeable, real legal trouble -- he gets the best lawyer money can buy.

So now Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is in the biggest fight of his career, one that parallels many high-profile athletes who insist "they're out to get me." First, others take the fall, as happened with Michael Vick and Tonya Harding and Barry Bonds. Eventually the net tightens. And finally, we have a moment as we did Monday, where the star is fingerprinted and has his photo taken.

And his lawyers start talking.

The game must go on ...

Remember, Kilpatrick, the second-term mayor, was once a lineman for Florida A&M, captain of the football team. And having known and observed him for years, I have often thought he views himself like a superstar athlete, a member of the "in" crowd, entitled to star treatment, security, sleek vehicles, family members on the payroll. He does this while emboldened by a fervent "home" crowd that will love him simply because he wears the right uniform.

And, like some of the sports stars he often hugs and chats up, he feels the show cannot go on without him. The most maddening of all Kilpatrick's deceptions is that he is the only man who can run this city. He forgets there were mayors before him and there will be mayors after him. Certainly many people can run it better than him now, without the shadow of criminal charges and the daily drain of lawyers, worry and anger.

But Kilpatrick wants to play on, like Kobe Bryant with a sexual-assault charge, flying into court in the morning and back for a game at night, like Pete Rose, insisting he can still manage his team despite a Dowd Report that he gambled on baseball.

"I look forward to complete exoneration," the mayor said Monday. "... In the meantime, I will remain focused on moving this city forward."

As the famous quote goes, "A painter paints, a fighter fights ..."

Play ball.

And there is no endgame ...

The difference is, of course, that you are elected mayor by the people, you didn't sign a contract with a guaranteed salary. In sports, if you can perform, they'll pry open the vault, pull the fence out of the ground, because sports serves one master, winning, that is all that matters.

In public office, winning is only how you get there, not how you stay. There are different rules. Rules of behavior. Rules of ethics. As mayor, the word "honorable" comes before your name.
Which means you can't just wiggle out of a tackle, foul when the ref isn't looking, find a way to win and all is forgiven. Kilpatrick's predictable attempts to kill these charges by technicalities (How do you know I used the pager? Who says the text messages are admissible?) show this is just about winning now.

But that should surprise no one. His arrogance is his armor. And any thought of this guy quitting for the good of the city can be trashed right now.

He is the quarterback with an entire football field to cover and 11 men in front of him, a jump shooter with six hands in his face and a parking lot between him and the basket. And still he believes he is entitled to survive, not just survive but to prevail, so he will run, leap, shoot with everything in him, and only history will judge him, perhaps as sad, perhaps as pathetic. Won't matter. In his mind, he's the king, he's entitled, he's doing what a fighter does. He's fighting. You'll have to drag him out by his ears.

Happy Easter!

It's official

I'm addicted to Entourage.

Nevermind that I have a number of other things I should be doing (i.e. 110 pages to read by Wednesday, a group project to work on, a 20-page paper to write, etc.)... What's going to happen with Vinnie and Mandy? Is E going to find love with Sloan? Will Drama and Turtle ever stop smoking weed and stop mooching off Vinnie?

We're only on season 2... But I seriously can't get enough.

P.S. I don't usually go for short guys, but how cute is E?!

This one's for my boys...

Goooooooooo Michigan State!

Woohoo!

Two down, four to go... :)

If you only had six words...

Since Tiny seems to be a bit busy with work, classes, and talking on the phone (see below post), I thought I would step in as "Ghostwriter" and relieve her today.

Some people write autobiographies hundreds of pages long. What if you only had six words to sum it up? In Women's Health (my fav mag of all time!), they asked some of the staff to do such a thing. Some examples:

"Make stupid mistakes. Forgive myself. Repeat."
"Keeps champagne handy, just in case."
"Wrote this at the last minute."
"Ride, crash, laugh. Do it again."
"Ran fast. Forgot where I was going."
"I'll need more than six words."
"Hated Barbies. Now professional doll dresser."
"Ten cities, 12 boyfriends, one dog."
"Loves knowing, captures moments, kisses often."

...what would you say?

I did it again.

Please visit last month's phone entry by clicking here.

The joys of email

I love email. I love the Internet.

That said, I wonder what it was like working before it all existed?

Today was an average day.
- 63 emails sent
- 76 emails received
- 65 emails flagged and waiting for me to take action

(I'm sure many of you could post similar/higher email stats...)

I wonder how much time the average professional spends each day emailing? Does it really help or hinder?

Like I know everything

I passed an undergraduate student on my way to a meeting today and overheard her saying, "I just can't WAIT to be done with school."

Now, I know that I probably said the EXACT same thing at the EXACT same point in my life so I have very little room to talk. However, everything in me wanted to stop her and say "Slow down. Enjoy it."

Thankfully, I quickly remembered all the people who used to tell me to "just enjoy it" and thought it best to keep my mouth shut.

Seriously, though, how amazing was college?

* The guy in the above pic seems to be in a hurry. Hence the connection to this post. Sorry. That's the best I could do on this one.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

White & Nerdy

I can't believe Weird Al is still doing this.

DD virgin no more!

I had Dippin' Dots last night for the very first time.

It's been somewhat of a joke between A and I that I had never tried them - nor could find them anywhere when I wanted to try them.

So, while we were at the game last night, we saw a booth and had to partake.

I had "banana split" flavor.

My thoughts? "Good. Weird. This isn't normal."

What do you think? You a fan?

Beautiful Day by U2

Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away" You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments. And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

This was actually the song I chose for when we were introduced at our wedding:)

I don't know about "And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too"... but I love the song.

Thanks for the quiz tlc!

Who knew?

It's been somewhat of a rough week... I will surely be enjoying some beer at tonight's game. In case you're not in the mood to drink, though, here are some other ways in which brewsky can be used:

BATHE IN IT
PUT OUT A FIRE
MARINATE MEAT
POLISH POTS
MAKE BEER BARBECUE SAUCE
SHAMPOO HAIR
LOOSEN RUSTY BOLTSPour
CLEAR UP BROWN SPOTS IN YOUR LAWN
STEAM CLAMS OR MUSSELS
PASS A KIDNEY STONE
BOIL SHRIMP
KILL SLUGS
FIND DUE NORTH
SOOTHE TIRED FEET
MAKE A BEER SLIDE
LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
TRICK A CHEAP LANDLORD
BAKE BEER BREAD
CATCH MICE
TIE A FLY
CURE INSOMNIA
MASSAGE YOURSELF
CALM AN UPSET STOMACH
BUILD YOUR NEXT HOME
COOK RICE
STOP SNORING
BUILD A PLANE
ROAST CHICKEN
ICE A HAMSTRING
BUILD DELIGHTFUL PATIO FURNITUR
TAME A WILD HAIR
SCALE FISH

Don't believe me? Check out the Men's Health article by clicking here.

I get to wear it!

A and I will be heading to the Palace this evening to see the Piston's take on the Spurs.

I'm proud to say that this one (in a suite and everything!) is on my reps, not A's!

Can't wait to break in my RIP jersey!

Pay close attention, Kwame...

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced today that he is resigning. Illegal activity on his behalf cost New York around $80,000.

In his resignation speech, Spitzer stated, "There is much more to be done, and I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has not resigned after his text messaging scandal that cost the city of Detroit $9 million. (He is also currently linked to a murder investigation... But I digress...)

My favorite part? Kwame has now taken to being a victim of media frenzy ("This unethical, illegal lynch-mob mentality has to stop") and is now using race issues (i.e. "lynch-mob"), as well as his wife and children, to try to invoke sympathy and support.

I know when people get mad, they tend to use words and phrases that they shouldn't. And that stinks. However, don't try to cloud the issue. YOU'RE the public figure. YOU lied under oath. YOU cost Detroit employees their jobs. YOU cost the city of Detroit $9 million. YOU need to own up to your actions. YOU owe Detroit residents so much more.

I am truly appalled.

"The mayor still can't even bring himself to admit how he tried to deceive the City Council and the public, or explain why he sought to use the legal system to bury evidence of his affair with his chief of staff and his lies during the police whistle-blower trial. He has nothing to say about the widening scope of accusations and investigations." - Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press columnist

Please feel free to read more by clicking here.

P.S. Kwame, if the media was doing anything illegal, you'd be suing. This is all on you. Not them.

The world's 50 most powerful blogs: Part 2

stephanieklein.blogs.com
holymoly.co.uk
www.michellemalkin.com
crankyflier.com
gofugyourself.typepad.com
gapingvoid.com
dirtydirtydancing.com
crookedtimber.org
bean-sprouts.blogspot.com
theoffside.com
petiteanglaise.com
crooksandliars.com
chocolateandzucchini.com
samizdata.net
andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
thefword.org.uk
privatesecretdiary.com
popjustice.com
waiterrant.net
hecklerspray.com
WoWinsider.com
angryblackbitch.blogspot.com
stylebubble.typepad.com
afterellen.com
copyblogger.com

* According to guardian.co.uk.com.

I'm basil

You Are Basil

You are quite popular and loved by most people. You have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive. You are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

What Spice Are You?

(Thanks Turtle Parade and Two Pretzels! I love these...)

The world's 50 most powerful blogs: Part 1

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Dear Sally Kern

"I honestly think it's the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam." - Sally Kern

Sandblasters

A and I were up until the wee hours of the night last night watching a show on the Travel Channel called "Sandblasters."

I've never seen such a thing, but was amazed by the creativity and execution. I simply couldn't look away.

I wonder how a person decides they are going to become a sand sculptor...

* My second favorite part of the show, aside from the actual sculptures, was that they blew up (at random) three masterpieces. Reminded me of "The Lottery." The artists just stood there, waiting for their work to blow up...

It's really going to happen!

Fri 2 May 2008

LV Detroit, MI
AR London/Heathrow

5:50PM
7:05AM

Northwest Airlines

0102

Fri 9 May 2008

LV Paris
AR Rome

12:35PM
2:40PM

Alitalia

0333

Wed 14 May 2008

LV Rome
AR Newark, NJ

11:55AM
3:30PM

Alitalia

0642

Wed 14 May 2008

LV Newark, NJ
AR Detroit, MI

8:15PM
10:30PM

Continental Airlines

2985

I don't know about that five hour delay in Newark, but...

Hooray!!! We now have a flight itinerary!

This makes it much more real.

Not cool Uncle Sam. Not cool.

We got our taxes done today.

I'm not a happy camper. At all.

Paying sucks.

"As God is my witness"... I shall do all in my power to make sure this does not happen again!

I look forward to meeting you...

Meet Enrico Schattenmann.

He is an Italian who speaks Italian, English, Spanish and Greek, German, French and some modern Greek.

He is a tour guide with GoAhead tours (the company we're traveling with in May). One of the tours he usually does is the London, Paris and Rome tour.

Why am I telling you all this? Basically, so you'll join me in praying that he is, indeed, our tour guide.

* I'm even quite positive that A and J would fall under Enrico's spell as well...

I feel naked

My wedding/engagement rings are getting re-rodium dipped.

I can't stand not having a ring on my ring finger. It feels odd.

I may have to whip out some old classic to take its place for a while. I'm thinking of bringing out my circa-'98, Viking class ring just for laughs... (Not really.)

* This is not a picture of my rings. I just thought they were pretty.

The majority rules

Thank you to all who participated in the "What would you do... drunk guy" survey. Most of you agreed with my actions of calling the police. I felt a little bad doing so. But, seriously. That guy should NOT have been driving.

Maybe next time I will just try the tackle technique...

A coincidence?

Ever think about that fact that all the "Best Actor" honors this year went to Europeans?

Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men (from Spain)

Tilda Swinton Michael Clayton (from England)

Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood (from England)

Marion Cotillard La Vie en Rose (from France)

What does that tell us? Basically, if you have an accent or are from a faraway land, you're a better actor. Seriously, even since Johnny Depp has moved abroad he's gained more credibility... (I would SO be packing my bags if I were Jessica Alba. Although I'm fairly certain that wouldn't help in her case anyway...)

P.S. I still haven't seen any of the above movies... Any worth seeing?

I caught up

Yay for Christian!

LOVED his collection.

Seriously SO talented.

Are you serious?!

Well my friends. This blogger is indeed one happy camper today.

Why you ask? My University has called a snow day.

I'm in disbelief and currently thanking my lucky stars.

(It's amazing how exhilarated, awake and alive I feel at 6:45 a.m. when I know I don't have to go to work - or class! Yay!!!)

How many do you visit?

The list of Top Ten Websites as visited by college-aged females for the month of February 2008:

1) Facebook

2) YouTube

3) Google

4) PerezHilton.com

5) CNN

6) MySpace

7) Yahoo

8) School's Site

9) AOL

10) Post Secret

I know I'm a bit out of the target demographic for this poll, however, I still frequent many of the above sites. You?

(I've never heard of Post Secret... I'll have to check it out...)