The Chik-Fil-A Fiasco

This post is a little late but I couldn't resist staying away from the whole Chik-Fil-A thing.  I could sum up my thoughts into one simple phrase ("Get over it") but that wouldn't be fun.  I will preface this post with this: This post is not necessarily about my own personal beliefs about traditional marriages versus gay marriages.  This post is simply what I think about the whole situation.  I have friends who are gay and I am friendly with gay people.  I am not gay and the lifestyle is not for me, but I do not judge others who decide to live that kind of lifestyle.  If people want to debate on what is right or wrong using the Bible, then debate with this in mind:  Jesus says not to judge (because that is his job), and we must love one another.  We don't have to like what they do but we should still love them (and God knows I've gotten upset with Jon enough times... or even my kids... because of something they may have done that I didn't like but that does not change how I feel about them).  With that said, let's move on...

For those of you who may have been living under a rock and missed out on the whole thing, I'll explain briefly what went down.  The CEO (Dan Cathy) voiced his personal opinion on same-sex marriages and publicly advocated against it.  This caused such a big uproar among the gay community (as well as the people who support gay marriages).  People who support gay marriages staged "Kiss-Ins" at various Chik-Fil-A locations, boycotted the restaurant and verbally trashed the CEO and the corporation.  In response to that, people who support traditional marriages, the CEO's opinion and as well as one's right to an opinion organized an Appreciation Day on August 1st 2012 where thousands across the US flocked to the chains to purchase food.  Chik-Fil-A later announced that Appreciation Day actually broke record sales for the corporation.

Speaking of record-breaking sales, I think it's pretty ironic that the gay community and its supporters indirectly caused Chik-Fil-A to bring in record sales on August 1st.  Think about it - if the gay community and its supporters didn't make a big deal out of it, the chain of events probably wouldn't have happened and Chik-Fil-A wouldn't have raked in millions upon millions in sales that day....

As parents, we tell our children that when someone is bullying you or is being mean you should just ignore the bully.  If you ignore the bully enough, eventually the bully will leave you alone because he/she will get bored and/or since the bully isn't getting the kind of response that he/she wants, the bully will stop.  In this situation, it certainly seems that the CEO of Chik-Fil-A is the gay community's "bully."  I think maybe the gay community should have just ignored their bully and went on about their lives.

I certainly understand there's a need to defend yourself.  I am certainly the type of person who will stand up to defend myself if I feel insulted or ridiculed in any way.  I normally don't back down from that and I don't encourage anybody to become a doormat.  Ever.

Now, the CEO was entitled to his opinion.  It was just that - a personal opinion.  Yes, people are not always going to agree with everybody else's opinions.  That's the beauty of the country that we live in.  You can say what you believe without suffering legal repercussions unlike many other countries.  We have the freedom to think, to be our own persons, and also to disagree with others.

I find this whole thing a little bit silly.  The liberals tend to complain about religion being forced down their throats by conservatives saying that they shouldn't have to be subjected to lectures about how they're living the wrong life.  Let them live their lives in peace.  And I agree.  If people want to do whatever they want to do, let them.  It's their lives and if you believe in God then it's between them and God.  If you believe in Heaven and Hell then ultimately God will decide where they will go... not us.  The best we can do is at least let them know about God and if they push it away then so be it.  It's their decision.

Now - speaking of leaving the people alone and letting them live their lives in peace - that goes for religious people as well.  If they want to voice their opinions on certain topics, let them do so in peace.  If they want to live a Christian life and hold certain beliefs that clash with yours, let them do so in peace.  It seems to me that since we are living in an age of "equal rights" people feel the need to argue about it each chance they get.  Nowadays, instead of Christian people trying to force their beliefs down people's throats, it is the other way around.  It is the non-Christians that want to push their beliefs down Christian people's throats.

Here is something that I hear often.  If you don't agree with somebody or if you're not liberal enough then you're closed minded.  I frigging hate that word.  People believe what they want to believe.  People do what they want to do.  Just because someone does not believe the same things that you do does not mean they are too liberal or they are too conservative (in other words, closed minded).  Just leave each other alone and respect each other.  Respect.  Now that is a dying art nowadays.

One big thing that came out of this was the Boston mayor wanting to ban Chik-Fil-A restaurants from his city.  Honestly, that's a bit outrageous.  See - everyone is upset because one person (not a corporation... a person) voiced his opinion.  Now the Boston mayor is voicing his own opinion saying he disagrees with the CEO and because he disagrees with the CEO, he will not allow Chik-Fil-A into his city.  By doing this, isn't the Boston mayor doing exactly what he is mad at the CEO about?  In trying to ban the chain (he is not legally allowed to do so.  Read this interesting post about the First Amendment here), he is ultimately preventing citizens their right to eat wherever they want.  If they want to eat at Chik-Fil-A... just frigging let them!  This whole thing is just plain silly in my opinion.  (Maybe I shouldn't even state my opinion - I might experience extreme backlash here.  Seriously.  This is ridiculous.)

Let's focus on one more thing.  Legal rights of American citizens.  American citizens have laws protecting them from discrimination.  Everyone has a legal right to work (well, except the illegal immigrants that that's a whole 'nother rant); everyone has a legal right to work in a hospitable environment.  Now - if Chik-Fil-A was in the news for illegally discriminating against the gay community I would stand with the gay community in a heartbeat.  Being part of a minority group I would hope that every type of minority is protected from things like that.  However, this is not the issue here.  Chik-Fil-A did not illegally discriminate against someone.  Chik-Fil-A did not break any laws.  It was just an opinion.

So, if you like Chik-Fil-A... keep eating there.  If you're too upset about the comment that the CEO made... don't eat there.  Yes, it is actually that simple.

'Not Guilty' Verdict for Casey Anthony

The "Not Guilty" verdict for the murder of Caylee Anthony is definitely the most controversial verdict since the O.J Simpson murder trial.  The entire nation is angry (some may be relieved), shocked, and appalled at the jury; and everyone has no qualms about letting everybody know what they think of Casey Anthony.


Gone are the days (if only temporarily) of worrying over terrible news of the drought in the South, wildfires, and drug-related crimes.  There's bigger news to talk about.  The verdict has rocked the country and I have a pretty good idea that we'll continue to hear about this for at least 6 months from now.


My initial response upon hearing the verdict from a co-worker was shock, then frustration (how can our legal system fail!?  I know - that's a loaded question), then ultimately - understanding.  Before I start getting eggs hurled at my house for what I just said, let me state my case.  Finally - I have something worthwhile to blog about, and I get to exercise my passion - law.  Finally, a legal background that I get to use!


On the outside it's easy to form our own opinions based on what we hear from the media.  It's easy to decide that Anthony is guilty and that she should rot in jail for murdering her daughter.  But if it were you sitting in the jury seat, would you have easily come to the same decision?  Could you just have easily put a potentially innocent person in jail and maybe on Death Row? Granted, there's just too many suspicious things going on, lots of evidence that clearly points to her (right?), and she just keeps lying about what actually happened.  As crazy as this case may have seemed, we all have to remember that there are rules/laws to follow and yes, even Casey Anthony is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  I'll cover the crimes that Casey Anthony was charged with, the evidence that was presented, the claims that Anthony made, the rules the jury had to follow and where I think this case went wrong.


The Charges:
Casey Anthony was charged with four things...
1. Felony Murder in the First Degree
2. Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child
3. Aggravated Child Abuse
4. Four counts of providing false information to a police officer


Anthony was charged with child neglect back in 2008 on the basis that Caylee was still alive.  When it was determined that Caylee was indeed deceased, they dropped the charge against her and proceeded to charge her with the four crimes above.  My personal thought:  So a child must be alive for a parent to be charged with child neglect?  I wholeheartedly disagree.  If parent neglected his/her child for a month by not giving the child food/water (which ultimately caused the child's death), how can it NOT be neglect?  Apparently the law decrees that the child neglect charge is unnecessary because there are four other charges (which she HAS to be guilty of, right?  Right!).  Sadly enough, I personally think that if the child neglect charge stuck, the jury would have found her guilty of at least that.


The Evidence:
1. Hair in Anthony's trunk.  *Fun Fact: If any of you know me well enough, you'd know that I'm a big fan of the Body Farm over at the University of Tennessee.  They use donated bodies to conduct research on the circumstances of death, how long it takes to decay in certain environments and so forth.  Very cool.  It was actually the Body Farm that discovered hair banding - forensic evidence that proves whether the hair came from a living or a deceased person.  After death, the roots of the hair will develop a dark band.  The hair found in Anthony's trunk proved that a deceased person was in the trunk at one time.
2. Air samples taken from the same trunk showed chemical compounds that is present in the stages of decomposition.  However, it is still unconfirmed whether it was a human decaying in the trunk.
3. Chloroform was found in the car trunk.
4. A search on Anthony's home computer found Internet searches of "neck breaking", "how to make chloroform", and "death".  Casey Anthony's mother took responsibility for the Internet searches.
5. Laundry bag, duct tape and plastic bags found at the crime scene matched the materials found at Anthony's home
6. A heart-shaped outline was found on a duct tape found at the crime scene.  However, the outline faded when the duct tape was dusted for prints.  Heart-shaped stickers were found at Anthony's home.
7. A Winnie The Pooh blanket was found at the crime scene; the blanket was similar to the blanket that was missing from Caylee's bed.


After all the evidence, the case has got to be open-and-shut, right?  But there has to be other things to consider.  Let's take a look at Anthony's claims (or defense or whatever you want to call it)....


Anthony's Claims Defense:
1. Originally she stated that a nanny had kidnapped Caylee
2. She also stated that it was an accidental drowning (and that her father helped her cover it up... which her father denies doing)
3. She alleged that her father had sexually abused her since she was 8 years old and that her brother made sexual advances towards her.  With no clear knowledge of who Caylee's biological father was, both men were tested to see if they were Caylee's father.  (Can we say ew?)  The tests were negative and we still have no idea who the biological father was.  I'm not seeing why this claim has any validity in the case.  What does Casey's supposed sexual history have to do with her daughter?


We have to remember that we weren't the ones sitting in on the trial.  We didn't hear and see all the evidence, we didn't hear all the arguments and we didn't hear all the witnesses testify.... that is, unless you were glued in front of the television the whole time and watched the entire trial.  It's easy to talk with your friends, family and church members and come to the conclusion that Anthony is guilty.  Maybe she is.  Maybe she isn't.  Only she and God knows (as well as accomplices if there were any).  In determining whether a suspect is guilty of any type of crime, there are laws to follow.  There are no real punishments against a jury for coming up with a "wrong" verdict, but if it is found that a jury failed the follow the laws, and/or cannot come to an agreement on a verdict, the judge would probably call a mistrial.


Jury Rules:
1. The state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt of the following criteria in order to determine that the suspect is guilty.  If there is doubt of just one criteria, the jury will be required to return a verdict of not guilty or they may return a guilty verdict of a lesser crime - provided that all the criteria is met.
2. If they cannot agree on a verdict for the charges, they will be required to look at all the lesser crimes and decide if any others apply to the evidence provided.
3. The state has the burden of proof.  The jury is required to look to the state for the evidence and the explanations of the evidence.  The jury cannot base their decisions on the defense not being able to prove that Anthony did not do it.  They must look at the evidence that proves she did.
4. It is up to the jury to decide which evidence is reliable, if it is reliable and which evidence to ignore (because it is too circumstantial, etc).
5. The vote must not be unanimous but the type of verdict must be agreed on (murder in the first degree, second degree, etc).


Let's look at the charges and the criteria for each:

• Murder in the First degree (which can be either a felony murder or a premeditated murder
• Felony murder
• Caylee Marie Anthony is dead.
• The death occurred as a consequence of and while Casey Marie Anthony was engaged in the commission of Aggravated Child Abuse OR The death occurred as a consequence of and while Casey Marie Anthony was attempting to commit Aggravated Child Abuse.
• Casey Marie Anthony was the person who actually killed Caylee Marie Anthony.
• Premeditated Murder
• Caylee Marie Anthony is dead.
• The death was caused by the criminal act of Casey Marie Anthony.
• There was a premeditated killing of Caylee Marie Anthony.
• Aggravated Child Abuse
• Casey Marie Anthony knowingly or willfully committed child abuse upon Caylee Marie Anthony and in so doing caused great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement.
• Caylee Marie Anthony was under the age of eighteen years.
• Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child
• Caylee Marie Anthony is dead.
• Casey Marie Anthony’s act(s) caused the death of Caylee Marie Anthony OR The death of Caylee Marie Anthony was caused by the culpable negligence of Casey Marie Anthony.

Since the jury couldn't find Casey Anthony guilty of anything above, they now have to look at the lesser crimes.

• Murder in the Second Degree
• Caylee Marie Anthony is dead.
• The death was caused by the criminal act of Casey Marie Anthony.
• There was an unlawful killing of Caylee Marie Anthony by an act imminently dangerous to another and demonstrating a depraved mind without regard for human life.
• Manslaughter
• Caylee Marie Anthony is dead.
• Casey Marie Anthony’s act(s) caused the death of Caylee Marie Anthony OR The death of Caylee Marie Anthony was caused by the culpable negligence of Casey Marie Anthony.
• Murder in the Third Degree
• Caylee Marie Anthony is dead.
• The death occurred as a consequence of and while Casey Marie Anthony was engaged in the commission of Child Abuse OR The death occurred as a consequence of and while Casey Marie Anthony was attempting to commit Child Abuse.
• Casey Marie Anthony was the person who actually killed Caylee Marie Anthony.

She could have also been charged and found guilty of the two lesser crimes:

• Attempt to Commit Crime
• Casey Marie Anthony did some act toward committing the crime of Child Abuse that went beyond just thinking or talking about it.
• She would have committed the crime except that someone prevented her from committing the crime of Child Abuse or she failed.
• Child Abuse
• Casey Marie Anthony intentionally inflicted physical or mental injury upon Caylee Marie Anthony OR committed an intentional act that could reasonably be expected to result in physical or mental injury to Caylee Marie Anthony
• The victim was under the age of eighteen years.

Based on these criteria, the jury has found Casey Anthony not guilty.  The vote did not have to be unanimous but there had to be just enough votes to be the majority.  The majority decided that none of the evidence presented met any of the criteria 100% for any of the crimes and that there were reasonable doubts that Casey Anthony was directly responsible for the death of her daughter.

Where the case went wrong:
The evidence was there.  As clear as day.  But the problem lies with the DA.  The State didn't do a good enough job of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Casey Anthony is responsible for the death of her daughter.  There were just too many circumstantial evidence.  It's apparent that Caylee was murdered.  It wasn't exactly clear who did it.  There were loopholes in the Defense but the jury chose to ignore that.  If the child died of an accidental drowning, why would there be a need to put duct tape over Caylee's face?  We all know that duct tape is mostly used to bind a victim and/or to quiet them.  If Caylee was already dead, there would be no need to put tape over her mouth.  If it really was accidental drowning, why didn't she (or her father, who said he helped cover it up) just call 911 and have the body taken away and have a proper funeral?  Unless they had something to hide...But, there's always a "but"....

Reasonable doubt can be an annoying, pesky little thing, but if it were you sitting in the hot seat and you really were innocent, you'd be damn thankful for reasonable doubt.

Now that the verdict and the trial is out of the way, what is stopping the State from charging Anthony as an accomplice?  In the eyes of law, an accomplice is someone who participates in the crime knowingly, willingly and with common interest.  An accomplice aids in the crime without actually committing the crime itself.  The accomplice could aid the crime in any way, but more specifically knowing about it and not doing anything about it and/or helping someone cover it up.  If someone is found guilty of being an accomplice of a crime, the accomplice will receive the same punishment as if he/she physically committed the act.

Something tells me that even though this particular trial is out of the way, the case is far from being over.

At this point in time

So... I just turned 29.  I had this bright idea that I was going to do a photo journal for my last year in the 20's.  Kinda like how people are snapping daily photos of themselves for the year 2011.  Actually, it's pretty much exactly like that.  I also had planned on blogging a little bit everyday, a little bit about what I did and what went on around me - so that I will never forget all the exciting (and boring) things I did this year before I join my friends in the 30's club.

I know - a far-fetched idea, right?  If I can't even keep up with blogging at least once a month, how in the world am I going to do it daily?  On Day Four of my 29th year - I have already epically failed.  This is my first blog... and I forgot to take a picture yesterday.  Bummer.  But alas, this doesn't mean that the rest of the year is doomed.

I have pretty much celebrated my birthday at least three times now.  Friday night, J and I went to P & L's house (at the very last minute) for some cake and an awesome time.  But that's nothing new.  Pretty much whenever Jon and I go to see my best friend, I always know I'm gonna have an awesome time.  Afterwards, we went to Sonia's house for a quick hello (I think we showed up at about 1:30am, talk about being fashionably late) and caught up with some more friends.  Getting home at 4am on my birthday made me feel young again - I certainly know I'm not going to be able to do this for much longer!

On Easter Sunday, the four of us were at my parent's house for an Easter/Birthday lunch.  We had ham and a bunch of other stuff, yummy!  My sister found a Mickey cake online a couple days before and posted it on her wall, wishing me a happy birthday.  I told her I wanted that cake for my birthday so she took on the challenge and tried her hand at it.  Here's the original cake and my sister's attempt.  Not too shabby for her very first attempt at anything even remotely close to this.  Notice my daughter in the background in the second picture, she looks absolutely thrilled, although I'm not too sure why....

          

Since we celebrated my birthday with my family on Easter Sunday, my son thought it was my birthday still (or all over again, or whatever) so he kept giving me hugs and kisses saying "Happy Birthday, Mommy!"  It was adorable and it made my heart melt, but after like the 10th or 15th time, I had to tell him that my birthday was over now.  He replied with "No Mommy!  You're still 29.  Your birthday's not over until you're 30!"  Yes, totally adorable and I laughed.... Logan didn't know just how right he was.  I've heard horror stories from friends about turning 30.  So if I follow in their footsteps, I suppose I'll want to stop celebrating my birthday at 30.

On Monday (yesterday), J and I went out for a late birthday dinner with the kids to a Japanese place.  It was one of these places where they cook at this big table/grill in front of you.  Certainly a nice way to keep the kids (especially Logan) occupied.  It was fun and the food was delish!  Over the Easter weekend, restaurant.com was having a big sale on restaurant coupons so I bought 4 of them at $2 each for a $25 coupon to the same Japanese place.  J and I are definitely going back!!!  And we may bring some friends :)

One of my goals this year is to chronicle what I've done, what I want to do and other things at this point in time.  So here goes Edition #1.....

At this point in time, the food I have been craving most lately (for the last two weeks or so) is salad with grape tomatoes, croutons and Catalina w/Honey dressing.  I've also been craving pizza, Vietnamese food (I'm going to get a huge Vietnamese fix this weekend, thanks to L & P's *another* late birthday dinner! Yum!), and dark chocolate.

I am still working at A Finishing Touch.  I am the manager of the web/marketing department and I am loving it.  My job involves a wide variety of responsibilities so my job isn't the same boring routine everyday.  I am right smack in the middle of developing a brand new website for the company - it is about 80% complete, so I am getting very excited about it going live very soon!

My daily routine involves getting up at 7am to get the kids off to school by 7:45am then get myself ready for work.  I'm usually out the door by 8:20 armed with a HUGE travel mug filled with coffee.  Hey P, guess what - it's pink!  It's the biggest one in the house, lol.  I'm off at 5 which means I don't get to Logan's daycare until 5:45pm (yes, it's a 45-minute commute, ugh).  Logan and I are usually home at 6.  Dinner is usually either ready or almost ready (which is extremely nice) when I get home.  When I have to fend for myself, I just pop something in the microwave.  After/during dinner, I have about two hours to deal with everything that goes on around me.  The kids are in bed at 8pm which leaves me a couple hours of "quiet" time with J and TV/movies. 

I'm still driving that pos grey Ford Fusion.  It wasn't my first choice when my ex and I bought it and I got it in the divorce so hey, guess I'm stuck with it for now...It's only 5 years old so it's got some good years left on it.

My favorite TV shows at this moment are The Biggest Loser, No Ordinary Family, True Blood, Breaking Bad, V, How I Met Your Mother, SH*T My Dad Says, Outsourced, Shark Tank and The Big Bang Theory - in no particular order.  I make it a point to DVR these shows every week.

I still love to watch movies.  I left Netflix in protest over their rising prices and no access to instant watch movies (Closed Captioning is severely lacking).  I moved to Blockbuster a while ago and I think it's OK.  It's not great, but the best feature is that I can drive to a physical Blockbuster location and swap in my mailed movies for a movie in the store.  I do this at least once a week for at least 2 movies at a time.  We are definitely getting more access to movies this way and we finish them faster.  I would probably want to go back to Netflix but not until they provide more closed captioning on their instant watch movies.

Rebecca is in 3rd grade and Logan is in Pre-K.  Both are doing well in school.  Logan started daycare back in January.  At first he was afraid and didn't like it, but now he likes it and sometimes gets upset when he has to leave.

My favorite hobby at this point seems to be TV, internet and sleeping.  Not much but when you're working lots, taking care of the house and everybody/everything in it can be exhausting.

At this point in time, I'm content with my life.  I have not just one, but two best friends I care for very dearly.  They're the best.  I have a job I enjoy.  I have two wonderful kids (although they give me grief at times).  Compared to others who are going through incredible hardships, I can't really complain.

I just made my very first cake pop two weeks ago.  They turned out pretty good for my first attempt.  I am definitely going to be experimenting with different designs.

                

Speaking of Mickey Mouse (or looking at it), the four of us took a trip to Orlando in March for Spring Break.  We took the kids to Universal Studios where we hit both parks in the same day.  Then for the next three days, we went to Disney World.  I had a blast and will definitely go back again!  The Disney Cruise line will be loading their ships at the Galveston port in 2012.  Disney will only be there for 12 weeks - you can bet I'll definitely try my best to get us on one of those cruises!  Can't wait!  The best part is that since Disney is a family-oriented company, they are very well aware that maybe Mommy will need some adult time, so they have childcare and kids events.  The parents can go off and explore the islands and do other stuff.  That's definitely awesome.

Until tomrorow (or maybe in 6 months).....

Much Ado about Nothing

Time for very random post with multiple very random thoughts.

I've all but given up trying to write recaps of the Biggest Loser and enlightening my audience with my insights and corny jokes.  I adore the show, but I just haven't had the time motivation to write about it.  Maybe because I get my trash-talking fix during the show (poor Jon) and whenever I hang out with my other best friend (you know who you are).  I had fun at the beginning when I wrote my first recaps a couple seasons ago, but then it felt like a chore.  It was turning into a job I had to do because I had readers who kept asking me "when are you going to put up the next recap?"  I was starting to dread logging into Blogger and opening up a new post to write.  When I had to something specific write; when I knew people was expecting something, the pressure exponentially increased.  I had to be entertaining.  So I figured I'd stop while I was ahead (you can enjoy my one and only post for Season 11 here) and just focus on writing whenever I wanted to write.  Then maybe, just maybe I'd write more often.  Um, yeah.  Problem solved (not).

I'm about to turn 29.  My last year in the 20's.  I hear the 30's is pretty scary and that's when you'll start to feel really old.  Or maybe my friends are overreacting.  Either way, I'm going to try to make this my best year yet.

It's really frustrating when I have a ton of things I want to say and write about, but when I finally get my butt over to Blogger, these thoughts disappear.  I need a muse.

I quit Netflix recently and made the transition to Blockbuster.  There are a couple things I really like about it, one being that they get the newest movies right away as opposed to having to wait 28 days for Netflix and Redbox to stock them.  There are things I dislike as well.  I'm still trying to decide if there's more pros than cons.

I went to a carnival last night just to check it out.  I'm a sucker for carnivals, especially at night.  The carnival was selling a pass that allowed unlimited rides for $20.  Usually this isn't a bad deal, but this carnival was particularly small.  No thanks.  Sure wish I could find a good traveling carnival around here that I could go to.  That would be fun.

Oh - and speaking of last night, I got spoiled.  We went to Carl's Jr for dinner and I didn't have to pay.  Wow, right?  It was probably one of the best 'dates' I've had in a long time.  At least it can only get better from there, right?  I'll expect something better next time, dude!  My birthday's coming up.... *Hint hint.

Chatting with a 4-year-old

My daughter stayed over at a friend's house on Saturday night and J was out of town, so it was just me and my little guy.  We had a tough day together.  He was upset and stayed upset for hours on end, and I was beyond exhausted dealing with an upset 4-year-old.

Eventually, I managed to cheer him up by taking him to a little pond that had ducks.  Of course, as soon as we left, he got upset again.  I took him to McDonald's (I know - why reward bad behavior?  But by then, I would have done anything just to get him to stop crying) and brought his Happy Meal home.

-On a side note: I didn't get anything from McDonald's.  Yay me!  I love their fries but it didn't take a lot of willpower to say no.  As soon as I walked in, my nose was assaulted with this awful smell.  Now I wonder why I even ate at McDonald's in the first place!

So - after a couple hours of talking, reading books and playing Wii, my son announced that he was hungry again.  So here's how our conversation went verbatim (as I remember it - and I definitely wouldn't want to forget this conversation!)

Logan: Mommy, I'm hungry
Me: Okay, what do you want?
Logan: *giggle*
Me: Logan, what do you want?
Logan: Ice cream *giggle*
Me: You want ice cream!?
Logan: Yep, ice cream for dinner!
Me: You already had dinner, remember?  You ate at McDonald's
Logan: *giggle* that wasn't dinner, that was lunch!  Now I want dinner
(This was at around 8pm)
Me: You had lunch at 6:30?  When the sun was going down?
Logan: Yes *giggle*  Can I have ice cream?
Me: How about an orange?  And get me one too (I was hoping he'd take the bait)
Logan: (stops to think for a minute, shrugs his shoulders and walks away)
Me: *whew!*

Okay - maybe this wasn't an extra special conversation but it was just too darn cute!

Biggest Loser - Season 11, Episode 1

The Biggest Loser is back, and not too long after the last season's finale.  It feels like I've had hardly any time to catch my breath, but at the same time, I'm so ready for the next season.

NBC hyped up the previews of the 11th season to draw in viewers, with two new "unknown" trainers being the biggest bait twist.  After weeks of repeatedly airing previews of the "biggest cast" of all time, it was time for NBC to bring it on. Will they?  Only time will tell.

After writing recaps of the 9th season (which you can see here), I decided I wanted to take a break.  Knowing what the Biggest Loser has in store for us this season (and knowing I'd have opinions about it), I decided to get back into it.

So... here we go!

Of course, I have to start this off with one complaint.  It wouldn't be a ME blog without one ;)

At the beginning of the episode, it was announced that Bob and Jillian have been leading the torture fest at the Biggest Loser ranch for 10 seasons now and it was time for two more to join in the fun.  Not true.  Jillian left during season 3 (which resulted in the most boring season ever with that blonde whats-her-name taking her place).  No reasons were given.

Not a big deal but that was kind of misleading.  Just sayin'

Anyway...the producers have promised us a crazy ride this season, starting with a "stellar" cast and ending with two brand new trainers.  The contestants to keep your eye on this season are:  the biggest man to be on the show to date (percentage-wise), the biggest woman ever who had to lose 100 pounds at home to even qualify for the show, and a former gold medalist at the 2000 Olympics.  Now - back to the girl who lost 100 pounds at home: Courtney.  If she can lose 100 pounds at home in a year, she could certainly lose the rest on her own.  I'm still wondering how she got a spot on the show.

First impressions are crucial, right?  My first take on the twin brothers (Dan and Don) was mediocre.  The first one said "I'm 54 years old" and the second one said "and I'm also 54 years old" or something to that extent.  Uh.. Duh?

On to the other contestants.  I don't know why but something about this year just makes me think of previous contestants.  For example, Ken & Austin reminded me of the father/son duo Ron & Mike.  Maybe it was just the brown shirts Ken/Austin were wearing.  Deni & Sarah reminded me of Ashley and her mom from season 9.  Again, maybe it's because both teams were pink.

Remember I mentioned the biggest man?  Arthur weighed in at 507, which isn't as much as Mike who weighed in at 524 or something, but Mike was over 6' tall while Arthur is 5'8.  Arthur was weighed in with his dad which brought the duo to an astounding combined weight of 800.  They're the ones that the contestants will need to watch out for - they've got lots to lose and if they do it right, they'll end up being big threats.

With this next duo, I mentioned to J that I thought they could be Tongan.  Could it be?  A third set of Tongan teams in just 3 or 4 seasons?  Nah.  That's just too crazy.  Sure enough, Moses confirmed that they were Tongan and started rattling on about how Sam/Koli & Filipe/Sione did so well and that they'll "no doubt" follow in their footsteps and be the next Biggest Losers.  Um OK.

If there's just a few things I've come to learn about the Tongans it would be these two things:  1) they've got the biggest egos on the planet and 2) they are very determined beings and won't let anything get in their way.  Do I foresee drama with Moses and Kaylee this season?  Maybe.

I guess the Tongans can be likable but honestly, the only one I've ever really liked was Sione.  They do turn out to be good-looking people once they lose the weight though.  I keep wondering about the sudden frequent appearance of Tongans on the show.  It's a well-known fact by now that the village is overrun with obese people because it's in their culture to party and eat all the time.  I guess NBC took it upon themselves to try to save the whole village...

Before Filipe/Sione and Sam/Koli, I had never heard of the Tongans and wouldn't have been able to tell them apart from any other native islanders.  Well, thanks to NBC I'm a bit more educated in that area now.

Now on to the trainers.  It's no secret now that Jillian is leaving.  You can see a news article here.  I'm just glad Bob is staying.  I liked him better anyways.  It's still not clear why two new trainers were brought on.  Possibly it was to gauge the viewer's responses and see which one would be the best candidate to replace Jillian.  Or maybe both will stay and we'll have to suffer through another season with three trainers again.  We'll find out soon enough.

So - the contestants had to run a 5k.  The top finishers would be able to choose whether they wanted to work out with Bob and Jillian or choose the unknown trainers and be guaranteed a 4 week immunity.  Immunity is the ultimate prize that the Biggest Loser gives out, and this year, 4 weeks worth were given out at once.  This is huge.  If it was me, I'd choose what I know works and that is Bob and Jillian.  I would probably lose a lot more in 4 weeks with Bob and Jillian than with the unknowns.  Also, if I had a fluffy pillow with 4 weeks immunity embroidered on it, I might just be too tempted to sit my fat butt on it.  Come time to join the Bob-and-Jillian followers on the ranch, I might find I'm too far behind in the game and be thrown out during week 5.  Um yeah, no thanks.

Highlight of the episode:
Jillian announced that she will not scream at anybody this season.  If she tells someone to do something, do it.  Not because she's screaming but because she says so.  Riiiiiight.  I love love loved Bob's reaction to that.  "It's like asking the grass not to grow, *giggle* fish not to swim, *giggle* lion not to roar."  Ya hit the nail right on the head there, Bob! *giggle*

Another rant coming on here.  What's up with keeping the identities of the new trainers a secret?  Still? Gee!

At the weigh in, the players with the unknowns did well.  Moses and Kaylee (the Tongans, remember?) chose the unknowns and that fluffy pink pillow.  Moses lost 41 pounds - a record thus far.  OK - I'm a little impressed.  One team had lost 59 pounds together.  Not too shabby.

The players on the ranch also did well.  One lost 31 and all the others have lost at least 15 pounds each with the exception of Jesse.  The older half of the blue team, whom I predicted would be a big threat, didn't do so hot.  At least his son, Arthur, lost enough (31) to keep them around another week.

I'm already looking forward to next week, minus the mystery of the "unknown" trainers.

Christmas #4

I had Christmas all over again today.  I've had 4 Christmases this year... or is it three Christmases in 2010 and the first one so far in 2011?

Christmas #1 - with my kids two weeks before the actual holiday because they would be with their dad.

Christmas #2 -  on Christmas Eve with my family.

Christmas #3 -  on the actual day with my best/closest friends.

Christmas #4 -  when my kids came home.  The anticipation of waiting for my kids to get here was in itself like Christmas morning.  You.just.can't.wait.

I spent the afternoon playing Wii games with my daughter, playing "Go Fish" with my son, and helping the kids make garden stones.

Then my family showed up.  Christmas all over again (number 5?).  Since the kids were gone, my mom hadn't had the chance to give my kids their gifts.  Wrapping paper went flying, excited kids were running around and the adults (or at least me) wished we could go back to being a kid again.

Christmas treated me well this year, but I think I'm just about burned out now.

New Day's Resolution

1-1-11.  Interesting date.

We begin a new year... again.  People left and right are making resolutions to quit bad habits, do more good deeds and be a better person overall.  Out with the old and in with the new, huh?

I have a long list of faults.  I'd be the first person to admit it.  I'm stubborn and I don't do well with authority.  In other words, I like to be a "leader" and take control.  That's probably the kindest thing I've heard somebody say about my issue with authority :)  I can be loud, but I can be too quiet and shy sometimes.  I'm outspoken and that gets me in trouble.  Sometimes I put others first (too much) and at other times, I become too selfish.  I like a clean house, but can get lazy.  And sometimes, I blame others for my problems.  There, I admit it.  I'm not perfect :)

I stopped making resolutions a long time ago.  Mainly because I never kept them.  I'd end up breaking my resolution just a few hours, days, or weeks later.  I made resolutions because I succumbed to peer pressure and for the sake of a frivolous American holiday tradition.

If people really mean to change themselves once and for all (even it's just one annoying little habit), why not just change yourselves that day instead of waiting for the new year?

So how about this.  Instead of making a new year's resolution every year - why don't we make a new day's resolution every day when we get up in the morning?  Learn from your mistakes from the day before, make a promise to improve yourself and set forth into the world.

Take it one day at a time instead of one year at a time.  It just makes more sense to me....