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....

How debit cards work (or don't work)

My debit card is weird.

I accidentally washed it after I left it in my jeans once.  It went into the washer/dryer in perfect condition and came out looking pretty worn.  Oh well, no biggie.  I'll just get a new one, right?

Well, this happened in September.  I tried using my card at Wal*Mart and found out my debit card still worked.  So hey, maybe I don't need to get a new one after all.

About 99% of the time, my card works.  Except at the bank.

I was in Dallas for the State Fair when I tried (for the first time) to use an ATM machine at one of the branches.  It.would.not.work.  I must have made poor J stand there and wait for me for like 10 minutes before I gave up and walked away.  I kept standing there, swiping my card again and again... saying "one more, let me try one more time."  You know how that goes, right?  Guess what, the card finally worked on my very last attempt (my "for real" last attempt).  Whew!

Since then, I never had any problems with my card.  Until I needed to use my bank's ATM again to deposit some checks.  Then it wouldn't work at all.

So after about nearly 3 months of using my washed out card, I finally hauled butt into a branch to get a new one.  Yeah, I know - getting a replacement card online is as easy as 1-2-3, right?  Guess I'm just lazy.

Just thought I would tell the world that my card works funny...

Desserts, Friends - and oh, Christmas Too

Christmas was quiet for me this year.  Quiet is good.  Until I start to get bored.

But you didn't come here to hear about how bored I am, right?  You came here to find out about that pretty little cake I've been raving about this past week on Facebook!

Well - here's how it turned out....

See this adorable puppy?  Just looking at her makes you feel like you wanna squeeze her tight, scratch her ears and bathe in her wet licks, right?  Right!  Well, this adorable little ball of fur managed to ruin my cake. Go ahead and laugh.  There, don't you feel better now?  I know it felt good after I was able to laugh about it.

Thanks to my "lack of thinking ahead" as J would put it, Midnight (aka 12am) had a blast with my cake.  She brought a whole new meaning to "finger lickin' good"  After I had put the initial frosting on, I left the cake on the counter a bit too close to the edge and went upstairs to take a shower.

J came home while I was getting ready and casually asked me if my cake was done.  I was a bit preoccupied so I told him "yeah, sure, the frosting's done but I need to add something else on it."  He gave me a weird look so that got me thinking that he was the weird one.  Um yeah, the frosting's on, can't you see that?

I came downstairs, took one look at my cake and well - internally, I lost it.  12am had licked the frosting off half the cake!

As a result, I had to cut my cake in half and brought the good half to a friend's house.

At least we all got a laugh out of it....

I tried to salvage the cake the best I could and tried (and pitifully, might I add) to add trees on it like I saw in the picture.  I gave up, gave the frosting to J and told him "have fun with it."  He went ahead and randomly dropped green frosting on top of my cake.

Final outcome:  The cake looked funny, but at least I got the ornament part right.  And the cake was still delicious.  The homemade buttercream frosting was the best part.

How a 4 Year Old Thinks

I love my 4-year-old.  Even when he's being difficult.  I love him even more when he says insightful (and just plain cute) things.  He's funny when he tries to be grown up (although it wasn't funny at the time).

I was trying to sleep in yesterday.  I made my room dark so I could sleep in.  Yeah right, I should have known better.  When there's kids, you're not going to sleep in.  Period.  So while I was unsuccessfully trying to sleep in, my son jumps into bed with me.  He wakes me up and says "I'm hungry."  I tell him "Go ask Becki to get you some cereal" (ha yeah, I know - I should be doing it).  He gives me a stern look and says "But Mommy - it's morning.... see?" and points to the very little light that's coming in through the window.  "There's light so it's morning... and morning means you HAVE to wake up!"  I couldn't argue with that so I got up.

I've been using the counting system with Logan and it works 95% of the time.  One day he wanted some ice cream.  I told him no because he wouldn't eat dinner.  Guess what he said?  "I'm going to count to 5, you have to give me ice cream."  He got a spanking and hasn't tried to count with me again.

Retelling this story as interpreted by someone at church:

We were at drama rehearsal and the director was talking about a scene that will take place in a church (and pointed to the stage where the church will be built).  Logan turned to a hearing person at church and said "How can that be church?  This (pointing to our floor) is our church.  How can he take this whole church and put it in there?"  I got a good laugh.

The extinction of theme songs

While I was growing up I had a secret pleasure.  I thrived off TV theme songs.  I remember being proud of the fact that I could recite the whole theme song of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and I remember thinking I was all that because I could "rap".

Theme songs were the bread and butter of TV.  Theme songs does for TV that junk food does for your mouth.  You just can't help but go "wow."  You could watch your TV shows week after week and not ever get tired of the song that introduces the spectacle that you'd be watching for the next 30 minutes or an hour.  Now, when I watch TV, I can't help but feel incomplete.

Producers have done away with TV theme songs to make room for more ad time.  They have also shaved off a few minutes of each episode, but that's a whole 'nother thing to complain about.  What used to be one of the best things about TV has been reduced to about 10 seconds of perky music, or for most shows nowadays, nothing.  

The reason that theme songs were created was to make time for credits (after all, you DO have to credit people for their work, right?).  This also gave the viewers an added bonus of enjoyable TV moments.  I guess the reality of all this is that when it comes down to it - money matters.  In an effort to earn more  cash, they've lost sight of the thing that perhaps drew in and kept their viewers.  Maybe this is why ratings are lower?

I remember way back when the theme songs lasted for about a minute while images of the actors and their names flashed on the screen.  I remember way back when I laughed or smiled before the show even started.  I remember being eased into something gently rather than have something thrown in my face.  It was the equality of easing slowly into a hot tub, savoring the moment rather than just jumping in.

Not only have they pretty much eliminated theme songs, they've also messed with the credits.  They are usually shown during the opening scenes of the TV show, but who actually watches that?  I know I don't.  Some TV shows have credits stashed at the end, running through them quickly in a 1/2 window while the other 1/2 is showing an advertisement.  I've even see TV shows run through the credits so fast (in 5 seconds or less), that you'd have to pause to actually be able to see what they were.  Pretty sad.

Not all is lost, though.  There are a still few TV shows that have theme songs, but I wonder how many seasons they'll go before they wise up.  True Blood, Dexter, United States of Tara are among a few that are still clinging to the old tradition.

I give it just a few more years before theme songs become completely extinct, and before that happens, I'd like to acknowledge some of my favorites..

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - a nice rap that catered to their African American audience, and also tasteful enough for us "whites" who like to feel involved.

Saved by the Bell - a classic.  Enough said.

Growing Pains - a great "family" song about loving, smiling and getting through hard times together.  How can you not like that?

Doogie Howser - the perfect perky song.  It doesn't get any better than that.

Can you come up with some of your own favorites?

Busy Summer

It's been quite some time since I have written something.  Actually, it's been a long time.  I look into myself and ask for forgiveness, a forgiveness that will probably never be given.  I try to absolve my lack of writing with self-assuring excuses.  "I have a full time job now, which I love, that's keeping me pretty busy", "I no longer live alone (although the kids were gone almost the whole summer), therefore I have somebody to do things with", and the clincher, "I actually have a life."

My life today is a complete 180 from what my life was like a year ago.  OK - a little over a year ago since I just recently celebrated my one-year anniversary at my job.  My life one year ago looked like this:  No kids (they stay with their father every summer), no job, and no money.  I also lived alone in a 3rd-floor apartment.  I didn't go out much.  I escaped into computer games a lot, and I mean a lot.  I also found peace in writing because then I could complain to something/someone and ultimately, it gave me something to do.  After almost 7 years of being married and being a housewife, I had enough of staying home.  I wanted out.  I think at that point it was quite possible that I could have been tested insane.  Maybe.

In August, I received a huge blessing.  I was offered a job.  For those of you who know me most likely already know this story - so I'll make it short.  A temporary job on minimum wage turned into a full-time job that came with a huge raise.  This full-time job has been keeping me insanely busy - especially this past summer.  I can't complain (although, I do at times).  The pay is enough, I love being busy, I feel worthy and needed, and above all, I have a job.

All good things come with a catch.  Sadly, this means I have less time to do what I'd really like to do.  And when I finally get the time to do what I want, I'm dumbfounded at the time I have on my hands, having forgotten (and then remembering) what it was like to HAVE time, and I end up doing nothing at all, because I want to cherish being able to do nothing.

So - in short, I've been slacking off and I hope to make it a habit to write regularly again.  We'll see.

Next on my agenda: my trip to Colorado!

Colorado and Las Vegas - here I come!

I'm so excited!  I just booked my flight to Colorado!  For more than a year now, I've been planning a trip to Las Vegas to attend the first World Expo hosted by DeafNation.  The original plan was to drive up there with Jon and to make lots of pit stops along the way to see grand sights like Grand Canyon and Route 66.  Somehow, the plan evolved to Jon driving up to Colorado to spend time skydiving (and floating in a tunnel!) and hang out at a Deaf Pilot's convention thingie.  Of course, I'm always up for adventure so I thought it would be so cool if I met Jon there to explore Denver for a few days before we road-trip it to Las Vegas.

After we're done with Las Vegas, we'll (hopefully) see the Grand Canyon on the way back and I'd REALLY love to take Route 66 back towards Texas.

Gears are turning in my head already - what I should pack, what I might need to buy, how to plan the road trip back to Texas, what I want to see, what I want to do and most importantly - how should I preserve the memory!?  Of course, the answer's easy enough - take photos, lots and lots of them!  However, if you know me, you know I have lousy memory sometimes.  Chances are that I would forget where I took that photo, what day I took it and why.  So - I think I'm going to bring along a binder with page protectors (the sleeves you put papers in).  I'm going to drop in momentos like tickets, receipts, maps, brochures and anything else I pick up along the way.  I'll also (or at least try) to make notes on some photos.  The end result: a snappy scrapbook!

Over the next few days, I plan to do lots of research.  With Jon out of town, I'm sure to have a lot more time on my hands (but I will definitely be happy when he gets back).  I'm going to be looking into shows that I might want to see in Las Vegas (maybe America's Got Talent is hosting a show there while we're in town!), things I want to check out (maybe the Titanic exhibit? I'm a fan... and maybe the MGM lions, I hear that MGM has a habitat for them).  So many things to do, so much potential and so little time...

Did I mention I'm excited?  Whoo-hoo!

Still Lost

*Note: This is late, but better late than never...

One of my all-time favorite TV series has come to an end.  I enjoyed its entire 6-year run.  Although I became extremely frustrated at the writers from time to time, it was eventually worth it when the questions were (eventually) answered.

I looked at Lost as a "one step forward, two steps back" TV show.  Whenever one question was answered, much more were brought forth.  Guess that formula worked - millions of us kept watching every season to see what would happen.

The finale wasn't what I was expecting.  In some ways, it was satisfying - an excellent way to wrap up 6 years of confusion.  However, bits of it was disappointing.  I decided to compile a list of why I'm still "lost."  There are still tons of questions that went unanswered and if I'm going to watch something as confusing as Lost for 6 years, I'd expect answers to each and every one of them.

I stumbled across this website and this website had the same questions I had.  What was up with the polar bear, how did it get on the island?  Apparently, I wasn't paying attention.  What was the Man in Black's name (and what's the deal with witholding that information from us)!?  Why was Widmore so invested in the island?  What happened to Walt when he was kidnapped?  Each character was "assigned" a number - a number that was part of the combination to prevent the island from going into electromagnetic "whatever" - but the show didn't explain why that character got the particular number.  And what I'd really like to know is whether Ben is really good deep down inside or if he's just nuts.

Anyway, this website answers covers some questions that I had and others that I didn't think of.  Unfortunately, it doesn't answer ALL my questions.  Guess we're all just meant to be doomed to wonder about the little stuff...

http://screenrant.com/lost-finale-explanation-kofi-61464/

Fierce Guard Dog

See the chicken?  Look closer.  Yes, that chicken.  That juicy bit of chicken from McDonald's, a very rare treat for me.  I'm guarding it from that annoying black dog who'll eat anything, including cat poop (which makes Mommy's job a whole lot easier).

Apparently I didn't do such a hot job of guarding it. This little rascal got to it as soon as I stepped away to attend to a private matter.

She's fast. Very fast. And oh so very annoying.

When I realized that 12am stole my chicken, I chased after her and gave her a lickin'.  Too bad Mommy didn't get a chance to get a picture of that.  THAT would have been cool....

Biggest Loser, Season 9 - Finale

Highlights of the Finale:

Daris now has a girlfriend.  If he was still overweight, would that girl still be interested in him?  Probably not.

Koli is just as obnoxious.  I think that when he lost all that fat, he also lost some brain cells.  What was he thinking, wearing pink pants and that ugly grey jacket!?  Ew!  During a flashback, Koli commented that he never valued himself because he was so overweight.  Well, I think he values himself a tad bit too much now.  I'll say it again - it's ok to be proud, but there's this teeny little thing called tact and down-to-earth appreciation (look at O'Neal, Mike, Daris... the list could go on).

Daris won America's heart and votes - he made it into the finale.  However, now that I think about it - I think we made a mistake...keep reading to find out why.

Three previous contestants returned to watch the finale - Erik, Danny and one other.  They looked great, especially Erik!  He won the title of the Biggest Loser when he was there, gained almost all his weight back and is now fighting to lose that weight.  He has lost 150 pounds to date.  He's supposed to come back to the next season's finale and show us that it can be done.  Sure - we already know it can be done.  The question is - can he keep it off?

All season long, we've been waiting to see how Shay turned out.  She was given a sweet deal by Subway.  For every pound she lost (in between last season and this season's finales), she would get $1,000.  She ended up losing 52 pounds for $52,000.  However - it isn't over yet.  Subway said that if she ran a marathon with the Subway dude at the end of the year, they'll double that money.

Yeah - I bet Shay was thinking "Oh damn, it's not over yet!?"  She had that fake smile on her face.  Now I am actually starting to feel bad for her.  She's probably sick of all the media attention, take her money and live her life.

Now - we went through the weigh-ins of 19 contestants that went home.  Some were shocking and some weren't.  Some accomplished their goals, and others did not.  What was extremely surprising (and rewarding) was Darrell taking Sherry's spot while competing for the $100,000.  Sherry weighed in early on and held on to the winning spot for about 9 weigh-ins.  When it seemed like she might just end up winning the prize, Darrell comes on and beats her by 2 pounds.  Darrell was marked as the sickest man on campus when he arrived and has since then pulled a complete 180.  It's amazing how many of them turned their lives around.

Koli ends up winning the $100,000 at home prize.  Here's why I think we made a mistake by voting Daris into the finale.  If Daris had been the one that joined the 'at-home' people, he would have been the one to get the $100,000 instead of nothing.  Now Koli has $100,000 and his ego has multiplied by 100,000 as well.  Oy vey!

For about a few weeks now, I swore that Daris would end up winning the title of the Biggest Loser.  He never caused any trouble on campus and he looks so great.  He weighed in first and lost at least 48% of his body fat.  That is a huge feat to accomplish - especially in 7 months.

Ashley weighed in second and shocked the nation by beating Daris by 2 points.  She still has more weight to lose - I wonder if she'll keep losing weight now or if she'll slack off a bit, now that money isn't on the line anymore...

I hate pink.  I loathe pink.  But if I ever gain weight and go on the Biggest Loser, I will ask to wear the pink shirt.  It's good luck.

When Mike came out from behind the white screen, four jaws dropped in my living room.  He is looking to be the favorite contender to win the whole thing.  He obviously has lost so much, but can he beat the magic touch of Pink?

Right before they weighed in Mike, the trainers talked to him, Mike handed his mom a white rose and they talked about his time on campus.  During that dragged-out moment, Ashley was standing there with a look on her face that said "ok enough - shut up and let's go!"  It's ok Ashley, I would have felt the same way.

Mike needed to lose more than 256 pounds to take the the position from Ashley.  He ended up losing 264 and won the title of being the Biggest Loser.

If Mike could do it, anybody can!

Don't forget to tune in next week for Jillian's series.  Even though I'm not too crazy about her, I'm curious enough to watch.

Biggest Loser, Season 9 - Episode 18

The show opened up with fantastic highlights of the final four.  It's hard not to become invested in them, we have seen them at their worst, saw them get beaten by Bob and Jillian, and now we are seeing them emerge as completely new people.  The world is their oyster.

The final four goes home for 30 days and then will come back to see how well each of them did under the pressures that daily life brings.  We'll find out which two makes it above the yellow line, and which two will fall below (and beg America for compassion and their votes to put them in the final three).

We watched as each of the four contestants went home to their family and friends.  They all weighed in to show their peers how much they've lost on campus and received standing ovations.  At Koli's welcome home party, Sam wore a funny white shirt that said "I (heart) Koli Bear."  Sam definitely looks different back at home - kind of a gangsta.  While on the scale, Koli mentioned that at the first weigh-in (at home), he promised that he would make it to the final four.  He did.  Now he is making another promise - that he will win the entire thing.  Careful, Koli... don't get too far ahead of yourself.

Ali announced that they would each be doing a marathon, just like they did when they first got to campus.  However, the first marathon they did was on bike.  This time, they would be going on foot.  How fun!

At Mike's home, the family was gearing up for their usual Sunday dinner.  Mike suggested "how about some good old spaghetti and meatballs?"  J almost jumped at the screen and said "no no no!"  How could Mike lose 204 pounds on campus just to go back home to his usual spaghetti and meatballs?  Big mistake!  But alas, Mike was playing it smart.  He lectured his mom on how ground turkey is leaner and has more protein.  Instead of carb-heavy noodles, he suggested wheat noodles.  Seriously, like his mom didn't already know that!

A little while later, Ashley called Mike to talk about the upcoming marathon.  Again - are they dating (or at least crushing)?

Bob and Jillian visited the remaining four contestants at their hometowns.  Bob didn't go to California where Koli lives - he had to fly over to Las Vegas because Koli was hiding out and working out 24/7.  He admitted to Bob that he wanted to 100% focus on the show and that he wasn't ready to be thrown back into life just yet.  Wasn't that the purpose?  To give a 30-day trial to see just how well they could handle all the daily stresses at home and still continue to make healthy choices and lose weight.  It's better to learn to handle it now than later.  Home is taking a heavy toll on each and every one of them.  There's lots of pressure to eat with everybody else, drink and to stay out late.

The marathon started off cold and rainy but turned out to be a nice day.  Daris commented "it turned into a nice day so hey, might as well go for a run!"  My favorite part of the marathon each year is to see the previous contestants come back, run alongside the current participants and to give encouraging words.  I wondered who would come on this year.  I was hoping for Mike, who was a brown team member from two seasons ago.  But then "J" says nah, he showed up last season, doubt he'd show up again.

Well, what a shocker - Mike showed up and ran alongside Mike (how funny!).  Matt from one of the early seasons came on and ran with Daris.  Ali (a 2 or 3-time returning marathon supporter) ran with Ashley, and both are members of the Pink team!  Sione ran with Koli, which was fitting because they are both members of the gray team and both are Tongan.  Mike, Matt and Sione looked like they gained weight.  It was a little disappointing to see - especially Mike because he's so handsome and young and as for Sione, he became a personal trainer so it's disheartening to see him let go a little bit.

Daris beat Tara's record time of 4:55 by completing the marathon at 4:02.  The way he's going, he could become a professional marathon runner in no time.

The weigh in was short compared to all the other weigh-ins in the past.  Instead of weighing in 10+ people, we only had to weigh in 4.  The two people who makes it above the yellow line automatically makes it to the finale.  The two people that falls below will have to plead with America to vote them into the finale.

Mike lost 23 pounds in the 30 days he was at home.  Not too bad, considering he probably didn't work out as much as he did at the gym, had to make all his meals himself, probably ate out a few times, etc.  Mike is now 299 and finally out of the 300.  This marked the first time ever in his life that he was under 300 (that is, once he got over).

Koli lost 13, which was disappointing to the trainers.  He could have lost that much in a week.  Even though he was in hiding in Las Vegas, he still didn't lose as much.  Smart decisions have to start somewhere and real decisions start at home.

Ashley lost 18 and is automatically in the final 3.    With Ashley in the final 3, Koli is pushed down below with Mike right underneath him.  Now it was down to whether Daris would lose enough to put him Mike and above the yellow line or fall down below with Koli.  If you thought that Koli's weight loss was disappointing, you'd be devastated by Daris' weight loss and the fact that he not only lost zero pounds but gained 2.  He got a serious beating from the trainers.

Daris and Koli begged and pleaded with America to vote for them.  Daris promised that he learned his lesson and that he'd do so much better from this point on and he will not disappoint us.  Koli basically said the same thing over and over throughout his mini-speech.  Just let him be in the finale so he can win.  Yawn.

Who did you vote for?  If you voted for Koli, I'll hunt you down and smack you.

Vote Orange!

Biggest Loser, Season 9 - Why They'll Win

Ashley
Never underestimate the power of Pink. 'Nuff said.

Daris
It's always the quiet ones... He got off to a slow start, losing big pounds but not getting much camera action. Towards the end, he started breaking through whatever wall he was hiding behind and emerged as a new person (who is also hot, by the way. Maybe I'm biased because he looks a little bit like one of my exes). In my book, he's already won.

Koli
He's hungry for a win and has dollar signs in his eyes. He has enough determination to push himself all the way to the end, maybe a little bit too much.

Michael
He still has a lot of weight left to lose. Because he started with a lot more weight than anybody else, he won't have to lose as much to get that percentage needed to win. If he can get himself down to the low 200's (for a total weight loss of 300 pounds), he'd probably win by a landslide.

At-Home Winner:

It's easy to say that Sam could be the at-home winner.  After all, he did achieve his ideal weight while still on campus, didn't he?  We can't forget all the others who went home; they've had plenty of time to stay out of the limelight and to focus on their weight loss.  I predict we're going to be in for some big surprises.  In the running:  Lance, Melissa, Sam, Sunshine and Miggy.

Why Lance will win:  With a wife like Melissa to nag at him all day long, you can bet he'd be outside running all day just to get away from her.

Why Melissa will win:  She's just as bad as Koli, maybe even worse.

Why Sam will win:  He reached his ideal weight while still on campus.  That's a feat that no one had accomplished until now.  However, the muscles that he packed on may hurt him.

Why Sunshine will win:  She's sweet, adorable and has an excellent father.  She overcame being kicked off campus once, the loss of her uncle and seeing her father injure himself time and time again.  How can she not win?

Why Miggy will win:  If Melissa and Koli ever had a match, it would be Miggy.  She's a Puerto Rican woman with a lot of fire in her.  Once she's got her mind set on something, there isn't anything that's going to get in the way.