so thankful.

today is the day of turkey. and the turkey trot. and potatoes. and cranberry sauce. and football. and stuffing. and stuffing ourselves...

oh yeah, and thanks. so it only seems fit to take a few minutes and let you all know what I'm thankful for this year.

First and foremost, I'm thankful for the movie "A League of Their Own," which is actually on the tv in the other room as I type. Betty Spaghetti just found out her husband died. Tears are welling up in my eyes. Greatest movie of all time? Quite possibly.

But let's get down to business, with the help of a few photos.

I'm thankful to have parents like this:


a brother with which I can have facebook convos like this:


a family that knows how to party like this:


friends like this:


and this:


and this:


and this:


and so thankful that i got to do some really cool things this year, like this:


and this:



and this:


and this:


...i could go on and on. hope everyone has a great thanksgiving.

stevie johnson!

whoever wrote Steve Johnson's yahoo fantasy update really had a fun time with it this week:

Wed, Nov 24
Johnson has been fined $5,000 for the league for sporting a "Why So Serious" display underneath his jersey after scoring a touchdown against the Bengals, BuffaloBills.com reports.
Recommendation: Even the Bengals receivers appreciated the Joker response toward Cincinnati's Batman and Robin duo, so we suppose it's all in good fun, even though coach Chan Gailey wasn't busting a gut. Perhaps Johnson owners should wear a "Why So Fortunate" T-Shirt underneath their uniform of choice at next year's draft day, as he's gone from a bottom-of-the list/undrafted guy to a top-20 fantasy receiver. The Bills will probably be throwing his way regularly again this week should Pittsburgh get out to a lead or have its usual success in stuffing the opponent's run game. If you're an owner, when it gets to your turn at the table Thursday, remember to give a word of thanks to Johnson's low-cost, eye-popping production this year.
(Rotowire.com)

i will be giving thanks for him today at the turkey table... !

via ffffound.

wod

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
run 400M.
5 deadlifts (20#)

5 rounds +.03 miles.
used a treadmill...

funny looking animal of the week!

Thanksgiving Edition

morning yearning - ben harper

mad men - behind the scenes

real cool set of photos from Rolling Stone from behind the scenes with Mad Men.

reeeese

got a new camera. reese photoshoot ensued.

an image of home

no fly drank.

whats that jet blue? you don't serve drinks on short flights, so no free dranks? and you lost my luggage?

in the words of snooki - wah.

fly drank.

What's that Jet Blue? We get a free cocktail on the plane if we flash our JetBlue Amex card in the flight attendant's face? Rusty and I will take you up on this tonight.

teach me how to dougie.

after watching, I still don't know how to dougie. but the song gets in my head every time I see the standings of my fantasy basketball league - teachmehow2dougie currently in 4th place.

wild is the wind - cat power ft. nina simone

funny looking animal(?) of the week!

todays work out

"blake" scaled down:

100 foot walking lunge with 10# held overhead
30 box jumps
20 wall ball shots (8#)
10 push ups

4 rounds. 19 minutes.

top dogs.

although I really love dogs a lot it doesn't make sense for me to get one right now. i need to find someone like a boyfriend/husband that can take care of said dog while i irresponsibly lay around and watch television. or at least someone to take care of it during the wintertime when it's cold out. or when it's a puppy and not housebroken. or when i want to sleep in and the dog's sick. or when i get an autographed derek jeter ball and the dog gets a hold of it and eats it (sorry bec...)

anyways, can't hurt to dream. here are my top dog candidates if i was getting a puppy RIGHT NOW:

5. ENGLISH BULLDOG

So adorable. But there are a few drawbacks to these wrinkly critters that make me second guess the choice. Problem 1 - sometimes when they get too fat, we go from cute to...eh...slob-like. And speaking of slob, I think these guys drool a lot too. But I guess at the point the pup gets fat or slobbery, i'd already be loving it for the long haul. So there's that.

4. RESCUE PUPPY
There are lots of rescue shelters with dogs that need homes. And a lot of the pups I've seen on these sites have a little pit bull in them, which can scare some people. But they are still adorable. And I'm sure if I showered them in a cocoon of love they would become just as sensitive and emotionally unstable as I am. Which means instead of biting children and entering dog fights, my pit bull mix will be laying on me while we watch reruns of Friday Night Lights and both cry hysterically. Always good to have a good crying partner who won't judge. To see how adorable these puppies are, check out the doggies available for adoption right now at Animal Haven in NYC.

3. BOSTON TERRIER
These guys went from not being on my radar to BAM being pretty high up on this here list. And I give a lot of credit for LE PETIT PUPPY for this quick turn around. LE PETIT PUPPY is a dog store with a pretty explanatory name. If you speak the slightest bit of French you can figure it out. Anyways, whilst visiting said small puppy shoppe, I saw the smallest Boston Terrier puppy that melted my heart. Honestly, I had to really think of something terrible to get my heart to freeze over again before I left that store. These little guys are cute as hellz.

2. FRENCH BULLDOG
Come on!!!! Look at their ears!!! ...I don't even think I have to say anything else. Except Tim Lincecum has one that he bought after winning the Cy Young award and named Cy. Pretty bad ass. I guess the only problem here is I'd have to wait to win some sort of notable award before naming my big eared bundle of joy.

1. LAB - aka best dog in the world.
Okay, I'm the first to admit that everyone who has a childhood dog is biased for the rest of eternity to liking that breed best of all. Unless said childhood dog turned out to be a monster that bit your friends or ruined your clothing or something else unthinkable. But my childhood dog never did that to me! She was THE BEST. Labs have every quality that I want for myself as a person -- they're smart, funny, fast, loyal as hell, happy, and really good at hunting. Sure, their hips might not work so well when they get up there in age, and maybe they'll grow weird lumpy non-cancerous tumors as well when they get old enough to have a grey beard around their happy muzzles. But dammit, labs are everything dogs should be and more. If anything, I want my children (insert prayer that someday I have children) to grow up knowing the joy of having a great childhood dog. I also want them to get to watch Saved By The Bell. I hope it's still in syndication when they come along. But back to labs... just read or watch Marley and Me and I'm sure you'll agree. They may be a handful, the love they give you in return is well worth it.

Sunday 5k!

25:36...not sure how, but I chopped over a minute off my last time! Maybe it was the new route to Liberty State Park. It's always more fun to run with Lady Liberty watching.

curtis(c) got slapped by a white teacher

please read. all 40 pages. and also please note how cutis' mother has copyrighted his name. why?

i don't know. but it's glorious

thanks to our troops

this is a day late, but to all who have served our country, past and present, thank you.

i wish you love - rachael yamagata

breaking legal news - you can sue 4 year olds

Imagine this:

2 kids ride bikes with training wheels down the street of Manhattan, with their parents supervising. One of the kids, 4 year old Juliet, hits an elderly woman causing her to fall and break her hip and require surgery. The woman later died 3 months later of unrelated causes.

Her estate SUES the children and their parents for negligence. And yes, apparently the children can be held accountable, says Justice Wooten:

Mr. Tyrie “correctly notes that infants under the age of 4 are conclusively presumed incapable of negligence,” Justice Wooten wrote in his decision, referring to the 1928 case. “Juliet Breitman, however, was over the age of 4 at the time of the subject incident. For infants above the age of 4, there is no bright-line rule.”

Now those little rascals will be held ACCOUNTABLE for their actions!

(cue thousands of neighborhood grumps walking onto their front lawns and raising their flabby arms in victory)
(also cue Clint Eastwood pointing a shotgun at you and growling "Get off my lawn.")

lumberjack 20 scaled wayyy down

This morning's work out got me good. Thought I was okay until I left the gym and was seeing spots and felt like I was gonna pass out. Good thing I scaled down...


20 Box Jumps
Run 400m
20 Pullups
Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats (20#)
Run 400m
20 Deadlifts (30#)
Run 400m
20 Burpees
Run 400m
20 KB Swings (20#)
Run 400m

Had to go up/down the stairs a few times to get to equipment. 26 minutes.

Le'Ron McClain has one of the best player pictures I've ever seen. I also like his reference to himself in the 3rd person in his quote below.

funny looking animal of the week!

This might be my favorite in a while.

via Christine Edwards Photography.

ahhhhhhhh!

As a member of Derek Jeter's 24 Hour Fitness, I received an email a few weeks ago with the opportunity to enter for a chance meet Derek Jeter. I decided to enter even though I knew the odds of winning were low. Then I totally forgot about it.

...until this morning when I received a phone call where I told I was a WINNER of the previously mentioned contest.

In other words - I GET TO MEET DEREK JETER!


What a great way to start the day.

dan mills.

so good

wod

today i did the "barbara" workout for the first time.

20 pull ups
30 push ups
40 sit ups
50 squats

5 rounds, 3 minute rest between rounds.

I only rested 2 min. between rounds.

36:40.

yeesh. tough one

in marv we trust

Today marks the anniversary of the day in 1986 that the Buffalo Bills announced Marv Levy would take over as head coach.

At the ripe age of 10 months, I remember reading the article about Marv's hiring in the Buffalo News. I probably showed my approval with a dirty diaper, or some words of gibberish, but I knew that great things were coming for the Bills.

Boy was I right. Marv led the Bills to a record of 112-70 during his tenure as head coach, along with 4 Super Bowl appearances.

112 wins. Wow. That's 112 more than we have on the season.

All of us here (me) would like to thank Marv for his leadership, fine coaching abilities, and overall great manliness as head coach of the Buffalo Bills football organization.

GO BILLS.

The Heart of Life - John Mayer

i am famous

check me out in this pic steve submitted to Straight Cash Homey! such a famous profile. watching the bills with worried glances.

funny looking animal of the week!

rock the boat. rock the vote.

i actually didn't vote today.... whoops

via ffffound.

after a while

This poem was recited at a rehearsal dinner I was at once. It seemed an unlikely choice for the occasion, but stuck with me nonetheless.

AFTER A WHILE (Veronica Shoftshall, 1971)

After a while you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept
your defeats
with your head up
and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman,
not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build
all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground
is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way
of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.

And you learn
that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...



ilu.

Saturday 5k!

26:46. getting a little bit faster...

funny looking animal of the week! part 2

kind of struggling this week... maybe another funny looking animal will help

via The Dainty Squid

johnson boating commercial

oh the 80s...

FNL

Friday Night Lights starts tonight! The final season... pour some out for our fallen series homies. I'm sure they will leave us with a great season though.

Hope we get to see Riggins a little even if he's in jail. And of course, we get to watch the greatest TV couple of all time - Coach Taylor and the Missus.



DIRECTV @ 9.

heard it babysitting....

Last night Val was full of wisdom -- per usual! Here's what he had to say about a variety of topics:

On basketball:
They have to run around a lot in basketball. That's why they have Gatorade.

On what he learned in school today:
I learned that if you have a problem you can still be friends with people. Like if you're blind, you can still have friends.

On Shaq:
Me: He's so big.

Val: Yeah... (he leans in and whispers) ...He's chubby.

On this commercial:

That's just inappropriate.

On marriage:
Val: Are you married?

Me: No.

Val: Why not?

Me: I guess I haven't met someone I want to marry yet.

Val: You have to get to know someone before you marry them. You need to know what restaurants they like, their name, where they want to get married, what kind of food they like... Like if they don't like sushi, you can't bring sushi home every night, because they'll say "I don't like that."


I guess I better start learning some guys names and favorites restaurants.

celeb apprentice

Currently shooting right outside my office. It's a weird setup, a couple of camping trailers with some fold up chairs and a picnic table set up in between them. The "Celebrities" are just kinda wandering around in and out of the trailers, standing around, etc. So it's hard to tell what the point of the challenge is. Unless it's who can just sit around the longest.

Here are the celebs we saw moseying about outside:

Jose Canseco - former Major League roider, who still looks like he's on the Ron-Ron Juice, damn that man is big.

Richard Hatch - winner of Survivor season 1, and all around normal looking man. I thought he was a member of the crew at first. Thank god he had clothes on.

LIL JOHN - of LIL JOHN AND THE EASTSIDE BOYS fame. Seeing him made me want to start shouting the lyrics to "Where Dem Girls At." It really took me back to 12th grade after soccer practice when the boys would roll out of the parking lot blasting that song and we would all swoon about how much we were crushin' on dem boys. Then we'd meet them at Mighty Taco and hang out in the parking lot. Those were the days.

Gary Busey - hair a mess, enough said. I mean this guy is just ridiculous.

Mark McGrath - former lead singer of Sugar Ray! Or possibly current lead singer of Sugar Ray... is that band still together?

this is good.

via scary basement.

funny looking animal of the week!

hallelujah - jeff buckley

dress to impress.

Today I decided to take a break from Ellen garb and wear a new dress. It's kind of Mad Men-esque, and though I would love to say I look like Joan today, I think I'm much more aligned with Peggy. No offense, Peggy.

In fact, Peggy and I have more things in common than you may think. Besides our catholic upbringings copywriting gigs, we also both:

• Are kind of in love Don Draper, but could never be with him (her because Don respects her too much to make a move on her, and me because Don is a fictional character and I cannot date someone who is make believe)
  
  
• Think some things that happen in the office are "BULLSHIT," as Peggy so eloquently told Joan (and I probably yelled at some point)
  
  
• Make people in the office surprised when we actually look nice (like when Peggy got her haircut/makeover, or when I make myself presentable in any capacity)
  
  
• Are young ladies trying to make it in a MAN'S WORLD.
  

Okay that last one was kind of weak but I couldn't think of any more.

I miss Mad Men already, even though that last episode really threw me for a loop.

yanks need to get something going

Yankees gotta get it going today... I think they should enlist the assistance of this kid, who proved quite effective at helping the Phillies overcome pitching by Broxton earlier this season.

So can we find him, make him a Yankees fan, bring him to New York and get him a front row seat all before 4:07pm?

Someday call Dumbledore. Stat.

banned by the nba

A pair of basketball shoes has been BANNED by the National Basketball Association, the Athletic Propulsion Labs Concept 1 Shoes. Apparently just putting them on your feet makes you jump higher... up to 3.5 inches higher. Unfortunately for my sorry vertical leap, I'm pretty sure I still won't be dunking even with this shoe's help.

And at a price point of $300, I don't think I play enough street ball to make the purchase worthwhile. Although these shoes do make me want to purchase a pair of moon shoes, like from back in the day.

heard it babysitting....

For a child who had gone home sick from school due to puking at recess, Val had a lot of wisdom to impart on me yesterday.

On the NY Yankees:
"Do you that the Yankees are the meanest team?" (ed. note - not sure about this one, since he is a Yankees fan)

On the NY Rangers:
"These guys are professionals. They know how to skate fast and backwards. You know they have fake teeth?"

On the NY Red Bulls:
"When I watch the Red Bulls at their stadium they always pass the ball to the other team. I don't know why they do that."

On a Russian soccer jersey hanging on his bedroom wall:
"See that? That's for me to wear when I'm a grown up - like when I'm 16."

the rent is too damn high party

it took me a second to realize if this was a Saturday Night Live skit (they use kenan very effectively these days) or real life.

Adorable Looking Animal of the Week

thanks bec!

Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine

Saturday 5k!

27:05

windy out there today.

its fridayyyyy

this reminds me of me and rusty for some reason...

A plea to Ellen!

Today I am going to embark on a journey to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show, and possibly start a lifelong friendship with her slash work for her. It all started several months ago, when I noticed, whilst watching American Idol, that my taste in clothing was oddly similar to hers.

My coworkers began to realize this as well. As the weeks wore on, and I continued to wear a plethora of vests, boots, and various other Ellen-esque items, it began somewhat of a running joke at the office. So much that when I recently received a work related award, my boss had written an Ellen reference into his nomination. Turns out all I had to do to be successful was be more like Ellen!

Now, I could just waste this wardrobe similarity and use it for a Halloween costume or something, but I am determined to do more. Today I am starting a campaign to go on the Ellen DeGeneres show and compare some of our outfits IN PERSON. And since Ellen is pretty good at getting invited places herself, I am taking a cue from her and trying to get myself an invite to her show.

How will I do this, you ask? Well, I'm not entirely sure. It will be a online effort, using mostly social media such as this blog, twitter, and Facebook. Let's see what the power of the Internet can do to help one girl live out her dream of meeting Ellen D.

Stay tuned for more.

Avett Brothers tonight @ Radio City. can't wait...

Adorable Looking Animal of the Week

first off, this pup's name is Hamilton Wesley Wigglesbottom. that immediately gives him cred. then there's this most adorable video of the 6 week old pup. he's got cute cred oozing outta him.

sweeet

via devour.com

Yahoo's "Trending Now"

I never really see what the Yahoo! Trending Now lists have to do with anything that is actually currently happening. Take a look at the list right now for example:


Pee-wee at number 3? That means out of all the people on the world using Yahoo!, a vast vast majority are searching about Pee-wee Herman. Just blows my mind.

I guess I understand the actresses, since they had movies open lately. But still, is running home from the movies and Yahoo! searching the actresses the new thing to do? People, it's called iMDB. Look it up.

Honey Bees at number 9 is my favorite though. I wish that I had awoken on this Sunday morning, opened up Yahoo! and typed in Honey Bees. I wonder what I would get if I did?

Hold on a second I'll try. (I feel like Mark Zuckerberg live blogging at the beginning of the movie "The Social Network" right now. Only I'm not mad at my girlfriend and I'm not drunk. I'm also not a genius who is about to embark on a journey to start a world-changing social network and make billions. Wah.)

Anyways, back to Honey Bees. Just searched them. Apparently they're being killed off by a virus & fungus combination. This just got real.

I'm kinda sad about this now. This is what happens when you delve too far into the Yahoo! Trending Now box. Next time I'll just glance at it's wacky results and let it be.

funny looking animal of the week!

via ffffound.

brighter - paramore

funny looking animal of the week!

“People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be”

This season of Mad Men is, like usual, amazing. Especially the last two episodes. Can't wait for more...

makes ya wanna dance!

NOBODY CIRCLES THE WAGONS

Chris Berman has grown a mustache! File this under kinda funny but more so because the mustache will work together with the facial expressions and comments to make NFL commentary even more entertaining.

never let me go

this movie looks great. out oct 1.

funny looking animal of the week!

marcel the shell with shoes on.

i had a pretty miserable monday. luckily i just found the cure.

marcel the shell with shoes on. it made me giggle so much i cried a little.

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.