By this time, The Challenge is an MTV establishment. When these people get together now, it’s like a drunken, incestuous family reunion — it’s great television. Even so, there are always ways to make things even more interesting, like by partnering people up with their most hated enemies. And that’s how we came to have The Challenge: Rivals. And oh what fun it is.
From the get-go, I roll through a host of emotions during the first five minutes, ranging from pure, child-like excitement, all the way to genuine tears. But who wouldn’t be excited watching the clips of some of the greatest fights in the history of The Challenge, and hearing Robin say that they’ve assembled the biggest group of assholes ever on the show? And who wouldn’t be moved to tears when host TJ Lavin reveals himself to be the host, after overcoming a really scary fall on his bike and going through a recovery that included a medically induced coma? I shed a tear right along with Jenn. And CT was there, too?! This seems too good to be true. But I had to quickly compose myself, because the Challenge was beginning.
TJ announces the teams one by one, and although it’s no surprise who ends up being paired together, watching their reaction to it is pretty fun. The two new rookie teams are pretty interesting additions to the crowd — Adam and LeRoy from the great Vegas season that just aired are no surprise but sure to stir up some trouble, while Jasmine and Jonna from Cancun caught me offguard, as I had kind of forgotten about them. But was quickly reminded later in the episode what an attention loving spastic person Jasmine is as she makes out with a dude on the first night, apparently forgetting her pledge to stay true to her boyfriend. Come on, that’s the sort of amateur stuff we’re supposed to get through in your Real World season. This is the Challenge, step up your game. Hit someone… (Adam Royer made this transition quickly, as we’ll see later).
But back to the game. The first challenge of the season involves being strapped to your partner, holding hands, and jumping off a cliff. I’m assuming most challenges this season will involve some sort of teamwork/being tied to each other aspect, so we get the most play from the Rivals theme. So far I’m liking it. Couple things stood out to me while they went through everyone’s attempts and the results:
1. Laurel is so much bigger than Cara Maria it’s like someone strapped a little doll to her side and she’s pulling it along. I love watching this.
2. Adam & LeRoy very surprising with the successful jump. I knew LeRoy was an athlete but Adam apparently can jump as well if not better than he can punch out walls. They might be an interesting team to look out for.
3. Two rookie teams take the win on this? Damn veterans step up your game. You can’t haze these kids until you beat on ‘em.
4. CT is there. I still can’t get over it. I love his baby blue eyes and his rage.
Since Evelyn and Paula Walnuts came in last, they will be going into THE JUNGLE to battle with another team for the right to stay in the game. Some basic lobbying occurs, with a few people telling Laurel she should go into the Jungle because it will be her only chance to take out Evelyn. Laurel’s all like “no way I ain’t crazy” and gets everyone to vote in Aneesa and Robin. Pretty straightforward vote. No back stabbing yet. And now that the voting is out of the way, everyone can party! So fun, right? WRONG.
Ty and Adam get drunk and in each other’s faces and Adam goes all Adam on him and throws a punch. As we all know, this results in his leaving. On night one. Which probably leaves this guy kinda mad about his first overall pick in his Reality TV Fantasy League. But he did get a nice amount of points in his short time there. Real impact player out there.
Mandy gets pushed over in the shuffle and hits her head pretty hard which leads us to a nice little scene where CT comes to her rescue, then makes fun of her big head in an interview… did I mention that I love CT?
Onto the elimination. But first, what will happen to poor LeRoy who is now partner-less? Will they send him home already? I pray that they do not. And I am rewarded! Big Mike from Vegas comes out to rekindle his bromance with RoyLee and they embrace with a tenderness that can only emanate from two grown men hugging it out on a wobbly wooden bridge. Now that that’s settled, it’s onto the Jungle.
Tonight's elimination? Evelyn and Paula vs. Aneesa and Robin in a weird game where they have to lean against their partners from futher and further away until someone falls. Several minutes of leaning go by and then Robin/Aneesa fall. It is not the most enthralling elimination, but hey, it’s only episode one. And already a pretty strong veteran team is out the door. Which pretty much means this whole thing is up for grabs. Should be an interesting season. The show ends with a montage of what’s to come, leaving me feeling giddy and excited like only reality tv can. Scene that sticks out the most? A big ol’ knee to the nuts. Eager to see who’s involved and why. I’ve got a weird feeling there might be alcohol involved.
That’s it for episode one! A good start to what should be a very interesting season. I’ll leave you with some teams I think might make it pretty far:
Men:
Kenny/Wes - Athletic dudes who have done this so many times. They both love to play political games, and are successful at it. This time they’ll be working together so I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out on top at the end.
Adam/CT - CT is on this team. Enough said.
Women:
Evelyn/Paula Walnuts - I’ve got a good feeling about them. Evelyn is a crazy great competitor, and in a game where Paula Walnuts is usually backstabbed by supposed friends, maybe it will pay off to work with an enemy.
Laurel/Cara Maria - Can’t ignore Laurel. Or she’ll kill you. And even though Laurel puts her down every chance she gets, I don’t think Cara Maria is that bad of a competitor. But I guess we’ll see.
My dark horse:
RoyLee/Big Mike - In a game where everyone is teamed up with an enemy, you’re at an advantage when you’re rollin’ with your homie. As LeRoy mentioned on the show, Mike’s smart and he’s athletic, so they’ve got a fighting chance.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Challenge:Rivals Episode 1 Recap
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
first brick workout!
20 laps in the pool. not sure how long that took...
5 miles on the bike. 17:22
short but sweet.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
westin workout!
warm up 1 mile run.
4 sets of:
10 medicine ball cleans (8#)
10 deadlifts (20# dumbbells)
10 balance board squats
10 push ups
10 sit ups
cool down 1/2 mile run.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Westin workout!
ran 2 miles on treadmill. 16:12
3 sets of:
12 bent over rows (#5 dumbbells)
20 stability ball crunches
Sunday, June 19, 2011
sunday runday
1.5 mile warm up - 12:37
Ended that run at the track to see how I'd do on some 400M runs that I didn't use my sportband to time:
1:35
1:47
Then a 100M run:
:17
Then a cool down 1/2 mile home:
4:53
Beautiful day for running!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Challenge #6 COMPLETE!
So I lived on a budget for a week and I ... DID IT! (With one caveat*, I'll explain at the bottom)
I updated y'all on where the first bit of monies went, here's the breakdown of the rest:
$2 to Hoover from cab we split
$1 for a package of Peanut M&M's from work vending machine
$4 for (2) Bud Light Lime Tall Boys
$4 for a half bottle of wine (dinner at a friend's apartment, needed beverages!)
$5 for 2 small Absolut Vanilla bottles
$6 for a Souvenir soda at Yanks game
$10.75 (yikes!) for a Cheesesteak at Yanks game
$3 to split a small fry at Yanks game
(as you can see, the Yankees game is very expensive if you like to eat constantly like me, that's why I saved a lot of money accordingly)
$14 for Supper Club ingredients/lunch from Trader Joe's
$8 for bottle of wine for Supper Club
$2 for subway card refill
Total: $60
Add that to the $35 I had already spent, and... I HAVE $5 LEFT OVER. Craziness. As you can see from the list above, I spent THE MOST MONEY the night I went to the Yankees game, but I had budgeted for that. It's kind of crazy though, I spent almost a quarter of my budget there. Cash can go quick if you let it.
Also from my list, you'll see that a lot of money was spent on alcohol... Don't get too concerned, a lot of the wine and alcohol on this list was shared with others at dinners and such. But as you can see, the drinks add up quickly.
As I said in my last post, living on a budget can be difficult, but if you are resourceful and plan ahead, you can do it for sure. At the same time, there were a lot of times in the past week where I had to use self control in order to avoid spending money on something I didn't necessarily need, or that was out of my budget.
CHALLENGE COMPLETE.
* The one thing I went over budget with was a plane ticket to Buffalo for tonight. I had planned on driving with a friend, but she decided flying was best. That wasn't really something I could foresee, but I will not make excuses - that is the only time I used anything other than my $100 cash to buy something in the past week.
Moneyball Trailer
Still haven't gotten around to reading this book, although I hope to read it before the movie. Trailer looks pretty solid. Nice commentary here at my new favorite place for web reading...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Challenge #6 - Budget week
So I'm about halfway through my week living on $100, and so far so good! Here's what I've spent on so far:
$13 - Swim cap (needed it to go swimming at the gym on Friday)
$5.50 - Trader Joe's - bought orzo, frozen veggies and a tomato
$3.50 - Iced Latte, met a friend for coffee on Saturday
$5.00 - a beer plus tip at a friend's birthday party Saturday night
Total Spent: $35
Amount Left: $65
That's it! Managed to spend $0 on Sunday, since I had an AMC gift certificate, so I saw Super 8 essentially for free! (Ps - Super 8 was a really great movie, check it out). Then just chilled out at home until my soccer game last night.
Cooking at home saves A LOT of money, obviously. Last night made orzo with shrimp (already had the shrimp in the freezer) for dinner, will eat the leftovers for lunch.
Seems like staying on a budget is much like weight loss - totally possible with self-control and a little planning. We'll see how the rest of the week shakes out...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
fridays wod
swam for 18 minutes. about 630 meters.
pushed too hard on the pull ups the other day now my biceps are really swollen and can't straighten my arms... been icing and taking ibuprofen. hopefully the swelling goes down soon!
soccer game tonight!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Challenge #6 - the $100 challenge
So, just got back from a long vacation which means a couple things. One, I'm back at work, which sucks! And two, I've got no money! So it's the perfect time to try a budget challenge. This morning I am taking $100 out of the bank, and that is all I'm going to use all week. No credit cards, no debit cards, no ATMs, no excuses.
I am allowed to eat food that is already in my apartment (good thing I have that stockpile of mac n cheese!), but any other food/drink or otherwise comes straight from my hundo.
$100 should be more than enough to last me a week if I use it wisely... I will keep you posted on how it goes, and where the money all ends up.
So...here goes nothing!
Thursday, June 09, 2011
best bridesmaids interview EVER
We watched this. Passed out. Woke up, heard it again. Passed out again. Went home, watched the NBA finals, heard this playing, passed out again. Woke up, it was still on, jumped out the window, heard it from outside, passed out again. Head exploded. - WCW
wod
biked 8 miles (20:23)
ran 1.5 miles (13:03)
about 1/2 of each of the distances i'll do these for my tri.
...on exercise bike & treadmill
chosen
Damn, Nike. Do you ever stop being awesome?
Saw this commercial last night and kept waiting for the end to see who made it. Should have known. Amazing.
CMT awards
Yup, watched them last night...what can I say, I guess Nashville got ahold of me. Anyways, this was a nominee last night and I just watched the performance and it was bangin'. Adele and Darius Rucker singing Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." Check it.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
wod
back to my normal gym today!
100 pull ups
100 kb swings (20#)
100 double unders
100 body weight squats
21:30
then 10 min on the bike
Grantland
Grantland.com opened up for business today — it's Bill Simmons new web site, a sports and pop culture site with writing by Simmons himself, plus a group of handpicked sports/pop culture writers, including Chuck Klosterman, Molly Lambert, and more. Sports and pop culture? I think those might be two of my favorite things...so of course I was excited to visit the site for the first time and check it out. And, it did not disappoint so far. Especially since one article is titled: "Grantland's Reality TV Fantasy League: The Complete Rules and Draft Results."
All I can say is...count me in. Looking forward to seeing what comes of this site. Check it out for yourself.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Long Distance
Check out this new web series starring some awesome dudes I know and shot by another awesome dude I know!
more here.
Friday, June 03, 2011
westin workout!!!
The Westin in Memphis is awesome. Did a little workout this AM while Hoover snooozed.
Run 400M
10 Bent Over Rows (15# dbs)
10 Wall Ball Shots (8# ball)
10 Squats on Balance Board
4 rounds.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Morning run(s)
With Hoov and the Bean yesterday. 1.5 miles. 13 min.
With the Bean today. 3 miles. 25 min.
Austin runs are fun!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
MORIMOTO
On Tuesday evening Hoover and I dined at a special restaurant as my gift to her for her birthday. She took me to Colicchio and Sons on my birthday, it was only right (and delicious) to return the favor. And so we found ourselves at Iron Chef MORIMOTO’s restaurant, perusing the menu and salivating over what we found.
The restaurant itself has a modern décor and a dark, chic ambiance. Though we were seated rather close to the tables next to us, it didn’t impede our experience (except for the fact that I couldn’t hear our waiter describe the menu because of the loud people talking about advertising industry rumors next to us). Overall, I was pleased with the design; I thought it complemented the concept of the restaurant well, and created an atmosphere that was enjoyable to eat in.
After deciding to drink a Fingerlakes Reisling that Hoover scoffed only costs $12 at the winery, but had quite a markup at the restaurant, we went for it anyways and hunkered down, ready to order some food!
Since Hoover is a sushi nut, and especially loves Salmon Avacado rolls, it was only natural that we chose that as one of our appetizers. We also decided to indulge in the Toro Tartare, due to rave reviews of the dish on Yelp.com. Both were delicious. The Salmon Avacado was not too much different than a standard roll in terms of style, yet the ingredients were really fresh and delicious. The Toro Tartare was as good as advertised, it came with a small platter of tuna tartar and an array of different sauces or toppings to try each bite with. My favorite bite probably consisted of some tuna, a little wasabi and some mini rice balls. Of course, since I am anything but a fancy, civilized person, I had a hard time keeping my food on the little scraper-like utensil they give you to eat it, causing Hoover to make fun of me repeatedly. But the constant struggle was definitely worth it once the food got to my mouth, it was very delicious.
Toro Tartare (photo credit)
So, the appetizers were a success, now it was time to order the entrées. I decided to take a slightly different approach here, since I wanted to try the Rock Shrimp Tempura appetizer, I ordered that and the Soft Shell Crab roll as my entrée. Both were delicious, the Rock Shrimp Tempura consisted of bite-size pieces of fried shrimp, covered in two different sauces. One was a spicy sauce, the other a Wasabi aieoli, both were delicious, and the dish also came with a dish of ranch dressing for dipping. The portion was pretty big, so I couldn’t even finish the whole thing, but definitely worth checking out (I would have it as more of an appetizer next time). The Soft Shell Crab roll was very tasty as well, very much like the Salmon Avacado, it was a standard take on the roll, but done wonderfully.
Rock Shrimp Tempura (photo credit)
For Hoover’s entrée, she opted for the Ishi Yaki Bop, a dish that is actually served deconstructed and they cook at the table in front of you. It comes as a bowl of rice with yellowtail tuna, and they cook the tuna on the sides of the extremely hot bowl it is served in. While the tuna is cooking, they prepare the rest of the dish, by adding a seaweed sauce and an egg to the rice. Then they layer the finished tuna on the top of the dish, and it’s ready to eat! This was definitely a very cool dish to get, the presentation was top notch, and I can attest as someone sitting across from the dish, it smelled DELICIOUS! This was confirmed when I tried a bite later on. This was a great dish and Hoover thoroughly enjoyed. Again, this was a good portion size — Hoov didn’t even finish it all in one sitting.
Ishi Yaki Bop, before cooking. (photo credit)
By this time we were STUFFED, so we decided to opt out of desserts. But there was one more thing to enjoy before we left — the bathrooms. The bathrooms at Morimoto are so notoriously nice that I was actually brought there on an NYC food tour, but not to eat — just to see the john. So we each took a trip down to check it out. What happens in the bathroom stays in the bathroom so I will not give too much away. All I will say is heated seats and many features.
And just like that, our fancy dinner night was over. A great meal with decent company (it’s Hoover, what do you expect?). If you’re a lover of Japanese cuisine, Morimoto is a great place to check out for yourself.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
goin' south...
Straw hat? check.
Boat shoes? check.
Confederate flag bandanas? check.
Jorts? check.
Racerback tank tops? check
Shades? check.
Welp, see ya later, Union. Off to check out the South.
first swim!
First swim in the train for the tri... thought it went pretty well, then I found out the pool was half the size I thought it was while I was swimming!!! Whoops.
So the workout ended up being:
5 rounds of:
swim 25 meters
10 push ups
Then I swam until I got to what I thought was 600M, but in reality was 300M. Whoops! There's always next time.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
wod
7 rounds for time of:
30 double unders
1 snatch, 50#
around 8 minutes.
same guy as the other day who was doin the same workout as me was doin the same workout as me today! and this time we actually talked about it. my first crossfit friend.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Water Challenge Over!
Seems like this challenge went on forever...mostly because I had to go to the bathroom like 12 times each work day (no really...at least 4 times a day at work). But the results are in! During this challenge I lost about a pound and a half. Now this may not be attributed solely to the water intake, but at the same time, I did not alter my diet at all. In fact... I kind of ate and drank a lot this past week. I was expecting the scale to take a turn to the higher side. But, it didn't. Does this say anything about water intake and weight? No. Could just be a coincidence.
But overall, the results to me (besides the almost constant urge to pee), were not that overwhelming. I might have had a bit more energy than usual, and though I drank a bit, I don't think I was really too hungover. So that's a definite plus of drinking lots of water.
All in all, this challenge made me feel a little better than usual. Don't think I'll keep up the drinking at this pace though - can't handle the much-too-frequent bathroom breaks.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
sugarland
great concert! can't go wrong with opening acts like matt nathanson, who is just awesome and little big town who jammed out on the harmonies and did a country remix of lady gaga's born this way.
then sugarland was the best! every song was great. and you cant go wrong with a rowdy lawn crowd. another successful show.
little miss. sugarland.
Saturday 5k!
5k
26:53.
Not the best time, but I felt great and it was awesome to be outside on a beautiful, rare sunny morning.
guy jumps on field...
and gets away! when has this ever happened?!!
Apparently he was arrested after he got out... disappointing.
(via yrfriendliz)
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
how did i never see this kid before?
apparently this dude's been making videos and been a viral sensation for over a year. i've finally crawled out from the rock i was living under and GOOD THING because this is funny.
thanks wcw!
evan longoria - hero
Look at him pull a Dottie Henson move out there. Too bad it's just a viral video. Guess we can't all have hands as quick as the Queen of Diamonds...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
In “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”, Morgan Spurlock takes us along for the ride as he tries to finance his film entirely by brand partners (spoiler alert: he succeeds). And the results are both memorable and quite humorous. As someone who works in the advertising field, I’m not sure if the content presented was much of a surprise to me, but the way it unfolded surely was entertaining and gives a “backstage view” of the marketing world.
Spurlock succeeds in signing on an array of brands to be official sponsors of his movie, including POM Wonderful, who bought a $1 Million sponsorship in order to have their brand appear in the title of the film, as well as be the only beverage included in the film (all other beverages are blurred out).
For me, the best part of the film was the irony present in scenes where Spurlock is interviewing people about product placement. Several times throughout the film we see people being interviewed talk about how product placement is alright, as long as it’s not obvious, and as they are speaking, Morgan is taking a giant swig of his POM Wonderful. It’s pretty well done.
The end of the movie was pretty cool as well, showing the culmination of all of Spurlock’s planning with the various brands and how all the brands have actually been placed into the film.
It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re at all interested in how marketing/advertising works, or just seeing the hilarity of the business. The brands that work with Spurlock throughout the film don’t really know exactly what they will be getting from this partnership, yet they are willing to throw A LOT of money his way. This was one of the more interesting things for me to see, since when I started in the business it was amazing to me how much money is thrown around each and every day. I mean, it makes sense, since marketing/advertising ultimately is supposed to drive revenue, but it is surprising to learn just how much is spent.
So if you’ve got a bit of time to spare and want to see Morgan try to balance playing nice with brands with his artistic vision, it’s definitely a film to see.
heard it babysitting....
Val told me he had something new to show me... but it was a surprise.W e walked into his room...
Val: Ta Da!!! My fish.
Me: Oh wow, cool! What are their names?
Val: This one is named Indiana Jones, and this one is Avatar.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
LinkedIn IPO
Debating whether I should buy some stock Thursday when LinkedIn has it's IPO... They were saying it would be $32-35 a share, but now it's up to $42-45 a share. Could it be a risk worth taking?
Other idea is to wait until the other Internet IPOs happen and maybe put some $ into Groupon...
Leave me thoughts in the comments section.
Monday, May 16, 2011
wod
5 rounds for time of:
5 OH squats (30#)
10 reps, 25# dumb bell hang squat clean
15 push ups
20 double unders
13:45
best part of this was that right next to me at the gym a dude was doing this workout, but not scaled, as it was listed on crossift.com. that was cool, don't usually see people crossfitting at my gym!
then i biked 5 miles on the exercise bike. 15 min.
Challenge #5 - 9 cups of water
Okay it's time for my May challenge, and since last month I didn't drink, this one's all about drinking. Except drinking water, not alcohol. I've always heard the old "drink 8 glasses of water a day" mantra and wondered what sorts of health benefits it would grant me, but I did a bit of research and apparently adult women should drink 2.2 Liters, or 9 cups of water a day.
So that's what I'm going to aim for. This entire week I will be drinking at least 9 cups of water a day. I'm interested to see the outcome in terms of if I'll feel less hungry than normal. I think that a lot of times I may just be dehydrated and think that I'm hungry so it will be interesting to see how this week plays out.
So that's about it. Pretty simple, right? I'll let you know how it goes (and how annoying my frequent bathroom breaks will be)...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
funny looking animal of the week!
i know you were all craving it. don't worry im back on land and im back to posting funny looking animals. enjoy.
via coolhunter
morning run
1.25 miles.
10:28
was able to keep up some wod's on the boat. here's what I did:
Sat (before departure) 1.5 mile run with the bro!
Sun - Run 400M. 50 push ups. Run 400M. 50 sit ups. Run 400M. 50 squats. Run 400M. 50 back extensions.
Mon - 5 deadlifts (25# dumbbells). 10 burpees. 7 rounds.
Tues - quick run. 1 mile.
Wed - run 1 mile. 50 squats. 25 push ups. 40 squats. 20 push ups. 30 squats. 15 push ups. 20 squats. 10 push ups. 10 squats. 5 push ups.
Friday, May 06, 2011
morning wod
run 800M
run 400M backwards
run 800M
run 400M backwards
13:32
running backwards is hard and i am slow at it!
800m cool down
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
morning run
wanted to get a run in before work this morning but ended up laying around for a while. timed it perfectly so once i got outside it started to pour... good job me! short run.
1.25 miles
10:23
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
wod
warm up: ran 1.25 miles
10:13
21-15-9 of:
overhead squats (40#)
burpees
7:26
this was rough!
cool down:
bike 5 minutes
Monday, May 02, 2011
wod
1000M row
50 thrusters (30#)
30 pull ups
had to stop the clock between the thrusters and pull ups for a couple min because someone was on the pull up machine.
8:10
