Land o'Lessa

I’ve watched over the last year as Love Thursday‘s spread about the internet and several of my favorites participated, and then without realizing it, they disappeared. They are back again, and all the syrupy sweetness so think you must brush your teeth for fear of Internet Inspired Cavities once more cavorts about the webspaces of folks I read often. I’ve never participated before, because I’m not one for the mush. Sure, I’ve a closet full of romance novels that might say different, but really, I’m just not an overly mushy lovey dovey type of girl.

[Stop laughing, you.
Right this minute.
Don't make me get out the paddle...]

Ahem. Anyway.

As I was laying in bed last night, trying to get my mind to Just. Shut. Up. Already! so that I could sleep, somehow the fact that it was already Thursday occurred to my tired brain, and for some unknown reason that translated to “Hey, it’s Love Thursday. I should write something!” just before my eyes finally closed. I even had half written in my head within a couple sleepy breaths. Thus, I give you this wordy snapshot:

My parents are unique individuals, and as different as night and day. I’m one of the lucky ones, who’s folks are still married after almost 39 years now. There are so opposite at times in demeanor and thought, that it’s almost boggling to think they haven’t killed each other yet. Dad is easy, outgoing, and will talk to ANYONE – especially female. Mom, while friendly and outgoing herself, isn’t one to stop a complete stranger in the store and talk like they’re long lost friends like Dad does – she must trust you completely to give away the intimate details of her thoughts. Dad shares everything with anyone who is interested. They don’t always see eye to eye, and sometimes it seems like they NEVER see eye to eye, but somehow, someway, they manage to co-exist and live in the same house, on the same street, as they have since we moved up here to Alaska back in 1978.

After all these years of marriage, they are comfortable with one another for the most part. They’ve moved past the ‘OMG I CAN’T KEEP MY HANDS OFF YOU’ making out on the couch – or, god forbid, in PUBLIC – newlywed stage, and settled into the ‘This is MY chair, and hello, get your own blanket for the bed bucko, this one’s MINE’ stage. And that’s where my snapshot actually truly begins.

It was the second day in the hospital for mom. I’d arrived and set up Scooter to charge and check emails, and generally just allow me to be there for mom, without intruding. There was laughter with the Nurse We Loved, and snarky comments, and a general sense of health and happiness and well being in the room. Dad knew I hadn’t eaten yet, and so was urging me to head down to the cafeteria with him, because he needed to eat too. We let mom know, just as she started to drift asleep again. All that laying around wired up to machines had exhausted her, you see. (grin)

As I was slipping my shoes back on, I looked up to see Mom sleeping, mouth agape and eyes closed, as Dad stood nearby and just watched her. He then reached out with his hand – hands I remember soothing my own brow as I wasn’t feeling well and drifted to sleep – and brushed her hair back from her forehead, his fingers smoothing the line in her brow with a touch. You could see that the touch, as simple as it was, soothed and sent her deeper into sleep, instantly. I wanted a camera in that moment, but knew if even if I had an actual photograph, it would never convey the sense of wonderment. It was a perfect moment, the perfect picture of a love that transcends all their differences, that doesn’t need overt demonstrations, that doesn’t need over the top wild monkey sex performed in front of open windows every Tuesday**.

It simply is.
And it was perfect.

Happy Love Thursday, everyone!

[**Not that, you know, there's anything wrong with wild monkey sex or anything. Just not with my parents involved - please! As my kids would say... "bad picture! BAD PICTURE!"]

Back at the Ranch, The purple team come to confront the yellow team because they told them at the elimination they weren’t working hard. Jen is highly offended, and starts yelling and such at Paul and Kelly, and Paul tells us that they have to reach deeper. She feels they validated the stereotype that fat people are lazy, and them in particular. Jen decides it’s time to forget alliances.

Kelly and Paul talk to Jillian, and she tells us that she was surprised, but she can’t tell them who to target or not, that’s not her place. Kelly lets Jillian know that they are no longer teams, but individual, while the other teams fill Bob in on the elimination challenge. Jen voices her discontent and Bob tells her to find more strength in her inner self and quit focusing on what others are saying and take responsibility for her own self. She has another opportunity to prove them all wrong.

Jillian spends time with Brittany to see what’s at the core of her obesity. She gets her to open up, and explain that she’s had an emotional battle with food since her father’s death. She doesn’t like opening up, it’s hard because she’s been hurt a lot. She’d rather make everyone think it’s ok. The only thing that was consistent for her was food.

Challenge time!

Read the rest of this entry »

Are you a fan of the Big O? Noooooo.. I don’t mean Oprah! I don’t mean THAT either. I mean – do you watch the Oxygen Network? It’s not one I watch regularly, but it does have a bunch of Reality Tv shows, including the lovely trainwreck of Janice Dickerson Modeling Agency that is so bad I can’t even watch it. I know, shocking, right?! Anyway, now there’s a new one called Dieon and Pilar: Prime Time Love. It’ll follow football legend Dieon Sandars, his wife Pilar and their five kids day to day in small town Texas.

The show’s not slated to premiere till April 15th, but there will be a special 22 minute sneak peak, aired without commercial breaks this Sunday during the Superbowl Halftime show. It will be streamed at Oxygen.com as well. So if you want to see a show about “a bigger then life personality that just happens to be a football star” at home, bickering with his wife about helping with the chores – then be sure to tune in for the Sneak Preview.

The sneak preview will be introduced by Harry Kalas, the sportscaster who is the voice-over narrator for NFL Films. On the sneak preview episode, Deion refuses to help with housework because he is too busy working on his football picks for a live radio show. Deion’s wife Pilar issues a challenge that if she can do his radio job just as good as he can, then Deion has to help with the housework. Also, daughter Deiondra has a hot date, and a very over-protective Deion wants to help her get ready. – Reality TV Magazine

So, you think you have what it takes to bare your soul to the world on Reality TV, and face all the things (read: ridicule) that comes with it? Here’s some casting information for shows on the horizon:

Discovery Health: National Body Challenge.

It’s Discovery’s answer to The Biggest Loser, done in week long specials, and they’re currently casting for their next couples. The last special showed Twins and their struggle to get down to size. Now they’re looking for people to star in the 2009 National Body Challenge. If you are:

* Mother/Daughter
* Father/Son
* Coworkers
* Or, people who need to lose over 100 pounds

Then they’re looking for you! Each person/team is provided with a professional weight loss program, gym membership and personalized 1on1 instruction with physicians, nutritionists and fitness experts before they share their story with us. See the website to apply!

The Mole is back!

Contestants compete in challenges, all the while trying to figure out who, among them, is the Mole – someone there to sabotage their efforts to win money. A game of paranoia and competitiveness at it’s best – can YOU figure out who the Mole is before the contestants do? Each episode sees the contestants deciding who they think the Mole is (Often changing many times during the show – and sometimes during the episode!) and learning as much as possible about that person. They are tested on their knowledge at the end of the episode, and the person who knows the least about The Mole is eliminated until the finale where the Mole is revealed and the Winner gets a bunch’o'cash. Check out the site to apply!

America’s Got Talent - back for round Three!

That’s right, everyone’s favorite asshole, Piers Morgan and his crew of judges will be on hand to decide if American’s have a marketable talent. That’s the key there, kids – Piers is all about the marketing! But – anyone with any talent can apply for this old time smorgasboard of wacky and legit talented people. You can pre-register here, and then show up at the following two open calls.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
Wednesday, January 30
Doubletree Hotel
315 4th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37219

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
Saturday, February 2
The Blake Hotel
555 S McDowell St
Charlotte, NC 28204

More to be announced soon!

My son has friends.
Friends who DRIVE.
Friends who drive CARS.
Friends who drive CARS that were parked in my driveway that I had to call the house and say “get the hell outa my parking spot, boyo!” so that I could pull into my driveway.

Boys.
That Drive.

A boy who when they asked if they could walk into Holiday I said with a straight face “Why don’t you drive?”

*blinks*
I am not OLD enough for this shit!

So today, I am the cool mom. I can tell this because the Boy has a friend over (the afore mentioned driver of the El Camino in my driveway), and the Girl has THREE friends over, and also I have Buglet too. I went and got junk food to feed them with, thus cementing my “cool mom” status.

I am, however, VERY lucky and grateful because my kids have GREAT friends. The core group of buddies they’ve chosen are all really good kids, and I don’t mind having them hanging around at all.

Even if they’re old enough to drive.
El Caminos.
And park them in my driveway.
Which only reminds me that MY son will be 16 in a few weeks.

*groans*