Don't be talking smack about the Muppets

So here's something rediculous and proof that some people just have way too much free time on their hands. Yesterday, the SF Chronicle's website had an article on their website that chronicled a "feud" with the Muppets and Fox News.

About a month ago the "news" station had a seven minute long segment saying that the Muppets were anti-oil because the vilian in the latest (and greatest) movie was a dude called "Tex Richman" who was trying to take down the Muppet Studios cause it was sitting on oil. FOX was bitching that this integral storyline was the liberal media's attempt to brainwash kids and make them think that only successful rich people are vilians. WHAT? This surely isn't the first time that this has happened! Hello any show that chronicles a rich person's problems and proves that some people aren't all sunshine and flowers - ahem Dallas, and they even shot people! And hello Tex Richman wanted to take down the Muppets not just take down their studio. We couldn't help but NOT root against him.

I can understand that they may be upset with Tex Richman's only musical number - definitely the not up to par with the others in the mocie, including the Oscar nominated one - and they want to let them know that that's not ok, I mean really, we could have gone without it. But I highly HIGHLY doubt that Jason Segal sat down one day and decided that his best way to brainwash every child in America is to use the beloved Muppets and create a movie with a oil tycoon as a villian. Yes, it's not just a happy go lucky movie about a group of has-been Muppets and their adventure to get back together. No no. It's a political statement. Psh, yeah right, I think whoever reported that seven minute segment had a little too much time on their hands. OR a vandetta against the Muppets. Either way, it's no good.

http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2012/01/30/muppets-hit-back-at-fox-news-at-press-conference/?tsp=1

Mud Run Training

A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for my first race. But this is no ordinary race, it's the Mud Run. It's a race in what looks to be a vacant field in the valley and it's 3.44 "hellish" miles (or so the website tells us). Throughout the course there are obstacles that are essentially playground equipment based in mud. I really only signing up because Kate and Carly were doing it, but what really sealed the deal was the "beer garden" at the end of the race, but after I signed up, I was thinking about what this would entail, and then it donned on me, I really don't appreciate being muddy, so this should be interesting.

Last week, Carly and I decided that we should start training since it's April 21, and time is flying, so we said that this week (today) we would go on a run and then stop at the playground by our house to do some circuit training. So after a quick run, we landed at Clifford and surveyed our surrounding. We decided doing 3 sets of: stairs, climbing up this 4 foot rock step "wall" that had a chain to latch on to, climb down a chain-rope-ladder, then hop over to a 10 foot wall that was concave on one side and convex on the other so we were going to climb up and over, then doing a few pull ups, and concluding at the spider web thing that we were going to climb up and over (and yes these are the correct names).

We took a deep breath at the bottom of the stairs and we ran up, thinking oh this will be a breeze. We got to our first obstacle and then that's where we were slapped to reality. First, I grabbed onto the chain and hoisted myself up (or at least attempted to) and was stuck in a 45 degree angle for a second, not knowing what to do. Then when we got to the chain-rope-ladder, I didn't properly gage the distance between the ledge and the first step so that was a drop that was much farther then originally intended. We ran over to the "wall" so I climbed up with all my might, ready to climb up and over, but once we got to the top, Carly and I both stopped, not knowing what to do next. Just leaning over so that we could see the other side's ground seemed to be close enough for government work so we scurried back down (we'll save the climbing over for further in our training). We then reached the pull up bar and that was a joke. We said we would just jump up and see how long we can stay up and do then do it again and move on. On three, we jumped and we no sooner lifted our feet off the ground then they landed back on the ground. Probably half a second (and that's being generous). So brush it off, and attempt again, and sadly, the second time wasn't much better either, but thats something we can work up to so moving on. We then ended up at our final obstacle (the spider web) and as we got towards the top, I looked down and thought damn this is high and I don't really want to fall so I kept moving to the right, which was when Carly caught on to my strategy. We thought it would be best (and probably safer) to just go around in a circle rather than cheat death and climb up and over.

I'd like to say that we got better each time, but it was not by much. Although the pull ups did improve a tad - I sounded like a female tennis player while I was trying to stay up for longer than a half a second but it surprisingly did work! And we moved around the wall pretty efficiently the last time, but still no up and overs.

We thought we had some good base training and we'll be rolling like big shots probably the day before the race. But everyone has to start training somewhere and hey, we tackled some key hand-eye-foot-coordination basics.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!

Today is Kate's birthday, (yes the Kate that I used to write, "Dear Kate" to on the blog, which come to think of it, don't be surprised if that makes a comeback). But since she's turning the big 2-5 today, and she's a loyal blog follower, I had to give her a birthday blog shout out, with one of our first photos from my first "real" trip to Chico back in 2005. For anyone who's keeping track, that was the trip when Carly threw a camera at me and I caught it with my eye. It lead to the fracturing of my zygomatic arch (yes that is a real thing and it hurt, thank you very much). But that's another story. But we were such babies!!

And this next one was from this fall, I believe at Julia and Jeremy's engagement party but about 6 years later.

She may not like these photos being posted, but I don't care. :o) Happy Birthday KATE!!!

A Day Behind...

I've been slacking on the blog this week, so let's start out the week right. with kudos and boos, a day late...

Kudos to the 49ers. As a bandwagon fan, I must say, I was sweating bullets for this second to last round of playoff game. By the end of the first quarter, the niners were kicking ass and taking names and I was wondering how the Saints had made it as far as they did. But as you are always taught to never assume (assume nothing, trust no one), the Saints came back and that's when it got stressful. I was closing my eyes more than I was during Girl with the Dragon Tatoo movie and cursing players that I just learned their names. But, the last quarter was amazing, and the last 2 minutes and 30 seconds was fantastic--almost like a movie! If you were to take a quick bathroom break you could have missed a touchdown. But in my opinion, and I am not saying this bc I am a bandwagon fan, the 49ers should win it just because of those last few minutes. Also Alex Smith and Vernon Davis are superstars!

Boos to the Italian cruise ship that ran aground on Friday. I am not really sure how the boat could hit the ground and still tip over like it did, or how a massive cruise ship could hit ground in gerenal, especially just a few hours after leaving port, but so sad.

Kudos to Ricky Gervais's stand up job hosting the Golden Globes. I thought he was awesome last year and was stoked that he did it again this year. He had some good hits early on--sorry Kim K, but you were a likely target--and managed to do it with a touch of class (a glass of beer whenever he went on stage). I'm never really crazy about hosts for award shows because sometimes they're just not funny, ergo the shows that forgo the hosts all together. But, the Globes hit a homerun last year with him, so it only made sense that they would go with Ricky again, and he was great!

Boos to Ricky Gervais's red suit. At first glance, it's not the best, but still could work. Then probably around the beginning of hour three, he lost his jacket. Still potentially workable, but then he turned around. So if you didn't see it, it was a burgandy suit with a black shirt, but the back of the vest was silver. I think i said "WHOA!" I didn't see that one coming and you know I don't think I wanted to.

Kudos to the Thursday night lineup on NBC. After a holiday hiatus, they switched some of the scheduling around and my god they came back with a vengence. . First, 30 Rock came back after an extra long summer vacation and while I thought they were getting a little lame at the end of last year, they brought it back this year. I mean, who doesn't love Tracy Jordan or Liz Lemon? THEN, perhaps my new fave show, Parks and Rec was on and I was laughing out loud it was so entertaining. Then, there was the Office. One that I've said has lost its touch in recent seasons, but I am still a devoted watcher. Well, this episode hit it out of the park. Any scene with Kevin was goldne. Then they wrapped up the night with Up All Night--another one of my new faves. In my opinion, NBC has always had their act together on Thursday nights (Friends at 8:00, anyone?) and they still got it.

Boos to this brief Kudos and Boos but I worked tomorrow and I am tired, so leave me alone.

Hopefully better luck this week with blogging!

Kudos and Boos 2012

Let's start the year off with some Kudos and Boos...

Kudos to VK! Today is her birthday and she crossed the "quarter of a century" threshold! We celebrated on Friday night with Happy Hour at the Office and some bocce ball. I taught a quick bocce lesson to the group and VK was rolling like a big shot (no pun intended) and played like a pro. She brought our team to victory! I say it was my stellar teaching skills, others say she was lying that she was a novice. I choose to believe the former.

Boos to the latest celebrity baby name, and boy is this one a doosy...or should I say girl since that's what Beyonce had this weekend. I had high hopes for this baby name, with parents as slick as Beyonce and Jay-Z, how could they go wrong? Well they managed to in my opinion. I was hoping that their first baby name would be something along the lines of Brad Pitt's baby name, Knox, which had a certain "badass" effect. Unfortunately, the name "Blue Ivy" just doesn't have that. I understand that the middle name has personal attachments, which is all fine and good, but you really lost me at the first name. Colors are colors, people!

Kudos to 2012 Goals. With 2012 in full swing, as well as Deprive Yo'Self 2012, it's so far so good. Just one week into the new year, I've managed to take my vitamins on a daily, hit the gym, and I promise today I will start blogging and reading more (damn you Netflix Watch Instantly and How I Met Your Mother!). But week two is really the test. You're past the "I need to remember to do this and that" and not so much at "it's a bonafide habit" so it can be touch and go. This is what separates the goals from the resolutions. (Sidebar: I don't believe in or like the word resolution. It has more of a "temporary" tone whereas a goal is something you strive for, and so I made a list of 2012 goals that are all achievable. And I know what you're thinking, but yes, there is totally a difference.) Let's see how this week goes.

Boos to Deprive Yo'Self 2012. It's just so much easier to treat! The first week was a necessary "cleanse" although it was super annoying, I was hungry most of the week, and some say I wasn't in the best mood--I tell them they're ridiculous and demand they get out of my face--but each day will be a little easier. I hope.

Kudos to iPhone 4S. Apple's done it again. Yesterday I picked up my new phone and it's love at first sight. Who knew technology could come so far in just three years. Apple continues to amaze me and I am still not sure what's going on since we're still in that "honeymoon" stage, but so far, so good.

Boos to the world's most terrifying movie preview, "The Devil Inside" AND for America making it the #1 movie this weekend. When I first saw the preview, well, I should say, when I first saw the first 10 seconds of the preview, I knew it wasn't going to be a Julie movie. In fact, just hearing the preview, with my eyes squeezed shut, still gave me chills. A "documentary" style movie about exorcism? Psh. I'd rather run around in circles for 2 hours. And yes, I would be able to run around for 2 hours. I am pretty sure I could pretend I was running from the possessed freak I saw in the first 10 seconds of the preview as inspiration.

Here's to a quick week!

The End of 2011...

As I am sure you've noticed, there has been a lull in my blog postings. I was out of town and then I was just too tired. And rather than try and play massive catch up and bore you to death with all details pertaining to Bonino craziness, I thought I'd just hit some highlights...

1. The Bonino's cruised through Christmas! This was the first time we've ever been with the extended Bonino's for Christmas day AND not to mention were on a BOAT! At first, it didn't really feel like Christmas, seeing as we were in Mexico where the sun was shining, and usually when we're in San Carlos, I don't believe it's Christmas until we hit Christmas Eve mass at 4:00. However, this year we were at midnight mass, on a BOAT. The whole experience was definitely different, and I have never had such an action packed Christmas...breakfast at 8:30 (although Mickey slacked on his wakeup calls that morning so I wasn't exactly my most delightful before breakfast, thanks for nothing, Mouse!), Gingerbread house making at 10, Movie Line Trivia at 11, War Horse at noon (which was when my Bloody Mary from breakfast hit me so I took a little snoozy-doozy) then we had to pack before dinner, and then before we knew it, the day was done! I'll tell you one thing, no matter where you are, Christmas always sails by (no pun intended).

2. Treat Yo'Self 2011. What started out as referencing a hilarious episode of Parks and Rec, spawned into a daily quoting session and recurring theme throughout the trip, most notably, we took it upon ourselves to eat everything in plain sight. Not usually one to grab that creme brule when you're already stuffed the the gills? Treat Yo'Self. Not sure if you should have that pre-dinner snack? Treat Yo'Self. Not typically a fan of three course meals? Get over it and treat yo'self. Surely, you catch my drift. And of course that didn't just end on the boat, we kept that theme going all week and decided to carry it out through the end of 2011. Which was a perfect segway for Deprive Yo'Self 2012 but I'll save that for another blog post.

3. Call me an LA native. After the cruise, we decided to stay down in LA for a couple of extra days for a few reasons, we had an Italian relative in town from the motherland and we still hadn't had enough of each other. So we got to play tourist and get to do all of the fun things that we don't usually have time for when we're just down there for a weekend. For example, we finally watched the wedding video (I've been dying to see it since July 3), go to our fave places to eat (in keeping with the Treat Yo'Self theme), do some more shopping and even got to spend part of Maria's birthday with her where we went to this delicious place in La Cresenta and indulged in Apple Oat Cakes. Perhaps the most delicious things on the planet. Lisa was finally able to get to and from the freeway without asking which lane to be in!

4. Celebrity Sightings. Notice the plural on that? That's right, between Lady Di, Lisa and I we spotted three, count them three, celebrities. On Tuesday, as Lady Di was with "Fearless Leader" Maria, Annie and Sylvia (the Italian relative) and were in Venice Beach and decided to stop in at a bakery and spotted none other than...Lindsay Lohan. Sadly I cannot claim this sighting, so moving on...THEN, the next day, we were walking up Melrose and stopped in at Urban Outfitters and Lisa recognized the dad on Wizards of Waverly Place, I stared him down to which he probably thought I was some crazy beezy, but when I was skeptical, Lisa confrimed it with his IMDB photo. Point Lisa! And finally, we were leaving the movies on Thursday night in the heart of Hollywood and as we were in the car, Tom ever so nonchalantly was able to spot Dominic Monahan, the guy from Lost and Lord of the Rings. Also, Nonni's neighbor although strange that we didn't see him in his natural habitat. But, who cares, 2 celebs...Yeah ya!

5. NYE...Who knew we were trendy? I didn't. Last year we went up to the city and did the party at SF City Hall, which was fun, but this year we wanted to do something a little low key so we thought, what about the Saddle Rack that's out in Fremont? So we got two hotel rooms at the lovely Hilton Newark/Fremont but earlier in the day, we found out that the Saddle Rack was SOLD OUT. What? How can that be? Then, when we were checking in, we found out the hotel was booked solid! You could have knocked me over with a feather. But the night was super fun, we got there at 9 so at 10:30 we thought, how can it not be past midnight yet? But, we rang in 2012 and were ready to peace out at 12:15, so it was the perfect amount of time. A solid way to ring in the new year!

So that's essentially it in a nutshell. And now on to 2012....