Front Porch Friday

If you missed last week's intro, click here for the scoop.

In honor of the beginning of fall this week, I'm sharing some pics that I took on a fall day trip excursion with a roommate a few years ago. It's amazing that 45 minutes outside the city, we found a beautiful orchard and scenic vineyards.

We went Apple pickin'....

Pumpkin Shopping...

and Wine Drinking!

Dancing Recap

Maybe it's the gloomy tone in Washington this week with the economic crisis and Congress finally realizing they need to get something done before adjourning tomorrow. Or maybe it's the nasty presidential political games. Or even more likely, maybe it's because there are only 3 games left in the Braves season, but I haven't been able to think of anything positive to blog about! Work has been busier than usual and to make it worse, I have to work this weekend.

But enough of my pity party.

I turn to the always faithful, TV. With the exception of Gossip Girl, I haven't been glued to the tube like I thought I would be this week. But one highlight for me was Dancing With The Stars. Thanks to TiVo, I watched 5 hours worth of this show's marathon 3 night premier week in only 2 hours last night. It made me laugh and forget about the worries of the world. And that's the goal of TV, right? I haven't watched every season of the show, but I was a fan the two seasons that Apolo Ohno and Emmit Smith won. If you're not tuning in and are looking for a light hearted, fun show to watch, I highly recommend it! If you're interested and missed the first week, click here for a recap.

CHEERS- My favs after week 1:
Cloris Leachman - 82 years old and still moving, also she's hilarious.
Chef Rocco DiSpirito- He has so much heart!
Brooke Burke- She's had 4 kids and looks like that?
Warren Sapp- Smooth moves.
Lance Bass- Surprisingly fun to watch.
Misty May-Treanor- You can tell she's a fierce competitor, even out of her element.

BOOOOO- Least favs:
Susan Lucci- She's way too skinny and her self proclaimed "perfectionist" personality was annoying to me.
Kim Kardashian- I still don't understand why she's famous and why we're supposed to care about her. She was not impressive.

Is anyone else watching? What did you think?

Happy Fall

The day has finally come! The official start of the new fall TV season!

The Emmy Award Show last night was the perfect pep rally for all the new TV starting this week. I did NOT enjoy the host format of the last night's show. They had 5 different hosts- the nominees for the first ever category of Best Reality Show Host. The "reveal" of the winner of this category was clever and funny though. They took a combination of the catch phrases from each of the reality shows and even made the hosts sweat it out over a commercial break before they announced the winner.

30 Rock and Mad Men were the big winners. I was glad to see John Adams (HBO) win Best Miniseries and Paul Giamatti, who played John Adams, win Best Actor in a Miniseries. John Adams is lengthy, but totally worth watching if you enjoy history or learning about the founding of our country!

I've wanted to watch Mad Men, but missed the first season so I'm adding it to my Netflix list.

Book Review

I finished The Late Bloomer's Revolution by Amy Cohen. I've noticed a trend in the type of books I've been reading, so the next one will be branching out! This book was quite similar to the last book I read, Girls in Trucks. It was another story about a girl finding her way in the world. The difference being, it mainly takes place in NYC and the book is a memoir, so the events actually happened. I wanted it to end about 50 pages sooner, but I did enjoy it. The book did have a lot of parallels with Sex in the City, in a darker, less glam way. AKA- REALITY.


This is why you won't be surprised there are reports that Sarah Jessica Parker is going to star in the movie version of this book. Should be interesting! The movie has potential.

This would be a good book if you're going through a break-up, or at some other crossroads in your life! On the Sweet Tea Scale- I give it a 3...Aight. It'd be a 4 if I related more to the character and what she was going through.

Speaking of SJP, Sex in the City is out on DVD TOMORROW! I can't wait to watch it again sometime soon.

From My Front Porch

Front Porch Fridays

I'm introducing a new weekly feature of the blog called Front Porch Fridays.

Quick background: The title is inspired by the men in my family who truly are "men of few words." I have distinct memories from my childhood of my grandfather sitting on his front porch enjoying his coffee and looking out at the lake- watching boats pass, fish jump, squirrels scurry, leaves fall, and seasons change. When we were all around on special occasions, we would enjoy his delicious homemade vanilla ice cream. From their front porch, I remember the porch swing, lighting bugs, and peaceful summer nights. (I did not grow up in Mayberry, but as I'm writing this, it sure does sound like it!)

So in honor of these fond memories, I'll share a photo of the week to reflect, provoke discussions, or just bring a smile at the end of the busy week. There will typically be few words, just quick captions or summaries of what you're seeing. So if you were sitting on my front porch, you'd see the weekly snapshots that I post.

Since there are only a few days left of summer, I decided to post several pictures reflecting my Summer. I took a day trip to Annapolis 4th of July weekend, went to the beach at the Isle of Palms, and of course- the big wedding!

Thai Kick

I've been on a Thai kick for the last month or so. There's this cute place near my house called Urban Thai that I've either eaten at or ordered from 5 times in the last month! They have this yummy Penang Chicken dish that I'm obsessed with right now. I know it's not healthy at all since it's a creamy peanut and curry sauce...I don't even want to know the nutritional value! So I was pleased that this week on Hungry Girl's site she featured an alternative Thai dish recipe that's pretty healthy. I have been a serious bum lately about the gym and eating right and have been searching and hoping for some divine inspiration on this matter. I'm hoping that by coming out with it on the blog will help me stay accountable and actually do what I know I need to do! Since I like to cook, and since cooking for yourself is more healthy (and cheaper) than ordering from Urban Thai every other day, I'm going to try the sesame noodle recipe this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out!


I like Hungry Girl's sight because she's a regular gal that has struggled with her weight like most of us. She follows the Weight Watcher's point system, which has been the only thing to work for me when I get serious about loosing weight. I've had the link to HG's sight up on the blog, but wanted to highlight it today if you're looking for a new healthy recipe or want to hear the truth about some of your favorite foods! It's worth a look.

Last Week of Summer!

I've been couped up in a stuffy government conference room for a marathon 8 hour meeting, so this will be short!

Despite loosing Tom Brady last week, it looks like my fantasy team may have some hope after all. It's still really early, but the team pulled out a win thanks to my new QB Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay and a solid performance from the Redskin's Santana Moss. I don't want to toot my own horn since there's a lot of season left, but I moved from 9th to 5th place! Already so much better than last year (knock on wood.)

I can't believe that summer is already over! I've already blogged about how much I heart summer, but I'm actually looking forward to the calm of fall. One good thing about living slightly north is that we actually have 4 distinct seasons. The heat of the deep south sometimes lasts through November! They get the last laugh come March when the flowers are blooming and they're enjoying spring when I have a month left of winter. So this is the only time of year I get to gloat about our nice weather!

I'm off to give the new 90210 another shot...3rd weeks a charm, right?

Enjoy your last week of summertime bliss!

Somber Day

I've been debating whether or not to blog today, and if I do, what should I say?

It's a gray and cloudy afternoon in our nation's capitol. Perhaps a reflection of the mood that 9-11 brings. The anniversary of that infamous day brings so many different emotions. It was a day of fear, sadness, and disbelief. It changed the way Americans think. In some ways, we are still healing and rebuilding.

There is an endless amount of political debate about our country's response to the 9/11 attacks. But today is a day of remembrance and reflection.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of the thousands that lost their lives 7 years ago. Also, my sincere appreciation to all of the brave men and women serving in the military. I am truly humbled by their sacrifice.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I watch a lot of TV. It all started innocently enough with a daily dose of Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street on PBS. Then came The Cosby's, Must See TV and TGIF. In college, I may or may not have scheduled some classes around a few TV shows. TiVo soon followed and now-
I'm devoting an entire blog entry to TV shows.

As fellow TV lovers know, last year was tough with shortened seasons due to the writers strike. After the drought of the strike, we were led right in to the summer rerun season. Miserable.

No more suffering through America's Got Talent (because it really doesn't) and no more channel surfing. The new TV season is upon us! A few shows have already premiered, but most are getting underway in the next few weeks.

In case you're as excited as I am, here's a preview of my upcoming TV watching schedule:

Sundays:
Desperate Housewives on ABC (This show got a little kooky in the last 2 seasons, but started to redeem itself. This season will fast forward 5 years. Sure to be some changes. If nothing else, I want to see a slightly heavier Eva Longoria-Parker!)

Brothers and Sisters on ABC (This is one of my favorites. Just a good 'ole family drama!)

Mondays:
Gossip Girl on CW (Season premiered last week. It's getting good, can't wait to see what senior year has in store for these kids.)

Dancing With the Stars on ABC (I couldn't get in to this last season, but the new lineup looks promising. I'm rooting for the 80 year old, Cloris Leachman!)

Jon and Kate plus 8 on TLC (It never really has an off-season, but those kids are the cutest!)

Worst Week on CBS (I missed the boat on the other CBS sitcoms- they didn't live up to Everybody Loves Raymond. But I may give this one a shot. It's deemed as a Meet the Parents type comedy. We'll see.)

Tuesdays:
90210 on CW (This show has a lot to live up to. The premier was so-so. It made me want to watch the old B.H. 90210 reruns instead of the new show.)

Biggest Loser: Families on NBC (I'm a fair-weathered fan. But when I do tune in, it's inspiring and motivating.)

Law and Order SVU on NBC (An oldie, but goodie! Thanks to SVU marathons, I'm now hooked on this show.)

Wednesdays:
Private Practice on ABC (This started to loose me midway through last season. Maybe these writers really did need a break? I'll give it one more chance.)

Lipstick Jungle on NBC (I had a hard time keeping this one straight while watching Cashmere Mafia around the same time. Lipstick Jungle won out. It's good if you need a Sex in the City type fix.)

Thursdays:
Grey's Anatomy on ABC (To me, it's starting to get old. Hopefully the story line is revived. But I stuck it out through the endless Meredith/McDreamy drama, so I have to see them happy for a few episodes!)

The Office on NBC (Hilarious. It just makes me laugh!)

ER on NBC (Yes, it's still on. It's the last season though and Carter-aka the original Dr. McDreamy- is back.)

Fridays and Saturdays:
Are spent reviving my social life!


Whew. This should certainly scratch my TV itch for now.

Fantasy Frustration

It's official- I have the worst luck when it comes to sports! It all began 2 weeks ago when I couldn't get the fantasy draft application to work. So my team was choosen by automatic draft. I was lucky enough to get the #1 pick in our draft- the computer choose none other than Tom Brady as my first pick. He was injured in the first quarter of Sunday's game and will be out for the season. My team lost by less than 2 points in the season opener. I have some rebuilding to do...

Game On!

Wow. So much is going on. Work is crazy, and the political world has been turned upside down- I can't get enough! I'm definitely suffering from information overload!

I'm trying to stay true to the intent of this blog and not push any kind of political agenda on you. So instead of talking about the energetic and historical Democratic Convention last week, or the surprising and feisty Republican Convention this week, here I am blogging about fantasy football. (Although, for the record, the Game On phrase definitely applies to the presidential campaign as well!)

Now, I'm definitely not the biggest football fan or expert on earth. And after a certain orange-clad college football team lost miserably last weekend after much UNdeserved hype, I don't even have a decent team to root for! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, saving me heartache and disappointment?) my college was without a football team...GO KOALAS! And I have been known to give a certain boyfriend much slack for his obsession with "coaching" his "imaginary" teams. So with such little experience, why would I decide to play fantasy football??!!!

Well if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? My fantasy league, "How to Beat a Guy in 10 Days," is entering it's 3rd season. It was an effort to see what the fantasy football hype was all about, and to have something to talk to the opposite sex about during the months of September-January! As I've come to learn, southern girls know and love their football more than you may think.

My team's name, Pinkisthenewfootball was inspired by a fun blog that I used to read regularly, pinkisthenewblog.com. The first year of fantasy play was a blur. I think I finished in the middle of the pack. Last year started off miserably as I was dead last in our draft. But I fought back hard from last place, and upset a few teams before the end of out season.

This year's draft started out on a better note. I was first in the draft this year and have a good looking team. It should be an interesting year as we try to knock the two-time winning team, QB wears Prada, off her high-horse. (And I mean that in the nicest possible way!)

The season starts tonight, so wish me luck! I have a tough match-up this weekend against New Kid On the Block.