tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71323744158024738752024-02-18T23:22:17.058-08:00dellagoodpinarichdellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-9523003257465230552009-07-22T21:12:00.000-07:002009-07-22T22:05:02.544-07:00When a Bargain......comes dangerously close to being a crime!!<br /><br />So if you know me at all, you know I love shopping and I especially love DEALS. About two weeks ago I discovered great one -- a great big pair of beautiful, dangly, turquoise Amrita Singh earrings. Here they are in coral:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHulfd42B35frg1ec4mkbUH27y7PiNtE4SFdskJJDpwxR42zGnNLUgnnvjcMNamxl4PbfiQjeWQOhhxb_fVxSEOOAnbqE1RoatCLaKVPXRY9WjJSrrjPvIjA47Ye-DsgNhHseVw6b_kg/s1600-h/coral.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHulfd42B35frg1ec4mkbUH27y7PiNtE4SFdskJJDpwxR42zGnNLUgnnvjcMNamxl4PbfiQjeWQOhhxb_fVxSEOOAnbqE1RoatCLaKVPXRY9WjJSrrjPvIjA47Ye-DsgNhHseVw6b_kg/s400/coral.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361514637420073922" /></a><br /><br />These normally cost about $120. I would never pay $120 for a pair of earrings.<br /><br />In fact, I rarely wear earrings of any kind. I like them, I just never wear them. (This will become relevant soon enough.) But these were so pretty I stopped to look. When I saw they were marked down to $22, I was very intrigued! Then I realized I had a $10 gift credit, making these fabulous babies nearly 90% off!! So I made them mine.<br /><br />Fast forward to tonight. I was meeting my buddy Rick for dinner in Venice. The evening started out on a few sour notes: I was stuck at work, so I was pretty late. My stomach was upset all day. I cussed directly into the face of a fellow driver who stole my parking spot, then immediately felt bad when he and his friend both looked so sincere in thanking me for it. I found a meter, but only had two dimes and two nickels.<br /><br />But then Rick and I had a delicious dinner at Via Veneto and everything was sunshiney again. I was giving him a lift back to his office when I saw blue and red lights... uh oh... I looked in my rearview and saw:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKRmKGLOZZCsSB8N5tTc4CajgyOnlozz5aaImxhJM_D3RWncwp7qOvvUTCr3-uBfOQ-SGVdovGNkHq7jLV1LTkineEhHyTvOKRzJ9gdAr2yRO__9lVhND92i8KK_uKBRaZffs69Cqag/s1600-h/popo3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKRmKGLOZZCsSB8N5tTc4CajgyOnlozz5aaImxhJM_D3RWncwp7qOvvUTCr3-uBfOQ-SGVdovGNkHq7jLV1LTkineEhHyTvOKRzJ9gdAr2yRO__9lVhND92i8KK_uKBRaZffs69Cqag/s400/popo3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361511748031491106" /></a><br /><br />Yeah, okay, it wasn't those exact three cops. It was just one and he was not on a Strike Team, nor did he seem corrupt. But he told me he was pulling me over for two reasons.<br /><br />"One, you didn't stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. And two, the bigger problem, you had your cell phone to your ear."<br /><br />Rick and I yelled in unison: NUH UH!!!<br /><br />The cop seemed a little surprised. He made me show him my call log and saw that my most recent phone transaction was a missed call from Larry at 7:12 pm (I'll call you back later, Lar). Since it was now 7:53, it was clear that I was not lying. But still, he said he was certain he saw me holding something to my ear.<br /><br />He left us to go back to his car and check his magic all-knowing dashboard-mounted computer doohickey to see if my license was current and that I wasn't wanted for drug smuggling, kidnapping or making cats smoke lighted cigars (it's illegal in Illinois). Rick and I spent the time trying to figure out what he could have mistaken for my cell phone.<br /><br />Then I realized it -- my new earrings, that I'd worn the day before, had made my poor, fresh earlobes so sore that I'd been rubbing them all day today! I am sure that's what Officer Vic Mackey saw me doing, and thus assumed I had a phone in my hand.<br /><br />He returned with my license and registration and told me to "be careful" then sent me on my way. Whew!!!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b_DDmnIUI_AymAAFCYtx_OWfJOopEuuus7gIWnNzOBGLj5vC5lw1D6Ph4jf3Gosy6pJhiWs7CounDHG_vjuYdBIMcl22rcxR3A4q4vNm9-iQbyRygbCo_z26DBgPvYH_CrbfKDnvLg/s1600-h/waltong.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b_DDmnIUI_AymAAFCYtx_OWfJOopEuuus7gIWnNzOBGLj5vC5lw1D6Ph4jf3Gosy6pJhiWs7CounDHG_vjuYdBIMcl22rcxR3A4q4vNm9-iQbyRygbCo_z26DBgPvYH_CrbfKDnvLg/s400/waltong.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361516719895916850" /></a><br /><br />On an unrelated note, I cannot let the Emmy nominations come and go without saying something. WALTON. GOGGINS. WAS. ROBBED. This is not subjective. This is not a matter of opinion. This is a bottom line fact, and it's really, really rotten. The fact that the Shield got nothing is ludicrous enough, but maybe understandable since it was so under-appreciated in its time (but oh, yay for that piece of crap Grey's Anatomy). The fact that Walton Goggins was ignored is just shameful. If you voted for the Emmys, you owe Walton an apology.dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-17039027455854529452009-02-08T10:09:00.001-08:002009-02-08T10:15:22.140-08:00Two gorgeous babesAren't they both so handsome?? This is Brian and his adorable, brand new nephew Luke. So sweet!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoaEIQh526YXdqcw90nA33z7JGQ-2XtpsCieqiPNG6bigFJF0jPyv8gjKfcatsB6ziSC-geKRwBhzuxGf-DmFoVrFcXatbn3nDz__GYr3dKzhZwd8DeMdHdaPDOAThDea690OUOxhjQ/s1600-h/BrianandLuke.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoaEIQh526YXdqcw90nA33z7JGQ-2XtpsCieqiPNG6bigFJF0jPyv8gjKfcatsB6ziSC-geKRwBhzuxGf-DmFoVrFcXatbn3nDz__GYr3dKzhZwd8DeMdHdaPDOAThDea690OUOxhjQ/s400/BrianandLuke.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300490406426345490" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-52231394255312790172008-11-30T16:52:00.000-08:002008-12-01T11:32:52.100-08:00Don't forget your passportIt's almost Christmas! Okay, it's not even December for a few more hours, but it feels like Christmas. But this update starts wayyyyyyyyyy back at Halloween. So much to report!<br /><br />We spent Halloween at our friend Kelly's new apartment. She made disgusting (yet delicious) snacks like dirt pudding with worms, edible eyeballs, and all kinds of other great things. Our "costume" was "NO ON 8" (plus I added some giant feather eyelashes, just for kicks).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoXnXHo02O4TURgNywNlY4XoHIgKjV8sFgumVsC3VZmvsL-cs7Pgv7GeaPy3AnJd-zIZKgpl-lTZN9vlSTfcblp0mYzqF6Sho0L31enx3a2G5LBh_5UTwZ6xPjVvEcDFIs1SDWZ-mOQ/s1600-h/HalloweenNoOn8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoXnXHo02O4TURgNywNlY4XoHIgKjV8sFgumVsC3VZmvsL-cs7Pgv7GeaPy3AnJd-zIZKgpl-lTZN9vlSTfcblp0mYzqF6Sho0L31enx3a2G5LBh_5UTwZ6xPjVvEcDFIs1SDWZ-mOQ/s320/HalloweenNoOn8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274619545856700210" border="0"></a><br /><br />The following weekend, our friends Betty and Tom drove up from Ramona for a weekend visit. We had a great time, since they share our passions: eating, drinking, and traveling. If only they were professional fly fishers! Brian would be in heaven. Anyway we covered a lot of ground while they were here.<br /><br />We had dinner at our old favorite, Boa Steakhouse. We spotted this guy in a cozy corner booth! He looked a little less perturbed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEPe7GPIQ-fCtG2582bEvqRAbL6bFToHVkQWw-4imkmFt-Pqnj9cDoz-spVY3xSAoT1v_0iG3ZU3zJHhVnib9oBcD0BIRwUlBRSUgBKlRNe3SfpuTrC-F7khQTGaHid2Yiv05bnIYRQ/s1600-h/ld.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEPe7GPIQ-fCtG2582bEvqRAbL6bFToHVkQWw-4imkmFt-Pqnj9cDoz-spVY3xSAoT1v_0iG3ZU3zJHhVnib9oBcD0BIRwUlBRSUgBKlRNe3SfpuTrC-F7khQTGaHid2Yiv05bnIYRQ/s320/ld.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274622936614424290" border="0"></a><br /><br />As usual, when it was time to order dessert, Brian got one for himself, and the rest of us split one! Betty, Tom and I had a mountain of raspberry cotton candy. Who pays $10 for cotton candy?! We do, I guess! Brian had a couple of decadent chocolate chip cookies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihViOTjLN8pCSp1KyvqQvD7j_eicHTFoS4XipU4XsM05fN9-M0F3cGnk0HVLSEmOkzqyCjWzFk2-RF4CKLP1DkK-KtBI1KpsRyrJPsX0XN-Bp8apcNaI4bewCmBpHkBPld_dsiiRxVqQ/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihViOTjLN8pCSp1KyvqQvD7j_eicHTFoS4XipU4XsM05fN9-M0F3cGnk0HVLSEmOkzqyCjWzFk2-RF4CKLP1DkK-KtBI1KpsRyrJPsX0XN-Bp8apcNaI4bewCmBpHkBPld_dsiiRxVqQ/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274622333722936962" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIeH46ldBHlnDXAB7U7gnmwBxnOKKhg6nfSffKxjeU9FrecJbtBaRozNlgYfSQXyrElWwsG4p3wFZmGUKIYJkeXsDvH7HqEqiI5w9HLIwDwNOknAGoXewXFayiq0YBU65EzKNmAlGlg/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIeH46ldBHlnDXAB7U7gnmwBxnOKKhg6nfSffKxjeU9FrecJbtBaRozNlgYfSQXyrElWwsG4p3wFZmGUKIYJkeXsDvH7HqEqiI5w9HLIwDwNOknAGoXewXFayiq0YBU65EzKNmAlGlg/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274622343871339778" border="0"></a><br /><br />We took a nice group shot outside after dinner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJWCoKrb4Q0LzoWUnd-4N9hfDVvAdy_aP0yt6mfdThQOFsRlQX51NkdOI0kxA38n4-BHfKXor8nqXHjJ3P_DMkCUUtRztIpAbBDdDL2c2gNplMtc057ka0LMPJwPgCqFlIX8OiGB8Mg/s1600-h/008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJWCoKrb4Q0LzoWUnd-4N9hfDVvAdy_aP0yt6mfdThQOFsRlQX51NkdOI0kxA38n4-BHfKXor8nqXHjJ3P_DMkCUUtRztIpAbBDdDL2c2gNplMtc057ka0LMPJwPgCqFlIX8OiGB8Mg/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274624102244454482" border="0"></a><br /><br />The pic didn't include my new Wolford tights -- they are so cute, and I got such a GREAT deal on them (about 50% off, yeah baby), I really wanted to show 'em off -- so I took one myself. Oh, also those shoes are Pollini, marked down to $80 from $575 -- das right! The toes are scuffed so badly because I was texting while walking, and tripped on a parking hump. Lesson: Do not text while moving in any manner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Zo0AoedOJyrCh6xidu59rve9aso3he-ICp7NxpyBN7dD1bMTiQYFELnSslHkoBNBK1YO8czVSUxZtGI7SjW66qPBcRq6oo5w2gx2TCVu81UoUk1dDKyMqHiZnrkHVSsT7iZsp50K0g/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Zo0AoedOJyrCh6xidu59rve9aso3he-ICp7NxpyBN7dD1bMTiQYFELnSslHkoBNBK1YO8czVSUxZtGI7SjW66qPBcRq6oo5w2gx2TCVu81UoUk1dDKyMqHiZnrkHVSsT7iZsp50K0g/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274624104198363218" border="0"></a><br /><br />As if we hadn't spoiled ourselves enough, we had Sunday brunch at Gordon Ramsay's at the London West Hollywood. Ooooeeee, it was great. Yes, I said "ooooeeee"! The sommelier matched everyone's dessert to a specific wine, and they were all crazy good. We were going to drink a toast to our grapefruit coulis, but Brian couldn't wait and started in on his pear tart.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73tmT79Dw9lEnyVOwOYt7INuDOHBFDpVDHWNwPQ5PjuJkstqtVs5T-pJkDWdpRxrcKayNTGEvWiQRCWkqgHgpSr3wZKIKat3deG8Xu4A6YNxHyVgOK1AFe40BbpwN5FvJX6X7exKkhQ/s1600-h/010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73tmT79Dw9lEnyVOwOYt7INuDOHBFDpVDHWNwPQ5PjuJkstqtVs5T-pJkDWdpRxrcKayNTGEvWiQRCWkqgHgpSr3wZKIKat3deG8Xu4A6YNxHyVgOK1AFe40BbpwN5FvJX6X7exKkhQ/s320/010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274625331345338722" border="0"></a><br /><br />We did some dogsitting for our friend Kim -- we had Yeti (schnauzer) and Amber (shar-pei/pit bull mix). Thankfully Betty and Tom are dog-friendly because Amber drooled all over their bed! Otherwise, she was a doll, although she did eat a tennis ball and it was... uh... unpleasant when it made its way back out. As for Yeti, You may recall our beloved squirrels? Well they got Yeti's attention. But oddly enough, he didn't freak out and try to eat them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwPEsPrgOiKAAE-ETUiFmrpbQQkpGELBQ2bwxK321XieIcba5EAMpL9dF0GMfnx2CjihIh_VWNaA60YGVlMlNs_8iFp_uuj4fmlSGUocv42BSXJY1O-UpSbMvvYUuPZ7a-opyDHr1bg/s1600-h/YetiAmber.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwPEsPrgOiKAAE-ETUiFmrpbQQkpGELBQ2bwxK321XieIcba5EAMpL9dF0GMfnx2CjihIh_VWNaA60YGVlMlNs_8iFp_uuj4fmlSGUocv42BSXJY1O-UpSbMvvYUuPZ7a-opyDHr1bg/s400/YetiAmber.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274643566762118866" /></a><br /><br />Then came our anxiously awaited trip to MEXICO! Now, I have mentioned before that I am the best shopper EVER! Aside from my $1,375 Herve Leger gown for which I paid $35, this is my biggest coup: we got two nights at the utterly gorgeous <a href="http://paraisodelabonita.com/">Paraiso de la Bonita</a> resort for a grand total of $47. Yes, we got change from a 50-dollar bill!! Normally the lowest rate, for the smallest room, in the off season, is $900. But we got a deal through a special promotion from Leading Hotels of the World, to celebrate the year of their founding (1928) -- thus $19.28 per night. But there was a maximum of two nights. Here's what we had to look forward to:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkTYDioo0tipO6mUOQibferVqRN58cD6PeX65d3mZ15pYPsL1eHtdasDKsNq6vK8TufRrh_A3jJ6h01nX1_5KNlYaEPzYEEST4ebKFOqXzAMlNvyCMiE49Ka9lvsR0ADcVd_zIWNnFA/s1600-h/img099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkTYDioo0tipO6mUOQibferVqRN58cD6PeX65d3mZ15pYPsL1eHtdasDKsNq6vK8TufRrh_A3jJ6h01nX1_5KNlYaEPzYEEST4ebKFOqXzAMlNvyCMiE49Ka9lvsR0ADcVd_zIWNnFA/s320/img099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274629094710542610" border="0"></a><br /><br />We had already planned a weekend in Nashville to see my family (they were planning to drive down from Lexington). So we tagged the Mexico trip onto this weekend. The day we were leaving for Mexico, Brian decided to start looking for his passport... and never found it!!!<br /><br />What should I do?!?! Sacrifice the trip and stand by my man?! Go without him and pretend it was terrible, so he won't feel bad?! Uhhhh NO, no, no!! First I helped Brian turn over every single corner of our apartment looking for the passport, then I helped him figure out how to get an emergency passport, then I wished him luck and headed to LAX!<br /><br />WOW!!! This place was PERFECT! The most beautiful, placid, quiet, relaxing place EVER! The staff was wonderful, the "junior suite" was terrific, the food was delicious, the weather was perfect, and the pool and ocean were just what I needed. The place was also very popular with iguanas, and they had parrots on staff to ensure I was awake by 8 a.m.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXxQeikC8CKyPbVC48rUmY9g1lS5H3fTvXmb0qRVnx8jRkfZ8Uit0cyudjel3bUUajtvHop8xSmsP3D-gmLRGvqpqhzOhvwptVYDQVAHSmjZJtJgnMKZ3y08kOPkKubVngxqBV_0M1Q/s1600-h/008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXxQeikC8CKyPbVC48rUmY9g1lS5H3fTvXmb0qRVnx8jRkfZ8Uit0cyudjel3bUUajtvHop8xSmsP3D-gmLRGvqpqhzOhvwptVYDQVAHSmjZJtJgnMKZ3y08kOPkKubVngxqBV_0M1Q/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274634343293614130" border="0"></a><br /><br />Iguana hanging out by the pool<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ51CLNbsPfeYuMgjLRqzW1CRaL4NdZT5POqAdWy1GYSJJRFf3zhfdkFSHXRNaDNgMsTV5k9aMEn5nQhLP4RklrWiVabg-tCEC3nAlvNZfUMcTFCc1ogQCi_fm15aLgF1IFkcpuV-Tmw/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ51CLNbsPfeYuMgjLRqzW1CRaL4NdZT5POqAdWy1GYSJJRFf3zhfdkFSHXRNaDNgMsTV5k9aMEn5nQhLP4RklrWiVabg-tCEC3nAlvNZfUMcTFCc1ogQCi_fm15aLgF1IFkcpuV-Tmw/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274634359009203026" border="0"></a><br /><br />Squeaky little parrot (everyone here says "Bix a bel!" which translates from Mayan to mean "how's your road?" but I couldn't get the parrots to say it!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9ywoc0j-0RPittZncd4BMbCP4snfcLdNx688hGcUF1a4JTwYQOHiHpAARxBm4C_LlBqbbPSiGCEOMW7kgSergq-HquB6OXdBE5LeHsQloIvYeXUzUbijVRehPEEYFkOeG2JcDC9eWQ/s1600-h/008+%282%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9ywoc0j-0RPittZncd4BMbCP4snfcLdNx688hGcUF1a4JTwYQOHiHpAARxBm4C_LlBqbbPSiGCEOMW7kgSergq-HquB6OXdBE5LeHsQloIvYeXUzUbijVRehPEEYFkOeG2JcDC9eWQ/s320/008+%282%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274634346346681954" border="0"></a><br /><br />FINALLY Brian made it! He got his emergency passport, and arrived just in time to hang out in the pool, have dinner, and spend one night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMX9YS56odSlvja5MHzP1bG649IwSgPLcg1__CeIxc0b0-aFEvBIgCU9yhgMG-ew14JEIplYJ3zcw6Llkw7Nki3tvKMppv1O1GtIph6IPGGH2MOzLzZE8clUgiuCwCAM_Bx8bW5tzuNg/s1600-h/015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMX9YS56odSlvja5MHzP1bG649IwSgPLcg1__CeIxc0b0-aFEvBIgCU9yhgMG-ew14JEIplYJ3zcw6Llkw7Nki3tvKMppv1O1GtIph6IPGGH2MOzLzZE8clUgiuCwCAM_Bx8bW5tzuNg/s320/015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274634367782338690" border="0"></a><br /><br />Dinner was absolutely excellent, here we are enjoying our lobster strips and filet mignon with foie gras (which Brian scraped off). Oh and if you're wondering why I'm so red -- well, the sunscreen there was $100! That is DOLLARS, not pesos! So I opted to fry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKV86qiEqSh0Nyt-Phhpx3P6EitFPXlQHKKNd8s2jjEwL_A-4NHChab83aul9C5fuusouQdHBMSaSZ-pzKSAkNrBTfnwVE0VV-HS-WHqim1G1Gwt0412UUMcupC_aQ6ogo3JvTaFFRyA/s1600-h/031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKV86qiEqSh0Nyt-Phhpx3P6EitFPXlQHKKNd8s2jjEwL_A-4NHChab83aul9C5fuusouQdHBMSaSZ-pzKSAkNrBTfnwVE0VV-HS-WHqim1G1Gwt0412UUMcupC_aQ6ogo3JvTaFFRyA/s320/031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274636625293780146" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-qZkmOd21Bl2OpyS8h_NIryTBLr583DrddUe8IUjRekmlMq5ax17KsVOz7_egwkubMCMXDY5h-1LGR7rAz89Bn777HgZC9yEBeNBV8C-ekmusKa_xXcCrH11bWmKwoeoa-gVdcborQ/s1600-h/030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-qZkmOd21Bl2OpyS8h_NIryTBLr583DrddUe8IUjRekmlMq5ax17KsVOz7_egwkubMCMXDY5h-1LGR7rAz89Bn777HgZC9yEBeNBV8C-ekmusKa_xXcCrH11bWmKwoeoa-gVdcborQ/s320/030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274636618867782306" border="0"></a><br /><br />What Mexican dinner would be complete without mariachis?! These guys were *excellent* -- they even had CDs for sale! Here's a very short little video clip for your listening enjoyment!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWEQcmJQNiuCDzgcqcOrVxM6tS4OvW1p1rUcKK7WxZFZlvvN5dUv4x3MJlQvxQHGRWtE23aZH2Pd8St3uBaFp3bOmVbvt8qSxHd_tyxTqpngJcHXYAjUoc11u2bF4wa3__P4lJmTa8w/s1600-h/035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWEQcmJQNiuCDzgcqcOrVxM6tS4OvW1p1rUcKK7WxZFZlvvN5dUv4x3MJlQvxQHGRWtE23aZH2Pd8St3uBaFp3bOmVbvt8qSxHd_tyxTqpngJcHXYAjUoc11u2bF4wa3__P4lJmTa8w/s320/035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274637015890478898" border="0"></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyxx2YrBz7zIlmqg2Aaf9LwgpeB3J-2XnR79AP0ZQIgZGAENkCHmQyTw0Ggkx3zTIfTqOqVvBxqmfnfJCVtcg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />The next day we had snacks by the pool (though a big black bird stole a bunch of our chips!) and snorkeled. We saw a barracuda and an ENORMOUS snapper, but sadly, we don't have an underwater camera (yet).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFXIspJKW1oyBu7Z2_Wt-30WQev52k7I0_-teca-jaSx_ZodoDoOxqANw-N0Fb_WTQFrfPqoe2jhVPZDFDZ2rNfJt-t3C52sQdwTssQnOTMDn23AGUnz15v1GBMZ5VjPhjsXYyKwR4Q/s1600-h/img100.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFXIspJKW1oyBu7Z2_Wt-30WQev52k7I0_-teca-jaSx_ZodoDoOxqANw-N0Fb_WTQFrfPqoe2jhVPZDFDZ2rNfJt-t3C52sQdwTssQnOTMDn23AGUnz15v1GBMZ5VjPhjsXYyKwR4Q/s320/img100.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274637757980225378" /></a><br /><br />Notice the bird with the chip in his beak! (Reminder, you can click on any picture on this blog to view it larger.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVA2a95GS9n7_mFm0epBmGBto4mB-iYD209yXlrK7EA_PoTf9mFyS84PF2OxsqdF0pW5xQxP7VQv-6k6AmXtcgfBi8nVN1Vn6HT3r_V_Z88P5-SGqSgNeZL3QxADud2b19a_LCjar8Q/s1600-h/015+%282%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVA2a95GS9n7_mFm0epBmGBto4mB-iYD209yXlrK7EA_PoTf9mFyS84PF2OxsqdF0pW5xQxP7VQv-6k6AmXtcgfBi8nVN1Vn6HT3r_V_Z88P5-SGqSgNeZL3QxADud2b19a_LCjar8Q/s320/015+%282%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274634377575119698" border="0"></a><br /><br />Alas we had to leave the 90 degree sunshine of Mexico for the 36 degree haze of Nashville... but we had a great time there too!!<br /><br />Here's a photo of Aunt Carmie, Dena, Kelli and Mom in front of the Opry Mills outlet mall. We might as well have slept on mall benches, because we spent a LOT of time (and some money too) here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTjdb_3mDR17wPlpUhz7euBqRceW7_DIW-d0eryRdZeBurX3lPpfxNAMqMREvwcrfVMIPlG6O6pRJ0w3ZOj9akj27FAUtNL1Io5TCgCtLTLgcFwYOzjAdc7aUuV-oKu19eqQygSFmag/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTjdb_3mDR17wPlpUhz7euBqRceW7_DIW-d0eryRdZeBurX3lPpfxNAMqMREvwcrfVMIPlG6O6pRJ0w3ZOj9akj27FAUtNL1Io5TCgCtLTLgcFwYOzjAdc7aUuV-oKu19eqQygSFmag/s320/009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274638762728642578" /></a><br /><br />We also visited the beautiful Opryland Hotel. After 45 minutes of driving around looking for parking (I *refused* to pay $18 for self-parking), I cried uncle and paid even more to have the valet end the misery. He was nice enough to snap a photo of our whole gang.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzbmlm7FoEPAHYZDnCiCynCqQ_R-PbYqIA5s3q9VffxujKTPxQ_h2-TMip36VlMMCKJRiEZN5Hv9ZOD-57ET4ePk1LM2fKXaOLTm70ghiUJo3tjNrLaD2FZ65uGk38d5Mycp3BRWxUQ/s1600-h/021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzbmlm7FoEPAHYZDnCiCynCqQ_R-PbYqIA5s3q9VffxujKTPxQ_h2-TMip36VlMMCKJRiEZN5Hv9ZOD-57ET4ePk1LM2fKXaOLTm70ghiUJo3tjNrLaD2FZ65uGk38d5Mycp3BRWxUQ/s320/021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274639464587607202" /></a><br /><br />While in Nashville, Dena and I celebrated the Steelers win by being weirdos.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcst4w8L1ZtsuqwAPhAqVrq38ZASXRI5dZ-KNyTPtL_IrsSvtBw9gWiM5AeSZLX7Q1lpLVMz74OZ_BDaUXUOodbUPafzFsqlRQ-yQXB2XdnP35so_l_3KZfIqxYc8qtKO-MODnVRZYw/s1600-h/025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcst4w8L1ZtsuqwAPhAqVrq38ZASXRI5dZ-KNyTPtL_IrsSvtBw9gWiM5AeSZLX7Q1lpLVMz74OZ_BDaUXUOodbUPafzFsqlRQ-yQXB2XdnP35so_l_3KZfIqxYc8qtKO-MODnVRZYw/s320/025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274640221942987154" /></a><br /><br />We said goodbye outside of our hotel, and Brian helped my family smash their luggage into their car. Can you believe that even after stuffing every square inch of that poor Prius with newly purchased goodies, they stopped at the Zappos outlet on the way home and bought 14 more pairs of shoes?! Yes these are my people!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76QYIbrDVn5foLFO0oJmMysfKxEtAScKmtHXBw6z-oI02Cm2vIptzGacY4q9CFZXXisTDbF0KCj6b8TBWnLx9MtKImbS8n2zW8wL7-M9wJ37hF93-6QaeoJQbUSDMqiMwYaTNcbQQrA/s1600-h/023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76QYIbrDVn5foLFO0oJmMysfKxEtAScKmtHXBw6z-oI02Cm2vIptzGacY4q9CFZXXisTDbF0KCj6b8TBWnLx9MtKImbS8n2zW8wL7-M9wJ37hF93-6QaeoJQbUSDMqiMwYaTNcbQQrA/s320/023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274640209679685938" /></a><br /><br />I'll end this post with three important thoughts:<br /><br />1. THANK YOU to all 56 (!!!) of our subscribers! We have friends all over the country and some around the world, and it makes us so happy to know that people are actually interested in keeping up with us. We read all of your blogs too (well, I do... I don't think Brian really cares that much about blogging. In fact, I think he oughta write some more of these entries, and if you agree, bug him about it!!) :-)<br /><br />2. RIP, The Shield. You remain the absolute finest television program I have ever seen and I vow that I will continue to spread your gospel far and wide. And if Walton Goggins doesn't get a Best Supporting Actor Emmy, then they might as well stop giving them out. (I'd also like to suggest a new category, Best Supporting Supporting Actor, for David Rees Snell). People, if you have not seen this show, go rent it (starting from the very beginning) RIGHT NOW. If you don't like it, may I suggest instead the 7th Heaven box set?<br /><br />3. If you are ever feeling down (like I was after the Shield finale), you can always revisit this blog to perk yourself up with some hot squirrel-on-squirrel action. Yeahhhhhhhhh....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2qZH0yr0WV00rwLsFi3BkAeY86yfZYceZvp5gM4LtDqufNSPv92HDVQWIIkDKp03how0RiH3wRtI2wAoBnK54SLW-6hdt8cIbdctmiqH7KTdQvYUYa4DMpOgysZYoGmB5wcO8REgcQ/s1600-h/027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2qZH0yr0WV00rwLsFi3BkAeY86yfZYceZvp5gM4LtDqufNSPv92HDVQWIIkDKp03how0RiH3wRtI2wAoBnK54SLW-6hdt8cIbdctmiqH7KTdQvYUYa4DMpOgysZYoGmB5wcO8REgcQ/s400/027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274641993730795298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrpfgDwAGYqMZijCPUVxJXvkxmI_KbhocwTmA49ZiNdYcE5RUi7CTy_5ja0gJVSi5Uc6H-6oe56lrdAFpR1JjOe7wufPGR6w0j8osNsR5QJWwRAsMA5It4WlVClnV-eCSpYYZTJzE-Q/s1600-h/028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrpfgDwAGYqMZijCPUVxJXvkxmI_KbhocwTmA49ZiNdYcE5RUi7CTy_5ja0gJVSi5Uc6H-6oe56lrdAFpR1JjOe7wufPGR6w0j8osNsR5QJWwRAsMA5It4WlVClnV-eCSpYYZTJzE-Q/s400/028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274641817473028914" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-84970691994332586862008-11-03T18:48:00.000-08:002008-11-03T18:51:20.882-08:00And...Remember a few posts back, I showed you the wildlife that inhabits the tree outside our balcony? Well Brian gave the little guy a nut.<br /><br />Now we can't get rid of him! And he's getting aggressive!! AND he's bringing friends!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLm1CgKTiHYlN84hmnRNemCyuBY1dUdASNATN1DOTzPEtu61eC5424z7tw4VQ9WiMQzxwRj1HirU_TJFniquqUM_Cze5GnSBGo5LJGCij-yEFFK4N0vlVzDcS8lNi6L2ZfdaERJR_fwA/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLm1CgKTiHYlN84hmnRNemCyuBY1dUdASNATN1DOTzPEtu61eC5424z7tw4VQ9WiMQzxwRj1HirU_TJFniquqUM_Cze5GnSBGo5LJGCij-yEFFK4N0vlVzDcS8lNi6L2ZfdaERJR_fwA/s320/006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264629227816453250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjNbq_TsDf-eEcd2sr8Gt_dhcIu7S5undYk1OIUPrjA82ZKIhAgP-WDwXJAM0oF7wZfTqSwMV8vjPlwh6NlvDQAQ9ycFN5FJYFwDmk-LsohvJpDoDaX9YkZKuqRl97ktUaE4gFoJQNg/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjNbq_TsDf-eEcd2sr8Gt_dhcIu7S5undYk1OIUPrjA82ZKIhAgP-WDwXJAM0oF7wZfTqSwMV8vjPlwh6NlvDQAQ9ycFN5FJYFwDmk-LsohvJpDoDaX9YkZKuqRl97ktUaE4gFoJQNg/s320/004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264629220593638546" /></a><br /><br />I'm a little scared he'll figure out how to get inside, but he's cute as long as there's a screen between us!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-69655875037087762802008-11-03T16:39:00.000-08:002008-11-03T18:48:12.763-08:00The last political post on this blogFinally, finally, we're about to reach Election Day. I cannot wait for it to come and go. 24 hours from now we'll learn if we're moving forward in the right direction, or if I'm moving to Ireland!<br /><br />I told my friends before any of the real heat began: don't talk to me about politics. I don't want to discuss it with people I love. And here's why: if I know your politics, there is a chance that my opinion of you will be affected. I'd rather that not happen with friends and family.<br /><br />But this year is different. Nobody wanted to keep their opinions to themselves. Palin was a game changer. So now it's ALL fair game.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheczx-XzppNvTKeNeBOM-xz9d63uNaVO0qDiuQWH8ZYvt3w1VYQQ1C_beA7Yv2sPFNWLYuDc6UZLsQjb9bpR2w4dd1iRFUXXbzN3Q51ueLfT40BCsgNaNp2VHi0umH8ejV91wZK6NPWA/s1600-h/cruellapalin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheczx-XzppNvTKeNeBOM-xz9d63uNaVO0qDiuQWH8ZYvt3w1VYQQ1C_beA7Yv2sPFNWLYuDc6UZLsQjb9bpR2w4dd1iRFUXXbzN3Q51ueLfT40BCsgNaNp2VHi0umH8ejV91wZK6NPWA/s400/cruellapalin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264628435906167490" /></a><br /><br />In the past few months, I have:<br /> - Researched both sides until I've made myself sick<br /> - Had daily arguments<br /> - Had daily affirmations<br /> - Made phone calls for Barack Obama<br /> - Been flabbergasted at the ignorance I've encountered<br /> - Been shocked at how many smart people fall for manufactured lies, rumors and fearmongering<br /> - Been encouraged by other volunteers with sky high optimism<br /> - Grown sick of "liberals" being used as a pejorative<br /> - Pondered the benefits of conservatism<br /> - Lost many hours of sleep!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLkKeVCvlv6IFm_2HNBRtFLeUkPCHHOANEXcwqCjOL0xEHM3-oB9ZPMyzwonASTezOVnx-ch_OUHj62uPw6R5Pf7mqvEA6iSjE_pdmKh9kOBRscfkmMLdFDoh1YeBNfV42JYFF7Ls_g/s1600-h/obamas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLkKeVCvlv6IFm_2HNBRtFLeUkPCHHOANEXcwqCjOL0xEHM3-oB9ZPMyzwonASTezOVnx-ch_OUHj62uPw6R5Pf7mqvEA6iSjE_pdmKh9kOBRscfkmMLdFDoh1YeBNfV42JYFF7Ls_g/s400/obamas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264627794833725794" /></a><br /><br />And tomorrow I will intercept voters on their way to the polls to encourage them to vote NO on Proposition 8. Those who are voting yes will get my most heartfelt wishes that their ignorant, hateful, and/or closed minds will one day open.<br /><br />I may or may not ever be a mother. I hope so. If I do, I will be able to look my kid in the eye and say I fought for what was right. And if my kid turns out to be gay, I will be able to say, not for one moment did I think of you as unequal. And I tried my heart out to defeat those who do. Sadly, the polls show we are losing this fight. Please, if you are in California, do the right thing and vote NO on Prop 8.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY16-wWN9iR-TDUkdxrpjcYAJGxVFjU1tw86FnMFGbbHn1EEZJ3zrXu3vuad_biouU7fyYnCs6h3m5xChexDaeg_TYTzN-tHh7nAxkUZM-VnRfRF4gPBXfphj2a_tYTbUowlViEEnuZQ/s1600-h/noon8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY16-wWN9iR-TDUkdxrpjcYAJGxVFjU1tw86FnMFGbbHn1EEZJ3zrXu3vuad_biouU7fyYnCs6h3m5xChexDaeg_TYTzN-tHh7nAxkUZM-VnRfRF4gPBXfphj2a_tYTbUowlViEEnuZQ/s400/noon8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264628263863344946" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-90028406617599190102008-10-31T14:50:00.000-07:002008-10-31T14:52:22.324-07:00In case it isn't clear......we want Californians to vote NO on 8!!! This is CRITICAL and there is truly no good reason to vote yes on 8.<br /><br />Please take 30 seconds to watch this.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oj-0xMrsyxE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oj-0xMrsyxE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />For Halloween, we're thinking of going as "No on 8" -- just gotta figure out how. :-)dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-72646037397664439992008-10-25T01:11:00.001-07:002008-10-25T01:12:42.375-07:00Dear CaliforniansI can think of exactly ZERO reasons to vote YES on 8. Well, I can think of a few that are filled with hate and inappropriate use of government. But otherwise, zero. Think about it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUrLwRaCdm7-1lGklopRmqBF5G6jl3wY5aQ5THtVQTrwOFlB3T-toa3_A9dfin31HncMRSpm_IaVCYbWov7aDRVo_Q-rdaFP0eAAQcgqq2-iGRWkRvpmwIpPuWbmvhfKgbmdnfWHr2g/s1600-h/perezprop8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUrLwRaCdm7-1lGklopRmqBF5G6jl3wY5aQ5THtVQTrwOFlB3T-toa3_A9dfin31HncMRSpm_IaVCYbWov7aDRVo_Q-rdaFP0eAAQcgqq2-iGRWkRvpmwIpPuWbmvhfKgbmdnfWHr2g/s400/perezprop8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261001281907344434" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-20750360537460783322008-10-24T18:30:00.000-07:002008-10-24T18:33:06.277-07:00Good stuffNow, I don't really believe that if Obama is elected, we will no longer have hurricanes. But this is really well done, very funny and sad at the same time, and worth a watch!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qq8Uc5BFogE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qq8Uc5BFogE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />It's the same actors as the original!!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-67515682619595153272008-10-22T11:10:00.000-07:002008-10-22T11:15:46.447-07:00Pretty cool!My cousin does <a href="http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.aspx?maven_playerId=immersiveplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=9271045a646128edc214e46f9b102f3c3962bd5c&maven_referralObject=899531167">good</a>.<br /><br />I kept trying to embed this video but it refused to work. So I linked to it but it just takes you to a list of videos. Click "Single mom..."dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-79338528805760126602008-10-17T14:42:00.000-07:002008-10-17T15:34:59.509-07:0018 days 'til Election Day, part 2Okay, so where was I?<br /><br />After Vegas, we had a visit from our friend <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tmcfarland">TJ McFarland</a>, who is a singer/songwriter living in Nashville and Oklahoma and wherever else he feels like. He performed here in LA (he's on the left in the hat) and next month will head to New York City, so if you're up that way, check him out at Arlene Grocery in November.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Z2OCMvxvoLywLv0wEzuawNUa2P2vbK5GAxNNkzAx3e0GGUhETkQpCoIf0dsiIH_6sXvsIxVEtfI_eHZs0lXnPBYqGED_B1KoCJ3-jpG_7bFX2j85JqueUFugv7vuUaY5Kcl3Tm2H-A/s1600-h/tj1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Z2OCMvxvoLywLv0wEzuawNUa2P2vbK5GAxNNkzAx3e0GGUhETkQpCoIf0dsiIH_6sXvsIxVEtfI_eHZs0lXnPBYqGED_B1KoCJ3-jpG_7bFX2j85JqueUFugv7vuUaY5Kcl3Tm2H-A/s320/tj1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258242076182655170" /></a><br /><br />Apropos of nothing, here's a photo I took while driving. (In California, we aren't allowed to talk on our cell phones while driving, but paparazzi-ing is entirely acceptable.) I was trying to get a good shot of a GIANT dog in the backseat of a Rolls Royce. You can kind of see that. But you can also see a very cool pic of a palm tree in my side view mirror, a reflection of my car (a Volvo), a tiny peek at the Hollywood sign (okay, okay, it's Hollywood Video) and a beautiful LA day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwoRVXjft6TR32HfvqzXPkl4URcGvJzXaQHNjTSGKmyzog3xlddFWYx1wOjugGJ0NV7xqpqx3-V15klzHBSH66ZzrtptsK-88fy2r5Wr6kiNjOc_2ECKV7FuOdQYMN_Iq6hKkuBHSTQ/s1600-h/rollsdog.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwoRVXjft6TR32HfvqzXPkl4URcGvJzXaQHNjTSGKmyzog3xlddFWYx1wOjugGJ0NV7xqpqx3-V15klzHBSH66ZzrtptsK-88fy2r5Wr6kiNjOc_2ECKV7FuOdQYMN_Iq6hKkuBHSTQ/s400/rollsdog.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258245376356960690" /></a><br /><br />Then last week, it was my turn for a birthday. I cannot bring myself to type the age that I turned. Just forget about it, okay?! It is not important! Age is just a number! It's a state of mind! It's not how old you are, it's how young you feel! Oh whatever!!!!!!<br /><br />Okay, so you all know how much I loved my cousin Samantha and how we shared this insane passion for designer clothes. Well one of the things she coveted was a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. I tried and tried to find her a pair that I could afford -- but they were offensively expensive.<br /><br />So imagine my surprise when, on my birthday, I opened a box that Brian had carefully wrapped in multiple layers (he even wrapped the lid of the shoebox so I wouldn't see the brand), and there in all their SARTORIAL GLORY were a pair of shiny, gorgeous Louboutins -- this season's no less!!!! I about fainted. Here they are:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaJbq9Jb4eOerqQmtnKSoD5XLdF8Mhov3px4Kn4Pun047XwL9zPnXSkv644ZYYF5Jx5CeC7n7ctu3wTy5FBFCKn5ik1BtL50N9wVEq7W3uznlo52s0Ktb0WnrIjGxgHQpcuHXNmQfUg/s1600-h/uglyshoe.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaJbq9Jb4eOerqQmtnKSoD5XLdF8Mhov3px4Kn4Pun047XwL9zPnXSkv644ZYYF5Jx5CeC7n7ctu3wTy5FBFCKn5ik1BtL50N9wVEq7W3uznlo52s0Ktb0WnrIjGxgHQpcuHXNmQfUg/s320/uglyshoe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258243132401639506" /></a><br /><br />OH HOLY HELL I'm just KIDDING!!!! Come on! Not only are those NOT Louboutins, I think Louboutin himself spotted them and almost gave up shoe-making altogether. "Whot is zee point?!" he cried. But then he remembered that what he really did design is beautiful, precious, and splendid. Here they are for real:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_xwm70LQ_wpDPG6if7eLtZNVyonJ7AJmMn2DlhFdCB1uXsVsu_bh8bUhHsiwxLusboXwKIc6CmoLmUrSJBJj8prI41CO9RKCyvKfPrjjy-mf2ZpfJopJtmytzRxAxHh-XxDl3zDdOA/s1600-h/Triclo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_xwm70LQ_wpDPG6if7eLtZNVyonJ7AJmMn2DlhFdCB1uXsVsu_bh8bUhHsiwxLusboXwKIc6CmoLmUrSJBJj8prI41CO9RKCyvKfPrjjy-mf2ZpfJopJtmytzRxAxHh-XxDl3zDdOA/s400/Triclo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258243755720255090" /></a><br /><br />So I'm going to wear them and toast Samantha (and M. Louboutin) every time I do.<br /><br />Speaking of fashion, anyone want to buy some designer dresses?! I went to the Corey Lynn Calter sample sale (no dressing rooms, no returns!), bought a ton of great dresses, and discovered not even one of them fit me. These dresses retail for $250-400 but I got em each for $50-75. Small size 6. Email for more photos, 6 dresses total. Spread the word, I gotta get rid of these things, they taunt me daily ("Hey Dellapina, ya chunkster! I saw you eat that cookie. Why don't you try me on now, hmm???").<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZhB9LZIVZNMK1OlQiyJTUpiVDIfmS-ibXI6Kph4yprd-l_I6NOFbOVwP41DrtcvjG0e6XKxViLyTn3l0q1m12VhQ_ygZgguFnfSyOfpm4LPMIICZ5vzkJq15rMaPdHIj45QKYXF-tw/s1600-h/CLC+00002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZhB9LZIVZNMK1OlQiyJTUpiVDIfmS-ibXI6Kph4yprd-l_I6NOFbOVwP41DrtcvjG0e6XKxViLyTn3l0q1m12VhQ_ygZgguFnfSyOfpm4LPMIICZ5vzkJq15rMaPdHIj45QKYXF-tw/s400/CLC+00002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258244717641601442" /></a><br /><br />Help me sell these or you'll all be getting size 6 dresses for Christmas.<br /><br />Still on the fashion subject, but transitioning to that oh-so-scandalous topic of politics... I can say without hesitation that my bright, intellectual, passionate cousin Samantha would have been mortified at the idea of Sarah Palin anywhere near the White House. I don't want to turn this into a political rant (last time I posted political comments on this blog, I could not get Katie Couric and the New York Times to stop calling me, and it really got annoying), so I will just say a few short words. Regardless if you love McCain, hate Obama, feel Joe Biden is jejune, or really, really want Alaska to secede (okay, scratch that last one), you have got to be bothered by the idea of Palin becoming President. Not that it's a sure thing... but it's a possibility. And there is no earthly way that person is ready to run the most powerful nation in the world. No. F*ing. Way. (sorry Mom, but at least I used an asterisk)<br /><br />This is the Kooba bag that Samantha wanted with all her heart. She got it, then passed away before she could really use it much. So Aunt Carmie gave it to me. I carry it with pride every day. I've adorned it with Obama pins -- I'm not necessarily wildly in love with him, but I am so intensely anti-Palin, it was the best I could do. (Oh, and if you want to say, "well she's had more executive experience than any other candidate", go ahead, but I will counter by saying my dad was president of the Burgettstown Italian Club for like, 20 YEARS -- does that "executive experience" make him qualified to run the country? F*** NO!!! [sorry Dad - for the blasting of your POTUS ability, as well as the triple asterisks].) Being mayor of a tiny town with a meth problem does not a meaningful executive make.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdI0xYtWx2ruc7LJZsoF3jjpOy4QsvwyXFd5nRtcrtahc9ZDBzu6-8zhjhi2uf8QsgQlus-VqLLGHkSpCiolIGmAUJp2bX3-VvzPWGd_oNtIhv24Et-ntP8O30ki5CalM7dJ6dmI9Ng/s1600-h/samanthasbag.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdI0xYtWx2ruc7LJZsoF3jjpOy4QsvwyXFd5nRtcrtahc9ZDBzu6-8zhjhi2uf8QsgQlus-VqLLGHkSpCiolIGmAUJp2bX3-VvzPWGd_oNtIhv24Et-ntP8O30ki5CalM7dJ6dmI9Ng/s400/samanthasbag.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258252937252285218" /></a><br /><br />I stole this picture off Darci's Facebook page and want to include it, in case you need a reminder of how beautiful Samantha is (and Dena and Darci are obviously babes in their own right).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrCsgC3JhXQLWxrjGXRkeclPQHJeyt8LoQ7E5Dee8Sc_J8swD2mxfPiqSsCvTIBBdhf8JX7r9m-iM0LQs2CNy2_MMv_WUr3cZsie3HTq55jDK6Vs4t9z8d1hDRrZ-Yj-x2CUdOCty9A/s1600-h/darcidenasam.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrCsgC3JhXQLWxrjGXRkeclPQHJeyt8LoQ7E5Dee8Sc_J8swD2mxfPiqSsCvTIBBdhf8JX7r9m-iM0LQs2CNy2_MMv_WUr3cZsie3HTq55jDK6Vs4t9z8d1hDRrZ-Yj-x2CUdOCty9A/s400/darcidenasam.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258253476002299858" /></a><br /><br />Finally, I leave you with something cute. I need it to cleanse the palate after my Palin rant (oh before I forget, Brian anagrammed her name: "has anal rip" or "a plain rash"!!). Anyway I heard some noise outside my sliding door. I thought perhaps it was a thief, who scaled the trees and landed on my patio, trying to get at the valuable goods we store out there (like a rusty bistro set, a fetid cooler, two gigantic truck tires, and an empty bottle of Cholula). But no! It was this little guy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTy0GLaI10kvnTws8cOhujSjTmZA9XjsobyK6s799kpFTwCCvG67m_KpsAwTJ0P26fkSPx4SIovZ9MQ2n1404udF4-56k-ObkFOYRMr2VFtFqpskGMu6N8i3zl_itk_ucAnshiHUJ7Lg/s1600-h/squirrel.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTy0GLaI10kvnTws8cOhujSjTmZA9XjsobyK6s799kpFTwCCvG67m_KpsAwTJ0P26fkSPx4SIovZ9MQ2n1404udF4-56k-ObkFOYRMr2VFtFqpskGMu6N8i3zl_itk_ucAnshiHUJ7Lg/s400/squirrel.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258254243294185042" /></a><br /><br />See!? Los Angeles does have wildlife other than Lindsay Lohan! Come visit, our couch is very comfy and we'd love to see you.dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-57927808381359511422008-10-17T13:40:00.000-07:002008-10-17T17:40:45.349-07:0018 days 'til Election DayHello family and friends. Hope you all had a good summer and are easing into Fall. People out here sometimes say they miss having seasons. Huh?! First of all, we definitely have seasons -- I had to wear long pants the other day! And second of all, would anyone REALLY miss snow?! C'mon. ;-)<br /><br />Anyway we have no major news to report but here is a collection of crappe we've done over the past two months.<br /><br />Brian turned 31! For his birthday he got a camcorder and a really nice dinner with me and his parents at Wilshire. Of course he had a steak. For dessert they served donuts!! And they were nice enough to swirl some chocolate on the plate, to form the words "Hogpy Boifoday" which is, I think, Polish for Feliz Navidad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqDOJ8BDQoe3r-ceOwTrxCGqYXwNycHQAlhX3C-fWp35uo7DAjHGupD6_g64h0Yv11UUkvQeub5nSQIAmpDSYOs6g2gTQWQ-_WATtIHZaAwMZOwTCkGPddLhnLLYw40Nl3AddY24AzQ/s1600-h/brianbdayplate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqDOJ8BDQoe3r-ceOwTrxCGqYXwNycHQAlhX3C-fWp35uo7DAjHGupD6_g64h0Yv11UUkvQeub5nSQIAmpDSYOs6g2gTQWQ-_WATtIHZaAwMZOwTCkGPddLhnLLYw40Nl3AddY24AzQ/s320/brianbdayplate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258227674757300466" /></a><br /><br />In case you hadn't noticed, a major theme of this blog is what (and how much) we EAT. Yeah, I try to diet all the time, but I fail frequently. We went to the Santa Monica BBQ Festival. They stamped Brian's hand as a signal to mean "do not serve this man any more meat, he has had more than 19 times the recommended daily allowance."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSmnoIki7fY72LqTlEhGGcr4apFkuXkzlcf23r_n0AFk9_w5pjAUPG7iq5u5jBtUnq0HtJeI8kA_rgjhrfVbL1gs59ccuFSoInJhyd6lLSbGbOI5dYh6vPiTXE8IoldqTttI6k7TEmw/s1600-h/bgbbq.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSmnoIki7fY72LqTlEhGGcr4apFkuXkzlcf23r_n0AFk9_w5pjAUPG7iq5u5jBtUnq0HtJeI8kA_rgjhrfVbL1gs59ccuFSoInJhyd6lLSbGbOI5dYh6vPiTXE8IoldqTttI6k7TEmw/s320/bgbbq.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258228317842065842" /></a><br /><br />Brian has taken up the hobby of fly fishing with GUSTO. He ties his own flies (they are so cool, despite the massive amounts of feather debris that litters our dining room) and heads out to a nearby-ish river most weekends. In fact, that is where he dropped his IPHONE! Some fish somewhere is confused by the vibrating, colorful, inedible, alien disk. Here are some pics of Brian and his dad Jim fishing in Maryland.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXgyNbgS5dR2_eqGWBbGfjr3mAJPkD0GtFE_AG9CABWJUyS8JMhNI3yrzK_fFNqy1rOC1aX2ln_8JNMyu75e9VUMNPEr2BcQQED67ke8l6eZDkYj9lJwhf89vVV79pqptovp_PkUNow/s1600-h/brianriver.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXgyNbgS5dR2_eqGWBbGfjr3mAJPkD0GtFE_AG9CABWJUyS8JMhNI3yrzK_fFNqy1rOC1aX2ln_8JNMyu75e9VUMNPEr2BcQQED67ke8l6eZDkYj9lJwhf89vVV79pqptovp_PkUNow/s320/brianriver.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258229332103511826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUtxI5gBv7pQso_bDyW-ZpdEDxLAfgfa6tX6xNc9nFVoUBBgT4Af0vzV2Llj4xHFxfrs6Qxg2YoU7gxVVJFPdDi8l7txwu4z9t1UmpLtUXhnzmTkGYdYTA0M6Ya-4R8-MmyVP0W3Jdw/s1600-h/briantrout.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUtxI5gBv7pQso_bDyW-ZpdEDxLAfgfa6tX6xNc9nFVoUBBgT4Af0vzV2Llj4xHFxfrs6Qxg2YoU7gxVVJFPdDi8l7txwu4z9t1UmpLtUXhnzmTkGYdYTA0M6Ya-4R8-MmyVP0W3Jdw/s320/briantrout.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258229334588021058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjqhsCgUWUvutqLCvNLQuZLUDh0BeKdbCsxzyv5GznWm2vYIU6IkceUhgH7ZduXeI9H5JCrzpj0-KxD1X8l8rwabtnBpPbWa2S1TpPRdkeH-8TUt3EIFps7nURYj4EGYz02PqnKCjIg/s1600-h/jimtrout.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjqhsCgUWUvutqLCvNLQuZLUDh0BeKdbCsxzyv5GznWm2vYIU6IkceUhgH7ZduXeI9H5JCrzpj0-KxD1X8l8rwabtnBpPbWa2S1TpPRdkeH-8TUt3EIFps7nURYj4EGYz02PqnKCjIg/s320/jimtrout.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258229335685273618" /></a><br /><br />In September we headed to one of my favorite spots, Las Vegas! And this was no ordinary trip to Vegas. See, for the previous couple of months, my "BFF" Katie's husband, Jamie, was working on a surprise trip for her 30th birthday. She knew she was going somewhere, she just didn't know where -- and she sure didn't know I was gonna be there too!<br /><br />We had a ridiculous amount of fun, as evidenced by this photo of our first night in town. We chose to go the Cheesy But Hedonistic Tourist Route, and drank huuuge, steaming, tropical drinks at "Kahunaville." Lucky us, there was a "bartender flair" competition going on. Woo hoo, Tom Cruise in Cocktail!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzvEGY8sKzFbDNrfXHoJXhVCZU9AjbkHurkjyG2MTbVsd3itik0K3PVjfCafxr28z9yQBN6EJbritWP5AEck6MajCyrfPZEXWQXQ7dPnCdnlzWUkbUNhjiqdpscrlMiU0Nuh8htHnaA/s1600-h/clooneypitt.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzvEGY8sKzFbDNrfXHoJXhVCZU9AjbkHurkjyG2MTbVsd3itik0K3PVjfCafxr28z9yQBN6EJbritWP5AEck6MajCyrfPZEXWQXQ7dPnCdnlzWUkbUNhjiqdpscrlMiU0Nuh8htHnaA/s320/clooneypitt.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258238418803896658" /></a><br /><br />Poor KK had a toothache! That's okay, we discovered that with enough alcohol, you won't even FEEL your teeth anymore.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj981gPoKrY0bskGVkQosEA8zmmN4wpYH5UPimAwGH-sOCsrWFV1T_73XDmZaHs-LyI3lmrLFqOM1o8TnPta9sb6widTeBb1clwL7g6PBVtNPKg6eYw6O-sMMFdShgLl0f_UbzYtGTwmA/s1600-h/toothache.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj981gPoKrY0bskGVkQosEA8zmmN4wpYH5UPimAwGH-sOCsrWFV1T_73XDmZaHs-LyI3lmrLFqOM1o8TnPta9sb6widTeBb1clwL7g6PBVtNPKg6eYw6O-sMMFdShgLl0f_UbzYtGTwmA/s320/toothache.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258239293423159314" /></a><br /><br />We had a fantastic dinner at Tao, where we received some VERY ominous fortunes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3HXqmw511P23Fu9evgjWUItjJtaTNWcH1SsSrKc02wLad4n0bHO8CwaI6SS_yWzZVWR-rM1QmxZz_jU2sz4wCYQKg9lmKRGx82DVRv5AgfAk4AFQgfmH2ntgTuDcrEtq9Xd-W0fFqg/s1600-h/fortunes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3HXqmw511P23Fu9evgjWUItjJtaTNWcH1SsSrKc02wLad4n0bHO8CwaI6SS_yWzZVWR-rM1QmxZz_jU2sz4wCYQKg9lmKRGx82DVRv5AgfAk4AFQgfmH2ntgTuDcrEtq9Xd-W0fFqg/s320/fortunes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258239598978885874" /></a><br /><br />And finally, one more big surprise for Katie -- tickets to see the Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil show. WHOA, it was fantastic! My cousins Nancy and Berni, my Aunt Deanna and my mom went in June and raved about it. So we checked it out and yes, it lived up to the hype. Here's a little sneak of what we saw -- this was during the song "Octopus's Garden" or as I call it "I'd like to be... under the sea..."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAxQNjelRRv_fSW0GCr3RXsjAdyQ-fqYH6Hdm6igVst3YMFB52EKqiRe2uQLM5JErAY1wSN_aI9rD9TduElpAx8GbDWEZThsyB5G94HQJiffiQYwy-2ry8ohXF4Q4K1wVpkoWBH9nhA/s1600-h/jellyfish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAxQNjelRRv_fSW0GCr3RXsjAdyQ-fqYH6Hdm6igVst3YMFB52EKqiRe2uQLM5JErAY1wSN_aI9rD9TduElpAx8GbDWEZThsyB5G94HQJiffiQYwy-2ry8ohXF4Q4K1wVpkoWBH9nhA/s320/jellyfish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258240760962944274" /></a><br /><br />When we left the show, we were solicited by a photographer to buy INSANELY overpriced photos of ourselves. Feigning disgust, we stomped off... only to admit defeat and turn back around and buy them! They were just too nice -- big and glossy, and somehow, magically, they made Brian's shirt look like it was nice and pressed! Believe me, it reeeeeeally wasn't. Anyway I will try to scan it but for now, here's a pic of a pic (oh my goodness if that isn't the chintziest thing I've ever done on this blog...).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpC_zg5DCerll4UbqwgN-POT64xXBF3fz9aeJ-Z1yysBeHUx31oh30DR4ZM0tieS9LMzo86Gvqwyb5uuUH9oGwUe0CP380cmQiayobX_mvTk_1rfnbV4DwRjAqgKl-0SElPJes-_duQ/s1600-h/love.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpC_zg5DCerll4UbqwgN-POT64xXBF3fz9aeJ-Z1yysBeHUx31oh30DR4ZM0tieS9LMzo86Gvqwyb5uuUH9oGwUe0CP380cmQiayobX_mvTk_1rfnbV4DwRjAqgKl-0SElPJes-_duQ/s320/love.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258240761215485234" /></a><br /><br />This post is getting WAY too long so I will continue in a moment, in a separate post!!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-64819704938526431542008-09-29T14:54:00.000-07:002008-09-29T14:55:23.299-07:00New blog post coming soonBut in the meantime, enjoy this.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/REQRHdMRimw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/REQRHdMRimw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-10074411779861423322008-09-05T20:19:00.001-07:002008-09-05T20:52:21.513-07:00Brian's predictions for this season of The Shield<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_iMiLOlL-caS7zaA3XT4-W9d_rcXtqUxOA4Rnr32_VjK7H6ZAruPogn7B3D-7wClCPlp3HrG8Va35sDOSJG8861SD6O7h959teP1K3aZZm9j5cKlE6xc9WertdJIIUZifSAFwbUmwQ/s1600-h/shield.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_iMiLOlL-caS7zaA3XT4-W9d_rcXtqUxOA4Rnr32_VjK7H6ZAruPogn7B3D-7wClCPlp3HrG8Va35sDOSJG8861SD6O7h959teP1K3aZZm9j5cKlE6xc9WertdJIIUZifSAFwbUmwQ/s400/shield.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242748933598582322" /></a><br />I was not having a good day today. I was very upset, very, very worked up. See, I've stayed pretty quiet on political issues my entire life - some of my closest friends don't even know which way I lean. But McCain's VP pick is so horrible, so dangerous, so WRONG, I couldn't hold back anymore. I fueled the fire by reading every news site and blog I could find (BOTH sides), and what I discovered about her just upset me more. I know it sounds dramatic, but all day I felt like I was on the verge of tears (actually at one point, one dribble did kinda sneak out).<br /><br />So then Brian comes along and sends an email to my mom (aka World's Most Addicted Shield Junkie), and cc's me, with his top 10 predictions for the final season (which started this past Tuesday). And I laughed so hard, I had the good kind of tears rolling down my face! So, Shield fans, enjoy. (CAUTION: for those who haven't made it past Season 5, stop reading or you'll get some <span style="font-weight:bold;">MAJOR SPOILERS!</span> Hilarious spoilers, but spoilers nonetheless.)<br /><br /><br />1. Dick Sackey will punch someone at some point during the season.<br />2. Cletus Van Damme will kill a third person who is a main character and have to go back home to Arkansas to live with his cousin/mother and nephew/grandpa.<br />3. Ronnie will have fewer lines than any other character.<br />4. Dutch Boy will have a three way with claudette and aceveda, and refer to it as the captains sando.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh25GUPjSmZsGLpU7SZxNB-AU1aZKrzQBULz7nKvyLarTpgDWNxbYGhgs16hLucH5S_DaGKtRnAgEFfnADDSbgsTo65RKywp5jE_oca7_-LM5rL3FYD-gdBXcDe0vSBkvmJveaZRgNXw/s1600-h/badass.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh25GUPjSmZsGLpU7SZxNB-AU1aZKrzQBULz7nKvyLarTpgDWNxbYGhgs16hLucH5S_DaGKtRnAgEFfnADDSbgsTo65RKywp5jE_oca7_-LM5rL3FYD-gdBXcDe0vSBkvmJveaZRgNXw/s400/badass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242748927724136930" /></a><br />5. There will be a gang related incident.<br />6. The captain will reunite with Tenille and do a reunion concert with the One-Niners as the opening act.<br />7. Antoine Mitchell will get released for good behavior and become president of the United States.<br />8. Farmington will change its name to Charmington in a publicity stunt and once Antoine is elected president, Dick Sacky will then order a secession, becoming emperor of Charmington.<br />9. Lem's ghost will spread cheeks on Cletus Van Damme's face.<br />10. Ronnie will use a bazooka to destroy the public library after he finds out Cletus' illiteracy causes him to unknowingly sign a full confession for the Strike Team related to the money train.<br /><br />As always, here for your enjoyment.<br /><br />WARNING - it may not be safe to believe anything I have told you and I am not liable for any damages caused by you repeating anything that I have told you, no matter how stupid you may look as a result. Some side affects commonly experienced are headaches, flatulence, groaning, and occasionally some peed pants, which said person is not liable for repairing. In rare cases some readers have experienced bleeding eyes, and if this is happening to you, for petes sake, step away from the computer and find a doctor.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxGFMvczYsEABCXmcWycEROJGl1WrnIK3JT-3Wz06UsiJ5Ct838if3TA9o11tCzjVyPTE8AgzyaXnZ5YWnWiEjyTs33OthCgFybdq_5qKxCVOMzjUl_DpE794vTC8BaFYYLib8u1hBA/s1600-h/striketeam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxGFMvczYsEABCXmcWycEROJGl1WrnIK3JT-3Wz06UsiJ5Ct838if3TA9o11tCzjVyPTE8AgzyaXnZ5YWnWiEjyTs33OthCgFybdq_5qKxCVOMzjUl_DpE794vTC8BaFYYLib8u1hBA/s400/striketeam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242748930196872818" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-23773416381784042882008-09-01T12:50:00.000-07:002008-09-01T12:51:41.559-07:00Set the TiVoIntervention: After Treatment will air on A&E on Monday, September 8 at 9 pm EST!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-87524380758054284042008-08-29T15:30:00.000-07:002008-08-30T14:04:14.755-07:00End of SummerI hate it when the summer ends. I wish it could stay daylight until 9 pm all year long! Anyway here's some of the random stuff we've been up to.<br /><br />A few weeks ago, my lifelong friends Jill and John visited from Burgettstown, and we had three days of fun, driving all over Los Angeles and gorging ourselves. We had a great burger at The Counter, an excellent Mexican meal at La Sirena, and of course, a classic In N Out burger. But the highlight was our splurge at Gordon Ramsay at The London.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfFypg1Nv9-WzIO9QShv6mngoR7gS1b515POM_sa0EqIwRPoRAAX7uBNlpnLX-AFe2ymX36rItI7hzrMIKM3ZN8ePUOAMiVcfoo8f6-EFl0Y4RYqsSM6DcWlEb7yrZ0w-IbRK2eCawg/s1600-h/ramsaylondon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfFypg1Nv9-WzIO9QShv6mngoR7gS1b515POM_sa0EqIwRPoRAAX7uBNlpnLX-AFe2ymX36rItI7hzrMIKM3ZN8ePUOAMiVcfoo8f6-EFl0Y4RYqsSM6DcWlEb7yrZ0w-IbRK2eCawg/s320/ramsaylondon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240075322620859314" /></a><br /><br />The food was amazing -- but I did send some fish back. It was, well, you know, too fishy. I was hoping Gordon Ramsay would come out and call me a F**$@*NG DONKEY but instead the waiter was really nice about it and took it off our tab. What a letdown!<br /><br />Brian and I were invited to an X-Games party in Hollywood. We're still not sure how we ended up on this guest list, but it was a blast. Right in the middle of Vine they had motocross riders doing tricks (that greenish blur is a guy flipping through the air).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNA8MiV4LsFBoJLsj0g9DfQR0Em8Op-TiC1k4A1JM9WLLIDwk7C1sFFO-MDRHtVyliYlXUNyXDjEZ96lQvELpshh7WxkRi5kFfR9bnjQHZxL0v_zenhEh6AHKNl1wIqyjOWtJe5uyyg/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNA8MiV4LsFBoJLsj0g9DfQR0Em8Op-TiC1k4A1JM9WLLIDwk7C1sFFO-MDRHtVyliYlXUNyXDjEZ96lQvELpshh7WxkRi5kFfR9bnjQHZxL0v_zenhEh6AHKNl1wIqyjOWtJe5uyyg/s320/Imported+8-29+00004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240076447643922498" /></a><br /><br />We also got free t-shirts, hot dogs, drinks (yeah, open bar!) and a concert by Mike Ness. They had Guitar Hero Aerosmith and an old-fashion barber shop set up right in the middle of the dance floor where you could get a shave. Brian passed on the shave, but happily partook of the Guitar Hero and free drinks. Wonder why he kept going back to the bar...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkq3fT_FNVzj9UvzJArfiBSVVxxWIqyo03qHlu_07LvACZgywUVfdiLl6sZmkvojJHShTVarhbSjLgkSjxqB9glnW-_dO8KksOrB9EBfsGQRCxS-P8xXgfgYHDJ47e9nHyGPR4TF1xg/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkq3fT_FNVzj9UvzJArfiBSVVxxWIqyo03qHlu_07LvACZgywUVfdiLl6sZmkvojJHShTVarhbSjLgkSjxqB9glnW-_dO8KksOrB9EBfsGQRCxS-P8xXgfgYHDJ47e9nHyGPR4TF1xg/s320/Imported+8-29+00010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240077103222747586" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxCPNZZ6rSjR92vtuQSWE8UrMDOyEB3uW_83vxBV-26SOjIbUYwCy0qqmqgm3kZA_qhpb_T2xIz5be5ixqKkL6yHGlmF8hODvYFwW8OxAfi9Q8FPB9C9asygsECqy796wXpPsNuChAw/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxCPNZZ6rSjR92vtuQSWE8UrMDOyEB3uW_83vxBV-26SOjIbUYwCy0qqmqgm3kZA_qhpb_T2xIz5be5ixqKkL6yHGlmF8hODvYFwW8OxAfi9Q8FPB9C9asygsECqy796wXpPsNuChAw/s320/Imported+8-29+00011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240077107588444306" /></a><br /><br />Then we headed to Kentucky for my beloved cousin Dena's shower. To be more accurate, it was a co-ed "stock the bar" shower for her and her fiance Sam. We all greatly missed the presence of Samantha, but we still had a great time. Sam's dad brought some apple pie-flavored moonshine and I slurped it down like Crystal Light. That's the main reason why all of the photos I took are blurry.<br /><br />Kelli with my Aunt Deanna saying "Bring me more moonshine, please. Do it!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkmlCNRWC4xYOiHv986buF8lJE968_GVosO1f8H93Ej5XGo4m2WevYBW4yOTsSm-X3HmChtyBaYpoEQclBeogqWR-G1nb8UqbqoKluiRUdCXm7nKKrQuZRViT8VCK9vuRiX2CmG9OJw/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkmlCNRWC4xYOiHv986buF8lJE968_GVosO1f8H93Ej5XGo4m2WevYBW4yOTsSm-X3HmChtyBaYpoEQclBeogqWR-G1nb8UqbqoKluiRUdCXm7nKKrQuZRViT8VCK9vuRiX2CmG9OJw/s320/Imported+8-29+00018.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240080712064323794" /></a><br /><br />Brian making a gesture meaning "I need to consume more. Nothing's as great as flying cross country with a massive hangover. Bring it!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpRM2mNpAo94R3bQsrBl36c9fzL4Vu-bWHIB4zN6QlZQrPAOQorxBKyDflcb91KHlFdIOCcaoLJLSODX3XAEC3v7xjYjjA-JxD3R2DOIIx9cPbYwHqyO4h9sxv1N4St1kU-cdyag_hA/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpRM2mNpAo94R3bQsrBl36c9fzL4Vu-bWHIB4zN6QlZQrPAOQorxBKyDflcb91KHlFdIOCcaoLJLSODX3XAEC3v7xjYjjA-JxD3R2DOIIx9cPbYwHqyO4h9sxv1N4St1kU-cdyag_hA/s320/Imported+8-29+00019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240080708844657090" /></a><br /><br />My dear cousin Berni thinking "I think I am smiling normally, so take the picture! And bring me some moonshine, now."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlb9r3rbF1cNnifjMDtxul0-kRxBIAxSCPqPIgCK9ru1b7PIWKfVbUJ3nsfuPCC0qt9xpXkLY0V8dcFSzYRdN5lybHkwXpuypEtgDuLJURz7bcqFTOirWKRRqtAN5ThnX1_Ogw4UD9g/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00020.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlb9r3rbF1cNnifjMDtxul0-kRxBIAxSCPqPIgCK9ru1b7PIWKfVbUJ3nsfuPCC0qt9xpXkLY0V8dcFSzYRdN5lybHkwXpuypEtgDuLJURz7bcqFTOirWKRRqtAN5ThnX1_Ogw4UD9g/s320/Imported+8-29+00020.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240080715488489538" /></a><br /><br />Wow, here's a photo that isn't all that shaky, and the people in it look semi sober! This is gorgeous Dena and her badass bridesmaid Ashley.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30BCrQHTdtE80oFltZ_E0RVTiehQTh9tm8PpyI32-bP3EsPqh72lD3Wb5mQVsgNeu2kuMt-3Iajr7rqLS63_PzPH1SmR0gZbYN_q4ZAYj8RMXryGvHg-eyaeQJiMBI98II9_ydhs7mg/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30BCrQHTdtE80oFltZ_E0RVTiehQTh9tm8PpyI32-bP3EsPqh72lD3Wb5mQVsgNeu2kuMt-3Iajr7rqLS63_PzPH1SmR0gZbYN_q4ZAYj8RMXryGvHg-eyaeQJiMBI98II9_ydhs7mg/s320/Imported+8-29+00025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240081695472621570" /></a><br /><br />Hey! Another one where we don't look so hammered. But appearances can be deceiving. Oh, except for my cousin Kelsey -- she's only 17 so of course she did not have one single drop of moonshine, fruity shots of vodka punch, Rolling Rock, or the specially-concocted Hurricane Dena (blended by her clever bridesmaid Severin). Right? Not one drop!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6GI44IbeZHaNJbAovz1PA9OMcCzLQHrvM7s7rusfhP7rbxgdeFOEhJIpUnSDf6SiAZW98BBjp6BaI0KoFnbM_OxTQ1zZbp0vx3l0bjDICLIOg4eeLQHeNS-Sv7bwgnoRVMjbkTuEXA/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6GI44IbeZHaNJbAovz1PA9OMcCzLQHrvM7s7rusfhP7rbxgdeFOEhJIpUnSDf6SiAZW98BBjp6BaI0KoFnbM_OxTQ1zZbp0vx3l0bjDICLIOg4eeLQHeNS-Sv7bwgnoRVMjbkTuEXA/s320/Imported+8-29+00033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240082319329842834" /></a><br /><br />My poor brother Lee stayed sober all night. That didn't stop me from trying to drag him into my drunken web.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_Mz1wxlq827cU7VqzdmZTqy36PB_qg0ExoNBaz7H9L8ihVOojQGUF5icoQFl1keQeimdc8j8fuHHW4Tss-29dirsHF2S3Y70p9OCbLIQTAOL-3R90gQbQmuYKinAaLD1WRfCnakXsQ/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00031.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_Mz1wxlq827cU7VqzdmZTqy36PB_qg0ExoNBaz7H9L8ihVOojQGUF5icoQFl1keQeimdc8j8fuHHW4Tss-29dirsHF2S3Y70p9OCbLIQTAOL-3R90gQbQmuYKinAaLD1WRfCnakXsQ/s320/Imported+8-29+00031.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240083629518317378" /></a><br /><br />Ahhh. And a good time was had by all.<br /><br />Back in LA, I went to see Extreme with three friends from "back in the day". I thought it might be cheesy. Instead, it was astounding! Okay, it's true, a lot of the crowd was kind of stuck back in the 80s. But I guess you gotta admire these people for sticking to their roots. Regardless of the number of acid washed jeans or mullets in the room, the band was incredible. Nuno Bettencourt is one of the best guitarists I've ever seen in my many, many decades.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvhtgHz1zAWmxjZFOZWiY6nFgx-6fXU32znUt0B1iOYviz-o8Zy8tedrPIPL6_KCS6DcSp8IDZ8BzX5tbd13DBmgLUaikhzOg0wLhFdX-N6GefFXPJwIQf24T8vpC8Zft4Aka7BJlTg/s1600-h/Imported+8-29+00036.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvhtgHz1zAWmxjZFOZWiY6nFgx-6fXU32znUt0B1iOYviz-o8Zy8tedrPIPL6_KCS6DcSp8IDZ8BzX5tbd13DBmgLUaikhzOg0wLhFdX-N6GefFXPJwIQf24T8vpC8Zft4Aka7BJlTg/s320/Imported+8-29+00036.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240084714895702594" /></a><br /><br />This reminds me of a story from this past Christmas. I got my brother and sister-in-law tickets to see Van Halen (with David Lee Roth!) in concert in Las Vegas. My mom knew about the gift and as a special bonus, she got Lee a "vintage Van Halen t-shirt" from eBay. Well, when he opened it on Christmas day, we all got the laugh of the year: it was a Van Halen shirt featuring Gary Cherone!! I laughed so hard I think I had an asthma attack.<br /><br />But honestly, after seeing Gary Cherone perform this past week, it isn't as funny as it was before -- he's fabulous! But still, nobody can take the place of David Lee Roth. Anyway, hang on to that shirt Lee, it's probably a rarity!<br /><br />I leave you with a joke courtesy of my Uncle Dean. It's funny because of its accuracy.<br /><br /><blockquote>A 3-year-old boy examined his testicles while taking a bath.<br /><br />"Mom," he asked, "are these my brains?"<br /><br />"Not yet," she replied.</blockquote><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBV_FEQtrI17crDRfEGPadEcmgDzloJZg9eOnvAw2uI7CVp-Bvm0cE746-2F0vutrs_zZmtZrurK2DCRQRffDHHEViCnqnhh0x6jshoo4aisODf8endhLfp6SQuetWDBhFjdpuNN7eA/s1600-h/mrtesticles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBV_FEQtrI17crDRfEGPadEcmgDzloJZg9eOnvAw2uI7CVp-Bvm0cE746-2F0vutrs_zZmtZrurK2DCRQRffDHHEViCnqnhh0x6jshoo4aisODf8endhLfp6SQuetWDBhFjdpuNN7eA/s400/mrtesticles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240088787841634258" /></a><br /><br />(photo of Mr. Testicles from the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign)dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-37537750554160053852008-08-15T13:37:00.000-07:002008-08-15T13:43:17.929-07:00Kind of CoolWell over a year ago, I was interviewed by a woman who was writing a book about the way advertising affects women. I kind of forgot about it, but yesterday I was ego-surfing on Amazon (I admit it, I searched for "Dellapina" to see what would show up) and whaddya know, the book pops up!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJ6QxjadNiZCD8Co0wEnCDnWQ0Zwnx5bf9KKEb2wwmXuS5eybeY54sAql5uyPPVRT5egipgf6KTpCMh0m7D9aJzJ3rgsCftBHB_zdW0fFH4dAJbGkMqaZ3AZYuBQ8YUUHGLm5PKqkAQ/s1600-h/30sec.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJ6QxjadNiZCD8Co0wEnCDnWQ0Zwnx5bf9KKEb2wwmXuS5eybeY54sAql5uyPPVRT5egipgf6KTpCMh0m7D9aJzJ3rgsCftBHB_zdW0fFH4dAJbGkMqaZ3AZYuBQ8YUUHGLm5PKqkAQ/s320/30sec.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234847050921345010" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/30-Second-Seduction-Advertisers-Flirtation-Manipulation/dp/1580052126">http://www.amazon.com/30-Second-Seduction-Advertisers-Flirtation-Manipulation/dp/1580052126</a><br /><br />If you click "Search inside this book" on the left under the cover image, you can read the two pages where I'm quoted (pp. 77-78).<br /><br />A note about my last post - I meant to give props to my Aunt Carmie for being one of the brilliant psychologists who helps those "hurt people". Thank you "Anut C"!!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-42896374377591113442008-08-14T14:50:00.000-07:002008-08-14T15:31:44.899-07:00More on InterventionAs you all know, I'm an enormous fan of the A&E show Intervention (which was nominated for an Emmy, truly deserved). I just watched an episode that kind of blew me away (most of them do, but this one was... WOW).<br /><br />One thing I've noticed about Intervention is that 95% of the addicts had some kind of childhood trauma. Every once in a while you'll get the guy who just started partying in high school and didn't stop. But usually it was something that really messed them up. Probably half or more of them were molested.<br /><br />The addict on the episode I just watched was Allison. She and her sister were molested when they were really little, like 5 and 3. She was so unbelievably messed up, I really didn't think there was any chance for her. She was addicted to inhalants, cut herself, and was anorexic.<br /><br />I won't tell you how it turns out because I want you to watch the episode instead. Watch here:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8EFb_SeXjg<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8EFb_SeXjg"></a><br /><br />When I went to the taping of Intervention After Treatment, Jeff Van Vonderen said something that I cannot forget: "Hurt people hurt people." Is that not true, simple and profound?<br /><br />I'm not sure that people who hurt kids realize how enormous of an impact they have on the rest of the kids' lives. I have an idea to make a website that pervs would find when googling, but then when they get there it's actually this episode of Intervention. I'd do it if I didn't think I could get arrested.<br /><br />In a happy footnote, one of my best friends just (as in, while I was writing this post) got hired to work on the show. Yeah!!<br /><br />So please watch it, think about it, and if you are one of the "hurt people" break the cycle!!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-51028920476146114432008-08-01T15:52:00.001-07:002008-08-01T16:22:50.711-07:00Happy AugustThanks to everyone who sent their condolences and warm thoughts about my cousin Samantha. Believe me, those of you who reached out -- it was noted and very appreciated.<br /><br />So lots of stuff going on. A few weeks ago Brian and I took a trip to Monterey. We stayed at one of the most beautiful hotels, with the most thoughtful, caring staff. It was called Bernardus Lodge.<br /><br />Brian told me about a restaurant where they have tables right in the creek! We didn't eat here but we checked it out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOV9yLEIBihrzF9Vhm7WfF8dh3mLx8PjB5vaEhNOm985IK43LuSGQeZNhRmiwCNa5JMW2VPf8u-rxMN8S8-cdymh3PUAmgp-h2tUW3_rKjbt9d0RSDSaDaRyYSjMa2t0fx0OLjVbjLQ/s1600-h/Monterey+Creek2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOV9yLEIBihrzF9Vhm7WfF8dh3mLx8PjB5vaEhNOm985IK43LuSGQeZNhRmiwCNa5JMW2VPf8u-rxMN8S8-cdymh3PUAmgp-h2tUW3_rKjbt9d0RSDSaDaRyYSjMa2t0fx0OLjVbjLQ/s320/Monterey+Creek2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229687342712223970" /></a><br /><br />We enjoyed lots of wine tastings at a couple of cute vineyards. You can see from this photo that we did not hold back much!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCT_iAJBO9Q30PsfDymfb8YXnhrF6aA3kiZ4T1RNy_sE5nDLf49ww54sur6U7n08pTKJnwYbzhN4_5-tLDaUAYDE3shFHuD8aCIorbsp2l8FajPJWJpEfAdtYCCUh4pU70d6arN4Ponw/s1600-h/Monterey+Tasting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCT_iAJBO9Q30PsfDymfb8YXnhrF6aA3kiZ4T1RNy_sE5nDLf49ww54sur6U7n08pTKJnwYbzhN4_5-tLDaUAYDE3shFHuD8aCIorbsp2l8FajPJWJpEfAdtYCCUh4pU70d6arN4Ponw/s320/Monterey+Tasting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229687761982356658" /></a><br /><br />Back at Bernardus, we had an incredible dinner at their ultra-schwanky restaurant, Marinus. I wore this dress, which I got on RueLaLa.com. It was Carmen Marc Valvo marked wayyyy down from $300. I took this picture to show Samantha my RueLaLa success, and sent it to her via MMS. It feels kind of creepy to me, to show a photo with no head, but the point is the DRESS, not my face!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6n27rqHtvRcCTDEeTidMbhhpUqPRwzbGnzVCeyDlwrXep8AJ0Ys7-swlSUyo_hDkRui6xfhT7Q2Eq9-UbYlnoeTwKDitrf5KYSpFPpNqs6znNgQZvR81CaWuiyGJGwDYLxFGGIkddsQ/s1600-h/Valvo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6n27rqHtvRcCTDEeTidMbhhpUqPRwzbGnzVCeyDlwrXep8AJ0Ys7-swlSUyo_hDkRui6xfhT7Q2Eq9-UbYlnoeTwKDitrf5KYSpFPpNqs6znNgQZvR81CaWuiyGJGwDYLxFGGIkddsQ/s320/Valvo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229688305062563298" /></a><br /><br />Over July 4 weekend, we went back to Kentucky for Samantha's viewing and then on to Pittsburgh for her burial. She was buried in my hometown of Burgettstown, next to our grandparents. Afterwards, Brian, Dena, her friend Darci, Aunt Carmie and I did a nostalgic tour of Burgettstown (including Langeloth and of course Francis Mine - oh my, what a sad little place) and then headed to downtown Pittsburgh. It was beautiful, especially the view from the Incline.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuDOtY8Y4CTmzPQCrmJtsuuytLebWbLeR4uTxMP3FIHen8jNM-ma8GVXA_na409aLsbZL2YiFz1bFcT-8_dLIq3djUkbRCiSHAM4P87_GAd0QbhSfW0I3ufXXS2RcKbiTT2azSApLyg/s1600-h/Brian+Incline.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuDOtY8Y4CTmzPQCrmJtsuuytLebWbLeR4uTxMP3FIHen8jNM-ma8GVXA_na409aLsbZL2YiFz1bFcT-8_dLIq3djUkbRCiSHAM4P87_GAd0QbhSfW0I3ufXXS2RcKbiTT2azSApLyg/s320/Brian+Incline.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229689496138754594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUJl2OGLlQEwumzKsKx1dPjNiP-I-AC2JFXJ-KD1YSDyKn8IxST4Om2W4kPPfCQ87RBK4y0JNkMdaOkJIVIGynkC3ysQqeEJOxYiR7c7ciRZyv82QkI2JJz_3p4-N-6gI1YUGHfBx8A/s1600-h/Aunt+C+Incline.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUJl2OGLlQEwumzKsKx1dPjNiP-I-AC2JFXJ-KD1YSDyKn8IxST4Om2W4kPPfCQ87RBK4y0JNkMdaOkJIVIGynkC3ysQqeEJOxYiR7c7ciRZyv82QkI2JJz_3p4-N-6gI1YUGHfBx8A/s320/Aunt+C+Incline.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229689506088506482" /></a><br /><br />My favorite show is, of course, THE SHIELD, but my second favorite show is INTERVENTION. So I was thrilled when I saw an invitation on the A&E website to be a member of the studio audience for an Intervention "reunion" show. It was an incredible experience. It will be on in early September and it's called "Intervention: After Treatment". I asked a question and the brilliant interventionist, Jeff Van Vonderen, answered it so eloquently. Maybe it will be on the show!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWhTNbVhava0yRbGtCiWBFH1nN3SiUHQPHHcy3AwlA75UWk9YE4TNwWbPLLbRsybr7S97eyMNzADNA_gAfQ9Z8NxQBmCO49MrA18Rlwpi-8tAe8VS5oKqJ412Lr78sRt-ThEpHJclFQ/s1600-h/Interventionists.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWhTNbVhava0yRbGtCiWBFH1nN3SiUHQPHHcy3AwlA75UWk9YE4TNwWbPLLbRsybr7S97eyMNzADNA_gAfQ9Z8NxQBmCO49MrA18Rlwpi-8tAe8VS5oKqJ412Lr78sRt-ThEpHJclFQ/s320/Interventionists.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229690177007586130" /></a><br /><br />And last but not least, I went to Comic-Con!! That was truly a bizarre experience.<br /><br />Our good friend Adoni was there, signing autographs (he was Abu Fayed in 24 last season -- but he's really much nicer than Abu).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwNg5LDinqzT76ShPgctLoGjSi31x_TyyjfGGlld4he9gRZrtdNF17OPhWYNkcCsuJxz9c9CTFYHxRx1PePEPmQuTWIJ0hjcLqFHvdS9Tmfj1YBZCksfgaVhcv4Bp96yIXbb3IFptKg/s1600-h/Comic-Con+Adoni.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwNg5LDinqzT76ShPgctLoGjSi31x_TyyjfGGlld4he9gRZrtdNF17OPhWYNkcCsuJxz9c9CTFYHxRx1PePEPmQuTWIJ0hjcLqFHvdS9Tmfj1YBZCksfgaVhcv4Bp96yIXbb3IFptKg/s320/Comic-Con+Adoni.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229691093915830914" /></a><br /><br />I got my picture taken with the Ugly Dolls! Who doesn't love Ugly Dolls?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBaAFC7BE4aWSEcbUka2Y_sPXHLEwMAXcBqIYvXD7Fq3dH2fK4aa3vzSxSFqLH-jr4KrUrbf1e97I8kbJqEQGmAxtT0oiv7yMIMdXLsDYosPK7hAVXX6y8lhAT-2aQM4l-PDL82l3fA/s1600-h/Comic-Con+Uglydolls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBaAFC7BE4aWSEcbUka2Y_sPXHLEwMAXcBqIYvXD7Fq3dH2fK4aa3vzSxSFqLH-jr4KrUrbf1e97I8kbJqEQGmAxtT0oiv7yMIMdXLsDYosPK7hAVXX6y8lhAT-2aQM4l-PDL82l3fA/s320/Comic-Con+Uglydolls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229691314096416674" /></a><br /><br />I asked this person if he was a Steelers fan! I thought he'd speak like the dark evil overlord of some far away planet, but no, his reaction was a *giggle*! He said "That's not what I was going for..." but I told him he'd make a good Steelers fan regardless.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_f-OgkOOvCpk8ykZ1HbbvF_lnyF8k6hlG-GEAjTaLNzTmzNNs3bRcf4Ulv8yfdR8HmOR1_D2b8Rhx-ruOAzIdSLrI1t78dU5hC-dtAquW9Al7k-m-ZKeSlAGyLMxNks12EfH8nIl-w/s1600-h/Comic-Con+Steelerfan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_f-OgkOOvCpk8ykZ1HbbvF_lnyF8k6hlG-GEAjTaLNzTmzNNs3bRcf4Ulv8yfdR8HmOR1_D2b8Rhx-ruOAzIdSLrI1t78dU5hC-dtAquW9Al7k-m-ZKeSlAGyLMxNks12EfH8nIl-w/s320/Comic-Con+Steelerfan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229691646191414898" /></a><br /><br />I leave you with a photo of an outstanding parking job I achieved recently. I tell ya, this car is too big!!!!!! And to think I wanted an SUV...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bxS4IADB_JJpqK1QVlzB21BjZQKAWJppr5fXSyipVsmJiTSEjN47fWDOKHZsJEMbAO3Jite9l9QupoOSwuUV3qq45j8SuqrNy4EEgUAA1WZJDBkNppKm9IyBP1n9KjFkgVtmS4IKDQ/s1600-h/Great+Parking+Job+Jen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bxS4IADB_JJpqK1QVlzB21BjZQKAWJppr5fXSyipVsmJiTSEjN47fWDOKHZsJEMbAO3Jite9l9QupoOSwuUV3qq45j8SuqrNy4EEgUAA1WZJDBkNppKm9IyBP1n9KjFkgVtmS4IKDQ/s320/Great+Parking+Job+Jen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229693100639638482" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-69653685879478403802008-07-07T16:20:00.000-07:002008-07-07T20:44:51.327-07:00Telling it like it isOur blog posts are always pretty upbeat, reporting all of our usual adventures. Sadly, this post will be different.<br /><br />This past week was, probably, the worst of my life so far. On Monday night, my beloved cousin Samantha died at the age of 24. It doesn't even feel right to call her my cousin, because we were much closer than that. We really were like sisters, and her real sister Dena and I have the same relationship. I had been dreading this day for decades, literally, and it finally came. Yet I feel no sense of relief. Just pain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzdbuoxDLU5RxdRBYAs6TdQcIYPNeShGse28o9u3flO5nLWGCsLownQts7taC9xk0q7UEwwHePbjP5zqNSScXZV1un8SQUWs2xssCg1YShfV1gNvqSxuZV0bAGDeJ2-M5sRSgkZaA0g/s1600-h/MyAngel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzdbuoxDLU5RxdRBYAs6TdQcIYPNeShGse28o9u3flO5nLWGCsLownQts7taC9xk0q7UEwwHePbjP5zqNSScXZV1un8SQUWs2xssCg1YShfV1gNvqSxuZV0bAGDeJ2-M5sRSgkZaA0g/s320/MyAngel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220479761196617058" /></a><br /><br />One year ago this week my biggest problem was that I had to deal with an incompetent, idiotic research company and a client who loved them. As stressful as that was, I'd be thrilled to trade that problem for all these new ones. In the past nine months, I've experienced the following:<br /> - My "stepmom" died<br /> - I discovered a long-time friend talking shit about me (sounds juvenile but damn it hurt)<br /> - I turned 38 (no jokes about how this a good thing; it might be good if I'd achieved ANY of the goals I'd set by now)<br /> - I attended my 20-year high school reunion (yes it was fun but again, kind of sucked being single and childless among all the happy couples)<br /> - My dear cousin Debby was killed in a car accident<br /> - My parents, divorced for many years, both chose to spend Christmas with me (again this turned out to be fun but started out a little awkward, and the holidays are always stressful anyway)<br /> - Samantha went in for a long-awaited lung transplant and had every complication you can think of<br /> - I lost two friends -- not close friends, but people I cared about (one to suicide, one to cancer)<br /> - Brian and I just could not get along and he moved out<br /> - I got the flu and was sicker than I'd ever been, ever<br /> - After 9 1/2 years with DDB, the management stabbed me in the back. I quit, but it was so awful, it felt like I'd been fired instead. (It never feels good to think you're so important and great, only to discover you are not valued AT ALL.)<br /><br />After about 3 or 4 of these events I thought, "NO MORE!!" but it just kept on comin'. The good news is that Brian really rose to the occasion and showed me tremendous support when I lost my job, even though he had no responsibility to do so. So after a few months he moved back in, and that was good.<br /><br />But I'm still suffering from the loss of my career and since it was the center of my life for so long (I have no husband or kids, so the natural focus was on my job), it's been very hard to regain a feeling of vitality. So I'd already been moping...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-O2iF1KsqPVtvqd9mvtnl8JYCamLvqt1up1gRXMQSSpigEoeSVgPjtXMMiQoUaIgQr_JwoYSQrxM2BvfIsSiXBNjxNOXZS2Df-ydrWEhqR9P0MAWGtgSf-wsUL9cvHJ4wdpLX5IfHA/s1600-h/sam1+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-O2iF1KsqPVtvqd9mvtnl8JYCamLvqt1up1gRXMQSSpigEoeSVgPjtXMMiQoUaIgQr_JwoYSQrxM2BvfIsSiXBNjxNOXZS2Df-ydrWEhqR9P0MAWGtgSf-wsUL9cvHJ4wdpLX5IfHA/s320/sam1+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220480933311987266" /></a><br /><br />And now I've lost my darling Samantha. We were so alike. She was my go-to girl for anything fashion-related. I could name drop some trendy designer and nobody knew what I was talking about, except for her. Every single sale I came across, I told her about it. We loved Kathy Griffin, Intervention (though sometimes it bummed her out), The Soup, and lots and lots of other mindless trash TV. We took so many memorable trips together, to Hilton Head Island, Disney World, all over LA, and especially Las Vegas, where I took her to her first (and probably only) male strip show. She was only 17 so I still feel a little guilty about that. But the look on her face sure was worth it.<br /><br />Anyway, I don't mean to whine and moan and groan. I know a lot of people have it a lot worse than I do. I am just a little worn out right now, so bear with me if I'm a little grumpy. I really don't want to become a bitter old lady, so I'm gonna try to maintain some positivity and live a life that Samantha would approve of. Suggestions and encouragement always welcome.<br /><br />Love.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Va60jmZFI34bL4QLzBKyQebtSB5ArqYOsiiDmagvx3EFZi5KzPAa-bwvZA0D9Aed8a_OSHM2z5VselNggyeym2bhOjReAiDV46tPAV-HWG-mTk8GnCKbma0JQC6xj21Gr5nlQpRr9g/s1600-h/yates.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Va60jmZFI34bL4QLzBKyQebtSB5ArqYOsiiDmagvx3EFZi5KzPAa-bwvZA0D9Aed8a_OSHM2z5VselNggyeym2bhOjReAiDV46tPAV-HWG-mTk8GnCKbma0JQC6xj21Gr5nlQpRr9g/s320/yates.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220483690316760930" /></a><br />(This is Dena, my Aunt Carmie, and Samantha at Christmas two or three years ago)dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-65199686140297848432008-06-19T21:13:00.000-07:002008-06-19T22:07:42.960-07:00Big fat updateSo hello again. We have much to report since our last update!<br /><br />We've been on the road a lot. Last month, I flew to Atlanta for the wedding of one of the first friends I ever made on the Internet. Here are a few pics:<br /> - me and my beloved date Katie<br /> - me in the dress I wore -- no big deal, but check out those SHOES! "Beauty is pain", you better believe it.<br /> - me with the happy -- VERY happy -- new couple (They serenaded each other with an impromptu medley of Grease songs, and gave us plantable trees as favors. How charming!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ09Psw0ebazDsSHpNWUYGDf2gfxqyYKhxgvJP-PYUsK8IjN-elbI-iZl9RCryvP1LJ1hBavZcmZ5n1c72kTxqIHWQODfNWAUpKMOJNXdpEGNsj71ezYVoVjjo_gRtVlIxNaOPhaenEA/s1600-h/KKJoJo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ09Psw0ebazDsSHpNWUYGDf2gfxqyYKhxgvJP-PYUsK8IjN-elbI-iZl9RCryvP1LJ1hBavZcmZ5n1c72kTxqIHWQODfNWAUpKMOJNXdpEGNsj71ezYVoVjjo_gRtVlIxNaOPhaenEA/s200/KKJoJo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213813619913424258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZvV0n8if0SASkvoPFvLfFjTMfkCdi32_itsP6AqIJaVFfq4PG0TMHI43S397VM2KxMT7SzZHQXZV3xmGDvM-GwZL4nQ8uUV8UAEH2i864aL25IqaLuo5mPeUAQ6SpjxLDu7eM5ukYw/s1600-h/Cuteshoes"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZvV0n8if0SASkvoPFvLfFjTMfkCdi32_itsP6AqIJaVFfq4PG0TMHI43S397VM2KxMT7SzZHQXZV3xmGDvM-GwZL4nQ8uUV8UAEH2i864aL25IqaLuo5mPeUAQ6SpjxLDu7eM5ukYw/s200/Cuteshoes" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213813622396358594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ_MAzbvwK_ItWLNTkP9Yf9gbVxz9P8JBA9WcrmUo9JeVI9ngf3jmHbcHuVO74m2sT4gsEYm9ICjVn6qJmprqXsajllR5fHShw7yUJa3qINjg044ENVhaiIlnJUbGmQuHMW7Ep5G6Bg/s1600-h/HeatherJenniferMatt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ_MAzbvwK_ItWLNTkP9Yf9gbVxz9P8JBA9WcrmUo9JeVI9ngf3jmHbcHuVO74m2sT4gsEYm9ICjVn6qJmprqXsajllR5fHShw7yUJa3qINjg044ENVhaiIlnJUbGmQuHMW7Ep5G6Bg/s200/HeatherJenniferMatt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213813627779440354" /></a><br /><br />Also last month, I fulfilled a childhood dream by seeing Micky Dolenz in concert. Two Monkees down, two to go! We met him after the show and he was very nice and still cute! I had a great time but some crazy groupie kind of gave me attitude (yes, Micky Dolenz has groupies. Okay, groupie. Singular).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfp6xfjiy5nHFyQN2iZsldKL1adn1_aO7E-yxjrabrSga6Q-T0CJ-AquRUfhH1vstfDfDTb4ORuLWzWCMKlqCwwzVD1gkQuToFV60sJsKq7EDLC7AHEu09_bsJURkthlyohBWMNf3-_g/s1600-h/Micky4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfp6xfjiy5nHFyQN2iZsldKL1adn1_aO7E-yxjrabrSga6Q-T0CJ-AquRUfhH1vstfDfDTb4ORuLWzWCMKlqCwwzVD1gkQuToFV60sJsKq7EDLC7AHEu09_bsJURkthlyohBWMNf3-_g/s320/Micky4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213814594364009442" /></a><br /><br />On eBay, we found front row seats to the Kids In The Hall. I took two pics but they're blurry and awful, so here's a random pic. Anyway I got to be a part of the show, slightly, when Mark McKinney took a video camera, zoomed in on my face (which was then projected on a huge screen behind him for the world to see), and decided whether or not he was going to crush my head! Sadly for me, he decided I "look like a backscratcher" (???!?!!) so he declined to crush me and moved on to some other chick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA0jndlfGTFuEaXlaav3sJBixTpjOCiHBkZpQXhPb0Q1e0JkP5sESEOU_eC5XyQ-d4uNRsOiuxDCCK0FiBQ6CWpsgLat0Sek8_vbqyUsJbsQM2hUbJiLxG1frgcGxFuIxyDg90vAcdQ/s1600-h/kids.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA0jndlfGTFuEaXlaav3sJBixTpjOCiHBkZpQXhPb0Q1e0JkP5sESEOU_eC5XyQ-d4uNRsOiuxDCCK0FiBQ6CWpsgLat0Sek8_vbqyUsJbsQM2hUbJiLxG1frgcGxFuIxyDg90vAcdQ/s320/kids.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213815608263523266" /></a><br /><br />We recently returned to the lovely city of San Gabriel to visit the glory that is Chung King. "What is Chung King?" you ask. Well our friend Wei told us about it. It's an authentic Chinese restaurant. I mean authentic. AUTHENTIC. The menu scares me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhfSKEm526GRn1oaW20wds7LxgyrkSiSqRwoQ9dqGPxJZ_e9ix4Xx6CsrJBunPSK_UzT8As6UL4KPUP7BaQUSPPec4YRLK1SBwdpSKWv84jkz0xj8BFBaPR1pNnhWYL7fBEHqCnf1wA/s1600-h/Chung+King2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhfSKEm526GRn1oaW20wds7LxgyrkSiSqRwoQ9dqGPxJZ_e9ix4Xx6CsrJBunPSK_UzT8As6UL4KPUP7BaQUSPPec4YRLK1SBwdpSKWv84jkz0xj8BFBaPR1pNnhWYL7fBEHqCnf1wA/s320/Chung+King2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213816509948996418" /></a><br /><br />And that's hardly the worst of it. Another page features "stir-fried frog with pickled pepper (live)". I assume they mean the FROG and not the pepper. But anyway, their specialty is a chicken dish with hot red peppers -- so many that you cannot possibly avoid them! It's delicious, really.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfLYdOs8pSYoZL8otduMLAsUBDHQdmpP2yiMidRt4y0F-oYZRP0lagulWZbTu7xSHdfKkmRI4u4WZMxsvlBQtFkx5wrjiruQi8aq4s5OKZJkuaejIqOidz4QBjVcURv_wTJXYe5zG0Q/s1600-h/CK+Chx.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfLYdOs8pSYoZL8otduMLAsUBDHQdmpP2yiMidRt4y0F-oYZRP0lagulWZbTu7xSHdfKkmRI4u4WZMxsvlBQtFkx5wrjiruQi8aq4s5OKZJkuaejIqOidz4QBjVcURv_wTJXYe5zG0Q/s320/CK+Chx.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213822347645806258" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of China, I just interviewed for a job in Beijing. But after the first round, they decided I'd be better suited for the Hong Kong or Bangkok position. But don't freak out -- after the second round, they sensed (correctly) that I wasn't extremely thrilled to move to Asia. I would have been interested, but not for three whole years, which was what they wanted. So I didn't get the job. But I did get a freelance position (right here in LA), so I'm keeping busy.<br /><br />As you probably know, our goal is to become full-time vacationers. We did a great job of that over Memorial Day week, when we took our annual trip to the Outer Banks (NC). Lori and Mike picked out an incredible house this year -- with a heated pool!! We drank many Coronitas, ate like pigs, and Brian fished like it was going out of style. One night he caught 25 fish, but a FOX jumped up and stole one right off the line as he was reeling it in! Crazy, huh??<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVADd4RgpCWMX4A1RuBJGeRsZgZE6YHs_PjS224s-5b2o37SDvF8zzTp5yKki9-9kDXatoSr7lSR_lfVlQmoscPPXiMNvn99EZ6kNqYkFDlS2vYPVVU9uc0v3Rln1fk4-6sSr8DB-JA/s1600-h/BrianOBX2008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVADd4RgpCWMX4A1RuBJGeRsZgZE6YHs_PjS224s-5b2o37SDvF8zzTp5yKki9-9kDXatoSr7lSR_lfVlQmoscPPXiMNvn99EZ6kNqYkFDlS2vYPVVU9uc0v3Rln1fk4-6sSr8DB-JA/s320/BrianOBX2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213819371912689730" /></a><br /><br />Last week, Brian went fishing in Colorado with his family. He had a great time but doesn't have any photos!! While he was there, I went to Las Vegas with my mom, aunt, cousins and mom's friend Kelli. We stayed at the glorious Bellagio, where our room had an impressive bathroom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G7J4Pq6PGQdFXuZkC2xK0v-LQ78DXMzk75askVo9d1BezYzti7ewy6OWL328rzJEu5rGhWujb1DLQw5gLtILa20kxsGrmXX89YxNlzpJH3nHEAevy4Y_xvyjqugPXuKl-ItEA0Dtdw/s1600-h/MomJenniferTub.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G7J4Pq6PGQdFXuZkC2xK0v-LQ78DXMzk75askVo9d1BezYzti7ewy6OWL328rzJEu5rGhWujb1DLQw5gLtILa20kxsGrmXX89YxNlzpJH3nHEAevy4Y_xvyjqugPXuKl-ItEA0Dtdw/s320/MomJenniferTub.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213820831931957634" /></a><br /><br />In Vegas, we saw Mamma Mia, ate at rumjungle (not great) and Tao (great great), drank at poker tables, slot machines and Kahunaville, and generally had a fabulous time. The highlight was definitely our incredible seats and backstage passes at the Kenny Chesney concert, courtesy of the very talented dobro player in LeAnn Rimes' band. This photo isn't fabulous but at least you can see how good our seats were!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxXMcbZlR4cHVjtwNmn_sHpWkrP5Tmo5mFNSutTc7h-Mz-e13GWZ2XapajoCujBLLmIL3UfTcsfkM-uxwLFsQy848mIcsoMHaYTWoWmmTOVV-rBf7jiFfFEfrgen_DbK9AraXRHgEhg/s1600-h/View.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxXMcbZlR4cHVjtwNmn_sHpWkrP5Tmo5mFNSutTc7h-Mz-e13GWZ2XapajoCujBLLmIL3UfTcsfkM-uxwLFsQy848mIcsoMHaYTWoWmmTOVV-rBf7jiFfFEfrgen_DbK9AraXRHgEhg/s320/View.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213821018363648450" /></a><br /><br />So that's about it for now. This weekend I'll be in Las Vegas again (for work) and next weekend we're using a free flight (thank you John and ExpressJet!) to visit Monterey. We leave you with a link (lame YouTube won't let me embed) to a video that actually had me crying with laughter.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9yAkBSrMk0"><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9yAkBSrMk0</a><br /><br />Please stay in touch everyone!!!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-42472333243331613502008-06-10T16:01:00.001-07:002008-06-10T16:01:53.909-07:00The more things change...<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I love Gilda Radner. This is really funny, and really depressing!<br /><br /><object align='middle' height='370' width='440' id='JibJabPlayer' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0' classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000'><param value='always' name='allowScriptAccess'/><param value='http://www.jibjab.com/v/171142' name='movie'/><param value='false' name='loop'/><param value='false' name='menu'/><param value='high' name='quality'/><param value='transparent' name='wmode'/><embed pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' allowscriptaccess='always' align='middle' name='JibJabPlayer' id='JibJabPlayer' swliveconnect='true' height='370' width='440' bgcolor='#C4C2AA' quality='high' menu='false' loop='false' src='http://www.jibjab.com/v/171142'/></object><div><a target='_blank' href='http://www.jibjab.com/view/171142'>Stretch Marks</a> | <a target='_blank' href='http://www.jibjab.com/'>Funny Jokes at JibJab</a></div></div>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-4694809349968765302008-06-01T18:30:00.000-07:002008-06-01T18:36:54.145-07:00SATC reviewWe've been on vacation, and have one more (each) coming up this weekend, so there will be a fun update shortly.<br /><br />But for now, my review of the Sex and the City movie that I so eagerly awaited for years. I loved seeing them again, loved the clothes, had a lot of laughs, but in the end, was very bothered by one big message (that somehow, didn't seem quite as blatant in the TV series). The New York Post agrees with me, and here is the excerpt from their review:<br /><br />"...distressed by the movie's regressive, unmistakable subtext: that unless she's a sexual compulsive, a woman is nothing without a man of her own."<br /><br />I give it a C!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-47326023855753140892008-05-08T17:13:00.000-07:002008-05-08T17:15:48.416-07:00I almost forgot!I saw these two at dinner on Sunday night! She was wearing more clothes, but he was dressed about the same as he is in this pic.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPUKsOaB2aeTfH7_kDZNB4bqSEdX2B4YspanXQNuCYCrFxu27jObWMzI8BxO4_4tusTZGd28jLmndBXLYPE8rpSOzn7xz6XLrURGZTXYIVC0Gun2O0WZXsJFoz6SuL4uLBIU6EJ_1eA/s1600-h/hogans.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPUKsOaB2aeTfH7_kDZNB4bqSEdX2B4YspanXQNuCYCrFxu27jObWMzI8BxO4_4tusTZGd28jLmndBXLYPE8rpSOzn7xz6XLrURGZTXYIVC0Gun2O0WZXsJFoz6SuL4uLBIU6EJ_1eA/s320/hogans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198165033208408722" border="0" /></a>dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-37560345143632876892008-05-07T22:06:00.000-07:002008-05-07T22:37:52.325-07:00I Love LAIt's so much fun living here sometimes.<br /><br />Today I visited my friends Maria and Dustin who work at Paramount. I hung out on "The Lot" for hours. I saw a lot of sets but no celebrities.<br /><br />But tonight Brian and I went to a research screening of a movie. We do this every once in a while, and the movies vary. A few weeks ago we saw one called The Uninvited that isn't scheduled to be out until Halloween. It was llllllame but all of the 14-year-olds around us loved it.<br /><br />Tonight's movie was not revealed to us until we got there. They said we were the first audience to see it. When we arrived, they frisked us and searched us for camera phones. Brian had to check his iPhone at the door.<br /><br />Turns out the movie was HANCOCK, which stars Will Smith, Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron. I LOVED IT. I gave it 5 stars, Brian gave it 4. If my brother Lee is reading this: GO! It's a superhero movie, but only sort of.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCb7A25c5_hyQ3RlS7a9VCEcUgZXR9dnCk7akNmpf8_FAdD_6XTfPCeBt8LpX5ibLIxfmbg6Pw5xNwqyRRqDdZrMh4O7YA7l12NBidbZ_g76Sl1fokwPfLAFpp3_coCSi0Ur7LQij4Q/s1600-h/hancock1_large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCb7A25c5_hyQ3RlS7a9VCEcUgZXR9dnCk7akNmpf8_FAdD_6XTfPCeBt8LpX5ibLIxfmbg6Pw5xNwqyRRqDdZrMh4O7YA7l12NBidbZ_g76Sl1fokwPfLAFpp3_coCSi0Ur7LQij4Q/s200/hancock1_large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197870359797197346" border="0" /></a><br />Here's the coolest part: Will Smith was in the audience!! He snuck in the back and watched from the last row. I hope he felt the positive vibes I was sending, because this movie was a blast and it oughta make all of the stars much richer.<br /><br />After the movie I went to Pinkberry. That's probably my 6th one in 7 days. The cashier wrote my name on the cup, sort of: JENAFUR<br /><br />Last week in Burbank I caught sight of this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDueKK7kZrDj-nFeZW6UvRugkZg0fQBubm386g-5ifU6ULO4qw6zgHfU-fM9S-LO8oIiInO9ZV5Ra6Lwev9HN5r0vDRlMubFIXULxxdyITDYvEIWxfaVlwII_OY2z1qISKYFzkexUglw/s1600-h/ParrotBiker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDueKK7kZrDj-nFeZW6UvRugkZg0fQBubm386g-5ifU6ULO4qw6zgHfU-fM9S-LO8oIiInO9ZV5Ra6Lwev9HN5r0vDRlMubFIXULxxdyITDYvEIWxfaVlwII_OY2z1qISKYFzkexUglw/s320/ParrotBiker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197870931027847730" border="0" /></a><br />Tonight in Venice I saw these little guys (there were tons more but I couldn't herd them). It may not be obvious now that I look at this pic, but they are ducks. There are tons of them all over our neighborhood:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_c7Ko9SmlaAGS2JJgSR2O4MXmhfyKyVIuHhZnEkOW4QepYca4PZQK-wBB_5liX78sKzEtKJKZNJr3F8tvI8XRz-_B6c6CJwYAzgpv_PQd8_KxsEYX17BTLeQY301EeZ3kocTuJ65Sg/s1600-h/Ducks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_c7Ko9SmlaAGS2JJgSR2O4MXmhfyKyVIuHhZnEkOW4QepYca4PZQK-wBB_5liX78sKzEtKJKZNJr3F8tvI8XRz-_B6c6CJwYAzgpv_PQd8_KxsEYX17BTLeQY301EeZ3kocTuJ65Sg/s320/Ducks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197872258172742210" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday on my way to teach a class at Cal State Fullerton, I spotted this license plate. I thought it was pretty funny. I'm assuming the driver is a Hispanic Star Wars fan:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYiSH1C-4jR037jqqB2tMnYNi4qNPmvmTUrrq9TroPrLyRQq41HjT1LOteBIppTI-5wKScOS7IzuFe-Zu-TMzTj7Mby_nwu0k8tdPm8eDsG0NbYo6aIt4-rV7tlviGFi2EfaWE99PWQ/s1600-h/ObyJuan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYiSH1C-4jR037jqqB2tMnYNi4qNPmvmTUrrq9TroPrLyRQq41HjT1LOteBIppTI-5wKScOS7IzuFe-Zu-TMzTj7Mby_nwu0k8tdPm8eDsG0NbYo6aIt4-rV7tlviGFi2EfaWE99PWQ/s320/ObyJuan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197872485806008914" border="0" /></a><br />Brian and I are both dieting but he had a craving for Shepherd's Pie the other night. So he made a healthy version, sans gravy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznJfYNd9Bg2bmJkAAqd2DEUuk7cFzMuMpVZaFPkGCbjW4h_8qUg1upW7R0srgfjQgAPkcywzp5nh8jJSAKAKLxN7jy8PS5vYzb5TbAz7PNKL9MSH1l_xJOf8uI5dCsdLLRLKqrBChkw/s1600-h/Shepherd's+Pie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznJfYNd9Bg2bmJkAAqd2DEUuk7cFzMuMpVZaFPkGCbjW4h_8qUg1upW7R0srgfjQgAPkcywzp5nh8jJSAKAKLxN7jy8PS5vYzb5TbAz7PNKL9MSH1l_xJOf8uI5dCsdLLRLKqrBChkw/s320/Shepherd's+Pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197873357684370018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qqW0XWG7moZkgD89YdQjFSqWY69BcR2xJ0Gnpi4y1z_gd8pyOs_1nmddH2xwe6pYqUcQTxlV58xIGADHv_jUcHhiDoWzR-UTbfwPfo3xs8faYZTYLoOHhrX1b7Vzrgi95Ao5M2jthw/s1600-h/ChefBrian.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qqW0XWG7moZkgD89YdQjFSqWY69BcR2xJ0Gnpi4y1z_gd8pyOs_1nmddH2xwe6pYqUcQTxlV58xIGADHv_jUcHhiDoWzR-UTbfwPfo3xs8faYZTYLoOHhrX1b7Vzrgi95Ao5M2jthw/s320/ChefBrian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197873361979337330" border="0" /></a>He really is a great cook!! Much better than I am, I hate to say. There's only one time a year that I am a semi-decent cook, and that's when we go on vacation and have to cook for a whole house of friends and make sure we don't embarrass ourselves.<br /><br />Last year Ilse and I went to a concert that Perez Hilton put on and I can't remember if I posted this photo then or not. But we love him and it's a great pic, so here it is (maybe again)!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eFZbVsBZOfCrtLrJZ3G4p6kyeOE0tDgWtYAl2s9cg9ba62J9phjcZ8KT4VOYTII8ESaE_2uHofz4oU9EW4dBCFaJKabmHfzSKdJ_XBiuHDyubXmTaBA4SafLyiHFcdJQvfM4zrZ7QQ/s1600-h/IlsePerezJennifer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eFZbVsBZOfCrtLrJZ3G4p6kyeOE0tDgWtYAl2s9cg9ba62J9phjcZ8KT4VOYTII8ESaE_2uHofz4oU9EW4dBCFaJKabmHfzSKdJ_XBiuHDyubXmTaBA4SafLyiHFcdJQvfM4zrZ7QQ/s320/IlsePerezJennifer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197873366274304642" border="0" /></a><br />A while ago my friend Darcy and I ran into an actor we loved. We didn't know his name (it's Ben) but he was the star of one of our Ameriquest commercials! Tonight I recognized him in a new Gas-X ad. I'd like to leave you with this line from that commercial that made me, quite juvinilely, laugh out loud: "Your son <span style="font-style: italic;">Rip </span>is on line <span style="font-style: italic;">toot</span>."<br /><br />I love LA!!dellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132374415802473875.post-17938268949607095042008-05-03T13:56:00.000-07:002008-05-03T13:58:31.338-07:00A wise man said...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6hq3Xtpaxdm3nyhOpMscoCxV2j6ZpWH2VuhtA8Pez7BePlkuaftl0475cueDcrHLEBoStNrM5fuOoISOApcG_E-wGtpC9rXImobk36L3xrwO0ZISdUMagygXaRtcbAb-IMYrjphVCg/s1600-h/tina-fey2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6hq3Xtpaxdm3nyhOpMscoCxV2j6ZpWH2VuhtA8Pez7BePlkuaftl0475cueDcrHLEBoStNrM5fuOoISOApcG_E-wGtpC9rXImobk36L3xrwO0ZISdUMagygXaRtcbAb-IMYrjphVCg/s320/tina-fey2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196258862546308178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Women your age are more likely to be mauled at the zoo than get married." - Jack Donaghydellapinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00716684816950541679noreply@blogger.com0