Who Knew Porcupines Could Be So Cute?

Meandering Thoughts on DWTS

I can remember when Dancing with the Stars used to be a showcase for D listers. Those quasi-celebrities vying for a come back, in fact I can't even recall past winners, which is probably a good thing, who needs to have that information stored in one's head? I did start to watch regularly when Donny and Marie Osmond started making it respectable. I loved their wholesomeness but I'm biased since my 7th grade gal pal was in love with Donny and I loved it when Marie fainted. Come on, how many times do we get to see someone faint? But who are all those athletes? Sure Apollo Ono, what a cutie, even if is as tall as the Travelocity Gnome. Or Evan Lyschek, I simply adore ice skating, sequins and all, but come, big burly line backers doing the fox trot?

So as a there's nothing else to watch watcher, I will have to put in my two cents regarding this seasons contestants. I loved Brandy, she definitely knew how to move, much to the criticism of the judges, I thought she was good enough to win and well, Maxim as a partner, yum! Jennifer Grey winner of last nights finale, the girl has been through some physical challenges, but do we have to hear it every episode? If you enter a dancing contest where you are required to move it and shake it, then you better be physically fit or bow out. Enough already with the neck, the back and the Patrick Swazye. Out of the three left standing, she was clearly the winner. I just thought it would have been nice if she did do a tribute to Dirty Dancing after all isn't that what's she's known for?

I thought Kyle Massey was cute in a chubby sort of way and he sure can hip hop. I'm just wondering why he didn't drop any pounds?

And now for Bristol Palin. The girl can't dance. She dances like a white girl, all wooden and stiff. Sure she improved 100% from when she started, so snaps for that, but all that tea party voting just because her mom is Sarah Palin. Well, to me that stinks of voter fraud and I'm sure tea partiers wouldn't stand for it if Democrats stuffed the ballot boxes with 80 votes each. No matter how many lessons from Arthur Murray, the girl will never be a great dancer and maybe DWTS knew better than give her the mirror ball trophy!

Immortalized on the web-they used to have the 3:14 minute video of me on LMAD, but I guess CBS takes them off after they have aired-poo! At least I have a real picture of myself and Wayne Brady together!

The Last Child

The Last Child
By John Hart

This is definitely a book I would take to the beach and if not beach time, then read it while riding the bus, on a train, on a plane, on vacation, but don’t read it before you go to bed, because you might not get to sleep! The last few chapters had me sitting on the edge of my seat, I couldn’t put it down. I was out of town for work and the minute my meeting was over, I would rush up to my hotel room, order room service and settle in with book in hand and food in mouth.

The story centers around Johnny, whose twin sister is kidnapped a year earlier and his desperate search for her. All of twelve, his search is methodical, exhausting, bordering on calling the magical forces whose belief in talismans and totems serve to sustain him in what would otherwise be a hopeless, futile search for any adult. But Johnny believes. truely believes, irregardless that his mother can’t cope with the loss of her daughter and the desertion of her husband, and gets through each day in a fog of pills, tangled in an abusive relationship with the town’s most powerful man. There’s the detective whose inability to solve the case and his obsessions with Johnny’s mother haunts all corners of his professional and personal life.

A tightly woven story which keeps you biting your nails, hoping against hope that somewhere out there Johnny will find out what happened to his sister, his mother will come to grips with her grief and the detective will be able to mark the case closed.

Let's Make a Deal Delivers the Goods

Just a recap, Donna and I went on Let's Make a Deal when it was taping here in Las Vegas last year, Sept 25, 2009 to be exact. They no longer tape here, they've move to Los Angeles. It was almost a year before they aired our show, which meant no prizes until then. Our show # 1011 aired last week so I was wondering how long before they would ship out the prizes, since the contract you sign states they have up to 3 months to deliver on them. Well, lo and behold, I received the prizes less than a week later. I was out of town for work, but when I got home, my husband ushers me into the office and there were some rather large boxes. I'm like, I didn't order anything, whatever could they be when it dawned on me that it was from LMAD. We excitedly opened the boxes. Yep there was the Beatles Rock Band for the PSP3 that we won, and also the Beatles's collection of CD and the Beatles Vision Box. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the shipping labels on the boxes. The PSP3 stuff came directly from Amazon.Com, but the Beatles Vision box came directly from 3 Doors Productions (in Burbank) the Let's Make a Deal production company. There was something used about the vision box, it was opened, the back of the box was soiled and the precious laminated to hold the CD's were bent. Like the TV (opened and used), the Beatles Vision Box was opened and had been used on the set as display. I'm hoping they are not expecting me to pay taxes on used goods, because someone at 3 Doors Production Company will be getting an earful-ya you Shannon! Well, at least my daughter is happy that she finally got her Beatles's Rock Band. Have to go now, I'm being called to sing!

Let's Make a Deal Finally Airs Our Show # 1011!

Well, it was almost a year that we were contestants on Let's Make a Deal and all I can say to CBS is, what was the big deal in holding up the earlier shows? After our taping on Sept 25, 2009, we were so excited that we were picked and won prizes, we told our friends and family to watch for the taping. After checking the airdates, we were so disappointed that our show was not listed. We were told that the early tapings were not as good and therefore were probably going to air at the end of the season which was August. At first they gave us the run around saying they weren't going to air during sweeps, then it was something else, then it was the move to L.A. and by then I was so fed up, I had given up all hope. Finally someone said that it would probably (operative word there, probably) air in August (she could have added when no one is watching). Well, it did air last week and after watching it, I'm like thinking it was no big deal. It was the same as all the other shows. Maybe the prizes weren't that great, heck I didn't win the $6,000 trip to Puerto Vallerta, but hey, I won a TV, Sony Playstation and other goodies. And maybe the camera added the 10lbs and 10 years to my look which I was willing to expose on national TV without pause, and maybe I came off as some Krazy Kooky Asian lady, and maybe in trying to get my co-worker (the other Donna) on the stage with me so she could get some air time, Wayne took it as she was my "life partner" (which there is nothing wrong with that) but we're friends, co-workers and not "partners". So in essence, old, fat and lesbian, I was willingly to have this all out there on TV, so CBS, what was the big deal? You disappointed a lot of contestants that participated in good faith during the first months of taping here in Las Vegas at the Tropicana, and yes, we are still waiting for our prizes. I just got stuff but Pocahontas on our show won the car. I guess she must be relieved that she will soon get it.
Watching our show, we were tickled, we giggled every time we saw ourselves and I was mortified to hear that my relatives taped it so that they could watch my royal kooky oldness over and over. Am I happy that we did it, yes but still disappointed that it didn't air sooner. Well, I guess that's Hollywood baby. I'm glad that it's over and now I can't wait to get the prizes-stay tuned!

Sedona, AZ

(view from our room!)

For a last hurrah for the summer, we took a short vacation, weekcation, to Sedona, AZ. We had been there years before staying only one night just to soak in the local beauty, but I really don't remember much beyond that. This time we stayed 3 nights. Booked The Best Western Inn of Sedona online. They had a good rate of $119.00 per night which is pretty middle of the road. At first I was like, I want to stay some place in town, but everything was so expensive closer to $200.00 per night and hey, this is not a major vacation, so $119.00 was just in my price range, even if it was a short drive out of town, which turned out to be only about less than a mile and really not a necessity to stay in town if you have a car. We drove from Las Vegas. Mapquest said 288 miles, or 4 1/2 hours with a warning about the dam construction. We took the dam anyway, hoping the delays wouldn't be that great, which it did slow us down for about 45 minutes. We stopped in Kingman for lunch and then it was about another 1 1/2 hours to Sedona. The drive after you turn off 40 to 17 and then to 89A was magnificent. The drive winds down from an elevation of 6500 to about 4500 in Sedona. I had to reign in my impatience at the slow cars that seemed to crawl even if it was posted 30 mph and just soak in the scenery and boy it was beautiful. We arrive at the Best Western and the nice lady said she upgraded our room to the second level terrace. Definitely ask for either the 2 or 3rd level rooms, they have the best views. We climb a short flight of stairs to be greeted with a magnificent view of the red rocks. It was gorgeous! The room was spacious and clean enough. The only bad comment I have to make is that the air conditioning unit roars rather loudly and therefore, I didn't have restful sleep. But all that aside, it was the view that made the room worth it. A large front of the room terrace was nice where you could sit out and watch the sun rise over the mountains and at night count the stars. They have free continental breakfast from 7-10 and free Internet in the rooms, which my daughter loved. The pool is small, but adequate with a nice hot tub.

But enough of resting, the next day it was off to Slide Rock State Park about 6 miles up the mountain you came down the previous day. Entrance to the park is $20.00 per car (up to 4 people). We were told to make sure to head out early because once the park fills up, they stop allowing cars in. We got there at 11:00 am dressed in surfer shorts and tankini's, water shoes and towels, we made the short trek to the river bed. On the way is a market where you can get snacks, drinks and stop for a pee break before heading down. There are no words to describe the awesome beauty of this place and imagine that they actually let you swim and slide your heart out in what should be a historically preserved park. It was beyond me. To be swimming among the red rock, walking over rocky shelves and swimming in nature's river was amazing. Be careful tho, the rocks are really slippery and you could break an arm or leg. The water is really cold but it didn't matter, because it was so beautiful to be swimming in such a natural place. We stayed till about 2pm, by then we were so starving. We drove back and stopped at the Dairy Queen, which turned out to be some popular tourist spot with a few local vendors selling jewelry. The service is excruciatingly slow so be patience. I think the guy takes the orders, makes the orders and takes the cash all while mopping the floors!

We wanted the next day to do the tubing, but unfortunately, we started out too late. The tubing company, Sedona Adventures Outfitters along route 89A suggest to get to the tubing location by 10:30-11:30. It's about an hour drive from Sedona toward Camp Verde, off highway 17. Tube rentals are $25.00 pp CASH only. We got side tracked by seeing all the monuments at Village at Oak Creek, Bell Rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross, that we never made it out and by the time we got to Camp Verde it was nearing 1:00. So instead we had a nice lunch at the Sonic in Camp Verde across from the Indian Casino. Get the foot long chili dog, yum!

Dining tip, the best Mexican restaurant in Sedona, The Javelina, try the green chile tamales, to die for! Nice patio dining.

Sedona, a beautiful place, wonderful scenery, and amazing fun, what more can one ask for?

The Red Box

I've discovered the Red Box! I have been walking by the Red Box every week when I went grocery shopping. At first I noticed it, something to do with rental dvd's. Why bother? Didn't I already have a Blockbuster card which held all my top secret credit card information and my preference in movie viewing? Didn't we just get a new Sony PSP3 player, where lo and behold, my daughter informs me we can rent right off the Sony PSP3 website delivered straight to the PSP player for immediate viewing. No getting in the car, going to the store and renting. Granted you have to buy a giftcard for the PSP3 and granted the PSP rentals are for a 24 hour period and is the same price if not more as the Blockbuster 5 day rental, but who needs 5 days right? And I thought the PSP3 was the next best thing since sourdough bread and butter, but nope I was wrong. I've discovered the Red Box! Why I stopped that one time to read the selection, I haven't a clue but what did grab my attention was the rental cost of, hold on to your seats! $1.00 for a 24 hour period. What! You can't buy gum for $1.00! With a little trepidation, my daughter and I made a selection, we choose Valentine's Day. Stuck my credit card in the slot (I'm always suspicious of phony credit card readers!). Took home the dvd, brought it back the next day, not a great inconvenience, since I go to that market every weekend. Checked my credit card statement and saw a charge of $1.08. No, this is crazy, dvd rentals for only a buck. The following week, we splurged and rented gasp! 2 dvds! Within a span of 3 weeks we've seen:

Valentine's Day

Shutter Island

Paranormal Activity

Young Victoria

Tooth Fairy

I'm hooked! Red Box, I love you! Just hope no one else discovers the Red Box, because I wouldn't want them to become so popular they raise the price, shush!

Gotta go now, I'm off to the Red Box, I'm dying to see Up in the Air!

I Love New York City-Cheap Eats-Cheap Treats

This much I thought I knew about New York City, it's expensive, it's expensive, it's expensive. We've traveled all over the world, yet we have never visited NYC. My grandparents on my dad's side lived in upstate New York and whenever we would visit we would never get the chance to go to NYC, maybe because my dad hated it with a passion. He's not a big city kind of guy. So it's taken me all these years to make it there, namely because my daughter arranged a family reunion in Boston, but that's another post.

Back to my first statement, well when I was first researching NYC hotels, it was hard to find a reasonable hotel within Time Square, but I happened upon a Priceline deal, New York Sheraton Towers on 7th and 53rd for only $218.00. I was a bit hesitant since my friend booked through Priceline for a hotel in Chicago and was greeted upon arrival with a curt "Oh you're the Priceline people!" (and not in a complimentary way). Not to worry. We fly in from DC on Jet Blue. I had asked the hotel if they had a shuttle from JFK and was informed that there are no shuttles for any of the hotels. Any hotel? Yes, any hotel. After you collect your luggage from baggage claim, there is an information stand where all you have to do is tell them your hotel and they will tell you the best way to get there. In our case, it was to take the Airtrain to Jamaica Station and then the E train to 7th. It was easy and inexpensive and took about 40 minutes which I'm guessing is probably a lot quicker than taking a cab what with all the traffic. We get out of the subway, drag our heavy luggage up the stairs to the street where we now have to find our hotel, when my daughter says there it is, right across the street. How nice! We check in. No mention that it is a Priceline, third party reservation. We are given a room on the 44th. One word, wow, the view is amazing, the room tho is ok. The hotel is a little careworn and needs some refurbishing, not to mention that there is a distinct odor of urine coming from the bathroom. As I go to pick up the phone to complain, my daughter and husband says to suck it up, a little bleach will take care of that. So we stay. We also have 44th floor club privileges, continental breakfast and hor d'ourves (is that the way you spell that? my daughter asks), not available on weekends, but during the week, a great bonus. Nice expansive continental, with cheeses, cereal, bagels, pastries, fruit, and best of all, my favorite self serve espresso machine. The cocktail hour brings, cheeses, meats, mini sliders, egg rolls and fruits. Really great and right down the hall from our room. The club also is equipped with computers and comfy chairs. Do I really need to leave my hotel at all?

Well, this is New York and New York is calling and I'm all about finding the deals. Our first night there, we came in kind of late, which for NYC nothing is really too late. We find a Japanese noodle restaurant, Sapporo, on 7th at 49th (152 W. 49th). The place is small with clean tables and crowded with Asians, a good sign! The menu is not complicated serving up noodle soup bowls laden with ramen noodles and veggies for around 8-9 dollars. Comforting, delicious and cheap!

Another great find is a restaurant called Bella Vita, right off 7th, 211 W. 43rd on the right side if you are walking down from 53. A tiny unassuming Italian eatery where I can spy from the doorway the chef hand throwing the pizza dough. There is a small wait and the restaurant is packed, another good sign. There is a deli case to the left where walk-ins can order food to go. We are ushered to a small table wedged in the middle. The menu is your typical Italian menu, but the food is anything typical. My daughter orders the eggplant parmigiana, Andy orders the pesto and I get the pasta Bolognese. A true test of a good Italian restaurant is how good their Bolognese is. They don't give bread, which was kind of disappointing, so we order the garlic knots, similar to the ones they make at Sabarro. Our pasta plates come out, hot and plentiful. Two words, crazy delicious! Everything was absolute perfection, but I must say the dinner prize was the pesto. Andy ordered it with spaghetti as it was over corkscrew pasta on the menu, but when he got it, it was over the corkscrew anyway. Needless to say, after one taste, all was forgiven. It was one of the best pesto I have ever eaten. Bright green, creamy, rich and nutty. The sauce would have made strips of shoe leather taste wonderful. My Bolognese was just as rich and meaty to rival anything I have ever eaten in Italy and my daughter's eggplant was sheer heaven. The pasta plates were around 12-16 dollars, a small price to pay for perfection. The pizza's looked amazing and delicious as well. The table next to us ordered the calamari appetizer which looked so crispy I had to restrain myself from reaching over and helping myself. Ah excuse me....

The best buys on the street are of course the independent vendors selling all those "pashmina" scarves for only $5.00. Make sure you open the package since some of them do have runs or flaws in the fabric, but a good deal none the less. I wish I had bought one in every color! I bought my daughter a splatter NY hoodie for about $20.00 (at Time Square) but those can be found on the way to the ferry for the statue of Liberty for $15.00! If you are lucky you might be there for the street fair, which is one of my all time favorite things to do when going shopping anywhere in the world. This one was on Broadway and then on Lexington Ave the following day. The best deals were the Murano necklace pendants with a colored ribbon. Cheaper than going to Venice, Italy! Another good bargain, leather belts for $4.00 and knockoff sunglasses 2 for $10.00. Speaking of knockoffs, I was excited to shop Canal Street to find some knock off purses. I had heard such fantastic stories. When we got there, it was basically the same unrecognizable purses that were in the shops at Time Square. The only knock off I could barely recognize were the terrible Coach knock offs, who would buy one that had the logo CE? Believe me I learned my lesson from Venice, Italy, where we ignorantly bought knock offs that had the initials of LX and FL (Louis Vittion and Fendi). Sorry no refunds. The purses sold for around 25-35 dollars and when you have to ask the salesperson what knockoff is it supposed to be, then that's pretty bad. Stick to buying at the outlet store ladies. You can buy a real Coach purse for $75.00! My suggestion for cheap buys is sticking with the "pashimas" and leather belts and watches. I got a very good buy on a white enamel watch for only $15.00.

I absolutely love New York and can't wait to go back. A foodies paradise and a shopper's dream. Not to mention, Phantom of the Opera was utterly beautiful, I wept. Did I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, when she went to the SF Opera and wept during Carmen? not quite, but I still felt like weeping at the sheer beauty and grandeur of it all!

Let's Make A Deal-Finally!

On the airdates on the LMAD website, they finally have our show 1011 listed for airing 8/18! What it's only been 11 months, more laborious than giving birth! Not having our show air was like the elephant in the room. Well, we'll see, who knows, an earthquake could strike and all the old tapes could be destroyed!