Monday, June 30, 2008

They Write the Words I Love To Read


I am what you'd call a voracious reader. There is always a book nearby, usually right at my elbow, unless of course I'm on the computer. Reading has been a huge part of my life from the time I was an older teen. I do remember some books I read earlier on that weren't school related and have stuck in my mind all this time. Who out there read Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret? If I remember correctly, this book centered around Margaret's young teenage life and dealing with getting her first period.

The first romance I remember reading as a young teen was also by Judy Blume. This one called, Forever. Ooh-wee! I was introduced to sex scenes in this book, and I remember going back, marking the pages with the most action and reading them over and over again.

For many years after that I became enthralled by Stephen King. What a sick, twisted mind this man has, but a literary genius just the same. He even LOOKS freaky, doesn't he?
I could never recount to you how many of S.K.'s books I have read... there are just too many. But there is one that to me deserves some sort of "outstanding book" award, (and I'm sure it won some that I have no clue about) and that's The Stand.
This epic was pure genius, from page one till the end. Another book of his that was just phenomenal was It.
I remember I was in the middle of reading that in 1993 during my honeymoon. I don't know if it's just my imagination, or if my taste in writing has just changed over the years, but it seems like since S.K. was run over by a car several years ago, he's lost his magic touch. The last few of his books I've read I have barely enjoyed. In fact, I couldn't even make it through 1/3 of Lisey's Story.

About that same time I started branching out more into mystery/murder/thriller books and found some wonderful authors such as James Patterson, John Saul, Stuart Woods, Bently Little, and John Sandford. Of course there were many more, but their names escape me now. I'm sorry, but I've got old lady brain at the ripe old age of 37 3/4. Eek! I'm going to be 38 next month! Say it ain't so!

Back to books. In the past 5-10 years or so I've mostly been committed to romance and paranormal romance, but I'm very picky about my authors of the latter. I don't know why I grew out of mysteries and thrillers. I guess it's kind of like I don't have any romance in my life, so I live vicariously through fictional women. I haven't sunk so far as to read Harlequin and Rhapsody books... I'm more of a mainstream, bestselling author kind of gal. My very favorite author for both romance and mystery? Oh, that one is so easy. Nora Roberts!!!!!
This woman is a phenomena of the written word. There is not one thing she has ever written that I've not enjoyed thoroughly. I've probably read 200-300 of her books and never fail to get a jolt of excitement when a new one comes out. Her "Death" series, written under the name J.D. Robb is beyond words for me. ( Here's a pic of Nora from a J.D. Robb photo shoot, looking much more edgy)
The Death series is a slightly futuristic (but not ridiculously so) detective/romance series with the most incredibly lovable characters I think I've ever come across. From bad-ass Lieutenant Eve Dallas, to her bazillionaire husband, Roarke, to the tight-assed Somerset, to her loony friend, Mavis, to her sidekick partner, Peabody, and her constant need for food and sex talk, there's not a character in this series that you won't fall in love with. And the murder investigations are incredible too! I'm begging all of you in blogland to go out and get a few of these books from the series. If you don't like them, I'll eat... I'll eat... well, I'll eat something nasty for you!

Paranormal romance. I've actually only found two authors that do it for me, and only one does it really well, and that's Christine Feehan. She has an entire series ("Dark") of "Carpathian" stories that are completely amazing. Carpathians are immortal people from the Carpathian mountains that need blood to sustain life, but are not vampires. In fact, they are protectors of the human race, and fight vampires as their life's mission. So if they're not vampires, but they need blood, what sets them apart and makes them a gentle race? Well, they do suck blood from humans, but they put the person in a trance so they won't remember anything, and they never take so much blood as to make a person sick. Okay, Okay, I'm sorry Ms. Feehan, I know I'm not doing your books justice here but I don't know how to synopsize on such an incredible series of books! All of you, just take my word for it. Her books will keep you up till all hours, not only from fright, but because they are so good you just don't want to put them down and go to sleep. But be warned. Carpathian sex is VERY intense and Ms. Feehan isn't afraid to put it all out there. So, if you're a sensitive, modest type these wouldn't be the books for you.



I've found a fairly new and not as yet bestselling author to proudly introduce to you. His name is Patrick Sanchez, and since reading his first book he and I have actually become friends. (Hope you don't mind that I Googled you, Patrick!)
The first of his books that I read was Tight, which I found at my local library. I'd never heard of him before, but something about the book cover caught my eye and I decided to give him a chance. Well! What a surprise I got in reading this awesome book! One of those I-cannot-put-it-down-because-it's-so-good reads. I wouldn't put Patrick in the romance genre, more along the lines of women's fiction. And boy does he know women! You may be asking yourself what a 30-something male knows about women. Well, he's gay. That 'splains it well enough for me! Tight is a story about how plastic surgery affects three different women's lives, one who is so obsessive about it that she'll buy, beg or steal to get enough money for just one more procedure. I love the way all four of Patrick's books (so far!) have had three women that become friends, all from different races and lifestyles. It gives his books lots of flavor and realism. I have to say, if you're looking for a wonderful new author who fills his books with witty, hilarious scenes and warm, loving characters, give my boy Patrick a go! Visit Patrick's web site here to learn more about him, and read a totally hilarious excerpt from his latest book, Once Upon a Nervous Breakdown. Even though I've already read the book, reading the excerpt had me in stitches all over again! His books are listed on my Shelfari widget to the right of the posts. You won't regret giving them a try, I swear!

And now my novel about novels has come to an end. I hope I've introduced you to some new writers to check out, and that you'll love them just as much as I do. Reading is my passion, it's part of who I am. Without a book at my side, I would be lost.

Until next time, Justine :o )

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Things I Despise, Bitch Session #1

It seems like every day I find something new that I can't stand, or something old I can't stand and just usually don't think about anymore. And I figured hey, I haven't yet used my blog as a bitch session, so why not start now?

1) First thing on my mind is the flat-topped stove. Now I know a lot of you have them and love them for their easy cleaning and sleek look, but I cannot stand the things. When we first moved into our house in Tampa I begged Jimmy to let us upgrade to the smooth top and he gave in and I soon regretted it. Yes, they are very easy to clean but dammit, when I'm done cooking something and I want the heat off, I want it off NOW, not 20 minutes from now. I don't want to have to remove the pan from the burner and find somewhere else to put it. My dream for the next house is a nice gas stove with an electric oven. There's just nothing finer than FIRE to heat your food. Ask a caveman, he'll tell you it's so.





2) I cannot stand to be asked "when I'm due". Look you morons out there, I'm FAT, not pregnant! Do you not see that the fat is spread out pretty evenly throughout my body? Is my ass not the size of Texas? Am I carrying a baby in my buttocks? No, it's just FAT! I'll admit, for a thick chick I've got some really nice calves. If you look at me from the knee down you'd probably never know that a fat woman exists from there up. But, since I can only assume that people I happen to meet in stores are looking above my knee, what is their excuse? The Ha-Ha part of this scenario comes when I bluntly say, "I'm not pregnant, just fat." and watch the mortification come over their tomato red faces.

Pyzam Glitter Text Maker



3) Silence. Simple as that. I can't take it!!!!!!!!!! It can never be truly silent around me or my head feels wonky, I hear ringing in my ears and everything seems surreal. Take for example that overwhelming feeling of absolute quiet just after the power goes out. Sure, within a few seconds you hear plenty of stuff around you; birds tweeting, bugs chattering, etc. But in that first millisecond when the electricity has cut out, it's almost like being deaf.
The worst for me is trying to sleep in a totally quiet room. Nope, can't do it. When staying at a hotel I always sleep lousy unless there's a loud vent fan in the bathroom I can turn on. So how do I deal with this on a daily basis? I keep a big, loud (ugly) fan in my bedroom, and keep it on high when it's time to sleep. High velocity fans are the best for this. A bomb could go off outside the door and you wouldn't be able to hear it. I don't care if it's -20 F and Jimmy is dressed like an Eskimo to keep warm. That fan is ALWAYS on at night.

4) When a person types EVERYTHING IN CAPS. Look, I've been online since 1993, and one of the first things I learned is that writing in caps means you're screaming.Okay, many of us also write in caps when we are trying to express extreme feelings. I'm okay with that. I do it myself. But do not send me an entire email all in capitals unless you want me to stab you in your sleep. Okay, I wouldn't really do that. I also totally hate murder.






5) Ewww, another thing I can't stand are those really strong, perfumey air fresheners that people keep on the back of their toilet for those stinky situations. Do these things actually remove the poopy odor? No, they do not. They just make a nice mix of flowers and poop for your nasal pleasure. It's like trying to mask the smell of a fart by suddenly opening a window. Sorry! Too late! Already smelled it and a little fresh air isn't going to erase that smell from sensory memory. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd much rather walk into a bathroom that smells like poopy than walk into a bathroom that smells like citrus poopy.

This is only part one of things I despise. Jill tells me I hate a lot of things, so I'm sure I'll come up with many more over the coming months to share with you. Don't get too excited now. It takes time to think of things I truly despise. You'll just have to wait with bated breath until I post Bitch Session #2. Heeheehee!

Until next time, Justine

Friday, June 27, 2008

Tinkle Tinkle Little Blog...

Okay, by now most, if not all of you know how open I am about sharing my stories, my life, my funnies, right? Well, the following is going to show you just how brave I am, although I think the majority of you all are going to be shaking your heads, saying, "Why oh why did she feel the need to share? Has she no pride?" The answer to that would be, yes, I do have pride... I know it's somewhere here, I just can't seem to find it at the moment. And hell, when something funny happens, even if it is pretty embarrassing, how can I not share it with all my friends (and yes, strangers!) in Blogland?

Unfortunately for me, it's not just my chicks that routinely read this, but a handful of guys (hi PatrickRL! Hi Patrick S! Hi Artie!) and various family members, including my dad, my uncle and my mother-in-law. That being said, I'm still going to share with you my embarrassing moment. This won't take but a minute, so if you're in a hurry, just keep your pants on! I couldn't, but you'll read about that next.

Early this morning, probably around 6 a.m., I was laying in bed, fast asleep having a nice dream. In the dream I had to pee really bad so I went to the potty. Ahhhhhhhhhh... that feels much better!

You know that feeling, when you've held your bladder for as long as you possibly can, and finally, RELEASE! Well, unfortunately for me, I was getting that "Ahh" feeling not only in my dream, but in my bed!!!!!!!! I woke up to a very warm sensation and my body quickly put a clamp on it, but it was too late. I had wet my pants!!!!!!!!!!!
I hopped out of bed like someone had stuck me in the ass with a hot poker and I just stood there, listening to the shower running (Jimmy) and looking around the room to see who might be observing this moment of humiliation. Thank goodness, no one was there of course. Who did I expect to see in my bedroom at 6 a.m.? All my friends from Blogland? Nope, there were just a few sleepy-eyed kitties blinking at me. Whew!

Next I checked the sheets. Dry as a bone. Wow, that's like a miniature miracle! But my shorts were completely soaked and I was out of clean undies. What to do? What to do? I wasn't about to take a shower at this ungodly hour, and let's be reasonable, pee- pee is sterile, so why bother? Ah! Clean panties in the laundry room! But Jimmy could be out of the shower any moment and I don't want him to see me in this predicament! So, I whipped off my shorts and ran like a bat out of hell through the house to the laundry room to get some clean drawers.
Unfortunately, they were at the bottom of a heap of clean clothes I'd yet to fold so I sent laundry flying in all directions. Finally, clean ones!!!!!! So I put them on and calmly made my way back to the bedroom. Oh bonus, Jimmy was still in the shower. So I climbed back into my nice (dry) bed and almost instantly fell back to sleep.

I should be totally mortified after sharing all this with you, right? Well, I'm not. What does that say about me? And how many bloggy friends will I lose after this ridiculous post? ROFLMAO! Sorry, but it had to be done!


Until next time, Justine :o )

Thursday, June 26, 2008

My Love of Ronnie

While writing my TV blog last week, I didn't include another reality show that I absolutely love, and just finished its first season a couple months ago. I'm talking about Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel. Of course, me being me, from the very first episode I found myself with a crush on the gay guy. Isn't that the way it always is with me? But Ronnie, oh my, this is one fine looking boy. In my eyes, one of the most beautiful examples of the male form from top to bottom. There's just something striking about this guy and if you don't agree with me, you're nuts! And it was so cute the way he had a crush on his best friend in the house, Ben. Now Ben is a married hetero, but I got the strongest feeling that it wouldn't take much to bring him over to the other side if the right opportunity with Ronnie would have presented itself. But I don't think having cameras on you 24/7 is the best possible time to explore your "other" side for all the world (and his wife!) to see. The crush and flirting did make for some very compelling TV watching, this much I assure you! Midway through the show they were known collectively, as Bronnie.
Anyway, below is a YouTube video that was very well done, showing many of the wonderful shots all different famous photographers got of my beloved Ronnie. There are plenty of pictures of the rest of the cast too, which I hope you'll enjoy. Some of these photos might be a little on the racy side, but in the modeling world, the model does what the model is told or the model is FIRED.

Enjoy! I certainly did!



Until next time, Justine :o )

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Blog Fart, Smelly Fart and a Blue Kitty

I cannot believe it. I've got blog fart again, but this time it seems to be more serious. I'm talking code blue of blog farts here! I literally cannot think of one damn thing to write about! Not ONE! But, since I'm out of email to read for the night, I figured I'd just come here and babble on about nothing in particular. I'm sure I'll be putting some of y'all to sleep here, but that's okay. They say a short nap a day is good for your health.

Reading other people's blogs, I realize just how boring and sedentary my life is! Everyone else seems to be going places, doing things, having fun. Tootsie is up to her eyeballs in plant matter, Penny is letting her hair fly in the wind on a speed boat, Raquel has been chased down by a killer frog, and Buffie is constantly doing something fairly stupid to blog about. Sorry about that Suzanne, but you know it's true girl! If you guys haven't yet seen her video of her Nonita's induced karaoke, I must implore you to visit her blog. This girl was determined to sing her heart out, never mind that she sounds like crapola on a stick!

So what am I supposed to do here? Tell you all about everyone else's blogs and send you on your way? That's certainly what this is shaping up to be, unless you want to hear about the repugnant fart attacks my eldest daughter, Mikayla, was having earlier tonight. We were laying down in my bed to watch Ghost Hunters and she kept letting them rip, then flapping the blanket to let the aroma spread to my side of the bed. Egads people! It was noxious! myspace layout codes

Oh wait, you didn't want to read about this, did you? Well, too late. I can't just go and delete a whole paragraph I worked so hard on, can I? I can? Well, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

::::::::::Tapping fingers restlessly::::::::::: Is anyone interested in the fact that I was bit by yet another evil yellow fly? I swear, I must be allergic to these suckers, because this is what the back of my leg has looked like for 5 days now... Becky thinks I'm a wuss and should quit moaning about my bite, but man, it's not only itchy, but it hurts like a bruise! Do you SEE how big that is? ::::Channeling Chandler Bing here:::: It's monstrous dammit, and I deserve a certain amount of sympathy!

In other news, Simmie, seen here, seems to be developing some sort of Smurfette syndrome, as the left side of her very white neck is now pale blue. I cannot imagine what she may have rubbed up against that would have caused this beautiful shade of blue, but of course my first thought was, "MADISON GRACE!!!!!!!!!!" But no, for once it really wasn't her, although ooh, this kid can lie right to your face and you'd never know it if you weren't standing smack-dab in the evidence of her criminal activity. It's not magic marker or paint, and the last time I checked, my hair extensions weren't leaking, so I'm stumped. It almost looks like she soaked her neck in some Tidy Bowl. Since that ain't it either, I'm out of ideas.

Ooh! Just scared the poop out of myself. Spied the garden hose out of the corner of my eye and thought it was a snake! Uh huh, I think that means it's time for bed!!!!!!!!!! Aren't you glad I'm delusional and need my rest?

Until next time, Justine :o )

Monday, June 23, 2008

7 Useless Tidbits About Me

My friend, Raquel has tagged me to share a few things about myself that many of you may not know. So here goes. This should be a nice, quick post for you to read. And no hunting down graphics for me!

1 I love all critters, big and small. Whether they're furry, scaly, slimy, feathered or nekkid, I l love them. My oldest and dearest friend, Sinead, says that I exude something spiritual to the universe that keeps the critters coming my way. LOL! I don't think I'm doing any woo woo to get a raccoon in my yard, but if that theory makes Nade happy, so be it. And although I love critters, I hate bugs. All except a dragonfly. Those I love. I'm not afraid of bugs at all, just absolutely hate them.

2 After I got married, my "crazy aunt Mary Ellen" (that's how she's referred to in the family) offered to keep my wedding gown at her house for safe keeping until I was ready to have it sealed up. Well, I never did get it back because her equally crazy Doberman, Buddy, peed all over it!

3 Once me and Jill got into such a bad fight (I'd say I was probably 17, her 11) that we somehow wound up in the bathroom, and I was bashing her head on the tiles and whopped her over the head over and over again with a can of Aquanet. She still won't let me live that one down.

4 I have been friends with Sinead since she was 3 and I was four and she walked up to me on my lawn, covered in spaghetti sauce and freckles. We haven't lived in the same state in about 13 years, haven't physically seen each other in at least 6 years, but 34 years later are still the closest of friends. Gosh, that really ages me, doesn't it?

5 I've only had two real boyfriends.. ya know, serious-like. First one was Matt, and that was from ages 14-16, then soon after met Jimmy, and that was that. Jimmy and I have been together 22 years now. Holy moley!

6 I have only been drunk three times in my life, and none of those times was I ever falling-down drunk. I've had nothing alcoholic in approximately two years, and that was a glass of wine with dinner. Why oh why, do you ask? Because I'm hypoglycemic and alcohol turns into sugar.

7 Last but not least bit of useless Justine information. Last summer, me, Jill, and Mom went and got tattooed together. It was Mom's 3rd tattoo and she got a dolphin on her ankle. I believe it was also Jill's 3rd tattoo, and she got a lizard on her foot. It was my 4th, and I got the huge red-eyed tree frog on the front of my shin. Talk about a bonding experience!!!!!

Until next time, Justine :o )

Saturday, June 21, 2008

A Walk Down Memory Lane, Via The Boob Tube


Have you ever sat back and thought about all the TV shows that made some kind of impact in your life? I've just recently been thinking about this and decided to make it into a blog post. Nowadays a lot of parents restrict the amount of TV their children watch, but back when I was a kid in the 70s the TV was a constant babysitter. I'm not saying my Mom didn't pay any attention to me, just that when there was no one to play with and Mom was doing her thing, I always had TV to keep me company.

Anyway, I just thought it would be fun to share with you the TV shows that I watched and loved throughout the years. You may find that we have some favorites in common! I've included some theme songs in my Playlist to go along with your journey, so turn up the sound!

Of course, the first TV show that I watched with any regularity was Sesame Street. I'm sure most of us have this in common! My favorite character had to be Oscar the Grouch, mostly because I was so intrigued by the fact that he fit an entire house in that little aluminum garbage can. I used to wish I could crawl through the TV, jump in that can and see where he lived. Animations - clipart cartoons sesamestreet 002

Of course there was Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and The Electric Company, but aside from Sesame Street, my other all-time favorite children's show was The Magic Garden. This show initially was only seen the NY area, but I do believe they expanded the viewing area after a couple of seasons because of its popularity. I loved the "chuckle patch" and the treasure box especially.

Time went on and I got a bit older and my taste in TV changed accordingly. I loved The Incredible Hulk and Get Smart (I wanted a shoe phone too!) and of course, The Brady Bunch! As a kid I thought their house was so incredibly ugly, but now thinking back on it with an adults view, I realize it had a spectacular layout! And hey, there was room enough to employ Alice the maid just to make their perfect life a little bit more perfect. I wonder if she and Sam the butcher ever got it on in that bedroom of hers that we never got to see?
And who didn't love the Addams Family? I think my favorite character on that shoe was "Hand". I don't know why, so don't even ask. But I also loved Cousin It and Lurch, even though he scared me.


Another monstrously divine family was The Munsters. Herman was a total dork, but I just loved uncle Fester! And how cool was the outside of that house?



Okay, last kid-like show that MUST be mentioned, even though it should go down in history as the DUMBEST show ever aired. What is it? Gilligan's Island of course! Funny how over the years they received so many surprise visitors to the island but they never managed to find their way off it, hmm?? And come on ladies, you know Ginger's sequined dress would have been in tatters within a week of having to walk through a jungle. Stupid from beginning to end, but endlessly entertaining!

Now it's weird, because some of the following shows I always considered part of my generation, but now thinking back, I'm wondering if I saw most of them in reruns. Anyway, in my estimation, the most wonderfully ground-breaking situation comedy of all time was All in the Family. At the time it first aired, there was no other show that broached the subjects that this show did. Equality, sex, racism, political issues, etc. It was really so ahead of its time and so wonderfully written that you felt a part of the Bunker family. And let's not forget to mention that this was the first time that a toilet was heard flushing on national TV! And from one good show, cropped another; the Jeffersons. "Weeeeeeeeeeezieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" What George Jefferson lacked in height, he made up for in mouth.


Then along came another vastly stupid show; Three's Company. It was just so incredibly silly that you had to love it. And oh, the crush I had on "Jack"! And the man could cook! Never did like Janet, she was too uptight for me, but Chrissy and her snorting laugh were a hoot!


Now comes a show that was always very near and dear to my heart. Mostly because I used to often watch it with my grandmother. She passed away 20 years ago this past May, but I still think of her almost daily and miss her like crazy. But anyway, back to the show that we both loved to watch. The Love Boat!!!!!!!!! To me it seemed like the world's best luxury to be able to live on a huge ship like The Pacific Princess. I had a slight crush on Gopher, yes, I'll admit it, even though he was a total dork. I tuned in each week, excited to see who the guest stars would be, what they'd be wearing and what sorts of trouble the crew and guests would get into. And the romance! Ah, it was the perfect introduction to romance for a kid my age.
I still remember that Love Boat was on at 9:00 on Saturday night, and directly after came Fantasy Island. Our family used to laugh because Tattoo so resembled my uncle David, except for the height difference and the funny accent. Do you remember this line? "Da plane! Da plane!!!!!!!!" I can still hear his voice so clearly in my head. Many a Saturday night was spent enjoying these two shows, one that made me go Ahhhhhhhhh, the other that creeped me out a little with all the mysteries that happened on the island.

There are probably a dozen or so shows I watched and loved that I'm not mentioning here, but I don't want to make this into a novel. It's getting long enough as it is. So now I'll skip to when I was about 18 years old and got addicted to Nick at Night. I became fascinated with the really old shows from the 50s, like The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Donna Reed. And ooh, The Honeymooners! "To the moon Alice! To the moon!" What a great cast of characters, huh? And it always amazed me that nearly every episode was filmed from right there in Ralph Cramden's kitchen. Sure, they'd do some scenes outside, or at the bus station, but mostly it was that tiny little kitchen with the tiny little icebox that intrigued me so. I remember wondering why they didn't at least paint that dingy little space. Ya know, spruce it up a bit. But I guess that was part of what made this show special. They lived in an ugly apartment, but it was always clean and they were always together. I was in awe of this incredibly poor couple who still managed to keep their sense of humor and their uncompromising love of each other.

One more ground-breaking show was The Cosby Show. Oh my goodness, there are black people that are wealthy? One a doctor and one a lawyer? You know these thoughts weren't going through my liberal mind, but I bet you a bunch many other people thought it. Let's face it, Bill Cosby is a comedic genius and it shined through in every episode of this program. I think together as a nation we all fell in love with Huxtables. They were the ideal family! They had a gorgeous house, gorgeous children and no money worries. And in a hilarious way, each episode taught some kind of valuable lesson for the viewers to learn. And tell ya what, Cliff Huxtable had the biggest wardrobe of sweaters I've ever seen!

Let's just skip to the 90s now, shall we? There are really only a few shows that stand out in my mind right now. One show I think we can all agree on that became a kind of phenomenon was Friends. Not only was the writing for this show spectacular, but the dynamics and energy between each of the cast members was incredible. How many of you have talked in Chandler Bings' vernacular? " Could you BE any dumber?" And I bet if I told you to sing Smelly Cat, you could do it word for word, no problem. Sometimes, when soaping up in the shower, I still play through a conversation between Joey and Chandler when Joey has just licked a spoon and put it back in the drawer. When Chandler calls him on it, Joey says something like, "Well, what about soap? We both use the same soap!" And Chandler says, "But soap is self-cleaning!" And Joey says, "You just remember that the next time you take a shower. Think about the last body part I washed and the first one you are washing." And will we ever forget that heart-wrenching episode when Ross thought that he and Rachel were "on a break" and cheated on her? And how they stood in the living room breaking up while the rest of the friends were in Monica's room listening, with their hearts breaking? When Ross knelt before Rachel and rested his head against her stomach, begging her not to leave him. Oh my, gives me chills even now. For such a funny show, that one scene was so intense.


Okay! Funny funny funny, and CRAZY show, called Ally McBeal. Jimmy and I used to watch this show faithfully every single week and used to laugh our butts off. It was on Ally McBeal that we were introduced to that crazy computerized dancing baby. Remember when that was going around the internet like crazy? Let's just say Ally had a very vivid imagination. But the very best character on this show had to have been John Cage. Just his toilet practices alone were enough to have me rolling on the floor. His remote control toilet flush... so the toilet would be fresh when he got there, his nose whistling in court and his bathroom stall "dismounts" are among some of my favorite memories of the show. And wasn't it uber cool and progressive that they had a unisex bathroom? Do I think this would work in the real world? Hell no! But it made for some great scenes. Don't want to forget Richard Fish either. His absolutely hysterical wattle fetish was just over-the-top hilarious. I'm really surprised this program only last for 5 years. It was really something else.

It seems to me that in the past 8 years or so, most of the TV I watch is reality shows. I can admit it, I'm totally addicted! For a while there it was The Osbournes, but that grew old quite quickly. But there are some that I have stuck with for years. Of course the number one, being Survivor. Some seasons are better than others, some locations are better than others, but all in all I still love the whole premise of this program. From that very first season when Richard Hatch walked around in the buff, to just this past season's Fans vs. Favorites, I've watched and enjoyed them all. Favorite player of all time? Hands down, Rupert!!!!!!!!!!!! He was a scuzzy looking guy but what a complete sweetie! I swear, some small part of me was half in love with this man!

Most sexy Survivor in my opinion? That honor definitely goes to Ozzie. Yum yum YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't say I've watched every season of it, but I do adore Big Brother. This past season was great, and I'll scoot down in my chair now and say timidly that I had a slight... minor... crush on Adam. He was just so cuddly-bear looking. I know, I know, his eyes did weird things and he isn't the best looking man, but he just looked so huggable! I do have an all-time favorite BB player too. Evel Dick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooooooooo hooooooooooooooo! How could you not love a man in his forties with bright pink streaks in his hair and tattoos all over his body? Okay, so maybe you wouldn't love someone like this, but he's right up my alley!

My very favorite reality show right now has got to be Ghost Hunters. It's on the SciFi network on Wednesday nights and I love to turn out the lights, snuggle up with my body pillow and watch the TAPS team in action. This is a real ghost hunting corporation that has a stellar reputation in their field. TAPS stands for The Atlantic Paranormal Society, and was founded by two Roto Rooter plumbers, Grant and Jason.
The most compelling thing about TAPS is that they study a supposedly haunted building with the intention of debunking a haunting, or in other words, they set out to prove a place is NOT haunted. But many times they have to admit, "Yep, it's haunted alright!" They go in with a team, carrying the most sophisticated equipment available and sometimes scare the poop out of me with their findings. Some of the creepiest stuff is from EVP... Electronic Voice Phenomena. These are voices or sounds that are not heard by the human ear, but are picked up on very sensitive recording devices. TAPS has investigated many historical and famous buildings, including prisons, insane asylums, revolutionary war sites, and near and dear to me, the St. Augustine lighthouse. And as if this wasn't good enough, there's also an International TAPS team, and their new episodes are starting next month. I love the little guy that's squatting down. That's Andy Andrews and that little sucker is afraid of NOTHING. He will crawl into the deepest, darkest hole to investigate without batting an eyelash. Crazy little booger!


Just a quick paragraph here on my favorite HGTV shows. Hands-down favorite on HGTV is House Hunters. I don't know why, but I just love the show, love Suzanne Wang, love the whole premise of it. The best part is when they forward to months later and you get to see how the buyer decorated their new house. Fun stuff!

For some great design work and lots of delicious naked chest, I get my fix by watching Color Splash. Yes, I know David is gay, but I don't care. He's hot, and the tattoo on his left arm gives me the warm fuzzies, with a couple of tingles mixed in for good measure. Do you have "THE list" with your spouse? You know, the one where if you met a certain celebrity in your lifetime, it'd be okay with your better half if you slept with them? Well, David Bromstad is at the top of my list, and if I have to convert him into a hetero for a few hours, dammit, I'll do it! Slurp!












And now... a drumroll please... (yes, this is finally coming to an end!) My all-time, very favorite, most missed show is... Northern Exposure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you'd never watched this series, I feel horrible for you because you missed one of the most well-written, quirky, zany, crazy programs ever to be put on TV. There wasn't a boring character to be had, and in Cicely Alaska just about anything could happen and did happen. I can't tell you how many hours of pure enjoyment I got out of NE, both while it was being aired, and then later in reruns. If you've never seen it, go to YouTube.com and watch some of the scenes and you'll see why I loved it so much. And of course I must mention that John Corbett, who is a MAJOR hottie was one of the stars and played their radio DJ, Chris. Oh my word, this man has the smoothest, sexiest voice of just about anyone I can think of, and even now when I'm watching a commercial and he's doing the voice-over, I just melt. You may also remember him for his recurring role on Sex and the City. Mmm. What a man!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this very long walk down TV's memory lane with me. Believe it or not, it took a long time to get this post together, but in my opinion it was well worth it just to go back and reminisce over all these wonderful shows that have made me happy over the years. It's been a long walk, and now I'm tired, so...

Until next time, Justine :o )