catheroominations

Remember the Newhart, Cheers, or Seinfeld drinking games? You watch the show and when a specific event happens, you drink. Sometimes, like if George and Kramer had sex, you’d drink everything in the house. Well this game is exactly like that, but different.
If you watch The Biggest Loser on NBC on Tuesday nights, and you think you never have time to work out, this game is great for you. To make it fit you, I’m only including the number of reps for each exercise. You can choose to focus on upper body(bicep curls, tricep dips, pushups, tricep extensions, chest flyes, etc.), lower body (lunges, squats, hip raises, yadda yadda), abs (crunches, reverse crunches, oblique crunches, bicycles, whatever suits your fancy), or cardio (jumping jacks, jump ropes, butt kickers, and so on) You can make this as easy or as hard as you want. I encourage you to push yourself for maximum benefit. If you’re already exercising and something in the “What they do” column happens, no need to interrupt what you’re doing, just tack it on to the total number of reps. Quite possibly you could be doing 100 crunches at once, if Bob goes berserk twice in one episode.

Don’t worry if you don’t have weights, you can use cans of food, or bottles of water, or (I guess) bottles or cans of beer. You might want to wear shoes for the cardio exercises, if you have any knee, foot, or ankle issues. They’ll provide support to your joints, and could help keep you on your feet, and not on your butt, if you have hardwood floors and are wearing only socks.

During a two-hour show, you could probably get at least a 30-minute workout from this. This idea was inspired by Jillian Michaels because she kicks my butt all over my living room for 30 minutes every morning, and so I feel really guilty just sitting here watching her on TV during the show. It’s like she’s looking at me, calling me lazy. I can’t take it!

If you do the workout during the show, be sure to check back in afterward and let me know how you felt when you were done. And please leave suggestions in the comments. Have fun!

This morning, I was thinking about what to shoot for today’s 7 Days shot. I came up with bupkiss (or is it bubkiss?). Making or eating my breakfast? Been there, done that. Drying my hair? That’s so 2007. Nothing exciting is happening today. It’s Monday for Pete’s sake.

But then. Around 10:40 this morning. An earthquake hit. It was small, just 4.4 or so, but felt big. Because really, when you’re not accustomed to the earth moving under your feet (or chair in my case) any jolt feels big. No one was hurt; nothing was damaged. But my heart raced for about 30 minutes afterward.

The best part was that I finally had an idea for today’s photo. Duck and cover!

Sorry about that tremor this morning, my fellow Bay Area peeps. But I really needed an idea for my photo, so Mother Nature helped me out. Plus, after the gorgeous weekend we had, it was payback. Like rent. Or an earthquake tax. “You want sunny, warm days? Sure. But I’m gonna shake things up a bit to make you appreciate this weather.”

We do appreciate it, Mom! We do!

First I saw Sizzle do it, and then Dagny did it, so I just had to do it! I needed something to blog about today and my mind is a bit

Here are my rules:
* Pick 15 of your favorite movies
* Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie (or quote them from memory because you are that bad ass)
* Post them on your blog for everyone to guess
* Fill in the film title once it’s been guessed

These rules are for you, my peeps:
* No Googling or using IMDB search functions (Don’t cheat!)
* Leave your answer(s) in the comments

1. It can’t be done. No one’s ever taken anyone out of here. Not in the whole history of… the whole history!
2. That’s why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they’d call them something else. – Sixteen Candles (guessed by Jenni)
3. What’s in the box? – Se7en (guessed by Jenni)
4. Well, then, I just HATE you… and I hate your… ass… FACE! – Waiting for Guffman (guessed by Jenni)
5. Old McDonald had a farm ee i ee i o. And on that farm he shot some guys. Badda boom badda bing bang boom. – The Usual Suspects (guessed by Saj (well, her husband, but close enough!)
6. Are you calling me on the cellular phone? I don’t know you. Who is this? Don’t come here, I’m hanging up the phone! Prank caller, prank caller! – Pulp Fiction (guessed by Kathy)
7. You know, I have a theory that hieroglyphics are just an ancient comic strip about a character named Sphinxy. – When Harry Met Sally (guessed by Sizzle)
8. I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus – The Breakfast Club (guessed by Ali)
9. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling? – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (guessed by Tobie)
10. Who do you have to screw around here to get a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit? – Love Actually (guessed by Jenni)
11. But wouldn’t you say that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds? – Next Stop Wonderland (guessed by Sizzle)
12. The coin don’t have no say. It’s just you. – No Country for Old Men (guessed by Ricki)
13. We get caught laundering money, we’re not going to white-collar resort prison. No, no, no. We’re going to federal POUND ME IN THE ASS prison. – Office Space (guessed by Sizzle)
14. Today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go fuck himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus. – American Beauty (guessed by Ali)
15. You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go. – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (guessed by Jenni)

Some are easy, no? But I hope you’re stumped by a couple. Please DO NOT CHEAT. Cheaters never win. I offer no prizes, but if you guess, you get some linky love for the correct answer. Oh, and bonus points if you guess the quote in my post title. I think that answer might come from Wisconsin. – Star Wars Episode IV (guessed by Jenni)

Taye Diggs

Originally uploaded by catheroo

Yes he is. And he has a deep, sexy voice. I almost wish I’d taken the dance class so he could tell me what to do.

Wha? The POP-CORN (767-2676) lady is gone? Those of you not from California (or Nevada) may not be familiar with the Popcorn Lady. I first read about her departure at Jeff’s Place, but last week, my favorite radio personality on KFOG was discussing it. This is huge news around here, you see.

Anyway, the Popcorn Lady was everyone’s affectionate name for the recorded voice we would call to find out what time it is. Every ten seconds, for 24 hours a day, every day, the message would change. Calling 767-2676, you would hear “At the tone, Pacific Daylight (or Standard) time will be “hour” “minutes” and “seconds” seconds. BEEP! And if you stayed on the line, you would hear the time change by 10 seconds, and so on. POP-CORN had other uses as well. Say a friend wanted you to stay for dinner, but you hated Brussels sprouts and salmon. You could say, “just let me call my mom and make sure it’s OK.” Then, dial the Popcorn Lady, ask the recording for her permission, which she would be unable to give, of course, and you were off the hook.

The tone of the Popcorn Lady’s voice is permanently etched in my brain. I imagined her to be very friendly, pretty and well-dressed. If only I could tell her how many times she got me out of things I didn’t want to do. And such a workaholic she was! Can you imagine working NONSTOP like that? Giving the time to people all day long? Well…she didn’t really do that. She had to record each number, using different inflections so she wouldn’t sound like a recording. And she amazingly didn’t sound like a recording.

Oh, and the cool thing about the Popcorn Lady was, if you were too busy to take the time and figure out how to spell POP-CORN on your phone dial, you could just dial POP (767) and then any 4 numbers. You could dial POP-CRAP or POP-POOP or POP-F#$% (that was fun when we were kids) and still reach the Popcorn Lady. I’m not sure why the phone company did that, I guess for the illiterate maybe? Or maybe for those who didn’t want to wait for the rotary dial to return to its starting place when dialing the O, R, and N. Remember how long that took? Much easier to dial POP-1111. Because when you need to know what time it is, you need to know RIGHT NOW.

If you want to hear the Popcorn Lady one last time, you can call 767-2676 one last time to hear her say the time service has been discontinued (outside of the Bay Area, use area code 916 first).

Enjoy your retirement, Popcorn Lady. Thanks for giving me the time of day.

My love for apple knows no bounds. I needed a new iPod. I did! So, yeah. I have a 30GB video iPod, but it’s too big to put on an armband for the gym, so I had to get something smaller. I had to. Hence, the nano. Plus, I had Amazon gift certificates, so it was practically free, dontchyaknow. And because I am supremely nerdy, the first song I put on it was Feist’s 1234. But at least it wasn’t Donny and Marie!

Now, please, pretty please send me ideas for songs to put on my new wee little nano. I need songs to huff and puff to while I run on the treadmill or do whatever the act is called that you perform on the elliptical (ellipticize? ellipt?). I have to prove that I really needed this, so I have to take it to the gym. And that means, I have to actually go to the gym. So please support my fitness endeavor by leaving a peppy joggable song title in the comments. I promise to think of you every time it plays.

Seriously though, isn’t it the tiniest, cutest thing ever?

I’m totally sleeping with it tonight.

I canNOT believe I almost let this day go by without notice. How could I be so forgetful? Wow. I’m usually the one who remembers every significant day, every anniversary, birthday, “first-time-I-ever” whatevered. But today, I’ll admit. I forgot. And I am ashamed. Had I not read your sweet “Happy Anniversary” e-mail, this special day might have slipped by like any other.

It seems like we’ve been together forever, but I know that it has only been three (maybe four?) years. I can’t remember life before you. No. That’s a lie. I do remember it. It pretty much sucked. I was missing out on so much before you. You broadened my horizons and taught me to like so many new things that I would never have found without you. From the start, I could turn to when I was lonely, sad, and even when I was bored. Today, you are still, always there for me. Ever faithful and reliable.

I remember when we first met, we spent SO much time together. I loved how you greeted me when I walked through my door after a long day at wotk, the sound of your voice was so inviting and cheerful. We spent many a late night together too, and sometimes I would curse you when I awoke the next morning to go to work. It seemed I was addicted to you, and I know you were turned on too. You were always ready for me. Shoot. I don’t think I could even turn you off. Is that possible?

My sweet, adorable one. Thank you for reminding me (by automated e-mail…so what?) of the day you came into my life. To you I say, “kiss kiss sweet nothing mushy mushy, my little schmoopsie-kins.”