Fun with Maureen and Taylor!

Some photo highlights from my visit with Maureen and Taylor last weekend. I wish they lived closer so that I could see them more often!

Good News!

Check it out. Rice Chex is friend to all.

Holiday Medley

Yes, I know. This is turning into a bit of a "Sally" blog lately. But she's just so stinking cute that I can't help it - she must be shared.

Culture Corner Review: American Buffalo

A Chat Confession to Jason
Melanie: Mrs. Los Fitz got tix to American Buffalo and asked if I wanted to go and I said yes
Melanie: i'm sorry, baby
Jason: to you - WHATEVER.....to fitz - the hand right in her face!
Melanie: um, btw - that is totally going in the review if I ever write one

So, now I'm writing my review. Yes, I cheated on Jason and went to see a play with Christine.

First of all - this is what a seat upgrade looks like, bitches!



Now, onto the review. American Buffalo is the third David Mamet play I've seen this year and is probably my least favorite among them. 2 acts, 3 actors and over 2 hours of dialogue with nary a song to be heard. I felt both acts could have lost about 30 mintues (or more) of repetitive dialogue, easily. Haley Joel Osment creeps me out so much. I don't know why. But big time! So creepy. And kind of distractingly bad in this role. Cedric the Entertainer was really good. Understated for the most part, but he really delivers. And John Leguizamo? Though he might have questionable taste in shirts, he was awesome. Bottom line? If you're a fan of these actors, worth checking out. If you're a fan of Mamet, then worth checking out. But if you're not sure what you're looking for - then pass.

Christine says: Very much enjoyed the seat upgrades, the silver fox that tried to pick Melanie up and then changed seats when she rejected him, and the Ike and Tina shout out in the set design. Now for the actual show...obviously JLeg was awesome, and I was surprisingly impressed by Cedric the (they don't call him) Entertainer (for nothing). But Haley Joel Osmont just plain sucked. His portrayal of a junkie was more like a mentally challenged person. Not to mention he's kind of a scary looking teenager. All in all, I wouldn't pay to see it again but I'd pay to see JLeg in just about anything and now might actually watch a Cedric the Entertainer movie. Was I supposed to keep this brief?

Jason says: This show was great! The cast, well, I can't say enough about them and the...oh wait...I wasn't invited to see it!

Somebody's Got Some Splainin To Do!

Bet the girls were super-psyched to hang out with a great-grandpa!

It's Our Problem-Free Philosophy!

This latest entry into the Cute Kid Alert series features both a reminder that we should all remember Hakuna Matata, as well as a rundown of the rules you should follow if you want Santa to come. And I would like him to stop by, so I asked for the list (Sally loses her focus at this part of the video).

1. Good listening (check!)
2. Good manners (check!)
3. Be a nice kid (and check!)

Looks like I'll be seeing you later, Santa! Please don't leave me knives, money and thong underwear in my stocking again because that was creepy!

Culture Corner Review: In the Heights

Musings was well overdue for a Culture Corner segment - and you've got at least two others in the wings. You see, about a million years ago (or in October), Jason, Kristen, Alisa, Kara and I went to see In the Heights.

I feel like a lot of the press on this show talks about how different it is, so I went in expecting something closer to the dearly dparted Passing Strange rather than a fairly standard musical production. I mean - we're talking full-on, stop-the-action-and-face-the-audinence-and-sing-musical. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about that - it seemed a little disjointed, especially for solos - but as the show went on I got more used to it, but I'm still not sure I liked it. However - this kid? This kid was destined to be a star!



Jason says: "When Ken Rosato speaks, one should listen. It was one early morning around 5:30am and Ken spoke to me saying that I should go see this musical (well, not to me personally, but you get the drift). I immediately told Melanie that morning we needed to add it to the list, this new show about life above Manhattan. Though we didn't see it pre-Tony's, it was well worth the wait. An energetic, upbeat look at a life growing up different from my own. I enjoyed every bit of it, well, except for one minor thing...our seats were, how should I say it, 'in the heights' of the theater."

Determination - One Man's Definition

Special thanks to my friend Jaime for providing the following. Not sure what inspired him, but I think it's kind of awesome.

Mayne Street Episode 1: "Fixes"

You know I love me some Kenny Mayne!!! He's not wearing nearly enough make-up and I haven't watched it all the way through, but here it is so you can make your own decisions.

Remembering Veterans Day

Thank you.

For the history of Veterans Day, please click here.

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

GUEST BLOGGER - in case you need one

Thanks to Jason for being willing to fill in. Let's see if the pics come through!

------Original Message------
From: Jason
To: Melanie
Subject: GUEST BLOGGER - in case you need one
Sent: Nov 6, 2008 8:10 PM

As Melanie travels to the midwest this weekend, I thought I would take it upon myself to add another entry to the GUEST BLOGGER section...then again, I appear to be the only "guest blogger" to date.

I fell victim to QVC yet again. Wanting new flannel sheets, they got me one night as I was flipping through the channels, with the Northern Nights Super Chunky 5.4oz Supima Flannel Queen Sheet Set in Ivory - QVC Item #H10177 in case anyone wants to order a set (and yes, if you were wondering, I did order Item #H10190, the extra set of 2 pillowcases). I received them back in September and stored them away in the closet for the fall and winter to come.

Finally this evening as I sit at home relaxing, I took them out to wash, prepping them for the soon chill to be, when I came across this....


Displayed over my comforter for easy blog viewing, need I say more??? NO, it's not just a rip in them, it's an actual square missing from the sheets - about 5" x 8" in size. Good thing I have a good sense of humor, as I couldn't stop laughing at first.

I dug out the paperwork, called QVC and told them the story. The lady kept apologizing for laughing at me, in which I told her she was more than welcome to. She kindly noted the defect in my account, sent me a prepaid shipping label and after I send them back, with receive my COMPLETE set of sheets...just in time for winter!

Here ends my 2nd entry in the guest blogger section...and yes Fitz, I'm available should you need a break!

And So It Continues

I think this is Mr. Los Fitzes' favorite E-trade commercial, but I'm not sure. And yes, I'm obsessed.

A. Don't worry about it.

Check Your Feet

Something's in the air today. Cross your fingers and check your feet.

First, this from an unnamed reader. I'll call her "Dom."

I packed my gym bag this morning while I was on the phone with Dad, and when I was getting dressed at the gym, yep, I have two different shoes, both black, both nine west with the same height heel, one smooth leather, one croc pattern, fortunately, one right and one left. No one has noticed yet.

And then - Mrs. Los Fitz: Christne's Corner: Uh Oh!

Westward Ho(ffman and Hill)!

Congratulations to Alisa and Matt on their move to Los Angeles. Can't wait to come visit!

Looking for Public Facilities? Look No Further.

Just came across a genius article on a new site called Sit or Squat.

From the site:

Sitorsquat.com is a site that is dedicated to telling you where the closest place to relieve yourself is and whether or not that place is worth even sitting or squatting (or standing) at. We all find ourselves needing a public restroom every once in a while, whether it's walking down a city block or driving on a highway with a few whining kids in the backseat.

Currently, mobile applications are available for Blackberry and iPhone, with others being worked on.

Genius.

Election Day is Here

In case you hadn't heard, Election Day is tomorrow. You should vote. And not just because you can get free coffee from Starbucks.

Excellence in Advertising: E*Trade Baby

So, I think my love for the E*Trade baby is fairly well documented. This weekend at my brother's house, we spent way too long laughing way too hard at the E*Trade baby commercials. Here are our two favorites:

Dan's choice: I'm like - I'm getting a clown


My choice: Hey girl - can I hit you back?

Test Posting 2

Removed my automatic signature?

Test Posting

Testing to see if I can do mobile posts with my Blackberry because if I can, it is ON BITCHES!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed