Nigel,Georgia,Natilia,Rudy,Lexus and Jane have been adopted!

Dan Collins
New York Editor-At-Large of The Huffington Post
December 22, 2009

Rudy Giuliani is out. Out of the New York Senate race, and for all practical purposes out of politics. He has been with us for more than a quarter century.

Our crusader for justice, prosecutor of mob bosses and crooked pols.
The architect of the city’s comeback from Bad Apple-dom.
The fallen star whose terrible second term as mayor raised questions about whether the first good one was just a lucky break.
The hero of 9/11
The post-9/11 parody of himself
And finally, one of the worst presidential candidates in modern history. (He spent $59 million for exactly one GOP delegate)

It was quite a run. Like Eddie Walker, Fiorello LaGuardia, and Ed Koch, Giuliani was one of New York’s colorful mayors and if there is anything history teaches, it’s that we will remember the interesting guys way more than the competent ones.

If someone happens to be both, then that is a gift from the gods. Rudy wasn’t. He was a one-trick pony, a prosecutor who was very good at running down the bad guys, issuing indictments, choreographing the perp walk. But he had no gift — or interest — in serious administration. And he had a terrible eye for talent. His one great hire, Police Commissioner William Bratton, was out before the end of Giuliani’s first term, guilty of the cardinal sin of looking better than the mayor.
Of the people Giuliani kept around, the worst wound up serving time in the clink for crimes ranging from embezzlement and possession of kiddie porn (Housing Commissioner Russell Harding) to tax fraud and lying to White House officials (Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik). The rest often just stayed around, and wound up working for Giuliani’s consulting firms or running his beyond-terrible presidential campaign.

One of the things about Giuliani we will always argue about is how much credit he deserves for behaving well on 9/11. The answer is that it’s always worth honoring grace under fire. But it’s also important to remember that it was Giuliani the disengaged second-term mayor who created some of the conditions that made that terrible day so terrible.

He put the city’s emergency command center in the worst possible location – the World Trade Center — because it was within walking distance of City Hall. That’s why Giuliani was famously trudging through the streets of lower Manhattan following the attack — he had no place to go.

There has been nothing in the 9/11 aftermath to make anyone reevaluate the Giuliani legacy with a stronger tilt toward the positive. He tried to postpone the mayoral election under the theory that the city couldn’t get along without him. (It did.) His plan to run for the Senate against Hillary Clinton came to nothing, and he bailed out early, tossing the whole mess to his hapless successor, Rick Lazio.

Then Rudy went off and made a great deal of money, providing obscure consulting services to companies and countries who liked being able to hire the name, and making speeches about leadership for six-figure payouts.

And he enjoys it a lot, as he has now made clear. He’s smart enough to have realized that there’s no future in national politics for a guy who thought Bernie Kerik would make a swell head of Homeland Security.

And Rick Lazio once again gets to take over a Senate campaign that Giuliani decided really wasn’t his cup of tea.

Goodbye, Rudy. You had your moments. Too bad there weren’t very many of them.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-collins/goodbye-giuliani_b_400376.html

Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

The Blazers have now played 26 games this season, a season that has seen quite a few ups and downs and an injury list that includes Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden and Travis Outlaw. At the time of my last Blazers update, Portland was 10-5 with one of the most efficient defenses in the league. Since that point, the Blazers have gone 5-6 and now find themselves with a 15-11 record. While Rip City has stayed afloat, barely, things appear pretty bleak compared to what Blazer fans were hoping for to start the season. Anyone watching the string of losses to Memphis, Utah and Miami saw a Blazer defense that gave up whatever the other team wanted, leading to a field goal percentage against of more than 55%.

The Blazers are still averaging more points per possession than the league standard, and are still fifth in defensive efficiency (points allowed per possession), but those numbers have been getting steadily worse since the recent injuries to Rudy and Oden. In the six games played without those two key pieces, Portland’s offense has performed worse than the league average, and its defense has been right about at the league average. At this pace, Portland would finish the season right about 42-40, likely not good enough for a playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference.

Portland has continued to play at slow pace, which is likely best suited for its chemistry, but there’s no reason to believe they can’t compete at a faster pace. In medium to fast-paced games, the Blazers are 3-1 this season with a scoring margin of +7.25 points per game. Portland’s offensive and defensive points per possession during those four faster games match what the team was averaging at its peak earlier this season. So again, this team has shown that it can play faster, and play well, if need be.

However, barring a trade or some magical increase in efficiency, I don’t see this team doing any better than an 8 seed, maybe a 7, come season’s end. And that’s the generous side of things…

We spent some time baking and decorating sugar cookies on Saturday. 

It was the first time we’ve ever baked them from scratch, and we had a lot of fun.  Okay, I got a little frustrated, because mine kept tearing when I tried to transfer them to the cookie sheet.  George’s turned out perfect each time, of course. 

Laura gave me her sugar cookie recipe, but I didn’t have all of the necessary ingredients, so I used this Mrs. Field’s recipe.  I did use Laura’s icing recipe, and it was easier to make than I expected.  A few colors I made a bit too runny, but they still tasted good.

Here’s how they turned out.  Laura, don’t laugh.

George didn’t want Rudy to be left out, so he made him a few cookies too. 

Rudy was thrilled!

Now, if you want to see some really fun sugar cookies, check out some of Laura’s creations here and here.

Chris Good
the Atlantic
December 11, 2009

Rudy Giuliani has been hired as a long-term security adviser to help Rio de Janeiro clean up its crime rates before the 2016 Olympics. He cleaned up New York, and took hefty criticism from liberals for his tactics…but for politics, this may mean Giuliani has taken his eye off it. The New York Daily News suggested in November that Giuliani would run for Senate in 2010 and, if elected, possibly seek the White House in 2012. That now seems less likely, but if he saw political opportunity open, Giuliani could always abandon the Brazilian gig.

So what do people think of this? Over at The Atlantic Wire, Mara Gay reports that pundits, bloggers and reporters see a difficult task ahead for Giuliani, and cause for concern for Rio’s poor. As First Read’s Mark Murray recommends, just watch “City of God.”

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/12/giuliani_to_clean_up_rio.php

Copyright 2009 the Atlantic

The Notre Dame fighting Irish got their man on Thursday. Brian Kelly has reportedly accepted the offer to be the new Irish head coach.

The news came the same day that Notre Dame and UCONN coach Randy Edsall had a mutual interest in the open position. Leaving me to thank Touchdown Jesus for an early Christmas gift.

I don’t have anything against Edsall, in fact I think he has done a phenomenal job with UCONN’s program since they joined division-1 in 2000. I was on his bandwagon for a new job last season after UCONN had consistently been on the verge, or in the top-25.

However, I believe this season is being recognized for the wrong reason. Agree with me or not, be outraged if you wish, Edsall is getting moved up team’s wish lists too far because of the Jaspar Howard tragedy. I know that if a teammate of mine was ever killed, I would never be the same, especially that season on the field. Edsall has had to do an impossible job, try to keep the team focused on winning instead of losing one of their brothers.

This is not a quality that should be jumping him ahead of other coaches at mid-powerhouse type programs that have had more success. When I look at Edsall as a candidate for my team, I am shaky to hire him to arguably the most prestigious college football program of all time. It should be discussed that Edsall has been unable to have his team close out games this season. In my personal opinion, if a guy like Kelly is the UCONN coach, they might win the Big East this season. Disagree? Look at the losses UCONN has had this year.

Edsall is perfect for where he is right now, and if he wants to land a prime time job, then he should take a job like Kansas and make them a winner first.

I didn’t have much doubt Kelly would be hired, I don’t know if many people did. He is the best possible guy for the job right now. I have no idea what the timeframe will be for turning this team around, but I guess I can get my hopes up one more time. It also leads me to question whether Kelly’s players ever went to class. Wide Receiver Mardy Gilyard was surprised by the hiring, saying that he expected Kelly to stay because he had claimed he loved Cincinnati.

Really? Well I believe you’re an idiot. Does anyone actually believe statements about job status’ from college coaches anymore? If you do then wake up. We see it time and time again that stating how much a coach loves their current job is as credible as Todd McShay. More on him coming up.

These players act as though they are betrayed. Yet they leave early for the NFL or NBA every single year in order to cash in. Is the head coach not supposed to worry about financial security for his family? A Head coaches at a small program is like Tim Tebow’s girlfriend, the relationship works until you realize it’s just  hit its peak. The large historical programs will always get these guys, it will never change, because I don’t believe there are many coaches with actual loyalty.

Whats next for Cincinnati? Im eager to see who coaches them in the Sugar Bowl, if it’s not Kelly then I will be once again disappointed at the job hiring process in college football. To have your team go undefeated and then be unable to coach them in a BCS bowl because you took a better job, that just sucks for everyone. For a possible replacement, obviously they will look internally first. But I will throw a name out for the hell of it that could be a good fit, Boise State’s Chris Peterson?

I’m sure the majority of our population has seen the movie “Rudy,” especially the guys. It has to be one of the only movies that I know of that will make even the toughest guy cry. For those of you that do not, the movie is about triumph, passion, and truly creating a life that you’ve always dreamt of. The movie is set in South Bend, Indiana particularly @ the University of Notre Dame. A young boy named Rudy grew up in a lower-middle class household, he was the third of fourteen children. Rudy’s father, had always loved the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Rudy quickly followed suit. Rudy had one dream in life to play for the NDFI (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) and he was always made fun of by his family because of his small size and lack of athletic ability.

After Rudy had graduated high school he took a job and the local mill, following in the families footsteps. After a tragic death of his best friend Pete, Rudy decided to chase his goal of becoming one of the elite, NDFI. After a long bus ride he went straight to the university and was referred to a priest for advice. The priest proceeded to tell him that he could get him into Holy Cross Jr. College and if he kept his grades up he could potentially transfer to the University of ND.

After two years and many failed admission attempts to the University of Notre Dame, Rudy was accepted as a student in the fall of 1974.

Shortly after he was accepted to the university he tried out for the football team. After several grueling practices he earned a spot on the Notre Dame scout team, purely on heart, not athletic ability.

Rudy remained on the scout team until his very last opportunity, when head coach Dan Devine put him into a game as defensive end against Georgia Tech on November 8, 1975. In the final play of Ruettiger’s senior season with the Fighting Irish, he recorded a sack, which is all his Notre Dame stat line has ever shown. Rudy was carried off the field by his teammates following the game.

He is one of two players in Notre Dame history ever to be carried off the field by his teammates.

Rudy was a role model, to his friends, to his teammates, and most of all, to me. When I first saw the movie I realized that it was much more than a movie, it was a message to me. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to start a business. When I was 15 years old my friends of the family sent me to an entrepreneurs camp in Oregon, where I was taught how to create a business plan, market a business, and just think beyond a 9 -5 job. While I was at the camp I was fortunate enough to meet one of the nations top young entrepreneurs at the time, A.J. Yager. A.J. taught me to do what to love and truly believe in yourself. He had an 100% can do attitude, and for a 15 year kid going through puberty this was something I was foreign to me.

That camp truly changed my life forever, and since then, I’ve always had a conscious belief that I would be extremely successful and be able to pay it forward how A.J. Yager did for me.

So I am ready! I am at the point in my life where I’m ready to start my own business, I constantly think of potential business ideas, but have yet to actually nail one down. That’s why I need your help, advice, tips, ANYTHING!

I’m hungry, ambitious, driven, whatever you want to call it, I have that fire inside.

*This article is written from the perspective of an American and may have little bearing on you.

Throughout my life and probably yours, we have often been told of the value of hard work.  “Work hard,” they would say, “and you will do well in life!”  This has always bothered me for several reasons.

What can be defined as “working hard?”  Is it grueling physical labor?  Is it a job where your mental processes are tasked?  Why does working hard matter so much?  To examine this issue further, I began thinking about the common tasks that I considered hard.  For me, it is physical labor because I don’t exactly appreciate it when I have to do it for a living.  I would be fine doing it for myself but the thought of doing it for others makes it less appealing as a career choice.  I don’t mean to knock on those who do it but this is merely my perception.

A problem arose when I began talking to others about hard work and how they felt about it.  Everyone had their own definition.  The physical labor I mentioned was easy for some.  Whereas doing math, an area where I am at least competent, was considered difficult for others.  There is no exact definition of hard work from what I could gather.  I also began to believe that hard work is pointless because it leaves no regard for the actual quality of the output.

There is no point to working hard unless a quality output is achieved.  For example, a person could take all day (working hard) and even some overtime to solve 2+2; but at the end of the day, if that person cannot come to an answer of 4, then all that hard work is useless.  Would you be willing to hire that person as an accountant?  Would you give the “A” to that person in an algebra class?  Do you think that this person would add meaningful value to a company that needs a mathematician?

Let’s take a movie example.  In the movie Rudy, a young man aspires to play football at Notre Dame.  He worked hard earning money to attend Notre Dame college–a fantastic show of human endeavor–and exit the lower-middle class background of his earlier life.  He shows up to team tryouts but the quality of his outputs was not good enough to make the first string even though he had tried his best.  In the end, he was put in for one spectacular play that defined his short college career.

All that hard work didn’t mean anything to Rudy until he achieved that play.  He spent most of the movie trying to maneuver himself onto the team and get some playing time.  He was upset about not getting to play.  From a statistical standpoint, you could not even certify him as an unused great player from that one play.  He would have had a larger body of work in order to ensure that the play was not a fluke.

In the real world, I will assert that the value people place into “hard work” is only superficial.  In this era, globalization has been steaming ahead throughout the world and changing the game between the developed and emerging markets.  The people have spoken with their wallets with regard to “hard workers.”  The country of origin is readily apparent on most products that we shop for.  The amount of products stating “Made in the US” is steadily shrinking (and sometimes inappropriate due to loopholes in the laws governing this).  If we truly valued hard work, then more products would be originating from America.  The general population has made its case in that they either do not believe that the workers are properly executing their jobs or (the more likely case) that the thickness of their wallets is more important than the jobs of the people they believe are working hard.

I also have nothing against the people who received the jobs that were outsourced/offshored.  In many cases, they will be people living in immature economies with living conditions that are almost unimaginable in the United States.  They are working hard to make a living for themselves and their families.  In absolute terms, the Americans lose less than the new workers gain.  Maybe their wages are much less, but their standard of living will have increased.  In some cases, it may not be enough to pull them out of poverty but at least they are closer than before.

That being said, I can still appreciate the effort put into any task.  It means something to the person performing it and maybe others.  It may even be a method of ego defense to artificially increase the value of hard work in order to bring meaning to unfulfilled potential.  No matter what the case, we have to determine if our hard work is actually achieving value.  If not, maybe it is time to reassess our direction.

I wish that the news website would allow me to copy their live forecast.  It currently says the actual temp here in CO is -583 degrees F.  They have apologized as their temperature equipment cannot handle the ridiculously low temps we’re experiencing today.  When I woke up, the actual temperature was -8!!  I actually didn’t walk to the gym this morning, and I’m glad I didn’t.  According to the weather channel/other news stations with functional equipment, the windchill right now is -34!!!  Yikes!  Say a little prayer/send up a thought for the homeless people outside right now

This morning’s been just a bit strange around the Hoge Runs household.   I was jolted awake around 4am by a strange noise and noticed that Chris was sitting up in bed next to me.  Hmmm…strange?  I asked what he was doing and he said he was just turning over/had just woke up.  Um, right.  Even when I’m 3/4 of the way asleep I can tell when he’s lying! He finally admitted he was looking for bed bugs and I fell back asleep to let him investigate.  Apparently, he read on-line that bed bugs are most active from 4-5am.  Right when I’d like to be sleeping (or waking up for the gym if it wasn’t negative 583 degrees out ).

After I got out of the shower I noticed Chris was still poking around in the bedroom with a flashlight.  I really do NOT think we have bed bugs.  We haven’t seen any signs of them, we haven’t gotten multiple patches of bites, and the bites show up later in the day…not when we get out of bed.  We’ve seen spiders in the apartment since we moved in, so I’m leaning more toward that.  I deal with anxiety every day of things that aren’t real/my mind spins…but watching Chris do it is painful!  I actually snapped at him a bit this morning (which I’ve asked him not to do a billion times when I get panicky that the sky is falling) and then felt terrible.  We’ll get through this “bed bug” crisis together hun!!

Neither of us had much of an appetite and we needed to leave early to let the cars “warm up” a little before driving, so when I got to work I had a cup of extra-hot coffee (office coffee) in my Monsters’ Inc mug with a spoonful of the honey-caramel cream I made last week.  Yum!!  I also had a slice of pumpkin cream cheese bread.  You can just barely see the penguins on my holiday Press-and-Seal wrap…I’m such a sucker for cute holiday stuff.

Now I’d better get back to work, and am debating putting on my socks with my high heels…classy, no?

Before I go – did you watch the Biggest Loser finale last night?  What did you think?  I was happy with the winner, I think that both he and the runner up did an amazing job all season of trying to find balance/get healthy not just get thin.  And…what did you think of Rebecca’s hair/Jillian’s outfit??  And the challenge for Shay for next season?

Santa paid us a visit to thank us for coming to see him TWICE this weekend.  He sent this little elf to watch over the boys.  The boys got to name the elf and Rudy was what we finally decided upon.  The story book that came with Rudy told how he will fly each night to report to Santa all the deeds of the day.  And the fun part… each morning you have to find Rudy since he will hide in a new place.  Marley did not believe he was a real elf at first.  He kept looking at it and saying, “He doesn’t move.  He has a tag.  He’s a doll.”  But after Rudy fell over, and then was sitting back up the next time he looked, he was a believer.  It is such a fun tradition and Santa is very kind to share one of his elves with us.

Santa also sent some goodies for everyone.  A DVD, some jammies, and a pair of slippers.  Got to love slippers.

Max:

Max is a neutered 10 yr old all black short hair cat.  He is extremely sweet and good natured.  Litter box trained.  He is great with children and is very talkative.  Max deserves to find a home that will love him for the rest of his life.

Approximate DOB- August 1999

 All of our dogs and cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped. Dogs are also tested for heartworms and cats for FeLV/FIV. If a dog has been with us long enough, he/she has also received some basic obedience training with our in-house trainer and staff.

Terry is a beautiful calico with lovely green eyes. She is very friendly and outgoing. She does great with children and dogs. She is very playful and enjoys attention from her human companion. She would make a perfect addition to your family. Approximate DOB – April 2006 All of our dogs and cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped. Dogs are also tested for heartworms and cats for FeLV/FIV. If a dog has been with us long enough, he/she has also received some basic obedience training with our in-house trainer and staff.

Remember the famous line Tom Hanks delivers in A League of Their Own – “There’s no crying in baseball!”  For guys, there is no crying in watching movies either.  Why cry at a movie?  It’s not real life.  Some argue that crying is no different than laughing at a movie.  I laughed the entire time I watched The Hangover.   My jaws were literally hurting.  I had a friend tell me she cried the entire time she watched that Cameron Diaz-little girl with cancer movie (too lazy to Google it).  So that brings up the question, what is the difference between crying and laughing at a movie?  Well, the difference is that Man Law VI states that there is no crying at movies.  But what do you do about those sports movies that really get to you?   Every dude knows what I’m talking about.  An inspirational story that you’ve seen a million times and every time you watch it, you get close to letting the tears flow but you hold back.  Ladies, want to know what keeps the tears from flowing?  The Man-Lump.  What is that you ask?  The Man-Lump is the lump in a guy’s throat when he’s caught up in the emotion of a movie but just can’t or won’t cry.  Tears will not be shed but there will be the lump in the throat usually followed by a cough or some other distracting gesture.  Below are a few of the sports movies that deliver the Man-Lump and a few other movies that might cause the lump to show up as well.

Rudy.  Without a doubt the number one on the list.  When that little Irish guy runs on the field for the first time, it’s so awesome that you have to strike yourself with a throat punch to keep the lump from showing up.

Field of Dreams.  This is a great movie in general but has the Man-Lump moment at the end when he realizes it is his father and throws out the line – “Dad, want to have a catch?”

Rocky.  I’ve never suffered the Man-Lump from watching this one but in a quick poll, I discovered this one was pretty high on the list.  I actually get a tear knowing that Rocky defeated Communism in Rocky IV.

The Express.  A recent movie that not a lot of people have seen.  To me, it was a great sports movie about a guy (Ernie Davis) I knew nothing about.  Check it out if you haven’t seen it.

The Natural. A great redemption story about a guy who finally makes it to the big leagues later in life after a girl shoots him when he’s young.  Why she does it is puzzling?  Apparently she’s jealous of successful men or something.  It’s set in the 30s or 40s and I guess back then girls were jealous of male sports stars.  These days she would have four of his kids and get a reality show on E!

A few non-sports related ones for good measure…

Saving Private Ryan.  When he asks his wife if he is a good man at the end, it’s a tough moment for us all.  Maybe the greatest movie ever…in my opinion.

Shawshank Redemption.  Guys, we never had a shot with Morgan Freeman staring and narrating.  He could’ve been Frank the Tank in Old School and turned it into an Oscar-winning drama.

Big Fish.  Definitely a different movie.  Not necessarily one of my all-time favorites but a good one nonetheless.  It will get you pretty good at the end when he’s carrying his pops to the lake.

So here I am back again with more things that make football fun. Which I know isn’t exactly the same as the title of these posts, but does it really matter? Just sit back and remember why football can be fun…

1. Golden Tate

If you don’t follow college football you might not know who this guy is. He is the star WR from Notre Dame. Check out this stat line…

93 receptions, 1,496 yards, 15 TDs; 25 rushes, 186 yards, 2 TDs; 12 punt returns, 171 yards, 1 TD; 3 kickoff returns, 62 yards

If that doesn’ sell you check out some highlights…

Please make sure you take a close look at the catch at the 3:47 mark against USC. This guy catches everything. I cannot wait to see him play on Sundays.

2. Special Teams Mavens

These guys have no concerns for their bodies. They do it all and get none of the credit. The greatest example of all time? Steve Tasker. Check it…

3. Gus Johnson

Imagine this…you turn on the tv. Only one game is on. It pits two of the worst teams in the league. You are bummed, not another stinker. But wait! Whats that voice you here?!?! It’s Gus Johnson. The go to announcer for all the shitty games. This guy makes everything sound like it’s the SuperBowl. Listen to his play call on the Stokely tip pass from week 1.

Johnson also had one of the more controversal calls of this year…

The clip calls Gus Johnson a racist, I don’t know if the guy who posted it knows Gus is black. Nonetheless, let Gus call my game anytime.

4. Cheerleaders

I mean talk about a sport that knows its target audience…

Football cheerleaders always remind me of this scene from the movie The Replacements…

5. Big Hits

This one is obvious, but it is one of the great parts of the game. There are so many out there but this one is recent and always stuck out to me. Check out Reggie Bush get de-cleated…

But that reminds me…if you thought that was bad, check this hit Matt Ryan took at Boston College…

6. Unbelievable Acts of Toughness

If people are going to be hitting people like that and like the clip I am about to show players have to be tough. One of the toughest in the game right now is Anquan Boldin, check out the hit he took last year…

Let me break this down for those who do not know. Boldin got knocked out by the hit. He was carted off the field and would have surgery on his face. He returned to play 2 weeks later. That is toughness, maybe insanity, but definitely toughness.

7. Overwhelmed Coaches Looking Overwhelmed

When a coach you know is terrible looks completely overwhelmed by the moment there is nothing better…

Thanks Wade, I could always count on you.

8. Football Movies

I have already mentioned The Replacements, but there really are some special ones out there. Here are scenes from three of my favorites…

Rudy (the end when Rudy finally gets in)…

Friday Night Lights (Down big in the championship game at halftime, Preacher-Man goes off)…

Any Given Sunday (maybe the greatest movie speech of all time)…

Check back in tomorrow. With at least 8 more things that make football fun, and maybe 10 if I find the time.

Perhaps you remember this post.  That day, Rudy the Cat ate several crescent rolls right off the counter.  There was also this post, where the little rascal ate his way through a bag of hamburger buns!   Just this past weekend, while Dave and I were away for the holiday, the same suspect knocked a bag of English Muffins from the top of the refrigerator, broke through the plastic bag, and ate 4 muffins.    The shredded bag was on the floor when we returned.  And those were the high fiber English Muffins!!  His little tummy was not happy, and let’s just say, cleaning the litter box was not fun!

But I digress….Rudy just can not be trusted around bread!  Now, I find out that he can’t be trusted around anything!  Last night, I was excited to remake the apple, sweet potato dish that my mom made on Thanksgiving.  I planned to have it for dessert, but I prepped it early and left it on the counter.  Look how pretty it was:

I sliced up one apple and one sweet potato.  Then I sprinkled some oats, some raisins, and some cinnamon on top, with just a little bit of “I can’t Believe it’s Not Butter.”

When I went to put it into the oven, I found several apple slices on the floor, and a very guilty cat racing away from the crime scene.  I managed to salvage most of it, and it came out wonderfully.  But next time, I will make sure to keep it (and anything else that might tempt the little thief!) in the fridge until it’s time to bake.

He looks so innocent…

…. but look at those eyes when he is zeroed in on something he wants!

Despite the missing pieces, my dessert did come out quite well.  I topped it with some cool whip.  Mmmm!

Dessert was so healthy, I could have eaten it for dinner.  But for dinner, I made my flax-encrusted eggplant parmesan.  I dipped my eggplant slices in egg and tomato sauce, and then dipped them into ground flax seed.  After baking, I paired it with some shirataki noodles and marinara sauce.

This is one of my favorite repeat meals!  I have even gotten used to the gluten-free shirataki noodles.  After washing them thoroughly and then heating them, the smell that turns many people away when they first come out of the bag, is gone.

All that being said, Dave was happy that he can have gluten!  I made him regular pasta with Trader Joe’s turkey meat balls and, of course… crescent rolls!

Jack thought Dave’s meal looked really good!  Unlike his brother, who steals food in secret, Jack is very upfront about his theivery!

Before tonight’s dinner can be stolen off of the counter, I had better go attend to it!

Good night all!

The Final 4 went home to see how well they could do on their own for 60 days.

From the beginning Danny’s looks were most noticeably different. Amanda and Rudy showed big differences too, but not as dramatic as Danny’s. To be fair, Amanda is pretty close to her goal so she wouldn’t show as dramatic a difference. Liz showed improvement as well, but the least out of the group – in my opinion.

Danny and Amanda seemed to have the better support systems at home and were able to stay consistent.

There was a point where Danny’s wife was having a crisis of conscience wondering if her husband would still want her as he was looking better and better. This is a real fear. I have read more than a few articles where one spouse looses a lot of weight and gains a whole new outlook and self-confidence while the other remains in their status quo. These changes often cause conflict and have led to many divorces.

Rudy is a busy guy working long hours and wants to spend precious time with his young wife and baby girl. I remember how that feels. His schedule doesn’t leave him with the time he needs or would like to spend on himself. Again, I totally empathize.

Liz and her husband have a strained relationship, maybe even fractured. Whether or not it’s reparable was not evident. When visited by Jillian, Liz had been left alone on her rural property – a small farm – to take care of and run on her own. It didn’t leave her a lot of time for herself. Liz does not seem happy at home.

The group got a lot of support in the form of video-taped DVD’s, visits from Bob and Jillian and even a chef. They were given their final BL challenge to run a full 26.2 mile marathon.

When I could run, I was only good for short sprints. I hated the pain and agony of any extended run, so I know how they felt when they got the news they had to run such a distance.

During the run they received inspiration in the form of former BL Winners and finalists running with them, urging them on. Among them was Tara “The Machine”. It was noticeable that she had put on weight, but she still looked good and had that competitive fire. She really helped Amanda through a rough spot of doubt during the run.

I have to say I was impressed how well Rudy did. He broke away from the pack early while still carrying a considerable bulk on his frame and left everyone in the dust finishing in less than 5.5 hours.

Amanda came in second. At her young age and her much improved physique; I figured she’d have been first.

Danny, also still carrying a lot of weight, had considerable trouble. He was in a lot of pain, but Liz stayed by his side. At one point they had to stop and Danny iced his knees before continuing on. It was trying, but Danny made it over the Finish Line in just over 7 hours – not bad for a big guy…not bad at all.

During their weigh-in before the big finale, the women each posted a 16 pound weight loss over the last 60 days, which is good and a normal rate of weight loss. Danny then gets on the scale and pulls a huge 59 pound loss. About 1 pound a day! Then Rudy gets on the scale and he shows a 43 pound loss – averaging over 5 pounds a week.

I was thinking these numbers are pretty good for the guys until it suddenly dawned on me, “Holy crap, they lost this sort of weight during the last 60 days – at home!”

This made their accomplishment all the more astonishing.

Liz and Amanda fell below the yellow line, and each pled their case to America to vote for them as the third and final finalist to compete for the $250K next week.

We voted for Amanda. I like Amanda because she was heavy all her life and I know just what that’s like. However, I think Liz will get the sympathy vote being the older woman and in a troubled relationship.

Either way, it doesn’t matter as Danny and Rudy were so obese to begin with their total potential percentage of weight lost should be greater than either of the ladies could attain. I’m looking for Danny to win the whole thing…

A short blog today while I wonder why, exactly, that third piece of pie was deemed absolutely necessary by my stomach:

So as I read yet another headline the other day about Charlie Weis’ job status, I wondered why the sports media is still so obsessed with Notre Dame football.

Honestly, the stories have been just short of breathless: Will Charlie Weis be fired? Who will take his job? The Notre Dame AD, Jack Swarbrick, tells Weis he’s not allowed to go on a recruiting trip after the last game of the season, does that mean he’s gone?

And I’m wondering what the big deal is. The Fighting Irish have a big national following, I get that. I know all about Joe Theismann and Knute Rockne, Joe Montana and Rudy (by the way, I hated that movie. Hated it. And I always love a good inspirational flick.)

But seriously, Notre Dame, with the exception of Ty Willingham’s first season in 2002, hasn’t been really good in a long time. They haven’t seriously contended for a national title in two decades, and even though their games are on national TV every week, is anyone but the diehards really watching?

I don’t know, I think Notre Dame football is another one of those things that older sports writers and broadcasters think is REALLY important, only the rest of us don’t agree.

I am glad, though, to see Weis, who seems to be a pompous ass, fail just as miserably as Willingham, who is a good, decent man who didn’t deserve to be fired. The Irish coaching job is an impossible position.

**On a better note, here’s the final scene of my favorite comedy ever, which I always think about on Thanksgiving. The ending of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” which always touches my heart a little:

So I compiled this brief list of great football films, and in my research, I was surprised at the number of films that have been made about the sport. But the five I list are some of the best football dramas. My personal favorite on this list is Rudy, if for no other reason than it ranks the highest on my personal tear-jerker scale (it’s a five-hanky all the way).

had a little too much time on my hands the other day, check out what i did to the guys *ahem* ladies!

this last one has to be my favourite! teehee! oh yes, and to be fair, here’s what i would look like if i became a man:

Equipe 01

Equipe 02

Dan Collins
New York Editor-At-Large of The Huffington Post
November 22, 2009

The Rudy Giuliani brand has deteriorated so much that it’s hard to imagine an elective office for which he might be suited.

But the image of Rudy running for governor did have its fascination. For all his self-promotion as an expert on leadership, his real talent is for bare-knuckles, no-holds-barred, I-am-righteous-and-the-other-side-is-evil-incarnated combat. Giuliani would probably not have been good at running the state, but if there was ever a group that deserved being stuck with him, it’s the New York state legislature.

Now, published reports say he’s given up the idea.

Does he think Albany is too tough for him? It is, of course. New York’s state government is such a mess it would be too tough for Vlad the Impaler. But it’s another sign of Giuliani’s dwindling political presence that he might admit it, even to himself.

If this is the finale of Giuliani’s political life, fine. Good-bye, Rudy. See you on Fox. Good luck with your consulting gig. People must be standing in line to have the guy who thought Bernie Kerik would be a good bet to run the Department of Homeland Security tell them how to manage their businesses.

However, there’s still that Senate seat.

No sooner had Giuliani been reported out of the governor’s contest than the Daily News announced he was eyeing a race against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

True, Gillibrand would be a softer target than Andrew Cuomo. Giuliani v. Cuomo would be prosecutor against prosecutor — one on a career trajectory and the other old, not-really-that-great news.

The only problem with the switch from the voters’ point of view is that instead of running for a job to which he would bring a lot of minuses and a couple of pluses, he’s apparently now eyeing one for which he is totally, completely unsuited.

There are very few people who’ve played politics on the national level with a worse reputation for working well with others.

When it comes to national policy, he’s swung with the wind. In his mayoral era he was liberal on social issues, conservative on fiscal ones unless they involved the federal government sending more money the city’s way, and Bloombergian in his willingness to hang out with helpful Democrats from Washington.

Now, he’s a knee-jerk Republican, so in tune with the party line that he even blasted the Obama administration for bringing the trial of the architects of 9/11 to New York. If we had a right to expect consistency from him on anything, it’s the attack on the World Trade Center. But there he was on Fox, completely backtracking on his earlier views about standing up to the terrorists.

Senator Gillibrand is far from the world’s strongest candidate. She’s been constantly criticized for having taken one set of positions on issues like guns and immigration when she was a member of Congress from a conservative upstate district, and switching gears when she was elevated to Hillary Clinton’s old seat.

But she looks like a paragon of consistency compared to Rudy.

Giuliani flirted with a Senate run once before, in 2000, and he was a terrible candidate. He was even worse than he was at running for president in 2008.

He withdrew from the Senate race citing the discovery of prostate cancer.,There was also the problem of his spectacularly collapsing marriage. Nevertheless, everyone who watched his brief, miserable campaign saw a man who actually had no earthly interest in being part of a body of 100 equal legislators.

If Rudy had decided to run for governor, it would have been a signal that he was at least willing to try to re-establish his credentials as an executive, as a leader. Of course he would have had to do it in Albany, which is nobody’s idea of Camelot.

But wouldn’t you have liked to see Giuliani, at his craziest, doing battle with the State Senate?

It turns out he doesn’t have the stomach.

Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

Nah, Sabtu paginya, 5 September, mulai siap-siap buat ke wisuda adekku di kampusnya. Di undangan, acaranya tertulis dimulai jam 9 tepay dan karena kampusnya bertaraf internasional, ga boleh telat datengnya, malu. Nyampe di kampusnya sekitar jam 08.55, keliatan ada banyak orang bule, ga tau deh itu siapa aja. Api lucunya beberapa bule pake baju tradisional Indonesia, kayak batik dan selendang gitu (ga tau namanya apaan).

Jam 9 teng wali dari masing-masing wisudawan/ti dipersilahkan masuk ke aula (hall) dan Cuma dibatasin 2 orang aja supaya acaranya khidmat. Undangan lain nonton dari plasma TV yang udah disediain di samping aulanya. Berhubung masih kata-kata pengantar dari pihak kampus, aku maen2 aja keliling kampusnya, sekalian cari background yang bagus buat bernarsis ria bareng sepupuku.

Foto-Foto Lingkungan Kampus Pas Acara Wisuda Baru Mulai

Puas 30 menit foto2 (dengan menahan malu diliat orang lain), baliklah kami buat nonton prosesi wisudanya. Untung masih dapet tempat duduk, jadi bisa nonton sambil tenang makan 4 bungkus bengbeng yang udah disiapin dari pagi soalnya ga ada penjual kaki lima disitu. Lumayan menarik juga pas bule2nya menyapa pake bahasa Batak, undangan yang laen pada ketawa semua.

Jam 12 tepat acaranya kelar yang dilanjutin dengan makan siang plus foto-foto wisuda, baik pribadi, bareng keluarga, atau angkatannya. Karena nasi kotaknya cuma dibagi buat 2 undangan, bagi-bagilah jadinya. Untung kantinnya buka, bisa ngeganjel perut. Jam setengah 2 berangkat dari kampus itu ke tempat makan baru, katanya panggangnya lebih enak, walaupun aku ga ikut makan, ga suka. Selesai makan, balik lagi ke rumah opung, tapi adekku balik lagi bawa mobil ke kampus buat foto-foto terus jalan bareng temennya.

Karena udah capek (duduk) kemaren, jadi hari Minggunya pada ga ke Gereja, pada bangun telat. Siangnya malah diajak ngebersihin kuburan opungku, ya, siang-siang. Dari pekuburan, bisa langung ngeliat Danau Toba karena letaknya tinggi dan agak dekat. Hari Seninnya gotong royong ngebersihin pekarangan rumah opung itu yang udah agak lama ditinggal inangtuaku ke Jakarta. Besokannya diputuskan buat langsung ke kampung bapakku di Raja Maligas.

Bersihin Kuburan Opung di Balige (Walaupun ga ada fotonya, aku ikut kerja juga lho, dikit.)

Berhubung aku ngupdate status di FB, pada mina oleh-olehlah temen2. Kata adekku oleh-oleh yang murah tuh belinya di Pulau Samorir. Setelah bujuk rayu, akhirnya mau lah bapakku buat nyebrangin Danau Toba, sekalian jalan-jalan. Terakhir ke sono soalnya udah 11 tahun yang lalu. Nyampe di Pulau Samosir, ngeliat pemandangan sepanjang jalan dari mobil aja. Banyak tugu-tugunya di situ buat ngehormatin leluhurnya yang biasanya sesuai marga masing-masing.

Menuju Pulau Samosir

Abis makan siang di Samosir, kita balik lagi dengan jalan yang sama selama sejam, baru nyampe lagi di dekat pelabuhan kapal ferinya buat beli oleh-oleh, gantungan kunci sama gelang. Lumayan unik gelangnya, jadi pengen make juga. Abis naik ke kapal, ngetem dulu bentar ampe agak penuh, baru berangkat buat nyebrang lagi. Di atas kapal baru keinget temenku ngasih saran buat ngeliat Batu Gantung di Samosir. Yah, telat deh.

Balik dari Pulau Samosir

Dari Parapat, kita ke Maligas ngelewatin Siantar, dan nyempetin buat beli roti terkenal (lupa lagi namanya) sekalian makan malem, mie pangsit, atas petunjuk adekku. Nyampe di Maligas sekitar jam 8.15 malem dan sekali lagi, di situ kaga dapet Trans7, berarti selamat tinggal lagi OVJ! Besokannya, 9 September, acara ngobrol-ngobrol dari pagi sampe siang bareng keluarga di sana, sekalian menyambut matinya listrik selama 6 jam.

Opung dari bapakku tinggal opung boru (nenek) aja yang ada, opung doli (kakek) udang meninggal. Jadi, sorenya adalah acara ngebersihin kuburan opung doli. Pas lagi ngebersihin, mamakku dapet telepon yang ngasih tahu kalo keponakannya yang umurnya ga beda jauh dengan mamakku meninggal di Medan, 3 jam dari Maligas. Maklum, mamakku anak ke-12, jadi keponakannya uadah gede-gede, malah ada yang lebih tua. Berangkatlah kami sore itu dari Maligas langsung ke Medan tapi sepupuku ditinggal dulu buat ngebantuin opung boru di Maligas.

(Bersambung)