Hold On Hope

When I was ten, I hoped I would be the Challenge 24 champion of Gill Hall Elementary. (Booyah.)

When I was 11, I hoped I would get a guitar for Christmas. (Best. Christmas. Ever.)

When I was 16 I hoped I would pass my drivers test the first time. (Second time's a charm.)


When one of my best friends dad was diagnosed with cancer, I hoped...and prayed...he would make it through. (He fought the good fight, he finished the race, and he kept the faith.)


When I was in high school, I hoped to get an A on that test to get my GPA to where I wanted it to be. (An A ensued)

When I was 17 my dog died, and although I knew that a new dog would never replace her, I still hoped we would get another. (We did, and she is wonderful.)


When I was 18, I hoped I would get into Penn State Behrend. (I did.)


I then hoped I would be a starter on the soccer team. (It took a little more work than expected and did not happen right away, but...it happened.)



When I graduated college, I hoped to move back home and find a full-time job at the snap of a finger. (Let's just say I am still snapping, but thankful to at least have a job.)



I also hoped throughout college that, along with making new friends, I would hold onto the friendships I had found in high school. (The love I have for them continues to grow and the memories I still make with them everyday are immeasurable.)





Okay, so I hold onto hope quite often in a lot of different ways for a lot of different reasons. And although it does not always turn out how I hoped it would, it always seems to work out. Period. I guess that's my way of saying that everything happens for a reason.

So, now that I have gone a little soft-hearted on you, not usually my forte here, with the eve of the holiday celebration upon us, I am hoping for a white Christmas. And of course they are calling for rain. We had a gorgeous snow fall this past weekend, about a five inch blanket of white all over the ground. Christmas lights look awesome shining through it on trees and homes, and the chill in the air makes it feel like the winter season is upon us. According to Google, Pittsburgh has a 33% chance each year of having a white Christmas. I was sure this would be the year we find ourselves on the inside of that percentage. Nope, according to all the local weatherman, as well as national, and let's not forget Ollie...

It's going to rain. But guess what peeps, I'm holding true to my hold on hope. I am hoping for a white Christmas. I find it hard to believe that in the next 24 hours, after waking up to single digit temps this morning, that it will be cold enough on Christmas, to actually rain. Nope, I am fully convinced that it will in fact snow. I'm positive it will precipitate to some sort of extent, but it will not be rain. Bring on the snow.

My next hope is a biggie. It's like trying to make 2+2=5. Like trying to fit Casey Hampton into a Smart Car. Like trying to enjoy a full episode of Jersey Shore. Like trying to get the Grinch to enjoy Christmas...wait that actually happens. It may sounds ridiculously improbable, but there is always a chance.... What is it that I am hoping? Well, it's something all us Pittsburgh folk want and are wishing for.

I am hoping the Steelers make the dag-on playoffs. Whew, there, I said it. (C'mon now did you really think I'd have an entire post without any mention of my Black and Gold?) There is the slimmest of slim chances of them making it, but hey, just as I say a win, is a win, is a win...a chance, is a chance, is a CHANCE. So, what exactly needs to happen?

1. Well, let's start with the most obvious and simplest of conditions. They need to win their last two regular season games. Water is wet, that's a no brainer. Their first on-field battle comes against conference rivals the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. With the possibility of Ed Reed being out for the game, coupled with our passing-for-perfection performance last Sunday, I'd say my hope-o-meter just grew a little bit. Kind of like the Grinch's heart.

2. The Jets, Jaguars and Texans each need to lose one of their two remaining games. The Hope-O-Meter is beginning to palpitate.




3. Also either the Broncos need to lose one, or the Ravens lose their final game to the Raiders (given that we beat them on Sunday.)

Case and point. There. Is. Hope. Go Steelers.

And on that note, I Ho-Ho-Hope you all have a Holly, Jolly Christmas!

Christmas Came Early

It was a 5 game winning streak vs. a 5 game losing streak.

It began with a touchdown to Mike Wallace, and finished with a touchdown to Mike Wallace.

Everything else in between was an offensive heaving battle.

Deep in the arctic tundra of Heinz Field, something finally happened, Steelers fans smiled. A mold broke loose, jostled by a mess of media hypocrisy, wrestled with the frustrations of losing, the Pittsburgh Steelers put their rally caps on and pumbled, clawed, crawled and fought their way back to tally a win. FINALLY. The clouds parted and in chimes the choir singing:

*Haaallllelllllujah!*

Hell was not unleashed. In fact, hell froze over, if you ask me, and was left in a trail of pixy dust back at the dawg pound ten days ago.

It wasn't the prettiest, nor the most relaxing game. But, if we wanted to watch something relaxing we would've ordered a special golf program for the day. Yup, I used the word program, but I feel it's only appropriate when coupled with, or preceded by, the word golf.

Deja what? Oh, deja booyah-vu.

So let's recap.

First and foremost, thank you Sweet Jesus, Lord of Heaven Above for shedding some light down onto Bruce Arians and striking him with a lightning bolt of "victory play calling." Because for once this season, I agreed with most of Bruce's decisions. I'm not sure if I want to touch base on Tomlins decision for an onsides kick in the fourth quarter when we are WINNING. A part of me, believe it or not, agrees with Tomlin's call. Settle yourself. The only reason why is because I know nothing as an insider or experienced player about footie-football. I just like the drama, the suspense and of course winning. So, as long as Tomlin kept me strapped on the edge of my seat during, and a big ol' grin once the game concluded, I am almost okay with that onsides kick call. I mean geeesh, it almost worked! One yard off Ikey, one yard!

And Ben? Holy Moly, over 500 yards in one game! Never been done before by a Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback. Hats off, (or maybe mustache off?) to you buddy. Hell of a job today. Much credit is due to the fact that you threw the ball, and you threw it well. More than well. And you proved it multiple times, sealing the deal with a sweet kiss at the end between you, a football and Mike Wallace.

*Hallllllelujah!*

(Look, they are even wearing black and gold.)

Let's not get overzealous here though. It still boggles my mind to have a quarterback throw over 500 yards in one game, have two receivers over 1,000 for the season, and a running back well on his way, and be at .500 (7-7) for the season thus far. Holding on for dear life for a possible playoff spot. Because, YES, there is still a chance. And as for as I am concerned and for as long as I am a Steeler fan, which is nothing short of forever, I will always be clinging to that teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy bit of hope that we will make it and prevail in the playoffs to climb that Stairway to Seven all the way to the top! By the way, I'm giving partial credit of their victory to the fact that I went to church this morning. You're welcome, Pittsburgh.

Speaking of big numbers and smiling Steeler fans, Heath Miller broke a record on Sunday. After tallying seven catches in Week 15 for 118 yards, Miller broke the Steelers reception record by a tight end with 68 nabs for the season and counting. The old record was set back in 1993 by Eric Green with 63 receptions.

Ataboy.

(Call me.)

"Got To Be A Joker, He Just Do What He Please."

I wrote this last week and forgot to click "Publish." Woops. Here it is anyway.

It started with a fight, and ended with a cry.

He said we would unleash hell and trust me, hell was unleashed. We didn't need hell, we needed heaven on our side. Stairway to "seven," remember?

So, despite the fact that the sun is shining brightly and it's Friday, today is nothing short of dismal.

Playoff hopes have all but vanished, washed away by the shores of Lake Erie. The mistake by the lake is now put on Pittsburgh. Lake Dreary has cast itself and unleashed it's frigid furry into the dog-pound and onto the Steelers for the first time in nine games in Cleveland Brown stadium.

I was stunned. Trying to justify between a gaping jaw and stuttered mumbles of confusion, and understand what in the world happened to my Pittsburgh Steelers? To my reigning champs? To my six-pack, sixburghen, s.o.b.'s. To my one large order of football champions with a side of Lord Stanley? (Maybe the other way around.) None-the-less. C'mon guys, the Brownies? the (now) 2-11 Betty Crocker Fudgie or Cake-like Brownies? How many Super Bowls have they won? Oh, yah, zero, zip, nada.

I mean, it's not like I am going to become a fair-weathered fan and start cheering elsewhere. I can at least still smile at the fact that we are the leading NFL team with six super bowl championships on our hands. And the Browns are still 2-11. Pretty awful, and still the worst in the league as far as numbers go.

Embarassing that we lost, but if I am going to try and stay positive, I just tell myself that you can't win 'em all. Right? I mean, we don't want to turn into the New York Yankees and become that team.

You can't win 'em all.

But you can at least salvage some dignity. Right?

Wrong.

I am not embarassed so much by the fact that we lost to the Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Chiefs and Raiders. Ok, yah I am pretty embarassed...BUT, I am MORE embarrassed by our team chemistry, or lack there of.

Where in the world is the discipline? The leadership? The professionalism on this team?

If I acted or did any of the things that are reported by nearly half of the team, I would be without a job and struggling to find another.

Let's recap:

A distraction, yes, but I don't know if it is even relevant to mention Santonio Holmes and his marijuana mishap last season since he went on to be the Super Bowl MVP and all, but the bicep flex has GOT to STOP.

So,

I'd say it started with Jeff Reed and his antics with a towel dispenser. First off, that story sounds ridiculous to begin with. Really Reed? A towel dispenser? Really??

Okay, so dust under the rug. Minor blip in the Rooneys stark free Steeler team image. Let's move on.

Right when preseason is about to begin. When the hype of the 2009-10 season is about to get underway and all of the fans are super pumped and all "Seven-upped" or "Stairway to Sevened" out, some chick out in Nevada decides to blame Benny Boy for sexually assaulting her.

Nicely timed, round of applause. Immediately all focus of preseason prep shifts from football to fondling.

Next up, Reedy boy is at it again. Although this time he chose a human to raise his fists too, a policeman at that. And it was because the policeman was doing his job, trying to cite Matt Spaeth for using the open air and parking lot as his own personal port-a-potty.

Let's face it, policeman have had it with Pittsburgh right now. They are on edge for obvious and unblameable reasons. So when Jeff Reed turns into Muhammed Ali after a quick celebration for beating the Browns (ha!), police won't handle that lightly.

Round of applause, again, please. Way to go. This was on top of Reeds subpar recent performances anyhow, and his inability to make tackles as well.

Bill Cowher? Is that you? I knew it.

Okay, I am going to keep tredging on.... Ben takes a pretty nasty hit in the Bengals game and sustains a concussion. In the next set of downs, Batch breaks his wrist. I tell you what, if there has been any hell unleashed, it's been against rather than for us.

After finding out that Ben would not be playing against the Ravens in a fairly important game, Hines runs his mouth. Basically talking smack on his quarterback.

What were you thinking Ward? He is your TEAMMATE. You don't talk down about a teammate, ever.

So, the problem with Pittsburgh? Chemistry. Team Chemistry is largely amiss and it is extremely obvious.

James Harrison is a scary man. And when you see him whipping his helmet and screaming at teammates on the sidelines during the Browns game last night, it's a scary, scary situation.

I'd kill to be a fly on the wall of that locker room.

There are a lot of young guys as well as experienced, older guys on this team that for some reason when faced with the adversity of losing, do not mesh well at all.

While the veterans are hanging their heads with shame, the rookies are shaking theirs with disgust.

Bruce: "Shhh, it's okay hunny. It'll get better. Shhhh."

Maybe it is the deadly force of everyones ego bouncing around the room. There is no camaraderie, no leadership. No one individual stepping up and saying "we need to 'come together, right now, over me.'"

Sing it to me Lennon.

Stay Golden Pony Boy

"We will unleash hell in December."

Yes, Tomlin. Yes, we will.

It was a dismal weekend for Pittsburgh football fans. Many are starting to throw in their terrible towels on the season and start planning for next season.

Hang on here. Let me remind you all of something. Remember Super Bowl XL? Yeah, the ONE FOR THE THUMB? Let's recap that season briefly, maybe it will shed some positive light on all you doubters out there.... Follow along with me now:

2005 - The season began with a win over the Tennessee Titans. A solid win at that.

2009 - The season began with a win over the Tennessee Titans. Not quite as solid as in '05 but, as I like to say, a win is a win is a win.

2005 - The next four games following the home opener victory went as follows - win, loss, win, loss. Followed by a four game winning streak and then a three game losing streak, bringing us to week 14.

2009 - Flash forward with me, are you keeping up? Following the home opener victory over the Titans, the rest of the season progressed as follows - Loss, loss, five game winning streak, three game losing streak. Which brings us up to date.

Do we see a pattern here? Case and point, we have been here before. This is familiar territory for most of the veteran players.

In 2005, the Bengals won the division championship.

Remember in the first round of playoffs when Kimo von Oelhoffen fell on Carson Palmer, tearing his ACL and putting him out of the game that we ended up winning 31-17?

Remember the next game against the Indianapolis Colts when, with less than two minutes remaining in the game, Jerome Bettis fumbled on the goal line? And Big Benny Boy nabbed Nick Harper, who recovered the fumble and was well on his way to a game winning TD, by his shoelaces, dubbing the play the "Immaculate Redemption" ? The 'lers would go on to win by a nail biting 21-18.

They then went on to defeat the Denver Broncos 34-17 to seal the deal on an AFC Championship and a trip to Super Bowl XL.

The rest is history. And I can about bet you remember the story as we went on to win Super Bowl XL in Detroit against the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 21-10. Despite his worst passing game of his career, Big Ben became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

His claim to fame in 2009? Becoming the chubbiest quarterback in the NFL, dare I also say...to win a Super Bowl??

Rarrrrr!

Sorry, not sure how that snuck in there.

C'mon, though. Let's face it. He does look somewhat like Wookie's offspring lately.

Family resemblance? Mayyybbeeee.

In 2005, it seemed improbable that we would be Super Bowl champions that season. We were sixth seeded in the AFC heading into the postseason. After the three game losing streak during the regular season the Steelers surged ahead and "unleashed hell" for the last four games to finish 11-5.

Moral of the story? We like dramatics.

Hines likes to talk a little smack on his teammates, stir a little controversy, light a fire under some of the players beehives and get the team going. We could have beat the Ravens. I know, I know, coulda, shoulda, woulda, but didn't and needed to.

But, we had our third string quarterback starting, who prior to the game had thrown one...ONE NFL pass in his career. Hats off to you Dennis Dixon, I'd say you did quite well going 12-26 for 145 yards, 1 TD and 1 interception. Compared to Big Bens first (full-game) start when both Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch got injured, against the Miami Dolphins in 2004. He went 12-22 for 163 yards, 1 TD and 1 interception. (Technically Ben's first game was, ironically, against the Ravens, the week before the Dolphins, when Maddox was injured late in the third quarter and Ben was the next go-to man.)

This week against the Ravens, Bruce Arians made an awful play call when he decided to pass the ball. It resulted in an interception to set up the game winning field goal. Not your fault Dixon...okay maybe a little bit your fault since you threw the ball to the other dude. Keep your head up though, we still love you. (most of us)

Dennis: "Hey, Brucie? You up there? Cus you definitely pulled that call from out of your ass in order to burn mine."

Am I disappointed in our current situation? Absolutely. Do I think they made the right decision not to play Ben Sunday? You bet. Am I confident this season is not over and there is still plenty of hope for a postseason rally?

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.

"We will unleash hell in December."

Yes, Tomlin. Yes we will. Why? Because we are the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's what we do.

Yah baby.

Wave that terrible towel...literally

...Because, well, we were terrible today.

This weekend had me on wits end with Pittsburgh sports. My stomach hurts, my legs ache and I've got a headache from drowning my nerves....And my remote control is smashed... okay, that's a lie. But still. Within a full 24 hours, Pittsburgh has been a mosh pit, a roller coaster ride of screaming sports fans.

Speaking of drowning nerves, I am fairly certain Big Ben played either hungover or drunk today.

Maybe Bennie boy just wanted to have a tickle-fest with Robert Geathers instead of play football today?

I am also fairly certain, after Pansy Toes, aka Jeff Reed, twinkle toed his way to another missed tackle/touchdown saving hit, that there is no way he is even brave enough to go Mano-e-Mano vs. a paper towel dispenser, let alone hop into the fighting Irish stance ready to do the tango with a police officer. No way is it possible, sorry your honor, but clearly today's performance on the field this week and last Monday, is enough evidence to dismiss the case and rule my client not guilty.

Jeff: "Coach, what do I do now?"

Tomlin: "Quit being a pansy and go tackle him you idiot!"

Okay, one more assumption on why the Steelers were so awful...they just got confused. Yah, see they thought this was another WWE stint and this was just a wrestling match. Yah that's it. See:

1...2....3...PINNED

Ben: "Ow, man! Uncle, Uncle!!! I SAID UNCLE, THAT MEANS LET GOOOO!"

...Yah, I bet Daddy Rooney was proud.

It didn't help matters much when the King of Troy aggravated his knee again in the opening drive and did not return for the rest of the game.

Okay, so injuries and suckiness aside, well, no suckiness is still on the table because my next point I'd like to make is that Max Starks must've thought he was playing in the stadium next door at PNC with the suckiest of suck - Pittsburgh Pirates, because I am pretty sure I could have put my 85 year old, 5'2" (and shrinking) 100 lbs grandfather, who at one point in his life spent time in a full body cast during WWII after getting run over by a jeep...into the game today and he would have been more useful and had better blocks than Mr. Starks.

Hines, Mike, 'Ton? I don't know if I still should be pointing the dreaded finger at Ben for under throwing the deep balls and over throwing the short ones, or if I should be barking up another tree at the receivers for not being open and making plays? I think it was a little bit of both.

So, Santonio, keep that bicep in your sleeve and make some plays with it instead of daunting and flexing it for everyone after a 2 yard catch. Act like a Super Bowl MVP and start making noteworthy catches in important games.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, onto the good stuff... HOW BOUT THEM PENS? Okay, it wasn't the most graceful win and they scraped by and chalked up a W by a minuscule four tenths of a second, but hey, a win is a win is a win....Good work boys, free smooches from Crosby.

And what about those Pitt Panthers? Can this city be any more awesome when it comes to sports? Congrats to Jonathan Baldwin for being named Big East player of the week.

And last but not least for the sake of entertainment, let's take a peak at Sammy Sosa's new look, shall we?

I am pretty sure it looks like he smacked himself in the face with a bag of flower and then stole his wife's lipstick for kicks. I can't decide if this is some weird tribute to Michael Jackson, or if he was just tired of looking black. Regardless, kids, don't do steroids.

Whole lotta Umness.

1. Okay I need to address this one at the top of the list. Has anybody seen Sammy Sosa lately? No? Don't worry, I am here to help....

Ummm...What the hell?

Is this supposed to be some sick tribute to Michael Jackson? Apparently he is going through a rejuvenating process for his skin? Who knows, what I do know is it looks weird as hell. Is he wearing lipstick?

Not to mention, his wifey looks nothing short of peeved at Snow White Sosa's new look.

2. My mum called a "snuggie" a "snugglie" today. I thought it was funny.

Speaking of snuggies, check out the baby snug.

Ummm...I'm pretty sure any mother that stuffs their infant into that thing is surely mixing up a large batch of future claustrophobia for their child. Plus a handful of stares while walking down the street with that adorable little face protruding from mommies breasts. Creepy. I think if Babyface ever makes a comeback this should be his album cover, though.

3. What is with all of these people falling on train tracks these days? And walking away unscathed to boot?

4. Mr. Ochocinco made it a point to cause a little stir on Sunday when he "pretended" to slip one of the referees a dollar bill while they were reviewing a call. He was laughing about the stunt, and the ref waved him off before Ocho-stinko could attempt to pass the bill over.

5. When it comes to things to talk about there is a lot up in the air. Literally. From Balloon Boy, to the dotto pilots who cruised on past their landing destination. And just yesterday a pilot was removed from his flight because he went to take the hot seat intoxicated. A flight attendant noticed he may not be capable to fly and reported it before the plane could take off. As a result the flight was canceled, he was given a toxicology test and failed. On top of being suspended, the incident took place in London, where the alcohol rate is .02, as opposed to .048, this dude may be facing jail time.

6. Okay, tell me there is not something Um, wrong about this. (and I apologize for addressing this so late that it's tacky) But, Yankees, champs, 27 flippen times? Come on! Seriously? I mean I know our football team is an NFL dynasty and we are the most successful team having six trophies in our display case, and we sound pretty greedy decorating our town with Stairway to Seven tees but TWENTY SEVEN baseball ships? And our Buccos have 17 straight losing seasons? There is something way wrong-oh with that picture.

Twitter Me This

1. I hate when I accidentally say good morning to someone when it is clearly well into the afternoon.

2. Twitter me this: I do not understand Miley Cyrus's reasoning for resigning from Twitting her life away. She explains quite colorfully in a (wannabe Taylor Swift) rap that she will no longer be Twittering because she is tired of everyone knowing everything about her personal life. Hang on, now correct me if I am wrong because I do not Twitter, but is it not your choice what you do and do not Tweet? Are you not the one who chooses what to tell the world you are doing or thinking at that given moment? So if Ms. Miley does not want everybody and their mother to know that she is nodding her head and moving her hips like yeah, well then don't Twitt-it. It's not rocket science. Or maybe for some it is. Nonetheless, she's been deemed a "Twitter quitter" in my book.

3. The Hoveround Power Chair commercial gets me every time.

4. I tend to be a bit shy when it comes to telling people that I blog. In fact as far as I know, there is one person that ever reads this because there is only one person that knows about it. Well I mustered up the courage to post the link on my facebook page today in case I have any stalkers out there interested enough to click the link and either feel sorry for me that I blog or actually care to read what I write. If you fall into either one of these categories, thanks for taking a peak, hopefully for the latter and not the former reason.

Song of the day: Luke Bryan "What country is"

Mendenhall 'Quiets The Critics'

After tromping all over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night Football, Rashard Mendenhall has set quite a standard for himself. After extensive and sometimes harsh scrutiny about the second year running back and his ability (or lack thereof) to run the ball and produce positive results, Mendenhall figuratively put a finger to his mouth and politely quieted all of his critics.


He was benched for last weeks loss against the Cincinatti Bengals because of poor performance in practice, a decision made by coach Tomlin that is becoming a theme week to week amongst players. For the Chargers game he benched Limus Sweed after he missed a sure TD catch in the end zone against the Bengals the prior week that could have quite possibly given them the win.


So, come week four of the regular season, the Steelers found themselves about ankle deep in a hole. With a record of 1-2, Sunday nights game was somewhat of a must win for obvious reasons. Not only did the Steelers as a whole have a lot to prove to themselves, as well as their fans that they are not succumbing to the post-Super Bowl curse of a lousy follow-up season, much like in 2006... but a few individual players had a lot to prove to themselves, their coach, their critics and their fans.


Mendenhall rose to the challenge and then some. He reassured his coaches and teammates that he is reliable and more than just one time here and there. With Willie Parker out in week four with a toe injury, Mendenhall was the go-to man for the night. Everyone held their breath and let it out with a half gasp, half laugh, half cheer as he bounced off a few Chargers and dodged a few tackles for a gain of 9. He continued to zig and zag his way 29 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two receptions for 26 yards. All numbers which far exceeded his far from stellar showing last season before fracturing his shoulder from a Ray Lewis blow that put him on the sidelines for the rest of the year.


I'd say it was a divine example of actions speaking louder than words. Mendenhall said he'd play better, then he did. So now he has set the bar quite high for himself. Can he continue such a solid performance for the rest of the season? Or was this just beginners luck? I'm afraid next week may not be the best measurement as the Steelers travel to Detroit to take on the Lions, who went winless in 2008 and have not proven to have changed much for the '09 campaign. However, if Mendenhalls wonderful display of athleticism on Sunday was truly what we can expect for the rest of the season, him and Parker could quite possibly be a deadly combination in games to come.

Rashard: "Man you sure this gets rid of constipation and make me play better?"

Willie: "Oooohh, yeahhh."

Before we start popping the bubbly though, let's keep one thing in mind, the Chargers rushing defense is ranked 28th in the league allowing over 150+ yards per game on the ground. I don't mean to negate any of Mendenhall's success from Sunday but facts are facts are facts. In a nutshell: he damn well should have rushed for the stats that he did. Let's hope it continues.



Annnddd speaking of quieting the critics, another player made it a point to prove that he is capable of more than what the first few games have shown. Jeff Reed proved he was back to his old self when he knocked a 46-yarder on Sunday and went five for five in extra points. Much improved from week two when he went 0-2 in field goals against the Bears and missed another against the Bengals in week three. Again, let's hope he keeps up with his old habits and continues to be reliable for a few points when needed. I always say that field goals don't win games, but boy do they help.

What a clown.

The Times They Are A Changin'

I remember my first Barbie Doll. It actually wasn't even technically "Barbie" per se but rather a doll made to look like Ariel from the Little Mermaid. I had a mild obsession with the Little Mermaid as a kid and am fairly certain I watched the movie a bijillion times until the tape wore out. (sad day)






Any who, I did not play with my dolls as a normal girl would, playing dress up and sending her off on a hot date with Kenny boy. No, I chose to dress her up, stuff her in her plush white Barbie Ferrari and send her crashing down the steps and into doors and walls. So violently that her head often popped off. After which I would go dashing into the room where I could find my parents and politely ask one of them to put Ariel back together so that I could do it again. On nice days we even got the privilege of taking a cruise outside, to be launched off of the bike jumps my brother and I built in the backyard.


So maybe I took "playing with Barbie" to a bit of a different level. But I am pretty sure American Girl Doll has officially taken the cake as far as levels go when they introduced to the world Gwen Thompson, the 'Homeless' American Girl.



Are you kidding me?







Do we really need to exploit the struggling economy via a child's doll? Do we really need to exploit this sort of negative connotation towards young children that even dolls can be homeless?

With every American doll comes a book explaining their "story." In Ms. Thompson's case, her father walked out on the family and her mother lost her job, causing them to have to sleep in a car. Let's think about this for a minute. Once the young girls who own this doll (recommended age is 8) are able to read her story, they will be old enough to read but still too young to understand the world in the least bit. By reading this bio, it leaves them with the impression that, yes Daddys leave their Mommys, and if that happens you will eventually be sleeping in a car. But that's okay, that just means you are living just like Gwenny! WTF American Doll.


Wait, wait. But here is the best part. It costs $95 big ones. Talk about an oxymoron.

G20? I thought this was an arts and crafts convention?

- I really can't stand Old Navy commercials.






- As much as I enjoyed the book Where the Wild Things Are as a kid, I find the movie previews to be a bit creepy. Probably because the Wild Things remind me of gremlins - I had to post a pic of Gizmo, not of a scary gremlin, I can't bring myself to do it. They still give me the heeby-geebies.

-For the past two seasons I lost touch with Grey's Anatomy. I caught an episode here and there, enough to at least know the basics of what was going on - Izzy with cancer, Torres swinging her door the other way, McSteamy and Little Grey bow-chica-wow wowww... yada yada. Anyhow I ended up watching the season finale, almost on accident.


Wow. Amazing. I cried, I am not a crier, but I cried...by myself. What a finale. We all gushed over it all summer so I won't ramble on about it too much. But, I was wondering last night while watching the season premiere, how will they top it? How will they be able to come up with a better story line than that? I hate seeing characters killed off of shows and sometimes it ends up killing the show - R.I.P Marissa and the O.C.



I thought the premiere was pretty solid. It touched on a lot of emotions which reminded me that sometimes TV shows can be therapeutic. They can be more than just a brainless stimulant to pass the time. Some people think that television is what is decaying our minds into a pile of mush where we have no opinions of our own but rather are simply repeating what we hear.



Eh. Yes, I think television amongst the other mediums carry that potential but sometimes it is in the eye of the beholder. Is it not our responsibility to feel on our own? To watch, listen, learn on our own and form our own thoughts and opinions based on what we hear and see? Is it not our own fault if we decided to remain intelectually numb and decide to take the easy route of plagarizing somebody elses thoughts and opinions rather than forming our own? Huh....



Nonetheless, during the entire 2 hour premiere, I am pretty sure that by about the fourth time it went to commercial break I was more than ready to throw my Grandpa's very new, very nice TV out his very large bay window. Could they be any more repetitive? So, is it the shows or the commercials making us so thoughtless? I cringed everytime I saw those stupid Old Navy manicans chatting by the baggage claim. To top it off, once the one found her legs, they were wearing Uggs. Ugghhhhh. Not a fan. Not a fan one bit.


- I thought the G20 was 50 cents way of proclaiming a G-unit upgrade and he was coming to Pittsburgh to tell us about it.



Go, Go, Go Pittsburgh, it's your birthday. We gonna party like it's your birthday.

Or, maybe the G20 is an arts and crafts convention? Sign painting 1-0-1.

You decide.

It's been awhile. . .

It's been a few months since the last post so bear with me while I gather myself and get back to feeling the flow of the keyboard through my fingertips...

- I mean no disrespect when I say this but clearly Michael Jackson has decided to moonwalk his way to the grave. Or at least people have decided that for him. The news reported this morning that they are finally burying him today. Are you kidding me? You mean to tell me they have not buried that (man) yet? You mean to tell me that Ted Kennedy died two month after him and was buried almost a week before him? He died almost three, yes THREE, months ago (June 25). Is that even relatively humane to hold a body from its burial for that amount of time? It sounds a bit ignorant but I am pretty tired of hearing about the "King of Pop." He had a bit of a controversial and questionable life, but let the man Rest In Peace before California decides to tax its residents for his above ground presence. I mean, they did tax them $3.5 million for his dag-on funeral. What kind of bill will the state smack them with for his burial? I guess Cali decided to say W.S.U. (We'll Show You) by changing their I.O.U.'s to U.O.U.'s (You Owe Us).

Speaking of being tired of hearing about someone...actually I'm not even going to waste yours or my time saying anything about Brett Favre, so never mind.

I'll at least do him the favor of posting a pic of #4 during his prime.


- OK, I want to know who decided to deem swear-words as inappropriate? I understand the purpose of them - it's a strong oath. If you swear, it means you feel very strongly about what you are talking about. But, whoever said that that was a bad thing? That by tagging that curse word in a sentence, you are speaking foully? That if, at the age of five, you chant an explicative aloud during recess for every other five year old to hear, you get sent home for the day only to have a bar of soap stuck in your mouth? Isn't it just freedom of speech? Of expressing oneself and how we feel about something? I bet the same person that decided we needed two forks for dinner and have to use the small one for your salad is the same person that decided to proclaim curse words big fat no-no's.

- Our judicial system is a mess. There is absolutely no means of justifying the fact that convicted kidnapper, rapist and registered sex offender Phillip Garrido was released from prison after serving 11 of his 50 year sentence, only to kidnap and rape again, father two children, and hide it for 18 years. I have no desire to go into further discussion on this topic. It's disgusting.

- On a much happier note, tonight is the Steelers last preseason game! It's also the least week of final cuts. The roster will be trimmed from 75 to a healthy 53. Despite a handful of promising rookies, let's hope Tomlin and Co. don't pull a Leyland '92 theory of 'out with the old and in with the new'. We all see how far that got our Bucco's. Ha.

- And in local news, somebody set fire to a jungle gym at the Cliffside park in the Hill District. Really? Do people not have anything else better to do with their time? Awesome, way to go buddy.

- One last thought: the air is getting a bit cooler, especially at night. Which means (as the chipper barista at Starbucks pointed out to my excitement) scarves will become appropriate to wear again, hot apple cider will become a popular drink of choice, and amongst other things, the leaves will begin to change. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the fact that football season will be in full swing. Despite the fact that I much more prefer the warmth, I still really enjoy the changing of the seasons, especially the transition from summer to fall and then winter to spring.

I'm excited.