Amanda's fall tv review, part 6, vols 1 and 2

***SPOILER FREE ZONE***
Vol 1: I heart "The Office" sooo much. To me, it's just the perfect comedy - no annoying laugh track, painfully hilarous awkward moments that make me pause the TiVo just so I can recover, characters that are just. so. awesome. - I really can't think of a single episode that I haven't liked. The season premiere did not disappoint (pay attention, "Ugly Betty"!). Titled "Fun Run," this hour-long episode focused on a character that may have come into contact with a horrible disease - rabies. Angela also has some issues with her cat that Dwight solves in his own way. Also, the big question of whether Jim and Pam finally get together is answered, but not in a "jump the shark" kind of way - you know, when a big romance is built up through several seasons of a show, and when it finally comes to fruition (or not), the whole show goes to hell. Anyway, it was great.

Vol 2: I must say, I did like "Big Shots." The show stars Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan, Christopher Titus, and some other guy that I've seen on a lot of shows but I don't remember his name. It's about four high-powered executive guys who can't get their heads out of their asses when it comes to relationships. I've read that it's been compared to "Sex and the City" - I disagree, it's nowhere near that good, but it was entertaining, and you can't deny the eye-candy status of Michael Vartan.

Amanda's fall tv review, part 5

OK. Whatever, "Ugly Betty." You were so cute and innovative and fun to watch at the beginning of last year, your first season. But towards the end of the season, I started to get annoyed. It seemed less clever, more schmaltzy. And then, the totally-over-the-top end with Hilda's fiance (I don't remember his name and I'm not going to look it up) getting shot to the music of West Side Story. But I came back. You lured me back with your bright advertisements, a promise that this season would be "Bettyer" or some crap like that.

I was completely disappointed with last night's episode. I continue to be slightly weirded out by Betty's strange, mother-like relationship with her boss, Daniel, who basically can't wipe his own ass, never mind run a magazine. Their relationship is so freakin' odd to me. I know we're supposed to think it's sweet, but Betty just comes across as righteous and annoying most of the time. Why can't this guy take care of himself? And, of course, we are led to believe that Hilda's fiance is still alive, through several scenes with them in her bedroom, talking about their upcoming wedding. But only a moron couldn't have guessed that this was all in Hilda's imagination, and that he was actually dead. Which, of course he was. So contrived. So play-for-tears. So done.

I loooove Mark, and there wasn't enough of him last night. Henry made a return at the very end, and I do like his character too. Would it be too much to ask the "Ugly Betty" writers to give us more Mark and Henry, and less Betty? Probably.

If next week's episode is equally bull**** lame, I'm canceling my TiVo season pass. So, clearly, I mean business!

I plan to watch "The Office" season premiere later today. God, don't let it disappoint.

on second thought

There's something retrospectively funny about pregnancy. Or having been pregnant. Specifically, with Jane. I was just reading someone's account of how she felt when she felt the first kicks during her pregnancy, and remembering how I felt during those early evenings, when I was about four months pregnant, and lying very very still, waiting to feel the tiny movements in my belly. As the months moved along, those tiny movements became very very big and somewhat painful, of course, and all the while, it was Jane in there. When I couldn't eat chicken or sauce or carbs or sugar, the reason why was because Jane was in there. When I could barely walk and the sciatica was killing me and I had to get up to pee five times a night, it was because Jane was in there. And when I had to go for ultrasounds and non-stress tests and spent every single day of nine months worrying about the little being inside me, it was because Jane was in there.

It's just funny to put a face and a name to the whole experience, that's all.

In other news, and I'm sure it will never happen again now that I'm reporting it, Jane slept through the night last night! She went from 10:30 to 5:30, which is all night in my book! This is huge. I got about 6.5 hours of sleep in a row - that hasn't happened in months! So keep your fingers crossed that it happens again.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

chunk a monk, pt. 2

Did you hear the one about the Russian woman who had a baby that weighed 17.1 POUNDS? At birth?! And women everywhere cross their legs....

chunk a monk

Jane had her two month doctor's appointment today. She weighed in at 11 lbs, 7 oz (almost a three pound weight gain in a month!) 22 1/2 inches. Nice. She had a bunch of shots which did NOT make her happy. She also got a prescription for her reflux so hopefully she will stop spitting up so much! All in all, the doctor said she looks great, which we all already knew! I was relieved though.

unwritten

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Heather asked me what my "theme song" for Jane was. I didn't know what she was talking about, so she explained that last summer, when she had her son, she kept hearing the same song, and inevitably it reminds her of him now (don't ask me what the song is, I don't remember). Anyway, I immediately thought of the theme song from "The Hills," because every time I hear it, right away my mind flashes back to those beginning weeks where I was up just about 24 hours a day, nursing Jane and watching the incredibly addictive brain candy, "The Hills," and its sister program, "Laguna Beach." It wasn't until I really thought about it that "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield is the perfect theme song - and now it just makes me teary when I hear it.

Unwritten
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, oh, oh
I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Amanda's fall tv review, part 4

So I had heard about this show "Chuck" for a while now. It's an action-comedy show about a computer nerd whose brain unwittingly becomes host to all sorts of top-secret government information via an e-mail sent to him by an old friend. When the NSA and CIA find out that Chuck has this information - and he's the only one, because the computer with all of this info blew up - they are all over his shizznit like nobody's business.

Sure, it sounded like it might be amusing, but, between all of the shows I already watch and the ones I had decided to try out this year, "Chuck" didn't fit into the mix. So I gave it a pass, despite the fact that it's been getting great reviews, I gave it a pass.

Until last night. Jane mysteriously quieted down between 8 and 9. And an event happened that abso-freakin-lutely never happens - Greg and I watched LIVE TV. Not TiVo. LIVE TV. With commericals and everything. We had clicked through our TiVo offerings and there was nothing on there that both of us liked. And this is where "Chuck" came in. I noticed it was on, we gave it a shot, and I was hooked.

Greg thinks it's the ultimate in cheese. And it kind of is. But I thought the plot was pretty entertaining, and the characters endearing - especially the Nerd Herd, a computer company that Chuck works for with his dorky friend Morgan. A lot of it rang of Office Space to me - which is one of my favorite movies.
So check it out if you can.

2 and 408

So here's the 2 month old with the 408 month old. Who's cuter? Yeah, I think so too. (Hint: not me.)

My birthday was really nice. We had a bit of an impromptu party in the morning. Greg made breakfast and my sister, niece, Mom and brother came over. Jane stayed awake long enough for everyone to play with her and then she fell asleep so I could eat in peace. She woke up a couple of hours later, and after I fed her, we went to Barnes and Noble where I read up on Britney's latest escapades and had a mocha. We all went home, and everyone else in the house took naps, while I read more magazines that I had piling up at home. Jane was a fussbucket at night, as usual, but overall I couldn't have asked for a better day.

big times

So, tonight I finish up the biggest year of my life. That's what 33 has been. It would be easy to say that it's been the best year of my life, but in a few ways, it was the hardest. However, it was absolutely the biggest.

A year ago, I wasn't pregnant. We were thinking about it, but babies were only an abstract concept to me; of course, it was less than two months later that I found out I was pregnant. That experience was such an enormous one for me. Ten years ago I would have told you I was never going to have kids, and nope, I wasn't going to change my mind. And here I am. The pregnancy was hard for me - a couple of complications, but luckily nothing major. I think the hardest part was the worrying that something was going to happen. And thank God, it didn't. Physically it was the roughest thing I've ever been through, or hope to go through. But I wouldn't trade it, and I'm happy for the experience.

I'm not going to state the obvious - OK, well maybe I am, but I'll be brief - Miss Jane has changed my life forever. It's crazy to look at her and think she was the one growing inside of me for most of this year. She changes every day and has made the last two months the most exhausting, confusing, worrying, exhilarating and amazing months of my life.

But other things happened this year as well. Work was incredibly busy, and I completed a couple of huge projects in the spring and early summer. I was also in three shows, and one of them will go down on my list of favorite show experiences, particularly because it co-starred my pal Alan. I think I could be in Love Letters a million times. It's such a satisfying show to do - especially since there is so little rehearsal! Plus I got to make a bunch of people in the audience cry, which is, uh, fun.

My family is all alive and well, and my friends are great as usual. With everything that happened this year, I saw how great and supportive and wonderful my friends and family truly are.

My life turned upside down at age 33, and it's never been better.

(please enjoy this family pic from our day at the beach visiting Greg's parents)

Amanda's fall tv review: part 3

Ah, "Survivor." We've been together a long time. For over seven years, you've dominated my Thursday television-watching nights. On my first date with Greg, I told him he was lucky I was there, because "Survivor" was on that night. I distinctly remember sitting in the parking lot of the restaurant where I was meeting this blind date, on the phone with my mother, asking her to tape the show for me (in ye olden days before TiVo).

Like any long-term relationship, we've had our highs and lows. I would be happy to point out specific seasons and which ones I liked the best and least, but Jane only let me have about four hours of sleep last night, and I'm wrecked. Anywho, all I can say is - Colby. Colby was a highlight. I think he was in Australia. I met him once. He's - how can I say it - dazzling. It's really the only word.

Anyway, I fear that this season, in my friend Todd's words, will be boring. Last night's season premiere didn't much hold my attention - again, lack of sleep might have been the cause, as I was watching it at 2 a.m. I love the setting. This season takes place in China, and I believe this is the first U.S. show ever to be filmed entirely in China. Despite my lack of appreciation for Chinese food, the country itself looks beautiful. Their conditions, I fear, will be brutal. One hint is that they've already been provided with fire and rice, which are things they usually have to fight for. This leads me to believe that their campsites must be very lacking in even the most basic of resources. (In fact, I think I read that in an interview with my boyfriend, Jeff Probst).

A couple of things stood out to me last night. One, I could not, for the life of me, really understand a word that Chicken was saying. He's from the deep South, or so it seems (I am so tired right now I'm not even doing my research on CBS.com), and every word that came out of his mouth seemed garbled. And while I have no clue what he was saying, so therefore no clue as to whether he would have been a good player, I felt bad when he got kicked off. I thought that wrestler chick should have gone.

I also thought it was pretty funny when Jean-Robert (very fancy names this season!) accused Todd (yeah, Todd! There's a player named after you this season! Me too!) of lying about the fact that he's a flight attendant. See, Jean-Robert is a professional poker player, and he can tell when people are being devious. He's really got his finger on the pulse of the other players. Except that Todd is a fight attendant. And all he could do was plead with Jean-Robert not to go around and tell everyone he's devious. Because, well, he's not. At least so far.

Admittedly, the first couple of episodes of "Survivor" are usually throwaways. You can never tell who's who, and which tribe is which. It doesn't really get interesting until it's whittled down to a manageable number of people. And I'll be there, no matter what, especially considering this is my longest TV relationship ever. Just don't break my heart, "Survivor."

Amanda's fall tv review: part 2

ANTM! Whoo hoo! (Oh, for those of you who are not super-cool like me, ANTM stands for "America's Next Top Model." Which is, as you know, awesome in all of its Tyra diva deliciousness.)

I started watching ANTM a couple of years ago during one of those ubiquitous marathons they play on MTV or Vh-1. There's just something about this show that is so intriguing to me - I think it's because it's so opposite of what my life is like. Particularly these days. Not that mesh shorts and t-shirts aren't hottt. Anyway, the season premiere did not disappoint. The girls did their first photo shoot on a beach in the Carribbean, and a whole crapload of them got eliminated, with the usual tears and drama. HOWEVER, my favorite girl got picked to be part of the group of 13 who get to move into the house. Why is she my favorite? Because she's from the town where I live! I can't believe it! I won't mention which town, because I don't want it out there on the interwebs, but suffice to say, it's not the kind of town that you would suspect would spit out AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL. But maybe, just maybe, it has.

PS I actually said the following sentence while watching the show: "Honey, you have to be quiet - Mommy can't hear 'America's Next Top Model.'" Just call me Mother of the Year.

well, I have my plans for May 30, 2008

The "Sex and the City" movie started shooting this week in NYC, with a release slated for May 30, 2008. I've already told you how excited I am about the movie; now, who wants to babysit that night? 'Cause Greg's a fan too, and Jane's just a little too young.

amanda's fall tv review, part 1

Well, I think we've all had enough baby posts, haven't we? Now on to a different topic. I've decided to throw out my opinion on the fall shows that have already been kicking off the season, much to my completely and total delight. I've complained about the vast wasteland of summer tv (sure, sure, I'd rather have the nice weather than good tv, but you need something good to watch in the middle of the night - and don't get me started on how much I love TiVo even more since I had the baby, since I can't get through 10 minutes of a show without having to attend to her in some way...), so I'm just thrilled that my old favorites are starting up again, as well as some new ones that look pretty enticing.

One show that started up again last week is "The Biggest Loser." Oh my God, I love this show so much. People have made fun of me for watching it, because they think I might be looking down on the overweight people who are competing. But that's so not true. As someone who has lost a lot of weight in the past, and is currently doing it again, I find this show inspiring and heartwarming. By the end of the season, you know these people aren't in it for the money - most of them truly want a lifestyle change. I love the trainers, especially Bob, because they are both tough and compassionate with the contestants. And the before-and-afters? LOVE them. These people work so hard for their results, just good, old-fashioned diet and exercise. I've watched this show since the beginning, and I strongly recommend that you check it out too.

Next up this week - "America's Next Top Model" (shut up) and "Survivor" (again, shut up).

the sweet sound of silence

Miss Jane is taking a nap. We've been having some issues getting her to fall asleep these days. The thing she responds to the most is plopping her in the car and driving somewhere; usually by the time we arrive, she's fallen asleep. Every morning we've been going to West Hartford Center for a walk (more for my fat arse than anything else) and I've been attempting to get to the resevoir in the afternoon for more walking. But anyway, I was contemplating yesterday that it kind of sucks to only be able to get her to sleep by putting her in the car (this rule doesn't count in the middle of the night. Usually - and I knock on wood when I say this, vigorously -she will fall asleep after I feed her at that time of day. Usually. Oh God, please don't let that change tonight!). This morning, after much much much walking around, I got her to fall asleep without strapping her into the carseat. Tres exciting! So we will postpone all of our walking until later today.

If you're interested in reading an entertaining blog by a girl who got accidentally knocked up at age 26 and decided to keep the baby, check out Storked. I'm not sure if anyone is taking advantage of my links to fun and exciting parenting blogs -and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't if I didn't have kids - but they are really entertaining, I swear!

I have to go check and make sure she's breathing. But enjoy this pic of Miss Jane in her colorful onesie, made by the one and only multi-talented Lisa (who, yes, hopefully will bring over her deelicious chocolate cake someday, despite my need to lose 8 lbs)!

what a cutie...at this moment, anyway

Well, we've had some rough spots with Miss Jane this week - hence my lack of blogging. Mostly, when I'm not holding her, swaying her, feeding her, and praying she falls asleep, I'm contemplating whether I will recover any of the hearing loss I've endured this week from her evening bouts of screaming. This is pretty common in babies her age - hilariously, they call it "fussy" - to me, it sounds more like "tortured," but what the hell do I know? We did realize that some of what is making her so cranky is that she wants to eat more, so we've started to supplement her diet with formula as well. I'm not giving up nursing at all, but this allows for another nighttime feeding that hopefully will fill her up more and allow for more sleep. You know -for all of us. Fingers crossed. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, after we put her down, I can't fall asleep because I'm nervous that she will wake up. I know this sounds crazy, but it's true.

We've spent a lot of time walking around this week, outdoors, getting - you guessed it - exercise. So much so that I thought I messed up my back the other day. It's a lot different walking around the resevoir when you're pushing a heavy stroller, especially if you haven't exercised in about a year. Unfortunately, our nightly trips to Dairy Queen have erased any of the health benefits of walking. I blame this entirely on Jane. During her nighttime rage, we also found out that she usually will quiet down when riding in a car, so we've been making these field trips to the DQ. I don't know what I'm going to do when the weather turns cold and the roads turn icy. Hopefully she won't need so much movement at that point to calm her down.

But hey - look at that smile! (That one's for Alan, who has requested more Jane pics)

high tech blogging

I am blogging from greg's crackberry...is this thing on? Anyone? Bueller?

remember these guys?

I feel badly, because even though my blog title gives my pups a big shout-out, I haven't really talked about them in a while. I want to make sure that no one thinks they are unloved, now that the baby has arrived. It's really the opposite of that - I have realized that even though I have a very, very large dog and a small, but very very spunky dog, they are far easier to care for than a little human.

Things have been interesting since we added the newest member of our family. The dogs were super-excited when she arrived; since then, they are less interested and maybe a little bit jealous. But seriously, not much. Mostly I think they are happy that I'm around all of the time so they can go outside a lot more, and that we have a lot of visitors, which means more possiblities for snacks and treats from strangers (which doesn't happen, but they haven't given up hope). They are pleased that there are more things for them to rip apart, like one of Jane's stuffed animals and countless spit-up towels. Yesterday I saw Jimmy tooling around with one of Jane's pacifiers in his mouth. This is all exactly what I expected.

I think I know now, more than ever, why dogs are man's (and woman's) best friends. Because they are so undemanding - they just just some attention and an occasional treat, and they are loyal for life. Yeah, I have to admit that I don't have as much time to play with them or as much patience with them as I'd like sometimes, but they are more appreciated than ever. One of my favorite moments this week was when Jimmy crawled into bed with me, and he repositioned himself three times just so he could conform his body just right with mine. What a pup!

I'm just a girl

After a particularly hellish evening last night with Miss Jane - girl doesn't want to do anything but eat and cry in the evenings! - this morning I left her with Greg and went to get a pedicure. The last one I got was a few days before she was born. My feet were all beat up at this point and it was definitely time. I know I can paint my own toenails for a whole hell of a lot cheaper, but there is something about pedicures that I just love. It's the only really girlie thing I do for myself. The first one I got was the day before my wedding, and I haven't looked back. I skip getting them in the wintertime, but as soon as I break out the flip flops, I get my feet professionally attended to. I must say they look quite nice - I went with "La Boheme" by OPI, a very nice dark burgundy sparkly color. I would take a picture but I'm too tired to look for the camera. Anyway, I think after nearly seven weeks of hardcore sleep deprivation and basically not really paying attention to how I look, it was high time to do something to lift my "I look like crap" spirits.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

putting it out there

OK, so here I am. Putting it out there. I need to lose 10 pounds, and I'd like to do it by the time I return to work, seven weeks from today (oh god oh god oh god I don't want to go back to work). I have lost 20 of the 30 pounds I gained, but I seem to have stalled out with this stubborn 10 to lose, and apparently I'm going to have to do some - gasp! - exercise to get rid of it. I had my six-week postpartum checkup the other day and I was cleared to resume all pre-pregancy activities, which includes getting my ass off the couch and moving my muscles. I'm not so worried about my arms because hauling around a 10-ish pound baby is helping out that area. But my general midsection could use some work.

I told Alan the other day that if I put this out there on my blog, it might actually inspire me to do it, instead of complaining about feeling fat while eating ice cream every day. So feel free to email me and ask me how I'm doing, weight loss-wise. I mean, I might actually hate you if you do that, but still, it would help motivate me.

Labor Day

Dear Blog,

Today I met my mom's friends Todd and Alan. They were super nice to me and took lots of pictures of my cute self. They also brought me a couple of books and an awesome glittery Canada t-shirt that I can't wait to wear when I'm older. It is really cool because I am 1/8 French-Canadian, after all. It was lots of fun to see them, and I showed off by drinking my whole bottle! I was sad when they left, so I cried and cried.

Love,

Jane

scene from a field trip

Our trip to Essex was successful. We had a really great time, and the weather was beeyotiful. Sure, she definitely got back at us with a couple hellacious nights in a row. But at least that day was nice.

September

I can't believe it's September already. I was telling Greg yesterday that this year has been so odd for me - from January through July I was completely focused on being pregnant and hoping everything was OK. Then from July until now I've been in a sleep-deprived haze. And now, all of the sudden, it's practically fall. I was just outside breaking up yet another rabbit v. dogs showdown, and I couldn't believe how cool it was.

The past few days have been a little bit trying, on the baby front. Her schedule is completely weird these days, and yesterday she was really fussy in the evening until about 1 a.m., and it was completely exhausting, mostly because I was so exhausted myself. But then, as she had the night before, she slept for five hours straight, which is amazing. We have also been trying to introduce her to the bottle this week, and she has NOT embraced the idea. This has been really stressful, not only because of the shrieking (nothing wrong with her vocal chords), but because it's not like I can go to daycare with her - this is a non-negotiable thing she has to figure out before October 25. However - and I hate to even type this, so let's just say I'm knocking on wood and crossing my fingers - she took to it last night, and drank over an ounce out of the bottle. It was a miracle, truly. This could completely backfire on us today, but she got it. And hopefully she'll get it again.

Today we are going to take a field trip down to the shore. I haven't been down there all summer, and I need my fix. We'll probably just walk around for a bit, stop by to see Greg's parents, and then come home. But it will be the furthest I've been from the house in months, and I can't wait.