Hamster Question

To all my fellow Big Brother fans out there, I want to know who you are voting for to be the new Sabatour. I've thought pretty hard about this. I don't want to vote for someone who I really want to win, because then they may become a target. I also don't want to vote for someone who I don't like (Brendon and Rachel), because they will sabatage the people I do like. I figure the best way for me to vote is to pick someone who is funny and will make it entertaining. That being said, I'm voting for Regan. He's very funny to me, and I will enjoy seeing a darker side to him.

Also, does anyone think that Kristen has a snowball's chance of surviving this week? I really like her and Hayden and don't want to see them go. If she is put against Kathy or another floater, I think she will be fine. The brigade's votes are enough to keep her around. The only thing I'm worried about is if she is put on the block against Hayden. If that happens, one of them will HAVE to win the POV. This game always worries me!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Don't Go!!

Hamster Talk

I wanted to do a blog update on Big Brother. I know that I was going to try to do one once per week, but I’ve gotten a little sluggish. I apologize for that. I think I’m going to break it down into categories of things to talk about.

The Brigade

For those of you who don’t know, the brigade consists of Hayden, Matt, Enzo and Lane. This was an alliance formed very early in the Big Brother game. While I don’t think it’s the “best alliance in Big Brother history” as they said, I do think they could go somewhere if they get it together and start making some smart moves. I think that Matt seems to be a wild card. I know that he thinks he’s playing this genius game, but I really think he’s making some mistakes. Obviously they need to get Rachel and Brendon out, so back-dooring Brendon seems to be a good move, considering he tends to be a strong player and can win the Veto. The only issue I see with his plan is that he should have at least put Rachel up on the block with a pawn. That way, if Brendon wins the Veto, he would still at least have Rachel on the block. Putting up Kathy and Andrew as a personal vendetta is just not smart. It’s never good to play this game personal. Another weakness I see in the brigade is that Hayden is obviously willing to screw them over for Kristen at any time. That’s not good. Even though I didn’t want to like him at first, Enzo is very funny calling himself the “Meow Meow.”

Brenchel

Plain and simple, Brendon and Rachel are gross. This may be the most disgusting showmance I’ve ever seen in Big Brother history. They’ve only known each other a couple of weeks, yet they already say “I love you” and she straddles him at any chance she gets. It’s just nasty. Also, it must be mentioned that her voice and the way she talks drives me insane. Please evict her as soon as possible.

Krayden

I’m not really sure why, but I’ve really liked Kristen from day one. I like her game play of laying low the first couple of weeks, then playing hard. This game is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to pace yourself. Hayden also seems like someone who would be my friend, therefore I really like him. Who doesn’t want to see two people that you like in a showmance? I also like that they are keeping this on the down-low. No need to be Rachel and Brendon and put a big target on your back.

Britney’s Antics

I figure that there are a lot of people who like Britney out there and a lot of people who can’t stand her. I am one of the people who like her. I’m not exactly sure what her strategy is or if she even has one, but I love her being in this house. Why is this? It’s because she says some of the funniest things. I love when she talks about Rachel hanging out of her clothes and how sick her showmance is. I loved the segment when she tried to teach Enzo how to talk. I pretty much love all of her Diary Room comments. She’s just good entertainment.

Kathy’s Lameness

I just had to mention that Kathy is the most un-athletic player in the history of Big Brother. She’s even lamer than George or Renny. It’s pretty sad actually. She just laid there in that caramel. It was hard to watch. I thought that she was either the Sabatour or just plain terrible. Turns out she’s just plain terrible. She seems sweet though.

Lifelong Friends

I’ve got a couple of theories here. Hayden and Kristen could be lifelong friends and in a relationship. They just seem awfully comfortable around each other. I’ve heard theories that Britney is engaged to Kathy’s son. This could explain why Kathy voted to evict Monet. Also Andrew and Brendon could be the friends. This could explain Andrew’s strange loyalty to Brenchel and Brendon’s strange loyalty to Andrew even though Rachel wants to evict him. When are they going to let us in on this?

I think that’s really all I have to say on the show right now, except that I’m ready for some more twists. I hope you are all enjoying the season.

Unbe"weave"able

-Per Kristin’s request, I am doing a summary of my thoughts on season 2 of Real Housewives of New Jersey. Before I start, I have to correct some things that I have said in the past. On my first reality TV post, I did a small paragraph on my thoughts of the characters on this show. These were my thoughts based solely on watching season 1. Boy have I changed my mind in the wake of season 2. In season 1, I really felt sorry for Danielle and thought that the Manzo family had really victimized her. I am now realizing that Danielle is paranoid and plain crazy, and the Manzo’s seem to actually be pretty sane. With that said, I apologize to Dina and Caroline for being so hard on them the first time. Now I can talk about season 2 with a clear conscience.

As you may remember, season 1 ended with “the table flip heard round the world.” That was one crazy night that seemed to set the tone for this entire 2nd season. Here’s a photo to remind you of the madness.

Season 2 opens up with the birth of Jacqueline’s son Nicholas. (Side note: Teresa also has baby number 4, Audriana, in this season) After this, we learn that her husband, Chris, has requested that she no longer have Danielle in her life. Jacqueline seems to be a little reluctant to just write a friend off, but seems to understand where her husband is coming from. She concludes that she needs to set some boundaries with Danielle. At which point enters a scene that convinces me this may not be a bad idea. If you follow my blog, you know that I love The Real Housewives of New York. Well, most of my posts this year centered on the craziness that is Kelly “Petron” Bensimon. Crazy Kelly really made that show worth watching. Now enter the New Jersey version of Kelly, Danielle. Here is a picture of the two side by side.

I start to see Danielle’s extreme paranoia and craziness when Caroline decides to have a benefit dinner at her house, but doesn’t invite Danielle. Now, Caroline has made it perfectly clear in the past that she doesn’t care for Danielle. She’s even let Danielle know this by calling her “garbage.” I think after hearing this, it would be perfectly logical of Danielle to assume that she was not invited to any events at Caroline’s house. Obviously not, because Danielle is so shocked and offended that she decides to drive by the house on the night of the party to check out what’s going on. The worst part of this drive by is that her daughters are in the car and she is spewing out all sorts of crazy, angry remarks. It’s really sad that she doesn’t have a little discretion over what to share with her kids. On a nicer note and speaking of her daughters, we got to see one of her daughters, Christine, make the cover Daily Magazine and be presented with the opportunity to walk in Fashion Week. Christine is a beautiful girl as you can see from the picture below.

Danielle seems to think that Christine’s modeling is going to be her big ticket. All that she talks about is how Christine is going to make lots of money and have her mother with her in all of her travels. She even decided to have a celebration luncheon for Christine, but the only catch was that Christine wasn’t even invited. It was just an opportunity for Danielle to brag and show a little more of her craziness. She invited Dina and Jacqueline to the event. Both let her know that they would not be able to come, yet she felt the need to leave two empty seats at the table and announce that they didn’t show up. This was just weird. Afterwards, Jacqueline sent Christine some roses to congratulate her. Danielle decided to call Jacqueline to thank her. Jacqueline didn’t answer the call, so Danielle left her a voicemail showing her appreciation. Upon hanging up though, Danielle decided that she was no longer thankful but angry. She called back again and left her a message going off on her about not being a good friend and being scared of her husband. This just made her look like a psycho ex-girlfriend. It wasn’t a flattering moment for her at all.
The craziness that is Danielle continues as she learns that there will be an event at the Brownstone benefiting a local family with a sick child. Although she seems genuinely concerned about the baby, Danielle takes this opportunity to make this all about her. She decided to go to the event with an entourage including Kim G. (We’ll get to her in a minute), ex-con Danny and some other members of the Hell’s Angels. She said she needed these others for protection, yet another example of her paranoia. They show up late to the event already expecting to be shunned; which I don’t think, anyone was planning on doing. They take a comment that Christopher made outside as a threat and head in guns blazing and ready for the drama. Obviously considering the fact that they are late and none of them have actually paid to attend the event, seating was an issue. As the Brownstone staff tries to accommodate them with a table, they decide that they are being mistreated and leave the event. They make a scene leaving, and Danielle ends up looking crazy again. She’s not helping her case too much here.

I would like to take a second to talk about Kim G. I think that she is a complete instigator. Every scene she sings a different tune depending on who she is with. I really can’t read if she’s just two faced or trying really hard to be dramatic so she can be added to the cast. Either way, I’m not a fan. Here’s a picture.

After hearing about the drama at the Brownstone, Dina decides to meet with Danielle to let her know that she no longer wants her in her life. I am with Caroline and Jacqueline on this one and think this is an awful idea. Danielle is not one to take rejection gracefully, and we all know that she will go insane. Not deterred, Dina calls Danielle to ask if she will meet with her. Danielle, as expected, overreacts by assuming that she will be attacked and asking Danny to be around as a body guard. One thing that I found strange is that as she is expecting to be attacked, she is also expecting Dina to apologize. Which is it? I was confused by that one. When they meet, Dina lets her know that she is just there to set some boundaries with Danielle. Danielle, of course, flies off the handle and starts pointing and yelling at Dina. Dina calls her crazy and the situation escalates to a new level. Dina ends up just walking off and emailing Danielle later with her thoughts. I think this is what she should have done in the first place. Danielle gives her friends a completely skewed version of how it all went down during lunch the next day. We also learn at this time that Dina has decided to leave the show and completely rid herself of Danielle. I was kind of sad to see her go, since I was really just starting to give her a chance. Bye, Dina. You will be missed.

We now learn about the battle that has been going on between Danielle and Jacqueline’s daughter, Ashley. Apparently Ashley has started some hate pages about Danielle on Facebook. I agree that this is completely inappropriate behavior, but Danielle has to take it to a whole new level of drama by saying that Ashley is threatening to kill her. My thoughts on Ashley are that she is very spoiled and has a sense of entitlement. If I was that rude to my mom and moved out to do whatever I wanted, I know I certainly wouldn’t still be driving the Range Rover that she bought for me. I think she may need a slight reality check. I know that her parents are trying to tell her to avoid Danielle drama, but they might want to try to lead by example.

We get another crazy moment courtesy of Danielle when she decides to confront Kim D. about inviting Jacqueline and Teresa to her store’s fashion show. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. Her store is a business, and she decided to invite customers. Danielle shows up at the store and is apparently insulted that she is not given a grand greeting by the girl working the counter. I understand being a little annoyed by this, but she takes it to a whole new level by going off on Kim D. for it. I honestly think that she is a just plain paranoid lady. She tries to tell Kim that she can no longer shop at her store to protect their friendship. Kim asks her to leave, and that’s exactly what I would have done. Regardless of this irrational behavior, Kim decides to apologize and make sure that she will still be coming to the fashion show, thus striking the match to the biggest explosive of the season.
At the fashion show, I think it’s safe to say that everyone was looking for drama. Each of the ladies says that drama is what she hates most. Well, you probably shouldn’t have gone on a reality TV show. The viewers don’t tune in every week to see you all chatting and getting along. Sorry, but we don’t. It starts with Jacqueline, Teresa and Kim D. sitting around talking about how Danielle is late. Danielle arrives; trying to make a grand entrance I’m sure. What I’m not sure about is the whole cell phone trick that Danielle says she got from Paris Hilton. That’s just plain weird, Danielle. At this point, you should probably stick to only comments that don’t make you look more insane. Let’s cut to when Teresa “just wanted to be nice and say hello.” She claimed that this was because she is the sweetest person in the world. I like you, Teresa, but I’ve got your number. You were looking for drama by trying to instigate Danielle. She sure got what she wanted, an all out brawl! Yes, I think that Danielle took the whole “honey” thing a little too personal, but did Teresa really have to say what she said. In a split second, this turned from a verbal confrontation to a one way trip to crazy town. Honestly, I had to rewind it and watch it several times to really grasp what happened. All I could gather was that Danielle decided to take off running after the yelling started. I’m not too sure why she felt so threatened that she had to flee the scene, but she did. I’m also not sure why Jacqueline and Teresa decided to run after her yelling all sorts of insults. Danielle begins whaling and breathing really hard, which is not a very attractive look on her. Also not an attractive look; Kim G. (or Grandma as Kristin calls her) yelling for her driver and fanning Danielle. At this point it just seems like Danielle is over dramatic and looking for some attention over a little argument. Then, Ashley comes out of nowhere and pulls her hair. This was completely trashy and absurd, but I would like to point out some inconsistencies in Danielle’s version of the events. She claimed that Ashley was yelling that she was going to kill her. She claimed that Ashley was holding up chunks of her hair. She claimed that her hair was pulled with such force that is caused facial numbing and loss of vision. I never saw any of this in all of my rewinds. I’m not saying it wasn’t awful or traumatic even. I’m just saying that Danielle took full advantage of this opportunity.

Ok, I can officially no longer talk about this season. It’s mentally exhausting. I hope you all enjoyed the little recap and have an “unbeweavable” week.

No Fear, No Worries, Just Water

I know that my blog posts have gotten a little sluggish lately, so in an effort to fix that, I am doing a random post about my favorite person in the world, Myers. If you know ANYTHING about me, you know that I am completely in love with my nephew. He’s the absolute sweetest little boy in the world. Last weekend, I got to spend a little time with him at the Lake Caroline pool. Kacey, Matt, Myers and my mom all came over to have a little pool time. Myers was so fun splashing and jumping in the water. He has no fear. That’s one thing that I love about kids. Wouldn’t it be completely awesome to live a life with no fear or worry? Sometimes I just want to sit down with him and say, “This is the best time of your life. Stay this way forever!” My sister was a pregnant trooper playing in the pool with him and even let me snap a few pictures. She immediately wanted the individual of her removed from Facebook, but I think being pregnant is cute. I cannot wait to find out the sex of the new baby in a couple of weeks. Here are a few pictures from that day, and I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday.

taking a break on the side of the pool

jumping in to Daddy

swimming like a big boy

splashing in the kiddie pool

The Season of the Sabatour

So last night was the first episode of Big Brother 12, and we learn that it is the season of the “Sabatour.” I’m not too sure yet how I feel about this year’s twist. I think that it will be interesting, considering it will make all of the hamsters extremely paranoid. I love paranoid hamsters. They do irrational things and make irrational accusations. It makes for some great television. I do think that the “Sabatour” twist is a little too much like “America’s Player.” I realize that unlike the “America’s Player” twist, this player is not actually playing to win the game. It could make them gutsier, so I’m sure that we will be pretty entertained by them. Just from watching the first episode, my guess is Andrew. He just seems suspicious with the way he was lying behind the couch when the lights came back on. Plus, I think if he was the “Sabatour,” the producers would have told him to volunteer to be the mascot for the first HOH, so he could be safe from elimination. I’m sure CBS has a few more twists up their sleeve for the season. Now, on to my thoughts on the hamsters themselves, I’ll give my thoughts individually first. I’ve already said that I think that Andrew is the “Sabatour.” He just seems a like a plant. I really don’t have too much more to say about him. I find Annie to be a little weird. Something about her makes me not want to trust her. I’m not sure what it is about her yet, but I’ll have to wait to form a better opinion. Brendon lost me at the whole brushing his teeth in the dark thing. Why would he do that? It just seemed strange. I love Britney. She is so freaking cute. I loved during the hot dog HOH competition when she said, “I lost my dignity on a slippery wiener.” I can tell that I will like her. When they first showed Enzo, I thought that the producers were trying to cash in on the whole “Jersey Shore” trend. I guess we’ll see about him. Hayden seems like a typical hamster. He’s athletic and I guess semi-good looking. He’ll fit in just fine, and I see him becoming a key player this season. But who knows, he kind of reminds me of Braden from season 11, and he didn’t last too long. I really expected more out of Kathy after reading in her bio that she was a police officer. She couldn’t even hold on to the hot dog in the HOH competition. I guess we’ll see about her. I’m not sure of the reason yet, but I really like Kristen. She seems cool and down to Earth, but she also seems like she could have some pretty intense game play. I love a player with great strategy. Matt, being the Mensa member that he all so often reminds us that he is, could be a strong player. Let’s not forget, brains took Ronnie pretty far. Rachel has got to be a stripper. Enough said about that. I didn’t really get a good enough read on Monet or Ragan, so I guess I’ll have to wait and see with them too. I find the cast as a whole to be too “pretty.” Some of the most interesting hamsters have not been supermodels. Who remembers Sheila, Renny or Natalie (from the soul mates season, not last season)? I know that they want to use good looking cast members to draw viewers, but how about a few real people with great personalities? Moving on, I loved the first HOH competition and thought it was so funny and cute. All I have to say though about all the hamsters who thought it was so hard is to wait until your first endurance competition. They’ll be dropping like flies. We are left with Hayden as our HOH and no idea who the “Sabatour” is. I think it’s going to be a good season, as always. Until next time, expect the unexpected!!!

Big Brother Time!!

It’s that time of year again where I get completely obsessed with television. About a month ago, So You Think You Can Dance started its 7th season. Yes, I’ve been watching this show for a very long time. That’s already taking two nights per week from my schedule (thank goodness for DVR). Well tonight it’s about to get way worse. Big Brother debuts its new season, and I cannot wait. For those of you who are not fans, Big Brother comes on 3 nights per week and is completely addictive. Every season I get sucked into the strategies, alliances and backstabbing. I cannot wait to see what the hamsters will be up to this season. I am going to try to blog about once a week with my thoughts on the show and its contestants. I hope you all will be watching too!

Friday Friends

I got a little busy on Friday, so my post is a little late. Here goes.

Brittany

Today, I would like to talk about my friend Brittany Carr Ridgway. Although Brittany is one of my college friends, we have actually been hanging out since our senior year of high school. We would come visit each other, and I would send her and Whitney promotional gifts from my work. Now, I knew from day one that I wanted to be a Phi Mu at MSU, but Brittany was a different story. The more I got to know her, the more I just knew we were destined to spend the next four years in pink. I would have heart-to-hearts with her as often as possible to try to convince her that she bled pink. Somewhere, something worked, and I’m so glad it did. Brittany is a natural born broadcaster, lover of all things pageants, a tall drink of water and a pretty dang amazing pianist. Seriously, sometimes I live vicariously through her talent. She’s been living in Miami with her husband, Robert, so I haven’t been able to see her very much. I know I can always text her, though, for a quick laugh, as we have so many little jokes. Now, she’s moving back to Mississippi, so I’m sure I’ll get to see her more often. Brit, thanks for being such a fun part of my life for these past 8 years. Wow, that’s a really long time!!

Whitney

Although she’s made an appearance on my blog before, it’s time to talk about my friend Whitney. Whitney and I have known each other since high school and have always thought that we must somehow be sisters. We always get asked if we’re twins, and I look a lot like her mom, Missy. Now I can’t say this enough, but I love Whitney Staggers! This is one person who can always make me smile. She’s the queen of a spray tan, the master of the stanky leg and a member of the official Westlife cover band. Other members include Brittany and me, and our only song is “Swear It All Over Again.” I will be singing this at her wedding reception, even if it’s just to myself. Now, I don’t just love Whitney; I actually love her entire family. Buddy, Missy and Will are a family away from family for me. You can’t beat a Staggers family argument! I’m willing to bet that we are all related somehow. We’re thinking of merging our family names to Starris sometime in the near future. Whitney is such a good friend and a person that I would do anything for. I love to be her personal head-hunter for jobs and have really tried to offer up my family to her since she’s been in the Jackson area. My parents absolutely love her, in part because I don’t think anyone has ever given my mom so many compliments on her Goulash. Whitney is truly a special friend to me and I appreciate her more that I could ever explain.

Leslie

She's such a model in this picture!

My friend Leslie is truly unique. I’ve known that there was something cool about her since the moment I met her. It could have been the New Orleans accent or the CD she gave me with the song “Mercedes Boy” on it, but something about her made me automatically say, “This girl is cool!” She has this style about her that no one else could pull off. She’s also so pretty and has some dance moves that I’m really jealous of. Let’s be honest, I’m jealous of most everyone’s dance moves, though. Leslie can do makeup better than anyone I know. I actually get a little nervous doing mine when she’s around, just wondering if she will think I did a good job. She’s also as sweet as can be. She always makes you feel so good when she talks to you by rubbing your arm or calling you sweetie. Something about her voice and presence is just so calming. She lives in New Orleans, so I don’t get to see her that often. But when I do, I get really pumped because I know it will be a good time. I’m really itching to plan a visit to NOLA to see her very soon!!

Thursday Thoughts

I saw that Kristin had a Tuesday thoughts, and since I haven’t blogged in a little bit, I thought I would share some thoughts for today. I’m so excited for the long weekend ahead. In my old age, I’ve started to try to realize what holidays really mean more often. I guess they’re not just for me to have a day off of work. With that in mind, I would like to say Happy Birthday to America!! How great is it that we get to live in a free country. I happen to love being American. I love this country and the people who work so hard and fight for it to be what it is. Another thing I’m thinking about today is how awesome it is to have people that love you. I have been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to have such close family and friends. I am so thankful for this!! I hope you all are having a wonderful day!!

This just makes me smile!