Miss Universe, Really?

When flipping through the news headlines this morning I noticed two things:

1. Miss Universe was crowned last night.
2. Bret Michaels hosted the pageant.

Of all the things that make you go "Hmmm...", I wouldn't expect this to be more than a tiny blip. There are much more newsworthy head-scratchers (involving mosques and stem-cells to name a few). However, these two pieces of information collided in my brain and caused me to stare for a full minute at my screen--not reading the article, but just staring in awe.

What had me so perplexed? The truth is, I'm not entirely sure. But I have a few theories.

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Eternal Sunshine of My Spotless Mind?

I think someone is systematically erasing my life. Seriously. And it's starting to be a bit disturbing.

Do I sound paranoid? Perhaps. But when you start to look at the facts an unsettling picture emerges: Significant places in my life tend to disappear. Or rather, they are reshaped and rebranded into something different than they were when I knew them. It's like an inverse of the witness protection program. Instead of The Man changing my identity, the places in my past are being altered.

The latest in the list of changing entities? Minerals Management Services. While I never was a government employee, I was once an IT consultant at MMS. It was a job in my distant past, but one that I thought would be immune from this surreptitious erasure of which I have become increasingly aware. After all, government agencies aren't exactly known for frequent change.

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Hot in Cleveland - I'm Hooked

Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves, Valerie Bertinelli, and Betty White. And it's set in Cleveland. How could I not watch?

So, I set a season pass and still watched the Hot in Cleveland pilot in real time (which, for me, is saying a lot!). Then I left the encore on while typing this post. Two viewings, one opinion: These ladies are off to a good start!

Yes, it's formulaic--but in a charming, comfortable way. And yes, it's predictable--but it's a pilot and it's main purpose was to set up the (rather contrived) premise.

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Aaarrrgh!!! It's Punch Bug, Not Punch Dub!

Okay, I know this has been out for awhile, but I just saw another one of VW's punch-happy commercials and I can't take it anymore! I grew up thinking that VWs had a kind of hippy coolness about them. The VW Bus, the classic Beetle... They brought images of Woodstock and free love before I had any idea what that meant. I just knew it was cool, and not your average sedan.

And then there were the commercials. For awhile there, VW had some great ads. There was the guy tackling the runaway grocery cart, and of course, the guy claiming his car by licking the door handle. But what happened?!?!

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10 Motivations to Get Me (Or You) to the Gym

Let's face it, it's just not easy for some (most?) of us to get to the gym. There's a hundred-zillion reasons to put it off. But there's also a few really good reasons to fit in some exercise-- You know, all that healthy, not-have-a-heart-attack-or-stroke type stuff.

Motivation is key to a regular exercise routine. So... instead of going to workout right now, it clearly is much more beneficial to list 10 motivating factors that (should) get me to the gym:

1. Two words: bathing suit. -- Lately, I find myself longing for the good old days when the bathing suit was some kind of Victorian knee-length, elbow-length dress concoction. Clearly this is a warning sign that I've been seriously slacking. Trying on my bathing suit each morning might be enough shock therapy to send me to the treadmill, but who wants to start each day in tears?

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