quit playing games with my heart


To all my dear friends who got me curious about Downton Abbey with all your talk about it so that I would start watching Season 3 and get all involved…involved enough that I would spend my holiday weekend in my sick bed catching up on Seasons 1 and 2 just in time to then watch Season 3′s finale…

Thanks a lot!

I still find myself getting emotional when I think about the final scenes that played out Sunday night. Definitely not because I was under the influence of cold meds. No, the ending bruised my heart.

And WTF PBS follows with a pledge drive immediately after???!!!

Filming for Season 4 is currently underway. Hopefully Julian Fellowes won’t be killing off anymore favorite characters.

Meanwhile, here is a little bit of marvelous-ness to perhaps cheer our broken hearts.

overheard under the Big Top #809


Watching Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee competing in the Olympic Decathlon to win gold and silver medals respectively:

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times / August 9, 2012)

Abby: What event is this?

Mom: It’s the decathlon. These athletes compete in ten different track and field events over two days.

Abby: Oh

Mom: You know Bruce Jenner won it for the UnIted States in 1976.

Abby: Before he became a Kardashian?!

Mom: (shaking my head) Yes, before he became a Kardashian.

And then, as if on cue, comes this commercial.

Seriously.

overheard under the Big Top #710


Darling clown of mine: Did you hear? The guy who was the voice of Mermaid Man died a couple of days ago.

That guy would be Ernest Borgnine whom I remember from McHale’s Navy and Marty, The Dirty Dozen, The Poseidon Adventure, Willard, From Here to Eternity just to name a few. Oh, and yeah, he was also the voice of Mermaid Man on Spongebob Square Pants.

And here is where I find myself checking out Netflix and now planning an Ernest Borgnine mini-marathon.

next time on dance moms who only wish they could dance


Those legs…yeah, she gets them from me. As you can see, Jodie is doing well in pointe…and as I can see she has ripped yet another pair of tights…of the six pairs I just bought her. Does she pull them on with her teeth? Perhaps she did it to distract me from the dance mom craziness.

I like to think that we are nothing like those moms on those Dance Moms and Dance Moms Miami faux-reality shows that, yes, have become a bit of a guilty pleasure for Jodie and me. Hey, it’s mother-daughter bonding time all cuddled up together on the couch watching and (can you believe it) talking…talking about the show, the young dancers, the dances, the competitions, the crazy dance moms and instructors and just talking together. Bill sometimes joins in…usually grumbling about how he can’t believe we watch this crazy crap..except that one time he really took offense to the weight restrictions and weigh-ins one studio apparently does.

“They don’t do THAT to Jodie do they?”

“No honey, they don’t.”

“They better not. I mean it. My daughter better not be stepping on no scale… Why do they do it anyway?”

Jodie tries to explain that some studios do have such rules in place as do many dance companies and professional dance teams but Bill still has such a hard time with it muttering that his daughter better not ever be subjected to that and something about the size of the lady who was having the kids step on the scale.

“Honey, I promise you. She doesn’t get weighed in. Look at your daughter. Do you honestly think she would ever be weight restricted?”

“Well she better not ever step on a scale.”

“She won’t.”

But really such hysteria would never happen in my kid’s dance studio or on her dance team…or would it??!!

Jodie’s ripping her tights on purpose to distract me. I just know it.

So I will keep my head down, focus on replacing the tights, getting my tickets for the end of year recital that is coming in three weeks and focus on the last two competitions this weekend and in July and let the studio owner and coach worry about the bat-shit dance mom drama happening all around her. The last thing she needs is my kind of crazy jumping in.

Well, except for me to just go there and address one particular dance mom crazy (you know who you are), “SHAME ON YOU!!! Good riddance to you too!”

But next year might be different.

Guess who was invited to audition for the 2012-2013 competition team?

Oh dear…mother -daughter crazy dance moms just might be coming your way.

Congratulations Hazel and good luck baby girl!

a new pet


“Mommy can I take him home? PLEASE!?”

Looks like Jodie found her man…and got his autograph…and talked to him…and danced with him…and took LOTS of pictures with him.

I imagine a restraining order will be next.

But seriously, it was a great dance convention and competition. Hollywood Vibe always does that right. Kent will be glad to hear that his contemporary jazz workshop was one of her favorites. He really is not only a very talented dancer but a pretty impressive choreographer and teacher…so says my .dancer.

Meanwhile, I’m shaking my head wondering what is it about my daughters and sweet, talented, cute reality TV stars.