Ready! Set! Race!

On Tuesday night, after a dismal family-oriented edition CBS' The Amazing Race is back at it's best!

With it's eleven teams of existing reltaionship couples - the Hippies, Frat Boys, Ken & Barbie, Glamazons and love-lorn Geeks amoung them - the Race's 9th season sprinted out of the starting gate, and off to São Paulo, Brazil, with aplomb!

But I do have a question for The Race's casting director (and, for that matter, all casting people on reality shows)... Why must the gays be so f**king queer? I usually route for the homos, but not this time! John & Scott were worthless excuses for competitors. With their lisps, fear of flying and reliance on "genie" power, these "girls" so obviously couldn't cut the mustard they were eliminated by episode's end. Yes, they didn't even warrant a spoiler alert.

Let's think back: Bunky, Marcellas, Survivor: Africa's Brandon, Will, Oswald & Danny, Lynn & Alex, Apprentice 4's Clay... Why are we gays always portrayed as the sharp-tounged fashionistas with limp wrists. Even Race winners Reichen & Chip (that season's sole "married couple" - a joke in itself, since Reichen jumped ship as soon as he found some fame) weren't exactly mountains of masculinity! Aren't there any hot, humerous, jock-like gay boys out there? Oh wait... there's Eric & Jeremy... well Jeremy, who's really hot, a total jock, and as gay as they come - he just hasn't admitted it to himself yet (and he's certainly in love with Eric)!

Beaten By Whores!

That's right, even the Dirty Whores whipped our asses at last night's trivia challenge! You really would have thought a bunch of homos would have known their Greek Gods wouldn't you? Oh, no! Another double or nothing loss that relagated us again to the bottom of the pack.

Thanatos? The god of dreams? Come on! If I'd just thought back a little to my comic collecting days... and Thanos, the death-worshipping Avenger-battling titan. really, what good is it being a geek if you can't use it to your (team's) advantage?

Will our team, Hard Dickens Cider, be able to pull off the comeback of the century? Toppling The Sausage Party (with their smart guy new addition), The Cromulans (the cheaters?) and The Clap (love those team jackets!) to take our rightful place at the top of Finn McCool's trivia tournament leader board (and winning that mystical limo ride and open-bar happy hour)? Unless Scott and Greg, our fearless leaders, can come up with a catchy cheer to shout out each time the scores are read, I fear all hope may be lost!

This week's trivia however once again proved what a small town LA can be. One of the new additions to the team was actually a guy I interviewed with some months back when I applied for a position at The Argyle (recently renamed The Sunset Tower Hotel) on Sunset. It was very much one of those "where the hell do I know you from" sort of experiences. Had we chit-chatted at the some party? Sucked face some druken night at a club? No, he offered me a job and I'd turned it down. Lovely!

The Clergy Wins!

This stomach flu has really laid me low over the past few weeks. Just as you feel like you're on the road to recovery, back you fall, stomach cramping, joints aching, bowels feeling like they are going to explode! It's meant a lot of staying in, laying on the couch, and watching TV. Well, at least it's winter!

Last weekend the 2006 Ironman Pro was held in Pasadena, CA. With no other plans, still feeling like crap, and already bored by the Olympics, I decided to watch the live online show hosted by bodybuilding.com. If you've never seen a bodybuilding show, you're really not missing much. Not a hell of a lot happens except that the boys come out on stage and pose for a few minutes to all the latest pop hits! I think it's hot, but it's not obviously everyone's' cup of tea.

Over the last few years the big boys, those weighing over 230lbs, have dominated the pro circuit. This year's Ironman was somewhat interesting in that 4 of the top 5 guys were all 5'6 or shorter and under 215lbs. Little big boys!

Finally breaking a 4-time 2nd place curse, Australian Lee Priest took home not only the 1st place trophy, but the fans' online champion prize, and the Vince Gironda Posing Award. Priest is a somewhat outspoken and controversial competitor, but at 5'4 and 209lbs he has to be one of the thickest and freakiest guys in the sport. This is only his second win in over a dozen years on the circuit, but he's been one of my favourites for years - probably 'coz he's a little guy!

Another of my favs, 5'6 211lbs family-man Mark Dugdale, came in an impressive 5th (up from 8th last year). Dugdale has come up through the ranks over the past few years, making good gains and he always manages to dial it in to show off impressive shredded cuts. However, Mark has since come down with a similar stomach flu to yours truly, and sadly won't be competing in the Arnold, the next big competition of the year.

12 on 12

Since I've not been posting a whole lot lately, I thought I'd have a go at Chad's 12 on 12 project - You take 12 pictures throughout the day on the 12th day of the month. This is what I came up with, a few days late of course!

Dad, where the hell is my breakfast? When are we going for a walk? Can I have a kiss?










What was this place, some drug den of iniquity? LA's own Amityville horror? A future old folks' home?





Dog on a mission! Yes, dad, I don't like to poo in public!










Off to the gym. I like to think of the Mini as a home away from home, complete with additional clothing, beverages and ample protein rich snacks - Some people might simply consider it a mess!



Of course it's all natural - sunless tanning, the best zit cure I know!






Things to do on the fridge. Pop Mom another play by that wife swapping writer/director Justin Tanner.





A mess of wires - part of the recent, and still ongoing, Tivo/Vonage disaster!










Chowing down on left over pasta! Pasta? It's OK, I'm in a bulking phase (what, again?).










Roommate Mikey! What he's thanking me for I don't know!










The lads checking the scoresheet on Quiz Night at Finn McCool's - it was a miserable, to some quite devastating loss! Now who again wanted to "double or nothing" on a WNBA question?


Welcome home my dad! You woke me from my nap, so can we go to bed now?









Milk and cookies really do finish off the day!

End of Week Errata

It's been a week since my last post, so I've either been very busy, very boring or just very apathetic. Here some thoughts:

Vonage - thank you for (finally) admitting that you don't work with TiVo (unless you're in New York).

TiVo I still hate you! It shouldn't be so difficult to find a bloody network adapter! Don't give me crap about finding them on ebay, just have them in stock! Or change your f**king networking requirements!!! [Yes, I'm still TiVo-less, and I'm dieing!!!]

"NJGROWN" we love you!

Take a ride in one of those iJoy chairs and enjoy a good massage for free at Plummers on Venice.

Don't have sex when you still have diarrhea. It ain't pretty!

Lost's Sawyer is a bad bad boy.

Auf Wiedersehen Nick! At least you looked pretty in pink!

Chief Chirpa revealed as Toy Fair 2006 opens in New York city. I can't wait for LA's ComiCon!

Why doesn't Ann ever get to go to the Olympics? At least she doesn't have to deal with Katie for a couple of weeks! [Katie move on over to CBS, I'm ready to wake up to Campbell Brown in the mornings]

Fridays just aren't Fridays without Wolfgang's lamb meatballs!

Note to people back in DC - it's 85 and very sunny!

Sad Geek Alert!

This TiVo/Vonage issue is still a great concern! Although Mitch was quite definite in his response the other day that the two were not compatible, when I got home that night I tried one last time, and somehow, for some reason, they decided to connect and download.

Or so I thought.

I get up this morning... And I've completely run out of program info! For some reason TiVo decided to play with my emotions. The download the other day was never truly completed. The big black depression cloud that had been looming is now directly overhead! One possible solution - internet purchasing!

First up, with the premiere of Survivor: Exile Island last Thursday, it's time for the latest edition of the Survivor campfire mug. I'd like to say that with this purchase I had all 12 mugs, but CBS never did make one for the original series.

Second, it's time to pre-order the Lucas Family action figure set, a StarWarsShop.com exclusive. Collectible 3 3/4 inch versions of George's family as they appeared in Revenge of the Sith, the highest grossing movie of 2005.

And lastly, my waitlist reservation for Sideshow Collectibles', one of only 2,000, Vampire Drusilla, has just been converted to a firm order. Sadly, it's not the Sideshow Exclusive version, one of only 500, with special "dead bird" accessory, but it'll do, it'll do!!!

Failing all that, maybe I'll go get lucky at the gym! That'll be the day!

TiVo - Don't Hate Me Now!

Dear TiVo, don't do this to me! Not now!

Don't lure me in, become my best friend , change my life, and then just up and leave! I can't imagine my life without you! You've been there as long as I can remember (or so it seems).

We move to the new apartment, everything seems fine. But it's all a ploy to lull me into a false sense of security. Suddenly, one day, you up and stop working! You won't download! You won't connect! All calls failed!

I'm up until 3am trying to coax and caress you into performing. Is it me? Have I changed? What have I done? Don't you like our new roommate Vonage? Are the two of you having issues? What don't I know? What aren't you telling me? I even missed the gym to sort out your squabbling (the diet started Monday, starting weight 178.6 lbs - down some 15 lbs since Thanksgiving, yes, I'm wasting away!).

What more can I do? Someone please, please help!!!