Monday, October 1, 2007

As expected, the weekend was pretty busy. I left work a little early on Friday. I could have easily stayed for the whole day, but I just felt like it was the thing to do. I went home and got things ready to pretty much move into Romeo's house for two days to get ready for the party Saturday night, and Blanch came by around 5:30 so we could drive up and pick Romeo up from work and do the last minute shopping.

After a few stops and driving Blanch back to pick up his car, we didn't get to Casa de Romeo until around 9:00, and my goal was to get the three red devils food cakes (one in the shape of an armadillo...yes, for you Steel Magnolia fans) baked so that I could just make the frosting in the morning. This is when I discovered Romeo's message of "bring whatever baking utensils you need" actually meant I needed to bring a mixer. What homosexual, in the name of Martha Stewart, doesn't at least own a hand mixer? So, I got to make a midnight run to a very scary, 24 hour K-Mart to pick up a hand mixer and some other odds and ends. It was certainly interesting for me to bake in these conditions because I have spoiled myself with pretty good cooking utensils, even conning my family into buying me a Kitchen-aide mixer for my birthday a few years ago. All in all, the cakes turned out pretty well, but my rampant perfectionism was killing me. At least there was booze to help me cope!

Romeo was doing all the food cooking, which just left the cakes to me. The jello shot making and decorating was left to Blanch's able hands. At least we were catering to our strengths! It was nice to help at a party where the host had everything planned out. While we love our dear friend in Detroit, his yearly parties are slapdash affairs where we end up doing most of the work because he has done zero planning by the time we arrive. Heck, there were still beer cans and bottles in the back yard from LAST year's party. So, this was quite a refreshing change. I'll let Romeo do further details on the party, but I was happy with the turn out. The food was fantastic, and we had plenty of booze for everyone. I did my best to distribute the jello shots at appropriate times. :) We also did a good job of not falling into our normal group and hanging out with all sorts of people throughout the night. Tyler, Stella (and hubby), and Liberty were all there, which made for a fun night for me. Now, if only I could remember the rest of it. :-) lol

Tyler and I slept on an air mattress that night, and we were pretty much dead to the world until 9:30. Romeo had been up since 6:30, and when we finally dragged our butts out of bed, the backyard was pretty much in order again. He's so hired for all my parties! My morning was going well until I bent over to unplug the air mattress and start to fold it up. It was then that my body decided I needed to be hit with a wave of hangover nausea. Nice! I ended up staying at Romeo's house for a while after Tyler and Blanch had departed. I just sat on the porch and tried to down as much water as I could.

I was home by around 12:30, and I pretty much just passed out onto the couch until about 4:30. I then started to catch up on my final shows of the week. Here are the recaps.

Damages (FX): I do not know how many more shows are left in the season, but I still really do not know where the story is going, which frankly, is great! Also, Glenn Close is so fantastic. Even when she is shown breaking down with no sound, you can just see the anguish (for something...still not sure what). The screws keep tightening and we get closer and closer to finding out what happened in real time, and I, for one, am very excited to see this story completed. The one thing in the back of my mind is how can they possibly make a second season of this? I love the idea of serialized stories, which may just last a season, but with a character as delicious as Close's Patty Hewes, how can there just be one season?!?

Dirty Sexy Money (ABC): I really wasn't sure what to make of this show. I knew it was based around a Kennedy type family where every member is a tabloid stereotype: the patriarch concerned about his legacy, the anxiety riddled matriarch, the multiple divorcee who always marries the wrong man, the Paris Hilton, the bad boy son, the politician with a secret (TRANNY HOOKER), and inexplicably, the Reverend with severe anger management problems. All of it grounded in the character of Nick (Pete Krause), who's father was the Darling's lawyer and he was raised around these crazy people. He has fought his entire life to distance himself from their existence, but after the sudden death of his father, he is sucked into the craziness. I was pretty happy with the pilot, and I am looking forward to where all this can go. The cast is top notch with Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh as the head of the family. It is certainly an interesting concept, and I will be intrigued to see how they can sustain the crazy tabloid nature of this family.

Mad Men (AMC): While I am watching this show, I cannot say I am terribly invested in the characters. I still have trouble remembering their names, and I guess I am just vaguely interested in seeing where the story is going. The show is just so terribly soulless. This is one show where I let the hype from critics get the better of me, and I suppose I will still record it. Does anyone out there watch this show?

Desperate Housewives (ABC): I was happy to have this show back on the air, and the season premier was pretty good. We got to see the continuation of some of the plot points of the season finale, and the introduction of the Mayfair clan to Wisteria Lane. For me, I have always loved Dana Delaney from the time my parent's would let me stay up to watch China Beach, so she is a wonderful addition to the show, and Nathan Fillion from Firefly is great as her husband and surprisingly the first gynecologist on the show. The most hysterical moment for me was when Bree got stabbed in the fake pregnancy belly. The look on Ida Greenburg's face was just absolutely priceless. It was also funny to see Eva Longoria Parker getting crazy upset at Carlos (BEST WISHES!). No one does that better! The reveal of Linette's cancer to the crazy mom was pretty hilarious, too. I cannot wait until they introduce the new gay couple to the show.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC): This show has quickly became one of my favorites. Sally Field so deserved her Emmy, and I have to say her performance tonight will probably earn her another, unless Glenn Close gets nominated! The look of despair on her face after she finished the video message to Justin was just heart wrenching. I think the reason so many people love this family is because we all see our own in them. They aren't perfect, they talk about and over everyone, and they pretty much make life crazy for each other but are still the place to go for unquestioning support. Granted, there is probably enough melodrama for 10 families in the Walker clan, but then again, this is TV. So, I enjoy visiting them on a weekly basis. I find way too much of myself in the character of Kevin, but I am not going to go into that here yet. :-) If you have not given this show a try, you should watch the premiere online. It is a great place for you to start!

Well, we got through a week of reviews. I do not know if I will keep it up on a weekly basis, but I hope you enjoyed it all. I am also going to be busy with monthly and quarterly reporting through October. So, wish me luck!