I Have the Best Hub Evah.

Well hello strangers, I am back. My boss is off this week, so despite a huge workload that is burying me I am here with you! What a gal!

Christmas was just lovely this year. I think I got the best gifts evah this year. I made up a new song to celebrate my gifts: "Have a Coachy, Coachy Christmas, right this very moment..." Catchy, no? This is my song for this year because Santa was goooood to True in the Coach bag department. I got 2 wristlets, a handbag, and an ipod cover. And three of those were from Hub - now, if you know anything about Hub its that he is cheap (frugal? cautious with money? whatever, the man does not like to spend money). So I open some gifts from him, and he got me cool stuff (books I wanted, peppermint foot lotion, other goodies) and as I am getting mad because he didn't get me the one thing that I actually dropped hints about (the new White Stripes cd), he hands me a box. I unwrap it to find a shoe box. Did he buy me Manolos? Let's not get crazy. So I open it to find a Coach box inside, tied with a pretty red ribbon. Inside was a holiday patchwork wristlet. Woo hoo! I am in shock, as Hub thinks that Coach bags are the biggest ripoff on the planet, next to Kate Spade bags and Louis Vuitton bags and all the other bags near and dear to my heart. Then he hands me the next gift. Again, a shoe box, again with a Coach box inside it, this time with a holiday patchwork handbag in it. My eyes are as big as saucers. He tells me I can pick one of the two to keep (which he later relented on and said I could keep both. Yup, I am spoiled.). And after that ANOTHER shoebox, with ANOTHER Coach box in it. What the...??? This time its the khaki signature ipod cover with hot pink trim. My Hub, the man who only buys shoes when he can get them at Kohl's for $5, bought me THREE Coach items! Then we go to my mom's, and she bought me another Coach wristlet! Whoa! Can a girl get any luckier than that??? Sing it with me..."have a Coachy, Coachy Christmas..."
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On a less-self-absorbed note, Princess LOVED Christmas. She loved her gifts and she thinks Santa is the greatest guy ever. Well, I guess that is still self-absorbed because its my kid becoming like her mom and loving to get gifts. Too bad. I also love giving gifts, I will have you know. I bought Hub a Steel Curtain jersey, signed by all 4 members of the Steel Curtain (Hub is a huge Steelers fan). And I bought him a few books on choppers, and only one of them had my next husband's pic in it (Billy Lane). So see, that wasn't a selfish gift at all. Hardly. Hmm.

My 2-Night Bon Jovi Review

Last night was the second of my two Bon Jovi concerts this week. On Monday night, I was sitting in floor seats as close to Jon Bon Jovi as I have ever been (about 15 feet from him), while last night I was muuuuuch further (upper tier, 15th row).

Now, you know I love me some Bon Jovi, and I would never ever say that one of their concerts wasn't good. But I will say this: These were my least favorite of all the times I have seen them (and I have seen them well over 50 times). They played too many songs from the new CD for my taste. I will never understand why performers who have been around for years and years don't realize that when we come to see them in concert, we want to hear the songs we know all the words to and the ones that actually made us fans of them in the first place. A few new songs, yes. But 8 or 9? Too too much.

My other complaint is the way they revamped a few of the older songs. Take Blaze of Glory for example. It starts out mellow, but then it kicks in and starts rockin. Well, not the version they did. It stayed mellow, and that took away from the enjoyment of the song. And there were a few songs like that, songs that they tried to change up and it just didn't work (if you have heard their "This Left Feels Right" cd, you know that they should leave their songs alone and not try to rearrange them).

But with those complaints aside, I will still say that Bon Jovi is one of the best live bands I have ever seen. The way they connect with the audience is unparalled. Jon touches as many people in the crowd as he can reach, and they are always finding new ways to reach the people in the not-so-good seats (like little secondary stages out in the middle of the arena where Jon sings from). Even the new songs were performed well, and they did play some of my favorite live songs (Bad Medicine, Keep the Faith). Even though this was definitely not my favorite setlist by a long shot, I was still not disappointed. I brought my 16-year-old cousin J and her friend with me, and they were singing along and had a great time. They thought it was an amazing concert (maybe because they didn't have 50+ other shows to compare it to). So that alone made it worthwhile.

And most importantly, my dear God, JBJ is still so incredibly hot its not even funny. Being so close to him, I got a really good look. His skin is just perfect, flawless. His hair is still awesome. And the ass...well, what can I say. A-Mazing. My friend who came with me (and who was at my first Bon Jovi concert with me in 1986) and I were swooning. Yes, swooning, as in, oh my God, hold me up, he is so hot I may just pass out. Seriously.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! See ya in the new year!

I Know, I Suck

I have just been too busy to blog lately. I am surprised anyone comes here anymore. I am sorry, but life has just gotten in the way lately and shows no signs of backing off. As an example, let me tell you my schedule for this week:

Tomorrow: Kick Ass Christmas Party at my house
Sunday: Recovery from said Christmas party, and then an afternoon kiddie Christmas party.
Monday: Bon Jovi concert, plus a MAJOR celeb is coming for meetings at work
Tuesday: Dinner with one of my friends
Wednesday: Work Holiday Party
Thursday: Bon Jovi concert
Friday: wrap gifts
Saturday: Niece's Christmas pageant, and then dinner at my aunts
Sunday: Christmas at Mom and Dad's with the whole fam

The thing is that yes, this is a particularly insane week in my life, but its not totally out of the ordinary. I feel like I never stop. So blogging has taken a backseat. I am hoping 2006 will calm down just a tad so that I can catch up on all my buddies and what you guys are up to.
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Thanks to all of you who have emailed me asking for my home address to send a Christmas card. It means alot to me, truly. But I just can't do it. Too many freaks out there, and I can't take any kind of chances with my daughter. So please know that I am grateful for the thought and its nothing personal. Just gotta stay anonymous.
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I will try to be back before Christmas with my Bon Jovi concert reviews, but just in case....MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANNUKAH, HAPPY KWANZAA...whatever you celebrate, make it a good one.

No Work For Me Today! And My Dilemma...

So we got about 6 inches of snow last night and this morning, and Princess' day care was closed. I called work and they were having a delayed opening - but what can I do? I had to call out. This is the drama of being a working mom, I suppose. So, I called my boss and told her I wouldn't be in today. During my interview she told me she was super-flexible and understood what it was like to have young children while working. She seemed cool about it when we spoke this morning, but I suppose we will find out on Monday just how flexible she really is.
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So here is my dilemma. Our annual Christmas bash is next Saturday night. There is this one couple that comes to my parties all the time. The husband is a huge alcoholic, and not the fun kind either. Whatever, his alcoholism is not my problem. What *is* my problem is that they come emptyhanded and then he goes to my bar and drinks bottles and bottles of the expensive stuff. At my last party, which I guess was Mardi Gras, this guy drank a whole $50 bottle of Grey Goose vodka and then started on a $40 bottle of Cabo Wabo tequila. So how do I keep this guy away from the good stuff this year? I hate to put everything away, because I don't mind people having a drink or two (Patsy can have as much as she wants). But this guy is trashed when he arrives at my house and then its like he targets my pricey stuff the second he gets there. Is it rude to put signs on the stuff I don't want him ingesting that say "Do Not Drink This Under Penalty Of Death"?
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The most exciting part of next week's party is going to be the Howlers (in our Jersey-ease, we pronounce it Howlah, btw). It is a delicious little recipe we picked up in Key West - vodka, pink lemonade, ice and Everclear in a blender. Delish. The last time I had a "real" bartender at my party he refused to use Everclear in the Voodoo Daquiris we wanted him to make because he thought we would all go blind. Little did he know we drank those things by the gallon down in our beloved N'Awlins. This time there will be no pesky bartender prohibiting drinks. Yippee!

Sunday Stuff

But first...wow, I can't believe not one person said anything negative about gay marriage. Guppyman must have been busy. Or maybe it was because I told you how close to the mob I am (no, I didn't grow up in Nutley, it was Union) and now you don't want to cross me. Whatever. I am quite impressed with you guys.
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And also...Go Giants! Frickin Feeley did miss another field goal, but at least it didn't cost them the game. I did get some pleasure in knowing that my good friend J, a die hard Cowboys fan, was out in the bitter cold watching his team suck and lose.
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And finally...Lots of people say lots of things about me. Some good, some bad. Whatever. But I had to share with you the best description of me that I have heard lately. My friend Jose, who happens to unfortunately be blogless, emailed me about my last entry concerning gay marriage. He complimented me on what I wrote and then said this:

"That's one of the reasons I love you...that and because you can drink as if we we're in a speakeasy during prohibition not knowing when the next bottle will arrive."

Yay me!

How Is This Possible?

But first...you all probably watch The Sopranos and think its not really all mob'd out like that in every day Jersey life, right? Wrong. Yesterday they found the body of a capo in the Genovese crime family in the trunk of a car in the parking lot of a diner (but of course its a diner, its Jersey after all). Where is the diner, you may ask? In the town where I grew up. It was a super-Italian town (I am not bashing the Italians; Hub is one of them) and the mob was just a part of every day life. I remember as a kid, a guy on my street got shot when he opened his door - a mob hit - except they went to the wrong house, killed the wrong guy. Yay, New Jersey!

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I know I have a couple of right-wingers who read me, so you will just have to excuse this teensy tirade (or comment on it nicely, people, I am no longer tolerating anything other than civility from my commentors). Did anyone see this? How is it that a country that as recently as 1994 did not acknowledge blacks to be equal to whites is so incredibly far ahead of us on a social issue like this?

I know that people have issues with gays getting married, but I don't really get why. I can understand a religious ceremony being out of the question (don't get me started on religion and gays, that is a whole 'nother tirade). But I didn't get married in a church, and my marriage is just as valid in the eyes of the law as someone who did. It does not diminish my marriage in the slightest to have a gay couple who are in love declare that they will spend eternity together. I don't understand at all how it taints the sanctity of marriage to let people in love get married. And please don't bring up the "next thing you know, people will marry their dog" argument because that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. How you can compare two human beings making a decision that effects their lives with some idiot wanting to marry his dog - well, its just insulting. I have gay friends and relatives who have been with their significant others longer than I have been with Hub - they own homes together and have children together (and lead way more normal and conventional lives than I do, btw). Why shouldn't they get the benefits of being married (healthcare, pension, tax stuff, etc) if they want to get married?

Honestly, I don't really get why people care so much about this issue. What difference does it make to YOU personally who gets married? Maybe its because I live in a liberal state where we see all kinds of people all day long and its not shocking at all to see homosexuals together, but what consenting adults do is really not my concern. And I don't believe it should be a concern of the law. Besides, don't you think we have SO MANY MORE things to worry about than who gets married? I personally want my lawmakers concentrating on getting us out of Iraq and protecting us from terrorism and things like that rather than whether two men can get married. Puh-lease.

If you are against gay marriage, I would really like to know why - and you can't bring up religion because we are talking about a civil ceremony, and you can't bring up marrying animals because then I will know you are from Alabama and I will ban you from my site :P