SYTYCD news

Don’t read this if you don’t want to hear any news about this show.

 

K.  So, apparently surprises are a thing of the past.  As soon as someone gets a scoop, they post it on the internet so it can spread like the California wildfire.  I didn’t mean for that to be funny either.  SO imagine my surprise yesterday when I was on my favorite site, www.ew.com and found a little tidbit about SYTYCD.  If you want to know, keep reading.

Jessica, who was hanging on by an emotional thread, has gone and hurt herself.  SHe can’t dance anymore in this competition, and will be out most likely for the rest of the season.  That totally sucks for her, but what sucks even more is little miss Comfort has been aksed to rejoin the show and go on the tour.  Comfort.  Is anyone else a little baffled?  Sure, she was the last girl to get the boot, but Comfort?  Now the jidges can’t kick her off and it is up to stupid America.  Grrrrrrr.  Granted, Jessica was most likely going to get kicked off this week, but at least she rightfully made it to the top 10 and earned the spot on the tour.  Comfort didn’t cut it, but there she is, back and in full effect.  IV real indeed.

Plus, I heard who she was paired with, and I won’t ruin it for anyone but he’s good.  And it may strengthen her fan base.  If you want to know who it is, read the section of ew called the Ausiello files where he talks about Fox.  Not cool about “spoilers”, but what can we do.

I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to see how things go down on Wednesday!!

 

SYTYCD Top 10!!

It really seems like this summer is flying by!  For those that follow the brilliant show, So You Think You Can Dance, and have followed it for the past few seasons, you are just as excited as I am to finally know who the top 10 are.  IV Real.  By the way, I still don’t get the reference, but I digress…

Last night was no surprise.  Thayne was up against two of the most talented and, let’s just say it, popular dancers and he stood no chance in dancer hell to get picked.  He is a wonderful dancer, but sadly had to go.  Comfort was also no surprise, but Jeyesssssica’s days are certainly numbered.  So, the top 10 are finally revealed and it is really going to be exciting to see how the new pairing works.  My biggest concern is Gev, to be honest.  He has such wonderful chemistry wtih Courtney, but is kinda a shortie, so this week will really determine if he can cut it.  Depending on the pairing, the top 4 could easily be Katee, Mark, Will and Chelsie, but Joshua could also sneak in there instead of Will. 

I absolutely loved the opening number, NappyTab are a huge asset to the show and that number was TIGHT!  I know a lot of people miss Shane Sparks, but if he would rather waste his talent judging a Randy Jackson endorsed dance crew show, then by all means, he can have it.  Wade Robson is definately missed more than Shane is.

I really enjoy reading the recap on www.ew.com and usually, if not always, agree with Adam’s recaps.  I feel like I’ve watched enough dance to know what is good and what isn’t. 

So who do I think the top 10 will be, in order?  Well, let me tell you!

10.  Jessica (sorry hon, boobs can only take you so far)

9.  Gev (such a cutie, but depending on the routines, could be ready to go.  Just like Kameron from last season)

8.  Kherington (again, cute but not a huge favorite)

7.  Twitch (a big favorite but clearly not cut out for the top 4 technically)

6.  Courtney (we have yet to really see her stand out)

5.  Joshua (just ’cause)

then the top 4 will be Will, Katee, Mark, Chelsie.  Then again, this show is full of surprises and Twich could end up winning the show.  I can’t wait to see how it all goes down.

 

Quick diet update:  Still doing Weight Watchers, today is day 5, I am so sick of counting points but I NEED to do this.  The husband is also hanging in.  No weight loss yet, but I’m impatient so I was hoping for something. 

Also, can someone tell me how I can link back to someone’s page who posts a comment on mine?  I’m still learning this and have NO idea how to do that.  If you have wrote me a comment and I have not responded, this is why.

 

And so it begins…again…for real this time

I hate diets.  Even the word diets makes me squish my nose in disguist/annoyance.  Yet, I am finding myself at a point where I feel I need to start one yet again.  This will be my second whole hearted attempt at beginning a diet and sticking to it.  For realsies.  Last time I attempted to diet was in the fall of 2006 right before my wedding.  Good intentions, but bad timing.  I was not in a diet mind set, I just wanted to look good in a bathing suit for my honeymoon.  Second, I was planning a wedding an hour away while working at a really difficult unstable job (which I CAN and WILL rant about because I am no longer there).  I decided then to do Weight Watchers without the meetings.  I tried, but not really that hard.  I would use up my points on Starbucks drinks (especially those Pumpkin Spice Lattes, 4 point each) and not eat as healthy as I should.  My husband at the time was eating normally which did not help me at all.

But here we are, both at a point where we want to diet, lose weight and start eating healthier.  We are both fully commited to doing this, and today is day one.  It is my last day of my summer family therapy class, where I am out of my house from 7:00am-10:00pm.  Sheesh.  But I packed enough for the day and once this class is officially over (final on Wednesday), I can go back to the gym regularly.  My only perceived relapse –visiting my parents in Connecticut in two weeks for 5 days.  All the good yummy food up there…I need some motivation and encouragement!!  My personal goal–to lose 10 pounds.  I am not going to post my husbands goal weight, mainly because it changes daily!

On a completely different note, is anyone else watching So You Think You Can Dance this season?  I am a huge fan, started watching in the middle of season 2 and have been hooked ever since, and this year is fantastic!  Definate front runners in Mark and Chelsie and Katee and Joshua.  I look forward to Wednesday nights every summer!!  I usually read the ew.com recap and agree for the most part.  Maybe I’ll write more now that my family therapy class is ending and I will have the rest of the summer off.

 

New crime stats…man do I feel safe!

10 Worst Crime Cities

In 2007, Memphis ranked second in violent crime per capita in cities of more than 500,000 people.

1. Detroit: 2,286*

2. Memphis: 1,950

3. Baltimore: 1,631

4. Nashville: 1,509

5. Philadelphia: 1,475

6. Milwaukee: 1,403

7. Indianapolis: 1,234

8. Houston: 1,132

9. Boston: 1,155

10. Dallas: 1,069

* Number of violent crimes per 100,000 people.

 

Awesome!  I live in the second most dangerous city in the country!

 

Why are we obsessed with celebrity life?

I find it so fascinating how truly obsessed we are with celebrities.

It’s not just Americans, but all across Europe, Asia, Australia…it really encompasses the full gamut.  Why is it that we always have updates about who celebrities are dating, if they are too fat or too skinny, who is pregnant, who is in rehab…this type of information is literally front page news in some instances!  In the bigger scheme of things, how is the birth of Jessica Alba’s baby fall just under gas prices and before floods in Wisconsin?  How is this big news that we cannot live without?

 

Of course on the other hand, there is full blown obsession.  For example, I occasionally check www.imdb.com for updates on what movies certain actors and actresses are filming.  I checked one guy in particular to see what upcoming projects he was slated for, and saw at the bottom that there were discussion boards about his current love life.  Apparently he was engaged for a few months and then suddenly broke it off.  These “discussion forums” were filled with speculation and controversy and I began to get a little curious as to how far this reaches.  So I did a google search and, wow, it was frightening to see the sheer amount of INSANITY that is out there.  This actor is a TV actor who has a show with another guy who plays his brother.  There are sites dedicated to the possibility that he and his brother co-star are actually lovers.  There are sites dedicated to the star and his ex-fiancé with messages about how they were too perfect and why did they break up and what was more scary, was that now that he is single, some think they have a chance.  There are over 6 million pages on this one guy who is not considered an A-list celebrity.

 

Are our lives that empty that we really think we as normal people have a chance with celebrities?  There is about a .01% chance this would ever happen, people, and I’m not saying that to be harsh.  Why do we entertain these fantasies that somehow, magically, one day, we might happen to run into a famous person and they will fall in love with us?  Why do we care who is hooking up and who is pregnant and who is on crack?  Why do we spend so much time (and money!!) on this kind of nonsense?  We all do it in some form or another.  Whether it is checking online sites for gossip or watching TV shows like Access Hollywood or standing in line at the grocery store and reading the latest US Weekly, we all are very curious about the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  I do it, too (my lunch breaks usually entail going to Barnes and Noble to read In Touch and People) and it’s nothing to be ashamed of, but let’s be honest. 

 

We do this because it is hard to admit sometimes that our lives are so very ordinary.

 

Or because we need to escape from the stresses of life and our jobs and families.

 

Or because secretly (or not secretly) we envy them and how most of them don’t have the kinds of stresses and burdens that we deal with daily.  And we somehow wish we could get a break like they did. 

 

Whatever the reason, it is very obvious that for some, celebrity obsession is a lifestyle, not just a curiosity. 

 

 

Reflections after seeing “Into The Wild”

Waking up and hearing the rain outside DEFINITELY does not make it any easier to get out of bed and get going.  Lately, though, even if it was sunny and bright, I still would want to stay in bed.  Mainly because of my job, but that is something that I don’t want to blog about.  The other big reason is because the husband has the next few weeks off in between the end of the spring and beginning of the summer sessions at school.  It is so hard to get ready for work, come back into our bedroom to kiss him goodbye, and see him all snuggled under the covers.  It takes all my willpower not to say “Screw it” and get back in bed with him. 

 

We saw a movie over the weekend called “Into The Wild”, which we had been wanting to see for quite sometime.  My mom gave the husband the book for his birthday last November, and we waited until it came out on video to see.  It was beautifully acted and directed, but the poignant story really affected me, and it is kind of hard to articulate why.  It is a tragic story of a young man who does not want to live in a materialistic society and decides to leave everything behind (family, money, career) and travel to the west, living off the land and meeting new people along the way.  After doing this, he then decides that he wants to go to Alaska and live off the land with few items to survive.  After being there for a while, he decides that “happiness is only real when shared” and heads back, only to find the path he traveled was now blocked by a strong river that cannot be crossed.  He heads back to an abandoned bus that he was living in and continues to stay, although he is getting weaker physically and emotionally.  After about 100 or so days, he mistakenly eats a poisonous plant which causes muscle atrophy and eventually causes starvation and dies before anyone can find him.  It is truly tragic what happened, and for some reason struck something within me.  I don’t know if it was his ideals, or the passion he had for getting away from society and living in nature, but whatever it was, I have been thinking more and more about my own path in life.

 

 

 

 

So far, I have lived pretty sequentially.  I hit milestones as I should have.  I got my drivers license at 16, my first job at 16, graduated from high school in 4 years, graduated from college in 4 years, graduated from graduate school in 2 years, first real job at 24, engaged by 25, married at 26, etc, etc, etc.  Although I had wanted to take time off and travel or do different things, this was the path I felt I “should” have taken.  It made sense, I guess, and since money was always a factor, I couldn’t really just take off and explore the world and myself.  I mean, I guess I could have, but it would have been difficult, and we as humans get comfortable pretty quickly and have a hard time experiencing anything discomfort.

 

I remember reading Emerson and Thoreau in 11^th grade English and feeling so validated in their writing.  I wanted to quit school and move out in the wilderness or in the country and live a simple life, filled with music and reading and daydreaming.  I felt anger towards where society was going, and I felt like being in school was hindering me from truly finding who I was and where I fit in.  Then I realized that I didn’t want to fit in, I just wanted to find some happiness and truth, and above all, someone to share this with.

 

Eventually, this desire faded, and I decided to stay in school and graduate and move onto the next logical step in my life.  I stopped thinking about finding truth and just went through the motions of life as it were.  I kept thinking that one day I would find a place of happiness and truth and love, and contentment with myself and the world.  I do feel like I have found happiness and love, but I have a lot of resentment towards society, especially America.  I hate what is valued, and I hate how people, especially younger generations, are acting and living.  Being where I work, I see a different side of society, that of generational poverty and people using the system for money and food and shelter, while driving away in brand new cars and shiny new shoes. 

 

When I saw the movie “Into the Wild”, it stirred up in me what I used to think and feel.  I even started reading the book, and there was a letter that the man Chris McCandless wrote to someone he was close to.  I really liked one particular pat that said this:

 

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”

 

I really like that message.  We forget sometimes that the purpose of life may not be to have enough money to live the life society deems successful.  We forget that having new gadgets and clothes do not mean anything of our character.  We forget.  I forget. 

 

I’ve been feeling really demoralized at work recently, and it seems that the only coping mechanism that I have found to help is to walk across the parking lot and getting an iced coffee.  I need to start reading again and reflecting on more important things.  But sometimes, with all the stress and strain of the economy and my job and life in general, escaping can relieve some of that stress.

 

Here’s a quick update of what has been going on lately…

 

1. I finished the class I was taking at U of M (Ethics in Counseling) and got an A.  Not as impressive as the husband, who took 5 classes and got all A’s!!!!!  I’m so proud of him!
2. I had my last concert with the GSO for the season last weekend, so besides a few pops concerts scattering during the summer, I will have a few weeks off from playing.
3. Speaking of my violin, my current one (a replacement I got in 2001 when my original violin was stolen out of my LOCKED locker at East Carolina) is apparently pretty cheap, as the case is rubbing off varnish on the back.  I may need to look into a trade in.  I also don’t really like how it looks or sounds, considering I had to order it online from a company in Arizona.
4. I have two interview possibilities coming up…one with a private company that specializes in eating disorders (a big interest of mine) and one at a hospital which does neuropsychological testing (also an interest, although I seem a little unqualified).  My fingers, toes, eyes, etc. are crossed!
5. I get the husband all to myself for the next few weeks!!!!!
6. Also, we joined the zoo yearly membership, which means we can go whenever we want!!  I love the Memphis Zoo; it is really one of the best, and right down the street from where we live.
7. My clients that I had scheduled today are not coming in, maybe because of the rain, maybe because they don’t feel like it and for some reason cannot call to let me know.
8. I think I’m going to get an iced coffee right now, just to make it through the day.
9. Yep, just did.  It is so good……

 

My waistline is proof grad school was less stressful than real life is now

Wow.  Let’s take a look-see on the journey of my waistline, shall we?  High School…I was about 115 max. and didn’t have a care in the world.  Undergrad (as a music major) was slightly more stressful and I moved up to 120-125 max.  Grad school I remained a solid 125 during my two years in school and internship.  Then I moved in with my now husband and started one of the most stressful jobs, and shot up to 135 in a manner of months, where I have stayed despite consistently working out and dieting on and off.   No matter how much I work out and healthy I eat, I cannot get back down to my happy 125lbs. 

I need to find better coping mechanisms to relieve the stress of my work OTHER than delicious coffee drinks and chocolately snacks.  Sheesh…

 

Sometimes it’s the little things

Yesterday, after getting home from work, I went into the bedroom to drop off my bag, and I saw a card and a 3 Musketeers Bar on my desk.  The card was a thinking of you card with the sweetest message from the husband, thanking me for being supportive of him during his doctorate adventure.  He had also remembered that I had mentioned how much I wanted chocolate recently, and had picked the “healthiest” candy bar for me (it really does have lesss fat than most).

He is one of the most wonderful caring individuals I know, and I am so lucky to have him as my partner.

 

Virginia Tech–one year later

Throughout our lives, we are always going to remember where we were when we heard the news of the Virginia Tech shooting.  Just as we will remember the day of 9/11/01 and where we were, this event won’t leave our memory soon enough.  I remember pretty clealy where I was.  I was living in Charlottesville, VA at the time.  Literally 2 hours north of Blacksburg, VA.  I arrived at work at about 8:15 (supposed to be there at 8, I am never on time to anything) and turned on my computer.  After checking my email, I went to cnn.com, where I usually check a few times a day.  That was when the news started to report on the shootings.

Throughout the day, reports came in with updates, and people at work were more focused on the news.  It was truely a heartbreaking horrible day.  The worst, however, was when the news started showing the homemade video of the killer.  Can you imagine being one of the victim’s parents and having to see that?  Truely disturbing in my opinion.

Being a mental health counselor with experience in a college setting, this whole situation really affected me.  On one hand, we have to recognize mental health as a disease that if left untreated could be dangerous and potentially life threatening.  On the other hand, this just feeds the mental health stigma even more, saying that if someone has a mental illness, they could be the next killer.  What is our responsibility as mental health counselors?  We have a huge responsibility of assessing clients and to determine whether to break confidentiality to report a potential danger.  Now, it seems that college counselors have to break confidentiality if a student comes in with mental health issues, even as far as to let their parents know why they are being treated.  Do you really think that students are going to go in for counseling if they know their parents are going to be called?  That was one of the benefits of college counseling, so that parents wouldn’t have to be burdened or if they didn’t feel like they could talk to their parents. 

I don’t like this new rule.  Counselors need to be trained further on assessing for potential danger, but I don’t think parents need to be told their child is coming in for counseling, espeically if there is no need.  What we really need to look at is gun control, but that is for a whole different discussion.

This story really spells out the change that college mental health systems are looking at.  I am also completely appauled by this story about a suicidal student at VA Tech. 

 

 

A Healthier Memphis

Glorious news in Memphis!  Not that I am a huge health nut, but I really like the fact that Memphis has a Whole Foods here, minutes from my office!!!  It is called “Wild Oats” which is why it took me so long to figure it out.  But I was in Boston this past weekend (more on that trip later) and I asked the Whole Foods people if they would ever build a store in Memphis.  That is when they told me about Wild Oats, which was exactly where I went for lunch this afternoon to walk around.  There is something about being in this store that makes me feel so healthy, and yet so unhealthy at the same time.  I want to make a more conscious effort to eating better, and even if it costs more in groceries, it might be worth it.  Isn’t that strange that eating more healthy actually costs more?  And we wonder why obesity is becoming more of a problem!

 

PS–Memphis as a whole is really depressed today.  The Tigers did their best, but we all really wanted the big win.  The husband is taking it pretty hard.  We’ll get ‘em next year boys, right??

 

More on my Boston trip and pictures to come!!!