Overdressed

Reading....
Listening to....
Watching....
Wearing....
Wanting....

(my compliments to kristopher dukes, from whom this idea was stolen)

Posted by Kalisa at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

Bonus points if you can tell me what's wrong with this shirt.

I think I was singing, like, a Dokken or Krokus or old school Motley Crue song here. Or maybe AC/DC "Shook Me All Night Long." Also, I was high as a kite. 21 & life to go.

This is who I was dating at the time:

This is who I dated before that:

He and some friends performed a RATT song in a radio station lip-sync contest on the beach. They came in 2nd.

My friend Daisey had the "Endless Summer" album and for some reason, when we were Freshmen, we got really into it and listened to it a lot. Maybe because the only other albums we had between us were Journey "Escape," Styx "Paradise Theatre" and REO Speedwagon "Hi Infidelity" so maybe a little classic Beach Boys wasn't such a bad choice.

One summer Daisey and I and a couple other friends went to the Beach Boys concert at the Biloxi Coliseum. I think maybe both our moms went with us - we were only 14 - but I know for sure my mom did.

The following summer, when they came touring around again, my sister and I went. We had seats on the floor and we danced on our chairs. WHAT? I was 15.

#3 - TRUTH

Which leaves the Whitney Houston song, which wasn't even released before I graduated in 1984, so it would have been a physical impossibility for me to have sung it in high school. Also, no way in hell our high school beauty pageant had a talent portion (academic achievement didn't count either). And? It would be a pretty sad high school if this were the most attractive person in it:

Posted by Kalisa at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

You pick the lie, based on what you know about me....or think you know....

1. I know all the songs from Van Halen's first album.
2. I sang "The Greatest Love of All" in the talent portion of my high school beauty pageant.
3. The only band I've ever seen in concert multiple times is the Beach Boys.

(no fair giving the answer away if you actually know me)

Posted by Kalisa at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

Reading....
Listening to....
Watching....
Wearing....
Wanting....

(my compliments to kristopher dukes, from whom this idea was stolen)

Posted by Kalisa at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

Between the two of them, I'm glad the spazzy guy won. I thought they both sounded like complete shit tonight. Especially that last Dirty Dancing song. Yikes. Then again, most of the guests sounded like they were on their last vocal cord, too, so.

I tuned in just in time to see that boy-who-wants-to-be-Clay-Aiken go into a seizure onstage when The Real Clay Aiken came out. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Ryan Seacrest had to catch the boy to keep him from falling over.

For the record (ha ha - record), if Mandisa gets a music deal, I will buy her album. And it will be the first time I've ever purchased music from an AI contestant.

I hope some record producer is listening.

Posted by Kalisa at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments

I just called Judge Joe Brown and left him a message on his cell phone that went like this:

"I'm kalisah with the Such-n-Such Agency and we're working on So-n-So's re-election campaign. I just wanted to find out what your schedule's like so we can schedule something that works with your....schedule."

God, I'm such an idiot.

Posted by Kalisa at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

You may have read in the comments that my 40-year-old friend wasn't too thrilled by me calling her out on the internet. In retaliation, she posted some photos of us over the years on her family site. She's ruthless, I tell ya. I don't know which is worse - my embarrassing fashion sense or my atrocious hairstyles.

Posted by Kalisa at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments

Schwiped from Badger

1. What's in the glove box of your car?
Beats me. I have no idea really. Everything I need is in that little console between the front seats. The glove box probably holds, like, a tool to check your tire pressure or something.

2. Favorite classes in college (or high school):
Anatomy & Physiology was way cool to study. I find that it helps me the most on Jeopardy! too.

3. Shampoo brand:
I'm trying out the Dove for hair that's colored darker than your natural color and I like it OK. I'm much more devoted to my conditioner than my shampoo.

4. Favorite piece of furniture you own:
I guess my desk.

5. Idea of a really good first date:
Coffee.

6. Favorite fruit:
Bananas. Fresh mangos

7. Pick a passage from a favorite book:
"The trouble with my generation is that we all think we're fucking geniuses. Making something isn't good enough for us, and neither is selling something, or teaching something, or even just doing something; we have to be something. It's our inalienable right, as citizens of the twenty-first century. If Christina Aguilera or Britney or some American Idol jerk can be something, then why can't I? Where's mine, huh?"
(Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down)

8. What would you eat for dinner if it were your last night on earth?
Lobster claws. That someone would crack and peel for me. With drawn butter. And chocolate souffle. With raspberry sauce.

9. Free Will or Destiny?
70-30 Free Will

10. What would you sing at karaoke?
"Manic Monday" by the Bangles
"Call Me" by Blondie

11. Sweater or Sweatshirt?
Sweaters

12. Paris, NYC, Tokyo, or Rio?
It's a tough call, because, as the logo says, I love New York. But Europe wins out everytime. Paris.

13. What do you wear to bed usually?
an over-sized t-shirt

14. If you dyed your hair, what colour would you dye it?
Dr. Addison Shepherd Red

15. If you went back to school, what would you study?
Political Science

16. Gum or mints?
Altoids cinnamon gum

17. Recurring nightmares?
That all my teeth are breaking off in my mouth like shards of broken glass.

18. Age & location of first kiss?
Summer 1982 - I would have been 15. We were in his car in the driveway of my house.

19. Describe your favourite pair of shoes.
Oh, please. That's like asking someone to chose their favourite child.

20. What movie/tv character do you feel like you relate to most?
Siddalee Walker from the Ya Ya Sisterhood

21. First CD purchase:
I hate when people ask me that. I have no idea. My first record album was Donny Osmond though. The one where he's sitting on the piano in the American-flag bell bottoms and with the song "Puppy Love." (Thank you, Mark, for the photo!!)

22. First concert:
The Osmonds, Bicentenial 4th of July weekend, 1976 at the Capitol Centre in Landover, Maryland. I was nine.

23. Do you like camping?
Are there room service and spa treatments?

24. If you were doomed to be mauled to death by an animal, what animal would you prefer that to be?
I would prefer not to be mauled to death, thankyouverymuch. I can't really think of a worse way to go.

25. Do you/would you own a gun?
No and no. But it maybe would've helped me from being mauled to death.

26. What religion would you like to know more about?
Judaism. I find it fascinating that its traditions have survived for so many millennia.

27. Favourite food as a kid:
Corn-on-the-cob with butter and salt.

28. How many languages do you speak?
Does "Valley Girl" count?

29. If you were a natural disaster, would you be a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake?
Probably more like a tsunami, I think.

30. If you could make one state in the US just go away, which state would that be?
Kentucky. From those annoying wildcat fans to Rick Pitino, I've yet to find anything endearing (or even redeeming) about Kentucky.

31. How many prescriptions do you take?
How many do you got?

32. Lake or Ocean?
Oh. Shun. I despise lakes. I have an irrational fear of muck.

33. What is the worst lie you've ever told to get out of work?
When I was 19 I worked at a mall department store in Jackson, Miss., and my boyfriend was going to Memphis for the weekend and I really wanted to go, too, so I called in - crying even! - and said that my grandfather died and they gave me three days off....with pay!!

34. Do you carry a backpack, a satchel or "man bag", tote bag, brief case, or a backpack on wheels?
I'm assuming this question is for the men?

35. Have you ever been arrested/cited for anything other than traffic violations?
Once I got busted shoplifting all these designer clothes....oh wait, that was Winona Ryder. Nevermind.

36. Would you ever consider spending some time at a nudist colony?
I'm going to say no for two reasons: 1) people who are comfortable walking around naked are NEVER the people that you actually WANT TO SEE naked, and 2) there's that whole body fluids issue that I neither want to discuss nor consider any further. But I'm all about topless beaches.

39. Best thing you can cook?
I bake lots of yummy things.

40. If you were going to donate 1000 dollars to a charity, what would that be?
$1,000 is a drop in the bucket to a big national charity, so I'd probably give it to some small local place where it could make a difference. Maybe someplace that helps women and children escape domestic abuse.

Posted by Kalisa at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

Finally. Back online. I can't tell you how bored we were. So there are several orders of business to take care of.

First, a belated Happy Birthday to Supermom, my oldest (HA! gettit? Oldest??) and dearest friend who turned 40 yesterday. FORE. TEE. When we were teenagers, I used to be jealous that she was 6 months older than me. Somehow, I've become OK with it over the years. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Dais, you look great, you hot momma.

Second, the H----- Corporation decided to give my next perfect job to an internal candidate. So that's kind of a drag. I'm a little disappointed, although I have picked up a few more freelancing jobs lately, so maybe that's the direction I'm supposed to be focusing on.

What else? My Kid's soccer team won their tournament this weekend so Yay! It was so unbelievably freaking hot sitting out there. I got a lot of sun though.

And my friend Susan came into town this weekend, and the two of us plus two of her college friends (who I've known since I've known Susan - about 15 years) got together Sunday night. It was so enjoyable. It's been ages since I sat around with girlfriends like that.

Also, several online babies were born while I was gone.

And Chris got a hickey on his forehead.

I believe that's everything.

Posted by Kalisa at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

Still no internet connection at the house - going on four days now. I feel totally disconnected with the world. I make it up to Starbucks once a day to check my email but I don't get much online time since I'm sharing Big Daddy's TMobile HotSpot account and he's always rushing me so that he can actually do work.

So bear with me - I'll have to catch up reading all your posts when Time Warner finally gets out there and repairs whatever's wrong with our Road Runner. Let's hope it's SOON.

Posted by Kalisa at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

Thanks to a very generous reader, I was given the opportunity to attend a sneak preview of The Da Vinci Code last night.

Before I discuss the movie, I first have to say that I've never attended a promotional preview before and it was little more complicated than I expected. First, Buck Rogers told me that he'd leave my name "up front" and I could get passes for me, Big Daddy & My Kid. I'm such an idiot, I thought he meant he would leave my name up front at the theater. The manager was all, "Ermmm....I think you were probably supposed to pick up your passes at the radio station." Duh. But the nice manager was kind enough to let us in anyway.

I knew we were supposed to get there early because you have to have a pass to get in, but having a pass doesn't ensure that you actually do get in. Buck Rogers told me that the theater lets people start lining up at 6:15 for the movie at 7:30. We got there at 5:30 because we planned to eat first somewhere by the theater, and THERE WERE ALREADY PEOPLE IN LINE! So Big Daddy offered to stand in line while me & the Kid went to eat.

The let us into the theater at about 6:30? I guess? Or 6:45? They let people in about 20 at a time, exchanging passes for tickets. Then, before you could go into the theater, they checked your bag and wanded everyone. They were checking for CAMERAS. Since the movie's not out yet, they don't want anyone bootlegging it and putting it out on the internet before it's released.

Of course I'm not putting up any bootlegged copies of the movie. I don't think there will even be spoilers. Not that you can really "spoil" a movie of a book that 60 million people have read.

I thought the movie was good. I think that it stuck very closely to the book (it's been a long time since I read it). It seems like it would be a little difficult to follow if you hadn't read the book, but My Kid said he understood everything. Big Daddy liked the movie, too. But our friend, who we ran into at the theater, said afterwards that he was a little disappointed in it. After all the buzz, he thought it was kind of "slow." He said that it could have been condensed a bit. Personally, I was already concerned that there's so much information but he disagreed. For the record, he hadn't read the book.

I've read that Tom Hanks' performance was bland, but it's not the most exciting character, ya know? And I adore Audrey Tautou (Amelie was such a beautiful movie) but I'm not sure if this part is going to make her a big American star since all she really gets to do is look confused and say, "Quoi?

She does, however have great hair.

I'll tell ya who was great was Ian McKellen (who, if I'm not mistaken, was in Lord of the Rings and also the X-Men, which I expect will be a blockbuster this summer even though it's directed by that freak of nature Brett Ratner). His character got all the best dialogue and plotlines. Also, the albino monk was good, too, in an evil and twisted sort of way. (Now not only are the Catholics upset about the movie, but the albinos are also protesting it since they think it misrepresents albinos.)

I give it 3 stars (worth seeing, but don't stand in line for it [unless you're getting in free]).

PS - I have been trying to post this all day, but the internet connection at our house has been down. Now I'm at Starbucks' using Big Daddy's TMobile HotSpot account. And there's a teenager in here wearing one of those paper toilet seat covers around his neck.

Posted by Kalisa at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments

Lots of you have been asking, "Kalisah, what sort of make up routine do you follow in the summertime that gives you that flawless, sun-kissed face?"

OK, not really, but let's pretend like a lot of you have been asking me that.

Colors will mostly vary depending on your skin tone and hair color, but when a certain shade is preferred I've taken the incentive to name it for you. I sometimes recommend using your finger to apply rather than a make-up brush because I think it allows more control, especially when you're going for light coverage. However, always wash your hands thoroughly before and after applying anything to your face with your hands to avoid spreading bacteria and causing breakouts.

1. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer - allows for a more natural appearance than foundation in the summertime while still smoothing out your skin and provides 20 SPF sun protection. Even if you tan your body, you should protect your face and get your summer glow this way. Also available in oil-free.

2. Concealer - use Secret Camouflage with a concealer brush very sparingly on blemishes. Benefit Lyin' Eyes is a great undereye concealer, but again - use sparingly. Apply with ring fingertip rather than the brush.

3. Prep - A thin layer of Lemon Aid applied to upper eyelid provides a soft, smooth and even-toned finish. Great, too, if you're not planning on wearing any eye shadow. Brush a light layer of T. LcClerc loose powder in Banane over your face with a large powder brush. This powder eliminates shadows and creates a glowing finish without adding any color. Hollywood make-up artists favorite.

4. Add a sheer sun-kissed glow with Benefit Dallas. For a more natural look, use your big powder brush and not the little flat one that comes with it. Apply to forehead above each eyebrow, sweeping down over your temples and high on your cheekbones.

5. Use your finger tip to apply a thin wash of metallic cream eye color to the lid only (below the crease). I like Laura Mercier's in Ally or Burnished Copper. I have some that I like from Stila but I believe they must have discontinued them.

6. Use an eyeshadow brush to apply a mushroom shade of powder eyeshadow to the crease. Sonia Kushak has one at Target in "Latte" that's perfect (and cheap). Highlight under browbone with Benefit High Brow. Blend well with ring finger.

7. Apply a thin line of Bobbie Brown gel eye liner to upper lash line. The color you choose depends on the color of the cream eye color you've applied. I especially like her new iridescent "shimmer ink" tones.

8. Use a dampened eye brow brush to brush brows and upper lashes. Wetting the brush will allow it to pick up loose powder that's deposited itself. Use a lash curler on upper lashes. Apply a single coat of your favorite mascara.

9. Lipstick. Oh, the possibilities are endless. Bobbie Brown has some great sandwash colors as well as these SPF 15 Lipshines. If you prefer something a little more sheer and glossy for the summer, her Lip Tint SPF 15 is tried and true. (Great for wearing to the beach.) I have them in Tea Tint, Tea Rose Tint, Blossom Tint, Melon and Cherry Tint. Another great gloss option is Mac Lipglass which is thicker with a high-gloss, glass-like sheen. I have then in Lust, Chai, Spite, and Pink Lemonade (a favorite of Jennifer Aniston's). I even like Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb, but I would caution against going for any of the lighter shades as they'll appear very white on your lips. I also recommend using a lip liner in a very natural shade - it helps to keep your lip color inside your lips. I use Mac Lip Pencil in Cedar everyday. Find one that very closely matches your natural lip color. Remember, it's not the color but the wax that keeps your lipcolor in place.

Don't forget to send me your "before" and "after" photos! I'll try & take a few of my own but I'm not that good at taking self-portraits.

Labels: fashion and style, make up

Posted by Kalisa at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

Reading....
Listening to....
Watching....
Wearing....
Wanting....

I stole this post idea from kristopher dukes because I want to be her when I grow up. I was going to steal her perfect pink graphic, too, but I thought that might be a little much.

Posted by Kalisa at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

How beautiful is this? Do you know what it is? It's the Palme d'Or - the "best in show" for the Cannes Film Festival. Totally makes you wish you were there, huh? (Not to mention that it kind of puts that Oscar guy to shame.)

I should add that to my list of things to do before I die - to attend the Cannes Film Festival - but I'm not very likely to achieve that am I? I might as well add "Become obscenely wealthy" because that's pretty much what it would take.

The Cannes Film Festival just seems like the epitome of glamour and dazzle. Especially since I am well-traveled in the French Riviera (OK, I went to Monaco once for about four days) so I know how completely gorgeous it is over there. And glamourous. And dazzling.

This year the movies to see include DaVinci Code (of course), Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" starring Kristin Dunst, and "Fast Food Nation" with Greg Kinear, Patricia Arquette, Kris Kristofferson, Avril Lavigne, Ethan Hawke, Wilmer Valderrama, Catalina Sandino Moreno [from Maria Full of Grace] and an assortment of equally illogical castmembers. You don't want to see that movie anyway because it's based on the book by the same name which brought fast food secrets like fecal matter in the burgers out of the closet and ewwww.

But what about The DaVinci Code? It opens here - in the states - Friday. Will you go to see it?

Posted by Kalisa at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

I was invited by MommyBloggers to participate in their "Mother's Day Q&A Cage Match."

(I'm not sure why they asked me since I really don't think I'm a "Mommy Blogger." I know that's a touchy subject - especially among those tagged as "Mommy Bloggers." No one seems to like the title or wants to admit that they are, in fact a "Mommy Blogger." I am a Mom - though no longer a "Mommy," really, as My Kid hasn't called me that in about six years - and a blogger but I don't really blog much about the Mommying experience. Whatev. I was still flattered they asked.)

I realize it's a little late to post the link now, but I just now remembered about it and read it myself. My responses, should you want to go directly to them, were published for Question 2, Question 3, Question 4, and Question 6. They screwed up my link though so I won't get any traffic from the publicity. Bah.

Speaking of traffic....
I spent some time on my site meter stats this morning because seriously? 250 page views a day? For reals?? Do you know what this means? This means that I HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF READERS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD. Lurkers. See, and here's the thing: If you comment on my site more than once or twice, I try to add you to my blogroll. Because that's how the game works, you know? So I don't understand why people come to read and don't say hi so I can get to know you.

Like, there's this one make-up site (don't worry, I'm not outing you....YET) that visits me A LOT. I've checked all their referring pages and there are no links to me, which means either 1) the site's publishers are checking my content regularly to see if there's anything about make-up that they can steal link to, but apparently they don't like what they see because....no links! or 2) the publishers are just reading me for their own personal pleasure. Either way, why wouldn't they let me know that they're reading so I can give them their just due?

For instance, right now it's 10:15 a.m. Central time and I've already this morning had 35 visitors. THIRTY-FIVE!! Number of comments: 1. ONE. That means, just this morning, ONLY 1/35 OF MY READERS ARE COMMENTING. Those are lousy stats.

Am I making you feel guilty yet?

Posted by Kalisa at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments

In his USA Today column, TV critic Robert Bianco wrote today, Despite its medical trappings, Grey's is a "relationship show," a title we bestow on dramas that are too well-written, well-acted and true to the human condition to be called "soaps."

Well, Grey's I believe you crossed over that line tonight. The whole prom? With Mer and Der eyeing each other over their partners' shoulders? Seriously? I saw that on As the World Turns once or twice OR 89 TIMES. Am I the only one to notice the similarities between the 17-year-old who lost her virginity at her prom and the two supposed adults who....left the hospital prom to go fuck in the closet??

Mer & Der
I'm not excited that they hooked up. It's pure pandering to the viewers who post to the writers' blog is what it is. (Best part of the whole two hours? The look that Callie shot at Derek when she caught them. I told you she was cool.)

(And I told you they need a new hairdresser. Did you check out George's Leave It To Beaver 'do? Golly gee. And WHAT did they do to Callie's bangs??? The only one left on the show with decent hair and now they've screwed that up too. Gah.)

Intensity (or lack thereof)
I thought there'd be more life-threatening situations tonight but instead there was just the threat of a career-ending injury. So, Burke maybe can't be a doctor anymore because his hand's fucked up but Izzie practically killed someone ON PURPOSE and she still gets to work??

They steal the "I'M Spartacus!" defense and not one of them thinks that Izzie should have to take responsibility for her actions? Seriously? If, after all they've been through in the past 24 hours, their judgment is still that fucked up, maybe none of them deserve to be doctors.

The Finale's Grand Finale
It was nice that the writers (finally) let Alex be the good guy when Denny died. Still, I couldn't feel sorry for Izzie even when she was sobbing her head off. I couldn't help but think, "Yeah well, he'd still be alive if you hadn't'a cut his LVAD wire, bee-yotch."

Remember way back when, when I said that I read in an interview with Izzie that one of the characters doesn't make it into the new year? (OK, I think I may have said "dies" and I maybe thought the "new year" was the calendar year and not the TV season. Whatev.) About 45 minutes into tonight's ep I saw it coming. I knew she'd be gone one way or the other - fired, or quitting the program, or married to Denny.

The Envelope Please
Aaaaand....the big cliffhanger is....a literal triangle between Mer, Der and Finn. What a letdown. Not to mention completely unoriginal. They should have ended the season last night. That was the cliffhanger that would've had us all coming back for more.

Posted by Kalisa at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

My friend Vicky is having a sale - 25% off any one single clothing item. Just enter the code 4DAY at checkout.

I recommend this dress (I just love smocking! I got this blouse and it's really so, so cute and very flattering.) This one is cute and is something my friend An would look adorable in. Have this one, and loooove it, but let me just warn you that it's totally see-through and you'll need to wear a slip with it. Also, it's very low-cut in the back so some kind of customizable bra will also be necessary.

And you guys know how much I adore this chic beater. But don't waste your big discount on a 10-dollar t-shirt.

Check out the sale pages, too. That's where I found this dress. And it comes in, like 14 colors. $29!!!

Offer expires May 18 so go SHOP NOW! We'll compare shopping bags on the 19th.

NOTE: The VS site went down for "scheduled maintenance" so if the links aren't working, try back in a bit.

Labels: fashion and style

Posted by Kalisa at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

Possible spoilers ahead (I don't know for sure b/c I haven't written it yet), but if you haven't watched, you better hurry up because the two-hour season finale is tonight. Not next Sunday. Tonight.

Izzie & Denney
Unlike everyone else in the whole entire world, I do not love love love Denney. Not that he isn't a lovable character. It's just that the writers have allowed the inappropriateness between doctor and patient to go to such completely whacked-out extremes that 1) it's no longer believable, and 2) it's just pissing me off.

So up until, oh....the last two minutes of the show, I was just appalled at Izzie and what she was doing. I loved the line (from Christina, I think?) about how she [Izzie] is the one who would go postal in this workplace because at least someone was recognizing that Izzie's behavior is off-the-charts insane.

And then that scene, where the doctor tells the patient that she's about to completely endanger his life (ahem...."do no harm"??? Ring any bells??) and he says NO, he won't let her, and she freaks out and insists that he HAS TO let her do it FOR HER?? BECAUSE SHE LOVES HIM?? It's incredulous.

And that George would just stand there and let her do it?? Wrong, on so sooooo many levels.

That said, I should have known the writers would make it all worth it in the final two minutes. I was not expecting Petey to be outside (although I would've shot that manager myself if I'd been there) so that was a good twist at the end. And it never occurred to me that Burke would go down. I thought at first it was an ambulance worker. Then when I saw that it was Burke I was all, "Noooooo!!!" and I realized that Izzie's actions were going to have consequences that she never could have foreseen.

I think Burke should live and Denney should die but the whole show will end in a cliffhanger and we won't actually find out until next season. Denney won't actually die, of course, because 1) the whole wide world love love loves him and the writers are too afraid that they would lose viewers if they killed him off, and 2) Izzie would have to go to jail and that's not really the course of this program.

Mer & Der & Addison (and Finn. and Doc)
I would care a lot more about this whole love triangle if the show got a new hairdresser and Mer didn't look so fucking raggedy all the time. Apparently Addison is seeing it work for Mer, so now she's trying it too. Seriously, Shonda? Fire your hairdresser. Today.

As the season has progressed, I have come to like Addison more and more and Meredith less and less. And these last two weeks, I haven't even liked Derek all that much. So I loved the scene where Addison loses it in front of everyone and says maybe she should sleep with the vet, but no, even that wouldn't work because HER NAME ISN'T MEREDITH GREY, because (much like the line from Christina above) someone is finally recognizing aloud what everyone else seems completely oblivious to.

I don't think it quite sunk in though. I don't think in the end when Mer sobbed to Finn, "I just love him soooo much" that either one of them had any idea that she wasn't talking about the dog.

Callie
Carmen asked me, "Did you like Callie for just a minute, there at the last minute when she showed Mer the xrays?" But you know, I like Callie. I like that she seems so real and that she honestly loves George and I don't think she's a bitch at all. I think she's trying really hard to fit into an already-established circle of friends and if anyone's been bitchy it's been Meredith and Izzie toward Callie. The fact that she listens to George and heard what he said about forgiving Mer and being part of the family (as evidenced by her sharing of the Xrays) just shows what a good-hearted person she is.

(PS - I just realized that the president is speaking tonight. Boo. I hope this doesn't interfere with tonight's show. You just know the network execs are so pissed, like, "What? He's speaking? During sweeps??")

Posted by Kalisa at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments

Big Daddy and My Kid went on a fishing trip over in Arkansas for a few days, so I spent the weekend on my own "vacation" - chick flicks, reading, eating out with friends, and laying out at my friend's pool.


Am I one lucky girl or what??

Posted by Kalisa at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

I just watched this movie and I won't spoil it for you, but I will tell you this:

1. If I watched this film without knowing anything about it, I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS guess that it was a Woody Allen flick. NEVER.

2. It has a really, really good twist ending that is totally worth sitting through the slow beginning.

3. It isn't really about tennis. (Is that a spoiler?)

My recommendation: 3 1/2 Stars (It should be near the top of your Netflix list.)

Posted by Kalisa at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

#3 Trade In My Car on a Midlife Crisis Convertible

I went by a car lot this afternoon - just to sneak a peek at one of those Z's. It was all very innocent. I swear. It was a pretty day - 70 degrees and sunny and I was hoping they'd let me drive one with the top down.

Of course you can't walk onto a car lot without being accosted by a salesman. I know that. I've worked for car dealers before. I pulled up next to a row of Z's and wasn't even all the way out of my car yet when a voice behind me said, "You ready to trade up to a Z?"

"Oh, my husband suggested I might want one of these when my lease is up," I answered casually. "I just wanted to take a look at one." He started telling me about the car and asked me my name. I said, "Kalisah Overdressed."

He went inside to get a key so I could drive one and when he came back out he said, "Did you say your last name is Overdressed? Do you know Big Daddy Overdressed?"

I said, "Yeah. Do you know Big Daddy?" He said, "I've known Big Daddy for 20 years." So I told him that Big Daddy is my husband and he could hardly believe it.

For the record, I drove the car. I drove it on a curvy road and never hit the brakes once and man was it fun. I told you Big Daddy has good taste.

After the test drive, the salesman took me into the showroom to get me a brochure and he introduced me to the Sales Manager. I recognized the name right away. I said, "Are you Mr. Sales Manager that lives on my street?" And he said, "What street do you live on?" And I said, "Are you Christy and Kevin's dad?" And he said that he is. And I said, "I'm My Kid's mom."

I'm telling you, this is one small town (for such a big city).

Or, looking at it another way, you could say OMG THIS IS TOTALLY MEANT TO BE THAT I SHOULD HAVE THIS CAR!!

Posted by Kalisa at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments

#2 Be Part of a Winning Political Campaign HQ Party on Election Night

I have a meeting with the DA this morning. I guess when most people make that statement, it's not a good thing. Think Law & Order.

But the DA is my client. My client. We are handling the PR for his re-election campaign and I'm the main point of contact on the account.

We've just completed focus groups that we're using to determine the most effective messaging for the campaign. This morning I'm presenting our results and our recommendations to The General.

I'm wearing these pants with a wide black leather belt, with this shirt and my stripper shoes (in black).

Later, I'll figure out what to wear to the election night celebration.

Posted by Kalisa at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments

Chris at Big Yellow House recently posted her list of 40 Things to do before she turns 40. Since I only have six months until this landmark celebration of my birth, I don't think I can actually accomplish more than 4 things. This will be the first of four posts then. I guess. Maybe.

#1. Find My Next Perfect Job
I finally got a call from the H----- corporation on the Director-level position I've applied for. It reports to a VP out in their Beverly Hills office and I have a phone interview with her this afternoon.

Here are some of the preparations I've been making today:
Researching recent news coverage of the company
Compiling list of "talents" or "qualified experience" in order to highlight the diversity of my background
Gathering up some writing samples of PR work I've done in this arena
Checking out their boilerplate paragraph in their news releases
Gathering up a few "achievement" stories
Preparing a list of questions to ask the interviewer
Considering my responses to possible questions that address:
challenges I've faced in my former jobs
mistakes I've made; things I would do differently
enjoyable, rewarding aspects of past jobs
least enjoyable aspects
what past bosses would say about my strengths, weaknesses, general performance
my "ideal" position
my strengths, assets
my shortcomings, weaker points
my leadership philosophy & style (I hate this one)
how past subordinates view me

What I'm NOT doing:
panicking
freaking out
worrying
over-preparing

Posted by Kalisa at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

I saw three very odd things yesterday:

1. When I was driving home from downtown, I saw this brand new ski boat on a boat trailer sitting on the shoulder of the highway, complimentary to anyone with a trailer hook.

2. On that same trip home from downtown, I got behind a TDOT truck without any brake lights. Department of Transportation. I tried to let him know but I couldn't catch up with him before he turned off and I wasn't about to go chasing after him. I'm not THAT concerned of a citizen.

3. And this:

Posted by Kalisa at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

Years ago I used to date a body builder who was very anti-supplement (it wouldn't be accurate to call him "anti-drug" but that's not really the point of this story). It appalled him that my medicine cabinet held so many over-the-counter medications. He thought I'd be a lot healthier and wouldn't need Advil and Immodium and Robitussan and Pepcid ad infinitum if I just exercised regularly. HA. That relationship didn't last long.

But the truth is, I do keep OTC medications on hand for just about anything that might ail me or my loved ones. I am quick to go to the medicine chest and I even do it with My Kid.

This evening at bedtime he came in and told me he thought he had chicken pox!! Upon inspection, what he had was a whole lot of mosquito bites that I'm guessing he got tonight at soccer practice. He complained that it itched and I said, "You want some Benadryl?" and I dispensed 4 tsp for him without batting an eye.

He also has cough medicine, decongestant, non-drowsy cold medicine, nighttime cold medicine, liquid Immodium, children's advil, Neosporin, hydrocortisone cream, cough drops and nose spray in his bathroom cabinet.

And that's just the kids' medications.

Am I totally out of control? Do those of you with kids turn to OTC meds for their every complaint? Mind, I'm not talking about prescription Rx for conditions diagnosed by a physician. I'm talking about self-medication. What about you? How often do YOU take OTC meds?

Posted by Kalisa at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

First, did you watch Grey's Anatomy last night? God, I love sweeps!! I have one question and two observations:

Q: Why are the writers so bent on turning Alex into the man we love to hate? Geez, Shonda. What'd he ever do to you? [Technically that was two questions but I'm not holding my breath that Shonda Rhimes is a) reading this site or b) going to answer me.]

And:
1. Last night's episode was heartwrenching. I need prescription drugs to watch this show.
2. I want Callie's hair. If anyone comes across a good photo that I can take to Grant, my trusty and loyal hairdresser, please forward it to me.

OK, on to other worthy news items:

Jazz Fest: NPR had a great report this morning on how Katrina affected (effected?) this year's New Orleans Jazz Fest. Favorite quotes:

"I'm sure damn tired of people asking me, 'Is New Orleans coming back?' Goddamned right we're coming back, cuz we don't like y'all food and we hatechall music."

Posted by Kalisa at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

Big Daddy thinks this should be my next car.

(I asked him was it because if we trade my Maxima on another Nissan do we not have to pay any money down and he said YES. Also, we get like a $1,000 returning customer discount.)

He told me I could get a convertible, which you know I've been dying to have. I don't think the lease on my Maxima is up until November. Hardly the time to get a convertible. I probably won't even get to ride with the top down until Spring. Plus it's a two-seater. Not really what I had in mind, although backseats of convertibles are practically non-existent. Not like My Kid could fit back there anyway. It could be a fun car. Do you see a lot of these on the road where you live?

Posted by Kalisa at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments

Tonight I went with Big Daddy and My Kid to see this movie. Ordinarily, this is not something I would do, for a number of reasons:

1. I hate going to the movie theater. The seats are uncomfortable. The sound system is unnaturally loud. The unwashed masses talk during the film. The air conditioner is too fucking cold. I hate the whole experience.
2. I don't do "action" movies. So unrealistic. They expect you to get all hyped up, like, "OMG!! Do you think he'll make it? Do you think he'll be able to jump from that one roof and land on the other roof and still shoot all those guards and make it inside???" And I'm all *rolls eyes* "Well DUH he makes it. The movie would be OVER if he didn't." *heavy sigh*
3. I utterly refuse to support the work of crazy people like Tom Cruise. How much of our $24 admission do you think went into that asshat's pocket?

But, since Big Daddy has been out of town since Tuesday and just got home today, I wanted to be supportive of my family and spend some quality (?) time with them. And this is what they chose to do. So I went even though it went against everything that I stand for.

The movie was predictable and ridiculous. But the boys liked it (of course). PSH rocks as the bad guy (he's such a great actor). I can't get that theme song out of my head. Dun. Dun. Dunt-dun Dun. Dun. Dunt-dun (Da Da Da-dahhhh. Da Da Da-dahhhhh.)

Spoilers (sort of):

• Felicity dies early.
• The girlfriend really does eerily resemble Katie Holmes *shudder*.
• You can see just how short Tommy is during the scene when he walks into the 7-11 and those height stickers are on the door.
• There is this one humorous scene involving a Pointer Sisters' song.
• The guy that got Mary-Louise Parker pregnant and then dumped her for Claire Danes is in it but he doesn't look anything like this.
• My favorite part is when the explosion on the bridge flings Tommy into the side of a car. You can see it on the trailer. If I were watching it on video or digital TV, I would totally rewind that part and watch it over and over.
  

Posted by Kalisa at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments

When I decided to stop drinking, there were several situations that I thought would be unusual or awkward without a drink:

Holiday mornings, which had been the traditional Mimosa time.
Cocktail parties, where a glass of wine was as much an accessory as the perfect shoe.
Mexican restaurants, where it's awfully hard to munch on chips and salsa without a top-shelf margarita.
Girls Night Out, which practically required cosmos.

When one stops drinking, she expects to encounter such occasions and, by developing new habits, they can easily be dealt with as they arise. But then there was the short list of situations that seemed particularly frightening sober:

Dinner with the inlaws. Love them dearly but my goodness can they be irritating. Dad is trying to be funny with the server but is really just annoying her and monopolizing her time and putting her in the weeds. Mom is making side (and snide) comments to me about the people sitting around us, some of whom divorced their department store-owning husbands and took them for MILLIONS!! Clearly, these dinners had been made much more palatable by a bottle or two of wine.
The Bikini Wax. A couple shots of tequila really do help you relax while you're having your pubic hairs ripped out by their roots. It also helps you forget how horrible it all was in order to make it possible that you might go through with it again. Kind of like drugs and childbirth.

For the record, the former has been much easier to accommodate than the latter. Yeow.

Posted by Kalisa at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments

Recently I was talking to a friend about how our standard of living is so much higher than our parents'. I mean, there's the obvious:

-- My house is bigger, nicer and newer than anything my parents ever had in their lifetime.

-- My parents never owned two cars until they separated and lived apart.

But then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how far removed my life is now from what it was then.

-- Our house had three bedrooms, all of which were smaller than my current master bath.

-- We only had one bathroom in our house, and it was smaller than my current walk-in closet.

-- Our family rarely ate out, and when we did, it was someplace like Roy Roger's.

-- My dad (who was 49 when I was born) cut the grass with a push mower. Not the gas or even the electric kind, but the kind that you pushed in order to make the blades spin around.

(And we raked leaves by hand. We had lots of big oaks in our yard and all us kids were expected to help. We each had our own rakes - according to our size - and we raked the big piles of leaves onto an old shower curtain which we would each hold one corner of and carry to the curb. When it was all done we would romp and play in the huge pile of leaves until the big vacuum truck would come by and suck them up in a big hose. No telling how many of our toys and prized possessions were lost in the pile and sucked up with the leaves.)

-- Most of our clothes were homemade by my mother - almost ALL of my clothes were hand-me-downs from my older sister - and what was purchased came from either JC Penny or Sears.

-- Our parents rarely bought anything for us save for Christmas and birthdays. And then the gifts were things like clothes (yay! store-bought!), a clock-radio, a record album, a Barbie doll.

(I do remember one spring when my mother took us to a store somewhere and bought skates for my sister and me and a skateboard for my brother. It sticks out very vividly in my mind because things like this just rarely happened for no reason.)

-- For entertainment purposes, we had one TV in our house.

(You can't even imagine the agitated excitement we experienced when I was 11 and we moved to Mississippi and they had cable!)

-- We rarely went to movies, and when we did, we popped our own popcorn and smuggled it in in mom's purse.

-- When my sister was 12 (1976), she wanted to go see the movie "The Bad News Bears" but my parents wouldn't let her because it was rated PG.

-- We never bought books; we borrowed them from the library. I think my sister did receive the whole set of the Little House books one year for Christmas or birthday.

And here's the thing: we weren't poor. My dad was a federal government employee and we lived in suburban Virginia. We were middle class. Which begs the question: Is the middle class disappearing? To which I say: YES. I don't know anyone who lives the way my family did. We buy our kids clothes at Gap and Limited Too. We eat out more than once a month. Our kids have everything they want and I couldn't BEGIN to fit all of my clothes (and shoes!) into the tiny closets of the houses built in the 1950s.

How has your standard of living changed from the way you grew up? Do you think the middle class is disappearing?

Posted by Kalisa at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

TAAAA-DAAAAAAA!!!!!
Really, once I picked up all the shoes, the office just sort of cleaned itself.

Posted by Kalisa at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments