Trump's Celebrity Apprentice — Still Entertaining

I’m watching the latest Celebrity Apprentice.

Most people have strong feelings about Donald Trump. He’s quite despised by some, but others of us consider him to be good entertainment, and I personally, don’t really care about his personal life. It’s been colorful, with a lot of twists and turns. He’s hurt people and made some questionable decisions, but, who am I to judge. The fact that he is a jerk, doesn’t affect my interest in the show and it also doesn’t seem to have any effect on his success or failure in life. He takes criticism well, can laugh at himself and is confident that he is making the right decisions and then stands by them. He tries to keep emotions out of the equation whenever possible and is frequently quoted as saying: “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” 

I was a very smart child, but my opinion was never considered and I was always told what to do and forbidden to do otherwise. I had many talents that could have been developed, but my creativity was discouraged and any attempts at creativity were ridiculed. Since I wasn’t allowed to be who I was meant to be, I was quite unhappy. My strong will could have been channeled toward my becoming a productive decision maker, but instead, I became rebellious, making it even harder for me to be “managed.”

It took me many years before I finally sorted it all out and came full circle. I’ve always been an entrepreneur and should definitely be in business for myself. At age 38, I went back to college to finish a bachelor’s degree that I started right after high school. Instead of continuing with my original course work in Art, I was ready to take on the business world; and at age 40, finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management.

Even though the business courses were relatively easy for me, my real passion comes from my creativity. I am an artsy/creative/emotional person and so I feel there is much to be gleaned from Mr. Trump’s insightful business savvy and ability to put emotions to one side. And above all else—everyone needs a mentor.

His current selection of personalities has so far been very interesting. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the celebrities outside of their element. The famous and infamous—singers, entertainers, athletes, the up-and-comers and has-beens—when asked to perform a task that is totally foreign to their world, will either step up and challenge the learning curve, or take the easy way out and give up or just screw up.

On the most recent episode, a renowned athlete volunteered to be fired because, 1stly, he felt his team had given their all and none of them deserved to be fired, and 2ndly, he was tired (or bored) and ready to go home. Mr. Trump and the rest of the team were shocked. Trump doesn’t like a quitter. He’d prefer everyone go down after a righteous battle; but in the end, the other members of the team gave compelling arguments for why they should NOT be fired, so Trump fired the quitter. Whoa……..

The best part of the show, of course, is the Board Room. Like life, it is the final judgment for a life well lived, or not. We are accountable for using of our talents and skills, being able to communicate and negotiate, working well with others and exercising the patience needed to pick ourselves up after doing our best, yet failing, and then trying again to make our best efforts, better.

Sometimes there is luck involved, which comes in handy, but there is almost always a surprise ending. The point being—one just never knows unless one takes a chance and tries.

FlashForward Blowback 3/25

I watched the latest episode of FlashForward.  I am definitely interested in the mystery of the flash forward and possible future flash forwards, etc., but I'm having a hard time becoming attached to any of the characters. I like Lloyd and Olivia, but that's about it.  It's not grabbing me—either I don't have enough time to get involved—or I just don't care. 

What I do know is, there seems to be an over emphasis on violence and I had hoped our fascination with gratuitous violence was behind us; but it still continues. In the beginning of the series, I commented on Twitter that I thought one particular masochistic scene of torture and suicide (for those who saw nothing in their flash forwards and thus decided since they were going to be dead anyway, they might as well do something kinky), was a stepping a bit over the line for a show airing at 8:00pm.  

What baffles me, is that the coupling a two gay men on a daytime soap opera that I watch (OLTL), is causing such an uproar that the characters are being eliminated from the story line, even though both actors are exceptionally likeable and excellent actors.  Two main characters of the show are psychopathic, sociopathic, rapist, murderers, but nobody complains about that. It appears that violence is OK, but same-sex couples, definitely not OK. Does that really make any sense?  All My Children had a lesbian storyline and that was okay. Erica Kane has been married ten or twelve times and that's okay.  And, General Hospital has gangster families killing each other and that seems to be okay and is exceptionally popular.

But I digress....

Let's meet back here again next week.  Thanks for visiting!

LOST Ab Aeterno 3/24/10

What can I say about LOST that hasn't been said?!? Every LOSTie out there is talking, so I won't try to compete for attention.

Needless to say, it is back to the old, good vs. evil, with the "teams" now forming.  Sawyer and Kate are hanging with Locke (the MIB, it seems), but they are on their own team and have their own agenda.

Richard had an interesting back story, for someone who is 150+ years old, but it didn't add much to the story for me, except that we found out he was the only person on Jacob's team at the time, since everyone before him was dead.

But on a much lighter note: 

Here is something interesting. If you are a fan of Josh Holloway, aka James "Sawyer" Ford, you will probably really like this fantasy-promo video for a TV series with James Ford (Sawyer) and Miles Straume as cop partners as seen in last week's episode:  Recon

It's hot:  http://tinyurl.com/Cop-Sawyer

FlashForward

Finally got a chance to watch the first episode of the 2nd half of the FlashForward season. Whoa. A lot of violence and threatened violence, which I'm not really into, so it will be hard for me to stick with it (but I'll try). It is definitely intense.

The action continues to be edge-of-your-seat, anxiety-provoking, and the fear factor makes me a little queasy. I constantly have to remind myself to breathe.  

The shifting alliances of "Simon" are unsettling.  We have always seen him as one of the "good guys" and it is hard to accept him as otherwise; however, he now appears to know less than we thought he did.  His "uncle" is definitely creepy—but that situation was settled once and for all!  And finally, is "Lloyd" a good guy or bad guy?  He seems innocent of malevolence, maybe somewhat misdirected, but more a product of his scientific curiousity. We'll soon find out....

The FBI is portrayed in a new light—as doing a surprisingly excellent job of staying one step ahead—and not as bumbling idiots, as usual.

From what I am reading on the Net, ABC is still revising the number of episodes they will air this season, so, it is hard to say which way the series will end up.  Even the really good ones aren't given much development time these days.  I am still amazed that LOST was extended as long as it was, especially since it has a limited (but intensely loyal) following.

All in all, I look forward to next week, and I am interested in what others think of the show.  Feel free to leave comments.

Thanks.

Honey, somebody shrank the bank account (and other tales of woe).

$$  America's economy is based on Capitalism and Consumerism.  That is how it has always been, but that is also what has gotten us into trouble. Not that Capitalism is a bad thing—it is a great thing.  The pitfall is that people and businesses need to continue to spend money in order for the economy to continue to thrive.  When spending stops, everything comes to a screeching halt.  But more recently, "spending" has been about credit cards and debt.  That's where things get out of control.  People lose their minds when they have too many credit cards—running around like crazy people on auto-pilot spending more, and more, and more.  I got caught up in it myself.  So, then what happened?  The banks did what they do best.  They "capitalized" on an opportunity to exploit the mindless drones. 

In the 70s, banks and stores sent out credit cards in the mail—unsolicited.  Congress had the good sense, at the time, to step in and end that practice. 

Then, in the 80s, if you had a job and decent credit, or even if you were a student with no job (you still had the potential of getting a job after you graduated), credit cards were readily available and the economy was booming.

In the 90s, the Supreme Court removed most restrictions on what the banks could charge customers for late fees and interest, so after deregulation, all hell broke loose.  People were having a harder time paying the creditors, the creditors jacked up the interest rates, and the economy started to slow down. Then came September 11, 2001.  People felt nervous and insecure—nothing that horrible had ever happened to us before.  The economy went from slowing down to standing still.  People and businesses didn't feel as prosperous as they had.  A lot of fraud came to light because the huxters could no longer maintain the charade, and next thing you know, businesses were "scaling back."  There were huge lay offs and now, there is a severe job shortage.

It has become a vicious cycle—no jobs, money isn't flowing and bills aren't being paid.  The banks shot themselves in the foot.  But they don't care, because, here comes the cavalry—the federal government—and bails them all out of their troubles.  In the meantime, the little guy who took on more house than he could afford is homeless and bankrupt.  But we know that story, and I have more whining to do, so let's move on.  What's next?

eBay knows an opportunity when it sees one.  As soon as the economy started to slow, eBay gradually began increasing their selling fees until the old timers finally had enough and quit.  But there is a sucker born everyday and the entreneurial spirit is alive and well. People who had never even shopped on eBay before are now trying to sell anything that isn't tied down.  Their pitfall: they are newbies, and haven't fully realized the huge chunk of their profits that will have to be divied up to eBay and PayPal every month, so they don't price their auctions appropriately.  They start the auction at 99 cents, to avoid the eBay fees, then get indignant with the Buyer who wins the auction at 99 cents. They have some wild idea that hundreds of Buyers will flock to their auction and bid the price sky high. It doesn't work that way because there are millions of auctions running everyday. A Seller is lucky if one or two people even run across their auctions.  I've actually gotten emails from Sellers who made comments about what a "deal" I had gotten on their item. Geez–I'm not forcing them to sell things on eBay.

The same newbies scour the garage sales for anything they THINK is "old" and then, without doing any research at all, claim that whatever the item is, it was made in the 40s or 50s.  Numerous times I have sent emails to Sellers informing them that I have that identical item and it was brand new in 1995. They don't care. They never change the listing. If they can sell it, they will say just about anything.  So, as they say:  Buyer Beware.

In general though, people are being more caution with their discretionary spending.  Sellers are desperate, depressed and getting cranky!  If you mention that the shipping cost seems a bit over inflated (it is), they get all defensive about eBay fees, PayPal fees, bubble wrap, gas to drive to the PO, etc., etc. and call it "handling charges."  Everybody wants a bargain and it's a good place to get one. That's the fun part, but no one wants to be blantantly gouged.  Moving on..............

You want to know why we have a health crisis?  Because too many Americans are working two or three part-time jobs, with no healthcare benefits, just to pay the bills.  They are made to feel guilty if they can't buy their children expensive electronic toys and gadgets that they "need," and all of the expensive clothes and expensive sneakers that everyone else's kids are wearing.  Plus, they have to support their expensive car (and insurance) that they need to get to all their jobs.  Since they are never home, everyone has to have a cell phone to stay in touch and they grab their meals at the fast-food restaurant on the way to their other job and the kids eat snacks, high-fructose sodas and fast food. They hardly get any sleep, and—forget about exercise. So, now we have the shameful reputation as the most obese nation on the planet.

Europeans have always called us "stupid Americans" and maybe, rightly so, it seems.  Europeans know how to take it easy.  They don't work as much as we do, they play, take vacations and enjoy life.  They seem to be content with what they have and don't always need more, and more, and more.

Just talking about all this stuff is making ME cranky—
I need a vacation!!
 

LOST again

I was asked if I could cover someone's vacation, so I just worked three overnight shifts in a row.  Finally getting a chance to blog.

I'll probably be blogging about LOST once a week now, since the countdown is on. Too sad.  More twists and turns this week, but another predictable outcome--Sawyer and the submarine.  I saw that one coming.  Although Lapidus could fly the jet, it is pretty smashed up from crashing into the trees when they landed.  The windshield was broken out and that would make it pretty hard to fly a jet without that.  Besides, I don't think Sawyer is even aware that Lapidus is on the Island. 

Really cool that Miles and Sawyer/(Ford) turned out to be LA cops in the sideways flash.  My guess is that Miles has some kind of unresolved issues, and that is why he is still on the Island.  And, wow, that scene with James and Charlotte was awesome. He's definitely got unresolved issues.

So, next week, we get to find out about Richard. That should be interesting.  We don't know anything at all about his history.

Claire is scare-e-e-e.  I wouldn't turn my back on her.  And I guess Sayid is completely out of it now.  What happened to him?  How did he get like that?  Maybe when he died and came back to life, he was oxygen deprived for too long and so now has lost his mind.  Who knows.....

And how is it that a "Smoke Monster" can have a Mother, or is it the Man in Black's mother he was talking about?  I don't know....

Holding my breath until next week.

Blogs, blogs, blogs

So, wouldn't you know it--by the time I got the idea to start blogging--that idea is already s-o-o-o 2008. 

I read an interview with a woman who is blogging about her children and has a HUGE following of mothers--like she gets over 35,000 hits in a month.  She blogs on WordPress and she seems to think that's the best way to get exposure to her blog.

So, I signed up with WordPress, to check it out; but I found that the formatting and navigation around the different "options" was much too user UNfriendly and so, I haven't finished the setup and haven't posted anything yet, and maybe I won't.  We'll see.....

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts and ideas with some friends.  So, thank you, friends, for reading my blog.

Stay tuned, I have more to say.

MTV, DTV, HDTV

Remember the ad campaign about the transition to digital broadcast signals that was directed at people who were still getting their TV programming over the airways?  Oh, that would be me.  Well, in NYC, we have excellent over-the-air reception.  I can barely watch everything that is on "free" TV, so I haven't really been tempted to pay $100+ per month to get all the premium channels that I won't have time to watch.

Anyway, when I first heard the rumors about analog TV going the way of the dinosaurs, I immediately contacted the U.S. govt agency that was distributing the allotment of (2) $40 coupons, per household, that could be used toward the purchase of the digital converter boxes. The coupons arrived in plenty of time to make my purchases, and then I waited for the transition, which was then postponed, since people hadn't been paying attention to the ads that were running every half hour for six months. Oh well...

Since these digital converter boxes were a relatively new invention, there wasn't much customer feedback on the Web to help make a decision as to which brand to buy.  The lowest priced unit was around $60, so, we were still going to have to shell out some cash.  That seemed very unfair, but, what choice did we have.

Long story short — Since I had a Radio Shack in my neighborhood, I opted for their brand, DigitalStream, to start. I set it up and all seemed fine. Then, I went to Best Buy and bought an Insignia for the same price.  After I set that one up, there was just something about it—the ease of the set-up and the intuitiveness of the features—I wished I had bought two of those instead. Oh well.....

Fast-forward a year and a half later — everything has been going along just fine since the July 2009 switch over, until last night. The Radio Shack DigitalStream just quit and that was that.  I unplugged it and let it rest overnight, but no amount of resting made any difference what so ever--it was just dead.  I looked at the manual and it has a 6-month warranty!!!  I called their customer service reps, who offer a service, but don't really work for Radio Shack or DigitalStream, and even they agreed that a 6-month warranty is ridiculous.  Another, oh well.....

Now that there is a lot more customer feedback on the Web, my research tells me that Zenith and Insignia are basically identical and made by the same company, and either one would be a good choice in the lower price range. You can also spend $80 to $100+ for a more high-end product.  But, after checking on the Best Buy website, it seems they are no longer selling the Insignia and have replaced it with a real piece of junk (from what the reviews said).  Now what?  
H-e-l-l-o — eBay!!!

eBay Sellers have brand new Zeniths starting at $9.99.  Every listing that I saw had several bidders, but it looked as though the price was ending up around $35, plus $10 for shipping.  So, not too bad.  Now, I will watch and wait. 

The Music Store Cat

You may have already seen this going around, but it is still funny.

The 6 Phases of Work:

Phase 1


You are listening to jazz

Your first day at work is great...

Your co-workers are wonderful,

your office is cute,

you love your boss.

 Phase 2
  

You are listening to pop music

After a while,

you are so busy that you are not sure if you're coming or going anymore.

Phase 3
  

You are listening to heavy metal

This is what happens after about SIX Months!

Phase 4

You are listening to hip hop

You've become bloated due to stress,

You're gaining weight due to lack of exercise

You feel sluggish and suffer from constipation.

Your fellow co-workers are too cheerful for your liking and the walls of your cubicle are closing in.

Phase 5

You are listening to GANGSTA RAP

After more time passes, your eyes start to twitch,

You forget what a 'good hair day' feels like

You just fall out of bed and load up on caffeine.

Phase 6

You are listening to the voices in your head  

You have locked the office door to keep people out,

You wonder WHY am I even here in the first place and

WHY did I come to work today!

Dr. Linus

FINALLY, some of the characters we have been wondering about are starting to show up!  I thought tonight was going to be a real snooze, but they threw us a bone in the last three seconds.

I knew it was coming though, didn't you, when we got the long shot of the beach from the perspective of the ocean.  It couldn't be anything but a submarine.  Oh well, at least we got something.  But, what does "proceed" mean?  They FOUND the Island.  Wasn't that the goal?  But they also SEE the Island, when supposedly it "disappeared."  I guess it just moved, and it was a matter of time before it was discovered again.  I am deliberately not mentioning any names, just in case there is someone out there who hasn't seen this episode.

So, this is what I am getting from the Flash sideways stories:  Even the worst characters on the Island have redeeming qualities, or at least would have been somewhat different had they not been forced into a "Lord of the Flies" situation.  The Island is showing another side of their personalities and now they are having to deal with the consequences of their actions—positive or negative.   

Sad to say, only nine more episodes.  The story is too complicated--that just isn't enough.

You're welcome to leave comments if you'd like.  Thanks for reading!

And the Oscars Went To

Probably one of the best Oscar presentations I have seen.  A different and much more interesting format this year--emotional and exciting.

Some of the presenters were a surprise--like Barbra Streisand--and even actors we haven't seen in quite awhile as presenters or giving the intro speeches--gushing about the actors before the winner was announced.  That was excellent.  It gave the viewer background information and insight into why these few were singled out in the first place.  Good job Academy!

This is my favorite dress:

Check Out the Lady Bug

Click the image and then use the
joy stick to move the lady bug!!

TV Overload

Ok, here are the TV programs that I watch on a regular basis.  There are a lot of others, that I record and try to watch when I can, plus the occasional specials, interviews, news events, celebrity funerals, the Academy Awards, the Emmies, the Superbowl, the Olympics, etc., etc.  The rest of the time, I'm staring at the computer!!  LOL

So, here is the list:
One Life to Live
Oprah
Da Vinci's Inquest
NBC Evening News-Brian Williams
Two and a Half Men
LOST
Modern Family
NBC Thursdays: The Office, 30 Rock, The Marriage Ref
NOW on PBS and Bill Moyers
SNL
60 Minutes
The Amazing Race
Undercover Boss
Desperate Housewives
Brothers and Sisters
The Apprentice
David Letterman
Craig Ferguson (mostly, just the monologue)
I want to watch NCIS, but I've run out of time.

I had to let these go:
CSI (it got too creepy)
Survivor (too much back stabbing)
V (we already know what will happen)
Grey's Anatomy (too ridiculous)
Dancing with the Stars (same thing, over and over)
American Idol (same thing, over and over)
Super Nanny (Love it, but not enough time)
Martha Stewart (who cares)
All My Children (boring and really stupid)

Is This a Sideways Flash?

I am watching ABC's LOST—I'll admit it. I've watched it from the beginning. It's not for everyone—it has an extremely complicated plot—but so far, it hasn't disappointed its loyal fans!

Hang in there everybody, hopefully we will experience the climax of a lifetime, or at least be very satisfied at the end.  But there is a long way to go yet, and the twists and turns are taking us to places we can't imagine. The writers are very clever, but have they already made a continuity mistake?   In one of the flash sideways, Locke is paralyzed, as he was before the trip to Australia, and Helen is talking about inviting his father to the wedding.  His father is the one who caused his paralysis, so that doesn't make any sense.  But, since no mistake could be that obvious, there must be something we don't know.  Duh....  Why am I trying to figure it out!?!  LOL

P.S.  I just watched the last week's episode again, and now I'm seeing a pattern. Jack looks at his appendectomy scar as though he never noticed it before and then asks his mother about it. She says that his father performed the operation when Jack was very young.  I had forgotten that Juliet had removed his appendix on the Island.

Good luck LOSTers.

WP Contractors to the Rescue

It's way more predictable than the weather.  Whenever it snows, the staff employees of most major NYC companies take a snow day or vacation day or sick day--whatever it takes to get them out of work--and then the agency employees are called in to rescue the helpless, over-paid executives who don't know how to answer their own phones or use a computer. 

I can always expect a voicemail message from my agency, awaiting my attention as soon as I finally open my eyes.  I have the ringer turned off on my bedroom phone, so I can deal with all this chaos after I have gotten sufficient beauty rest.  One of my "favorite" clients requested my presence and expertise, and so I have been working 12-hr shifts for the past three days.  At least they pay us well, and feed us too—so it's all good.

So, when the sun came up, I went home and now I am recuperating.  I got to see the Olympics' closing ceremonies, but yesterday, missed the four-man bob sled race, and that was one event that I really did want to see.  But what can you do.  A girl's gotta eat.  Maybe I can see it on the Web.

I have vowed to get busy and be a lot more productive before the next assignment, because I know, inevitably, it will come. No more puttting off until tomorrow.  For now.......  Good night.