Where's River?

OK, so I don't have this whole "hide-n-seek" game down quite yet...

Sarah Barracuda is Back!

Shh...I'm sneaking in a blog post at work...don't tell anyone...but I couldn't wait to comment on last night's debate, and also it's before 7:30 a.m. and I'm the only one here in the office, so the early bird gets to blog.

Last night's Vice-Presidential debate was the highlight of my week, as for many political news junkies. I was actually quite anxious the hour or so leading up to the debate as I sat watching Fox News analyze what both sides needed to accomplish during the debate. But the stakes were clearly higher for Sarah Palin. She had a lot to prove, a lot to overcome, a lot at stake for her and John McCain. The press has been absolutely brutal to her the past few weeks. And the Katie Couric interview? Well, let's just say that was definitely not her best moments. But I think some of her best moments happened last night, and I was cheering along the way and couldn't wait to hear what she had to say next.

Sarah was solid and concise. She delivered crisp answers to tough and detailed questions. She knew her foreign policy. She knew her economic policy. And she knows where the average American is coming from because she herself is an average American. She and Todd are middle class. Her family is diverse, complicated and faces the same tough issues that we all face. That is not to say the Joe Biden doesn't know the middle class. That he doesn't know hardship. But I would argue to say that he is far removed from his roots in Scranton because he has been in Washington for over 30 years. He's inside the Beltway, and actually, one of the main reasons I believe Barack Obama picked him for VP. He is politics as usual, and that is not what this country needs.

But Sarah...man...what a charmer she is. She even charmed Mr. Biden, and I really felt like last night's exchange was a political debate at it's best. There weren't any gaffes on either side, any "gottcha" moments from the Gwen Ifill (who, consequently, I thought did a really good job despite the book controversy). The questions and topics addressed a wide range of issues, and Sarah Palin held her own against Mr. Biden. She defended John McCain, outlined her beliefs on numerous issues, and told the American public how a McCain-Palin administration was going to work for the American people. I think Sarah is the breath of fresh air that Washington needs - that we all need - and I for one couldn't be happier on how the debate went last night.

The Barracuda is back!

I Heart TV

As you may know, one of my most favorite shows is Grey's Anatomy, and last night was the season five premiere. It was two-hours of indulgence as I watched my favorite characters play out their story lines in the confines of Seattle Grace Hospital. Meredith and Derek are finally headed in the right direction. Christina had eyes for the bad-ass army trauma surgeon who literally pulled a large icicle from her side abdomen (and then they kissed!). Izzie dreamed about Denny (again) and Alex was...well...Alex. I love this show. It is totally my guilty pleasure for the week (that and Gossip Girl).

I love television. Some people really love movies, but I really love television. If it's a good TV year, there may be a show on almost every night of the week that I look forward to watching. This year, there is Gossip Girl on Mondays, House on Tuesdays, and Grey's Anatomy and The Office on Thursdays (although I am totally torn on Thursdays because Grey's and The Office come on at the same time. Thank goodness for the Internet where I can watch the missed episode for free).

So, I'm pretty happy this year. Maybe that makes me lame, but I really do look forward to a watching my favorite shows on TV at night. Probably the best - and worst - thing that ever happened to me is when TV shows started appearing on DVD. Ohmygoodness - you mean I could start watching my favorite shows back-to-back whenever I wanted? Heaven! I'll never forget how excited I was to get Felicity on DVD a few years ago (love that show). And of course I have all of Grey's, The Girls Next Door, the entire series of Friends, and the entire series of Sex and the City. I'll probably buy The Office at some point, and I did download the entire season of Gossip Girl on iTunes.

So there you have it - the television viewing habits of A Coffee To Go. What are yours?

Bob's Out To Get You

I like to think of myself as a somewhat health conscious person. I walk the dogs almost every single day for an hour. I try to eat well (however, anyone who knows me knows that chocolate and ice cream are my downfall). If I was independently wealthy and didn't have to work, I would eat all organic foods and go to the gym every day, and walk my dogs at night. Then I would paint in the mornings and blog in the evenings. I would volunteer on a weekly basis and cook dinner every night. And laundry would never be out of control. And the bathrooms would always be clean..

Wait, this post is suppose to be about health and fitness, not my fantasy life.

So being that I am somewhat health conscious, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this article on Yahoo!
listing the worst breakfast foods in America. And the kicker of them all really made me laugh.

The Worst Breakfast In America
Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes
1,543 calories
77 g fat (26 g saturated; 9 g trans)
2,259 mg sodium
198 g carbs
109 g sugars

It’s not a good sign when it takes you nearly five seconds to spit out the name of your breakfast. This bad boy packs in more than 75 percent of your calories for the day, along with more sugar and fat than nine glazed Dunkin’ Donuts, and nearly as much sodium as five Bloody Marys.

Yikes! 1,543 calories! That is more than what I eat in a day (or what I strive to eat less than in a day). And 77 grams of fat? Are you kidding me? Wow. The sad thing about this is that the breakfast probably costs something like $4.99 while a healthy breakfast is much more expensive. (I won't go into how the media and all the experts complain and complain and complain about how obese America is when healthy food is extremely expensive and the crap you can buy at any fast food place is on the dollar menu. )

My breakfast of choice these days is plain Shredded Wheat with sliced banana and skim milk. Fiber! Fruit! Dairy! A true breakfast champion.

So, the lesson here kids? Stay away from Bob's place. He's clearly out to get you with his banana pancakes.

The Gloves Are Off...Way Off...

It's gettin' nasty out there folks.

Just in the past several days, we've had...

SNL portray Sarah Palin as dumb and clueless.

Hackers got into Sarah's Yahoo! email account and splashed her personal email and photos all over the Web.

Barack Obama told Iraqi officials during his visit overseas this past summer to delay negotiations with the Bush administration and keep the war going until after the election.

Joe Bidin said paying more taxes is patriotic.

Michelle Obama told a crowd of supporters in Charlotte, NC not to vote for someone just because they were "cute." She was referring to herself, of course...not Sarah Palin.

Barack Obama is running attack ads on John McCain claiming that he doesn't even send his own email. McCain doesn't email because sitting at a computer and typing on a keyboard is extremely painful because of the severe injuries he suffered during his time as a POW in Vietnam.

Barack Obama has told supports to just argue with people and get in the faces of people who do not agree with Obama's ideals.

So, who's ready for the election to be over?

Today, We Nest

This year has been a transition year. My husband has been in the mortgage business for over eight years. Well, you can probably imagine how that has gone this year. So after many long, hard months, he has made the transition from being a small business owner of a mortgage company to another small online business owner. And now he will start working from home. And thus, our house has been in a transition too, as we rearrange rooms, move in furniture we need and sell furniture we don't need. Some rooms are clean and straight, others are in complete disarray.

But today, today we nest.

Last night we went to Home Depot and purchased two gallons of paint and a new ceiling fan (thanks to a Home Depot gift card...our saving grace). We are painting the "old office" and creating a second guest room/sitting area (we're moving another desk into this room to for additional work/blogging space). The "new office" - our bonus room - will be my husband's home base, literally.

But back to the "old office" for a minute. (Side bar: is it just us, or do you too have trouble figuring out what to call the rooms in your house? I think it has a lot to do with how you grow up, and what your parents chose to call certain rooms. And then you bring two people together, and suddenly it's "what do we call this room" and "can you put this in the den? the what? you mean the family room? no, the den!" Now, throw in the fact that you decide to switch up a room - how hard is it to start calling it something different! Sheesh. One should not have to think this much at home.)

But back to the story at hand. We're painting the room a nice khaki green color. We've moved a day bed into the room that we got from my husband brother, who in turn got it from his mom. We've moved out a bunch of things and (hopefully) won't move too much back in, as to keep the clutter to a minimum. We'll install the ceiling fan to replace the old, hideous one that hangs in there currently (seriously, the previous owner of this house had the worst taste in ceiling fans and well, pretty much everything). We'll clean and organize, and hopefully by the end of the weekend (or the end of next weekend), we'll have a nice second guest room/sitting area.

During these times of transition, it will be nice to have another room in order. I'll post some before and after pictures in a few weeks.

Is This Really The Best Idea?

Good Morning America Whistle-Stop Tour '08

Two months. Fifty states. A completely re-hauled train. And three helicopters following the train as a backup in case the satellite feed goes out.

I hope they aren't planning to do a story on the energy crisis. Or wasteful government spending.