Yesterday the new season kicked off in Los Angeles and the first stop was Salvador, Brasil. Upon arrival they were instructed to go to O Rei Do Pernil, where they had a “Barista Challenge” waiting for them. The challenge had the couples wheeling an unwieldy local vending cart overflowing with boxes of candy and such through the narrow streets of Brasil and up a funicular.
After the challenge, they had to stay overnight in a tent under some mosquito netting.
There they had the detour: Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. Hard Way Up involved climbing up the steps to church (Escadaria do Passo) on hands and knees and then answering a mystery question. If the question is answered incorrectly, they have to repeat the climb. Soft Way Down had the contestants take an outdoor elevator (Elevador Lacerda) and then climb down a cargo net suspended from it to street level – 240 feet below.
The final pit stop was Forte Sao Marcelo.
So now I get to judge the contestants. (Bear in mind that this is only week one and my prediction record have been sliding.)
Here are the couples in the final order of arrival at the Pit Spot:
Nick and Starr – Brother and Sister. She is a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader; he is in the New York Off-Broadway show, The Fantastics. They are not as well traveled and want to be “adopted by Mom and Dad” (READ Ken and Tina). They suggest a two-leg alliance but spend the rest of the episode running in front of them. “I hate to say it, but at least we’re in front of Ken and Tina,” Nick says. Tsk tsk.
Ken and Tina – Married, yet separated Couple. He is an ex-NFL player and he cheated on her. Their Christian values are mandating they try to work on their marriage. (I’m not sure where his Christian values where when he was cheating.) Ken walks around with a tail between his legs allowing Tina to abuse him ad nauseum. Incidentally, the entire botoxed face is not distracting me from those awful eyebrows. In Brasil, she yells at Tim for not speaking Spanish, which he was supposed to learn. They speak Portugese in Brasil, Tina. Thanks for playing. Oh yeah, and Ken uses the whistle.
Terence and Sarah – Newly Dating in NYC. She’s an MBA Wall Street gal; he’s a runner. He’s vastly insecure, though. He’s the runner yet he yells for her to slow down. He doesn’t like it that she talks to the other contestants rather than chatting with him. Loser. Terence has declared that he doesn’t need friends. He also told Sarah that she was not allowed to climb and talk when they were going down the cargo net.
Mark and Bill – Best Friends and Self-proclaimed geeks. Their sweatshirt over the vending cart was pure genius; it must be the comic books. I like ‘em.
Kelly and Christy – Best Friends and Divorcees. Not much of a personality yet. Not a good sign that they got lost already in the first episode.
Toni and Dallas – Single Mom and Hot Son. She wants to pimp him out as much as possible. Good idea.
Andrew and Dan – Dorky Wannabe Superbad Frat Brothers. Dan majored in tourism but that didn’t help them in the airport when they were too dumb to look for the marked Amazing Race flag. They were also deficient in their Hard Way Up challenge. Who doesn’t count steps as you’re climbing – especially if you know you’re going to be asked a “mysterious question” at the top? Now if they were as funny as the Superbad dudes I’d be more forgiving.
Aja and Ty – Long distance dating for nine months. Here claim to fame this episode is that she suggested the carpool lane in Los Angeles. Brilliant. Lands them in 8th place.
Anthony and Stephanie – Dating couple back together after a year separation. Anthony says he’ll propose if they win the race. If not? Seems like the reasoning is a bit off kilter if they were just broken up for a year. Not good Amazing Race karma.
Melissa and Brooke – Pearl Wearing Best Friends. This season’s southern belles; not much showcased yet besides the bodies.
Anita and Arthur – Married Hippie Beekeepers. They should have hussled a little more. “Bees are much calmer than all this,” Anita says.
I exist crippled in a state of fear, awaiting the outcome of the November election. Our nation is sitting on a weakened foundation where its people are hurt and broken. In a time when we need to come together to heal and strengthen, we seem to have divided.
We co-exist as patriots of this vast magnificent country and yet we have never been a country more separated. Don’t we all inherently want the same things? A country where we feel at peace. A government that is accountable for ensuring we have a nation of educated and healthy people. A nation where healthcare isn’t a privilege for ONLY those who could afford it. We want a country that takes care of its veterans and a country that is kind to its neighbors. We want America the Beautiful, Sweet Land of Liberty.
Politics, to me, has always seemed to be a Hollywood movie gone live – a show they put on for everyone else. When Governor Sarah Palin became Vice Presidential nominee, it certainly felt like we were witnessing a live reenactment of Wag the Dog.
This election seems surreal. The bipartisan system was created at a time when it served the purpose, when the world was more black and white than it is today. Yesterday’s solution may not fit today’s organically changing multi-cultural world. People vote dutifully with their party, too locked in on the way things WERE rather than the way things should be. The government is spending too much time trying to fix one thing by breaking another.
The saddest part is that Americans are falling for it. We seem to sit behind a veil of lights and mirrors – so desperate to see what we want to see, believe what we want to believe. We want change but we’re scared of change. We want something different but we want it delivered from the same package.
Media often dictates Americans’ perceptions, brainwashing us with stereotypical images of right and wrong. Family values means a traditional heterosexual, married household breeding children. The enemy is whoever they tell us it is; one year’s ally is the next year’s enemy -- take Afghanistan and Russia as examples. There seems to be many missing links in the logic of our recent history.
Our country needs a President who is brilliant, logical, ethical, strategic and honest. We mandate a President who will command and who will listen. We need a leader with courage, resolve and integrity and we all sit in trepidation that the wrong leader will claim his throne.
It’s frightening to be an educated and experienced, yet still unemployed, single mother with no healthcare. I feel like I am at the prelude to a much longer, sadder story and I’m waiting for the election to determine its outcome. I sit watching the historical saga unfold. They yell at me to vote, but I couldn’t feel more powerless.
He's my legacy, my heart and the truest love I will ever know.
Yesterday I went to First Grade Faculty Night at my son's school. They told us about the curriculum, showed us some of their work so far, and had a slideshow of the first three weeks of school.
Jake has the quintessential first grade teacher; as wonderful as I could have imagined. Here are my favorite take-aways:
She says, "Practice makes better."
The entire first grade begins each day with the song, With My Own Two Hands by Jack Johnson. I think it's a beautiful song with an inspiring message. Read the lyrics here.
I'm glad that this is the message that my son hears each morning.
I went for an early autumn walk in Central Park and inhaled in all of New York's splendor.
Across the Reservoir in Central Park.
Flowers behind the fence.
A closer look.
The Great Lawn. Duh.
My favorite lounging place - near Belvedere Castle.
Turtle Pond with a sea of floating moss.
Raccoon in Central Park. I kept my distance (that's why the photo is blurry).
David Blaine's shenanigans, I mean, posters.
David Blaine scene at Wollman Rink.
When I first saw him, he did in fact remain upright for quite a while. To drink, to pee, to get his blood pressure measured, to wave to fans.
Then the wires took him on a round and round spinny ride above the crowd - just to bring him back down to sign autographs.
Signing a poster. This is how I saw him for the majority of the time.
And then he would crunch up and do stretches and the big dude would come and push the back of his head. I guess this made sure he wouldn't go blind or whatever.
Lots of dudes like this. I didn't want to wait in line to get a photo with him; this one did just fine.
On Monday I made a post about the Emmy's and accidentally referred to Joshua Groban as Joshua Radin. I'm sorry to Joshua Groban, but I fixed it in the post.
I've always struggled with getting a song stuck in your head. When you have a six-year-old, sometimes the songs that bounce around the noggin aren't always what you would have picked.
TOYTASTIC brand is celebrating 30 years of its famous mini figures and to mark the occasion the company has given a string of stars a plastic makeover. Those chosen to be immortalized in building bricks include The Beckhams (complete with Posh’s trademark over-sized sunnies and David’s stubble), a tattoo-covered Amy Winehouse and Madonna. Hotties Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie also got the treatment – each clutching a newborn twin. Madonna
Amy Winehouse
Angelina, Brad and twins
The Beckhams
Apparently Lego had previously plasticized some other historic figures before. Here are some funny ones:
