Dancing With The Stars? I Think Not

They announced the cast of Dancing With The Stars yesterday or was it early this morning, I'm not sure. For the most part I think this season will be amusing, especially with "The Hoff" dancing. What really annoys me is picking Bristol Palin.

Hello.

Note the title of the show; DANCING WITH THE STARS!

Bristol Palin is not a star. She's the daughter of the creepiest woman in America. She is also not bright enough to know how to use birth control. But all that aside, she's not a star in anyway. Get her off. Why should she be collecting a wage for this?

Boo hiss!

I know they like to get controversial people on the show for ratings, but lordy, pull Lindsay Lohan or something. We do not need Bristol Palin.

I don't even like the show all that much and I find this disturbing, almost as distrubing as I found Heather Mills and Kate Gosselin, only the later two actually did something to be famous. Heather Mills was a nasty freaky gold digging wench and Kate Gosselin, well she helped whore out her family for reality tv.

Real nice people.

Now we add Bristol Palin to the ranks.

I think the show is going to hell in a handbasket.

Won't any real celebrities do the show anymore?

About a Girl

Greetings and Saluatations


Hello there.

The name is Taylor, but most people just call me "Tay".

I am one of the newest additions to the "Certifiable Wench" family and I thought it would good idea to let our readers in on what makes this newbie tick.

And since I'm notoriously bad at introductions, so I will give you all a quick list about me.

(Which makes sense since the average blog reader merely scans over the articles they read, stopping only for the things that catch their eye.)

I am..

* 29 years old chick. (Girl, Woman or Ma'am just didn't feel right.)

* reside in Sunny California, where I have spent countless hours in youth by a ghetto blaster (slang for boom box, for those that don't know) listening to KROQ, in between pretending to do household chores.

* married to a charming geek named Sarah. I married a "Star Wars" geek -- God help me!

* a person who has a odd fascination for coffee cups. Shot glasses? No thank you. A coffee mug with every color of rainbow and a random saying thrown in just because... Yes, ma'am. :)

* a person who drinks a pot of coffee a day. Do not attempt to talk to me unless I have a cup of my steamy java goodness otherwise, I may black out and wake up around random body parts. I'm just sayin'..

* a child of the 80s and DAMN proud of it. I do not see it as something that I should be ashamed of or embarrassed of.

* an active list maker. Groceries, Wish List, Bucket List.. I haven't met a list that I didn't enjoy making.

* a frustrated author that has been working on the same book for the last 8 years. It had been had nick-named, "The Never ending Story" for this reason.

* currently learning to deal with being "Bi Polar", a mental illness that causes massive mood swings -- and generally alienates you from your friends and family.

* obsessively in love with "Halloween".

* currently working my way through every cheese ball 80's/90's horror film that I can find on youtube. If you have any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

* a lover of films - With my heart belonging to Horror, B-Movies, Cult and Musicals. An odd combo, I know, but I love them.

* a person who walks around with their headphones permanently placed on their ears. I'm of the mind set, music makes everything better. Laundry, Sex, Babysitting, Driving... It all can be intensified by the right sound, genre or sound.

* a person who consistly walks into walls and falls on their ass in the middle of a busy mall.

* a person who has a deep/fascination for anything "Supernatural" --- Though I cannot get on board with all the Twilight madness. **Shakes Head** Not my bag at all.

* in love, musically speaking, with Depeche Mode, Garbage, The Dresden Dolls, Muse, Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo, Lovage, Faith No More, Metallica, System of a Down, Queen, Davie Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Eminem, Dark Sanctuary, Delerium, Iamx, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Elbow, Violent Femmes, Talk Talk, Talking Heads, The Clash, The Cure, The Smiths, Rob Dougan, Tricky, Massive Attack, Portishead, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Pet Shop Boys, Adam Ant, Duran Duran, Scorpions, Bon Jovi, Abney Park, Claire Voyant, Within Tempation, Primus, Gary Numan, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nox Arcana, Midnight Syndicate, Evanscence, Carrie Underwood, Kenna, Tom waits, Pink, Alice Cooper, ABC, The Human League, The Police and thousands more... This is what I'm listening to right now.

And so much more..

I will enjoy getting to know my fellow wenches as well as our readers.

A quick hello from a new wench :)

Hello, all! I'm new around here so I figured I'd introduce myself :)

My name's Eliza, I'm 21, and I live in RI. I am a voracious reader who is obsessed with music and I go to more concerts than I should. I have a really cool boyfriend, I love going out and trying new restaurants, and in my spare time I cook, make jewelry, collect coins, I'm starting a postcard collection thanks to postcrossing.com, and I watch a lot of movies and old tv shows.

I'm interested in many, many different things, so I hope I can bring something fun and different to this blog. I think the first real post I make here will either be a concert review (I'm going tomorrow night) or a book review (I'm about halfway through a really great one).

Talk to you all soon!

~*the Excitable Girl :)

It's A Burgh Thing

The other night I got a text from The River House Cafe. They had a special on their Pierogi Pizza.

I'm sure some of you are wondering just what that is.

It is a pizza shell covered in mashed potatoes (in this case garlic mashed potatoes) onions and a blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.  The end result is absolutely yummilicious.

I know a lot of my friends from areas like New York and Chicago scoff at pizza that isn't made the traditional way. To them, I say, "You don't know what you are missing."

Pizza that is just sauce, cheese and pepperoni can get pretty boring.

That's why pierogi pizza kicks some serious butt. If you are in the burgh, hunt down a local pizza shop and see if they make this. It is definitely worth trying and if you happen to be in my little hamlet of Charleroi On Mon, go to the River House Cafe and order this (or any of their other pizzas) and be prepared to feel your taste buds do the happy dance. Cos this is some good stuff!

99 cent downloads

Why would anyone pay 99 cents to rent a tv show for a day or even two? Especially if the tv rentals work the way iTunes movie rentals work.

You can't share between devices, and erm, just erm.

My main thing is this; why would you want to watch a movie or a tv show on a teeny tiny little screen?

I've done it. It isn't fun and it loses something.

(Yes, I used to watch Doctor Who and Torchwood on my mp3 player when I went to the gym.) I couldn't fathom, just loading up a tv show to watch on my device, just as I can't imagine watching much telly or a film on my computer, but that's another story. Buy me a comfy chair and get rid of facebook, and I'd be glued to the screen for eternity.

But back to iTunes; why would you pay for a rental when there are so many sites that you can view shows on after they air. Unless, iTunes is going to go all TVLand and offer old stuff, like The Monkees, The Brady Bunch etc, I don't see much of a point.

Seriously people, HULU! Or the stations website!

Sometimes I Just Don't Understand

How many of you have heard about the YA series The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins?

If you are like me, you haven't, well, I hadn't heard of it until I really started book blogging a few months ago. Now I know all about it.

The final installment in the series comes out tomorrow and all my blog feeds are starting the: Mockingjay hiatus.

OMGWTFBBQ.

I understand not wanting to see spoilers but erm, with the way some feeds work, you wouldn't have to totally give up blogging until you finished reading the book. Just skim them, if you see reviews, ignore those posts. Not hard is it?

Ok it must be.

I guess I'm glad I've never gotten that involved in any series, be it, Harry Potter, Twilight or this.

It is all wingnuttery if you ask me.

Every Thing About Series 5 Is Better

Series 5 of the New Doctor Who, which really isn't new, since they've already done 5 series and a year of specials, is probably one of the best.

I haven't decided what it was about this season that made it stand out above all the rest yet, but it does.

Maybe it is because Matt Smith is damn good in the part. He brings quirky back. He's not emo. He's sexy, but not in that OMGIWANTTOHUMPHISLEG way that David Tennant was.

Maybe it is the companions, Rory and Amy are probably the two strongest companions the series has seen. Rory is definitely the best male companion, and Amy ranks just a notch below Donna Noble in my eyes.

Maybe it is the writing, because this is the first season that didn't have any really horrible epis and the finale kicked some serious ass, something it has never done before.

Now the series is taking it up a notch by giving us an awesome DVD cover. Yes it was one of the promo shots from the series, but damn it is more fun than any of the ones they used before.

And would someone please explain to me why I suddenly think Matt Smith is the sexiest thing on the planet. Mr. Tennant is going to get mad at me.

Cast In Bronze News

Cast In Bronze, the name of the performer that plays the fabulous carillon was at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival and he passed on a wonderful little tidbit to me after he signed my CD.


There is going to be a new album with the BELLS in about 2 months and it is going to feature classic rock tunes. Now this might cause some of you to quake and tremble in fear. Bells and classic rock?

But fear not! I heard him perform one of the songs today at the festival and you'd never guess what track he played?

Would you believe McCartney's Live And Let Die?

It was fabulous.

I'm really looking forward to learning the rest of the tracklist for the album. I'm really hoping that he puts Don't Fear The Reaper on it, because some people may want more cowbell, but what about a whole slew of bells? That would be awesome!

If you want to check out Cast In Bronze you can go to the website or if you are in the Pittsburgh area, you can check out the Renfest, which is every weekend from now til the end of Sept.

Sometimes Google Is A Bad Thing

Most of you know I'm a huge classic rock fan. That means most of the artists that I love and at some point in my 36 years have crushed on are getting up there. Most are in their late 50s on up. Hell Gordon Lightfoot is 70.

The problem is every now and then I rediscover someone I listened to and loved, case in point Cheap Trick/Robin Zander and I decide to google them.

Bad idea.

This beautiful specimen is Robin sometime in the 80s. I would hazard a guess from the length of that beautiful blonde hair (Yes, when I was about 14, I so wanted to do him) that this was taken around the time Next Position Please was released.

Flash forward.. 20 + years to 2010. OK, maybe we don't want to do that. I mean, look at that face! Shouldn't we just keep it preserved eternally like that?

Nah...we all need to have our bubble burst.

Thankfully it isn't as bad as a few of the shots I had seen were, but..Robin, for the love of god, shave the pathetic excuse for a beard. It makes you look like an old fart. I have to admit, Rick still looks the same and I swear he doesn't age a bit. Creepy isn't it.

But really why can't people like Robin stay eternally young and gorgeous? And yes, Davy Jones would be on my list of people that should stay that way too.

Vampires Mummies And the Holy Ghost

These are the things that terrify me the most. (Special thanks to Mr. Buffett for writing that tune). I has me wondering, how long is the paranormal craze going to last this time?

Twilight really opened the doors to vampires and werewolves. Every book that is coming out these days has one or the other in starring spots, especially in the young adult market.

How much longer before this phase wears itself out again? I mean we had a vampire craze when Anne Rice's vampires were the thing. It eventually disappeared for awhile until the next big book. Heck, even Harlequin has a paranormal line of romances. (Some are pretty good too)

It is just amazing to look at the book shelves and see all the vampire fiction; The Blue Bloods, The Morganville Vampires, The House Of Night..the list goes on and on. It is wonderful that there are obviously a lot of young readers out there eating these books up, but I have to wonder, do they read anything other than paranormal? Don't they get bored?

So what is your paranormal poison? Any recommendations? Or are you sick of all the vampires, mummies and what not in today's fiction?

Sometimes I Wonder

This week is the Paul McCartney show at the opening of the new arena in Pittsburgh. Some people are getting their panties in a twist because Paul made some comments about a former republican who happened to be president for 8 years. He happened to say that it was nice that there was a president that knew what a library was.

Not exactly the smart thing to say, Sir Paulie especially as this man's wife was a librarian. So yeah, Paulie, he knows what a library is, he just doesn't know how to us it!!

~cough cough~

But that isn't what I was wondering about.

I got to thinking, how has Paul stayed on top of his game, when a good deal of the artists that were hitmakers at the same time, struggle with their careers.

Let's take Davy Jones as an example. For several years in the 60s, he was the heartthrob to end all heartthrobs. Now? He's playing tiny little venues and releasing music independently and marrying women half his age..Oh wait, that last part, Paul did that too.

But the thing is...when Paul comes through any area, it is news. When Davy makes a showing, no one cares.

What makes the public stop caring about some artists while they forever love another?

Nook In Review

I bought my eReader yesterday and I wanted to share my review of the product so far.

The Nook from Barnes and Noble is pretty much like the other eReaders out there. I like this one because it was reasonable and not on a waiting list.

Sorry Kindle.

The reviews have been out on both products and for the most part, both of them are excellent products, so I'm not going to slam Kindle, other than to say, stop trying to go all Apple on us. Make enough of the product, damn it!

As for the Nook, it is very easy to use. It has several font sizes to chose from and the screen looks just like the page out of the book. Plus you can play audio files and mp3 on the device and chess! My bet is Nook kicks my butt on that score.

I bought the wifi only version because I'll be transferring purchases from other sites more than I'll be buying from Barnes and Noble. Mostly because I really like print books. But who knows, mp3s have seduced me, so that may change.

The only thing I found annoying was in the instructions. It didn't tell you how to transfer existing ebooks from your computer to the device. WTF. I was kind of surprised it didn't come with software etc. But after poking around on the net for about 2 minutes, I found what I was looking for and voila, my ebooks are now on my nook! Woo hoo!

So if you are looking for a awesome device that has multiple functions, this is definitely one for you. If you have any ?s about the device feel free to ask, and I'll try to help you.

I Cringe Every Time I Hear This

I've been spoiled for one of my favorite songs. Every time I hear Daydream Believer I think of the tabloids that report that Davy Jones' latest bit of fluff bride beats him up.

WTF!

I realize that things in the tabloids aren't usually true, but something had to be done or said to spark that kind of rumor and that really troubles me. It also makes me want to smack him and all the other older gentlemen that feel the need to be guided by their penis egos and run around after much younger women, women that in no way can love them for anything other than the size of their bank account.

Really!

These marriages do nothing but cause grief for the family and a huge reduction in the bank account. I'm not saying that if Davy went down on one knee (assuming he could get back up again) that I wouldn't say yes. I had a huge crush on him when I was a little girl, and I wasn't even a little girl in the 60s! But I have to say, his bank account would also tempt me. However I would make him sing Daydream Believer, Little Bit Me, Little Bit You, and She Hangs Out to me on a fairly regular basis! I would also like some horseback riding lessons.

Yeah, I'm crazy like that.

I just hope these rumors aren't true, and if they are, I hope Davy gets the hell out.

I Hate This Show

I think reality base tv shows are ruining the world. I also think that shows about The Best Thing...etc are annoying. I truly hate The Best Thing I Ever Ate on The Food Network.

Why do I hate it?

Because it is taking the opinions of chefs that do shows for the network. Yes, some of them pick little diners in bumfuck USA, but a good deal of them pick places that most of us couldn't find ever, unless we won the lottery.

That pisses me off. Almost as much as Diner's Drive- Ins and Dives does.

Don't show me food I'm never going to eat, damn it!

This show would be best called, The Best Thing I Ever Ate And You Never Will, Cos I'm Special and You're Not so Neener, Neener, Neener!

Am I bitter about this?

Hell yes! I like my food, and if it weren't for Munch in the PG I would never find crazy awesome places in the Pittsburgh area to try.

Do You Remember

Original Cookie Company?

When I was little there used to be one in Century III Mall near Pittsburgh. I remember their Sugar Butter Cookies so well. I loved them. They made regular sized cookies and then they made these little bite size ones that you could get in a paper cone.

Well in 1998 the Ohio based company merged with Mrs. Fields.

Boo hiss!

Mrs Fields cookies are too expensive and not nearly as good as The Original Cookie Company cookies. Plus my sugar butter cookie has ceased to exist. I can't believe it has been at least 12 years if not longer since I've had one of those wonderful cookies.

These were the kind of cookies that you could devour without much thought. Even the Great American Cookie Company doesn't offer a butter cookie. Sure they have all kinds of chocolate chip cookies, but no butter cookies.

No one has managed to unearth the recipe for those cookies either and believe me, I've looked.

It's Surprising, But It's Not

Taylor Swift has a new single out, called Mine and It is one of the top selling singles.

I'm not sure why though?

Yes, its Taylor Swift and she's one of the "girls of the hour" but it isn't a fantastic song, and it sounds pretty much like all her other songs. There's nothing to distinguish it from every thing else Ms. Swift has put out.

Which really makes me wonder why everyone has gone out and purchased this single.

Is it that there really isn't anything worth buying besides this?

That's probably true, especially if you are looking for "family friendly" music, but its depressing too, because this song is rather bland. It makes me, who isn't a fan of Lady Gaga, long for her music, because at least she makes things interesting.

I really thought that by now Taylor's popularity would be waning a bit but I guess not and that's probably not really surprising because she's one of the few artists that kids and parents both seem to like. It also proves that there really is no accounting for taste.

Say It Isn't So

I was talking to a fellow Moody Blues fan the other day and I was told that Paul Bliss had been given the sack. That really made me do a whole OMGWTFBBQ thing, as Mr. Bliss had worked with Justin Hayward for years.

He sacked him?

And for no apparent reason, or so I was told.

Mr. Hayward, if that is true, you should be ashamed of yourself.

I used to think Justin Hayward was a gentlemen, but if he really did that, well, I don't think I can call him that anymore.

I could call him a few other choice words, but not a gentlemen.

Restaurant Review: Speers Street Grill

It's the weekend and that can only mean one thing! It is time to eat up a storm! This weekend a friend and I, decided to go to Speers Street Grill.

The menu is full of all kinds of wonderful things. We started with an onion blossom, as it had been years since we've had one of those. Yo! Chilis, why did you take it off the menu!!! Their blossom was wonderfully breaded and not greasy like blossoms I've had in the past. The best part was the dipping sauce, a horseradish dijon combination that wasn't take your head off spicy.

No, the take your head off, spicy came with my entree, Banana Pepper Pasta. This entree is not for the faint at heart or the faint of stomach! Those banana peppers are stuff with some pretty spicy sausage. Four alarm sausage, I think.

It's a fab dish, but it really should come with a bit more linguine, to help cool down the palate.

My friend had the Penne Primavera which had just about every veggie in the book, grape tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms...everything but the kitchen sink! It also had feta cheese sprinkled on top.

It was also quite nommy, as the LOLcats would say.

It is definite a must try restaurant if you are in the area. The food is a little pricey for the area with meals averaging around $11.00, but  the quality of the meal makes it worth it. Though I would like to pass on some advice, it would be nice if a salad came with your entree. Salinto's River House Cafe is just as nice but you get a bit more bang for your buck, however the ambiance of dining near the river isn't there.

They Call This A Snack Wrap?

McDonalds has rolled out the Angus Snack Wraps and oh are they tasty. If you like the Angus burgers, and I do, these are awesome wraps with the same toppings as the burgers. Yup Deluxe, Bacon Cheese, and Mushroom Swiss, all wrapped in a nifty tortilla.

There is one problem.

The calorie count is freaking insane.

If you get the regular wraps the calories range from 260 - 330. Not really great for a snack, but not too aweful for a treat every now and then.

The Angus wraps all clock in 400 calories or more! This would be fine if they were any bigger in size, but they aren't! The worst part is, they are really good. I actually like them better than the regular burgers. However if they do a snack wrap meal like they do with the Chipotle Chicken, Ranch or Mac Wrap....you can end up consuming more calories than if you eat the full size sandwich!!!!

Now I give McDonalds more credit than most people. There are healthy options on the menu. Any of the salads with grilled chicken are perfectly fine for you. A small order of McNuggets will not kill you. These snackwraps however could be dangerous. They are small and tasty and I know I could eat two of them, and after a few snackwraps, I'd be the size of an elephant!

Its so depressing that something that tastes so good has to be this terrible for you when shrunk down! And yet, I know I'll consume more of these than I should.

Damn you, McDonalds for your tasty treats.

Oh yeah, Wild Berry Smoothies kiss ass too.

When all else fails, call in the LOLCats

I start my morning off with a heaping helping of LOLcats and HotDogs. For awhile I even made a few of my own Lolcats out of my kitties.

These are my favorites among my own kittehs







If a LOLcat can't brighten your day, it has to be a pretty hopeless day

So It's Over AGAIN

How many times is Bristol Palin going to dump the father of her baby? Aren't we up to about 3 dumps now? Or is it just two? Whatever. It really is one dump too many and why in God's name is it considered newsworthy?

WTF is up with these two wingnuts?

Oh yeah, they are wingnuts.

But for shits and giggles, Palin's baby daddy, might be someone else's baby daddy too. Palin also thinks that Levi Johnson is obsessed with the limelight.

Pot meet kettle. This is something that the Palin family knows a great deal about, especially Mom Sarah.

I really wish that family were on a reality show so that we could vote them off, and then make sure that no one would ever have to see them or hear about them ever again.

I'm just waiting to see how long before Sarah or Bristol get cast on Dancing With The Stars?

Movie Review: Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang

The sequel to Nanny McPhee will be out in the US as Nanny McPhee Return towards the end of the month, but people in Europe have already been able to see this fun family film starring Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang.

This time the story takes place during World War II in Britain. Isabella is trying to save her husband's farm while he is away at war, but she's got a lot on her plate, a gambling brother-in-law who is trying to get her to sell the farm to pay his gambling debts and two sets of children, her three and the two city cousins coming to stay at the farm to be safe while the war is on.


Like the first film, the children need to learn five things before Nanny is done with her work. With a tap of her cane, magic happens and behaviors change for the better and by the end they all come to love the ugly Nanny who has to leave.

Emma Thompson's Nanny is one of my favorite characters. She's just so sweet, much like Mary Poppins only without "the spoonful of sugar."

The children in this story are all adorable, even the rich city kids that start out bratty.

Sure there's a lot of cliches in this film, but it is really good entertainment for the family. Well worth seeing once or twice