My Show Returns!

Dwellers, I'm so excited. One of my favorite shows is coming back. If you've watched ABC in the past couple of months, you may have seen the subliminal split-second adds for The Mole. Folks, I was a huge fan of this show when it originally aired seven years ago.

For those not familiar with this reality-based game show, a group of contestants try to complete physical and mental tasks which result in prize money added to a community pot. The winner of the season wins the total pot earned. Here's the kicker. The producers pay one of the contestants to be "the mole". This person's job is to sabotage the competition by keeping the contestants from adding to the pot without the them knowing it. At the end of each episode, the contestants take a quiz to determine who they think the mole is. The person who answers the least correct answers each week is eliminated.

I love this show because, unlike some of the other reality shows out there, it's not about voting someone you don't like off.

BTW, I was a fan of the original two seasons with the regular contestants, not the celebrity edition.

One Sweet Quiz

OK Haven Dwellers, you know how I enjoy a fun quiz. Well, check out the latest one I've found.

I'm proud to say that, out of 20 questions, I only got 12 right. I don't feel as guilty about this one as I did about the previous Candy Bar Quiz I posted.

Check it out! See how well you do.

Snack Cake Quiz

Thursday Night At The Movies

I went to see Iron Man last night with my good friends Ryan and Bill (great movie by the way). Unfortunately, the theater experience itself wasn't so great. We went to the Kingstowne Cinemas, which has always been one of my favorite theaters (I started going there after the rat sightings at the Hoffman Center Theatres). Until recently, the theater had been owned by a small chain out of Charlotte, NC called Consolidated Theatres. When we went to the theater last night, we found out that Consolidated had been bought by Regal Cinemas and that they had switched over that day. Well, I hope this isn't a sign of things to come, but I wasn't too happy with my visit. Here are a few reasons why:

1) Concession employees and ticket taker didn't seem all that interested in being there.

2) No prices listed for the combos on the concession menu board.

3) $10 for combo #3 - medium popcorn & medium soda (for only 50 cents more, I can get a large and large at AMC)

4) There was lots of trash in the theater.

Now, some of you may be saying, "So, what's the problem? I see that all the time in movie theaters." Well, the problem is, it wasn't like this before the change. In general, I had good experiences at this theater. I will give them another chance. It's possible that, since they just switched over, they may be trying to get used to a new system or something. I most likely won't be buying many concessions there, though. I don't want to have to take out a loan for some popcorn and soda.

BTW, when you all see Dena, make sure you wish her a happy Jewish American Heritage Month. Too bad she doesn't have a blog. She could offer a Jewish facts contest.

What The. . . ?

I had to drive out to Harrisonburg yesterday to help move my sister out of her dorm for the summer. I'd like to share with you some observations from my road trip.

I passed a minivan with spinners on the wheels. A minivan! With spinners?! What the hell is up with that?

I was pumping gas at an Exxon in Harrisonburg. A guy pulls up to the pump opposite me. He puts the nozzle into his tank and then seems to have trouble with something. He finally leans over to my side and asks, "Do you have to pay first?" Now, I may be wrong, but don't you have to prepay at all gas stations these days? I mean, I tend to go to the same gas stations all the time, and they all require prepayment. I dunno. . .

It never fails. I'm driving down the highway in the right hand lane. I encounter a car ahead of me that is driving at a slower rate of speed. I have no problem with that. So then, I make a lane change into the left lane to pass. As I approach the car I'm trying to pass, it speeds up so that I either have to speed up even faster to pass, or I end up moving back behind it in the right lane. Do people do that to piss you off, or is that just some natural human reaction? Either way, it annoys the s#!+ out of me.

Thank you for letting me rant. Now, feel free to discuss.

Breakfast Of Champions

Another of my favorite commercials from my childhood.


I never understood why my mom wouldn't let us have a plate of donuts for breakfast.

88 Minutes Of Torture

Well, I walked into a movie again without paying. . . OK, this time I didn't sneak in. I went to a free screening of the movie "88 Minutes" with my buds (Whazzup Ryan, my dog. Hi Dena, my #1. Hey Andi, my baby). Haven Dwellers, even for free, this movie wasn't worth it.

The general consensus amongst us movie lovers was thumbs down. It was unfortunately 108 minutes too long. It had a great cast including Al Pacino, Amy Brenneman, Leelee Sobieski, and William Forsythe. Unfortunately, they were given a not so great script with some really bad cliches. And, for the most part, I was bored throughout the movie. It was a little slow for me. Halfway through the movie, we all figured out that the killer was. . . Ha Ha! I wouldn't do that to you, although if you want to save your money, which I recommend you do, you can email me and I'll just tell you who did it.

Earlier in the day, Ryan told me that the movie wasn't getting good reviews, but I still had high hopes. Rarely do I let reviewers determine whether I see a movie or not. Besides, it was free. . . I should have had a clue when the "free" movie started and the theater wasn't even half full.

But, here's the worst part. Usually at the free screenings, they give you some free stuff. We ain't get no free nothin' for sittin' through that dayamn movie. Where's my free s#!+?

Facebook Fix

I have to confess something. I have an addiction. I have an addiction to. . . Facebook.

For years, I would see my friends using MySpace and think, "Oh, I don't want to bother with that stuff. It's silly." Ryan used to always try to persuade me to join. Well finally, I decided to do it. I created my page, threw some pics on it, put some music on it, and found some friends. . . And then. . . that was it. I kinda forgot about it after a while because I didn't know what else to do with it.

So then last year, Ryan started telling me about Facebook and how he started using it more than MySpace and that I should try it. Once again, I figured, why bother. I have a Myspace page that I never do anything with, why would I want a Facebook page. Ryan insisted. So, I did it. Now, I'm hooked.

I like the Facebook because there are things to do. I don't feel like I'm just looking at people pages and leaving messages just for the hell of it. The Facebook site just seems to be more organized to me. And, there are allot of applications that involve you interacting with your friends.

So, why am I telling you this? Well, to explain why my blog posts have been dwindling. There have been many times that I've had a blog post in my head, then totally forgotten about it after having gone to Facebook. My apologies. Blame it on Ryan.

Tyra Time

Saturday Night At. . . The Theater

I went out and got some culture this past Saturday night at the Black Rock Center For The Arts in beautiful Germantown, MD.  Andi  happened to score some comps for the Washington Theatre Group's production of the play "Dirt", so she and I went. It was. . . interesting. It was a one man play about an illegal immigrant in 1992 Germany who confronts the xenophobia, racism, and ethnocentrism of Western society, all the while, dealing with his own identity as an Iraqi.

It had some engaging moments. It also had some moments that left me saying, "Huh?" I didn't love it, but I also didn't think it was bad either. I thought the actor, Shahin Shakibi, did a good job with the script.

I've come to a conclusion, though. Plays are hard for me. I kept expecting the guy to break into a song. I guess I've gotten too used to musical theater. You know how they say "all the world's a stage"? Well for me, all the world's a musical.

Sex Ed

OK, what's up with all the horny teachers these days. I saw on the news the other day that there were another three reported cases of teachers having sexual relations with students. I have one question. Where were these teachers when I was in school?

I'd like to think that, if I had a teacher who was giving me some back then, I would have kept my mouth shut for fear that I'd get in trouble and that it would stop. . . Of course, I don't recall having any teachers that I would have wanted to do that with. . . Is that mean? I'm just tellin' it like it T I is.