frazzled & frumpy

Hey! I'm getting my Survivor recap done before the next show airs. Yay me. (Come on, we have to celebrate our accomplishments, even the little ones!) So, last week started off with a bang! Colton had a breakdown, mainly because he wasn't getting his way, and no one wanted to play with him. (That's him wiping his eyes.  Funny, I never saw an actual tear.) What do I have to say to him? Bu-bye.  Look, I've been watching Survivor for as long as it's been on. I get that people are backstabbing and lying and being all kinds of devious. It's the game. But, Colton? He was just plain mean. That's uncalled for. As Colton was blubbering, and Jeff was getting ticked (he HATES when people quit), Jeff said, "Lots of people like to watch adventure, it doesn't necessarily mean they really should get up off the couch." This describes me to a 'T'. I do much better watching from the comfort of my family room. Where it's warm. And dry...

My post for today got put off because I was asked to be part of a Google+ hangout with Mom it Forward. So, let me just share a couple thoughts. I read this book a few years ago. It's great. Mr. Carnegie is infinitley wise. I'd like to drop him onto the Survivor island so he could give the castaways some advice. “Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn--and most fools do." You're on Survivor. It's hard. It's meant to be unpleasant. You're gonna be cold and wet and hungry for the entire time you're there. If you thought you'd signed up for the Real Housewives of Fantasy Island, you were wrong. Just. Stop. Complaining. “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.”  Oh, they're bristling all right. I don't think the vanity comes into play, since they're all living without mirrors or showers or toothpaste. But, p...

Yes, the new season of Survivor began last week. Yes, it was awesome. (And, yes, I'm a bit behind in my post about it.) The twist for this season is loved ones. Ten players from past seasons returned with a loved one.  Here are some of the moments from the first episode. Best non-Surprise - When Jeff informed the players that they wouldn't be on a tribe with their loved ones. Really? Did they not see that coming? This is Survivor, people. I think it's a great idea, make them battle their husbands/wives/daughters/fiances imagine the issues they could work out through mud-wrestling and swimming races.   The newbies tribe is Tadhana. The returning players, Galang. Biggest Whiner - Seriously?They brought back Colton? He promised he was a changed man. I really felt for him when he was crying about the bullying he's endured because he's gay. To hear that even his family has treated him badly broke my heart. And, then, the challenge happened. First, he was lazy, pad...

Here's the thing... The School Thing -I often hear people tell me how well-behaved my kids are. I've come to the conclusion that they are simply better for other people than for me (because they're beasts at home).  That idea was ripped to shreds last week when Noah got two 'behavior notices'.  On the same day.  It's gonna be a long year. A rare quiet moment. Maybe I should get him a bunny. The Addiction Thing - Our local gas station put out the fixings for dirty diet Cokes. (diet Coke, fresh lime and coconut syrup).  Though I'd tried it once before and didn't like it much, I decided to give it another go. That was Thursday. On Friday night, when I accidentally knocked my dirty drink on the floor, I was much more upset about the drink than the books I'd gotten wet. Then, when I went on Saturday (third time in three days) I was incredibly disappointed to find they'd run out of the coconut syrup. May be time for an intervention. (Or to fi...

If you could have dinner with any celebrity who would it be? I've been asked this before and honestly, my answer is no one. I'm a fan of many people, but, really,when you meet them, what do you say? "Uh...huh...I'm such a fan. You're so awesome. Like, totally." It's not like I have anything in common with Jennifer Garner or Sandra Bullock. Maybe I could give them beauty advice. I know. You're laughing. So are they. There is one celebrity, though, that I thought I'd like to meet. Are you ready? (Photo credit: survivor.wikia.com) Doesn't look familiar? Does this help? Yes, Dawn is a Survivor contestant. She was originally on a couple years ago, and is back this year as a 'favorite'. Why would I want to meet this 'celebrity'? Because we do have things in common. Dawn is from Utah, she is the mother of 6 kids and she's a Mormon.  (She's also a professor at BYU, so clearly, much smarter than me, but we...

Okay, so here's a quick Survivor update because I've been a slacker and didn't post and it's on again tonight. (Could that sentence be any longer?) A couple things happened two weeks ago that were significant.  First, they got their swim suits  Yay! No more bras and panties, wait, their bikinis are just as skimpy.  But, here's Dawn in the cutest modest swim suit. Seriously, so cute. And, she says in her 'confession' time that she's feeling like the older contestant. Who cares? Woman, you are doing a great job! But, because of that feeling, she thought she needed to exert her strength. So, when the challenge came around, there she was. The challenge was 2 men and 1 woman from each tribe.  They each had a long stick/bar over their shoulders, then one at a time, the other team would determine who got weight added- 20 lbs. at a time. First of all, just standing with the big stick on my shoulders would've done me in.  "Hey, Jeff, can I have a chair?...

I missed the last couple weeks of Survivor updates, so here's the condensed version- plus some contestant intros.  The second person voted out was Christine. She pretty much sealed her fate on day one when she offended Coach. (He's a returning player, placed in the  game to cause drama.  It worked, he's so annoying.) Don't feel too bad. This picture is deceiving.  This is how she looked at tribal council... She's very outspoken, which can be good in this game, or as in her case, very bad.  I was ready for her to go after tribal council. Mainly because in that 15 minutes, she rolled her eyes more than my teenagers do in a week. Next was the guy who called himself Papa Bear. He was nice.  His downfall was his age and fitness level. He didn't do well in the challenge and his tribe gave him the boot. The age thing is why I worry for Dawn and Rick , tho' Dawn kicked butt at the challenges. If she keeps that up, she'll last longer. Rick is the strong s...

We’re sort of Survivor enthusiasts in our household. Of the 22 seasons, there’s only one we didn’t watch. I enjoy most of it, except when one of the contestants decides he needs to live naked.  That was season one and I’m still emotionally scarred.   Now, we're into season 23.   One of the hard things about the show is deciding who to root for.  You usually can’t pick a favorite in the first episode.  You think you’ve got them figured out, but they can fool you.  Take this guy for instance- I was sure Phillip was worthy of the title 'Ultimate Survivor' and the ending prize of a million bucks.  He was older (why would I root for older people? I don’t know.)  He seemed sincere.  He was a hard worker.  That  was in episode one. After that, we discovered that he was crazy.  I’m serious. Certifiable .  He claimed to be a government agent.  He walked around in his saggy underwear- pink saggy underwear.  He...