Here it is, my annual summer rant to get more people to watch So You Think You Can Dance. Otherwise known as, The Reality Show That Does It Right. Forget the garishness that comes with regular season hits like Dancing with the Stars -- which, if I may add, I got tired of because honestly? The dancing was not so good. SYTYCD has everything a perfect reality show should have, an adorable host that you actually want to be friends with, judges with actual expertise in the arena of dance (i.e. they are not just there to be rude to the contestants and make for good tv) and mostly real and true talent from the contestants. It's a cinderella story with amazing choreography to boot. Each week you are charmed into the world of dance with contestants that stretch the limits of their styles by dancing in not only ballroom routines but styles such as hip hop, krumping, latin jazz, contemporary and many more styles to come.

So why am I imploring you to watch now that we're about halfway done with the season? Because this week is when it gets good. Really good. We are now down to the top 10 dancers, 5 guys and 5 girls who have worked their butts off the last 5 weeks to get to where they are now. This is when the pressure is really on and when they are starting to reach their limits. This is when good tv becomes great tv. This show is so good, I have cried at routines that have touched my heart, I have gotten angry at the eliminations and I have questioned my ability at 34 to maybe become a trained latin dancer. Ok, maybe not that last bit, but I have been driven to tears on many occasions and boy does it feel good! This last week I jumped off my couch and applauded (my cats didn't appreciate it, but I didn't care) at this routine:
 

It was a Bollywood routine of all things! It was so amazing! What other show on the planet would you see an African American former football player and a Chinese girl from San Jose perform a dance best known and seen on Indian Cinema? That's how amazing this show is. Watch it, you won't regret it. Wednesdays at 8pm with the Results show the following night at 9pm on FOX.

Why is it so taboo for people to just come on out and ask a pregnant woman if she is or not? Well, of course, it's really rude to make assumptions, but asking the question is not being presumptuous as it is just requesting clarification. I'm finally starting to look more pregnant and I am noticing the eyes following me as I waddle around the building at work.  I am trying to help things along by telling more people who see me at work and asking that they spread the news rather than keeping it to themselves. I figured at this point I've already told the people who are my close friends already and at this point, everyone can just hear it secondhand. So today I had someone ask me. This is how NOT to do it (to protect the innocent, I will call this person Ignorant Guy or IG for short):

IG: "Jeannie, are you ok?"

ME: "Yes, I'm fine. Uh...how are you?"

IG: "Really, are you ok??"

<WTF, do I have boils on my face?!>

ME: "I'm. Just. Fine."

IG: "Are you sure?"

<Ok, this guy is really starting to piss me off...>

At this point, our mutual friend who's in the know steps into the picture after being privy to the conversation taking place. She says, "He doesn't know."

ME: "What? How can you not know I'm pregnant??! Look at me! I'm a blimp!"

<I'm saying this as I am gesturing emphatically to my fashionably maternity-clad belly. >

So let's learn a lesson here, shall we? If you want to know and you feel reasonably comfortable enough to ask the person (assuming you know her well enough to ask) just ask. Don't assume anything by saying something stupid, just ask nicely I promise we don't bite!

So what else is new at 14 weeks? Well, my cravings have relaxed somewhat, my morning sickness has all but disappeared completely (it makes a sudden resurrection on some mornings while I brush my teeth) and my latest thing now is that I cry at everything. Just this week I cried while watching a Visa commercial and I cried when I was listening to Reba McEntire songs. I also get weepy when I talk to other mothers about their babies. At work, my friend Amy has started to track my weekly belly growth process. She has me walk by her cubicle and she measures how much of my belly appears before she sees my face. This week, I'm at a full inch.

Ok, I've been lacking in the video blogging, I apologize. I finally found some time to upload some of my older videos and I now present them to you here (warning, heavy on the cat -- and in no way was that meant to be a mean pun).

Here are the latest moochers we have been taking care of: Blackie and Brownie. They are just a couple of strays that roam our complex. Blackie wears a collar but nobody seems to own him. Either his owners left him or they just stopped feeding. She's a cutie, though and very very friendly. Although she has the most pathetic meow I've ever heard. Sounds like Harvey Fierstein. Brownie looks to be an offspring of Blackie and is very sketchy at this point. Mostly feral but warming up to us slowly

These next two are videos of our kitty kids, an update on their goings ons. (Because people keep asking.)

And finally, this one is rather random and scary/funny. It can be sorted into the category known as "WTH?!"

I never thought that there would be anything to eclipse the feeling of falling in love, getting married and being surrounded by friends, family and an abundance of love and support. Then something like this happens. God is amazing.

Here's our baby's first picture. Taken today at approximately 13 weeks in utero! The upper right hand corner is her head and you can see her spine down the right side. I'm saying "she" but we don't know the sex yet. I never thought I'd be one of those women that would cry during the ultrasound, but of course...I wept like a small child. I looked over at Tommy who was barely keeping it together and we just knew that this was the most amazing journey of our lives. Everything else we've done pales pales in comparison. Happy is a word that is an understatement to how we feel right now.

I could go on and on, but instead, I will present to you, the Baby FAQs:

1. Were you planning?
Yes and no. We were not actively planning and yet we were not actively preventing. It took about a year to get here and most doctors would have said that it spells trouble if we hadn't conceived in 6 months, but we weren't concerned, we knew that God's timing is always the right timing. It just makes us appreciate having her all the more because we were so patient.

2. Do you know the sex?
Not yet. But we will probably find out in a few weeks. Yes, we will let everyone know.

3. Are you experiencing "morning sickness?"
Yay, not any more! When I had it, it was only for a few weeks, I would say the worst was during my 9th through 11th week. I am proud to say that I never tossed my cookies once.  My worst symptom right now is my extreme fatigue. But it's getting better and better every day.

4. When are you due?
I won't know for sure until my next ultrasound, but they seem to think I'm due around December 28th. My husband is happy to hopefully have a tax baby!

5. How much time are you taking off work?
Definitely taking 4 weeks before my due date and at least 8 weeks and up to 12 weeks after she's born.

I'll definitely be updating but I'll try not to turn this into a "Baby Blog" as this is just a big part of our lives right now, I can't help but talk about it! Keep watching this space for more updates to come!

"All we have to do now, is take these lies and make them true somehow. All we have to see is that I don't belong to you and you don't belong to me. Yeah, yeah! Freedom... Freedom... Freedom... You got to give for what you take."
             -Freedom 90 by George Michael

This was one of the best concerts I'd ever been to in my entire life. Considering that we were in the second tier seating (section 228) at the arena, we had a great view. These pictures were all taken by my phone (Sony Erickson W580i). George Michael is every bit the amazing entertainer he was back in the 80's. I think he's actually gotten better with age. This tour was a celebration of his 25 years in the business and I felt that he really did this for the fans (ok, the $90 pricetag for the mid-level seats we had were probably an incentive as well). He showed every bit of appreciation for us (the fans) and he performed like a true entertainer, queuing up all his best hits and some old Wham! favorites as well. Thank god he spared us from the infectious, yet equally hideous, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. The major disappointments came from the fact that he left many of our favorite songs out due to time, I Want Your Sex, Young Guns and my personal favorite (I know, it's weird) the original Freedom by Wham! which is a completely different song than the song he closed with, Freedom 90.

This stage was awesome! It basically consisted of these screens which projected video, pictures and electronic light renderings that went along with each song. And there were no complications with back-up dancers or other gimmicks, it was George, his stage presence and his music which really spoke for itself. There were backup singers that mainly stayed on the tri-level stage behind he lighted stage and on occasion they did join him for some songs. They blended perfectly with and never once overwhelmed his voice -- the true testament of a good backup singer. A dream job!

The concert started a little late, about 8:35pm with no opening act and there was a 20 minute intermission in the middle and ended at 11:20pm. I wish more concerts had intermissions. I can't tell you the number of great moments I missed at a show because of my uncooperative bladder. One of the best things about the show? All the gorgeous gay men that were there! OMG -- the hotness level of the entire arena was escalated above boiling. A great time was had by all.

"I don't want your freedom, I don't need to play around. I don't want nobody baby, part-time love just brings me down, I don't want your freedom...Girl all I want right now is you."
          -Freedom by Wham!

Three and a half frakin' seasons to get to earth and this is what we get? I mean, really, can we be more surprised? It was either going to be this or a planet full of apes. Oh well, at least it wasn't a planet full of apes. I guess after keeping up with Battlestar Galactica for the entire run of the series (it's not over yet, kids. we've got another 10-12 episodes in 2009!) the one word I can find to classify this series: depressing. This show is depressing as all hell get out! There has been no feel good moment in this show, even when there are moments that are supposed to be celebrated, something will happen to rain on the parade. Someone has a baby? Yah! Oh wait, they've kidnapped her and faked her death. Someone gets married? Yah! Oh wait, they don't really love their spouse, they married them as a knee-jerk reaction to the unrequited love of someone else. Someone rescues their long lost love from a harrowing situation? Oh wait, they're actually the enemy. That pretty much sums up the roller coaster of emotions on this show. Talk about angst-ridden, sheesh. I know, I know I've been praising this show from the get go and honestly, it's still a fantastic story, but it's sad and not for the emotionally frail. If you want to be cheered up watch Eureka or Reaper. But if you want to be brought to the brink of reality and have a show that pulls NO punches straight to your gut, BSG is for you.

That said, my summer TV repertoire is winding down a bit. Doctor Who will wrap in the U.S. in a few weeks and then I'll be left with So You Think You Can Dance (yes!) and starting July 10 is Burn Notice! Whoo-hoo! I also heard that new episodes of Project Runway are in the works, so that's exciting.

Ok, I'm keeping this short and promising more frequent updates. I promise a big announcement next Thursday, June 26, so stay tuned! Also, I'm going to see George Michael this coming Thursday so I'll definitely be blogging about that on Friday or over the weekend. No fear, kiddies, I'm back!

Oh blog, How I missed thee...
 
Actually, I've been lazy. And right now, there is a lot happening in my life right now. I'll be able to say more later, but for now...trust me, it's a crazy time in our lives!
 
Ok, let's talk about TV Deja Vu. You know what I'm talking about right? It's when you turn on the TV on whatever random show and you're like..."I've seen this before..." Some people call it Repeat Syndrome. You have a super spidey sense about turning on the tv  at just the right moment and seeing the same episode of a show you last saw when you flipped to that show. It happened to me. Just yesteday, in fact. There's a show on either TLC or A&E called "How It's Made" my brother turned me on to it a while back. I never get a chance to watch it but I did yesterday, it was only the second time I've ever watched it and guess what? It was the SAME EPISODE of the last time I watched it. WEIRD, huh? Instead of changing it, I watched the whole thing. So once again, I learned how plastic utencils are made (molten plastic injected into molds!), how creamsicles are produced (this company makes it in three flavors: orange, raspberry and blue raspberry!)  and how the labels are put on the Lego buckets (they're melted on!).
 
Speaking of How it's Made...
Tommy made some of the most awesome spaghetti in the world the other day. I had a huge craving for spag and he was like, "dude, I'll make it because you tend to destroy the kitchen and I'm clean and neat." Most of the time, he's the Jack to my Ianto, but in this case, he's the Ianto to my Jack (if you don't watch Torchwood -- shame on you and sad that you don't get that reference). He does have a point, there was one time I made spaghetti and he found sauce on the ceiling. WTF, right? Anyway, if you know me, I'm not a fan of leftovers but this has got to be the exception, I could eat this spag for a week (and I have!). Here's the super (not so) secret way he makes it:
 
1 lb ground beef (browned on a skillet)
1 pkg of Italian sausage - bake in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
2 jars of Ragu with extra mushroom sauce
1 pkg of regular spag (he like Barilla brand)
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tb of bakers sugar (weird, i know, but trust me)
 
 
In large saucepan dump the 2 jars of Ragu, the can of tomato paste and the sugar. Heat on medium until bubbly. Add ground beef. Mix until bubbly. Cut up sausage and add to sauce. Trust me, it's pefection. It's a big meatier than I normally like, but it's really good.
 
Garage For Sale
I'm going to have another garage sale on June 28, so like last time I'll be putting up some items in advance for all of you to peruse. I have to clear quite a bit of stuff. Clothes, shoes, Missy Meowington, furniture, books, my old bike (I've only ridden it once). I'm going to try and organize a complex-wide garage sale so come by if you have a chance!
 
Just kidding, we can't sell Missy! We'll give her away for FREE! (hahaha!):
 


The Latest with our Favorite British Imports

Ok, it's been days, but I think I've got it figure out since the rumor mill has been churning and I needed to get to the bottom of it all (leave it to me)!
 
Next year we will have 5 episodes of the Doctor (with Tennant) which will be officially called "specials." I believe they will be smattered throughout the year on special occasions and maybe on a couple of bank holidays (crazy Brits). As for Torchwood, expect to also see only 5 episodes. They are moving to BBC1 (the rule of the BBC is if you are moving from a higher channel to a lower channel, expect the content to go from risque (BBC3 programming) to family-friendly (BBC1 programming). The Doctor is on BBC1 so expect TW to have less blood, violence and possibly less male snogging and male nudity -- the touchstones of TW, damn them all.).  Torchwood episodes will all arc together in a mini-series and be shown over 5 nights in one week.
 
The reason behind all this? Budget. Now this is something I actually understand. The production costs of these shows (and other BBC programming) has gone through the roof. At the time the budget was produced for 2009 they had not secured their licensing deals yet and came in overbudgeted for 2009. In order to maintain quality programming at less cost, they laid off 100 people and cut programming back, especially on their more expensive shows. DW, TW and Sarah Jane Adventures (SJA) all have 3 separate crews working on those respective shows. In 2009, due to budget constraints, they have to share one crew between all three shows. Which means an abbreviated season for original scripted programming (the most expensive types of shows). SJA may not even have a season until 2010. As an aside, although the new licensing deals will bring in a zillion pounds to the BBC, we can't count on those revenues until 2010 and because of the BBC Royal Charter, the pounds made from licensing cannot be re-invested into those specific shows, but be put into the BBC general fund for all to use (so they can sell a gazillion Captain Jack action figures but the money made has to be used to produce quality programming like MI:5 and Robin Hood as well as TW and DW).
 
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however! Expect full 13 episode orders of both shows for 2010 (it's just around the corner, trust me -- I'm the same person that has waited 13 months for Battlestar Galactica to come back only to get 10 episodes and another 8 month "midseason break" before they close out the series in 2009). It's only a rumor that Tennant won't be back, the reality is that they haven't set the 2010 schedule yet so they haven't asked any of the actors for committments yet. Changes are already afoot, however as Steven Moffat is taking over for Rusell T. Davies as showrunner for DW (in 2010). The abbreviated season for 2009 does give Tennant the opportunity to play Hamlet on the West End without breaking any DW committments. And honestly, if I were David Tennant, I should already know for a FACT that after playing the Doctor, there is nothing more high profile than that and, hello...can you already smell the typcasting?? My professional advice? Play the Doctor as long as you can, do a couple plays here and there and just know that you'll be the one laughing all the way to the bank. I hope he knows this and doesn't go on any "creative" career decisions. Look what happened to Eccleston. Well, that's not entirely true, he's going to be playing the bad guy in the new live action G.J. Joe movie coming out in November. I guess the trick is to play the Doctor for only one year, fall into relative obscurity and then come back fresh as a daisy. I don't think Tennant can do that, he's been playing the Doctor for too long. What's he going to do, continue playing Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter? Not likely. (isn't he dead anyway?)
 
I digress, however.
 
Hopefully, the budget cuts won't affect the quality of our shows. Can you imagine the Torchwood Rav-4 instead of the Range Rover? Or instead of the Tardis being a blue police phone box, it's a plastic playskool kitchen set? Or, God forbid, they dress Ianto Jones in an off-the hanger suit from Nordstrom Rack instead of the custom-made hand tailored Savile Row suits he is accustomed to? Perish the thought!

Looking good, Eye Candy. Yeah right, like I could give up an opportunity to post a picture of the gorgeous Ianto Jones:

Screenshot courtesy of The Institute at time-and-space.co.uk from the Torchwood episode "A Day In the Death."

Taking a break from all my TV talk lately, I'm going to segue into music a little bit. I'm no expert, but I know what I like and ever since I can remember music, I've always liked country music. Ok, you can all stop reading now if you have no interest in country. But it's a lot different now than it used to be. Most of us who don't listen to country think it's still that Nashville twangy honky-tonk stuff. Admittedly, some of it still is, you can't get away from that classic sound. But the beauty of country music is that it has actually let itself evolve into something more contemporary. It's really refreshing. Where pop music re-invents itself with new genres, like alternative, grunge, brit pop, etc. There is something so interesting about the evolution of the country sound. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of pop music, too. I enjoy all kinds of music -- case in point, my latest obsession happens to be show tunes and last week it was big band music. Like I said, I just know I like what I like.

So you can understand how thrilled I was when I found out MHD was featuring on their Crossroads show two of my all time favorite artists: Maroon 5 and country singer Sara Evans. That's like a musical dream team in my eyes. For those of you not in the know, MHD is the High Definition music channel that features live music and concert programming all in glorious high def beauty. Crossroads is a show that combines two different acts from different genres of music and puts them on stage together to perform each other's songs. Since MHD is an association with MTV, VH1 and CMT, Crossroads is actually a CMT show.

photo courtesy of cmt.com

Can I tell you how good this was? I've watched it three times already and it gets better every time I watch it. Sara Evans has one of the most beautiful voices in all of music, country or otherwise and the Adam Levine's falsetto sounds so good in Sara's songs. Sara compliments some of Maroon 5's songs so well that you would think she has always been part of the band. It was really entertaining and they had real chemistry on stage. Anyway, check it out if you get a chance, even if you're not a fan of country music, you'll appreciate this collaboration.

I just found this out a few minutes ago...guess who's going to be making an appearance in San Diego at ComicCon?

JOHN BARROWMAN! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMFG!

I'm sure I have more to say about this but the only thing I can get out is "....guh...." so maybe I'll leave it at that for now.

A lot can happen in 8 years.

Today, a historic ruling was made by the California Supreme Court that decided gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marriage. I cheered when I heard the news this morning. I thought about all the people I know and love who happen to be in love with someone of their same gender and I felt my heart swell for them.  Although it is not totally fair and equal yet (the Federal benefits, like entitlement of social security benefits from opposite-sex spouses, are still not available to same-sex couples no matter what their state allows), we are one step closer.

I thought about a vote I cast 8 years ago that sat in complete opposition to my current position on the matter. In 2000, I voted to uphold the State's declaration from 1977 which prevented same-sex couples from marrying. This ruling affirmed the belief of Californians that marriage should be the right of only opposite sex couples. Why? Because supposedly allowing same-sex couples to marry would degrade the sanctity of marriage. If we wanted to ban something that defiled the ideal of marriage then we should actually ban most Hollywood celebrities from tying the knot. Nothing has done more to laugh in the face of marriage than the flip attitude of 54 hour quickie marriages by celebrities or the rate of divorce and annulments by same said celebrities. Who are we to say that someone of the same sex could or could not be a better or worse example of the sanctity of marriage?

Rubbish.

Here's my take on it: everyone deserves a fair shot at this. Marriage isn't easy. It's not supposed to be easy, but the payoff is worth it. I can not think of a better or more amazing way to express love, adoration, commitment and devotion better than marriage. I'm not talking about a wedding, although that's nice, too, but I'm talking about marriage -- the wedding is the easy part, the marriage? It's work. Why should we deny anybody the desire to want to work so hard at something? As a human race, didn't adversity make the best innovators?

Honestly, it hit me all at once one day. It was actually not long after that day in 2000 when I cast my vote and couldn't get it out of my head that I had made a mistake. I cheered with my church family on this ruling but secretly felt ashamed for holding up a law that I felt was antiquated and did not address the issue fully (there was, after all, a lot going on in 1977).  There was a lot of talk about sexual orientation being a "choice" that can be flipped on or off and that if gays wanted to get married then they should marry someone of the opposite sex. Simple as that, right? It's just a switch after all. Then I thought: Why on earth would anyone choose to belong to a minority group that has come under as much discrimination as some of the more extreme racial biases in the 50's and 60's? I remember being a Chinese girl in the 80's and wishing my eyes were blue and my hair blonde like Barbie. If I could flip a switch and be my idea of an "American girl" I would have. But I had no choice. It was not my choice to make. God made me just the way I am for a reason. Exactly.

In November, this issue will most likely appear once again on the ballot. I already know how I'm going to vote and it will be a lot different than how I voted before. In 8 years not only has my vote changed, but my attitude has changed as well. I'm not a flip-flopper, I'll tell you that much right now. I usually pick a side and I stick. But I'm not a closed-minded individual either. Far from it, in fact. I am proud to call myself a Republican, too. I know many of you will be shocked that I just said that, but I'm not ashamed of it. I still hold many conservative opinions about our government, but I know when I'm wrong about something and 8 years ago, I was wrong about this issue. I was wrong to think that the word "marriage" only belonged to a select group of us. I was wrong when I cast my vote to uphold a law that was created by a bunch of ultra-conservative politicians that closed their eyes to the emerging issues that will shape our future. I was wrong when I argued that marriage was only meant for opposite-sex couples and everyone else should get domestically registered.

Some of you may not agree with what I've said, I can respect that. But I encourage you to keep an open mind about this. I'm not going to argue your biblical points or claim that you are wrong about anything. I can't. I don't have the capacity to do that. I can, however, tell you 5 things that I am very sure about:

1. God loves us all, regardless of our sexual preference.
2. We live in a democratic society that serves the will of the majority.
3. Everyone deserves the privilege to get married to whoever they want to.
4. I will vote in favor of upholding today's state Supreme Court decision in November.
5. "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best Star Wars movie of all time, no matter how many prequels or sequels are made thereafter.

Celebrate love, celebrate diversity, equality to all.