I like things real. My new personal motto might just become “let’s cut the baloney.” Right now…and for the past couple years it’s been “it’s not worth fighting about.” That’s been a good one. That one has served me well. But change is important…I think I might have ranted on that topic before…and I think now’s a good time for a motto change. I guess I can put a line through the tattoo I have on my back that says, “it’s not worth fighting about” and above it put…in cursive: “let’s cut the baloney”. Just kidding. No tats. I promise.

Larry Shoenfeld is real…no one really got that when I said it, but I totally meant it and it seems important to me. Barb’s just…I mean, I get it, but she’s so wrapped up in her own head she doesn’t know anything else is going on on the planet and anyone that’s different is against her…which isn’t true. I guess another part of “being real” is recognizing your own feelings, but that is about all Barb recognizes sometimes. Where does she get off looking down her nose at people like Larry? I’m people like Larry, darn it. I love Larry and don’t know why I have to care if she does or not. I’m not trying to be pouty or selfish—seriously, I’m not—look…I’ve been there for Barb a lot and I’m not looking for payback. I just…I’m not trying to rag on Barb. I’m not against her at all. I just…my parade doesn’t have to be rained on just because she’s convinced hers is drenched. Why can’t I have friends like Larry and Suzy without her? (Between you, me, and the keyboard, Larry doesn’t really like her all that much either so why does it even matter?) But they could be my friends. I want that. He smells like…saw dust…kinda? Saw dust mixed with bourbon and I love it. That’s real. And, as stupid as this sounds, Suzy’s fake boobs make her more real to me, too. I know. That’s dumb. But…you know?

Speaking of “real”, though, you know who’s the best, and most real person on TV besides Regis Philbin? The host on “So You Think You Can Dance”, Cat Deely. She’s…AWESOME. I wanna hug her! I love the way she says “judges”…I don’t know how to write it …but she says something “jidgiz” in this really cute, British way. She’s great. She’s the best host on TV, hands down. She seems like she is so cool and even though she’s got a rockin bod, she’s not all, “hi, I’m British and I’m on TV. Kiss my feet…blah, blah, blah.” She seems like the kind of girl that tells really funny, dirty jokes, drinks beer, and plays pool better than you would imagine. And I love how she is with the contestants. Those kids are scared poopless up there and she treats them like she’s their big sister. She squeezes their shoulders and gives them these great complements, even if the “jidgiz” are tearing them up. I love her! I love that show. Has anyone else been watching? I mean, I know like millions of people are in the country, but I don’t know how many people watch that show AND read my li’l blog here. 5, maybe? Or maybe more, I don’t know. Maybe you all do. Do you? You should. It’s awesome. I watch that show and I honestly wonder if, given like a day or two, I could learn those routines. There’s no way I could do them as well as the contestants on the show--I mean, they’re wannabe pros, right?—but I think I could do some of it. Maybe Teenie and I could learn one one time and perform at a family home evening. Would probably be smart to stay away from a hip-hop routine, but…we could do a tango or something cool like that. That would be awesome. One more “what’s out there” thing. Sarah gave me this video to watch and I loved it so much that I really want you guys to watch it, too. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVGgGW1ZalY (We don’t know the singer or anything…this isn’t advertising, I promise…we just love the song and the video and thought you might, too.) She seems so…(can I say it one more time?)…REAL. I take it as a great sign of a young woman’s character when you can tell that old people just love being around her. That’s what I feel about this girl…watching this video. First of all, it’s cool to have your video be with a bunch of old people…don’t see that too much…but then, the fact that they light up around her…I don’t know. That makes me feel good in a goofy way. Fine. Laugh at me. I don’t care!!

Two final things I need to clear up: Rudy0924, from what I understand, Buddhists’ goal is to become “one with the universe”…I’m sure I’m butchering that, but, in a nut shell, I think that’s accurate. So, when he goes to the hot dog vender and says, “make me one with everything”, he could be talking about the dog or the philosophy…get it now? Hope so. And marty118, you got it. Bill explained “the situation” (the head counts, etc) once we started getting to know one another. But he didn’t explain “The Principle” right off the bat and the philosophy behind it all. Know what I mean? It wasn’t until a little later that I began to understand the religion behind it all and what it all meant. I knew the logistics from the get-go, but not the more important stuff. I knew the “what”…but learned the “why” later on, as I started being in the houses more often. Sorry to confuse you.