Idina Menzel Sings "Nobody's Side" from Chess

This is one of Shane's favorite. We have it on DVD and watch it often. Josh Groban co-stars... he can sing great, but his acting skills are not so great.

Runner's World Creamy Chicken Lasagna

This is the magazine photo. Mine wasn't this pretty.

This is a recipe from this February's issue of Runner's World magazine. It was pretty easy and very delicious. It sort of taste like lasagna pot pie. I couldn't find the recipe on their Web site yet, but I assume it will be there eventually. They have lots of good, healthy ideas.

For this recipe, I got cooked chicken off the grocery store salad bar and ground it up (tore it up) with my fingers. The recipe called for 4 cups of shredded chicken, but I used about 2.5. I also only did only two layers of meat rather than three and used only 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, rather than the 4 cups the recipe called for. I also have a smallish lasagna dish, so it all worked out.

You mix the chicken with 8 ounces of cream cheese (2/3 a package), 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil, and 1/4 cup of chicken broth. I used spicy pepper marinara sauce (recipe calls for 3 cups, but I use lots more--5 cups) rather than just tomato sauce. I cooked the lasagna noodles a bit (a couple minutes), but the noodles cook mostly in the oven. Put a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, a layer if noodles, a layer of chicken mixture, some mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Repeat for another layer or two. Top with noodles and a mixture the remaining cream cheese and 1/4 of broth mixture. Cover with more mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake covered with foil at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil top for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Then enjoy!

I Got New Glasses

Above is a recent photo of me in my old glasses and below are my new glasses I got from www.39dollarglasses.com.  I had a coupon, so they cost a grand total of just over $25.  I like them.

Just kidding. My actual new glasses are below.

Aside from looking a bit cross-eyed in the photo, they look better in my mind.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #317

The police strongly advise I halt the "gun therapy" trials.   

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #317.  I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. I thought about going the "depressed and negative" route, but didn't. Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Maude's Reluctant Homecoming-A 15-Minute Ride

Maude stayed with her cat-sitter for the first time ever while we were in Florida. She was at the sitter's for 12 days. It worked out great; maybe a little too great. She didn't seem that interested in seeing us when we went to pick her up. I think she would have been very happy to just stay with the sitter.  

Also, Maude hates being in her carrier. It is not easy getting her in it and she yowls the entire time she is in it. She is back home now and is settling back in. She did seem a bit disoriented when she first came back home, but she is better now. We did show her where the litter pan is again, just to be on the safe side. 

On the Road In NC - Exit 160 Exxon

There was writing on the wall above this asking "What is this?" I don't want to know.

Happy New Year!! - It Is 2012!!

We are having a not so happy New Year's Day, because we are driving the 1,000+ miles back to DC today. Our vacation is almost over. We both have to go back to work on Tuesday. We allowed ourselves a recovery day after our drive to chill and undecorate the DC house. We had the car worked on while in Florida, so we hope there are no issues with that. Hope everyone has an awesome new year!

My Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for 2012

These are my top 10 New Year's Resolutions for 2012--these are the only 10 actually. Since the Mayans could be right and this could be the last year we're all alive, I thought I should have a fun year. If you're alive, check back at the end of next year to see how I did (check back before then though).

10. Read more. I have been reading a lot this week and realize I need to make more time to read in the coming year. The goal is 30 books. I hate to admit how many books I've read this year. Suffice to say it was less than 30. Therefore, reading 30 will be more. This means less TV and Internet, so this may not happen.

9. Try to break the 4 hour marathon (again). I'm scheduled to run the Miami Marathon at the end of January, but I've been quite lax in my training since running the Philadelphia Marathon in November. My legs have not felt great on my runs. They have been quite crampy and spasmy. I'm considering bailing on Miami. I hope I can get my running enthusiasm back. I actually hope to run several marathons next year. In addition to Miami (if I do it), I plan on entering the lottery to run the New York City Marathon, but only 8 to 12 percent of entries get chosen. I'm also considering Wilmington, Delaware.

8. Stop biting my nails, as it is getting difficult to reach certain areas inside my nose. This could be the most difficult resolution for me on the list.

7. Be more creative with my gift giving in the new year, which means no more calendars and candles as gifts. So, if you were looking forward to getting a calendar from me--tough luck.

6. Quit smoking. OK... technically I don't smoke at all, but this really seems like something I can accomplish.

5. Drink more red wine. Red wine is supposed to be good for your heart and I do drink one or two glasses several nights a week, but I want a really healthy heart.

4. Stop using the phrase "that guy." I hate being that guy that uses the phrase "that guy." As a matter of fact, I want to stop using the word "that" altogether.

3. Save more money. I have a specific goal in mind here, but I don't really want to publish my financial information on a public blog.  I will publish my Social Security Number  and my Mother's maiden name, but not at this time.

2. Post more interesting content on my blog, such as kitty videos and mildly interesting top 10 lists. I want to give the people what they want. This may mean buying Maude more holiday-related costumes. She'll be thrilled.

and my #1 New Year's Resolution is....

1. Devise a plan to manipulate Shane into marrying me. Or, let Shane manipulate me into marrying him. We've been together almost 14 years now and we're already an old marry couple in our minds. Not to sound overly romantic, but we just need to get it done to get the limited legal benefits we can from a marriage that is recognized by the District of Columbia, but not by the Federal Government.

The Mullet Are Jumping in Florida

These are the mullets jumping in the canal behind our house in Florida. They jump all the time. Sometimes it is like popcorn. I don't know why they jump, but jump they do. If you have trouble viewing these videos, click here and here to see the Youtube version. The first video shows the fish jumping after a few seconds and the second shows the jumper at the very start (with the fish out of the water).

Also, after each jump you can hear Shane asking if I got it. Though they jump all the time, as soon as you turn on the camera, they go all jump shy. It is hard to actually catch them in the act.

New Year's Resolutions Recap from Last Year

This is the annual post to see how I did at keeping my New Year's Resolutions from last year. Last year, I only made three resolutions--in brief: 1) Run a marathon in less than 4 hours. 2) Post on my blog every day. 3) Score higher than 10,000 on Qrank.

I did pretty good. I did two out of three. I actually scored more than 10,000 on Qrank, a daily trivia game I play on my iPhone and iPad, several times. The first time I did it was actually before 2011, but after I wrote the resolution. The last time I did it was just a few days ago. You can review my Tweets on Twitter (@BlueSpongeRun) to find the exact dates. I post my scores there.

I also accomplished the blogging resolution. I posted at least one thing on here each day in 2011 (assuming I post something tomorrow). I thought if I posted regularly, the people who view my blog my check back more regularly, thus, causing my views to increase. That has happened to some degree, but not that much. Then I started to wonder why I care how many people view my blog. I decided not to care. I like having a blog to review what is happening in my life--what I'm thinking about. It is my diary of sorts, but since people I know do read it on occasion, I can't really include the juicy stuff.

Finally, I did not accomplish one of my resolutions. I missed my first goal by 5 minutes and 43 seconds. I did run a marathon in 2011--the Philadelphia Marathon, but I ran it in just over 4 hours. Of course my ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. I recently saw in Runner's World magazine a stat that only 5 to 10 percent of marathon runners ever qualify for Boston. It does seem like a daunting task. I can't break 4 hours and to qualify at my current age, I have to run a marathon in under 3.5 hours. That means more than a minute faster per mile. With the way my legs have been feeling lately, I wonder if I can do this. Of course, the older I get the more time I have to qualify. If I can keep running into my 80s, I might have a chance.

Top 10 Little-Used Baby Names

Below are the top 10 baby names for boys and girls for 2011.

I thought it would be fun to make a Top 10 List of Little-Used Baby Names. This doesn't mean these are bad names or ugly names. I like several of these names and we named our cat one of the names below. These are just names that people don't name little babies anymore. Personally, I would avoid both the little-used and popular baby lists in actually naming a baby. 


BOYS

10. Finch

9. Floyd

8. Basil

7. Edgar

6. Lurch

5. Loomis

4. Nanook

3. Orville

2. Irving

and the #1 Little-Used Baby Name for a Boy is

1. Adolph

*Interestingly, both Shane's and my father's names are on that list. 

GIRLS

10. Hortense

9. Myrtle

8. Blanche

7. Viola

6. Maude

5. Whoopi

4. Lovie

3. Bertha

2. Ethel

and the #1 Little-Used Baby Name for a Girl is

1.  Mulva (Made popular on the TV show Seinfeld)

Top 10 LGBT Film Characters in 2011

I copied this from TowleRoad blog. You know I can't resist a top 10 list. I have not seen any of these films, but I'll be looking out for them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By NATHANIEL ROGERS 
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

TIS THE SEASON... OF LIST-MAKING

Meryl Streep, recently profiled on 60 Minutes, was asked about playing characters who seem so incredibly different than she herself is, like her upcoming role in The Iron Lady which opens in a week's time. Her answer intrigued:

It always really bothers me when people imagine that characters who don't look like you or don't have the same accent as you are far from you. A great actress Sybil Thorndike said 'I think we all have the germ of every other person inside of us.' And I believe we do."

This is true enough. A well written character of any type can feel human and relatable to anyone with a working imagination. This is especially true for minority moviegoers who learn instinctively to recognize themselves in people who look and seem nothing like them at first glance. Sometimes we have to go long stretches without seeing mirror-like reflections in mainstream pop culture. We may have a germ of every other person inside of us, but it's still thrilling to see something closer to yourself on the screen.
So herewith a list of the best LGBT movie characters of this past year in film. Tis the season of...list making.

Three notes before we begin: I missed the Iranian lesbian drama Circumstance which I've heard is quite good; I'm not touching Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In so as to avoid spoilers; The highest profile film skipped on this list is J. Edgar because you're better off doing just that.

TOP TEN LGBT FILM CHARACTERS OF 2011


This list is dedicated to Jeremy Renner's "Agent Brandt" in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (fun movie) who I pretended was gay the whole time. Rather unexpectedly Renner/Brandt rewarded my mental acrobatics by quipping that Paula Patton's Agent had the easy job during their nuclear code nabbing mission in Dubai --  "Next time I get to seduce the rich guy."

10. LAURENT (Jérémie Renier) in Potiche
This comedy from out French auteur François Ozon didn't need a gay character to endear itself to LGBT audiences. Catherine Deneuve, the hilarious (subtitled) banter and retro 70s eye candy, already performed that trick. But one of Ozon's best jokes in this delightful confection is the latent über gayness of Deneuve's son Laurent; you see it coming long before he does.

09. EVERYONE in X-Men: First Class
Mutants are... different, feared, ridiculed. It's a metaphor, see? Or at least it was a few films ago. Magneto (Michael Fassbender) may have bedded Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in this reboot but it was his BFF Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) who he kept locking eyes with.

08. LISBETH SALANDER (Rooney Mara) in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Everyone's favorite socially maladjusted bixsexual goth icon hacker is back albeit with a new face (Rooney Mara's exquisitely expressive one... even when Lisbeth is trying not to express anything). Lisbeth's number on the Kinsey Scale seems to have shifted ever slightly towards heterosexuality in this new version but she has considerably less angst about girl-on-girl action than about the men. Stick to the ladies, Lisbeth! [Reviewed]

07. PETER GUILLAUME (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Cumberbatch's nerve-wracked spy is not the only Gay in this ultra handsome espionage thriller but naming the others would give too much away. And the movie doesn't want to give anything away, with all the characters keeping their secrets close to the vest and the movie barely whispering them. Nevertheless it's gay enough that Kathy Burke gets a memorable cameo as the department fag hag "My lovely boys... 'The Inseparables'" she says, caressing photos of her former co-workers.

06. FRANCIS (Xavier Dolan) in Heartbeats aka Les Amours Imaginaires 
The beautiful and talented French-Canadian Xavier Dolan wrote, directed and starred in his first two features and film number three is already on the way. Get in early since he'll only be collecting more fans. Heartbeats follows two best friends Francis and Marie (Monia Chakri) who war over the affections of Nicolas (Niels Schneider) who may be into one of them or both or neither. Some people find the film too slight but its so superbly stylish and the bitchy catfights feel human and aggrieved as opposed to performed in reality-tv ready way. See it! [Currently available on Netflix Instant Watch]

05. THE KREWE OF YUGA (various) in Sons of Tennessee Williams
This documentary focuses on a gay rights struggle involving New Orleans costume balls which predated the Stonewall riots by nearly ten years. The documentary tries to do way too much considering its short running time, but I would gladly sit through entire documentaries about any of the original members of this Krewe. Their stories were fascinating, funny and heartbreaking.

04. HUBERT PAGE (Janet McTeer) in Albert Nobbs
Glenn Close's dream project about a woman masquerading as a male waiter in 19th century Ireland is totally stolen by her co-star. Janet McTeer also plays a woman living as a man, but one with a far clearer grasp of her sexual identity. McTeer works emotional wonders in her short screentime especially when she's expressing her feelings for her companion Cathleen, "my life". The love is entirely palpable. Expect McTeer to make a run for a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

03. RUSSELL & GLENN (Tom Cullen and Chris New) in Weekend
Perhaps I should've given this duo the top spot, but they have an advantage as there's two of them. Rising actors Tom Cullen and Chris New work miracles together as a shy lifeguard and outspoken artist in this perfectly modest but transcendent romance. If you haven't seen it yet, you're crazy. If you have, see it again. It's currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. [Read also: Director interview]

02. ALIKE (Adepero Oduye) in Pariah
This feature from lesbian filmmaker Dee Rees made a splash at Sundance last January but Focus Features has mysteriously held it back from release for an entire year. It's marvelous and if it had had a bigger release earlier you might see it winning more critics awards than just a few prizes at the Black Film Critics Circle. Alike, a shy lesbian in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood, is one of the most authentic feeling gay characters to come along in years and from an underrepresented group at that. Oduye proves herself a major new actress as she charts Alike's teen moodswings, sexual excitement and the nervous reaching for inner strength as she faces fickle friendships and homophobic parents. [Opens December 28th in Limited Release]

01. HAL (Christopher Plummer) in Beginners
Like Alike in Pariah, Hal is another under represented gay figure on movie screens. How many full characterizations of gay seniors do we ever get to see? Christopher Plummer's sweet buoyant work as a man who comes out of the closet very late in life elevates this already fantastic whimsical drama about a single artist (Ewan McGregor) struggling to understand his own relationship to romance while grieving the loss of his gay father. The best thing about the movie might well be the sympathy it has for all of its characters and their romantic compromises and quandaries. It looks unblinking at the sexuality of a senior citizen -- how rare is that in the movies? -- and rather than reverting to tired ageism or stopping short at tolerance, expresses admiration and love. "He never gave up." [Review & Director interview]

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #316

The bikes used to have bells, but then it was way too easy to get your wings.  

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #316.  In case you don't get it, it is a reference to the movie, It's A Wonderful Life, where Zuzu says, "Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." You see, if the angels had bikes with bells on them, they could just ring them and get their own wings. Obviously, it isn't funny if you have to explain. Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Beach Panorama from Manasota Key, FL

This is another panorama shot of the beach we went to today. It is near Englewood, FL, on Manasota Key. It is, more precisely, Blind Pass Beach, which is on the Sarasota County side of the key. This is the beach we go to most often when we are in Florida, though it is about 45 minutes from our house. You might be able to spot our two green umbrellas on the beach. The sun was quite bright over the water causing a large white spot in the photo. Also, you might see the dark clouds behind us that eventually caused us to leave the beach when it started to sprinkle. We were afraid it might start to pour. It was otherwise a beautiful beach day.

You can move around the panorama by clicking on the picture and mousing left or right.

Christmas Recap: Stash Includes Adele DVD

We had a really nice Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Shane and I went out to dinner at the River City Grill in Punta Gorda, FL. It was very nice-Shane had steak and I had blackened salmon.

They do a great job of decorating downtown Punta Gorda for the holidays.

Christmas tree in downtown Punta Gorda, FL.

After dinner, we went back to the house and exchanged gifts. Since we did the trip to New York City earlier in the month, we scaled back on the gifts. Shane got me a New Yorker Cartoon desk calendar and a book I wanted, You Are an Ironman. I got him an Italy calendar, a couple books and DVDs (I got some great deals by taking advantage of Borders going out of business). After gifts and dinner, we watched a Christmas episode of All Creatures Great and Small. It was a perfect evening.

We exchanged gifts with my family last weekend and among the stash I got was the Adele DVD of her performance at Royal Albert Hall on blu-ray. There is an excerpt above. Today, we went up to Shane's Mom's house and celebrated with his family. We did some Skyping with both his family and mine. His Mom made a delicious Christmas dinner. We got a beach cart and portable gas grill... along with other cool things.

Shane with his Mom and Grandmother

It was a very nice day--except Shane insisted on washing the car at one point. It was nice having a clean car though. It was filthy as can he noted in his comment of the video I posted of our dashboard lights flashing.

Our cleaned CR-V

I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas!!

These clips are from Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special (the whole show is available for free at www.peewee.com and it is worth the watch). Feliz Blah Blah Blah! 

Panoramic View from Our Dock in Punta Gorda, FL

This was taken with an iPhone app called 360 Panorama. As you can see, the software isn't perfect, as there are some fuzzy areas, but the effect is still pretty cool. This was taken today while standing on the dock behind our house in Punta Gorda, FL. You can move around by clicking and dragging on the photo.

President Obama Gets Best Christmas Gift Ever

The Republicans finally caved on their blocking of the payroll tax break 2-month extension, giving President Obama the best Christmas gift ever. Speaker of the House John Boehner looks like the dumbass he is after showing he has little or no control over the crazy tea party crowd that held the bill hostage. Obama and the Dems look like the sane, smart ones (which they are) and America will still get their tax break and unemployment benefits (for now). Boehner now truly has good reason to do some of that crying he is so famous for. What an idiot.

Top 10 Broadcast Television Shows of 2011

This is my top 10 list of my favorite shows on broadcast television in 2011. This list doesn't include my favorite show of the year, which is American Horror Story, because it is on cable television. I've restricted this list to broadcast television because I'm currently at my house in Punta Gorda, FL, and we don't have cable or satellite TV here. We use an over-the-air digital antenna. Interestingly, we can't get a CBS station here over-the-air. I did include one CBS show in this list, but it is not currently running.

One show that did not make this list, The Biggest Loser, is not on the list because, though I am addicted to the show, I have issues with it and how it works. I think it is a little sick that it uses temptations as part of a game of losing weight. Isn't it a little sick? I admit I do watch it sometimes, but I hate myself for it.

You also might notice that my list is heavy on the comedies and light on dramas. I guess that is just the way I roll. Here's my list of Top 10 Broadcast TV Shows:

10. Glee - I do have issues with this show not having any basis in reality, but you can't deny that it is fun to watch, even if it is to just roll your eyes at the outfits they put Kurt and Blaine in.

9. Raising Hope - There are two very good reasons to watch this show: Martha Plimpton and Cloris Leachman. They are both very funny. The writing is uneven, but has its moments and is often creative.

8. The Middle - My favorite characters in this show are Sue and her ex-boyfriend Brad, the super-stereotypical gay that Sue doesn't have a clue is gay. Brad isn't on often, but when he is, he is fabulous. Even without Brad, the show is often funny.

7. Saturday Night Live - Although this show is a gazillion years old, it still can be water cooler fodder. Kristen Wiig doing Suze Orman and Fred Armisen doing Joy Behar are some recent highlights. It is often not funny, but it can be very funny... just like from day one. I remember loving it back in 1975 with Gilda Radner and the other Not Ready for Primetime Players. Even then, there were lots of duds.

6. The Office - This has been a year of big change on this show, and the verdict is still out if it can survive without Michael Scott. However, some of its best shows were the last ones of last season when Michael was leaving. When he and Holly finally got together on that rooftop, I was really moved. It was good.

5. Big Brother - I know this is a terrible show, but it is a train wreck I can't not watch. Don't judge me.

4. Dowton Abbey - From the ridiculous (Big Brother) to the sublime (this). This was such a good show on PBS and I'm VERY excited a second season is coming in January.

3. Modern Family - Everyone seems to love this show and I hear how great it is all the time. I would have expected with all the hype that it wouldn't be that good, but it really is very good. Though the Cam character is another over-the-top gay, there are people even more flamboyant in the world. You could have knock me over with a feather when I found out the actor  that plays him, Eric Stonestreet, is straight.

2. The New Girl - This is my favorite new broadcast show of the year and best new comedy. Zooey Deschanel is laugh-out-loud funny as the nerdy girl with a heart of gold. Me like.








and my #1 favorite broadcast television show is...

1. 30 Rock - You got to love Tina Fey's smart and funny show about the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of a network comedy show. I watch it over and over.

Breakfast of Champions-Headed for Florida

We started driving to Florida last night after work. We made it to a cheap motel in southern North Carolina that had a free breakfast. Nutrition goes out the window when we're on a road trip. We expect to get to Punta Gorda, FL, by early evening today if we don't run into any trouble.

UPDATE:  We arrived at our house in Punta Gorda a little after 6 this evening with no problems except a few traffic jam delays... nothing too bad though. So good to be back home in Florida!