Little Peppermint Candies (and Other Blessings)

There are almost no words to express how blessed we have been this year, for which we are truly grateful.  I say “almost” because I always have words, of course.  However, as another Thanksgiving comes to an end, I thought I’d like to express my thanks for some of the smaller pleasures of the holiday as well:

Verizon Stores on Every Street Corner.  Like Starbucks and McDonald's, Verizon stores now grace every village in America.   This was fortuitous when my husband dropped his cell phone upon arriving at his parents’ house and shattered the screen.  The nearest Verizon store was practically within walking distance of my in-laws’ house.

On-the-Scene Reporting from Black Friday.  Mind you I wouldn't be caught dead shopping after midnight at any retail store on Black Friday (preferring as we do to spend the day in New York City, which is at least as crazy).  But thanks to Richard, my son’s childhood friend who is kind enough to let me be his Facebook Friend, I enjoyed wildly entertaining posts of his annual Black Friday shopping trip with his mother, complete with photos.

Little Peppermint Candies – When I returned from the restroom after lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Market in Times Square, my face lit up and I actually squealed with excitement upon finding a whole handful of peppermint candies at my place setting.  I didn't even mind when my husband and son told me I had missed the Forrest Gump quiz the waiter gave them in my absence.   I don't actually like that movie, but this restaurant inspired by it is just dandy.

Our Dodge Caravan – This van has seen a lot of living in seven years, with its dings, scratches, and an electronic door on the right hand passenger side that's been broken for longer than it was functional.  However, it can hold lots of stuff (the reason we bought it in the first place) and seats six or seven people, which I appreciated again as we were traveling to Thanksgiving dinner with five people on board (and room to spare).

My Knees – Just like Pittsburgh, New York has lots of unavoidable steps. There were long flights of steps at the restaurant and the theater, and let me tell you that wild horses couldn't have kept me from the restrooms on the second floor of the McDonald’s after that extra-large cup of coffee I drank on the way into the city. But this time I navigated the steps without incident – my knees took a lickin' but kept on tickin'.

Third Generation Family Members – It is always a delight to catch up with “the kids”, who are all in their 20's and doing exciting things with their careers and starting relationships these days.  But they are also savvy users of technology who are happy to share their expertise with their older, slower relatives.  A heartfelt thanks to my young cousin Sarah for showing me how to upload pictures from my camera to Facebook, which I managed to do all by myself later (with only a little sweat and tears).

Words with Friends Bingos This actually falls into the “Thanksgiving miracle” category, but I used all the letters in my hand TWICE for a total of 153 points in a recent Words game with Scott, my most formidable Words opponent, and…wait for it…actually WON the game by a healthy 85 points!  I did not believe that I won until I saw the final score with my own eyes because Scott, who is a charming person in real life, has a way of coming from behind to win in the rare instances where he is not winning the game all along. 

It ain't over till it's over, and trust me, when I won, you probably heard this fat lady sing wherever you were. 

Steppin' Aht

It was date night in Pittsburgh.  My husband and I were going to have dinner and see a show downtown.

I had gotten a little ambitious on the elliptical treadmill at the Y the day before the show and so my poor old arthritic knees were feeling a little vulnerable. I figured that I would just wear my best black sneakers for the show and avoid steps. I thought that I should be able to do this and be just fine.

But the city had other ideas.  I encountered my first unavoidable flight of stairs in the parking garage.  The elevator wasn't working so I had to take the stairs.  Eight flights down.  Even leading with my bad leg, my knees were not happy with me.

I met my husband for dinner at the “Taste of Dahntahn.” I had never been there before.  Earlier, my husband (not a Pittsburgh native) helpfully started to spell it for me so I could check out the menu online, but I stopped him.  Please!  I am Swissvale born-and-raised –I KNOW how to spell “dahntahn.”

At the restaurant they sat us at a high top table, which made it necessary to either dangle my legs, or tuck them back to rest on a narrow ledge.  Neither a good option for my gently aching knees.  We asked if we could have one of the nearby booths instead, and they explained that those were reserved for 3 and 4 tops, especially before a show.  They did however give us a two-person table (on the floor) in an adjacent room just as soon as one was cleared off, where we were seated next to two “four-tops” which were populated by two people each.

For a full review of the restaurant you might want to check out my husband’s review on Yelp! http://www.yelp.com/biz/taste-of-dahntahn-pittsburgh#hrid:qy4zKZbNGFn9oAJb7otx_g   Just suffice it to say that after having some of the best salad and worst service I've ever had in a restaurant, I headed for the restroom. This turned out to be down a very long flight of steps, which were, for reasons entirely unrelated to my knees, also unavoidable.  My knees were really starting to complain after I went down and back up those steps.

So then we were off to the theater.  I barely have words to describe War Horse, and what an achievement took place on stage that evening.  Let’s just say that the show takes puppetry to a new level, and the overall experience was exhilarating. I almost forgot about my knees. 

Ah, but during intermission my knee gave out with all the old, familiar, pain.  Okay, Pittsburgh Steps, I thought, I give up!  You win.

There were a few more flights to navigate to leave the theater, but I finally escaped the city, and its mad plot to destroy my left knee.

The Steps of Pittsburgh may have taken that night.  However, my daily knee exercises coupled with my chiropractic visits means that my knee was healthy, relatively pain-free and fully functional again on the very next day. Changing to the cycling machine at the gym for the next few days meant I could keep up my exercise routine without further compromising my knee. The Steps may have won that battle, but I’m winning the war.  

The Tommy Awards

Oh, so many questions with no clear answers.

If the producers of Dancing with the Stars had to have an all-star season, wouldn't it have been more compelling to feature fan favorites, runners up, and legitimate contestants who had never won the coveted mirror ball trophy (instead of nearly half of the contestants being past winners)?  And if every returning contestant couldn't dance with his or her original partner, shouldn't they all have had new partners for the season?

Perhaps the DWTS powers-that-be would have been better off to have had one entertaining awards show to pay recognition to some special achievements (both good and bad) by DWTS contestants, instead of a whole all-star season.  They could call them the Tommy Awards (or the “Tommies”) after DWTS Emmy-award-winning host Tom Bergeron.

Maybe I could get them started. And the Tommies go to….

Best-in-Show Celebrity Contestant

Donny Osmond , the oldest celebrity to win DWTS, was the perfect contestant.  He was a very good dancer and he took the dancing seriously, but did not take himself seriously.  He is one of the nicest and most likable celebrities ever, and not just on the show.  He simply couldn’t lose.

Worst Dancer Ever (TIE)

Master P has the distinction of receiving an 8 out of a possible 30 on one of his dances, the lowest total judges’ score in the history of the show.  And the judges were being generous.

Kate Gosselin, an abysmal dancer, managed to infuriate Tony Dovolani, a typically unflappable and endlessly patient pro partner, so much that he stormed out of one rehearsal in disgust.

Lasted Too Long Awards

Bristol Palin only edges out Jerry Springer, Cloris Leachman and Billy Ray Cyrus in this category because she stayed longer than they did (she was a finalist who came in third).

Least Sympathetic Contestant with a Disability

Former wife of Paul McCartney, Heather Mills is an amputee who was dancing with one prosthetic leg.  She constantly complained about how this made dancing so difficult.  Please, Heather, tell it to Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee who was an Olympian sprint runner.

Best Pairing of Celebrity and Pro Dancer

I have no idea who ever thought to put Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy together.  Frankly, I thought it was a disaster waiting to happen.  Kirstie is quirky and outspoken, and Maks can be impatient and overbearing.  Somehow, these two are perfect together – veritable BFFs.

Best On-Air Use of a Former Contestant

A sportscaster who was justifiably the first dancer to leave in his season, Kenny Mayne now returns regularly to the show to host the highly entertaining “Dance Center” (a parody of “Sports Center”).

They Were Robbed Awards

In a crowded field of dancers who were voted off before they deserved to go, Sabrina Bryan is the hands-down winner, because she went too soon TWICE – once in her original season and again as an All Star.  Runners up include Stacy Keibler, Laila Ali, Gilles Marini , Mel B, William Levy, and Katherine Jenkins.

Worst Free-Style Dance

Marie Osmond came out dressed like a doll, and it went downhill from there.

Most Inspirational Contestant

War hero and burn victim J.R. Martinez became the most inspirational contestant just by showing up, but then went on to heighten the inspiration by winning his season.

Marlee Matlin was a close second.  She danced very well despite not be able to hear the music, and she did so without complaint. Are you listening to this, Heather?

Best Free Style Dance of All Time

In a tribute to Dirty Dancing and her late, great co-star, Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey came out in her outfit from the beginning of the movie, carrying a watermelon.  She proceeded to dance to “Do You Love Me?” from the show.  Way to choke me up and win the show, Jennifer.

Best Dancer Who Actually Won Their Season

Kristy Yamaguchi was perfection on the dance floor like she was perfection on skates, probably due to that stellar work ethic of hers that Scott Hamilton and Kurt Browning always talked about.

And so that concludes our first-ever Tommy Awards for achievement by Dancing with the Stars celebrity contestants.  Honestly, I don’t why the producers haven’t hired me as a writer yet.

A Long Strange Week

What a long strange week it’s been.

On Monday, Hurricane Sandy combined with a Nor’easter to create the perfect storm, although there is nothing perfect about the death and devastation it left in its wake in New Jersey and New York.   We have a lot of family and friends in the affected areas, and thankfully they all came through okay, although some were left without power for several days and some are without power still.

Back in Pittsburgh we were lucky.  While our neighbors to the East were trying to figure out how to begin to recover from the aftermath of Sandy, and areas all around us were hit with snow, the effects of this historic storm on our area was.... rain, and lots of it.  Oh, and it was windy, and there were some downed trees.  In other words, it was a typical southwestern Pennsylvania rainstorm.

That did not keep us from panicking.  Schools were closed on Tuesday, and I don’t fault the authorities for being preventative in their preparations for the storm that could have been much, much worse. I wonder how sheepish they felt when the kids were all home from school because it was raining outside.  And they definitely jumped the gun when townships throughout the area postponed trick or treat from Halloween night (Wednesday) to the following Saturday. 

Then on Tuesday we found out that America inexplicably voted Sabrina Bryan out far too early on Dancing with the Stars- All Stars - again.  In the sixth week, just like the first time she was on the show.  Sabrina was clearly distraught, and so was everyone else on the show.  She broke down completely during her final dance.  Suddenly, as much as I love the show, I could not get so worked up about this.  I mean, really, it’s just a dance show.  Winning it or losing it is not that big a deal.  I mean, does she have an intact home with working electricity? 

Frankly, I’m more interested in America getting it right when they vote this coming Tuesday.  After all it is the fate of the country that hangs in the balance after that vote, not a mirror ball trophy for a celebrity.  Of course, the impending election is taking its toll just as surely as the aftereffects of the hurricane, as is evidenced by a video that was all the rage this week of the little 4-year-old girl crying inconsolably because she was tired of hearing about the candidates.  I think we can all relate.  “Oh, Honey,” her mother comforted her, “don’t worry, the election will be over soon.”  

And then, just when you thought the week couldn't get any wierder, Heidi Klum took off her makeup to encourage women to do the same for some charity fundraiser in the UK, and… she never looked lovelier.  Heidi Klum is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous without her makeup.  No one looks that good without makeup.  I bet if she went to Giant Eagle like that, no one would ask her if she were very tired or sick or something because of the dark circles under her eyes. I bet she never once had to rely on her personality or her smarts or her good sense of humor to get by.  It just isn't fair, I tell you.

The week finally came to an end, and we actually saw a little sun on Saturday.  Here’s to a better week ahead.  Let’s hope that we have a respite from wicked weather, dancers unfairly eliminated from dance shows, and celebrities flaunting their naturally beautiful faces in front of us.  

Of course, I’m sure there will be a few more tears shed over the election before it’s all over.