Play it Smooth Winner Announcement

I will post the winners tonight.  Thanks for playing! 

Stuffs (and gift suggestions I suppose)

I'm tweaking my template. It is borked in IE, but what else is new. I've tried everything I know of to fix it. I recommend looking at this site in anything but IE. I'm in Firefox right now and it's beautiful.

In other news, I've added a list of my Favorite Reads from Amazon over there to the left. I can honestly say I've read 90% of the books on my list. And I'm not done adding them. I'm a huge Peter Straub and Nicholas Sparks fan. I also love John Grisham and have a strong like for Stephen King. Something about him skeeves me out just a little. I have read all three of Eleanor Herman's books, well, I'm half way done with Mistress of the Vatican and I cannot wait to read King Peggy. And as you already know, I fell in love with Oogy.

With all this free time on my hands, Santa is bringing me a slew of new books for Christmas. I cannot wait to read You had me at Woof and Santa scored me a first edition, signed copy of Peter Straub's A Dark Matter and it's companion, A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter. He is also bringing me Room, Not Without My Sister, and Damaged.

I should be sufficiently busy until at least May.

Satellite Television - I LOVE IT! (okay, it's the news channels really)

Hello, my name is U2BM and I am an addict. A news television junkie.

I have worked in legal offices for nearly 20 years. In all but three of those offices we had some sort of television in the conference room or reception area. Recently, we decided that we wanted some type of cable or satellite television in the office so that we could keep up with the national news networks while we work. Because in real life, every one of us is a news junkie who cannot stand not being connected to the world Every. Single. Minute. of the day. The building we occupy hooked up direct tv for lobby dwellers, and there is also a television streaming national news in the cafeteria.  I just needed to decide between direct tv and http://www.dishbusiness.com/index.shtml.  I recalling reading about direct tv for hospitals so I figured it wouldn't be that hard to arrange for my office. When I called to set up service in our office, it was easy as pie. Because there was already satellite in the building it was a matter of running wires and hooking up our televisions. First of course, I had to buy televisions. The boss wanted one specific to his office. We wanted one in the big conference room and we also wanted one in the reception area. Done and done. Now the only problem we have is that sometimes, national news being so addictive and all, on big news days, well, productivity is slightly less than normal.

Now, as soon as a certain contract with a certain other satellite company expires, my house will be directv too. At my house, news networks are always on in the background of my den while I am working or in the family room while I am cooking.

Crazy Love - Michael Buble

The below mentioned product(s) was/were given to me at no charge for review. I am not being monetarily paid for this review (other than receipt of the free product). I will give my honest opinion and thoughts regarding said product(s).

Warner Bros Records has asked me to review the newest Michael Bublé CD, Crazy Love.

The official word from Warner Bros is this:

'Crazy Love', Michael Bublé's first CD in two and a half years, features two original songs along with his always original take on 11 standards from various eras. The multi-Grammy winning artist hunkered down in recording studios in LA, Brooklyn, New York and his hometown of Vancouver for the last six months to make his 'ultimate record about the inevitable roller coaster ride of relationships.' The first single, 'Haven't Met You Yet,' written by Bublé (with Alan Chang and Amy Foster) is scheduled to be released to radio on August 31st. Additional tunes on the album include 'Cry Me A River,' 'You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,' 'Georgia On My Mind' and 'Baby (You've Got What It Takes)' which was performed with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. The title song is a cover of the Van Morrison gem 'Crazy Love.' The CD closes out with a haunting version of 'Stardust' which is performed with the acapella group Naturally 7. The album was produced by David Foster, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica.

I have listened to the CD over and over this week while cleaning my house and doing my homework and cooking dinner and I love it. Sometimes I don’t really care for a particular cover of a song coughMr. & Mrs. Jonescough, however, I can say that his cover on this CD of Heartache Tonight and All of Me are two of the best I have heard in a long time. IMHO of course. I was going to put the CD in the car so I could listen on my way to work but I can’t keep it out of my daughter’s room long enough. If she was older, she would probably be one of those weird stalker fans. She has a photo collage on her nightstand of various Michael Bublé CD covers, flowers and a wedding ring. I’m not sure exactly where she’s going with that. She is only 12 after all. I'll be broke if she ever finds out there is an official Michael Bublé website.

Warner Bros has also authorized a contest. YEAH! WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! I will be giving away FIVE Crazy Love CDs to FIVE lucky winners. The CDs are valued at $18.98 each. The only catch is, wait! There is no catch!

The Rules:

“The Michael Bublé ‘Crazy Love’ CD giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.”

To Enter:

Leave a comment (including a VALID email address) here telling me your favorite Michael Bublé song and bingo presto, you’re entered. Get an extra entry for each Twitter, Facebook or blog post about the contest. Just leave a separate link for each extra entry. The contest will run until midnight, November 7, 2009, when comments will close and winners will be randomly chosen.

Zing Zang Zoom! The Circus is Coming!

Hey kids! Guess what? (don’t you hate it when people say guess what and you have absolutely no idea what the heck they’re asking you to guess about?)

The Circus is coming! Zing Zang Zoom! The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus is coming to Phoenix, like, right now. This month!

The following dates and times have been scheduled for the Phoenix showing at US Airways Center:

Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Friday, June 26, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 27, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 28, 2009, at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.

If you would like to attend any of these showings, here is deal you cannot resist:

Purchase a family 4-pack of tickets for only $44 at www.ticketmaster.com and enter the coupon code: MOM

The best part of all? As if the circus coming to town wasn’t cool enough: You can win tickets right here! Simply leave a comment here telling me your favorite circus memory (or lack thereof). I will choose a random winner Friday, June 19th, at 8:30 p.m. Arizona time. I will email the winner and you must get back to me that night with your name. You will be able to pick up your tickets (with a valid picture ID) at Will Call the night of the show.

Oh Look! A Princess! (Win Tickets!)

Hey, did you know that Disney on Ice, Disneyland Adventure is coming to Phoenix? In April? Well, you do now!

The following dates and times have been scheduled for the Phoenix showing at US Airways Center:

Thursday, April 9, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 10, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 12, 2009, at 1:30 and 5:30 p.m.

If you would like to attend any of these eight showings, here is deal you cannot resist:

Purchase a family 4-pack of tickets for only $44 at www.ticketmaster.com and enter the coupon code: MOM

The best part of all? You can win tickets right here! Simply leave a comment sharing what it would mean to you as a parent to take your kids to this show. I will chose a random winner Wednesday, April 2^nd at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time. I will email the winner and you must get back to me that night with your name. You will be able to pick up your tickets (with a valid picture ID) at Will Call the night of the show.

Bring on the sharing!

Reviews

This is probably the crappiest review blog there is. I haven't reviewed anything in weeks.

Back off. I've been busy.

The following reviews are coming up though:


and



and

versus

I know. You can't wait.

The Shout House - Westgate City Center, AZ

For the first time in years, we went to a bar. We being The Man and I. It was a friend’s birthday and his wife wanted us to meet them at a local sports bar to play some pool or darts. Since The Man stopped drinking all those years ago, he is not EVER keen on the idea of going to a bar. Any bar. Even if they serve food. I know and respect this and I don’t pressure or pout. Hell, most of the time, I don’t even ask if we will go when we’re invited. However, this time, something felt different so I went ahead and asked. I’m glad I did.

We ended up not going to the sports bar. Instead, we went to a place called The Shout House. It is located next to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Westgage City Center. Westgate sits between the Jobing.com arena and the University of Phoenix Stadium (think of the 2008 Super Bowl).

At first I wasn’t sure what to expect. The nightclub is a 21 years and older club whose claim to fame appears to be dueling pianos and while I was intrigued and even a little giddy at the prospect, I wasn’t sure how The Man would take it. He dislikes all things not Rock and Roll or Country. He is not a fan of live music. Let alone piano music. I had the feeling our stay would be short and right along the lines of “making an appearance to be nice.”

I was wrong.

We walked in and saw the stage. A relatively large stage with two grand pianos that face each other. The wall behind the stage was floor to ceiling mirror. The mirror was slightly tilted so the audience could have a better view of the players. There were two fully stocked bars serving mixed drinks and beer and something called the Big Ass Beer (since The Man and I don’t drink, we didn’t know exactly how big the Big Ass Beer really was.) However, I bought a round for the birthday boy, which consisted of a Southern Comfort and Coke, a Coors Light and two plain cokes for The Man and I. It cost a whopping $10.

There were four rotating piano players the night we were there but when I quizzed the door man, I found out they have seven players who not only play piano, they also rotate playing drums and bass. They play and sing all range of music from rap to country to hip/hop and rock and roll. They also tell some pretty funny jokes and sing some rather racy songs as the night wears on.

At one point (okay, three points which appeared to be the top of the hours), the servers and bartenders jump onstage (and on the bar) and perform routines. When we got there they were doing a routine from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and as the night wore on, they performed to Roller Coaster (of Love) and Macho Man (wherein the men and women grab their own crotch in a Michael Jackson-esq lift and pull). The men took of their shirts and I was not complaining. At. All.

While we were there, the audience sang along, was included in many songs, joked with the players and were brought onstage for birthday wishes, bachelor parties, and other forms of embarrassment. The cover charge was minimal and the food/drinks was totally reasonable.

All in all, I really enjoyed the experience. It was not a rowdy bar and it did not seem like the typical “meat market” that I’ve been to in the past. The age range of customers was from college aged kids to middle age all the way up to a older (meaning 50+) couples. The Shout House has a full bar as well as a menu with food such as pizza, hamburgers and sandwiches, salads and appetizers.

Most shocking of all, The Man agreed it would be fun to go back for dinner and sit around and watch the show! I almost fell over.