The "AFA" at it Again:

Who are they attacking now? NBC.

NBC has released that Britney Spears will appear as a guest on Will & Grace; a show famous for their celebrity cameos. According to the press release she is to play a religious conservative TV Personality. She will host a show with Jack that features a cooking segment called “Cruci-fixin’s”. Call me crazy – but that’s a pretty clever play on words if you ask me. This is the second time in less than a month that NBC has been in the hot seat with the religious right group American Family Association. Apparently The Book of Daniel was a little much for them. I never saw the show and in hindsight I wish I had, however, I don’t watch NBC that much, mostly because Scrubs is the only good show.

Tupelo, Mississippi-based group, whose protests helped lead to the cancellation of the network's The Book of Daniel, was ready to call for a boycott of NBC, saying the Spears-fronted episode "mocks the crucifixion of Christ" and "further denigrates Christianity" because the show airs the night before Good Friday. The AFA is urging its supporters to contact NBC affiliates and demand they not broadcast it.

Thanks AFA I am so glad that I have you around to keep me protected from all the very bad things in the world. There is a war going on, um hello…don’t see you too worried about that. I mean we should ban the news while we’re at it. Obviously they don’t watch Action News out of Philadelphia; where the first 10 minutes are stories about shootings, robberies and corruption. I don’t see you knocking on their door trying to shut them down. God forbid you mention Jesus on a television show, they are right there to put a stop to that. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the AFA’s rights to their opinions but should the rest of us suffer the loss of a show because they have deemed it inappropriate. Here’s a solution - get rid of your television, and if you don’t want to do that then turn it off.

And you wonder why I don't go to church.

The Miracle of Life:

Introducing P. Baby. The Doc and I are excited to officially announce to all the world the upcoming arrival of the newest member of our family, which 13 weeks ago consisted of me, the Doc and our two kitty cats Trot and Drew.

This is the first of many pictures to come of our little one. Sunday marked 13 weeks and as you can see from the picture on the left - we have left tadpole phase and entered baby phase.

I have been pregnant now for 13 weeks and honestly I don't feel any different. If I didn't have that picture above I would probably think it was a dream. It's not your typical movie pregnancy where the woman runs to the bathroom to vomit every five minutes. Thankfully that symptom passed me by. When I run to the bathroom every five minutes it is because I have to pee for the twentieth time that day.

August 8th seems like such a long ways away, 189 to be exact*, but I am sure it will be here before we know it.

*Baby countdown compliments of The P. Bride!

The Secret to the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie:

The secret to baking the best chocolate chip cookie* is not the recipe but how the cookie is baked. If you want to make the best chocolate chip cookies go to the store and purchase a pizza stone. I recommend the Large Round Stone by The Pampered Chef, not only does it make the best cookies but it also makes the best pizza. The reason that the stoneware is better than your run of the mill cookie sheet is the way it heats the food. Once the stone is hot it will bake your cookies evenly. Another trick is to use a cookie scoop so that the cookies are virtually the same size. What is nice about the stoneware is that it is guaranteed never to chip, crack or break. Lastly even though I stated above that it wasn't in the recipe; I recommend the Nestle Toll House recipe. I find that they have the best chocolate chips and the recipe is on the back of the bag. Stick with Semi-sweet vs. Milk chocolate - they taste better. Well the cat is out of the bag - but I know my secret is safe with you! Go ahead and try it - I know you won't be disappointed!

*This "secret" also works for any other type of cookie you like to bake - I am also a big fan of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

Traffic Lights:

The traffic lights in this city are effed up. Our favorite Chinese food restaurant is not even a mile away from our house and it can take up to 20 minutes to get there because of the traffic lights. There are about seven intersections with traffic lights once we get onto Girard Street and because this is a city of stupid people, the lights are not synced. The light is red at your intersection and all the other lights are green but by the time you get a green - the others are red. Our favorite is the Berks Street intersection. There is no oncoming traffic from the side streets due to the one ways (which is another weird thing in this city - one way streets change direction) however the light will always turn red as you approach. It does this to vex us but really it's for the walk signal - for all the pedestrians that are never there. You would think that they would have a button and if there was a pedestrian that wished to cross the street they could push the effin' button and then the light would change.

He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich:

The above are lyrics from the famous 80's song Down Under by Men at Work. Now the real question that is on everyone's mind is what the eff is a Vegemite Sandwich? Well since I have no life and the Doc is playing x-box, I took it upon myself to research that very question.

What is Vegemite? "A Vegemite sandwich to an Australian kid is the equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to an American kid - but the taste is QUITE different!"*

Vegemite is a yeast extract product made from leftover beer brewer's yeast extract along with various spices and vegetable additives. Sounds yummy doesn't it! According to my research it's an acquired taste but it is something that Australian children are raised on from birth.

This is the history of the birth of Vegemite. The idea was formed by a man named Fred Walker who wanted a new yeast product to sell with his cheese. The product was created by the chief scientist at the cheese company Dr. Cyril P. Callister, blending the brewer's yeast with celery, onion, salt and some other "secret" ingredients to give it the paste like consistency. My guess is that the "secret" ingredients are secret for a reason. A national contest to name the product offered 50 pounds to the winner. The name "Vegemite" was finally chosen from the entries by Fred's daughter Sheilah .

It took a while for Vegemite to take off, it even went through a name change. Walker joined forces with Kraft foods, changed the name back to Vegemite and started a marketing scheme to get every Australian a jar. Thanks to a special coupon where you would receive a free jar with any purchase of Walker Cheese, you will find a jar of Vegemite in nine out of ten pantries in Australia. It's like the American Express Card for the Australian...you know, don't leave home without it.

*Vegemite information made possible by Linda Stradley, author and creator of What's Cooking America

I just can't get enough:

I feel better that I am not alone on my feelings towards Peyton Manning and the piss poor officiating. The Doc, who is a big fan of Page 2 on ESPN, read this to me - I just had to share.

Click here for a good read.

P. Sophie's NFL Recap:

It was a topsy turvey weekend in the NFL. So strange plays, calls and upsets. I guess that is why football is so exciting. Here are my thoughts in a nutshell:

First of all I have to say that I am underwhelmed by the piss poor referees in the playoff games. It's as if they decided to hire Pee Wee league referees. The first bad call of the weekend came when they called Asante Samuel on a bull shit pass interference call. Watching the replays if a flag was going to be thrown it should’ve been offensive pass interference but I wouldn’t have even called that.

Coach Bill Belichick said Sunday there were "very questionable calls" and that he was "surprised that was the playoff crew" of officials, but didn't blame the loss on those calls.

Belichick is right not to blame the officials for the loss the Patriots couldn’t keep hold of the ball the entire game. You’re not going to win a playoff game when you turn the ball over 500 times. I lost count after Troy Brown dropped the punt. However, it didn’t help moral when calls are being blown such as that.

The second bull shit call of the weekend was in the Pittsburg/Indy game. Troy Polamalu dove for an amazing pick that would have pretty much sealed the deal for the Steelers. But Dungy challenged and somehow the interception was overturned. That official must have left his glasses at home because there is no other explanation for that call to be overturned.

All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu's diving interception of Peyton Manning's throw at the Pittsburgh 48 with 5:26. But when he got up to run and fumbled the ball, then recovered, Colts coach Tony Dungy challenged. Somehow, despite a dozen replays showing Polamalu's catch, the call was overturned by referee Pete Morelli.

"I know they wanted Indy to win this game; the whole world loves Peyton Manning," linebacker Joey Porter said. "But come on, man, don't take the game away from us like that."

Porter, I couldn’t have said it better myself. The whole world does love Peyton Manning. The Steelers stopped any chance for a colts win with huge sack (the fifth of the game) with little over a minute to go - game over right. Well not exactly. The colts still had three time outs but Big Ben just kneel. Instead they hand the ball off to Bettis who fumbles and it’s run back to the Indy 42 – it looked like it may go all the way until Big Ben saved the day with a huge tackle.

It’s one more chance for the great Peyton Manning. He gets his team in field goal range – although a long field goal 46 yards – to send them into OT. Thank goodness for home field advantage and since the Colts play in a Dome a 46 yard field goal is a cake walk. Well not quite. Vaderjagt – Wide Right.

Then the cameras show Dungy mouth “he missed” and they showed Cower mouth “he missed” and so on. It was disbelief all over again for the Colts fans who along with the all the NFL pundits said the Colts were going all the way – this was their year. However, those of us who have watched Peyton Manning choke every year in the playoffs – knew it was inevitable.

It was a huge upset that I for one was happy to see. Not that I am a fan of the Steelers because I am not. In fact I find their fans annoying with their stupid “Terrible Towels” but I hate the hype that surrounds the Colts & Peyton every year more. I lost more respect for the beloved Peyton Manning after his press conference. Sure he must be extremely frustrated, but you don’t play the blame game like he did. Stating, “I don’t want to be a bad teammate but there were definitely some protection issues”. Come on Peyton – I saw some of your passes – they were off the mark. Maybe you’re somewhat to blame too…

In other recaps the Seahawks beat the Redskins w/o MVP running back Sean Alexander and Carolina won it second straight game on the road beating the Bears. Well off to the NFC and AFC Championship games – my Super Bowl predictions:

Denver vs. Carolina

Rockin' Robyn:

Today my little sister is 23. I was going to call her when my cellphone rang. It was my sister calling me on her birthday. She called me because she went on my blog and didn't see a birthday shout out. So Robyn - here it is:

Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday Dear Robyn,
Happy Birthday to You....And Many More!

Finally a Reason to Watch:

The Oscar's. Jon Stewart has been announced as this years host of the 78th Annual Academy Awards this March 5th. I don't usually watch since they are long and most of the time boring. But this year I shall make an exception. I think even the Doc may take time out of his busy schedule to see what Stewart can come up with for this big event. Good Luck Jon - it will probably be the best Oscar's yet!

Thanks a Lot NBC

Scrubs fifth season premiere was Tuesday. Two episodes; funny as hell and the Doc and I almost missed it. We knew it was to start sometime in January, but we had no idea when. Why? Because NBC advertises the hell out of The Office and My Name is Earl and NOT Scrubs. Not that those other shows aren't funny (I mean I wouldn't know I don't watch them) but come on. I know I don't watch a lot of NBC anymore but I figured I would've seen something flipping through stations. Thanks to the Orange Bowl the Doc noticed it on our Direct TV guide.

That was a close one - check it out if you haven't - it's by far the BEST show on TV EVER!

It's tough beating the boys all the time:

So I recently won the "Park Football League" aka PFL Fantasy Football Drew Box. It’s the third year in a row competing in the Super Bowl, second year in a row as champion. I lost the first year to the Doc - that was back when Jamal Lewis wasn't a drug dealer.

I should mention that I am the only female in the league or so I thought until I crushed the competition (again) and defended my title as champion. I was in another league that my supervisor at work got me to join. Again I was the only female and not knowing any one other than my supervisor I got a lot of trash talk from the guys. I ended up in third place in that league and proved myself as a knowledgeable fantasy footballer. Yes, it’s true; I don’t just choose a player because he looks hot in the tight pants.

So today I would like to gloat and celebrate my triumphant victory as reigning champion. Better luck next year boys!

'Time to make the doughnuts'

Michael Vale, the actor best known for his portrayal of a sleepy-eyed Dunkin' Donuts baker who said "Time to make the doughnuts," has died. He was 83.

He was a pop culture icon and Dunkin' Donut commercials were never the same after his retirement in 1997. You'll be missed Fred the Doughnut man.

Shout out to Princess B

Just wanted to give a shout out to the other Princess on the block. Today she is older and wiser. Happy Birthday!

Home for the Holidays

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home

So the Doc and I are back in NH. There is snow on the ground and even though the temperatures are supposed to reach high 40's - it will still be a white Christmas! Hope everyone in blogger land has a wonderful Holiday and all the best in the upcoming New Year!

Frankie Says Relax:

Today the Doc and I spent a fabulous day of doing NOTHING! It was fantastic. I got up at 7am as I usually do on the weekends (don't ask me why), cleaned my kitchen and watched some TV. At 10am I woke up the Doc, he has worked without a day off for two straight weeks including three call nights, and he desperately needed to sleep in.

After getting up we got dressed and went out to Roosevelt Blvd for some x-mas shopping and to enjoy a nice lunch at the Olive Garden. Don’t worry we were home in plenty of time for the Patriots game to start! Nothing like Saturday football! It was pure joy to watch the defending super bowl champions in full form crushing the TB Bucs! I see good things for the playoffs. I would guarantee another trip to the super bowl but without Rodney Harrison – well let’s just say I won’t bet the house on it!

After the game was over we drove down the street to the supermarket to pick up some things for a nice dinner of Chicken in a Sherry Mushroom Sauce. It was yummy if I do say so myself. I can get used to this cooking thing again – although the Mandarin House will be very, very disappointed (wink).

Next on our agenda of doing NOTHING we watched the second disc of 24 season 4 which arrived from Netflix today. The show just gets better and better. Although becoming a little more predictable the plot is still just as good! As our day of NOTHING quickly comes to an end (the Doc is on call tomorrow and he’ll be going to bed early) there are only two things left I have to say: Tiki Barber and Larry Johnson you both can kiss my bootie.

I hope that all of you in blogger land had as nice a day as the Doc and me. Only seven more shopping days until Christmas! Now all I have to do is finish my x-mas cards – I got most in the mail but I still have some left…next year I will be more prepared and not run out of cards!

Uh, That's Dr. & Mrs. to You:

Ok, so I am 26 years old and when I get x-mas cards in the mail from my 26 year old friends and it's addressed to Mr. and Mrs. well, let's just say it makes me feel really old. I'm still a kid you know. Gosh, that's my mother-in-law (and she would say that it's her mother-in-law). No offense to my married friends but I am sure that I won't ever address them as Mr. and Mrs. Blah Blah even when I am 46 years old. What is wrong with saying John and Mary Smith? Besides if we're to get technical about it the Doc and I should be addressed as Dr. and Mrs. - after all we did shell out $160,000 for the title. So just remember if you're gonna make us feel like gomers do it the right way!! (wink) Just something interesting I noticed today...

U.N. Representative: So, Mr. Evil...
Dr. Evil: It's Dr. Evil, I didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School to be called "mister," thank you very much.
*quote from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Movin' On Up

Well, we're movin' on up (movin' on up)
To the east side (movin' on up)
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin' on up (movin' on up)
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

And that's all I have to say about that...

We’ll Do What’s Necessary ‘Cause Even a Miracle Needs a Hand

The Doc is on call tonight and I am watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is one of my favorites however, Twas the Night Before Christmas has to be my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time. It is about believing in something even if you can’t see it. When all the towns’ people’s letters from Santa are returned to sender we find out that a little boy mouse Albert wrote an editorial about Santa not being real, signed Anonymous. Joshua Trundle a simple clock maker tries to save Christmas by building a clock so big when it strikes midnight it will play a song that will bring Santa to their small town. I love the songs like Even a Miracle Needs a Hand or Christmas time is Calling Santa, Santa...etc. I can watch it over and over. Of course there is the other classic A Christmas Story which you can watch for 24 hours on TNT on Christmas Eve..."your gonna shoot your eye out!!"

Charlie Brown: (shouting in desperation) Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?

Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.) "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'". That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie brown.

Happy Holiday's!

A Birthday Shout Out:

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday! Happy Birthday from the Doc and the Princess.

Santapalooza 2005

Yesterday marked the Sixth annual Santapalooza Extravaganza. It was a blast! Santapalooza was started back in 2000 when a bunch of college kids decided to have a “grown up” dinner party. We do a gift swap, eat great food and mostly just catch up on each others lives. The tradition continues and sometimes we even get some new faces we haven’t seen in a while! And as for the old faces, we really missed you!! For those who made the trek, we had a blast!!!!

Our menu (courtesy of Princess B & me) consisted of homemade meatballs and sauce; scallops wrapped in bacon, stuffed mushrooms, bread, salad and Lindt chocolate truffles for dessert. Oh and of course we can’t forget the wine! There is nothing like reminiscing about the days of old with a glass of really good wine! Here is wishing everyone a fantastic start to the Holiday Season. Until next year!