something's burning

Ick. Who's lame enough to come down with a cough and fever the morning of New Year's Eve, when we have not one, but two fun parties to attend? And even lamer, to get sick on the Saturday of a 3 day weekend. Can't even get a sick day from work.

This always seems to happen when I get back into the exercising and eating right groove. You'd think my body would be happier with all the clean living. My trusty digital thermometer (cheapy one from Longs Drugstore) tells me I'm at 101.4 degrees. (How do you get a degree sign to show up anyway when there isn't one on they keyboard??)

And we bought a fairly expensive chocolate mousse cake to take to Nathalie's party tonight, which will now sit in the fridge because TJ doesn't know them well enough to go there by himself. Danger Will Robinson! At least he will go to the Calixtos' for a few hours and take them the cute little bottles of bubbly we bought them at Seattle Cellars.

Weighing myself today was lame too. (It's been a lame day all around, ladies and gentlemen.) I lost the mysterious half pound I gained last week. So I'm where I was 2 weeks ago. Fabulous. But I have completed 11 workouts in the past 2 weeks which is probably more than I worked out in the 3 months before that, so that's still an accomplishment.

Actually, the one high point of the day was watching the Pilot episode of The Closer on TNT, starring Kyra Sedgwick. We watch so many crime dramas (3 flavors of Law & Order and CSI) that I didn't think it would be all that good, but WOW, was I wrong. An interesting plot line, though TJ, smartypants and TV connoisseur that he is, picked up on it at the beginning, but it wasn't blatantly obvious like on bad shows.

Here are some of the other reasons why I liked it so much:

1. Kyra Sedgwick's character is quirky, not in a TV, outlandish, Mimi sort of way, but reassuringly normal. I *loved* the part where she's faced with a box of donuts, keeps giving them sideways glances, finally picks one up, holds it, puts it down on her desk and licks off the glaze from her finger. Later in the episode she finds the donut and finally just tosses it into the trash with conviction. (Now all of this is kind of in the background while she's talking about something critical to the plot.) Just a really cool little real-life attention to detail there.

2. She's not "too pretty" for the role, and dresses in a way that's actually believable for a detective. (Don't talk to me about Ally McBeal or Angie Harmon, etc.) Her accent is also adorable, though I think people from Atlanta don't really have such a thick accent. Maybe the Georgians out there can correct me...

3. There's a lot of subtext about being a woman in a position of power, and having to come in and lead a reluctant team, especially one full of guys who aren't the most enlightened bunch in the world.

4. The detectives on her team, and the characters in the show are pretty diverse, almost a bit contrivedly so, but nice to see they're making an effort. Black and white, Latino, male and female, and even an Asian cop. Nice to see an Asian on TV as something other than a doctor. Don't get me wrong, it's better than always being portrayed as a thug or gang member or the Good Guy Who Always Gets Killed First, but it's great to see Asians playing other roles as well. Now all we need is that cute British Indian chick from ER/Bend it Like Beckham to become a detective too and we'll be all set!

So I was sad when it was over, because we just had one episode on the TiVo. But now we have a Season pass! Unfortunately it's only on once a week, but this gives me hope and something else to watch until American Idol 5 starts again in earnest.

Well, back to sleep. Hopefully I won't miss the ball dropping. It's so lame that we here in Seattle have to watch it on tape delay. What kind of idiocy is that? Lame, I tell you!

Happy New Year, my loyal readers!