Jack, Patrick & Harry-Men Of The Week

Jack ‘s Gone Rogue (Again)

Who knew motherhood and quasi-government operatives had such similar qualifications?

He never eats, drinks nor sleeps. We’ve never seen him exercise or lift weights or go to continuing spy education. Come to think of it I can’t recall a bathroom break, a shower or  a shave. Of course the whole season is supposed to represent 24 hours of one kind of national security crisis or another so I guess in an extreme situation it’s plausible to never eat or sleep.

Hells bells, as a mother of 6 I’ve gone many of seasons with very little sleep or sustanance for days at a time, not to mention during the newborn eras showering, toothbrushing and potty breaks are almost impossible to come by. Shaving your legs...well what’s the point?

 Season 8 Cast-NYC location

I got my Jack is Back fix on. Something totally out of Jack’s character happened Monday, he shot an unarmed woman (although she was a lethal Russian spy) point blank.  That’s a leap out of the typical Jack storyline. I watched him run for his life, scramble around a warehouse floor dodging bullets, on the ground doing the soldier crawl. I got to thinking, how does he stay in good enough physical shape for all of these shenanigans.

I do think they have raised the bar this season over last, but I have a feeling Jack’s time on TV may be coming to an end. Freddie Prince has helped revive the man candy factor but Chloe put in charge of CTU...no veteran viewer  is going to buy that. I adore Chloe but the constant pouting would a very undesirable trait in a CTU director.

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Patrick Always Pleases

Sunday night didn’t go so well around here. Three teens PMS-ing, it was high drama. More so than usual. The senior freaking out over her imminent AP  Stats exam. It probably doesn’t help that I remind her every day that passing the exam would save us $1000 in college credit.

Then came a migraine for Sydney. Up at 2:30 for medication. Followed by the Hurricane’s alarm at 3:30 for her to get more study time in. Only, she pushed the snooze 4 times. 4. times. Then the youngest got up early to shower. I was exhausted by the time they all got out the door at 7:05 a.m.

I read my Bible, said some prayers and may have closed my eyes for a few minutes. I popped back up and hit the floor running to make up for lost time. I accomplished my list at warp speed. All that intensity wore me out so I decided to do something indulgent that afternoon and was able to stream a movie on Netflix.

What to my wondering eyes did I see, good old Patrick Swayze in his drag queen role in Too Fong Woo,Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar.My world had to pause long enough to watch the movie from start to finish.

What more can you ask for in a movie than muscular men in drag, and big city folk learning to appreciate small town back woods types and visa versa. Good moral to the story and all that. Plus, it  just puts a smile on my face. How could such a hunk of a man be such a beautiful drag queen?

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Harry on Idol

I have a tiny confession to make: I think I may have become a real Harry Conick Jr fan. Move over Justin Timberlake. It started at Blissdom with a private concert for us bloggers.

Then there he was at the NASCAR opener at Daytona this year, all suited up as a driver lending his name to the sport all the intellectuals love to make fun of. Thank you Harry.

But tonight, he sealed the deal by transforming the often ho-hum American Idol into a spectacular event. It’s not unusual for the celebrity coach to come on there, offer a little guidance and throw out a load of platitudes to each of the contestants they are suppose to be coaching. If you ever heard Little Mama blather on as a judge on America’s Best Dance Crew you know what I’m talking about.

He honestly and charmingly brought out the best in each contestant, offering them honest advice, arranging their music and accompanying each of them along with the band. He bantered with Ellen and even influenced Simon to act like he swallowed a nice pill.

I just wish I would have realized how awesome he was before I was within 20 feet of him last winter at our Blissdom concert. I would have strived to get more bang for my buck out of that opportunity.

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On a final and sad note, Opryland resort (sight of the Blissdom 2010 Conference) has succumbed to the recent Nashville floods and much of it is underwater. Send your thoughts and prayers that it will be restored even better than it was before.

He Had Me At Hello: Harry Connick Jr At Bllissdom

My plane landed smoothly in Nashville, TN on February 4th, which happens to be my birthday. The day had not gotten off to a great start. My lovely husband picked that as the time for him to rudely express his  frustration with me for an ongoing conflict. Like my anxiety is not all ready over the top trying to leave my family and all the obligations behind for a week.

I was determined to make a fresh start to the day. When I opened up my computer at the airport I observed a delightful amount of birthday greetings for me via facebook, twitter and emails.

Luckily, my roomie for the conference went along with the plan to stop at the nearest liquor store before we got sucked into the vortex to another time continuum called Gaylord's Opryland Resort.You'll have to check out her collection of Elvis wines and read about our finding our room escapades. Our romp through the bio domes rainforest to find our room while toting numerous bags left us moist and frazzled.

I like to unpack and organize as soon as I get in the room. But whacking our way through the jungle in the hunt for our room in the Magnolia section left me in need of an RP (rest period) with feet up on bed. Too geared up to really rest, I decide it's time to get the party started.

Ice was located. Glass tumblers (so much better than plastic or foam). Bliss (in room) bar and a refreshing beverage helped cool us down. We reviewed our Blissdom schedules and made some strategic decisions....ladies.start.your.engines!

There were ice breakers, business card exchanges, babies in strollers,lots of laughter and photogramommies run amok with their pro style cameras intimidating the heck out of my pocket sized digital. I won a cookbook by Food Network's George Duran who surprised us with a couple of cooking demonstrations at our humble gathering.

Friday there was so much to take in. People, computers, seminars. I felt like the snotty girl pulling up my twitter while my instructor chattered on, but it was what we were supposed to do. Not only is Twitter  handy for finding your roommate in a sea of women, it was up my alley to receive snarky ongoing commentary in real time (hey, it's what we do). I was amazed constantly by the creativity and genius around me.

Now the ladies (and the token men) were all a flutter anticipating the arrival of Harry Connick Jr and his band for our private concert. I thought it would be cool but in the back of my head I was all, man couldn't they have reeled in Justin Timberlake? I'm crazy for him and his sometimes sidekick/producer Timbaland. They are Tennessee boys and do gooders so I thought they would have been a good fit.

Harry Connick Jr & his awesome band

And then it happened. His handsome self took the stage and he had me at hello. Launching in to a self deprecating message of admiration for strong woman who know how to get things done. His charm grew by the minute as he spoke of the influential females in his life including his wife of 20 years, 3 daughters, his accomplished sister serving in the military. This guy was the real deal.He related how he was happy to be speaking to a group of communicators who could muster their brains, compassion and technology to make significant contributions to society.

Harry Connicks band

OK so they didn't sound like Justin Timberlake, but at that moment when it felt like they were playing individually to you it more than made up for that. The fact that the band members were each so expert with their particular instrument made them a dream team to listen to.

As Harry closed out the show and wandered around to the photo line in the back the rest of us slowly made our way out onto the dance floor with a new DJ taking over.

Our fun was so irresistible that before we knew it several of the band members had come through the middle of the crowd to join the crazy dance party that was ensuing. I'll give them a lot of credit for courage in dropping it like it's hot in a gigantic vat of estrogen fueled by some liquor and a corporate post Harry adrenaline surge. It's a wonder they didn't get eaten alive!

Who would have know that  Harry's band members enjoyed dancing to Justin Timberlake tunes as much as I do?