Flu, Expendables & UFC... Oh, my.

My boyfriend and I are both down for the count today. Sore throats with just a hint of white spots that suggests strep throat. Of course. I have no problem being sick for Christmas, where you can chill out in your jammies all day and stay warm and cozy. But New Year's?? C'mon...! On New Year's, you want to go out and have a good time and ring in the new year with some panache! Granted, all we were going to do was stay home and have a little "party for two", as Shania would sing (side note: Yes, I love country music. Give me a cowboy hat and a little twang and I am a happy girl). I mean, who wants to drive somewhere only to pay double what you would normally pay for drinks only to drive home dodging check-points and praying that you don't run into stupid drunk drivers on the way home? OK, OK, going out for New Year's is an awesome time but we know how to party-harty at home, too. :)

Oh, and we did watch The Expendables... All in all, a typical shoot-em-up movie. I did enjoy the little jabs here and there about the actors themselves. As Arnold Schwarzenegger was leaving his scene, Bruce Willis's character turned to Sylvestor Stallone's and said, "What's his problem?", to which Stallone's character replied, "He wants to be president." I got a little chuckle out of that. Randy Couture also went off a little about the "Cauliflower ear" that he has from wrestling in the movie and he threw down with WWE's Stone Cold Steve Austin in a classic UFC vs WWE battle for anyone who was smart enough to notice. I got a little chuckle out of that.

photo courtesy of mmaweekly.com

Speaking of UFC, we've got a few fights comin' up pretty soon! Frankie Edgar is defending his title for the second time against Gray Maynard. Maynard is the only guy that's beaten Edgar, so I'm looking forward to that match-up. Edgar may be from Jersey, but he took the belt from BJ Penn--which I still haven't forgiven him for. The prelim fight I'm most excited about is Brad Tavares versus Phil "The New York Bad*ss" Barrone. I watched Brad fight on the Ultimate Fighter and really liked him. He better have worked on his ground game, though, because that was definitely lacking in his fights on the show. He fought a few months ago--and won, if memory serves me correctly--but they didn't televise the fight. I hope they show this one. We've also got Clay "The Carpenter" Guida fighting... He can always be counted on for some exciting fights! Then... In February...The fight my boyfriend and I have been waiting for... Vitor Belfort vs Anderson "The Spider" Silva. And our money is riding on Belfort's speed to take Silva down! I don't know if any of you caught the Silva/Maya fight in Abu Dabi, but I lost all respect for him as a fighter after that. His behavior in the Octagon was completely inexcusable and I am really hoping Belfort knocks him down a few pegs to teach him some humility. Sonnen came close, but then we found out later he tested positive for one performance enhancing drug or another... So disappointing.

I know. A girl who can speak MMA. Weird, huh? My boyfriend got me into it and now I'm just as excited as he is about the fights.

But enough ranting about UFC. I'm going to curl up under a blanket and keep reading "Cross Fire" (James Patterson never lets me down!!) while my boyfriend battles the undead in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare.

Ciao!
MJ

After East Coast Snow Storms & Blizzards in Switzerland...I'm COLD in CA!

Brrrrr! It's cold outside!!

Ok, ok, I know anyone reading this in New York or New Jersey is ready to reach through their laptop and smack me around a bit for saying that. Which would be fair considering I got an e-mail from my aunt in New Jersey with a picture of my uncle shoveling their driveway. In fact...

This is my uncle using the snow blower to shovel his driveway. That was taken on Christmas day when we were enjoying blue skies and sunshine. It is true, though. You do get spoiled when you live in California. I used to live in a little village called Davos in Switzerland. It's famous for its air. Seriously. Doctors send patients with respiratory issues to Davos to breathe its pollutant-free air. Anyway. It snowed up until my birthday in June and it was COLD up there. I even recall being sent home for milk money (stop laughing...) in a  blizzard because--let's face it, it's Switzerland and if they had Snow Days, the schools would hardly ever be open. I survived that, I survived snow storms in New York and New Jersey... And the first thing I said when I walked out the front door this morning was, "It is C-C-C-COLD outside!" It was about forty. Freezing by California Standards. Paradise for East Coasters right now.

Yah. I do not miss the East Coast (or Switzerland, for that matter) right now. Just looking at that picture makes me shiver.

As I write this, Chef Ramsey Jr. (aka my boyfriend) is in the kitchen preparing our latest feast: Tri-Tip Roast that has been marinating for three days in something yummy, corn (**I was asked to make a correction: it's corn on the cob, because "anyone can just pop it out of the can."--::boyfriend nods in approval::), mashed potatoes and artichokes. I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to fit all of that food in my body, but I'll give it the old college effort. You gotta love a boyfriend that knows how to cook (microwaving, I've been told, does not count). Don't get me wrong, I can cook (as proved by last night's spaghetti and meat sauce that I prepared for him and his friend last night while they were "Moving" on the Playstation). I'm too Type A personality to be able to wing it in the kitchen though. I need a recipe to follow; no improvisation. He can make a meal out of three items in the refrigerator. I don't know how he does it, but it is mmm good!

I believe we'll either be enjoying "The Expendables" (with my personal freebie, Randy Couture) or "GI Joe", which always makes me want to dye my hair red because of that one girl in it.

Ciao!
MJ