The night started with dinner at Pop!! in St. Paul.  Fun.  Enjoyable.  Delicious.  Highly recommend the Queso Fundido as an appetizer – so tasty.  Unfortunately Andie wasn’t feeling very well so she cut out of the Swarm game and headed for home.

We arrived at the Xcel – LUCKILY got posters (because they would come in handy later in the night) and sat in seats not exactly ours (there were people in the row in front of us in the original seats which makes it harder to see).  Unfortunately others came and sat in front of us anyway and we were stuck with it.  So Jill and Kat drank – Kat got a drink behind in the middle because Jill shut her out and didn’t buy her a drink!  Lame  

The Swarm were down at the beginning but soon Buchanan scored the first TWO Swarm goals and soon after Ross followed with another couple.  Great scoring!  Funk also scored.  OH…and it was “FAMILY” day for the Swarm so all the mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters were at the game.

In about the third inning the suits came to sit near us (too full before first half for them to sit next to us).  We watched.  They were cute.  Jill was drunk.  Kat and I convinced her to take her poster and get autographs – after a LOT of coniving and convincing she FINALLY went to get autographs!  Note the pictures.  She was too chicken to go get the 2 guys who had left and came back though.

The Swarm ended up losing (sad) but they did have an autograph session after the game for season ticket holders.  For some reason we decided to go for autographs.  We ended up getting a “red” autograph card sheet which meant we were in the first group (although we probably shouldn’t have been!)  Our buddy Nick gave us the red card after Jill showed our discount card.  We walked to the end of the line but were then moved up to the red card section.

We made it on the field and things were going fairly well with a single file line going past every Swarm member.  Then all of a sudden, when we were on the field, the announcer suddenly said – go to any table – you don’t need to stand in a single file line.  MASS CHAOS ensued.  It was RIDICULOUS.  We decided to try to start at the beginning and work our way to the end.  It was SO hot and crowded.  First table was an alright table but the BEST table was Table #2 – Team Cousins.  BUCHANAN and FUNK were at this table.  What more could you want in life?  Jill took pictures of a bunch of them saying “Can I take your picture?”, “Great”, “Thanks”, “Awesome” to every single one of them.  It was amazingly fun.  AND WE now have EVERY Swarm players autographs (with Bonus autos by a few performance team members, Buzz, The Professor, Andy and John (Jill was TOO cool to get Andy’s auto though).  It was amazing.  We took a few pictures in the penalty box and the home bench and headed out before Jill could make a fool of herself in front of Funk (who she is now obssessed and “friends” with).

We took a drive by  Grand 7 where the after-party was being held (WAY TOO BUSY!) and Jill called Grand Ole Creamery (unfortunately they were closing) so we headed back to Edina to drop Kat off and called it a night (after some facebooking and media guide looking and so on and so forth). 

OVERALL a TERRIFIC night (besides the fact that the Swarm lost).

DAY 1 : They have to sit against a wall and keep a medicine ball on their lap – once the ball falls they are out.  Winner gets to pick match-ups for the weigh-in (one person on blue vs. one person on black).  The team that loses the most gets one point – once they are at 3 points they win and the other team has to send someone home.

So Tara won and got to pick the matchups – Mike vs. Kathy, Sione vs. Mandy, Aubrey vs. Laura, Kristin vs. Filipe, Dad vs. Helen.  One person on black team got to sit out and she picked herself.

DAY 2 : Lots of working out.  Filipe starts to get pissed – Jillian doesn’t go to work out with Filipe one-on-one.  She walked out of the gym without saying anything to him..so he stayed in the gym by himself and worked out by himself.  He feels alone – it’s the first time – on Bob’s team he felt like he was part of something.

Challenge – Relay race – it’s intense – 24 medicine ball relay – too hard to explain.  (Kristin has sat out both challenges because of medical reasons).  Black team wins again – but not by much.  The black team wins 24 hours of luxury.  Limo picked them up – they went to Mandalay Beach, CA – the presidental suite.  3 guys got massages.  Girls got manicures and pedicures.  Meanwhile the blue team is working out the whole time.  Order bad food off a menu.  The black team ate horribly and did double tequilla shots (so far 12,952 calories).  Plus they went to the bar for more drinks – a lot a lot a lot of drinks.  Then Helen stsarted to smoke….and Filipe ate more (chicken tenders and french fries). 

Black team nightly total:  15,563 calories.  Blue team nightly total:  1,612  HOLY CRAP!!!

So Jillian just went off on the team – the producers told her everything the team did (drink, smoke, eat like shit) so she just ripped on them (per usual).  And Filipe just FLIPPED.  He was so mad hitting the table and screaming and everything.  He went back to how she wouldn’t work him out in the last workout and how she didn’t help him at all – he said how am I suppose to trust you if you won’t even help me.  He walked out of the room and Sione followed him.  COMMERCIAL (it’s WAY tense right now).

Sione and Filipe walk together outside – Sione followed because he feels EXACTLY the same way.  Jillian makes some comment like they are just going to go running to daddy.  They went to the gym to workout with Bob. 

Tara = 0;  Mike = -8 vs. Kathy = -4 ; black 1 point; aubrey = -3 vs. laura = +1; tied points; kristin = -7 vs. filipe = -1 bue 2 points vs black 1 point; helen = -4 vs. ron = -6 ; tied 2 to 2; sione = -6 vs mandy = +2  black team wins

Sadness.  Plus Laura gets an extra vote at the elimination.  Kristin gets immunity (highest percentage). 

Mandy voted off – she is FRIGGIN’ TINY now.  WOW!   She’s lost 84 lbs so far.  She started at a size 26 and wants to be a size 2 at the finale.

NEXT WEEK:  homecoming.  oh i’m excited.

1.  Lil’ Kim and Derek – she first started watching this show when she was in prison – she dedicates her first dance to all her girls in the federal detention center.  Cha Cha Cha.  Dance to Nasty..Nasty BOys…Oh you Nasty Boys.  Pretty good dancer.  I’m impressed for it being the first one out of the gate.  LG:  first class, a little bit of wildness.  BT:  Nasty but Tasty.  “YOu can work wonders with that tushy” CAI:  Great potential.  7-7-7=21

2.  Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan – Waltz is the dance.  Lots of twirls.  She has issues spinning – gets dizzy.  Dance to What the World Needs Now.  Boring dance.  BT:  “you look like Julie Andrews on the first turn…then you turned into Cloris Leachman”  CAI:  she needs to work on trusting Jonathan  LG:  moments of awkward overall good.   6-6-5=17

3.  Lawrence Tayler and Edyta – the shoes – the heels – can’t believe he has to wear heels.  afraid to look foolish on the dance floor.  dancing the cha cha cha.  Song: ”Walking…I’ve got to Walk On”  To me….dance was nothing special.  Edyta moved a lot more than he did (per usual I guess).  CAI:  he needs to get down and dirty LG:  naturalness about you – lacking crisp and sharp BT:  gotta attack it – gotta use the rhythm.  6-5-5=16

4.  Steve-O and Lacey – Weeman and Jonny Knoxville in the audience.  Had been abusing drugs and alcohol….currently a year after rehab.  He’s sober but on the show to prove he hasn’t lost his mojo.  Dancing the waltz to some instrumental piece.  Interesting dance – pretty tame for Steve-O.  LG:  came out full-committed – but technically not the best – better than expected.  BT:  slapstick, work on technique  CAI:  oddly mesmorized by beauty of the dance, incredible determination.  They KEEP CONSTANTLY calling him a Jackass.  From Steve-O:  I want to put my foot in the waltz’s butt.  6-5-6=17

5.  Gillies Marini and Cheryl:  Better known as naked SATC shower guy.  During practice Cheryl keeps telling him that he looks like a girl or is moving feminine.  Cha Cha Cha to Addicted to Love.  Pretty entertaining dance.  I enjoyed.  CAI:  pe r Tom “You look so happy Carrie Ann”.  BT:  clothes on or clothes off you certainly know how to strut your stuff.  to Cheryl:  you certainly have something to play with this time.  LG:  you pulled it off – absolutely well done.  They CONSTANTLY bring up the fact that he was naked in the movie.  8-8-8=24

6.  Chuck Wicks and Julianne – THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER.  He just kissed her nose.  First dance is the waltz.  She says he is the hardest partner she’s ever had.  SO CUTE!  Dancing to “Are you lonesome tonight”  He looks SO hot in his tux.  I love him.  He just lifted her….he’s gonna be docked.  He is SO nervous.  BT:  “she’s a bit of a handful isn’t she”  at times it looked like you were chasing her  LG:  good footwork, moved well around the floor, refine dancing  CAI:  one of the most graceful ment we’ve had on the show in a long time, chemistry is great, “gotta keep her feet on the ground”   6-7-7=20

Injured stars – Jewel and Nancy O’Dell – Jewel:  disappointed she doesn’t get to dance, she will get to sing for her husband since she doesn’t get to dance.  Nancy:  jealous she doesn’t get to dance with Tony

7.  Holly Madison and Dimitri Chaplin – cover of Playboy 4 times and on reality show Girls Next Door.  just met last tuesday.  He feels like he is cheating on Jewel with a new partner.  She sounds so ditzy.  I don’t like her.  Cha Cha Cha to some song I don’t recognize.  Not very good – but she had less than a week to practice so they didn’t have time to focus on technique.  LG:  wasn’t bad but wasn’t good  CAI:  a lot of charisma “like a newborn deer with wobbly legs” BT:  “easy on the eye and plenty to look at”  6-6-6=18

NEW TWIST:  Bottom 2 will compete in a Dance-Off to improve their judges score.  No elimination this week.

8.  Ty Murray and Chelsey Hightower – 9 time world champion.  She was on So You Think You Can Dance.  He looks SO stiff.  He’s approaching the cha cha like bullriding.  You are never completely ready …. it just becomes your turn.  To some song that goes “Stand By Me”.  He’s looser than I thought he would be – but still a little stiff and uncomfortable.  BT:  Looked more like an army drill “left right left right”  “there is always next week”  LG:  you did come out and try  CAI:  you are one cute cowboy.  i love how you attacked that, you let go and had fun.  chelsey needs to work on his technique.  5-4-5= 14

9.  Shawn Johnson and Mark – youngest competitor (17).  She has to learn to show emotion – gymnastics you aren’t supposed to show emotion.  Waltz to some song I don’t know but I really like it.  Good dancing.  (SIDENOTE:  She can only work 48 hours/week – child labor laws and can’t wear as revealing outfits).  CAI:  “truely moved” elegance and grace and dynamic BT:  surprisingly refined, beware of gymnastic arms LG:  whole thing very appealing, work on fluidity in arms.  8-8-7=23

10.  Steve Wozniak and Karina – He arrives on his Segway to meet Karina.  He is wearing black shorts with high black socks…bizarre.  He wanted to take a 5 minute thinking break – he stops and closes his eyes and goes over the dance in his head.  He wants to prove that nerds can dance.  Cha Cha Chas to “ain’t seen nothing yet”  Karina is wearing practically nothing.  Bizarre dance.  LG:  held my attention throughout.  you went for the fun element.  overall a disaster.  BT:  i don’t know if it was hilarious or delirious.  it was like watching a teletubby go mad in a gay pride parade.  CAI:  make us want to cheer for you.  WOW…he is such a nerd – his joke:  “i’m having so much fun they are testing me for drugs tomorrow…that was just a joke…just a joke.” 5-4-4=13

11.  David Alan Greer and Kym – what he hopes to get out of the show:  free dance shoes and sexual favors (fingers crossed).  She didn’t get if he was being funny or serious when they first met.  Kym says he is a natural dancer.  Dancing the waltz to you light up my life.  BT:  some good lines at times, leaning too much towards her – too much face movement – too many characters.  CAI:  lines neat and precise – get face in line.  Kym’s foot came off the ground.  LG:  far more good in the performance than bad – your bum sticks out a bit.  6-7-6=19

12.  Denise Richards and Maxim – She looks funny – like too much makeup and too much lips or something.  Maxim:  “If being bad is wrong I don’t ever want to be right”  She keeps making the same mistakes…then Max gets mad for Denise constantly saying Sorry.  Now she is crying.  She feels stupid.  Cha Cha Cha to “don’t need nothing but a good time”.  Wow.  She can do the splits.  She is just weird to me…I don’t understand her.  CAI:  she doesn’t know what to say—you look terrified out there  LG:  all a little bit loose.  looks like Max is twirling you around.  BT:  you’ve got it all but you don’t know what to do with it.  Her nickname for him:  Maxico (I think) 6-6-6=18

13.  Melissa Rycroft and Tony – (Nancy O’Dell replacement)  Rejected girl on the bachelor (the one he proposed to and then dumped) only had 48 hours to prepare her routine.  They replayed the dump.  Ouch.  Dancing the waltz.  They don’t even have an opening for her (no roundup or showing her practicing or anything).  Sad.  Dancing to Moon River.  Not bad for 48 hours.  LG:  obvious you have danced before, your feet are balletic (she was a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader)  BT:  “you are a revelation”  grace and fluidity  “like watching a beautiful bird about to take flight”  CAI:  you did a wonderful job, natural, beautiful dancer.  Poor girl – they keep bringing up the bachelor.  8-7-8=23

Previews:  There is a new twist – a BLIND U-turn – you don’t have to put your picture up on the board to say you are the one who U-turned the other teams!

Vlad the Impaler – makes me think of Twilight and the Romanian Vampires…sad.

Mel & Mike depart at 10:49 PM – fly through Moscow to Siberia.  Go to Hydroelectric Dam.

I love Amanda and Kris – one of my favorite teams.  Margie & Luke are my other fav.

A bunch of teams missed the earlier flight so the little people, flight attendants, sisters are all there already but it doesn’t open until 8:30 am.  Now thy have to go to a Church of some Saint that can’t be pronounced. 

DETOUR – stack or construct.  In stack they have to us a traditional method to stack firewood.  In construct, they have to build a set of traditional wood shutters and properly install them.  Bunch of old Russian guys singing with a concertina and alcohol.  CrazyRussian woman.  So far everyone is doing stacking firewood.

Mark & Mike knocked down the “example” stack of wood and they would have to rebuild so they left for construct.

Sisters finish first – Have to make their way to a museum.  U-Turn ahead.  But a BLIND U-Turn.  They can remain annonymous.  Russian says “You cute girls, you did the best”  to the blonde flight attendants.  Sisters didn’t use the U-Turns, Blondes didn’t U-Turn.

Other teams arrived at detour – everyone is doing stack.

Road Block – Bobsled under 4 minutes and MUST look for 7 letters along the way that they have to unscramble to spell chekhov (russian playwright).

In stacking:  Mel & Mike’s just fell over, the cheerleaders just fell over, the dating couples just fell over.

Margie & Luke blind u-turned the dating couple – Kris and Amanda.  Sisters are in the lead so far.  Blonde flight attendants in 2nd.  Next stop is pit stop.  They have to go through the main enterance – trouble finding it – and BLONDES are FIRST!  As winners they each win a motorcycle.  Sisters are in 2nd.

Luke can’t get Chekhov.  He’s frustrated.  It doesn’t make sense.  He can’t do it.

Everybody else is still stuck at the detour – they have to find the house to put hte shutters on (the two little guys are STILL trying to find it).  FINALLY they found the house. 

FINALLY Luke gets it correct.  After multiple times and multiple frustrations.

They just found out they were U-Turned.  They are pissed.  Going back to do the logs.

Brother & Sister team #3 Margie & Luke team #4 Jaime and Kara (Cheerleaders) Team #5

Amanda & Kris just finished their detour – don’t think it is Margie & Luke at all.  Currently they are in last place.

Mel & Mike team #6

Mark & Michael can’t figure out their money with the cabbie.  They haven’t made it to the finish line yet.  The cabbie is letting them go.  They are team #7.

Last team to arrive – Kris & Amanda #8.  They have been eliminated from the race   Sadness.  I liked them.  He’s HOT!

Next week:  Teams have to run in tiny little swimsuits in Siberia.

10.  Due to the economic crisis, we all have to share the same pants (Jimmy Rollins – Phillies)

9.  Japan has one of them crazy shortstop robots (Curtis Granderson – Tigers)

8.  Because it’s an international event, our right fielder is secretary of state Hillary Clinton (Dustin Pedroia – Red Sox)

7.  The winning team plays Neptune in the galactic baseball classic (Chipper Jones – Braves)

6.  It’s fascinating seeing how different players from other countries scratch themselves (Roy Oswalt – Astros)

5.  You’ll be part of a cherished baseball tradition dating all the way back to 2006 (Adam Dunn – Nationals)

4.  Because of the metric system, games will be 6.83 innings (Ryan Braun – Brewers)

3.  Before each game you get to sit through 30 different national anthems (Kevin Youkilis – Red Sox)

2.  Australia’s secret weapon: a fastball-throwin’ kangaroo (David Wright – Mets)

1.  What else are you going to watch, hockey?  (Derek Jeter – Yankees)

Today has been interesting.  I learned to play GUESS WHO in italian with a 7 year old boy who knows no english.  What an interesting struggle, when you say one thing, and get the wrong answer because of the meaning is messed up?  how do you say facial hair?  It is not face with the word for hair.  The word for hat is very close to the word for hair.   I won, solo per che I knew what I was asking, and got the right answers.  I gave the wrong answers. 

We also played concentration, some other made up card game and then i taught stefano(the 7 year old) how to play “go fish”.  PESCA! 

This is when you really stretch your mind and learn somethign new!!!  How fun!

Because I have nothing better to do with my life…

Top Chef Reunion Recap -

They are selling “I  [Fabio's face]” t-shirts.  They are being sold on Bravo.  They had a bromance little clip segment between Fabio and Stephan.  Entertaining.

Stew Room – leg flipping (like the wave back and forth with crossing/uncrossing legs), volletball and basketball court, dancing, beds made out of gladware (pretty sweet!) – they called it gladrest 

Birthdays – apparently 4 people got kicked out around their birthday (radhika, the loud guy, leah and someone else I dont’ remember).

 Leah/Jamie – drinking like crazy before Judge’s Table.  A LOT to drink.  They really don’t remember the night…at Judge’s table they couldn’t stop laughing.  Then it made Hosea laugh…and the judges laugh.

 Biggest Crier on Top Chef NY – Crying clips of everyone….love the montages.  It’s SO funny   These people…wow.

 Stephan – round up – montage.  Going after all the women - flirting like crazy.  With EVERYONE!

 Chef Nicknames – Pocket Chef (Patrick), Big Gay Rich (Richard), Don Sorbet Johnson (Jeff), OT (Hosea for “Old Testament”), Gummy Bear (Richard), Ho’ Fo’ Sho (Leah), Radhika (Hott Dawg), Ariann (Cougar)

 Another T-Shirt:  “I’m a Cougar in the Kitchen”

 Gail’s Wedding – Daniel somebody cooked the dinner – Padma says delicious.  Pretty picture.

 Jamie Complains/Whines  - another montage.  Of her complaining.  Constantly.

 Jeff – he was quoted in People saying he thought tom’s food was boring – he claims he was misquoted.  he also was quoted as saying that he thought the show used him as a sex symbol.  They always showed him without his shirt on.

 Bald Guys on the show – tribute package.  Hosea, Tom, Eugene, Stephan, Patrick – the season of the bald chefs.  “keep hair nice and tight”  “My room is all dark and all i see is this shiny head” “bald is the new fauxhawk” “it’s sexy”  “i just want to complement stephan on his very attractive choice of hairstyle….i like a man who is bald and proud” – from Judge Toby, “Of course, I have no choice” – in response from Stephan  “Your hair looks awesome”

 Bald Guy of Top Chef – what they would look like with hair. They put others hairstyles on the bald guys (ie Christian Siriano from PR on Patrick, Jeff’s hair on Stephan, Marcel’s hair on Hosea, etc)

 Richard – talk about him loving Tom (his gay crush)

Fan Favorite – $10k to FABIO (of course!)  Then a Fabio montage.  Pretty good…funny.  Entertaining.  Put $$ into his restaurant – a band shell.  He sends his family money, they rely on him, he is trying to get his mom over here.

That’s a wrap.

Snow and trees, Snow and mountains and Snow Drop Flowers.

Fun stuff, anyway, painting is NOT easy.  It is so hard to be so close to it, and see all of the problems.   You need to step back from paintings to get the full effect, but it is so hard to do.

Water painting is also hard cause well, if you don’t use enough water you have problems, if you use too much you have puddles and bubbles.  It just is hard to master this knack.

Here are our paintings so far.  FUN STUFF.

Berries and Dip

 How can you resist Blackberries and Strawberries with a yogurt/cool whip dip?  It was like sweet dessert/but the fruit course as well.  All so yummy.   Literally made me smile all the way through dinner. 

You can’t go wrong when you have Bobby and Fruit together.