Our House

Things in Detroit have gotten so bad that you can now buy a house for less than a car.

It's going to be big fun when it's time for us to sell our home. Not even taking into consideration the loads of upgrades and customization and improvements we've put into it, we're going to lose our shirts.

Renting is always an option, but if the idea is to do that "until things turn around", perhaps we should just assume that our grandkids might like it here.

It probably will get worse before it gets better, which means the couple more years we will likely stay here will bring us to exactly the worst time in history to sell.

Ah, the joys of suburbia.

Rich Girl

I've read and enjoyed several Maeve Binchy novels over the years, but my favorite has always been Circle of Friends. Unlike most books, the movie version was easily as good, if not better, and left me thinking, "This Minnie Driver chick is amazing."

Apparently I wasn't alone, given her string of Hollywood flings, interesting roles and red carpet moments that followed.

Now, like many of her big-screen peers, she's taken up residence on the flat screens at home with FX's new offering The Riches.

I love it. The show reminds me of Huff (which no one else seemed to watch yet was easily one of the most compelling, best acted and well-written series on TV) in its dark approach to the human condition, and I'm excited to see future episodes. So much so that I started to watch the 2nd one online, but then stopped because I wanted to enjoy it in all its glory the right way when it airs Monday night.

So, in a nutshell,modern-day gypsy/grifters take over Louisiana suburbia, led by real-life cross-dressing Brit Eddie Izzard. I know, I know.....same old formulaic writing.

So. Not. This is good stuff.

You Oughta Know

There's a blog challenge going around on the Internet for all of us online types to list "5 Things You Don't Know About Me."

Given my audience, I think there are very few things the 3 or 4 of you who read this don't already know. Plus I'm pretty much an open book to anyone new I meet.

So I'll have to try to dig really deep on this one.

1. I like to watch repeats of Friends and Sex and the City whenever I happen upon them. Doesn't matter what time of day it is, or how many times I've seen the episode (approximately 7,200 for every one of each show). I am compelled to watch. And laugh.

2. I throw up (sometimes violently) if I drink more than 2 glasses of white wine. You all know that I throw up when I drink too much anyway, but the white wine aversion seems to be a recent development.

3. I haven't eaten a hamburger in probably a year, or a steak in 10 years. But I'll scarf down a Taco Bell double-decker taco in a nanosecond. Mmmm.

4. I've been told that I look like 2 very different celebrities (using that word might be a stretch) over the past couple of years---a soap opera star and a porn star--and could see the resemblance to both when I checked it out. I can't remember the name of either one, but it's still funny.

5. I couldn't swallow a pill until I was 15 or 16 years old. Just couldn't do it. I know...this says a lot about my relationship with my high school boyfriend. But at 16 I figured it out. :-)

Okay, if you're reading this you're supposed to tag back with your 5 things. Bring it on.