A Magical List of All Things Awesome on 1990′s Television!

now could I? I loves me a list. Let’s begin:

90210
Obviously. The show that taught us Dylan McKay was the ultimate rich bad boy, Donna Martin needed cave boobs to land a man, the ugly girl will get herself knocked up first, and when your parents move to Japan, you get to keep the house as the perfect crash-pad for your fake university.

My So-Called Life
So what if it only lasted 1 season, it taught us all Jordan Catalano needed was Angela’s shy but aggressive attention to bring him out of his emo shell. We loved Rickie as the first teenage gay kid ever on TV (not counting The Beaver), and everyone needed a slutty friend like Rayanne.

Seinfeld
As a teenager, my dad made us watch Seinfeld with us so he had TV-watching buddies. (That also got us out of being grounded because he’d get bored of us being in our rooms. TV was important to our family. VERY important.) I loved it even when I didn’t “get” all of the innuendos, but the fact that I can turn on a re-run at any time and it still makes me laugh out loud, makes it one of THE best shows of the 90s. And I can “Elaine Dance” better than anyone out there. THAT is a challenge.

Roseanne
Just like Seinfeld, when I turn on a re-run of Rosanne, it’s still relevant and still makes me laugh out loud. Usually I’m in bed and stumble on an episode and feel silly for laughing out loud when no one can hear me (Patrick is dead to the world post-Ambien). My favorite episodes are the David & Darlene episodes just because I was their age at the time the show was on, and I SO wanted David to be my live-in boyfriend. To this day, I’ll take Leonard in my bed any time. I digress.

Which did I miss? These are the best, though there are tons more worthy.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

By way of reasons I won’t discuss here, I found a blogger (NOT Casey – I discovered the blogger by way of Casey’s post I linked to) and her blog post where something new is happening. The “something new” is not a good “something new” in the Blogosphere. It’s a bad, unethical, icky-feeling “something new.”

The blogger I found agreed to host a giveaway (nothing new) to give away a bed comforter from a company she’s working with. Mind you, I know NOTHING about the company, and I just stumbled on the blog and this particular post, so my research is shallow at best.

Included in her post about the giveaway, she adds a “disclaimer” indicating that “As part of the giveaway your email address and name will be provided to [sponsor name redacted] on behalf of [blog name redacted] so that you will be added to the mailing list for sleep tips, deals, and special offers. In compliance with privacy disclosure (note: I could not locate the privacy disclosure anywhere on the blogger’s site), your information is NOT being sold to [sponsor name redacted] or any other party. You may opt out at any time.”

Essentially, every comment left will have its email address given (not sold?) to the sponsor in exchange for entering the giveaway.

I’m really at a loss for understanding how this is A) ethical, B) allowed to happen, and C) how any blogger would agree to the work of collecting all of the email addresses left in the comments. Aside from it being an arduous task of actually collecting the 100+ email addresses from the comments, it clearly crosses a privacy line within blogging.

I’ve never once (and maybe it’s because my eyes have been closed to it?) seen any blog or site outright say they will collect your private information for marketing purposes without having me separately agree to giving my information. Any time I submit my information to a company and giveaway/contest/survey purposes, it is explicit and a “check box” is included in the submission process so that I am aware that the specific company is collecting my information.

It’s never assumed that your private information left in a blog post or giveaway post will be given to a sponsor for their marketing use.

Is this just a new tactic for sponsors to use bloggers as marketing collection tools?

Is this OK?

Is it OK because a “disclaimer” is included in the post?

Or is this a “new low” in the scrutinized “Mommy Blogging” community?

If you disagree with my assessment that THIS is not OK, please convince me otherwise.

Your respectful opinions and comments will be respected.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 47 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

If when I say “notorious,” I mean, “known around my immediate family,” then yes, I’m notorious.

When I do happen to get things done on time, I require copious amounts of congratulations from anyone who witnessed my accomplishment.

I’m needy like that.

I’m like a child who needs constant encouragement to Keep! Doing! Her! Best! so that next time, the same result of an on-time completion will be met.

Hey, at least I know what I need.

I wonder if Patrick knows. If not, he does now.

The point to my story: I procrastinate.

Like right now.

The Shiny is very attractive.

For you, I’m giving you a very attractive Shiny: My face on Superman’s body. Also known as, my Aiming Low post for this week. Hoorah!

Yes, you can request a note from me to give to your supervisor and/or significant other to let them know why you didn’t finish your task for the day because you were busy reading all of my posts here and on Aiming Low.

I’ll get you that note some time next week.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

But I’ve never thought of myself as a mean person. It’s the other gene I have, passed down from my mother, for non-confrontation. Like the sarcasm gene, it’s in my blood. It’s nearly impossible for me to be confrontational.

I’m not an instigator. I don’t seek out drama. I keep stressors at bay. It’s kind of a medical necessity these days.

Unfortunately, around the internets lately, I’ve been seeing a shite-ton of instigators.

The instigators to whom I am referring are the people who leave hurtful comments and send cruel messages, sometimes threatening, always negative.

I don’t understand these people.

It’s completely baffling to me how someone can create a Twitter account simply to harass someone very recently diagnosed with a serious medical condition. (NOTE: I was going to link to the person who is harrassing Erin @queenofspain, but he/she resorted to posting Erin’s phone number publicly on Twitter, so I’m not going to make things worse for her. You can check her Twitter stream for the asshole.)

It’s out of my realm of understanding for someone to tell me they are going to send their relatives to find me where I live because her $12 order has yet to arrive. I also can’t understand why she would create a Facebook account simply to harass me, curse at me, insult me, and threaten to call my local police station to file a report of theft. Why? Because her $12 order hadn’t arrived to her in a different country.

It’s mind blowing me to see one of my best friends insulted publicly about permanent artwork on her skin. I believe in the old adage, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” So what if you don’t like her tattoo or don’t understand it? It’s permanent. To say anything negative about it would definitely hurt her feelings, likely forever.

It’s incomprehensible for me to understand the person who leaves a hurtful comment on my friend’s blog where she bares her sensitive soul about her challenging son. It is HER choice to ask for help in the ways of community support by telling her story. It is NO ONE’S business to tell her what she can and cannot write about HER own family.

It’s astounding that someone would leave me a comment (in a previous post) telling me that I should go back to writing about my period instead of writing about receiving sponsored products and my opinion of our health care system. I don’t have to defend myself and what I write about. I don’t have to answer to someone else, someone whom I don’t know, someone who has only once or twice ever been to my blog. I invite those people to move on to someone who appreciates the vitriol they spew.

I just.
Don’t.
Get it.

I need a dose of double rainbows. And apparently, the rest of the world does, too.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

My currently-running accomplishment, other than earning that Master’s degree and the whole kid/marriage deal, is having not eaten a single bite of McDonald’s food* in over 6 years.

Not a french fry. Not a Big Mac. Not a very delicious little cheeseburger.

Nothing from McDonald’s.

I do eat fast food, but my consumption of Frankenfood has diminished over the last few years to about twice a month (not including Chick Fil A, cause that’s real food, dammit).

It’s more than just not eating McDonald’s. It’s a test of my will-power. Can I do this thing I set my mind to accomplishing? How long can I go without eating the most popular food in the world?

I’m also taking my girls on this journey of No McDonald’s, and so far, save for a bite of a chicken nugget or two that my friggin mother gave them (yes, I’m still peeved, 1 year later), they have never had a McDonald’s meal in their respective 6 and 4 years of life.

Seriously.

I don’t even think they know who Ronald McDonald is.

I KNOW.

They’re not deprived of Frankenfood. They enjoy Taco Bell cheese rollups, Burger King chicken crowns & apple fries, and they love Chick Fil A (again, not Frankenfood) chicken nuggets.

But this, my friends, I feel is my biggest non-education-related and/or familial-related accomplishment of my life to date.

How much longer can I last in my quest to not eating McDonald’s food? I’m down 6 years and counting.

We’ll see.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

*PS – Ice cream doesn’t count as “food.” Yes, I have eaten a McDonald’s sundae or two, and a McFlurry or two, in the last 6 years, but those don’t count. Hey, it’s my accomplishment; I get to make the rules as I go. Neener.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

So, what HAVE I been doing?

Well friends, I’ve got something new to tell you about.

And it’s Awesome.

It says so right in the name, so it must be true: We Know Awesome

It’s a collaboration of two internet powerhouses, myself and Aunt Becky.

OK, so her star may outshine mine in pretty much every way other than my ability to record and watch upwards of 10 TV shows a day. But she loves me, and I loves her, so we’re a match made in internet heaven.

Our first! ever! post! is an Eliza Parker Gift Certificate Giveaway Extravaganza! Or as much of an Extravaganza! as one blog post can be.

I told you all about the fabulosity of my Eliza Parker dress in my post here yesterday, and today is a happy gift certificate giveaway.

You’re welcome.

Now skidaddle over to the giveaway even if you don’t want a chance to win free monies. Go see how pretty it is. Cause it really is.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

I took my own advice before I knew it was my advice: I asked for something in return for something else.

This time, I asked for a clothing sponsorship for BlogHer ’10 from plus-size social occasion dress company, Eliza Parker, in exchange for my honest opinion on how I liked the dress.

If you’re new around here, (and really, if you are, where have you been? I’ve missed you!) you know that I’m honest to a fault. Almost to a tee. It’s pretty much a detriment to my social being, but whatevs. I’m honest, is my point.

To be honest (see: above), I was hoping, but not sure, I’d like the dress I had picked out with the help of one of the more-than-super-friendly associates over the phone. (Yes, an internet store who will help you over the phone. Like, help you style yourself and everything. It’s almost a lost art in this digital age, but I digress.)

When picking out a $189 dress, even if it’s given to you in exchange for your opinion, especially for someone like me with larger lady lumps, it’s nerve-wracking. There are SO many things to think about: belly chub, arm flaps, boob strapping, thunder thighs. And again, considering this was a $189 dress, I was hoping for the best.

Holy crap on a Baby Jeebus cracker.

I actually looked H.O.T. in my dress. No shit. For realsies. I’d even do me.

(Note: the photo used in this post to represent me in the Venice dress is clearly distorted and does not accurately portray the hotness I was protruding out of my every stretched pore. Just take me at my work. Again, see: above.)

This dress is so fancy, without being over-the-top (cause this mama don’t do over-the-top), it comes with a sash. This girl doesn’t do sashes. Until this dress. I put on that sash and sashayed my happy fine ass all around New York City with my snazzy sash.

This dress is so nice, I didn’t even wear Spanx, and I still felt unlumpy.

This dress is so nice, I could wear it to a funeral, then to a wedding, then to a funeral.

This dress is so nice, I ordered it in the size I think I am, and I could actually wear straight out of the box it came in.

This dress is so nice, I actually felt good about myself.

And that, my friends, is priceless.

(Actually, it costs about $189, and if you have the bone$ to spend on yourself, consider an Eliza Parker dress if you’re a size 10+. You can send me your thank you note after you get over your sexiness.)

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blogher 10, dress, eliza parker, new york city, plus size, Sponsored

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I’m not good at policing myself and staying on task. Just ask my dirty floors and piles of unfolded laundry.

Actually, while you’re talking to my floors and laundry, can you ask them to take care of themselves? I’ve raised my girls to the point that they can wipe their own asses and pick out their own clothes, so why can’t these much less evolved inanimate objects fend for themselves?

I digress.

Building an empire takes time apparently. Not that I really want an Empire, cause really, when someone gets any sort of fame and/or success, people just try to tear them down with their jealousness anyways. I can’t deal with people talking about me in any other way than, “Holy crap, did you hear the Awesome stuff Angie is doing these days?” or “OH EM GEE, did you see that adorable dress Angie was wearing? She looks SO hot!” And if you’re saying these things about me behind my back, can you tell them to me to my face? I could use a dose of positive feedback for which to boost my self-esteem lately.

I digress. Again.

My email signature line is growing, and no, that’s not a bad thing, but really, it’s a time-management thing. I’m not good at that part of the “making money online” part of working. Just ask my mom. She’s the one who bought me that video back in high school about getting myself organized. The only thing that really stuck with me was to make a list at the start of my day of everything that needs to get done.

Do you know that I’ve never made a list of the things that need to get done in my day? Ever.

I’m thinking this is the main problem with my get-rich-quick-on-the-internet scheme.

Focus. Planning. Action.

I’ll get to that right after this old episode of True Life is over.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

As in, the first anxiety attack I had was in 4th grade because my parents wouldn’t let me watch The Cosby Show. For serious. They had to take me to the ER and everything. To top that off, my pediatrician was mad at me because SHE was missing The Cosby Show to see me at the ER.

So to say my love affair with the television and the happy things it brings me is a “love affair,” is an understatement.

I’ve had a TiVo and/or DVR since 2001 when they were first invented. It’s pretty much still the best Christmas present Mr Sir has ever given me. Ever. At one point, I had two DVRs, but since TV-pocalypse ’09, I’ve been down to just the one. It’s a rough life.

Seeing as I am a TV aficionado, I’ve compiled a list of the TV shows I’m super duper squeeeeeee-cited to see this Fall. Some of the new shows have already started (WEEDS!) and some are starting in the next few weeks (GLEE!).

Skidaddle on over to Aiming Low to see what I’m adding to my DVR recordings.

And if you don’t have a DVR, please quit the internet right now. I’m even talking to you, Chibi Jeebs and Mandi.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

ANYhooters…

This is my response to the BlogHer ’10 response posts.

There are 1 of 2, or maybe 2 of 2, reasons I don’t see the negative. Either I’m not smart enough to realize it’s happening, or my head is firmly affixed above the clouds and I thinks WAY too much about the good that I’m seeing.

OR, there’s a 3rd, and much more likely, reason: that I’m so narcissistic and worried about my own anxiety issues that I’m stuck thinking about me and only me and how I’m going to make it from my room to the next location without making an ass out of myself by accidentally ignoring someone I like or tripping on my sore feet and splatting my face on the floor.

Either way…

I don’t see the negative at the conferences. I’m constantly scanning the throngs of people, seeking out someone I know or someone I wanted to meet. And really, can we all have our blog header and/or Twitter avatar and/or Twitter name plastered to our foreheads so I know who you are? I’m looking for the people I WANT to meet and not what I don’t want to see.

I don’t think I’m making any sense.

This is not new.

(See: photo)

So when I read the post BlogHer posts about how blogging is changing (true fact) and how “this” shouldn’t have happened “there” and how private parties suck (no they don’t) and how people are assholes (they are), I think to my wee-brain self,

“Self, were we at the same place these people were? How did we miss all of this?”

And then I remind myself that we do what we want, we take nuggets of Awesome away from different situations, and we really aren’t negatively affected by the weirdness.

The “we” meaning me, myself, and I. We’re crazy like that.

OR, my final theory on all of the negativity: 2500 people who all spend 360 days a year alone in our houses typing away at our keyboards are suddenly out of our element, thrust into a 24/7 need-to-be-social environment, and when we return back home, we’re all in a state of debauchery recovery for at least 2 weeks.

Or maybe that’s just me.

©2010 A Whole Lot of Nothing. All Rights Reserved. Steal my stuff, I breakayourface.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing, 2010. | Permalink | 33 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh