A running diary of the Rockerfeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration, Live on NBC

In Bill Simmons style, I decided to do a running diary of the annual Rockerfeller Center Christmas Tree lighting. If you've never read Bill Simmons (aka the Sports Guy from ESPN.com Page 2) there could be something wrong with you. I'm just sayin. Anyway, here goes:

8:00 p.m. - Taylor Hicks opens the show. Typically soulful performance you would expect from Mr. Hicks. Nicely done. I like how he has seemingly rid himself of his "happy fist" dance. It's far less distracting to watch him perform now.

8:04 p.m. - Al Rocker and that Asian female news broacaster on NBC (always forget her name) are co-hosting. Oh God, that was so funny!! She just coughed uncontrollably mid-sentence. Still coughing as they pan over to just Al. Gotta love live TV.

8:06 p.m. - Oooh, Bette Midler next! Love the Devine Miss M. She seems a little under the weather and what the heck is that white fluffy thing on her head. Seriously, Bette, you look ridiculous.

8:11 p.m. - Back from commercial and they cut to Hall and Oates performing. Apparently, they're going to be performing for the crowd during commercial breaks. What crap!! Hall and Oates is a totally cool 80s band that I happen to love!! I want to see them too!!

8:17 p.m. - Sting from atop the Rockerfeller building. He's singing a classical-style original song. He sounds great, but I'm just wondering who the guy playing the horn-like guitar next to him. He looks like Gerard DePardeu, only thinner.

8:26 p.m. - Enya? Live? Is that possible? Her sound is so synthesized. How can she possibly be singing live? I don't buy it. The woman is clearly lipsynching. She's still great though. Even though all her songs sound the same.

8:29 p.m. - Brief stint with Al and guests Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin (insert shameful NBC show promotion here). Ah yes, there it is. 30 Rock is moving to Thursdays, Tina tells us. Good, now I still don't have to watch it because it's opposite Grey's Anatomy. Thanks Tina.

8:30 p.m. - Martina McBride. I don't dig country, but she sounds great. Only a small hint of a Southern twang while singing O Come All Ye Be Faithful. A joy to listen to.

8:36 p.m. - Back from commerical. Yay, more Hall and Oates. Five whole seconds of a song. Back with Al and Ann, I guess is her name.

8:37 p.m. - Yes, John Legend!! Love him and he's singing my favorite Christmas song: Oh Holy Night. Oh my God, he's so ridiculously talented. You gotta love a guy who has a song from his first album that has a line in it that says the following: "You can't say, I don't love you just because I cheat on you." Now he's singing about the night Christ was born. What a guy!! Wow. He just nailed that song.

8:44 p.m. - Back from commercial. More Al, More Ann. And two poeple from a new NBC reality show that's seeking a Danny and Sandy to perform in the Broadway version of Grease. More shameful promotion NBC show promotion. I think I'm going to be ill. That starts Jan. 7, just in case you wanted to know.

8:45 p.m. - Ooooooh. Sarah McLauchlan. Her songs helped me get through some tough times in college. I used to listen to them and think, wow, the chick in this song is a little worse of than me. Then I'd eat some ice cream and be okay. She's inspirational really. She's doing the John Lennon song "And so this is Christmas" and she's doing it well.

8:49 p.m. - Al and Ann, again. Oooooh but they're introducing someone I love!!

8:50 p.m. - Christina Aguilera singing "Hurt" from her new album, which I own, and I love. Cheesey that Sasha Cohen is skating along to it, though. (I think everyone thought like I did, Sasha Cohen? What's Borat doing there? Oh, that's Sasha BARON Cohen. Thanks for clearing that up).
Love this song and she's amazing, but why is Christina not singing a Christmas song? Is this not a Christmas special? Did she not release a Christmas album? How about singing one of those songs and not a heart-wrenching ballad about your deadbeat dad? How about that Christina??!!
She's amazing, though. Truly.

8:57 p.m. - Back from commercial and a 10 second count down to light the tree. The flick is switched and 9 tons of Christmas tree is lit!! Woohoo!! Hall and Oates are singing Jingle Bell Rock. Yeah!! But NBC keeps cutting from them, to the cast of host and guests, then to the tree, then back to Hall and Oates. It's so confusing.

8:59 p.m. - Al sounds off, yeah, OVER Hall and Oates. Dissed!!
End of show.

Gosh, that was tough. How does Simmons do it?

My first Christmas tree.

Tree
Originally uploaded by LadyJ117.

So here it is, my very first REAL Christmas tree. Since moving out of my family home nearly five years ago, I have never been able to have a real tree until this year.

At my first apartment, my roommate was a bitch and didn't want to have to "deal" with a tree even though I told her I would be responsible for it. Until recently, I was sharing my current apartment with two cats (both of whom weren't mine). I was told by my roommies that trees and cats don't mix. For two weeks now, we've been completely cat-free and I couldn't be more thrilled.

My roommie Jill and me picked up this beauty Saturday afternoon and by Sunday night it looked like this!! Call me biased, but I think it's the most perfect Christmas tree there ever was!! I wish you could see it in person because it really is the prettiest!!

Why do I even bother?

I refuse to go into details, but just know that I went on the WORST date of my life last Tuesday with Rob. Never date a boy from Dorchester! There, you've been warned!!

In other BTD news, I purchased and decorated my very first real Christmas tree this weekend!! It's absolutely perfect and I will post a picture tomorrow!!

Have a good night.

Another go.

Got another date tonight. This one is with Rob, a bartender friend of mine (sorry Krissy)!! We've been crushing on each other for a few months and he finally asked me out last Friday. I'm not going to even attempt to predict anything here. All I know is he's already a lot more fun than Loc was. He's got a better personality, he's more confident, and he's a bartender!
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I'm all done at work until Monday and I couldn't be more thrilled!! That is, I'm all done working at the paper for the week. I do have to cover a Thanksgiving Day football game Thursday morning, but that's it. It'll be nice to catch up on some rest after what has already been a very busy November!!

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I might offer some date details tomorrow, but if I'm not able to, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! What are you thankful for this year?

Why my roommie Jill is so funny?

FakeHead
Originally uploaded by LadyJ117.

This is Jill dressed as a "Rocker" (as in Jem and the Rockers) on Halloween night giving this guy dressed as a life-sized "Transformer" fake head.

Need I say more?

I'm getting too old for this.

This has been one of the longest weeks of my life!!

It's high school tournament time in Massachusetts and that means my life is turned upsidedown for a week. I've had soccer games practically every night of the week. Between soccer games I had to squeeze in three bar shifts. Sleep hasn't exactly been something I've enjoyed over the last week. But then again, I've learned to function pretty well on little sleep!!
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Anyway, nothing really new going on. Last night, my last soccer team was ousted so I finally have some time to catch up on my social life...although not tonight.

You could probably guess by now that things with Loc have cooled. I broke it off because I really just didn't have the time to pursue a relationship. It was just bad timing, meeting him two weeks before the tournaments started. He works 9-5 and has weekends off. I don't, which means lots of dates during the week, which means lots of late nights and lots of grogginess at work the next morning. It just wasn't working out, unfortunately. Too bad, but there's plenty of other guys out there...and don't I know it.
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Everyone gearing up for Christmas? Oh yeah, not even Thanksgiving, but it looked like Christmas Eve in the mall today. I stopped in to exchange something at Old Navy after work and I saw Santa. On Nov. 13!! There's something wrong with that!! Seriously!!

Well, that's all for now. I hope your weekend was more fun than mine!! Although, you probably didn't make $800 in three nights like I did so screw!!

Gosh darn work!

Hello all. I had a busy weekend and I've got a busy week coming up. What does this mean? That I'm essentially going to be ignoring you for the next few days. I'm swamped with work and trying to get over the carnage I witnessed at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro last night. $100 bucks to see the Pats beat themselves against the Colts!!!!! Just horrible!!

Okay, I'll write again when I can. Have a great week!

Taylor's first Halloween.

TayElvis
Originally uploaded by LadyJ117.

Awwwwwwww! How cute is she??!!

This is niece Taylor as Elvis. Momma Beth wanted to get a baby wig for her with some sideburns to complete the look, but no luck. Rather than stick her baby in a furry animal suit of some kind, Beth went the other way and made her kid something cool for Halloween!! Good move, B. Good move!!
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Have a great weekend!! I know I will!! Going to the Pats/Colts game at Gillette on Sunday night. Peyton and Co. are going down, baby!!