Guilty TV pleasures: a Blog Off post

Every two weeks, the blogosphere comes alive with something called a Blog Off. A Blog Off is an event where bloggers of every stripe weigh in on the same topic on the same day. The topic for this round of the Blog Off is "Guilty pleasures: what's your favorite show on TV?"

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It's funny. I spent most of yesterday composing a lengthy, lengthy defense of my intellect that amounted to a rationalization of why I watch the guilty pleasure TV I do. I'll spare you my inner torment and just come clean. I am no stranger to trashy TV. I don't admit it very often but the whole point of this Blog Off topic was to act as a confessional.

So with that said I'll confess that I watch most of the shows the Bravo Network produces. And out of all of those programs the one that stands out for me, the true rose among the thorns of reality TV is the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

There. I just admitted that to the world. This is supposed to make me feel better but instead I just feel exposed. The Real Housewives of New Jersey has no redeeming qualities other than that it entertains me. It entertains me because it makes me think I'm sane when I compare my life to the horrors that play out in North Jersey every week. I watch it for no reason other than the thrill of schadenfreude.

Here are three clips that sum up the shenanigans of The Real Housewives of New Jersey perfectly.

From Season One:






From Season Two:






From Season Three:






And there you have it. I've either admitted my humanity or made myself look bad. I can't figure out which. In my own defense, I really do read The New Yorker...

As the day goes on, the rest of the participants in today's Blog Off will appear miraculously at the end of this post. Keep checking back and check out everybody's postss. You can follow along in Twitter as well, just look for the hashtag #LetsBlogOff. If you'd like more information about about the Blog Off or if you'd like to see the results of previous Blog Offs, you can find the main website here.

A Saturday New York story

As I get ready for another trip to New York, something that's become almost a routine, my mind drifts back to a time not too long ago. Actually, it feels like a lifetime, but on a calendar it was only seven years ago.

I was about to turn 39 and I'd been a fervent promoter of a novel by Gregory Maguire called Wicked since the late '90s. If you were anywhere in my sphere back then, you'd have heard me hollering about that novel. I still holler about it if you catch me in a nostalgic moment.

Wicked is an achievement in American fiction and it remains an amazing read. If you've never read it, forget your preconceptions and pick up a copy. You'll never look at history the same way.

Anyhow, seven years ago somebody turned my beloved novel into a Broadway musical that was then struggling to keep the doors open. I was beyond intrigued by the idea of it and I hadn't been in New York in nearly 15 years. So to commemorate my 39th, my great friend Kevin Smith and I flew to New York for a weekend. We'd see the show, hang out with his friend Janine and spend a whole day running around New York.

Despite the juggernaut Wicked became eventually, Kevin and I saw it with its original cast in a half empty Gershwin Theater. We sat feet away in the fifth row of the orchestra when Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel sang this:






I remember sitting in that theater during that number and getting choked up because that song was about me and Kevin. It was more than me and Kevin of course. It was about everyone I've ever known but it stopped with Kevin Smith.

Kevin Smith is a dear, dear friend. His is best and most solid friendship I've ever formed in my life. When we were in New York that weekend we were also neighbors in St. Pete. Back in St. Pete, Kevin taught me more than I think he'll ever know. Among many other things, he taught me how to live a life without shame and he taught me how to laugh. Kevin's willingness to share a cup of coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls taught me how to be a neighbor. His legendary rice and beans taught me how to be welcome guest.

Through our various highs and lows he's always been there to bring me back to earth when I'm flying too high and he's always been around to catch me when I crash and burn. I'd never be in the position I am today without his constant challenges and encouragement. More than anybody else, Kevin equipped me for the things I have in front of me now.

In the last seven years, New York's become what I like to call my home away from home away from home and Kevin's moved on to greener pastures in New Orleans. But every time I find myself on Madison Avenue I find myself thinking about Kevin Smith and that weekend way back when and I thank him for the role he's played in my life.

 Kevin, not to be a cliche, but because I know you, I have been changed for the better and for good.

Here's a re-cap of the work I have standing in the Houzz.com archives. I'll be adding to it soon now that things have calmed down a bit. If you're not a frequenter of Houzz.com you should be!

paul_anater's ideabooks

Houzz- Kitchen Remodels, Bathroom Remodels and More»

Browse Accessories And Decor on Houzz- For Example:

Frames · Home Electronics · Home Fragrance · Indoor Pots And Planters · Magazine Racks · Mirrors · Vases · Wallpaper ·

Back to New York

from Wikimedia Commons

Man oh man do I love this town.

You know it's funny, this is the sixth or seventh time I said "I'm going to New York" on this blog. Or is it the seventh or eighth? Who's counting?

Anyhow the K&RD show is going back on the road next week and I'll be in the City from Tuesday through Friday. This time, the great folks from American Standard are bringing me, Saxon Henry, Andie Day, Laurie Burke, JB Bartkowiak and Rich Holschuh together for a few days to learn about American Standard, Crane Plumbing, Jado | Porcher and Eljer products.

This is going to be a great week and I owe a great debt of thanks to American Standard's PR folks Nora DePalma, Wendy Silverstein and Jen Datka for making all of these arrangements.

I guess it's a function of having been around for a while but I know all of the bloggers who will be there so this will be as much a reunion for many of us as it will be an opportunity to get some product education. And what better place than New York? And by the way, they're putting us up at The Standard. Woo-hoo!

Everybody arrives on Tuesday and everybody involved will be live-Tweeting the action as it unfolds. If you're a Twitter-er, follow these people to keep up on the action as it unfolds.

Me @Paul_Anater
Saxon Henry @SaxonHenry and @adroyt
Andie Day @AndieDay
Laurie Burke @cabinetgal1
JB Bartkowiak @BuildingMoxie
Rich Holdshuh @ConcreteDetail and @adroyt
American Standard @amercanstandard
Professor Toilet @professortoilet
Nora DePalma @noradepalma
Wendy Silverstein @WSA_PR

Am I the only one...

Who actually prefers seeds in his watermelon?

via Houstonist

Watermelon grows here locally and plentifully. It's available most of the year and I eat more than my share of it. Increasingly though, all I've been finding are the boring seedless ones.

I'll go out on a limb here and admit that I eat watermelon seeds. They add a shot of texture to watermelon that makes it watermelon in my mind. Beyond that, watermelon seeds actually taste good.

So is this a me and me alone thing?