When a Problem Comes Along, You Must Whip It!

A big pop movie icon collection going up for auction next month!

They've got a helmet signed by Tom Hanks, Christopher Reeve's Superman suit, and even Indiana Jones' whip and chalice from The Last Crusade... all kinds of great stuff!

Now, we had a replica whip - and the anchors had just too much fun with it!

(Click Picture to Watch!)


All the proceeds are going to the Audubon Society.

Step Show Throwdown!

The CIAA is gearing up for Funky Fresh Friday with a TON of events uptown, including the CIAA Step Show Throwdown.

Some of the boys from Kappa Alpha Psi at UNC Charlotte stopped by to give a little preview of what you can expect on Friday night.

(Click Picture for Video)


So who will win the battle? Guess you'll have to be there to find out!

Frustrations From A New Homeowner

As a new homeowner the news about surging foreclosure rates and low home prices has me worried. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Even people who aren't at risk for foreclosure have a lot to worry about. For instance I'm not worried about foreclosing myself, but instead I'm worried that other people in my area will foreclose. I'm also worried that selling my condo will be harder than originally thought.

I bought my place over the summer. I knew going in that most of the country was having foreclosure problems, but everything I read and was told was that Charlotte seemed to be immune. So I took the big plunge and bought. The good part about buying when I did was that it was still easy. I wasn't under a ton of scrutiny from the bank. Lately I've been hearing horror stories from people who are trying to buy right now. A lot of banks and mortgage companies are cracking down on who they let buy. Some people have told me they can't even get their mortgage companies to call them back.

Of course buying right now comes with some rewards. For instance next to nothing interest rates.

Either way, the economical problems aren't going away anytime soon, which will impact everyone. It may impact when I decide to sell, the amount of upgrades I do to my place, and the price I'll eventually get for my home.

Upgrades are good but there's a fine line between making your house more sell able and out pricing yourself. Right now I'm just trying to walk a fine line. For instance should I tile my kitchen and bathrooms? Should I redo my counter tops in my kitchen? Should I redo my closet? What kinds of things would be positive changes and what would be too much?

Anyone with any ideas feel free to comment.

Are You Ready for Some SOFTBAAAAAAAAAAAALL?

I am completely pumped.

There are a couple times of years that I truly love...Football Season, My Birthday/Christmas, and of course...Media League Softball Season!



That's right! This will be my third year ON the team...fourth year being around it. There is something exciting about getting out and playing a game of softball on a league...win or lose.

And yes, we've had our share of both...

Do I hate losing? Of course!

Do I have fun regardless? You betcha!

So with practice kicking off on Saturday morning - you can just call me the HAPPY PRODUCER!

Stand by Your Ham...

That's right...your ham!

Farmers in the U.K are trying a new way to bring attention to their issue, so they are hitting the Internet with a catchy new song. This is a parody of Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man."

'Stand by Your Ham'

Right now it's hard to make a living
Rearing all your pigs for pork and ham.
The supermarkets make money
But we don't make any money
And that's quite hard to understand
But if they gave us a little more money
Gave us farmers a fairer share.
Coz we take good care of our pigs
We're so proud of them
To us they're more than pork and ham.

(Chorus)
Stand by your ham.
Sausages, pork and bacon
Help us to stay in business
Because our pigs are worth it.
Stand by your ham.
Sausages, pork and bacon
Keep givin' all the help you can
Stand by your ham.

But you have to seriously ask...can this be more than just a catchy song?

I think its a great effort, but I don't know that it'll actually make a difference in the price of feed for the Wilbur and the rest of the porkers.

Sorry Farmers...great song, but it ain't gonna help!

Way To Go Vols!

Just wanted to take a quick minute and congratulate the Tennessee Vols! I became a TN basketball fan after moving to Tennessee from Ohio a few years ago. When I first got to Tennessee, the men's basketball team had just hired Bruce Pearl as their new coach.

Pearl should go down in history as being one of the best basketball coaches! He took a team that rarely made it to the NCAA tournament to a few years later being the number one team in the country. Now in all fairness the team has only had that title for a day or so but it's a great accomplishment for a team that has never been number one!

Once again congratulations to Bruce Pearl and the team for a season well done! Let's hope they can take it all the way!

Picture Courtesy: SEC Sports

Don't Screw Up... I'm Watching You!

I don't like listening to the radio in the car anymore...if the dial goes anywhere near a country station. Why? Because there is a country song out that scares the snot out of me.

Its called "Watching You" by Rodney Atkins. If you haven't heard it before, download it - or ask someone who has it. Even if you don't like country...

And its not SUPPOSED to be scary...its supposed to be a feel good kinda song. But when I listen to the lyrics of the song, I get scared about growing up and being a parent.

Here's the chorus:

"He said I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I've been watching you"

This scares me. I feel like as a person, I'm an okay person. I have respect for my elders, and I try and be a good person - but having someone that looks up to me 24/7...

*Shudders*

I don't think I'm ready for this kind of responsibility. Not yet.

By the way...this is only the second song to ever give me the heebe-jeebes. The other song was "Hotel California"...when I was like eight. I used to hear the song and picture little gremlin-like, clownish creatures coming to get me and taking me away forever.

But that could never happen.

Right...?

Political Observations

While I normally shy away from politics... at least for blogging purposes, I had some thoughts this weekend. I was reading an article about the upcoming Presidential race and I came to two very different conclusions about two very different candidates.

The first was about John McCain. After reading an article in the New York Times it became apparent that the Times did what John McCain couldn't, get Republican backers for himself. After the article ran last week, accusing McCain of an inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist, GOP's came out of the woodwork to support him. These were the same republican leaders who had shunned McCain for not being republican enough. In the word's of my boyfriend, "Being attacked by the Times was like a badge of honor." Essentially now that McCain has been attacked by liberals, he's conservative enough for Republicans again.

The second thought was about Hillary Clinton. I don't think she'll get a fair shake when it comes to this Presidential Race. In fact I don't think most women would get a fair shake. As much as we'd like to say Gender shouldn't or doesn't play a role into politics, I think we all know it does. I think even more so than race.

Throughout the race we've seen several faces of Senator Clinton. We've seen the tough, loud, mud slinging, accusation throwing Clinton and we've also seen the crying, emotional Clinton. I think both sides are bad for her run. Let's be honest, there are words that people use to describe women like Hillary. It doesn't matter how capable a woman is, if she's outspoken and harsh, it doesn't settle well with men or women. But as soon as she tries to show a little emotion, to show she's not as hard as she seems, people say "see she's crying, that's why we can't have a woman president."

I'm not saying a woman president is not possible, I just think it would take a candidate that is charming, relatable to both men and women, tough but not threatening (especially to men). I hope one day in the near future there is a woman President, but I don't think Clinton is the woman who will get the job.

Just food for thought.

Skinny Fellas Need Not Apply!

That's right fellas...your wife might be harping about those few extra pounds, but the Florida Marlins want you, spare tire and all!

The National League baseball team is puting together an all-male, plus-size cheerleading squad to be dubbed "The Manatees." The team hopes to recruit seven to 10 tubby men to dance, cheer and jiggle during Friday and Saturday home games.



But the competition was not easy - these big boys still had to be agile!



The Manatees won’t be paid, but they’ll get tickets for the games they perform...and you have to imagine a hot dog or two.

Now, maybe I'm just biased...but I don't think these fellas have anything on the Suchan Shuffle!



Get down with your bad self, Chris!