Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

My latest reality television obsession is VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. I have loved Dr. Drew ever since Loveline was on MTV. In my eyes, the man can do no wrong. And Celebrity Rehab is another hit for him. For the show, a group of addicted celebrities gather to kick their nasty habits. The lineup consists of Family Matters' Jaimee Foxworth, Seth 'Shifty' Binzer from the group Crazytown, martial arts fighter Ricco Rodriguez, actor Daniel Baldwin, actress Brigitte Nielson, former pro-wrestler Joanie 'Chyna' Laurer, porn actress Mary Carey and Grease star Jim Conaway. Their addictions vary from alcoholism to cocaine to pot. Dr. Drew and his staff definitely have their hands full with this crew.

At first, I thought this show was going to be an absolute train-wreck. On the contrary, the show is not only entertaining, it's also very informative about what goes on in rehab. My father is an alcoholic and he has been in and out of various rehabs over the years. While I knew that they did things like "art therapy" since he always brought home weird pottery things, I didn't know that there are group sessions where the patients talk about things that may have caused them to turn to drugs or alcohol. It's interesting to hear about what these celebrities have gone through. Especially since the general public tends to think these people live glamorous golden lives. Instead, they are living with a lot of emotional baggage due to past emotional abuses.

I think that this show is something that everyone should watch. Not just to see "celebreality" but also to see the reality of rehab.

Refinancing the mortgage

This year will be the third year since we bought our house. We've been thinking about refinancing in order to get a lower monthly payment. That would mean talking to mortgage lenders again and that really sucks. Our payment isn't terribly bad so it's nothing that we need to deal with immediately. But everyone wants lower bill payments, right? Then again, I'd really like to move into a larger house. Our current house is pretty small. Always wanting bigger and better, that's me.

Laptop stuff

A couple of years ago, my husband and I used to run an anime convention. Last year we handed everything over to other staff members as it was getting to be too much work for us. But back in the beginning, it was pretty much just the two of us with a bit of help from some friends. We even used our own equipment to run it. Looking back, it probably would have been a better idea to look at laptop rentals instead of using our own stuff. I mean, we put a lot of personal computer and video game equipment at stake. We were really lucky. None of our stuff got broken. Except for the iPod that was stolen and we wouldn't have rented that anyway.

Game review: Jojo's Fashion Show

There has definitely been a sudden influx of fashion-based casual games. Few of them really had anything to do with fashion though. Well, things are different now. Jojo's Fashion Show is definitely about the fashion and nothing else. You play Jojo Cruz, a retired fashion designer. She's trying to come back to the fashion scene and it's your job to help her. The goal is to make the best outfit you can. You are given three models, a variety of clothes and a couple of themes. It is your job to create the best outfit for the given theme with the clothes you have.

Sounds easy, right? It's a lot more difficult than you would think! Sometimes you don't get the right clothes and you are forced to just throw something together before the model walks onto the runway naked. But sometimes everything comes together and you create the absolute perfect outfit.

This is definitely a game for those interested in fashion. I can't imagine someone who doesn't like clothes enjoying this. Clothes are the game. And this is most definitely the best fashion game I've come across so far.

Internet interference

As I am slightly bored today, I am posting a whole lot. I guess that's a good thing for you. ^_^ Speaking of posting, my posts from home may be a little sporadic. Mostly because we have been having problems with our internet connection. While the cable company believes they have fixed it, there are still problems occasionally. I'm not sure if upgrading the cables between all the connections to fiber optic cables would help or not. Fiber optic cables are supposed to cut down on interference and I know we've been having some problems with interference from some sort of radio signal in the area. My husband's Xbox 360 has been losing the signal from the controllers (yes, controllers with brand new batteries so that isn't the problem) and when he uses the headset, he can hear phone conversations once in awhile. I'm not sure if that would interfere with our internet connection or not. I guess it's just another thing for me to look into.

Favorite Friday

For the past couple of weeks, there has been a sort of rivalry between The A Daily Show host Jon Stewart, Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert and late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien. It all came to a head earlier this week when the three funnymen decided to duke it out.

Jdorama review: Taiho Shichauzo

Title: Taiho Shichauzo Translation: You're Under Arrest Broadcast date: 10/17/02 - 12/12/02 Genre: Police comedy Cast: Ito Misaki, Hara Sachie Plot: Based on the best-selling manga, this is the story of Natsumi (Ito) and Miyuki (Hara), two outrageous female traffic police officers. What is good: The cast had pretty good chemistry with each other. What is bad: Most of the episodes are boring. Letter rating: C- Overall: I watched this show in the hopes that Ito Misaki had the ability to play a character that isn't a shy, submissive Japanese woman. She definitely pulled it off here. Natsumi is the complete opposite of Ito's Aoyama Saori from Densha Otoko. The problem here isn't the acting. It's that the stories are fairly boring. The show starts off well with Natsumi and Miyuki kicking a lot of criminal ass but then it swerves away from that. Yes, they still get into fights once in awhile. They just aren't the same as the fights from the early episodes. And by the end of the series, Natsumi is using guns instead of her fists. Considering there are only nine episodes in the series, the transition from "wild girls" to "sweethearts of the police station" goes quickly.

If you're a fan of the manga or the anime version, you might enjoy this. However, don't expect anything particularly deep to come out of it. We never really get to know the girls beyond their deep friendship for each other. It would have been nice to get into why Natsumi was so violent or why Miyuki likes cars so much. Alas, we are left with the "because this is how they are" type of reasoning for everything. At least the studio didn't try to drag this out for 26 episodes.

Website of the Week: Shaving Grace Barbers

This week's website is a little different because it's not really about the website. It's about the service that this company offers. Shaving Grace Barbers are pretty much what they sound like - barbers. However, they are also a sort of men's spa. Besides offering the very rare straight-razor shave, they also offer massages, hair waxing (both eyebrow and chest/back), manicures and pedicures. Everything is geared toward men, even the decor. There are dart boards, televisions with various sports playing, a pool table and they even sell cigars. I bought a shave and a haircut package for my husband for Christmas a few years ago and he loved it. There are two locations in Exton, PA - one in the Main Street shopping center by the Exton Mall and one in the Eagleview Towne Center. If you are a man, give it a try. If you are a women, this would make a perfect gift for the man in your life.

Music review: Donald & Daisy Duck - Bicycle Built For Two

Artist: Donald Duck and Daisy Duck Album: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse soundtrack Release date: 10/3/06

Lyrics: (Spoken parts are bold) Donald: Hiya, Daisy! Daisy: Hello there, Donald. Donald: Would you like to go for a bicycle ride? Daisy: A bicycle ride? Why sure. Donald: Daisy, Daisy Give me your answer do (Daisy: What is it?) I'm half crazy All for the love of you (Daisy: Oh, Donald) It won't be a stylish marriage (Daisy: It won't?) I can't afford a carriage (Daisy: But you promised) But you'll look sweet Upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two Daisy: Well, a bicycle built for two is better than a bicycle built for one anyway Donald: You said it! Daisy: Now I have a question for you Donald Donald: OK Daisy: Donald, Donald Give me your answer do (Donald: OK) I'm half crazy All for the love of you (Donald: Awww) It won't be a stylish marriage (Donald: What?!) You can't afford a carriage (Donald quacks incoherently) But you'll look sweet Upon the seat Of a bicycle for two

Together: Yes you'll look sweet Upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two

Daisy: Oh, Donald

About the song: For those of you without kids, here's the rundown on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy and Pluto all hang out at the technologically advanced Clubhouse. Each episode has the gang solving problems with the help of "Mouseketools" - four different objects that will solve one of four puzzles in the episode. The opening and ending theme songs are sung by They Might Be Giants. The rest of the soundtrack is filled with songs by various Disney characters.

Bicycle Built For Two is a good song for young children since it has simple lyrics. However, that makes it fairly annoying for parents since it just repeats the chorus of the song. That usually means that parents will hear the kids singing it over and over and over. There are a couple of good songs on the soundtrack but this is not one of them.

Game review: Turbo Subs

Turbo Subs is a time management game where Rebecca and Robert from Turbo Pizza decide to open a sandwich shop. This time the shop is in New York City and is located on a train. The game plays much like every other time management restaurant game. You make food and serve it to customers. However, the restaurant is laid out a bit differently. Instead of having straight counters, these ones are in a circle. It makes it a little more difficult to click on the actual customers since now they stand sort of behind each other. Also, it's a little annoying that some of the food takes so long to make. The customers can request a toasted sandwich but then they start getting angry when the sandwich takes longer to make.

Overall, it's not a difficult game. Though it's not particularly interesting either. There isn't anything that sets it apart from any other time management restaurant game. A good game but not a great game.