That loud sigh heard throughout Portland at about 3:40p today was me, finally completing my Pilates Mat Course training. I definitely have a new appreciation and admiration was the instructors that have taught me in years past. Unlike my Spinning training, which took about eight hours total, this course included anatomy, biomechanics, and learning about 50 different exercises. So far I have invested 50+ hours with another 25 or 30 to go.

Try being 40-something, not having been in any real learning situation for years and trying to absorb so much information. If I had known the exact extent of how much I would have to learn, I can’t say I would have done it, but here I am.

I love taking pilates and when it comes to sharing something I love, I am a good teacher. That’s why I think I’ll eventually really know my stuff and be able to share it with others. For now, it’s studying my anatomy-Dr. Matteson anyone?-and practice teaching the exercises on as many people I can get my hands on.

So, who’s up for some serious core work?
 

My stay-cation in Maine in pictures!

 Jen and me at the Front Room                         Hiking with Emma at Wolfneck

Jen, me, and Tim's wife, Monica at                  On the lovely porch at the Inn on Chebeague
Fore Street.                                                             Island

Jenny at Wolfneck                                                Emma cooling off at Wolfneck

me getting the pamper treatment at                East End Beach  
Soakology

The yummy liquor-filled flambe at                      The effects of the liquor-filled flambe on me!
the Inn on Chebeague Island      

I just had a stay-cation and I may have spent more money than if I had actually gone somewhere. I guess the upside is most of the money was spent on local businesses--especially food places! If you're going to have a stay-cation, Maine is the best place to do it. I just love this place---in the summer!!

Jenny at Two Lights

It’s almost time to end this long vacation I’ve been loving! I had such a great time with my sister Jenny. We really did a lot in the six days she was here, especially eat! And I mean we ate! We ate at The Old Port Sea Grill, The new Grill Room, The Front Room, Norm’s East End, Street & Co., Eggspectation, Café Azure in Freeport, The Lobster Shack at Two Lights, and some sushi at Benkay. Plus we had drinks at Fore Street and Vignola, so I think I’ve had my fill of good eating for a while. I still think Street & Co. is the best meal in town. They totally get it all right! We split all our meals. that way we can eat well, not spend a fortune, and not feel like a bloated pig after.

On the boat to Chebeauge Island

We also spent one night at the Chebeague Island Inn. I knew that Jen would love the old Inn—with it’s wraparound porch and stylish rooms. It’s a great place to do pretty much nothing, which I have gotten good at! I read an entire issue of Vanity Fair cover to cover—I am so up on the whole Bear Stearns fiasco, although I still don’t totally get it!

For this summer I said I wanted to try 25 new things. The first was Silly’s restaurant a few weeks ago-loved it! Jenny and I went to Soakology for foot soaks and a fabulous foot massage. This is a truly decadent experience. I highly recommend it. I also made my first visit to the Portland Museum of Art. I know, shame on me, but better later than never,

I’ve had a few days to rest since Jenny left. We were really going at a pace—Eva needs her naps! Now it’s just about back to work. I still have a pool party today and one tomorrow, so the vacation’s not quite over.

My camera sucks, so Jenny took all the photos. She sent these few, but has promised to send a disc of all our adventures!   

I can’t remember a time when I have looked so forward to a vacation. I am not even really going anywhere, but the mere thought of sleeping past 3:00 a.m. each morning has me feeling giddy!

My sister Jenny arrives today for a week. I am so excited to see her. So far we don’t have too much planned except we are going to spend a night at the Inn on Chebeague Island. I was there a few years ago and I just know Jenny will love it—she just graduated from design school with a degree in Architectural Design. The Inn itself is the quintessential New England Inn. The Inn has new owners so I am excited to see the revised menu options. Gotta have my food!

In between all this rest and relaxation I’ve got to continue my pilates training. I am at the stage where I am mock-teaching. I feel bad for all my local friends, they come over for a glass of wine and before I serve them, I make them do a series of pilates exercises. The way I see it is it’s free pilates-they should be happy!

I pretty much spent the whole weekend immersed in my Pilates certification training. To be honest I didn’t realize how much there is to learn. I’ve taken Pilates classes on and off for 10 years, but I guess all the exercises just never really sunk in. I realize I’ve just shown up and let the instructor guide me into each position.

I am really struggling to what each exercise entails. I think I have some issues with memorizing exercises. It’s scary because I consider myself a fairly smart gal, but it’s almost like I have these blocks of nothingness as I try to pull an exercise to the front of my mind. Old age? Too much partying in my youth? Maybe my brain is full. Perhaps I should try to purge some information. Where to start?

I finally made the commitment to get my pilates certification. I’ve been taking pilates classes on and off for about 10 years. Being a former ballet dancer, it’s the perfect exercise for me. Until recently I mainly took the mat classes, but I’ve been doing a reformer class for the past three months—the reformer is basically a piece of equipment that uses various tensions to increase your resistance. You are forced to use your abs to create stability. It’s a fabulous workout for women and their pooch problems areas!

I’ll be taking the course to get my pilates mat certification. I’ve already taken the anatomy part of the course, which I hated. It made me not want to continue the training. But my instructor promises the rest of the training will be so much better.

I am excited to get started. It should take about two weeks of one-on-one training before I am ready to take the exam. I hope to start teaching soon. I truly believe in this form of exercise and I hope I can bring my enthusiasm and excitement to new people.

Go Me!!
 

For all you animal lovers, do you know anyone who is looking for a wonderful addition to their family? Here's an email from a friend in Nashville.

-------------------------------------

Hey guys,



Please forward this email on. This little girl sounds like  the perfect angel to add to a family with kids. She has been spayed already  and really needs to find a permanent home. If anyone is interested the contact  info and description of her is below....She sounds like a precious  pup....

Please send on & God Bless!

Shirley

      

Female,  about 40lbs.  She's a little chunky for her breed.  No collar, no  microchip.

Vet  checked her out yesterday and said she is somewhere in age from 3-5 years and  appears to be healthy.

Vet  said she has been spayed.  No fleas.

She is  like a teddy bear, so affectionate. Very smart.  Loves to play fetch with  a tennis ball.  She's like an agility dog with that ball.  We tried  her with a Frisbee, but she didn't seem to know what it was.  Tennis is  her game!

She  walks on a leash like a dream, no pulling.  She has not had an accident  during the night, we just make sure we walk her right before we go to bed, and  early in the mornings.  We've only heard her bark a couple of times, and  that was because Maggie was instigating her...



I have  posted her on Petfinder.com <http://petfinder.com/><http://petfinder.com/> ; Craigs List; Petsmart; Nashville Humane  Society; 16 signs in our neighborhood.  She goes in the Tennessean  today.  Not one person has called about  her.

So,  hopefully she will find a loving home soon.  After typing all of that,  she sounds like the perfect dog!  However, we are a one dog family.   Maggie keeps us busy  enough...



CONTACT:

 KAREN BLALOCK

615-255-2091

kblalock@hfg.net


 

This tale was emailed to me by my dear friend Suzanne in Toronto. Too
good not to share.....

THE PERFECT DRESS

Jennifer's wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen
her excitement, not even her parents' nasty divorce. Her mother had
found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best-dressed
mother-of-the-bride ever!

A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father's new
young wife had bought the exact same dress as her mother!

Jennifer asked her step-mom to exchange it, but she refused.
Absolutely not! I look like a million bucks in this dress, and I'm
wearing it, she replied.

Jennifer told her mother, who graciously said, Never mind
sweetheart, I'll get another dress. After all, it's your special
day. A few days later, they went shopping and did find another
gorgeous dress.

When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, You're
going to return the other dress, right? You really don't have
another occasion where you could wear it.

Her mother just smiled and replied, of course I do, dear.

I'm wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.

LOVE IT!!!

Wishing all dads a Happy Father's Day!

More fun with Pam, but I was a tired pup after our Girls & Grills contest. I haven’t had my usual 2-3 hour naps lately, so by the time I got home from work on Friday, I crashed hard for twe hours.

Pam and I hit up Happy Hour on the deck of the Porthole. I have way more fun hanging out there when I am not actually working the Happy Hour. I got to chat with lots of people and the weather was fabulous!

We met Janet for dinner at Street & Co. This is without a doubt my favorite restaurant in Portland. I went four times last summer. It’s a treat (and not cheap), so I must reserve it for special times. Of course I ordered the same thing I always get; scampi over linguini. We had a lovely dinner and then came home and crashed again. The wine was flowing all night, so I finally got to hit my bed without having to get up at 3:00 a.m.

Janet, me, and Pam

I had several plans for us on Saturday—Peaks Island, a hike at Wolfneck, but we ended up spending several hours at Target—2 girls and a lot of cute clothes, go figure!
I also finally bought a proper umbrella and chairs for my backyard, and Pam decided to do some planting-actually she threw a bunch of seeds in the dirt and watered it. We’ll see what-if anything-grows!

I took Pam to our local tea place on the Hill—Homegrown Tea. I knew she’d love the funky vibe of the place, and she did!! Sarah, the owner, has such a calm, peaceful aura about her. It’s a cool place to check out.

We had dinner at Local 188, another of my favorite places to eat. It’s so much fun to have these grown-up girl dinners, but I must get back on my good food diet soon!
After dinner, it was off to the Front Room for dessert.

Sunday morning was time to say goodbye to Pam. I am so grateful for her visit and her friendship of over 20 years. We do talk on the phone and email often, but having her to experience my little life in Portland meant a lot to me. Emma and I love you so much!! Fly safe my friend!!

Today was high drama with my friend Pam. After my show, we headed to Two Lights for a lobster roll at the Lobster Shack. It’s one of my big “must see” stops for visiting friends. I love the lobster rolls and the view of the Atlantic is priceless. Even before we arrived there, Pam was a bit concerned about having to look at live lobsters—what?? This is Maine, they are everywhere!

Just as we walk in the door, two lobsters are being pulled out of the tank and out into the boiling water---right there with Pam starting to turn pale. She freaks and says she can’t eat there and runs out. Ok…bad idea, I guess. I walk outside and she is foaming, but says she’ll stay and have a crab roll instead---How are those crabs killed anyway?

We end up having a lovely lunch-outside, away from the sights of any live lobsters.

After lunch, we decide to take Emma for a walk along the rocks next to the restaurant. I usually let her off the leash for a few minutes to climb the rocks. I unleash her, she runs towards some bushes and Pam and I walk along the rocks. About five minutes later, Emma comes bounding up. Wait? What’s that smell? OMG! I am gagging, gagging, gagging. She is covered in some kind of brown slime that must have once belonged inside an animal. The smell is overwhelming and I am about to lose that lovely lobster roll.

At this point Pam actually takes over—she suffers from terrible allergies and couldn’t smell anything. She tells me she’ll walk Emma back to the car as I am gagging and lurching and freaking out about what to do with that dog—there is no way in hell I am putting her back in MY car!! Well Pam finally gets a whiff, but she manages to stay with Pam tells me to go into the restaurant and get some water to dump on Emma. The problem is the smell is on me from touching Emma and I refuse to go inside and ruin everyone’s lunch. With no option, I try to run in and go to the bathroom and get a cup of water. I’m still gagging and I am sure people inside thought I had pooped my pants or something.

We open all the windows, throw Emma in the car and proceed to the Portland Dog Wash—too bad I couldn’t have been further away if I tried. Pam and I have stuffed those sanitizing wipes up out nostrils and are basically leaning out the windows as I am driving.
We finally get to Portland Dog Wash—Thank God for this place.

They help us heave Emma into a tub and it took Pam and I two complete washings to get the stank off of Emma. The collar was a lost cause—she did get a cute new one!—and Emma was very distressed about the whole event—she hates baths and this one was done with urgency and little sympathy on my part. Pam of course was cooing to her and being sweet. I wasn’t as nice. Finally we had a clean dog and since I had used some old towels in the car, we threw them out and luckily the upholstery was ok.

Start to finish it was just over two hours since we’d parked at Two Lights for what I had imagined as a nice, lingering lunch. No such luck, but it makes for a good story to retell!

We had enough time to make our Pilates class and then head over to my friend Stuart’s house for a barbeque by his pool.

Never a dull moment!

I am so excited my good friend Pam is coming to visit today. Pam lives in Los Angeles, but she's been working in New York for a week, so
she's coming until Sunday. The weather is supposed to be perfect and I can't wait to show her all my favorite haunts. I feel some late nights and a lot of pino grigio in our future! I've put together a packed schedule, but Tim think's it's too much and I need to refine the itinerary. Fine!

Whoo Hoo!!

Busy time for the Beav! Our first Happy Hour on the deck of the Porthole kicks-off this weekend-finally! Saturday morning
we'll be helping WCSH-6 collect food for the Good Shepard Food Bank, and then I am off to Prime Motor Group in Saco for
a remote to celebrate their new digs---which include a car wash that cost more than $1 million dollars! Whew....

Next week my friend Pam is coming to visit. She came for a few days in June of 2005, but the weather was awful and I remember
showing her the sites from the warm, dry inside of my car. I hope this visit includes more sunshine. I brag and brag about how
spectacular Maine is, so  I really want to show it off.

Yes, I was one of those thousands of women who had to see the new Sex & The City movie opening weekend. I didn’t actually have to see it, but I admit I bought into the media hype and excitement. 

I was never a huge fan of the show. Not having HBO, I’d catch it at friends’ homes, and I rented a season or two, but I was not “Carrie” addicted.

The thought of a crowded theater, full of women, wobbling in their faux-designer shoes, all giddy over the movie, did stress me out, but I inserted my earplugs and had little expectations about the movie.

And it was good, even better than good, I had a ball watching the Fab Four for two hours. I only looked at my watch once, a near record for me.

Movies really are about escaping our normal lives, and since I don’t know anyone who lives the lives of these women—fab clothes, tons of money, love around every corner-it was definitely an escape. Even when everyone ended up happily-ever after, I didn’t deny them. It was a fun ride to watch.

I think I’ve figured out why most men don’t get this movie. At the center of the film is the deep and unbreakable friendship of four very different women. If you’re not a woman, I think it can be pretty tough to understand the bonds that women form with each other and why so many little instances in our lives become those “must discuss” gabfests.

I have some pretty fabulous girlfriends that would-and have-done anything for me. The movie made me want to call them all and tell them how much I love them and value them in my life.

So yes, it was simplistic, superficial, and God only knows what blue bird-like thing Carrie was wearing in her head with that wedding gown, but I loved every minute of it.
 

Major drama for the Beav yesterday!

 I was driving along, minding my own business, enjoying the warm air with my windows rolled down. All of a sudden I
felt a smack on my neck and a searing pain. Yikes, I had been stung by a bee. I was trying not to freak out, checking my nexk in the rear-view mirror, when I saw the little critter in my lap. I pulled over and started flapping around until I got it out of the car--I didn't even step on it, I just let it fly off. How kind am I?

I was on my way to Shaw's in Falmouth and when I got to the parking lot, I saw a woman loading groceries into her minivan. I said, "You look like a mom, I've been stung by a bee, help me!" She was so nice and as a mom of four, she had anti-itch creme right there in her purse. She dabbed me and I felt a bit less freaked out.

It's probably been about 20 years since I've been stung by a bee, but damn did it sting. OK, another 20 years until my next sting works for me!!

I am soooo happy David Cook won American Idol last night. Maybe it's because I am not a tween, but I didn't think David Archuletta was worthy of winning the competition. Yes he can sing, and yes it's a singing competition, I get that.

I just felt that watching him was boring--I was bored. There's nothing wrong with wanting a little personality in a good singer, a little confidence, some WOW factor other than the voice. Little Archuletta just needs some development time--to grow as a young adult and the couple that with his voice, I'd probably say...wow!

Honestly, I am just so glad this season of AI is over. Not counting the awesome, star-studded finale last night, it was a pretty lackluster season.

Last night I taught my last Spin class for a while. The club I’ve been teaching at, Portland Athletic Club (PAC) in Falmouth has been sold, and will undergo renovations during the summer. The new club, Foreside Fitness will reopen in August or September.

Instead of trying to find somewhere else to teach, I’ve decided to take a break from Spinning for the summer. And it already feels good!

I’ve been teaching fairly steady for five years—almost exactly! I love Spinning and I adored the people who took my class, but I think the break will be good. It will force me to find new ways to do my cardio. I plan to dust off my hybrid bike and get peddling outside and to run my local errands. I also think I look my best when I walk a lot, so that’s in my plan too!

Kudos to the City of Portland for realizing the importance of the Munjoy Hill Garden Tour to the neighborhood! Trash trucks were out this morning, picking up the acceptable Bulky Items and returning our neigborhood to its pre-landfill-looking state. I'm sure the City's budget was planning this additional pickup, but it sure helped create a prettier site in the hood!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

If you walk the streets of Munjoy Hill right now, it seriously looks like residents opened their front doors and allowed their homes to vomit its contents onto the sidewalk. Yes, it’s Bulky Item Pickup once again. 

Every May, Munjoy Hill resembles a ghetto—where people are allowed to put out several items that would be considered “too big” for regular trash pickup.

I am sure the city meant well with this program—giving people a way to get rid of a few items a year--bookcase, a bed frame, or a sofa. But what’s put onto the sidewalks now, is basically anything anyone no longer wants and is too lazy to throw it away themselves or recycle; broken toys, books, old cookware-yuck, glassware, shoes, clothes, and general hodge-podge.

I went to the city’s website to see what was considered acceptable for Bulky Item Pickup. The rules included six items for single family homes—yeah, right. Two items per unit of multi-family homes—ok, sure. Not accepted are tires, paints, yard clippings, glass/windows, TVs, appliances, wood, cement, drywall or anything for remodeling, and anything that could fit into a blue Portland trash bag.

No one listens. And hence the reason Munjoy Hill looks like a ghetto.

I feel bad for the Munjoy Garden Walking Tour this weekend. Imagine people come here to see some spectacular back-yard gardens and during their walk, they can pick up a broken toilet, a broken TV, and a rusted frying pan. Since the official pickup for these items isn't until next week, it's going to be hard to be proud of our fine neighborhood.

The only good news here is this is the last year for Bulky Item pickup. It’s been cut from the budget. I guess people will have to find another way to clean out their apartments and homes. 

http://publicworks.portlandmaine.gov/heavy.asp
 

I just knew this would happen.

I would join Facebook and spend all my time making friends, sending Flair. and Twittering, and this blog would suffer
the consequences. So many places to write about ME, so little time!

Even though I was dead seat against joining Facebook, I admit (quietly) that it is fun. I've found several old friends and colleagues,
I've got to say I've aged better than most of them! Some people are way into all the nuances of Facebook with tons of different applications. Me, I am keeping it real and simple, don't send me hugs, gifts, or even Flair! I am not 13 years old you know!

Facebook can and should never replace actually visiting, calling, or personally emailing your close friends, but for those on the outskirts of friendship, it's a good way to stay connected--in a pretty non-personal way.

Oops, I've got requests for new "friends," so I've to go now.

I am thoroughly enjoying the folks at American Idol back-peddle regarding Paula Abdul's fortune-telling mishap this week. They must think we’re really, really stupid. And nothing makes me more mad than when people in the entertainment industry think that because they’ve created a hit show, that makes them smart and us just the “believe-anything” audience.

Even if you don’t watch American Idol, by now you’ve probably heard about A.I.’s Tuesday night highlight: Paula critiquing Jason Castro’s two songs—except he had only sang once.. It was an awkward moment as she’s blabbing on about Jason's second song not showcasing his personality, when mercifully-as the audience nervously laughed, Randy Jackson quietly told her that Jason had only sung once so far. Paula feigned? confusion, “What? I thought you sang twice!”

Wednesday morning was time for damage control. First Paula called into Ryan Seacrest’s morning radio show and L.A. and “explained” that she was following producers requests. Then Ryan “explained” that Paula had seen some of Jason’s rehearsal and confused that with his second “live” performance, and finally last night before the "snoring" elimination, Ryan denied all the “rumors” that Paula Abdul was leaving show. By the way, Brook White went home, but I doubt anyone cared since the Paula-debacle was so much more interesting.

Since I work on a live radio show and admittedly make a lot of mistakes, I should probably be more forgiving of someone having to do their job live on TV with 30 million people watching. But, c’mon. I somehow sat there and watched these performances one at a time, what was Paula so busy doing during the 30 minutes it took to watch each contestant sing their first song? She thought he sang twice and she had notes on the second song?

I’m thinking the cat’s out of the bag American Idol. What I may have believed were genuine—albeit sometimes unispired-spontaneous comments, are actually a contrived mixture of rehearsals and live performances.

Shame on you American Idol. I sit through the show and pay attention, so should the judges!
 

The third week of my healthy eating plan is almost over and I must give myself kudos, because I’ve really stuck to it—except for that once a week visit to The Front Room for a few glasses of wine. Other than that—oh and that cheeseburger I just HAD to have for my PMS. My food life has really become about veggies; veggie sandwiches, veggie smoothies, veggies..veggies…veggies…where does it end? The pay off has been that I’ve lost four pounds, just in time for summer! Go me!

Since I've been talking about my smoothies on the air, I've gotten several emails about what's in them. it sounds yucky, but they taste good, so here goes!

4-6 oz. organic apple juice
1/2 container plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 banana or some mango, strawberries,,whatever you have
1 celery stalk
1 large handful of parsley
1 Tbsp. Flax seed
1 packet of Amazing Greens Super Foods
ice
Blend and enjoy!

Yesterday we held our "Moms Race" at Maine Indoor Karting in Scarborough. Five moms were on hand to race their
little hearts out, the winner receiving a full birthday party for their kid. Nothing brings out the competitive spirit like a mom
being able to deliver for their child. It was a lot of fun and the women were great. Congrats to Lori Lebreque of Saco, who won the race. Her son, Cameron was thrilled!

I've never raced a go-kart---go figure!--but I donned the required jumpsuit, sockcap and helmut and took part in the
practice race. Whoa nelly, those little cars go fast. I felt like I was hauling butt, whipping around corners, narrowly missing
the rubber sides of the track. Three laps in--or half of the four minute practice race--I was done. My heart was pounding, my legs shaking, and I realized I am just not one who likes to travel fast-unless I am on a plane or train.

I was thoroughly impress with the moms. They raced for eight minutes, which doesn't seem like a lot of time until your zooming
as fast as possible!

It has been such a pleasure getting to know Michael Chase, from the Kindness Center in Biddeford.

When Michael first emailed Tim and me about coming on our show to promote his work and his desire to spread the messege of the power of kindness, we agreed it would be cool to have him on. My reasoning was that throughout the last year, we’ve done stories about “random acts of kindness” and how neat to have a local person who is spending their life to be “kind”. If I am being totally honest, I felt that having Michael on and giving him some “air time” would be chalked up as random act of kindness on my scorecard—not very selfless, but hey!

Now we’ve had Michael on several times and watched as he undertook “24 Hours of Random Acts of Kindness” throughout Southern Maine this week. It was the first time he endeavored to do this-but I am sure it won’t be the last. During the 24 hours, Michael and his kindness crew visited schools, soup kitchens, stopped to hand out flowers and chat with people in parking lots, on the streets, and to anyone who looked like they could use some kindness. His only request was if possible “to pass it on.”

Not to make it all about me, but I did make some homemade chicken salad sandwiches for Michael and his Kindness crew. Here we are in the Old Port handing out flowers.

Here is a man who closed down a lucrative photography business to undertake a mission of inspiring others to be kind to each other. What a beautiful and simple concept. To meet Michael is to be flooded by his generosity of spirit and his never-ending faith in the power of kindness. I am definitely a better person for having met Michael.

For me, I can honestly say this week I am more aware of little acts of kindness that take only seconds-letting someone into traffic, holding a heavy door open for a mom and her stroller, picking up a piece of trash, or just saying hello strangers walking by. I am certainly not perfect and my sarcastic side will always likely win out, but I do enjoy spreading a little kindness. It’s contagious, so pass it on! 

If you're interested, just check out his website at www.thekindnesscenter.com.
 

Now, this is the kind of weather I like. Thanks Mother Nature. What a stunning day, the first time this year we've hit the 60's. Everyone was out and about, people sitting on porches and decks, kids playing, birds singing, just glorious!

It’s so funny that when I first moved to Maine I thought, wow, people really talk about the weather a lot! And then, looking back through previous entries here, I see that I talk about the weather a lot! What’s up with that? Am I becoming a Mainer?

After three days of perfectly healthy eating—my new regime!-my friend Janet literally made me go to Eggspectation for breakfast this morning-and she insisted I drink not one but two glasses of wine. Imagine that, forced by a friend! OK, maybe I wasn’t forced to go and maybe I wanted those two glasses of wine, but she could have tried to stop me!
At least I only ate scrambled eggs with cheese, no bread, no potatoes. Now it’s 6:00 p.m., and I am feasting on a salad, repenting.
 

It’s the second full day of my “eating healthy” plan. You’d think since I work out so much that I would have healthier eating habits. The truth is, I don’t eat that bad, but I have zero discipline about portions or over-indulging. I don’t occasionally have some pasta, I make sure to have the pasta-with a creamy sauce, several glasses of wine, and then dessert. Working the morning show is tough too because I get up so early that by 6:00 a.m., I am starved and by 8:30 a.m., I am hungry again. Ever been to radio station’s kitchen? Not the healthiest place. There’s always donuts, cakes, cookies, etc. That’s where some willpower would help. No forces me to eat the stuff, but it’s like I just can’t resist. And once I indulge I figure the day is lost, so I just go for it.

So yesterday I made a conscious decision that I would spend the next two weeks eating very healthy, cutting out all crap food and no alcohol—believe me, this is a sacrifice. Now halfway through day two and I am doing okay. Last night’s TV watching experience wasn’t nearly as fun as usual, but I made a cup of tea and dealt with it.
I am sure I can do anything for two weeks—it’s just 14 days and 2 days are already over.

Then what? We’ll maybe some wine here, a little carbonara there, a dunkins chocolate stick here, a cosmo there. Get the picture?
 

Continuing my "I'll do anything for the show" mantra, I may have hit a sweet new low this morning. This weekend is
annual "Chocolate Lover's Fling" event, which benefits the Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine. It's a great event for a very important cause. This will be my fourth year acting as a judge--basically we eat a lot of different chocolate treats and rate them. I know it's tough work, but I am committed to helping any way I can!

So this morning, the folks from the Fling joined us to promote the event and as usual they brought a slew of chocolate
goodies! After downing a chocolate covered Twinkie, I went for this giant bowl filled with chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, cheesecake pudding, chocolate chips, more chocolate, and topped with whipped creame. After a couple of spoonfuls, I made the comment I could stick my whole face in the bowl. That's when Tim dared me to.

But really, who in their right mind would stick their whole face into a bowl of chocolate triffle for a full five minutes at 8:00 a.m. That would be me! My first chocolate facial! I had chocolate everywhere; up my nose, in my ears, my eyes were blurred--next time I'll keep them closed!

Here's a few picture, more to come. Notice the lovely Shaw's bag protecting my hair! HA!!

That sweet taste of Spring we felt here in Portland yesterday has been rudely snatched away as another snowstorm is on the way. I finally made the switch-from my warm, lined boots to my clogs. Oh the freedom on my feet felt glorious but alas, it was a short respite and the boots will return to my feet tomorrow morning.

I know it’s still officially March and this IS Maine, but c’mon, we could all use a little warming of our souls!
 

I finally experienced another Maine tradition—Maine Maple Sunday!
My friends Laura, Lucien and Judy and I drove to Gorham to take part in this
year’s celebration.

Lucien and Judy are originally from Northern Maine, so they’re old hats at this, but for Laura and I, this was our first time. It was freezing, but with a bright blue sky and lots of sunshine, it made for a beautiful outing!

We hit three farms in Gorham, starting with Merrifield Farms—very popular, very crowded, but delicious pancakes, syrups and lots of animals to see. We also hit two smaller farms—Joe’s, picking up more syrup, and The Lockman place. We really didn’t need more syrup, but the two young boys flagging us down to see their operation were really working hard, so we had to stop.

After spending about $40 in syrup, most of which I plan to mail to friends in Los Angeles and Nashville, it felt good to support these families and their hard work.

Here’s some pictures….

I am so proud of my dear friend Ligiah. 

Ligiah’s project—which is actually a movie she wrote several years ago—has finally come to fruition and was released this week. Ligiah wrote and executive produced Under The Same Moon, a Mexican film (sub titled) about a young boy who embarks on a journey from Mexico to find his mom who is working as a housekeeper in the U.S. It was the darling of the Sundance Film Festival last year, and now so many people will finally get to see what has been Ligiah’s labor or love for the last several years.

Right now it’s only playing on 400 or so screens--in markets with a heavy Latino demographic, but still, in its first week the film made almost $3 million just in the U.S. Mexico and Spain are reporting huge first weeks too.

I was thrilled to open my new issue of People magazine yesterday and see Under The Same Moon listed as this week’s “Critics Choice" with three out of four stars.

I am hopeful Portland will eventually get this movie. I realize we don’t have a very large Mexican population, but I hope that won’t stop people from wanting to see a beautifully made film. So many of my friends in Los Angeles went this weekend and choking back tears leaving the theater, they were raving about the film. How cool is that?

About 12 years ago when Ligiah was writing a different possible screenplay, I remember telling her that one day she would be nominated for an Academy Award—I just knew it. She laughed at me. But in my heart I have always felt this was true. Who knows, this could be her year!

Ligiah and me out to dinner in L.A. summer 07.

I’ve thought long and hard about this whole Stimulus Rebate thing. I still can’t whole-heartedly embrace the concept of encouraging people to spend money. I know the housing bubble and consumer lending crisis are just one part of the "challenging time" as Bush likes to say, but it's one area where personal responsibility comes into play!

I’m certainly no economist, but I read enough to know that spending way beyond our means has helped us get in this current economy. The subprime-and now prime-lending crisis is the result of people wanting what they can’t afford and wanting it now! Where our grandparents and even parents saved usually 20 percent for a doenpayment on a home, we've become the "give me the good now, give me the bill later" generation.

Lenders couldn’t make these loans fast enough and since the American dream is something most of us strive for, we bit the bait. And now many are literally sick to their stomachs. As much as I blame the lenders and everyone involved in shuffling these loans through, it’s really just as much the borrowers’ fault. The banks and lenders are suffering the result of their greed now as we see one after the other having to write down billions of dollars of bad loans, mortgage companies going out of business, and real estate brokers with homes sitting on the market for longer and longer as prices drop and drop.

But really, didn’t anyone think this was going to be the outcome. The gravy train couldn’t last forever. I am sure it’s not this simple, but it seems to me that if you can only get into a house with zero-down, you haven’t saved up any money for a house—you’re probably already living at or beyond your means. Did anyone stop to think that houses cost money to take care of. No, because people thought they could use their house like an ATM machine and use the building equity to offset the costs. Well life is unpredictable; job loss, illness, even a car repair and now people who bought into this American Dream find they can’t make the payments. Again, it says there was no thought to saving for a rainy day because we have “the house.” Really the bank had the house, buyers made payments and now they’re literally just walking away from these houses in record numbers.

And then there’s the adjustable rate mortgages that people say they didn’t understand when they signed. Why in God’s name would you sign a document binding you several hundred thousand dollars that you didn’t fully understand. Again, it’s common sense. Of course it’s low to start, but we know it’s not the “forever” rate. This was a “teaser” rate to get you into the house you couldn’t afford. For some people the mindset was that when the rate reset to a higher interest, they would just refinance because of course there would be equity and all would be good. But a nasty bubble hit the housing market and home prices started falling-hard. And since so many people had little or no equity in their house, they couldn’t refinance. Quickly they were upside down on their mortgages, owing more than the house is worth. Who wants to pay for something that’s worth less than they owe? Right.

Common sense. If you earn $40,000 a year, no matter how attractive or do-able it may seem, there is no way you can afford a $250,000 house. You may have slid in-as so many people did-but there was no foundation, only quicksand and now thousands and thousands of people are drowning, wondering how did they ever get into this mess. Their American Dream is over for now and their credit is ruined.

Has both the lending communities and borrowers learned their lesson? Time will tell, but I won’t hold my breath.

As I sit here on a snowy Saturday morning it’s hard to believe Spring starts next week. The weather folks got it all wrong because It was supposed to snow last night, today would be clear and a possible snow tomorrow. Last night was fine, but when I woke up this morning to walk Emma, it was white, white, and white! No problem for a hearty soul like me, I put on my snow boots, parka, and gloves and Emma and I walked down to the Old Port. It was such a peaceful walk and I am grateful Emma like being outside when it's snowing. She wasn't as thrilled when I left her on the sidewalk as I ducked into a few stores "just to look." She gave me the what-for when I came out. Why she doesn't realize she's a "dog" is beyond me--yes, mean sarcastically because I don't treat her like a dog. Another failure in my life--hey it I was perfect I would impossible to be around!!

We grabbed some videos at Video Port (No Country For Old Men and Into The Wild), and then walked up Congress to our new little coffee shop at the top of the Hill. It’s not really new, just the location and the fact it’s bigger with cozy seating and more room! 

I need to organize my papers to get my taxes done next week, so it’s a perfect day to stay inside. Well I am off to get on the couch and watch this year’s “Best Picture”!!
 

I'm Still in Connecticut and that nasty storm finally blew out. What a glorious Sunday today. Jenny, Sarahbeth
and I are headed for a little (just a touch) shopping and a girls’ lunch. Sarahbeth will take the train back to the city and we’ll grab the dogs and head for the beach. Unfortunately Old Greenwich is a bit snobby about the length of time dogs can be on the beach—Dec-March only! I love that Maine is such a more dog-friendly state. Yeah Maine!

I am headed back tomorrow. The break was good. I've got a good feeling Spring is just around the
corner--I know, from my lips to God's ears!
 

P.S. On my way out of Connecticut, I am already planning to return two items I bought. Luckily for me, I decided I didn't them the clothes before I got home and it became a pain to return them. I am getting better!

I am having so much fun! I made it to Old Greenwich, Connecticut in four and a half hours, and
that even included a slight wrong turn that took me the long (and wrong!) way around Hartford. 

My friends David and Jenny treated me to see Legally Blonde in Manhattan. It’s such a popular show that
David could only get two tickets, so Jenny and I saw Legally Blonde and David and their son Henry saw Mary
Poppins. I’ve never been the biggest musical fan, but I had so much fun. From start to finish,
I was hooting and clapping. There’s not a medication I’ve taken that can make me feel as good as
I did for those two hours! I highly recommend if you’re in the New York area that you scramble up some
tickets--especially if you're on a girls' weekend, but even all the men in the audience loved it!!

My very good friend of 20-something years Sarahbeth, who lives in L.A., was in New York for the week,
so it was great timing that she was able to meet us for lunch before the show, and then come back to
Jenny and David’s for dinner and a sleepover. It was good catch-up time and again makes
me realize what great friends I have and how much they mean to me.

After proclaiming how I was one of those lucky few who hadn’t gotten sick this winter, I got hit with the
flu. I had heard people say it came on fast-and I concur! I made it to work on Monday, but I wasn’t
myself and everything came so hard, I am sure I sounded like I was in slow motion. I crawled home and
got into bed for two days. 

A trip to herbal tea guru Sarah, who owns the coolest little tea shop on the Hill. I told her my symptoms
and she fixed me right up with some kind of special brew. It worked, I felt better and was a new person on
the air on Thursday.

And it’s a good thing I am better because I’ve had a long weekend in Connecticut planned for a month and
this Diva needs a break from her routine!
 

I swear I have the best friends! This morning I sent out an email to many of my non-Maine resident friends, complaining about the snow and the cold and generally feeling sorry for myself...

"I can't imagine why no one wants to come visit me...It's a balmy 1 degree right now, high 22 degrees and 6-10
more inches of snow tonight, which makes four days of snow in the last week.... on the upside, good snowshoeing
weather, I am never hot!, and it doesn't matter what I wear because I am covered head to toe with scarves,
hat, headband, gloves, boots, parka...send love...and heat! :) Eva
 

Two of my friends-Paula in Nashville and Jim in Los Angeles- seriously offered to brave this awful winter and come here in March! My friend Jennifer in Connecticut, where I am headed next weekend, promised to crank the heat when I get there. She knows I have been slammed with the high oil bills and use my heat sparingly. My friends Rob and Heather in Ft. Lauderdale didn’t offer to come visit, but they did remind me I have an open invitation to use their spare bedroom in Florida. I should of thought of that one earlier!

I actually feel better just knowing that if I scream loud enough, I am heard. Ok, enough of that. I have to go find a shovel and get ready!
 

The Oscars are tonight. Part of my gig-which I love-is taking detailed notes on the Red Carpet for a “Red Carpet” review on the air tomorrow morning. I know it sounds easy-and in the scope of the world it is-but you’ve basically got to glue yourself in front of the television starting about 5:00p. There are usually at least two networks broadcasting, so you must flip back and forth to make sure you get everyone. 

When they mention the designer their wearing, you hope you’ve heard of it, otherwise you’re brain starts scrambling to write it down correctly, while the star is already talking about their jewelry or something.

It’s all so superficial, but fun anyway.

This year I’ve only seen three of the five “Best Film” nominees: Michael Clayton-like a lot, but didn’t think it was worthy of this coveted nomination, Juno-Loved, and Atonement-which I liked, but was very disappointed in the telling of the love story. I read the book, No Country For Old Men, but didn’t see the movie, and I just haven’t been able to bring myself to see There Will Be Blood because I’ve heard Daniel Day Lewis’ character is such a mean and abusive person.

I saw La Vie En Rose—beautifully done, telling the story of French singer Edith Piaf. I saw Eastern Promises-okay, except for Viggo Mortensen’s naked fight scene-which was great! I saw American Gangster-which I thought was way better than Michael Clayton.

When you really think about it, most of the top nominated films are dark and depressing, which coupled with our depressing winter, isn’t easy to take. Julie Christie is nominated for Away From Her, a film about a woman facing Alzheimer, Michael Clayton shows the disgusting behavior of corporate America in covering up the fact that their products are lethal to humans. No Country For Old Men-stolen drugs and money and a psycho-played by Javier Bardem-out to retrieve the goods. The only film that is so depressing is Juno, which is about teenage pregnancy. Go figure!

I take the Red Carpet seriously. If you're going to walk it, it's about looking thepart of a movie star, so bring it! The color of the night was red, worn by Miley Cyrus, Heidi Klum, Helen Mirren, Katherine Heigl, and Anne Hathaway. For hair, loose, soft curls, softly gather low buns, and some glamorous updos ruled the right.

Is it just me or was there some glamour missing? Some of the stylish females we look forward to seeing were missing. Nicole Kidman didn't walk the red carpet, no Julia Roberts, Brad and Angelina, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, or Jennifer Lopez-at least she's great for showing up in something memorable. When Heidi Klum and Katherine Heigl are your "big" stars for the red carpet at the Academy Awards, it's not a good sign.

EVA'S TOP PICKS:

Heidi Klum-one word, FABULOUS! Galliano dress, draping neckline, showcased her stunning figure. A classic up completed the look of a movie star. Too bad she not one!

Katherine Heigl-Really like the one shoulder Galliano dress, but the funky cut-out on the shoulder was a bit distracting for me. Glasm hair and bright red lips, she was one of the few who looked like a movie star. vibrant red lips.

Jennifer Garner-Wearing a strapless Oscar De La Renta dress, flared out at the bottom, smoldering, glamorous makeup. Hair loosely swept off the the side and back. Bling necklace! Loved her look!

Helen Mirren can do no wrong! Period!

Lisa Rinna (TV Guide Channel Host) – I ususally hate her overdone look and trout lips, but she really pulled it together this year. A softer cut to her short hair, softer makeup, not as harsh! Black strapless dress, she looked great!!

NOT THE BEST, BUT BETTER THAN GOOD!:

Laura Linney-Loved her hair-simple, yet modern. Simple Michael Kors gown. She didn’t look like she was trying too hard, which I appreciated.

Renee Zellwegger –Many people will disagree with me, but I loved her vintage silver strapless dress slit to the thigh and shorter hair. Now if she would only stand up straighter, she's so hunched! 

OK, BUT NO WOW FACTOR FOR ME!:

Hilary Swank-One shoulder Versace. She’s either great or awful, tonight she was great-except she was a bit over botoxed between the eyes.

Penelope Cruz-loved her hair pulled back and down, soft highlights. Navy Chanel with plumage. I didn’t think it did her figure justice-weird draping to me.

Nicole Kidman-black dress was ok, soft hair pulled low, but looked like very expensive Christmas lights thrown on her.

Marion Cotallard-Pretty soft curls, but white/gold Gaultier dress looked like a mermaid with fish scales to me. She was genuine and adorable.

Keri Russell-Flesh colored Nina Ricci dress didn’t offer enough contrast with her pale skin, but it was pretty and I loved the long diamond necklace she work. She was a bit too thin. I thought she just had a baby?

Amy Ryan-Simple black dress as only Calvin Klein can do. Hair in a casual bun, would have whitened her teeth.

Anne Hathaway-pretty dress, with one ruffled shoulder by Marquesa. High ponytail with a classic twist to it. Just a touch too pale. Anne is the new face of Lancome’s newest perfume—name not announced yet.

Kristen Chenoweth-Cameras on the red carpet loved her., she was photographed throughout the two hour event. Wearing a very sexy black Armani dress, again with the casual bun.

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR!

Tilda Swinton-Short red hair, looked like she was wearing a black garbage bag.

Sara Larsen (Clooney girlfriend)- she is a very pretty girl-but looked like she put a reddish henna in her hair that clashed with the light blue/pink coloring of her Valentino dress.

Cameron Diaz-always called a style icon—WHY? Pink Dior dress with sloppy folds, dumb metal-ish purse, sloppy hair and not red carpet makeup.

Jennifer Hudson-Gorgeous hair and makeup, but that dress—Roberto Cavalli white, but the top part had a weird cut out that squished her giant boobies.

Calista Flockhart- Funky hair. Like she braided it, and then stuck it in an updo!

Cate Blanchette-Pregnant—funky halter thing, distracted from her beauty.

Jessica Alba-I don’t care for her-don’t consider her a star so I am not objective, but the braids and the updo, whatever—didn’t go with her plum-colored strapless dress. I am sure men loved the boobies popping out!! Plummage belongs animals!

Rebecca Lewis (Wife of Daniel Day Lewis) Oscar De La Renta, but it was Ugliest dress of the night. Black/red with large gems, she looked like an aging hooker.

MEN:

Best:
George Clooney—looked so relaxed, smiling and joking a lot.

Patrick Dempsey – always handsome and dreamy!

WORST:

Colin Farrell- WASH you hair, please!

Viggo Mortensen-I hated the grey beard. Yucky!

John Travolta-Even the Red Carpet interviewers were calling his hair “sprayed on” and “GI JOE-looking! Ugh!

My friend Laura and I tried a “Zumba” dance class last night. My gym was having a demo class. Not knowing much about Zumba dance, I thought we would have barefeet. No! Everyone had their sneakers on. Whoops. Luckily—and a bit gross-I found a pair in the lost and found. They were too big, but worked well enough.

About 10 minutes into the class, I was able to sum up Zumba-basically a low-impact aerobics class with a bit of hip shaking done to Latin music—where Anglos can feel like they’ve got rhythm. I include myself because while I can whip into a ballet pose with no problem, my body just doesn’t understand rotating hips!

 I can see where it can be fun once in a while and I did get an okay workout, but probably not my thing on a regular basis. The class definitely made me have an even greater appreciation for the celebrities on Dancing with the Stars.
 

After being out sick for Tuesday, my Timmy was back at work this morning. I am grateful to our night guy Mike Worley for always being willing to fill in when Tim’s out, but it just isn’t the same when Tim’s not there. He get’s me! 

So this morning things were back to normal, Tim making me crazy, making fun of me, and I loved it!
 

Valentine’s Day is mostly what I call a “Hallmark” occasion, which means it’s an excuse for card-giving—and flowers, candy, etc. For many singles, if you don’t have a significant other you can sometimes feel left out.

Enter Coast’s “Single & Sassy” breakfast. When Tim and I were brainstorming with our boss about what to do for Valentine’s Day, I suggested we celebrate single women. You never know how things will turn out, but this event was a huge success, mostly because of the dynamite women who attended.

This was no cry in our coffee, woe is us gathering, but rather a group of awesome women coming together to celebrate being single and fabulous.

Unless you find that special guy, I’ll see you gals next year!!
 

I must say my first-ever caucus experience was a big disappointment. Normally I just wait until November and vote Democrat. I’ve never been really into the process of politics. I take my right to vote seriously, but how we get to that moment hasn’t ever interested me.

The truth is the only reason I went to the caucus last Sunday was because the democratic race is so close and it’s pretty exciting when you figure it’s either going to be a women or a black man as the Democratic candidate. It’s many years too late in coming, but at least we’re getting there in my lifetime.

I was on the fence between Clinton and Obama mostly because I am not sure of their platforms. With all the media bluster that accompanies campaigns, the basic platforms seem to get diluted with finger-pointing and trite accusations that really don’t matter me. Did one candidate smoke pot when they were in college? Who cares? If you have to be absolutely perfect to be president, no one fits that bill.

It was snowing when we got to the caucus-or at least got in line about three blocks from the entrance to Portland High School. I am not sure why I thought we would breeze in, listen to a few speeches, line up for a candidate and go home. The caucus started at 2pm and we were in line about 2:20p. We stood in line outside in the freezing cold snow for 90 minutes before we made it in the door. What was inside the door? There were more lines to wait in.

Apparently no one was prepared for the massive turnout. Really? Someone dropped the ball, since this has to be one of the most passionate races in history. Basically to try and get people inside out of the snow, they created these weaving lines inside the hallways of the school. So it was another 90 minutes inside, weaving in and out of classrooms and a café-like area. We were told that they would be accepting absentee ballots if we couldn’t stay for the actual caucus part. It was 535p when I made it to the check-in table. I asked for an absentee ballot, but decided to take it with me and try to stick out the caucus. The speeches were wrapping up—I missed all that. I went to the caucus room for my district, but there were still hundreds of people in line to register, so it was going to be awhile before any actual dialogue or counting took place. There was some talk that absentee ballots would not be counted, which seemed unfair since people made the effort to take part. At 6:15p, there was still no sign of any type of organized counting ready to take place, so I filled out my absentee ballot and went to dinner with Emily.

Surely there’s got to be a better way to include people. It was great to see so many people come out, brave the cold and snow, wanting their voice to be heard. It also really highlighted the melting pot that is Portland. It was a wonderful mix of young, old, black, white, Hillary fans and Obama fans. It’s just too bad that to get to the end result of standing up and having your vote be counted, you had to endure four-five hours of standing in lines and volunteers who were not on the same page. The day and the masses seemed to have gotten away from the organizers, which is a shame because I am sure many left in frustration and really, their voices were important too.
 

When there is this much snow there’s just one thing to do…get out and snowshoe!

My friend Angie took me and Emma to Pratt Brook Park in Yarmouth and it was gorgeous!!! We spent nearly two hours tooling around the trails. It’s much bigger than it seems and the deep snow was perfect for snowshoeing! Thanks Angie for the great find! We can't wait to go back!
 

I may one of the few people who missed the dreaded end of the game last night. By the start of the 3rd quarter, watching Brady on his back a lot and unimpressed by most of the commercials, I padded off to bed. The first thing I did this morning (yes, at 3:00a) was to turn on my computer to check the score. Preparing for those history-making headlines, I was pretty shocked to see the Giants pulled it out at the very end.

I am by no means a die-hard Patriots fan, but it’s been hard not to get caught up in the
Excitement of watching a team make history-almost!

Oh well. That’s a wrap. Congrats Giants. And congrats to the Patriots. People are focused on yesterday's game, but we need to remember the Pats played an amazing season, giving fans 18 weeks of winning games.

P.S. With advertisers paying nearly $3 million for a 30 second spot, I think most of them have started over-thinking their
goal. The spots with animals and kids were cute but I wonder even this morning how many people remember what
the company was?

Leave it to the Fox network to turn a three-hour football game into a glitzy media circus complete with a Red Carpet.

I turned on the television at about 415p, just in time to catch Paula Abdul’s pre-taped performance of her new single. I think she might have been wearing the same black one piece outfit she wore at the 1990 American Music Awards. Thank God she didn’t even really pretend to sing, but instead danced around the stage with the same moves from her earlier career.

It’s 517p and I’ve already called Tim twice. This Red Carpet thing is too much. Ryan Seacrest is interviewing “stars,” including John Travolta. Here’s two sissy men discussing “who they like” in the game. Travolta let everyone know he flew his own G2 plane in for the game, so there he’s not worried about cutting back on gas! Tim refuses to watch the pre-show, so I guess it’s up to me to watch this drawn out affair.

OK, finally enough of all that. And what was all that Declaration of Independence stuff about? It went on forever. Play some football! Here we go, GO PATS!

 3 Year Anniversay Interview with Eva-Part 2

Compared to a lot of cities, Maine doesn’t have the best clothes shopping. Is that a problem for you?

Since moving to Maine my life has changed a lot. I used to have job where I was always out, attending parties, award shows and functions, so I needed a lot of clothes. My work and personal life here is so much simpler—and I like it! I work in radio, which means most days it’s pretty much just Tim who sees me. I wear jeans almost every day-I love Lucky Brand jeans. They fit me best!  Daily, I pretty much wear jeans, a long-sleeved white tshirt with a cashmere hoodie sweater. It's been "my" uniform for years.

 I have a few good pieces for when I do need to “put on real clothes” as I like to say. I subscribe to quality vs. quantity, so I’ll spend more on something, but I buy less. I am lucky that I travel a bit, so I am able to shop in Los Angeles or when I am in Greenwich, Connecticut visiting friends. The Ave. is a great street in Greenwich with lots of cool stores. But really The Gap, J. Crew—those casual stores is really all I need. Dressy shoes can be a real problem to find here, but for casual, comfy shoes, Maine rocks!

How does the dating scene in Portland compare to Nashville or Los Angeles?

Well I haven’t lived in L.A. since 1996, so I was younger and probably in a different mindset. It can be a tough city because it’s very much about being important, rich, tan and thin. Finding quality friends can be hard. It can take a terrible toll on your self-esteem. I am lucky that having grown up there I have had my same friends for more than 20 years.

Nashville was the perfect city to have kids and raise families and except for the Vanderbilt area for young people, there wasn’t a “city” aspect where singles could be out and about.

So far Maine has been a bust-but I can really only blame myself. I have not put forth a lot of effort to getting out and making myself available to meet someone. I am not sure why, but I am sure some therapist would have a field day trying to figure out why I put up the “not available” shield around me. In part I think it’s because I am very self-sufficient and compromising isn’t one of my best qualities.

Regardless of the city, I think it gets harder to meet men as we get older—maybe not harder to meet men, but to meet men we actually would consider letting into our lives. Trying to meet the right person can be a full-time job! I keep thinking someday I’ll be somewhere and look across the room and see “him,” and it will be kismet and forever and that will be our story. Oh wait, that only happens in the movies!

So, how’s your sex life?

Please re-read the previous question!  You may correctly assume that I am half-way to my new career as a religious icon! 

Eva's Current Faves:

Movie: Juno!
Book: Loved the Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
Skincare Product: I swear by Kate Sommerville's "clearing mask"- When I get those underground zits--it actually stops them in their tracks!
Makeup Product: Mineral Fusion-powder mineral foundation. Nice coverage and doesn't make me breakout. I bought it at Whole Foods. I also love my "Dandelion" blush by Benefit. It's just the perfect color and looks good on everyone!

One Product That Eludes Me: The perfect mascara. I keep buying them and then throwing them out!
The Piece of Clothing I Couldn't Live Without: My Lucky Jeans-dark wash, I basically wear them, wash them, wear them, wash them. They are so flattering.
One Fashion Thing I Covet: A great trench coat in off-white.
Perfume: Baby Grace by Philosophy--smells really clean.
Current Diet Mantra: Eat meals, no snacking! (Yeah, right!)
Current Life Mantra: Spend Less, Do More!

Last night was bittersweet as I taught my final Power Ballet class. It was my decision to end the class, but it was still kind of hard. I really enjoyed the experience and I learned a lot. I realized that to many women that if you haven’t taken the class, the name Power Ballet can be intimidating. It’s not like we were going to audition for the Portland Ballet or anything, but there were significant ballet poses we used to isolate muscles and build strength-and having taken ballet since I was 5 years old, what seems so natural for me, doesn’t come easy for everyone.

Some women just didn’t get it and didn’t enjoy it. I understand. It’s actually not easy.
I would still like to teach a version of the class down the road, maybe mixing in different forms of exercise and dance so that it will attract more people. Most of the gals who came regularly had some sort of dance background, so they instantly knew how to hold themselves and maximize the poses—thanks to everyone who came, it really was great fun!

The good news for me is now I have no excuse to not be in bed earlier on Tuesday nights! I already teach Spinning on Monday and Wednesday nights, and being out until 7:00p three nights in a row was just too grueling—especially since my alarm goes off at 3:00a.m.—YIKES!

On Monday, I celebrated three years of living and working in Portland. Boy time flies, sometimes I feel like I’ve been forever and sometimes I still feel like I’ve just moved here. Since my favorite subject is “me,” I thought it would be tacky, extremely narcissistic, and a whole lot of fun to do an interview with…ME! Enjoy!

As a city, what do you like most about Portland?
 

 I love where I live on Munjoy Hill. When I was first looking for places to live, some people couldn’t believe I would move that area of Portland—since only a few years ago it was known as a haven for druggies, gangs, and a good amount of crime. It’s definitely cleaned up since those days, and I really love the vibe of the Hill. There’s a diverse community of people, from funky hippies, to yuppies, to crusty old Mainers, who’ve lived there forever. It’s a little bit like city life. With the addition of some good restaurants like The Front Room, it’s becoming the place! I also love being so close to the Eastern Prom. I walk my dog Emma there every day, and I am convinced it’s one of the most spectacular views on the East Coast.

How about what you like the least?

Regardless of Portland’s charm, it’s an expensive city to live in. I’ve found that wages are not comparable to the cost of living here. Housing is expensive, taxes are high, and most people I know have to work at least two jobs to make it work. Comparing Portland to Nashville-where I moved from-my car insurance went up dramatically, car registration, state auto inspections are higher, and trying to heat my apartment is killing me.

I must say the novelty of living in a snow city has worn off. Yes it's pretty right after a snow and I'm enjoying learning to  snowshoe, dealing with snow and dealing with the COLD get's me in a bad mood sometimes.

Do you miss living in Los Angeles or Nashville?

Not at all. Growing up in Los Angeles was great. Living most of my years in Santa Monica, I loved the beach life, the hip factor of Santa Monica, and of course, the weather--although I now realize I mostly took that for granted! I also now appreciate the liberal and accepting atmosphere in which I was raised. My parents were part of the Hollywood scene was I was very young--I thought having celebrities over and these great parties was all very normal.

Nashville was never the right fit for me. It's a pretty city and and I made some great friends, but it never felt like "home." Sometimes finding where you belong is realizing where you don't--when I got to Portland, there was an "ahhhh...." moment when I felt free. I know it sounds weird, but it's hard to explain.

Tim and you seem to have a great relationship. Is it for real or somewhat fabricated for the show?

It’s really real. Tim is my work soulmate! I am so lucky and so grateful.

In Nashville, I worked at one of the top stations and was paired with a very abusive partner. I tried to stick it out because I was so excited to work at that station, but in the end, it unraveled and someone had to go-He made it sure it was me. The station’s management was aware of how awful he treated me, but they felt the need to keep him happy and not rock the boat. That’s when I made myself the promise that there’s not a job, salary, or market that I could be offered which makes it worth working for-or with-an as*h$le ever again.

Working as a team on a morning show is very much like a platonic marriage. There has to be chemistry, trust, and the ability to challenge each other sometimes. Finding that type of chemistry and bond with a work partner is pretty rare. I consider it kismet that Tim and I found each other. He gets me, he encourages me, he protects me, and he gives me just enough rope—but catches me before I hang myself. I hope the depth of our relationship translates to the audience, because even when we’re bickering, we are having fun.

I believe people can smell a “faux” relationship or situation a mile away. I know I can. And while I don’t mind the faux part if I am in on the joke, it really bugs me when things like TV shows or celebrities who create “scenarios” just for publicity think they’re so smart and think I must not be.

Since you held jobs in a variety of fields, is it your plan to continue a career in radio, or is there something else you’ve always thought about doing?

All of my jobs just led to one another. I was working in the travel industry, booking business trips for many recording artists as well as record industry execs. That led to one promotion guy hiring me for independent promotion. He (we) expanded into personal management and our first client was Paula Abdul—nowhere near a star at that time. That job led to working for a music trade magazine, which brought me into contact with radio stations throughout the country. One station asked if I would provide them with daily entertainment reports. That’s when the radio bug bit me, and here I am. While I can’t read copy to save my life, running our board like Tim does would send me into a continual panic attack, and I tend to over explain things a lot, the one thing I do have is an outgoing personality with almost no shame in embarrassing myself. I am lucky that the powers that be at the Portland Radio group embrace these qualities and actually encourage it. I am not sure where else this particular  "talent" would be so welcome!!

So just where do you see yourself 10 years from now.

Ugh. That’s a hard question, can we come back to that later? I need a nap.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the anniversary interview with Eva coming soon.
 

To get that bad taste of Cloverfield out of my mouth, my friend Janet and I went to see Atonement today. Since it’s nominated for everything (and won the Golden Globe for Best Picture), I’ve been dying to see it. I love period pieces, and enjoying Keira Knightly and James McAvoy star together in Becoming Jane, I was looking forward to their pairing again.

I have to say, I get it, but I didn't get it. The cinematography was beautiful, but to me, the story was disjointed and didn’t flow well. I also had trouble with some of the genuineness of the characters, specifically Keira’s. I didn’t quite believe her dialogue. I can’t put my finger on it, but it didn’t live up to my expectations for a movie that’s so nominated. I am disappointed because I so wanted to love it. I actually liked it more than Janet. At the end, she looked at me and said, “That didn’t move me!” She thought the flow was off too, so at least it wasn’t just me.

I kept my word and saw Cloverfield with Tim, and it was just as bad as I expected. Why? There weren’t enough scenes where you actually saw the giant monster lizard, the gory scenes flashed by too fast, and the dialogue was absolutely unbearable. They actually tried to make the movie a love story! It was totally cheesy and not in a good way. I can appreciate a good scary, thrilling movie, but this was not that movie.

What a compete waste of time and money. Apparently I am the only one who thought so because when the movie ended Tim’s first word was “awesome!” We ran into a group of “young people” who work at the station and they all loved it. So maybe it’s just me. No, it’s not, that movie was a piece of crap and it validates that my movie taste is too refined for CRAP!

The best part of the outing was seeing Tim get so excited when the trailer for the new Star Trek movie. He's such a Trekkie!

Here’s proof of our movie “date.” I am pretty sure that was Tim's one and only movie experience with me. 

I finally pulled out my snowshoes and had my first “outing” of the season. I love being outside, plodding through the snow, getting exercise and enjoying the quietness of nature. I know it sounds kind of corny but it’s true. And since I bought a cute new pair of snow pants in December, I am definitely up for showing them off whenever I can! Today I met my friends Angie and Lisa (and Miss Emma came too!) and we went to Wolfneck Park in Freeport. It was so pretty tp be in the snow with the water in the background. Just gorgeous!! Afterwards we hit up the Freeport Inn for waffles! Thanks girls, it was fun!!

         
Angie and Lisa                                                             Angie, me, Lisa -- nice posing!!

My movie date with Tim is just hours away. Yes, our first movie together ever and what are we seeing? Cloverfield! I can’t believe I agreed to this. A monster movie is so not me. But a promise (on the air no less) is a promise, and Timmy’s so excited. He can’t wait to see me give to “shush” to this audience. Should be an interesting couple of hours!

Boy last night’s scaled down Golden Globes were truly awful! As much as I liked the fact is was quick and dirty—just the facts—it came off as awkward and disjointed. Several of the television entertainment news magazine correspondents announced the nominees and winners and I am quite sure each of them started their speech with, “I never thought in a million years I would be announcing a Golden Globe.” Guess what? We didn’t either, but you are, so move on.

The list of winners was also a little disappointing. It's hard to get excited about TV shows and movies you have no emotional connection to. Nearly all the television winners were from cable shows, several I have never heard of—Mad Men anyone? On the movie side, there were no commercial movie winners, and again some of the movies have yet to open here In Portland, or I had not really heard of them—Julie Christie in Away From Her.”

Since most of us only care who’s wearing what, the lack of a red carpet was a disappointment, but it did free up my Sunday night from having to be riveted to the telly, taking copious notes on the various gowns.

Instead, I surfed over to VH1 and watched the trainwreck, Rock of Love 2, where 40-something has-been rocker Brett Michaels hopes to find love this season. By the looks of his choices of skanky girls, I can pretty much assure him some wild sex, but probably no love. Most of the girls either are or at least look like strippers—and not the highly paid exotic ones. He could probably interchange them with any of the girls who make it backstage after his concerts. I haven't decided which of these lovely girls should win, but I am leaning toward Angelique--she's French and nasty, both in her manner and her overly plastic face! She tried to sleep with brett on the first episode!! And why am I so concerned with Brett Michaels’ love life? I need to work on my own. Ok, for the rest of the week I won’t think about Brett’s lack of love. Until next Sunday night!
 

As sorry as I feel for Britney Spears-and I really do, she does provide great fodder for someone working on a morning radio show. It’s literally part of my job to keep up with all her shenanigans, along with Lindsay, Paris, and all those other bimbo drama queens. Although having some of their money would be nice, I am constantly grateful for my fairly peaceful existence in this world. I get exhausted watching them ruin their lives, they must be feeling even worse as they swirl in drama, the whole world watching. Who needs Soap Operas, when you can log on to any number of celebrity blog sites and read the ongoing episodes of Hollywood’s least talented and most over-exposed celebrities? 

Today was my first day back to work after a 10-day break. Going on vacation was great, but I’ve realized that having four days at home -and winter weather-is hard for me. I need structure. I seemed to just shuffle through my apartment, puttering here and there, but not having energy to really do anything. I’m way better with a schedule. Well that was my self introspection for the year, onething already off my list!!

But it was still hard t get my butt up at 3:00 a.m. this morning, especially since it was well below zero. I have to walk Emma before I leave, which means I need the winter boots with the ice-crushing Yak-Traks attached. It takes a while to bundle up and then prod Miss Emma off the couch to go outside for a walk. My new headlamp works great. I turn that baby on and I can see any sneaky ice patches, dog poop, and in the Spring, I’ll be on skunk patrol!

I was happy to see Tim. I didn’t realize how much I missed our daily interactions until we got going this morning—or rather tried to get going, we were all over the map with content. We didn’t have a show planned so we kind of winged it, sort of like the late-night talk show hosts are doing without their writers—but they get paid so much more!
 

The beach in front of Maya Tulum

There’s nothing quite like stepping off a plane in Portland in late December to remind you you’re not on the sunny sands of Mexico anymore.

My Holiday in Tulum, Mexico was fabulous. Tulum is about two hours south of Cancun, and is home to the famous ruins—not that I went to see them, but they’re there. It’s also a village that time hasn’t quite caught up to yet. The hotels are fairly small and blend in with the beach and jungle preserve that surrounds Tulum. It’s the not the place to go if you want to be busy or distracted.

My sister Jenny and I didn’t want either. Our big decisions included, “Should we have fish or shrimp cerviche for lunch,” “A Swedish massage or deep tissue,” and “mojitos or margaritas.” Not too terribly difficult decisions. Our casita was right on the beach and the ocean lulled us to sleep each night. There are no phones or TV, and the vibe at Maya Tulum is very spiritual-it’s where a lot of yoga groups from around the world come to practice and spent time in the sun. There was no drama, no cell phones ringing, no Blackberries texting away. It was quiet and serene. There is something to be said for your self and senses to just “be”. I highly recommend it because a week vacation felt like three.

Sunrise in Tulum-This is the view from our casita!

I had an interesting view of the sky yesterday, looking up, lying flat on my back after slipping on my front steps. Emma and I were going for a walk and I’d just locked my door. Emma made it down the steps but that pesky ice can be hard to see and the next thing I knew I was in the air and landed on my lower back. After realizing I wasn’t dead and nothing was broken, we did manage to continue the walk. I’m going to have a giant bruise just in time for my bikini-vacation in Mexico.

Immediately after I high-tailed it to Eastern Mountain Sports and bought a pair of Yaks—metal band things that you strap to the bottom of your boots and it helps prevent you from slipping.

So far so good. I’ve got 10 days until my vacation and I determined to not spend my vacation trying to remove sand from a cast!
 

I had the best of intentions--planning to write a nice long year-end thingy. But as the minutes count down for me to leave on vacation and I'm checking and re-checking my to-do list, it's just not going to happen.

Iam headed to Tulum, Mexico, where there will be no phones, TV, Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan. I need a break from my life-and theirs!

WIshing everyone a great holiday. Regardless of the gifts you receive-there will be some doozies I'm sure, this is really a time to connect with people we love. In the madness of our daily lives, maybe we take those people for granted. This is the perfect time to slow down-just a bit-and enjoy eachother. That said, I am spending my vacation with my sister. With so few distractions in Tulum, this will be a test for us to just be together. Wish us luck!

Stay safe, stay warm!

Eva

I’ve got to admit this last storm really kicked my butt. I spent a good hour Sunday night digging my car out just so I could move it off the street before the parking ban kicked in. I now know what I want for Christmas-a garage! Since I have to leave for work at 3:30 a.m., I began a bit early for what turned out to be a desperate, yet futile attempt to scrape the thick ice off my windows. Why are those scrapers made of plastic? Mine broke midway through the ordeal and I was left waiting until my car warmed way up before I could make a small circle that allowed me to see a little. Right hand turns were out of the question, so it was a long ride of left turns to the station. By the time I arrived, I was in a pretty foul mood. Hello Tim! It didn’t help my mood that he was all chipper since he has a garage and a person that plows his drive. If it had been the day to renew my contract I would have been hard-pressed to sign. I'm sure I am not the only one feeling this way. I'm chalking it up to a lot of snow very early in the season.

But I survived and went directly to buy a new ice scraper after the show. Again, no matter how much money you spend, they’re all plastic. This one seems sturdier, so maybe It will last through the next storm.

I am very grateful right now that I had the foresight to book this year’s vacation in a warm place-Mexico here I come. Shovel on Maine and don’t feel you need to keep any snow for my return!
 

I finally had the “Come To Jesus” meeting with myself that’s been brewing for a week or so. I don’t know exactly why I dislike this time of the year so much, but I do. For some reason, I am unable to look past the commercialism and hype and allow myself to maybe just soak up the spirit of the seasonbeing kind to others, spending time with people, etc. 

 Instead I see it as retailers trying brow-beating me into thinking someone I know would love something they have to sell. I see it as a time when people throw any sense of financial prudence to the wind and just spend without regard to the consequences they’ll face after the fact—yes I know other peoples spending isn’t my problem but it still irks me. And probably most  of all I dislike that after swearing I won’t—and definitely can’t afford to-buy gifts for friends, I frantically run around buying this gift and that gift, which in honesty doesn’t bring me joy, and again, I can’t afford.

Yes I like to give gifts, but I want to give them when I want to, when it means something to me to give, not because it’s what we all do this time of the year. And since I’ve had to come to terms with very limited funds—and the desire to have oil to heat my apartment-I had a meltdown this morning.

It took a phone call with my sister to bring things back into perspective for me. Instead of knowing that we are taking a wonderful-and expensive-trip to Mexico, realizing that my friends have way more money than I do and will definite