Bad News at the BAU

 

If you’ve been a regular reader around here, you probably already know of my fascination with Criminal Minds.  Yeah, I’ve always been a sucker for a good cop show, but I really like this one.  That surprises some of my friends/family, because I’m not usually a fan of the creepy stuff, and there’s no doubt that sometimes this show is about as creepy as they come.  Still, the stories are often compelling, the individual characters are interesting, and the group dynamic is really good.

That’s why I’m very annoyed to be reading lately that the group is in jeopardy of being split up because TPTB can’t come to terms on salaries.  The vast majority of the cast is currently involved in contract negotiations; only Matthew Gray Gubler and newcomer Jeanne Tripplehorn are not up for renewal this year.  That means five of the seven could be moving on at the end of the year.  This is not something I want to consider.

Now, those who claim to know say that Thomas Gibson and Joe Mantegna are pretty close to coming to terms, so that’s good news.  As the “bosses” of the BAU team, there’s a lot to be said for maintaining that sense of continuity.  And, Shemar Moore is said to still be negotiating, so that doesn’t necessarily sound too bad, either. 

But, the really worrisome part is that reports are circulating that A.J. Cook and Kirsten Vangness have flat-out rejected offers that are being called “final”.  Apparently, they are being paid significantly less than their male co-stars and have banded together to try and get themselves some pay equity.  And, oh, the conflicting emotions I feel.  I’m absolutely horrified that equitable pay between the genders is still a problem these days, particularly in a situation like this, where you’re truly dealing with an ensemble situation where everyone is a fairly equal part of the whole.  (Not entirely equal, maybe, but pretty darn close.)  But, as a fan of the show, I’m also horrified at the idea of losing two characters that I really enjoy, and really make a difference in the feel of the program. 

First, you’d think the producers would have learned their lesson with Cook already.  A couple of seasons ago, she was written out and the viewers were far from thrilled.  She didn’t stay gone too terribly long.  And as for Vangness, her Penelope Garcia is consistently a fan favorite, and we’ve seen the character grow since the beginning of the series, both in dimension and in screen time.  Losing Garcia would be a major blow.  I don’t want these ladies to leave.  Really, I don’t want any of them to leave, so I hope things get worked out.

Now, these same reports also said that the negotiations probably had to be finalized today in order for the show itself to be renewed, but I have not seen anything flit across my computer screen to reassure me that it’s a done deal.  As much as I don’t want to lose any of my beloved characters, I really don’t want to lose the show altogether. 

So, please, CBS, producers, actors, everybody: put your heads together and find a fair and equitable solution that will get everybody back to the BAU conference room again next year.  Losing this show like this would be, well, criminal. 

 

No Diet Day

 

 

  I know today isn’t Weight Loss Wednesday, but it is International No Diet Day, so I thought we’d chat just a bit about weight loss anyway.

  INDD seems to have been around since 1992, though I’ve only heard of it in the past few years or so.  It’s a day all about acceptance—accepting the diversity of body shapes/sizes in the world, and accepting ourselves if we happen to be one of the shapes/sizes that doesn’t quite conform to the mainstream idea of pretty or fit.  It’s a pretty good idea, except . . .

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Should I feel ashamed that I’m not happy with myself the way I am?  And I suppose a large part of that could be because of society and its perpetual presentation of the perfect female form, I don’t know.  I’ve been around a long time, soaking up the subliminal messages.  But I don’t think I’ve been brainwashed.  I know I’m not trying to be a stick figure.  And I know I don’t judge others because of their size.  But I do judge myself.

I especially judge myself, who worked so hard to lose weight a couple of years ago then slacked off and gained so much of it back (one of the primary reasons many don’t believe in “dieting”) and now cannot seem to find the motivation to make it happen again.  I judge myself because I know that I was happier when I was smaller, even though I still wasn’t as small as I wanted to be.  And I really judge myself because I know that I simply felt better when I was carrying around less weight, even though I still weighed too much.  And isn’t feeling good really what it’s all about?

And, yes, INDD does support the idea of healthy eating and activity; no one is saying it’s okay to cram crap food into your mouth all day long while sitting on the couch watching television.  Even the organizations that don’t want us to focus on constant weight loss or to strive for an unrealistic idea of perfection still recognize that too much weight can cause health problems.  Everyone wants people to be healthy.  And I’d certainly like it if everyone could feel good about themselves while they were just feeling good.

But I guess the thing that sort of niggles at my brain about INDD is that it’s bad enough that I do feel bad about myself many days because of my size; I really don’t need another day making me feel bad because I feel bad.  Know what I mean?

Snapshot Sunday, May 4

 

I’ve been reflecting this weekend on the ebb and flow of life in general and relationships in particular, and how they often fade.  I thought about that a lot last year after I lost my job, and the people who were so integral to my everyday world for so long were suddenly just gone.  Now they’re just profile pictures and status updates.  But it happens outside of the professional world, too.

This weekend, my long-time friend got married, and it caused me to think a lot about our relationship over the years, her relationship with her now-husband, and all manner of things.  Amazingly, the now-husband began his relationship with my friend not even as a profile picture and status update, but as an avatar in overalls; that’s right, they met on Facebook playing Farm Town.  Can you believe it?  Heck, I was there to watch the relationship blossom and sometimes I still can’t believe it!  Can you imagine marrying the stranger you just hired to come harvest your trees?  LOL.  Still, they seem incredibly happy, and that’s the only thing that really matters. 

But all the happiness in the world can’t always change the rather fickle ways of relationships, so I send up a quick prayer for them that this is just the beginning of a wonderful lifetime together, and also a thought for all those who find that a relationship just isn’t what it used to be.  For you, I offer these words of Dr. Seuss:  “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”  Some of them may turn out to be ephemeral,  but, really, aren’t relationships just the best?

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the lighting was a little odd at the reception.  As I struggled with taking even a single decent shot, I found myself hoping that the happy couple had warned their photographer about the décor.

Once we got back to town after the shindig, we all went to a new sandwich place in town, Firehouse Subs.  Of course we had to fool around with a fireman’s hat just a little.  (As you can probably tell, my nephew still is not in love with having his photo taken—especially with a silly kid’s hat on his head!)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More than anything, relationships should be fun.  Enjoy the week ahead of you!

Six Word Union

 

 

 

   Friend’s wedding day,

   so many emotions.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Playing along with Six Word Saturday

Five Questions, but Only One Book

 

It’s Friday, that half-slack, half-homework day.  Probably should’ve been more homework this week, since tomorrow it’s up to Tulsa for BFF Kim’s wedding.  I think I’ll be taking the laptop along to do some work on the drive since I get to be a passenger. 

But let’s get right to the questions presented by Mama M. 

1. What is your next home improvement goal?

Well, we bought a microwave just today, does that count?  No?  Okay, we also have a retaining wall out back that has recently cracked.  As far as home improvement goes, it’s not sexy, but it will likely have to be repaired sooner rather than later.  Though I’ve just recently been revisiting some photos of a really cool workout room someone posted on Facebook.  I tell you, it’s cool enough that I think it could really get me motivated again.  Here, let me show you one of the photos:

How cool is that?  I’d link you to the rest of them, but they’re in a closed group, so I don’t think you can see them there, but I think Mary wouldn’t mind me showing off her gym a little bit.  Anyway, really, who wouldn’t want to work out in a room like that?  Maybe when I’m working again (I mean at a job, not in the exercise sense) I’ll spring for something nifty for my own workout room.

2. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? No religious texts (ie Bible, Quran, Torah, etc, etc)...

Ummm . . . I have no idea.  I mean, literally, no idea.  How do you pick just one?  I don’t even read all that regularly these days, but I still don’t think I could think of a book that I’d want to read over and over again forever, or serve as the last book I ever read.  Too much pressure. 

3. What is on top of your refrigerator?

Some bread baskets and a couple of large cups, I think.  And, if we’re being honest, probably some dust. 

4. What are your favorite or most used phone apps?

Well, the ones I use the most often are the weather and Facebook apps.  The ones that are probably my favorite are Grocery List and Clear Checkbook, because they’re both really helpful for daily stuff.  And just lately I’ve been enjoying spending some time with 4 Pics 1 Word.

5. What's the one thing you hate most about your spouse’s job?

That he doesn’t enjoy it more.  I mean, there’s a fundamental aspect that he really likes, but—like most jobs—there’s a lot of bureaucracy, and that part makes him crazy and makes it hard for him to do the parts he really likes.  (And he works for the government, so you can imagine it’s a lot of bureaucracy!) 

And that’s it for tonight.  Can’t be up too late since we have to be up and on the road by 9ish tomorrow morning for the big wedding day.  For us night owls, that’s like the crack of dawn!

Happy weekend to you all.

Whoa, Nessie!

 

Every once in a while (READ: several times a week, minimum), I like to take a peek at the This Day in History site.  You never know what sort of interesting things might be lurking there, including a whole bunch of stuff I’ve never even heard of.  Turns out it doesn’t have to be famous to be historical. 

It turns out today is quite the mother lode of interesting tidbits.  A gruesome murder scene over in England is responsible for the reason cops now have rubber gloves on when they check out murders; about a million German soldiers surrendered to Allied forces; J. Edgar Hoover died; and, Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on this date, though thanks to the wonder of time zones, it was still yesterday when we heard about it here in the US.  (As an aside, whether it happened on the 1st or 2nd of May, who thinks they’ll always remember where they were when they got the news? *raises hand*)

Anyway, all of that stuff happened on May 2s throughout the years, but something else really cool happened, too:  in 1933, a newspaper in Scotland carried news of a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster.  Oh. My. Gosh.  Can you imagine being the reporter who took that call?  “I’m sorry, sir, you saw a what?  In where?”  Yeah, that would’ve been fun. 

Oh, come on.  You can’t really think this is something I wouldn’t believe in, would you?

What sorts of unlikely beliefs do you have?

Weight Loss Wednesday, May 1

 

I’m baaaack!  Well, as you’ll see from the measly activities below, not really back, but at least back to tracking whatever little bit of activity I may have.  And tracking activity has a way of increasing activity.  I’m still not entirely sure how that works, but it does seem to help kick start things, so I’ll get back into that habit.  As I said last week, it’s time to bring this Wednesday topic back to what it started out to be—Weight Loss Wednesday. 

Also, May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (You can read the president’s proclamation here), so this seems an appropriate time to be slowly crawling back on the wagon.

Sadly, no weight lost this week, but perhaps next. It really is time to get moving. 

	Steps	Activities
Wednesday	11,495	Fitdesk, 30 min
Thursday	9,255	Fitdesk, 30 min
Friday	3,658
Saturday	15,574	Walk @ festival, approx 3 miles
Sunday	3,888
Monday	10,138	Fitdesk, 30 min 20 jumping jacks, 10 crunches
Tuesday	7,342	Fitdesk, 30 min 30 jumping jacks, 15 crunches

 

Are you doing anything special for fitness month?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of africa at FreeDigitalPhotos.net