Trav's Thoughts

Thanks to all for your concern about my migraine. It did rev up to full throttle this morning. I like to look at a niftly kaleidescope sometimes, but I like to put the dang thing down when I'm done with it!

It was pretty sucky having to work through it. But I'm much better now. I still have a ways to go to catch up with blog rounds. I'm working on it.

I'm watching Charlie Brown! Aren't you watching The Great Pumpkin? I haven't seen this in ages. Do you remember this pearl of wisdom, spoken by the sincere Linus?

"Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."



The videos are hiding again. Julie voted for the Samba from Cameron and Edyta.



Pam and I enjoyed the Cha Cha Cha from Helio and Julianne. And we join Julie and Marsha in our appreciation for the most excellent Rumba from Mel and Maks.

Too bad I couldn't find either of those clips. And I couldn't find the group dance either. Dangit.

The judges select the group rock and roll jive dance as their encore, less Ms Jane who may have a case of food poisoning. It was just as good the second time around. You'll have to take my word for it.

It's Barry Manilow, cause he writes the songs ya know. Cheryl and Louis burned up the floor.

Here's a recap of the leader board from Monday night's performances.

30 Mel
28 Helio
27 Jennie
25 Sabrina
25 Cameron
23 Marie
22 Ms Jane

Moving on to next week are Mel & Maks and Ms Jane and Tony. That's ominous for some of the favorites.

Bruno and Carrie Ann have a new show coming in January, hosted by Drew Lachey. It's called Dance Wars and looks for singers and dancers. I'm not sure exactly about the premise, but it's got singing and dancing y'all. I'm in.

I miss my videos. Still searching...no luck.

Barry plays piano and sings Mandy. I admit it. I like this song. Anna and Jonathan dance a beautiful waltz.

Helio and Julianne are safe. Jennie and Derek are safe. Marie and Jonathan are safe. Ruh roh. Someone is going home who previously had a good chance to win.

Cameron and Edyta are in the bottom two, with Sabrina and Mark.

Sabrina and Mark are out. Wow.

OK OK OK! Blame Pam and I if you must, and others like us. We voted for Ms Jane and Marie. But we voted for our favorite celebrities, the ones we have been enjoying throughout the season. We freely admit that we didn't necessarily vote for the best dancers.

Sabrina was talented enough to win. But it's all about who votes and when they vote. It's not about dialing for two hours straight like some other shows. Everybody gets 7 votes and we cast ours for who we liked. Next week we'll get 6 votes. Maybe we'll vote differently and maybe we won't.

The point is, everybody has a chance to influence the voting their way because the number of votes per phone or internet is limited.

Sorry about the videos.

Hey - Happy Halloween!!! Check out The Mo Show if you get a chance. Morgen will be discussing Witches, Wiccans, and Bigfoot at 7pm on Blog Talk Radio.

I'm sorry...I didn't get around to MM posts or other blogs tonight.

While I was listening to Turnbaby Talks I got the old kaleidescope effects on my visual field followed by the total temporary monocular blindness. Basically I got an early warning migraine symptom. I had a hard time seeing chat. I hope the things I tried to type made sense.

As soon as it started I downed a couple Tylenol. I don't always get the full migraine after the kaleidescope. I usually get dizzy and have trouble focusing for a couple hours.

The migraines first started after I finished radiation therapy for Hodgkins disease about 13 years ago. I get three or four every year. I think I've had three this year.

If you're braving the National Novel Writing Month, you might check out the archive of Turn's show. Her guest was Ian Healy, author of The Milkman which was written during NaNoWriMo a couple years ago. The discussion was very informative and may help you if you're a first timer.



OK...things seem to be settling down now. Let's cue that theme music.

The stars dance in a style they haven't danced before this season, and then a rocking group dance choreographed by Christian Perry.


Sabrina and Mark dance Foxtrot. Her strong point is definitely performance. She has it every week. But this is not one of her better dances. They flubbed a couple of steps and didn't really have the smooth elegance that a Foxtrot should have. That dance was a bit disapointing. Carrie Ann has lost her mind. Judges say 9,8,8 for a total of 25. The 9 is too high, that was not a great Foxtrot.


Jennie and Derek dance Mambo. As long as she doesn't think about what she's doing, she does just fine. She had a little mis-step, but you could tell when she was enjoying it. The smile was genuine and the performance followed right from it. That was a fun Mambo, just like it should be. It was difficult too. She just needs to remember that feeling and stop thinking about everything around her. She really can do it. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. Yup.


Ms Jane and Tony dance Jive. Ms Jane has had the classy and elegant dances so far. They were victims of slow tempo music for that Jive. And she somehow managed to make a classy and elegant Jive. To be honest, it didn't have the spark and speed and energy that a proper Jive should have. Tony choreographed a solid dance and she performed it well. But the tempo wasn't right for Jive and it just wasn't her dance. Judges say 8,7,7 for a total of 22.


Cameron and Edyta dance Samba. We didn't like that much. We think it was the choreography and the music. It was certainly sexy, but it was too slow. It wasn't a party Samba, which is what both Pam and I prefer. Edyta barely had a costume, which I appreciate. And Pam still thinks Cameron is yummy. So there you go. Judges say 9,8,8 for a total of 25.


Mel and Maks dance Rumba. We always love Maks' Rumba choreography. And this was no exception. He emphasized all of Mel's strengths in that dance. He kept the standard Rumba posing to a minimum and focused on the movement. The music was perfect. The dance was exquisitely sexy, sensual, and emotional. It was absolutely beautiful. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.


Marie and Jonathan dance Paso Doble. Basic and proper Paso choreography. She had the character and the steps. There was drama and passion. It might have been a little safe. We prefer Marie in the ballroom dances or the fun Latin dances like Cha Cha Cha. Judges say 8,8,7 for a total of 23.


Helio and Julianne dance Cha Cha Cha. That's a great dance for him. It shows off his personality. It's fun. It seems very natural for him. Lot's of great Cha Cha Cha choreography - plenty of basic stuff mixed with some difficult movements. The performance was terrific and the energy was great. Judges say 9,10,9 for a total of 28.

Here's the leader board before the group dance.

30 Mel
28 Helio
27 Jennie
25 Sabrina
25 Cameron
23 Marie
22 Ms Jane

The rehearsal footage for the group dance was hilarious. It looks like they had so much fun.

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I can't wait to post that video for y'all! Outstanding!! They got that in one rehearsal. Absolutely fantastic!

Thanks to Christian Perry for a brilliant routine.

Here's a bonus...the group Jive from last season.



No slight to last season's celebrities, but this season's group Jive was way better!

Well, Pam and I have decided this is the last week we'll vote for our favorite celebrities. I voted for Ms Jane and Pam voted for Marie. After this week we'll begin voting for the dances we think were best.

Don't forget to vote for an encore. Tell me which celebrity, or which pro, or which dance you want to see and I'll put the clip in my results post.

Barry Manilow is in the ballroom for results. Hey! He writes the songs y'all.

Zzzzz-ville is calling now. Gotta go lay down before I fall down.

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at It's A Blog Eat Blog World. Today's theme is Trick or Treat.

I never participated in Halloween tricks. I'm all about the treats bay-bee!



Here's three of my favorite candy treats.







But what's my favorite all time treat? You know! Boston Creme CAKE!

Good for Vinny Testaverde! The soon to be 44 year old QB took advantage of a pass interference penalty on the third play of the drive, and marched the Panthers down the field on an 18 play, 11 minute TD drive. Very impressive.

Special teams can make or break your team. In this case, Carolina special teams makes a mistake after the defense holds Indy to a 3 and out. The Colts recover the fumble at Carolina's 20 yard line. You always want to avoid giving Peyton Manning extra downs. The Colts get a field goal out of it.

I said in my earlier post today that you never can tell when a winless team is going to have THAT day. Well, I just looked at the ticker and the 0-7 Rams have a 14-0 lead against Cleveland in the first quarter.

Miami is hosting the Giants and it's raining. The only thing that is odd about a wet Miami home game in October is this...the game is in London. HA! Now should the Super Bowl be played in London or anywhere else overseas? Hell no! Football in pads and helmets is an American game. Play pre-season games overseas if you want to spread the NFL message. But regular season and post season games, and especially the championship game, belong in the states.

I don't know about you, but I think a Sunday is the perfect day to schedule leaf blowers to clean up around the complex. Shouldn't bother anyone who is home watching football or trying to enjoy family time. Sheesh.

Indy has finally been able to get some pressure on Testaverde. The best way to do that is to play strong against the run and force 3rd and long situations. That forces Testaverde to scramble a bit. That has never been his strong point as a QB.

Ooops. The Colts turned it over deep in their own territory. But then they got a pic of Testaverde. The mistake was to try and run it out of the end zone. He should have taken a knee for the touch back.

The thing about Indy is that they just keep doing what they do. Carolina dominated in every category in the first half. But the Colts lead 10-7.

Dammit. I just realized that there's no evening football game today. I guess the NFL decided not to play opposite that thing they call a World Series. Fine. I'm still not watching it and you can't make me.

Don't forget to listen to Turnbaby Talk about writing with Ian Healy, author of The Milkman and all around outstanding blogger. They'll discuss National Novel Writing Month. I'm sure there will probably be silliness both on the show and in chat. Check it out on Blog Talk Radio at 8pm EST.



Time to close out for the morning. See y'all later.

That's right. One year ago today I published my first post. It wasn't much of a post. I think I've gotten a little better at it. This post today will be #392.

It's odd to have pieces of writing for an entire year. I don't think they tell the story of the last year, but maybe they do. Perhaps not in exacting detail. But the imagery of my life over the last 362 days is certainly on display for anyone who cares to go back and read. Very odd.

But I'm no more introspective than that today.



Here are the BCS Top 10 results from this week:

1 Ohio State beat 25 Penn State
2 Boston College beat 8 Virginia Tech
3 LSU is idle
4 Arizona State vs beat Cal
5 Oregon beat 12 USC
6 Oklahoma is idle
7 West Virginia beat Rutgers
8 Virgina Tech lost to 2 Boston College
9 Kansas beat Texas A&M
10 South Florida lost to 23 Connecticut

Georgia beat Florida, so that removes one potential two loss SEC choice from BCS national championship contention. Again, no offense to Gator fans. I just don't agree that a two loss team should ever play for a national title unless they have earned the spot through a real tournament play off.

So the top 7 should stay the same. But who replaces Virginia Tech and South Florida?



If Vince Young wasn't going to play, I might give my Raiders a chance in this game. They know back up Kerry Collins and would have more of an advantage forcing him to make mistakes. Oakland still could have a chance, but I don't think I can realistically pick them to win on the road. Although my Raiders are in last place and have only won 2 games, I'm still pleased with the progress. They have been competitive, and they aren't the worst at anything although they do come close in a couple of categories. I didn't expect an overnight turn around, but with 10 games to play the prospects are still good that they can at least double or even triple the two wins.

New Orleans visits the Bay Area on Football Night in America. NO and SF are a couple of 2-4 teams going in opposite directions. The Saints got off to a rough start, losing their first 4 games before winning the last 2. They seem to have corrected whatever was wrong and are back to playing a wide open style that capitalizes on speed. SF is just the opposite. They won their first 2 games and then have lost 4 in a row. The problem is offense...they don't have any. The good news is that 49er QB Alex Smith should return to the line up this week. He wasn't great before he went down with the shoulder injury, but SF won both games he started. We'll see if they can get back on track.

Indy is at Carolina in my feature game on CBS this morning. YAY! It's always a good football Sunday when I get to see the Colts. Indy has been methodical on their way to a 6-0 record. They haven't put up the spectacular numbers a certain other AFC team has. They just do whatever it takes to win. Offensively they are ranked 3rd in points scored and total yardage, and 6th in both passing and rushing. They are also solid defensively and ranked 1st against the pass. Carolina leads the NFC South, but doesn't appear to be good enough defensively to fare well against the Colts. Teams always play better at home, and Indy has the big Super Bowl champs target on it's back. This should be a good game.

I bounced back big time with picks last week. Here's how it looks so far:

Week 1 = 12-4
Week 2 = 11-5
Week 3 = 10-6
Week 4 = 8-6
Week 5 = 9-5
Week 6 = 7-6
Week 7 = 10-4

So I'm still staggering along at 65%, 67-36 on the season. But it's good to get back in double digits for winners. I may be guilty of over-thinking a couple picks this week, so we'll have to see how it goes. There are still a couple of winless teams out there, and they can be dangerous because you just don't know when the stars will align and they'll have that one game. It's the same with undefeated teams. That's why they play the games.

Colts over Panthers
Bears over Lions
Steelers over Bengals
Giants over Dolphins
Vikings over Eagles
Browns over Rams
Titans over Raiders
Bills over Jets
Chargers over Texans
Bucs over Jaguars
Patriots over Redskins
Saints over 49ers
Packers over Broncos

Pam's Seahawks have a BYE this week as do the Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens, Cowboys, and Chiefs.

See ya later with some observations.

Oregon survived a fumble on the opening kick off. USC chose to go for it on 4th down instead of kick a field goal, and the Ducks held.

No offense to Florida fans, but based on what I've been reading in the BCS news over the last few days I must root for Georgia today. There's no way I'll accept a two loss team playing for a national championship unless that team comes through a tournament style playoff to get to the final game. Talking heads have suggested that if there are no undefeated teams at the end of the season, then they feel that a two loss SEC team has a stronger case than a one loss team out of any other conference.

Oregon finally got a drive going and scored on a short run by QB Dennis Dixon. Then USC came back and got a TD on a long run, but a holding penalty brought the play back. Oregon's defense held, but then they made another special teams mistake when the football hit one of the blockers on a punt. USC recovered the ball in Ducks territory. Theh Oregon defense held again, and USC only got a field goal.

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Jake Locker just threw a beautiful pass to Marcel Reese for a 98 yard touchdown play!!! The kid can throw the ball from the pocket, scramble, run hard like a full back or fast and elusive like a tail back. What an exciting future for UW football!

Arizona and UW keep trading big plays. USC vs Oregon has national implications, but the Wildcats and Huskies are having a shoot out on the banks of Lake Washington today. There's already over 500 yards of offense between the two teams with more than 5 minutes to play in the first half.

Officials today are using pink whistles in support of breast cancer awareness.

GAH! I marvel at Jake Locker, and then he reminds me that he's a red shirt freshman by throwing an interception late over the middle. He still makes a lot of mistakes. He's so capable of making the big play, but he needs to learn that sometimes you just throw it away and play another down.

Oregon has taken control against USC, converting turnovers into touchdowns in the second half.

Checking in on Georgia down at Florida and things seem to be going the way I'd like to see it so far. UGA is up 28-17 in the third quarter. But Florida just got another touchdown to cut it to 28-24.

It's a lot of fun to hop around the channels with so much going on, and even better since I'm seeing the results I want at the moment.

You know, if UW was winning games Jake Locker would be getting the kind of attention Florida QB Tim Tebow gets. Locker is capable of the same things Tebow is. In fact, we might be looking at a new generation of great quarterbacks in development. There seem to be a bunch of talented kids around the nation these days.

Gotta focus now. See ya later.

These are the Pac 10 games I get to follow today. Each of them have BCS implications.

#5 Oregon hosts #12 USC today in a big game for both schools. The Ducks are hovering as a one-loss Pac 10 team and must continue to win in order to stay in the BCS Championship picture. The BCS formula doesn't make a lot of sense to me if people are saying a two-loss SEC team could leap over a one-loss Pac 10 team to play for the NCAA championship. I guess all Oregon can do is keep winning and see what happens. Here's a completely meaningless note for the game...Oregon has the ugliest set of uniforms in all of sport.


#4 Arizona State is in a strong position at 7-0 as they host #21 Cal. If the Sun Devils can finish as the undefeated Pac 10 champion, then it has a strong case to play for the national title in January. Cal has QB Nate Longshore back in the line up, which makes the Golden Bears much more effective and able to take advantage of its speed on offense.

Unranked UCLA can spoil everything for the Pac 10 as a conference. Of course the Bruins want to win the Pac 10 championship and play in the Rose Bowl. UCLA is undefeated in conference play but has two bad non-conference losses. The Bruins are in Pullman today to take on Washington State. Although the Cougars are winless in the Pac 10, QB Alex Brink is a solid senior who has thrown for 18 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions.

Washington hosts Arizona today. QB Jake Locker has been exciting to watch all season and looks to lead the Huskies to the first Pac 10 win. Arizona has also struggled this season. The game should be competitive.



Here is the BCS Top 10 for the week:

1 Ohio State at 25 Penn State
2 Boston College beat 8 Virginia Tech
3 LSU is idle
4 Arizona State vs 21 Cal
5 Oregon hosts 12 USC
6 Oklahoma is idle
7 West Virginia at Rutgers
8 Virgina Tech lost to 2 Boston College
9 Kansas at Texas A&M
10 South Florida vs 23 Connecticut

I'll be back later with some observations.

I love aircraft carriers. These three gals - Hornet, Yorktown, and Enterprise - won the Battle of Midway with daring and tremendous sacrifice. The Doolittle raid on Japan raised the moral of Americans at home, proving that the Japanese homeland was reachable. Midway devastated the Japanese fleet and proved that the reach American of air power on board carriers would win the war.



USS Hornet launched the raid on Japan by Colonel Jimmy Doolittle in April 1942. Two months later in June, she joined USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise in the pivotal Battle of Midway. From August through October 1942, she participated in the Solomon Islands campaign.

She met her end off the Santa Cruz Islands. The Yorktown class carrier was the last of the carriers commissioned before US involvement in World War II.

Read more about USS Hornet (CV-8).



Here is USS Yorktown. She survived the Coral Sea battle and was able to limp back to Pearl Harbor. She was heavily damaged, but workers swarmed over her in dry dock and managed to get her sea worthy again in just three days. Yorktown sailed in time to play a significant role in the Battle of Midway.

She sank off Midway Island on 7 June 1942.

Read more about USS Yorktown (CV-5).



USS Enterprise was the most decorated ship during World War II, earning 20 battle stars. Her honors include: Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, American Defense Service Medal ("Fleet" clasp), American Campaign Medal,Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (20 stars), World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (1 star), British Admiralty Pennant.

She sailed in support of the Doolittle raid and participated in nearly every major World War II engagement including Midway, the Solomons, Santa Cruz Islands, Guadalcanal, Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf.

Read more about The Big E, USS Enterprise (CV-6).

I got about half way through rounds tonight. I'll catch up with everyone soon. And I noticed that I rolled through 8,000 visits sometime in the last day or so. Thanks y'all.

I'm behind on rounds. The 10-12 hour days have been kicking my ass again.

**sigh**

I was suffering from a severe case of mushy brain last night. I didn't know what to post today and I didn't want to think. I nearly gave it up as too much like work. I've had enough of work this week. I've had enough of work this month.

But then I was getting silly in chat with a dear friend...what? I am NOT always silly! Stop that snickering will ya! OK. I'm mostly silly. Happy now?

I'm trying to tell you how I got the idea for my TT.

So I was chatting with my dear friend and we were being silly. And we were wondering about blogger and comments and how sometimes blogger eats comments. And my friend said that she had amazing cleavage today.

Well, I am a man who appreciates amazing cleavage. It's a cure-all for what ails ya. And if you are fortunate enough to combine amazing cleavage with fantastic boots...well babies, you will have my full attention.

Let's have more boobage and boots I say!

Boots boots boots boots...OH...MY...THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

And then...the epiphany. What do I post for a Thursday 13? What could possibly be a worthy tribute to my dear friend on her amazing cleavage day?

How about 13 ways to cover breasts?!?!?!?!?

1. You may cover breasts in a garment of lace.

2. Or you may prefer a garment of silk.

3. Or possibly latex?

4. Even leather.

5. A tried and true method of covering a breast is with one hand. You may do so through any of the aforementioned garments, which can be quite tantalizing. Especially if the fingers get into the act.

6. For maximum coverage, try it with two hands. You may entice and tease with one hand, perhaps with your thumb rubbing over the garment, while the other deftly unfastens hooks and slips first one strap and then the other over soft shoulders.

Helpful hint: The mouth should not be idle. If she's got great knockers, tell her so repeatedly. And then put your mouth to other interesting uses.

Jennifer Love-Hewitt = Great Knockers. Pam has a lovely pair as well, but those I keep for myself. Yeah, I'm selfish that way. Get your own!

7. You may cover that delicious cleavage with soft kisses as you free each fantastic breast from whatever delightful bond conceals it.

8. As each wonderful globe is uncovered, you may then cover the tantalizing valley between them with long, slow licks.

9. You'll certainly want to devote careful consideration to the nipple now standing gloriously at attention. Rolling lips and a playful tongue should cover these nicely. Don't play favorites and don't forget that both hands are still useful.

10. Let's get silly now! Cover those tasty breasts in a few squirts of whipped cream and repeat #8 and #9.

11. Add sweet strawberries to #10. Place a nice juicy one lightly between your teeth and glide it through the whipped cream. Be gallant now, and offer her a bite.

12. Try #10 with chocolate!

13. Even the most diligent of mouths may need some assistance in cleaning up all that whipped cream and chocolate and strawberry juice. An ice cube is most effective, and one should cover all.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Thanks for the idea dear friend! Ciao bella!

I just checked the news and saw that a million people are evacuating ahead of the out of control fires in southern California. It's the biggest evacuation in the history of California, reaching from north of Los Angeles to the US-Mexican border. San Diego Fire Capt. Kirk Humphries said, “We can save some stuff but we can’t stop it.”

The fire is being whipped by fierce Santa Ana winds, and it's so big that it is creating its own wind as it roars on its way. The fire is raging over 600 square miles and has destroyed more than 1300 homes, with another 68,000 threatened. Officials say there is nothing to be done until the winds die down, which they don't expect to happen for another day at least.

So far only one person is known to have died. At least 16 fire fighters have been injured in the effort to protect homes.

Please spare a few thoughts for the fire fighters, medical and support crews, police, and other emergency responders, as well as the people who have lost property and homes.



There was some sizzle and some fizzle on Latin night. As Turnbaby would say, there were a few performances that made us all squelchy.

Thanks to those who voted for encores. It looks like we're good for four again.

First up, we have Turn's choice of Rumba from Helio and Julianne. The judges thought Helio had his scary face, but we thought the dance was one of the sizzlers.



Julie selects Mel and Maks and their smoking Samba.



Vinny and I must have another dose of Ms Jane. This is one sexy lady y'all.



The big vote getter was Cameron and Edyta. Julie, Turn, Angell, and my dear Pam evidently agree that Cameron is yummy. Me and Vinny are looking for another dose of Edyta's legs.



Yeeeeowsa!

Let's cue that music now!

Here's a reminder of the leader board from Monday night.

29 Mel
28 Sabrina
26 Ms Jane
26 Cameron
25 Jennie
23 Helio
21 Marie
21 Mark

The judges select Mel and Maks for the encore.

Jennifer Lopez is in the ballroom y'all. Boots...oh the boots...help...Vinny! See the boots? I'm all wobbly now...uhm...THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.

Sabrina and Mark are safe, as are Mel and Maks.

HA! Helio says he's a race car driver and they only go one direction...left!

Christian Perry and his dancers rock the ballroom. It's a bit of a manic lindy hop to new wave music. Very interesting. Perry is putting together a group dance for the remaining seven pairs for next week's performance show. I hope it's not a manic lindy hop.

Jennifer Lopez returns to perform Let's Get Loud. Oh my. The ladies are chair dancing. We like Latin week. If anyone needs me, I'll just be over here in my drool puddle. J-Lo flames the ballroom.

Cameron and Edyta advance with Jennie and Derek. Marie and Jonathan will be back next week with Helio and Julianne.

Mark and Kym are in the bottom two. Ms Jane and Tony in the bottom two????

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Breathing again as Mark and Kym go home.

And now the competition is on. Next week is a brand new dance that the pairs have never done before, plus a special group dance that is for fan votes only.

Remember you can vote for your choice of encore after the performance show.

Here's a bonus. This is the piece choreographed by Wade Robson from last week's results show. If you're not familiar with Wade, he is the man behind the curtain that you see first.

The damn sniffles snuck up on me today and I was too damn busy to notice until it was too damn late.

Damnit.

The Colts are methodically handling Jacksonville, so I feel pretty safe that I'll get back in the double digits for picks this week.

So you know what that means...cue theme music!



Now remember...tell me your favorites in comments and I'll tally up the votes for encores.

Woooooooooooooooooooo!! It's Latin night y'all! Time for sexy Samba walks and Rumba hip rolls.

To be honest, Rumba isn't one of my favorite dances for the show. Most of the Rumbas here feature too much posing and not enough actual dancing.

Oh my. Edyta is almost wearing a costume. Watch your step now...there's a drool puddle and it's getting larger. Yikes!


Marie and Jonathan dance Samba. We don't think it was the 10's she's after, but we enjoyed it. We thought she was very strong in her upper body and her character, but not as strong with her lower body. Uhm...Marie just hit the floor. At first we thought it was an act, but the ballroom went silent and they immediately went to commercial. She dropped like a rock. I guess she passed out. Before that little scary interlude, I was going to suggest that the dance didn't seem to have the energy it should have. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

It turns out Marie is fine. She said she has a tendency to pass out when she gets out of breath. Yikes!


Ms Jane and Tony dance Rumba. Tony said in the rehearsal footage that people would be surprised at how sexy Ms Jane could be. HA! I already know that Ms Jane is sexy!! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm good. Classy sexy and romantic. Wonderful extension. Controlled passion. Refined and elegant, but still with the steamy sensuality it needed. Judges say 8,9,9 for a total of 26. If the only thing Carrie Ann found wrong with it was the turns, then why click down 2 points?? Grrrrrrr. Somebody give Mz Inaba a time out.


Mark and Kym dance Samba. He might be heavy in his feet, but he's learning the steps and doing the dance. We appreciate that. We think this is his most entertaining dance of the season. And he is definitely improving every week. He's never going to be confused with someone who can actually dance, but he's not a total train wreck either. We enjoyed it. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.


Sabrina and Mark dance Rumba. She's forced to slow down this week with Rumba. Lots of solid content in that dance. She shed a little of that cute image she's had for us. That was most certainly the "vertical expression of a horizontal intent". Len and Bruno need to stop with the bickering and get over themselves. We agree with Len about the posing - it's the one thing we don't like about Rumba, as I said earlier. But we also agree with Bruno...it was sexy, and the tricks were solid and well performed. Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28.


Jennie and Derek dance Samba. Derek says "shake your fun stuff". Heehee! Fun stuff! She started off really well, but then she missed some steps and lost the flow of the music about half way through. She did not look comfortable shaking that fun stuff. There was quite a bit of content and difficult choreography. Derek isn't holding back with the dances he is making. The performance wasn't quite there tonight though. Len saw something in it he liked. Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.


Helio and Julianne dance Rumba. Sssssssssssizzle. Uhm...do we have to stick around for the rest of the show??? We have no idea what the judges were watching. We saw plenty of chemistry and sensuality. They said it was mechanical. Huh???? No idea what they were saying. Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23. Pppppppppfffffffffffftttttttttttttt. Pam and I were turned on by it and I don't mind saying so.


Mel and Maks dance Samba. HAWT! Fantastic. It had energy and power. Super sexy. And they are both sick. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29. Yup yup yup. Nothing we can add. Best dance of the night.


Cameron and Edyta dance Rumba. Outstanding. The performance was excellent and the connection between the two of them was hot. Edyta's outfit? Gggggggggrrrrrrrrowwwwwwwllllllllll. The only problem we had with it was that they pushed the limit of the rule against "lifts" after they were warned about it last week. Judges say 8,9,9 for a total of 26. Leave the questionable "lift" out and that's a perfect 30.

Here's the leader board:

29 Mel
28 Sabrina
26 Ms Jane
26 Cameron
25 Jennie
23 Helio
21 Marie
21 Mark

We went for the strategic vote tonight y'all. We thought Marie and Helio were vulnerable, so I cast my 8 votes for Marie and Pam phoned in for Helio. We also loved Ms Jane and Mel, but we think they'll be fine this week.

Pam says Cameron is even yummier.

Don't forget...vote for your encore and I'll post it along with my choice and Pam's choice.



In case you weren't aware, southern California is on fire from Santa Barbara down to San Diego. Our thoughts are with the fire fighters, medical and support crews, and with the people who have lost property and homes.

I've been through fire season in SoCal. The year before I moved up here, fire came less than a mile from my townhouse. The only things that kept it from getting my stuff was dedicated fire crews and Interstate 5.

Hang in there southern California.