'Bachelor Pad' finale, ends with a bang

If your a fan of the 'Bachelor Pad', the finale must have blown you away. Watching this show every Monday night is my 'guilty pleasure.' I take a break from thinking and watch a bunch of young adults act like idiots. I never imagined how dramatic and shocking the last episode of season three, would turn out to be.

There were two couples left, with a chance to win a prize of $250.000. Nick and Rachel reigned triumphant after their ex room-mates voted for them. Although they were victorious, there is a catch on 'Bachelor Pad.' The couple is asked to go back stage in separate rooms and make one final vote. Their given two options and must decide on one. They either pick a 'Keep' the money card or 'share' the money card. If both choose share, they divide the $250.000 evenly. If one of them chooses 'keep' and the other chooses 'share, the one who picked 'keep', wins the pot.

FYI: The past two seasons, the contestants both picked the 'share' card and split the money.

Before Rachel showed her vote, she talked about how she and Nick were great partners and how she trusted him to share the money with her. When it came to Nick's turn to talk, you could have heard a pin drop. Nick talked about how rude Rachel was to him, especially since her past romantic flame left the house. He reminded her that she'd almost left the house three times because Michael was gone, which would have sent him packing. He was clear about how she never thought about him or took him seriously, the whole time he was at Bachelor Pad. He said he knew she only paired up with him because he was the only one left. It was obvious he was sick and tired of being told by Rachel and her little friend alliance, that he was lucky to be there, as he was only a 'fan,' not a bachelor alumni. Seriously? who cares why your there. Do you actually think your better than Nick because he was a fan of the show, instead of being on a season of the Bachelorette? When he finished his speech, which was all true, he turned his vote to the audience. There for all to see was Nick's vote: KEEP
I wish you could have seen the faces of the Bachelor Pad crew. They weren't only in shock that he voted to keep the money, they starting spewing rude comments that he didn't 'deserve' to be the winner. Rachel began showing her true colors immediately. She said, "you wouldn't be up here if it wasn't for me." Nick laughed and said, "I played this game myself  until your ex left the show and we had to pair up." The show ended with Rachel chasing him back stage, pointing her finger and yelling expletives at him for taking all the money.

I believe the spoiled and immature Bachelor Pad guests, got what they had coming. They thought they were all that and deserved the winnings more than Nick. They ignored him, gossiped about him when he wasn't around, and used him to their advantage when they needed him. Way to bring them back down to earth Nick. You got the last laugh and played them at their own game which they thought they had mastered and in the hole. BRAVO NICK~ You not only won the $250.000, you made a statement about how ridiculous it was to think they were better than a fan.

A Day in the Life of a Anxious Person

Would you like to take a little trip down crazy avenue? Let me walk you through what's usually a simple trip to the doctor office for most people. For me, it's a anxious person's nightmare.

I found myself feeling really crummy this past week and had a hunch it was strep throat. Instead of calling the doctor and making an appointment, I obsessed about how much I dislike going.  Negative memories of blood pressure and pulse rate readings, swirled through my mind.

After suffering three agonizing days of a raging sore throat and total lack of energy, I finally made an appointment to see my primary doctor. You know I'm miserable when I get to this point.

Here's how my trip to the doctor went:
Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for the nurse to call my name. That's always a good thing, because the longer I wait, the more I think, which increases my anxiety. First stop: time to step on the scale. Oddly enough, this is the easiest part for me, even as a larger woman.  Things get tough for me once we step into the examination room.

Me talking to nurse: "I have to give you my anxiety disorder shpeel. I notice you have one of those electric type of blood pressure machines in here."
Nurse: "Yes, is that a problem?"
Me: "The first time you guys tried this new equipment with me, I ended up screaming and pulling the cuff off my arm. It put me in a state of panic. You'll need to roll in the old fashion blood pressure machine for me."
Nurse: "Not a problem, I'll go get that as soon as I finish my patient assessment."
Me: "Oh, by the way, I don't always agree to let you take my blood pressure or pulse. I'll let you know my decision when you finish with your checklist of questions."
The nurse begins going over my medications- and then...Decision time!

I find that this particular nurse has a calming demeanor that makes me feel comfortable. I decide to go ahead and let her take my blood pressure. Just as she's preparing to take my blood pressure, I see a twinkle in her eye and she loudly exclaims, "Wait, I just remembered-Have you ever experienced the wrist band blood pressure gauge?" "It would be perfect for you." She leaves the room to fetch the newest technology for her neurotic patient.

Before she puts the band on my wrist, I tell her that although I'm letting her take my blood pressure, I don't want her to tell me what it is. I'll look at it in my own time when I leave the clinic. Pheew-rules are all out there. Let's get on with it.

I go to my happy place (usually a tropical beach) and begin some deep breathing. Boom! it's done. I can't believe how easy this was.  Usually when it's the cuff on my arm, I can feel my pulse when it gets really tight, which is what puts me into a panic.With the wrist gauge, I felt none of that. I felt so confident afterwards, I even asked the nurse to tell me what my reading was. It was pretty good for someone like me with white coat syndrome. Icing on the cake-She said it took my pulse at the same time.

Once this part of the visit is over, it's smooth sailing. They swabbed  my mouth to check for strep and the results came back negative. I was told I had some virus that's common in the summer months. The doctor explains there's no antibiotic to treat it, but he can prescribe something to ease the pain of the sore throat. It's called, "magical mouthwash." It basically numbs the throat so your not so miserable.  He writes me a prescription and I'm on my way home, feeling extremely proud of myself.

I know- anxiety is exhausting, isn't it? Next time you have a doctor appointment, think of me and feel grateful your not in my body.

Trip to New York City was Incredible

I recently wrote about my sister and I winning a radio contest from "Cities 97." We won a free trip to go hear John Mayer's new album, "Born and Raised." This is my follow-up story to share our incredible experience.

Going to New York City for the first time was a gift in itself but being invited to a private listening party to hear John Mayer's new album, was icing on the cake.

We took a taxi to the party on May 16 at about 6:15PM as we needed to be to the "Electric Lady Studio" by 7:00PM. We unfortunately got a taxi driver that didn't speak good English and he took us in circles for the about a forty minutes. My sister, who I named 'Samantha' on the trip (the gal from Sex in the City) was dealing with the situation with the taxi driver. When the driver asked my sister for the address for about the third time and followed with, "where is this place?"- My sister firmly pointed out that we were from Minnesota and he was from New York. When it was obvious this man was totally clueless and lost, sis rolled down the window and asked a passerby on the street if she could quickly Google "Electric Lady Studio" and point us in the right direction. Thank goodness Laura thought to do this because that's the only reason we made it to our important destination.

We were a little worried about being late because they asked winners to be there promptly at 7:00PM. We were pleasantly surprised to get a personal greeting when we arrived. The gal from promotions was at the front door and said, "Hi, you must be the twins from the twin cities?. We apologized for being late and told her the taxi driver wasn't familiar with the Greenwich area. She reassured us  it wasn't a problem, we hadn't missed much, and led us upstairs. She pointed out the bar and said to help ourselves to wine, water or soda. We each poured a glass of white wine and walked to to the studio room.

We were handed a book of John's songs from the album as we sat in the back of the room. As I looked around the room, I noticed that people seemed pretty nervous. How can you sit so seriously when their playing John Mayer tunes over the speakers. The acoustics in this studio were amazing and I couldn't help but sway to the music. Laura and I were softly singing along to the lyrics in the book and moving to the beat. As a forty-nine year old cancer survivor, I make every moment count and was taking it all in.

Once every song from John's album played, it was time to meet John. He must have come through a secret back door, because the next thing we knew, he was standing in front of us, center stage. It was surreal to see John in the flesh.

John talked about what inspired his new album and then took questions from his fans. Being John Mayer fans and strong extroverts, Laura and I had no problem asking him a couple questions. After the Q and A was over, they lined people up to get their photo with John. During our photo with him, he was told we were twins, and he said, "cool, hi twinners." I thought it was such a cute comment and was impressed he was so personable.

After the listening party, some of the winners gathered outside the studio and talked. It was fun hearing where people traveled from. There were 15 winners from different states, and each winner could bring one friend or spouse. Eventually, we all went our separate ways to check out the night life in Greenwich Village. Laura and I headed to a well known Jazz club a few blocks away.

The trip to New York City was pure magic and an experience we will never forget. Please enjoy some pictures from our adventure.

Camera man setting up

John answering questions

Band @ 'The Garage Jazz Club'

Front door of Studio

Posing with John 

I'm flying to New York City to hear John Mayer

I still can't believe it's really true. My sister and I won a free trip to hear John Mayer's new album. We registered for it on a local radio station here in Minnesota, called "Cities 97." The first time the DJ, Brian Oake, called a name, no one called back. He called the next name at about 8:20AM and my twin sister's ex-husband happened to be listening to the station. He called Laura and told her she had ten minutes to call back  and that she'd won some trip. The rest is history...

Sis and I board the plane tomorrow morning. Their putting us up in the Hudson Hotel in mid town. I guess it's steps away from Central Park. We plan on putting our things in the room and then doing some walking and shopping before the big release party. The Cocktail party starts at 7:00PM at a Studio called "The Electric Lady." It's a famous studio that Jimmy Hendrix actually built for himself to record his music. I'll be getting lots of pictures of sis and I with John Mayer and will share them with all of you.

I've wanted to go to New York since I was a young girl. My father lived there before he met my mom. He always wanted to take us but we never made the trip.  He'll be in our hearts as we go there for a once in a life- time experience.

The new album is called, "Born and Raised" which includes the single, "Shadow Days."

Watch out New York City-Here come the Minnesota Twins from the Twin Cities

A Great Day for a Cancer Survivor

Some background information

I am in the best mood today. I'm a lung cancer survivor of eight years this coming St. Patrick's Day.  I get cat scans every six months unless they see something that looks suspicious. I have had my share of 'ify' scans that show spots, but thankfully they have always disappeared by the time of my follow-up scan. Not long ago, a scan revealed four spots on my right lung which is the same lung that had a tumor. It was a really scary time for me, to say the least. I prayed, cried and hoped it wasn't the lung cancer coming back. This past June was when I went in for the follow-up scan. It was one of few times I brought my sister with me. We needed to be together to support each other in case we received bad news. We were grateful to learn that all four spots were gone. Sis and I celebrated by doing the 'happy dance' as the great news was announced. My oncologist said since I was almost eight years cancer free, I could choose whether to come back in six months or one year. I chose to come back in six months just to be safe. We agreed that if this scan was clear, I would graduate to yearly scans. 

Had my scan yesterday

I'm always a nervous wreck the week of my cat scans because I never know what it's gonna show. Facing your mortality is one of the things you learn to deal with when your a cancer survivor. As scary as it can be, it also gives you a rare insight into how to live every day to it's fullest. Anyway, I had the scan at 8:20AM yesterday. Afterwards, sis and I went out for breakfast as a courage builder. Knowing I have to wait for two days to see the oncologist with the results, is always a tough thing for me. Basically, I don't sleep much until that appointment is over. I was given such a gift when I heard the phone ring a few hours later. "Hi Linda, this is Nicole from Park Nicollet. Your oncologist knows how worried you get after a scan and asked me to call and let you know that everything looks great." I was so grateful that they decided to give me this call and save me from myself and my thoughts. I thanked her profusely and told her, "you just made my day-God Bless you." I go in tomorrow morning for my appointment with the oncologist, but this time I wont have to go in there scared to death. Because of that call, I will sleep like a baby tonight. I'm sure the biggest message to me will be that I've graduated to yearly scans.  YIPPEE! I am so grateful and  happy.

No more...

Your false ideas of love

cut deep within my flesh

Leaving scars beyond repair

my heart's a broken mess

The times that I believed you

when you uttered all the lies

Left me dead like washed up seaweed

alone with just my cries

Promises you made to me

whispered in the night

Made me want to trust you

convinced me it was right

Truth turned inside out

was all you knew to give


Like vampire's food of choice
deceit; your blood to live


I'll no longer be your conduit
for evil to the core


My soul desires happiness
and love forever more...

My Superwoman Dream

I have always been a big dreamer since I was a young child. Most mornings I can remember at least ten vivid dreams. Let me give you a little peek into my active dream life by sharing one of many, from last night.

Channel Nine News Reporter Dream
Before I begin telling you about my dream, I need to preface it with some information. The last couple of days in Minnesota have been a mixed bag of strange weather. It went back and forth between raining, sleeting and snowing. I am an avid watcher of the local news and have my favorite stations. Most of the time I watch channel nine and the reporters and anchors feel like part of my family. The other day when they were talking about the developing weather storm, they sent one of their reporters out in a car. I felt kind of bad for the guy as he was driving around telling us how dangerous it was getting on the roads.  Enough information, here's my dream:
I'm a roving reporter for Channel nine (hee hee) and driving my car to do a segment about the status of the winter storm that's just begun.  My co-pilot in the passenger seat is none other than Jeff Passolt. Jeff is our local, well known anchor in real life, for channel nine. Anyway, Jeff and I are driving around when we suddenly hit a slick spot in the road. The car becomes air born and I'm thinking, "this isn't good and I don't want Jeff to get hurt." I make a plan in my head that will save my co-worker and myself from impending death. I roll my window down before we make impact. When the car is just ready to land on the road, I put my arms out of the window. I'm obviously hanging upside down and drop my hands to the ground to hold the car up. I'm like Superwoman as I patiently steady the car until Jeff gets out. Once I crawl out, Jeff starts asking me how I managed to have the superhuman strength to bench a car like it was a paper weight . I humbly retort that it must have been the fight or flight reaction of adrenaline. He stares at me; eyes wide with awe and says, "are you in any pain?" I reply, "my arms are a little sore and my back is probably going to kill me later, but other than that, I'm good." Jeff and I, for the most part, come out of the car accident unscathed because I'm like some kind of superhero.