I'm on Instagram!

I finally joined the Smartphone world just a couple weeks ago and have access to everything right at my fingertips.  It was quite the feat just to get the phone and get it going thanks to a postal and apartment fiasco but it finally arrived and I practically hugged the UPS worker!  I didn't even have Internet on my old phone which in all actuality was kind of nice.  But now that I have this phone, it'll be hard to let it go.  In fact, I'm surprised my phone doesn't breathe for me with all the things it can do.

In addition to being able to check my e-mail, have an amazing camera with me at all times, check my Facebook and Fantasy Football scores and just feel connected to the world, I joined Instagram to share pictures with those who want to see some amazing food, fun, and friends!

You can find me on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/lyndseywegner# 

Happy Sunday :)

Fantasy Football Semi-Final for Week 16 and Placing in Week 17

It came down to Monday night this past week to find out if I would be playing for the big money in the Championship this week but unfortunately, Vernon Davis had his worst game, not catching anything and didn't have any rushing or running yards therefore, scoring no points, and knocking me out of the Winner's Circle.  I out-scored my projections and beat every other team in the league but couldn't out-score The Dawg's who will take on Count Drunkula in the final.  I'll be playing for 3rd against the fallen Travel Belly's and hoping to win back my buy-in.  It's possible!

Cordarelle Patterson has proved to be a great pick-up and brought nearly 18 points and playing my other pick-up Emmanuel Sanders also was smart, even though I benched Cooper for him, playing Randle instead, and those extra points would have been what I needed to prevail against The Dawg's but with Cooper not doing much, I didn't think he'd be a winner with Randle and the Giants playing Detroit.  Per usual, Murray had a wonderful game but Jennings had an average game with McFadden back in but I have no doubts for this week's game!  Once again, my Kicker, Gostkowski brought in a huge game with 13 points and my Cincinnati Defense got me 24 points.  It's unfortunate I lost but I'm proud of my season and team for playing their best!

My Week 16 Match-Up

This week I picked up Michael Crabtree at WR since Sanders was Questionable and Randle hasn't had a good game in weeks thanks to my arch nemesis, Eli Manning.  I've got Cooper back in as well as Patterson who is already having an incredible game.  Even though Aaron Rodgers will be starting this week against the Bears in what's going to be a great game to make the play-offs I'm playing Foles who will also be looking for a play-off spot.  I had to laugh when I heard the analysts this morning talking about who to start at QB and they all said start Rodgers unless you have Foles, then you have to start him.  Of course, I have both of them.  

Most of the games are really important today in teams making the play-offs or having a home field advantage. Keep an eye on your favorite players and root for the best team, The Packers to make play-offs and bring an interesting season to fruition with a win today and perhaps a fun Superbowl in a few weeks!

Mom's Visit to LA!

Mom came to visit me almost two weeks ago so she could see me in my play, 'Babes in Toyland,' and luckily she found a great flight and we were able to spend a few days together before Christmas!

She got in on Friday afternoon so she came into The Garage to visit me at work that night and got to try one of my favorite meals, the Loaded Chips, and hang out with some of my regulars and friends.  On Saturday we had the play, which she loved.  Although, she started tearing up during one of my solo's and that almost made me cry but I was able to hold it together till after the show.  She got tons of pictures of me with the kids and there were lots of little ones at the show that day.  She also got to see me read in Church which was nice!  After that we had Dinner at Tender Greens which was delicious and had some Yogurtland and Game Night along with one of my favorite Christmas movies, 'Serendipity' later on since she had never seen it.

Mom with Me (Mary Contrary) after the play 'Babes In Toyland'

On Sunday I had set up a Brunch at Skylight Gardens in Westwood, with Unlimited Mimosa's and all sorts of goodies.  My Short Rib Eggs Benedict was incredible not to mention, there was no shortage of champagne.  We went next door right after Brunch to grab some espresso and coffee and I'm not joking, I had the smallest double espresso I have ever seen.  I think there was more in my sugar packet than my cup!  We took a nice long walk that afternoon and made Dinner at home, my Gnocchi & Tortellini Recipe and had a quiet night in :)

Brunch with Mom at Skylight Gardens

We spent a good part of Monday doing some shopping and then made my Carrot Soup for Dinner and went to The Castaway in Burbank for dessert and after-dinner drinks.  If you haven't been to The Castaway, the view is amazing, and even a photo doesn't do it justice.  On Tuesday we went for a walk in the morning before heading to the airport a couple hours later.

It was so nice to spend a few days with her, just me and her, having some fun here in LA and having her be at one of my shows.  Thankfully, I'll get to see Mom and the rest of my family in just a few days when I head back to Wisconsin for a nice long week for Christmas and the Holidays.

Check out my recipes here :)

Carrot Soup 

Gnocchi & Tortellini Dinner

Fantasy Football Play-Off Week 15 and Semi-Final for Week 16

I had a great Play-Off game this week but it was close for a while!  The Cowboy Monkey's started off strong for their Thursday Night Game and on Sunday morning we were still neck in neck, thankfully a strong performance by DeMarco Murray, Rashad Jennings, Nick Foles, and Vernon Davis brought me a win, even though my Cincinnatti Defense was bordering on another week with negative points.  In typical fashion, my WR's couldn't get anything together, and that was partially due to horrible play by Eli Manning, as well as a continued disconnect for Riley Cooper with Foles.  My pick-up of Cordarelle Patterson was a smart one as he got me 11 points!  *I do know what I'm talking about!*  I beat my projected points by 14 and am going to need another big week in order to beat my nemesis, Ditka's Dawgs.

My Week 15 Play-Off Match-Up

I lost Victor Cruz for this week due to a concussion and knee injury (not that he's been that much help in the past month) and with Detroit's Defense giving up the 3rd most Fantasy points to WR's I'm considering playing Rueben Randle even though he was catch-less this past game.  He should be starting this week with Cruz out but it's still a risky play.  I could use another WR in place of him or Cooper, and Rod Streater continues to be on the radar since his bro-mance with McGloin has been on par since Week 11.  He's over-shadowing Denarius Moore and has become the go-to guy!  I've also mentioned Emmanuel Sanders before, and he had a 3 TD streak going up until last week but should be back on track for his game against the Packers this weekend, even if I don't want to admit that.

With the incredible game that Foles brought last week I couldn't bench him even if Rodgers was coming back this week.  I love my Packer's QB but coming off an injury and not playing for the past 6 weeks is too risky to start him.  I've got Murray and Jennings starting at RB and moved Patterson up to my WR1 spot with Davis at TE.  I might look at some other Defenses this week since Cincinnati has been having some trouble as of lately but that's not something I'm completely worried about.

This week's semi-final is going to be a challenging one as I haven't won any match-ups against The Dawg's but that doesn't matter, because it just comes down to this game.  I'm still in 3rd place, playing the 2nd place team, while Travel Belly is still in first playing the 5th place Count Drunkula team.  There were a lot of close match-ups this week but for the most part, the best teams have prevailed and if I can out-wit my good week vs bad week for the past 6 games I can win this game with hitting past my projections and rooting on the good guys of Elle Dubbs Dudes!  To top it all off, my Packers have won their last two games in a row and can still make the play-offs so good vibes to them this week against the Pittsburgh Steeler's :)

Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party

I covered a shift at Bar Lubitsch over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend which was nice since I had my Thursday off at Irish Times because of Thanksgiving.  It was a slower night at the bar due to the Holiday but it was nice to be back in a busy bar with all the right ingredients for craft cocktails and other good stuff.  And I got to work with my old Saint's & Sinner's buddy, Mike!

It was the Comitted Inc. Holiday party that Sunday night.  This year it was held at The Pikey on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, once again, fully catered meal thanks to The Pikey and an open bar with all sorts of goodies.  Thi and I went to The Pikey for Dinner a few months ago and it was absolutely delicious so I was super excited but this was more bar food (at least when we got there) which was good too; I had an awesome burger and salad.  I was definitely bummed to miss the dessert because they ran out though.

Lubitsch Ladies, Ashley & I with Jake & Neil

A few of my co-workers from Bar Lubitsch were there so it was nice to catch up with them outside of work and get some fun pictures together.  Plus, they had a Photo Booth which is always great :)  I drank 'The Stanley' which was a Rum & Pimm's cocktail served up in a martini glass and didn't really notice the alcohol in them but my tummy ache the next day reminded me not to drink so much rum.  Thankfully, I had switched to Hendrick's Gin later on but the damage was done thanks to Stanley!

Saint's & Sinner's Love

This was my first Christmas Party of the Holiday season and hopefully there will be some more coming up before I head back home to Wisconsin for Christmas with my family!

Song-Filled Wednesday's at Karaoke

As the busy holiday season is upon everyone, the Christmas parties and shopping begin, Bartending has kept my schedule full.  While rehearsals for my play are over we've got our performances every Saturday for the next four weeks and my Mom just headed back to Wisconsin after spending a few days here in LA with me.  It's time to catch up on some blogs and what's been happening so here's what's been going on at Karaoke the past couple weeks.

Two weeks ago we had a busy night of Karaoke and after singing 'I Wanna Be With You' by Mandy Moore and 'Dreaming Of You' by Selena I started a theme by singing songs with the word 'You' in them.  I hadn't sang the Mandy Moore song in a couple months since I first tried it at a Saturday night Karaoke excursion so it was time to try it again.  I sang the Selena song because Jackie likes to sing Spanish songs and that one has some Spanish lyrics throughout the song.  My new song of the night was The Supremes 'You Can't Hurry Love' which was fun but needs a little work since I don't know the timing of the song.  The words and notes were fine but I just need to practice it and actually listen to it since I haven't thought about doing that as a new song for months.  My last song of the night was 'Love Will Lead You Back' by Taylor Dayne which I hadn't sang since earlier in the Summer and a fun song to bring back.  I love my late 80's and early 90's music :)

Last week I opened with 'Special' by Garbage that I hadn't sang in a while and added that to my History and on the next round everyone sang Country music so I did 'Any Man Of Mine' by Shania Twain.  McCracken had been practicing 'Another Day' from "Rent" all week so we sang that and it went awesome!  I can't remember the last time I sang 'Baby Love' at Karaoke so I sang that next which was the song I sang for my 'Babes In Toyland' Audition so that was a sweet reminder of the play.  McCracken did an incredible version of 'O Holy Night' which is one of my favorite Christmas songs; in fact, he sang it better than Josh Groban!  My new song of the night was 'One & Only' by Adele which I've been nervous to sing since I learned it a year ago but everyone seemed to like it and I felt good about it as well!  I'll be excited to sing it again.  My closing song of the night was Fiona Apple's 'Criminal,' which is now a fun little guilty pleasure.

We've got one more week of Karaoke before we do Christmas-Themed Karaoke on December 18th...so get your 'Jingle Bells' ready!  HO HO HO!

Fantasy Football Week 14 Recap and Play-Off Spots for Week 15

In true form I went from a fantastic week to an average week and didn't meet my Fantasy points expectations.  Not that it would have mattered because Ditka's Dawgs out-scored their projections by 25 points and I lost by almost 60.  As the first games of Sunday began and I saw the snow storm happening in Philadelphia I knew it was going to be a tough week for me, thinking Nick Foles wouldn't get close to his projections because how could anyone catch any balls, and it was probably going to be a running game but he impressed me hitting his projections in the snow and Cooper found chemistry with his QB out-scoring his projections as well.  Wes Welker finally came back after a bad showing for the past month but got a concussion in the last quarter of the game which will cause him to more than likely miss his Thursday night game this week.  I can always count on DeMarco Murray and Gostkowski and Vernon Davis also had a good game this week.  My troubles came into play with my suggested pick-up of Donald Brown, a negative score from my Cincinnati Defense and yet again, darn you Eli Manning, it's got to be your fault that Cruz only got 4.2 points.

My Week 14 Match-Up

Since this week begins the Play-Offs for Fantasy Football I'm not going to get too in-depth with pick-ups because most league owners probably have their line-ups set and back-ups on deck in case you've had any late season injuries.  Since Rashad Jennings got a concussion in Week 13 and didn't play this past weekend along with Darren McFadden I picked up Marcel Reece who had an awesome game this past Sunday getting over 24 Fantasy Points.  I'm not sure I'd play him over Jennings if he's cleared for play but he's good to have in my back-up spot.  With Wes Welker out and inconsistent Wide Recievers on my team I could use another WR so looking at Cordarrelle Patterson isn't a bad idea.  He's scored a couple TD's in the past couple weeks and with Peterson out he's looking at more playing time.

I've got decisions to make in my QB, WR, and RB spots since injuries have plagued my team this season.  With the possibility of Aaron Rodgers return thanks to the win against Atlanta this weekend I'd love to put him back in his starting spot but I'm not even sure he'd play the entire game since they'll want to protect him if we get further into the play-offs and Nick Foles has been having an incredible season.  I've moved Riley Cooper up to my WR1 with Cruz at WR2 and Randle at my Flex position but I honestly don't trust any of them completely.  It would be nice to have a great WR for the next 2 weeks to count on during these tough play-off match-ups.  As for my RB I've just got to wait to see who is going to be playing this week.  There's no way I'd play Brown again so I've got Murray in for sure but need to decide on which Raider RB to play and that'll be a game-time decision.  It was a fluke this past week with Cincinnati and believe they'll come back and bring a strong Defense this week against Pittsburgh.

I'm still in 3rd place and playing the 6th place team, The Cowboy Monkeys, this week in the first round of play-off games.  There's a 6 point difference between our projected points with the Monkeys winning but I have faith in my team to come together and have an awesome week and start the play-off round strong to keep my 3rd place status and go into the 2nd round of play-offs next week.  Let's go Packers...I want to see a great game against Dallas this weekend; big points from DeMarco Murray, having to run the ball for TD's but with a Green Bay win overall :)

'Babes' Opening Show!

This Saturday was the opening of the show I'm in, 'Babes In Toyland' at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica.  It is a Children's Play for ages 11 months to 6 years and families, and we sing, dance, and act, getting the children involved in the fun.  It's running for the next 5 weeks on Saturday's and starts at 11 am and lasts just a little over a half hour.  You can find all the information on the Creating Arts website at: Babes In Toyland

Our cast is small with just 5 people but I really felt like we all lit up the stage once the show started and we heard the kids yelling out answers to what time of year it is and how one would get through snow.  After that, the rest of the show is a blur for me because I felt like my adrenaline went through the roof and the amount of energy I exerted took over and I just remember seeing the happy smiles on the kids faces, and smiling proud parents as their children were dancing and singing along with us.

Showtime for Little Bo Peep, The Toymaker, Mother Goose, Tom Piper and Mary Contrary!

We sing some Christmas songs as well as children's favorites, and a few songs from Nursery Rhymes and I have a couple solo's as well.  Maya was our director, choreographer, and singing coach and she pulled all of us together to bring an amazing show that will continue to improve week after week!  It was almost a let down after the show was over and I went back home and went about my day but thankfully I have 5 more weeks of performances to get my acting fix.

This is definitely a great company to be a part of and I can't wait for what else I can get involved with in the future :)

Fantasy Football Week 13 Recap and Projections for Week 14

It happened again...after a 66 point game last week, I almost doubled my score this week bringing in 126 points and winning my match-up!  Still inconsistent and frustrating are Wes Welker who hasn't hit his projections in the past 4 weeks, Riley Cooper seems to have lost his chemistry with Foles, and Victor Cruz who hasn't seen many balls from Eli Manning but luckily I made the smart choice this week by leaving Randle on my bench and playing my optimal line-up.  I had great games from Foles and my Cincinnati Defense, and even better games from my New England Kicker, Vernon Davis, Rashad Jennings, and DeMarco Murray all out-scoring their projections.  It was a great start to Thanksgiving seeing Murray and Jennings starting my games out right this week!  The Westside Dukes certainly put up a good fight but I needed this win and am solid at 3rd place, with an 8-5 record, tied with Ditka's Dawgs who are in 2nd and only beating me by 60 points.  I can do this!

My Week 13 Match-Up

This week you might want to take a chance on QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for a pick-up.  He's scored over 20 Fantasy Points in 4 of his past 6 starts and taking a chance on him could prove beneficial with play-offs right around the corner.  Donald Brown has taken over for Trent Richardson at RB on the Colts and with 4 TD's this past week he had a huge game.  It'll be a tough match-up at Cincinnati this weekend but he should be on par for bigger games the next couple of weeks.  Another RB to take a look at would be Montee Ball considering he was the #2 option for Denver in the backfield with 117 rushing yards against the Chiefs.  He's got a good match-up with Tennessee this weekend.  For a WR, even though he's a Flex option or WR3, Emmanuel Sanders has scored TD's in his last 2 games.  He's up against Miami this weekend and hoping for a bigger game than last week as long as he can hold onto the ball.  At TE Ladarius Green for the Chargers is a nice pick-up with Gates still not 100%.  He's a TE1 and considering he's up against the Giants who give up the 8th most Fantasy Points to TE's, he's a consistent choice.

 

With Rashad Jennings still questionable after his late game concussion on Thursday, Darren McFadden may be taking over for him, either way, I'll have a strong RB to start in addition to Murray.  I picked up Donald Brown in case I'm not feeling my Oakland boys and considering Ridley has been riding that bench like a champion jockey.  I really need to find a consistent Wide Receiver and continue to check the Waiver Wire and Free Agents to pick someone up but there's no one that I can count on more than my current team so I have to trust that Wes Welker will get back to his season starting awesomeness, Cooper and Foles can find some chemistry on the field and Manning starts to play like an actual QB and not just some lucky guy that won a Superbowl.

 

I've got a difficult Match-Up this week against Ditka's Dawgs who beat me back in Week 7 with a low-scoring game.  The Dawg's are projected to beat me by nearly 9 points but I still have faith in my Dudes and their ability to do awesome as long as they play like winners!  There's some great match-ups against teams this week so the games should be close and we've got an exciting week of Football ahead!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite Holidays because it's all about what we're thankful for and eating, spending time with family and friends, and more Dinner! 

I'm thankful for this blog and creative outlet to share my life, experiences, and recipes with anyone that wants to read it.  At this point, I've written over 300 blogs and have had over 18,000 views in less than 2 years.  My viewership has grown and I think I've gotten much better at writing and sharing my thoughts, so thanks to those who have given suggestions and constructive criticism.  You've helped make this blog a success!

I'm thankful that I live in a city that is sunny over 200 days a year and can introduce me to new food and experiences on a weekly basis.  I'm thankful that my career is here in Los Angeles and things have been going better than ever; I'm Hosting for two shows at Afterbuzz TV and my play, 'Babes In Toyland' opens this weekend!  I'm thankful for the friends I have made in the past 8 years I've been living in LA, and the fact that in those 8 years I've had 3 different roommates and all of them have been incredible ladies who are important in my life and growth here in this crazy city.  I'm lucky to have so many different opportunities and jobs, I work at 4 different bars, and all of them are so different and bring a lot of laughter and fun to my life.  Which reminds me, I'm thankful for the people that know how to treat bartenders and those in the service industry, without you, I wouldn't be able to pay my rent or bills, so thank you.

I'm thankful for a beautiful car that runs and gets me where I need to go on a daily basis, an awesome apartment that has everything I need right at my fingertips, and close friends to keep me sane and brighten my day when I'm feeling stressed or frustrated.  I'm thankful for surprises from people you love, exciting dates with the one who makes you feel special, and trying new things...I know :)  Kisses!

I'm thankful for the entertainment in my life, shows right now like 'New Girl,' 'Betrayal,' 'Dracula,' and 'How I Met Your Mother,' that show me I can reach my goals if I work hard and follow my own path, I can achieve my dreams.  I'm thankful for Football, a game I am absolutely obsessed with, and so happy that I have a fantastic example of a real team, being a Packer fan.  I'm thankful for the wonderful food that comes out of LA:  Amazing sushi, steak, white cheeses, chocolate lava cake, wineries just an hour away, and awesome wine and craft cocktails found all over.  I'm thankful for a beautiful area where I can go on my run in peace and enjoy the trees, houses, and incredible view.  I'm thankful for my health and the fact that at 30 years old, I am in the best shape of my life!

I'm thankful that there are good people in this world who enjoy helping others with a smile, spare change, food, or anything that someone may need.  I'm thankful that people want the world to be a better place, that want to see happiness around them, and everyone succeed and do what they love.

But mostly I'm thankful for my family who supports my career and life decisions all the way in Wisconsin.  I'm thankful for loving parents who I can talk to every day and can always make me laugh.  I'm thankful to see their names show up on my Caller ID, a letter from them, or package with cookies or candy.  It's those little things that make all the difference and I can't tell them often enough how much I appreciate them and am thankful that they're around and love me.

Today may be a reminder to find out what's important to you and what you're thankful for, but the soul purpose of Thanksgiving is to recognize what's important in your life today and every day and go out and live that dream and share it with others.

Fantasy Football Week 12 Recap and Projections for Week 13

I'm not quite sure how it happens but I have an incredible week with over 130 points and the next I'm scoring less than 70.  Two of my star players had one of their worst weeks with Victor Cruz scoring just 0.7 points and Wes Welker with 3.62.  I ended up playing Stevan Ridley over DeMarco Murray which was a mistake considering Ridley scored NEGATIVE 0.6 thanks to a fumble in the first quarter and was benched immediately following it.  Case Keenum was a bust only scoring 5.96 and those 4 players, had they scored a combined 31 extra points would have helped me beat Count Drunkula.  I barely hit 50% of my projected points!  Unfortunately, the rest of my team did a pretty good job with my Houston Defense bringing in 16 points, my NE Kicker bringing in 10, and Rashad Jennings and Vernon Davis bringing in 12 a piece but my other players blew it.  Thankfully, I'm still in 3rd place with a 7-5 record.

My Week 12 Match-Up

Since the Bye weeks are over I can bring back some of my players from the bench but let's talk about a few pick-ups since there were some injuries that plagued Week 12.  With Cutler out, Josh McCown has taken over and considering the match-up with the Rams, he should have a good week.  Alex Smith has been getting the ball to Dwayne Bowe more frequently and this will be the Chiefs biggest game of the year against the Bronco's.  A good WR choice would be Rod Streater since he's been Matt McGloin's go-to guy for the Raiders with Denarius Moore out.  He's scored 9 points in 3 of the 4 last games.  Wide receiver Nate Burleson came back strong after his forearm injury with 77 yards and a TD; the Lions schedule is favorable and Burleson would be a good pick-up for the play-offs.  Benny Cunningham at RB has filled in for Zac Stacy who's out with injury and made the most of his touches with 109 yards and a TD and that's no fluke!  The Buffalo Bills lead the NFL in sacks and interceptions and their upcoming games should bring major points for them; their Defense would be a smart pick.

This week I'll be playing Nick Foles who is back from his Bye in addition to Riley Cooper and I'm hoping their chemistry is back on track for some major points from both.  I'm up in the air as to play Cruz or Randle and that decision follows me around the entire weekend and taunts me considering Randle has out-scored Cruz (or gotten close) in the past few weeks and I've played Cruz.  I picked up Baltimore's Defense but will still consider playing Cincinnati as I've been able to count on them weekly.  I've got Rashad Jennings and DeMarco Murray back in my starting RB positions and look forward to that match-up tomorrow for the Thanksgiving games.

My Packers are playing tomorrow and with Matt Flynn starting I'm looking forward to a great 9:30 am game from my team!  I'm hoping to get a good start for tomorrow's games so that I can relax a little this weekend.  I'm playing The Westside Dukes and our projections will put us neck-in-neck till the end but we should know our fate at the end of Sunday night's games.  I can solidify 3rd place this week with a win, but need to gain some points to get back on track for a 2nd place finish.  Enjoy the Turkey and Football that Thanksgiving brings tomorrow :) 

I kind of want a wallet with a chain...

Ever since I wore a chain wallet for my Aaliyah Halloween Costume at Gabe's for Karaoke I've tried to figure out a way I could walk around in my daily life wearing one of my own.  I'm not sure if it's really practical for me, considering I wouldn't even put anything in the wallet, I just like the way it looks but there's just something really fun and rock & roll about it!

My Aaliyah 'Are You That Somebody'
Costume at Gabe's on Halloween

Two weeks ago at Karaoke it ended up being a pretty slow night but I had a couple friends in so there was a lot of singing happening all night long.  I wanted to sing songs I hadn't sang in a while so I started with 'One Of Us' by Joan Osborne and then did Ella Fitzgerald's version of 'Don't Get Around Much Anymore,' which is such a fun jazzy song to sing.  Next up was 'Don't' by Jewel and according a girl at Gabe's, she didn't even know who originally sang it, and she didn't want to hear it, because she loved my version of it.  It was an incredibly sweet and genuine compliment that I really appreciated :)  There were a couple duets throughout the night, mostly from "Rent."  I did 'Another Day,' then switched to "Jekyll & Hyde" and did one of my favorites, 'A Dangerous Game.'  It was Neil and I's best performance of 'Like We Never Loved At All,' and then I brought a little rock & roll back doing Pat Benatar's 'Promises In The Dark.'  My new song of the night was 'Sunny Came Home' by Shawn Colvin, a song that was popular when I was in 8th grade.  I closed out the night with 'On My Own,' from "Les Miserables."  It was a fun and crazy night!

This past week at Karaoke, on a rainy Wednesday night, the "Rain Theme" came in full effect as people started singing songs with Rain in the title.  It's amazing how the weather can change the mood at Karaoke but even though it was a deary night, everyone was enjoying the rain and having a lot of fun.  I started with 'It Must've Been Love' by Roxette and then did 'Baby Baby' by Amy Grant.  I'd heard Bruno Mars on my run earlier in the week so I decided to do 'Grenade' by him while my new song of the night was 'Rain' by Madonna.  Since I had a couple friends in that night and there was this rock and metal vibe going on I did 'Possum Kingdom' which I had a lot of fun with.  I seriously love that song!!  I closed out the night with Guns & Roses 'November Rain' since it was raining in November.  I'm always surprised that people don't know that song, because it's my favorite Guns & Roses song.

I could have easily worn a chain wallet at Karaoke the past two weeks especially when I'm singing a rock song but maybe it's best for me to save that for a costume and special occasions ;)

'Babes In Toyland'

I got it!  I auditioned for the role of Mary Contrary in 'Babes In Toyland' a week and a half ago and found out a couple days later that I booked the role!  When I first saw they were holding auditions I was super excited because I used to watch the movie with Drew Barrymore, Keanu Reeves, and Eileen Brennan all through the Christmas season (and Summer, guilty pleasure) and now I was getting to audition for it.

The audition consisted of a cold-read and song.  When I got to the audition and saw it was a scene from 'Music Man' I got a little nostalgic remembering I had played the role of Amaryllis when I was 14, and sure enough, the cold-read scene was one I did in that exact play, except this time I would be reading as Marian Paroo.  Since the play was a musical, we all had to sing so I chose 'Baby Love.'  I felt great about the audition and knew that it was a waiting game but I was really hoping to be cast.  I sent out a thank you for having me in to audition on Monday and by Tuesday I had confirmed the role of 'Mary Contrary' and was sent the rehearsal schedule, script, and music.

 

My hardly can contain myself smirk...
and this headshot reminds me of Christmas!

'Babes In Toyland' opens in a week and a half, as they have a very quick turn-around and prep for this show especially since it's for The Twinkle Theater.  This show is recommended for children 11 months to 5 years old accompanied by their family's as an introduction to theater.  As soon as I found out the show was for babies, I was totally in!  Of course, I would love for all of my friends in LA to come and see it as well because it is a Christmas/Holiday Show; there's singing, dancing, and acting, and will just be a fun experience, plus I might nuzzle you with a Teddy Bear :)

We've had a couple rehearsals already, meeting the rest of the cast, whom are mostly from the Midwest, ran through the script a handful of times, along with the music, figured out the blocking and this weekend we will probably be running through the entire show considering the following Saturday, November 30th, will be our first performance for the public.  The show runs on Saturdays at 11 am at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica on Lincoln & Wilshire Blvd and goes until January 4th.  So we will be performing 6 shows (one of which I will be in Wisconsin for, so someone will be filling my role that week) put on by the Creating Arts Company who will also have other shows running in the same weeks just on different days.

I'm so excited to be a part of a theater show again as it's been 8 years since the last time I did theater.  Singing to each other in rehearsals makes my ears smile, that's how happy I am, to be doing exactly what I love!  I can't wait for our first show in just 10 days!!

You can find out more information about the show and get tickets here:
Babes In Toyland Tickets

Fantasy Football Week 11 Recap and Projections for Week 12

I won my Match-Up this week going into it a little doubtful considering our original projections were nearly 20 points apart with Green Bush Shorts winning but pulled off a win thanks to an awesome game by Nick Foles and my Cincinnati Defense who brought in 37 points!  My pick-up of Rashad Jennings was spot on considering he scored 22.8 points.  I'm a little bummed on my pick-up of Riley Cooper considering the chemistry between him and Foles in previous games but I'm sure he'll bounce back in the following weeks.  Thankfully Victor Cruz was one of Eli's favorite WR's this week and was able to out-score Randle, just barely, but got back to the double digits.  I really needed a win this week considering The Shorts and I were both 6-4.  I'm back in 3rd place this week and 80 points behind The Dawgs who are also 7-4 and tied with me.

My Week 11 Match-Up

Since Aaron Rodgers is out for another couple weeks and Foles is on a Bye I needed to pick up a QB so I went with Case Keenum, one of my suggestions from a couple weeks ago who according to Coach Kubiak will be the starting QB even though Matt Schaub took over for Keenum who was benched, and did worse in relief.  Carson Palmer would also be a good pick-up for this week if you've got your QB on a Bye and need someone for Week 12.  Bobby Rainey the RB for Tampa Bay, got 32 touches in the game against Atlanta and scored 3 TD's getting 167 total yards.  This week may not be his best week considering Tampa Bay is going up against Detroit but the next couple of games should be great match-ups.  Another RB to consider would be Montee Ball, who plays behind Knowshon Moreno but scored 2 TD's against an undefeated Kansas City.  He's a rookie so he's not completely reliable at this point but a good flex option.  As for your WR, Santonio Holmes is back in the Jets line-up after a hamstring injury.  Holmes should be targeted more each week and even though he only saw 8 targets this week he got 71 yards and should be able to produce even more for the Jets as he's back in action.  Some of my frustration this year has come from Vernon Davis at my TE position.  He's been injured, in and out of games, had monster weeks, and then done nothing the following week, so I'm always playing around with that position.  So if you're looking for a TE, Delanie Walker, from Tennessee has continued to pursue more looks and just this week against Indianapolis got 91 yards and a TD.  He'll be heading towards the number one TE position on the Titans again.

This week I'll be playing both Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle as they both seem to be scoring points and there's no way I can bench Cruz to play Randle, and I haven't seen any good WR's in our league's available players.  At least for now.  I want to play Rashad Jennings again, I'm just not sure which of my other RB's to bench.  I've got to decide between DeMarco Murray who is back from his Bye but playing against the Giants who've given up the 5th fewest Fantasy Points to RB's or Ridley, who continues to fumble but seems to find the end zone as well.  I picked up Houston's Defense this week since they're playing Jacksonville and they've given up the most points to Defense's this season so they should bring me some points.

My Match-Up this week is going to be close as there's not even a 2 point spread and I've picked up new players and need to count on them this week to hit their projections in order to win.  Onwards and upwards and good games for all my players and perhaps I can back up to the #2 spot in the next week or two!

An October 33rd Halloween!

Halloween landed on a Thursday this year and I got plenty of costume time in with the Jersey Shore Costume for the Afterbuzz TV Party, my 6 costume changes of R&B stars Aaliyah and Ciara for Karaoke at the Gabe's Halloween Costume Contest, and then on Saturday for Neil's Annual Halloween Party where I dressed up as Lilah (Megan Fox's character) from Jonah Hex.  I did a mini-version of Snooki while I worked at Irish Times on Halloween Thursday but spent the rest of the night hanging out with a girlfriend while she got ready for a Party and then I stayed in and cleaned my room.  Rockstar.

Screen Engine Family

After taking the Costume to the tailor to do some minor alterations, already having the perfect boots, and finding some lace gloves, I was ready to go!  Halloween music was playing, everyone attending was in costume, I had made some fun Halloween cupcakes, and we had plenty of goodies to eat, not to mention a liquor selection to be rivaled!  We took a few pictures before everyone else arrived, took our Purple People Eater shots, and I was even in costume before our first guest walked through the door.  Hooray!  Neil was dressed as Ash from 'Evil Dead' and and had completed his look with a full-on Chain Saw for an arm...super cool!

It was great to see Aimee and Andy from Gabe's, who brought along a couple of their friends, one of which was dressed as the famed painter on TV, Bob Ross, while they dazzled as Little Bo Peep and her Sheep.  Tom and Basia came as Marty McFly and Ariel with Legs from 'The Little Mermaid,' both of which were super thoughtful.  Jamie and Spark came a little later dressed as the Red Queen and Mad Hatter, with stunning make-up from Jamie!  Emily and Shane were dressed as Tim Tebow and his Little Emily Football :)

Halloween Party Time

There were Superheroes, Brett Michael's, Wolverine, Katy Perry, a Gatsby Girl, Masked Heroes & Ladies, and some incredible make-up'd faces!  People even requested to hear and see 'The King Of Halloween' music video.  I just wish there was more sour candy at the party.

The Ladies on Halloween!

The party was a blast and it's only 350 more days till Halloween so you better start planning next years costume soon!

Fantasy Football Week 10 Recap and Projections for Week 11

I'm on a 2 game losing streak and starting to get a little frustrated with the injuries that continue to plague my team.  Not to mention, a bad suggestion from the Cowboy Monkey's to sit Randle since I was already playing Cruz, and why would I play two WR's from the same team?  Well, that decision brought me a loss, and had I played Randle, I would have beat the Monkey's (no pun intended) by 0.7.  My advice friends, go with your gut, and trust it!  I'd be tied for 2nd place right now (only being on the bottom end of that because I have fewer points than The Dawgs).  My pick-up of Foles was right on since he out-scored his projections by over 8 points and at least I could count on DeMarco Murray to bring in over 15 points with my Cincinnati Defense rounding out my double digits with 17 Fantasy Points.  My decision to pick up Justin Tucker was good since he got 9 points but Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Vernon Davis (who went out with an injury) and Marvin Jones brought in a total of 6.9 points against their projected point total which would have been 34.72.  Horrible.

My Week 10 Match-Up

For pick-ups this week and starting with Running Backs, I'd take a look at Dennis Johnson considering Ben Tate still isn't 100% (but if Tate is still available in your league, pick him up) because he's taken over Arian Foster's role, now that he's out due to necessary back surgery.  That's my #1 draft pick lost to an injury...fantastic!  Since I lost Mike James, who went out with what's been listed as a broken ankle, in the first quarter just before he could score a TD I picked up Rashad Jennings (who I suggested last week) since he seems to have taken over for Darren McFadden who is still doubtful to return this week and seems to enjoy sitting on my bench nursing his injury.  Yet another RB to look at would be Danny Woodhead and although he was a bust for me when he played on the Patriots he seems to have found his groove with the Chargers and is projected over 10 points this week.  After having to drop yet another player because of an injury, in place of Michael Floyd, a good WR pick-up would be Andre Roberts who caught 5 passes for 72 yards and got a TD.  The Charger's have given up the 4th most fantasy points to Wide-Outs, so Rishard Matthews from from the Dolphin's may be a good WR choice.  He scored 2 TD's with 120 yards on Monday night!  And if you're still looking for a QB, Case Keenum is proving himself for the Texans, Nick Foles is bringing the heat on the Eagles and Matt Flynn has re-joined the Packers, even though he won't be starting this week.  Flynn is a great pick-up for the Packers and he clearly has chemistry with the team and we need him around if we want to make the Play-Offs and get another Superbowl win!

I'll be starting Ridley and Jennings at the RB position this week with Riley Cooper in my flex position since he is an undeniable talent when catching passes from Nick Foles.  I think that Welker and Cruz just had off weeks and will be back on the points game this week since I'm playing The Green Bush Shorts who took my 3rd place position and I want to be back on the top!  He is projected almost 20 points more than me but I just need a monster week from my team and hopefully Vernon Davis will be healthy this weekend.  I've got Gostkowski back as my Kicker and my Cincinatti Defense against Cleveland so it is possible!

Guys, eat your Wheaties, drink your milk, and up your vitamins!  I know this is a tough game and obviously very hard on your bodies, but something needs to change so everyone isn't so injury-prone.  Having the Bye weeks has been challenging enough but then with my players out due to injuries, it's been down-right difficult to get a win.  Thankfully, the Bye weeks end after next week so we can get back to the real game and let our players decide our fate :)  Good Luck in Week 11!

The Catch Up Game

It's November and that means Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Green Bean Casserole and other fun Thanksgiving treats are making their way to the front of the grocery store.  It also means Christmas commercials, holiday music, and Santa will all be here very soon.  Even though the change of seasons in LA isn't as noticeable as in Wisconsin, I can still tell that it's Fall because the air gets a little crisper, it gets darker sooner, and people are walking outside with hats and scarves on the 40ish degree nights.  I'm playing the catch up game and reflecting on my resolutions and goals for this year and I'm really happy with where I've been at the last year and past couple months!  

Find me on Twitter.com/LyndseyWegner or Facebook.com/LyndseyWegner

In August, Neil and I played a live show at The Garage for a friend's Birthday Party and that was something completely new for me, singing a whole show with Neil, just us and his acoustic guitar.  Totally different than Karaoke but absolutely addicting.  We also saw an 80's Cover Band play at Canyon Club in Agoura Hills which I had never been to before and is known for it's performers and shows.  I heard Pat Benetar plays there, so the next time she's playing I hope I can go!  I saw 'Women Are Crazy, Because Men Are A**Holes' because I had friends who were in the show, and it certainly made me want to get more involved in theater after seeing such an awesome production!  And to top it all off, my brother's band, The Hussy, came out to LA while they were doing a West Coast Tour and performed at Redwood Bar!

Keeping an eye on my goals!

When September rolled around, I had already worked on a friend's music video (we just filmed some more footage this past week and have a couple final scenes before the video is completed) which will be coming out in December.  Neil and I took my first trip to Santa Barbara where we went Wine Tasting at a couple different Wineries and walked all around the city, eating Dinner at a quaint little Italian Restaurant in downtown.  Even though we missed the Sara Bareilles show we still had a blast!  At the end of the month, Neil and I saw Keith Urban perform at the Hollywood Bowl (my first show there) and he was incredible :D

By October I had decided to launch a new concept for my blog so I filmed a Fantasy Football Teaser and now currently feature a weekly blog about Fantasy Football Pick-ups, Projections, and Stats, along with my Weekly Match-Up.  I also did my first ever show for Afterbuzz TV, where we do a post-game wrap up of the show 'Supernatural.'  I filmed my 5th episode this week and love working for the company and getting to Host on a weekly basis!  Neil and I worked on a Halloween Music Video, where he rapped and I sang, (in the style of Eminem & Dido) and the music video came out just before Halloween.  We also saw 30 Seconds to Mars perform at the Hollywood Bowl as well (our second time seeing them together)!  I spent a lot of time with my girlfriends in the past month, grabbing Dinner, hitting up a party, and even seeing a Kings Game from the Luxury Box thanks to Marty.  In the midst of all the crazy I did a workshop at ACT Now for 2 weeks so that was a fun learning experience too and also uploaded my Commercial Reel to be viewed on YouTube!

Talk about a busy couple of months but I wouldn't want it any other way.  I'm paving my own path and when things start to get frustrating or I wonder what I'm doing, something makes me realize everything is happening for a reason and that's when the big things hit!  I can't wait to see what's next...

My Commercial Reel & Karaoke

I finally got my first Commercial Reel edited and finished so it's up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure!  After getting all the footage together I was able to put out a Reel with a few different commercials filmed over the past couple years I've been living in LA.  It's got a nice variety of shots and styles and hopefully can bring in some more work :)

With Halloween in full effect the past couple of weeks thanks to a Thursday Halloween, I finally have a little time to catch up on my blog and Karaoke.  So for Karaoke from a couple weeks ago I started a little theme for myself singing songs with the word 'dream' in the title.  My first song of the night was 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me' by The Mama's & The Papa's which I haven't sang in quite some time while my next song was a new song of the night, Selena's 'Dreaming Of You' which added the challenge of singing in Spanish too!  Next up was one of my favorites, 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac and then I changed it up getting into my Halloween vibe for the following week doing 'Are You That Somebody' by Aaliyah which was new for me that night and closing with Heart's 'If Looks Could Kill.'  That's one of my favorite songs off of their self-titled album.

This past week was a little bit busier for McCracken's Karaoke Birthday Party but not before we had a slow start and got a bunch of songs in before the party started.  I keep adding songs to my History Folder so I started with 'Treat Me Right' by Pat Benatar and then singing Garbage's 'Only Happy When It Rains.'  I moved back into Rock with 'Hold The Line' by Toto and then doing another Heart song this week, 'What About Love' which I haven't sang in years!  Since Jamie and Neil were there for the party, we got a couple duets in, 'Take Me Or Leave Me' from "Rent" and 'Love The Way You Lie' by Eminem and Rihanna.  Since I had so much fun singing it the last time, I did Stacy Orrico's 'Stuck' and my closing song, and also new song for the night was 'Living On A Prayer' by Bon Jovi with a little background vocal and harmony from Neil.  We normally sing the slow version with Neil taking the lead, so this was definitely new territory for me!

I always love the challenge of new songs and was so excited to see my friends trying new things like Spark doing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and Sean doing 'The Remedy.'  The boys all got together and did 'Blurred Lines' which was awesome!  Those Karaoke nights are always the best so bringing a theme makes the Karaoke world go round B)

Halloween Costume Contest & Party at Gabe's!

Last week Wednesday was the Eve of Halloween and when Gabe's was doing their Halloween Party and Costume Contest, right at midnight!  Slowly but sure we've built Wednesday Night Karaoke during the week of Halloween and last Wednesday was a busy night, with lots of costume changes, prizes, and tons of dedications and Karaoke songs.

Justin & Ciara

My Costumes for the night were all fashioned after Aaliyah and Ciara with their hip hop vibe and style; some costumes were certainly better than others but I sang each song, 6 total, in a different costume.  Neil and Chris also came dressed to impress as Neil had different looks for Justin Timberlake as well as Eminem, and we even did a duet together.  Chris was dressed in the 'Humpty Dance' costume and waited to perform his song till we had a full crowd and sure enough, he won our Costume Contest that evening!  Second place went to Jerry who was dressed as a Domino's Pizza Delivery Boy and 3rd went to Neil for once again, completely changing his look throughout the night.  There was a Pirate Carebear, Jessica Rabbit, Ghouls & Goblins, and dead Witches and Zombies in costume as well.

I started off the night with one of my new songs, 'Try Again' by Aaliyah, wearing my new wedged sneakers (which by the way, are super comfortable, and give me an extra 3 inches; I highly recommend them).  Next up was 'Are You That Somebody' with a costume super similar to Aaliyah's in the music video and I even pulled out some specific dance moves with each song.  Another favorite part of my first two costumes was getting to wear a chain that was connected to a wallet in my back pocket; I kind of want to wear it all the time!  From there I switched from Aaliyah to Ciara and started off with her hit, 'One Two Step' which was another new song for me.  I wore these shiny pants I had bought in college that still fit (YAY) and my outfit matched Ciara's perfectly!  I loved that it got people that were totally involved in their pool game up and dancing with me :)  After that I switched it up, putting on my fedora for 'Like A Boy' and thankfully I had gotten in some practice of the song since my last performance, and that was highly necessary with all the quick raps and melody.

'As long as I've got my suit and tie...'

Halloween Karaoke

During all this Neil had performed 'Like I Love You' and 'What Goes Around Comes Around' by Justin Timberlake and then went into Eminem mode for 'Lose Yourself.'  It was back to Justin for 'Suit & Tie' with a little help from McCracken who was dressed as a Michael Buble/Josh Groban hybrid, and thankfully was wearing his suit and tie.  It was time for Neil and I's duet of 'Love + Sex + Magic' and another perfectly matched costume like Ciara's from the video.  I had forgotten to change the key and lower it but we managed to make due and had a lot of fun with it, even though it was a new and quite difficult song for both of us!  There was more N'Sync happening from Neil and McCracken singing 'This I Promise You' and both duets with Neil were new songs for McCracken.  Everyone definitely got an A for effort in trying all the new music and putting in thought and detail to specific outfits.  I closed out the night with 'Goodies' by Ciara, another new song for me, and got some help on the rap from Chris, who surprisingly new the song pretty well.  Guilty pleasure?  The song was a blast to sing and once again had people singing along and dancing!

It was a fabulous night for Karaoke and a great Halloween Eve!  Carolyn and Matt even came in to celebrate their recent engagement and dedicate songs to each other which was super cute!  There's just 358 days till Halloween so you better get started on your costume soon...

See ya next year!

Fantasy Football Week 9 Recap and Projections for Week 10

I always say that if I have to lose my Match-Up it's totally worthwhile if the Packers win.  I'll take their win and a loss any day just because I want me Team in the Superbowl but this week I saw 2 losses.  I had an absolutely horrendous week with so many players on Bye and gambling on new players and with McFadden and Rodgers leaving their games with injuries I had no chance to even get a decent point total and fell flat at just 57 points.  I left Ridley on the bench to score over 22 points, which was practically half of my total points for this week.  My pick-up of Ted Ginn Jr was worthless considering he brought in under 2 points but I have to be happy since Bowe and Jones nearly hit their projections and Jones was a good pick-up for the week.  Even though Kyle Rudolph went out with an injury it wasn't before he scored a TD and got me 9.50 points.  In the most unfortunate of situations my Kicker out-scored everyone on my team.  Yup.

My Week 9 Match-Up

I've already made some pick-ups this week and first off is Nick Foles who had a fantastic week with 7 TD's, no Interceptions and over 400 passing yards.  I suggested him as a great Pick-Up just a few weeks ago and with Aaron Rodgers out and Foles still available in my league, he'll be starting for My Dudes until Rodgers is healthy again!  Jay Cutler is supposed to be back this week and since he's un-owned in most leagues and has a productive passing offense he may also be a good starter if you're unsure about your current QB, lost Rodgers, or have your QB on a Bye.  Speaking of Foles, his partner in crime seems to be Riley Cooper who scored 3 TD's last week against the Raiders.  Even though DeSean Jackson is their main WR, Cooper will be an honest WR2.  Rashad Jennings will be taking over once again since McFadden is out and Jennings has some good chemistry with Terrelle Pryor.

This week I've got Foles starting and most of my accountable players back in the line-up.  I'm currently keeping Jones as my Flex Player and playing Cincinnati's Defense since Foles will be playing against the Packers and we need a win this week.  With Arian Foster still questionable and Ridley on a Bye I was forced to pick up another RB so I snagged Mike James from Tampa Bay as they're playing Miami this week and they've given up the 2nd most Fantasy Points to Running Backs this season.  It feels as though lately the only person I can count on is my Kicker and since he's also on Bye I picked up Justin Tucker from Baltimore.

I'm still in 3rd place in my league, just 2 games behind our leader but now my point total would put me in 5th place so I need a really high scoring week to come back after the joke of a week I had during Week 9.  Our leader and 2nd place will be playing each other this week and I'm playing the Cowboy Monkey's who are currently in last, and have yet to hit their projections this season but with my 2 losses in the past few weeks, it might be the Monkey's time to kick some butt.  I hope not but we'll find out during this nail-biting week of games!

Afterbuzz TV Halloween Party

Last week Saturday kicked off the first of my Costumes for Halloween this year at the Afterbuzz TV Halloween Party which was at Rock & Reilly's on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood!  There was a suggested TV theme since Afterbuzz is all about After-Shows for TV shows.

With the theme in mind and an idea I've had for years it was the perfect time to bring out Snooki from 'Jersey Shore.'  To complete my look, I brought along Neil aka DJ Pauly D!  Pauly D normally spends nearly a half hour getting his hair perfect but I didn't need that much time, I got Neil's hair perfectly coiffed in 10 minutes.  There was lots of bronzing going on before we left for the party, some eye-liner and lots of black eye-shadow and mascara.  T-Shirt Time...with costumes on, the look was complete and a pretty darn awesome costume put together in about an hour!  Cabs are here!

DJ Pauly D & Snooki from 'Jersey Shore'

Head Phones & Pickles in Hollywood

We got to the party just after 9 pm and hung out for a couple of hours with some of the Hosts and Crew from Afterbuzz TV.  Most people at the bar weren't in costume but at least our peeps were in costumes from 'Breaking Bad', 'Arrested Development' and my Co-Host, Tom, dressed as Jack Bauer!  I got plenty of questions about the famous Snooki Poof but it was all hair, no bump-it's here; I even had my very own jar of pickles I carried around a'la Snooks!  Pauly D was decked out in neon and completed his look with headphones and sunglasses.  We kept our catch-phrases going all night long...oh yea!

Our friend Cory was working next door at Pearl which is a New Orleans/French style Restaurant and Bar with 2 stories, the bottom being an upscale and elegant restaurant with the upstairs being a Secret Garden theme and in the front over-looking Sunset blvd is another open-aired area to dine or dance.  Talk about gorgeous!  We got compliments on our costumes (thankfully we were recognizable...I love the Jersey Shore, B*tch) and after a quick shot with Cory we were on our way back to the Valley to make one more stop at The Snug in hopes of more costumes.

Unfortunately, there weren't many people dressed up anywhere we went so that was kind of disappointing but it was the weekend before Halloween and since it fell on a Thursday we weren't sure what to expect...wah!  Overall, for us and our love of Halloween it was a great start to the festivities and a chance to try out a new and fun costume idea :)

'The King Of Halloween' Music Video

Halloween is here and it's the perfect time to bring out the Halloween Music Video 'The King Of Halloween' that Neil and I had worked on the past few weeks!

Neil had told me he was going to record a Halloween Rap and make a video for it and then asked me to sing on it, in the style of Eminem and Dido.  He recorded his rap part and then we recorded my vocals in his studio and I was able to play around with my final part which was fun!  Then a couple weeks ago we recorded my scenes in a set that Neil created.  He put so much time and effort into making this video really special and totally Halloween.  His rap is smart and very quick; super impressive for a singer/songwriter :)  There's even a cameo by Diego who plays the piano solo for the song!  You can see the video right here!

The video was a blast to shoot and it came out awesome!  I can't imagine editing all those images and scenes into the video, matching up the vocals with the singing shots, and the video is seamless from beginning to end.

90's Hip Hop Artists ready for the shoot!

Hope you enjoyed and Happy Halloween!

Fantasy Football Week 8 Recap and Projections for Week 9

Woo Hoo...I won my Match-Up this week and had the highest points in our league!  I'm still in 3rd place but my point total is the 2nd highest and I'm playing against the 2nd ranked team in our League, Travel Belly.  I did a lot of swapping out on Sunday, taking out Greg Jennings to play Michael Floyd who got 8+ points more than Jennings and playing my Bengal Defense over the Packers who out-scored them by 21 points.  Darren McFadden had a great game and the highest point total this week for RB's and I was worried that Ridley would have an average game but even he scored a TD.  My original Projection was actually lower than listed in my Match-Up because I took out Jennings and the Packers D so I actually scored 40 points over my projections which was necessary after a low-scoring game last week.  In my first Match-Up with Trojan Man I beat him by less than a point so this was a well-deserved victory this week!  

My Week 8 Match-Up

For pick-ups this week at RB you might think of picking up Andre Ellington from the Cardinals as he had an 80 yard TD last week and 162 yards total; not a bad day for Arizona.  Montee Ball may not have started off strong but after a good game last week and the fact that Moreno hasn't been out on the field as much and Hillman's missing scoring opportunities, Manning may look to Ball to take the pigskin into the end zone.  After an injury in Week 3, Lance Moore is back and ready to score, getting a TD last week, and since Jimmy Graham is still not 100%, Moore will be seeing the ball more ;)  Kenny Stills, another Saint's WR has had a great couple of weeks with 3 TD's and seeing far more snaps even with Moore back in action.  He might be a good Flex spot this week.  The Bengals had a phenomenal Week 8 showing against the Jets with Marvin Jones scoring 4 TD's and catching every pass thrown to him.  That's huge and he might be taking a place on my team!

All my starting Wide Recievers are on a Bye this week and since Bowe and Jennings have been pretty much a bust weekly I had to pick up another WR since my recent pick-up Floyd is also on his Bye.  I'm hoping Ted Ginn Jr can exceed his projections and my other WR's can hit theirs.  I might pick up one more WR and swap out one of my current guys but we'll see how Player Stats are looking this weekend.  Since Vernon Davis is also on Bye I'm counting on Kyle Rudolph from the Vikings to score some points at TE.  Demarco Murray will be back this weekend and although Foster is questionable I may keep McFadden in and hope for another great week out of him.  I'm glad I can count on my Kicker to bring me some points each week!

Currently, my points are higher than Travel Belly's so as long as my team hits their projections and Belly's hit par I'll be up for a win and in 2nd place!  All that Drafting and making sure I didn't have players on the same Bye was fine and dandy at the beginning of the season when I thought I could count on my guys at the WR position but now it's up to fate and the Fantasy Football God to bring me a W this week.  Let's Go Dudes!