Ryan’s Ramblin’

Ok, just to avoid any spoilers (although seriously, if you don’t know about this now and you’re in an area that gets CBBUK on TV, how you avoided it is beyond me) I’ve put my comments in the more inside:
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I finally finished processing and uploading all my Cyprus pics this week… Only took me like a month! Hehehe…

The problem with wikipedia

Ok, this whole Jade thing has gotten REALLY ridiculous. Yes, she is a huge bully (along with her two cronies, Jo and Danielle, who seem to be escaping most of the anger out there), but I think it has a *ton* more to do with the fact that Shilpa is classy, and successful, and dignified, than the fact that she’s Indian. The only reason people are screaming racism is because Jermaine brought it up. It’s out of control, but it should be interesting to see what happens when Jade and Shilpa are up against each other in the elimination. I was really hoping that Danielle would be up as well, but I guess you can’t win em all!

Ok… so, you may recall that back in July I got a new camera. And in my Year in Review I mentioned not getting the 18-200mm VR lens. Well, as I’m sure you can guess by now, I finally got it! I used my Christmas money, and and some anticipated birthday money, and voila! Sexy new 18-200mm lens. But not only is it amazing, with the VR goodness, it also has the crazy AF-S internal focusing system, which is SO fast and SO quiet. It’s quite a shocking upgrade from my previous. But really, it’s all about the VR. Check out a quick sample I did…

Taken with my old Sigma 70-300mm lens… 70mm, f/4, 1/6s:

Taken with the new hotness lens… 70mm, f/5, 1/3s:

Now, I know that the second one still isn’t perfectly sharp, but bear in mind that the general rule of thumb to avoid camera shake, at 70mm on my camera, is that the shutter speed should be greater than 1/105s. So, this shot is basically *5 stops slower*, with an additional narrower aperture as well. I am absolutely blown away by this lens.

So, I took a few days off. Obviously. I just never got around to writing about BB this weekend. But the basic gist of things, including last night, is this: Danielle Lloyd is one catty little bitch. Oh, and Jade was MUCH less annoying when her mom was in the house, and she was acting like an adult. Now she’s gone into full-on combative mode, which is really annoying. I’ll be happy to see either of them go. Preferably Jade, but I’m not picky. The way that the 2 of them, and Jo (who appears to be a bit of a double agent) are ganging up on Shilpa is really irritating. We’ll see what happens if one of them gets booted. Nominations are tomorrow, but we don’t see them till Thursday… dammit!

Bye bye Jackiey! I have to say, I’m a bit sad to see her go. Because she’s a nutter. Ahh well, what can ya do? Leo is particularly crazy though (claiming that the success of Thunder in my Heart was due to the fact that it was a Leo Sayer song? I didn’t even know it was him until he came on the show), so at least we still have him. I really don’t have anything interesting to say about this day though. Sorry.

(As seen on Geek.Ent)

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
Man, there were tons of things. I guess the easiest one is “visit 9 different countries”.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I can’t remember if I made any… if I did, I almost assuredly didn’t keep them. I’m hoping to keep this year’s resolutions though.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, Liz’s sister Frances gave birth to wee little cutie Ciara!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I’m aware of.

5. What countries did you visit?
Northern Ireland (technically the UK? I dunno), Germany, Cyprus, The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Italy (twice!), Spain (technically, in the form of the Canary Islands), Belgium, the Czech Republic and France. I think that’s it.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
I really don’t know. 2006 was a pretty good year. Check back with me in June.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 10, for sure. That was the day the my first niece was born!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
All that travel. It was absolutely awesome.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Paying off my debts. I’m really not doing a great job of that right now… But with my car at home being paid off this year, it’ll finally be considered an ASSET (instead of being in negative equity) and I’ll be able to start paying off my debts in a more serious manner.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. A cold from hell or two, but that’s about it really.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Definitely my Nikon D50. I love that camera.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Ummm… Nobody is sticking out in my head… so ME! I totally ruled last year.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Again, nobody is particularly standing out as being real evil in 2006. So, I’m going to mark this one down as “Terrorists”. They totally suck.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, car payments, travel.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My new camera. I really, really, really, really love it!

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Panic At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
Equally happy, I’d say. If you compared to two years ago when Liz and I were apart, then I’d say WAY happier.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
Probably a bit heavier. The gymmin’ weren’t so regular this year
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer in experience. And that’s all that really matters. Probably about equal, money-wise though

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Take more pictures. I got really lazy at points

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Be lazy. I had some serious lethargy moments this year.

20. How many one-night stands?
Zero. Being in a long term commmitted relationship has that affect.

21. What was your favourite TV program?
How I Met Your Mother. Definitely my best discovery of 2006. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is a close second though

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope.

23. What was the best book you read?
This is a toughy. I read so many books in 2006. But my first instinct is Tenderwire, by Claire Kilroy. An absolutely brilliant book. Closely followed by The Time Travellers Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Panic! At The Disco is definitely my most listened to album of the year, for bands that I’d never heard of before.

25. What did you want and not get?
I can’t think of anything… ok, a Nikon 18-200 f3.5-5.6 VR lens, but I didn’t really expect to get one.

26. What was your favourite film of this year?
Too many to choose from. Lucky Number Slevin is the first film that comes to mind though, so I’m going with that one.

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I honestly can’t remember what I did on the actual day. All I know is that Liz and I STUFFED ourselves at Luigi Malone’s, but I can’t remember if that was on my actual birthday or not. I was 28.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Jeans and a t-shirt. The same it’s been for years. If I’m going out, dressier shoes and a collared shirt.

29. What kept you sane?
Liz. I wouldn’t be able to survive here without her!

30. Who did you miss?
Pepper-dog, for sure.

31. Who was the best new person you met?
That would have to be little Ciara Malone. She has definitely been the coolest new person I’ve met, and the only person who I think is cute if they throw up all over me.

32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
Enjoy life. It goes by too fast to spend it being miserable or worrying about things. That’s why I’m not AS concerned that the debts aren’t getting paid off as fast as I’d like. I know it’ll happen eventually, but right now I have zero regrets about going on all those trips with Liz last year. I’ve seen tons of countries that I certainly didn’t expect to see any time soon, so I’m super happy about that.

Leo Sayer is a big whiny baby. At least, he was today. Jesus. All his rants about how celebrities shouldn’t be treated this way, blah blah blah were really ridiculous. I just wanted to smack him. Otherwise, nothing really exciting to report about today’s show… Jackiey again went nutso over something trivial (the menu thing) and Danielle was still looking as cute as ever. Dirk’s flirting with Shilpa is absolutely hilarious, and I love how Jack keeps asking Jackiey to do ridiculous things (”Can you do a cartwheel?” - proceeded by her trying to do a somersault). However, having said that, Jack really needs to pick things up lest he get evicted tomorrow night for being CAPTAIN BORING. Actually, it may already be too late for him. I kinda hope that he gets evicted… Jackiey is crazy as shit, but she *is* entertaining. I can’t understand a word that Jade says most of the time (like my man Dirk), but she’s provided a fair bit of entertainment. Shilpa is fine, and Jermaine is quiet but I like him for now, so I’d prefer Jack to go. Can’t wait for the eviction show!

Wow. She didn’t even make it through breakfast before going koo koo. Jesus. Go Jackiey nutbar go! And Ken throwing the task because he didn’t feel like waiting for his snack? Yikes. I don’t think he really understood how things worked, that it would mean a limited food budget for EVERYBODY next week. And of course, because Jade can’t speak english she couldn’t really get that point across to him. It was big of her to apologize to him though. As Liz said, though, how that girl managed to end up so relatively down to earth with her batshit crazy mom, is quite shocking. Ken’s leaving wasn’t really all that big a surprise - how he lasted as long as he did is really beyond me. And how the other housemates made it so long without smothering him at night is another huge shocker

Danielle crying because her parents did so much for her and she felt bad about it was so heartbreaking… she’s a little cutie, that Danielle.

Oh man! Jackiey just gave a hearty “Bye Ken!” after they were informed of his leaving. She is SO NUTS! Wow!

Ooooh, and the banquet with Jade’s grandparents… I knew that Leo would be griping after that, and sure enough, there he was. I’m liking him less and less, and I’d say he could walk before it’s over as well. The grandparents were hilarious though, talking smack about Jackiey all through the dinner. I can’t wait to see what kinda crazy crap Jackiey does tomorrow!

1 word for this episode… ok, 2 - Jackiey, and CRAZAY! Man, what a great day. That woman is absolutely batshit, and it’s AWESOME. Her fight with Shilpa was so ridiculous! And Oh my god! Jade talking with Jermaine was stunningly awkward. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any warse, she just went even further! It was awesome. Also, a choice quote from her: “Nobody knows how high the sky is” - she is SMRT. I’d say that Jack will likely be the one to go on Wednesday… actually I hope he is, because everyone else is at least partially entertaining. As for the servants, nobody else is particularly crazed… Except that Leo went into a strop when Dirk called him out for constantly interrupting, and went mute for the rest of the day. What a doofus.

This was really a great day in the house. First and foremost - Donny hopping over the wall to avoid having to be Jade’s servant? That’s rock and roll, for real. Go Donny! And his chat with Big Brother in the house earlier in the day as well, I was really surprised that he was so well spoken. Next most interesting thing, to me anyways: Leo the diva! I never would have imagined Leo being so uptight about embarrassing himself. Has he never seen Celebrity Big Brother before? The whole point of the show is to make celebrities look silly. He definitely dropped a few points in my estimation. And Carole, holy cow, she just interrogates all of the housemates!

Oh, and as for Jade and family being in the house… Jackiey is going to get on my nerves. But her farting in bed at the end of the show was pretty funny

OH! And how could I forget? Creepy ass Ken talking about how he was going to wash Shilpa’s tights? Ewwww, creepy!

I have to admit… I wasn’t surprised to see Jade and family moving into the Big Brother house. Liz had heard it already during the day. I don’t really have all that much to say about this episode because we were at Liz’s sister’s place, and we weren’t really paying that much attention. The live shows never really have all THAT much going on anyway. I have to say, it was nice to see that Donny is an actual human being, not just a drunken cliche. Surprise surprise, Shilpa is bitching about Ken’s snoring. That’s it, really.

Again, I don’t really have *all* that much to say about this show. Much of it was just people coming into the house. But I can already tell that Shilpa’s going to be a bit of a diva, after her reaction to Ken’s snoring. I can see Ken and Donnie being among the first 2 up for eviction… Ken for his snoring, and Donnie for, well, being Donnie. Dude pissed in the shower! I mean, come ON! That’s ridiculous. But maybe he’ll recover some composure when he’s not pissed out of his god damn gourd. As for everyone else… I thought Jo’s complaints about having to share a bed with Donnie were a BIT over the top (not that I’d want to share with him, especially after he took all his clothes off), but as Liz said, why didn’t Jo and Ian just share the bed together? They seemed like pretty good friends, and she knew she’d have nothing to worry about as far as him putting the moves, and then Donnie is off naked in his own bed. Ahh well.

I’m excited to find out about tonight’s show - a family is moving into the house (presumably the old house next door from the summer) and “adopting” one of the celebrities, and according to Davina the celebrities *don’t* want to be adopted… eeenteresting! I hope Liz and I make it to Carlow in time to see it!

Ok, I don’t really have too much to say about the “putting all the people into the house” show… It wasn’t all that exciting, really, and I don’t have much to add that wasn’t already said by the lovely Davina. I have a few points though:

• Davina is yummy. Seriously. And I love the faces she makes when she’s laughing, it cracks me up every time
• Danielle Lloyd had no idea who Germaine Jackson was. I can’t really blame her, as I wouldn’t know him to see him either, but it was so funny that he just assumed
• When they said that the dude from Steps… “H” or “Ian” or whatever, came out that day in the paper, Liz turned to me and said “What? I knew that he was gay three years ago”
• The dude from the no name band, whatever his name is (ahh, Donny), is a complete tool (more on this in my Day 1 post)
• Have I mentioned how awesome it is that Dirk Benedict is on the show? It’s awesome. 125% awesome.

Update: I might as well list off all the “celebrities” in the show and my first impressions (in order of entering the house):

1. Jermaine Jackson, brother of Michael, ex-Jackson 5er - Meh. Sort of a non-event, except how he expected everybody to know him at first, then started introducing himself as the night moved on
2. Danielle Lloyd, disgraced Miss Great Britain, current model/WAG - Very pretty. Dumb as a bag of rocks, but seems nice enough.
3. Ken Russell, film director - is there something wrong with him, other than being really old? He seemed particularly out of it
4. Jo O’Meara, former S Club 7 member - wow, she is such typical British trash. It’s awesome. She seems genuine enough though
5. Leo Sayer, former/current singer (he had a hit last year with Thunder in my Heart, which I had no idea was him) - one of my faves in the house. Seems like a genuinely really nice guy.
6. Shilpa Shetty, queen of Bollywood - she is VERY pretty. Not sure why she would bother doing something like this if she really *is* the queen of Bollywood though
7. Carole Malone, Fleet Street columnist - not really much to say… I was expecting her to be all catty and mean to Danielle, but she seems to be behaving for the moment
8. Donny Tourette, “singer” for The Towers of London - obviously on the show to bolster his band’s popularity, the current front-runner for biggest dickhead in the house. Fun to watch, but I imagine getting tired of him fairly quickly
9. Ian “H” Watkins, formerly of boy/girl pop band Steps, which I had never heard of before coming to Ireland - another non-event at the moment. Could end up the target of Donny’s ire, but that remains to be seen
10. Cleo Rocos, formerly of the Kenny Everett show (1981-1988) - clearly only on the show cuz she’s a fairly hot older chick. Possible hookup possibilities between her and my man…
11. Dirk Benedict, otherwise known as Face from the A-Team - Awesomeness personified. The man showed up in a replica A-Team van! My personal hopeful to win.

I have to admit… I am a reality show junkie. I never used to be. Sure, I enjoyed the first 2 seasons of Survivor, and I recall watching The Mole back in the day, and perhaps the occasional episode of The Real World… but now? Man, I’ll watch any reality show that you throw my way. America’s Next Top Model? You bet! (Btw, Melrose TOTALLY should have won the most recent season. Period.) The Biggest Loser? Definitely! (One of my faves, actually) But I mean, it’s not limited to just the more popular reality shows… I’ll watch any piece of crap. MTV’s “Made” and “Super Sweet 16″, which are on 17 times a day? Yup. Extreme Makeover? UK *and* US versions!

It’s really getting out of control.

But nothing, NOTHING can compare to the addiction that was Big Brother UK Season 6. I had never watched Big Brother before, though I vaguely recall the first US one starting back when I was in San Francisco. I had only ever tuned into the “live right now in the house” broadcasts, and found them INSANELY boring. That was then, though, and this is now. Liz and I managed to avoid the first couple weeks, but then accidentally watched one of the daily digest shows some time in early June. That was it. We were screwed. We watched the show every day (taping on days that we weren’t home) from early June until the middle of August. We even got Dave hooked on it when he came over to visit, and he ended up downloading every night’s show when he got back to Canada! (Incidentally, while I was happy that Pete won, I was totally rooting for Glyn).

So, when I heard last week that Celebrity Big Brother was starting on January 3, that junkie twitch started in my eye and I knew I was pooched. I remember hearing the radio reports every morning about last year’s Celebrity Big Brother, and thinking “WTF? What’s the big deal?” - nevermind the fact that I had never heard of most of the “celebrities” on the show. But this year… oh, this year is different. I’m a Big Brother junkie now… I HAVE to watch! I don’t care if I know the celebrities or not! And watch we did. Liz was totally excited to see Jo from S Club 7 in there (and she’s so deliciously trashy, I can’t help but love her too). My biggest “Glee!” moment was seeing Dirk Benedict in there. That’s right, FACE FROM THE A-TEAM IS ON CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER!! Totally awesome. My plan for this season of Big Brother is to blog about it every single day. I’m a couple days behind, but I’ll catch up. I know that none of you care, but if nothing else, this should help boost my Google rankings some and it’ll help me get back into writing every day-ish… and if it’s as successful as my blogging about Temptation Island Australia, that would be TOTALLY awesome! But somehow I doubt that Germaine Jackson’s gonna end up commenting on here.

Wow, this ended up being much longer than I anticipated. And I haven’t even started on the daily commentaries yet! Look forward to my thoughts on the opening night as well as the day 1 digest show (I might also talk about the Big Mouth shows, if Liz and I watch them… but I can’t promise anything. I don’t really find that show all that great most of the time)

Wow… 2007! Hard to believe. Hope everybody had a great 2006! It was my first full year in Ireland. I have some serious resolutions to stick by this year, too, and here they are:

1. Blog more. I plan to write at least twice a week. Doesn’t matter if it’s interesting or not
2. Finish my travel blog posts. I’ve been on so many trips, and I haven’t written about any of them since FOREVER
3. Take more photos. I’ve already started pretty well, having taken almost 6000 photos with my new D50, but I need to take more!
4. Be more consistent with my exercise. I’ve been pretty good in 2006, but I need to make it a bit more consistent. None of this “taking two weeks off at random” bullshit

That’s about it! What’s everybody else planning for their resolutions?