Coming Soon: At the Movies!

There are two films that I'm looking forward to seeing next year. Coincidentally, two of my favorite actors stars in these films. :-)

The first movie, which is being released February 17, 2012, is This Means War starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Chelsea Handler.




And the second movie is Wanderlust starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, which is scheduled for release February 24th.

Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to wish everyone a peaceful, joyful and healthy Christmas!

I Want to Be a Conan Staffer

Seriously...can I just trade places with the staffer who received Conan's Secret Santa gift? By the way, Coco is hilarious! :-)

Out of Sight...Out of Mind?

I have no idea what to think about this, but within the last month or so, I've had about five different dreams in which I've crossed paths with at least four or five former (childhood) crushes of mine.

I really doubt it's a sign that they want to make a reappearance into my life of some sorts. I really need to erase these guys out of my mind!

Happy Thursday!

About a month ago, I was at my local CVS browsing the candy aisle when I heard this song over the intercom/speaker. I had never heard this version of The Monkees "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" before. I almost freaked out! You be the judge as to which version you like better.

Here's the Previous Unissued Alternative (aka the original) version I heard while at CVS:


And here's the version that was released on radio and that was played on the TV show:


P.S. I'm particularly fond of the latter/second version. :-)

Music Monday

Here's a song by one of my favorite artists, Natasha Bedingfield, which can be found on the "Something Borrowed" movie soundtrack. By the way, I LOVE this movie! :-)

Reflections of 2011

I can't believe we're just weeks away from counting down to a brand new year! I'm intending that 2012 will be a great year for all of my family, my good friends and, of course, me. :-)

Almost a year has passed since Mr. University College Graduate broke my heart. Rejection is one of those facts of life that every person has to and HATES to deal with; however, each person deals with it in their own way. Honestly, I'm the type of person who doesn't look back. I mean, if you don't like, then I say, "To heck with you!" Personally, I know we all have regrets and one of mine was telling MUCG that I liked him. Luckily, I quickly moved on and my life has been better since then.

Anyway, I was listening to Pandora and this song has been rotating a few times on my Christmas station. It's such a festive song! There are actually two versions of this video--one in black & white and one in color--and both are great. Happy Holidays!

Mr. Likable

Photo courtesy of zap2it.com

How could I have missed reading the ELLE interview that Paul Rudd did in August of this year? Also, can anyone tell me where I can find an available, single guy, who possesses similar qualities to Paul's? :-)

Happy Birthday...

To ME!! This is literally the last birthday I'll be celebrating because from here on out, it will all be downhill! Just kidding!

The months leading up to my birthday seemed to go by pretty fast. I had some good days, as well as some bad days that I don't wish to discuss. However, I will say this much...I'm so GRATEFUL for my good health, for having a roof over my head and for having a great family and a few good, close friends. :-)

I'm looking forward to counting down the next 365 days until my next birthday because the next one will be a memorable one!

Connections

Have you ever felt a close connection to someone you hardly know or don't even know at all? Well, recently I've had this happen to me with a few people.

A few years ago, I got introduced to Blogger by doing a Google search. I typed in a few key words and landed on a blog titled "Ramblings of a 30-Something Year Old." Every time this blogger would write about something that happened to her or was currently happening in her life, it was hitting so close to home because I had dealt with the same situation. I'd like to call this person my 'soul sister.' By the way, I'd like to give a big shout out to 'Carolina Girl'! :-)

However, my most recent connection is somewhat of an irony. I graduated high school with this person, but we never spoke to each other while we were in school. I knew of him and I'm certain he knew of me, but we never ran in the same circles. In fact, we attended all the same schools--from elementary to high school--but never had any classes together. Several years after high school, I always wondered what had happened to him (call me curious!). About 3 years ago, I joined a popular social networking site and decided to look him up. Low and behold he was on there and I found out that he was living near D.C. and doing well for himself. Anyway, he was never one to update his status nor add any new photos...until about a month ago when he did just the latter. It was great to see him having fun with his family (i.e. cousins, etc.), but then several weeks ago he deleted his account.

Suffice it to say that I felt he and I had a connection in more ways than one. However, he always seemed aloof just like when we were young. We did have one very brief conversation online several months ago, but that was it. Honestly, he used to intimidate me when we were in high school because I had a miniscule (as in extremely tiny) crush on him. Anyway, that's all in the past now. If I ever got the opportunity to speak to him face-to-face, I really don't know what I'd say to him. Well, I won't worry about it until next year, which is when our 'special' high school reunion will take place.

Lastly, Happy Veterans Day and Happy 11/11/11! Don't forget to make a wish at 11:11:11!

When One Door Closes...

Photo courtesy of jobhuntdaily.com

They say that 'when one door closes, another door opens.' Well, I'm beginning to think that the door that is going or supposed to open for me is somehow completely stuck & will NEVER open!

My frustration keeps growing with the rejection emails I've been receiving lately. I mean, I've seen a fair share of rejection in my life, but l just can't take it anymore!

I'm learning to become more patient in this phase of my life, but I sometimes feel like God is testing me. Some friends have told me that everything happens for a reason, which I believe is true. I have faith that things will get better for me...someday. I just wish I knew when that day was. In the meantime, I will continue on the path of staying positive and projecting this energy into possible and future opportunities.

Hey...Hey...I Met the Monkees!

It took me 35 years to accomplish this dream, but I'm happy to say that I can finally cross off 'meeting The Monkees' off my bucket list! :-)

In 2001, I attended a Monkees concert in San Francisco in which the 3 remaining members--Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork--were headlining (original member Michael "Mike" Nesmith no longer tours with the band). Then the following year, Davy and Micky returned to perform at the same venue. Needless to say that when I attended the second show, my new Monkees friend, a family friend and I were waiting in line for the show and noticed Davy and Micky had just finished rehearsals and walked out of the venue separately. Well, my new Monkees friend told me to go run down & get their autographs. Me being the shy person that I was really wanted to, but didn't. :-( To this day I could KICK myself for not catching up to Davy and Micky & asking them for an autograph or photo.

Fast forward to last night when my friend "M," her boyfriend "N" and I drove to Mountain Winery, in Saratoga, to see The Monkees perform, who are celebrating their 45th Anniversary this year. It was there that I was going to meet up with my friend "A" because she--just like I--are huge fans! "M," "N" & I arrived at about 5:30pm and while I waited for "A" to arrive, "M" and "N" entered into the venue while I stood in line for our VIP passes. While waiting, I could hear the band's soundcheck! I was getting so excited to see the show!

While still waiting for "A" to arrive, I finally made it inside the venue and met up with "M & N" at one of the restaurants at the winery. Compared to the dinner reservations you could make--which we opted not to because it was too expensive--the cafe we decided to have dinner at was a bit crowded and pricey, but we were hungry, so we stayed put. Shortly thereafter, "A" arrived about an hour before the show started.

After we finished eating, "A" & I parted ways with "M & N" so we could find our seats. When we found our them, I told "A," "Good job!" It turns out our seats were in the 3rd row...just a few feet away from the stage! YAY! Anyway, I remember reading that The Monkees weren't going to have an opening act. At 7:30 p.m. and much to our surprise, local personality & comedian Mark Pitta came out and did his schtick, which was really funny, for about 45 minutes. We were all waiting in anticipation for the show to start!

During the entire time that we waited for the show to start, we could hear excerpts of actual '60s radio shows where DJ's played original versions of some famous Monkees' tunes. At about 8:30, the lights got just a tad darker and we were prompted to look at the large TV screen on the stage. We instantly see images being displayed of the Monkees in different variations...from their TV show to TV specials, from magazines to their albums. As these images play on the screen, the band played different instrumental melodies of all the famous Monkees songs. About 4-5 minutes later, we look towards the right of the stage and see three familiar men walk out towards the front of the stage. It's The Monkees! :-) The audience cheered & got very loud!

Throughout the entire show, I literally sang the lyrics to every song--well, with the exception of two songs, which I hadn't heard in ages! I also fiddled around with my camera because we weren't supposed to use flash photography. The songs came one right after another and the guys were as animated as they were on their show! From singing "Saturday's Child," "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Sometime in the Morning" and "Words" (four of my favorites) to "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Last Train to Clarksville," "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer," they performed ALL their hits, including a few from their 1968 psychedelic film, "Head." And what was so cool about the show was that as the guys sang their songs, certain videos of the same exact song or other images projected on to the TV screen.

The concert lasted 2 1/2 hours and the guys returned & did an encore of three songs. Immediately after the show ended, "A" & I hurried towards the Vineyard Deck room, where the VIP was taking place. When we arrived, "A" & I were the 3rd and 4th people in line! YES!! I really thought there was going to be some kind of order in VIP (apparently there were 148 other VIPers in line with us), but there wasn't.

About fifteen minutes or so later, Micky walks in! Micky smiled and then asked "A" & I our names, and asked if we wanted anything autographed. I had a few things in my purse, but opted to pass on the autograph. I really wanted a pic with him! By this time I found myself feeling starstruck! Seriously?! When I met NKOTB, I psyched myself NOT to be nervous. Well, I didn't know what else to say other than, "Hi Micky!" However, Micky then quickly moved on to the next line of people and eventually made his way outside.

Then about 5-10 minutes later, Peter walks in! At this point, VIP was chaotic and Peter tried getting his assistant to place some order in to the VIP line. At that moment, Peter makes an announcement stating that he doesn't want to leave anyone out of receiving a pic or autograph, so he'd like for people to courteously wait until he comes to you. At that point, the chaos was still in effect, but we each asked Peter if we could take a photo with him & he obliged.

And finally, about 10 minutes later, Davy came out & someone who worked at the venue brought over a stool for him to sit on. I let "A" take a pic with him first & then it was my turn. "A" was holding onto a piece of a paper in the shape of The Monkees logo, which she had made many years ago, which she just had the guys autograph. As "A" was getting ready to take my photo with my camera, Davy noticed that the paper was sort of in the way of my camera's lense, so we both tell "A" to move the piece of paper down so it wouldn't block her view. Well, "A" ended up taking two photos of me with Davy and I was so happy! Ok, so we got our time with two of The Monkees and the only person we had left to take a photo with was with Micky. When "A" & I approached him (he was already outside with other fans by now), Micky happily obliged. After meeting each of The Monkees, I told them, "Thank you." About 35 minutes went by and we met up with "M & N," who were waiting outside the building we were in, and we walked together to the parking lot.

All in all, I had a great night and the concert was AWESOME! I'm crossing my fingers that The Monkees will return in 5 years to commemorate their 50th Anniversary and that Michael Nesmith will join them!

A High School Reunion...off schedule..once again

Who has an 11-year high school reunion? Or an even better question is who has a 21-year high school reunion? Well, both answers would be MY high school graduating class!

Recently, a former h.s. classmate of mine created a group reunion page so that other classmates could be up-to-speed on news about our impending reunion. The organizer posted that our reunion would be held next summer in correlation with c/o 1992's 20th reunion.

Several years back when I received word that our 10th reunion wasn't going to happen, the one thing that came to mind were the Senior Steps. These steps, which were located in the Senior Quad, were painted with our classmates names. However, these steps didn't get painted with all of our names on them until a few weeks to a month AFTER our Senior year began. Nevertheless, we ended up having an 11-year reunion with only about 65 people attending; there were approximately 270 graduates. So I guess you can say that our class was NEVER organized! Oh, and some things NEVER change!

And it looks like I volunteered to help two other classmates locate some of our classmates. Luckily, most of them are on Facebook and I have several already on my friends list. But for those few that aren't accounted for on FB (yes, it's hard to believe that in this day in age, NOT everyone has a FB account or even knows what a social networking site is), then we'll have to figure out a way to find those classmates. Luckily, I only know of 3 classmates who aren't on FB, but who I know how to contact otherwise. Hopefully the task of finding these people will be easy and quick!

And by looking at the recent posts that my classmates have been leaving on the reunion page, it looks like many of them want to help. :-) Hopefully we'll all be able to work together in making this a spectacular 3-day event! Of course I'll be blogging more about the progression of our plans as the months pass by.

**And in other news, I can't wait until tomorrow because I'm attending a very special event! In fact, I've been waiting about 35 years for it to happen! More details to come later. :-)

We Want to Know...

I copied this WWTK from Ramblings of a 30-Something Year Old Carolina Girl ...

1. Everyone seems to have a quirky family situation, what is something unique
about your family dynamic?

I have a plethora of cousins on both sides of my family; however, I’m closest to my mother’s side. Although we don’t get to see each other often (most of them live in So Cal), my immediate family and I try our very best to see everyone when we go down to the valley to visit. Some funny moments occurred during our April trip to San Diego for my niece’s wedding. Within a 2-day span, about 20 of us gathered in my aunt’s hotel room to chat. I hope the other hotel guests didn’t think we were being too loud, but we were having a great time!


2.What is the most stressful aspect to blogging?

Not knowing what to write about. Sometimes I don’t have a topic in mind, so I’ll just rant or rave about something that’s going on in my life.


3. We all end up on a blog at some point in our day, but name your top 3 favorite websites you flock to daily. (Non-blog)

Twitter
Facebook
Google
*Note: I'm slowly trying to wean myself off one or two of these websites, but it's difficult sometimes.


4. What's your sign? Believe in it or not does any of it ring true for you?

I’m on the cusp of Scorpio/Sagittarius. I don’t base my life around this, but I do believe I possess some traits that are associated with both signs.


5. Ice cream Ice cream, we all scream for ice cream!!! Name your
favorite flavor!

Häagen-Dazs Chocolate. Yeah, just call me a Plain Jane! ;-)

I Think About You In The Summertime...

No, the above title isn't in reference to the NKOTB song that was released in 2008. Actually, it's in reference to the fact that I am now officially on summer vacation! :-)

I took my last final exam two weeks ago and I feel so happy! I received two 'B's' in two courses and now I'm just waiting to find out what grade I received in my third course.

In other news, I think I've seriously lost my motivation. My intention was to do some spring cleaning during my break, but I think I've only accomplished two days worth of work. UGH!! And my writing is also at a standstill. I've seriously been thinking of creating another blog, which would focus more on my writing and the stories, and articles I've written & had published. However, the idea is on hold for a bit until I can do more research on what it would take to get this new blog more attention. Anyway, I need to get moving and start putting my plans into action!

Lastly, I can't believe summer begins in 20 days. Nonetheless, the last few days haven't felt anywhere close to summer. We've been experiencing rain showers & some cold temperatures. In fact, I think some call this earthquake weather. :-( Speaking of earthquakes, we had one earlier in the week, which registered 3.7 on the Richter scale. It shook me a little, but you would think I'd be used to them by now. Nonetheless, they are so far and few between. Oh, and on the same day we had the earthquake, I saw snowflake showers a few hours later. Go figure! Anyway, we've had some weird weather this year and I think it's all due to "La Niña."

Until next time!

A Wedding & a Possible Reunion

First of all, Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a good holiday.

Well, there are 5 days left until the big wedding of the century. NO, I'm not talking about Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton. I'm talking about my oldest niece's wedding, which is April 29th. :)

This will be the first wedding in my family which we'll be celebrating since my parents' wedding (ok, so my two older siblings and I weren't alive when they got married. We came along later!), which took place almost 52 years ago. When my sister (the mother of my niece) got married, she and her now ex-husband got hitched during a civil ceremony and only two of her friends were in attendance. Anyway, I can't wait to relax for a few days and enjoy my mini vacation in sunny San Diego!

A little anecdote: My family and I used to joke around with my two nieces when they were younger (they're now 27 and 25) that my oldest niece would marry Prince William and that my youngest niece would marry Prince Harry. I find it amusing now that the niece who was "destined" to marry Prince William is also getting married on the same day!

Another event that has been on my mind lately is my 20th high school reunion. It's supposed to happen sometime this year, but if it's anything like my 10-year reunion--oops, I mean 11-year (YES, you read this correctly)--then it will probably not happen on time. :( Oh, oh! I spoke too soon! I recently got word that one of my classmates may be organizing our reunion, which will likely be held this summer. Hmmm...I won't believe it until I actually receive an invitation. ;-)

If indeed we're having our reunion this summer, I'm hoping the smart, cutie I never spoke to will be there. We've known of each other because we attended the same elementary, junior high and high schools, but it's ironic that we never spoke to each other or even had a class together. Honestly, I was a little intimidated by him because 1) he was cute (and still is) and 2) he used to hang out with the popular crowd and was involved in school politics. I'm not holding my breath, but it would be a nice treat if he was at the reunion...solo, of course...so we could finally chat. :-)

There was a time where I was hesitant about wanting to relive my high school days. I was never fond of school. In fact, I was one of those students who did well, but never got involved in any of the drama or was in any cliques (thank goodness). I was above all that because I usually kept to myself. However, since graduation, I've reconnected with a few classmates and am glad I did. Many people have changed because they now have families, but I think for the most part they still run in the same circles (i.e. popular, smarties, jocks, cheerleaders, alternatives, country folk, etc.).

The most difficult years for me in high school were 10th and 11th grade. I remember one week where I just didn't want to get out of bed and go to school. During this time I felt really alone. As I mentioned before, I never felt like I was a part of any crowd and I usually spent most of the time in the library--either doing homework or reading the newspaper. In my sophomore year, I had the idea of wanting to enroll in independent studies. By doing this, I would do all of my homework at home and would attend school only once a week, which is when I'd turn in all of my homework. I had my mother make an appointment with the school administrator so we could discuss me getting in to independent studies. After carefully reviewing my student record and asking me questions, the administrator thought it wouldn't be a good idea for me to do this because. as he pointed out, I was a good student.

Alas, there were a little over 200+ people in my graduating class, including one who ended up becoming famous for having been on two reality shows and on the cover of a magazine--among her other claims to fame. Anyway, it will be good to see some of my classmates, who I haven't seen in ages! The ones who I remain close with are the same ones I still stay in contact with.

We shall see what happens!

Another Crush Off the Market

It is with my deepest regret to inform you that another hottie and a former crush of mine is now officially 'off the market.' Carter Oosterhouse, a former Trading Spaces carpenter and HGTV host of 'Carter Can,' became officially engaged last week to actress Amy Smart. According to Radar Online, they've been dating since last November, but it seems that they hit it off right from the start. And it looks like these two Midwestern natives also share a passion for being eco-friendly.

Congratulations to the lovebirds! Now if you'll excuse, I think I hear my pillow calling me for a good cry! :-(

Sources:

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/04/amy-smart-engaged-carter-oosterhouse

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/exclusive-amy-smart-carter-oosterhouse-engaged-2011214

Here We Come...Walking Down the Street, again and this time very slowly

I'm sure some of you old schoolers out there all remember the theme song to the TV show "The Monkees."

Yes, before NKOTB, Backstreet Boys and *Nsync, there were four 20-something-year olds, two actors--Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz--and two musicians--Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork--who showed up for a casting call in L.A. in 1965. The four guys were hired to play members of a struggling rock 'n' roll band. Alas, The Monkees were born! The show ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968 and the group's funny antics plus their catchy Pop music was a great recipe for the situation comedy.

Well, this year marks the 45th Anniversary of the show's premiere and the former quartet-now trio (Michael Nesmith doesn't tour anymore since having inherited his mother's Liquid Paper fortune), who range in age from 65 to 68, will be going out on the road this summer. They tour the U.S. beginning in early June and will arrive in California in early July. I'm hoping to attend their Northern CA show along with a few friends. Rumor has it that Michael "Mike" Nesmith may join the band on a few dates in the U.K., but has no intention on touring with the Micky, Davy and Peter in the states. Although The Monkees was a made-for-TV band/group, they were one of the inspirations or reasons why I'm majoring in Communications/Media Studies.

Here are several retro Monkees music videos, which may in fact be the first music videos ever played on TV, pre-MTV! By the way, Nesmith has been dubbed as the 'Father of MTV.' He's been credited for having invented the channel since he created a half and hour pilot for a show that was never made. He later sold the rights to Time-Warner, who played around with the idea and turned it into MTV.

http://www.monkeeland.com/tourdates.html

Videos:

It's a Sad Day

My heart just got broken after I came across the People magazine article about actor Michael Vartan, who got married today. Ok, I think I'll go cry on my pillow now. :-(

Seriously, are there any good, single, intelligent, humorous, nice guys left in this country? ;-)

(Un)Happy Single Awareness Day!

It's that time of year again when many single people despise this day and its significance! It's commonly referred to as Valentine's Day, but for single people, we refer to it as Single Awareness Day.

I think this day also serves as another reminder that I'm still single and that I don't have any prospects. This day also serves as a reminder that I have relatives who have recently gotten in to a (new) relationship, have gotten married or are going to be getting married. In fact, my 40 year-old cousin just got married last month--after a short courtship; my 27 year-old niece (my sister's daughter) is getting married in late April; and one of my cousin's daughters--also 27--is getting married in November.

I recently took one of those silly quizzes titled "What will 2011 hold for you?" and it indicated that I'd be getting married this year. With the luck I've been having, I exclaimed, "Yeah...right!"

When I was younger, I used to play M.A.S.H. with my cousins and I remember one of the questions I was asked and it was at 'what ages do you think you will get married?' My answer was always something like 26, 28, 30, etc. Well, let's just say that I've already passed all those ages. :-(

I believe I always knew what my future was going to hold. Sometimes I have a hard time accepting the cards I've been dealt with, but it is what it is. I just have to accept the fact that if I'm not meant to be in a relationship then God must have something better planned for me.

For those who are in a relationship, then Happy Valentine's Day! However, if you're single like myself, then Happy Single Awareness Day!

Here are two great songs pertaining to my current status. Enjoy!

Everything is coming up roses!

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to a posting she thought I might be interested in. The link was tweeted (a term commonly used on Twitter) by the editor of an online blog based in Los Angeles. The editor mentioned that if there were any interested writers out there to contact her. That evening I emailed her and the following morning the editor emailed me back. I told her I was interested and if it was going to be a problem contributing since I live several hours north of the city. She assured me that since everything is done online these days, anything is possible!

Thank you to my friend "C"--who lives in L.A.--for sending me the link! Without her, I may have not seen it. She said that I was the first person she thought of when she read the tweet. It's comforting to know that I still have a few friends left who are looking out for my best interest. :)

So when the editor of the blog and I made contact, she asked me if there was a story I wanted to write about. I remembered that I had read that actor David Nelson had passed away the night before so I asked if I could write about his passing. The editor gave me the ok to write the story, so I finished it and emailed it to her before deadline the same day. Well, that evening the story got published!

I'm trying to come up with more ideas for stories, but sometimes I'm beaten to the punch by actual staff writers that work for the L.A. blog. Although the position is voluntary, I see it as a stepping stone for my future career. It will also allow me to make more contacts who actually live in the area.

I'm so grateful for any opportunity I can get because it gives me a sense of satisfaction that someone really believes in my writing.

And the award goes to...

If there was ever an award handed out for Hottest Actor, I would have no choice but to give it to two lucky recipients! The first one would go to Auckland, New Zealand native Martin Henderson, who has appeared in films like "The Ring," "Torque" and "Smokin' Aces," and in the Britney Spears' video "Toxic" (fast forward it to 02:48 to see his cameo). Boy, am I glad he moved to the States to start his career! He can now be seen as "Dr. McKiwi" (like as in "McDreamy" and "McSteamy")--oops, I meant "Dr. Ben Keeton" in ABC's "Off the Map." Hmmm...I think I have a fever and only Dr. Keeton can cure it! ;) Ok, that was the dorkiest thing I have ever said or written! But a man with an accent is always a good thing in my book!

The second, lucky recipient of the Hottest Actor award goes to Chris Pine, who has appeared in films such as "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Bottle Shock," "Star Trek" and "Unstoppable." The UC Berkeley graduate is the son of actor Robert Pine, who played "Sgt. Getraer" in the 1970's show "CHiPs." Chris's baby blues are just so mesmerizing! ;)

A little known fact: both of these actors appeared in the 2006 film "Smokin' Aces." Ok, I must now go watch this film!

Here's a recent interview Martin did on "The View":




And here's the second half of Chris's appearance on the "Jimmy Kimmel Show," Nov. 2010:

The End of an American Family

Photo courtesy of WireImage

I was online this evening when I found out that the last surviving member of one of America's most famous families passed away today. Actor, producer and director David Nelson, son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and older brother of musician Rick ("Ricky") Nelson, passed away today from colon cancer. He was 74.

When "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" premiered on ABC in 1952 (it ended its run in 1966), it was the first time that a real family portrayed a fictional version of themselves on television. I would like to think that "Ozzie & Harriet" was one of the first reality shows there ever was. The wholesome Nelsons played this idealistic American family of the 1950's. In fact, many storylines revolving around what the real Nelsons were doing in their daily lives were incorporated in to the show. Eventually, Ozzie and Harriet's youngest son, Rick, when on to gain fame as a teen idol.

Sadly, now all four members of the Nelson family are no longer with us. Ozzie passed away from liver cancer in 1975; Rick was killed in a private plane crash on New Year's Eve 1985; and Harriet died of congestive heart failure in 1994. And now with David's passing, the end of an era is gone. A little known fact about the "Ozzie & Harriet" show: it was the longest running sitcom to date, until 2003 when "The Simpsons" cartoon series broke that record.

It's unfortunate that there will never be another show like "Ozzie & Harriet." However, the Nelson legacy will continue to live on. David's niece, Tracy Nelson, is an accomplished actress, who was a regular on "Square Pegs" and on "Father Dowling Mysteries;" Tracy's brothers, twins Matthew and Gunnar, of the 90's rock group Nelson; and younger brother Sam, a record executive and the lead vocalist for the L.A. based indie band H is Orange.

David is survived by his wife Yvonne, four sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren.

Here's a funny clip from "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."



And here's a video of David's nephews Matthew, Gunnar and Sam paying tribute to their father, Rick.

Happy New Year!

All good things must come to an end. 2010 started out great, but then towards the end of the year, things turned out a little sour. In January, I continued working and taking classes. Then Cupid's arrow missed his aim again in February. Showers poured in between March and April, which also resulted in me getting laid off from work. And then in May, I took my first trip to Vegas--in which I ended up getting sick about two days after I got home.

Then came the warm days of summer. Between June and July, I took up Zumba for the first time. It was fun until my back when out on me for about a week. Then summer came to an end when I returned to school in August. I really thought I wasn't going to be able to handle all the classes I scheduled myself for, but somehow I managed to. During this time, I met someone and thought we had a mutual attraction, but it was never meant to be because he rejected me a few months later. Between September and November, I wrote a few more articles for my journalism class, which were published. In November, my family and I celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents home without my nephew, who is stationed in Oklahoma and couldn't make it home. Finally in December, I enjoyed a much needed break away from school. I'm catching up with tasks that need to be taken care of and I'm taking the time to get together with friends. However, December was also a sad month for me; however, it also gave me a new perspective of what I had to look forward to in the upcoming year.

I just want to say how thankful and blessed I am to have such an amazing family and close friends. I'm anxious to see what positive, new experiences, adventures or opportunities are waiting for me. Also, I'm intending that God grant me and my loved ones with good health, prosperity, wealth and happiness in 2011. Happy New Year!! :)