Mishmash Musings

Well, this certainly gives rise to another debate about whether life imitates art or art imitates life. I just read that former X-Files star David Duchovny has entered rehab for sex addiction treatment. The report was first published by People and has been confirmed by Duchovny’s publicist Flo Grace. He has been playing a, wait for it, sex addict on the Showtime series Californication since 2007.

I tried watching Californication once since I really enjoyed Duchovny’s work on The X-Files, but I found his character on the new show to be really disgusting and creepy, so I never went back. To think that he could actually be like that in real life kind of makes my stomach turn. Eww!

Poor Téa Leoni and the Duchovny children. Whenever Duchovny talked about marriage in his interviews, he always says how wonderful it is, how he never thought he could settle down with one person until he met Téa. And now for this to come out? Things live forever in this Internet age, so this sex addiction story is one that will never go away.

My question is why would Duchovny even want any of this to be public? You’d think he’d follow a few X-Files maxims and tell his publicist to “Deny Everything” or “Trust No One”. Maybe the whole thing is a publicity stunt to promote season 2 of Californication. Who knows? Either way, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to view Duchovny in the same light again….

I can’t believe my son is in first grade already! All that stuff other parents say about enjoying these early years because it goes by so fast is absolutely true. I mean, I can still remember bringing him home from the hospital for the first time all those years ago, the early-morning feedings, his first tooth, learning to walk, outgrowing all his baby clothes and other things like that. It seems impossible to me that my boy is now in elementary school!

I’ve definitely been bitten by the nostalgia bug recently, and have been taking tons of pictures and home videos in an effort to hold onto these childhood days as long as possible. It’s hard to imagine my sweet, happy-go-lucky little guy turning into a sullen, withdrawn teenager someday, but I know that’s just as inevitable as all these other milestones. At least I have about 10 more years of good times before that happens!!

I just got my credit card statement this morning and was shocked to see that my balance was well over $1,000. I mean, I knew that I spent a lot of money last month, but I guess I didn’t realize just how much it was. I reviewed all the charges, and everything is indeed accurate, so that means I’m on the hook for a ton of cash.

Since there’s no way I’m going to be able to pay off the whole thing by the due date, I’m going to get stuck with a huge finance charge. I absolutely hate paying credit card interest! It’s so high and feels like such a waste, ya know?

What I might end up doing instead is taking advantage of a 0% balance transfer. That would allow me to pay off my debt slowly without worrying about interest rates at all — as long as I get everything paid off in a reasonable amount of time, that is.

I usually don’t get into financial binds like this anymore, so I figure one balance transfer won’t hurt. Let’s see if these offers are as good as they sound!

Wow, the celeb gossip sites are buzzing with reports that Mackenzie Phillips, former star of the late ’70s/early ’80s sitcom One Day at a Time, was arrested while going through security at LAX after guards found a “small amount” of heroin and cocaine. One site is reporting that she actually had crack on her person, but most other sites are simply saying cocaine.

Anyway, Phillips has had drug problems ever since she was on One Day at a Time, and in fact it was her drug problems that caused her to leave the show to begin with. I can’t believe that nearly 30 years later, she’s still dealing with the same issues! What the hell is wrong with her? Why can’t she get clean? Her system must be an absolute mess after being ravaged by drugs for decades….

I guess some people never learn and are destined to meet their end in a certain way. I’m surprised that Mackenzie Phillips hasn’t overdosed yet. Could that be the next time she makes headlines?

I was looking up some stuff online this morning when I somehow came across a website for the Duggar family. You’ve probably heard of these guys, as they’ve been on plenty of talk shows over the years. What makes them famous? Well, the fact that there are 18 children in the family, for one thing!

That’s right, there are a total of 20 people in the immediate Duggar family — which to me is a staggering number. Their website has photos of their beautiful house, and I’m amazed at how nice it is. They have an industrial kitchen for preparing meals, a buffet-style counter for serving themselves, and even a fountain drink dispenser like the ones you see in restaurants.

The rest of the house looks even better, with an indoor climbing wall and two-story indoor slide for the kids, tunnels leading from the bedrooms to the playroom, a laundry room with four washers and four dryers, and a family closet where every single item of clothing is kept in one place. The kids apparently just go in there and choose whatever they want to wear!

It was fun to see how they live at home, but I’m more interested in learning about how they get around from place to place. I mean, if anyone needs to buy a bus, it’s the Duggar family.

Anyway, I’ve got to hand it to parents JimBob and Michelle. They’re just 43 or something, and manage to keep a huge household like that running smoothly. I can’t even begin to imagine how I’d try to cope in that situation!

I have to admit that as a picky eater, I’m not all that big on ethnic foods. I prefer simple dishes, and rarely ever try new things when we go to ethnic restaurants or even foreign countries. My friends always said I was missing out on so much, but I never believed them — until recently.

That’s because I recently had the opportunity to try paella when I went to an anniversary party, and I instantly fell in love with the dish! At first I thought the saffron and garlic would be too overpowering for my tastes, but one bite was enough to convince me that I had nothing to worry about. Now, I’m even considering buying my own paella pan so I can try making this stuff at home. Yes, it was that good!

Since I ended up liking paella even though I thought I wouldn’t, maybe I should give other ethnic dishes a shot. Nah… one is enough for now!

I’m not the kind of person who can watch the same thing over and over again. It takes me years before I can sit down to watch a movie twice, even if I loved it the first time around, and the same usually holds true for television shows. But there are a few programs that I never get tired of watching, and will immediately end my channel surfing for if I ever come across them in syndication. They are:

1. Seinfeld — So many classic one-liners and awesome episodes!
2. Friends — Especially the early seasons before Chandler became unfunny and Ross became unbearable.
3. The X-Files — Anything from seasons 1-5 will have me riveted to my seat until the ep is over. Mulder and Scully forever!
4. The West Wing — There were so many great actors on that show that it’s hard to resist. Plus, the good episodes were outstanding compared to usual primetime fare, and even the mediocre ones were watchable.
5. Family Ties — I know this show seems incredibly lame in this day and age, but I loved it when I was a kid and still like to watch it for nostalgia’s sake.

Although I’m very happy about losing 9 pounds in the last six months, the one thing I don’t enjoy about my fitness regimen is going to the health club on weekends. That’s when it’s really busy, and when most of the crazies come crawling out of the woodwork. So not only do I have to wait to get on the machines I want, but I also have to spend time dealing with people who want to carry on long conversations, people who aren’t very conscientious about wiping off their sweat after using equipment, and people who talk loudly on their cell phones the entire time they’re there.

I would love to avoid weekend workouts at the health club altogether, but because of my schedule, I have to go on either Saturday or Sunday in order to fit in three trips per week. Ugh, this is exactly why I wish I had one of those home gyms instead. I hate these types of forced interactions with people!

As things stand now, my best bet is probably to either go just twice a week or somehow work it out so I can hit the gym only on weekdays. What a hassle!