"Better Together" by Jack Johnson

There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
With sepiatone loving
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing it's always better when we're together

[Chorus:]
MMM it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone
When the morning light sings
And brings new things
For tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too
Too many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somewhere in between
With only two
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do
Or places we got to be
We'll Sit beneath the mango tree now

It's always better when we're together
Mmmm, we're somewhere in between together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

MMmmmm MMMmmmm Mmmmmm
I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no, combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing
We're better together.

John and Kisha Russell - 10.29.05

"The French Connection"

I really enjoyed last night’s episode. With that said….

I’m so happy that Summer and Seth have finally put a stop to this ridiculous marriage proposal. I’m not against them getting married but neither of them was ready and they couldn’t even stand up to each other and speak the truth. I did find it very amusing when Seth was trying to ask Dr. Roberts for permission to marry Summer. Telling Dr. Roberts that Summer was “cool” and “pretty easy on the eyes”. He really did carry out his plan and it worked. But at the end he seemed to have a change of heart. And it was so sweet telling Summer that they don’t have to get married right away but someday.

Julie, Julie, Julie what in the heck were you thinking? Did you think that Kirsten wouldn’t find out about your little prostitution business? Come on, Kirsten is a very intelligent women and I really liked here detective-like way of uncovering the truth. Now Julie not only lost her job, but her best friend as well.

Ok, now to Peaches and Ryan. I don’t blame Ryan for reading the book how could he not? It was so obvious when Taylor and Henri-Michel would chat about art, poetry and philosophy they really clicked. I then noticed how little Ryan and Taylor had in common. I’m not saying that I want to see Ryan and Taylor break up, but a few stumbling blocks will make their relationship more interesting.

I also enjoyed watching Ryan chat with Sandy about the whole ordeal. I can’t remember the exact quote Sandy used but I loved it. He was saying how different he and Kirsten were but you have to find what makes the relationship work and then focus on that.

Introducing Apple iPhone

iPhone combines three products — a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching — into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.

Kisha Lynn Russell

Returning TV Shows

Heroes Monday, Jan. 22, 9 pm/ET, NBC "Save the cheerleader, save the world" was the catch-fire slogan for the first half of the season. Now comes "Are you on the list?" Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy), armed with his father's secret roster of 36 heroes, will scour the world to locate the ones we don't yet know and tell them they're in jeopardy. Curiously, not all the heroes seen thus far are on this list.


Lost Wednesday, Feb. 7, 10 pm/ET, ABC Last we saw the Lost boys and girls, all hell had broken loose: Jack had witnessed Kate and Sawyer acting on their caged passion, then he cut Ben open on the operating table, only to demand that Kate run from the Others or he'd let Ben die. Fans frustrated by the lack of answers in that November finale should be heartened by several developments coming up when the ABC drama returns for an uninterrupted run of episodes starting on Feb. 7. For one, the focus won't just be on the Others and their captives: Seemingly psychic Desmond, beloved Hurley and mama Claire will all get some flashback love early on. The first episode, however, belongs to the Other-worldly Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and just may reveal why she asked Jack to off creepy Ben.


American Idol Tuesday, Jan. 16, 8 pm/ET, FOX The sixth season of American Idol doesn't premiere until Jan. 16, yet Simon Cowell's already managed to offend an entire city. Last month, the ever-cranky judge made national headlines when he bemoaned Seattle's weather and claimed it had "the worst bunch of miserable singers I've ever seen in my life." OK then. Cowell, along with fellow judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul and host Ryan Seacrest, also hit six other cities, including Memphis and Minneapolis, in search of the next Taylor Hicks.


King of the Hill Sunday, Jan. 28, 8:30 pm/ET, FOX Back for its 11th season, the King of the Hill family finds Hank upping his love of propane, Peggy throwing herself into real estate, Bobby finding himself in a leadership role, and lovers Luanne and Lucky (Tom Petty) battling for attention. All-new Texas-sized hilarity begins with an episode in which Bobby's pet snake escapes, causing a town-wide panic. Where's Samuel L. Jackson when you need him?

"Who's Your Daddy?"

I love Sandy Cohen and the fact that he is always looking out for Ryan’s best interest. He didn’t like Frank Atwood from the get go. And then to find out that he was lying to Ryan really got Sandy going. All of Sandy’s lectures to Ryan thoughout the years, cautioning him not to resort to violence really took a turn with Sandy not heeding his own advice. And Ryan saying to him, “My dad is right here” really put a big smile on my face.

At first I was really starting to like Mr. Atwood. He was charming and seemed as though he had really changed. But once we found out he was a liar and manipulator who was hurting Ryan then it all changed.

Mr. Atwood and Julie really seemed to hit it off. I’m looking for Mr. Atwood to be back and he and Julie hooking up. How crazy would that be? If Mr. Atwood had changed for the better and he and Julie start dating. Weird!

I wasn’t really impressed with the Summer and Seth storyline. It was funny but it seemed to drag on too long. And I thought for a moment that once Seth pulled the car over that was it. But no he had to come up with wanting to ask Mr. Roberts for Summer’s hand in marriage. I sure hope this ends soon and we get to see Summer and Seth back to their old selves again.

Taylor is so funny and in my opinion really good for Ryan. She brings out a good side in Ryan that we weren’t used to seeing.

So all in all I thought the episode was good. I’m really sad that this is the last season.

Breaking News! O.C. to End on Feb. 22

This just in from Fox. "The sun will set for the last time on The O.C. when the series ends its four-season run Thursday, Feb. 22, at 9 pm/ET." All new episodes will air from the series Jan. 4 return through its forever finale.

"This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close," series creator Josh Schwartz said in a statement. "Thanks to the hard work of our cast, crew and writers, we have enjoyed our best season yet, and what better time to go out than on top [creatively]. It has been an amazing experience and a great run. For a certain audience, at a certain time, The O.C. has meant something. For that we are grateful.

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"Li Bien" Ornament

In Chinese, the phrase "Li Bien" means "inside". The Li Bien ornament showcases the age old skill of inside painting, which originated in the Qing Dynasty. It has been a respected Chinese art for over 200 years. Each ornament is delicately hand-painted through a tiny opening in the mouth-blown glass. This process requires great skill and deliberation since the image is painted in reverse. Each ornament is a genuine work of art and no two are alike. The result is a beautiful, one of a kind keepsake you will enjoy for years to come.

Secret Santa 12.18.06

Company is on it's way...

Our company will be here tomorrow. So I will be MIA until they leave. This is the 29th of December. So I won't be able to post or comment on anything for a couple of weeks. I miss and love you Jess and I wish we were able to spend Christmas together. I'll talk to you soon.

"It's a Wonderful Chrismukkah"

Life without Ryan Atwood would have made Newport a mess. And here we thought when he came to Newport he was causing disruptions. But no, we found out that Ryan saved the Cohen’s marriage, he gave Marissa three more years to live and also befriended Seth which allowed him to get noticed by Summer.

Although the save-the-earth Summer that we have come to know the past few months can be a bit of a downer, this episode showed how much worse things would have been if Summer went in the opposite direction. She was cracking me up in this episode but she was also very annoying too.

Sandy Cohen, mayor? And Sandy Cohen married to Julie? Wow, that was one relationship that I’m glad never happened in the real world.

And as for Julie, well it didn’t look like she changed much at all. She was her same old cheating and conniving self. Although I did like her line in the real world to Veronica Townsend at the airport. If you get on the plane I will tell them you have a bomb in your bag. Go Julie! But I was thinking to myself, how bad of a parent do you have to be to have Julie Cooper threaten you?

Veronica Townsend of course was her normal evil self. She had not changed one bit. In the real world or in the alt universe and Taylor finally standing up to here and calling her a bitch was music to my ears. I think Ryan really respected Taylor for doing that.

I wasn’t sure whether we would see Marissa in this episode or not but I’m happy the way it all played out. Also I’m not upset that we didn’t get the full information of what was in the letter. And Ryan going to the beach and reading the letter alone was a good way to end the show.

I think now Ryan can move on and not feel bad about it. He did what he could and by him coming to Newport he was a positive influence on a lot of people and it seems like he’s now said his final goodbyes to Marissa.

Taylor and Ryan are a good match and I think Ryan realizes it now. Nice shot at the end with Ryan putting his arm around her when she sat on his bed.

Happy Chrismukkah!

From: Jennifer Sankowski - TVGuide

‘Twas the night before Chrismukkah,
When people worried through The O.C.
Because Ryan wasn’t stirring,
Stuck in a coma was he.

Ryan sprang from his coma
After Marissa’s letter he read,
His family said all would be IK
As they gathered ‘round his bed.

Happy Chrismukkah to all, and to all a good night!

Sands of Christmas

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
and looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.
The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Chargers lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
and so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
eight Humvees ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens,
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament--they lacked a Christmas tree.
They didn't have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,
to worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said it's always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

God bless you all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay.

Copyright 2003 Michael Marks

Wayne Wins West Virginia Class AA State Football Championship

The only question entering Friday night’s West Virginia Class AA state football championship was exactly where in Wayne County the trophy would reside.

Arch-rivals Wayne and Tolsia, schools separated by about 25 miles, traveled more than 250 miles to Wheeling Island Stadium to determine which could officially claim to be the state’s best.

After a hard-fought 48 minutes, Wayne came out on top by a score of 33-6. The Pioneers led 7-6 at the break, but steadily pulled away in the second half.

The Rebels, led by one of the state’s best all-around players in senior B.J. Evans, were playing in their first football state championship. The Pioneers played in their third title game in the last six years.

Both teams entered the championship game with matching 11-2 records. Tolsia won the regular-season meeting by 11 points. The all-time series is now tied at 9-9.

Thousands of fans made the trek to Wheeling and braved the blustery conditions to cheer on the teams.

It was just the fifth time in state football history that two teams from the same county have met in the state championship game.

Article by: The Herald-Dispatch

Wayne, Tolsia square off today for title...

WAYNE PIONEERS

2006 STATE CHAMPIONS!

"Not the Most Obvious Couple"

For some reason I didn’t really care about the Summer story lines until the very end. I can’t connect with her character this year unlike past seasons. Although I was very proud of her for telling the truth and not rating out Che (which I don’t like). Only to find out he had blamed everything in the past on her. Jackass! Then she was on the phone with Seth which really made me feel like they were bringing back Seth and Summer.

Julie is hilarious! I was cracking up when Kaitlyn kept hitting her in the head with the tennis ball. Priceless!

I didn’t think I would like Kaitlyn’s character but last night I had a change of heart. She was so pissed off at Julie for hitting on her crush that I kinda felt bad for her. She did get Julie back by bring the tennis instructor to the party. And she even helped her mom out by talking to Bullet. All I can say about Kaitlyn is like mother, like daughter.

It was so funny when Taylor walked into the Cohen’s and took Ryan his morning coffee. The look on the family’s face was great. And then when Taylor came back from the pool house and said she thought Ryan was funny just made me and Sandy both crack up. I was thinking Ryan, funny?

Taylor was trying any way possible to get Ryan to notice her. I even felt bad for her when she overheard Ryan tell Seth that he’s not going to date Taylor. He then followed her outside and she kept saying everything he was thinking.

I loved that Seth was encouraging her at the end to take Ryan the herbal tea and to not give up. And that last kiss just sent Ryan over the edge. He’s now got Taylor fever. I was hoping they would make Taylor chase Ryan a little bit longer because those scenes were so funny. (In my opinion - Autumn Reeser aka Taylor is an awesome actress.)

And it was so good to see Ryan smiling again. Ryan smiled three times! He deserves to be happy and hey if Taylor makes him happy then I’m happy too.

Now we have to wait two weeks to see a new episode. It looks good - with Ryan hallucinating Taylor in a White Snake type of music video. Brilliant!