AtHomeWithAilsa

BUILD YOUR OWN HOUSE! Home * How to Buy Your First Home * Understanding Mortgages * Get Rid of Cellulite * Lose Weight on my Easy Diet * Gym Tips * Fitness At Home *Sex Tip * Site Menu * At Home with Ailsa *Ask Ailsa * Ailsa's Biography * Photo Gallery * Recipes * Tips * Marry Rich -- come on, you know it's a good idea!* Carbon Monoxide Detector (makes a great gift!)* Home Improvement Shopping * 10 Tips to Sell Your House Faster! * Mortgages & Other Financial Stuff! * Real Estate * Home Improvement * Online Education * Travel * Gifts for Men *Financial Prayer * *Fundraising *Insurance *Linens 'n Things * Decorating *Business Cards * Shoes & Clothes! * My Amazon Page * Jewelry * Skin Care *Freebies * Books & Magazines * How to Quit Smoking *Personal Breathalizer* Shopping * Astrology * Monthly Horoscopes * Flowers * Gifts for Women * Shoes & Clothes* Steve Madden Shoes * Art * Books & Magazines * Shop for Someone You Love * Romantic Recipes * Survey offers! Earn cash, prizes and free products! > Shopping * Irish Blessing -- How to Raise Healthy and Happy Children, the easy way! (I'm writing this, right now!) - The Money Frog! - Feng Shui Tips thrown in for fun... Find out where you can put Green and Yellow things around your house to bring even more luck and money into your home! , A Feng Shui Love Tip to Bring More Love into Your Life * Big Brother 13 * * Tell a Friend ... And, yes, I am writing about The Bachelor* Site Menu

< >

At Home with Ailsa -- What's goin' on, today... it's the closest I can get to a Blog! And now, Archived Ailsa... see what I was thinking years ago! lol!

Okay, I finally DID start a Blog -- http://buildyourownhousebodylife.blogspot.com/ , which my lovely daughter, Cara, showed me how to set my blog a while ago, so I have about 70 pages on there, as compared with about (and I'm just guessing...) a gazillion pages on here, my main website...and there are a LOT more pictures of me on my blog...easier to post them on the blog, for me...but you can pop in to see what you think, leave me a message, maybe make your very own blog, then I'll come visit you, too!! We'll be friends!! hahaha!

Thursday, July 7th, 2011... Big Brother's baaack....Big Brother is Back! Yahooo!! We love the drama that is Big Brother! Soo, who are the people playing the Big Brother 13 game, this summer?? Rachel and Brendon are back, part of the new 'Dynamic Duo' deal, for one of the fancy twists in the Big Brother 13 Game.... Rachel was our favourite, last year, in Big Brother 12, but I've gotta say, I did not expect their relationship to last (if indeed it has... oh, TV, how you can play little games with us... lol!). Did you think that was a real engagement ring? Wouldn't the tabloids, or someone, have reported their engagement over this past year? They're celebrity Big Brother people, yo. Will be fun to see, since they let the whole world see everything they're thinking, feeling, doing, saying.... and I loves me an open book! haha!

So the other Big Brother 'couples' from the past are Jeff and Jordan, and the father/daughter duo, Dick and Danielle. Or should I say, Evil Dick?? haha! (Hard for me not to put another wee joke in there, but I'm sure you're thinking it, to, soooo..... what's the point in us both being in the gutter?? hahaha!). And why was Dick (Evil Dick... okay, you got me, I just like saying that...!) the only one to go upstairs? Hmmm.

The rest of the players are a bit of a disappointment, for the single girls in the audience... what, no hotties auditioned? Yick. No one to really attach yourself to, if you know what I mean.... I did get a big kick out of Shelly's unbelieveably low-pitched voice... does she have the manliest voice in the whole Big Brother 13 house? lol! Ruh-roh. And Kalia seems pretty annoyed by Rachel's big breasts, which is a teensy bit hilarious, given that her 'puppies', as Keith so lovingly called them, were just holdin' on by a thread in her own top.... funny what irks one girl against another, so-to-speak ;) And I laughed when Keith took careful note of Kalia's 'puppies', to the camera, then immediately chose Porsche, who already had told us she's had plastic surgery..... so that's how you get on TV! Who knew?? lol!

I love the 25 year old virgin... didn't they make a movie about him?? That's too funny, and Dominic lives with his mom. Who can see these things coming?? haha! Cassi is a very pretty girl, but I can't see what other kind of romantic hookups we're gonna see, this summer, other than the obvious ones... not a lot of choices in the Big Brother house... booo! We loev a budding romance! Or a break-up... whatever... they both make for great Reality TV! So then Lewon... well, I like his personality, and he's from just up the road from where I live... he's from Inglewood, California, and I've spent a lot of time at some great dance clubs in Inglewood... at least he looks like he has a good sense of humor, and some personality.... perhaps a little more personality than Porsche, who hopes to keep her real identity as a VIP Cocktail Waitress a secret, since she doesn't want people to think she is already living the life of Reilly.... no. Wait. She won't know who Reilly is... the easy life. Yup, that's better... oh, Porsche, maybe she's hiding her intelligence, too, and we'll get a better look at her brain, later...you can't show people all your assets all at once, just wear something lowcut, start with the obvious talents, go from there... haha!

That leaves us Adam (hmmm... nice guy, loves Apple Martinis, so that means he's good at talking to women....but looks very manly, soooo, might be around for a while...). Rachel won the very first HOH competition, hanging onto that Big Brother Banana in the sky for dear life... , so that's good that Rachel won the HOH right off the bat. I cannot stand when a player intentionally throws a game.... you know when Shelly almost immediately drops off the banana, says she didn't want to win the first HOH.... ugh. Try and win every time. If only for the treat basket!! hahaha! (I looove Treat Baskets!!)(Or better, yet, a Wine Basket....! lol!)

It'll be interesting to see who Rachel nominates, since the person who wins will get the Big Brother Golden Key, and that will keep them safe from eviction for the first 4 weeks of the competition... that's huuuge. Okay, I've gotta (yes, I've gotta!) go watch Big Brother After Dark.... I wanna see who really likes who else... we're on the look-out for new hookups! hahaha! Ailsa xox

Cheap Jewelry -- it's gorgeous and real! I wish I made a commission off of this Chinese Wholesale website, DHgate, but I don't, dang it ... lots of language barriers, and a slightly long wait for the items to arrive, but they're super-cheap, real stones... and the clothes are great, too, but if you're over 5 feet, order larger than your regular size! lol! Enjoy!! I've bought soo much stuff from this Chinese wholesaler -- and I wear it all the time :)

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011...Unrequited Love, anyone?? No? It's alive and well on TV, these days, on The Bachelorette, so here's my little take on that... and a wee bit more...! lol!

Oh, Ashley, poor little Ashley... she's in the middle of a storm of unrequited love with that loser, Bentley... or is Bentley smarter than we thought?? Pretty clever, to get on TV, be the most talked-about Bachelorette Contestant in ages, and he hasn't even told us what business it was he wanted to promote... and I'd like to know! Luckily for us, we'll maybe get to find out, because is Bentley actually coming back on the show?? Say it ain't so.... oooh, that crazy Bachelorette!

Of course, he'll only be on to further his fame, but little Ashley won't perceive it like that, not at all... the poor girl is smitten. But smitten after only a few weeks? Man, I can hardly remember relationships I've had that lasted for years! hahahahaha! Okay, that's just for my own amusement... and partly because I had THE most bizarre 'old boyfriend' crap happen to me a couple of weeks ago, no kidding... I got an email from an old (and I mean OLD) boyfriend, to let me know he just got married. I wrote back, congratualtions.... this was followed by THE meannest email from him, listing all the reaons why I didn't marry him.. talk about stored up anger... now, it might be of interest to let you know I was a TEENAGER when I went out with this now-lunatic, and he's well into his FIFTIES... yuuuuck! And RECENTLY MARRIED.. .. gross!!! He should be concentrating on his new marriage, not reminiscing about some crap that went down thirty years ago... crazy. Crazy with a capital 'C'.... the kind of Crazy you'd move to another country to avoid (but maybe that's just me! hahaha!) So get this.... his big claim to fame, and Very Good Reason for why I should have married him was that he WASHED THE DISHES. Oh, yes. I did miss out on quite a catch, right there.... silly me. Too bad they invented dishwashers, and NORMAL men, so I didn't HAVE to marry that Crazy.... man, the things people hold on to, but that's what happens in unrequited love... the one person keeps on loving the other person, looong after the one who's lost interest has moved along.... (can you tell how furious I was at all that crap being dragged to the surface after 30 years?? Who does that?? Someone who needs a boatload o' therapy, that's who.... lol!)(Oh, and for the record, I don't really think anyone, let alone meeee, is 'old' unless they infuriate me -- any age will do -- or they are approaching 160 years old... and I will change that number as I get closer to 160 years old, too! lol!)

But, alas, unrequited love happens to the best of us, and it's definitely happened to me, too, twice that I can think of... and I think I might have caused it a few times, to... what can I say, I love to love ya', baby! hahahaha! (Yep, I grew up in da '70s!! lol!) But unrequited love is sooo hard to deal with. It hurts. Poor Ashley, she can't get over Bentley because it just happened (literally, last week! lol!), so she hasn't had a chance to work her way through it, try to come out the other side a healthier person... not, yet, anyway. I always think, the very best way to get over your unrequited love is to find an even bigger, better, love, get swept away by the next person you fall in love with (yes, there will always be another person for you out there... that's a big load of BS that there's only ONE person for every ONE individual... puh-leeease, there are billions of us on the planet, there'll be a whole pile of 'someone elses' for you, it's just a waiting game, like fishing... just cast your net forth, see what you can drag back in! lol! Noooo, don't drag anything in... just go about your business, enjoy your life, and the next 'right one' will come along, you'll see...

So now I'm excited to see what will happen next week on The Bachelorette... it was looking pretty pathetic, there, for a bit, where, basically, it was a free trip around the world for a great group of handsome men, and one little love-lost girl named Ashley... but she seemed to come alive a bit for her 'golf lesson' with Lucas, and she has a little connection with Ben F. Hey, am I the only one who notices that they don't seem to take any note of 'the help'?? Seems pretty awful. You can tell a LOT about someone's character by the way they treat the waiter or waitress, and anyone else who is helping them in some way.... it only takes a second to be nice and polite, and people who are dismissive are jerks (really, you know the word I'd really like to use...). It's always interesting to me who thinks they are 'above' being nice... ugh. They're horrible people. Everyone should have to do some sort of Service work in their life so they will always be kind to their server... and will leave a decent tip, too (just had to throw that in there! lol!).

But I digress (whaaaat??).... the thing I want to see, next week on The Bachelorette, is how the other guys will react to Bentley being there, in the hotel, and Ashley leaping up on him (is this something tiny people do? I don't recall doing this in my life... maybe at a fancy cocktail party, or an upscale wine and cheese, but nowhere else, I'm pretty sure.. hahahahaha!). Women may be more likely to forgive an unrequited love situation, and try for the guy, anyway, but will the men do the same? I'm not sure, that's why I need to watch, see if I can learn a little something about men, since they are often like a little mystery to me! hahaha!

So, if you happen to be dealing with a little unrequited love, right now, and can't quite seem to get over a lost love, and you're doing like little Ashley, and constantly thinking of that person, try changing your thoughts to, 'oh, I'm thinking about that, again.. I'll think about flowers, or money, or business, or whatever else you like to think about... but NOT that person.... if that person wants you, you'll know it. Better yet, they'll let you know it. You're much better to get on with your life, find someone waaaay better, maybe rub it in their nose, or something... see, I'm full of great and very mature ideas! hahahaha! Nooo, I kid.... just move on and be happy. I hope Ashley learns that lesson while she still has all those eligible bachelors there... those are some seriously nice fellows, and she could be really happy with one of them... if she can leave Bentley behind.... Good Luck, L'il Ashley!! Ailsa xox

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011... My little update on the Bachelorette... Ah, Phuket....

Is that what everyone is saying about The Bachelorette, this season, 'Ah, Phuket'?? Wait, how do you pronounce that? With a hard 'P', you say?? Oh, sorry. My bad. I thought it was an 'F'-it sound.... and maybe people still watching The Bachelorette think the same thing, too.... lol!

So what's the deal with little, tiny, teensy, Ashley? Is she a dentist or a dancer?? How come they made her out to be a dentist on the Bachelor with Brad Womack, and this season on The Bachelorette, she's suddenly a 'dancer', with what looks to be about one good move... that thrusting your hips forward in a half walk, half dance-thing... I was tyring it on the weekend, when we were out for a hike (was beautilful... Kenneth Hahn Park in Los Angeles, the 'Walk for Health' section of the park... stunningly gorgeous, if you're looking for something fun and healthy to do...). Anyway, I just look like an idiot trying that sh*t, but, you know, I'll do anything for a laugh, but I would never bother me asss to do that for real -- would be too stupi! haha!

So little Ashley, who is now seen primarily in bikinis, to prove to the guys that she really is a girl... look, a bikini, I'm a girl!! Come on, get interested!! Sad. Not good. Even Neanderthal Ned think 'Not Good'. Ashley's all depressed that loser Bentley is gone... that creep. Ugh. Oh, if only Bentley were here, what would my trip to PHUKET be like.... and I'm sure all the rest of the guys are thinking the same thing... and some have even mentioned they're there for a free trip around the world -- why not? It's not their fault Ashley falls for all the losers...

We only got about halfway through the episode of The Bachelorette, last night, then switched over to The Housewives of Orange County, having yet another fight... was much better TV than Ashley looking forlorn over Bentley not being in Phuket... (can you tell I love the mispronunciation of that name?? hahahaha! Makes me laugh!) We left off where Ashley is on her date with Ames, who seems like a nice enough fellow... he looks like the kind of guy I went to University with (I went to Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada)... smart, good looking, monied, can get any girl he wants in his normal life, probably doesn't treat women very well because of that... unfortunate stereotype, but usually true... but he has to really work to get Ashley's attention, since her mind is in Utah...hmmmm. Those guys love a good chase, so we'll see what happens, there... he seems like a good guy, though. Not like loser William... man, say something horrible to Ashley, she's yours for life. What's that all about?? Ugh. Women need to know, if he says something mean in his pick-up line, like, 'you probably think you're too good for me' (that's a standard line for abusers, too, ladies...), or actively says something mean about you to catch your attention, run away. At the very least, turn your back. It will only get much, much worse... this type of guy preys on the insecurities of these women. Terrible, but true.

I liked that Ames was talking about family life on the date... at least he's thinking of that, and marriage, when that's what they're supposed to be there for, in the first place... but how many men a night does she kiss?? (Reminds me of the old 'mennonite' joke... How many Mennonites did she go out with? 3 menn-o-nite... buh-dum-bum... haha! It's an oldie but a goodie... really, it doesn't take much to make me laugh, clearly! haha!) So are the producers telling Ashley to get in there and get to kissin' these guys, or does it all come naturally?? haha!! Yuck!! Kissing is such an intimate thing... and with one guy after another... yick. How many will she want to take to the Fantasy Suites?? hahahahaha!

We'll keep watching The Bachelorette, of course... I'm always curious how it will work out.... I like Ben F. (looks like Dax Sheppard, and I really think he's cute... very funny guy...), and I like that Ryan guy with the Solar Panel Industry... good for him for helping the planet, and I looove Solar Energy, and any other kind of natural energy (especially Wind, Sun and Earth... Geothermal... that's stuff is waaay cool, fer sures!).

I don't see any connection with the other dentist... she barely talks to him. I love my dentists... they're such nice fellows, and they are highly skilled conversationalists, so that makes no sense... they're so good at chatting away to you while you're getting your teeth done... is a great skill! She really seems to be distancing herself from her career in dentistry... that's bizarre, since that's what she talked about most on the last season of the Bachelor with Brad... hmmmm. Well, we'll see what happens, next week... oh, and my favourite 'Bachelorette Moment' happened with Jimmy Kimmel, when he came on the screen right after Bentley had been such a bashtard, Jimmy Kimmel turns to the camera, and says what a jerk-loser Bentley is... so we've been watching Jimmy Kimmel every since .. sooo funny! Ailsa xox
< >

Thursday, May 26th, 2011.... So I just came back from a little 'Internet Vacation', and by internet vacation, I mean, I was harshly, brutally, removed from my precious internet connection, and all the joys and woes that brings me, when my modem went out, and could not be reconnected to the internet, no matter how hard I tried to make it connect. Ugh. I know, I felt sorry for me, too! It was awful, at first, like coming off crack, or something (I'm kidding ... who can afford crack cocaine, these days?? hahahaha!)... I thought I was gonna lose my mind, I was so frantic about trying to make the modem work, again. Also, I wasn't completely sure which box was the modem -- hahahaha! Everyone makes the happy assumption that since I have these giant websites online, that surely I must know at least the bottom line basics of the computer, but, nope! I don't. Sometimes I think I do, but I always like to have a whole lot of clarification to make sure what I think is right, is in fact in any way correct... is a slight problem for me, as you might well imagine! haha!

The first two days were definitely the worst... I was going back and forth to my local Time Warner office, to get a new modem, but I have all three things set up through Time Warner.. my phone, my TV cable (which I did not want to jeopardize, fer sures, since it turns out I'm waaay more addicted to my favourite Cable TV shows (and I NEED every one of my 1,000 channels -- they're important to me, I need to see what all is on that I don't want to watch... but I also loove DVR, so when I finally do find my favourite programs, I can tape them all for later....right now, I'm on an I Dream of Jeannie kick, since it's on TVLAND, and is even funnier than I remember it to be... plus, it reminds me of one of my favourite machines in Vegas, the I Dream of Jeannie Slot Machine -- sooo mcu fun! Next time you're in Vegas, search it out, you'll laugh yourself silly, while singing along to the theme song... I assume you'll be drunk by the time you've been at the casino for the amount of time it'll take you to find the I Dream of Jeannie machine... I know I always am! hahaha! I'm just amusing myself, now! lol!)

But I digress... now that's never happened, before... haha! So the deal was that I have an 'extra' black box that the modem connects to, AND the main phone line connects through the black box, too. I kept telling them that down at the Time Warner office, but it turned out they kept giving me the wrong modem box, so I would happily take the new modem, bring it home, connect it all up, and be frustrated out of my mind when it wouldn't connect to the internet. I have a big serious problem with high blood pressure, these days (thanks to a terrible job situation, but more on that when I am completely away from that...), and I thought, okay, this is really bad for my stress levels, so after trying FIVE of the wrong modem boxes from Time Warner, I took a little break. I just couldn't do it anymore -- I thought I would lose my mind, trying to force the modem to work... aaarrrgh! And it turns out, praying didn't do me a whole lot of good, either... I'm not sure God is connected to the internet (although, He probably is, what with being Omnicient 'n all...! lol!).

Long story slightly shorter, after being offline for the first 5 days, all of a sudden my life felt simpler. Easier. I kind of felt like we were back in pioneer days (and, no, I am not prone to exagerate, which I have said for at least the millionth time...), but with all the lovely electricity and indoor plumbing, and whatnot... but it was bizarre how disconnected I felt from the whole world. It was good and bad at the same time. Like a regular vacation! hahaha! (Have you ever been on the vacation, and afterwards, your favourite part was coming home?? haha! Happens to me all the time!)

It's funny, I didn't really realize, before, when the internet worked without question, that I think I might have been completely addicted to the internet. How crazy does that sound? But it was routine for me to check my emails all day long, and after I was disconnected for a while, I realized that I didn't have all the ups and downs that are sooo common with checking your emaill, see who you got an email from, how good was the email (or more importantly, how hot was it?? hahahaha!), and on the down side, who didn't you get an email from, and how disappointing was that? I was on an emotional roller coaster ride, and all because of email!! Aaaand, I had a slight obsession with how many visitors did I have to my sites, and how much money had I made over the course of each day (not much! Boooo!! But one day I believe they will produce a nice income for me, God Willing! lol!).

Well, I kept going back and forth, back and forth, to the Time Warner offices (luckily, they're really close to where I live), trying to solve my internet computer connection problem, and most of the employees were really nice (albeit, they kept giving me the wrong modem, even when I begged them to pleeease just give me back the originl one that I had brought in when the problems first started), until we got the biggest beeeyotch of them all -- she was hooorible to me. (Funny thought... wouldn't it be hilarious to think in your head, when you are secretly thinking someone is being horrible to you, that they are being 'whore-able'?? hahahahaha! Okay, now I like that... that will be my new thought to lighten things up for myself when some mean woman is being horrible (ne: 'whore-able' hahahaha! That just makes me laugh! haha!) to me... and why are women more likely to be mean to other women, then all lovely to any man who approaches the counter? What ever happened to female solidarity? Sadly, (and luckily for me) it took a man to fix my problems (uh, I think that's happened before in me life! hahaha!)...

Time Warner eventually sent out some technicians (THREE weeks later.. can you imagine being offline for 3 whole weeks?? I should get a T-Shirt with "I Survivied My Broken Modem"... well, maybe not....) , and it took them over an hour to finally get my computer connected to the internet, again -- Thank God!! Was like the skies parted and the sun came out! They were great technicians, and there was no way I would've been able to fix the problem myself. So I guess the motto of this story is: You can't always fix things yourself.... or, take a little break from the computer, in case you, too, have become a slave to it, constantly checking your email (or whatever it is you looove so much on the internet!! hahahahaha!)

Well, the important thing is, I'm baaack!! Yippee! And I didn't miss nearly as much as had imagined I had... is that pathetic?? haha! whatever. Now I am much better at staying away from the computer a bit more, and managing my time online a whole lot better... I am no longer a slave to the computer, and I learned that the world was perhaps a simpler, and maybe a tad bit happier, when we weren't connected to each other, literally, 24/7. Really, that's a fairly new phenomenon, so I'm guessing I'm not the only one out there in Computerland who was addicted to the internet... not in a weird way, but a way that definitely had a hold on my everyday emotions and activities... who knew? Now I do! Yippee, I've broken out of the Internet yoke! Okay, I've gotta go check my email, see who's written to me since I started writing this... no, I kidding... I'll check it tomorrow... or the next day... we'll see how I feel! Now who's in control, Computer? I think it might be me!! haha! Maybe soon it will be you, too!! lol! See you soon, Ailsa xox! (Those are distant hugs and kisses, just so we're both on the same page with that! hahahahaha!)

Oh, and if you would like to donate to the Redcross to help all the poor folks who are living real disasters, not just mere internet meltdowns, all those folks in the mid-west dealing with the aftermath of all those terrible tornadoes, you can Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a quick $10 donation. You know how I feel about raising a lot of money -- ask for a little bit from a lot of people, and you'll get a great response, ask for a huge amount form a few people, you'll hardly get any... works every time! Ailsa xox
< >

Monday, April 25th, 2001... I'm looking a houses, again, and I've just recently come across House Hunters International, on HGTV, which has quickly become my favourite new show, by far... I just can't seem to get enough of it! lol!

Omg, have you seen House Hunters International on HGTV, yet?? It's my favorite 'new-to-me' show on TV... I looove it. I just can't get enough of it! Thank God for DVR (like TiVo), because I DVR all the House Hunters International I can find (and they seem to have a marathon every Friday night, so that gives you tons of International House Hunters to watch over the weekend, and into the following week -- yippee!!).

So here's what I love about it, soo much... they take you all around the world, Italy, Scotland (you know I love the Scottish bit! lol!), Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Canada (another 'yippee'!!), Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Malta ... man, they go everywhere you might like to own a vacation home -- or maybe even relocate entirely to one of these lovely locations!

A local realtor takes the people who are typically looking for a holiday home, a nice vacation home that may also be used as a rental property, but sometimes they are couples or families looking to relocate entirely to a new country... which is what I love to do! Well, I'd like to do both, really!! But the Realtor takes the people around to three different places, in their price range (which actually went from $20,000 US and can go well into the millions... so lots of variety, so plenty of dreams to fulfil! lol!) We were particularly interested in the properties you could buy in the Under $200,000 range -- who knew?? And the fellow from Los Angeles, California, who bought the fixer-upper in Italy for $20,000 -- wow, that was amazing. Made me instantly want to go buy a $20,000 house in Italy, fix it up!! I would loove to see a follow-up show on how the renovations are done, and the final products, for these particular fixer-upper sales... now that's right up my alley! haha!

What I find amazing is what houses look like around the world. Little things that are soo different from North America (we've lived for a long time in the US, and I was raised in Canada, but born in Scotland, so we've seen our share of properties...), but, man, I did NOT know that a kitchen... yes, the whole kitchen, is not necessarily included in many European homes! For real! You have to go to the 'kitchen shop', and buy your own kitchen! lol! BYOK... Bring Your Own Kitchen! How surprising is that? And something I would never have known or even guessed if we hadn't watched sooo many of these House Hunters Internationals.

When people are looking for property for a vacation home, usually they are looking for property right on the beach, or with a great view to the beach, and, wow, do they deliver. It is incredible what you can buy for not all that much, right on the beach in many countries you might not have thought of, before watching this show. You get to go in and see what the houses, apartments and condos look like, how much they cost, and the square footage.

I would like to know more about whether people can obtain mortgages for any of these foreign owned properties, because, usually, you would have to pay cash for a property outside of your own country. Or if you already own a home in your own country, you might choose to put a Second Mortgage on your first home, to cover the cost of the new vacation home... or just buy that $20,000 fixer-upper in Italy, forget all about a mortgage! lol! (Can you tell that was one of my favorites?? haha!)

We get HGTV on Channel 74, and we're with Direct TV, but check your local guide, see what channel HGTV is for you in your area, and start having some fun dreaming about where your next home could be!! Ailsa xox
< >

April 20th, 2011... Omg, is Phillip completely losin' it out there on Survivor?? He's got that crazy feather on his forehead (not a good start, and often a dead giveaway of further problems... lol!), he's communing with his Grandfather and somehow he's connected that to Rob (super-weird). Poor guy. He's been going downhill steadily since those girls wouldn't pay him the attention they readily gave to Rob, and it really looked like he was going to be voted off very quickly, at the beginning, with his crazy antics, and now Phillip's at a whole new level of Crazy, with a capital 'C'... but man, using the Race Card, and using the 'n' word, the most reprehensible of all the words... but you never know someone's history, personal and being African American in America (a very different experience from being black and living elsewhere in the world, where the colour of someone's skin is not the issue it is in the US... a sad state of affairs, in 2011, to be sure... ). Hard to watch. And I felt for Steve, too, because he is clearly not a racist, and in no way implied anything like that... but very interesting that Jeff Probst talked openly at the Tribal Council -- too often, people are afraid to bring up the issue, but there it is, alive and well, still sitting there.

I've been reading The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, this week, and man, is it a powerful book. I happened upon it in an article by Stephen King, where he gave a list of his favorite new books... so lucky, because I hadn't heard of The Help before that, and I'll tell you, I can't put it down. It's one of those great reads you're always looking for, and it deals with the Civil Rights Movement, a subject matter near and dear to my heart. I am horrified by the racism I see in California... it's shocking.

So back to Survivor... what's the deal on Redemption Island, now? If three people were there, and two survive the contest (Mike and Matt), then Julie is sent over to Redemption Island, tonight, and two people always remain after the 'dual', does that mean that eventually two people will come back onto Survivor?? Would be sooo cool, and a real twist to the usual Survivor Strategy... interesting, right? Would change everything up, and would definitely knock Rob off his Kingly pedestal. I am always surprised when any Survivor refers to themselves as the king of anything, or even as the leader, since they are usually the next to go, but Rob is covered in Immunity Idols, lucky dog!

Well, we'll see what happens to Phillip, next week. He seems to be unravelling in front of our eyes.. going stir-crazy, perhaps? Happens to the best of us, in confined spaces. Will be interesting to see how many feathers he has in his 'cap', next week... oh, and that whole Rice deal was ludicrous... why would anyone even ask if they could put their maggot-infested, sandy rice in with someone else's rice, people they have openly ostracized, then be shocked when they said, uh, nooo...? That is crazy. Full on crazy. And from my own experience, crazy has no colour... it's open for anyone...

Okay, 'til next week... or the next show that catches my attention enough to write! lol! Ailsa xox
< >

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011. Wow, almost the end of March, Thank God... 3 months closer to the summer, when we can al be free, free to go to the beach (or something...! lol!) It was a fun TV night for us, tonight, since Survivor is always fun to watch, and then we watched this crazy new show on MTV, Wedding Wars. If you like Crazy, Wedding Wars if for you! The thing I love about Wedding Wars is they did not bother to waste any time trying to find any good looking people... hilarious! I say, that's lucky they all found each other, and they are actually getting married, something that doesn't happen nearly as readily as it used to, back in the day... (oh, am I only referencing my own life, now?? haha! I used to get sooo many marriage proposals, and now just finding someone you want to date, or spend more than a little tiny amount of time with... tricky!! haha!) Okay, on with The Survivor show:

Oh no, what is it with Phillip and his obsession that being a 'red-headed stepchild' is the worst thing in the world?? I feel soo sorry for all the red-headed stepchildren out there, all sad because of the Phillip-judgement... don't worry kids, you're fine, it's Phillip who is in trouble, out there on Survivor Island... and as much of a trainwreck Phillip is, he is highly, highly entertaining, and not just because of his droopy drawers, neither! haha! I loove when he goes off in front of the camera, and directly to the girls who clearly love Rob, and not Phillip... a little jealousy, perhaps?? But I laughed soo hard when Phillip was so excited about going over to watch the 'battle' on Redemption Island, and Boston Rob says he had to go, too, to babysit his assss... hilarious! Now that's my kind of TV! lol!

Ah, well. Phillip is still there, and angry little Stephanie is gone.. I think Matt really does have God on his side! lol! I really like Matt, now, so I hope he just keeps winning on Redemption Island, so he can really get back in the game. Surita was an odd duck, not really having much of a response for being voted out to Redemption Island... aren't you supposed to go out fighting?? Do not go gentle into that good night, and all that? And I really like the comraderie between Boston Rob and Grant... it looks like they'll become lifelong friends (but you can never speak too soon in the game of Survivor, right?? lol!). Will be very interesting, next week, when the two teams merge, and everyone gets a new buff... always exciting to see who connects with each other, especially David and Phillip, the 'flippers'. Like little dolphins! haha! See you soon, Ailsa xox
< >

Sunday, March 20th, 2011... Is the Super-Moon still out?? How you doin'?? haha! Let's hope it affected you in the most positive way, and you haven't experienced any excessive hair-growth, or nuthin'! lol! So we were just watching The Real Housewives of Orange County, and, man, what a throw-back to the olden days, down there in The O.C., with a little plastic surgery twist... and some old-world Christian Dogma thrown in...

So THAT'S how you get to Jesus Lane!! Who knew it still existed?? You just need to drive down to The O.C., and go as FAR Right as you can, and there you go, you've found it! lol! I thought they bulldozed that in the '50's, what with wives being entirely subservient to their husbands... but it's alive and well in The O.C. Really, I am amazed that they don't sell T-shirts with two giant oranges in the front, Hooters Style, for all the women to wear in Orange County... haha! I laugh, because the chances are extremely high that I would not only WEAR a T-shirt with oranges on the front of it, but I would want one with the 'scratch 'n sniff' feature, AND I would want to manufacture and sell them! lol! What can I say, I'm a business girl at heart... and I love to wear great T-shirts! hahaha!

Soo many great stories on The Housewives of Orange County, tonight... man, we love that show, and I particularly love Andy Cohen, and his After the Show, as well... and I loove that Andy Cohen loves Mama Elsa (and not only because it's soo much fun to hear a version of my name -- Ailsa/Elsa -- on National TV. Very rare. So extra fun for me! But here's the main difference between me and Mama Elsa on The Housewives of Miami... well, a few little differences... I don't have any surgery (does the episiotomy count?? hahaha! TMI?? haha!), I'm a little younger, and I firmly believe that Andy Cohen will definitely find love, and I believe he will find love, this year!! WooHoo!! (Oooh, I hope I do, too! One can always hope, am I right?? lol!) But we can't wait for Tuesdays Housewives of Miami, because I am obsessed with looking at the girls (ages questionable! lol!) to see if I can figure out exactly what work they've had done... I am endlessly fascinated by that, for whatever reason. I think I am secretly measuring myself up against them!! hahaha!

Oh, and speaking of measuring yourself up against these Orange County Housewives, what's the deal with the giant fake boobs?? What passage in the Bible do they say to do that, and thou shalt find a rich husband?? hahaha! Hilariously enough, back when I was married, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek article about how to marry rich (or at least find a partner who can handle their money... and you know what else I say about a man and his money -- if he's tight with his money, he'll be tight with his love, so watch out, ladies, you don't want either one of those traits... waaay too annoying. Oh, and that reminds me, looks like Tamra's new 'boyfriend' (hilarious to me when anyone past high school still refer to their partner as a 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'... grow up, already... say lover, or something... lol!! haha! (Okay, I guess that little joke is just for me, 'cause I'm really laughing, now...! haha!) Okay, I sorry, I digress, yet again... when Eddie is extra-amorous at the restaurant, with lots of PDA, and then quickly downs that entire glass o' wine before he gets in the tub with Tamra... well, let's just say, I think he picked up the bill at the restaurant, too! He didn't appear tight with his money, and definitely not tight with his love! hahaha!

So how long will 'Princess' Gretchen stay with old fatty, Slade?? haha! Man, how many times did she call him a fatty?? Hilarious! You NEVER hear a man called out for his weight, so this was highly entertaining for me, and I wonder how much he gets on HER for her weight, or whatever other myriad of issues she might have? I loved that her gay guy friends got the truth about their sex life, completely different fromt the 'sex god' stories she was telling the girls... sooo funny. They love to one-up the other, those crazy goils... I wonder who really wins??

Okay, that's enough OC for one night... hey, was it just me, or is the OC overly white?? Where's everybody else?? It's California, US, sooo, where's everybody else, me wonders?? Hmm... does not seem right... well, go make up some stories to tell your own friends (two different versions, depending on level of truth and friendship...!) See you soon, Ailsa xox

Monday, March 14th, 2011... ruh-roh, it's almost The Ides of March, the scariest day, ever.. I'm extra-careful on The Ides of March, because look at what happened to Julius Caesar, and he didn't see THAT coming, and I've just recently been stabbed in the back by someone I really trusted, too, so tomorrow I'll REALLY be watching my back.. you can never be too careful, right?? Beware the Ides of March rings true for me.. watch out, March 15th!! lol! I'm gonna try and let the day slide by... wish me luck with that, I'm not that good at 'letting the day slide by'...

So my lovely daughter, Cara, and I were watching The Bachelor Finale and the 'After the Rose' show, tonight, and what a shocker... The Bachelor may or may not be engaged?? Say it ain't so... so Brad Womack finally chose Emily (I called it, I called it... not gloatingly, though, since, by the end, I was secretly hoping he would choose Chantal, since she clearly would have bent over backwards for him, and he's the kind of guy who would demand that...). But Emily is suuuch a beautiful girl, and she had a little inkling about his temper during their last 'date' before he proposed to her, when she was asking him some pretty basic questions about parenting, and he got so agitated, he had to mop his whole head and neck with a towel (hilarious!! haha!)... poor Brad. It ain't easy to answer questions you haven't prepared for... so now on the After the Final Rose show, Emily appears without her engagement ring on (a spectacular engagement ring, too... although I liked the other two engagement rings better, frankly! lol!), and at the end, Brad brings the ring out of his pocket, says he's had it 'resized', and says, 'here's your ring back'... so what does that mean? Emily gave it back in the middle of a fight? He asked for it back after a fight? Do you get to ask for an engagement ring back?? Hmmm... these are the important questions! lol! Well, we'll see if there's a wedding... seems highly doubtful... maybe Chantal will win out in the end! A girl can always hope! haha!

So I've had a particularly difficult time, lately, and it's hard to know what to say, and what not to say... rest assured, I'll tell you all about it as soon as I can, because I know, for sure, I'm not the only one dealing with betrayal on all sorts of levels, the kinds of betrayal that rock your world (no, unfortunately, not in the good way! lol!), that turn your whole life upside down, and then you have to start all over again. Well, I hope you sail through The Ides of March, and have a lovely, carefree day!! No back-stabbers allowed! Screw off, back-stabbers!! haha! Yes, that ought to ward them off! (If only it were this easy... maybe I'll write up a sign, or something, or take that stooopid target off my back... must be something I can do to save myself!! lol!)