Shrimp Scampi

After cleaning out the fridge today and discovering that 75% of the fridge contents were tossable, I only had a few things to make for dinner. I decided to make shrimp scampi since I had the makings for it. Mmmmm Good. I love any kind of shrimp. Barbeque shrimp, boiled shrimp, lemon shrimp, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried...

Oh, and Tora - I watched Julie & Julia today and was definitely inspired to do something similar, but not with Julia Child's cookbook. Maybe a nice, safe Rachael Ray book to start. :P

The scampi picture doesn't do it justice. I need to practice my food art. Those beans look like they slid through an oil slick.

Shrimp Scampi



24 lg. uncooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, leaving tails on)
2 lg. garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. white wine
1 tbsp. chopped parsley (I didn't have parsley. Skipped it.)
Lemon wedges
Italian seasoned bread crumbs

In a skillet, sauté a few spoons of bread crumbs, parsley and garlic in olive oil and butter until lightly browned. (Add garlic after a few moments so that it doesn't get brown.)

Add shrimp, marinade and juice from a couple of lemon wedges and cook until shrimp are pink (a few minutes) and juices in pan are bubbling hot.

Serve shrimp with scampi sauce for dipping, and garnish with lemon wedges.


Lip smackin' good!

Hey there and recipe

Hi there. So it has been a while since I've added a blog post. Along with the cold and dark evenings, winter brings laziness. But I thought I'd check in and say hello. As long as I'm here, I thought I'd blog about a yummalicious dinner that I made this evening.

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas



It is actually kind of funny where I found the recipe. When I was diagnosed with acid reflux, I bought a book of recipes to help me know what to cook that wouldn't make the reflux worse. This enchilada recipe was from that book. I didn't tell Mike that though. If you like enchiladas at all, I recommend that you try this recipe. It is super easy and soo good. And that's saying a lot since I don't like cheese that much.

Ingredients:
Three boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can of salsa verde
1 c sour cream
4 cups chicken broth
8 oz reduced fat, shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 medium sized tortillas
1/4 c chopped green onions
Canola cooking spray

Instructions:

1) Add chicken breasts to medium sautee pan. Cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.
2) Let chicken cool in chicken broth.
3) Remove chicken from broth and shred with fork.
4) In a mixing bowl, mix chicken with cheese and onions and set aside.
5) Preheat oven to 375 and coat 9 x 13 pan with canola cooking spray.
6) One by one, heat tortillas in nonstick frying pan. Then, lay approximately 1/2 cup of chicken/cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla. Spoon chicken broth down the center over the chicken/cheese mixture.
7) Roll up each tortilla and place, seam side down, in the baking pan.
8) Cover the pan with foil and bake for 22-25 minutes.
9) Mix salsa verde and sour cream in a bowl. Spoon over enchiladas when done. Serve remaining sauce in a small bowl.

You gonna like it!

Start over again?

Can we start November over again puhlease? This has been one craptastic month. I was sick every single day with one thing or another. Not a cool thing to have happen during your birthday month. Although I glossed over it and thus didn't have to think about being one year closer to the big 4 dash 0. This month, I was told that I had a sinus infection, acid reflux, bad allergies, and the ever so popular swine flu. I weaned off of a medication that made my brain feel like it was bobbing and weaving and caused my friends and family worry more than a little bit. But I'm slowly but surely coming out of the fog and happy to be doing so. I always think that when people say, "At least you have your health" that it is the most accurate statement ever. Without your health, life is a tough nut. And then I get shot out the other side just in time for the holiday craziness to begin.

Wow. How many metaphors did I mix around up there?

Thanks for everyone's encouragement and love.



;P

Today's FAIL

I emailed some friends this today:

"I just got the biggest case of The Olds ever when I read this quote: “Aaron Carter: I Grew Up on DWTS”

How do you grow up on Dancing with the Stars? Hasn’t it only been on for like 4 years? *Shakes fist and sits back down on rocking chair*"

My friend emails me back and says, "FAIL. He has grown from this experience!."


Another funny FAIL...

I'd really love just one...

... week of feeling illness-free and I'd be overjoyed! I have been hit with some sucker punches lately interms of my health. It seems like ever since I broke my foot, it has been nonstop challenges. Bad back, Vitamin deficiencies, allergies, sinus infection, quit this med, take this med ... NOT fun. I am just as tired of thinking about it as you are of hearing about it. Trust me. :P But this is my blog and I'll cry if I want to. I would love a good month without waking up and going, "Oh crap. What is wrong NOW?"

I feel and like this a lot: (Turn the volume some down for this one and check out the otter that stands and falls sideways. Heehee.)



And... whining over. Thanks for indulging. Sorry if I've been a bum of a friend during the past few months. It's not you, it's me.

I am totally abusing these lately: ...

Not much has been new and exciting anyway. Mike and I are happy that the Tax Credit for first time homebuyers was extended (Thanks, Barry!) and hope to start looking in the Spring for a new house.

I turned 39. I think that it is definitely time to start reversing the years now.

Today's FAIL

My friend/co-worker asked if she could use my unopened Bath & Body Works lotion that I brought in to work from the fabulous Marriott in Niagara. I told her to go ahead and was going on and on about how great it smelled when she looked at it closer and interrupted me to say, "Um... yeah, this is Conditioner." FAIL.

Randoms

I start physical therapy for my back tomorrow. I can't tell you how excited I am. Well, yeah, I guess I can. I'm SO freakin' excited!! I am really so tired of not being able to take walks (especially in the Fall and especially in Frick Park). I'm also super tired of the dang heating pad. I don't want to have the olds yet. I want to shake them off and PT is gonna help me do it. Wahoo! Here's hoping that the PT does the trick. Otherwise, I'm Rascal bound. Beep beep!

Also, I'm having a birthday next week. I can't wait to finally turn 27. Close to 30, y'all!

Finally, a random FAILblog that I love:

Failblog never ceases to crack me up. You should really make it a part of your weekly interwebs routine.

Product review: Human

I forgot to talk about a product that I found in Canada. I found this cute, little store in the mall within the Casino. The store is called Fruits & Passion. http://us.fruits-passion.com/ It is chock full of everything that I love: lotions, balms, lip glosses, etc... So, I pointed Mike to a bench and told him to take a load off for a few minutes while I checked it out.

I ended up getting this body souffle called Human.

I don't even know how to describe the smell. It is clean, grassy, citrusy, happy, and uplifting. I am in love with it. Oh, and it contains something called rosa mosqueta oil which, it turns out, helps prevent wrinkles. Woot! The product prices are really reasonable, also. Always a plus when you are a lover of all things aromatherapy.

Thumb up to Human and the other thumb up to Fruits & Passion! The saleswoman told me that they sell their products at Anthropologie. Gotta make a trip to the South Hills soon!

Oh, and she tried to talk me into buying this de-icing salt that "perfumes your doorstep with its delicate scent of frosted berries and cedar wood." I said no then, but I am definitely gonna pick this up before the winter. What a great idea!

My most recent FAIL

A good friend just gently pointed out that I spelled Niagara wrong. I was spelling it like it sounds in my head - Niagra. Embarassing FAIL.

Perfect Weekend in Niagara

Mike and I went to Niagara Falls last weekend for our early 1 year anniversary celebration since Mike can't get vacation time in December. It was SUCH a wonderful, fantastic, much needed getaway!

Of course, I did tons of research on the bestplace to stay by the Falls and really am happy with where we landed - the Marriott Fallsview Hotel and Spa. Loved it! http://www.niagarafallsmarriott.com/

It was the only hotel on the Canadian side that had direct views of the Falls from your room.

I can't say enough great things about this hotel. The highlight of the hotel stay was my Spa exprience. Woohoo - good stuff. I got the 60 minute Aromatherapy Detoxifying massage. She used some magical citrus oil that was made out of oil from heaven, I tell ya. It was soooooo great! Mike thought that 30 minute massage would be enough time since, after all, "that is like a whole episode of Seinfeld!", but that is crazy talk. It is always 60 minutes at least for me to make it worth it. Here's the proof written all over my face:

The first day we were there-Friday, we went and saw the IMAX movie about the history of the Falls. It was cute and actually was a good idea to do before riding on the Maid of the Mist since they told the story over the loudspeaker on the boat, but nobody was hearing it since it was supercrazyloud with wind and water and people. We then had a delicious dinner at Tony Roma's since it was right across the street from the hotel. They used to have Tony Roma's in Rochester. Not sure if they still do. But man are those some good ribs!

On Saturday, we played tourists like champs We took the inclue down to the Welcome Center and then went under the Falls...

It is just amazing how powerful the Falls are. The sound and the mist and the visual images are breathtaking. And it was fun to wear a poncho. They told us that we could keep them as keepsakes. Hahaha. Wait, I guess I shouldn't laugh. We did buy approximately 12 postcards, 3 magnets and a keepsake picture of us under the Falls (for $20). You should see our fridge.

We then walked the one mile to the Maid of the Mist station. Not a fun walk since my back was hurting, but Mikey was a trooper and gently pushed me along the way. Once we got there, my competitive, spazzout streak kicked in and I tried to make it so that we were the first in line on the boat. It backfired because we tried to wait for the next boat to come in so we'd be first, but had to go on the one leaving. We ended up being the last ones on the boat. I was super crankers until we realized that it is better not to be on the top, front area of the boat since they get soaking wet. Suckers! Here is a picture of what the water looks like when you're smack dab in the middle of the Falls.

And a picture of Mike recreating the Jim Halpert knock on the Maid of the Mist from The Office. Haven't seen that episode? Do it now!

We had a nice dinner that night at the hotel. It was pricey, but we got some $ towards it from the hotel and the food was scrumptious!

We did go over to Casino Niagara, but promptly left when we discovered that you can't just walk by and put a quarter in a slot machine and try your luck. Since when do they only accept $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills?! We felt a huge case of the olds and lames then since we weren't willing to part with our money, but seriously. What is that about?! Or "aboot" as they would say in Canada.

We didn't get to go to any wineries this time, but we plan to take a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the future and sample the grapes.

I was seriously sad to leave. It was such a wonderful time. Mike makes all of our trips fun since he is so easygoing. I got myself a good one.

Here are some beautiful shots that we got from our stay that make me smile. Sunny day view of Horseshoe Falls:

Sunrise view from our window:

My feelings about leaving are represented here...

At least we got to hear the Steelers on the radio on the way back and they won. Great end to a fantabulous weekend.

Love this Quote

"Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

So, that is a quote from Ashton Kutcher's Twitter account. But isn't it great?? I felt like it deserved its own post.

Product Review: Garlic Dicer

If you're like me, you love cooking with garlic but don't love peeling and dicing it. PITA! So, I found this product at BB&B and LOOOVE it. I can't believe how great the E-Z Peel thing is to use to peel the cloves. The only negative is getting all of the little diced garlic pieces out of the dicer jar, but that is a small negative. You can easily use a knife to get all of the yummy pieces out. And it is safe to toss in the dishwasher. W00t! Grab one of the 50 BB&B coupons that you have sitting in your drawers and go get yourself one.

Gah! Lines! What's a girl to do?

Lines! On my forehead... around my eyes... Sigh.

So, another question for the ladies: What product do you use or have you heard works for wrinkles that doesn't cost 1/4 of my monthly paycheck? And not Botox. I won't go there. No botulism in my face, thank you very much!

On another subject... I'm going to start posting reviews of books and movies and products that I like. I subject my friends and relatives to my opinions on these things in real life, so I figure why not here. :) Not sure what my first review subject will be yet though. Stay tuned...

And I know blogs are fun with pics, so here are some recent ones that are Fall themed. Man, I love Fall!I took this one while on a walk during a lunch break last year.

This is a pic that Mike took last year. I looove this one.

Update about Kelly Frey's baby

Looks like good news at this point. :)

http://weddingsbyheather.com/blog/

Question for the ladies (or the metrosexuals)

What do you put on after you get out of the shower in regards to lotion or body oil, etc.? I can't do baby oil because it makes my skin break out in hives for some reason, but I'd love to hear your ideas! I need a new product.

Thanks! :)

Hopefully the final post about this..

Now, THIS makes sense:

"Jon Gosselin Dropped from Jon & Kate Plus 8
September 29, 2009

In a stunning announcement, TLC said Tuesday morning that as of Nov. 2 Jon Gosselin would no longer appear on the popular reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8 — and the program would undergo a name change, to simply Kate Plus 8.

“Given Jon’s recent antics, there was no way the show could continue to portray him as a doting Dad, not while all this other crap was going on,” a source close to Jon Gosselin tells PEOPLE.
The series first debuted on April 16, 2007, and experienced a ratings spike once the Gosselin marriage became troubled earlier this year. This past season the couple announced they would divorce."

Team Kate.

G20

This makes me sad...

http://www.wpxi.com/video/21110533/index.html

Who knows the circumstances behind it, but this young girl didn't deserve to be manhandled like she was. She was clearly trying to get out of the way. I would have thrown my bike at him, too. I'm so over the G20 activity. Hopefully Barry O. and the crew solved some major financial issues over there at the David L. and made all of this craziness worth it.

Truth in Advertising FAIL

What I thought the shrimp was going to look like:

What it really looked like - even after being cooked:

Tiny, scary, little baby shrimp. Sigh. FAIL.

Positive thoughts for Bennett

Kelly Frey is a local newscaster here in Pittsburgh - as many of you know. She found out, while pregnant, that her unborn son was diagnosed with a possibly fatal disorder and would probably not survive. She and her husband, Jeff, decided to carry the baby to term and leave his fate in the hands of God. Seeing her on TV pregnant - knowing that their baby may not survive long past birth... heartbreaking. Kelly gave birth to Bennett Ryan today. He survived through labor and delivery and is now undergoing more testing. But he is breathing on his own. He even yawned. :) Please keep Kelly, Jeff, and Bennett in your thoughts and/or prayers...

http://weddingsbyheather.com/blog/2009/09/bennett-ryan/

A FAIL for me

Setting: Friends' wedding reception in Greensburg on Saturday night

I had a bad sinus headache and we were leaving a tiny bit early. We were saying goodbye to the groom and Mike said, "Thanks for having us. Sorry we're leaving a bit early but..." I butt in because I feel like I should since I was the one who wanted to leave. I say, "Yeah, we're leaving. I'm sorry but we have to... um... well, nothing really. What do we do? Nothing. But we're leaving."

Oh FAIL.

Blog shyness

I started this blog very gung ho and excited about sharing my thoughts and opinions and funny stories. Wahoo - fun times! Well, I guess I didn't figure in that people may not agree with me or have anything to say about my posted topics. Hmmm. A sensitive person has to be careful about authoring a blog, I guess. (Stop laughing, sister. Haha.) I would post about things happening in my life, but nothing exciting is going on.

Um, Fall TV is starting up. I'm excited about that. I do love Fall TV. Medium, Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, House, Fringe... and I'm excited to see Flash Forward (Yay Charlie!). Mike said that Fall TV is too stressful and he is only picking one show to watch. Hahahahaha. That crumbled on Thursday night when The Office started and I asked him if he was going to pick The Office or Big Bang Theory as his one show. Mikey didn't have much to say then. Silly boy. Fall TV is good times. It relaxes me after a long day of hardly working. It makes me laugh after a long day of being sensitive. :P

I'm going to solicit some Comments with this post. I am curious... What candles do you use in your house/apartment/other type of dwelling that last long? I love to have candles going every night (especially in the Fall), but I feel like all I do is buy candles. Should I splurge and get Yankee large jar candles even though I can't imagine paying more than $10 for a candle? What do you use?

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze. R.I.P.

So sad. We all knew that he was very sick, but I guess I expected him to pull through somehow - despite the dire statistics for pancreatic cancer. But when I saw someone's FB post that he had passed, it really shocked and saddened me. Some celebrity passings hit me like that (i.e. River Phoenix, Lisa Left Eye Lopez, Aaliyah), but those were sudden deaths. I suppose it is really sad because Patrick Swayze was still relatively young and so determined to make it. It also hits a place in my heart where memories from my past reside. I have seen The Outsiders and Dirty Dancing approximately 12 times each. They were released at a time in my life when I was going through a lot of growth (emotionally, not so much physically -haha). His passing makes me remember those times with a bittersweet feeling. His passing makes me feel like I'm older somehow. Those memories are farther in the distance now somehow.

Of course, it is inspirational also to think about his life. How he was happily married for 36 years, how he starred in a television show when he was obviously very ill, how he had the courage to speak about his fears regarding his illness openly and honestly. His pain has ended. He lived a good life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3L2jz7N_Dk -

Randoms

Not much to blog about actually. A week in and I'm already slacking. :P

My grade school reunion was this weekend. That was a lot of fun. My old bestie Jordan and I put it all together and, if I say so myself, we pulled off a nice little party. Granted, there were only 10 of us there, but we hung out around the fire pit and reminisced until 1 AM. Waay past my bedtime, y'all! But totally worth it. We all really enjoyed each other's company back in grade school and nothing has changed since then.

Us...

Here is the fire pit that made the party...

And the twinkly lights around the french doors..

We were a little afraid of having 'pyrotechnics' right near the rectory, but it all worked out. Thanks to everyone who made it. It was GREAT seeing you!

Aside from that, I got my hairs cut. 2.5 inches whacked off and addition of a swoopy bang. I feel lighter. :)

Here is also a random observation... Where are all the pregnant women in the world? I know you're out there because I know tons of you, but how come it seems so rare that I see any riding the bus or walking around anywhere? Are you all driving from place to place and running inside? :P It is so funny to me that when I had the boot cast on my foot, I saw (and have since seen) people with boot casts on everywhere. But now that I'm focused on the pregnant world, I never see any pregnant ladies. Just wonderin'.

Today's FAIL

Not mine this time. :P

On the elevator at work: A hipster in her twenties pushes '4' and then asks what floor I'm going to, I tell her, and she pushes '3' for me. She then says, "Oh I'm sorry. I think that we'll go to 4 before your floor since I pushed 4 before 3." I said, "No, I think that we're gonna hit 3 first." We (of course) do and she says, "Huh. You win!" Her hipster guy friend then says to his girl friend, "I wouldn't bet against her. She knows what she's talking about!" Aww... FAIL.

Go Steelers!

It starts now, yinzers! Football season is upon us. This is what separates the true yinzers from the people that aren't from here 'n 'at. All of my friends that moved here give me breeze about being excited about the Steelers. I can't help it. It's in my blood or something. And those who were born in the 'burgh and don't get a little bit giddy for the Steelers to start playing... What the?! :P It is just plain fun, people!

Who doesn't love watching Heinz Ward catch a great pass and grin that awesome grin? Who doesn't love to see Mike Tomlin be all steely-faced and cool all at the same time over on the sidelines. You know you think he's cute! Who doesn't like to watch Big Ben take the ball and run down the field and then slide between three opposing team members for the first down? Good stuff!

Of course, it helps when the Steelers play well. But I think that we all hang in there through the bad and the good times. At least, we should. It is a nice feeling to unite over something fun. Especially since that is SO rare anymore. Uh oh, I'm getting deep about it.

To take it to a basic level, Fall is in the air and the sights and sounds of football bames are just plain aesthetically pleasing. So, there's that. I love it all.

Tonight at 8:30... don't call us. We're gonna be watching the first game of the season while drinking our ICs from our frosted Steelers pilsners and spinning our terrible towels in the air!

Update: Opinion about Stud Ears

After seeing the primetime Jon Douchenozzle interview last night, I just have to say a few things:

I really don't care who is to blame for their troubles. Do any of us really? It is just so apparent that Jon doesn't know how to handle himself now. He should be spending time with his kids and not complaining his commute from New York City to PA to see them at 4:30 AM. Why is he living in NYC? That just makes no sense. He said that he regrets going to the clubs, but he is STILL going to the clubs. He seems sort of delusional. He should just go be in love with his reformed partier and be quiet for a good long while. Poor baby didn't get to have a life. He was powerless over his own existence. Pfft. You can't go back, Jon. You can't be a college kid anymore. You made your bed.

And for those who are of the belief that Kate is a possum-headed tyrant...Yes, Kate may have been tough on Jon. But she wasn't holding him captive. But, yeah, she needs to shut it also. But at least she isn't out clubbing and dating and saying that she despises Jon. I see that as more damaging. They both need to do what they SAID they were gonna do and stop talking to the media. Is that possible for them? We will stop caring. Really we will. It happened with Britney. They too can be crazy without us watching.

And that's what I have to say about that. Oh, except that I love the host of that show. Especially when he basically said, "Not ok. You have to watch what you are saying about the mother of your children." I'm a fan.

Recent FAILs

- I brought a coupon to ULTA and the nice lady told me that it had expired. I looked at the date, July 31, 2009, and was actually confused for a second about what month it was and asked her, "Really?" FAIL.

- Related to above FAIL: Someone wrote as their Facebook status, "Happy September" on September 1st. I wrote as a comment, "Haha" because in my head I apparently thought that it was still July or something. I realized that my Comment was a big FAIL that night in bed. The person who wrote "Happy September" never asked why I wrote "Haha." FAIL.

- My friend asked me how to spell cancellation. She said that she didn't understand why spellcheck didn't correct her when she spelled it with one 'l'. I said, "It only has one 'l' unless you are just writing cancel." Cancell? Yeah, FAIL.

Opinion: Shut It

Sigh, why do I care about this stuff? Celebrity life has nothing to do with my life. I know this! But I'm intrigued like a lot of Americans are. Well, I'd say like most human beings are. I won't leave out the Canadians or even the Ukrainians. They care, I'm sure they do. :P I have said this so many times and will continue to say it... Jon Gosselin is a horrible man and needs to SHUT IT! When he popped those douchey stud earrings into his ears and bought the crates of those even douchier Christian whatever his name is t-shirts, he lost all bearing on reality. How does he not think that his publicly stating that he despises his soon-to-be ex-wife won't get back to his 8 kids someday? How does he not think that this all won't affect them? His bad choices. His poor judgement about with whom he spends his time and how he spends his money. It will all affect those kids and I'm going to venture to say not in a positive way. I guess I feel strongly about this since I'm a 'product' of divorce. I have so many false memories about my own parents' divorce about how I was somehow responsible and my Dad's actions and he didn't even do any of the things that I thought that he did (i.e. leave us for good when going out to get balloons for my 3rd year birthday party). Kids are fragile and vulnerable after divorce. It is just a fact. I thought that I wasn't affected, but I am finding out that I was. I didn't want to blame my parents for any insecurities or trust issues that I may have, but I can't say for sure that this is true. So, continuing to date tons of trashy women and continuing to badmouth the mother of your children over and over again in the media is just so sad.

http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=3252d6cc-7eb8-47f0-a7b7-60809ac451cd

And get off the phone when you're with your kids! Ugh.

Labor Day 2009

Ahh.. Labor Day. Day of no Labor. I like it. I'm not a huge fan of labor to begin with, as most that know me can attest; therefore, I an a big fan of this particular holiday. We just saw a piece on the Sunday Morning show about outlawing any labor or shopping on Sundays. Interesting that this used to be true in America. My first reaction was, "Jeez. When would I go shopping?!" But ya know, it may be a good idea to have a day when we are all forced to relax and spend time with the people around us or read or talk a nice leisurely walk. But of course, my reaction to that thought was that then there'd be too many people at the park or walking around in the streets 'relaxing' and getting in my way. So, I guess we should just leave well enough alone. :P

I have no particular purpose for starting this blog. I wanted to have a place to jot down my thoughts and let people know what is going on with my life. There are many things happening in my life now, so I guess it could turn out to be interesting. Or it could be a dud. But, I'm going to stick with it for a while and see what happens. Some funny stories could show up, some recipes, or some rambling thoughts. We'll see...

Speaking of things going on, Mike and I are going to start to try to conceive. 38 years old seems like a good a time as any to start. I'm trying to get the hang of figuring out what I need to know in terms of fertility and all things related. I knew from some friends' experiences that there were many things involved, but I thought that I could just skip all of that and go right to the part where I say, "Would ya look at that? A plus sign!" Not gonna happen. I won't document all of the details, but ladies... you probably know what I'm talking about. I'm nervous about it all for many reasons. Obviously age brings on fears of risks and chances and all of that. And I wonder what it means that I pretty much had to breathe into a paper bag when I watched an episode of '16 and Pregnant' on MTV today during the part of the episode when the teenager was giving birth. Yeah, I know what happens when a woman goes into labor, but that poor girl was freaking out and in some ka-razy looking pain. Haven't they figured out how to give an epidural by any other means than a huge friggin' shot in your back? They should work on that. I am excited about it all, but I really have to up my tolerance for anything past a bruise in order to be a happy pregnant lady. How can you be equal parts excited and equal parts freaked out? It is a teeter-totter existence, but so it is. That's life.