Jack Bauer saves the day, of course

Is that me next to Jack Bauer? Why yes, it is. This is no photoshop job. It's the real deal, really happened.

You see, while celebrating Julie's birthday (pictured here in the sassy blue dress) at Blue Velvet, an uber cool lounge in downtown LA, he mysteriously appeared at the bar. Elise thought she was going to cry. I thought there might be a nuclear bomb in downtown. The two of us stalked him a little. OK, maybe it was more than a little. We decided that the birthday girl needed a picture with him. Elise took the matters into her own hands. Here's how it went down:

Elise: Hey, Kiefer. It's our friend's birthday and since we are totally obsessed with you, we were wondering if we could get a picture with you.

Keifer: OK, sure.

Approaching Kiefer, Julie gets her dress caught on a table. Kiefer rushes to help detangle Julie.

Liz: Jack Bauer saves the day, of course! (Note: Yes, I am always that person who has to make the goofiest remark possible. I just can't seem to play it cool around celebs).

Kiefer: Well, I'm also a seamstress.

Kiefer hands Julie's camera to his buddy and asks him to take picture. Kiefer motions to me to come on his other side for the photo.

Julie: I promise we're not usually this retarded.

Friend takes picture.

Kiefer's friend: I'm not sure it came out.

Kiefer: Take another photo.

All gather around Julie's camera to see the results.

Julie: Someone wasn't smiling.

Kiefer: Yeah, I was smiling.

Julie: You didn't show your teeth.

Kiefer has friend take another one and shows his teeth this time. Julie approves. Then, he gives Julie a hug and kiss.

He was totally cool and nice as pie even though he was a tad intoxicated. Loved the attention from all the ladies. I saw him smoke about four cigarettes in a half hour. Rather skinny too....I hear that can happen from a lengthy stay in a Chinese prison.

So, does Jack always save the day?? Why yes, he does!

Feeling Grey?

I don't know about you, but I am absolutely obsessed with Grey's Anatomy. It's the one show I can't miss. And since we are sans Tivo at the moment, I have to make sure I am in front of the TV at 9 on Thursdays. I'm equally obsessed with the music they play. And now our friends at ABC have a "Music Guide" for each episode with direct links to iTunes - http://abc.go.com/primetime/greysanatomy/music?pn=mguide - Hurrah! I downloaded that song, "The Hop," that played while Meredith was in the tub at the beginning of the last episode. Good stuff.

I'd also like to point out that in the past two weeks that we have seen both Sandra Oh (who sat next to Bill at Atwater Village restaurant Canele) and Ellen Pompeo (walking down the street at Sunset Junction) in our neighborhood. When Sandra (aka Dr. Yang) sat down at the table beside us in Canele (where the tables are super close to each other), I could hardly hold a conversation with Bill. I just wanted to hug her and congratulate her on her pending nuptials to Burke. It was all I could do to stop myself. She even ordered the same appetizer we were eating and looked over at our table to check it out. When Bill saw Ellen, he said that she needed to eat like a dozen cheeseburgers b/c she looked too rexy.

Our rash of TV star sightings continued today when we crossed Silver Lake Blvd. in front of Jason Lee (aka Earl from "My Name is Earl") in his Lotus.

Nicodemus, You're an Expensive Problem!

Dear Nicodemus,

You bloody, bastard. You can really drive a man to drink. You chewed through the washer hose, dryer hose and now the dishwasher hose. You've cost me more $$$ in the past week. Do you know how much it is to buy a new hose?? Let alone two new hoses and bait boxes and traps and appliance repair calls and exterminator service and a new dryer vent and a handyman to put the dryer vent on. You're running up a hefty tab. I also had to put a new garbage disposal in....it better not have been you that caused the exposed wire.

You are keeping me up at night. I've had nightmares about you crawling on me while sleeping or in the baby's crib. Other nightmares about how you draining my bank account. Oh wait, that's not a nightmare, that's reality.

I'm done. I'm threw with you. Get out!!!!!! Get out now!!!!!!!

Eagerly awaiting your departure,
Elizabeth R. Rietz

Please leave, Nicodemus

Dear Nicodemus,

I understand that you have found your way into our house and into our laundry room. Apparently, you are a pretty thirsty fellow since you chewed the hose to the washer. I am asking you to please find another water source. Can't you go mooch water from a neighborhood pooch?

I'd like to think of you as an antisocial type, one who flies solo. I hear that is rarely the case. You've got friends and family.

Consider this letter as your notice of eviction. Please leave our property immediately and take your belongings and your people with you. You are not welcome here.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth R. Rietz

Nicodemus: An Introduction

What we thought was a mouse problem has turned into a rat problem. Great, just great.

Bill bought these teeny, tiny mouse traps to set around the kitchen. He assured me that he knew the difference between mouse and rat droppings since he grew up with guinea pigs. I was skeptical. When Mark from Western Exterminator came by, he laid traps about 6x the size of the ones that Bill purchased. Proving that a familiarity with the droppings of guinea pigs does not qualify one to be an expert on rodent excrement.

So, a rat it is. We've dubbed him "Nicodemus" as in the Nicodemus from a childhood favorite movie, "The Secret of Nimh," animation of the book "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh." If you recall the movie or book, Nicodemus is the mystical leader of the rats, a rather friendly rat if there is such a thing. I'm not saying he's a friendly rat, but I am hatching an evil plot to kill Nicodemus as Jenner the rat does in the movie. But when he is dead, I won't cry like I did when watching the movie.