I need your help. My friends need your help. A year ago I asked you to support me in a Walk For a Cure for my friend’s little girl who lives with diabetes every day. This year I am asking for your support in three separate causes. And, like last year, I will donate $1 to EACH cause for every comment left on this post from now until next Saturday, February 28th. So comment away.

What are the causes that need your help?

Unfortunately I can’t make it to the JDRF Walk For a Cure this year, but I still want to help out my friend, Carrie, and her beautiful daughter, Payton. In the two years since 7-year-old Payton was diagnosed with diabetes she has become quite a role model. This last year, when her friend Brookelyn was also diagnosed with diabetes, Payton comforted her and told her it would be ok while Carrie helped Brookelyn’s parents deal with the shock and learn to take care of their daughter’s needs. And earlier this month Payton was chosen to attend JDRF’s Children’s Congress in June in Washington D.C.! Out of 1,500 applicants, Payton was one of only 150 children chosen to meet with members of congress to tell her story and hopefully encourage more funding for research to find a cure for diabetes. She is such a brave little girl.

If you would like to donate to Payton’s Promise (her team name for the walk) please visit Carrie’s walk page. Their team goal is $4000. Last year they raised $5000 and I would love to see them blow last year away. Please help if you can.

My friend, Nicole, is walking in the Walk MS fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis. She is walking for her dear friend, Jen’s team. Sadly Jen just lost her mom who suffered with MS for many years. A donation to the National MS Society is used to fund important research for a cure and also provides programs and services to those currently affected by MS.

If you would like to donate to Felicia’s Fighters (their team named after Jen’s mom) please visit Nicole’s walk page. Nicole’s goal is $188 and the team goal is $1500. Please help them reach their goal.

Fellow blogger, Matthew at Child’s Play X2, is holding an online auction to raise money for the Border View YMCA. Your bids go directly towards supporting programs in a community where 1 in 4 live in poverty and many more work multiple jobs just make ends meet. And you can bid on some pretty great prizes including a custom blog design, a pass to this summer’s BlogHer conference, a Flip Video camera, tickets for 2 on a cruise and much, much more.

Head over to the online auction site to put in your bids. Bid to win some really great items and help those in need at the same time.

Thank you so much for your support. And don’t forget to leave a comment below.

Saturday night I went out to dinner with some good friends. During the meal one of them mentioned Cheese Pizza was going to be playing at a local bar later that night. I am apparently completely out of touch with all things cool because I thought cheese pizza was a really boring flavor of Italian pie. But it’s actually a fairly well known and popular band. Who knew?

I finished nibbling on my salad that was really just shredded lettuce with a couple of tomatoes and strips of grilled chicken (note to self: don’t order salad at a Mexican restaurant), we paid our bill, and headed to the bar.

There was a $10 cover charge at the door. $10. WTH?!? I know you people in the big cities are all like “what’s the big deal about a $10 cover charge. That’s cheap.” But here in the country we don’t pay $10 covers. Five bucks max, but never $10. However, I was assured that it was totally worth it.

As soon as we stepped in to the bar I wondered if that was really true. Dude. The music? It was so loud. I proclaimed, “Either I’m old or this music is really loud.” I believe the consensus was that I am really old. But seriously, do rock back have to be so damn loud. Can’t they just rock out a little bit quieter?

The warm up band played a bunch of oldies. Some Def Leppard. A little Metallica. All very loud. Did I mention it was loud?

Then finally Cheese Pizza took the stage. This is what they looked like from our vantage point.

I’m not really experienced in all things rock. When I was much younger (like junior high) I tried to get tickets to the Bon Jovi concert. But Ticketmaster sold out before my dad got home from work. Other than seeing Quiet Riot at the fair a few years back, I’ve only been to two concerts; both of them Boyz II Men. Nothing against Boyz II Men, but they aren’t exactly hardcore. So I might have tattoos (very pretty tattoos), but I’m far from a bad ass.

But here I was at a rock concert. The music was already pretty darn loud for me. Another couple years and I’ll be scowling and stomping out of places with bands playing “that ear piercing noise kids are listening to these days.” So I needed to whoop it up before I started getting arthritis and needing a cane.

I decided we needed to get closer. Be groupies. Beg for beads. Trample young girls for the slightest chance of actually touching a smelly, sweaty, cross-dressing rockstar. Every girl needs the chance to be up close and personal when a fat guy strips down to his g-string. Good stuff like that.

So I dragged my friend up to the front. Here’s a shot from the front row.

Hey, at least I was very nice about pushing people out of the way and elbowing my way to the front. I threw on a big smile and apologized to every person I stomped on. I’m such a conscientious line budger.

So now I can scratch off “become a groupie” from my bucket list.

Biggest Loser: Last week it was like white versus black. Good versus evil. It was Coleen versus Vicky. And evil won. I had such high hopes. The week before Amy did the right thing and voted out Brady. Not only was it smart for her to vote out a guy who can put up numbers and threatens her “biggest loser” title each week. But it was smart for her to break of the force of Brady, Vicky, Heba and Ed. If it came down to it Amy would have to continue to be above the yellow line, because she’s the fifth wheel in that alliance. Which she is the first one to be voted out. Has she never watched Survivor?

But this week she let Vicky’s abuse and classless school girl taunting get to her and she succumbed to the peer pressure. Vicky’s like the bully on the playground stealing everybody’s lunch money and Amy decided she didn’t want the bully to be mad at her. I’m so disappointed in Amy.

Vicky makes me almost want to stop watching the show. Yes, Biggest Loser is a reality show with a cash prize at the end. But it’s never been about backstabbing (well rarely ever). The main goal has always been about getting healthy, learning how to stay healthy, and feeling good about yourself. But Vicky has completely tainted that. She brings back nightmares of the evil “friendship” alliance [worshipers of Cappy] on Big Brother. And I HATED that season of Big Brother.

Grey’s Anatomy: Shonda, What the hell?!? You’ve come out and said Izzy does not have a brain tumor. And we need to wait and see where you’re going with Izzy and Denny. Well you need to get there quickly because I’m ready to remove Grey’s from my TiVo Season Pass list.

First, this season sucks. And second…well there is no second. Does there need to be a second when #1 is the season sucks? I think not.

How in the hell does anybody still have a job at this hospital? First Izzy cuts Denny LVAT wire (or whatever the heck it’s called) and steals a heart from another man. But we forgave her and moved on. But then the residents completely ignore their interns. They don’t teach them a damn things even though it’s, you know, a teaching hospital. Then the interns go and perform surgery on their perfectly healthy co-workers to get more experience. Seriously?!?

And then there’s the Izzy and Denny story. I hated the original Izzy and Denny story. At least in the beginning. I like Izzy and Alex together. I think Izzy has always brought the best out of Alex. But they went and screwed up that relationship by having Izzy fall in love with a patient. I thought that was so irresponsible of a doctor and completely unbelievable [but if I had known that later interns would be cutting open other interns I may have found this storyline a little more believable.] And frankly, it pissed me off.

But by the end I warmed up the story line. Especially when Denny died. No I’m not morbid. I just thought there was some serious good acting during the grief period. With Izzy laying on the bathroom in her prom dress and then baking cupcakes 24/7. And one of my all time favorite scenes on Grey’s was when Alex lifted Izzy off of Denny’s bed (and his dead body) and rocked her in the chair. I fell in love with Alex right then.

And now Izzy and Alex are back together and Denny is back to screw up their relationship. DEAD Denny is back. Izzy is having sex with a DEAD guy. Seriously?!? I cannot stand it when great shows try to pull this “bring somebody back from the dead” bullshit. This is not As the World Turns. This is Grey’s Anatomy. Can we please put on big girl panties and write a show that women (and men) can actually relate to? ‘Cause I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever had sex with a dead man. Nor do I want to.

Survivor: I’m not a Survivor fanatic like some. In fact I’ve only watched the last couple of seasons. I never followed the first several seasons. It just never really got my attention. But now I’m a fan and I’ve added it to my TiVo Season Pass. On a trial basis.

And this season is really ticking me off. Normally I’m all about rooting for the underdog. I love to see the weak come out strong. I love to see the hated work their ass off to stay. But this season? Not so much.

I cannot stand Kenny. Or Crystal. CAN. NOT. STAND. THEM. And it’s really irritating that they keep convincing all of these other losers to vote with them. Eventually we’ll have Kenny, Crystal, Susie, and Sugar left and challenges will take all day because none of them are strong enough to do a damn thing. [It was just a complete fluke that Susie and Sugar were the only ones who could make fire in the previous challenge.] Challenges will turn in to “whoever can swim 10 feet without drowning wins immunity.” Please. Give me a break.

Amazing Race: I really have no gripes about Amazing Race. Why? Because I never get to watch the show. CBS insists on ALWAYS running late with the damn football game. And they refuse to put the show on their website. Why CBS? Are you trying to get the show cancelled? Do you not want people to watch? Because I’m about to stop putting forth the effort since you can’t even meet me half way. I can’t record the show after Amazing Race because I record Desperate Housewives. Sure I could not record Desperate Housewives since ABC PUTS THEIR POPULAR SHOWS ON THEIR WEBSITE, but why should I? Desperate Housewives is on time every week. Why should I punish them for your stupidity, CBS? Get your shit together CBS!

Desperate Housewives: What the heck is up with Lynette’s hair? It’s been 5 years since chemo. Surely her hair has grown back by now. So why is she still wearing that wig? That is a wig right? And not really Felicity Huffman’s hair. ‘Cause if it’s her real hair she needs to fire her stylist yesterday.

What TV shows are pissing in your Cheerios?

I’m watching a preview of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Have you ever seen these Housewives shows on Bravo. It started with Orange County Housewives. Then they added New York Housewives. I’ve heard rumors of New Jersey Housewives. And now Atlanta Housewives. Basically, each series is about a group of women with way too much money.

In this episode one of the housewives just wrote a check for $68,000 and some change for a Cadillac Escalade. She just bought an almost $70,000 car like I buy a gallon of milk. Just plucked it up off the shelf and slapped it down on the conveyor belt. I’m pretty sure my checkbook would have a coronary, dry up and die a slow and painful death if I tried to write a $70,000. Heck my checkbook dry heaves if I write a $70 check.

From what I’ve seen it looks like the Atlanta women are going to be the most extravagant housewives to date. These woman are stay-at-home moms with full entourages. They have chefs, a full cleaning staff, personal assistants and PR people. PR people for crying out loud. For a stay-at-home mom. Granted these aren’t normal stay-at-home moms. These moms aren’t driving minivans to soccer games and baking cookies for PTO events. These women are drowning themselves in fine silks and diamonds to make appearances at parties or store openings or wherever else camera are flashing so they can show off their wealth. But seriously? PR people?

One of the housewives had her personal assistant call her dad and ask him what he needed for his upcoming stay at her house. Who does that? Who has their personal assistant call their parents to ask them for a list of demands? Who is her dad? J. Lo.? You know what my mom gets when she comes to my house? A glass of water. And she’s happy about it.

I love Orange County. New York was mildly entertaining. But I’m not sure I’ll be able to stomach Atlanta. What do you think? Did you catch the preview on Bravo too?