24 Day 7: 11pm-12am

Previously on 24: Senator Mayer is dead, and everyone thinks Jack did it. Ethan Kanin resigns as Chief of Staff. Jack gets Tony Almeida to help him obtain the biological weapons before Starkwood can get their hands on them. Jack leaves Tony to get captured, and ends up exposing himself to the bio-weapon before losing it again to Starkwood! Jack done messed up!

And now…

The following takes place between 11pm and 12am…

Jack has to get down to his skivvies in the middle of the road so the CDC can check him out for cooties. His body is covered in scars. It’s sad. Then he gets butt-ass nekkid and hosed down.

At the FBI offices, Moss fills in Janis. He says they won’t make a move against Starkwood without proof there’s a bio-weapon, and even then they have to tell the president and let her decide what to do. Oh, so now you want to listen to orders?

The bio-weapon arrives at Starkwood’s compound and so does Almeida. Hodges says that Almeida isn’t going to talk – he’s not the type. In other words, he’s not a punk-ass. Why do they want to talk to Tony? Why not just kill him?

Hodges is salty that the weapons will take two hours to deploy. He knows that getting them ready is the only thing that will keep the government from bum-rushing them.

Almeida is getting his ass kicked, but he still won’t talk. They want to know what the FBI knows. Tony says he doesn’t know anything. Hodges’ assistant, Greg, thinks they should destroy the evidence. Hodges tells him to man up.

The CDC finds that the trace amounts of the airborn pathogen shouldn’t be enough to do any harm. They’re going to transport Jack to the FBI offices where they’ll run the remainder of their tests.

At the White House, Olivia has a suggestion for the new Chief of Staff. The president agrees to meet with him. In the meantime, she wants Olivia to be COS. What? They went from not speakng to this in like five hours. Larry Moss calls the White House.

Moss tells the president that Jack is innocent and that Starkwood was involved in the earlier attacks. The president calls for the cabinet and joint chiefs.

Moss tells Agent Walker that Jack was right. She resists the urge to be like, “I told you so.” He tells her that Jack was exposed and he apologizes to her for not trusting her. Are these two doing the nasty?

Olivia stops Aaron from leaving the White House. She wants him to be her secret service man and she won’t take no for an answer. If that heifer gets Aaron killed, I’ma be mad.

The president tells the cabinet and joint chiefs what’s going on. They worry that going into Starkwood would be like starting a mini-war and they have to be careful not to set off the bio-weapons. In other words, they’re in deep shit.

Almeida still won’t talk. A henchman is about to kill Tony when Greg kills him. He wants Tony’s help. He ain’t tryna go to jail for the rest of his life because Hodges went White Boy Crazy.

On the way to the FBI offices, Jack gets his blood work results, but they don’t tell us what they mean! WTF!

Jack arrives at the FBI offices. He has cooties, but they’re not contagious. There is no cure for cooties. Agent Walker walks in on Jack getting dressed and sees his scars. She wants him. Badly. She tells him she needs to debrief him.

Greg leads Tony to his office where he takes a call from Hodges. Hodges wants Greg’s ass ready to roll before the FBI gets there, and he wants Tony dead if he doesn’t start singing. Greg begins to set up a secure line so that they can call the FBI.

Tony calls in and Moss says he needs to get the okay from the president before they can cut a deal for Greg. COME ON! We don’t have time for this shit! Hodges is getting the cooties weapons ready as we speak!

At the White House, the president watches video footage of what the bio-cooties-weapon can do. The president says she didn’t do enough to limit Starkwood’s power. Moss calls in and tells the president of the deal Greg wants to cut. She agrees. She electronically signs the pardon and the raid on Starwood is set to begin in ten minutes.

Greg not only tells them which warehouse the weapons are in, but he gives longitude and latitude too. Damn.

Jack wants to go and be in on the raid, but Moss says they can’t risk him having a cooties attack in the field. Then he pities him. You don’t pity Jack Bauer!

Greg leads Almeida to where the weapons are so he can do recon for the raid. 1,500 Starkwood soldiers on the scene and he only encounters one. Tony Almeida takes him out easily enough. Hodges is getting antsy. The weapons are taking too long to get ready and he knows the FBI are on their way.

Moss is two minutes out via helicopter. He gets intel from Tony. He then gets on the horn w/ Starkwood’s air tower and tells them they’re coming in under order of the president. They drop in Rainbow-Six style. This is too easy!

They blow the door to the warehouse where the weapons are being held. But they’re not there!

Greg lied. That rat bastard! He claims that Tony coerced him to saying he knew where the weapons were. The FBI is on the wrong side of the compound. Tony looks at Greg like he wants to beat dat ass.

Moss reports back to Agent Walker that the weapons aren’t there. Jack reasons that they couldn’t have moved them so quickly and that they must be on the compound somewhere.

Starkwood men advance on the FBI and tell them they searched the warehouse they came to search, and now they must leave. If they advance further, they will be fired upon.

Tick… tock… tick… tock.

BIOBaby: 8 Month Update

Jack will be 8 months old this week. It’s funny that we can chart differences in his behavior and appearance, literally, overnight. Today he started making this funny face whenever he got impatient. He’d never done it before, but he did it several times today. My Mom and I were like, “Where did that come from?!”

A New Word, Kinda.

So, he’s already been saying, “Hey!,” since he was 5 months old. Over the past few weeks we’ve noticed him adding a new word to his lexicon. Uh. That’s right. Uh.

He says it to get your attention, and even funnier, he says it to get the TV’s attention. If I go from live TV to the TiVo menu, it gets quiet. Jack will look up at the TV and go, “Uh.” If he wants Kali to look at him, he’ll go, “Uh,” until she does. It’s very funny and kinda caveman-like.

Two Teeth, But Eating Like a Grown-Up

Thanks to my Mom being here, it’s been very easy to get Jack on an eating schedule. On the weekends I’ll make his apples, sweet potatoes, and carrots. After they’re pureed, I’ll freeze them in ice cube trays and then store the frozen cubes in Ruberrmaid containers in the freezer. By the time Jack and I come downstairs for the day – usually around 10am – my Mom will have two cubes of apples thawing to room temperature. She’ll mix it with baby cereal and Jack loves it! He also likes mashed up bananas.

This week I’m gonna try pears and another veggie… just haven’t decided which yet.

Thanks to my Mom, Jack also eats things he’s not supposed to. I’ve caught him eating a chocolate chip cookie (sucking on it, really), and the noodles from her chicken noodle soup.

“He’s gonna choke!”

“He’s fine! Did I ever let you choke?”

“How the hell should I know? God knows how many near-misses I had!”

Then again, I’m guilty of letting him have some cranberry juice. Just tiny tastes as I’m trying to get him to drink from a straw. I’ll put my finger on one end of the straw and let the juice kinda dribble in his mouth.

“Running” The Show

I suspect he’ll walk before he’s one. He already pulls himself up and walks along the furniture. He’s fearless. He doesn’t understand that he can’t already walk and run. He also doesn’t understand gravity. He will jump out of my arms in a second if I’m not careful. We’re gonna go to Stride Rite this week for some hard-bottomed shoes so he can practice keeping his balance.

Dirty Boy

He used to love taking a bath and then it seemed that as soon as my mother got here, he started playing me. He would scream bloody murder. It was kinda embarrassing. Like I didn’t bathe my kid or something. Now, my mom gives him a bath every night between 8pm-9pm and he cries less and less each time. In fact, last night he fussed for about 30 seconds before accepting his fate and splashing water.

Now, we just need to break him of a new bad habit: rolling around when you’re trying to change his diaper. I’m thisclose to getting peed on. I know it.

Video #1 – Jack takes out his baby aggression on my notebook.

Video #2 – He ignores me for the USB cord.

Video #3 – His latest thing seems to be pretending to ride a horse while holding the mat. I have to get video where he’s really going at it next time.

Video #4 – Jack owns the family room. Everyday I put down a blanket for me to crawl on, and all of his toys. We just leave it like that all day. If I tried cleaning up after him throughout the day I’d never get anything done. It’s easier to just let him have the run of the room and clean up once at the end of the night. Then it repeats the next day.

The Amazing Race 14: Gorilla? Gorilla? Gorilla?

Previously on The Amazing Race: A whole bunch of stuff I didn’t see because I only half paid attention thinking it was TiVo’ing upstairs. It wasn’t. I see Christie and Jodi were eliminated.

And now…

The teams start off in northwestern India.

Tammy and Victor leave first at 10:21a.m. They’re flying to Thailand. Using only a picture for a reference, they have to find a gorilla statue. Tammy has been to Thailand before, but with her parents and they kept her on lockdown.

Mel and Mike leave next. The only Thai the dad knows is Mai Tai. *rim shot*

They’re going to Phuket, and I giggle pronouncing it Fuck-It. Don’t judge me!

The redhead cheerleaders, Jaime and Cara, are so obnxious. One doesn’t like foreign languages, she doesn’t like noise… ugh. Every season they cast two pretty, pageant-like, white girls that just don’t respect other cultures. It’s annoying.

The black girls get jumped by some Indian kids who are starving and want money. That’s just sad.

All teams end up on the same flight to Phuket, Thailand.

One of the redheads is condescending in Thailand too. “Do you know what a race is, cab driver?”

All the teams jump out of their cabs and assault the locals with their gorilla picture. “Gorilla? Gorilla? Gorilla?” Once they find out it’s at the zoo, they’re off.

Jaime and Cara get there first and find out that their first task is to take a picture with a tiger.

Mel and Mike, for some stupid ass reason, are going to the beach.

The tiger handler has one arm. I shit you not. One. Arm. Not a good sign.

Kisha and Jen reason that if the tiger didn’t eat the two midget stuntmen, then they’d be alright. Kisha says that they are each about the size of the trainer’s missing arm. LMAO!

Next task is to lay on the ground and let an elephant walk over you and then squat.

My ass would be sooo eliminated.

Mark and Michael, tiny stuntmen, are in first place. They head to the next task where they have to ask the owner of an herb shop to open one of 99 herb drawers until they find a clue.

Mel and Mike finally decide to ask for help finding the gorilla statue, but no one knows where it is. Why they didn’t just stop when everyone else did is beyond me.

At the herb shop, Jaime and Cara yell at the owner. They are annoyed because he doesn’t speak English. Bitches, you’re in Thailand. He’s not obligated to speak your language.

Mark and Michael, the tiny tots, get their clue first and face a Detour. They have to choose between 100 barrels or 2 miles. In barrels, they have to prepare a fishing ship for ten days at sea. They will fill 47 barrels with drinking water to last the trip, and then move the remaining barrels to the roof. In 2 miles, they have to navigate a rickshaw (sp) through the streets for 2 miles. They choose the rickshaw.

Mel and Mike FINALLY find the zoo and complete the tasks.

Jaime and Cara are still at the herb shop. Other teams have come and gone. Good for them. After yelling some more, they finally pick a drawer with a clue. Damnit. I wanted them to be there all night.

Mel and Mike are at the herb shop, and having such a good time picking the empty drawers. I like them.

Shorty Stuntmen pump the tires of their rickshaw and then pile all the other pumps and tools into a crate to make it harder for the other teams. Never trust a midget! They have a cabbie lead them to the end of the detour and they follow in the rickshaw.

Tammy and Victor take off without filling their tires because they don’t see the equipment in the crate. Hahahaha. Other teams do the same thing.

Shorty Do-Wops make it to the pit stop first. BUT they incur two 30-minute penalties. One for hiding the pumps and another for hiring a cabbie to lead them to pit stop. They sit out their penalty under a tree and look just like Keebler Elves.

Margie and Luke struggle with the rickshaw challenge because he can’t hear her. Mel and Mike work through the barrel challenge.

Tammy and Victor arrive before the little dudes’ penalty is up and they win a trip. Jaime and Cara are team number 2. The shrimpy shrimp shrimps are hatin’.

Margie and Luke make it to the pit stop and it’s so obvious Margie is struggling. Yet, Phil still does the dramatic pause thing before telling them they are team number 4.

They celebrate, and then Margie faints. Phil is so great taking care of her and whispering to her to breathe. *sigh*

Kisha and Jen finish the barrel challenge before Mel and Mike and head for the pit stop. BUT their cab driver drops them off at the wrong place and Mel and Mike finish and jump in a cab.

Kisha and Jen get in a cab that doesn’t seem to be moving. But they still make it before Mel and Mike. Mel and Mike are eliminated. Going to the beach screwed them.

Are We Doing Our Boys Justice?

When I wrote about Kali not being able to attend sleep-overs, I found some interesting thoughts to chew on in the comments.

In this day and age, we are all too familiar with the fact that children are victimized no matter what sex they are. Molestation, rape, kidnapping, etc., are not reserved for little girls. Boys are preyed upon too.

After speaking with friends and family members that have boys and girls, I found that people seem to be more protective of their little girls. Whether it be because we assume that girls are more fragile, or that we still associate molestation, rape, etc. with little girls, parents seem to be more careful with their little girls.

A single Dad of a teenage boy and girl pointed out on the blog that his son has sleep-overs, but because of parents that felt as I did, his daughter never did. How fair is that to her? On the flip side, are we opening up our sons to more danger by having less restrictions? The homes of possible sleep-overs are extra scrutinized for our girls (if they’re allowed to go at all), but not so for boys.

Boys are also given more rope when it comes to curfews and when they’re allowed to date. I remember with my own parents, it was cause for jokes if my brother came home from school talking about a girl. My sisters and I were not afforded the same luxury. Crushes were kept on the D.L. You didn’t fix your lips to talk about boys in front of your parents.

In talking to people for this blog, I had one parent admit something to me that pretty much blew my mind. They allow their teenage son to have sex in their home. Why? Because they worry about their son’s safety if he’s caught having sex in his girlfriend’s home. They reason that their preteen daughter wouldn’t be shot by an angry Mom if she’s caught in her boyfriend’s room, but their teenage son might have to run for his life from an angry Dad if the tables were turned.

Now imagine affording your daughter the same permission? Yeah, I didn’t think so. We worry about our girls coming home pregnant, but do parents stress the same when it comes to their boys getting girls pregnant?

This treatment can even be traced back further. I need only look to my own husband and son. I am paranoid about head injuries. I just don’t think they should be taken lightly. No, I don’t rush Jack to the ER for every head bump, but as any responsible parent would, I monitor him afterwards. My stone fireplace hearth is of particular concern to me so it’s surrounded by throw pillows. (The baby guards just don’t cut it.)

Anytime Jack takes a tumble, Donny says, “He’ll be all right. He’s a boy!” As if being a boy makes him any less an infant! We shouldn’t be less concerned with Jack’s injuries because he’s a boy. Donny seems to think that broken bones are par for the course of having a son. That doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t expect to put him in a bubble, but since when are broken bones a good thing?

So, I toss it to you.

Are boys and girls raised differently, and if so, are boys put more at risk because of it? Would you allow your teenage son to have sex in your home? Do you find yourself affording your boy more leeway than your daughter because you worry about him less, or think that he can handle more? How did your parents handle it?

TCTBTF: Week 12

People often comment, “I don’t know how you do it all!”

I multi-task like a mofo. If I didn’t, I’d go insane. I am incapable of doing just one thing. If I’m studying or doing homework, I’m also watching shows off the TiVO. If I’m going to the bathroom, I’m also reading or on the laptop tweeting and blogging. If I’m playing a video game with Donny, I will stop to read a book when new scenes are “loading.” Even when I’m falling asleep, I’m writing. I’m thinking about the next chapter of my book, or my next blog, of a school project. For someone so lazy, I honestly can’t sit and do nothing.

For the past 12 weeks I’ve made changes to my eating habits, fallen off the wagon, and climbed back on again. I’d yet to make a committment to working out though. My excuse had been, “I’m too busy.” And I am! Between Jack, Kali, schoolwork, the site, and my book, I’m swamped. I couldn’t figure out a way to work out and get other things done. The thought of sweating away on the elliptical and just… well, sweating away on the elliptical seemed boring and a waste of time.

Until last night…

I came home from class, nursed the baby, and changed into work-out clothes. I got on the elliptical and while I worked out…. I played the X-BOX. I know, I know! But it worked! The time flew. I’d been saying for months now that I wish I had freetime to play video games like I used to. Well, now I have a way to get my gaming on and do something worthwhile.

Last night it was Uno Rush. I don’t think I can handle anything as involved as sniping people in the head in Halo 3. I’ll just stick to card games for now.

Breakfast today: Yogurt and cranberry juce. After I post this I’m gonna make some egg whites, whole wheat toast, with a tbs of peanut butter and more juice. Dinner will be pasta with meat sauce and a green salad.

I’m down 2lbs this week. Bringing my 12 week total to …. -4. I’m getting back on track, folks. And when Donny gets home and takes Jack, my Mom and I will do the Wii Fit.

How have you been?

Snitches Get Stitches, Bitches.

I love a good secret. I really do. And I like keeping secrets. I think that’s because it’s just another way for me to know more than everyone else. I get a sadistic sense of satisfaction from that.

But there’s a problem. If the secret is really good, really juicy, well then I want to share it.

Don’t you hate that?! Someone gets you to promise not to repeat something BEFORE you hear how juicy it is. That’s not fair. You should be able to renig on that depending on how earth-shattering the secret is. Like, you can’t tell me you’re having Michael Jackson’s love child and expect me not to tell someone… or blog about it… or call The Enquirer.

And there should be a spouse clause. I reserve the right to tell my husband. Besides, he likes it and it makes him feel included. The more of your secrets that I can spill to him, the less he’ll suspect me of having secrets of my own.

Also, if it’s really gross, I should be allowed to tell someone else. If you hook up with some random guy and get crotch rot, I should be able to tell one friend for my own sanity’s sake. Like, my brain shouldn’t have to bear the mental imagery. I should be able to unload some of that burden to someone else’s brain. It’s only fair.

True story: a friend of mine once complained of having an irritated eye. It seems he and his partner got a little… vigorous during a night of love-making.

“Can I ask you something?,” he asked.

“Sure.”

“You ever get some… stuff… in your eye?”

“What kinda stuff?”

He went into details.

“Ewww, no! Bob and weave, fool! Bob and weave!”

I told Donny as soon as I got home.

“Why did you tell me that? I didn’t want to know that!”

“My brain couldn’t handle it alone!”

Oh, and there should be an out for telling people you don’t know and will never know. For instance, I should be able to tell any of YOUR secrets to Sophie. You don’t know her. You will never know her. What do you care if she’s secretly judging you? You know how if you trip and fall in a public place, and someone says, “Don’t worry about it. You’ll never see those people again?” Well, think of it like that. What you don’t know others know about you, won’t hurt you.

But don’t tell me stupid shit. I’m serious. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to make people think they can get away with telling me some dumb shit. Like, don’t tell me how you were partying with Brad Pitt last night, but I can’t tell anyone. You’re insulting my intelligence and then I will be forced to tell everyone I know just because you pissed me off.

I think it goes without saying that if the secret is about me, don’t expect me to keep my mouth shut. I reserve the right to do whatever the hell I damn well please with the information. That’s how I roll. And don’t try to punk me either! I’m not gonna hold on to your confidences if you’re trying to play me by telling mine in public. All bets are off!

You know when secret spilling is never okay? When it’s children doing the telling. Don’t you hate a little snitching kid? Oh.My.God. “Miss Nina, Billy did this.” “Mr. Donny, Sarah said that.” “He won’t let me…” “Tell him to stop…”

That’s when I discreetly pull the kid aside, and give them this sage advice, “Snitches get stitches.” Hypocritical? Maybe, but I can’t stand a snitching kid.

Right now you’re probably thinking, “I thought you said you like keeping secrets. It doesn’t seem like it”

I do keep secrets. I keep…

- My own. I learned the hard way not to tell people anything that would devastate/anger me to hear it repeated. So, even as I’m getting your promise that you’ll never repeat what I’m about to tell you, there’s a part of me prepared that you will. And the secret is not something I wouldn’t own up to in the light of day. If it’s really super-duper private, I keep it to myself. Or I tell Sophie.

- Sophie’s. To the grave, N. To the grave.

- Donny’s. Cause I’m not tryna get divorced… or murdered.

- Embarrassing/health/financial related secrets. To share those just ain’t cool.

So, what about you? Are you a good secret keeper? Do you have exceptions? What’s the worst secret you’ve ever kept? What’s the worst secret you’ve ever told? Come on, we’re all friends here! And I’m sure the person isn’t reading.

Nina’s Top Ten Reasons Donny Will Go White Boy Crazy

You all know that Donny is my long-suffering, infinitely patient, Saint-like husband. Well, I am convinced that all white boys have a crazy gene that lies dormant – usually until their wives get pregnant. Seeing as how I’ve made it through my pregnancy with our son Jack, I can only assume he’s waiting until Jack is weaned from the breast before killing me in my sleep. I’m nursing Jack until he’s 12. Just sayin’.

Top Ten Reasons Donny Will Go White Boy Crazy

10. I always, always, always, leave the butter out.

9. The other day he returned from the store and asked…

“I thought you were going to vacuum while I was gone?”

“I was, but I didn’t know how to turn it on.”

8. Speaking of vacuums… a few years ago..

Nina: How do you turn this thing on? I’m stepping on the little button.

Donny: You have to flip the switch on the handle.

Nina: Since when?

Donny: Since always. You’re thinking of the old vacuum.

Nina: Oh. When did we get this new one?

Donny: Two years ago.

7. An actual conversation….

“My Mom sent you another friend request on Facebook.”

“I know. I’m trying to decide if I’m gonna accept it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just feel funny. She e-mailed me to say she really likes my blogs and all I could think about was the time I wrote about your balls falling out of your boxer shorts.”

6. I’m allergic to filling the gas tank. I will drive home on fumes before stopping for gas, but let me get in the car to find the tank on E and I lose my shit.

5. I don’t remember the last time I shaved my legs.

4. I tell him that my blind, dead, Grandfather drives faster than him.

3. I’m a better Halo 3 player than he is, and I make sure he knows it!

2. Donny has to live with the knowledge that there are several celebs — including Jason Behr — that I would sleep with in a heartbeat. And while many couples have lists, if he tried to act on his, I’d cut the aforementioned balls off.

1. Most men worry about being replaced with a vibrator. Donny? A TiVo remote.

For real though…

Have an idea for a Top Ten list you’d like me to cover? Send it to nina@blogitoutb.com. Check out Nina’s Top Ten Moments of Battlestar Galactica here.

24: Day 7 10pm-11pm

Previously on 24: Ethan Kanin is confronted with his role in Jack’s interrogation of Burnett. Agent Walker is detained after helping Jack get to Senator Mayer. Jonas Hodges doesn’t worry about loose ends for the moment. Jack convinces Senator Mayer that there’s another threat out there, but Mayer is killed before he can help Jack. Jack kills the man who killed Burnett and Mayer.

And now…

The following takes place between 10pm and 11pm:

Agent Moss calls Kanin and tells him that Senator Mayer is dead. Poor Kanin looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. Moss reminds Kanin that it’s all his fault. Seriously, Kanin may stroke out before midnight.

Jack fills Tony in on the Starkwood/Sangala/there are weapons on U.S. soil connection. Tony is down for whatever and they agree to meet.

President Taylor talks to First Hubby who’s still in the hospital. She tells him everything is okay and that Olivia is back home. I predict this is the last we’ll see of First Hubby. Kanin arrives and gives the president the bad news. He then offers to resign as the Chief of Staff. She offers to control the damage, but he has already made up his mind. This is really sad. And you knoooow Olivia is going to eat this up.

Well, that conversation lasted long enough for Jack and Tony to meet up at the storage place Jack found on the Quinn’s phone.

A security guard there is on the phone with his pregnant wife… pregnant with twins… (That means his death will be really tragic) when he hears a noise.  Jack grips him up.

Hodges speaks with his main henchman, Stokes. Quinn hasn’t checked in and Hodges ponders the possibility that Jack got to him and now knows the plan. He tells Stokes to wait five minutes and then go in. Hodges gives a pep talk to his Starkwood peeps. He doesn’t want them to cooperate with the government. Ignore the subpeonas. One board member, Doug, speaks up that he doesn’t think that’s the way to go. They talk privately and Doug doesn’t think Senator Mayer will let up. Hodges tells him Mayer won’t be a problem to nobody no’ mo’. Doug wonders if Hodges was involved in Mayer’s death… out loud. Stupid. Keep your suspicions to yourself before you end up dead too!

Jack and Tony have the guard tied up and try to get into the manifest info on the computer. Jack hits a security roadblock on the computer. He explains to the guard, Carl, that they’re trying to stop terrorists and Carl doesn’t need to be convinced. He agreed to help the terrorists; open the gate for them, turn off the cameras, make sure there weren’t any other police – he thought he was helping some electronics smugglers.

Jack can’t reach the FBI because communications are jammed. When Stokes calls Carl on his walkie-talkie, Jack instructs Carl to answer. Then he tells Carl to play along like everything is okay. They’ll follow the terrorists to the container with the weapons and once past the jamming frequency, they’ll call for help. Carl doesn’t know if he can do it and Jack ain’t tryna hear it. Too late to bitch out now, Carl. Jack gives him the whisper pep-talk that Jack does so well. Carl wants to be sure that all he has to do is open the gate and that Jack and Tony will have his back. He makes Jack pinky-promise.

Carl isn’t long for this world.

Carl starts yammering about how expensive getting pregnant was and his insurance being crappy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell your story walking… to the gate.

Carl goes to the gate reeking of, “Please, God! Don’t kill me.” He gives Stokes directions to the container, but he insists that Carl ride with them. Poor Carl. Never go to the second location!!!

Kanin packs up his stuff, and Olivia comes to gloat… but she covers it with sympathy. I don’t trust her! Go home, Kanin. You don’t want to be in that poorly secured White House no way. Olivia calls the reporter that approached Kanin and leaks the story that Jack is suspected of killing Senator Mayer.

Moss is, thankfully, smart enough to realize that if the Senator was killed in the foyer, there shouldn’t be additional slugs from where Quinn chased Jack.

Moss calls Agent Walker and she tells him about Quinn and Starkwood, but he won’t let her help.

OK, back to the shipping containers. Why are they playing this military-like, soaring music? Was that necessary? The bad guys get the container they need, but are waiting for a flatbed to move it. Um, why didn’t they have that ready?

Tony wants to leave, but Jack realizes that the bad guys are gonna kill Carl… and he pinky-promised. Tony is all, “You’re gonna turn a surveillance job into a fire-fight. It will be 2 against 10.”

“2 against 9,” Jack growls.

Awesome.

The bad guy is about to shoot Carl when Jack takes him out long-range using a silencer. Carl says thank you, bows a few times, and gets on the hot foot. The other bad guys are ready to go, but the shooter isn’t responding. ‘Cause he’s dead. When the bad guys realize what has happened, Tony and Jack open up a can of hurt. In all the chaos, the truck is loaded with the container and starts to leave. Jack goes after it while Tony covers him.

Jack jumps on top of the truck and bitch-punches the driver. Tony gets caught. And Jack leaves him! Aw, Jack say it ain’t so.

Jack calls Moss from the truck and tells him what’s going on. He needs a  CDC team to meet him with the truck full of bio-weapons. He also confesses that Tony made need some help too since he left his ass. The stuff in the back of the truck starts beeping!

He pulls over and discovers that the truck took some damage and one of the tanks inside is leaking. Run, Jack, run! Jack goes into the back of the truck and turns off a valve or something. I don’t know. I’m just tryna figure out why he’s moving so slow. You know they’re gonna catch up with him!

Sure enough, as he’s leaving the truck a helicopter shows up and starts shooting at him. Well, guys in the helicopter, not the helicopter. An SUV shows up and Jack really does run. From the side of the road he sees the bad guys unloading the weapons.

Stokes calls in to Hodges and tells him they have the weapons. They’ll be in place in ten minutes. They also have Tony gripped up in the backseat.

Jack calls into Moss. The CDC will come to him for proof there’s a bio-weapon so that the FBI has cause to raid the private Starkwood compound they believe the weapon is headed to. Jack admits that he was exposed.

Yup, Jack Bauer has cooties.

Tick… tock… tick… tock.

Nina’s Top Ten Moments of Battlestar Galactica

Until Rescue Me returns, I have an opening in my Wednesday entertainment blog. This is good news for you because that means that today you get two, yes two, Nina’s Top Ten blogs! And since this is supposed to be a TV blog, I’ve decided to follow that theme. (Later today: Top Ten Reasons Donny Will Go White Boy Crazy.)

Warning: This list contains spoilers so do not read, or watch the clips, unless you’ve seen every episode of Battlestar Galactica including the series finale.

In no particular order, I give you the…

Top Ten Moments of Battlestar Galactica

10. The Adama Manuever – Most of the fleet has decided to settle on the planet New Caprica under the leadership of their new president, Gaius Baltar. When the Cylons, the evil robots that look human bent on destroying mankind, show up, Baltar has no choice but to surrender, and Admiral Bill Adama has no choice but to leave his people. When he returns, what follows is hands-down one of the best scenes on television.

He launches two drones, and when the Cylons send their ships after them (thinking they’re Galactica, and the battlestar Pegasus), Adama jumps the battlestar right on their heads. He then launches the viper fighter planes, and jumps out of the planet’s atmosphere. If the clip doesn’t work, click here.

9. “So That’s It. We’re Cylons.” – After hearing pieces of, “All Along the Watchtower,” in their heads for days, the final four cylons are revealed when the song leads them all to the same place at the same. Almost immediately after, Starbuck returns from the dead. If the clip doesn’t work, click here.

8. Hey, I Know That Song! – Starbuck remembers that her father taught her to play, “All Along the Watchtower,” when she was a child. It just happens to be the song that switched on the final four cylons. Goosebumps!

7. Eye Contact – Moments after finding out he’s a cylon, Anders takes to his viper for his first battle with the Cylon raiders. Just when a raider has him dead to rights, he makes “eye contact” with the patroling red light of the raider. A super close-up of Anders’ eye reveals the slightest “glitch” which prompts the cylons to back-off.

6. The Cylons Were Created By Man – The opening scene to the mini-series that launched the show blew me away. It summed up where we were quickly, and it jumped right into action.

5. “Where Have You Taken Us, Kara?” – The final jump that leads Galactica, and her people, to their new home.

4. “She Will Not Fail Us If We Do Not Fail Her.” – In order to save Hera, Galactica and crew embark on their last mission;  jumping dead center of the cylon colony. The moment they jump in, all hell breaks loose. “You sunk my battleship! Sike!”

Honorable Mention from the clip above: Rebel centurions working with the human assault team to attack the cylon colony. Also, there’s neck-snapping in that clip. You gotta love neck-snapping!

3. “You know, I know about farming.” – In the final minutes of the series finale, Gaius shows a moment of heartbreaking humanity. Thanks to, what I think were, wonderfully woven flashbacks, we know that line was filled with all the guilt he has carried through four seasons and even beyond considering Gaius’ treatment of his father. Also, when the scene opens he looks right sexy.

Honorable mention from clip above: Adama speaks to Laura, who he has just buried, about their cabin he will build, and presumably die in.

2. Some Really Great Speeches:

- Adama’s speech at the end of the mini-series – he pledges to lead the fleet to Earth.

- Lee’s speech at the end of Baltar’s trial – he talks about the sins committed since they were forced to run for their lives.

- Roslin’s speech to the rebel cylons – she tells them that when Adama pulls through the mutiny, he will remember who stood with him, and who ran. “Who do you want to be? Who do you want to be?!”

1. Finally, any scene that contained my new favorite word:

There are so many more scenes that I could list; Roslin’s swearing in, Lee rescues Tyrol, Seelix, Cally, and Baltar on the algae planet, Admiral Cain’s end, Ander’s goodbye, the occupation of New Caprica, more of the final battle, the reveal of the final cylon, the return of the final cylon…. but, I’ll leave some for you!

If you’d like me to cover a top ten list, feel free to email a subject to nina@blogitoutb.com

BIOBaby: Co-Sleeping

My idea of heaven is being cuddled up in bed with my husband and two babies; a big, plush comforter, plenty of pillows, and lots of love. I could sleep this way every night. Donny? Not so much.

Jack slept with us from the time he came home. After a few weeks, I started putting him in the Pack n’ Play next to the bed during naps, then at night. For the first few months, Jack was a dream to put to sleep. Either he’d fall asleep while nursing or he’d want you to lay him down and he’d fall asleep on his own. We were so lucky, we thought.

Then he decided that he wanted to be held, paced, and rocked to sleep… by Donny. I warned Donny; do not start a habit you’re not willing to live with. I remember there were three occasions where Jack cried himself to sleep. He was overtired and extra fussy. Nothing I did worked. So, I put him in the Pack n’ Play and he cried for about three minutes. Then he fell asleep. A day or so later, he cried for about a minute. The final time, 30 seconds. He learned to take his little butt to sleep.

I was consistent and didn’t back down. I knew his tears were from exhaustion, not hunger or pain. He learned that the world wasn’t going to end by just falling asleep. He also learned that I wasn’t going to jump through hoops just because he was cranky.

He weaned himself from the pacifier at about 4 months old. Looking back, I don’t think he ever liked/needed it, but rather tolerated it ’cause it seemed to make us happy to give it to him! He first stop accepting it during the day, only using it when he’d wake up in the middle of the night kinda fussy. I’d give it to him and he’d immediately go back to sleep. Then he stopped accepting it even then and he’d want to nurse.

That’s where we are now. He pretty much sleeps through the night with the occasional fussiness soothed by nursing. It’s easier to have him in bed with us because of this. Rolling over and popping a booby in his mouth beats getting out of bed any day.

One man’s convenience is another man’s backache. Donny is about ready for Jack to sleep in his very expensive, yet rarely-used crib. Jack squirms and kicks, and it seems this only affects Donny. Either Jack has seen fit to only take out his nighttime aggressions on Daddy, or Mommy can sleep through anything because it doesn’t bother me. Sure, I’ve woken up once or twice with my butt hanging off the edge of the bed, and yes, there have been times that both Donny and I have found ourselves clutching the edge of our respective sides, dangerously close to hitting the floor. All the while Jack lies horizontally across the bed sleeping like an angel. But it’s worth it to me for that feeling of comfort and security that comes with having my baby in bed with us.

If I could get Kali in the mix – perhaps she could lie across our feet? – I’d try, but Donny wouldn’t have it. I just know it. Maybe if I convince him to buy a king-sized bed?

I’m not sure why some people frown on co-sleeping. Kali didn’t always sleep with us, but she did on occasion. I don’t remember it being a big deal getting her to stop. Then again, I wasn’t the one carrying her big butt back to her bed when she finally fell asleep; Donny was. It just occurred to me that I should have co-blogged this with Donny because I have a feeling he wouldn’t see things quite the same way.

Didn’t they all sleep together on Little House on the Prairie? I’m down with that? Can we bring back the family bed/room? Cause I think that would be awesome.

Do/did you co-sleep with your children? Until what age? What techniques did you use to get the co-sleeping to stop? Anyone want a like-new, rarely-used crib? I kid, I kid.

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