I have no reservations

Wil Wheaton, Brian Bloom, Chad Allen, Ashton Kutcher. What do these boys have in common? They have each held a piece of my heart at one point during my lifetime. Granted they are no longer boys, and one isn't even interested in women (although tell that to 11-year-old Emily as she dutifully tuned in each week to Our House). At 36, divorced, and a mother of 3, I've moved on to men.

One man in particular: Anthony Bourdain.

While I can do without the one-earring look, this brash mouthed silver fox captivates my unwavering attention with his gruff yet silky smooth narration on No Reservations. I've never even read a single one of his books. Nor am I familiar with his cooking abilities. His scruffy exterior, affinity for drinking whatever the locals do, while reaching for his pack of smokes in the Himalayas are all responsible for my devotion to the show each time I happen upon it.

Sure the mere sight of Tony makes me giggle; just looking at his picture has me blushing and turning my bashful head. But it's more than that. Join me in imagining the damage he and I could make wandering the bustling streets of Shanghai, bellying up to a historic bar in Montana, or listening to Pink Floyd while paragliding in Patagonia.

Oh who am I kidding. If his writing is anything like his narration, I'm jellied bean curd betwixt his chopsticks.

Stream on this

If you guys haven't ever heard of the South by South West (SXSW, as they say) weeklong event in Austin, Texas, you need to tune in. At least to the music part. I've become aware of its popularity over the years, and as I am now a working woman, I enjoy streaming music from my laptop to keep me company. Today I found The Austin 100. I highly recommend checking it out. It is so choice.

Welcome to the machine (Final day of NaBloPoMo)

In routine Emily fashion, she sits down to create her personal biographical statement for admission to graduate school, and is happily distracted by Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine.