So what if you other sisters had better places to be, like Rio and New Orleans. Julie and I  don’t care. We both went to our closets, fired up Skype and put on a show!

On today’s Satellite Sisters:

Way to go, Seal Team Six. Julie has a tribute and Lian has a few ideas for Seal Team Six’s next mission

Does nagging kill a marriage? Apparently so, according toa new study. Julie tries to stop the nagging at her house.  Hear what happens.

International News: London Olympics; Dogs at Machu Picchu and Malaria Pill Hysteria

Plus, Julie gives Lian some classic Satellite Sister fashion advice

Listen here for all the fun. We don’t need those stinkin’ sisters.

Lian

Listen to the newest Satellite Sisters show here.

Is it just us or are you also trying some new things in the new year?  Monica, Sheila and Liz each have a tale of a personal experiment that could have gone horribly wrong.  But so far, so good.

Lian, on the other hand, did actually lose her mind.  Hear her tale of tears, desperation and fro-yo.

But be warned.  It’s ugly.

Y'all should have leveled with us.

Dear Paula,

I believe you are having your Kim Kardashian Moment. You know Kim…celebrity with a huge following who made the move to divorce her husband 72 days after her multi-million dollar wedding,   Her fans could not go there with her. It was too unbelievable…fairytale wedding one day, divorce 72 days later.   Her fans concluded it was all about the money.   Paula, your decision to keep peddling Fried Macaroni and Cheese and Gooey Butter Cake for three years after your doctor told you you had Type 2 diabetes and only now  share the news with your fans as a paid pitchwoman for a diabetes drug.  Well Paula, this fan cannot go there with you.

We loved having you on Satellite Sisters and I enjoy your cooking show. Your love of food and how you shared it with your family and friends was fun to watch. While I never really tried to replicate your recipes at home, I enjoyed watching you make all that buttery, creamy stuff.   I also have great admiration for all of the obstacles that you have overcome in your life that you vividly described in your book,  It Ain’t All About the Cooking.  I can also understand when you told Al Roker on The Today Show that when you received the diabetes diagnosis you had to take some time “to wrap your head around it”. But three years? I also imagine that you have the responsibility of employing many people who work on  your shows, books, speaking engagements, endorsements, etc. I am sure the thought of altering your southern cooking empire might have been daunting but you could have made such a difference if you had lead your fans to healthier foods. I really wish you had because I know someone who would have loved to watch and learn how to live with Type 2 diabetes.

Our mother is a Type 2 diabetic and she works everyday to control her insulin through diet and exercise.  When she got the diagnosis, she was shocked but she dealt with it.  She went to class , read books, and tried to learn as much as she could about  how her condition.    Sadly, she like so many others who have type 2 diabetes  would really have enjoyed watching you as you learned how to “wrap your head around the situation”.

Paula, I wish you good health.

Sincerely, Julie

ps  I was so bummed about Paula that I cheered myself up with a Classic Satellite Sisters To Go. A random selection but I think you will enjoy hearing Liz and Lian in a segment called, We Are Not Going to Take It Anymore. Listen here.

Listen to today’s Satellite Sisters with Julie, Liz and Monica.  We’ve got the complete rundown on all the apps ‘n stuff you can use to listen to Satellite Sisters and to Lian’s weekly show Chaos Chronicles (try Stitcher Radio!).

Download Stitcher and you'll get all Satellite Sisters shows PLUS Lian's complete Chaos Chronicles collection. Double your fun.

Meanwhile, that cruise ship thing in Italy has us all a little freaked out.

What's the word in Italian for "no way you'd ever get us on a cruise ship now"?

Who knew those things happened any more?  Liz recommends some upcoming Titanic specials on the National Geographic Channel if you have ANY desire left to get on one of those big boats.

Julie has a new business idea that makes a lot of sense:  Apple meets Chicos.  You are just going to have to listen to understand.

Monica has some suspicions about a guy that came to her door to do some election canvassing.  We don’t blame her.  But she’s definitely on board with pet resolutions even if she draws the line at walking cats on a leash.  And if you haven’t checked out Portlandia on IFC, you gotta do it!  At least check  Portlandia’s Allergy Pride Parade on YouTube.

These are some of my Russian Santas. Lian has a nice collection, too.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!  Thank you for listening to our podcasts, commenting on our blog, and joining in whenever we ask.  We hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful holiday season.  We plan to keep putting it out there, so please stick around for more news, talk and laughs in 2012.

I saw his frozen pa in the DPRK. I expect dear leader is headed for the freezer.

We’ve had a lot of laughs at Satellite Sisters about the jumpsuit-wearing, Hennessey-swilling, serial Rambo-watching dictator of North Korea.  I stopped laughing about him after my five-day visit to the world’s most isolated and repressive country.  It was truly a sinister place.  You can listen to our podcast about my visit to North Korea on The Satellite Sisters Facebook page.  Kim Jong Il was a cruel leader that kept North Koreans under-educated, under-fed and certainly under watch at all times. The people of North Korea do not have basic human rights.  My traveling partner, Suzy texted me when the news broke about Kim Jong Il’s death  saying the dear leader deserves a special place in hell. I agree.

I didn’t hear much about his son  Kim Jung Eun when I was there.  I could ask my minders /tour guides questions about succession but I never got answers, only blank stares.  I fear the worst.  When visiting the DPRK, you get the impression that the whole country is in the state of high alert and ready for war.  I heard so much anti-American rhetoric that it became laughable.  Now, with a young inexperienced leader seeking to shore up his control over his people and with access to nuclear weapons, North Korea is a very dangerous place.

One more thing, remember I haven’t mentioned to my parents that I went to North Korea.  So if you see them over the holidays, mums the word.

Liz left the country, Lian went North leaving Julie, Sheila, and Monica in charge of this week’s podcast.

Sheila explains how she survived hurricane force winds that blew through Pasadena this week.  She is very grateful for surviving the storm and a certain someone in Lane 9 of her Masters Swimming program.

Monica reveals the power of the plate, or should I say the power of the color of your dinner plate.  It will change the way you eat your dinner tonight.  Julie wants to know how you like your Nutcracker? Straight up? Jazzed up? how about with some dogs?

Do you have your Satellite Sister iPhone app or our Android app? Get it now.

Listen to today’s Satellite Sisters show here. Julie and Liz start with one of life’s big questions:

Can you live pie-free now that Thanksgiving is over?

Leslie Maxfield from Cal Tech kept the whole Satellite Sisterhood plugged into the launch of Mars Science Lab from the Kennedy Space Center this week. As Leslie tweeted, "Nighty, night, Curiosity." And good luck on the next 300 million miles.

We name longtime Satellite Sister listener and Facebook friend Leslie Maxfield our special Satellite Sister of the Week.  Leslie works at Cal Tech and was on the scene at the Kennedy Space Center for launch of Mars Science Lab.  Her status updates and tweets kept us all in on the excitement. Good luck out there, Curiosity! Don’t forget to call next August!

In other news:

Liz has a bone to pick with Harry & David. Who will respond? Harry?  David?  Anyone?

Julie spreads Diane Keaton’s look to Kyrgyzstan.  How’d she do that? (And where exactly is that?)

Plus a reminder about our iPhone app and our Android app available in the Amazon App Store.  Both give you unlimited instant access to the complete Satellite Sisters audio archives.

Listen here for our pre-Thanksgiving Satellite Sisters show. Liz, Sheila, Monica and Lian are all in on the action.

Lian's hosting our family Thankgiving at her place in Pasadena but she's already getting psyched for her favorite celebration - The Rose Parade's just around the corner.

Lian’s hosting Turkey Day for the SoCal sisters.  Sheila stepped up with her contributions, while Liz is in her test kitchen trying out Giada’s Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale to make sure they are Thanksgiving-worthy.

Meanwhile, Lian survived a neighborhood encounter with an unexpected wild animal, Sheila diagnosed and cured her own vertigo, Liz graduates from iCloud school and Monica’s geared up to go over the river and through the woods.

If you are like us, you may be seeing a movie or two over the holiday, so we’ve got Monica and Sheila’s take on indie faves Martha Marcy May Marlene and Like Crazy, while Lian and Liz both throw a surprising amount of Oscar support behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Yes, sisters.  Chimps are people, too.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.