Seen over at Ethereal Girl:

Where was your soul born?

Your soul was born in the shadows of the moon at night. You're all mystery and enigma and your element is the Moon. No one really knows who you are, but they might think they know you. You only tell people fragments of who you are and never show your true personality.

That doesn't have to mean that you're being someone you're not, though. You're always yourself and you never do something just because someone else does. Some might think you're a little cold or dull, but you're just hiding your true self for some reason. Maybe only a couple of selected people have ever seen the true you. You are loyal to these people and it will take time if anyone else wants to gain your trust.

You let people think that they know you and that you trust them. But sooner or later they will realize that they never really knew you. Be careful. Someday you might need someone who knows what you need. Trust people.

You prefer silence and tranquillity. You're calm and collected and a nice person most of the time.
Take this quiz!

03:17 PM - Comments (9)

Toinght I received a phone call from someone I used to work with in Japan. She was a high ranking Air Force officer and she and I did NOT get along at all...like oil and water.

She said she'd thought of me often over the past 10 years and it really troubled her that we didn't get along. I said that you know, sometimes people just don't see eye to eye and she said that she never had a problem getting along with anyone before and that she felt badly at the way she'd treated me.

It was a slightly surreal conversation, to say the least. Anyway, we had a long talk and it was nice. She wants to stay in contact and I think that's fantastic.

Preview of the storm to come

Damn that girl! She caught a bug from her son (damn daycare) and was sick most of the weekend. Guess who's got it now?

I've been SO sick! It started about 2 AM Sunday night...bad tummy woke me up and sent me flying to the bathroom. Cold sweats, many leave-takings from above and below. Yeah...not good! Plus a massive headache, you know, the kind you get when you lay down too much?

Ugh.

So here I am, home sick again. I actually slept a bit this morning, say from 430 to 930 am and felt a bit better...but still not good enough to go anywhere that doesn't allow me quick toilet access.

The mere mention of food sickens me; the smell? Let's not go there.

lovely, no?

NO!!!

Sorry for the crappy quality...the pictures are from my cell phone.

I forgot to tell you all, but I recently won on Blingo again! This time it was from my friend, Michele. She joined my "Blingo Friends" on 3/7/06 and won a movie ticket 24 days later (Blingo gave her the option of getting a $10 iTunes gift cert instead, which she chose to do; it's also what I chose).

Last month, I won an iPod Nano as a result of signing someone up!

The rules are you can only claim 2 prizes in a month; but 2 prizes are better than NO prizes! Once you join, remember to log in and use Blingo for your searches (each day, your first 10 searches qualify as entries in the Sweepstakes).

Blingo rawks!!! Sign up and be my lucky pal, won't you?

Banner found at Banners by Emily

Thirteen Things that have really stuck in my mind about the last thirteen years in my life

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

A friend of mine got married recently...on the sly while on vacation! I got a postcard from them yesterday saying so! I'm so happy for them, can't you tell by all the exclamation points! They'll be back in two days, and I'll let them disclose their identity then.

WOW!

Knowing her, I'm sure it was beautiful, too. Can't wait to see the pics!

What do you see when you look at this?

Click on the button to start...

Be warned...it's not for the faint of heart!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Daffodils and tulips and forsythia, oh my!

And those things are finally starting to bloom around here, too!

I won free tickets to go see the movie, Stoned, but they're only good for Monday night, April 7th...and I have jewelry class that night :-(. Anyone want two free tickets? It's playing at Kendall Square at 7:30 PM

Here's a synopsis of Stoned:

In 1962, Brian Jones was the founding member of one of the most famous rock and roll bands of all time: The Rolling Stones. A gifted musician, influential fashion icon and indiscriminate womanizer, Jones (Leo Gregory, Green Street Hooligans) rode a glittering staircase to stardom for seven short years before being fired by the band. Shortly afterwards, he was found dead in the deep end of his own swimming pool and in the wake of his tragic death he became a legend.

Damn...I really wanted to see this, too! When I first got into the Stones, it was cause of Brian Jones...he was absolutely adorable.

Here I am, posing on a tree...but this other dog kept following me...

See! Here it is again...and still ahead of me...grrrr

Phew! Gave it the slip! Pesky thing!

I spent a VERY quiet weekend and loved it! Saturday, I washed, ironed and rehung the curtains, washed & waxed the kitchen & bathroom floors, vacuumed and dusted the living room and dining room, cleaned the bathroom and hung a new shower curtain (skinny, shimmery blue & green stripes). Sunday, Dad and I met Larry up at Parker's Maple Barn for breakfast; when I got home, I took Max for a loooong walk thru the woods. Poor Wolf didn't get a walk, I felt kind of bad, but I wanted to take pictures, and it's hard to do with him. Max'll just sit there and wait for me, plus I can trust him off leash.

This is one of the photos I took, I love the green!

How was your weekend?

And this time...I get to find out who my secret spoiler is! Without further ado, I give you...AMY! Go visit Amy, won't you, and congratulate her on a job VERY well done! She loves animals, adores beagles (and daschunds, MB!), loves music & reading & writing and is also Harry Potter fan! Go say hi!

Amy has been the absolute best secret spoiler, altho this time...she sent me COCKROACHES:

Big, dead cockroaches!

Amy's GROSS!

Well, not really...actually, the cockroaches came in this:

and tasted quite delicious, or so Amy said. I couldn't put it in my mouth LOL! I'll bring it to work tomorrow and get one of the girls who always amuses me by trying the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to eat one...and I'll try to photograph it LOL!

Amy also sent me two things from my wish list:

Greek honey and Tuscan Chestnut Spread with Honey Almonds! Yum!!!

This has been so much fun, all due to Amy. This last box was addressed to The Lovely and Talented Janet Mylastname...and the postwoman said...are YOU the lovely & talented Janet? I cracked up and muttered something about a strange friend in CA...and Amy...that's you! Thanks for making this game so much fun.

A friend recently said (and another agreed) she didn't understand why someone would want to play this Secret Spoiler game. She said, among other things, that it seems very materialistic (yes, that's me, I'm the very definition of materialistic), downright gimme gimme (again, that's just so me) and that it gives a whole new meaning to "Pimp my blog". I tried to explain the concept, but I don't know...maybe they don't have much of a sense of humor or their idea of fun is just something else entirely! Oh well, takes all kinds, right?

Anyway, the conversation went a little something like this:

me: well it's nice to know you both think i'm materialistic, gimme gimme and out to pimp my blog.

she: HAHA! No, i just feel that id rather spend ot on people I know and love than strangers.

me: it's like spending money on yourself, tho.

she: Right, so, like id just spend money on myself.

me: right, but it's fun to get things you'd buy for yourself in the mail.

Borrowed from Amy:

Go to Wikipedia. Type in your birth date (but not year). List three events that happened on your birthday. List two important birthdays and one interesting death. Post this in your journal.

Events
1633 - The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant his scientific view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe.
1825 - British Parliament abolishes feudalism and the seigneurial system in British North America.
2004 - Bill Clinton releases his memoirs, entitled My Life.

Birthdays
1906 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and pilot
1971 - Mary Lynn Rajskub, American actress (10 points if you know who she is!)

Deaths
1987 - Fred Astaire, American dancer and actor

to take the memory of the bug picture out of your brain and to commemorate the fact it's actually kind of WARM here today, I give you red flowers

lizabetty put the idea in my head, so thanks to her, I'll feature a picture each Wednesday, and you'll guess..What is it (or more accurately for this week, what was I seeing when I took the photo?)

What is it?

Be specific ;-)

Wow! I've won, via people I signed up, 3 prizes since I joined Blingo Friends on 1/5/06. The latest is a $200 Visa Gift Card, thanks to smoochie (the other two things were a $10 iTunes gift cert and an iPod Nano)!

MaryEllen always wants to rub my head for luck before she headed for the Casino on our cruises...maybe there's something to it!

When I went to claim the Visa gift card, it gave me the following option:

If you prefer, we can send you a $10 iTunes gift certificate instead of a $200 Visa gift card.
What would you like?
Send me an iTunes gift certificate.
Send me a $200 Visa gift card.

Hmmm...which do you think I chose LOL! Each time you win, you're given an option; for example, I could've chosen a $149.00 Visa gift card instead of the iPod, and on the other win, it was actually a movie ticket, but I chose the option of the $10 iTunes gift cert.

Canon 50mm lens, here I come!

Click the Blingo link above to play!

I mentioned recently I'd bring the Harry Potter Cockroach Clusters to work and "...get one of the girls who always amuses me by trying the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to eat one..." and that I'd try to photograph it. Well, here you go!

Click to see better, if you want...and be thankful I didn't take a picture of her spitting the stuff out! She said it was way gross, crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Then she had a couple Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to take the taste out of her mouth ;-)

Banner found at Banners by Emily

Thirteen More Things I Wonder About

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Here's the answer to Wednesday's What Is It? I totally thought it was a bluejay, but after seeing these photos, I realized it was a mourning dove...which makes more sense, as I often see a pair in my yard, and I don't ever remember seeing a bluejay!

Seen at At the Top of Squirrel Spur:

Accent: Bostonian, but not nearly as bad as some. My mother always said it was because she was born and raised in PA, therefore, her children didn't have the typical Bostonian accent...and I think she was right.

Booze: Yum! Especially xxx dirty martinis!

Chore I Hate: All of them!

Dog or Cat: I've had both, but right now I have two dogs, Wolf & Max.

Essential Electronics: My cameras!!! Also, the computer, Tivo, DVD player, tv, car radio, iPods, toothbrush, washer, dryer, water heater, refrigerator, lamps. I think that's it!

Favorite Perfume: Angel by Thierry Mugler for me; for a man, I love the scent of sandalwood, earthy scents, altho one guy I dated smelled like apples & cinnamon and I wanted to eat him up!

Gold or Silver: Silver, like the rays of the moon

Hometown: B'rica (there's the accent)

Insomnia: Not often

Job Title: I've had many! Now it's Admin Assistant/FSO, but I've also been "dog & cat groomer" "secretary" "clerk typist" "cashier" "convenience store assistant manager"

Kids: Love 'em but couldn't have 'em, unfortunately

Living arrangements: Two dogs, my Dad and various self doubts

Most admirable trait: Hmmm...I don't think I have one, or at least what I think is admirable, most folks wouldn't

Number of sexual partners: Oh, dude, let's not go there!

Overnight hospital stays: A few; tonsils, ectopic pregnancy, gall bladder

Phobias: spiders! and bees!

Quote: "A [wo]man can stand anything except a succession of ordinary days." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Religion: Gandhi once said: "As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent and claim to have God on his side." Organized religion seems to be as much a social outlet as a religious belief...me? My religion is nature; walking in the woods, seeing the vast abundance of living things...miracles.

Siblings: I have one living, a brother. My mom had a still birth before me, a girl she named Susan.

Time I wake up: Depends on when I went to sleep! Usually around 7:30 am or so

Unusual talent or skill: Hmmm...I don't think I have any unusual talents or skills...just the usual ones

Vegetable I refuse to eat: That's a tough one...I don't think there's a veggie I don't like! Scotch bonnet pepper, how's that?

Worst habit: Putting myself down

X-rays: I've had a few; dental, mammo, abdominal

Yummy foods I make: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese! Seriously, I make a mean gumbo for a northern chick.

Zodiac sign: A friend, who's also an astrologer, told me: "...although you are a Cancer (with all the beautiful artistic essence that goes with that), with a total of 6 fire planets, you also have a very strong and dramatic "Arian~Leonine" colouring to your personality."

Today's year was 1980 and Charles started off talking about John Lennon's death. That still makes me sad and mad at the same time, all these years later. Charles said something about how sometimes he wished he was a republican so he could torture the guy who killed John Lennon, slowly, day by day. I wish, too.

- Beautiful Boy: John Lennon
- Skateaway: Dire Straights
- Crack That Whip: Devo
- Brass in Pocket: the Pretenders
- It's A Night For Beautiful Girls: The Fools
- Deadline: Blue Oyster Cult
- Wonderin' Where The Lions: Bruce Cockburn
- I Don't Like Mondays: Boomtown Rats
- Don't Do Me Like That: Tom Petty

and today's flashback song was Turning Japanese, by the Vapors.

It's ironic that Charles talked about Lennon this morning; when I was scanning the radio this morning, Mike Douglas (he used to have a talk show that was on at 4 in the afternoon) was on some station, and the DJs asked him what John and Yoko were like (they did an appearance weekly on his show for 5 weeks). He said John was a brilliant, sensitive soul and that he really liked him. As for Yoko...he said he sympathized with Paul McCartney a bit...LOL!

(click to see clearly [now the rain is gone]).

Also see Krista, cause great minds extend to funny blog entries, too :-)

Washi eggs made with beautiful Japanese paper and some paste...it's a traditional craft for the Spring. Here are some washi eggs that were made for me by my the wife of the AF General I worked for when I lived at Yokota AB:

I always include these in my Easter decorations, they're so pretty!

Friday: Met Michelle after work, she had a pitcher of sangria waiting for me at the bar, and NotNed was nice enough to pour me a glass when I walked in. Had Greek pasta (which Erin and I had talked about recently, perhaps it was even Friday) for dinner, yum! We walked over to the Coop, so I could look at photography and photoshop books, but was distracted and overjoyed to find a new book by Julia Child, called My Life in France, which was co-written with her grandnephew. He sat with her, listening to her recollections and stories, reading family letters and going through many photos. This book is the culmination of that, and it is spectacular! If you liked Julia in the least, are interested in France, cooking, photography or love, this book can't be beat. I want to savor it slowly, rather than dash through it, to make it last. One last visit with Julia...sigh...
We then went to see Transamerica, which I liked very much.

Saturday: Got up at the @#$-crack of dawn to meet Pat, her husband & mom and head to Foxwoods...which turned into a trip to Mohegan Sun! I'd never been to Foxwoods, but had been to Moghegan Sun last June to NOT see Robert Plant, altho the discovery of an excellent XXX dirty martini at Tuscany helped to dull the pain.

Anyway, with the coaching of MaryEllen, I quickly won back, at 21, all the money I'd lost at slots plus $40. Yippee! I'm sure I looked like an idiot, not doing things right, not cashing out correctly, but it was fun nonetheless. I bought Pat & Jim a drink with my winnings to thank them for taking me down there, went and pried her Mom off the slots and headed home. It was much fun!

Sunday: Colored eggs, made a coconut cake, and cooked dinner (pork roast, baked potato, green beans) for my Dad and brother. My brother and I walked, with Wolf, down to the cemetary to see where we wanted to put Mom's headstone and agreed on a place.

Took these pictures today, too:

click on each one to see the larger view...it looks much better!

How was your weekend?

Seen at Carmen's. You enter your personal data, it turns your data in values and your values into art. Mine came out quite patriotic LOL!

Go here and give it a try.

I was tagged by Carmen and Amy to tell you all 6 weird things about myself [insert dramatic sigh]...oh, how hard it will be to limit it to come up with 6 weird things about me!

1. I'll try eating just about anything once, which is how I put natto, sea urchin roe & chitlins in my mouth (not at the same time, and my rating is: yuck, yuck & yuck!).

2. I don't like food that is artificially colored green, such as mint chocolate chip ice cream.

3. I enjoy the attention my dog, Wolf, gets when we're out walking, cause I HATE/DETEST/CAN NOT STAND to be the center of attention and would much rather any attention be on someone else.

4. I procrastinate like no one's business, then stress out because I've procrastinated. Dude, just DO IT!.

5. I am deathly afraid of spiders and bees, but have a snake cross my path, and I'm cool with it.

6. I can only learn about things that interest me...ask me about the stock market or how cars work and I'll yawn and fall asleep, but ask me about the different kinds of olive oil, how many races of Elves there are, or what Snape's mother's name is, and I'll rattle it off in a second.

I'll leave it to those who want to play along to consider themselves tagged, mmmmkay?

on Backtrack...and the year was 1971:

War - Edwin Starr
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (transcends time)
Delta Lady - Joe Cocker (love this song)
Anticipation - Carly Simon
LA Woman - the Doors
Witchi-Tai-To - Jim Pepper (gawd, Charles used to play this ALL.THE.TIME)
Mandolin Wind - Rod Stewart (back when he was good)
Wild Night - Van Morrison
Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels (reminds me of Franny Misuraca)

Flashback song was Warm Pastry Heart by Mike Heron. Never heard of it!

Amy's got some badass memes!!!

Below are six secrets about me. Trick is...only three of them are actually true. Your mission is to figure out which are true and which are NOT. I'll follow Amy's example and will come up with a prize for the winner.

1. My ex-husband (the second one), once threw a bowl of hot veggie soup at me during an argument. I promptly went to his supervisor's house and showed him, via veggies all over me, what he'd done.

2. On the occasion of each full moon, I try to harness its energy for spells involving artistic projects, psychic abilities or making decisions.

3. I had a crush on this guy in high school, his name was Richie. One day, I badgered him into letting me paint his toenails black; later that night his father noticed Richie's toes and beat him up for it. I felt so bad about that, still do.

4. Being the center of attention is something I crave; I LOVE it so much! It makes me feel so good!

5. I once won a medal for participating in a sporting event. I came in second!

6. My natural hair color is red, I inherited it from my Mom's side of the familiy--there's a long line of redheads, all the way back to Scotland.

Last week was the inauguration of What is it Wednesday. Here is this week's photo...

What is it?

He loves his ice cream!

*****UPDATED**** ****AGAIN***** ****AND AGAIN****

Banner found at Banners by Emily

Thirteen Things - Janet's Friends

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

***as anyone who knows me knows, I've been very forgetful lately, to the point of ridiculousness. For example, I talked to a coworker recently and told him I was going to fax some paperes down to him right away. I promptly got distracted by something and completely forgot about it, 2 minutes later! He called me back, and was all...um...are you sending that fax? I was all...OMG! I totally forgot! He said...how could you forget? We JUST spoke on the phone?

I use that as an example for leaving two people off my list of friends (friends, in this case, being people I've met in real life, there're lots of bloggers I really like, but I haven't met them yet. Maybe I'll do a list of my 13 favorite bloggers next week), people that mean alot to me.

This first is Aislinn! We met at work, and had in common an AF history, a love of LOTR and lots of other things. I don't see her as much as I'd like to, as she doesn't work with me anymore and lives 2 gazillion miles away. But I will see her Saturday, when she'll probably kick my ass for leaving her off the list.

The second is Lauren. Lauren I met at work, too, and we've been through alot together, including my being there for her when she had to put her dog, Felisha, to sleep. We've had our ups and downs, but I count her among my friends.

Now...anyone else I forgot, I'm totally sorry, but it's due to my advanced CRS!

Oh, wait! And Monique! How can i forget Monique! She introduced me to Boston's transvestite club and cracks me up. Sorry Monique!

And Heather! Who can forget Heather?! Apparently, I can...sorry Heather!

Last Saturday, Pat finally gave me my Christmas presents. Among them is a stone coaster and on it is written: "Who needs therapy when you've got a martini". Atheeffmen!

That is all.

Wait...who is Heather Bradley? Anyone know?

Is there ANYTHING better than walking your dog, your feet in worn Reef flipflops that mold to your feet and feel incredibly soft, the scent of blooming magnolia and oddly enough, dryer sheets, perfuming your walk?

No, I didn't think so.

Carry on.

Cause Zoot so nicely extended the invitation to participate...and because I don't think I've even done this! But I have a very severe case of CRS, so who knows...

Astonished that I've made it to 48 years, 9 months, 27 days...
Banishing self doubt is a lot harder than writing this
Can't wait for the new (and last) Harry Potter book to come out!
Do you really think Snape is guilty?
Every day, I'm happy to be alive.

Fondofsnape is the name of my second blog; my first blog wasn't what I wanted anymore
Got to order that new 50mm f/1.8 lens
Had I not married SFSSDMF, would I have ended up in Japan anyway?
If I believe in myself, will good things happen?
Just when you think things start to settle down...the next big thing erupts!
Kawaii was my nickname when I chatted
Lost is such a DAMN good tv show!
Must finish the list
Never did I think I'd fall in love with the City of Lights, aka Paris
Old things have such a strong lure for me..old pictures, old buildings, etc.
Putting things off is such a habit of mine, I don't know if I can break it.
Quitting is not an option tho...I'll keep trying!
Redoing my house is something I'd love to make happen.
Strong men who are compassionate and kind are such a turn on.
Ticks are a plague on humanity!
Unless I really like something, it's hard for me to have an interest in it.
Vexing people seems to be something I'm good at...but I don't like it!
Walking with the dogs in the woods is one of my favorite things to do
X is the last name that Malcolm X, as well as others, chose to symbolize that his African name was lost in slavery
Yapping dogs (and people too) make me long for quiet.
Zoot is one of the bloggers I'd most like to meet.

On the 6 secrets about me, posted 4/19, Mel was the only one with the right answer. Although she IS my cousin, really, she should've been the LAST person to guess/know as we really weren't that close til recently, but there you go! Congratulations to Mel; I'd like to send you a little something for winning...but I'm not sure what!

On What Is It Wednesday, altho I was HIGHLY entertained by the guesses involving pancakes and frisbees and whatnot, the correct answer, of course, is a mushroom. Thanks for playing along!

And as for the woman in the white car who, when I signaled my intent, wouldn't let me into the left lane of traffic this morning, even tho there was room in front of her (til she sped up): I hope your apparent angry bitterness at life, combined with my flipping you the bird, doesn't send you off on a shooting rampage, or make you abuse your children tonight.

Beyotch.

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

silly =

I took this photo for my friend Smoochdog; here is what she said when she saw it:

"OH Wolf I never knew you had an Italian Grandmother! I love the shawl!"

Friday: Krista and I (J: I don't want to drive, K: Well, I'll drive but I won't be happy about it. J, arrives at K's house and says: Oh, I'll drive, K: grrrr) drove to Fairhaven, which takes about 3 hours roundtrip, to support Aislinn in raising some money for cancer treatment and research via a jewelry show. I didn't contribute too much, just bought one pair of earrings, but the gas to drive down there was like 3 gazillion dollars! We went to some local dive bar, where my ears bled due to the singing of the karaoke. Had to blast Zep on the way home to get it out of my brain.

Saturday: Ran errands all morning, including picking out a specific site in the cemetary for Mom's headstone and final resting place. Then drove back down to Fairhaven, where Aislinn made me a stuffed quahog for lunch! After Azzy FINALLY got ready (hehehe) we left for Bristol, RI (stopping for pedis along the way). After driving over a VERY long and VERY high bridge (I totally thought of you, MaryEllen) we arrived at Aislinn's friend's jewelry store, where I was to take pictures of her absolutely gorgeous jewelry for her new online catalog. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't come out very good, and I was quite disappointed this morning when I downloaded them to the computer. Sigh... Of course, the picture in the entry below came out good...go figure! Met Aislinn's new beau, reminisced about Japan with him, and had a stuffed quahog for dinner, too...YUM!

Sunday: Relaxed! Took Dad out for breakfast to the Owl, yummy Woburn St. omelette. Roasted a chicken for dinner, bro was here fixing the 'puter and bathroom light, and he ate with us. And I got the news a friend of mine passed the bar in NH (not A bar, but THE bar, as in, she's a lawyer now)! That made me smile, alot. I'm so happy for her, and proud, too!

That's it!

How was your weekend?

Why Monday is great:

- 24
- my HP desk calendar features a picture of Snape!
- leftover roast chicken for dinner
- with all the rain, the flowers are blooming like crazy!
- Wolf was in a snuggle mood this morning

Why Monday sucks:

- well, cause it's Monday...
- I have cramps
- I'm tired
- I have a sore throat
- I'm whiny
- it's rainy & chillly

Anyone have anything to add to the list?

and the nine songs at 9 were:

Pretty in Pink - Psychedelic Furs
Every Little Thing She Does - Police
Gloria - U2
Shake it Up - Cars
Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood
Morning Train - Sheena Easton
The Voice - Moody Blues
Tempted - Squeeze
Be Good Johnny - Men at Work

And the flashback song was Fever - Peggy Lee.

When I heard Charles say 1981, I laughed to myself. Gotta listen to this, I thought; after all, 1981 was the year I got married for the first time (September 21st, to be exact).

The first few songs, ok, yeah, the Police & the Cars, not bad...then Charles played "Tempted" and I burst out laughing.

Tempted was the song that was playing when my ex proposed...at a club in Lowell (The Raft, where we spent most Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays for a looooong time and where I first saw Andy Pratt, but I digress).

Strange song for a proposal, right? He was getting ready to leave for basic training, you see, and I'm sure that was on his mind. I think he wanted to make sure I'd wait for him...I, in my weird way, thought it was rather sweet.

Makes for a nice story, anyway!

And then...Be Good Johnny...LOVED that song!!!

Poor Wolf had a rough night tonight. First he upchucked some grass he'd eaten...those tender sprouts first thing in the spring hold such appeal for him, and Max, too. Then when he was upchucking, he did a strangled shiba scream...scared the bejesus out of me.

Later we were playing with one of his disembowled chew toys. When I went to pull on it (he loves to play tug of war) it got caught on his front dewclaw and I didn't notice. He did a shiba scream peep, and completely lost interest in the toy.

My poor Wolfie!

Borrowed from and first seen at Wystful's blog:

Your past life diagnosis: I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.

You were born somewhere in the territory of modern West Africa around the year 1825.

Your profession was that of a medic, surgeon or herbalist.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life: Ruthless character, carefully weighing his decisions in critical situations, with excellent self-control and strong will. Such people are generally liked, but not always loved.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation: Magic is everywhere around you, even in the most usual, most ordinary situations. Your lesson is to understand this magic and to help other people to see it, too. You are a magician! Do you remember now?

Click here to find out about your past life.

and the nine songs at 9 were:

1. Veronica - Elvis Costello
2. Free Falling - Tom Petty [love this song]
3. Love Shack - B52s [this one, too!]
4. The Heart of the Matter - Don Henley
5. Riviera Paradise - Stevie Ray Vaughn
6. This Woman's Work - Kate Bush
7. Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt
8. Angel Eyes - Jeff Healey Band
9. Major Tom - Peter Schilling

Chuck's flashback: The Fish Cheer & I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag - Country Joe and the Fish (click on the extended entry for the lyrics to this...could be appropriate nowadays)

In 1989 I was DEEP into hip hop and R&B; also,Yo MTV Raps debuted-loved that show! Here's 9 of the songs I was listening to that year:

1. Children's Story - Slick Rick
2. Jinglin' Baby - LL Cool J
3. You Ain't Heard Nuttin' Yet - Heavy D
4. Me, Myself and I - De La Soul
5. The Gas Face - 3rd Base
6. Spread Your Wings - Troop
7. Self Destruction - KRS-One w/other NYC rappers
8. U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
9. The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground

And my flashback is: Shower Me With Your Love - Surface (hahaha DJ Chilly, where are you???)

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Here is this week's photo...

What is it? (click on the picture to see a bigger, better view)

Snagged from Smoochdog who snagged it from The Noodle Incident (and modified it a bit).

I love reading, and so does Michelle, aka Smoochie. We'll meet at Barnes and Noble, grab a book or magazine and chat and flip pages.

1) Total number of books I own?: Man...alot! I have so many in storage that I said I'd stop buying any more and just get them from the library. This, of course, doesn't count for the Harry Potter books, or anything else that really catches my eye.

2) The last book I bought?: My Life In France, by Julia Child. In fact, I was with Smooch when I bought this! I was looking for a photography book, but was distracted by Julia's name...I really loved watching her cooking shows, and if you did, too? Check out this book. Well worth it!

3) The last book I read?: Same as above, sadly, just finished it last night (I hate finishing books!)

4) What I am currently reading?: Nothing at the moment, altho I have some books just waiting for me to pick them up, such as My Life by Bill Clinton; Mark Twain's Library of Humor or Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman, just to name a few. Also, I haven't finished The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion yet. I pick it up, read a bit, put it down and go back to it in a few days or a week. It's about loss, and I'm not sure I want to immerse myself in that topic yet.

5) Five books that have meant a lot to me or that I loved the most:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle : A Novel by Hiroyuki Murakami
My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

If you want to play along, please do so. I'd love to know what you all are reading and what books mean alot to you! Post your answers on your blog or in the comments--just let me know, I can always use a few good book recommendations!

and the nine songs at 9 were:

We Gotta Get You A Woman - Todd Rundgren [wow! I used to LOVE this song, haven't heard it in years!]
Moondance - Van Morrison [classic]
That's The Way - Led Zeppelin [Zep!]
Share The Land - the Guess Who
After The Goldrush - Neil Young [OMG AFTER THE GOLDRUSH!!! I ADORED this album and this song]
Memo From Turner - the Stones [not a bad tune from a band with a lead singer who can't sing]
Instant Karma! - John Lennon [funny how with just one note you can recognize a song!]
Apeman - the Kinks [OMG! APEMAN!!! Ray Davies is/was/will always be the man!]
Me & My Arrow - Harry Nilsson [OMG!! ME & MY ARROW!!! It's said he was on acid when he wrote this...d'uh!]

And the flashback song was: Keep It Warm (lyrics in the extended entry) - Flo & Eddy

I think Chuck should keep revisiting 1970, what a GREAT bunch of songs! This got Pat and me emailing fast and furious LOL!

(Words and Music by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan)

Write another song for the money
Something they can sing, not so funny
Money in the bank to keep us warm

Make a better world from the old one
Make yourself a baby and hold one
Hold her in your arms and keep her warm,
Keep her warm, Keep her warm,
Keep her warm...

Banner found at Banners by Goofygirl

Thirteen Things in my office
(click on the pictures for a bigger, better view)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

A friend of mine recently forwarded me an email, you've probably seen it before, about the reasons why people come into your life. She said, in the email:

"I think I am a season to you and I hope to become a lifetime. You have made me a better person for knowing you."

She may think we're "season" friends now...but I think we're "lifetime" :-)

Here's the text of the forwarded email:

PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.!

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

I've been lucky in that I've only had two friends, not counting boyfriends/husbands, I thought were "lifetime" who actually were "reason". One happened in 1997; the other just recently.

Such is life, though, right?

Monday:

- Snape was on my page a day Harry Potter calendar, altho I might have mentioned that already ;-)
- Bought a new bed, like it?

Tuesday:

- Saw the movie American Dreamz...the gay Iranian guy was hysterical!!!
- Joe's American Bar & Grill makes THE best Sangria, sorry Ned!

Wednesday:

- Someone at work, who had taken some jellybeans from the bowl on my desk, mentioned casually that they might be old or something, as they tasted a bit strange...I pointed out they were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (the box is right on top of the bowl!) and she laughed and said, I thought I was losing my mind, one tasted like black pepper!
- Made a great tortellini carbonara
- Came to work to find a gift (pretty tealight holder shaped like a lotus flower and a box of tealights) & a card for Admin Professional's Day (or whatever it's called nowadays; hell, I remember when it was Secretary's Day!)
- Leggings? Back in style? HAHAHA:

Thursday:

- waking up from a sound sleep because I'm so frickin' sensitive to the smell of skunk (there is NO other scent that can do that, trust me!)
- forgetting I'd poached a chicken and left it on the stove, in the pan, all night; Wolf helped me remember by parking his butt on the chair by the store and staring longingly at the pan
- saw this face transformer thing over on Gabrielle's blog; it's kind of creepy! Here's my face as seen by Modigliani:

Friday:

- Everyone guessed correctly on What Is It Wednesday's picture, the complete view is below (Just wait til next week, tho...it's fixing to get tougher!)

- 25 years ago today I got married. Too bad it didn't last!

I asked ME who her five favorite movie characters were and why. Here are her answers:

1. Depp as the Pirate...hot!
2. Reeves as Neo...hot!
3. Peter Fonda in 5 easy pieces...hot!
4. Pierce B