TNChick is having a contest, #4, altho it's the first one I've entered. She says:

Take pictures of the items listed below:

* Your National Flag - (where ever you are or are from)
* Fire Engine(s) - Must be a real engine, not a toy
* Something red, white AND blue in ONE photo.
* Fireworks (firework store, in air, sparklers, anything fireworks)
OR
* BBQing (food on the grill)

Upload the photos on your blog with a post titled "July Contest Entry" and link the post in her comments. Easy!

1. My National Flag:

Our old next door neighbor hung this flag from his tree after 9/11/01. I love the way it seems to glow.

2. Fire engine:
Taken in Norfolk, VA at the hotel I stayed in...someone burnt a piece of toast or something at 730 AM LOL! The engine is from VA Beach.

3. Something red, white AND blue:

Taken on a weekend trip to NYC last October. I like to call this photo "Doom" LOL!

4. Fireworks:


Fireworks at this year's Norfolk, VA Harborfest

The 4th of July: the words conjure up many memories; summertime, hanging out at the beach, music, fireworks...but most of all ... FOOD!

To me, the perfect 4th of July foods are: hot dogs and/or hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, deviled eggs, corn on the cob, watermelon, ice cold beer... typical fare at all the 4th of July cook-outs (such a quaint New England term!) I've ever been to.

My cousin is hosting a cook-out tomorrow; we're having all of the above plus fresh, home made salsa, clam dip and chips, fruit salad, maybe a 7 layer mexican dip. We'll have to suffer with steak shish kabobs instead of hamburgers and hot dogs, tho. Life's tough sometime! Maybe we'll have some angel food cake with strawberries dipped in chocolate for dessert or possibly a cake like this:

What kinds of food makes it a perfect 4th of July for you?

The potions master and the goddess of love...could there be a more perfect couple?

Well, ok, maybe so, but shhhhh...allow me my fantasy, would you? ;-)

Yesterday, Michelle and I, after enjoying a flight of martinis at Aquatini, ambled up the street. We were blinded a bit by the combination of delicious drinks and bright sunlight, so at first we only noticed an open door and big, plate glass windows. Then we looked beyond...and saw what appeared to be many, MANY bottles of scent! A parfumerie!!!

We giggled, looked at each other and said at the same time, "it's just what you've been looking for!" (me) and "oh heaven!" (Michelle)

We spent a glorious hour in there, sniffing this scent and that scent, reading about what scents were in the perfumes we liked and wach finally deciding on one that we liked. Michelle's was Aphrodite, an enticing combination of rose, ylang ylang, geranium and mimosa oils, all known to inspire euphoria, bliss and ardor, and create a warm glow of romance.

I chose two scents combined: Tunisian Opium (patchouli, black opium & jasmine) and Angel (a blend of chocolate, caramel, honey, vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli, accompanied by fruity notes of citrus, melons, peaches and plums) which reminded me of Snape because of a story I once read in which his favorite tea is Lapsang Souchong, a very smoky blend; this scent is smoky, as well. When asked what I wanted to call my creation, I looked at Michelle and simultaneously we said, "Snape!" The guy behind the counter laughed and said, finally, they're in agreement about something (the scents Michelle liked were not the scents I liked, and vice versa LOL).

Anyway, a day of being in a beach town, walking around, taking pictures, stopping for a martini, walking around, taking more pictures, buying a custom made perfume, walking around, taking more pictures, having lunch and another martini, walking around, taking pictures, driving to a second beach town, climbing a huge rock to get a picture of the sunset, and finally sticking my toes into the ocean is just about as perfect a day for me as can be!

I blogged a bit about Sunday already, so on to today!

Spent the day at my cousin's house, and had a ball! Yummy food, delicious drink, great conversation. Just about the perfect 4th of July :-)

How was yours?

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And what it was cropped from:

Carmen guessed correctly this week! She said, "Is it a shroom in your yard?". As you can see, she's right about it being a mushroom, although it wasn't in my yard!

As for this week...

what is it?

What a weekend! I decided to wait and post this after the 4th, since I wanted to share what went on then, too!

Friday:

Went over to my friend, Di's, after work. I'd asked her to dress her daughter, Chloe, up in a tutu so I could take some pictures. I ended up taking 87 pictures of Chloe, Meri (her youngest), Di and Paul. LOL! Sadly, none of their dog, Bailey :-(

Afterwards, Di and I headed to the Chestnut Hill mall to see if Bloomie's had the Thierry Mugler perfume, Alien. They did, however, they only had the large size, and at $95 that seemed way too steep for me, so I passed. I did spritz myself with it, tho and it smelled SO good! Di then took me to dinner at Paparazzi's, where I thoroughly enjoyed a mushroom & asparagas risotta, a yummy martini and some panna cotta with the most delicious caramel sauce for dessert! We went to see The Devil Wears Prada afterward. It was funny, and the Paris scenes made me smile :-)

Saturday: Did absolutely nothing, really! Took Dad to breakfast, edited Di's pictures, rented the entire final season of Queer As Folk, cleaned a bit, mowed the lawn, pretty much a very lazy day. Went to get a new tattoo, but the design needed more work, so had to reschedule.

Sunday:

Took some photos of Miss Charlotte for Erin. That was so much fun!

Met up with Michelle and we headed to Newburyport and Gloucester.

Monday: Work. Blah.

Tuesday:

Cook-out at my cousin's. Food, fun and friends, a wicked awesome combination!

graphic courtesy of Debbie

(I'm guest posting over on Amy's blog today, so I did a T13 for her, too...go visit, won't you?)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)

Ms. Random and Odd is getting married! TOMORROW! Therefore, she has requested these three things:

1. Your Love (show us some love)
2. Take us on a Honeymoon! (bring us somewhere with your pictures)
3. Something Blue (No sad faces before my wedding!)

Ok, here goes:

1. This is my love:

Can you see why?

2. Here's your honeymoon!

Where else but The City of Lights...Paris!

3. something blue:

I wish you blue skies and smooth sailing through the rest of your days together :-)

Isn't life interesting? I was talking to a friend of mine today; she lives with her elderly Mom and was happy that her mom was going to visit another daughter this weekend. She was happy to have a weekend alone.

I was happy I was going to Jamestown NY this weekend to see some friends.

But things change.

My friend's Mom decided to not go visit her other daughter, and my friend was a bit bummed out, cause she really could use some alone time.

My Dad got sick at the senior center this morning and was taken to the hospital via ambulance. After an EKG, bloodwork & xrays, it's been determined he has gastroenteritis, which for you and me would most likely be no problem. Unfortunately, with infants, young children and the elderly, it can be a serious problem if they don't rehydrate enough. So he's in the hospital for a couple days, and I'm staying home...alone.

Funny how those things work out.

***UPDATED***

--->Make sure you stay til the credits are done...there's a nice little surprise for you at the end!<---

Went to see Dead Man's Chest today, and loved it! My friend, Diane, liked it more than the first one LOL! Stay til after the credits...email me afterwards and let me know if you guessed what it would be while you were waiting!

Elizabeth Swann: "There will come a moment when you have a chance to do the right thing."

Captain Jack Sparrow: "I love those moments; I like to wave at them as they pass by."

Which one of Captain Jack Sparrow's bizarre sayings from Pirates of the Caribbean are you?

You are "Welcome to the Caribbean, love." You're more than a little world-weary, but also intelligent and you keep your head when things get dodgy. You're everybody's favorite drinking buddy, but your stubbornness does get in the way sometimes.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Which Facial Expression of Jack Sparrow's Are You?

You are his... Surprised Gape. Things can easily jump out at you suddenly, and get you when you least expect it. But it doesn't bother you, much. In some subjects, such as stories or movies, you love the irony of the end.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

One of the best chocolate things ever!!! It's a dessert at a restaurant called The Black Cow in Newburyport, MA. While I'm not that much of a sweets lover (I prefer savory things), this is melt in your mouth goodness!

I love impromptu things! Today I was supposed to go see the movie "A Scanner Darkly"; instead, I ended up in Newburyport with Krista and my camera.

Here's a bit of what we did/saw:

1. spicy calimari with a sweet mustard sauce, to DIE for!; 2. extra dirty martini
3. reve du chocolat; 4. Krista enjoying reve du chocolat
5. sparkly things in a window design; 6. sign inside a cedar chest (it says moth insurance policy)
7. a ring Krista tried on in an estate shop; 8. a sea turtle kite

Let me take you one a tour:

1. The elf cherry tomatoes; 2. flowers on a plum tomato plant
3. flowers on a jalapeno; 4. a jalapeno
5. plum tomato; 6. mint
7. strawberry; 8. the herb garden

I was shopping at Whole Foods Friday night and decided to browse the ice cream section. This flavor struck my fancy, as I LOVE the taste of molasses. Had some Sunday night and oh my goodness!!! It is so incredibly GOOD!!! You can read about it here: Laloo's Goat's Milk Ice Cream. It's low fat, low in lactose, contains no growth hormones and is made by hand from natural ingredients that are locally grown in the Sonoma County...and the packaging is so pretty!

TONS of thunder, big huge BOOMS, hail, rain, it comes & goes and comes & goes. WICKED storm!

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your carbuncle? "

OMG this movie just cracked me UP the second time!!! Pat is now madly in love with Johnny Depp, I told her back OFF!

Go see it...don't listen to the critics!

and the previews for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby:

"I can't control my heart rate, I got a cougar on me!" (say it in a southern accent).

Pee my pants alaughin'!

Oh and a friend of mine told me she went to her eye doctor today...there were two wicked goth guys there. She mentioned them to the doctor, and he said...guess what the their names are? She was like...um...no idea. He told her the son's name...no lie...was Draco Malfoy and the father's name was Remus Lupin; the mother's name is Harry, and she's not sure if she's a man or a woman...I kid you not!!!

And I thought I was strange!!!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And what it was cropped from:

kestrel's guess was closest...she said, "Hmm, my guess is some breed of backyard specter!". Very close--it was a front yard specter!

As for this week...

what is it?

We saw a preview for this movie last night; here's a synopsis:

Ben Stiller plays a night watchman at a museum of natural history; Dick Van Dyke gives him a warning about what may happen during the night. The movie also features Mickey Rooney, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams at Theodore Roosevelt. There's an awesome scene with a t-rex skeleton getting a drink of water...from the bubbler!

Looks like a pretty funny movie, I know I loved the preview and most of the people were silent through it (i.e., paying attention). Can't wait for this one!

Saw this quote over at Christine's blog while I was checking out the Thursday Thirteens:

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
-George Eliot

I long to be that kind of a friend, and to have friends like that, as well. This quote will be tucked away, safe somewhere, to always remember...and you, my friends, I hope you do the same :-)

***UPDATED***

Ok, how's this for irony? Amy commented on one of my blog entries, and in it she said: Fondofsnape isn't doing a 13 this week???? I replied with "I have writers block :-) Wanna suggest a topic?"; she kindly sent me six suggestions, and I chose this one: "13 reasons Janet would love to go back to Japan". As I was searching for a link to the Iron Chefs, I won a movie ticket on blingo (which I converted into an iTunes gift cert)! Too funny!!!

Thanks, Amy!

***END UPDATE****

While my searching hasn't won me anything, four friends I signed up to Blingo have won things which I win, too, for having signed them up!

- Blingo Movie Ticket, thanks to Megan (again!) today

- $10 iTunes Gift Certificate, thanks to Amy on 6/30/06

- $200 Visa Gift Card, thanks to Michelle on 4/12/06

- $10 iTunes Gift Certificate, thanks to Michele on 3/31/06

- Apple iPod Nano, thanks to Megan on 3/7/06

Are you using blingo to search? Want to be my Blingo friend? Click on the link below:

graphic courtesy of Debbie

1. Well, the flight is so damn long, that it doesn't make sense to go for a shorter period of time!

2. I'd love to see Hisayo and Masayo again...and possibly Chiharu, altho I'm sure he's remarried by now!

3. The cherry blossoms along the Tama River!

4. Yaki imo man!

5. Bon Odori & fireworks

6. Autumn in the Tokyo area is spectacular!

7. To have lunch at a Japanese/French restaurant called Sun Valley; it was elegant, the food was delicious, and they had 1000s of different types of tea cups & saucers, and you could choose which one you'd like.

8. And of course, I'd have to visit the restaurants of the Iron Chefs!

9. okonomiyaki!

10. Ramen, made the real Japanese way.

11. So I could take a gazillion pictures.

12. To see the cool new cars that don't make it to the states for 5 years or so

13. I'd love to go to the Fertility Festival in Nagoya again...it wasn't so much fun with SFSSDMF!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)

Ms. Random and Odd says: "I have avoided this one for almost a year because someone begged me not to do it. It's time. SHOW ME YOUR PIGGIES!!!"

Here's a couple shots!

One of my feet, my hawt leg and my tattoo (which has been added to)...

Both feet!

Wolf's feet!

1. I'd rather be...at the beach!

2. Sometimes I...like to cook, sometimes I don't.

3. I never...imagined my life being like it is now.

4. The last good thing that came in the mail was...a batch of birthday presents from Zoot!

5. Someday I'm gonna...go back to visit Japan again!

6. Tonight I'm going to ... go see the Dropkick Murphy's, then on Saturday I will.... go to a Scottish Festival in Northampton and later that evening visit my favorite bartender and Sunday will be... relaxing and filled with seeing a movie, walking the dogs, taking Dad out for breakfast.

And you?

Seen over at Lisa’s:

You Are A Fig Tree

You are very independent and strong minded. A hard worker when you want to be, you play hard too. You are honest and loyal. You hate contradiction or arguments. You love life, and you live for your friends, children, and animals. A great sense of humor, artistic talent, and intelligence are all gifts you possess.

Thursday: I got together with someone I hadn't seen or talked to in quite some time. I think we've buried the hatchet and I'm glad. I missed her :-)

Friday: Met my friend Mo up in Hampton Beach NH to see the Dropkick Murphys. They were great! Any band that has a bagpipe band march onto the stage before they start...amazing! The other bands that went on before them? Not so good...yaawwwwwn, altho to be fair, each of them had at least one song we kind of liked. One was a punk band from Beijing, China! Interesting. The crowd itself was fun to watch; so many tattoos!

Drove home with the big waning moon by my side, over the ocean. Did I have a camera? Nooooooo.

Saturday: Michelle and I went to Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival in Florence, MA (out near Northampton, a loooong drive). We got there in time to see a band called Enter The Haggis play...they were GREAT! Rock-ish, with a bagpipe player (two bands with bagpipes in one weekend!). It was fun, and I got to have some real haggis, with neeps and tatties, YUM! Here are a few shots from the day:

Later on that evening, went to Grendel's with Michelle, and Krista & Matt showed up! Our favorite bartender, Ned, wasn't there, tho :-(

We tried a new drink tho and it was oh so delicous! It's called The Ruby Vroom and it's made with Absoulute Ruby Red Grapefruit flavored vodka, POM pomegranate juice, pomegranite Syrup, Cointreau and a dash of Angostora bitters.

Sunday: I'm going to see a movie and who knows what else. More later!

Saw this turkey vulture in Billerica; he was enjoying some road kill when I first noticed him. Minutes before, on a side road, I'd driven past mama & daddy turkey out for a stroll with their 9 children, and thought it was a turkey with a dead chick...but no.

In all my years living here, I've NEVER seen a vulture. Anyone else seen one in the wild?

My new best friend Amy (you'll see why I call her "my new best friend" if you click on the following link) sent me an email the other day and in it she said: "See if you can check this out: 10 Reasons We Love Johnny Depp!. Let me know if you can't see it!"

Ohhhh, I could see it all right! Here was my response to her:

1. OMG! That first picture!!! OMG! I've been DRINKING you know! GOD!!! He's soooooooooooooo effing HOT!!!

Thanks for sharing this with me!

...a huge liar. There. I said it.

You might remember I told you I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last Saturday with my friend Diane.

Well...I'd promised my friend Pat I'd wait til Tuesday so we could see it together. But I figured I'd just see it twice, no harm, no foul, right? Cause...even though Pat is my oldest friend (longevity wise), the bitch she never, EVER reads my blog...or so I thought.

Turns out...the sneaky git she DOES read it when she wants to find out if I've gone to see a movie I promised I wouldn't see without her!

But on Tuesday, she took me out for dinner anyway (post-birthday celebration) and we went to see the movie. We had two drinks before the movie and she also gave me a bottle of rum she brought back from Bermuda (yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me) as a gift, so in the parking lot of the restaurant, we (meaning I) emptied out a bottle of water I had in my car and filled it halfway with rum. Of course, as I was doing this, a couple strolled by my car and probably thought I was going to drink and drive.

But no. We were going to add the rum to the diet cokes we'd buy at the movies! Pat and I have a long history of alcohol abuse, so this is nothing for us LOL! I'd give you a couple of scenarios, but really, this is about Depp lust, so ... another time.

There we were, with our doctored sodas and goodies (she also gave me a box of raisinettes. The movie comes on. I'm giggling cause I'm thinking of all the scenes in the movie that will crack her up.

But, you know...Pat's not really a Depp fan. She likes the manly guys. For example, in the LOTR movies (which we loved with almost an obsession) (hahahah) she always liked Aragorn best. Manly, dirty, hairy. I, on the other hand, loved Legolas best. Clean, blond, femboy to the max.

So. Guess who Pat fell in lust with? The femmie-est femboy of them all, Captain Jack Sparrow! I do believe she muttered something that was entirely waaaaaaaay too x-rated to even mention on here, something about 10 ways to Sunday and a very bad swear word.

Hey! Back off, beyotch, he's mine! Did I lust after your man, Aragorn? No!

The nerve.

So I emailed her this picture today. Her response? "OMG".

She's got it bad ;-)

"Hi, my name is Kristaloofly and I would like Krista to come flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy with meeeeeeeeeee" (say it in a high, screechy bug voice, you KNOW you want to!)

Listening to: AvroWife's Mix.

I signed up for the CD Chain at AvroWife's blog. Here are the rules of this game:

Leave me a comment; I'll send you a cd without the playlist. You listen to the cd and post on your blog what the songs are and who they're done by. If you don't know, tell me a bit about the song, and who, if anyone, you suspect it might be. Then you will continue the CD Chain by making your own CD without a playlist and sending it to your commenters!

Now, the review:

1. Neil Diamond - Coming to America. Ok, it'll get [twitch] better, I'm [twitch] sure...can I just tell you [twitch] how much [twitch] I dislike this dude?
2. Willy Nelson - America The Beautiful. Even though I don't much like country music, there are some singers I recognize right away...and in Willy's case, I always picture him plucking at his throat when he sings cause he's so warbly-is that a word?
3. Don McLean - American Pie. Recognized this one from the first 3 notes; it reminds me of the group sessions my parents sent me to when I was 13 [a long, long time ago.../I can still remember/How that music used to make me smile]
4. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA. Another easily recognizable song, gotta love Bruce!
5. No clue what this one is...lots of drumming...orchestra kicks in...opera-ish singing..."don't beat the children"??? It's live, whatever it is. Is it Pink Floyd?
6. Again, no clue..."put away the groceries, take my daily bread, dream of your arms around as I stuff (tuck?) the kids in bed...". I'm guessing it's the Dixie Chicks.
7. Hmmm...I'm going out on a limb and saying this is a country song; "My daddy served in the army where he lost his right eye...". No idea what it is...it's certainly patriotic tho!
8. Richie Havens - Freedom (Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child). Dude...you mean all I have to do is chant one word and toss a phrase in there from time to time and I could have a hit song, too?
9. God Bless America...no idea who's singing it, Christina Aguilera maybe?
10. Oh it's that 9/11 song...Proud to be an American. I don't know who sings it...a bit too country for my taste.
11. Cars - [ut oh, it's] Magic! Ahhh a little hometown sound :-)
12. I know this is Amazing Grace...is it the Dropkick Murphys? I love this song, too; if it is them, I was looking at some of their CDs at Norfolk Naval Station last month, and noticed they did this song.

Avrowife's theme would seem to be patriotism, perfect for July!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And what it was cropped from:

EVERYONE guessed correctly last week! So I've made it a bit harder...I think?

As for this week...

what is it?

Empress has resurrected her MOTD (Man of the Day) posts, and I am SO glad! I made three requests, and she's done two so far...can't wait for #3!!!

BTW, take a close look at the hands in today's picture...aren't they lovely? Makes me weak ;-)

#3 has the best hands of all and he's known for using them expressively in his work. No, he's not a p@rn star!

Sheeeesh!

Go take a look...and leave her a request for your special MOTD!

graphic courtesy of Debbie

1. Robert Plant, in his younger days

2. Johnny Depp, in most any way shape or form, but especially as Captain Jack Sparrow


3. Alan Rickman, as Professor Snape


4. Josh Holloway, as Sawyer (the tv show Lost)


5. Tyson Beckford, model & actor


6. Orlando Bloom, as Legolas


7. Marc Bolan, lead singer and founder of the band T-Rex


8. Viggo Mortensen, as Aragorn


9. Calvin: He could be categorized as an actor, for sure, just not on tv or the movies.


10. Heath Ledger, loved him in a Knight's Tale, Casanova and Brokeback Mountain, just to name a few


11. Vampire Don, from the SciFi reality series, Mad Mad House


12. LL Cool J, rapper and actor and definite cutie!


13. Karl Urban, as Eomer, from the Lord of the Rings trilogy

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)

Ms. Random and Odd says:

"This is how this week works:

Under your sink. Yeah, that's some nasty ass crap going on under there. Let's see what you have crammed in there! "

Ok! Here goes!

stuff unnoticed

Me!!! I've always said I could go anywhere and no one would bother me. Not quite invisible...just unnoticed!

Your Wish

Is it my wish to visit Paris again? My wish to feast my eyes on the beautiful art at Musee Rodin once more? Or...what?

stuff Under your sink

Man, it was so horrible under there I had to photoshop the pic! ROFLMAO!

Courtesy of Meg:

1. This week I'm grateful for....Dad feeling ok!

2. The sound of snapping gum...drives me insane

3. I owe my...life to...my parents.

4. A fresh, ripe peach...is the most delicious thing ever

5. Nature...inspires me

6. I'm most happy when I...am taking pictures.

7. Le weekend...includes seeing friends; taking Dad to breakfast, then to see Pirates; walking the dogs; a little cleaning, a little weeding, a little who knows what else!

I'm always asking Krista to draw things for me because she's so damn talented. I mean...just look at this!!!

Wolf and Janet

I LOVE it!!!

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

Action =

Sheep herding!

Man, was it rumbly last night! Lots of thunder but no rain where I was. My hairdresser kindly fit me in...but my hair isn't exactly the color I wanted it to be LOL! Oh well, it still looks good. I bought some new shampoo while at the salon; it's by a company called PureOlogy. The shampoo & conditioner (which smells of ylang ylang, bergamot and patchouli) are both great and they make your scalp tingle; they contain peppermint oil!

Afterwards, went out with Megan; she surprised me by taking me to the new Coldstone Creamery. I felt bad for the girls behind the counter...every time they're tipped (and I hate to tell you what we tipped lol) they have to break into song. It was kind of funny in a goofy way ;-)

Then we wandered TJ Maxx while waiting for a table at Texas Roadhouse; only we ended up not going to Texas Roadhouse (neither of us was in the mood for any country music LOL). So we stopped at one cute lil Italian place, but they only served beer & wine and we wanted martinis (picky, aren't we?). So we ended up at...well...I can't tell you WHERE we went, cause we did something highly illegal there (and I can't tell you what it was, either). Let's just say neither one of us will be showing our faces there again anytime soon.

In the course of conversation, Megan said I was sarcastic; it's a trait I hate about myself and wish I wasn't quite so...then I saw this test today...guess she's right:

You're Totally Sarcastic

You sarcastic? Never! You're as sweet as a baby bunny. Seriously, though, you have a sharp tongue - and you aren't afraid to use it. And if people are too wimpy to deal with your attitutde, then too bad. So sad.

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Mel!
Happy Birthday to you!

Mel, back in the day (Mel, me, MB, Tracy, Larry)

Mel, now!

Mel, I hope you have a beautiful birthday :-) Hugs!

Talk about a perfect summer's day!

Early in the afternoon I met an old friend at Grendel's in Harvard Square. We sat outside, talking, sipping & noshing. He surprised me with a birthday gift & card...REALLY surprised me, and that's no easy thing to do LOL! We walked around the Square for a bit and then had lunch at John Harvard's Brew House. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together a few more times; he's here for a week on business.

Last night about 830, on a spur of the moment kind of thing (shocking, eh?), I met my friend Maureen up in Hampton Beach, a seaside town in NH. We walked the beach, at the water line, and just talked and talked. The waves were fierce; seems the ocean was uneasy last night. People were setting off fireworks here and there, and ... it was fantastic. Made me realize how much I miss the sea and that I need to get there more often. We had a late dinner of steamers & lobster bisque, with dippin' dots for dessert.

While walking the strip, Maureen told me she'd gotten her palm read there recently, so I decided to get mine done. Very interesting! A few things she said that were right on: I'd been married twice, had no kids, owned no property and, strangely, something about negative energy coming from some people in my life and that I wasn't successful in blocking this, in fact, I was absorbing it and that wasn't a good thing. Interesting...

The funniest part of the whole thing was the woman stopped the reading and said...you smell SO good! LOL! Essence of Snape, what can I say?

So how was your weekend?

... love it!

"All people are born alike - except Republicans and Democrats."
- Groucho Marx

Photograph this blog post (including your monitor and its immediate surroundings), and post the resulting pic on your blog. Then the next person photographs your blog post and posts it, and so on. Leave your post URL in the comments so people will be able to follow the chain, and link your image to the post you photographed… this way people will be able to zoom into the monitors by clicking.

I've seen this a few places, at Counting Sheep and at DebR...and here at The Color Purple, too! Thanks for the reminder, Meg!

GRUB-OLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Balsamic vinegar & olive oil

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Popeyes!!!

What is your favorite sit down restaurant? Aquatini

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? at the very least, 20%; unless the service is really really bad, then I leave without paying ;-)

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? lol so many things! Salad, chips, cheese, pizza, sashimi

Name three foods you detest above all others. natto, uni, chitlins

What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? I dislike Americanized Chinese restaurants; I prefer things that you would probably be horrified by: jellyfish salad, for example.

What are your pizza toppings of choice? shitake mushrooms or ham & pineapple

What do you like to put on your toast? besides my teeth you mean? Butter or peanut butter or cinnamon sugar or sardines

What is your favorite type of gum? anything sugar free and bubble worthy, but I WON'T snap it in front of you!!! Take that bitch!!!

TECH-OLOGY

Number of contacts in your cell phone? 348

Number of contacts in your email address book? 345

What is your wallpaper on your computer? It's from Webshots, so it changes constantly. Right now it's a picture of some weird stone-ish castle looking thing that's not a castle.

What is your screensaver on your computer? Nekkid pictures of Professor Snape, they float lazily by. Quite!

Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? Yup! Wanna see?

How many land line phones do you have in your house? 500

How many televisions are in your house? 400

What kitchen appliance do you use the least? probaby the hair dryer

What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? classic rock

How many sex toys do you own that require batteries? Too many to count!

BI-OLOGY

What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? Is this like the Chinese fortunes, where you add the words, "in bed" after the fortune? No? My bad! My best physical attribute is my cankle, my left one.

Are you right handed or left handed? right handed

Do you like your smile? No!!!

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? pre-cancerous skin cells, gall bladder, tonsils, my right tube in the ovarian section due to ectopic pregnancy

Would you like to? go for a long walk on the beach at night...YES!!! Yes, yes yes!

Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? Oh HELL no, get in there, do what I have to, flush, spray, wash my hands and leave!

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? 5 senses, eh? Taste, touch, sight, smell, hear....hmmm...I'll go with sight, no wait, I wear glasses...hearing, I'll go with that...eh? What's that you say? Nonono, it's SELECTIVE hearing, now shut UP!

When was the last time you had a cavity? I think I have one now...

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? Myself!

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Once during sex...it's a long story...VERY boring...

MISC-OLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? I don't think so...but on the other hand...were I to know what that day was, I could really get some things done beforehand...hmmm...

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Beth

How do you express your artistic side? Photography & cooking

What color do you think you look best in? black or green

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? hell, a long time! TV/movies/books...what's not to like?

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? hahaha yes

If we weren’t bound by society’s conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? that's disgusting, hell no

How often do you go to church? only for weddings or funerals, sometimes at Christmas

Have you ever saved someone’s life? Yes

Has someone ever saved yours? Yes

DARE-OLOGY

For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much. Oooh, goody, I love dares!

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? Sure, that's alot of money and no fear of anyone taking a picture!

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? d'oh, YES! Any volunteers?

Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000? Sure, why not? Same question!

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? Yup! (motivated by money much?)

Would you never blog again for $50,000? Hell yes, I'm gettin' tired of it anyway

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? um...no LOL

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? I couldn't..

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Hmmm...depends on who it would be! I can think of two I'd LOVE to off!

Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? Sure!

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Hmmm...sure...I could always watch the shows on the computer...that's not cheating, cause it's not tv!

to reward you for reading all the way thru, here's an appropriate picture:

"blah, blah, blah (and then I said...)"

When I went to Q, my hairdresser last Friday, I told her I wanted exactly what she did last time, which was a blondish color, close to my real shade.

The shot doesn't do it justice...it's more maroon with blond streaks, actually! Not a color that naturally occurs, I'm thinking!

You'd think I only have one dog, a shiba inu named Wolf. Everyone complains that I never talk about Max...so here he is!

Isn't he adorable?

Here's some shots of his cute feet:

someone needs a nail clipping!

Sometimes, when one is drinking, one says something that hurts another. And for that I'm truly sorry. I don't even know why I said it! Stupid drunk beyotch.

Damn

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And what it was cropped from:

Most everyone guessed beer foam; Michelle: "It is the sweat on a martini glass of an xxx-dirty martini - see the little olive down in the corner?" & Pat: "EASY!!!!!!!!!! its an extra dirty martini with the corner of an olive showing" got it exactly, while TNChick deserves honorable mention: "Martini/Wine Glass, filled with something yummy. Or, a mug... I dunno."

As for this week...

what is it?

...miss my dogs
...am sleepy
...cracked a tooth last night, a FRONT tooth. Call me Granny Clampett. Grrrr...
...did something recently that made Krista open her eyes wide in horror and laugh hysterically
...am tired
...really like this season of Rescue Me. The "Lou" character is just amazingly well done!
...am still waiting to hear back from the massage people and the headstone people. WTH?
...can't stop yawning
...wish I was at the ocean right now...or a nice, fluffy bed with my pillow and the ocean later when it's cooled off outside

Lyrics running through my head:

...now no-one's knocked upon my door / for a thousand years, or more....

anything you'd like to add?

graphic courtesy of Debbie

1. MamaDuck wants to know: "When will my little guy sleep all night long???" My answer, and lord knows I have SO much experience with kids...NOT! is: "Probably about the time his hormones start ragin' ;-)" [I really meant for people to ask questions about me, but hey...this is fun!]

2. Smoochdog asks: "Why are there so many more photos of Wolf on your blog and in flickr than of Max? Don't you love him just the same?" Well, Smooch, I must admit...I'm a bit obsessed with Wolf. Not sure why...but it's like when you fall in love. There's really no explaining it! However, I do love Max, too. I mean...I feed him the same food, take him to his vet appointments AND he gets to run off leash in the woods...hell, he even sleeps with me in the bed!

3. Michele's question is: "Who are the kids on MB's blog? Kidding! (Although, really, I've no idea.) What is your favorite season and why? Ok, Michele, well those kids are the grandchildren of her neighbor up the hill! To answer the next question: My favorite season is autumn, for so many reasons! The weather, the smell in the air, the foliage, I love being able to wear sweaters again, it means Halloween & Thanksgiving & Christmas will be here soon, altho this year, those holidays will be mighty tough.

4. rusvw asks: What was your favorite photo shoot, and why? Currently, it would be Baby Charlotte. She's so photogenic and I just love babies!

Isn't she adorable??!

5. Next up: "If Alan Rickman changed his hairstyle as Snape, would he be as forboding looking? Maybe a mullet, perhaps? What's the best hairstyle for him?, from none other than Lisa, aka Snarkypants (and, as you can tell from the question, she is VERY snarky!). My answer is as follows: Alan Rickman should NEVER change his hairstyle, it's canon Snape at his most perfect! A mullet? Heresey! He has the best hairstyle...altho just for kicks I'd like to see him dye it blond and tie it back, ala Lucius (aka Lucious) Malfoy. Mmmmm....

6. From Yellowrose: "I know you are a Harry Potter fan, obviously, so who do you think dies in the next book?" Definitely Voldemort! The other one...I think might be Harry...altho, these ARE supposed to be kids books and that's really really pretty dark. I mean, I'D cry at that! No marriage to Ginny? No little Potters running about? I hope it's Wormtail...that slimy git deserves it even more than Voldemort!

7. "Why do we have to grow older?" asks Kailani. Damn good question! Growing older, to a point, isn't such a bad thing. We learn by our experiences and become better and more interesting people. Once you start really aging, tho, say in your 70s and 80s, the body just starts to noticeably break down, and that's no fun, no fun at all. I heard a good concept today when Krista shared with me the trailer for the movie, Fountain. The supposition there is our souls are trapped in our bodies and want to get out and be free...interesting, eh? Good question, Kailani!

8. Tink wants to know "Who is your favourite LOTR character?". Ohhhh, Tink...did you know my blog used to be called "fondofelves"? I love me some Legolas!!! So clean and shiny and GOOD! A close second would be Eomer; he's wild and beautiful. For humor, I'd pick the two-some of Merry & Pippin, for sure, and let's not even talk about Billy Boyd's wicked awesome Scottish accent! Oooooh! Now...that's from the movie, tho. From the book, my favourite character was always Bilbo Baggins. Fell in love with that character in The Hobbit (first read it when I was 14), and in LOTR, I was all...who is this Frodo? I want more of Bilbo!

9. Carmen wants to know "Who would you pick, if given the choice of fantasy boyfriend? Alan Rickman or Johnny Depp?" Why, it would have to be Johnny Depp, wouldn't it, given that I really like Alan Rickman's character of Snape more than the actor himself...altho...that voice! Could I have Rickman's voice in the tattooed glory that is Depp? And of course, neither could smoke anymore ;-)

10. rampantbicycle poses an interesting question: "If you could go and live in the world of any book, what would it be? (Bonus points if you actually have a new character in mind for yourself to BE in that book, but you have to tell us what it is! :))" I, of course, would be Bilbo Baggins, happily enscounced in Bag End, smoking my pipe weed, drinking my tea and wine and having adventures :-) Thanks, I liked that question!

11. Krista asks, "If you could choose a time in your life to go back to, what time would that me?" That's a really tough question!!! I've learned so much from my experiences, but of everything, I can narrow it down to this: When I lived in Japan, because I LOVED it there so much! I'm all about seeing, learning & doing new things and it seemed like every day was filled with that. Can I edit SFSSDMF out of that, tho, and exchange him with Calvin? That'd be great, thanks :-)

12. Karen wants to know a bit about my neck of the woods: "What's the best thing about living near Boston? My husband and I want to visit there one day..." There are so many interesting things about Boston and I love to show it off! Judging from the name of your blog, I'd start off with taking you to the Old North Church, where a long ago relative of mine has a pew in his name (it is the Old North Church, right Mel & MB?). There are so many historical churches in the area! The Park Street Church in downtown Boston is absolutely gorgeous and has lovely services. Next, you'd have to check out Fanuiel Hall, cause it's got so many typically Boston-y things going on. Then over to the North End for some yummy Italian food. You'd have to work off that with a stroll along the Charles River and then maybe check out the Fenway, with or without a Red Sox game going on, it's an interesting area! Then there're the places outside Boston, like Newburyport, Salem, oh, I could go on and on! If anyone from around here would like to add to this list, please feel free to do so in comments!

13. Finally, from Amy: "why can't i marry johnny depp??????" Dude, duh, cause he's MINE? Hello???

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Random and Odd's 3 items for this week:

1. Something Mean looking.

He's actually getting ready to sneeze, LOL!

2. Your weapons

My only weapon, and I'm almost always armed.

3. Your Hiding Place

Funny how easy it is to hide in plain sight!

Friday night: Had the good fortune to watch one crazy storm! Pat and I went out after work for dinner and drinks, and as we were leaving the restaurant, the storm started. Niether of us thought it was going to be as bad as it was! We'd driven over to Target, and had to sit in the car for a good 10 minutes, waiting for the torrential rain and fierce thunder & lightning to stop. Poor Pat! She's like my grandmother and my dogs...not liking the storms so much! I, of course, was taking pictures :-) Didn't get a lightning shot, tho, dammit!

(click on the pictures to get a better view)

Saturday: Dad and I went up to Parker's Maple Barn in Mason NH for breakfast, then we drove around the back roads, just enjoying the scenery. We stopped at Pickity Place, also in Mason and I took some pictures:

Pickity Place serves 5-course gourmet luncheons, 3 seatings a day, reservations required and has an herb garden, flower garden and gift shop; it's also where Elizabeth Orton Jones illustrated her retelling of Little Red Riding Hood story.

I had gotten some new sheets (pink & green!) Friday night at Target; Wolf broke them in for me:

Michelle called that night about 8 and spontaneously asked if I wanted to go to the movies with her. I adore spontaneity, and said hell yes! We saw Lady in the Water; once again, critics be damned! I really liked this movie, and funnily enough...I don't care much for the director, M. Night Shyamalan's OTHER movies, Sixth Sense especially. I've heard a rumor he may be tapped to direct the 6th Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Prince...hmmm...

We saw some previews for three other movies that look awesome: The Pursuit of Happiness, featuring Will Smith; Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuarón (he also directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and starring Julianne Moore & Clive Owen; and World Trade Center, featuring Nicolas Cage.

Sunday: Met Michelle at the Boston Museum of Science today to see Body Worlds 2. It's an exhibit of human bodies and organs that have been preserved by a process called Plastination. Fascinating exhibition, but a bit disturbing at the same time. We also saw a movie at the Omni Theater called The Human Body. Finally, I checked out the Butterfly Garden and got a couple nice shots:

(the one on the left was HUGE!, the size of a sparrow!)

How was YOUR weekend?