Is everyone sufficiently recovered from New Year's Eve? I need to recover from today! It was a marathon of CSI Miami...don't ask my why, it just was! Maybe it was the freezing rain, maybe I just needed a day of absolutely doing nothing...man, it felt good to be lazy! And entertained LOL!

My New Year's Eve was a three parter! First, Michelle came up and we went to dinner (Chinese, of course) with Dad. Then she and I went to Grendel's and watched one of the chick bartenders arm & thumb wrestle with the customers LOL! It was over all too fast, I dropped Michelle off at home and headed to Megan & Jim's for their first New Year's Eve party in their new home. Had fun talking the folks there; Jim's baker brother was sweet and his other brother's wife was quite interesting! Lauren & Rich kept me amused, too, as did Megan with her antics. Give that girl some champagne and a camera and she's OFF!

Anyway, I hope each and every one of you had a fantastic New Year's Eve celebration, however you chose to spend it, and that 2007 is the best year ever! I have a feeling it will be :-)

MissMeliss made me do it! Recently, she posted about some scents she purchased from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs. One of the comments on her entry caught my eye, it was about the scent Hetairae. I did a search on Black Phoenix on black opium, and then honey and came up with the following scents that sounded like they'd smell so.damn.good!

Anathema: Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle.

Sed Non Satiata: Myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, tuberose, geranium over the darkest musk.

Blood Kiss: Vanilla, honey, clove, red cherries, vetiver, soporific poppy, blood red wine, and a bit of musk

Hetairae: Golden honey, fiery patchouli, sweet fig, clove, and a touch of ylang ylang.

O: Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla.

Bengal: Musk with honey, pepper, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger

I ordered 6 Imp Ears from them of these scents...can't wait to smell 'em!!!

Also new for me this year, L'Occitane's Lait d'Ambre (Amber Body Milk). Mmmmm, I love it! Here's the description: When the sun is slowly setting above the Mediterranean shore, cistus plants fill the air with their delicious ambered perfume. These flowering plants have leaves coated with a highly aromatic resin called labdanum, which is responsible for the scent.

For a perfect example of how everyone experiences scents differently, I wore this to work last week. A co-worker came into my office and said...OMG were you in a smoky bar last night (I wasn't, it was the Amber body milk scent). However, I went to a local bar NYE and the female bartender asked me what scent I was wearing cause it smelled so good! Actually, that was the Amber lotion mixed with the scent I made, Snape.

Looking forward to any new scents this year?

05:28 PM - Comments (5)

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

Michele was the first one to get this right...she said: "A nutcracker and a walnut?"; many of you followed. My friend MaryEllen (ME) had the funniest answer this week: "It's my royal scepter conking you on the brain" Very well could be!

So this week...

what is it?

DebR is the Wednesday guest blogger here and I'm playing along:

1. I have never wanted to poor and unemployed; but I've always thought I might like to be rich and unemployed or free to do what I want when I want to.

2. When I was twenty-nine years old, I believed Michael and I would live happily ever after.

3. If I was my own best friend, what I would enjoy the most about spending time with Me would be the fact that I'd be up for almost anything, and could take trips on a moments notice; while what I'd find the most irritating would be listening to myself put me down.

4. If the story of my life up to this point was being published tomorrow, it would be titled "A Photographer and Her Shiba" and it would be dedicated to all shiba inu lovers and photographers everywhere.

5. When my time on Earth is over, and the people who loved me are remembering me, it would please me if they said I scattered her ashes at/in/by [fill in spot]; it was where I had the most fun with her and I think of her whenever I'm there and remember her fondly.

Thirteen Bloggers who know me well
[based on the answers to last week's Thursday Thirteen!]

1. Maribeth got all 13! My cousin, my friend, she's been there all my life :-)
2. Followed by Megan, who also got 'em all correct. My friend in real life; we might not always see eye to eye, and we'd had two fights which resulted in our not speaking for quite some time, but we seem to keep gravitating to each other and for that I'm grateful!
3. Lisa got 12 out of 13; she only missed #8, and that was pretty much a trick question! I've not met Lisa, I only know her through blogging, she's a fantastic photographer and is a pretty damn good mom, too.
4. Zoot also scored 12; she only missed chips, as did most women! The predominant answer by far on this question was chocolate, vehemently in some cases! I've not met Zoot yet, either, but I know I will! She shares my love of Harry Potter, among other things.
5. Heather got 11 out of 13; she got the pickle & soup wrong. Heather is studying to be a doctor and for awhile, I kinda thought her father was Chef Morimoto ;-) I only got to meet her a few times when she lived in Boston, but that was enough to know I wanted to keep her as a friend :-) Her Mom's pretty cool, too!
6. Heather, aka Ocean Blue Fire, also got 11 correct; she thought I'd like to be chauffered while eating sweet pickles, yuck! This Heather is a newer read for me, she was the first person I met through blogging who bought one of my pictures! She was recently my 7777th commenter, and I sent her an Imp's Ear of perfume for her trouble :-)
7. Michelle got 10 out of 13; she opined that I like sweet pickles, HP more than LOTR and chocolate more than chips...no, no, no! I met Michelle via blogging two years ago...I'd've thought she'd've given up on me by now, we're no more alike than birds & elephants, but it works somehow!
8. Michele also got 10 correct; she thought I'd prefer a house in the city, with cheddar cheese & apples, and some chocolate. Wolf doesn't like city noises, sorry! This Michele lives in my favorite state for boyfriends, she's a classic overachiever and uses one of my pictures for her blog header! Looking forward to meeting her one day :-)
9. racyli got 10 correct, too not bad for someone who doesn't know me in the least LOL! Chicken noodle soup, HP & 2nd husband were her incorrect guesses. I think I've read racyli's blog once...so she's a damn good guesser!
10. Allie, 10 out of 13, again, not bad, goes to prove a little luck goes a long way! Chicken noodle soup, Paris & chocolate is incorrect :-) Allie doesn't even strike a bell, so she's ALSO a damn good guesser!
11. Looloo was the final one to get 10 correct; she guessed Chicken noodle, Paris & white wine incorrectly. Krista I met through blogging/Megan, and in some ways she's very much like me, in that she likes odd things. In other ways, we're nothing alike LOL!
12. Laura was the first to get 9 out of 13; she guessed sweet pickles, HP movies & chocolate, and couldn't make a choice between the two ex-husbands. I met Laura last year for the first time; no matter WHAT she says to the contrary, she's got AWESOME hair, and she's great fun to be with, one of the most caring folks I've ever met.
13. Caryle also guessed 9; she had absolutely no idea on which soup or movie or husband I preferred, and she chose chocolate - "because you can't NOT pick chocolate"! Caryle is also someone I don't know very well, but I think I might ask her to pick some lottery numbers for me, lucky girl!

All these folks have interesting blogs; check them out! And to each of them, as well as all the others, thank you all for playing along last week, it was great fun!

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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! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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From Lisa:

1. Christmas tree: pine or cedar? Ahhhh, pine! I haven't had a real tree in the house in years and I miss it. I love the scent!
2. Name two dumb things you did as a kid. Just two? Skip school and [edited for content]
3. What foods did your mom used to make that you will never, ever cook. Can't think of a one!
4. Describe the place you go to in your head when you need to calm down. hahaha, no!
5. Have you ever seen a ghost, or something you can't explain? Yes, a few times.
6. If money and image didn't matter, what would you do for a living? A traveler
7. Did you ever fall off a horse and get right back on? Not in the literal sense...altho a horse did try to buck me off once (he got spooked by a fire pit) and I held on for dear life!
8. What name did you call a sibling that was sure to start a fight? Any name would do.
9. Describe the events surrounding you first alcoholic drink. Hmmm...Mom, Dad, "beer soup" and a shocked look on Nana's face!
10. Have you ever had a wild animal as a pet? No...that's crazy talk!
11. Do you have a deep, dark, secret? A few, actually...
12. Would you ever shoot a deer? Not unless the world drastically changed and I needed to shoot it to survive.
13. Do you return money if you get too much change? If I notice!
14. What puzzles you? So many things in life.
15. How do/did you act toward a person you have/had a crush on? I make my friends talk to him.
16. What makes you cry? The TV show Cold Case; man, that show can really tug at your heart strings!
17. What's the best bargain you ever bought at a yard sale? Can't think of one off the top of my head...
18. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck? Well, IF a woodchuck could chuck wood, I guess it would depend on how much wood the woodchuck was in the mood to chuck!
19. If nobody is watching, would you run a stop sign? I run them all the time As long as no one would get hurt, yes. And I'm not talking about a big 4 way stop here, people, I'm talking about a stop sign where there really should be a yield sign, if people had common sense.
20. Do you believe in Hell? More to the point, does Hell believe in me?
21. What material possession do you value most? My cameras
22. Which day is better...Friday or Sunday? Friday...I'm FREE!!!
23. Do you read a book more than once? Yup, it's like visiting with an old friend
24. What is the greatest problem with today's society? Selfishness
25. How old were you when you first touched somebody else's hoohah? Wot's a hoohah?
26. Would you ever skydive? Not unless I had to!>
27. Name 3 songs significant to your romantic life, and tell why. The lead in my romantic life, Purple Bunny, prefers the quiet; music disrupts the vibrations, so to speak!
28. Would you ever have plastic surgery? If I had an accident, yes. Otherwise, probably not, but never say never, right? I also said, when I was 14, that I'd NEVER color my hair and be "fake". HA!
29. Does bigfoot/sasquatch/yehti exist? Hmmm...do I exist?
30. Are you a follower or a leader? Depends on the situation.
31. What's the worst thing you did when you were a kid? I'm not telling!
32. List three jobs you would never want to do. Veterinarian, sewer cleaner, whore.
33. Coke or Pepsi? Coke, diet w/lime & and a splash of rum!
34. Where would you live if you could move your family, friends, and job there? Japan!
35. Is three really a crowd? You know, it can be. I prefer one on one interactions.
36. What kind of interpersonal interaction repulses you? Threesomes.
37. Who would you rather spend an hour with, a writer or an entertainer? hmmm...Captain Jack Sparrow...Professor Snape...
38. Which calendar appeals to you? I love the Paris ones and I need to get one for this year!
39. What would you do if life gave you lemons? Make veal piccata!
40. Do you believe in love at first sight? Very much so.
41. Did you ever wish on a falling star, and have the wish come true? Actually, yes...

Megan's such a busy gal nowadays, she has no time for the finer funner things in life! I'll be taking over the Friday Fill-In...if you would like to contribute a theme or some fill ins, email me at fondofsnapeATgmailDOTcom; please use Friday Fill-In as the subject in the email!

Contributors this week include Krista and Maryellen. So without further ado, here is the first Friday Fill-In of 2007; the theme is "food"!

1. ..... is the grossest thing I ever ate.
2. I like to put ... on my crackers.
3. I crave ... at night.
4. I always add ... to my pancake batter.
5. When I think of comfort food, I think of ...

1. Baby octopus is the grossest thing I ever ate (never, EVER again, the poor little things).
2. I like to put peanut butter on my crackers.
3. I crave savory snacks at night.
4. I always add cinnamon to my pancake batter.
5. When I think of comfort food, I think of Kraft macaroni and cheese!

08:22 AM - Comments (13)

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

My Dad and his cousin, Auntie Rosa, looking through a book of snapshots. These two grew up together, their moms were sisters and they share many happy memories.

The creator of SPSH, TNchick, lost her beautiful cat Punkin quite unexpectedly yesterday and she's heartbroken. Please stop by and see her...

This is a shot of the sky tonight...big clouds rolled in, there was a short, fierce rain storm and all gone.

The temp today got to 69 point something...I was driving around with my WINDOW down. It's January 6th...in BOSTON, MA...c'mon now!

I chose a perfect day to rent a storage unit and move all the CRAP off the porch. Tomorrow morning, I'll start on upstairs, then it's off to MB's to see the pups.

Hope your weekend is going well!

Anneliese and Anni

Can you believe the weather on Saturday? It hit 70 degrees; I was driving around with the window down...on the 6th of January!!! Very, very strange.

I finally rented a storage unit, climate controlled, and started moving boxes off the porch. Next will be consolidating the things that are left on the porch, then I takle upstairs. When I'm done, I'll have a bit more room and the house will certainly look more presentable.

Sunday, Krista and I went to visit my cousin, or more accurately, her puppies! Aren't they just the cutest things? Four weeks old, and already playing with toys, growling and barking in their tiny voices...so sweet! And there is nothing like the smell of puppy breath! Thanks, MB, I had so much fun :-)

Stopped at a restaurant on the way back, The Common Man. Holy MOG, was the food there good! I had lobster chowder, a salad & some butternut stuffed pasta...and for dessert, Indian Pudding! My favorite! Thanks, K, that was so much fun :-)

When I wasn't packing, moving, playing with puppies or eating, I was reading a book called The Secret History by Donna Tartt. So good, and hard to put down. Probably why I wasn't online much either LOL!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

Happy Birthday, Severus, my sweet!

In other news, I'm totally looking forward to seeing Heather this weekend! My cousin mentioned something about having a gathering at her house...anyone up for it?

I went to the dentist yesterday and now I have a raging headache...damn!

Wolf has been on a tear lately. He nipped at Max when Max walked by him the other day and he's jumped on the back of Dad's legs as Dad goes to walk by me to ... warn him? I don't know. He's got a wild shiba hair up his rear, haysus!

Laura, I've gotten MORE compliments on that scarf you gave me! EVERYONE loves it!

It's entirely possibly my phone is dying...I hope not, but it's acting very strangely!

And the last thing on my mind...I'm thinking about getting a new car, a Honda Fit. Anyone seen them?

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

Laura was the first of many to get this right...she said: "I think its candle wax...."; Krista had the best wrong answer this week: "isn't that the fire pit where Frodo is supposed to destroy the ring?" LOTR reference...woohoo!

So this week...

what is it?

Thirteen Things about me!
thanks to Lisa for the original inspiration!
choose the right answer...and if you really want to amuse or impress me, tell me why you chose it!

1. What was the name of my first cat, Tippy or Toy?
2. What was the name of my first dog, Coco or Bruno?
3. Was my first husband named Blake or Michael?
4. Do I like to hike or ride my bike best?
5. What is my favorite flower, pansies or lilacs?
6. Is Angel food cake or devil's food cake my favorite?
7. What tv show have I been watching alot of lately, Miami Ink or CSI: Miami?
8. What book am I reading now, My Life by Bill Clinton or The Secret History by Donna Tartt?
9. What do I want to do for my 50th birthday, go to Las Vegas or go to Florida?
10. What do I like better, stories about vampires or stories about zombies?
11. Which celebrity did I meet, Sean Astin or James Taylor?
12. Have I known Pat or Maribeth longer?
13. Did I used to work at Hanscom AFB or Yokota AB?

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! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

DebR is the Wednesday guest blogger at Create a Connection and I'm playing along. This week, she tasks us thusly: Imagine you're going to organize a dinner party for yourself and seven guests. You can invite anyone who ever lived, whether they're world-famous or someone whose name only you would recognize.

1. Guest one must be someone who is/was creative with words - a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, journalist, etc. Who would you invite? Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain! Think of the entertaining, lively conversation that would flow!

2. Guest two must be someone who is/was creative with images - a painter, photographer, sculptor, fabric artist, collage artist, etc. Who would you invite? This is an easy question for me...I'd invite the photographer Joel Meyerowitz. He does the most amazing things with light and I'd love to pick his brain.

3. Guest three must be someone who is/was a performer - an actor, singer, musician, comedian, acrobat, etc. Who would you invite? Oh poo, just one? I think I'd have to say Ruth Gordon. She was an phenomenal actress, strong willed and such a character.

4. Guest four must be someone who is charting/charted new territory - either in the physical sense, like an explorer, adventurer, or astronaut, or someone like a groundbreaking scientist or inventor. Who would you invite? Leonardo da Vinci. The list of things he created or invented, the ideas he came up with were just mind boggling and way ahead of his time.

5. Guest five must be someone who is/was a leader of other people - perhaps in the area of politics, like the literal leader of a country, or perhaps a leader in the area of religion, military, business, or even a great philosopher or teacher, or an inspiring athlete. Who would you invite? Malcolm X. He was someone who changed so much over the course of his life...he could have done wonderful things!

6. Guest six must be someone from any field who you believe is/was underrated and under-appreciated by most people, but whom you admire. Who would you invite? Um...of course, that would be Professor Snape (ok, technically, he's not a REAL person...but...Alan Rickman could come dressed as Snape!)

7. Guest seven is a wild card - your choice! Is there someone you'd like to invite who didn't seem to quite fit into any category, or was there a category where you'd have really liked to invite two different people? Then this is your chance to add the person you missed to the table. Who would you invite? Robert Plant! That way we could end up "sitting 'round singing songs 'til the night turns into day".

Bonus: Uh Oh! The dinner party is just about to end, all your guests are about to disappear, and you realize that you've forgotten to ask one important question of one of your guests. You just barely have time to squeeze in that last question, so quick! - what was the question and who did you ask? I'd ask Robert Plant what he thought about the LOTR trilogy. Simple, I know...but hey!

08:00 AM - Comments (3)

Megan's such a busy gal nowadays, she has no time for the finer funner things in life! I'll be taking over the Friday Fill-In...if you would like to contribute a theme or some fill ins, email me at fondofsnapeATgmailDOTcom; please use Friday Fill-In as the subject in the email!

This week, no theme, just fill-ins!

1. I enjoy ... more than anything else.
2. Blogging satisfies my need for ... .
3. When I look at a full moon, I feel ... .
4. I like to listen to music when I'm ... .
5. My favorite ... of 2006 was ... .

1. I enjoy photography more than anything else.
2. Blogging satisfies my need for inclusion.
3. When I look at a full moon, I feel a sense of mystery.
4. I like to listen to music when I'm driving; it's my favorite time to listen to music!
5. My favorite experience of 2006 was purchasing my Canon 20d!

08:40 AM - Comments (11)

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I took this picture inside the Orpheum Theater in Boston during a Ray Davies concert back in March of last year. Back in its heyday it was a grand old place, as you can tell by the beautiful ceiling. Now it's decaying...the velvet seats are worn and dingy...but wow, that ceiling! Oh, and to tie it into the "Technology" theme, I took this shot with my camera phone! Technology is a wonderful thing :-)

Um...so far, this has been ... an interesting weekend!

Movies seen:

- Night at the Museum. I can't put my finger on WHY...but this movie could've been so much better. All-in-all, though, it was a sweet piece of fluff. Slow at the beginning, then it started to pick up. LOVED Owen Wilson LOL. Dick Van Dyke did a bit of dancing at the end of the movies, during the credits...he was fantastic! Funniest quote: Robin Williams, as Teddy Roosevelt: GOOD GOD MAN! Why are you slapping that monkey?

- The Departed. What a FANTASTIC movie! Lots of twists and turns, some predictable, lots of tension. What I particularly enjoyed were the accents of the non-Boston folks...Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin & Martin Sheen were superb! Boston accents are notoriously hard to do if you're not from here. The funniest thing for me was I could barely understand Mark Wahlberg sometimes...and I'm FROM here! Wicked!

Friday night, I ended up at Megan's and met Darlene, who is Megan's uncle's wife...but only 3 years older than Megan, so much more of her contemporary. Darlene was one of those people I felt immediately comfortable with. In fact, within 5 minutes, I asked her if she had a penis (no, she's not masculine or a hermaprodite, it was said jokingly and within the context of the conversation, however strange that might seem and NO, she doesn't. weirdos!). Then things REALLY interesting. Seems Darlene works in a nursing home! Get where this is going? Let's just say we talked ALOT about nursing homes and the folks that live there...and I burst out crying, yes, me, crying, for the first time about my mother's death. Now...I just MET this poor woman, but she was nice as could be. She kept apologizing and I said, no need, this was GOOD for me. Far better than the therapist I've been going to. Darlene, it was nice to meet you and thanks for talking to me about this!

Saturday, I received this in the mail from DebR:

It's a fabric postcard she made for me...and I LOVE it! It's true Deb...with the red toenails...and it has my favorite footwear, a flipflop! Thanks so much Deb...you'll be getting something soon :-)

Spent the rest of Saturday taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the decorations. The living room looks so empty now, see all you pretty decorations in 11 months or so!

Sunday, I headed to my cousin's with Megan & Heather to visit the pups! We had a great time; Maribeth, as always, fed us well, and we had puppy comas within 15 minutes of arrival. What is it about puppies that young that is so calming? We had a ball, such a positive experience :-)

Cute shot of dachshund puppy, biting a dachshund calendar!

Megan and friend

Heather, being watched intently by Greta, who was hoping for a morsel of food and ended up with only a quick lick of ketchup LOL

Also, it was snowing there, which in a weird way was a treat for me as we've not seen much snow this year.

Megan, Heather & I left about 6-ish, had dinner at a nice italian place called Villa Banca in Nashua NH then watched the season premiere of 24 at Megan's house (well, Heather and I did, Megan did her crosswords and worked on her laptop, thanks for much for letting us watch it, Meg!). I wasn't too impressed...the only "OMG moment" was when Jack killed one of the terrorists by...well, I won't tell you how, in case you haven't seen it yet...trust me, if you watched it, you know what I mean LOL!

How was your weekend?

I wasn't quite so thrilled with the two hour season premiere of 24...but tonight's 2 hour episode. Three words: Oh. My. God.

Don't click on the link if you don't want to read what happens...here be spoilers!

Curtis! Jack killed Curtis! Nooooooooooooooooo!!!

That nuclear bomb going off gave me chills of the not so good variety.

And Kumar...dude, c'mon...you know all he really wanted was a White Castle hamburger. Poor dude.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

Megan the Elder, who no longer has a blog, was the first to get this right...she said: "Chewed-on measuring cup?"; my second favorite answer was from Anne who complimented me: "Whatever it is... I love your pictures!"...woohoo!

So this week...

what is it?

Thirteen Scents from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab that I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of!

1. R.M. Renfield: A mixture of moss, cumin, patchouli, Balsam of Peru (a resin which has a complex aroma consisting chiefly of cinnamon and vanilla notes with a slight floral character) and neroli (spicy aroma with sweet and flowery notes). Renfield is a character in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula.

2. Anathema: Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle. Had to look up vetivert: Deep, warm, smoky, earthy, woody with some sweetness. Perhaps damp earth combined with burnt wood and molasses.

3. Sed Non Satiata: Myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, tuberose, geranium and musk. This one generally got rave reviews on the BPAL Board

4. Severin: Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather (Severin is a character in a book by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch)

5. O: Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla.

6. Jolly Roger: Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods (yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!)

7. Bengal: Musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger.

8. Midnight: Evening primrose, ruellia, flowering nicotiana, wild petunia, panani-o-kai (also known as night blooming Cereus), night phlox, night gladiolus, moonflower and the elusive scent of Nottingham Catchfly (sweet and reminiscent of hyacinths).

9. Hetairae: Honey, fiery patchouli, sweet fig, clove and ylang ylang.

10. Morocco: Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia

11. Blood Kiss: Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

12. Vixen: The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli.

13. Dragon's Blood: A bright red resin that is obtained from certain plants (Dracaena and Daemonorops being the main two). This scent of this resin alone intrigues me, but BPAL mixes it with various other scents which sound like they would smell SO good: Dragon's Claw: Adds three sandalwoods to the mix; Dragon's Eye: Adds lily of the valley, lilac and galbanum ("fixes and enhances the substances with which it is mixed; its aroma is resinous, balsamic, green, sharp and intense"; good for calming anxiety); Dragon's Hide: Adds leather and a hint of smoke and finally, Dragon's Milk: Adds honeyed vanilla. Yum!

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! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

If you would like to contribute a theme or some fill ins, email me at fondofsnapeATgmailDOTcom; please use Friday Fill-In as the subject in the email!

1. My ... means the world to me.
2. Books are ....
3. When I ..., it's because ....
4. If I want a snack, I usually reach for a ... .
5. The most recent movie I saw, ... made me .... I really ... it.

1. My friends and family means the world to me.
2. Books are amazing glimpses into sometimes strange, always interesting, imaginations.
3. When I yell at Wolf, it's because he's bugging me.
4. If I want a snack, I usually reach for a bag of chips or something else salty & crunchy.
5. The most recent movie I saw, Cold Mountain made me smile, tear up and nod in agreement. I really think that movie deserved all the accolades it got, I love it.

Re: Cold Mountain. I saw it for the first time back when it came out in 2003. I've been wanting to see it again, so Megan rented it last night and she, Jimbo and I watched it. I love the small part Jack White (from the White Stripes and the Raconteurs) plays in it...he looks a bit like Johnny Depp :-) And I also noticed that Cillian Murphy (damn he's adorable!) was in it...he was one of the three Yankee soldiers that came into the woman's yard looking for food; when one of his compatriots put the woman's baby on the ground, he was the only one to ask why. Renée Zellweger portrayed the character Ruby Thewes, and won an Oscar for it...very much deserved!

Ruby: [about her father] Oh, he's so full of manure, that man! We could lay him in the dirt and grow another one just like him.

12:55 AM - Comments (16)

Random and Odd's latest assignment is to take a picture of our television remotes:

Here's one of my remotes that Wolf had his way with :-) Cheeky little devil!

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We had a flood back in May of 2006...this particular picture was taken at an old mill...you can see how high the water was by comparing it to the bridge on the right hand side of the picture...WILD!

DebR is the Wednesday guest blogger at Create a Connection and I'm playing along. This week, she says: We may not have Dickens telling the tale of our lives, but we can tell our own tale of two cities (or two countries, or workplaces, or many other things) by revealing some of our bests and worsts to each other. And if you tell everyone a bit about why you chose the things you did, so much the better!

1. What's the best place you ever lived? the worst? Wow...I'd have to say the best place was Japan. I lived in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom brand new condo with my own washer, dryer and dishwasher. I had a balcony off the living room and off the master bedroom. Man, I loved that place! The worst? Here. And that's all I'm saying about that. Except...I want to move SO BAD!!!

2. What's the best place you ever visited on holiday/vacation? the worst? Paris! I was shocked beyond words that I loved it so...didn't expect to in the least. Belize City was the worst...I didn't feel safe, and I felt so sad for the people I saw living in abject poverty.

3. What's the best job you ever had? the worst? The best job I had was secretarial in nature...it wasn't the duties that made it the best, rather the man I worked for. He was amazing, kind, fair and funny! He went on to be the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. The worst is the current one. 'Nuff said.

4. What's your best talent or ability? your worst? Photography? The worst, by far, is my awesome talent for putting myself down.

5. What's the best decision you ever made? the worst? Hard to say...agreeing to watch Wolf for the co-worker who joined the military? The worst is probably ending my marriage to my first ex-husband, Blake.

Bonus (so we can end on a positive note!): What's one good thing about you that isn't covered in the questions above, but that you'd like to share with the world? I'm a damn good friend. Or not...depends on your point of view I guess :-)

Saw this today and it amused me:

(you'll have to click on it to read it to see why)

Hope you had a good weekend! Do anything interesting?

Are you KIDDING me???! Heroes is back tonight...but on at the SAME TIME as 24! That's just not fair, man, not fair at all.

Grrrrr...

Michelle, I'll be watching 24, and tivoing Heroes, so feel free to IM me when you get excited!

Who said IT guys aren't observant? I got new glasses yesterday and wore them to a Pampered Chef party at a friend's house. No one mentioned the new glasses...and yes, I'm aware that it might be because they didn't like them...but I don't see them every day like I do the guys in IT...still...we KNOW guys aren't all that observant...

I get to work this morning, one of the IT guys pokes his head in my office to ask about moving my computer to the new office.

Him: new glasses?
me: yup
him: nice, I like 'em. So when do you want your computer moved?

LOL!

Boneheaded thing I did this weekend: Well, I did a few, but this one takes the cake. I'm walking around the mall after dropping my car off for a LONG overdue oil change (MB tell Jack to stop laughing). A friend calls on my cell phone...but I can't hear her. So I try to hang up...can't...and end up powering off the phone. Turn it back on, call her back...can't hear her. So I'm freaking out, thinking my phone is broken. I text her and tell her sorry I can't hear her and take my phone to the Verizon store in the mall.

Anyone want to guess what happened? Hmmm...I think I'll LET you guess, and whoever guesses correctly...or with the funniest answer, will win a BPAL Imp when they finally arrive!

Have at it!

What else...Friday I looked at getting a new phone; I BADLY want the Blackberry Pearl. My contract with Verizon is up in September...so I guess I'll wait...if I can manage it.

Saturday Megan & Lauren helped me move into my new office...and move all the rest of the crap I had accumulated over the 10 years here into my storage facility. Thanks, girls! That night my friend Diane & I saw the movie Notes On A Scandal; it made me sad, but it was a damn good movie. Judi Dench & Cate Blanchett (and Bill Nighy, for that matter) were awesome! We saw the movie in Framingham, and it was so crowded we had to park across the street...it was also DAMN cold, and my lungs were frozen and aching when we finally made it inside. Finally gave Diane her Christmas gift!

Sunday I exchanged Christmas gifts with my friend Mo, and we had breakfast at the Owl Diner...yummy! Was wandering around Target later that day and saw some pretty gift cards. I thought...hmmm...those are SO cute, who can I buy one...for...OMG! Zoot had given me the gift of extending my Pro account at Flickr for Christmas. I was going to purchase a frame from Target for her, but we talked about it and I was going to send her a Target gift card instead of mailing the frame...IN December ... for Christmas ... Zoot, expect some mail REAL soon! I am SO sorry, my brain just isn't functioning!!!

I HATE when someone in this office effing crunches lifesavers...STOPIT! Like fingernails on a chalkboard, it is.

Finally...a pic from last Friday morning...

I love looking at pawprints in freshly fallen snow! These were going across my driveway into the neighbor's yard...it's fun to see what's out there, you know?

sometimes, something happens to make me smile:

Skyebourne: so I had the funniest horrible scope today
Janet: do tell
Skyebourne: You needn't be as sober and serious as you have been in the recent days or weeks, lighten up and let someone in before nightfall.
Janet: ahhh good one!
Janet: what's mine say?
Skyebourne: One minute you may feel you have everything going for you and the next that all is lost. Don't be so dramatic.
Skyebourne: omg
Skyebourne: it fits yes?
Janet: ahahahahha
Janet: too funny!

Came home last night after a HELLUVA bad day...to find I'd gotten nine BPAL Imps in the mail! I'd ordered 6 from someone on the message board; she included 3 extras :-)

Black Opal: Vanilla...tonka...musk; creamy...a comfort scent.

Malice: Ylang ylang, clove, Indonesian red patchouli, and dark myrrh.

Jolly Roger: Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods. I put this on last night before I went to bed in hopes of dreaming of a certain pirate captain...but no such luck!

Midnight: A bouquet of night-blooming flowers--evening primrose, ruellia, flowering nicotiana, wild petunia, pa nani-o-kai, night phlox, night gladiolus, moonflower and the elusive scent of Nottingham Catchfly. I don't normally like floral scents, but this one smells SO good to me...must be on the dark side ;-). I'm wore it to work today and it reminds me of flowers tucked into a book to dry but that are still faintly fragrant.

Morocco: Spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.

Silk road: This is like a light, spicy incense; slightly woody, cinnamon, possibly a hint of clove, a touch of ginger, dried grassy. As Northernminx said: "the silk covered interior of a wagon train from the east where the spices and dust and cool shadows are protecting you from the scorching sun outside." I put this on when I got home and all I can say is WOW! It's my favorite BPAL scent so far...spicy, but not in a powdery way.

These are the extras:

Athens: A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers.

Madame X from Possets: Wicked, sinful, hedonistic, and irresistable. It's musky, creamy, enticing, perfumy, slightly foody.

Shambhala Perfume Oil by Arcana, from Magical Omaha: Sandalwood, Himalayan cedarwood and a dash of spun honey.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

My cousin was the first to get this right...she said: "A shedll! darn bad typing. I meant shell!"; Silverwillow's, Lisa's, Krista's, ME's & T's answers appealed to my smutty side ;-)

So this week...

what is it?

And even though this has nothing to do with WIIW, here's another BPAL description...I can't resist!

The last one I tried tonight is
Athens: Myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers. Oh, sweet honey!!! I smell that first...then some delicious red wine, not very spicy at all but oh so yummy! I'd definitely wear this again!

Thirteen of My Favorite Movie Characters

1. Let's get the obvious of of the way first, Professor Snape from the Harry Potter movies. I know he's supposed to be a not so nice character...but oh my, that voice! I can see why Alan Rickman was Ms. Rowling's first choice for this character. I also really like the character of Professor Lupin, as portrayed by David Thewlis and the original Professor Dumbledore. RIchard Harris nailed that part...the new Dumbledore, not so much...not so much at all. A bit of advice to him: Read the books.


2. Aragorn from the LOTR Trilogy. A loner, with vast responsibilites weighing heavily on his shoulders. Not to mention Viggo Mortensen was tossed into the movies at the last second, and did a fantabulous job! My other favs from this movie are Orlando Bloom as Legoas, Karl Urban as Eomer (YUM!), Ian McKellen as Gandalf & Elijah Wood as Frodo.


3. Doc Holiday, from the movie Tombstone, as portrayed by Val Kilmer. Snarky wit does it for me every time! I also loved Val as Jim Morrison, in the movie The Doors and of course, Iceman from Top Gun.


4. Captain Jack Sparrow! No need to say anything more about this one :-) I also loved Depp's performance as Roux in Chocolat, Don Juan in Don Juan DeMarco, William Blake in Dead Man and Edward Scissorhands, the role that made me a Depp fan.


5. Maude from the movie Harold & Maude, as portrayed by Ruth Gordon. She made me laugh, she made me cry, she made me think.


6. Casanova, as portrayed by Heath Ledger, from the movie Casanova. Mmmmm...yummy!


7. Renton, as portrayed by Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting. The accent alone was enough to do it for me!


8. Katsumoto, as portrayed by Ken Watanabe, in The Last Samurai. His role intrigued me...and I wanted the camera to linger more on him then on Tom Cruisin' for a bruisin'.


9. Josephine 'Jo' March, as portrayed by Katherine Hepburn in Little Women. I wanted to be just like Jo!


10. Andrew Beckett, portrayed by Tom Hanks, and Joe Miller, portrayed by Denzel Washington, in the movie, Philadelphia. The emotion in both their characters...amazing. What an awesome movie!


11. Captain Daniel Gregg, portrayed by Rex Harrison in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. Stubborn ghost!


12. The Ghost of Christmas Present, as portrayed by Carol Kane in the movie Scrooged. She is so damn funny!


13. Finally, Count Dracula, as portrayed by Frank Langella, in the movie Dracula. That was one sexy vampire!

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DebR is the Wednesday guest blogger at Create a Connection and I'm playing along. This week, she says: Imagine you've made a connection with another blogger who lives in a completely different part of the world than you do. This blogger is about to take a trip and the connection you've made is so strong that she is going to make your house one stop on her trip. (Yay!) Unfortunately she can only stay at your place for 24 hours (boo!), but she'd like to see some nearby sights while visiting with you.

Keeping in mind that time is quite limited, so you have to stick pretty close to home (although not necessarily right IN your town - just anyplace you could go as a day trip), try looking around you with the eyes of someone who has never seen your area and tell us some things you'd share with...

1. Your visitor wants to see something historical. Where would you take her and why? Well, living in the Boston area, there are MANY historical things to see! Given the time contraints, I'd probably take her to Boston and weather permitting, we'd walk part of the Freedom Trail, and check out the Paul Revere House in the North End...stopping, of course, for a cannoli and a coffe.

2. She wants to see something hysterical...well, mildly amusing anyway. She'd even go for cute, quirky, odd, or unique. Where would you take her and why? Hmmm...I'd take her to Salem, MA, home of witches, goblins & ghouls. There's enough odd & unique things there to satisfy anyone.

3. She wants to take some beautiful and/or interesting photos to fill her albums when she gets home. Where would you take her? I'd take her to Newburyport, MA. It's gorgeous, on the ocean and a quintessential New England town.

4. She'd like to buy a souvenir that will remind her of your area every time she sees it. What would you suggest and where would you go to get it? I'd take her to Faneuil Hall, where there are many, many touristy souvenirs, and I'd look for something to do with the Swan Boats ... that's so Boston AND I have many good memories of my Grandmother taking me there.

5. Wow, it's been a long day and you're both ready for a snack, or maybe even a meal. Where would you take her to really get the flavor of your area? Legal Seafood, without a doubt. Fresh New England seafood, delicious chowdah and well made drinks.

Random and Odd's SPF picture is "YOUR BUDDY"

Who else but Wolf! He's my buddy!

If you would like to contribute a theme or some fill ins, email me at fondofsnapeATgmailDOTcom; please use Friday Fill-In as the subject in the email!

1. Today I want....
2. If only ....
3. Once upon a time ....
4. Cold weather ... .
5. Dude! OMG ... .

08:45 AM - Comments (6)

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Silver =

(Frodo is standing at the edge of the pit of molten lava, and he turns his head to look wearily at Sam.)

Frodo: I'm here, Sam.

Sam: Destroy it!

(Frodo holds the Ring out before him, above the fiery pit, but does not throw it in.)

Sam: Go on. Now! Throw it in the fire.

(Frodo is still reluctant, and struggles internally, trying to do what he knows he must.)

Sam: What are you waiting for? Just let it go!

(Frodo stares deeply at the Ring, listening to its call. He pulls the Ring back to his chest, and turns back to Sam.)

Frodo: The Ring is mine!

(He pulls the Ring off of its chain.)

Sam: No...no…

(Frodo puts the Ring on his finger, a smile of pure evil on his face. He disappears.)

Sam: Nooooooo!

Sorry for posting so early, but I'm away for the weekend!

This is what I went to see Saturday...my friend MaryEllen competed in the 2007 U.S. Eastern Sectional Synchronized Team Skating Championships; this is her team in action! The youngest is in her 30s, the oldest is 70! They're AWESOME! I had the honor of being the team photographer and chaperone this time, which basically meant I got in free LOL!

MaryEllen and I also got to spend part of the weekend with Deb & Laura! Thanks for sharing the teriyaki steak with me, Laura, damn that was good! Oh...and the purse that Deb goes on and on (and on and on) about? Is soooooo pretty. She wouldn't let me photograph her with it, tho, because she was afraid it would outshine her ;-) Muaaaaaaaaaaaah girls!

One last thing...do NOT E.V.E.R. stay in the Mystic CT Best Western...it has uncomfortable beds, lots of drunks roaming the hallways and making lots of noise ... and ghosts...who aren't friendly. And I'm serious. *shudder*

How was your weekend?

Project 365: One photo a day...for a year! I started on 1/17/07...so far so good...which is saying alot for this commitment phobe!

In other news, today started out good...and then I got hit over the head. Not literally, but you know, figuratively hurts just as much.

On the bright side, I get to help plan a shower! That's always fun :-)

And two more bunchs of BPAL Imps were waiting for me when I got home Sunday night!

The first batch included Asphodel, Aureus, Belladonna, Blood Rose, Dragon's Blood, Severin, Sri Lanka, Tintagel, Umbra, Vixen, and Voodoo. She included 3 frimps (free imps): Mania, Queen Gertrude, Sed Non Satiata (which I already had, and really like); the second included Debauchery, Depraved, Medea, Nyx, another Renfield which I already had, Odin as a frimp and a sniffie of Gluttony. She also included a couple of tea bags: ginger peach & yerba mate. Cold as it is lately, they're quite welcome :-)

Now I'm going to watch 24, which I Tivo'd so I could watch Heroes. Hmmm...who do you think Claire's father is?

Seen at Carl's who saw it a Quixotic's and so on and so on. As I love both a good meme and books, this looked to be right up my alley.

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? I love Horror! But...I also love SF/Fantasy, as evidenced by LOTR & the Harry Potter series. Do you consider those SF as well as Fantasy?

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback? I prefer Trade Paperbacks for reading...easier to carry around.

Heinlein or Asimov? Heinlein has always been a favorite of mine, since reading Stranger In A Strange Land when I was 14. I don't believe I've read any Asimov yet.

Amazon or brick and mortar? When I want a book...I WANT A BOOK! Brick and mortar for me. The curse of being impatient!

Barnes & Noble or Borders? I prefer Barnes and Noble...Borders doesn't really have that "book store" feel to me, and I'm not sure why

Hitchhiker or Discworld? Um...I've never read either...in fact...I don't even know what Discworld is LOL! I am familiar with Hitchhiker tho :-)

Bookmark or Dogear? I've done both...as well as actually penciling (or penning, if I'm pencil-less at the time) sentences or passages that mean something to me. Sorry, Carl!

Magazine: Asimov's Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction? Never read either of these.

Alphabetize by author, alphabetize by title or random? Hahahah, um, I'm so random that sometimes I'm surprised to find I have a book. In other words, they are scattered about willynilly!

Keep, Throw Away or Sell? I'd never throw away a book, no matter how much I disliked it. I'd leave it at a hospital or cafe or something...just cause I don't like it doesn't mean NO ONE will! If I love a book, I will keep it forever and ever, amen. I don't think I've ever sold one.

Year's Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Year's Best SF series (edited by David G. Hartwell)? Another one I haven't read (or heard of LOL).

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Who would toss a dustjacket? Obviously from that statement, I am a keeper. Coming back from London in 2003, I was reading the latest Harry Potter that had just been released while I was there. I took off the dustjacket so as not to rip it...and forgot it on the plane! I was and am upset about it!

Read with dustjacket or remove it? See above ;-)

Short story or novel? If I'm into a book, I prefer a novel...cause I don't want it to end!

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Oh, hmmm...um...tough question...NOT! Harry Potter! To be fair, I've never read Lemony Snicket. I did pick up one at the bookstore but it just didn't grab me. Loved the movie tho!

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? As I read alot in bed, generally I read til I'm tired. If I'm out and about...I read til something interrupts me. If someone is asking me to do something, however, I generally ask if I can just read til the end of the chapter.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? It was a dark and stormy night...Snape was in the potions classroom concocting a "special" potion...one that would [fill in the blank]

Buy or Borrow? Either; altho if I love the book, I will go out and purchase it after reading the borrowed book.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse? I love browsing! I also buy from recommendations. Book reviews not so much...altho I love Carl's, and his review of the Thirteen Tale made me want to read it.

Lewis or Tolkien? ha...um...hmm...yeah, it's Tolkien, and you know it! When I was 14 my friend Pat and I hitchhiked to a small (no longer there, sigh) bookstore in a town near mine (my own, my precious) and while browsing, picked up The Hobbit and fell in love with Tolkien (and Bilbo Baggins). Again, tho, I've (gasp) not read Lewis, altho, of course, I know of him.

Hard SF or Space Opera? Huh?

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)? Either/or...I'm not picky.

Hugo or Nebula? Um...no idea what this means.

Golden Age SF or New Wave SF? See above

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? Tidy endings...really, who doesn't? Altho, if the book is of a series, and I adore it (Harry Potter) and it's not the end book, then I'll deal with the Cliffhanger...sigh...(Trust Snape)...

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? I'll read whenever I can! Lately, it's been mostly at night, before I fall asleep.

Standalone or Series? Now that's a seriously tough question! If I love a book, obviously I don't want it to end, so a series (which does eventually end) is preferable. However, I HATE waiting for the next book to come out!

Urban fantasy or high fantasy? Oh, jeepers, another "I don't know". Going by Carl's answer, in italics below, it would be high fantasy :-)

I really like both. Urban fantasy, like Neil Gaiman's book Neverwhere, are probably my favorite but only by the slimmest of margins. Of course Lord of the Rings, which would be considered high fantasy, is arguably my favorite fantasy series of all time.

New or used? Either/or. Sometimes it's fun to read a used book and see where someone underlined stuff.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Anything by Richard Brautigan, particularly In Watermelon Sugar. His stuff might not translate well to this PC age; he was popular in the late '60s, early 70s, and might not make sense to those who didn't live thru those times.

Top 5 favorite genre books read last year (in no particular order)?

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Garlic and Sapphires : The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
My Life in France by Julia Child
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Top X favorite genre books of all time (in no particular order)?

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Stand by Stephen King
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Roots by Alex Haley

X favorite genre series (in no particular order)?

LOTR Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
The Green Mile by Stephen King
Sue Grafton's alphabetical series
Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries

I'm leaving off the last one cause damn, this meme is looooooooong!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

Finn was the first to get this right...she said: "Eeet looks like zee back of an electric toothsbrush...Don't ask me why I'm typing like that; I haven't a clue! I'd say it was an Oral B."; Carl: "Looks to me to be a ghost, mashed flat by a garbage truck. He evidently saw it coming as he looks both sad and horrified.", Rhea: "Casper the Ghost", Laura: "kind of looks like the expression on my face every morning when I walk into my office...only Im a little more green..." and Heather: "Looks like those japanese ghost things - the ones that are the ball with the face written on them!" amused me most!

So this week...

what is it?