Thirteen Things I Love that begin with the letter C

1. Canon: My camera brand since I was in my 20s.

2. Carrots, Celery, Cantaloupe, Corn on the cob: Love all these veggies!

3. Charlaine Harris: The author of one of my favorite book series; the Southern Vampire Mysteries

4. Chips and Chocolate: Chips of the potato variety and salty chocolate, two of my favorite snacks!

5. Candles: My absolute favorite is Guaiac, sold by West Elm.

6. Crepes: Jambon et fromage oooh la la!

7. Clouds: One of the things I most love to photograph!

8. Calico cats: This color combination is very pleasing to my eye!

9. Castles: My favorite being Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, so beautiful!

10. Charlie Brown: Halloween & Christmas shows only :-)

11. Cape Cod: Had so much fun down there when I was a kid!

12. Cheese: Just about any kind, even stinky bleu cheese

13. Cardinals: They're such beautiful birds, especially the males. I love to see them in my backyard.

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

Swampgrrl is the Photo Thursday guest blogger at Create a Connection. She says: Take a photograph of something in your home that you treasure. Tell us why. Then post a link back here to share your treasure.

I looked around when I got home. I thought of posting a picture of Dad, who I treasure, or Wolf, or Max, but thought that was the obvious route. So I decided to take pictures of some "things" that have great sentimental value, for a variety of reasons.

My ex-husband and I used to collect things...and this was one of them! It's a collection called Wee Forest Folk, by Annette Petersen. I also have a witch, a ghost & a snowman :-)

Here's a very happy piggy bank that I bought when I lived in Japan. Then, all the coins that filled his ample belly were yen; now he's filled with quarters, dimes, nickels and a few pennies. He seemed to tolerate the change in diet well ;-)

This is a china chocolate pot that belonged to my grandmother. My aunt gave it to me a few years ago, when she could be sure I could be trusted with it :-)

Random and Odd's SPF challenge is "LEFT OVER"


This bottle is left over from when I was dating Calvin. Lots of things are left over from that time, but we won't go into that.

1. Once, when I ....
2. Lately, it seems that ....
3. ... is so damn good!
4. Here's something you never knew about me; I ....
5. I am so ready for ....
6. If you put together ..., you'd have ...!
7. My plans for the weekend include ...!

Let's do this now, before I forget, shall we?

1. Once, when I was very young, I saw my cat Tippy...after she had died; in fact, I played with her.
2. Lately, it seems that things are kinda blah.
3. Mac and cheese is so damn good!
4. Here's something you never knew about me; I was detained for shoplifting once.
5. I am so ready for a new home!
6. If you put together vodka and olive juice, you'd have what I'm craving right now!
7. My plans for the weekend include taking pictures of dogs swimming in a pool!

08:13 AM - Comments (19)

I was supposed to go take pictures of Michelle's dog Marley, swimming in a pool today, but I was overcome with the urge to go to the beach and man, am I glad I did! The tide was the absolute highest I've ever seen it there...barely any beach to walk on and usually, there's LOTS! The waves were so big that two surfers showed up to contemplate surfing, and that's not something I've EVER seen there. Dad came along for the ride, and had a good time watching the waves, dogs and people milling about.

Michelle, next time, I swear! I missed seeing you and the Marleydog!

DebR wrote a very thought provoking post yesterday. The issue she talks about in 1a and 1b is an issue that has plagued me since I was a child. Even now, with her writing fresh in my brain, I'm hesitant to say that I don't know why it's plagued me because I'm sure there are some people that would say, "well, duh, it's obvious why" and I really don't want to hear that, however true or untrue (they're laughing now) that might be.

Here's part of what she said:

Sorry to get wordy and preachy about this, but this is an issue that really bothers me - to hear people "hate, deny, and talk trash" about themselves. If you don't love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to love you? And if someone else does love you, and you put yourself down - your body, your mind, your talents, whatever - then you're essentially telling the people who love you that they have the bad taste and poor judgment to love trash. Is that really what you want to do?? I certainly hope not.

I certainly don't want to tell people that love me any of those things so...

Yesterday, I got my hair cut and as is my custom, I take pictures of it when I get home. The mirror, to me, isn't a friendly thing, but I must use it for the shots. Some of the pictures were blurry, or of the ceiling, or the top of my head, etc., but I got 5 that I really like, and that's saying a lot for me, because I NEVER like being in front of the camera.

Having said all that, I'm going to be brave and show you one of the shots.

Gak...this is hard...*swallows*

Ok, here 'tis.

I'm going to hide now!

If you'd like to play, click here!

1. Nude :: panty hose
2. Support :: circle
3. Rachel:: and Steve
4. Crane :: Florida
5. Candy bar :: Eclipse
6. Material :: girl
7. Mind games :: Lou
8. Eviction :: notice
9. Produce :: section
10. Joke :: ster

I heart mushrooms! I'm bummed out I burned my favorite wooden spoon, tho!

I've been getting into taking food pictures lately, so you'll probably be seeing more and more ;-)

Today I walked past a coworker's office and noticed all the bright colors in his candy dish. I asked him if he minded if I took a picture, he laughed and said no; his bemused expression showed what he was thinking :-)

It's my 47th picture in the 365 project.

Anyway, that's all I have today...some candy for you :-)

Yes, it's THAT cold today!

Had dinner at The Burren last night with Pat (shepherd's pie and guinness, YUM!); then we headed over to see the movie, Venus, at the Capitol in Arlington. A fantastic movie, go see it if you have the chance. At first it made me laugh, but by the end, oh how sad. Beautiful, tho!

I don't know whether this theater has recently changed hands or what, but the last two movies I've seen there, the sound has sucked bullocks. And last night there were people walking in and out, in and out...very distracting. Think I'll stick to the Somerville Theater from now on.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

This was a Vosges truffle, from a box Megan gave me for Valentine's Day. This one is called Naga; sweet Indian curry powder + coconut + milk chocolat = YUM!

My cousin was the first to get it mostly right: "It's a yummy chocolate with fairy dust on it to make it taste even better!"; I like the imagery of "fairy dust" better than "curry powder", don't you?

Honorable mention goes to:

Darlene was close with "Chocolate ball?"

Monique with: "...or a yummy truffle."

Fleury with: "It's a dark chocolate truffle with something sprinkled on top. Knowing you, it's something with a bit of a twist or a kick! It looks delicious!" hehehe she gets me!

Heather with: "I think it's from a truffle that you got from megan for vday!! I have been puzzling over it for a while ;)"

Blue Fire with: "I know what it is. I saw the picture from Valentine's day. Is it curry on top of the chocolate."

rampant bicycle (Don't you love that name? What does it mean!) with: "Looks like one of those fabulous, exotic chocolatey truffly bits of goodness. Mmm. I want one..."

But my favorite was this one by Wacky Mommy: "I always love the pictures you post." Thank you!!!

So this week...

What is it?

Jana is the Getting to Know You - Your Life as Art. She says: So today, let's think of our lives as artwork, shall we? (You can be as long or short winded on these as you choose! My answers will all be long-winded, because I am just chatty that way!)

If your life were a DVD, what would "The Making of Fondofsnape" reveal about your life behind the scenes?

* I love to laugh alot
* and read
* and take pictures, so there would be a lot of those 3 things going on
* I have a problem with low self esteem
* Alone is not lonely :-)

If your life were a collage, what would be a few of the most important images displayed?

* Canon cameras, 35mm and digital
* Family and friends
* Places I've visited: Edinborough Castle; a cafe in Paris; a beach in Hawaii; a picnic under the cherry blossoms in Japan
* Captain Jack Sparrow, Professor Snape and Legolas from three of my favorite movies
* My pets through the years, ESPECIALLY Wolf, Max & Molly
* My tattoos

If your life were a comedy, what would be your funniest moment?

Driving around in Japan, not 10 miles from my house, but HOPELESSLY lost...and with NO money. This was before cell phones, so I couldn't call anyone...nor could I stop and ask directions, cause I'm directionally challenged at the best of times and I didn't speak much Japanese. I finally got home 3 hours after I left it to get a can of chicken soup for my sick husband, and boy was he pissed [ahole].

If your life were a book, who would be listed in your cast of characters? Holy MOG there's alot! But then I've been alive a long time. I'm only going to list folks I've met in real life, cause if I start listing bloggers this'll go on for DAYS!

* Mom - The first person I met, not including a doctor or nurse :-) She passed away 12/17/05, I miss her alot!
* Dad - The second person...and he promptly dropped me! Dad's like me, a unique person :-)
* Larry - My brother. He can build a computer from scratch and is great at getting good deals on electronics!
* Grandma - Dad's mom; she was SO damn funny and kind and caring...and a bit weird!
* Nana - Mom's mom; she was strict, but I enjoyed her company

* Maribeth - my cousin, my friend, my companion in Barbie doll playing!
* Melodie - My other cousin, MB's sister, if one word could describe her, it would be caretaker
* Pat - I met Pat in the 9th grade; she knew this guy I had a crush on, and I thought it couldn't hurt to be her friend. And I was right! She still puts up with me :-)
* Michele - Pat introducted me to her in highschool, they were in homeroom together. We were friends til 1997, when her husband did a boneheaded thing and she stopped speaking to me.
* Cal - My boyfriend in high school; man, we went through A LOT together! we're still friends!
* Todd - The only guy in highschool with a full mustache and beard, he was so sweet. We dated for awhile, on and off.
* Sue & Joel - She was the wife of one of Cal's friends, we hit it off and ended up roommates when I broke up with Cal and she broke up with John. Joel was her son. She was a hairdresser, bartender and all around fiirt. We dated guys in the same band and did alot of other things we shouldn't have. In the end, we grew apart.
* Karen - She lived next door to me with I lived with Cal, we still speak occasionally
* Blake - My first ex-husband. I met him in a camera store, eventually he joined the Air Force, we got married and ... then we separated and I met:
* Michael - My first real love. He was in the Air Force, and I first met him at the Officer's Club. We dated for a month, then I decided to try to patch things up with Blake...that lasted a week and I was back with Michael. He was so much fun, but ultimately couldn't commit...or didn't love me enough to commit. We remained friends until he eventually got married in 1997 or so. His wife didn't want me at the wedding or for him to speak to me anymore...so he didn't :-(
* Betsy - I met her when I worked at Hanscom. She's an amazing person, the mother of 3 girls, retired Air Force officer, PhD, teacher and good friend :-) I'll be seeing her in June in Vegas at my 50th!
* Diane - Met her thru Betsy, at first we did NOT like each other, but now...she's one of my closest friends. I enjoy spending time with her and her 2 daughters, especially Chloe, who's a riot! Diane's going to Vegas, too!
* Maureen - Another one met thru Betsy, another one of my closet friends. She's a lot of fun to be around and is always up for doing something spur of the moment. Mo's also coming to Vegas!
* Kim - The last one I met thru Betsy, I'm not as close to her as I am to Diane or Mo, but I still like her alot; she lets me drive her fast sports cars. She's coming to Vegas!
* Don - Worked with him at Hanscom, he was 19, I was 31. But OMG was he HOT!
* Kenny - Met him at the OClub, a friend of one of Michael's friends, we dated a bit when Michael and I broke up.
* Brian - Ditto, but ironically, he was stationed with Lou in Germany, so once I started dating Lou, I kind of stopped seeing Brian...mostly ;-)
* Marcus - Worked with him at Hanscom, we had a series of one night stands that evolved into a friendship; he was the only one to tell me not to marry Lou. I should've listened! He was a great DJ, made me many a mix tape :-)
* Lou - my second ex-husband and a wicked jerk. Hindsight, my friends, hindsight.
* Gaylen - Met her when I lived in Japan, she was my constant companion. I spent so many nights at her house when her husband was working (both our husbands were firefighters and worked 24 on, 24 off, usually on the same shift). She's in Albuquerque now, I hope we'll be able to get together!
* Lisa - Met her when I lived in Japan, her husband was also a firefighter. We talk occasionally, she just became a nurse!
* Masayo - I worked with Masayo in Japan, she was a trip! We still write and keep in touch
* Hisayo - I met Hisayo through Gaylen, she taught English to Hisayo's sister. She's my age, also has no children, and I've been able to see her a few times when she visits the states.
* DC - Worked with him in Japan, dated him for a bit after Lou & I separated.
* Gener, Jill, Steve, Gen Myers - All people I worked with in Japan; they were my family and my support for 3 years.
* Lynn & Jason - Michael's sister & nephew; I lived with them in VA when I moved back from Japan
* Calvin - My second love, he lived upstairs from Lynn; we stopped seeing each other 6/2001
* Julie - Met her in a chat room first, then in a sushi restaurant the same evening! She was so much fun, full of life...but we drifted apart last year.
* MaryEllen - Met her in the same chat room I met Jules in...she's become a close friend and we try to see each other at least once a year. In between, we send provocative cards to each other ;-)
* Megan - Met her in the same chat room as ME & Jules...we drifted apart for a time, but reconnected, very happily...til we had a HUGE fight...but we worked our way back from that, and I'm glad she's part of my life :-) She's coming to Vegas!
* Art - The first time we were supposed to meet, I was so nervous...thought he was an axe murderer or something! But no, he's just a really nice guy :-)
* a bunch of folks from 30Something in Talkcity - none of whom I talk to anymore, except for Joli, but they played a big part in my life for a year or two
* Eileen - We work together, and have gone to Paris a couple of times; she's fun to travel with and is very VERY funny. If she didn't have stage fright, she'd be a famous comedian.
* Diana - My old office mate, she's funny and upbeat and is always able to make me laugh! She's getting married this year, and I'm photographing her wedding.
* Aislinn - We used to work together, but she wised up and moved on to a better job. She's also getting married this year, probably on St. Thomas, and I'll most likely (if I can afford it) be photographing her wedding as well.
* Lauren - Ditto to the first sentence in Aislinn. She's a wedding planner, girls!
* Alexi - My last good office mate; he was adorable and while American, could do a wicked Scottish accent. He saved Wolf once, and so has my undying gratitude!
* Krista - Met her via blogging; thought she didn't like me the first time we met, but I guess she did. She's off in schmoopy land now ;-) She's artistic and quite possibly the funniest person I know
* Michelle - Met her via blogging, too. She's a big flirt, very smart and very introspective. I was with her when I got the word my Mom had passed away, we were in a Barnes and Noble. I found her, told her what happened and said, oh, but finish your shopping. She was horrified, said she'd do NO SUCH THING and immediately went with me to the nursing home.
* Monique - Eek! I was driving home, wondering if I forgot anyone on this list and realized I had forgotten Monique! She's fun, and tattooed, and I like her alot!!!
* Laura - Met her via blogging, she cracks me the hell up! She likes Bruce, boobs, her cat, the ocean & Deb :-)
* Deb - She's Laura's better half; she loves red wine, Florida, her sons and Laura
* Lisa - Met her last night FINALLY; been reading her blog for a loooooooooooong time. She has the most beautiful hair ever and I look forward to getting to know her :-)

Thirteen Things I Love that begin with the letter D

1. Dogs: My dogs, Wolf and Max, my friend's dogs...most dogs (except Akitas, sorry, they scare me! And any dog colored brindle...they scare me too!)

2. Delight: It's so much fun to be delighted!

3. Decorate: I love to decorate, and I love decorations!

4. Dreams: Where would we be without our dreams?

5. Dandelions: I know they're weeds, but they're so sunny!

6. Disappear: Sometimes, it's good when things disappear ;-)

7. Dabble: I dabble in photography...and a few other things

8. Deju vu: This happens to me ALL the time!

9. Dessert: Good, especially if it's a cheese plate!

10. Depp, Johnny: Yup, I'm fitting him in twice! Man...I'd love to talk to him, he seems like such an interesting man.

11. Dominatrix: My friend, MaryEllen, can tell ya all about that!

12. Diaphanous: Love the imagery of that word

13. Darlin': Only sounds good when a southern man drawls it :-)

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

Swampgrrl is the Thursday: Photo Day guest host. She says:

So here's the theme for this Thursday: 1) Post a photograph from a favorite vacation; 2) And/or locate one from a future vacation spot. Say why you loved it or why you will love it. Post a link back here, so we can connect in our travels.

On the left, we have a picture inside the Great Hall of the Musee du Louvre; top right is a garden at Stirling Castle in Scotland, in the middle...an alligator from the Everglades in FL and on the bottom, a setting sun at the beach in Waikiki. I've been to all these places, but they're the places I'd go again in a heartbeat!

I loved Paris with all my heart, and the funny thing is...I didn't expect to like it much at all. There was so much to see and do and experience there! I've been twice and will hopefully go again :-)

Scotland, I felt that I'd love and I did. The scenery, the accents, the kilts, even the haggis! LOVED it!

The Everglades in FL was someplace I'd always want to go to, and finally, after a cruise one year that MaryEllen got lucky on (gambling, not sexing!), we ended up vacation with a airboat tour. Fantastic!

I've been to Hawaii 3 times so far, and I would go back yearly if I could afford it! It's like going to Japan, only everyone speaks english!

I didn't include a picture of Japan, because I don't want to vacation there, I want to LIVE there!

1. Fridays are ....
2. It was a dark and stormy night; ....
3. ... and then I hit a parked car, causing the alarm to go off!
4. If wishes were ..., then I'd ....
5. Do you get ....
6. Where in the world is ...?
7. This weekend, I hope to ...!

12:11 AM - Comments (13)

Ocean Lady sent this to me:

If you'd like to play, click here!

1. Contribution :: charity
2. Ryan :: accountant at work
3. Minimal :: clean
4. Cleansed :: spiritual
5. Centered :: even
6. Arrow :: Legolas
7. Beyond :: the pale
8. Execute :: the order
9. Intuition :: is me!
10. Apology :: I'm sorry

Day 54 from Project 365; salty chocolate - man, was it good!

Things have been a bit stressful lately; Dad blacked out or fainted in the bathroom Thursday and came to on the floor...where he stayed for 4 or 5 hours until I came home from work. Apparently, he didn't have the strength to get up. Of course, I ended up working late that night and didn't get home til 7, and even then didn't know he was on the floor til I heard a repeated banging noise.

I helped him up and put him in bed. He slept for a few hours and when he woke up, I gave him something to eat, as he probably hadn't eaten since noon time.

Took off the next day from work to keep an eye on him, all the while trying to talk him into going to the ER just to get checked out.

Saturday, Michelle came over for a bit so I could take a shower; I was afraid to leave him alone. My brother came by, too, and finally convinced Dad to go to the ER. They went around 3; after waiting there three hours, he was finally seen. They did blood tests, urine tests, an EKG and a CAT scan...only thing they found was a UTI, but I think the fact that he blacked out and didn't remember it prompted them to admit him.

Yesterday, they were concerned that he seemed a bit out of it (which is kinda normal for Dad) and so did an MRI. Haven't got the results yet, and he's still in the hospital.

So, yeah...I needed some chocolate.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

This was a Vosges truffle, from a box Megan gave me for Valentine's Day. This one is called Naga; sweet Indian curry powder + coconut + milk chocolat = YUM! HAHAHA, it's NOT a truffle...but I bet he IS yummy!

Michele was damn close with "I say pirate legs and an octopus. An orange octopus."; if ME had just elaborated a bit more "sparrow feet" (what can I say, she's short [hehehe], sweet & to the point), but it was Finn who got it right this week: "Plastic spider ring at the feet of Jack Sparrow."

Honorable mention goes to Monique "it's cleary your view of jack sparrow standing by you after a session of wild monkey love on the beach... he's just getting ready to kick away that pesky orange octopus that tried to join the party..." for answering in a most amusing way!

As always, thanks for playing!

So this week...

What is it?

Jana is the Getting to Know You - Your Life as Art. She says: To participate, just post these questions to your blog, along with your answers. Then leave us a link here so we know you joined the fun!

List your favorite(s):

Flower to look at: Lilacs, dark purple especially

Feature of your favorite animal: His smile :-)

Item in your kitchen: My cast iron dutch oven

Item of comfy clothing: (or outfit, if you feel the need!) flip flops :-)

Thing to receive through the mail: Surprise packages from friends!

Color on your favorite animal: Reddish

Food to cook: (be forwarned, we may be asking you for the recipe if it sounds good! lol) I love making spaghetti sauce, simmering it for hours under a low flame, til the Italian sausage is crumbly!

Ringtone style: I have POTC quotes for my ring tone!

Wild animal (or fantasy creature, if you're so inclined): Phoenix
Outfit to dress a little girl in: overalls and a cute, sparkly tshirt!

Thing to do with snow: Make snow angels! [yeah, I know it's not a snow angel, but I had to make do!]

Weather: Crisp, cool autumn day, with bright blue skies and sunny

Thirteen Things I love that begin with the letter E

1. Eggs: Over easy, scrambled with salsa, devilled...YUM!

2. Earl: That damn tv show, My Name is Earl is SO funny!

3. Elucidate: Love the way it sounds and what it means

4. Elf: Oh, I love Tolkien's Elves...especially Legolas :-)

5. Eclairs: Mmmm, yummy!

6. Ecstasy: What's not to like about that? And I don't mean the drug :-)

7. English muffins: About the only time I drink milk is if I have an english muffin with peanut butter.

8. Elderberries: Never had one, but I read about them and heard about them in songs and they sound good!

9. Emmental: A lovely French cheese, similar to swiss...

10. Elocution: Alan Rickman!

11. Echo: It's fun to hear echos of your voice in a canyon ... and I once knew a dog named Echo who was really cute!

12. Eloquent: Something I would love to be, and I love way that word rolls off the tongue.

13. Epicure: "A person devoted to sensuous pleasure and luxurious living"; sounds good to me!

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

Swampgrrl is the Thursday: Photo Day guest host. She says:

It is possible that some of us will never get to drop over to each other's houses for a cup of tea or coffee. We see each other in cyberspace where the window dressing gets to be whatever our imagination or technical know-how can create.

Post a link here, so we can share in what's going on outside our doors.

Here's what I saw outside my back door just a couple days ago!

EEK! Look at poor Wolf!

Random and Odd's SPF challenge is "Your letters"; she says: "I'm going to actually enjoy this one. I have about 300 ideas on how to do it. I like to take pictures of signs, tombstones, single words. There are certain words I love: Hope. Some words I don't like: tchotkies. I love letters. I love them all. A-Z. "

This one is for you, girl!

Next, because you love the word Hope, I give you these letters:

I also have these funny letters:

Next up:

Hungry or thirsty?

Lastly, let's not forget to:

Smile!

1. This week has been ...; I'm glad it's ...!
2. No more ...!
3. I am SO ready for ...!
4. I'm sure after ... was happy to see ....
5. Courtesy of Michelle: I think I really stink at ....
6. ..., of course!
7. Be ..., be ..., have a ...!

I remembered to answer my own questions this week! Here 'tis!

1. This week has been crazy; I'm glad it's Friday!
2. No more mess on the porch!
3. I am SO ready for spring flowers and warm breezes!!
4. I'm sure after all this lovely warm weather we had everyone was happy to see the big snowstorm heading our way...NOT!!!
5. Courtesy of Michelle: I think I really stink at housekeeping.
6. A horse is a horse of course, of course! [anyone know what that's from?]
7. Be strong, be happy, have a great weekend!

08:52 AM - Comments (15)

To all my Irish friends, I hope you had a fantastic day today and that you're not too hung over tomorrow!

So there's been alot going on lately and I haven't really had a chance to talk about any of it.

Thursday: Dad was able to come home from the hospital, and we also got a diagnosis; he has Parkinson's disease, in the early stages. His doctor has prescribed a medication and we'll see what happens. I'm, of course, hoping for the best! The diagnosis does explain a lot; his soft speech, his shuffling gate, his shaky hands. I thought it was just aging. Ah, me.

I also started an eight week photography class on Thursday. The guy teaching it seems knowledgeable and talented and I learned a bit just during the first lesson. Our homework is to do a portrait for the next class, not more than eight pictures. I asked him if the subject had to be human; he kind of scoffed at me and said he didn't want to see cutesy pics of people's pets. Now, c'mon...is THIS cutesy?

Friday at work, one of the VPs mentioned to me that I was going to CA for a month for work. I was like...um...huh? What? When? In typical fashion, no one had mentioned it to me. And it has to do with the aspect of my job I resigned from. Of course, the person they hired to do that has an elderly mother she takes care of so she can't do it. Well guess what? Neither can I! Haysus, it's NOT my job anymore and I have an elderly father to take care of! Anyway, after he said something, I went to my boss and she said she knew about it, but had told the higher ups she couldn't do without me for a month. My company being what it is, I'm sure they could care less. But you know what? If they want me to go, they're going to have to arrange for someone to come in and watch Dad, pay for kenneling the dogs cause Dad can't watch them and fly me back and forth to Vegas from CA because of course this coincides with my Vegas trip for my birthday.

Yesterday I made a boiled dinner in honor of St. Patrick's day and mostly sat around watching movies. I have a sinus infection on top of everything else that's going on and the right side of my face is a bit swollen. I also got a blister on my foot from wearing a new pair of shoes. It was healing fine until Wolf accidently stepped on it, and now...ouch! It just hurts like hell and I can't put a shoe on. No walking around in flip flops outside for me, not in the foot of snow we just got! I did slip on a pair of Ugg boots and did a bit of shoveling yesterday. I mean, if I don't do it, it won't get done and if something happens to Dad there has to be a path to the house, you know?

My cousin Maribeth and her hubby sent Dad a beautiful bouquet of flowers yesterday; it arrived before I shoveled, so they left it with the neighbors next door, who were nice enough to deliver it later.

They smell even better than they look!

Last night, Wolf noticed something outside and I saw him out of the corner of my eye staring intently. So I looked and saw what I thought was a cat, at first, just sitting there. Then it started running and I thought...wow, that's a weasel! So I looked it up online and found that weasels are a brownish color and this animal was black. Looked further and discovered what I saw was an American mink! Amazing the things you see in your own back yard!

If you'd like to play, click here!

1. San Francisco :: flower child
2. Sadness :: sorrow
3. Spirits :: happy
4. Harriet :: Nelson
5. State :: of denial
6. John :: Kennedy
7. Offense :: time out
8. TImeless :: good manners
9. Account :: bank
10. Refuse :: to do

Was it just me, or when Jack Bauer got all bandaged up last night, didn't it look like he was wearing a strapless prom dress? He even had little b@@bies!

This season...sheeeeeeeesh! The music is so damn annoying and invasive. Stop it!

I do like the VP, tho, he makes a bad ass bad guy!

And his assistant is so familiar...OH! I just went and looked her up, she was the wife of the Sheriff on Invasion!

RIP Audrey!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

As you can see, it's the bowl that is a bit granite looking!

I was making peppermint chocolate brownies and the recipe called for two eggs. I cracked the first one and did a double take at the shape it took! It totally looks like a mother and child to me.

Amy came real close with "Looks like egg yolk on a granite countertop to me..."; then it was Maribeth, who said: "An egg in a dish"; but Ocean got it right on the nose: "It looks like a parent and child in the shape of egg yolk. What an amazing shape it formed." That's what I thought, too!

Jana scoffed, saying: "The yellow thing is the top part of a mother & child (sculpture? collage?) Not sure what the background is. Either that, or your got really artistic as you tried to fry your egg this morning! Hahaha!" Little did she know she was so close to being right!

ME's sacrilegious answer cracked me up: "it's a sculpture of Mary and the Baby Jesus made of cheeze whiz"

As always, thanks for playing!

So this week...

What is it?

Ooooh, a lovely article about Severus Snape is in today's Baltimore Sun. I particurly liked this excerpt:

"For a surprisingly large number of Potter fans, mostly adult ones, the fate of the intrepid boy wizard - you know, the one the books are ostensibly about - isn't nearly as interesting as what will happen to his ex-professor. The double-crossing Death Eater. Murderer of the beloved Headmaster Dumbledore. Greasy-haired, yellow-toothed, cuttingly sarcastic and, in the words of his creator, "deeply horrible."

The article goes on to say:

"Oh, sure, there's a school of thought that blames all the Snape love on hormones and Alan Rickman, the actor with the seductive voice who plays him in the movies - the fifth of which, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is due in theaters in July. Rickman comes with a fan base, and whoever decided to put him in that repressively buttoned-up Victorian get-up seemed to understand how that would affect adult women. We do seem to be Snape's biggest fans."

And further:

"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death," he says to his new students in the first Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and we thought, cool. A closet poet, our Snape, and frequently funny in an awful, I-can't-believe-he-said-that way. People identify with this thirtysomething man stuck in a hated job, who never gets credit for his good efforts, who is irritable and quick to judge and deeply human." [hmmmm...that last sentence sounds familiar!]

Finally, although this has nothing to do with Snape, it is Harry Potter related. In my photography class last Thursday, the instructor was talking about how he liked a balance of dark & light in photos. During the discussion he said, "I like to see serious black in a photo."...and I cracked up quietly to myself ;-)

Thirteen Things I love that begin with the letter F

1. Flowers: All kinds, they're all so beautiful! I recently won tickets to the Flower Show in Boston, can't wait to go photograph that!

2. Flip flops: Double F! I'm wearing them right now as a matter of fact!

3. Fuji-san: Mt. Fuji, in Japan, source of many artistic endeavors.

4. Flickr: A wonderful place to store photos, share with others and see the world thru pictures!

5. Fairies: "When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about. And that was the beginning of fairies."- Peter Pan

6. Fun: Something I love to have, to do, to be!

7. Fall: My favorite season, after a nice hot indian summer, the first cool breezes, the leaves turning...I love it!

8. Fangs: My dentist friend, Dr. Binky, said she'd make me some vampire fangs...how cool!

9. Feast: Makes me think of Thanksgiving, sideboard groaning under the weight of all the food, people talking and laughing...us kids horrified cause Grandma took her teeth out again and put 'em on the table!

10. Fiddlehead Ferns: Ooooh, another double f! These are so tasty, a Maine specialty!

11. Feathers: "To dream of feathers floating in the air, signifies a life of ease, comfort, warmth and of financial gains. It may describe your lightheartedness and enjoyment for life. "; reminds me of the movie Forest Gump.

12. France: Someplace I'd love to explore, from top to bottom. I loved Paris, and I want to see more!

13. Family and Friends: Life wouldn't be half so fun without them!

woohoo! I got through the list without swearing! Go me!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

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View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

1. Don't you hate it when ...!
2. The best compliment I ever got was ...!
3. Why am I ... at ...!
4. ... fascinates me.
5. This weekend I plan to ....
6. ... is one of my worst habits.
7. "From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows ...".

1. Don't you hate it whenyour blog goes down for no good reason?
2. The best compliment I ever got was last night; after looking at the portrait pictures I submitted for class, my photography teacher asked me "Why are you here? These are perfectly composed and lit!"
3. Why am I doing laundry at 5:30 in the morning!
4. Japan fascinates me.
5. This weekend I plan to take lots of pictures at the flower show, see a movie and that's ALL I have planned!
6. Biting my nails is one of my worst habits.
7. "From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring...".-J.R.R. Tolkien

05:54 AM - Comments (18)

1. Groovy :: kind of love
2. Jealousy :: green eyed devil
3. Watching :: and waiting
4. Kenny :: affair
5. Games :: people play
6. Bread :: and Circus
7. City :: of Lights
8. Stems :: from...
9. Birds :: of a feather
10. Listener :: in the woods

I don't know if I mentioned it here, but I'm taking a photography class, Digital Photography II. The class description goes like this:

This course will explore the world of digital photography and how it differs from (and is sometimes the same as) film photography. The class will get photo assignments each week. Bring in digital photos which we will view on our projector, and discuss the merits and problems of the work. The class will be much like the film photography classes we have, but the medium here is digital. Since photo enhancing, adjusting, and retouching are part of the kit of tools available to the digital photographer, we will be using Adobe Photoshop and its magical kit of tools to help correct and adjust our photos where needed. However, the primary thrust of the class will be photographic techniques, with mechanical enhancements as an added, but secondary, attraction.

Last Thursday was the second class, and the first where we had homework. Our assignment was to bring in no more than 8 portrait shots and he would critique them.

He had a criticism on only one picture, the one of the woman holding the orange. He said that as she seems to be offering the orange to the viewer, it needed to be in focus, too. I agree!

This Thursday, our homework is "Portraits, non-human" and he wants us to use macro. I went to the flower show in Boston on Saturday...guess what my subject will be?

This is the reason I wanted to take a photography class. I KNOW this should be crisper and clearer...I should've used manual and not auto focus. I wanted the whole flower in focus, but because the bottom part juts out more than the top, I need to take that into consideration.

There were SO many orchids of every color and type at the show. I was in heaven wandering around taking pictures. Ran into a coworker there and she politely waited til I was done before she said hi.

Also on the work front, I got my own office today! To say I'm happy, well...it's a bit of an understatement. I'm NOT anti-social, but I do love my alone time, my quiet time...and I wasn't getting any of that sharing an office will what will hopefully be my last office mate. She and I are total opposites...I'm sure we'd get along in a social setting, just not sharing a space 8 hours a day.

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is the shot it was cropped from:

T, Silverwillow and Laura were the first of many to think my tongue looks like a butt...hmmm...I'd like to know just what kind of butts you all have been looking at!

This week, Irish Church Lady was the first of many to get it right; she said: "It's a human tongue! Thank dog it's not a cow's tongue. Yeccch!"; Finn's comment was my favorite, tho: "That's your tongue. I see distinctive Depp marks on it..." Sigh...I wish ;-)

As always, thanks for playing!

So this week...

What is it?

Jana is the Getting to Know You hostess. This week, her last, she says: After a month of giving you all nice themed questions, my inner ADHD child rebelled and insisted that we ask questions that we REALLY REALLY wanna know about our fellow bloggers! So here are our completely and totally random questions for you:

What did YOU eat last? I just had a cherry starburst and it was yummy!

What about YOUR love life? Anyone special? Tell us about him/her! No one special, not in the sense that you mean...but that's ok!

What is it like where you live? I live in a little, VERY old house (1800s), with a big back yard, lots of trees and a garden, on a busy street.

What are YOUR favorite features about yourself? Hmmm...my knack of not getting my feathers ruffled easily...and being up for just about anything!

What deep thoughts have YOU been pondering upon? Mostly things to do with finances; how I feel I'm FINALLY on the right track and that I'm considering purchasing a vacation home with a friend.

List 2 random things you love about life: I love the unexpected, and I love brussels sprouts!

How did YOU find out about CAC? I found out about CAC thru DebR; she's always got such cool things on her blog!

What do YOU love most about spring? All the flowers in bloom!

After work, I met a coworker for a walk around a pond in the next town over from where we work. Lauren had told me about this place, but I never imagined how beautiful, or how BIG it was! We walked for about an hour; we saw ducks and geese and swans, fishermen, bird dogs, and rollerbladers, oh my!

It was quite windy and the water was wicked choppy, but it added to the beauty of the place.

I'll be taking Wolf and Max there this weekend, if the weather holds :-)

Thirteen Things I love that begin with the letter G

1. Gargoyles: I took so many pictures of gargoyles when I was in Paris!

2. Gravel: I love the sound car tires make driving over it!

3. Geckos: The first time I saw one was in Okinawa, they are so CUTE!

4. Google: Awesome search engine!

5. Grandmothers: Grandmothers are made to spoil their children's children. Amen to that!

6. Gryffindor girls: Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger (lots of Gs there!)

7. Geishas: Something SO Japanese.

8. Garden: I love tending my garden; it's not big, just herbs, tomatoes & jalapenos, but I like it!

9. Godiva: Makes some damn good chocolates!

10. Grass: I love walking on grass with my bare feet, and I love the smell of freshly mown grass.

11. Goats: Freaky eyes on the things, but I like 'em!

12. Glow: I like things that glow; fireflies, ghosts, bioluminesence!

13. Girlfriends: I love my girlfriends! Life would be sooooo boring without them!

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

1. I love my ...!
2. Looking in the mirror, I see ...!
3. The best thing that happened to me this week was ....
4. ... is one of my favorite things to do!
5. I always have a good time ....
6. I'm looking for ... this weekend.
7. "Oh, I'm bein' followed by a ...".

1. I love my car!
2. Looking in the mirror, I see a ghost!
3. The best thing that happened to me this week was getting my own office again.
4. Walking with the dogs is one of my favorite things to do!
5. I always have a good time when I'm taking pictures.
6. I'm looking for a small blue and white Japanese dish and some new tshirts this weekend.
7. "Oh, I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow"

What I see sitting in my new office

07:08 AM - Comments (30)