Krista texted me on the way home and said: "huge moon". I knew she wasn't talking about my @$$, so I grabbed my camera, drove to the cemetery, and got this shot...well, the moon one, anyway. The one of Wolf I took a couple nights ago!

Don't forget ... the Friday Fill-In is over here now!

Stolen from DebR

I'm a bat jellyfish...and a scary mixture at that!

Lion's Mane Jelly: Imagine having no eyes or brain, but still having one of the most sophisticated weapons on earth! Lion's Mane Jellies have tentacles over 100 feet long, each one packed with tiny harpoons that inject prey with deadly toxins! I'm so scary!

Rodrigues Bat wings: Your wings are very different from bird wings, which are made like human arm bones. Bat wings are more like really long fingers...creepy long fingers!

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Last night, Wolf was up in his window seat (the window was open; screen firmly in place) and I was reading in bed. We heard a noise outside, like something crashing through the underbrush in the back yard. We both looked at each other, then out the window. I turned off the light, the better to see into the back yard and but we saw nor heard anything else. What do you think it was?

Just to let you know...all good wishes welcome...I AM winning this!!!

Each winner (there will be three!) will receive a trip package to see Led Zeppelin in concert on November 26, 2007 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Each trip package includes 2 round trip tickets to London, 2 tickets to the concert, hotel for three nights, meals...and best of all:

~ Two (2) tickets to a private dress rehearsal on November 25, 2007

[OMGOMGOMG!!!]

Breathe, breathe...

The work week's more than half over, yahoo!!! Right now, I'm laying in bed, listening to the wind blow through the leaves on the trees and into my open window and thinking it's good to be alive. I love this weather...not too hot, not too cold. Wolf likes it too, but not so much the breeze. It ruffles the fur near his butt and that freaks him out. Yeah, he's weird :-)

Just a reminder...What Is It Wednesday has a new home; this week's entry is up and ready for your guesses (I post early for my friend from Australia, Julie).

If you guys can ask me 13 questions, I'll post 13 answers as my Thursday Thirteen!

Did you miss me this weekend?

Friday, I went to my first ever book club meeting; great snacks and conversation (the things you learn when listening to a bunch of social workers!) and I got a TON of stuff from Megan to review for AGMS...not a hard assignment as most of it is either scented lotions or oils and candy. Poor me, eh?

Saturday, I gave Wolf a nice long guilt-induced walk and then headed up to Vermont to visit my friend Maureen. She had a golf tournament to attend, so I let myself in the house and hung with Rumor (her dog), Emma (her brother's dog) and the cats, Chloe and Wheels. Great fun was had by all!

Mo, her brother & SIL were starving when they got back so we went off for dinner, a delicious Italian place (I had leftover spaghetti for a late night dinner AND lunch the next day LOL). Mo took me to downtown Burlington later that night where we strolled and took pictures. We capped the night off with POTC 2. Ahhhh, life is good.

Sunday, I awoke to the smell of coffee and maple sausage...heavenly! We had a quick breakfast and went to meet a friend of hers for a hike in the woods. We kind of got lost while hiking and it turned into a 4 hour trek, some of it up BIG hills (this IS Vermont, after all). Thanks to my GPS navigator, we found our way out.

We dropped Rumor off at home and headed to the Magic Hat Brewery, where I got an awesome pint glass and a 12 pack of Halloween beer :-)

Then we had a brunch of boxty (and Guinness for me) at an Irish bar called Ri Ra. Came home, packed and headed home...where I collapsed in bed soon after I arrived, after picking a tick off Wolf (never on Max...I think Wolf has sweet blood).

I'm still tired! How was your eekend?

***SCROLL DOWN FOR WHAT IS IT WEDNESDAY!!!***

Button from schmutzie

I've been noticing a decrease in comments, too and then I read about this over on zoot's blog today (right after I berated a friend for rarely commenting on my blog [not you, K]). Deep down, though, I thought ... oh mah god, it was either a) me or b) my blog was screwed up. My blog designer has been overworked and whatnot lately so I didn't want to ask her to take a look to see if something was wrong and was resigned to my fate. What a maroon!

So all you lurkers; come out, come out, wherever you are, stop hiding behind your bloglines and google readers and SAY something, will ya! Comments make everyone smile :-)

And if you need something besides my horrid writing to generate a comment ... pick a picture! Which one do you like better...and why?

Iguana, pondering a seagrape

or

Bride, washing her feet

I'm posting this early, because you know, tomorrow is What Is It Wednesday!

Ahoy lads and lassies, landlubbers and old salts, all manner of Brethren of the Coast! Arrrr, tis Talk Like A Pirate Day, me buckos! Shiver me timbers, tis a fine Wednesday, two days t' Friday and we're over t' stress o' aft t' weekend Monday.

Some scurvy sea dogs hae taken it a step further and made it "Talk and Dress Like A Pirate Day"! Matey, tis true, this saucy wench did t'ink 'bout it, but me workplace be so full of bilge-sucking deck hands (begad, more than a few I should like ta send ta Davy Jones' locker...as Cap'n Barbossa did say: "Here there be monsterrrs"), I thought it best t' wear me regular clothin', blast it!

Last year, this wench were busy preparin' for a blasted privateer's inspection; this year, there'll be none o' that bunghole twistin'! Arrrrrrrrr!!! Bring on the rum!

Arrrr, if any of ye poxy addlepates wants ta be talkin' like a pirate, this'll be the site ye'll be lookin' for. Laura, that lovely lass from a landlocked place, will once again be responsible for titivatin' tha jollyboat, or it'll be kiss the gunner's daughter for ya, ye scurvy sprog!

And me beauties, ifn yer wants ter dress up yer blog in honor o' this fine day, head straight t' weeworld, where they have lots o' piratey goodness! Arrr!

Fair winds to ye...drink up me hearties, yo ho!

Friday, I got my hair taken care of. No, I didn't go silver. Not brave enough yet, I guess. Got a lovely shade of dark honey and platinum-y highlights.

Saturday: Went to Sephora, where they were offering free foundation consultations. I got a mini-facial from a Dr. Perricone rep; fantastic stuff, but so.damn.pricey.!!! Then a Stila rep did my makeup. Got many compliments from friends at the wedding I went to that evening, as they're not used to seeing me wear much makeup at all :-)

Michelle and me, photo taken by Michelle's husband, A

Took 200+ pictures at Krista's wedding; of course, I like only about 5 of them LOL! Since the bride & groom haven't seen any of the shots, I really shouldn't share ... but ... oh, well, here. They go from this:

to this:

and this:

with a little bit of this thrown in:

and this

"I don't know why you people are getting so dressed up, but I hope there's food involved!" - Bonbon the corgi

Sunday, I relaxed, tried to catch up on sleep, reading, cleaning, etc. My brother and I took Dad out to lunch; new-ish Italian place...NOT very good at all. Overcooked pasta, not so tasty sauce, frozen veal & fish; as my brother said, when you're served cold bread that should be served warm, you know that what's to follow won't be so good either. As none of us had come CLOSE to finishing the meal (I think the staff knew better than to ask, "Was everything ok?"), we all went for an ice cream for dessert at a local dairy farm:

(look at it with your head tilted to the right, it won't look so much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa that way!)

Patiently waiting for his or her owners to return with ice cream!

When I got home, I finished working on the wedding photos. Phew!

How was your weekend?

I was at work, and a friend sent me an email; he said, "Did you hear a plane crashed into the World Trade Center?" Like many of you, my first thought was some poor person had a heart attack while flying a small plane and crashed. At that point, who could conceive of someone purposefully flying a plane into a building? Then someone told me another plane had crashed into the other tower. And then we knew...and it seemed to get worse and worse.

A bright blue September sky, with just the right amount of crisp coolness in the airI will never seem so innocent again. Remember what a beautiful day it started out to be?

Where were you when it happened? What were you doing? Did you spend a few days glued to the tv, hoping for a bit of good news?

Friday night, I had plans but due to a miscommunication, they fell through. What were my plans? I wanted, had been CRAVING to walk on the beach! Dip my toes in the water, let the salt water soak my tattoo. Oh well! No worries, I was going to the beach the next night, I could do it then, right?

Saturday: Went up to Hampton Beach to see Louis Black, a comedian my friend Pat loves. Have you ever heard of him? He does political based comedy mostly, with liberal use of the eff word sprinkled throughout. He was pretty damn funny, especially when he was talking about Santa Claus running for president! Afterwards, I got to walk on the beach, but alas...it was waaaaaaaay low tide and I didn't feel like walking miles and miles to dip my toe in. Here's the picture I promised Rus; people working on Labor Day weekend:

Sunday: Drove Pat up to her new home in NH. Nice ride, we got sandwiches and ate lunch with her husband once we arrived. Then we walked around the neighborhood, checking out the new construction and lamenting the fact that they'd be paving her road. She likes it the way it is, and I don't blame her! Afterward, I was going to call my cousin as I was in the neighborhood, but I plugged in my address to my navigator and forgot I had it on "Simple". It took me all backroads MOST of the way home! I didn't so much mind, there was lots to see and not too much traffic. On the way, my plans for the evening fell through (sensing a pattern here?) and I was a bit upset, as I'd've stayed at Pat's if not for the plans. When I got home, another friend called and asked me to meet her for drinks, which I did and we had a great time!

Today? I finished another book for Carl's challenge this morning, I'm going to clean, do some wash, take Dad out for breakfast, and crack another book. Thank you, Carl, for getting me to read again! I only just returned my faulty TiVo Saturday, so I don't expect the new one for awhile.

How's your long weekend been (for those of you that have one!)?

The Sunday before last, I came home from a day away to discover my Tivo wasn't working. My brother took a look at it and diagnosed a failed hard drive. So sad...bye bye to all my saved recordings, to all the Eurekas which I was saving up to watch at one time, to who knows all what!

Last Friday, I contacted Tivo and told them about my hard drive problem. The first person I talked to said: "Oh so sorry, you bought it, it's yours, there's nothing we can do". I asked him to connect me to the proper person so I could cancel my service.

That person said: "Oh, your hard drive died? I see your unit is only 2.5 years old, that's MUCH too soon for a hard drive to have died, we'll ship you a new Tivo free of charge.

ROFLMAO! Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum! So I have to ship my Tivo back, and since they don't have any of that particular type of Tivo in the warehouse, they're sending me an upgraded model :-)

FREE!

While I heart my Tivo, I must admit I've enjoyed being tv-less lately. I've noticed I eat less (seems I enjoy eating in front of the tv), read more, walk Wolf more, have more/longer conversations, just DO more.

So I'm in no hurry to return my old Tivo, nor in a hurry for the new one to arrive. Once that connection was severed, it seemed to also sever a dependence I didn't realize I'd had.

In the meantime, I hope my brother comes over soon and hooks up that wireless modem I bought yesterday, so I can enjoy my laptop, which I got a few weeks ago, and haven't used much (it IS convenient for watching movies on when I housesit and can't figure out how to work someone's tv, or when I'm staying in a motel with no cable)!

How about you? What are your addictions?

LEO - The Lion:
Great talker. [check]
Attractive and passionate. [check]
Laid back. [sometimes?]
Knows how to have fun. [check!]
Is really good at almost anything. [check]
Great kisser. [she says so!]
Unpredictable. [check]
Outgoing. [check]
Down to earth. [check]
Addictive. [check]
Attractive. [you already said that fer crissakes, but I guess it's worth repeating...check!]
Loud. [can be!]
Loves being in long relationships. [check]
Not one to mess with. [check!!!]
Rare to find. [check!!!]
Good when found. [check]

For your 32nd birthday, I wish you much love and happiness, oh friend o' mine! I value your friendship, and although it's been a rocky road at times, maybe that just makes our friendship all the stronger :-)

Pop over and send her some happy thoughts, won't you?

What a great long weekend! Drove up to Vermont with Diane & her girls to stay at Mo's. Betsy and her middle daugter, Audrey, joined us Sunday.

- Went to the drive-in to see Ratatouille (and to gaze at the very full moon). When's the last time you went to a drive in? SO much fun!
- Met Mo's bead lady and took a TON of pictures
- Saw a herd of miniature horses (didn't get ONE shot LOL)
- Finished a book that wasn't Harry Potter - Heat, by Bill Buford
- Went to Lake Champlain Chocolates - yum!
- Went to see the Lipizanner Stallions - beautiful animals :-)
- Watched a sunset - sigh
- Played with a puppy - what fun!
- Hung out with friends - the best!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

Monarch in the burdocks

Rumor! Isn't she gorgeous?

Close to my favorite pic of the weekend...shot in color, looks almost black and white

Meri

Can't believe I got this shot LOL!

Love these ... "things" on a rooftop in downtown Burlington, VT.

A gorgeous onion from Betsy's Dad's garden

How was your weekend?

Last Thursday at work, I won 3 tickets to go see the Red Sox on Saturday. I gave two to my brother and father...I WAS going to go with them, but 1) I was reading the last Harry Potter book and 2) I was reading the last Harry Potter book!

I asked around to see if any friends wanted just the one ticket ($165 ticket!) and no one did. I did a mass email at work and gave the ticket to the first person who responded.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Ooooh, look at what you can do with your Weemee! Go forth, create, and have fun!!!

If you go visit me on Weeworld, you'll see what I'm saying :-) And notice the colors I'm wearing!

To make your own WeeMee, go here; when you're finished, save it, and then invite me as your friend (search for fondofsnape)!

Is it me, or is there something rather horrible about The New England Aquarium's Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series...which includes a complimentary pass to the Aquarium?

I'm sensing a movie here...

This is my horoscope for today:

You know your own worth, but today it might feel as though no one else does. If you're feeling neglected, overlooked or just taken for granted, take note of the friends who are treating you that way. You're no bargain-basement friend, and if you're being made to feel that way, it's time to move on. Consider a trial separation from the negative people in your life, and find out what life would be like if you didn't have to deal with their self-obsessed melodrama.

Negative, no; a tad self-obsessed, yes but not so much with the melodrama...that's been weeded out of my life; I'm highly allergic to melodrama ;-)

Who knew!

Altho my header says "fond of the beach", I am still, and will always be fondofsnape!

Carry on.

I tried to log in last night to post a picture I took up in Portsmouth NH earlier in the day, and all I got was a big, blank nothing! My hosting company solved the problem, and I'm BACK! Well...I wasn't really gone, but I did have slight withdrawal symptoms :-)

Firstly, here's the pic:

teeheehee

Secondly, Megan's cousin won tickets this morning to the sneak preview of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the local IMAX theater tomorrow night...and she VERY nicely gave me one! WOOHOO! I am JUST a bit excited *understatement*

Thirdly, I had the BEST time up at my cousin's house these last few days! She invited me up for the 4th, and to stay a few days after that, which I happily did! She and her husband graciously let me laze about, rereading OOTP and feeding me from time to time. We hiked one day, had a HOUSEFUL of dackels another and generally just had a wonderful time. Thanks, MB!!! Love ya!

PS! If you're having a hard time commenting, don't give up after one try...we're working the bugs out! If you CAN'T comment at all, please email me at fondofsnape AT gmail DOT com and let me know exactly what happens. Thanks!

Faith wrote an entry that hit a nerve. As hard as it might be to believe, I grew up going to church and singing in the choir, but I always felt like an outsider and stopped going at the age of 13, much to the dismay of my parents. I think church provides a sense of community in addition to faith for people...I kind of miss it. But I have yet to find a church where I feel accepted and comfortable. The last minister at the church I grew up attending was the most uncaring, selfish person; why he EVER went into the ministry is beyond me. Far, far beyond me.

Something else Faith said made me stop and think: "We're taught at church and in the scriptures that if someone offends us, we're to go to that person and talk to them. And that's how I've tried to live my life. But despite those teachings, we've been told that people instead of coming to us have been going to each other. And the rumor mill goes on." I need to start living my life like that from this day forth. And further, I'm taking this opportunity to say if I've offended you, please talk to me about it.

That's it!

Did you see the Strawberry Moon Saturday night? Michelle and I saw it...and as we drove around a bend in the highway, white fireworks (from Canobie Lake) exploded just under the moon! At first, I thought the moon was sending out a shower of sparks. It was fantastic! A magical end to a great day.

And I also forgot to mention what I had for dinner Saturday night at Canoe: lobster macaroni and cheese! OMG was it GOOD! I shared it with Emily, who enjoyed it just as much as I did, but left me the big lobster bits :-) We started off with mussels steamed in wine and onions, SO good! We also had some sweet & spicy fried calamari. MB shared her iceberg lettuce wedge with me, and Michelle shared her ahi tuna. For dessert, the waitress brought out a molten chocolate cake (I'd post a picture of Emily practically licking the plate, but I promised not to!) with a lit candle, and everyone sang Happy Birthday. As much as I hate to be the center of attention, it was nice, and I enjoyed it!

By the way, this was the SECOND time I was surprised for my birthday...my brother did the same thing last Thursday up at Michael's in Salisbury! I had no CLUE! Getting old, I must be.

On the way home from breakfast at the Owl on Sunday!

I'm back! Miss me? Lots to say, no time to say it, dang work! Here's some pics to tide you over til I can tell you about fabu Vegas (one word: HOT!!!).

LOVE was fantastic! I want to go back with my cousin to see it again, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Yellow Submarine had the best special effects!!!

There were tattoos (henna, not permanent!):

MaryEllen sent me some lovely flowers!

Deb & Laura sent me some delicious cookies, specifically tailored to my loves!

And pickles, yummy deli pickles!

I missed you all; more later, I promise!

Wolf's blood work came back fine! Liver and kidneys functioning properly, white blood cell count fine, blood sugar fine! I didn't have them test for rabies, as they'd've had to take his brain, and I'm sure he needs that for the next 10 years or so.

PHEW!!!

So...it was a random seizure, hopefully. I'm not going to schedule him for an MRI or CAT scan (how wrong would that be, a CAT scan for a dog!!!) at this point. I'm going to monitor him, and have Dad keep an eye on him as well.

My newest flip flops; the piratey skull ones are an early birthday present from Megan and the silvery ones I picked up last night at JC Penney's.

mama kelly tagged me; why not!

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog. Got it?

OK, here goes...

1) I love a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast with a cup of coffee! The peanut butter must be spread on half of the slice of bread, then the slice is folded over. Sometimes I'll spread some butter on first. Yum!
2) I have to be in the mood to clean. I'm not often in the mood. When I AM in the mood, no one can be home. Consequently, the house doesn't get cleaned very often :( Altho I WAS in the mood this weekend, and the 6 months of paperwork on the dining room table has been organized. Not quite put away, but soon!
3) I've never been to Las Vegas...and I won't be able to say that anymore after next Thursday, as I'm heading there with friends to celebrate my birthday. Wanna come with?
4) I've seen Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End four times so far. The last time was this past Wednesday; Pat and I took my Dad to Chunky's. Pat and I also drank some rum...which we smuggled in. Shhhhh...don't tell!
5) A&W root beer, diet, with LOTS of ice is my favorite soda! I also have a favorite new rum, Sailor Jerry's! Give it a try if you're into rum...it's really quite good.
6) I need quiet time to recharge and the older I get the more I need. For example, I had absolutely NOTHING planned this weekend other than taking Dad our for Father's Day on Sunday. Doesn't mean I didn't DO anything...in fact, Michelle called to see if I was free, I was and we went to Jasper White's Clam Shack. Yummy oysters, steamers and boiled shrimp. Delish!
7) I'm reading two books right now; one during the day and one at night. The one during the day is the latest Dean Koontz, called "The Good Guy"; the night book is Rises the Night, by Colleen Gleason. Not sure why it's worked out like this but there you have it. Oh...and in Rises the Night, there is a WICKED hot guy, Sebastian. Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Seven of you, tag, YOU'RE it! Run with it! Quickly!

Yesterday I went to Plymouth with Michelle to evaluate some folks that want to adopt a dog. They passed with flying colors! Afterwards we ate a late lunch at Hearth & Kettle, which brought back memories for both of us; you see, we both used to spend alot of time down the Cape in the summers when we were kids and both of us used to eat at Hearth & Kettle with our parents as a treat.

Since we'd brought Wolf with us, even though it was chilly and foggy, we decided to talk a quick walk around Plymouth Harbor. It was too foggy to get a shot of the Mayflower...which brought my ancestors to New England, but I did manage a shot of Plymouth Rock, the (very small) landing spot of the Pilgrims in 1620, as well as some shots of the harbor.

All in all, it was a good day and a fitting ending to a great weekend!

Hope you all had a great weekend, too :-)

Tonight I went to Newburyport with Megan and Jim, in the pouring rain, complete with fierce thunder and lightning! It eased up by the time we got there, tho, which was good as we ended up walking a bit to get to Aquatini. I had a extra dirty martini and some oysters and shared a cheese plate with Megan. Perfect! Afterwards we drove to Plum Island, sat out on the rocks and watched the lightning far off in the distance and talked. Magical!

Here's a flower that's growing in my front yard; enjoy!

ahhhh, the weekend! A glorious, nice long weekend filled with just the right amount of things to do! Truth be told...maybe TOO much, but I'm not complaining!

Friday I went over to Megan's; we headed up to Nashua to do some shopping and have dinner. Got some free POTC temporary tattoos, which made my night!

Saturday, I did some shopping, made dinner for Dad and headed over to Megan's for a cook out. She had the BEST black bean and mango salad; I'll post the recipe soon! She and Jim, her fiance, invited some folks over and we sat around outside, eating and drinking and talking. Fun! They grilled, in addition to other things, some eggplant, which is my new favorite thing to eat!

Mango-y goodness!

Sunday, I took Wolf for a walk in the woods and ran into Megan & her friend, Kristin there; took Dad out for breakfast at the Owl; then Michelle came over and we went back to the woods with Max in tow.

We saw two turtles on our walk, isn't this little guy adorable?

That evening, I took my friend Diane out for dinner (Melting Pot...eh...except for the chocolate fondue, THAT was awesome) and a movie (POTC 3; she had a hard time following it, then gave up and just delighted in the piratey hotness that is Captain Jack Sparrow). She savored getting out without the kids and being surprised; I enjoyed surprising her AND our impromptu stop at the Container Store, which I'd always wanted to go to!

Monday, up early to get ready to go to MB's for the day! Michelle came along with Dad, the dogs and me and we had a relaxing, delicious, puppy filled day that even included a bit of shopping at the oh so awesome annual Memorial Day craft fair.

Puppylove!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Without some sadness, we'd never know how good happiness is. Without some ugliness...we'd never realize beauty.

This Memorial Day weekend, please say a prayer or light a candle or think a good thought or whatever you do for Eon-Paul, who passed away May 19 and left behind his wife and two children.

His parents lived down the street from us; my Mom knew and was friendly with them. As you can probably tell by his name, Eon-Paul's parents were pretty much free spirits. When Eon-Paul's mom got pregnant with him, my mother was thrilled...she loved all babies!

Eon-Paul's parents divorced, his mom remarried a big ole man who, of course, goes by the name of Tiny and they all moved away, but still kept in touch...even after Mom passed, they'd still call Dad. Like this morning...Tiny called Dad to let him know what had happened to Eon-Paul.

Eon-Paul...you had someone waiting for you up there, didn't you?

Lately, the dogs have been acting weird, panting, staying close to me. I figure it's the weather change; they can sense storms when they're miles away and neither one of them likes thunderstorms. Recently, about 4:30 am (guess that's technically morning LOL), Wolf woke me up; he was pacing 3 corners of a square, from one to another to another and back again, sniffing and sniffing. Of course there was a load of laundry in that corner, and I was afraid "something" was there, so I got up and distracted him by taking him out to pee. Then, of course, Max had to go. I decided to hop on the computer and check emails. Wolf fell asleep next to me on the floor, until I happened to look outside, saw it was light and asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. HELL YES, he did!

So we walked for about 30-35 minutes, and I tell you, it's so peaceful out that early! Not many cars, although I did encounter another dog walker. The lilacs smelled awesome in the early morning air, and what was left of the sunrise was spectacular.

It's nice to do every now and again, but I don't think I'll be making a habit of it!

Something I am trying to make a habit of is eating better. Starting on 5/14 and going nine days, I'm cutting out meat; protein will come from chickpeas, tofu, lentils, beans and egg whites (four a day, which seems like a waste to me, the poor yolks, so I tend to have Eggbeaters instead). Calcium comes from two 6-ounce low fat or fat free yogurts and two cups of low fat, fat free or soy milk. I can have almost any fruit (no avocados) or veggie (no white potatoes) I want, any quantity. I'm allowed per day 2 cups of brown rice, 1 cup of oatmeal, 2 cups of herbal tea and all the herbs, spices and water I want. The only thing I'm cheating on is I'm not supposed to have any caffeine, so I'm sneaking in one cup of coffee per day. I have a salad for lunch, carrots & celery for snacks, oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, altho this morning I had a leftover frozen smoothie.

I LOVE eating this way! The first night, I made some brown rice, steamed some broccoli, chopped up a raw carrot, and heated up some white beans in a bit of italian dressing and tossed it all together. Crunchy, chewy goodness! Wednesday I made vegetarian chili, and mixed it with some brown rice. OMG is that chili good! It was simple, too:

two cans of chili beans in sauce
1 can of black beans, drained
1 32 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes with chilis
1 can fat free refried beans (thickens the chili)
Chili powder
cumin
red pepper

Finely chop an onion and saute it in a bit of olive oil along with some garlic; if any oil if left over, drain it.

Add all the beans & tomatoes and chili powder, cumin, red pepper.

Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 1/2 hour and serve.

Another thing I made that I really liked was a smoothie...here's the recipe:

6 ounces fat free or low fat vanilla yogurt (I use Fage 0% fat, so didn't have vanilla, so I added some vanilla flavoring)
4 ounces of fat free or lowfat or soy milk
some splenda
a handful of ice
a handful of frozen strawberries (or blueberries or whatever fruit you like)

Put the yogurt, milk, vanilla, splenda and a handful of ice cubes in the blender and blend til smooth, then add the strawberries and blend til smooth.

I just saw this quiz over at Swordgirl's, and was shocked to see the card I came up with!

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Given that I'm on this 9 day detox phase, it seems pretty applicable to me!

My brother, who fixes/rebuilds/sets up computers on the side, recently told me about a family he met while doing this; the daughter, Minna, has cerebral palsy & Reiger's syndrome and is wheelchair bound. She's 24, lives with her mother (her father passed away from cancer in 1999) and they don't have a lot of money. Minna's trying to raise enough money to purchase a lift van so that she can get around more easily and take care of herself. To read more, click on Minna's Ride.

If you'd like to donate, please do so. I can assure you this is not a scam!

I'm considering selling my Canon 20d along with three lenses: 50mm f/1.8, 70-200mm f/4 and 17-85mm f/4-5.6. I also have various filters for these lenses.

If anyone is interested, please contact me to discuss price.

Thanks!

How do you like my new design? Still fondofsnape, just a different header. Snape might be back in another incarnation as might be Captain Jack Sparrow, Percy as well as various pictures that I've taken...like the one that's there now :-)

As usual, Megan has outdone herself with this design, which she surprised me with! She's been quite busy with her new job, her new business (which I've linked to, check it out!) and various and sundry other things, but still found the time to do this. Thanks Megan!!!

Let me know what you think, and have a great weekend!

Ooooh! Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab just released a new scent today; here's a description from the website:

13 - April 2007 Incarnation:

13 is significant, whether you consider it lucky, unlucky or just plain odd. Many believe it to be unfortunate---

Says a lot about the US, doesn't it?

This is the scent description:

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits: cardamom, fig meat, grains of paradise, rice flower, chamomile, sandalwood, catnip, clove, and a bundle of five blessed blossoms and herbs.

Mmmmm, clove! Sandalwood! I had to order a bottle, of course...I mean, c'mon...it's Friday the Thirteenth! What better way to celebrate it!

Friday:

- Flew into BWI, MaryEllen picked me up at the airport
- we headed to Reading, PA
- Ate lunch at Cracker Barrel

Because I neglected to print out directions to the hotel from the highway and because no one answered when I called their phone number, we drove around Reading looking for the hotel. Finally, after someone decided to pick up the phone, we got directions and thought we found it; thank the GOOD [insert diety of your choice] it wasn't the right one, cause it was crack whore heaven pretty crappy.

Found it, checked in, decided to possibly check out the tattoo show in the nearby Sheraton. Um...no...

Downtown Reading looks amazingly like downtown Portland, Maine! We had (in my case) the most delicious dinner at an English pub called the Speckled Hen. Blackened tuna with artichoke and lime aioli and wasabi mashed potatoes--AMAZING!!! Yuenglings were involved, as well. MaryEllen, who's not much of a drinker, actually had a full beer (Lindemans Framboise Lambic Ale, of course).

Went to the 2007 Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Showcase; took a gazillion pictures, sighed over Johnny Weir, who designed some awesome costumes AND skated like a dream. There was this one guy who did backflips! That always amazes me in ice skating.

Saturday morning, woke up, showered, and hit the road for Frederick , where MaryEllen lives. Took pictures along the way, stopped at the grocery store for dinner (veal) which MaryEllen cooked and it was delicious! After, we took her Mom to see Blades of Glory. Laughed our asses off! Came home, relaxed, played with the dogs, Chloe & Chief, and then everyone turned it; I read til 1 am (The Ruins by Scott Smith, one of the saddest books I've ever read).

Sunday, we dyed eggs, made Easter baskets (one for boys, one for girls), had breakfast, then MaryEllen and I headed to WV to look for real estate guides. After that, we went to DC, walked around a bit and froze our tuchis (tuchi?) off, took pictures, and then headed to the airport, where we had "easter brunch" together (aka panini sandwiches LOL) and said goodbye. I went to Phillips Seafood, had a bloody mary and then read til it was time to board the plane.

MaryEllen, excellent driver though she is, tried several times to kill me...to no avail ;-)

I haven't talked about this, because the brand of food I use (Innova, made by Natura Pet Products) only uses US suppliers - no ingredients come from China or other foreign countries and that seems to be where the problem is coming from. And [insert diety of choice here] knows I've ranted and raved before about what goes into pet food. So I won't go into that again.

Click on this link for the list of foods that have NOT been recalled and that are SAFE to use

Click on this link for more facts about the recall

Click on this link for the latest recall, which is from Del Monte (and you thought they only sold pineapples): As a precautionary measure, Del Monte Pet Products is voluntarily recalling select product codes of its pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands.

Do be careful what you feed your pets...I know that the dogs and cats I had as a kid got supermarket dog food, Alpo or Gravy Train or whatnot...but perhaps the things that go in pet food today didn't go in back then, who knows.

My recommendation is Innova, or any other type of food made by Natura. My dogs LOVE it; I went through quite a few brands before settling on 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 ;-)

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!

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.

I was driving to work this morning, scanning through the radio, when I heard "Sweet Caroline"; it took a minute to register that it wasn't Neil Diamond (I cannot STAND Neil Diamond, sorry to anyone who likes him, but ... UGH! Maybe something bad happened to me during a Neil Diamond song [and lord knows there were many opportunies in my early days for THAT to happen] or something, cause, ... JUST UGH!) singing it, so I flipped back to listen to who it was. At first I thought it was a failed American Idol joke thing...then I thought maybe it was Tom Jones. The more I listened, the more I was sure it was Tom Jones. Um...no. It was Dave Matthews (live from the Fenway LOL). This blew my mind! Dave Matthews sounds like Tom Jones? Who else wouldn't I recognize if I heard a random song by (damn, what great sentence structure THAT had!).

So the next song I heard after that was "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World; the first two lines were:

Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head

Hardy har har...how friggin' appropriate!

This post brought to you by Ramblings of a Lunatic!

No work today, woohoo! Instead, I laid in bed til 10 am reading the latest Patricia Cornwell novel, Predator. Then I got up, showered, made a shopping list and met Lauren for lunch at Macaroni Grill...yum! Next stop, or would've been if I could've found a parking space, was Barnes & Noble. Gave up after a bit and headed to Border's where they had 10 books on sale for half off, and I bought Michael Crichton's latest, Next. Then I went back in search of the purse I saw at Marshall's on Saturday.

Oh, I didn't tell you about that! I went to see Pan's Labyrinth (awesome movie!) and got to the theater early, so I figured I'd browse Marshall's. Found a purse I really liked, then I noticed the loooooooooong checkout lines and knew I'd never make it to the movie. So I put the purse down and figured if it was there when I came back, I'd buy it. Well...it wasn't. So then I had the great Purse Search of 2007. Today I found it!

Cute, eh?

Now I'm making chicken soup from the roast chicken I made on Saturday:

Then I'm going to hopefully finish Predator, before 24 starts! Wish me luck!

Have you made your own WeeMee yet? I've made a few; which one do you like best?

To make your own WeeMee, go here; when you're finished, save it, and then invite me as your friend (search for fondofsnape)! It's a little slow, still, but it'll get faster and there are big things in store!

2007 is The Year of the Pig (or Boar), which begins on Feb 17th. In China, the Pig (a more correct form would be the Boar) is associated with fertility and virility. To bear children in the year of the pig is considered very fortunate, for they will be happy and honest. If you're born during the following dates, it's your year!

- 22 January 1947 - 9 February 1948: Fire Pig
- 8 February 1959 - 27 January 1960: Earth Pig
- 27 January 1971 - 14 February 1972: Metal Pig
- 13 February 1983 - 1 February 1984: Water Pig

Wikipedia says:

The Pig type is usually an honest, straightforward and patient person. He/she is a modest, shy character who prefers to work quietly behind the scenes. When others despair, he/she is often there to offer support. This type of person is reserved with those they do not know too well, but as time passes and they gain confidence, those around them may discover a lively and warm-hearted person behind that mask of aloofness. Despite those born in the year of pig having a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, they have few close friends who understand them and share their inner thoughts and feelings. It is easy to put trust in pig type; he/she won't let you down and will never even attempt to do so. Such people simply want to do everything right according to social norms.

There is a tolerant and peaceful side to their character. Such people are never afraid to allow others their freedom of expression; they do not want to cause arguments and if there is any way to avoid arguing, they will probably take this option. They are not weak, however, and if the situation forces them to fight these people will rise to the occasion, whether it is to defend themselves or those close to them. People of the Pig type are the most admired by others.

I went car shopping today...and guess what I got? Not.a.damn.thing. In fact, I decided to keep my car!

The Honda Fit is not a good fit for me; it's ... too light, too...simple. I was quite disappointed actually. The salesman asked my why I wanted to trade "down" from my current car, a Honda Civic Si hatch (which they don't make anymore, sad to say). I hadn't realized the Fit was trading down until I finally found one to test drive. Definitely not for me. I also test drove a Honda Element; while nice, it's too big for my needs and as Jimbo said...it's so empty inside it echoes LOL! I sat in a Civic Si coupe, which was nice, but not big enough for Wolf's crate. Gotta take into consideration the dogs and Wolf doesn't like being in a moving car unless he's crated.

So after talking to the salesman, I decided to keep what I have for now. And truth to tell, I'm quite happy with the decision! It's a peppy car, well made and solid...and the stereo sounds awesome!

Before I went out I put on some sauce to simmer; my office mate gave me the recipe, and boy was it good! Here's the recipe:

one package of boneless pork spareribs
one package of sweet italian sausage
three 28 ounce cans of peeled crushed tomatoes (Pastene)
fresh garlic
olive oil
beef bouillon cubes

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a dutch oven, toss in 3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes and some garlic (I used 5 cloves, smushed flat with a the side of a knife) and heat that.

Brown the spareribs on all sides; remove to a plate

Brown the sausage. Put the spareribs back in the dutch oven and add two cans of the tomatoes.

Stir; then simmer for ... however long you wish LOL! I simmered it for 5 hours and the meat just fell apart!

A half hour before serving, add the third can of tomatoes. Voila!

I also added some pepper, salt & basil. Delish!

ok, I'm tossing this out there for advice.

My car is leased. The lease is up on 3/13/07. Yeah, next month. I have two choices here, obviously. I can turn the car in and purchase or lease a new car, or I can buy the car (or refinance). Simple in theory, right?

Well...in order to turn a leased car the following items are required:

- Get the car inspected (no problem, I'm under the allowed mileage)
- Proof of maintenance (big problem, I basically changed the oil every 3,000 miles, bought new tires and had a 40,000 mile or thereabouts checkup...not quite meeting the lease requirements.)
- Receipts for said repairs (which, of course, I don't have)

Plus, if I refinance what's left on the car (about $7,000.00) my monthly payments will stay about the same, albeit for a shorter period of time.

So...if my payments will stay the same do I keep the old car or buy a new one? I don't think I'll lease again...I'm not good enough at keeping receipts, etc.

Advice?

Your past life diagnosis:

You were born somewhere in the territory of modern West Africa around the year 1825. Your profession was that of a medic, surgeon or herbalist.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:

Ruthless character, carefully weighing decisions in critical situations, with excellent self-control and strong will. Such people are generally liked, but not always loved.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:

Magic is everywhere around you, even in the most usual, most ordinary situations. Your lesson is to understand this magic and to help other people to see it, too. You are a magician!

I brought magic (in the shape of a pizza) to my friend Diane's little girls, Chloe & Meri, Saturday night

How was your weekend?

To the man (can't use the term "gentleman" because he wasn't, and I am loathe to use the terms d!ck, @$$hole, or self important mfer) driving the Chrysler 300 with New Hampshire license plate "Sox":

What in the world happened to you to make you think you deserved to take up two spaces in front of the Owl Diner (aka 4 Sisters) on a busy Sunday morning? C'mon...is YOUR car really more important than others? No matter WHAT you think...it isn't. And then...I saw you leave, impatiently cutting off a long line of traffic so you could go on your merry way.

I only wish I had my camera with me.

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!

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!

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?

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

Continue reading "a couple movies, some puppies, and a bit of boohooing"

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?

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?

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.

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?

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 :-)

January:

- Great New Year's Eve with my cousin and her husband
- back to the gym
- Tea at the Ritz
- Saw Les Miserables at the National Theater in Washington, DC
- Mom's memorial service
- the old Ash tree in front of the house was cut down
- went to a drag queen show in Boston!
- Charles Laquidara back on the radio! Woohoo!

Movies:

- Brokeback Mountain
- Narnia
- Last Holiday

Books:

- The Love Wife by Gish Jen

Monday: The only non-Christmas event this week, I met Megan at Not Your Average Joe's, and went to see Casino Royale...the first Bond movie I've seen that wasn't corny beyond believe. Go see it! One word for Daniel Craig: Yum!

Tuesday: Krista & Matt invited me over to see their new house, which is just beautiful! She made a lovely dinner of General Loo's chicken, Megan & Jim were there, too and we had wine and a good time. Thanks, K!

Wednesday: Headed to Not Your Average Joe's, after some confusion over which one we were going to, with Krista, to meet Michelle. We had a nice dinner and exchanged gifts.

Thursday: I met up with Lauren & Meg at Not Your Average Joe's (yes, again LOL) where we had dinner and exchanged presents. Eileen came along to give us comic relief.

Friday: Oh, what a night! Megan and I had a magical time! We met at Barnes & Noble and opened gifts there. Next up was:

Sandrine's, a nice french bistro in Harvard Sq. The service left a bit to be desired, but the food was beyond reproach! We dined on appetizers only, so we could try a few different things: escargot, onion soup, pates...along with a glass of beaujolais nouveau, it was quite delicious!

We hopped on the T and headed to downtown Boston, were we had a drink at The Oak Bar at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. It was like sitting in my grandmother's parlor, the service was fantastic and very gracious, the jazz was great, and the martini was the best ever! It's called the Charles River martini, and as you might guess by the name (if you're from around here), it's a very dirty martini. It has green olives, kalamata olives & cocktail onion, all chopped up, in it and oh my was it GOOD! It was also quite possibly the most expensive martini ever...clocking in at $24!

From there we went to the bar at one of Boston's most posh restaurants, Aujourd'hui. The service there was the best I've ever had; our server was attentive, congenial and fun! I had Pernod on the rocks with water, and we ordered a cheese plate that was served by a Frenchman with an accent that had Megan melting LOL!

Finally, we ended up at Top of the Hub, a bar/restaurant on top of the 52nd floor of the Prudential Building, where we ran into Michelle and her husband! I was bone tired by then and ready to head home. It really was a magical night of no worries, just pure enjoyment! I highly recommend trying this sometime :-)

Saturday: I headed up to my cousin's for a pre-Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, I was late, so I missed the lunch at Canoe! But Maribeth made a fantastic dinner of all appetizers; meatballs, artichoke dip, grapeleaves & potato salad...yum! And I got to play with the puppies!

Two weeks old!

We made my parents' Sand Tart cookie recipe, and watched Scrooged, which I think only amused me LOL! We then watched POTC: Dead Man's Chest, nothing to do with Christmas, but ai yi yi that Capt. Jack Sparrow is muy easy on the eyes!

Sunday: Delicious breakfast, with some stollen for dessert (what...you don't eat dessert for breakfast?).

for ME

the stollen!

Then we exchanged presents, and afterward I headed home to clean and organize. My brother came over with pizza, he and Dad watched the football game while I got things done around the house. After the game, they helped me make cookies, my traditional molasses chewies and toll house biscotti.

Wolf helped, too!

We ordered Chinese for dinner and watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas, followed by the movie My Girl.

Monday: Merry Christmas! We were up earylish, I had YET to wrap presents, so while Dad & bro ate a breakfast of baked french toast, I wrapped and finally got it all done LOL! Then we tore the gifts apart :-)

Altho this was my brother's present to my Dad, I'll get to use it, too! The cup was a gift from a coworker!

Today? I'm taking the dogs for a long walk, leftovers for dinner and slathering myself, after showering, in my new body lotion!

What are you doing today?

Here are the names of the songs for the lyrics I posted in today's Thursday Thirteen:

1. Father Christmas - The Kinks
2. You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch
3. River - Joni Mitchell
4. Santa Claus and His Old Lady - Cheech and Chong
5. O Christmas Tree
6. Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
7. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Nat King Cole
8. Santa Claus is Comin to Town - Bruce Springsteen
9. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
10. Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
11. Jingle Bell Rock - Hall and Oates
12. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
13. Winter Wonderland

Thanks for guessing, it was fun!

I was reading blogs today and came across the The Faeries' Oracle at ocean blue fire. So I asked the faeries a question about my job. Guess what the faeries said?

Well, here...read for yourself, you'll probably have to click on the picture to read the text clearly.

This is the Past:

This is the Present:

This is the Future:

Interesting...

It's been a year since Mom passed away...and it feels like forever and it feels like yesterday.

I was with Michelle in Barnes and Noble when my brother called me...I went to find Michelle, told her what happened and in my shock said "But finish your shopping, ok?" She, of course, did no such thing and went with me to the nursing home and was just there for me. I don't know if I even thanked her as it was all kind of a blur but I appreciated her calm presence more than I'm sure she knew.

I've been waiting for that number to show up, and finally it did! Ocean Lady wrote the 7777th comment on this entry; and she wins a prize! You get to pick what it is; a gift cert, a picture, a christmas ornament, another Imp of perfume, whatever, as long as it's under $15! Your call :-)

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for coming by, reading and commenting!

Want to be my Blingo friend? Click on the link below:

My second win on Blingo happened on my very first search today! This is my 8th win overall:

- Fandango Movie Ticket, thanks to me! 12/11/06

- Fandango Movie Ticket, thanks to Michelle on 10/17/06

- $10 iTunes Gift Certificate, thanks to me, 7/13/06

- Blingo Movie Ticket, thanks to Megan 7/13/06

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

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

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

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

Are you using Blingo to search? If not, you should! No strings, no spam, just prizes :-)

Again, Lisa borrowed this from someone, who borrowed it from someone else, and so on and so on. The rules: "Write the first sentence of the first post of every month in 2006." I decided to change it a bit; instead of the first sentence, I did the first three sentences. I also added my three favorite pictures of each month. Here goes!

January: Welcome to 2006!

Happy New Year! Dad and I ushered in the new year with my cousin, Maribeth, her "hubby" and of course, Shubi, Fritz & Greta! MB made a delicious dinner of boiled lobster, carrot casserole & asparagas with apple crisp for dessert; of course, prior to and afterward we noshed on all sorts of yummy things: artichoke dip, clam dip, and lunch when we first arrived (a platter of liverwurst, tilseter cheese, salami, mozzerella & panchetta, with german bread called bauernbrot, fleishsalat, french onion soup & a platter of devilled eggs--yum!).

February: Wednesday's songs

Charles' 9 great songs from 1993:

Big Head Todd & The Monsters "Bittersweet"
Pearl Jam- "Daughter"