ryssee's world

My Big Fat Greek Adventure (with mom)

2009-10-17T21:35:00.001-04:00

Four albums worth of pictures from 8 days in Greece with my mom. Take your pick and take a little trip with us!

Greece: Athens and Delphi

Greek Islands Cruise

Athens-Random street shots

Cats of Greece

Vacation, and The Beginning of Rattling around the House Alone with Two Kitties

2009-07-01T21:16:00.004-04:00

Lots going on. Fabulous vacation to Germany! Flew into Berlin, rented a car and drove through Germany (autobahn=awesome, btw), finished up in fabulous Munich. Man we needed the break and had an awesome time.

Pictures from Berlin are posted here. More are coming and I'll post those links too!

On the other hand, my Sweet One has accepted a 6 month assignment to London, so he flew there at the end of our vacation, and I came home. Got a week or two with him beginning Saturday, then he's off across the pond until at least the new year. There will be visits both ways, but it's not the same as having him here! OK yeah I'm a little sorry for myself, but I'm also really, really excited for him too. I have to go across the Atlantic to visit my live-in beau!

Cute kids make people happy!

2009-05-28T18:52:00.002-04:00

Cute kids make people happy. This one is super cute. Make our friends Charlie and Stella happy and give views to their Babytv dancing contest video. Also witness the complete takeover of toys in the household. :-)

If it flies, it dies

2009-04-30T21:43:00.002-04:00

Is this the face of a murderer?

My cat Emmie has killed two bumblebees in two days. Today she tried to murder another one.
Title of post is courtesy of my sweet one, who has been collecting the carcasses.

I had cake for lunch today

2009-04-22T19:00:00.011-04:00

It's been an awesome birthweek, and today's the big day. I am 35. Again, but I'm not sayin' how many times I've actually been 35.

First, Randy scored the tickets to the Red Sox game on Friday (post below). Gorgeous night and a fun game.

Saturday I saw my friend Carolyn, who I've known since the old UMass Amherst days. We had some lunch, then went to the Boston Marathon health and fitness expo, then hung out at the house for a few hours, talking and looking at old pics.

The Boston Marathon was Monday, so I worked Sunday so I could go watch it with my work crew. It's one of my company's biggest events - the greatest race in the world, right in our back yard - and we make running shoes and apparel. We had a barbeque, games, and a cheering section at mile 19.5 in Newton. Man those people are hardcore; all 26,385 of them.

Last night, I went to see Bruce Springsteen with my mom (we bought each other tickets for our birthday presents) and my friend Karen. They'd driven out in the pouring rain from western MA and Albany, NY for three hours. We had a nice dinner here at the house, took a cab to the Garden, and had an awesome time for three full hours with Bruce at the mike.

This morning was gorgeous, so we took my mom's drop-top out for a convertible tour of Boston, Cambridge, and Charlestown. Man do I want to have one of those. My heart just felt lighter driving around roofless, and her PT Cruiser is so fun to drive.

It's pouring out now, so I don't know if I'm gonna get to cap it off today with a Sox game on TV, but they won the first game 10-1 and the last I heard the Yankees blew their lead, yippee!

Some pics:

Near the finish line of the Boston Marathon

Carolyn at the finish line. (Of course, all we'd finished was our subway ride into the city.)

The Saucony crew in Newton

We sponsored this for local runners training for the marathon.
Our tagline: We know...because we run. LOL!

Lots of ROTC guys marching the course with 50-lb backbacks. 26.2 miles in full gear. Here's two of them.

The guy in the Union Jack singlet is Richard Whitehead. He has no legs below his knees and finished the marathon in an amazing 3 hours and 2 minutes. That's 15 minutes faster than a woman I work with, and less than 45 minutes later than the elite runners. Amazing.

"The pack" - probably finishing with times between 4-4.5 hours. Also amazing, many are charity runners doing it for the first time to raise money for great causes.

Today in Boston, cruisin' in Mom's convertible.

At the Massachusetts State House, apparently hookers have to enter at the right of the building. ;-) Seriously though, there IS a statue of one General Hooker there.

I awoke to this at 3:30 am after the Red Sox game

2009-04-20T17:34:00.005-04:00

Totally freaky to wake up at 3:30am, three hours after getting back from the Sox game, to discover this happening on my street. Big fire trucks, flashing lights everywhere. I had to go outside to find out what was going on or I never would've gotten back to sleep. Fortunately the first thing I found out was that everyone was OK! And it is good to know the hydrant across the street is actually functional. I'm never gonna park too close to the corner again.

By Auditi Guha

Wicked Local

Posted Apr 20, 2009

Somerville —

No one was hurt during a small house fire on L------ Street April 18, 2009. Residents vacated the building as firefighters responded.

Shortly before 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning, Somerville firefighters responded to a working fire at 19 L------ Street.

The fire was contained to a roof deck and the roof area on top of the house but was not visible from the street, according to reports

After the fire was extinguished, there was water and smoke damage to the third floor.

First visit to Fenway in 2009

2009-04-18T13:17:00.016-04:00

Randy scored some great seats to last night's game vs the Baltimore Orioles. Perfect night for a game. 65, clear, and gorgeous.

Kenmore Square

The famous Citgo sign

Doin' our part for good luck at Copperfield's. We don't go and the Sox don't win, it's our fault.

Brookline Street looking toward Kenmore Square

My favorite banners

And then....this. Runs walked in, a grand slam, all sorts of bad-looking stuff.

Wally the Green Monster

Nice shot of baseball's cathedral.

The last of the runs. Sox win 10-8!

NYC Trip

2009-03-15T21:07:00.025-04:00

Weekend in New York...my early birthday present from Randy (REALLY early, but what's time got to do with it when it's this great?!) We haven't been there together since the night Saddam Hussein was captured, so we were WELL overdue.

I'm a huge Allman Brothers fan...love the music, love what it represents to me - great fun in the summertime and great times with my friends in bands past.

The Holy Grail of Allman Brothers concerts is their annual run at the Beacon Theater in New York City. This year marks the 40th anniversary of this band. Yeah you might think Gregg Allman Marries Cher from the 70's and all that stuff, but these guys play freestyle, always mixing up the tunes and bringing in guests and just awesome on the stage.

Anyway, Randy scored tickets (at face value no less), got us tickets for the Acela train, and a free stay at the Waldorf Astoria thanks to all his Hilton points.

Pictures anyone?

Local bar for dinner and beers before the show. I love the little bars in NY. Seems like in Boston every bar needs a theme and are 30-and-under from 9pm on. These NY places just need to pay rent, feel casual, sell beer and cheap food, and have a real neighborhood feel to them haven't felt that in Boston or in lots of other places since the old days in my hometown.

The scene outside the Beacon Theater. The cops couldn't arrest the scalpers, 'cause even they didn't have tix to sell. Unbeknownst to us, we walked part of the way with the hardest working man in rock-n-roll, Warren Haynes, current guitarist for ABB. I got in his way, separating him from the folks he was walking with, thinking "there's another 50 yr old fan," until someone says "Hey Warren!" and the cameras started clicking. Whoa. (Of course, even on the streets of NY, I'd be the chick that says, "Hey, that looks like Madonna!" "Hey that looks like Donald Trump!" But not believing that it is, when it really is, and I'd miss those opportunities too.)

Inside the Beacon Theater. Which, after its remodel, is gorgeous. Oh, and you wouldn't believe the amount of illegal activity we witnessed inside the theater. Holy moly, bold as the lights went down. All around us. We stuck to $20 rounds at the bar, thankyouverymuch.

They've been bringing guests. Friday's guests were the Asbury Jukes Horns - the guys from Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (you can't believe what they'd add to a jam band, holy moly! Also Bruce Willis (yep, the one you think it is!) on harmonica, and Boz Scaggs on guitar and vocals. Very cool.

With The Asbury Jukes on horns. Boz Scaggs is center left on the guitar. You might remember his songs from the 70's, Miss Sun, Lido Shuffle, Lowdown, Love Look What You've Done to Me, etc etc. I forgot a bunch of them till I bought them from Itunes just now. One of those awesome singer/songwriters you are happy to rediscover.

Film shoot for "Salt" starring Angelina Jolie. Right outside out hotel. Ask me how I felt about the bagpipes when they started at 8AM on Saturday morning? Still, at 11 it was cool to walk through the scene. Did you know makeup artists carry sunscreen even in the winter? We also saw an extras handler barking out orders to the extras playing photographers, as she was lighting a butt the middle of the shut-down street.

Church on Park? Or Madison? Or 5th? Can't remember, but it's pretty.

Views from the windows at the Museum of Modern Art.

Randy at Battery Park. Too hazy to see the Statue of Liberty in this pic. It always blows me away to see it though. Someday I'm gonna make it to Ellis Island too.
The Woolworth Building

City Hall

A blues bar on Bleeker Street, Greenwich Village

The band was from Boston, of all places

So much more that we didn't get pics of. Spent all day Saturday pounding the pavement, enjoying the vibe, checking everything out. Home safe now. Love the train. Go Amtrak! Took the same amount of time as flying and no trip to the airport. I love New York. Gotta make it a more frequent trip. (Thank you, sweetie!)

Things that are making me laugh today

2009-03-11T09:17:00.002-04:00

U2 is playing the 900-seat Somerville Theater tonight - for free - as part of a promotion for their album and tour. They're expected to play 4-6 songs and do a short Q&A with the fans. It's not officially even announced that the Somerville Theater is where they're playing but the "secret" is out. It's "invitation-only" and some radio stations have been giving away guest passes, which aren't printed with the location on them. How cool is that?

Some gems from Craigslist that are keeping me laughing this morning:

Looking For U2 Tix/Guest - $1000 (Somerville)
Reply to: Date: 2009-03-10, 2:23PM EDT
Looking for 1 generous person to offer to take me to U2 Event tommorrow. Normal guy, just a big fan. I will pay you $1,000 cash.
Location: Somerville

NEED TWO TICKETS - $2000 (U2 CONCERT)
Reply to:Date: 2009-03-06, 8:59PM EST
I WILL PAY $2,000, $1,000 PER TICKET, TO WHOMEVER CAN ACCOMMODATE TWO GUESTS TO THE U2 SHOW MARCH 11. THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE TWO PEOPLE WHO HAVE 2 TICKETS EACH WHO CAN PAIR UP AND BOTH TAKE A GUEST, AGAIN EACH FOR A $1,000. CELL 617/ LEAVE MESSAGE IF NO ANSWER. SINCERE REQUEST SO SERIOUS REPLIES ONLY.

And my personal favorite:
Desperate for U2 Tickets - Willing to give up my ass - $20 (Boston)
Reply to: Date: 2009-03-05, 9:08AM EST
Huge U2 Fan willing to do just about anything for tix to the show next week. I am a straight guy but willing to give up my ass for tix. Let me know!

THIS is why I don't shop at Market Basket

2009-03-06T19:08:00.001-05:00

THIS is why I don't shop at Market Basket, even though I can walk there in 6 and a half minutes.

I would rather chew tinfoil while sticking needles in my eyes.

A foot of snow and some warm-weather pics

2009-03-03T20:16:00.015-05:00

March came in like a lion! We got a foot of snow yesterday (that jerk Punxatawney Phil was RIGHT!)...which means a perfect time to reflect on the trip to Puerto Rico we took a couple weeks ago!

Click here for the full photo album, if you want to see it. Hope you do! We have lots of great pics. Otherwise, here are a few for a taste of the Caribbean in winter:

Rincon, Puerto Rico. Apparently a world famous surfing beach, though you can't tell how big the waves are. There were 20 or so surfers out there.

View to cemetary at El Morro fort, built by the Spanish. PR was "discovered" by Columbus in 1493.

View to the port from the old city walls

Camuy Cave Park in PR

Our private beach at the Caribe Hilton

El Yunque...the only rainforest in the US Nat'l Park system. Great hike in the pouring rain. Hey, when it's raining, why not hike in the rainforest?!

We had amazing dinners every night. This is DragonFly, Latin-Asian fusion, whatever that means, but it was AWESOME, delicious, not as expensive as Boston, and we met a couple from Chicago, who'd never been to a beach but booked a cruise for their honeymoon. Wow. Never been to a beach! At 45 years old or so. Wild.

Randy at Condado

Street in Old San Juan

Cathedral in Old San Juan

My 25 Things (copied straight from Facebook)

2009-02-25T19:32:00.003-05:00

I've been such a lazy bloggie-person lately. We just got back from a great vacation in Puerto Rico (remember my Yucky-Slop post?) I will get some pics of that up soon.

25 Things about Me is a meme going around on Facebook. Yep, it's too much information about everyone who's filled it out, but what the heck, it's harmless and fun. I found out harmless things about the people in my "real" life (if you can call Facebook real) that I never knew.

Well, Calamity Jen put hers on her blog. I thought it was funny that she "saw a baked potato on the corner of Yonge and York Mills" and that made her laugh. I knew about the pets and the driving lessons but not that.

I commented, and she came to my blog thinking I'd do the same as she. I didn't, so I am now. Once I get over my FB addiction, I will be back posting inane things about my cats and my garden, and putting up great pics of trips!

So, does this count as a legitimate blog post? (oh, wait, it's not November! It doesn't have to count!)

25 Things about Me

1. I have had only two employers since I graduated from UMass

2. I have lived in 8 different towns since I graduated from UMass, but I've been in the most recent one for five years (with my beau).

3. I worked in a pub in London for three months in 1988; made one of my best friends there.

4. I lost count of how many times I've been back to visit. I think it's ten but I can't find one of my passports to count the stamps. Can't remember how many times Dave's been here either.

5. I quit my first job and went to Europe for three months in 1995.

6. I've been to 46 US states and 19 countries (and now Puerto Rico!)

7. I used to be a DJ on the radio.

8. I love the Red Sox and live music.

9. I have seen the Allman Brothers eight times. (Randy just got my early birthday present-we're going to NYC to see them at the Beacon Theater! Classic! LOVE IT!)

10. I hate eating off of plastic plates and using plastic forks. Ditto plastic cups. Gimme real dishes. I'll clean 'em. Or Randy will. :-)

11. I am blessed with a nice family, and really great friends.

12. I don't have kids, and don't want to.

13. I'm not really blond.

14. My favorite color is red.

15. I have 2118 songs in my Itunes library, and 14,176 photos in my photo library, in 156 folders. Granted, about 1000 pictures are my mom's.

16. I haven't used the headphones to my Ipod in three years.

17. I like the Bee Gees.

18. It is very hard for me to remember bad things that have happened.

19. I am great at using Excel, but I can't do math in my head.

20. I'm one of the most loyal people you will ever meet.

21. I was on the Jumbotron at Fenway Park with Jim Rice, and I once met Carl Yastrzemski and made an idiot out of myself.

22. I support the right to choose, gay marriage, and national health care.

23. I spoil the kitties rotten.

24. My favorite reality shows are What Not To Wear, American Idol, The Bachelor, and The Biggest Loser. Hope springs eternal!

25. I am a sucker for memes, but I'm glad to be done with this list.

Yucky sloppy slop

2009-01-28T20:08:00.002-05:00

I live near the coast, so instead of the 8"-to-10" of snow my neighbors to the west have the pleasure of cleaning up this fine evening, I had the unusual experience of shoveling and salting the sidewalks around the house, part of the driveway, and the stairs...IN THE DRIVING RAIN.

It soaked my coat and hat all the way through. My boots are nice and drenched for tomorrow morning's commute.

I can't recall a time when I have ever shoveled in the rain. It felt like 6" of snow, but was packed down to about 3" of yucky-dirty-heavy-brown-sloppy slop-slop waterlogged snow. Add to that the great joy of discovering that one of my neighbors hadn't scooped up after the dog. Nothing like throwing a nice heavy load with a nice load in it.

Even though it's pouring down rain outside, it's about to deep freeze, so instead of spending 4 hours out there chopping at the ice like I did on Christmas Eve, I decided I'd rather sleep tomorrow morning.

I hate this winter.

I sense that the feeling of sand between my toes, warm sun on my face, and a tropical breeze in my hair will become a necessity in the coming weeks.

Other gems of joy today: the basement has a bunch of water in it, and the dishwasher died for the second time this month. First time was a fuse within the brand-new machine, so I suspect the same issue.

I hate Sears now too.

Other than that, I'm good.

Happy freakin' winter, everyone! Anyone else feeling the same?

This is cool

2009-01-26T22:33:00.001-05:00

http://www.smallcanbebig.org/about/

Just made my first small donation. I love that it's going directly to a local family. I love the internet.

State of the Economy..by the Onion

2009-01-19T22:26:00.004-05:00

TJ Maxx story by The Onion ... so funny! We all know how how much I like to shop there.

Barack Obama song by Spearhead

2009-01-16T22:55:00.004-05:00

SIX days left...count 'em SIX! Check it out dudes this is sooooo cool. The Barack Obama song by Michael Franti and Spearhead. We saw this song live at Lupo's in Providence, RI last month. SO COOL! At that point it was election joy but right now it's time for the man elected to rise to the challenge!

I can NOT NOT NOT NOT!!!!!!! wait until G.W. Bush is no longer our Prez and we have someone in office who has actually succeeded at everything he has ever put his mind to. HUGE challenges ahead of him...it's a lot harder to get us back on track rather than taking us off of it, putting us 40 years behind the times, and taking our civil liberties away in the ride.

Well, check out the song in the video. Whatever way you swing you can't hide from the optimism and toe-tapping groove this video provides. :-)

Congratulations, Jim Rice!

2009-01-13T19:00:00.005-05:00

I've always looked for an excuse to post this picture. Now I can say I've been photographed with a Hall-of-Fame Red Sox player!

Congratulations to Jim Rice, who on his 15th try finally (and most deservedly) made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame!
I was lucky enough to meet Jim Rice - one of my childhood heroes- at the amazing Legends Suite at Fenway Park with Randy a couple years ago. I even got on the jumbo-tron with him in the fourth inning or so. I almost didn't go 'cause I didn't want to ask my boss for a second early day in a row to go to see a ballgame.

Only days

2009-01-09T23:32:00.001-05:00

We only have 11 days until George W. Bush isn't our president anymore.
How are you feelin' about that? ;-)

I "borrowed" another idea

2009-01-05T19:42:00.005-05:00

A few months ago I stole a blog idea from my friend Chris. It had something to do with MacGyver, I think.

Today I read a post from my bloggie-buddy Har, which I think is totally meme-able. So here I go. I'm tagging Chris and The Gav Menagerie, 'cause I think they'll actually do this at some point. Even though I owe Chris a meme about the Summer of '89 and some scanned photos from the 80's. Which I'll do, once I learn how to use the scanner.

Also, I saw The Bucket List with Randy on New Year's Day, which was watchable, and makes me glad I'm not actually waiting to cross stuff off my list.

Anyway...
Borrowed and Completely Meme-able Topic: Here are a few things that I want to do with my life before I kick it.
There are 10.

1. Save enough money for retirement, but not at the expense of living life now. I can't bet that I'll live long enough or be healthy enough to see and do everything I want to. I'm probably going to wind up a greeter at Wal-Mart for the big supplementary salary I'll receive and also to see other live people. I don't have kids to worry about, so hopefully, I can hedge my bets.
2. Have a vacation home, even though I've never owned property. I will probably never own a "first home" in my real life but my hobby-life would actually entail someplace I own, located someplace I love. (Doesn't "I'm wintering in Spain this year" sound pretty good? And I could rent it out!)
3. Keep travelling to foreign countries I haven't been to yet, and explore the ones I love further. I really want to go to Poland, where my maternal grandmother's family is from, for one. I want to take the Hurtigruten along the coast of Norway and see the fjords and follow it up with the Norway-in-a-Nutshell train journey that I've wanted to take since 1995. I might need another jungle trip. I think I'd like to go to Rio before my ass gets too big too (honestly that doesn't really matter though). I know London's in my future often, since one of my best friends lives there. Get back to Paris when it's warmer than 40 degrees. And I am completely in love with Spain. I could probably cheat on it with Portugal, now that I think about it.
4. Get back on skis and feel like I'm kicking ass flying down a long, winding trail on a perfect 28-degree bright sunny day. On packed powder, of course. With all the young kids flying by me as I'm giggling.
5. Volunteer at an animal shelter and/or help out older disabled folks once in a while.
6. Learn Spanish, and improve my really bad, mostly-forgotten French. OK, learn French too.
7. Take my nieces on a European vacation when they're old enough to be interested.
8. Live by the beach and work in a tourist area. (Um, that will probably at walmart, but I'd prefer a jewelry store in a tourist shopping center.)
9. Take a nice trip with my mom. She wants to go to Greece. I could do a week!
10. Spend more of my travel dollars in the USA, on great girly weekends with my best girlfriends, who don't live here anymore. We need the time with each other and away from our real lives!

OK, that's it. You tagged people have to go now, and anyone else who would like to join in. Calamity? Alan? You are semi-tagged, though I know you aren't big on the whole meme thing. Facebook friends? Feel free to join in!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T19:17:00.002-05:00

Have a happy new year! Now, go have some fun! :-)

I'll be back!

2008-12-21T22:53:00.001-05:00

...extremely busy month!

Ah, forget it...

2008-12-01T20:17:00.000-05:00

I'm done with my daily posts! :-)

It's November 30th, but...

2008-11-30T19:00:00.003-05:00

...the rules said 30 posts in 30 days. I missed Nov 1 and Nov 2 and I missed a day in the middle. My penance is to torture you with more inane topics for three more days. So, for the next three days, you will probably see pictures and stuff like that. Just didn't have much to talk about this month I guess.

This weekend though, was about what I am thankful for. Here's a Top 5 list.

1) My family, my excellent friends, and my Sweet One.
2) My meowers, who are sweet and fun and give me something to keep alive and happy.
3) My job, with a fun company that is successful, so hopefully I don't have to worry about it. Its youth, passion for the product, and energy helps keep me young too.
4) Getting to travel as much as I did this year. Peru/Ecuador, great times with my friends in Plum Island MA, and London to celebrate 20 years of friendship with one of the special friends in my life.
5) My online presence, which keeps me in touch and in the know with people near and far-it's easy, and amazing who you find and who finds you after years, and new friends I've made through this blog.

Oh, I forgot my health! Which reminds me, I GOTTA get that treadmill set up again so I can start treating my body better again.

Hope you had a safe and happy holiday weekend. And, if it wasn't a holiday for you, hope you had one anyway!

A dream

2008-11-29T20:14:00.001-05:00

Last night I dreamed that I was walking with one of our sales reps toward a building where we were having a meeting, and a storm was fast approaching. I said, "We better get inside! I'm afraid of lightning!"
As we started running, lightning struck the ground three feet away from me, and knocked me on my back. I thought, "Well, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would!" Then, I woke up.

Odd.

Black Friday

2008-11-28T09:51:00.003-05:00

We're at my mom's house in the Berkshires for thanksgiving weekend. Had a nice time with the whole family yesterday. Last night Randy and I decided to go to the movies. We went to see Four Christmases, which was funny and cute.
My niece C called the house after she arrived home with her sister and mom to report that people were already in line at Best Buy at 9pm last night, waiting for the doorbuster tickets they would be handing out at 3am. Sure enough, we drove by and there were 10 people in line, some with tents. Wow, now I'm a good bargain hunter, but holy moly that is commitment.
Did any of YOU actually get any good deals between 4am-7am this morning?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T13:49:00.001-05:00

That's it. Now stop reading blogs and go get some turkey and pie.

Early present

2008-11-26T18:57:00.008-05:00

The cats got an early Christmas present today. Randy got them a self-cleaning litter box. It's gourmet, if anything that has to do with feline elimination can be considered gourmet.
It took about 20 minutes to put together. The cats stared at it. Emmie sniffed it. Mimi stood outside of it and stuck one paw inside to determine if it did indeed contain kitty litter. Immediately withdrew the paw and dragged litter outside the box. Some minutes later, it turned on and raked the litter. Both cats watched, bellies close to the ground, fascinated.
Neither one has taken the plunge. They are either holding tight, or went upstairs to use the normal litter box up there. We're waiting, but hopeful. Scooping sucks.

Gratuitous kitty pictures. Black one is Mimi and stripey one is Emmie. They're the poopers and we're the scoopers.

A Peanuts special!

2008-11-25T19:58:00.007-05:00

Can't write much. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is about to come on so I will be very busy in about one minute and 30 seconds. Not much to write about anyway, other than that I am excited to see my family on Thursday.
Enter the Vince Guaraldi Linus and Lucy theme, which happens to be my ringtone.

My nieces have email now

2008-11-24T21:07:00.001-05:00

I've gotten a couple messages here and there, and I asked them to write to me more often so I could keep in touch with them. I promised them I would reply to every message they send to me, whether it's on email or in a letter. So, my brother set them up with email accounts.

Here's what I got from one of them today.

Can you guess how many pets have a lot of teeth you need at lest 8 when I come back from school tomorrow I will check my e mail and respond so you know. I have a question when are you coming on Thursday or Wednesday? I'm going to ask you questions and you are going to answer when I come home from school tomorrow I will check my email so then I can make the mistakes right. When I see you I'm going to give you a big huge kiss then I'm gong to tell you what I told you on the email so then I know if you have learned. I also have a question what dose East Africa live on a day sendme back
Love
C

What have I gotten myself into?? :-)
(I love it)

My friend turned 60 this weekend

2008-11-23T19:29:00.012-05:00

I met Howard at The Griffin Tavern in London in 1988. I was employed there for the summer, and he wandered in and ordered a Jameson's. I served it and with my newfound imitation-British attitude declared, "You must be from the States!" Which, of course, he was. From California. Turns out he was there for a SF 49ers/Miami Dolphins exhibition game.
"Sir, excuse me, but you're bleeding on the bar." He'd cut himself shaving.
He managed to meet Dan Marino and the rest of the Dolphins, as well as the cheerleaders, in a pub in Kensington called the Rose and Crown or something like that. Despite my imitation-British attitude, he asked if I'd like to go to the game with him at Wembley (the old Wembley, not the remodel). He was cool to talk to so I said yes. It was a lot of fun.
It's been 20 years and 4 months since then. He'd been out to visit me in Amherst (when he bought a charcoal grill so we could grill outside), and Albany and Boston, I'd been to his wedding in 1993 with my English friend Dave, then saw him on a visit to see my friend Kim in 2005, and he came to visit last year.
It's nice to have a friend who knew you when, and still knows you now. Happy birthday Howard!

Pics from the last visit.

Howard on his first visit to Fenway. Note the brand new hat.

At Fenway Park

Playing with Randy's toys

It's winter! (Or, boring ramblings about today)

2008-11-22T22:00:00.003-05:00

Jeepers it was cold today. 28 degrees F. Yikes. I spent most of the afternoon changing the closet over from fall to winter. Trying to gain control over the mess in the Princess Room and actually get the summer clothes and slim clothes into the basement this year. Also managed to do a load of laundry. Went to Target, spent $80 and didn't get anything fun. After I put away 18 rolls of paper towels, 12 Charmin Mega-rolls of TP, 3 different cleaners, two big boxes of cat litter and litter box filters (changed the litter boxes too), I felt like all I did was lose $80.
Tonight we went to a really nice dinner at a restaurant called Casablanca in Harvard Square. I think we were the only natural-born US citizens in the place. Very Euro. Great food though. Randy had duck and I had Arctic Char. Yum. After that we went to see the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace. Cool. Also got free passes to another movie because the sound kept going out.
Came home and got a sweet email message from my niece C. It was so cool to hear from her on email. Hopefully, both her and K send me more messages. I'd like that (just as much as getting K's Flat Stanley letter in the mail!), 'cause I love to hear from their own mouths or notes what they're up to, and I can write back and keep in better touch!
That's it for tonight. More pearls of wisdom tomorrow, I'm sure.

Worst logo ever

2008-11-21T19:03:00.007-05:00

OK I know I've done a bit of London blogging lately, but here's another one anyway.

We just came off a great summer Olympics in China, where the athletes were great, records were broken, and we got to experience the last warm fuzzy thing we got to see-feel-view before the markets collapsed and the economy went south and the US election happened, etc., etc.

Now, we look to the next summer Olympics in 2012. London won the bid in 2005, (the very next day, they went through the horrific 7/7 terrorists bombings on the subway and bus that killed over 50 people-let's not forget about those people, and it was one of the worst days I had, worrying about one of my best friends.)

Moving on, they had to come up with plans for the games, not to mention a really cool logo to splash all over anything that's possible to sell before, during and after the games.

Enter the worst logo for any product, service, or event I've ever seen. What was going through their minds, to select this atrocity?

Maybe I'll go, maybe I won't, but one thing is for sure. I'd rather buy a a few stainless steel Tube maps or a case of my absolute 20-year long obsession Walker's Cheese and Onion crisps than purchase anything with this oddball schizophrenic logo.

Blah!

2008-11-20T19:14:00.001-05:00

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!

Does that count as a post?!

A Wordless Wednesday post

2008-11-19T20:04:00.003-05:00

Landing in Arequipa, Peru, in April.

Click here to see who else is wordless today.

I missed a day!

2008-11-18T18:55:00.003-05:00

I missed a post yesterday! Darn it, I was doing so well! Oh well, because I started Nablopomo a couple days late I have to pay penance by posting a couple extra days in December anyway. What's an extra day on top of that? It will be 30 posts in 31 days instead!

I was at our sales meeting all day yesterday - so great - all our shoes and apparel look awesome for Fall 2009. Yes, fall 2009! Hard to believe all the footwear and apparel manufacturers have already decided what we're going to be offered in stores to put on our bodies a full year from now.

After the meeting, we did a "Dine-Around." We were broken up into smaller groups of 8 people each and assigned a restaurant. Ours was Bouchee on Newbury Street, around the corner from the hotel in Boston's Back Bay. Cool tres Francais ambiance, nice wines, so-so food, but great company.

Transitioning from Fall 09 to Fall 08 now...a couple years ago, I signed up for emails from Julie Foley, who's a local stylist here in the Boston area. She sends out seasonal emails about style, color, merchandising your closet. I really should hire her because I have a big problem with leaving my clothes all over the Princess Room (yes, I have my very own dressing room here), a tough time putting outfits together (sometimes they're weird, but sometimes they work), and an addiction to all things outerwear.

Randy's always asking me, "How many coats do you HAVE?!" The question also applies to purses, tee-shirts, shoes, my company's running shoes, sandals, boots, and flip-flops. So, I thought it was funny when I got this message in my email box today:

A Wardrobe of Coats		Creating Confidence,with Style! November 18, 2008

Dear Laryssa,

"How many are too many?" when it comes to coats?
When I'm working with a client and we've put together a wonderful outfit and then I say,,,,,,,,,,, "Now what coat will you wear?" This is often followed by a long pause. Why the pause? Somehow we often see the coats as separate pieces, when they are actually an integral part of the wardrobe. Therefore, I have some suggestions of what a "wardrobe" of coats would be.

For instance in the cooler climates, we need a significant variety of coats and jackets to fit our ever changing weather. Below is my suggested list. You may have a couple less; you may have a few more. But if you are working with me - you probably need about this many.

Mid-Temperature Coats
These coats are for when temperatures in the mid 60s-40s, and are short, medium, and long lengths, usually with a removable lining. Think "trench" or "rain or shine" style. They are usually neutrals, but occasionally come in colors, often are 100% cotton, polyester, or a blend. Sometimes these can be found in lovely shades such as rust, burgundy or teal.

In my experience, people who commute to work via public transportation tend to need a full-length trench, just because it is cooler in the morning and evening. For the people in and out all day, a knee length trench coat may be a better choice.

I also love my clients to have a short jacket in either leather or suede. If their palette allows it, this is in a fabulous color.

Winter Coats
Winter coats are also necessary at short, medium and long lengths. Wool-felt, is the most popular fabric, however you can also get a check/tweed/plaid. Take note that at least one of these three wool coats will be to accommodate a bulky sweater.

A "down" or fiber-filled coat and/or jacket may also be necessary, especially if you're the type who's always cold.

Winter coats are made in lots of different fabrics. If you have questions, just email me as there are just too many to discuss here.

Others
Obviously you don't want to wear your "good" coat walking the dog, raking leaves, or shoveling snow. This is where the "throw on jacket" comes is needed. It's often a quilted jacket, barn coat, or even the worn out trench coat that has been replaced and you just can't throw away the old one. (You know who you are!)

Another piece to consider is a "fun coat"- taking color, texture and style into consideration. This is where you can be creative and break out of the mold with a bright color or interesting pattern.

This may sound like a lot of outerwear, but if you really think about what you wear and therefore what you need, they all get used. Do you have to have this many? No, certainly not. But if you have this many, its not "too many".

*****

To continue receiving What's In Style, please remember to update your e-mail address when necessary by clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. Thanks!

******

So now, I feel completely justified in keeping an eye out for upgrades for the perfect knee-length three-season trench, a long ugly down-filled coat (hello, it's New England), and perhaps another leather jacket in a tan color if I can find the perfect one. Bear in mind, it took me 14 years to find the perfect brown-almost-black leather jacket. And, I'm terribly picky, so it could take years to complete the list. However, everything happens to be 40-50% off already...and I have my Macy's coupons, and I have TJ Maxx 1.5 miles from the office, and I have Julie Foley's message for complete justification.

Great show last night

2008-11-16T15:10:00.002-05:00

Randy's got a friend in Seattle who thought we'd like the band Spearhead. A couple summers ago, he sent us their "Yell Fire" CD. One listen and we were hooked. They've got a kind of reggae/world music kind of sound, great hooks, and simple lyrics where you can shout along by the end of the song even if you've never heard it before in your life.

Yesterday morning, Randy was checking around for things to do and saw that they're currently on tour in New England. So, he got some tix and last night we got to see them in concert at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence. Awesome show, great tunes, really cool place to see them. It's a rock club in an old building right downtown, with a couple of bars and a huge open floor in front of the stage, but they have a balcony with seats too, so you can have an awesome view and a nice cushy seat. Not like we sat, the music kept us movin' and groovin' most of the night!

Before the show we went to dinner at this cool place around the corner called the Cuban Revolution. The doorman at Lupo's said he'd pay for our meal if we didn't like it. So yummy. Needless to say, he got to keep his cash.

We timed it perfectly - the band went on at 7:45 back at Lupo's; we walked through the door right as they started, and the show ended at 10:00PM, so we were home by 11:30. Why can't they have someplace like that in Boston? By the time the bands start, we're ready for the beddy! Yep, I'm getting old. ;-)

Going Underground

2008-11-15T16:11:00.007-05:00

One of my new favorite blogs, thanks to my recent trip to London, is Going Underground. The blog's owner, Annie Mole, posts about traveling on London's enormous transport system, and all the crazy things you see in transit. She puts a humorous twist on something that usually just makes people miserable. A pretty funny topic to post on every day, but her blog is an award-winner, so stop by and check it out sometime.

After our recent election, she posted about a couple things she stumbled across. I can't direct-link to the post unfortunately, but here are the pics.

At Holland Park station. These signs usually have service information written on them. (The photo was attributed to Andrew Grill, who posts about mobile marketing if you're interested.)

The Metro is a free daily newspaper given out at the tube and train stations.

We're not the only ones watching this election closely!

To the rescue

2008-11-14T18:04:00.002-05:00

Yay! My cousin Kim comes to my rescue today! She, as a busy mom, dedicated employee, and aspiring first-time triathlete, is also having trouble with themes this month. She came across a meme from one of her bloggie friends, and since it's a meme, it's not theft if I use it, Chris!

Here are all of my secret names. The codes to get them can be found below. Enjoy and feel free to play along on your own blog.

1. ROCK STAR NAME: JJ Scion

2. GANGSTA NAME: Chocolate Saucony

3. NATIVE AMERICAN NAME: Red Cat

4. SUPERHERO NAME: Blue Newcastle

5. NASCAR NAME: Sigurd Ray

6. STRIPPER NAME: CK One Milky Way (Imagine the outfit. Jeepers.)

7. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: oh no, I don't remember who that was!

8. SPY NAME: Summer Geranium

9. CARTOON NAME: Banana Boyshorts

10. HIPPIE NAME: Oatmeal Ceiba

If you want to play, here's how:

1. first pet, current car
2. fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe
3. favorite color, favorite animal
4. 2nd favorite color, favorite drink
5. the first names of your grandfathers
6. the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy
7. 5th grade teacher's last name, name of city that starts with the same letter
8. your favorite season/holiday, flower
9. favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now
10. what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree

Once again

2008-11-13T22:08:00.005-05:00

...I'm stuck in the middle of a month of blog-posting without a lot to write about.

Hm, our sales meeting is next week. Fun, but nothing great to write about. I guess the only entertaining thing about that, is that all the guys start talking about what they're gonna wear, because no one can fit in the size medium lifestyle apparel samples. It's funny to hear a bunch of 50-something guys talking about clothes.

The economy appears to be pretty much flushable, but the entire world is writing about that. I did manage to find a pair of nice jeans at 30% off, and they're a brand that never goes on sale. Got 'em because I am exploding out of the identical pair in my normal size. I blame that on 7 weeks of kitchen-remodel take-out, not my complete lack of physical endeavor.

My beau is at the Patriots/Jets game with his company tonight. Well, THAT'S kinda funny, 'cause he's a Dolphins fan, and everyone else he went with is pulling for the Jets. How come we both get tix to sporting events now, but never during baseball season?!

I am currently surrounded by much kittiness, which is cool. One is upside-down, paws-up and snoozing, and the other one just farted, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep. I will be imitating them soon, minus the stinkiness!

Oh, and I found an old Footlocker friend on LinkedIn today. That was cool.

OK, I'm gonna go back to posting some pics from this year tomorrow! :-)

What I did tonight!

2008-11-12T22:51:00.003-05:00

My boss took us to the Celtics game tonight. Great game, very exciting from the 2nd quarter on. Within one or two points at the end of each quarter from the 2nd on. Wow the way the crowd exploded when they won...pretty wild!

From Boston.com:

Celtics rally, send Hawks to first loss of season

By JIMMY GOLEN,

AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) Paul Pierce hit a fallaway jumper with 0.5 seconds left, scoring 34 points in all on Wednesday night as the Boston Celtics overcame a 16-point, second-quarter deficit to beat Atlanta 103-102 and send the Hawks to their first loss of the season.

Geographic monuments

2008-11-11T19:50:00.006-05:00

How lucky am I, that I got to go to both the Equator and the Prime Meridian in the same year?

At the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England, in October

At the Equator (GPS location) outside of Quito, Ecuador in April, on my 40th birthday

Randy at the Equator Monument - only 300 yards or so off the mark, and a much nicer, older monument

One of life's luxuries

2008-11-10T19:21:00.004-05:00

Housekeepers! Yes, we have house cleaners come to the house every two weeks. Let me just say that for me it's money well spent. OK, we don't have kids, but we both work full time and we're kinda sloppy. It's a pretty inexpensive service, especially for the area, and I'm not about to do a deep cleaning on an over 100-year-old nine-room house all the time. I could barely keep my three room apartment clean when I had it!

Today, the housekeepers came for the first time in 8 weeks, primarily to clean up the mess left by the contractors. We've done a bunch ourselves, but it's so nice to have it deep cleaned-even the wires to the electronics are clean. It's so nice!

They moved all the furniture in the living room.

So, while we're waiting for the guys to finish up all the little leftover projects, we're going to sit on our nice clean couch, in our nice clean house, and decide if we want to keep it this way.

Cleanup, part two

2008-11-09T18:46:00.002-05:00

Today Randy used the rug doctor machine on the sofa and chair - took out a lot of kitty cat fur and they look and smell great!
I took care of the deck today, cleaning up the planters, closing down the grill, putting away the chairs. Threw out my back lifting a bag of dirt, hit my head in the cellar, and got sprayed full-on in the face when the hose attachment decided to reject the on/off switch thing.
Yesterday's choppings remain where I left them. Work for another day.

Cleanup

2008-11-08T17:14:00.006-05:00

Warning: This will not go down in blogger history as one of the most exciting posts ever published.

Today Randy rented a carpet cleaner from Rug Doctor and cleaned all the carpets in the house - wow, they look unbelievable - and I chopped, chopped, chopped the hydrangea bushes, some tree limbs, and all the plants in the garden, before attacking the bamboo forest we have growing for 35 feet along the north side of the house.

What I couldn't believe is that today's what? November 8th, and I worked outside all day until it got dark wearing a tee-shirt and jeans! Probably about 64-65 degrees. Wow.

Still gotta clean up the deck - look at the state of it! This was our summer slice of heaven, but now it's just a gigantic mess, thanks to the construction in the kitchen and the death of 80% of my plants.

The hydrangeas are dead center in this photo. They were so big this year we could hardly get into the garden. Now, they're a bunch of big sticks growing out of the ground. I balanced precariously on an old park bench and a brick wall to chop the branches from the bottom of the yellow tree in the background.

This is the world's saddest tomato plant. I put it out of its misery today.

Now we have a space outside that measures about 20'x 7' that's filled to the top of the fence, for the entire length and width, of crap that we have to chop up and put into bags. Wonder if I can hire someone from Craig's List for that one?

City Slicker Cafe in Somerville rocks

2008-11-07T20:03:00.002-05:00

I love the City Slicker Cafe. I just had yummy meatloaf with rice pilaf and spinach. Randy just had steak tips with the pilaf and a salad. Delivered to our door. Hot. This place rocks. My belly is full.

I am so happy it's Friday that I just can't stand it. Happy weekend!

My last day in London

2008-11-06T19:53:00.030-05:00

A post a day in November...perfect time to get caught up on my pics! As you may or may not know, I went to London in early October to visit my friend Dave. We've been friends for over 20 years now, ever since I met him in the pub I worked at as a sophomore in college.
We went out the night before these shots were taken, and were really hung over, but because it was such a gorgeous day, my last day there...and because I had to bring back pictures of a Flat Stanley paper doll my niece had sent me, who really hadn't been photographed in anyplace famous yet, we dragged out butts out of the house and hit the train in the middle of the afternoon and made the trip into town. We hit Pizza Hut outside Charing Cross station, scarfed down a gigantic pizza with gigantic diet cokes (and honestly, we had the nicest waitress in London there, a rarity-we tipped well in the city that never tips!) and hit the pavement.

Here's Dave, catching up on some sleep on the train.

On the Strand, with the famous bus & phone booth right in the middle

Here's Flat Stanley at Trafalgar Square. The National Gallery is in the background, along with lots of tourists feeding the few pigeons that are left.

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square

Shot taken near 10 Downing Street, which you used to be able to walk right up to get your picture taken in front of the Prime Minister's house, but now it's blocked off with serious gates and men with machine guns.

World War II memorial dedicated to women

Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament. Big Ben is actually the bell, not the clock though.

Me at the Houses of Parliament

Tube station

Dave at the London Eye. Back in 1999, I was there the week they raised it from the river. Very cool to see. It was only supposed to be up for five years to celebrate the millenium, but it's a huge moneymaker and one of the biggest attractions in London now. It's about $25 to take a ride, but very much worth it to do at least once on a clear day or evening.

Near St James' Park. The ball is a memorial to the victims of the nightclub bombing in Bali a few years ago.

Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria statue

Flat Stanley got around.

Different view of the Queen Victoria statue, with the moon and the Big Ben clocktower in the background.

Piccadilly Circus

A wig party at the Cafe de Paris. That tall person with the mohawk is a man. My arms were raised over my head to take this shot. He must've been 7' tall with the platform stilettos on.

Wig party shot

So, you'll be tortured with more London pics this month, 'cause there's not much going on right now other than yardwork and finishing up the kitchen, which is now functional BTW, so you'll get pics of that soon too!

A post-election day smile!

2008-11-05T18:47:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a night last night. I had to stay up and watch it all. The best part, aside from the Obama victory, was watching the crowds in Grant Park and Times Square and the other places they showed on tv, filled with happy excited people. I heard that in Boston, people were jumping into the long reflecting pool/fountain thing outside the Christian Science church. It was so great to witness an election where people ran out into the streets and celebrated with joy afterwards. The neighbors down the street put out red, white, and blue balloons. What a fantastic, amazing, inclusive, historic moment.

So, today, I am very tired, and very happy. Instead of writing anything else about our president-elect, and how much better I feel about our country's future and position in world politics, here's a photo montage that put a big smile on my face last night. My mom put together a photoshow of my beautiful nieces. Enjoy! :-)

PS-The Onion's website is definitely worth a visit today, especially the expanded election coverage.

Rung out of sleep this morning

2008-11-04T19:42:00.002-05:00

Oh crap, it's NABLOPOMO time again, a post a day in November. I forgot it was November so I missed the first two days, but I'm going to try to post every day for the rest of the month.

Bizarre call in the wee hours here in Somerville this morning. I like our reverse-911 and reverse 311 service; it's very cool, but this freaked me out a little, when I listened to the message this morning after I got up and voted, completely uncaffeinated, I might add.

So, the phone rang while I was having sweet dreams. I got up and saw that the caller id was reading "city" so I ignored the call and went to bed. I thought, "Why are they gonna tell me about Somerville Ave construction in the middle of the night?!" Because that's the only reason they call. Except for one time to warn me about an assault near my neighborhood where they hadn't caught the guy yet. Anyway, I read the caller ID and went back to bed. Here's part of the article:

Connect CTY System Fire Call Error
Please note that the Connect CTY fire alarm call that went out this morning at approximately 3:45 a.m. was designed to provide a standard notification to the City's emergency responders ONLY. Through human error, the call was mistakenly sent to the entire city.

I didn't listen and I didn't respond. All I did was get up early and fulfill the other civic duty that was required of me. :-)

Happy Election Day!

2008-11-03T21:44:00.003-05:00

OK get out there and vote! Even if you write in Minnie Mouse! At least check out this funny video (with a special guest appearance at the end.)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Declare yourself

2008-10-30T18:39:00.004-04:00

It's so lame that I don't know how to embed a video on blogger yet. I liked this video though. Even if you don't like the presidential candidates, fill out anything or nothing or vote on your local issues or give them a blank ballot to make your voice heard next week.

Click on the title of this post to see the video.

Flat Stanley goes to London!

2008-10-16T19:20:00.006-04:00

OK so Flat Stanley was flattened by a bulletin board one day at school, which would otherwise be tragic but meant that he could travel in an envelope and take part in great adventures everywhere. Kelsey sent him to me with his story. He came with me to London. Here's the link to Flat Stanley's new blog, or click on the title of this post if it doesn't work. The whole last day in London would have been spent on the couch hung over if it weren't for Flat Stanley and a gorgeous sunny day.
http://flatstanleylondon.blogspot.com/
Other pics, coming sometime? Flat Stanley with his first pint never made the cut.

Kitchen update! Finally.

2008-10-16T18:39:00.001-04:00

It seemed to be slowing down, but today we got floors! And a ceiling fan! And recessed lighting which doesn't offend me as much as I thought it would. The cabinets went up about 10 days ago. The paint is light green.

View to the dining room. The fridge will go where it's always lived, only now it's surrounded by a cabinet, which sadly means we lose valuable picture-and-magnet space.

View into the bathroom. Tile is installed. Doors for the shower should come soon.

I'm going to London tomorrow!!!

2008-10-06T19:36:00.003-04:00

That's it. Nothin' else.

Those crazy Red Sox better win tonight. I don't wanna watch Game 5 at 2am on a computer.

Goodbye Yankee Stadium, and thanks for the memories

2008-09-21T19:18:00.010-04:00

I've been reading a lot of articles about the final game at Yankee Stadium, which is tonight. It's hard to believe that a stadium with so much history that it has its own article in first person in Sports Illustrated this week is going to see its final game tonight. Click that link above-it really is amazing how much history that building holds. Yeah, it's long, but a really good read.

Today's post on the Sox and Pinstripes blog was written by a home-town Yankees fan. It's a cool article about The House that Ruth Built and what it means to him. I've read and heard a lot about the Yankee fans, but I'm the RIVAL fan, and I'm going to miss this place too. There is so much history between the Red Sox and the Yankees, how could I not?

The articles remind me of not only how I feel about my home park for its history and lore, the legends that played there, and the joys of victory and the agonies of defeat, they reminded me that we've had a whole lot of that at that other place, the home of the ones we love to hate in the Bronx.

I only actually attended one came at Yankee Stadium; a game over 30 years ago, when my dad and mom piled my brother and me into the car for a Red Sox/Yankees game at Yankee stadium. We parked our crappy car on a crappy street in the Bronx and walked for what to a little kid seemed like way too long in what seemed like a crappy part of town to get to the game. I still remember sitting in our seats just pass third base on a bright sunny day, wearing my Red Sox pride on my sleeve, chanting chants with my brother in our little kid voices, and raising our dorky little handmade signs in support of our team. I don't remember who won, but my mind likes to think it was the Sox, and my heroes Carl Yazstremski, Jim Rice, and Dwight Evans were in the game. I remember thinking the place looked like a big white palace, and my dad called it The New Yankee Stadium, probably because it was completely remodeled in 1973.

Fast forward to 2004 (yeah, I'm skipping 2003), when the Sox had SUCH an exciting season, a HUGE late season, and later made the greatest comeback in sports history to defeat the Yankees in a 4 game shutout in their own house, after they were down 3 games in a 7-game series, to get to the World Series. It was surreal - everyone came to work sleep-deprived and bleary-eyed; our stomachs hurt throughout the day in as we did our work, which actually gave us something productive to do, in anticipation of the next big game that night. The guys in the stands at Yankee Stadium wearing Babe Ruth ghost costumes, in honor of the curse of Babe Ruth against the Sox-hoping it would rear its ugly head to leave us devastated yet again. Dave Roberts' steal in Game 4 which started a rally and got them to a win, Curt Schilling's heroic win in the first "bloody sock" game-Game 6 in that playoff series at Yankee Stadium, Johnny Damon's grand slam in Game 7 that I had to hear on the radio, parking my car by the relay mailbox behind our house after bringing my cat to the emergency vet looking blind in one eye. A championship series where Randy watched me wear same shirt and drink the same beer and not change the channel or touch the keys on the piano because the force was with us and changing any of these things would alter the balance and change the course of Red Sox history...well, all those games were played at Yankee Stadium. I read in the paper that if the Yankees lose tonight, they will guarantee the Red Sox a spot in the post-season. Still trying to figure out the math on that one, but that would mean that more history for my team could be made there tonight, and the Sox aren't even playing there.

Anyway, I know how I'd feel if it were MY sports cathedral, demo'd and moving across the street to accommodate the (now broke?) wealthy fans in their luxury boxes. Even as the rival fan, I know how I feel watching this place and its history end tonight.

Read the Sox and Pinstripes post. One of the best quotes is, "So imagine what it's like to be a Yankees fan today if you're not going through what I am already. I'm never going to see my team play in that ballpark again, ever. Nothing I do or say is going to get them to do it. The only thing I can imagine this being similar to, and this is how insane I am, but meeting a girl, moving in with her, marrying her and 13 years later you have to move out. That's what this is to me. It's such a constant, such a block in my life, and soon it won't be there anymore."

I can imagine it. In fact, I kinda feel like I'm that girl.

What a kitchen demo looks like

2008-09-16T19:52:00.000-04:00

Kitchen before...very old!

Bathroom before

No comments about the toilet seat, please

This was the bathroom

This was the dining area

This is where all our stuff is now.

Lovely music room turned into a mini-kitchen

Mimi-kitty keeps trying to get through the door by pawing at the plastic

The goal for the kitchen: make it the same as much as possible but make it new! The bathroom will have a stand-up shower and a little more room.
Dining: a mix of take-out, grocery store prepared, grilling, and dining out. Coffee station aka-A.M. lifeline is in the office right next to the bedroom upstairs. Coffee mate instead of cream 'cause we keep forgetting to go downstairs to put it away.
Should all be done by Oct 8! Can't wait!

Yesterday, today, tomorrow, next week.

2008-09-05T20:38:00.004-04:00

Yesterday: took Mom to see Jimmy Buffet. Just us gals. I got to drive her really cool PT Cruiser convertible both ways in perfect summer weather. Plus, most importantly, I got to spend a lot of time together with just her, which we rarely get to do these days, and we had a great time. Between both my nieces being diagnosed with Crohn's at 8 and 9 yrs old, and one of her best friends having health problems, and all her stuff falling apart at her house, it's been a tough year for her. So, it was GREAT to see her cut loose, enjoy a gorgeous summer evening out, watching one of her favorite singers ever. She's got one of the best smiles going and it was great to see it for an entire evening.

Today: Mom encouraged me to start boxing up the kitchen in preparation for Monday's big kitchen demolition. Six bags of trash filled, six drawers and 2 cabinets emptied, 83 CD's put away, 8 boxes packed, and 3 closets cleaned later, we went to lunch. Mom went home to the other end of Massachusetts. I went out on the deck and Randy grilled up The Last Supper. (actually...we might get to grill again on Sunday, if Hanna stops raining on us by then. After that, it's takeout, dining out, and peanut butter sandwiches or cereal for dinner for at least 4 weeks. but tonight is The Last Supper because nothing is in our way and we got to use all our stuff before the last of it's put away.)

Tomorrow: Demo dumpster arrives at 8am. Hanna comes to rain on us all day. We finish packing up all the crap we never use in the kitchen anyway. Coffee maker moves upstairs. More trash goes out. The Mystery Box I packed for Randy gets sorted. Cats start to freak out.

Next week: Dust, more dust, plastic everywhere. Appliances move to the music room next to our living room. Cats disappear to the upstairs, to eat upstairs, poop upstairs, hide upstairs, sleep upstairs. Plates will be paper, cups and utensils will be plastic, and I will become truly carbon neutral because all the recycling efforts I've made this year will be 100% neutralized by the amount of non-biodegradable trash going out the door. Noice, plastic, paper. Have I ever mentioned that I hate paper plates and really dislike drinking out of plastic cups? Thank god the booze is near the sofa now. I'm keeping one glass that is actual glass next to that, even if I do have to wash it out in the upstairs bathroom.

List of Problems solved by MacGyver

2008-08-31T21:18:00.005-04:00

OK I just totally ripped this off from my friend Chris but I felt it must be posted and I didn't see it on his blog today. Reading it makes me think our presidential nominees could get a little more creative and definitely more specific in their proposed solutions to the countries problems, but I digress.
Click here: List of Problems solved by MacGyver
(Thanks, Chris. Sorry I ripped off your idea)

In light of the excitement of the presidential race and the Olympics....

2008-08-29T19:26:00.002-04:00

...I decided to post nothing about either one. Instead, I want to write about how I got 4 pairs of sandals valued at $315 for $83.96 today. Making a good deal even better: a few months ago I overpaid my Macy's bill by $81 so today I spent $2.96. Just doin' my part to improve the economy.

Talk about out of touch

2008-08-21T19:03:00.004-04:00

I don't think I could vote for someone who can't remember how many homes he or she owns.

I hope my mom got my email today

2008-08-15T19:14:00.003-04:00

I sure hope my mom gets the link I sent her today for the view from our seats at the Jimmy Buffett show on Thursday, Sept 4 at the Comcast Center. I got tickets online at face value after shopping around for weeks. They're good ones too. They must have just released some extra seats, 'cause they were showing as sold out. Shopped online and checked out craigslist and agencies where they're going for big boo-caj-amalios (to use a Randy word).
It's one of her concert dreams to go. Sure hope she can make it. I can't wait to get her reply!

Non-concert, non-grilling, non-Red Sox-related post

2008-08-08T19:59:00.003-04:00

I don't know if you remember me complaining about the air traffic over our abode in Somerville, ever since the new runway opened at Logan, but check this article out ... the city might sue the FAA and Massport in response to all the noise and air traffic.

My favorite part of the article:
Richard Walsh, spokesman for Massport, said the use of Runway 33L is up to the FAA, but is often determined by weather, specifically wind conditions; however, Champion disagrees: “The statistics just don't bear out that the wind patterns have changed so much that they're sending out 300 percent more operations over Somerville than they used to.”

PS-Local blog reports that Eric Clapton's yacht is in Boston Harbor tonight.

Hey Manny!

2008-07-31T19:02:00.006-04:00

Sorry to see ya go. Sorry for how it went down too. Just wanted to say thanks for everything.

World Series Victory Parade, 2007

World Series Victory Parade, 2004

2007 ALCS Victory over the NY Yankees - best comeback in sports history

Yesterday, and remember John Mellencamp?

2008-07-29T19:44:00.020-04:00

Yesterday
Was working. Monday. Yuck. But yesterday, my brother and his family were in Boston, bringing the girls to Children's Hospital looking at treatments for them - I haven't mentioned it, but they both have been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. They're only 8 and 9! One is doing really well, very few symptoms, but the other is really struggling while they try to knock it into remission. Not gonna say much on that other than that I think about it all the time, hope they don't have too many problems too young, and that both girls looked great and were their normal bouncy chatty selves. They met me for lunch after their appointment. I was SO happy to see them all in My World in the middle of what would normally be just a normal crappy busy Monday. Makes me wish they all lived closer, or at least would visit me more often :-)

Tomato update
Can't eat the termater from the last post for another couple days. But it's indoors on the windowsill, sitting and waiting for home-grown basil, some pepper, and teeth!

Tips for Tix
We got great seats at face value the day before the John Mellencamp show at Bank of America Pavilion-4th row! Not cheap, but not Ebay or Craigslist pricing at least. Here's a good tip: if you really wanna see a show especially if it's sold out and you can make plans day-of-show, check out the websites the day before or the day of show. They release tickets that members aren't using and you can get great seats, awesome seats, at face value. Example: yesterday, I looked up the Eagles and we would've gotten seats in the 10th row or so, center. It was a small fortune though, and Randy's family was in town for a family reunion in southern Maine, and they'd just left that morning. So, we grilled on the deck and enjoyed the weather instead. Really really nice, on the first perfect day in a while. 2nd example-15 rows back for Allman Brothers, day of show last year. Also, this year, with the state of the economy, there are tix available for most concerts.

ANYWAY....
John Mellencamp concert, 7/15/08, Bank of America Pavilion, Boston

The Bank of America Pavilion is my favorite place to see a show in the Boston area. Right on the harbor, open-air under a big tent. Great views of the sunset over downtown Boston, and of the harbor in general.
This is one of the wharves in South Boston. 20 minutes from our house, and affordable easy-to-leave parking on top of it all.

Picture of the tent at the Pavilion. Never any lines for food, beer, or restrooms. Plus, your chances of perfect weather in the summertime are pretty darned good.

Self pic

Lucinda Williams, opening act. She was great and had a really good band.

Her guitarist

The Man, John Mellencamp

They put on a great show and played new songs mixed in with the old faves.

Didn't even have to wait for the encore for my all time favorite JCM song, Jack and Diane.

This chick absolutely ROCKED the fiddle.

Cute on his album pics, he's actually really short and a little dorky.

I didn't care though. He's a great performer.

He played a lot of the old favorites solo. Very cool.

This weekend on Saturday: Bruce Springsteen at Foxboro, in pretty much the last seats in the last row in the furthest section. Didn't take my own advice about shopping day-of-show, 'cause Karen's coming out from Albany, NY, and we didn't want to risk the seats. But I can't wait! Gotta have fun before the winter comes in a few months-then rains for 3 months on top of it before summer comes again.

Termaters

2008-07-28T21:31:00.001-04:00

I think we're gonna eat that red one tomorrow.

July vacation! (or, yet another reason I have a good life!)

2008-07-13T19:32:00.023-04:00

Just got back from an awesome week with our friends in Plum Island. On the 4th, bright and early, Kim and Jim came in from California, and Karen came in from Albany, NY, to begin the weekend watching the fireworks in Boston. As always the effort and colossal pain in the butt getting there and back was totally worth it.
Saturday morning, we got ready to go to our beach house that we rented on Plum Island, which is off the coast of Newburyport, MA. It felt like we were far far away from home. We had the best time and it was SO great to be with my best friends for a week, with lots of others coming up to visit. Here's a link to our photos, and below are my favorites.

The house

Our view. We were on the "basin" side of the island, not the ocean side. This area completely drained during low tide so we could walk to the ocean side during low tide. The city of Newburyport itself is off in the distance

At sunset

Here's the set of my MOST favorite pics...

Me and Randy

Me and Karen

Me, Karen, and Kim

Randy and Jim setting up bets on, of all things, the game Apples to Apples.

Kim and Jim

Kim's sister Marion came to visit with her fiance Patrick.

Jim

Kim

Karen, take two, 'cause she hates to get her picture taken.

Randy

Karen's friend Larry came out to visit.

Our friend Neil came out to visit too.

Sunset at Plum Island

For the complete album, click here (this time the photos won't take up half your day)

Pre-summer pics

2008-06-26T19:21:00.039-04:00

Yeah, I'm a little behind and haven't been posting much. Here's a little catching up.

Late May; Caelin's First Communion. I can't believe she's old enough! She was so excited. Kelsey's was last year, which seems like yesterday. Once again, we had a gorgeous day. Caelin looked beautiful, and they had a nice ceremony where all the kids got to participate in their special day.

Pretty princess after her ceremony. She was so happy and proud on her special day. I think she's also happy here 'cause they had doughnuts. :-)

I love this picture-it totally captures her personality.

Who loves her auntie?

What a lovely, grown-up girl!

Ready to be done with it all, and get into her normal weekend clothes; with her Mom, Tracy (love her!), and sister Kelsey (who also loves auntie)!

Bike ride in Boston, Randy and me, on either Memorial Day Weekend or the first weekend in June? Can't remember, but it was gorgeous. We rode from home, to Harvard Square where this picture was taken (that's me on the bike by the stop light), along the Charles River, across Mass. Ave, then through the Esplanade. Rode past the Garden where the Celtics play, into the North End, then wound our way along the harbor to the Aquarium/Faneuil Hall area. Easy ride back home. A really fun few hours, but our butts really hurt at the end of it. I need a wide-load seat with springs.

Under the bridge that supports the T, by the Museum of Science

This is in a really cool part of Boston on the harbor that you wouldn't see unless you were on the Harbor-walk. It's so quiet here. Can't believe it's a 5-minute walk from here to some of the busiest places in Boston. (Nice picture, Randy!)

On our way to Provincetown on Cape Cod, the weekend before summer officially begins. This picture was taken outside the World Trade Center in the Seaport district in South Boston.

This boat gets to P-Town in 90 minutes. The regular ferry takes about 2.5-3 hours, which would have been fine but we were taking a day trip.

At the front of the ferry. Good way to get some body in the ole hairstyle.

Provincetown harbor

View from the restaurant's deck, where we enjoyed a beer and some scenery.

On Commercial Street. The perfect blend of art galleries and tourist (read: summer) shops.
There were also several really beautiful gardens on this street. Put me to shame.

This is the Pilgrim Monument. The Mayflower first landed at Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, where the pilgrims either took one look at the soil and said "We'll starve!", or took a look at the winter and said, "Dudes, it's pretty here and all, but really, let's try someplace else." They wound up in Plymouth (hence, Plymouth Rock, which really is just a rock surrounded by a small monument). Yeah. Winter's sooo much better there.

Great seafood at Townsend Lobster Co., and also a fantastic photo op.

'Nuff said. If I weren't so stuffed from the other place I'd have had some chowder here.

Randy on Commercial Street.

Church with a sculpture on Commercial Street.

Modelling my new summer hat.

Deck time in Somerville! I spent about 1.7 million dollars on dirt and baby plants to create our little haven in the 'ville. That tomato plant is now about 4' tall and will give us at least 30 tomatoes, which I'm pretty sure will all ripen up in the same week, when we'll have no guests.

The garden

This corner is dark and shaded by a tree that drinks all the water and sunlight. I am very proud of this little corner now. It's mine! Can't say much about the grass but the flowers and new bush and hostas look nicer than plain black dirt.

Close-up of my carefully cultivated impatiens patch in the shade.

On the deck: a really cool lamp post my mom gave us for Christmas. We even turn on the lights when we're on the deck after dark. I was so excited when Randy pulled it out of the box and put it up-it meant the weather was good enough to start grilling and for sitting outside late.

View of the deck from the garden.

The first bunch of our 30 tomatoes that we won't be able to use.

Petunias up close

I love my flower boxes this year.

Celtics just won...

2008-06-17T23:57:00.004-04:00

...and my neighbors are throwing off fireworks.

Congratulations Boston Celtics! An unbelievable 131-92 victory over the LA Lakers in the NBA finals...first time since 1986.

I'm kind of a "Pink Hat" when it comes to these guys-you know the Sox are my team. But wow, they just dominated all season and played like the team they are. Just like the Sox in 04 and 07 they played like a team.

This is truly the pinnacle of Boston sports. Red Sox win the World Series, Patriots in the Superbowl (lost, but had an undefeated season), and the Celtics win the NBA finals.

Aw and now Paul Pierce has been named MVP. So happy for this guy-he's been here forever and aside from the dubious miracle on causeway street where he vaulted out of a wheelchair to lead the team to a win in game 1, he's been a class guy and a leader in this series.

Gotta go now, there's been a drought in basketball trophies around here. Gotta make sure our cars don't get tipped over!

Over the weekend...

2008-06-17T10:41:00.005-04:00

Oddest thing we saw over the weekend...a poetry reading during the Red Sox game at a sports bar.

...we went to the Summer Shack in Cambridge on Friday eve for some seafood (yummy lobstah roll). Decided to take the ferry to Provincetown on Cape Cod on Saturday (scene of the above-mentioned crime). You KNOW there are things you'll see going on in P-Town that you don't see in your normal everyday lives when you're straight and relatively sheltered. The Red Sox poetry reading was one of them, and a bearded 71-year-old transvestite singing through a karaoke machine was the other.

Aside from these particular oddities, it really was absolutely spectacular weather and made for a really nice day out. We wandered through the pretty town, which is also known for its art galleries and shops, got sand on our feet for the first time this summer, relaxed with some bevvies at a restaurant overlooking the harbor, shopped a little (new beach hat and shades!), and feasted on some righteous fried clams at the Townsend Seafood place. Only 5 tables and a bar-like thing to sit at there, definitely a good sign. Seafood both nights on the weekend makes me happy!

Good thing we made the most of the beautiful day. Sunday was cold and wet and we both had to do some work. A big change from our 1-day vacation to the Cape!

99 degrees and a man in a skirt

2008-06-10T19:01:00.002-04:00

Actually, I've really liked these last few hot-hot-hot days. It's been sunny and really not too humid around these parts. My workplace is about 59 degrees which is a full 40 degrees cooler than outside, which makes my fingers to cold to type on the computer and utilize my genius in Excel, but other than that it's been great! Sit outside for a nice long time in the evenings, etc.

Today on the drive home from work, I saw a man wearing a polo style shirt paired with a red corduroy knee-length skirt. He seemed perfectly comfortable. I always have to figure out why someone did something - what was the reason? For the rest of my drive home, I thought about this. I to the conclusion that this man has a "No shorts" dress code at work. What do you think? Randy thinks he lost a bet.

The Gav Menagerie: What if . . . ??

2008-06-06T22:36:00.003-04:00

Check out this link-my cousin's husband published a book that all of us would find useful.

The Gav Menagerie: What if . . . ??

This is so juvenile....

2008-06-06T22:12:00.004-04:00

...but I love me a good bench-clearing brawl once in a while

What did we do this weekend?

2008-05-26T21:27:00.004-04:00

Planted my garden and deck with flowers (it's all gorgeous this year), and Randy built a lamp my mom got us for Christmas to put on the deck too. We went to dinner for sushi and garlic chicken on Friday then went to a bar where the band we wanted to see wasn't going to start till 11 so we left 'cause we're old, then bumped into one co-worker each at a different bar (they were under 30, we, ahem, aren't) Played some 80's hits on the jukebox though, and laughed. Grilled outside 3 times (hamburglers, chicken, steak, all with veg; nothing burned), went for a 2.5 hour bike ride through Cambridge and Harvard Square then on to Boston and back, switched my wardrobe from winter to summer, did 10 loads of laundry, donated old clothes to charity (well, almost, they're in a pile waiting to go), watched the Red Sox lose 3 times and the Celtics win once. Slept a lot, finally unpacked my suitcase from the Peru and Ecuador trip, did some work so Tuesday won't be torture, drank a couple homemade margaritas and pisco sours, got a little tan on our arms, painted my toenails, and changed the toilet paper roll twice. Awesome weather here in MA, no locals around here in Boston, just us and some tourists. Great weekend! Hope yours was great also! ;-)
Oh and I'm still on the GD glasses. Thank goodness I got the prescription sunglasses. Back on contact Thursday I think!!

Weirdest train ride ever

2008-05-21T18:22:00.004-04:00

I was perusing blogs on www.travelblog.org and came across this one from Gunga

Here's the excerpt that made me laugh, 'cause it happened to us when Randy's tummy was all rumbly. This took place on the train on the way back from Machu Picchu to Cusco in Peru.

"...But this was nothing compared to the ride back to Cusco the next day. This time Val and I had a little table to ourselves. After the little 'snack' was served we settled down to read or take a nap. But this was not to be as soon there was a man dancing in the aisles dressed in a face mask and traditional costume covered with beautiful embroidery. He held an imitation baby lamb which he somehow was able to manipulate so that it appeared to be dancing too. In reality he was the quiet little steward who helped the other workers on the train. But with the mask on he was, well, in your face. After the surprise of his dancing we again settled down. Only now we were treated to a fashion show featuring our sweet stewardess. She had taken her hair out of a severe bun, applied full make-up and was now a hot little 'chica' sashaying up and down the train aisle in alpaaca ponchos and sweaters. Not to be outdone, the tall, very Inca looking steward, who was very serious and all business, came out and strutted up and down the aisle in beautiful alpaca sweater creations..."

The funniest part was, Randy had absolutely blown apart the rest room on the train where they were changing...

Eye troubles and a bad cold

2008-05-16T18:43:00.003-04:00

Eye troubles and a bad cold.

I don't think I can do better on this post than to copy and paste this email I sent to my friend today. Those of you who know me, know I am completely self-conscious about wearing glasses and not having makeup on, even when I go to the grocery store. I haven't had to wear glasses for 2-3 weeks straight since I was 14 in 1984. About the same time I got involved with my long-term relationship with mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow.

Hi Karen,

Hope your week got a little better this week!!! Bet you're glad it's Friday.

We have our sales meeting beginning Sunday so it's been busy, but oddly not as crazy as usual. I think we have it down!

My cold got really really bad on Tuesday and then on Wed morning my left eye swelled shut and sealed up with goop. So, Wed so I went to the doctor thinking I had strep or a sinus infection or something. She told me I had a bad cold. Great. And to stop taking the cold medicine 'cause that's what was making my face and throat so sore. Even better. Then she sent me to the eye doctor about my eye. They poked and prodded and dilated it and told me I have a viral infection in my eye and to put goop in it twice a day and not wear my contacts for 2-3 weeks. Good thing I got the glasses last year! Of course this was on the brightest day of the year so my drive home was a treat with dilated pupils. I went to lenscrafters and got prescription sunglasses that day too, which is why it's been cloudy the last two days and will rain tomorrow.

That's my excitement. Feeling a bit better. People keep telling me I look smart in my glasses. (Did I look dumb before??) And I can't see behind me when I turn around to pull out into the street.

Ris

Peru and Ecuador photos

2008-05-12T21:12:00.004-04:00

We finally have them selected and edited! Click here to see the pics and read the captions. I was merciless, there's about 400, so kick back for 15 or 20 minutes or so and take a trip with us. Consider it a desktop vacation!

Home safe!

2008-05-01T19:30:00.001-04:00

We're back home again after 14 hours of door-to-door travel. We had a fantastic time on our trip. I'm working hard on cleaning up the pics which I hope to have up within the next 5-7 days. We're gearing up for our sales meeting at work, so we'll see!

Holy crap, I´m 40!

2008-04-22T21:08:00.003-04:00

Yep it´s my birthday today. 29 for the 12th time, if I{m counting correctly.

However, since I´m still on vacation I pretty much got to ignore it, other than to say frequently, "It´s my birthday, I can do whatever I want!" And, sing to the tune of It{s My Birthday (I Can Cry if I Want To)" stuff like "It´s my birthday I can eat if I want to, drink if I want to, shop if I want to!" or "wear hats if I want to" or "not shower if I want to"

So, today, I had one foot in the northern hemisphere and one foot in the southern. Balanced an egg and saw water flow counterclockwise (north of EQ), clockwise(south of EQ) , and straight down (exactly on the equator). Very cool to see the earth´s magnetic pull that way. Also, you are about 4 lbs lighter on the equator. LOL I need that with the 9000 foot altitude and bloating!
The actual equator monument missed the mark by about 170 yards but was cool to visit. Not bad considering it was built a couple hundred years ago. All the stuff above was done on the GPS line established only 12 yrs ago. Tech and nature mixed. Very cool.

Randy gifted me with a beautiful handcrafted necklace and earring set hand made in Cusco Peru, where we visited, with stones of onyx and a pretty green stripey stone that I don´t know the name of. A beautiful gift and a perfect souvenir also.

Enough for now. Back to my vacation!!!

See you in a couple weeks...

2008-04-09T19:08:00.003-04:00

We're off for a couple weeks to see some really cool stuff in Peru and Ecuador!

Not once...

2008-04-08T19:29:00.007-04:00

...but twice in one lifetime...

(Thanks for the pics, boston.com!)

I've been meme'd

2008-04-04T18:56:00.005-04:00

My cousin Kim at The Gav Menagerie tagged me, so here I go. Oh and check out her blog, she's one of the most entertaining writers (and bloggers) I've read, and it's not just 'cause she's my cousin.

First, the rules:
1. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
2. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment letting them know they've been tagged and to ask them to play along and to read your blog.

Five things I was doing 10 years ago :
1. Living in Natick, MA, with one of my best friends, and working an hour away in Peabody
2. Just getting back from a trip to England
3. Getting promoted at work
4. Meeting up with Kim again I think? Who I knew from work, but she became another best friend this time around. And we all started going to the beach wayyyy to often without sunscreen.
5. Getting ready to turn 30.

Five things on my to-do list today : 
1. Planning how much work to do this weekend, because...
2. I have a ton of laundry and planning to do because...
3. I have to pack for Randy's and my trip to Peru and Ecuador for 16 days
4. Fill scrips so I don't get malaria or altitude sickness
5. Make or order dinner.

Five snacks I enjoy :
1. Salty chips, especially Munchos
2. Popsicles at bedtime
3. Chocolate
4. Cookies-especially the chocolate chip ones that you slice off and bake in the oven
5. Bananas

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire: 
1. Quit my job, if it happened suddenly. But I'd still like to have a small part time job that I loved or start a very small specialized business
2. Travel the world. Extensively. And pay for friends and family to join me at certain places along the way.
3. Buy a home in Back Bay and another in Spain on the Med. And a flat in London. And pay off my brother's house, while we're on the topic of houses.
4. Buy that little Mercedes convertible I've always wanted, and a late 60's Mustang convertible, and a good winter vehicle for the few times I'd actually be in New England during the wintertime.
5. Donate to my favorite charities, and sponsor anyone who asked a lot more money than I do now for races and walks and stuff.

Five of my bad habits :
1. I don't exercise enough.
2. I like to drink wine or vodka tonics on the deck in the evening, all summer long, while I water my plants and grill.
3. I am very critical of my boss at work
4. I shop too much, but I do always look for a good deal!
5. Randy and I play all night on our computers sitting next to each other. He plays poker online while I answer Yahoo Answers questions.

Five places I have lived :
All of them are below: Check out my post below about where have I been?

Five jobs I've had :
1. Sold shoes at Thom McCann
2. Cashiered at CVS
3. Sold shoes at Parade of Shoes
4. Sold shoes and managed Lady Foot Locker stores
5. 12 years in at a big running shoe and apparel company

Five bloggers I tag to go next:
I can't do that to them. Except CHRIS. Since he recently tagged me. HAHA!

What I want for my birthday

2008-03-31T18:48:00.002-04:00

I want one of these. It's a proton collider. Not sure why I want it, but isn't this picture cool?

Photo courtesy of www.newyorktimes.com. Here's the freaky article, if you want to read it.
Just imagine all the dumb office dares you could do with it.

I've been tagged! Where have I been?

2008-03-29T14:42:00.018-04:00

My friend Chris from UMass had a cool idea. He wrote a blog post and Google-mapped all the places he's ever lived. Unfortunately he tagged me to do the same! So here goes.

If you click on the links to see the maps, just use the back button to get back to the post. They used to pop up in new windows but I don't see that I can select that feature anymore. Oh well.

From birth until age 18:
Shore Drive, Pittsfield, MA
What kid doesn't wanna grow up near the lake?

The college years +1 extra year living in Amherst
1986-87 Brown dormitory, UMass with my friend Pam from high school
1987-1989 Dickenson dormitory, UMass also with Pam. That's where I met Chris who tagged me to do this post!
Summer of 1988-Store Street, London England I worked at a pub that summer, just outside of Charing Cross Station. this is the year I met my BMF Dave, who was here for a few days visiting a few weeks ago.
89-90 Cliffside Apartments with my friends Chris, Jayne, and Jen. Good times!
Jan-June 1990 Rt 202 N Main Street, Belchertown, MA
June 90-June 91 Grantwood Drive, Amherst, MA Looks like there's a pool there now!

The Lady Foot Locker years:
...when I worked my ass off and moved all over the place. They gave us a $500 bonus and paid for the truck if we self-moved within 5 days of getting the promotion. I worked 4 10-hour days and 1 12 hour day (at minimum) each week, and several weeks a year only got a day and a half off work. But it was a good experience, learning sales, management, hiring & firing, and inventory control. I graduated UMass with no idea what I wanted to do so it was a good experience. Even now, 13 years after I left, I still cherish my weekends off and my holidays not cut short by closing at 11, driving 3 or 4 hours home, then leaving early the next day to open the store at 8am.

Anyway that led to my first very-own apartment!
June 91-March 93 Park Guilderland Apartments, Guilderland Center, NY, just west of Albany. Looks like it's been built up since then, those baseball fields are new. I had a nice westerly view of the mountains from my corner unit. It was a huge 2-bedroom for something like $400 a month. It had a washer and dryer but the washer stopped working. I never called the landlord, because I wasn't allowed to have my cat!

March 93-March 94 Strawberry Bank Rd, Nashua, NH. Rented a condo, where I could literally throw a rock into Massachusetts from my balcony. I liked the store I managed there in Nashua-I had a great staff. But the town was kinda boring for a single 25 year old. I'd probably really like it there now.

March 94-March 95 Wading River, NY, way out on Long Island. The town was really pretty, in the woods and near the beach and the North Fork. I think I lived on Sylvan Drive but I can't really remember. I really liked the two-room in-law apartment I rented from this ancient Irish couple, but aside from that, I hated living in Long Island. That place had the most self-absorbed rude people living in it that I have ever had the misfortune to have to deal with. I mean, Boston can be pretty bad for that too, but I never wanna live on an island with 7.3 million miserable people again.

Next, I went to Europe for 3 months. My base of operations was in Fjardhundra, near Enkoping, about 45 minutes outside of Stockholm. Spent about 6 weeks there checking out Sweden and 7 weeks riding the rails all over northern and eastern Europe, plus visiting Dave in England and traveling to Scotland from there.

After that it was back to Shore Drive in Pittsfield for a few months while I figured out what the heck to do next!

The Greater Boston years:
One of the places I always wanted to live was in or near Boston.
December 1995 I landed in Framingham on Franklin Street, across from the train yard and DPW. The cool thing with that is our street was always plowed first! But the house would shake sometimes when they connected the train cars. If you click Street View, the house I lived in is on the right-the white one with the stairs going up the side.

Sept 97 I moved in with my friend Karen in Natick Village - we could walk up to Rt 135 and watch the Boston Marathon in April. Some of my best memories are of the couple of years that Kim and Mary Clare lived a mile away and we did all sorts of cool stuff all the time.

In 2000 I moved to "the bunker" in Salem, MA. It's a famous tourist town and old harbor city north of Boston. The apartment had one window right on the street but it was cute, and it was close to downtown and the harbor. Really neat place to live but a pain to get anywhere.

In 2003, I moved to Wakefield, MA. The apartment I shared with a girl from work was gorgeous, and it only took me 14 minutes to get to work...if I were driving through a major snowstorm. Otherwise it was less than 11. Plus, it was a great location to get into Boston or up to the beaches in New Hampshire. There was a pretty lake there which everyone in town walked around for exercise. Even me!

In 2004, I moved in with Randy in Somerville. Not going to show you the house for safety reasons but there is street view so if you want to march up and down all the side streets feel free!

Well, that was kinda fun! And not as much work as I thought! Also, I thought I'd moved 10 times since I graduated college, but it's only 8 :-)

Sox take a stand

2008-03-19T20:31:00.002-04:00

From www.survivinggrady.com:

"Details are still a bit sketchy but the bottom line is this: the Red Sox players took a stand to protect their "extended family" of coaches and trainers. It appears there was a dispute on whether or not coaches and members of the training staff would be paid the same $40,000 stipend for the trip to Japan that the players will receive. Terry Francona and the players believed that would be the case, but news contradicting that was reported yesterday. When word filtered down to the Red Sox players, they unanimously voted to boycott today's spring training game as well as the entire Japan trip if the dispute wasn't resolved. Within and hour, their demands were evidently met.

No doubt there are spin doctors working their magic to come up with a plausible story about the whole thing being a simple misunderstanding. Damage control. Whatever happens, it won't take away from what the Red Sox did as a team today to show their support to the rest of the organization.

Another reason to be proud to be a Red Sox fan."

My view: I say it's another reason to be proud of the Red Sox period. $40K isn't a lot for the players, but for the rest of the staff it means A LOT like it would to most of us. Many of them make a good salary (well, for us Joe and Jane regular people) but I still thought this was cool. Put it in the college fund for the kids or in the retirement fund, or stay out of foreclosure. Nice job by you, Red Sox boys. Hope it spilled over to Oakland too. That's only fair.

John Adams

2008-03-18T20:28:00.002-04:00

I really got into the new John Adams series on HBO. It started Sunday. If you have HBO be sure to catch it or record the showings. Living in Boston, it's doubly cool for me, but it's also very well done.

Sign of spring

2008-03-18T20:05:00.001-04:00

There are little green things poking up out of the ground where I planted bulbs last fall!

M.I.A.

2008-03-17T19:43:00.002-04:00

Me, that is. Can't say anything nice so I won't say anything at all.

Except, that I'm SO HAPPY our vacation is in 2.5 weeks. Big yay to that! Last full-week vacation: July 2007. That's really bad for me.

Oh yeah, and I was really happy to have my English friend Dave here for a short visit. Always great to have Dave around. We've been friends half my life now. Just about 20 years since he came into that London pub I was working at next to the train station for a quick light-and-lager. I don't even remember when he gave those up for straight pints outta the tap. Wow.

OK, I guess I DO have nice things to say. More, some other time. ;-)

Shots

2008-03-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

So, for that magnificent vacation that we have planned to Peru and Ecuador, we had to get some immunizations. Safety first! We went to the travel clinic at the best hospital I've ever walked into, Mt Auburn in Cambridge, MA, where they promptly shot us up with Yellow Fever vaccine, an MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot - evidently they're not so confident in the ones we got in the early 70's, Hepatitis A, and tetanus/diphtheria boosters. Jeepers.

So, I didn't eat before we went and almost passed out. Not from the pain or even getting shot up. This lady knew what to do with a needle, I barely felt a thing. I just got really dizzy. I recovered from that just fine with a little food. Went to work. Where I promptly began to suffer really bad hip pain, back pain, and stiffness of the joints. I kinda thought I might feel under the weather, but I wasn't expecting that. I also wasn't planning to work until 7:10, but I did.

We got about 35 pages of info when we went in there. Yesterday I finally read them. Evidently I'm one of the 25% of women who experience this with some of the shots, and it's nothing serious, it'll go away. I think having 4 Big Ones on the same day had something to do with it.

They also packed us up a bunch of scripts for antibiotics, malaria prevention pills, and altitude sickness preventative medication. Jeepers. I've barely been to the doctor twice in the last 5 years, and now I have more meds than I've taken in 15 years!

I guess I'll take the warnings pretty seriously. Boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it! And lots of deet in the jungle.

Oh yeah, and don't fall off a cliff or get hit by a car.

And, today I saw

2008-03-02T21:10:00.002-05:00

Two wild turkeys strolling along route 128 in Bedford.

They clean up good

2008-02-28T21:08:00.004-05:00

My Red Sox at the White House. Doesn't matter how you feel about the prez...this is cool. Don't they clean up good???

Look at the very dapper David Ortiz, with the 2007 World Series Trophy!

Jerry Remy, just inducted as President of Red Sox Nation.

I heard baseball on my way home from work today. Yay! And daylight savings time is 10 days away. Spring is coming!!!

(Photos courtesy of boston.com and the Surviving Grady blog.)

Today I saw

2008-02-26T21:25:00.002-05:00

Today on my drive to work I saw a man walking a ferret.
On a leash.
Safety first.

A little better...snow...sleep...some shopping

2008-02-23T22:04:00.005-05:00

Well, yesterday it snowed. I got in my car to go to work and wound up driving to my own driveway. I drove to the main street, took my turn, didn't like what I saw, and drove around the block and back to the house. Worked from home and got more done than everyone else who drove there and left early. Made a light dinner, sneezed, coughed, had a great conversation with my sister-in-law Tracy who I absolutely adore and love like she's my own blood. Crawled into bed and slept for 9 uninterrupted hours and looking forward to 9 more tonight.
Got some exercise in there today too. Shoveling 9" of snow and cleaning off two cars will do that. Now there are snots on the shovel and my sleeves and probably the snow now. Am breathing a little easier, though. I DO wish my ears would stop being all blocked up and ringing. I never did shower today. Will do so just before I hop in between the sheets though.
What else happened? Back to the really good talk with my sister-in-law last night. I was gonna go to Pittsfield to see my family (3 hours west) but really just wanted to stay home and snuggle in. Randy's gone to see his folks in SC (haha, he has to wear a tux tonight at an event his mother is hosting!) and I have the house to myself for the first time in a long time on the weekend. And I'm all worn out from this stupid not-wellness thing. Anyway I probably had a better visit with Tracy on the phone than we've had in a long long time in person, it was really nice. And once Darryl and the kids came home I got to talk to them too. They'd just come back from snowtubing which sounded like a blast. But it gave me an uninterrupted hour with Tracy on the phone, which was great!
Let's see, what else? I watched What Not to Wear last night. One of my favorite shows. They had a 39 yr old woman on (same age as me) who dressed like me and her friends all said she looked "butch, not very feminine, and not very professional." Oh my, that show can inspire me to move the economy along. So, after I shoveled, I was tired of winter and wanted to get out for an hour or two, so I went to TJ Maxx to return some mistakes and get some hopefully not-mistakes.
In my place of work, at least in our little section of the building, all the women including me all dress in sporty GarAnimals or sweatshirts with our company logo on them that oftentimes match the running shoes we design and sell. Plus, we can wear jeans which we all do far too often.
Well, spring is coming, it's in the stores already. I got a couple nice outfits for work that are hopefully a little more colorful and feminine than the v-neck tees and bulky boring sweaters I have, that I try to dress up with nice blazers but mostly fail. I'm sure my new threads will look really nice in the closet after I wear them a few times, LOL! But seriously, I found pants that aren't jeans but aren't too dressy, that fit really nice, and a really cute blazer in a white, black, yellow, and blue print, which looks absolutely fabulous with a bright yellow tee or a muted blue shiny blouse underneath. All for very small dollars; I can't beat the entertainment value and longevity of purchase for small time and effort vs dollars spent.
All worthwhile, and I was feeling good-in attitude at least; my promotion at work finally came through last week. I got a really nice raise, kicked a bunch more dollars into my 401K in my efforts to not have to work as a greeter at Walmart when I'm 73 (unless I want to), and even though there are, shall we say, challenges at work, at least I have a good starting point for if I do decide to finally find alternative employment.
After TJ's, I came home mid-afternoon, researched our South America trip a little more for pricing options (fun! and it all costs close to the same whether you package it up or run on your own, by the way), ran some laundry, and fed and pet the kitties. One of which licked ketchup off my plate and had a nasty encounter with the litter box shortly after. Poor thing.
That's my exciting weekend. Hope you're having a good one!

Me haid ain't so good

2008-02-21T20:24:00.003-05:00

Been fighting it for weeks. Everyone I know has been hacking and coughing, and now I am too. Scratchy throat and can't laugh without punctuation. Who should I blame? My beau? My best friend? The brand president at my place of employment, or our production planning manager? Or a random stranger who made change for me at the convenience store?
Snots run rampant in my nose and lungs. I hate snots. I flipped over from sleeping on my right side to try to sleep on my left last night and did the gorgle-snort. I hate gorgle-snorts too. Then I couldn't go back to sleep. And gorgle-snorted a few more times. This, on the one night this week when our dieting cats didn't even attempt to moosh me for food.
Will it really last a month like it has for everyone else?
Darned orange juice and handwashing. Didn't work. >sniff<

Carolyn is home!

2008-02-15T21:17:00.002-05:00

My friend Carolyn is home from her time in Iraq. Heard from her husband earlier this week that she was back at Ft Benning, GA, safe and sound. We all went to dinner tonight in Boston; she was fresh off the plane. It was great to see her, and interesting to hear the stories.
She's medical staff, so the tours of duty are relatively short (90 days). But I'm happy to have her home safe and sound, and I'm proud of her for her experiences and her service. I can't imagine what it's like for the ones that serve for a year at a time and keep going back, and for their families and friends.
I've always been against the war in Iraq, especially how it came about and it's management since, but there is no doubt in my mind that the people that serve deserve appreciation for their bravery and sacrifice.

Worst thing I ever did as a child...or adolescent...

2008-02-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

OK OK I lost my bet. I was gonna lose anyway even if the Pats won 'cause I gave away 7 points and they were only gonna win by 3 if they could get their heads outta their butts. So, the bet was a meme.

I think of meme as a questionnaire, that gets passed around to other people, so that's the format.

What is the worst thing you ever did as a child?
Not appreciate the things my parents did for us when we were little. I didn't NOT appreciate them. I always liked everything they did or got for us or allowed us to do, but never saw the sacrifice that went into them. Now as an adult, and even without kids, I REALLY appreciate them now that I'm older. Things like our annual family vacations, being able to see most of our country, being together, my mom making clothes for me and cool stuff like a full ski suit or a dress from curtains for Easter, my parents signing us up for baseball and skiing lessons, bringing us to games at Fenway Park and once at Yankee Stadium. Making Christmas from a store my mom owned and ran for a few years. But most of all, letting us know we could do and could be whatever we want, and even if agreement wasn't always there, loving us anyway.

What is the worst thing you ever did to a sibling?
I did two. When I was little and my brother and I shared a room in our not-yet-expanded house, I did two....oh wait THREE bad things.
1) Pushed his crib against the wall and smashed a glass photo frame over his head. Fortunately he wasn't hurt, and he was laughing when they came in. I was really little then.
2) Dropped him out the front window, about 1.5 stories from the ground. The neighbor called... imagine my mother's surprise when the neighbor across the street called asking her if I had just dropped a large doll out the window.
3) Lead the charge in an escape from our shared room. Again, imagine the surprise when the next-door neighbor knocked on the door with one of us under each arm at about 7am.

What is the worst thing you ever did to a classmate?
I made fun of a girl for having bad skin. I did it once, and it was very out of character for me, because I've always liked to think I'm sensitive to other people. I don't know what I was thinking. I was promptly rewarded with acne for 10 years.

What is the worst thing you did as an adolescent?
I lied to my best friend's mom, who used to take us camping a few towns away every weekend. I promised I would stay away from this other weekend camper guy a few years older than us, but I didn't. To trick them I wrote a note saying "Teddy said he'd meet us at 11!" and accidentally left it on the table. We met him, nothing ever happened, but boy was she MAD the next morning and showed me the note. She punished me, but never told my parents, and I learned my lesson. I loved her, and always remembered she was my second mom in my teens, and especially now that she's no longer with us, I miss her.

What are the other bad things you did when you were under 18?
-Doing make-overs in English class. Like the teacher couldn't see me putting eyeshadow and blush on my friend at the back of the class. But we always has A's in that class, so maybe he didn't mind. My friend actually wrote "Mr. ****** is an asshole" in the middle of her paper once, and she got a B. I think he graded on what he thought our brains could do, not on our actual output.
I was pretty clean-cut, but the other things I did with my best friend:
-At 15, snuck outta the house frequently to pick our neighbors flowers. We got caught by a drunk chick coming home from the bars once. Not pretty, for us, her, or the flowers.
-Snuck out of the camp that we went to on the weekends late at night, to meet up with our friends and try to kiss boys. From age 14-17. Sometimes we even got smooches but most of the time we just walked around and had a great time hanging out with each other and thinking we got away with stuff, even though the parents always really did know.
-Sneaking into clubs at 17 'cause we knew the DJ and got on the guest list. Mind you, it was the mid-80's and these clubs were very New Wave. Thereby starting the list of very weird things that can happen in a club, at a very young age in life.
-Was of age in VT at 18 (but not MA) so we went to the clubs up there, or would drive up, buy a 2-liter bottle of wine coolers and sip them out of McDonalds cups by the lake when we said we were at the movies
-Traded out boyfriends frequently-some of whom really liked me- just because I could (karma gets me though: my 20's and most of my 30's did not treat me well for dating and I have never been married. Though my penance has paid off now, my beau is the best!)
-Didn't wear my seat belt while driving when I got pissed off at the world. My version of tempting fate to fuck with me.

So, that's it. I hope I've paid off my loss on the bet, and redeemed the loss for the much cockier Pats fans in the Greater Boston Area.

Um. Keeping with the theme of a meme (oh wow, that rhymes!) I am gonna tag my cousin and most excellent writer Kim. And my friend Chris from UMass, 'cause I didn't know him then.

It's looking like...

2008-02-06T22:51:00.001-05:00

...our South American vacation will take us to Peru and Ecuador. I can't wait! This is Randy's pick-he's been wanting to go to South America for years. Now that I'm looking into it, it looks amazing.
We're planning to Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley in Peru, spend a few nights at a jungle lodge in the Amazon rainforest, then we'll head to Quito, Equador, tour the old town and the museums, get our pics taken at the Equator, check out volcanos, take a train called the Devil's Nose where you can ride on the roof if you want to, and see a bunch of Spanish colonial stuff, and a lot more!
Did you know that Panama Hats are made in Ecuador? I didn't.

Pats lost

2008-02-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

New England Patriots lost the Superbowl. Good game. I'm over it. All I lost was 10 bucks and a bloggie bet. Randy was happy 'cause he hates the Patriots.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training next week. Now THAT'S news! ;-)

He'd have been 70

2008-01-29T20:06:00.000-05:00

My dad would've been 70 today. Still not gonna write the story, who knows if I'll ever be inspired to, but he passed away about 2 1/2 years ago. All that time that's flown by since he died - sometimes it seems like forever and then sometimes it's like it's been no time at all. It's not even dates like today that make it hit really hard, it's just random things that happen that really bring it on. I'm sure many people who read this, who've lost a parent can relate, and if you can't, you are probably still blessed with their presence, as I was lucky to have been for 37 years of my life. And you really do learn as time passes, that even once someone is gone, it's just their physical presence that's gone, but they stay with you always.

Accepting a friendly wager

2008-01-22T20:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I received a comment from the awesome blogger HAR: "Want to place a friendly wager? The odds are in your favor."

I can only assume we're talking the Super Bowl here, 'cause the Red Sox and Yankees are nowhere near the 2008 playoff season yet.

While I am truly enjoying living in the best sports city in the world this year, football really is for me something to watch once in a while to kill a few months between baseball seasons. (Ditto basketball and hockey.) Playoffs and championships are a blast to watch in any sport though, especially if you happen to be living in the city with the trophy fever!

A nice friendly wager would be perfect. I'm up for it. I'll even give NY a 7-point lead. So if the Patriots win by 7 points or less (or if they lose) she'll win. If the Pats win by more, then I win.

Shall we wager a meme?

Telecommuting, and vacation plans

2008-01-15T19:08:00.001-05:00

Telecommuting is awesome. The biggest upside to our company being bought 2 1/2 yrs ago is the ability to work from home. I don't abuse it and always get a lot more work done (no interruptions) and it's great for big projects. So, with yesterday's 9 incher, that's what I did. Randy works in downtown Boston and they said, hey, if you're not essential, don't come in. He didn't have brain surgery scheduled and neither did I (he's a regional VP and I'm a sales analyst), so we stayed home and did what we needed to get done.
I always feel a little guilty or "weather-wimpy" in storms, but then I think, most employees at my corporation are women, most of them are moms, and most of them stayed home because it was a snow day. Why should I make myself a road hazard, driving like I'm 80, stressing out for over an hour both ways (usually 35 minutes) after spending forever digging the car out from my street space because of the plows, and being all raggedy anyway?
So I did, and The Company had me plugging away online for a full 3 hours more than any of my co-workers that dug out and drove 17-MPH to work. Yay for me, yay for them, and no spin-outs, blow-outs, roll-overs, or road rage!
On another note, we're getting our Next Big Plans for vacation together. We're thinking South America. Bought the Frommer's book and everything. March, which is right after the high season it'll be the beginning of fall there, nice weather and everything. We're either gonna hang north in Equador (Quito is there), Peru, Macchu Picchu and Amazon stuff, or south to Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls (both Argentina), wine country in Argentina, and Lakes Region and Santiago in Chile. If you've been on either route, or know someone who has, any advice? We are excited. Either trip will be fabulous. Probably 14-18 days. Anyone wanna house-sit?
Hope you're having a good week!

My customer experience

2008-01-14T18:39:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I'm making Shake and Bake pork chops for dinner. We like them anyway but we had lots of work to do with all that snow we got today, so I wanted to make something fast and easy.
I opened the box and pulled out the shakey-bakey stuff and also the plastic bag that comes with it. Hm, that's weird, I thought, as I tried to open the bag. I must have the wrong end. So, I flipped the bag over and tried the other side. Still wouldn't open. #$%$*&. Darn it. Had to go a whole extra step by finding the scissors and cutting open one end of the bag.
THAT'S not in the directions.
My customer experience with a reliable product has been ruined.