My life since December 17th

Whoa - what a whirlwind since the Crackberry Nosepicker incident. I will sum up in quick bullets.
12/18 - store visits (this term equals me running from store to store with carloads of product to replenish each store I visit. Robbing Peter to pay Paul)
12/19 - store visits
12/20 - store visit. I did wear antlers on this day to keep the Scrooges cheery.
12/21 - church, grocery store, gift wrapping, dropped gifts off, picked up butter for my aunt, got invited to the Redskins game by two random strangers in the grocery store because I was wearing my Cooley jersey, came home and made my Ciopinno for the mass crowd on Christmas Eve.
12/22 - store visits
12/23 - store visits, came home to family just in from California and New Jersey - went out to eat, came home and made egg thing for the next morning - prepared for my work day until about 1am.
12/24 - office day at home, lots of conference calls, in between I served breakfast and entertained my guests...sent mom, sis and grandfather to the grocery store for the ingredients for my salads and to pick up the fish to pop in my ciopinno. Frantically realized at 2pm that the day was half gone and I still had on pajamas. Made 2 salads - one orange and fennel and one pomegranate and arugula - frantic shower, threw on outfit - drove with food to aunt's house, requested cocktail the moment I walked in the door. The rest of the night was a blur. I cooked, I ate, drank and made merry. Went to midnight mass....in bed 3am.
12/25 - woke and made Panetonne French Toast - it came out yummy....openend presents...squealed over my new Wii. Dressed, went to Christmas Dinner - another blur of a day...
12/26 - worked and was bitter about it. Ate pizza for dinner and then played Wii until 2am. Did manage to shatter a christmas ornament off my tree when going for my best "serena williams backhand" yikes.
12/27 - sad, family left. I did pass out on the couch about 23 minutes after they left. Woke to eat chinease food at 7pm. Passed out again watching "Love in the time of Cholera" What the hell was that movie about?!?!?!?
12/28 - slept really late, missed church, felt guilt for like 2 seconds. Made a yummy breakfast passed out on the couch again....do we see a pattern here? Managed to drag myself off the couch and went to grocery store. Ate dinner, decided to try one more time to watch "Love in the time of Cholera" I managed to not pass out this time - but I still don't get it. Why did he tell her he was a virgin? Why did she marry Benjamin Bratt? Who decided John Leguizamo was right for that part? I think I can't look at Javier Bardem without seeing his Dutch boy haircut, even when he doesn't have a dutch boy haircut. Did they stay on that boat forever? WTF?!
12/29 - worked and was bitter about it.
12/30 - worked, not so bitter today....mainly happy because I was invited to a hockey game on New Years Day and I only have to work a 1/2 day tomorrow!!! Can't wait to pass out on the couch again.

Gross Crackberry Nose Picker

This is really to rich.
I was flying home this evening.
At the appointed time, the flight attendants told everyone to please turn off all electronic devices and cell phones.
Apparently the Crackberry addict next to me did not think this applied to her.
2 different attendants came by and told her to turn it off.
"oh, ok" she said. Then she would pretend to turn it off and place it face down in the middle seat between us. Then she would pick it up and start all over again.
I finally lost it.
Do the rules not apply to everyone?
I said, "excuse me, are you negotiating middle east peace talks? No? then how about turning it off. You don't look that important"
She smiled smuggly at me and said nothing.
Then continued to leave it on and text message.
I said, "you may not value your life, but I do value mine. And my life is hardly worth your unimportant emailing. Turn it off."
She placed it down again - and I said, "am I going to have to turn that off for you? Or shall I call the flight attendant?"
She finally turned it off, and I made her show me it was turned off.
Finally, I closed my eyes for a nice little nap on the ride home....I opened them to find the woman picking her nose!!!!!!!! Ugh!
I asked her if I could provide her a tissue or was she going to wipe it on the seat? My goodness. How gross.
Needless to say. We were not best friends on the flight.
Is it a wonder I don't touch anything on an airplane?

ciopinno for 23

I have to figure out how I will prepare this and transport it.

I am thinking of 5x the normal recipe - that would feed 20 - but it is also just one part of a total meal.

So maybe just 3x the normal recipe.

hhhhmmmmmmm.....decisions, decisions.

I am also thinking of forgoing the normal Christmas morning 'egg thing' in favor of Panetonne French Toast...decisions, decisions.

I need some quiet time to think this crap through.

Top That!

Each morning - my day begins with a series of rituals.

Wake.

Shower.

Decide what to wear.

Blow Dry hair.

Dress.

Make-up.

Eat breakfast...(sometimes I eat after shower and before what to wear)

Leave for work.

Commence morning bitchfest.

As some of you know, when I leave for work in the morning....I never go to the same place everyday. Some days I stumble simply into my home office. Some days I make a mad dash for the airport. Some days I drive 15 minutes or 4 1/2 hours.

But no matter where I go or how long it takes me, my morning buddies call me or I call them and we complain, laugh, scheme, conspiracize about the day ahead. I can count on at least 3 people for this every morning.

Today, I was leaving on one of the 4 1/2 hour drives. I left at 5:45am. Because of the early morning hour, I knew it would be a few hours before the buddy calls came pouring in...so I turned up the Sirius in the rental car and belted out the latest tunes in the pitch black dark roads of South Carolina.

At about 7:00 am dawn started to break....I was making great time, I was planning my day, I was loving the new Miley Cyrus song....(i know, i should not admit that out loud).....at 7:15 a horrible sound exploded around me....I looked in the rearview mirror to see chunks of black things scattering on the road....and suddenly lost control of the steering. I panicked for a split second but then brought it back to center.....and pulled off to the side of the road....all the while hearing the scraping of metal.

I got out of the car and discovered that the tire had blown up. It was 7:15, in the middle of nowhere, cold and now I had an exploded tire, possibly a van out of alignment, 185 more miles to go and my pants and suede shoes were wet and muddy from the ditch I was in.

Nice.

Roadside assistance from the rental car company. Not helpful. It took the woman for flippin ever to pull up my info. How is it that I am a frequent renter with this company, have a contract and contract # and they have no record of me?

"please hold while I get Chrysler on the line"

"why do we need to call Chrysler? get me a tire!"

"maam, that is a new car, it only has 6000 miles on it...this should not have happened"

Technically, my problem was not covered.

Technically, even if it was, I was in the middle of nowhere and the nearest tow company was not open until 8:30.

"So basically, I sit here on the roadside and wait?"

"yes, maam"

So, I waited. And now the phone calls began.

My normal morning peeps. All of them seemed to want to talk about how awful their morning was.

Oh really?

Are you sitting in a muddy ditch in South Carolina?

Did your life pass before your eyes as your car tire exploded and you went careening to one side?

Have you panic cried and ruined your eye makeup?

I don't think so! Top that for a poopy morning!

I won.

Of all the 5 morning people phone calls, I had the most miserable story to tell.

Victory!

But, in conclusion...the nicest tow truck driver in all of South Carolina came and helped me.

I had to drive the remaining 185 miles on a donut at 55mph with my hazards on.

Good times.

And the rental counter comped the cost and apologized profusely.....I mean sheesh, get a look at that tire!

Not such a bad day after all.

Virtuous vs. Vicious

This has been stewing in my brain for a week. I went to mass on Sunday and the sermon was about how we need to be repentent during Advent.

What?! Had Father lost his mind? Isn't Christmas about peace, love, joy, cocktails, celebrations, yummy food, cocktails? Being repentent is for Lent. It is hard enough for 40 days to give up Starbucks and Pasta. This is the holiday season....Starbucks has cranberry bliss bars and drinks called Espresso Truffle! If you tell me to be repentent, I tend to think I can't enjoy love, cocktails, celebrations, yummy food and cocktails. This concept of repentence nearly stopped me in my tracks! It was hard to pay attention.

Then, he said it was our choice to be virtuous or vicious. Listening to him, I realized I err on the side of being vicious. Don't you love how 'vice' vs. 'virtue' = vicious vs. virtuous?!?! Nothing like a good dose of guilt on Sunday.

Apparently, instead of being full of lust, I have to be chaste. Instead of being a glutton, I need to show moderation or fast completely. Instead of being proud, I need to be humble. Of course, I sat there thinking I am lustful, a glutton and a mean bitch. Great. Merry Christmas to me.

How did I get to this point in my life, and I have never heard this kind of thing around the holidays. Yea yea, usually the priests gripe about our obsession with Santa Claus, gift giving, pagan ritual and boycotting places that say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas...But this?!?! To call me vicious?

Ironically, I am reading a book right now that is a collection of Christmas stories, essays, etc...and last night read part of a sermon made by Cotton Mather in 1712 ~ he was having a fit about drunk people and gambling.....complaining about how it was denegrading the birth of Christ. Of course, I think he had a little something to do with the Salem witch trials too...(no doubt fun loving lustful, gluttoness bitches like myself) Get over it Cotton. Let the people have a little fun.

I'm over it, call me vicious all you want. I am going to whoop it up....isn't that what confession is all about?

A random recap.....be prepared to be confused.

In the course of the past week, I have had so much to say...but not a moment to sit down and say it.
Now that I have a moment, I am too tired and just want to go to bed.

I was away from home this week, some weeks away from home are just brutally exhausting.
I feel like a wimp for saying that...but it is true.
The air in the hotel was dry and icky....my lips are cracked, I feel like I need to slather myself in moisturizer to make up for it.
I had a terrible time sleeping well....and I think that was because it was eerily quiet. Isn't that bizarre? Apparently I need background noise to sleep well. The slumping economy means not as many people traveling....and I know they put me in the last room down the hall on the 4th floor with no other people. In the morning I would come out and be the only door with a newspaper in front.
Creepy.
Now that I think about it, I must have been restless because I secretly knew I was alone and far, far away from any form of help at the front desk! And my blackberry went dead because I forgot my charger! At least I know the number to 911 in case an axe murder was coming to get me.

Thanksgiving was good. Not great. Good.
That seems to be a common theme with those I have spoken to. Here is why I am pissed.
My turkey sucked. I did not have total control of my turkey....and because I was not in total control, I feel the quality was not there. My friend Kyle offered to clean the turkey and then season it with my prepared herb butter. I was cringing watching him do it. He did not clean it the way I clean it....he did not pat the skin dry...he was haphazard in rubbing the butter under the skin...finally, I couldn't take it anymore and shoved him out of the way and took over. But it was too late....never again will I relinquish turkey control. When I ate it...ugh. The upside is, 2 days later the turkey rocked. Maybe because I entered the kitchen at 7am and left it at 10:30pm when the last dish was cleaned is why I thought my turkey sucked. That and the fact that I did not have total turkey control. I am bossy. I am mean. I like to be left alone in my kitchen. Get the hell out.

That night, I went to bed at about 10:31pm...I was pooped and had to be to work early, and drop Kyle off at the metro even earlier. I woke up at 11:30, 12, 12:24, 2:30, 3:30 and 5:00 - each time I contemplated calling my poor outlet managers that had to open at midnight. I was feeling guilt for not working that shift with one of them. But I resisted. At 5:15 I called my closest outlet to see how the night went....it went well. Thousands of dollars. and more thousands. I was happily optimistic for about 2 seconds that the Black Friday would be good, I would make my numbers and not be fired for being the worst DM ever. Then I called my other 2 outlets...they tanked. Retail is a brutal world, but I decided to put my best foot forward. I arrived early at my highest volume store, antlers in hand. We were going to have fun dammit.
We did have fun, the customers were annoying, they wanted the world for under $5 and I was frustrated. Let's not create deflation....let's not force retailers to discount even more please. This is my own grown up Christmas wish.
I came home pooped.
Ate chinese food and passed out on the couch watching Elf.

The tree is up, the lights are up, and I managed to buy a handful of gifts.
Then I left for a few days, now I am home, then I leave again.

Heavenly Happiness aisle 9

Today I ate 4 almonds, half a ham sandwich and a few bites of lentil soup.
By the time I reached the grocery store tonight after sitting in 2hrs of traffic I was starving!
And then I came across Cranberry Orange Risotto in the hot counter at the Wegman's.
I gobbled it up with a glass of white wine.
Suddenly I feel so much better.

The Agony and The Ecstasy

This has nothing to do with Michelangelo or the Sistine Chapel. However, I expect my finished product to have the same awe inspiring effect on the attendees.....

I have been back and forth about 1000 times on what to make for Thanksgiving this year.

It is possible that because of being under the weather, my head has not been in it.

But here is the menu so far. (I am so happy to have settled the matter)

Antipasti for mingling and wine drinking: (music mix to include Bobby Short and Blossom Dearie)

Spicy Cheese Log & Crackers

Herb & Cheese Coins ~ a delightful savory cookie made with blue cheese and walnuts

Spiced Nuts

Marcona Almonds

Olives

Hummus

(this is my favorite part of any get together - the liquor and snacks.....I am thinking some Manhattens are in order too....the music almost demands them)

Primi Piatti:

Butternut Squash Soup

Secondi:

Herb Roasted Turkey with Maple/Orange Glaze

Contorno:

Corn Bread & Sausage Stuffing

Crisp Green Beans w/ Sun Dried Tomatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Balsamic Glazed Pearl Onions

Corn Pudding

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Dolci:

Asian Pear Pie

Assorted Biscotti

Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits

And totally unrelated - I see I have a reader from Gillette Wyoming....my uncle used to live there ~ he had this really cheesy one liner on Gillette ~ "Gillette, the sharpest town in the west"

Sorry...I had to get that out of my system. You can blame my Uncle Gerry.

Photo Shop circa 1530

Copernicus was a cool guy.

I love even more that the anthropologically reconstructed Copernicus looks like the real life version of the 'photoshopped' portrait of Copernicus.

It is comforting to know, that even in the 16th century, the media was not about 'keeping it real'.....yet at the end of the day, you can still see the real life guy on the left and know that he is Copernicus. It must be the nose.

Slightly Better and Slightly Terrifying Realizations

Today I only used 1/2 box of kleenex.

I took none of that waste of money cold medicine.

I tasted my dinner when I ate it.

My nose looks slightly worse.

My attitude is slightly better.

It is also looking up that the weekend is fast approaching. I am doing my best to convince myself that tomorrow will be a fast and productive day.

I am happily geeking out over the fact that I can watch that dreamy Rob Pattinson in Twilight this weekend too.

(some may accuse me of being a pedophile - but I believe he is at least 22..... well above the acceptable age.) How terrifying that for the first time in my life I have a little crush on someone younger than myself. Oh, but wait, I have a crush on Steve from Ghost Hunters too....he looks younger than me. Good grief.

I really am almost 40.

Before you know it, I will be called a cougar. How gross.

Maybe he isnt that adorable.

Who am I kidding, yes he is.

Another Head Cold?!?!

Good Grief.

I just want to scream. But I am too busy blowing my nose and coughing to scream. How is it that I have another cold again?!

I just suffered through one of these not two months ago....I thought I was good to go until at least January.

Once again, I reflect on the common facts of the common cold:

• Cold medicine is a worthless investment.
  
• I ask everyone, all day long to feel my forehead to see if I have a fever.


• Anti-viral kleenex makes me feel less like I am infecting the whole world - when in fact the whole world runs from me like I am Typhoid Mary.


• After 5 days of kleenex use, my nose becomes red, dry and cracked - and no amount of mega moisturizer keeps it looking normal.


• I hate having a dry, red, cracked and crusty nose. (this is what I get for calling a certain someone Crusty. Sorry G)


• On top of a crusty nose, my fingers get all dry from the constant kleenex use. Or maybe it is combined with the constant hand washing in my effort to not spread the disease.


• I never have a good hair day when I have a cold. Is it because my eyes are so watery that I can't see myself in the mirror? It may also explain the haphazard application of make-up - I tend to look like Baby Jane when I have a cold.


• When I have a cold, I get so miserable that I start to wonder what healthy and normal feels like. I love to wallow in the "i am sick pity party"


• I can never remember to feed a cold, starve a fever or feed a fever, starve a cold ~ and it pisses me off because I assume it is feed a cold, but what is the point if you can't taste anything?


• Hearing everyone tell you to drink green tea and take echinacea is just annoying. Shut up and stick your opinion up your butt.

When I Grow Up

I want to be just like Kate Winslet....

I have put this cover in my bathroom.....no doubt the Thanksgiving guests may mock!

Nevertheless, I am pretty sure Kate and I are about the same height....attainable goal no?

A forecast I can finally live with!

43°F
Current:Mostly CloudyWind: SW at 2 mphHumidity: 59%
Today50° 31°
Mon47° 27°
Tue43° 25°
Wed43° 27°


Hip hip hooray! The cold weather is finally coming! The temps in the 70's yesterday was hardly an inspiration!

The Ramble of Angst....

The following things have been on my mind and of great concern to me lately. Here they are in no particular order.
The Economy
My hair
Project Ass Reduction
Weird Dreams
My inability to get anything done lately.

Ok, so each and every day, the economy weighs heavily on my brain. I don't know a great deal about economics, I don't recall ever really paying attention in my economics class, and quite honestly, I never have had a lot of money. I read the paper, I listen to the news, I read magazine articles and listen to talk shows....and listen to podcasts like this. It helps my pea brain wrap itself around the issues.
I was trying to be optimistic to all my employees.
Then it came crashing down on me a week or so ago, when I had to announce to all of my managers that the company was putting a pay freeze in place for the next 12 months. On top of that, we would not be matching 401K contributions for the next 12 months. Ouchy.
Each day, sales are worse and worse. The saddest part is that I am happy when I am down 30% and the rest of the districts are down 40%. I worry, I try to be grateful to have a job, but it is hard to carry the burden of worry for my entire team.

My Hair - I currently hate it. I am afraid that my cut is growing out to "the Rachel" cut.....AAAgggh.
But, I have decided to grow it to donate it again before I have lots of gray hair. As I worry like I do, I fear I may sprout more and more gray!
The color is also not good. I thought it was good, and then two people told me I looked tired and washed out.
Thanks for the honesty and making me feel like crap.
Another friend told me to go darker, she said I was losing my italianess....Hi, I was born with light colored hair, so shut up.
But, they may be right. This sucks, and I can't believe I am even giving a shit.

Project Ass Reduction ~ good grief. I feel like a fat ass ok? I hate halloween and the damn small snickers bars. I never during the year eat snickers bars like I do during the month of October. I think I can take any temptation over snickers bars at Halloween. To make it even more painful 1 week ago, I put on a pair of pants...ok good.
The next week, I put them on again and they would not button. Utter, total and complete fat ass melt down. I cried.
Happily, I did realize it was the pre-menstrual bloat and hopefully next week I can button the damn pants again.
I hate that my metabolism is that of a sloth.
I hate that I have to move my body every single day in order to maintain a reasonable body weight.
I hate that this bothers me so much.

Weird Dreams - Monday night I dreamt I was arrested for shoplifting towels from Saks Fifth Avenue. Do they even sell towels? And the worst part was, my boss was calling me on my cell phone yelling at me for missing a conference call. I couldn't even be arrested without being bothered by work. Last night I dreamt I was pulled over and arrested while driving. I don't know what I did wrong! But the policeman ended up coming with me to where I was going. He was very handsome, and I think I was supposed to be in love with him....but then work called and I had to leave.
I am exhausted when I wake up, too busy explaining my arrests and worrying about not missing conference calls.

My inability to get anything done ~ It is November, Thanksgiving is weeks away. I have no Christmas Cards - normally they are done in October, I am cooking Thanksgiving, I have no idea what the menu is. My home is dirty. I have no idea when I will clean it. The list goes on and on. My priorities are in the toilet....which also needs to be cleaned. I can't focus.
Perhaps, if I spent more time on important things, and less time griping, I would not be in this predicament.

Ummmmm......No

Bad idea.

I went thru the men in my life, past and present, gay and straight, and I can't think of one that would rock the manty-hose look.

South Carolina

Things that are awesome about South Carolina:

• The Piggly Wiggly ~ first off, how can you not love a place named the Piggly Wiggly?!  Last night I stopped in to get some wine and dinner ingredients.  Not only was it lovely inside, the wine selection was great, there was a Starbucks (hard to find here) and they sell flippin Piggly Wiggly t-shirts.  I was so overjoyed at the t-shirts, I could not make a decision...today I will return and buy one.
• The Low Country ~ I love saying 'low country' and there is something very beautiful about this place....it makes me speak lower, slower and with a tendency to pick up that southern lilt.
• Nice people ~ when you live in a place with Piggly Wigglys and are surrounded by Spanish Moss.....why wouldn't you be a nice person?

Breathe

Today I noticed that when I am anxious, or hearing something that is about to make me lose it.....I hold my breath.

Apparently, this is my attempt to stop all time.

If I stop breathing, this person will really not continue to say stupid things....and stupid things will not actually happen.

I held my breath last night during the debate and when Leann won Project Runway.

As I thought about this even more tonight on my painful 4 1/2 hour drive thru the back woods of South Carolina, I realized that in most of the bad choices of my life, I was not breathing.

I am thinking oxygen exchange is key to making it thru.

Life lesson 9,692,621 learned today.

Spiders!

On the way out the door yesterday, I grabbed my Martha Stewart magazine ~ I usually only ever buy the Halloween issue ~ because I love how Martha classes up Halloween.

I saw this wreath and decided to make it!

Super easy ~ now I am ready to scare off potential visitors!

One Year Ago....

This is the sorta, kinda anniversary of my trip to Italy last October.
I am not so sure how to link back to old posts....but we will see if this works.
Click Here for the Italian retrospective - which I know I never finished. I know, I slacked.

Sadly, Poor Mario passed away some weeks back...and I could not help but re-post this video of him and the ricotta crostata.
A me me piace.....

Look what I made!

If you have spare time on your hands......look at the cool things you can make!

I am reconnecting with my inner knitter.

Clearly

Clearly I have been traveling a great deal lately.....I should return shortly.

WTF?!?!

Economic Crisis?
I get it American Media - thanks for trying to scare me.
I'm not scared.
I'm liquid ~ and it's all insured.
So bite me.

The real economic crisis is on USAirways.
$1 for hot tea.
$1 for hot coffee.
$2 for water.
$2 for juice.
$2 for soda.
$7 for wine, beer, and liquor.
Can I have a hot tea - hold the hot and hold the tea bag? It seems a better deal than the water.
This is some bullshit.

Nice

Today the man sitting next to me on the airplane actually took my bag out of the overhead for me.
That was the first time ever!
I am either:
a. attractive enough to get a strange man to help me
b. look old and feeble
c. look like I just needed help

Thank you Mr. Yacht Salesman.
You made my night.

Why don't I do stuff like this more often?

Today, I decided to abandon my normal Sunday of church, starbucks, excercise, moan about going to work day.
I did go to church....and then headed to the National Gallery of Art to hear Leo Villareal discuss his upcoming installation in the gallery.
It was fascinating to hear about an artist and his process. It was followed by an art historian relating to pieces from the past that she found relevant to Leo's work.

I was inspired, and am vowing to go to these talks more often!
They are free for pete's sake!

I am finally feeling healthy again.
It was brutal there for awhile.

Work has had me traveling too. Just when I started to recover, I was back in airports and hotels. It did allow me to slowly get back to me excercise routine ~ when you are forced to be in hotels for days on end, the excercise room is always a better alternative than eating fast food and watching Everybody Loves Raymond re-runs.

Unfortunately, the travel has left me behind in all the homefront tasks. I have lots of catching up to do, and Hanna is preventing my motivation today. I ventured out, only to be so soaked thru so that even my underwear needed to be wrung out. Not a pleasant feeling.

So I have retreated home, put on warm, fuzzy sweat pants and plan on watching some mind numbing TV.....

Trapped!

If you could hear me right now, you would hear whining and complaining.
I have the flu.
I am trapped inside, sick with the flu.
Yesterday afternoon, I thought I was feeling better....so I decided to head to the grocery store to pick up some essentials.
Big mistake.
I was sweating, dizzy and nearly passed out.
So, here I am. Trapped inside.
Sick
:-(

An answer to a question

This is for Cat ~

I would never poo poo gravity. I mean, I poo poo a lot of things...but not gravity.

I simply took gravity for granted before. Because of my learning ~

Now I know that the crap that makes me crazy.... The minutia of things you can't change.....The people that don't make any sense.....It's just like gravity. It just is.

So deal with it, you can't change it.

I have now stopped fussing about all the gravity.

I just let it be.

Cheesy, corny crap that actually works!

A few weeks ago, I had to attend a seminar.

my first reaction?...AAAaaaggghhhh

my second reaction?....oh, alright...if I have to.

A week before the seminar, I received an online survey to complete. cheesy, dumb questions.

A few days before the seminar, I received a book.....with instructions to read specific chapters. It was that terrible, boring reading that makes you nod off two sentences into the first paragraph.

Between the online survey and reading selection....a sense of dread settled over me.

I knew that this was a 2 day seminar.

It was offsite. Away from our office......far from the grip of our normal lives.

We were told only to bring a pen. No notebook, no paper.

Don't bring a large bag! No cellphones! No Blackberrys! No laptops! Oh the humanity!

We were instructed to be prepared to cut ourselves off from the world. Make it clear to everyone that for 2 days we would be unreachable!

Was this a cult?

Was I going to have to cut my hair and give up my clothes? Perhaps walk around in some sort of kaftan?

Would there be chanting? Would there be some sort of medical experimentation?

My mind was running amok!

By this point, I am sure you are sensing my less than enthusiastic/optimistic outlook on the seminar.

But as the day began, I was quite smitten by Bill. He was charming like a gameshow host. He told great stories. He had a voice that made you take notice. The perfect facilitator!

There was a lady too. She was nice, but lacked the charisma of Bill.

I panicked slightly when we were given journals to record our thoughts, feelings and meditations of the days to follow ~ I sucked at keeping a diary when I was 12, how would I make this work?

Slowly, I began to let go.

I began to take it in.

I began to journal ~ not a lot, just a little.

I enjoyed the excercises, shared my stories, listened to the stories of those around me, began to sip a bit of the Kool Aid.

That first night in my hotel room, I read over what I had written during the day.

Whoa! Some of it was deep!

With Day 2 before me, I was totally suckered in.

I was now drinking the Kool Aid.

At the end of the seminar, we made committment statements and were given a blue chip to carry around. I felt like I had been thru a 12 step program.....but, wow!!! It felt really good!

It has now been almost 3 weeks since the seminar.

I am sticking to my committment statements.

I am 'starting at curious'

I am keeping myself high on the 'mood elevator'

I have accepted 'gravity'

It has actually stuck with me. It has actually had a profound effect on me. How cool.

Hypersomnia?!....ZZZZZzzzzzz

I have been very, very sleepy. It is as if I can't get enough sleep.
I feel fine. I have been excercising, eating right, working, a general good disposition....but when night falls, I can barely keep my eyes open!
Case in point....last night I passed out on the couch before 8pm. I woke up at 10pm.....sluglike moved to the bed where I was again asleep in mere moments.
I woke up at 7am today.

I only remember dreaming about Brad Pitt and tomato plants.

(for grins and giggles I googled the two together ~ who knew?)

Spooky Signs and it's not even October!

I was running late for church today.
I sprang out of bed, with 15 minutes to be ready.
I hopefully glanced in the mirror that my hair was somewhat tame....but lo and behold, it was scary.
Jumping into the shower I ran thru in my mind what to wear, what to wear?
I threw on a simple dress, slicked back the hair and decided it would do.
As I left, my cell phone remained on my desk.

Hurrying down the aisle, I kneeled and did a quick "hello, God - thanks for a good week, help me thru another week, let Cathy say ok to the promote for Montgomery, and help me to do a better job taking care of myself again. I know I need to say my prayers and be more reflective, but I could use a hand"

and then mass began.

At the end of mass, the soloist began to sing Ave Maria.
I immediately took it as a sign from God. Not only am I usually a faithful and frequent petitioner to the blessed Mother, it reminded me of my Nonnie. Ok God, I got the message. I will resume my prayers to Mary tonight!

When I left church and headed to the grocery store to pick up milk, I stopped for a coffee. They had run out of Washington Posts....so I picked up the NY Times.

Glancing thru - I saw that the NY Times magazine had an article that was basically ode to the apricot. I immediately thought of Cat! I would have to send him this bit of info!

Walking thru the front door, I had Mary, Nonnie and Cat on the brain. As I checked my messages on my phone - what do I see but a comment from Cat on this very blog....about hearing the Ave Maria!

I think I get the message loud and clear. Reinforced by song and odes to flip flops.

(by the way, I wore the green dress.....it was fabulous for our dinner cruise of Boston Harbor)

Requiem on a Flip Flop

Today I lost an old friend.

My favorite flip flop.

Actually, only one died, but without the other....the surviving one is quite useless.

I have had this particular pair for at least 7 years.

7 summers.

7 years of vacations.

7 years of pedicures, two broken toes, and always my refuge when those other nasty shoes gave me a blister. My trusty flip flops were always there.

7 years of the handy pair of shoes by the door that you can quickly slip into.

7 years of epic life, romance, comedy, drama and even a bit of tragedy.

These flip flops walked across the sand, the concrete, airports, grocery stores, even St. Marks Square.

My mother hated these flip flops.

Each trip home to California, I would open my suitcase, and there they would be in all their ragged glory. She would threaten to throw them out everytime....even buy me a new pair.

But I could not be swayed.

Each year, I would walk into a store, looking at the new flip flops....but none had the same appeal. None ever felt so comfy. None ever managed to turn my head.

Today, getting out of my car, the right flop ripped apart. Ironically in front of the Target store. (where I had purchased them years before)

I frantically tried to repair it. But it didn't work.

I was so distraught, I got back in the car and limped home. (it is not easy to walk in a broken flip flop)

My mother was thrilled to hear the news that her nemesis was finally dead and gone.

Farewell old friends.

I will miss you.

Oh the pressure.....

Next week I head north for a week long meeting.

The only thing I agonize over is the outfit portion of my trip.

What do you think?

I need a dress to wear Wednesday night.......

I have an obvious favorite of these 2 ~ but am interested to hear input.

Bike Supplies I Need

After my first ride on the new bike today - I have discovered some must have items:

• a gel seat - ouchy, my butt hurts!
• gloves - when it is 90+ degrees, you sweat and can't shift the grip gears as you climb the longest hill ever.
• sunglasses - my fashion forward "pradaesque" glasses are not meant to be worn with a helmut.
• a sweat band for my head - sweat stings your eyes when it drips down.

I rode for 2 hours! I had a blast! And I discovered that it is harder to do now then when I was a kid with streamers on my handles and a basket in the front.

My New Bike!

For months now, I have been talking about getting a bike. Finally, I took the plunge this weekend and bought one.

I can't wait till Saturday when I can take this bad boy for a spin!

I did buy a helmut too! (safety first!)

Project Ass Reduction ~ week 5,6 & 7

This sucks.

I have not been motivated at all.

What is wrong with me? Where has my mojo gone?!

Shame on me for not posting my photos and progress.....ggggrrr

I have been excercising....but not with the normal zeal. Melissa told me that for a white girl I have a booty....she maybe halfway convinced me that this booty isn't getting any smaller. So maybe that made me slack a bit. excuses, excuses. (week 5 & 6)

Vacation proved to be a week of eating disasters. I did manage to work out half of the time...but when you are eating pizza and fried chicken and consuming bottles of wine...all the excercise in the world is not going to make any reductions in your ass. (week 7)

Yesterday I felt awful about myself.

So today, I am claiming Independence from my bad attitude and bad body image.

I am getting back on track.

God knows I head into the lion's den of female judgement in 2 weeks. God help me.

I am beginning the mantra again.

Size 8, Size 8, Size 8

An Idyllic 4th

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

(The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard University Press, 1975, 142).

I love the 4th of July. In my lifetime, I can't recall one that was a disappointment.

Nothing tends to be idyllic in our everyday lives.

I did not have the idyllic childhood, I do not lead and idyllic life. But the 4th has always been a holiday celebrated honestly and simply.

It's a holiday unlike any other....never a big lead up, so then never a disappointment.

Parades, picnics, fireworks, swimming pools, beaches, National Monuments, sparklers, family and friends. All or one or combinations have always played into our 4th celebrations.

I can't forget the great thrill of going to Mt. Vernon one 4th....that day, they had historical re-enactors. The Thomas Jefferson was so handsome, I could have listened to him pontificate in independence for days on end.

The summer nights when we caught lightning bugs in jars and twirled boxes of sparklers! Our skin sticky with Off!

Eating steamed clams, and juicy watermelon.

Watching the fireworks on the National Mall.

ahhh.....nostalgia.

Have a wonderful holiday!

What I Like About You.......

This is so silly.
But it made me laugh today....so I thought it worthy of sharing.

Some years back, during a meeting for work, we did this excercise where a paper was passed around with the title "What I Like About You.......(insert name here)"
All the meeting participants had to write something that they liked about you.

I found mine today.

Your fun and positive approach to life.
You are fun and easy to approach.
Bundle of energy, genuine, fun to work with.
You are open, warm and fun.
Very friendly
Beautiful voice! Energetic. Fun!
Joyous, bubbly and a burst of sunshine.
You are one of the most positive and fun people I have ever met!
Open, caring, funny - tons of fun!
You're funny, very friendly, warm, caring and courageous.
Eternal optimist with a fun and easy going way about you!
enthusiastic, positive, professional and focused
Love your wicked laugh. Admire your gusto. Very open and honest -

Apparently I am tons of fun and approachable! Who knew I was so positive?!
I also love the use of exclamation points that some people used. I figured they really meant it if it got an exclamation point.

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle

I was eating some watermelon on my week off......and my head filled with images of this book!

I was a little girl in elementary school ~ and I recall loving this poetry book.

Today I ordered it off of Amazon.

I had a lovely week off ~ I am still off today too! I spent some days at the beach, read 3 books, caught a few afternoon naps, watched movies when it was raining outside, ate a piece of blueberry apple pie while watching fireworks from the patio.......summer perfection really.

I'm Off

Leaving on vacation!!!!!!!
Happily I am off until July 1st. Then I work and have the long weekend of the 4th.
Happiness is.....
not realizing until the last moment that you timed your vacation perfectly with a national holiday.

See you when I get back!

I'm "It"!

I'm the "it" girl right now.
Ironic, because I am reading about America's first "it" girl. Evelyn Nesbit.
but I digress...

Martha tagged me....so here goes....

The rules:Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago?
Wallowing in self pity as I had just called off my wedding. No worries, it was all for the best. Of course, 10 years ago, I was fairly miserable today.



What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?

1. excercise
2. try not to buy a cupcake from Cakelove in Tyson's
3. laundry
4. start to pack for vacation - in 3 days!
5. consider emptying the dishwasher

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. rice crispy treats ~ i buy these bad boys in the box.
2. celery
3. laughing cow cheese with apple slices
4. popcorn
5. cupcakes from Cakelove

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. take care of all my favorite family members
2. start a universal health care fund
3. go to culinary school
4. buy a home in Italy and pretend I was Diane Lane
5. adopt lots of children a'la Angelina and Brad

Places I've lived: most recent first

1. Potomac Falls, VA
2. Deerfield Beach, FL
3. Germantown, MD
4. Windsor, CA
5. Austin, TX

Jobs I've had:

1. DM
2. DMIT
3. FTM
4. SM
5. restaurant slave, manager, catering director
   

Tag, now you're it! feel fabulous, beautiful and tragic like me and Evelyn Nesbit

1. Kris
2. Don
3. Chester
4. NY
5. Kelley

Props to Jamie Oliver

Wow.
You must try this recipe.
It is simple and so exquisite to eat.
Porcini Pangrattato is heavenly.

I was never a great fan of Jamie Oliver until I saw his mini-series on the Travel Channel last year. The show was Jamie's Great Italian Escape. I loved the show, and quickly bought the cookbook.
I must admit a special admiration for his travel and specifically the show on Le Marche - the region in Italy where my family originates from.

Anyway, do yourself a favor, and enjoy this lovely meal.
Next time, I am going to make my own pasta....it would add to the divine nature of the dish.

Bad,Stupid Tuesday

Today was poop.
I left for an early flight.
Sat on the runway for nearly 3 hours.
Finally, they decided to cancel the flight.
Waited in the Customer Service line from hell.
Re-booked for tomorrow mornings flight.....hopefully, there will be a new working aircraft.

Spent another hour re-scheduling everything and cancelling rental car and hotel for today. How hard should it be to call and say, I can't make it today, but I still need the reservation for Wed, Thur and Fri? How did the rental price on the car go up $60 additional dollars each day? I pitched a fit and got my original rate. Bastards**

Arrived home, changed and went to local store. I had to change because I was dressed casually. I was supposed to be opening a new store for the next 3 days for our grand opening on Friday. (Of course, now we have to work extra tomorrow and Thursday, because the store was not ready and I wasn't there to do the punch list and lead the troops)

Anyway, went to the local store and was stuck there until after 9pm. Don't ask....it is a long and terrible and stupid story.

Thank goodness this day that started at 5am and ends at 10pm is finally over.
Tuesdays, as a general rule, are not supposed to suck.

Michael Francis Rizzi, do you renounce Satan?

I went to a baptism this weekend.
I can't help being at any baptism and not playing over in my mind the 'baptism, mass murder' scene from The Godfather.

Being a huge Godfather fan, I am full of factoids about that particular scene. Sophia Coppola was the baby, Diane Keaton didn't know how to hold a baby and Francis Ford Coppala's wife was freaking out off camera wanting to rush and prop up Sophia's head. (I can't help but watch that scene and wonder how it was they didn't stop filming long enough to get Diane to hold the baby correctly)

Anyway, the baptism was lovely.
It was held at Dahlgren Chapel on the Georgetown campus. (Also used in a scene from The Excorcist)
Quite the cinematic weekend I had.
The baby was precious, she didn't fuss at all. I think most of us were jealous that she got to have water poured on her head while we all sat there in the 97 degree heat.
The priest was a delight too. He took the time to explain the ritual and make light hearted remarks throughout. For the non-Catholics in attendence, this was a particualar treat.....most especially when they discovered there would be no mass.

The Weekend Whoooshes By.....

If only the work week days would consistently play themselves out as quickly as the weekend days.

So much to do and see and no idea how to get it all done!

Down the rabbit hole I go........................

Thinking about it

So maybe, just maybe I will use some of my accumulated airline miles and take myself to Florence for a week.

Just me.

Just a week.

Sleeping late.

Eating fantastic food.

Wandering thru museums.

Wandering thru tiny streets.

Doesn't that sound divine?

I'm going to email my pal Antonio at the B&B right now for available dates.

PMS - I can blame the bloating!

While there is no denying the bad habits of week 4, I clearly miscalculated my monthly cycle. I never thought I would be so happy to have this visitor...but at least now I know some of this will go away!!!!!

I do realize that this is in the TMI category of life......but too bad. If you knew me really well, you would know all the dirty details anyway.

No one's perfect, but I could always improve....

In an effort to fill my head with more interesting facts other than trivia about every season of The Real World.....I have begun listening for the last few weeks to this podcast.

I have to admit that the subject on Materialism had nothing to do with what I thought materialism meant. I was thinking materialism in the sense of a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters .

Wrong.....it turned out to be a 40+ minute discussion on matter. As in the universe is made of it.

It was deep. I had to listen to it a couple of times......and still, I am puzzled.

Over the last few weeks I was treated to subjects as diverse as a discussion on the Library of Ninevah, then The Black Plague, Enclosures (the 16th century practice of fencing off land and not having to share with everyone else, in other words, keep your sheep off my grass)

Today, I listened to the talk on Probability......way deep for my pea brain to wrap itself around. Most especially because of my deep seated fear of all things mathematical. But deeply profound really. There was an idea in it that had to do with Monty Hall and Let's Make a Deal. I have decided to experiment to see if I can figure out probability on my own. Put things in TV terms and suddenly I am ready to try to understand math!

Next weeks topic........Lysenkoism. Can you even imagine?!

Project Ass Reduction ~ week 3 & 4

I fell off the wagon.

And posting this picture was hard to do....I can't even blame it on PMS bloat....this is from fried food, cake and not excercising!

I was on the wagon for week 3 ~ then took a nosedive off of it in week 4.

Week 3, I excercised 6 days and ate very healthfully for 4 days. Thursday night killed me with chocolate cake. Friday morning I had a breakfast that equaled a heart attack on a plate. Friday night every course of my seafood meal included lobster in some sort of cream sauce. Add to that the cocktails and you can see that it was a calorie packer.

Saturday, I did excercise but had a smorgasbord of fried food for dinner.....(you would do the same thing if a bird pooped on you)

Week 4 ~ aka the descent into hell

Sunday was the reunion - I actually ate very little. I did however drink most of the wine. Oh yes! And had 2 of the most delicious chocolate peanut butter brownie cookie things.....yummy.

No excercise - unless you count tossing an egg and playing bocce.

Monday drove home, ate fantastic pizza!!!! No excercise.

Tuesday ~ spent the day with Mom and Sis, dinner at Aunt's.....mojitos, pork and CAKE!!!

No excercise.

Wednesday ~ drove down to Raleigh.....5 hours in the car....agggh. (Damn the airlines and oil companies for the too expensive plane tickets!!!) Ate fast food....(i know, awful) Ate pasta and wine and a whole plate of wonderful biscotti!!!!

No excercise....are you seeing the pattern for week 4 yet? Excessive eating and no body movement.

Thursday ~ Cheescake Factory, more pasta for dinner, 2 glasses of wine....(at least I skipped the biscotti)

No excercise

Friday ~ PF Changs with the whole store staff, fast food on the 5 hour drive back home.

No excercise

Saturday ~ too exhausted from my week of bad habits....I lie on the couch watching a marathon of Bridezilla (how low can you go?) That night go eat Chinese Food, go see Indiana Jones and eat Popcorn.

No excercise.

Thus the fat ass picture above!

Time to get back on the wagon.....

Forced Togetherness....aka Family Reunion

The annual M family reunion was a good time. Can you believe I actually admitted that?! I say it was a good time because the games were so much fun! Thank you, thank you.....I take all the credit!

Despite my initial hope to not fall into the trap of the cheesy picnic type games...we did. But I managed to mix in a little newness that kept everyone involved and having fun.

As each person arrived, they received a colored bandana.....they were told to wear their bandana as it would represent their 'team'. I also placed the name of a celebrity on the back of each person...they had to learn who they were by asking only yes or no questions. This actually turned out to be great fun for everyone. Pop was Britney Spears, Michelle was Angelina Jolie, John was Al Pacino......you get the point. Good Times.

When it was time to play.....I had all of the teams gather......I explained that we would have a series of events that day.....the winners would earn tickets.....at the end of the day, the team with the most accumulated tickets would each win a prize. This encouraged participation from everyone.....and encouraged the team members to cheer one another on in events.

We tossed eggs, water balloons, had our cake walk, a bubble gum blowing contest, played bocce, softball, a battleship tournament, played screw your cousin (a card game) and did the Mummy wrap*, we listened to the M music mix of everyone's favorite songs.....I managed to sell some CD's to earn money for next years event.....and yes, they agreed to 'try' a catered event next year! I was victorious!

and, at the end of the day.......the Pink team was victorious! (they earned the most tickets)

*edited for Charles ~ Mummy Wrap Equipment Needed – One roll of toilet paper for every 2 peopleHow to Play – A fun game. Split into teams of two and give each team a roll of toilet paper. Games with toilet paper are always good. Then one person tries to turn the other into a mummy. Everything has to be covered except the eyes. First team done wins

I Happen to Hate New Jersey.....(ok, not really)

I'm baaaaaack. Hard to believe that a week has gone by since the whole family fiesta thing....time sure does fly. And while I did have fun.....there were parts that were NOT fun. But really, isn't that the joy of family togetherness?

As with most family events....it started out with the very best of intentions.
I happily picked up my mom and sister from the airport last Thursday night.....I still had a bit of scrambling to do to get ready to leave ~
We left Virginia Friday morning and headed up to New Jersey. We sang along to the Bee-Gees and Don McLean....it was awesome.
Mom had kept her arrival a surprise so that her mother - "my Nan" would be surprised. When we arrived, Nan was still at the hairdresser....so we were able to make ourselves comfortable and visit with Pop before she arrived. (Nan has been getting her hair done every Friday for my entire life.....I shudder to think what would happen if she missed her appointment....she also complains about how awful it looks every Friday at the end of the appointment)
When she returned home, she did get quite the surprise....she kept asking if she was dreaming....It was a nice moment.

Sadly, the nice moment did not last long.....my Mom's sister called, and Nan told her that we were all there.
Ugh.
We don't like Aunt Patty. She is mean. She is negative. She knows how to ruin a party.
One of the reasons Mom kept the secret was so she could enjoy at least one day with her parents uniterrupted.....It took maybe 2 hours and Patty showed up at the front door.....bringing her requisite black cloud along for the day. She did have her granddaughter Hannah....so that made it easy to ignore Patty and give all our adoring attention to cute little Hannah.

Happily, she was unable to join us for dinner! I knew we could digest in peace. Of course, we had to make plans for the next day....Patty was the organizer of the reunion, I was in charge of games and there were some last minute items to pick up. I grudgingly agreed to go with her the next morning to finish the tasks.

The next morning....I woke early to get in my morning excercise. I walked thru Phillipsburg and over the river to Easton and back....I was feeling really great, and determined to make this a great day. As I arrived back at the house, my sister and Pop were up in the kitchen....the three of us enjoyed conversation and the relative peace and quiet before the chaos of Patty arrived.
I made my list of items to purchase:

• colored bandanas
• pies (5 fruit)
• pork ribs
• 2 cakes
• side dishes

When Nan came downstairs that morning....she was in a bit of a tizz. Mainly she was stressed out about all of the work I was having to do for the reunion. Then she was stressed out about what we would eat the next day. What time would we leave for the grocery store? What time would we all need to get showered and dressed for church that night? Where would we eat lunch that day? What would we have for lunch tomorrow? Who was going to drive? Did we all have a serving of fruit for breakfast?

The frantic nature of all of these questions defines Nan. The woman is a walking worrier about nothing. She hates to entertain. She hates to cook. She doesn't particularly enjoy gatherings. She loves routine. She loves what is familiar. We had really thrown her for a loop when we descended unannounced and with an agenda of our own.

I explained that I would take care of everything. She should just relax and let us handle it.

Meanwhile, in the back of my mind....I continue to curse this stupid reunion that requires everyone to bring thier own lunch, dinner, side dishes, cakes and pies. Nobody would know the stress it was causing this poor 86 year old woman.

The day flew by in a manic whirl of Party Stores, Walmarts and Grocery Stores. We returned just in time to unload our purchases and shower and dress for church.

Nan and Pop go to church every Saturday night at 4:30. You must be ready to leave at 4:00 for the church that is 3 minutes away so that Nan and Pop can take their regular seats.

I was way overdressed. Ironically, a bird pooped on me and my sister as we entered the church. Pop very eloquently stated......"the birds only sing for the rich"

Nice.

The biggest thrill of the night came from dinner after church. Pop belongs to a 'social' club. This particular town is filled with 'social' clubs that are members only and require some special card and handshake to get into. Once inside, you are treated to more cigarette smoke than you could ever dream of, pitchers of beer for $2 and the ability to feed 5 adults for $33. 34. Yes folks, $33.34.

Nothing like being dressed in fabulous chocolate brown patent leather sling back shoes and drinking a pitcher of $2 beer. I felt like Grace Kelly in this joint.

Family Fiesta!

Off I go for a few days of family togetherness.....

Project Ass Reduction ~ week 2

Still sticking to the plan. I actually marked my one year anniversary this week of consistent excercise. That in itself is a milestone. For the past year I have moved the body at least 5 to 6 days every week.

Saturday, I ran more than walked, and on Sunday felt the pain in my joints. Some bodies are not engineered to run...

Now that PAR is in its 2nd week, I know that I have to make some radical changes to the normal excercise routine. Part of that is going to be me forcing myself to do abdominal excercises.

(NOOOOOOooooo! I don't want to!!!!!!) I plan on taking baby steps, a few days ago I read that holding in your stomach muscles for 10 seconds counts as excercise. I can handle that.

Perhaps I should take measurements....the photo this week seems to indicate expansion!!!! Maybe the rainy day made the picture look gloomy and fatter. Maybe I need to not obsess so much about stupid crap. At least I cleaned the bathroom of all the clutter.

TGIF

I hate that. I hate saying TGIF. I hate writing TGIF. But seriously.....Thank God!!!!
What a week!
My weekend agenda is not particularly full.
I turned down two invitations just so I could enjoy the next two days at my very own pace.

Momma C and Sis are coming ~ so I must clean. Not the fake sort of cleaning I usually do, but the serious deep clean.
Final work continues on the reunion revenue project....all songs are submitted and ready to be turned into "the" album of the summer!
Still trying to determine the menu for next Sunday too.....since I refuse to bring a sandwich for lunch and hot dogs to throw on the grill for dinner.
I am going for the elevated picnic experience. Last year I marinated lamb chops and made a wonderful panzanella salad....delicious!

Got to get my mojo on.....lots to accomplish and even more critical to squeeze in some time to re-charge the battery...

Thanks Don...

Don mentioned this site in a podcast.
I am now hooked and try to do a TED talk a few days a week.
Whatever topic you may be in the mood for, you can find it here. The best part is that the speakers are articulate, smart and fun to watch.
So, in honor of Project Ass Reduction.....(which is now Project Ass Reduction = Project Save the Planet)
Food, What is it Good For?

I needed Max to cheer me up...

I don't get it....

Such an unfortunate series of events the last few days.
The ultimate sadness, was the girl that admitted to stealing money.
Of course, we had to let her go.
What devestation to know that someone would resort to stealing money.
I try to understand how one would get to this point.
It makes my heart break for her really.

Poor thing.
18 years old.
On her own.
No support from her parents.
No food in the house.
She takes money because she had not eaten.

In a moment I would have given her the money.
If only I had known.......

What an Ass!

It may have been a tough day.....but at least I am not a dumb ass.

Bad Attitude? Check!

Today was one of those days that I should have followed my own advice and stayed in bed.

The commute this morning sucked. Seriously, 2 hours to go what should take 30 minutes max.

And then, surprise, surprise.....no parking at the airport. So being a lazy ass, I opted to park in hourly instead of driving to Pentagon, parking on the cheap and taking the metro.

$32 later in parking.....I was mad at myself for not getting it together and taking the extra time in the morning.

Employee meltdown seemed to be on the agenda today. The crazy from NC, the crazy from MD and finally the weeping one from VA.

The need for excedrin strength help was major come 3pm today.

Just when I thought it was all behind me, I paid my $32 and joined the commute traffic back home. I was just about to start jammin to the Bee-Gees (Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack is currently in circulation on my "feel good" music list) when my phone rang.

Nothing like being treated to the 3 way call with your 2 bosses.

Hello?! I am in traffic, I am off the clock, leave me alone! Can't this drama wait till morning?

At the very least, it is done and one less drama on my 'to-do' list tomorrow.

Breathing deeply now.

Relaxing now.

After all tomorrow is another day......

Project Ass Reduction ~ week 1

Ugh....nothing like a profile view to put things in perspective.

A. my bathroom is a disaster

B. my stomach is a disaster

Hard as this may be, I am going to take the same photo every week. We will see what we will see over time. Just knowing I have to take a photo of my stomach will no doubt help me lay off the pasta, bread and other bad choices.

I actually had a good start on PAR. I took my lunch everyday last week....made good eating choices thru the week....and excercised 6 out of 7 days. At the very least I will save money by not eating out for lunch daily and able to buy myself a reward outfit!

I also will clean the clutter in the bathroom....it looks like poop!

Project Ass Reduction

My ass seems to be in a plateau period.
My body is not getting smaller.
Thus I have begun Project Ass Reduction.

I promise that it will only involve excercise and proper diet.
I am terrified of needles....and no way is anything going to be allowed to suck the fat out of me.
Wish me luck.

I will be a size 8 by September. Hell or highwater.

Music with Meaning

We keep coming back to this project for the reunion.....it has been a fascinating process.

I have asked everyone to submit their 'favorite' song to me.

It can be a song that they consider their 'theme' song, the song that makes them shake their bootie....whatever.

We will play the music throughout the reunion - play a game to match the song to the person....and then I will sell copies of the CD to use to pay for our catered event next year....but anyway....

The song selections have been trickling in.

I know that it is no easy task to pick your 'favorite' song.

I have about 385 favorite songs...how do I narrow it down to one?

Ask me what my favorite thing to eat is.....and I will most likely respond with "food". How can you pick just one song?

However, after much agony......I made my selection.

Do you want to know what it is? I bet you do....too bad you will have to wait, or buy the CD.

So as the songs come in, I have laughed at some of the choices, giggled at others...and said...."hhhmm interesting choice" or "hhhhmm, who knew?"

Seeing the songs of your 1st, 2nd, 3rd and removed cousins is fascinating.

Some were predictable, some unexpected.

And then today, I received my Pop's selection.

It really made my day.....

He sent me a note in the mail ~

Annette

Here is my favorite song

Irving Berlin 1918

revised 1938

Spoken Introduction

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea. Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free. Let us all be grateful for a land so fair. As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God Bless America

Land that I love

Stand beside her and guide her

through the night with the light from above

From the mountains

To the prairies

To the ocean white with foam

God Bless America

My Home Sweet Home

If you can read this thank a teacher

If you can read this in English thank a Vet

P.S Annette

I Love You

Pop

How sweet is he? I had one of those moments where I could actually feel my heart swell with love for him. As he ages, his war stories slowly come out. And I realized that his favorite song means more to him than any song any of us could ever pick.

It is a bit early for Memorial Day.....but this is my early tribute to my Pop-pop.

I love you too Pop!

Pope T-Shirt

A few weeks ago, I went to New York with my Aunt for a gal's weekend.
We stayed in a fantastic loft in Tribeca.
We ate, window shopped and walked in Soho....where I touched Adrien Brody.
That's right....touched him..ok, so we actually brushed shoulders. (he is not as tall as you would think - about as tall as me)
And on that day....I bought my new favorite t-shirt.
My Pope t-shirt.
We stumbled into the Young Designers Market @ 268 Mulberry St.
PASTE t-shirts. Check it out.
Get your own Pope shirt if you dig it.

Re-cap

Nice day today.
7 mile walk/run
trip to Wegman's
made the cake
made clams and angel hair pasta for dinner
finished sweater
watched movies.

I did not get the planting done. Somehow I managed to get a freak injury on my right wrist. I have an enormous bruise and it is very swollen...I could actually see the vein swelling up with blood and bursting....ouchy. It made movement a bit difficult today.
Don't ask how I did it.....I believe it is somehow related to climbing 3 flights of stairs with 5 cloth grocery bags filled to the max.

It was nice to do my walk/run today in leisure....I could enjoy the time to myself....and as usual, found myself lost in my own thoughts. (sometimes it is scary to be alone with your thoughts)
I did have a bit of sadness when I realized that I'm really still missing J.
Isn't that terrible?
I miss my friend. Despite all the drama, all the love and loss and disappointment....the hardest part is not being able to talk to the one person I could tell anything to.
I know that I need to snap out of it. Have someone slap me across the face please.
For the past two weeks, his name keeps popping in my head at the worst moments.
Why am I doing this to myself? Why won't he go away?
Oh the angst.

Speaking of angst....I did watch Reality Bites today. I forgot how much I liked that movie. Winona Ryder irritates me...but any movie about young 20 somethings in the 90's takes me back. Even better, the movie is set in Houston....land of most of my young adult angst.
It was like watching a home movie....only with more attractive people.

Happiness is a day off mid-week....

You can't see it yourself, but I am currently doing a happy dance in my pajamas this morning.
I don't have to go to work today!
Hooray!

The day holds so much promise ahead.
A day all to myself! Laundry is done. (6 loads on Saturday!) Ironing complete (2 hours to finish! Can you imagine?)

My normal excercise is on the agenda....and then I think I am going to plant in my windowboxes, bake a cake and then lounge on the couch with a good movie. (and yes, I have to finish the last 2 inches on this sweater I am knitting......which will blend perfectly with my movie watching.)

Last year, I planted petunias...they lasted nearly all summer long until the nasty little bugs came and ate them. For once, another living creature killed them....not me.
I need plants that are easy to care for and resiliant to my tendency to overlove and then the next week overneglect them.
Apparently Nastursiums are a good choice because they thrive on neglect! Right up my ally!

I am going to bake an Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake. It sounds yummy, is in Cooking Light magazine, and should pair beautifully with a cup of tea tonight.

Movies, movies, movies.....hhhhhmmm who knows. I do know that I will stear clear of the 'epic/tragic/romance'
Last night I watched Atonement.
Sunday night I watched Curse of the Golden Flower.
ugh...enough with the sadness and death.

Circadian Rhythm

Finally my own circadian rhythms have matched up to the Daylight Savings Time change.

Clearly, the government should consult me on when the best time is to implement the time change.

When they do this without consulting me the only result is:

Weeks of insomnia.

Weeks of not being able to get out of bed at the appointed hour.

A general grumpy demeanor thru the day.

Now, I rise at 5:45am again....no alarm, no great drama.

All is right in the world again.

Me in Anime....

How cute is this?

Someone drew me in Anime-style!

I love it because I look so young and skinny!

I'm the one in red. I always did look good in red.

Irony of "The Beer Barrel Polka"

Failing to mention that I am putting together a CD of family favorite songs....I found out that my maternal great-grandfather's favorite song was "The Beer Barrel Polka".
As I listened to it, I realized it was the same song I would dance to when I was a little girl.

My paternal grandparents owned a bar....and I would get on the bar and dance with my piggy bank for tips.

I recall my favorite songs were "The Beer Barrel Polka" and "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"
There was a legacy to my music choices.

Happy to report...

I have begun my reunion revenue project.
The worst part is starting.....now it is started and I find myself flooded with more ideas!
Hurrah!

I will only write this here....because none of these family members know about this blog...but this particular branch of the family tree tends to be on the 'cheap' side of the spectrum.
This reunion takes place every year. Same weekend....and the dues are $5 per person. $3 if you are under 18. (a few years ago the price went up to $7 per person and people nearly split a gut in anger....thus we returned to the $5 fee)
Each painful year, each family brings their lunch, something to bbq for dinner and a dish to share with the whole family.
Oh...and lets not forget the cake for the cakewalk. Which is not a normal cakewalk and just serves to irritate everyone.
On top of that you pay $5 which goes to beer, soda, water, charcoal, lighter fluid and the rental of the pavilion. The entire production costs the family a whooping $300. Not bad for 34 households.
Have these people not heard of the cost of living increase? Are you telling me you can't fork over a couple extra bucks and have this bad boy catered?!
It is a pain to bring 2 meals to an outdoor picnic in the stinking hot.
It is a pain to sit at any family gathering that lasts 7+ hours...can't we do this in 4?

Anyway...back to my project. As I am in charge of the reunion next year, I have a sinister plot in mind.
I plan on raising money with my project....and using the funds to cater the event next year!
genius!
We will not vote on it.
This is not a democracy...This is a family function. I never got to vote on bad food, $5 and stupid cakewalks.
It will be catered.
Leave your bologna sandwhich, hamburger meat, nasty pasta salad and stale cake at home!
No more runs to get more beer and water because we ran out!

The power I feel is overwhelming.....bwah hah hah hah! (that is my sinister laugh)

My new favorite hobby....

at least for today is procrastination.
Nearly a year ago, I found out that I would be responsible for the 'games' at an upcoming family reunion.
No big deal. Piece of cake.
I can handle family entertainment. I am filled with ideas!
I don't want to do the corny egg toss, the water balloons, the family softball....I want interaction on a deeper level....fun that they never thought they could have at a family reunion!

Now it is less than one month away....and I am painfully aware that my biggest idea..(and revenue generator)...is going to take some more effort than I had imagined.

I suppose I had better get to work.
ugh.
Wasn't this supposed to be fun?

Youth in a jar.....

I know. I obsess about age. I never thought I would be an age obsessor....but here I am.

Those who know me, know that each night, without fail - I complete "the routine".

The Routine consists of the following:

• hair pulled back off face


• eye makeup removed with cotton balls


• face cleansed with either DDF brightening cleanser or DDF glycolic exfoliating wash


• toner applied with cotton ball


• teeth brushed


• wrinkle cream


• eye cream


• night cream


• aloe lip balm

Without fail I perform the routine. Transatlantic flight? yup. Saturday night after going sans makeup? yup. Sometimes, I have to forgo a step....usually the eyemakeup remover - because I can't always fit it into my quart bag for the airplane. To remedy that, I sometime use those pre-moistened cloths for the eye makeup when I travel.

The sad part is, if I don't do the routine, I can't sleep well. The ritual is almost the signal to my body to go to bed. I know what you are thinking ~ perhaps a slight case of OCD Annette

Perhaps, but so what.

Every person I know has teased me about the routine. Most especially other women. My job requires that I attend meetings thru the year, we always have another female roommate - and inevitably there are late nights of cocktails. Most of the women come back to the room and fall face first onto the bed - eyeliner and foundation still on!!!!Oh the horror!

No matter how tired, I do the routine. Always telling myself, that if I don't....I won't sleep. I will just lay there, wide awake. Thinking I should have just done the damn routine.

As I look closely at my face each day....do I see a difference? No. Do I continue to age? Yup.

But vindication was mine.

I was carded! Me! Carded when trying to have some wine at a restaurant! I thought the waitress was joking.

"No, I really need to see your id please."

I handed her my id.

She looked at it and said, "1972" then began to count the decades on her fingers.

"1982, 1992, 2002......crap! you are old!"

The best part was, she was in her 50's , not some 20 something thinking anyone over 25 is ancient.

I performed the routine with glee that night.