Midlife Voice

Reflection

2010-11-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

I am not proud of what I am about to tell you, and I am wondering if others would jump to a similar conclusion.

A month or more ago, I had just pulled my car out of the parking garage at work and turned right onto Atlantic Avenue which runs parallel to The Greenway It was a bright, still, sunlit afternoon and the roads and sidewalks had calmed since Labor Day brought an end to the tourist crush. I pulled into the third lane and came to a red light at the corner of State Street. There was a car in front of me, taking a left and a car in the middle lane with one person in it. On the right corner sidewalk was someone taking a photograph, while almost standing on his head to get the right shot.

The man in middle lane's car, whom I saw from the side, looked to be of Middle Eastern descent. While we were sitting at the light, he pulled a camera up to his eye, pointed it at the large, glass filled office building on the opposite corner and started shooting. As the light turned, this man pulled his camera down and quickly cut over to the left and shot down the street, never to be seen by me again.

Not such an unusual occurrence, someone taking a photo of interesting architecture, but the first thing that entered my mind was that this guy might have been doing surveillance for some dastardly event in the future. This is terrorism at its lowest form and a sad commentary on what life has become.

clammy 2.0 *

2010-10-15T07:19:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted anything in this space in a year. Lately though, I feel a little tug from my alter ego, clammy. Perhaps it's time, a little voice in my head said. It is October and it's so synchronistic to restart my blog in the same month in which I started five years ago.

As it relates to social media, my experiment with both Facebook and Twitter has shown mixed results. After joining Facebook more than a year ago, my days around this space disappeared while I friended old and new friends, family, co-workers, cats, pirates and Gidget. I've posted photo's, played many games of my guilty pleasure, Bejeweled Blitz, and had fun with the assortment of comments that come through my newsfeed. For instance, yesterday I was told by the St. Francis Winery that Our 2007 Rockpile Red is today’s Wine of the Day and that this bold red’s rich mouthfeel and aromas of briary fruit is an all-around crowd pleaser. Hmm.. better go out and find me a bottle or two! When is Massachusetts going to allow wine bought via the internet to be shipped here? A discussion for another day, I guess. It tells me who's got new friends, new interests, new likes and who is on the warpath or down in the dumps. What someone is doing for the weekend or even for the next 5 minutes. More information than anyone would ever tell someone in person!

I have not been as prolific at Twittering, with only 48 tweets in 1-1/2 years. My favorite is the one I posted yesterday about Sear5 customer support. It's a little empowering when you realize that you can exclaim to the world about the fact the refrigerator repairman didn't show up or call in the 4 hour window they had and that its unacceptable. At least it gets their attention. If you want to follow me, go here: http://twitter.com/geekysoxgirl.

For the time being, both this blog and my Twitter account are more anonymous than not. While, my Facebook account is mostly me, except that I am using the name I am known by, rather than my given name. It all comes back to who do I think I am? Which brings me back to this blog and that it allows me to journal ideas and record events in a more thorough way than either Facebook or Twitter. Happy October, all!

* Web 2.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Fluffy: June 1993-October 2009

2009-10-11T10:14:00.002-04:00

I will miss Fluffy terribly, for she was a part of our lives for 16 years and it seems too soon that she left us. I know, because it has happened with each pet that has passed before her, that I will think of her often in these next few weeks. Days will come and go and routines will change, as time spent with her will slowly fill with other things.

A thought went through my head this week, as it became apparent that our sweet kitty was too tired to fight much longer, that I have had either a dog or cat in my life for close to 45 years. They each have attached themselves to my heart and held on. Fluffy though, is special. She was a naughty kitty, who had a bit of an edge when she was younger. She mellowed over the years, but always ruled our house and us. She would chase me from chair to chair so that she could sit on a nice, warm seat or appear in the dining room at the same time each night for treats. She was the one who demanded bedtime was 10pm or that she needed the door opened or a visit outside.

We remembered that when we first found her at the animal shelter we were only going to take one kitten but couldn’t take Fluffy without Flashy, so we ended up with two. They were so tiny they fit underneath a cabinet that had an opening of only a few inches. Hard to believe those little fur balls grew into such big kitties. Flashy died five years ago and I think that Fluffy really missed him. I will really miss Fluffy, too.

Where is summer and why hasn't she arrived yet?

2009-06-17T00:20:00.001-04:00

This weather has prompted a post, to say WAHHHHHHH.

I feel more posts to come. I hope you're still out there in blog land.

Graphic from www.boston.com

Friday Funnies

2009-03-13T13:32:00.003-04:00

If Only....

Wasserman... The Boston Globe

The L Word Swan Song

2009-03-08T14:06:00.004-04:00

Tonight wraps up The L Word series and I will miss it, even if it has jumped the shark with this season's Who Killed Jenny storyline. I choose to be grateful that Ilene Chaiken created and was able to sell the pilot to the people at Showt!me and I'm happy to have watched it these six years, rather than spend a lot of time wondering what the heck she was thinking when she took the story down the paths she chose over the years.

I do think that Jenny was meant to have everything centered around her and Ms. Chaiken didn't foresee that the Bette and Tina story was going to resonate so heavily with the fans and that Jenny was going to irritate so many! And I also think she was too ambitious with all her storylines about "us". Or maybe it's just that the writing and acting couldn't live up to the story she had in mind. I do think Leisha Hailey as Alice hit on all cylinders in the majority of her scenes. But, it was the B&T story that carried me along in the series and were the central characters, though I did become fond of the friendship between Shane and Jenny, until they messed with it.

They auctioned off the Set of TLW yesterday. I would have bid on Kit's car! Take a look at the following link, there are some funny pictures of what were available . A box of assorted thongs!

Good bye L Word...

New Community updated

2009-01-26T21:23:00.004-05:00

Because my line of work is in information technology, I've participated in work related forums and technical support boards for quite some time. When I first started blogging in 2005, it wasn't for work though. I did it because I had words and a voice that needed an outlet and an interest in this new method of online communicating. It was freeing because it was anonymous but allowed others to see into my life and maybe find a commonality that could connect us in some way. It also enabled a method to record events so I'll remember the details of what happened when I'm old and gray (hey, stay quiet in the peanut gallery :)). You know, like when I burned the heck out of my hand making that Valentine picnic.

I was a bit more prolific back in 2005/06, although never one to post every day or multiple posts in one day. The enjoyment of blogging about things that occurred naturally, always overshadowed looking for things to blog about. Although I did find myself paying more attention to details back then. The year's birthdays and anniversaries were there to shout out and daily musings of nothing at all were shared because I could. If there wasn't anything of particular interest to write, I made lists and told anecdotes and waited for comments to be written because I like that interaction. I've posted plenty of pictures of myself, although none of them have showed my entire face for the world to see.

This year, I have found that I have less and less to say anonymously and although I want to continue to connect with the online community, this space isn't really doing it for me. Oh, I think there is still is more to write here and I most definitely will continue to read yours and comment but I have opened up a new place recently. It has been taking up my online time the past couple of weeks as I have found friends and family to banter back and forth with. It's more real and 3D and fits my mood right now. So, if you don't see me for awhile, it's because I'm over there. If you would like to connect in that place, let me know at my email address. See you around.

The wait is over.. Change is here

2009-01-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

whitehouse.gov

Best of luck, Mr. Obama.

I hope your shoulders are wide enough and strong enough to carry the weight that is being asked of you.

Go on, you old bee charmer

2009-01-07T20:11:00.007-05:00

I've been feeling a bit of malaise about my job lately. You know the feeling - kind of tired and bored and uninterested. So as I ended the year and turned the page to a new one I decided to clean my work desk because something like that is good for the soul. A break from the year past and a way to make room for the future, a weight lifted. Ahhh. feels good. I told one of my co-workers today that I couldn't remember the last time I had seen the left corner of my desk.

So I guess it's part of this fresh air look at 2009 that today, as I was slip-sliding my way to work, I drove by a sign advertising "Beginning Beekeeping" This is fascinating. Beekeeping. Maybe I've found a new career. Can one have a career in beekeeping? How many bees do you have to keep and how much honey will they produce. I can just see it now, my neighbors all gathering around wondering where all that buzzing is coming from.

Truthfully I wish I could spin a good story like Idgie did. How it flowed from her mouth as smooth as silk. When I tell a story, you better have a long attention span, because its going to take a little time to get it all out. Maybe instead of beekeeping, I should take beginning storytelling. Ha.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to 2009 and all the stories that are told and shared.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T07:25:00.003-05:00

I wish all of you a Christmas filled with happiness and joy, a table filled with family and food and a new year that brings change that is good for all.

Too bad we gave ours away

2008-12-21T08:32:00.003-05:00

I can always count on my pal, MG, to provide at least one gem from the world wide web. I wish now we hadn't given ours to my brother because I think Fluffy could have really gotten into this ride.

The presents are bought, wrapped and sitting under the tree. The cookies are ready to be packed up for their ride to MP's parents house tomorrow. I'm going to work tomorrow although I don't foresee a lot of work getting done. Perhaps a blog post written :)

Fun with Cookies

2008-12-19T22:01:00.012-05:00

I'm wrapped up in all the holiday festivities this week. Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier. Heh, or maybe I'm just getting older.

The snow storm today gave me the perfect excuse to use my day off and finish the cookies that I started making last week.I have carried on the tradition of baking cookies and bringing them to the annual family Christmas party, which this year is at my oldest brother's home in New Hampshire on Sunday. Last week I baked all the cookies, so today I could frost and decorate them.

It's quite the procedure and one that takes a lot of patience to complete. MP thinks that the time spent doing it doesn't really seem worth it. Although I understand where she's coming from, because it does take forever, I like continuing something that my mother started when she was a young mom.I also like the process of baking and decorating.

Do you make cookies?

A story befitting the holiday season

2008-12-12T20:06:00.007-05:00

I have a little tale to tell.

My work week started the normal way with the alarm going off at 5:00am on Monday and rolling over to push the snooze button for at least 10 more minutes. Feed the cat, make the coffee, the TV news/weather replay for an hour, and sleepy conversation with MP while she catches up on her email.

My drive to work was uneventful, although I was anxious about how the week was going to go, because of a year long project finally coming to a major milestone. As I approached the parking garage I had to stop at a red light. It is an intersection that has three lanes on the street I was driving on. The left lane turns left and right two lanes can move straight through the intersection. I was in the right hand lane because I have to take a right into the garage just after the intersection. As the light turn green and I moved forward, a car flew up on the left of me and cut me off as he headed into the garage. Grrrrr. I just hate stuff like that. I layed on my horn just to let him know how I felt and followed his car to the 4th floor of the garage. I usually do park on the 4th floor so I wasn't doing anything out of the norm but I also thought that I would give this guy a piece of my mind if I had the chance to.

I parked two cars over from his and got out and said to him "what was that all about? You cut me off with no blinker." He looked at me and said "I didn't cut you off and I did put my blinker on. You didn't see what happened to me behind you, someone squeezed me out." I walked to the elevator and he walked to the stairs, with a "have a nice day" muttered under his breath.

I wandered into work with a scowl on my face and a growl coming from my lips. No one better get in my way!

So, fast forward to yesterday morning when my day started the same way: alarm.snooze.catfood.coffee. TV.commute.

I stopped at the red light and made it safely into the garage without anyone cutting me off. I proceeded to my normal 4th floor location and as I turned the corner, the guy that cut me off was getting out of his car. On this day, I didn't feel like sharing an elevator or having any more conversation with him so I took the stairs. As I opened the door at the bottom and walked outside, he was standing there waiting for me. Ugh.

This is where the story turns to a holiday tale. He said to me, "I cut you off the other day and I want to apologize for that." I was all revved up because of something that happened behind you, so I'm glad that I saw you to say something" I could have fallen flat on my face! So, of course I told him I accepted his apology. He asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee and I told him it wasn't necessary. We wished each other a nice day and waved as we walked in opposite directions. The guys at work told me that I'd probably be having lunch with him soon. Hee hee.

Happy Holidays!

I am Thankful that change keeps the spice in life!

2008-11-29T08:55:00.006-05:00

MP and I flew off to the sunny southern Florida gulf last Saturday and spent 5 nights/6 days in the condo that we own there. Yep, we are fairly new owners of a small, 2 bedroom place off the Tamiami Trail in Naples.

In past years MP's folks, sisters, nieces, nephew and my younger brother have joined us at our Thanksgiving table to chow down on the traditional fare of turkey and all the trimmings. This year though, we chose to head south on a week that we didn't have to use many vacation days to enjoy the warm, 75 degree weather.

We visited the beaches that stretch for miles along that area of Naples and came to the conclusion that there isn't a bad beach to be had there. I love the way you can drive to the end of any of the streets that lead from downtown and park free at any of the small lots, as long as you have a beach sticker stuck to the bumper of your car. It's still off-season and I am surprised and happy that there is a diversity of ages who were on the beach.

We ate in a couple neighborhood restaurants. On Sunday, we headed to a local joint called Foxboro Sports Tavern to watch the Patriot's take on the Miami Dolphins. Foxboro's is owned by former MA residents and pays homage to the Patriots home town of the same name. It was a perfect place to watch the game and if you are looking for the perfect cheeseburger, this is the place. I haven't had a burger like this is years (and the pitchers of beer weren't so bad, either!) Alice Sweetwaters is a small, local place with decent prices and a fun atmosphere. We both had steak and shrimp. The steak was tasty, the fried shrimp fresh and made a great surf to the turf.

We wandered upscale stores on 5th Avenue in Naples and stuck our noses in places that looked interesting, we shopped the local thrift shops to see if we could get any bargain furniture. We both agreed that we'd rather buy new! We meandered up and down streets and found every Starbucks in our general area and we drove out past the orange groves to the Indian casino to play a few slots.

It was relaxing and the perfect change of scenery for a dreary, cold week in November. We had several laughs about our Thansgiving day feasts: before we left to come home we ate leftovers - I ate the pizza and MP ate shrimp and pasta. We packed a lunch to eat on the plane so we could say we had turkey and cranberry. We unpacked it, laid it out on the fold down seat-back tray and toasted the day! I hope that your Thanksgiving was as good.

Are you tired of the digital tv countdown?

2008-11-13T10:07:00.001-05:00

Hungry

2008-11-10T20:20:00.002-05:00

This guy (and his three friends) came to visit the other day. It's that time of the year when wildlife are looking for food sources. We have given in to our animal friends and don't worry any longer that many of our bushes end up looking like popsicles at the end of winter. Go ahead, mangia!

Mixed Feelings

2008-11-08T10:22:00.003-05:00

I wrote a post a little more than three years ago, just after I started this Midlife Voice blog, about another voice that inspired me. In this, I ended with

"I would hope that kids these days would have a voice that would so impact them, that they would remember it forty years later. I'm afraid there isn't any."

With the election of Barack Obama, I felt hope that we will have a leader that brings change to America, and make it feel like our United States. That perhaps there is a voice that can right wrongs the outgoing administration has been heaping on us for eight years. He has a huge job ahead of him and I wish him well in the coming months and years.

The joy I feel for the outcome of the election is tempered by anger for the close minded decisions that ban same sex marriage in Florida, Arizona and California. The Cali decision is after their Supreme Court decided its legal to marry under the state's constitution and after thousands have married this year. How dare they take that right away. This is a civil issue, not a religious one. Perhaps Obama will instill civility to all of those who voted for him. I believe he understands the difference between Rights and wrongs and when civil disobedience is justified.

Today's the Day!

2008-11-04T08:45:00.006-05:00

I got to the church in our little town where voting takes place at 7:13am. MP had left our house a couple of minutes before me and was lined up into the parking lot and had called and warned me that there was already a line.

I got out of the car and starting walking towards the line when I heard this being yelled out "anyone with a last name that starts with a letter between "penguin" and "zebra" follow me. Hee hee, my name starts with a "W" so I walked past MP, whose name starts with a "C" and up to the designated table to check-in.

I cast my ballot and slid it into the machine and the count said that I was the 139th person to vote. I love small town living.

Have a great day today.. I hope your voting experience is as good!

saving heat

2008-10-26T18:25:00.001-04:00

We've been talking about replacing the 2nd floor thermostat with a programmable model like the one we have on our first floor. So we went to the H0me Dep0t a couple of weeks ago and picked one up.

It was with a chuckle and interest that I read Weese's tip about installing their thermostat and providing the step by step tutorial in such fine form. If you read her blog, you know she is very thorough, so make sure, if you want an end to end solution go right to that post and you'll find it. I am sharing my experience, just in case you have some of the same questions I came across in my not-so-perfect installation.

First up, I read my instruction pamphlet. It told me to turn the electricity off, which I did by going to the garage panel and shutting the heat off. I did wonder whether the thermostat would still have electricity running to it, even though the heat was off. I didn't get electrified so I guess I did it correctly.

I read that all I would need was a phillips screwdriver and a drill. The instructions said I could easily pop off the cover of the old thermostat which I did carefully, just in case the project went south and I had to put the old thermostat back in place. I had to go find a small slotted screwdriver to take the rest of the old thermostat off the wall. Note to self: always bring more tools than you think you need because you'll end up running up and down two sets of stairs to the cellar and back.

The hardest part of the job was determining what labels matched up with the three wires that were attached to the old part. Two of them did not show up on the handy strip of labels that came with the new thermostat. Oh Oh. I was attempting to follow these fine instructions but it was going to take a little guessing to determine which wire went where.

After spending more than a small amount of time attaching the three wires to the new thermostat, loading up the batteries, and screwing it back on the wall, it was ready to test my handywork.

First though, one must relight the gas furnace to make it all work. This is always scary to me, as I take a long match stick, press the pilot knob down and stick the match in. Always hoping that the furnace works as it should and lights the little light that runs the furnace.

Ah, but look how nice the new one looks next that old thing I replaced. Just a couple of hours later and we have programmable heat upstairs near the bedrooms and don't have to worry about whether the temperature has been turned down before we've turned in.

reflections on a birthday

2008-10-21T19:57:00.005-04:00

One of my older brothers called me today and sang the first line of Happy Birthday to me. I think it's the first time in my adult life that he has done that. He asked me how it felt to turn 54. I told him that it's way worse than turning 50 and he told me to wait until next year when I would be double nickles.

We laughed and joked, he asked about MP and I asked about his wife and kids. There was an easy air of conversation and he helped me pass the time as the traffic moved me along slowly toward home. What's so special about that, you're asking? Well, a simple thing like that put an extra smile on my face today. You see, if someone were to ask me about my relationship with my four brothers I would tell you that we were a close family but that we have had our struggles in the past few years. What used to be fun, carefree get togethers now often turn into meetings that we have to resolve an issue or have serious discussion.

Thanks for the present, bro. Even if you don't know you gave me one :)

oh... and don't you worry, I'll be sending those daily reminders telling you why you should be voting for Barack.

31 is it?

2008-10-09T12:13:00.000-04:00

It's my niece's birthday today. She might logon and say hey, y'all if I prod her with these candles. I hope it's fabulous, L!!!

Humbling

2008-10-06T19:55:00.008-04:00

Sunday, I joined MP and her co-workers in Boston's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. I was trying to remember if I've ever done a "walk for a cause." If I did, it was many many years ago and my mid-life brain doesn't remember it.

After completing the 5 mile ring around the Charles River, I believe it won't be my last. Not because of any exercise benefit I might have gotten from walking those miles. Not because of the friendly camaraderie that I felt walking along with all those strangers. Not because of the tax benefit I can add at the end of the year. Not because of whatever good I felt with my contribution to the cause.

Nope, it was more than that. It was looking around at some of the 38,000 participants, many of whom wore a sash that read SURVIVOR and thinking that those people had not been dropped on an island somewhere with Jeff Probst and were not going to end up with a million bucks after they outwit and outlast their opponent. They will end up living out lives that may have been cut much shorter if not for the progress that has been made. I have no business complaining about a blister on my right little toe after witnessing real life survivors.

Apples are in!

2008-09-30T21:06:00.008-04:00

Go pick some apples, it's an unbelievable crop this year. MP and I did just that, a couple of weekends ago. Apple picking is one of those semi regular annual traditions that we've been doing for most of our life together.

I like it because there's a simpleness to the task. We search out the small, unflashy farms that don't have all kinds of extra activities shoe-horned around the reason you are there. We were earlier this year than most and jumped the gun, as our regular place hadn't even opened for picking yet. So we ended up at a place nearby, which turned out to be a real gem. We forked over $15 to the nice man sitting at a temporary table set up and took the bag he handed us and followed his instructions to the signpost at the beginning of the orchard.

It was morning and before the bewitching hour when everyone gets going. It took us a very short time to fill our bag with the gorgeous red fruit and it was over before I was ready for it to be over. 2008 was a banner apple year :)

Bailout Plan - citizen style

2008-09-26T07:52:00.002-04:00

This comes by way of MP's inbox. It sounds like a good and logical plan to me!

I'm against the $85,000,000,000 bailout of AIG. Instead, I'm in favor of giving the $85,000,000,000 to America in a ""We Deserve It Dividend"".

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up. So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon; that equals $425,000. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a "We Deserve It Dividend". Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500 in their pocket. A husband and wife (or wife & wife, husband & husband :)) has $595,000. What would you do with
$297,500 to $595,000 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.*
Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads*
Put away money for college - it'll be there*
Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.*
Buy a new car - create jobs*
Invest in the market - capital drives growth*
Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves*
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces. If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ("vote buy") economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President. If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+! As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American
General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't. Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work." But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom? I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion "We Deserve It Dividend" more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC. And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Fiesta!

2008-09-21T17:40:00.005-04:00

What do 50+ year old women do to celebrate their friend's birthday?

They take a stick and wack the pinata until candy is strewn everywhere. What else??!! Ha ha ha Happy Birthday to all you Virgo's out there. Go ahead, have some fun.

Confessions of a fake environmentalist

2008-09-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

My name is clammy and I am a fake environmentalist.

Oh sure, I work for an organization whose mission includes research, conservation and educating the population about certain aspects of our environment and I talk a good game and know all the things that I should be doing to help this earth last longer and be healthy. Like many of you, words like reusing, recycling, repurposing are part of my daily life but I'm afraid that often, that's exactly what they are, just words rolling off my tongue.

I'm reminded on a daily basis when I'm stuck in traffic driving my SUV to work. Yeah, it's a smallish SUV, but it requires a gas-up a couple of times a week because I've found some excuse not to take the commuter rail with all the other worker bees bound for their Boston jobs. Things like.... it's raining and I have a bit of a hike once I reach North Station - I might melt, it's hot and I'll have to sit next to all those hot, sweaty people, I've got to work late and I'll have to wait even longer for a train, I've got to stop somewhere on the way between Boston and home.. la la la la.

I'm reminded when MP says to me, "you've been using a lot of paper towels lately" I have my reasons, I say. "You don't want me to clean up the floor with a cloth towel, do you?" or "I had to clean around Fluffy's box" both good reasons but I suppose there's other methods.

I leave my computer, monitor and printer on ALL the time... and what about all of those other electrical appliances, plugs, power strips, rechargers and the like, that we have in our house. Basically anything that has a light on is consuming electricity. Yikes.

I'm feeling guilty about it all. What's that saying about recognition is the first step? Well, maybe admitting I'm a fake to my blog readers is the second step.

Why would we vote for this man?

2008-09-11T19:48:00.004-04:00

Paula Brooks posted a compelling blog today on Lesbiatopia .

It honors the memory of Mark Bingham , who died onboard Flight 93, one of those that went down on 9/11/2001. At the same time she points out the hypocritical nature of John McCain who somehow found his way in front of a crowd at a memorial for Mark Bingham and said the following:

"It is now believed that the terrorists on Flight 93 intended to crash the airplane into the United States Capitol where I work, the great house of democracy where I was that day… It is very possible that I would have been in the building, with a great many other people…I may very well owe my life to Mark and the others who summoned the enormous courage and love necessary to deny those depraved, hateful men their terrible triumph.Such a debt you incur for life.”

Ms. Brooks points out that "Senator John McCain, who supports California Prop. 8, voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation, voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes and voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation, praised Mark's heroic sacrifice"

Go over and read the whole post.

Her love of the beach started...

2008-09-06T07:34:00.001-04:00

Yep, MP has always loved the beach.

I think it all started around this age, in that spiffy little suit!

Happy Birthday, Cutie.

Funny Funny Funny

2008-09-04T20:34:00.004-04:00

... who knew they were IMing each other? Funny stuff from 236.com

I gotta give Sarah Palin her due, though. Her speech last night was darn good. She's a bright and witty woman. Course, it's been lost in the media that she's not the person running for President.

What went bump in the night?

2008-08-29T20:02:00.014-04:00

Sarah Palin and friend (pic scooped from The Huffington Post)

I'm not one to push my opinions on anyone, as I think that everyone has a right to think whatever they want to. And, I'm not like MP who can soak up hours of political debate and discussion and speak ardently about her feelings for or against. But this election has fascinated me from the beginning.

Yes, my vote was for Hillary, because I believe she is the most qualified candidate. I thought that the glass ceiling was going to shatter and she would be the one to sweep Jr out the back door of the white house.

Like other's I have questions about Barack's experience, but I have confidence in his model for change and hope that he can surround himself with the experience he lacks. I thought his acceptance speech last night was strong and powerful and hit on all cylinders. And I went to bed thinking that the "bounce" would be a big one.

At noon today I learned the McCain had chosen someone I have never heard of but that she was a woman. Obama's bounce disappeared as the media got hold of Gov. Palin's bio and learned of the soccer mom turned governor. I said to a co-worker, "What is McCain thinking?" How does 1-1/2 years of governing Alaska translate to VP material? I guess she sounds like an interesting person to have a beer with and I bet she has a lot of stories to tell. She married her high school sweetheart, has 5 kids, served as mayor of a town as small as the one we live, hunts, fishes, is an ex beauty queen, and played a mean game of basketball. I wonder if she dreamed of becoming president one day? I wonder who in McCain's camp picked her. On first glance you would think its a shot at those 18 million Hillary votes. Is McCain that out of touch to think that someone who would vote for a liberal Democrat would just swap their vote to a conservative Republican, just because she's a woman? I'm more inclined to agree with MP that McCain has sold out to the evangelical Christians. Thanks for the decision, because I think it will be in our favor at the end.

OBAMA 2008!

party animals

2008-08-26T20:32:00.000-04:00

This year's fest was the first time all four of my brothers, the sister-in-laws, and all my nieces and nephews, including that cute great nephew up there in the picture have all been in the same place in almost five years. Good times was had by all.... except maybe Harley and Muffy who were caught on the outside looking in.

S'more pie ala strawberries

2008-08-22T22:17:00.001-04:00

I was inspired this week by both the decadent, grilled s'more pie that Weese showed us and by the very yummy looking Portland Pie-off. Tomorrow is the Clammy family summerfest and I volunteered to bring some form of dessert to share with all who will be at the homestead down the Cape .

So, yesterday I searched the internet for an easy s'more-like pie, which I found pretty quickly.

Ingredients

1 graham cracker pie crust

12 ounces chocolate candy bars, broken into pieces

30 regular marshmallows

3/4 cup milk

1 (8 ounce) container frozen non-dairy topping, thawed

6 ounces hot fudge,

warmed chocolate syrup

Added for Sassy:

Directions

1 Place chocolate bar, marshmallows, and milk in medium sauce pan.

2 Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate and marshmallows are melted.

3 Cool.

4 Fold 1 and 1/2 cups whipped topping into chocolate mixture.

5 Spread thin layer of warm hot fudge over bottom of pie crust.

6 Gently spoon marshmallow mixture into crust.

7 Top with remaining whipped topping and garnish with chocolate syrup.

8 Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.

9 Refrigerate leftovers.

It went together pretty quickly but I wondered while I was melting chocolate and marshmallow together, that it seemed like an awful lot of chocolate and not a lot of marshmallow or graham crackers. Now, if MP had been home I would have asked her culinary advice, since she knows way more than I do. But she wasn't home, so I was left to deciding for myself.

After building the pie and chilling and firming in the fridge for three hours, I dug a little hole in the side of it because I had to know what it tasted like. Maybe it was because I made the thing, but to me it tasted like melted chocolate in a pie crust. Not quite what I had in mind.

So, I was telling my friends at lunch today about the pie concoction and the realization that maybe I should have made some kind of summer fruit pie. One of my lunch companions said to me, "why don't you put strawberries on the top of it because you know how well they go with chocolate" What a primo idea!

Guest Blog - MP

2008-08-18T19:50:00.003-04:00

Produce...... $6.50

Gas to Drive to the Farm Stand..... $20.00

Buying Local...... Priceless

Observations from the beach chair, 2008

2008-08-17T19:31:00.015-04:00

Due to the weird stormy weather we've had in the northeast this summer we've had limited boating and beach time for seven weeks. During our staycation we were only able to get out in the Nautigull twice and shove off from the town landing, snake our way out the river, past the backside of Plum Island and over to the portion of Crane Beach that boaters anchor at.

So today when we woke up and it was of those pristine, blue sky summer days, we knew without asking each other what we were going to do. We have jobs to do. MP got the lunch ready - tuna sandwiches, chips, plums and cherries, a couple of beers, soda and water. I got the boat ready. She sits in our driveway so we have to launch her each time we're going out. It's a process to get her ready. Put the hitch on the car, back the car up to the trailer, back and forth until its in the precise spot to connect. Get the cushions out of the garage and snap them all in place. Remember to put the plug in the back of the boat or it willl sink. Check the gas tank, put the beach chairs in, load up the cooler and off we go.

We have an advantage to most of our fellow boaters. We like to get an early start, which puts us at the town landing ahead of all the others that will be using the launch. This is a good thing because its nerve wracking to have a line of boats on their trailers and mostly men waiting in back of us. Although I must say that I've become pretty proficient at backing the boat down the ramp and into the water. Better than some of those men :)

Anyway, it's all worth it. See.

Staycation

2008-08-02T09:30:00.003-04:00

It's the start of a week off from work and all those technical support issues I've had to deal with all week. So, what happens? I come home. I click on my shortcut to Midlife Voice. I get a message that says Internet Explorer could not open my site and operation aborted. Ugh. Just what I need, one more issue. I've found a solution though, so I can mark that complete and move on to a week of local activities.

Oh, and the update from the long time ago friend and our reconnection ? We've exchanged a couple of emails and we're hoping to meet up at the end of the month. I'll fill you in later.

Blog outage

2008-08-02T09:28:00.004-04:00

Sitemeter is what is causing the problem with blogs not opening on Blogger. Though it doesn't seem to be affecting all bloggers who use sitemeter.

Here's a fix if you are experiencing the problem:
Go to blogspot.com
Log in
Go to layouts
REMOVE your sitemeter.
PASS the WORD to any or all bloggers as you still won't be able to access blogs with sitemeter on.

**Update.. Seems whatever problem sitemeter was having, is no longer a problem. No need to remove it from your site.

One Word Does It.

2008-07-29T21:50:00.005-04:00

Hey I want to play this game , too.

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? sister’s
3. Your hair? disheveled
4. Your mother? gone
5. Your father? gone
6. Your favorite time of day? 5pm
7. Your dream last night? forgettable
8. Your favorite drink? iced
9. Your dream goal? retirement
10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your ex? huh?
12. Your fear? alzheimers
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? beach
14. What you are not? decisive
15. Your Favorite meal? pasta
16. One of your wish list items? oceanview
17. The last thing you did? dishes
18. Where you grew up? house :)
19. What are you wearing? shorts
20. Your TV is? on
21. Your pets? loveable
22. Your computer? upstairs
23. Your life? comfortable
24. Your mood? relaxed
25. Missing someone? yep
26. Your car? paid
27. Something you’re not wearing? watch
28. Favorite store? hardware
29. Your summer? fast
30. Your favorite color? blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. When is the last time you cried? sunday
33. Your health? good
34. Your children? none
35. Your future? Open
36. Your beliefs? personal
37. Young or old? changeable
38. Your image? improving
39. Your appearance? casual
40. Would you live your life over again knowing what you know? absolutely

Re-connections

2008-07-23T21:21:00.005-04:00

I lived in a suburban town, 25 miles south of Boston for the first sixteen years of my life. The same town that my Mom grew up in. In fact, my aunts, uncles and cousins lived in this small town too. We always spent holidays together, having dinner or congregating at my grandparent's home which was one street over from where we lived.

My friends when I was young, were from the "hood. We never really strayed far from home and we could ride and walk up and down the nearby streets without getting into too much trouble. Our days consisted of riding bikes or playing in the woods. We attended schools that were nearby, so therefore our group of friends was fairly small. My best friend was Peggy, whose family lived on the street behind us. As we grew older and had to take the bus several miles to the middle school and then high school, our friendships changed and blossomed as our interests developed. Peggy and her family moved to the other side of town to a bigger house and we drifted apart. I found new friends, as softball and basketball became a part of my life. Sports were big in the town and girl's sports were starting to become popular as Title IX was enacted to stop gender discrimination in school sports. It was around that age, I met a new friend, DD. She was blond, short and played guard, whereas I was dark haired, tall and was a center. We had a large group of friends who hung together in 9th and 10th grade, mostly because that's what you did at that age. Sometime during the 10th grade, my parents decided that we would move from that town because it had changed and they thought we'd be better off living in the Cape Cod town that we had deep connections, too. So, we packed up and moved away after that sophomore year and I never really looked back.

So, where does this story end? This past Monday, my brother and sister-in-law happened to be on Cape Cod at our family house, when a car pulled up in front and out popped a blond, short woman in blue jeans. She walked up to my sis-in-law, T and said to her "Are you related to "clammy?" (Course, she used my real name cuz she doesn't know that pen name :) So, there started a conversation between a woman who I haven't seen in more than 35 years and T. Isn't that incredible??? She said she happened to be visiting Cape Cod and decided to see if she could find our house. She ended up giving T her email address to pass along to me. I have since dropped her an email and I'm waiting to hear back :)

Close to Fine.

2008-07-14T18:30:00.000-04:00

Our first trip back to a Lowell Summer Concert in 18 years was a fine one. It was a beautiful, low humidity summer night in which the Indigo Girls' voices rang true and their harmonies blended well-known songs from a set list that most of us recognize with several soon to be released new songs, coming in 2009.

Attendance at these summer concerts has changed quite a bit in the 18 years since we saw Patty Larkin perform. If I remember correctly, we sat fairly close to the stage, on the right under the trees that dot the perimeter of the park. We did not have anyone sitting so closely in front of us that we had to stretch our necks to see the performer. This time was different. We were smack dab center of the stage, but so far back we were sitting on the concrete walk and not grass. We had taken the website advice and gotten there close to 6:00pm for a 7:30 show, but I'm guessing that the majority of these folks are veterans of this concert series and set there blankets and chairs early in the day. Still, the crowd was congenial and diverse as we watched them file in with coolers and canvas camp chairs. The majority represented the LGBT community as young, old, singles, couples, and families with children but there were a fair many straight families as well. Kids are free under twelve so it makes the concert a nice take for everyone.

Really though, the reason we were there was to enjoy an Indigo summer evening. Emily Saliers' song writing is beautiful and it was easy to join the crowd singing along to Power of Two, Get out the Map, and Closer to Fine.

This is the third year that they've done the Summer Concert Series, I hope they return for a forth.

Friday night date

2008-07-10T21:03:00.002-04:00

I love spur of the moment events! Tomorrow night, we're going here for a summer concert with Indigo Girls, Amy & Emily.

I was trolling local venue's websites to see if there was anything that might fit in our schedule and I happened to fall onto this one. The last time we saw a concert in Lowell, was when we lived there so it's at least 16 years ago. It took MP to remind me who we saw that time. It was a small, public park and at the time, I don't think it was particularly crowded. I'm sure it has changed some in those years, but we'll bring a couple of beach chairs and something for dinner. It sounds like a perfect thing to do.

The lineup for the rest of the summer is pretty good, too. Perhaps the Brandi Carlile concert on August 1, since that's the beginning of our vacation week :)

Complete!

2008-07-01T20:34:00.005-04:00

You guys know your contractors pretty well :) The original estimate of 3 days, turned out to be 6 days (Sassy wins the prize!). Now I guess we have to wait until the wood dries for about a month or two before we can stain. We're debating how and what to stain or treat it with. The deck guy said to just stain it and don't use any of the waterproofing stuff. Anyone have an opinion or experience they want to share?

Also, although we have a lot of tall trees in the backyard that shade some of the deck, it gets really hot during the afternoon and difficult to sit out, even with the big old umbrella we have. We thought about putting some type of awning that could be rolled out when needed, but I don't like the looks of those. I guess we need to research that, too.

reconstruction

2008-06-24T21:38:00.005-04:00

So, the deck is being reconstructed this week. Well, actually the contractor started last Friday with the contruction of the new platform and stairs from the driveway side of the house. After almost 18 years we decided to act on the thing that has been bugging us about the deck - in order to reach it from the outside, one must walk around the entire house. It's never been very convenient. Yay for this improvement. Now, we'll have to start planning the party.

So, our builder told me that it would take just three days to complete the project. I said, "just three days?" He said, "sure, three guys... two days for the new stairs, and one day to take the old deck apart and put the new deck down. We are now coming up on day four and this is where we are:

I couldn't let the deck project go by without displaying our peach tree that is full of peaches. This branch extends out in front of the stairs. I hope we don't have to cut it back. So what if we stab our eyes out with the branches as we walk down the stairs.

stuff.

2008-06-17T19:55:00.003-04:00

----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm convinced that I'm the slowest walker on earth. I've documented my gas guzzling commuter ways in the past. Well, I'm just purely sick and tired (like everyone else) of the gas prices, that I'm trying hard to commute by train, at least part of the week. My train ride brings me in to North Station (or The Garden for all you Baahston fans). Home of the Celtics, Bruins and northbound commuter rail. From there, I have to walk a ways to get to work. So, I know that I walk slow because MP has told me that for 25 years. But! I didn't realize how slow until I was in the midst of the crowd that gets off the train and heads toward their destination. They absolutely leave me in the dust. I think I'm walking fast but now I know I'm not. It's a bit disconcerting because truly my legs do not move any faster. Hmmph.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

We're having our deck redone. We've put it off long enough and now it's time. Since it's on the south side of the house, the sun has beaten on it for 18 years. The decking is warped and split and splintered. We debated using some sort of composite but in the end decided to go the less expensive route and use pressure treated lumber again. It's a big deck, the full length of the house and would have cost more than what we wanted to spend. I'll take some pictures along the way, although I don't think it'll take a long time to complete.

ABC.. Me

2008-06-12T21:01:00.004-04:00

A is for your age: 53

B is for your burger of choice: On the grill, American cheese, medium, a slice of Vidalia onion and garden picked tomato.

C is for the car that you drive: 2003 Mazda Tribute, which only has one payment left. Yay!

D is for dog's name: We’ve had cats for 25 years but I had my share of dogs growing up - a Springer Spaniel, Miss Muffett (Muffy); a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Scout; a mostly Border Collie and smartest dog I’ve ever known, Penelope (Penny) and a Golden Lab, named after a river in Scotland who was afraid to walk on bare floor, Deveron.

E is for an essential item you use each day: coffee cup.

F is for your favorite television show: Greys Anatomy. Oh, and I’m still glad to have The L Word coming back.

G is for favorite game: baseball

H is for hometown: I feel like I have several hometowns. The small town we live in now has been my hometown the longest.

I is for instruments played: can I count that kazoo from a few years ago?

J is for favorite juice: orange

K is for what you'd like to kick: procrastinating

L is for last restaurant you dined at: I think it was The Boat House in Naples, Florida a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think we’ve gone out to eat since we were on vacation.

M is for your favorite muppet: Grover

N is for number of piercings you have: Two- one in each ear.

O is for overnight hospital stays: 0

P is for people you were with today: MP, co-workers

Q is for what you do in quiet times: If I’m at home and truly want quiet (which isn’t very often) then sitting on the deck in a lounge chair is perfect. If I’m near the water or a beach, then give me a beach chair :)

R is for regrets: I try not to hang on to regrets.

S is for status: hmm. Status is a weird word for me. It reminds me of the saying “keeping up with the Joneses” and I hate that. So I’m going to leave that one alone.

T is for time you woke up today: 4:00am. Early, even for me. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I am tired now at 8:30pm

U is for what you consider unique: my friends :)

V is for favorite vegetable: summer corn on the cob, winter squash, spring young asparagus, green beans.

W is for your worst habit: eating junk

X is for x-rays you have had: teeth and broken wrist.

Y is for yummy food you ate today: that tuna sandwich for lunch

Z is for zodiac sign: Libra, I’m on the cusp but pretty true to my personality plate .

unique jobs

2008-06-11T20:09:00.000-04:00

I think it's really interesting what people do for jobs. How about mothering baby pengu1ns? Very cool!

Proud Aunt

2008-06-06T20:16:00.004-04:00

I'm very lucky to have nieces and nephews that were great kids and now are turning into really fine adults that I'm very proud of.

My youngest nephew (who I happen to share initials with) is graduating from high school this weekend, so I will use this blog to give him an 'attaboy! MP and I won't be attending the graduation but will be attending the party next weekend to celebrate with him before he's off in the fall to the same state university that his brother attends.

**edited to add.. Sunday AM.. he was awarded the $1000 hockey boosters award. He apparently beat out the the other kid because his grades were so much better :)

Congratulations, BJW. Way to go!

a view from the seat

2008-05-19T20:37:00.004-04:00

It's not really a click clack that the train makes

as it burns rubber on track 2 from North Station.

It's more of rhythmic whirring squealing noise

as steel wheels roll over steel tracks.

I'm happy the gas station did not get my $12.50 today

as I fell in to the commuter dance

with all the other Monday drones.

21

2008-05-13T09:19:00.007-04:00

My 21 year old nephew, when asked by my brother if he wanted to stay at our house for a week, feed and medicate Fluffy, and do some chores said, "but who will come with me?" I let him off the hook because he felt like he was letting me down. 21 might be considered an adult but it doesn't mean it is.

Son for Hire?

2008-05-07T17:22:00.003-04:00

We leave on a trip for a week at the end of the month. We need someone to kitty sit since Fluffy needs medicine twice a day and we have a whole laundry list of house work.

This morning, before work as we were jockeying for position to dry the hair, brush teeth, and put on make-up (MP!) we came on a brilliant idea.

Call the 21 year old nephew who doesn't have a summer job yet and perhaps could use a couple of bucks in exchange for manual labor and Fluffy sitting.

By the time I got to work, MP had sent me the list we were compiling as we talked.

Kitty Sit
Edge and Spread Mulch
Mow Lawn
Detail Cars
Rake Leaves in back yard
Sweep out Garage
Bring deck furniture up from cellar
Clean deck furniture
Clean screen porch
Take covering off boat and clean boat
Sweep Cellar and stack stuff on shelves
Spray weed killer on walkway
Scrape and Paint trim on kitchen window over deck
Scrape and Paint trim on living room window
Scrape and Paint door on screen porch
Paint inside white on screen porch

I called my brother to pass the idea by. I asked him if we could rent his son. He asked me if I wanted to rent two.

We won't know the answer until this weekend. I'll let you know what happens.

Cheers to you.

2008-05-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

Have you seen Hillary in the news knocking back a few shots? It takes a good woman to know good whiskey :)

Which candidate would you want to have a drink with?

Hillary Clinton. I think she’d speak candidly and also with warmth, especially around the fifth beer.

Barack Obama. I think he’d be inspirational and you could use a guy like that to convince the bartender to give you one more past last call.

John McCain. His war record is bound to get us lots of free rounds.

None. I wouldn't want to have a drink with any of them.

take the survey here or just tell us who you want to sit down at the table with.

Update: perhaps Hillary would like to knock back a few today before she makes her decision :(

Clues

2008-05-05T12:22:00.003-04:00

Well, SC is kind of on track, but not really and apparently Tina has seen enough! Any computer heads out there?

UPDATE:
Yep, Weese wins the Propeller Head Award this time around. She correctly identified my white board scrawlings as a server room. We're adding a new server rack which will hold all four new servers in a huge (well, in my world, huge. Not so huge in other worlds!) project that kicked off this week. The existing two racks will shift left in the tiny room and we will replace a block of battery backups with smaller units. Yeah, I know. Yawn.

Friday Wrap-up

2008-05-02T19:38:00.002-04:00

Here's the end of the week white board subject... anyone have an idea of what it is?

Maybe I should check that mailbox more often...

2008-04-29T21:09:00.006-04:00

You never know what you might find in your email on any given day. First, I gotta tell you that I have two email addresses I use consistently, my work email and clammy’s address. I also have an email address to give out for any official personal business, you know, like on a resume :) I’ve had that address for quite some time now, but check it only occasionally to clean out all the junk that accumulates.

So, the other night I logged in and was going through and deleting mail after mail and I ran into the following:

From: Clasmates
Subject: RSVP for the 35th Class Reunion today!

You're invited to the ________High School Class of 1973 35th Class Reunion. Come add what only YOU can to the mix: Your unique personality.
I've posted all the special details here for everyone.
Hope to see you there!

OMG….. can I really be that old??!

It seems just like yesterday that I was sitting in line for rationed gas with my mom’s car. The retail price of a gallon of gasoline was 38 cents and depending on what the last digit was on your license place, determined the day you could buy gas. Odd numbers could buy on odd numbered days. You crossed your fingers that the car in front of you wasn’t the last car to get gas before it was closed down for the day.

I’m suddenly feeling nostalgic for those days of the Energy Crisis of 1973. Maybe by the time the reunion rolls around in the Fall, the gas prices will have rolled back to $3.40 per gallon. hmmmph.

20 years ..wow, time does go by.

2008-04-24T06:51:00.003-04:00

I choose to remember that yellow was his favorite color,

The reason our traditional Cape Cod house had untraditional yellow trim.

I choose to remember his voice bellowing out “Hi Dode,”

When I arrived for a weekend visit.

I choose to remember his athletic prowess,

When batting a tennis ball or teeing up a golf ball.

I choose to remember his friendly, fatherly stocks & bonds advice,

When he and MP would get into one of those conversations.

I choose to remember his soft- hearted nature,

That was apparent as soon as you talked with him.

I choose to remember that though 20 years has passed,

It's his face with that big smile that stays in my mind.

interpretations of "insomniac"

2008-04-16T19:07:00.007-04:00

I sleep easily, rhythmically, though noisy, as I breathe in/out in/out. My head lays on the pillow and if sleep is on my mind I drift off within minutes, being blessed with the ability to rid myself of thoughts that might crowd another's head. It's been like that for years, that I've been the happy recipient of a full night's rest.

But now, I wake regularly at 2:00am as Fluffy looks for a warm body to lean against and then again at 4:00 because my bladder is older and not as strong. Thoughts creep in now and wedge themselves behind my eyes. I'm tired when the alarm goes off and roll over to hit the snooze button.

Insomniac by Maya Angelou

There are some nights when
sleep plays coy,
aloof and disdainful.
And all the wiles
that I employ to win
its service to my side
are useless as wounded pride,
and much more painful.

wrap it up

2008-04-10T19:50:00.000-04:00

If you use plastic wrap, don't bother buying that stuff in the market if you have space in the kitchen for the gigantic plastic wrap from C0stc0. It's 3000' x 12" and costs less than $15. It's the best plastic wrap because it actually sticks to most everything you put it on. Look how long we've had this one box! MP wrote the date on it when we opened it more than three years ago.

Of course there are other methods of saving your left overs. We have re-usable plastic containers of all sizes and if you travel and stay in a hotel? Take those shower caps that come with your other free bath condiments. Just slip that cap over a dish or a bowl and it works just fine.

I've got to fess up that I learned of gigantic plastic wrap and shower caps from MP and her family. My mother used to buy the little wimpy supermarket box of wrap and pay three times the price!

Collecting memories

2008-04-07T20:40:00.003-04:00

I have been collecting t-shirts for years.

There is a very special shirt from a long-gone pizza joint in Provincetown that I've had since 1979 that is practically threadbare and would be skin tight if I put it on. And there's the one from the company softball team that I played on in 1990. We had a terrible team but had a great time playing and drinking beer after. I have a blue RENT London t-shirt that MP bought me when we visited England in 1999 and saw that play for the first time in a small intimate theatre in London.

I suppose I could collect chachkees from everywhere I go and put them on a shelf to look at every now and then. I prefer the wearable kind though, something that is useful and memorable. A year ago when I was in Cali, Toggle and her two kids brought me to In-N-Out Burger to experience the west coast burger joint. Without knowing much about my penchant for t-shirt collecting she disappeared from the table while we were eating and showed up with this one in her hands:

So, flash forward to this past week and the fish tacos that I had a hankerin' for. I want to call this place Surf Taco but its name is Taco Surf. I'll remember now that I have a shirt to look at. Maybe sometime I'll actually turn around in these pictures I take :)

Meme from Sassy

2008-04-07T20:35:00.001-04:00

Okay, I got this over at Sassy's..

How long have you been together? 25 years
Who pursued who? We worked together so it was eay to pursue and be pursued. Do you think those co-workers knew what was happening? Heh.
Do you wear any type of wedding/commitment ring? If so, which hand? No rings on any fingers.
What was the hardest thing about learning to live together? She had to let go of perfect laundry folding. It wasn’t going to happen if I did the laundry.
Who takes longer to get ready in the morning? It’s about the same, although I like to take longer showers.
Do you usually eat breakfast together? On the weekend.
Do you ever share clothes? Never gonna happen.
Who does most of the cooking? She’s a much better cook but it really depends on whose home first.
Who usually takes out the trash? I do.
If you have pets who usually does litter box or poop patrol? She hasn’t touched a litter box since 1982. I’m not sure how we determined that it was my job.
Which one of you is more likely to answer the phone when it rings? It’s evenly distributed. And we can always check caller id and not answer at all :)
Who's in charge of the remote if you're watching TV together? She likes to hog it but if I wait long enough she's passed out on the couch.
Who usually drives when you go out together? It’s pretty evenly divided, depending on who feels like it.
Which one of you takes care of spiders and bugs that get into the house? I do because I don’t have a problem stepping on them.
Facing the bed, who sleeps on which side? If you're standing at the foot of the bed, looking at the head of the bed? Me left, her right.
Who usually checks the (postal) mailbox? The first person home at night.
If something breaks or goes wrong in the house, which one of you is more likely to either fix it or call someone to fix it? I’ll fix it or she’ll call someone.
Who is generally the neater of you? She is, but over the years she’s become clutterier. I must have rubbed off on her.
Who handles the checkbook/pays the bills? I think we’re in a five-year rotation. She’s doing it now.
What was your last fight/disagreement about? I'm sure it was about driving.
When you slow dance together, who leads? Is there a leader?
What do you love the most about your other half? What’s not to love? She's the yin to my yang.

So much more than work.

2008-04-05T22:27:00.007-04:00

I'm back from the land of Toggle's tacos and frozen yogurt shops. Oh, I managed to attend the conference and came back with valuable information which will go far to help in the decision on what application we should implement.

MP wishes that her business trips included the same kind of things mine did. An afternoon at Disneyland, in which Soarin over California scared the life out of me, a tour of the Queen Mary and a trip to the aquarium were all part of my week at the conference. If I had stayed through the end of the day on Friday, I could have joined in on a train ride to the San Diego Zoo. But, by then I was on my way and ready to come home.

Even with all of that, it was seeing Toggs and her family that made the trip. Work got in the way for much of the week but I'm glad of the time we could spend together. I feel very special that I am now a member of their Wii family and have my own avatar. And damn, I wasn't too bad at bowling either, after I got the hang of that Wii remote. Don't forget to put the strap on or it will take out the TV! Thanks for your hospitality and your friendship.. oh, and for that bowl of guacamole. Yum.

Oh yeah, one other thing that's an offshoot of my trip to the west coast. Ha. I've stayed up past midnight the last two nights. It's gonna be a killer to get up and go to work on Monday.

Another trip west

2008-03-29T18:29:00.007-04:00

I'm leaving tomorrow morning and flying off to a week long conference where I will immerse myself with other people from like institutions, at an annual user group meeting.

Have you ever been to one? This is the first for this particular application as it's more reconnaissance than anything. We're in the middle of a project to replace a major business system and considering the company whose meeting it is. I will attempt to find out all the good, the bad, and the ugly of the software and company so that I can bring the information home and we can make a decision in the next month of so. Sounds pretty dry, doesn't it?

Well, I was just saying to MP today that having worked for the same company for more than a dozen years, I can count on one hand the long distance trips that I've had to make. Not bad, really. The best part about this trip is that it takes me out to the Los Angeles area and I will be visiting with my pal, Toggle Switch and her family. Another chance to sample her California. See you shortly, Toggs.

PSA for EarthHour 2008

2008-03-27T21:58:00.010-04:00

Here's to MP, whose **gentle** reminders to turn the lights off, make a difference...

Earth Hour: March 29, 2008 8 - 9 PM- Cities around the world will join together in literally turning off the lights for one hour to offer leadership and symbolize their commitment to finding climate change solutions.
- Lights will be turned off at iconic buildings and national landmarks from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Local businesses and restaurants will also be asked to turn off their lights.
- People at home can take advantage of the hour by replacing their standard light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

"This is the perfect opportunity for individuals, governments, businesses and communities around the world to unite for a common purpose, in response to a global issue that affect us all."
- Carter S. Roberts, President and CEO World Wildlife Fund

It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?
The answer: Ask the people of Sydney, Australia to turn off their lights for one hour.
On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.
With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

Go ahead, try it, you can think of something to do with the lights off, can't you?

Mailbox Monday

2008-03-24T07:11:00.001-04:00

Ha. Here's our mailbox, photo taken this weekend. As Weese pointed out below in her comment on the seahorse, the snowplows do some damage in the winter. I think what happened to ours this year is that the post has been plowed so many times in the past several years, it finally gave in and can't stand on its own any longer. Anyone have recommendations for mailboxes that outlast the northeast winters?

A hybrid? Maybe it will be my next car

2008-03-19T21:30:00.006-04:00

So, every time you rent a car they never have the one you've rented available, right? We always get the cheapest, smallest economy car there is and they always ask if we want to upgrade. No, we say, please give us what we ordered and they always have to give you something larger for the same economy price because they don't have any on the lot.

It happened on vacation last week, too. Except this time, we wandered out into the lot to find the car and as we got closer, I said to MP "look, it's a Prius." Now, I'm pretty good with technology type things but as I got into the driver's seat and pulled the key out of the folder, I realized it wasn't a key at all, just a fob. We had arrived in Ft Lauderdale pretty late at night and had to drive across Alligator Alley to get to Naples. Well, wouldn't you think someone would have showed us how to turn the car on. Ha. Ha. You should have seen us. MP spied the slot the fob goes in, in the same place a key would generally go. There was a round button on the dash that said POWER which I pushed and nothing happened initially. After pushing in, pulling out, hitting the power button and redoing each of those steps several times, we had to pull the manual out of the glove box. Here's the trick if you rent a Prius. Slide the fob in, put your foot on the brake, and hold the POWER button until a ready light illuminates on the dash. You can then take your foot off the brake and count to about 6 and voila, the car starts up. Don't be surprised if you think the darn thing has stalled. It's unbelievably quiet once it changes to the battery.

After figuring out the starting routine, I did end up loving the 45 mpg that it got over the week we were there. The next time I buy a car, it might just be one of these babies.

Happy St Patricks Day

2008-03-17T06:35:00.000-04:00

MP took this photo as we were tooting around Marco Island the other day. I told her I wanted to start collecting mailbox shots. Here's the first one :)

Safe & Sound

2008-03-16T20:34:00.005-04:00

We are back home from our eventful week in Naples, FL. Thanks for the well wishes. There will be more to come about the trip, but first, this puts everything into perspective.

So, I got home and received a text message from my niece L, who lives in Atlanta. In part, it said:

In case watching news, I'm fine. Tornado touched down about 10 min from me. Sirens went off, I went into the tub, power flashed... scary.

Yikes! We get hurricanes in the northeast, but thankfully, I've never experienced a tornado first hand. I finally connected via the telephone today with L, who sounded fine but was shaken by her first experience with one. The evening it happened she was in her apartment and could see the storm approaching towards the city. I can't imagine what it was like! She told me that the sirens started so she grabbed a flashlight and her cell phone and called a friend. I think the friend told her to head for the bathtub. She told me she thought the reasoning was the bathtub is always left standing and there are pipes surrounding it that she could have hung on for safety. The friend kept her company on the phone and could give her a minute by minute report of where the path was going. It must have been the longest 10 minutes ever spent in a bathtub.

It passed and the next 24 hours passed without immediate incident to her surrounds. You are a brave and lucky woman, L. I am thankful for that. When you look for that house you want, make sure it has a bathtub, okay???!!

outta here...

2008-03-07T18:55:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow we're off to Florida to feel the sun on our faces and the sand between our toes. See you here next weekend. I do however, have my handy Treo , for work of course. Nothing says I can't read a few blogs while I'm sitting on the beach :)

There's got to be a training class

2008-03-05T12:37:00.004-05:00

For some it comes naturally to say the right things when presented with situations that require a few kind words or to throw an arm around the shoulder for support. I consider myself kind of a stiff in these types of things and awkward when the need arises. Oh, not so much with those that I know well but definitely with those I don't.

This morning, I stopped by our cafe for a cup of coffee and greeted the young woman who was working the register with my normal "good morning, how are you?" She works for the company who contracts the food service so I don't know her other than this daily interaction. She said to me "oh I am very tired" and tears welled up in her eyes as she told me that she has a two year old that has a tumor and needs chemo for six months and she just found out that her other child has to have several operations for her ears and she didn't know what she was going to do.

Talk about a fish out of water. I told her how bad I felt and listened with sympathy but there must have been more I could have done or said to make her feel better :(

Today, I had deer eyes!

2008-03-01T14:36:00.009-05:00

Click on the picture for a close-up.. I had the pleasure of playing host to 5 four legged creatures in our back yard, munching away on morsels they found in the woods.

Deer have completely reshaped our yard and turned 15' arborvitae that we use as a screen into a topiary of lollipop shaped bushes. But we made the conscious decision to let them eat what is growing in our yard, unlike our down-the-street neighbors who erect a high fence around theirs each fall so the deer won't snack.

They're hungry and like the offerings in our restaurant. Mangia.

Things of interest

2008-02-26T21:17:00.004-05:00

Don’t lose the key, whatever you do.

Today, I learned of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Do you know about this? Here’s the short version. A high security cave has been dug into a mountain, 650 miles from the North Pole in Norway. In the cave has been built this vault, which will be kept at a temperature of –18C and in which more than 2 billion seeds can be stored indefinitely. Now, if a natural disaster strikes or war destroys crops in a country or countries, these seeds can be planted to re-establish the food source. Each country, which has deposited the seeds in the vault, retains ownership over them and can leave them in the vault until needed. Norway has kindly built this vault and runs it for the better good of the earth. Today, it is open for business for the first time.

This fascinates me. First, because I’ve never heard of it before, and second, that they are actually saving seeds for eternity. Really, I hope they have good management. Can you imagine?

Photo: Mari Tefre/Svalbard
Global Seed Vault
26.02.2008

More Info:

go here

6 hours: 11.5 million hits.

Wow. The Encyclopedia of Life launched its site today. If you’re a science geek, have an interest in nature or a child that needs help on a school project, than this site would surely be helpful. This website is a dream come true for renowned biologist E.O. Wilson . Heh, I guess the Encyclopedia of Life could easily be called the Encyclopedia of Wilson. He is known for his writings on how the interconnected-ness of nature is being heavily affected by humans and eventually extinction will come to many of those species.

Of course, right now, it’s so overwhelmed with traffic that you can’t get to it. But keep trying, it’s worth a look.

Hee.. I think I'm doing well if I get 15 hits on my blog in a day.

Passport renewal time

2008-02-20T20:23:00.001-05:00

Although we don't have any plans to leave the country in the near future, it is time to renew our passports just in case we get the urge.

In order to renew, you must fill out the application, provide two 2x2" color photo's taken
"sufficiently recent to be a good likeness of you" That made me crack up, 'cuz you know, do you have to be told that? Passports are good for ten years, which means the photos will be good until we're in our 60's! Eeek.

Show the Love

2008-02-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

My niece sent the following link to me and asked if I would vote. I figure I can do more than that.

This takes 2 seconds, I promise. Hughes Spalding is in the running for a new Colgate/Starlight-Starbright Children's Foundation sponsored fun center. For those of you who dont know, Hughes Spalding is one of the children's hospitals here in Atlanta. This hospital is predominately for underserved families. They really deserve this playground as their limited funding goes to soley to patient care.

Thanks. Its really appreciated. We need more votes! Just click on the link below.
vote once a day

Once you get to that link, choose Atlanta from the map and follow the directions to vote! Link is on the sidebar on right of screen also.

Long Weekend Musing

2008-02-16T12:43:00.001-05:00

Monday is President's Day, but I'll be honest, it's the fact I have a three day weekend that I'm celebrating! Or perhaps we can celebrate that there's just 338 days left before Bush and Cheney are gone from sight.

But that's not what this post is about. No, it's the celebration of the cars that I've owned in my driving lifetime. I laugh at all the auto dealerships trying to draw customers in this weekend for their "one of a kind" sales. Really, if you need to replace your car, I think that dealers will deal on any weekend you want. I mean, they must have inventory up the wazoo for all those gas guzzlers, don't you think? So, it made me reminisce on my way to work the other day, creeping along in my gas guzzling SUV of the cars that's I've owned.

My first car was a 1972 dark green Ford Pinto station wagon. Something like the one on the right (all of these pics are similar to what I had, except the last pic, which is my actual car). My folks gave it to me as a graduation from junior college present. It had been my mother's and I guess they figured I couldn't get in a lot of trouble with a old, used station wagon.

The first car that I actually bought with my own money was a light blue, 4 door, Datsun 210. I think it was in 1978 because I remember that I was living in Derry, NH at the time and I had gone home to Cape Cod one weekend. I bought this car, which had a stick shift and I had never driven a stick shift car before. I had to drive that car, by myself, from Cape Cod to NH and I prayed all the way I wouldn't have to stop on any hills!

I got tired of the 4 door little Datsun after about four years, and bought a new dark blue, 1982 Datsun hatchback go fast car. Ha. I remember it well because it's the car that I owned when I met MP. We spent many a night necking at the beach in that car. It's amazing how we could manuever around that shift :) I can't imagine a body contorting like that now!

After 5 years of the go-fast car, I thought I'd go a different direction with my vehicle selection and since my brother was willing to sell his 1985 maroon Honda Accord at a good price, I couldn't pass it up. I loved that car because it had really cushy seats and we could easily fit two people in the back seat without having them bump their heads on the roof of the car.

Yep, along 1989 or so, I decided that all good dykes need a truck. So, my friend was tired of her red Ford Ranger and offered it to me at a good price and voila, I was a truck driver. I soon learned that a truck that did not have 4 wheel drive, really wasn't good in the snow.

And MP's sister was ready to sell her 1987 red Toyota Celica because she was thinking of having babies and trying to stuff them in car seats in the back of that car's hatchback wasn't appealing. Perfect. I was ready for a car with low maintenance and a little get up and go.

The Celica ended my affair with buying relative's and friend's hand me downs. Although I was quite happy with them at the time, once I started with new, it's hard to go back. I bought a dark green Nissan Pathfinder in 1996. It could haul all the crap that we bought and instead of having to have it shipped, it could easily handle some pretty large items. Very practical, reliable, and except for the gas mileage which was really bad, I would have kept that car for more than the seven years I did.

Which brings me to my current vehicle, a 2003 Mazda Tribute. Perfect to trail our little boat behind, quite comfortable, and has a pretty good stereo and speaker set. I like it, other than the gas it guzzles.

So, there you are.. thanks for coming with me down memory lane with my cars. It's fascinating to me that I've owned so many Japanese cars. I've always thought they had more style than American. But, have you seen that new Chevrolet Malibu ? Pretty sharp :)

Valentine's Day 2008

2008-02-14T20:49:00.003-05:00

Before it ends, Fluffy wanted me to wish all of you a happy hearts day. We hope it was great!

All we wanted was a nice pleasant evening...

2008-02-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

We should have been forewarned that our evening at Ristorante Olivio in Arlington would be slightly rocky Saturday night when the following happened before we even got in the door.

We were meeting four friends at the restaurant for a 7:00pm reservation to celebrate one of the couple’s tenth anniversary. You should know that we had chosen the restaurant based on an internet search that I did to find places equidistant for all of us. This had gotten good reviews and was Italian, which suited all tastes. MP and I followed directions to Mass Ave. which is a major road through that area. We knew that there wouldn’t be any parking and we’d have to find it on the street somewhere. We pulled up to stop at a red light and we thought we had scored, as a car was about to pull out from a space in front of the restaurant. Just as we were celebrating how lucky we were, a car pulled up in the left lane beside us and cut their car over in front of us. Mind you, we were in the right lane and the first car at the light and the space was on the right. Scumbags. We ended up parking a couple of blocks away on some side street and were hoping we'd run into the man driving that car inside the restaurant.

Our night continued with the bartender from hell who looked and acted like she would rather be anywhere else except behind the bar. Our 7:00pm reservation turned into sitting down at our table at 8:00pm. Apparently, there were only two tables that could fit six people in the entire establishment. Yea, right. And, we were greeted by the waiter telling us that it was his first night. Poor him for having to start work at this place on a night that the entire restaurant was out of sync. One of my friends said that at some point she saw the chef come out of the kitchen and start yelling at one of his co-workers in the dining room. When we finally got our food, it was okay and probably would have been rated good if the rest of the evening went smoothly. We had a variety of dishes on the table - chicken piccata, chicken parm, grilled sirloin, hand-cut pappardelle and two of us had a shrimp with a spirally type pasta which was quite good. The meal ended with coffee and dessert brought free of charge. Nice to see the place try to make up for the rest of our night, although it probably won't be enough for MP and I to give it a second try.

Oh, and we never saw the scumbag parking space stealer again.

Ick....

2008-02-09T15:07:00.001-05:00

Last year I decided that it makes no sense to pay someone to plug our W-2's into a software program, when we really don't have many complicating factors to worry about. So, I took the plunge and bought the software and spent a little bit of time following the page by page instruction that anyone could follow. I then spent more than a few weeks worrying that the numbers didn't add up correctly or that I forgot something important and the Feds would be after me with their little pencils stuck behind their ears, ready to jump on the opportunity to find and fine on some slip-up I'd made. The consequence of that, is that I think it took me until April 15th to file, which was silly because both MP and I were getting money back.

This year I'm going to start earlier and vow to trust myself that the little wizards in the software program will look over me as I push the submit button.

By the way, it's horrifying to look so closely at the W-2 and realize how many dollars are being sucked from every one of us. Does Hillary have that on her agenda?

Polling

2008-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

So yesterday in the rain, MP and I went down to our small town voting place, located in the basement of the catholic church, where I marked the circle in black next to Hillary's name. Probably not terribly surprising to any of you!

What was interesting to me were the older ladies that entered the room in front of us and stepped to the table and claimed their pink democratic ballot. The town we live in is pretty conservative, one of those oldtime New England towns whose roots go back to the revolutionary war and many of the town employees are from families who have lived here for generations.

When we got back to our car after casting our vote, we were wondering outloud who those women voted for. I said, "oh they probably voted for McCain" and MP said, "No, they got a pink ballot, so they must have voted for Hillary or Obama." We went on to agree that older people were more apt to get the car and drive to the polls, even if it was raining out. I'm sure Hillary is thankful of that!

Democratic Primary Results
Clinton..... 574
Obama..... 451
Edwards.. 22

Republican Primary Results
Romney... 488
McCain..... 390
Huckabee.. 34

Whose counter does our mail end up on?

2008-01-31T19:20:00.000-05:00

Well, here's another in a series of "what the heck is the mail carrier doing?" I'll apologize now to Amanda but perhaps she can explain how this happens.

Did you read this post in which I complained about pieces of mail that ended up in the mailbox that weren't ours?

Today's haul takes the cake though and I'm sure they might miss some of this mail if we didn't return it to the mail carrier to finish the job. There's that all important alumni notice from a college and a notification that it's time to make a dentist appointment. Or maybe they want to pick out a bouquet of flowers to present to their true love or thumb through the Gardener's Supply catalog and dream of spring.

It's strange to think of our mail sitting on our neighbor's table. Do they just throw it away or do they display it for a photo to post in a blog.

Fluffy, is that you?

2008-01-30T21:51:00.000-05:00

Things not to worry about

2008-01-28T21:25:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've taken on a new mantra at work because I've been feeling miserable about my job. The way that I see it getting better (if I'm not going to leave it) is to change my attitude. So, remember that old song, Don't Worry, be Happy? I have far too many things to be thankful for and happy about than to mope around. Therefore, I will not worry about the following:

Have you heard about the out-of-control U.S. spy satellite hurtling itself towards earth? It's supposed to hit sometime in late February or March and is the size of a mini-van. Now, don't you worry about it though because look at how much water covers the earth and if it doesn't fall in the ocean, it will probably fall on some some place like the arctic tundra where no one lives.

I guess the feds are paying attention to it though, just because it **could** crash into the middle of a populated area and word on the street is it contains hazardous material. They're not saying what. I guess its on a need to know basis and we don't need to know. Oops, I forgot for a minute I wasn't supposed to worry about it.

Is it the bag or the contents?

2008-01-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

It was Toggle who encouraged me to share a look inside my bag. It seemed a perfect idea, especially because it's been the butt of jokes and discussion among my friends since the days of the "football." MP coined that term for the clutch I carried for a short time back in the early 80's, when I was wearing skirts and trying to fit in with rest of the working women professionals. It was tan I think, and rectangular. It had a zipper but nothing else adorned it. I would carry it just like a fullback would carry a football that was handed off by the quarterback. Can you picture it?

Anyway, I don't remember exactly how long I used it but it's safe to say that I ditched that bag and haven't carried any type of purse since then. MP would kindly carry any of my "stuff" that I couldn't fit in my pockets in her pocketbook and over the years I carried less and less which made it even easier. I never carried a wallet which would have bulked up my back pocket in a way that I didn't like and I stuffed my dollar bills, license and debit card in my front pocket. What could be easier?

The thing that I did start to do was carry a bag to work so that I could carry all the work stuff that I toted back and forth. This black bag I used for several years and it has served its purpose well. Simple, a couple of pockets to take care of organizing, the color is good for hiding dirt, a long strap to hang off my shoulder. Perfect.

Until sometime this fall, when the black bag's straps were giving out and I was going through the stuff that had accumulated inside that I'd forgotten about long ago. It was like a lint trap that needed a good cleaning, and a good time to downsize. I found that what I was putting in MP's pocketbook was growing and I think she was getting a little tired of carrying it all around. So, I went and purchased a new bag. I wouldn't really call it a purse, it's very much a bag with a strap on it. I can actually pull off using it and not feeling like I'm running for a touchdown.

So, you can judge whether it's the bag or the contents that makes this girl.

From the left corner, along the top.

1. Work ID.. the picture was taken in 2000 and hardly looks like me with that young, thinner face and greying hair that I swore I'd never color. Ha...

2. 2 quarters, 2 dimes, 5 pennies... I'll save it up until I have enough to pay for a small coffee. It's a new strategy because I usually empty my pockets into a container at home. Now I have so much saved, it'll take forever to roll.

3. Treo.. I swore I'd never get one of these things because I didn't want to have work be able to connect to me on any day, at any time. Now that I've had it a little while, I don't know how I'd get along without it.

4. Every certified IT geek needs a usb flash drive. Mine holds 2 gig. Although I kind of miss those 5-1/4 floppy disks.

5. Validated parking passes.. As part of a work perk, I get a discount off a parking garage in downtown Boston. These takes the sting out of a normally $25/day fee!

6. WeightWatchers Membership Card... yep, they called my name this year and I've answered the call. I started a couple of weeks ago. I feel motivated and perhaps as I go along, I'll share some of my experience.

7. Notebook .. Santa brought me a notebook to keep near me, in case I had any brilliant blog ideas or just the need to write something down.

8. The "Star Catcher"... positive weight watcher reinforcement. I got my first star this week.

9. Hand cream... my hands feel like sand paper in the winter - yuck, aspirin container filled with several methods of pain reliever, tooth paste and a tooth brush scored from Benefits Day, one lone peppermint that was on the bottom of the bag and looks like it!

10. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm.. it's the only stuff that works on my lips.

11. Skinny Latte coupon .... good for a tall, non-fat, sugar free flavored latte. I don't really like the Starbucks syrups so I'll stick with the plain.

12. Cheater glasses.. They are standing in until I replace my prescription bifocals that broke recently.

13. My iPod.. everything is better with music.

14. My new wallet.. it's stiff and needs to be broken in. It doesn't quite have that lived in feeling. I like it though because it has plenty of spots for all the plastic cards I have. I think there's $15 in it today.

15. The requisite, random receipts and paper. Although I just noticed there's a coupon there for a free car wash that I have to use by 1/29. It was a give-away when I got my oil changed.

16. Two passes for the Aquarium... Now who doesn't like to visit the giant ocean tank a few times a year.

17. Ear piece for the Treo... I just don't have it in me to get one of those bluetooth devices that hang on my ear and then walk along the street and look like I'm talking to myself. I guess I'm not that much of a geek.

18. My car keys with the bling flip flop and the work keys that seem to grow on a daily basis.

19. A green rubber wrist band, worn for some cause that I forget now. Hmm... maybe I'll just wear it for the heck of it.

Searching

2008-01-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

Cuz I've got nothing else today.

It cracks me up to see how people end up on my blog. Here's a search someone did today...
"where to go for an opium smoking vacation"

They ended up on my hotdog boat post.

I wonder if they were successful in finding a vacation spot. Ha Ha.

Whiteboard Wrap-up

2008-01-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

So, here's a wrap of the week's work. Well, it started out to be a basic diagram of two buildings and their data connections, but several of my co-workers decided to add their artistry to it. I particularly like what one of them did with the building on the left. It's rather Picasso-esque. Then there's the commentary about what staff really do with their internet connection. Ha.

oh my

2008-01-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

So, you know I'm a lifelong Red Sox fan and waited with all of the other fans for 96 years before winning the World Series in 2004? Now we've won two, as we're the 2007 champs as well. But, I don't think I'm ready for this:

You can now be buried in an official Boston Red Sox casket or your ashes can be stowed away in the above urn. OMG, what has this world come to?

ManGate ?

2008-01-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

What a fabulous day it was today. Really, when you wake up in New England on January 8th and the weatherman says it's going to be in the sixties and may break a record, it's a day to make sure you get out at lunchtime for a walk. So, around 12:15 I changed out of my sensible black shoes and laced on the sneakers (or athletic footware!), put on my jacket and out the door I went to walk the harbor walk. After a quick 40 minute walk, I was making my way back to work and ran into this sign:

Okay, maybe it's me but I fully expected to round the corner and see a wall of men standing hand in hand, like a fence and that I would have to know the secret handshake to get through. Heh.

Quirk Checklist

2008-01-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

I know this is meant for families with children and I’m quite sure it’s useful information for people to know, but it cracked me up when I saw this Checklist of Family Rules, Habits, and Quirks in Real Simple. I’ve filled out my answers, just in case you're going to babysit us.

Allergies…. Penicillin. Do you grow out of allergies?

Favorite Meals… Any type of pasta; a grilled sirloin steak; a simply prepared piece of fresh cod or haddock; pizza;

Favorite Approved Snacks.... now, who is the Snack Approver? ha. Let's see... salty: Cheese-its, sweet: anything chocolate.

Favorite Approved Desserts.... Clam's stamp of approval - a hot fudge sundae made with coffee ice cream. Include the nuts and cherry please.

Favorite Books... Well, the last time I read a book it was on the beach and was called The Mermaid Chair, written by the same author as The Secret Life of Bee's. I never finished the Mermaid book. It didn't hold my interest.

Favorite DVDs ... Lately, it's the complete set of The Gilmore Girls. You might call it obsessed with watching all 7 seasons. They were fun and I loved the characters and the relationships.

Favorite Board Games... MP's niece's brought "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" to play Christmas Eve. It was a blast, but truly we are not smarter than a 5th grader in all things!

Favorite CDs... I can tell you one that I won't be playing a lot is "Raising Sand" by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. OMG, it's awful and I really like AK but this CD that was left under the tree was a miss for me. Truthfully there's not a lot you can put in a CD player that I don't enjoy. You know, music is a good thing.

How to turn on the TV and DVD Player... Isn't it incredible that you actually have to have instruction on how to turn on the TV? I found it crazy back here and now, two years later, we still have three remotes. Even with the universal remote that's suppose to take care of the anxiety. To use our DVD, you must first take the TV remote and switch the input to the DVD, once you've done that you can put the DVD in the player and use the DVD remote to run the DVD. Just read a book, okay :)!!

Computer and TV Hours.... any time, any day. Especially this time of year when all you do is hibernate.

Telephone Hours.... We used to be the butt of jokes with our friends because we told them not to call either of us after 9:30pm if they wanted an intelligible conversation. Now I figure if they have something to say, they can take the chance!

TV Restrictions.... The only restrictions we have are self imposed since the only premium channel we have is Showtime and that's only for the The L Word! By the way, I'm psyched for the new season that starts tonight. I have hopes that it's going to be a good one.

Are Animals Allowed on the Furniture... Fluffy runs the house, need I say more?

Bath-time Rituals... well, let's see.. I don't think I have any rituals other than taking showers in the morning, rather than at night. And our whirlpool tub only gets used in the winter when it feels good to climb into a nice warm, relaxing tub and soak all the cold away.

Bedtime Rituals... This time of year it includes turning the electric blanket on at least 1/2 hour before climbing in. It feels good to get in bed and not have the sheets feel like little icicles clinging to your body.

Sleep with the Door Open or Shut... Door Open - no reason to shut it.

Sleep with a Night-light... We do have a night-light in the bedroom because Fluffy has a habit of lying in the middle of the floor and I've fallen over her trying to get to the bathroom.

Other Things Good to Know... you probably know more than you want already :) Tell me about you.

De-Christmasing.

2008-01-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

One of the things that the new year brings is a chance to start with a clean slate. You know, things like cleaning off my desk at work and filing all of those things away that have been accumulating over the months. A chance to set new goals that seem more attainable if you start on January 1, rather than May 13 or August 18 or October 3.

Maybe it's just me that feels I have a better chance of reaching goals if my desk is clean or the house is picked up. Which brings me to the days of De-Christmasing. It's usually more than one day because my attention span is that of a gnat when it comes to these things. So, today I started by taking our tree down which is always good because by now the needles are dropping like crazy and being tracked from room to room by the cat who loves drinking from the tree stand.

One of my favorite things is to unearth all the Christmas decorations each year and hang them on the tree as I remember where each came from. The other half of that job, putting them away, is equally as fun. It's the process of putting them away, safe and sound in their plastic container that I find oddly comforting. Wrapping up the ceramic Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who were handcrafted by MP's mom probably 35 years ago or carefully wrapping up the Santa head that my parents gave me 30 years ago. The rest of the ornaments tell a story of the 25 years that MP and I have been together. I'm happy to admit I'm a sap for these types of things and look forward to next year and doing it again. Happy New Year!

From our house to yours...

2007-12-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

Holidaze Greetings

2007-12-16T11:16:00.001-05:00

I didn't want you to think I'd disappeared from the blogosphere, just busy with shopping, socializing, and shoveling snow. I hope your holiday season is bringing you peace, joy and not too many snowflakes, unless you want them, and then by all means, build a snow angel!

commuting in the first snow

2007-12-03T22:02:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you about today's commute in the first storm of the season. If you've been reading along you know that I have a long ride to work that I've been doing for more than a dozen years and that I forgo public transportation to drive my car for several reasons. I like the freedom of not having to stick to a train schedule. Having to be at the train, at a certain time and if I miss it I have to wait an hour for next one is a waste of my time. I have a bit of claustrophobia when I'm trapped on the inside of a seat that holds three people and the person next to me has spread their newspaper out to the full double wide. The commute doesn't end when the train pulls into the station, as I have a little bit of a walk to get to work. Which isn't so bad when the weather is good. In fact, it's a good way to get a 20 minute early morning walk in. Which brings me to today and our first measurable snow of the season.

I knew waking up that I had several things working against me. I had a meeting at 9:30 that I couldn't miss. It's Monday and the commute in the car usually is a long one after the weekend. Add to that a mixture of snow, slush, and rain and the fact that people forget how to drive in a mess like that and the train had to be the choice I made.

Actually, the train and ride were fine. It was on-time and although full, I felt like I had enough of my own space to sit and read. The walk from the train station to work was another story, although people who know me in real life wouldn't find at all surprising. I'm glad I brought an extra pair of socks with me, but I wish I had brought an extra pair of pants after landing head over heels in the slush on that sidewalk.

I'm going back to the safety of driving my car tomorrow.

Hire these people!

2007-11-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

I'm not in H/R but I do interview people, and have experienced this first hand when people try very hard to impress hiring managers. Here's a couple of chuckles for the day.

Human Resources Story of the Week
I once was interviewing a young college grad for a position. She had no prior full time work experience. I asked, "What are you looking for in a position?"

Her response:
"Really nice surroundings, like plush carpet and new furniture because I want my friends to think I'm doing well"

Malapropisms & Other Grammatical Wonders from resumes and cover letters.

1. I have a commitment to perfection, and wiliness to work until the job is done. My salary requirements are $50-55,000 negotable.
2. My interest in the above position has incited me to forward my resumè.

lifted from the NPT Job Newsletter at The NonProfit Times.

Wish books

2007-11-26T07:43:00.000-05:00

I opened up the door to our mailbox on Friday, stuck my hand in and hauled out this year's cache of Christmas catalogs. We've come a long way in 40 years, haven't we? I was always fascinated with the pages of western wear and saddles one could buy in the Sears catalogs but it was the annual Wish Book of everything imagineable that I waited for each season. I'd meticulously go through each page, dog-earring as I went, just in case Santa needed a few ideas.

Today we have so many choices it overwhelms me.

The shearling-lined slippers come from Bean,
the Survival Kit in a Sardine Can from RestorationHardware,
You can get a monogrammed Pet Squall jacket from LandsEnd,
the Bra-llelujah! from Spanx,
a gold mini potted tinsel tree from Pier 1,
the Latte Photo Mug from Snapfish,
Christmas Tree-in-a-Box from Barnes&Noble,
the reindeer family ball ornament from Crate&Barrel,
and a faux fur bomber hat from EddieBauer.

Happy Cyber Monday, friends!

Ghost of Thanksgiving Past

2007-11-23T10:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Oh yeah, a day late but still meant from the heart. Here's a few pics from our day, which was full of family and food, as we hosted MP's family and one of my brothers.

Class act is staying

2007-11-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

Looks like the Red Sox and Mike Lowell have agreed on a three year contract to keep him at third base for the next few years. I thought this Boston.com poll said it all as they listed five reasons why he's a better choice than Alex Rodriguez.

You remember my Sox t-shirt that I wore for all of the playoff games? What you didn't see was the back of the shirt.

Yippee!

November fun

2007-11-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

Like most of us, we save this chore till most of the leaves have fallen from their branches, and like weese we procrastinate longer and have more leaves than anyone in our neighborhood. I think it's a law of nature that we end up with them. Perhaps we should move next to weese.

So. I truly believe having the tractor do the work is the way to go, but when you can only make it once around the yard before you have to empty the bags, it tends to take some time. MP did the honors today, and she did a fine job. Just one minor clog in the works but it just took a long arm to reach down and pull it all out. It was the least I could do.

While she was out in the cool, fresh November air, I was assembing the coffee table that we purchased this week. Sometimes these assemblies are real pains but after many years of experience, I've come up with a method that works most of the time.

You must remove all parts, hardware, and instructions from the packing material and remove the packing material from your work area, lest you lose important items in midst of all the cardboard, styrofoam, and bubble wrap. Count your hardware and compare it to your packing list of material, make sure it's all there. Lay out all the pieces on something soft, like the rug. Take it slowly and methodically, reading the instructions as you go. If you've bought the thing from a reputable place, all holes will line up with all pegs, correctly, and you will not have to take a break for beer. Here's the product of my time today:

The jury is out as to whether we actually like it.

Coffee is calling me

2007-11-12T08:25:00.000-05:00

Hmm.. I'm taking a break from my month of blogging. I guess I'm not cut out for this everyday thing.

On the 9th day I wonder

2007-11-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

Where do songs come from that appear in your head, and then play over and over and over again?

This morning, while blow drying my hair I caught myself humming the theme music to Bewitched . Maybe I was wiggling my nose without knowing it.

What do vegetarians eat on Thanksgiving?

It’s something I asked a non meat-eating friend, as I was concerned that they don’t get the full affect of the day. You know, the tryptophan thing kicks in and everyone goes into a coma after dinner. She says that she enjoys the multitude of vegetables that are included with the star of the show. I still think she’s missing out on something.

Remember dickie turtlenecks?

Those were those garments that looked like someone cut off the arms and most of the body so that what was left was the neck and kind of a yolk that draped down. You put them on under a V-neck sweater. I guess so your neck would be warm but it wouldn’t be too bulky. The two women down the hall from me were in complete hysterics the other day when one of them brought it up in conversation.

Last sign of summer

2007-11-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

I asked MP this morning if she had any blog ideas for me since this one-a-day thing is hard to keep up with timely posts. She told me that her tomatoes were ripening. She had brought them in to get out of the first frost that occurred this week and laid them on the shelf in the garage. They were late going into our garden this year and we had pretty much given up on having our own crop and had to rely on the kindness of others to provide fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes this summer.

Have I shared with you my troubling tomato issue? First I want to say that I really, really want to love tomatoes. I love the color of them, the shape of them, the feel of them, the fact that they grow on vines and you can harvest them pretty easily yourself. I love anything cooked with them like tomato sauce, pizza, fried green tomatoes. I put them in sandwiches on a bed of lettuce and I cut them up in put them in taco's like I did last night. But, no matter how hard I try (and I really try hard!) I don't like them by themselves or in salads.

Maybe I need professional help with this problem. You know.. Hi, I'm Clammy and I can't eat fresh tomatoes. I've tried to analyze it and all I can come up with is that I don't like the seeds. Maybe there's a tomato out there that's a seedless variety I should try.

I keep trying because they look so darn good, it's a shame I'm not enjoying them. Anyway, I like this picture because it captures the end of the season so perfectly. Bon Appetit.

Clammy's Handwriting Analysis

2007-11-07T07:33:00.000-05:00

You are highly energetic. You are a passionate, intense, vigorous person.You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical.You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others.You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well.You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart.You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Techno Tuesday

2007-11-06T08:13:00.000-05:00

See what this is to the left? It's an Apple iPhone. It's slick and cool looking, it has pictures that you touch to make work and it runs Mac OS X. The design is user friendly, the software applications well thought out, and the package they come in is sleek and thin. Not many people disagree with Time Magazine's Invention of the Year selection. Oh, I've heard complaints about voice quality and slow web access and it can't run enterprise email and the biggest fault I think is that you have no choice in service, it's AT&T or nothing. But I guess the look and feel out-trumps the quality of service in this case.

And this is a Palm Treo. Not so sleek after seeing the iPhone up-close, in fact a little chunky. It runs Windows Mobile. The voice quality is good, the web access is okay, and you can get your work email without a problem. I recently swapped out my company issued Samsung cellphone for one of these. Work pays for it and it uses Verizon Wireless in which we pool all minutes for all cellphones. That way, someone that's on the phone all day can share the minutes of someone who only minimally uses it. It's a win-win.

But... I still wish I had one of those sleek, sexy iPhones. Damn you, Steve Jobs.

Couch Potato Reviews

2007-11-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

I don’t think there is anything written that says you have to be of a certain age to watch and like a TV show. Oh sure, there are demographics that network execs target, but we’re free to turn the channel to any show that plays. Generally though, you have to know the show exists before you can turn into it. Perhaps this is where those demographics come into play. That’s what makes this latest find so funny, because The Gilmore Girls was on seven years and we never tuned into it. It wasn’t until MP’s folks borrowed her niece’s Season One DVD and raved about the stories of Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory that we decided to give it a shot.

We completed the Season One DVD this weekend as it poured rain from the so-called Nor’easter and are hooked on the well written characters that live in small town Connecticut. The Pilot picks up the story when Rory is the same age (16) as her mother was when she got pregnant. You quickly realize the relationship between the two is special, and it’s that combination of funny, wacky roommate hijinx and caring, nurturing family that draws you into the story. Season One introduces us to Lorelai’s wealthy parents who disowned her at the time she got pregnant but reconnects when they meet Rory again and want to be a part of her life. MP love’s the mother Emily, who is such a total bitch. Good times. We follow the romances of both, which are intertwined with life in a small town and the private school that Rory attends. I love Miss Patty, the town dance instructor and Sookie the chef at the Inn that Lorelai manages. And who knew that Sally Struthers was playing a character on TV again? I thought the only gig she had was TV spokesperson for Christian Children’s Fund. Nope, she’s Babette, the nosy neighbor.

It’s the beautiful combination of love, laughter, and warts that make this show a hit with me.

......................................

The Gilmore Girls
Lorelai Gilmore… Lauren Graham
Rory Gilmore…Alexis Bledel