Boy, and y'all thought we had an idiot running OUR country!

So the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, comes to town and causes quite the hubbub. Apparently most Americans aren't so keen on a president believed to support terrorism just roaming and speaking freely about the US. As one might expect.

But Columbia University gave him an invite to speak and I for one was looking forward to what he had to say. I'm weird like that .... I like to hear the other side .... the perspective generally offers SOME sort of new insight. And generally the more sides to a story you hear, the closer to the actual truth you get.

But in this case, I have to disregard everything this man said because he proved himself certifiable. I mean, did y'all hear THIS quote from him when asked to explain the execution of homosexuals in Iran:

"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have this."

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?! Seriously?!!!!!!!!! Who thinks that way?!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! How do you communicate with that type of idiocracy?!! I mean, that thinking is SOOO far off the beaten path that all the GPS systems in the world couldn't even help! GAH! Where's my wine?!!!!

A Concert-Etiquette Reminder

Y'all, some things just shouldn't HAVE to be said. You know, like don't try doing a backflip while driving your car on the freeway.

Or don't try trimming your toenails using a chainsaw while blindfolded and drunk.

Or how about, don't go without underwear if you've always got paparazzi trying to snap a picture of your hoo-ha.

You know, common sense things.

So when I was at the BB King concert last Thursday, I was kinda shocked when a strange man decided to plop down on the grass really close to our blanket and then proceed to cuddle the feet of my friend. And when she moved hers in shock, he proceeded to cuddle the feet of her husband. What the bloody hell?? Who does that stuff??!!!!

Of couse, I'm just giggling because of the insanity of it all. Plus, ya know, it wasn't my feet! (hehehe)

But really, I don't care HOW big of a foot-fetisher you are ... don't cuddle with stranger's feet without their permission at concerts. I'm just sayin' is all. You need to at least ask first. SHEESH! ;)

On a less admonishing note, the concert was great! Etta James opened. Man, that chicky is a wild thing. Some of her stories had ME blushing. ME!

And BB King, of course, a legend! It was so great to see him! I took a couple of pictures ... they didn't come out too well ... but I'll share anyway.

All in all, a grand ole time. Foot-fetisher and all!

I am perhaps not so smart

So y'all know how I loves me my dvr/tivo, right?! And am now officially spoiled rotten by it?!

Yep, ain't no way around it. Because you KNOW you are spoiled by dvr/tivo when you are driving in your car and try to rewind the radio. Yep. The DJs were talking and then they started laughing. Only I had missed what they said (due to something shiny I can only suppose) so I reached over to try to rewind what they said.

On more than one occasion.

Sigh.

Send help! (Or rewinding live radio! :))

I do dog tricks

No, not ME. I didn't mean that *I* do dog tricks. (Although I do sit and lay down pretty darned good).

But what I meant was, that the doggie on this here website does dog tricks ... at your command! How cute, right?

Give it a go. I've tried "sit", "down", "shake", "roll over", "beg", "bark", and "dead" so far. But my favorite by far is "kiss". Too too cute!

Yep, it's official, I loves him!

There's a new welder in town!

OMG, I have the nicest friends!

So for months I was lusting after a table lamp at one of my favorite home decor shops. Each time I went in I'd ooh and aah over it. But alas, I knew I didn't have a spot for that lamp in my house so I resisted buying it (who knew I had any willpower at all, but there ya go! Now if only I could harness that same willpower to resist, say, donuts!).

Anyway, I went to that store recently to shop that big sale they were having. And lo and behold, I found my beloved lampshade, only sans the lamp base (apparently it had broken). And the shade itself was only $3!!!!! And so, it goes without saying, that I had to have it!

I didn't really know what I could use it for at that point, but I knew down the road there would come something I could attach it to. Maybe even say, a lamp?!!!!

Only I get home and I start eyeing this funky, metal, floor-standing, older, Ikea(?) candle stand that I had. I set the shade on it, leaned it up against the wall (since the shade wouldn't stand on its own), and By George, it looked kinda cute.

So I mentioned my new treasure (my precious, my precious) to my friend T2. She mentioned it to her husband, aka MacGyver, and he said to give it to him that he could probably figure out a way to affix the shade to the candle holder (apparently they were not impressed with my idea of using several sticks of chewed bubble gum!)

Anyway, he takes a look at it, buys an old lamp at a Goodwill so that he can use part of it, buys tools so he can weld, and voila ...... I now have a lamp-shaded candle holder!! And seriously, it is BEAUTIFULLY done! That man rocks!

Take a gander:

Here's the top of the candle holder before it underwent any fixins'. Just an old candle on it, sitting on a spike sitting in the center of the base.

After some welding and a new paint job ... shazam!!! ..... no spike any longer in the center and the two lampshade prong holders (errr, that may not be the official name of those ;)) welded to the base!!!!!!

I was so dang excited after they gave it back to me last night that I ran right out and purchased one of those new-fangled battery-operated flameless candles (I'm thinking a real candle flame would have been perhaps a bad idea so close to my beautiful silky lampshade!).....

.....Popped the shade prong thingamabobs into the shade prong holders ......

.... and VOILA!:

hmm, this looks hella better in person, trust me. You can't even see the candle glow here nor the detail on the lamp shade. Phooey!

Too cute, right!?! Thanks SO much T2 and C! Y'all ROCK!!!!! I'd have no idea what I'd do without you (and this isn't just referring to a lamp-shaded candle holder either!!!). Love ya!

Comfort Food Recipe #1

Okay, on this day of remembrance, a little comfort food never hurts. And I was watching a tivo'd copy of Ellen last night and they made this recipe! This SOO reminds me of the recipes found in the Sweet Potato Queen books (anyone ever read those?? ... those are a HOOT!). Which means that you will gain 5 pounds just READING this! ;)

Here goes:

It's called (ready to gain a pound and a half right here with just the title???):

Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter Rum Sauce

And it goes a little something like this:

2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts [oops, here's another two pounds gained just with the first ingredient!!]
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 (4.5-ounce) cans fruit cocktail (undrained) [hey look, FRUIT! That makes this healthy, right?!]
2 eggs, beaten
1 (9-ounce) box raisins
1 pinch salt
1 or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon [or 3 or 4 .... love me the cinnamon!]
Butter Rum Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cube donuts into a large bowl. Pour other ingredients on top of donuts and let soak for a few minutes. Mix all ingredients together until donuts have soaked up the liquid as much as possible.
Bake for about 1 hour until center has jelled. Top with Butter Rum Sauce.

Butter Rum Sauce: [mmmmmmmmm]
1 stick butter
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
Rum, to taste
Melt butter and slowly stir in confectioners' sugar. Add rum and heat until bubbly. Pour over each serving of Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.

Yeah, no fat there! It was funny, because Paula Deen was showcasing the bread pudding portion on the show and was all "the best thing about this recipe is that I added no sugar to it ... which makes it a 'sugar-free recipe'!!". (heh heh).

She also said that she prefers only 14 donuts to the two dozen because she likes the finished bread pudding to be a bit moister. Which sounds like a grand plan to me because then that leaves you 10 donuts to bide the time with while the bread pudding is baking! (what??) :)

If anyone tries it out, let me know what you think. I'm probably going to have to hold off on sampling this for a bit, I'm pretty sure my arteries have hardened just with my having typed up the recipe! :)

The Chronicles of Life and ......... hey, where is everybody???

So Friday at lunch I'm listening to radio station 105.1 The Buzz when they announce that they will be at a new-fangled outdoor shopping mall (Bridgeport, to those in the know) between 3:30 and 5:30 that afternoon giving out tickets to that night's Justin Timberlake concert. They also mention that the band Good Charlotte, who was set to open for Justin that night, would be there sometime during that time singing a few songs and signing autographs.

Now, being that I live the lifestyle of the Not-Quite Rich and the Not-So Famous meant that I was stuck at work and couldn't leave to be there right at 3:30pm. Blasted! Nonetheless, I did manage to high-tail right over after work and arrived at 4:30!

I walk in wondering where all the hubbub was at. I expected impossible parking (found one right off) and hordes of people. I mean, seriously, Good Charlotte is a popular band with great music and a number of cds ..... where the f@ck were the shocked-yet-delighted masses of fans pulling out their hair and throwing their panties??

'Twas crazy. Not a pierced nor tattooed fan in sight!

(*insert sound of crickets chirping*)

After much wandering around and querying of the "Who is Good Charlotte???" Folks, I finally found someone who said that the band might possibly be across the street at the new section of the Bridgeport Village! Criminey!

I jog on over and arrive to the sounds of Good Charlotte music!! Yippee Skippee!! And better yet, there were MAYBE 100 people there watching the show. MAYBE!

Without time to question why so few people were there, I join the back of the pack watching the performance and video'd this for all y'all:



How cool, right?! I was sooo jazzed!

Now normally I would have more video for you, but as un-luck would have it, that was the only song I got to see! Right after recording this came the sounds of "thank you and good night!". I was all "seriously"??? (*insert sound of much foot stomping and cussing*)

Sigh.

Still happy I took the time to go though. I was going to hang out to catch autographs but being that I didn't have time to swing by my place to grab their cds beforehand I had bupkus for them to sign (just ANY piece of paper isn't my thing). Plus without a wing-man, I'm pretty wussie when it comes to asking for pictures with the band members. Of course, my internal rationalization wasn't that I was a "wuss" per se, but that I needed to be across rush-houred town to meet up with a friend by 5:45. So, ya know, otherwise I would certainly have waited in line with my Big-Girl Pants on and asked for a picture.

Uh-huh. (If y'all believe that then I've got a bridge to sell ya!)

Instead I have the following two pics. The first while the band was still on stage, and the second as they were walking into the Verizon store to sign autographs. (seriously, they are there ..... it's just a "Where's Waldo")

Regardless, yay for Good Charlotte! Very cool of you guys to take the time to perform before the show for this promotional event. I'm not sure where all your fans were though .... I'm still baffled by that. Perhaps your song title "The Young And The Hopeless" is more fitting than y'all thought. ;)

A breath of fresh air!

With all the disheartening news online lately, I thought y'all might enjoy this very uplifting story! Seems a Mystery Gardener did some free yard work for a Red Cross building when nobody was around ... and no-one knows who it was. How awesome is that??

Story here.

That reminds me of the Nick Cage movie "It Could Happen To You" where his character spends his lottery winnings randomly and anonymously helping people. Just simple things like offering up free tokens to people heading into work on the NYC subway! Seriously, how fun would that be?

Ellen DeGeneres just did something similar on her show yesterday where she took over duties at a toll booth in NYC and let people go through for free (well, they had to sing or something first ... but still ... that saved them $6 (btw, $6 per trip through the tunnel??? HOLY HELL!))

Love it! So thanks Mystery Gardener for stepping up and doing this Random Act Of Kindness. I thought for sure that you'd be stepping up to take credit once the story hit the papers ... but nope, you haven't! Which makes it simply perfect! Thank you!

This gives all new meaning to "'JOHNny-on-the-spot"

So did y'all read the story about the senator from Idaho nailed for lewd conduct in a public bathroom? Seems he solicited an undercover police officer for sex by using a series of secret hand signals and foot taps under the stall door. What the hell?

First off .... WHO KNEW about all these secret signals? Have I ever been solicited in a public restroom and been too oblivious to know it?? I know, I know ....probably not. But if not, HOW COME? What's wrong with me?!! I can channel "sexy bitch" upon occasion. Of course, I've never felt that it was channeled while in the midst of using the toilet.

Which leads me to......

Since when does nothing say sexy like someone sitting on the crapper!?!!!!! WHAT. THE. HELL?!!!! Yuck. Yuck. And more yuck! The senator eyes this guy sitting on the toilet and thinks "hmmm, yeahhh, I've gotta get me some of that!"?! Obviously, the senator and I have different ideas of what constitutes "sexy"! I think I'll stick with my image of a HottieHot without shirt scrubbing my kitchen floor for "sexy", thankyouverymuch!

Furthermore, just who did that undercover cop piss off to get assigned that crappy duty??? (haha! I used both "piss" and "crappy" AND, come to think of it, "duty" (get it ... "doody")! How awesome am I?? .... hehehe). But seriously ...... you couldn't pay me enough! I try to spend as little time in public restrooms as it is .... but to just have to sit there and see, hear, and (by far the worst) smell folks just using the restroom. Oh HELL NO. I can't count the number of showers it would take to wash the horrors of that away at the end of each work day! I'd go broke just trying to pay my water bill!

And finally, senator, apparently there have been "closet gay" rumors following you since your college years. Now you get arrested for this lewd conduct charge. And worse, you plead guilty to it (HMMMMM). I'm not SAYIN' you're gay .... but you certainly seem to be "merry", "happy", "sprite", "jolly", etc to me. Just sayin' is all. You're 62 .... don't you think it is about time you just own it? There's nothing wrong with it. I'm sure it would ultimately relieve a lot of stress you must have trying to hide it. But more importantly, it would help me out! Because that would be one less person I know is having sex in icky public bathrooms, bare skin probably touching stall walls and possibly toilets!!! (*shudder*) ARGH!!!

(Good lord, where are my antibacterial wipes????)

"I got Kat class and I got Kat style"

AWESOME concert on Sunday night. Four bands for a whopping $9.71! Can you BELIEVE that?!!! And just look at this band line-up: Gin Blossoms, Stray Cats, The Pretenders, and ZZ Top! It was just amazing!

First off, T2 and I have general admission tickets which are for the grassy area in the back of this amphitheater. But we plop our blanket down towards the front of this grass area only to find that we....

a) can't see the band (this is the Gin Blossoms performing my favorite "Hey Jealousy" (no, no ... I SWEAR) ... but my video aiming was off because I couldn't SEE them due to distance, metal bars, and viewing from bright sunlight into shade):



but(t) (ha!) b) unfortunately, CAN clearly see this:

And this was after he had pulled his pants up! Bleck!

So after the Gin Blossoms finish, I notice the chick in front of us clamber over the wall separating us "Lawn Peon" Concert-Goers with the "Actually Have a Reserved Seat" Concert-Goers so that she could better take a picture of the Stray Cat stage setup, which was currently taking place. Then she clambers back. But all I'm thinkin' is .... "hey, no-one stopped the chicky from clambering over to the reserved seats ... so what's to stop T2 and I from doing the same ... only, we don't clamber back!?".

So that's what we did. We looked right, we looked left, we left the blanket on the grass as a viable "ahhhhh shucks, we was just going up there to take a picture" cover story in case we needed it, and we were off! Man, I tell ya ... stuff so dorky like that and yet it gets my heart a'poundin', I tell ya! (I'm such a goody-goody!).

Anyway, SUCCESS! No sirens blaring, no armed po-po coming to whisk us off to jail. Bupkus! So we casually (yet probably very obviously) meandered down to a section of empty seats and plopped into two! Whoo hooo!

And shortly thereafter, our view went to this!

Not as close as I'd like to have been .... but hella better!!! And not one butt crack in sight!

And the Stray Cats were AWESOME! They were the band I was looking forward to seeing the most as I've never seen them before! And who didn't love "The Stray Cat Strut" back in the day! Whoo hooo!

Here's a couple of mini-videos for your viewing pleasure. They don't quite capture the energy as I would have liked .... but you get the gist:






Man, the sound! The energy! That Lee Rocker on slap bass! HOLY MOLY! Sign me up each and every time these guys come to town! Too much fun!

Next up ...... The Pretenders. But while the roadies were busy changing out bands, T2 and I figure we should probably go rescue the blanket. So we walk out of the amphitheater as if we are ticket holders, then headed back into the general admission lawn section. The blanket was still there ... whew .... but extra security personnel were also stationed around (boo!)

Sneaking Back Into The Reserved Seating Area Take #1: We roll the blanket up as small as possible (not easy with an extra thick wool blanket) because we know that walking into the reserved seat area with a big ole blanket full of wet blades of grass ... looks a mite suspicious! Wait til Security Guard #1 is looking the other way, hop over the wall, and head down the ramp. Unfortunately, as we turn the corner we find Security Guard #2 right there and looking right at us. So without missing a beat we casually change direction and head right on out the doors of the amphitheater as if that was our plan all along. Foiled!

Sneaking Back Into The Reserved Seating Area Take #2: We mull a few minutes outside the doors deciding how we want to handle this when ... shazam .... Security Guard #2 walks out and away from her guard post. One quick glance at each other and T2 and I rush back in and safely back into two other empty reserved seats! WHEW! Time to sit back and enjoy!

Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders. Well, I'd like to tell you that they rocked the house and all .... but I have to admit that I didn't really pay much attention. There was a cutie-patootey single man sitting in front of us who seemed very content to chat with us the whole time. I can tell you he had beautiful eyes and a nice ass ..... but I can't tell you which songs The Pretenders played. Oops!

OH, but once I found out that Cutie-Patootey-Boy travels 45 out of 52 weeks of the year, doesn't really have a "home" since he travels so much (ie he couch-surfs), and still seemed hung up on his ex (the big 'red flag').... I did manage to refocus on the stage and snap this picture of The Pretenders for you.......

Chrissie had some pretty swanky boots! (umm, you can't really see them in this picture so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it! :))

Anyway, last, but certainly not least ....it was time for ZZ Top! Now, I'd seen ZZ once before .... but it was eons ago back in Cali and I went to the concert with my best friend at the time Viki, our good-looking coworker Art, Art's barrel-chested Navy Seal buddy, and about 4 other of the Navy Seal buddy's Navy Seal buddies. Uh yeah ........ can you say "heaven"?? So I KNOW my ticket stub says "ZZ Top" .... but to this day I have NO idea who the opening bands were or what songs were played! (The only song titles which come to mind anytime I think back on that concert are: "Flex for me, baby, one more time" and "Good God that tight t-shirt shows those rippling pec muscles to perfection!". ZZ Top songs?? No?!) Anyway, lordy, lordy, that was one helluva concert regardless of any bands playing music at all!!

This time though .... I had the chance to take a listen. And they are just too cool for words! An absolutely phenomenal show! Here's a couple of pics. (Sorry they are so blurry but I still haven't mastered taking photos while bouncing up and down in time with the music! ;))

These guys are just a hoot! And the guitar playing was amazing!! I took more video!

[dagnabit!!! Neither this new Blogger video thingamabob nor YouTube will run this video! WTF?! It meets their file size guidelines! @$#^&*($@%#@!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINE!

Sorry, folks, here's what it went like:

She's got leeeegsss, [*insert cool guitar rift*]
She knows how to use them [*insert cool guitar rift*]
She never beeeegsss, ....

(not the same??. Sigh. Oh well. I tried.)]

For one of the songs, ZZ Top brought out both Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders for a group jam. Here's a quick peek!

[See above. (grumble, grumble, grumble). I will try these video uploads later and see if the persnickety video uploaders are then in a better mood. F!]

All in all .... a fantabulous time! Thanks T2! I make the motion that all future concerts involve all fab bands instead of one good band and a couple of crappy opening bands. And that they all be less than $10! Can I get a "hell yeah"?! :)

My Little Helper

So one morning before work I walk into my spare bedroom (aka The Office) to find Emma lazily laying in the middle of the floor next to a live spider! She spots me and half-heartedly reaches out a paw toward Charlotte (I'm assuming that's the name she would have chosen for her new friend) as if to say "oh crap, I'm supposed to be killing this thing"!!

Of course, the attempt was so half-hearted that the paw reach towards said spider was barely perceptible. She then drew her paw back and continued to just gaze off into LaLa Land.

Which left me to have to quickly find Spider Extracting Equipment (in this case, a nearby flower vase and an envelope) and scoop up said spider and take it outside. All the while mumbling under my breath something along the lines of "damn worthless cat".

So to restore my faith in Catmanity, the same morning CJ steps up to help me wrap a gift for a coworker. Ah, I loves me that kitty! Look how cute!

CJ: "I'll hold, you tape!"

Faith restored! How could it not be with that face?!

I can't make this stuff up!

Y'all .... seriously! I'm just minding my own business and stumble across this headline......

Dwarf's penis stuck to vacuum

Now, I immediately think of T1 (don't ask) so I read the article to find out if it is T1-Worthy.

Folks, it is BEYOND T1-Worthy. Because, at first I'm thinkin', "okay, the guy is trying something out at home. Pretty dang weird but what are ya gonna do?".

But THEN! But THEN! I open the article and read THIS!

"A DWARF performer at the Edinburgh fringe festival had to be rushed to hospital after his penis got stuck to a vacuum cleaner during an act that went horribly awry."

Dude was on stage doing this?!!!! And they're saying that the "act went horribly awry"!!! Y'all .... the act ITSELF is horribly awry! WTF?!

Either this is true Bizarro World .... or I need to get out more!

Here's the full article for those interested........

I tell ya .... it's a crazy world. Makes you wonder what the other acts at this "fringe" festival were, doesn't it?! (it doesn't? Oh, never mind then!)

You might want to be sitting down for this .... I'm going to talk knitting!

I KNOW! Shocker, right?! I'm actually KNITTING ... and have pictures to prove it! Whoo hoo!

But first, I was so impressed with myself last night when I figured out (with the help of the wondrous internets) how to wind yarn into a pull skein. See, I started with this:

Lorna Hand-Dyed - Swirl Chunky

And ended with this! YAY me!

So I tried it out .... and found that the yarn would only pull from the center for about one yard .... then it just was NOT pulling out any more! I mean, I was grabbing it with two hands and pulling while practically bracing my feet up against the yarn ball. To absolutely NO avail. That yarn was just not budging. So I decided to use it as an outter pull yarn ball instead and deal with the massive internal tangle when I get to it! :) (y'all can just call me "Scarlett O'Hara'!)

I was reading Crazy Aunt Purl's site yesterday and remembered her post about the Magic Scarf. I figured this yarn was PERFECT for it so I decided to give it a go. The only difference being that my OCD-self wouldn't allow for squares being 5 stitches wide by 10 rows in length (5x10=rectangle not a square!) so I altered my pattern to only 5 rows before the switch. And this is what I have so far ..... I like it!

Cool basketweave! It IS magic!!!! :)

I also added the 3 rows of garter stitch at the beginning to keep the scarf edge straight. Seems to be working! Of course, I don't know that mine will be 9 FEET LONG as Purl's was! In fact, I'm guessin' it will probably be "Until I Get To The Massive Internal Yarn Tangle" Long, I'm thinkin!

Just a guess ... but if I was a bettin' woman that's where I'd put my money!! ;)

The Birthday Boy!!!

This is baby Q, y'all! Is he not the cutest??!!!!!!

Ah, I just adore him! And hopefully will get to see him soon! YAY!!!!

Experiences still on my To-Do List

My list to date. Some of these items will simply take time and effort on my part; others will take money .... and some of them will out and out take a miracle! :)

But in all cases, the first step is simply a matter of knowing what you want! So, what's on YOUR list??

• Ride in a military-style jet (like with The Blue Angels)
• Volunteer to help baby turtles make it safely from nest to sea
• Watch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field
• Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans
  
• Spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom. Preferably with company. Of the opposite sex. (if I'm going to get a night in the Lincoln Bedroom ... I might as well "go for the gold" so to speak. ;))
• Swim with dolphins
• See the Taj Mahal
• Explore areas of the South Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Bora Bora, etc) at my leisure
  
• [Done!] Travel to Boston to see my favorite piece of artwork (Renoir's 'Dance of the Bougival')
• See an active volcano
  
• Drive a sports car (preferably a Ferrari) really fast ... like on the highways outside Las Vegas
• Meet Ellen DeGeneres and make her laugh
• Vacation at a dude ranch
  
• Enjoy front row at a Bruce Springsteen concert!!!!!!!
• Attend a space shuttle launch
• See Petra in Jordan (maybe while wearing an Indiana Jones hat! ;))
  
• Learn to scuba dive
  
• Celebrate New Year's Eve at least once in Times Square, NYC
• Travel to Greece
• Be blessed by the pope
• Watch a tennis match at Wimbledon
• Be a "trainer for a day" (if not make a career of it) of dolphins and sea lions
  
• Attend the Academy Awards
• [Done!] Reread the "Little House on the Prairie" book series
  
• See the "sun rise" over earth from up in space.
• See the Great Pyramid and Sphinx in Egypt
  
• Learn to play the violin
• Go check out Miami at least once
  
• Explore Machu Picchu
• See the Northern Lights
• Take an eco-tour to the Galapagos Islands
• Shop the Mall of America
• Go whale watching and actually see whales! ;)
• Travel to all seven continents (so far I've been to three: North America, Europe and Asia. Still to do: Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and South America (some folks count North and South America as one ... I don't)
  
• Party in Rio De Janeiro (and maybe even see Christ the Redeemer while there! ;))
• Become a member of Mensa
  
• Take a swamp tour to see the gators
  
• View Mount Rushmore
  
• Photo-safari in Africa and see "the big 5"
• INSPIRE!
• See Niagara Falls
  
• Travel to Ireland
• Watch the sun set with the locals in the Florida Keys
  
• Marry the man of my dreams
• Stay at a (purposely) underwater hotel (perhaps at the soon-to-be new one in Dubai?)
  
• Visit Easter Island
  
• Pay homage to Elvis at Graceland
• Learn the bloody metric system!
• [Done!] Watch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park
  
• Cruise the Nile River
• Help build a house or school
  
• Take an Alaskan cruise
• Become a great photographer
• Learn to speak Spanish at least semi-fluently
• See Emperor and King Penguins in Antarctica
• Relax in Belize

.... to name just a few! ;)

I'm sure this list will continually be revamped as other ideas pop into my head. So tell me, how clearly does this list reveal my level of insanity??! ;)

[last updated: February 13, 2009]

It's NOT a pumpkin!!!

This post goes out to T1! Holla, T1!!!

Just wanted to let you know that the gift I knitted for baby's Q's 1st birthday and sent to you this week is NOT a pumpkin! No really, I swear!! Perhaps taking on a new project after having not knit in so long was not the best of plans!

Oh and ... the colors ... yeahhhhhh, those are supposed to be Bronco colors. I KNOW ... crazy, right? ... who knew that "rust" and "bright orange" were not the same color! Not Q's crazy auntie Kat.

Sigh.

So .... sorry. But here's the good news with regard to his gift:

1) it doesn't make noise
2) it doesn't make a mess (L- still sorry about those bathtime paints! Who knew??! :))
3) we live 3000 miles apart so you can just toss it yet just tell me he plays with it all the time.

See? ... all good! :)

At any rate, happy bday to Q tomorrow! Wish I was there to eat cake too (errr, I mean "see him"!!!)

p.s. in case you need ANOTHER hint as to what I was actually trying to knit .... it is one of the patterns in that book I gave you for your birthday. No, no really ... I SWEAR! THAT'S what I was trying to make! Crazy, right? :)

p.p.s I'm only not saying what it is SUPPOSED to be in this here blog post in case T1 hasn't opened it yet. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!

The Frayfields vs The McBrides

Concert updates! Get yer concert updates here!

Okay, so I joined some folks in watching The Fray perform out at McMennamin's Edgefield last week. They did a great job! I love when a band actually sounds like their album. You've all been to a concert, right, where you're thinking "what is this, some person doing a crappy karaoke rendition of this band's stuff?". But no, The Fray, sounded great live! YAY, The Fray!!

The bad news was that this venue is way on the other side of town. WAYYYYY on the other side of town! And concerts there start at 6:30pm! On Thursday nights!! Which makes for the bumper-to-bumper commute from hell to get there right smack dab during rush hour traffic. Which really sucks because all the seating is general admission out on a huge lawn, so the later you get there, the further away from the stage you end up sitting.

Now I knew there was no hope for me getting out there early after work to save spots for us, BUT ... a friend planned to be off work at 4pm and head right over there. Unfortunately, he forgot his tickets and had to go back and get them. So we ended rolling in at exactly the same time .... and long story short, we were at the back of the bus, so to speak!

In all actuality, it was nice to sit and relax and listen to a concert instead of being up amongst the hubbub vying to get the best picture angle (you know me and the stalking!)! Since this was the best I could do picture-wise, ....

Who dat??!!

.....I was able to just sit, chat and relax instead! Which was all good .... being that I'm not fanatical over The Fray. (had the band been say ... Bon Jovi! ... I'd been tossin' bodies to get them out of my way so I could get up front and personal. Ahem!)

So all in all, a wonderfully relaxing evening.

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

Next up was Martina McBride.

Now I'm not a big country fan (in that I like it but don't listen to it, if'n that makes any sense) and wasn't familiar with Martina's music. But a friend had an extra ticket and when have you ever known me to turn down a free concert!??! :)

And I'm glad I didn't. This chicky can s-i-n-g! Good lordy! I don't think I've ever been at a concert where the performer had to stop after a song and wait for all the applause to die down. (standing ovations to be exact) I mean, sure, sure, at the end and during the encores .... but just mid-concert?! Crazy! The power in her voice and the length of time she can hold notes ... phenomenal! I'd see her again in a heartbeat!

Opening for Martina was another great band, Little Big Town.

They rocked! I really liked one of their songs .... "A Little More You" I think the name is. That was really good live! In fact, both Martina and Little Big Town are FAR better live than they are on cd (I've since heard the same songs on cd). They both know how to infuse energy and fun into their concerts which doesn't quite come across as well on the cd. So give them a gander if they come to your town.

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

In non-concert news, the author Jasper Fforde was back in town (*insert much applause*). Y'all, I just think he is just sooo darned cute! Here's a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure.

In fact, the pictures just don't do him justice. You've got to see him speak. So here's a short video I took of him ..... with his accent and mannerisms ... doesn't he just make you think of Hugh Grant???




He does me! I just find him ridiculously charming! Le sigh!

Anyway, that's it for recent concert updates! Hopefully more concert updates later this month!

Maybe it's just me but...

.... am I the only one who found it odd that out of all the places in the world the president of France could have vacationed, he chose to vacation in New Hampshire?? I mean, I don't want to knock New Hampshire or anything, but seriously?!

If you've got a boatload of money and the world as your playground, how far down on your Vacation Destination Choice List is frickin' New Hampshire? I mean, sure, it could and should be there somewhere ... but first? second? twentieth??? Not for me!

Porn for Women

Hee hee. Someone just emailed me this today and I thought I would share! It IS porn for women!!! :)

(click to enlarge ... the captions are priceless!)

Dibs on the shoe shopper! ;)

Experiences I Am Grateful For

• Standing on The Great Wall of China with my mom
  
• Having my name listed in the acknowledgments at the front of a novel
• Viewing NYC from the top of the World Trade Center towers
• Buying a house all on my own
• Taking pictures of Paris from up in the Eiffel Tower
• Growing up getting to play frequently at the Happiest Place On Earth (Disneyland)
• Sitting and looking at the Mona Lisa
• Sunbathing topless on a beach of the French Riviera
• Being gifted with a love song written and recorded for me
• Lettering in varsity
  
• Riding in a horse drawn carriage through Central Park
• Rubbing onto paper a soldier's name off the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC
• Watching the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace
• Seeing the Grand Canyon
• Standing on The Grassy Knoll in Dallas, TX
• Being proposed to
• Standing in awe at Stonehenge
• Seeing a movie at Mann's (Grauman's) Chinese Theater
• Touching Jon Bon Jovi!!
• Taking the Chunnel under the English Channel
• Standing at Shakespeare's grave
• Walking hand-in-hand along the Champs Elysees
• Being thanked in the acknowledgment section on a cd
• Browsing the shops along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills
• Skydiving
• Strolling Les Rambles in Barcelona, Spain
• Being in 4 states at one time (4 Corners)
• Gazing up in amazement at the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel
• Cruising down the Yangtze River
• Riding a gondola in Venice, Italy with the man I loved
• Exploring the Kennedy Space Center
• Watching Old Faithful erupt
• Leaning with the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Being an extra in a movie
• Attending an Olympic event (1984 in Los Angeles)
• Riding the train from NYC to Los Angeles
• Shopping Harrods in London
• Hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls in Oregon
• Spending time wandering and photographing Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny
• Snorkeling alongside sea turtles in Maui
• Being tipped by another player for rolling such a great round of dice at a craps table
• Visiting the house of Anne Franke in Amsterdam
• Seeing the Hollywood Sign
• Having my fortune told by Madame Marie in Asbury Park, NJ (a'la Bruce Springsteen)
• Sitting in the bleachers for a ballgame at Yankee Stadium
• Making strangers laugh so hard they've cried
• Touching the Berlin Wall
• Walking on the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, AZ
• Touring Hearst Castle
• Receiving tossed strings of beads in New Orleans
• Getting kicked off the train in Spain due to a sudden rail strike
• Looking over the harbor from inside the crown of the Statue of Liberty
• Hiking in the Swiss Alps
• Piloting a boat on Lake Tahoe, NV
  
• Gazing around in awe inside the Library of Congress
• Visiting Pearl Harbor
• Escaping Alcatraz Island
• Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
• Seeing movie stars out and about in the wilds of Hollywood (and NYC)
• Watching the sun set on Waikiki Beach
• Graduating college with honors
• Climbing to the top of Red Rock Amphitheater in Denver, CO
  
• Riding the bus from all the way across country (California to Massachusetts)
• Seeing the Liberty Bell when it was touring the United States by train
• Eating Belgium Waffles in Belgium
• White water rafting
• Watching a Space Shuttle land
• Having my picture taken with a donkey in Tijuana, Mexico
• Surviving a take-over bank robbery
• Figuring out that over time and various road trips that I have driven the entire length of I5 freeway from the Mexican border to the Canadian border
• Performing on the field of Dodger Stadium
• Being chauffeured around in a Ferrari
• Seeing Michelangelo's statue of "David" in Florence, Italy
• Taking a weedy patch of dead grass and creating a beautiful cottage-style flower garden.
  
• Gambling in Las Vegas
• Touring a Scotch Distillery in Scotland
• Helping to sail a sailboat
• Exploring the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
• Sipping beer in Germany
• Watching the live taping of one of the final episodes of the tv sitcom "Cheers"
• Celebrating the striking of midnight twice the same night on New Year's Eve (two time zones)
• Boogie and body boarding the Southern California beaches
• Seeing a bridge lift for Tower Bridge in London
• Visiting the Colosseum in Rome
• Accidentally stumbling across the most perfect white sandy beach in Oahu
• Eating a Nathan's hot dog in Coney Island, NY with my dad
  
• Sleeping overnight on the sidewalk in order to save a spot to watch the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA
• Shaking hands with Rob and Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Leslie Nielsen
• Going to the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago
• Successfully knitting a pair of socks (which fit!)
  
• Spelunking
• Getting my kicks driving on Route 66
• Conversing in a mix of English, Spanish and French with a Spaniard in Barcelona in an attempt to find the post office
• Having a wonderful dinner and watching amazing magic at the Magic Castle in Hollywood
• Being in a parade
• Browsing the fabulous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
• Taking pictures atop Victoria Peak in Hong Kong
• Ringing in a new year making love at midnight to the man I loved
• Flying in a little Cessna plane (and briefly piloting) on a jaunt from Los Angeles to Catalina Island
• Gaining insight into prison life by touring a not-yet-opened (at the time) women's prison in Wilsonville, Oregon
• Touring the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland
• Driving to Canada just to watch a hockey game
• Falling asleep to a show of twinkling lights across Lake Como in Italy
• Midnight forays with my sisters to surreptitiously shake presents under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.
  
• Bruce Springsteen concerts!
• Seeing the Terracotta Warriors in Xian, China
• Being first place champions of my entire league for high school doubles tennis
• Sipping a beer in the original "Cheers" bar in Boston, Massachusetts
  
• Being in 17 countries (so far) (US, Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea, China, Hong Kong)

(to be continued! :))