my ramblings

Week 13 - Day 5

2011-01-02T23:15:00.003-05:00

Next goal: lose 10% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 50+ pounds
Current status: lost 17.8 pounds total so far!

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First and most importantly, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I've given myself one of the greatest gifts I could give myself this year (both for Christmas and New Years)....less of me!

I'm proud to say that as of my last weigh-in (smack in the middle between Christmas and New Years), I've lost 17.8 pounds overall! Not half bad if I do say so myself.

In October when I started WW, I never thought I'd be where I am now. I asked Santa (and my family) for gift cards for Christmas in hopes of needing new clothing but never really believing it could happen... Well, turns out that it did!! I've gotten rid of most if not all of my old clothing that doesn't fit, and have dug out some of the things that I kept but never really believed I'd wear again! And now I'm going through and supplementing with the things I really do need (new pants, smaller blazers, etc). Its kind of nice.

Today I downloaded photos from Christmas and was checking them out. For the first time in years, I can say I really was happy with how I looked. Not perfect, and not anywhere near where I want to be, but much happier than I've been when seeing photos of myself.

I also had a little wake-up call.

For all of my awesome progress (yes, I AM proud of me), I saw some photos that still weren't all that flattering. I was a little duped into thinking I had this HUGE transformation. And while I am in a much smaller pant size and am wearing smaller clothing, I forgot how much more I have to go.

That and a conversation I had the other day (about overall weight loss) made me realize that I really DO have a lot of weight to loose still.

I foolishly thought that I was almost half way to my goal. But that overall (original) goal of 40 pounds to loose would only bring me to my weight in 2003. When I really wasn't all that happy... And when I stopped to think about how I felt about myself then, I realized even THEN I was trying to loose weight.

So if that's the case, why would I be happy with going back to where I was?

True, 40 pounds lost from October would rock. But really, if I made it this far, why can't I set my bar higher (or lower as the case is??).

Isn't the point of loosing weight to be healthy and to improve myself?

If so, then why would I be happy with going back to what I was??

Why not make myself even THAT MUCH BETTER?

And even though this past week is bound to catch up with me on the scale (parties, drinking, fun, and oh geez!), that doesn't mean I can't get up, brush the dust off and refocus.

So its a new year. Time to reevaluate where I am and realize that A) I'm not where I was even 3 months ago, and I definitely deserve to be in a better place than I was 7 years ago.

So an overall loss of 50-60 pounds would ROCK. And that's what I'm going to aim for.

In the meantime, I've had plenty of success looking at my smaller goals. And right now I'm about 4 pounds (give or take) from my next mini goal. Which I totally know I can hit.

And once I hit that, I'll aim for another 10 pounds lost. And another and so on.

Because for ME, focusing on the big picture is a bit daunting. But focusing on loosing just another 10 or just another 5 is much more attainable.

Hey, if it works, right??

And in no time, I plan to be writing how far I've come from my New Year's post and my 17.8 pounds lost!

You'll see.

So here's to a fantastic 2011 to everyone!! May you attain all your goals and make yourself that much better than you already are!

Week 10 - Day 1

2010-12-08T11:58:00.003-05:00

Next goal: lose 10% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: lost 13 pounds total so far!

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So I know I've been MIA lately. I've been busy with the holidays and work. Too much to do, too little time to do it.

As of today, I've lost 13 pounds!! So proud of that!!! I never thought that I'd ever loose this much - let alone do it in a couple months!!! So really, this is big for me. Just like my old pants are now big on me! GREAT feeling!!

I actually DID hit my first mini-goal of loosing 5% of my starting weight on November 24th. My goal was to do that before Thanksgiving and I made it so WOOT.

I've also hit the 10 pound mark (WOOT WOOT) - did that a few weeks ago.

So now I'm working on my next mini-goal which is 10% of my weight. I'm HOPING to do that by Christmas or by mid January at the latest. I'm getting there.... I'm averaging just around 1.5 pounds a week, but if I keep on track, I'll be ok.

Really I'm just working on not gaining over the holidays. That would totally rock. And if I can LOOSE over the holidays (loose weight that is!), that would be the best gift ever. And that's a gift only I can give myself.

So really, if I just stay diligent and continue to track what I eat and WATCH what I eat, I should be ok!!!

Week 5 - Day 1

2010-11-10T10:34:00.001-05:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: lost 8.6 pounds total so far

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So today is day 1 of week 5 and I just had my weigh-in at home. I lost another 1.6 pounds and I feel great.

At this point I can FEEL the difference. Not to be all TMI, but I can feel like I have less fluff and jigglies on me. And it feels good. I'm in no way near where I want to be in the end, but I'm getting there.

At this point, I can also feel that my clothing is looser. Anthony notices too. I have several jeans that are loose on me and close to baggy on me at the end of the day. Last night I took my jeans off without unbuttoning them. Can't remember when - if ever - that's happened.

Yesterday, I put my new belt on and found out I had to go one hole more to make it tight. And that's not TIGHT tight...that's so my pants don't fall down tight!

Good feeling.

This morning I put on a button down blouse on that I last wore over the summer. Its a thin fabric - very airy and very summery - and I stopped wearing it because it was tight around my stomach. And tight and airy (read: slightly see through) is just a bad bad combination! Today, since its Fall and chilly out, I put on a cami under it (also as a buffer just in case), and when I put the shirt on....ITS LOOSE. I mean LOOSE. LOVING IT!!

Little things like that are totally pumping me up every day. I've been starting to wear shirts that I've STOPPED wearing because they were too tight on me....and now they either fit or are starting to be loose!! Great motivation if you ask me!!!

I just can't wait for the day I walk into my closet and realize nothing fits because its too big!! I KNOW that will happen....but its up to ME how soon that happens!!

Week 4 - Day 1

2010-11-03T12:41:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: lost 7 pounds total so far

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Well, this morning was my weigh in. After the free-for-all of food that was my weekend (wedding reception, rehearsal dinner, Anthony's birthday and ensuing cake and Halloween), I figured I'd be toting around a couple extra pounds.

Getting on the scale this morning involved me closing my eyes and thinking skinny thoughts. Guess that worked because I lost another 1.3 pounds this week for a total so far of 7 pounds lost!

HOLY COW!

How could that be? I didn't feel like I denied myself much at the wedding reception. I was the designated driver, so I didn't drink (and slightly wished I had so I could avoid the family's incessant questions of when we'd be the next to marry) but other than that, I ate what I wanted and stopped when I started to feel full.

Maybe that was the key - I started to feel full and didn't keep eating. I then proceeded to record as much as I could remember and overestimated the rest that I couldn't in points. But in the end, my stomach said "enough" and I said "ok" while the rest of my wedding-goer-compadrés continued to gorge on the goodies flowing freely from the kitchen to the reception room.

Either way, whatever I did this week worked....and I survived!

This newest revelation has given me hope. No....motivation.

There are only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving and I WILL hit my first 10 pounds lost before then (or by then at the latest).

Each tenth of a pound I loose makes me wonder what else I can do differently this coming week to add another tenth and another half pound and another pound lost to next week's scale. What can I eat less of? What can I eat differently? What can I do this week to make myself even better next week??

Its almost becoming a game. Is weight loss fun? Not so much my friend....but its a puzzle that I'm slowly putting together, and the more I get into it, the more I HAVE to reach my goal....and the farther I get, the more I KNOW I WILL REACH IT!

Last Day - Week 3

2010-11-02T09:36:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: unknown

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This past weekend was a perfect storm of food for me. It was Anthony's birthday (which required dinner and a cake of course), we had a wedding to go to (waaaay too much food), a rehearsal dinner, and Halloween.

REALLY?

So I really don't know what my weigh-in tomorrow will bring. I'm bracing myself for little to NO loss this week, but I tried to be good over the weekend, so I'm hoping for no gain.

We'll see tomorrow.

The one GOOD thing (great even) is that last week, I under-grew my old belt. I say "under-grew" because I don't fit it anymore, but that's because its too big.

So I got the same exact belt one size smaller (I really really like the belt).

Today I put it on for the first time, and guess what?

IT BUCKLES ON THE SECOND NOTCH!!!!!

WOO HOO!!!

Talk about great news!!

So really for ME, that's progress....no matter what the scale says tomorrow!!

Though, I'll be happy if it goes down! :)

Week 3 (lost count of the days...)

2010-10-27T14:56:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: lost 5.7 pounds

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Well, weigh-in #3 was this morning....and I've realized eating (for me) is a little like shopping.

Back in the day, if I went shopping and wanted something, I'd get it. Didn't matter if I had the money or how much it was. Now, true, I never just went and spent willy-nilly on a pair of Manolo's or anything (yes, I saw SATC2 last night), but a little spent often enough adds up. And all that adding resulted in me having credit card issues. Well, basically I owed. A lot.

Over time, I realized that I was just buying to make myself happy. I wasn't happy with a lot of what was going on in my life, and maybe subconsciously, I thought that a new pair of shoes or a new shirt would make me happy. And they did - but only temporarily... Then I'd want to shop some more.

But when I realized I CAN be happy and have it NOTHING to do with shopping, I started shopping in a more discriminate fashion. Did I really NEED that rainbow scarf or those green Crocs? NO. Did I want them? YES. BUT instead of just BUYING them right then, I learned to wait. If I was still thinking about them tomorrow or next week, then I really DID want them and would choose to spend my money on them.

That has lead me to be able pay down a lot of my debt and to really truly enjoy when I DO actually spend money on myself...

I'm learning the same can be said for food.

In the past 3 weeks, I've gone from being anxious about every meal to realizing that I have options. I've stopped to think about what I really want to eat, and made healthier choices.

The other night, I went out to the diner and was faced with getting something fun like chicken fingers and fries or even a veggie burger and fries. That's what my first instinct told me to get... But I stopped and thought about my options. An egg white omelet with spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese is just as filling but A) way healthier and B) waaaay less points. And who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?? I LOVE BREAKFAST FOR DINNER!!

Point is, I was able to realize that the fun and happiness I'd get from bad food would last only a short while but the fat and badness I get from it would last way longer on my arse and anywhere else it landed - sort of like my credit card bills!! So, if I'm going to "charge" the points, why not owe less?? It turns out I was JUST as happy and didn't "pay" as much!!

WIN WIN!

I love shopping and eating. And I admit there ARE still times I want to both spend money and eat willy-nilly, but will it make me happy long run? No.

Besides, I love loosing weight even more! WOOT!

Day 11

2010-10-18T22:33:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: not sure

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Well, yesterday, my weight dropped below that magic number I never want to be over again. This morning, it was back over it. Now I know I can't micro manage my weight loss. Its only natural to bobble a pound or two given even the time of day...

BUT it was also a wake up call.

You see, this weekend, I was so busy doing stuff at home and running around here and there, that I didn't eat much. And so obviously, when I weighed myself with NO food in me (even though it wasn't on purpose), I seemed to have lost a lot. But when I ate - even eating breakfast today - I gained. A lot? No. And I'm still below my last official weigh-in from last week, so I'm happy.

Basically, this reminds me that while I can't eat like its going out of style, I also have to remember to eat.

I keep good food in the house now - BONUS. So mid way through my Saturday when I'm running around cleaning like a fiend, I need to remind myself to STOP and eat. Even just some carrots or an apple.

I don't need a 4 course lunch - but I do need A lunch!

So today I was better.... I had my cereal for breakfast, and had carrots and apples throughout the day. I didn't have lunch since again, I was so busy @ work, but I did have a half of a sandwich and half a soup (a cup vs a bowl I guess?) and that filled me nicely. Not stuffed, but satisfied.

I think this whole Weight Watchers thing has taught me (so far) to eat to keep me going and NOT because I'm bored or its something to do. And today, I caught myself reaching for the carrots and simultaneously taking a deep breath (that deep breath when you're full).... I promptly closed the lid and put them aside. Was I hungry? No. Was I bored? Heck yeah.

The trick is to not eat when you're bored.

I'm learning....slowly!

So we'll see....Wednesday AM is my next weigh-in. We'll see how it goes! :)

Day 10

2010-10-16T19:30:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: 4.4 pounds lost

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Holy Moley!!! I'm so excited. No, today isn't an official weigh-in date, but I got on the scale for fun (like I do every day - just to torture myself) and I lost another 2.4 pounds since Wednesday!!! OMG SO HAPPY!!!

That means I'm just .6 pounds from the weight I never want to be again, and I'm .7 pounds away from the weight I never want to go OVER again!!!

I have 4 days to stay where I am PLUS loose that extra .7 pounds! Here's my mini-goal for this week....can I make it?

HECK YEAH!!!

Week 2 - How Weight Watchers Almost Killed Me

2010-10-15T16:06:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: 2 pounds lost

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In my efforts to eat better yet in a fun way, I decided to eat a bowl of couscous last night for dinner. Since the serving size is 1 cup and the box made 3, that left 2 cups over one of which I had for lunch today.

I decided to eat lunch @ my desk and work through lunch. I reheated my couscous and ate at my desk. While I was eating, one of my co-workers made me laugh, thus making a cous (singular) travel up the back of my nose and sit there very uncomfortably.

Which only made me laugh harder.

Naturally.

When I finally was able to remove it (sans details to all of you), I found that, in fact, it was couscous - TWO COUS'S STUCK IN MY NOSE!

It was highly reminiscent of the Tic-Tac Incident of 1999....which still traumatizes me to this day.

Needless to say, I survived both. Barely.

Day 1

2010-10-07T15:52:00.002-04:00

First goal: lose 5% of my current body weight
Overall goal: lose 40 pounds
Current status: @ starting weight

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I decided to start Weight Watchers late last night. Actually, I've been toying with doing it and not doing it for a while... But there were always excuses and reasons why not to. Finally, last night, enough was enough....so I signed up online and am going to try it for the next month.....

I figure since I hardly ever write on here anymore, but I'm always keeping a journal of this-that-and-the other thing...that I might as well use this space to start keeping a journal of how I'm doing on WW.

I think my biggest fears are the anxiety of eating. I don't like how I feel/look, so I've tried to eat better or less, but what tastes good to me is always fried, cheesy, and salty. So I turn to those when I don't feel good about myself, but those exact things are what contributed to how I am now!!

So today, Anthony and I were meeting up @ The Fireplace - our usual bad-for-you lunch place. As Nicole put it, that place is a landmine of WW badness!!! So I had the pre-lunch anxieties of OMG what do I eat!

I decided to eat baby carrots before going (0 points) and then planned to order the kid's chicken nuggets figuring that portion would be smaller and I could have my bad food but not have a lot of it....

Simple enough, right??

Well, when I got my food, I found out why kids are so overweight today. The "kids" meal was actually 2 nugget style fillets slightly bigger than the palm of my hand. And, thanks to my handy-dandy WW app, I know the palm of my hand is approx. 3 oz, so each was 4oz (for a whopping 8.5 points). I also had some of the fries it came with but Anthony ate probably about 1/4 of those, so I did my tracker app thingie and guessed that was 4.5 pts. Add to that the MM pink lemonade (2pts) I had (and haven't finished) that's a crazy 15 points for lunch!

BUT

Before I even ate, I went to the counter and got a to-go box. I didn't want to eat BOTH chicken fillets, so I took one and put one in that to-go box for another time - or to chop up and put in a salad tomorrow maybe. Point is, I removed half of the problem - otherwise, I'd have been over in points today!

Bad part is I only have 6.5 points for tonight where we're going to an Oktoberfest party. BUT, I still have my 35 "anytime" points which I guess I can borrow against since neither Anthony or I know what's on the menu tonight.... But I'll just stay under control as best I can tonight and that's all I can do.

At least I know for next week when we meet @ The Fireplace to either get the not-a-nuggets OR to do something else. But now I know it was a BAD lunch.... And since I haven't had even 1/4 of my drink, the little bit of ketchup I had w/ everything (I made a point not to DOUSE as usual, I dipped lightly into ketchup on a separate plate), I figure that could be rolled up into the 2pts for the drink too. I probably won't finish the drink.....

I guess the whole point is that I survived! I tried to make decisions ahead of time to counteract my lunch badness as best as possible. Looking back, if I hadn't have had the carrots, I'd totally have still been hungry for the other chicken half. But what I ate filled me, so I didn't keep eating. AND if I get hungry later today, I have green peppers (another 0 points) so that should hold me over until dinner.

Poor Nicole has had to endure a plethora of WW questions up till now and I can't appreciate her help enough. She's inspired me because she's lost a lot of weight on WW (and is still going!!), so if she can do it, I can do it! Or I'm going to try at least!! :) I know the first week or two are going to be tough, but when I get the hang of it and get past the mental block of "omg what can I eat", I'll be fine.... It's just going to take time.

First goal to work towards and hit: lose 5% of my current body weight.

Here I come!

SWEET!

2010-05-11T21:05:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it was back in April (end of April to be exact) but evidently I have 3.5 readers!!! Or at least I did back then!! WOW! Talk about progress! I'm getting a little teary here....bear with me.

My apologies to Anthony though - I think the got a little offended at being a half. But honestly, I didn't know he knew my blog address! WHO KNEW??

I'm reeling over this development.

FOUR whole comments in 1 post??!!?? Seriously, Heather Armstrong watch out!! :)

I knew her when....

2010-04-01T22:48:00.002-04:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to brag just a bit about Nicole and her photography. For all 2.5 of you who read this, I'm proud to say that I am friends with someone who is soon to be famous! (for the record, Anthony is the .5 who reads my blog when I open the page and force him to....but I digress.)

Where was I?

Oh right - Nicole > Famous.

Nicole's photos of flowers are hanging in a gallery in NJ as I type. Today, my co-worker opened an art gallery in Lafayette, NJ - JLH Galleries - and Nicole's photos are hanging there! Very exciting.

Now, I'll add at this point that I'm also going to be selling some of my photos there, however, I think her's are BY FAR better than mine... And that has nothing to do with the fact that she has a fancy schmancy camera. I truly believe Nicole has talent....

Anyhoo - I just wanted to let all 2 of you know that I will soon have the opportunity to say "yep, I knew her back when she was one of the little people like me". Hey, Nice Slady - don't forget the little people when you're rich and famous, ok?? :-D

PS - I said 2 because I don't think this is one of those posts I'll sit Anthony down and force to read - he hears about it enough already! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T16:31:00.003-04:00

In a rare feat, I'm writing here....wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

I've decided that today, I will put 'O in front of everything. Its made for an interesting day. At least the way I've written it all.

So I told Anthony this and he went along with it until he asked if it was MY idea or someone else's (because if it was someone else's, he was stopping). I told him it was mine (who else's would it be?) and that my co-worker, on being informed of the o' thing said "oh brother". I thought she was going along with my o' thing but on closer inspection, I doubt it.

I also took an o'trip to o'Walmart nearby my work. This one makes all other Walmart locations look like they're not even part of the same chain. All I can say about this one is o'GHETTO! On the plus side, I did get a great pot (for plants that is) but on the downside, I wasn't o'graced with any "People of Walmart".

I did, however, on my way back to the office see one of those types. This woman must've gotten dressed in the dark. In her child's clothing. Her toddler child's. This woman was rather large and was wearing tight jeans. Muffin top o'tight. With a short shirt. And she had a gut. A beer o'gut. And it was doin' the o'jello as she walked down the street. I almost got in an accident trying to find my phone so I could take a picture. No animals were run over but sadly, the picture wasn't o'taken either!

After seeing that, I might actually have to o'stop at the local pub for a few....

Have an o'fabulous St. Patrick's Day everyone!! Top o' the whatever to you! :)

OH SNAP!

2010-02-18T22:36:00.002-05:00

Its now February and I realized I haven't written since September - OF LAST YEAR. Not like anyone really reads this anyway...but for those 2.5 of you out there that do....what did I miss?

Happy Halloween!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukah!

Happy New Year!!

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy President's Day!

Boom...I'm caught up!

See you next Fall! ;)

I Should've Stayed in Bed.....ALL WEEK

2009-09-25T09:33:00.003-04:00

So this week started out pretty ho-hum. Nothing out of the ordinary until Wednesday. Wednesday was a gloriously humid and warm day. One of those days that when Fall comes, I cling to like a child to his mother. Wednesday brought out a pair of sandals I haven't worn in a couple years. I love these sandals and I figured I'd honor them by wearing them one last time before its too cold (in my opinion).

How did those sandals honor my Wednesday in return?? The outside part of the right one ripped off the sole mid morning. NICE huh?? My co-worker had shoe goo from a previous shoe fiasco she had so she offered me that. Only to find out that it was dry. So I tried to hunt down crazy glue with no luck. So I spent the rest of the morning walking around with a 1/2 on shoe.

I went to Payless at lunch in hopes of finding a cheap pair of something that was "allowed" by our dress code to get me through the rest of the day. Nuthin'. Of course, that trip to Payless was rewarded with what?? The outside of my LEFT shoe breaking exactly the same way as my right. Both were held on ONLY by the thread trim going around the outside of the shoes.

NICE.

I spent the rest of the day walking around at work like I was a child wearing my mother's high heels.

When Anthony got home, he laughed at the situation and asked to see the sandals. I slipped them back on only to realize the INSIDE (insole) of the RIGHT one broke too.

REALLY?

It was hilarious. And this was only Wednesday.

Thursday brought a post-work trip to the Carp Pond to meet up with Anthony and his friend while they fished. I've been there a million times with and without Anthony. Its a nice little park setting, with a pond and a bench. As they were wrapping up, I was texting his friend's wife and somehow I FELL in a ditch. FELL. Twisted my ankle. Phone went flying. Paper I had in my hand scattered. Arms, legs, feet - all went separate ways. And my ego was bruised as bad as my ankle. There was no need to get medical help (though it does hurt a little now) so I went home....

This morning I got in my car to the most HORRENDOUS smell....and it wasn't me!! I thought maybe I'd left part of yesterday's lunch in the car, but then I remembered I went out to lunch with Anthony. I thought that an animal had climbed into my car to die, but I realized all the windows and the sunroof were closed. Hmmm.... A quick check into the trunk of my truck revealed the culprit.

TWO LARGE PACKS OF ROTTING ORGANIC CHICKEN FROM THE SUPERMARKET ON WEDNESDAY THAT WE FORGOT TO BRING INSIDE.

REALLY?? I MEAN REALLY????

That went in the trash right away. But I was left driving to work with my windows completely open and the sunroof open in an attempt to air it out. I got to work w/ my hair looking like a birds nest from the wind.

FABULOUS.

At least its Friday. Of course, tomorrow we're going to an open house that is touting a "dutch basement". No one I know - including my father the architect - ever heard of a dutch basement. With my luck, its realtor speak for "quicksand in the foundation" and I'll go down there and be sucked into oblivion!

Bleh

2009-08-22T23:10:00.001-04:00

House hunting is not so much fun my friend. Not so much.

What are the chances, Tony?

2009-08-05T09:35:00.004-04:00

I'm not normally one to get all star struck when a celebrity walks by (not that it happens often). Nor am I one to go on those tours of where places filmed (I hear there IS a Sex and the City tour though....hmmmm).

Last night, we went to a wake in Bloomfield, NJ. After, we were told there's a good ice cream place a couple blocks away, so we headed over, parked and walked in. "To where?" you ask? Holsteins. Now, most people might not know about Holsteins in Bloomfield, NJ. However, Soprano fans know it as the restaurant where Tony and his family ate for the last scene in the last episode of the series.

The place is a pretty unassuming place, however, when you walk in, you can definitely recognize it if you've seen the show.

We sat down and after a couple minutes, Anthony's dad pointed out where we were sitting.

Out of all the tables (all 10?) we could've sat at, we happened to end up there. Pretty cool. Anthony's butt was in Carmela's seat. Anthony's sister was in Tony's spot and I was in their son's spot. Pretty cool.

Anyway, we all got ice cream, had a good time, and no one blacked out for 18 seconds like at the end of the episode. Pretty good if you ask me! :)

5 Years Already?

2009-07-29T10:01:00.002-04:00

Today is my Luna's 5th birthday!! I can't believe we've been together almost 5 years (this October) and what a big girl she's gotten to be!! Things definitely have changed and I hope she has a wonderful year - and many more to come!

She got a new scratching post this morning - and already loves using it!! Tonight she'll get treats and lots of love too!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUNA!! Mommy loves you!!

REALY? Slow news day I guess!

2009-07-23T16:35:00.002-04:00

I'm actually embarrassed to post this..... How, with all that's going on in the world, is THIS news???

Wild Turkey Terrorizes NJ Neighborhood

GO MONKEYS!

2009-07-17T16:57:00.001-04:00

I know I've been MIA for a while....but well, life's busy! :) Not too busy to eat bananas though! And to save you a little time eating them, here's a tip from MONKEYS!

Who says we can't learn a thing or two from the wild animal kingdom??

Talk about ew!

2009-06-07T09:08:00.002-04:00

For all 2 of the readers out there who actually take time to visit me here, my apologies that I've been MIA lately... I've been busy. The sun was in my eyes. We ran out of milk. Wait....um...?

Seriously though, my time has been consumed with work and searching for a house. After how many years together, Anthony and I finally decided its time to buy a house. So here we are, in the midst of house hunting. We know what we want, and we figured that there are those things that are a MUST (like a quiet street) and those things that we want but can live without (like a huge master suite). We thought our demands were pretty easy.... I mean, we want a place we can fix up ourselves (within reason) so how hard could that be to find??

OYE.

After searching for only a couple months and seeing only a few houses so far, we're coming to the realization that maybe we demand a lot. We've only seen a few houses so far because most of the others (and there are A LOT) we've scoped out and found they were on busy streets, falling apart from the outside, or should be sold with a gun or other home-security system included. We had one close call on a house that just went on the market this week but decided it wasn't for us....we just didn't SEE ourselves in it.

We finally went to see a house yesterday that we've wanted to check out for a while. It was sunny and bright from the outside. Quiet street, nice craftsman style house, decent yard (yeah we'd LIKE bigger but the garage that was skewed about 10˚ off plumb would definitely be knocked down). We thought this one would be a shoe-in.

O-M-G

We walked in and I should've known to run when I smelled the stale pee smell from the front door. Now, these people had no cat/dog, so YOU tell me who that stale pee smell was from!

The house was falling apart. How can a house that looks so nice from the OUTSIDE be so bad inside?? Now, we're not just talking dirty and messy (both of which it was). We're talking all tours should come with has-mat suits. NAS-TY! OMG it was bad. Seriously the place had to be GUTTED in order to be livable. It says something when the musty old basement smells better than the main living space. And lets not talk about the condition of the bathroom. I still feel itchy from being in the house. I showered when I got home..

So the house hunt continues. We're going to an open house today. If this one doesn't leave me skeeved, I'll consider it a one-up from yesterday's disaster.

Wish us luck! :)

Faith

2009-05-16T13:36:00.001-04:00

When good people do things like this to help our fellow furry creatures, it gives me faith in mankind...

Give A Squirrel A Helping Hand @ Yahoo! Video

Best news yet!!!

2009-05-06T18:06:00.002-04:00

From the US Humane Society:

Victory For Seals! The European Union Bans the Trade in Seal Products

"This is the beginning of the end for the Canadian seal slaughter. The EU was a primary market for Canadian seal products, and the Canadian government estimates the loss of the EU market will cost Canada’s sealing industry $6.6 million (CAD) annually. Given that the landed value of the Canadian seal hunt last year was less than $7 million, the implications are enormous.

With this ban, the EU joins the United States (which outlawed seal products in 1972) and Mexico and Croatia, which ended the trade in 2006. Soon there will be nowhere left to trade the products of cruel commercial seal slaughters, and seals will be worth more alive than dead.

Seals' lives have already been saved. Just the promise of an EU ban was enough to drive this year's price for seal fur down to $15 (CAD) per skin—a decline of 86 percent since 2006. As a result, many sealers stayed home. Out of Canada’s quota of 338,200 seals, fewer than 60,000 have been killed to date. By the regulated closing date of the seal hunt—May 15—it is likely more than a quarter of a million baby seals will have been spared a horrible fate."

WOO HOO!!! Maybe there IS hope yet!!!

Well, here's a new one for us!

2009-04-28T12:43:00.001-04:00

Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY
10:39 am EDT, Tue., Apr. 28, 2009

... RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

The National Weather Service in Upton has issued a red flag warning... Which is in effect from 2 pm this afternoon to 8 pm edt this evening.

Winds gusting to 25 mph... Temperatures approaching 90 degrees and relative humidity readings of 25 percent will combine to provide the ingredients for the rapid spread of bush fires... If one were to occur.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

Residents are urged to keep vehicles out of grassy areas and to ensure proper disposal of any smoking materials. In only takes a carelessly disposed cigarette to ignite a wild fire and with the dry and windy weather conditions... A small fire could spread rapidly.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now... Or will shortly. A combination of strong winds... Low relative humidity... And warm temperatures will create rapid fire growth potential.

More Information

... GUSTY WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON...

.A STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OF VERY WARM AND RELATIVELY DRY AIR WILL RESULT IN CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE SPREAD OF WILD FIRES.

Forget about recycling on Earth Day

2009-04-21T12:27:00.003-04:00

With Earth Day approaching (its tomorrow), I'm posting an article I just read - which you can also view at Care2.com here....just a little something to think about!

This Earth Day, April 22, millions of people will take steps to save the planet. But while many people have embraced actions like recycling, taking short showers, and using cloth bags and energy-efficient light bulbs, relatively few have gone vegan. If you do just one thing to save the planet this Earth Day, please switch to a vegetarian diet.

Turning cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys into "beef," "pork," and "poultry" is no simple matter. As E/The Environmental Magazine points out, "just about every aspect of meat production—from grazing-related loss of cropland, to the inefficiencies of feeding vast quantities of water and grain to cattle, to pollution from 'factory farms'—is an environmental disaster with wide and sometimes catastrophic consequences."

Consider this:

• Farmed animals generate more greenhouse gasses than SUVs, tractor trailers, trains, and jumbo jets put together. According to U.N. scientists, the livestock sector is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Nitrous oxide is about 300 times more potent as a global warming gas than carbon dioxide. The meat, egg, and dairy industries account for a staggering 65 percent of worldwide nitrous oxide emissions.

• Nearly half of the water used in the U.S. is squandered on animal agriculture. More than 4,000 gallons of water per day are required to produce a meat-based diet; only 300 gallons of water a day are needed to produce a totally vegetarian diet.

• The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that factory farms pollute our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. A Scripps Howard synopsis of a Senate Agricultural Committee report on farm pollution issued this warning about animal waste: "[I]t's untreated and unsanitary, bubbling with chemicals and diseased. … It goes onto the soil and into the water that many people will, ultimately, bathe in and wash their clothes with and drink. It is poisoning rivers and killing fish and making people sick. … Catastrophic cases of pollution, sickness, and death are occurring in areas where livestock operations are concentrated. … Every place where the animal factories have located, neighbors have complained of falling sick."

• It takes 3 1/4 acres of land to produce food for a meat-eater, compared to only 1/6 of an acre of land to produce food for a vegan. A new study, produced jointly by environmental groups and the soy industry, showed that cattle ranchers are largely responsible for the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. The U.N.'s report Livestock's Long Shadow says that the "[e]xpansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation, especially in Latin America, where the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring—70 percent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures, and feedcrops cover a large part of the remainder."

If you're not willing to go vegetarian, at least consider eating less meat. Once you see how easy it is, you'll realize that it's just as easy to go vegetarian. While it won't fix all the problems in the world, a collective move toward veganism will reduce disease risks, drastically lessen animal suffering, and substantially "green" the planet. For tips on making the transition to a vegetarian diet, see www.GoVeg.com. Have a happy, meat-free Earth Day, everyone!

WOW!

2009-04-13T17:42:00.002-04:00

WOW! Well, here's proof that you can NEVER judge a book by its cover...to set it up, here's the article written on YAHOO....

"American Idol" isn't the only launching pad for aspiring singers. Across the pond, "Britain's Got Talent" scored a huge boost in the Buzz after an unassuming contestant gave an amazing performance.
Susan Boyle (remember that name) became a Web phenomenon after singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. The performance brought the audience to its feet and left the judges (including Simon Cowell) either speechless or in tears.
Before going on stage, Ms. Boyle admitted some self-deprecating facts about herself (she's never been kissed and lives alone with her cat, Pebbles). For those reasons and more, audiences were expecting the female William Hung. They were wrong.
Lookups on the sudden star posted huge gains. A no-name just the other day, Ms. Boyle quickly surged into our top 5,000 overall searches. Blogs and gossip rags went wild. The Mirror jumped on the story, reporting that while Ms. Boyle thought she "looked like a garage" on TV, she received a standing ovation when she showed up at her local church.
Other sources write that as a child, Ms. Boyle was the target of bullies because of a disability. But, with her newfound fame, she is getting the last laugh. In fact, she's already meeting with officials from Mr. Cowell's Sony BMG label. This may have been the first you've heard of her, but it certainly won't be the last. You can watch her performance below...

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

Interesting.....

2009-03-27T13:29:00.002-04:00

Here's yet another posting on why we should be compassionate to animals.... There are studies showing now that YES, crabs and other crustaceans (including lobsters, etc) DO feel pain and can possibly process it like humans do!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090327/sc_livescience/boilingmadcrabsfeelpain

Is anyone out there?

2009-03-06T17:35:00.005-05:00

Really? More Snow? REALLY?

2009-03-01T22:26:00.004-05:00

Ok, its March 1st, so WHY am I sitting here looking at a snowfall forecast map for tonight into tomorrow?? And WHY does it say we're going to get a solid 6-12" of snow over the next 24 hours?

WHY?

Honestly, the 50˚+ weather we got last week must've been a sick joke!! Seriously, I'm about to throw myself in front of traffic if we get anymore cold weather. Its March already people!! How about some spring-like weather?? Anyone??

Seriously, why does this map even exist this late in the season??

I think its cruel and unusual. Ok, maybe not unusual, but still cruel!! I seriously want to break out my sandals already and put my coats into storage for the summer!!

I guess I'll be breaking out my snow boots tomorrow instead!! Blah!

2009-02-24T12:20:00.003-05:00

Well, its been a while and I've been MIA. To be honest, not much has been going on. I've spent the past month or two moving and unpacking and digging through boxes. Its really quite incredible how much stuff one person can collect over time. And its equally impressive how much one person doesn't need a lot of stuff when they're happy.

I guess our collective national consumerism could be an indication of how unhappy our society is.

Anyway, I've been digging and unpacking and settling in to my new home life. Luna is settling in quite nicely and is s-l-o-w-l-y getting accustomed to her new brothers. They still hiss at each other from time to time, but now Luna and Cliff have taken to chasing each other down the long hallway that stretches between the living room and our bedroom. Its nice to see her playing with other cats - even if it is just for a few minutes until she remembers she doesn't like them. And the hissing starts again.

Baby steps I guess.

Anyway, for once I really have no complaints. Life is good. I'm happy. WE'RE happy. And the cats? Well, they're getting there!!

So, I guess all I can say is that I hope Spring gets here fast, because this cold is getting old!

Who'd have thunk it?

2009-02-09T12:17:00.004-05:00

I think I've hit a whole new level of domestication....I am SO excited over our new vacuum cleaner!

We've needed a new vacuum for a while. The old one was older than dirt. It was held together with duct tape and even though it was an upright, it didn't always stay upright (which was a treat when it tipped over on you)!! I even noticed that it wasn't sucking up the big stuff anymore (like shreddings from the cat scratching posts).

So after many weeks of looking and hemming and hawing and not wanting to spend the money on a new one, we finally gave in and got one of the dual cyclone bagless uprights with a HEPA filter that is washable (no extra trash and no replacing it!).

I can only describe it one way....AMAZING!!

The living room was vacuumed with the old one yesterday morning so there wasn't stuff all over. When we got home, we put the new one together and tried it. Just from the "clean" oriental rug we have, we filled the container. TWICE. It was disgusting how much dirt and cat hair came out of the carpet! At first we thought maybe it was carpet fibers and that the rotating blades had chopped up the rug to make so much debris, but nope. Cat hair and dirt!! Its amazing how much was in what we thought was CLEAN!!

We proceeded to vacuum every rug/carpet in the apartment. And I can't tell you how skeeved I was at what I thought was clean but really wasn't! In fact, our bedroom rug had what I thought were dark stains on it - but after it was vacuumed you couldn't see them anymore! It was just DIRT that hadn't come up!

EEEEEW!!

I'm not sure if its that our new toy is just that great or if our old one was just that bad. Chances are its a little of both. But still, its amazing how CLEAN home is now!!

Kinda makes me want to run home and vacuum some more!!

(Who'd have ever thought that sentence would've come out of me!!)

Ode to Clementines

2009-01-21T12:20:00.003-05:00

Lately I can't eat enough clementines... Those wonderful little round orbs come packaged in a cute little crate and I end up eating 4 or 5 in a matter of minutes - sometimes I don't even remember eating that many!!

SO....to that end, I would like to express my love of these little sweet wonders as I pop yet another into my mouth....

Ode to Clementines

Oh my darlin'
Oh my darlin'
Oh my darlin' clementines

You're so yummy
In my tummy
Oh my darlin' clementines!!

FIN

Luna Watch - Day 3

2008-12-29T17:01:00.004-05:00

Well, Luna is getting there! She's spent the past few days in the back bedroom (what will be OUR bedroom now that I'll be moving in - details to come). She is beginning to want to venture out into the apartment and has a couple times until she saw Cliff and Titus. Titus isn't too bad as far as she's concerned. He just sits where he is and watches her, and I get the feeling that as long as he does that, she'll be fine with him. Cliff, on the other hand, is Mr. Friendly Welcoming Committee. Every time he sees her he tries to walk towards her - slowly. He just wants to be friends and get to know her. But she wants none of it. For every step he makes towards her, she reciprocates with a hiss or two.

She IS making progress - we can both see it - its just glacially slow!

As for US...? Well, yesterday Anthony finally asked me to move in!! I pretty much have been living there for the past few weeks (couple months?) anyway, so at this point it was just a matter of time. So now begins the task of going through my stuff and see what I'll keep and what I'll donate/toss. But one of the coolest things is that I can FINALLY get rid of my storage unit at the end of January! Three years plus is way too long to live out of boxes! I'm looking forward to getting rid of those boxes once and for all!!

Luna's Big Moving Day!

2008-12-28T08:04:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, Luna finally packed up her cat nip and scratching post and made her way over to her new home. Although WE haven't officially moved in yet (that's a whole other blog entry for another time), I've been spending basically every night at Anthony's and to sleep at home (as in where mom and dad are) seems weird. So finally we decided that if I'm always over here, Luna should be also.

One catch - she hates cats.

And Anthony has 2.

Cliff and Titus are wonderful. They're sweet. They're curious. They're loving. And they're social. And while I cut Luna's claws before coming over here last night, we decided it would be prudent to keep them separated for the next few days or more until she gets more comfortable with her new surroundings. She's in the back (spare) bedroom with a nice big bed, lots of windows and all her toys and other needs plus I brought over my quilt from home (which she loves to sleep on) so she'll have lots of her own smell around her.

When she first got here, we didn't let her see the boys and we just took her to the back bedroom. She could definitely smell them because she was just a ball of hisses, but as the night wore on, she calmed down more and we were actually able to pet her.

We're also trying out a diffuser I found at Petco called Comfort Zone with Feliway. Basically its like a plug-it-in thingie that diffuses cat-friendly pheremones - the ones that they rub when they rub their faces on things. Its supposed to ease a new cat into new surroundings. So we'll see if it works. I'm guessing it can't hurt at the very least.

Last night I slept with Luna in the spare bedroom. I figured it would help if she knew I was in this strange place too. She calmed down enough to climb into bed with me for a little while and she did find her food and ate too. The only thing really missing was "her" nightstand which she's slept on almost every night of her life. That's still at home. So I set up a box next to me and then the small nightstands in that room were also there. She found both and when I rolled over she meowed at me like "look what I found Mom!". That made me feel better.

By this mornig, she seemed a little better. We put her up on the perch by the bedroom door and she loved looking outside. There's a park behind the apartment so there are plenty of critters to be eye candy for her! At one point, she was able to look OUT of the bedroom into the hall just enough to see Cliff coming down the hall to see her. GROWL. Alrighty then....she'll need much more time to get used to them!!

Cliff and Titus have been great through this all. But they are definitely curious as to who is in the bedroom they can no longer go into. At any given time, at least one of them is sitting outside the door in hopes of getting a glimpse of her under the door.

I hope Luna will settle in quickly. She's gotten very accustomed to being at home with my parents and her and my dad are buddies. I hated taking her away from them, but I just can't be without her anymore. I know they'll see each other soon enough anyway. Dad can visit or Luna can take a dreaded car ride over to her Grandma and Grandpa's house too.

I'm sure it's going to be a rough couple weeks but I hope in the end it'll all work out and that we'll all become a happy family.

Or at least one with limited hissing!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T11:38:00.005-05:00

I would like to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas! I hope your holidays are safe and filled with happiness and joy!

MELE KALIKIMAKA!!

HOLY SNOW, BATMAN!!!

2008-12-19T15:34:00.002-05:00

Could it be?

2008-12-19T08:26:00.004-05:00

Well, today they are forecasting the first BIG snow storm of the season...

Rumor has it we're going to get a solid 6"+ and maybe even more. We shall see. I've got my camera ready to go and am going to hunker down at Anthony's after work (yes, I still have work today - let's not get me started, shall we?). It should be fun though - I love snow storms. We're forecast to get another on Sunday and MAYBE one on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day (depending on what news channel you watch). So this year, we might have a White Christmas after all!

(my favorite holiday movie, by the way!)

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNOOOOOWWWWW!!!

Brrrr!

2008-11-28T22:56:00.005-05:00

Greetings from Pulaski, NY...!

Its frickin freezing here, and we're in a lake effect storm warning....4-8 inches of additional snow by tomorrow. Never a dull moment, my friend!!

Momma's baby

2008-11-24T20:33:00.004-05:00

Ever since I started my new job, I've spent more and more nights at my boyfriend's house rather than at home. And while this is what I've wanted and it makes me happy to spend so much more time with him, I can't help but miss Luna ever so much. Because spending time at his place has meant leaving her at home. And that makes me sad.

I miss you, Luna. And I love you very very much.

Arrrr!

2008-11-19T15:34:00.002-05:00

Ahoy matey! My name is Mad Charity Vane...! Sorta. Click HERE and you can take the pirate quiz and find out what your pirate name is!! Here's what mine said about me:

My pirate name is:

Mad Charity Vane

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You tend to blend into the background occaisionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Hee hee...disembowel. Hee hee! :-D

Great...!

2008-11-18T16:52:00.000-05:00

Seriously, my father has ruined one of my favorite current songs.

You know that Pocket Full of Sunshine song by Natasha Bedingsfield? Well, this morning, he starts singing HIS version of it (I'll tell you in a minute) and since I'd JUST gotten up, I wasn't amused.

It just came on my iPod. And all I can hear? His version...

I GOT A BUCKET. GOT A BUCKET FULL OF CHICKEN....

Why my boyfriend ROCKS!

2008-11-14T08:23:00.002-05:00

This morning, after waking up to coffee in bed, I went to the kitchen to find breakfast waiting for me - with milk in the bowl waiting for the cereal to be poured!

My boyfriend is the best!

Election Day at last!

2008-11-04T08:40:00.005-05:00

After 2 years of campaigning, primaries, debates and such, we've come to the defining moment when Americans choose who will be the next President of the United States.

And all I can say is WOW!

I dragged myself out of bed at 5:45AM to get to my polling location by 6am when the polls open in NJ. We got there AT 6am and there was already a line of I'm guessing maybe 100 people or so ahead of me!! To put it in perspective, I've NEVER EVER waited more than one or two PEOPLE ahead of me to vote - even in all the other presidential elections I've voted in! So to have THAT MANY PEOPLE there when the polls open blows my mind!! Regardless of WHO they were voting for, its clear that people are really participating this year!!

So I voted and it "only" took me 30 minutes. ONLY. WOW. 30 minutes! REALLY??

Here are some really BAD QUALITY photos to show what the lines were like outside of the polling area. My apologies on the quality, but really, what can you expect from a camera phone BEFORE SUNRISE.

Waiting in line or not, I'm so excited and thrilled that people are taking voting so seriously and are obviously so enthusiastic about having a hand in the future of our country!

If you haven't already - don't forget to vote!!

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-30T14:39:00.003-04:00

I just want to wish a VERY happy birthday to my wonderful boyfriend!! I love you baby!!

PS - Yesterday was my best friend Nicole's birthday and I didn't mention it here. So I bow my head humbly and send out a happy birthday to her as well!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAYs TO MY TWO FAVORITE PEOPLE!!! :)

Question du Jour

2008-10-24T08:18:00.002-04:00

I have a question for the state of New Jersey - drivers in particular. And since the question I'm about to ask most likely could pertain to drivers in other parts of our country, well, this is directed at them too....

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE NAME "FAST LANE" ON A HIGHWAY THAT DOESN'T GIVE AWAY ITS PURPOSE??

I commute about 12 miles each day on the highway. Now, granted, I'm normally running late and am already frantic and wanting to GO GO GO!

However, why is it that people who are driving in the FAST lane find the need to MATCH the speed of those in the middle and slow lanes? Even when there is no one in front of them??? Its not the MATCH lane people! Its the FAST lane!

And I'm not talking about traffic here. I'm not talking about stop-and-go conditions. I'm talking about normal driving conditions where there is room for slow pokes to be NOT in my way!!

Why is it that these people are oblivious to the fact that others are up their, well, you know, and that they need to get over???

And why is it that often times, I find myself going faster in the SLOW lane??

VERY FRUSTRATING.

Those are the times when I wish I had lasers on my car so I could zap them into oblivion and OUT OF MY WAY!

Talk about having a good morning! :)

So true...so true...

2008-10-23T16:55:00.002-04:00

Nicole just said the most accurate and best thing ever about me...

"you're not really the super outwardly non-normal type...
it's only when people get to know you that they figure out you are not right in the head...."

'Tis the season

2008-10-17T12:34:00.001-04:00

Fall arrived last night overnight with a strong gusty wind. I know Fall officially began a few weeks ago, but its been warm, and you could feel Summer hanging on for all it was worth.

But the winds blew in from the north last night, and with it came Fall. Its in the air. You can see it in the sky. The sun looks different. Its hard to pinpoint what changed from even just yesterday, but it looks like Fall out. The change is palpable.

Summer is over.

But with Fall, the winds of change also brought in lots of news of Mr. Stork coming to visit so many people I know! Noooo...not me. Oh heavens no. Please! Don't even.

No.

No! No! No!

But in the past week I've gotten news that three people I know are pregnant. I guess its true, good news travels in threes. And I couldn't be happier for all those in my life who will become parents in the next year.

May your babies, juniors, and others be healthy and live long and prosper (ok, where are my pointy Mr. Spock ears?).

Anyway. For me? The winds of change brought me a new job. And Fall.

And that's more than enough change for me! :)

Revelations

2008-10-14T16:05:00.003-04:00

Things I've realized since starting my new job....

There IS a 6:15AM, and its still dark out then!

Luna is more affectionate and wants to snuggle just when I have to get up - making it that much harder to get up! But she's worth the extra snuggle or two....

People like to drive slow in the fast lane on the highway. There's a reason its called the FAST lane, people! Pass, drive fast, do anything but just SIT there matching the speed of the cars in the other two lanes. Its annoying and makes others want to drive you off the road! (ok, maybe it just makes ME want to drive them off the road...)

A 9-hour work day is a long day - even if one of those hours is lunch!

There's quite a bit of traffic at 7:45AM...

The same trip that takes 15 minutes normally takes twice as long at rush-hour on the way home!

I miss my lunchtime walks that I used to take at my last job more than I thought I would...of course, winter will rear its ugly head soon, so I guess I won't mind being inside then!

Nicole and I WILL find a way to communicate all day - even if IM isn't available!

I still LOVE designing - no matter if its produce or car parts! :)

Damn I'm proud of this picture!!

2008-10-10T14:34:00.003-04:00

Everyday @ lunch I go over to the Carp Pond - which is about 5 minutes away from work and it happens to be where Anthony goes in August to fish (when there is not "season" anywhere else). He introduced me to the place, but I took it over as my lunch spot.

ANYWAY...

For a few days I've brought my camera and have been photographing the birds there and also the carp when they expose their fins while they dig for grubs and food... AND I've been trying to photograph one when it JUMPS out of the water.

Well, today I was photographing the white bird in the foreground, when...whalla!! Check out the "background" of the photo...

View it and weep!!

Growing pains

2008-09-30T19:10:00.005-04:00

Its funny because now that I have my new job, I feel almost like I've left the planet...

I'm still getting used to the new routine. Up at the crack of dawn, new people, new place, new desk, new dress code.... And I knew to expect all that.

But what threw me for a loop was how isolated I'd feel.

I got used to spending the day with my boyfriend (there, I said it!) and even though some of my old co-workers drove me nuts, I did socialize with some of them at work, so I was constantly talking to someone. And when I wasn't, there was something going on at work - rubber bands flying around, a chance to go outside for a walk, someone to talk to....and even Nicole to chat with online! So even though I don't have a group of friends outside of work that I socialize with, I at least had human contact and socialized (limitedly) at work.

Now that I'm at my new job, its a much different situation. I don't really know anyone yet. My direct co-worker (the girl I share a space with) is very nice and helpful when I ask a question, but she doesn't talk. My boss is, well, all work (understandably) and I don't even have the chance to go online to chat with Nicole (BOO).

I don't get joke emails anymore, don't have people to talk to, and don't really socialize. And I guess I wasn't ready for that. Not that work is a place to socialize, but it helps pass the time. But as I look around when I'm there, it doesn't seem like people socialize much at all. So its been a little rough on me.

I guess I've found myself a little "home sick" - or "work sick" - as in missing my old routine. And I know, I know, once I get settled into my new routine, I'll feel better. But I guess, even with all the stuff I wasn't happy with at my last job, you never realize how comforting it is to be surrounded by what you know, until its not there anymore. Does that make sense??

Anyway - I guess its just par for the course when you get a new job and move on to do different things.

"You'll get used to it"

2008-09-22T22:32:00.005-04:00

What's "it"?? Being at work at 8am and getting up at just after 6am.

And yeah - I'll get used to "it" just like I'd get used to a metal spike through my head!

Not so much my friend.

But I'm proud of myself... Day one over, and I'm only mildly comatose. Of course, it's after 10:30 and it feels like 2am!!

I got to work on time - WOOT! That's partially thanks (well, mostly, ok, all-ly) thanks to my boyfriend. He woke me up at 6:15. A.M. (!!) I made coffee, waffles (I need food, sorry) and I hopped in the shower. Ok, I slothed into the shower. I got dressed, he got my travel mug full o-joe ready and I was out the door.

The commute wasn't bad (15 minutes, but 20 would've been better - next time leave earlier!), but I made it on time. We'll see how tomorrow goes... ;)

I got there, my boss met me, took me on a tour of the place and I met way too many people (all very nice) for me to remember at an hour when just last week I was still asleep! :)

After filling out my HR paperwork (we get direct deposit - WOOT!), I went back to my desk, "unpacked" and waited for IT to come to set me up. Turns out the IT department (new and only 3 people big) aren't Mac peeps. They're PC types. So it was a difficult day to say the least for them to get me set up with email and get access to the server. As of now, I still don't really have email. Well, I do, but only partially. They promised to get me up and running tomorrow morning.

I'm going to hold them to that!

My boss took me to lunch along with the girl I work with. We had a nice time and it was more of a get-to-know-you deal. After lunch, I spoke with him about the company, and we just discussed broadly what I'd be doing, etc...

Around 3:45 I finally was able to open Quark. Of course, the computer still wasn't 100%, so neither were the fonts I needed. Long story long, I didn't get to do any design work today. Just lots of sitting and reading the catalog I'll be maintaining (who knew there were so many o-rings and nuts and bolts in cars??). :)

My parents asked me (when I finally got home) how my first day went and asked if I liked it, etc. I told them its too soon to know, but that I know I don't like the morning part. I DO think that my first impression of the people who work there is good. Everyone was very nice to me today and they all seem easy going. My boss and co-worker seem nice. And the office itself isn't half bad. Other than that, I can't say much. I guess its too soon to say if I'll love or hate the job - especially since I did no design work today. But I will admit that I took comfort in opening Quark for the first time ever. And not because I like Quark (Quark blows, afterall), but because it was something familiar in an unfamiliar setting... However, my co-worker and I spoke to my boss, and he seems receptive to switching over to InDesign (since she and I are the only two who use Quark anyway). So there could be a silver lining to showing up early - InDesign could be waiting for me! :)

So, that's about it. Day one done. How many more to go?? Who knows. For now, I'm taking it one day at a time - you know, like recovering addicts. I'm recovering from sleeping in "late" and still getting to go to work! So I'll just take it one early morning at a time. Oh, and just count down to sleeping in on Saturday mornings! Cause if I had a penny for every time I heard "you'll get used to it", heck, EVERY DAY would be Saturday to me!! :-D

Tomorrow!

2008-09-21T15:31:00.003-04:00

Well, I can't say the past couple weeks were easy.

I got a new job, resigned from my old, and spent the last 2 weeks saying goodbye, doing mad amounts of work (to not leave them in a lurch) and cleaned out my desk.... Not to mention the mental and emotional exhaustion of it all...

But I survived.

And tomorrow I start a new chapter - the one where I start my new job at an earlier time (no, I'm not a morning person, so why pretend I am?). But I'll be fine.

Its been hard, and I'll admit that I'm nervous, but, nothing worth doing is ever easy. I know this will be good for me - I just have to get past the nervous period and settle in. And get a new fish tank for my desk!! :-D

So keep your fingers crossed that when the alarm goes off between 6am and 6:30am (SHOOT ME) that I hear it and get up!! And from there, it should be easy as pie! (yeah, right) :)

Please inform yourselves!

2008-09-12T11:11:00.006-04:00

Its no secret I have been an animal activist for a while... And given the upcoming election, I've become more so because I truly believe that we are at a cross-roads for supporting the environment, the planet, and its animals.

A lot has been written about John McCain’s pick for Vice President (Sarah Palin), but here are a few things you might not know:

She has championed aerial gunning of wolves and bears and approved a $400,000 state-funded campaign to promote this awful practice. If you don't know what aerial gunning is, basically, Alaska officials allow airborne gunners to kill hundreds of wolves. Easy targets against the snow, hundreds of wolves have been shot from above or chased to exhaustion and then killed by aerial gunners who land and execute them at point-blank range. While I'm not a supporter of hunting, I believe if you ARE going to hunt, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. There is something cowardly and pathetic about not doing the work - not hunting on the ground and going after the animal the way it should be done. Instead, these people just fly over the animal, frighten and exhaust it, and shoot it - how pathetic.

As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin proposed paying a $150 bounty for the severed left foreleg of each dead wolf.

Just this summer, Palin's Alaska Fish and Game personnel, with authorization from the Alaska Board of Game, helicoptered into known denning areas knowing adult wolf pack / family members would remain to protect their pups. As a result, 14 adult wolves were killed in addition to 14 one-month old pups they were protecting, for a total of 28 wolves killed. This killing of wolf pups via denning (denning is the practice of killing wolves in or around their den, in this case by shooting them in the head) is against the law, regardless of whether it is done by the public or Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

Its important for citizens to be informed and not just vote on looks, popularity, or man vs. woman. Please inform yourselves...learn more about Palin’s record online at:

http://actionfund.defenders.org/palinvideo

Well its about time!

2008-09-08T22:16:00.005-04:00

After searching for a new job for about a year (give or take), I was finally offered a new on this past Friday. One I've decided to take.

My boyfriend and my best friend both have been very supportive, patient and understanding while I've weeded through the jobs, asked for advice, gone on interviews, asked ad nauseum about should I do this or that... And I couldn't be more grateful.

My family and friends have been supportive of me as well. They've listened to me talk about potential positions and given me advice. Again, I couldn't be more grateful.

When it came time to resign from my current position, my friends and family (boyfriend and best friend both included) all gave me great advice. They told me I was doing the right thing and not to second guess myself. They supported me and they were there for me.

None of that changed how scared I was today - right up until I walked out of my boss' office after resigning. I was scared! I was nervous. I was anxious. I was numb. Thought I was going to be sick. You name it...

But even through all the advice and support that everyone gave me, I think the one thing that sticks out is what my boyfriend said to me as I got ready to go into my boss' office. I told him I was scared and didn't think I could do it (no matter how much I wanted to). He told me that I'm strong and that I'm not the person I used to be.

I'm strong and that I'm not the person I used to be.

After all the dust settled and now that I'm lying here at home in the cool evening air with the fan on...it hit me. I'm NOT the person I used to be. I've changed and I've grown a lot. This new position that I'll be starting in a couple weeks is yet another materialization of that. And while its scary to make a change, I'm looking forward to the challenge. Because if I've survived all the other stuff I've gone through in my life, I know I'll get through this and be great at it!

So thank you to my boyfriend, my best friend and all of my other friends and family for being so wonderful to me - not only in my job search, but always. You all mean the world to me, and without your help and support, I couldn't have gotten to where I am today.

I love you all!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2008-09-04T21:45:00.011-04:00

Hector RULES!

Today I finally got my hair fixed... Knowing full well that I couldn't have the length I wanted (that would be shoulder length - what I could've had last month if it was cut properly in the first place...but I digress), I instead opted for evening out the bizarre do I've been sporting for almost a month. Yes, that same one that had me crying for the first week I wore it...

Now that its all over, I can post the badness.....hold on to your seats...

Before:

I took a chance and went to a salon at the mall. I'd already (in the past) gone to the salons that my mother and friends go to and they'd been ruled out. I figured if I'm just going to walk in anywhere, might as well be at the mall - where I can do a little shopping afterwards! I walked in and they gave me Hector.

HECTOR RULES. Period.

I told him my story and how "all one length, shorter in back, longer in front" somehow got me the "haircut" above. I told him how I hoped it would grow on me and that's when he told me "honey, its not going to grow on you." I told him I understood that it would be shorter than I wanted if he fixed it but to pleeeeeease fix it and get me as close as possible to what I wanted. I had photos, I had diagrams, I was ready to run if I saw even one layer cut! But lo and behold, Hector didn't let me down...

After:

Keep in mind these photos were taken indoors on my camera phone by me holding it at arms length, but, would you look-e here?? Its just what I asked for...all one length, shorter in back, longer in front!

Can I get a woot woot??

If your best friend can't tell you the truth, who can?

2008-09-03T15:00:00.002-04:00

I sent pictures of my "haircut" (if you can call it that) today to Nicole....one's I can't even bring myself to post here... Here's what my best friend had to say about it:

"seriously, i'd cut it off and start over... you can still do graduated.... so it's longer in the front. i can't even imagine why she would do that to your hair. i think it doesn't look that bad from the front. but from the back and side, it's like wtf? it's a reverse mullet."

and when i asked her if i was overreacting, she said:

"no, that's a bad hair cut. your hair should never be layered and texturized like that. i'd sport an ugly pony tail and gymnast barrets until i could get it cut but that's me."

See?? I can always trust Nicole to give it to me straight! Thanks Nice Slady! YOU ROCK! :)

Best quote (of the day...)

2008-08-29T14:45:00.004-04:00

To all my friends and family...

You're a great friend,
but if the zombies chase us,
I'm tripping you!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! :)

In defense of Crocs

2008-08-26T14:57:00.006-04:00

More than a few people have been known to hate Crocs. There are blogs dedicated to Croc-haters. Websites all about how horrible Crocs are. Articles have even been written about the woes that are Crocs.

Why?

What's so bad about Crocs? And why do people care so much that they have to complain about them? I mean, they're shoes people! Why are you getting so fired up about them??

Now, I don't work for Crocs. I just own a few pairs. Including lime green ones like the ones above. And I like them. And that's the only reason I own them. I. LIKE. THEM. And why lime green you ask? Because honestly, if you're going to own a pair of shoes that look so odd, why try to tone them down by getting black or brown? Might as well go all the way I say!

But why are there so many Croc haters?? I mean, if people can wear UGGS, why can't they wear Crocs?? And while I don't own a pair of Uggs, I can say they're just about as ugly as Crocs! (I do have eyes, you know)

So maybe its because celebrities like Paris, Britney and Lindsey haven't been spotted wearing a pair of yellow or lime green Crocs? I mean, you can't do anything without being bombarded by images online, in print and on TV of them and other celebrities sporting Uggs - even when its hot out (you know, just in case there's a freak snow storm in July!). So maybe celebrities wearing Uggs make them more acceptable?

And since no one famous (that I can tell) has been photographed sporting Crocs, maybe THAT is why they're not as popular??

I mean, everyone I know (including my best friend) has questioned at least a few of my footwear choices pre-Crocs, so why disappoint now?? In the end, it comes down to the fact that I wear what I like. Even if that means being an equal-opportunity footwear offender! :)

I like Crocs and will continue to wear them. Even my lime green ones. Even if Paris and other celebrities don't jump on the bandwagon and even in the face of all the Crocs-hating sites!!

They're all just jealous I say! :)

Enjoy it while it lasts...

2008-08-26T14:47:00.005-04:00

I went for my daily lunchtime walk today and I must say, its a glorious day outside. Bright, sunny, not a cloud in the sky and 77 degrees.

But as I walked, I realized something...Fall is just around the corner.

I realized the bright green leaves from even just last week have now been replaced by dull green ones - I can see the reds and yellows slipping in to their colors.

Fall is coming.

I realized that I didn't hear the cicadas that I always hear during the hot summer days. All was quiet - just a few crickets cricketing.

Its been cooler at night - upper 50's to low 60's. Just cool enough to need a light blanket on the bed and to be grateful for when Luna jumps up to cuddle. I appreciate her extra body warmth.

Football season is just around the corner. While I'm thrilled about this for Nicole (Geaux Tigers!), I can't help but feel a little sad too.

Summer is my favorite season. And when Fall rolls around, I tend to feel a little sadness creeping in. Summer is almost over.

But never fear!! There is still time left! Labor Day is still just under a week away. And there are plenty of beach weekends left. The Jersey shore in the Fall rocks! All the warmth, all the high ocean water temps, and none of the crowds!

So I'm looking forward to soaking in all the goodness while it lasts....because in no time, we'll be pulling out our warm wooley blankets and toasty warm shoes!

FINALLY!!

2008-08-19T23:39:00.002-04:00

I'm finally on the eve of my summer vacation! First vacation since last year (not counting the week we close @ Christmas) and let me tell you - I NEED IT!!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I'll do....well, most likely nothing!! YAY. Fester. Veg. You name it, and whatever it is, I won't be working! WOOT!!

My friend Mike is coming to visit on Thursday through the weekend, so that should be fun. We'll hit the beach for the day on Friday and then do some fun day stuff around here the rest of the time. Relax. And enjoy!!

And then I'm off on Monday too... But that was just so I didn't have that feeling on Sunday night of "oooh, tomorrow I have to work". Because now I won't have to!! Can I have a woot??

WOOT WOOT!!

So....here's to vacation!!! Aaaaahhhhh - I can feel myself starting to unwind already!

No Comment

2008-08-11T14:36:00.003-04:00

We've all been taught from a young age that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

I must ask this though.

When you say to a stylist (or really anyone) "all one length but shorter in the back and a little longer in front" in reference to your hair, how is it possible to come out with a head FULL of layers and nothing at all resembling A) what you described and B) what you'd been finding photos of for 2 weeks??

I will say this, though - its nice to not have hair stick to me in the heat.

No photos to come. Sorry. I'm waiting for my hair to grow out to high-tail it to a new stylist so I can get the style I REALLY asked for.

I'M BALD

2008-08-08T11:14:00.001-04:00

Ok....so I'm not bald. But she did take a good 8" or so off my hair. So to me, that's bald!!

And while I have to admit she did NOT do what I asked her to (I said "all one length" - so how does that translate into short choppy layers??), it came out pretty funky and cute. So I'm happy.

And nothing beats getting out of the shower in the summer in the morning to NOT have your hair stick to you! Can't beat that!!

WOOT!!

So I look forward to playing with it over the next few days and giving it my own spin!! Should be fun!!

I'm gonna do it!

2008-08-07T09:54:00.002-04:00

After half a summer of hot, sticky humidity with hair that is mid-back, today I'm finally chopping it off! Well, not totally off. We're not talking short bob or anything. But I've decided to take a good 6" + off and have the back of my hair end at just around shoulder length.

I'd been teetering on the precipice of doing it and finally fell over the edge yesterday morning when it felt like 100% humidity and my LOOONG hair stuck to me like a fly on honey.

Ew.

So today, my stylist was able to squeeze me in at lunch time and I'm gonna do it! I so can't wait!!

Photos to come in the next day or two... I have a concept in mind - keep your fingers crossed that it comes out how I imagined!

Heat relief, here I come!! Woot!

Holy Big Cat, Batman!

2008-08-01T11:22:00.005-04:00

I'm sure by now, everyone has heard about the 44 pound cat that was found wandering the streets of south NJ. After a search for the cat's owner, it turns out that he was abandoned by his owner when her home went into foreclosure.

Now, I realize that foreclosure of one's home is horrible. It must be a terrible feeling to experience and I don't wish that on anyone. However, how can someone just abandon a living creature who is dependent on them? The cat's owner should have found it a new home or, at the very least, they should have hand delivered the cat to the shelter! Any responsible person knows that.

But I wonder how someone can just give up a family member like that? If they had children and were faced with the same situation, would they abandon them? I can say with 100% certainty that if I were faced with the same situation, I would live in a box under the highway overpass with Luna rather than abandon her to the streets, the shelter, or any other life without me. But hey, that's just me.

People need to start taking responsibility for our planet and its living creatures. If you take on the responsibility of pet ownership, you need to see it through to the end, not just give up when times get tough. People would be appalled if this was a child, why aren't we just as upset about the irresponsible abandonment of a furry member of the family?

I hope Powder (as it turns out the cat's name is) finds a good home with loving "parents" and lives a long happy life with them!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUNA!!!!

2008-07-29T10:24:00.009-04:00

Today is the most wonderful day of the year....ITS LUNA'S BIRTHDAY!!! Happy 4th birthday to my little baby girl!!

We made her a wonderful gift that she seemed to like right away. Its a little structure that has brushes on either side because she loves to brush her face even when I'm not holding the brush. She played with it a little this morning, so I hope she's found a new favorite toy!!

Happy Birthday Luna!!

Mommy loves you!!! (kisses)

Hodge Podge

2008-07-24T10:29:00.005-04:00

Hodge Podge is not a bait and tackle shop in Avalon, its also a slew of things (ok 2 things) for today's post....enjoy and TGIF!

-------

A typed message to Nicole....

Claudia: so we got Luna's g-i-f-t done last night! ITS AWESOME! I can't wait for her to use it!

Nicole: I'm glad you spelled it so I don't read it out loud and she hears me.

-------

This is a really cool site I found yesterday that really makes a great point about where our "stuff" comes from and where it goes after we are finished with it... Its a little long, but definitely worth a look! Just click on the link below and you'll be taken right to the site!

ZA-ZUUUU-UUUU!

2008-07-24T10:26:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to Zuzana (aka Zazu)!!!

ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!! HA HA!!
ITS NOT OUR BIRTHDAY!! NO NO!!
CAUSE ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!! HA HA!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAZU!

ZA-ZUUUU-UUU!
(that sounds like the Yahoo singing guy, by the way)

WOO HOO!

2008-07-16T10:24:00.006-04:00

No...not WaMu! Woo hoo! I got a new swim suit last night!

Now, like most women, I'd rather have a lobotomy rather than swim suit shop. Actually, I'd rather have one to get me through swim suit shopping!

Macy's was having a clearance sale on suits, so I figured why not head over there! When I got there, I realized clearance really translated into "we don't have your size"...but I kept hope alive. I scoured the racks for anything that wasn't hideous and would cover me that was in my size. I finally found 4 suits and headed into the dressing room.

In the dimly lit closet I found myself in, I peeled off my clothes (strategically avoiding looking in the mirror) and put on the first suit - a green and blue tankini. I turned around and braced myself for the horror....but guess what...I LIKED WHAT I SAW! Could it be? I just found a suit on the very first one I tried on?

That's not possible!

I tried on the others and they were horrible. So I fished into my wallet and found a coupon for an additional 15% off. WOO HOO!! So I bought it! At a steal of a price!! I figure I'll leave the tags on and try it at home tonight. Where the lighting is much more flattering! And then go from there.

But if memory serves me right, I think I'll be keeping it!

Honestly though - what are the chances that I found my suit on the first try. REALLY?

WOO HOO!

Never a dull moment...

2008-07-15T13:41:00.004-04:00

...even when Sleeping Beauty rests...

10th Street & Union?

2008-07-14T16:38:00.006-04:00

Yesterday on our way home from Avalon, my boyfriend and I decided to take the long way home and go to Ocean City (NJ, that is) to fish where he fished with his dad when he was little and also drive past the house he stayed in a few times. Being that all his memories are from when he was 12, even if he wasn't 12, ("hey babe, when did you learn to walk?" "I was 12"....), I warned him that the house might not look the same or even still be there!

So we packed up the car and headed north on Ocean Drive from Avalon. About 30 minutes later, we found ourselves at the southern end of Ocean City on a one lane road sandwiched between the ocean and bay. I asked where we were going...."I'm not sure. I know it was maybe 4 or 5 blocks from the beach". Wait, what? We don't have an actual address? Or coordinates?? Or anything that could give us more info than it being a house on a barrier island that is 12 miles long and 2 miles wide?? Are you kidding me??

After driving north for a while, he finally decided to call his mother (who wasn't sure) and then his cousin (whom had gone with them). His cousin was positive it was on the corner of 10th Street and Union Ave. PERFECT! We were already at 25th Street and the numbers were heading down, so in no time, we'd be on the corner of Nostalgia and Old School and then could head to the ice cream shop he used to go to - which he was sure was "nearby" too....great!

We finally got to 10th Street and were just 2 blocks from the beach, so we decided to hang a left off of Central Ave and head towards the bay. Wesley Ave. West Ave. Bay Ave. Water.

Nope.

Turn around...

By the time we hit the ocean, we realized, hey, we never crossed Union Ave. Hmm.... We revised our scientifically devised plan, and decided to just drive around...I mean, it has to be here somewhere, right?

We finally asked a beach-heading older woman if she knew where 10th and Union was. "Union Ave? I've never heard of it." Fabulous. Back to wandering aimlessly....

We finally found what we thought could be the bridge that he fished off of, and called his dad. Not the right bridge, but lo and behold, the bridge was on Wesley Ave and that WAS the right road. Because, you know, Wesley and Union sound the same.

After driving around for almost an hour and a half, we found the house.

HALLELUJAH!

And what's crazier is that it turns out in our scientifically motivated "driving around" we'd passed the house several times! And of course the façade was slightly changed! Though, I'll admit I was so happy we found it I wanted to jump up and down.

And then....we found the old ice cream shop. Only now, its the Island Grill Steak House....but that's ok! We ate there anyway. Because after driving all over Ocean City and seeing every inch of it, I built up an appetite.

I have to admit, though...even if it was my first time in Ocean City, I had a blast! And having him there - and both of us laughing like goof balls because of the craziness we went through - made it even more fun!

Oh, and no, no fish were caught either....but, hey, that's ok too!

Is Social Couth Passé?

2008-07-10T15:01:00.004-04:00

My best friend told me about a text message invitation to a baby shower. A text message. For this Friday. Received this past Tuesday. For what is being called a "Beer & Diapers" shower. At a BBQ joint.

Yee haw.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the TEXT MESSAGE said to reply ASAP.

Guess they wanted to make sure there's enough beer?

(you can't make this stuff up!)

Her husband - much to his credit - pointed out the drastic social faux pas by saying that whole situation - including the text - lacked social couth (which is the best thing I think I've ever heard)...!

So I wonder, is social couth passé?

Not to top that (because I doubt you can)....I was in the ladies room earlier today at work doing what ladies do in ladies' rooms. As I'm doing what I'm doing, a woman walks in ON THE PHONE and enters into the stall next to me where she continues to speak to the man she was on the phone with. And I knew it was a man because I could hear him! And I'm sure he could hear me.

Talk about stage fright!

What is with people these days? Not to sound like an old codger, but come on people! Put the phone down for 5 minutes while you "go"!

Holy cow. What's the world coming to?

Its Dad's Day!!

2008-07-09T13:12:00.002-04:00

¡Felíz Cumpleaños a tí!
¡Felíz Cumpleaños a tí!
¡Felíz Cumpleaños a papá!
¡Felíz Cumpleaños a tí!

Happy Birthday Daddy!! I love you!

Couldn't have said it better myself...

2008-07-08T17:05:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Zazu for sending me this!

My two cents...

2008-07-07T16:30:00.004-04:00

I just read an article that told of how some extreme animal rights groups have been using violent means of activism against professors and scientists who conduct tests on animals.

A long time animal rights supporter myself, I often speak out about the horrors that go on in the name of research and education. I've written letters, spoken to people face-to-face, posted here of what's going on, heck, my mother and I even went to Washington DC and participated in an animal rights march! These tests are not necessary as there are other means of research. The barbaric things that are done to cats, dogs, mice, monkeys and other animals in the name of science are sickening and must be stopped.

HOWEVER

I believe that using force against these scientists isn't helpful.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was an advocate for change through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. He was able to do wonders for this country in the area of civil rights because of his beliefs that violence doesn't pay.

Groups who use violence to get their point across aren't doing that. True they may get a handful of people to stop what they're doing, however, they also loose credibility and are dubbed "wackos" and other names for their scare tactics. And other scientists are able to continue.

Now, don't get me wrong. I would LOVE for the scientists who do these barbaric tests to have the same tests done on them. I'd love it. Wouldn't want to see it, but I'd love for it to be done to them. Or worse. However, violence doesn't pay.

Instead, people should hold rallies and protests. If they go to the homes of these scientists (as the article pointed out), then stand outside with signs and use the public areas (streets and sidewalks) to make a point. Yell through a bull-horn, post fliers and signs. But don't invade the homes of these people by throwing items. Don't paint their houses and use violent confrontations. That does no one any good and gets the protesters put in jail.

I'm all for stopping these experiments! I'm all for making people pay for their atrocities. But do it in a way that will get the point across and do it in a way that won't make things worse!

Happy Birthday...

2008-07-03T14:26:00.005-04:00

...to our country!

Tomorrow, our country will celebrate Independence Day. Not to be all mushy and reminiscent and such, but I do think this is an opportunity to remind people that this year we have a historic situation in our country and now is the time to be part of history.

Whether you support Barack Obama or John McCain or whatever other independent presidential candidates might join the race in the next few months, I truly believe that everyone in this country should participate in November's presidential election. Take an active part in the direction this country will take in the future... It doesn't take long to vote and registering to vote (if you're not already) is easy as (apple?) pie!

A lot of people say that they don't like any candidates, and so therefore, they don't vote. To that I say that it is everyone's responsibility to do the research and see where candidates stand on issues that are important to them and then pick whomever is closest to their beliefs.

Often people don't like the direction the country is going in morally or economically or with our policies, but then they don't vote. One huge way normal citizens can have a say in how things go is by voting! Even if your candidate doesn't win, at least you had your say and your voice was counted. Otherwise, what did our forefathers fight for? What did the men in the revolution fight for if our own citizens won't speak out? Why did women and other minorities fight for the right to vote if their descendants (US) don't vote?

Tomorrow our country celebrates it's 232nd birthday. Maybe that should be a time for more than just parades, fireworks, and bbq's. It should also be a time for us to look at what our forefathers fought for and take a stand and decide to VOTE!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Who knew?

2008-06-30T10:41:00.004-04:00

So I was checking out Expedia.com this morning for last-minute deals for this weekend. Since we have a 3-day weekend thanks to our country's birthday, I thought, lets try something other than going down the shore or going fishing.

I figured I'd take my chances and see what was available for a great price locally. None of the "featured" locales were good - either too far, or too expensive, or they required a plane ticket, which wasn't on the agenda. So I decided to look through the "See more last minute deals in:" window to see if anything looked interesting.

London, NYC, Madrid, Orlando, Washington DC....and JERSEY CITY, NJ?????

REALLY?

So I had to look. I mean, its like a car accident. You don't want to look, but you have to!

Now, I've been a NJ resident for a majority of my life (minus that brief stint in FL). But never did I know Jersey City is a "destination" for anything other than, well, undesirables. I mean, do they even have anything other than hourly-rate motels?

I guess according to Expedia - yes!

Jersey City?? REALLY?

Who knew!

GO ME!

2008-06-26T09:25:00.004-04:00

Well, I have to pat myself on the back. Little Miss I Don't Cook actually made a pretty good (in my opinion) and healthy dinner last night!

Inspired by Veggie Terrain, I actually made a variation of the Edamame & Black Bean Summer Salad.

My boyfriend wasn't too hungry, and I quite honestly, wanted something different than the run of the mill salad I've practically lived on. So we scoped out the salad above and decided that if we got rid of the cilantro (his kryptonite), it might be pretty good. I also added chick peas and black olives (YUM!) and can I tell you? IT WAS FABU!! I'll be honest and admit I forgot to add the scallions and didn't wait for the 2 hours for it to chill, but I'm not a big fan of cold corn, so really, it worked out!

I made 2 little bowls for us with a side of fresh French bread and water crackers and let me tell you, I was way proud of what ended up being a pretty healthy meal. And quite tasty too!

Sorry no photos - maybe I'll post some later if I remember to take them!!

Lookie what I found!!

2008-06-25T16:59:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine was in the market for special straws for bubble tea. Since I'd never heard of it (and wondered why he needed tapioca pearls and special straws to make it), I Googled it and inadvertently found a great vegetarian website. Its called Veggie Terrain.

Now, I'm not a vegetarian - yet. I've been working towards it s-l-o-w-l-y. A couple years ago I tried going cold turkey, and I can now appreciate what smokers must go through when they try to quit smoking. A life-long omnivore with a father who has a talent, no, a gift for bar-b-que, giving up meat wasn't easy.

I renewed my efforts a few months ago, and its been difficult to say the least. I went cold turkey again for a few weeks - maybe a month tops. And then I just had to sneak a little meat. But instead of falling off the bandwagon (and being dragged behind it as I did a few years ago), I just realized that going cold-turkey wasn't for me right now, so I severely restricted my meat intake.

Now, I eat meat maybe once or twice a week - but only if I really (REALLY) want it. Some weeks I even go without! If there's something else on the menu that looks good, I go for that. Of course, when dad pulled out all the stops on the bbq front a couple weekends ago, I couldn't resist. But "quitting" isn't about beating myself up if I fall, its just about picking myself up and forging ahead.

SO...on that front, I found that site. So far my non-meat meals have been pretty pedestrian - pizza, pasta, salads, fruits. All things I love. Until I realize that that's it. I don't enjoy cooking (much) and I'm not much of a culinary experimenter. So I want it to be good, quick, easy, comforting and yummy! And not be all tofu and veggie burgers. I don't mind going vegetarian - but I don't want to to go all soy and weird either because I know me - I won't like it and then I'll fail.

So Veggie Terrain has recipes that look pretty good. Now I'm not (and most likely won't go) vegan (that's where you don't even eat animal bi-products like milk, honey, eggs, etc) but I do do cage free and organic. So those recipes (if you're feeling adventurous) can be re-altered back to using mayo, milk, honey or what not if that's your thing!

Anyhoo - I'm looking forward to trying the creamy dijon-dill potato salad...but the bubble tea? Yeah, not so much my friend!!

I SURVIVED!

2008-06-24T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well, since I'm posting, its pretty obvious that I survived my trek to the podiatrist. Not to give too many details, but they said that after a few laser (!!!) treatments, I should be fine. SO....we'll see what happens after the first.

I just might whimper like a wuss through the whole thing. But if I didn't, it wouldn't be me! :)

Call me Yammie McPeginstein

2008-06-23T14:53:00.004-04:00

Well, after last week's yarn and yam fiasco, I've been dubbed "Yammie" by Nicole (among other names!)...

THIS WEEK, after many years of suffering with my foot thingies (as I call them), I've finally sucked it up and am going to the podiatrist tonight. Not to be too gross (cause in my opinion its more painful than gross), I have some nobbies on the ball of my foot that hurt - but aren't dermatologically healable. Basically, 3 dermatologists a few years ago couldn't heal them. Ok, TMI, I know (sorry) but they don't LOOK like anything, they just FEEL like heck!

SO for those of you who know me, you know I'm deathly afraid of doctors. I avoid them like the plague. I'd rather have The Plague than go. So you know how painful my "foot thingies" as I call them, are if I actually made an appointment myself!

Tonight, my wonderful boyfriend is accompanying me to the podiatrist to hold my hand as I whimper like a wuss while they most likely chop my foot off so I can be rid of my thingies. Of course, that will make me foot-less. Or worse! I might die to death! (lets just hope that doesn't happen)

So just call me Peg Leg.

Or...

Yammie McPeginstein, as Nicole has newly dubbed me.

Yes, I'm a wuss. (nice knowing you all!)

REALLY?

2008-06-19T16:52:00.001-04:00

I didn't think the yam/yarn post could get any better until I asked Nicole if she told her husband about it and she said she couldn't because he was having work issues.

What would those work issues be??

Nicole: a one legged man driving an 18 wheeler backed into his warehouse and screwed up the building. and i swear to god, i'm not making that up. but i am laughing my ass off.

Could it really get any better than that??

Typical Day at Work

2008-06-19T16:09:00.005-04:00

Nicole (in OKC): did you see my blog post of the yarns i bought last night?

Claudia (in NJ): no! will look now

---- (minute or so passes) ----

Claudia: OMG! i thought you said YAMS! i'm all wait, this is about yarn, not YAM

Nicole: why would i show off yams?

Claudia: I DON'T KNOW! THAT'S WHY I RUSHED TO READ IT!

Nicole: well, i guess the same reason i show off yarNs

Claudia: i figured they must've been fabulous yams!

---------------------------

**Keep in mind this whole sick conversation was TYPED, not spoken, hence the confusion of yams vs. yarn.

UPDATE: Check this out...its more proof that we're sickos that share a brain!

Can it be true?

2008-06-17T23:10:00.002-04:00

Tonight on FX, I watched the show "30 Days". Its a show where someone with certain beliefs or lifestyle will spend 30 days with someone (or a family) with completely opposite beliefs. For example, a few weeks ago, a person who believed all Muslims are terrorists, spent a month with a Muslim family and realized that they're really no different than anyone else - they just pray to a different god.

Tonight's episode of "30 Days" had a life-long hunter from the South spend a month with a vegan family and PETA activist in California.

As you'd figure, the hunter was gun-ho about his hobby. He agreed to participate in whatever the activist had planned for him (which included working in at an animal rescue farm, going to protests and living a vegan lifestyle), however, for the first half of his time with them, he stuck to his beliefs. He believed (among other things), that animals are here on this planet to serve humans. For example, he has dogs, but they're just dogs - not members of the family and don't deserve "rights" of any kind.

About half way through the episode (and half way through his time there), he went to visit a dairy factory farm with the rescue guy from the animal sanctuary, and he witnessed first hand the baby cows that were left on the ground after they died. And he witnessed first hand the cruel way the male baby cows were pulled out of their 2'x4' pens by their tails and hind legs so they could be pushed into the truck to be taken to slaughter (can you say VEAL?). And that's when it started to click for the hunter. He still believed in eating meat, and he still believed in hunting, however, he started to realize that maybe animals weren't just here to serve us - or JUST to be served to us...

And then he visited a shelter where he learned of the 6 million or so animals - dogs and cats - that are euthanized each year simply because no one wants them. And he got to witness the euthanization of a sweet, bubbly, excited, tail-wagging pit bull who did nothing wrong but be born the "wrong" breed. And he witnessed them dispose of the body in a plastic bag in a cooler.

And it clicked... And from there, he became a self-proclaimed activist.

He helped rescue a baby calf in the middle of the night who was left out in a pasture to die. He helped bring it back to life and bonded with it - and even named is Sugar. He helped paint PETA activists in plaid to protest Burberry's use of fur. He helped get signatures to support a farm bill that will lead to humane treatment of farm animals.

He got it. Or at least started to.

And by the end of the episode, he actually admitted that even though he will continue to hunt, he now believes that animals do have rights. They have a right to humane treatment while they're alive and a right to a humane (and quick) death.

It was a really difficult show for me to watch. I've been an animal rights supporter for a long time and knew about the stuff that goes on with animal testing, the fur industry, farm animals and dairy cow treatment. But even I found myself in tears at some points during the episode. And it helped to reaffirm my beliefs that all animals - domestic, farm and wild, deserve to have a humane life and death.

Kudos to the PETA activist who opened her home to the hunter and helped to open his eyes to what goes on. He started off believing that all animal activists are just out to make a statement by using shock tactics, but ended up realizing that they do, in fact, have a very real and important statement to make. I'm just thrilled that the episode aired because I think it'll help to bring more light to the suffering that goes on that a lot of people don't know about, or don't want to know about.

Kudos to PETA. Kudos to "30 Days". But more importantly, kudos to that hunter for learning an important lesson!

**I'm trying to "hunt" down a link to the episode, and once I do...I'll post it here!

WOAH!

2008-06-10T22:26:00.009-04:00

Well, after 3 days of extreme heat (including almost 100 degrees yesterday), the heat wave finally just broke...

At 9:30pm, the temperature outside was 89 degrees. EIGHTY NINE! At almost 10pm!

Just around 8 or 8:30, Dad and I were leaving the mall and I noticed it was eerily quiet outside. WAY too quiet. No breeze, no birds chirping. Nothing. It sounded like we were in a sound-proof booth. And way off in the distance, we could see faint lighting.

By the time I got home and got on the phone with my boyfriend, the lightning was still way off but it was becoming very frequent. And I could hear the first few rumblings of thunder. And then the wind picked up... He was on his way back from near Sandy Hook (fishing) but I was glad he was in the car already. We got off the phone and I grabbed my dinner and attempted to sit outside to watch the oncoming storm, but in the couple minutes I was out there, it started going CRAZY! The wind went wild, things started flying, lightning was non-stop. So I went back inside.

And checked the radar (of course) and this is what I found:
YOWZERS! Purple?? Fuchsia?? What is that about?? And we were right in its path! I don't know (or can't remember) seeing that color for the severity of a storm in a long time. And then the warnings came...hail, 70mph winds, rain, cloud-to-ground lighting, the whole slew!

Luna was in the bedroom (with the A/C on) and was crying by the time I walked in. The storm got so severe that I actually got a bag ready to put her in in case we had to rush down to the basement or into an interior room. The lighting was so intense - non-stop for a while there. The thunder was incredible. A couple of thunders actually sounded like bombs. And my poor baby girl got so scared. I tried holding her to comfort her, but it got so bad that she freaked out and ended up scratching me to get down. As soon as I put her down, she retreated to her "safe" spot under the bed.

The storm lasted a little while - maybe a good 20 minutes or so for the worst of it. And then it passed. But while it lasted, it was incredible. My boyfriend (who was driving up the Garden State Parkway into rain and could see the lightning off in the distance) said that on the other side of the highway, it even looked like trees or something off the highway was on fire! I'd be willing to bet that was the result of cloud-to-ground lightning! He said the same thing.

Its now 10:45pm and the storm has been gone for a little while now. But you know what?? The temperature is down to 70. SEVENTY! It dropped almost 20 degrees in just about an hour. That's insane!

But let me tell you, the A/C is off and the windows are open for the first time in 4 days....and I'm loving it!

The morning after...

2008-06-04T12:22:00.006-04:00

Yes, to quote that sappy Carpenter's song (I think it was them), "there's got to be a morning after..."

DMB was last night! DAVE! WOOT!! And let me tell you, the concert ROCKED!! It was AWESOME! I really forgot how much I really enjoy hearing music played LIVE!!

Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us bring cameras into the concert (even though it seemed that everyone else was able to smuggle theirs in), so since I got no photos, I've recreated Dave for ya....

He wore a pale blue shirt and everything - so I'd say my drawing, though quite rough, its pretty accurate! Picasso watch out!

Show was rockin'. Loved it. They played all the songs I like and left me wanting for more! There were a few songs I wish they'd played, but hey, that's my excuse for seeing them perform next time!

Here are the interesting NON-DMB points from the night:

We had lawn seats which meant we plopped down wherever on the grass. We chose a nook near the wall so we'd be out of the way, but it turns out we chose to sit near the corner where all the drunkies (girls included) decided to go to pee rather than wait for the bathroom line. Made for an interesting experience. Although it got to be fun to watch security show up and flash their flashlights on the pee-ers!
Later in the evening, when it started raining - YES RAINING - people tried to get out of the open area and several people SAT in the pee corner mentioned above not knowing it! I seriously hope they went home and showered in turpentine and used a brillo pad. EEEEEW!!!
Evidently the "thing" to do now when you're in college is to go to a concert and get exceedingly drunk (ok, that's nothing new) but then not pay attention to the concert, and instead, either A-make out with your "other" (or whomever you can grab) or B-text and spend the time having a photo shoot with friends, but NOT even photograph the stage. Figure that one out! :-D
They wouldn't let me bring my camera in, but they evidently DID allow (or "happen to miss") the weeeeeed that some peeps smuggled in. I got a whiff of the good stuff every once in a while. So, cameras bad, weed good? I guess so!

None of that was BAD per se, it was just interesting! I think next time, though, I'll opt for the more expensive (read: dry, under the roof and away from the pee-ers) seats!! Other than that....DAVE MATTHEWS BAND WAS EVERYTHING I HOPED FOR AND THEN SOME!! So what if I only got three hours sleep last night...it was SO worth it! ;)

Tonight! Tonight! Won't be just any night...

2008-06-03T09:55:00.005-04:00

To borrow some more lyrics from West Side Story's "Tonight"...

Today the minutes seem like hours.
The hours go so slowly,
And still the sky is light.
Oh moon, grow bright,
And make this endless day endless night...

Yes folks - tonight is FINALLY the Dave Matthews Band concert!! And I can't wait!

And in the spirit of DMB and his well-known environmentality...I got a great compliment this morning!

Long story short, my co-worker's plant got infested by no-see-ems (you know, those pesty bugs that fly in your face). Well, he sprayed chemicals to be rid of them, but it seems some migrated to my plant. Since I didn't want to use chemicals, I took my plant home, washed the roots, removed all the dirt, and replanted it completely - well, DAD did - and I helped him! Upon bringing it back to work today, another co-worker told me (when I told her what I did)..."wow, Claudia, you really are green!"

That just made my day! And DMB will totally make my night!!

Pics tomorrow (unless my brain isn't functioning!!)

Fishin' since been fishin' since been fishin'....

2008-05-27T17:10:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, my boyfriend took me fishing in order to "break in" my new waders! We went in early evening and I must say, I guess I've never fully seen a hatch in full swing, but the flies were flying and the fish were jumpin'!

We got our waders on and wandered out into the river (well, he walked, I almost fell - several times!). We finally got to a good spot and he got the rods ready with just the right fly. As I'm watching him, something hit my head - yes, folks, bird poo. Right on my head! And of course, no hat! So after we got that cleaned off (somewhat), he took me out into the middle of the river and started to give me a refresher on casting (its been a while, and honestly, I wasn't that great the couple times I tried last year!).

After a little while, I caught my first fish! A brown trout!! It didn't take long (once I was able to get the fly into the water), so then it was his turn... And his turn lasted.

And lasted.

And lasted.

It seemed like forever and he didn't catch a fish (he did hook a bunch - but lost them). Finally, he passed the rod back to me - he wanted me to fish some more. I hadn't cast more than 2 or 3 times and I caught another brown trout!! That's 2 baby!!

When he finally caught on that my flies (which were supposed to be dry flies and sit ON the water) were actually sinking and I was catching as I started to strip the line in, he realized it was a job for...da da da...THE EMERGER. Yes, that's a fly!

So when it was his turn, he finally caught a trout - but after another long while! Oh well...MY TURN!

Wouldn't you know it? Cast...cast...cast....HOOK! I caught another! I was loving it!

He finally got frustrated enough and said I obviously didn't need anymore help, so he got his rod off the river bank and I fished myself with him next to me... And guess what...!

ANOTHER FISH!!

Yes folks - the final score was me - 4 fish, my boyfriend....ONE.

You know I was loving it!! And all-in-all, I'll say it definitely was a great way to spend an evening...bird poo and all!

(P.S. photos to come of my catches....!)

NKOTB is back!

2008-05-16T11:51:00.002-04:00

Ok, you may roll your eyes - but it brings me back to my childhood...

And this too...

Never a dull moment!

2008-05-14T15:00:00.002-04:00

Ok, so its been a while....my humblest apologies! I've been busy. The sun was in my eyes. There was a baby crying. Um...the dog ate my homework?

Excuses aside, I DO have a good story for today to make up for my MIA-ings!

So last night, Luna was romping outside close to dusk. I'd last seen her in the back yard frolicking (even though she's not normally a frolicker) so I went to see what she was up to now. I walked out the back door and as I got to the end of the house, I thought I saw her eating from the cat dish that my mother feeds her "outside" (read: Feral but trapped, neutered and released) cats, so I went up to "Luna" saying hello only to realize it was a HUGE raccoon!

Now you'd think this is what I would've seen....

or even THIS...

But ooooh no! The raccoon saw me and wasn't too happy. In fact, this is similar to what I saw...
With a little of this sprinkled in...

He then proceeded to grab the bowl and drag it with him as he tried to eat just. one. more. bite. That's when I decided to head back inside. :)

Of course, when I told my father, he asked if maybe I really saw Luna and NOT a raccoon (he calls her "raccoon" because he thinks she looks like one). Of course I know the difference between a raccoon and my baby girl! Some people, I tell ya!

So that was my big excitement last night. Almost got my face chewed off by a raccoon. Gotta love warm evenings outdoors!

Vindication?

2008-05-06T16:37:00.004-04:00

After years of telling my parents that they were harder on me growing up than my brother (who is 10 years younger than me), I finally have proof - other than my own opinion!

A recent study shows that parents tend to be tougher on the oldest child than the younger ones. They expect more from the eldest, and often have higher standards (which, in my book, translates into double standards!)...

An excerpt from the article linked above is as follows:

Ed Newman, a first-born...would never consider breaking his 11 p.m. curfew. He even remembers ignoring a group of buddies who repeatedly rapped on his window one night, trying to get him to come out. “It just seemed … wrong,” says Newman, now 55 and living in Duluth, Minn.
Flash forward 30-odd years later, and Newman’s youngest brother, eight years his junior, hits him with this piece of information: Baby brother Robert didn’t even have a curfew growing up.
“I knew my parents had loosened up some, but I didn’t know they had loosened up completely!” says Newman.
This is the same brother, Newman adds, who once singed off his eyelashes and eyebrows after making an explosive that blew up in his face.

Please, you could just switch out Ed's name for mine and my brother's name for baby brother Robert in the excerpt above!!

Now, I have to admit to a few tarnishes on my halo - I often missed my curfew, but by 15-20 minutes....NOT hours! But, I doubt my brother even had a curfew, and if it was, it was sun-up! And keep in mind that my brother DID set the floor of his bedroom on fire, but hey, we won't go there.

This goes to prove what I've been saying all along! I never gave my parents real reason to worry - I was an honor student, always was where I told them I'd be, followed the rules - and yet they were extremely strict with me (to the point that my friends still make fun of it to this day). My brother, on the other hand? He gave them PLENTY of reason to worry but they never were as strict with him.

Fair? I think not. But at least now I have scientific evidence that I was right all along! :)

What is wrong with some people?

2008-05-05T10:03:00.005-04:00

I've been following the story out west of the Columbia River and how the salmon population is collapsing due to over-fishing. My boyfriend being an avid (to say the least) fisherman here in NJ, this story has a particular interest to me.

In a nutshell, the salmon population is collapsing and the fishermen (who obviously don't want restrictions on their fishing time) are blaming it on sea lions who feed off the salmon as they swim upriver to spawn. These sea lions, however, have very little impact on the "take" - I read somewhere that it was under 10%... So something else is causing this collapse - whether its over-fishing or climate change or some other factor. But the amount of salmon the sea lions are taking are not enough to cause the collapse.

Originally, the plan was to remove the sea lions - lethally if necessary. However, the Humane Society is challenging the use of lethal force, and until a judge rules on its use, the sea lions are being trapped with the intent to relocate them.

Well, over the weekend, SIX of these federally protected animals were found shot to death IN traps on the river. Some coward shot them as they lay helpless in a trap that was intended to save their life, not make them an easy target for some looser with a gun. What is wrong with these people?? I hope the gunman gets what he (or she...or they?) deserve! People who are so pathetic don't deserve to be alive in my opinion....

Pathetic.

(Note: my boyfriend and I have discussed the collapse of the salmon population in the Columbia River, and he believes in restrictions as opposed to over fishing until there is a crisis and then no one can fish.... Moderation people! That includes NOT killing helpless animals in traps!)

Happy Anniversary!

2008-05-02T15:57:00.001-04:00

One year ago today - this morning to be exact - my divorce from Jeremy was finalized. Looking back on the past year, so much has happened - all for the good.

I was lucky - even though his emotional and verbal abuse lasted for most of the 8 years we were together, I got out alive and mostly in tact. And so did Luna. We both just now bear the emotional scars left by Jeremy's abuse and the past year has allowed the two of us to heal....or at least to begin to. And I know that as time goes by, Luna and I will only get stronger and better so that helps me look towards the future with hope.

Poor Possum

2008-05-01T09:29:00.006-04:00

I had a pretty rough night last night... After being at work until 9:40 PM (yes, you read right), my boyfriend and I were driving home down a back road (as in a dark back road) and all of a sudden, my headlights picked up an injured possum on the side of the road - but still IN the road. I immediately pulled over, because I realized that while he was in seriously bad shape, he was still alive, and being run over repeatedly is no way to go for any living creature.

My boyfriend knew how much it would upset me to see him suffer, but I insisted stopping because I just couldn't leave him... So we pulled up behind him so the lights were shining on him and I grabbed the 2 pairs of work gloves I have in my trunk for just this situation. We were afraid to touch him because he kept laying down, and then would struggle to stand up and move, but then would lay down again. We didn't want him to turn on us and hurt either of us, so after I called my mother (who suggested we try to CAREFULLY get him into the grass) we tried to make up a game plan. In between me sobbing uncontrollably and my boyfriend talking to my mother on the phone (since I no longer could because of said sobbing), a cop pulled up and was very nice and helpful. We told her what happened and she called Animal Control to come get the possum. He was in seriously bad shape, and I knew he was going to die, but being run over (and over and over) was just not an option. The cop said we could go and she promised to sit with the struggling possum until Animal Control came, so we left and I wished the possum love and hoped he had a good life.

I was in pretty bad shape emotionally then, and I still am... All I keep picturing is the possum struggling in the roadway. This morning on the way to work, I drove past the spot and all that was left was the dried up pool of blood. It made me sad again because I know what happened and how his life ended. My boyfriend had another (and better in the imaginary world) explanation. He said that possums play dead, but that modern possums have to be more convincing when they play dead, so they carry around fake blood and guts but he told me that when Animal Control got there, the possum just laughed at them and ran off to play.

Even though I know he's wrong (and maybe a little crazy like me), it is a nicer option to consider than the reality....right?

Cooties!!

2008-04-30T19:18:00.007-04:00

I just had to post this....

The very fact that an entry like this even exists anywhere just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!! Click on the photo to see the entire Wikipedia entry!

The Way I Am

2008-04-29T12:43:00.005-04:00

This is the best song EVER....! Who wouldn't want to be loved like this?

FYI - the song is called "The Way I Am" and its sung by Ingrid Michaelson

WHO?

2008-04-28T17:23:00.004-04:00

I was informed today that Harrah, OK (home to my best friend and a town just West of Podunk, OK) is also home to Tim Holt, Dale Robertson and the Waner Brothers (not to be confused with the Warner Brothers of Bugs Bunny fame)....these guys are HUGE...for Harrah at least.

TIM WHO???

Tim Holt. Evidently, he is a "Hollywood Cowboy". YOWZERS! My best friend lives next to Tim Holt BOULEVARD...a road that doesn't fit more than 2 cars and has no curb. Guess Timmy Boy wasn't that good of a cowboy. Of course, she claims it goes into "downtown" Harrah - with all 3 of its stop lights.

I would like to note (before I get angry comments from Oklahomians) that I HAVE been to Harrah and my best friend is the one who pointed this all out to me. So its her fault! But she DOES live in Podunk. Oh wait, Harrah, WEST of Podunk! Where, according to their web site (link above on HARRAH) their main concerns are jobs, events and garbage. :)

You just can't make this stuff up.

Just a note in honor of my baseball-loving grandmother....The Waner brothers, Paul and Lloyd—also known as "Big Poison" and "Little Poison"—played together for fourteen seasons in the same Pittsburgh outfield in the 1920s and 1930s. More than half a century after retiring, they still rank as the best-hitting brothers in major league history with a combined 5,611 hits—517 more than the three Alou brothers, 758 more than the three DiMaggio brothers, and 1,400 more than the five Delahanty brothers. And both Waners are in the Hall of Fame, the only playing brothers so honored.

Who knew?

Rufus

2008-04-24T10:12:00.004-04:00

I found out this morning that Rufus, my best friend Nicole's dog, died in his sleep last night. Rufus was 15 years old and got sick very suddenly on Monday... After a struggle at home and at the vet, Rufus went to wait for Nicole at the Rainbow Bridge last night.

My heart is aching not only because of his passing but because of my best friend's loss too. She is in Oklahoma so I can't hug her from so far away, but I am sending her hugs and love and support and know that she and Rufus will one day be reunited. He had a good life with her - she and her husband spoiled Rufus (and their other 2 dogs) so Rufus knew he was loved. It doesn't help their pain now, but he had a good life and now is in a better place where he's not suffering anymore.

Rest in peace Rufus. You will be missed forever.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Hope against hope...

2008-04-21T10:39:00.002-04:00

This is an oldie but definitely worth posting here, because its so funny!! I just hope against hope that I never have to give Luna a pill....unless I have plenty of body bags on hand! :)

How To Give A Cat A Pill
1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on to neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the cat from across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
----

How To Give A Dog A Pill
1. Wrap it in bacon.

2. Toss it in the air.

Club sandwiches...not seals

2008-04-16T15:35:00.002-04:00

Its no secret that I strongly oppose the Canadian seal hunt that started at the end of March... Well, today I received wonderful news via email!! The Humane Society has announced the following:

The European Environment Commissioner has announced a plan to ban the trade in all seal products originating from inhumane hunts. This builds upon the historic declaration by the European parliament in 2006. If an EU-wide ban is enacted, the fashion houses serving the main markets for seal skins today -- China and Russia -- would be forced to stop, and millions of baby seals would be saved from cruel slaughter. In the meantime, many nations have either banned seal product trade or announced their intentions to do so. They include: Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, Panama, Mexico, and the United States. Just the potential for an EU ban on seal products has saved thousands of seals already. Prices paid for seal skins this year have declined so much that most sealers have chosen to stay home.

YAY!!! That's wonderful news.... In addition, the email they sent also noted that:

The HSUS-led boycott of Canadian seafood in the U.S. has attracted more than 618,000 individuals, 3,500 restaurants, and major grocery chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. With more than 80% of Newfoundland's fishing revenue coming from shellfish and less than 3% from the seal hunt, we have tremendous leverage as consumers to end this hunt! Fishermen are fast realizing they stand to lose more from killing seals than they will ever hope to gain.

I can't tell you what wonderful news this is. Of course, it won't help the countless seals who have been horrifically killed this year so far, but maybe it signifies that an end is in sight to this barbaric practice. It shows that if people band together, we really can make a difference in the world!!

If you haven't already, please visit The Humane Society's Save the Seals site and sign the petition to end the seal hunt and to boycott Canadian products until the hunt no longer exists.

The seals need our help!

Its ASPCA Day!!

2008-04-10T09:47:00.005-04:00

Today is ASPCA Day! The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is a wonderful organization who helps millions of animals get out of bad situations and find loving homes. They've rescued countless numbers of animals and have also made people aware of the horrors of cruelty to helpless animals. Since today is ASPCA Day, you can click the link above and see what you can do to help animals - there are plenty of things that don't necessarily involve money! And be sure to wear orange today in support of ASPCA Day! I know I am!!