I LIVE!

Really I do. Just been so 'durn' busy, not sure when I'll have time to blog. I miss it a little but life goes on. I do appreciate however, those who occasionally stop by and wonder where the hell I am. Life has been pretty good, with once recent psycho exception. But I'm not touching that one here :)

Otherwise, how have y'all been? I have not been reading much either as I recently dicovered with TLR. Guess I need to jump on the ball a little more.

Birthday - I Live!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

2 Months Almost

It's been almost 2 months? wow. Guess I have been busy. I'm not quite done yet however. I have been recently challenged with why I blog and I have been thinking about it. Not too mention being just too damn busy. Oh well, more thinking to go :)

Flirting with the Future

...to coin a phrase. I googled the phrase and although people have used it in titles and the like, I am officially coining it as of today to fit with my definition.

"Flirting with the Future" means thinking of, fantasizing about, hypothetically dreaming of future possibilities with the person you are dating when it is entirely too early for those thoughts. Thinking of what it would be like to live together, buy a house, wake up next to him/her everyday, share family time, play with his/her kids, have him/her play with your own kids, etc...

I think everyone does this from time to time, even the first minute upon meeting someone sometimes. But most people will immediately dismiss it - just a fantasy. But what about when you don't dismiss it? What about if you really can see it? Like when it seems you are viewing a window through time - you are looking into the future, a possible future even though your feet are still on the dirt. Head's in the clouds but body is still grounded.

Too soon too tell but the future looks nice... and I enjoy flirting.
=D

~

Chemistry was crazy from the get-go, neither one of us knew why

Easter

oh... ummm... yea... Happy 'BELATED' Easter.
I thought I posted this but guess I did not.

We spent Easter at my sister's house. The folks asked the Easter Bunny to hide some eggs around the outside of the house and the girls had loads of fun finding them. And the weather was fantastic! We had a great filling dinner and I even got a nap ;P

sheesh - I used to have so much more time to blog. I barely post and rarely read others anymore. I miss it but just been too busy. Blame it on the "girlfriend". Yup that's right - I slowed down and I'm just dating one person right now. Not sure exactly how it happened. I wasn't planning on that for at least another month. Funny thing about this lady is that I was expecting no attraction (beyond physical I mean - she's very pretty). Met her online of course, and from her profile, I thought she would be a little too conservative. She's Catholic for god's sake! But turns out she is way cool, very relaxed, very spiritual, not the normal Catholic at all. Soooo, been a little busy lately. More to come later perhaps????

Little Robin Redbreast

Little Robin Redbreast stood in the street, Car came racing, Robin's wings did beat, Dipping down she glided, teasing as she flied nearer, Up a puff of feathers went, in the rearview mirror. ~ Ailyn Zel 4-4-2006

As I was driving to work this morning, a little robin stood in the street. As I approached it saw me and began to fly away. First it flew up and briefly to the left. Then it flew down and to the right in a beautiful arc as most birds do. I am always amazed at their speed, how they can zoom so close to a car and get away. It's almost like they are playing "chicken" and running across a train track as a train comes barreling down. Well... this time it didn't work. I heard a small thud and looked out the rearview mirror. What did I see but a little red bird, rolling in the street and a puff of feathers exploding in the air.

Yes I was sad, not intending to kill the bird... but I must admit I chuckled seeing the puff of feathers. I thought that only happened in movies?

Expo-holic

I've become an Expo-holic. I love busy weekends with the girls and I love going to Expo's. This past Saturday was the Big Y, Yea Baby Expo. I took the kids and we had a good time. Saw a magician, met Courtney, Steve, and Jeff from 95.7 Kiss FM (Steve read a story), shook hands with an Armadillo, Shark and a Dog (people in costumes), got a free plant, and got to play in the big jumpy air thingies. All in all, a good time.

So, anyone else love expo's like me?

NEW Brokeback Inspired Movies

Inspired by the success of Brokeback Mountain, two newly remade movies are about to hit theatres everywhere! Check out the sneak peeks:

Brokeback to the Future

The Fast and The Curious

Birthday Weekend

Bug's birthday party this past Saturday is finally over! Can't believe the stress in preparing for such a small thing. I've had less stress putting together conferences for hundreds of people (previous career). Bug's party was a fairy-tale theme and most of the girls wore princess and/or fairy outfits. One dressed as Little Red Rdiging Hood and her sister dressed as Rapunzel (with a very long braid of hair). The girls (and one rambunctious boy that Bug has a crush on) decorated magic wands and wizard hats (the wands were foot long wooden dowels with wooden star shapes glued on the top and spray-painted silver; the hats were metallic-colored birthday hats). We played Frog, Frog, Fairy (like duck, duck, goose), Wizard Says (like Simon Says), ate a beautiful castle cake, opened presents, and played more games. A prepared all of the food (she's so awesome!) and L of B&L and another friend helped with the activities as well as entertain with little mini-activities while I cleaned up or prepared for something else. It was soooo much fun, but once may be enough. Next year, Bug can go back to Chuck E. Cheese!
:)

Sunday we went to my folks place and had a joint celebration for Bug and my brother (whose actual birthday was that day). Monday night, A and I were invited to Bug's grandma's house (S's mom) for dinner. It was mostly pleasant and S's boyfriend wasn't there (yay!). So all in all, a very good birthday weekend. I can't believe my little girl is 6! And my good college buddy TLR has yet to meet her. What's up with that? Yo TLR, time to stop by the house.


Oh yea, and we played Pin-the-Tail on the Unicorn at the party (A made it!).

Gift List

Bug's birthday party is on Saturday and I'm almost ready. But now I have to figure out what to get her for a gift. A friend sent me this list of HOT, hard to find gifts.

Happy Birthday Lotus!

Busy Weekend

I love a busy weekend, and this one sure was. Friday night was spent at the Brickyard in Hartford - nice place. I have not been out dancing since I was an undergrad at UConn - we are talking over a decade here folks. My friend Cheryl from MySpace invited me along for a post-birthday celebration (her and her friends never made it out back in October/November? - lol). What started out as 3 people plus a handful of others meeting us ended with just us two as everyone else backed out at the last moment (now just relax with those thoughts - we're just friends). I must admit I was a bit disappointed. I was planning on hanging out and watching the ladies dance, not participate. But what could I do? I'm there to celebrate Cheryl's birthday, I had to go out on the floor... thank god it was crowded. I even went out without drinking first! And you know what? It felt GOOD! I loved it! My right-knee practically gave out during the third song, but we ended up staying on the floor for at least an hour. In fact, she gave out before I did (sorry for the tease Cheryl). Man that was enjoyable. I felt a little old considering the age of the crowd but it felt great nonetheless. I definitely think I may be doing that again. Hmmm, wonder what other clubs I could try?

Sunday night I went to NYC to visit a friend. First time I took the train to NYC but it was fun. My two hour drive to Stamford to get the train took 90 min (oops - guess I was driving to fast) and the train to Grand Central Station took about 45 min. I haven't been to NYC since I was in high school. We went to a PR event for a newer Japanese restaurant and lounge named Sushi Twist or Twist (not positive on the exact name). That was pretty cool, my first PR event (lol). Luckily, I knew the PR person (my friend Q). While there, I met some interesting (as well as a couple of strange) people: the CEO of a small film (as in movies) distribution company (he was awesome by the way - great guy), a couple of guys from an anime company (I missed the name but they distributed Kiki's Delivery Service), a vodka distributor (woohoo!), an actress (well - she said she was but I think she is more trying to break into it), a director/producer, a novelist (wish I could remember the book he just wrote - I'll get back to you), as well as a bunch of other interesting people (I'll get back to you with more specifics after I look through the "grab" bag). I wish I thought about it sooner, I could have invited some of my NYC blog buddies to meet there. Maybe next time. In the meantime, if you are in NYC and on Madison Ave, stop by 66 Madison Ave - Sushi Twist or Twist (not sure of the exact name. Great place, great atmosphere, nice people.

Saturday (I know, out of order) was spent shopping for Bug's party (coming up on Saturday), napping (for most of the day), meeting Bug at her friend's birthday party (it was S's weekend), then out for coffee and a movie. Now I know why I am tired.

~

Dr. Shu ROX!

Dr. Shu is the best dentist ever. Seriously, I have never had a better dentist experience - I just have to promote this guy. If you are in the South Windsor, CT area he is the dentist to see. His office is located on 1169 Ellington Rd - 860-289-4955.

He is friendly and very professional as is his staff. He takes his time and you never feel like you are being rushed. He explains everything he is doing and takes an extensive amount of notes for his files as well as complete x-rays (this may be normal, but I have never gotten a whole set before (like 18?)). I learned more about dentistry during my first visit than I have ever known. Of course I still don't floss - just can't do it. Doesn't work for me.

I had to get 3 fillings yesterday and I barely felt the novacaine shot. Of course when it wore off later that night, I was quite sore and could not eat for hours. Could barely open my mouth, still a little sore today. But that's normal.

So anyways, props to Dr. Shu.

Lucky 7s

I've been tagged by Jon and am finally getting around to it. I had trouble choosing 7, so the top ones are the ones I'm really into at this moment.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Crossfade - Cold (the faster remix version)

2. Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance (what's up with his name?)


3. James Blunt - You're Beautiful (i so know how he feels)


4. Ne-yo - So Sick (i love singing this one - such fun, but his new song sux!)


5. Beyonce - Check on it (oh yea, get my freak on baby - my inner slut comes out)

6. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (decent lyrics, upbeat)


7. Rihanna - SOS (i couldn't think of anything else, and it's not that bad)


I'm not going to tag 7 people though, just one - TLR. His musical taste is eclectic and I would like to see his current list.

Being A Mother

(My sister sent me this. Even though it's one of those email chains, I really liked it. And since I refuse to forward those email chains along, I instead post some of the ones that affect me.)

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, "I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you." The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. "What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. "I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you," I responded. "Just the two of us." She thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I would like that very much." That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. "I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting." We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. "It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said. "Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed. "How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son." At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: "I LOVE YOU" and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time."

Kid-Fun Weekend

I am exhausted!!!! With the exception of the very last item on the list, it was a kid-filled fun weekend. Friday night A joined the girls and I and we went to Chuck E Cheese to play games and have fun (by the way, they have a decent salad bar - surprise I know, but it's true; I went back at least twice). I discovered that Bug can play one of the racing video games and does a pretty good job! Who would have thought? Apparently A showed her how to play and she quickly took to it. When I went to play with her (in the past she would sit on my lap and hold on), she took over the steering wheel, much to my surprise, and I became the passenger.

Saturday morning the girls and I woke up bright and early and we went to an expo at Mountainside (some place) in Wallingford to look at different summer camps. On the way, the girls watched movies in the car on my portable player. The silly but yet almost pleasant songs from the Last Unicorn rang very loudly in my ears. The expo was put on by Kidtivity, who I think I have talked about in the past. The week before, we went to see Disney's Monster's on Ice in Mass after winning tickets from Kidtivity. At the Expo, the girls nabbed some candy as I checked out the different camps. I don't think either of them is quite ready yet, but I love going to expos. While there, I also got them registered for the state's Amber Alert system and got ID cards for them.

Then we met up with grandma and grandpa Zel and went to the playground at Bug's school. It was beautiful out. We even got to take a walk thru the woods. Then our next door neighbor showed up and Bug chased after him calling his name trying to get his attention. She has such a crush. Grandpa tried to explain to her that the boys should be chasing her not the other way around (lol). Don't worry grandpa, that will happen a lot sooner than any of us will want.

That night we went to my sister's (Auntie R) for dinner and to play with my nephew JJ (or as Bean would say, "he's my cousin"). My brother and his girlfriend were also there. We had a good time running around the house and visiting. Bug and Bean helped to give JJ a bath and Auntie R says that Bug surprised the heck out of her by singing a beautiful lullaby to JJ as he was being put to bed. Bug just made it up! The girls eventually fell asleep while watching a movie and I had to carry them into and then out of the car. It was really cool to see Auntie R's hub stare at my girls as they were sleeping, gazing at them with a serene look of love in his eyes. It's nice to know I'm not the only male that can love a child like that. I think he may end up being a great dad.

Sunday we met up with L of B&L and her girls and went to a Maple Sugar Festival. It rained most of the time and we were cold and wet, but the sugar was sweet. The girls had a pretty good time and they got to play with L's kids for a few hours before we left. To end the night, I met up with S and had a pretty good conversation (all things considered). We did the normal parent talking about the girls and upcoming events. We discussed Bug's upcoming birthday party and parties she was invited to. We discussed some financial stuff. Then we spoke of S's bfriend. I stressed again my concerns and worries and fears. I asked point-blank questions about what he was doing for help and what has happened to him in the past (criminal stuff). She answered more that I thought she would. I had already done an investigation so it was nice to see it confirmed. It was nice that she already knew about it as well. I won't go into more detail except to say it went pretty well (if you really want to know more, contact me via email or IM).

I think I need a vacation - lol.

Help/Advice/Discussion

I wasn't going to post this for awhile, but I think I need some help/advice/discussion? S is in love with a man who is a crack addict. He is currently in rehab (started recently?) but has been thru rehab in the past. He has lied to her as well as stolen from her in the way of emptying her bank account. But she is in love with him, believes in him, and wants to support him and help him through this. Her mom has kicked her out of the house because S is irresponsible and acts like a teenager with attitude. she does nothing around the house (isn't it nice to get this kind of vindication directly from the mother?). S has just aquired an apartment and some-what moved in this weekend and guess what, her boyfriend stayed over. I'm not happy with that at all. I originally said I wouldn't do anything as long as he wouldn't be living with her, but now it looks that way. The girls say that he lives with mommy. So I'm unsure of what to do/how to proceed. I do not think I have enough proof and grounds to go to court or anything like that but I am not sure. I am starting to do some research and thought I would ask some opinion. So if you have anything to say, me ears are wide open.

talk to me

Tagged by Ava

Tagged by Ava - thanxx darlin'

Four Jobs I've Had: Network Administrator; Operations Supervisor; Disk Jockey; Lawn Mower Boy

Four Movies I Can Watch Repeatedly: Ghostbusters; Too Wong Foo; Shrek; Hackers

Places I've Lived: Arlington, TX; Kingston, RI; Waterbury, CT; South Windsor, CT

Four TV Shows I Love: (these are all over now, nothing new for me - don't watch TV much) Sex and the City; Firefly; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Angel

Four Places I've Vacationed: Glasgow, Scotland; London, England (both were part of a conference); Orlando, Florida; Maine (former in-laws)

Four Sites I Visit Daily: My Space (current addiction I admit it); 2BIG4myHeaD (little bit of vanity I guess); Yahoo email; Google (lol)

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now: home in bed sleeping; Arizona visiting; Texas visiting; New Zealand (never been there)

Four tags: I'll hit my newer blog buddies Suzanne; Gretae; James; MeToDay

'Nother Sick Weekend

I woke up Saturday morning to Bean coughing and crying, feeling sick, weak and groggy. I took her temperature and immediately called my sister. It has been 24 hours and her fever keeps coming back as soon as the Acetametaphin wears off. My sister is working today and suggests giving Bean a check-up and strep test. I happily accept and we are on our way, but not before many fits of crying and whining and "I don't wanna go doctor!" "But honey, the doctor is Auntie R. We'll get to see where Auntie R works. It'll be fun." "No! No wanna go doctor." Of course, I take her anyway.

As I strap her and he sister in the car, the crying continues but I manage to get Bean to calm down enough to talk to her. "Why don't you want to go honey, why?" "I don't wanna go doctor." "Yes but why. Why don't you want to go." "Too scary." "Ok hun, that's great. You are scared. But what makes it scary? It's not a regular doctor, it's Auntie R and you know her." "Too scary." Then Bug jumps into the conversation. "I think I know why she is scared. She doesn't want to get a shot." Ooooooooooooooh! Bug, ever the intelligent and compassionate one, always looking out for others. If she wasn't my daughter, she'd probably become the next Mother Theresa. "Thanxx Bug, maybe you are right. Bean, you are not going to get a shot. Let me tell you what will happen. And we will even let Auntie R do it to daddy first. First she will look in your ears and say 'hmmm, what cute little ears you have, but this one is a little waxy. Make sure to tell daddy to clean your ears.' Then she will look in your eyes, 'Oh what pretty eyes you have Bean'. Then she will look in your mouth, 'open wide Bean and say Ahhhhh. Look at al those teeth and such a cute smile.'" Auntie R worked on me first, then Bug, then Bean and it all went exactly as I predicted. (By the way, Bean is approx 36 lbs and 40 inches tall)

Auntie R performed a strep test on Bean, which she of course did not like in the slightest. And 10 minutes later, the results were back. Woah! Since when do they get results back that fast? That was so cool! The tests were negative, but Auntie R decided to proceed as if Bean had strep since she showed all of the symptoms, swollen tonsils and big white patches in the back of her throat. Luckily, Auntie R had Amoxocilin samples on hand so I didn't have to spend any money; gotta love that. After getting home with my brave little girls, A reminded me that S had strep the week before and she had the type that shows up negative on the normal, quick test. So it looks like Bean got it from her mom. Poor Bean, not only does she have strep, but she had a cold all weekend as well. She was miserable and spent most of the time cuddled up with daddy watching movies. No new reviews from me though, all old classic Disney and kid movies. And I slept through most of them.
:)

Nabbed Pix

I stole this from Gretae's MySpace page. I just thought it was too cool! Reminds me of D&D.

Movie Review

Movie, movies, movies. I love movies! Rentals, Netflix, theater, downloads, new releases, cult classics, etc... And when I am home sick, that's all I want to do. Cuddle up in my king-size bed with my pillows and a good movie or 5.

Brokeback Mountain - Actually, I went to see this in the theater a week or so before I got sick. It is an excellent movie with great acting. I found the first love scene a little surprising. I knew what to expect of course, just not how it was portrayed. It was perfect, just not expected - lol. Loved it and must see, if you are not homophobic. If you are, wait for the rental. No one at the theater will want to hear your comments and/or sighs of disgust.
Underworld: Evolution - Snow weekend, just before the girls got sick, I went to see this with my brother. Do you like vampire movies? Do you like werewolf movies? Do you like vampire and werewolf movies? This movie had horrible reviews but my brother and I really liked it. Even paid money to see it and found it worth it (believe it or not). We were the only ones in our whole family to like the first one though. Excellent truck-vampire fight scene. You will probably hate it :)

Princess Diaries - Watched on DVD with the family. The girls fell asleep watching it being too tired from throwing up and dry-heaving all day long (yuck!). Bug on the chair behind me, Bean curled up next to me lying on the floor fighting her weariness all she could just to stay awake. I hate when the girls are sick but I adore the increased cuddles. The movie was excellent. Fantastic family movie. Can't wait to see the second one now.

Corpse Bride - Watched on DVD with the family. It may be a little scary for kids, but Bug liked it. Bean sat on my lap most of the time and I assured her it was ok and that it was not real. Dead people! Probably should not have let her see this one, but she made out ok. Good film. Fantastic animatronics. That's right, they were small mechanical puppets, not clay or computer graphics - astonishing. Too much damn singing though. Wish Burton would drop that.

Day of the Dead 2: Contagium - On DVD. When I am home sick in bed, give me movies! Especially horror movies... but not this one. This one sucked. But I was on a Netflix zombie kick back in October and rented tons of them. Have not even seen them all yet. Trust me though, skip this one.

28 Days Later - On DVD. I loved this movie. I originally saw it/downloaded a near-perfect DVD copy (screener) back when it was still in the theatre. English movie (I've discovered that I prefer english sci-fi and horror movies (especially if the main characters are American, which they are not in this one)). Some people did not like it, but what is scarier than zombies that move as fast as humans!

The Matador - Recently saw this in the theater. First 20 minutes are good but then it gets rather slow. For the rest of the movie, I was waiting for something, anything to happen. Very disappointing.

Transporter - DVD Loved it! Good action flick with the actor from Snatch (English guy, look him up). Excellent and enjoyable.

Transporter 2 - Ughh, disappointing. People raved over this one and I thought it kinda sucked. Fight scenes were not as good as the first, the main actor seriously needed a shave through the whole movie (looked stupid!), and the stunts were wholly unbelievable! Yes I know, some stunts from the first were not believable either but being able to jump a car and force control an upside spin in order to just graze a hanging hook to pull off the bomb attached to the underside of the car???? Give me a f'in break! But the fem bad ass in the movie was... well, bad azz!!!

So, what did you think?

New Blog Buddies

This post is dedicated to a few new blog buddies. Three of them are new to blogging in general and all four of them, I know or have met in real life. Check out their blogs, especially the new bloggers. There's nothing like getting comments on what you have posted and knowing that there are people out there interested in what you have to say.

Gretae - Self-proclaimed eccentric, bohemian, single-mom who I recently had the pleasure of meeting in real life. She's cool, she's wacky, I think she may have a lot to say and I think it will all be worth reading.

James - Old friend, former gaming buddy and ex-boss from Texas. If it wasn't for him, I probably would not have risen as fast as I have in the computer field. Buzz, 5'ConcLatina, and Lotus all know him as well.

MeToday - Practically family through my best-friend, beautiful writer and new blogger. Lots to type, still waiting on some of her hysterically true stories I've already read.

Suzanne - Very old friend from my old neighborhood in Waterbury, noticed my blog alias from a comment I left on Hilary's blog, then saw my pix on MySpace and figured out who I was - especially when I mentioned my real name in a recent post. Good investigating Suzanne!

So check 'em out and give them some love. Tell'em I sent ya!

:P

Took the girls to the Channel 3 Kid's Expo last Saturday (no this past one but the one before). They had a great time. Bean went on a real-live pony for the first time and Bug spun the wheel at the 96.5 TIC FM booth and won a CD "I wanted you to have music daddy!" Both girls had fun as did I. A marvelous time. Afterwards, we went to see my folks and planned to get snowed in, yes it was that weekend. Lucky I was there because both girls ended up getting a stomach virus and threw-up all day long. I found out afterwards that A was stuck at home all alone with the same thing. We stuck it out 'till Monday morning when I finally got the kids home and I started feeling bad. I ended-up getting the flu and stayed home for three days while my body fought it off. Luckily though, but the weekend I felt great and was able to go out and party (so to speak). So I'm back mostly, just haven't had the time to sit down and write or read. I need a new plan or something! So much to say, so many things going through my head. What to tell, what not, what's appropriate, what should remain hidden. Sheesh! I have to stop arguing with myself. LOL

Comment Response to :(

why did i post this? - because i saw it on the web and it touched me. touched me as deep as it was suppose to. this shit happens, and happens all of the time. not just to kids, but that is where my mind is at, kids. those who can not defend themselves or run away or even ask for help. how can you ask for help when your world, your god is the one hurting you?

can we dwell on what's good in life? - of course we can and i do. but to ignore the bad does not help the situation. in fact most would say it causes just as much harm. to do nothing about it let's it grow and continue. i won't pretend to know what to do. i won't lie and say i volunteer. i'm not a great help in stopping the abuse. but the very least i can do is post this, and hopefully get people to think a little bit more. that there is a hidden world out there. hidden because we close our eyes to it.

~ Jeremy (my real name)

:(

My name is Sarah I am but three,
My eyes are swollen I cannot see,
I must be stupid I must be bad,
What else could have made my daddy so mad?

I wish I were better I wish I weren't ugly,
Then maybe my mommy would still want to hug me.
I can't speak at all I can't do a wrong
Or else I'm locked up all the day long.

When I awake I'm all alone
The house is dark my folks aren't home
When my mommy does come I'll try and be nice,
So maybe I'll get just one whipping tonight.

Don't make a sound! I just heard a car
My daddy is back from Charlie's Bar.
I hear him curse my name he calls
I press myself against the wall

I try and hide from his evil eyes
I'm so afraid now I'm starting to cry
He finds me weeping he shouts ugly words,
He says it's my fault that he suffers at work.

He slaps me and hits me and yells at me more,
I finally get free and I run for the door.
He's already locked it and I start to bawl,
He takes me and throws me against the hard wall.

I fall to the floor with my bones nearly broken,
And my daddy continues with more bad words spoken.
"I'm sorry!", I scream but it's now much too late
His face has been twisted into unimaginable hate

The hurt and the pain again and again
Oh please God, have mercy! Oh please let it end!
And he finally stops and heads for the door,
While I lay there motionless sprawled on the floor

My name is Sarah and I am but three,
Tonight my daddy murdered me.

Something to Ponder

(One of my coworkers emailed this to me today. Definitely something to ponder - enjoy!)

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Lame Joke

Went out to dinner the other day with the kids and the folks. Nothing too special, just Friendly's but the girls love it. They get to have ice-cream! At one point during the meal, this older gentleman came out of the bathroom (which we were a few tables away from). On the way back to his table, he stopped and turned to face our table. Perhaps he got dizzy or lost or something. Next thing I know it, he looks at us and starts to tell us a joke. Something about his mother being so short that you could see her feet in her driver's license photo. Very lame. I pretty much ignored him although my dad laughed politely. He walked away. WTF! What was up with that? I think maybe he got embarrassed because he happened to stop at our table and was trying to save face and embarrassment. Or maybe he was waiting all day just to tell that joke to someone. Sheesh!

Bean Time

I had an awesome Sunday with Bean. Bean has been bugging me for months now to take her to the park. Often it has been too cold, raining, snowing, or after dark (since I don't get home 'till 7pm). But yesterday, I agreed to take her on the way to pick up groceries. Bug didn't want to shop so she stayed home with A. Bean also wanted to play with my remote control truck so we brought that as well. We had a great time walking along the trails with Bean chasing the truck and choosing the direction to go. She got to play a little on the swing and slide as well. It felt great. Bug was a little jealous and upset when we got back but I promised to make it up to her and take only her next time. A told me Bug is getting a little jealous because I play more physically with Bean. But I don't do it on purpose or to exclude Bug. Bean is constantly at my side, leaning on my leg. Bug is super imaginative and can play with herself or with others and does. She gets caught up in her own world of games and has a great time. But Bean gets bored and comes to look for daddy. And she loves to be picked up and held. And she is such a tiny adorable thing that I can't help but hold her and swing her around. But I swear, I try to give the same time to Bug. In fact last night after putting Bean to bed, Bug and I wrestled and rolled around. So I just need to be conscious of my little one's feelings. Bug knows I love her more than anything in this world, but that doesn't mean she won't get jealous from time to time.

D&D Fear of Girls

Allright, so I obviously enjoy D&D and D&D related stuff like, Order of the Stick (which I got TLR hooked on), and good news reports, and of course funny songs. I have also seen a couple of great videos as well but can't find the links right now and I'm not sure if I have posted about them before. But here is a new funny D&D movie sent to me yesterday by a gaming buddy in TX (Lotus's husband)called, Fear of Girls. Enjoy!

Realistic Friendship Poem?

Friend of mine sent this to me today. Kinda silly, kinda dumb, but pretty funny in a "guy" sort of way.

Are you tired of those sissy-ass "friendship" poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality? Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship:

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

9. This is my oath..... I pledge it to the end. "Why?" you may ask; "because you are my friend".


Send this to 10 of your closest friends, then get depressed because you can only think of 4. Remember.......A good friend will help you move.....a REALLY good friend will help you move a body.......let me know if you ever need me to bring a shovel.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth

Crazy Weather

I feel like I'm in a Bill Murray movie, "well it's Groundhog Day... again.." except replace Groundhog Day with snowing! Yes, once again it's snowing! Luckily, I like snow, but damn-it they actually expect me to go to work! And my boss gets pissed when I tell her I am coming in late. No job is worth my life, no way. Today was probably worse than others cause she lives more south than me and the snow is less there. We are getting over 3 inches and the highway web cams are showing that the roads could use some more plowing. Arggg, I hate the attitude I hear in her voice.

On a better note Rudicus, TLR, Ack, Spriggy, and I got together on Saturday and played D&D. Yes, you heard it right, Dungeons & Dragons! For those that care, we played with the latest d20 V.3.5 rules system with some modified house rules concerning initiative and one particular armor item (thanxx Morgan!). For those who don't have a clue, D&D is a role playing game. It's like being in a play except there is no script and you don't really act things out (well, most people don't but a little bit is ok). The director describes the setting and the situation, and you decide what you want to do and how you want to handle things. Then the director tells you the reactions of your actions. This is that game that certain religious people portray as evil and satanic. Not that these people ever played the game, mind you. All they ever did was hear that there were demons and devils involved and they got freaked. Idiots, the demons and devils are the ultimate bad guys/monsters that the good guys are suppose to kill and triumph over. Arggg again!

Beyond the actual game playing, it was really just nice to be able to hang-out again with y old college buddies. Definitely brings back memories and I definitely miss it. Can't wait to play again!

Black Widow

Have you ever seen a black widow spider in real life? I have. It was in the garage of my house in Texas. It was beautiful! Small (petite), black (sexy sista), big bubba-butt (just like I like'em), hourglass shape... I MEAN DESIGN! Eloquent, sexy, deadly, mmmmm.....

Unfortunately I had to kill her. I couldn't take the chance of her biting any of the cats who also frequented the garage. But I did manage to snap a couple of pictures of that dark eight-legged goddess.

Lloth?

~

all's great in the world, snowed a lot this weekend, got to see the new animated movie, been super busy, be back soon - lol

Line

Line from a new book:

Ticked, I looked across the street to the Starbucks catering to uptown snits who needed sixty different ways to brew a bean in order to not be happy with any of them.

Next Day

Hey y'all. Thanxx for the great comments you left, I appreciate them all. Sorry I have not responded or reposted 'till now. This weekend was extremely busy (but in a very good sort of way) and now I am in Philly on a work trip. But to wrap things up (I think), I got ahold of S the next day. She was in good spirits as was I. I told her about the email (which she did not see yet) and she said ok. Meaning, it sounded like she was in agreement with my pay solution. I did not bring up the court thing or anything else. I did let her know again about the money she owes for Pre-K. So, at the moment, it looks like everything is ok. Of course, she could still take me to court. And part of me wants her too (the dark part of me that is).

Buzz, I appreciate your thoughts and have thought them myself multiple times. I do not think it is very likely and court would give me full custody or even primary custody unless I can prove her to be a crack head or something. However, I am going to start researching it. I also decided to put the girls on my insurance. Even if she does end up getting some with the new job. I don't want to take another chance of this happening again. Ok, tired now. g'nite!

Never Over

And I thought it was over. But the truth of the matter is, it is never over.

A couple of months ago, S quit her job. She said she was going to be fired because of a bad review and they were giving her the opportunity to quit. I know people at her job that are higher up the ladder than her and they say she would not have been fired. Either way, she stopped working there. According to our divorce agreement, S pays for the girl's medical insurance. Since she quit, she would have to pick up COBRA in order to continue or make arrangements with me. As time went by, S's mom mentioned to me that S and I should discuss the insurance. I replied that she is a big girl and would take care of it (my fucking mistake). She said she would get COBRA but guess what? She didn't! And one day while taking Bug to a counseling session, she got hit with a $500 bill. Because out divorce agreement says we will split medical bills 50/50 if we both agree on them, she expects me to pay half. However, I would have suggested stopping the counseling session if I knew the idiot wasn't going to continue her insurance obligations. I found out about this just before Xmas.

I contacted her last night to let her know that there was an invoice from Bean's Pre-K school. Apparently, S has not paid them her portion of the bill EVER! Her excuse was that they never sent her a bill - idiot. Just because you are not sent a bill does not mean you are not obligated to pay!!! We signed a contract with them. They even sent us documentation on how to setup direct payments from our banking accounts or credit cards. Since I planned on doing my own thing from my bank, I gave the information to S. She obviously ignored it. When we originally put Bean in the school, I spoke with them and explained that I pay 53% of the daycare while S pays 47%. I asked them if it was ok that we would be paying separately. They agreed and said they would create two separate accounts. I asked what would happen if she was late or did not pay. They said I would be fine and they would be going after her (guess I had a premonition huh? - easy when you have known someone so long and completely know and understand how irresponsible, ignorant, and selfish they can be). When I spoke with them this morning, they verified that my account was in perfect standing (I am almost never late with any payments anywhere, hell I was never in debt until I married a certain someone) but that she has never paid anything beyond the first month's portion. They admitted to never sending S a bill but also said they should not have to. We signed a contract with them. We are obligated to pay. They are now sending S an invoice directly to her home address. They are being very nice and also decided to waive any late fees for her. They also said that I have nothing to worry about. Since my account is in excellent standing and the situation is beyond my control and not my fault, Bean is all set and they would never remove her from the class.

So when I contacted her last night to tell her about the invoice, she brought up the $250 amount again. I again replied that it was her responsibility. She again said that her old job never sent her paper work on COBRA (get a fucking life and grow-up! where the hell are your responsibilities!!!!!!!!!). And besides, COBRA would cost more than the medical bills. Really now, how does she know this??? (actually - more than likely she is right). So she threatened to take me back to court because with her new job, she took a $6k pay-cut. In court, she would ask for an increase in my child care payments. I told her to go ahead and take me because it doesn't work that way. It's not how much you make, but your income potential. And she quit her job! Finally I told her, "I'm sorry that you weren't responsible enough to take care of the insurance" and then she hung up on me.

After calming down and talking to a couple of friends, I decided to compromise and pay her. Fuck it, the stress even from this phone call with her is not worth $250.00. But my main reason for not wanting to pay was not the money. If I pay once, will she keep laying her problems on me and expect me to take care of her fuck-ups?

But anyways, I decided to compromise and pay her. I called her back and started leaving a message - and the phone stopped recording giving me some message that it couldn't continue. I called again saying that I got cut off. The phone stops again, same message, except this time much faster. The immature shit was hanging up on me - LOL. So I sent a very professional email to her letting her now that I would subtract the $250 from the amount she owed me (her share of next year's Pre-K deposit) and that we can figure out the remaining. I then asked her if she would like to use my medical insurance and split the amount with me. No response as of yet. Now I just need to decide if I can afford the medical insurance and do it anyways. I have until Monday.

Side-note: during the divorce proceedings, I offered that we use whoever had the less expensive insurance and just split the cost (pro-active thinking for future possibilities). She declined. Why? Because if she pays the insurance, then her take-home amount is less. Therefore, my child support would be more. Smart huh?

I Love My Bug!

I've been missing my kids lately. I haven't seen them since Friday morning and I won't have them this weekend either. Also, this morning at work was pretty stressful. Somehow, A must have picked up on my psychic vibe because she sent me an IM telling me what Bug did this morning:

A: Hi are you there?
A: have a happy for you
A: Bug found your grey sweatshirt
A: she asked if it was yours
A: I said yes, she said
A: I thought so it smells like daddy....and she had this sweet smile on her face and snuggled into the couch with it like her blanket

: )

Back from the Holidays

hello, hello? are we live? is this thing on?

Welcome back friends! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Did Santa bring you everything you wanted? I had a great time. Lots of fun with family and many late nights with new friends. For New Years, I traversed the snow and terrible roads down to Mohegan Sun to see Maroon 5 in concert (pix are coming). It was a good show and an even better time with some new friends.

And I finally got some more Santa pix! I'm so excited! Santa and his elf:

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

2006

woooo hooooo!

BK Xmas

Graphic Novel Xmas Present

For the comic-book fans out there, A got me a new graphic novel for Christmas called Identity Crisis. As quoted in a New Haven newspaper, "Brad Meltzer gave us an unraveling of the Justice League of America form within, with the murder of the spouse of a beloved lesser member of the team. The he revealed how horrifying it can be when a group of superheroes decides to make its own rules. And he did this in the context of a murder mystery..." The book was quite good and I would recommend it to all. Not quite good enough to make my top list or anything, but definitely a good read. And the mystery kept me guessing until the end. So if you like comics, you may want to check this one out.

Love Xmas

Lotus sent me this cute song. Click play to start once it loads up. You can click on the title of this post to get to the web site where this was found.



Did I mention the new tradition with the Hershey Kiss Xmas tree? Started that last year. I was in CVS or one of the other drugstores and they had a piece of paper explaining how to do it next to bags of kisses and a stirophone cone. It was pretty easy and cute. The girls loved it. This year we are adding in a gingerbread house to the tradition. A worked on both with the girls. Hope everyone had a great Xmas!

MERRY XMAS!

MERRY XMAS!

To ONE and ALL

Santa Claus by Me

So this past Sunday I had the honor of being Santa Claus for an event held at the Children's Medical Center in Hartford CT. I was even accompanied by my very own elf! A came with me and had pointy ears! The kids kept asking her if they were real.

I bought an inexpensive beard and wig set (lucked out at the price) but only used the wig (nice and long). The beard I used from another Santa set because I could not find the really good type I was looking for. In fact, I would suggest to never shop at Connecticut Stage & Movie Supply in Plainville, CT. When I went there to look for a good beard, I had the rudest most condescending sales person I ever spoke with. I'm still a little ticked about it. I almost wrote them to complain but I have a feeling this B* is one of the owners. I did end up buying a "belly" from them though (it's like a big vest with a large pocket that you put stuffing in).

When I walked into the room and gave my loudest and jolliest Ho-Ho-Ho, the kids screamed, smiled, and jumped for joy. Six or seven of them ran straight to me to say hi and hold my hands. I kneeled down to talk to them and two of the little darlings threw themselves into my arms to give me a hug, followed by two more shortly after. It was a great time, a magical time. I'll never, ever forget it. And more than likely, if the sponsors offer again, I will be Santa Claus next year as well.

Enjoy the pix! I'll see if I can get one of my elf as well : -)

'Twas Sad

(got this from a friend)
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog filling their head.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;
"Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all"
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"
Author Unknown

Coats & Scarves

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas!

This post is weeks old as are most of my posts (in my head for awhile but first time written down today). Now that it is wicked cold, it is back to my piano scarf and long dark overcoat. That thing is damn sexy! I always wanted a nice overcoat and finally got one about 2 years ago mainly to wear over a suit for when I go on interviews during cold days. But now I wear it as my main winter jacket. Besides looking sexy as already mentioned, it keep my little but warm. Unfortunately though, I now know how women feel who wear skirts. What a pain in the ass to have to do the hand-butt scoop when sitting down. Ladies, you know what I am talking about. Just before you sit down, you have to put your hand on your upper back and slowly/smoothly slide it over your ass and down to the back of your thighs as you sit in order to straighten out your skirt (or in my case long coat) so that it doesn't bunch up and feel uncomfortable. And if you are perverted like me, you do it real slow and add a little grabbing and rubbing to the motion (just kidding).

During the Thanksgiving weekend (told u this post was old), I had someone at the mall compliment me on my scarf (I secretly (well not so secretly) love this). Three seconds later I had someone compliment me on the coat - yay!!!!. Q also happens to really like both and from her, I truly take the compliment since she is in the fashion industry. heehee

Ok, this post is not going anywhere so best to end it now. Have a good night!
: )

12 Pains of Christmas

Shamefully stolen from http://lightoflove.net/12PainsOfCmas.htm

The first thing at Christmas,
That's such a pain to me:
Is finding a Christmas tree.

The second thing at Christmas,
That's such a pain to me:
Rigging up the lights.
And finding a Christmas tree.

The third thing at Christmas
That's such a pain to me:
Hangovers.
Rigging up the lights.
And finding a Christmas tree.

The fourth thing at Christmas,
That's such a pain to me:
Sending Christmas cards.
Hangovers.
Rigging up the lights.
And finding a Christmas tree.

The fifth thing at Christmas
That's such a pain to me:
Five month of bills!
Sending Christmas cards.
Hangovers.
Rigging up the lights.
And finding a Christmas tree.

The sixth thing at Christmas
That's such a pain to me:
Facing my in-laws.
Five months of bills.
Oh, I hate those Christmas cards.
Hangovers.
Rigging up these lights.
And finding a Christmas tree.

The seventh thing a Christmas,
that's such a pain to me:
The Salvation Army.
Facing my in-laws.
Five months of bills!
Sending Christmas cards.
Ohhh geeez.
I'm tryin to rig up these lights!
And finding a Christmas tree.

The eighth thing at Christmas,
that's such a pain to me:
I want a transformer for Christmas.
Charities, and what do you mean YOUR in-laws?!
Five months of bills.
Ughh, makin' up these cards.
oh, Edith get me a beer huh?
What we have no extension cords?!
And finding a Christmas tree.

The ninth thing at Christmas
that's such a pain to me:
Finding parking spaces,
Daddy, I want some candy!
Donations!
Facing my in-laws.
Five months of bills.
Writing out those Christmas cards.
Hangovers.
Now why the hell are they blinking?!
And finding a Christmas tree.

The tenth thing at Christmas
That's such a pain to me:
Batteries not included.
No parking spaces.
Buy me something!
Get a job you bum!
Facing my in-laws.
Five months of bills.
Yo-ho sending Christmas cards.
Oh-geez look at this.
One light goes out, they all go out!
And finding a Christmas tree.

The eleventh thing at Christmas
That's such a pain to me:
Stale T.V. specials.
Batteries not included.
No parking spaces
Mom, I gotta go bathroom!
Charities!
She's a witch, I hate her.
Five months of bills.
Oh, I don't even know half these people!
Oh, who has the toilet paper, huh?
Turn on a flashlight, I blew a fuse!
And finding a Christmas tree.

The twelfth thing at Christmas
that's such a pain to me:
Singing Christmas carols.
Stale T.V. specials.
Batteries not included.
No parking!
WAHH (crying)
Charities.
Gotta make 'em dinner.
Five months of bills.
I'm not sending 'em this year, that's it!
Shut up, you!
Fine, you're so smart! You rig up the lights!
And finding a Christmas tree.

Xmas Traditions

1) The Santa Claus: Every year after Thanksgiving (sometimes I wait 'till midnight to officially be the next day) I watch this movie. I love it and it has become a serious tradition. Maybe next year I'll take the next day of the Thanksgiving weekend and watch The Santa Claus 2. Not nearly as good but still cute. The girls love watching the first one and looking for the elves throughout the movie.

2) Ringing up the Lights: Every year I try, and fail, to put up the outdoor lights on Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe next year! (I finally got them up this weekend)

3) 10 Days Before Xmas: My family started this when I was younger. If I recall, it is a made-up combination of the 12 days of Xmas as well as Hanukkah (however you spell it) and/or other traditions. I'll send my dad an email for more info. Basically, 10 days before Xmas, the kids in the family place one shoe outside of their bedroom door before they go to bed (Bug tired doing two shoes one night last year). In the night, one of Santa's elf leaves a small present. My folks have over the past few years changed the shoe for a stocking that hangs from the door. I still use the shoe.

4) Advent Calendar: S used to do this and so does A. As such, it has become a Zel family tradition. In the past, we have used calendars that had little chocolates inside. A few years ago we used a Lego calendar. This year, A and the girls have created a large paper tree that hangs on our closet door. They then created paper ornaments that are put up by the girls every morning.

5) Trim-A-Tree Get-Together: Every year in TX, we held an annual Xmas party (I fast discovered though that if I called it a party I had less people show-up than if I called it a get-together). We'd get a tree (which of course is also a tradition), put it in the stand and just ring up lights. We would then have friends over for our annual get-together and have each person put up one (or more) ornament(s) on our tree.

6) Food Stuff: Specifically for the party, I always had S make Rice Krispy Treats, preferably the ones with the red and green pieces. She would make two batches, one for the guests and one just for me! And yes I would swallow them down as the night progressed. The other item was a tradition from S's that I am adopting. M&M's and peanuts. She takes a bowl and mixes in plain red and green M&M's with salted peanuts. The mixture (although it may sounds weird) is very delicious. I have had other friends use it now at their parties as well.

7) White Elephant: At these annual get togethers (which I have not had in 2 years now (very sad)), I request everyone to bring a present that they have received in the past but hated! If they do not have one, I suggest a $5.00 or so small item. We then put numbers in a hat, draw them out, choose presents, steal presents, etc... Rules seem to change every year.

8) Night Before Christmas: Finally, on the night before Xmas, I recite this story to my girls before tucking them in to bed.

I'm sure I have more traditions than this (I know I originally thought of at least 6 more in the car) but that's it for now. So how about you? Any unique or different traditions you would like to share?

Winter Wonderland

It's not just snowing it's SNOWING! It's a glorified Winter Wonderland!!!
I'm snowed in at home but am still working - damn hi-speed internet connections ;)
What a beautiful sight.... just need a fire and a lover beside me... *sigh*

picture taken from my opened bedroom window

The Cradle

(slight disclaimer - I did not write this with the intention of hurting her feelings. as such, I hope she does not read it)

(this was written yesterday)
Back when DeBee and I were dating, she presented my sister with a gift when my nephew was born. The gift was the use of a cradle. It is an incredibly beautiful wooden cradle that was hand-made for DeBee. She decided to let my sister use it for as long as she needed it. She did this without my knowledge or input. I only found out afterwards when it was dropped at my house (closer) for my sister to pick up. At the time I thought she did this to be genuinely nice. Now I think she did it to perhaps make herself look good or to get in with my family (by the way, that's not how you get in with Italians).

Exactly a week ago, DeBee sent me an email entitled "I need..." (a lot of things entered my mind). The body of it said "the cradle ... I have offered it to another friend. Can you please find to drop it off to me as soon as possible. DeBee". So much for my sister's use of it. It's not like the baby grew out of it already. When we broke up, I gave my sister all of DeBee's info (email, address, and phone) as well as contacted DeBee to assure her that the cradle would go back to her no matter if her and I remained friends. Needless to say, I was a little upset by the email. Why should I have to get in the middle of this when this was something she did entirely on her own. Although I did not respond, I forwarded the email to my sister.

The week goes by and DeBee sends me another email Sat night with the subject "can you please..." and the body "let your sister know to just leave the cradle on my screened in porch--when it is convenient for her (but as soon as she can)--I am not home much these days to make a time that works for all of us. Thanks, DeBee". I did not know it at the time but I found out today that my sister called her at least twice over the weekend to make arrangements. Instead of dealing directly with my sister, she emailed me instead. Why? I forwarded the email to my sister on Monday(?) I believe. I also replied to DeBee letting her know. What I really wanted to say was how dare you get me involved with something I had nothing to do with... and... it's incredibly poor taste on your part to go back on a gift you gave (meaning the usage of the cradle, not the cradle in itself). I was upset enough that I went to her house last night and dropped off a couple of items of hers that I had in my car (waiting for the day I would be in her neighborhood). Just a couple of CD's and misc. stuff. I left a voice message telling her I left it on the porch and wished her a Merry Christmas. I spoke with my sister this afternoon and it turns out she just dropped off the cradle today(too funny on the timing)! When I informed my sister and then found out about the phone calls she left, she said why didn't she just call me back and deal with me directly?

It has been suggested that DeBee is just trying to contact me and/or stay involved in my life. But if this is true, why this way? I already suggested trying to be friends and she agreed at one point. Although every time I would chat or email with her, she would purposely try to upset me. It wasn't working and I got tired of the attempts and deleted her from my IM. Not block, just deleted so that there is no temptation to contact her. I will respond though, like I said, I would like to be friends. She is a fascinating person but still......

Bumper Stickers

dear lord, protect me from your followers



i heard you were a feminist. isn't that cute

May I Kiss You?

At the end of your date, how do you know whether you should try for a kiss or not? This can be such an awkward moment, especially if you read the signals wrong... and then you lean towards her... and she leans away... (lol). I'm good at body language, very good in fact. Some of it is natural talent, other is from schooling (Communication and Psychology). But even with all of that, one can still be wrong. And I hate to be wrong. So, I ask.

That's what I did Saturday night. I had a great date with a woman I met on a Single Parent's dating site. There are not a lot of people on those site's but the ones there are in very similar situations as myself. Thus, great choices for dates. This particular lady, Q and I have been email'ing, IM'ing and the occasional phone call for a couple of months. She lives in Long Island, NY and I'm in South Windsor, CT. Talk about distance. So why did I contact her? Well, there was a mistake on her profile (probably fat-fingered zip-code) that showed her as being 20-30 min east of me. So we started talking and getting to know each other. When it was time to suggest a meeting, that's when we discovered the big difference - 125 miles west of me.

But we continued to talk and try to plan a first meeting. With the holidays coming and her extremely busy schedule (single mom, full custody, owns her own PR firm), we finally found time this past Sat night, and boy was it poorly planned - lol. We decided to meet in Danbury, a town neither of us knows very well but a good midway point. We further decide to meet at Ruby Tuesday's (the apparent place of many of my first dates) at the Danbury Mall (yes was my poor suggestion cause I knew the mall had one). We would meet there and then decided what to do, where to go. So I get there and am driving around and guess what, I can't find the restaurant. At every other mall, it is in the front and you can clearly see the entrance. But not this mall. Turns out it was in back where the parking garage is, therefore hard to see. We talk on the phone, discover we are in the same parking area, and we run through the freezing cold weather to meet inside. I go in upstairs, she goes in downstairs. We talk again on the phone and I proceed down stairs to meet her in Pizzeria Uno. Wow, what a knock-out - even more beautiful than her pictures. Uno has a long wait and it's noisy so we decide to walk around a little and talk while trying to figure out what to do. I mention seeing a Barnes and Nobles near by but not sure how to get there. We walk some more wind up at the food court.

The food court! I can't believe I am bringing a woman, on the first date, to a food court at a mall. And this woman in particular who travels in circles a little higher than mine (ok, a lot higher - fashion industry in NY). So I mention again, maybe we should try the Barnes and Nobles - somewhere quieter where we can have coffee and talk. She agrees, we head for the door, I run out and get the car for her (freezing cold and she actually had to drive 137 miles to meet me after dropping off her kids at her parents - least I could do is get the car). We arrive and guess what? This Barnes and Nobles does not have a coffee shop. Argghhhhh!!!!. So we head to Olive Garden. Unfortunately, there is an hour wait and the bar is packed. Out of frustration and serious lack of patience on my part, we head back to the mall, find Ruby Tuesday's, and hang out at that bar instead. Finally, a place to sit, hot coffee and good conversation. Phew....

So even though the date started off poorly planned, a little ruff, and a couple of obstacles and a lot of embarrassment on my part, it turned out just fine. Better than fine actually, Q is pretty awesome. When it was time to go, I drove her to her car and suggested she start it and hang out in my car while it warms up. She agrees. We chat a little more and I ask if I may kiss her. She says yes, then says no one has ever asked her that before. It was a great kiss.

So back to my original question, have you ever asked a date if you could kiss them? Or have you ever been asked?

Mr. Potter

Saw the new Harry Potter Tuesday night. Awesome! I wish they had the next one ready. I was so into it that I may need to start reading the books now. Go figure. About time huh?

Snow Globe

On the way home from Thanksgiving with the folks, we all decided to meet at the West Farms Mall to have lunch and check out the new people-size snow globe display as can be seen in the picture above, to celebrate/advertise the new Chronicles of Narnia movie. It was amazing. So was the time spent in the line to get to it - 2 hours. Once inside, fake snow rained down on our heads and covered us. It's a good thing the girls were getting baths later that day. Bug and Bean had fun picking up the snow and throwing it at each other. Then we saw Santa and he gave both the girls a little snow globe as a gift.

Next was lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. If you have never heard of it, research it online. It is a very cool theme restaurants with a bunch of animitronic animals. The gorillas are awesome as are the elephants. I think the girls like the butterflies the best. Here is a link http://www.rainforestcafe.com/

Bad (?) blonde joke

A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. After the
game, he asked how she liked it.

"I really liked it," she replied, "but I just couldn't understand why
they were killing each other over 25 cents."

Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the
game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the
quarterback!' I'm like, Hellooo? It's only 25 cents!"

Poser Mom

As I've mentioned before, I have the girls 50% of the time which includes every other weekend. Concerning the holidays, we split them up every other year except for Christmas. I get the girls every Christmans day while S has them every Christmas eve. This weekend is my weekend. Two weekends ago was my weekend. And as you know, this past weekend was my Thanksgiving with the girls. That makes 3 weekends in a row with my babies. I'm lovin' it! What I don't get is why S didn't want to swap a weekend? I offered the first weekend and the I offered the weekend coming. But nope. She's too busy with the boyfriend (lol). Yea, she has a boyfriend. I'm truly happy for her. Regular sex (unlike when we were married (she finally reached the right age where the sex drive kicked in - she even admitted that and apologized to me - lol)) is keeping her happy. But damn it, she's ignoring the kids again.

Sux. Such a poser mom. Reminds me of the Poser-Dad theory here. It's so sad to see things revert back to the way they were. Back in February when S was home for 6 weeks recovering from knee surgery, I noticed a great difference in the girls. They were starting to enjoy mommy again and wanting to be with her and do things with her. Since she was at home, she had no choice but to be with them. But now it's turning around again. Has been for awhile, I just haven't typed about it. She's been dating this new guy for over 4 months. Anyways, just wanted to get that off my chest. I can't understand the not wanting to switch weekends. I understand plans, truly I do. But after 2 weekends, I drop my plans in a heartbeat to even get an hour more with my Bug and Bean. But I guess we don't all love the same way.

I'm Thankful +

Well, once again Thanksgiving comes and goes, and I'm grateful to have had my children with me this year for the holiday weekend. In fact, I'm grateful to have my children period. Grateful to be a father, grateful that they were born in love, grateful that they are healthy, grateful that they are fun, smart and beautiful, grateful that they love me, grateful that they know I love them, grateful that they are with me, and grateful for the way things worked out in my divorce.

It was exactly 2 years ago on Thanksgiving night that S told me she wanted a divorce. I'll never forget that night. I flew in from TX and was so happy to see my girls and my wife. I was to have the girls for the weekend and we had plans for S to sleep over that night at my folk's place. Although it would probably be in separate beds, I was ok with that. It was a good start. Maybe the negativity from the previous couple of months had changed. Christmas was fast approaching and maybe the thoughts of family had changed things. But I secretly knew otherwise. I read an email of hers. I knew what she planned. After dinner, I asked her to take a walk with me. It was a beautiful night and we walked around the block. I asked her point blank. "I know you made your decision" I said, "so please tell me, what did you decide?" She then said those fateful words that changed my life forever, "I want a divorce."

As I said, I knew she made her decision and I knew what the decision was. But still there was some shock. Shock followed by sadness and outrage. I sooooo hoped the thoughts of joy and family would change things but alas, it did not... or perhaps it could not. When she spoke with me the days before I arrived, she told me she missed me and could not wait to see me. That it would be so wonderful to have the family together for Christmas. She played me. She lied to me. She used these words, the "miss me" words just to make sure I was indeed coming to CT for Thanksgiving. That I was indeed bringing Bug back from TX (Bug was visiting me for a month). She played me hard. She played me bad. I was a fool.

I have so many regrets in my relationship with her and regrets with the things I could have, perhaps should have done during the divorce. Well, I had regrets. I'm getting over them. It's a hard rode to travel but travel it I must. Not just must but want to. This is how you grow. The point of life is living it. Experiencing it. Not just the good experiences but the bad as well. In fact, especially the bad. Because the bad ones are the ones you learn from. The ones that you grow stronger from. The ones that can take you to greatness.

So I'm thankful. Thankful that I had some good years of marriage and thankful that when all is said and done, I had a pretty good divorce. Thankful for my friends and family who where there for me. Who's shoulders I cried on. Who's ears I bent. Even thankful for this stupid blog and the blog buddies who actually took the time to read my meanderings. haha - you brave souls.

Finally this year, I'm thankful for the great stuffing and fantastic sweet potatoes, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Damn I'm stuffed. Thanxx mom!

Oh come on, I couldn't leave it all toooo serious. Had to lighten things up a little right? Besides, the food really was good!

Happy T-day

Just in case I don't get a chance to say it:
Happy Thanksgiving!

J's Shallow Hair Girl Date (brief)

They went to a concert. Although the concert rocked, he only moderately enjoyed her. She was boring! He asked her if she wanted to dance and she replied no. Later after the concert, she said she should have said yes. When he asked her why didn't she, she replied she thought he only asked to be nice. There were other things too, but basically, he was not into her. So except for the little kiss goodnight, the date kinda sucked. J did however, call his other "friend" (he basically just met two women and went on one date each) and mentioned how awesome of a concert it was and that he should have taken her cause his date was lame. This other friend proceeded to invite him to her house (this was after the concert) and that is where he had a much better date! So shallow hair girl has emailed him 3 times since then to try to setup another date. But J is hooked on this other girl. In fact, I just met her tonight. Very cute, very young, but very nice. You go J!

Crazy Shopping Begins?

So last night I went shopping by myself. By myself, kind of a rare thing now-a-days. Most times I am with the girls or family. And if I do have free time and I'm not with friends or on a date, then I'm home cleaning or resting. But to actually go out shopping alone, it was kind of enjoyable.

After hitting the mall and unsuccessfully trying to find a pair of long black boots I can use for my Santa costume, I went to Best Buy to get some DVD+R discs. While approaching the door, I noticed a line of people (12-15) sitting against the wall in chairs or on the floor, in the rain, waiting. But waiting for what? The store was open! So I head into the store to do my shopping and I ask one of the sales guys, what's up with the line? He tells me that the new XBOX 360 goes on sale tomorrow morning and they only have 50 of them in stock (very limited supply). So I'm thinking, it's 9pm - just a few hours till midnight - not too bad. Then he tells me oh no... we close in 30 min and do not open again 'till 8am. DAMMMMMMMMN... Just for a video game console? They are so lucky it wasn't too cold last night. Brave, devoted, or stupid?

BIG TREE!

Trees, trees, TREES! I like trees, always have. Texas (the Dallas area anyways) did not have trees. At most they had large shrubs. Trees are these big brown sticks that you can not reach your arms around, that are higher than most houses, and that have these green things hanging from the top. I remember visiting the Japanese garden in Fort Worth. A guy there couldn't wrap his arms around a tree. He remarked to his companion that it was the biggest tree he had ever seen. Really???? The tree in my mother's backyward is bigger than that! Anyways, here is a pix of a reallllllly big tree in Simsbury, CT near my sister's house.

Shallow-Hair Lady

Speaking of dating, a local friend of mine IM'd me last night. He began telling me about a date he has tomorrow night with a woman he met thru one of the online dating sites. He was very excited and couldn't wait. After telling me about her, he sent me her picture. Gee! She looks familiar. It was shallow-hair lady from my DLO blog (click here). I warned him about it and let him read the IM conversation. Since he has "better" hair than me he is still going to go. Also, he met her on AdultFriendFinder so why not? LOL. Damn, maybe I should have shaved my head. The pix were steamy!

More Smart Spam

So, in my 'online dating' account last night, I received an email entitled "I was recently transferred to South Windsor.."
These things are pretty brilliant. TOo bad they can't do a better job with english. But then again, it's not like mine is that great. Here it is:

How you doing

I saw your ad on Match.com ,I liked what you said there, so I thought I would write.
I am a new person in this area and looking for new friends. I just moved near South Windsor from Denver area about a month ago andI must say I really like it here.
I haven't met anyone yet, except for my roomate who moved here a while back. She's made some friends through the internet and she says there's a lot of nice and interesting people I might find here.
I don't have my email box yet, so my friend is letting me use hers Well, a little about me, I am generally a happy and passionate person. I'm down to earth, yet often dream beyond the clouds. I'm independent, sexy, and goofy at the same time.
My roomate Christine thought I should email you and she showed me how to send it but nowI can't figure out how to attach my picture here. My picture is on my profile at www. Choose your friendly match.com. You can locate my number 3075873. If you'll think you are interested, you can call me on my cell phone tomorrow at 65256790I am really laid back and easy to get along with person. I want to meet someone who will make me laugh and feel at ease.
Any way we can talk and see what we have in common and possibly get together if it feels comfortable. Bye,
Janie

P.S.
It would be nice to hear from you
I don't know how long I can use this address till I get my connection so call me and let's see where it goes.
By the way, did you get my last email?

For the hell of it, I decided to respond. I immediately got the following reply:

I'm sorry, Janie and I have turned on the auto response for this email address, she sent out a few emails to some people from here and we won't be checking this address anymore. She is going to get her emails through www.Chooseyourfriendlymatch.com this way she won't have to sign in everytime to pick up her mail, it will be forwarded to my computer.
Thanks
Christine

Gotta love smart spammers.

Ma Petite

So this past weekend I took a trip to Colorado to see my good friend, Ma Petite (can anyone figure out where that comes from?). I used to work with MP when I lived in TX. She was the administrative assistant for our department. We went to lunch one day and became fast friends. After that, we often talked and got together for lunch whether with others or just the two of us. Unfortunately, some people thought a budding romance was going on but it was untrue. It was innocent, we were both married and just friends. We just had enough similarities that we enjoyed each other's company. Then one day, she became an even better friend.

LOL - It's not what you think, get your mind out of the gutter, we did not have an affair. My wife left me and took the kids with her to CT. I was devastated and very depressed. MP was really there for me. Ear to listen to, shoulder to cry on, she was an awesome friend. More than that, she was my anger. My anger. I blamed myself for much of what happened in my separation and eventual divorce. I even defended S much of the time when others got pissed at her and her actions. Everyone else except for MP. She wouldn't let me defend her and she got angry for me. "That fucking bitch" would often be said by her in our conversations. As would an awful lot of other comments. Fortunately and unfortunately, she was also able to lean on me. She really wanted to start a family and her husband did not. I did my best as a friend to console her and help get to the bottom of his reasons and help her discuss with him. I strongly suggested counseling as well.

After I moved to CT, MP moved to CO with her hub. Unfortunately, they also ended up divorcing, not just over the baby issue, but it was a part of it. Recently she has had heart ache over a new man in her life and I was happy to be there for her this weekend. I became her anger. "What an asshole letting something like distance come between such a god thing!"

In between the anger and sad conversations, we traveled up into the mountains, thru the Eisenhower Tunnel and over the Continental Divide. WOW, so majestic up there in the mountains - just gorgeous. And the weather was different on each side of the tunnel. We had lunch Saturday at the Bubba Gump Restaurant (cute but corny). It was a little difficult to breathe up in this atmosphere 9,000+ feet above sea level. Every 20 or so breathes I had to take a deeper one. Didn't help that I had a slight cold and a super hoarse voice. Couldn't even sing to the car radio (to MP happiness - LOL)! We met up with a couple of her friends and went shopping in the snow. On the way back unfortunately, we got snowed in and had to get a room at a motel. Oh well... We spent half the night awake talking.

On Sunday we did some site seeing in Denver and met up with a couple of her other friends and went to see the new Jennifer Aniston movie Derailed. Guess what? It was actually pretty good. Surpisingly good. And it really did not even need Jennifer as a draw. Sunday night was a little boring with Japanese take out and another great movie called Crash. Then Monday was relaxing morning before the plane flight home. Sorry I didn't get the change to meet Jon but the timing just didn't work out.

So now I'm back, a little more broke than I was before but ready for the next trip. Upstate NY? Michigan? Orlando? Dallas? Someone send me some plane vouchers!

Santa Beard Needed!!!

Help! I agreed to play Santa for a local children's hospital that my sister is involved with. But I really want to look the part as much as I can. That means something other than a cheap, fake, cottony beard. Where can I get a more realistic beard? Maybe one that you literally have to glue on? I tried on 4 different Santa costumes tonight from the local costume/party shop, but I'm not sure about them. Anyone have any good suggestions or ideas? Even though I am looking for someplace local, I figure your ideas may help me figure out where to look.

New Rules

I stole this from Mer. No clue where she got it from:

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for Classmates.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout? Luckily, it was only a finger! If it was a whole hand, Congress would have voted to keep it alive.

New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blond teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: lucky bastards.

New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet," oh, you're a huge asshole.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the US Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They're already doing that. It's called "The Howard Stern Show."

New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.

New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white-people version of looting.

New Rule, and this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After, some person is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can't even tell if they are supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don't want to be on your web cam, dude. I just want to wash my hands.

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to know in months. "27 Months." "He's two," will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the first place.

the views in this blog do not reflect the views of the blog owner! (but still found it kinda funny)

Bug Talk

I knew I forgot something in yesterday's post! Just before I left work, Bug was playing with her sister Bean. Bug was acting, giving voice to one of her stuffed animals or imaginary characters. No big - normal kid stuff, she has done this since she was 2 with whatever she happens to have in front of her. Even if it is two paper cups, the cups will soon begin a dialogue and interact with each other. What made today different was that she was using an English accent, and a damn good one at that! I was startled. Where the hell did that come from?

I'd like to take a little credit for it because when I play with the girls or read stories, I often try to change my voice for different characters. So I will at times do different accents: southern, English, Italian, New York, Indian, 'old man', etc... And apparently she has been watching a new show and they have an English accent. Needless to say wherever it came from, it was awesome. So cute and to me incredible that she recognized other accents and was able to emulate them - ya know?

Bug Words

Bug came up to me the other day and out of nowhere she said, "Daddy, I love you more than my toys... And more than lamby and blanky!" I was totally floored. What an awesome, incredible, indescribable feeling that just washed right over me. It felt like the heavens above opened and shined their light down on me. How ever did I get so blessed?

More Pix

Yes Jon, it all burned. And then there was more... Lot's of wood and lot's of fire. Here's a pix of Bug and Bean. Like I said, I didn't get very good pix that night. Also, S didn't bring their complete costumes. Oh well. They still look very cute!

Halloween Parties

Boy am I behind. I'm still here and I have like 5 or 6 posts sitting in my head waiting to come out. Sorry it's been so long but I had a serious laptop crash. Hardware problems. And the laptop is what I use to blog with. Something about the freedom and comfort of it. So while I have it working for the time being, might as well try to get a quick post in.

I had a great Halloween, how about you? Did not get good pix though, but you never can tell that 'till afterwards. I had two parties on the Sat before (3 actually, but I didn't make it to the third - sorry Mer). The first was at B&L's house. B is a serious pyro, just check out the pix! He burns everything and anything. And every party of his includes lots of beer and a roaring fire (to the horror of L cause it really does reach up high most times). This year was no different. S had the girls that weekend but she brought them (unfortunately late and they mised out on the fun kid activities - typical) and I got to meet her new boyfriend. I'm sure I'll talk about that more at some point.


The second party was TLR's which was also fun. No pix from me though. He is supposed to have some and I can't wait to see them. Ok that's enough for now, too tired. Thanxx for bearing with me. Talk to you soon!

Gotta Laugh

Got this tonight in an email on one of my sites. Does this shit actually work? Do people reaaly fall for these scams? I mean, there wassn't even a pix of a hot babe or anything...


My heart has already found it's way to you. I want you and no one else. You mean everything to me. I think we should try and make this work. You have to know you're the one, and only one I want. Not only are you perfect for me, you're the perfect friend and I hope we can and will be more. I could never ask for better then what we have had. I am hoping you're feeling the same way because my heart is set on you, and only you, baby.I love you. I know you'll find it hard to believe me if I tell you now how much you mean to me. I could hardly understand what I feel for you, knowing how to endure those long sleepless nights just thinking only of you. I've never been like this before. I just don't know how to pour out my feelings for you. I wanted to find the perfect words to make you realize how muchi need you and love you, but words continue to elude me, what would they be? Something poetic? I'm sure it should be heartfelt and out of the ordinary. I'm afraid it's no use; every time I look at you, the words came out the same I love you!
There is something I need for you to know so remember this as the years pass us by
Even though we in different parts of the world my love for you will never die.In your arms is where I desire to be not just for the moment but forever Mere words cannot begin to express how much I wish we were together. I know you feel this is just a game but the feelings I have for you are true Being without you is painful to say the least for the simple fact that I'm so in love with you Here are some reason why i cant let go off you.

1. I didn't love you because of what to gain now but what to gain later.
2. I didn't love you because of what you are now but what you will be later.
3. I didn't love you because of your credential but because of your potential.
4. I didn't love you because of the present but because of the future.
5. I didn't love you because of physical appearance but because of inward appearance.
6. I didn't love you because you are physically rich but because you are spiritually rich.
7. I didn't love you because you are a celebrity but because you are yourelf.

What I'm trying to ask you is - would you take a chance with me? Sweetheart, will you be my boylfriend? Please here is my private email were you can reachout to me for easier and fastest communication
{priness_123@aahoo.com

princess Love Always,

Your Admirer
jessica

Graphic Novels

I'm going all geek today with this post. I think Mel will appreciate it since she is a comic fan. I have not collected in years but I still occasionally enjoy reading them. So let's begin - Graphic Novel: according to Google Web Definitions, a graphic novel is "[g]enerally, any self-contained story in a single binding that uses a comic book-like page layout. In the comic book industry, the term is sometimes used to refer only to self-contained stories of 48 or more pages that has not been previously published serially." It is also a collection of previously published issues re-published in a bound format. Here are my top 5:

This is probably the all time greatest graphic novel in history (at least in my humble opinion). Although the next one on my list is probably rated the best or most popular, Kingdom Come is my favorite. It takes the normal superheroes we know of and looks into their future. It introduces us to their offspring. It talks about power, responsibility and consequences. And it shows us the trouble you get into when you have too many super powered beings. The artwork is fantastic, every panel looks like a painting. The beauty of this book is overwhelming, truly. It has just about every DC superhero there is and a lot of little 'funnies' or 'easter eggs' drawn in the background like graffiti that says 'Who Watches the Watchmen'. Utterly fantastic! 'Nuff said!


While waiting at the doctor's office this morning, I was reading an Entertainment Weekly and they happen to be talking about Who Watches the Watchmen graphic novel. It re-inspired this post (I thought about doing it months ago and then forgot). Definitely an incredible comic book and high up on most people's list. Alternate timeline, mystery, everyday heroes, everything. Fantastic.





Batman in the future! Not like futuristic, but when Bruce Wayne gets older, like in his 50's or something. The Joker commits suicide (if you don't normally read comics, you might miss it) and Batman kicks Superman's ass. Seriously! Fantastic dark work of art in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.






I always liked King Arthur and knights in armor. Hell, I only stopped playing D'nD a couple of years ago. Camelot 3000 brings the knights back to the future. Arthur wakes up from his long slumber, Merlin is released from his imprisonment, and the other knights are reborn! All in earth's greatest time of need.

I love magic, always have, always will. And yes I do believe in it. The Books of Magic does a fantastic job talking about it, describing it, what it may and may not be, the different types throughout the ages. And the artwork is fantastic.







What about you? What are your favorites? I hereby tag Rudicus and Mel. (Funniest thing about this list to me is that my top 5 graphic novels are all from DC. Why is that funny? Cause as a kid, my favorite comic books where by Marvel.)

I'm It!

Grabbed from Jon, who got it from Mel:

1. List your top 5, 80's songs
Rockwell - Who's Watching Me (added that for you TLR - LOL)
Prince - Dove's Cry
Tears for Fears - Shout
Van Halen - Jump
and too many others

2. List your top 5 favorite scents (not necessarily perfume)
My daughter's (after a bath especially, but not the day before their scheduled bath LOL)
The head of any baby
Obsession cologne (talk about 80's!)
Roses
L - my former masseuse-in-training friend

3. List your top 5 holiday destinations
Australia (someday)
Ireland (someday)
Michigan (you know who you are ;))
Any place I have a friend to visit and hang with

4. List your top 5 favorite nightclubs/pubs/haunts where you live.
So sad! I have no clue! Just don't have time or desire for that stuff. Give me a group of friends hanging out at someone's house instead. There ya go, B&L's house.

5. List your top 5 favorite drinks.
Ummm.....
Vanilla milkshake
Strawberry milkshake
Mudslide
(I don't drink much - but I always try what someone else is having in the hopes of really finding something I might like)

Tag to anyone interested in sharing.

Show Your Pumpkin!

All right, it's my first blog annual Show Your Pumpkin! The design of the Zel family pumpkin (which we just carved last night after picking it out at Foster Farm in South Windsor) was created by Bug (she's still too young for carving and did not want to scoop out the guts - should have got a picture of that). So show me your pumpkin! Reminds me of the Sprite commercial, show us your cans - I wouldn't mind seeing that either (any offers Chrissie?)

5th Sentence, 23rd Post

As tagged by Jon, I had to find the 5th sentence of my 23rd post:

Title: My Daughter is Awesome - But Makes Me Worry

5th sentence: "Woo, that's a tough one!"

Yea I know, kinda lame for this game but I tried to follow the rules. The line was the thought in my head to Bug's question of why she couldn't live with me all the time and have her sister live with mommy all of the time. If only I could have them both all of the time.

I was pretty sad then, but even though I still want them both all of the time, I am in a much better/happier state of being both physically and mentally. So as such, I'm happy I took this challenge. It's fun to look back.

I now tag: whoever wants to play along - join in!

A Brief Update

Y'all really like the boxer briefs? I bought some yesterday and am wearing them today. Not sure how crazy about them I am. They feel weird. But I've heard plenty of women say you have to get used to wearing thongs, so I'll give it to the weekend. But they do feel odd. They feel to big and yet too small (lol). And no, no pix. Although I don't consider myself to be unattractive, I do not find these to be attractive on me. Maybe I'll ask S what she thinks next time she is over dropping off the kids in the morning.

Too Cool Illusion!

This is so damn cool that I just had to share! I love illusions and the tricks our mind can play on us. Thanxx Ack! for finding it. The original web page is http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html. Here are the instructions:

*If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, you will only see one color, pink.
*If you stare at the black + in the center, the moving dot turns to green.
*Now, concentrate on the black + in the center of the picture. After a short period of time, all the pink dots will slowly disappear, and you will only see a green dot rotating if you're lucky!

It's amazing how our brain works. There really is no green dot, and the pink ones really don't disappear. This should be proof enough, we don't always see what we think we see.

A Brief Post

I love the feel of new clothes, especially new underwear (how many times do you hear a guy mention that?). In the great underwear debate, I am a briefs' man. Don't get me wrong, I love boxers. They look good and a nice silk pair can feel awful sexy, but I only wear them to bed... or while entertaining (lol). But the problem with boxers is the support. There is none!!! To put it in a different light - if you are a woman and have large breasts, is a loose t-shirt going to do anything for you? Are you getting the same support you would from an underwire bra? I think not. So although I like briefs, the support, the comfort - and can accept being a brief man - I hate the stereotype of the tidy-whitey guy. So out go the whites! I've slowly been building my color collection and my latest set of Fruit of the Looms (hey! 100% cotton baby!) are colorful, look good, and fit just right! The last being the most important part of course. So I go to bed, work, play, feeling good. And most importantly, supported.

For Mel

As a sort-of quasi-response to Mel's recent post about the View-Askew guys, View-Askew guys, I thought I would share a picture I took down at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (comic book store) in Jersey.

Family Weekend

My lil' sister turned 30 on Friday. We celebrated by going out to a Hibachi restaurant. For those who don't know, it is a Japanese restaurant where the chef puts on a show cooking the food in front of you. He twirls around his knife and fork and spatula, makes music with the utensils and cooks a great meal. Expensive but fun. On the way home, I had to drive through a few rivers! I never thought the rain was going to end. My normal way was blocked off due to flooding so I had to go up a mountain to get over to Hartford. The damn mountain was flooded. How the hell do you flood a mountain???

Sunday was busy helping my lil' brother (25) move into his brand new house he just bought - serious family weekend. I'm exhausted! But I did get a new DVD player that plays DivX - very excited about that. For those who don't know what it means.... I'm not telling so there :P

Tears of Joy

I love bath time now. But until very recently (try this past Sunday), I used to hate it. When Bug was tiny, it was great. S would be in the tub with her and Bug would float on her back and have a grand-ol' time. As she got older though, it became worse. Water in the eyes when washing the hair - very tuff thing to control. But although Bug started hating it, complaining, crying, whining, etc, Bean entered our lives, and she loved it. Loved bath time and didn't mind the water. Then one day out of nowhere, Bug was fine. She would raise her head up and not panic. She would even lay down in the water to let her hair get wet or rinsed. Everything was great. But then Bean started freaking out. And I don't mean just cry but I mean panic-attack sort of thing. I tried everything. Bought a visor-thing to keep the water out of her eyes - nope. Used my hands and a towel - nope. Problem was, she would not cooperate. She would not keep her head back/up. And if I tried to get her to lie down she would panic. Even if her sister was there showing her or telling her it was ok she wouldn't relax. Bath time became a nightmare. I hated it. I mean, here is something that must be done, that I must do, and yet the screaming and crying and fear was so hard to deal with. I don't want my child to be upset and afraid!

And then it all changed this past Sunday. Not sure what happened but everything went smooth. As I said, Bug was already fine but this Sunday, when I went to wet her hair, she looked up! She actually looked up and kept her head up! Thank god!!!! I was thinking about getting something to mount on the ceiling that she could stare at but never got around to it. But, SHE LOOKED UP! And she kept looking up! I wet her hair with no problems, with my hand on her forehead to keep the water out of her eyes. And when it was time to rinse, guess what? She looked up again! HALLEJULIA! Praise the goddess! She looketh up! It was so great and so quick, that the girls stayed in the tub for at least 20 min playing and having fun. I just sat down and watched my babies playing. Finally, not stressed about bath time. I just watched the loves of my life enjoying themselves and having fun, as bath time should be. I watched and cried. Tears of joy.

Latest Weekend

Darn, that last post really was meant for Saturday. Monday's post should have been about the weekend since that is where I left off on Friday's post. It rained most of the weekend here in CT and we never made it to the book reading at the library on Saturday morning. After a good breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, Bug didn't really want to go. She wanted to keep playing and her and her sister were having so much fun playing with their toy horses, little dolls, and barbies; who was I to stop them? They were having so much fun they didn't want to stop and change out of their night-gowns. It's a rare time I think so I let them play until I had my shower.

Then the neighbor boy came over for an hour while his folks went out shopping to get him his birthday gift. I took out my wooden train set and he and the girls had a great time in the living room setting them up and playing. Then later that afternoon, L of B&L came over with her 2 girls for a few hours. Finally, we went out to McDonald's for dinner and to celebrate their anniversary (which included pretty good cake). We got to see Ronald McDonald and the Hamburgler (the girls were very skittish and would not go near them. But they got balloons and as such, were very happy).

Next morning was spent with me sleeping on the couch while the girls watched Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Then the party next door around 1pm. They rented one of those big air-cushion jumping things; Bug and Bean had a most excellent time, I could barely get them out of there! So all things said and done, a good weekend, even in the rain.

Maria

I picked up Maria Carey's latest album Emancipation of Mimi this weekend after hearing and getting addicted to a couple of her songs being played on the radio. This came as a great shock to me 'cause I can't stand Maria. I liked her when she first appeared (for a brief time) but just like Whitney Houston, I got sick of her incessant screaming and screeching on every song. They all sound the same. I got to the point that if a song of hers came on the radio, I would immediately change it. Not only did she try to blow out my ear drums, but she always does that up and down thingy with her voice when she sings: ah, aaa, ah, aaa, AHHH! In the music business, this is a trick that mediocre singers use to try to keep a high note. It is not talent! And god does it get annoying. Unfortunately this "ghetto yodel" (not my term but I find it hysterical) has become main stream in R&B and POP. Unfortunately it sux and just goes to show the lack of talent out there.

That being said, I was surprised when I heard the song We Belong Together. I instantly liked it. It wasn't till the 3rd time listening to it that I found out it was Maria. Then Shake It Off came out, and that song is even better. So I got the album (by the way, yes it is called an album - album is not synonymous with record, album is a collection of songs on any medium (ie. vinyl (record), tape, CD)) and listened to it. The first 3 songs are really good - the rest sux! The other songs sound like what you would hear from a 70's lounge singer, or at best easy-listening (still 70s'ish though!). And the beat machine with the incessant "clap" sound is in every song (including the ones I like). Ugggh! Save your money and just pay the $.99 per song to download the first three, much better investment.

By the way I have to ask, what is it with the background "commentary" in certain songs now-a-days like in Shake it Off? "Uh-huh", "I like that", "yea" - I want to take that guy by his collar and yell "Shut the fuck -up! I'm trying to listen to the song!" What's worse is you hear it even more every time the song is played! (Hmmmm... that's like 2 or 3 posts now where my aggression is coming out. I think I need to find a date! - LOL)

Ask Ailyn?

Following somewhat in the footsteps of Ask Rudicus, I thought it might be fun to do something similar to my 1'm N0T a tek g33k! blog. Besides, it does not get read too much and I don't have anything earth shattering to write in it. So here is my proposal, if you have any tech or geek related questions, I will attempt to answer them there, or post them for others to answer as well. Now let's get one thing straight, I am not a computer guru, I just like to dabble and play around and search for stuff on the web. It's fun and I'm pretty good at it. I do know more than the average person and I do love to help people with advice especially when it comes to technology (I also give great dating and sex advice too!). Whether it's burning, upgrading, hacking (minor- very minor (I suck), or just testing - I find it all fun. So do you have a question? Can I help you and possibly answer it? Want some advice? Not sure the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom is? Wondering what the hell TiVo is and why it is so popular? not sure what type of DVD writable to use? Send me an email and ask away...

Ramble

Bug was so needy yesterday. I'm not sure why and she didn't really say but I loved it. I went to mom and dad's after work for dinner and met the girls there. Bug immediately came and gave me a hug and proceeded to hug me and hang on me for most of the night. It felt good, I love being with my child. She seemed happy enough, just tired. She did recently complain to A that she wanted a day home meaning not running around everywhere, including school. So I guess she needs some serious daddy time. I actually feel the same. Need some serious Bug and Bean time. Unfortunately, I already have a very busy Saturday planned, but I figure I will offer her the events and if she does not want to go we won't. The Manchester library does a drop-in story time session on Saturday morning and this is the first one. I'm hoping she will want to go. After that, some local store is having a grand-opening and they have one of those big air-thingy's that kids can jump in, and balloons, and other fun stuff. Finally, McDonald's is also doing a celebration with cheap food, cake, and a visit from Ronald. But maybe we will just go to the park or stay home and set-up Halloween decorations. It is the time. In fact, think I will start tonight while the kids ride their bikes in the basement. That would be fun too.

Serenity Soars!

Excellent, excellent, excellent, EXCELLENT! That's all I can say is EXCELLENT! I loved the movie! (WARNING - slight spoiler - DO NOT READ). But I can't believe what happened with blank, and then blank! DAMMMMMMMMMNNNNN!!!!!! But it was nice to see that blank and blank blanked, but then again, blank and blank did not. And the history behind the blanks was pretty cool too (A guessed it while we were watching). Even if you do not know the series, I think you could watch and enjoy the movie. Lot's of action. But if you have the time and know the right people, I would strongly suggest you get the DVD set and watch that first. Have fun!

Serenity Tonight!

Yea baby! Going to see it tonight! Look at'em, bunch of cowboy, D&D characters in space. gotta love it.


By the way, saw Land of the Dead last night. Pretty good zombie flick. Me likey.

King Richard's Fair

Went to the King Richard's Fair in Carver, MA on Sunday. I was originally going to go on Saturday with TLR but we never finalized our schedule and I wanted to stay home and work on cleaning up (Went through most of my storage in the basement, re-organized, but only emptied out one box. So much more to still do!). I had no intentions of going to the fair on Sunday especially after all day of cleaning and then a late night hanging with a "friend" ; ), I was utterly exhausted come morning. But after waking up and taking a shower, B&L happened to pull into the driveway to pickup A. They then suckered me into the van to accompany them. Describe self torture: paying $24.00 to go to an event that you almost hate. I'm being a little cruel here with that statement. The fair grounds itself is gorgeous! In the woods, tons of trees, permanent structures, simply beautiful! My big problem with the fair is the people who work there. The incredibly annoying fools who over-act and try (please stress hard the word TRY) to be funny but who are completely not (like the character at that gate making fun off the guy in line talking on a cell phone while he is playing a "plastic" fife (looser)). The vast majority are a bunch of non-showered, living in their parent's basements, can't fit in with society, gaming-geek, rejects!

Ok, all right. I admit, that was way harsh and seriously over-generalizing. I just can't stand the bad, fake, overplayed, Monty-Python'ish, rip-off, accents! Just talk in your normal voice for god's sake! Argghhhhh!!!! I'm not sure why it drives me so crazy! This woman in a nun outfit crossed my path twice and all she did was bow her eyes and her head gently as she said "good day lord" or something like that. And my immediate gut reaction was to reach over and strangle her, take her cup, and beat her over the head with it! This is why I don't usually go to these things.

On the good side, there are some decent shows, interesting items to purchase (although very expensive of course), interesting costumes (both those working there and those visiting), and a couple of interesting people that I enjoyed. The first is the Green Man/Old Man of the Woods. He is immediately inside of the place at the entrance welcoming people in. He is the only person there that does not use a bad fake accent and did not make me feel absolutely like strangling him. In fact, I felt pretty good. And all he did was say hi. I almost believe he really is the green man.

The next character of note (did not talk - yay!) was the Living Gargoyle. Pretty good outfit and fantastic movement. He moved super slow but completely fluid; I was way impressed. The picture shown here was taken by Kinkajou who we happened to bump into at the fair. The last person of particular note was the Oracle of the Woods/Walking Birch Tree Lady (also did not talk - yay!). Her costume was awesome, she was gorgeous! (something about the eyes), and she also had the awesome slow, yet fluid movement (waiting on the pix form my friend).


Has anyone else gone recently?

Elexa

A local rag from New Haven called Play recently had an article about a new contraceptive brand called Elexa.


Made by Trojan, it is specifically aimed towards women - "Trojan's line for the ladies". The main marketing ploy, the product will be displayed/located in the feminine hygiene section of the store, where males fear to tread. So no more embarrassment of buying condoms and guys oogling you. Good job Trojan! I love when a woman is prepared.
;)

The Shame File

Found this interesting post on Melly's blog who originally nabbed it from Artful. Here we go:

The Shame File
Naming a list of your top 5 celebrities/people in the public eye you consider to be completely shaggable is an easy task. But there is another list; the list you daren't mention to even your closest confidants. This list you keep to yourself, because it utterly bewilders and shames you that you could have salacious thoughts about any of these individuals. I am going to open myself up for ridicule and publicly name my shame file shags in the following order:

Hilary Clinton
Come on y'all! She was the power behind the thrown and is a beautiful woman. I always found her very attractive but definitely more so in the early Clinton years. Vote Hilary!

Barbara Streisand
Yes I know she has a huge nose, but so what? She has so many different looks it would be like dating Mystique. Besides, anyone who gets tortured the way she does by South Park definitely goes on my list. What is their beef with her anyways. Go MechaStreisand!

Bette Midler
I know she's kinda weird looking but I like weird. Although she is definitely not my typical and not what I normally find beautiful there is just something about her. I think it's the eyes and the voice. Ever see Down and Out in Beverly Hills? After her sex scene she is chilling on the bed and just starts singing a song. Hmmmmm... loved it. Beautiful voice. Wish I heard that in my bedroom after sex.

Adrienne Barbeau
I had no clue she was in so many movies! But the memorable ones for me are Escape from New York and Swamp Thing. Apparently she is usually topless in a lot of movies. I can't believe I haven't seen any of those ones! Guess I know what to put on my NetFlix list now. But seriously, she may not be super pretty now, but she is definitely sultry. And has huge talent!

Marge Simpson
If Melly can put a comic character than so can I. Yea, blue hair baby, always turns me on. And I knew I could get her to let it down. Look at that woman. Such patience. Anyone who can put up with Homer's tendencies is an awesome woman. And her giggle turns me on too!

So if you dare, I now tag TLR, Rudicus, Ava, Groovy, and Wicked.

Weekend Fun

Had a pretty decent and eventful weekend of fun with the girls. Saturday started with a birthday party and Sunday ended with a small town festival in Mansfield.

The birthday party was for B&L'’s youngest (just turned 3) and both Bug and Bean were invited (of course!). It was a princess theme meaning all of the girls were dressed as Princesses. It was a beautiful day for it and they had great fun. B&L (with original idea from J) took a bunch of different size boxes and painted them grey. They also set up a small tent like structure (like you would see for a fair booth, not sure what they are called) and let the kids use the boxes as blocks to build walls for the castle. There must have been at least 50 boxes. The kids had a great time (as did I since I was helping to build). One mother” let her son” wear a princess dress. I was very surprised by my reaction to this. I do not consider myself to be homophobic at all and yet I didn't think it was right to let the boy wear a dress. And now I am asking myself why? The kid asked to wear it (3 yrs old'’ish). And it'’s not like he cares. He has no knwoledge of the stereotypesterotypes of what a boy should wear as opposed to girls. And I generally am opposed to these stereotypesterotypes as well. I hate when people say blue is a boy's color. And yet, although I would let my girls wear any color, I'm not sure I would let a son wear pink and definitely not a dress. Hmmmmm... Guess I need to delve a little deeper into my psyche.

Sunday was the Mansfield Festival on the Green. I barely knew about it but I wanted to bring the girls to see the Kidsville Kukoo Review, a local group of musicians who dress up and sing kid songs. I discovered I know more songs than I though I did. The girls also got to bounce around in one of those big inflatable doo-hickeys (yes I said doo-hickeys) and got a lot of candy from the vendors. It was like pre-Halloween or something. Probably the coolest thing there were the '“plastic' forks. These are 100% biodegradeable and made from corn! TOO COOL! A little bit more translucent than a regular plastic fork, they worked just as well. Except, do not try to cut a hot slice of pizza with it. When they get hot, they melt slightly and warp. But not enough that they lost their texture, just shape. They harden quickly as well. We kept one so I'’ll get the name of the company and put it in the comments section tomorrow.

Boy I'm tired! But satisfied, very satisifed.
: )

PTO

Darn, I'm late again. I was trying to get back on track and post everyday but yesterday I was too busy at work and too tired when I got home. So let's try it again. Wednesday night was my first PTO night! For those that do not know, PTO stands for Parent Teacher's Organization, although no teachers were actually there. This was the first meeting for the school year. Me and 14 mother's. Boy did I feel weird. I know, sounds like my dream come true right? But no it wasn't. Was interesting though. I plan on continuing to attend and volunteering. I think it could be fun. We'll see.

I've been a dad for years. But attending that meeting that night really made me feel like a parent. Oh yea! Forgot to mention. One of the mother's there (who I saw once before last week at the school Family Picnic) is a brunette Freddie. I couldn't believe how much she looks like her. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Brought up some interesting memories I can tell ya.

So any parents out there that can tell me what to expect and/or your experiences with the PTO?

Just Playing

When I'm building in the block room, please don't say I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play about balances and shapes.
Who knows, I may be an architect someday.

When I'm getting all dressed up; setting the table, caring for the babies,
Don't get the idea I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play;
I may be a mother or father someday.

When you see me sitting in a chair, reading to an imaginary audience.
Please don't laugh and think I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play;
I may be a teacher someday.

When you see me combing the bushes for bugs,
Or packing my pockets with choice things I find; don't pass it off as "Just Play".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play;
I may be a scientist someday.

When you see me engrossed in a puzzle or some "plaything" at my school,
Please don't feel the time is wasted.
For, you see, I'm learning as I play. I'm learning to solve problems and concentrate.
I may be in business someday.

When you see me cooking or tasting foods,
Please don't think that because I enjoy it, it is "Just Play".
I'm learning to follow directions and see differences.
I may be a cook someday.

When you see me learning to skip, hop, run and move my body.
Please don't say I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play; I'm learning how my body works.
I may be a doctor, nurse or athlete someday.

When you asked me what I've done at school today,
And I say "I just played"; please don't misunderstand me.
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to enjoy and be successful in my work;
I'm preparing for tomorrow.
Today, I am a child and my work is play.

More Bunnies!

(close your eyes Anya)

You've probably seen these before. Once you click on the link, scroll down the page towards the bottom for some funny 30 second movie summaries acted out by bunnies http://www.angryalien.com/

~

I'm a hazard to myself. Don't let me get me. I'm my own worst enemy. It's bad when you dont know yourself. So irratiting. Don't want to be my friend no more, I wanna be somebody else.

Talk Goole?

Does anyone else have Google Talk? It is Google's foray into the IM market. Just curious.

Rare Hobby?

I have a rare hobby. So rare that I rarely partake in it. It really is not quite up to me though as it is up to others, whether they do it consciously or not. You see I like to collect, examine, and listen to found music. I have only done this 4 or 5 times since I was a teenager. And I have only found a couple of tapes and a couple of CD's. I even found a broken tape once and was able to splice it and put it in a working empty plastic cassette and listen to the music on it. It feels like I'm spying and invading into someone's life, checking out and listening to the music they chose for themselves. It's one thing to ask like you what you listen to like I did the other day, and another thing to invade. Granted as I said, this is a rare hobby since you have to legitimately find these items, not steal them. Sometimes people loose their music - drops out of a bag, falls out while riding a bike. Othertimes people throw them away - cassette gets stuck, CD skips, throw it and smash it on the ground, pull out the tape and stream it across the street.

Yesterday, I found a CD in the road in front of my house. It was pretty scratched up and skips horribly in my car system. But I used a program to "rip" it and take a look at what is inside. The title (written in red permanent marker) is "a 12:08pm mix from May 15: 2005 of course". The playlist consists of the following in this order:

The Prodigy - Babys Got A Temper
Blind Melon - No Rain
Boys Night Out - Make Yourself Sick
Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick - Lodi Dodi
Evergreen Terrace - Mad World
Fear Before The March Of Flames - The 20th Century Was Entirely Mine
Gwen Stefani - Hollerback Girl(2)
Hot Hot Heat - Goodnight Goodnight
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Kanye West - The New Workout Plan
Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
Notorious B I G f Eminem - Dead Wrong
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo
Rufio - Above Me
Rufio - Follow me
Rufio - Perhaps, I Suppose
Rufio - Whining
Rufio - Like A Prayer
Slick Rick - Mona Lisa
Slick Rick - Children's Story
Kanye West - Diamonds Are Forever

Bizzare combination. I never heard of most of these songs although some sounded pretty good. It was also pretty cool to hear the Slick Rick songs - way old school. Brought back good memories of high school, hanging out on the bleachers with friends while we were singing and rapping and chilling at the high school football games. I was also surprised at the amount of the word "shit" in the Stefani song.

So how do I know what's on the CD let alone the names if I never heard of them? A freeware CD ripper software I recently found called CDex. Not only did it rip the music into MP3's, but it searched the web to find out the names. Way cool. I was going to do a companion piece on my Geek site, but don't feel like it.

So, anyone else have interesting experiences with this rare hobby?

Company Name Etymologies

Too much to copy and paste so, just a link for you: Company Name Etymologies