I wasn't kidding

I wasn't kidding when I said I was in desperate need of names for my Crush du Jour blog feature. My folder is literally empty!!

Please, please, PLEASE send me the names of guys you find handsome/hot/sexy as candidates!!

Crush du Jour: George Contreras

Stoopid lyrics

Here's another installment of my blog feature 'Stoopid lyrics'.

A song's appearance here does NOT mean I think the song is stupid or that I don't like the song. In fact, often I like the songs a lot, but find the lyrics just don't make sense.

Judge for yourself!

Come Together
performed by The Beatles

Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please

He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Come together right now over me

He bag production he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease

Come together right now over me

He roller-coaster he got early warning
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see

Come together right now over me

Crush du Jour: Ryan Hughes

Richmond

Yesterday afternoon I picked up my Chevy Cobalt from Enterprise and headed to Richmond VA for work. Not the slightly sporty 2-door, but rather, the full-on dork-mobile 4-door. It takes about 5 hours to get there if you drive the speed limit, and I tried to do just that since it was raining.

I didn't feel like driving downtown to my favorite Mexican place for dinner last night because it was rainy and dark, so I just ate at a place near the hotel.

I really didn't want to go to this training (I never do) because I'd seen the agenda already and knew the topics really had no value to me and my work. Basically it would be a waste of my time to be there but I had no choice. So I plastered on a cheerful face and pretended to be excited to be there with the rest of the lot.

One of the more irritating things about being away for training like this is that my boss' boss doesn't leave ANY time in the day for us to check our email and voice mail. Its as if he thinks our work just stops while we're away. We are literally scheduled from 9:00 until 5:00 or 5:30. They bring in lunch (which consisted of pizza today) and we get approximately 40 minutes to eat, use the bathroom, and try to squeeze in a quick look at our email or a return call to a client. So we usually wind up needing to come in at 8:00 to get a little work done before the session starts, and then work in our hotel rooms that night after the group dinner/outing. I find this to be even more intrusive into my personal time.

Tonight's group dinner/outing turned out to be bowling. It was actually fun! I had not been bowling in I don't know how many years. But for "dinner" we had chicken fingers, loaded potato skins, and nachos - after having pizza for lunch. My body actually began to crave a green vegetable.

As we were leaving the bowling alley at 8:45 someone suggested we go have some 'real food'. Although I really just wanted to go back to the hotel, I agreed to join them, thinking I might get something to eat with some actual nutrition in it. But no - we wound up at a sports bar that served a broader array of the same deep-fried garbage from the bowling alley. I drank a diet soda and then when their food arrived I quietly slipped out and returned to the hotel.

Hopefully tomorrow will go by quickly!

Crush du Jour: Ambrose Olsen

Weekend highlights

Sat was the big car show! Spouse drove the Mercedes and I drove Big Ella. It was a beautiful day weather-wise, and all the cars were beautiful too.

A 1954 Pontiac Chieftan Deluxe.
Here's a gorgeous 1961 Lincoln Continental. Notice the 'suicide doors'.

A 1961 Buick Electra convertible.

A 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III.

A lovely buttercup yellow 1960 Oldsmobile Super 88 convertible.

A 1980 Pontiac Bonneville coupe.

A 1968 Cadillac Calais.

A 1962 Buick Electra 225.

A 1963 Cadillac Sedan de Ville.

A Rambler station wagon.

A 1960 Rambler American.

1948 Studebaker Starlite coupe.

A charming 1961 Ford Falcon in powder blue.

A fabulous 1947 Cadillac convertible.

Check out this massive grill.

A 1952 Nash Rambler Custom Country Club coupe.

A fun 1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMans convertible.

A 1970 Mercedes Benz 280SL in elegant silver.

A 1959 Cadillac Sedan de Ville in Vegas Turquois, otherwise known as Big Ella.

The rear end of a 1959 Lincoln Premier.

A fabulous 1955 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

Another view...

Check out the matching set of luggage!

A 1955 Ford Thunderbird convertible in sunset coral.

A 1955 Oldsmobile Holiday 88. I would love to have a car called 'Holiday'!!

After the car show Spouse & I returned home to relax a bit, then changed clothes for the dinner and awards banquet. It was a really fun day!

Sun morning I met up with several of the car club members for breakfast, then relaxed at home. I caught up on my DVR'd shows and watched a movie. It rained on and off which made it a good day to hang out at home and relax.

Crush du Jour: Tony Pedley

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on Facebook and thought it was a definite 'win'.
Spouse continues to do well on Weight Watchers. He has now lost 50 lbs. in 13 weeks, and is looking great!

My friend Jared sent me this:

So true!!

I'm off work today for the car club's 'cruse-in'. Tomorrow is our big car show event called 'Beach Ball'.

This gave me a chuckle.

I am in desperate need of names for my Crush du Jour blog feature!! The summer has been very busy and I have not been able to surf the web and blogs for worthy candidates. Please send me the names of men you think would make a great Crush du Jour.

Have a terrific weekend!

Crush du Jour: Carlos Melina

Today is my Friday

Although the calendar says Thurs, today is my Fri. I'm off work tomorrow.

The reason I'm off is because the events related to the car club's "Beach Ball" begin tomorrow. The day will start with breakfast, then a caravan to a neighboring town where we'll park and allow the public to 'preview' our cars in advance of the official "Beach Ball" car show on Sat. Later there will be cocktails, heavy hors d'oeuvres, socializing and dancing.

Sat is the official car show, and Sat night is the dinner and awards banquet.

This year Spouse & I are both entering cars. I will enter Big Ella again, of course.
Spouse will enter our Mercedes Benz SLK 230 Kompressor. I really don't care if either of us wins an award or not. I just LOVE the opportunity to see over 100 steel and chrome beauties all in 1 location!! I'm sure it will be as much fun as last year's "Beach Ball".

It will also be fun to get to know more of the car club members this year.

Today Big Ella is at the detailers getting the complete bumper-to-bumper treatment. Tomorrow the SLK will get the same.

Crush du Jour: Vince Ferelli

HA!!!

Just after Labor Day I expressed my dismay at how many people kept saying that summer was over. The summer tourist season may end at Labor Day, but technically today, Sept 22, is the last day of summer. And although the summer may be over tomorrow, here in the mid-Atlantic region there is still plenty of summer weather left.

Today the temperature reached 90 degrees! Everyone was back to wearing shorts and flip flops (except me, but that's a whole 'nother story), and driving with their convertible tops down. (That was me.) I wanted to offer a great big collective "HA!!!" to all the people who have been trying to rush us into fall for the last 2 weeks.

Its supposed to be warm (mid-to-upper 80s) the rest of the week and this weekend, which is just fine with me. Although the calendar may say its fall tomorrow, I am always enjoying summer or looking forward to summer.

Crush du Jour: Romulo Arentes Neto

Pouncer

I had to take Pouncer to the vet this afternoon. He was exhibiting the same symptoms as last Sept and last Dec when he was eventually diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his sinus.

I was happy to find that the 'low budget' vet's office had no strong animal smells this time and had received a minor make-over. All the circa 1979 furniture was gone from the waiting area and replaced with wrought iron-looking furniture with cushions. There was a new tile floor and the walls had been painted, making for a much more comfortable waiting experience.

Pouncer hates riding in the car (probably because he never goes anywhere in the car besides the vet) and moaned and growled the whole way there. Like last time, he would not come out of his carrier for the exam so we had to tip the carrier almost upside down to get him out. He must have been pretty stressed/scared/pissed off because he moaned, growled, and hissed at the vet assistant and the doctor. I tried to calm him by petting him and lightly scratching him in his favorite places, but he was only slightly distracted from his embarrassing behavior.

I was happy the vet took the time to read through all the notes from the past visit as well as the faxed records from the 'glamor vet'. When I offered that Pouncer was exhibiting the same symptoms and I suspected a bacterial infection in his sinus, she asked "yes, but why would he keep getting it?" Unfortunately neither of us had an answer. She confirmed with me that Pouncer was still an 'indoor only' cat and that there were no other cats in the house. Somewhat at a loss, the vet suggested we give Pouncer the same antibiotic as before, since it seemed to work before.

Typically I would be more curious and want to know more about why Pouncer gets bacterial infections. However, I am not eager to subject him to multiple traumatic car trips, stressful exams, and further expensive and inconclusive tests. He's 12 years old. As long as I don't have to take him to the vet more than 2-3 times a year, he responds to the medication, and I don't have to spend more than about $100. each time, I'll do that. But I'm not going to continue to stress and traumatize a 12 year old cat so I can have a concrete diagnosis. Medicine is called a 'practice' for a reason; sometimes they just aren't sure.

I have to give him the medication twice a day for 2 weeks. His symptoms should be much better (if not gone) by that time. In the meantime he gets extra love from his daddies.

Crush du Jour: Axel Brooks

Weekend highlights

Sat morning started out as most of our's do, and if you don't know what that means then just click on any recent post entitled "Weekend highlights". Then Spouse & I went to a community yard sale where I bought 8 purple dinner plates for $3. I think they will match (or at least coordinate with) Steven & Thad's dishes. After a light lunch on the screened porch we headed over to the DE Pride Festival. The weather was perfect: 78 degrees, clear blue skies, and undetectable humidity. We had a good time but finished seeing all the booths and talking with the many friends we saw there within 2 hours, so we left before Kimberley Locke performed. I would have stayed but Spouse was 'ret to go'. Later that evening we met up with Doug & Jim and their neighbors Charlie & John for dinner to celebrate Doug's birthday. We ate at the Rusty Rudder all-you-can-eat buffet since Doug loves their crab legs. It had a very nice time! Afterward I met up with my buddies at Mandance.

We slept in Sun morning, then had coffee and chatted on the screened porch. Jason & Kevin texted to see if we would join them for a late breakfast. Spouse declined due to the previous night's buffet but I met up with the guys at 11:00. Afterward Spouse & I met up with Jason & Kevin, Steven & Thad, The Bobs, Chris, Edwin and Matthew at the beach. It was another postcard perfect day: 82 degrees, clear skies and a lovely breeze off the water. The waves were rather wild, due to Hurricane Igor's affect on the ocean. It was beautiful to watch them churn and crash onto shore. Spouse & I visited with our friends and went for a nice walk on the beach. It was such a beautiful day we didn't want to go home, but eventually we did. I enjoyed a cocktail on the screened porch while Spouse showered, and then we had dinner on the screened porch too. Truly delightful!

Although it is inevitably coming to an end soon, we have really had a terrific summer for spending time on the beach, and I have tried to take maximum advantage of it. I'm definitely NOT ready for long pants, socks and shoes, or shorter days. Not yet.

Crush du Jour: Jonathan Bardzik

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

This was sent to me by my friend and frequent blog contributor Jared:

Love it!!

I forgot to mention last Fri that it was week 11 for Spouse on Weight Watchers. He lost another 2 1/2 lbs last week for a total of 45.8 lbs. This week is week 12 and he lost another 1.2 lbs (despite us eating out several times) for a total for 46.10 lbs. He's doing so great and I am so impressed by his determination.


Jared also sent me this gem which made me laugh out loud!
Tomorrow is the DE Pride Festival. Although most cities have their Pride celebrations in June, here in DE we do it in Sept, after the official summer tourist season is over. We don't have a parade (due to some uncooperative city council members) but we have a Pride Festival with lots of entertainment and food and vendor/information booths. This year's headliner is Kimberley Locke of American Idol fame. It should be a fun day.

Here's wishing all of you a FAB weekend!

Crush du Jour: Carolos Freire

Dinner with Deb & Greer

The other night we had dinner with our favorite foodies Deb & Greer.

During our last dinner together at Planet X we planned to go to Hobo's next. Although Spouse & I had eaten at Hobo's 3 or 4 times in the last month, we certainly didn't mind going again. We have really enjoyed trying all the wonderful-looking items on the menu, which changes daily.
For my starter I ordered the seared tuna tenderloin with black and white sesame seeds with orange ginger glaze and wasabi. Yum!! For my entree I had 'Smack Your Mama' Mac 'n Cheese which is made with 5 different cheeses and is served hot and gooey in a ramacan. OMG - so rich and delicious. I couldn't finish it so I brought the leftovers home.

Spouse started out with the roasted tomato and bazil panzanella soup which is so amazingly good he can't help but order it nearly every time we go there. For his entree he ordered a delicious lentil and grilled vegetable dish over grilled pollenta. I didn't know lentils could taste so good!

For her starter Deb ordered the 'Award Winning Gazpacho' which she described as "a religious experience", followed by the roasted mushroom tamale entree.

Greer started with the crab artichoke and brie dip (served hot with crustini) followed by the 'Smack Your Mama' Mac 'n Cheese. Despite sharing some of it with Deb, she still had to take home leftovers too.

Hobo's specializes in healthy foods. Veggies are all obtained from local farmer's markets and only organic and free-range meats are used. I just can't get over how delicious everything tastes! Its not a 'cheap' place to eat, but its certainly worth it in my opinion.

As usual, we enjoyed lots of great conversation with our foodie friends, including yard sales, real estate, work, the joys of living at the beach, and pics and stories of Deb's 1st grandchild. With them its always a good time! To see what else we've eaten click here and here.

After dinner Spouse & I went for a walk on the boardwalk before returning home.

Crush du Jour: Alex Prudhomme

Pesky pets

Our pets drove me crazy last night/early this morning.

It started last night with Pouncer the Wondercat. A few minutes after we'd gone to bed I heard his little pads on the hardwood floor as he entered our bedroom. (God forbid we close the bedroom door again or he'd sit outside it and meow for hours.) I felt him hop up onto the bed, which is fine, and assumed he'd settle at the foot of the bed as he often does.

But for some reason, he kept walking around all over the bed. Each time he'd walk close to me it would pull the sheet taut over me and keep me from being able to fall asleep. Then he came up next to me and started licking my arm. I slid my arm under the sheet and he started licking my shoulder. I pulled the sheet up to my chin, leaving nothing exposed but my head, so he started licking my hair. (Licking humans shows affection.)

I spoke to him as I've done before, telling him it was time to go to sleep and to go lay down. For some reason he didn't want to, and instead kept walking around on the bed. Finally he settled down and I dosed off.

I don't know how much time passed, but I was awakened by Pouncer standing next to my shoulder purring loudly. I got kind of mad at him for waking me up so I scooped him up with one hand and lowered him onto the floor. But before I could drift off to sleep again I felt him hop back up onto the bed. This time he settled at the foot of the bed and I returned to slumberland.

Sometime later Jordan (the dog) woke me up with her nails tapping on the floor. Apparently she had an itch and as she scratched it her nails kept tapping on the wood floor. Then she shook her head back and forth, causing her metal ID and inoculation tags to jingle like jingle bells. Eventually I drifted off again.

Sometime later Jordan woke me up again when she sneezed several times.

As is the pattern, before Spouse left for work in the morning he let Jordan outside to pee. I normally get up about 1/2 hour later. After being outside this morning, Jordan came back upstairs to the bedroom with her nails tick-tick-ticking on the wood floor. Normally she lays down and doses until I've had my shower and we go downstairs together, but this morning she just kept walking around.

Into the bathroom with her nails tick-tick-ticking on the tile floor. Back into the bedroom with her nails tick-tick-ticking on the wood floor. Out into the hallway with her nails tick-tick-ticking on the wood floor. Back into the bedroom, back into the bathroom, back into the bedroom. It was as if she knew she was keeping me from sleeping and enjoyed every second of it!

I finally got so mad at her for keeping me awake I yelled at her "Get in your bed!" She did and the house returned to quiet, but it was too late. I was awake. I looked at the clock and decided to get up even though I should have been able to sleep a few more minutes.

So today I decided to pay her back by coughing and slamming drawers loudly to wake her up whenever I see her sleeping. Ha ha... that'll teach that b*tch who's boss!

Crush du Jour: Stephan Weiler

September

I love September. Its my favorite month of the year.

This may sound surprising, since I love to wear shorts, go to the beach, and drive with the top down, which people usually equate with summer. But living here in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, I can do all of those things in Sept too.

In Sept the oppressive heat and humidity have subsided. The days are still warm and the nights are cool. The humidity is usually very low and when paired with temps in the upper 70s and low 80s, it make the weather near perfect.

September: my favorite month of the year!

Not so much for Spouse though. September often brings the uncomfortable cramps of transition in life that can leave him feeling blue. To combat this I try to keep our weekends scheduled with lots of fun stuff.

I leave you with the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald singing "September Song".

Crush du Jour: Roger Federer