Leap Year

Happy Leap Day/Year!

Today is my friend Clara's birthday.  Yep, she was born on Leap Day so she only has a birthday every 4 years.

Just because

Weekend highlights

While I was out showing property Sat morning I got a text from Spouse saying his mom was in the hospital and that he was leaving to go see her.  When I finished with my clients I listened to a voice mail Spouse had left me, and I called him back.  He said his mom had complained of shortness of breath the night before.  Her doctor suggested she turn in for the night and if she still didn't feel well the next morning she should call him.  That call resulted in her going to the hospital Sat morning.  Spouse said they were doing tests and he'd update me later.  I finished the day at work and then checked in with Steven about getting together for dinner.  Steven told me that Thad had gone to PA to see his mom who had been taken to the hospital too!  Steven was having dinner with another friend so I decided to go to Saketumi by myself.  I often run into people I know there, so I decided it wouldn't be so bad to go by myself.  I sat at the bar and enjoyed a delicious Cosmo and some sushi rolls.  Unfortunately I didn't see anyone I knew so I was finished eating and back home within an hour.  I caught up on DVR'd shows and went to bed.

Sun I was scheduled to work, which turned out to be fine since Spouse wasn't home anyway.  I wound up working late because of an unscheduled meeting with a new client.  Afterward I grabbed a sandwich to eat at home and watched TV.  It was Oscars night and it seemed kind of weird to not be watching an awards show with Spouse and Steven & Thad.  I talked to Spouse on the phone and learned that the doctor thinks she has a blockage in an artery.  They're scheduling a procedure to know for sure the next day.  After being out with clients all day I was kind of tired and fell asleep during the Oscars, so I went to bed.

Friday fragments

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

There's been a lot going on in the US regarding marriage equality.  Prop 8 which reversed marriage equality in CA was recently ruled to be unconstitutional, WA state signed a marriage equality bill, the NJ legislature approved marriage equality although Governor Christie vetoed it, and MD will be the next state to obtain marriage equality.  Hurray!!!  And here in DE civil unions went into effect in Jan, but an initiative is getting started to obtain marriage equality in the future.

 

I was off yesterday and by chance the weather was amazing:  66 degrees and sunny, on Feb 23rd!  I had a few errands to run so I put the top down on the SLK and enjoyed the spring-like weather.  It felt glorious!

One of my errands was to look for new shoes.  I stumbled upon a buy-1-get-1-half-off deal so I got 2 pairs, a cool pair of black European slip-ons and some white athletic shoes.  At the Tommy Hilfiger factory store I checked out the clearance area and scored with a long sleeve button up shirt (perfect for work) and a light-weight v-neck sweater, for $14.99 each!  So that makes 2 pairs of shoes, a shirt and a sweater for under $70.

I saw this on Facebook and had to share it.

You know who you are...

Last night we had dinner with Deb & Greer and Bob & Michael at the famous Brick Hotel and restaurant.  Its a historic inn that now runs as a hotel with a terrific restaurant.  We all enjoyed our meals very much.  I had gnocchi with spinach in a goat cheese cream sauce - YUM!  Spouse had seared tuna and shrimp over vegetable risotto.  As always, we had a wonderful time with our dinner companions.

I want a t-shirt with this on it:

I am working both days this coming weekend and have appointments with 3 different buyers.  Let's hope its a productive weekend at work.  I hope all of you have a FUN weekend!

Sleep

I began sleeping nude in my early teens.  Prior to that I'd slept in just underwear.  I'd never been fond of pajamas because they seemed to get twisted when I rolled over.  However, I do wear flannel pajamas around the house in the evenings after changing out of my work clothes.

When I stopped sleeping alone my 1st boyfriend (actually he was my partner for 3 years) also slept nude so there seemed no need for me to change my sleeping preference.  Spouse also slept nude so when we got together there was again no need for me to change what I was doing.  For the last 30+ years I've been sleeping nude.  Its comfortable and easy.

But a few days ago I felt like I might be starting to come down with a cold or flu.  I felt tired and a little achy.  I took Spouse's suggestion of going to bed early that night in the hopes that getting extra rest would help me not get sick.  But as I mentioned a few posts ago, we don't keep the thermostat very high and the thought of being chilly in bed when I might be starting to get sick was not a pleasant one.  So I decided to wear my flannel pjs to bed, despite the potential for twisted legs and sleeves.

Oh my god, I can't remember a time when I slept more comfortably!!  I was so nice and toasty warm in my flannel pjs, with the sheet and down-filled blanket pulled up to my neck.  It was great!

Spouse is a cover clutcher so there have been many times when I've woken up cold and had to wrestle the covers back from him.  And sometimes when he was turning over he'd lift the covers, letting all that nice warm air escape and allowing the chilly air in.  But none of that mattered the other night when I slept in my flannel pjs.

Sure, its not nearly as sexy or seductive to sleep in head-to-toe flannel, but it sure is warm and comfy!

Just because

Stoopid lyrics

Here is another installment of my blog feature "Stoopid lyrics" where I share with you a well-known song with lyrics that don't make sense.

Keep in mind this doesn't mean the song is stoopid or that I don't like the song. In fact, I often like the songs, but the lyrics don't make sense.

What do YOU think?

Horse With No Name

performed by America

On the first part of the journey

I was looking at all the life

There were plants and birds and rocks and things

There was sand and hills and rings

The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz

And the sky with no clouds

The heat was hot and the ground was dry

But the air was full of sound

I've been through the desert on a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

La, la ...

After two days in the desert sun

My skin began to turn red

After three days in the desert fun

I was looking at a river bed

And the story it told of a river that flowed

Made me sad to think it was dead

You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

La, la ...

After nine days I let the horse run free

'Cause the desert had turned to sea

There were plants and birds and rocks and things

there was sand and hills and rings

The ocean is a desert with it's life underground

And a perfect disguise above

Under the cities lies a heart made of ground

But the humans will give no love

You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert you can remember your name

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

La, la ...

Weekend highlights

Sat I worked all day and then we met up with Steven & Thad for dinner.

I was supposed to be off on Sun but I had clients who wanted to come from out of town to look at homes so I agreed to meet with them at 10.  I connected with them and we had a nice time together.  I'm sure they'll buy but they're still getting to know the area.  When I got home around 2pm Spouse suggested we go have lunch and then do a little shopping, so we did.  When we returned home I got ready for a musical murder mystery.

Although I've never been to one, I understand the concept of a murder mystery.  The players stay in character as they circulate through the audience, introducing themselves and sharing key plot points and motivations.  A character is killed, the audience can ask the players questions, and must then decide which character committed the murder and why.

A real estate association to which I belong did 1 of these last year and it was a big success, so they decided to do it again this year with a twist: they added live musical performances to make it a musical murder mystery.  Since I was relatively new to the association I was asked to participate.  Apparently they have better success getting 'new' members to do this.  Since 2 of the roles were going to have to sing, they asked me if I could sing.  They had no knowledge of my "Legends" performances or my "Rehoboth Idol 2011" win last June, so I simply answered 'Yes', I could sing.

The theme was a spoof on the TV show "Dallas" and my character was Yancy Granger, a country music star engaged to marry Liza Jane Newing, 1 of the heirs to the Newing ranch and dynasty.  At the Newing's Valentines Ball Yancy discovers his old flame Candace Barlow (whom he called Candy Bar) and I sang the song "Candy".  Later, Candy sangs "Killing Me Softly".

I think the audience and the players had an equally fun time with it.  I think everyone was surprised that I wasn't just an amateur singer.  It was kind of nice to get so many kind compliments.

Friday fragments

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

I recently switched over to the 'new' Blogger interface, which probably came out a year ago.  I really like how you don't need to select the size your photos will display before uploading them.  Instead, you just upload them and then you can experiment with what size you want them to be.  Genius!!

A friend sent me this and I wondered if Ikea will be stocking this soon?  Me thinks their demographic would 'appreciate' the styling.

Our weather has been wacky again recently.  40 degrees one day, 65 degrees the next day, then back to 40 again.  It makes it hard to know how to dress for work!

I lost 2 more lbs last week, for a total of 19 lbs since New Years Day.

I saw this one on Facebook.

These dear old folks warmed my heart!

Spouse has been driving me nuts with our portal electric space heater.  We turn the thermostat down before we go to bed and turn on an electric space heater to keep our bedroom warm and cozy.  Only, just recently Spouse has 'experimented' with moving the space heater around in the room.  The other night after I'd gotten into bed he put the heater right smack in the middle of the walkway.  When I got up in the dark to pee I walked right into it.  I was so mad I nearly turned around and peed on him!!

This cracked me up!! 

If you don't get it right away, look closer.

Have a great weekend Everyone!

Just because

Valentines highlights

Spouse loves cut flowers, so its been a tradition of mine to send flowers to him for his birthday, our anniversary, Valentines Day, and another random day of the year to surprise him.

But Spouse is not a fan of red roses, which you'd expect for Valentines Day, an he says white roses are for funerals.  So sometimes I special order purple roses or the yellow ones with orange on the tips.  But this time I decided to bypass roses altogether and got him a vase of yellow tulips with orange tips.  I love tulips, they're 'different' for Valentines Day, they don't get marked up on Valentines Day like roses, and Spouse thought they were gorgeous.

That night we had dinner with Steven & Thad at Saketumi.  I treated myself to a Cosmo.  I say 'treat' because I haven't had a Cosmo since New Years Eve, since I've been reducing my calories.  That Cosmo was even more delicious than usual!  I had sushi rolls and Spouse had Kung Poa chicken and shrimp.  We all had a very nice Valentines dinner.

No chocolates cuz we're both weight watching.

As a sidenote, it drives me NUTS to hear people say 'ValentiMes Day'.  I heard it on the radio 3 times yesterday.

Happy Valentines Day

Weekend highlights

Sat I worked til 5.  Then Spouse & I had dinner at Steven & Thad's house with them and Jason & Kevin.  Spouse was in charge of the Weight Watchers-friendly dessert and did a great job with it.  Unfortunately he couldn't quite remember how many points the dessert contained!  We all laughed as his guestimate went from 5 points to 'no more than 10 points'.  We had a very nice time visiting with each other, until we turned on the TV and learned of Whitney Houston's death.

Sun I was scheduled to work til 4 but I took a new couple out and didn't get done with them until 5.  Then Spouse & I went back over to Steven & Thad's for dinner and to watch the Grammy awards.  

We made Weight Watcher-friendly pizzas using flatbreads, turkey pepperoni, low-fat cheese, mushrooms and other diced veggies.  They didn't come out crispy but I didn't care; they tasted good!  We watched the red carpet coverage and then watched the Grammy awards.  Adele sure cleaned up!  Again Spouse was in charge of the dessert.  This time he made a Hungry Girl recipe called Mississippi Mug Cake.  Its a lower calorie version of the original, but made as individual servings in mugs.  They were pretty good but Spouse forgot an important ingredient, chocolate chips.  We had a fun time.

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 had to share it.  

 This gave me a good chuckle!

A friend sent me this video of a woman juggling 5 balls with her feet.  Its amazing!  I dare you to try this at home.

After owning my 1999 Mercedes Benz SLK 230 for over 2 years now, I just realized today that the horn does not blow if the ignition is turned off.  This reminded me that the horn in my 1994 BMW 325ic didn't blow either if the ignition was turned off.  What is it with German cars that the horn doesn't blow unless the engine is on?  What if you've turned off your car in a parking lot and then you see someone backing out of a parking space about to back into you??

A friend posted this on facebook and I literally laughed out loud!!  

For some reason I love the fact that its a cat jumping out of the cake with the sign.

Here's hoping everyone has a great weekend!

I'll take one of each, please!

The Voice

For many years I've been aware that people are often treated differently based on their looks.  Most of the time good-looking or attractive people are treated better than ugly or unattractive people.

A 'plain' woman with mousy brown hair and frumpy clothes won't get the time of day, while men and women will practically bend over backwards for a pretty blond woman in form-fitting clothes.  It is a fact, and although everyone thinks its unfair, most of us do it anyway without really thinking about it.

That's why I absolutely LOVE the show "The Voice".  Singers hoping to impress the judges must do so with only their voices because the judges can't see them.  The judges' backs are to the stage where the singers belt out their best so the judges CAN'T be influenced by the singers' appearance.  Its absolutely the most fair way to evaluate their singing.

I remember watching audition after audition on "American Idol" and being dumb-founded by the 'attractive' singers who progressed through the audition despite their pitch problems, while some really amazing singers were cut from the competition because they didn't "look like stars".  Oh please!  A Professional Stylist can make anyone "look like a star" but they've got to have the goods to back it up.

On this week's episode of "The Voice" there was this very attractive young man named Dez Duron who already looked like a star, with his fashionable hair and symmetrical good looks.  

Yet none of the 4 judges picked him based on his voice.  Once they saw him they all wished they could change their mind.  Christina kept smacking her button to choose him but it was too late.  That would NEVER have happened on "American Idol".

So I'm becoming more and more interested in the results of this new(er) show since it seems much more fair.  They aren't looking for a model, they're looking for a great singer.

Just because

Weekend highlights

Saturday I worked until 5, then came home to help Spouse prepare for the arrival of Kerry & Hugh and the other Polar Bear Plungers.  Earlier in the week I'd made sure all the beds had fresh sheets and all the baths had clean towels, and had vacuumed the entire house.  Spouse cleaned all 5 bathrooms and tidied up the kitchen so there wasn't much for me to do when I got home.

The gang arrived shortly after 6.  It was Kerry & Hugh, Kerry's dad George, Ana & Jose, Alison, Javier, Emily, Jayna, Antonio, and Gabe.  Yes, that's 11 people!  We went to dinner at a diner so everyone could get what they wanted to eat, then hung out at home and visited.  Eventually everyone went to bed by 12:30.

Sun morning we had bagels, coffee, and fruit for breakfast and continued to visit for several more hours.  At noon we piled into 3 vehicles and headed to the beach for the Polar Bear Plunge.  The point is to get pledges from friends for plunging into the cold water, and then donate the pledges to the Special Olympics charity.  But our gang didn't get their act together in time to get pledges so they just did the Plunge for fun.  

It was cloudy/overcast and 39 degrees, which isn't so bad except that it was windy so it felt much colder.  I had on jeans, a coat, and scarf but I was still cold.  The Plungers in their swimsuits had to be freezing as they waited for the Plunge to begin, and immediately after the Plunge when they were wet.  Afterward we returned to the house and the Plungers took hot showers and packed their bags.  We went for a late lunch together and then they headed back home.

It was a really fun weekend spending time with our good friends!