Enjoy these World cup photos...
Isn't it refreshing to see healthy physical interaction between these non-American athletes? Americans are so provincial.
Crush du Jour: Charlie Williams
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
World Cup
So Spain won the World cup. Its no secret I'm not a sports fan, but I've always said, "If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter!"
Enjoy these World cup photos...
Isn't it refreshing to see healthy physical interaction between these non-American athletes? Americans are so provincial.
Enjoy these World cup photos...
Isn't it refreshing to see healthy physical interaction between these non-American athletes? Americans are so provincial.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Weekend highlights
Sat it rained off and on all day so the family wasn't able to go to the beach. We had breakfast together, then hung out until lunch time. Some watched TV, others on laptops and game systems. Spouse's sister picked up subs for lunch, then she and Spouse went to the grocery store while I loaded/ran the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen. We invited folks over for dinner so there was lots to do to get ready. Spouse did most of the cooking and I helped with some of the prep as well as arranged the furniture and set the tables on the screened porch. That evening, Steven & Thad, their friend Allen, Thad's sister Robin, and Alisha & Jack came for dinner. Spouse's mother had made pasta and peas (a south Philly dish) for Thad a few months ago, so he was glad to get the opportunity to meet her. We had a tasty dinner of grilled boneless chicken and boneless pork chops, rice, roasted asparagus, salad, hummus, pita, olives, and marinated mushrooms. We had cake with fruit for dessert. It was a very nice evening.
Sun Spouse made scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, English muffins, and mixed fruit for breakfast and invited Rick & Nick. They were eager to meet Spouse's mother too. Again we ate on the newly expanded screened porch. It was about noon by the time we'd gotten the everything cleaned up and folks decided what they wanted to do. The family decided to go to the beach at 12:30 but Spouse & I stayed home because we had a 3:00 birthday party/cook-out at Bryan & Jason's. So we relaxed in the peace and quiet, caught up on email, and watched a little TV before going to the birthday/cook-out. Many of our friends were there and the food was really good so we really enjoyed the party. We returned home at about 6:30 and hung out with the family for a while. Then all of us went to boardwalk. The boys played some games at the arcade and several folks got ice cream cones from Kohr Brothers. We walked for a while and sat and people-watched for a while. Once back at home we watched TV together until midnight, which was fine since I took Mon off. So far having 6 extra people in the house hasn't been too bad, although the dishwasher seems to be running constantly.
This morning everyone slept in late. Since I'd taken the day off and the family had no real plans, I decided to go to the beach with my friend Tim. (The family could come later if they wanted.) Tim told me all about his recent trip to London, Paris, and Madrid with 22 students from the school where he teaches, and I got caught up on all his other adventures. I returned home at 3:30 to an empty house, took a shower and checked my email. Spouse and the family returned from the state park beach at 5:00 and we caught up on each other's days. Spouse left for his personal trainer appointment and I left for my volunteer activity at 5:30 so the family went to Five Guys for burgers and fries and then went shopping at the outlets. Some bargains were procured and modeled for us, then everyone agreed to go to bed early tonight since tomorrow they will take the ferry to Cape May and Wildwood NJ.
Crush du Jour: Albert Victor
Sun Spouse made scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, English muffins, and mixed fruit for breakfast and invited Rick & Nick. They were eager to meet Spouse's mother too. Again we ate on the newly expanded screened porch. It was about noon by the time we'd gotten the everything cleaned up and folks decided what they wanted to do. The family decided to go to the beach at 12:30 but Spouse & I stayed home because we had a 3:00 birthday party/cook-out at Bryan & Jason's. So we relaxed in the peace and quiet, caught up on email, and watched a little TV before going to the birthday/cook-out. Many of our friends were there and the food was really good so we really enjoyed the party. We returned home at about 6:30 and hung out with the family for a while. Then all of us went to boardwalk. The boys played some games at the arcade and several folks got ice cream cones from Kohr Brothers. We walked for a while and sat and people-watched for a while. Once back at home we watched TV together until midnight, which was fine since I took Mon off. So far having 6 extra people in the house hasn't been too bad, although the dishwasher seems to be running constantly.
This morning everyone slept in late. Since I'd taken the day off and the family had no real plans, I decided to go to the beach with my friend Tim. (The family could come later if they wanted.) Tim told me all about his recent trip to London, Paris, and Madrid with 22 students from the school where he teaches, and I got caught up on all his other adventures. I returned home at 3:30 to an empty house, took a shower and checked my email. Spouse and the family returned from the state park beach at 5:00 and we caught up on each other's days. Spouse left for his personal trainer appointment and I left for my volunteer activity at 5:30 so the family went to Five Guys for burgers and fries and then went shopping at the outlets. Some bargains were procured and modeled for us, then everyone agreed to go to bed early tonight since tomorrow they will take the ferry to Cape May and Wildwood NJ.
Crush du Jour: Albert Victor
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday fragments
Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.
Spouse is off work today and went with his family to the beach. The house is finally quiet again, and Pouncer and Jordan are taking advantage of the opportunity to nap. Spouse will be off all next week as well. His family is leaving sometime on Wed. I'm taking off on Mon only. I needed a long weekend anyway, and since his family will be here it will be 1 day I don't have to worry about working at home with people who are on vacation in the house.
My friend Jared, a trusted supplier of blog material both funny and inappropriate, rose to the occasion (as usual) with this vulgar photo. Of course I couldn't resist sharing it.
Spouse is off work today and went with his family to the beach. The house is finally quiet again, and Pouncer and Jordan are taking advantage of the opportunity to nap. Spouse will be off all next week as well. His family is leaving sometime on Wed. I'm taking off on Mon only. I needed a long weekend anyway, and since his family will be here it will be 1 day I don't have to worry about working at home with people who are on vacation in the house.
Another gem from Jared:
Tonight we abandoned Spouse's family (again) for a birthday party. Steven & Thad had a small birthday party for 1 of The Bobs so we didn't want to miss that. Here's the Sponge Bob Squarepants themed cake for Bob.
Spouse's family went out to eat and had some fun on the boardwalk while we were gone.
Tonight we abandoned Spouse's family (again) for a birthday party. Steven & Thad had a small birthday party for 1 of The Bobs so we didn't want to miss that. Here's the Sponge Bob Squarepants themed cake for Bob.Spouse's family went out to eat and had some fun on the boardwalk while we were gone.Jared sent me this with the caption "Don't you wish it was an All The Way Inn?"
A friend sent me the sad news that Jennifer Saunders (Edina from Absolutely Fabulous) has breast cancer, which was treated and is now in remission. I decided today that Eddie Monsoon and Karen Walker (of Will & Grace) are my BFFs.
Please join me in sending positive, healing energies to Eddie. All our best, Sweetie Darling!!
Here's wishing everyone an Absolutely Fabulous weekend!!
A friend sent me the sad news that Jennifer Saunders (Edina from Absolutely Fabulous) has breast cancer, which was treated and is now in remission. I decided today that Eddie Monsoon and Karen Walker (of Will & Grace) are my BFFs.
Please join me in sending positive, healing energies to Eddie. All our best, Sweetie Darling!!Here's wishing everyone an Absolutely Fabulous weekend!!
Crush du Jour: Fabio Cannavaro
Friday, July 09, 2010
Fiesta Night
Tonight we had Fiesta Night at our friends Alisha & Jack's place.
Jack is Thad's nephew, although they are only a few years apart. Jack & Alisha were married a year ago so we celebrated their anniversary with Fiesta Night.
The idea for Fiesta Night came from a story about Alisha's 'famous' chicken enchiladas. Apparently she had been making them for her friends for years and everyone loved them. When she and Jack got together she made her 'famous' chicken enchiladas for him but he hated them. To be polite (the way people usually are in the early months of a relationship) he ate them anyway, but once they were married he finally told her the truth.
Spouse & I decided we should be the judge of whether or not Alisha's 'famous' chicken enchiladas were terrible. After all, one look at us and you can tell we have experience with food!
So that's how the Fiesta Night came to be. I made a chili queso dip and Mexican corn casserole, Alisha made her 'famous' chicken enchiladas, tacos, and quesadillas, and Jack made mojitos. Steven brought dessert.
It was a lot of fun! Spouse & I conclusively determined that Alisha's 'famous' chicken enchiladas were delicious and that Jack has a (somewhat) limited palate.
In other news, Spouse's family arrived today. Lord help me!
Crush du Jour: Chris Tardio
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Melancholy
I've been feeling somewhat melancholy. Maybe melancholy isn't the right word, but I just haven't felt like myself in a while.
My job has been stressful and hectic. Also, there are lots of changes happening there. My role has changed again, and we are transitioning to a new platform which I am trying to learn. I used to know all the answers and felt very confident about the old platform. Now I feel like its my 1st week at a new job. I find it hard to be motivated or creative. I'm more reactive at work now. I even wake up earlier than I need to and have trouble getting back to sleep because I begin to think about what I have to do at work. But its not just about work.
For weeks there was the waiting for the condo deal to happen. We settled 2 weeks ago and since then I have been going back and forth with 2 different contractors trying to get a reasonable price for the remodeling. I hate negotiating, but I can't afford to pay too much so I have to do it, which adds more stress to my life.
Then there's the porch expansion. We'd been trying to get our builder to give us a price and commit to a start date since last fall. Then in early June - just as the condo deal solidified - he gives us the price and says he's ready to start. We really didn't want to have to pay for the condo, the remodeling, and the porch expansion all at the same time. That's stressful too. But our only recourse was to postpone the porch, which would mean its completion would be at the end of the summer, when we'd have little use of it until the next year. So the porch expansion is going on too.
Then there's the yard. Before the condo and porch deals happened, I had worked with a landscape company to fix up our yard. The garage construction wrecked our grass, which wasn't that great to begin with. I got an estimate to regrade the yard, put better soil in the beds, move some plants, add some plants, put down some sod and some river rocks. But the yard project got put on hold when the condo deal happened and the porch project happened. Spouse simply won't spend any money on the yard right now, so the weeds are getting out of control. We've had no rain so the grass that was left is dead, yet somehow the weeds manage to survive. I hate seeing the yard this way, but I agree with him that we shouldn't spend anymore money right now. Although I know its the right thing to do, it still bothers me to see the brown, dead patches and weeds.
Then there's the blogs. I used to do a pretty good job of keeping up with the blogs to which I subscribe. But over the last few months I have just not been able keep up with them. Reading blogs during the day is just out of the question now. I feel like I'm busy all the time, so in the evening after dinner I often prefer to relax and veg in front of the TV. So, I feel like I've lost touch with many of the smart, funny, entertaining people I used to feel like I knew. I've also noticed a drop in comments here, which could be because I've not been reading/commenting on other's blogs, or it could be because my posts aren't as interesting as they used to be. I don't know.
And then there's the invasion. Tomorrow Spouse's mother, sister, brother-in-law, and their 3 teenagers are arriving for a visit. For a week. Several unplanned large expenses have caused them to feel they couldn't rent a beach house in Myrtle Beach this summer like they usually do, so they asked if they could spend a week's vacation here. Now, I love these folks and genuinely appreciate the way they have whole-heartedly accepted me into the family, especially in light of my biological family's behavior. But you know the old saying: Fish and house guests both get old and smelly after 3 days. I can't believe we're going to have 6 extra people here for an entire week. I'm sure they won't be here in the house all day while I'm trying to work. Spouse is taking off the entire time they'll be here so I'm sure he'll go with them to the beach, the waterpark, etc during the day, so my ability to concentrate at work will likely not be affected that much, if at all. But its all the rest of the time! I won't be able to watch TV at night in a loose pair of boxers, or fart out loud for a week! I don't know how I'm going to make it.
So that's what's going on with me, in case you're interested.
Crush du Jour: Eliad Cohen
My job has been stressful and hectic. Also, there are lots of changes happening there. My role has changed again, and we are transitioning to a new platform which I am trying to learn. I used to know all the answers and felt very confident about the old platform. Now I feel like its my 1st week at a new job. I find it hard to be motivated or creative. I'm more reactive at work now. I even wake up earlier than I need to and have trouble getting back to sleep because I begin to think about what I have to do at work. But its not just about work.
For weeks there was the waiting for the condo deal to happen. We settled 2 weeks ago and since then I have been going back and forth with 2 different contractors trying to get a reasonable price for the remodeling. I hate negotiating, but I can't afford to pay too much so I have to do it, which adds more stress to my life.
Then there's the porch expansion. We'd been trying to get our builder to give us a price and commit to a start date since last fall. Then in early June - just as the condo deal solidified - he gives us the price and says he's ready to start. We really didn't want to have to pay for the condo, the remodeling, and the porch expansion all at the same time. That's stressful too. But our only recourse was to postpone the porch, which would mean its completion would be at the end of the summer, when we'd have little use of it until the next year. So the porch expansion is going on too.
Then there's the yard. Before the condo and porch deals happened, I had worked with a landscape company to fix up our yard. The garage construction wrecked our grass, which wasn't that great to begin with. I got an estimate to regrade the yard, put better soil in the beds, move some plants, add some plants, put down some sod and some river rocks. But the yard project got put on hold when the condo deal happened and the porch project happened. Spouse simply won't spend any money on the yard right now, so the weeds are getting out of control. We've had no rain so the grass that was left is dead, yet somehow the weeds manage to survive. I hate seeing the yard this way, but I agree with him that we shouldn't spend anymore money right now. Although I know its the right thing to do, it still bothers me to see the brown, dead patches and weeds.
Then there's the blogs. I used to do a pretty good job of keeping up with the blogs to which I subscribe. But over the last few months I have just not been able keep up with them. Reading blogs during the day is just out of the question now. I feel like I'm busy all the time, so in the evening after dinner I often prefer to relax and veg in front of the TV. So, I feel like I've lost touch with many of the smart, funny, entertaining people I used to feel like I knew. I've also noticed a drop in comments here, which could be because I've not been reading/commenting on other's blogs, or it could be because my posts aren't as interesting as they used to be. I don't know.
And then there's the invasion. Tomorrow Spouse's mother, sister, brother-in-law, and their 3 teenagers are arriving for a visit. For a week. Several unplanned large expenses have caused them to feel they couldn't rent a beach house in Myrtle Beach this summer like they usually do, so they asked if they could spend a week's vacation here. Now, I love these folks and genuinely appreciate the way they have whole-heartedly accepted me into the family, especially in light of my biological family's behavior. But you know the old saying: Fish and house guests both get old and smelly after 3 days. I can't believe we're going to have 6 extra people here for an entire week. I'm sure they won't be here in the house all day while I'm trying to work. Spouse is taking off the entire time they'll be here so I'm sure he'll go with them to the beach, the waterpark, etc during the day, so my ability to concentrate at work will likely not be affected that much, if at all. But its all the rest of the time! I won't be able to watch TV at night in a loose pair of boxers, or fart out loud for a week! I don't know how I'm going to make it.
So that's what's going on with me, in case you're interested.
Crush du Jour: Eliad Cohen
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Great gifts
Here's what you can give those people in your life for birthdays, Christmas, and blogiversaries who already have everything. I think these are great and would definitely wear them!
And my favorite:
And my favorite:
Crush du Jour: Gabriele Pivotresteza
Monday, July 05, 2010
(Long) Weekend highlights
The construction guys worked hard to get the porch screened before they quit working on Fri. Bugs & Roger arrived on Fri at 12:30, but unfortunately I had a conference call at 1:00 so I couldn't go out to lunch with them. They had lunch and shopped at the tax-free outlet malls. When Spouse got home they returned from shopping and we chatted until it was time to leave for Fri Night Dinner with 'the usual suspects'. After dinner, we sat on the newly enlarged screened porch and talked until bedtime.
Sat morning Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment while Bugs & Rog and I chatted over breakfast, then walked to the farmer's market. It was pretty hot but the humidity was low so it was nice in the shade. They got tomatoes, cucumbers and baked goods; I got a gorgeous bunch of cut flowers. Bugs & Rog helped me sweep the screened porch and bring in the tables, chairs, and lounge furniture. When Spouse returned and showered, the 4 of us had lunch and then walked to the art show. Two friends were exhibiting, and we enjoyed looking at everything. Then Spouse & Roger went to the grocery store while Bugs & I went to the Dollar Store and liquor store. 'Divide and conquer' was out motto. Later Steven & Thad and Joe P came over for dinner and we had our 1st meal on the new, enlarged screened porch. We had peppercorn pork tenderloins, orzo with oven roasted veggies, romaine salad, and fresh tomato and cucumber slices. For dessert we had a fruit salad of watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries. Although it was very hot earlier, it was a gorgeous night for being outside.
Sun morning it was very hot again so we had breakfast and just hung out indoors. Spouse & I dropped Big Ella off for a wash 'n wax and when we got back we all had lunch. Then we walked to the canal to watch the decorated boat parade. We brought Big Ella home and we went to a neighbor's cocktail party, but couldn't stay long because we had to get ready for the Doo Dah parade. (For an explanation and photos of the Doo Dah parade, click here.) Spouse doesn't like to be the center of attention so he watched the parade with Rick & Nick from their usual post at our friends Mike & Steve's front porch, right on the parade route. Bugs & Roger had never experienced the Doo Dah parade but were game to give it a try. I'd purchased bags of penny candy for them to toss at the kids along the route and we all had a great time. Big Ella was duly adored by everyone and received many cheers and rounds of applause. Unfortunately we have no photos since our camera was acting up again. After the parade, Spouse and Rick & Nick met me and Bugs & Roger back at the house for a 4th of July cook-out on the screened porch. We had hamburgers, bison burgers, bison dogs, cheddar brats, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Just before it got dark we grabbed our beach chairs and walked to the beach to watch the fireworks. Our city doesn't need to have a budget for 4th of July fireworks, as a dozen or so citizens have taken it upon themselves to furnish them. For about 90 minutes the public is treated to a free fireworks display that spans a couple miles up and down the beach. It was a beautiful night!
This morning Bugs & Roger left just after breakfast and we joined Steven & Thad, Joe P, The Bobs, and Alisha & Jack at the beach. Again it was very hot out but low humidity, and there was a cool breeze coming off the ocean so it was very pleasant. We laughed and talked and I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed. Upon returning home, Spouse & I had a late lunch consisting of last night's cook-out left overs. He's napping now.
It was a terrific holiday weekend, and I feel very fortunate.
Crush du Jour: Noah Mills
Sat morning Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment while Bugs & Rog and I chatted over breakfast, then walked to the farmer's market. It was pretty hot but the humidity was low so it was nice in the shade. They got tomatoes, cucumbers and baked goods; I got a gorgeous bunch of cut flowers. Bugs & Rog helped me sweep the screened porch and bring in the tables, chairs, and lounge furniture. When Spouse returned and showered, the 4 of us had lunch and then walked to the art show. Two friends were exhibiting, and we enjoyed looking at everything. Then Spouse & Roger went to the grocery store while Bugs & I went to the Dollar Store and liquor store. 'Divide and conquer' was out motto. Later Steven & Thad and Joe P came over for dinner and we had our 1st meal on the new, enlarged screened porch. We had peppercorn pork tenderloins, orzo with oven roasted veggies, romaine salad, and fresh tomato and cucumber slices. For dessert we had a fruit salad of watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries. Although it was very hot earlier, it was a gorgeous night for being outside.
Sun morning it was very hot again so we had breakfast and just hung out indoors. Spouse & I dropped Big Ella off for a wash 'n wax and when we got back we all had lunch. Then we walked to the canal to watch the decorated boat parade. We brought Big Ella home and we went to a neighbor's cocktail party, but couldn't stay long because we had to get ready for the Doo Dah parade. (For an explanation and photos of the Doo Dah parade, click here.) Spouse doesn't like to be the center of attention so he watched the parade with Rick & Nick from their usual post at our friends Mike & Steve's front porch, right on the parade route. Bugs & Roger had never experienced the Doo Dah parade but were game to give it a try. I'd purchased bags of penny candy for them to toss at the kids along the route and we all had a great time. Big Ella was duly adored by everyone and received many cheers and rounds of applause. Unfortunately we have no photos since our camera was acting up again. After the parade, Spouse and Rick & Nick met me and Bugs & Roger back at the house for a 4th of July cook-out on the screened porch. We had hamburgers, bison burgers, bison dogs, cheddar brats, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Just before it got dark we grabbed our beach chairs and walked to the beach to watch the fireworks. Our city doesn't need to have a budget for 4th of July fireworks, as a dozen or so citizens have taken it upon themselves to furnish them. For about 90 minutes the public is treated to a free fireworks display that spans a couple miles up and down the beach. It was a beautiful night!
This morning Bugs & Roger left just after breakfast and we joined Steven & Thad, Joe P, The Bobs, and Alisha & Jack at the beach. Again it was very hot out but low humidity, and there was a cool breeze coming off the ocean so it was very pleasant. We laughed and talked and I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed. Upon returning home, Spouse & I had a late lunch consisting of last night's cook-out left overs. He's napping now.
It was a terrific holiday weekend, and I feel very fortunate.
Crush du Jour: Noah Mills
Friday, July 02, 2010
Friday fragments
Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.
My friend Jared saw this in Baltimore and snapped this photo.
My friend Jared saw this in Baltimore and snapped this photo.
As you may recall, Jared is a regular contributor to the humorous photos found on Friday fragments. Here's another he sent me with the subject line: "Say what??"Our good buddies Bugs & Roger coming today for the 4th of July weekend. They should be here around noon, so after they drop their drag in the guest room, the 3 of us will have lunch together. I'll return home to work a little more and they will do some tax-free shopping at the outlet malls. We always have a great time with them.
My friend Bob sent me this with the subject line: BP's final option for cleaning up the oil spill.
One of the highlights of the 4th of July weekend for me is the Doo dah parade. As I did last year, I'll be showing off Big Ella's beauty in the parade.
One of the highlights of the 4th of July weekend for me is the Doo dah parade. As I did last year, I'll be showing off Big Ella's beauty in the parade.
Last year during the parade I overheard a woman pointing to Big Ella say to her husband/boyfriend "Look... that's when cars were made of steel and metal." For an explanation of the Doo Dah parade and photos from 2008, click here. For photos of 2009 click here.My friend Clark sent me this fabulous site that pairs snarky comments with catalog photos. Many of these made me LOL!! If you need a good laugh, check out Catalog Living.
My rental car for this week's trip to/from Richmond was a Nissan Cube. Mine was white like this one.
It looks small from the outside, but its absolutely HUGE inside. There's lots of head and leg room and really great visibility through the large windows. Once I rented a Dodge Nitro which was larger outside, but very cramped inside. The Cube is the opposite - very roomy and comfy.I forgot to mention last Fri that progress on our porch expansion really picked up. The brick trim around the parimeter was set and the concrete floor was poured last week. This week they constructed the new supports, built the roof, ran the electrical through the ceiling so we can have a 2nd ceiling fan, and primed/painted the supports and trim. Today they are installing the tongue-n-groove ceiling and screening it in. Although the burgundy metal roof is not on yet, we will be able to use the porch this weekend with Bugs & Roger!
Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!
Crush du Jour: Sam Worthington
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Helping hands
I'm on my way home from Richmond today so I prepared this in advance.
AT&T has chosen painted hands (and sometimes arms) in a very creative ad campaign to illustrate their network's worldwide coverage. Look closely at the following ads, then notice the country in the tag line. Very cool!
AT&T has chosen painted hands (and sometimes arms) in a very creative ad campaign to illustrate their network's worldwide coverage. Look closely at the following ads, then notice the country in the tag line. Very cool!
Crush du Jour: Jad Adas
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