CJ Kennedy - Pony Express Home Station

Hello, Dolly

2012-02-02T07:58:00.000-05:00

Wandering around the Interwebs, I came across a dammit doll. What's that? It's like a voodoo doll without the pins. You take your frustrations out on the dolly. Most of the dolls I saw required sewing. I can barely sew on buttons. There was a pattern for crochet, but I can only manage simple granny square patterns.

I remembered a doll I had made in Girl Scouts eons ago. It only required a head made from the leg of an old pair of pantyhose and yarn. I love the color yarn I found. Now I'm trying to decide if the doll should have button eyes instead of a blank face. Makes me think of Coraline's Other Mother in the movie Coraline. Black [buttons] are traditional, but you can have any color you want.

There's also a little poem that goes along with the doll:

Whenever things don't go so well,
And you want to hit the wall and yell, Here's a little dammit doll,
That you wan't do without.
Just grasp it firmly by the legs,
And find a place to slam it.
And as you whack the stuffing out,
Yell "Dammit, Dammit, Dammit."

There was another variation of the poem for computer problems, too.

I can think of a few people who could use a doll like this. What do you think, button eyes or leave the face blank?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T04:30:00.000-05:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Vince on Pinterest

Belted By Solar Rays - Part 2

2012-01-31T04:30:00.000-05:00

Recap: The key to my parents' house wouldn't work. Wouldn't turn left. Wouldn't turn right. Couldn't get in through the garage or the bulk head. I just wanted to get in do a little more sifting and sorting and get out. I left restrained "I'm not happy" voice mails on Himself's cellphone and office phone. I also sent an email for good measure.

Meanwhile back at the college, Himself was about to show his chemistry students a video demonstration. All his materials are housed on a virtual classroom site. For some reason, the video wouldn't run. No problem. He had saved the link to the demo in an email. He called up his email and this is what appeared on the projection screen for all to see:

I hate the effin weeble* house! The effin key doesn't work. I made an effin wasted trip. I couldn't even break in through the effin garage!!

Call me when you get this

Love,
Me not happy

Imagine Himself trying to close the preview pane as quickly as possible. He didn't hear any giggling and he's not sure if people weren't paying attention to the screen or didn't know what to make of it. He called up the video link and went on with class as if nothing happened. He was embarrassed. I thought his reaction was hilarious.

*weeble: used to describe old people as in the Fisher-Price toy: weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

Intestinalus Pesticus

2012-01-30T04:30:00.000-05:00

This little guy ruined our day and my blog post topic for today. Sunday, we had planned to go see the Pompeii exhibit at the Museum of Science. Unfortunately, The Eldest woke up with a stomach virus. We knew it would be a fast mover as Himself brought the pest home from the Germ Factory he works in. Over and done in one day. Two down, and two to go.

The little bas...bug seems to incubate in four days. Since I have plans to spend Thursday with a friend, odds are, I'm next.

Has this little pest made a visit at your house?

Tools, Gadgets, and Widgets

2012-01-28T08:58:00.000-05:00

Google has announced it's changing its privacy policy. On the surface, the policy changes seem harmless enough. They are meant to simplify the Google experience across all Google platforms: Gmail, Search, Youtube. Google wants to give each user a personalized experience. In a nutshell, users will be tracked to provide them with ads based on searches or preferences. So what, right? That's what I thought until I read tech guru, Tod Maffin's article about why he stopped using Google to search the Internet. You should read the article, too.

Now I don't mean to be a Chicken Little, but privacy issues are something to give serious thought to. Facebook has launched the new Timeline which will list all of your Facebook stuff from the time you joined Facebook. Users can also add pictures and things going back to their birth, if they desire. Again, it seems harmless. Users also have the option of blocking or deleting status updates though you have to go back and look at each one. Maybe in a fit of not thinking, you uploaded a silly picture of yourself or made a rude status comment, or something you wouldn't want an employer or potential employer to see. (Though you really shouldn't be posting things that could come back to bite you.)

What to do? First, make sure of your privacy settings. Do you want to share all about you with the world or only with friends? What about search engine tracking? Tod has suggested using another search engine, Duck Duck Go. Duck Duck Go is ad free and your search results aren't tracked and reported to third party companies.

I gave Duck Duck Go at test run by searching on my name. Pleased to see that my webpage and LinkedIn page, and blog came up at the top of the page. Even a search for Pony Express yielded results though I had to scroll to the very bottom of the page. (Who woulda thunk there were so many Pony Express sites!)

Duck Duck Go doesn't offer the option to search just for images the way Google does. I miss that feature. Perhaps, Duck Duck Go will offer an image search as more and more people use their search engine.

And Duck Duck Go has followed Google's doodle idea by changing their logo. The handsome, incognito duck is reminding you today is Data Privacy Day.

The Friday Five

2012-01-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

This little gal was one of the treasures in Ma's curio cabinet. Five things I love about the little fishie

1. She is cute in an ugly sort of way or ugly in a cute sort of way depending on your point of view.

2. She always made me smile

3. She made her appearance at all the holy day of obligation ( family holidays) or other events.

4. Imagine her with toothpicks studded with black olives and sweet gherkin pickles as she graced the table

5. My job was to skewer the olives and pickles and arrange her "scales"

But now what to do with her? She has only sentimental value even though she is some 60 years old. The holes aren't big enough for pens, nibs or brushes. Other than a dust collector, any ideas on how to repurpose her?

Belted by Solar Rays- Part One

2012-01-26T09:02:00.000-05:00

Tuesday. The plan was to spend a couple two or three hours sifting and sorting through things at my childhood home. On the 45 minute drive, I thought of the area I would attack, what to keep, what to toss. After 68 years of marriage, I can't believe the amount of sh...stuff my parents have accumulated.

As I pulled into the driveway, my cousin called. The call ate into my schedule, but it was nice to have an ear to whine to. She didn't judge me for what I did, what I'm doing. She understands because she went through it.

Phone call done, I climbed the front steps and made a mental note of the yard cleanup that will need to be done to give the poor old place some curb appeal. Inserted key in the lock and turned the key to the right. Nothing.Turned it to the left. Nothing. What the? Pulled the door. Pushed the door. Turned the key. Nothing.

I thought I could go through the garage to the little porch and into the kitchen. The door to the porch is flimsy. I was pretty sure I could break in. I've easily gotten through the back door before. Himself showed me when I was a kid and forgot or lost my front door key. Only the door from the garage had been unlocked.

The garage door was heavy to lift. Heavier than I expected, and it wouldn't stay up. The coil was broken.I had raised the door to my chest, but couldn't lift it with enough force to heave it up over the curved portion of the track. Bracing the door with my shoulder and elbow, I managed to grab a pitchfork that was in the corner. I used this to prop the door open. It seemed to hold steady so I ducked low under the door being careful not to touch the pitchfork or brush my back along the bottom of the garage door. I'd seen enough Supernatural episodes to know the house was haunted and out to get me. One false move and the garage door would come crashing down decapitating me. I know. Not bright, but I was desperate.

The door leading to the porch was a lot sturdier than it looked. I found a garden tool, but wasn't able to get the deadbolt to budge.

Make my way to the front door. (Very carefully!) The mail truck slowed in front of the house. The mailman hasn't delivered mail to the house since July as I had my parents' mail transferred to a PO box at my local post office. I was sure the mailman would call the police. The neighborhood was quiet. No one was home. No one to identify me. I only hoped that Sgt. S would be on duty. He had picked Dad up a number of times in the dead of night as Dad was wandering around town. I had many, many conversations with Sgt. S. Tried the key again. Nothing. I rattled the door latch.

I ran around to the patio. Maybe the bulkhead was open. No such luck. On the other hand no sirens. Back to the garage. I braced the door, moved the pitch fork within easy reach in case it was needed again, and slowly lowered the garage door.

One more time at the front door. I passed through frustration, anger, and then rage. The eff word was echoing around my brain. I clenched my teeth to keep the word from bursting out my mouth in a sonic boom. Wasted trip. Wasted day. I wanted to rip the storm door from its hinges. I wanted to crash through the front door leaving a Hulk-shaped hole.

The mail truck rolled slowly past. I jangled my keys in a great show of I belong here. I took my phone out of my pocket. I hoped the grimace on my face looked like a smile. I looked at the calender hoping beyond hope Himself had an office hour scheduled. He was teaching at the community college the next town over. Only 20 minutes away. He had an office hour schedule, but at 2 pm. I didn't feel like waiting three hours. I called his office and left a very reserved message about my predicament and ended the call with "I'm not happy." I left the same message on his cellphone voice mail, and for good measure, I sent an email. The Professor doesn't always check his voice mail.

I was still seething as I took the 45 minuted drive home. I wanted to scream the eff word so the echo would reverberate through space for millenia.

I heard on the evening news, there had been a huge solar eruption, the largest in several years. CJ Kennedy belted by solar rays, turns in to the Hulk. It was a good explanation. I'm calm now. All the animals have gone back into the forest.

Later, that evening, Himself told me how my chain of events effected him.

To be continued....

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T04:30:00.000-05:00

2012-01-24T04:30:00.000-05:00

What is Pinterest? It's another social networking site where you collect images onto virtual bulletin boards as your surf the web or browse Pinterest. The image is tagged with the URL where it was found. Your boards can be about any subject: arts, crafts, cooking. People use the boards for inspiration, plan weddings, or collect recipes. You can also follow other Pinners. It's a happy, little, time waster. Lots to look at and lots to pin.

Have you discovered Pinterest?

National Handwriting Day

2012-01-23T04:30:00.000-05:00

Today is John Hancock's birthday and National Handwriting Day. To celebrate the day, why not send someone a handwritten letter? Letterfu has clever templates you print out, write your letter, and when folded your letter forms its own envelope secured with the stamp.

How will you celebrate?

Toosl, Gadgets, and Wizards

2012-01-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

One of the tools I'm relying on for day to day use is the iPad2. When we first got it, I thought it was going to be more or less a toy, but it's turned out to be so much more.

The calendar feature syncs with my iPhone so I no longer have to connect to the computer to make sure the calendar is in both places. And, if I'm at the computer, I can view the calendar in The Cloud, a sort of virtual desktop accessible by all the devices. The calendar can also be shared so now Himself can look to see what's going on if the Wizards decide to go out without calling me to ask if there's something planned.

There are tons of apps to download. I'm a huge list maker and there are several list apps. Again, I can make the lists on one device, and they are updated to the other. I usually make my lists on the iPad since my sausage fingers prefer the larger key pad. This feature came in handy while attending a meeting. I had made a list of topics I wanted to discuss, and I was easily able to go down my list.

The portability of the device is one of the best features. I've downloaded some mixed media tutorials. I can access while I'm at the drafting table without running back and forth to the computer. Handy for looking up recipes while in the kitchen, too. I can check social media sites from the sun room, or can launch angry birds at smarmy pigs while watching TV. The tablet is lighter and smaller than a laptop and no mouse to deal with. Just a swipe of the finger turns pages, launches birds, or crosses items of a list.

The iPad has an app to access Nook and Kindle books. We have a Nook Color that we shared between us as we tend to read the same books. If Himself wants to read something on the Nook, I can read something else on the iPad.

I haven't given up the computer just yet. It's still an important device. I still prefer to blog from the computer as the blog features are a bit buggy on the iPad. If I have a long email to send out, I prefer the computer keyboard to the tablet keyboard as the tablet keyboard isn't set up as a true QWERTY. I type faster on a traditional keyboard. Old dogs and new tricks.

Do you have a tablet? What applications do you use it for?

The Friday Five

2012-01-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

Cleaning out the old homestead is making me wax nostalgic. Five things I wanted to be when I grew up:

1. A cowboy, like that's a shocka.

2. A teacher.

3. I wanted to be a biochemist just like the grad student who babysat me the summer I was 10. I had no clue what a biochemist was, but I wanted to be one.

4. Heavily influenced by Dr. Kildare, I wanted to be a doctor.

5. A writer. As close as I got was writing Heath stories (Big Valley fan fiction) for the amusement of high school friends and writing computer programs.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T04:30:00.000-05:00

What A Maroon!

2012-01-17T07:34:00.000-05:00

I forgot I had signed up for the Strathmore Online Workshop Series. The first workshop, Doodles Unleased with Traci Bautista started 1. January. The saving grace is the workshops are self-paced, and the classrooms are open until 1. August. Whew! So I have plenty of time to catch up.

Oh, and did I mention the workshops are free? Strathmore's online classroom has video instructions as well as instructions to download (I've downloaded the instructions to the iPad so I can have the reference at the drafting table without having to jump back and forth to the computer). There is also an online discussion where students can ask the instructor questions and a Flikr group to upload the assignments.

The first exercise involves creating layers of doodles beginning with stencils. It's a chance to experiment with new materials and techniques. My little aquarium is not as abstract as the instructions. Couldn't help it once I found the fish stencil the piece evolved on its own. Nearly done, I want to add a layer of lettering, but trying to figure out how to make the lettering fade into the background, but still be prominent and easily read.

Have you ever started a project thinking you were going in one direction, but found you ended up in an entirely different direction?

Mark Your Calendar

2012-01-16T04:30:00.000-05:00

Want to get out of the house this Thursday night? Sure, you do!

Come to the Worcester Art Museum Adult Classes Open House and Student Exhibition Reception. 19. January 2012 from 5:30 - 7PM. Meet the faculty. Watch live demonstrations. Enjoy some light refreshments, and see the amazing artwork students from the Adult Fall Classes produced. Get inspired and sign up for a class or two. Adult classes begin on 30. January 2012. The event is free!

Don't want to go out on a cold winter night? Practical Calligraphy will be offered Saturday mornings from 10 to noon. Classes start on 24. March 2012 (hopefully, the cold weather will be long gone) to 5. May, 6 sessions. (No class 21. Apr).

If you can't make it to the Open House, you can sign up for classes on line or call the Education Desk at (508) 793-4333 or (508) 793-4334

If that's not enough excitement for Thursday night, Third Thursday After Hours will be featuring The Linda Dagnello Quartet along with a tour of In Search of Julien Hudson. Admission is free for members and $14 for non-members. 5:30 - 8 PM in the Museum Cafe.

Hope to see you Thursday night.

The Friday Five

2012-01-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

Telephone calls in the middle of the night usually aren't good news. No one calls at 3:30am to have a chat. Share a glass of whine with me about calls in the dead of night.

1. Don't know about you, but running to get to the phone starts my heart beating so fast I feel as if I'm having a heart attack.

2. Yes, it's a relief to hear the news is not dire, but...

3. Now, I'm wide awake, and can't get back to sleep.

4. I also start to feel a little nauseous when the adrenaline starts to wear off.

5. And when I wake up, I'm out of sorts and cranky. On the plus side, I have a blog topic for today, but I think I need a nap.

Do you have anything you want to whine about?

Treasure

2012-01-12T07:14:00.002-05:00

While cleaning out the my dad's office (formerly the attic), I found a lost treasure. Not gold. Not wads of cash stuck in a suitcase. Nothing that would let me into the Antiques Roadshow. I found my old Sprirograph set! Ma didn't give it away or toss it out! I loved this toy. Spent hours playing with it. The boxed set was tucked safely in the bottom of a storage box. Only one small wheel is missing, and I'm pretty sure that happened on my watch a long time ago. The four colored ballpoint pens (red, green, black, and blue) are long gone, but as tested this morning, an ultrafine Sharpie markers works perfectly. Big smile.

Did you play with a Spirograph?

Ron Rosenstock at the Worcester Art Museum

2012-01-11T04:30:00.000-05:00

Connections

2012-01-10T08:39:00.002-05:00

I've been using Ancestry.com to piece and research my family. While searching for information about my great uncle Manny, I happened upon another family tree that had "my" Manny listed. How could that be? The researcher for the other family contacted me, and we swapped some information. Turns out, my great uncle Manny was her great grandfather. Uncle Manny was married and had a son. His wife died a year or two after their son was born. Manny later married my great aunt. His first son was raised by other relatives but kept in touch with Manny's wife and children after Manny passed.

Yesterday, I sent the information about Manny's son and the eagle. She had heard he worked on the eagle and fountain, but didn't have any proof. She had seen the article about the fountain and knew the eagle was at Boston College. She told me she showed the photograph of the eagle to a cousin of hers. The cousin's husband told her he knew the fountain, and he remembered seeing the eagle while he was on a job at BC. Turns out, the photograph was taken the day her husband was working at BC. His truck is in the background! Coincidence or not?

Another Piece of the Puzzle

2012-01-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

I am enjoying piecing my family tree, sometimes cursing myself that I was not interested when I was younger and could get information from the aunties and uncles. It's a slow process, hunting, following threads. Sometimes they seem to end, but get picked up later on.

I'm still trying to find information about my great uncle Manny, the stone carver. Yesterday, the Torre le Nocelle (the town in Italy where my father's family is from) blog posted a small article about one of Manny's sons, and mentioned his father and one of his works, the Eagle Fountain at St. Anthony's Church in Revere, Massachusetts. Which lead me to pick up the thread and search the web for information about the church and the fountain.

The fountain was designed by the Ardolino Brothers of Revere. (Eduardo Ardolino was a famous sculptor. I've suspected for awhile that Manny worked for the Ardolino Brothers and is a possible relation. ) The fountain was to be sent back to Torre sort of a grateful thanks for our start in the New World, but the fountain never made it to Italy. I'm betting World War I put the kibosh on that plan so the fountain went to St. Anthony's.

Sadly, in the 1940's, the fountain was dismantled to make room for the growing parish. There's some hint that the fountain was not working and the cost to fix it would have been too expensive. The eagle was saved and sent to Boston College, a gift from one of the 1940s classes.

I have some letters to write. One to the historical society of Revere and also to the Archdiocese to find the location of Manny's grave. I've heard a story that Manny carved his own headstone. I'll take a trip to BC to see the eagle, and later plans for a cemetery hop to visit Manny and a bunch of my other relatives.

Where has your genealogy search led you?

The Friday Five

2012-01-06T04:30:00.000-05:00

Every once in a blue moon, I like to take a look at my blog statistics. I don't put a lot of stock in them, but find them amusing to look at. This week, I decided to see how people found my blog. The top five search choices for the month:

1. 100 foods to eat (before you die). Not many answers to the blog post, but people were hugely interested in this topic.

2. Gort. As in Gort, the robot, from The Day the Earth Stood Still. Since this is my favorite movie off all time, and I've blogged about the movie about a 100 times, searchers are led here. This search terms has been consistently in the top five on my blog. I love it!

3. Bus going left or right. Again a fun topic about a simple drawing and the logic preschoolers used to determine the direction of the bus.

4. Alice in Wonderland watch. I've used a White Rabbit graphic from time to time. One of my favorite images.

5. People seem to search for a 55 speed limit sign. I used a 55 speed limit sign as my Wordless Wed. topic in 2010 to celebrate my birthday.

Do you check your blog statistics?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T04:30:00.000-05:00

see more Set Phasers To Lol

100 Foods to Eat Before You Die

2012-01-03T04:30:00.000-05:00

How many of these have you eaten? Results say most people will have eaten fewer than 20 of these.

1. Abalone

2. Absinthe

3. Alligator

4. Baba Ghanoush

5. Bagel and Lox - Do I get 1/2 a point for this? I have eaten bagels. Don't care for lox

6. Baklava - yup

7. Barbecue Ribs - yup

8. Bellini

9. Bird's Nest Soup

10. Biscuits and Gravy - yup

11. Black Pudding

12. Black Truffle

13. Borscht - Borscht or beet soup. I've had the Polish version called barscht. Tomato, Tomahto

14. Calamari - yup

15. Carp

16. Caviar

17. Cheese Fondue

18. Chicken and Waffles not together

19. Chicken Tikka Masala

20. Chile Relleno

21. Chitlins um, no

22. Churros

23. Clam Chowder - yup, and I hope they mean New England clam chowder

24. Cognac - yup

25. Crab Cakes - yup

26. Crickets - my nose is turned up.

27. Currywurst

28. Dandelion Wine

29. Dulce De Leche

30. Durian

31. Eel - even though this was one of the traditional fishes for Christmas Eve, no way!

32. Eggs Benedict - fancy name for eggs and cheese on an English muffin. Does McD's count?

33. Fish Tacos

34. Foie Gras

35. Fresh Spring Rolls

36. Fried Catfish

37. Fried Green Tomatoes - yup

38. Fried Plantain

39. Frito Pie

40. Frogs’ Legs - These were to be served for dinner on the first night of our honeymoon cruise. I had been seasick when we left port and didn't want to chance it. Too bad for me, I lost a point.

41. Fugu

42. Funnel Cake - yup

43. Gazpacho

44. Goat

45. Goat’s Milk

46. Goulash yup

47. Gumbo

48. Haggis - No way

49. Head Cheese - ick

50. Heirloom Tomatoes - I suppose this does not mean tomatoes that have been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks?

51. Honeycomb

52. Hostess Fruit Pie - apple, cherry, blueberry, you betcha

53. Huevos Rancheros

54. Jerk Chicken

55. Kangaroo

56. Key Lime Pie - yup

57. Kobe Beef

58. Lassi

59. Lobster - yup

60. Mimosa - yup

61. MoonPie - yup

62. Morel Mushrooms

63. Nettle Tea

64. Octopus - turning green

65. Oxtail Soup

66. Paella

67. Paneer

68. Pastrami on Rye - with yellow mustard

69. Pavlova - no but I have the recipe

70. Phaal

71. Philly Cheese Steak - yup

72. Pho

73. Pineapple and Cottage Cheese - yup

74. Pistachio Ice Cream - a favorite

75. Po’ Boy - if they mean a sub, yes, if they specifically mean a New Orleans sub, no.

76. Pocky - yup

77. Polenta

78. Prickly Pear

79. Rabbit Stew

80. Raw Oysters

81. Root Beer Float - yup

82. S’mores - yup

83. Sauerkraut

84. Sea Urchin

85. Shark - yup

86. Snail

87. Snake

88. Soft Shell Crab

89. Som Tam

90. Spaetzle - yup

91. Spam - I'd rather die

92. Squirrel

93. Steak Tartare

94. Sweet Potato Fries - yup

95. Sweetbreads - See Spam

96. Tom Yum

97. Umeboshi

98. Venison - Yup

99. Wasabi Peas

100. Zucchini Flowers

I scored a 28. What's your score?

Auld Lang Syne - Translation

2012-01-02T04:30:00.000-05:00

Robin from Pink House Studio asked for a translation of Auld Lang Syne as she never heard the other verses, and if you weren't an English major and had to study 18th c. British Poets, you probably haven't either. It gives me a chance to show off my near graduate level research skills. Nah, I just dug out my copy of The Norton Anthology of English Literature (vol. 2) c. 1974. because I needed the gloss for "gude-willie waught"

Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) first of the Romantic poets and considered Scotland's national poet. His best work is written in Scots, a northern dialect of English and spoken by the country folk. ( Rabbie was a farm boy sometimes called the Plowman Poet.) He also wrote songs which he set to traditional Scottish tunes. Auld Lang Syne is probably his most famous work. Robert Burns died from a heart condition at the age of 37. The portrait of him was painted by Alexander Nasmyth in 1787.

Auld Lang Syne (Long Ago) 1788-1796

beginning with the second verse:

We twa (two) hae (have) run about the braes (slopes)
And pu'd the gowans fine (picked the daisies)
But we've wandered mony (many) a weary foot (mile)
Sin' auld lang syne.

We twa have paidled (yup, just like it looks paddled) in the burn (stream)
From morning sun til dine (dinner or from sun up to sunset)
But seas between us braid (broad) hae roared
Sin' auld lang sine.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere (friend)
And gie's a hand o' thine (and give us a hand of yours)
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught (a real good swig)
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be (pay for) your pint-stwop (pint cup)
And surely I'll be mine.
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

Haggis anyone? ('Spect I'll pass.) Have you been first footed yet?

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

My wish for all, though mostly for me, is a less stressful year. I suppose if the Mayans are correct, all bets are off. Shall we practice some deep breathing exercises, just in case?

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-31T04:30:00.000-05:00

Words by Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Arranged by Kevin Walsh.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T07:53:00.001-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

The New Stove

2011-12-26T09:44:00.000-05:00

The old stove was slated to be replaced next August during the Tax Free (hopefully) weekend. Poor old stove had plans of its own and had to be replaced sooner.

The new stove arrived last Tuesday. It has a sleek, black, wipe down exterior. The ceramic cooktop has no raised burners or nasty burner rings which are impossible to clean under. Inside the oven, the heating element is hidden. Inside, outside wipe down easy. The only thing that could make this stove more awesome is detailing of flames like you see on racing cars or Harleys.

However, the stove is most emphatically not a Christmas present. There's a rule to be followed.

Love me sweet,
Love me tender,
Don't you dare
Give me a blender
Unless I ask for one.

Do you consider household appliances an appropriate gift to your significant other?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T04:30:00.000-05:00

From me to thee,

May you be filled with wonder.

Merry Christmas

Tools, Gadgets, and Wizards

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Want to make it snow all over your Blogger blog? Add a Widget at the bottom of your blog layout. Select the HTML widget. Don't bother to give it a name to keep it hidden. Copy and paste this line of code into the box:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://files.main.bloggerstop.net/uploads/3/0/2/5/3025338/snowstorm.js" /></script>

Save. Voilà! Your own blizzard. When you get tired of it, go back to the layout screen and delete it.

The Friday Five

2011-12-23T04:30:00.000-05:00

Five Christmas traditions we did, usually on the same day, when I was a kid.

1. My mother would make us dress in our Sunday best for a trip to Boston. If Dad was taking us, he'd drive to Woodland Station, park the Dodge or the green Studebaker wagon, and we'd take the streetcar to Park St. If Ma was taking us by herself, we'd take the bus from the end of our street to Park Sq. Ma would hurry us through the Combat Zone (red light district) on lower Washington St. to the store

2. From Park St. we'd walk a block over to Washington St. where Ma would do Christmas shopping at Jordan Marsh and Company. (In 1996 Jordan's was bought out by Macy's)

3. When her shopping was done, she'd take us upstairs in the store to The Enchanted Village. While waiting in line to see the Big Man, we'd be entertained by a huge Christmas display of mechanical dolls, lights, and electric trains.

4. After, we'd get to have lunch at Kresge's lunch counter, a baloney and onion sandwich though I had mine with yellow mustard and no onions.

5. Before going home, we'd get to walk around Boston Common looking at the Christmas lights and the skaters on the Frog Pond.

Did you do anything like this when you were a kid?

WT2?

2011-12-22T14:46:00.000-05:00

It wasn't an Uruk-hai invasion, but a snow family made from a hand print. Crafterella made some, and I thought I'd make some, too.

The original directions used a satin finish ornaments. I couldn't find satin finish so ended up with shiny finish. (Nothing like trying to find ornaments five days before Christmas, and the mall was insane!) The original instructions used small ornaments because the craft was being done with children. I think they measure 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The ornaments, that is. I have no idea how big the children were. I opted to use a large ornament, 4 inches in diameter. The original instructions also had hats and scarves colored with Sharpie markers. That don't fly on a shiny finish ornament. I used my pots of acrylic paint by Plaid.

It's a fun project. Would be fun to do with kids, if you didn't mind the mess.

What's keeping you busy today?

WT?

2011-12-22T07:22:00.001-05:00

Mark of the Uruk-hai? Come back later to find out.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T04:30:00.000-05:00

Goodbye, Dear Friend

2011-12-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

You are a good friend. I so appreciate your 25 years of faithful service. You were a marvel with your self-cleaning feature. You saw me through sterilizing baby bottles, baking tons of cookies and brownies for bake sales, and goodies for the girlies and Himself. We cooked gallons of soup and gravy (i.e. pasta sauce). You were with me as I took on the mantel to host the holy days of obligation. You were there for the successes and the sacrifices. The smoke went to heaven, the smoke detector sang arias, and I'm sure we elected a new pope or two. I will miss you.

I will not miss having to clean under the burner rings or the grease under the cook top. I will not miss the struggle to rid the ridge around the oven door free from gunk.

I Won An Award

2011-12-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

Robin from Pink House Studio has presented me with the Versatile Blogger Award. Not only that, but she gave me a topic for today's post. Thanks, Robin!

The rules are:

1. Nominate 15 bloggers for the award.
2. Inform the bloggers they have won.
3. Share 7 random things.
4. Thank the person who bestowed the blog award.
5. Add the award to the blog.

I'm not sure I could come up with 15 bloggers that would play along. So, I invite anyone who would like the award to take it and play along.

Seven random things about moi:

1. For a few years, I studied martial arts. I achieved the rank of green belt with stripe (the lowest of the advanced ranks)

2. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 21. The Little Princess had lots of chauffeurs to ferry her around.

3. I scribble notes with a mechanical pencil.

4. Though left-handed, I crochet right-handed.

5. A few years ago, I began having double vision. To correct the problem, prisms are in my eyeglass prescription. If my lens get any thicker, I'll be borrowing the lens off the Hubble telescope. Getting old sux.

6. I sucked my thumb until I was 5 years old. No amount of quinine or nylon mitts stopped me. What did was when I burned my thumb while playing with matches.

7. My favorite animal is the black bear.

Your turn.

Tools, Gadgets, and Widgets

2011-12-18T08:28:00.000-05:00

This should have been yesterday's post, but the computer was acting slow and stupid again.

The nursing home wanted a small picture (no larger than 5 x 7) to be put outside the room. Knowing how some items at the nursing home grow legs and walk away, I had no intention of giving an original photograph.

The MyMemories Digital Scrapbook Suite software came in handy. I scanned in a couple of photographs from the family album and used one of the quick page templates. These pages are like mats. The background is already decorated. You just insert the photograph(s) into the hole. Very quick. I also used the text tool to add Ma's name to the page. It's just not shown here. Album pages can be exported as images (.jpg, .png). Printed out, trimmed to size,I thought it looked quite nice. I used a different quick page template and made one for Dad's room, too.

Looking for a last minute gift? Click on the MyMemories Suite promotion code button on the upper right on this blog. Use the promotion code STMMMS65809 to get $10 off the $39.97 full price. With lots of freebies (background papers, quick page templates, embellishments) to download, it's a lot of bang for your buck.

The Friday Five

2011-12-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

Certain foods are always associated with a certain holiday. Stuff that you can't get any other time of the year. Five of my Christmastime favorite treats.

1. A chocolate orange. It's a chocolate candy ball flavored with orange. When you rap the ball hard on a table top, the candy breaks into orange wedge segments. This is an annual stocking stuffer.

2. Ribbon candy. The shiny, bright, glass shard candy always seemed too pretty to eat.

3. Gingerbread men. Biting the head off a gingerbread man is good for stress relief besides being good eats.

4. Commercially produced, creamy, thick eggnog with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

5. I'm probably in the minority, but I like fruit cake. My dad used to make a most excellent fruitcake. It was moist, crammed with jeweled fruit, and soaked in brandy. He used to make a non-traditional yellow fruitcake, too. (I also like plum pudding. Himself's aunt made that one Christmas. Though I'll admit I liked the hard sauce it was served with better.)

What's your favorite holiday treat?

Ribbon Wreath

2011-12-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

This is the wreath I've made for my folks in the nursing home. So as not to take up too much space, the wreath starts with an 8 inch straw form. Ribbon is woven in loops and held in place with colored pearl-headed pins. I especially love the fact I'll be able to remove the Christmas ribbon and replace it with seasonal ribbons throughout the year.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T04:30:00.000-05:00

Strathmore

2011-12-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

Strathmore is starting up their online workshop series. Registration is now open and the first workshop, Doodles Unleashed: Mixed Media Techniques with Traci Bautista begins on 1. January.

Watercolor Sketching with Cathy Johnson begins 1. March 20 12 and FORCE Drawing Technique with Mike Mattesi begins on 1. May 2012.

The classes are self-paced and free! You do as much or as little as you want. Take one workshop or all three. Online classrooms are open until August 1. You are given space to create your own page to upload work and join in discussions.

This is a great opportunity if you don't have access to art instruction. Or you don't like traveling through snow, the sun is out, it's Thursday or any other excuses you can come up with. Best of all, it's free! Go check it out. Strathmore 2012 Online Workshop Series. I'll see you in class.

On My Own Front Door

2011-12-12T04:30:00.000-05:00

While browsing through the Plow and Hearth (I almost typed Heath!) catalog, I saw an unusual door decoration, an ice skate. I liked the idea of something other than the same old, same old wreaths I usually make. So a trip to the box store for some holly and a noble fir swag, ribbon I had on hand, a skate from the boot box, and a pair of beaded skaters in blue (of course) which my Ma made as shower favors when I got married. and ta da, my version.

What's hanging on your front door?

The Friday Five

2011-12-09T08:11:00.001-05:00

Five Christmas traditions at my house.

1. The Advent tree with its tiny ornaments is brought out. Sometimes the tree makes its appearance on 1. December, too! When the girlies were little, they took turns hanging the little ornaments on the tree counting down to Christmas. I'd be perfectly happy to have the little tree as the Christmas tree, but that thought goes with number 5.

2. Wreath making. This year, I'll make a traditional wreath for my neighbor. With the folks in the nursing home, a wreath for them will take a new twist. I'm not putting a wreath on my door this year as I break with tradition. More next week.

3. I have enough Christmas ornaments to decorate two trees. Ornaments that always make the tree are picture ornaments of the girlies. Each year, I find a picture frame ornament and commemorate either a special occasion like the Eldest's graduation from college or just an extraordinary smile. I also love the hand-made ornaments they made when they were little, as well as ornaments I made or were given to us as gifts.

4. The crèche goes up with its eclectic group of visitors. This year, two dragons will join the group.

5. And I get grinchy. I splurged on a Grinch tee shirt this year.

What traditions do you have?

Make An Elf of Yourself

2011-12-08T04:30:00.000-05:00

This craft falls under the "if you don't have anything better to do during your holiday planning" category. I found a simple elf pattern that originally appeared in a McCall's magazine during the 80s.

I made a .pdf file of the pattern which you can download here. If I made the template correctly, the figure will measure 5.5" x 5" (13.97 cm. x 12.70 cm.)

You can use paper, felt or other fibers and embellish as desired. Instead of drawing an elf face, I printed an extreme close-up for moi using the thumbnail print option in Windows. The photograph was cut into a 1" (2.54 cm.) circle.

Makes a cute gift tag or ornament. Linked by their mittens, a few elves would make a nice banner to hang from the mantel or on the wall. I have the elf makings for my other family members. Haven't decided whether the finished elves will go on the tree or be made into a banner.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T04:30:00.000-05:00

Hanging Tinsel

2011-12-06T10:49:00.001-05:00

This is a re-enactment of the first argument Himself and I had at our first Christmas 26 years ago.

Hanging Tinsel
by: ponyexpress1860

The argument was resolved the following year by purchasing a silver bead garland. Several years later while visiting Old Sturbridge Village, I watched the tinsmith make twisted tin tinsel. I bought 3 dozen at the gift shop as a joke.

Every year when we watch old movies like The Bishop's Wife, Miracle on 34th Street, or It's a Wonderful Life, Himself will lean over and whisper in my ear, as the camera pans the beautifully decorated, tinsel dripping Christmas tree, "That's the proper way to hang tinsel."

So, festively tossed or anally hung strand by stand?

Tree Trimming

2011-12-05T08:37:00.001-05:00

The living room has been deep cleaned, or as cleaned as it will get. The furniture moved. The boxes of Christmas decorations have been brought up from their home under the stairs. The tree has been put together. Only one snag as to whether the first section brought upstairs was the bottom or the middle. When I asked Himself why he didn't label the sections of the tree, he said he did but the labels looked ugly so he ditched them.

We used to get a real tree. Each year the trees were different shapes. Sometimes wider, sometimes taller. Somehow always bigger. Himself is an illumiphile. He loves Christmas lights. Lots of lights. Each branch must have lights on it. Enough lights to make the train on the electric meter spin like the high speed Super Chief. Each year, with the real tree there would be one or two trips to Ray's to buy another strand of lights. Each year we would hear the whisper of horse's patoot as Himself wound in, under, and around the tree trying to get his light strands to cooperate. And each year, the girls and I would have to wait three days to decorate the tree before all the lights were properly placed on their branches. The light placement production was almost as tedious as the correct placement of tinsel.

This tree came pre-lit. It was an early bird Black Friday purchase Himself made a couple of years ago. A steal with thousands of tiny lights properly spaced on each branch. Today, the tree trimming will begin.

Is your Christmas tree up and decorated?

Tools, Gadget, and Widgets

2011-12-03T08:46:00.001-05:00

AdBlock is an extension you add to your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari). It blocks ads on web pages and prevents tracking cookies from downloading to your computer. Flash and banner ads are blocked so you can read without annoying distractions. Your pages load faster because there are no pesky ads. If there is an ad you need to see, you can easily change the options by clicking the red stop sign icon that appears in your browser tool bar. The program is donationware. It's free, but the programmer asks you to make a donation if you can afford to.

To find the AdBlock extension download for your browser, use your favorite search engine to find it.

The Friday Five

2011-12-02T04:30:00.000-05:00

I got this blog award from author, Erica Vetsch at On the Write Path. The rules for the award are to

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave the award to you. Thanks, Sunflower!
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Give the blog award to 15 bloggers.

Five things about myself, plus two more.

1. In college, I majored in English, specifically Medieval English Literature. I can read three dialects of Middle English.

2. I know a few words and phrases (and some can even be said in polite company!) in: Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese.

3. I don't like to go barefoot.

4. I don't chew gum.

5. I was one of Mr. Popper's penguins in the third grade book fair.

6. I lost a pair of Bolle sunglasses while taking a picture of Patton's statue at West Point. When I got the pictures back, I saw exactly where I lost my glasses.

7. In all the times I played in the woods (and I wasn't supposed to), I never saw any hobos (the reason we were forbidden to play in the woods).

It's your turn. I know you want to. Go ahead, snag the graphic, and tell us about yourself.

1. December 2011

2011-12-01T07:09:00.001-05:00

Rabbit, rabbit. White Rabbit. That's what you're supposed to say on the first of the month. Any idea where this rule originated?

NaNoJouMo - 30

2011-11-30T10:41:00.001-05:00

30 days hath September, April, June, and November. The End. The last journal entry for the NaNoJouMo. The month sure went by fast. There were days that I didn't think I'd haven anything to journal about. Days where I didn't think I would have time to journal, and so played catch up. But it's done. Now to work on the cover, the title page, and the colophon.

Rather sad to see the end of this month. It's been unusually and blissfully warm. I've been able to spend days and nights in the sun room. Soon it will be time to close the room up, but that's another today. Today, it's still warm enough to work in the room.

Did you finish your November goals?

NaNoJouMo - 29

2011-11-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

Procaftinate. Verb transitive. To put off making gifts until the last minute. Do you procraftinate?

NaNoJouMo - 28

2011-11-29T10:07:00.001-05:00

I love point and click shopping and not just on CyberMonday. No crowds, no hassles, no trolling for parking spaces. I can leisurely browse with a cup of tea in hand. And I don't have to wait days in the check out line.

I pointed and clicked through my holiday shopping and am almost done. Do you enjoy the excitement of the crowds while you do your shopping? Are you finished?

NaNoJouMo - 27

2011-11-28T08:38:00.001-05:00

Himself is not a fussy eater (with the exception he won't eat cauliflower), and he only requests special dishes twice a year. Corned beef for St. Patrick's Day and turkey soup aka bone yard soup as it's made with the carcass after Thanksgiving.

Upside of making bone yard soup is I won't have to cook this week. Downside is eating gallons and gallons of turkey soup which is the leftovers of the leftovers.

What do you do with your turkey leftovers?

NaNoJouMo - 26

2011-11-27T10:57:00.001-05:00

We've spent the past two days at my folks' house doing yard work. Himself cut up two huge branches that fell during the Halloween snow storm. We raked and bagged the leaves. The lot is only a quarter acre lot but it rakes like the back forty! And I am one hurting puppy!. At least there's better living through chemistry.

What did you do this long weekend?

NaNoJouMo - 25

2011-11-25T18:59:00.001-05:00

We had yard work to do at my folks' house. A bit of a late start and a bunch of errands, we ended up working until mid-afternoon. Hungry, tired and a lot left to do, we decided to grab lunch. "Where do you want to go to lunch?" he said. I'm not too fussy about dining out. I figure I'm out. No matter where we go I won't have to do the cooking. I don't like to do a drive thru. But today, the day after Thanksgiving, my answer was, "Any place where I don't have to have turkey."

I'm not a huge fan of turkey. Once a year is more than enough for me, and I don't particularly care for leftovers. We decided we'd go to Friendly's, a local sandwich shop. On the way, we were passing by a Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It was after 3pm, and we were both starving. Also wondering what the traffic would be like as we would have to go past the mall to get to Friendly's, and we altered our plan.

Have you ever eaten a Five Guys burger? It's a real hamburger. It's not pressed meat, and it's round to fit the bun. (The square meat makes me nervous.) One of my guilty pleasures is a heart attack on a bun (aka a bacon cheeseburger) Yeah, stop nagging me about the cheese thing. American cheese isn't real cheese, and it's cooked. Besides, there's enough stuff to mask the texture and taste of the cheese. At Five Guys, you can also have your choice of a zillion toppings, the usual players like lettuce and tomato, but also jalapeno pepper for the adventurous. And as many as you want, no extra charge. Refills on soft drinks are free, too.

Not only do you get a real hamburger, but you get french fries made with real potatoes. If you doubt the authenticity of the potatoes, you only have to look at the 50 pound bags of potatoes stacked as you enter the restaurant. And are they generous? Ja, sure, you betcha, as my Minnesota friends say. For the small size, the server over fills a medium soft drink cup and then dumps the fries in a brown paper bag to absorb the grease. There were enough fries for both of us to share with plenty to bring home as leftovers.

Do you like Thanksgiving leftovers?

NaNoJouMo - 24

2011-11-24T09:35:00.001-05:00

This is an odd Thanksgiving for me. With my folks in the nursing home, it's the first holiday I haven't had to host the Holy Day of Obligation. The Brother goes to his in-laws. The Eldest is working. I almost don't know what to do with myself. I'll be able to watch the Macy's 85th Thanksgiving Parade for the first time in over 10 years. I like the balloons and the marching bands.

I went to the Macy's parade site to choose a balloon for today's journal entry. Saw they now have a Blue Sky Gallery where each year an artist is asked to design a balloon for the parade. This year the featured artist is Tim Burton with his B balloon. I like Tim Burton's quirky style and skewed view of the world. B is "a boy obsessed with flying and has the scars to prove it." That made me laugh.

I'm sitting with my cup of tea waiting for the parade, waiting for the B Boy balloon. I'm wondering where are the balloons? the bands? the floats? In between a gazillion commercials are inane commentary from parade hosts and snippets from Broadway musicals (I'm not a fan of muscials). Guess I haven't missed much of the parade these past 10 years as there's little parade. I'm thankful for the mute button.

Do you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade?

NaNoJouMo - 23

2011-11-23T10:46:00.001-05:00

Titivillus is the patron demon of scribes. He sits on the scribe's desk and collects all the mistakes made into his sack. I think Titivillus also nudges the scribe's hand or arm, shakes the desk, or whispers nonsense into the scribe's ear as a distraction. Titivillus did that to me yesterday. I had finished the journal entry for the day and instead of writing 2011, I wrote 2008.

What does Titivillus do with the sack of mistakes? When the scribe presents himself at the Pearly Gates, Titivillus offers up the sack of mistakes to see if they outweigh the good.

Has Titivillus visited you lately?

NaNoJouMo - 22

2011-11-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

Each morning, I take a walk around my block. All the trees have lost their leaves except one maple. It's still dressed in brilliant orangey red leaves while its neighbor trees are bare. It made me think of the epic poem Horatius at the Bridge, by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay. ( The poem is based on a historical battle. Etruscans vs. Romans in the 6th c. BC. Do we have to say BCE now? A young officer, Horatius, held the bridge (Pons Sublicius) to give time for the Roman army to retreat across the Tiber River into the city of Rome.)

"Alone stood brave Horatius" refusing to yield to Autumn. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, have all the trees in your area lost their leaves? If you're in the Southern Hemisphere have the trees started to bud?

NaNoJouMo - 21

2011-11-21T09:53:00.001-05:00

The fur alarm didn't go off this morning and neither did the back up alarm clock. Himself gets up at a quarter to dawn. Usually, I wake up to have a few words with Himself, some of them even pleasant. Not this morning we blissfully slept in. That is, I did. Himself has a late class on Mondays this semester so he was on time. Fortunately, I didn't have any appointments for today. Even so, my rhythm is thrown off. Looks like it might be a 4 cup of tea morning.

Are you on schedule today?

NaNoJouMo - 20

2011-11-20T09:29:00.001-05:00

Let the holiday cleaning frenzy begin! Let's see the dust fly with that broom.

Do you go through a cleaning frenzy for the holidays?

NaNoJouMo - 19

2011-11-20T08:30:00.001-05:00

I had an appointment. There was a failure to communicate clearly about meeting time and place. I waited and I doodled.

What do you do when you have a long wait?

NaNoJouMo - 18

2011-11-18T12:48:00.001-05:00

Nothing wakes you up faster at 2:30AM, than a wet kitty nose in your ear. I do believe I'll be going for a horizontal life pause - with the door closed.

What time does your fur alarm clock go off?

NaNoJouMo - 17

2011-11-17T08:31:00.001-05:00

I have a pet peeve. Why do radio stations begin playing Christmas music a few days after Halloween? And the same goes for the stores putting up Christmas decorations before the Halloween stuff is marked down half price. At least when I was a kid, the stores would wait until Thanksgiving was over to deck their halls. There was an anticipation and excitement to the holiday. But now, by the time Christmas rolls around, I'm ready to strangle someone with a strand of tinsel. I'm with Ink. I'm not ready to give up my beach blanket just yet.

Do you like listening to Christmas music two months before the actual holiday?

NaNoJouMo - 16

2011-11-16T09:05:00.001-05:00

Either an activity or a state of mind. What are you doing today?

NaNoJouMo - 15

2011-11-15T08:32:00.001-05:00

Very early this morning, seven turkeys were wandering around the back yard. Just a reminder that Thanksgiving is only 9 days away. I'm glad for the reminder because with the stores all decorated for Christmas and radio stations playing Christmas music, I thought Christmas was just around the corner!

The turkey girls also reminded me, food shopping needs to be done for the feast. I'm not a huge fan of turkey. it's okay once a year. Given my choice, I'druther have a roast leg of lamb. What about you?

NaNoJouMo - 14

2011-11-14T11:53:00.001-05:00

I've been researching my family tree at Ancestry.com and looking for some background on my great-uncle Manny. I've blogged about Uncle Manny before. I still can't find any evidence that he carved the lions at the Boston Public Library. I'm also trying to find a link to see if he worked with sculptor, Edward Ardolino. The Ardolino Brothers had a masonry stone works in East Boston where Uncle Manny lived.

I received a message from another family detective on Ancestry. She also has Uncle Manny as a link in her family tree! Uncle Manny is her great-grandfather. ( He had been married and had a son. His wife died a month or so after the baby was born. Uncle later remarried my great-aunt.) She has told me there appears to be an Ardolino link. We're comparing notes and family stories. It's pretty exciting to find someone else working on a piece of the same puzzle. Small world, ain't it?

NaNoJouMo - 13

2011-11-13T11:57:00.001-05:00

The Young One wanted to watch a DVD while we were eating dinner. She said she wanted to watch something everyone would enjoy. I was surprised when she picked out Looney Toons. Ah, Warner Brothers. Happy memories from my childhood. Saturday mornings in front of the electronic babysitter. It's where I learned classical music and where I developed my fondness for puns. Bugs and the gang just slay me.

It's hard for me to decide on my favorite character: Foghorn Leghorn, Emma, Yosemite Sam, Michigan J. Frog...I guess if pressed to pick one, my favorite WB character would have to be Marvin the Martian. Who can argue his logic for destroying the Earth? (It obstructs his view of Venus). I also do a passable voice imitation of Marvin.

What's your favorite WB cartoon character?

NaNoJouMo - 12

2011-11-12T19:37:00.001-05:00

Himself and I found ourselves in White City so we decided to stop for lunch. The place was packed, and we got the last parking spot. All the restaurants were packed, too. Panera, Friendly's and Jimmy's Tavern and Grill were packed to the gills. That left us Five Guys Burgers and Papa Gino's. Five Guys makes an awesome burger with real meat, and their small serving of real potato french fries can feed a family of four. I wasn't in the mood for a burger so opted for Papa Gino's Pizza.

I love pizza. It's perfect. On one slice of bread all the food groups are represented. I'm pretty much a plain Jane and prefer a plain cheese pizza. Yeah, I hear ya. Yes, I don't like cheese. I will eat mozzarella if it's cooked. I also like sausage, mushroom and green pepper on a pizza. I'm not a fan of pepperoni. Anywho, Papa doesn't make a bad pizza. (Chuckie Cheese takes the cake for most disgusting pizza)

It's not as good as what my Grandma made and my Ma. They didn't have a round pizza pan, but made the pizza in a quarter sheet cake pan. Thick slabs of pizza were cut into squares. We rarely went out for pizza, but when we did, and when we were visiting relatives in East Boston, we went to Santarpio's. Heaven on a slab of bread. And no silly combinations like Hawaiian with Canadian bacon and pineapple. At the time I was a kid, Santarpio's was only open on weekends. The restaurant was pretty much a hole in the wall. People would wait in line, and the line wound out the building and all the way down Chelsea St. The pizza was that good.

What's your favorite pizza place and fave pizza?

NaNoJouMo - 11

2011-11-11T10:29:00.001-05:00

I'm in the market for a cardigan sweater, and Kohl's was having a sale. At 5' 2" in height, I headed to the petite department. Department. That's a joke. A couple of rounds and a rack with ugly blouses, jackets, and jeans.

I'm quite tall for a hobbit so I went to the regular department with high hopes. I found a sweater I liked and tried it on. The shoulder seams sagged to my biceps. The sleeves were six inches too long, and the hem hung below my knees. Why do they make clothes for Amazon women? Why don't the department stores carry a decent selection of petite sized clothing?

Do you have trouble finding clothes to fit?

NaNoJouMo - 10

2011-11-10T08:07:00.001-05:00

While rummaging in a drawer, I came across my old flowchart template. B.C., before children, before calligraphy took over, I was a computer programmer. This in the early days of computing when computers where the size of full-size, 1950's Buick.

I earned my programmer's certificate from Control Data Institute and on the first day, along with the first module, I received the flowchart template, a plastic rule of cutout diamonds, rectangles, and
other shapes. For each program we wrote, we were required to first diagram all the steps it would take to complete the program. I'm a linear thinker so I loved flowcharting. I knew the direction my program would take and if it should crash and burn, I could go back to the flowchart to see where my thinking had gone wrong.

Start
Send husband to work
Is husband home?
No - Watch TV and eat bon bons
Yes - Look busy
Send husband to work, etc.

When I got into the real world, I found I didn't have the luxury of creating a flowchart. Clients wanted changes made to the software, and they wanted the changes yesterday. In the real world, I wrote quick and dirty programs aka programming by the seat of my pants.

Now in a completely different field, I make thumbnail sketches (artistic flowcharts) of my projects. I like having an idea of what the work will look like before I put ink to paper. That's not to say, I can't change the plan if the need arises. The thumbnail gives me a good idea where I might encounter problems in spacing or layout, and I can make adjustments accordingly.

If you are involved in a creative endeavor (art, writing, textiles, etc) do you make a plan before you start the actual work or do you just jump in and drive by the seat of your pants?

NaNoJouMo - 9

2011-11-09T07:57:00.001-05:00

One of the places I pass by on my shuttle runs is a lake. The lake is surrounded by pines. The water is smooth as glass. Beautiful, graceful swans glide over the surface. The beauty and serenity of the pastoral scene is broken when the swans go bottoms up to feed. Always makes me laugh to see swans moon.

Any happy places you pass by on your shuttle runs?

NaNoJouMo - 8

2011-11-08T09:45:00.002-05:00

I don't like peppermint. I find the flavor too strong and overwhelming. I'm not a big fan of York Peppermint patties, but come February I do lust after the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Go figure. So I should amend my statement to I don't care for peppermint. I especially don't like peppermint toothpaste. It's so hard to find a toothpaste that is not peppermint flavored unless you're buying kiddie toothpaste and that's bubble gum flavored. Double yuck!

For the past few weeks, Target stopped carrying the Alpine Mint flavored toothpaste I like. I did find a spearmint, but it left a nasty aftertaste. I almost cried with joy when I scanned the toothpaste aisle and found my toothpaste.

Do you like peppermint?

NaNoJouMo - 7

2011-11-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Preschoolers across the US were shown this drawing of a school bus. They were asked which way the bus was traveling, to the right or to the left. Are you smarter than a preschooler? Which way is the bus going? I'll post the answer later on tonight.

NaNoJouMo - 6

2011-11-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

Turn the clock back. Spring ahead. Fall back. Gain an extra hour of daylight. Gain an extra hour of sleep. Day light Savings Time. Standard Time. It will save electricity. Hmm, seems to gain an extra hour of sunlight in the Spring may prevent you from turning your lights on early, but I bet your air conditioner hums when the temps move to broiling. Where's the savings in that? And turning the clocks back? If you get up at 5:30 or 6am, you have to turn your lights on or risk stubbing a toe while trying to navigate the dark or wearing one brown shoe and one black shoe. It happened. Don't ask. As if setting the clock alters the time. There's still only 24 hours in a day.

Do you think we should bother with standard and daylight savings time?

NaNoJouMo - 5

2011-11-06T10:15:00.001-05:00

Remember, remember the fifth of November. Not for Guy Fawkes' Day. It's my grandma's birthday. She was born in 1895 in Ariano di Puglio (now known as Ariano Irpino or plain ol' Ariano). November 5th is also Grandma's wedding anniversary. She was married in East Boston, Massachusetts at Our Lady of Mont Carmel Church in 1917.

Grandma never baked us chocolate chip cookies. Her specialty was a bow cookie, thin strips of dough, deep fried and oozing honey. She made the bows for all the special occasions, holidays, weddings, funerals. She would mound the bows on a turkey platter and bring it to the table where we would gorge on the sticky treat. I never remember her serving turkey on that platter. She did make an "American" Thanksgiving at the holiday which was served after L'escarole with pupetini (escarole soup with tiny meatballs), antipasto, the the highly anticipated cappelini (pasta shaped like the hats priests wore in Rome), eggplant Parmigiana. I don't recall anyone bothering to eat the turkey or trimmings.

I tried making the bows. They are a lot of work. Mine were ok, a little on the thick side. I couldn't seem to roll the dough as thin as Grandma did, and she did the rolling by hand not with a pasta machine!

What's your grandma's specialty?

NaNoJouMo - 4

2011-11-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

Day 4: Spiders make me reach the high notes. As far back as I can remember, I have had a mortal dread of spiders. Not sure where it came from. Might have come from watching the spider go after The Incredible Shrinking Man. It matters not whether the spiders are dot-sized, quarter-sized, smooth or hairy. The sight of them makes me hit a high C note. And it doesn't help that I've been bitten by spiders twice and had nasty reactions to the bite.

I was at my folks yesterday waiting for the technician to check a problem with the furnace. As I walked into the living room, I caught movement and froze. A spider was rappelling from the ceiling! It freaked me out!

Are you an arachnophobe?

NaNoJouMo - 3

2011-11-05T17:55:00.001-04:00

Day 3: Trying to catch up. I'm so far behind, I think I'm winning the race. Ever Feel this way?

NaNoJouMo - 2

2011-11-05T08:57:00.001-04:00

Day 2: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Lately, I've wondered if I'm doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for the right reasons.

The Friday Five

2011-11-04T07:58:00.000-04:00

Five things I'll be doing today:

1. Going to the bank for my ma

2. My dad participated in a Veteran's project at his local library. The DVD of his interview is damaged. I'll be going to the library to see if I can get a new copy of his interview.

3. Waiting for the technician to check the furnace at my folks' house. There's a terrible heating fuel smell in the house.

4. While waiting for the technician to arrive, I hope to catch up on my NaNoJouMo. I'm three days behind.

5. Phone calls. Waiting for them, and returning them.

What's on your docket today?

NaNoJouMo - 1

2011-11-03T08:59:00.001-04:00

You've probably heard of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month where you write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I just found out about Dawn DeVries Sokol's NaNoJouMo, creating a journal page for each day in November.

Dawn will suggest a topic each day. You can interpret the prompt any way you wish, but the cool thing about art journaling is there are no rules except your own. Since I'm starting out a couple of days behind, I decided to (try to) keep this journal simple with line drawings and maybe colored pencils. The focus is the "do" not what to do it with which can turn into a way to procrastinate. Sometimes I spend more time gathering materials or waiting for things to dry than completing an actual page.

Day 1 - Take Flight.

Lately, external pressures have made me wish I would be carried away by a giant bird or maybe turned into a giant bird and fly away.

How would you take flight?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T04:30:00.000-04:00

Día de los Muertos

2011-11-01T08:36:00.000-04:00

Remembering those who have gone before us.

Greetings and Salutations!

2011-10-31T04:30:00.000-04:00

I bid you a Happy Halloween, a good Reformation Day, Blessed Samhain, a great Monday, and if you share your birthday with Ink (he's 14), a very Happy Birthday.

However you roll, make it a good day.

Cabbage Night

2011-10-30T08:15:00.000-04:00

Cabbage Night. That's what the night before Halloween was called when I was a kid. It has other names. Mischief Night, Hell Night. It was the night when windows were soaped, clotheslines were cut, trees were festooned with toilet paper, pumpkins were smashed. (I never did this kind of stuff!) or

Mailboxes were tipped over. Cabbage Night was a day early this year as Mother Nature blew through with a snowstorm. That's a picture of my mailbox lying comatose in the snow.

What does your area call Cabbage Night?

Tools, Gadgets, and Widgets

2011-10-29T08:41:00.004-04:00

One of the banes of my existence, is water in the basement. There's an interior floor drain which runs to a large sump pump in the garage. Most times it works well, but if the rain is extremely heavy, the drain or the sump can't keep up and water flows into the basement. It's usually a large puddle, a pain in the butt, but easy enough to keep up with a couple of shop vacs. That is unless we lose electricity, and then all bets are off.

Seepage usually occurs when no one is downstairs or often in the dead of night. By the time we find the water, it's a bigger problem. Himself came across this water alarm. You put it on the floor and when it detects water, it ends an audible alert, like a smoke detector.

Forecasters are gleefully predicting a Nor'easter for tonight. Snow estimates for my area range from 6 to 10 inches. The snow is expected to be heavy and wet with high winds which may bring down tree branches still loaded with leaves. There's a potential for power outages. No power, no sump pump. Hopefully, this little alarm will do its job. If the power goes out, Himself has the generator ready to keep the sump pump (and the phone and iPad charged, I have my priorities, too.) running.

This little baby performed well in a test. Hopefully, it will work in a real water situation.

Do you have problems with water in your basement?

The Friday Five

2011-10-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

I whine a lot about the snow and cold weather. Can't help it. I like the heat and humidity. I love hanging out in the sun room, but in the interest of accentuating the positive, five things I like about Fall.

1. The leaves, minus the snow, look pretty when they turn colors. I especially like the vivid reds of the swamp maples. Too bad the fallen leaves can't melt like the snow so they don't have to be raked.

2. In the olden days, I loved the smell of burning leavings. Burning season in my town runs from 1. Jan to 1. April. Leaf burning at this time of year is verboten.

3. The grackles return or maybe they are starlings. They are black birds with shiny, midnight blue heads. Whatever they are, hundreds of them land in the backyard picking and poking the grass for whatever goodies are hidden in the leaves. If something startles them, they lift en masse, their wings beating the air. My house must be in the middle of their migration path though I never see the hordes in the Spring.

4. Halloween, my favorite holiday. I thought it would be cool to have a birthday on Halloween. Too bad my birthday is in July. Still I look forward to the Halloween decorations, costumes, and

5. Candy.

What do you love about Fall or October?

Alternate Transportation

2011-10-27T07:56:00.002-04:00

I saw a graphic of the saying "yes, I can drive a stick" floating around the Interwebs and decided I wanted one, too. And only in the way of can you make this project more time consuming, I decided to make the broom from a twig, and some straw from an old whisk broom.

The saying is lettered on a scrap of Canson Mi Tientes, Ziller Glossy Black and a Brause 1 mm.

The Young One was watching me make the broom. "Are you going to dress up as a witch for Halloween?" she asked.

"Oh, honey, I don't need to dress up as a witch." (-;

Can you drive a stick?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T04:30:00.000-04:00

New Hat

2011-10-25T14:54:00.000-04:00

The past couple of days I've been in a holding pattern waiting for answers to a problem. Seemed a good time to take on another project that required lots of wait time.

I found the wooden hat at Michael's. Sanding, sealing, and a couple of coats of acrylic paint. Lettered on the hat band with Ziller Winter White and a Nikko G nib is "The witch is in." The hat was sealed with Starlite Varnish.

What do you do while you wait for answers?

Alphabet Sunday - Around the Block

2011-10-23T10:01:00.002-04:00

The Friday Five

2011-10-21T08:20:00.001-04:00

Chilly mornings, chilly evenings. No more sweltering , hot days )-: Time to turn to five, small comforts to get through the cold days ahead.

1. Time to put on soft, thick, fluffy socks.

2. Wrapping hands around a mug of mulled cider or

3. A steaming mug of chai. It's not cold enough to break out the polartec fingerless gloves or flannel-lined jeans.

4. Wrapped in the down throw while playing with the iPad or watching television.

5. Wearing the zip front, sweatshirt that used to belong to Himself ( it shrunk in the wash and doesn't fit him
( -; ) I peel the sweatshirt off when my personal thermostat kicks into overdrive.

What little comforts do you turn to when the weather gets chilly?

Senior Spectacular

2011-10-20T07:08:00.001-04:00

Fallon Community Health Plan invites seniors and caregivers to the Senior Spectacular at the DCU Center. 20. October 2011 from 10am to 3pm. The event is free. There will be seminars, workshops, music, giveaways, and more!

I'll be there from 1pm - 2pm. Stop in and say hello. Make a postcard, bookmark, or try your hand at calligraphy.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T04:30:00.000-04:00

Carry On

2011-10-18T17:04:00.000-04:00

I first learned about the effects of the full moon when I worked in a hospital laboratory. It never failed at full moon we'd be busy, requests from the floors would keep us hopping, and the emergency room would be insane. Full moon effects are like a virus: three days coming, three days with you, and three days leaving. And the effect happens at the new moon which is a full moon we can't see.

I've been straining under the full moon for a year now. Maybe even longer. And there's not much to be done except carry on. Put one foot in front of the other and dance as fast as you can.

I can't even remember when I started this journal piece. Fans of Supernatural will recognize the song, Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas as one of the theme songs used in the show.

Acrylics, FW acrylic ink in blue and black, Ziller Glossy Black, Ph Martin Spectralite Silver, Brause 1.5 mm.

What about you? Do you believe in the effect of the full moon?

Let Them Eat Cake

2011-10-17T08:44:00.000-04:00

I admire the work of Tim Burton, and I love his slightly askew view of reality.

I enjoy reading the blog, Cake Wrecks which usually features professionally baked cakes gone horribly wrong.

What do cake and Tim Burton have in common? Cake Wrecks has show cased some incredible Burton inspired cakes on this week's Sunday Sweets. (During the week, Jen features the wrecktastic cakes, but on Sunday she features cakes that are WOW show- stoppers and too awesome to eat.) So point your browser to Cake Wrecks toot sweet and see what you can do with fondant, a lot of patience, and skill.

Jack Skellington cake by Bluebird Cakes

Aren't these cakes amazing?

Alphabet Sunday

2011-10-16T04:59:00.001-04:00

The Friday Five

2011-10-14T07:03:00.000-04:00

I grew up in a small town, 20 or so miles west of Boston. The town has since blossomed, but back them it was located in the back of beyond. It may have been small, but there were plenty of places for a kid to spend an allowance. I got 50 cents a week. Five places where I spent my allowance.

1. The Golf Range. Across the empty lot and through a small, wooded path was a driving range. There was a small shed like building, too small and rustic to be called the pro shop. Besides being able to buy a bucket of balls or a colored golf ball and putter for the the mini-golf, there was an array of candy and gum. Zero Bars, Sky Bars, Bemis gum. I stopped buying candy there when I opened a package of Bit o' Honey and found ants had beaten me to the treat. Candy bars cost a nickel.

2. During the Summer months, just past the last golf driving tee was the Frosty T. Soft service ice cream cones were just 10 cents. For an extra nickel, you could get a dip top which was a waxy, candy hard shell. My favorite combination was a chocolate cone with a cherry dip top. Oh, and the glorious smell of fried clams was free!

3. In the center of the Clarke Block, downtown, Sterns' Cigar Shop carried yards and yards of gimp. We'd braid the colored plastic lace into bracelets, necklaces, and lanyards. You could buy candy at Sterns' or gum.The gum was coveted for the wrappers which were folded together to form chains. Sterns' also carried comic books. I didn't spend my cash on them, but went next door and read the latest Himself had bought.

4. Woolworth's Five and Ten had it all. Small hardware, household items, candy, and toys. Little cars, dolls, whistles. It was all there. And the place to go for Halloween costumes though Ma and Dad usually bought the Halloween costumes.

5. Tilly's carried penny candy: Atomic Fireballs, Mary Janes, Squirrels, root beer baby's or barrels, wax lips, Mint Juleps, Dubble Bubble Gum, Tootsie Rolls, and Tootsie Pops (they cost 2 cents).

When you were a kid did you get an allowance? What did you spend your jingle on?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T04:30:00.000-04:00

design by Johnathan Mak

Requirements to Be President of the United States

2011-10-11T04:30:00.000-04:00

Normally, I don't write about hot button topics on the blog. I stay away from political and religious debates. I don't bait the bear with whether Heath is a better cowboy than Nick. However, the latest round of presidential candidate bull and the press reporting the stories has put a burr on my shirt tail.

I'm sick of the whining and finger pointing of candidates or their supporters bemoaning their opponent's ability to run for an office because they are not considered a good, practicing, member of a certain religion. Excuse me?

Have you ,politicians, aspiring politicians, political supporters, members of the Press, and everyday citizens (just for good measure), bothered to read the Constitution? You know, the document that lays out the ground rules for the 3 branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial)? I realize that reading the original document in its beautiful English Roundhand script might prove difficult for some, but the document has been printed.

Article II, Section I of the Constitution deals with the requirements to run for the office of President of the United States.

"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of theUnited States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall beeligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible tothat Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, andbeen fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

Let's look at this line by line, shall we?

No Person except a natural born Citizen, that means you have to be born in the United States, and not just the 48 contiguous states, but Alaska and Hawaii are also bona fide states. At least that's what I learned in grade school, but I also learned that Pluto was the ninth planet in our solar system. Pluto seems to have lost favored planet status, but I'm pretty sure Alaska and Hawaii are still states.

That phrase Natural Born Citizen means your parents could have emigrated to the USA from Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. or Pluto. If you were born in this country, you are automatically a citizen and you can become President of the United States even if your parents are citizens of another country or planet!

Let's continue. Or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President . The Constitution was adopted in 1787. Someone around at that time would now be some 224 years old, so that ship has already sailed.

neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, You have to be 35 years or older. (And there is no cap on how old is too old) The 15th. Amendment to the Constitution granted male Citizens the privilege to vote regardless of race or color. The 19th. Amendment to the Constitution extended this right to women. So as long as you are 35 years older or older, it doesn't matter whether you are male, female, blue, green, purple or any other color. You can be President of the United States.

and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. Ok, this last statement may be a little fuzzy as it doesn't address whether your 14 year residency must be consecutive, or residency as an adult.

Let's recap.There are only 3 simple requirements to be President. You must be a natural born Citizen. You must be 35 years old or older, and you have had to reside in the United States for a period of 14 years. Period.

No where in the Constitution does it state you have to be a good, practicing member of a particular religion.
You don't even have to practice a religion. You aren't required to have diplomatic or previous political experience. Being a member of a certain race, color, or sexual orientation is not required. Being married to the opposite sex or same sex is not a requirement. These aspects of a person's background shouldn't even come into question!

And members of the Press? Shame on you for reporting the he said, he said, she said. When ridiculous issues of whether one is a member of a cult or not, arise, set the record straight and remind your readers or viewers that this is not a requirement to be president.

If you're in Washington, DC, you can visit the National Archives and you can see and read the original documents. Admission to the National Archives is free! If you can't travel to Washington, DC. you can visit The National Archives on line and can read the documents and download images of the documents yourself.

Maybe reading The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights, should also be a requirement to run for any political office.