The Princess Bride

Commute

2012-01-18T23:31:00.000-05:00

Today I found out what an hour commute felt like, and it was not good! I live about 15 minutes from work. Who would have thought with the snow yesterday, that today is the day with lots of accidents, even though it was bright and sunny. Solar glare, I heard.

On a positive note: I am thankful I was not one of those many accidents and (finally) made it to work safe and sound! Also, thankful that I have a job to make it to =)

Underwear and Pizza

2012-01-12T22:27:00.001-05:00

Despite the total lack of sleep I've had in the past few nights (Nicholas has been waking pretty consistently and then I have a hard time getting back to sleep; not that he leaves much time for that anyway. He's has a stuffy/runny nose lately so I am going to hope it will pass soon), it was a really good day.

I was super productive at work (at home) and got a good number of responses from clients (in a world where you sometimes get used to no one calling back or returning e-mails); Thomas came home in the same pants I put him in this morning. I figured he didn't want to try underwear today at preschool, as he went through 3 pairs of pants and underwear yesterday, but he came home wearing nice dry ones! All day he asked to pee on the potty! It's funny how exciting this is!!! He's been pooping exclusively on the toilet for months now, but realizing the urge to pee was difficult and sporadic. Hopefully, we'll only have one in diapers soon enough.

Nicholas had a first today, too. I was holding him while eating some leftover pizza from last night (glamorous dinner, I know) and he kept trying to grab it. I would keep it out of his reach since it was probably greasy and he would get upset. So I let him have it and he nibbled a bit, then nibbled a lot. He really liked it, which for him was good because he hasn't been a fan of many table foods, and won't even have the 3rd food baby food with tiny bits of pasta in it. He identifies the pasta balls as something other than mush food and spits only them out one by one.

Chugging it

He liked the pizza so much that I brought him to his hihh chair and let him gnaw away. He took delight in my delight of him eating real food that he just kept laughing and smiling at me the whole time. It was so cute I had to run and grab the camera.

Speaking of cameras, I got a new Canon Rebel T2i, which was 2 birthdays and push presents in the making, so I'm very excited to relearn the settings again from my manual photography class at BU. Hopefully, in time for Nicholas' 1st birthday party!

Thomas was cute tonight when I put him to bed, he told me he wanted an "Arianna sister like Lisa and Ettore." So proud of both my boys today. Yay, day!

My favorite day of the year

2011-12-23T21:53:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve!

I love everything about Christmas Eve. I always have. There is so much anticipation and magic about it, and I'm happy to say it hasn't worn off with the years.

Having children makes it that much more special. Thomas loves to sing and play the piano (or his keyboard for now). Some of his favorite Christmas songs are Jingle Bells (I have a video of him singing this while playing his Xylophone at age 1 3/4), Silent Night, Santa Clause is Coming to Town and he just recently learned Feliz Navidad in the car with Daddy. He had his winter concert at preschool last Tuesday and he was the loudest singer in his class. The music teacher took me aside at Nicholas' concert the week before to make sure Thomas would be there because she said if he's not singing the others don't either, and she told me how loud and strong his voice is. Well she was not kidding! He did a great job and afterwards a lot of parents were commenting about him to me.

I was bummed that I didn't have my camera to capture it on video. I had given it to the Hub to take pictures of a brand new house we looked at the Sunday before in Millis while I stayed with the boys in the car to feed Nicholas, and I couldn't find it for the concert. Though I may still ask another boy's father who was recording it on his iPad and his son was standing next to Thomas so he got in the shot.

I did manage to capture a couple pictures after creating space on my Blackberry, and I did get parts of Nicholas' show.

Being the only boy in his class, Nicholas was the Nutcracker and all the girls were ballerinas. It was so cute and they all shook their bells and shakers while the music teacher, Armina, played on the piano. One of my favorite things about this daycare and preschool is that they have a strong emphasis on learning music early on, which kids just love, especially my boys.

I'll try to upload the Nutcracker video later, but for now, I should finish up some preparations for tomorrow.

Wishing the world peace, love and joy during this season of hope and wonder.

December already?

2011-12-11T11:56:00.000-05:00

Are you sure?

Not sure how November went by so fast, but I guess that old saying holds true since we had a lot of fun. Thomas went to a very cool birthday party for his friend and fellow November 2008 baby, Clayton. It was a curious creatures 3rd birthday party and it was probably the most entertaining kids party I've ever been to. They had gone to Clay's pre-school and he couldn't stop talking about it so his mom thought why not have them come back for his party.

I held a scorpion, we petted a skunk, turtle, chinchilla, snake, mini gator, rabbit and flying squirrel. It was pretty cool.The guy who ran it was knowledgeable and entertaining, too! All and all, a very fun party (even for the adults).

We also celebrated Thomas' 3rd birthday party, and he wanted a Toy Story theme since he is all about Buzz Lightyear right now. I am probably going to have to come back and post about his party another time since the kids keep me quite busy. I had started to write this post a few days into December, saved it as a draft, and didn't get back on-line (for leisure) until now.

So adios until my next free time...

A Space Ranger Gets His Wings

2011-10-31T21:12:00.003-05:00

Thomas has been a major Toy Story fan since he watched his first movie, Toy Story 3, at 2 1/2. Woody was always his favorite, until a couple weeks ago when we visited a nice little house in Norfolk that had a souped up Buzz Lightyear toy. Now it's Buzz everything.

Last Friday I took a 1/2 day and we went to Rez for a kids costume party. The boys were a cute pair as Buzz and (thanks to Pam) an alien from Toy Story.

Nicholas barely kept his alien head on for more than 30 seconds, but I was able to get a quick shot. When Thomas put his costume on he asked if it made sounds, but we said no and he was fine with it. He saw everyone, had a pizza party and got to go to various balloon stations to trick-or-treat for candy. As we were leaving another Buzz came in, but he had wings that said cool things. He of course wanted one too, so I asked the boy's mom where they found that and she said they had 2 and she would try to leave it behind. I didn't think she'd be able to have him part with it (Thomas would wear it in his sleep if we let him), but she did and his hero (Daddy) came home with them after work.

He has been very careful not to break them so we can give them back to the nice little boy, and he had a great time trick-or-treating tonight. It was fairly mild considering we just got our first snowfall yesterday.

Everyone loved his costume and he often played the commands for interested people at the door.

His outfit is finally complete and now he can better defend the galaxy against the Evil Emperor Zurg!

To Infinity and Beyond! (Or as T-Man says, To InFin and Beyond!)

Web Cam 101 for Seniors

2011-09-16T20:24:00.002-05:00

I saw this yesterday and just had to watch it again. This couple is so cute and funny. I love old people!*

I love the soft, sweet comment he tells her at the end in reassurance.

*Disclaimer: Except when driving behind them,

Breaking Dawn Trailer

2011-09-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

As much as I wanted to avoid these books altogether, I eventually gave in...and now I am kind of excited about this movie. This was my favorite book. I think her writing, plots and character development got better as they went along.

If she could have only picked a different name.

Bless Your Heart

2011-09-12T00:48:00.003-05:00

And those that stopped beating that day...
And those who grew heavy that day...
And those that paused in disbelief...
And those who raced whether towards or away.

May Your Love Grow
In fondness of the memories you had...
In honor of the wishes they had...
In likeness of the eyes of their children...
In gratefulness to the uniform clad.

May Your Light Shine On
Because we can never forget...
Still can't comprehend...
Still can't help but cry...
And always stand together.

Peace be with you.

Endless Summer

2011-09-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

Summer officially ends on September 23rd and I intend to honor that date because the season is short enough as it is without people proclaiming its end just because school has started or Labor Day is here. I want to enjoy every ounce of summer sun, especially after the multiple blizzardy winter we had.

-Thomas Too-Cool-for-the-Beach Attitude, Cape Cod 2011

So with that being said, and two boys down for naps, I will be out relishing in the (I wish) endless summer sun.

Help is Needed: Horn of Africa Famine

2011-08-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Every little bit helps. This breaks my heart...the tragic conditions these families and citizens are enduring. Have been enduring for so long, and now made worse by a harsh drought.

I can't do enough. I can't thank my lucky stars enough to be born into the circumstances that we live in. I wish I could do more, but for now this (a donation) will have to do. I believe every person can make a difference.

-"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Summer Vacations, Birthdays, Babies and Houses

2011-07-25T22:19:00.002-05:00

Today I heard a back-to-school ad on the radio, and thought, "Already, really?!?!" If I was a teacher or student I dare say I would be insulted. Cutting summer like that while only a month in! Absurd.

The daycare closes for one week in August and that is when our real summer vacation will be. We're excited to be making our 2nd annual trip to Story Land with The W Clan, and then a good 5 days at the Cape. We're also planning a mini vacation either to Old Orchard to visit my cousin, her son and one of our uncles, or a separate Cape Cod trip with my mom and one of my sisters.

Should be fun!

Nicholas is in the midst of a 2nd big growth spurt, which means eating a ton! And as a result waking up a lot more often during the night to chow down. The last 2 weeks we have not gotten as much sleep as normal ("we" as in mostly me). His half birthday is in 2 days! His 6 month doctor appointment is this Friday and I can't wait to see how much he's grown. He is a super sweetheart and such a happy baby! A true delight.

He's funny though because he can be patient and chill right after a nap, but when he's ready to eat he can go from 0-60 in 2 seconds! The other week one of the daycare ladies told me when he's hungry the whole center can hear him. He will certainly let you know.

Last weekend we all were invited to Emma's 3rd birthday party and had a great time. There is a clan of 4 at daycare that seem to love to be together, and

whenever I ask Thomas who he played with today he'll say, Emma, Talia and Maba (Mirabelle). He really really likes Emma and talks about her a lot; it's so cute. Her mom tells me she talks about him non-stop at home, too!

She had an Ariel birthday and pool party, and the weather was certainly great for it as it's been hot and humid lately. This past Friday it got up to over 100 degrees with a very high dew point. It's weather like that where I wonder if I'll ever be able to revert back to a life without central air...

Speaking of which, we've been doing so much house hunting lately, that I really hope we find one with CA. Last Sunday we found the first really promising house in Holliston. We spent nearly an hour there! If it was in the Queens neighborhood that we love and had 4 beds instead of 3 we would have put an offer on it right away. For now we're sleeping on it, but it has a lot going for it and is at a low price for something that barely needs any work.

The yard was "acceptable" for my NH man, and there were 2 additions on the 1st floor, one being the master bedroom with a big closet, and the other being a cathedral ceiling sunroom/breakfast bar that led out to the back deck, and small front deck. It's on a dead-end street, which would be good for the kids to ride their bikes on someday, but it's missing the community vibe of a big neighborhood. We have a lot to think about, but it's exciting to find something we could even consider calling home for a change. Part of me realizes I'll miss our current town and being so close to Boston. It's a big decision finding your forever house.

We shall see...

le juin

2011-06-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

June has been a fun and busy month, and I keep meaning to post, but have barely had free time, especially on-line. When I do have free time on the computer it is usually looking at houses since we're looking to upgrade.

June 1st was a big day for Nicholas and me. It was his very first day at daycare, and it was my first day back to work full-time and in the office. It was an adjustment, and a shaky first few days for him, but I knew it would be a little different for him and mw (OK a lot different). I'm not sure why, but it was harder this time putting Nicholas in daycare, maybe because I knew how quickly this precious baby stage goes by after watching Thomas grow, and didn't want to give it up. I certainly trust the care givers there, and it's nice that Thomas sees him on the playground and can go into his room across the hall and visit his little brother. It's nice that it's such a small center, and flexible and accommodating. He proudly tells the teachers, "That's MY Nicholas!"

The 1st day of June was also a strange weather day, and a few deadly tornadoes touched down across the state, one badly damaging my hometown of Springfield. It was amazing more people weren't killed after seeing the powerful destruction it left in its wake. We're not in Kansas, and certainly not used to weather like that.

Sunday, June 12th we had Nicholas baptized at Mary, Mother of Hope Church in Springfield. Sadly, my church, St. George in Chicopee, closed down in late 2009. It was the church I was christened in, received first communion, confirmation, the blessed sacrament of marriage, and then baptized our firstborn in. It's where we said farewell to Pepere and Father Lussier, and where my father attended as a child. It's a beautiful church and is very missed.

For the baptism, we had a lovely day surrounded by our awesome family and friends. The weather was nice enough to let the kids run around outside. Nicholas ate during mass and then fell asleep during the baptism; even when the priest poured the cool water on his head, he stated a little, but was so tired he kept sleeping.

Other than that we had a great Father's Day, have been house hunting a lot and getting to know which towns we like better than others.

Thomas had his first classmate birthday party last weekend for his friend, Talia, and it was a lot of fun.

Now onto July and to enjoy a nice 4-day weekend since we have tomorrow off for The Hub's birthday. Here's wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th of July holiday!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

2011-05-15T13:07:00.007-05:00

Thomas loves to help cheer Nicholas up when he cries; whether it's giving him his pacifier (though N-Dawg much rather prefers his hands), rocking him in his car seat when we're trying to get out the door, or singing to him, he sure does try his best to be a great big brother.

I was taking some pictures of them on Mother's Day last Sunday and toward the end Nicholas had had enough and started to cry. I was about to stop, but then Thomas started singing his favorite song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, to him and it was too easy to switch from picture to video and catch the sweet moment. It actually worked for a little bit...

I love the exasperated expression Thomas gives at the end, as if to say, "Well, I tried!"

It was a nice low-key Mother's Day. I got to sleep late (yay!) and The Hub made me a nice meal of Rasta Pasta with garlic bread, and got me flowers. The best present of all was Thomas' clay handprint they made at daycare that said, "I love Mommy" with the date. They grow up so fast that it's a nice keepsake to have. I love my guys, and love being a Mom!

1st Quarter Report

2011-04-27T20:54:00.007-05:00

Nicholas is 3 months old today, and no matter how much I relish in the smallest, quietest moments with him, they still don't slow down. At his 2 month doctor appointment he was 8lbs, 15 oz and had fallen from the 5th percentile to the 3rd, so the doctor has me bringing him in tomorrow for a weight check, and asked that I supplement with formula after feedings some more. I told him I would, but a lot of the time he falls asleep after he nurses. That, however, has changed in the last 10 days or so. He has been on a fierce growth spurt and will take a bottle of 6 ounces like it's a piece of cake!

Monday of last week was Patriot's Day/Marathon Monday and my mom and sister, Jen, came to visit, which was nice since Thomas' daycare was closed, and I wasn't feeling too well. Just from that Monday to Easter Saturday I knew they would see the difference, as I could certainly feel the heft coming on. My validations are confirmed in his clothes fitting snugger now too, and the small protrusion of a double chin.

So I'm very curious what he will weigh tomorrow...my guess: 10 lbs 8 oz

3 months also marks the end of my maternity leave. However, since he was due February 13th we weren't really gearing up the start to daycare until mid-May or so, never expecting a January baby. Thankfully, I will work part-time from home in May and then we'll both be full-time starting June 1st. Thomas is pretty excited to have his little brother right across the hall where he can visit him whenever he wants. I love how much he loves him. And when you ask him what we are, he'll reply, "We're a family, and we love each other."

Indeed.

Franklin Park Zoo

2011-03-26T14:43:00.006-05:00

March 18th Thomas' daycare was closed for a professional day so I decided to meet up with Pam and her boys and with the unseasonably warm weather (almost 70 degrees) we went to the zoo.

It was nice to get out and enjoy the warmer weather for a change as this winter has been relentlessly snowy. The 2 highlights of the trip were seeing the lion roar loudly and seeing Kiki's baby gorilla, Kambiri, who was oh-so-adorable!

It was a warm day, but the wind knocked the feel of the temp down. We were watching the lion when the wind got particularly fierce. After some hard gusts the lion stood up and looked directly into the wind and just roared at it, as if to say that's enough already! It was pretty cool. Thomas and Shaun got a little scared at first, but were assured they were safe and not going to get eaten (Shaun was so cute!)

Fully asserting that he holds the title, King of the Jungle, we could hear him throughout the park whenever he roared again. Thomas cannot stop talking about it (and the waterfall) and recounts the tale by giving his own hearty impression of a ROAR.

Toward the end I ran into a bit of trouble when Thomas, tuckered out from walking around and playing with David and Shaun on the playground, combined with skipping his nap, refused to walk and wanted me to hold him. By that time my legs were pretty tuckered out, too. Pam and I tried to convince him to ride in her double stroller (an essential purchase for having two so young), but he refused. I did my best to carry him and push Nicholas in the stroller one-handed, but when I couldn't hold him any longer I ended up sitting him on top of the stroller (not ideal, but the only other solution left) as we made our exit.

We all had a fun time and look forward to going back; next time equipped with the mighty double stroller and a daddy!

2 against 1*

2011-03-23T22:13:00.006-05:00

At 10:45pm I finally got a chance to sit down tonight!

The Hub was out enjoying company box seats at the Celtics game so it was just me and the boys. Two is much easier to handle when you have two adults. It was a pretty good night, but when it comes to bedtime Thomas has been so resistant lately. Once 8pm came along I was about to get him upstairs, but then Nicholas woke up and needed to be fed. And fed...and fed. I figured Thomas would have a late bedtime tonight, but after diaper changes for both of them and a phone call to Uncle Ettore, (hanging up on him and laughing) and then a phone call to Auntie Lisa, 3 or 4 books and a drink we all went up at 10pm--his latest bedtime ever!

Thomas' diaper change took even longer because he's been doing a wonderful job with the potty; so much so that if he goes poop in his diaper he wants to put it into his potty or the toilet. I convinced him tonight to either let me just change his diaper or put it in the toilet as I don't want to clean out the potty if I don't have to. Into the toilet it plopped!

I was going to stay upstairs and go to sleep too, but needed to come down and pump and tidy up a little. Since pumping is a bit on the boring side I kill the time by watching TV or going online. Now that I'm done, I better be peace I'm out. Just wanted to post a cute picture of Thomas holding his baby brother that we took yesterday. He was so proud, and so were we.

Nicholas Daniel

2011-02-28T21:23:00.009-05:00

Hoping to make good on my vow to post at least once a month, here I am!

The biggest news is the early arrival of Nicholas Daniel who surprised us the morning of a blizzard 2 1/2 weeks early. I definitely did not expect a January baby, but am so glad he's here and healthy.

Thomas is being such an outstanding big brother that I really couldn't be happier with the transition. He says he loves him very much and was patient enough to understand that he needed to keep his distance while he had a cold and conjunctivitis (which we all ended up getting eventually, and Nicholas still has). When his little brother cries he holds his hand and pets his head and talks to him. It's adorable!

Stats:
Nicholas Daniel
Born: January 27th, 2011 at 7:30pm
Weight: 6 lbs, 6 oz
Length: 19 inches

At his one month check-up he is now up to 7 lbs, 5 oz and 21 inches after going as low as 5 lbs 14 oz. I was pretty pleased with this number as noone really thought he was over 7 lbs, but the pediatrician would like it to be higher and wants me to supplement with formula after I feed him. Not sure how much I agree with that, but of course if he's still hungry I will.

We needed to buy preemie clothes since he didn't fit in anything, but he's slowly coming into his hand-me-downs.

I'll try to post more as this birth story was quite eventful thanks to the excessively snowy winter we've been having, but for now off to get some much needed sleep...zzzz.

Still here =)

2011-01-13T18:53:00.003-05:00

I don't get a chance to post much anymore, but I'd like to make more of an effort this year. My goal is at least once a month! I do miss writing, but creating a legit post is so much more time-consuming than a quick status update on Facebook. And now that sommmmebody got me addicted to Bejeweled Blitz, it may be even harder to not waste time there.

The biggest news right now is that I'm due in a month with baby #2! We're all excited to expand the family as Thomas has been such a joy and a lot of fun. He's sweet and kisses my belly, and says "Good morning, Baby Brother" with a little belly pat. We haven't picked out a name yet, but have it narrowed down to the top 5.

Since we've already had 2 big blizzards this winter (one on my birthday and one yesterday where we got 18 inches), I'm starting to get a little nervous that I'll go into labor during another nor'easter. Fingers crossed!

Thomas is doing really well at daycare and a few weeks before his 2nd birthday they moved him up from the toddler room to the pre-school room since he was well ahead of his classmates in the language department and has been really benefiting from being around older kids. The teachers all really love him, which is nice and we have a long list of babysitting offers from different ones.

Well off to go make dinner, but I did have one short video to share from my birthday.

Summertime, When the Living's Easy

2010-10-09T14:09:00.006-05:00

We had a great summer, and I can't believe how fast it flew by! Most of it was spent at the beach, a nearby pond/park, or on the playground. The two trips we went to toward the end of the summer brought us to the Cape for a 2nd time and then to Storyland with the Wicks' crew. It was a lot of fun, and I totally wished my parents had taken us when we were little. I'll upload more pictures later since Thomas just got up from his nap.

Now it's time for apple picking, hayrides and trick or treating...

Old McDonald

2010-05-16T12:59:00.002-05:00

One of Thomas' favorite songs.

Excitement Over a New Toy

2009-09-30T20:48:00.002-05:00

I love how he flails his arms and kicks his legs when he gets excited. We bought him this toy last Sunday and I'm glad we got his reaction on video.

Thiiiiiiis Close!

2009-08-10T20:58:00.004-05:00

Thomas is so close to crawling. He has been crawling backwards for some time now, which is the first stage of learning how to crawl.

He just can't get over one of his large thunder thighs! Ever since we introduced cereal after waiting a week before his 6 month mark he has gained an impressive amount of weight and it has all seemed to go to his thighs! Though he has cute chub folds on his arms too. The Hub and I give him a good amount of time on his belly and put things he likes just out of his reach. He is very determined, and I'm afraid once he masters this new milestone he will be off like a rocket, and we'll have our hands full! I'm just really hoping we get to see his first success at it instead of missing the moment at daycare, but we're aware it will probably happen out of our sight =(

Today he really started to get the hang of using a sippy cup, which makes him look like such a big boy. He watches the older babies at daycare so I feel like he will be quite pleased with himself tomorrow. He only goes Tuesday through Friday.

This is my favorite picture of him taken so far (actually taken in June on one of the very few non-rainy days).
-Future Red Sox player

I got that Red Sox ball from the Mass Mentorship Luncheon I attended right before I got pregnant and he absolutely loves it! He will not let it go and sometimes falls asleep holding it. A few weeks ago we've started to play catch with him and he actually has a great arm!

He's so much fun! I just wish he would sleep a bit more...maybe some day. For now, a girl can dream...maybe.

Summertime

2009-07-20T18:44:00.001-05:00

And the living is easy.

It was a long winter with record snow storms and a confused spring, so I am so happy summer has finally arrived!
After the cloudiest, rainiest June New England has had since 1903, I am seriously lacking good ol' Vitamin D. I could never live in Seattle if that's what it is really like there. Crapola--I love me some sunshine!

For the 4th of July we went to The Wicks' place in Revere and brought Thomas to the beach for the first time. It was a bit windy, but he seemed to like it. Daddy kept him in the Ergo since he was getting sleepy so he never actually sunk his toes in the sand. We'll be making our annual Cape trip in August when the Daycare is closed for a week so he'll get plenty of sandcastle building time. I can't wait; I need a vacation soooo badly!!!

We had a fun time and then went to the Stacks' Casa the next day for another celebration. I'll try to post more, but for now Little Man is sleeping (not for the night, and dinner is served. Better eat in peace while we can!)

The W Clan walking toward the tide

Learning

2009-07-02T23:06:00.002-05:00

to play guitar with Daddy.

He still has a little way to go.
=)

Not sure how long this will last...

2009-05-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

but after a morning shower for Thomas (and Daddy), a diaper change (by Daddy), and 2 boobs' worth of milk for breakfast (by Do-You-Even-Have-to-Ask?), both of my guys are upstairs sleeping the beautiful morning away! I started to join them after Thomas went to sleep, but I was too awake with the day, and already got a refreshing 4 hours straight (unheard of, believe me!!!).

So here I am at 9am! Missing blogging, writing, reflecting, posting pictures...

I really wanted to post a 6 month stat update and still will (hopefully right after this post), but I think that is such a milestone it deserves it's own post, all to itself!

I will say, I can't believe how fast Thomas is growing! It really boggles my brain, and though he makes me proud every day, it also makes me a little sad that this time goes by so fast since it's so special. There are so many "firsts" not only for him but for me and The Hub. And even The Cats! Those Firsts also deserve their own posting IMO.

--Cute Shirt by Auntie Jen. I think Thomas is playing the Air Piano.

So here I sit, being "selfish" for a change. Wondering how much time I have to myself to enjoy a piece of me that I rarely share anymore, at least in a Blogspot World. I let my social butterfly out when I'm with people face-to-face or on the phone if Thomas "lets" me--COL! Yes, I mean COL. It looks weird to me too, but honestly, how much do you actually Laugh out Loud?? I tend to more Chuckle out Loud. Corny of me, I know, but I just like to be accurate (and understood!). I guess those who know me get what I mean, but whatever.

I think what I really want to post will be for 2 of my C friends who are preggers for the first time. I cannot wait to meet Baby Maz and Baby Campbell!! I know Maz will be a Boy!!! And I can't remember if BC is a Surprise or not...I could check something real quick, but don't want to get sidetracked like I always do, so I shan't. If it is a Surprise, I will guess Girl just b/c, but if not a Surprise then I bet it's a boy! Ha ha! My reasoning? EVERYONE is having BOYS so I would def remember if they were having a Girl!!! I guess that post will also be for another time as it deserves its own piece too.

Even tho I LOVE sleep, I have a certain love for the mornings as well. I always thought "morning people" were cool, so I guess in his own way Tad is making me cooler! Like a good housewife-who-also-works (WTF am I doing no wonder I'm exhausted and sick all the time!) I had made coffee on this fine morning. Apparently, I am too nice to kick Oscar off my lap so I will just peer around his tail as I type. The Cats also will get their own post since they are putting up with a lot and we try our best to make sure they still feel loved (cuz they are!) I am teaching Thomas to pet the cats gently and in turn praise the cats for not turning around and biting him! So far so good. Well so far, pretty good. The Baby needs more work than the Cats, but in his defense he's much younger! Plus, Darla, Milo, & Oscar have a lot of experience and...patience thanks to a certain someone I love so much who never grew up with pets--poor kid!

Well I hear my cue thanks to the Lovely clear monitor Jojo got for the Baby Shower--thanks Jo, you rock!

Many postings for another day--at least I got in my own cup of coffee!!! So selfish. Ha!

1/2 a year ago...

2009-05-10T20:54:00.005-05:00

I had a fairly regular day...went to a prenatal appt and found out I was 4-5 cms and 100% dilated (aka Walking Time Bomb), went to the office even though I had the day off (for some reason I thought Veteran's Day was observed on that Monday), handed out most of my thank you cards from the work shower, met with the usual "YOU'RE STILLLL HERE?!?!" questions and faces, went to help out the Wicks b/c I think The Doc had car trouble while working at the VA, went out to eat at Fridays with the four of them, went online for a little bit, until the Hub and I thought we would watch some DVR Lost; 10 mins into the show TAD decided he had better vacate! Pulled an all nighter (first since college) and met Thomas at 7:27am the next day. Exhausted but delighted!

Crazy to me that he will be 6 months old tomorrow!!!
Thankful to have shared my 1st Mother's Day with my two favorite guys, and wishing I could have seen my own Mom yesterday as originally planned (stupid flu).

Love to all you Moms, Grandmas and Moms-to-Be!

On Loving Bathrooms by Milo Man

2009-05-04T23:28:00.000-05:00

The aroma is profoundly familiar...

like my entangled nuggets.

-Originally created 4/11/09 @ 2:28PM

A BEautiful Day.

2009-04-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

..For a nap!

In Need of a Good Laugh?

2009-02-20T19:55:00.002-05:00

It's Friday so you should already be happy, but if you just need a good laugh after a long hard week then watch these cutie pies!

Thank you Hoda and Kathie Lee for sharing this--I've become addicted to their morning show!

A-Fraud: Once a Cheater...

2009-02-17T14:40:00.008-05:00

Always a Cheater.

At least in my book. What's the saying..."Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!"

As I watched his Yeah-I-cheated-but-won't-say-the-word-cheating press conference I forgot all about him cheating on his wife too. What a winner.

I must preface this post by saying that even though I am a Red Sox fan true and true, I'm also a fan of the game of baseball. I love the sport, I love reading about the old time players like Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, and Dom and Joe DiMaggio. Until now I held Alex Rodriguez as the best player in the game today, even though he seems to curse every team of which he has been a part in the postseason, when it counts the most. I like to call it the Curse of the A-Rod!

I'll have to finish this post later since Thomas is waking up. If you're reading this on Facebook you'll have to click on View Original Post.

3 Months Old

2009-02-14T12:25:00.008-05:00

Long time no post, I know.
I've been under the weather since the beginning of January off and on, and it's been so annoying. At first, Thomas did not catch my cough and runny nose, and I was quite pleased. Perhaps the breastfeeding immunities worked their magic...

But then The Hub got sick, probably from germy work, and then Thomas caught it too. Like so many others this winter we cannot shake this stupid sickness for the life of us. Just when you think you're starting to get better the cough comes back almost mocking you. Annoying crappy thing. I just feel bad for the baby when he coughs (though his is improving faster than ours) b/c he doesn't understand.

Speaking of the baby--he's getting so big! I attribute this to the natural progression of babies to grow, but also his healthy appetite! He definitely takes after his Daddy in that respect. The bf'ing was hard at first, but now it's a piece of cake thanks to a one-on-one consult with Lactation Care in Newton. They are AWESOME!! It was the best $110 we spent on Thomas and I'm so happy to say that ever since that visit (Jan 2nd) he has been exclusively having Mom's Homecooking ;-) When I can find the time I will definitely give them a glowing review on Yelp.com It's a small woman-owned business, and I actually got to meet with Dot, the founder of the company, who I attribute to be a wise Saint! She's great and they have follow-up phone calls with you as well to make sure you and baby have a good working bf'ing relationship. It really is an skill both of you have to learn; and don't underestimate the father's role as well, at least in the very beginning. Dad's have duties too to help it work. We both went to the bf'ing class at Beth Israel with other couples before we were discharged from the hospital even though we both assumed he need not attend. Not only are there ways for husbands and s/os to help, but it's good on the mom's sleep deprived brain for remembering what you learn at the class. Parenthood is definitely a team effort!

For some reason the pics won't flip like I have them saved, but I don't have time to figure out why...baby calls!

**Yay! With the Paint expertise of The Hub, it's fixed!

Bye Bye Bushie, Hello Barack

2009-01-21T19:44:00.000-05:00

2 Months Old!

2009-01-11T17:13:00.014-05:00

I can't believe how quickly the 2 months flew by! Yet at the same time it feels like he's been a part of our lives forever.

We're all doing splendidly well. The little guy is such a good baby. He's very happy and laid back, and I can't get over how cute he is. I LOVE being a mother! And I'm so happy the Hub is an excellent father and very involved. He came to every single prenatal appointment with me, and so far has gone to every pediatric appointment as well.

--Flying over Daddy

We have one tomorrow morning and I'm curious to see how much Thomas has grown. Earlier this week he had a growth spurt and was feeding like crazy and seemed to not sleep as much as normal, though he's still giving me 4-5 hour stretches at night; usually from 1-2am to 5-6-7am.

Today I tried to put him in an outfit he was wearing on December 22nd when Elizabeth and Joanna came to visit and he can barely fit into it. We had to retire one shirt yesterday that doesn't fit him anymore. Good thing it's so much fun shopping for clothes for him and I have a friend who works at Gap and showers him with Baby Gap clothes every time she sees him! The Hub also found some really cute Baby Gap ones for him around Christmas time, and we've gotten good finds at Old Navy. I love dressing him in cute outfits; it's kind of like having a doll again =) and I do enjoy fashion.

Moon Dance

2009-01-10T17:13:00.005-05:00

It's a marvelous night for a moon dance...

My astronomy class at BU was pretty cool and furthered my interest in the subject. It's hard living in cities and trying to stargaze, but the high powered telescope on the roof of the CAS building along with the IMAX theater at the Museum of Science made learning easier and much more fun than any text book. So if you get a chance this evening peek your head at the moon.

Saturday Night Special: Biggest Full Moon of 2009

Robert Roy Britt
Editorial Director SPACE.com
space.com – Fri Jan 9, 12:56 pm ET

If skies are clear Saturday, go out at sunset and look for the giant moon rising in the east. It will be the biggest and brightest one of 2009, sure to wow even seasoned observers.

Earth, the moon and the sun are all bound together by gravity, which keeps us going around the sun and keeps the moon going around us as it goes through phases. The moon makes a trip around Earth every 29.5 days.

But the orbit is not a perfect circle. One portion is about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to our planet than the farthest part, so the moon's apparent size in the sky changes. Saturday night (Jan. 10) the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to us on this orbit.

It will appear about 14 percent bigger in our sky and 30 percent brighter than some other full moons during 2009, according to NASA. (A similar setup occurred in December, making that month's full moon the largest of 2008.)

High tides

Tides will be higher, too. Earth's oceans are pulled by the gravity of the moon and the sun. So when the moon is closer, tides are pulled higher. Scientists call these perigean tides, because they occur when the moon is at or near perigee. (The farthest point on the lunar orbit is called apogee.)

This month's full moon is known as the Wolf Moon from Native American folklore. The full moon's of each month are named. January's is also known as the Old Moon and the Snow Moon.

A full moon rises right around sunset, no matter where you are. That's because of the celestial mechanics that produce a full moon: The moon and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth, so that sunlight hits the full face of the moon and bounces back to our eyes.

At moonrise, the moon will appear even larger than it will later in the night when it's higher in the sky. This is an illusion that scientists can't fully explain. Some think it has to do with our perception of things on the horizon vs. stuff overhead.

Try this trick, though: Using a pencil eraser or similar object held at arm's length, gauge the size of the moon when it's near the horizon and again later when it's higher up and seems smaller. You'll see that when compared to a fixed object, the moon will be the same size in both cases.

More lunacy

If you have other plans for Saturday night, take heart: You can see all this on each night surrounding the full moon, too, because the moon will be nearly full, rising earlier Friday night and later Sunday night.

Interestingly, because of the mechanics of all this, the moon is never truly 100 percent full. For that to happen, all three objects have to be in a perfect line, and when that rare circumstance occurs, there is a total eclipse of the moon.

A departing fact: The moon is moving away as you read this, by about 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) a year. Eventually this drift will force the moon to take 47 days to circle our world.

Fire Destroys Fenway Restaurants

2009-01-08T19:19:00.001-05:00

I was sad to see this on the news yesterday. These restaurants were good and nicely tucked away behind Fenway Park. They were such a nice alternative to all the chain options that abound. My friend JiYeon is the one who first introduced me to them years ago when we first met Woojin and they weren't as crowded since it was off the beaten path. My favorites were Rod-Dee and the Taqueria. Here's hoping they rebuild.

Fire Destroys Fenway Restaurants
BOSTON

An early morning fire in Boston's Fenway neighborhood destroyed a block of restaurants and forced dozens of people out into the cold Tuesday.

FAST MOVING FIRE

The fire broke out inside Thornton's Fenway Grill at the corner of Peterborough and Kilmarnock Streets around 2 a.m.

It quickly spread to the ceiling and then throughout the block, gutting five other restaurants and a dry cleaner.

"When we first got in there, we thought we had the fire contained in the first building," Robert Dunderdell of the Boston Fire Department said. "But there were no firewalls between the businesses, and it had raced across the building."

DOZENS EVACUATED

About 100 families were forced to evacuate their homes in the neighborhood because of the smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide danger generated by the four-alarm fire.

100 firefighters were called in and they struggled with the icy conditions.

Two of them were hurt when they slipped and fell. No one else was hurt.

CEILING COLLAPSED

Firefighters were forced to pull back at one point because an air conditioning unit crashed through the ceiling of one of the businesses.

Damage is estimated at $5 million.

There's no word yet on how the fire started.

The restaurants destroyed are:

1. Thornton's Fenway Grill
2. Sorento's Italian Gourmet
3. Umi Japanese Restaurant
4. Greek Isles
5. Rod-Dee Thai Cuisine II
6. El Pelon Taqueria

The Mom Song

2009-01-04T17:44:00.002-05:00

To All the Moms Out There...

So much ahead...
=)

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T19:59:00.003-05:00

2008 has been a wonderful year and we wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009!
Hopefully little man will give me more time to post about him on line, but for now a quick pic and our best wishes to you and yours!

-Mad Scientist Hair Style

Merry Christmas to All

2008-12-26T01:30:00.001-05:00

and to all a good night.
Until Thomas deems otherwise...

1 Month Old

2008-12-14T17:27:00.002-05:00

Thomas turned one month old last Thursday and I can't believe how it just flew by! It certainly didn't help being in the hospital for a week, but I'm so glad he is doing much better! He had his one month pediatrician appointment and he now weighs a healthy 9 lbs 13 oz and is 22 inches. This little guy is an eating machine so he really keeps me busy. He is starting to sleep for 3-4 hour stretches at night which has been pretty nice, but he has a hard time falling asleep in his bassinet usually from 12:30am to 3 or 3:30am depending. His schedule does tend to vary, but one thing I've noticed is that when Daddy comes home from work he decides it would be great to sleep for 4 hours, while he stays awake all day for Mommy. Mommy will try to remedy this! I tried to tell him that a 2 hour nap during the day would be SO great, but he wasn't hearing it. The biggest problem I find is that I barely get the time to eat anything, and often get to lunch around 3pm if I'm lucky, but usually 4 or 4:30pm.

He seems to be changing and growing by the hour! Here are some recent pictures...
He has pretty good head control when you hold him on your shoulder, and he loves to be in a vertical position. Today he was fussing no matter what we did until we sat him upright on the couch and suddenly he is as content as can be and looking all around. He thinks he's older than he really is; the nurses were even saying that when he was only a week old in the hospital because he was so alert and curious, and well behaved despite all he was going through.

Well I have lots more to write but he's getting hungry...

Happy Belated Birthday Thomas!

2008-11-26T23:16:00.003-05:00

Name: Thomas Alexander
Birthday: 11/11/08
Time: 7:27am
Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz
Length: 19 inches

With everything that's been going on I realized I didn't even post TAD's birthday information. And I've been bad with sending pictures too so here are some for now.

Just born

In the hospital again

2 weeks old and back home again

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Quick Hospital Update

2008-11-23T01:22:00.002-05:00

Yup, we're still here.

Thomas' test results came back showing he has MRSA, the most resistant form of a staph infection. It started to get a lot worse before it got better and his chest was so swollen and red and painful. Today there has been major improvement as the antibiotics are kicking in and the site is draining (something ugly, but I've never been so happy over the sight of oozing puss). Thanks to heat compresses every 2-3 hours on his chest it started to drain on its own late Thursday night, and the pediatric surgeon will not need to touch him since it's better for the body to do it on its own. He was supposed to have his last dose of IV antibiotics tonight at 4am, but earlier this evening the nurses had to take it out again. They have been closely monitoring his IV since it fell out and his arm puffed up a couple days ago and the poor little guy had to be poked a few times again since they have trouble threading the needle into such small veins. All I could think was not again, he cried so much both times they tried to start it, and his skin is all red and irritated from the tape.

Luckily, they've decided to spare him (and they're running out of places to try) so he is going to get the oral antibiotic at 4am. This is the first time today I've had a chance to breathe, and I should probably get some sleep. He has been feeding like crazy today that I think all I've been doing is nursing him. I thank all of you for your voice mail, facebook, and text messages of keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. I'll hopefully be able to return calls soon.

We are expected to go home tomorrow (later today technically) if he doesn't react badly to the oral medicine.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

One Week Old

2008-11-19T11:35:00.006-05:00

and two hospitals.

I will preface this by saying Baby Thomas is doing remarkably well for what he is going through; he is such a little trooper.

Yesterday he turned one week old and though I haven't been online for a few days I was going to try to post a little about his birthday, but instead we ended up at the pediatrician and then at the Emergency Department. We're still here at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and will be for at least 48 hours while he gets antibiotics for an infection he has, and they check for other things like meningitis (just to be on the safe side). It was hard seeing him stuck with so many needles since his veins are so thin and the needle is small; they failed to get it in twice and had to stop. He also got a spinal tap (and didn't even cry) and some cultures taken.

Poor little guy is 8 days old and half of his life has been spent in the hospital. We have to be careful holding him as he is attached to an IV and other monitors so there are a lot of lines connected to him. Overall, he is a good little fellow and still feeding and very alert. He didn't get a fever until today and already the medicine has knocked it down. He is a hit with all the ladies because he is so adorable and sweet (luckily they attached a lojack-like device on his leg so no one steals him! One of the student nurses joked that she wanted to.), and is being very well taken care of.

Hopefully we'll go home tomorrow night if his tests come back alright and he responds well to treatment. Fingers crossed...

Red Sox Baby

2008-11-09T19:32:00.001-05:00

OK so it's not the real reason we chose Beth Israel to deliver Thomas, but I can't wait to see him in the cute little cap! Being the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox has its advantages. I actually used to go to Brigham and Women's Hospital and had a really great OB/GYN but then she moved to Chicago, and since I already had other doctors I see at the BI, figured it made sense to have them all at one hospital if they ever needed to share information.

BIDMC’s name is displayed throughout Fenway Park while photos of babies born at BIDMC are featured on the jumbotron, wearing the official baby hat of the Red Sox. Each newborn at BIDMC receives the hat and other Red Sox goodies, including a certificate for a free tour of Fenway when the baby reaches five years old.

It's really nice to be able to choose between such top notch hospitals in Boston, but I also wish I were closer to family.

Last Weekend of Blessed Sleep?

2008-11-08T10:50:00.004-05:00

So TAD's projected birthday was yesterday and I guess I should have trusted my initial instinct that he will be late (he already takes after his parents!) After my appointment last Monday I thought he was a lot closer when to my surprise the doctor told me I was 3-4cm and 90% effaced! It wasn't the cms since I know plenty of women who have walked around for 2 weeks being a few cms dilated but it was the effacement that really caught me off guard. I have been feeling a lot of pelvic pressure, but no contractions. The doc said I would probably be fine if I wanted to get it over with and be induced as he was pleased with the progress and said I would probably not need a c-section. He said I could have the baby tomorrow if I wanted. I told him I had to vote and still had things to finish at work. Since I wasn't expecting the news too I didn't feel ready either!

Though the last few weeks of pregnancy are no walk in the park, it doesn't really bother me if he comes late, if anything I'm grateful for the extra time to get things ready, but what I find annoying is the many people who act like he's 3 weeks late (even before his due date); there's only so many times I can stand to hear, "He STILL hasn't come yet?!?!?" or hear the jokes that he will be "4 feet tall by the time he is born" UGH! I consider myself a pretty calm person, but those comments only make me feel anxious and that doesn't do any good. I've still been working, but the last couple of days I worked from home, which is a little less distracting and I can be in my comfy pajamas all day. Everyone tells me I'm crazy to still be working, (and toward the end of this week I've started to think they're right) but I'd rather spend as much time with the little one after he's born.

Besides the whole miracle and amazing process of conceiving and growing a new life, it has been interesting to say the least being pregnant. On a social aspect you really learn so much about people's private lives. I went to go vote during my lunch break at work last Tuesday since I work closer to my old crib in Brighton than where I live now, and keep forgetting to change that; actually they still had the good ol'
Rock for me. It took so long, not because I had to wait in line, but because the women signing me in and then walking me to the booth had a million questions and then had to tell me all about their experiences. Besides slowing me down a lot, I don't mind and find it's funny all the personal stuff you learn about complete strangers! And it's not just women, it's the men too! At times it can be touching as their eyes glisten with joy and pride just thinking back to the day their own babies were born. It's a moment many have tried to describe, and ultimately say it's a feeling you have to experience yourself to fully realize that amount of love...I can't wait!

Week 39

2008-11-02T11:44:00.005-05:00

I have a suspicion TAD is feeling quite snuggly, which isn't a horrible thing even with the general uncomfortableness of late pregnancy. Reason being, I still feel like there's a lot of last minute things we need to do; things that of course we can still do after the birth but I'm expecting we'll be both too tired to want to do anything besides sleep when not taking care of the little guy.

I'm still working, and plan to work up until I think he's coming, though it's getting pretty tiring so I may take a day off this week since I have the time, and then I can go run some errands. I put together an Oktoberfest at work and while we were celebrating the office gave me a card everyone had signed and a very generous Babies R Us gift card. It was really nice; then the Friday before last the women of the office threw me a lovely baby shower after work. It was really sweet and felt like a 2nd family. My friend Zoi's little man Rocco "crashed" the party, and he was such a hit. Quite charming at 18 months old. (I may have some pictures to add later, but the coworker who took them is sea kayaking in Mexico (so awesome!), so maybe when she comes back.)

We bought the Baby a new car last weekend, ha ha. I should have thrown that on the registry! It was easy getting by with only one car when we lived in Boston, right on the Green Line, and we had figured we would have had to buy a 2nd car 2 years ago when we moved here, but we actually made it work pretty well, and saved money in the meantime. It's awesome having a 2nd one now though! We bought a 2009 Hyundai Sonata, and thanks to the Hub's diligent research combined with the crappy economy we got it way below invoice. When other dealerships can't even match the price it's safe to say you're getting a good deal.

Well off to do some more cleaning and errands. I can't say I'm getting the "nesting" instinct, but I can't sit around while SD does all the work. Well technically I probably could, he's been so great and accommodating, but I'm not that kind of girl!

Funny Skit

2008-10-26T10:02:00.005-05:00

Rarely is SNL funny enough to watch anything other than the opening bit and then fast fwd to Weekend Update, so it's no surprise I fell asleep through all of it last night (well maybe being 8 1/2 months pregnant had something to do with it as well). Thanks to the Internet you can find the rare funny gem like this one.
Lucky for the show that former cast members want to come back for these funny political skits lately.

Birthday...

2008-10-19T22:26:00.003-05:00

Take a cha-cha-cha-chance.

My friend, PS, set-up a baby pool for TAD, which I've added to the top right corner of this blog. I have a guess of my own, but I don't want to influence anyone else's so I'll add it a little later (but not too late!). So what's your guess?

I can't believe he'll be here so soon! The last couple of months really flew by. I'm just so excited to meet him =)

Since him and I probably won't be eating cake on his birthday I've been indulging in some pre-celebratory cake (and other delicious desserts) for the both of us these last few weeks. The cakes were more due to all the showers, and I much prefer a big hot fudge sundae from Friendly's or Uno's Chocolate Wow...mmmmmmm.

Baby Showers

2008-10-13T20:16:00.016-05:00

This weekend marked the 3rd baby shower in a row. First for Tad (ours), then Button (Jennifer & Brian's), then Poof (Aura & Kevin's). We're all slated to have November babies. It's been really special having 2 of my friends, both of whom I've known for so many years, pregnant at the same time! They are both going to be surprised at the sex; I predict girl for Aura and boy for Jen...just a hunch and a 50% chance of being correct.Tad received many new and cute things. My sisters put together a really nice shower, and Salvatore's food always tastes great (we also had our rehearsal dinner there the night before the wedding). Here's the cake they supplied, which I thought was cute.

The 2 babies that attended (outside the womb at least) were very well behaved and cute as can be! Here they are with their mommies.

Then we have Button's cake...

followed by Poof's cake.

I can't wait to meet these new little people!

Shoe Fetish

2008-09-22T21:44:00.007-05:00

Milo has two favorite sleeping spots for whatever reason. So if you don't see him at the top of the stairs, he is undoubtedly surrounded by shoes. He loves sleeping on and near our shoes. He cracks me up, but is as happy as a clam when he's surrounded by shoes.

Now Oscar on the other hand likes to beat up our shoes. His favorite being SD's big brown shoe (near Milo's tail in the picture). When we went on vacation a few weeks ago to the Cape we came home to find one of that pair in the upstairs bathroom! He literally dragged it across the kitchen floor, through the living room, and up the stairs into the bathroom. It was hilariously sitting on the bathmat next to the tub, where he likes to bring all of his "prizes." That shoe is not light, and Oscar is quite small so that's a feat I would have loved to see!

These cats are so silly.

My Celebrity Mom

2008-09-18T21:44:00.007-05:00

My mom is really good at writing grants to get money for library books for the Springfield Public Schools. I believe last year, thanks to her, one of her schools received a prestigious federal grant that only 1 other school in Mass was awarded bringing thousands of dollars to help revitalize their somewhat rundown library.

Now her hard work has paid off again, and she made it to the papers. She really cares about helping the children, even if it means extra unpaid time at work running the Scrabble club or buying supplies with her own money. She's passionate about what she does and I very much admire her for it.
So nice job Mom! You rock!
;-)

Prepared?

2008-09-16T21:20:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure if one can ever be prepared for giving birth, but in an effort to be a little less unprepared we went to an all day "Prepared Childbirth" class last Sunday.
Description:
This comprehensive childbirth class covers all aspects of pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum including: the anatomy and physiology of late pregnancy, the labor and birth process, signs and stages of labor, options for coping and pain management, common complications and promoting positive communication with your care-giver. We will help prepare you for all aspects of birth from knowing when to leave for the hospital or birth center to taking care of yourself after birth. This class provides some information on natural coping methods such as relaxation, breathing and massage (although not as much as the natural childbirth class), as well as information about pain medication and epidural anesthesia. All participants will receive a detailed information packet and view a birthing video. We encourage participation by your partner or support person. You should call to register for this class in your 4th or 5th month of pregnancy and it should be taken around the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy.

Having very few weekends left to sleep as late as we want before the little guy makes his debut, there are very few things to get us up early and we hoped it would be worth it.

It was a pretty good class and I'm glad to have gone, but probably not worth the nearly $200 price. There were 4 other couples, all first timers, and all of us except one having boys (I swear it's the new craze!)

I love Anatomy and Physiology thanks to an awesome teacher I had in high school and that part of the class made me want to go back to school. The body really does some amazing things!

Luckily there were no annoying people in class and the instructor was pretty entertaining. We learned some good techniques to try to help labor along before the doctors would intervene. I'm trying to not set my mind on any one way to do it, though my fear of needles has me hoping it won't be too painful (yeah right, I know). I hate needles, but one in your spine makes my back hurt just thinking of it.

I was thinking of maybe becoming a member of this Isis Maternity, the company that partners with a lot of Boston hospitals to provide these services, but since they wouldn't give me the 10% discount on the class even though someone on the phone had told me that would apply if you signed up for membership close to the class (we signed up on Friday), it was really no longer cost effective. I still may check out their "Mom and Baby Yoga" class during maternity leave since my coworker dates a woman who wrote a book about how beneficial it is in helping both mom and baby sleep and feel better. Could be interesting. They also have a class to lose that "Mummy Tummy" but I think I'll just go back to the gym.

All in all, still not feeling prepared, but feeling a little better about childbirth.
=)

November Babies

2008-09-08T23:28:00.006-05:00

They say good things come in threes, and babies are pretty good indeed!

I recently found out another one of my friends is pregnant and she is also due in November!!! I've been so tired I've been bad at keeping in touch and hadn't seen her and her husband since I held the MS Charity Dinner Benefit back in late March when she was almost a month pregnant and I was a month and a half. We're about 3 weeks apart!

-Photo op with someone elses empty beer bottle... sneaky, sneaky, hee hee;

It was kinda hard not drinking that night (besides good ol' Shirley Temples) as I got a lot of offers from people to buy me a drink for putting the event together.

This is her first and they're waiting to find out the sex, which I was thinking today during A Baby Story how exciting that would be, but the suspense would have killed me by now! Maybe next time...

So now I literally have back to back to back weekends of baby showers from late September to October (for Tad, then Button, then Poof)--how exciting and special to share this with two friends who go way back (Jennifer to childhood and Aura to 5th grade).

Congratulations Jen and Brian!!!
-Two more BU alums
See you soon for a nice "adult" dinner before we all become parents! And the extra great thing is since she's in the area we'll be on maternity leave together. Starting with our fathers we'll have 3 generations of friends...hmmm kinda rooting for Button to be a boy now that I think of that!

Another Wedding and a Trip to Chicago

2008-09-02T22:39:00.006-05:00

Here I am: still being a bad blogger.

Wanted to post real quickly in between trips.
We went to Elizabeth's wedding last Friday in Chicago. It was gorgeous weather, and it was held right on Promontory Point which juts out into Lake Michigan. She looked beautiful and was so happy! When they were getting married a butterfly came and landed right on the bride's dress near her shoulder!
It was a mini BU reunion and we all had a wonderful time!

The next day E and Dan were off to the Bahamas and Joanna, Ji Yeon, Woojin, Scott and I met up downtown at Lou Mitchell's for brunch. YUM--MMMMY! It was a place recommended by Jo's hotel and it was so good! If you're ever in Chicago it's worth going to. You're greeted with a smile and a nice lady who serves fresh homemade donut holes while you wait for a table (because it's sure to be packed). Then as we waited for our food they brought us all a little cup with fresh orange slices and a prune. The food was all fresh and made to order, as each omelette came out in it's own little pan. Then to top it off before you pay the bill they give everyone some of their homemade ice cream for free.

After that we all headed separate ways as they had planes to catch and we met up with Jesse and his new wife Miriam for the day. I literally don't think I've seen Jesse since Espresso Royale the night of graduation. 6 years too long--I'm very happy he is done with going to Iraq after two tours and is now out of the military, though I guess they can call him back for one more year. We hung out and went to Millenium Park for the Jazz Festival, though we didn't hear much music.

We then took the Metra and went to a delicious Italian restaurant in Little Italy. It was a good time and good conversation. They got a sweet Creme Brulee and we got a Chocolate and Mint Ice Cream Lava Cake. I have to admit, ever since my glucose test came back just fine (yay no gestational diabetes!) I have been indulging a little too much in my sweet tooth.
Well I'll try to be better with baby updates since I only have 10 weeks left--yikes!
For now we're off to the Cape to get away for the rest of the week and celebrate our 3rd year anniversary.
Last vacation just the 2 of us (though the little one makes himself known by kicking me like a little ninja!)
Hiya!

Babies, Weddings, Green Monsters and Fireworks

2008-08-08T22:21:00.010-05:00

Well as you can tell I'm barely online lately. I've been pretty tired and engrossed in reading Angels and Demons.

I'll try to do some more recapping that I've been meaning to do.

The Big Ultrasound
We had the big ultrasound on June 9th where we were excited to learn It's a Boy! I call this the Big Ultrasound because it's much longer than a regular one with my doctor and they measure a lot of things and really get in depth. At Beth Israel it's done in Radiology. They counted all the fingers and toes, we were able to see the 4 chambers of the heart, the hemispheres of the brain, and overall he looks very good and healthy. We even saw him drinking the amniotic fluid--it was amazing to see! This thing was so in depth they could even tell from which ovary the egg was fertilized. He was moving quite a bit during the ultrasound, but at the time I still couldn't feel any of it due to the anterior position of the placenta (things I would never think of). There is no question of the sex--definitely a boy! My friend Aura is due a week after me with her 2nd and had an ultrasound the same day (even within 15 mins of each other) so we were texting each other on the way to the hospital to wave hi to the little ones and wish each other well. In the beginning it was hard not to get a little anxious, always eager to see and hear the heartbeat and hope everythng looks ok (thankfully it did).

Things are going well. I'm really feeling the baby kick a lot now, mostly when I lay down or am eating food. The last ultrasound we had was Monday of last week and he's measuring over 2 lbs and looking good. Beth Israel also does the 3D ultrasounds which I'm not big on as I think they look kinda freaky, but seeing him live on the monitor was very neat. You can see more of the facial structure and the little bitty shape of the nose, things you normally just see in profile.

Niferose's Wedding
June 15th we went to Jen and Nick's wedding. It was a great time and it's still funny to think how Jen liked him way back in middle school and now they are married! Her dress was gorgeous and a pale pink which everyone loved. Here's a picture of "the six of us," a group that started around middle school, some of us as early as elementary. The ceremony was at Mount Holyoke's chapel where she went to college and the grounds were lovely for picture taking. Aura's daughter Carolyn was a flower girl (an old pro, she was also the flower girl in my wedding) and she was so cute as we all got ready together. She's very excited about her mother's pregnancy and everything we did she'd say the babies are talking, the babies are sitting near each other, the babies are walking; then she'd come over every so often and hug me or pat my belly and exclaim, baby! Nick cracks me up and sang/performed a signature song of his, which I caught on tape. Now they are going through the process of buying their first house together--good luck on the inspection and everything!

The Philly Move
June 21st we drove down to Philly for the last time to help our friends move back to Boston. PS has all the gritty details on her blog so I defer to that. We're very happy to have them close by!

Green Monster Seats!
We enjoyed a unique view of a Red Sox game from atop the Green Monster, and it was wicked awesome! It didn't matter that they lost or that no home run balls came flying at us--it was such a cool experience. I won a sales contest at work and this is what I got/hoped for. I've been in a lot of behind the scenes places at Fenway but this is the one place I could never go. The left fielder was pretty close to us even though we were high up.

4th of July
I'll close with the 4th of July party on my cousin, Wendy's roof deck on Beacon Hill. It was pretty nice and made me nostalgic of the days when the Hub and I lived in Kenmore Square right along the Charles as we'd have 4th of July BBQs up there where you can see the barge shooting off the fireworks. Our roofdeck was lit up by the CITGO sign, it was the best thing about that tiny studio apartment we somehow survived in together (that thing was tiny--it must have been true love, ha!) It was also reminiscent of childhood 4th of Julys since her Dad was manning the grill and we sang happy birthday to her and her twin sister Darlee.

All for now--need to get some sleep. Tomorrow it's off to The Stacks for a BBQ. I can't believe it's already August; this summer is flying by!

Long Post: Part I

2008-07-13T21:21:00.016-05:00

Things have been busy but I'll do my best to recap here sans all the details a fresher memory would supply:

The Hub and I took a mini roadtrip at the end of May into early June. It was fun; first stop was Philly for the weekend where we were hoping to meet Shaun but he did not wish to evacuate. We all thought Saturday night into Sunday morning was going to be the big birthday so we made sure to know where all David's essentials were so we could take care of him. Needless to say we never got woken up in the middle of the night in a labor frenzy. We had a good time relaxing and going out to eat around Philly.

-Two preggos 41 weeks and 17 weeks

We left Monday morning to make our way to Baltimore to see the Red Sox play the Orioles. It was cool to be at an away game, though funny that there were almost as many Sox fans as there were O's. Camden Yards was neat to see but not as nice as I was expecting; I guess I'm biased with my love of Fenway Park. It's also kind of sad to see so many empty seats. After the game we drove down to Laurel to be closer to DC for our next leg of the trip.

The next day it was off to DC and there was so much to see and do we certainly didn't get to everything. There was a lot of walking and, unlike good old New England, it was hot! We parked along the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial and walked toward the Washington Monument. We took in the World War II Memorial and read the quotes and facts that were in abundance.Besides school I learned a lot of this history through my dad and his vast WWII knowledge and collection, and his fondness for watching the History Channel.

Then we walked the length of the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. That was the one I wanted to see the most so when I got there I was determined to walk up all the steps even though SD offered to run up and take a picture. My legs were tired and weak from the walk and the weather, but I knew I would regret it if I walked all that way only to sort of see him at a distance and through the lens of a camera. I'm so glad I did and to top it off it was nice and cool in the stone shade of it.

After that we went to the Museum of Natural History where the highlight for me was the gem and mineral part where they store the humongous Hope Diamond. It's nice that all the museums are free.

We saw the White House from a distance and then headed over to Arlington National Cemetery. By that time it was later in the day and my legs were not up for more walking. Next time we go back I would definitely do one of those bus tours where you can jump off and jump on throughout the day to save all the walking. I had also wanted to do the night tour but it said it was 3 1/2 hours long which seemed like a lot, so we opted out.

The next day we went to the National Zoo, which was fun, but I swear it was one big freakin' hill, and did I mention the heat? Here are some pics from that day. This panda was the younger one and I felt like he should have been hosed down or something; he was just panting so much His father was inside happily chewing away. I love seeing all the different wildlife at zoos, but am always somewhat torn, especially when seeing the lions and bigger animals as it seems like they never have enough space in which to roam around. I do understand some of it is for conservation, and there was a nice educational aspect of it. I liked the way they had staff at various areas throughout dispersing interesting facts, which is something I didn't really see at the Franklin Park Zoo.

Well I'm gonna stop for now so I can get up tomorrow for work, and will have to continue my other updates another time. Oh the weekends go by too fast!

P.S. The Bon Jovi concert was awesome!!!

Whooah we're halfway there

2008-07-09T22:36:00.003-05:00

Livin' on a prayer

This song has been stuck in my head since last night when I found out I'm going to the Bon Jovi concert tomorrow night in Boston!! Whoo hoo!!

Things have been pretty non stop lately and I have a lot to post about from the roadtrip to a wedding, to the BIG ultrasound, the big Philly move, Green Monster seats, celebrating the Hub's 30th bday, 4th of July/my twin cousins birthday, and the Pearl Jam concert, all while getting some quality time at the beach, trying to settle on a contractor for the kitchen and find a good day care. I'll have to find time to do one lonnnnnng post. Promise! (just not tonight)

I'm just jumping on to say I'm so excited for tomorrow's concert at the Garden! This baby has been rocking it!

The Big 3-0

2008-07-01T09:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Sweetie!

First Comes...

2008-06-19T21:02:00.009-05:00

Then comes...

Then comes the....

That's right we are expecting our first baby November 7th! Things have been very busy lately with weddings, roadtrips, and renovations that I've been a bad blogger, but I'll try to be better between falling asleep at an old lady's hour (I'm super tired, but feeling good). For now we are off to Philly to help our friends move back here and meet fashionably late Shaun.

David vs. David

2008-05-29T19:51:00.005-05:00

I vowed this year not to watch American Idol because I got hooked for the first time last season and then just annoyed toward the end. Well as I posted before, with no new TV to watch thanks to the writers' strike, I helplessly got sucked in this year. I am happy to report that even though I found some parts of it unbearably annoying and hokey my favorite, David Cook, ended up winning! He didn't really stand out until he sang Lionel Richie's "Hello" and then I fell in love.

After that he was just consistently good and unique. My 2nd favorite of his was Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

The funniest part is that the Hub's work had an American Idol Draft of sorts after it went down to 24 contestants and he ended up with the last pick in a snake draft (for those of you non fantasy draft dorks he had picks 12 and 13), so with all the good ones taken he chose (hee hee) Danny Noreiga as his first pick and then happened to pick no name David Cook as his second. Even after the first week or two I'd be like what is the name of your other guy? So luck prevailed and he picked the hidden gem of the season and won it all. For the first time we actually voted the last 2 weeks of the competition. Even though he won by a landslide 12 million votes, I am convinced the 6 times we actually made it through (those pesky lines are always busy) really made the difference. I liked the other David alright but was annoyed that he forgot the lyrics to one of his songs for the 2nd time and none of the judges commented on that after the Chris Brown song, which he sounded as funny and ingenuine singing "I need you boo" as my husband would. And he recycled John Lennon's "Imagine" which I thought was cheap.
Anyway, yay David Cook!

Going Green

2008-05-11T09:44:00.006-05:00

Green Monster seats that is!
I'm so excited to finally be able to watch a Red Sox game from the Green Monster! These seats are next to impossible to get; even when I'm working there I wear a pass letting me go everywhere except the Green Monster.

So how did I get these, you ask? By winning the monthly sales contest at work! Half way through April when I went on a selling tear and was asked what I would like if (when) I win, I laughed and said what I wanted was unattainable. When told not to underestimate who the President of the company knows, I said I would love Green Monster seats but know how terribly hard they are to get. Well lo and behold, I did win and though I was about to go to a hospital meeting on the South Shore the President and CEO called me up to personally congratulate me and let me know of the prize I had won. I was so shocked! I couldn't go last weekend since I was already so booked so I'll be going sometime in June, which is probably better anyway since it's been so cold lately. Plus, we were only able to get Sox tickets for April and May so now I have a summer game to look forward to. I'm a little Soxed out if you can believe it; too much Fenway food for dinner and the cold doesn't help. Last week we sat through a cold 2 1/2 hour rain delay with The Stacks, luckily they won! Then 2 days before that we took Eric and his roommate and even though the seats were cheap we had a pretty cool view a couple rows down from the Dunkin Dugout:
We went to 2 other games in April, the 2nd home game of the season with Harveen, whose boyfriend won the 2 we contributed to the MS Charity Event Raffle and another April game, just the two of us, in these awesome seats near home plate. We were actually caught on the Sports Center highlights later that night! It's been fun and we have one more game this month in the awesome seats (1st row after the coveted field box section). Maybe you'll see me on TV again...Then it's off to Baltimore in June to finally see Camden Yards and then down to DC. I'm looking forward to a mini vacation and road trip--and hopefully meeting Mr. Shaun Scott Wicks in Philly!

Long Before These Crowded Streets

2008-04-29T21:33:00.011-05:00

Here Stood My Dreaming Tree...

Things I've Been Wondering Lately...

1. Where did the warm weather go?
I thought spring was here fo shizzle and then it left this weekend, and all I have to wear are my pretty skirts and sleeveless shirts. Today I begrudgingly dug out my warmer clothes again.

2. Why is it that shots in a beaker seem so much more mature and professional?
I was out at a social networking event with my friend Harveen and was content drinking wine all night, but the Boston Billiard waitress brought around blue shots in test tubes and we couldn't resist. Now Dr. Harveen was probably reminded of research at Beth Israel, but I was reminded of beakers and bunsen burners in science class, and for some reason the Scientist feeling of it all made it a lot less college-like. And the blue tastiness made me go for round two!

3. Will I really win a Red Sox Ring or a new Volvo?
I hope so. I figured I would try it on since I already had a picture of me wearing the 1st World Series Ring in 86 years.

4. Why can't people learn how to drive?
I honestly think people should have to retake their driving exam every certain amount of years and prove they're not total idiots.

5. Will I ever stop getting a kick out of the wild turkeys that parade across our lawn and parking lot?
Probably not. This nature thing is so neat to live around. The wild turkeys make me laugh the most; we also have seen many bunnies, ducks, frogs, and the regulars.

6. Will I ever get flowers again?
After 2 1/2 years of marriage the Hub finally remembered that though I'm practical, I am still a girl, and desire flowers once in a while. I think the last time he got me flowers delivered to work was when he proposed in 2004. Yeah, I'm keeping track! So just in case i have to wait another few years I took a picture of them so I could remember how beautiful they are.

Say Goodbye to Trans Fats in Boston

2008-04-18T18:24:00.002-05:00

So I've been following the proposal to ban trans fats in Boston restaurants and am happy to hear it will actually happen!
It's so unhealthy and I love to eat out but don't necessarily always "know" what I'm eating and just how bad it is for my health, other than the obvious salad being better than a burger and fries. Let's face it, when going out to eat it's more about taste than health. At home I can cook with ground turkey and olive oil rather than loads of butter, but chef's are pretty focused on wowing customers with a delicious dish, something they'll remember and come back to order.
In our increasingly smart and health conscious society I thought this would be well received, but some user comments really surprised me (I'll put them in the comments section of this post, some good, some dumb, some followed by my own comments on their comment!)

Here's to our health!

Public Health
Boston trans fat ban receives final approval
March 13, 2008 04:46 PM
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff

Boston health regulators today unanimously approved a ban on artery-clogging trans fat in restaurants and grocery stores.

Boston joins a growing number of cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Brookline, in banning the food ingredient, commonly found in french fries, donuts and other fried foods. Trans fat have been linked to heart disease in humans and diabetes in experimental animals.

The first phase of the ban goes into effect in September and will apply to the use of cooking oils, shortening and margarine that contains artificial trans fat. The makers of baked goods will have a year to eliminate trans fat from their products.

Packaged goods clearly labeled as containing trans fat can still be sold. Most major manufacturers have already removed trans fat from their products.

The Boston prohibition would include all restaurants, including school and hospital cafeterias, as well as food that is prepared in kitchens inside groceries and delis.

City inspectors will visit businesses to make sure they comply with the ban, and scofflaws could face fines of up to $1,000 for each violation.

Studies estimate that having as few as 40 calories of trans fat a day can boost the risk of a heart attack by 23 percent. A fast-food meal of chicken nuggets and French fries, if prepared with artificial trans fat, can easily contain more than 100 calories of the substance.

Here Comes the Rain

2008-04-12T18:15:00.003-05:00

So I've been keeping a close eye on the weather this weekend and hoping for a clear Sunday with the MS Walk and all.
The forecast changed from rain all weekend to just Friday night and Saturday. It actually held off for most of today and we got some errands done like looking for a grill so we can feed and thank our hungry fellow walkers afterward tomorrow, going grocery shopping for steak, burgers, dogs and buns, and getting a new hanging bird feeder. We forgot the beer and milk (along with wine my favorite dinner beverage).
So after watching the tarp being pulled over the field of Fenway I figured I better make a run to Pam's Market for some milk at least while the Hub got the butternut squash risotto going. I made my dash and sure enough as I was pulling into our place big fat drops started to fall. It's nice to be forewarned by the televised Sox game. I was feeling lucky so I also grabbed a mega millions b/c who couldn't use millions of dollars?!?! If you don't hear from me in a while it's probably b/c I'm on my long awaited Tahiti trip!

Tonight will be a quiet night so we can be well rested for the Walk tomorrow. Thanks a bunch to all those who have so generously donated to this special cause--it really means a lot to me!

Still crossing the fingers for clear skies along the Charles River...

Opening Day!

2008-04-08T17:51:00.005-05:00

The boys of summer are back home!

Tomorrow I'm going to be at the game; not working it but as a paying customer =)
Daisuke had a great game pitching a shut out game.
Buckner threw out the 1st pitch to my surprise, but I did think it was a nice gesture and luckily the crowd actually gave him a warm reception and standing ovation. The experience, Buckner said, was "probably about as emotional as it could get."

I do miss my days at BU where I'd go to Fenway just for the excitement and opening day posters...there was always an energetic buzz on opening day.

Can't wait to grab a beer and devour my Rem Dawg tomorrow--though it has probably a year's worth of grease in it--kinda worth it!

He's Pregnant?

2008-04-03T08:26:00.012-05:00

Apparently, along with engagements, getting pregnant is also the thing to do--even if you're a guy!

I saw this on TV yesterday as I was home sick and watching Oprah. I guess he/she is going to be on Oprah today. Of course your 1st thought is how could this be?!?!? Followed by, maybe my husband can be the one to feel like crap for 9 months and then squeeze a 7-8lb human out...

I guess this "guy" was really born a female, and went through the transgender changes except never got rid of his female reproductive parts. I'm curious how this works since I studied this in my college Abnormal Psych class, (I think the Doc was in this class with me? Or maybe that was just Statistics that we had together, hmmm...getting old) and I know they have to go through a lot of testosterone therapy. This guy has facial hair and stuff, but I guess the repro organs were not affected by it. Strange, but to each their own.

Also, attesting to the fact that getting pregnant is the thing to do, I read an article a couple months ago about how they're calling this another "baby boom" of sorts, as the U.S is experiencing the highest birth rate in the past 45 years!

JON COOK
Special to The Globe and Mail
March 31, 2008 at 11:44 AM EDT
These days, babies are the new black. Popular culture is obsessed with them: from Angelina's exotic adoptions and Britney's bizarre custody battles to Hollywood blockbusters Knocked Up and Juno. Birth rates are rising along with the mercury, spawning a multibillion-dollar industry selling high-end baby goods to googlie-eyed parents at an unprecedented rate.

And I thought pale was the new black...perhaps sun protected pregnant women (and men, I guess) are the new thing.

Speaking of movies, I really want to see Baby Mama with Tina Fey and Amy Peohler--looks LMAO funny!

Two Charity Events Weekend

2008-03-30T22:01:00.015-05:00

This weekend was pretty busy.

I hosted a Charity Event to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on Friday night. It was a lot of work to plan but in the end it was a great time and successful. The attendance rate wasn't looking too great the week before and I had to seriously consider whether it was worth running or not, but by the end of the week with some last minute replies there ended up being over 20 people to RSVP and show up so that was good. We had our own private room and bar, the food was pretty good, and later in the night there were some fun raffle prizes, including the much desired Red Sox tickets, which Rohit won! The crowd was very diverse with coworkers, college friends, friends from home, and new friends I've met along the way. It was great to see everyone and meet the nice guests people brought. I'd like to again give thanks to the generous sponsors who donated many prizes valued over $50:

-Chiara Bistro, a fine dining restaurant in Westwood. Thanks Dan!
-West Newton Liquor Mart, an excellent little wine shop run by a husband and wife. They only have the best tasting wine and actually introduced me to one of my favorite, yet hard to find, bottles of red wine. Thanks Joann! (and I can't spell her Italian husband's name)
-Dellaria Salon in Needham. Thanks Amy!
-Donahue's Bar and Grill in Watertown, where we held the event. Thanks John!

-Two of our lucky winners (right), who drove the farthest to attend!

All the proceeds for this event are going toward the MS Walk which I'm doing in Boston, April 13th along with some dear family and friends. I'm really excited about the money we've all raised so far and hope the weather is good that day! It should be fun!

The other Charity Event I attended was on Saturday to benefit the Avon Walk against Breast Cancer. My friend and coworker Cheryl is participating in that walk, which is pretty intense and you have to raise at least $1,800 or pay the difference.
If you'd like to sponsor either of these great causes most of you have a link to my personal page and Cheryl's can be found here. If you do want to donate to Cheryl's team she requests that you donate to one of her team members since she already reached her goal, and the extra that she raises doesn't count toward her teammates required $1,800. Just click on "Walking 4 2nd Base team page."

I just checked the Boston MS Walk site and my name is listed as one of the top individual fund raisers! That's only going to increase once I add the more than $600 raised from the benefit! This is very exciting--thanks to all who have supported me so far in this endeavor!

To Everything, There is a Season

2008-03-24T18:23:00.002-05:00

And a time for every purpose, under Heaven.

Despite the cold long winters of New England, I like living here because of the changing seasons. It is officially spring even though it doesn't feel like it. On the bright side It's already staying light later and I'm hopeful the blooming flowers arrive early this year. I can't help but feel that the real spring is almost here; especially since baseball season is upon us. If you're an early bird you can catch them play against Oakland in Japan at 6am tomorrow morning! I wish I were a morning person, but I love to sleep! There's a quiet about the morning that I love, and people tend to be nicer then. My friend at the Law School once told me it's because no one has ruined their day yet. I dunno. Ha, I guess it makes sense.

I can't wait for the Gardens to be in full bloom. This is definitely my favorite season; I even took this little test to find out, and yup, it's confirmed!

You Belong in Spring

Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world...
You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring.
Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season!

What Season Are You?

The Hub is a fan of Autumn which the quiz also confirmed. Try for yourself and let me know which season you like th best!

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times...
You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings
Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Engagement News

2008-03-16T11:31:00.004-05:00

Getting married is the thing to do!

I have some more friends who recently got engaged! I'm so happy for them, and absolutely love weddings!

I am a bridesmaid in my friend Jen's June wedding, and went to a bridal shop last weekend to get my measurements. I have to admit being surrounded by beautiful wedding dresses again made me a little nostalgic and a couple gowns in particular caught my eye! Seeing as I have no intent of divorcing my husband just so I can have another wedding day, I will have to be content with what I already had, which I would easily describe as the best day of my life; not solely b/c I married the best guy I know, but more b/c of how special it was to have so many beloved family and friends together to celebrate our day. It was the people in attendance that really made it so stand-out-special for me.

My college friend and sophomore year roomie, Elizabeth, got engaged last month and her engagement story is literally THE BEST I've ever heard!! Props to Dan for an incredible plan. My friend thought they were going to Cali for their anniversary and instead he whisked her away to Paris! That's not even the best part (though good enough taking your girlfriend to the most romantic city on earth!), then he wined and dined her at a fancy Parisian restaurant only to time his proposal just perfect that right after he proposed and she said yes the Eiffel Tower lit up for Paris par nuit! I LOVE her story and am so excited for her wedding this Labor Day weekend (a very good time indeed to get married! Not that I'm biased or anything ;-) I will be celebrating my 3 year anniversary in Chicago since we'll make a little trip out of it.

My high school friend Catherine is getting married in 2 weeks! I'm really looking fwd to it. Her bridal shower was very nicely done, and Jen and I helped her with the gift opening and recording. It was a lot of fun. We can be pretty embarrassing together, but we evoked a few laughs, and most importantly made the bride-to-be feel like a queen! The best part beforehand was shopping together for the gifts. We printed out her registry and late as we always are there wasn't much left (good for her, bad for us). Jen thought it would hilarious to buy a 5 foot shower rod among something else she had in mind, and it was already assembled so the shape alone made it a must buy. We cracked up to the point of tears just thinking of her showing up at the shower with big oddly shaped gift in hand! And it was pretty funny. We got some guesses before Cathy opened it: tennis rackets, a guitar, an ironing board, golf clubs...even she was in suspense until Jen said it was something on her registry. I also ran into my childhood best friend, Danielle at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It was great to see her.

The next new engagement I will keep somewhat quiet b/c it is pretty new. Since I know some of you who read this blog know this person....
I got an email with 2 different rings asking which one looked better. I'm kind of biased to platinum so chose that one in one of 2 settings. Then I got another email asking which 2 scenarios would be more romantic as far as proposing. I'll just say it was sweet and involved a skating rink surprise. That Sunday I got a text message, "She said yes!" and called later to congratulate said friend and hear how it went. The reason why I'm not giving the identity away is b/c of the following conversation and even tho I wasn't specifically told not to say anything, I just want to err on the safe side.
Me: Congratulations--so are you looking at dates or time of year?
Friend: Yeah, next weekend!
Me: Shut up, when really?
Friend: Next week!
Me: Oh my gosh!

So congrats to them on becoming engaged and getting married!

Lastly, this article caught my eye of a poor engagement story (Mike and Tara keep on the look out!):

Fri Mar 14, 10:48 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - It is the one moment every man wants to get right -- and which London floor-fitter Lefkos Hajji could hardly have got more wrong.

The luckless 28 year-old's dreams of giving his sweetheart, Leanne, 26, the ultimate proposal have literally vanished into thin air.Hajji, of Hackney, east London, had concealed a $12,000 engagement ring inside a helium balloon. The idea was that she would pop the balloon as he popped the question.But as he left the shop, a gust of wind pulled the balloon from his hand and he watched the ring -- and quite possibly the affections of his girlfriend -- sailing away over the rooftops.
"I couldn't believe it," he told The Sun newspaper.
"I just watched as it went further and further into the air.
"I felt like such a plonker. It cost a fortune and I knew my girlfriend would kill me."
Hajji spent two hours in his car trying to chase and find the balloon, without success.

"I thought I would give Leanne a pin so I could literally pop the question," he said.
"But I had to tell her the story -- she went absolutely mad. Now she is refusing to speak to me until I get her a new ring."
He is hoping the ring will still turn up.
"It would be amazing if someone found it," he added.

So What Do You Think?

2008-03-12T17:56:00.008-05:00

Who should be voted out tonight?

I think Kristy Lee Cook because of the following reasons:

1) She's not that good
2) She sold her best horse (see earlier AI post). That's crap.
3) She had a cute shirt, but horrible hole infested pants--yes, image matters in this contest.
4) She didn't choose a good song--wait, every Beatles song is good. Oh, that's right she sang it in a horrible country white trash twang that seemed ingenuine.

I thought about 5 or 6 of the 12 were actually good.

If Kristy doesn't get the boot, it will probably be David (stripper at a gay establishment) Hernandez.

Chikezie was my ABSOLUTE favorite last night. Followed by David Cook and Brooke White. I like Jason dredlocks too.
Two of my usual favorites David A. and Ramiel were not up to par, which was too bad since I really like them.

What's your opinion? (and I know my problem is I post right before for the show! So maybe next week I'll be better and post Tuesday night).

Expect the Worst When You're Expecting

2008-03-08T08:58:00.008-05:00

So I've had this article in my drafts since Dec 06 and was just too lazy to post it, but after talking with P.S. as she goes through this "special" journey for a 2nd time, I figured I would share. I love it when people just tell it as it is, so props to this lady for not pretending it's always rainbows and butterflies. Just be honest. The only problem with honesty that I've found is some insecure people don't appreciate it and think you're trying to be mean. Being honest 100% of the time is not always feasible (nor recommended) but little white lies never hurt anyone. Also, it's all about linguistics and the way you might phrase something to be nice, this is where my Philosophy and Psychology degree pays for itself tenfold.

Example:
Friend with poor fashion sense: Hi C, do you like my new shirt?
What C thinks in head: Wow that's such a hideous shirt I wouldn't put it on my cat.
What C says: Well it's certainly different.

Anywho, enjoy the article, but if you're trying to get preggers maybe you should stop reading right here. It's a little hard to handle.

Don't let the perky pictures lie -- there's no sugarcoating the gruesome nine-month battle of pregnancy.
By Heather Havrilesky who is a television critic for Salon.
October 12, 2006

I'VE NEVER KNOWN a thing about pregnancy, so once I got pregnant, I quizzed every mother I knew about what Mother Nature had in store for me. Instead of taking time out from their busy mothering lives to relive the biological roller coaster of creating another human being, every single one advised me to purchase "What to Expect When You're Expecting," a hideous descent into the hell of gestation that outlines every possible malady and gruesome side effect ever experienced by any pregnant woman anywhere.

The grotesqueries listed therein, from heartburn to hemorrhoids to chronic dependence on adult diapers, are divided into monthly sections so that future mothers can savor a little dose of suspense-horror thrills and chills before bed each night.

But the most unnerving thing about "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is the cover. Perhaps in an effort to offset the bewildering and unpleasant-sounding ailments inside, the book is pink and yellow and covered in some kind of flocked, flowery wallpaper or quilt pattern clearly meant to evoke the sort of stuffy, overheated, split-level homes in the Midwest that have "country" decorations everywhere, from porcelain milkmaid statuettes to framed pictures of white ducks with blue ribbons around their necks. A mere glance at that cover is clinically proven to give pregnant women hot flashes, cramping and suicidal ideation.

And that's before their eyes rest on the main illustration. There, perched amid all those tiny yellow and pink flowers, is the expectant mother of every woman's nightmares. On my copy, she has a perky bob haircut, the sort of molded, unmoving mom-hair that only a woman who stayed up all night baking brownies for the PTA sale would have the audacity to wear out of the house. Not only that, she's clad in a yellow, Mr. Rogers-style cardigan and red polyester slacks that call to mind your fourth-grade Social Studies teacher, the one who gave an entire class of 9-year-olds night sweats by telling them that the Iran hostage crisis was sure to develop into World War III.

But that's not all. The woman also has on terrible geriatric penny loafers, and she's perched primly in a rocking chair, with this filthy, chipper smile on her face, like all she's done for months is sit there, rocking back and forth, only occasionally stopping to peruse the "Debilitating Symptom of the Month" or to order more whimsical milkmaid statuettes for the dining room. You could pass out copies of this image at local high schools and instantly cut the teenage pregnancy rate in half.

You see, it's not just the woman's style that offends, it's that peaceful, calm look on her face. This is clearly not a person who's been suffering through bouts of heartburn and dizzy spells. This smug mutant is not waking up five times a night to use the bathroom, nor is she suffering from flatulence or heart palpitations or pre-eclampsia. This woman is living a lie. Most important — and take this from someone who's been told that she could give birth any second, which is a little like being told that you have a bomb strapped to your chest and only Mother Nature, that bitch, has access to the trigger — this woman is not in her last month of pregnancy, because she bears no evidence of having random and unpredictable bouts of hormonal rage (listed merely as "mood swings" in this otherwise ruthless book).

You see, extremely pregnant women don't sit primly in rocking chairs, looking satisfied and happy with their bad hair. No, they drive too fast on the freeway, screeching at passing cars, or they bellow "Helloooo?!" into their phone at the Home Depot worker who put them on hold for 20 minutes instead of explaining why the rug for the baby room hasn't arrived yet and isn't likely to until the kid's third birthday.

A million new-mom manuals will never prepare most women for the fact that, in the last months of pregnancy, they're not going to be smiling bucolically while folding onesies in the baby room. They're going to be obsessively pulling weeds out of the frontyard while loudly berating their husbands for leaving the back door unlocked and forgetting to get the dog vitamins even though they were clearly on the list. The last month of pregnancy doesn't just prepare a woman to squeeze out a child, it prepares her to wage jihad.

Recently, after bursting into tears over a yogurt lid that refused to pull off, I actually had to stop and tell my husband: OK, you probably haven't been more of a snippy jerk than usual lately. Considering that my face is beet red and I'm sweating and weeping inconsolably over a cup of yogurt, the more likely explanation is that my nuclear reactor of a body, in its preparations for squeezing out our first child, is also preparing me to build bombs and wage hand-to-hand combat, if necessary.

So who belongs on the cover of "What to Expect When You're Expecting?" Maybe Archie Bunker, his face flushed with rage, wearing a big, ugly maternity tunic made out of camouflage. Anything less is false advertising.

How Was Your Day?

2008-03-05T19:08:00.003-05:00

Mine ended quite fittingly by just being dead tired and wanting to get home, but who pulls out in front of me but Brookline Driving School. Doh.

All hail the poor student driver...yes, we've all been there but Boston drivers are fast and furious, so it's DRIVE or get off the road Granny! No joke!

I felt like I was in a parade through Newton at 20mph tops. I tried my best not to tail, and actually had to keep my foot off the accelerator. Luckily when I hit Comm Ave. they took a right and I regained the liberty of going 30mph!!!

Woo hoo speed racer!
Anything interesting about your day?

The Red Sox Meet President Bush

2008-03-02T11:28:00.006-05:00

In case you missed it last week. I was actually taking a sick day last Wednesday and stayed home and vegged, so I got to see it live. He was actually pretty funny with his Dice-K comment that poked fun at his own poor use of the English language. However, his attempt on making a joke about Manny was inappropriate and not funny (I thought) at all. See for yourself.

Can't wait for another exciting season! I'm so sick of the cold I'm about to fly down to Florida and visit Fort Meyers and my boys.

I Caved!

2008-02-28T18:37:00.008-05:00

I swore I would not get hooked on American Idol this year...but then I thought it ok to watch the beginning stuff (not religiously, just here and there)...then with no new TV thanks to the long writers' strike I needed something...then some of the stories drew me in a little...and somewhere between there and here I did it--I am unfortunately hooked!

The girls sang last night and here's my for and against picks:
For: Ramiele something er other.
Reason: She's very good, and seems sweet. Plus you don't see many Filipinos in the music industry in the US.
Against (though I very much doubt she'll be kicked out tonight): Kristy Lee Cook
Reason: At first I thought I would like her cause she had a horse, then found out how she sold said horse so she could have money to goto Philly even though he was the best horse ever. Now I'm totally against her, and hope she gets kicked out soon. Plus too many blondes and she recycled "Amazing Grace" and used it twice, which I thought was lame.
A Recap of the Girls Hollywood Week:

Boys:
For: David Archuleta
Reason: He'll probably win the whole thing, plus loved his rendition of "Imagine."

Against: Hmmmm, I thought they all weren't that great except for David...so I guess noone in particular.
A Recap of the Boys Hollywood Week:

Share your picks for who will win next week and make me feel less lame.

In a Falsetto

2008-02-19T19:27:00.006-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I'm not big on V-Day. It's the one day of the year that I specifically say I don't want flowers.

Why? Cause every other lame a$s is getting them that day and it doesn't mean as much to me as something special like our 9 year anniversary in March--I know, I feel old now, though in my young defense I was a teenager when the Hub and I first started dating in college.

This February 14th however I thought it would be nice to make something for each other. You know something special with thought and effort like a homemade card when you were a kid. So we did our little thing and to be honest even though it was my cute idea I worked so much overtime for work and then was sick the day before V-Day that I was a bit under prepared and hoping we could push the homemade stuff til our real anniversary or whatever. Well the Hub held me to it and he made me a homemade dinner and dessert. The dinner part was very nice but a little non special since he is a good cook and loves to make me homemade meals anyway (the real way to one's heart), but he doesn't really do dessert so that was sweet (corny double entendre not intended!).
-Bench in Maui
Anywho, I had a few surprises up my sleeve so it worked out alright.

So I guess what I'm blogging today is a Happy Belated St. Valentine's Day and an I love you shout out to my Sweetie!
we can talk in this key right here
but any time u want me to take u up
baby jump on this elevator
promise there aint nothin greater

I Know Nothing About

2008-02-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

So Many, Too Many Things;
I See I've Come to the Wall-
I'm Turning Around Now
I'm Spinning Around Now

Some of my friends are going through big life events this year:
Babies, Weddings, Buying a House...

While I have advice on planning a wedding and buying a house, I've got nothing on housing a baby for 9 months (I'm open to advice from those who have)...

Here are some articles that may be useful:

Caught my eye on Yahoo finance:
5 Pitfalls That Trip Up Working Moms

This one was one of the featured "How To" of the day on Google:
How to Plan a Wedding in 6 Months

This one caught my eye on My Yahoo!:
Realtors: Home prices to post another decline in '08

Though these are usually good life events, they can certainly be stressful, so good luck to you all!

xoxo

Harry, another day we will feel better about this
And we'll go through yellow yards, to the library lions
closing our eyes, spinning in autumn.

-The Innocence Mission

Cute Face, Nice Size

2008-02-08T03:12:00.000-05:00

Stay kitted hood wit it...

Found this article short but good so hence the sharing. Yes, I'm still up...a bad habit I formed this week doing work for work. It's been a busy few weeks...I guess this lack of sleep in itself is bad for my health. Ho hum. Nor have I been to the gym at all this week now that I think of it. Well I guess since some plans I had got canceled I have no excuse not to go this weekend.

Fitness and Good Health: The Tricks That Work are Free
Posted Wed, Jan 30, 2008, 10:36 am PST
94% of users found this article helpful.

How is it possible that every year Americans spend more money on diet and weight loss aids and, research shows, every year we get fatter?

Something is not working. So let’s stop doing it. Stop buying every new weight loss remedy. Stop eating low-fat, low-carb, sugar-free and so on, because there are no free lunches, so to speak. None of this is calorie-free. Stop saying you’ll exercise tomorrow.

Get back to basics, start at the beginning, do the things that actually work – and remember, they’re free!

I know it’s almost too simple to say but:

Add 20-30 minutes of exercise to your day. I want to get up in the morning and take a 20-minute walk – period. Walk away from your house for 10 and then 10 minutes back and you have just done 20 minutes of calorie-burning aerobic training. Or, if you are really pressed for time in the a.m., on your lunch break, break a little sweat (nothing radical), just walk at a steady pace for 20 minutes.

Reduce your food intake; eat less at every meal. At home, prepare a dish of food that is moderately sized, a small (4-5 oz) portion of protein and vegetables and maybe a little soup or a salad (in a small salad bowl) to start. At a restaurant – plan to take some home. Ask the waiter for a take-away container when you order, and make a habit of taking part of your meal home.

Keep it simple so you will really do it – daily – and things will change. Give it 14 days and report back to me – I’d love to hear what you think.

Happy Trails -
Debbie Rocker

P.S. Props to the first person to name that song in the title.

I Don't Feel Right

2008-02-04T22:00:00.000-05:00

when you're gone away

Seether Lyrics

It's hard to believe it was a year ago today that Simba died. He's so very much fresh in our hearts and minds...before today I could think back on what I was doing a year ago and Simba was in so many of those memories; last year's Christmas (where we put a bow around his neck and I warned him not to knock over Baby Jesus in the ceramic manager; that Jesus would not be happy with him),last Halloween (where he tried to snag some of our Oktoberfest), last year's move (where he cried the whole way in the rental truck I drove with Grandpa Di who tried to calm him in his thick Italian accent and tell him it was ok), exploring stairs for the first time, pretty much anytime we drink beer around the cats we remember his fondness of it...

So Many Memories:
-A game the Hub used to play with him...when he tries to play the same one with Darla or the boys they don't quite get it.
-His extraordinary patience with SD, who never grew up with pets...
-The sense of keen awareness he displayed...I swear he thought he was a human and not a cat.
-The bond he shared with Darla Beans...
-The way he would get mad at us if we went away for the weekend (or worse on vacation).
-The tricks I taught him..
-His genuine concern for David when he cried.
-His fondness for anything carb based (bread, pasta, beer, cereal) which I did not feed him, but he always found a dropped scrap if there was one.
-His curious nature...
-His love for the laundry basket.
-The way he would, without fail, greet us when we came home.
-His habit of jumping on the sink in the bathroom when I came home from work in our old Boston apt.
-The way he would sit like a human...
-His intense dislike of the WWF Panda I got in the mail from making a donation.
-The way he recognized himself in the mirror.

I'm afraid of forgetting these things, much like the way my 6 year old self was afraid I'd forget the sound of my Memere's voice (sadly I have). I'm alone tonight...just me and the cats. The Hub is on a business trip in Chicago. We visited his grave yesterday and brought flowers that a kind soul had given to me earlier last week. They still smelled good and I love flowers but don't like to see them die. It's a peaceful pet cemetery yet sad to read some of the plaques. We haven't visited in a while because it's hard to find with the snow. He's # 945 until we buy a stone. Burying him there cost more than my wedding dress, but we're glad we have somewhere to go when need be, and we can just walk there.

The worst feeling we have is that we weren't there with him during his final moments. The vet said it was most likely Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (a heart condition) and even if we had known or seen signs there was nothing that could have been done. I just hope he knew we would have wanted to be there with him...Darla has recovered from the loss, but it was hard for her at first. I wonder if she's forgotten him...

A small comfort I can take in his death is that I never would have met Milo or Oscar and they are certainly very much loved, and special in their own ways.

There's never a day I don't miss him...

You'll always be the best cat ever.

Ready for Superbowl Sunday

2008-02-03T14:31:00.000-05:00

Due to certain circumstances the Hub and I decided to buy an LCD High Def TV. Actually he was bigger on it than I was; I'd rather renovate the kitchen with our newfound windfall, but whatever. Our old one is only 3 or 4 years old and suited me just fine. So he did some research to find the best quality and size for the best price and off we went to make our purchase last weekend.

We got to BJs and looked at the different brands he had researched and decided on a Phillips b/c of the way it looked. However, I took a look at the same one but 5 inches larger and thought even though it's too big for our current place it makes sense to have something we would grow into when we buy a house. I voiced that and other visual reasons and we ended up getting the 47 inch. Yes, me who didn't even care about an HD TV pulling the Hub's arm to get a larger, slightly more expensive one!

So we get it home and out of the car with a little help from our neighbors and Darla checks it out. Then hops in the empty box even though she doesn't have a clear way to get back out. Here she is in the box looking up and then an action shot as she proved even though she is tubby she can still jump like the rest of them, and she cleared the box completely.
BTW when you're carting away a new huge TV and a Pat's beach chair (ours broke) you never knew you had so many stranger friends. People kept talking to us in the store and inviting themselves over our place for the big game. It was funny.

I actually don't have a picture of the TV and the plot thickens but I really have to get going--gotta make a pre-party and then a game party...adios for now.

GO PATRIOTS! Good luck boys--here's hoping you stay perfect!

It's Not Just Boston Fans Who Are Crazy...

2008-02-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

Dog gets dyed blue by insane Giants fan; grants me an interview

By MJD

WNYW in New York is holding a "How True Blue Are You?" contest, soliciting fan submissions of photographs that show how loyal fans are to the Giants. Joe Gannascoli, the man who played Vito Spatafore on The Sopranos submitted a picture of he and his wife holding their dog, which they had, in support of the Giants, dyed blue.

Gannascoli appeared on Good Day New York this morning to put his Giants fever on display. Meanwhile, I reached out to the dog himself, and he was good enough to grant me the following interview.

MJD: Good morning, sir. I couldn't help but notice you're blue.

Blue Dog: You're a sharp one.

MJD: It doesn't sound like you're happy about this.

Blue Dog: Ya think so, pal? How would you like it if you woke up tomorrow morning and you were blue from head to toe? Come on, buddy. I freak out when I get those weird brown rings under my eyes, and I'm supposed to be happy when I'm turquoise? And thanks for that, by the way ... you dolts couldn't even get me a decent shade of blue. I gotta walk around here in freakin' pastels.

MJD: Yeah, that shade may be more appropriate for Easter.

Blue Dog: I'm not a bunny rabbit, either, douchebag.

MJD: Do you see any upside to the dying?

Blue Dog: At least they left my crotch white. That way, my tongue doesn't turn blue.

MJD: That's good. So, do you even like the Giants?

Blue Dog: The Giants? I don't even know who the hell they are. Who are these Giants people keep talking about? How damn big are they? 10 feet? 20 feet? Is that was all this Cloverfield nonsense is about?

MJD: No, they're not actual Giants. They're normal sized people. "Giants" is just the nickname for a football team.

Blue Dog: Oh, great ... that makes sense. Yeah, because dogs love football. I love it when they do that blitzing and the diving and the homeruns and stuff. Yeah, it's great ... hike me the pigskin and I'll dunk it.

MJD: You're not interested in football?

Blue Dog: I'M A DOG, BUDDY. I'm interested in meat, things that are made to look, taste or smell like meat, screwing with the cat, and licking myself. That's about as far as it goes.

MJD: Do you have any plans for the Super Bowl?

Blue Dog: Yeah, smart guy, I do. I'm gonna walk around at some idiot's Super Bowl party, and a bunch of morons are going to pet me and go, "Awww, look at you! You must love the Giants!" You know, like I had some choice in being blue. Before the party's over, though, I'm gonna bite a kid's finger off and pee on an old lady.

MJD: That actually doesn't sound like a bad party.

Blue Dog: You wanna come? You can come ... but if you show up without some industrial strength dog shampoo, I'm gonna pee on your foot.

MJD: I have other plans. Thanks for the time, though.

Blue Dog: Ah, shove it.

For the Love of Cats

2008-02-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

Maverick

2008-01-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

Create free ringtones at Phonezoo This is only a snippet of the song, but I wanted to post it b/c I like it and the whole song is impressive and fun.

Heath Ledger and That Other Guy

2008-01-25T20:48:00.000-05:00

So at the gym yesterday I was watching the Nightly News while working out on the elliptical machine and after the news was over I switched it to CBS to see if Katie Couric was still on (I tend to watch both her and Brian Williams). Inside Edition came on and though I try not to watch that kind of crap I ended up watching the first 25 minutes (and burned 200 calories). Most of the show was about Heath Ledger and his untimely death as well as his love story with Michelle Williams (most notably from Dawson's Creek) and their little daughter Matilda.

Whatever the cause it's certainly sad that it happened, and scary since he's the same age as me, or was, rather. I first heard about it driving home from work while listening to Jam'n 94.5 and it was pretty surprising. Another reminder that life is too short, so make the most of every day. May he rest in peace.

Another story I saw while working out was that weirdo loser who's 4th wife is still missing, and unfortunately probably dead. She's been missing for 3 months and apparently this guy is ready to date again! He was on some radio station where the DJ joked they should have a dating game for him; when they asked if he would do it he said it's up to my lawyer who in turn said Sure, go for it! His lawyer was later quoted as saying that there was nothing wrong with it as he is a SINGLE guy. The probable killer was like, "yeah the ladies are starting to come back around." Hmmmmmm 4th wife missing for only 3 months and he's already single and looking--gimme a break! What woman in her right mind would ever want to date this loser?!?!?!

Vote for Prizy

2008-01-22T21:01:00.000-05:00

I'm no fashionista, but I can appreciate fashion and art. My friend Mia's cousin, Prizy Sebastian, is a fashion designer in New York and she's very good. If you have a second please go and vote for her at the following web site:

http://www.artforprogress.org/contest_PARTICIPANTSPAGE.php

Just click on the scroll down menu on the top right hand side to view the Fashion Designers.

She's currently in 3rd place, and the creations of the guy in first place look hideous! Especially the python skin embroidered silk and cotton ensembles (shown left)--are you kidding me?!?!?! Puke.

Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics

2008-01-20T09:59:00.000-05:00

Triple Sports Weekend!
It's a sports weekend for me! Friday I went to my first Celtics game and had an awesome time! I surprised S with some Loge seats as part of his Christmas present. We went right from work to the Garden and had dinner at a nice Irish Pub the next street over. The game was fun, and I felt like a little kid again experiencing something for the first time. I also loaded up on all kinds of chocolate and candy and got a big thing of popcorn (actually they don't have small sizes at the Garden--it was only "big" or "really big," so I got big). They beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-89. The final score is a bit misleading of the game since we were down a lot of the time, but the 4th quarter they really made a push for it. I learned terms like "Brick" and "Take the bus!" and met a really nice old guy who sat next to me, and funny enough his wife used to teach in Dedham for 25 years.

Today I'm going to Fenway for a Red Sox Mentoring Challenge where hopefully I'll get matched up with one of the 5,000 kids on the waiting list for a mentor. The 2007 trophy will also be there and then we're taking a tour of Fenway, which I've always wanted to do.

After Fenway it's the big Pats game! Best of luck to them! Here's hoping for a perfect end to a historic season!

Go Patriots!

2008-01-18T23:58:00.000-05:00

Who Needs Pants?

2008-01-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

You see a lot of funny and weird things on the T, but today should be interesting...lucky for those who partake in today's "activity" it should be about 50 degrees before this week turns back to the frosty 30s.

The closest thing I've experienced to something like this was one Saturday night before Halloween where PS and I were riding on the B line and some guy was all dressed up for a party in only a bow tie and a THONG--leopard print if I remember correctly. Now of course the T was wicked crowded and I felt kinda bad for these 2 middle aged women who were caught between him and a tight space....but they all took it in stride, and we got a lot of laughs out of it.

BTW it was not a good look for this short guy...but props for putting himself out there I guess.

WCVB TheBostonChannel.com

Hundreds Of 'T' Riders To Go Pantless

A lot of MBTA riders around Boston may be doing double takes this weekend.

Photos: 'T' Riders To Go Pantless

More than 300 people have signed up to ride the trains in their underwear Saturday night in a stunt they're calling "No Pants 2K8." It's a group prank inspired by a comedy troupe that does the same thing in New York.

The pantless riders are supposed to act like everything is normal.

Organizers said they expect to get a mixed-reaction from other riders who may not be in on the joke.

Pants-free subway rides are also being coordinated Saturday in Washington; San Francisco; Chicago; Portland, Ore.; and Adelaide, Australia, the newspaper said.

The Boston-area organizer, Adam Sablich, posted invitation about the event on the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace.

Cute

2008-01-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Horoscope: Matchmaker matchmaker...

2008-01-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not really big on being the matchmaker, though I would try if the pair seemed right...

Capricorn (12/22-1/19)

Have you been contemplating taking on the role of matchmaker? You should. Two people in your life need to get together, and you might be just the person to help make it happen, today! You can't worry about getting in the middle of anything -- you already are in the middle between these two! So see what you can do to be the mediator and make yourself a sort of glue between them. They both have a couple of long-lost connections that you can bring up when the time is right.

Have you ever had any luck playing matchmaker? Or have any good/horror stories from when people tried to set you up?
C'mon and share away!

Top 10 Quotes of the Year: 2007

2008-01-05T10:56:00.000-05:00

Remember these?
Take a look at these quotations and see how well you can identify who said them and what the subject was at the time, then click on the title above to see how you did.

1. Don't tase me bro!

2. I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for our children.

3. In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country.

4. That's some nappy-headed hos there.

5. I don't recall.

6. There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11.

7. I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating.

8. (I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom.

9. I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man.

10. I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.

GiL

2008-01-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

Another Glimpse inthe Life*...This one is merely snippets of my day. Things I either said and/or heard, not necessarily in order;
*names and/or graphic details withheld to protect the innocent or not so innocent.

-IS it a recycling day?

-I gotta go take a shower.
--They're overrated.

-TODAY I'm going to actually eat lunch.

-WHY are the windows icing up on the inside?

-I have to ask--what's the temperature down there [in SC]?
--It's cold; in the 40s. Where are you?
-Newton, right outside of Boston; it's negative 5 with the wind chill.
--WOW!
-Well we should get a heat wave next week when it gets into the 60s...

-AT my age I should be changing diapers not wearing them!

-OH oh oh--little Ninja bit me!

-ANY chance we could not listen to rap for a while?
--It's them, you like them.
-Fine, but Darla will have to dance until the song is over.

-YAY--coffee!

-TARA got bitten by a snake.

-YOU know they shot and killed that guy at that hospital in MD?
--Oh, really?
-Yeah, he shot someone in the head who's expected to survive I guess.

-I gotta make my next move carefully because he's kicking my ass and he can't win!

-HELLO, this is Dave filling in for Marcie. Here's the number you'll need. I hope you are well. I haven't talked to you in a while and hope you had a Happy Holiday. Call me back at Marcie's number if you need anything.

-OH, that's him? I thought he was black.

-LIKE what do you mean?
--My legs, my butt, my back, my stomach.

-I'M emailing you an even better piece of $hit right now. Let me know when you get it.
--OK
Laughter erupts...
--I love it! This is great! Especially the part where it explains why they "therefore" suck.

-DOES anyone know how to drive?!?!

-I'M so fed up with this, so I'm done now.
--Yeah it's whatever now.

-MILO gets a treat.

-SO what is it?!?!?
--Another boy!

-I stayed quiet, then when I finally gave my opinion I got tackled.

-ARE the stairs slippery?

-WE got one of those big Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cakes from Friendly's; it was so good.
--You know who has the best ice cream cakes? Cabots on Washington.
-Oooh I love Cabots! Their sundaes are the best.

-THAT'S him holding a duck.

-NATURE may provide cures for autoimmune diseases.
--Good ol' nature.
-Apparently sea anemone venom and a compound from a shrub.

-IS Darla all out of her diet food?

-IT'S crazy cold out!

-WHAT are those?
--Chocolates.
-What's in it?
--Chocolate.
Silence. A look.
--Like a truffle.

-THIS is what a wallet with $500 worth of 20s looks like.

-UM yeah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you there. Yeah...my Thai leftovers still translate well.

-BUT you said she's a dirty slut.
--No, I didn't. I said she is a ho. There's a difference.
-OK so you think she's a whore because she [bleep bleep bleep]
--No I said ho, not whore. Whore's worse.

-THE Google headline says Florida even got snow today!

-Oscar...Grey Guy...Oscar--see he knows his name.

-SO I guess it was a recycling day.
--Or they just took it anyway.
-Eitherway it was beginning to be a fire hazard.

-AH CHOO!
--Meow!
-AH CHOO!
--Meow!
-Thank you Milo. Thank you for blessing me.
--Meow.

-I'M so frickin' hungry I'm going to faint.

-WELL their boys better stay away from our poor lone girl.

-YOU'RE a dummy.
Rebutting "dumb" episode ensues...
--So you're a dummy for thinking I'm a dummy.

-WHOSE turn is it for dishes?
--Mine.
-What are you making me for dinner?
--If I'm doing dishes, you're making dinner.
-Fair enough.

-EWWW, this Midnight Cool tastes like licorice.

-YOU would still lose to me.
--Pahlease you think you're the shit.

-HANG in there.
--Thanks I will.

All is Quiet

2008-01-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

On New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway...
*again*

The winter weather has continued as December bled into January. The snow picked up shortly after a late breakfast and the departure of our NYE guests. With heavy snow falling we decided to physically introduce it to the cats. Darla was the 1st and didn't seem to mind until the cold wetness got under her fur--then a meow brought her back inside.

Oscar was next and analyzed it a bit until he decided he had had enough and let out a distinct howl.

Milo was the last and the best with it. He didn't howl at all and was very curious. Perhaps it was his long, thick fur that made him not mind it. After we brought him inside, before a stray Logan plane neared, he continued to look up at the ceiling in the hopes of more snow. What a cutie.

I want to be with you
Be with you night and day.

They Say It's Your Birthday...

2007-12-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

Well that's what they say anyway. The family from whom we adopted Milo didn't seem to know his birthday, but when pressed (ie me asking them if it was before or after Christmas) one of them thought it was December 23rd, so that's what we're saying.
So HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY MILO!

He was the biggest kitten in his litter, and by far the cutest. His siblings weren't long haired like him and as soon as we saw his picture on Craigslist we fell in love. SD just happened to check the site at the right time because $50 kittens had just been posted a few minutes before and we contacted them right away. When we were looking for a new cat we searched for a while, and every posting we replied to people had snatched right away so we drove there and had the pick of the litter.
He is still pretty big and is starting to out pace Darla. He's the furriest cat I've ever had and even has fur coming out of his ears (kinda like an old man) and jetting out between his paw pads. It's rather amusing so I'll try to get a picture of it sometime. His tail is like a big plume, and sometimes we have to bathe him because he just has too much fur and it's a lot for him to clean on his own...He is certainly a very sweet kitty. When you yell at him for doing something bad he chimes back with the cutest little cry as if to say, "Why?" or "Really?" It's just so sweet.

I'm glad it's your birthday

Happy Birthday to you.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow No Mo'

2007-12-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

I'm definitely not dreaming of a White Christmas!
At least not newly white. We've gotten a record 26 inches of snow this month in and around Boston and we're running out of places to put it! Not to mention my back hurts from shoveling so much. Even though we pay a condo fee every month which is supposed to include "snow removal" they rarely, if ever, come and when they do it's wicked late in the evening and if you're smart you've already shoveled around your car before it freezes over to ice.But then they plow you in so you have to go right back out so you don't get stuck in a snowblock overnight.

The day we got a foot I worked from home and shoveled during my break. It started coming down a little after noon so I went out and brought our empty trash cans to the back and slipped and fell on a layer of ice hidden from the new coating of snow. After that I went in and called out Management Group, and of course no one answered, but left a lovely little message for them informing them I will not be paying any fee if this continues and that people on these two streets are not happy (we share the lot in between). Around 3pm I shoveled the stairs and the spot for the car and when SD came home at 3:15 from his hour and a half commute that under normal conditions takes 15 minutes it looked like I hadn't even shoveled a thing. They finally came around 9pm that night and plowed the lot, but they never do the walkways or stairs nor put down salt or sand. In Boston we never had to shovel the stairs or walkways so our first snow here last year we just left it and it ended up turning into a big 6 inch block of ice--fun times...

Since we park in the back we hardly ever use our front door and I wouldn't bother shoveling that path if it wasn't for the mailman using it. I had a little trouble opening the front door just to get out there and clear it. I did however make sure when I shoveled the front steps to pile most of it in front of the door next door (we share the stoop). No one lives there right now and I wasn't about to throw it 3 feet away. So good luck crappy management group when you try to have an open house and you can't even open the front door! (Bwa, ha, ha! A little evil, I know, but they do suck). The night of the big storm a couple kids from the neighborhood rang our bell to ask if we wanted them to shovel, which was sweet. I should really pay them $125 and tell the townhouse trust to go screw...

Got Sick?

2007-12-09T23:32:00.000-05:00

I've had this stupid sickness for a couple weeks now and it refuses to leave me. It's all the rage at work; everyone and their mother is sick with this. Everyone except my husband who never gets sick! My body is trying to shake this and I actually slept a good 11 hours last night...joy to the weekend! I'm not sure how much it mattered, though I'm sure it was good overall, as I'm still hacking up a lung today. Blah.

So the following headline caught my eye, and though I will probably never try this since I HATE cold feet, maybe you will and then can attest to it or not...let me know if you do!

Get Rid of Your Head Cold Fast
POSTED: Friday, December 07, 2007 Powered by BlogBurst
FROM: Green Health Spot - A naturopathic doctor talks about vibrant living and vibrant health with practical tips on reversing & preventing illness and living the good life.

Footbath: Here is a quick trick to get rid of your head cold, fever, cough during the winter season. I've given this technique to many of my patients successfully. I'm not really sure why it works but it does. This is one of those old naturopathic remedies that have been floating around for centuries and it makes many believers of natural medicine.

This is great for a sore throat or any inflammation or infection of the throat, neck pain, ear infections, headaches, migraines, nasal congestion, upper respiratory infections, coughs, bronchitis, and sinus infections.

What you will need:
* 1 pair white cotton socks
* 1 pair thick wool socks
* Towel
* Warm bath or warm foot bath

Directions:
1. Take a pair of cotton socks and soak them completely with ice cold water. Be sure to wring the socks out thoroughly so they do not drip.
2. Warm your feet first. This is very important as the treatment will not be as effective and could be harmful if your feet are not warmed first. Warming can be accomplished by soaking your feet in warm water for at least 5-10 minutes or taking a warm bath for 5-10 minutes.
3. Dry off feet and body with a dry towel.
4. Place ice cold wet socks on feet. Cover with thick wool socks. Go directly to bed. Avoid getting chilled.
5. Keep the socks on overnight. You will find that the wet cotton socks will be dry in the morning and usually the cold or sore throat will be gone.

This treatment acts to reflexively increase the circulation and decrease congestion in the upper respiratory passages, head, and throat. It has a sedating action and many patients report that they sleep much better during the treatment. This treatment is also effective for pain relief and increases the healing response during acute infections.

The Wild Wild West and Red Neck New England

2007-12-07T20:28:00.000-05:00

Last week was busy busy. I had two business trips, one of which brought me to my hometown. Good as I am I saved my company money by staying in my parents' guest room rather than a hotel. They didn't even charge me. =)
Since I don't get to see my high school friends that often I got together with some of them Tuesday night in downtown Springfield.
We had reservations at Virtuoso and the food was delicious! We ordered a lot of appetizers, had a good main course and shared some dessert as well. The wine selection was also top notch. The only complaint I would have about this place is that they offer Pecan Crusted Duck Foie Gras.
I know I'm not a vegetarian so maybe I shouldn't talk, but some methods of "fattening up" animals are pretty cruel and what they do to these ducks and geese is horrible! Foie Gras is French for "fatty liver" and the method in which they fatten them up is beyond cruel. The ducks and geese have tubes inserted down their throats and are force fed a ridiculous amount of food a few times a day and then those that don't suffer a frightening death endure disgusting conditions and painful maladies until they are slaughtered for food. So far Foie Gras has been banned in Chicago, California (I think was considering it), the U.K., Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, and Israel.

The following investigation gives you a glimpse into this "delicacy of despair:"

Undercover investigations at America's two leading foie gras producers, Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York and Sonoma Foie Gras in California, revealed horrific cruelty. Investigators from GourmetCruelty.com and the Animal Protection and Rescue League found that ducks were crammed into filthy, feces-ridden sheds and that others were isolated in wire cages that were so small that they could barely move. They also observed barrels full of dead ducks who had choked to death or whose organs had ruptured during the traumatic force-feeding process. The investigators rescued 15 ducks, including two who were being eaten alive by rats because they could not move. View video and photographic evidence of this cruelty.

A PETA investigation at Hudson Valley Foie Gras (then called "Commonwealth Enterprises") revealed extremely high death rates. So many ducks died when their stomachs burst from overfeeding that workers who killed fewer than 50 birds per month were given a bonus. In addition to ruptured stomachs and liver disease, many ducks develop foot infections, kidney necrosis, spleen damage, bruised and broken bills, and tumor-like lumps in their throats. One duck had a maggot-infested neck wound that was so severe that water spilled out of it when he drank.

I haven't clicked on the videos cause I think I would cry. If this isn't enough to stop you from partaking in this barbaric "delicacy" perhaps you'll take into consideration your own well being:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Geese force-fed and then slaughtered for their livers may get their final revenge on people who favor the delicacy known as foie gras: It may transmit a little-known disease known as amyloidosis, researchers reported on Monday.

Tests on mice suggest the liver, popular in French cuisine which uses it to make pate de foie gras and other dishes, may cause the condition in animals that have a genetic susceptibility to such diseases, Alan Solomon of the University of Tennessee and colleagues reported.

That would suggest that amyloidosis can be transmitted via food in a way akin to brain diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD, which can cause a rare version of mad cow disease in some people who eat affected meat products or brains.

Amyloidosis can affect various organ systems in the body, which accumulate damaging deposits of abnormal proteins known as amyloid. The heart, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract are most often affected but amyloidosis can also cause a blood condition.

The researchers used mice genetically engineered to be susceptible to amyloidosis, which can be inherited.
"When such mice were injected with or fed amyloid extracted from foie gras, the animals developed extensive systemic pathological deposits," Solomon's team reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Sometimes Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is described as a type of amyloidosis as well.

The amount of foie gras given to the mice would equal about 3 1/2 pounds over five days for humans, Solomon estimates. This may seem like a lot, especially considering that even in France the annual consumption is about half a pound. Yet evidence suggests that it takes very little of the protein clumps to instigate amyloidosis - and that amyloids, rather than being digested, may just lurk about until there are enough to cause disease. "This material can stay in the body indefinitely," Solomon says.

If the danger to humans turns out to be real, Penn's Whitehead admits thinking about "the delicious irony of those who live well doing themselves in with foie gras." This story recalls the days when gout was known as the disease of kings. Gout is caused by a diet rich in meat, so only the wealthy and overindulgent were afflicted.

In any case, the scientists wrote in their paper that "it would seem prudent for children and adults with rheumatoid arthritis or other diseases who are at risk . . . to avoid foods that may be contaminated by [amyloids]."

I'm thinking of writing a letter to Chef Cousin about how much I enjoyed his food, but wish he would not serve this cruelly derived appetizer...

My business trip took me to Mercy Medical Center and it was a successful meeting and presentation. Afterward I visited Tara in Pathology and that was cool to see where she worked. I then went back home and treated my dad to lunch at his favorite diner where he knows everyone, and they serve a clam chowder that's better than most I've had in Boston. I worked the rest of the day "at home" until going out with my mom and middle sister to whom I still owed dinner for her 30th birthday.

After dinner I packed up my things to head to my next trip to what someone dubbed recently, "The Hillbillies of New England."
More on that next time...

#39*

2007-12-02T22:15:00.000-05:00

Ah, the holidays...
They're always an enjoyable time of year for me since I'm one of those fortunate people who actually likes their family. For Thanksgiving I celebrate two times over; once on T day and then again on Friday so the Hub and I can spend time with both families. You would think I'm sitting fat and pretty right now, but since I got that aforementioned stomach bug courtesy of my favorite Godchild coupled with my own carelessness (he looked fine--and cute!), I really didn't overeat on Turkey Day. In fact I really didn't eat much at all, but it was still a good time.

The nice thing about married life (both mine and my sister's) besides getting to celebrate with more people, is the extra blessing of different and new types of cuisine (don't worry Mom, I still enjoy your food too!). My sister-in-law surprised us all with a new domestic side and brought some very tasty food: a macaroni lasagna dish and salmon stuffing. Then my sister and my bro-in-law brought some stuffed mushrooms they make together (how cute). The food, or what I tasted of it, was very good.

We've also started a Thanksgiving tradition of an "adults only" friends dinner which was nice as well. We hung out at The Stacks for the afternoon and got to visit with the new baby again. Cameron is a cutie and actually smiled at me a few times. Later on the kids were shipped off to the grandparents and we met up with more friends in North Andover at a nice Italian place. Afterward we went to The Claddagh Pub for some pool and drinks. Brian & I teamed up against The Doc & The Hub and won a best of 3 series.
It was a fun night.

*The title of this post BTW is because I happened to see that the last 2 years I've had this blog I ended up coincidentally having 38 posts each year, and noticed that I just hit that 38 post mark with my last one. Should I be consistent and stop posting I pondered...nah, I guess I can be a little post happy this year. So voila!

Buyer Beware

2007-11-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

-Tee hee hee--I'm so cute!

Yeah he looks adorable (and is) but beware the cute factor! I had the fun of hosting this little guy and his 'rents last weekend and he quickly won me over with his silly giggle and cute growing vocabulary. He is especially fond of the word "Mo'!" as in "More Food Now!"

Since I aced pre-school and Kindergarten with my fine sharing skills I ended up splitting a lot of my food with him. I said goodbye to my banana loving friend on Monday morning, worked from home so I could take Oscar to the vet, and come dinnertime really didn't feel like eating much. I forgot to mention that David was just getting over being sick, and according to his parents, creating many diaper explosions.

Tuesday I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and ended up taking the whole day off from work. I can't remember the last time I felt so sick! I don't think I've thrown up since riding some 10 foot waves off the Napali Coast a couple years ago. It sucked. However, it's my own fault since I should have been more careful, but he is just so darn cute...

We took a walk around the neighborhood, and here is the little guy among the leaves, and with his mommy.

All That Remains

2007-11-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

My friend Jeanne plays bass in a band and gets to tour all over. They have a bunch of US dates going on (she was up in Worcester last weekend) and she's even toured internationally. She leads quite the life!

Her band's name is All That Remains and they have been nominated for a Boston Music Award for Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year. I voted a few times for them and I was going to post earlier this week and ask that you vote, but I guess it's ending today and the winners will be announced on December 1st. Good luck!

A Glimpse in the Life...

2007-11-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

Introducing "A Glimpse in the Life..." where I'll post tidbits of my day or funny/strange things I overhear.

Eating Bananas in Pajamas

SD: You done with this? (Points to mostly eaten banana)
PB: No, I'm going to eat the rest of it.
SD: It doesn't look good.
PB: That's just the peel that looks bad, the banana itself is good.

Interlude: SD brings banana and napkin into the kitchen...

PB: Where'd you put my banana?
SD: Oops...uh...the trash.
PB: Hey! Minus 2 husband points for the day!

Rolling Rally

2007-10-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well I have some video of Papelbon playing a broom guitar today, but am having trouble loading it. I'll play with it more tomorrow...