It's a Wonderful Life

Although they play this movie over and over again around Christmas I have never actually seen it in its entirety, but I get the gist.

I am looking forward to 2006 like a child's excitement on the first day of school! I can't wait to see how much fun we're all going to have this year. So much good has happened lately with weddings, babies, more engagements, new jobs, and acceptances to grad school, it's left me beaming. Soon the Hub and I will start the serious house hunt and I can't wait to buy our first place together =)

Happy New Year everyone!

Clarence: Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.

If I Had One Wish...

Blowing out the candles on my "birthday cake" forced me to be reflective and think about what I'd really really like. I couldn't wish for the perfect house or a cute puppy or those new pair of shoes I've been admiring for some time...

For me it has to be important and meaningful. Some years I forget or don't care and just blow out the candles quickly to avoid getting wax on the frosting, but this year I did it right. I wished big...

We'll see.

The 26th

Tomorrow is the big 2-6. It reminds me of turning 22, kinda boring. 21 is all exciting and comes with obvious privileges, then 22 just doesn't live up. A quarter of a century is a turning point of sorts...then you have to celebrate the next year and it just doesn't seem as special. The Hub is planning a major party for me though since he is the best guy I know so keep Saturday, January 7th free on your calendar and head on over to Boston!

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Day!

The Long and Winding Road...

After a long and tiring day a girl stepped off the T into the crisp winter air. Trudging up the hills to her apartment she walks in the road to avoid the icy sidewalk. The wind strikes her face one last time as she escapes into the warmth of the vestibule. Once inside she spots an arrangement of flowers. She picks them up to bring them into the secureness of the foyer for her neighbor.

As she fumbles for her keys she realizes her name is on the card! To what does she deserve this thoughtful treat? she wonders...Immediately she thinks of her husband and searches her brain for some special reason she may have forgotten like an anniversary or early birthday present. Then she thinks, "I wonder why he would have them delivered to our place when he could just deliver them himself?" While she juggles the vase in one hand and the mail and keys in the other she attempts to open the card to reveal the sender.

Her concentration is broken when she feels a drip of water flowing down her inner thigh. She looks down to see a dark wet spot on her khakis. The tilted vase spilled over on her jacket and leg at just the right spot that it looks like she peed her pants. She sheepishly glances down the hall to see if anyone is there to bear witness to this accident and with newfound determination she balances the vase as straight as can be and opens the envelope.

Here is an early Christmas present to bring a smile to your face!
Love,
Lisa

And I did smile.

On the First Day of Winter

My True Love Gave to Me...

A reason to visit NYC.
The deal is all but done: Johnny will be trading his sexy Red Sox for ugly pajama-like stripes. Already this great centerfielder's sexiness factor has gone down a notch. I never really thought Johnny was superstar hot until he seemed to not care what he looked like--and suddenly that was hot, hot, hot! He stopped shaving and said idiotic things, but he was still a good, lovable guy shaving his beard in Copley for charity. Now he'll be shaving his beard for Georgy Boy and his $52 million purse for 4 years (12 more than what Boston was going to give him). I always enjoyed watching him slam into the Green Monster to make that Web Gem catch, but when he grew his hair out he became something more--he elevated to rock star status.

I'm not worried about our team's record for 2006, even without Theo's genius (OK I'm a little worried!) but I am concerned about losing 25% of the fan population--the female factor. Theo and Damon were the two best looking guys on the team (and my Nomar back in the day). Lucky for me I understand the game and how complex and intricate moves can be, but not all girls are like that. There are the girls who sit in front of you in the grandstand and gossip the whole game, the ones who don't even have the courtesy to stand up and pretend to care if Big Papi hit the ball off the Coke bottles again. You know the ones, they're easy to spot in their pretty in pink Damon baby doll tee. The pink shirt girls (Sox hoochies as my friend Steve calls them) are usually single and man-hungry. They wear the shirts as bait for a fun loving baseball guy and then they ring him in like a fish on a hook. The gossip girls usually dress in witch-toed heels and gucci pants and redo their make-up after every inning (a hard thing to maintain on those sweaty summer days in the sun-drenched bleacher seats).

I always liked Jason Giambi even when he went to the Yankees, but he was so much better looking (and a better player!) before he went to the Yankees. For those of you who don't know George Steinbrenner has a strict no facial hair policy, except mustaches but those are kinda creepy. Seinfeld would say he's The Hair Nazi. Poor Giambi looked whipped and neutered after he became a Yankee, and I fear Johnny will suffer the same fate.

I hope our beloved caveman enjoys his last World Series ring since everyone knows that the Yankees, no matter how much money they throw around, are suffering from the curse of the A-Rod! I'm sure they'll still win 95 games, but the post-season drought may just last the next 86 years...

Good luck JD! We'll miss you, still love you, and wish you well!

Help the Home for Little Wanderers

If you're in love with Theo Epstein AND want to donate a good chunk of change to help the Home for Little Wanderers then I've found the perfect match for you!

If you click here you will see just one of many auctions currently going on that will benefit this noble cause. You can bid on a lunch date with Theo and an autographed baseball. Or if you like Grey's Anatomy you could win autographed scrubs.

Personally, I've always pictured Theo paying to have dinner with ME but now that I'm married the chances of that have drastically gone down, much to my dismay, my husband's delight, and Theo's unbeknownst loss.

So single girls and guys (who knows) grab your checkbook, buy a new dress and pucker up those lips cause you never know what Theo will do next!

T'was the Week Before Christmas

The More the Merrier--
I love children. These newbies are a fresh break from the adult world. They are so honest and fun it's almost like being on vacation from the "real" world when I'm around them. Nothing else matters except for building the coolest fort or finding the best spot for hide-and-go-seek.

With the popularity of cubicles at work I think it would boost overall morale and, in turn, productivity if we took one day out of the week to build the best cubicle fort or find the best hiding spot in the office (and perhaps take a much needed nap). Unless you are a pre-school teacher this probably isn't going to happen at work; that's why I love to spend time with kids. My friend Tanya and I went over to A Woman's Concern yesterday and the children we met there were so much fun. We met a little girl named Amy who loved to sit on my lap and was brave enough to go up and sing Christmas carols with us since we were the only two to show up to sing (and Harvard's choir sang before us and, go figure, just happened to be really good).

It was a fun time. For me holding other people's babies is very good. They bring this sense of peace just by holding them, and since they're not mine I can hand them over when my arm feels like I did too many bench presses and the muscles ache (I've been slacking on lifting weights). It's fulfilling to spend time with these kids who were unplanned yet still wanted. It satisfies this biological desire to have one already and makes me realize that I shouldn't take the freedom I have for granted right now. I was watching Anastazia (my confirmation name, but spelled differently) for her mother while she ate some food and "Nae-Nae" kept crawling all over the place getting into everything and almost getting trampled. Life as a mother must change you a lot and I don't feel quite ready for that yet. I suppose when it does happen I'll have 9 months to prepare for it. I'm very much enjoying the Newlywed life and don't plan on having kids just yet. We hope to get a house, then a dog, then a baby, but you know life never goes exactly as you planned, so we'll see.

Whole Lotta Love

Now if I aspire to have 17 kids like the largest family in America I'm going to have to get started soon! This couple must have a whole lot of love and energy and smarts to make it all work correctly and not be driven insane by now.

"Our goal is to raise the children so when they grow up they will not be afraid of anything in life," Zynaida said. "I think if every family approaches it that way, we will have a very healthy society."

The siblings do not squabble about portion sizes, television channels or other matters because their dad has driven home the importance of putting aside selfishness in order to survive as a family, 17-year-old Anatoliy said.

"We sit all together, put out the food and eat like a regular family," said 16-year-old Lyudmila "Sometimes we wait for each other to finish, and then feed the little kids."

Hopefully Santa helps them out again this year.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

So maybe I'm biased since I was born around the Winter Solstice, but IMO this is the best time of year.

This is the time of year where the snow is fun and pretty. It's the time of year where just enough snow has touched the ground that you can still walk down the street without slipping on some black ice and falling on your toosh. It's the time of year where buying a Christmas tree with a little bit of snow and ice chunks on the top just makes it more authentic looking. This is when a good snowfall gets you excited not irritated; when little kids hope and pray for a snow day so they can miss school to go sledding at the neighborhood slopes. The time where ice skating at the Frog Pond in Boston Commons gives you goosebumps, and it's fun to blow your breath and see it. Where gloves, hats, mittens and scarves get to relive their glory days instead of being dark and lonely in the closet while you're on the beach in Hyannis.

This is the time of year when people in New England are still happy and smiling. When I'm still ok with the cold weather and not ready to fly to Tahiti just yet (I'll go there some day!). I still miss Hawai'i, but I can wait til next September to go there again and recapture all the pictures I lost. Anyone who knows me knows that spring is my favorite season, but Christmas is my favorite time of year. I guess I just like the promise of a new beginning, warm light, births...all that jazz.

What is your favorite time of year?

The Death Penalty

Where Was the Hoopla This Time?

Tookie is dead. I'll admit, I didn't know much about his case before last week, but I find the way it was handled a bit telling of our 'impartial' legal system, and our Republican President.

Rewind to April 2005: the Supreme Court took much interest in a right to die case, and the President even (gasp!) cut short his precious (and normal) 3 week vacation. The subject being Mrs. Terri Schiavo. The news coverage it got was excessive to the point of ridiulous. Here was a husband, who had suffered along with his brain dead wife for way too long, using his right as next-to-kin/health care proxy to finally let his wife's tortured soul rest in peace after 15 years of being in a vegetative state. Let's be honest: you're living, but when you've got no potential to regain much brain activity, if any, you're not really living unless you were born a tree.

Michael Schiavo joins the fray
Terri Schiavo's husband starts a PAC devoted to defeating the Bible-thumping politicians who used his comatose wife as a football.

By Michael Scherer

At the height of the battle, Michael Schiavo appeared to be a reluctant cultural warrior. His wife, Terri, lay comatose, in her 15th year of vegetative slumber, connected to a feeding tube, but well beyond resuscitation. Around her hospice, a political hurricane swirled.

In Terri's name, President George Bush interrupted his vacation, Sen. Bill Frist played doctor from the Senate floor, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush launched a flimsy criminal investigation, and Rep. Tom DeLay issued ominous political threats to the judiciary. The religious right had turned Terri into a symbolic beachhead in the battle for a "culture of life," and the Republican Party had answered the call.

Where's the Political Hurricane?

I know Bush isn't quick to lend a hand in a hurricane, but this debate on whether Stanley Williams should be killed has been stirring for some time.

I'm not here to speculate on whether Mr. Williams was innocent or guilty for those murders in '81. I agree with The Terminator (how's that for irony? The guy best known for being the Terminator is the only one who can grant you clemency seeing how Bush couldn't give two shits) that if he was guilty for those murders he should have apologized to the victims' families, and that would have helped bring him closer to redemption.

My issue with this life/death case lies with President Bush. Mr. President loves to gain religious votes with his anti-abortion crusades citing God as his ally. Where was he this time and, pray tell, why does he support the death penalty if he is pro-life? As a religious person I believe God's judgment is what counts the most in the end. Sure the human/passionate part of me would like to see "an eye for an eye," but who am I to cast judgment on another human being?
"Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone."

I met this guy from Saudia Arabia one time named Yamen. One of his favorite quotes was, "Why do we kill people that kill people to show them that killing people is wrong?" He read it on a t-shirt.

I would love to hear George's response to that question.

Bush stirred international moanings when he insisted shortly after 9/11 that those countries and governments who were not with him were against him. Life is not so black and white. There are shades of grey and I would have to say that most everyone I know is a grey person. Grey is beautiful and intelligent.

A friend of mine had an abortion a few years back. Most of her friends shunned her, and turned away from her because they had gotten pregnant in high school and college and kept their beautiful babies. This friend had her reasons, some medically related, some selfish, some altruistic, but in the end it was her decision, and in the end only God can cast judgment. Not me, not her friends who chose life, nor her friends who never have accidently gotten pregnant and were actually faced with that fact. I was a source of comfort for her at a time when most abandoned her, friends that were closer to her than me. I told her I disagreed with her decision, but I forgave her as a friend. I've lost touch with her now more out of circumstance than personal differences, but I hope she is living, and living well.

He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would reach heaven: for every one has need to be forgiven. -- Thomas Fuller

I sin. You sin. My priest sins. We're all human. Only human. It doesn't excuse it, it reveals it.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
-- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Let us hope a time of peace comes soon.
Wherever you are Tookie, rest in peace.

In the City of Blinding Light

Welcome Mr. Brightside

This morning is the day after a freshly fallen snow, which means it is extremely bright outside. Scratch that--it is a nuclear kind of bright where the sun is magnified by the relfecting, still pure white snow. This is the day to make snow angels, give birth to a snowperson, or just put on your shades and stretch the legs for a walk if the management group shoveled the way.

Days like this also remind me that I have not yet flown off to Tahiti. Theo: I know you're busy, but let's go my friend. I got my bags packed (all 5 of them!). Today is the Red Sox holiday party, and I wonder if the former GM will be there...

These Are a Few of My Favorite Rings

For now I will leave you with my 2 favorite/new rings:

One Ring to Bind them (TWO for me cause brides are extra special!)



Bigger than my engagement ring, but not better!

Enjoy the day now that the weather outside stopped being frightful.

I've Got Nothing to Do Today, But Smile!

I get the news I need on the weather report.
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report.
Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile.
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da here I am
The only living boy in New York

Half of the time we're gone but we don't know where,
And we don't know here.

Tom, get your plane right on time.
I know you've been eager to fly now.
Hey let your honesty shine, shine, shine
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da
Like it shines on me
The only living boy in New York,
The only living boy in New York.

So in case you've been living in a cave or you live somewhere warm (aka not New England) you don't need the weather report to tell you that we got a lot of snow today. Schools were canceled, flights were delayed and convenience stores were mobbed. I, however, never set one dainty toe in the snow today. Yup that's right, I hibernated like the bear we all wish we could be on days like these. I still can't shake this sickness so I didn't go to work. I really didn't have much to do today but smile, and it was great! The Hub got out of work early thanks to the storm, and we celebrated with a fine delivery dinner of pizza, chicken fingers and spicy fries. Ah these are the days...
Mahalo to Princess Sophia and her Hub for letting us borrow Season 2 of Scrubs.They just get funnier and funnier. Hibernating on a snow day is what life is all about (and you thought it was all about the hokey pokey, didn't you?)

Love and Mittens,
The Only Living Girl in Boston

P.S. The thunder and lightening were off the hook, but so are a lot of things lately.

You Would Kill For This, Just a Little Bit

Just a little bit, you would,
You would
Sing like you think no one's listening.

Sing me something soft,
Sad and delicate,
Or loud and out of key,
Sing me anything,
we're glad for what we've got,
Done with what we've lost
Our whole lives laid out right in front of us,

-Straylight Run

I love this song and it has the best beginning with the lonely piano rendition. Check out their self-titled album if you get a chance. I have yet to buy their newest album, but I would imagine it to be good too.

Enjoy.

Fall on Your Knees

O Hear the Angels' Voices!
O Night Divine...




The Power of Prayer

I know it sounds cheesy to some of you, but I do believe in miracles.

There have been two occasions in my life (three if you count my prayers before the Red Sox had the Greatest Comeback in Sports History!) where I have prayed so hard for something and gotten a real answer.

This past week was such a time. Without breaking any confidences, I will say that I have prayed so much these past few weeks for something to happen and it seems as if all that praying has paid off. A miracle of sorts. Call it coincidence if you like, but the end result is something of a dream, and I am so happy to be a part of it. The moral of the story, though a bit vague, is to stay hopeful. Good things happen to good people just not the way you always expect. In the end it is good indeed.

And They Lived Happily Ever After.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Now for a quick history lesson:

The words and lyrics of the old carol 'O Holy Night' were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. He obliged and wrote the beautiful words of the hymn. He then realized that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams(1803-1856). He agreed and the music for the poem was therefore composed by Adolphe Charles Adams. Adolphe had attended the Paris conservatoire and forged a brilliant career as a composer. It was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight (1812-1893).

I'm a Snot

Factory.

Being sick is no good. Being sick during Thanksgiving is worse.

I could sort of taste my mom's home cooking, but didn't have much of an appetite. At least it was very good being home around family and funny peeps in the hood. That place gets mo' ghetto every time I go visit. Murders at the CornerStone Bar getting too close for comfort. The rents really need to move out of the city...

Springfield, MA "placed" in the top 20 most dangerous cities in America according to a report released just last week. Spfld would like to thank God, and of course its loyal citizens for this award. Special shout-out to drug dealers in the North End, and to the Latin Kings and Los Solitos. I'm sure I'm forgetting some rival inner city gangs, but it's been a while since I've officially resided there. I love Boston, but Springfield will always be "home" to me. The city would also like to thank Bill Cosby for his sincere help with some students and their college tuition. His benevolence is greatly appreciated and perhaps will help the city not to win this award in the future.

"Jimmy Hester and Loren Wilder, a pair of Putnam graduates who garnered national attention when Cosby offered to pay their college tuition after hearing how the boys made education a priority while supporting themselves throughout high school."

I knew it was tough growing up there, but I didn't think it was this bad. Lucky for me I befriended some gang members (sup Carlos & Eddie) at the Civic Center where we worked and they freely bestowed their protection on my gringa self (and gave me free Friendly's sundaes--such sweethearts those guys were). They also taught me some useful Spanish phrases like deja la hodienda and other choice words.

OVERALL: (350 cities)
MOST DANGEROUS 25:
1. Detroit, MI
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Atlanta, GA (Holla LadyLove)
4. Camden, NJ
5. Washington, DC (Holla Elizabeth)
6. Compton, CA
7. Dayton, OH
8. Baltimore, MD
9. Tampa, FL (Holla Brian and Gary)
10. Gary, IN
11. Memphis, TN
12. North Charleston, SC
13. New Orleans, LA (Holla Michael)
14. Richmond, VA
15. Trenton, NJ
16. Jackson, MS
17. Cincinnati, OH
18. Youngstown, OH
19. Cleveland, OH
20. Springfield, MA (Too many Hollas to shout)
21. Oakland, CA
22. Birmingham, AL
23. Miami, FL
24. Richmond, CA
25. Reading, PA

Mad props to Newton, MA for being named the safest city in America The city received the distinction as the Safest City by the Morgan Quitno Press, and it is based on our city’s rate for six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. This year there were no reported murders, and we had the lowest overall crime and motor vehicle theft rates among 369 cities with a population of 75,000 or more. Well at least I live right down the street from this safe haven, maybe the goodness will spill over to the Boston line...if only I could afford a first house there...

Props to my Somerville homeboy (that city also placed high on the danger list) who sent me this link that is sure to bring a laugh or two.

I'm out. Peace.

The Running of the Bulls Balderdash

Capitalism at its Best!


Spain is not the only country to breed idiotic traditions, though the Running of the Bulls during the Fiesta of San Fermin is a strong contender for the International Moronic Nonsense Award. Our nation has its own stupid version. Albeit, far less dangerous and inhumane, but stupid nonetheless. It's the Fiesta that is Black Friday. Now I have been known to navigate CambridgeSide Galleria with the best of them, but never on the darkest of days...

For those of you still putting around the house in a post-turkey day stupor here's what you missed:

This is the most promotional Black Friday we have seen," said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the Washington-based National Retail Federation.

The bargains were so good at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which offered better deals than last year, that things got out of hand. In Cascade Township, east of Grand Rapids, Mich., a woman fell as dozens of people rushed into a store for the 5 a.m. opening. Several stepped on her, and a few became entangled as a man pushed them to the ground to keep them away.

When the rush ended, the woman and a 13-year-old girl suffered minor injuries.

In nearby Grandville, Mich., two shoppers were hurt when they slipped on a wet floor as they entered a Wal-Mart, fire Lt. Lynnae White said. One of the injured was after a bargain notebook computer, he said. Neither was hurt seriously.

The same computer discount was the catalyst for trouble at a Wal-Mart in Orlando, Fla., where a man allegedly cut in line to buy one. He was wrestled to the ground, according to a video shown by an ABC affiliate, WFTV-TV.

Discounted notebooks, particularly the $378 HP Pavilion notebooks, were not the only attractions at Wal-Mart, which also sold out of its $997 52-inch plasma TV sets and 15-inch LCD TVs, priced at $178, in many stores, according to Gail Lavielle, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. But apparel and toys also did well, she said.

One consumer summed it up best with this line:

"It's a little rough but heh," said Lorenzo DeMassino, 31, who bought Game Boy items at the store.

For all that I hate the commercialism and materialistic frenzy that has manifested itself into the Holiday spirit of giving, Black Friday Madness isn't as dumb as Spain's famous tradition. For those of you who have never been to that part of Europe in July here's what you're missing:

This is the moment of truth in the Bull-Running : the bulls run like the very devil. It´s impossible to race them or even keep up with them for very long (interesting information for anyone with athletic pretensions) : The way to do it is, to start off slowly when the bulls are still a good distance behind, and as they draw nearer start running like the devil, before they get too close, hang in near them for a short time, as near as you are prepared to risk your skin, and then get out of the way as cleanly as possible. Be careful not to cross the paths of other runners. Look for a gap in the fence to slip through or jump over, or a space against the wall of the street.

As well as the danger inherent in running in front of a bull (it's worth remembering that this is an animal which weights about 600 kilos - some 120 stone - and which has two big rock-hard horns which can cut through practically anything, not to mention possible bruising from just being stepped on, there is also the problem of overcrowding in the run. So you have to be careful not to get bowled over or knocked down by other runners. The crowding is particularly dense at the weekends where the number of visitors to the Fiesta more than doubles.

The run began to some extent through necessity. In those far-off days there were no such things as trucks. But as the [stupid morons] enjoyed the fun of taking the risks it has been kept up so that nowadays it is a spectacle in which thousands of people take part.

On the 15th there is a parody of the run made by some die-hards who refuse to face the fact that the Fiesta is all over and who run in front of the early-morning bus which comes up Santo Domingo street.

At least natural selection will thin out the 'die hards' before they have a chance to breed more stupidity. I'm rooting for the bulls!