America at Home

It's a little late, but I'd thought this was cool to share.

Photo Assignment Week Across the Nation.

Check it out, send in a pic or two and maybe you'll get in the book.

Two Step

Celebrate we will
Because life is short but sweet for certain
We're climbing two by two
To be sure these days continue,
These things we cannot change

The Hub and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary a little over a week ago. Life has been fun, challenging, rewarding, unpredictable, and all that much better together.

Hey my love do you believe that we
Might last a thousand years
Or more if not for this?
Our flesh and blood it ties
You and me right up
Tie me down

I suppose we won't be climbing two by two forever. It'll be fun having some little ones running around, but for now I'm quite content doting on my friends' kids (and handing them back when they poop!).

Hey, my love, you came to me like
Wine comes to this mouth
Grown tired of water all the time
You quench my heart and you
Quench my mind

Celebrate, you and me, climbing
Two by two, to be sure
These days continue, things we cannot change

The Price is Right?

If you're familiar with The Price is Right this is pretty amusing (on a couple of levels).
http://view.break.com/345205 - Watch more free videos

Happy First Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday David! Sending lots of love to our favorite Godchild.

Are You a True MassHole?

From the Author: "Okay, so you're driving down the Pike and coming towards Boston, and you're wondering which exit to take. Allston? Copley? Straight on to Logan and beyond? Dude, you're better off taking the T.

Ah, Massachusetts. A wonderful state where the capital itself seems to forget there's a western half of it. And the home of the Big Dig, or should I say the "it seemed like a good idea at the time" tunnel project."

This is an amusing quiz to check out. Having lived on both sides of the state I think Western Mass is underrepresented in it, but then again, I guess its used to that. Don't worry, I still remember there's more state left after Worcester.

Dude! You're 86% from Massachusetts!

Dude! Me and Sully and Fitzie and Sean are gonna hit Landsdowne tonight after the game, hang out at the Beerworks. I'll pick you up at the Coop at 6.

How Massachusetts are you?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

From the author: "Personally, this is what I like about MA...we're proud of our state, but we can't pass up a chance to make fun of ourselves. Hope you had fun! And just so you know: You can't park your car in Harvard Yard, simply because there is no parking lot there!" :p

"How Massachusetts are you?" was created by Jonc

P.S. If you see the next quiz after taking this one as "Are you a TRUE Red Sox Fan?" I wouldn't recommend it. I scored a 100% but it was corny, and they didn't even ask what the 7th innning stretch song was or what Rem Dawg's full name is, or any Sox history. Anyone could pass that thing.

Those Classy Yankee Fans

So Roger Clemens, future Hall of Famer, was booed off the mound today at Yankee Stadium. After pitching a perfect 1st inning he got taken out during the 2nd after allowing 8 runs, however only 3 of those runs were actually earned. I thought Yankee fans were savvy enough to realize the difference, but perhaps it's that they just don't care. Of course, these are the same fans who have on multiple occasions booed Alex Rodriguez, only the best player in baseball. If he knows what's good for him he says adios at the end of this monster season and sticks it to them. Any other team would be worshiping the ground he walks on instead of being fair weather fans.

Just my 2 cents...

Oscar the Cat

So a couple weeks ago I took Milo and He-Who-Had-Yet-To-Be Named to the vet for their rabies shots and Milo's pre-neuter exam (Milo was starting to get "those feelings" which resulted in a confused kitten and an offended and combative Darla). As the receptionist took out Milo's file she asked what "Grey Guy's" name was so she could start one for him. With much chagrin I told her we hadn't found one that suited him yet. She cast a pitiful glance at the little guy as if to say, "poor thing, they didn't even give you a name." I felt bad so I asked her if she knew any good names for a grey male cat, but she just shook her head.

We had already gone through a ton of names that either didn't fit him or one of us nixed, but again we went through a bunch of names the next day and agreed on Oscar. That was one we hadn't thought of before and it seems to really fit him. If only we had thought of it the day before so I didn't have to go to the vet with a poor nameless cat.

A few days ago I saw an interesting article about another cat named Oscar. What do you think: spooky or sweet?


-The Gang Watching the Birds

What Cats Do Best

And Then There Were Three

Well we finally found a solution to our Milo-Darla problem. Now Milo has a new little playmate to occupy his crazy energy, and Darla is quite content.

The new little guy is pretty sweet. He is only 7 weeks old, and tiny teensy so he has to be supervised around Milo who gets a little too rough sometimes.
All in all things are getting a little better though. I've heard grey cats (some people call them "blue" cats) are supposed to be pretty intelligent. If little guy was a girl I'd probably call her Athena (the grey-eyed goddess of wisdom) but here we are again, not sure of what we'll name him. He looks like a little wolf. Any suggestions, once again, are welcome. I like Kai (means ocean/sea in Hawaiian) but S said there was some guy in his German class with that name (said the Doc would remember). I also like Ash but would want a full name for it and Ashton just makes me think of Ashton Kutcher. He's a funny little guy.

What's Cuter Than a Baby or a Kitten?

A baby AND a kitten!

David loves cats and ever so sweetly gave Milo a pet on the head.

It's the MOST Wonderful Time of the Year!

Spring and baseball season! Even though it snowed today and the Sox lost their first game, it's still the best time of the year if you ask me!
Now all we need are tulips and Ws.

Only 2 games in and I miss you already Trot! Your wife was so nice too that time I chatted with her and Kristin Mirabelli for a while. You'll do quite fine hitting in front of Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.


-Trot's last game in a Red Sox uniform






I can't wait for the warm weather to finally grace us with its presence; then it's on to the Gardens where the swans (the two Juliets) will return and the flowers will bloom. My favorite place in Boston...

Also, can't wait to see the Newbie tomorrow. It's Daisuke Matsuzaka's official debut as a Boston Red Sox. How do you say good luck in Japanese? And does he even need luck for that matter?


We'll see.

Lazy Eye

This song has been stuck in my head lately; 1. because it's a good song and 2. because of Darla

I've been waiting
i've been waiting for this moment all my life
but it's not quite right

A week or so Darla started to get some eye infection and closed her left eye a lot because of it. Hence she (temporarily) adopted the name Lazy Eye.

to appear sad
with the same 'ol decent lazy eye
fixed to rest on you
aim free and so untrue


Last weekend we took her and Little Guy to the vet; Darla to fix her 'lazy' eye, which ended up being conjunctivitis, and Milo to get his first shots.

We took them back to our old vet in Boston because it was easier to get a Saturday appointment with them (apparently if my kitties had been seen before at the vet in my new town they probably would have squeezed them in, but since they were new "clients" they weren't going to accommodate them. nice.). Darla howled like the world was ending the whole way, so then Milo took her cue and thought the whole car experience must be akin to torture and chimed in as well. It was a fun ride.

everyone's so intimately rearranged
everyone can focus clearly with such shine

Now everyone is doing well. Little Dude will go back in a few weeks for the 2nd round of shots (he was a big boy about it, yet tried to spit out the deworming concoction he was forced to ingest--it kinda looked like he was foaming at the mouth since the stuff was a thick milky substance). Five days of gel in the eye twice a day cleared up Darla's eye problem quite nicely.

lost and loaded
still the same 'ol decent lazy eye
straight through your gaze
that's why i said i relate

Here's a picture of her a couple days into the treatment, getting a little better.It may look like they're best of friends in this picture, but not so. Milo has so much energy he clobbers Darla every chance he gets and she growls and bats at him. He was actually playing with her tail here and she was allowing it for a little bit before she ran away.

and this 'real'
it's impossible if possible
at who's blind word
so clear but so unheard

Now we're looking into getting a third cat so Milo has a playmate, and Darla won't become too bitter about this transition. Though she's only 3 years old she kind of acts like an old lady compared to Mr. Crazy Kitten. I guess her and Simba just loved to sleep a lot and she used to be the one with more energy.

it's the room the sun and the sky
-Silversun Pickups

New Harry Potter Cover Revealed

Hooray!
NEW YORK - What picture shows a dramatic gold and orange sky and a teenage boy in glasses reaching upward?

It's the cover to the seventh and final
Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," coming out July 21. As always, the cover was designed by illustrator Mary GrandPre, U.S. publisher Scholastic, Inc., announced Wednesday.

"The structures around Harry show evident destruction and in the shadows behind him, we see outlines of other people," David Saylor, Scholastic's art director, said in a statement.

"For the first time, the cover is a wraparound. On the back cover spidery hands are outstretched toward Harry. Only when the book is opened does one see a powerful image of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, his glowing red eyes peering out from his hood."

J.K. Rowling's fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. "Deathly Hallows" has an announced first printing of 12 million in the United States alone.

The cover for the children's edition released by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, Rowling's British publisher, shows an adult-looking Harry, Hermione and Ron. The adult edition has a photograph of a locket bearing a serpentine "S" — believed to be the "horcrux" in which Lord Voldemort keeps a fragment of his soul.

Also here is the British version:



and the children' s version (though I always thought the American version was the children's version):

Wonder Foods

So I'm trying to eat better, and just be as healthy as one can be (at least most of the time). I am a sucker for chocolate and always will be. That and nachos grande with extra salsa and guacamole. But indulgences aside, I'm trying to eat healthier foods. Foods that don't have empty calories and "bad" fat in them. Especially now during the time of year where your winter weight eyes your summer clothes and you want to run (on the treadmill!).

So I'm posting the following article that I found interesting and helpful. Maybe you will too.

Wonder Foods

Here's why these three foods are practically a staple among health - conscious celebs and foodies - plus how to pronounce them, so you can casually order an açaí smoothie with all the cool of George Clooney.

Açaí berries (ah-sigh-EE or ah-SIGH-ee) Brazilian surfers eat theirs with granola, and we know what their bodies look like! Packed with twice the disease-fighting antioxidants of blueberries, açaí has already made Oprah's list of Top 10 Superfoods and The Washington Post called the blackberry-flavored fruit the "new pomegranate." But you may find it easier to sip yours: Celestial Seasonings sells an açaí-green tea blend, and açaí martinis are on chic bar menus everywhere.

* DIY açaí fruit soda: Just mix chilled sparkling mineral water with a few ounces of açaí juice, available at health-food stores. Sip. Look cool. Feel healthy.

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) Dry quinoa looks a bit like sesame seeds but when cooked it becomes fluffy with a hint of crunch, making it an excellent substitution for rice, cous cous, and pasta. Quinoa's major claim to food fame, however, is what RealAge researchers call its "nutritional profile." A cup of quinoa has more protein than a quarter-pound hamburger and more calcium than a quart of milk. Yowza. It's also loaded with iron, magnesium, and a bevy of other minerals and B vitamins. No wonder the Incas named it "the mother grain." Try it in this warm winter salad from our friends at Eating Well.

* Quinoa and Black Beans
Stir in your favorite jarred salsa for extra zing.
This is also good the next day for lunch.
Makes 2 servings, about 1/2 cup each

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons broth (or water)
1/2 cup hot quinoa (cook according to package directions)

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook until almost tender. Add beans and broth (or water) to the pan. Cook until heated through. Stir in quinoa.

Per serving: 162 calories; 4 g fat (0 g sat); 0 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 60 mg sodium; 224 mg potassium.

Matcha (MAH-cha) When you drink a cuppa matcha (also spelled maccha), you're getting green tea's powerful antioxidants to the max, because you're actually consuming the whole green tea leaf in powdered form. In Japan, slightly bitter matcha is traditionally served syrupy thick. But in the US, you'll find matcha stirred into lattes, sprinkled on ice cream, and used to bolster energy drinks and turn smoothies into pick-me-ups (it's said to boost alertness). Just be respectful of matcha if you're caffeine sensitive: Ounce for ounce, it has almost as much caffeine as coffee.

* To rev up a hot homemade latte, whisk in 1/2 teaspoon of the powder.
* For a quick summer cooler, blend 1 1/2 teaspoon with a cup of milk and some ice cubes.

A St. Patrick's Day Wedding

Things have been busy busy lately, but good.
Last weekend the Hub and I went to Mike and Tara's wedding. We left Friday morning to make it for the rehearsal since the Hub was the best man. Well we never made it to the church. On a drive that normally takes 3 1/2 hours, it took us 8 hours to get to NJ as we drove head on into a late Nor'easter storm--8 freakin' hours!!! It was the worst drive of my life. Never have I seen so many accidents and spin outs, and been worried for my life. We had to stop at one point cause our windshield wipers crapped out on us so we bought new flimsy ones at a gas station somewhere in CT.

The day before:
Me: We should buy some new wipers before we make our trip.
S: Nah, we'll be fine. It's only supposed to be rain.

And it was only supposed to be rain in NJ. That's what the weather said the day before for them, and I figured we'd leave early enough to get ahead of the storm we were going to have, which usually gets hyped up anyway and then ends up being 2 inches of nothing. Poor Tara and Mike. Two days before this major storm Tara was riding in her convertible with the top down as it was 83 degrees in NJ (a blessed 68 in Boston). So they ended up pushing the rehearsal ceremony back since others were late, and we ended up somewhat making the rehearsal dinner. I have never been so glad to be out of a car!
The wedding was a really fun time! Tara looked beautiful, like a princess, and Mike was dashing and both very excited. A fun time was had by all (especially with the open bar and shuttle back to the hotel). The food was delicious--especially the desserts. They had a whole bunch of different kinds of to-die-for cakes and an ice cream bar (drool).

Now the newlyweds are off to Tahiti for 2 weeks!!!! So lucky! CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO!