Monday, November 9, 2009

Animal journal


Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!


Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity...

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now....

Friday, August 28, 2009

Random Thoughts of the day...

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

That's enough, Nickelback.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, Both go left, Both go right game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that's is when I realized, yup, that's a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text..

A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when a n entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

NOTE: I did not come up with these, just laughed my arse off at them! Enjoy!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Mental Feng Shui

1) Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2) Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
3) Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4) When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
5) When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye..
6) Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
7) Believe in love at first sight.
8) Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams, don't have much.
9) Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
10) In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
11) Don't judge people by their relatives.
12) Talk slowly but think quickly.
13) When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
14) Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
15) Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
16) When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
17) Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
18) Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
19) When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
20) Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
21) Spend some time alone.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Moving

Moving -- the bane of my existence -- which is why I tend to stay put. Plus, I moved around a lot in the late 90s, often living out of a suitcase, so I like to have roots and a home. Wil moved to NH in July 2007 and we started renting a house. At first, it was great -- but after a time, it just got to be too much for us. We didn't have time or energy to keep up with the lawn, shoveling in the winter was obnoxious and we didn't need that much space. In mid-July we moved to a 2 bedroom ground floor apartment in Concord. Within days I felt at home!! Even though we were still walking around boxes and couldn't find much....it was home. :^)

Financially, it was a great move -- much cheaper rent & utility costs. Plus, we could take our animals, there's central air and heat and a DISHWASHER!! I've run it a few times and love it. SOOOOOO much easier!! I missed having a dishwasher. Wil was recently laid off; cutting back on our expenses has been a mission. This move was definitely a step in the right direction.

We had some fabulous helpers during our move. Scott, Jeff, Shawn and mom -- you were all wonderful!! We couldn't have done it without you. We'll have you over for dinner soon. :^)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

My resignation as an adult

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again.

* I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.
* I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.
* I want to think candy is better than money because you can eat them.
* I want to lay under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.
* I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.
* I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.
* I want to believe that anything is possible.
* I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.
* I want to live simple again.
* I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.
* I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So....here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause... Tag! You're it."


From: http://2good2lose.com/

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Quiet

I know -- I've been awfully quiet lately. I tend to not want to blow my own horn or speak before things work the way we like. Plus...we tend to have somewhat rather boring lives.

I started volunteering at the Concord-Merrimack County SPCA at the beginning of the month. They were very excited to have a geek on board. I needed something else to do with my time off (I like to stay busy) and I love animals. Rather than becoming a cat-lady with 100 cats, I figured that I could help out (even in some small way) at the SPCA. So far, I've gotten them caught up with some data entry, helped send mass emails and worked on creating the Facebook page. Going forward, I'm not sure what I'll be doing -- but I'm happy to help out!

Wil and I have been trying to find someplace new to live. The house is too much at this point and we need to save money. Since there is just the two of us, we really don't need a lot of room; just need someplace that will allow us to bring our zoo (3 cats & dog). We had a duplex in Manchester lined up, but that fell through. So we're working on an apartment in Concord. Trying to get out of the current house by mid-July.

Wil's house in Pennsylvania sold this month. All of the credit goes to my sister-in-law, Marybeth. She was wonderful!! She did all the leg work and follow up to get the house sold for us. One less thing to worry about! Perhaps a little bitter-sweet for Wil; but I know he wanted out.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

I love being a geek

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software...

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "W" if you don't start with some straight answers... What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!


(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on "START".............

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

First Anniversary

Wil and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on Sunday. Hard to believe that it's been a year!! A few of our friends were also surprised -- seems a year has flown by faster than we could imagine.

Our first stop on Sunday was breakfast at the Cornerview Restaurant for breakfast -- our favorite spot in Concord. Breakfast was delicious as always; we ran into some friends and had our favorite waitress (Iris).
Next we headed to Funspot in the Weirs -- Wil wanted to play Star Trek pinball. Course, it was a bit busier than it has been other times we've been there; so Wil had to wait for his pinball game to get free. But he was able to play a few balls & I found a poker machine that I did well at (4th one was the charm). Afterward, we stopped for an ice cream at Sawyer's Dairy Bar in Gilford before heading to Maine.

As we drove through the rain, up 95 to Portland -- we couldn't help but reminisce about our wedding day and having the same weather a year ago: sunny morning, rain during the day and clearing at night.

We stopped at the Maine visitor's center in Kittery and got a few pamphlets. On our way north, we decided to swing through Old Orchard Beach (OOB). We had gone to OOB for our mini-moon after we got married, to relax and stare at the ocean. While we were there, we enjoyed the SoHo Pub -- touting itself as a British Pub in Maine. As we drove through OOB, we saw that it was open and stopped in for a drink.



After awhile, we were on our way to Portland for dinner at DiMillo's Floating Restaurant (http://www.dimillos.com/restaurant/). The restaurant is a converted car ferry that originally ran between New Castel, Delaware, and Pennsville, New Jersey. Later it ran between Newport and Jamestown, Rhode Island. In 1980, it was sold to the DiMillo family and converted into a floating restaurant, one of the largest in America.



Dinner was SUPERB!! We each started with a cup of clam chowder -- a New England classic -- it was rich, creamy and filled with clams. Wil ordered Frutti Di Mare (shrimp, lobster, calamari and mussels, simmered in spicy tomato sauce and served over angel hair pasta) -- it was filled with seafood, including JUMBO shrimp! I ordered Seafood Alfredo (shrimp, lobster and scallops, served over fettucini with alfredo sauce) -- it was FABULOUS!! Every bite was filled with wonderful seafood -- we were pleasantly stuffed.




outside DiMillo's -- we found a gentleman from Conway NH that took our photo




When we got home, we unwrapped our wedding cake topper. It had been in the freezer and I put it in the fridge last week to defrost. We unwrapped the cake and cut in -- it survived!! It was a delicious and moist as our wedding day. :^)


One year down....49 more to go!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Family tradition continues...

For as long as I can remember, my mother has always gone to Marblehead, MA to plant flowers at her mother's grave. She used to take a day off from work and go with her father and stepmother. Mom remembers her mother planting flowers at the Campbell-Dingley plot and always wanted to continue the tradition. When my grandparents were too old to make the trip, I started to join mom on her yearly trek.
We would head to Marblehead, plant flowers, look around the cemetery and then stop in Peabody to have lunch with our aunt. Gramma always planted germainiums -- ugly flowers. I always teased mom about buying them....Gramma wasn't planting them, who cared what kind of flowers we got? Thankfully mom stopped buying germainiums.
This year, Wil joined mom and I on our trek. We planted flowers, talked to Grampa and Gramma, discussed family history and took a tour of Marblehead. I told mom years ago that the tradition will continue with me and my children -- just don't expect germainiums!


Wil, mom and I at Fort Sewell, overlooking Marblehead harbor

All better

I'm "normal" again -- well, I'm Bethie normal! :^)
I met with the GI doctor's PA last week. Marcy was wonderful! Very nice, explained everything in normal-speak-terms and reviewed all my test results. Again, no real reason for being sick -- just the inflamed lymph nodes in my abdomen. Luckily the pain went away as mysteriously as it appeared. The ER doctor was right -- it's like a cold, last for 10-14 days and there is nothing that can be done except deal (and take Vicodin!).

Many thanks to those who wished me well earlier this month.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

It's not a baby


I've had a stomach ache for over a week now. Course, everyone's first question is "Are you pregnant?" No.

It started with what I thought was just a tinge of a stomach ache....bad food, not enough sleep, etc. Just an overall icky feeling. So I stayed home from work and camped out in bed for a few days.


Still not feeling better, I headed to the doctor. She thought the tenderness in my abdomen might be associated with my gall bladder. I went for an ultrasound and blood work Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon brought excruciating pain; my ultrasound was normal and the blood work didn't show anything. I was off to the ER for pain & a CT scan. If you have the chance to have a CT scan -- DON'T DO IT!! I had to drink two bottles of this wonderful chalk shake. It was all I could do to keep it down; two shots of nausea medication kept it down.

The CT scan was clear. JOY! All my insides look normal -- except my lymph nodes were inflamed. Apparently this is a common occurrence that has no cure. It's not viral, so there are no antibiotics that can be taken. Just wait it out with pain medication (Vicodin is my friend!), follow up with the GI specialist, drink lots of fluids and keep a bland diet.

Thank god for a wireless network, laptop and cable....

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Purple Iris


There comes a point in your life when you realize:
Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore...
And who always will..
So, don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
Enjoy life -- each and every day!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sweep sweep sweep!!!

The Red Sox played three games against the NY Yankees this past weekend -- one of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in the league.

Friday's game was won by Boston, in 11 innings. Jason Bay had a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 9th and Kevin Youkilis had a single homer in the 11th to win the game -- 5-4.
Saturday's game was won by Boston, in 9 innings. At one point, Boston was down 6-0; but it's not over until it's over. The boys came back to win the game 16-11!!
Sunday's game was won by Boston, in 9 innings. Both teams battled each other well -- but Boston pulled ahead in the 5th. They kept their lead and won the game 4-1.

Welcome to Boston - sweep country!!

Visting the Basin

The Basin -- Franconia Notch Parkway




Wil, Scott, Jeff and I visited the Basin on Sunday -- it was overcast and a little chilly. But we had a great time wandering around and watching the water rush by us.


Beautiful water pools -- very loud!!



Wil and I enjoying the scenery



Swirling pools of water...



Water rushing over the rocks



Wil at the Basin



Wil and Scottie -- there isn't really THAT much of a height difference between them. Just uneven ground.



Jeff and Scott


Quilting day

NH Eastern Star has been creating quilts all year. Upon completion, they are being donated to around NH for families and children in need. Yesterday, Wil and I dropped by Bristol to help out the quilters for a bit. Most of the quilts are complete; they needed to have sleeves basted on the back (so they can be hung & displayed at Grand Chapter) and labels sewn on.

One of the many beautiful quilts that were made.

Our small group -- hard at work.

Threading needles -- the bain of our existance all afternoon...

Wil, Cindy & Gloria.

Mom always said she couldn't sew....
And yet here she is!!

Mom making sure she's doing it right.

Even Kenny pitched in!

Gretta & Wil

Friday, April 17, 2009

Consideration

I was headed home today after my manicure -- 93 South in Concord. Traffic was busy, but we were moving. I slowed down near the on ramp of exit 13 to let traffic in (plus my exit is only a half mile away). Some jack-off with Rhode Island plates was going slow....I was giving him the room to merge into traffic, instead of just passing him and leaving his turtle butt in the dust. So I'm being semi-patient and waving my hand as if to say "Ok, c'mon, you can do it - merge!"
The jack-off keeps hedging his way in and finally decides to merge, but not before he decides to flip me off. WHAT IN THE.... ?! I wasn't being rude -- in fact, I thought I was being nice! So I returned the favor. Jack-off rolls down his window to flip me off again before picking up his phone and speeding off down 93 South.

Thank you Mr Jack-Off. I appreciate your enjoyment of my courtesy.

bnc

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Blog Move


I've moved my blog! This format promises to be easier to read, write, edit, share and comment on. (Never saw comments on the old format....) I was never sure if people were reading my blog -- so it was time for something new!

The posts from 2009 were copied over to this new format. All previous posts are still available on my website.

Enjoy the new format -- come back often and comment all you like! :^)

bnc

15 April, 2009


Baseball season started last week with a bang. I was all geared up and ready to rock on Monday -- watching my boys play the home opener against the 2007 ALCS Champions, Tampa Bay Rays, but mother nature had her way and the game was postponed a day. Tuesday afternoon, Wil and I camped out on the couch to watch the Sox beat the Rays 5-3. Yeah buddy!!

It was a victory -- but it didn't last long. We're currently at 3-6 -- not a great start to the season, but it's April and anything can happen. Hell, this is Red Sox Nation!! It ain't over until the fat lady sings!!

My favorite player is Kevin Youkilis --



Kevin joined the Sox in May 2004, starting at third base. It wasn't until 2006 that Kevin moved to first base, where he currently plays as a fabulous defense. He has also played second base and left field. On June 25, 2007, Youkilis played in his 120th consecutive game at first base without an error, breaking the prior Red Sox record set in 1921 by Stuffy McInnis. His batting average started at .260 in 2004 and in 2008 was .312 -- he hit 29 homeruns and 115 RBIs in 2008.



bnc

2 April, 2009


Surfing the web over the last few weeks I happened upon a website -- Lolcats n Funny Pictures of Cats ICanHasCheezburger.com. I've flipped through over 400 pages of pictures and laughed my butt off at some of the pictures. Sometimes I wish my job was an animal photographer....lots of patience for that one -- wait for the perfect pose or moment.

Here are a few of my favorites....









bnc

27 March, 2009

Welcome spring!!




These pretty purple flowers show up in my front yard when spring has arrived.... They showed up earlier this week, just
hadn't gotten a chance to snap a good picture of them. They're a beautiful color and start to appear mid-March. At some point,
there must have been some gorgeous flower beds around our house as there are a lot of flowers that come back each year.

bnc

25 March, 2009

Sign of the times....


Since we moved in to our house in July 2007, part of the directions that I give are "across from Crazy Jay's Auto." No more.

Crazy Jay's pulled all the cars from their lot last November. I didn't think much of it; perhaps they were just moving things around prepping for a bad winter. Over the last few weeks, our neighbors have shut their doors -- taking the signs down, cleaning the yard & garage and I'm sure taking care of the paperwork.

It's always sad when the little guy gets screwed......

bnc

24 March, 2009

How to entertain yourself and a cat for $6.99?


Buy a laser pointer!
Steph bought a laser pointer for her cat at Pet Smart today. Course, she has been having fun playing with Hunter while
she has been visiting....so of course we had to try out the laser pointer on Hunter. That crazy cat had us laughing so hard!
He kept trying to catch the red dot, chasing after it, pouncing on it, head bobbing as he watched it, jumping for it and running
in circles. It's hilarious!!!

bnc

18 March, 2009


Last Thursday afternoon, Wil took off to Pennsylvania for the weekend -- much to the shock & disbelief of his family. He arrived about 2am at his parents house and called them to say hello. Of course, mom wants to know what's wrong....then wonders who is ringing the door bell at that hour. She was pleasantly surprised to see her son standing there!

Wil was able to spend quality time with his parents and nieces & nephews. And...we have a few visitors for two weeks! Our oldest niece, Stephanie, and her boyfriend, Ricky, came to stay with us for two weeks. It's great to have them visit and see NH. :^)

Steph LOVES animals -- so she has been having fun playing with our zoo. Hunter just adores Steph -- they have been playing together. Not often that an animal tires before the human...but he's a fat cat! Casey is getting more attention too and is enjoying it. The baby....well -- she's been very standoffish....not sure why -- she used to be Steph's cat. Weird...

Wil, Steph, Ricky and I will be able to do something together on Monday & Tuesday next week before they go home next weekend. But it's great to have them visit :^)

bnc

19 March, 2009


Wil and I joined Gold's Gym in Manchester last week. My friend Christine started going to that gym again -- she & I have decided to be gym-buddies. We both need to get into better shape & want to fit into our clothes better. Last week, we signed up and then were on the treadmill for 30 min. A nice way to start out -- simple and easy.

Chris and I went three times this week. Sunday we spent over an hour on the treadmill -- they have TVs in the machines we were using, so we watched House. My gravy!! My legs felt like jello afterwards!! But it was a good brisk walk for 3.25 miles. Monday we pedaled away for 30 min (another 3.25 miles) and worked our arms out. Tuesday was more treadmill torture and then worked out our legs on some machines.

Tuesday night my shoulders and arms were burning!! Last night....my legs were stiff & burning!! Guess that just shows how out of shape I really am.

I am more motivated to go with Chris because we can keep each other going -- encouragement goes along way. And when I start to see the results of my hard work, it will motivate me even more to keep going. I KNOW I can do this!! :^)