Thankfulness, Sadness, and Strangeness

Hiya All,

Sorry it has been awhile since the last post, but things have been crazy on this end. I’ll try to get you all updated.

Thankfullness...
I made it back to Detroit for the holidays and stayed at Leo and Judea’s along with my nephews (Kyle, 11 and Alex, 5) and their border collie dog Gracie (Nick and Stacy took off for Cancun before I got there). The first night set the tone. After we watched Elf (I forget how much I like that movie) I’m crashing on the couch upstairs cuz the guest bed hurts my back. At 3:00 in the a.m. I hear Gracie whimpering in her crate downstairs, where the boys are sleeping on the aerobed. I get up and let her out and try to keep her from running all over the house with those tags jingling that sound SO loud at 3:00am. I let her out back to do her thing, where mind you I have no coat or shoes on in the frigid weather and then get her corralled back in her crate and head back upstairs to try and catch some Zs.

I’m on the couch for an hour when I hear footsteps on the stairs. Alex’s head peeps around the corner and I ask him what's wrong and he says, “Aunt Jenny, I puked.” So I go back downstairs with him and try to wake Kyle so he doesn’t roll over into the pile. Get them both up on the couch in the basement and clean up the mess and start up the laundry. Then I hurdle them upstairs to sleep in the guest bed that hurts my back. Kyle got in fine, but Alex, says we forgot about the puke on his shirt (about the size of a quarter—Aunt Jenny missed it), so we go to change his pj shirt and G-ma and G-pa wake up to see what all of the commotion is. Alex starts heaving again, all over the carpet in the computer room, so I toss Judea the trash can to catch some of it at least so it doesn’t all sink into the berber. We finally get Alex cleaned up and in bed with Kyle and then start to clean puke pile #2. At this point Judea and I are awake enuf where we are not going back to sleep. So we sit in the living room and chat. About 10 minutes in, I hear what I pray is coughing coming from the guest room. No such luck. It is now 5:20 am. We get Kyle up and moved into G-ma’s bed. We get Alex cleaned up again and bundled in a blanket in the living room and get the next load of laundry ready to go. Within the next half an hour Alex puked two more times—finally making it to the bathroom in time for the last one. Also, Kyle had to get up and leave his spot in G-ma’s bed b/c G-pa snores too loud. We were all exhausted. So, T-day was pretty laid back. Nothing fancy—there were even some naps. Got to meet Nanner’s new flame, Chris. He seems like a really nice guy. Kyle had the crowning moments at the dinner table though. I LOVE how he just speaks his mind…

“I love these cresent rolls! They are so warm and creamy!”
“I don’t mind the snow—I just want it when it is like seventy degrees out though.”

Nanner was coming down with a bug, so the next day Judea and I took the boys out to lunch at Applebee’s (Kyle’s idea of fine dining). He declared that I was coolest aunt in the history of the world when I gave him half of my steak--the boy likes his steak. We then took them on a tour of Meadow Brook Hall, which was all decorated up for Christmas, and then out to Canterbury Village. We came home in time to play some "Apples to Apples" with Aunt Wendy, Uncle Al, and Aunt Nancy.

On Saturday, Judea took Alex to the GC Santaland parade while Kyle, G-pa, and I went over to Aunt Wendy’s to help her install her new microwave. My job mainly consisted of blockading my furry nephew Sam. That was fine by me. The big oaf still thinks he is a lapdog and takes great joy in just standing on you and being petted. Kyle and I then went over to G-pa’s shop to see if we could fix a dvd issue he was having with his PC. Turns out the dvd was the issue. G-pa then took Kyle and I out to lunch at Culver’s (Kyle = “you know this place is kinda like one step up from fast food.” Did I tell you how much I love these kids?). G-pa then went with Kyle and I to the Meijer where Kyle picked out his belated b-day present. He wanted a board game, one that Alex could play too—these kids melt my heart. So, after Aunt Jenny agreed to “Beat the Parents” and “You Might Be a Redneck If...” We headed home. We beat G-ma and Alex home, so we put in Aunt Jenny’s new favorite movie, Tears of the Sun. Kyle is just about the right age to start understanding the social responsibility message. Aunt Jenny then made a lame-o dinner of hotdogs and chili for everyone. After playing Kyle’s new board games, we watched Christmas with the Kranks—that is 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back again.

By the time Sunday morn rolled around G-ma and G-pa were feeling icky enough to skip mass (translation = very, very icky). We hung around the home and made Aunt Wendy her early b-day dinner of lasagna, salad, and garlic bread, followed up with jello poke cake and peppermint ice cream. At about 4:00 I decided to hit the road back towards home. Normally, I can make the trip in 2.5 hours flat, door to door. It took me 3 hours to get from the I-275/I-96 interchange to Lansing, the road was so packed we never went over 35 mph on that stretch. After Lansing, the snow and the ice set in. So 4 hours and 45 minutes after I left the rents, I pulled into my humble abode.

Monday I woke up feeling like @$$. I dragged my hinder into work and held out as long as I could—til about 10:30. I made it home just in time to find out how useful it is to have floor drains in your garage. The coma ensued until the next day when I forced myself to make it the whole day at work. The bug then unfortunately made its way thru our team. By the time our team function for Christmas (dinner at SanChez followed by the suite for the Griffins game) rolled around that Saturday Michelle, my colleague, and her munchkins were sick. :(

I wouldn’t have traded a minute of my holiday though.
It was so nice to spend time with my family.
I am learning to appreciate them in new ways.
I’m lucky, loved and blessed.
Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?


Sadness...
As with just about everyone else in the world right now, my company is facing extremely difficult times with its industry and the economy. This week was slated to deal with involuntary separations. Seeing as the project I work on got delayed a week ago—I was getting ready for the ole heave-ho. Luckily, I was spared, but there were a lot who were not. My prayers and best wishes go out to them. I am fortunate that I am in one of the growing areas of the industry. But seeing as just about everything depends on what happens on the world stage, everything is unpredictable. I don’t blame the company. I understand it, but I still don’t have to like it.


Strangeness…
If you know me at all you know I am a cookbook junkie—just can’t get enough of them. As of recent I have also taken a great interest in Michigan, its people, its resources, its history. While doing some Christmas shopping at the local B&N this past week, I found a book called Our Michigan, Ethnic Tales & Recipes. Right up my alley. So I was totally knocked on my keister last night when I read the dedication, as I am always drawn to do…

“Thanks
It’s impossible to mention all the people who helped make this book possible. But I do owe a special thanks to the people at the Michigan State Library for letting me check out bushels of material at a time, then letting me keep it weeks beyond the due dates without sending the sheriff after me.
Also, thanks to my fellow freelancing friend, Judy Eldridge, the people at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, David Johnson at the State Photo Archives, Mary Flachsenhaar of the Detroit Free Press, Evelyn Cairns of the Mellus Newspapers and Christine K****** of St. Mary’s Rosary Society in B******.”

That last acknowledgement there was to my grandmother. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!!!!????!!! How the H-E-double-hockey-sticks did my grandma, my Busia, get her name in a book that I bought last night? At a national chain no less!! How is it no one in my family ever mentioned/talked about this? I called Leo and asked him. After I mentioned the author’s name, he said he did remember Busia talking about sitting down for a bunch of interviews with some lady talking about food and recipes (apparently Busia used to cater weddings—I never knew that!!). This book was first published back in 1979, and then again in 2006. I am still kinda in shock.


Miscellaneous...
I still have to post about Mykonos and Santorini as well as share the pics, but I need to talk to Nanner a bit more and make sure I have the timeline of the details right.
BTW - How come no one ever told me what a hottie Jason Statham was?

Until next time,
God Bless!

philosophy & general happenstance & secrets

hiya

philosophical outlook...

Slowly but surely putting the pieces of my life in some semblance of order. What order is best? Alphabetical? Chronological? Increasing Price? The more I think about it, the more I enjoy disorder. There is comfort in not having everything planned out. If there is no plan--the plan can't go awry, right? Enjoy the ride. This is so contrary to how I used to live my life. However, as I continue to grow and learn about myself I've realized that straight-laced, prim, proper, rule follower isn't the best way to live. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on becoming an anarchist. Just letting my hair down. Unclenching. It's kinda cool, kinda scary, but I'm ok with it. I'm a work in progress, and I like it that way.


general happenstance...

Been keeping myself busy as of recent with an eclectic variety of tasks and adventures. The Pfaltzgraff outlet in my town (like all others across the nation) is going out of business--online store only in the future. Anywho, picked up a hinder-load of crazy cheap dishes for the homestead. It is amazing how much time and effort can go into removing pricetags and their gummy residue. Made some homemade Christmas cards at my pal's (Kim's) house the other night and then headed over to Becky V.'s to see Kathy who was visiting from Teh-hass (thnx Dee P.) where there was wine and Guitar Hero.

sidebar: Okay, I think I am the only person on the planet that is bored by GH and the endless clicking of the multi-colored "string-buttons". Everyone seems to enjoy it and I sit their with my plastic grin on, pouring myself more wine. No offense all you GH lovers, but it just ain't my bag. Give me Wii bowling anyday.

On Sat I cruised over to Sarah's house (G was off trying to kill large furry animals, and Amiah was in Lansing w/ her g-ma) and met up with some chicas (Deb, Stacy, & Missy) to watch the Sex & The City movie, while tossing back a couple of cosmos. I think I am too mid-west-wonder-bread to develop a taste for the high fashion portrayed in the movie. I prefer my own style to anything ever put on a catwalk. It doesn't work for everybody, but it works for me.

T-day will be spent with the fam on the East side. Looking forward to seeing my nephews (the furry one included) and just chillaxing a bit.


secrets...

So I just finished reading the PostSecret books a bit ago--they are wonderfully voyeuristic and funny and tragic and beautiful, I highly recommend them. Great coffee table books too, especially if you don't have "clutch the pearls" type guests that would be rifling through them, maybe even better if you do. I have't submitted any secrets, but I was intrigued by the notion. I like to think that I am a pretty open book and that I don't have a lot of secrets. I therefore challenged myself to come up with some things that I don't think many of you would know about me. Here's some that I came up with...

• When I eat cottage cheese, I put enough fresh ground black pepper in it to turn it charcoal.
• I am a closet NIN fan still--something slighty rebellious about having 'Closer' blast through your headphones at work while weaving software process.
• I tried to buy a new bra last week--only one in my size in all of Kohl's, pitfalls of the zip code.
• Bruce Willis has replaced Mel Gibson at the top of my fav actor's list.
• There are 11 pillows (6 standard, 2 king, 2 European, & 1 body) on my bed--and I need nine of the in order to fall asleep there.
• If I lose my job here due to layoffs, I'm 75% certain I will be pursuing a career in an entirely new field--and that intrigues me immensely.
• To this day, I wouldn't be caught dead w/o my four toe rings and sparkly toenail polish
• The password to most of my life is based off of a crazy song from GCHS years.

Got any secrets of your own?

Toodles

...greek odyssey 2008 part I, Athens

Hiya.

I've been trying to figure out the best/most organized way to share my Greek adventure with ya'll, and I think I've finally settled on an approach. Yeah-rah! :)

While killing sometime prior to a Pampered Chef dealy and over lunches (somewhat) and after work this week, I was able to get the Athens portion of pics all compared, uploaded, and captioned. (Woo-Hoo!!)

So I'll share the narrative here, along with a couple of key pics, and then I'll include a link to the Athens portion of the album. It the coming days, the process will be repeated for Mykonos and Santorini as well.

So, sit back and get comfy....

***FYI: there are apparently at least 9,628 different ways to spell greek words, so consider yourself warned***

Once upon a time two sisters, after some experiencing some kaka in their lives, decided to take off on an adventure. The debate raged on between Greece and Italy as a destination, throwing the Pacific US coast in there every once in a while when $$ worries clouded their vision. After some input from a trusted *friend*, Greece was declared the winner. The blonde sister (definitely denoting hair color, not smarts) used her travel agent connections and hooked us up with one honey of a deal.

So, in the afternoon on Wednesday, 26-Sep-2008, after sharing a nice meal with Leo & Judy, these two sisters hopped a 747 Amsterdam bound for the first leg of their trip. The flight there was rather uneventful except for the wisdom gained. Although there is more legroom in the bulkhead, if you sit on the aisle absolutely freaking EVERYONE will bump your shoulder on their way to/from the restroom.

The sistas arrived in Amsterdam ~ 7:30am local time and were intrigued by the group of Orthodox Jewish men donning their sacred robes and engaging in vigorous morning prayers at the empty gate next to them. They had something strapped to their foreheads--but the girls were too shy to inquire. Anywho, another 3-hour flight later and the chicas touched down in Athens--much hillier and browner than anticipated.

The driver was waiting to pick them up and take them to their hotel, the Titania, in downtown Athens, about a 40 minute drive from the airport. The chicas were pretty much quiet the whole car trip--just taking in their surroundings. The car stopped at a busy intersection en route and a few guys stepped out of the shadows with spraybottles and squegees in hand and approached the car--it was somewhat disconcerting, yet strangely comforting that some things are indeed universal. After checking in to the hotel, taking showers (no wash cloths provided), and enjoying a nice nap, the girls set out to grab some grub. They dined at Ideal, within walking distance of their hotel. They split an appetizer of zucchini croquettes and each had the special for dinner, pork tenderloin medallions with mushrooms, potatoes, with feta and oregano in a white wine sauce. Divine!

The next am the ladies were up bright and early--taking full advantage of the hotel's free breakfast buffet (yummy greek yogurt--altho blonde sister didn't like the aftertaste), before setting off on their guided tour of the town. The tour bus stopped at few other locations (including picking up 2 travelers from Brooklyn--painfully, loudly obvious to all within a 1/2 mile radius. There was a small amount of embarrassment in that these 2 were our fellow US reps abroad, but it quickly passed) before hitting our first destination, the Panathinaiko Stadium (aka Kallimarmaron or Kallimarmaro Stadium).

Panathinaiko Stadium
look closely and you can see the Olympic Rings dead center above the seats

The current stadium occupies the site of the orginal, built by Lykourgos in 330-329 BC. It was reconstructed during Hadrian's reign (117-138 AD) and then rebulit in white marble by Herodes Atticus for the Panathenaic Games in 144 AD. Neglected for many years, it was again rebuilt in white marble in 1895-1896 AD as a generous gift by Georgios Averof for the start of the first modern Olympic Games on 05-APR-1896. The current stadium is a faithful replica of Herodes Atticus's design and seats up to 60,000 souls.

The next stop on the tour brought the girls to the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus
that is Nanner standing there at the corner of the base with the acropolis in the background

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest in all of Greece (315ft X 130ft X >60ft). Work began on the structure in the 6th century BC, although it was not completed until 650 years later. The grounds surrounding the temple were a favorite teaching spot of Socrates.

The next stop on the tour brought the girls to the base of the Acropolis of Athens.

Map of the Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens rises 490ft above sea level perched over the city. As the sisters walked the path up to the top they saw many sights incluing the Odeon (Theatre) of Herodes Atticus--a memorial built by the great leader for his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla between 174 and 161 AD. The theatre holds 5,000 people and is still in use today as a popular venue for summer concerts and plays.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus (blue on the map)

Heading further up the path the girls encoutered the famous rock where St. Paul first preached Christianity to Greece, and then the Propylaea, or gateway to the acropolis. After you pass through the Propylaea the acropolis spreads out before you and the Parthenon is immediately to your right.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon is a fascinating building, especially if you are really geeky like me. It was built to honor the goddess Athena, the city's patron. She won the battle for patronage over the god Poseidon (who presented the citizens with a sea-water fountain) by presenting the citizens with an olive tree. Olive trees once totally surrounded the base of the acropolis--some can still be found today. Anywho, construction on the Parthenon started back in 447 BC and took nine years to complete. At the time the Greeks were striving for perfection and the crazy thing was they knew back then how to compensate for the imperfection of the human eye. Some of the 'tricks' employed to preserve the optical illusion of perfection included:


#1 The base of the Parthenon is ~ 12cm higher in the middle of its length than at the ends.
#2 The columns are not straight up and down, but actually lean inward.
#3 Each of the columns has a slight bulge in the middle (hmmm...wonder why my bulge in my middle doesn't make me look perfect...)


Ok, I won't bore you with any more nerd-o facts about the the building except to say the PBS NOVA show Secrets of the Parthenon (available to view online) is freaking AWESOME!

The back side of the Parthenon

Another intact building perched on the acropolis is the Erechtheion.

The famous Caryatids of the south porch of the Erechtheion

The Erechtheion was built between 421-406 BC and is considered the most sacred site on the acropolis--supposedly this is where Poseidon left marks in the rock with his trident during his battle with Athena over the city. The south porch is famous for its Caryatids. It was found out after departure that it also contained a ceremonial snake pit....nothing more need be said.

The last site the girls saw from atop the acropolis was the Theatre of Dionysus.

The Theatre of Dionysus (red on the map)

The Theatre of Dionysus is said to be humankind's first known theatre and is the birthplace of Greek tragedy. The plays of Aeschylus (ex: Agamemnon), Sophocles (ex: Oedipus Rex), Euripides (ex: Medea), and Aristophanes (ex: The Frogs) were all performed here.


The sisters next broke free from the tour and snuck down to the shops at the base of the acropolis where one found and purchased a lovely Opal (her birthstone) and silver ring. The tour bus then dropped the girls back off at their hotel, where after a pit stop, they took off on foot to explore the city.


The girls stopped to get a quick bite at a little pastry shop and then made their way to the rail car to take them up Lykavittos Hill, the highest point in the city at 910 feet above the city. The small whitewashed chapel of Agios Georgios sits perched atop the hill. The panoramic views are breathtaking.

View from atop Lykavittos Hill, looking towards the port town of Pyraeus and the Mediterranean--the Acropolis can be seen in the middle

The girls took the long way back to the hotel, trekking past the Presidential Palace, through the National Gardens, and past the Ancient Roman Baths unearthed when steam vents were being dug for the Metro.

At this point the tootsies were in need of a rest b4 din-din. After a short nap, the chicas dressed for dinner at The Olive Garden, atop their hotel where they split a roasted veggie salad and then enjoyed their chicken tagliatelle and duck & porcini risotto (so-so). The evening was rounded out taking pictures off the roof of the city at night.

View of the Acropolis at night from the Olive Garden Restaurant atop Hotel Titania

After an all-too-brief sleep the sistas took off the next morning on foot for the Ancient Agora, the central marketplace of Athens dating from 600BC. The agora is a fascinating place filled with the ruins of many old buildings as well as salvaged architetural sculpture. It is the site of the state prison where Socrates was indicted and executed. The planning for drainage and sewers back then doesn't seem that far from what is still done toady. The Stoa of Attalos, restored with the help of John D Rockefeller Jr. between 1953 and 1956, now houses an extensive museum.

The Stoa of Attalos in the Ancient Agora

One of many salvaged pieces on display at the Stoa of Attalos

After a quick stroll through the Ancient Agora the sisters had just enough time to stop and take a few pictures at the modern Greek marketplace..it a word bustling....before heading back to their hotel to be picked up for the next leg of their trip.

One stall along the modern Greek marketplace

Full Athens album (138 pictures).

To Be Continued....

aging -> halloween -> civic duties -> saying goodbye + greece pics

Hiya all.

Aging...
First off thanks to all of you for your warm b-day wishes. I had a really nice day and am blessed to have so many wonderful peeps to share it with. As for the traditional birthday treats, this year I put on a baked potato bar for my colleagues with all the trimings. That ancient old roaster I got at a garage sale up in Eagle Harbor for DZ Lambda Theta 25 year has been an awesome investment (especially seeing as I like to cook). BTW - Nicole, I know I owe you an email with an address in it--I hope to get that to you today.

Halloween...
We repeated the baked potato bar notion at the Halloween party on Fri. It was a big hit, and this time we added homemade chili to the spread. As for my costume, I was warm and cozy in my layers of velvet as some sorta goth dead vampy chica (waiting on pics). I was however, totally unprepared for how shocked everyone was/is at work by my new jet black locks. A dude who has know me since I started here, looked right at me and walked right past me all while he was looking for me. I'll dye it red again once the black starts to fade (I used the real hair dye - not the Halloweeny stuff). In the meantime, I'm digging a bunch of black clothes out of the back of the closet that I haven't worn in a while. That and I'm wearing a TON more eye makeup--otherwise it looks like I'm wearing a wig. The party itself was a hoot. No party poopers attended--which is too bad b/c I was looking forward to painting up someone's face. Oh well, there's always next year. :)

Civic duties...
I did go vote yesterday, as was my civic duty. However, I was so torn on the issues that are important to me and the candidates stance on those issues that I honestly put very little thought into the choices I made--seeing as overthinking it for 2+ years hasn't got me anywhere either. Either way I didn't run into any of the long lines that people were worried about. I guess there are benefits to living in a rural po-dunk area.

Saying Goodbye...
One of my favorite people in the whole wide world left work today. He's taking a 3 week trip to Spain with his wife before settling into his new job at a competitor. He is the first boss I had as a bonafide adult, and he was awesome at it. He slammed a beer with me after work on my first weekend here. He was the spirit behind the fun-filled trek to Isle Royale. He continued to rise through the ranks during his time here, but he never took on that pointy-haired management persona. He stayed completely true to himself. For that, he has my heartfelt admiration. He truly is one of the best men I have ever known. Although I will miss his calm, reassuring voice around here in times of chaos, I am so happy for him in his new journey. "Good Afternoon PVL!"

Greece pics...
Nanner was able to get me her pics this AM (thanks Nanner!!! :). I had a wee bit of time over lunch to look at them and start turning them all up-right and non-katy-wampus. If all goes well, a coherent album will be available by the beginning of next week. This reminds me, Em, I still have a camera to get back to you!

Odds & Ends...
*Two snaps up in a circle to Jeremy's 100% smooth surgery--may the recovery go just as well.
*Michelle P. - now that I have your email address (thanks Ang M.), I need to track you down and set up a time/date for that drink.
*Doc updates -- well let's just say the results of my tests were surprising, bewildering, and odd. I went back for follow-up tests and have another follow-up and need to schedule more tests. Yipee--I think this is the med industry's revenge on me for dissing them for so long. No worries--nothing alarming at this point, just weird.

Time to make like a banana...
Toodles!

hsm3 -> john denver -> euchre -> david addison

How can she ever tie all that together you may ask. Well, it makes perfect sense to me, but for those of you not privy to the inner workings of my gray matter, read on...

I was honored to be invited out to see HSM3 on its opening weekend this past weekend with my friend Chris and her munchkins Noah (6) and Brook (5). These kiddos are hard core Troy and Gabriella fans. They loaned me their HSM1 and HSM2 dvds a while back so that I could get caught up. I had to say--the first two movies were not much more than 'eh' in my book. I was much more impressed with this last installment. Not sure if I get to attribute that to better tunes, more interesting story lines, or the fact that Zephron is now 21 so it is no longer creepy that he is a Hottie McHotHot (term borrowed from Rallycat). Whatever the reason, we all had a blast.

I then went with Chris and munckins to run a few errands--one of them being a stop at Sam's Club. This is where John Denver comes into the picture. Being the dorks that we are, we have the tunes from the movie stuck in our heads and Chris checks to see if the soundtrack is in stock at the big box store. She is immediately drawn to a cd with a shaggy haired, shirtless man. She picks it up and is about to share with me that Zephron has his own cd out and he's wearing glasses on the cover...that is until she realizes she's holding a John Denver cd in her hands. I haven't laughed that hard in a while--it was a good story Chris, I just had to share it.

After I left my HSM3 crew I headed home to change clothes and pick up some wine, cheese, and crackers to take to a UofM/MSU football party I had been invited to at my friend G's house. By the time I got there, the game was over (the Spartans dominated...if only it were Gerard in his 300/King Leonidas getup...ahhh...), but the party was still in full swing. G and Sarah and Sarah's brother, Tom, and I stayed up way past our bedtimes playing euchre--it had been awhile since I played, but Tom and I were able to win both rounds, but I'm thinking G was at a disadvantage--having been partying far longer than I. Not to mention christening the bottle of ouzo that I brought him back from Greece. I had a lot of fun that night.

So, around rolls Sunday and after I awake with a slight headache (only 2-3 glasses of wine), I remember that I bought myself a pre-birthday present at the Sam's Club--the whole 'Moonlighting' tv series on dvd. Man, did I have a crush on David Addison (Bruce Willis) growing up. I vividly recall weekly begging my parents to let me stay up a half hour past my bedtime just so I could watch end of Moonlighting. So, I ended up couch potato-ing all Sunday smirking at how cute I still find the character of David Addison. :)

So that was my weekend.

Then I woke up this am to listen to the news that I missed. The shooting at the Univeristy of Central Arkansas... that poor young tv anchor losing her struggle to survive the savage beating she got in her own home ... that and the horrendous murders/kidnapping involving Jennifer Hudson's family. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. I'm thinking it may be better to just not watch the news. There is truth to that ignorance is bliss thing.

Before I sign off I want to:
*wish a swift and painless recovery to Jeremy
*let Em know that I'm thinking of her and praying for her
*congratulate Jamie on the GREAT news about her dad's health
*welcome Elaine back from her trip to the big apple

Say-yo-nay-ra for now

nightlife, dress-up, turds and other such happenings...

Hiya,

I am happy to say that I now have ALL of my Greece trip pics uploaded and captioned. I still need to get Nanner's to fill in the gaps tho. She's a busy lady, so I'm hoping that by Thanksgiving I'll have a complete album to share.

In the meantime, I thought I'd fill you in on some of the minutiae of the daily moments. I had an event filled weekend cleaning up the pit that serves as my abode. Between mountains of laundry that I need to get caught up on and cleaning out things (yes, mainly closets) to contribute to Mt. Yard Sale Kaka whose base-camp is in my basement--and of course procrastinating, I was pretty busy.

I did, however, find time to go out with some pals (Elaine, Doug, Lisa, Jim, Lee, Lynne, Harv, J, Eric, Tessa, amongst some others) to celebrate Tessa's birthday. We started out at Eric & Tessa's house and then headed on to the Groovewalk. Man, you'd never guess this was a conservative town amidst a local, state, national and even global recssion based on the amount of peeps out on the town. Lines to get in everywhere. Long, long lines. We finally hunkered down at the CitySen Lounge where I enjoyed the strongest toddy(ies) I've had in awhile. We also ran into local/state movie maker man, Hopwood Dupree, there. That was kinda cool.

next topic...

I'm in the process of helping a pal plan a Halloween Costume Party. I'm pretty pumped about it, b/c Halloween just happens to be my favorite holiday. I guess I never got over the dress-up make believe stuff from childhood (thank goodness Brook still lets me play Polly Pockets when I visit her). I LOVE IT! Growing up we always had homemade costumes, which were completely fine. This year however, I invested in a new ensemb (costume, shoes, make-up, the whole sha-bang). I'm even dying my hair for it--and not that chinzy Halloween one nite stuff. When it starts to wear out, I'll go back to being a red-head. I can't wait to dress-up. I think I'm going to start a petition to turn Halloween from a one day holiday into a week-long festival. We honestly don't have enough fun in life anymore--this will help with that. I promise. :)

next topic...

The turd. After a nice 6-month reprieve, I ran into Fecal Matter yesterday while leaving work. SOB! I think it is no coincidence that after he joined the industry, the economy went down the crapper. Why does he even make an attempt to acknowledge when he's knows I'd rather see him burned at the stake? Bastard. Ugh, anyway I hope not to repeat that run-in again anytime soon.

other random topics...

I have a follow up this Fri with the new med doctor. Hopefully I'm not too, too screwed up. We'll see. Slowly but surely overcoming obstacles with new work tasks. There is a certain software company that is making me crazy at this point--but I'm gonna beat it. Oh yeah. I will conquer! :) Ok, I've avoided dealing with said software company long enough--back to the battle!!

Catch ya later!

PS - Mad props to Em on her radio debut!!!

:)

happy birthday!

channel Simon & Garfunkel...

Happy Birthday Mrs. Robinson,
We all love you more than you will know.

Whoa
Whoa
Whoa

What's that you say Mrs. Robinson?
My, how the years have flown away.

Hey
Hey
Hey

Hey
Hey
Hey...

Wishing you the very best of birthdays!!!

:)

home sweet home

***DISCLAIMER***

This is not a blog about Greece. I am about 2/3 of the way thru captioning my pics, and I still need to get Nanner's pics. I will share as soon as humanly possible on that topic.

*******************

I got to catch up with some of my favorite munchkins [Brook & Noah] last night and have been officially invited to attend the opening of HSM Senior Year with them. Yeah, there are benefits to having the mental aptitude of a five year old--at least little people think I'm cool to hang around. :) Hahaha.

Brook, Princess-In-Training

I also got to see the long awaited remodeling-in-progress of Brook and Noah's rents' house. I am soooo very excited for them. This great little family is finally going to have space to breathe in their home--I think the new floor plan is almost tripling their space. The bonus part is I have my own room there--it's the play room, but I was promised (haha- Chris!!!) that I get to decorate it anyway I want. I am thinking of going with a different theme for each square foot. I may be childlike, but I'm still evil-hahahaha!.

In the meantime Brook, Noah, and their rents have moved into the barn and an RV on their property. I'm crossing my fingers for them that the construction has no delays. At least the munchkins think of it as a bit of adventure at this point.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

TTFN!

:)

gettin' caught up

Hi all. It has been awhile. Got too busy in the rush to get stuff situated before leaving for Greece to keep up with my bloggin', so now it is time to catch up.

This post is going to be all about catching up on your lives; I'll post about Greece when I have all my and nanner's pics uploaded and sorted--and when I'm a little more into the groove (I think my head is still in Amsterdam somewhere at this moment).

1 - Congrats to the Becky and family on Little Liam's safe arrival (he's one cute little dude). Also sending encouragement and support to your mom in her courageous battle with cancer. My best wishes and prayers go out to you!

2 - Congrats to the Czechoslavahouseskis on the safe arrival of Little Camille (she's one precious little lady). I hope everything works out regarding that job you interviewed for at the last minute Nicole, and that the family is getting settled into their new digs. I think I also missed a Happy Birthday in there somewhere too :(

3 - Congrats to my friends down south there on Timmy's slick negotiation skills. I've been following the news as best as I can and it sounds like the bank buy-out drama isn't over yet (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya). Also I'm sorry that I missed you on your eventful (i.e. exploding jeep story) journey back to MI.

4 - Congrats to the other southerners (but not for long) down there in KY (haha) that'll be heading back up to the great white north soon. Dee I hope the house hunting goes well--with the real estate market as it is you guys should have tons to choose from.

5 - Good vibes heading out east as Lara continues her job hunt--I know that perfect job is out there waiting for you to put all of your talents to use!

6 - Glad to hear the first ushering in of a TEENAGER! (OMG!!!--how does the time fly?) went well for Gaige. Wishing you all the best as you continue to adjust there as a family with little Elizabeth.

7 - Angie C. I skimmed thru my emails pretty fast, but I don't recall seeing any updates from you (I was probably blind), but wishing you the best all the same.

8 - Warmest wishes to my friends Mike and Aimee as they welcomed their 4th child into their home-- Little Marianne. I read Aimee's heartfelt email tale of going to pick up her new two year old daughter from her foster parents in Korea. I was bawling at my desk this morning like a lunatic. I get to go meet Marianne tomorrow--I'm sooo excited!!!



9 - A shout out to Em on the political front--I'm watching as much of the hoopla as I can stomach and I still have no idea how I'm going to vote. Did you get anything out of the Obama web cast?

10 - Congrats to my little pal JJ on spewing those new words at an exponential rate; what a hoot!

11 - Belated congrats to Angie M. on the announcement of her and Andy's impending arrival. I'm sure Sophie can't wait to be a big sister.




12 - Belated congrats to Michelle on her kick-butt triathalon abilities! You Rock!

13 - Happy belated birthday to my favorite furry nephew Sam--can't believe he's 1 already. I'll post pics from the doggy b-day party that Nanner's friend (Accessory Jen) threw for him complete with invites, presents and b-day cake.

(Sam and his pal Molly--Sam is the one licking Nanner's leg)

Ok, I think that brings me just about as up to date as I can be w/ ya'll. Until the big post(s) about Greece, here's some news to tide you over...

As you may have heard my automotive supplier company is once again going thru difficult times (as I think every business in the nation/world appears to be) and layoffs are imminent. A voluntary separation pkg was offered (that I was one service year shy of cashing in for the big $$$) which my boss signed up for, but was denied (he found that out the day I left for Greece btw). Translation, the company decided his role was vital and wasn't willing to let him go. Now if the trickle down effect applies I should be ok, but something about not counting chickens before they are hatched....

Also, right before we left Nanner found out her branch (dealing with global relocation and real estate) of a very large corporation was just sold to a Canadian company. It is unknown what this means for her job at this point--but we all know the shuffling that accompanies buy-outs, so keep your fingers crossed for her too. However, she says she'd be fine with losing her job--it would give her the final push to join the Peace Corps, something she's wanted to do for a while now. Oh well, only time will tell.

Until next time....
Peace out!
:)

...ups...and...downs...

The past few days have been a mishmash of energy, emotions, and health...

Good:
Fitting into a size smaller pants than I have been wearing despite the fact that I'm more bloated than a puffer fish.

Bad:
I'm more bloated than a puffer fish.
____________________________________

Good:
The holiday weekend weather was GORGEOUS!

Bad:
I spent the better portion of the holiday weekend sleeping/ill/weak in bed (including wonderful dry heaves this morning right before work)--the Dr. appointment is just around the corner.
____________________________________

Good:
The newest Becker family member is about to enter this world.

Bad:
A beloved member of Michelle's family just left it way too soon and unexpectedly.
____________________________________

Good:
I got a digital camera (thanks Alice!) and suitcase (thanks Tuesday Morning & Samsonite) for my trip to Greece.

Bad:
I went on a PMS shopping spree on Fri and bought stuff I don't need, but wanted--and in the process spent too much wampum.
____________________________________

Good:
I was able to drag myself outta bed and fake health long enough to enjoy a cook-out at Beth and Tom's on Sunday. It was cool to meet their families (especially seeing Harper, and her twin cousins Paige and Paisley [all 1.5 yo, blonde-haired and blue-eyed] laughing and giggling non-stop) as well as to see Alice and Drew and their fun new toy.

Bad:
I only got 4 of the 9 loads of laundry that I needed to get done.
_____________________________________

I'm still pooped. Here's hoping I can get my hinder back in gear here soon. It's a short work week, right?

PS - Happy Birthday wishes out to Ricola and to Jeremy!

45 years ago today

well worth repeating...

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixtythree is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day--this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!


And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

delivered August 28, 1963

at the Lincoln Memorial

in Washington D.C., USA

by Martin Luther King, Jr.

countdown to greece

I told myself that I had to wait until my trip to Greece was less than a month away before I was allowed to get excited about it. So, now that I am safely within that timeframe, here goes...

We start off the trip with a flight from Detroit to Newark to Athens. In Athens we will be staying at the Titania located between the old city's two main squares. We'll have a half-day guided tour of the city and the rest of the time there we are on our own to explore.

After spending time on the mainland in Athens we are off to two islands that are part of the Cyclades, one of the island groups of the Aegean archipelago.

For island #1 we hop a plane for Mykonos where we will be staying at the Yiannaki. Mykonos is famous for its nightlife and clothing optional (Paradise Beach) and anything goes (Super Paradise Beach) beaches. Naner and I will defintely hit the nightlife, but the family style beaches of Ornos (where our hotel is) is way more our style. Unless, of course, I somehow magically swap my bod with that of Jessica Biehl between now and then... :)

For island #2 we set sail from Mykonos to Fira, the main port of Thira (aka Santorini) where we will be staying in the *town* of Firostefani at the Nomikos Villas (I plan on spending a lot of time in that hot tub sipping spirits & gazing out over that magical blue Aegean Sea). While in Santorini we plan to visit *some* of the following wineries:

• Antoniou Winery
• Boutari Winery [besides to bee-U-tifull pics, only helpful if you can read Greek]
• Canava Roussos
• Gavalas Vineyard
• Hatzidakis Winery
• Koutsogiannopoulos Winery
• Santo Wines
• Sigalas Estate

good thing we're going the public transportation route on the island--we just may be a little tipsy

I am still trying to finalize plans for a one day cooking school at Selene while on Santorini also.

If all goes wrong (b/c if all goes right I will be staying in Santorini as Jennifer Onasis-hahaha) we fly out of Santorini back to Athens and then back to the good ole USA.

In the mean time I am still trying to beg/borrow/steal a digital camera and suitable luggage for the trip. I'll keep you updated. :)

congratulations!!!!

some of these are a little dated...but better late than never, right?...

1) Heartfelt congrats to proud parents Mike & Stacy, as well as proud big brothers Gaige & Tyler, on their latest edition, Elizabeth Lee. How precious!

2) Big congrats and sighs of relief to know that Jamie is no longer in 'high-risk' category for little Miss Payton Hope!

3) Happy housewarmings to the Czechoslavakahousekis. Hope the move went well!

4) Warm fuzzy (furry) congrats to Wilson and his family for getting a happy prognosis regarding the tumor!

5) Happy day to Angie & Bob for setting a date. The ceremony plans sound lovely!

6) Big (envious) smiles to Lara and Talin on their relaxing trip to Trinidad & Tobago! Can't wait to see pics!

7) Dee, I'm sure I read some happy things about you while catching up on emails, but right now it escapes me. Please forgive me, and congrats to you on simply being you!

:)

where to begin.....?

So much to catch up on. I either need to post more often or share less. Seeing as the point of this blog was to share more I guess I need to focus on the former. Excuse the barrage, but here goes....


1) buried treas...uh...umm...stuff...
Antiques Roadshow was a lot of fun. The lines were VERY LONG. We got there at 1:30 and didn't walk out until after 6:00 and there was no sitting down. It was also PACKED. They had more requests for tickets for this show in GR than any other in the show's history.

Sad to say my borrowed treasures weren't worth much:

• Sugar & Creamer = depression era glass ~$25 USD
• Opera glasses = ~1880, unique that they were not mother-of-pearl, but they were Parisian, not too rare ~$125 USD.

My friend Helen didn't do much better:

• Grandmother's hankie collection = ~$100-$200 USD
• "Hand-painted" bone china plate = ~$20 USD

Even though our treasures turned out to be relatively worthless, we got to meet some cool people: we talked to the couple in line behind us for a while. He's a chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in the great white land to the north of here, but he's originally from Lake Linden (in da U.P. for those of you who don't know). Go figure. We also got to meet the show's host, Mark Walberg (no, not Marky Mark nor any Funky Bunch), as Helen was getting her hankies appraised. He was really nice.

The stuff that did get filmed while we were there (translation = my big ole' backside may be in the background of some of the shots...):

• a black (Navajo is what the owner said) blanket
• a gaudy-awful red and gold clock monstrosity
• a pretty cool greenish vase
• two prop spear-like things used in the film the Wizard of Oz

The show will be aired during the 2009 season, and the schedule for that will be announced this fall. I'll post it when I know.

2) gettin' movin'
I've actually bit the bullet and have made a pledge to get myself more healthy and active. In doing so I joined a local fitness franchise. Had my first 'real' workout last night. It wasn't too bad actually--which is weird, cuz I hate exercise typically. I followed that workout with a stroll to check out the expansion project along the waterfront in Kollen Park. They've added a BEAUTIFUL lakefront boardwalk that will stretch West past the Heinz pickle factory and then East to the edge of downtown Holland. The picture isn't that clear, but this is the best documentation of the expansion project (page 12-13). I also met some really nice Hollanders while out on my walk, Jose and his kids Abraham (7) and Lynda (5). They were out taking advantage of the beautiful weather and the new venue while mom was finishing up at work and invited me to stroll with them. There sure are some really nice people in the world. :)

3) pinching (and picking up) pennies
I heard the coolest story on Marketplace (NPR) the other day. This family has a hobby of going for walks and picking up dropped coins--they have collected an UNBELIEVABLE amount of discarded change. My eyes are so going to be scanning the pavement/gravel/grass on my next stroll.

There's more to share, but I've run outta time. Adios for now!

$1200...$4000...$650.....

No, it isn't the Price is Right...It is my favorite commercial for Antiques Roadshow on PBS.

I'm heading out this Saturday, with my friend Helen, armed with 'borrowed' antiques (b/c I really don't collect my own) to DeVos Place in downtown GR to:

1) get some stuff (pink glass sugar/creamer from Germany, and a pair of Parisian opera glasses) appraised
2) gawk and ham it up for the cameras if I get a chance
3) people/antique watch...with GR and West MI being a furniture hub, I'm thinking there will be fun stuff to watch

I'm anticipating that it will be a hoot!
I don't know when the air date will be, but I'll let you know.

No news on Leo yet--keep your fingers crossed. No news is good news, right?

thoughts running thru my frazzeled noggin

Just a few quick notes to share to help me clear my mind...


1) Leo went to the hospital last night with severe stomach pains (that's better than chest pains, right?). After a battery of tests they confirmed it wasn't kidney stones or appendicitis; he was sent home and told to contact the doctor who has performed his previous GI surgeries. Judea said he wasn't in as much pain this morning--that's good. We'll have to wait to see what the Dr. says...say a prayer that it is nothing serious please...


2) My small work group of 5 people is taking on the development of global electronics software process (which will be both CMMI and SPICE compatible for you techno geeks). Although this is an AWESOME opportunity, it is also a HUGE responsibility--not to mention a GIANT stress. Lots of little odds and ends to wrap up before the effort gets formally kicked off at the end of FY08. Oh yeah, as a result there is a distinct possibility that I may be going to Bulgaria on an expat assignment. I'm all for it, especially knowing someone very dear to me may be across the pond too at that time...


3) One more step (semi) accomplished in the home decorator front...When I bought my bedroom furniture I was limited to the space in my apartment. Now that I've been in the condo (= much more room) for a few years I've wanted to add another piece to the set. Currently, I have the following armoire and dresser + mirror.


These lovely pieces are part of the Stanley Preface collection, which now that I want more of, is discontinued. (something about Murphy....) Anywho while picking up the groceries last night, I wondered through the clearnce area and found a 4 drawer chest of drawers, not quite as big as I wanted, but of matching maple (real wood top, drawer fronts and sides), on clearance for $80! I just need to swing into the hardware store and get the matching drawer pulls tonight. Definite score.

4) I'm a bit behind on my contract work--I have an assignment I need to complete before I leave for Greece...which is another topic I'll have to update you on another day as I am running late to go to lunch with Aimee.

ta-ta 4 now

:)

lights...camera...action!

One of the things I like best about living in a smallish town in West MI is that it is still a mom & pop kinda place. Typically not too much excitement but the view is nice and the people are friendly.

Well, we're having a bit of excitement. One of our more famous locals, Hopwood Depree, and his company TicTock Studios, is filming a movie just a few blocks from downtown. The movie, a comedy, is titled "Tug". According to the studio, it is about "a small town Michigan guy's life [which] begins to unravel as he is torn between staying with his current lovely girlfriend, or bouncing back to his psycho ex." The movie stars Sam Huntington and Haylie Duff.

I've been past the location several times while they were filming--wow, never really knew how much equipment and people it takes to put a movie together. Some residents aren't too pleased with all of the commotion (streets blocked off, strange cars & trucks trapping you in your own driveway, noisy generators running, etc.), but I don't mind (then again, it isn't happening on my front lawn......).

West MI is beautiful and deserves to star in pictures. I just hope making it a star doesn't change it too much. :)

live music + beverages + friends/colleagues = fun

I went out to experience the GR nightlife last night--something this middle aged chica hasn't done for quite some time (yup, that means years...uh-huh, that was plural).

I had the privilege of attending a concert at the Intersection.

***Just to further illustrate my lame old fogeyness, the last time I was out in the GR nightlife the Intersection was still in East GR.***

Anywho, Aaron, a colleague of mine is in a band (5 Minutes Late) and an eclectic bunch of us (~20) headed into GR to check them out. We had a blast. I got to catch up with some people that I haven't had the opportunity to interact with much since I left the Validation group. The band was great too. Aaron and his pals are very talented--I'd go see them again, w/o a doubt.

I'm a little tired today, but it was well worth it!

:)

step 1: moving off the island

I've been living on an island for the past few years.

Unfortunately it wasn't a lush tropical island, but a figurative island. The circumstances surrounding the relationship that I was in, along with the personality traits of the 'X' caused me, enabled me, forced me (take your pick) to isolate myself from all but a very few of my friends (they know who they are). I didn't and/or couldn't talk about my life and the things going on in it--I was ashamed, scared, and to some degree disppointed in myself. From the inside it seemed like it happened gradually, but I'm not sure I can actually trust my perception of reality during that time frame. I don't think I've ever really been that good at reaching out. I play a good 'Doc' as some of you know; asking deep questions about others, but never really revealing much about myself.

That is the past though. I'm working towards a better future. This blog is part of that future. So is moving off the island. I took one of my first trips off the island this past weekend, meeting up with my college chicas while on a trip to Detroit. Angie, Lara, Dee, Nicole, Stacy, Becky (sadly no Jamie). I was really glad to see you. I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel for the first time, in a long time, that it is possible. :)

After hanging with the chicas, I went to visit Nanner and my furry nephew Sam (along with another furry house guest, Buddy). I tried to help get Sam and Buddy out of the way while Nanner's new roomate moved in. We ended up just taking them to Nanner's BFs' (Jen & Davey) house. We left the furry friends there to play while the humanoids (including newest edition Devon, and his 'Godfather', Travis) set off to Ann Arbor for some exploring. We had a nice meal at the Prickly Pear and then went on to explore Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room (where I was able to pick up some Henna--woohoo!). We rounded out the trip with some ice cream from Kilwin's. We were stuffed, but it was SO hot and the ice cream tasted pretty darn good.

By the time I rolled into my abode, it was past 9:00. So I'm pooped today and the house is trashed, but I was off-island for a little while. It wasn't half bad. I just might do it again sometime soon. :)

cosmic alignment

Let me begin by tying up a few loose ends from a couple of the more recent posts...

1) got my slideshow to work (which you can probably tell if you are reading this)

2) got my title bar to appear kinda how I want it to--I just need to tweak the anti-alias

3) as promised, pics of my home improvement project... I hung two painted glass representations of the works below (by artist T.C. Stuart)...in my sidelight next to my front entry...

Luminosity Rectangle

Luminosity Square

4) I FOUND MY PHONE-WOOO-HOOO!!! :)


On to new stuff. I joined my friend Helen and her older sister downtown last night for a nice dinner. We (along with a couple thousand other people) then went on to enjoy Holland's street performers (guitarists, jugglers, belly dancers, jazz bands, break-dancers, etc.). If I haven't said it before, man do I really love this town. I have never in my life seen such a diverse group of people coming together to just enjoy their community. 95 year olds in rascals, toddlers sucking their thumbs, teenagers having a free hug competition, families lounging in the small corner parks. People from every corner of the earth: Ghana, India, Honduras, Germany. It was so very cool and uplifting.

I bought a lovely necklace at The Bridge, our local fair trade retailer. I also got my first henna tattoo (aka Mehndi) from a street performer artist. I love it! I've always wanted to get a real tattoo, but I've never found anything that I think I would want 4-EVER--think the 'Sandlot'. (hmmm... this just might have something to do with my aversion to commitments...). Anywho, I plan on getting more henna tattoos in the future.

I also had the opportunity to meet up with friends Mike and Aimee and their brood, as well as friends Mike and Kathy and their son Marcelle. The latter will be leaving the great lakeshore area and moving to Texas at the end of the month, so I was very glad to have the opportunity to see them before they left. Sometimes I am simply in awe of the wonderful people that have touched my life. It is amazing how the simple things can remind you of how blessed you are.


:)

Stop! I want a do-over!

If I could figure out a way to do the last 12+ hours over again I would...

It began last night when I ran into Menard's to pick up some cup hooks to hang my latest home improvement project (I'll share pics of that in the next post). I got what I needed, as well as a few items for my next project, pretty quick. However, I ended up trapped in Menard's for an extra hour because, even though the meteorologists had said there was a "slight chance" (Jen's translation = "oh-so-not-gonna-happen") of isolated (Jen's translation = "maximum of 10 sq. ft.") thunderstorms, it was armageddon out there. Mind you, as I randomnly circled the new 62,398,612,854.320 sq. ft. Menard's in my not-for-hiking shoes, fending off 'helpful' Menardites hiding behind every product display, waiting for the tempest to let up, I couldn't help but think of the pile of freshly washed and dried clothes laying on the loveseat in my bedroom--right in front of the open windows that face full west. Nice.

After I got home and got that mess all cleaned up, I checked out my new laser leveler and planned how I would complete the initial home improvement project. I got a good night's sleep and attacked the project. It looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself. :)

So next I ran downstairs to get some clothes for work off of the hang-dryer, as well as some jars of jam that I promised a colleague. The first thing I noticed was the aroma. It wasn't bad or rotten--I'd describe it as musty. At first I made sure the dehumidifier down there was running ok--it was; then I just attributed it to the extended days of 2973% humidity we've been having. That was until I turned the corner to get the jam and saw weird things on the floor in the shadows. I freaked at first, paranoid that the weird things were living things--they weren't. They were large shards of glass. Glass from a gallon bottle of homemade strawberry wine. Well, it was supposed to be wine, but due to the less-than-stellar mental capabilities of the 'X' (he used champagne yeast instead of wine yeast, freakin' Einstein)--I had a time-bomb on my hands. Luckily most of the damage appeared to be the shattered glass. The remains of the champagne leaked out the bottom instead of spraying like a fountain.

So I went back upstairs to call into work to let them know I'd be late, and I can't find my phone (I use only a cell--no land lines). I dump out my purse--no phone. I dump out my computer bag--no phone. I dump out various other bags--no phone. Sheesh! Maybe it fell out at work. So I go back to getting ready for work b/c I've exhausted every place that I think my phone could be; and it's already obvious to whoever is there that I am not. I'll just explain it when I get in.

Fast forward--> I get to work. No phone. Darn--Narbit!!! I can't even call the dang thing from my desk phone cuz I know it is turned off. Son of a!!!! Now I know as soon as I go out a buy a new phone, which I'm going to have to do over lunch, the old one will turn up. Great. Just great.

Is it tomorrow yet?

Day 2 and still ticking...

Well, I've been able to add a thing or two since yesterday. I'm still having a bit of trouble with my flickr slide show and my title bar...but I'll get there. Next I have to break down and actually buy a digital camera. Really, i don't live in a cave--I just pretend like I do. :) I'm actually even toying with the idea of getting cable (rabbit ears for 10+ years!) and internet back at the homestead...man, I'd better just calm down...who knows what too much wild & crazy in one day will do to a girl? :)

Well, I said I'd never do this...

Munch-munch-munch...

Yup, you guessed it. That is me, eating my words.

No one will disagree when I say that I have become immensely lame despite my best 'keep-in-touch' intentions. As part of my 12+ step recovery (I'm sure you'll hear more about that later), I'm embracing technology to help me solve this issue. Hopefully it proves to be the slick, shiny vehicle of communication, automation, fascination, here that I envision it to be...and not another monkey on my back, to-do list item that never gets crossed off, ad nauseum.

I guess only time will tell...but in the mean time I'm gonna try for optimism!

Catch ya on the flip side. :)