Friday, March 30, 2007

Ready for Action!


Lynn and the boys are arriving tommorrow, and we head to Boston with them until Sunday. Then LA (early AM flight). I will see 5 out of 6 nephews in a week (not bad especially since they live thousands of miles apart. I am working a little today since I will be off next week. I suppose going back to work will be relaxing after the whirlwind!

Otherwise, I am just avoiding getting to work as usual!

I posted this picture of Lake Louise, because it makes me think of Grandma. She was traveling when she was older and took a train trip to Canada. She arrived late at night, so it was dark and you could not see anything. When she woke up very early in the morning, she was greeted with this view of Lake Louise. She had never been on a trip into the mountains like that. I am going to go before I get more sentimental. That is the first thing I thought about when we visited there.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

New York City Hash House Harriers - Travel - New York Times

New York City Hash House Harriers - Travel - New York Times

This may make me enjoy running.

Roostin'

Did you know that Turkeys roost in trees? We spotted 3 tonight up in a tree by our house. You learn somethin' new all of the time.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

family guy

Sounds of Spring

We had some warm weather a couple of weeks ago, and our weather has warmed up today. I take nearly all the kids I see outside to treat them (whether they want to or not!). As my dad would say, "Go outside and shake the stink off of you". You would think the breezes and bird chirping is what I would hear. It never fails, some lawn crew cranks up the loudest and most industrial leaf blowers imaginable! I can be at a school or in some person's backyard! I just hate them!

Well, gotta go--want to sneak a bike in tonight. They are replacing siding on the house, so it may be challenging getting our bikes out.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Hello Muddah

I got some mail from camp today, and it just got me thinking about it. I need to book my plane! They put up a blog page that has some good videos to give you a feel for camp beyond what my pictures can show. It is on my sidebar on the bottom left side.
BTW, Mom visited camp about 2 years ago. Extreme Judy roped up and went up into the treehouse.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Some words to think about

I read this quote today, and I liked it.

"So-called "global warming" is just a secret plot by the wacko tree-huggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start the 21rst century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don't let them get away with it!"

-Chip Giller

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Bird update

I was telling my mom about the bird we saw last night. When I described the bird and told her the name of it, she proceeded to tell me that she has eaten one of them. My grandfather used to hunt them, but she did not like eating them. What are the chances of that?

ADW: Scolopax minor: Information

ADW: Scolopax minor: Information

Nightbirdies


Last night we were out watching basketball, and I spotted something walking around the garden by the driveway. Usually that means an opposum, skunk, or sometimes fox. Last night it was a stocky little bird with long legs and a long beak. He was active and funky looking! After combing the internet, I think this may be the bird. Mike tried to take a picture of it, and if you click on the picture, he is in the front towards the right side (he blends in). Unfortunately we could not get the beak in the shot and Mike was worried he stressed him out so he did not try again.


The American Woodcock is what he is called. I will put a link on the next page.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Fringe Benefits


Most jobs have some type of perk associated with it. Like free cookies when you work in a bakery. In the helping profession I chose, my perks tend to be in the form of feeling good about helping others rather than buckets of money or free things. We hardly ever got a free lunch from anyone. While I was still at the U, they would not let vendors bring in bagels for us for early morning inservices. I do not know about you, but it would take a hell of a lot more to buy me!!

I am part of a minority of women here in the NYC metro area who does not get manicures or pedicures. My feet are downright FUGLY, and trying to pretty up my feet would be like putting lipstick on a pig. A lot of girls out here wax too, but I am too cheap (and not in the mood to suffer for beauty). I treat little preschool girls who go the the nail salons with their moms and get little rainbows and other designs on their tiny nails. One of my preschoolers suddenly decided during our treatment session that I needed my nails done. I was able to let her chose colors and give me a manicure while actually working on balance (man I am brave). Here is the result. Of course I keep forgetting about it. I wonder how many days before I remember to take it off! It is hard to tell in the picture, but the color palate is blue alternating with pink (even though I asked for clear and sparkly!). I work with another child who wants to clean my house. If he is not careful I will have to take him up on that one!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

aqualung.net - news

aqualung.net - news

I am sitting here listening to Memory Man finally. I practiced some self-restraint and used my gift certificate at Amazon instead of rushing out and buying it last week. It is better than the first album which you do not usually say about anyone. Call me old fashioned, but I like opening the CD and looking at the pictures and lyrics. I could have got it online and burned it as well, but I wanted to look at the fancy disc I suppose. It has been fun getting some new music. I am sure all of these songs will get stuck in my head.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Glenn Tilbrook Up The Junction Squeeze Live

Hey, I just found out that Squeeze is planning to tour this year!! I only got to see them once. We were at the Royal Oak Music Theater, and nobody was dancing, EXCEPT FOR US!

Skywatching : Earth & Sky

Skywatching : Earth & Sky

I was wondering about the moon tonight. It was a really cool crescent with a planet nearby. I was also wondering which planet it was. Here is the answer.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Night skiing



When there is snow on the ground, and the year has been dismal for snow, Mike and I tend to ski in the night after work. Tonight's conditions were suprisingly good. Yesterday's ski was pretty sketchy due to ice that our edges could not overcome. Tonight was fast spring snow that was easy to control (which is a bonus with the oncoming traffic's headlights obscuring our view). This is a view when it was not really dark yet. It sure does beat going to the gym! The other good news is this counts as day number 5 of x-country skiing for the year.

BTW: Is anyone else getting slammed in their brackets? Where are all of the upsets (or at least the ones I picked!)

M and Chembo-chi

Mike and Chembo frolicking in the snow.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Superpup




We went to Anita's to play with their new puppy and watch the Spartans lose. Here are some pics from the outing. Of course there were other visitors when we were there.

It's not over.....





We got enough snow and sleet to ski on, so we hit the Rockies today. The snow was fast, but heavy. Manuevering quickly was tough due to the conditions. Now we have 3 days on the x-country skis. It was sleeting for hours yesterday like the storm we had about a month ago.

Friday, March 16, 2007

elderly acting young

Is 37 too old to be sitting here eating peanut butter and jelly with 2 ponytails? I have recently discovered that my hair stays back in 2 ponytails, but not one.

Pick a Season


It is the wonderful world of March. Two days ago, I had the crazy notion that I could put away my winter stuff, and there was no hope for any more nordic skiing. There was a Robin convention on our lawn. Every winter we have a goal to ski 10 days, and this year we only got in 2 (due to weather, employment, and injury). Yesterday started off at 55 degrees, and it has been in the 60s all week. Last week it was brutally cold as I mentioned before. Now we are getting the best of winter; 10-14 inches of snow! I hated the dry cold since the only point of cold is to produce snow in my opinion. My knee is better, so I think we must glide through the woods tommorrow! Here is a driveway shot from 8:30 AM.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Travelin'

Well, I just threw around my credit card too much, but I am booked for a whirlwind in 2 weeks. Lynn, Jim, and Brian are driving out here, and we all are going to Boston so Jim can take a look around at MIT. Then I am flying to LA to visit Sue and the Boys for a few days. It will be hectic, but fun. I can not look at a week off without developing some serious wanderlust.

I am happy to report that my knee is on the mend. It feels good finally! I really wanted to go biking today in the 65 degree weather, but I decided to cool it and make sure it is for real. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I guess I do not realize how difficult it is to rest my knobby knees when I am working. The stinkers do not tend to understand that sort of thing. I have been kineseotaping my knee, so when they do not get I am hobbled, I just roll up my pantleg and show them my "booboo". I think they imagine a giant scratch, but it seems effective nonetheless. I swear it had a target painted on it. I had all sorts of weird incidents when kids were suddenly hugging my leg (or punching it like one of my lovely clients likes to do when he is done kicking me!).

On an unrelated note, I spotted a heron on top of a tree tonight on a walk. I have never seen that before. It pays to look around, even in suburbia!

Human Voice Works Like a Jet Engine - Yahoo! News

Human Voice Works Like a Jet Engine - Yahoo! News

I think some clearly have voices that are similar!

Monday, March 12, 2007

MyFoxNY

MyFoxNY

I was flippin' channels tonight, and I watched the news briefly. Recently some dude mugged a 101 and 85 year old women. The 101 year-old's mugging was caught on tape, and it is being shown over and over here. Anyways, they had a viewer sound off about what they should do with the mugger. The responses were classically New York.

Save the Cheerleader


Yes, I do have a history of being a cheerleader. It is ironic though cheering for Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

aqualung - pressure suit

I wanted to go to his show tonight, but I just saw him 3 weeks ago in Park City. I am psyched for the new album since the new stuff he played was great at the concert.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

The Pogues-The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn

Since I have St. Patrick's day on my mind, here is something to rock out to next weekend.

Don't worry about the government

You know, like the Talking Heads Song??? Mike has been working on taxes for about 6 hours now. He asked me to fill out one corporate form since it seemed simple. Of course, they changed the form to something that does not make sense compared to past years. This is a form for something I understand. So I was not any help to Mike.

I filled the time by cleaning, paying bills, and cooking a nice dinner (including vanilla cupcakes for dessert). So I did all the proverbial chick work. I suddenly become a neat freak when numbers come up, so thank God Mike has a clue about that stuff. I think a version of hell for me would be to make me an accountant.

Yesterday we went to a St. Paddy's parade in White Plains. It was pretty big, and people were partying in the streets. When we went out at night (9:30 ish) all the bars were still packed with really drunk paraders. There were a lot of cops and firemen, some playing their bagpipes in the street. So it is possible that I will celebrate St. Pats day twice (although I usually do not do anything for St. Pat's day and only had a Guiness to celebrate yesterday).

Of course, I wiped out on some ice this morning and quickly forced my ailing knee into full flexion (that felt good!). I do not think I made it worse, but it did not help matters any. It is truly depressing how little of a workout an arm ergonmeter can be! I am going to have a huge upper body when my knee is better.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Life and Taxes

Well, this weekend will be filled with many creative ways to avoid the inevitable that we will have to sit down and file my corporate taxes (translation: Mike will have to sit down and do them :) I am not very helpful in this regard, although I can usually manage most of my quarterlies (I always panic at 1 question though!). They are due March 15, so we will have to hop to it. Since I file every quarter, it should not be too bad, but something always creeps up. My version of being helpful is downloading forms and making sure we are filing everything. I do not think I would be a good accountant. I lack the patience for it.

My friends invited me to the White Plains St Paddy's parade. I suppose I should get out once in a while. I swam yesterday, but my knee was not happy about it. I need to find an indoor long course pool so I can turn less!!

Utah’s Epic Ride - New York Times

Utah’s Epic Ride - New York Times

We will have to try this someday when snowboarders are allowed.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Groovy Kids lookin' for Spring



I think that is the only Pink Outfit I have ever had!

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news

Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news

I think this man needs to hook up with the lady who swam in Antartica without a wetsuit. They could have some ice-babies.

Mega Loser

Just wanted you all to know that I did not win the Megamillions jackpot.

Other than that, I really have nothing to say. I have been laying low and letting my knee heal (although it is hard to keep it safe around all the kids I see. One of my kids was punching that leg last week). I am getting bigger, but it is getting better. I am just playin' it safe.

I have not been going to the gym, and when I am not going, Mike sticks around. Our pathetic version of exercise last night was going to Target since it was brutally cold and not a good night for a walk.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

How does the earth feel about you?

My sister Ann visited Arizona a few years back. When she was describing the incredible heat there, she said it felt like "The earth hated me". I think the Earth really hated me today. It was soooo cold and incredibly windy. The wind really added insult to injury. I thought that weather was over, but it is March after all.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Faygo Boat Song TV commercial - 1970's

How about some Detroit Nostalgia anyone? My favorite flavors are Rock and Rye and the Cream Soda. I sometimes get in the airport on the way home.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein - New York Times

Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein - New York Times

Oh yeah, act all neutral Switzerland!

Young Folks



I have been whistling this song for days. How about you?

Friday, March 02, 2007

Pastoria Boys (and Friend)


Here is cute pic of the boys Sue sent me (they are with their friend, Mariel -do not know if I spelled that right!)

Alleged Bedford Hills house of ill repute to be purified by owners

Alleged Bedford Hills house of ill repute to be purified by owners

This a report from our local, Westchester news channel. For about a year they were over-reporting on some dominatrix that bribed a police officer. I think they loved saying Dominatrix over and over. Anyhow, they have a new dominatrix to worry about. Then they posted this question for a "sound off"

With the second dominatrix arrested here in Westchester, do you think sadomasochism and bondage have become more popular?
Yes
No

I really wish I was kidding!

Mike's Pupil

What a quick study!

Mike's spins

I wonder if they teach this in the terrain park lessons?

Utah, the final chapter





Here are some odds and ends from the week. Ed was so sad to be leaving, some chairlift views, and who knew Pat could have been a model? Must have been the altitude.
Brian, Mike and I took the gondola down from the Canyons at the end of the day on friday. We shared it with a mother and her 2 kids. The one kid was pouting 'cause he wanted to ski down since it was his last day. He also did not want to go home and wanted to continue skiing. We were ribbing him and trying to change his mood along with his mother. Then the mom tells us they live in Malibu! Poor baby having to go back there! The mom had no sympathy for the child either!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Utah continued





Thursday we skied at Brighton which was a fun change of pace. I had never been there before, and it is a pretty mountain, but smaller. Brian flew in after we were done skiing. It was warm, but a really gusty day (winds up to 60 MPH). Those winds blew in SNOW!! It snowed all day when we skied Thurs, and we decided to go to Snowbird on Friday since we had tickets. We did not know until we were in the traffic jam to Snowbird that it snowed 26 inches there on Thursday. The traffic jam was well worth it since the snow was amazing! We even tried out the Peruvian Tunnel, because it was there. Needless to say, my knee is not happy since I skied 2 days in the deep powder! Here are some brighton pics, including a sweet jump!

http://www.snowbird.com/about/construction/peruvian.html