1st Annual Snowflake 5K Charity Fun Run

This is where you will find me and Scott Saturday AM.  
December 12, 2009
Saturday 9:30am
Hammonassett State Park Madison 

this looks cute

weekend

Scott and I went Christmas shopping this weekend - clearly he is interested in the personal digital video glasses. 

this year - they put a tree in Faneuil Hall, in addition to the one in Boston Common. Not quite sure what the Coca Cola truck was doing.

So tough to take a good picture on your own. . and maybe Scott could have told me my hat was a bit high! (I think I sort of look like a Conehead)

Walking back to the Cambridge mall - we saw this pot hole which goes down to the old school bridge - sadly covered up with asphalt.

Well, that's one way to get your tree home!

Happy Holidays!

Yes, that is a Santa hat on top of my tree. Johanna and I got a tree on Wednesday, and realized we didn't have a star, or angel. I figured the hat was good enough as a topper!

YUM

Success!! Using my mom's/grandma's trusted recipe, I made an apple pie Friday night. Scott gave it two thumbs up, and had some for breakfast Saturday. I think the apples could have been cooked more - some were a little bit crispy! oh well still delicious!

Congrats Dad! (a bit late)

My dad won! He is on the Planning and Zoning board for Milford. Here are some pics from the inauguration:

The King (of Boston)

I saw this driving on 93 a few weeks ago - and yes, the guy driving was dressed like Elvis!

turkey

5 miles is long. and tiring. and I'm slow. Oh well. I finished, which is all that matters. 

I wasn't last, and didn't puke at the end. Also - I'm not in as much pain as I thought I'd be in. I've decided though to only do 5k's only! 

Congrats Scott for doing it in 47 min.
Now, onto a 5k 12/12. same place. Who wants to come laugh at me run slow? 

I don't even really like cats but -

this makes me want one.

this is scary

I'm really glad people are informed, and willing to support someone they know NOTHING about. Yikes.

5:55 - 'we need to get the polar bears off the endangered list so we can drill there' Where do you want to put them when you destroy their environment?
7:45 - do you think there is a problem voting for her if you don't know what her foreign policies are? 'No, I don't think that is a problem'

Nothing beats Mitch Miller's version

Sorry Bob.




MITCH!

hmm

not sure exactly why - but ... Michael Rapaport is one of my fave actors. random. I think I mostly enjoy his quirky behavior and humor.

Congratulations!!!

seems that

I cannot listen to "Tiny Dancer" without thinking of those old school ballerina jewelry boxes, and Almost Famous. 

p.s.  I had one of those jewelry boxes and the sides were holograms. I would scratch the sides with my nail bc I liked the sound. crazy kid.

new find

I cannot stop reading this blog. 

I love the random pictures, and fabulous music links. Also- I had no idea someone could be so in love with unicorns. 

please explain to me -

How come the key pad on a calculator is NOT the same as on a phone? 

Do you know how many times I mess up numbers on a calculator because of this?? 

 

why

would you have a pop up blocker on an intranet program that requires boxes to pop up?

kind of cool, kind of scary!

Nighttime footage of the Manhattan Bridge shows the extent to which it sways and bends under traffic and subway cars.

defeating the purpose maybe?

I got a new pack of Post It's at work recently, and they have all the usual colors, pink, orange, green, blue. . and white? I'm not 100% a white Post It is as effective, since doesn't so much stand out on the paper. maybe I'm crazy. 

dream time

the latest gem is a huge cluster of what in the world is going on in my head. 

I had a dream last night that I was in a room - think conference room or meeting room in a hotel - with a bunch of people. Some I knew from college, but am not close to and haven't talked in forever. We had worked to put together some event and a brochure. When the brochure was done we each got a copy in an envelope. Mine had a note in it that said, Thanks so much ! - CW.  I look up and "CW" is wearing a green SUBWAY polo. He said, thanks so much for getting that picture I liked in there! Then, people were posing for pictures on a giant slide, and stacking themselves in pyramids for photos. 

..... ?

toast

Ok so I have t-mobile. They are the best price for what I need(ed) on my phone at the time. My faves - so you have unlimited calls to 5 people you talk to between 7a and 7p, then reasonable price for the remaining minutes. No internet (I have a blackberry for work so I can access it that way). Well the poor little samsung is dying. (it looks similar to the pic to the left) 

Yesterday, I close the slider, and the screen slowly faded to white. Ummmm not ok. Then it rang. Screen = white. Now if the slider is closed the screen will be white. No idea who is calling. So if I don't pick up- sorry ! When it becomes white, you have to open it, close it, let it fade to black/off and then slide it open to see anything. The end is near little buddy. time to move on to a tmobile phone w/ the internet. 

 YES I would LOVE to switch to AT&T and get the Iphone. Unfortunately - I have a bit left on the tmobile contract and I'm NOT paying the $175 to kill that relationship. Unless someone is upgrading their Iphone, wants to give me their old one for free - and then I will probably shell out the $ (that I don't have ) for the plan. 

funny

I'd rather

It's days like today that make me miss college. It's rainy and gray and not warm, and this morning my room was dark and my bed was so comfy. It was almost torturous to get up out of such a nice place and come to work. . especially when Hocus Pocus and Across the Universe are already in the DVD player! 

All Hallows’ Eve

How did I not know Halloween had such Celtic roots? Have I just not been paying attention? 

Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain[pronounced: sow- wen] (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samhain, possibly derived from Gaulish samonios).^[5] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes^[6] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".^[7] Traditionally, the festivalwas a time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Celts believed that on October 31st, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks being worn at Halloween goes back to the Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them, inScotland for instance where the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white.^[8][9]

static

ughhhh it's already starting, and it's barely fall. 

I have light, fairly thin hair. . which means it is super prone to static. time to break out the spray gels and static removers (yup, mostly made for kids.) 

Weird dream.

ok what is up w/ weird dreams lately?? I have been remembering them more often, but also, other people have been telling me their dreams too. 

Last night - I had a dream that I got to work on a Friday and we had to go on a field trip. Both my parents were on the bus. We get to the destination, which is some sort of Pilgrim/Puritan/Amish plantation. They tell the girls who are wearing skirts that they need to put on knee socks bc you aren't allowed to show off your legs. We get inside to this huge mansion and my parents and I start to explore. Suddenly- my mom gets back pain and lays on the floor. (Yes, just like Phyllis in the "Cafe Disco" episode of The Office.  (skip to 9:45) ) When she feels better, we start going up tons of stairs that spiral. I look into a room, which is grayish blue and has two beds in it.  In one was a person, and I couldn't tell if it was wax or real.  The face was all washed out and looked scary! I asked out loud if it was real, and the person turned their head and had their mouth open. Creepy. 

another one

In case you get bored with People of Walmart, or Passive Aggressive notes, try Engrish.com 

wow

People of Walmart has some good ones today! 

You scroll through and think, "It cannot get any worse.." and then it does. These are my favorites today: 

not an issue

I think a lot of people would agree that Kanye West is inappropriate, especially after his last episode at the VMA's and this other gem.  But now, there is all sorts of uproar over Obama's comment that Kanye is a 'jackass', made off the record. If you listen to the audio, found on that link I just posted - it is pretty harmless. The question was 'how do your girls feel about it' - considering they are probably Taylor Swift fans, and Obama's answer is basically - I don't get why Kanye did that. The jackass comment is made off the cuff, and honestly made me laugh a bit. Yes - he is the president, and yes, he has an image to uphold. But at the end of the day - he is also a regular guy who has an opinion! I think comments like that remind me that he can still be down to earth even though he has a high profile, high pressure job. 

I say let it go - it was a random comment, I'm not convinced the public will overwhelmingly think poorly of him or that his image will be too tainted from this. 

 

tmz.com http://news.bnonews.com/ke3p

Oh say can you see My eyes if you can Then my hair's too short

Love love love this. . and cannot stop listening to the soundtrack!

it's alright cause I'm Saved by the Bell!

randomly i just thought of the episode of saved by the bell when jesse's dad gets married to the fitness instructor at his resort and zack hits on her at the gym

I couldn't find a clip of it on You Tube. But here is another gem from that show: 

dogs do not talk, unless I am asleep

I had a dream about Heather's dog, Evie. Evie LOVES to bark. I think she likes to hear herself. So in my dream, Heather and I were walking the dog, and she was barking her head off. (not literally) Finally- H yelled at her, and she wrestled out of her collar, turned around and said, 'See ya' and ran off so we had to chase her. 

wednesday randomness

A friend of mine showed me an amazing picture of a sunset that he took off the beach in Quincy. It made me  want to live near the beach, but I like being near the city too. I guess you still get that in Quincy.  I love my new apartment but I'm still itching to be random roommate/friend living arrangement free. 

I have a new appreciation for NYC. I used to be indifferent, since I was overwhelmed by it at first, and then favored Boston. (Yes, I still love Boston) After going there for work, to visit Jess, and to see shows - I enjoy it. I do NOT like Times Sq. that is the WORST part of the city. I think I am more familiar with it which clearly makes it more enticing and puts me at ease. It's strange that it took me longer to catch on there than anywhere else. I guess one or two sporadic visits will get that result, vs. living near Boston, or being forced to figure out a new city while living there for a month (London). Anyway - I'd live there, whereas at other points I had crossed off my list and was even annoyed when someone said - ' you have to live in NY at some point in your life!' 

seriously what goes on in my head when I sleep?

I had a strange dream last night - for some reason, I got a tattoo and didn't tell anyone. I showed up and had an 8 ball tattoo (what?!) and people were disgusted. 

Then, I turned around and tried to look at it (bc it was on my back) and it was a weird tribal swirl with a smiley face in the middle. SO so so strange. No, I am not planning on getting one! 

song shuffle

I bought Colbie Calliat's cd forever ago when 'Bubbly' came out, and like a few songs but didn't listen to it too much. On random today- this song came up and I can't stop listening to it! 

DIY Tiki

 If I had my own house and backyard I would probably consider doing something like this. Basically you take your old wine bottles and make your own Tiki Torches. Very cute. 

Click here for directions on how to make your own. 

Not Hooked

I haven't really heard much about Hooker Beer - but saw it in a bar near my house and figured it was worth a try. Watermelon beer is pretty good.* 

Umm no. 

This beer tastes like someone dropped a shot of watermelon vodka in it. It left that same burning sensation in my mouth that hard liquor shots do. 

I would try other beers of theirs though - hoping the Watermelon Ale was just a bad decision. Anyone want to go to their brewery in Bloomfield, CT? 

*For good watermelon ale - head to Beer Works.

wow.

Inspired by Heather - here are my 'Yearbook' Photos. 

Prom queen
haha - Creepy! if I was a guy... 
Precious.

this was for the year 2000- anyone think I should dye my hair dark??

I look like Tricia in these! 

marky mark

ahh, another celebrity crush completely off the market. 

throwing punches underwater

funny monologue before the song starts

sleepless

Lately, I cannot stay asleep to save my life. It's really getting a bit obnoxious. You'd think that with all the moving I did over the weekend I'd sleep great! nope. Maybe I'm getting used to a new house. New noises, etc. It doesn't feel comfortable like Warren Street was, but I've been there for less than a week, so that's to be expected. I absolutely love it though, and can see that it will be comfortable and I'll feel 'home' in no time. 

I think I need to fill the empty spaces on my walls to make it feel like home. Hmm.  I may have indirectly quoted this song: (1:42) 

Movin' Out

I moved! It was nice and sunny and HOT for the move on Saturday. I never would have been able to get this done w/o Lori, Lauren, Kevin, Lyla and a friend from work. Thanks guys :) !!

Foyer Living room

Kitchen

Kitchen view 2 (I am standing next to my bedroom door)

Bedroom view 1

Bedroom 2 (kitchen is to the right when you walk out. The bathroom is right across the hall, living room and other two bedrooms to the left.

Bedroom 3.

song of the day

I found this gem on my ipod from a CD I uploaded and cannot stop listening to it.

random reviews

Hey, take a look at this.*

I honestly have no idea how I came upon this blog, Moog's Movie Reviews. . but was inspired to write a guest review after seeing The Orphanage.

*And... because my parents read this, I feel the need to call out the fact that the commentary under the images and commentary prior to the reviews is all Moog.

when you're let down, sometimes it is hard to give people another chance. I think for such a long time I gave people that chance and repeatedly found myself in the same spot. So I closed off a bit and that didn't work either. I think though, that from recent events - it has really really sunk in that you cannot rely on anyone but yourself to be happy. 

enough

It has been raining on and off for the past 2 weeks. I get it - people are sick of the rain. However, I am more bothered by the people complaining about the rain than I am about the actual rain.

downsizing

I am realizing that I have a lot of stuff. . boxes for things I got forever ago - really, do I need the box my camera, ipod, or lenses came in? No. Clothes - I try to weed things out, but inevitably think - I will want to wear that soon! And, 6 mos later, have still not pulled it out of the bottom of the drawer. Books - ones I read once, ones from college I will never use again - time to downsize. Last night I listed 26 books on half.com to sell. Let's hope someone wants them!

Torture

I left something in my car and had to run out to get it. Too bad it is currently 70 degrees, clear skies, and GORGEOUS outside. It is too nice to be in an office staring out at the great weather. It's days like this that make me wonder why I am not a teacher so I can have more time off!
Things I'd like to do in this fantastic weather:
- ride my bike
- lay in the hammock
- kayak (after cleaning it)
- read on the beach
- hang out @ Crissy field w/ heather and evie (ummm not so much a reality)
- have a beer @ Archie's in Milford (only 2.5 hr drive for that to be a reality)

Old but still amusing

Don't drink @ work!

Subtitles

Last year sometime, I saw Pan's Labyrinth. I thought it was a great movie - though not at all what I originally expected. The previews made it seem as though it was on the same page as movies such as Narnia, when really it was a thriller / gruesome story about a little girl who created a fantasy world to deal with the harsh reality she was living in. It was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, in Spanish with subtitles. It was intriguing, scary, a little gory and overall rentworthy. 

So, on blockbuster.com, I found another movie del Toro worked on - The Orphanage. It had a similar feel to Pan's Labyrinth in that it was a thriller / scary movie and had a pretty dark story line. (And, also in Spanish with subtitles.) Basically, The Orphanage starts with a little girl named Laura who lives at an orphanage and is being adopted. Cut to 30 years later, and she has her own son and husband. She has just bought the house the orphanage was in 30 years ago and plans to open her own home for children. Her son, who is also adopted and suffers from an illness, has imaginary friends that are a bit too real to him. Laura struggles with her rational/mother mode and support of her son when she plays along with his 'imagination'. Tragedy strikes the family, and the rest of the movie takes you through their ordeal. It was not at all predictable - which is refreshing since so many movies can be figured out before they are over. If you can stand a few jumpy scenes and creepy masks - I would recommend renting this. Just a heads up - I watched it during the day and was creeped out by the masks!

 

20/20

I am watching 20/20 - about teenage drinking and driving. Two girls in FL went to a club, got drunk and crashed one mile from their house. The driver survived and the other died. The family of the girl who died wants the driver in jail. The driver's family obviously doesn't. The thing that got me during all the interviews was the father of the driver. He said, these girls were underage and served by adults at the bar. It's not the person who drank, it's where they got the alcohol. SAY WHAT?? The girl drank and drove. Regardless of how she got the alcohol, she decided to drive after drinking. 

This is a horrible occurrence. The driver killed her best friend and has to live with that. She got 4 yrs in jail, instead of going to trial and facing an optional 10 years. I don't know if jail is the right 'punishment'. She is already punished every single day remembering that she was responsible for killing her best friend. 

 

Bats are friggin creepy

We had a bat in the house tonight. EEEEEEEK. I went downstairs and was in the kitchen. I saw some black shadow, and went towards the dining room and a BAT flew past me. I BOLTED UP the stairs and squealed for Jen. Her and Allison came out of their rooms and I freaked out telling them about the bat. After consulting a few people, we called the non emergency fire dept line and they sent a truck w/ three firefighters out to save us. Well we had to get down to open the door, and the damn thing was hanging in the hall above the dining room door. We creep down the stairs and book it down to the front door where we stand outside waiting for the firefighters. 

They show up, have a bit of a laugh at us and get the bat out. They pinned it to the wall with a broom - it was making this AWFUL squealing noise. Then another dude grabbed it with these birding gloves and tossed it outside. At least now we can sleep easy - and hope that no more come in. 

(We have had contractors working out the outside of the house, so they will get a call to double check EVERYTHING to make sure this does not happen again.) 

It sort of looked like this, with its creepy pointed ears. 

Of course, all I could imagine was this: