too funny

http://tlc-smileygirl.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

oh my god, this is the funniest stuff I have ever read.
Heather, where did you find this?

New England Heat Waves are awesome.

This weekend it was ridiculously humid, and in the 90's. This weather is sticking around til Wednesday, so if I want to sleep at all, I'm going to have to put the air conditioner in the window.

Last night, I came home from CT, and had a softball game at 9. I thought about putting the AC in but didn't really have time. I figured I'd be fine for one night with just a fan.. not so much. No covers, and a fan directly on me - I at least fell asleep. Around 2, I had to hunt around the house for another fan. Around 3, that fan was too loud so I shut it off. 4 am - too hot, turn the fan back on. A new air conditioner is going in my room TODAY!

Weekend

This weekend I went to CT to visit my parents.
Saturday - my dad and I went to lunch and hung out for a bit, then headed over to the theater in Stratford to see my mom in a play for the Irish Club my parents belong to. Unfortunately, the theater was having some sound problems, and up until about 10 minutes before the show people were attempting to sort out the issues. Luckily - it all worked out and the play went really well! My mom was so good! She has never been in a play before, and I give her a lot of credit for going up on stage and putting in a lot of hard work to be ready for the show. After the show, we went to a bar nearby with the cast and their families. I figured we'd be out for a drink or two.. but this crowd was not going home early! They started playing with the Juke box and found some Irish music to dance/sing to and ended up closing the bar!

Sunday - breakfast at my grandparents. My grandmother loves to watch old movies. She was watching one w/ John Wayne about a group of people who were in some foreign country gathering animals to put in a zoo. They used a rocket to launch a net over a tree to catch monkeys, chased a rhino with two jeeps, and fought off elephants who tried to get back 3 baby elephants. It was strange. The 3 baby elephants thought this one woman was their 'mom' so they kept following her around. The woman ends up being John Wayne's love interest, and at the end, one elephant tries to climb up on the bed with her before he gets in! Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? After that - my mom and I got pedicures and ran a few errands. I headed home around 3:30, driving right into a torrential downpour/thunderstorm. I came home to play softball with a team I found on Meetup.com. Sadly, we lost 19-24. We had a few great hits, and clearly scored a lot. . we could have won but our pitcher walked a lot of batters for the other team. Oh well, it is just for fun anyway!

Jeff's pub crawl pics

scorpion bowls - taste so good, not always a good decision Our karaoke friend Timmy (we met him at the bar)
The Redeemed pub crawler

If Harvard were Hogwarts

Click here for the image gallery:
http://boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/gallery/hogwarts?pg=9

Oh yeah? Well....

I can't stand the competition game. You know - when someone has a bad day, and the person they are talking to counters with, "oh yeah? If you think that was bad, listen to my day!" Sometimes, this truly is someone comiserating about whatever the situation may be, but sometimes it is over the top.

There are people I know with who play this competition game almost every day. The topic: traffic and their commute. Both parties are chronically late to work, both live at least 25 -30 minutes away. One lives knows the commute is awful, and could probably just take more time to get to work. One doesn't like to be out done, so will elaborate his story at all costs to be the one worse off. I realize this isn't my problem since they aren't talking to me, but it gets so obnoxious that I either have to leave my desk, or put on headphones.

Jeff's Redemption pub crawl

Just one photo from last Saturday's pub crawl . .more to come.

We LOVE singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" at Karaoke, at 4pm, at the Hong Kong - and making new friends named Timmy who also love Karaoke. I am too excited in this picture.

quote of the day

this is funny:

Regarding Whole Foods grocery store:
"Oh that place is like Tiffany's for food"
-HLM

hmm

At 26, is it a compliment for someone to tell you that you look like you are 12? I thought about what I could attribute it to - outfit, hair? The outfit - button down shirt and black capri pants from Ann Taylor. Hair - long, and I had pulled my bangs back bc I'm sort of over them. Maybe that was it. Oh and I had glasses on. So - no bangs, plus glasses = 12? I wasn't offended, but 12 is alarmingly young!

Lady Lovely Locks

I have had long hair for quite some time now, and I'm getting sick of it. But, now that it is this long I want to donate it when I cut it off.

Part of me is ready to cut it off now - it gets in the way, and sometimes I think I look like a little kid w/ it. Then, I had a dream about 2 weeks ago that I cut it all off to my chin, didn't donate, and cried about it. I was SO relieved to wake up and know I hadn't cut it. So I guess I'm not ready yet. The plan is to cut it at the end of the summer, and hopefully my sanity will last that long! If I can, I'd like to donate 10 inches to Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org/donate.html)
but if 10 inches is too short for me, I might go with 8 inches to Pantene's program - Beautiful Lengths.
(http://www.beautifullengths.com/en_US/requirements.jsp)

If the title of the blog makes no sense:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Lovely_Locks

Yum

The new flavor is a caramel and sweet cream whirl of chocolate-covered peace signs and toffee pieces. I will let you know what I think once I try it.

http://www.benjerry.com/imagine/
http://www.johnlennon.com/html/news.aspx

MTV Movie Awards

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1588375&vid=237159

On Sunday night during the MTV Movie Awards - Lindsay Lohan, P.Diddy, and Verne Troyer presented the award for Breakthrough Performance. They did a bit where they fought over who should announce the winner. P.Diddy said, it would be the first time for black man to announce it. Lindsay said, she was a woman, and best suited for the job. Verne Troyer said something about being the white dude in the background watching it all happen. I caught on to the point of the bit when P.Diddy kept saying, "Yes we can!" I'm trying to figure out what MTV's point of view on Hilary Clinton is though, based on this skit. . since Lindsay Lohan ultimately announced the winner, one could argue that MTV is in favor of Clinton. But they picked L. Lohan to represent her, someone who is not that put together, and sort of a train wreck.

On a lighter note, Johnny Depp is HOT. I looked up his age, and am in disbelief that he is 45 yrs. old.

procrastination

Thank you Heather for sharing the M&M creator!
http://pinkpolkadotdiary.blogspot.com/2008/06/us-as-m.html

Will you accept this rose?

Typically, I do not watch "The Bachelorette," and only sometimes get sucked into "The Bachelor." Last night, I found myself watching it with Jen and Colleen and now will have to watch the season to see if she picks Jason! Jason is a single father of a 3 yr old boy named Tyler. . after Jason told DeAnna about his son, she opened up about the death of her mom, which has shaped her emotionally closed off personality. To let him know that she was open to the idea of a guy with a kid - she went and named a star after his son. I wonder if she is really ok with it, or if she wanted him to at least always know she really liked him - no matter what the decision is. However, the bachelorette is 26, and that is a huge package deal! 3 year old, and an ex wife to deal with? ps. does anyone else think she looks older than 26??

Give Me Back My Five Bucks

I was inspired by my sister's blog about personal finance (http://pinkpolkadotdiary.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html) and came across one that I now read every day. I have no idea who this girl is, but I am impressed and inspired by her ability to get out of debt and try to save $.
And, I am enjoying the personal commentary about her job, boyfriend, and life in Canada.

http://krystalatwork.blogspot.com/

Seriously - how many theme parks can Orlando hold?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/138347

How did I not hear about the Jesus theme park, Holy Land, in 2001 when it was built?

Even though I was raised Catholic, I'm not religious, so maybe I just don't understand. . . but why would you want to go to a park where there is a 'blood spattered Jesus stumbling through the crowd'? Ew. Hot 90 degree day, some bloody dude wandering around reinacting the resurrection? And, people line up for photos with him? Gross.

But, look at all the fun colors the souvenir t-shirts come in...

http://www.theholylandexperience.com/

Free Iced Coffee Day!

It's Free Iced Coffee Day!

Visit participating stores, and get a free 16oz Iced Coffee between 10am and 10pm.

(sorry to anyone where there isn't a DD near you (like CA) I owe you a coffee when you are in town! )

Mother's Day is the new Thanksgiving

This weekend I went home to CT for Mother's Day. I don't really miss home or Milford much, but in the spring/summer when it is nice out on the weekends, all I want is to do head to my favorite hometown bar and enjoy lunch and a drink on the deck. Luckily, it was nice enough to do so Saturday. I had lunch with my parents, then my dad and I stayed to enjoy some Sam Summer Ale and Guinness.

After dinner with the fam at Sage in New Haven, I met up with two of my favorite h.s. friends - Jake and Meghan. There was an unexpected high school reunion on Saturday night, which was sort of fun - considering I was only planning to see 2 friends that night. People from JLHS* that I literally have not seen in at least 2 years, if not 5. Typically I dread the impromptu reunion - which is easy to find at any Milford bar, but this time it wasn't too bad. You never know what you will run into when you go home...
Sunday - I had a great girly mother/daughter day - nail appt. in the morning, shopping, lunch, then the 2.5 hr ride home. Well worth the trip!



*JLHS - Jonathan Law High School

Don't Dream It's Over

A friend of mine is a huge fan of Crowded House - so we went to see them at the Somerville theater 5/5. I may have been one of the youngest in the crowd, but it was fun to watch people get so into a band they haven't seen in a while.

The band was very fun to watch - very crowd engaging, and funny. They talked about how they used to play the 'shark' game when they were kids. Where you try to get through a room in the house without touching the floor because there is a shark you are trying to avoid. (imaginary, of course.) I used to play that game, but I'm not sure I thought of it as a shark.. anyway. So the band carried on the 'shark' joke for a while, and at one point the lead singer goes to the bass player, "Nick - please don't touch the floor, there is a shark." And the lead singer gave the bass player a piggy back ride to another part of the stage. It was hilarious. Overall, a great night.

Who the heck is Crowded House? You might remember them from their 90's hit - Don't Dream It's Over. check it out on You Tube.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowded_House

MS Bike 08

The MS Bike for 2008 is complete! The weekend always goes by too quickly, but the event was a success.

May 3, was a cold, wet, windy day, but it was nothing compared to the battle people with MS face every day. Many, many thanks go out to my donors for the support they provided for my bike for MS. In total, I raised $1,100 for MS! The entire event raised $288,884.00.

Riding with me was my roommate Colleen, and we met up with her friend Kate, who rode on a team for Circle Furniture. My other roommate Jen graciously volunteered her time and pb & j making skills at the South Beach rest stop, re-fueling all of the bikers. After the bike, we enjoyed a bbq at the Martha's Vineyard high school, free massages, and then headed back to our rented house for hot showers. Exhausted from the ride and weather, we made pizzas, watched a movie and fell asleep early!

Thanks girls for taking the trek to MV for the bike.. it means so much to be able to do this bike for all the people I know with MS.

I'm Feeling Lucky

When you get a chance, go to Google. Type in “Find Chuck Norris” and instead of click search, click on I’m Feeling Lucky…..

(thank you Colleen!)

actions speak louder than words

Miley Cyrus vs. Vanity Fair

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/06/miley200806?currentPage=2

Is the picture of Miley Cyrus by Annie Leibovitz art or inappropriate? The fact of the matter is, Miley and Co. took the photo and approved it. I sort of wish they would just say, I allowed this picture to be taken and approved it for reasons x, y, z. ? Not back pedal when an ounce of criticism is made on it.

Annie Leibovitz is an incredibly talented photographer. If you look at her portraits, they might not always be the most flattering or glamorous images of the person in them, but they tend to reveal an aspect of that person's career, or personality. (This is true for her family and friends, as well as celebrities.) If a celebrity has chosen to work with her (or has the priviledge to) they probably should look at her collections, understand her style, or tell her they are unhappy with the photo before they have to defend it to the public.

not camera ready

We take a lot of pictures. Inevitably, one of us is not paying attention. 9 out of 10 times, it is me.

becoming brand loyal

Funny..
I work for a coffee company- and this note went out in a weekly blog (usually done by the CAO, but guest written by the Frank, the front desk guy / Mayor of "Brand Central").

Note to orientation employees: If the hotel you’re staying in doesn’t have our coffee then don’t bring in another brand. It won’t get by me. Wait until you get here and I’ll get you a good cup.

I wonder if they actually didn't think twice and brought the competitor?!

The Pope comes to NYC

The Pope was in NYC this weekend, as was I. I went to visit a friend, and didn't really consider the Pope's presence, or consider the additional crowd that would be in the city to see (stalk) him.

NYC is full on a normal day. Then, on the weekends, there are plenty of tourists. Add on to that gorgeous weather that brings everyone out of the house, and a visit from the Pope, which is a pretty big deal to some people. I think one of my favorite sights was the group of about 15 nuns parading down 5th ave. . attempting to keep some semblance of a line, like the rows of little girls in the Madeline books. http://www.madeline.com/

We were fighting the crowds within a 10 block radius of 72nd street. Roads from E. 72nd Street, Madison to Fifth Avenue were shut down, even to pedestrians. You could still go to certain places, such as the MOMA, but if you didn't go in that museum door, turn around and go back because you couldn't go past the museum entrance. It got a bit frustrating when we found we couldn't cross the street to get to Central Park. Every police officer we asked said we could turn down a different street. I was beginning to think it was an inside joke they all were in on.
Us: "At what street can we turn to get to Central Park?"
Cop: "Hm, 68th."
Us: "Great, thanks."
@ 68th St.
Us:"Looks like this is blocked too.. excuse me, officer, where can we turn to get to Central Park? Another cop told us 68th.."
Cop: "Ha, I don't know who told you that!" (and so on...)

Anyway, we passed by many entrepreneurs selling Pope merchandise. . t-shirts, buttons/pins, even flags. (What do you do with a Pope flag? ) Finally we made it to the park. (My first time there! Crazy, I know.)
It was much calmer on the inside paths of 'The Ramble' and we breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the craziness. We wandered around, and wondered why Central Park didn't have a lot of signage, or why the map given to us at the Belveldere Castle was missing so much information. We listened to stage performer violently strum his guitar and sing unintelligible lyrics, then continued on to find the elusive Strawberry Fields section.

After a ton of walking in what I've determined are not the best walking shoes (but they are so cute!), we headed back to the Bronx for our favorite snack (chips & salsa), Corona, and finally a fabulous hibatchi dinner at Ohana in City Island.

Big Papi's jersey fetches $175K

Big Papi's jersey fetches $175K

April 24, 2008 11:05 AM
(Frances Roberts/AP)
Frank Gramarossa, project executive for the new Yankee Stadium, removed the jersey from the floor of a service corridor 10 days ago.
By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff
It’s not much of a shirt, it’s true. It’s torn. It’s dirty. Being buried in the concrete under a stadium construction project and then being drilled out by jackhammers will do that to you.
But the David Ortiz jersey that a construction worker buried under the site of the new Yankee Stadium is a quirky piece of baseball history -- and it sold this afternoon for $175,100 on eBay.
The Yankees, despite being the targets of the would-be curse, donated the jersey to the Jimmy Fund, which auctioned it off to raise funds for cancer care and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The website says that 282 people placed bids before the auction ended at 12:30 p.m.

people love to overreact

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/sports/baseball/14jersey.html?em&ex=1208404800&en=beb30cd4426cc6c4&ei=5087%0A

So - a construction worker/Red Sox fan in NY buried a Red Sox Jersey in the foundation of the new baseball stadium, and all hell is breaking loose. The Yankees' president and COO were on site as two workers dug through concrete to get the jersey out of the ground.

Radio DJ's in Boston (WBCN) thought this was mildly ridiculous, because people were saying that removing the jersey will eliminate the risk of a curse on the team. Red Sox fans were calling in saying that the construction worker was attempting to actually 'reverse the curse' and put it on the Yankees. I laughed out loud as I was driving home listening to the DJ's (Toucher and Rich) go off about how insane this was.
"OOh he put a curse on us! What is this, a witch trial?"
"Put him in a tank of water and if he drowns, he wasn't a witch"
"You cannot curse people! There are no such things as curses!'

But people love to overreact... and this dude might have charges against him for ..... burying a shirt?


______________________________________________
April 14, 2008
The Big Dig: The Yanks Uncover a Red Sox Jersey
By SUSHIL CHEEMA
With dust swirling around them on Sunday afternoon, Frank Gramarossa and Rich Corrado extracted a Red Sox jersey that a construction worker had buried at the site of the new Yankee Stadium. After workers used jackhammers to break through about two and a half feet of concrete, Gramarossa and Corrado pulled out a dusty, torn David Ortiz jersey.
Randy Levine, the Yankees’ president, and Lonn Trost, the team’s chief operating officer, presided over what Levine called an “excavation ceremony.” The New York Post had reported Friday that a Red Sox-rooting construction worker hoping to curse the Yankees’ new stadium had buried a Red Sox jersey at the site last week.
But Levine said the team knew the location that was initially reported was inaccurate, because workers did not pour concrete in that area on the day the jersey was said to have been added to the mix. On Saturday morning, the Yankees got a tip from two other construction workers on the location of the jersey.
“Two thoughts occurred to us,” Levine said. “One is that it’s never a good thing to be buried in cement in New York, so we thought about just pouring more cement on it.”
Instead, the Yankees decided to turn what Levine called a “bad, dastardly act” into a good one.
Levine said the extracted jersey would be cleaned up, put in a display case along with a Yankees Universe T-shirt and sent to Boston. There, the Ortiz jersey and Yankee T-shirt will be auctioned to benefit the Jimmy Fund, the Red Sox’ primary charity, which is affiliated with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Trost said that the Yankees were speaking with the Bronx district attorney’s office about whether there was any criminality involved in the act and that the team was considering filing charges against the construction worker, identified by The Associated Press as Gino Castignoli, a Bronx resident.
“We take great pride in hiring Bronx residents,” Levine said. “He abused the privilege.”
Like many of the workers at the site, Gramarossa said he was a big Yankee fan. “A lot of construction workers are proud of this job and were upset it was in there,” he said.

those life lessons from kindergarten were quite important

It's funny how things that are relevant at age 6 are perhaps more relevant at 26.

Whatever happened to "Two wrongs do not make a right"? Do you really feel better when you have hurt someone back the way they hurt you?

It makes me think that the simple rules of life - that we learn in kindergarten - are really some of the most important ones to live by.

playing it safe

I have typecast myself in my own life. Strange, right? because I am the writer and director of it. But I realize that I typically play it safe. I'm afraid to get in trouble, play just far enough outside the comfort zone to have some adventures but nothing too crazy.

If I continue on this path and look back in 10 years, I will be thoroughly disapointed. If someone else came to me with the adventures and outcomes I can imagine for myself - I would be insanely jealous. So, it would be a no brainer to go out and fix this, right??

st. paul

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=103979


Smoking has been banned in bars in CT and MA for quite some time... I can't imagine ever going back to it! However, the rest of the country is still working on banning smoking in their restaurants and bars. . and it seems people aren't taking it well!

St. Paul, MN bar owners are finding loopholes to the new rule, by claiming that their bars are "theaters" and that patrons are "actors" in an improv show. Smoking inside is legal - if it is part of a theater production. I could credit their creative interpretations, but is smoking inside really that important? I heard this story on NPR, where they quoted a smoker/bar patron saying something to the effect of 'things are back to normal, I like that I can smoke and not be inconvenienced.' Ok buddy, what about the inconvenience you are causing non smokers? Is it really such a big deal to just go outside? If so, maybe the best thing is to stay home and smoke inside, only damaging your own lungs and affecting your own clothes!