Nothing like a cold for the holidays...

Actually, I'm getting better, so let's hope the trend continues.
This weekend, however, I had to take it pretty slow. J was great. So awesome to have someone pamper you - make you a fire, special pumpkin bread french toast with a hint of Chambord, tuck you in, and so on. Made me smile a lot. :)

While sick, I finished Book # 32 - Smith of Wooton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien. A reread from long ago, these light, short tales are highly entertaining. As with fables of old, they are good character studies, without getting too deep or delving. I love tales that bring fantasy - faerie and dragons, to humble folk.
AND
Book #33 - Quit Your Job by James Kochalka. I got this for J because 1)J was friends with Kochalka growing up and 2)Kochalka went to MICA, the same art school as Sonny - I didn't really know much about his work. The story is nice, refreshing - the cat element hit really strongly, of course. The artwork I'd have to get used to. Evident skill and all, I just prefer more Sandman or Batman style art, or even ElfQuest.

Happy Thanksgiving to all if I don't write before then!
We're gathering at Mom & Dad's - it's always a blast!
More later, then.

Molson's kisses

I like to take time to notice a beautiful sky - the perfect sunrise or sunset, light striking a cloud just so, rainbows. Since Molson has been gone I've noticed this even more. Often, when I've looked to the sky, something has been there for me. A gorgeous mini-rainbow or a jet stream throwing its shadows on the clouds by moonlight. I like to think of this as a kiss from Molson from where he waits with Milo. A quick kiss to say "Everything will be OK, Mama, be happy." Thanks, buddy....

...

On a totally different note - Book #31 - The Final Solution by Michael Chabon. The first work I've read by Chabon, but I know it's on the opposite end of the spectrum in length from The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. A nice little story with a ton of good detail and a spirit/tone that captures the old British detective novel's good points (read "minus all the dry, dusty, glove-wearing boredom I've seen in Christie"). And I like the way it wraps up. A lot.

Charlotte thoughts 2 - more strangeness

Saturday dawned with another revelation about Uptown Charlotte. Its restaurants and shops are closed for the weekend! I know that I wasn't entirely wrong about people living in the area - there are some signs pointing to condos and more, but the place is shuttered on a Saturday afternoon. I see people about, but must make the assumption that most are tourists who will end up eating in their hotels. How odd to create an atmosphere so insular that it closes when most should be available to explore it.

...

Walking the deserted streets of the Queen City on a brilliant, warm Saturday afternoon - November in Carolina, the drone of bagpipes fills the air. (!)

Charlotte thoughts 1 - something slightly off balance

Charlotte has a beautiful, bustling (we'll get back to that in part 2) Uptown area. Walking through it, my initial impression was, well (have a headache so excuse the redundancy)... impressed. Tree-lined, broad, clean sidewalks. Cool buildings - and many more going up. Fountains on at least one corner of every intersection, often more, sometimes between intersections. Little parks and sitting places scattered around. Tons of restaurants (again, remember this for part 2).
But something felt - off.

And, after an afternoon of walking around, I realized what it was. There were no street-side shops. Correction - I saw a CVS and an Eckerds. All of the other stores are buried inside buildings and indoor malls.

What does this do to a city? What kind of statement does it make?
Brings to mind sprawl
planned communities (and later I did see Charlotte described as "planned" in a tourist mag)
The clean streets, parks, and fountains are very nice - but some form of vibrance seems lost.

What a contrast to the crooked, haphazard streets with their jumble of stores, historic buildings, etc. that I loved so in Boston!

part 2 tomorrow....

We treat you so many ways, you're bound to like one of them

This is a quote from a North Carolinian. Got back Saturday from a trip to Charlotte. Something about the trip or the company made me feel contemplative. My senses were heightened and I felt eager to explore the meaning of each stimulous. I felt more creative - took more pictures, wrote more down, also did some pretty good creative thinking for work. Kinda' neat.

Quick notes (pics are on Flickr):
The Westin in Uptown Charlotte has awesome lobby bathrooms - stalls are separated by real, full walls and have wooden doors! OK - weird to get excited about toilet stalls, but it was classy.

Finally got Jamba! If Jenny and Tina hadn't related the Charlotte airport Jamba story, I wouldn't have found it, as it was in an entirely separate direction from where I needed to go. But I did, had a Strawberry Surf Rider - tasty.

More of the deeper stuff in my next post and more of a relate to the motto in this title.
And I finished book #30 - Jarka Ruus - High Druid of Shannara, Book 1, by Terry Brooks. I've thrived on the Shannara books since high school. This one bugged me a bit because the "hero"'s love interest seems more superficial, almost just switched on, than anything I'm used to in the series. I have a feeling it could be a trap, but don't know for sure. Otherwise, it swept me away as always and now I have to get the next (and on searching for this link, I'm very behind and need to get #3 also!)

Help find Danielle Imbo

I came across this campaign and it makes sense to spread the word. Danielle is a 35-yr old mom missing since February. Oxygen has launched a networking campaign in relation to their series Relentless, which is a reality show about women who won't stop their pursuit of justice. Sign up here.

Links

I'm craving a good ghost story - Halloween is lingering, I guess. Tina posted a link on her blog. Anybody else have good links? I prefer the more potentially true to the showbizzy.

2 cool links:
A new Narnia preview - now I have to reread those, too! This looks extremely cool - and I should probably just look this up but it sounds like Liam Neeson is Aslan - excellent! (Hah, verified!)

Will Schaff's papercut photos on Flickr - The fireplace is very cool....

Healing

We miss him a lot. The house is very empty.
But we're moving on, I think, bit by bit. Healing. Remembering, but beyond grieving.
For the most part.

We seem to be connecting more, too. It started by talking about Molson and has moved on to other conversations and time together. That can't be bad.

Also wanted to let everyone know that Sonny and I both have Flickr pages now - the links have been added on the right. Enjoy!

Goodbye to the bestest buddy ever

Molson died tonight.
He was 8 years old - in prime health.
J said he was having teddy time (he would grab his stuffed teddy and knead at it - a very happy thing for Molson)and went into a sort of fit.
J tried to save him.

I was at the gym.

I'll miss how he'd come lie in my arms in the small hours of the morning, full of purrs and hugs.
I'll miss hugging him - he was sooo cuddly.
The way he'd talk to us.
How he'd find me when I was sad.
How he'd get so excited about chasing the ball - although he wouldn't really chase it, just run back and forth.
Playing tag in the basement.
Our time in the yard.
How he'd follow me around, to be in the same room as me, hanging out.
I'll miss you tons, buddy. I'll see you again, of that I'm sure. In the meantime, have all the catnip you want, all the shrimp you can eat, and see to it that someone rubs those ears.
Your Mama and Daddy will always love you.
J says goodbye and that his heart lies next to you.

Mirrormask!

Went to see MirrorMask with Jenny and Tina tonight! I think they liked it. It's interesting - I enjoyed it while watching it, but the depth of what I consider it's coolness crept up on me slowly and didn't really fully hit until halfway home.
I told Sonny I'd put it close to Delicatessin and City of Lost Children for a really cool, totally weird movie. Not quite to their level, but they're at the top of the heap, so close isn't all that bad.

Very very very whacked. In a whoa, you could spend hours soaking it in sort of way.

Sonny says he saw MirrorMask toys today (most likely at Newbury Comics) - may have to check that out.

I recommend it for those who appreciate weird, cultish (I think it will achieve the goal Henson studios was seeking), definitely not your run of the mill view of things.
Highly.
Yeah, that was pretty cool flick....

Learning new things

Total body conditioning = ahhh - wooouch!!!!

I hurt so much more after that class, but feel less satisfied, because that euphoric high I've been getting from kickboxing never emerged. My lungs don't feel tested, though I can tell my heart rate's a bit higher.
Don't think I'm doing this one often. We'll see if I can dress myself tomorrow.

Couldn't wait!

This was just way too cool not to post immediately - and it'll bring a smile to your day!
This ad is for Canteen - a New Zealand org for youth with cancer - promoting National Bandanna Week and their green bandannas.
"Manah Manah" was used in a Diet Dr Pepper ad recently. To compare the two - the Dr Pepper ad had an awesome element of surprise - but this one has real Muppets!
- found on AdRants, via PuppetVision

Finally, fire!

First off, after one and a half weeks back at the gym, I'm down 2 pounds. Let's hope the trend continues! I already feel a lot better (setting aside this cold and migraine)

Saturday, J surprised me with our first fire!
Here's the story: When we moved in, our engineer didn't look at the chimney, so we had someone else come check it out. The interior of the chimney was fine he said, but he was concerned about how close it got to boards in the attic. So we held off until we could figure out how to deal with it.
Then we got thinking. The chimney is awful wide up there - would it really get hot enough to matter? Maybe we should have someone else check it out. So we held off. (We can be pretty good at that)
Saturday, J decided to go ahead and try it out. I ran to the attic several times, but could still rub my hands on the chimney no prob - so it looks like we're cool!
Molson was a bit on edge, though I think he got used to it. We found some chicken stew in the freezer - had an awesome, warm, tasty meal AND a fire AND good company.
The fire held me mesmerized, the house smelled of it, the flames danced in the bay windows (I bet people out walking dogs in the cold and wet were jeal-ous!) - coziness lived at our address for the evening.

I love nights like that!:):):)

Early to rise

I got to work today at 6:05. I usually don't get out of bed until 7. I am a walking zombie. Kinda nice when I got in because the lights on the floor were still off, except the one at the back of my cube - it made it kind of cozy. Still, not only did I have to be here at that insane hour, I had a breakfast meeting with our CEO at 6:30! So hard to make a good impression when moving your tongue seems as difficult as a Turbo Kick class...

I've noticed lately that the warm fuzzy of spending time with friends is slightly different depending on what era in your life those friendships come from. The comfort zone varies - although very subtly. It's all good of course - I'm going to use an analogy and you need to understand that all pieces of warm fuzzy clothing are equally important to chill-prone moi - friends from pre-school are thick, soft, fuzzy socks, from elementary a good warm hat, high school/college friends are long warm scarves knit from the funkiest of yarns, and adult friends are the great old, warm baggy sweater....
I don't know if the order is exactly right and I'm still formulating my thoughts on what the differences are and why - I just know I have a slightly different smile depending on who I've been hanging with. When I have a big bash with a mix it'll be interesting to see how it all meshes.

Miscount

Just realized I had 2 Book#27s, so Mythago Wood is #28, Tamsin #29!
I'm starting to doubt 50...

Who truly knows what secrets lie beneath?

Book #28 - Tamsin by Peter S Beagle. Narrated by a 19 year old, telling the tale of events that happened from 13-15, it starts out a little too centered on teenage angst and inflicting it on others for me. After a bit of a doze, though, it picks up when the title character arrives. What follow is not only a pretty good ghost story, but one that also incorporates many figures of the local Dorset, England folklore - boggarts, Poukas, billy-blinds, etc.

Total coolness, Mirrormask comes to The Little Theatre in Rochester on October 14. Definitely going, and I'll get to see Tom's art, too!


Scientists finally have photos of a live giant squid! A 25-foot long squid was photographed 900meters down by Japanese scientists last week. I am constantly amazed at how little we really know about what lies in our oceans. Hopefully we won't kill it all off before we get a chance to enjoy it and learn from it....

And last, but not least - Turbo Kick is way fun! I love the feeling of pushing my lungs further than I'd ever take them on my own on a machine. I love the tightness of muscles afterwards. Now, all I have to do is be able to follow the routines and do that silly football run... then I can get to kick-butt chick level and have some fun!:)

vege tables

for all of you who are around providence, the sentimental favorites are playing tomorrow at 4pm at the fleet skating rink in the middle of downtown, we are the entertainment for the produce market going on at the same time.
also, check out http://wirelady.com, on there is the wire sculptors international guild which i was just inducted into.
later
sonny

First class

I just rejoined the gym, bent on using classes to force myself to leave work at a decent hour and bent on losing the weight that's been nagging me. Had my first eval and off I go...Tonight I'm headed to Turbo Kick - I sincerely hope I don't totally embarrass myself.....If I can lift my arms to type and mouse tomorrow, I may report how it goes...

A few weeks ago, I took some time off. Spent a night and a day at camp with Mom and Dad - awesome because it's soooooo peaceful and Mom remembered the bread dough for doughboys! You take thawed bread-dough, wrap it around a stick or skewer, and toast it over the fire. When the outside is cooked, you remove the skewer and replace with cinnamon/ sugar or jelly or whatever. The result - doughy sweet goodness with a toasted crust -yum! (more pics of the scenery and food at my Flickr page)

Then J's sister and her husband came to visit. We had a good time just chilling at home - kinda' counter to the drive to constantly be GOING when they're here. It was really nice. Played putt-putt at one of the oldest courses in the country in Irondequoit, went to the Market for tacos, had an awesome (though a bit pricey) modern meal at the Mundo...

LAST weekend was Kate's wedding. Shortest wedding I've ever been to, but I'm sure J appreciated that, as he rather dislikes the things. Couldn't really hear their vows because of a nearby fountain, but it was awesome weather, a lovely setting, and we all had a great time just hanging there. I deem that a success. Congrats to Kate and Nick!:)

Demise of the dress

I wanted a new dress for Kate's wedding tomorrow. A nice, simple dress that maybe I could also wear to work. I head to Kohl's, no dresess at all. Target, nothing non-maternity. Kaufmann's had prom and fussy older lady dresses. Now, this is a small sample, true, but enough to massively try my patience.
Everything is separates. Even more than that, if you venture beyond the gypsy skirt, everything is really pants. Huh.
Maybe it's just the wrong time of year. Maybe I somehow fell out of the loop and people just don't do dresses anymore. That'd be weird, I think. Well, hope J likes what I got. That's all I care about right now, anyway.

Book #27: Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock - a re-read. I had slightly mis-remembered what made the woods bordering the Rhyope estate so cool, I was expecting a simple transition to another world, and not the creatures born from deep-rooted cultural mythos. This started out slow - the discussion of the theory of the wood that was a good deal of the first half did not compel me to pick up the book consistently. After Steven became heavily involved with the wood and its folk, it picked up and I didn't want to part from the realm, even at the end. Luckily, I do have the next book...

In Orlando, the ghosts that inhabit Church Street Station have spurred a $2.6 million lawsuit. Apparently, the owners of a restaurant that had signed a lease there backed out on hearing it was haunted. Now, the building's owners not only want to be paid for the broken lease, but they also want the judge to rule on whether or not there are ghosts! Frankly, I think it'd make the place more interesting.

diversion

Still need to finish those tidbits and tell of last week's mini-vacations, but in the meantime...
My pirate name is:

Captain Anne Bonney

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.