Shannon O on Occasion

this is too ridiculous for words.

2006-04-14T11:25:00.000-04:00

I can't figure out how to put this link directly on my page, but it's worth looking at - at least once.

use your hip flexors

2006-04-13T13:55:00.000-04:00

This is awesome. This makes me giggle also.

this one goes to market....

2006-04-13T13:22:00.000-04:00

So, what's new on the homefront? . . .

trying to watch the calorie count
trying to get up and out to work in a "timely fashion"
trying to drink less and read more
trying to not like soaps as much as i really do
trying to break the current myspace obsession
trying to find more excuses to not clean my house

you know, average day.

The Last Romantic

2006-04-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

So, through the almighty power of myspace, I reconnected with several old friends from highschool and college. One of these was one of the coolest people I met in highschool, annmarie.

She's now married with a 2 1/2 yr. old gorgeous boy and another on the way. She and her husband, Aaron Nee, now own a production company (the Brothers Nee) and their first major production is "The Last Romantic", which was premiered at SXSW and will show at the Boston Independant Film Festival as well.

There's no way, as of now to view the entire film on the web, but I encourage you all to go to the site http://www.augustfilms.tv/lastromantic/trailer.html and watch the trailer. If you're a myspacer, you can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thelastromanticmovie.

I love supporting talented, creative people our age doing what means the most to them. Check it out.

Your mom goes to prom!

2006-04-03T12:02:00.000-04:00

I played psuedo-mommy and followed my hottie little sister around as she got ready for her Sr Prom. I thought I got some cool pix. . .

breakdancing fingers

2006-03-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

You think it's easy till you try it yourself . . .

2006-03-16T10:06:00.000-05:00

Did I mention that my beautiful, wonderful, fabulous friend Laura is coming in town TODAY to visit for the weekend!

SO freaking excited!!!!

2006-03-07T21:09:00.000-05:00

In case everyone forgot I'd like to reinterate that I'm getting married and how WEIRD that is. weird. weird. weird.

don't worry. this blog will NOT turn into a "wedding" blog, but I bet you all are just dying to know what I'm thinking about and what I'm planning - what centerpieces we've decided on and what dresses I'm looking at. OOOOOoooooo - oh so exciting to all of you I know! So, it's going to be hard for me not to talk about the, um, upcoming event of the next FREAKING YEAR, because it is kind of a major happening in my world and the surrounding universe. Although, I'm very sensitive to being one of those "I can't speak two words w/o mentioning it "people. I'm very committed to that not happening - at least here, in this space. I can't really control what actually comes out of my mouth.

Anyways, I need to leave to go to Simone's for Amazing Race. It's our Tuesday date night. Just know that I'm committed to not creating a masthead that has like doves and bells and crap on it any time soon.

walking in a winter wonderland...

2006-02-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

so I freaking love the olympics - especially the winter games - which might come as a suprise, seeing that I'm a FL resident. I don't know why, exactly. It's (the olympics) just so stoic and classy and everything that the world should be. And, I think I love the theme music. I'm watching the closing ceremonies right now and I find it funny that the "brides" (representing hope) are all carrying calla lillies, which I'm palnning to carry next year. this, of course, has nothing to do with the olympics. I'm more or less writing notes as I watch the ceremony. the next olympics will be in vancouver, bc and I'm dying to go. (ps. I rode down the future women's super G when I was visiting with Tim a year ago - I think I won the gold. Just call me an olympian, you know, cause I practically was). Just to be around the atomosphere.

Ok, the commerical break is over and ricky martin is performing a song that came out maybe 3 years ago -but he does have dancers in underwear. Oh now he's doing one of his new songs - what is this, the superbowl??? Excuse me for a break where I take another sip of my Newcastle.

I'm back and Ricky, god bless his save the children heart, is still a flaming moron. Does anyone else notice that his guitar player is trying to be Lenny Kravitz?

the commercial break is over and the brides are still dancing, some people have rudolph noses on (????)

Ok, and with that, the winter olympics '06 are more or less over. I will finish my beer, play a game of snood and go to bed. Good night.

weird

2006-02-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

so, a year from today, I will be shannon poole.

What did you do this weekend?

2006-02-21T10:22:00.000-05:00

All of you in cold places - you know who you are, should be very excited to have a reason to come down to fla next Feb.

TJ and I headed down to Islamorada this past weekend with his best friend Joe and his girlfriend Rebecca. Joe's dad has a house down there and we brought the boat, so we were pretty much set. The weather was fabulous. We hung out at the sandbar,

fished, dove and ate conch fritters and key lime-tini's.

We also took a classic Keys sunset cruise where I snapped a bunch of pics. . .

x

Ghetto Bowl

2006-02-16T09:28:00.000-05:00

Mary TJ and I rolled the ball this past week. I was slaughtered mercilessly, as usual, by both of them. I'm acutally really good at sabatoging my own game. For example, bowling all strikes and spares until the 8th frame, then rolling nothing but gutter balls until I manage to just eek over 100. It really takes talent.

Mary Kate Olsen joined us - wait, no, it's the other Mary O

We're so good because of our form and intensive training schedule

TJ looks like he's doing some sort of dance move.

I actually dislocate my shoulder for this move

you didn't see it, but mary acutally just got kicked in the stomach right before I took this.

I had a lot of fun getting my ass kicked.

I'm just excited

2006-02-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

Hell hath Frozen Over. . .

2006-02-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

It's official. . . We're engaged!!

2006-02-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Four jobs I've had:

Einstein's Bagel Sandwich putter-togetherer
Spa Desk receptionist
Swim instructor
IWS shlep

Four Movies I can watch over and over:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Princess Bride
The Labryinth
Donnie Darko

Four Places I've Lived:

Sunnyvale, California
Boca Raton, Florida
Lighthouse Point, Florida
Lynchburg, Virginia

Four TV shows I love:

The Amazing Race
Six Feet Under :(
Sex in the City :(
Myth Busters

Four places I've vacationed:

Switzerland
Seattle / Vancouver BC
France
Utah

Four of my favorite dishes:

Do soy lattes count?
the house salad at Maggiano's
ice cream
tuna take

Four sites I visit daily:

Dooce
Gawker
Mighty Girl
Kottke

Four places I would rather be right now:

Snowboarding just about anywhere
Drinking a great glass of wine with Laura
at the Fine Arts Museum in Philly
snuggled up with tj on the couch

Peace out homies

2006-01-25T21:47:00.000-05:00

TJ, Simone, Tim and I jet off to Park City, Utah for the last few days of Sundance and 9 days of snowboarding.

Pictures to come later. Jealousy to commence now.

2006-01-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is the original radio recording of the Hindenburg Disaster. Really eerie, but mostly incredible to hear for yourself.

And another ball dropped.

2006-01-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

I'm having a hard time believing that 05 is over already, but yet, there it is. The one thing I wanted this New Year's was to be with the people that mean the most to me in the world and i got my wish.

Thank you Aaron and Deb for hosting us once more. Many good wishes for the both of you this coming year.

The Fellas

The Ladies

The Way we all lost our $$

The Dom

The Umm...Aftermath

The Ball

The Celebration

The Contemplation

Hope you all had a Happy and safe New Year!

One of my favorite tees showcased on one of my favorite people...

2005-12-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

I know that this is not going to make sense, but...

2005-12-22T00:24:00.000-05:00

I TOTALLY lost my entire life and got it all back again today. What, where, why, when, and how you ask? Not going to tell you because I'm the captain of this jolly ship Blog and I therefore don't have to. You'll just have to take my word for it - and know that it was totally THAT dramatic.

PS, the sprinklers @ my place have been on for 11 HRS STRAIGHT NOW.

2005-12-20T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well I hope there's lots of merriment going on in each of your homes right now! Sorry if I've seemed a bit distant lately - it's probably because I am. This time of the year, working in the retail sector (in any capacity) sucks the living soul from your head/chest/eyes/spirit, or wherever yours exists right now. I assure you that there is absolutely no merriment going on at the department stores right now. In fact, I'm pretty certain that the nastiest, most non-merry people actually congregate at the malls each day and wait for me to arrive. Also, it's very possible that the world's worst drivers are all at your local mall's parking lots RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Just driving around like they're in bumper cars - you know, this way and that - never actually looking forward.

Anyway, I am very much looking forward to a little christmas cheer and food and ok, presents too. Most of all, looking forward to just a few days off and some time to just hang and turn my head off.

Reminding all of you (that still read my blog?) that I'm wishing you and yours the merriest of Christmas's and Happiest of New Year's.

TOP 100 Wines of '05, for my fellow Wine-o's

2005-12-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

via, SF Chronicle.

The End of an Era. . .

2005-12-08T00:22:00.000-05:00

This is HUGE for those of us working in/participating in the surf industry in anyway way, shape or form . . .

via surfline.com

it's not the GIRL video, but...

2005-12-05T16:11:00.000-05:00

Spike Jonze is SO good that he can make shopping at the GAP seem cool.

link

You know you're losing it. . .

2005-12-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

When you start writing yourself notes and in those notes you begin addressing yourself in a demeaning way. i.e.:

To Do:

Take out garbage
Do laundry
Do work emails
Address christmas cards
Go to the gym, fatass

His response...

2005-11-29T11:10:00.000-05:00

Please read from bottom post to top...

TO: Harper's Weekly

FROM: D. Trotter

To Shannon O'Donnell:

I'm not exactly sure what your point is, but to clarify,
this is mine: Wilma was not underreported. If someone
didn't know about Wilma it's because they don't know
anything about anything or they didn't care. In either
case, they weren't going to be reading about it in
Harper's Weekly. Furthmore, if Harper's were to make space
for stories about Wilma by sacrificing stories about
exploding whales and idiotic Commanders in Chief, I
wouldn't be reading the Weekly.

Did he just say he would rather read about "whales expolding" than the effects of Hurricane Wilma on fellow Americans - HUMANS for God's sake! Sure the weekly is known for mixing humorous news with serious news, but what asinine person actually writes - for all to see - that he would rather see stories about exploding whales? Sure, we all may feel that way at times, but no one uses that to prove a point! I'm taking this as an "I win"

I'm not even honoring this with a response.

My response...

2005-11-29T11:08:00.000-05:00

TO: Harper's Weekly

FROM: Shannon O'Donnell

To Dylan Trotter:

I have two quick points to make in response to your
rebuttal.

One, please do not think me so self-centered as to only be concerned by my "empty gas tank". That is certainly not the purpose of bringing Wilma to attention, and was a mere subpoint in a list of many. My point (I'll assert it again-- maybe more clearly this time?) was/is that many people lost their livelihoods and some their lives. There are billions of dollars of damage, and the taxpayers of the United States will end up having to pay for the repairs. Those facts are not trivial. I work for a company based out of another state and not one employee (that I have since spoken to) at our headquarters realized that anything even became of "that storm". Speaking to others from out of state, I have found that that is the consistent sentiment of many.

Two, rather than direct your annoyance and sarcasm at me, I think that your feelings are better served directed towards organizations like Harper's. We're fighting the same battle here, and you're being a bit hypocritical. You bring up the terrible devastation and loss of life in Pakistan and the lack of international (not only American) attention to the subject. There is something massively wrong with that. There is something wrong with news organizations deeming one disaster more newsworthy than another because of proximity to greater devastation or the unpopularity of the victims' ethnicity. When people lose their lives it's a tragedy, whether is 47 or 100,000. But you yourself have bought into the thought that life lost in great mass is newsworthy and reporting on life lost on a smaller scale is "beating a dead horse" and "telling you something you already know". I believe that Hurricane Wilma's effects should get the attention they deserve and so should the Palestinian Earthquake. The Earthquake is a much larger crisis and therefore should receive more attention, but that certainly should not mean that Wilma should not receive any or less than what is appropriate.

I would hope that you would not be thanking Harper's but questioning where their and many other news organizations' coverage is.

his rebuttal...

2005-11-29T11:07:00.000-05:00

TO: Harper's Weekly

FROM: Dylan Trotter

To Shannon O'Donnell:

Hurricane Wilma was an unfortunate event. However, to
suggest it was underreported is a little much. Consider
this:

Google News Search: "hurricane wilma florida"

Hits: 58000
Deaths: 47

Google News Search: "pakistan earthquake"

Hits: 51000
Deaths: 87350

Now, could you again explain to me why you think your
empty fuel tank deserves yet more attention? What more
could possibly be said that hasn't already been said in
the 58000 other articles? Thank you Harper's for not
beating a dead horse and telling me something I don't know instead of something I do.

this is hilarious...and so useful all at the same time...

2005-11-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

via MightyGirl.net. . .

11.28.05 DIRTY TALK

This page lists dozens of ways to bypass voice response systems, and it reminded me of a trick my friend Jeff shared with me a while ago. It doesn’t work for every system, but when it does, it’s glorious. It goes like this:
Robot: Please press one to access your account, press two to…
Me: Fuck.
Robot: …I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Can you repeat what you just said?
Me: Fuck.
Robot: … I think you said you want to talk to an agent. Is this correct?
Me: Yes.
Agent: Hello! May I have your account number please?

Of course, I’m extra polite once the operator gets on the line, as he or she presumably knows that I got aggressive at the phone. Yet another example of how nastiness is rewarded. Unfortunately, until someone designs a system that reacts similarly when I say Please and Thank You, I’m sticking with the program.

Really! You're not tired of me YET?!

2005-11-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

WOW people. This week - more specifically Monday or Tuesday (still under contention) marks 3 years for me and tj. He is lovely and I can't imagine life without my buddy.

This has been the best year yet, and I'm very looking foward to what's to come.

We spent the day together on Sunday - first having FABULOUS brunch at Sundy House, then spending the evening watching the sunset out in the everglades.

happy day. here's to 3 more.

Follow-up

2005-11-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

They posted my "angry letter" on this week's Harper's Weekly online! excitement everyone!

Letter to the Editor...

2005-11-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

From: Shannon O------@.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 11:17 AM
To: 'harpers-weekly@harpers.org'
Subject: missing news - wilma

I am shocked to say the least that the only information offered on the category 3 hurricane that slammed into the southeastern coast of Florida was a quick blurb 2 updates ago stating that “hurricane Wilma struck Florida and left millions without power”. As a 20 year resident of South Florida, I am not exaggerating when I say that Hurricane Wilma was the worst hurricane to hit our vast area (with extensive damage and power outages in 3 of the state’s largest counties – Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach). There is, in fact, more damage caused by this storm than by the category 5 Hurricane Andrew 13 years ago. Over 3 million people were left out of power immediately following the storm and a week later, over 700,000 are still powerless. Residents have waited in lines as long as 5 ½ hours to get as little as 5 gallons of gas. Grocery stores were left empty for over a week. Neighborhoods were left looking as if bombs had been dropped there with all trees having been twisted in half and uprooted, aluminum screening enclosures having been ripped off of houses and wrapped around cars and thrust through roofs and windows, and major roof damage being incurred to most homes. Children in Miami-Dade and Broward County are now entering a second week out of school. Small businesses are still shut down, with financial losses still to be seen. Several major department stores will be closed for the rest of the year due to damage, costing hundreds of people their jobs just prior to the holiday season. All of this, and I am not even mentioning the massive financial losses that the tourist industry (our most profitable industry in this area) is suffering and will continue to suffer for months to come.

I get the feeling that because the aftermath and images (or lack thereof) from this storm pale in comparison to that of Katrina (a truly horrific storm) that the plight of South Florida is not being deemed newsworthy. I assure you that it has had a major effect on the residents of South Florida. More news has been generated concerning Wilma’s affect in Mexico than the affect it had on our own US residents. I hope that in the future, regardless of the proximity to other major disasters, that a reasonable amount of reporting time will be granted to those found in similar plights.

Shannon O-------

Seriously, How Can you Live w/ yourself and NOT love BANKSY??

2005-11-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

Motown Philly back again!

2005-11-02T12:13:00.000-05:00

So, while all of you lovely people had to deal first with Wilma, then with the miserable immediate aftermath, I was in Philly with my best friend from college, Laura.

I had planned this "quick" trip over a month ago as it was my girl's birthday. Number one, she lives in the most beautiful, most perfectly New Englandish (even though it wasn't technically New England being in New Jersey) town called Haddonfield. Think of gorgeous, fall colored Maple trees lining small streets with victorian style homes - all with plumes of smoke swirling from their chimneys.

The little downtown area is very pedestrian friendly and is complete with tons of mom and pop shop storefronts. This is a place that tried to fight Starbucks coming in, because they didn't want to start the trend of chains moving in and beating out the local community's endeavors. So, they were unsuccessful with the whole stopping Starbucks thing, which did end up being nice for me. I was able to walk down to bucks every morning and sit by their fireplace (oh god I miss fireplaces!!) and look out of the giant picture windows to see the people go by.

I took the train downtown (philly) one day and went to the museum. I LOVE this museum - acutally it's my favorite out of all that I have visited so far, and I try to get there everytime I visit philly.

They have a beautiful Byzantine Art area which is my F.A.V.!! I got some cool pics . . .

And I flipped over these gorgoeous Degas'. . .

I also thought this Picasso was pretty cool and I'm falling for Monet more and more.

For Laura's birthday, we hit a swanky sushi restaurant downtown and then hit some of the area bars. I took a few shots at some of those bars - check this one out - it looks like something straight out of the Matrix

This one is fuzzy, but I think it still kind of conveys the feeling of the night.

I had a fabulous trip and drank my share of red wine for the next two months. My power came back on yesterday, so I guess that ends my pass to continue the drinking binge. Power=no excuse for afternoon drunkeness. Unfortunate really :)

Hope you all are hanging in there. Give me a ring or drop me a line when you're all up and going.

going to the mountain and we're gonna get married

2005-10-19T11:32:00.000-04:00

So, I may be broke and I may be really tired, but I just saw beautiful fall leaves and got to feel the crisp air of autumn!

One of my good girlfriends from highschool, Robyn, now lives in Boone and got married there this past weekend. I drove with another girlfriend from highschool, Kristen. We stopped in Hilton Head Is., SC on the way up to visit my friend Steve and his mom. The weather was a cool 60 degrees and a bit overcast.

Afterwords, we headed to Boone, which is just fantastic. Lovely and small and so picturesque. Like a little Colorado town nestled in the Appalachian mountains. We spent a day with the bride and groom to be at their house, then moved over to the resort where the wedding was going to be held. The wedding was completely fall themed and gorgeous. I took a ton of pictures of a hike that we went on the day before the wedding and of the wedding itself.

The rest of the pictures can be seen here:

1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Take your s*** and go home

2005-10-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

This definitely warrants being typed in all caps - I AM SO SICK OF THESE SPAM COMMENTS!!!!!! Last week, I had my car broken into. I imagine that it was kids because nothing was stolen, just everything in the car was thrown all over my car. Just trashed because it could be. Nothing was even broken, but the irritation was still very real. That's how I feel about this spam. They just break into your personal space and leave their crap lying around. I can't wait till some sort of legislation is passed 10 years from now that will stop this sort of thing sort of.

you blog, i blog, everybody blogs

2005-10-09T08:42:00.000-04:00

I followed the bunny trail and found this site with a very accurate listing of popular musicians (including Radiohead, Rivers Cuomo, Tv on the Radio, Belle and Sebastian and more) who blog. The list contains links to their respective blogs.

One of my favorite things I've found so far is a picture the Thom York posted of his blackboard that is "filling up with ideas". My next favorite album is sitting on a blackboard somewhere in England.

what i is

2005-10-04T11:58:00.000-04:00

I thought this was interesting on Tai's website, so I did it myself...

You are a
Social Liberal
(65% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(21% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Fix up, Look Sharp

2005-09-22T12:42:00.000-04:00

Word is that the fellow pictured above has turned 25 years of age and will be celebrating that fact with alcoholic beverages and fanfare Saturday night, somewhere in Delray. All are invited. Merrymaking will commence sometime around 8:30 or 9 ish. Stay tuned for exact location.

sing a song with me!

2005-09-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

This has been the best 7 days of music ever. Last tuesday (as I mentioned previously) I was treated to free tix to Jack Johnson, Saturday night, I was treated to free tix to Weezer and the Foo Fighters (but more importantly Weezer) and tonight I've got VIP Box seats to Rilo Kiley and Coldplay!!!! Having Clear Channel friends are the BEST!

And the Seasons turn, turn, turn...

2005-09-08T10:57:00.000-04:00

I am so in love with this morning!! It's in the low/mid 80's, sunny and breeeeezy. I think it might actually not be sweltering summer heat all year long after all. For the first time in many, many moons I am actually able to open up my front window, turn off the a/c, turn on the fan and sit comfortably. That's right - no sweat or hot flashes or throat closing up in suffocating heat. I can feel fall just around the corner, and I absolutely can't wait.

In other exciting news, I was treated to fabulous free tickets to Jack Johnson Tues night at Mizner Amp. (i love scott). This might have been the most fun I've ever had at a show before. (scott is the coolest man alive). Aside from wild wine induced dancing with Jess Payne and screaming sing-alongs, the hightlight was certainly the part where, get this, he starts talking about playing the first song he ever learned, which is a Jimmy Buffet song, then he invites Jimmy Buffet from backstage to come out and play it with him, and Jimmy Buffet (who is backstage) comes out and plays it! (scott is my favoritest). Jack and Jimmy - sweet lovin' tropical beachy wish I had a margarita or daquiri in hand and was swaying in a hammock on the beach music! (scott is a wonderful human being) FABULOUS.

We've got tix to Coldplay next week (Tues) and I actually have a single ticket (super good seat) that I need to sell to someone. I paid $87 for it, but will negotiate. If you're interested pls. let me know asap.
I saw Coldplay 2 or 3 years ago at the Univ.of Miami convocation center, and it still holds as one of my favorite all time shows. They are really gripping live. I am very much looking forward to seeing them play again.

I've got a couple of trips lined up starting in just a week now, so that's always something to look forward to. I know that Aaron's birthday is coming up on the 14th, so everyone make sure to give him a ring.

Good Karma Awaits.

2005-09-01T12:14:00.000-04:00

I'm constantly amazed. I still cannot get over the devastation that Katrina caused. I just doesn't seem real. Most of us don't have a lot, but right now we've got much more than the people of the gulf coast. You can donate in just a few minutes online at :http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html

Every dollar counts. This could have very easily been us.

Let's see, I've got long hair and like long walks on the beach . . .

2005-08-17T12:06:00.000-04:00

Are any of you lonely, because this little kitty is looking for a home. He/she (I'm not sure which)looks like it's a himalayan (sp?) and is currently owned by one of my mom's coworkers. It was a stray that showed up at their house, but because of how sweet it is, they are assuming that is was owned before. It's really skinny and needs some work (on getting properly nurished and probably shots), but is very sweet. If anyone is interested, please let me know and I'll put you in contact with the people that are giving it away.

"...or are you just happy to see me?"

2005-08-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

The sad thing is not that these contraptions are $65, but that they are selling well at our local Bloomingdale's.

The "directions" are hanging inside of the swimwear.

So, if anyone wants one [Calvin], just let me know and I'll be sure to pick one up for you next time I'm in Bloomies.

The Christian Paradox [in America]

2005-08-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

"And therein is the paradox. America is simultaneously the most professedly Christian of the developed nations and the least Christian in its behavior..."

Me and a jigger of salt...

2005-08-06T00:21:00.000-04:00

So, a few weekends ago (I know, I'm lazy and it took forever to get the few pictures that we do have downloaded onto the computer), we headed to key west with two of our favorite people...

It was blazing hot, but after multiple rum runners and guava margaritas, who was to notice?

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

things uttered by me in the past week confirming that I am a lame, old lady in a 25-year-old's disguise

2005-08-02T12:20:00.000-04:00

After hearing that a group of people stayed out partying till 2 am,

"Oh my God! That's just, that's just ridiculous!" - - as if staying out till 2 am was synonymous with trying to summon spirits from the dead.

"No, nothing much going on - OH! I did get a new rolling island w/ a butcher block top for my kitchen! I'm SO excited!!" - - as if getting a new rolling island w/ a butcher block top is either exciting OR something that someone would want to hear about.

"The only movie time is 10pm? Well, that's out!" - - missing my 10:30 bedtime is not an option.

1, 2, 3, SAKE-bomb !!!!!!!!!!

2005-07-22T12:55:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge vodka drinker, but this vodka/saki blend is absolutely fantastic. Add a little cranberry juice and it almost tastes like jello.

You're SOOO 80's

2005-07-22T12:09:00.000-04:00

Interesting commentary on the "Nostalgia Industry". It'll make you think twice before watching "I love the 80's" or any other vh1 programming ever again. Speaking of, didn't they used to play music or something? how's that for nostalgia?

Got adventure? Will travel.

2005-07-11T10:48:00.000-04:00

This weekend Simone and I hit the road visiting Jacksonville, Saint Augustine and Orlando. We stayed with an old highschool friend of mine, but the real reason we were there was that, get this, we tried out for Amazing Race. I know, I know, seems a bit ridiculous; but, Simone and I both are a bit addicted to the show. We alway say that we'd love to do it ourselves, so when the opportunity to try came up, we thought "why not". Can't get something you want if you don't try. We don't find out anything more about how we did until sometime in September, so please, no autographs yet.

We then stopped in Saint Augustine for the day and had a fabulous time - even though it was so humid I'm suprised that we didn't melt into the sidewalk.

We walked the narrow streets, browsed the botiques, visited the fort, and I topped it off with an ice cold kronenbourg from a little pub that imports international beers and ales.

I love this old town. I'm so romanced by it's quaint charm.

I would love to live in that area some day. Then it was off to Orlando.

We spent the evening and following day with some of Simone's relatives. We were greated that night with cocktails and a homemade meal - best 4* accomodations we could have hoped for. Wendy works for disney, so the next day we set out for epcot armed with employee discounts up the wazoo. I haven't been to this park since I was around 9, so it was nice to see something different. We spent the majority of our time at the different countries and ended up having lunch in Japan topped off with dessert in France.

It was great to get away - and with one of my favorite traveling companions none the less. TJ and I were supposed to go to the keys this coming weekend, but it looks like the 5th named storm brewing out in the atlantic is probably going to put an end to that. I'm just itching to be anywhere but in town right now.

2005-07-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

Most of you realize that I generally don't bring my feelings about politics/the war/etc. into this blog. This blog is purely for the this's and that's of day to day living. I don't feel like getting into overblown, heated arguments with "anonymous" commentors - not like that ever happens on anyone's blog.

So, therefore, all I will say about the events that occurred in London today, is that my heart breaks for those that were innocently and flagrantly used as means to ends. That their lives were thought of as nothing more than a tool to get a point accross. There are moments when I'm scared to death to think of the world I will bring my children into. With all the good, there is so much bad. These days it seems to loom all around.

My thoughts are with all who were affected directly and indirectly by today's tragedy.

beautiful day

2005-06-27T15:13:00.000-04:00

TJ and I went to a wedding at the Jupiter Beach Resort and Club on Sunday. Ray, the groom, is a fellow firefighter at Hollywood, and he and his new wife, Christina, made a lovely couple.

The wedding itself was on the beach. The weather has been so nasty for the past month, but somehow, Sunday, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

I took a ton of pictures at the wedding and am pretty happy with the way they turned out. Check them out:

1 / 2 /3 /4 /5 /6 /7 /8 /9 /10 /11 /12 /13 /14 /15 /16

da da da...

2005-06-23T10:16:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to say THANKS! to everyone that came out for my birthday Monday night - and thanks to all of you that pitched in for my fabulous gift! My pictures really don't do justice to all of the beautiful people that were there and all of the fun we had, but here are a couple that came out ok. 1 2 3

Despite what my tire says, NOT ok

2005-06-17T00:18:00.000-04:00

Hope to see you there!

2005-06-14T15:28:00.000-04:00

OK Ok, enough with the animal pictures!

2005-06-14T00:16:00.000-04:00

but how is this not the cutest thing... follows me and sits with me where ever I go and with whatever I'm doing. I NEED one of these.

puppy love

2005-06-13T16:27:00.000-04:00

Hi. My name is Niah. I'm the cutest 10 mo old boxer mix you've ever seen and I would love it if one of you would come rescue me from the broward humane society and give me to shannon for her birthday next week. This is my destiny, it can't be denied.

2005-06-13T10:38:00.000-04:00

So, while my parents are out of town, I have a new little buddy...

Introducing Mac daddy, the highly allergy inducing (sorry honey), cry-baby of a 20 lbs. cat, who is as soft as mink.

I do enjoy the company and am now desperately in want of a cat.

Friendly service announcement at the local Sunoco...

2005-06-10T08:04:00.000-04:00

I am SOOO craving the Keys right now!!!

2005-06-08T11:32:00.000-04:00

2005-06-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

1"There's no use in weeping.
Though we are condemned to part:
There's such a thing as keeping
A remembrance in one's heart:

There's such a thing as dwelling
On the thought ourselves have nurs'd,
And with scorn and courage telling
The world to do its worst.

We'll not let it's follies grieve us,
We'll just take them as they come;
And then every day will leave us
A merry laugh for home.

When we've left each friend and brother,
When we're parted wide and far,
We will think of one another,
As even better than we are.

In the evening, when we're sitting
By the fire perchance alone,
Then shall heart with warm heart meeting,
Give responsive tone for tone.

Every glorious sight above us,
Every pleasant sight beneath ,
We'll connect with those that love us ,
Whom we truly love till death!"

We can burst the bonds which chain us,
Which cold human hands have wrought,
And where none shall dare restrain us
We can meet again, in thought.

So there's no use in weeping,
Bear a cheerful spirt still;
Never doubt that Fate is keeping
Future good for present ill!"

~ Parting, Charlotte Bronte

So right now as I type, Ben and Virginia are driving to their new home in Atlanta. Such a bittersweet thing. On the one side of it, they are headed off to a wonderful new home and exciting new opportunities - on the other side of it, we're losing some of our favorite friends. And I'm using the term losing loosely. Obviously they will remain friends with all of us - and we're already planning a trip to atlanta. Bring on some time in the mountains!!! It just won't be the same down here without Ben and Gin. So, guys, thanks for the past few years of friendship and tons and tons of memories!!! I can't wait to see you guys again - sooner than later. Take care.

something old, something new, borrowed and blue

2005-06-01T11:18:00.000-04:00

So this past weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in Deb and Aaron's wedding. ( 1. 2. ) It was kind of a surreal experience. As Jon, my walking partner (3) , and I discussed on our way in and out of the ceremony, our little buddy had just gotten married. TJ and i have been to A LOT of weddings in this past year, but this was really the first one of a very close friend of mine. Whole different ball game. Much more meaningful - touching. (4, 5 ,6, 7)

The wedding was at Sundy House in Delray. Gorgeous setting, for those of you who have yet to go there - especially for the Hawaiianesque ceremony. The reception was a blast for the simple fact that I was surrounded by a whole slew of my favorite people (8). I only snapped a few shots - which I really regret now. I was too busy chatting it up and sipping down jolly rancher martinis with Denise. (9,10,11)

The entire wedding was really lovely and I wish nothing but the best for the 2 of them. It's really incredible to see two people that are so well matched finally find each other.

Please enjoy...

2005-05-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

For those of us po' folks that don't have MTV or any other cable for that matter (except for randomly - and incorrectly - free HBO and Showtime), I really got a kick out of this video. (of course, the song kicks all by itself).

how does your garden grow?

2005-05-11T09:59:00.000-04:00

So on mother's day, after a wonderful cuban lunch, i took my mom down to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in the Grove. She had actually been wanting to go down there for about a year now, but it took Ben and Gin's favorable reccomendation before I was really sold on it. I have been to one "botanical garden" in the past, and I use quotations because they're pretty brave to call it so when there are places like fairchild so close by.

I was really pleasantly suprised. It was a gorgeous day, the garden is extensive and the plants and trees are lovely.

Here's a few other shots I got: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Seis De Mayo

2005-05-05T09:54:00.000-04:00

OK, setting the record straight. Deb and Aaron's original Cinco De Mayo party was to be held on Sat. night; however, as of this past Sunday, it was changed to Friday night instead. Same time.

I'll be there, margarita in hand!

v is for vegetarian

2005-05-04T09:41:00.000-04:00

I was reading my daily blogs this morning and stumbled past one man's description, or rather reasoning points, for why he is a vegetarian. This is probably the closest thing I have read to my feelings, and he put it out there so well, that I might just adopt it word for word when people question me on why I choose not to eat meat/poultry. Without further ado . . .

1) I do not deny that people have the right to eat meat. If you are religious and follow the teachings of the Hebrew and/or Christian Bible, I believe it unequivocally supports an omnivorous diet. Though there is at least one example of a vegetarian diet in the Bible (Daniel 1:12--though the context is Daniel rejecting the king's food, not Daniel rejecting meat), it is by no means the norm. For the non-religious, I agree that it is "natural" for animals to kill and eat one another. Lions and tigers and bears (oh, my!) are carnivores and the history of humanity has been a history of meat eating. In short, I agree that there are no natural or supernatural mandates to refrain from eating meat.

2) I do believe, however, that not everything that is lawful is expedient, that just because "you can" doesn't mean "you must".

3) Ultimately, the moral decision of eating or not eating meat comes down to the value you place on the lives of animals (here is were, by necessity, I get "preachy").

4) I agree that the lives of humans are more valuable than the lives of animals. If it came down to a choice between an animal's life and my own (or any other human), I would choose the human without hesitation. This is my unabashed "speciesism".

5) I do not believe, however, that we are commonly faced with the choice between the life of an animal and the life of a human. Instead, we are faced with the choice between the life of an animal and a taste sensation.

6) Though the body undeniably benefits from the intake of meat, it does not require it. There are ways to get the vitamins and proteins that one needs through other means (even for vegans).

7) In the process of preparing animals for food, there is no small amount of suffering (warning: extremely graphic video from PETA--a group that is often way too radical, but sometimes factually presents information).

8) This suffering is unnecessary. The human body can survive without meat.

9) People usually suggest that they eat meat because they "like it". It is a matter of taste.

10) I believe it to be a generally true moral maxim that it is best to reduce suffering whenever possible.

11) I believe that it is generally true that it is immoral to cause needless suffering in animals (I'm a pet owner and would be devastated if someone hurt my cat for no reason).

12) I believe that there are some cases in which the choice to eat meat actually does come down to the life of an animal versus the life of a human, but that this is rarely the case in the US and is probably not the case for any of my readers.

13) Because eating meat is often a choice between an animal's life and suffering and a mere taste sensation, I believe that the more moral choice is to choose the animal's life over the taste sensation wherever this is possible.

2005-05-03T00:03:00.000-04:00

So I'm feeling a bit boring these days. I'm looking back and realizing that I'm blogging less and less, but it's not that I don't want to or that I'm getting lazy. I just DON'T HAVE ANYTHING worth talking about. I've been incredibly busy since the start of this year it seems; however, everything in my life has revolved around other people's lives. Namely the biggest occassions in their lives - weddings and babies.

I keep hearing that the "it's the age" line, and apparently I must be in a silent revolt against those events in my own life, because I'm "the age" and these things are certainly not happening to me. It's not so much a complaint, I guess, as it is a lament on the fact that I'm feeling very dull and nonspectacular next to all of these people who are doing exciting things.

I mean, my major accomplishments this year so far are things like I haven't missed an episode of The Amazing Race, or, oh look, I've managed to gain more weight! Oh, the excitement is excruciating!

No, no complaints though really. Life is stable right now, and I guess there is a lot to be said for that. I have a good job that continues day after day, and I'm blessed with wonderful people in my life who I love to see and spend time with. Which reminds me - is everyone aware of Aaron and Deb's seis de Mayo party? Friday night around 8 (i think). Hope to see you there, so we can do that hanging out thing. And maybe you'll drink one too many margaritas and give me something to blog about.

california knows how to party

2005-04-26T10:17:00.000-04:00

Sadly, the pic above is the ONLY one that I came back from california with. It's of my home away from home once a year, the Waterfront Hilton, in Huntington Beach. I took this on a walk and my camera's batteries promptly died right after. Really a shame because it was a Gorgeous day and our hotel is right on the beach just a few footsteps away from the pier.

I was out for our sales meeting, which is always a good time as sales meetings go. We basically spend a ridiculous amount of time and engery eating and drinking and eating and drinking, oh and have some more food - and better get another drink to wash it down. By the second day of the meeting, everyone looks like they have alcohol poisoning and we're all sluggish from the extra ten pounds of food weighing our stomachs down. I actually made it a point to go to bed early and not equally participate in quite all of the excesses available for the taking. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty lovely while most of my department was face down on the table in the morning. That's right everyone - I'm a dork and a lame one at that. A lame dork. That's ok, I'm prepared to handle that designation.

Anyway, aside from my lameness in not overindulging with everyone else, I still managed to have a good time and was even more excited to be heading home. I'm looking forward to getting together with a lot of you.

Hey, btw, who else is going to OTR?

2005-04-15T00:19:00.000-04:00

Keane is coming to the revolution Wed, June 15th (mary o's b-day) - on sale this sat i think. Anybody interested (calvin)?

handy dandy

2005-04-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

So my dad and I (kind of) built a wardrobe closet in my back room over the past week or so. The majority of the work was done in one LONG freaking day that started an hour earlier in the morning than I had planned, because my dad's watch was set to the wrong time.

My dad's been a carpenter for like 35 years now and, in my family, we've become accustomed to just ordering up projects and having them shortly thereafter perfectly completed. It's really amazing how much i take for granted when it comes to this - i mean, if my dad wasn't able to do what he does, I really wouldn't have my house or a variety of other things i've come to depend on.

so, voila - I present my new closet!: (as I get older, the things that excite me become less and less scandalous)
step1 step 2 step 3 step 4 step 5 step 6

Currently digging . . .

2005-03-31T23:15:00.000-05:00

So lately I've really been into chill, relaxing, sometimes electronic, sometimes non-vocal music. I'm really enjoying The Weekend Players, Pursuit of Happiness, The Roots of Orchis , Zero 7 and Handsome Boy Modeling School.

I saw a review of Weekend Players calling it "dreamy electo brit-pop" which I 1/2 agree with. If you like any combination of Frou Frou, anything but the girl, and sade (@times), you'll probably dig their vibe. They have a bit of a low-key clubby feel on sometracks and a drift asleep on the beach feel on others - and I like 'em.

I recently saw Roots of Orchis as an opening band to the Album Leaf. I have to say, I really thought they took the cake. I'm a big fan of buying cd's at shows, as if it washes away all the sins of illegal downloads, and I picked up their most recent double cd, Crooked Ceilings and I LUV it. I'll burn a copy if any of you want it.

I started listening to Zero 7 after hearing them on the Garden State sndtrk. I completely dig their hypnotic and inventive mixes. They also have done several collaborations including a great remix of "Climbing up the Walls" by radiohead.

Handsome Boy Modeling School "White People" has been making me smile for the past 2 weeks now. It definitely fills in my hip-hop void of my record collection for right now.

In the book world, I just finished reading Broken Music: A memoir by Sting. Actually, I read pretty much the entire book over my vacay in France. I was really pleasantly suprised by how much I enjoyed this book. He's a fantastic writer and kept my attention from cover to cover.

I'm currently reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. I am trying SO hard to like this book, but the truth of it is that I don't. I read nothing but good things about it (I've been searching reviews looking for affirmations of my dislike), but I still can't muster up the strength to like it. The main character is completely unbelieveable and impossible to identify with. I can't even find a strong emotion towards him. Anyway, not a keeper.

So that's that. Hopefully will be going to OtR again - can't wait actually and will unfortunately be missing Snow Patrol again. We'll be heading to the Jazz Brunch in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday if anyone's interested.

2005-03-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

So the lovely ladies (missy simone mary o & myself) came over on Friday night for a little easter egg coloring party. This was possibly the most fun I have ever had coloring eggs. May I proudly introduce our creations (imagine evil cackling here...):

scary bunny egg via mary o

bling bling egg via mary o

easter chikins via miss missy

guido sarducci & t magee via simone & me

summer lovin

I now have a family of chicklets living in my refrigerator. We had so much fun. I hope you all had a wonderful easter with your families and friends. I know we did.

Show time

2005-03-21T16:34:00.000-05:00

So, who's going to the album leaf on Wed? Driving buddies - anyone?

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

2005-03-18T10:41:00.000-05:00

SOoooo, I just realized that i missed my very own 1 year blog birthday! Can you believe it ?- I never miss birthdays - in fact I do my best to make sure that they stretch out as long as possible. So here's to a year and a month and like 2 days. Someone should buy me something. Like a pint. Or a cupcake.

Le Burrr!

2005-03-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

So, I will try to post this again.

I'm sure everyone's been wondering when the heck we would blog about the trip, but this week's been crazy. So, better late than never....

We arrived in beautiful Lyon, France on a Friday, checked into our quaint (but very friendly and clean) hotel and started strolling around the main downtown area of the city. It's a shopping district with large plazas and wide streets lined with hot homemade crepe stands, cafe's and bars. Lyon is very upscale and the shopping area is stacked full of couture shops and the antiques and home decore sections are pricey to say the least. It was cold and clear, there was a man playing a sad French ballad on an accordian in the street and there were people scurrying in and out of the cold.

The next day we took a 3 hour bus trip to Bourg St. Maurice, then another the remaining 1/2 hour up the mountain to the Les Arcs resort. Les Arcs was the ski area used in the Albertiville Winter Olympics, and therefore is very well endowed with shops, restaurants and bars. We stayed in a little apartment with an amazing view. It was absolutely frigid and we had snow almost every night and tons of snow on the mountain. Oh those beautiful Alps! How I missed those mountaintops. It is just breathtaking. It was TJ's first time snowboarding and it took him all of a day to catch on. We had a wonderful 6 days riding and exploring.

We returned to Lyon on a Friday for another 2 days and 2 nights. It snowed heavily the entire bus ride back and Lyon had gotten a healthy helping of snow while we were gone. We spent the first day drifting around a large part of the city. The second day we took a tour of Vieux Lyon (old Lyon) which has churches built in the 11th century and roman ruins dating back to 43 BC. Long, tight, winding cobblestone roads and little secret passageways - it was absolutely amazing.

We drank good (and cheap) wine, had Kronenbourg on tap everywhere, ate tons of cheese and baguettes and lots and lots of cafe au lait. It's a bit bittersweet to come back. i mean Pompano is quite lovely in comparison to fabulous europe! We did miss all of you though, and we've had fun catching up with a bunch of you this past week.

You can see an abbreviated version of our trip here. You can click on the picture of the album name or start a slideshow.

2005-03-15T13:32:00.000-05:00

Blogger's freaking killing me right now. I've tried to post about our France trip a couple of times and each time it times out and I lose everything I've done!!!! Argh!

stellar show . . .

2005-02-18T15:01:00.000-05:00

So I've been listening to Wilco for a while now, but I have an entirely new respect for them after last night. I was extremely impressed with the show - being in the freaking second row didn't hurt either - but that wasn't what drew me in. Apparently jeff, the lead singer, had a cold - I would have never known. Everything was on - including his voice. The whole band just had such a nice ambiance about them - alot of emotion in their lyrics and in the quality of their live perfomance.

Anyway, i also heard that snow patrol will be attempting a show down here again a bit later in the spring . CANNOT.WAIT.

Happy 25th Honey!

2005-02-14T00:16:00.000-05:00

This pic just about sums it all up . . .I'm gonna get it for this one.

Awww.

And now for a sleu of kareoke hilarity:

And to finish it off, I CAN't EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND.

I had so much fun with you all. Happy Day to you, TJ!

2005-02-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

HOpe to seE You All @ TJ's HipHOPandYaDOn'tStop BirthdAY PArtY tonIGHt!

L&E 9:00

The Countdown is ON!!!!!!

2005-02-10T11:10:00.000-05:00

OMG! We leave in 14, yes that's FOURTEEN DAYS! For those of you that don't know that's 2 weeks, and I'll be in the lovely snow pictured above. I will definitely miss you all while I'm charging down the French alps, drinking good French wine, eating scrumtrulecent French bread and cheese, etc etc etc. I am SO excited!!!!

guilty pleasure . . .

2005-02-08T01:26:00.000-05:00

Oh Little Round Yellow thing that eats dot things, what is this hold you have over me? It is late;I am tired;I must work early tomorrow. Yet, I am up - with you! Oh pac-man, release me from your death grip!

What comes around, goes around . . .

2005-01-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

So the constant banging and drilling on either side of my condo is getting to the point of ulitmate abnoxiousness. On one side, the Working Whistler has been renovating his new condo for the past month - bang, bang, bang, whistle, whistle, whistle, drill, drill, drill - it's about all I can handle. And when I say whistle, I mean WHISTLE. That man has a set of pipes and he knows how to use them - for hours. During Christmas I was constantly seranaded with holiday tunes, now it's just random showtunes. The WW also has a bumper sticker on his car that says something like "Real Men are Christians". Then, on the other side, my cute, half-deaf, little elderly neighbor man decided to get in on the gig and it was tap, tap, tap over and over and over and over. Sidenote: He locked himself out the other day and TJ came over and got into his house to open up his door. After all of the tap tap tapping he had been doing, TJ reported that he saw nothing that looked like it was in the process of being built or that had recently been repaired or put together. Very disappointing, seeing that TJ's speculation was that he was building a treehouse.

I suppose I can't complain too much, seeing that we did a good month worth of demo and rebuilding ourselves when I moved into my place. However, I did not have next door neighbors, and god knows I can't whistle and blow down walls.

Not too much goin' on . . .

2005-01-12T10:29:00.000-05:00

So, life's slowed down just a bit since the holidays - although it's getting ready to kick up again soon. TJ and I ran up to Orlando over the weekend for surf expo and I ended up with a nasty little cold that sent me right back home again. I've been working on getting over that and getting ready for a busy schedule ahead. I've got 1 bridal shower, 2 weddings, a birthday and our vacation all by the end of next month. Long story short, sorry if my posts are a bit farther apart than usual - busy busy bee. Hopefully I'll see you all in the between times.

To My Lovely Friends and Family . . .

2005-01-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

HaPpY nEw YeAr'S !!!

TJ and I spent New Year 04 at Aaron and Deb's place in gardens. Here are some pix from the festivities:

Aaron - very excited - about popping the cork (?)

My drink of choice for the evening . . .yummy yummy

I never did figure out why he got this job?

Ringing in the New Year

The girls

The boys - yes can't you tell we are wild party animals

Disgustingly cute and sappy series . . .

Don't know why we're hunched over like that

Proving that I actually stayed up past midnight

Thanks to Aaron and Deb for a swingin' party, and the happiest of happy New Year's to come for all of you !!!

And the Christmas Pictures are finally in...

2004-12-29T13:49:00.000-05:00

First, I wanted to specifically wanted to thank Calvin for coming -

Punch-master TJ -

Denise likey the beer -

I likey the punch -

Denise & I both likey Calvin -

And hopefully you all liked the party! Here are a bunch of other pictures that I felt merited checking out:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22

You Should Really Try the Punch...

2004-12-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

So Saturday night I offered my house up as the virgin sacrifice to the party gods, and the throngs came to worship at the holiday punch bowl.

#1, I had the thought Sunday morning when I woke up that I am so blessed to have all of you. The night before my house was full of such wonderful people - you all mean so much to me and I'm so lucky to have each and everyone of you in my life.

Ok, here's the thing with all of the fabulous pictures...they are all on tj's camera...hence I do not have them yet and it might be a bit before I get them, so until then, I thought we'd play a game.

CAN YOU GUESS WHO BELONGS TO EACH ORNAMENT???

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

Possiblity of answers includes: John Horvath, The Gravatt's, B & V Bubar, Tim Bubar, Kristen, TJ, Calvin, Simone, Erika K., Chris & Jess, & Matt Bubar

Thanks for coming everyone - lots of love - merry christmas!
More pictures to come!

My Tree Is So Lonely Without Your Ornaments

2004-12-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder . . .

Hope to see you ALL on Saturday night!!!!

2004-11-30T22:59:00.000-05:00

CHRISTMAS PARTY !!!!

And you're all invited. Ok, here's the deal...
My house (call me or tj for directions if you don't already know how to get here)
Sat. Dec 18th - anytime after 8:00pm
as per scott's suggestion - I'm asking everyone to bring an ornament - here's my twist - I'd like the ornament to be one (if possible) that will remind me of you or your family. That way, for years to come, when I decorate my tree, I'll have little pieces of my friends to warm up my house.

Also, if you don't mind, bring something small to drink or eat to share with everyone. I'll have drinks and some food also.

Invite anyone that you think should be there.

Hope to see you all there!!!!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

2004-11-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

Know what this is? This is the trip of a lifetime - and here it is - confirmed on paper. woohoo!

The wisdom of 8-year-olds can't be denied

2004-11-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

frustration = mad = potato

Revelation of the Weekend:

2004-11-15T14:48:00.000-05:00

100% Deet is my new best friend.

2004-11-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

"The darkened sky cradles the horizon
Like an old quilt with tiny holes
Where the light of the stars
Were able to leak into the night
My smoke filled eyes refocus
Upon the burning logs just yonder
Of my hanging marshmallows
I readjust the blanket wrapped
Around my chilled shoulders from the
Nippy breeze that teases in the late hours of night
I climb into the tent
Cuddle into my sleeping bag while
The sounds of nature
Overthrow my thoughts"

2004-11-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

ask me what I think about the impact zone.

awwww....

2004-11-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

Happy 2-year Date-a-versary!

2004-11-05T17:12:00.000-05:00

I must say my boyfriend is my hero today. Not only did he fix the window in my bedroom, but he managed to get me basic cable (bye bye bunny ears!) , in addition to the cable modem I already pay for, while somehow lowering my entire bill. TODAY, tj, you are a genius.

2004-11-05T17:09:00.000-05:00

There is nothing more annoying to me (at least for today) than people who put the wrong type of recyclables into the incorrect containers. It's NOT rocket science people! One container says newspapers only, the other is for plastics. Get it right!

2004-11-02T17:34:00.000-05:00

I am so sick of the V-O-T-E word. I know it's important, and yes, I did vote, but the voting coverage is now officially worse than all of the hurricane coverage. Besides that, people are just going out of their minds. They've given everyone in the country something to constantly argue with each other about. Argue - complain - argue - complain. And now every other person thinks that they are professional political analysts. Everyone knows what's best for everybody else and what needs to be done. Somehow in the past I've missed that our country is full of geniuses. THANK GOD that elections are every 4 years and not every year. I find nothing exciting or fulfilling about being forced to chose between two morons.

boooo....

2004-10-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

We accomplished my most favorite part of Halloween - the carving of the pumpkin. This most sacred part of Halloween was a joint effort of tj and mine, and I must say, I am quite proud of our creation. We baked pumpkin seeds and I got these fabulous pine cones that smell like cinnamon. I've been burning an apple candle, so now my living room smells like apple pie. Now if it were only 50 degrees outside it would be the perfect fall day!

2004-10-22T13:54:00.000-04:00

I think this assessment is pretty right on...

2004-10-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

There is no one on my television set every morning more annoying than richard karn.