What The Hell?

To my blog? Why am I not seeing my latest entry? Ugh.

It's Been A Week...

...and I've got nothing to talk about. Things are pretty boring all the way around.

Our town has a new little shopping center going up. The sign listing the stores/shops went up on Saturday. I saw a sign for a Personal Trainer/Pilates place. I'm going to do some investigating...no phone number listed yet, and it doesn't look like they've occupied their space, so I'm going to keep my eyes peeled. I really need a place that is convenient to get to so I'll be motivated to go. "course it doesn't hurt that it's goingi n right next to the new bagel place. Now there's motivation.

It's 7:13 on Halloween night and no little beggars have come a knockin'. Bastards. Looks like I bought a ton of candy for nothing. Guess I'll bring it in to the vultures in my office. They'll eat anything.

Might choose to curl up and order an IO movie tonight. I don't seem to have any motivation to do anything. Not sure why...oh! That's right. It's frickin' eastern standard time again. It was dark at 5:05 pm. Setting the clocks back rips out my soul. I HATE standard time. Hate it. hate it, hate it. No wonder I have so desire to do anything.

I'm going to hibernate now. Bye.

The Cows Came Home....Literally

So my goal this weekend was to get some rest and watch two football games: the Tennessee/Bama game and the Broncos/Giants game. I did both. I came home Friday and went straight up to The Cave. The Cave is my husband's nickname for our bedroom. It's very dreamy, done in different shades of taupe. I had black out blinds installed so not a hint of sunlight can come in. When I'm all locked up in the room with the shades drawn, it's very cave like. I'm quite happy in The Cave.

So I locked myself in The Cave Friday night and read some magazines and just kind of hung out. I turned out the lights at 10 pm and drifted off for a solid night's sleep. Saturday began with my appointment at a local tire shop to have 4 new tires installed on the Trailblazer. I then did some errands and got home in time to snuggle up on the couch and watch Bama take on Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It was a great game, with Alabama scoring a field goal in the final minutes to win. A celebration of this exciting game was definitely in order, so John and I decided we would go out to Benito's Trattoria in Chester for some din-din.

What happened next is the kind of thing that can only happen to John and me. We drove down our street and made the right onto Combs Ave. and proceeded towards Miller's Farm. Next thing I know, we're surrounded by cows. I'm like, "What the hell?" John and I are sitting in the truck watching these cows meander around the road, munching on autumn decorations and eyeing us somewhat disinterestedly. Obviously, they had broken out of their corral and were helping themselves to a little evening snack. Well, you can't just leave a bunch of cows in the road. It's pitch black and someone could get hurt. John and I tried to notify the owners of the cow escape, but to no avail. No one was home. At this point, the cows started running around, and John deftly maneuvered the car in an effort to contain them in one area and stop them from going up to the busy road at the top of the hill. It was like The Raucous Rodeo Comes To Randolph. Here we are in the car, zipping around trying to corral these cows. They started to get a little huffy and came charging towards us a couple of times. That was it. I called the police and we went on our merry way. Seriously, this could only happen to us.

Sunday was a great day. Cow-less, thank goodness. We took The Girls for a ride, ran some errands, got some pumpkins (so much for pumpkin-picking, I bought some pumpkins at my local grocery store) and then settled in to watch the Giants game. Giants came away with a victory over the Broncos with seconds left. Another exciting football game for me! John and I enjoyed a nice dinner together and then I retired to The Cave to watch Desperate Housewives.

Just another exciting weekend in my exciting life. Not. : )

The Battle Rages On...

cowlick /kowlik/ n. projecting lock of hair

The Scene: Upstairs bathroom, in front of mirror.

Me: A little cooperation would be nice.
Cowlick: A little TLC would be nice
Me: Who are you to talk?
Cowlick: The bangs have elected me head of the union.
Me: You can't be serious?
Cowlick: I am. They've got some demands.
Me: This should be interesting
Cowlick: Lighten up with the blowdryer.
Me: That's the only way I get any cooperation!
Cowlick: How do you explain this morning?
Me: I was working with them the best I could. They decided to part right in the middle.
Cowlick: Yeah, they're a divided group. Not happy campers. The new brush? No good.
Me: So I could see. You didn't help the situation.
Cowlick: What? I was my charming self.
Me: Sticking out the right side of my head is not charming.
Cowlick: I was merely trying to protect myself. Easy on the Aqua Net, toots.
Me: You're pushing me. You and your little band of brothers. Don't make me get the scissors.
Cowlick: An idle threat. Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you whipped out the shears?
Me: I've added to my hat collection since then. I can easily work a new one into my wardrobe on a daily basis.
Cowlick: Nothing you did could camouflage that mess.
Me: You're pushing me.
Cowlick: We'll see who wins.
Me: Eff you.
Cowlick: Blow me.
Me: Cute.
Cowlick: Heh.

My Lid is an Issue...

I'm having a serious hair conundrum. I'm just not sure what to do with it, so I haven't had it cut and I've been coloring it myself (C and Brew, keep your comments to yourselves). The color is OK, but I'm thinking it needs a little kick. My best girl, Ann, has a beautiful head of hair. She's got those fabulous natural waves and the color is a deep chestnut with just the right touch of red. I want it. I want it bad.

*sigh*

Alas, I'm stuck with what I've got. It's gotten long, which I like, but it's also very thick and rather unruly. I had a long talk with my bangs this morning and finally ended up beating them into submission. I simply don't have time for their grief in the morning. They teamed up with my cowlick to really piss me off. I ended up with a rather wide part (thanks to the cowlick on the right side of my forehead) but am hoping I pulled off a decent 'do by combing my beaten bangs in the other direction. We'll just see what kind of attitude they pull with me tomorrow morning.

Need to get my tickets to St. Thomas. To remind myself (and fortify my soul for the upcoming winter) I'm posting a picture from our St. Thomas trip. A good way to end the night.

Peaceful Sleeping

John returned yesterday from his Myrtle Beach golf trip, thus, a decent night's sleep last night. I'm such a little scaredy cat. I hate being in the house by myself, especially after dark. Even though I've got the dogs with me, I get the distinct impression that they'd be useless in the case of an emergency. Case in point, Barrett's penchant for barking and running in reverse from what she's barking at. Real ferocious there, Bar. If Campell could speak, she'd scream, "Eat her!" as she ran away and left me in the dust. No doubt they'd sacrifice me to save themselves. But now my honey is home and I can rest easy knowing I've got a big strong man to protect me.

Walked out of the office yesterday to the site of a near flat tire. Bummer. I had no choice but to drive it to the nearest gas station and get some air. The tire is pretty bald, so John made an appointment for me to get all new tires Saturday morning. I'll be there at 8:30 am and they'll do it while I wait-only takes an hour. How great is that? I can drink my morning Dew, read the paper, and have new tires installed. I'm a happy camper.

Thanksgiving will be at our house again this year. Yea! It's my favorite holiday. It always reminds me of my Gram, who hosted Thanksgiving for years and years. My cousin, Jenn, and her new husband, Bill, will not be able to make it, unfortunately. But Uncle Rich and Aunt Sharon are coming, along with my cousin, Danny, and his 2 boys, Mom and Dad, and Gretchen will be joining us again this year. I'm already working on my menu-pretty standard stuff, but I might mix it up a little this year. I'll have to see...

Not much else going on. St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center has it's annual Howl-O-Ween walk this weekend. We're thinking about taking the girls, sans costumes. The socialization would be good for them, but I think the costume part might send them over the edge. If we go, I'll post some pictures. It's always a great time and it's rewarding to raise money for the shelter.

What The Hell? To Me....

Ugh. My internet connection has been totally facocked the last couple of days. I wanted to ad a post here, but couldn't access anything. Of course, now I've forgotten evrything I wanted to add....a big WTH? to me.

Monday, Monday....

Back at work after a really fun weekend. Went to dinner at Mom and Dad's Friday night which was a lot of fun. Dad makes a mean cosmo and Barb (mom) and I imbibed on a few. : ) John wasn't feeling all together well, so we made it an early evening. I stayed up late as my night owl-ness kicked in and enjoyed the quiet of the wee morning hours while nesting away. Got a few things accomplished, and created a To-Do list for the next couple of weekends.

Mother Nature bestowed her wrath upon us on Saturday with relentless rain. Had to cancel pumpkin picking, but we did keep our dinner plans intact. The rain really came down. We desperately needed it in our area, but it's tough with two puppies at home. B&C had had enough of the rain and simply would not go outside anymore. I decided to take them to day-care and that really paid off as they were able to run and play with their friends. I was afraid of them running around outside and blowing out a knee on the wet leaves. Luckily, day-care was open and that gave me time to work around the house.

With the girls busy, I dove into full nesting mode. I emptied out the family room closets (what used to be our old bedroom) and set aside items to give away, stuff to trash, and clothes for Goodwill. I love the sight of a clean and organized closet. I decorated the house with Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff and in the process of pulling stuffed pumpkins out of the closet, I found a bunch of picture frames I had forgotten about. They're cute little silver antique-y looking frames and I immediately thought of all the old black and white family photos I have from when Gram passed. I think they'll look really great displayed in these frames and added that to my future To-Do list.

I also transfered some digital pictures onto my 2005 CD. I learned that when I name a photo, I should put the date first, then whoever is in the picture (or the folder of pics). That way, when I transfer them to a CD, they remain in date order. So my 2004 and 2005 CD's will be a little out of whack, but starting now I'm going to begin dating the pictures first. I also organized my film pictures by date, and will begin putting them into albums next weekend. I've got quite a bit to catch up on and need to be more diligent with my photo maintenance.

After a full day of nesting, John and I met Gretch at the pub for drinks and dinner. We always sit in a bar booth so we can watch whatever sporting event is on TV. Iowa/Purdue was on, so our Iowa girl, Gretch, was able to watch the home team play. The Pub is featuring an Oktoberfest menu, and I dined on the Knock & Bratwurst platter. Quite yummy with sauerkraut, potato pancakes and homemade applesauce. I do have to say, Mom's potato pancakes are much, much better. I was pretty wiped out when we got home, and ended up crashing around 10:30. I didn't stir until John woke me around 7:30 Sunday morning. I got some much needed beauty sleep.

John and I spent the day watching football and baseball. The Astros took the NLDS in an 18 inning instant classic over the Braves. Between that and watching 41 year old Vinny Testaverde lead the Jets to a win over Tampa Bay, we had a pretty exciting day. The Yankees extended the ALDS by beating Anaheim and forcing a deciding Game 5 in California. We'll see if the Yankees still have a little more magic to pull out a win tonight and advance to the ALCS.

Back to work time for me.

Anyone for Martinis and Pumpkin Picking?

So looking forward to the weekend. John, Gretch, and I are going pumpkin picking and then to the Blackhorse for drinks and dinner. I was joking with Gretch that I had a mental image of her stumbling through the pumpkin patch, cigarette in one hand and beer in the other. She's decided the occassion calls for a little something stiffer, so I'll need to make a mental note to pack my flask. And some olives.

Dinner is with M&D tomorrow night. That's something nice to look forward to. Combine that with the pumpkin festivities and it's a homerun of a weekend. Thankfully, I've got Sunday to recover. I think that will be my day to put out my Halloween and Thanksgiving decor. As much as I hate this time of year (post-season baseball being the exception)I do enjoy Halloween. I have some really cute pumpkin, ghost and black cat decorations and a few other things that lend a festive air to the house. I do a combo Halloween/Thanksgiving decor. My house is a cape, so all the rooms are fairly stand alone. Not much flow goin' on in my crib. Many little nooks and crannies. Those nooks and crannies are pointedly driven home every morning when I get out of bed and smash my head on the slanted ceiling. What moron came up with this layout? No doubt it was a midget. I'd like to give a big WTH? to the architect, however, it should probably go to me for not exactly acting in a Pavlonian manner and ducking when I roll out of bed. Exactly how long is it going to take me to learn to duck? It's been 8 damn years! I digress...

Didn't get out for my walk this morning. How about a big WTF? to the idiots who schedule the baseball? Honestly, I think it's a smidge easier for those on the West Coast to follow a game that starts at 5 pm PT than it is for us East Coasters to follow a game that starts at 10 pm ET. We've already got a bunch of bleary-eyed idiots walking around the office and now I'm one of them. Can't get out of the sack early enough to get out for my walk. Going to have to turn in early tonight and get my fat ass out in the morning.

Time to shut it down and go get the girls from day-care. Cami should be tired enough to not eat anymore of the carpet. The little hellion.

What A Trip!

We're back from Stratham
after an absolutely fabulous visit with our friends, the Rowe's. We met Kevin and Sandy at the bar at Sapphire Beach in February and were then introduced to Kevin's parents, Joyce and Chris. We've kept in touch and were able to visit with them in New Hampshire this past weekend. That's John on the left posing with Chris, Sandy and Kevin.


What a great time! Joyce and Chris welcomed us into their lovely home and made us feel most welcome. They have a knack for putting people at ease and making a visit very pleasurable. After a tour of their beautiful home (which was Joyce's parents home) and their abundant garden, we were treated to a trip to the Lindt candy factory in town. Can't go wrong with Lindt chocolate! Interestingly, the Lindt site in NH serves all of the Eastern part of the country.

After sampling some chocolates, we returned home to begin happy hour. Of course, it's always happy hour with the Rowe's-that's why we like them so much and get along so well! Kevin and Sandy joined us for dinner after returning home from work and we all enjoyed Joyce's royal feast. We were treated to steak with mushroom sauce, green beans, red potatoes, corn on the cob and tomatoes. Everything except the beef came from Chris & Joyce's garden! It was fantastic. Joyce didn't think we'd had enough to eat so she set out her pumpkin pie and apple pie. John and I needed to be rolled away from the table.

After a trip to Kevin and Sandy's house to see their new kitchen, we met their son , Shane. What a nice young man and, lucky for us, he'll be coming to St. Thomas next year. We're really looking forward to introducing him to the island!

We watched the Bosox beat up on the Yanks then headed to bed for a great night's sleep in Joyce's fabulous guest room. We threw open the windows and slept in the clean country air. I haven't slept that soundly in years.

The next morning, Joyce served up a breakfast casserole that was out of this world. Bread pieces, eggs, cheese and sausage-a real stick to your ribs meal. That gave us the sustenance needed to tackle a day of shopping and bar hopping in Portsmouth, a quaint little town north of Stratham. We took a scenic route up the coast and stopped at a few of New Hamphire's beautiful beaches on our way to town. Portsmouth is the kind of place I love...people sitting outside little cafes with their dogs, specialty boutiques and little restaurants all along brick topped sidewalks. Very picturesque. I was able to find two wonderful paintings: one is of waterfront Portsmouth and the other of the little pub, The Rusty Hammer, where we stopped to snack before heading to the Brewery to watch the game.

We really tied one on at the SmuttyNose Brewery and watched as the Yanks took the lead over the Bosox. A win and the Yanks would clinch the AL East. After a few too many drinks, Chris and Joyce got us all home safely to see the end of the game and sit down to yet another fantastic meal. This time we were treated to lobster and Joyce's homemade coleslaw. We had a lot of fun getting the meal together, especially with cooking the lobsters. Live flames are not a good thing when you've been drinking. Luckily we were able to put out the fire on the lawn (Chris being a fireman and all) and save ourselves from ourselves. John and I toasted and Yankee win and well, toasted just about everything else.

Sandy didn't have enough partying for the day, so she called her friend, Paul, to drive us into Portsmouth to The Gas Light. Great little place with an outdoor courtyard, lit by torches (we were having a fire theme day). We enjoyed a band, enjoyed more drinks and then staggered into this little place called Gilleys for some midnight munchies. Gilley's is a little trailer type of thing that is about 6 feet wide and 15 feet long (and that includes the kitchen...if you can call it a kitchen). Gilley's is definitely the place to soak up the alcohol and get righted before going home. We chowed on some dogs, burgers, and fries then found our way home to fall into bed.

Sunday morning was a little rough. Surprisingly, Kevin and Sandy made it over for Joyce's French toast breakfast and then John and I had to pack the truck and say our goodbyes. We're so very fortunate to have the Rowe's in our lives. They are all such wonderful people-John and I just adore them.