Happy Day

Happy Birthday to Daniela!!

and

Congratulations to Sarah and Denis on the birth of baby Carolyn!!

Bromo

My brother did a promo commercial for a hair loss company's website. You can see the video here... that's him, fretting over his thinning locks.

He qualifies it with, "my hair is actually thicker now, they made me slick it back to look thinner" and "that close up is not me"... he does swear their stuff works though.

Cereaously?

This is the coolest idea ever created. A restaurant with just cereal. Well, cereal... and toppings... and a Moo Machine... and colored crystals to add to your milk... and "pajama-clad Cereologists" whose pj's say things like, "United Flakes of America"... and the bowls, JUST LOOK AT THEM!!

I so want to open a Cereality, NOW!! Why on earth, after surviving off cereal for a good portion of my life, did I not think of this???

One Sox, Two Sox, Red Sox, Blue Sox

Normally I don't really care about sports... unless there's emotion involved. Take the Olympics - national pride, lifelong dreams, horses - and I'm THERE, glued to my TV.

Take an underdog baseball team with a curse on them and there I am, watching baseball at midnight.

But I actually find it very stressful to watch sports when these circumstances exist. The "everything is riding on this pitch" and "this is the most important moment in his life" thing raises my blood pressure instantaneously.

And then, God forbid there's an announcer's jinx statement made - like, "Haibin Teng is flawless on the pommel horse, all he has to do is stick this landing" and boof, he falls - I'm through the roof. I would bet $ that there is a statistical correlation between what an announcer says and what happens in the game, I'm sure of it.

It almost happened during the game last night, but luckily the announcer countered with an equally jinxing statement about the Yankees, so they cancelled each other out. Whew! Go Sox!

Funny Monkey

I think I love Jon Stewart. Probably also in a Paris-Tinkerbell way rather than a Paris-guy-with-a-pulse way, but love nonetheless. I was very fond of him back in the MTV days, but now, with the Daily Show, I can barely contain my admiration. Anyone brave enough to call that annoying bowtie pundit guy on Crossfire a "dick" on national tv is my hero (see video). What can I say, humor is my lavender and pumpkin pie.

It's a Banner Day

Getting cray-zee. Along with the awesome new banner Jenny made for me - complete with Jamba Juice and an In-n-Out cheeseburger, I took the plunge and picked a new template. Slowly I will peck away at their html and overtake it with mine.

Thank you again for the banner lj, you know me well.

Membership has its priviledges.

Wine-OH

Went on a wine tasting tour last week. If you live anywhere near the Finger Lakes (or any cluster of wineries), I strongly suggest it. I learned alot about what I like and what I don't like.

Basically, I really like sweet wines - the more sugar, the better. I know, SHOCKING! Hunt Country was my favorite vinyard, not just for the wines (of which, the Vignoles and the Ice Wine were dee-lish), but also the tour, the friendly people, and especially, for Gus, their Bernese Mountain Dog. He looked at me with heartwarming eyes that seemed to say, "I've been waiting for you my who-o-ole life". I'm madly in love with him (in a Paris-Tinkerbell way, not a Paris-guy-with-a-pulse way).

Oooh, Look at the Bay-Bee

Had the "Welcome the New Baby" party Saturday. Jenny finally got to decorate with a mini hay bale, which nearly got ripped (and bitten) to shreds by the 2yr-olds (mainly because I let her put it on the coffee table, saying "don't worry, Mya won't touch it"). She also took this awesome mirror pic of Mya, who is quite the posing ham.

Because my Aunt can't bug me to have kids, she started to bug Jenny. "When are you going to have some little Jennies?"... "Are you and Aaron planning to have kids?"... then, as Jenny was holding Tyler, Aunt Del commented, "see, you look like you should have a baby", to which Jenny replied, "I also look like I should have a Lamborghini, but I don't have one of those either!" Yay, score one for ljc!

Lots of pictures here if you're interested.

Addicted to Tina

While reading "Details" magazine at the gym, I read that the street names for Crystal Meth (the current drug of choice in Hollywood - or a least as of the publishing of the March issue of Details) are ice, Christina, and, the "cute" version, "Tina".

Does that mean, if I go out to visit my brother and happen to be introduced to a recovering crystal meth addict that they will not even be able to tolerate looking at me for fear they will be induced to partake in what had previously been pulling their life into an uncontrollable abyss?

A Different Kind of Addiction

Something triggered it, I'm not sure what... it had been building for just over a week... the urge, getting stronger... couldn't resist much longer... finally, last night, faced with the opportunity - I could not pass it up.

I bought the bag of oreos, got home, poured a glass of milk and before even acknowledging my husband's existence, immediately started dipping... letting those luscious little round wafers soak in just enough milk so that they were soft yet still in tact... mmmmm

they were worth Every Last Calorie!

How Amuuuusing

Spent Saturday visiting sis. We took Mya and Tyler to the LaFayette Apple Festival. I honestly think Mya might have gone on the Ferris Wheel, but she wisely chose the Merry Go Round. (Here's more pix, a few from 2 weeks ago and many from Saturday. Mya loves getting her picture taken and can be quite a ham. Tyler is just starting to notice the world around him.)

Wouldn't want to have a situation like I had at about age 8 when I went on the Zipper, then started screaming like a maniac until my Dad made them stop the ride and let me off. Good thing, because he was seconds from getting barfed on.

Also had a Roundup stopped on my account at age 15. I didn't have to scream, the unnatural purple color my face had turned told them everything they needed to know.

A Real Superhero

A fond farewell to Superman Christopher Reeve. I believe his efforts will some day lead to a cure for paralysis.

Food Envy

Jenny and Aaron are heading off to Scottsdale tomorrow. I am envious of the food opportunities they will have while out there... Jamba Juice (stop #1 on Jenny's list I'm sure... she printed out maps of every location before she left), Chicken Madeira from Cheesecake Factory [salivating...], Baja Fresh, and In-N-Out Burger... MY GOD I would love a Double Double with Cheese right now!!

Jenny is so kind though, she is seriously considering trying to bring back a Jamba Juice for me.

LJ, I know your heart is in the right place, but I would never forgive myself if you ended up with sticky, soupy, staining Banana Berry all over your clothes. So I will be happy living vicariously through you until I too can get to a liberated city (that also has a Sephora =).

On a side note, if anyone knows how to ship food that needs to stay cold, let me know, because if it's easy enough, I'm pretty sure my brother would be more than happy to ship me some Lola's Mac & Cheese. I, in turn, will likely have to send some Sesame Chicken from King and I.

Missing Mom

Two years ago today was the worst day of my life. As most of you know, my Mom didn't survive the fifth surgery that started with what was supposed to be a "96% success rate" open heart surgery 3 weeks earlier.

It's not any easier, it's just that you focus on it less often (as if you had a choice to focus on it or not - if only it were that easy).

I still have alot of bitterness... the doctor made it sound like she was going in to get a tooth pulled - when she called to schedule her surgery, they joked, "we have an opening today, why don't you come on down". OH, that's just HILARIOUS... so she could have died a month earlier?

And how the doctors spun things... before the surgery, they made it seem like nothing to worry about, AFTER it was, "this was a very serious sugery" and "your Mother was a very sick person". Thanks, a little late to take that stance. You then always wonder if seriously understanding and weighing the risks might have changed things.

I'm also convinced that the ones that normally die are the old ones, like Rodney Dangerfield (God rest his soul), not the 56 yr olds.

I won't let the anger overpower my blog, I try to keep my blog light, but it's so hard without her. My Mom was the kind of person who made everyone around her feel special, she went out of her way to be generous or to make others laugh. There really aren't many people like that in life. I thank God she was my Mom.

Break a Leg Bro!

My brother, Eddie , moved to LA last month to rekindle his acting career. He's taking a class with Howard Fine and last week, auditioned for a movie in Vegas. Yesterday, he got cast! They told him he nailed the audition!

Here's the description of the film:

"The Run", a short film based on the short story of the same name by H. Lee Barnes, is about a degenerate gambler, trying to escape his debts and the lives he's destroyed, leaves Las Vegas for the last time on a midnight drive to better days in San Diego, but before he gets there, he becomes plagued by a hunch that one last time at the blackjack tables might be worth going back.

Eddie will be playing "Slick" - a guy who basically distracts the lead character. It doesn't surprise me, Eddie's always been slick and too hip for his own good. It films in Vegas in November...

Knitty Night

Amy's book, Knit Wit, is awesome and the party was so much fun. I wandered around Lettuce Knit saying, "I want to knit a stuffed animal"... later, I got my number pulled for a door prize (shocking as I rarely win) and, lo and behold, of the two prizes left was this wonderful book, The Knitted Teddy Bear: Make Your Own Heirloom Toys with Dozens of Patterns for Unique Clothing and Accessories.

So I better get my butt busy making heirlooms for Mya and Tyler... and maybe a few other "kids at heart" if I can be quick about it!

Maybe I should rename my site "The Daily Buy" since shopping is also a focus... But first, I must rant.

Yes, I love food and I love to eat - but that doesn't mean I eat until I weigh 300 pounds. And, yes, I love to shop - but that doesn't mean I buy $300 purses or $400 shoes.

To the contrary, I have strong limits on what I will spend on any given item, limits that are likely much lower than most in my tax bracket. How much is too much? It varies depending on brand, opportunity, covet-ness, discount, etc. But in general, whether it's a Marc Jacobs or not, I am unlikely to pay more than $50 for a purse. Yet because I love to shop, some people assume I spend a boatload.

Maybe because I was brought up in poverty, I actually take offense to being considered a frivolous spender*, especially when the accusation is levied at me from my Sister's Mother-in-Law.

Seriously, can you believe I am being criticized by MY SISTER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW? That's what MY m.i.l. is for.

I get extra bitter when I think about the fact that our Mom would never comment on someone else's family like that. My Mom would have been the most wonderful Grandmother in the world to Mya and Tyler. Instead, they're stuck with this self-centered (not to mention alcoholic) person.

Rant over.

*This rant is not meant to criticize frivolous spenders. For them I say "more power to ya". It is meant to criticize my Sister's Mother-in-Law!

Did a bit of shopping this past weekend. Me trying to be on a spending freeze is like Ben Affleck trying to be celibate - good in theory until some woman throws herself at you.

This little baby threw itself at me... and given that I'm not about to pay over $100 for a handbag, I broke down and bought a much less expensive but still utterly adorable Dooney & Bourke Heart Flap Wristlet.

My apologies for being slow on the draw. Here is a link to pictures of my new Nephew and my favorite niece (which I can say because she is my only niece).

And more pix of Mostly Mya (is that like "Just Jack"?)

Ok, hubby is now officially addicted to Party Poker which means I may never have use of my home computer again.

Toronto was excellent, though I can't help myself from envisioning how the Colin encounter should have gone (no, I'm not talking raunchiness here, I'm talking conversation).

My brother is having major drama. I won't go in to detail, but let's just say he could easily provide rivetting content for a few of these reality shows for E!

Saw Jerry Seinfeld live tonight, totally hilarious. Even "Not so Goodtime Charlie" was laughing like crazy. Especially at all the wife jokes.

And finally, I heard on NPR that the Germans are developing a cell phone that detects bad breath. It's about damn time! Now we need a shirt that alerts you to BO and shoes that tell you you're a little unfresh. OK, I'm a little obsessed with smelling good.

In regards to Phobias... Jenny doesn't think she suffers from Metathesiophobia (fear of change), but I think she might suffer from Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). Aaron may suffer from Coulrophobia (fear of clowns - though just claims to dislike them, not fear them). And I definitely suffer from Apiophobia (fear of bees) and Spheksophobia (fear of wasps)! I don't think Chuck particularly fears or dislikes anything, except of doing something wrong, like, say, parking on the wrong side of the street before 6pm.

I also have an aversion to belly buttons but that's not a phobia, just a negative physical reaction in response to the mention of, pictures of, but most especially, the poking of bellybuttons.

I've been a bad blogger. Keeping busy... update:

Truck broke down on the way home from 1000 Islands... lug nuts broke, wheel almost came completely off (would have surely caused havoc), waited 3 hours for a flatbed tow truck to bring us and the truck 106 miles to a garage 4.5 miles from home... as we begin to ride our bikes the rest of the way home, Chuck sees that his bike has a flat tire (no, REALLY)... I am already determined and defiant, so I ride my bike home, at 7:15pm, almost dark, 4.5 miles, ALL UPHILL... then get the car, drive back and get Chuck, who's bike won't fit in the car, so we wait another half hour for Jenny & Aaron to come help us and, after leaving the inlaws house at 1pm and missing Matt's going away party, we finally get home at 9pm that night. Whew!

The next day, my nephew Tyler Michael is born, doing well, but with a little hole in his heart (which shouldn't be a problem).

Mya is handling the new baby well for the most part, one meltdown yesterday, after which she broke into hives (watch out if she learns that she can use that to her advantage to gain sympathy)

Watched Bands Reunited - New Kids on the Block - have had "whoa oh oh oh oh" stuck in my head for the last week... just when I had escaped it, Jenny sang it again today, reigniting the insanity in my brain (she will pay)

Toronto was amazing, can't beat sitting there finishing up a nice dinner and seeing Colin Firth wander up!

Did more visiting/helping sis with two kids that are now, officially, "a handful".

In the midst of great joy at a new life come a deep, deep sadness that my Mom is not here to be the most loving, doting Grandmother to those kids.