Freakin' Cool. But shhh... Don't tell anybody!

Pet Peeves...

Tonight's list of peeves:

1. Really. Slow. Computers. Ack.
2. Snow flurries without the possibility of delayed work openings.
3. Fox News. (No, I don't watch it... I was watching 24 and forgot to turn off the TV.)
4. Remote Access Databases. Yes, they are remote and yes, they are databases. But there is no access to be had. (This is false advertising at it's finest.)
5. And the biggest peeve of all... Librarians that say "Li-berry" instead of "Library." What the crap?!? Do they think that is cute? Can I just say, "WHY are you in this profession if you can't even pronounce where you work?!?" Honestly.

You a Bodeist?

The goal is to enjoy your life, to challenge yourself, to sometimes make stupid decisions, which are sometimes fun and sometimes idiotic and sometimes just a big, fat mistake that you regret. But the reason for it all is enjoyment; that's the reason for life. It is not that I don't recognize the danger in ski racing but that I don't fear the consequences. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? You die, I guess. You're all done."- Bode Miller.

Epicurean much? (joinbode.com) But I still like what he has to say "on winning..." (see the video clip when you visit the barn). Any thoughts?

(EDIT - So apparently, (I just learned this...) my little brother has met Bode! He says that he is a cool guy, someone you'd share a pint with. Bode came into the bar Andy works at, in the city, and hung out. I am obviously in the wrong line of work.)

A Polish Wedding

Tonight something special is happening far, far away. Tonight, there is a wedding with a very happy couple. Tonight, my buddy wacky Zacky is getting married in Poland. (I hope he is wearing red stripe pants and a traditional funky feather hat.) Congrats, you two! I wish I could be there!

Masculine.

Atlanta Renaissance Festival
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

Shoot. I'd say this one fits the "Photo Friday" qualifications. Tim looks pretty masculine in this picture. Actually, so do I! So here you have it... two sword-welding beefcakes. (This was taken at the Ren. Fest in Atlanta about 4-5 yrs. ago.)

100 Things About Me...

1. I like the colors pink and purple.
2. I crave Cadbury chocolate all the time.
3. I have a pretty extensive stamp collection.
4. I have a pretty extensive PEZ collection, as well.
5. I throw an extra “r” sound in the word “Wa(r)shington.
6. I dream about having a massive garden someday.
7. I don’t have kids but I have some crazy cats.
8. I love to travel.
9. My husband is my best friend.
10. My middle name is Renee.
11. I wore wings at my wedding…
12. …and released butterflies at “You may kiss the bride.”
13. I have pizza every Sunday in honor of my little brother, Andy.
14. I like to play board games, but NOT Scrabble.
15. I love to throw “themed” parties.
16. I hate to “cook” but like to “bake.” (The difference is in the gratitude. People don’t care much about dinner, just that it’s hot. But people do care about a multi-layered cake that is seven inches tall and looks like a giant bunny.)
17. I am fascinated by snowglobes.
18. I’ve visited 9 different countries in my life, so far (Haiti, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and Greece).
19. (Ten, if you count Texas.)
20. I’m pretty crafty.
21. I am a “costume mistress” (which means I do costumes for community theaters – upcoming is “Enchanted April”).
22. I like science fiction and fantasy books.
23. I’ve been to see the burned out remains of the “Branch Davidians” compound in Waco... along with the Dr. Pepper Museum.
24. I’ve also seen a merman corpse.
25. I like reality TV (i.e. Survivor, Amazing Race, The Contender)
26. If I could be an animal, I would be a cardinal, except that I don’t think I could eat worms.
27. My favorite artists are Rodin, Renoir, and Andy Warhol.
28. I have a collection of pencils from every museum I’ve visited.
29. I don’t drink coffee, but I wish I did (it’s a lonely world for non-coffee drinkers).
30. I’ve been white-water rafting and rock climbing.
31. My husband and I have moved six times in the six years we’ve been married.
32. I love being completely engrossed in a movie (and I flip out at distractions!).
33. One of my favorite memories is sipping sangria with my husband, sitting at Park Guell in Barcelona, watching this little blue bird singing away in a tree.
34. I love old houses with lots of character.
35. Someday I want to own a really cool old B&B.
36. I slept in a teepee in Canada and even tried poutine.
37. I can’t tell time.
38. I saw some real mobsters in Little Italy. (For REAL.)
39. I’ve been in the “back room” in a Chinatown store.
40. I almost failed the 3^rd grade because of multiplication.
41. I have an embosser to mark all of the books I own.
42. I crochet better than I knit.
43. I have a rubber duck collection.
44. I have a massive collection of burned DVD’s.
45. Scrapbooking is a big hobby of mine.
46. I was never a ballerina (thanks mom).
47. I’ve been to Loch Ness, but I never saw Nessie.
48. I’ve seen the Rosetta Stone.
49. I’ve never done a cartwheel.
50. I love to take pictures and photoshop them until they are perfect.
51. I keep all of my Martha Stewart Magazines.
52. I dropped tea into the Boston Harbor because I am a patriot.
53. My sister is Canadian (almost).
54. My favorite French word is “Parapluie” – it means “umbrella.”
55. I look like I am sickly when I wear the color yellow.
56. I don’t get along with squirrels – they hate me and I hate them.
57. In high school, I was a combination of nerd/ geek/ and loner.
58. Halloween is my most favorite of holidays, because I just love to play dress-up.
59. I hate the phrase “more or less” (it just doesn’t make sense).
60. My cat will play fetch with me and he is a world class boxer.
61. I hate seafood or any food product related to the ocean (except for tuna).
62. I love the smell of fresh cut grass, especially if it is my own grass!
63. I like to drink out of straws.
64. I’ve seen 10 different Shakespeare plays performed live – my favorite was The Tempest at an outdoor theater in Dallas.
65. I like to make my own necklaces.
66. I walked through The Gates in Central Park in February 2005.
67. I have a sweet tooth (and cavities to prove it!).
68. I took a black and white photography class and developed my own photos.
69. I was Vera Claythorne in Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians.
70. I love Tori Amos and got to meet her last year (she gave me a hug).
71. I don’t have a favorite flower, my favorites are the ones I grew from seed.
72. My cat likes to eat rubber bands.
73. My favorite author is Flannery O’Connor and my email address reflects my love for her use of imagery.
74. I hate poems by Robert Frost.
75. Once I ran through a cornfield in the middle of the night, never again!
76. Bryer’s Strawberry is my favorite ice cream (I don’t like most other strawberry ice cream brands – they make me nauseous).
77. My hair used to be down to my butt.
78. I took a picture of the Italian Prime Minister in Rome.
79. Someday I am going to see the pyramids in Egypt.
80. I’ve been to a PEZ convention in Stamford, CT (next stop – the Crayola factory).
81. I love to listen to books on tape, especially Harry Potter.
82. I am a displaced Southerner.
83. Orbit Bubblemint is my favorite flavor of gum.
84. I still sleep with my baby blanket.
85. My best friend lives in South Africa.
86. I really like Mary Engelbreit teapots and calendars (thanks mom).
87. I have a real Venetian mask from Venice (made by the guy that made the masks for Eyes Wide Shut).
88. I still own a record player and listen to lots of records.
89. I make my own piñatas for my Halloween parties (not to mention costumes).
90. I’ve read all the Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter books.
91. I’ve seen the real David in Florence, the real Mona Lisa in Paris, and the Parthenon in Athens (and Nashville).
92. I directed two David Ives’ plays.
93. I own three different copies of The Little Prince, in English, French, and Italian.
94. There is a painting in an Oklahoma rest stop that looks just like me.
95. Once I had to pee in a litter box (don’t ask).
96. I’ve never had a goldfish last longer than three months (Andy has had one for about seven years, Mr. Fishy).
97. I hate reading Immanuel Kant (thanks, Linville).
98. I love to watch the Olympics – Summer and Winter.
99. I love the mountains and miss seeing them everyday.
100. This is in honor of my reaching 100 blog entries!

Thirteen Favorite Memories Sitting with my husband in an outdoor cafe in Park Guell, Barcelona, sipping on sangria and watching this little parrot serenade us from a nearby tree, and not having a care in the world. Laughing and giggling with my big sister in a tepee at the foot of the Banff Mountains in Canada. We were so cold, but it was raining so we couldn't make a fire. So we sat inside the tepee, roasting marshmallows over little tealights, and told ghost stories. Chocolate Chip Cookie Nights with the Tudors. My hubby and I lived in married student apartments in our undergrad years, and we had a standing double date night with some good friends of ours. Whoever hosted had to buy the "break-off" Toll House cookies. We'd gossip and watch movies and play cheesy games. It was the best. Taking baby brother to a Mets game at Shea Stadium. We got all dressed up in our blue and orange and made a day of it. He was so excited to be there. My first glimpse of Venice. We had a rotten train ride in the tail end of the train, we didn't even have seats, and stepping out of the train station, all of that melted away. It is just a magical city that looks old but classic, full of flowers everywhere, and no cars! And it was my first time in Italy, too. We went, soon after, to a restaurant overlooking the Grand Canal to have our first true Italian Pizza. True Zen moment. The night my husband proposed. We were going to a show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, so we were all gussied up and he asked if I would meet him in this private garden of the college we were going to. He met me with a dozen long stemmed red roses and began to quote from the song "All I ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera. He had the ring hidden in the middle of the petals of the center rose. Sweet, huh? I had no clue he was going to ask. (Another saccharine one...) Walking with my dad down the isle at my wedding. He had pride and love and joy just radiating from him. That was a really special moment for me. My Johnson City Halloween parties. Each of them were memories in themselves! They were all "Martha Stewarted" out, with elaborate costumes, crazy games, spooky foods, TONS of decorations, and lots of good friends from all over the country. The day Tim painted my kitchen yellow. We bought a fixer-upper house in TN, and man did it ever need fixing! Anyway, by the time we worked on the kitchen, we were about halfway there. The kitchen needed a complete overhaul, with drywall, flooring, plumbing, electrical work, taking out a wall, etc. And Tim did all of it! So when that paint went up finally, we knew that we had really accomplished something. My rainbow. My senior year in HS, I took a trip to Haiti to help with a medical missions team. About a week into the trip, I had an ultimate low - one of those lows that is physical, mental, and spiritual. We had a 24 hour. prayer watch going on and I was allotted a spot around noon on a day my low hit a new low. I was up on the roof of the compound in this third world country, it had just totally rained all over me, and I was sitting there trying to remember why I even came along. Then this amazing rainbow came out of the clouds and it was like an answer to all of my questions. Tim and I chased another rainbow when we were in Ireland! We were hoping to find a leprechaun, but we found the harbor at sunset instead, which was just as nice. Spending New Year's Eve in NYC with our closest friends, Rachel and Chris. It was our first visit to the city and we had planned on watching the ball drop. We never actually made it till 12:00, though. Both Tim and Chris had to go to the bathroom so bad that they just wouldn't have been able to hold it for another hour, so we hopped the fence and went to a cute little restaurant/bar in Greenwich Village and just had the best time celebrating a new year there. We found the best place to be too, because one of the restaurant owners proposed that night and had this huge celebration planned out. They dropped all of these balloons and had free champagne and the works! Waking up in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, in Estes Park, Colorado on my honeymoon. Tim and I had missed our original morning flight (that being a whole other story) to Colorado, so we had to take a really late flight in, putting us there well after midnight. Then we drove to Estes Park in the dark, so I never got to actually see Rockies in all their glory until the next morning. I tell you, there is nothing like (after a crazy week) waking up in a mountain cabin, deep in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by the smell of lilacs and the sounds of nature, next to the man you love. (Wow this was a long one!) Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Sherri... Lazy Daisy... Kelly... Shelli... Colleen... Uisce... Froggie... Ladybug... Novelist... Denise... Killired... (leave your link in comments, I‚’ll add you here!)

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I'm NOT pregnant.

Let's just clear this one up right away. Okay, I now realize that my "parasite monster" picture doesn't show up in some web browsers. (grrr for blogger) This was a feable attempt to make a joke (remember, I'm sick and my judgement is slightly impaired!). And to all of my loyal fans and readers, this is so not how I would tell you anyway. I would not tell you earth-shattering news with the title "Parasites?!? Plague?!?" (Mom and Becky, you guys would be first on the CALL sheet - I promise!) Just for fun, here is another parasite picture (because they make me giggle).

Parasites?!? Plague?!?

I am sick of gingerale. I am sick of banana's. I am sick of applesauce. I am sick of being sick. Oh man.

So yesterday Tim's dad was able to come up and hang out with us. I was feeling better, on the mend. But I guess I overdid it, cause this morning I was back in bed (and back in the bathroom). I don't have a clue what it could be. I have these crazy indigestion burps, nausea, the runs, and my tummy is in a french twist. I don't have the chills anymore, and I guess I should be happy about that. What could it be?!? I know, it's a...

Gee, I hope not! But I can tell you definitively that singing songs with babies tomorrow will be a very unpleasant experience. Can't wait. Ohh... And get this for irony: tomorrow, I will be reading the book There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. I just hope I don't puke right there in the middle of the room.

Olympic Recovery

Ahhh... There is nothing like feeling better after a couple of days of having to maintain a diet of bananas and applesauce. (I couldn't keep anything else down!) While I wasn't able to do much, I did watch a whole lot of Winter Olympics. Now I almost (well, maybe not) understand the bizarre sport of curling. (You KNOW I had to be sick to watch this sport for any amount of time!) And I am still cheering on the US team. Go Girls!

Speaking of Olympics, I won a silver medal over at Barbara's Blog Olympics - just 1 point away from the gold! Hot Dog. Okay, I know it was just a trial olympic run, but I was happy with it.

Thirteen Things to do when you're home sick... Lay in bed until you can't possibly lay in bed any longer. Drag yourself into the hottest shower your skin can handle and stay in there until your fingers are all wrinkled up. Call momma... She always understands and sends you long-distance lovin'. "Drink lots of fluids!" (I have that on good advice...) Cocoon your entire body in layers upon layers of cushy blankets so it feels like you never left you bed, and you're hands and feet are rendered useless. Flop on the couch and attempt to finish that book that you've been meaning to finish for months... Pop in a sappy movie to drown your aches and nausea in Hollywood glamour. Fall asleep on the couch until your face picks up the subtle lines and patterns of the corduroy cover. Run to the bathroom as often as you can. Sigh and moan gratuitously. Have long conversations with your cats who currently seem genuinely sympathetic. Wonder why the gods have spurned you and left you to face this misery. And finally, since misery loves company, BLOG about it! Leave me a link and I'll link ya!

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Baby, It's Cold Outside

Baby, It's Cold Outside
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

This is one of the snow pictures from our recent NY snow storm. Am I the only person who still likes snow?!?

Birthdays

Yesterday was the birthdays of two important folks... My dear ole dad and my dear ole buddy Rachel. Rachel is celebrating her birthday in South Africa and dad is celebrating in Virginia. Both places I would give my pinky finger to be in, right now. I miss you guys.

Olympic Medalists

Olympic Medalists
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

I love the Winter Olympics. Here's to medalists and contenders everywhere. (This picture was taken this summer at the Canadian Olympic Park in Calgary while visiting our favorite Canadians Becky and Jerry. Jerry is the goofy third place winner, of course!)

Snow Days

I love "Snow Days" - those days that you have to work, but then you get a phone call and that person says to you "Don't worry about coming in to work because the snow is too deep." Then you get to play and do whatever it is that you wanted to do originally but couldn't because you were scheduled to work. Beautiful snow. I love you, snow.

So instead of going to work, I decided to finish a book that I have been meaning to finish - Criss Cross. Yes! I still hadn't finished it! But in my defense, I have been busy lately with lots of other stuff. Anyway, can I just say WOW. You know how some books just blow over some people and really resonate with others? Well, no one at work really thought it was worth raving about, but I really love it. I really do. Their complaints are valid, though - there are SO MANY CHARACTERS! It is hard to stick with the book because people flood in and out of the story and it seems as though you don't get to know anyone. But I think that is the author's point, though. See, the title warns you of it. It's called Criss Cross because the beauty of the story is within the interactions and hits and misses between people. It is about taking risks and seeing things differently. It is about relationships and those casual and chance meetings. Wow. Read this book. I'd give it a gold metal too, if nothing else but for the crazy and exciting way in which it is written. I.LOVE.THIS.BOOK. Love it.

Now on to some more entertainment... Ever watched the Winter Olympics while being "snowed" in?!? Now that is fun!

I'm Melting!

Snowman
Originally uploaded by peachicken.

This is the start of me posting stuff for the "Photo Friday" group. "The man" (whoever he may be) chooses a theme and everyone submits their rendition for that week (on Friday - hence the name). The theme for this week is "Blur," so here it is. I also thought that the picture would be appropriate for the upcoming Nor'easter this weekend. (Suzy needs a snow day!!!)

Want to play too?

Follow That Bird!

Can I just tell you that I love this movie? It has been years (literally) since I've seen it. I had today off (thank the Lord) and so I had a "Suzy Day" today. I played on the internet, had "Girl Guide" cookies - kind of like Girl Scout Cookies, but Canadian (she got them for me and I've been saving them for a special occasion...), did scrapbook stuff, played with my kitties, and watched this old gem of a movie.

This was the very first Sesame Street movie, and I remember how much of an impact this had on me as a child. The "Blue Bird of Happiness" scene STILL gets me every time. Not that Big Bird is a vocalist by any means, but "I'm so Blue" makes me want to hug something. Let's hear it for Big Bird!

If you think that you REALLY know this movie, take the muppet quiz and see how well you do!

(I took this cool banner from Killired - check out her thirteen, too...)

THIRTEEN THINGS I LOVE:

1. I love laying in patches of sunlight with my cats...
2. I love this certain look my husband gets when he thinks I did something cute...
3. I love to travel...
4. I love the feeling of doing something really well...
5. I love big Broadway costumes...
6. I love listening to different accents people have...
7. I love watching things grow in my own garden (sigh, I don't love apartment living)...
8. I love immersing myself into movies...
9. I love having a fruity drink with a friend...
10. I love collecting things (I have a PEZ collection, rubber ducks, and even a stamp collection!)
11. I love seeing friends I haven't seen in a long time...
12. I love my family (and miss them!)
13. And finally, I love Cadbury chocolate!

Other Thirteeners: Lazy Daisy Log, Killired, Kelly, Wendy, Lady Bug, Froggie... (leave me a link!)

Weekend Review

(Sorry! My mister is back, so it's made me blog-lazy!)

This weekend, Tim and I got to go down to the City for the Chinese New Year parade! It was colorful and loud - just what I needed to pull me out of the funk I've been in lately. (It is almost as if he knows me, or something!) Well, we popped our old year away with confetti firecrackers, ate bizarre (and frightening) things at a restaurant that spoke no English, paid reverence at the Buddhist Temple (the one with the enormous golden Buddha inside...), and touched the passing Luck Dragon from the parade.

So we are all full-up with luck now. In fact, I even got a super fortune from the Buddhist Temple. "Probability of Success: Excellent. May the sweet-natured conquer the strong. May your virtues and fortunes last long. Around you may many people throng to hear you sing the melodious song." Whatever that means, it's gotta be good. (Check out my photo set of the event here...)

Criss-Cross Applesauce...

Okay, so I'll admit steering clear of the mixed bag that is "Newbery" whenever the awards actually came out. It is safe to say that I was properly disappointed that my choices did not win honors and that certain others did. Anywho, the book that won the gold was a title that I had not even heard about, so I've been doing my reading. The winner was Criss Cross by Perkins, and I must say, that so far, I really dig it. I am the world's slowest reader and I just haven't had much time lately, so I still haven't finished it. Getting there, though.

Good stuff from the book (a dialog):

?: Have you ever noticed that if there's a character in a movie who's supposed to be not-beautiful, they just take an incredibly beautiful person and do something to her hair and make her wear big thick glasses?
?: And wrinkled, baggy clothing.
?: And then sometime during the movie, she realizes she really doesn't need glasses after all and she puts on some nice clothes and combs her hair and all her problems are solved. Unless it's a sad movie and she dies.
?: Or she finds out she really does have to wear glasses.
?: That would really be sad.
?: That would be too sad. I don't think I could watch a movie that sad.
?: It does help to wear nice clothes and comb your hair, though.
?: Then you can be a neat ugly person.

The book is full of interesting writing from a couple of different perspectives. If nothing else, this book won the award because it is so very different! I would recommend it because it has some really hilarious parts.

My Fortune Cookie

Yesterday's Poem...

I'm gonna take up a new habit.
Chewing gum.
When you chew gum
your mouth is busy.
A busy mouth is a good thing.
A busy mouth can focus on being busy,
Rather than worry about saying something bad.
Rather than contorting into a cry.
Rather than being bullied into agreeing.
A busy mouth is a good thing.
I'm gonna take up a new habit.
Chewing gum.

Grrr...

Stupid Groundhog.

Thirteen of my Favorite (US) Places, in no particular order: 1. Savannah, GA - My hometown, and the birthplace of Flannery O'Connor and Juliette Gordon Low... Although, I wasn't born here, I was raised here and was definitely shaped by it's rich and unique culture. 2. Johnson City, TN - This is where Tim and I had our first house. It is at once, the birthplace of country music (Carter Family) and the National Storytelling Festival, and the one place that actually tried to hang a mad elephant (in Erwin, yeah - for real!). 3. New York CITY - (read: NOT Westchester, however) There is always something new to do in the City. Even as touristy as I am, I will never exhaust the sites here! 4. Staunton, VA - I love visiting my folks because this place is great. I especially like seeing Shakespeare at the Blackfriars Playhouse (seriously talented folks). 5. San Antonio, TX - Ummm, mariachi every night and tacos for breakfast - need I say more?!? 6. St. Augustine, FL - My aunt had a swanky beach house out here. (I have pictures of us, with the Tudors, sporting horrendous t-shirt tans and fishing poles. These will not be posted here. Ever.) 7. Washington, D.C. - I got to spend a week here my senior year in HS, thus beginning my lifelong passion for touristy activity. I got to lunch with the Supreme Court, ride the underground subway beneath Capitol Hill, and tour the Pentagon (not to mention getting out of school for a whole week). All in the name of "Close-Up." 8. Boulder, CO - Tim and I honeymooned in CO. I could totally live there some day. 9. Boston, MA - What an awesome town. (I am a sucker for historical places, I know!) Tim and I had an amazing time seeing this city's sites. 10. Cincinnati, OH - Cincinnati is a hip place where you can get some mad, crazy deals (Gap Distribution Center Outlet - Ahh Yeah). Not only that, you can get some great music here as well as see the "Superfriends" headquarters (they modeled the cartoon building after this museum!). 11. Chicago, IL - I was here during the "Cows on Parade." 12. Nashville, TN - Who else besides Tennesseans would erect a full-scale model of the Parthenon (besides the Athenians)?!? 13. Atlanta, GA - And finally, who could forget the college days? The Dwarf House, anyone? I would pay a whoping $20 for a Chick-fil-a sandwich right now. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Ladybug... Barbara... Shelli... Kelly... Chickadee... Killired... Paisley... Karen... Leave me a link and I'll link ya!

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Toothless Wonder

Toothless wonder
Originally uploaded by becky b..

Today is my big sister's birthday. (She is the one with missing teeth - always the fighter.) Happy birthday to the best big sister anyone could have! I miss you, girl! (A care package is on its way, full of these...)