My Philly Video

I produced a video! Hope ya like it... If you'd prefer to see my pictures in a more conventional way, go here.

New Fave Singer...

I really like her voice. This is A Fine Frenzy. (Thanks Barnes and Noble for playing her CD.) I really like her song Last of Days. Check her out!

Philly Photos

I've been sick at home for a few days (and you would think that I would blog about it... I don't know - I feel like my well is dry or something...) so I've been working on cleaning up my Philadelphia pictures. I have a ton of them. This one I thought turned out especially well. It's a tiny Liberty Bell from a souvenir shop. I don't know - I think I like the coloring of it or something. So check out my Flikr page if you want to see more Philly pics. Or you can wait until I've uploaded all of them and THEN look. It's up to you.

Oh, and one more thing... When I was working on this picture (the money shot) my photo editor got pissy at me and may have reported me to the Feds. Oh great. So I'm sick with a rotten cold and now I may even be in trouble with the law. I guess it thought I was trying to make counterfeit bills or something (because my face really looks like Alexander Hamilton's obviously). So heed this as a warning to all you who use Paint Shop Pro: this is a covert and highly intelligent spying program. If I didn't like the program so much, I would totally discontinue using it - Librarians and Federal Officials don't mix (the Patriot Act and whatnot). Anyways, the picture remains unedited due to the fact that I cannot even open the jpeg file.

Ugg. I gotta go blow my nose.

bizarro

Heh. I'm in a Halloweeny state of mind lately.

Not Entirely Wordless Wednesday

This was a fun Halloween. I can't remember what year it was, because I always think of Halloweens according to what was worn that year. This was the year that Jeremy was "Winnie the Pooh." Heh. Actually, he was supposed to be the "Cowardly Lion" and Christie was the "Scarecrow," but Christie and I had just learned to sew, and our sewing abilities had not yet begun to flourish, if you know what I mean. (If you look closely, you can see Jeremy sitting down near a heavily bearded Tim. Tim was "Gimli" that year and I had just learned how to apply a fake beard. Ahh yeah.)

Well, one of the reasons I posted this picture is because it is the only one I have from this Halloween. That makes me sad, because this is not even a great picture, it's kind of messed up on the edges. I was digging out my Halloween decorations and I noticed this in a frame that had just gotten totally ruined. I had to toss the frame (it had fogger liquid all over it) but I needed to save the picture because I don't even have the negative of this anymore! This was taken pre-digital camera.

So I posted this as a cry to my public. If you read this blog and you attended my Halloween party that year and have pictures of this event (yes, I'm talking to you, Christie & Jeremy or Rachel & Chris, Zach, Melissa, or maybe even Betsy) would you please send me copies? Pretty Please! I don't even have a picture of my outfit, dagnabbit. I was Lady Galdriel of the Elves. I even put on fake elf ears and wore a blond wig that kept riding up because of my big ole head. Anyway, I would love to be able to look at some pictures from that. There is something to be said about digital cameras, for real.

Holohans

Breaking news - my friends Rachel and Chris are moving back home to the states from South Africa. (Well, it's not really breaking news now. In blog etiquette, you wait for the person to post his/her own news first and THEN you are allowed to post it. I had to wait until Chris finally wrote about it. Slowpoke.) Anyways, I am really happy that they will be state-side. I loved being able to call Rach whenever I needed to chat. I seriously hate that 3 second delay in our voices whenever we talk now and I hate that they are (what is it?) 6 hours time difference. Arg. It would have been really cool to have been able to visit them in SA, but now I'll get to visit them in Arizona! Anyways, keep them in your thoughts as they will have to "start over" once again. They plan on being here in January.

Funny

Someone just asked me (here at work) who wrote the "Diary of Anne Frank." Heehee.... It's nuggets like these that keep me going.

This is also pretty good...

Wordless Wednesday - Haircut Severely Needed

(not a fantastic photo of my new do - but I had to take it myself...) You like?

Presents and Presence

Today, I hugged greatness. I hugged Jean Craighead George. I remember reading Julie of the Wolves way back in fifth grade and thinking that it was such a cool book. Well today I met the author. Jean is 88 years old and is a Chappaqua resident (as is Hilary Clinton - it's a NICE area). The library there hosted an appreciation coffee-thing for her and had clips from a documentary about her, librarians read excerpts from her numerous books, and lots of people spoke about their love for her and her works. It was very nice. And afterwards, as a special treat, one of the nature conservatories brought in a real white wolf (teathered, of course) to kind of be a grand finale. Seriously cool. I took pictures, but they are too blurry. I guess I got too excited.

Anyway, afterward, I walked right up to her and told her that I am a children's librarian and that I give out her books all the time. And then I thanked her for her incredible works of art and how I think her love of animals and life really show in her writing. Then she hugged me. I have the coolest job sometimes.

Then, when I got back to my library, this really sweet mom and her two boys came in and thanked me and the other librarian for a great summer reading program and for my Pajama Story Time. Her boys had written (and drawn) thank you cards - one is 3 and the other is 5 years old. And the mom had brought (back from her trip to Korea) a pretty little make-up bag that was hand-sewn. How nice is that?!? The best though, was the boys! They gave me a huge smile and a great big hug. They were so proud of their artwork.

Being a librarian is tough and sometimes it seems so thankless... but then you have really cool days like this one and it makes it all worth while. Forget the politics. It's all about the kids and the literature. (I had to write this up so that the next time I'm having a rough one at work, I can just look back at this post...)

Tim's Day

Hey, so I think Tim really liked his birthday adventure yesterday. I'll tell you a little bit about it. First, we totally slept in and watched a cheesy Bruce Willis flick. Then we got spruced up and went into the city to the Frick Museum, a museum we've been wanting to visit for a long time. It was amazing. After that, we walked about Central Park and rode the carousel. Then I took Tim to a crazy restaurant called Ninja NY. That was the short version. And now, the long version...

I suppose I should have made my hubby breakfast in bed or something but I was feeling pretty lazy. So, I'm sorry Tim. Maybe next year. I did prepare the dough for these insane Martha Stewart shortbread cookies, though. And THAT, my friends, is love. I hate shortbread (Tim loves it) and I hate to cook. And Martha's recipes are seriously not cool. She basically expects you to churn your own butter and pound your own flour. (Somebody needs a hobby.) The cookies are kind of like pecan sandies, which to me are a waste of some good calories because they are kind of bland. Well, I made them anyways. Then we watched some good Bruce Willis and then headed off to the city.

Our first stop was the Frick Collection, located in the former mansion of Mr. Henry Clay Frick, whose private art collection was made into a museum after his death in the early twentieth century. The museum is designed to feel more like a private (filthy rich) home than a public place. The mansion itself is an incredible work of art; the low stone building and courtyard take up almost an entire city block on "Millionaire's Row." Some of the rooms of the house have painted walls like the frescoes of a Renaissance church or castle, and the furniture that adorns all the rooms of the house is almost entirely from the sixteenth century. All the other rooms have rich wood walls and floors, marble fireplaces and decorative columns, giving the sense of being in an old, musty castle or cathedral. It is incredible.

Frick knew what he was doing when he started collecting, too. The man owned an unbelievable array of famous works. Our favorites were the Whistler paintings, the famous Thomas Moore painting paired with the Cromwell counterpart (!), the Vermeer paintings, and there was one that I really liked - (pictured) it's Lady Hamilton as "Nature" by George Romney. There is something about it that really inspires me. Anyway, we had a great time. And we've seen (and studied) enough art now to be able to walk through a museum and say "Oh look at that Goya!" and "Check out that Renoir!" We're just that good. (Let's hear it for Humanities Majors - who basically have LOTS of appreciation for things, but no real degree in anything! Ahh yeah.)

After the Frick, we walked through Central Park and visited the Dairy and the Carousel. I've always wanted to ride the Carousel - it's been on the "NY List" ever since we first moved up here. Can't you see the excitement on Tim's face?!? Yeah, I think I enjoyed the Carousel a whole lot more than he did, but he was a sport about it. He says my crazy touristy ideas help keep him young. (Good thing - he is now a whopping 31! I call him "my old man" or "my sugar-daddy" - that makes him so mad. Heh.) The weather was gorgeous, so we just had a nice time walking around Central Park.

Speaking of crazy touristy ideas, after Central Park, we had reservations for Ninja NY. I wanted to take Tim somewhere special and out of the ordinary. This was the place. All the wait staff were ninjas and the restaurant itself was underground in these dark tunnels - it looked like feudal Japan. It was AWESOME. Here is an advertisement from YouTube about the place:

Wacky, no? We had a lot of fun. Tim got this flaming bonfire dish and I was seeing spots for a couple of minutes after he got it. And when I got up to go to the ladies room, every time I passed a ninja, they gave me a cool bow and yelled something in Japanese. It was expensive, but it was seriously fun.

So, that was Tim's day. I hope he liked it. At least he said he did.

Happy Tim Day

Happy Birthday My Prince Charming!!!
Happiness to you, my love! We've been through so much, you and I. I love you more and more each day. (And I'm really happy that you age well - you're a Harrison Ford - growl...) Last year, I listed 30 things I love about you. That list hasn't changed, but I will add one more:

31) This year, you've had to do a lot of taking care of me. And I want you to know that I really feel the safest and most cared for when I'm in your strong arms. (This post is totally mushy - I know...) And I just want to thank you for always being there for me through the thick and thin. You really are my Prince Charming.

I love you, hunny! Happy Birthday!

It feels like a picnic day.

Work it, girl.

(Sigh) Remember when I said I needed to catch up? Well, I'm working on it. I just finished cleaning up some pictures all the way back from July! I posted them on Flikr for your enjoyment, if ya'll want to see. We took a Saturday in early July to explore some NYC places we'd never seen, like Wall Street (right), the South Street Seaport, St. Paul's Chapel, Town Hall, etc. There are some cute pictures of baby brother in this collection, too.

Thanks, I needed that.

Hey thanks, ya'll. The world is a happier place today (or at least I'm in a happier place). Hubby is back home... computer is back home... I am healthy... I'm gonna spend today counting my blessings. I might even take a bubble bath.

Sour-Puss

Warning: this post may sound slightly pissy. I'm home alone, I'm bored and lonely, and nobody wants to talk (or they are too busy...). Tim is up in Michigan setting up an exhibit for World Vision and I sitting at home, dialing friends and eating nutella bread. I'm thinking of joining a local club or something. I just need a bit of color and camaraderie. Well reader, you'll just have to do for now. (Not that you are second rate or anything - I just need some interaction right now!)

So, today was a ballsy day at the library. My boss and I were chatting with a cool girl that works sometimes as a page at the library and this lady who was sitting at a nearby table came up and actually shushed us! Some crazy lady actually shushed the two librarians. I was so flabbergasted that I was speechless. What do you say in a situation such as that? And my boss didn't hear what the lady said and so I had to repeat it, which just made the situation doubley hilarious to me. I can't believe how gutsy people are up here. NY is such a "me-centered" place.

Speaking of gutsy, I was totally asked out on a date by this guy today at the library - uh, bizarre. This kind of stuff only happens, of course, when Tim is away and when no one is around to tell. (And I tried to tell Tim about it on the phone a little while ago, but he had to go, which completely ruined my story. He was the main person I wanted to tell, too, because I want him to know that his wifey still has "got game!" And don't judge me reader, because you would do the same thing - be honest.) Anyway, this guy had been in before with his little niece and he came back today with false pretenses to pick out books for her (which is a creepy thing to do - and even creepier that he admitted to it). And so when he finally asked what he intended, I was again speechless and it was all I could do to keep from giggling at him. Why don't guys look first (at the ring hand) and ask second? It would save people some embarrassment. At least this time he wasn't scary looking. One would think that working in a children's library, you wouldn't have to deal with that. Oh well.

Off the subject, I still don't have my computer back. Grr. And double Grrr. Also, it has been getting darker sooner and I have no desk lamp or over-head light in my office. Grr.

Did I mention that I'm lonesome and no one wants to talk on the phone? If you know my phone number and you want to chit-chat tonight, please call me! How is that for desperate? Otherwise I'll be watching cheesy Meg Ryan movies all night and eating lots of chocolate. (Really.) And I promise that if you call, I won't be a sour-puss.

Catching Up...

Lately, I feel like I am just playing catch up on everything. I'm behind in blogging (my brother let me know this - my faithful reader - thanks kiddo), I'm behind in laundry (thanks Tim for doing it), I'm behind in my correspondence, I'm just behind! What is the cause? It's not that I'm watching a lot of TV or anything (Survivor doesn't come on until the 20th - I'm so excited) and I'm not busy doing doing anything too productive, although I did finish a bit of scrapbooking from a trip we took last February. I don't know the cause of this feeling.

Maybe it is just that it takes me twice as long to do anything on this crappy computer since I STILL am without my trusty Shelia. I can't even begin to go there. We've been without our PC for 4 weeks now. I LOATHE Sony and everything those people stand for. They have severely inconvenienced me AND my readers. That's all I've got to say about that. Poor Tim has had to be the mediator between me and the idiots who are fixing the computer. Pray for him. Really.

Maybe I'm behind because I've had to keep cleaning my dang house due to real estate walk-throughs and new buyers. Yes, this place finally sold and the new owners signed on Thursday to purchase our apartment / three family house. They just moved in yesterday. "They" are a young Irish couple who are expecting their first in January. I haven't spoken to them yet because I'm just kinda shy about neighbors, I guess. These are the people who will probably at some point hear my singing in my shower or me talking to my cats. I've been prolonging the introduction also because I want them to like me! Isn't that sad? I'm having serious issues on this.

I could be feeling behind because this has been a month of birthdays? I still haven't quite recovered from all of them. (Tim's is still coming up on the 16th...) I even forgot to say Happy Birthday to the oldest fish I know, Mr. Fishy. I bought Mr. Fishy for my little brother right before I left for college 10 years ago this September. He was a tiny little goldfish then. He is now a giant goldfish with the longest goldfishy life I've ever even heard of. A fish that has lasted 10 years. Incredible. Now, THAT is worth blogging about. I can't believe I missed his birthday. Happy Birthday Mr. Fishy. You are a survivor.

I may possibly be feeling behind because I left the country yesterday. I went all international. (Well, not really. I wanted to mention this visit in my post and this was a good way to introduce it.) I visited the UN building yesterday. They give tours in the summer before they go back in session and so Tim and I took a trip to the city to visit. When you are inside the UN, you are actually on international territory, so technically, I really did leave the country yesterday. It was very interesting! We got to see all the different meeting rooms and hear all about what goes on in a typical day. Of course we took lots of pictures, but since I am still without my computer, you will have to wait for photos of the visit. I am SERIOUSLY behind on photos.

Well, I'm trying to catch up. Just see me spin...

Wordless Wednesday - US Open

US Open

Hey sports fans, tomorrow for Tim's b-day, I'm taking my guy to the US Open. He is a tennis fiend, always has been, and he has always wanted to go to this. We have tickets to the Arthur Ashe Stadium match at 11am - hope it's someone good playing. You never know. We plan on spending all day there, though. When you have tickets to a main event, you can get into any of the other smaller matches free.

So, I've been studying up on tennis terminology lately. Basically, I've always hated tennis. It has never made a lick of sense to me. So I figured, if I am going to this thing, I am freakin' gonna enjoy myself. I checked out a book called The Children's Illustrated Guide to Tennis Rules (or something along those lines) and I learned so much! I know what all the court places are called, what is up with the freaky scoring, who gets to serve and how, and all that good stuff you need to know just to make viewing tennis tolerable.

And, get this, I even learned about tennis history. The thing that bothered me most about tennis is the way the scores jump from 0 to 15 to 30 and then to 40. That has always pissed me off. And nobody could tell me why it did that - not even Tim who has played for years! And now, dear reader, you are going to know the answer. (Has it been plaguing your dreams too?!?)
Tennis has its' roots in medieval England and also France. The term "deuce" comes from the French "deux", where an advantage of two points has to be gained to win the game. "Love" may come from the French word "l'oeuf", which means, egg, the shape of a zero. Also, there is a theory that people had clocks on tennis courts and the scoring went in quarters, according to clock faces. So that explains the 15 and 30. But the 40? That actually USED to be 45 but tennis players are lazy, so they just say 40 (just like sometimes they say 5 instead of 15). So knowing that there at least used to be some order to this crazy sport makes it seem a whole lot more sensible to me.

Okay, so I'm ready. Sunglasses, check. Sunscreen, check. Binoculars, check. Camera, check. Sense of what this game is all about, double check. Pictures to follow.