Once Upon A Time

Triple 5

5-5-5......nothing too special happened today. Just feel tired and PMSy. What a shame....such a cool date and it's been just crappy. uggh.....

Now we get to look forward to 6-6-6 next year. *shiver*

Peeps!

At Target yesterday I found the most adorable Peeps easter baskets. So I bought two, a pink one for my niece and and a blue one for my nephew. In my search for a photo of one, I found some of these baskets for sale on Ebay. Except they are being sold for highway robbery prices. Why the hell would someone bid over $11 + $5.99 S&H for an item you can buy at Target for $3.88 + tax this week? Explain this to me.....

And why anyone would feel comfortable taking over $15 for an item that cost the person $5 at most. I know I wouldn't. I guess I have a conscience AND a brain. Quite a deadly combination. LOL.

Splash of Color

A miracle has occurred on this date.

The very first bathing suit I tried on fit AND I liked it.

*triumphant music plays*

I tried on a few others that I wasn't crazy about and then purchased the first one I tried on. It cost way more than I would normally spend on a bikini, but most stores aren't stocking much in terms of swimwear yet. And last year I tried on more suits than I'd care to admit and came away empty handed.

I HAD to buy this one. I'd post a photo of it, but I didn't find my suit shown on the Water Water Everywhere website.

The other different aspect of my bathing suit shopping experience was I had the sales girl help pick out some suits for me to try on. I'm used to just grabbing a bunch and heading to the dressing room by myself or with my mom or a friend. But this place is a boutique and I'm guessing they work for commision. They practically insist on helping you. But the young woman that assisted me was very nice and picked out some nice suits.

And ironically the first suit I tried on and purchased was the one the sales girl said she really liked and was planning to buy for herself.

Finding such a great bikini for my Hawaii trip has got me in a great mood. :)

Hey, hey, ho, ho, George Bush has got to go!

I shall be blogging about my March for Women's Lives experiences shortly. Simply, the march was amazing!

But when I read this post that indicated that the woman-protector of Dubya, Karen Hughes, indicated that being Pro-Choice equated to being Pro-Terrorist, I just had the urge to say she can "bite me."

It's just another example of why this regime of fear needs to be changed in November. And these folks don't get why Bush is doing poorly in the polls when it comes women....someone buy them a clue, LOL.

First they equate the Teachers organization NEA to being sympathetic to terrorists, then they suggest pro-choicers are as well....sheesh.

Wrapping Waitresses

After shopping for hours yesterday, I wrapped for hours today. And I'm not done. I definitely have too many people to buy for, LOL. Not to mention, I wrapped the gifts from my brother to my niece and nephew. I need to teach that boy how to wrap his own presents. :P

All I want for Christmas

[stream of consciousness]

I officially shopped until I dropped. I spent more money than I even want to think about. But I have most people covered now. I might need a couple small gifts for people at work. And my cousin John. But that's about it.

This is when I realize I have almost too many friends. LOL. I completely spent too much on my niece and nephew. I may hate the crowds, but I do like shopping for other people. I love to find just the right gift for each person.

Now it can snow or ice all it likes...my shopping is about complete.

Me and my sore legs are gonna crawl in my bed now. LOL.

[/stream of consciousness]

Jingle Bells

Have you finished your Christmas/Holiday shopping yet? I think I've managed to get most of the gifts for my family. But I'm way behind in shopping for my friends. I've been having trouble coming up with unique gift ideas. And I need to find more time to shop.

As for cards, I'll be lucky to get them out at all this year. I meant to write them over Thanksgiving, but I forgot the cards at my home and didn't have them to write while at my parents' house. And between being sick and having lots of meetings/finctions to attend, I've had no time to do them since.

Why is it each year it gets harder and harder to get everything done before Christmas? *sigh*

Happy Birthday to me....

Today I turn 31. And its no big deal. I've been too busy to worry about it. I'm single, I have no children, and I have a good career. And I'm happy. (Well, as happy as I can be under a Bush Administration...but working on the Dean campaign helps, LOL.)

Some people act like I should get cracking and find myself a husband and pop out a few kids. Some married people admire that I have a complete life without that. (They know that married life ain't always what it's cracked up to be, especially if you're not with the right person.)

I wouldn't mind having kids, but I don't know that I'm ready to go the single parent route. Kids are a lot of work. My brother having two has given me an appreciation for that!

As far as I'm concerned I have 10 years to sort all that out. And I have my two furry kids in the meanwhile. LOL.

On this day, I can mark the passing of another year in my life. As I blow out my candles I will have one particular wish that would impact this country. I think you can guess what that wish is. :)

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thinking I'm most thankful at the moment that the work week is over. LOL.

I'm also thankful for my family, their health, and a roof over my head. And I'm thankful there is hope of getting Bush out of the White House in 2004. ;)

Veterans' Day

When the US is at war, the meaning of Veterans day really hits home. Justified or not, war takes the lives of brave young men and women. Those that survive may have their physical wounds heal, but the emotional toll may be with them for the rest of their lives. And even those without physical wounds may have to deal with feelings of 'why them and not me?'

Our veterans have made huge sacrifices to serve our country. And in spite of my disgust with this administration and their war based on lies, I salute these brave young men and women who put their lives on the line as part of the US military. They are not superheroes with special powers, but everyday men and women who honor their country by serving the call to protect it. They are our heroes. :)

Remembrance

I just lit a set of candles tonight in memory of those lost on 9/11/01. Three candles for the three tragic locations: NYC, DC, and in PA. My heart goes out to all those who lost a loved one on that tragic day.

Wedding #2

Yesterday, I attended wedding #2. This one was unique in that the bride is Christian and the groom is Messianic Jew (aka Jews for Jesus). The ceremony was held in an Evangelical Christian Church. Overall, the ceremony was fine, and your standard fare. A minister presided over the ceremony. But there was a Messianic Jewish Rabi (?) who said a bit about the groom, then a bit about weddings, Jesus, etc., but then turned it into a solicitation for anyone who wanted to pray with him afterwards. In other words he was soliciting converts. Oy!

For my friend Tonya and I (both not-so-good Catholics) who attended the service, we found this the one sticking point. The day should be about the bride and groom. It should not be used to recruit church members. Sorry, but I just think it was in bad taste. And so did she. But then again as Catholics, we are skeptical about everything, especially any religion, including our own, LOL. :)

Wedding Bells

This weekend is the first of the two weddings I have to attend. The next one is next week. That covers my quota of weddings for the year, LOL. I'm going to wear the black dress I bought at Nordstrom's on clearance last year. I hope my tan lines don't make me look stupid in it. (The dress ties around the neck) Otherwise I'm going to have to buy some fake tan stuff to put on.

I had no luck finding another dress...so its either this one or something else in my closet.

Why is it that they've been making summer dresses that make every woman look like a cow in? I weigh less than 130 lbs, I work out, and yet the dresses fit so snugly that they show every curve you have, especially the ones you don't want to show, LOL. I look like I have a beer gut.

I'm a woman, not a teenage stick. Kindly make stylish dresses that suit women. Ones that accentuate the good points of our bodies and don't look like moo-moos...or is that mu-mus? LOL.

Anniversary

How did it get past me that yesterday was my 2 year anniversary of this blog? Doh! I had completely forgotten. I guess I was a bit preoccupied with assorted life issues such as cats, job, friends leaving the area, etc. Oy.

And it's been almost a month since I've moved the blog to the new domain and loaded MT. Sheesh, time flies when you're having fun! LOL.

The last roundup

This past weekend we went to my parents to pick up a blue 1996 Nissan Sentra that my brother is buying from a friend of my Dad. Brian drove the old 1987 Honda Accord up there to leave it with my Dad. We were hoping to sell the car. But Dad explained the plight of this woman our neighbor works with. Basically guilted us into giving the car to her for next to nothing. It seems the woman works in the school cafeteria, her husband is dying of cancer and her daughter is getting married and can only afford to serve weiners and beans at the reception.

My Dad has a big heart and he's good at laying on the guilt, LOL.

But it was a sad moment, leaving behind the car that has served my brother and I well for 8 years. It was my first car, and later his. We were kinda attached to the thing. And heck, the thing still runs!

I bought the car in Texas and drove it back to Jersey when I left grad school. My mom and I spent 3 days on the road, taking our time road tripping back. Lots of memories with that car. I hope it serves it's new owner well.

Getting There

This new Movable Type template is almost to where I want it. I'll tweak it further in the days (or weeks) to come.

But I figure it's about time to start using the new domain and this new blog! (though I have uploaded almost 2 years of prior entries)

Woohoo! :)

We made it to closing.

We made it to closing. Thank God. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. Granted we still need to finish packing and move. LOL.

So I may not be posting much the next couple days. But we will be getting a cable modem! Woohoo! Now I just need a new computer. ;) (Just kidding....need to wait a bit longer on that.)

It's official

It's official. We've had the most days of snow this year here in Maryland in 70 years. Now the taxpayers here will be picking up the tab for all that snow removal. Oh joy, LOL.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We had beautiful weather last night. It was balmy and the rain held off until after 1am. Kristina and John came for a visit, and since Kristina wanted to go out somewhere--anywhere, and I wanted to stay close to home, we went to Bethesda. Our first bit of good fortune came when we arrived at Shady Grove Metro. Some folks exiting the station handed us their all-day passes. Once we reached the station in Bethesda, we went in search of a bar we saw mentioned on the Post's webpage. After finding our chosen destination there, we decided we would prefer to continue walking outside in the nice weather, rather than going in and paying the cover charge. Go figure, LOL. After wandering around, avoiding a couple street people, we made our way back to the Metro station. We did see a father and son, with the young boy tooting his horn, a rather sick sounding horn. They were another in a series of folks that wished us a happy new year, and were friendlier than most folks I encounter on a daily basis around here.

Since we wouldn't be able to make it down to DC before midnight, we spent the last 20 minutes of 2002 wandering around the courtyard in Bethesda, looking at the lit Christmas Tree, other lit trees, the ice skating rink, and some abstract scultures. Just goofing around in a relaxed manner.

Then as midnight approached we weren't sure when the exact moment was, since very little fanfare was made. No honking, very little yelling, rather anti-climactic. A pair of friends popped a champagne bottle. And some folks on the hotel balcony did start tooting their horns after the fact.

So then we went back underground and took the Metro to Federal Triangle with the foolish notion of seeing the national Christmas tree. Unfortunately, as I was afraid of, the tree's lights were turned out for the night. We did see one building illuminated in a strange colorful pattern that was kinda cool. We might have wandered around more, but rain began to fall and we were tired. So home we returned.

But we did encounter a number of happy revelers, some drunk, others not, that yelled out wishes of happy new year. It was the happiest time I can remember on the Metro. I'm more used to the huddled masses herding on and off the trains without making eye contact or muttering a word. Each person trapped amidst the weight of their life. On this night, the world's worries seemed to be forgotten as folks looked forward to a new year.

With any luck, perhaps this year will continue to bring happier times for all.