Here is an owl that was hanging out for a few days over Jeff's birthday weekend. He would hang out on a fence post over at the white farmhouse across the road. Our neighbor thinks he/she was watching for mice. 
And here are some deer that I spotted in the backyard a couple days ago. Long winter makes for daring wildlife...
Here is a picture of sweet Kermit I just took a minute ago. See the yellowish tint to his ear as the sun shines through it? That's the anemia. Poor guy! I'm home today and the goal will be to have a nice ceremony for him at the farm late this afternoon. I'm waiting to hear back from his terrific vet, Dr. Kalb. But I'm hoping to get a (final) appointment for him later today, and Matt has assured me he'll be able to dig the hole with his tractor any time I say so. So. :-(
UPDATE: Jeff and I will be taking Kermit in at 2:30pm
Have you heard the news that Kermit mostlikely has liver cancer? I know. I can hardly believe it myself. He's at the vet right now, getting squared away for x-rays to see how extensive things are.
Here are some notes I typed up for Jeff to bring to the vet this morning:
It appears he threw up last night, at least twice. once was the contents of his stomach, another was mostly yellow bile. also, yesterday evening, he was outside pooping and was startled mid-poop by a black shadowy animal (fox? cat?) and took off barking at him a little bit. after that, he took the longest time trying to pinch off his poop. kept trying to pinch and pinch and sort of waddling around.
so I picked him up and took a look and he had a large gumball sized poop mid sphincter! it was like a ball of poop stuck on the inside. I ended up working it out for him (nevermind how) and then clipping away the hair around the outside area that wasn't helping matters.
Poor guy! I mention it because in hindsight, it seemed as if he didn't have the power to push it out and finish the job! maybe I didn't wait long enough, but it was cold and he was obviously exhausted!
I think this is the video where Jeff has just blown out his candles. OMG the party was so fun! How many different ways to say it?! What a great time we had last night! I highly recommend ordering chinese food and sushi for a party, holy cow. It was so easy! And we had sweet rum cocktails with pineapple and cherry fruit garnish, with little cocktail umbrellas - FUN! We danced and sang and laughed and ate and drank and everything! VERY GOOD TIMES. Thank you for coming, those dear readers of mine who were there for Jeff's birthday. So crazy that he's 40. A very special shout out to Lanie and Cassidy and Nora who made a whirlwind trip down for the party and then back to Maine the next morning. It is always so great to see you and to know and share the history we all have together. I love it. And thanks again Cassidy, for watching all the kids so we adults could amble down to the farm to dance in the nightclub - Can I get a whoop whoop?! (woop woop)...
Maggie was asking that all weekend. I caught a bug at work and ended up losing my voice this weekend (and continuing today). Henry had a Destination Imagination Competition this weekend in Swanzey, and so she and I drove out there Saturday morning. (Jeff and Henry had left much earlier that day to make it in time for registration.) There was a driving rainstorm on our way home, and she was her normal chatty self. I couldn't seem to get it through her head that I was not able to project my voice over the sound of the rain on the roof and the whoosh of the driving, etc. Ugh. Wore me out!
Henry made me so proud on Saturday. What a great kid he is, made me so proud to watch him pitching in and going for it the whole 7 minutes they did their piece in front of the judges. everybody had stage fright and was sort of thrilled and panicked all at the same time. (which is what is so wonderful about competitions for kids, I think.) this girl reading her part too fast, that girl forgetting her lines, props falling over, etc. henry was just this great friendly force up there amongst it all, whispering lines to whoever needed them, using a strong voice to deliver his own lines (with a very convincing confidence I might add) and clod hopping around in his boots and ill fitting clothes, rushing through all the scenes and clutching at the props, etc. and the big puffy hair he's sporting these days. TOO MUCH.
I have pictures I will try to post later today...
I went to work this morning, but now I'm home. I don't feel so lousy, but my voice is still wrecked and my cough is very tickly and terrible sounding. We've had to add a couple more cubes to the tiny little bat cave we work in, and it already feels like we're packed in like sardines in there. Nobody wants their neighbor hacking and snorting next to them. YUCKO. I'll remove myself from the equation today and lay on my couch with my skin and bones for dog Kermit and read my book, thank you.
Hey hey hey we have a birthday coming up on Saturday! Lordy Lordy, guess who's turning 40?!!! I'll give you a hint:
What you do for yourself-any gesture of kindness, any gesture of gentleness, any gesture of honesty and clear seeing toward yourself-will affect how you experience your world. In fact, it will transform how you experience the world. What you do for yourself, you're doing for others, and what you do for others, you're doing for yourself.
- Pema Chodron
Cut my finger this weekend, while quilting. :-( It doesn't hurt at all, but I have a ridiculous white bandage on my left pointer finger, which makes it hard to type a little bit, but not too much.
On Friday night I went out to dinner with Matt and Christine, and that was really, really fun. And after we went over to the farm to visit with Nicole and baby Eli. And then after that, we came home and played DDR on the Wii and then after that, we went to sleep!
Big snowstorm on Saturday that brought several inches. Christine and I had been working feverishly together on a quilt for Nora all morning, having a great time. Then Christine noticed a mistake in production, and I sliced my fingertip about 90 seconds after that, and that was the end of that party.
We went to the local emergency medical center and they put some kind of medical superglue over the cut and sent me on my way. It doesn't even hurt. But I went home and took to the bed and the three toothed skinny dog and the big brother internet feeds anyway.
And then on SUNDAY... I did mostly the same thing. :-) Just kidding, sort of. I finished the cutting job I'd had to abandon, I repaired the mistake in the dozen squares that needed it, and I moved forward on the overall quilt. And I went for groceries. Oh! And Matt and Nicole had me over for dinner! But beyond that, I was pretty much laying around.
Am looking very much forward to my fmaily returning! I wish I had more than a sliced finger to show for all the free time I've enjoyed in their absence. But what can you do.
Jeff and the kids are in Arizona, and I am alone with my three toothed skinny dog. I have a feeling it's going to be a long week without them. It's funny how tucking in to my sewing machine for hours on end just isn't as fun when there isn't any responsibility to shirk. When it's just me and the dog, I find myself feeling sort of so so at the sewing machine. I should rally though, don't you worry too much about me.
I will tell you one thing. My first night alone, I ordered up the Big Brother live internet feeds. So it's sort of like the folks on Big Brother are my roomies - fun! Although it's mostly whispering and scheming, and anything super juicy that may happen that I would otherwise miss the chance to see live on the feeds, I could just find the appropriate clip on YouTube.
Got my haircut a couple hours ago! I told Jen, my hair do doer, I want more layers. Borderline shaggy. Saturday I'm getting my eyebrows did.
My girlfriend Christine is coming over tomorrow night and she is going to stay the night, yay! We hope to go out for a couple drinks, then come back and hang out. Stop by if you're in town!
From Slate.comHillary's Inner Tracy Flick
Don't you just hate when some upstart comes along and threatens your best-laid plans? We were struck by how well one of Reese Witherspoon's monologues from the film Election fits the narrative of Campaign 2008.
I find this to be very amusing.
You guys. Where does the time go? Even now, I only have, like, two minutes!
Maggie is having her birthday party this weekend - any chance you can come? It's going to be a My Little Pony party you know - Pinkie Pie, Rainbow something, Sparkly Horsenuts and whoever else there is. Maggie will be the Princess of All That Sparkles and Glows, just like Lily Lightly, etc. ugh.
Turns out there's a my little pony customization web presence - had you any idea? I mean really. HAD YOU ANY IDEA?!
And let's see. My man Barack is making it happen. Newsweek had a great cover story on his lovely wife Michelle that I'm hoping you might seek out and read. I really would prefer her sleeping next to the President than Bill Clinton. Can't lie.
For whatever reason, my Big Brother obsession is mixing with my feverent support of Mr. Obama. Last night I dreamt that I was "going to everyone in the house" trying to convince them not to vote to evict him. Lol. And me and Barack were having a showmance, too! Hotsy Totsy!
Okay. Gotta go. More later. With pictures!
Oy, where have I been?!!
Okay, here's an update. On Friday we hired our first ever external babysitter! Her name is Jessica and she is terrific. We will definitely be utilizing her services again. Jeff and I were able to go out to dinner with some of my new friends at work, and it was great to be able to introduce him around.
On Saturday night, we had the Flynns and the Fishes over for a little house party. WHAT FUN! Both of those families are right on, and we all had a great time. And my chicken was a hit!
On Sunday, laid low. I began working on a quilt this weekend for a certain somebody, and spent much of the day at my sewing machine. Quite blissful. Also I made good progress on the library book I am reading, entitled "Shattered Dreams" by Irene Spencer. About life in a polygamous marriage. Very interesting. Dian, didn't you read this book also?
Sunday night I got a terrible headache, slept fitfully and then decided to stay home from work on Monday. Nice quiet day, with long naps and further progress on both the quilt and the book.
Monday night, Maggie got a terrible headache, slept fitfully and then decided to stay home from school on Tuesday. I stayed with her. She was sort of okay in the morning, but then began to seep profusely from all head holes (except her ears) and was down for the count until sometime this morning.
And today we have the worst sort of weather. Several inches of snow came overnight, and now it's been raining non stop. Ice cold rain that is puddling up everywhere there isn't snow to block its path. yucko.
So that's it, mostly. You didn't miss much with my short break in posting... Oh and Barack Obama is in it to win it! You better believe it! Yes We Can, Indeed.
Thing One:
While discussing what he could bring to school for the Chinese New Years party in his classroom on Thursday:
"I know what I can bring in that's Chinese! Lead Paint!"
"You know what I wanna do? I wanna get a pad of paper and sit and watch Rudy Guilliani give a speech. And then every time he mentions 9/11, I'm gonna make a mark on my paper!"
Last night, Jeff ran out of gas. And it was my fault! I'd been driving around on E for awhile, then put the van in to be serviced. (Didn't put gas in the car before the appointment, because why tie up my money in gas when I wouldn't even be able to drive the van for a whole day nearly! Jeesh! Obviously!)
Then Jeff picked up the van and promptly ran out of gas on the way home. (He was who was on the other line when I was on the phone with you, eldest sister.) D'oh! So I had to pack up the kids, throw us all into Jeff's car (the car I'd been using while mine was in the shop) and head out into a very foggy dark night to the rescue.
Getting a gas can and putting gas into it went very smoothly. But then I went around town, in attempt to be able to pull over to the correct side of the highway. Wasting precious minutes. I should've gotten on the highway, then just reversed direction at the exit past where Jeff was. Instead I meandered through Milford and didn't seek out the highway until after I "knew" I passed where Jeff was. Stoopid.
Anyway. Luckily, a cop had stopped by where Jeff was stranded and put a flare behind the van, so that, with the hazards, helped him to be seen by the cars rushing past. (When I talked to Jeff to let him know we were on the way, I heard NPR on the radio and would be willing to bet Jeff had been surfing the internet on his phone before I called. So he wasn't exactly shivering roadside while waiting for me.)
At one point, Maggie admitted that she was scared as we waited for Jeff to get the van running again. This gave me a chance to remember all the times I'd been a kid whose car had been broken down on the highway. I recalled that happening with mom and dad numerous times, once with Nigel, etc. I even told the story about you, Dian, and how you didn't show up and didn't show up, and then finally, showed up. Drenched by the rain, you had to walk all the way home from where your car broke down on 405 -remember?
"This was in the days before cell phones, you see..." I said. Henry was all, "WHOA." sort of funny.
Oh my did we have good times on Wednesday. A very long day, and we are still recovering, but what fun.
On Tuesday night, Jocelyn and Brooke and I drove down to my friends Donna and Neil's place in CT. The plan was to get there late Tuesday, which we did, in great part to an error made by yours truly. I missed something somewhere, and we ended up nearly in Boston before turning around and backtracking. When we stopped for directions to the Mass Pike, the guy who helped us laughed and said, "From here?!" (We were at Alewife, for those in the know.)
But we got there safe and sound, and went to sleep pretty quickly. I remember laughing real hard about something, can't remember what. Oh! We ate like pigs on the way down, voracious, unspeakable quantities of snack crackery. Someone said they could feel their belly laying on the mattress as they were on their side. Someone else said to name their baby Candy, and we all busted up. You might've had to have been there.
Next morning Donna was so gracious and took us to the Norwalk train station, where we boarded a train to New York City! It was great to sit and watch out the window as we got closer and closer to the city. Got out at Grand Central Station and immediately began to shop, spend money, search out places to pee, and soak up the atmosphere. Jocelyn got this great combination tissue box cover/photo display opportunity, where you can have the tissue spout out the photo's nose or mouth or whatever. And I got a tape measure to keep at my sewing table. and Brooke picked up a cute shopping bag.
And water, and energy drinks, and potty breaks and out onto 42nd street I think it is. The day was gorgeous, and the wind on the long avenue blocks was brutal. We began shopping for hats and mittens quickly. But no luck, not until later that is...
So right around Grand Central Station is mid town Manhattan. You can walk towards Times Square or you can hit Rockefeller Center, or you can do both. We had pizza at Rockefeller Center, then walked to Times Square, and then hit the subway. We wanted to buy some fake handbags on Canal Street, so that's where we went.
Almost as soon as we reached the street, a small Asian woman in a black puffy jacket whispered to Jocelyn, "Coach? Gucci? Prada?" We said yes, and she set off, indicating we should follow. She took us into a tiny backroom storage thing, a hidden door almost, at the mouth of the subway station. A kind of dirty storage room, no frills, but gorgeous bags lining the walls and garbage bags and other modes of transporting goods on the sly littering the floor. The guy was selling the bags for about $30 - $35 a piece, and while we were there another guy (in another black puffy jacket) swept in and dropped off a garbage bag, which carried that mornings stock update. It was a little crazy.
We didn't want to shoot our wad on our first stop of the day, so we decided to keep looking. We just walked up and down the street and popped in to teeny tiny little store fronts, all operated by friendly Asian folks who would usher us into hidden back rooms and storage closets concealed by T-shirt displays and fancy Chinese gowns for sale. Wild.
We ended up getting six bags, and most of those from one guy whose wife works the streets, escorting customers to the tiny stairwell off Canal Street that they rented for $1,500 a month come to find out! He was a great guy, very friendly and informative. Described how the whole thing sort of worked, that there are people with walkie talkies or cell phones, who stand on the street and radio in to say whether the coast is clear of cops, if it's safe to send the customers out the door or not. And how one time customers were inside shopping and there were two cop cars parked outside, on unrelated business. The guy had to keep the customers inside for so long that their families (who had been waiting for them down the street) panicked and called the cops! "The police they sweep in, take all the bags!" the guy said. Here is a picture of Jocelyn and Brooke with this nice fellow.
So we just shopped and shopped all up and down the street, then took the subway back up to Times Square. Found a warm place to sit down and have a few drinks, and that was really restorative. The plan was to meet up with Neil (who works in the city) after he got off work, but he didn't know exactly when that would be. He advised us to walk over to the East Side, find another bar or pub near his office and wait there.
Here are some pictures from our walk to the East Side. By the time we got out of the resteraunt in Times Square (where we were served by Skye, a guy who had moved to the city just six months ago from Cincinnati. He declared it 'exhausting' to live in the city, but seemed happy.) it was evening, so of course I got some great shots for you to enjoy:
From here on out, the evening takes a bit of a hazy turn. Went to another bar, drank and laughed and chummed it up with the waitress and the Irish bartender. The place we went to was called "The Black Sheep", and we were all pretty tipsy when Neil showed up, I won't lie to you. Real good times, however, make no mistake.
Neil threw our drunk asses into a cab and hauled us up to a place called "Cabana", where we had several more rounds of drinks and fantastic dinner and great conversation, etc. etc. etc. Our waitress' name was Anna (cue me bellowing, "HANNAH?!?") and she was terrific. And Neil was a champ, totally up for being the responsible, capable guy who was up for handling the details and knows all the tricks.
Here are some pictures of us hamming it up in Grand Central Station, so silly and tipsy that Neil basically told us to just stand there and wait for him. He returned with tickets for all and herded us onto the train. Got us back nice and safe, around 11:30. When I went downstairs at around 4:30 in the morning to get sick (ahem!) I heard him getting ready for work! That guy is a workhorse, I've said it before, I'll say it again...
The ride home was a little rough. The bright sunlight and the sour tummy and the long day before it, made things difficult. It was great to finally get home and relax. And of course examine all our new treasures, play with Wii (Jocelyn and Brooke have serious Wii envy) and hang out with the kids.
Tonight we were supposed to go to You You's Japanese Bistro in Nashua with a bunch of my friends. But the weather has decided to take a terrible turn. We are in the middle of a freezing rain sleet storm, which forced us to cancel our dinner plans. It sucks how the weather can force you to have to do that once in awhile, but what can you do. We have been having a lot of fun hanging around the house, and Jocelyn's made lasagne, so it's all good. Now we just have to get Jeff home safely! His car is terrible in weather like this and he is currently stuck at work! We're supposed to call him when the plow truck goes down our road, then he'll give the commute a try.
So that's it! The girls go home tomorrow afternoon, and it has been so great to have them here. I always laugh so hard, and I just love to do that. Can't be beat.
Check out these very cute pictures Nicole sent me of baby Eli from the Curtis Farm.
LOOK.
AT.
THAT.
FACE.
I really love this guy. Check out this inspiring speech Barack Obama made after he won the South Carolina primary this weekend. You will be glad you did!
Part One
Part Two
It was 1996, and there I was, in a seminar room with maybe fifteen students, not knowing that I was learning from the man who might be the next President of the United States.
So Maggie has discovered the computer. She plays games online as long as you will let her. (She's a Mortland, after all.) I want to support this, but the commercialism and advertising that goes on within the one spot she likes to go was too much! I wondered if perhaps there was an independant website for kids games that we could find.
Friends, I am here to tell you that there is, and she loves it, and it is going to be great. Uptoten.com is where we will be hanging out. There is a free area, and there is a premium area. Last night she played puzzles and games on the free side, and this morning I just bought a premium membership. 49 bucks for one year, but it's full screen, no ads, more games, supports a small independant company, etc.
If you have small kids and you'd like to incorporate multimedia games and learning experiences for them, check this place out. Heather, Lanie, Katie, I'm talking to you. Let me know what you think!
I am looking forward to going home for lunch. I will make a turkey and cheese sandwich. I will wipe down the countertops. I will use the bathroom. I will cuddle with Kermit. I will watch a show.
So the inmates are running the asylum. Both kids, certainly Maggie, end up sleeping in our bed at night. Yesterday it was discovered that Maggie doesn't find her bed to be as cozy as other beds in the house. So yesterday she and I went to Homegoods and Target and picked out some cozy pink flannel sheets. Looked for other "princess" ephemera, but could not find anything worthy of purchase.
It stinks how you see something "everywhere" and then when you finally decide you want some, and you return to the places you thought would stock that stuff to the rafters and you are thwarted at every turn. Boo. Maybe when I'm not in the market for it, I see it and think "Pink!" or "Maggie would love that" and that's the end. But when I decide to go out and make the purchase, I determine that Maggie wouldn't love exactly that. And Pink is one thing, 49.99 is another.
Anyway. I tried to make her bed as cozy and warm as possible, but she still ended up in our bed halfway through the night...Boo....
Elsewhere in my life... I'm going to be taking over a new position at work. It was the one I originally interviewed for way back when. I wish I were more excited about it, but hopefully that will be good. I'm not having second thoughts, I'm just sort of "eh..." I guess I'm not dissatisfied with the job I've got, and I wasn't really looking to jump ship just yet - I feel like I'm just getting warmed up in this position and now it's time to learn something new. Luckily I really like the woman I'll be working for/with, she and I have a great rapport, and she, apparently, is convinced I'll love the new work. Time will tell...
Next weekend kicks of day after day of good times and visits with some of the very important women in my life. Lanie and Cassidy and Nora plan to arrive on Thursday night, and then Jocelyn and Brooke come Saturday night! Jeff and Henry will be surrounded by women this weekend - the lucky ducks!
Hello good people of Bloggingtown, it is I, your loyal scribe.
Jeff and I had a great dinner date on Friday. We had a babysitter and everything! Went to Amigos, where I quickly ordered a house margarita. the thing was so nasty and bottom dwelling, I turned right around and upgraded to a top shelf quality margarita and mmm-boy, was it just what I was looking for. Yum. And, Ole!
On Saturday Jeff took the kids to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and I went out with my new girlfriend Liza to look at used furniture. F-U-N spells fun for this gal! Liza was the one who watched the kids for us on Friday, and it is so nice to feel like maybe I have a sister pal on my hands! She's the bees knees, that one.
And yesterday Maggie and I made a mermaid dolly. She still needs some work, but I'll try to post a picture of her.
I have six or seven more 'parts' of Maggie working on the puzzle. Videos at youtube take forever to upload, so you will get those in installments. After I figure out what is wrong with Part Two, that is.
We got a whole bunch of snow over the last 12 hours or so, several to a-whole-bunch of inches of snow. Hopefully we'll get some snow while Jocelyn and Brooke are here, 'cause it's real purty to watch falling from the sky. (Unlike other things falling from the sky, that is.)
Our local paper published the election results for the towns in the community... very interesting.
In our town, Obama got 386 votes, Clinton got 284 in the democratic primary. Romney got 245 and McCain got 283. Our town had a 60% voter turn out. There are 2,923 registered voters and 1,771 votes were cast.
In Milford, the breakdown was this: Obama 1,052, Clinton 1,091, Romney 867 and McCain 978. Milford had a 56% voter turn out. There are 10,045 registered voters, 5,693 votes cast.
For Amherst: Obama 1,300, Clinton 970. Romney 1,140 and McCain 1,250. Amherst had a 72% votern turn out. There are 8,459 registered voters and 6,165 votes were cast.
So we delivered our town to Obama!
Well!
So!
Tonight, Jeff and I are going out to dinner! Just the two of us! Alone! My girlfriend Liza is going to watch the kids at her house for us. I will have a margarita for YOU, dear reader!
And a margarita for YOU, other dear reader!
Weekend plans this weekend are not so hot. The sheer quantity of laundry that needs doing is unbelievable. And I won't even mention going to the dump. Anyway, a bunch of housework, in other words.
Oh if only I didn't have a Wii to play and a new chair to sit in and a laptop to surf on! I might actually get things done around here...
Maggie is really enjoying puzzles. She's so patient and careful about them. I picked up a few new puzzles for her at the Job Lot today at lunch. And last night was the first in several dozen (it seems like) where we woke up in our own bed, with no small children in it! So she gets a My Little Pony.
The other new thing with Maggie is that she's been working on the computer more. last night, for a very long while, she was consumed with playing "Bunnyland" games at disney.com or whatever it is. And heaven help the adult who might have a tip or two on how to use a trackpad. This sister will do it for herself!
Another goal this weekend will be to sell one of our red couches on craigslist. Gotta work up my craigslist karma, you know.
And, I'd like to see a movie, too. Maybe "Juno" or "Lars and the Real Girl", or whatever's playing at our local movie theater...
Have a great weekend blogland!
p.s. I hope to get my sew on this weekend as well. wish me luck!
Here is a great article about Michelle Obama...
Change Agent
First Lady in Waiting
Who needs a warm-up campaign? Having scaled down her career to support her husband’s political goals, Michelle Obama says “it’s now or never” for the couple to take the White House. As Barack gathers momentum, Michelle speaks candidly about America’s need for change, and a different kind of political marriage.
Obama to Get Union Endorsement
After suffering a setback in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Senate Barack Obama will get some good news at 11 a.m. today, Pacific time, when Unite Here, the union representing 460,000 apparel, laundry, hotel and restaurant workers, announces that it is endorsing him, a union official said.
The union will make the announcement simultaneously at its New York headquarters and in Las Vegas, where its local, Culinary Local 226, representing more than 60,000 casino, hotel and restaurant workers, is by far the largest and most politically potent union in Nevada.
I think what's important to remember is that:
a) NH doesn't know anything - we are all a bunch of yankee white folks - not at all representative of the nation as a whole.
b) obama's strategy and plan didn't have him winning NH anyway -- winning Iowa and then the polls lurched him onto this trajectory of expectation.
c) it is odd that the polls were so wrong, but something I read today said that the independants went to mccain rather than obama (more afraid of romney than clinton those folks were apparently) yesterday. so the committed voters for clinton were more than the committed voters for obama.
d) romney is such a sleazeball, I'm just relieved to see him going south.
e) interestingly, the actual count of democratic delegates awarded to each candidate went down like this: obama 9, clinton 9 and edwards 4. so technically it was a tie! but clinton gets the 'popular vote' win. And who will get Edwards' 4 delegates when he drops out?
f) I worry about nevada and who the food service workers union will back. word was it would be obama, but they were waiting until after NH to announce who they were backing. obama hasn't gottem many union endorsements, it would be really sweet for him to get that one.... whoever gets that endorsement will basically win onaccounta how many union members make up the population in nevada.
Here is the chair you may've heard me talking about. $110 cash! got it off of craigslist over the weekend. The guy, a furniture liquidator for hotels, got these chairs out of a Ritz Carlton, and they were reupholstered about three months ago. I am loving it, and intend to purchase another one in a couple weeks when it becomes available. Makes me not crazy about the rug though. Like the fabric on the chair looks like the dingy denim couch next to it. Could be the nasty florescent light bulbs in the lamps. But very comfortable, great shape and exactly what I've been looking for. 
Here is the first video from it...
NOTE: the camera I got is an upgraded version of my old Canon Powershot. So it's a camera looking camera, but has video and audio too. I had been shooting some portrait shots of Maggie when I started to make the video. Notice it did not occur to me that I wouldn't be able to rotate this picture once I got it in the computer...
Anyway. It's a start!
In this video, Maggie is listening to my ipod...
If you recognize this woman, Mindy Kaling from "The Office", you might be happy to know she has a blog! And you may be happier still to know that I have a link to her blog right here for you! Pretty funny stuff. She and her friends write about the things they've bought that they love. Hence, the title.
Things I've Bought That I love
1. Zenergize Drink Tablets.
In my efforts to ween myself off of disgusting, stomach-lining-eroding diet soda, I've turned to healthful alternatives. For a while it was kombucha, but man, it is expensive, and also it kind of tastes like an alcoholic is peeing in your mouth. But yeah, I try to keep a minimum to the chemicals and preservatives I ingest.
Remember those old ads as a kid where you'd see an elderly person happily plunking a tablet in water and then dropping their dentures in it? And even though it was kind of grotesque, it also looked really, well, fun? Zenergize tabs allow regular cool, healthy, young people to drop tablets in water, but instead of cleaning dentures, they create a fun fizzy drink you can gulp down before you work out, or take a midterm, or have sex or something. I primarily use the "Burn" tablets because I am obsessed with any calorie burning booster. But if you're feeling sick or something, you can use "Immunity" which has a kind of citrusy taste and it really does feel like you're keeping yourself good and impenetrable to baddie cold germs. I love that they aren't too-too sweet or anything, and have only 2 calories for a whole tablet! Moreoever, if you lick a tablet, you get a super satisfying little fizzle on your tongue.
