44 Questions

I wonder who starts these things...

Received in an email:
Send back to me and to several more friends!!

1. Do you like blue cheese? No!

2. Have you ever smoked? an occasional cigar

3. Do you own a gun? No

4. What flavor of Kool-Aid was your favorite? Fruit Punch

5. Do you get nervous before a doctor appointment? Not usually

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Maybe once a year I'll have one but only if it's practically burned on a grill.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Love Actually - and I'll watch it anytime of the year!

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? COFFEE!

9. Can you do push ups? Probably if I tried, but why try?!?

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? my copper bracelet for it's medicinal value

11. Favorite hobby? Watching soccer, crocheting, reading

12. Do you have A.D? Negatory

13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Wouldn't say hate but want to worry less and have more fun!

14. Middle name? Kathleen

15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: It's snowing again! - I should be working - My feet are cold

16. Current worry: How much will it snow?

17. Current hate right now? Hate is such a harsh word...

18. Favorite Place to be? At home, hanging with my pup preferably watching the Revvies play.

19. How will you bring in the New Year? Going to a party close to home, but will probably be home in bed, asleep by midnight.

20. Where would you like to go? To Alaska to see the Aurora Borealis

21. Name three people who will complete this: N/A

22. Do you own slippers? Several pairs

23. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Black shirt with a red hoodie over it

24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I haven't tried it.

25. Can you whistle? sure

26. Favorite color? green/blue

27. Would you be a pirate? Huh?

28. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever is stuck in my head, most recently Christmas songs - "I had Christmas down in Africa..."

29. Favorite Girl's Name? Marius Starr

30. Favorite boy's name? Gianni

31. Do you ever what it? This question obviously lost something in forwarding.

32. What's in your pocket right now? nothing

33. Last thing that made you laugh? probably something my friend said at dinner last night

34. Best bed sheets as a child? I don't remember, they were sheets. I did have Wonder Woman and Daisy Duke Underoos, now those were cool!

35. Worst injury you've ever had? Cat Scratch Fever, required a trip to the ER and high doses of antibiotics.

36. Do you love where you live? Yes

37. How many TV's do you have in your house? 4

38. Who is your loudest friend? Not a distinction I'd make

39. How many dogs do you have? A big, happy, fluffy one!

40. Does someone have a crush on you? Maybe, hopefully...how does one know the answer to this?

41. What is your favorite book? Just one? I love the whole Janet Evanovich series, "The Time Travelers Wife", many Nicholas Sparks book, and...

42. What is your favorite candy? Cadbury Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs - only available at Easter

43. What is your favorite Sports Team? New England Revolution - GO REVVIES!!!

44. What song do you want played at your funeral? "It's In Every One Of Us" by John Denver

For Singing Out Loud!

I sing everywhere; car, work, stores...

I like to think it's an endearing little habit that I have but some probably think otherwise. I sing along to the radio, I sing whatever is stuck in my head when there's no radio and if neither are an option I make something up. The dog and cats have their own theme songs and I frequently tell them how lucky they are because there are lots of animals in the world that have no songs about them. For the record, when I am in public I don't sing at the top of my lungs or anything; I sort of just hum along under my breath. I can, for the most part, carry a tune - however I do this better with music to back me up or with the good acoustics of the shower. I am happy to report that (so far) I have been able to refrain from singing along to my iPod while working out at the YMCA!

So I'm told, I've been doing this since I was a little kid. My grandmother used to love to tell the story about me being around 4 years old, randomly one day standing up in the backseat of their Volkswagen to sing, "I am a Promise, with a capital P..."

Felicity

Finally took pictures of the Fusion!















Although my mom said it looks like an old lady car and my dad said the color I chose was something a grandmother would choose; with a manual transmission, moon roof, 6 disc CD player and the capability to sync with an iPod, it's definitely not your father's Oldsmobile.















There is a story behind the pink lei on the shifter. In 1989 we went to Florida for Christmas and to celebrate my grandparents' 50th anniversary. While we were there we went to Disney World and Alina got to go with us because she was on vacation from school. My grandmother gave us each some money to spend at Disney and with my money I purchased the pink lei. For many years it hung on the bedpost in my room and then a couple vehicles ago I decided I would wrap it around the shifter. Now it is just tradition for it to be in my vehicle.















This squirrel arrived at our house on Christmas Eve. Apparently she had heard of the demise of squirrels on South Lane over the summer because she insisted on riding inside my car, seat belted in for additional safety.

Wishing You...

Feliz Navidad, Mele Kalikimaka, Merry Christmas

However you choose to say it, I hope everyone has a good one!

23rd of the Month Mailing

Resurrecting the art of letter writing.













I have a good friend who lives only about four miles from me. We are what some would consider unlikely friends as she is 40+ years older than me, however, I consider her one of my nearest and dearest. We first became acquainted when we worked scooping ice cream together in my high school days. Ever since then, for the most part, we communicate through letters (no, not email, actual pen and paper letters!). For my birthday probably about 12 years ago, my present from this friend was a mailing on the 12th of each month for an entire year. I received funny cards, letters, post cards with sayings on them and what a treat it was to know I would have some "real" mail at least once a month.

Almost four years ago, I decided to return the gift and send her something on the 23rd of each month for a year. However, once the year was up I didn't want to stop so I told her it was no longer a birthday present, it would just be our tradition. To this day (literally) I make sure I get a note in the mail to her for the 23rd of the month. And depending on what's going on in my life, many months there are more correspondences in between, both me to her and her to me.

So if it's been a long time since you've *written (not typed) a letter or even a quick note to someone, think about doing it. I can tell you it puts a smile on my face when I open the door to my mailbox and see a real letter waiting inside just for me.


*Signing a Christmas card does not count!

Naughty or Nice

Who says you can't be both???

I heard this concept on a TV commercial yesterday (while housebound) and I like it. I think a balance of the two is probably healthy...as long as it leans a little more towards nice. Perhaps this is what is referred to in the song "Santa Baby" where it says "...been an awful good girl, Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight..."

Welcome Winter

Two Days + Two Storms = White Christmas

It also equals by the time the second storm is over, somewhere around 15-18 inches of snow. Yes, winter has arrived in New England and this year I don't even think global warming could keep us from having a white Christmas with only four days to go.

On the plus side, with the snow coming in two storms, it at least has given us a chance to clean up in between instead of having to do one big dig of the total snowfall. Since I have no need to brave the storm I plan to wait it out inside today. There's a chance the snow will turn to sleet for a while so I'll leave snow removal until it's all over so the sleet can fall on the snow instead of potentially making a cleaned surface slickery.

Jak has already been out a few times. He's such an easy dog (at least when it comes to weather) and is not bothered by whatever faces him when his portal to the outside world is swung open for him. He does however have a lot of long hair on his feet which invites the snow to get balled up in between his toes, making it hard for him to walk. So when that happens it's time to come in and get warmed up.

Here are a few pictures I took this morning. Warm wishes to you on the snowy winter day!

What I Learned

Days without power: a humbling experience.















I try very hard to learn something from the experiences I am presented with. For the past few days I've been trying to figure out what I learned from being without power for three and a half days. Some conclusions that I've come to are as follows, in no particular order...

Overall it was a humbling experience on several levels. First and foremost you have to be able to ask for help and/or be able to accept help when offered. For example, when someone invites you to use their shower, you say thank you very much I'll be there in ten minutes instead of no thanks I'll be fine. It also takes humility to walk into your cold, dark house where the dog and cats and plants are existing at a steady 40 degrees. When I completely fell apart on Sunday night that was what finally got me; I couldn't bare the thought of going out and having to walk back into our cold, dark house again. It gave me a new depth of understand for those who are unable to afford heat and especially for those who are homeless altogether.

I learned that nature can be beautiful in its destructiveness. Broken trees and limbs down everywhere entangled in power lines, but the trees still standing covered in ice with the sun shining on them made it look like a winter wonderland.

I know now that sleepless nights combined with a cold, dark house and word that it will be another day before the power comes back on will push me over the edge. "I can't stop crying..." I said to my mom in between sobs.

And finally the most important thing that I think I learned is this, with or without power, a Golden Retriever on a sugar high is hard to handle. So Jak, NO MORE CHOCOLATE!!!

According to the electric company's website there are only four remaining houses in our town that still do not have power. Those people have my deepest sympathy and empathy. For those who have only just gotten it back in the last day or two, they have my congratulations and a hearty welcome back to life as we knew it!

Disappearing Days

Ice and snow; Christmas shopping...when???

Christmas Eve is a week from today which leaves one week to do my shopping. Last weekend was lost with the effects from the ice storm. This weekend they're predicting significant snowfall Friday into Saturday and Sunday into Monday. Thankfully I don't have much shopping to do. Some stuff has been ordered online, some stuff has been made so I only need a few hours of good weather to finish it up.

In the good news department, I took delivery of my 2009 Ford Fusion last night. ("Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.") I ended up going to a different dealership where the people were much nicer and willing to work with me to get to yes. I have decided to name her Felicity; as in Felicity the Fusion. (Tamara please tell Samantha I have named my car!) Felicity means happiness and I'm happy with my new car. Plus everyone should have some happiness in their lives everyday!

I'll post a picture of the Fusion soon. It was dark when I got home last night and inclement weather has kept me from running out with my camera today. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I said I'd post ice storm pictures. I've been busy, but soon...

News

The answering machine is picking up!!!

That's how you know the POWER IS ON when you're not at home. When I left for work at 9:00 this morning it was not on so when I called at noon and heard "Please leave a message after the tone" I did a happy dance!

Pictures from the storm are still come. I hear Maggie has some on her camera so I'll try to get those from her and the few that I took posted on here soon.

Breaking Point

Forty-nine hours, forty-seven degrees.

It happened at about ten o'clock last night, I had finally had enough of the lack of electricity. It had been out for 49 hours and the house was down to 47 degrees. I ran around the house throwing things in a bag, grabbed Jak and headed off to my dad's to spend the night. Given the circumstances this seemed like a good plan but I had forgotten one little detail. When I had gotten home around 9PM I found the remains of a bag of candy that Jak had found and helped himself to. So although there was heat at my father's, there was no sleep because I was trying to contain a 75 pound golden retriever who was on a sugar high. Although I didn't put all the pieces of the puzzle together until this morning so not only did I not sleep but I hadn't a clue why Jak was acting the way he was.

We still do not have electricity, going into the 64th hour now. But who's counting?! I took Jak for a walk this morning (to burn off some sugar) and actually did see utility workers within a 1/2 mile of our house so hopefully (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE) we will be back on line sometime today. We're tired, we're cold, we need showers, but we're hanging in there. I considered briefly, asking the utility workers how much longer it would be with tear filled eyes, but in the end decided I didn't want to take them away from their work.

I'm actually at my work using the computer and absorbing some heat. I have taken a few pictures, but the batteries in my camera were dying (and no power to charge them) so I'll post them when I can and take some more if I get a chance.

As bad as things seem, I know it could be a lot worse. I have a whole new empathy for people who are without utilities for a lot longer than 64 hours. And as much as I'd like the utility workers to go a little faster, I do appreciate that they are out there working at whatever pace. The temps are above freezing today and although the nights have been cold it hasn't been solid bitter cold days. Tomorrow it's supposed to be near 50 so there's always hope!

Long Night

Crack, smash, thud; another broken tree.

It was a long, icy night in our town last night. On any given night I put my fan on when I go to bed, blowing away from me because I just need the white noise. The electricity went out at about 9PM last night and was not back on as of 9AM this morning when I left the house. I had a hard time falling asleep without my background noise which was only made worse by the fact that what I could hear was the trees breaking outside my window. I know it was even worse in the western part of town because in my sleepless state I was listening to the activities of the fire and police departments on the scanner and it sounded pretty bad. At daybreak this morning I heard one of the firemen say it looked like the trees had exploded on his street.

I'm holding out hope that the power will be back on sometime today but no guarantees since when I called the power company for an estimation, they wouldn't even give one. I spoke to my brother in New Hampshire this morning and he said he thought pretty much that whole state is without power. I'm not a huge fan of snow, but let me tell you, I'll take snow over ice any day.

Do you see what I see?

Christmas Music

What Christmas CD are you playing?

Right now I'm listening to Kenny Chesney's "All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan" - I'm not always a fan of Kenny Chesney but I do like this CD. Also I've been listening to my old favorite, Ally McBeal "A Very Ally Christmas" - Vonda Shepard and some of the cast sing on it. Robert Downey Jr. actually sounds very good and I love Ally's version of "Santa Baby".

I received my Straight No Chaser "Holiday Spirits" CD in the mail yesterday. I like it so far but haven't listened a lot. I meant to bring it to work with me today but was distracted by the fact that we're on the verge of an ice storm so maybe I'll remember tomorrow.

Blah Day

Nothing to write; updated pictures instead.

6 Words, 11 Syllables

"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas..."

I heard this, one of my all time favorite Christmas songs, on my way home from work tonight. (It rates right up there with "Dominic the Donkey" in my book!) I was so stuck on the song a few years ago, a friend of mine got me a hippo for Christmas. My hippo is actually a little smaller than a football and is bright pink with a big red heart on the butt, so not like a real hippopotamus which is probably a good thing. It was an unexpected gift that made my day so I named him Christmas, because to me giving a gift to make someone happy without the expectation that the gesture will be returned is what Christmas is all about.

"...only a hippopotamus will do no crocodiles or rhinoceroseses I only like hippopotamuseses and hippopotamuses like me too!"

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is...















I actually wouldn't mind getting it before Christmas if possible. And if you can get the dealership to come down $500, I'm even willing to make the payments. For the most part I think I've been a good girl this year so if you could help me out I'd be greatly appreciative. There's even some cookies and milk (eggnog with kick if you prefer) in it for you come Christmas Eve.

Thank you in advance for considering my request. Please give the reindeer a pat on the head for me. All my best to Mrs. Clause.

Love,
Hope

Straight No Chaser

You have to listen to this!

It's a link to YouTube just in case you are at work and that's frowned upon. I just ordered their Christmas CD, I hope the whole thing is this good!

Sleet, snow, freezing rain

Wintry weather has me staying home.

I had a mental to do list planned for today, however I hadn't anticipated the inclement weather so here I am typing on my blog. I'm sure they said it was supposed to be sunny today but much like bailouts, weathermen don't have to be responsible for their actions either.

I've been car shopping for about a week now and the process had me reduced to tears today. I knew it wouldn't be easy, I just hadn't realized how difficult it could be. The message scrolling across our screen saver these days is "we conquer by continuing" so I guess that's what I'll have to do.

Jak is curled up in a ball, sleeping on the couch and I think he has the right idea for this dreary day. I should really take this time to fire up the vacuum and do some housework, but Jak doesn't like the vacuum and as the saying goes, let a sleeping dog lie...

To Everyone:

Happy Thanksgiving! Drive safely. Eat well.

It's big block of cheese day...

You may be asking yourself, what is this girl talking about now?!? Well it's another reference to West Wing and if you haven't figured out yet, when there's nothing good to watch on TV, I pop an episode of West Wing in the DVD player. Clarification on the Big Block of Cheese follows:

When Andrew Jackson was President, he would place a Big Block of Cheese in the White House for common citizens to come and partake and discuss their issues with the President. On the West Wing this day of the year was commemorated as "Throw Open Our Office Doors To People Who Want To Discuss Things That We Could Care Less About" Day.

I was thinking since there hasn't been a lot of activity on individuals' blogs lately, today I would throw open the comments section of my blog for anyone that's got an issue they'd like to get off their chest. It doesn't matter how big or how small, my big blog of cheese is here to listen!

Work

New position today. No position tomorrow?

After writing yesterday about learning a new part of my job, we got word that as of July 1, 2009 our program will be absorbed by a larger company. So the ironic part is this, the new smaller part of my job is probably safe but my job as a whole has the potential to be eliminated.

I hope that Obama is really the change all those that voted for him think he is because I'm sitting here feeling the effects of having a democrat in charge of Massachusetts and it doesn't feel so good.

Life

Been too busy to update blog.

And after a quick glance at the family blogs, I don't think I'm the only one. I started a new position at work this week which is in addition to my existing responsibilities so I'm combining new and old and my head is whirring a bit right now. With Thanksgiving already upon us and the Christmas season hot on its heels, I don't see things slowing down for a while. I will try to catch my breath every so often and come up with at least six words to post.

I haven't had time to step foot in the wreath workroom at Pat's Greenhouse, but I did speak with elves this morning and they were hard at work. One of the elves, Kay, asked me to take some pictures of them so when I do that I'll make the effort to post one or two of them here.

I hope everyone is doing well and having fun with whatever is keeping you busy!

Christmas Cards for Soldiers

Please send email with correct information.

I just received an email for the second year in a row about sending Christmas cards to injured American soldiers. And while I think this is a terrific idea, unfortunately the information in the mass email is WRONG! If you send a card directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center it will be returned unopened. The American Red Cross actually handles the card campaign because the cards have to go through a brief screening process. The correct information is as follows...

Please send cards to this address, following the guidelines listed below:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Card Guidelines

Please follow these guidelines when mailing a card to ensure that your card will quickly reach service members, veterans and their families. Every card received will first be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working in one of 16 sorting stations around the country.

• All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender.
• Please ensure that all cards are signed.
• Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process.
• Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Participants should limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group.
• All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print or online mediums.
• For more information go to www.redcross.org/holidaymail

So if you receive the email that's going around that says to send cards directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center PLEASE take a few moments to send the correct information.

Thank you!

Chicago V. Columbus

What I won't be watching tonight.

The MLS Eastern Conference Championship will be decided tonight between the above two teams. I don't like either so I don't plan to watch. Actually of the four teams left (NY, Salt Lake, Chicago and Columbus) Real Salt Lake is the only one I would cheer for, even if I didn't have the Sandy connection. NY and Chicago have a nasty playing style. Columbus fans shouted racial slurs at the Revvies earlier this season. And even if I didn't dislike the other three teams and didn't have the Sandy thing going, I would still cheer for Real because, well, they have probably the best looking coach in MLS. And with my Revvies out, any reason will do.

Jason Kreis, RSL Head Coach and former RSL player

A big THANK YOU

To those who've served our country.

One day of recognition hardly seems adequate, especially when stores use it as reason to have a sale and kids get to stay home from school but don't really know why. I'm only one person but I try very hard not to take for granted the freedoms that we enjoy everyday at the sacrifice of our military veterans. So to anyone who has served our country that is reading this blog, I say a heartfelt thank you for all you have given, this country owes you a debt of gratitude.

Remembering

Grammie passed one year ago today.

In a lot of ways it seems longer but in other ways it seems like yesterday. A girl I work with has been coping with her ill grandfather so the timing of that has made the significance of today more real. The legacy my grandparents left lives on in our family and in the land they were good stewards of and I hope it will be carried on for years to come.



















Marguerite and Margaret

UPDATE - Hello Sandy!

Re-al wins; onto the conference championship.

In a match that ended close to 1:00 this morning, Real Salt Lake took the win on aggregate over Chivas USA earning their spot in the Western Conference Championship. They will play the winner of the Houston V. New York game today. If Houston wins the conference championship will be played there, if NY wins, the championship will be played at the all new Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy. I don't follow Houston or NY so I don't have an opinion about that game; although from what I understand Houston is the favorite. The winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Championships go on to play for the MLS Cup on November 23rd.

UPDATE - New York won today so the Western Conference Championship will be played in Sandy.

Noel

"You're not talking to the paperboy..."

Huh? What the heck does that mean?
Well, I'm watching an episode of West Wing from season 2 entitled 'Noel'. It's the episode that addressed Josh suffering from PTSD after he was shot in the first season finale. The episode begins with Josh meeting with a representative of ATVA (America Trauma Victim Association). The representative is not forth coming with some information and of course Josh has done his research so he confronts him and tells the representative he's not dealing with the paperboy. The representative knows Josh isn't laying it all out either so he confronts him with the above quote with the addition of a seventh word, "either."

The quote made me think of my auxiliary meeting Thursday night. Several members of the fire department showed up unannounced and uninvited to our meeting to discuss a major topic. I was not pleased with how they handled this and I let that be known. I can't go into specifics but basically what they were suggesting would involve a total restructuring of our organization, you know nothing major to just drop in and discuss. There were times in the conversation that I felt the tone was condescending which obviously I didn't appreciate it. And now what I wish I'd looked them straight in the eye and said is, you're not talking to the paperboy.

Game Over

Revvies lost; will cheer on Real.

A beaten down and beaten up Revolution lost to the Chicago Fire last night. I made it home at half time and got to watch the 2nd half as it happened. Of course I wanted to cheer them on all the way to the MLS Cup, but the reality is even if they had won last night they would have most likely been without two more starters going into the next round. Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz was taken to the hospital in the first half with a possible broken ankle and midfielder/acting team captain Shalrie Joseph was playing with a sprained knee.

After competing in three tournaments outside regular MLS play I feel like the Revvies needed to be done with the season to rest and recouperate. MLS teams just don't have the depth of players to be consistently competitve when there's an onslaught of injuries. They're still my favorite and I'll be right there cheering them on next season!

As for the rest of this season I'll throw my cheering weight behind Real Salt Lake (for non-soccer fans Real is pronounced ray-al, and not like reel). GO RSL!!!

Moving On

Elections are finally done. Onto playoffs...

Whether I'm happy about the outcomes of local, state and national elections, I can say I'm glad the campaigning is over. At least for now. Candidates will probably start making a run for 2012 in a few weeks.

Tonight the Revvies will play the away leg of their two game playoff series against the Chicago Fire. While the match is on TV, I will be sitting in an auxiliary meeting trying to decide if this is the day I make my formal resignation. (Just kidding, well, maybe.) The match will be recorded for my viewing when I get home and somehow it seems less nerve wracking to watch it after it happens, even though I don't want to know the outcome till I watch it.

The Revvies held their ground last week at home and gave themselves a chance tonight. Since the 'audacity to hope' seems to have already worked for some, perhaps it will work for the Revvies too.

Coverage begins at 8:30PM, ET on ESPN2 with kickoff set for 8:50PM. Hey, maybe if I hurry the meeting along I could be home to watch most of the game live. Oh well, a girl can dream.

And don't forget...






PLEASE!!!

One word for the day...

*VOTE!

*One word for the day is subject to change pending the outcome of local, state and national elections.

Taken Saturday before the leaves fell...

November 2nd

The leaves are falling like snow.

I was sipping my coffee this morning while looking out the front window and noticed that the remaining leaves were dropping off the trees in large quantities. It looked like falling snow and reminded me that real snow cannot be far behind.

I have resolved this year to actually get the shaped skis I bought two years ago fitted to my boots and get out on the slopes. If I don't start gaining momentum for ski season now, I have a feeling the skis will stay where they are for another year. I'm not a huge fan of winter and started skiing just to make the best of it, but I can be easily deterred from hitting the slopes. Too cold, too windy, too far, too...

Match Results

Revolution V. Fire: 0 to 0

If Chicago didn't have home field advantage next week, I think I would feel better about the outcome. However, I'll take a clean slate over going in with a deficit any day. (In home and away playoff games, it's the team with higher combined score of both games that wins the right to go on.)

As predicted, Blanco was true to form last night. He even earned himself a yellow card for dissent toward the ref. At one point he fell to the ground writhing in pain with his hand on his butt. My mom asked what happened and I said I could only assume he'd hurt his elbow because when it comes to injuries Blanco doesn't seem to know his ass from elbow. For the record he did actually take a knee to the butt, but in the replay it did not look anywhere near as serious as he was making it out to be. I think it's sort of like crying wolf, one of these days he's really going to get injured and no one is going to believe him. I wonder how his teammates feel about him...

In a related note; congratulations to Real Salt Lake for making the MLS playoffs for the first time! Their new stadium is in the home town of one of my blog readers.

Soccer Playoffs

Please cheer on the Revvies tonight!!!

Tonight the Revvies take on the Chicago Fire in the first of two, home and away, playoff matches. The Revs will be playing without four of their starters tonight; two are out due to injury, two are out due to suspensions for being red carded last week. Team captain, Steve "Ra-Ra" Ralston had his leg broken in a match in Kansas City a few weeks ago. This past Saturday, Kansas City was in town and Khano Smith decided to blantantly and unnecessrily tackle the player that broke Ralston's leg. This earned him one of the two red cards. The other red card was questionable having to do with a tackle and the whole last man debate. Anyway, the Revvies will go into tonight as the underdogs, not only with players being out, but also because they lost to Chicago three times this season.

I am not a fan of Chicago's playing style, their team captain Blanco definitely has talent but is one of the biggest fakers in the league. I call him Wah-wah because he's always whining about something or overdramatizing the benign. Case in point, the last time Chicago was at Gillette Stadium Blanco got harmlessly hit in the back of the head with a loose arm when he and a Revvie went to head the ball. Blanco fell to the ground clutching his nose. Enough said.

Sending spirit fingers to Matt Reis (so he can make saves like in the second picture) and to all the Revvies!


















Game time is 8PM on ESPN2, if anybody is actually interested in watching. If you're not into watching the game, how about a moment of spirit fingers at 8PM just to give the Revvies some good luck? Please?

The Great Pumpkins

Pumpkins have been carved and displayed.















Last Friday I left work at 3:00 to meet a kind soul who graciously offered to help me pick up 75 pumpkins for a town carving party on Saturday. Some people brought their own pumpkins so, although I have not counted, I think there were over 80 all together. This is the third year the auxiliary has sponsored this event and opened it up for town participation. For the 5-7 years prior to that the auxiliary members carved the pumpkins - only about 25 in those days - and anonymously put them on the town green for display. However with age comes wisdom and we finally became wise enough to recruit other town folk for help with this project. The cost of opening it up to the town was the anonymity of displaying the pumpkins. The gain of opening it up is a lot less carving for us!

We also smartened up a few years ago and purchased strands of the larger clear bulb Christmas lights which we layout along the rock wall on the town green. The pumpkins are then cut open from the bottom and set on the lights. Beats the days of going down each night to light candles, as we leave them on display for approximately a week leading up to Halloween.

I could not figure out how to put a slide show in my blog entry so a link to my Flickr account will have to do. Click here to see the pumpkins!

My Generation

Growing up at the right time.

I was thinking the other day that my growing up years were probably the best of both worlds. We had more available to us than my parents' generation did, but we didn't have as much available to us as the generations that have come after mine.

When I was a kid my world was safe. I could freely commute on foot back and forth to the neighbor's house, sometimes after dark, without my parents or I feel concerned for my safety. When the weather was good, us kids in the neighborhood amused ourselves by playing outdoor games. Usually whatever was in season; soccer, baseball, football, pickle. Heck we even used our imaginations and made up games when nothing else seemed appealing.

By the time I came along, woman's rights were pretty well established so I didn't ever have to live in a largely unequal world (one reason why I won't ever get the full impact of the movie Mona Lisa Smile). And I also came into a time where prejudice toward minorities was no longer common place. We didn't have a lot, but we had enough and although at the time it seemed like the worst thing, we were also taught a good work ethic and respect for self and others.

It seems that now, more and more, kids are completely over stimulated between school, sports, extracurricular activities, computers, video games and television. Which therefore leaves less time for learning self worth and other valuable character building lessons. Perhaps it is the thinking that people always want their kids to have more than they had but when does more become too much? And what is the cost for more? Loss of imagination, loss of being a family, loss of enjoying childhood?

I just wonder when kids have time to be kids.

(Disclaimer - The writer of this piece works for a crisis intervention program and has seen the up close ill effects of children having "more". This writer is also aware that there are parents out there who go against what is becoming a societal norm and are able to find a happy medium which gives their kids a solid foundation and to them I say KUDOS!)

Random Question

What's your favorite Tom Hanks movie?

A few years ago a local radio station was having listeners call in and answer this question. For some reason I was thinking of it last night so thought I would pose the same question here.

No contest, my answer is Apollo 13. I saw it twice in theaters and it led me down the road to becoming an Apollo space program history buff.




















So, what's your answer?

Victory Junction

Back to crocheting for a cause.





















While I was in North Carolina I made a stop at the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Since it is their off season there wasn't much to see besides the gift shop but I'm glad I went. For a few years now, during my spare time in the winter, I have been crocheting afghans and mailing them to Victory Junction. It's a camp for kids with different types of illnesses. For the week the kids are at camp, all the other kids there have the same or a very similar illness so that they are just one of the kids instead of being the odd man out. All of the kids' medical expenses are taken care of by the camp for the week they are there. Among other things, every kid gets to take home an afghan, hence my crocheting for a cause. I am a bit apprehensive about large charity organizations because I feel like I just don't know where my money is going. With Victory Junction, I not only whole heartedly support the cause, I also like that you can contribute in other ways than just financially. After my trip, I'm very seriously considering volunteering at the camp for a week next summer. I think it would be an amazing and humbling experience.

Sweet Carolin-a

Back from a few days away.

Opportunity knocked and for once I was able to answer and took a fairly last minute trip to North Carolina this week. I've been through the Carolina's many times during car rides to Florida, but I hadn't ever visited just to go. I'm not so much into Nascar anymore, but it's been a part of my life for so long I was interested to see some of the race shops and put some perspective on where the cars that arrive at the track each week come from. I have to say the race shops weren't quite what I expected, but still interesting. Overall my opinion of North Carolina is this, anywhere that warm biscuits and sweet tea are commonplace at meal is good with me! What can I say, for some unknown reason I'm a southern girl at heart?!?

I made a stop at the Richard Petty museum, well, because it was there. I'm not a big Richard Petty fan but I've been a fan of the sport long enough to appreciate the contributions he has made.














He's got my vote for president, after all, he's already The King!

I'll try to post more pictures but they're mostly race related so maybe not all that interesting to the non-race fan.

Good People

Remembering good people do still exist.

The grinders have been sold, the quilt has been raffled and another Harvest Fair has drawn to a close. Today we have sore backs, tired legs and exhausted brains but go on with the knowledge that we don't have to do it again for a whole year.

In addition to having a profitable year selling grinders, the auxiliary also held a 50/50 raffle. Because there's no up front cost for this type of raffle, you make what you make and with the economy what is, it's worth a $1 to try to win some extra cash. We ended up taking in over $400 in the raffle so the winner got a little over $200. I drew the winning the ticket (because I'm the president!) and called the woman who won. I left a message saying she had won and how much and asked her to call back with an address to send a check to since she didn't live locally. Before I left the firehouse last night the woman returned my call. She said she was a vendor and had had a booth at the Harvest Fair for years. She said she'd made a lot of money coming to the fair over the years and then said she wanted us to keep the money. I literally had a check in hand to mail to her so I told her this and asked if she was sure. Yes, she was sure. In this day and age, I find this truly kind and generous because who couldn't use an extra $200. With all the headaches leading up to this weekend and the backaches from the weekend, in the end it was the kind gesture of one good person that made it all worthwhile.

Checking in for a few minutes...

Happy Columbus Day weekend all! The annual Harvest Fair is in full swing in our town this weekend. And the weather is good which means sales are good, but it also means we are BUSY! I've managed to leave town for a few hours but only to go into work for a little while and then off to buy more supplies for the fair. I'm stationed on the town green with the FD and auxiliary selling grinders. My mom is stationed at the top of the hill organizing the quilt guilds annual raffle and display. Jak has seemed a bit out of sorts the last few days but I've come to the conclusion that with the stress level at a high this weekend it could just be a reaction to that. I'll wait till things get back to normal before I become overly concerned. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend in their corner of the world!

Be Here Now

Remembering to be in the moment.

There is a poster in the locker room at the Y for a mindfulness group that meets once a week entitled, "Be Here Now." Whenever I see the poster it reminds me of a book I have called "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle and a guest blog entry I wrote for my cousin Alina's blog about six months ago.

I am a worrier by nature so when I am able to pull myself into the now, I remember that I can only deal with what is. I cannot deal with what has happened or what may happen and usually in the moment, none of the things I'm worrying about are happening and probably won't ever happen. Tuesday night I swapped my car for Big Mo due to some problem with the right rear wheel of my car. Last night I swapped Big Mo for New Mo due to a problem with Big Mo's left front wheel. (I think I might have attracted the Mo's into my life with that blog entry!)

Let me tell you, last night I was a pity party, table for 1. "Why do cars hate me?" "Why does everything break when I drive it?" "I'm a good kid, why does this happen to me?" I love my dad, he's goodhearted however he's not exactly a glass is half full kind of guy. So I was quite surprised when it was he, who snapped me back into the moment. He said, "don't get upset about it, you have to deal with what happens, things break so you fix them and go on." It was an unexpected reminder that you really can only deal with what is.

2nd Wednesday

It's five dollar spaghetti dinner night!

September through June, on the second Wednesday of the month I meet my dad and usually his girlfriend too for a spaghetti dinner. It's at a Masonic Lodge about thirty minutes from home and let me say it's worth every penny of that five dollars. You get salad, bread, spaghetti with fabulous sauce, a soft drink, dessert and coffee if you wish. Now all that alone would be worth $5 in this day and age, especially when it's a fundraiser, but it's really all about the sauce. It's a very hearty meat sauce, that I've even referred to as chili without beans and this being my sophomore year of attending the dinners I've learned not to be bashful about asking for a little extra...well, actually I just say "load it up with sauce!" Going to the dinner is also something that I do with my dad regularly, which admittedly I haven't always been very good about, and sometimes I even flip the bill for all three of us!

Taking Care

I had to start wearing socks.

Although I gave up on the sandals and flip flops a few weeks ago, I have still been wear my ballet flats without socks. As I sat huddled over my space heater yesterday I realized it was time to accept, head to toe, that the cooler weather has arrived.














Without going into great detail, I've been battling a UTI for a few days now. If you've ever had one, you're reading this nodding your head knowingly and sympathetically. If you haven't ever had one, try to keep it that way. My post on Saturday about being cold I think was a combination of cooler temps and the beginning of the UTI. I try to avoid antibiotics if possible so I've been hitting the cranberry extract pretty hard and am starting to feel better. Of course with feeling better comes the mental battle of wanting to do everything I usually do and reminding myself it's okay to take it easy for a few days. After considering that I have to work until 8PM tonight, I made the difficult decision to leave my gym bag at home today. Ultimately, I can't expect others to take care of themselves properly if I'm not willing to do so for myself.

Back on the Soapbox

The statistic you don't often see.

In a CBS News poll released last week, "only 15% of Americans approve of how Congress is handling its job." 15%?!?! Are you kidding me? How many of us would still have a job if our bosses only approved of our work 15%?? We'd all be skidded in a heartbeat. And yet, here we are essentially Congress' bosses, because we give them their jobs with our votes, and we let them get away with poor work by not voting them out. Something to consider when the elections roll around, "in the entire House of Representatives, only 57 out of the 435 total seats are considered competitive in November."

(For perspective, polls show even George W. Bush has a higher job approval rating at 22%.)

If politicians thought there was a chance they could get voted out, they might actually start doing their jobs. But wait a minute, maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. Maybe this is the direction I should be headed in career wise. Cushy job, don't have to do good work, from what I understand the retirement is great, hmmm...I think I could be on to something here. Although as they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But this is America!

(The text in quotation marks was taken from a story that ran on the show CBS News Sunday Morning about Congress compromising on a bailout plan. The article can be accessed here.)

Autumn Has Arrived

October 4th and I'm already cold.

It happened this week, when I wasn't looking (and definitely wasn't ready), fall arrived. Today it was about 60 degrees here and plenty warm enough in the sun, but when a cloud rolled by it got chilly quick. I don't like fall for one reason, it leads us into winter. I'm cold all the time, sometimes even in the summer, so I'm not fond of winter. Even though spring can be cool too, it leads us into warmer temperatures, so I am more understanding.

For obvious reasons we have been more conservative about turning on the heat this year. It has only come on once so far on a cool September morning. As I sit here typing this, I am wearing jeans, a short sleeved t-shirt, a long sleeved t-shirt over that, a hoodie with the hood up over that, socks and sneakers. I think it could be a long winter.

Meet the Mo's

Sometimes one Big Mo isn't enough.

Big Mo and New Mo









New Mo and Big Mo










These are my dad's cars. Big Mo has been in the family for about 5 years now. On occasion I drive Big Mo when I need loaner wheels. I have had my own red coupe for 3 years now and people still don't recognize me; however when I roll through town in Big Mo everybody waves. Some even know him by name. New Mo joined the fleet about a year ago. You can tell a little from the pictures that New Mo is the fancier, better kept version and is usually garaged at my dad's girlfriend's house. I have not even ever sat in, never mind driven, New Mo - mostly because I haven't had reason to, but recently I told my dad it was out of loyalty to Big Mo.

The name Big Mo actually comes from Pimp Mobile, as I first called him. But I didn't have the heart to call it that in front of my dad so I shortened it to Big Mo. And then, well, New Mo just sort of happened because New Big Mo is too long.

For a while Big Mo didn't have a radio so I made up some songs to sing while driving:
Mo, Mo, Mo your boat gently down the street...
or
I'm back in the Big Mo again...

Misremembering

For the record, I stand corrected.

In my blog about finding a direction in life I referenced something that my 6th grade teacher wrote at the end of the year. I had to stop at my dad's yesterday so I found my old journal and realized the quote I used was, at best, paraphrasing what she actually said. What she wrote follows...

Dear Hope,

I know this hasn't been the greatest year for you. You are a very bright girl and have a great future ahead of you. I think sometimes you let yourself get "snowed under" all the work a student has to do; but the potential is certainly there and it would please me immensely if someday in the future I knew you were happy with what you're doing and where you are in life.

School seems like a waste sometimes, but in later years, believe-it-or-not, you'll look back with fondness at most of it.

You have been a pleasure to have in my room. I'll remember how helpful and cooperative you were when I first came to 106 - when *Mrs. Morin had to leave suddenly - and I'll always have a fond spot in my heart for you.

Work hard and relax a little - life can be fun and rewarding.

Don't forget to come and see me at Smith Ave. in the future.

Good luck,
Mrs. Caldes

*Mrs. Morin was my teacher for the first part of the year, she was pregnant and left abruptly due to complications with the pregnancy.

New Catch Phrase

Keep saying, "Are you kidding me?"

Most people, I think, seem to get stuck on a word or phrase for a period of time. Are you kidding me, dripping with sarcasm, has been coming out of my mouth lately. On Saturday it was said in regards to a big mess that I have been dragged into regarding the upcoming Harvest Fair in our town. On Sunday it was said in regards to information I heard about suspicious activity of some people that live in our neighborhood. Today it was said in regards to a voicemail I received at work just minutes after walking in the door. The next "are you kidding me" is just waiting for the opportunity to roll out of my mouth...

Exploring

Searching for a direction in life.

As I mentioned in my blog about the movie "Good Will Hunting" I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. Several times in the past six months different people have commented that they thought I would be good at Reiki. I didn't know much about it, except that it deals with energy, so this week I decided I would see if the the spiritual center near where I work was offering any introductory classes in Reiki. There is a class but it's not until November, but, today they were offering a class in Therapeutic Touch. As it turns out Reiki and Therapeutic Touch are the same, but different. They both work with people's energies, the difference being in how. Reiki is done in a pattern method, where as Therapeutic Touch is done intuitively. I found the class interesting and I'd like to practice some what we learned today. There's a follow-up class at the end of October that I think I will attend. I'm not feeling any great calling so far, but I'm interested and that's a start, right?

Pampered Cooking

Experimenting with my new Micro-cooker.

About six weeks ago I attended a Pampered Chef party. For the most part I try to avoid the Tupperware-esque type of parties because they seem to spread like a disease. Nowadays they have them for anything and everything (candles, jewelry, cooking products, etc.) and you go to one with your friends and then three of them book a party and that's three more parties to go to. Having said all that I do, however, make an exception about once a year and go to a Pampered Chef party because I like to cook. I'm pretty reserved in making purchases and will only buy something I know I will use. The first party I went to about 10 years ago I bought an $8 potato masher because I love mashed potatoes. (The $8 potato masher has since been replaced by the $200 potato masher - my KitchenAid stand mixer - but that's another blog for another day.)

So at the party in August I bought a small Micro-cooker for $7.50. A one-quart contraption specifically for cooking in the microwave. As a demonstration at the party the host made Lava Cake in the three-quart Rice Cooker Plus, sort of similar to the cooker I purchased. I got to thinking I could probably make a smaller version of the cake in my cooker. So last night I approximated a third of a box of cake mix and the appropriate amount of egg, water and oil. I mixed all that in the cooker, then put approximately 1/3 of can of chocolate frosting in a glob on top of the cake mix. I put the lid on and microwaved the concoction for 3 minutes. What came out of the microwave was sheer yumminess. Warm chocolate cake, with gooey melted frosting. And I proved you can make Lava Cake in the one-quart Micro-cooker!

Project Footwear

Chronicling my summer in shoe pictures.

This project started with a picture I took of my Crocs on the beach in Florida. At the time my cousin was submitting photographs based on an assignment given each week from a digital photography website. Around the time I took the picture her assignment was to photograph circles; she took a picture of bubbles in a glass of champagne, I took a picture of the circles in my Crocs. After taking the picture I got to thinking it would be a fun (and funny) way to document my summer with pictures of the shoes I was wearing for different activities. When I started this project I didn't have a blog so had no plan how I might share my idea with others. Now that summer is over and I have the avenue of my blog to display my project, here it is...


Walking on the beach at sunrise.
New Smyrna Beach, FL














Billy Joel concert; worth every penny.
Taken in the parking garage at Mohegan Sun Casino after the concert. If you ever have the opportunity to see Billy Joel in concert, GO!!!














Open Cup match: New Britain, Connecticut.
For the second year, the New England Revolution (Revvies) played in the US Open Cup tournament and their "home" games were played at a fairly small stadium in New Britain about an hour away from us. They won this game after 90 minutes of regular time, two 15 minute overtimes and penalty kicks - very exciting. Unfortunately they were eliminated in the next round of the tournament which was played in Washington, DC.














Farmer's daughter gardens in flip flops.
Taken in my dad's garden while he was away this summer. And no, gardening in flip flops isn't the best idea, but I didn't say I was a gardener!














Family gathering on Grandma's back porch.
This family dinner was held on the back porch because my aunt Patty said she could hardly remember the last time we ate out there. Unfortunately she ended up at the emergency room with Bea and still didn't get to eat out there. Although not obvious by the picture, there were definitely a lot of people there because I wouldn't go out there alone as that back porch is a magnet for snakes.














September 11th. Revvies match. Gillette Stadium.
Everytime I go to a Revvies match, I want to go to more. Watching on TV is good but being there in person is way better!!



















So, although that's not everything I did this summer, it was everything I did that I was willing to take a picture of my feet at. I realized along the way one might look a bit silly photographing their feet. I hope everyone enjoyed their summers, wherever their footwear took them. Happy Fall!

Enough Already

Enough campaigning; let's get to voting!

I'm tired of it, I don't want to hear anymore, if you haven't heard enough yet to make a decision, come out from under your rock and get to it!?! I think it's at the point where the presidential nominees are saying whatever it takes to get elected and that will have no bearing on what they actually will do if elected. Because once they've been voted in, they can pretty much do whatever the heck they want, it's not like you can take your vote back! And to be fair, I have made up my mind who I will vote for and I don't want to hear anymore from that candidate either. In this day and age, voting comes down to one thing, electing the lesser of two evils...and of course that is still an evil.

I think my recent renewed interest in watching "The West Wing" is largely because I want to think that the president and his staff really do care about the people and once in a while do the right thing, no matter the consequences. In reality I think politicians are power hungry and self serving and for the most part could care less about me and my problems (unless it's time to vote and then only until elected). If we really want to make a difference this election year, not only get out and vote but if there's any politician holding an office that you can't flat out say at least one thing they've done to better your life and/or your community...VOTE THEM OUT!!! The whole system is corrupt and it goes way beyond the person sitting at the big desk in the oval office. Until we start voting out the Ted Kennedy's of the country, nothing is going to change!!!

One Day, Two Blogs

(This is the blog entry I would have wrote yesterday, had I gotten around to it!)

What do you want to do?

I was watching the movie "Good Will Hunting" as I was getting my day started on Saturday. There's a part in the movie where Robin Williams, playing the therapist, asks Will the above question. I realized that at the age of 31, it's a question I haven't ever been able to answer myself. I've always, in a way, envied people who just flat out knew what they wanted to do. Take my sister in law for example, she wanted to be a veterinarian and didn't think twice about eight years of schooling plus internships to get there and seven years later she still seems content with her choice.

I'm not someone who is motivated by money so that hasn't ever played a role in drawing me toward a career path. I've always felt that work is something I have to do to pay the bills but for me, fulfillment comes from where I choose to spend my time outside of work. I like my job well enough (administrative assistant for a crisis intervention program) and I think I'm pretty good at what I do. The pay is not great, but I like my co-workers and I like that the general purpose of the program is to help people. I've been there 8+ years and have stayed that long because my hours are flexible, I get 5 weeks paid vacation per year and for the most part I supervise myself. The only thing that is really missing for me is a feeling that I'm working to my potential.

At the end of my year in 6th grade, I asked my teacher to sign my journal that all my friends had signed too. She wrote a nice long paragraph, of which I remember one sentence..."You are a bright girl, you just don't apply yourself well." So now I'm wondering, all these years later if that is still case. The problem is I still come up with no definitive answer when I ask myself, "what do you want to do?"

Two days, no blog; where's Hope?

I'm still here plugging along, same as always. It was a busy week. For the most part I'm a homebody but there just hasn't been time for much of that recently. I think they have hired a new evening receptionist at work so I may be done working at night or may have to do it one more week to help train. Saturday, Jak and I spent the morning at a charity walk-a-thon to benefit the building of a local animal shelter. The afternoon was spent painting a sign for the FD auxiliary's booth that we use to sell grinders (sub, hoagie, etc.) at Harvest Fair, Columbus Day weekend.

As for today, well I'd like to sit around and do nothing but that's not likely to happen. I've been neglecting my tri training a bit so I might head out to the Y. I kind of need to make a trip to Target as well. And I could also...

New Diagnosis

Suffering from Fetal Apple Pie Syndrome.

When my mom was pregnant with me, she used to eat apple pie for breakfast. She did this with the thinking that if it was going to come back up, she might as well enjoy it going down. Now more than thirty years later, if there is apple pie in the house, I have to eat it for breakfast. I can't help wondering if this poor nutritional habit has been inflicted on me due to choices my mom made while pregnant. It also makes me think I might qualify for some kind of disability compensation because, after all, it is harder to function throughout the day when you don't start with the proper nutrition.

Royalty

Today the queen; tomorrow the president.

I'm going to the dentist to get my permanent crown this afternoon. This got me thinking that perhaps my status should be changed from princess to queen since this crown will be permanent. Tomorrow I have a fire department auxiliary meeting and I'm not only a member, I'm the president! I have held the office for a little over six months now and have had to deal with more strange and challenging situations then have come up in the previous 12 years I've been a part of the organization. I'm trying to take it all in stride, but at the end of the day the fact still remains that the next time I hear the words "I nominate Hope" I'm going to run, screaming "Noooooooo...."

Fluff

Never too old for a fluffernutter.

I decided to skip the jelly today and went for the Fluff instead. I've just had to explain to my cousin who lives "across the pond" what a fluffernutter is. Apparently they do not have Fluff in England. What a tragedy!

And speaking of tragedies, I was reminded on my way into work this morning it is once again Kamikaze squirrel season in New England. I started referring to it as such a few years ago (long before the blogging squirrel craze) because the squirrels seem willing to risk their lives for the cause - collecting acorns. I had to brake and swerve twice on the way to work this morning to narrowly miss some Kamikaze squirrels. And unfortunately saw the remains of a few who did die for the cause. I suppose that's one good thing about winter, less squirrels out risking their lives. One has to wonder if the acorn butter is really worth it...

Back to Work

Two days off; already requested more.

I took last Thursday and Friday off and upon returning to work today it seemed like the thing to do was put in my next time-off request. My next request is for - GASP- a full week off. The gasp is because I very rarely ever take a full week off. More so, I take a few days here and there and work part of a week so that my workload isn't a nightmare upon returning. And to be fair, this is not something I've been forced to do, I just find in the grand scheme of things it's easier. But for the week of 10/12 to 10/18 they're going to have to get by without me and I'll deal with whatever nightmare awaits me when I get back.

And while I'm on the topic, a co-worker/friend/blog reader of mine is having some work done on his knee this week. He seems to have some trouble following doctor's orders and does too much too soon. So Dan, do what you're told and don't worry about things at the office...I'll take care of everyone's computer problems for the next two and a half weeks. Kicking them (computers not people) works, right?!?

Chelsea Wins

Petr Buttrfingers doubles as road cone.





















Today was the first time I had a chance to watch a Chelsea match since the English Premiership League started their season in mid August. As I've mentioned before, Nick and Alina are big fans and Alina actually sat next to Petr Cech on a flight once. Petr Buttrfingers was the name Nick gave Petr Cech after he made some poor plays while on national duty for the Czech Republic. Chelsea's away uniforms this season are black, the color Petr sometimes wears, so now he has this lovely orange uniform which he was wearing today.

I'm going out soon to tour the town...transfer station, post office, store, apple stand, home. Ah, life in a small town!

Redemption

The picture says it all...YAY!!!















Great game, and not just because the Revvies won. It was the first time in a long time that they looked like the championship caliber team that I know they are. I think my favorite part of actually being at a game is that there is so much you don't see on TV. Team captain Steve Ra-Ra Ralston was back last night after being out several weeks with injury. I swear just his presence on the field brings up the level the team plays at, and that's not to mention his skill. I support the Revvies win or lose, but of course I like to see them win...especially when I'm there in person!

I thought after the first Revvies match we went to that maybe it would be a good place to meet someoone. I mean at the very least we would have being soccer fans in common. Last night I sat in front of a captivating guy. He was friendly, and chatty and asked lots of questions, he even had me laughing at times...

















Unfortunately, he was about 30 years to young for me to date but I enjoyed his company just the same. On the way into the stadium they were handing out American flags for September 11th. At different intervals throughout the evening he would instruct when I should be waving my flag. His questions were endless...why, why, why??? But since I don't have to field them on a daily basis I was happy to oblige and did my best to provide answers. At one point he was demonstrating how strong he was by pushing himself up on the chair backs so that his little feet were maybe an inch off the ground. Then he had to show me he could do it standing backwards, at which point he informed me he was like a monkey which was only made complete with the sound effects, "hoo hoo hoo hoo". I thought I would fall out of my seat laughing.

I have a bunch of pics that I took. When I find enough ambition I'll put them on my flickr account to share. The stadium the Revs play at is the New England Patriots' stadium and it's huge. I took some pics to show a friend but as she said, you probably have to see it in person to appreciate it. I bet the attendance at the game last night filled a quarter or less of all the seats there. Actually that's one of the appeals of major league soccer, it's not that popular so you don't have to pay to park ($40 at Patriots' games) and hardly no traffic afterward. But let's keep it our secret, I don't want the word to get out and have it get popular!?!