Simon's Cat 'Snow Business' (Part 1)

Pit Bull CLEANS Baby Bunny

I love how the tongue lapping is so powerful that the baby bunny gets pushed forward.

Lady GaGa "Giant Dose of Bullshit" Boston 12/2/09

"But because we waited so long, I got to hear exactly how many Grammy Nominations that all the little monsters got tonight..."

I went to see Lady GaGa in Boston that night expecting to see an amazing show. The concert started at 7:30pm and featured 2 opening acts. Little did I know that my ticket price covered sitting in the worst possible seats and listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller album in its entirety while all the Lady GaGa fans waited and waited and waited some more for her to take the stage.

She didn't come out until after 10:15pm! She made her audience wait well over an hour for her and let me tell you--I was pissed off beyond belief.

Hooray. She got nominated for some Grammy's. She had a sold out show at The Wang Center in Boston and made all her "little monsters" wait because she got 'nominated' for a Grammy. It's not like she WON and was celebrating backstage. She was nominated. Get over yourself.

It's ironic that she can say "...there is one thing I hate more than money (around the 1:12 mark) and that's the truth...I'd like a giant dose of bullshit any day."

Making your audience wait that long is bullshit. Great job Lady GaGa.

Surprised Kitty

Birthday Fail

I was sitting down in the cafeteria having coffee with a few of my co-workers the other day. Sue was telling me how disappointed she was that her parents  didn't do anything special  for her sister on her birthday. "All they did was make her a tuna fish sandwich." To which Rick asked, "Chunky or Solid?"

Guess you had to be there.

U.S. Soldier, Home Sweet Home, Sweet Surprise

Thought I'd share with you one of my favorite video clips of a soldier being welcomed by his dogs upon arriving home. Get the tissues out. If you want to see more really amazingly touching videos, click here.

Kristin Andreassen - Crayola Doesn't Make A Color For Your Eyes

I can't stop listening to this adorable song!

Christopher Walken Poker Face Halloween

More Cowbell!

Phil Collins Sings Old MacDonald

So this music video is just over 3 minutes long, but well worth the viewing. Several well known celebrities such as Sting, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane are featured making farm animal sounds. There's also a sprinkling of other folks you'll recognize. Pretty much my favorite part is seeing Sting oinking.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween78', originally uploaded by Don Quixote 2x4.

Snug Life

Snug Life

Spencer and I picked up two Snuggie rip-offs at BJ's last week. Spencer remarked that the Snuggie is like putting on a bathrobe backwards except that our rip-off Snuggie has pockets. We were able to buy a dark blue Snuggie and a Cranberry one to match our new couch that we put in our 'Entertainment' room.

But the picture above of some lady actually wearing her Snuggie while roaming the aisles of Wal-Mart is just too much. Before I would be appalled that people would go shopping in their pajama bottoms, but wearing a Snuggie has taken casual wear to a whole new level.

If only we could have Snuggie Friday at work.

The best Halloween costume EVER!!!!

This costume is priceless. I think the only trouble if I were making it would be those big eyes.

Beagle Puppy Attacks Rottweiler

Simply one of the cutest animal videos I've ever seen. How can you not smile broadly watching these two play-fight? I love the Beagle puppy just pouncing onto the head of the Rottweiler!

Musings

I spent the entire day today on the computer.  I did manage a brief nap this afternoon, but otherwise I read all my RSS feeds, posted furiously on Facebook and worked through over 700 plus emails in my personal in box.

I came across an email I sent to myself back on September 24th that contained snippets of blog ideas, but now that I read them nearly a month later...the humor seems gone. So I'm going to post them in bullet form just to say that I did something with them this time rather than delete them.

Here are my ideas for a blog post from my lunchtime visit to Lowe's with my friend/co-worker Jillian back on September 24th:

• Candy dish with hairy hand reminds Jillian of Pete
• Cute little girl in the Christmas decorations aisle with chunky cheeks
• Stand alone electric fireplace cabinet for Jillian’s room
• HUGE leaf sucker attachment
• Nylon twisty ties for $5.88 too expensive
• Disco Ball curtain rods
• Boring kitchen curtains
• Claw foot bath tub – Jillian got in and I took her picture
• Jillian buying bulbs to feed the squirrels – cashier suggested moth balls
• Gray haired dude with white beard sitting in a plastic chair at the exit of the Lowe’s parking lot – was he tailgating at noon?

[drawing courtesy of my mom Gloria Silva]

Don't Let Crack Heads Sing at Your Funeral

"Sunshine on a Stick"

You've got to be kidding me? My favorite PSA from the 70's mentions Pomegranate Juice? That is so amazing. The proverbial seed was planted in my head through a PSA?

Amy Sedaris Sits Next to Justin

How fabulous! Two of my favorite entertainers sitting on a fake panel shilling for the new Sony e-book reader.

Take On Me-A-Ha-Ukulele Cover

This woman has such a beautiful voice. Listening to her sing reminds me of being on a tropical island.

Just another day at the office ;)

Just another day at the office ;), originally uploaded by WytzeNL.

Believe it or not, my Beagle Minnie (not pictured here) does the very same thing to me every night before we go to bed. She gets into the bed and crawls up on my back and sits and stares and pants and does whatever other annoyingly cute thing she does to get Spencer's attention before she settles down for the night.

How Very Kimmy of Me!

I bought this little cutie yesterday. I saw him and just couldn't leave him in the store! It’s a dip bowl with spreader (tail).   (Thanks Michelle!)

Brett Domino: Hip-Hop Medley - Stylophone Beatbox

I simply cannot stop watching this video. I love these guys!

My Lazy Sunday

I went to Easton, MA on Saturday to visit with my friend Leslie.  We used to work together at Staples and have remained friends since I left there four years ago.

I arrived at her house around 10:30 and we spent the day together going to a Country Store and a pub in downtown Mansfield.  But while sitting having a salad, I started to not feel so good.  I didn't think much about it other than the hour and fifteen minute ride home ahead of me after I said goodbye with my old friend. It turned out the ride home was one of the longest of my life because I started getting really sick as soon as I hit Route 495 North.

I felt really flush, my back started getting really sore and an overall feeling of sickness hit me.  It was so bad that I considered pulling over off the shoulder of the highway to tip my seat back and lie down for a bit, but I didn't want some good Samaritan stopping to ask if I was alright. I just wanted to be home...NOW.  The ride home took forever.

I pulled into the driveway to be met by Spencer and Minnie on the doorstep.  I blew past them in a mad rush to get to the bathroom thinking that I was going to be really sick.  The sickness didn't come so I got myself to bed after confirming that I wasn't running a fever even though I felt so hot.

I was sick the rest of Saturday night.  I must have ate something that didn't agree with me. But it was that kind of sick where no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not get myself into a comfortable position in bed.  I tossed and turned. I moaned and groaned. I cursed myself for eating something that made me so sick and turned a perfectly good day into a bad one.  Finally around 10pm, I swallowed two Tylenol PM's and hoped for the best.  I finally fell asleep...

So today is Sunday and I've done nothing productive other than read the Sunday Telegram and get excited that Price Chopper has the first Pom Wonderful Pomegranates of the season.  I had hoped to go to the grocery store tonight, but instead spent the afternoon watching Season 3 of All In The Family and taking several naps.  I brought my work laptop home with me Friday with the hope that I would be catching up on some things that didn't get done this past week, but the laptop hasn't made it out of the bag. Tomorrow's another day.

It's been a lazy Sunday.  My pajamas are feeling pretty comfortable right about now as I listen to the wind outside whip around and recall that it was snowing earlier this afternoon before I took my last nap of the day.

I'm not ready to embrace Winter this soon, but am hopeful that it will bring me more lazy Sundays in the coming months.

Skeleton Made From Sporks

ROOTED winner: Cutlery Skeleton

I guess I just have this fascination with Sporks. So you can imagine how delighted I was to come across a human skeleton made out of Sporks.This skeleton was entered into the Rooted competition and won.

Rooted gives out awards to artist displaying their work  anywhere they want, in any form as long as the subject matter doesn't deface anybody's work.

This sporky guy was created by five Kingston grads..{courtesy of ShellSuit Zombie}

Floppy vs. The Stairs

Simon's Cat ' Hot Spot'

Another fantastic cartoon about my favorite kitty.

Free Pumpkin-Carving Stencils of Favorite Dog Breeds

Now YOU can carve up your pumpkin in honor of your favorite canine.  I'm partial to Beagles.

Click here.

This is adorable.   I just might take a knife to my pumpkin and see what kind of damage I can do to it.

Bringing on the HeartBreak

Former American Idol runner up Blake Lewis released his sophomore CD this past Tuesday aptly titled Heartbreak on Vinyl.

There are only certain artists that warrant an actual CD purchase by me and I typically buy their CD’s from Target. I was quite surprised this past weekend when I didn’t see any mention of Blake’s CD in their Tune-In-Tuesday section of their advertisement in the Worcester Sunday Telegram.

I half-heartedly snatched the Best Buy flier and flipped to their music section not holding out any hope that they would feature the CD if Target couldn’t be bothered. However, I was thrilled to see that not only did they feature his CD; it was on sale this week for a mere $7.99. Psyche!

Last night after work, I stopped by the Best Buy adjacent to the Solomon Pond Mall hoping they might have a copy available. I’ve had disappointing trips to several Best Buy locations in the past when they didn’t have a Justin Timberlake FutureSexLoveSongs concert tour DVD in stock that was heavily advertised as a Best Buy exclusive. (It should come as no surprise to any of my readers that I’m not such a forgiving person if you burn me on anything related to JT.) Strangely, I heart Blake Lewis nearly as much as I do Justin and was prepared in advance for Best Buy to disappoint me once again.

A store associate happily greeted me upon entering the doors and I quickly made my way over to the left side of the store to their music section. I scanned their New Release section and didn’t see the Blake Lewis CD. I checked the end caps-nothing. So I walked back over to the first aisle and decided to look on the opposite side thinking this must be where they put his CD. Instead the other side contained CD holders and accessories. I gave a deep sigh. As I was walking away, a young man called out to me asking if I had found what I was looking for. He was seated within the technical service area for computers so I had no expectation that he could help me, but what the hell? After all, this was Blake Lewis and I’ve had his October 6th CD release date in my planner for like six months.

“I’m looking for Heartbreak on Vinyl by Blake Lewis.” I said.

“OK, let me see if we have any in stock. You know, if we don’t have it here you can always order it online. “
I must have given him a look because he quickly said, “The vinyl. We don’t carry vinyl in the stores, but you can get it online.”  It was only then that I realized he thought I was looking for an actual 33” vinyl record based on the title of the CD.

“It says here we have 4 in stock. Let me go check and see if I can find it for you.”

I jokingly said as we walked towards the section, “I’m just glad you didn’t laugh at me when I said I was looking for a Blake Lewis CD.” He turned and casually said that he had never heard of Blake Lewis before. Oh, yea, of course he hadn’t because I’m probably like one of twenty Blake Lewis fans in the New England area.

Sure enough there were 4 CDs right in the “B” section which further impressed me because (a) they had it in stock while it was on sale and (b) their inventory was 100% accurate. What can I say? I’m a sucker for Supply Chain efficiency.

He offered to ring me up at the desk instead of me having to stand in line at the front of the store which I thought was really nice. Seriously, this was the most customer service I’ve received from a Big Box retailer in the longest of times that it felt like I was in a parallel universe.

As I was checking out, he asked if I’d be interested in their rewards card and I shook my head no saying, “I don’t do a lot of shopping at Best Buy so no thanks.”

But as I was walking out through the doors another associate called out to me to have a nice night. I smiled and waved good-bye thinking that maybe I should have signed up for that Best Buy rewards card after all.

Band of Beagles

band of beagles, originally uploaded by lazybeagle.

Reminds me of Minnie with all of her stuffed animals.

The Curious Case of the Fake Beagle

About a month ago I visited Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough during my lunch hour. As I was browsing their enormous gift area, I came across this extremely life-like stuffed Beagle. I had to have it. I had visions of putting this handsomely plush Beagle in one of our spare bedrooms as decorations. (OK. You got me. The spare bedroom really isn't a spare bedroom, but rather belongs to our adorable spoiled Beagle named Minnie. So yes...I bought a dog for my dog's bedroom.)

But the intention of using the stuffed Beagle purely for decorative purposes backfired on me, but in a surprisingly good way. Let me explain:

I came home that day and placed the stuffed animal on the kitchen table to show Spencer when he got home from work that evening. But at the end of the day, I was taking Minnie outside in the back yard to do her business, she happened to get a glimpse of the tail of the stuffed animal and got all curious. "Who's that?" I asked Minnie in my annoyingly sing-song high pitched voice. I took the Beagle off the kitchen table and placed it on the floor for her to inspect. She inspected it all right! She immediately went around to the backside of the fake dog and started sniffing which in her world meant, "Hello, I'm Minnie. Who the heck are you and why are you in my house?"

Minnie simply would not leave the dog alone. Eventually I realized that she was too bothered by the stuffed animal to put it in her room as decoration. Defeated, I moved the stuffed animal down stairs just to get it out of her line of sight and reflected on the fact that I just wasted $30 on a very life-like stuffed animal.

But here's the surprise. We found an alternate use for the stuffed toy. Whenever we want to get Minnie to do something that she doesn't want to do, like go outside to pee in the backyard when it's raining, we go downstairs and reintroduce Minnie to the fake Beagle. We tuck him under our arm and call out to Minnie. She spies the dog and instantly becomes alert and attentive to whatever is going on with the dog that doesn't presently involve her.

Some mornings when we get up, Minnie is lazing about in her doggy bed and doesn't want to go outside with Spencer. I don't know if certain days she's just moody and doesn't want to get out of bed which I can totally relate to, but her daily routine is to go stretch her legs in the backyard while Spencer scatters microwave popcorn for the birds each morning. However, now all he has to do is go get the stuffed Beagle and call out, "Minnie...time to feed the birdies" and she'll jump out of her bed and come running. It really is the cutest thing.

So strangely I bought this really life-like stuffed animal as decoration for my dog's bedroom and it's turned into a therapy dog for my dog. I'm thinking of buying the stuffed basset hound on my next trip to the bookstore. Right now it's looking to be the only way to become a pack leader without actually owning another dog.

French Bulldog Tries to Roll Over

This is my new favorite YouTube video. Simply adorable. I like that the back fat still doesn't give this poor puppy enough traction to get to the other side.

500 Flavors of Soda

Most inspirational video I've seen in a long time about an LA small business owner and his enthusiasm for owning a grocery store that boasts 500 flavors of soda. Watching this 13 minute video made me want to get on a plane right now and fly across the country to visit this store.

This one is going on my personal bucket list.

Link

Is It Over Yet?

My sister-in-law Katie snapped this picture on her Blackberry yesterday of our beagle Minnie.  She had just come inside after her afternoon walk and was completely pooped.  Needless to say, she doesn't like hot humid days at all.  The best times are when she gets half way down Miami Street and decides she doesn't want to budge. 

We're both looking forward to Autumn in a big way.

Hang On!

This is a picture of a super cool print that I bought off of Rebecca (aka SmellyRhino) on Etsy.  


You see, I've got this crazy notion that since I don't have any children yet that I would decorate one of our spare bedrooms in honor of our beloved Beagle Minnie.  Right now the walls are painted blue (imagine the color of a Smurf, but more muted in hue) and the theme is Mr. Men.  I've got the curtains, a pillow sham, matching sheets, a comforter and even a pop-up laundry basket in there.  All Mr. Men and it  looks pretty fantastic.  


However, the one major decorating flaw is that I don't have any pictures of Minnie hanging up.  Her food and water are in the room sitting on a little carpet that's shaped like a dog bone.  Her Dingo snacks are on the dresser and her well-used brush is right next to it.  And on most occasions if you walked into the room , you'd find my lazy yet adorable dog lounging on the twin bed that's situated right up against the window so she can look out onto the street for anything exciting going down in her dominion.  After all, it's tough being our beloved queen.


But her room still needed that something more to define the theme.  That final touch was necessary to distinguish this spare bedroom as belonging to my dog instead of a non-existent 8 year old little girl.  I started surfing around the internet looking for Beagle-related merchandise that I could add to the bedroom to make it more uniquely hers and that's when I came across Rebecca's amazingly cute painting of a Beagle braced atop his red doghouse just like another famous World War Flying Ace we all know...I instantly fell in love with it.  


I contacted Rebecca asking if the print was for sale. She was happy to sell me a print, but wanted to make certain it reproduced well on her printer.  After some trial and error, she had a commercial printer take the job instead. I decided on buying the  largest print she had available which was an 8 x 8 reproduction of her original.  I've got the spot all picked out in Minnie's room and I can't wait to get it.  Rebecca has been great with communicating the status of my order and even offered to throw a little something extra my way as thanks for my patience.  How could I not love someone who replies back to my email saying: "OMG, you're like the best most awesomeist person ever!"  


I'm a big fan of Etsy, but I'm an even bigger fan of Rebecca Salcedo.  If you have a moment, check out her store on Etsy.  Maybe you'll find something as unique as I did to decorate a room for your own non-existent little girl otherwise known as your dog. 

Staple City: Jennifer Magit Dedication

Jennifer Magit...if you're out there this one's for you!

Heathers: I Love My Dead Gay Son!

I'm in a nostalgic mood right now after the passing of John Hughes. After cooking up some cheese burgers on my George Foreman grill and having some frozen french fries and Goya rice, I'm about to suggest to Spencer that we spend this lazy Sunday afternoon watching Heathers.

Funky Lunch

I love Hello Kitty.  So I'm always interested in seeing all the merchandise that is available featuring Hello Kitty.  Today's find is courtesy of Funky Lunch which is a really interesting website that features creative sandwiches.  

If you're a mom and want to spice up your kids lunch, maybe you can give one of these a try?

via Funky Lunch

Teddy Bear in Felt

I really admire the detail that goes into the craft of felting.  Someday I'm going to get off my lazy ass and learn how to do it myself.  But I'm not quite sure what my first project will be, but I imagine it will be something simple like reproducing what belly button lint would look like in felt. How could I screw up something like that, right? Then I expect I'll get really ambitious and branch off into harder subject matter such as fat bumblebees.  

In the meantime, enjoy Teddy Bear Fetus In A Jar.

Teddy Bear Natural History by Stephanie Metz

Sincerely, John Hughes

I just read this amazing post from Alison Byrne who had the late John Hughes as her pen pal in her teens. How cool was that?

The fact that Alison sat down one day and wrote a letter to John Hughes because she found his movies so meaningful and he actually wrote back is incredible. I recall years ago reading Insomnia by Stephen King and feeling compelled to actually mail him a letter telling him about a really funny experience while reading his book:

We were living on Malden Street in Worcester at the time in a two-bedroom condo. I remember just being deeply engrossed in reading Insomnia. In particular, there was a part of the book where the main character walks into his kitchen and notices that the magnetic alphabet letters on his fridge actually spelled out something really, really scary. I was so creeped out with this imagery that I had to get up from the bed where I was reading the book and step away to the kitchen for a little breath of fresh air. Just as I was opening up the bedroom door, Spencer was standing a little off to the side and called out "BOO!" I freaked out. I must have jumped ten feet into the air and crashed back against the door.

We laughed and laughed at my crazy reaction to his simple little "BOO", but I can't recall a time that I was so engrossed in a story that it affected me that much. So I decided to write a fan letter to Stephen King telling him all about my little incident coming out of the bedroom.

I never heard back from him. Never even got the obligatory note from his publisher or one of his personal assistants thanking me for writing. I wasn't that bothered about it. Really, how could I be? Who did I think I was that Stephen King would write back to me telling me how meaningful my letter was to him because after all, he writes those scary stories for plain folk just like me.

But after reading this post about the eventual blossoming pen-pal relationship that Alison Byrne had with John Hughes, it made me realize that sometimes it's not important to get a letter back from someone you really admire. Really it's the chance to have that someone or something in your life mean so much that you put yourself out there without any expectations other than wanting that person to know how he or she affected some aspect of your life.

If I were to write a fan letter to John Hughes, I probably would have thanked him for creating the character Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles and creating Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That movie holds a special place in my heart because I just loved the concept of Ferris talking to little old insignificant me while he was taking a shower.

So take a moment and read the blog post from Alison. It's a fine example of how sharing a part of yourself with a complete stranger can impact your life and all it took was a pen, some paper and a stamp.

Rest In Peace John Hughes

We'll Know When We Get There

Photo courtesy of KickStock

Beagle as Hand Art

Dog, originally uploaded by Margie QQ.

Found this photo on Flickr this morning and was quite impressed with the details.

Fly Guy by Simon Tofield

R.I.P Gidget

Gidget, best known as the ambassador of fast food chain Taco Bell, died today of a stroke. She was 15 years old. I stumbled across this story on People.com this afternoon and instantly the tears flooded my eyes. My father's beloved Taco Bell chihuahua was gone.

I didn't keep many things that belonged to my father after he died unless you count my mother and the home they shared together for nearly 30 years. But there were a few little things that were special to me: I kept a wind-up bright red Mickey Mouse alarm clock that used to wake him up every morning, an acrylic cube with a cartoon rat holding a piece of cheese that I had bought him as a Christmas present when I was in grade school, his Harley Davidson motorcycle helmet, a hardbound 1991 diary he used to use to write in all the towing calls he went on for the state and lastly his XXL Yo Quiero Taco Bell t-shirt.

I cannot tell you how many times I've worn that t-shirt to bed over the years when I was feeling sad because I missed him so much. Enough times that the material feels nearly threadbare in spots and the screen print of that cute little dog is all but faded away. He loved that stupid shirt and used to tease me all the time by calling out 'Yo Quiero Taco Bell' when he'd see me coming in the front door on Tuesday or Friday for my weekly visits.

I realized today as I read about the passing of Gidget that it's been quite sometime since I've worn his shirt to bed. In the beginning it felt like I never took it off. I guess eventually weeks turned into months and I needed to wear his shirt less and less. The process of grieving for my father naturally progressed in stages to the point that his t-shirt remained, more often than not, neatly folded away in my bottom drawer - just outside of reach should I need comfort after a particularly rough day.

So many things have happened to me since my parents died that I can't ever tell them about. I've learned that letting go is really, really hard sometimes and I know it's perfectly OK to hold onto a few material things that make me feel connected to what I've lost.

The news that Gidget the chihuahua died today reminded me that sometimes inconsequential things are meant to be left behind.

Kenzo - Why I Heart All Things Beagle

I came across a series of photographs recently posted on Flickr of this Beagle puppy named Kenzo. Well, I didn't accidentally come across them. I was using Google Reader to review my RSS feeds and I have one that captures photos that are tagged with the word Beagle. It's my own little version of puppy porn...and it doesn't cost me $3.99 a minute.


I can't think of a more perfect example of why I love Beagle puppies.


Every single day I scroll through the Flickr feed and use the 'favorite' feature to mark pictures that I think are just extra special. Why do I do this? I'm not quite sure. I guess I just want to be able to revisit the photos sometimes to remind me how good life can be when I'm feeling a little down. There's just something about a puppy belly or the expressive face of a Beagle puppy that just makes everything better in my world.


I do have a few other groups that I regularly follow on Flickr via RSS feeds. In no particular order they are:

• Unclutterer workspaces
• Dog Tired!
• The Items We Carry
• Play Food
• Toys in the 70's and 80's
• Play Doh Maniacs
• Smiley Faces
• Got Beagle?

You might want to try it yourself. Go visit Flickr and see what groups are out there that might interest you. So far no one has claimed 'Puppy Belly' yet.

Kit Lane; Jabba the Hut: The Early Days

Kit Lane; Jabba the Hut: The Early Days, originally uploaded by Bear and Bird.

Maybe the craft of felting has been around a really long time and I just never knew about it, but it's just the coolest thing ever. I love this creation so much. I'd buy it in a heartbeat and put it next to my PC monitor at work.

Dutch vs. The Doorstop

Dutch vs. The Doorstop
Originally uploaded by uistacy

Sometimes the most simple things can upset us.

Ode to Saturday Mornings Past

Ode to Saturday mornings past by ~JessKat83 on deviantART

I wish she'd make this print available for sale!  I love that Barbapapa made the cut.

Drowsy

I wouldn't say I was one of those little girls who loved to play with dolls. I liked them well enough, but I always seemed to have more fun with toys that required lots of C batteries and ammunition for cap guns.  But I did have this one doll that my mom swore I took everywhere with me and her name was Drowsy.  


Drowsy was a baby doll made by Mattel who had gold-spun yellow hair and was dressed in a pink and polka dot sleeper. She had a plastic round pull string on her back and when you pulled it, her voice box said stuff like: "Mommy, I'm sleepy. I want another drink of water. Mommy, kiss me goodnight. I go sleep now, night, night. giggles"  Her painted plastic face easily conveyed that she was a sleepy little girl and ready to go to bed.  I loved her.


My mom told me that I chewed the thumbs off of Drowsy.  I have to suspect it was because I was a ferocious thumb sucker back in the day.  I'm ashamed to admit that I sucked my thumb until I was about eight years old or so.  My grandmother broke me of the habit pretty easily: she bribed me with dollar bills for every night that I slept without my thumb in my mouth.  Mom could never get me to stop, but Grammy knew what motivated me.


I also recall my mom telling me the story of a time when I came down with a serious case of pneumonia and had to stay at Hahnemann Hospital for a week.  I become inconsolable because I didn't have Drowsy with me because my Mom threw her away without my knowledge a few days before I went into the hospital.  I guess I must have really caused a fuss because my Dad drove to the Child World Toy Store in Shrewsbury and bought me a new Drowsy-this time with thumbs intact.  


Back in the day when EBAY was still fresh and completely amazing, I found myself online searching for toys to bid on from my childhood.  My obsession with collecting my childhood toys all stemmed from an incident when I was cleaning out a basement closet after I had moved back home to take care of my Mom:  I stepped on a Weeble.  (Trust me, you'll never forget the sharp shooting pain in the arch of your foot after stepping on a Weeble. It made quite an impression on me. )  I typed in Drowsy's name in the search box and a whole page of Drowsy dolls appeared.   But I was shocked to discover the bid prices were hundreds of dollars!  


But then Mattel did a very cool thing-they reissued a Classic Collection Drowsy back in 1984.  I was able to buy her from Amazon and really the only difference was that her pull string had been replaced with a voice box that became activated if you squeezed her tummy.  I loved her!


This brings me full circle to why I'm writing about my favorite doll from the 70's.  I was at work and my co-worker Sharon came into the office wearing this very, very bright pink dress with white polka dots.  She looked great in the dress and the first thing that came to  mind was that she reminded me of a Drowsy doll.  The day got away from me and I forgot to tell Sharon how much her dress reminded me of Drowsy.  But late in the afternoon, I decided to send the following email to her:
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Hi Sharon,


This is TOTALLY meant as a compliment!  I swear.   You look so nice today and I love your dress. I keep forgetting to tell you.

But I have to let you know that the dress you're wearing reminded me of my favorite dolly when I was a little girl.  Her name was Drowsy and she had a little pull string on her back that said cute little things.  (This was hi-tech back in the ’70’s.)   It was made by Mattel.  They actually re-issued the doll and if I can remember I’m going to bring it in to work tomorrow so you can see the new version. My mom told me I ‘loved’ my doll so much that I chewed off her thumbs….not sure why I would have done that?  Any hoo, here’s a picture.  Note she looks DRUNK not DROWSY.

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Sharon replied back: Very funny……….I had the same doll.  “I want a drink of water.”  “Mommy, kiss me good night.”  I had no idea they re-issued her.  I would love to see her.  I loved my doll so much too.  I only had 2 dolls growing up.  The one below and a Raggedy Ann doll that you learned to tie and buckle and button.

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Then I remembered that my Aunt Barbara actually made me a Raggedy Ann doll, but my mother took it away from me when I stuck a needle into her stitched-on heart.  I'm not quite sure why I did this, but my mom did the right thing by taking away yet another one of my dolls.  I imagine she worried that I would squeeze the doll in just the right way and the pressure would make the dangerously sharp needle point out somewhere and poke my eye out.  My mom frustratingly yelled at me, "Why would you stick a sewing needle into your doll?"

I have no idea what I said to my mother back then to justify what I did to my new doll, but  I'd like to think curiosity got the best of me and I simply couldn't resist seeing what would happen if I stuck a needle into Raggedy Anne's stitched-on heart. 

My Minority Report

Sitting in front of the TV yesterday after work was a little surreal because the cause of Michael Jackson's death hit very close to home.  I actually found myself crying when CNN broke the shocking news that he had died from cardiac arrest.

As the tears spilled down my cheeks, I felt really weird about crying since I didn't have a personal connection to Michael Jackson other than being an admirer of  his music.  But after a few minutes I realized why his death was hitting me hard enough to provoke tears.  My dad died the very same way back in 1998 when I was 28 years old.  The memories of the day I got the call telling me my father had died buzzed around in my head as I listened to Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

I was prepared this morning while on our coffee break that the expected discussion about the death of Michael Jackson wasn't going to be in my favor. My views definitely placed me in the minority rather than the majority because I never thought he was a child molester.  Not even for one minute!  I didn't think he was a freak. I believe he was a great entertainer who loved children and built himself an amusement park to share with those less fortunate.  He was, from my perspective, one of the most persecuted entertainers I've ever known. I'd easily rank him up there with OJ Simpson, but for him the sequined glove fit his one hand just fine, thank you very much.

I didn't voice my opinion this morning over coffee, but rather I sat and listened to what my coworkers had to say about a man none of us ever really knew.  But I didn't pass judgement and think that their views were ignorant as they could easily of said the same about mine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I knew that no one wanted to hear mine so I kept my mouth shut.

Instead I sipped my hot cup of Starbucks coffee and took comfort in knowing this man has finally found peace.

Freaky Friday...

Why does it seem like there is not one person in my life right now without drama.  In no particular order:

• My best friend Karen officially broke up with her boyfriend.
• My co-worker Patty just found out that due to a severe plumbing problem she’s going to have to move out of her apartment and into another unit while workers tear up her floors to correct a massive leak.  Plus her poor husband nearly had an amputation earlier this week from an infection – long story. (And she’s suffering a major hangover from the Jimmy Buffet concert last night.)
• My former work husband's mother-in-law died earlier this week and his wife’s 40^th birthday is this weekend.
• My friend Ginny's buying her first house and the closing slipped from 6/24 to 6/30 because of a misleading appraisal that nearly sunk the whole deal.
• My lunch got cancelled today because my co-worker Jillian called in sick.  She’s the friend who has Celiac disease so no mash potatoes at Uno’s in Natick today.
• Another co-worker of mine (she sits opposite of me) has a mother who may have a second spinal fluid leak which requires another surgery.
• Both Spencer and I have a cracked windshields this week that needs to be fixed.
• The company that was scheduled to do my septic tank cleaning was given the wrong address and I saw him going to my next door neighbor’s house while I was on the way to work. It’s not Perry at 5 Miami St, it’s Perry at 9 Miami Street!  ‘Doh
• Another co-worker Michelle had her Novocain wear off mid-procedure drilling.
• And last but not least- A trifecta of entertainers died this week:  Michael Jackson (sequined white glove), Farrah Fawcett (famous for her nipple poster) and Ed McMahon (Publisher's Clearing House will never be the same without him.)

And you're wondering if I had any good news this week?  Yea, I saw the sun for like five minutes Thursday night.

Finally Found What I Was Looking For

I'm a big fan of Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, but I'm a SUPER FAN when it comes to Limited Edition anything.  I had been hoping to find their new Seasonal Delight flavors because two of the five are Pomegranate Berry and Pineapple Coconut.

I've been looking for these new flavors for what feels like months.  Dannon had been cruelly taunting me with advertisements of their new flavors on the tops of other Light & Fit yogurt cups and I simply couldn't find them anywhere.  Believe me, I tried really hard to track them down.   I've gone grocery shopping several times at Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Price Chopper, Super Wal-Mart and even Target.  Not one of these grocery stores or retail establishments had the new flavors.  Until one fateful night...

This past Thursday we went to see Penn & Teller at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods in CT.  We decided to make a quick pit stop at Price Chopper to get a gallon of milk because it was on the way home.  It was around 10:30pm as I approached the dairy aisle with my selection of 2% milk.  I figured, "What the hell?" as I approached the dairy case holding all of the different yogurts.  I gingerly approached the section where Dannon yougurts were neatly stacked and to my shock there it was-the Holy Grail of Active Yogurt Cultures: Pineapple Coconut.  I simply couldn't believe I had finally found it.

I greedily snatched up all the remaining cups of Pineapple Coconut and Key Lime flavors available.  (Sadly Pomegranate Berry wasn't to be had, but I was OK with that because I had secured two new limited-edition flavors.)

My next challenge was keeping these little beauties away from Spencer.

Since I'm not much of a cook, meal time in our home typically requires food to be had quick and easy.  It's not unusual for Spencer to come home after work and grab a few yogurts in the fridge or a tub of cottage cheese for his late night dinner.  The difference between Spencer and I is that he doesn't let things sit around in the fridge like I'm prone to do from time to time.  I'm the type of emotional eater who likes food based on mood.  I actually like yogurt and always enjoy having several cups of various brands and flavors in the fridge.  The problem is that by the time I'm ready to enjoy some, they are all gone because Spencer beat me to them.  (He's a world-class champion eater of yogurt.  He'll think nothing of eating three cups in a row.  And don't even get me started on the Philadelphia Whipped Chive Cream Cheese!)

But since these new limited-edition flavors were so valuable to me, I left them in the Price Chopper bag and hid them in the fruit drawer because I thought that was one location in our fridge that I would never have to worry about being invaded because he's not much of an eater of fruit. Or produce, for that matter.

Today I finally was in the mood for some yogurt.  I opened up the fruit drawer and took out the bag filled with cups of Dannon yogurt.  Spencer was in the kitchen with me sort of hovering as I closed the door and I said, "You want one?  Have one...but don't eat all the Pineapple Coconut 'cause I want to try it."  I gave him one and I took one back with me to the desk.  I peeled back the cover and gently swiped my tongue against the foil.  I silently prayed that I wouldn't be disappointed in the much sought after flavor.  So how was it?  Did I like it?

Yes! Yes! Yes! It tasted delicious. It was like having a Pina Colada smoothie in a cup.  It was totally worth the wait and I loved every spoonful. The little flecks of pineapple added a touch texture, but I thought, as I was scooping it out, that it just needed a little something more.  I remembered the pint of Strawberries sitting on the second shelf inside the fridge. I thought to myself that those berries would be the perfect compliment to this healthy snack.   Just as I was standing up to head back into the kitchen, I heard Spencer say enticingly like Homer Simpson, "Mmmm...Strawberries."  I looked over and there he was happily chomping one of the strawberries that he had just plucked out of it's plastic container.

D'Oh!

And Now The Time Has Come

Well, vacation is officially over and it's back to Bose tomorrow.  I had an amazing 11 straight days away from the office and enjoyed a very good vacation.

Each day I found myself counting on my fingers how many days I had left of the vacation.  I know that sounds kind of weird because I really should have just been enjoying myself rather than participating in my own personal count-down , but I couldn't help it.  Perhaps I place far too much emphasis on vacations?

Spencer tells me that I have to stop thinking of my vacation like it's an all or nothing event.  Of course he's  right. Before the vacation I wrote down lists of things to get done since I had all that time off.  I was going to get my car detailed, visit Walden Pond and hang up mini-blinds and balance the check book.  Instead I had a very nice and relaxing vacation.

We stayed overnight in Freeport, Maine.  I got the Mazda 3 inspected.  I got caught up on all my RSS feeds and cleaned out my in box.  We saw Penn & Teller at the MGM Theater at Foxwood Casino this past Thursday night. I went clothes shopping and had lunch at Red Robin.  We took Minnie to the park and I cooked up some burgers.  And how can I forget this past Saturday when I finally got around to organizing all my office supplies down in the basement.  You may not think this would have been a big deal, but it was office supplies and anyone who knows me can attest that I love me some office supplies.  Everything is finally organized and has a place.  It feels pretty good.

I read a little bit this afternoon and took my last long nap of the vacation.  But it's OK.  I know there are more fun things to come my way.  I'm looking forward to the start of Summer and soft serve ice cream although I'm not sure in which order.

Target Lady Has A Friend!

Angie Tempura!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this (fake) blogger from Bitchpleeze.com.  Saturday Night Live has really done a great job with this season's cast.

Learning to AROOOOO!

Fox in Westborough, MA

Foxy Lady 1 from Scott Terrasi on Vimeo.

Foxy Brown

Yesterday it was some unknown man dressed in a white linen suit – today I got to see an honest-to-goodness red fox! 

 

I grabbed my trusty pair of binoculars and stood there watching the red fox. He stretched and his little back legs extended just like puppies do.  His front feet were jet black and his tail was so bushy.   (I wonder if a fox wags its tail like a dog?) Several of my co-workers gathered around the window and we looked down at the fox lying out in the sun near the right of the shrubbery.  We all collectively made unusual baby-like sounds several times which put me in the mind of all those women ogling the hot construction worker in that Coke commercial from a few years ago.  Who knew a fox could be that cute?

 

The most interesting thing about this fox sighting is I’ve never seen one in the wild before.  Maybe two week’s ago I went out to dinner with my friend Ginny and we saw a red fox running around the edge of the back parking lot of Piccadilly Pub in Westborough.  At first I thought it was a little dog and then we realized it was a fox.  

 

Eventually the fox stood up and moved out of sight and into the bushes.  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

 

  

Monday Fashion Faux Pas

Working on the fourth floor of an office building is usually a pain because you’re either huffing it up the stairs or taking the elevator to get to your office. There aren't many advantages to being on the fourth floor of a six story building…except for today.

Turns out the fourth floor places me in the perfect position of looking outside the windows (in the back of the building) to spy on people as they walk through the parking lot. Most days the only action we see is a traffic back-up from California Ave to Route 9 or a deer snacking on some shrubs in our meticulous landscaping. But today was special.

“Look at this man. He’s wearing a white shirt, a white pair of pants, white socks and black sandals!” cried Tricia. “Kim, you’ve got to see this.”

I immediately jumped up and rushed to the back window to see for myself. ( Yes, I have a big problem with men wearing sandals and tube socks in warm weather. And he was dressed all in white. Doesn’t the dude know it’s only acceptable to wear white after Memorial Day? He couldn’t wait 22 more days?)

His shape was rather ambiguous so I grabbed a pair of binoculars and checked him out up close because I was having difficulty believing a man would dress all in white.

[You might be wondering why I have binoculars at work? I swear it wasn’t for any nefarious stalker-like purpose. My friend Sue’s daughter went to daycare down the road from our office and she used to use them to see her playing on the swings or in the sandbox. She was the stalker, not me. I just enabled better viewing.]

I focused the lenses and sure enough he was adorned in white –even his beard was white which answered my question of gender. I think it’s pretty brave of a man to dress all in white, but it’s even braver to go out in public with black sandals on looking like a fugly hot mess. Framingham isn’t Miami Beach. This is not Miami Vice. No linen suits are allowed. This guy should have been wearing an unassuming pair of beige chinos and a nice polo shirt if he wanted to celebrate the warm weather.

I Dunno. Maybe it’s me, but I think that’s how men in New England roll.

I'm Back Baby

I know this sounds a little self-indulgent, but I haven't been myself lately.  I think I've been struggling with finding that happy balance between work and home life.  I mentioned to Spencer recently that I think I give my best efforts when I'm at work. After I'm walking out of the building, my first thought is what's for dinner and then what will I be watching tonight on TV? A Netflix movie or watching Rescue Me . 

A typical day is as follows: The ride into work can sometimes take up to 45 minutes and during that time I map out my day in my head while listening to thumping rap music.  I get pumped.  I feel like I can do anything. I can get on that elliptical at the end of the day and do something good for myself.  But what actually happens is the caffeine buzz dimishes, I become focused on what needs to get done at work that day and by the time 5 o'clock rolls around, I just feel exhausted. I gave work the best part of me and there's nothing left for me.  Things need to change...

I realized that I'm not blogging anymore which is something I enjoy doing.  So my first baby step to regain some of that work vs. life balance.  In the time since my last post I've come across several interesting things that I wanted to write about.  For instance, the other day I was stopped at a red light and the man in the car next to me was trimming his ear hair.  Ewwwww.  I couldn't grab my phone fast enough to snap a photo, but moments like these are what I live to write about.

I figure I have a fighting chance to take back what's mine now that Lost, Fringe, Prison Break, House and American Idol are nearly done until the Fall season.

You Might Be A Redneck...

Apologies to Jeff Foxsworthy, but here goes: 

If you’re buying a pregnancy test while in the check out line at the Dollar Tree store, then you might be a redneck.

I’ve actually seen these pregnancy tests and wondered how accurate they could be?  False Positive?  I think so.  But really…do the results of a $1.00 pregnancy test even matter if you’re buying it at The Dollar Tree store? Seriously. Don’t buy such an important life-changing boxed test just because it’s at eye-level next to the AA batteries in the check out line.

I used to take my mom to the Dollar Tree store at least twice a month.  It was where she got the most bang for her buck.  She loved walking down the aisles and seeing all the stuff she could buy for only a dollar because the price point on nearly everything fell within the range of her monthly fixed income of $60.00.  She bought knickknacks and bags of house branded snacks.  I kept myself occupied during these excursions by hanging out in the candy aisle scoping out limited edition Skittles and Dark Chocolate bars that didn’t sell so well when they were originally introduced for mass market consumption.

The Dollar Tree store was where I found cute little “First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention” ribbons to give to my co-workers this past Christmas for recognition of their creative quotes throughout the year.  

The Dollar Tree also has a great paper goods section and I loved getting lost looking for really unique gift bags and funny greeting cards that were passed over years ago from American Greetings. The sentiments remained the same.

Since my mother passed away, going into the Dollar Tree store  feels really taboo to me.  I have gone into the Dollar Tree a few times and I swear I can feel the ghost of my mother. She haunts me in the aisles calling out my name and I smile sadly to myself when I see all the ugly little trinkets that she loved so much cluttering up the shelves of seasonal displays.  Quite simply, I shouldn’t be shopping at The Dollar Tree anymore.

And I’m pretty sure that if I suspect I might be pregnant, I’m splurging and buying the pregnancy from the local drugstore.  They just better have the CVS brand in stock or I’m off looking for fuzzy bunnies.