Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The First of the BIG Bithday Zone Prep

It was a busy day. Grocery shopping, etc and other errands. Then once that was all done, we had some preparations to work on for Dad's birthday. I made my first Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Well what do you think? It seems kind of cute looking.LOL. And I have never done an upside down cake at all, of any kind. I just hope it tastes good, as Dad has been talking about one for a long time now!

Sandy made my Dad homemade potato salad. He wanted my Mom's homemade chicken fried rice, but that takes my Mom hours and she works until after 5pm, so we are probably going to the Polish place that is now our favorite spot to eat. Mmmm perogies! If only HIS birthday had fallen on a weekend! I got him the latest Season of 24, and I know we got him a bunch of power tools he wanted and pre-ordered NCIS. I'm not sure what the girls got him, but I think he is going to be very happy!

Now I have no idea what we are doing besides eating and birthday presents. Sadly there are no other guy movies out. Transformers is MY birthday movie. I called it the minute it was announced as being out this summer near my birthday, and we saw the first on my birthday. And I am not sure Dad will pick The Proposal (he'd say it is a girl movie). Ice Age gets out the day after his birthday and we have always had the option of our "birthday" movie being a different day. Heck Sandy's is going to be 9 days after her birthday...Harry Potter!LOL! I just want him to have a great birthday.

They should STILL sing this song to you when your birthday is near at church!

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Oh It's a Good Day....

Well I did it, I got through church and even decided even though it made me a nervous wreck, I want to go at least once a month. That way if I get used to that, then it can turn into every other week, and so on. It could take awhile, I am not quick at changing things, but I feel it is right for me. My Dad's talk was really good, it is funny though, he used our Florida experience (click here) as his basis for his talk on revelation/inspiration, but he sure does remember things differently. When he mentioned Wendy would stay if we chose to and be okay...I was like yeah I would have stayed, but I told them I would not finish school and I'd be an ex-Mormon. Church felt so wrong there, so not what it has always felt like, even when I stayed over a friend and had to go to their ward, church still felt like church. Not in Florida though. Something was...off about it. So I got to see Naomi again and I hugged her as she leaves at 6am Monday and went home. I'd been home 5 minutes when I got a text from her, saying I didn'y say goodbye and I had to go over and see her tonight. I was like, Uhmm nooo tonight is your family BBQ, silly girl. And she said Mom said to remind you that you guys are family. So I was like, is your mom sure? I don't want to show up and it be weird. She texted back Mom says you are family and are always invited. Awwww. It was at 3 though and Mom wasn't sure because she wanted a nap, and I laid down after I said I would be there, and slept til 3:30, I couldn't believe it! I wanted more sleep, but I was going. Mom decided she'd go for awhile and since she said yes, Dad said he'd go for awhile...Sam said she oesn't go out in the daylight, LOL.

So we went and Mom was in German potato salad heaven. And Dad loves brotwurst and sauerkraut...I am such a BAD German, I don't like any of that and the steak was so bloody that basically I ate a LOAD of potato chips. After awhile Naomi and I went off alone and really talked. I mean really, really talked. She is going through some huge things back home, things she is not looking forward to confronting, and we talked about it. She was so truthful, she was just the old Naomi I have known all my life. There were no walls up or anything, she just spilled her guts and I listened and gave my opinion. She did create the situation she is in, she admits it, but she is one of my BFF's, and I will always have her back. And she is in pain, and I don't want her being jerked around and being hurt continuously. I think she should leave Idaho and move back home. She has no support system out there. Her only friend is moving to Boise. She has no family she can turn to there, and church out there has made her so uncomfortable, she is doubting her faith, and she has always had such strong faith, she served a mission in Brazil, etc. And she went to church today and she said it was fine. It felt like church, which I think says a lot. I think here, where she has her parents, her baby sister, her big bro in New Hampshire and tons of friends and church where she feels right, is where she needs to be right now. And she said it felt so good to be here this last week. Selfishly, I want her home because I miss my friend, but what is going on out there, sounds unhealthy for her.

Anyway, my parents left and I said I would be home real soon too. I wasn't sure I should leave Nao just yet, if we were done or if she needed me still. Plus I love the whole family, so I was having a good time, laughing at stories ans stuff. Aunt Debbie and Uncle Dave left and then Weezie, Zak and his brother. So it was Judy, George, Naomi, Matt and his wife and three kids, plus the sister missionaries. And there was going to be a fire and S'mores...I haven't had a s'more in more than 3 years, and I haven't had a REAL one, with marshmallows over a fire in like 12 years!! So I ended up taking a bunch of pictures. It was so fun. Judy bought these ginourmous marshmallows that the kids toasted and it took 2 entire graham crackers and almost a whole bar of chocolate to make a s'more with them! Then naturally it being Matt, he started throwing firework in the fire and George set up a whole bunch to go off at the bird feeder....no birds inside thank goodness!! I ate three s'mores...oh my gosh I was SO bad!! I am a Diabetic and the surgery makes it hard to handle sugar, but they were amazing...well the first was ehhh. I had forgotten HOW to roast a marshmallow, how SAD is that. It was like black so I figured it was all cooked and gooey. WRONG. The other two were sheer bliss. And I felt fine...until I said goodbyes and was driving home at 8:30pm. Then I felt icky but I was okay. I have decided, 3 years for 3 s'mores....yup I am justifying it like that I am, I am!LOL! It was a good day! I haven't had many lately so I am UPBEAT right now! I did get a little depressed tonight, my Mom said it is to be expected when you talk at great length about a bad/sad situation, but it was basically a great day and I am so happy I got to spend more time with my friends, the whole family (well sure Seth lives with his wife in Cambodia, Alex is in North Dakota and Milla is in Utah, but half the H clan was there!), I love them so much!

Check out this marshmallow Matt has, and it isn't even half cooked so it gets bigger!!

This is what the GIANT S'more looks like, No is going to be in sugar high land all night!!

Abs also made one with a giant PINK marshmallow...yeah she is crazy!!LOL!

And Luce was not to be outdone, she also made a huge one, but she shared...with Gamma and her clothes!! Isn't she adorable?!!!

This is the fireworks house...so lucky it didn't catch on fire!!

And this is Naomi with her niece, she loves this pic, I have to send it to her!!

Night all!! I am tired!Oh wait here is a pic of the floor. I know how exciting!!post signature


Saturday, June 27, 2009

Quick Hi before Ambien

Ran around on errands today, GUESS WHAT? The floor is ALL down!! Sure i t now needs the molding put up and epoxy in some places, but it is all down and it looks amazing!! I will upload a pic tommorrow. I am writing up a quick post for tonight because I HAVE to go to church tommorrow. It doesn't matter how much social anxiety I am having, my Dad is giving a talk and I am going to be there. I want to be going every week, but it causes such anxiety, and that is so weird because I miss the people! And it isn't even the people or the claustraphobic thing lately, it is like my brain has become programmed to find church frightening. I hate it, I don't like people thinking I am mostly inactive! If it didn't cause me so much anxiety I WOULD be there every week. I miss my peeps. Some are really understanding and get depression, etc...but some are so snide and act like I am not going because I don't want to and am not a good Mormon. So it is hard. I am very slowly trying to build up my attendance. At the worst point in my Social Anxiety, it was NEVER going, not even to fun functions on other days. I don't know, you guys probably won't understand either. It is hard to explain, so to understand must be harder. I love my church and miss my brothers and sisters. Church, as a whole, just scares me right now. Arrghh forget it.

Went to Target, bought some birthday cards and got my Dad's present. Sam, I have no ideas for yet. She is hard to shop for!! You are Sam! I know you are gonna read this! Bought Icee's back home for the floor installers. Returned DVD's, got Dunkin Doughnuts. Went and got pizza for dinner. Moved the kitched table back into the kitch for my Mom, she misses it too much, the kitchen can still be painted around it. And the molding added. Picked up all the trash and sorted the living room which is still holding half our kitchen as best I could...you can walk through it now! LOL!

Gotta go take my Ambien now. It works good but could still take a couple of hours to work, especially since I slept in LATE today. I hope the power of Ambien can still win out!!Night all!!post signature

Bowling and Italian

*my feet...bowling shoes suck!

I had a really fun night tonight. Sandy and I met up with Naomi, Weezie and Zak. We decided to go to Bertucci's, as Naomi's visit has been ALL about only eating at places that are NOT in Idaho. LOL. I am hoping if things don't work out in Idaho, that she will decide to move back home. She has loads of friends here and family. I miss her so it would make me happy!LOL! So Sam and I shared Chicken Parm, but I didn't like it that much. I prefer the kind Sandy makes at home. See her favorite meal there is the Balsamic chicken, but I don't like balsamic sauce, too sweet and I hate sweet meat. My favorite meal is the Pollo Sanremo, and Sandy hates lemon sauce of any kind. So we compromised. We knew neither of us could finish a whole meal by ourselves and as we were going out after dinner, we shared. So now I know though, Wendy is not a fan of Bertucci's Chicken Parmesan. Nobody ate that much of their meal, so I still wonder why we ate first!LOL. Zak was hungry but he didn't eat that much either, so it was funny!

We decided to go duck-pin bowling, which made me and Sam happy. We are not the best at duck-pin, we just like it, but REAL bowling? I have no idea how you even release the ball correctly when you have to put your fingers in the holes. And as I did sucky tonight, it was a good thing we weren't trying something new. My best score was a 59 people, Yeah I had 0's in there, yeah I did. I probably would have chillaxed a little, but Zak (yeah and you know it Zak!) was egging me on. I just can't get the ball to go where I AIM!! Weezie is normally really good but I think the baby is throwing her balance off a bit, so when little Rexxy is born, I will have to get her to give me some pointers, because I sucked SO bad!! But I had a good time hanging with my friends and my sister, who is one of my closest friends, so I had a really good time. The first game we played we did regular. But the second game after about 4 frames, we only had 25 minutes until closing, so we did "Speed: bowling. As soon s as you throw the ball, you run back for another and then another, until your 3 turns are done. It was quite comical at times! Weezie, I don't know HOW, did amazing, she kept on only having to bowl twice because she would hit the pins all down. It was so cool! It was after 11 when we got back to their parents house and said our goodnights. I wish we could have hung out more. Naomi leaves Monday morning, so except for seeing her at church on Sunday, this was it!! And a lot has been going on...in her life at least and I would have loved to just sit on the couches and talk. I wish we could have sat and talked more about Rexxy too. It just wasn't enough time! Agghh!! So I need to get my act together and make plans with Weezie and Zak more, and this would be why I wish Nao would move home too! I miss my friends!

Sandy and I stopped at McD's and got sundaes on our way home. I was so hot after "speed" bowling. And then I was thirsty so we stopped at Food Bag and got a water.

Then we went home and I am now on the semi-recovered laptop. My Dad nuked it, but then it's gigs were all used up, I found out my itunes music went to 2 places on my C drive so now I have 30 gb free, and he will add all my programs, so half done! And (knock on wood) so far my dvd/cd drive is working!! Yay!! Here are some pics from tonight. I don't have my Paint Shop Pro yet so I can't fix red-eye!! Sad! Here this is Naomi showing you what "speed" bowling IS:




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Friday, June 26, 2009

Flashback Movies 3

Who doesn't like taking a glimpse backwards into some of the movies we loved long ago, for some of us, like me, still love. So I have another group of trailers from movies from our past, the 80's or early 90's, for you to gaze upon. You may laugh that you actually used to love that movie, or cry because dang it all, you want to see that movie right now, thanks to me, but whatever the case: ENJOY!


Solarbabies (SEE who YOU recognize, there are lots! Then share who you recognize!)



Back to the Beach (Hey I ♥ Frankie and Annette!)


Russkies (and yeah that IS Joaquin Phoenix when he called himself Lief)


Some Kind of Wonderful (I love when he picks the RIGHT girl!)


Stripes (all time fave because of my Dad playing it all the time. We are a Bill Murray family...well his earlier work)

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Nuking Vlogs

Aaaghhh my Dad says he is going to nike my computer in the morning so this is the last post from my laptop for a day or two....*sobbing*! I don't know what I will do without it! There are other computers in the house but this is a laptop and I use it in front of the TV at night! Maybe if I beg, Sam will let me use hers for a few hours!

See I have been having trouble since about 5 months after Sandy and I got our "twin" computers. My Dell has a cd/dvd burner and player, only I can no longer play cd's or watch dvd's and I can't burn either of them either, which has made backing up the laptop REAL interesting the last year and a half...yeah Dad has been promising to fix it for a WHILE. But it was 2 months ago he told me, my laptop was TOP priority....then more time went by and he ASSURED me a month ago, it was being done ASAP...yeah well if I talk to you from MY laptop tommorrow I will not be shocked. I am not holding my breath that it really will be done tommorrow, too many times you get disappointed and so I'd rather not get my hopes up. It is just driving me crazy that I paid for the burner and it has been down SO long. And it isn't the actual burner, because Sandy's works, so we placed hers in mine and it acted all crappy, so it is not the actual burner, it is something in my laptop's programming. I have everything now backed up onto an external hard drive, although I am freaked out how I will put itunes back on and if all my music will transfer, I am so scared songs will disappear and some of these I no longer have or can get to!! PLEASE let my laptop and ALL my components live ON!!

Okay and here is my Vlogemotions post for the week also. The second video is what I was going to do but gave up because it was so boring, but I decided ehhh why not post both? So there you go!




P.S. Did you guys SEE this SYTYCD performance? Awe-isnspiring!!

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Dissed TV Part ONE

PLEASE bear with me and read the whole thing, I think I did really GOOD!! And I think it is NOT boring so go on READ ME!!

You know, you would think, as much TV as I inhale per week, that the tv executives would get, hey Wendy knows which shows are good and worth watching. She is SO loyal, we should really listen to viewers like HER! Do they? No they like to slap me in the face and take away SO many shows that I fall in love with. I am dead serious, if I love a show, I have to tread very VERY lightly, or it will get cancelled!

DO I have proof? Hmmmm, let me think...oh just like 40 shows at least!! They are usually either pulled off after like 8 epsiodes, or they give me a few seasons, only to yank it after a HUGE cliffhanger!! And so I will discuss with you these treasures that died too soon of deaths. I mentioned I am a TV lover so I thought, why not discuss the shows that were put down before their time!

Today we will discuss the first ones that popped into my head. Today we will discuss 10 and then so on...and these 45 are just the ones I can find/remember right now! LOL! We will discuss what their premise was, who starred in them of note, how they ended, things like that. Many of these are so far lost forever, not on dvd (yeah they put ALF on dvd but not some of these true treasures), but some are on dvd, I own them probably and are so good, so go and watch them!!

Okay todays will be Tru Calling, Miracles, Jericho, Wolf Lake, Veritas:The Quest, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, Point Pleasant, Glory Days and Pushing Daisies.

The Second post will discuss Freaky Links, Thieves, Reunion, Roswell, Veronica Mars, Joan of Arcadia, Pasadena, Traveler, The Ex-List and The Pretender.

The third post will discuss Men In Trees, Dark Angel, Miss Match, Cupid, Nightstalker (new one), Stand Off, John Doe, Vanished, Close to Home and Jake 2.0.

The fourth post will discuss Dirty Sexy Money, Kyle XY, Moonlight, Popular, Women's Murder Club, Birds of Prey, Bionic Woman, Medical Investigation, The Evidence, Threshold and Haunted.

This way when I am about to say what I am going to say, you don't have to include the ones I WILL talk about, SO if you have any to add, ones you thought were good, some even though they were so lame I knew they'd be cancelled *cough* journeyman *cough*, you can add them to the list of dissed shows.


1)Tru Calling - Eliza Dushku played Tru, a medical student working at a morgue, who begins being asked by the dead, for help. As soon as they ask, she goes back in time, waking to the beginning of that day. So she has until the time the deceased died to try and fix their murder/death/suicide. And the supporting cast was stellar! And it was getting really good, Jason Priestley came aboard as her polar opposite. He did the same thing, but his mission was to do everything he could to STOP Tru and keep these people dead. And we find out Tru's mom was just like her and her Dad is like Jason, which she does not know....and like that they pulled it, no resolution of ANY kind. This show was SO good, it was getting more and more interesting, they were giving Tru more problems as the series went along, more secrets. ON dvd.


2)Miracles - Skeet Ulrich and Angus Macfadyen played investigators, part of a group called Sodalitas Quaerito, that investigates miracles, trying to determine their authenticity. Skeet plays Paul, who did this work for the Vatican, as he was almost a priest, but gave it up when he found they were not interested in confirming any miracles. SO, after witnessing a miracle where his own blood formed the sentence "God is Now Here", he goes to work for Angus and an ex-cop, who lives with a bullet in the center of her brain. They are almost like detectives, and the cases they worked on were so cool, one inspired by a circus fire HERE in CT. Over their investigating Paul also sees "God in NoWhere" and they find 11 other people who witnessed miracles who have seen one or the other. But Paul is the only one to have seen BOTH. It had really good ratings but due to being pre-empted weeks at a time, it was pulled before all of it's epsiodes aired. ON dvd.


3)Jericho - Also starring Skeet Ulrich as Jake Green, the most pivotal character in the series. He hadn't been home in 5 years and returns and that is when the residents of the Kansas town Jericho, see the nuclear bomb attacks. Unwillingly at first, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, most remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins, knows more about the attacks than anyone could imagine. They yanked the series but there was such an outcry, and TONS of peanuts sent to CBS (pivotal final line of Season 1), that they brought it back...only to give a 8 episode final season, where too much info was crammed into these episodes. And we are left hanging as to what happens to the citizens of Jericho. The cast also included Gerald McRaney and Ashley Scott. For being a show about a post-nuclear US, it wasn't depressing, it was uplifting, showing what one small town could do if they worked together. ON dvd.


4)Wolf Lake - Seattle policeman John Kanin, Lou Diamond Philips, proposes to his girlfriend and she accepts. However, as she gets into her car, she is attacked and all Kanin finds is a severed hand. He travels to her hometown of Wolf Lake to find some answers. However, his experiences there raise even more questions. What John doesn't know is that some of the inhabitants of Wolf Lake are actually werewolves, including Kanin's girlfriend Ruby. You see these werewolves have rules, such as who marries whom, etc, and Ruby stepped out of line and is a prisoner in Wolf Lake...and one wolf is making a play to be head on the pack! Others in town know the secret and keep it, but try to help Kanin in their own "ways". This cast was amazing! You had Graham Greene, Tim Matheson, Sharon Laurence, Scott Bairstow and many more well known actors. And boy did they leave it cliff hanger style. Ruby was caught in a trap in wolf form and without knowing this, the new pack leader sends out a kill or cature order! NOT on dvd.


5)Veritas:The Quest - This was also cancelled as a result of pre-emption....grrr. It followed teenager, Nikko Zond, discovering that his father, Solomon's, profession is much more mystical and adventurous than he thought. Solomon and his team dubbed "Veritas" search for the answers to some of the world's mysteries, a quest began because of the mysterious disappearance of Nikko's mother during an archaeological dig. This begins Nikko's fantastical journey into an adventure with his father and Veritas, in trying to follow his mother's footsteps to discover what strange secrets she was uncovering. In the final episode, Nikko suffered from hallucinations that lead him to find a fragment of an artifact called the "Ring of Truth". Before the episode ends, he has another hallucination that reveals that the fragment of the "Ring" also joins together with another fragment that his father had acquired earlier in the series. The episode ends with Nikko displaying telekinetic powers: when he reaches for his soda, it slides across the table into his hand. Agghh and that was how it was left! It starred Alex Carter, Arnold Vosloo (the Mummy from the 2 Mummy movies), Ryan Merriman and Eric Balfour. It had such promise! NOT on dvd.


6)Wonderfalls - The show is centered around Jaye, a recent Brown graduate who works at a gift shop selling Nigara Falls merchandise. She lives in a trailer and avoids her family, which includes Lee Pace!! Despite being extremely caustic and a deliberate underachiever, Jaye's life takes an odd turn when various muses, in the form of animals (like stuffed and plastic, etc), begin talking to her and delivering cryptic instructions. At first uncooperative, Jaye breaks down after they inflict on her various forms of passive coercion, such as keeping her awake all night by singing, and harassing her with their messages when she is around others, forcing her to accede in order to avoid appearing crazy! Attempts to ignore or go against the messages often result in unexpected misfortunes. As the series progresses, Jaye becomes more willing to follow the inanimate object's instructions, although she fights them when they make her do things she doesn't like. Through the course of the series, Jaye undergoes a subtle, yet discernible personality shift, as the good deeds she unwillingly performs begins to affect the way she perceives the world around her. Acceptable end. This was from the guys that brought us Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies, it is charming and pure fun! Also starred William Sadler and Caroline Dhavernas. ON dvd.


7)Dead Like Me - 18-year-old George Lass (Ellen Muth) dies when a toilet seat from the MIR space station falls from the sky and hits her. You'd think she was done now. But she is informed that she is now a reaper. The main reaper is Rube (Mandy Patinkin), then there is Roxy (Jasmine Guy), Mason (Callum Blue), and Daisy (Laura Harris). We also see the way George's family tries to deal with her death. Rube and his little merry band of reapers are in charge of, well, the really messy murders and deaths. But their job is to pop the soul JUST before the person dies so they feel no pain. Then they watch as that person moves on, and the reapers habve no idea when their time to go into the light will be. Rube has been around for more than 100 years! Now that she has a new "life", George tries to deal with her new "job" and the fact that she is dead, which does not sit well. And that fact that even being dead, reapers need money, etc to live, means George has to put more effort in her after-life, than she did in her real life. It doesn't really have an ending but the way it stopped, was acceptable. But I miss it more than you could believe! ON dvd!


8)Point Pleasant - "Something wicked this way comes to Point Pleasant, a usually quiet New Jersey beach town, when a sudden, violent storm washes in more than the tide." Lifeguard Jesse sees a beautiful girl, Christina floating in the ocean, he saved her life. But by doing this, it "heralds the beginning of a battle between good and evil." The Kramer family takes her in, when their daugher Judy, takes a shine to Christina, even though they are still mourning the death of their other daughter. Christina's presence affects different people in town, in different ways. A man (Grant Show), with ties to Christina’s father, moves into town and begins to insinuate himself into Christina’s new life. Christina searches for info on the mother she never knew, but begins having to suppress an evil inside of her. It seems her father is not her real father. She is the daughter of the Devil, and the battle for her soul has jsut begun. And everyone in this town seems to have secrets, some don't even know it. This series was full of people we now know much better: Aubrey Dollar, Sam Page, Elisabeth Harnois, Susan Walters and about 15 more. It was just getting really good when it stopped dead in it's tracks! Judy and Christina have Boyd tied up, answering questions, admitting Christina's mother is alive, but they have no idea where she is, he claims Christina will kill this family she loves, and as she gets angry Boyd's belt cuts off his circulation. Judy stops her from killing him, but then Boyd is free and he says Christina can only save one. SHe chooses Judy and later finds the priest who is helping her dead. Agghhh! ON dvd.
9)Glory Days - Seven years ago, Mike Dolan (Eddie Cahill) wrote a novel, with characters he decided to base on people from his home town of Lake Glory. Without their permission. The novel was a huge success; it made the bestseller list and was even turned into a movie. When Mike gets an extreme case of writer's block, he decides to return to Lake Glory, where he runs into the angry townspeople he left behind. He decides to stay to try and mend fences, and solve the odd and unpleasant occurrences that begin happening. Murders, possessions, abductions, everything starts happening, and Mike starts working with his ex BFF and ex GF to try and save their hometown. It also starred Poppy Montgomery and Emily VanCamp. The show just ended with an episode about a killer clown. And Glory Days was gone. It was so fun and filled with mystery, so it was such a shame! NOT on dvd.


10)Pushing Daisies - Ughh I know many of you feel this pain as it just happened this season. This show was beautiful in every way and SO cool, I think the exec's are MORONS for taking it away from us! I KNOW Julie will agree with me! This romantic comedy showed us the fairy tale like world of Ned, a man who can bring dead people back to life through the power of his touch. The same touch he must use to 'kill' them after no more than a minute or another person will die in their place. With the help of Emerson, a local PI, Ned uses his ability to solve murder cases and cash in on any rewards. But things get complicated when a murder victim turns out to be Ned's long lost childhood crush, Chuck, and he decides to break the rules and let her live. Oh...but they can never touch, so man, that makes this relationship, a difficult one! Starring Lee Pace, Kristen Chenoweth and Chi McBride, and an entire cast full of colorful, oddball characters you love! While we will get to see a mid-season cliffhanger when what there WAS of the 2nd season is on dvd, we will always be left wondering if Chuck and Ned ever found a way to be together, and if Emerson ever finds his daughter, and so many other wonderful mysteries!!

How was part one? I did most of the descriptions myself, but I did get some help for some of their "stories". Hope you are looking forward to 10 more in the next installment!! There will be 3 more.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Just Let Them Solicit!!



We ate at Bertucci's (an Italian franchise out here at least) tonight, as an added bonus for Father's Day, and as we sat there eating our rolls, a very quiet man walked by, placed something on the edge of our table and kept on going, placing these whatevers on more tables. I picked it up with my Dad and it read "I am Deaf. I sell these pins (American Flag) for $3. This is how I earn my money to live on. Thank You." Yeah I know there ARE people who will lie and what not to get money, but these were hand typed cards, they looked like they had been made with care. So we bought the one he had placed on our table and he signed Thank You to my Dad. I DO know thank you. And moments later, I saw the manager force him to leave. I get it. No soliciting, but this is not the same king of solicitation that I always felt those rules were for. This poor elderly man, is handicapped and this is the way he makes his money. Selling a pin of our Country's flag!

The manager didn't rudely push him out, but he pointed to the door and the man left. And it just upset me so much. Maybe I am too soft. Maybe that will get me taken advantage of, but I feel this man was trying to make a living. And he just needs some help. I don't believe anyone else in the restaurant bought a pin, it was just $3 people! My Dad gave it to me, I think because I was so upset when Dad started mentioning solicitation, and I couldn't get this man out of my head. There is a difference between someone trying to sell you a car or new stove, and someone looking to make some change, not by asking for donations, but by asking you to buy a tiny object that will help them LIVE. I just found it totally upsetting.There IS a difference. LET them solicit if their lives depend on it! He didn't har rass anyone. He gently placed these cards with the pins stuck to them on tables and waited to see if anyone was interested. And we were. How can you not help a fellow human being, down on their luck, but TRYING to make a life for themselves. Some people just expect handouts, but this gentle man wasn't asking for handouts, he was asking you to pay a tiny fee for a tiny item, to help him pay for his living expenses.

I'd rather take the No Soliciting sign down and say NO to traveling salesman and drive them out, than to miss helping a fellow human being who might be that one "solicitor" who could really use our help. Maybe that will make me a beacon for getting bamboozled, but it just bothered me so much.

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Sunday, June 21, 2009

I Swear

So it was a good Dad's day. It was pouring...again. It has been pouring rain everyday for over 2 1/2 weeks!! It is towards the end of JUNE, not May!! Where is the sunshine?! My Dad loved the GPS (lol) and cards and video I made him. The girls went out in the rain and BBQ'd for him, though we are taking him to Bertucci's tommorrow too. It was just all too crowded today. And Dad picked The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, to watch. I don't care what critics say, I like that movie, which is why I own it! It is a fun fantasy movie and I would so go and see a sequel...even though it sounds like that will never happen. Critics don't know what they are talking about. They love weird or depressing crap, and then the movies that real people LOVE, they give horrid reviews and people actually listen to them!! When you listen to someone who has cut down Transformers and Sleepy Hollow or Mr & Mrs Smith, but raves about The Departed and Reservation Road? I am sorry, but that is insanity!!

I fell asleep again though! Aghhh! This overwhelming....oohhh sleepy is so nice feeling comes over me and I was in and out. Then the last 5 minutes BEFORE the movie is over, I wake up and am fine! What the heck is going on?! I watched Transformers last night to prepare myself (like I needed it, I love that movie!) for the sequel and was fine!! It is so weird! Now there is 9 days until Dad's Birthday, 12 until my oarents Anniversary, 13 until my Birthday and 17 until Sam's birthday.

It is Sunday so I am doing a short and sweet post. Here is a video though, hope you all had a GREAT day!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Today is Father's Day and my poor Dad is working. He had to leave at 7pm on Saturday and we have no idea when he will be home on Sunday. On Father's Day!! Hopefully he will be home and rested enough to enjoy the BBQ he wants. I went out and picked up turkey burgers and dogs, chicken, potato salad, watermelon and a Boston Creme Pie! And it is alright that I tell you what we got him...as he picked it out, bought it and told us it was what we were giving him and wants to be payed back!LOL! We "got" him a GPS for his car, so when he has to go all over in CT, Mass and NY, he will hopefully NOT get lost anymore!! Yay!

My Dad is a funny man. He is a big kid and I love that about him. He loves to make jokes and embarass his kids. "Walk this way" and proceeds to walk like a duck in the middle of the grocery store! LOL! My Dad loves to make us laugh and relax, and he does what he can to make us forget out troubles and enjoy the moment we are in. He wants to be involved in his kids problems, and is generous to a fault sometimes. Sometimes he can give, either time or money or whatever, that he doesn't have enough left for himself. He is a great Dad. Anything in History you want or need to know, he can talk about in great detail for hours at a time. History is his passion! He is a great storyteller and yes I have heard many of the stories many, many times, but he is so happy to tell these stories that it is fun to listen to them again, especially when he adds more details. I know a lot about his days in the Air Force, and enjoy hearing about his youth, about his growing up with my grandparents, about him and Mom's history!! He is a good storyteller. My Dad just wants everyone happy. He understands the problems I have and he tries to help me where he can, and he encourages me to not give up. When I tell him I don't have the strength left to keep fighting, he has told me to let him fight for me for awhile.

My Dad and I have our troubles, we have opposing personalities, he says we are diagonals on the personality quadrant, it was at a seminar he took years ago. He says I am a Captain Kangaroo/Mr. Rogers while he is a ...I have no recollection of who his example was...yeah not up to date my Dad's examples, but I got the picture. We butt heads, but I know deep down that he loves me and would fight to the death for me. My Dad loves his family to death, and HAS done whatever he needs to to make his family safe and make us all happy. My Dad is a big bear hug who takes our dog Max out every morning for breakfast and a drive. The only person my Dad loves more than me and my sisters, is my Mom. As it should be. Although we have to fight with Maxie to see who gets the love. Kidding...sort of! LOL! (spoiled dog people) My Dad is a strong person who loves fiercely and protects what he loves. My Dad is a wonderful man, and I am glad that I was blessed to be in this family, because without these two people as my parents, I don't know where I'd be. SO Happy Father's Day and here is a video to my Dad. I know, sometimes it is hard for me to say, but I LOVE you. For eternity. (note: take out the proud to be your son part and think daughter, but this oldies song is perfect for my dad!)


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Saturday, June 20, 2009

On A wire


Guess what? HALF the kitchen floor is now done. Hallelujah, but with reservations. Still half to go and this includes where the fridge and stove go, and a closet and more pipes! Oy, I scared. I have been made an Ultra gopher for tommorrow. I will be hitting Old Navy (that's for me, gotta get b-day ideas), the grocery store, paint store, a restaurant for food and someplace maybe even for dessert. There could be more, I will have to see tommorrow! But I can't wait to get out of the house for awhile! Yay!

I am getting pissed for my sister Sam. She is looking for a job as a phlebotomist and people are turning her down because she doesn't have a year of experience...pray tell, how do you GET the experience if no one is willing to HIRE you?!! She was at the top of her class too! And Tunxis doesn't help with job placement, so it is really worrying her. She is thinking about going back to school to get another degree in something else, but THIS is what she loves!! She loves taking people's blood and enjoyed learning all about it! And Kat has been helping, by looking on the job sites but they all seem to want a year of experience! I don't understand how they can all want that when new Phlebotomists needs someone the GIVE them that year of experience!! I am so pissed for her, she wants to do this.

We watched Bird on a Wire tonight. I love that movie. It is from 1990 and stars Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, it is hilarious!! "Rick has been given a new identity by the FBI for helping convict a drug dealing FBI agent. Fifteen years later his former fiance recognises him. Rick's FBI 'minder' has been replaced by a corrupt agent who helps the drug dealing FBI agent and his accomplice locate him. There are many subsequent chase scenes as Rick and girlfriend revisit his former haunts." Goldie as the former fiance who assumed her fiance was dead is pissed off when she finds out the love of her life has been alive and well all this time! They fight and bicker and it is just pure enjoyment! This movie is the best and I am so happy I own it finally!! I even found a trailer for it, so you can see why you must see it if you haven't! Mel's role in this reminds me a lot of Riggs from the Lethal Weapon movies, he can kick butt but he is also hilarious and you want to hug him! Sorry haters, I will always love Mel Gibson. Yes I wish he was still happy with his wife, but if they have been separated that long, then it is his right to find love again! So no bashing me or Mel!! He has done some moronic things, but no one is perfect!!

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Friday, June 19, 2009

SLR Help!!

Well I am all ticked off. I thought there was an amazing sale on a SLR camera at Target but it turns out it may look like an SLR, but it is just a digital camera. And so I went hunting online for some amazing SLR deal and I will click on a site that claims it is an SLR but then it turns out they claim "to be as good as an SLR but without having to change lenses". Now that I like because I didn't know I'd have to buy all sorts of lenses. I am poor people! This Nikon P80 says it has 10.1megapixels, 18x optical wide-angle Zoom-Nikkor glass lens, image stabilization, etc. But I don't even get that crap and I took a photography class. I want to be able to take pictures of raindrops on a flower, and it be clear. I want to take photos of people that are crystal clear, photos where what I want to focus on is sharp, but the background is out of focus, pics at night that turn out right! But I don't have 500 to 2500 dollars for an SLR. When all of you in bloggy land said you got them, I had no idea that they cost that much. I have no idea if I should wait for "someday" or if this refurbished Nikon would be just as good. Help you SLR owners. I can't go much over 250 so an SLR doesn't seem to be an option and I need help deciding if I should just wait (years) or if any of you know a cheap but good SLR, or a camera in that price range that IS as good as an SLR. I am bummed. Here a a few photos off of Amazon of photos people took with this "almost" SLR:

Anyways...I watched the remake of Friday the 13th. Way too many naked scenes, I knew there would be, they are in the originals too, but man! It was ehhhh, okay-ish. The lighting is really low so you can't see too much of the gorey parts, which was fine with me. Basically it was Jason just updated I suppose. I didn't love it, probably don't need to see it again. And its ending was frustrating...was that real? Are the survivor(s) alive or not? Don't know.

So help people!! I need help!!

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