Sunday, December 30, 2007

Flawless Season for the New England Patriots


If you didn't see the game last night, you sure missed out! What a fantastic season for our home team, the Patriots. They broke several records with last night's game:
  • First 16-0 regular season in the history of the National Football League
  • Tom Brady set the record for touchdown passes in a season (50)
  • Randy Moss set the record for touchdown catches (23)
  • The Patriots set the season scoring record (589 points)
Hopefully, the Pats will continue on to the Super Bowl... We had a paired Red Sox/Patriots win in the 2004 season (World Series win for the Sox and Super Bowl win for the Pats); I am really hoping for another this year!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Happy Birthday, Mom!



Today is a very special day, my mom's birthday! She turned 39, I think, and doesn't look a day older, as you can see above!

Have a great day, Mom!!! I love you.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Radio City turns 75


Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Radio City Music Hall opening. It was originally envisioned by John D. Rockefeller as a Metropolitan Opera Hall in 1929, however, his plans were dashed by the failing economy. Instead, Rockefeller teamed with RCA and S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel to create a theater unlike any other in the world.

Since its opening, over 300 million people have visited Radio City. It has hosted over 700 movies in years past. Today, Radio City Music Hall is best known for it's Christmas Spectacular and the Rockettes.

Interested in learning more about this great piece of history? Visit the Radio City Music Hall website.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Now What?!

Christmas is over, can you believe it?! So what do we do now?

For me the answer is simple -- watch movies! Michael got me a Blu-ray player for Christmas. Woo hoo! I am so excited! I got my HDMI cable at the Apple Store (the best price around, $20) and will hook it up tonight. I also splurged and got Casino Royale and Planet Earth on Blu-ray with Friday delivery. I haven't told Michael yet... If the remembers to read our blog, he'll know in advance!

I've also set up my Peerflix account so that we get Blu-ray when available, so we're crossing our fingers for that. I typically find out about new DVD releases on Amazon.com. Today I also found a Google calendar that lists Netflix New Releases (see below) if you are a member...



We have Bourne Ultimatum and Pirates of the Caribbean (At World's End) to watch as upconverted movies, too...

Toodle-loo!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Almost Christmas [updated]

Wow! According to the Christmas Countdown, we are ticking down to a Merry Christmas!



Since we all have our Christmas shopping done already (ahem...), I thought I would share my artistry with you. Ok, well, it isn't really artistry and not really mine, but lets not worry about details.

A few weeks ago I mentioned the ElfYourself thing you can do with photos. I got another fun thing yesterday from someone at camp. Like ElfYourself, you get to insert faces into a greeting. This one, done by JibJab, lets you store faces and use them in a variety of greetings. Some are free, some have a fee. Since I am so mature, I loved the ones below.

We did one with my Father and John...



And one with my Mom and Brian...



Of course Mattie stars in each with us. I do have to say that Mike took special pleasure in the one with Mom and Brian because he throws a snowball at Mattie's head!

This may be the last post until after Christmas. If so, have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday!

More Kansas City Memories



I have finally gotten the pictures from our visit with Dad and John up for viewing. Nona, their papillion, is a doll. Enjoy!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Catching Up

We have been home for two days and feel like we are still catching up on stuff. Traveling and the holidays, I suppose.

Last night we watched Waitress. We didn't know what to expect, but we really ended up liking it. The synopsis:
The story of one woman trapped in a life from which she dreams of escape. Jenna’s (Russell) secret ambition is to save enough money from her waitressing job to leave her overbearing and controlling husband (Sisto). Jenna is a sharp, sassy woman with a gift for making unusual pies whose recipes are inspired by the trials, tribulations and circumstances of her life. An unwanted pregnancy changes the course of events giving her an unexpected confidence via letters to her unborn baby.

It was really touching. I highly recommend it.

We awoke this morning to 2" of fresh snow. 2 more inches are supposed to fall today. Yippee! Winter is really here.

I've included part of the photos from our Kansas City trip below. Thank God my mother is on top of things... Hopefully tomorrow I will have the photos up from my father's house. Have a happy day!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Home Again

Well, we are back home! After a great trip to KC, we have arrived in snowy New England.

But back to the fun stuff! We had a great time visiting my parents (all four of them) and my friend, Melissa (and her family). We ate lots of yummy food (and look it now) and had wonderful company. We celebrated Christmas with the families and really had a ton of fun. It was hard to come back home.

Our flight was empty -- 15 people including us! We got to the lot and the car had no snow on it, so I thought, "Oh, great! Cool!" Well, I was wrong. The tires were embedded in 3" of ice. It took 5 guys (who worked there and who ran over immediately, God bless them) to rock the car out of the crevice. It was a little hairy...

We got home to a bunch of snow. We have at least 24" where it is in the driveway and compacted. About 1/2" down was a sheet of ice that was about 1/4" thick. Then 2 feet of snow beneath. We (OK, mostly Mike) had to shovel out the back door, the barn (4 ft x 15 ft), the milk house, then the flat roof on the house. He also used the snow rake on part of the angled roof. Then we went to his parents' house and did their walk, garage doors, and top of the driveway. We were pooped.

Mattie was thrilled to see us and has been catching us up on news and random thoughts all night long (with never ending choruses of meows, of course). We read the many Christmas cards we received. After some catching up, I think I am ready for beddy bye. Whew!

More to come on Thursday :)

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Street View hits Boston

Google Maps has been working on its Street View enhancement for quite some time. This new way to look at maps allows you to virtually walk or drive down a street. Google had people out on the roads in Boston for the past year filming the streets as they are. You can turn 360 degrees and move forward and back along the roadway. The enhancements have been somewhat controversial, as mentioned in yesterday's Boston Globe:
But it drew howls of protests from privacy advocates when it was launched last May in San Francisco, where people complained about everything from photos of recognizable men entering adult bookstores to an image of a cat in a window.
Regarding the above comment, c'mon... People would see it on the street, so what's the difference? There are many things that are worse [in my mind] than walking into an adult bookstore. Alas, I digress...

We are more than 40 miles outside of Boston, so I naturally assumed we would not get to see our house in this cool new rollout. Au contraire, mon frere! Our part of Northborough was in the coverage area! Our section of street was not driven (though all the streets around us are, which is strange) but you can see our house from the exit ramp off I-290 if you face the right way.

The image I've included below shows what you see on Google Maps; click the View Larger Map link to see more on their site. The streets outlined in blue have street view coverage. You can look at the street view by clicking the button of that name in the upper right corner of the page. To move around the map, click on the arrows on the road or just drag and drop the guy to a new location. To turn, either drag the image or use the curved arrows on the left. You can also look up into the sky by dragging the image.


View Larger Map


Cool, huh?!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

What I'm Reading (Nov - Dec)

Looking back over my posts, I realized it has been a long time since I have shared the books I am reading. The last 6-7 weeks have been a mixed bag of good ones and not-so-good ones, as you will see below. The next book on my list (not listed below) is Where Angels Go, by Debbie Macomber. I've been saving it for closer to Christmas as it seems appropriate.

Angels Fall, Nora Roberts. Reece Gillmore is a woman desperate to regain her self after witnessing a terrible incident. She makes a stop in Angels Fist, Wyoming and the events that follow change her life. The story is well written and kept me interested. Roberts' character development was great and the storyline was full of twists. I was so anxious by the end -- the last 50 pages -- that I read the last 3 pages because I couldn't take it anymore!
The Bone Garden, Tess Gerritsen. This book blends present day character Julia Hamill, with past day (1830s) character Rose Connolly. Julia begins exploring the past when she finds bones in the garden of her new home. The story goes back and forth between past and present to tell the tell of the bones. I did not like this as much as I have liked her other books.
Christmas Wishes, Debbie Macomber. A compilation of two stories, Christmas Letters and Rainy Day Kisses. Christmas letters features Katherine O'Connor, or KO, a woman who finds herself the perfect Christmas letter writer. She falls in love in an unlikely way. Rainy Day Kisses features the story of Susannah Simmons and Nate Townsend. It is a sweet tale.

Dark of the Moon, John Sandford. In this book, Virgil Flowers, usually a minor character to Lucas Davenport, is the main character. Flowers investigates a series of murders in Bluestem, Minnesota. The twists and turns kept me reading. I hope Sandford features Virgil Flowers again.

An Irish Country Doctor, Patrick Taylor. Barry Laverty is fresh out of medical school and looking for a job. He ends up in Ballybuckleboo working for Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, the local doctor. This is a heart warming book about people's uniqueness. I really liked it and am looking forward to Taylor's next two books, An Irish Country Christmas and An Irish Country Village.

Lethal Justice, Fern Michaels. Book 6 in Revenge of the Sisterhood series gives Alexis her chance to exact justice on her former employers. I am reading it now and enjoying it so far. As with the others in the series, it isn't believable, but it is fun.


Mine Till Midnight, Lisa Kleypas. In this 19th century romance, Cam Rohan, the gypsy manager of a gentleman's club takes on a whole new role. He meets Amelia Hathaway and her siblings who are adjusting to life in the country side. This lovely romance follows the Victorian series that Kleypas writes and was very good.
Pandora's Daughter, Iris Johansen. Johansen writes about the supernatural in this novel, where evil lurks around every corner. Megan Blair possesses powers she doesn't understand until she is forced to use them. While the story was interesting, this was not the best written effort of Johansen. It did improve in the second half, but not so much that it is worth recommending.
Shoot Him if He Runs, Stuart Woods. Stone Barrington and Holly Barker pair up in this novel to track down a rogue CIA agent in St. Marks. They eat, have sex, and stumble into solving a crime. It is a typical Barrington novel. I don't recommend it.


Stranger in My Arms, Lisa Kleypas. This is one of Kleypas' older books. Lady Hawksworth thinks her husband, Lord Hunter, has died at sea. She is shocked when turns up, alive and well, and expects her to return to his bed. He must win her trust and reclaim their estate from ruin. I liked this one :)

A Vineyard Killing, Philip Craig. Number 14 in the series, J.W. Jackson searches for answers when real estate tycoon Paul Fox gets shot. J.W.'s jaunts around the island keep me reminiscing summer and the beauty of Martha's Vineyard. I'll miss Craig's books (he passed away in May), but look forward to the remaining three to be published.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The Weather Outside is Spiteful

Boy, little did I realize I would get to go ice skating this morning! We had a bit of freezing rain last night, and boy did it do a number. Mike sprinkled the driveway with rock salt during the storm. It looked fine when I went out to take the mail to the mailbox. Then I started sliding. It had to have been hilarious, me with me arms straight out, fear in my eyes, and squealing. Holy moly. The commute was slow for everyone, but we are safe and sound.

We had a lovely weekend of errands and miscellaneous stuff. Yesterday we saw the kids for a bit. They crack us up. We started tanning again so we'll be ready for the D.R...

And our New England Patriots won again last night. Their record is 13-0 now. They are amazing!

Have a happy day!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!



Last night was very productive for us. We put on our elf suits and decorated our Christmas tree... The tree is a little smaller than what we had last year (as my head elf has officially pronounced) because we wanted to make sure there would be plenty of distance between it and the new furniture. I suspect we'll be back to a big tree next year. If you look closely, you will see we have our first present under the tree already. I suppose it is more of a stocking stuffer :) Couldn't get him to put on an elf outfit, though!


I guess Mother Nature is trying to get in the spirit of Christmas, too. She seems to be dumping lots of snow on the Midwest today...

HO HO HO!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Two and a half weeks!

Well, we are down to the last few weeks before Christmas... Only 18 days left and counting -- woo hoo! (see here for a fun countdown website). While we are all busy making our lists and checking them twice, I thought I would mention a couple of fun diversions. ElfYourself lets you upload up to four photos that are used to create a flash video of dancing elves. For a fun example, check out the one of Connor and Fiona (done by one of Deirdre's friends). Unfortunately, I cannot figure out how to capture the video to put it here directly... ScroogeYourself lets you upload one photo for a flash video of Scroogy stuff. Both are free and hosted by OfficeMax.

TNS was kind enough to provide us with a PDF version of our article for those who are interested... It is 1.4 MB.

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Caliente Caribe, here we come!

Today I am basking in the joy of all of our upcoming travel. We'll be in Kansas City for early Christmas celebrations from next Thursday to the following Tuesday (the 13th to the 18th). We are looking forward to spending time with family and friends. We are counting down the days!


We had a super surprise this week for travel to warmer climates as well. We are off to Caliente Caribe (above) in the Dominican Republic from January 11-15. We will be writing a feature article for N Magazine (along with some photos), so it will be another way for us to share our trip with our friends and family (that's you!). We purchased our tickets last night. After I get a couple of small details squared away -- my passport expires January 19, just 4 days after our return -- my brain will be busy with tanning salon, packing, and other little details. It will be a short trip, but a wonderful getaway.

We're hoping for another trip over the winter months as well. Maybe to a ski resort, maybe to Florida... It is all up in the air for now.

Odds and Ends

A belated happy birthday to my cousin Elise and my stepfather John, both with birthdays yesterday.

Jott has a new Jott link to Google Calendar. If you haven't discovered Jott yet, it is really cool. It's a free service that lets you call an 800 number and speak a message to any contact or link. The service turns your voice into text and sends an SMS (cell phone) message to a contact, or does an action for your link. In the case of Google Calendar, I can Jott a calendar entry by voice, and the services interlink to create my calendar item. This will be really handy for recording reminders or doctors appointments so I don't forget. The bonus is you don't need your computer!

I added a Facebook link on the left -- I'm sure you've seen it (and I probably mentioned it!). We've been having fun doing silly things with Facebook.

We have an article in this issue of N Magazine featuring a story on the Ledges in Vermont. I'll try to get a PDF version to post here.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

More from the weekend...

Our weekend was such a hit, it really does deserve a second posting, so here goes!

I got my Christmas gifts from Melissa, and she must really love me! Chocolates and tea from L.A. Burdicks, mmm mmm! Last night I ate one of those cute little mice. He was a treat! I also tried the Melange du Chamonix tea she sent. It was nothing short of superb!

We also put our Christmas tree up this weekend. We have to hang lights and trim it, but that should be happening soon. Mattie has been in heaven sleeping underneath the tree.

I put together some of the photos from the Erskine Open House and from Connor and Fiona's birthday party. Enjoy!

Monday, December 3, 2007

First Snow

Last week sure was busy, but now I am back!

We had a great weekend full of social events. I think I need a weekend after our weekend :) Connor and Fiona had a fun birthday party yesterday with lots of their friends. I had forgotten how loud twenty 3 year olds can be! Deirdre did a great job putting everything together. On Saturday night she hosted the Holiday Soiree for the Wellesley Newcomer's Club. It was fancy. We also attended a friend's Open House that included a visit to the family farm (for cows, that is).

New England had its first snow storm last night. A little one, but a nice beginning to December. I think we got about an inch at our house. Only 5 more months of winter!

I'll try to have some photos for tomorrow... Toodle-loo!