Part of the beautiful table ensemble on Easter at Deidre's house was a floral arrangement. Its flowers helped us feel that Spring was in the air and the colors were happy. Deirdre offered it to as as we left since she was heading back to Florida.
We took it home and put it on our coffee table. It remained undisturbed in that location until the end of last week, when Mattie discovered them. Not only did he jump on the coffee table (a NO NO), he began snacking on our floral delight! Notice his mouth is open ready for a bite in the first photo below.
Mike pointed this out immediately. My reaction? Grab the camera and try to get the cat to look at it for the cute photo. Mike's reaction, "What are you doing?!" "Well, it is kind of cute. I'll make him get down after the photo..." You may be able to picture the frown that followed my response (hint: the frown was neither mine nor Mattie's).
Living here and reading the papers we see a variety of actors in town for filming of this movie or that (see our September 10, 2007 post). A local TV show, Chronicle, did a spot on Boston movie-making last night, calling the city "Hollywood East."
Independent film On Broadway stars Joey McIntyre (yes, from New Kids on the Block and Brookline -a Boston suburb- native). The movie is described as:
On Broadway tells the story of Jack O'Toole, a 30-something Boston everyman, who writes a play about his dead uncle as a way to reconnect with his hard-nosed dad. With no money and just his gut to guide him, Jack quits his job as a carpenter so that he can mount a production of his play on the only stage he can afford: in the back room of his neighborhood pub, on a little street called Broadway.
The Irish American film has received much local acclaim.
So what can we say? Come visit us in Boston, and maybe you'll see someone famous! If you can't make it here, maybe you can make it to one of the movies above.
Many of us, myself especially, have a particular fondness for the scene near the end of Mary Poppins with the family spending time together to fly a kite. What fun!
According to Wikipedia, kites were invented and popularized in China over 2800 years ago. Most Americans recall [from school] the famous kite flying experiment by Benjamin Franklin and his son in 1752 which involved putting a metal key on the hemp cord of a kite during a lightening storm (no way would Mom let that happen now). We benefit from his dangerous experiment by having everywhere we go wired for electricity. If you are interested in making a kite like Benjamin Franklin and his son made (without the key, of course), watch the video below.
HELEN MIRREN's on and off screen antics have seen her rewarded for her naturist tendencies.
The actress, whose credits include ELIZABETH I and GOSFORD PARK, has bared all in the hit movie CALENDER GIRLS and is also reportedly a fan of sunbathing in the buff at home, reports the Mirror.
The USA Naturist Society has presented the 62-year-old with its top showbiz personality for "promoting healthy nudity" accolade.
Nicky Hoffman, a member of the society, told the publication: "Nude is not lewd, it is beautiful. Helen is actually a naturist and goes nude sunbathing."
Other well-known names praised for their attitude towards naturism include KYRA SEDGEWICK who in the past has admitted sunbathing in the nude.
LOST star MATTHEW FOX rounded off the top three after it was revealed that he had been swimming naked in Hawaii.
Hollywood heartthrobs MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY and BRAD PITT also held spots among the top ten, for playing the bongos naked and hitting the beach naked, respectively.
Meanwhile, HELEN MIRREN recently came second in a poll conducted by FX TV to find the 'Queen of Nip and Tuck'.
The actress, who is rumoured to have had a subtle face lift, came second only to SHARON OSBOURNE.
At about 6:00 am Eastern time, the Red Sox began playing the season opener against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo, Japan. Right now, it is the bottom of the eighth inning with a score Red Sox 3 - A's 4. I am hopeful the Sox will pull ahead. We hoped to watch the recording tonight, but our DirecTV was out this morning so I could not tape it :( Hopefully NESN will have replay.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, a Japanese native, pitched the first 5 innings. That's him pitching, right. Photo credit is the Boston Globe.
I am dressed in Red Sox apparel and ready for the new season!
Update: Red Sox win Game 1 6-5 in the 10th inning. Woo hoo!
Though it is the day after Easter, we wish you a Happy Easter! Our day was spent with family and was very special. We attended the 9:00 am Mass, the egg hunt after, then had a lovely day at Deirdre's house. Easter dinner was superb and the family time was very nice.
Mike read through the bulletin as we ate our dinner last night, and found that it had all kinds of interesting information about Easter. We were both excited to share what we learned! Here goes:
Eggs The egg is a universal symbol of fertility and its rituals -- used to mark the coming of new life - date back to ancient Egypt and Persia. Christians adopted this familiar symbol as a sign of new life at Easter.
In Germany people dye eggs green (the color of new life) on Holy Thursday. Germans also hang dyed and decorated eggs on tree branches to celebrate the Easter season, like Christmas trees with ornaments.
The Greeks use red to decorate their eggs, symbolizing the blood of Jesus Christ. These are used to make Easter bread, given to friends and family on Easter Sunday.
In Bulgaria, people crack their brightly colored eggs during Easter as a sign of luck. The first egg is cracked on the wall of the church after the Easter Vigil. This is the first food to break the paschal fast.
Bunnies Easter Baskets are filled with chocolate bunnies. The rabbit has been a symbol of new life since before Christianity. Some say the ancients celebrated a festival every spring to worship the goddess Eastre, who took on the earthy guise of a rabbit. Perhaps Christians adopted some aspects of that festival, or perhaps the rabbit was, likethe egg, a universal symbol of fertility.
The American tradition of the chocolate Easter bunny comes from the Germans, who brought their custom of candy rabbits with them to the New World. (The first German candy rabbits were made of pastry and sugar, not chocolate.)
Australians have a problem with rabbits. They consider them pests because they destroy crops. So the Australians rely on the Easter Bilby to deliver their Easter eggs. The bilby is native to Australia and looks a little like a bunny. Photo credit and copyright for bilby here.
Now, I don't personally think the bilby looks a thing like a rabbit; it looks like a mouse that Mattie might deliver to our doorstep. But I'm glad the Australians have a symbol :)
I still want to post a little pole dancing video, but I haven't gotten one together yet. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this image. It cracked me up (I got it from a couple different people via email)
Funny how marshmallow shapes that go stale in 2 seconds are so closely related to Easter :)
I was searching the internet for something to write about the vernal equinox today. What I found was pretty scientific, and really lacked the level of fun I wanted. Thinking Boston.com might have something I could use, I headed there. What caught my eye had nothing to do with the first day of spring. It made me smile, though, and I figure that is good enough...
One of the famous swimming pigs at Exuma Cay in the Bahamas. This guy could not wait for the anchor to be tossed, so he swam out to meet the photographer.
Not only did I not know there was such a thing as swimming pigs, but who knew they would be cute?! Pretty neat.
This week is Act Happy Week! I assume that the name says it all; what more do we really need to know?!
To that end, here are some the things that make me happy:
a smile from Mike
puppies, kittens, and other baby animals; animals in general
rainbows
a kind word from a stranger
the feeling of helping someone
hearing a song by a favorite artist
spending time with family and friends
seeing new buds on flowers and trees in the Spring
the first snow in winter
looking at the world from a [ski] chair lift
coloring (yes, in a coloring book)
singing a song to Mattie when I think no one is listening
making other people smile
The list could go on and on. I am blessed to be happy and try to share my happiness every day (not just during act happy week) by smiling. Smiles to you all!
Newport was founded in 1639 by a group of settlers from Portsmouth, RI who had a political fallout. It became the most important port in Rhode Island, as well as the home to Jews fleeing Spain and Portugal (the second oldest Jewish congregation in the US is here, as well as the oldest synagogue in the Northern hemisphere). The city was also a thriving home for Quakers and for pirates. Unfortunately, it was also the center of New England slave trade. The diversity in the city's settlement helped shape a community that is still interesting (for more, see Wikipedia).
America's wealthy began building summer cottages in Newport around 1850. Amongst them were the Vanderbilts and the Astors. Cornelius Vanderbilts' cottage, the Breakers, is one of the most lavish of the cottages. His grandson, William, also built a cottage there called the Marble House. The Preservation Society of Newport County is very active in saving these historic sites; they manage 11 historic landmarks (7 are national historic landmarks) and make them open to the public for tours. The tours are well worth the cost of admission ($11 for one house, $31 for five houses). Touring at Christmas is particularly fun because the homes are decorated. We've visited most of the mansions -- some several times.
We had drinks at the Spiced Pear, located in The Chanler at Cliff Walk, during our recent visit. The view from the bar was amazing and the entrance to the cliff walk was right outside the seating area. The Inn offers luxurious rooms ranging from $275-$475/night midweek low season to $795-$1,295/night weekend high season. Needless to say, we have not stayed there.
Another site in Newport that we like is Captain Brett's Tribal and Celtic Tattoos. We got Celtic tattoos done there and will go back for any future "embellishments." The shop is very clean and Brett is a nice guy. He was excited to have been featured in Harley Davidson's 100 Year Anniversary book and has been a tattoo artist foor 27 years.
We'd love to check out Newport Blues Cafe on a future visit. Always thinking ahead...
Erin Go Bragh (English translation, Ireland Forever)! We hope everyone is wearing green today and having the luck of the Irish! I have on a cute green headband with feathers and shamrocks. Shocking, isn't it?!
St. Patrick's Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
Many cities have a St. Patrick's Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick's Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick's Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada's longest running St. Patrick's Day parade, which began in 1824.
Facts about Saint Patrick
St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick.
Facts about the Irish
34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That's almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
Some American towns have "Irish" names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.
The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as "the Emerald Isle."
The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.
The name "lephrechaun" has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word "leipreachan," which means "a kind of aqueous sprite." Or, it could be from "leath bhrogan," which means "shoemaker."
Facts about Clovers
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!
One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.
I had no idea what I was going to write today... I stopped by YouTube for some ideas and found this. I have to tell you, I laughed by butt off. It is so Mattie and Mike...
**If you are reading this via RSS, please be advised that embedded items, like the video above, are not included.
As you may have heard the Bush Administration said each and every one of us would now get a nice rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will all go to the Arabs, if we purchase a computer it will all go to India, if we purchase fruit and vegetables it will all go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatamala, if we purchase a good car it will all go to Japan, if we purchase useless crap it will all go to Taiwan and none of it will help us.
We need to keep that money here in America, so the only way to keep that money here at home is to buy prostitutes and beer, since those are the only businesses still left in the US.
When I read it to Mike, his immediate response was, "So, Eliot Spitzer is a true patriot?"
The Spitzer case makes me question -- not for the first time -- what has happened to this country. How can a public servant at the level of a state or federal legislator, governor, or president possibly think that their life is private? Especially after seeking private funds for their campaigns and personal endorsements for their office?
In the meantime, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, the law firm who employeed Spitzer and his wife for years, sent an inter-office memo to its staff yesterday. The topic? Appropriate dress, which does not include jeans, t-shirts, and headphones. Hmmm.... Good to know where the priorities of the firm are.
The time has come for Top Chef Season 4 on BravoTV! This season's show will take place in Chicago with Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Ted Allen serving as judges. As in the past, the prize is $100,000 seed money to start a new restaurant.
The 16 contestants come from across the country and from as far as New Zealand, but most seem to be from the FL, NY, or San Francisco area. Stephanie, originally for Stamford, CT is the only New Englander in the bunch.
Bravo has been kind enough to prepare a Sudoku game for us with the new chef's images...
The first show airs at 10 pm Eastern time tomorrow, March 12. Enjoy!
I treated myself to a bath last night. It has been a long time since I've done this and I didn't really think about how long it has been. Turns out, it is the first bath I have taken since we got Mattie in September 2006. I used my Sweet on You mineral bath soak by Yardley for an extra treat. It has brown sugar, oatmeal, and Epsom salt in it, so I thought it would be extra luxurious. I got my bath all ready, swished around the minerals, and got in.
Then a funny thing happened... Mattie came in with an interest unmatched by any cat we've had. Apparently he smelled the minerals and thought the bathtub was full of flavored kitty water. He hung over the edge of the bath tub, his little arms over the edge, and began scooping his paw into the water and licking off the yummy water. This became quite a game since the water was nearly out of his reach. Being the smart guy he is, any time I moved near him he wiped his paw on me so he didn't have to reach so far.
I found the whole thing hilarious. It is really hard to keep a straight face when you are naked in the bath tub with a cat 6" from you watching your every move. I thought he would jump in to rescue me when I dunked my head to get my hair wet. When I finished and began draining the tub, he was so upset to see his treat going down the drain that he jumped on the edge of the bathtub, then finally into the tub itself when it emptied out.
The little things in life really do make me smile :)
Go figure, the human body -- the one thing all of us have in common -- is causing a stir in the TV world again. On one end of the spectrum, the Parents Television Council is angry with NBC after the finale of the series Las Vegas included silhouettes of three bare women, and on the other end Lifetime’s self-esteem boosting How To Look Good Naked was the highest-rated unscripted series in that network’s history when it debuted last January. (Watch clips on Fancast.) To nudity expert Nicky Hoffman, spokesperson for The Naturist Society, a clothing-optional organization based in Oshkosh, WI, the fuss is much ado about nothing. “We do not believe non-sexual nudity is offensive,” she says of the NBC issue. “But I don’t want to see people getting undressed and having sex.” As for HTLGN, she says, “I have mixed emotions about it. Our premise is that everybody looks good naked. Why do you have to make people look good?”
So who in the eyes of Hoffman is getting it right? What shows have included nudity in a manner the Naturist Society approves as tasteful and promoting healthy, appropriate nakedness? Hoffman provided Fancast with relevant top 10 lists. But first her credentials. The 59-year-old Midwesterner has been a member of the Naturist Society since 1985, and before that, she says, “I used to come home from work and the first thing I’d do was take off my clothes.” Philosophically, she believes in “promoting nudity on appropriate public lands, like nude beaches and resorts.” But she makes it clear that “nude is not lewd.” What nude is, she says, is “beautiful.”
The Naturist Society, which publishes a guidebook of the 1000 best places to get naked, has 20,000+ card-carrying members. (Yes, we asked where they carry their cards if they aren’t wearing any clothes, and the answer is in tote bags, wrist wallets, and hats featuring Velcro pockets, all of which are sold in the Skinny Dipper Store). But “there are a lot more people who are naturists than we have members,” says Hoffman. “In a Roper poll done in 2006, 25 percent said they’ve gone skinny dipping or nude sunbathing in mixed company. That works out to about 55 million people. In 1983, it was only percent.”
Given that stat, you’d think everyone would know how to get naked. But apparently not -- at least judging by the popularity of the Carson Kressley-hosted series How To Look Good Naked. Clips of HTLGN have proven very popular on Fancast. That itself inspired a question that has yet to be addressed by Kressley on the series: What’s the best way to watch TV while naked?
“Lay on your bed,” says Hoffman. “That’s the most comfortable way to watch TV naked. But if you’re not in bed, sit on a towel. Whether you’re at someone else’s home or your own, always sit on a towel. That’s naturist 101. Then all you have to do is put your feet up and get comfy.”
What about watching TV online naked (an issue for Fancast users)? “The same rules apply,” says Hoffman. “Unless you’re in an office. Nudity in the workplace is inappropriate.” Even at the Naturist Society? That question elicits a laugh from Hoffman. “No, we wear clothes here. We have people come in for appointments.”
Hoffman says she’s a fan of Kressley, whom, she notes, has yet to doff his clothes. However, according to her, the Naturist Society includes “a number of members who are celebrities.” Such as? “They’ve requested privacy,” she says. Nonetheless, here is Naturist Society’s list of the top 10 celebrity nudists. It’s followed by their list of top 10 TV series that have also furthered the issue.
Top 10 Celebrites Who’ve Promoted Healthy Nudity:
1. Helen Mirren: “She’s actually a naturist and goes nude sunbathing.” 2. Kyra Sedgwick: “Years ago, she said she sunbathed nude.” 3. Matthew Fox: “He swims nude in Hawaii and calls himself a naturist.” 4. Alanis Morissette: “She did a video for a song in which she was nude and her hair was draped around her breasts. I heard she has no problem walking around the set naked.” 5. Lindsay Lohan: “There was a shock factor when she posed recently as Marilyn Monroe, but she promoted a beautiful body in an artful, non-sexual manner.” 6. Matthew McConaughey: “He played bongos nude at home. That puts him in our Hall of Fame. He’s a free spirit.” 7. Kevin Bacon: “From past performances, he doesn’t appear to have any problem with appearing nude.” 8. Kate Hudson: “Nudity was never a big thing in their home; she has a very healthy attitude toward the human body.” 9. Elle McPherson: “She’s originally from Australia, where nude beaches are common, and she has a healthy attitude about the nude body.” 10. Brad Pitt: “Years ago he was photographed sunbathing nude. Good for him, shame on the paparazzi.”
Top 10 TV Series That Have Promoted Healthy Nudity:
1. National Geographic: “A lot of people saw their first naked bodies thanks to these shows. They always do a good job of showing non-sexualized nudity.” 2. Taboo: “A National Geographic production, this show looks at taboo rituals and traditions and regularly shows people nude, but always educationally.” 3. NYPD Blue: “They’ve always show backsides. Maybe they’ve done it a little on the titillating side, but there’s nothing overt or offensive about a butt or a breast.” 4. Monk: “Last season, in a show they did a show featuring a murder on a nude beach, it came out that Monk’s phobias about nudity stemmed from his being born naked. Hilarious.” 5. Surreal Life: “Several seasons ago, they actually went to the Desert Shadows naturist resort in California. While none of the celebrities got naked, they did play a volleyball game against the nudists, and except for Tammy Faye Baker, the stars were okay with it.” 6. The Naked News: “It’s a Toronto-based news show in which the newscasters appear in the nude.” 7. The Simpsons: “Many episodes feature top-free and total nudity.” 8. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: “Jay often features clips borrowed from the Naturist Society, including on clip from the Eastern Naturist gathering featuring the world’s largest nude Frisbee toss.” 9. Malcolm In The Middle: “In a 2005 episode, Malcolm and his brother decide to attend the Burning Man festival in the desert, and there’s brief nudity.” 10. Chicago Hope: “They showed the breast of a young girl after reconstructive surgery. Nobody complained. Goes to show you that non-sexualized nudity can be in good taste.”
It's funny how easy it is to make me smile. I get an e-mail from a friend, and I am so happy to hear from them, out the smile comes. I guess it is partly due to the fact that we are separated by so many of our friends both geographically and by normal life. In both cases, we don't see them as much as we like.
I liken my e-mails with friends as the modern day passing of notes. In middle school we wrote rambling missives and folded them into origami to pass in the hall between classes. There is no folding now, but I still find myself passing virtual notes to my friends. Little one-liners and longer messages keep me in touch with their lives and I don't feel so far removed.
And so, the messages I receive make me smile. It makes me happy to be in touch with people that I care so much about. I want to be a part of their lives even when we don't see one another. Keep writing! I will, too, and hopefully we will all get to smile.
Above, Harry Connick Jr. talks about how Musicians' Village has evolved over the past two years (please note, I spent quite a while try to add controls that would let you play on your own. I couldn't figure it out, so you have to reload the page to restart the video.) We've been watching the smaller project on This Old House, which takes place in New Orleans. About half of the shows each week focus on the homeowner. The other half focus on Musicians' Village, located in New Orlean's Upper Ninth Ward.
The Village was lovingly "created" by Harry Connick, Jr and Branford Marsalis, both natives of New Orleans. About half of the 2,200 musicians in the city lost their homes after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is long known as the home to jazz, music, and culture. The Village will be a living tribute to that history.
Comprised of 72 homes the village will be the home to musicians of the past, present, and future. It is a joint effort with the New Orlean's Area Habitat for Humanity. Volunteers from across the country have spent countless hours working to build these homes. Young musicians who want to live in the village must dedicate somewhere around 350 hours (I can't remember the exact amount) of community service time building their home or helping with another in the village. Another part of the village will be the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. This facility will have a 150-seat concert hall and many rooms for musicians to practice and record their music. The image below comes from a great travel article in the New York Times. Mike is in New Orleans from today until Thursday. He'll probably be too busy to see Musicians' Village, but I am crossing my fingers!
Mike and I had a lovely weekend. It was so good that coming to work this morning is extra difficult. I could have just stayed home and kept having a good time. We met up in Newton Corner Friday night and headed into Cambridge for an errand. It was bitingly cold, but good to walk around Harvard Square. Afterwards, we headed into Boston and treated ourselves to dinner at Silvertone. This was our second time to eat at Silvertone. We love the atmosphere (it is crazy busy and very loud) and the food is excellent in both preparation and in price. We both tried the meatloaf. It was good, but not like the one I make...
We got home in time to watch Death at a Funeral (yes, I know we are boring old people who don't stay out all night). It was a dark comedy that was good overall. The characters were funny and the situation was odd. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night.
Saturday was spent wrapping up unfinished projects. We got the trim painted in the media room (we replaced it after wiring in our new speakers months ago), did some drywall work in the bathroom, and replaced the trim around the chimney. The new molding looks very nice thanks to Mike's skill with compound mitering.
We enjoyed a delicious dinner of salad, Ahi tuna steaks, rice, and sugar snap peas. I had a yen for Nutella crepes, so we had those for desert. I didn't use the crepe recipe from that site, I used another one, and they came out great. It was a yummy, easy desert. I haven't had a Nutella crepe since we were in France in 1999!
We attempted to watch Slipstream on Saturday night. Boy, did I hate it. I thought it was just awful, hard to follow, and made me feel creepy. We turned it off after 30 minutes. It has been years since we have stopped a movie and not finished it. Back to Netflix it goes...
Yesterday began with a yummy breakfast (the photo is not mine, but the original cook's). I found a recipe on everybody likes sandwiches for baked eggs in a bun. It took a bit longer to prepare then I anticipated and I would do it a bit different next time, but it was very good. I've learned that part of the difficulty in having a gas stove is that the temperature is never high enough if I follow a recipe. I have to start adjusting for that. I recommend tenting the foil over the buns if you try this recipe (do try it, it was great). Otherwise the gouda just sticks to the foil -- duh, Tracy. We had ham and cream cheese crepes while we waited for the buns to cook, and those were quite good, too. The food day was quite good yesterday. We enjoyed ham and smoked gouda panini's for lunch. I used truffle oil on them which gives a nice flavor.
We ran a few errands, then back home for my pole homework. I seem to have mastered a few moves pretty well. I haven't made a little video yet, but below is one of many about the S Factor, Sheila Kelley's workout that I have been doing.
It's funny how easy it is to make me smile. I get an e-mail from a friend, and I am so happy to hear from them, out the smile comes. I guess it is partly due to the fact that we are separated by so many of our friends both geographically and by normal life. In both cases, we don't see them as much as we like.
