Someone at work told me about a dancing cat video on YouTube (search on that phrase -- you'll be amazed by the number of hits). I checked it out. It was not as funny (to me) as to my co-worker. But it did lead me on an interesting journey of another cat, Sparta.
I was introduced to Sparta with The Mean Kitty Song (below).
I cracked up. It is so funny. Turns out, Mean Kitty has its own account on YouTube. Cory aka "Mr. Safety" also has a ton of videos that may or may not include Sparta at SMP Films. A person could spend hours watching these... Turns out the Cory is a professional vlogger. His site is in the top 100 all-time subscribed sites on YouTube. He's been on a bunch of TV shows (including the Tonight Show)...
You never know what you are going to find online!!!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Almost Time to Start Tracking Santa
Don't ask me how I fall into this stuff. I don't even know...
What I do know is that I am a kid at heart, and this is just so great... NORAD Tracks Santa (embedded video below)
The site has the cutest Kid's Countdown ... I could play on it for a while (though I have not)! The shops have fun kids activities inside. There is a even a whole section About Santa that includes an FAQ with technical data on Santa's sleigh!
I hope you have as much fun at this site as I did!
What I do know is that I am a kid at heart, and this is just so great... NORAD Tracks Santa (embedded video below)
The site has the cutest Kid's Countdown ... I could play on it for a while (though I have not)! The shops have fun kids activities inside. There is a even a whole section About Santa that includes an FAQ with technical data on Santa's sleigh!
I hope you have as much fun at this site as I did!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Ice Storm
Massachusetts is still recovering from last Friday's ice storm. Businesses are still closed and homes are without power. I believe this is true of our friends in Paxton and Rutland since I still haven't seen any email.
National Grid, the main engery provider for a large part of the state, has a large facility in Northborough. When we drove by it (on I-290) this morning, there was a huge tent under flood lights and surrounded by trucks. It must be serving as a command center. All the way into Framingham we saw dozens (probably 50 in total -- at least) of power trucks heading west. Mike tells me that help is coming from across the country and from Canada.
The latest scam is for people to go door to door in Worcester telling residents they are employees of National Grid. For a fee they can be hooked up to power before their neighbors. Obviously, this is a scam. 1,500 National Guardsmen have already been deployed to help with the cleanup and act as miliary police to protect citizens.
We are slowly returning to a state of normalcy. While eastern Massachussets was pretty unaffected, central and western Mass still have a lot of folks without power.
Our friend Steve took the photos below on Friday and Saturday (December 12 & 13, 2008). I tried to put together a realistic view of the damage, along with some of the beautiful shots he took. Our many thanks to Steve for sharing.
As I understand it, Missouri is getting a snow storm right now. Stay warm everyone.
And only 9 more days until Christmas!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Super Cuties
We got these photos of Connor and Fiona today...
Doesn't he look thrilled with his soccer goal?
And Fiona all laid out in the sun :)
Super cuties for sure!
A Quick Way to Save on Online Shipping
This was so good, I had to share!
via Simply Stated By RealSimple.com by Kate Ashford on 12/15/08
Today (the Monday two weeks before Christmas) is apparently the biggest online shopping day of the year. No surprise—you probably spent the weekend browsing online stores for the perfect gift, and now you're pulling the trigger on that cashmere sweater for your mother-in-law before the site sells out of Royal Blue and you have to pony up for express shipping.
I can't really help you on the might-run-out-of-your-color front, but I do have good news about shipping. If the site you're shopping is charging to send your present, wait until Thursday. It might be free.
Dozens of online retailers, including Macy's, Crate & Barrel, Brookstone, and the Apple Store have joined up to offer free shipping on Thursday, December 18th. All day. Zero charge. With guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas. (Does it get any better than that?)
Let's imagine you're spending $5 to $7 on every gift you send, and you have ten gifts on your list—the savings will definitely add up!
Check out participating merchants at FreeShippingDay.com to see if yours is on the list. (Obviously, if your store isn't taking part, it's a better idea to ship now rather than waiting.)
What's your holiday mailing strategy? Are you ahead of the game, sending everything by mid-month, or do you end up paying way too much for last-minute shipping?
NPR Driveway Moments All About Animals
I checked this out from the library last week and have been listening to it in the car. There are some pretty cute stories. Some happy, some sad (I cried while listening to the one about Katrina), some stupid. All in all, not a bad way to pass time in the car!
M -- doesn't the dog in the picture look like Storm?!
Atlanta Aquarium
One of the coolest parts of my trip to Atlanta was a reception held at the Atlanta Aquarium on Thursday night. I walked around a bit and got some pictures that I thought you might enjoy!
I highly recommend it if you are going to Atlanta!
I highly recommend it if you are going to Atlanta!
All is Well
Hi!
To all of you who were worried about us, I extend my deepest thanks and many apologies. I should have blogged again on Friday to update everyone, but I was on my way home from Atlanta.
We regained power around 1 pm on Friday. The sump pump was able to get the water out of the basement before it hit the oil tank (we were next on the Fire Department's list to be pumped out). Whew! Mike's mom had a slumber party at our house Friday night (it was a lot of fun). She got her power back on Saturday night around 8 pm.
Many of our friends (Paul & Deb, Steve & Helen for sure) still do not have power and don't know when they will. Thank goodness they have generators. Steve shared some great photos from the storm. I'll try to get them up tomorrow.
Smiles!
To all of you who were worried about us, I extend my deepest thanks and many apologies. I should have blogged again on Friday to update everyone, but I was on my way home from Atlanta.
We regained power around 1 pm on Friday. The sump pump was able to get the water out of the basement before it hit the oil tank (we were next on the Fire Department's list to be pumped out). Whew! Mike's mom had a slumber party at our house Friday night (it was a lot of fun). She got her power back on Saturday night around 8 pm.
Many of our friends (Paul & Deb, Steve & Helen for sure) still do not have power and don't know when they will. Thank goodness they have generators. Steve shared some great photos from the storm. I'll try to get them up tomorrow.
Smiles!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Ice Storm
I am sitting in my hotel room in Atlanta (here for a conference) about an inch away from a meltdown. The ice storm that hit Massachusetts did not spare us. Mike has been out of power since early this morning (1 AM?). Since we are on well water and have no generator, that means no heat, no water. He tried to temporarily power the sump pump, as there is an imminent threat of our basement flooding, to no avail.
He went outside while he was on the phone with me and said variations of "Oh x!@#" (you can fill in any word really) as he saw the damage done to trees on our property. We have a 60' pine type tree (spruce or something) right next to the milk house that split and a large piece fell in the yard. Another 60' tree behind the barn (about 2 feet away) broke about 2/3 down and fell right next to the barn. Yet another 60' tree, up hill from the one we had taken down this summer -- which also has twin peaks -- has so much ice on it that the peaks are pulled in opposite directions. One peak is leaning heavily toward the barn.
So, I am here in Atlanta feeling helpless. Worrying about something I can't fix no matter where I am anyway and feeling bad in general. The news is reporting this the worst ice storm in New England in 30 years. We'll see if my plane actually takes off tonight.
My thoughts and prayers are with my many many friends in New England who are without vital services (heat, water, electricity). I hope everyone is safe.
He went outside while he was on the phone with me and said variations of "Oh x!@#" (you can fill in any word really) as he saw the damage done to trees on our property. We have a 60' pine type tree (spruce or something) right next to the milk house that split and a large piece fell in the yard. Another 60' tree behind the barn (about 2 feet away) broke about 2/3 down and fell right next to the barn. Yet another 60' tree, up hill from the one we had taken down this summer -- which also has twin peaks -- has so much ice on it that the peaks are pulled in opposite directions. One peak is leaning heavily toward the barn.
So, I am here in Atlanta feeling helpless. Worrying about something I can't fix no matter where I am anyway and feeling bad in general. The news is reporting this the worst ice storm in New England in 30 years. We'll see if my plane actually takes off tonight.
My thoughts and prayers are with my many many friends in New England who are without vital services (heat, water, electricity). I hope everyone is safe.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
MattieZilla
We thought all was well in our Christmas Village. A girl was feeding a deer, children were building a snowman, a child was wrestling with a dog, two kids were sledding. Then, da dum, da dum, da dum.... MattieZilla invaded!!!
The villagers who were once safe, were now at extreme risk of the cat monster!!!
Well, that's how it looked to us, anyway!!!
Hope your week is happy!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wonderful Weekend -- Completed!
It is nearly 8 pm on Sunday night and we have had a fabulous end to the weekend.
We went to the cemetery with Pat to put a wreath on the family plot.
We also deconstructed the stage/pole and put up the tree. There were a couple of stops along the way with errands to get this and that. We used EyeSight on our MacBook to take photos at timed intervals, then seemed them together with iMovie so you could see our progress (you'll have to go to the blog to see this if you get updates via email).
The final touch (and our favorite) was adding the Christmas Village below the tree. We got some nice snow, more trees and some people. We'll be doing more people shopping this week. You'll also notice a little kitty under the tree (left side).
I also wanted to add this cute picture of Mattie, who was desperate to go outside last night. We nixed that idea, since we saw a kitty identical to him in the middle of the road Friday night (a story for another time).
We hope your weekend was as nice as ours!
We went to the cemetery with Pat to put a wreath on the family plot.
We also deconstructed the stage/pole and put up the tree. There were a couple of stops along the way with errands to get this and that. We used EyeSight on our MacBook to take photos at timed intervals, then seemed them together with iMovie so you could see our progress (you'll have to go to the blog to see this if you get updates via email).
The final touch (and our favorite) was adding the Christmas Village below the tree. We got some nice snow, more trees and some people. We'll be doing more people shopping this week. You'll also notice a little kitty under the tree (left side).
I also wanted to add this cute picture of Mattie, who was desperate to go outside last night. We nixed that idea, since we saw a kitty identical to him in the middle of the road Friday night (a story for another time).
Wonderful Weekend -- and We're Only 1/2 Way Through!
We have had a truly wonderful weekend. The best part? It is only Sunday morning!
Michael had Friday off and I left work an hour early. We went out to dinner with Pat at Wildwood Steakhouse in Marlborough. Dinner was excellent. As we sat there eating, a giant -- and I mean, giant, cake went by us. It was probably 12" in diameter and 5 layers high. We were shocked. We asked the waitress about it, and she told us, "Oh, that is our chocolate cake. We cut it into 5 pieces and serve it." What?! Pat and I agreed, we had to share a piece of this cake.
We went to the Erskine Open House in Paxton next. Pat got to see the Scottish Highland cows and the new sheep. Louise's glass shop was going full tilt, and everything was lovely. We were thrilled to see Alison (with her dogs Kaylee and Flash) and Rick and Vicky, too. It was a nice mini-get together of camp friends. I think Michael's mom enjoyed meeting everyone and getting into the Christmas spirit.
We stopped at a nusery on the way home and picked up our Christmas tree. We'll put it up today. Then we finally headed back to Northborough. We took Pat home, but we didn't go home yet.... Oh, no.
It was now time for us to run errands. A stop at BJs garnered some needed supplies. Then we refortified at West Side Grill. While there, Mike and I stragtegized our remaining tasks. We wanted to go to the adult superstore, Target, and Lowes. Mike creatively put it this way: "Toys for Tarts, Toys for Tots, and Toys for Mice." See what I mean? His powers of language and observation crack me up every time ;)
We finally made it home at 8:30 pm and began a nice evening of relaxing.
I hope your weekend is as fun as ous has been! Smiles -- and Merry Pre-Christmas!
Michael had Friday off and I left work an hour early. We went out to dinner with Pat at Wildwood Steakhouse in Marlborough. Dinner was excellent. As we sat there eating, a giant -- and I mean, giant, cake went by us. It was probably 12" in diameter and 5 layers high. We were shocked. We asked the waitress about it, and she told us, "Oh, that is our chocolate cake. We cut it into 5 pieces and serve it." What?! Pat and I agreed, we had to share a piece of this cake.
Isn't that just amazing? We each had about 15% of the piece and took the rest home.
After our wonderful dinner, we went back to Pat's house and put up her new Christmas tree. It is very pretty. We decorated it together, then headed home.
Yesterday was especially fun because it was mostly spur of the moment. Michael, Pat, and I went down to the Reed & Barton factory in Taunton for a big sale. It was amazing. There were all kinds of deals to be had and the shoppers were very serious. I look forward to going again!
We went to the Erskine Open House in Paxton next. Pat got to see the Scottish Highland cows and the new sheep. Louise's glass shop was going full tilt, and everything was lovely. We were thrilled to see Alison (with her dogs Kaylee and Flash) and Rick and Vicky, too. It was a nice mini-get together of camp friends. I think Michael's mom enjoyed meeting everyone and getting into the Christmas spirit.
We stopped at a nusery on the way home and picked up our Christmas tree. We'll put it up today. Then we finally headed back to Northborough. We took Pat home, but we didn't go home yet.... Oh, no.
It was now time for us to run errands. A stop at BJs garnered some needed supplies. Then we refortified at West Side Grill. While there, Mike and I stragtegized our remaining tasks. We wanted to go to the adult superstore, Target, and Lowes. Mike creatively put it this way: "Toys for Tarts, Toys for Tots, and Toys for Mice." See what I mean? His powers of language and observation crack me up every time ;)
We finally made it home at 8:30 pm and began a nice evening of relaxing.
I hope your weekend is as fun as ous has been! Smiles -- and Merry Pre-Christmas!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Ch-Ch-Ch-Cheetos!
I've been pretty busy and have not had the time to "properly" blog today. So I popped over to YouTube to see what's shakin'.
Then I found this... I think I may be in the minority, but I really love Cheetos. I know they are unhealthy, blah, blah, blah, but I still love them (Mike thinks they are disgusting).
Makes me hungry just seeing this... Boy, that's sad!
Smiles!
Then I found this... I think I may be in the minority, but I really love Cheetos. I know they are unhealthy, blah, blah, blah, but I still love them (Mike thinks they are disgusting).
Makes me hungry just seeing this... Boy, that's sad!
Smiles!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Elves are Back!!!!
I just laughed and laughed when I watched the our Christmas video (embedded below -- if you don't get it by email, visit http://tlhorgan.blogspot.com)...
Merry Christmas! And many thanks to ElfYourself and JibJab :)
Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Merry Christmas! And many thanks to ElfYourself and JibJab :)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Spaghetti Cat -- I Did Not Make This Up!
Apparently, a talk show called The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet aired a segment on binge drinking back in August. For some unknown reason, they producer dropped a photo of a cat in front of a plate of spaghetti, then flashed back to the segment. No explanation was given. Check out the video below.
The spot was featured on The Soup, and apparently inspired the video below.
It is pretty funny, but boy, don't people do strange things with their spare time?!
What I'm Reading (November)
Time is flying by! Here is what I read in November
| Dirty Martini by JA Konrath Jack Daniels is back and better than ever. The story kept me reading as she hunted down "The Chemist". As in previous books, the story line was a little far fetched. However it was much less violent than previous installments. I liked this one a lot. |
| The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver This latest installment in the Lincoln Rhyme series is one the most engrossing so far. Someone is framing innocent people for crimes they didn't commit, and are using data from Knowledge Service Provider (KSP, aka data miner) SSD to make it possible. The power of the KSP is very frightening in terms of "real life" and the story was well written. |
| Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (Audiobook) Based on his best-selling book, David Sedaris narrates this audiobook of favorite holiday stories. "Macy's Elf" and "Cow and Turkey" were my hands-down favorites. |
| Dark Summer by Iris Johansen from Amazon:
I really enjoyed reading this. I like Iris Johansen a lot, and this book kept me turning the pages. |
| Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs I really enjoy reading Susan Wiggs. Her stories are always uplifting and ring true (even though the endings are always happy). This book was a bit of a departure from others she has written, but certainly just as good. Sarah Moon, a cartoonist, thinks she has the perfect life. That is, until she discovers her husband [in the act of] cheating on her. She begins the journey of discovering herself and her future. I cried happy tears. |
| Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama (Audiobook) This audiobook was narrated by the author. It is an interesting portrait of the President-Elect, his family, and the past that has formed the man he is today. |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (Audiobook) In this audiobook, Sedaris hilariously recounts stories from his childhood in North Carolina. The common theme: the inability of humans to communicate. |
by Susan Wiggs 
I have a bunch more on my list for December. Stay tuned!
Weekend Getaway
Mike and I enjoyed a wonderful weekend getaway at Abbott's Glen. This Vermont B&B is a true gem, with elegant country style and outstanding food. Hosts Amy and Lindy were gracious in their hospitality and everyone had a wonderful time. Now we have to start working on our article for N magazine!
We took a drive into Wilmington on Saturday. We had a nice walk around the downtown and enjoyed some shopping. We stopped into the 1836 Country Store (which I just think is so cute) and bought some fudge. We had a nice lunch at Jezebel's Eatery. I got a New Englander sandwich, with turkey, Granny Smith apples, Vermont cheddar cheese, and cranberry sauce. It was yummy.
We took a drive into Wilmington on Saturday. We had a nice walk around the downtown and enjoyed some shopping. We stopped into the 1836 Country Store (which I just think is so cute) and bought some fudge. We had a nice lunch at Jezebel's Eatery. I got a New Englander sandwich, with turkey, Granny Smith apples, Vermont cheddar cheese, and cranberry sauce. It was yummy.
We read the local paper while we were eating, and I chuckled at the ad below. What a way to invite people in to drink at your establishment :)
We also stopped at the Irish/Scottish Importers (whose name I cannot remember -- have to look at the receipt later) and I got a nice Alps sweater for 30% off. I just love those Alps items :)
All in all, we had a great weekend! Smiles :)
The Simpsons Go to the Mapple Store
I ran across this as I was perusing my reader this morning. I don't watch the Simpsons, but every now and again, they have a funny segment.
This one pokes fun at the "Mapple Store" for a solid 6 minutes. It is harshly funny :) I am totally in the Mapple camp, so I post this in good fun!
I love to start my day with a laugh!
This one pokes fun at the "Mapple Store" for a solid 6 minutes. It is harshly funny :) I am totally in the Mapple camp, so I post this in good fun!
I love to start my day with a laugh!
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