What the heck is RSS and why do I care?

What is RSS and why do I care?

I'll attempt to distill my knowledge for you; but that doesn't mean you'll care :)

A while ago, probably 18 months or so, I heard about this thing called RSS. Now, you probably know what it is and effectively use it. I didn't know what it was. I kind of poked around with trying to figure it out. I understood at an elementary level how it worked, but couldn't really find useful content. I abandoned it and moved on to other things. I "rediscovered" RSS late last summer. I've grown to understand it and have fallen in love. Okay, maybe that is a little over-stated, but not by much. If you don't know what RSS is or why you would want to use it, read on...

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web document designed to broadcast changes to web content such as blogs (like this one), websites (any number, we'll come back to that), or podcasts. The idea behind a RSS "feed" is that updates to a site are broadcast to subscribers.

But the question remains, why would you want to use RSS? It is really quite simple; RSS takes away the random checking on a website to see if there is something new. Instead of you having to go out and find new information for your favorite websites, your RSS reader or aggregator notifies your when a page is updated. The updates are not an email -- they are a snippet or even full posting of "What's New."

Let's take a look at a few examples. A friend of mine has a blog. I love reading what she has to share and I don't want to miss any entries. However, as a busy mom of a three year old, the free time she has to devote to blogging is limited, at best. For months I checked her page off and on to see if there was a new post; after learning how to use my RSS reader I simply subscribed to her blog. Now when she makes updates the content is automatically streamed to me. I never miss an entry. Another example: We bought a high-def TV. Unfortunately, we cannot get HD service through DirecTV. Our town is negotiating with Verizon for FiOs TV service. I want to get the service as soon as possible (we already have FiOs internet) but can't count on the town to update their website. So, I searched on Verizon's site and found that they have press releases in RSS format. Every time a new town is added to their service area, they send out a press release. I get it right away through my reader. In this example, I get lots of stuff that doesn't pertain to my town. I just scroll through it -- it only takes a few seconds -- and it goes away. The upside is, I know I have not missed the announcement. A third example: I like to read the local news. I don't want to have to go to several websites to get it. So, I subscribe to the RSS feed and it is delivered to me everyday. It is like having the paper in your driveway every morning, except that this is the virtual paper in my computer and I didn't have to pay for it.

So you're starting to get a feel for what RSS does. But how do you use it? I am talking about feeds, subscribing to them, reading them. How does that all happen?

First, you want to pick a reader. There are oodles and oodles of choices out there. Some are listed on this site: http://blogspace.com/rss/readers. I am a Google devotee and use the Google Reader. All you need is a Google account. The reader will show your content where ever you are, as long as you are logged in. I like this because I am always on the go (at a different computer). I am sure many readers work similarly.

Once you have a reader, you can start subscribing to feeds. But, how do you know a site has a feed? There are a couple of ways to know... Lets start with a simple example. I want to get the latest news from the New York Times. I look at the address bar and see a funny symbol on the right:
This is the symbol indicating that the site I am visiting has an RSS (also called Atom, a variant) feed. All I have to do to subscribe is click on that icon and pick the reader I want to use. Once I subscribe in Google Reader the latest postings are displayed. Once I scroll past an item, it is marked as read and disappears from the list of "new " items. Now, lets move onto a more complex example: I want to know the latest news from USAToday. I look in the address bar, and there is no symbol. Hmm... Does that mean there is no feed? Not necessarily. Take the time to look all around the page for a link to RSS Feeds (or similar). At USAToday, you will find the link at the very bottom of the page. When you click on it, you get a page listing all kinds of specific feeds on the USAToday site. Do you just want to get updates to the War in Iraq? Choose that one! One more note, though the New York Times has the RSS icon in the address bar, they also have many feeds you can choose from, so look on their homepage for "Add New York Times RSS Feed" (near the bottom, on the right) to get more choices.

Once you start subscribing to feeds and get spoiled by the quick and effortless delivery of update content, you'll be hooked! I am subscribed to 76 feeds right now, ranging from books, cooking, James Bond, technology, and news categories. When I find a website I like I dig for a feed I can subscribe to.

A couple other interesting things: 1) You can organize your feeds in most readers. This will allow you to categorize into "News" or "Shopping" so you read the same type of information together. 2) Most readers allow you to search content that you've already read. Many a time I tell Mike about something I read and he wants to read it, too. I just search in Google Reader and the original article comes up. 3) Readers make sharing content easy. If you are subscribed to a feed and find a nugget you want to share, there is probably a "Share" or "Email" option. 4) It is a good way to stop wasting time. It is great if you are at work and want to find out what's going on without that pesky trail showing that you've been to 40 websites. 5) If some of your content is deemed "adult" (like some of the naturist websites/blogs we read) and is blocked by your corporate website, you can still get the feeds through your reader. You are not going to the sites (content is delivered to your reader) but you still get the scoop.

One last note -- don't forget to bookmark the reader you choose so that you read the content your subscribed to :) Most readers easily integrate with your web browser or homepage.

Have fun and happy reading!

What I'm Reading (January)

I thought it would be nice to share what I've been reading this month. I'll go for the highlights.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't read much over the holidays. We spent lots of time with family, which is sometimes far more exciting that fiction :) The first book I read this month was All He Ever Wanted (Anita Shreve). Shreve is from Dedham, MA and I am a great fan of her writing. For some reason, All He Ever Wanted did not strike a cord with me. The premise: a man is obsessed with a woman and his obsession dooms their future together. The story takes place at the turn of the century (20th century, that is) and the author is reminiscing events some 30 years later. If you like period pieces, you may like this one. I struggled over the first 150 pages (partly why I only have a few books to talk about this time) then the reading got easier.

I needed a mindless, fun book for my next read, so I read Free Fall (Fern Michaels), book #7 in the Revenge of the Sisterhood Series. Light reading, not really believable, but it was exactly what I was looking for. In this installment, Yoko seeks her revenge.

The next book for the month was The Double Bind (Chris Bohjalian). I have to say my reaction was -- "WOW!!!" I really liked it. The writing was superb and the story drew me in. I simply did not want to put this one down. The twists, turns, and intrigue kept me reading. The story: a women who was assaulted in college withdraws from her life and begins working at a homeless shelter. There she meets a man who prizes -- and protects -- his photo collection. When he dies, the main character is drawn into the man's life through his work. I liked Bohjalian so much that I queued up four of his other books for future reading (The Law of Similars, Trans-Sister Radio, The Buffalo Soldier, and Before You Know Kindness).

Yesterday I finished The Pact (Jodi Picoult). Though this novel was written in 1998, the content is gripping and timeless. The tale twists through the emotions and experiences of its two teenage characters. I cried through the first three pages, and I couldn't wait to turn to the next page, and to the next page, to understand more about the kids involved. This book was absolutely phenomenal. Picoult has an amazing way of looking at all sides of a controversial, earth-shattering experience. I practically felt the pain of the characters as my own. Each day I gave Mike the update on what was happening in the book because I was so involved with it.

I am wrapping up the month with Born in Death (J.D. Robb). This is book # 29 in the In Death series featuring Eve Dallas. Mavis, Eve's long-time dear friend is ready to deliver her baby and on of Mavis' friends disappears. I am about 60 pages in and love it (as I do all the In Death books). The series currently has 32 books, but I intentionally stay behind in my reading so that there is always another book waiting in my stack.

Toodle-loo!

A Full Work Week?! NOOO!!!

I was quite shocked when I realized this morning that this will be my first full week at work since December 7! Between traveling (KC and DR), the holidays, and being out sick, I have had abbreviated weeks for a while. Weird to think about. I really like the short weeks.

When we had dinner with Paul and Deb on Friday, Deb and I were talking about that exact subject. We concur that a regular work week really should be limited to Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I'd work 12 hour days to cover that. Really! Alas, it is not meant to be...

We had a fun outing with Steve and Helen on Saturday to see the Red Sox World Series trophies. Algonquin High's girls basketball team had an even from 1 - 3 pm inviting anyone to come and take a look. It was very cool!


We watched Eastern Promises (Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel) Saturday night. It was very good. There was a bit of graphic violence (it is a mafia movie, after all) but nothing on par with Reservoir Dogs... It was different and, I thought, well done. Thursday night we saw Shattered (Pierce Brosnan, Maria Bello, Gerard Butler). We'd both been putting off watching it, kind of out of fear it would be another bad Pierce Brosnan movie. Boy, were we wrong! We were on the edge of our seats through the whole thing. It was great. The downside of our movie watching is that we've depleted our supply. Hopefully more movies are sent to us soon :)

I think I will end things for now. Tomorrow I'll tell what I am reading... Smiles!

Bubble Wrap for Dogs

I saw this today and couldn't help but to smile. The same thing happens to me when I get packages with bubble-wrap. Melissa -- is this a new trick for Storm? -- hee hee.

Have a great weekend!

Thinking Back

I visited our klunky old webpage today to kind of review it and reorganize the photos a bit. Wow, talk about being out of date. By 4 years! You'd think our lives ended in 2004.

Anyway, I was looking at pictures of Mike and I from years past. The one below was taken in Salzburg, Austria in 1999.

I guess it really isn't all that different than a recent photo, taken this past Christmas at my mom's house.
Maybe it is just that I am feeling older and want to verify that I don't really look older... What's with this aging thing, anyway?! Though it is a heck of a lot better than the alternative :)

All in all, we've had tremendous happiness in the past 10 years. We've grown together in experiences and in our relationship. Our relationships with others -- our family and our wonderful dear friends -- have grown, too. I feel so lucky to be where I am today, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Thanks to all of you for being who you are :)

Memory lane is a happy place to visit now and again, the future is fun to consider, but I am so happy just being in now. Smiles!!

Tree Nut and Peanut Allergy

Pat, Deirdre, Connor, and Fiona had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Florida at the beginning of this year. They expected to have a warm, fun getaway. For the most part, it was both of those things.

However, life being unpredictable, something occurred that none of us expected. After an outing to a duck pond, the family got a few snacks for the car and loaded up to go to another destination. The kids got their duck-shaped cookies, and both of them quickly rejected them -- which was highly unusual. Fiona took a small bite and threw hers saying "icky." Nothing more was thought of it until they reached their destination a short time later. When Deirdre opened the door to take Fiona out of her car seat, she had labored breathing, was turning blue, and was barely conscious. She looked at Deirdre and quietly said "Save me, Mommy."

Deirdre rushed everyone to the closest Emergency Room. She was in a town she had never been to and had to find it in a sheer panic. She was taken in immediately and during the examination, Deirdre was asked a series of questions. Among them was, "has she had any nuts?" Deirdre has made a strict practice of keeping nuts away from Connor and Fiona because of the dangers of a nut allergy. Unbeknownst to her, the innocent looking duck cookie was loaded with nuts and threatened little Fiona's life. The ER was able to treat Fiona with a series of IVs and other methods, and they were released. **As a side note, Connor was not left out of the fun, he had a trip to the ER 3 days later.

Upon arriving back in Massachusetts, Deirdre took Fiona to her pediatrician at Children's Hospital to be tested for nut allergies. They were called with the results yesterday: Fiona has a severe nut allergy. Connor will be going in for testing next.

As a family we are all conscious of sugars and carbs because of the family history of Diabetes. We are now learning about nut allergies. Michael and I had a conversation many many years ago with a genetic counselor that told us that nut allergies were growing and have affected the way that schools handle food. Now we get to see for ourselves.

We are new to this allergy, and our information will evolve over time. But I'd like to share what we have learned so far (from KidsHealth):

Peanuts are among the most common allergy-causing foods, and they often find their way into things you wouldn't imagine. Take chili for example: It may be thickened with ground peanuts.

Peanuts aren't actually a true nut; they're a legume (in the same family as peas and lentils). But the proteins in peanuts are similar in structure to those in tree nuts. For this reason, people who are allergic to peanuts can also be allergic to tree nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and cashews.

What Happens When Someone Has a Nut Allergy?

An allergic reaction happens when someone's immune system mistakenly believes that something harmless, such as a tree nut or peanut, is actually harmful. The immune system responds by creating specific antibodies to proteins in that food. These antibodies — called immunoglobulin E (IgE) — are designed to fight off the "invading" proteins.

IgE antibodies trigger the release of certain chemicals into the body. One of these is histamine (pronounced: hiss-tuh-meen). The release of histamine can affect a person's respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and cardiovascular system, causing allergy symptoms like wheezing, stomachache, vomiting, itchy hives, and swelling.

Reactions to foods, like peanuts and tree nuts, can be different. It all depends on the person — and sometimes the same person can react differently at different times. Some reactions can be very mild and involve only one system of the body, like hives on the skin. Other reactions can be more severe and involve more than one part of the body. Most reactions last less than a day and affect any of these four body systems:

1. Skin. Skin reactions are the most common type of food allergy reactions. They can take the form of itchy, red, bumpy rashes (hives), eczema, or redness and swelling around the mouth or face
2. Gastrointestinal system. Symptoms can take the form of belly cramps, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
3. Respiratory system. Symptoms can range from a runny or stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing to the triggering of asthma with coughing and wheezing.
4. Cardiovascular system. A person may feel lightheaded or faint.

In really bad cases, tree nut and peanut allergies can cause a condition called anaphylaxis (pronounced: ah-nuh-fuh-lak-sus). Anaphylaxis is a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction that, in addition to the symptoms mentioned above, can make someone's airways swell and blood pressure drop. As a result, the person may have trouble breathing and could lose consciousness.

Peanut reactions can be very severe, even if a person isn't exposed to much peanut protein. Experts think this might be because the immune system recognizes peanut proteins more easily than other food proteins.

Although a small amount of peanut protein can set off a severe reaction, it is rare that people get an allergic reaction just from breathing in small particles of nuts or peanuts. Most foods with peanuts in them don't allow enough of the protein to escape into the air to cause a reaction. And just the smell of foods containing peanuts won't produce a reaction because the scent does not contain the protein.

In the few cases when people do react to airborne particles, it's usually in an enclosed area (like a restaurant or bar) where lots of peanuts are being cracked from their shells. Although some people outgrow certain food allergies over time (like milk, egg, soy, and wheat allergies), peanut and tree nut allergies are lifelong in most people.

Other reading claims that 18% of children with peanut (not necessarily tree nut) allergies outgrow them. Researchers in Britain have found that children with tree nut allergies (such as cashews and walnuts) have more severe reactions than those children allergic to peanuts only. According to recent research by Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and a researcher in the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, there is a 30 to 60% chance of a child with a peanut allergy to develop a tree nut allergy. The research goes on to claiming a link between cashew allergy and a severe allergy to poison ivy.

How to avoid peanuts and tree nuts

The Federal Drug Adminstration (FDA) requires that food containing allergens be properly labeled. From FoodAllergy.org:

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), which took effect January 1, 2006, mandates that foods containing milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy must declare the food in plain language on the ingredient list or via:

• the word “Contains” followed by the name of the major food allergen (milk, wheat, or eggs for example); or

• a parenthetical statement in the list of ingredients, e.g., “albumin (egg)”.

Such ingredients must be listed even if they are present in colors, flavors, or spice blends. Additionally, manufacturers must list the specific nut or seafood that is used (e.g., almond, walnut, cashew; or tuna, salmon, shrimp, or lobster). While more than 160 foods have been identified as causing allergic reactions, the eight foods listed above cause 90% of food-allergic reactions.

FALCPA will certainly make label-reading easier for the millions of Americans living with food allergies. Keep in mind, however, that the law only applies to products labeled on or after January 1, 2006; depending on a product’s shelf life, it may take up to a year before all products list ingredients in simple language. Until then, continue to read all labels carefully and be on the lookout for scientific terms (i.e., “casein” for milk, or “albumin” for egg).

While Connor and Fiona are not our children, they are the closest we will ever have. We hold them dearly to our hearts and obviously their health and safety is paramount. We will learn as a family what questions to ask and how to deal with this complex allergy. As with diabetes, having a nut allergy requires careful reading of labels. Deirdre, Jon, and Pat will be taking lessons on using an Epi-pen. All will be well in the end.

Happy Friday!

And, Happy Winnie the Pooh day :) Pooh's creator, A.A. Milne, was born January 18, 1882, in Hampstead, England. He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913; their only child, Christopher Robin, was born in 1920. The source of inspiration for many of Milne's characters was his son's stuffed animals (notably, Winnie). After Milne's death, his wife sold the rights to Winnie the Pooh to Walt Disney Company.

And what of the real Christopher Robin [Milne]? Unfortunately, he felt exploited by his father's writings and their relationship was somewhat strained. He married his first cousin, Lesley Sélincourt, in 1948. Christopher and his wife opened the Harbour Bookshop in Dartmouth (England) in 1951. The business was quite a success. In 1974, Christopher published an autobiography, The Enchanted Places, detailing his life and the effect of Pooh.

So, now you know!

On a completely different thread, Barrett-Jackson, world renowned classic car auctioneers, are holding their annual auction in Scottsdale, Arizona January 12-20. It is broadcasted on the Speed Channel every day and [I think] it is very fun and cool to watch. The most exciting days are usually the weekend, so you know what we'll be doing this weekend!

Another Shameless Plug

Today is my first work day back, but I just can't let the wonderfulness of our trip go quite yet...

I just want to share a few more tidbits about the resort, food, and atmosphere at Caliente Caribe... Why? Well, I think that it would be a great place for a relaxing clothing optional getaway for anyone -- ranging from a die-hard naturist to a newbie -- who has interest in an all-inclusive vacation.

The Physical Layout

The physical layout of the resort is very interesting. Located on the main level are the main building, which houses reception, gift shop, spa, exercise room, media room, Club Caliente (the disco), and the dining room. Outside of the main building is a hot tub, pool and pool bar. The Seacliff units are a short walk from the main building on this level. Two tennis courts are located in front of the main building. Seacliff accommodations include hotel rooms, studios, and 1 bedroom condos. A set of stairs -- a long set of stairs -- connects the upper area (just described) with the lower area of the resort, called the Cove. The cove is on the ocean and the location of a beach bar, volleyball pool, regular pool, hot tub overlooking the ocean, sand volleyball court, shuffleboard, massage area, and beach. Behind these facilities are free-standing one bedroom condos, spread up onto four levels.

Food

Food and alcoholic beverages are included in the price of the stay at Caliente Caribe. The food at the resort was definitely 4.5 to 5 stars. It is presented beautifully and the menus has a wide range of choices.

Breakfast and dinner are served in the main dining room. Lunch is served at the beach bar. Food is available nearly 24 hours in the facilities. Though we are not big eaters, we enjoyed the food immensely and loved being able to eat whatever we wanted without any worries.

Atmosphere

The resort has a variety of activities to keep guests busy if they want something to do. From Spanish lessons, to water volleyball, to dancing lessons, there is always something to do during the day. Water equipment is available for playing in the ocean (snorkeling gear, kayaks, etc...). In the evenings entertainment is provided from 8:30 to around 10 at the upper pool and pool bar. It is a fun way to socialize, dance, and just have a good time. If all that isn't enough, Club Caribe is open from 10 until people tire out and leave.

We had a wonderful trip! It is hard to be back home with 18" of snow and more to come, but I guess we have to pay for these trips somehow :)

Happy and Relaxed

We are back home from our trip! We had an absolutely fabulous time! We left our house at 4:45 am on Friday for our 7 am flight from Logan International to JFK. The flight was delayed by storms and we sat on the tarmac for almost two hours before lifting off. We barely made our flight to Puerta Plata (by literally, the skin of our teeth) In addition, I temporarily lost Mike's passport, and fortunately found it. He was not amused :) A taxi met us at the airport in Puerta Plata and we arrived at the resort nearly 12 hours after leaving home.



The resort, staff, management, and other visitors to Caliente Caribe we so wonderful! The grounds and ammenities of the resort were better than any other place we've been. The all inclusive offerings were expansive. We met many great people that we were able to call our friends by the time we left yesterday. Mike and I look forward to putting our thoughts and experiences on paper for possible publication in N magazine.

Now we are back home. Surrounded by the reflective snow that came in our absence. Mattie has told an untold number of tales about what occured while we were away.

Customizing Blogger

We've started using a new template for our blog today. I love the fresh look it has! In searching for the update, I found it can be a little tricky... Blogger (Beta) is using only XML templates. Finding a template that actually works is an additional challenge. This one, called Dream, is from FinalSense. If you are a blogger, I encourage you to check out their extensive offerings!

Aside from the changed look of the blog, we are looking forward to our Dominican Republic getaway. More to come when we return!

Cat blamed for Idaho blackout

from the Associated Press at Boston.com:

NAMPA, Idaho—A cat picked the wrong place to come in from the cold, and caused a power outage that blacked out more than 12,000 homes and businesses.

The cat entered an electrical substation, snuggled up to a warm transformer and contacted a live circuit, causing a short that blew out nine feeder lines Monday afternoon, Idaho Power officials said.

Service was restored in less than three hours to most customers, including City Hall where the lights came on in time for a City Council meeting, utility spokesman Dennis Lopez said.

The outage also disabled traffic lights in the city of about 77,000 people. Temporary stop signs were set up at affected intersections and about 15 police officers were assigned to direct and monitor traffic. Police Lt. Eric Skoglund said he didn't know of any accidents that could be blamed on the outage.

The short circuit killed the cat.

Poor little kitty, only trying to get warm... I hope our little Mattie is having a good day in the barn!

Counting Down

We are counting down the days to our visit to Caliente Caribe. The sun, the ocean, the pampering... Can't wait!

We had a pretty uneventful weekend. We got packed for the trip, tanned, ran errands.

We did enjoy a very nice dinner last night. We had chicken with a Roquefort sauce that was awesome. The sauce was easy to make: combine 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons Roquefort (or other blue cheese), 1 tablespoon fresh snipped chives, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. We kept it chilled until serving, and put it over the chicken and a half pear. The flavor complimented both nicely. Thank goodness for cookbooks, I never would have thought it up!

And for anyone who's wondering, today is "Thank God it's Monday Day." Who thought that up?! Unless Monday is the new Friday (as in the beginning of the weekend), I'm not celebrating :)

Bond 22 is being filmed

I know it is a little hard to read, but we are counting down to the release of the next Bond movie! According to MI6 (the home of James Bond), filming started January 2 in England. It seems that filming, currently one month behind schedule, will take the first half of the year. Production will be completed in time for the November 7, 2008 premier worldwide (with a November 5 release in Belguim and France). Production costs are estimated to be $150 million. No Bond girl has been selected yet, but the lead is likely to be a Latin woman. Reportedly, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are close to casting the leading lady and will make the selection within two weeks.

Other notes of interest:

• Jeffrey Wright will be playing CIA operative Felix Leiter in this Bond. It is only the second time for the same actor to play Felix in more than on movie
• Giancarlo Giannini will return as Mathis
• Dame Judy Dench will again fill the role of M
• Q and Moneypenny are not slated to appear in this movie

And if you plan to be in Bregenz January 18th to 20th, there is a casting call from 9 am to 5 pm each day. An additional casting call for the 1200 to 1500 extras needed for the April 28 to May 10 filming will take place later this month.

Etsy is Awesome!

Click To Play

I first discovered Etsy a few months ago. I thought it was interesting, but was too busy to really think about it. This past weekend, our friend Steve was talking about some jewelry on Etsy. It sounded vaguely familiar, but no bells went off. Today I was looking at my Firefox bookmarks and I saw Etsy there... Hmm... I thought, I should look at the site again.

OMG! It is so great. Everything on the site is handcrafted. And the product offerings are so vast. What's more, the site is set up beautifully with tons of ways to navigate. Do you know you are looking for something that is chartreuse? Etsy can help you, just Shop by Color. Want to buy local? Use the Shop Local link and enter your locale. Want to look at things randomly, then use Pounce!. In addition to the innovative search methods, the tried and true Categories (like Accessories, Art, Bags and Purses, etc...) exist along with a search utility.

There is so much on the site that if you don't have a clue what you want, starting out can be difficult. If you find that to be the case, try using the Gift Guides. There are lots of ideas to get you started in your search for the handmade. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Happy New Year!

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and happy. Mike, Mattie, and I send our dearest wishes that you have a safe and happy New Year.

We had an evening alone to celebrate last night. It was very nice. Since we were "on our own" we decided to make some special food to celebrate the meal. For dinner we made Crab Cakes and Baby Greens with Lemon Vinaigrette, asparagus and new potatoes. It was very good. Next time I would bake the crab cakes at 350 for 10 minutes just to firm them up.

Later in the evening we had lime bacon-wrapped shrimp. I think it would have been better if we had grilled instead of using the oven. I was not satisfied with the results and these guys hit the trash. We rang in the New Year with buffalo wings and bleu cheese dip. Oh my God! This more than made up for the failed shrimp! I would definitely do these again and again and again...

Tonight we'll celebrate our first full day of 2008 with Irish Beef Stew. I am making it now and it smells yummy. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'll accompany mine with a Ciroc martini... Mike is working out (bless his heart) while I am cooking.

Have a great tomorrow!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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 :)

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?!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

New York Magazine and Nudity

I read an interesting article in the Nov. 12 issue of New York Magazine this morning about Brooke Astor's son. It covered the lives of this wealthy family and the passing of the matriarch (as it were, since she is not an Astor by blood). Her son has been charged with plundering her considerable wealth -- $198 million -- before her death. The NY Mag article left me with an array of feelings and opinions that I will spare you from, but it is a good read if you are interested in the social scene of wealthy New York.

I wasn't really sure what my focus would be today. I kind of flitted around, then thought to check out what's new on the New York Magazine website. The article below captured my interest.

We don't watch Project Runway, however, it seems everyone else does. Of course, I was interested in a popular TV personality baring it all :)

And speaking of baring it all... The latest issue of N Magazine is on the newsstands (or will be soon). My mom tells me that the article Mike and I authored about the Ledges in Vermont begins on page 93. We'll probably get our issue next week. We're looking forward to seeing the results of the photo shoot we did with N photographer Michael Cooney back in July.

Toodle-lo!

Final Week of November

Can you believe this is the last week of November? OMG!!! We sure had a busy and productive weekend. We were out bright and early Saturday morning raking leaves in 27 degree weather. Mike was trying to blow them with his backpack blower and they were stuck to the ground!!!

After we thawed out from that task, we ran over to Macys so I could pick up another pair of the Hush Puppies, Elaine style -- this time in black leather. I got a great deal of $55 :) We met Deirdre, the kids, and Pat at Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury for Pat's birthday celebration. The food was yummy as it always is. I enjoyed lobster bisque and crab cakes -- and I ate way too much! We had cake and presents at Deirdre's house afterwards. It was very nice. We stopped at the Natick Collection (the fancy name for the totally revamped and expanded Natick Mall). It was really fancy. Fun to walk around, lots of stores, and very classy.

I had a bit of entertainment when we got home (it takes so little to amuse me) when Mattie decided to play in my Macys sack. I had the camera there and got some photos (right). He was having a blast! I got a real kick of him.

I continued what I was doing, and he went back to his bath. Next thing I knew, he was back in the bag again. I had the camera near by and got some video (I know, I have no life!), which you can see below.


After Mike caught my sad entertainment, I thought it wise to join him and act my age. We watched V is for Vendetta and really enjoyed it.

Sunday was a busy day for us, as well. We brought the last of the items in from the yard that are stored over winter and got the lawnmowers put away. We did a final run on the leaves and the yard looked great. Then the wind blew... We took a ride to Ellsworth Tree Farm and got our Christmas tree then headed to Lowes for outside lights and bird food. I was inspired by the Turkey Stroganoff recipe on Simply Recipes and made it for dinner. It was fabulous. I love stroganoff anyway, and this was a nice way to use more of our leftover turkey. We spent the rest of the evening flipping between the Amazing Race and the Patriots/Eagles game. I think this season of the Amazing Race is pretty lame. The football game, however, was very good. We stayed up through the end of the 3rd quarter when the Patriots were down by 4. What a nice -- way too close -- score to wake up to this morning with the Pats on top 31-28.

Now that you know what I did minute-by-minute this weekend, I will let you resume your much more exciting life. Toodles!

Back to Work

Thanksgiving turned out to be a huge success for us! The meal turned out great and we so much fun spending the day with the family. But... in the bustle of cooking, we forgot to take pictures! Mike got a couple of the kids after the meal so I may have those for later. What can you do?!

We are back to work today. I've done a small bit of shopping. So far, exactly one gift for Mike. I really do have to get to the stores for him this year. That'll -- hopefully -- be next week.

Have a super day!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! It is almost 10 am. We put the turkey in the oven a couple of hours ago. Our food is all lined up and ready to go. We've even showered. Whew! Did I say it is only 10 am :) Below is a photo of our table, all set for the meal.


We'll try to write more later today and include some pictures. Today is also Connor and Fiona's birthday!

Gone Baby Gone

In all of my ramblings yesterday, I forgot to tell you that we saw Gone Baby Gone on Friday night. We really liked it. About the movie (from Miramax):

“Gone Baby Gone” is Ben Affleck’s directorial debut and is based on the novel from the acclaimed author of “Mystic River.” It is an intense look inside an ongoing investigation about the mysterious disappearance of a little girl. Two young private detectives (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) are hired to take a closer look at the case and soon discover that nothing is what it seems. Ultimately, they will have to risk everything — their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives — to find a little girl-lost. The film also stars Academy Award Winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) and Academy Award Nominee Ed Harris (“Pollack”).

I think movie-goers will have polarized reactions to the film. Some will find the actions of the main character, Patrick Kenzie, to be moral and right. Others will find his actions deplorable. I can't imagine an in-between. The acting and directing in the film were fantastic. Casey Affleck carried the role of Patrick Kenzie off very well. Ben Affleck shows us a side of Boston that many don't see. It seems to be one of the seedier parts of Dorchester.

I read this book in May, 2006 after hearing the movie was in production. As with Lehane's other novels, it is a somewhat difficult read. I think the movie does a nice job of recovering that and really sticks to the story line. I hope this one gets some awards.

I've included the trailer below.

Fall Cleaning

Here we are, with another Monday to look forward to! Mike and I had a very productive weekend. We did a bit of shopping. I got a couple new sweaters, a cute skirt from American Eagle, and fab pair of Hush Puppies boots. We made up for the shopping spree on Sunday by working out butts off. Ok, I just checked and my butt is still there. It just felt like we worked our butts off.

What was supposed be a cleaning binge to prepare for Thanksgiving turned out to be a good Fall cleaning that no one but us will appreciate. We went to town de-cluttering the mud room. Then we decided to steam clean the rug back there. Since it is the only carpet we have in the entire house, we figured it would be worth it. Mike went over every inch a couple of times and it looks so much better. The refrigerator and stove got thoroughly cleaned, too. Everything is sparkly for our guest of honor Tom (the Turkey). Mike did his magic on the bathroom -- thank God he is such a good honey -- which also looks much better.

We got the carpet pads down under the area rugs in the living room. Though it seems like that should be easy, we had to move all the furniture from one side of the room to the other so we could lift the rug, put the pad down, and trim it. Then the furniture went back and we repeated the process for the other side of the room. It is good to have all that done...

After all that, we did the food shopping rounds. I am so glad we hit the store yesterday. The herbs were thinning out and we got one of the last vanilla ice creams! We should be pretty well prepared for the big day.

Tonight will be mopping the floors. This much-needed task will leave me tired but it is worth it.

I am thinking this post is a little hum drum, but I suppose they can't all be exciting...

Oh, hey! There is more! We signed up for Second Life accounts on Saturday. It was pretty interesting. I am Svelte Svenska and Mike is Mikhe Svenska... We are still learning how to manipulate our avatars, but don't plan for this to be a nightly thing. Famous last words, huh?

Toodles!

Organize Your Yummies!

I have to admit, I have been quite addicted to my Google News Reader. Just what I needed, another addiction :) One of the many feeds I am subscribed to, Mighty Goods (shopping), featured the TasteBook yesterday. It didn't just catch my interest, it reached out and grabbed my interest and drug me along for the ride.

This is such a great idea... Taste Book allows you to create your own hardcover recipe book with your own favorite recipes. Love Grandma's torte? Put it in! What about the great recipe from the Joy of Cooking... Paula Deen... the Mom from play group... Add them, too! For $34.95 you get the printed book with 100 professionally printed recipes of your choice. You can order them all at one or in batches. The book is a binder, so you can add recipes at will, reorganize them in their tabs, even take them to the grocery store. The book is meant to allow for sharing, so you can make a group recipe book to share, or just share your recipes with friends. Have an Epicurious account? TasteBook allows you to import recipes from your Epicurious recipe box. You can even add recipes from the thousands found in Bon Apetit and Gourmet magazines.


I'm lovin' this... And, Michael, this is a Christmas hint ;)

Chocolate & Zucchini

I came across a great site, Chocolate & Zucchini, in my internet travels (many thanks to Simply Recipes). The woman who authors it, Clotilde Dusoulier, is a lot of fun and her food looks so yummy. I just received her cookbook of the same name. If I could eat the pictures, I would!!! I can't wait to try out some recipes... I'll keep you posted!


I'm short on time and have to run... Have a super day!

Everyone loves a Teddy!

...That's Teddy as in Teddy Bear, not nighttime wear, for those of you adults that have wandering minds!

I had no clue what I would ramble about today, but thanks again to Brownie Locks and the Three Bears, I found out that today is National American Teddy Bear Day! Everyone loves a teddy bear. They are so soft and cuddly and remind you of being a little kid. Or a big kid that still has teddy bears (me)...

Toy bears are a longtime favorite of children around the world. They were not called Teddy Bears until the reign of President Theodore Roosevelt (we all know this story, right?). He was on a hunting trip to Mississippi with several of his friends and other hunters. His friends had treed and American Black Bear and wanted to shoot it. Roosevelt deemed such an act as un-sportsmanlike and refused to kill the bear. His actions resulted in a political cartoon (above right). A Brooklyn store owner saw the cartoon and was inspired to create a new toy. I'd say it was a huge success!

Let's celebrate today with a big hug to Teddy and everyone one who loves a Teddy!

Smiles

World Diabetes Day

Just added... It is also World Diabetes Day. From dLife:

The International Diabetes Federation established World Diabetes Day back in 1991, but this year’s observance has a special significance – it is the first time the event will also be officially observed by the United Nations and its member countries. Today in Manhattan, thousands will form a human blue circle in front of the United Nations, walk down 1st Avenue, and then join a diabetes education rally featuring American Idol’s Elliott Yamin and other performers. This evening, the Empire State Building will be one of 120 landmarks around the globe that will light up in blue to mark the day. dLife Medical Advisory Board member and noted endocrinologist Dr. Francine Kaufman chairs the IDF’s section on childhood and adolescent diabetes, which is the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day campaign.

Why November 14th? It’s the birth date of Frederick Banting, one of the discoverers of insulin.

Uh Oh, Mattie!

Poor little Mattie leads such a tough life. At least in his eyes :) He is restricted in where he can plop down (the new furniture is out and so is our bed). Being a cat, he pretends to follow our rules, until we turn our backs, of course. One of his favorite spots is our bed. As you can see, I recently caught him. I took this picture as I told him "Daddy is coming, you better move!"

I helped him relocate to the laundry basket. I thought that would be ok, the clothes are already dirty. How much dirtier can they get? Mike was a bit less enthusiastic, but he let it slide. Mattie's reaction is pretty self explanatory, eh?

I See You!

Our friends Todd and Carolyn recently told us, "We found a great product!" Now, Todd and Carolyn rarely give us product placement ads -- actually, I think this was THE first -- so we really took note. They discovered an auto glass cleaner, Invisible Glass Cleaner, that is great for around the house. They got it at Sam's Club. We aren't members there, so we picked ours up at Walmart (less than $4, automotive dept). The manufacturer's instructions suggest using a cloth with no lint [or newspaper]; we got a bag of microfiber rags for under $5. In hindsight we would use a slightly higher quality rag. The bag of rags left a tiny bit of lint. My mom gave us some great ones and I will use those on the next round.

Connor and Fiona had been visiting and I wanted to clean their prints from the glass cocktail table. Isn't it funny how toddlers are attracted to clean glass like bees are to flowers?! The cocktail table came out great. Mike thought, "Hmmm... What if we try this on the windows?" What a great time saver! Our windows look like a million bucks. It was quick and easy and No Streaks!!! Windex always leaves streaks...

I took this photo this morning. Sorry about the lighting. Looks to be another grey day in New England. Toodles, and have a great day!

Memories of Fridays Past

My friend Melissa sent me a cute email this week, remembering things from the 70s. It brought back many fond memories. Among the pictures was a pair of roller skates. It has stuck in my head all week.

On a Friday night 25 years ago, I would be looking forward to the night at the roller rink. We went regularly. I remember standing in line to rent my skates and being in such a rush to get them on. We'd got out and go round and round all night long. Us girls would skate around an hold hands. I'd try to sneak between people's legs (that is what happens when you're the runt!). Doing the limbo was so much fun. If my memory serves me correctly (Melissa, help me out here!), they played the Hokey Pokey while we did the limbo. I've included it below just for kicks. It really made me smile. The highlight of the night as we got older was a boy asking us to skate.

Years later, while I was in college, I sought out a roller rink to remember the good times. They were almost gone at that point. Now, many people don't remember them at all. I'm glad I do...

Yesterday a Rat, Today a Cat

My post yesterday was about Ratatouille. Today, I am featuring this completely adorable video. I received it as a part of NPR's All Songs Considered Blog. It is just too cute. In the blog, they mention that you can't understand a word of the song. I think that contributes to the cuteness.




Also new to the blog is My Blogroll (see the right-hand side under Contributors). This links to a few of the blogs/feeds I read every day. Hopefully you will enjoy them.

Ratatouille

Last night we watched the adorable movie, Ratatouille. The story is about Remy, a rat who is a chef at heart, and his adventure in Paris at a well-known restaurant. I loved the characters. Linguine is a hoot and Emile was amusing. The animation was fabulous. Some (Mike) may have a hard time digesting this foodie-movie since rats play a major role. I loved it!

Below is a look at the Ratatouille behind-the-scenes video, "Getting into Character" with screenwriter/director Brad Bird, character designer Greg Dykstra and other creators of the film.




For more Ratatouille videos online, see http://www.movieweb.com/search/?q=video&t=47&search=ratatouille&page=1