School's Out For Summer

Lars carefully selected his own outfit for his Last Day of Kindergarten. Grandmoo will be pleased to know that Lars would sleep in those boots, if only his mother would let him.

Lars Got Mail

A couple of weeks ago, OMSH sent an invitation to participate in a sticker exchange that Kerflop started. I'm not much for chainmail but this was stickers for little kids and even more importantly, Lars was completely excited about the idea of writing to penpals. So, I compromised - Lars selected stickers and wrote notes to the two kids already on the list, but we didn't send the message ahead. In exchange, OMSH sent some stickers to Lars and WOW, was he excited!

First, the package was triangular. Nobody gets a triangular box! In the mail!

Second, there was not a package for Ross! This fact was observed in a 'this event is a special event just for me' sort of way, rather than a 'let me gloat over how much my brother does not have a package' way.

Third, the package contained HOCKEY stickers! They are the fabulous reusable kind that can be moved from playroom to car to bedroom, effortlessly following you through your day. (Note: I earned one Worst Mother point for not allowing him to even try asking the school bus driver if he could bring a window cling on board today.)

After opening the package and examining all the wonderful things inside - DUCKS! MY WINNING DUCKS! AND SABRES! MY FAVORITE GUYS! ON MY FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM! - Lars set about affixing the return label and the corporate logo sticker carefully to the enclosed packing slip. Done, he handed the packing slip to me with solomn instructions to put it somewhere to keep for always. Then, he bounded off to show everyone in the neighborhood his wonderful new stickers and, if you live in the Western Hemisphere, I'm sure you heard him!

Anatomy of a Smile

How an eight-year-old smiles (pre-bershon, but not by much):


How an eight-year-old smiles if you say, "fart," just before snapping the pic:

6:12 am

Happy Father's Day! Breakfast, today, in bed: pancakes (three, cold), banana, 1/2 gallon OJ (with glass & bonus GIANT PYXY STIK straw), sugar smacks (entire box on bedside table), and Double Bubble; served with a smile and a poem (laying across father's soundly sleeping arm) at 6:12am.

This? This is really what having kids all about!

Lego Party Aftershock

Lars is looking through the Lego Magazine he got at the birthday party he went to in the Lego Store this week. He points to a page. "I have this guy," another point, "and this one." He waves gently at two other figures on the page, "So, all I need is this guy and that guy. All we have to do is drrrrrriiiive to the Lego Store, and buy this guy and that guy, and then drive home! I will put them together and that's all! It's easy! See?"

Someone's Got A Secret

"Be right there, Daddy, I need to hide something from you first!"

== a bit later, Chris enters the den... ==

"Now, Daddy, DON'T look in Mama's desk."

Don't give a secret to a six-year-old for safe keeping unless you really want everyone to know.

Purple

Last week, my mom fell while rollerblading and broke her wrist. This week, she got upgraded from a full-arm immobilizing splint contraption to a snazzy short cast in the color of her choice (she chose well, I think!). Lars, upon seeing the picture asked, "Why did Grandmoo pick a purple cast?" I told Lars that Grandmoo picked purple to match his bowling ball and his eyes went wide! "She's crazy," he commented, "We can't go bowling with her arm in that purple thing!"

Ross was standing near by, also looking at the picture of Grandmoo's cast. "I want an iPod. That's for Christmas. My iPod. So you know," he said, one finger in the air to accent the presentation of his point. Chris and I stared at him with quizzical grins, wondering how to best address the abrupt segue. Ross didn't seem to register any of our concern and, raising his finger just a bit higher as a flourish, turned and left the room. Think he wants a purple iPod?

Flag Day Show

The kindergarten gave a Flag Day Show today, featuring songs and poetry enthusiastically performed before an end-of-year party in their classrooms. Here's a clip that should make Aunt Kat smile nostalgically and Grandmoo wonder again how Kath and I managed to survive until adulthood:

Where's Karen?

If it's Wednesday, I'm off being fabulous at an industry event. More blogging Thursday.

You Googled What? Update...

I posted about the Google paths to my blog too soon! Today brought this one:

nice words for wife

Not nearly as creepy as Loralee's 'looney tunes porn' search but still not something I'd think of as defining my blog!

(to the tune of "Blue Moon")... New-oo Shoo-ooes

I am a creature of habit. When I find something I like, I stick with it until it falls apart and then I replace it with, if not an exact match, as near a copy as I can find. Partly, I'm lazy. I love to shop but I can't stand the disappointing feeling I get when I like the look of something but it doesn't fit. So, if I like something and it fits well, I'll buy it again and again.

Take loafers. I've worn Bass Weejuns as my everyday "nice" shoes for decades. I've varied the color, brown or black - one lucky time, navy - but the shoes are essentially the same. A pair of Weejuns generally lasts me three or four years and I know it's time to give them up when gel inserts no longer seem to have any magical effect.


When my feet hurt at the end of a day so much that I can no longer ignore the lack of magic, I go to Bass and choose a new pair. My most recent pair were black penny loafers and, while they aren't quite ready for the bin, I took advantage of a good sale (and driving right by the outlet store) and chose a replacement set, this time black with tassels.


The first wearing is always a little uncomfortable. The leather is stiff and squeezes to tightly and they almost cause blisters. The second wearing is better and by the third, the shoes are comfy. This pair, though, the second wearing was only better for one foot - the other still felt tight. The third wearing was torturous! Surely, by the third wearing, a shoe shouldn't be so tight that I have to slip the shoe off my foot every time my feet are under a table! My toes should not tingle! By the train home, I felt betrayed. Two decades of loyal Weejuns wearing, and they were suddenly not comfortable anymore. Ok, I only felt half betrayed. My right foot was fine - it was only my left that made me want to weep.

Upon my arrival home, Ross and Lars came pelting from the back yard, eager to show me all the lawn plugs Chris had put in. I got into the house and my too-tight shoe came off, forgotten. After dinner, after our walk (different shoes), after cleaning up and a bit of work, I took my new Weejuns upstairs and put them on the shoe rack. The late evening sun caught the new leather and revealed this:


Think that security tag might have anything to do with my comfort experience?

You Googled What?

In the last three days, people have stumbled upon my blog via some amusing Google searches:

• can chipmunks move cement
• When does Talbots sale start?
• ear ache snort salt water
• knee scab
• pants with whales on them
• Can beef be slightly defrosted and then defrosted?
• chipmunk infestation
• best songs for your senior year
• history of the tooth fairy in spring fairy
• whale pants
• famous goalie
• profession with the most tough choices
• birthday haiku
• haiku about school
• enough poem

I hope the searchers are looking for entertainment more than practical advice!

Spätzle Is Not Cake

I make spätzle (German noodles) often enough that I don't need a recipe to put them together. It's not a rough go - flour, salt, eggs, and just enough water to make the consistency stiffer than batter and not so stiff as dough. I know it's right by how it feels when I pull up on the wooden spoon. The dough is pressed through a spätzle machine into boiling water and is done when the noodles rise to the top. Easy!

So, imagine my confusion when the batch for tonight's dinner came out more like oatmeal than like noodles. I thought maybe the dough was a bit too wet, so I added flour. Then I thought maybe the water wasn't boiling enough? I turned up the heat and waited until there was a roiling boil...but still got sticky goo. The dough was fine. It tasted right and it felt right. The water was ok (how wrong can you go with boiling water?). Chris thought maybe it was the weather but I've made spätzle in all weathers - it's not fickle like pie crusts.

And then, my eyes landed on my new stack of ice cream bowls. Which made me think of ice cream bread - a recipe we've tried a few times that uses self-rising flour. Which made me think of last week, when I was stuck working in town and Chris made Cherry Stuff for a dessert party at a neighbor's house. Drawing all this together in my head, I finally asked Chris if we still had the ice-cream bread flour (I had it stuck in an inconvenient place, so it wouldn't be confused with all-purpose flour in the bin I use all the time). Chris immediately looked into the inconvenient cupboard and reported that, no, the weird flour wasn't there anymore. So much for having it hidden!

So, a word to the wise (or at least to those cooking spätzle): Use all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour just doesn't work.

Letters from Carol

Mail that I actually care about has become rare in our mailbox. I call or e-mail almost everyone I know and even our bills are paperless. Much of the post is just junk but, in my sea of all things digital, I have got one completely analog friend.

Carol is Chris' grandmother's cousin, an octogenarian of exacting habit. She lives today almost exactly as she has lived her entire life. "New," in her house, could as easily mean something bought in the 1950's as something obtained last week. Most of Carol's everyday things would be, to anyone else, precious antiques. Bringing children into her home is terrifying! Possibly the scariest thing I've ever done was visit Carol when the boys were toddlers (thankfully nothing was broken!).

Carol is a well-practiced analog correspondent. Her letters arrive faithfully on monogrammed, cream-colored, cotton paper with a good watermark and are full of news. Often, the topic is gardening. Carol is a Master Gardener and I (who can barely claim the title 'recreational gardener') appreciate her help. My letters back usually describe the effects of the last bit of gardening advice. I'm sure Carol is dismayed by some of my reports but she is to much of a lady to ever say so. We also write about hockey, my job, her outings, family news, house projects and history (to me - often personal memories of Carol's). I love having an envelope to stick in my purse as a treat to read while I wait in line somewhere or take the train, the voice of a friend in my head while I sit in a sea of strangers.

Chris clearly gets his miserable penmanship from the family branch Carol is part of and it often takes both of us to figure out what she's written. Rather than annoying, this is part of the fun. We're usually fairly confident we've deciphered the text although we've occasionally called for clarification to someone else who might have had a letter, in case their copy of the news might have been less mysterious.

I used to feel I was the correspondent in our pair who most often owed a response but, in the past year, I've noticed a change. I think the effort it takes to write is becoming more of a strain for Carol. Sometimes she will call instead of crafting a written response and I wonder if her inner "tacky!" alarm goes off while she dials (yes, she still uses a rotary phone). I suppose it would be worse not to respond at all...but Carol is not one for compromise and I'm sure she doesn't like to admit she must make one.

Before me sits my most recent letter from Carol. She wrote it while watching Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, so her news is peppered with hockey remarks. It's a hand-written note that Chris and I decoded over beer, laughing at some of the potential interpretations and happy when we finally figured out what was really being described. I'm not sure why this letter should be any different from any other I've gotten but this letter feels more precious, somehow. When there are no more letters, I will miss Carol.

Swaparooni! Pink & Green, part 3

My swap package has arrived! Chris joined me on the porch to open it and the kids appeared shortly after to share the roll of staff photographer. Here's a picture of all the wonderful stuff Sarah sent for me:


The book is called "Edible Gifts" and is full of simple recipes for treats that can be made as gifts. Unlike directions from Martha, these instructions seem feasible. Ross and I have already picked out a couple that we'll try soon!

The socks are the softest things you've ever felt and aren't too heavy - they will be perfect for wearing to bed or when I'm lounging with cream on my feet. There are two little notebooks, one with an elastic band to keep it from flying open in my briefcase and getting the pages crushed. The flower magnets are so cute and the plaid paper case is FABULOUS! I'll use it for storing something in my cubbies, so I'll be able to see it often - it'll make me smile.

Lars took pictures first - my favorite is the one he got of me checking out the little mirror:

After some nudging, he gave the camera to Ross who captured me with the Sour Patch Kids (the look on my face is, "Oh, so you think I'll share these?"):

The box of notecards is a big hit, too! Pink with green frogs!:

Toile! Fraukow is definitely getting a note soon:

Lars likes the polka dot cards best, as they match the box. He also checked to be sure we got all four designs as shown on the package insert. Quality control may be a good career for him...

Ice cream dishes? Already in use!

Roses in Rerun

We put roses in near our front stairs last year and they're about to bloom now! I'm excited because most of the new plants we put in last year were killed off in the wacky weather we had January through March. We're doing more work in the garden today - new pictures, soon!

Photo Friday: Dressin' Up

The Crazy Hip Blog Mamas are talking about Dressin' Up today. Here's a shot of the boys from our trip to San Francisco last summer. They clean up well!

Game Over

Hockey Night in Canada did a great end-of-season tribute, thoughtfully put up on YouTube for those of us without access to Canadian stations:



I'm sorry it wasn't our boys at the end but sorrier still for the season to end. Ah, well...there's always next year!

Will It Blend?

This website cracks me up every time I go but this is possibly my favorite episode:


P.S. I am totally getting this blender when we do the kitchen. Margarita, anyone?

Dona Nobis Pacem

Mine is but one small blog in the Blogblast for Peace.

Chipmunk Eulogy

Imagine, if you will, that "puppies" = "chipmunks" as you listen to this.

Dead puppies may not be much fun, but a dead chipmunk can fascinate a six-year-old. "Look, Mama! You can see its' tooth! And his nose! And he didn't run away!" Uh, no...no, he didn't run away.

Self Portraits of the Artist as a Young Man

And, finally, the picture he was trying to take, of his favorite Sideways Head Pose (note: this one was not self-inflicted):

Menu Planning

Two recipes before me on colored cards, and I --
I picked the one that matched my manicure.

Cake For No Reason

I forgot to do a vegetable tonight with dinner. Luckily, there was the corn I'd forgotten to put in whatever I made Tuesday night...so I heated that up. To make up for my inept dinner execution, I put together a cake for dessert (don't get too excited, it was a mix). We watched an episode of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? while it baked. [Tangent: I'm pleased to say that, based on the questions offered today, we are mostly smarter than a 5th grader.] I'm also pleased to say that everyone was mostly happy about unexpected cake, although Ross commented that it was really more like bread since there wasn't any frosting. Recognizing this as a setup for getting his PB&J made with unfrosted cake instead of actual bread, I told him that weeknight cake isn't made with frosting. Recognizing that as an attempt to derail his cake sandwich request, Ross replied that we never have cake on weeknights...so it must be something else we were having. I couldn't think of a response that would keep the cake sandwich possibility off the table and also get me out of making weekday cakes more often, so I sent him upstairs to brush his teeth. Parenting: dialogue or dictatorship?

Friday Surprise - Post of the Day Award!

I was surprised to open e-mail and find I've been given a Post of the Day award by The Rising Blogger for my report on our trip to Arizona! Head over to The Rising Blogger to comment on the post about me and to check out some of the other great blogs Josh has singled out lately.

Swaparooni! Pink & Green, part 2

Now that my swap package is safely in the hands of my swap buddy, I can post what was inside - I can't tell you how much fun I had putting the package together!

The roll on the left is a silicone baking tray liner, but my swap buddy will use it as a mouse mat! I never would have thought of that myself but it will be perfect - it's got a nice texture for the mouse ball and is totally flat, so it won't stick up off the desktop like a foam pad. (Note: the cow mug in the upper left corner goes so nicely with everything, doesn't it? It's not part of the package, though...it's just my coffee.)

We have a Lego store nearby with bulk Legos (nirvana; also very dangerous). The bulk stock rotates constantly, so I was happy to find they had a nice selection of greens and pinks for the pencil holder. Here's a shot of the construction:

I filled one tin with pink & green Jelly Bellys and the other with binder clips, paper clips and a few miniature gingham envelopes I found at the craft store.

The disc is full of .mp3 songs following the theme:

Incubus “A Certain Shade of Green” (Acoustic)
Social Distortion “Pretty in Pink”
Incubus “A Certain Shade of Green”
The Shins “Pink Bullets”
Tom Jones “Green Green Grass of Home”
Blonde Redhead “Pink Love”
Vivian Green “Cursed”
Aerosmith “Pink”
Aerosmith “Pink” (Acoustic)
Celtic Bagpipes “Greensleeves”
Ben Harper “Strawberry Fields Forever”
Coldplay “Green Eyes”
Blue Rodeo “Rose-Coloured Glasses”
Avril Lavigne “Basket Case (Green Day cover)”
Bon Jovi “Bed of Roses”
Al Greene “Simply Beautiful”
Pink Floyd “Learning to Fly”
Pat Green “Dixie Lullabye”
Rockapella “The Pink Panther Theme”
Tally Hall “Greener”
Pink “Get This Party Started”
Green Day “Time of Your Life”
The Stone Roses “All Across the Sands”
Green Lizard “Autumn”
Guns’n’Roses “Sweet Child o’ Mine”
Jack Greene “There Goes My Everything”
Rose Royce “I’m Going Down”
Pat Green “Carry On”

I'm already looking forward to the next Swaparooni!

Mama Car

Chris gave me vanity plates for my car last Christmas but I have yet to submit because I can't decide what my plates should be. NJ allows three to seven alphanumeric characters...what do you think I should choose?

'Tis the Season

...for people to send me photos of bygone days. Here's one of me and my friend, Rob, working a fashion event at the Hit Factory in 1995. The video guys who are, uh, working behind us are obviously discussing the, uh, articles.

THIS JUST IN!

...err, OUT:
Once again, Ross stayed up wiggling and managed to yank out another tooth in the name of Not Going to Bed. Bibliofilly was here when he pulled out the last one in an effort to avoid bedtime.

Tomorrow morning we're all bound for our semi-annual dental cleanings & checkups. Think Dr. Karen will prorate for Ross having only 2/3 the usual number of teeth currently installed? Probably not...he does, as usual, have a few spares lined up:

Grandmoo Comments

Mom thought my use of Chapstick to show scale was brilliant and immediately sent this photo to show her first Saguaro cactus (the twin of the one she sent to us is her second). Please note, when comparing her cactus to ours, that she used a different brand of lip stuff so the scales are clearly not equivalent...

Desert Present

A package arrived today containing something we'd forgotten in Arizona, surprise snacks for the kids, and a giant Saguaro cactus for me and Chris. Ok, so it's not quite giant at the moment, but it could be enormous one day! Mom planted a similar one in her yard and has said we'll have fun "comparing growth annually." I'm not sure how she'll possibly win - her plant will be outside, subject to all the perils of nature. Our plant will enjoy life inside, where it will be loved, admired and talked to by all on a daily basis. On second thought, her cactus is probably better off. At least we have a better success rate with raising kids than we do with coddling cactus...

Ten Things I Didn't Blog About our Trip to Arizona

1. Ross yanked out another tooth on the flight over. It popped out of his mouth with force, shooting across the plane. The lights were dimmed for the movie at the time and we weren't expecting it to happen, so we didn't see where the little thing went. We waited until everyone else had disembarked and searched around but we couldn't find the tooth.

2. NO SQUEAKY TOYS ON AIRPLANES!!! This should be a law. I am not bothered by babies or children on airplanes. Sometimes their parents drive me nuts (seriously, lady, control your child's feet - his rhythmically kicking the back of my seat is NOT just like a massage chair), but I'm ok with the kids themselves. The couple directly in front of me and Ross on the flight to Arizona had brought a six-month-old baby and a squeaky toy. When the baby cried, they would wave it at her and squeak it relentlessly. The harder she cried, the faster they waved and squeaked. Did they try to feed her? No. Did they try to show her a book? No. Did they try interacting with her (Itsy-bitsy Spider or any other baby-rhyme that would involve moving her hands around)? No. Wave and squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-SQUEAKY-squeak. I wanted to violate the clear baggie's ziplok closure and pour 2oz of hand sanitizing gel on their heads.

3. My sister graduated nursing school! Her pinning ceremony was beautiful. Her school has a tradition of reading a statement written by the nurse summarizing her or his feelings upon reaching graduation as the nurse receives his or her pin. When everyone in the class has been pinned, all the nurses in the audience - new graduates, teachers and advisers, plus any observers who are nurses, stand in a circle around the room for a candle ceremony. The light is passed from nurse to nurse, signifying the transition of knowledge across the ages and the sharing of knowledge within the diverse nursing community.

4. A friend I graduated high school with now lives in Phoenix and was able to meet up with us. We had a good time catching up, even though he brought along incriminating photos of us as teenagers in the '80s.

5. We found the most gigantic Saguaro cactus any of us had ever seen! Granted I don't get much exposure to such plants in NJ but Mom's been in Arizona over ten years now and likes to hike in cactus country. Still, I got all touristy and took a zillion pictures of it. I even made Nurse Kat stand in front of it, to show scale - she's about 5'4".

6. We went to the Casa Grande Ruins, America's oldest condo complex which is located in what's possibly the oldest planned community. It was pretty cool to see. It was not at all cool outside - the temp got up to 105°!

7. My mom's house looks great! In the last year, she renovated the entire place; new floors, fresh paint, new window treatments, all new kitchen. She did a ton of the work herself, too - it was an enormous undertaking. Worth it, though, as her house is now decorated exactly to her taste. Color me very jealous of her progress...especially the kitchen.

8. We hiked on the gorgeous Peralta Trail in the Superstition Mountains.

9. We met a desert tortoise at the Casa Grande Ruins. He's shown here, parked half under his dinner. I think his head is toward the wall. He did stick it out while we were there but not for very long. He is a very recent addition to the Ruins environment - he'd only just arrived on the day we went. I was astonished at how long the boys stood watching the tortoise do nothing. They were (mostly) still! And (mostly) quiet! Makes me think a porpoise might make a very good pet around here...

10. My sister got her first real live, not student-nursing related nursing job! Actually, this happened a few days after we got home but I'm late to blog about the trip so it gets to be included.

Swaparooni! Pink & Green, part 1

OMSH is hosting a great Swaparooni with a green & pink theme. For those new to the fun, a "swap" is basically an exchange of things along a particular theme, with people you barely know (or know extremely well, but entirely from reading their blog). Many swaps are craft-related but for those of us who are craft-crippled, there are swaps with more open themes. OMSH organized a black & white swap before this one but I was either too shy or too busy (you decide) to try it...green & pink, though - how could I not?

I'm paired with a woman in Arizona (funny - I found out the day after we flew back) who I have only a vague idea of. I read her sister-in-law's blog pretty religiously, but her own blog is not updated very often. The bit I do know about her suggests she'll like similar things to my own tastes, so I fixed the green & pink theme in my head and set off. What fun! It was a treat to sneak off for some shopping that didn't involve groceries or buying kids' pants because all the pairs we own have holes in the knees (thank god shorts season is FINALLY here). I also made a couple of things that she will either totally love or use to form her opinion that I'm off my rocker - maybe both.

Last night, I finally got everything finished and into packable condition. Tonight, I packed the box:


I'll take it over to the post office and mail it tomorrow - wheeeee! Pictures of what's inside will be posted once I know it's arrived. I don't want to spoil the surprise in case my swap-buddy reads my blog.

Inspiring the Neighbors

"There's strawberry-rhubarb pie," says Chris as I walk in, "Mr. K. brought it over. Apparently, I inspired Mrs. K. to bake pie so she made one for us, too."

"Wow!" I sniff the fresh pie appreciatively, hoping dinner won't be too filling. "What did you do to inspire pie?"

"I have no idea. We were talking about cutting down trees."

"What did Mr. K. say when he brought it over?"

"He said he didn't know how trees got to baking either, but he wasn't about to question fresh pie." Chris also elected not to ask and the pie was unquestionably good.

Sunday Stealing from Fraukow via Epiphany

1. Introduce yourself.
Hello, I'm Karen and I'm a week behind with my stolen questions.

2. It's Wednesday at noon, where are you usually?
Working, hopefully from home.

3. What kind of laundry detergent do you use?
Era, Dark Cheer, or Woolite, plus Oxyclean and Downy.

4. What brand of shampoo is in your shower right now?
Body Shop Olive Glossing Shampoo

5. Did you ever get into a bar and drink before you were 21?
Yes. I get proofed more often now than I did back then.

6. What countries have you been to?
USA, Canada, Germany, England, USSR (Russia), Hungary, Poland, Japan, Ireland, Antigua, China.

7. Do you watch MTV anymore?
No, and I never really did - I didn't get cable until I was 30 and had kids.

8. What do you think about Oprah?
I wish I had 1/342nd of her savings account.

9. What color are your bed sheets?
Blue striped, blue plaid, wheat, or sage.

10. You need a new pair of jeans: what store do you go to first?
eBay

11. Did you ever watch The O.C.?
No, but I work with a guy called O'C.

12. What kind of car do you drive?
VW Jetta 1.8 Turbo - LOVE. IT.

13. Honestly, is that car insured?
Absolutely. I live in NJ and am not (yet) entirely insane.

14. Do you like sushi?
Yes, and so does Ross.

15. Have you ever been to Tiffany & Co. or Saks 5th Ave?
Yes, I'm lucky enough to have shopped in both. Also, I'm currently working on lighting controls for several Tiffany's satellite locations...think I'll be able to get a discount?

16. Did your parents spoil you growing up?
I didn't think so back then.

17. Do you like roller coasters?
Yes. Happily, so does Ross.

18. What magazine(s) do you buy regularly or subscribe to?

Home: Scientific American, Smithsonian, Allure, Everyday Food, Cook’s Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, New Jersey, Departures, Antiques, Games

Professional: ESTA Protocol, Archi-tech, LiveDesign, NEC Digest, Lighting & Sound America, PLSN

Kids: National Geographic Kids, Lego Magazine, USA Hockey Magazine

Extra: Bibliofilly brings her New Yorkers (and sometimes Real Simples) over when she’s done with them. I also read People at Fraukow’s whenever we visit.

19. Do you remember the WB show Popular?
Never watched it.

20. When you go out do you prefer to go to a dance club or to a bar?
I prefer to go to a good restaurant.

21. What do you think about gay marriage?
I support unions between loving couples.

22. Who do you think will be the next president?
Nice weather we're having, eh?

23. Are you registered to vote?
Yes.

24. Do you own an iPod?
No.

25. Is your bathroom filled with beauty stuff?
Not really. I own some makeup but rarely wear any. My indulgence is facial scrub, mask, and moisturizer from Sabon.

26. What do you normally smell like?
Heavenly from Victoria's Secret. I get lots of compliments on it, so I keep wearing it.

27. Do you like Carrie Underwood?
I don't know her.

28. Been to "The Vegas"?
Many times, mainly work-related. I do like to sneak off to ride the Big Shot, though.

29. How far away do you live from your parents?
2,200 miles from my mom

30. Are you happy with your job?
Yes.

31. Where do you work and what do you do there?
I am a lighting control specialist for a manufacturer's representative
agency in architectural lighting.

32. What did you get in the mail today?
A wedding invitation, a Cranium Club packet, USA Hockey registration cards for the kids, June issue of Allure, and a bunch of junk.

33. How do you like your steak cooked?
Medium rare.

34. Britney Spears. Ready to have a nervous break down or just having fun?
Ask Dave Barry - his blog keeps up with her more than I do.

35. What do you usually order at Taco Bell?
Directions to Mighty Taco.

36. Have you ever sat all the way through Gone With the Wind?
Not yet.

37. Have you ever been to Mt Rushmore?
Yes, but I was very young and don’t really remember it.

38. Is it just me, or was The Marine (w/John Cena) a really horrible movie?
I haven't seen it.

39. Are surveys like the cocaine of myspace?
Nah...

40. Where is your favorite place (that you have actually been to)?

Hard question! I've been to some sincerely amazing places. If I could sort out my favorite, I would probably align my life to be able to be there more often.

41. What is your favorite candle scent?
I like different scents in different places and I'm mainly hooked on PartyLite scents (blame Fraukow). In my den, I like fresh scents like lemongrass or cotton blossom or something citrus. In the bathroom, I prefer ocean mist or seaside mist or spring water. In other rooms it depends on the time of year or my mood. I have an assortment of spice-based (ginger, cinnamon, mint) or plant-based (bayberry, pine) regulars and a few one-off scents that I try because they sound interesting.

42. Do you believe places can really be haunted?
Yes.

43. Do you smoke cigarettes?
No.

44. Have you ever been to NYC or LA?
Both.

45. How many states have you been to where all you saw was the airport?
None. I’ve at least seen the inside of a shuttle and a theatre in the states I’ve flown into.

46. Do you think 50 questions is enough?
More than enough for one sitting.

47. Are you currently planning a trip?
Several: Wilson, NY (three times over the summer); Toronto, ONT; Bethlehem, PA; Dunnville, ONT. We also just got back from visiting my mom and sister in Arizona.

48. Is Ryan Seacrest gay?
If I knew who he was, I might have a guess.

49. Do you take anti-depressants? Sleeping pills?
No.

50. What do you think about space travel?
I wonder if it will one day be as commonplace as air travel is today.

Cue "We Have A Winner" Music

I won a contest! Amanda, of The Naked Ledger at ClubMom and Mandajuice, posted a 'guess my grocery total' contest earlier this week. I entered by guessing the total in comments, along with about 67 others, and my guess was closest - only six cents off! My sister is a life-long The Price Is Right fan and I'm counting on her to be impressed by my grocery totalling prowess (especially considering the items are things I don't buy and California pricing!). For the record, I'm delighted with my win!