I have always been fascinated by leap year. That we have an extra day every four years so that the other years will stay in about the same season is really cool. I wonder how they figured out that they needed to do this.
Anyone remember the leap minute? They did that a number of years ago to sort out the atomic clock.
I treasure extra time that I get since I seem to not have enough for what I want to do.
So today I am going to do what I want to do with the exception of the dishes since our dish washer died last night. Right now I am soaking a bunch of glasses with milk scum at the bottom. Let's see what I can get done.
I am grateful for an extra day.
They got the heat working last night. It was the fuel pump which they replaced. Thank goodness for contracts with the local fuel company we use.
Not much for today. Caroline and I have our usual appointment. Then we come back and I start working on something.
We got some more bad news yesterday which is on top of some previous bad news from the day before. And here I was hoping that 2008 would be better than 2007. So far no one close has died which does make it marginally better than last year at this time. So think good thoughts for the Davids and their extended family. Yeah I'm being cryptic again but this is a case where I don't want this to show up 20 to 30 years from now as part of someone's book.
I am grateful for working heat.
Ah hump day for most people. The work week is half done and tipping towards the weekend. This will be another quiet weekend for us. The rest of March is rather busy. Hard to believe that Friday is the last day of the month and this is even an extra day.
Peter went off to the city to see Young Frankenstein and get an autograph from Mel Brooks himself. He had fun and will probably talk about it in his blog.
So Caroline and I went to the Dinosaur Museum out in Riverhead only to find out that it no longer exists which really bummed out Caroline. We made the best of it and went to the Aquarium just down the street. She had a great time. There were not many people so she got to do what she wanted to do. There is a new part that allowed her to pretend to excavate a strange skeleton which is one of the things she REALLY wanted to do at the dinosaur museum. We had a blast on our mother/daughter day.
We came back and the house was cool but I didn't think anything about it. As the evening went on, it kept getting colder and colder. I checked the furnace and hit the reset button. Nada. So I have called the service and with any luck they will be here soon. I know we have oil because they made a delivery less than two weeks ago. I am hoping this will be resolved soon because it is getting very cold in here.
Caroline is bundled up in the master bedroom watching George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken. Her favorite of the three is mine too. She is a Super Chicken fan. She likes the others but she loved Super Chicken and Fred. I'm so proud. I have put her in her warmest jammies and a couple of fleece blankets. I checked on her recently and she is warm enough.
I am grateful that we have lots of quilts and comforters because I think we are going to need them tonight.
I have a purring cat on my lap that really needs his claws clipped which is always an adventure because he is a polydactyl and his claws can be very hard to clip.
I have cloudy weather that feels like snow but will probably be rain or icy rain so another day at home seems like a good idea. Because it was sunny yesterday, I ran some errands and visited a friend for lunch.
I have a lot to do today which is not unusual for me to have. I want to sort through the paper storm we have and figure out what needs to be dealt with and what can just be tossed. I think I am going to start with my desk or possibly the corner table where we keep the phone.
So what do you have today?
I am grateful for fun opportunities that show up on our doorstep.
I am glad I have an extra day this year. I think I am going to need it.
We watched the Oscars last night. Peter did a running commentary on his blog which included a number of my comments. Over all it was not a bad show. I am glad that John Stewart let Marketa Irglova have her say. I think it was one of the best speeches of the night.
"Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much.
This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible.
And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are.
And so thank you so much, who helped us along the way. Thank you." Marketa Irglova at the Oscars after winning Best Song for "Falling Slowly"
We still have snow outside on the grass but I think by the end of today most of that will be gone too. Caroline got to go crunch some snow this morning. I can remember how much I loved as a kid to walk on snow and hear the sound that my boots made on the snow. I still like it.
Today I need to return library books, restock the larder, and do some laundry. If I have time I want to work on my secret experiment for LunaCon. Mwaahaahaaahaaaaaaa! Sorry my inner mad scientist just came out.
I am grateful that we watched the Oscars and had a lot of fun doing so.
There is this big yellow glowing ball in the sky that I have not seen in a while. It is making all the icy white cold white stuff go away rapidly. The temperature is quite nice too and if the wind dies down it is going to be a lovely day outside.
E-bay is an amazing place. Remember those McCall Sesame Street patterns from 1983 that I found out about? Well I now have all the stuffed versions, one of the two puppet versions with another puppet version on the way. These things are doggone cute too. I am more interesting in the mechanics of the puppets that they designed for kids so I am going to be experimenting with the patterns. Thank goodness I have plenty of tracing paper because I really want to keep these in one piece for now. I still think their new rules and regulations are kind of stupid and will probably keep me from selling there.
I had to repair a drawer in the kitchen yesterday. I so love wood glue and string and large rubber bands. It makes life so much easier to repair things. Next on the docket is silverware drawer that need a little repair too. I like being handy.
Caroline has declared this tantrum day. We keep going from one crisis to another with little breaks of normal Caroline in between. Peter and I are hoping that she is not coming down with some sort of bug. This behavior usually happens right before she gets really sick. *sigh*
Well off to sort some video wires and re-hook up some game stations.
I hope you have a good Sunday (except if you are now experiencing Monday and I hope that turns out to be a good day too)
I am grateful for the ability to work out wiring in my head.
We tried to get Billy Joel tickets this morning for the show on July 18th but had just as much luck if not less than we had last week. The thing that stinks is that we want to see the concert rather than wanting to try to make money off of the tickets. This happened when I got a ticket to the Police concert. The two seats next to me were empty. Good for those of us sitting in the area because we had a little more room, but I would have liked to take Ariel to the concert and was willing to pay for the seat. The only glee I can take is that someone lost money on those seats.
This happens in New York all the time. The hot Broadway show is sold out except the hotel ticket counter who has tickets at 4 times the price on the ticket. I want to take Caroline to see the Lion King but it is going to be a while before I can get tickets that work for us. Sports tickets? It amazes me how many tickets are available outside the gate of the game for something that everyone wants to see. There are places like Stubhub but those tickets go for a mint too. There was a tricky way that scalpers use to get around the rules that no longer exist in New York. You would pay an absurd price for a CD or a tape and get the tickets "free" with this purchase.
This all annoys the heck out of me. Basically the bad guys (scalpers) win and the guy who just wanted to take his daughter to a concert that they would both enjoy lose.
I am grateful for the tickets we do get to the hard to get places.
It was much prettier earlier but now with the cold rain, it is rather disgusting. The only advantage is that our driveway is clear so Peter can go bowling this evening without having to worry about getting to the street. I am glad that I went out with Caroline this morning so she could play in the show.
If you want to see what it looked like this morning
Not as much as I wanted to get done today but most of what I have gotten done needed to be attended to.
Now planning out dinner and the rest of the evening. I have a new manuscript of a book that Peter has written to read. I love being married to a wonderful writer.
I am grateful that Caroline and I had such great fun this morning.
I was thinking about going Monday but between the weather and the road noise in my ears, I gave it a pass. So it looks like today will be the day for me to go. I do plan to take my camera with me and see what I can see. And apparently there will be a lot to see since Peter was there yesterday and said it could be overwhelming at times.
Possibly more later but definitely more tomorrow about this adventure.
I am grateful for this opportunity to go to this show.
Well it is finally sunny after several days of rain and overcast weather. It is nice to see the sun and know that some of the water is going to finally evaporate making the roads safer.
Peter is going into the city for Toy Fair today. I plan to go tomorrow morning and get few other things done while I am in there.
Caroline may be getting con crud or just a bad cold. Either way she is not happy with her sniffy nose or her slight cough.
Ariel saw Robbie yesterday. Robbie is going home for a while before the second round of chemo. This is a very good thing and I am happy that he gets to go home to recover rather than having to spend more time in the hospital.
I have some more unpacking to do and one more load of laundry then I can put Farpoint 2008 to bed. Now I need to plan for LunaCon and Icon. We still have a bunch of stuff going on for the next couple of weekends but most of it does not involve traveling. I really should get out an calendar and figure out what I have coming up.
I am grateful that Robbie is going home today.
We go to Broadway Bears every year. We admire the bears and compliment the people who work on them because each and every one is a work of art. And the designers keep trying to out do themselves and their fellow bear artists. It is an interesting mix of Broadway costumer designers, doll makers, and fiber artists. The past couple of years the date had gotten changed due to snow and ice but not this year. Just a bit of rain which was manageable.
This year had a lot of stunning bears. Ariel is visiting her friend Rina and for the first time in a long time was not at the auction. Which was commented on by several of the regulars who are use to seeing her and catching up on a years worth of news in under 5 minutes. They were also amazed at how tall Caroline is getting and that this year she was willing to hold a conversation with them.
One set of special bears that were created for this year were the Bad Idea Bears from Avenue Q. They even had a sound chip in each that if you set it off right, they would talk to each other about buying beer and what a good idea that was. (This is much funnier if you have seen the show). Rick Lyons built them and Jennifer Barnhart and Rick, who were the original Bad Idea Bears, signed them. They were beautiful to behold and went for a very nice amount of money to a really big Avenue Q fan who had put aside quite a bit of money to make sure that they got them.
After the show I saw Jennifer, who I have met, and Rick standing to the side. Jennifer was trying to convince Rick to go on stage and get his picture taken with the rest of the designers. Rick didn't want to. I went over and reintroduced myself to Jennifer who, once I told her the context of where we met, remembered me. She introduced me to Rick who is one of my idols. I love his puppets a lot. We talked about puppets and puppetry for a bit and then they got pulled off. Later I gave my card to Rick since I was telling him about the Doctor Who Puppets and the costumes for the puppets. So I was floating after that chance meeting.
I am grateful that we went to see the Broadway Bears this year.
Sold one of the Goblin Boys and I found out to who will be buying it. I am quite happy with the home he is going to. So the Art show was worth it for me.
Didn't stay up too late last night. But had fun talking to friends while I was up.
Sketch details later. I am packing us up to go home.
I am grateful that everyone had fun at Farpoint.
The drive down was the typical drive down with the typical traffic delays. We arrived at the hotel with enough time to check in, off load the car, put stuff in the Art show and iron my costume for the dinner which was Hogwarts Themed. I took Dobby with me too. Peter and I won a prize for our costumes and Dobby which I was not expecting but it was a nice surprise.
Then Peter did the radio show while I tried to un-pretzel my back which was a bit painful. Peter came up after the auction and I went down and conversed with friends I hadn't seen since Shoreleave. I had a nice time and then went to bed rather late.
This morning Caroline had nosebleed. I found this out when she walked in this morning with red face and hands. We cleaned her up and assured her it was not her fault. I did one of my three panels. We canceled one which allowed me to take Caroline swimming. The second one was slightly under attended but I think that was because of one of the main guests talking in the large hall. I have one more to do about raising kids in fandom which I am going to bring Caroline to in about half an hour of posting this.
Ariel and her posse are doing a costume as a tribute to Robbie. I'll give more details later/tomorrow. I am a little hazy about what they are doing. Parts of the costumes used have been used in sketches that Robbie has been in including Chris wearing the coat that Robbie wore last year at Shoreleave as part of the Snapes on a Plane sketch.
Right now I am fighting allergies that are kicking it up big time. My eyes are red rimmed holes of death right now. Between that and my back, I am hoping that I can keep myself upright until 10 forward.
I am grateful for Caroline and a pool for her to swim in. It is endless amusement and she had a great time.
Caroline loves this hotel. She knows it very well.
So far met old friends and made a few new ones. I have some interesting panels for the next two days.
I am grateful we arrived safely
I hope to see some of you there.
This morning it is all about the packing.
I am grateful for everything I got done in the last hour.
This day is a day of mixed feelings for many including me.
I can remember as a child that we would bring in a shoe box from home and make it into a "mailbox" for valentines cards that the teacher or a trusted student would give out. We would sit at our desks and open them during our Valentine's Day Party. In those days they did not insist that you get one for everyone so the popular kids got a lot of them usually with candy (red lollypops were a favorite) and the rest of us did OK. I hung onto those things for years.
I have been given various gifts over the years on Valentines. I have gotten flowers, candy, jewelry, and put into a Star Trek novel (Bow before the Admiral). And many say that it is not the gift but the thought that counts behind the gift. The gifts are nice but sometimes the thoughts are the more important part of the gift. Sometimes the thoughts have been loving and other times it has been brinksmanship at the tail end of a relationship. And Yes, I have ended a relationship on Valentine's Day.
Now I have my husband who I love a little more each day. Which amazes me because I didn't know I could love him more but then I do. This year we decided to go out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants for our Valentine's Day treat. That way we can get our calories out of the way all at once and have some alone time together.
I have a couple of other errands I have to run before Farpoint but I think I can get those and the laundry done today so I will have us mostly packed by this evening. We're heading down after school tomorrow. Cat sitter is arriving this evening so on my list is changing the sheets on the bed that she uses and make sure she has fresh towels. A lot less pressure to get things done because we are not doing the Masquerade. I need to make sure I have everything ready for the Art Show.
I hope everyone has a good Bloody Martyred Saint's day today.
I am grateful for everything I get done today.
OK what the WGA voted on yesterday was NOT THE CONTRACT. It was a motion to end the strike which passed with 92.5% of the members voting for it. They had to end the strike before they could vote on the contract. Ending the strike allows the writers to go back to work today and restart the Hollywood machine. As to what is going to happen to your favorite TV show, I will refer you to TV Guides look at the rest of the potential season Personally I was happy to see that Pushing Daisies will be coming back even though it will be next season. I'm hoping that they get to finish up Scrubs on air rather than having fans wait for the DVD.
Now the contract vote is in about two weeks. We'll be getting the ballot by mail probably in the next day or so. No, the writers didn't get everything they wanted but they did avoid rollbacks and got in on the Internet fees early unlike what happened with Video Tapes and then DVDs. So a partial victory for now. We'll see what happens next time around.
I have a ripping headache in the front of my head. This is rather unusual because it is one area that I don't normally feel head pain except when it is radiating from another part of my head. It is making it hard to put two thoughts together and make them stick.
With the stinky weather, I think today is going to be an indoor day. The snow was really pretty last night. We did have some idiots in SUVs (why is it always SUVs?) spin out in front of the house because they were going too fast for conditions, breaking late for the stop sign, and being surprised that their wheels didn't grip the sheet of ice that the road was last night. This morning all that is gone and we have some serious driving rain coming through in waves. Wind is picking up too.
And then there is getting ready for Farpoint. Not as much done as I would like yesterday but I think I can make that up today if I really put my mind to it (once I can get the owie factor down to a dull roar). I actually have something to wear to the banquet this year. I do have to find my puppet eyeballs for this weekend.
I am grateful for ping pong balls, elastic, and velcro.
Peter when asked what he does about writer's block, he says nothing since he can't afford writer's block since he writes for a living. He will leave one project and go onto another and work on that and then get back to the original project. When he knows he has a deadline looming, he tends to work hell bent for leather on that project alone. He is a professional about his writing. Right now he is working on several things which he needs to get done (or close to done) by Farpoint.
I have read over the years various books on creativity and awaking the artist within. I have even gotten part of the way through the artist's way. A lot of these book talk about letting your inner child out to play and be creative. I have always wondered why your inner adult isn't creative. What is it about being an adult that makes us less creative? I think they are using the word child the same way that they would use the word freedom. The Freedom to create is a very special and wonderful thing.
When I create a puppet or solve a problem on how to create the puppets in my head, I get a special warm feeling in my soul. It is empowering and there is also a sense of satisfaction that I can figure these problem out. There are still puppets running through my head that I haven't gotten into this world. Some of them will probably always stay in the abstract but others are closer to being made.
Caroline drawing has taken another jump. She doesn't like to copy things but strike out on her own and see what she can come up with. I am going to add a few of her current drawings to the others I have saved. She has been making treasure maps with figures in them that look a little like something out of Invader Zim (which she has never seen) or Gorey's work. Kind of creepy but cool too. I encourage her to draw and we work on other crafts too. I know that the way that the school system is going, I am probably going to be the one to encourage her creative spirit. And I want to do that because I can see that she is a very creative individual and I want her to keep that part of herself intact. I can say honestly that my parents encouraged me to be creative from the time I was small and look at me now.
The freedom to create is a gift and one that needs to be nurtured and played with on a regular basis. It is something I hope I never lose. And it is something I hope that Caroline will have hours of fun with.
Now I am off to be creative with fur, fabric and foam.
I am grateful for all the encouragement I got from my parents to be a creative person.
But I am trying not to rant. I can smell troll or trollop in this case. If not such a creature, then this is one of the special little snow flakes that goes through the world thinking that they can do no wrong and they just don't understand why anyone would call them on their behavior or lack there of. They are just there to help. But in their helpfulness is that most insidious behavior that drives me around the bend. I really don't like people who tear down other people to make themselves feel better. Especially when it is done coated in the honey tones of being helpful. There is constructive criticism which can be useful and then there is destructive criticism which does nothing but make the other party feel bad. And, in a sick way, makes the person who offers the criticism better about themselves and what they do. You can't call them on it because they don't see the world that way and, of course, you are being mean or defensive. I haven't growled in a while but this situation had me create that rumble back in my throat that kinda freaks my husband out.
So I am going to do the sensible thing and stay out of it. I have been doing that a lot lately. I do have an opinion about something and a rather strong one but I don't feel the need to wrangle with the denizens of the Internet that have made up their minds and nothing I am going to say is going to change it. Now when I was younger, I use to tilt at Windmills all the time. Thankfully the Internet didn't exist for me until I gained some common sense and my rational though kicked it. Frankly I don't have the time for it right now. Which has led to some believing that I don't care anymore. I do but I have only so much energy these days and running into walls just isn't my style anymore. Which is frustrating because I DO care.
Ah well. This week is all about getting ready for Farpoint. I need to get some stuff redone for the Art Show and gather up my supplies for the usual stuff we do at the show. It is going to be strange not doing the costume call but I want to wait for Robbie to get better so we can do this sketch together.
I am grateful for not having a big mess to clean up in my yard after that wind storm.
I don't think the weather has sorted out what it is going to dump on us today. It could be rain, ice, snow or nothing. I think we could make a drinking game of it. The one thing I do know is that we have yet another wind advisory which means I am going to walk the property and make sure that our stuff is stowed properly and guess how many trash can and trash can lids I am going to be returning to my neighbors. This is dependant on which way the wind blows.
Ariel thanks everyone for your good wishes. They came in second after a hard fought battle with their biggest rivals. I pointed out that the gap between the two teams keeps closing and that the best bowlers on the team are graduating and the kids behind them are good but not great. I think they will take the whole thing next year if they can keep their team together. Ariel did very well and bowled 9 games. Out of the 9, 5 were over 200. With the exception of one, the rest were up there.
So this week is mostly about getting ready for Farpoint. I am looking forward to it. I have a couple of conventions that have become home to me and Farpoint is one of them. I will be in the art show this year with some dolls and puppets. That is what I am going to be working on this week. Along with some cleaning I want to do before we leave.
I am grateful for all the fun we had yesterday.
Her High School Bowling team is competing in counties today. If they come out on top, then they go to state which they really want to do. She has been preparing for this all week by bowling at the lanes she will be bowling on today. I figure that it will follow the usual format. I just hope that the referees stick to the rules and watch the other team trying to disrupt the bowler on the lane. It was a real problem last year and there was a loud discussion about it after the fact.
Also think good thoughts for the WGA meeting going on today. We shall see what they have to say.
I am grateful that Ariel has done as well as she has so far.
Ebay changes the rules of how business is done
The discounts to the power sellers I can understand. And a few of the other changes I saw coming and of course they benefit those who sell the most on E-bay. However I cannot say that I am sanguine about sellers not being able to leave buyers feedback. It is going to make it hard for people to figure out if the buyer is legit or someone who is going to cost them more money and aggravation than the sale is worth. Now I hear that this is to make sure that the sellers get realistic feedback from the buyers and the buyers are just making nice nice to get a positive from the seller. But now sellers are going to be more cautious about the buyers that they let buy from them. I also expect E-bay is going to see a serious rise in disputed fees. The feedback was a system of checks and balances that worked for a long time and now I think it is going to be pretty useless.
No Food for You! One Year!
There is a bill pending in the Mississippi legislature that is getting a lot of press right now. According to the bill, it would be a crime to serve food to "any person who is obese based on criteria prescribed by the state health department." Now this is unenforceable and probably against federal law. Their reasoning is that this will make people think about obesity. No, it will make people wonder what they are smoking in the Mississippi legislature. I put this one with the legislature that wanted to regulate low riding jeans in my book of absurd bills I have read.
Miracle Baby found I am sorry that this little boy is never going to know his mother since she was killed in the twister that grabbed him and tossed him like a rag doll. But he is alive and, considering all that he went through, in good condition. And that is a miracle in itself. He will grow up and be told the story of how he was found. I pray that his grandparents will be able to care for him until he reached adulthood. Many people lost a lot in those storms. They will be rebuild their lives for some time to come and I hope we don't forget them in their continuing time of need.
And you are fooling yourself if you don't believe it (Bonus points if you know the song I am referring to). This one struck home for me on more than one level. I think part of it is how our brains work and part of it is how society has informed us of how we must act to be part of society. I had heard about imposter syndrome in women a number of years ago when a friend referred me to an article on it because of some stuff I was going through at the time. I am on the side of the fence that tends to belittle what I do rather than trumpet it. I have an easy time promoting others and their work but a very hard time promoting myself and what I do and have done. This blog is a stab at trying to get over that hurdle but it is still hard for me to do.
Here is an example of this. At the Superbowl party we had, one of my neighbors told the other that I had gone to Yale. The other asked me if that was true. I told them that I had gone to the Yale School of Drama for my MFA. Everyone was impressed and I was a little embarrassed and a bit angry with myself for being embarrassed. Because I did go to the YSD and graduated from there and then worked in theater for another 10 years before finally moving onto something else. I was a stage manager for almost 20 years which is a heck of a lot longer than most stage managers last. And I was good at my job. But I don't talk about it much because I don't want to sound like I am bragging.
I am grateful for things that make me stop and think for a bit.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
It is the Chinese year 4706 or the year of the yellow/earth rat/mouse depending on how you translate out the Chinese. It is also the beginning of the 12-year cycle for the Chinese zodiac.
The nice thing is that if you didn't like the beginning of 2008, there are a number of times during the year you can hit that big reset button because it is a New Year for another group.
I figure Disney is going to get a lot of mileage out of this one since they are the House of the Mouse.
I did get one of my two projects done yesterday and found more pieces than I thought I had of the other. This along with getting the kitchen cleaned up and the living room in order, it was a pretty good day for getting things done. I just need to continue that pace today and all the way up to Farpoint (and then LunaCon which I really need to send my paper work into for the art show).
I am grateful for finding pieces of puppets already made and ready to use.
I bet the streets of New Orleans look like a ghost town right now with a few people trying to keep the party going and the residents informing them that this is bad form. It is an amazing thing to see.
I found out yesterday for the first time why pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I had wondered about that for many years. Since Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40 days of Lent and plain food is suppose to be eaten during the time, you had to get rid of your richer ingredients (eggs, milk, sugar) so that they would not go bad during the 40 days because you were not suppose to eat rich food. So pancakes are one of the more efficient ways of consuming those ingredients.
I am honestly trying to figure out what I got done yesterday. I ran a series of errands that needed to be done. I restocked the larder. And that was about it. Most of the rest of the day was spent taking care of various things around the house that needed attending to and playing with Caroline.
Today I want to get two puppets done. And it is not an unreasonable goal once I gather the materials I need to get the project done. My biggest worry is that my patterns have vanished off the face of the earth right now. They are somewhere in the house but darn if I know really where. Why is it I have these mad organizational skills when it comes to work or another person but they never seem to kick in for me?
My little sister came up with a new term that I like called "anticrastination" in which you go ahead and get stuff done rather than putting it off (I got that right I think. Sheila care to chime in?) So I am going to try to anticrastinate today which means less time online today.
I am grateful for pancakes. They are really yummy.
It is Shrove Tuesday also known as Fat Tuesday since tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. It is also Super Tuesday as a number of states have voting today about the various candidates who are still left in the race. This time round it is a little different in that the candidates are not set in stone by the time these elections roll around. One vote can make a difference.
When I signed my voter registration card way back when, we were informed of the privilege we now had in our hands. We also had a wonderful civics teacher who did a great job teaching us about American Government and Civics and the various processes of government. My parents were also my example of civic duty. They took me along as the voted and explained to me at an early age how important it was to vote.
I have voted in every election I have been eligible to vote in both big and small. I have made sure that my voter registration is current. When I was traveling around a bit, I made sure I got my absentee ballot in on time.
Voting is important. Your vote does count. So if you can, go vote.
I feel sorry for the constabulary in New Orleans today. Fat Tuesday tends to bring out the crazies or those born without common sense. The funny thing is that in some places in the country, the bars are closed for the election day and alcohol can not be sold today. Of course the consumption of pancakes are a must today.
I am grateful for my right to vote.
Congratulations to both the New York Giants and the New England (why aren't they called the Boston) Patriots for making the GAME more interesting than the commercials! That has to be first time in a long time that had people on the edge of their seats down to the last minute of regulation play. Both teams fought hard but one had to win and it was the NY Giants who had a lot to prove this time around.
It must have been a happy day at the Manning house last night and I'm betting that Archie is proud of all his children. Eli finally grew into his big boy pants and fulfilled his potential that everyone has been talking about for the past couple of years. I'll admit when the interception happened I did say out loud "Oh no not again!" But he pulled it together with a masterful performance. I also felt slightly evil cheering every time the Giants got to Brady and smacked him around. He really wasn't smacked around enough this year.
We had a great time at our party. We had some of our neighbors over who have little to no interest in football but liked the commercials. By the end of the game, they were very interested in the game and how it was going to turn out. I swear you could hear a collective cheer from the block when the Giants went ahead. There was a screw up at one of the restaurants and we ended up with twice the size of our wing order so we had plenty of food between that the pizza and the munchies. We all agreed we need to do stuff like this more often and it looks like there is going to be a board game night on our horizon.
Caroline decided that the Puppy Bowl with the Kitten half time show was much more her speed and she watched it along with Ariel and Ariel's friend in another room. We kept hearing squeals of delight and "Oooooo look at the puppy/kitty" emanating from there.
So today I start on a couple of things I need to do this week to get the rest of the year off to a good start.
I am grateful for the fun that everyone had last night.
I can hear the screams by the advertisers who convince us that alcohol is always a good idea (but please drink responsibly). After the Super Bowl ads dust has cleared, their next "good time" target is Mardi Gras which happens to be this Tuesday. The next one they do to death after that is St. Pat's Day which is not until March. So it is going to be a very long February for the ad agencies.
We have our snacks ordered from various local restaurants which we will pick up before people come over.
The house is in good order. There is a little more picking up to do in the kitchen and I have to recover the Living Room from Caroline again which is very do-able.
I am finally over what was either a flu-like bug or food poisoning. It has been a miserable 48 hours for me. But this morning I almost feel human again.
Everyone have a good day and be safe. You know how I worry.
I am grateful for other people doing the cooking for me.
Me, I am anticipating spring with some major house cleaning today. Then after the Superbowl tomorrow, I have a couple of things I need to get done before the high school girls bowling team bowls in counties next weekend. It is going to be a busy week.
Tomorrow is the Super Bowl. I am going to say the Pats by 7 but it will be a hard fought game. The Giants have done a yeoman like effort and last time they met up with the Pats they did pretty well but pretty well does not translate into a win.
I need to get a timer that rings to use with Caroline to help her understand time.
This is going to be one of those start in one corner and keep going until I get done days.
Hope y'all have a good one.
I am grateful for places to put stuff where the stuff doesn't have to move in a month or so
Been busy with some web stuff that I didn't realize that I hadn't posted until now.
We are going to have some people over to the house for the SuperBowl. It should be fun. Half the group follows football and half doesn't.
I keep thinking it is Thursday but I then realize that it is Friday.
It is raining and cold which makes it a good day to stay inside.
So how are y'all doing?
I am grateful for sporting events.