January 29, 2009

Here are a few pictures of my sister's best friend from high school trying out for American Idol. He makes it through to Hollywood.

Here is a link to an article that tells him his character "Norman Gentle" is a waste of time, and a horrible act. Something I wish I could tell him. (It is a few blogs down now) http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/music/idol/blog/


GOOOOOO NICK! Make us proud, by being you!

January 28, 2009

It snowed.

Again.

This time 6" followed by rain, which promptly froze. My driveway is a 1/2" thick sheet of ice.

i am sooo done with winter.

January 27, 2009

I got a pair of new shoes. They are black patent faux croc by DKNY. I love them!

January 26, 2009

Dinner. Yum! Filet of Sole in a Dijon Cream Sauce (from cooking light), Taboulied CousCous (from Most Decadent Diet Ever), and steamed broccoli. Yes, I actually like broccoli.

January 25, 2009

No more fish. I have had fish since I bought my first condo and moved out of my parents house. It started with a goldfish I won at a fair, in 2001 who I named Engima. Enigma lived until 2006, which was pretty amazing if you think about it.

After Enigma died, the hubs and I upgraded to two Zebra fish, two Tetras, and a Chinese Alge Eater. We lost a tetra a few weeks ago. And that sort of put me over the edge. I was done with fish. Now, I am not a cold blooded killer, so I gave the fish away to a friend with a bigger tank, and more time to take care of them. The hubs and I cleaned out the tank today. No more fish.

Here is a perfect example...

of how a song can affect my mood. I was having a pretty good day, it was late afternoon on Saturday. I am standing in CVS buying nothing too exiciting: dental floss, deodorant, face wash and picking up a prescription for the hubs. When over their music sytem comes a song from my past.

"I Do Cherish You" by 98 Degrees. Here are the lyrics:

"All I am, all I'll be
Everything in this world
All that I'll ever need
Is in your eyes
Shining at me
When you smile I can feel
All my passion unfolding
Your hand brushes mine
And a thousand sensations
Seduce me 'cause I

I do cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will love you still
From the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much
I do

In my world, before you
I lived outside my emotions
Didn't know where I was going
'Til that day I found you
How you opened my life
To a new paradise
In a world torn by change
Still with all of my heart
'Til my dying day

[Chorus]"

I am suddenly transported to being 20 years old, in college, thinking about an EX, who at the time I was head over heels for and would have thought about spending the rest of my life with had life not gotten in the way. Now to give you some perspective, I am not sad over this person being an EX, we are both happily married now and life turned out the way it was supposed to, but there I was in the middle of the CVS mouthing the words to this song, thinking about love from long ago. And seriously stuck in this reminiscy mode. You know how you tend to only think about good things when you reminisce? Yeah, that was me.

Luckily I was able to exit the CVS before the song was over, but I was now in a seriously bummed mood thinking about how old I felt, and how it was sad sed EX and I don't even speak anymore. And contemplating trying to get back in touch.

I hop in the car, and the radio comes on. I literally started laughing. The song?

"Just A Friend... Biz Markie" .....

Here is a snippet of the lyrics from this horrible rap (if you can call it that) song:

"Have you ever met a girl that you tried to date
But a year to make love she wanted you to wait
Let me tell ya a story of my situation
I was talkin to this girl from the u.s. nation
The way that I met her was on tour at a concert
She had long hair and a short miniskirt
I just got onstage drippin, pourin with sweat
I was walkin through the crowd and gues who I met
I whispered in her ear, come to the picture booth
So I can ask you some questions to see if you are a hundred proof
I asked her her name, she said blah-blah-blah
She had 9/10 pants and a very big bra
I took a couple of flicks and she was enthused
I said, how do you like the show? She said, I was very amused
I started throwin bass, she started throwin back mid-range
But when I sprung the question, she acted kind of strange
Then when I asked, do ya have a man, she tried to pretend
She said, no I dont, I only have a friend

Come on, Im not even goin for it
This is what Im goin sing
You, you got what I need
but you say hes just a friend
And you say hes just a friend,
oh babyYou, you got what I need
but you say hes just a friend
But you say hes just a friend,
oh babyYou, you got what I need
but you say hes just a friend
But you say hes just a friend"


And just like that I was snapped out of my bummed out reminsicy mood, and ready to enjoy the rest of my day. And thankful that I didn't make the attempt to delve into my past....

January 24, 2009

I cannot limit myself to just one picture, we actually did something today! Here is a picture of the hubs and I at a PBR (Professional Bull Riding) Enterprise tour event at Harbor Yard Arena in Bridgeport, CT.

So how come I am at a bull riding event? Well, last summer we went to a Rodeo in Lake Luzerne, NY, called the Painted Pony. It was amazing. I really could not believe how much I enjoyed it! So I sort of fell in love with the sport of bull riding. Whenever I travel I watch it on the tv channel Versus, where they air events. A rider has to stay on the bull for 8 second in order to have a "Qualified Ride". It is amazing how few rides wind up being qualified!

This picture is of a bull names Puddle Jumper. We actually saw him at the Painted Pony! So it was very exciting to see a bull we know!

Here are two more, of some bulls whose names I don't remember.

January 23, 2009

Another boring day. Here is a shot of the Capitol Building in Hartford, CT. I shot this picture through my car window when I was getting off the exit to go to work. It is actually a beautiful building with a gorgeous park in front of it.

I started a new blog...

Check out:

The Soundtrack Of My Life

My all time favorite song...

Life is a Highway... Tom Cochrane

Here is the first verse and chorus:

"Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There's a world outside every darkened Door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
We won't hesitate break down the garden gate
There's not much left today

Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long"


This song always puts me in a happy mood, and makes me realize that Life is about experiences. The more experiences the better. Things happen, usually for a reason, and you have to take it all in stride and keep moving. This is my most favorite song ever.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg9mDGReM0U

The beginning....

I have always been driven by music. A song can affect my entire day. I can listen to my favorites on repeat over and over. But what I really love, is the lyrics. I am not a song writer, but I am always impressed (or sometimes unimpressed) by song lyrics. I was looking for a way to capture what I am listening to, what lyrics I like, etc and a new blog seemed like a good idea.

Now.. about this blog background. I know I am a little old for Hannah Montana, but when I was a kid my sister, my cousin and I would play this make believe game. We were in a rock band... and I was always "The Queen of Rock & Roll". So this background seemed all too perfect.

January 22, 2009

So here I am....double chin and all. :) I purchased this shirt on Macys.com and it came today.

What do you think?

I am trying to decide if I should keep it or not.

January 21, 2009

Yummy Yummy Lentil Soup! I love the crock pot recipe I have from a cook book my Grandma gave me. A nice healthy meal!

January 20, 2009

So today I bring you more pictures of ice and snow ( a major theme in New England this year... it has snowed every single week since before Christmas). The first picture is of the cool way the rock wall on the side of the highway gets covered in ice. It is really cool to see. The second picture is of some icicles hanging off the unit a few doors down from me. They were really cool too!

January 19, 2009

So here is a picture of my arm after I had to go do some blood tests. It pretty much took up a good portion of my day ause I had to go for a nasty glucose tolerance test, which required I fast, have blood drawn, drink some nasty glucose water, sit in the waiting room for 2 hours, and have 2 more tubes of blood dawn. My total for the day was 10 tubes. YUCK! All I have to say is thank goodness for the hubs' kindle, I got to reread a good portion of Breaking Dawn.

January 18,2009

As mentioned in a prior post today, here is a picture of my cousin teaching me how to use Photosop. Sorry my face isn't in it, but I was concentrating really hard, and I make some pretty bad faces! LOL. I am the one on the left.

My Cousin... the awesome artist :)

So I know this is different from my regular daily postings, but my cousin was nice enough to come over today and teach me how to finally use my PhotoShop software. She is currently in school for Interactive Digital Design, and she is quite talented. So I wanted to share some of her work. You can check out her webpage at ZerachielAmora.

January 17, 2009

Finally went back to Kickboxing today after an almost year hiatus. It was great. Although I will be surprised if I can lift my arms tomorrow!

January 16, 2009

The Friday after the snow it was gorgeous and sunny out. Here is a pic from a little before sunset, looking out my back porch.

January 15, 2009

Snowed Again! Here is a picture looking out my 2nd floor front window. It was so yucky all day, just snow snow snow.

January 14, 2009

Ok, so I know it is technically cheating, but I am seriously out of ideas. I tried to take a picture from today of the hubs and I kissing, but it kept coming out horrible, so here is my favorite one from New Year's eve.

January 13, 2009

Another Day Another picture....

I am seriously out of ideas and it is only day 13! Here is a snapshot of my office as I was driving down the highway. It is the tallest building in Hartford, CT.

January 12, 2009

Today's picture is of my foot in my favorite pair of shoes. A pair of fire engine red patent leather pointy flats. I once wore them to work and my boss asked if I had just clicked my heels and come in from Oz.

January 11, 2009

I really had to struggle today to think of a picture idea. I mean it snowed again, but you guys probably don't want to see another picture of my snow. So I took a picture of dinner. We made the chili out of the Most Decadent Diet Ever! cookbook. I love this chili and make it all the time.

January 10, 2009

Every 6 months or so I get together with my 4 college roommates. Today, this event was hosted at my house. Nothing too crazy, just potluck and chatting. The best part is I get to see my favorite children in the world, my "niece and nephews". So I thought I would share with you guys some pics of the kiddies. We got the awesome news that there is another on the way, which makes me soo happy!

January 9, 2009

Too bad my car window and mirror were so dirty. This was a great shot of me stuck in traffic on my hour long communte to work. I liked it because in my side mirror you can see a row of cars.

January 8, 2009

Today I had to go into NYC for work. My office is located at 2 World Financial Center, which is right across the highway from Ground Zero. I thought taking some pictures of the current construction might be a good idea. I can hardly beleive that 7 years later, it really is still a massive hole. It is nice to see though that construction is finally starting to come along. I don't think you can tell because of the size of these pictures, but there are some steel girdys that look like the beginings of a building.

January 7, 2009

After the snow came the ice. Yes the ice. This morning I woke up to 1/4" thick sheet of ice covering everything. It really made everything look like an ice palace, so that was awesome. I love this picture. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

January 6, 2009

Snow. More Snow. Living in the Northeast can be good and bad. I love the fact that I get to experience all 4 seasons, but I have to admit Winter is my least favorite. Snow is cool, but I am already done with it and it is only the 6th of January. This picture was taken in the parking lot of Stew Leonards, the World's Largest Dairy Store. On the lamp post is a little cup of lite yogurt with a big smile, waving at you. Scary isn't it? ;)

January 5, 2009

Here is the hubs hard at work. He has a paper submission deadline for the conference he is going to by midnight tonight. Since I basically did nothing all day long, thinking about the hubs working is what I decided to take a picture of. He did send me out for some dinner, since he is really busy and stressing out. He was getting annoyed, with me for taking his picture, so I know the lighting sucks, but it was the best I could get. :)

January 4, 2009

Spent all day in the airport, and completely forgot to take a picture! Oops!

January 3, 2009

I slept most of the day alternating between sleeping and reading the books of the Twilight Saga (highly recommended!). Twice I decided a little air would do us a little good, so Cory and I took a walk along the island of Giudecca, where our hotel was located. This is just a side alley, but I was engrossed in how it looked. If I could only mke my pictures show you how pretty is was. :( Definitely have to work on that!

January 2, 2009

Still in Venice, it was supposed to be our last day. We had a great tour planned, but then I got sick and started throwing up. And this view in my hotel room was pretty much where you found me for the majority of the day. Sorry to be gross!

It was so bad we delayed coming home until the 4th.

UPDATE> So it has been brought to my attention that I should clarify. I had a 24 stomach bug... I wasn't sick from the gigantic wine glass. Hehehehe :)

January 1, 2009

January 1 - Still in Venice Italy. We took an amazing tour of a glass factory on the island of Murano, watched a lace maker at work on the island of Burano, and visited the little habited island of Torcello. We topped the evening off with a wine tasting dinner at Cantina Canaletto.

This wine glass holds a liter of wine. If you look close the opening is almost as big as my head.

The purpose of this blog..

I would like to tell you what inspired this blog, and that I literally stole this wording and the idea from Carie.


Carie found this post on Kristin's blog and thought this was a wonderful idea! I love pictures and it would be a great way to remember my life in 2009.

Here are the guid lines.

Why do it?Taking a photo a day is a big undertaking with big payoffs. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider doing it:

Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)Your year-long photo album will be an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast.Taking a photo a day will make you a better photographer.

Using your camera every day will help you learn its limits. You will get better at composing your shots, you’ll start to care about lighting, and you’ll become more creative with your photography when you’re forced to come up with something new every single day.

Tips on How to Do It
Here are six tips on how to create your own Project 365:

1.Bring Your Camera Everywhere -Yes, everywhere.
Get in the habit. Grocery stores, restaurants, parties, work, and school. Going to a movie theatre? Snap a pic of the flick with your phone–there are photo-ops everywhere. If you have one of those tiny tiny cameras, you have no excuse not to have it in your pocket all the time. And if you don’t? Camera phones are a great substitute.

2.Make Posting Easy-
You can install blog software like Movable Type or Wordpress on your own site and create an entry for each photo, but for true ease of use, try a photo sharing site. Flickr will let you post a week’s worth of photos in 2 minutes flat, and fotolog and Photoblog.com are geared toward a photo-a-day workflow. Making it fast and easy means you’re much more likely to do it.

3.Vary Your Themes -
Try to capture the day’s events in a single photo. Perform photographic experiments. Take a photo of someone new you meet, something you ate for the first time, or something you just learned how to do. Take a photo of something that made you smile. And don’t forget to take a photo of yourself at least once a month so you can remember how you’ve changed, too.

4.Tell a Story-
Use your blog entry, or your photo description, to explain what’s going on in each day’s photograph. How good did that dinner taste? What made you want to take a photo of that stranger? It’ll help you remember down the road, and it gives friends following along a better appreciation of why you took the photo you did. You don’t need to write a lot, just enough to add some color.

5.Don’t Stop, No Matter What-
This is perhaps the most important tip of all. You will get tired of taking a photo every single day. Some days, you will consider giving up. Don’t. The end result is worth the effort. Remind yourself why you wanted to do it in first place.There will be times you’ll think there’s nothing interesting left to take a photo of, and times you’ll think you didn’t do anything exciting enough to take a photo of. There’s always a great photo to be made.Get out of the house and take a walk. Or stay inside and look around. Take a photo of something important to you. Take a photo of the inside of your house so you can see how your taste has changed over the years. Take a photo of anything, just don’t stop. It helps if you’ve told your friends about the project and asked them to follow along. Their encouragement will keep you going!

6.Post early, post often-
Plan on going through and posting your photos at least once a week so you don’t get backlogged and feel overwhelmed. Ideally, post every day or two. Again, spend the time up front to make sure it’s quick and easy to post. It’ll make all the difference.


So with that out of the way let the posting commence!