MENU OF THE DAY:
Photos: these are taken from my birthday on Vashon Island last weekend, where the weather was 70's and beautiful (Now it is back to 50's). I like this "jojo" one. Brian pointed it out to me that the coat hooks in the guest house looked like my name so i took a photo. (Brian took the two shots of me, the barn light and the horse photo - which reminded me of YOU, eque!) The food photo is from The Monkey Tree, which is a great bohemian vegetarian restaurant we discovered on the island because we had an hour to kill before the ferry. all this time we have missed this place!
Music: Ghost of Goodbye by Ford Turrell. (I don't even remember how i found this song. But it must be iTunes Favorites.)
Last book read: OMG! I just finished reading Matterhorn, which is a novel about the Vietnam War. I am going to say right here that i believe it will win the Pulitzer Prize. It's an amazing story a Princeton educated lieutenant in Vietnam in 1968. This books has so much in it: race relations, elitism, military politics, leadership, bravery, cowardice, this book is LIFE. I loved it. I started reading on Friday evening and finished it on Tuesday morning and it's 600 pages long. This book is going in my top 10 and i will read it again. And i'm buying it for my retired military father on Father's Day. (Islandpearl, i was thinking Bud might want to read it.)
What i keep forgetting: To make that pap smear appointment! LOL. (The reason i include this all the time is because it does indeed get me off my ass to get this job done!)
What I am doing this weekend: Don't laugh. But i am indeed painting over the hallway cottage-y yellow to a more neutral tone.
The best thing: Well maybe not exactly the best thing, but i did get a Shark Steam pocket mop from the infomercial i was watching the other weekend. I can't wait to use it.
What's in my glass: i almost forget this one. I am drinking a viognier that my co-worker/good friend Toni, who is retiring bought me for my birthday. It is expensive and very good.
What is keeping me up nights: Toni and i have worked together for 23 years. It's like a marriage. (Only Sarah/louielouie here has a longer relationship with me than Toni, outside of family.) I am giving the keynote speech and while i am not worried about what to say, I am worried i will cry. I have spoken at three funerals and never cried but i am afraid i will at this one. And i would be so mortified to be crying in front of 100 people who include my colleagues, headquarter manager/bosses and past manager bosses .
What is disconcerting to me: only because i can't seem to leave it alone, EVEN as i am not crazy about. It's Facebook. Dammit, Facebook is like that Very Bad Boyfriend that you just know you should leave alone and tell to f*ck off but you can't help but go back for more. Facebook has me emailing my friends less than i used to. (You know who you are and you know this to be true because you have the same problem.) Facebook is shallow and i fear that i am succumbing.
Shit, before you know it Brian and i will be Facebooking each other in short bursts of connection/conversations and that will be it. In fact, this is our date night and right now he is in the other room Facebooking while watching TV while i am updating this blog.
What Brian said tonight that cracked me up: When i walked in to pour a second glass of that expensive birthday viognier i asked him what he was watching. And he said,
"I am learning how to make aluminum foil."
I said, a bit increduously, "What the hell channel are you watching?"
He replies, "The History Channel". (I should have known. Last night he was watching how they made bowling balls on the History Channel. I thought the History Channel did more in depth programs than bowling balls and tin foil. this is like History-Lite Week)
Then he adds, "You never know when i might need to make aluminum foil to ward off a catastrophe."
I love my husband. He makes me laugh even when he isn't even trying to. (Though he was trying to with that last comment.)
22 comments:
i forgot to add: but y'all know the rules. Add your own Menu. Including you lurkers. You know who you are!
Photos: I have already seen a lot of these photos on Brian's facebook. I love the whole horse and bird series. I'm glad you guys had a great weekend for your birthday. It was beautiful there, as it was here. I have a few photos for my next blog post from last weekend at the steeplechase races. For those who haven't already seen them on facebook.
Music: Ghost of Goodbye by Ford Turrell. (I sent you this on a mix last summer. You may have already had it from Paste, though.) I'm not listening to any music right now. In my car I am still enjoying the new Greg Laswell album, Take a Bow.
Last book read: Still reading Ten North Frederick. I'm getting absorbed in it now, and just might finish it in less than a month! I've been taking a lot of days off so it's giving me more time to read.
What i keep forgetting: The girls and I went to the GYN yesterday. A mother daughter activity, lol. It was Gracie's first visit. I had been forgetting that, the dermatologist and the oil change, but all of those appointments have finally been made. But I'm sure there's something else I'm forgetting!
What I am doing this weekend: Going on a hike in Valley Forge with Lois today, and to New York City to see Billy Elliott tomorrow! I had a fun ride on Romeo this morning, as usual.
The best thing: Dinner at a Vietnamese BYOB with Lois and Holly last night to celebrate Holly's birthday. We had a great meal and talked and laughed. We usually do lunches to celebrate birthdays, but I think we'll do dinners from now on, because it gives us more time to relax and also because we can have wing. Then I went back to Holly's to watch An Education on demand with her. It was good.
What's in my glass: We had a nice sauvignon blanc at the restaurant last night. It had a screw top and I kept putting it back on because I was afraid it would spill. I got a picture of Holly trying to pour it with the top still on. I said, "Holly, the top's still on it," and she just kept trying to pour it with this perplexed look on her face like, "it can't be empty already!" She was too funny! She brought a pinot noir that our boss gave her for her birthday and it wasn't as good as the sauvignon blanc.
What is keeping me up nights: the computer
What is disconcerting to me: I agree about facebook. It's one of the things that keeps me from reading more. But that is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things that disconcert me these days...
What Melanie did that cracked me up: Filling out our medical histories at the GYN yesterday was kind of funny. Grace asked me what to put down for her marital status, duh. Then she was looking over my shoulder to see what I wrote. I told her, "technically I'm still married, so that's what i put." I told her to put down that Grampy has heart problems. And she wrote "Grampy" on the form. Then Mel handed me her completed form. I looked at it and she wrote that her father has high blood pressure. I said, "no he doesn't." She said, "yes he does. he always used to say, 'don't piss me off, you'll get my blood pressure up.'" bwahahahahaha!
Blogging will never replace facebook for me. Even though all the world can see it, it still feels more personal to me.
Welcome back Jo
Am the ONLY one without facebook?
Awesome..a new post!
I just found out that one of my favorite people has had really big health scare. If it weren't for Facebook, I'd never have found out. We never call each other any more. I had emailed him that a mutual friend had died and he never emailed back. But I got an update on my News Feed that he just left the hospital after four months. He got a staph infection, had his leg amputated, then had congestive heart failure and was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
People in my life are not doing well at all.
So coming here and reading your blog with the beautiful pictures and updates from all of us makes me happy.
Saw "An Education" on my last flight. Saw "Young Victoria" and "It's Complicated" as well. All 3 v. good.
Also saw something about "...the Morgans" - the Hugh Grant/SJP one. You know, it's a virtual guarantee that a marguee with either of those names is going to be crap. And it was. But it WAS free. Of course, free crap is still crap.
I'll wishlist that book, jo. After watching 10 weeks of "The Pacific" it'll be a while before I can get immersed in another war novel. And I thank God that I can choose whether or not to read about war, when so many of our own are still knee deep in the real thing...and ask God's blessing on them and their families.
I've kindled Coben's latest 2 and am on the list to get the latest DeMille when it's up in 2 weeks...that is, if Amazon doesn't get sideways with THAT publisher, too. I swear, the last 3 books I tried to download aren't available to kindle because of the publisher/Amazon scraps. Greedy bastards, all of them.
And I still refuse to get an iPad.
I'm listening to a pandora feed off Gotan Project (world/tango/gypsy). It never ceases to amaze me how far apart we are musically and politically, but still manage to get along.
I'd have thrown myself off a building before I'd have gone to the gyno with my Mom. Ack!
Doing more purging today -- took down a ton of spare luggage from the rafters in the garage and filled it with the clothes I purged last week -- ready for the next charity pickup. Next week: shoes and purses. And we still have more than 2 complete sets of luggage and a bunch of gym-baggy type things. Accummulata majora - evanesco!!
Feels. So. Good.
That's a q...marquee.
And I love the pictures...saw them on B's FB.
See, I like FB for that sort of thing. Drive by v. drive in. Blogging is more time consuming by its very nature, as it requires more thought. But the one in no wise diminishes the other for me.
I meant to say facebook will never replace blogging, not the other way around.
And also that I love the jojo hooks!
Hey Q...did Holly like the necklace?
What’s the best thing?
Started my weekend on Friday by going to the UW to a Research Symposium. Em presented her research “Mood Disorders and Circadian Disruption”. The research is with rats, they change their day/night cycle excuse me, they desynchronize their circadian rhythms, and then study behavior. This type of research has implications for shift workers but now they are looking at a connection with depression and mania.
Anyhoo, she did a great job, way better than the dude who presented “Retrograde Neuronal Tracing to Map Serotonergic Neurons Projecting from the dorsal Raphe Nucleus to the Dorsal Striatum”, I had no idea what he was talking about, even with his PowerPoint.
What I’m listening to?
No History channel here, it’s a Mariner’s game. The last couple have given me knew hope.
What I’m drinking?
Hot water. I’ve been under the weather today so that's the best I can do. Was going to go into work but never made it, so I’m trying to get some things done at home. You can see how well that’s working for me. . .
What’s cracking me up?
My mom, she is sending photos of herself from Germany (yes this is the same mother who was unable to attend her sister’s memorial service in San Francisco 4 weeks ago) posing with an adult beverage, on the train to Berlin, relaxing by a fountain in said Berlin. You should have seen her moping around here the last couple of weeks, she has had a miraculous recovery.
What’s keeping me up nights?
Work. It’s a mess
Good to see y'all. i feel like Facebook is taking over the blogs and i don't expect to see as many comments anymore. :( ....
louie, i am glad i didn't have to go watch presentations on Retrograde neuronal yadadyada. THAT is worse than having to watch my great
niece in the Nutcracker every Christmas season.
I hope you aren't getting sick! I know you said work was super stressful. But maybe getting just a little sick might be what you need to handle work????
Hey susieatl!
Hey pearl! speaking of necklaces, i wear that Hope necklace you made me very often and don't even take it off when i'm sleeping. I pair it with my silver CREATE necklace.
**************
i FINALLY HAD SUCCESS. I got smarter and bought two quarts of two different colors. I put up samples of each. And i found the color i've been envisioning. It reminds me of the color of the fine sand of Sedona from that photo of my two shoes in my past blog post. I love this color. It took me 10 hours to get it all done, but it's done. It looks great with the green color in my living room.
Has anyone played the Pacman on Google? Last night i did great on it after two glasses of my birthday wine and this morning i did terrible with coffee. what's up with that? I used to love Pacman in the 1980's.
Can't wait to watch the ending of Lost tomorrow. I feel like i should cook a special dinner of ..i don't know...something with coconut. They never seem to eat on Lost though.
oooh, i just realized how sore i am going to be tomorrow from all this painting. It's amazing how many muscles get worked from painting.
Happy birthday, equeyaya!!!!!! How was your hike today? BTW, i should have known Ford Turrell came from you! I've been playing the JBT cd over and over because i need to listen to music more than a few times sometimes to know if i like a cd. There are some great songs on that cd. I especially love track 1 and 4. (I'm terrible about titles.)
I hope your birthday involves your daughters and/or you galpals and wine!
OK. i am pooped. I'm going to bed.
pearl, Holly LOVED the necklace you made for her. She put it right on. I was going to tag you in the photo I posted of her on facebook where she is pouring the capped wine, but the way she was leaning, the peace piece slipped under her shirt. She had to open it all the way to get it on because, she readily admitted, she does have a freakishly large head, lol!
louielouie, how great that your mom is enjoying an adult beverage in Germany! Wish we could join her!
Thanks for the birthday wishes. I had a great hike with Lois and her daughters (both in their 30s, and very cool women - see photos on fb). It was 5 miles, up and down hills. Added to a 3 mile walk in the morning and a light day of eating and my weight was down a little this morning, yay!
I'm heading out now for a walk with my dog (hoping to escape any rainfall), then off for a long day of fun with the cowgirls. :)
I'm starting to not like the terra cotta-ish color in my kitchen but i think it is because as i was painting and loving it Brian was in the middle of taking the roof off our patio (we're getting a new one) and once he was done all this light is coming in and it has changed the color.
But i'm going to try not to think about it.
I am going to talk myself into liking it. I am not painting anymore.
P.S. I loved the ending of Lost. I don't mind that i still have questions about it which surprises me somewhat. I didn't bawl my eyes out but i did tear up with Sawyer and Juliet's scene at the vending machine and at the end with Vincent. I won't say much more in case Kylee comes here so i don't spoil it. But i did love the ending.
I am going to rewatch all the shows this summer when i am on vacation because i have 6 weeks off. But in doing the math i think it would take about 40 days if i watched 3 hours a day, which even as lazy as i am in summer, i can't manage that. So it might take me through September before i'm done.
Why am i not sleeping? Yes it is 3:40 am.
I go thru spurts of reading blogs but not updating mine, reading FB but not posting much -then writing and reading on one or the other...
just the waves of time and mood.
I loved the end of LOST, too.
Jo, if you are getting a new roof on your patio, won't the light change back again when it goes on? Then the color should look the way you liked it before.
I have NEVER watched LOST. Another example of a social phenomenon I have completely missed.
Will I be like someone from the 60s who never listened to the Beatles? I'll miss all the Trivia Pursuit questions when the next addition comes out. I do not want to be a total loser.
Am taking the next days off (except for a morning meeting and to finish the stuff I didn't get done today) and heading to the Oregon Coast. Ron want a vacation re-do; one with no ER visits. I'm supposed to be heading out at 1:00 with the other gal; the two husbands will come together after work. I think this is a good decision based on my husband's leaving-town-track-record.
I have no business leaving work now with pile up on my desk and things I haven't done - as well as the ones I forgot I was supposed to do,
Oh well. . .
Louie(2), no one ever mused on their deathbed that they wish that they'd spent more time at work.
There's a reason to spend time with friends and family.
Carpe opportunem.
My mini vacation
Didn’t get to bunnee’s until 2:30, our ETD was 1:00, but we were early enough to miss bad traffic on I-5 south
However, I missed my turn in Longview – how many times have I made this trip in my adult life? So we had to go via Portland, not such terrible route unless you hit Portland at 4:30!! Argh,
SO it was a 4-hour drive.
Once we got here though, it was still light and it is beautiful. We open right up to the ocean, the sky is interesting, and the water looks and sounds great.
No off shore drilling off Washington and Oregon thank you very much.
Just a little school work to do this morning and I’m all done. I hear ya Pearl, but on my deathbed I DO want people to say I could be counted on to follow through on my promises and produce high quality results.
Oh yeah, and that I was drop-dead gorgeous
We have no visits to the ER planned this trip, just a lot of hanging around.
hope other folks are enjoying a long weekend
BTW, how tall are you jo? You look very long in that photo from the back.
I do not take time (was going to say have but wonder what is really true about me and time) to comment but read your blogs still and do not want FB to take over. Was it really that nice over here on the weekend or was it just Saturday?
I only went to Monkey Tree once when it was first opening and only had baked goods and I usually do not eat sugar. I must get myself over there one of these days!
Love the video...now I want to watch the movie.
I am been in and out of horrible funks and want to get out and stay out!
You always get me out, even if just while I check out your blog!
I meant they only HAD baked goods!
Post a Comment