In two weeks, we will hopefully be done with the guest bedroom... down to the last dot.
In two weeks, is our biggest work event of the year (I will be so glad when that is over).
In two weeks, is Ro's baby shower. I'm excited and nervous... I just want it to be great.
In two weeks, not only will I be done with this damn period... but I will hopefully be ovulating, or very close.
In two weeks, we'll be having lots of sex.
And about two weeks after that, we'll be seeing if it paid off!
Life now seems to be measured in periods of about two weeks.
Still just taking it easy, trying to relax about it all. Enjoying everything else that's going on, and there is plenty to enjoy. But I can't help and think about what is coming up... those damn two week waits.
10.31.2008
surprise day off!
I found myself with a surprise day off today, since the big boss decided yesterday afternoon to close the office today in honor of "St. Phil". ;-) Since we were all going to be going out the the parade anyway, he just decided to give us the whole day. I'm psyched! I already slept in a little (just to 8, but that's a whole extra hour!)... and have played around online... now I'm going to go get showered, dressed, ready for the day. Then eat some breakfast and hop a train into the city. I'll meet up with one of my coworkers there to see her adorable son all dressed up for Halloween, then see the parade (or, see if we can get close enough to actually see the parade!), then come home and get ready for our trick or treaters. What a nice way to spend a friday!
Well, I'm off to get my day started! Have a great day and a Happy Halloween ya'll!!!
Well, I'm off to get my day started! Have a great day and a Happy Halloween ya'll!!!
10.30.2008
on to cycle two
I'm out for this month... just got my period this morning. I'm certainly bummed (its hard to let go of the idea of that baby), but its a relief to just know. I'm not great at waiting! Lol.
So! On to cycle two, and hopefully an August baby! We'll see what happens.
So! On to cycle two, and hopefully an August baby! We'll see what happens.
it only took 25 years!
Last night I fell asleep to a symphony of car horns, cheers, and fireworks. If you didn't know... the Phillies won the World Series baby!!!!!! Philadelphia's first national level championship in 25 years! Honestly, I'm not a baseball fan for the most part... I enjoy going to the occasional game, but don't usually watch it on TV. Last night I had to make the exception, and I'm so glad I did. Baseball fan or not, its awesome to watch your city get a championship! Of course, you have to love Philly since I woke up to news of small-scale looting and vandalism!
In other news... did everyone watch Obama's commercial? I'll be honest, I missed it. I meant to watch it... then just lost track of time. If you're like me, then you can view the first minute of his broadcast here... and below I have a few minute vid of "highlights".
Highlights of Obama's TV ad
Well, anyway, I should get back to work... but I just wanted to pop in to share. Halloween and Phillies parade tomorrow! Doing anything?
In other news... did everyone watch Obama's commercial? I'll be honest, I missed it. I meant to watch it... then just lost track of time. If you're like me, then you can view the first minute of his broadcast here... and below I have a few minute vid of "highlights".
Highlights of Obama's TV ad
Well, anyway, I should get back to work... but I just wanted to pop in to share. Halloween and Phillies parade tomorrow! Doing anything?
10.29.2008
new yorker article
Like, Socialism
by Hendrik Hertzberg
November 3, 2008
Sometimes, when a political campaign has run out of ideas and senses that the prize is slipping through its fingers, it rolls up a sleeve and plunges an arm, shoulder deep, right down to the bottom of the barrel. The problem for John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the Republican Party is that the bottom was scraped clean long before it dropped out. Back when the polls were nip and tuck and the leaves had not yet begun to turn, Barack Obama had already been accused of betraying the troops, wanting to teach kindergartners all about sex, favoring infanticide, and being a friend of terrorists and terrorism. What was left? The anticlimactic answer came as the long Presidential march of 2008 staggered toward its final week: Senator Obama is a socialist.
“This campaign in the next couple of weeks is about one thing,” Todd Akin, a Republican congressman from Missouri, told a McCain rally outside St. Louis. “It’s a referendum on socialism.” “With all due respect,” Senator George Voinovich, Republican of Ohio, said, “the man is a socialist.” At an airport rally in Roswell, New Mexico, a well-known landing spot for space aliens, Governor Palin warned against Obama’s tax proposals. “Friends,” she said, “now is no time to experiment with socialism.” And McCain, discussing those proposals, agreed that they sounded “a lot like socialism.” There hasn’t been so much talk of socialism in an American election since 1920, when Eugene Victor Debs, candidate of the Socialist Party, made his fifth run for President from a cell in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he was serving a ten-year sentence for opposing the First World War. (Debs got a million votes and was freed the following year by the new Republican President, Warren G. Harding, who immediately invited him to the White House for a friendly visit.)
As a buzzword, “socialism” had mostly good connotations in most of the world for most of the twentieth century. That’s why the Nazis called themselves national socialists. That’s why the Bolsheviks called their regime the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, obliging the socialist and social democratic parties of Europe (and America, for what it was worth) to make rescuing the “good name” of socialism one of their central missions. Socialists—one thinks of men like George Orwell, Willy Brandt, and Aneurin Bevan—were among Communism’s most passionate and effective enemies.
The United States is a special case. There is a whole shelf of books on the question of why socialism never became a real mass movement here. For decades, the word served mainly as a cudgel with which conservative Republicans beat liberal Democrats about the head. When Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan accused John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson of socialism for advocating guaranteed health care for the aged and the poor, the implication was that Medicare and Medicaid would presage a Soviet America. Now that Communism has been defunct for nearly twenty years, though, the cry of socialism no longer packs its old punch. “At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives,” McCain said the other day—thereby suggesting that the dystopia he abhors is not some North Korean-style totalitarian ant heap but, rather, the gentle social democracies across the Atlantic, where, in return for higher taxes and without any diminution of civil liberty, people buy themselves excellent public education, anxiety-free health care, and decent public transportation.
The Republican argument of the moment seems to be that the difference between capitalism and socialism corresponds to the difference between a top marginal income-tax rate of 35 per cent and a top marginal income-tax rate of 39.6 per cent. The latter is what it would be under Obama’s proposal, what it was under President Clinton, and, for that matter, what it will be after 2010 if President Bush’s tax cuts expire on schedule. Obama would use some of the added revenue to give a break to pretty much everybody who nets less than a quarter of a million dollars a year. The total tax burden on the private economy would be somewhat lighter than it is now—a bit of elementary Keynesianism that renders doubly untrue the Republican claim that Obama “will raise your taxes.”
On October 12th, in conversation with a voter forever to be known as Joe the Plumber, Obama gave one of his fullest summaries of his tax plan. After explaining how Joe could benefit from it, whether or not he achieves his dream of owning his own plumbing business, Obama added casually, “I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” McCain and Palin have been quoting this remark ever since, offering it as prima-facie evidence of Obama’s unsuitability for office. Of course, all taxes are redistributive, in that they redistribute private resources for public purposes. But the federal income tax is (downwardly) redistributive as a matter of principle: however slightly, it softens the inequalities that are inevitable in a market economy, and it reflects the belief that the wealthy have a proportionately greater stake in the material aspects of the social order and, therefore, should give that order proportionately more material support. McCain himself probably shares this belief, and there was a time when he was willing to say so. During the 2000 campaign, on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” a young woman asked him why her father, a doctor, should be “penalized” by being “in a huge tax bracket.” McCain replied that “wealthy people can afford more” and that “the very wealthy, because they can afford tax lawyers and all kinds of loopholes, really don’t pay nearly as much as you think they do.” The exchange continued:
YOUNG WOMAN: Are we getting closer and closer to, like, socialism and stuff?. . .
MCCAIN: Here’s what I really believe: That when you reach a certain level of comfort, there’s nothing wrong with paying somewhat more.
For her part, Sarah Palin, who has lately taken to calling Obama “Barack the Wealth Spreader,” seems to be something of a suspect character herself. She is, at the very least, a fellow-traveller of what might be called socialism with an Alaskan face. The state that she governs has no income or sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease its oil fields. The proceeds finance the government’s activities and enable it to issue a four-figure annual check to every man, woman, and child in the state. One of the reasons Palin has been a popular governor is that she added an extra twelve hundred dollars to this year’s check, bringing the per-person total to $3,269. A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.” Perhaps there is some meaningful distinction between spreading the wealth and sharing it (“collectively,” no less), but finding it would require the analytic skills of Karl the Marxist. ♦
by Hendrik Hertzberg
November 3, 2008
Sometimes, when a political campaign has run out of ideas and senses that the prize is slipping through its fingers, it rolls up a sleeve and plunges an arm, shoulder deep, right down to the bottom of the barrel. The problem for John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the Republican Party is that the bottom was scraped clean long before it dropped out. Back when the polls were nip and tuck and the leaves had not yet begun to turn, Barack Obama had already been accused of betraying the troops, wanting to teach kindergartners all about sex, favoring infanticide, and being a friend of terrorists and terrorism. What was left? The anticlimactic answer came as the long Presidential march of 2008 staggered toward its final week: Senator Obama is a socialist.
“This campaign in the next couple of weeks is about one thing,” Todd Akin, a Republican congressman from Missouri, told a McCain rally outside St. Louis. “It’s a referendum on socialism.” “With all due respect,” Senator George Voinovich, Republican of Ohio, said, “the man is a socialist.” At an airport rally in Roswell, New Mexico, a well-known landing spot for space aliens, Governor Palin warned against Obama’s tax proposals. “Friends,” she said, “now is no time to experiment with socialism.” And McCain, discussing those proposals, agreed that they sounded “a lot like socialism.” There hasn’t been so much talk of socialism in an American election since 1920, when Eugene Victor Debs, candidate of the Socialist Party, made his fifth run for President from a cell in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he was serving a ten-year sentence for opposing the First World War. (Debs got a million votes and was freed the following year by the new Republican President, Warren G. Harding, who immediately invited him to the White House for a friendly visit.)
As a buzzword, “socialism” had mostly good connotations in most of the world for most of the twentieth century. That’s why the Nazis called themselves national socialists. That’s why the Bolsheviks called their regime the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, obliging the socialist and social democratic parties of Europe (and America, for what it was worth) to make rescuing the “good name” of socialism one of their central missions. Socialists—one thinks of men like George Orwell, Willy Brandt, and Aneurin Bevan—were among Communism’s most passionate and effective enemies.
The United States is a special case. There is a whole shelf of books on the question of why socialism never became a real mass movement here. For decades, the word served mainly as a cudgel with which conservative Republicans beat liberal Democrats about the head. When Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan accused John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson of socialism for advocating guaranteed health care for the aged and the poor, the implication was that Medicare and Medicaid would presage a Soviet America. Now that Communism has been defunct for nearly twenty years, though, the cry of socialism no longer packs its old punch. “At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives,” McCain said the other day—thereby suggesting that the dystopia he abhors is not some North Korean-style totalitarian ant heap but, rather, the gentle social democracies across the Atlantic, where, in return for higher taxes and without any diminution of civil liberty, people buy themselves excellent public education, anxiety-free health care, and decent public transportation.
The Republican argument of the moment seems to be that the difference between capitalism and socialism corresponds to the difference between a top marginal income-tax rate of 35 per cent and a top marginal income-tax rate of 39.6 per cent. The latter is what it would be under Obama’s proposal, what it was under President Clinton, and, for that matter, what it will be after 2010 if President Bush’s tax cuts expire on schedule. Obama would use some of the added revenue to give a break to pretty much everybody who nets less than a quarter of a million dollars a year. The total tax burden on the private economy would be somewhat lighter than it is now—a bit of elementary Keynesianism that renders doubly untrue the Republican claim that Obama “will raise your taxes.”
On October 12th, in conversation with a voter forever to be known as Joe the Plumber, Obama gave one of his fullest summaries of his tax plan. After explaining how Joe could benefit from it, whether or not he achieves his dream of owning his own plumbing business, Obama added casually, “I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” McCain and Palin have been quoting this remark ever since, offering it as prima-facie evidence of Obama’s unsuitability for office. Of course, all taxes are redistributive, in that they redistribute private resources for public purposes. But the federal income tax is (downwardly) redistributive as a matter of principle: however slightly, it softens the inequalities that are inevitable in a market economy, and it reflects the belief that the wealthy have a proportionately greater stake in the material aspects of the social order and, therefore, should give that order proportionately more material support. McCain himself probably shares this belief, and there was a time when he was willing to say so. During the 2000 campaign, on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” a young woman asked him why her father, a doctor, should be “penalized” by being “in a huge tax bracket.” McCain replied that “wealthy people can afford more” and that “the very wealthy, because they can afford tax lawyers and all kinds of loopholes, really don’t pay nearly as much as you think they do.” The exchange continued:
YOUNG WOMAN: Are we getting closer and closer to, like, socialism and stuff?. . .
MCCAIN: Here’s what I really believe: That when you reach a certain level of comfort, there’s nothing wrong with paying somewhat more.
For her part, Sarah Palin, who has lately taken to calling Obama “Barack the Wealth Spreader,” seems to be something of a suspect character herself. She is, at the very least, a fellow-traveller of what might be called socialism with an Alaskan face. The state that she governs has no income or sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease its oil fields. The proceeds finance the government’s activities and enable it to issue a four-figure annual check to every man, woman, and child in the state. One of the reasons Palin has been a popular governor is that she added an extra twelve hundred dollars to this year’s check, bringing the per-person total to $3,269. A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.” Perhaps there is some meaningful distinction between spreading the wealth and sharing it (“collectively,” no less), but finding it would require the analytic skills of Karl the Marxist. ♦
. music meme .
We did another wall last night. Still looking good. Like SuperSammy, I can not wait to see it complete and with dots! :-)
A week 6 days to go until Election day (why do I keep thinking its Tuesday?). I have kind of avoided thinking about politics too much lately, because when I do, I get this tight achy feeling in my stomach. I'm ready for this to be over already! (Update: I do have a good article queued up for later today though...)
In the meantime, something to distract me from all that... a music meme:
The Rules: A.) Go to Music Outfitters. B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year. C.) Bold the songs you like, italisize the ones you REALLY hate. (And I'm adding, note the ones you've never even heard of... because I'm seeing quite a few of those!)
2000
1. Breathe, Faith Hill
2. Smooth, Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
3. Say My Name, Destiny's Child
4. I Wanna Know, Joe - um, Joe? never heard of this
5. Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon - another i don't know
6. Maria Maria, Santana Featuring The Product G&B
7. Bent, Matchbox Twenty
8. Amazed, Lonestar
9. I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden
10. He Wasn't Man Enough, Toni Braxton
11. Higher, Creed
12. Try Again, Aaliyah
13. There You Go, Pink
14. Thong Song, Sisqo
15. Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
16. Jumpin Jumpin', Destiny's Child
17. What A Girl Wants, Christina Aguilera
18. Doesn't Really Matter, Janet
19. Music, Madonna
20. Back At One, Brian McKnight
21. Bye Bye Bye, 'N Sync
22. You Sang To Me, Marc Anthony
23. I Need To Know, Marc Anthony
24. Get It On Tonite, Montell Jordan
25. Incomplete, Sisqo - honestly, i pretty much dislike most of what sisqo does
26. I Try, Macy Gray
27. It's Gonna Be Me, 'N Sync
28. That's The Way It Is, Celine Dion
29. (Hot S**T) Country Grammar, Nelly
30. Bring It All To Me, Blaque
31. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, Backstreet Boys
32. Hot Boyz, Missy Elliott Featuring Nas, EVE & Q-Tip
33. Back Here, BBMak - BBMak? sounds familiar, but the song doesn't
34. It Feels So Good, Sonique
35. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl), Nine Days
36. With Arms Wide Open, Creed
37. Be With You, Enrique Iglesias
38. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You), Christina Aguilera
39. No More, Ruff Endz
40. All The Small Things, Blink 182
41. The Way You Love Me, Faith Hill
42. I Turn To You, Christina Aguilera
43. Never Let You Go, Third Eye Blind
44. I Need You, LeAnn Rimes
45. Thank God I Found You, Mariah Carey Featuring Joe & 98 Degrees
46. Let's Get Married, Jagged Edge - nope, not familiar
47. My Love Is Your Love, Whitney Houston
48. Then The Morning Comes, Smash Mouth
49. Blue (Da Ba Dee), iffel 65 - I actually did like this song at one point, until college when Trav played it on repeat... all night... for 10 hours... as a joke to torture the guy who shared a wall with us. Very funny, sweetie. (I almost strangled him.)
50. Desert Rose, Sting Featuring Cheb Mami
51. The Real Slim Shady, Eminem
52. Most Girls, Pink
53. Wifey, Next - uh, no idea
54. Wonderful, Everclear
55. Oops!... I Did It Again, Britney Spears
56. I Wanna Love You Forever, Jessica Simpson
57. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche ), 98 Degrees
58. Take A Picture, Filter
59. Otherside, Red Hot Chili Peppers
60. Big Pimpin', Jay-Z Featuring UGK
61. Purest Of Pain (A Puro Dolor), Son By Four - nope, no clue
62. He Can't Love U, Jagged Edge - another i don't know
63. Separated, Avant - i really didn't listen to the radio much then
64. I Wish, Carl Thomas - i don't think i missed much though...
65. U Know What's Up, Donell Jones - there were a lot of so-so songs in 2000
66. Faded, SoulDecision Featuring Thrust - seriously, throw me a bone here people.
67. Only God Knows Why, Kid Rock
68. Shake Ya Ass, Mystikal
69. Bag Lady, Erykah Badu
70. Meet Virginia, Train
71. Party Up (Up In Here), DMX
72. Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do), Mya
73. Forget About Dre, Dr. Dre Featuring Eminem
74. That's The Way, Jo Dee Messina - Jo Dee? seriously? not sorry i missed this one
75. Swear It Again, Westlife
76. The Next Episode, Dr. Dre Featuring Snoop Dogg
77. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart, Britney Spears
78. Crash And Burn, Savage Garden
79. Yes!, Chad Brock
80. The Best Day, George Strait
81. How Do You Like Me Now?!, Toby Keith
82. Where I Wanna Be, Donell Jones - seems to be a country kick here
83. My Best Friend, Tim McGraw
84. Broadway, Goo Goo Dolls
85. Dance With Me, Debelah Morgan
86. Don't Think I'm Not, Kandi - uh, no
87. I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack & Sons Of The Desert
88. Better Off Alone, Alice Deejay
89. What'chu Like, Da Brat Featuring Tyrese - nope
90. Cowboy Take Me Away, Dixie Chicks
91. I Like It, Sammie - another no
92. 24/7, Kevon Edmonds - and another
93. Girl On TV, LFO
94. Bounce With Me, Lil Bow Wow Featuring Xscape
95. What About Now, Lonestar
96. I Don't Wanna, Aaliyah
97. Independent Women Part I, Destiny's Child
98. Shackles (Praise You), Mary Mary
99. Waiting For Tonight, Jennifer Lopez
100. Gotta Tell You, Samantha Mumba
Leave me a comment if you do this one! I'd love to see your lists!
Okay, back to work.
ps. They are calling for flurries today. I'm not happy about this... its still October! It's still fall! At least give me one more week of snow-free time. Please?! I'm not ready!
In the meantime, something to distract me from all that... a music meme:
The Rules: A.) Go to Music Outfitters. B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year. C.) Bold the songs you like, italisize the ones you REALLY hate. (And I'm adding, note the ones you've never even heard of... because I'm seeing quite a few of those!)
2000
1. Breathe, Faith Hill
2. Smooth, Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
3. Say My Name, Destiny's Child
4. I Wanna Know, Joe - um, Joe? never heard of this
5. Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon - another i don't know
6. Maria Maria, Santana Featuring The Product G&B
7. Bent, Matchbox Twenty
8. Amazed, Lonestar
9. I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden
10. He Wasn't Man Enough, Toni Braxton
11. Higher, Creed
12. Try Again, Aaliyah
13. There You Go, Pink
14. Thong Song, Sisqo
15. Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
16. Jumpin Jumpin', Destiny's Child
17. What A Girl Wants, Christina Aguilera
18. Doesn't Really Matter, Janet
19. Music, Madonna
20. Back At One, Brian McKnight
21. Bye Bye Bye, 'N Sync
22. You Sang To Me, Marc Anthony
23. I Need To Know, Marc Anthony
24. Get It On Tonite, Montell Jordan
25. Incomplete, Sisqo - honestly, i pretty much dislike most of what sisqo does
26. I Try, Macy Gray
27. It's Gonna Be Me, 'N Sync
28. That's The Way It Is, Celine Dion
29. (Hot S**T) Country Grammar, Nelly
30. Bring It All To Me, Blaque
31. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, Backstreet Boys
32. Hot Boyz, Missy Elliott Featuring Nas, EVE & Q-Tip
33. Back Here, BBMak - BBMak? sounds familiar, but the song doesn't
34. It Feels So Good, Sonique
35. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl), Nine Days
36. With Arms Wide Open, Creed
37. Be With You, Enrique Iglesias
38. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You), Christina Aguilera
39. No More, Ruff Endz
40. All The Small Things, Blink 182
41. The Way You Love Me, Faith Hill
42. I Turn To You, Christina Aguilera
43. Never Let You Go, Third Eye Blind
44. I Need You, LeAnn Rimes
45. Thank God I Found You, Mariah Carey Featuring Joe & 98 Degrees
46. Let's Get Married, Jagged Edge - nope, not familiar
47. My Love Is Your Love, Whitney Houston
48. Then The Morning Comes, Smash Mouth
49. Blue (Da Ba Dee), iffel 65 - I actually did like this song at one point, until college when Trav played it on repeat... all night... for 10 hours... as a joke to torture the guy who shared a wall with us. Very funny, sweetie. (I almost strangled him.)
50. Desert Rose, Sting Featuring Cheb Mami
51. The Real Slim Shady, Eminem
52. Most Girls, Pink
53. Wifey, Next - uh, no idea
54. Wonderful, Everclear
55. Oops!... I Did It Again, Britney Spears
56. I Wanna Love You Forever, Jessica Simpson
57. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche ), 98 Degrees
58. Take A Picture, Filter
59. Otherside, Red Hot Chili Peppers
60. Big Pimpin', Jay-Z Featuring UGK
61. Purest Of Pain (A Puro Dolor), Son By Four - nope, no clue
62. He Can't Love U, Jagged Edge - another i don't know
63. Separated, Avant - i really didn't listen to the radio much then
64. I Wish, Carl Thomas - i don't think i missed much though...
65. U Know What's Up, Donell Jones - there were a lot of so-so songs in 2000
66. Faded, SoulDecision Featuring Thrust - seriously, throw me a bone here people.
67. Only God Knows Why, Kid Rock
68. Shake Ya Ass, Mystikal
69. Bag Lady, Erykah Badu
70. Meet Virginia, Train
71. Party Up (Up In Here), DMX
72. Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do), Mya
73. Forget About Dre, Dr. Dre Featuring Eminem
74. That's The Way, Jo Dee Messina - Jo Dee? seriously? not sorry i missed this one
75. Swear It Again, Westlife
76. The Next Episode, Dr. Dre Featuring Snoop Dogg
77. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart, Britney Spears
78. Crash And Burn, Savage Garden
79. Yes!, Chad Brock
80. The Best Day, George Strait
81. How Do You Like Me Now?!, Toby Keith
82. Where I Wanna Be, Donell Jones - seems to be a country kick here
83. My Best Friend, Tim McGraw
84. Broadway, Goo Goo Dolls
85. Dance With Me, Debelah Morgan
86. Don't Think I'm Not, Kandi - uh, no
87. I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack & Sons Of The Desert
88. Better Off Alone, Alice Deejay
89. What'chu Like, Da Brat Featuring Tyrese - nope
90. Cowboy Take Me Away, Dixie Chicks
91. I Like It, Sammie - another no
92. 24/7, Kevon Edmonds - and another
93. Girl On TV, LFO
94. Bounce With Me, Lil Bow Wow Featuring Xscape
95. What About Now, Lonestar
96. I Don't Wanna, Aaliyah
97. Independent Women Part I, Destiny's Child
98. Shackles (Praise You), Mary Mary
99. Waiting For Tonight, Jennifer Lopez
100. Gotta Tell You, Samantha Mumba
Leave me a comment if you do this one! I'd love to see your lists!
Okay, back to work.
ps. They are calling for flurries today. I'm not happy about this... its still October! It's still fall! At least give me one more week of snow-free time. Please?! I'm not ready!
10.28.2008
10.27.2008
tick tock tick tock
No period yet. I hate this waiting game.
Crossing fingers that it doesn't come... and I test again with better results come next weekend.
Crossing fingers that it doesn't come... and I test again with better results come next weekend.
fall colors warm the soul
So this weekend was great! We fit a lot in, but it was relaxing too. The perfect kind of weekend, really.
Friday we got in the holiday spirit by carving our two HUGE pumpkins. Here they are pre-carving... taking up our whole sink:
Pulling out the guts:
We got a lot of guts from them!
And so so so many seeds!!!
We roasted up the seeds, which is a quick easy process... and they are so good! Just seperate them from the guts, rinse them off, and let them dry for a few hours. Then coat them with a touch of olive oil, a healthy sprinkling of salt, and pop them in the 250* oven for about an hour (or until crisp and starting to brown). So good!!
We had trouble figuring out what to carve for a while, but finally settled on a support ribbon (which we planned to put pink tissue paper/vellum behind so it would glow pink!):
And pumpkin jack! from Nightmare Before Christmas... one of Trav's favorites:
We were pretty pleased with ourselves!
Saturday we worked on the guest bedroom all day. It was a good day for it since, while it was actually pretty warm out... it was also raining off and on all day, with these ridiculous winds to boot! It was gusting so hard, I was actually starting to get worried that we'd loose our power (thankfully we did not). In any case, Trav finished switching out the outlets, and putting on all the outlet plates, and I did the light switch plate... which was customizable!
We also started working on the wainscoting:
We got all the baseboards up:
So hopefully this coming weekend, since we have no plans... we'll be able to finish off the wainscoting!
That evening we headed over to our friends Brian & Stacey's place for dinner and socializing. Its been a while since we've seen them, and it was really nice to get to catch up and see how big their son is getting.
Sunday I headed up towards Lehigh to see my old roomie Megan (who is married to another old roomie, Mike). The drive up was beautiful! It was beautiful and sunny, and the leaves are all changing now, so it was a perfect fall day. They live in a pretty small town now, so it was quaint and full of trees, which I love. It really picked me up! I got to see their house for the first time (very nice), and we went out to lunch. It was great to catch up with her also.
It seems to get harder and harder to find the time to visit people as the time passes. We're all so busy and much more spread out. But this weekend was a great time for catching up!
Now its back to work... in this last week of October. I can't believe its already the end of what is probably my favorite month.
Well, that's really all for now... I have a busy work day ahead of me and need to get back to it. But, before I go... just a few more 3-day pictures (from Kate).
One of our awesome safety volunteers/crossing guards:
The line of walkers stretching ahead... and there was an equal line behind us!
Heading out, day two:
Holding up a shoe during closing ceremonies, in honor of the survivors:
Kate and my hands... this is a great shot:
Okay, that's all of that... and I'm going to run now, but I'll leave you with this. I couldn't not show you a new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!
Tata!
Friday we got in the holiday spirit by carving our two HUGE pumpkins. Here they are pre-carving... taking up our whole sink:
Pulling out the guts:
We got a lot of guts from them!
And so so so many seeds!!!
We roasted up the seeds, which is a quick easy process... and they are so good! Just seperate them from the guts, rinse them off, and let them dry for a few hours. Then coat them with a touch of olive oil, a healthy sprinkling of salt, and pop them in the 250* oven for about an hour (or until crisp and starting to brown). So good!!
We had trouble figuring out what to carve for a while, but finally settled on a support ribbon (which we planned to put pink tissue paper/vellum behind so it would glow pink!):
And pumpkin jack! from Nightmare Before Christmas... one of Trav's favorites:
We were pretty pleased with ourselves!
Saturday we worked on the guest bedroom all day. It was a good day for it since, while it was actually pretty warm out... it was also raining off and on all day, with these ridiculous winds to boot! It was gusting so hard, I was actually starting to get worried that we'd loose our power (thankfully we did not). In any case, Trav finished switching out the outlets, and putting on all the outlet plates, and I did the light switch plate... which was customizable!
We also started working on the wainscoting:
We got all the baseboards up:
So hopefully this coming weekend, since we have no plans... we'll be able to finish off the wainscoting!That evening we headed over to our friends Brian & Stacey's place for dinner and socializing. Its been a while since we've seen them, and it was really nice to get to catch up and see how big their son is getting.
Sunday I headed up towards Lehigh to see my old roomie Megan (who is married to another old roomie, Mike). The drive up was beautiful! It was beautiful and sunny, and the leaves are all changing now, so it was a perfect fall day. They live in a pretty small town now, so it was quaint and full of trees, which I love. It really picked me up! I got to see their house for the first time (very nice), and we went out to lunch. It was great to catch up with her also.
It seems to get harder and harder to find the time to visit people as the time passes. We're all so busy and much more spread out. But this weekend was a great time for catching up!Now its back to work... in this last week of October. I can't believe its already the end of what is probably my favorite month.
Well, that's really all for now... I have a busy work day ahead of me and need to get back to it. But, before I go... just a few more 3-day pictures (from Kate).
One of our awesome safety volunteers/crossing guards:
The line of walkers stretching ahead... and there was an equal line behind us!
Heading out, day two:
Holding up a shoe during closing ceremonies, in honor of the survivors:
Kate and my hands... this is a great shot:
Okay, that's all of that... and I'm going to run now, but I'll leave you with this. I couldn't not show you a new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!
Tata!
10.26.2008
bfn*
Last night I had the most vivid dreams that I tested and got a positive pregnancy test (bfp). This morning I woke up, and it felt so real that when I went to the bathroom and grabbed the box with the tests in it... I half expected it to be open already. It wasn't, of course. And when I tested, I got a bfn... you couldn't have a more blank snow white area where that second line would/should have been.
Quite frankly, I'm really bummed. It might be a bit early (if I ovulated late, which I might have... the signs were a bit ambiguous this month), but its hard not to think it is over. I guess its just a matter of waiting for the period now, then going from there.
Our time will come, but I really thought this month...
Update: Ouch... just visited a blog I go to everyday (Alice, in the sidebar) and she is apparently pregnant with her 4th. Due July 7th, the same day I would have been due had we gotten our positive this morning. That stings a little. :-(
*BFN = big, fat negative (on a pregnancy test)
Quite frankly, I'm really bummed. It might be a bit early (if I ovulated late, which I might have... the signs were a bit ambiguous this month), but its hard not to think it is over. I guess its just a matter of waiting for the period now, then going from there.
Our time will come, but I really thought this month...
Update: Ouch... just visited a blog I go to everyday (Alice, in the sidebar) and she is apparently pregnant with her 4th. Due July 7th, the same day I would have been due had we gotten our positive this morning. That stings a little. :-(
*BFN = big, fat negative (on a pregnancy test)
10.24.2008
good day.
Have to head to a lecture in just a few, which I really am not looking forward to... but otherwise it is a good day. Got some free Starbucks this morning, am still getting some donations for my walk (I have a few weeks left to collect... if you wanted to donate, but didn't get a chance to yet!! help me reach my goal... I'm so close!), and of course, it's friday!! Lots of stuff to look forward to this weekend. Not to jinx it, but my skin is clearing up some too... which is nice. Hopefully I'll have lots of fun pictures to share come Monday. For now, I'm off.
Enjoy your weekend!
Enjoy your weekend!
10.23.2008
why are the short weeks always so long?
It seems like every time I have a four-day work week, it just drags on and on. Why is that? Anyway, the week is almost over now... and I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend and seeing some friends that I haven't seen in a while (Brian & Stacey on Saturday, Megan on Sunday). Very fun.
The week itself has been both busy and lazy. Work has definitely been busy, and I have tons to do everyday... but the nights are lazy lazy lazy. I don't really feel like doing much of anything, so its just relaxing and watching the boob tube. Last night Trav and I did go for a walk, just a short one... maybe 2 miles? It felt really good, and I definitely want to walk this weekend.
Otherwise, life is really back to normal. I did get a few more pictures to share from the 3-day, courtesy of my mom:
When the survivors walked in, after the walkers and crew, we all raised a shoe to honor them. Since ever step we took was for them.
So happy to take my shoes off!! :-)
Katie and I (in our victory shirts), its all over!
Well, sorry so short, but have to get back to the grind!! Thanks for all your congratulations!
Ps. David Sedaris, farkin hilarious! (Not political, promise.):
The week itself has been both busy and lazy. Work has definitely been busy, and I have tons to do everyday... but the nights are lazy lazy lazy. I don't really feel like doing much of anything, so its just relaxing and watching the boob tube. Last night Trav and I did go for a walk, just a short one... maybe 2 miles? It felt really good, and I definitely want to walk this weekend.
Otherwise, life is really back to normal. I did get a few more pictures to share from the 3-day, courtesy of my mom:
Well, sorry so short, but have to get back to the grind!! Thanks for all your congratulations!
Ps. David Sedaris, farkin hilarious! (Not political, promise.):
10.22.2008
2ww
Ahh, this 2ww* is killing me!! What happened to my determination to just be cool about all this... to not even think about testing until I'm late?!
I mean, that's still my plan... but damn is it hard. I just need the rest of this week to pass quickly. Monday or Tuesday my period is due. I just need to make it until then.
* two week wait. aka. the time between when you ovulate and when you can take a pregnancy test
10.21.2008
60 miles - COMPLETE!!!!!
Well, I did it! I could not be more proud, happy, excited. :-)
Here is the full story:
Friday morning Trav and I were up at 4:45, and ready to leave by 5:15. My bag had been packed the night before, and my clothes were all laid out... so it was just a matter of getting up, eating something, throwing on my clothes, brushing my teeth and hair, then out the door. We stopped for gas, then headed over to Willow Grove. That early there was no real traffic, so we made good time. I kissed Trav goodbye about 6am, dropped my bag off at the bag truck, and headed over to the opening ceremonies site.
Here is the full story:
Friday morning Trav and I were up at 4:45, and ready to leave by 5:15. My bag had been packed the night before, and my clothes were all laid out... so it was just a matter of getting up, eating something, throwing on my clothes, brushing my teeth and hair, then out the door. We stopped for gas, then headed over to Willow Grove. That early there was no real traffic, so we made good time. I kissed Trav goodbye about 6am, dropped my bag off at the bag truck, and headed over to the opening ceremonies site.
It was set up with all these glowing balloons! So neat in the pre-dawn.
I met up with Katie (my Tuesday training partner, and tentmate for the weekend) after that, and we waited for things to get started.
Openning ceremonies was great. It lasted a bit over an hour, and was all about the inspirational.
After that they let us out slowly, to space the masses out... there were 3100 of us walking! We headed through Willow Grove and Glenside, and over towards Philadelphia. In Chestnut Hill we walked along the main street, and it was great... so many people were out to support us! With signs and noisemakers, plus lots of businesses put out treats for us.
All the supporters really made the walk easier. They gave you a little boast.
We stopped for lunch and changed our socks before getting on the road again.
We continued on to our camping site in Fairmount Park, which had a great view! (At night it was even better, since Philly lit up its skyline in pink!)
(That's the food/dining tent.) Once there you grabbed your bag, and a tent, and made camp.
Day one wasn't too bad. My feet were a bit sore... but nothing too horrible, and the addrenaline of actually being there! and doing it! was great to push you through. A good thing too because they tricked us and said that we were doing 20 miles that day, when we were really doing about 23ish?
That night we had a big spagetti dinner, picked up some letters from the mail tent, hit up the foot rub tent (a very popular tent!), then showered and hit the hay early. Sleeping that night wasn't great. It was cold cold cold, and the ground was hard. But I managed to get a few hours.
Day Two. We woke up around 5:30am... not when we planned, but when 1000s of other people decide to get up, the decision is taken out of your hands!! Lol. It was okay though, it gave us extra time to work ourselves up to actually getting out of the sleeping bag. We went to the food tent to grab some breakfast and hot chocolate to warm us up, then it was time to hit the road.
Katie and I split up for walking on day two since her foot was giving her problems and she didn't want to slow me down, plus didn't know if she would be able to complete the day. We walked along Boat House Row, past the art museum, over to City Hall (where the Mummers were cheering us on!), past Independence Hall, down to the water front, then looped back through Philly and along the very long Sckukill River bike trail, and back to Fairmount Park.
Day Two was much harder then day one... and by the end my feet were hurting, badly. But... I made it, walked every single step, and without a blister! Plus I came in about 460-something out of 3100.
That night Katie decided to sleep at home since it was going to be even cooler... I asked her to leave her sleeping bag, which I shoved my sleeping bag into. I slept so much better that night with the extra padding and warmth.
The next morning we headed out again, exiting camp for the last time.
Our cheerleaders were still out in full force, despite the cold. These were the boobilicious girls, who were out daily...
Day three was easier then day two, but still a bit challenging. You were tired, mentally and physically... your feet hurt... but ever step you took was bringing you closer to home!
And the feeling when you crossed that finish line! Nothing compares!
After I finished (around 1:50, low 400s!!) I relaxed and waited for Katie. Despite her hurt foot, she shouldered on and crossed the finish line around 4... and I was so happy to be there cheering her on.
After that we all put on our victory shirts (white for walkers, grey for crew, and pink for survivors), lined up, and made our grand entrance into the stadium for closing ceremonies.
It was great... again, very inspirational and moving. And we found out that the Philadelphia 2008 3-day (so not all of the cities, but just ours) raised $8.1 million for breast cancer research!!!!!
After that we met up with loved ones (Trav and my mom were there to meet me), and headed home.
Yesterday (Monday) I had the day off... I anticipated a lot of soreness and not wanting to move. Amazingly, I really wasn't sore! My feet were tender, but no more then after an intense training walk. Yay! So I had a relaxing day of internet, NCIS, House, and Anthony Bourdain! :-)
Today its back to work, but I do have a break this afternoon for my massage! Can't wait! For now, back to work... so much to do!
10.18.2008
walking the walk
Just for fun... so you don't have to miss me while I'm gone:
Come on, those are funny. :-) Heheh.
Kisses!
Come on, those are funny. :-) Heheh.
Kisses!
10.16.2008
tomorrow... oh my god, tomorrow!
I've been training for 24 weeks. I've logged over 500 miles. I've spent countless hours... no, days in training. And all of it has been leading up to tomorrow!! I can't even wrap my head around that. Tomorrow!
I'm feeling good about it in general, but anytime I think about it too hard, I start to get this rolling feeling in my stomach. Butterflies bashing around. Acids churning. ::gulp::
In case you were wondering, here is the walk route (click to make bigger):
And here is a supporters page, where you can go for info on the race... and a live webcam on Friday and Saturday! Let me know if you're going to be along the route at all... and I'll look for you! :-)
Keep me in your thoughts people! I'll see you for a recap next week!
I'm feeling good about it in general, but anytime I think about it too hard, I start to get this rolling feeling in my stomach. Butterflies bashing around. Acids churning. ::gulp::
In case you were wondering, here is the walk route (click to make bigger):
And here is a supporters page, where you can go for info on the race... and a live webcam on Friday and Saturday! Let me know if you're going to be along the route at all... and I'll look for you! :-)Keep me in your thoughts people! I'll see you for a recap next week!
10.15.2008
short
Holy hell, this cracks me up... especially when he starts talking about not wanting his mom to accidentally see his se.x tape. Lol. Ohhh Colin. ::swoon::
I had a derm appointment today. It was fine. Normal. Otherwise its quiet and I think I'm completely caught up with work stuff (i think). I have to pack for the walk tonight... since tomorrow would be my last day to pick up any last minute items. Wowza.
Okay, that's all I've got for you at the moment.
I had a derm appointment today. It was fine. Normal. Otherwise its quiet and I think I'm completely caught up with work stuff (i think). I have to pack for the walk tonight... since tomorrow would be my last day to pick up any last minute items. Wowza.
Okay, that's all I've got for you at the moment.
10.14.2008
bow-chicka-wow-wow
Last night was our anny... and I'm 90% sure that's when I ovulated too. Anniversary baby?
I'm still feeling the "wow", but now I'm moving into the impatience and just want it to be now part too. These next two weeks are going to pass slowly.
fall colors are good for the soul
More pictures from this past weekend (with real post below).
Saturday (it's really starting to look like fall!):
(I see you!)
(Our pumpkins which we'll carve up sometime next week... then roast the seeds! Yummy!)
Sunday (at Linvilla, where we did our hayride!):
(He's holding my caramel apple... yummy! I hadn't had one of those in ages!)
The second is a sampling from Angelina's interview with W (here mostly so I can keep access to it, but a good read!)... which I'm psyched to read the whole thing:
Okay, back to work!
Saturday (it's really starting to look like fall!):
Sunday (at Linvilla, where we did our hayride!):
So how was your weekend? Ours was lovely! :-) Saturday night we headed to Ro & Pat's for dinner, which is always fun. And I had such a freakin' blast at the hayride on Sunday. We checked out the pumpkins first, and there were some biggies, and walked through their market... then we took the 15 minute hayride... which ended with us getting to roast some marshmallows and drink some apple cider. Mmm, love me some marshmallows and apples cider.
Last night was great two. We headed out to dinner at the Pearl, our favorite, and had a very relaxing dinner. When we got home we exchanged gifts. I decided to spoil Trav a bit since he never wants to ask for anything, and he always spoils me. So I got him a two things he needed and a two things he would like: some new socks, some new boxers, a nice new pillow (he likes feather ones and his was getting grungy and flat), and one other thing that hasn't come in yet! Lol. He spoiled me too... he always does. My amazing boy got me a gift certificate for a massage and facial! The perfect thing for next week, when I'm all sore post walk. I'm so excited to use it!
Another thing that made yesterday great? A ton of donations came in for my walk!! I got over $300 yesterday, plus another $100 pledged! So amazing, and a huge boost in these last few days.
Anyway, I have plenty to do, so I should get back to it. But! Two last things to leave you with before I'm back to work. One is a vid (for no on prop 8). I cute play off the mac commercials:
The second is a sampling from Angelina's interview with W (here mostly so I can keep access to it, but a good read!)... which I'm psyched to read the whole thing:
Angelina Gets Up Close and Personal in Words and Pictures
Jolie through Pitt's love-fogged lens ...
If you thought the Brad Pitt-snapped image of Angelina Jolie breast-feeding on the November cover of W was intimate, then you'll probably feel like a Peeping Tom as you check out seven more equally personal and candid photos from the expansive spread inside the magazine.
Billed as a "week in the life" of the world's most famous blended brood, the portfolio, which the aesthetically minded actor shot at their French chateau several weeks after the July arrival of twins Vivienne and Knox, includes pictures of the extra-fertile Oscar winner playfully making fish lips, chowing down on a burger and enjoying time with her tots.
"I love his photography," Angelina enthuses of Brad's artistic leanings in the accompanying interview. "Some people have a hobby, and they find the quickest way to it and are very pleased with the outcome right away. But he's someone who will really study the camera -- he'll get the most complicated one and really understand the science behind it."
That's no exaggeration. According to the magazine, Pitt wanted to shoot Jolie using a very specific type of film. The problem? The film stopped being made four years ago. The mag's photo editor managed to locate 70 rolls (40 off eBay and 30 from a seller in Israel), which were quickly hand-delivered to him in France.
"He's very critical of his own work," adds Angelina, who is out promoting the Clint Eastwood-directed drama "Changeling." "I'll see a photograph and think it's amazing, but he'll see all the different reasons why it can be better, and he'll work very, very hard to improve it."
Here are more highlights from the sit-down, which was conducted at the family's French estate and kicks off with the actress, fresh from breast-feeding her double bundles, making her entrance by motoring up the dirt driveway on a "Yamaha all-terrain vehicle, wearing a long black dress and dark sunglasses, her hair whipping in the wind."
On Maddox's growing knife collection: "My mom took me to buy my first daggers when I was 11 or 12," Jolie says of her 7-year-old son's shared love of weapons. "And I've already bought Maddox some things. We take him to a special shop." But don't fret that Mohawked Madd will put an eye out. His mom emphasizes that the blades are blunt and therefore not hazardous, and she says the pointy presents come with conversations about violence. "We also talk about samurais and about the idea of defending someone as good," explains Angelina, who recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that her oldest is "all into war and guns." "We talk about everything."
On the clan's jet set lifestyle: "It's part of how I want to raise them," notes Jolie, who over a whirlwind few days last week hit New York, New Orleans and France with Pitt and the kids. "If you tell them we're getting on a plane tomorrow, they're all excited to pack their bags, and if you say we're not coming back for months, they won't bat an eye. I think they see the world as a home." By way of illustration, she recalls watching Maddox "run through the markets of Addis Ababa [in Ethiopia] and not notice that it's very poor, or that everyone is African or that he's Asian. It wouldn't matter to him." She says one of her prized possessions is a suitcase stuffed with their travel documents: Cambodia for Maddox, Vietnam for 4-year-old Pax, Ethiopia for 3-year-old Zahara, Namibia for 2-year-old Shiloh, France for the twins, along with their U.S. passports and her U.N. papers.
On the pitter-patter of little feet: In a revelation sure to inspire a "Geez, mom, that's sooooooooo embarrassing" exclamation in the coming years, Jolie says Zahara and Pax enjoy slow-dancing together in a re-creation of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip's hoofing from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty." (Go on, say it, we know you're itching to get it out: Awwwww.)
On her relationship with Pitt: "I do think that I'm good in a partnership now," observes the once solo-preferring Jolie, who seems unaware of the tabloids' weekly predictions of doom for their rug rat-packed, do-gooder-oriented romance. "I think it just needed to be the right man. ... It's not just that I love being in Brad's company, which obviously I do, but it's that we both roll up our sleeves and take on what we care about in the same way. I have a lot of respect for him, and he helps me to be better and fight hard for things that I love."
On Brad's effect on her womb: "I think one of the life-changing things that he did, one of many, is that I was absolutely never going to get pregnant," she acknowledges. "I never felt that it was the right thing to do. Now I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. It taught me a lot about life, just the process of it, and now we have three other beautiful children that wouldn't otherwise be here."
On how he changed her mind: "When we first met, he talked about having children in that way. I talked about only adopting children," she reveals. When they decided that Pitt would adopt Maddox and Zahara, "He stopped talking about having other kids in the other way," continues Angelina. "So I suppose in my heart I realized that he was happy with them as his children, completely. I knew he would never see them as different, and that gave me a certain peace. Then I suppose I just looked at him and loved him and just felt open to [getting pregnant]. I suddenly wanted to. It's one of those things you can't explain."
On the reported $14 million they received for the first pics of the twins: "There's nothing to say other than it's bizarre," she marvels of the record-setting payday, which they donated to their philanthropic foundation. "But we're happy that we have our hands on it to distribute it to people we think are worthy, rather than some paparazzi."
On their crowded sleeping quarters: "Most nights, someone ends up in our bed," says Angelina, who disclosed last week how she and Brad try -- usually unsuccessfully -- to find some alone-time in the tub. "They've just taken over in there -- especially right now, because we want them to feel that the babies aren't special in the room. So our door is much more like a swinging door. The kids do knock before entering. We've at least got that part down. Because Mommy and Daddy need some space."
Okay, back to work!
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