This weekend was so beatiful. If the weather never became any warmer I would be happy. It hasn't been too cold or too warm. This is perfect weather for me.

Ask Niel to do an impression of me holding a cat while having an asthma attack. Very funny!

I went to get my lungs tested again. I was off all the asthma medications for a few weeks, so my doctor wanted to see how my lungs were. Well without any medication my lungs are of a 100 year old. I really felt that was true this morning as we ran for the bus. So he put me back on one to see how my lungs would react to it. Maybe they will go back to their normal lung age of 60? Sheesh!

There is no Friday Five for this week so I found an older one to put up.

1. what is your favorite time of year? Fall!

2. what is it about your favorite season that, well, makes it your avorite season? the leaves changing colors, the crispness in the air and the holidays.

3. what is your least favorite time of year? why? Winter. It is sooo cold. Especially this year.

4. do you do anything to celebrate or recognize the changing of seasons? Not Really

5. what's your favorite thing to do outside? I don't spend much time outdoors unfortunately. All I do is walk outside or run for the bus.

I never thought I would agree with Rush Limbaugh but he is absolutely correct. It is a very dangerous thing when the gov't starts interfering with freedom of speech. He made these comments after the Howard Stern bruhaha.

America's oldest man dies at 114.

I was out picking up an ad yesterday and I was crossing the street. I was walking along fine until I looked down and saw that I was walking on ice. Then I freaked out and was afraid I might slip. So then I starting slipping around. It is funny how when I wasn't thinking about it I was walking fine. I also thought I saw Jason Schwartzman.

We watched the tape of celebrities trying to spell. It was disappointing. No excitement.

I had some left over spoon bread and decided to sprinkle some extra sharp cheddar on top of it. This was the second spoon bread recipe we tried and we don't think we are spoon bread people. But I also cut a piece of cheese off to nibble on while the the spoon bread was warming in the microwave. I don't particularly notice the differences is cheddar cheese but for some reason I did this time. Extra sharp cheddar(I was eating Kraft ) has a smooth flavor with a bit of a kick to it. I think it is my favort type of sharp cheddar.
Has anyone noticed there are all these commercials with bears in it? There is the one with the cartoon bears doing a toilet paper commercial. Then there is the one with bears buying Pepsi at a convenience store dressed as a human. Then last night I saw a commercial with a bear enjoying Hershey's Smores Bars. Are bears trying to take over America;)

It snowed a bit yesterday. The cars and grass were covered with what looked like a blanket of powdered sugar. I got home at 7:30. I didn't plan on it, but since the office server was down Monday everything got pushed back. My plans of exercising, washing dishes and filing papers weren't all met. It seems like this is the story of my life. Things I didn't get done or done on time. School and work have been on my mind a lot lately. I never thought I wouldn't graduate from college. I spent enough time there but I never graduated. I know it was my own fault, although I have a million excuses. Plus I am not in the position to leave my current employer. At least not yet. I don't know if I should go back to school. The thought of it does not appeal to me. Coming home late and not being with Niel as much as I would like. I guess that is why I am pushing myself so hard with the crafting, writing and party planner courses. I don't know if party planning will be a full time career but at least something on the side. I submitted an article to an online magazine. I'll let you know if it gets published.
Today is Ash Wednesday and the opening of The Passion of The Christ. I don't know if I will see it. I don't enjoy violent movies and I think Mel Gibson has lost his mind.
I tried Tide Stain Brush . It works pretty well on removing spots on clothing. I am anxious to see the results after I do the wash.
I didn't have the same success with Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. Maybe it is because the spots in our apt. are very old? I don't know. This weekend I am going to try to tackle the mildew on our bathroom ceiling by applying Oxy to it. Ewwwww. I have been spraying it with bleach every morning for a few weeks but this doesn't seem to work.
The white metal shelf I purchased from The Container Store did not work out as great as I hoped. We ended up purchasing a cabinet from Target. And it is perfect!

Some time in January Bush proposed over a million dollars to promote marriage. Now he wants to make a constitutional amendment to ban Gay marriages. He is being cruel and trivial( to muck around with the constitution). Everyone knows the underlining issue in this proposal is his dislike of Gays wanting to get married. Why does he care? The government should not get involved in religion. The constitution says the state's should be taking care of this type of issue. He is encroaching on the rights of citizen. It is dangerous for the government to have this type of power. What is the president next going to disapprove of? People with purple hair? People who eat oranges?

I am on a mailing list to recieve notices of upcoming craft fairs. I printed out some information to contact people. I am trying to find craft fairs rather than street fairs, or fairs by YMCA's, or houses of worship. Those tend to be more flea markety. I learned this a few months back when I thought I was participating in a craft show when in reality it was a flea market. I have nothing against flea markets. If my stuff doesn't sell on ebay I may have to sell it at a flea market. But people who tend to go to flea markets want to find used items and not really crafts.
I am on my fourth study guide. I already took my first quiz. I got a 100 and I have five more quizes before that final.
I was watching an episode about Harlem on the food network on Sunday. Harlem has a very interesting history, many historic sites and a variety of restaurants on 114st. I am going to see if I can find a walking tour.

Happy Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday!

The spaghetti squash was terrible. It did look like spaghetti but the taste was way to sweet. Maybe I didn't cook it enough. But both of us were equally amazed and grossed out.

However the Salmoncakes were awesome!!!!!!! All I did was subsitute Matzoh with bread crumbs.

I saw this on Shanny's blog and had to put it up on mine.

Instructions:
1. Copy this whole list into your blog.
2. Bold the things that you have in common with me.
3. Whatever you don't bold, replace with things about you. Please add a comment if you do it so that I can come read it!


I don't like Diet Vanilla Coke.
I am an Aries
I like coffee.
I love to read.
I read every day.
I fret a bit if I don't have something in the house to read.
I don't smoke.
I can't stand to be around smoke.
I don't understand why people smoke.
I tried smoking once. It hurt. Plus, it kills you.
I like broccoli.
I love ice cream.
I prefer pie over cake.
I love my Mom.
I grew up in New York.
I love to eat seafood, especially crab legs and shrimp.
I love a veggie burger.
I don't currently have any pets:(
I've never been to Bermuda or Jamaica.
My favorite colors are maroon, hunter green, navy blue, sage and off white.
I hope to learn to drive.
I enjoy a variety of musical styles.
I like to spend time by myself.
I love to watch brainless TV (MTV, VH1, Family Feud, etc.)
I think chocolate is overrated.
I learning about new things.
I love my family.
I don't mind mini vans.
I'd rather be cold than hot.
I don't like artificial heat (like electric. Fire is ok.)
I like facial hair on men, but not full beards, or the mustache only option.
I think it's creepy when men are all slick and smooth (chests, legs, underarms).
I love to try new crafts.
I love learning new things.
I love to buy all the accessories and supplies for a new hobby (almost as much as actually doing the new hobby).
I love putting all of my new little things in cute little containers.
I don't mind putting up groceries, taking out trash, washing dishes, or unpacking from trips.
I love dusting, vacuuming, buying groceries, unloading the dishwasher, organizing, and packing for trips.
I don't like talking on the phone much.
I don't have much of an opinion of telemarketers.
I use the word hate loosely.
I am curious about people, especially about how other people live.
I am not as wealthy as I'd like to be.
I love to dance.
I can't dance to save my life.
I love, love, love, to sing on road trips. Loud, belting, 80's music.
I can't carry a tune in a bucket.
I would like to learn to roller skate.
I love board games.
I don't drink often, or much, but I loooove frozen cocktails.
I really enjoy thoughtful gifts, even if they cost nothing.
I might believe in UFOs.
I think snakes will kill me.
I loathe beer.
I like being barefoot, but when I wear sneakers, socks are a must!
I love flip flops.
I like silence at times.
I don't go to church often.
I believe in God.
I’m smart.
I have been known to procrastinate on occasion.
I hate procrastinating.
I always try to be a good person.
I have a knack for remembering things.
I don't have any children.
I'd love to own a mountain house for the summer/fall, and a beach house for the winter/spring.
I strive to do what’s right. Sometimes I mess up.
I can't stand to listen to a baby cry for long periods of time.
I could (and sometimes do) eat Chinese food once a week.
I like to people-watch.
I love to take pictures of almost anything.
I get bored easily at work. Blech.
I never broke a bone in my body.
I love the smell of cooking garlic and butter.
I like candles more than incense.
I have few close friends.
I have never been arrested.
I don't have any kids.
I didn't get a flu shot this year.
I love to watch movies.
I remember dreams almost as vividly as real life events.
I don't like being dirty, sticky, or smelly. Unless it's on purpose.
I wish my family in California were here.
I am easily annoyed, but not for long.
I like things a certain way.
I am a planner.
I love to make lists.
I have a complex mind.

I love to shop for other people, I always know what to get them.
I don't want to be famous.
I want kids (most of the time) but there are times when I think if I never have them, I'll be ok.
I appreciate honesty.
I can't stand it when someone lies to me.

I'm a bad liar.
I love to help people.
I love to give people gifts.
I do not like to wear clothing in layers. Just enough to cover me and that's enough.
I would buy more things for people "just because"—if I had more money.
I love to travel.
I love hotels.
I love to eat out.
I love to laugh, loudly.
I love to try the testers and free samples at stores.
I prefer showers.
I love iced, cold, water with a straw in a big plastic cup.

This is a tasty dish. It is good either for dinner or as a party appetizer.

I bought a Spaghetti Squash on Friday. I have been hearing about this interesting fruit for a while now. The price was cheap so I thought I would attempt to cook it. All the recipes look good on the page. I will also look for some recipes on Foodtv.com, Martha Stewart.com, and Allrecipes.com.




As I am typing I hear some birds fooling around outside on top of our air conditioner and it is freaking me out. Get away birds!

I went to one of my favorite sites recently where I found a link to me a character on South Park. Below is what I would look like and here is the link to the South Park site so you can create your cartoon you.



Well it looks like we might have four more years of Bush. That idiot Ralph Nader announced on Meet The Press he will once again run for president.

The first family had to put one of their dog’s Spot to sleep. Spot was a born in the White House during the first Bush’s run to Millie. No matter what people feel about W this is a sad story.

We finally bought a wok. I've been making a lot of Asian dishes lately in our frying pan which is fine for eggs but not for swishing around noodles, meats, and various other Asian ingredients. Woo hoo!

I also picked this snazzy little box up after seeing it on this site. A great price and good for organizing! I just hope they don't run out!!!!

I also bought a grey color wool for Niel's scarf. I believe it will look nicer with the blue, instead of green and blue.

You are Rerun!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
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A tasty way to use up left over mashed potatoes. We ate this along with salad, ribs which I marinated in bbq sauce, A1 steak sauce, some hot sauce, honey and Thai red chili's. It was pretty good! This recipe is definetly going onto my recipe list. It's a keeper!

Boy am I glad the work day is almost over. It's been a pain in the ass! I can't wait to go home & start the weekend. Cook dinner, clean and have my shows on in the background.

When was the last time you...

1. ...went to the doctor? Yesterday

2. ...went to the dentist? Six months ago

3. ...filled your gas tank? I think Niel did.

4. ...got enough sleep? last night.

5. ...backed up your computer? You'd have to ask Niel.

Another old Friday Five I found.
1. where were you born (city or state or just country)? Yereven,
Armenia

2. what is your favorite number? seven

3. vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla. You can do more with it.

4. what section of a bookstore would I find you in? Either the
periodicals,
cooking or children's section.

5. what kind of mattress do you have on your bed? soft? firm? Firm.

I have begun knitting the scarf. I almost have an entire portion. I am debating whether to change the green to gray, since Niel mostly wears blue and gray.

A yummy Thai recipe to try.

I hope this isn’t goodbye.

I found these random questions some where.


1. Paperback or hardcover books? Paper. They are lighter to carry and take up less space on the bookshelf. Although hard covers look prettier.
2. Color or B&W printer? Color! But black and white is also a color;)
3. Golden oldies or the newest tunes? Golden Oldies. People still remember The Beatles. I doubt the same will be said for Britney Spears.
4. Ice cream: in a cone or a dish? Cone. I want my full money's worth. Plus I like the crunchy noise.
5. Bath or shower? Bath. I feel dirty after a bath although they are relaxing.
6. Are you outgoing or shy? Very shy at first then you can't get me to shut up.
7. Answer the phone when it rings, or screen calls? I screen because our ansering machine pics up only after two rings.
8. VCR or TiVO? VCR & DVD. I am still in the stone age.

I just found out that Kellogg’s has a tastier version of Raising Bran. They put granola into it. So instead of tasting their regular not so yummy, but good for you cereal, the predominant taste is granola which I looooooove.
Niel went to purchase a few things last night at Stop & Shop just in case we had the storm(luckily we didn’t) and he brought back Sushi. Mmmmmmmmm Surprisingly Stop & Shop has good Sushi.
Niel and I were driving home from somewhere over the weekend when I noticed a dog lurking alone on a street. I made Niel turn around just so I can see if he/she was ok.
I stepped out of the car and surprisingly he was very friendly. Most stray dogs I find run the other way. So Niel got out of the car because I was having a hard time reading his collar. The dog runs the other way. I run after him and he runs into a yard where he starts barking. I have no idea why he was barking. I don’t even know if that was his home. I suspect it was because he sure did seem to know where to go. Why do most people who have pets do not take care of them? Why were they so careless to leave their gate open? Although a cousin in law of mine has very smart dogs that are able to open their gates. This could have been the case with this dog also. I just don’t understand why people who take on a huge responsibility as being a pet owner they don’t take it more seriously. Don’t they realize what they are getting into? Dogs need regular walks to relieve themselves and stretch their legs. They need to have water constantly and to be fed at least once a day. Not leaving the darn gate open so their dog can run into the street and get hit by a car, or be taken by someone with bad or good intentions? I mean if you can’t take care of yourself, don’t think you can take care of another living thing.

I'll be glad when The Surreal Life will be over. I have enjoyed the show but it was on at the same time as Arrested Development which I have enjoyed also.

I used the griddle again this weekend to make French Toast and it works like a charm.

Niel made a tasty oven roasted chicken and veggies for last night's supper. I enjoyed it for lunch today as well.

I hope all of you had a nice Valentine’s Day weekend; whether you went on a short trip, went out, cooked dinner at home, or did nothing at all.
Niel arranged for us to go see 50 First Dates.. It was a lot better than I expected it to be. It was funny and serious at the same time. Drew Barrymore’s plays Lucy, who suffers from short-term memory loss. She cannot remember Adam Sandler’s character Henry, because he isn’t in her long-term memory. So everyday he tries various wacky attempts to be in her life. Then we went to have dinner at Benihana. The ambiance is very neat. They have various prints and you get to sit at a Hibachi with other people. It is similar to family style. It is good if you are going with a large group of people or aren’t shy about meeting new people. Our chef Eric performed various tricks with his utensils as he prepared our meals. I would recommend their mushroom soup, salad and sushi. Their meats in my opinion weren’t flavorful enough, however Niel disagreed with me on this one. It was fun to try a new restaurant. The rest of the weekend was spent coughing and sneezing.
I am at work today and boy was it a breeze getting into work. No crowded bus with school kids. I had a much needed knitting lesson at lunch. I haven’t touched it in a while. Partly because when Elaine is instructing me I do well, but every time I try to knit on my own I can’t. I hope this isn’t a permanent problem. The green and blue colors of the yarn I bought are calling to me.
I even tried the knitting website recommended by Erin.

Happy Valentine's Day!



In lieu of Valentine's day I have posted an old Friday Five. Also you can now see my pics. Niel found a way to upload them onto a site that everyone can view our photos. Enjoy!

1. What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for someone else? I have cooked dinner. I also
occasionally leave little notes or send emails just saying I love you.

2. [pardon the cosmo question] What are your erogenous zones? neck &
back

3. How old were you the first time you had sex? Care to expound? I do not wish to answer this question nor do I need to know any of your answers either

4. What's the most unusual place you've ever had sex? I don't wish to post this answer either.

5. Do you have plans for valentine's day or is it just another
day? Movie and to eat dinner.

I know America is much better than most of the countries around the world; however our current administration is evil and even though it looks like Kerry might win he is the lesser of two evils. I can't believe I just typed that in. Anyway maybe reading these two articles might make anyone of you change your mind about voting for Bush. He and Rumsfield I hope will be ousted soon.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040213/D80M86780.html

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040213/D80M86780.html

Also to keep my page looking some what organized. I decided to take out the maps of countries and states from the side and just put them in a post.




create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide




create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

I took Friday off because I wanted to surprise Niel with a gift. But that didn’t work out partly because he was home. Although we are still going to go get his surprise. So I ended up working on three of the four articles I have ideas for. I submitted one anso far. I also have six children’s books and a cookbook in the works. I wish I were more like Niel when he is inspired at a particular time to write. I have to rely on when inspiration strikes. It could be on the train, lying at bed in the middle of the night or cooking. So I just decided to force myself to writ today because otherwise it could take me months to finish any of the articles or books. I don’t know how I lost that ability to work on a deadline. I guess because after leaving college and the college newspaper I didn’t have anymore writing deadlines and I did not give myself any. I hope to be able to get back to a better schedule and churn out stories. It is a bit difficult because I have a full time job, am married, enjoy spending time with Niel, and when I come home all I want to do is eat and relax by watching T.V. But at the same time I enjoy being busy. I get restless when I have nothing to do. I like working on stories, learning to knit, making frames, and creating mosaic pottery. I was even considering taking a cooking and ceramics class. I need these outlets.

The Friday Five.

1. Are you superstitious? A little bit.

2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition? Not getting married a la Bennifer.

3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition? Don't step on a crack it will break your mother's back.

4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual? Not really.

5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not? Nope. I think people are more similar than different so when they read their horroscopes they believe it. It is all generalized.

An old Friday Five:

1. If you could eat dinner with and "get to know" one famous person
(living or dead), who would you choose? Jesus, John Lennorn. Mother Teresa, & River Pheonix.

2. Has the death of a famous person ever had an effect on you? John
Ritter. I grew up watching his show and he died pretty young and I was shocked
when he passed away.

3. If you could be a famous person for 24 hours, who would you choose?
I don't want to be any particular person. Although my life may not be
perfect I am me for a reason.

4. Do people ever tell you that you look like someone famous? who?
Nope.

5. Have you ever met anyone famous? I sat in front of Willem Dafoe at a
diner a few weeks back. And when I was in college I got to meet some famous people for the school paper like the cast of With Honors and About The Abbots. I think that was the name of the movie?

I picked out the colors for the scarf. Navy blue and hunter green. I think they are a nice color scheme for a scarf.

I have a bit of a cold. It started in my throat, then my stomach and now my nose and head. I got it from Niel. He had the same symptoms. It's my fault. I shouldn't have drank from his water cup.

My #1 result for the SelectSmart.com selector, Which character from the Smurfs are you?, is Smurfette

My office manager told me about a website for screensavers. Every few minutes I get a new image on my screen. So I have to minimize whatever I am working on to look at the pictures. They are very pretty.

The most recent study guide I am reading for the party planning certificate I am studying for has to do with knowing the wedding traditions of different cultures. There are so many interesting things. For instance we throw rice at weddings because in Italy they used to throw wheat, bread and salt for fertility and over the years it changed to rice. Although now rice is banned at most places of worship because it is dangerous if birds consumed them.
I got to use the griddle Niel bought for me for Christmas. It worked well. I used it to grill eggplants. I should have used my mandolin to cut the eggplants because I cut them too thick with the knife.

I found an old Friday Five.

1.Have you ever had braces? any other teeth trauma?
I never had braces. I did have teeth trauma though. My brother and I were on a seasaw when we were very young and I jumped off to early and my side of the seat came flying up and hitting me in the mouth. Man did I bleed and man did my brother get in trouble.

2. Ever broken any bones? no.

3. Ever had stitches? no.

4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars? Most of my scars are from shots to prevent childhood diseases.

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? It’s Valentine’s Day weekend baby and I am won of the suckers that like’s spending any mushy day I can with Niel!!!

My salad is sad. All the olives are gone:(

Congrats! You're the star of the show!You're
Strawberry Shortcake! You're sweet and everyone
likes you!


What Strawberry Shortcake Character Are You?
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How sad!

Dementia is a cruel disease. It takes away everything you have. Things that you and I take for granted. Being able to laugh at a silly show, brushing our teeth, feeding ourselves, recognizing loved ones. Yesterday before the Grammy’s Niel, his mom and I drove out to Brentwood, Long Island to visit a cousin once removed who now resides in a old nun’s home, on a special floor for nun’s who are afflicted with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Nini as she is affectionately called, reminds me of a scared animal wearily looking at us. She would go back and forth speaking one minute in English and the next in Spanish (her native tongue), though never being able to construct complete sentences. I have only been part of my husband’s family long enough only to know Nini as she is now but the pictures on her wall proved that she once had so much light in her eyes. I hope no one ever ends up alone, old and a shell of their former selves.

I was folding the laundry in the bedroom watching The Grammy's. Niel was taking a nap on the couch while The Simpson's was taping. I enjoyed the Grammy's. It started out with a great performance by the purple king Prince and the multi talented Beyonce. I was happy she won a Grammy along with No Doubt and Outkast. The musical tribute for The Beatles sang by Sting, Vince Gill, Dave Matthews and Pharell was nice. There were so many good nominees for Best Rap Album and Best Album of the Year I was happy if any of the nominees won for either of those categories.
I thought it was hypocritical that Janet Jackson was banned. It was just a boob!!!If Brittany did the same thing she wouldn't have been banned. Justin who tore off the top was not banned. Hmmm is it because he is young and popular now? I am sorry that Janet's booby and the streaker overshadowed a great superbowl but I thought Aerosmith's terrible performance was the real debauchery. And I love Aerosmith!!
I couldn't believe that Justin Timberlake won for Best Male Performer. Pleeease! I enjoy pop music as the next person. The songs do stay in my head for days, but there is no substance. The award should have gone to George Harrison!!!! And I am not saying this because he died.
The biggest shock for me(no not Celine's mike not working or the short thank you speech by Andre 3000) was finding out that Richard Marx cowrite's songs with Luther Vandross. What the heck? Are you reading this A?
Favorite performances of the evening were The White Stripes and Prince with Beyonce.



Congradulations you are Jem!


Which Character from Jem and the Holograms Are You?
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My work email was down all day! I had a bunch of things to say but I am tired. But I am only posting the Friday Five posting.

1. What's the most daring thing you've ever done? Go on a roller coaster. I am boring.

2. What one thing would you like to try that your mother/friend/significant other would never approve of? I already did. Married outside of my culture. But they really like Niel.

3. On a scale of 1-10, what's your risk factor? (1=never take risks, 10=it's a lifestyle) 3

4. What's the best thing that's ever happened to you as a result of being bold/risky? My marriage.

5. ... and what's the worst? Throwing up!

A whole industry in clubbing children.

You are Rainbow Brite!


Which Rainbow Brite character are you?
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So I gave in and tried the new Dunkin Donuts Caramel Latte after Maria's suggestion. Sorry Niel. I had such a difficult time walking down the street with it. I was so afraid I would spill it on someone. I don't know how people do it!!!

I honestly didn't mean for my last posting about my lack of shoes make anyone feel bad for me. I was just saying how my days of reckless spending are pretty much over. If I don't have a use for something I wont't purchase it. Or any current household or personal item (whatever it may be) is perfectly useful and just a bit old, then I will not buy a new one until it is on its last legs. Well my sweet and thoughtful husband dragged me to the shoe store last night and bought me four pair of new work shoes. Yes four. Thank God they were having a sale(although their regular prices are great also). I have never really felt guilty for buying shoes. I am a girlie girlie in that way. I enjoy looking at shoes and handbags. But I have learned to curb my enthusiasm when it comes to purchasing them. But last night I did feel guilty. I kept thinking that money(which was a very small amount) could have gone to something else. However I do appreciate his kindness. I am a very lucky girl. I love you Niel & have a great time tonight!!
I must add that yesterday's weather was so gorgeuse. I am saying this about 40 degree weather mind you. Can you imagaine when it gets to be 80 I will be complaining that it will be sweltering. This has been a crazy winter.
I found this neat site. I love learning about how
people live in other countries.

Except for the mention about the knitting this is not a very happy post. It isn't about cooking or shows. I feel very introspective and angry.

I was getting my morning bagel and I was thinking how I enjoy eating bagels in a certain way. I like them a little crusty on the outside (but not stale or hard) and soft on the inside. I do not like them toasted. I then thought that I was being picky. I’m not the type of person who can afford luxury in my life such as replacing something because there is something newer and maybe better out there. So why am I so picky about a bagel. Usually we buy something new if the old item broke such as a clock, watch, fridge, and TV and so on. We purchase things on sale or that are store brand. I’ve even had the same work shoes with the scuffs on them for a while now. Even my good work shoes have a hole on the front(that is only noticeable to me and I have had both for years). I still wear the watch Niel gave me a few years ago with the clasp that dangles. These last two lines could also say that just I am too lazy to get new shoes and get the clasp repaired. I wouldn’t consider us to be poor. We are luckier that most of the world. We are able to live in a roomy apt, do not go hungry, occasionally go out on the town, can take a vacation(abet after two years) but still a vacation, have health insurance and a 401k plan. Even if I won a lot of money I hope to still be a bit frugal. I would pay off bills, get a new car or two(one for each), a house, and pay off our parent’s mortgages, and send them on a trip as well as us. I just thought it was funny how my mind went on a tangent as I was eating a bagel. I guess the few things I can be luxurious about is a bagel. This doesn’t mean I don’t drool when I see something new. For a while I had this fantasy that I wanted to change all of my kitchen items to stainless steel. Such as the liquid soap pump, the spice rack, the utensil holder. But for what? Maybe it is the way I grew up. We grew up poor compared to how Niel and I live now. Every penny was counted so maybe this is why I feel guilty for anything new I purchase.

I came across this article. Can you believe someone would not be hired, because they are over qualified?

I am really distressed by how the race is going. Kerry is winning. I don’t think just having any old Democratic in the White House is a good thing. It could be even worse than it is now. Dean is the only one that has been honest and has done good things for his state. I haven’t seen that with Kerry. So why is Dean doing so poorly? Doesn’t this country want change?

I am still practicing knitting. It is a lot of fun. I don’t feel confident enough to make anything just yet. Although when I will be comfortable I know I want to make a scarf.

I finished reading The Burning Tigris. I was very glad to have had the opportunity to have read it. Although it distressed me greatly I needed to read it. The book provided in great detail what led to the Armenian Genocide. The bottom line is there is no reason for what the Turks (or as I like to think of them as the scum of the planet) did to over a million and a half Armenians between the late 1800’s to the mid 1900’s. And it was not just the Turkish government to blame. The Turkish citizens went to bazaars to purchase the items of murdered Armenians. If you have a weak stomach please do not read the rest. Some of the way my people were tortured and killed was by rape, starvation, cutting off the flesh off the bottoms of their feet and pouring acid on them, pulling back finger nails, stabbing, strangulation, hangings, death marches, bayonets, throwing children on top of swords, drownings, being pushed off of cliffs, beatings they were hung on crosses, slavery(sex included) burnings and through forced conversion. Sometimes as they were being killed the Turks would shout at them “Where is your Christ now?” The Turks hated having “foreigners” or as they called the Armenians, infidels, in their country whom were doing better off then them. Instead of working a bit harder they decided to kill all the Armenian politicians, artist, teachers, scientists, doctors (basically anyone that did any good for Turkey) and then go on to kill the ordinary Armenian workers as well. They did not care if they were old, women, children or babies. Yet those bastards deny it to this day. So my grandmother (may she rest in peace) and all the survivors of the genocide were lying? My grandmother lost her sister who was raped and murdered. They took away my great grandfather’s property, which included a mansion and fruit farms. What did the Armenians decided to get together and pick on those poor Turks who have obviously provided so much good for the world? I hope if there is a hell that the Turks suffer and whoever else currently has any Armenian goods suffer also. And the world did nothing and we as a society continue to do nothing unless there is something to gain for ourselves. For shame. For shame.

The next book I hope to begin reading eventually is a book Niel recommened about history. I forget the name.

sam, he may not be eye candy, but he aint half
sweet. well dun!


which lotr character do u belong with? (4 gurls)
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I saw a funny site as I was going to an appointment. A guy was selling snowballs on the street for $5.00.
I just checked my blogpatrol and I am up to 1427 hits and 537 visitors. Like I asked before who are all you people?
A tasty recipe to make sloppy joe's from scratch.
Haven't been able to organize my wedding pics and put up all the frames I've made. When I come home from work there is dinner to be made and then I am too tired to do anything else. Sometime I muster up the energy to wash the dishes and run to the grocery store. But I am almost always asleep on the couch at the least by 10. All I want to do is have fun on the weekends so pictures organizing and other computer related activites don't always get done as quickly as I would like.
Plus I am going to submit an article to a magazine. I felt like I was going to swallow my heart I was so nervous. Niel gave me a pep talk and I felt better. I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best.
I've been looking for other craft fairs to sell the frames at but haven't had much like finding any for the spring and summer. Which surprises me. All the craft fairs I have found in the New York area are for the fall. I asked to be sent information anyway.

It's not fair. How we can be sitting here and talking about Janet Jackson's exposed pierced boobie and then there are people in the world who only know suffering . All they know of life is suffering, fear and anger. This just reaffirms my belief that criminals are created by their environment and not just born bad. We lock them up and think of them as damaged and ignore why and how they become so evil.

Two yummy recipes worth trying Bacon, egg and cheddar scones and Portugese Rice Pudding . Finally a scone and rice pudding recipe I can make!

I was completely wrong about the actor : Ken Watanabe. He was not Donger in Sixteen Candles, : Gedde Watanabe was. The only similarity they share is their last name.

I heard some time ago that Janet Jackson had her boobies pierced. So I don't think her exposed boobie during the Superbowl had a pastie on it.

Saturday night we saw The Triplets of Bellville in a tiny theater on the Upper West Side.
The movie is about an orphaned little boy whose grandmother raises him. At first he is very said. His grandmother tries very hard to make him happy again. She gets him a dog that enjoys barking at trains. Then she discovers while cleaning his room that he wants to be a successful cyclist. So his grandmother gets him a tricycle, which he happily rides in their front courtyard. Then we see him as an adult and his grandmother is training him for a race. At the race he is kidnapped along with two other cyclists and taken to another part of France by the mob. Grandma and the trusty dog follow the ship that the grandson is on to Bellville and team up with the Triplets of Bellville to save her grandson. The triplets were these famous singers, who are now old, penniless and forced to eat frogs (which they creatively come up with several recipes to do so). Niel’s favorite was popcorn tadpoles. Although there was virtually no speaking in the cartoon/film I found it very entertaining. The only sounds that did come from the movie were French songs. And although I took four years of French in high school I did not understand a word of it. Yet I couldn’t keep the tunes out of my head. The creators of the film purposefully made the drawings look very old. It was sort of refreshing and a rest on the eyes to see a film where something did not jump out at you. Plus it made me laugh! I need to get the soundtrack and DVD.

We then came home and still were in a movie mood. So we watched Whale Rider on Time Warner Cable on demand.
This movie is an import from New Zealand and dealt with many elements. An old man trying to hold on to tradition, a young girl dealing with sexism while trying to change the old ways, a son who wants to set his own path, a second son who has given up on his own path because he was born second.
The main character of the movie, Pai was raised by her father’s parents after her mother and twin brother died in childbirth. Her father distraught and not wanting to be the next heir to the village leaves to find his own path. Raised by a loving and supportive grandmother and a curmudgeon of a grandfather in rural New Zealand she longs to be what her grandfather wants, someone to be the next leader of the village. However there is one very big problem. She is a girl and all the past heir’s have been men. I am very glad I saw this movie and can honestly back my statement a few entries ago that Keisha Castle-Hughes should win the Oscar. Although I only saw one of the other Oscar nominated films and it is a difficult thing to compare fiver very different movies her acting was truly amazing. I was very surprised that so many "independent" type movies were nominated. Although I think that only Whale Rider and In America are the real independent flicks. And ofcourse the Oscars have to have some main stream movies like Something's Gotta Give, The Last Samurai and Mystic River. I find it funny that popular actors want to be in independent type movies, when most actors who are starting out can only get independent movie roles. Although I mostly see main stream movies that make me laugh or I can get lost in. My favorite movies are independent ones. Although they are depressing because they are the most realistic(come on reality is a bit depressing) they are done so much better!

Niel also found a good pizza/ burger joint while we were on the West Side. It is on the corner of 71st and Colombus. It is right next to a Turkish restauratn(POOOH). I had a gyro platter and Niel had a chili burger. And lo and behold who was eating his lunch behind us but Willem Dafoe. 28 years in NYC and my only actor siting.