Archive for the Category »miscellany «
Had a really fantastic day today.
Slept in just a little. When the boy woke up, I pulled him into bed with me and snuggled for a while. Then, I got him breakfast and tossed a bunch of stuff in the crock pot. I had prepped everything last night, so all I had to do was put the ingredients in and turn it on. Left it on high for a couple of hours, then turned it to low.
Midday we went a wee bit north to see a demo and watch a movie. (Will be providing more details on that shortly, but I need to write about it on my review site.)
By the way, if you haven’t seen A Christmas Carol, I highly recommend it. I wasn’t planning on seeing it, but we went ahead and did so. You know what? It was great. We loved it. The boy behaved very well and we had a terrific time.
On our way home, we took our time and headed to the coast. We live so close and I just don’t take the time to enjoy it. But I did today. It was so nice.
And then, we went to Wally World and grabbed a copy of Up, which we had been looking forward to getting. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I got a coupon online for $10 off the blu-ray combo pack.
Then we came home to open the door and find an amazing smell greet us at the door. Our pork roast was ready. Mmmmm, pork roast. So we sat down to an awesome dinner and our movie. What a great ending to the day.
It’s so nice to have a relaxing weekend. How was yours?
(Disclosure: we saw A Christmas Carol at an event we attended, but I was not asked in any way to write about it. I just enjoyed the movie a lot. I will be telling more about the event soon.)
Today is Veteran’s Day here in the US. My father served in the Army. My grandfather served in the Army AirForce and later the Army. He was a POW in WWII.
There’s a lot I could say about my Dad. He enlisted in the Army and served out his term, just barely missing getting called to fight in Vietnam. If he’d had more time left, he probably would have been sent. I’m not really sure how he didn’t get called up, but I am eternally grateful that he didn’t.
My grandfather fought in World War II. The plane he was in was shot down over the Ploesti oil fields in Romania, where he was captured and held as a Prisoner of War. Somewhere, I have scanned copies of the journal he kept then. And some day, I will go back and read them again. It’s been at least fifteen years – and probably more – since I read what he had to say. Maybe I’ll even type it up some day.
And some day, maybe I’ll tell more of his story, from his own words as he was debriefed. From his own words in his diary. And maybe some from other writings about him. Ploesti was such a small skirmish there’s not a lot to be found out there. I only wish I’d interviewed him and the other POWs I met long ago. I wish I’d gotten their stories down.
Most of them are gone now and it’s too late. What little I do have I will cherish, and pass down to my son who is named for his grandfather.
Veterans, today I thank you. For your service and your sacrifice for our country. I salute you.
I have been BIG TIME into art journaling recently. As in, I love it. Maybe I’m loving the idea of it more than actually, you know, DOING it, since I seem to wax poetically about it while the journal sits on my desk WAITING for me to pick it up. I started in like gangbusters back in July, and have done a few pages on & off since then. I can’t leave my supplies out as the short person known as BUG, aka DESTRUCTO BOY, will redecorate my house if left to his own devices. Not that he’s ever left to his own devices when I’m on the computer. Ahem.
ANYWHO, I’m tired of just scribbling in indecipherable … scribbles … in my journals. Using collage and art hadn’t really occurred to me much beyond pasting in some interesting pictures or quotes here and there. But now, I’m ready for bits and pieces of THINGS. Found things. Bits of bark. Grass. Wrapping paper. Magazine clippings. PAINT. Markers. You name it. I used to keep my journals all nice & neat. Can’t break the spine so it won’t close anymore, right? WRONG. NOT ANY MORE. The more crammed and messy it is, the better I think I will like it.
This is a new thing for me. I think it started when I bought a copy of Wreck This Journal. It got me out of my comfort zone and into seeing just about anything as a possibility for art. Since then, I’ve been more open to mixing up my journaling. And I’ve participated in a couple of e-zines about art journaling, which just whet my appetite even more. Now I’m seeking books & art journalers & blogs & putting things into my RSS reader so I can be inspired and amazed at what others are doing.
I’m not anywhere near ready to call myself an artist. Or ARTEEST. Writer, yes. I’m comfortable with that mantle, even though it took quite a few years and an English degree for that to be easily bandied about. But art? This art? New to me. If I could do that and write all day and make a living at it? BLISS.
Let’s work on these things in itsy-bitsy steps, mmmkay?
October is absolutely the worst month for me in terms of allergies. We’re one week in and I already feel like I have cotton stuffed in my sinuses.
I’m seriously considering a neti pot.
That, my friends, is what desperation smells like. You know, if I could actually smell. Or breathe.
Something I need to hear today. Maybe you do, too.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
I don’t remember where I saw it, or who said it (maybe I can find that info later). But I need to remember that more often. Change starts with me.
I remember this day 8 years ago.
I remember my husband called home to tell us to turn on the TV.
I remember calling my mom in disbelief and — while I was on the phone with her — hearing on the radio that the 2nd tower fell and telling her that it had happened.
I remember going around in a daze all day, unsure what had occurred.
I remember crying for a week, thinking of all the people we lost, mourning for their families.
I remember my world irreparably changing.
I remember the silent skies.
I remember a fear of flying.
I remember those families.
I remember those lost.
I remember.
I will not forget.
I remember.
I don’t usually pay attention to how people got here. I suppose I should if I want to take advantage of trends, write about what people are searching for, blah blah blah. I don’t do any of that for this site. But just for fun, I do occasionally check out what someone searched before they dropped into my humble abode.
little boy dancing – sorry, I was talking about watching my son dance — not to “Low” or “Get Low” — but to the Bubblegum song from Nacho Libre
BlogHerAds questions – well, yes, I do work for them, but I don’t have answers to your questions listed here. I’m so sorry. But you can see our editorial guidelines here or contact our help desk for the best answer to your query.
Chris Jordan: kids names, children’s names, notes from the trenches, mommyblogger – um, yeah. Hi. I’m not Chris Jordan, nor am I in the position to tell you the names of her children. I have met her, but not her family. And if I did know all of their names, I wouldn’t post them on my blog. I get this query several times a month, probably because of that “state of the momosphere” post from blogher 07. I reposted it for your enjoyment, but no, it does not mention the kids’ names.
erica lassa – I think you’re looking for Erika, and you can find her at The Makeup Bag. She’s really nice and was my blogher 07 roomie. Go over and tell her hello.
miss priss – okay, that actually IS me. sort of. I’m not the only one that uses it. But whatever you do, don’t go to the dot com version of my site. Just don’t. Unless you’re looking for pr0n. In that case, have at it! Enjoy.
I am a disappointment to everyone – yeah, I know what you mean. I once felt that way, too. But you’re not really. And neither am I. Just do the best you can. And I’m sorry you’re feeling so down. I hope things get better.
don’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky – yes, I do love that song. But no, I didn’t post all of the lyrics. You can find those here if you’re so inclined.
momosphere – yeah, like i said, you probably wanted this post.
what independence day means – well, you know, that’s probably different for everyone. Here’s what I thought about it last year. But if you want historical information, you can start here (if you’re referring to the US, of course).
why are blue eyes so desired – for me, it’s because of my dad’s blue eyes. your mileage may vary.
Note: The liveblogger had to leave before the session was over, so I took some notes from the Q&A portion.
Question: Profanity in blogs – question about checking the profanity box on BHA profile, she might occasionally use it.
Answer – Lisa: We have on BHA, profiles, we ask questions about what ads to serve on your blog. One question is, do you use profanity? (Some advertisers will not do sites that have profanity.) Some campaigns will skip those blogs. We try to help you get paid more for your writing by asking those who don’t use profanity to mark it so they can be in those campaigns.
Question: Stats. Used to see which blogs refer over to her blog.
Answer: We have slightly changed our headline technology to be more reliable. She was using Wordpress, and some people recommend Google Analytics.
Question: Wait time to get in?
Answer: If you’re on our wait list & at the session, drop us an email & let us know you were at the session.
Question: New blog, 8 months old. Did one review. Does that take her off of the wait list?
Answer: You can do it if you want while on wait list, but we recommend that you go ahead and set up review blog.
Question: Want to do compensated reviews. How?
Answer: In your BHA profile, indicate that you want to be a part of the reviewer program.
Question: Angela, HP. What BH network can do. When she talks about content, she talks about context. One of the reasons she wanted to do social media with BlogHer — the high standards of the network. She works with BlogHer because she knows that she’ll get an honest review, not an advertorial. Be compelling, be you, be credible.
I didn’t try sushi until I moved to San Diego about 12 years ago. Okay, so I’d had California Rolls, but I don’t really consider that very close to “real” sushi. But a friend took me out to try sushi and had me try just about every type of sushi you can find. And I loved it. All of it. (Even mackerel. Shhhhh.) I’ve been eating sushi (and sashimi) ever since.
When I got pregnant with the Boobah, it wasn’t the coffee or wine restrictions that got me. It was sushi. My husband’s a fisherman. A lot of our friends are fisherman. We have fish all the time. Good fish. Sashimi-quality fish. And a large portion of my pregnancy occurred during tuna season. Prime sushi eating time. Seeing all of that wonderful tuna pass me by was torture. I got over it. Eventually. I may or may not have pouted just a little bit. What?
A few days ago we got tickets to go to a fundraiser for a friend’s soccer team. It was a small affair, mostly people from J’s office. We didn’t know what to expect, but we did know it was for all-you-can-eat sushi. Aw yeah, count me in. The address wasn’t familiar, but we knew a bunch of fishermen weren’t going to go and eat bad sushi. And we were totally right.
The sushi was friggin’ awesome.
We went to Sushi on a Roll. It has a small storefront and it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking closely. But, oh, do you want to look closely. Trust me. The owner, Jeff Roberto, was named 2009 Chef of the Year by Chef de Cuisine. He was so nice and personable. And his place is great.
Sushi on a Roll isn’t a typical sushi restaurant – they only cater. But his facility is set up to host private parties. It features a circular sushi bar, with a center spot for the sushi chef. There’s a big screen in the corner where you can watch movies or play video games. And it’s BYOB, so you can drink what you like and not worry about paying outrageous corking fees.
It was a lot of fun. A great night out with friends. Awesome food. If someone you know mentions inviting you to this place for a party or for sushi-making classes, do NOT pass it up. Because if you do, you’ll hear about how awesome and amazing the food was and you’ll kick yourself for not going.
I’m already wondering how we can get a party together to go again. It’s that good.
