Laying in Repose

Yeah, sorry, I have been sucky about updating this blog. So much has been happening in my life (that I won't/can't comment on here) that I didn't trust myself. I was afraid to spout off, truth be told.

Anyhoo, back to the topic at hand . . . Laying in Repose. Okay, so Teddy Kennedy is laying in repose at his brother's library. Anybody else think it should have been in a bar that serves high-end vodka? Shit, that was terrible of me.

But it got me to thinking, WHERE would I want to "lay in repose" so that yinz could come pay your respects to moi? I have narrowed it down to:

• Winery in Northern California (Cakebread, Duckhorn, or Quivara, perhaps?)
• One of the newer Krispy Kreme stores
• A Japanese hibachi restaurant (love 'em)

Based on my choices, I suppose I want my mourners to have a chance to eat or imbibe as they reflect on my life and times. Unfortunately, it's against state law (at least ours) to have food served in a funeral home, hence the need for me to move it off-site. Eh, in the old days they had the body laying in the family house, and the mourners just came there.

I wonder where those I love would chose for their "laying in repose"? Dr. J would probably chose some high end golf course (Torrey Pines? Augusta?)

Surburbia Sunday

My gawd, my husband expanded his yardwork repetoire. Call the media! Hey, I give him loads of credit . . . I was explicit when we bought this house, "I do not do yardwork nor home improvement." And I have stuck to it. Dr. J loathes the yardwork too, having been dispatched to do some of these chores for his mother as a youth (bad memories).

So, I hafta admit, the fact that he DOES do some of these things, well, I find it hot! Sure, I am gonna mock him without mercy, and treat him like the hired help (ooh lah lah), but it is sexy when a man does stuff around the house, especially when it's something outside of their comfort zone.


While Dr. J did the manual labor, I played lifeguard to our Lil Pumpkin, who played in her wading pool on our front lawn. (When she needed additional water added to it, I called for "the poolboy" to come fill it up, hee hee). It was a very white-trash/low-rent moment, as I was laying on our front lawn, sipping Chilean wine from a plastic cup (because I didn't want to risk breaking one of my beautiful Spiegelau bordeaux goblets), wearing my two-piece bathing suit, while monitoring our gorgeous Chinese ball of frenetic energy splash and jump around.

Dr. J managed to capture a relaxed, mellowed smile on my face, while I stiffled a laugh since our Lil Pumpkin had her sunglasses on upside down!

When I reviewed the photos he had taken, I figured out why "the poolboy/landscaper" had been so eager to photograph the Lady of The House . . .

Down boy, down! (But thanks for the flattering photography, nonetheless!)

State of the Union (live thoughts)

Pretending I have my dream job for a moment - blogging for dollars! Yes, I dream of being a paid political pundit, like my hero Michele Malkin!

But since I want to NOT do work-related things right now, I will us confine my comments on the State of the Union Address to what is TRULY important . . . how everybody looks!

I must say, that eggplant color is FABULOUS on Michelle Obama.

Second, WTF is Nancy Pelosi wearing? I guess it's a suit, but it looks like a sweater-top?! She needs to JUST STOP with the plastic surgery and other touchups.

And Joe Biden keeps looking down . . . is he checking his blackberry? Maybe he has a hand mirror and is seeing if his teeth are shiny enough? Biden could use a few facial touchups all of a sudden. Must be because The Prez appointed him "Stimulus Czar" to oversee it. Does this mean we should now refer to him as "Czar Biden"?!

I see "Sully" is in the crowd. Okay, the guy did an amazing thing! But DAMN, can we move along already?!

Obama's tie is nice. His hair looks a bit lighter . . . is it greying on sides or is he not coloring it s much?

Pelosi not blinking her eyes a thousand times a minute like she did every time Bush gave a State of the Union Address . . . guess she finally started listening to her focus group reports that commented on it. (Believe you and me, people at the top have these things done, and adjust their behavior on tv accordingly). Wonder how long before The First Lady's focus group moderator works up the nerve to tell her to stop licking her teeth like an old lady readjusting her dentures?!
Just saw John Kerry . . . eek, he still gives me the creeps (visually).

Did Obama just say " Cause nobody messes with Joe" (meaning Biden)?!?!? LMAO! Dude, that's because they are afraid he will BLIND them with his super-white teeth!!!

Wake up, Carl Levin!!! That guy always reminded me of a sloth - he just has that look about him - I swear I saw him in an illustrated childhood fable or something. Or maybe that character that Danny DeVito played inone of the Batman movies.

I loathe watching so many members of Congress f'in PRETEND to support the troops, cheering and clapping for those in the galley. Phuck you assholes, you treat the troops and their efforts like shit.

Gawd, wouldn't it be great if Nancy Pelosi fell off her chair one of these times she popped up to clap? That chair must have Crisco on it, that's how fast she is popping up and down.

Wait, what's that sound? Oh yeah, it's the terrorists laughing their phucking asses off as The Prez proclaims that the U.S. does not and will not torture. Can I force every member of Congress to read a Vince Flynn novel? Have they never seen an episode of "24"? Who votes for these stupid, ignorant motherfuckers?!

Shit, just realized I am off my stated purpose - to mock the clothes and appearences of our "leaders," but when they begin to make a mockery of our troops I get mightily pissed off.

UPDATE/EDIT: I had no idea my political crush, Bobby Jindal, was giving the Republican response?!?! Wheeeeeee!

So Ashamed

We had our second "sans baby" date since becoming parents on Saturday afternoon. Had a pretty good time, highlight of which was having a mojito (me) and martini (he), while doing some silly people-watching.

We came home, Lil Pumpkin was still alive and well, and our dear friends Kelli and Matt had tuckered her out to the point that she fell asleep nearly 3 hours early, LOL! (We paid for this the following morning, when she woke up 2 hours early).

Kelli & Matt had brought a pizza, so we popped in the oven, and opened a couple bottles of wine. One of which was a gift we acquired from a patient of Dr. J's somewhere along the way. It was something we would NEVER drink, but thought Kelli & Matt might like since they like fruitier things than we. And well, we thought we wouldn't like it because we are wine snobs.

And then it happened. We tried a sip. And, um, it was good. Actually, it tasted pretty darn good. Made me think giddy, youthful thoughts, and want more.

We were both ashamed of drinking it. And even more so for enjoying it. I was more ashamed that it was Be.ringer, and Dr. J more ashamed because it was white zin.


Shhhh, don't tell anyone!!!

D.C. Recap

It was a whirlwind 5 days in our nation's capital. I am 'zausted, to put it mildly.

My Hill visits went extremely well, and I was proud of my sheep as I sheparded them into meetings with our Senators and assorted members of Congress.

I knew it would be a looooong week, with plenty of partying opportunities (plus, I was rushing back home on Saturday for a "girls nite" that same evening, followed by a family party the next afternoon), so I really put emphasis on pacing myself with the booze. I succeeded. No hangovers (unlike my colleagues), no huggin' The Porcelain God, no showing up late or missing conference sessions entirely. Yea for me!

Definitely, the trip got better as the week went on. The meeting I look forward to most each year is the one with my colleagues (away from our Board of Director types). Being able to bitch and moan in private is always a highlight! Plus, Friday marked two happy hours, the latter was with these very colleagues from across the country. A special shout-out to the gang from Georgia -- gawd, I love Southerners!!!

Afterwards, I was treated to dinner at a very chic place with a dee-lish wine list. Yum! I was amazed that we were able to secure a table without a reservation weeks in advance, but good luck was on our side. The whole evening, including the spirited after-party, was just a perfect way to celebrate a successful (albeit fast-paced and stressful) week. It certainly put me in a relaxed, mellow mood on Saturday morning, which I capped off by another indulgence . . . sweet breakfast treats (hullo mini-Belgian waffle!) via room service. Mmmmm mmmmm goooood.

I drove home from D.C. with a smile on my face. How many people get to say that, hee hee?!

More Hearting

I spent most of Saturday afternoon swooning. I admit it. Freely. My body just felt sooooo good. His touch lingered for hours afterwards. My spirit was uplifted, my skin warm, my energy positive.

He does it to me every time.

Yes, I am referring to "My Howard." To refresh everyone's memory, he is the young massage therapist-in-training I have gone to several times now for an hour of delicious "Me Time."

And damn, does that boy ever deliver :o)

I think he is getting cuter each time I see him, too. I luv how he whispers when he touches my body, giggles with me about how he worries about new clients who have "bAcne," how he asks me if he's using enough pressure, how he rubs my glutes . . . okay, I especially luv how he rubs my glutes.

All people in the service industry have their favorite clients -- hairdressers, manicurists, doctors, chefs, they all do. I like to think that Howard enjoys me as his client, in this regard. I guess our session was running a few minutes long, cause at the end of our alloted time he was rubbing my back with these long, deep strokes and then he whispered, "They're telling me I have to stop."

I wanted to purr "Ohhhhh, don't stop . . . ." Hee-hee!

And yeah, I will see him again in a few weeks ;o)

Still Hearting Howard

Had another massage from Howard. Ahhhhhh.

The funny part was just prior to the massage when I was in the bathroom getting changed. Another woman was in there, with her friend, and they both had just received massages. One woman was raving to the other about the masterful fingers of the young man who has just rubbed her.

I looked at her and said "You must be talking about Howard." She replied "Ohhhh, yes!"

I then triumpiantly said to her, "I had him two weeks ago. And I have another appointment with him in 5 minutes!"

The woman looked at me like I had just stolen her date for the Prom. It was awesome!

I relayed all of this to Howard, and added "It was like two high school girls having a near verbal catfight over you, hee hee!" I know he got a kick out of this tale :o)

The massage was divine. He even rubbed my, um, well, bum. I love a good bum rub. Mmmmmm. He even tucked the sheet into the tops of my low-slung panties when he was working his way down my back. If he hadn't been 23, and if it hadn't been a professional setting, I might have moaned "take me now, boy!" LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!

I am such a sucker for a good massage, and the bum rub is just the icing on the cake.

If I was ever taken as a P.O.W. my captors wouldn't have to torture me. I would sing like a canary if they gave me a massage and plied me with good wine ;o)

I Heart Being Touched

Last Saturday I had a divine massage from that young buck, Howard.

This week I had another one, by another young guy, named Jamie. I was the recipient of Jamie's magic touch at a chic spa in my city.

Normally I would not indulge in a masage at someplace so upscale, of course. But this was a gift, courtesy of a friend who is very dear to me. It was given to me, no strings attached, on a day when I was at a very low moment (really, the lowness factor was bottoming out). I was so surprised when I received the gift card for it (okay, blown away is more like it). And even more touched by the thoughtfulness. I was, like, speechless (which, if you know me, is kind of an impossible situation to imagine -- but trust me, I was). I will never forget that moment . . . like someone had tossed me a life preserver as I was drowning, and said "hey, I see you out there in the ocean, hold on!"

Yesterday afternoon, in between attending the a.m. & p.m. church services with my brother for his RCIA process into the Catholic Church (I am his Sponsor), I hustled to have my much anticipated massage. Jamie was young, sweet, and specialized in deep tissue massage. Perfect. He even turned on the steam machine and aimed it towards my back as he worked on other parts of my body -- the warm, moist heat felt amazing (oh crap, this sounds like total porn right now, LOL). After he was done kneading my legs he took a large, hot, wet washcloth and pressed it into my back, while applying firm pressure onto the knots he found. I would have groaned out loud (in pleasure) if I weren't afraid of being judged a perv, hee hee!

I was so relaxed by the end of the hour I wished I had the money to book the room for the rest of the afternoon, just to nap. It would have been divine if I could have just layed there for a while longer, all Zen-ed out, and slipped off into DreamLand. My body felt like it was in a mediatative trance. I hated to leave this "Den of Zen," but finally mustered up the energy to get dressed (boo!) and go home. The good feeling lasted though, and I managed to sleep better last night than I have in weeks.

If only I could somehow end every day with a massage . . . . Mmmmmm!

I Heart Howard

There's a new man in my life. His name is "Howard," and I heart him (ya know, like one of those t-shirts with the big red heart instead of the word "love"?!)

Let me explain.

About two weeks ago I saw an ad in a local community magazine advertising that a local technical school was offering massages, performed by their massage students-in-training, at a discounted rate. Well, I know how useful an experience this is for the students, as Dr. J's school had a student-clinic (under the watchful supervision of the professor-doctors), and the students get sooooo much out of it. Add into this that the massages were being offered at a steeply discounted rate and I was jazzed about the opportunity!

And yesterday was my appointment. I was assigned to Howard. He was about 23 years old, dark curly hair, warm personality, cute, and . . . had . . . great . . . hands. Ahhhhhhhhh! Seriously, in a non-sexual way, he made me a VERY happy woman!

When I got in the car to drive home I checked out my face in the mirror, and DAMN, if I didn't have thee most sated, fulfilled, blissful expression on it ;o)

Immediately afterwards, I booked another appointment with Howard for two weeks from now.

I HEART HOWARD!!!!!!!!!!!

Testosterone Weekend -- the journey continues

We saw "Vantage Point" last night at the movies. It . . . was . . . freakin' . . . AWESOME! Totally our kind of movie, and fit nicely into this weekend's entertainment theme. I can't wait to tell my Dad about this one. He'd love it, too. Dr. J and I enjoyed how they kept re-telling the same 25 minute time frame in which the plot occurs, over and over, from the perspective of different characters. Each added a different piece to the puzzle, which culminated nicely into some "ah ha!" moments.

I'd give it a B+/A- rating.

Afterwards, we came home and watched MORE "24". Hee-hee!

Testosterone Weekend

My plan was to have a nice looooong workout at the gym last night, but the roads were pretty bad (snow would not stop) and since our town does not seem to ever bring out the plow or salt, I was concerned that if I stopped at the gym first, the side streets to our house would be impassable. Hence, I just went home (sliding along the way, thank you very much).


Dr. J and I are in "Cocoon Phase," as my beloved cousin Sandi calls it -- meaning we are kinda shutting ourselves off to outside influences, and trying to just be close to one another, and put our collective couplehood back on track.


Since his last two patients cancelled (snow fears), I told Dr. J to stop at the video store on the way home and pick up some stuff for us to watch. He brought home a couple DVD's with "24" episodes we have missed (we have been meaning to catch up before the new season starts).

So we happily settled in with Jack Bauer last night. There's nothing that we love more than t.v. or movies that have the government/military/terrorist-hunting/ass-kicking theme to it! And Jack Bauer is quite the bad ass. Of course, we also worship the characters Jason Bourne (movies) and Mitch Rapp (fiction by Vince Flynn), too. Sometimes we speculate WHO would prevail amongst these three manly men, depending upon the type of mission.



Last night we watched 2 hours of Jack Bauer. We have 6 more hours left, I think (and then more DVD's to rent to keep catching up). And tonight we are going to see "Vantage Point," a movie we have been looking forward to. We also have free movie passes, courtesy of a Christmas gift card from my mom.

LET THE ASS-KICKING COMMENCE!!!!!!!!

20 Things -- Check off Snow Weekend (Kimbolton)

(yes, I know we are checking things off at a rate of faster than one a month -- I don't care . . . we have our reasons)

******************************

This was the weekend we had been waiting for . . . our weekend with "The Cousins." We were going away to Ohio with all of my awesome second cousins (okay, and my Mom & Stepfather -- NOTE: my Mom only grated my nerves on Friday night, though I did briefly consider strangling her) for some fun in the snow, a bunch of silly games, and of course, the booze. Yes, the blessed booze, with thee funniest & happiest drunks you have ever met. We were psyched!

The roads were a bit dicey en route, and the snow didn't help. Still, we made decent time and arrived safely. So imagine our surprise when Dr. J went outside on Saturday morning and saw that our car had a flat tire. Gawd dammit! Like I need this NOW?! Like my phuckin' WALLET needs this now?! But first, we had to get the damn tire off of the damn car -- which proved difficult. Five grown men worked on this tire for 30 minutes, and it was still stuck. Finally, Cousin Bob (the second tallest, at 6' 5'' -- his son Nick is taller at 6' 7'') kicked the thing so hard in frustration it finally came loose. The men were triumphiant, like they had reeled in a giant fish or bagged a 10-point buck on the first day of hunting season!

I just had to take their photo . . .

(faces cropped out to protect the innocent -- but yes, that's Dr. J in the yellow parka)

Upon examination of the carcass, I mean tire, it was determined that the rim was bent, too. LORD IN HEAVEN -- why oh why must you torture me?!

Cousin Bob insisted on taking the tire into town and having the situation remedied. I was near tears at this point (frustration). Bob has been an angel to Dr. J & I as we have struggled the past few years, and he knows the past few weeks were especially heart-bruising . . . I know this was on his mind, and he wanted so badly to help us, somehow, so I let him do this for us. He returned a few hours later, saying all had been fixed, and the body shop hadn't charged him anything. We both know he is lying. This made me want to cry again. I find that at the oddest moments, I am blessed by the smallest kindnesses, which wind up making the biggest difference.

Most of Saturday afternoon was spent sled riding. There were 21 of us, in all. And it couldn't have been better.

(This sign cracked us up!)

After our terrific time spent snow tubing just two weeks prior, I didn't think it was possible to have more fun in the snow, so I busied myself as the "official paparazzi" of the family -- something I really enjoy (hey, photography is MY art, and I love it).

Soon enough, though, I agreed to turn over the camera to Cousin Debbie, and was joining everyone else as we slid down the hill the low-tech way -- with plastic saucers, cheap sleds, and even an old fashioned Flexible Flyer (damn, that thing glided!)

(Here's me and my awesome cousin Dave racing down the hill on saucers -- we nearly smacked into the barricades, LOL!)

Other sledding highlights included:

• Dave coming down the hill with an open beer in hand
• Tandem-sledding -- 4 people, 2 sleds -- we (yes I was in on it) wiped out on the way down
• Dave trying to sled down the hill on a case of beer
• Julie and Jonathan (her boyfriend, a minister) sledding with a bobble-head Jesus in hand (really, I have the photos to prove it!)
• Zanne bringing Sammy the Dog with her on the sled
• Bobbie Jo riding with her young granddaughters, Maya and Kyla
• My OWN mother gliding down, face first, on a flexible flyer, and after leaving the hill coasting down the snowy street a good quarter-mile, then calling my stepfather on her cell phone to report her location when we lost sight of her, LOL
• Lucy the Dog running down the hill alongside Cousin Kathy

The day only improved from then on . . . hell, I even took a RARE nap with Dr. J! We had a yummy dinner, more booze, played games all night, and stayed up late talking amongst ourselves. Sunday morning came waaaaaay too quick, of course.

I can't wait until next year :o)

21 Things -- check off Renewal of Vows

(NO, THIS IS NOT US!!!)

We did it! I saw this news item a couple of months ago, and thought it'd be just dorky enough for Dr. J to wanna check out . . . the Guiness Book of World Records would be coming to town for the World's Largest Renewal of Vows ceremony. So I signed us up as an anniversary surprise.

Tonight we put on our finest and ventured out to the event. I was this close to wearing my wedding dress, but in the end chose not too because I didn't want to get my dress dirty (plus my car needs a good cleaning, too!) Instead I wore my aforementioned "Vegas Dress" and Dr. J wore his best suit with a purply dress shirt and tie combo that I love him in (he looks great in dramatic colors).

It was QUITE a site at the ceremony. A handful of women in their dresses (I admit, the real reason I wanted to wear mine, other than the fact that I love my wedding dress, was to show up all those women who can no longer squeeze into theirs. Am I evil? No. Honest? Yes.) There were some folks in wedding dresses at least two decades old, which was pretty funny. And this one couple had on NASCAR shirts (see above photo), which really had us giggling. Even a lesbian couple. Couples married 60+ years, and couples married within the past year. Two couples in which the husband sported a kilt.

It was an interesting evening, in a beautiful setting. Fun, dorky, different, weird. Yep, it was our kind of night :o)

22 Things -- check off Snow Tubing

So after a rough week (maybe that should read RAW week), I surprised Dr. J by giving him an early birthday present from his mother-in-law. His birthday is not until the end of February, but my Mom already had told me she wanted to pay for us to go snow tubing, since it's something we have been talking about wanting to do. Thus, I decided that THIS was the weekend to go do it, and check off something else on our "24 Things" list.

We drove up to Seven Springs, planning on tubing during the 6-8 p.m. session. OF COURSE it was sold out (grrrr!). So we bought tickets for the 8-10 p.m. session and decided to regroup by throwing back some crappy drinks in the crappy bar. Seven Springs is fun, don't get me wrong, but it's in baaaaaaad need of a complete makeover. Still, it serves it's purpose.

Back to the tubing . . . WE . . . HAD . . . A . . . BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did a lot of sled-riding as a child, whereas Mr. Country Club (Dr. J) did things like skiing in Switzerland and New Mexico (cue up your best Long Island stereotype, lol). But of course I am afraid of heights so I do need Dr. J when it comes to things like getting to the top of a mountain. Thank goodness he calms my fears in this regard. I am even more thankful that I did NOT have to get on a ski lift in order to go sno-tubing. Thank you, Lord. Instead, they had a "magic carpet" conveyor belt you could stand on, or sit in your tube and hook onto the tow line which pulls you uphill. Each had it's own benefits (the tow line was more fun, whereas the magic carpet was much faster).

We started out by doing two runs in which we held onto each others tube and sped downhill (called "doubles"). Then we did a couple runs as "singles". We then went over to the higher, faster, steeper lanes and went down those, too. A little tough for me, as we stood there -- I kept thinking back to those super-high "banana slides" you encounter at a water park. But I conquered the fear and did it anyway, and was glad I did! I then shocked by Dr. J and went down headfirst before he had even tried it! (Seriously, I now know why they make you sign release forms -- these lanes are icy, fast, and you COULD be killed if your head hit something!)

Like I said, we had sooooo much fun, and it was something we desperately needed. I am now hoping we can gather all of my awesome second cousins together for a future group outing.

Shifting My Mental State

This week has been a roller coast of emotions. I would classify it as the 4th-worst week of my life. Thanks to all of my insane friends for their attempts to lift me up, yet again. I love yinz, big time.

So here's my attempt to distract myself . . . let's react to the latest article by one of my new-favorite columnists, "SexPert" Dr. Yvonne Fulbright:

10 ISSUES AFFECTING HER ABILITY TO ORGASM

Some thoughts worth sharing:

• Yes, ladies of the world, DO get to know your body. Granted, I think as I have gotten older, and more comfortable with myself and sex in general, I am better at helping things along with such helpful articulations as "a little to the left," "faster," "lighter," "no wait, harder," "yes, right there," and the crowning moment phrase of "don't stop!" I honestly think that the age/maturity factor of women has a lot to do with this. Most men I have discussed it with agree that older women are far better in bed than some young chickie. Young Chickie (and by this I mean 18-24) may be cute and have a tight ass, but like I said, most guys have told me that a woman who falls in the 30-45 category will actually be far friskier and more exciting in the sack, because she knows herself, and is more likely to give a man directions. And as we all know, men never stop to ask , hee-hee!

• Women DO get stuck in their own head -- we are thinking about big things (bills, work projects, etc.) and little (the laundry, errands, that the ceiling fan needs to be dusted). This is why "transition time" (a.k.a. FOREPLAY) is so important. MEN OF THE WORLD -- your woman HAS let you know what her "transition" is -- it may be more kissing, a margarita, a massage, having her feet rubbed, possibly all of these! So LISTEN next time, and don't just phucking phone it in! I can't tell you how many times I have had a friend say "I love kissing, and he knows it. But he thinks if we kiss for 2 minutes that BAM it's enough and time for him to get laid." [NOTE: This is NOT a rip on men post, everyone knows I am MUCH tougher on women than men!!!]

• Damn straight, intercourse is NOT enough to turn a woman on, or make her "O". Men, listen, we love your passion, and your enthusiasm, but somewhere along the way you were sold a bill of goods if you think rocking away like a jackhammer is making us "O". Um, really, it's not. It may very well be exciting and feel great (even to us), but we women are built different. And it feels different. God gave you hands, and a mouth. And he gave us all sorts of delicious body parts for you to explore with your hands and mouth. Try a new place once in a while, and see what happens! [And by the way, your mouth includes your voice -- women flourish with compliments telling them how hot you find them, how good they are making you feel, etc.]

• Finally, a note scolding women . . . I have talked to plenty of men over the years, and some of them have valid complaints when it comes to their partner. Lack of enthusiasm, direction, encouragement, and self-maintenance are huge turnoffs for men. Men are not such difficult creatures, if you care and feed them properly. So ladies, give 'em a little bit of energy, a bit of dirty talk, and throw in some freaky thoughts once in a while, and you will likely have a happy camper.

Okay, stepping down from my Rant Box. Next!

Friday Poll

We haven't had a "Friday Poll Question" in a while, which I remarked in an email to Chrissie the other day. She immediately shot back with the following poll question, which was kept amongst myself ("F.C.") , ManHands (Adrian), Kirsten (Chrissie, or 2.0) and Lori (Coach).

The topic was . . .

CRAZY THINGS MEN HAVE DONE FOR ME

Holy shit! The items that were ticked off for that poll ranged from sweet stuff going back to the sixth grade, to the scary, to the bold, to the damn wild & sexy kind. WHOA BABY.

It was so good, I don't think I can even publish any of them. We kept the identities of the men anonymous, referring to all as just "he," as in "He had a dozen roses delivered to me while on a date with another man" or "He lifted me out of the hot tub, dried me off, and then rubbed cocoa butter all over me."

It was a gooooood topic. And I encourage everyone to try it out with their BFF's immediately!!!

Cheers!

23 Things - check off Dozen Bake Shop

We went to the grand opening of Dozen Bake Shop this evening -- the second and expanded location of the Mother Ship.

We sampled their chocolate chip cookies, and a slice of vanilla cake. Mmmmmm.

Dr. J and I have been eagery awaiting this special occasion, so much that we placed it on our "24 Things" list.

Checked that one off! Next?

A Day Just Like Today

It's our anniversary. I am sitting at my desk, watching the snow fall outside, and it's so beautiful. It reminds me of the day prior to our wedding 4 years ago, when the most magical blanket of snow fell on our town.

Though we have been married 4 years, we have been a couple for 15 years today (yep, it's also the anniversary of our first date, too).

Geez, we have had a rough year. But we're still standing. Though sometimes we might be leaning on each other to keep from falling down.

Which is part of the reason why I thought I'd surprise Dr. J with an unusual gift.

It's funny, strange, bizarre, odd. Kinda like us. I expect we'll have a blast :o)

Three Rivers Runs Through It

Yesterday, after I rushed back from my trip to D.C. for an, um, "doctor appointment," Dr. J and I headed out for a rare treat of an evening. My mother had given us theatre tickets to a performance by the Second City comedy troupe, which is in town for a few days.

I loooovvve Second City, having seen them perform in Toronto when I was 17 years old.

So we journeyed into The Big City (lol) for the performance of Three Rivers Runs Through It.

It was really fun! Lots of laughs, with a local spin on it. But the best was the improv at the end, which is always my favorite.

Definitely something we should do again soon (both parts, ahem).

;o)

24 Things

We challenged ourselves to come up with two lists, each with 24 things on them, with the goal of checking of one each month.

The "Prepare List" is on the other blog, and will stay there.

But this blog, and this new year, is about putting the fun back in my life -- along with a big whopping dose of creativity to accompany each item as it's checked off the list.

We continue to take ideas, suggestions, and recommendations from our cadre of supporters who understand what we are trying to do, and more importantly, why we need to do these things.

Here's what we have thus far (NOTE: we reserve the right to edit, alter, and make any other changes as we deem necessary):

1. Go shooting with the Air Marshal


2. Hear John Williams' music performed live


3. Go sno-tubing (DONE -- 02/09/08)
   


4. Learn to curl with Hamster & Da Weeter


5. Skate in Bryant Park


6. Go to NYC for Fleet Week


7. Pick fruit/veggies locally (in addition to our annual apple-picking trip to Wooster, Ohio)


8. Host our own game night for The Second Cousins


9. Organize the Posse, Second Cousins, and Other Grown-Ups for a night at the Drive-In


10. Renew our vows (DONE -- 02/10/08)
    


11. Find a charity that we feel passionate about, and become involved with it


12. Go horseback riding (gawd, I miss doing that!)


13. Paint our bedroom (okay, get somebody to do it -- anybody other than me)


14. Finish the dining room


15. Run a 5K (no snickering, this is not easy for someone with asthma -- I get plenty of exercise, but running has always been a physical challenge that has me reaching for the inhaler)
16. Hike Central Park
17. Donut Day
18. Spy Day
19. Attend Taste of Pittsburgh (have gone twice before and LOVED it!)
    
20. Attend the Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin tribute show held periodically at a restaurant in our town
    
21. Kimbolton with The Second Cousins (February 2008)
    
22. Attend the grand opening of Dozen Bake Shop -- ahem, WE are on the V.I.P. Invite List!!! (January 2008)
    
23. Kung Fu movie night w/Lori & Jay at the local movie theatre, for which we will sneak in booze
    
24. 
    

GOTTA COME UP WITH ONE MORE, LOL!

Help us, people?!?!?!