A Month Later...

...and not much has happened. Here are the highlights:

• Sabra won So You Think You Can Dance (well deserved)


• Nicole came and went for the last summer in NYC


• I was paid twice


• Philadelphia Phillies swept the New York Mets


• Stupid movies like SuperBad & Halloween ruled the box office


• Miss Julia celebrated her 4th birthday


• Saw the first vermin in my apartment


• BYU football started with the commanding victory over Arizona


• Joani and Moocher moved in with Grandpappy


• Painted a wall in my apartment and redecorated the entertainment unit

The best part of the past month was definitely seeing my good buddy V-Baller get hitched to Mr. Magician in the Los Angeles Temple on August 11th. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful event to fly across the country to attend. Luckily Netter and I had some time to enjoy a convertible drive down the P.C.H., some shopping at Fashion Island, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and of course a wonderful sojourn with Mickey and Minnie at the D-Land.

I was also lucky enough to spend some time with the fabulous Es! The magnificent B-Unit, Deeds, Squishy & Chomps took me for fantastic Mexican food and we ended our afternoon at the beach with the fantastic, wonderful, scrumptious Pizookie from BJ's.



All in all the last month has been quiet yet busy. Just the way the month of August should be. Now I look forward to the fall with great excitement and joy. Bring on Niagara Falls, SYTYCD tour, Thanksgiving & New York Fun Day with Doc & Netter!



Here are some pictures to capture the August monthly moments:

The Trek...a non-Pioneer variety

Waking up to roaring thunder, flaring lightning, and deafening rain drops on my air conditioner was not my idea of a good way to start the morning. I haven't seen or heard a storm like this morning since traveling on the Indian reservation from Arizona to Utah. Luckily this time I was tucked in my bed rather than driving through the storm.

The problem with storms in New York City is they effectively shut down the transportation system. I wasn't shocked to see the hundreds upon hundreds of people milling around the bus stops or trying in vain to hail a cab. In my mind I thought 5th Avenue would be a better place to find space on a bus. Boy was I wrong. Hundreds of people were there too.

There was only one mode of transportation left to me...walk. From my apartment to my work is about 2 1/2 miles. I like to walk home from work when it is nice weather outside. Today is a day that I would never choose to walk either to or from work. Unfortunately that was my final alternative.

Luckily for me I ran into a friend at about the half way point. We walked together which made the trek seem less hot, humid, annoying and painful. I reached my lovely out in the open desk at about 10am this morning. All because of stupid weather and the MTA's inability to provide emergency bus service when their subways stall.

A Birthday Tragedy

Friday night was about my main man Matt. Myself and 8 friends enjoyed the Bourne Ultimatum for my 29th birthday party. It was a great movie! Everyone go see it!

Tragically when I got home I realized that my constant companion, my joyful electronic, my mood generator known as the video iPod was gone! I searched my entire purse but alas no iPod. I loved my time with Matt Damon but I don't think losing my iPod was worth the two hours we spent together.

Farewell video iPod. I will truly miss you and won't have constant love from Matt Damon to make me feel better. :(

Destination Birthday

Next year is a big age year...so instead of throwing a destination wedding I have opted to throw a destination birthday party.

I will be here for my 2008 destination birthday. Are you green with envy?


Nothing better than waking up and seeing this view out your window.

SYTYCD Prediction - Top 8

Last night's show proved that your partner can make all the difference in determining a good or mediocre performance. Here is my review of the performances:

Couple 1 - Danny & Sara
I liked their Argentine Tango because Danny didn't dance like a robot and Sara came out with guns blazing. The fan stuck down Sara's boot during the dance could not have been comfortable. I love that they both went for it.
There hip hop routine was "ok". I think that Shane Sparks could have given a little more meatier movement but alas, the dancers have to dance what the choreographers give them. Thankfully Danny's little beret hat felt off mid-way because it was looking very ridiculous.

Couple 2 - Dominic & Lauren
After the second Krumping routine of the season I must say I still don't know why that style is different from hip hop. The dance performed last night seemed more like a hip hop than a krump.
I thought the dance was beautiful and they were very connected. Talk about trying to get some chemistry. The kiss at the end of their rhumba made me feel a little awkward. It screamed of desperation to garner votes and made me feel a little like..."how the crap did that fit into the dance." Probably wasn't in the original choreography version.

Couple 3 - Neil & Lacey
The show was trying to be all creative with their "latin jazz" category instead of straight up "jazz" or "Latin." That made me a little nervous because you have to master to styles of dance in one routine. I think they did well but the music was a poor, poor choice.
By far the best dance of the night was Mia Michael's ode to her father. At first I wasn't sure if I really felt the emotion but than I watched again and it became extremely touching. Neil & Lacey did a fantastic job connecting with each other and the music fit perfectly with the story.

Couple 4 - Pasha & Sabra
Their Broadway number was pure energy and fun. I felt like I was back at the theater watching the two leads of a musical strutting their stuff. However, I keep waiting for a Broadway number from the reigning musical Wicked to find it's way onto the show. I guess I'll keep waiting.
For some reason their quick step made me yawn. I totally noticed how Sabra almost fell out of her arabesque. They seemed like brother and sister running across the floor in left over Michael Jackson clothes. Beyond my opinion I know they are both going to be around until next week.

PREDICTION - I think that we will say farewell to Lauren and Dominic this week. I enjoyed watching you both and say thank you for the Wade Robson jazz and Mandy Moore contemporary routines with your previous partners. Well done!

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to me on July 31st! I'm obsessed with my birthdays primarily because it is the one day where I can garner all the attention. I'm even okay with the fact that I share my July 31st birthday with my Aunt Janet and nephew Jimmy. It is fun to buy a card for family members that I know are blowing out candles the same day I am.

This year's celebration was somewhat low-key on Tuesday. As in years past, I made cupcakes to share with the co-workers. Jersey Girl and I had some good eats for lunch and she even bought me a birthday cookie. That night I got home and made some homemade manicotti for dinner before Netter, NicolEEE and Steph came over to read cheesy Teeny Bopper magazines provided by Netter. They sang to me and allowed me to blow out some candles on left over cupcakes. It was a good time.

The highlight was probably realizing that I have to will power to wait about 6 hours after receiving a gift before opening it. I couldn't have done that last year. Thanks to my Joani for allowing me to develop this new talent. "You light up my life."

My Main Man Matt

It's no secret that I love me some Matt Damon. My birthday celebration this year will be with friends at the opening of Matt's new movie The Bourne Ultimatum. I can't pinpoint why I adore Matt. It could be that he is good looking, smart, funny and good friends with demi-Gods George Clooney & Brad Pitt. Whatever the cause for my affection, I know that this love will last a lifetime. Which is why it does my heart good that my main man Matt received his richly deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Whenever I make it out to LA I will have to go on pilgrimage to his star to feel that much closer to him.

Am I A Lioness?

I don't normally spend any time reading my horoscope or putting any credence in astrology; but I found a characteristic summary of my Zodiac sign, Leo. I put the question to friends and family...am I a true lioness?

Really Steamed

Gratefully, I wasn't in New York for 9/11. Yesterday I got a very slight idea of what that must have been like when a steam pipe exploded about a block from Grand Central.

My office is located about 7 blocks north of the explosion. I didn't hear anything or even know what was going on until I left work around 6:00pm. I got to Park Avenue and people were running...that isn't a rare sight but this time the people were wearing business suits and the women were in heels. I turned to look towards Grand Central and all I saw was smoke and steam. It was a crazy sight. I walked over to Lexington and 50th and saw what I thought was Grand Central on fire. There was so much smoke and steam pouring out of that area that it completely blocked your view down Lexington.

The first thing I wanted to do was let my Joani know that I was okay. She gets somewhat anxious when things happen in New York. All the networks were busy on my T-Mobile phone so I walked further uptown and finally got through to Joani who was vacationing in Arizona. I assured her I was fine and heading home by foot. After we finished chatting I had an overwhelming feeling of tears about to pour out. I think it was the stress of the moment and the knowledge that if another horrendous act by people filled with hate that it would be incredibly difficult to get back to my Joani. Luckily I pulled myself together and called Shopping Queen for information on what had happened. She was able to tell me about the steam pipe/transformer explosion which made me feel much better. Yoga master also checked in to make sure I was able to get home. My commute ended about an hour after it began with me happy to be in my A/C'd apartment.

I snagged some pictures from the NY Times website. These pictures obviously pale in comparison to actually seeing the smoke and steam billowing out of the ground.

Summer Obsession

Normally with the summer warmth comes a strong desire to be outdoors as much as possible. Unfortunately my summer obsession with So You Think You Can Dance is counteracting that desire. This show is the newest in a long line of television obsessions. The obsession has veered from Alias to Gilmore Girls and now to SYTYCD. When the show is on I refuse to answer the phone even though I have pausing capabilities and will make sure to eat dinner prior to the start because pulling my eyes away from the beautiful HD picture on "Ed" could cause me to miss that slight dance movement that evokes great emotion.

To my friends and family that have experienced my previous television additions with me...I apologize if I ignore your emails and phone calls on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Believe me, I still love you but I love watching Lacey, Kameron, Sabra, Dominic, Lauren, Neil, Sara & Pasha strut their stuff more. (For the record I want to get rid of Danny, Anya, Hok & Jamie.)

A little something new...

...As you have noticed the blog has been changed. I'm interested in reactions. What do you think of the new style? Keep it or lose it? Please share your thoughts.

Waldorf Flag Today

The Waldorf flag hasn't changed for the last 4 days because they have torn apart the front entrance sidewalk. The flag flying is one that everyone in my life should recognize and revere. Here it is:

Flag for Today

The flag flying on June 27th:










I have actually been to this country. It was fantastic!

Weekly Shoutout

Congrats to Anonymous (aka Superbowler) for correctly guessing the German flag on the first installment of "Name that country's flag". Good luck tonight in the league. I know you'll kick some bowling booty. :)

Jeremy vs. the Yankees

My cousin-in-law, Jeremy Guthrie, is a fantastic person and a talented pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles. He is pitching at Camden Yards tonight against the evil and annoying New York Yankees. Please send happy thoughts to Baltimore that Jeremy destroys the Yankees confidence even more with his stellar pitching performance.

Came across this story about Jeremy and the impact of his mission to Spain had on his life and career.

Today's Flag

Here's the Waldorf flag for June 26th:

Waldorf Flag: 6.25

Each morning I walk by the Waldorf Astoria where a different flag is flying next to the red, white and blue of the United States flag. It is a fun little contest with myself to guess the country of the flag flying every day. Because I find enjoyment in trying to identify a country's flag on a daily basis...I thought I would spread the joy along to my friends and family. Every day I will post the Waldorf flag and the first person to correctly guess the country the flag represents will get a "shout out" from me.

June 25th:

The Summer Season

I love summertime. It's warm, my birthday, bosses take vacations, bright, and packed full of activities. New York truly allows its residents and tourists in the "know" to enjoy summertime festivities for little to no cost. There are constant performances, sporting events, and outdoor restaurants to enjoy.

This summer is filling up nicely. Friends are coming to visit or stay for a month. A wedding is being planned. Concert and US Open tickets have been purchased. Farmer's tan has begun. Beach weekend has been booked. And dinners have been scheduled.

If only summer could exist without humidity and last for six months of the year rather than just three. At least I can have Will Smith's "Summertime" blaring on my iPod to ease the pain.

Family Time

My family was together last week for the first time in about 6 years. All the siblings, in-laws, grandchildren and parents were together to support the Moocher in her high school graduation. Congrats Moochie Woochie!

It was so fun to be around my family and enjoy the ambiance and beauty of the mountains. We made sure to pack the time together FULL of numerous activities. Many meals were eaten, games played, and stories retold.

Family is by far the most important thing in my life. It is often difficult to be so far away from mine, but luckily I am able to afford to see them on a fairly regular basis. Watching my brothers' kids grow up has been a joy and blessing. I even like being designated as the "rich" aunt. It is fun to spoil them rotten with toys and clothes. That's what an auntie does who has no kids of her own.

I'm partial, but I believe that my family is a bunch of good looking people. :)

New York Perk

Normally film crews shutting down parts of my daily routes annoy me...but today was different. I saw the very dashing and debonair (those two adjectives must always go together) Patrick Dempsey filming Made of Honor in front of Saks on 49th and Fifth Avenue. It can definitely be a perk to see famous people either working or relaxing in the city. It is even better when they are good looking men; case in point...Mr. Patrick Dempsey.

Love me some Lifehouse

I'm a huge music fan. As most know my top bands all seem to have the same type of sound. Amazing musicians like Long-View, Jimmy Eat World, Snow Patrol, Keane, etc. Lucky for me new albums are dropping this year by a couple of favorites. The first up is Lifehouse's "Who We Are" on June 19th. Love the first single called The First Time. Everyone must check it out!

In support of their album, Lifehouse has teamed up with another fav rock group, The Goo Goo Dolls to tour this summer. Myself and Claire have already forked over the $60 each to attend their show in Jones Beach in July. I'm beyond excited to see my boyfriends play great musical stylings especially with the setting sun over the ocean as a backdrop.

As I was reviewing the Lifehouse website, I found that the boys from California covered a song by another huge favorite, Keane. Check this out. Scroll down until you see "Yahoo Cover Art: Somewhere Only We Know." It is amazing to hear the song with guitars instead of keyboards. Enjoy!

Waldorf Riff-Raff

I thought working across the street from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel would be cool. I was wrong. It is completely and utterly annoying plus I get no foreseeable benefits from our close proximity.

The last two days have showcased how un-classy the Waldorf neighborhood has become. On my daily commute I walk along the north side of the hotel. For the last three days there have been about 15-20 men loitering under the newly placed scaffolding. I walked the same route everyday that takes me in the thick of these loitering fools. My earbud iPod headphones are in my ears to block out the noises or comments made by the men, but I can't close my eyes. Basically I pretend they aren't there as I walk by; but out of the corner of my eye I can see their facial expressions and eyes. Apparently these men have nothing better to do than irritate people walking by them, drink coffee and smoke.


I'm hoping that the Waldorf cleans up this riff-raff so that I can resume my normal commute to work instead of taking a detour to avoid feeling exposed and annoyed by the behavior of these men.

Power of the Red Patent Pumps

On my sojourn through the city last Saturday I stumbled upon a store for Enzo Angiolini shoes at 55th and Madison. It was there that I found my most recent shoe purchase. The powerful Red Patent Leather Pumps. Men get to enjoy the power that comes from the red "power tie"; well now it's my turn to feel power and sophistication poring through me because my feet are encased in the red patent pumps. Thankfully my "power pumps" are comfortable and have a low enough heel to make walking down the streets of New York enjoyable.

Half Court Tennis

Everyone knows I love to play tennis. I already am commandeering my family to play massive amounts with me when I go visit at the end of the month. So it was with excitement and a sense of awe that I read about two fantastic players doing something I had never seen before in the tennis world.

Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal played an exhibition match on a tennis court that had 1/2 grass and 1/2 clay.
The court was made in Palma del Mallorca and cost $1.63 million to produce. Now there are a lot better things I think $1.63 million could be spent on; but, then again I was thrilled about this match between the best grass player in the world versus the best clay player in the world. In the end it was the clay wizard Nadal who beat the grass fiend Federer. I'm sure both of these fantastic players were ecstatic to try their skills on a court that would force them to change their shoes at regular intervals. Congrats to Nadal for beating Federer once again. He needs to teach his tricks to Andy Roddick so a return to American Male dominance can come back into the professional tennis world.

If only I had the cash to fly to the small island off of Spain to witness the "Battle of the Surfaces" in the flesh. Alas, I will just have to wait a few more months before I spend as much time as possible at the US Open 2007 in Flushing, Queens.

Thank you Ben & Jerry's

Today is a special day. Today is a day anticipated for quite some time. Today the moment of bliss occured. Today...I bought a pint of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream ice cream by Ben & Jerry's. The wait for this decadent smooth & creamy concoction is finally over. Well, it's almost over...

I vowed to share the goodness of Americone Dream with my long suffering ice cream deprived friend Claire. She earned the right to enjoy the sound of the pint top lid being released and the first gaze upon the caramel swirly goodness of vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered waffle bits. Lucky for me, I only have to wait until next weekend to end the salivatory glands overdrive. We are going to enjoy a day of beauty capped off with our silver spoons dipping into the cardboard container of ice cream.

Thank you Rockefeller Center Ben & Jerry's for having one last pint available for me to purchase for a steal of a price at $5.50. Obviously, my call to arms to bring this flavor to the Eastern States was heeded by the higher ups at Ben & Jerry's. However, my purchase today doesn't let my brother Coyote off the hook from purchasing multiple pints from Albertson's for my triumphant return to the home of my Joani.

Annual Conservatory Garden Trek

The annual trek to the Conservatory Garden in Central Park occured today. Flowers, trees and watery fountains were in full bloom. I truly feel like this day is the beginning and in a way, the end of spring. I love Conservatory Garden trek day. Here are some shots from the Garden.

Back in the Waldorf Nest

Our embattled leader, George W. Bush has flown back to the Waldorf Astoria nest. Luckily it has been a good six months since his last visit. Those months off have allowed me to be less annoyed, resentful and irritated by the current barricades, guard dogs, passive cops chatting and change to my commuting course. Luckily this visit is extremely short. I believe the eagle leaves after one short nignt in the Waldorf nest. Thankfully he didn't bring a couple hundred U.N. leaders and dignitaries with him this time.

In all honesty, this latest visit will prompt me to walk home today to enjoy the warm sunshine and spring flowers along Park Avenue.

It's Spring!

Finally, it's spring! It began on Friday and continued through the whole weekend. It has been months and months since New York saw a string of 60/70 degree weather. The gorgeouse weather made it imperative that I be outside as long as possible. I dusted off my Reef flip flops and took to the park of New York with Netter and Dancing Queen. It was a fantastic weekend in the springtime sunshine.

Bedroom Redecoration

I made another step up on the "I'm an adult" ladder. I purchased a bedroom set all my own. Finally I don't own other people's castoffs; instead I bribed my buddy Netter to put together three pieces of furniture until 2:00am. The end result was a bedroom of shiny happy yellow walls with bright clean white furniture. My bedroom is just a happy place which fits me to a 'T'.

I "Heart" Shoes

My need to possess cute shoes has reached code red status. Another box found it's way to me at work full of three boxes of very cute shoes. Shoes to be worn in the sunshine that is coming New York's way. Now all I need is someone to work on my feet to make them exfoliated, moisturized and painted with a pretty red color.

MetroCard Disappearing Act

After arriving at the subway yesterday in the pouring rain I reached for my MetroCard only to discover I did not have it. This wouldn't be the end of the world but my MetroCard and my office building pass were together meaning it would have been a pain not to have my pass. Also I enjoyed a great meal with Supplier at Chennai Garden meaning multiple trips on NY's mass transit system. With all that bearing on my mind, I made the decision to leave the shelter from the rain and trek back to my apartment.

At the end of my delicious meal with Supplier at Chennai Garden on 27th street I realized that I didn't have my building pass/MetroCard combo. I was dumbfounded, stupified and perplexed to realized that I had left it in the office. About mid-afternoon I put on my in-office blazer because of a chill in the air. Of course I put my building pass/MetroCard combo in the pocket as I meandered around the office floor. Being a ding-dong I forgot to take it from the blazer pocket to my purse. So I was forced to purchase a $4 MetroCard at Grand Central to get me home and to work the next day.

The moral of the story is to keep tabs on your wallet, cell phone, iPod and MetroCard/building pass because the loss of one or all could cause personal meltdown.

My Search for the Americone Dream

Ben & Jerry have made my little heart flutter. Not only do they make excellently smooth and creamy ice cream but now they have devoted an entire flavor to one of the funniest and truthiest guys around, Stephen Colbert. They named the flavor Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream and it is filled with chocolate covered waffle bits and caramel. Be still my beating heart!

The announcement about this new ice cream goodness was made some time ago; yet, I have not seen a glorious pint in the flesh! I have it confirmed by my good friend Shopping Queen that they exist in the world; but have yet to wrap my hands around the cold cardboard container with Stephen's face on it. Luckily the people who run the website for Ben & Jerry have a trusty tool called the "flavor locator" that allows you to locate a flavor via zip code. I tried this life saving tool and came to find out that there is no store within the five boroughs of New York that have this flavor in their freezer stock. I even looked for my friend Claire in Connecticut and they don't have it within a 50 mile radius of her home. Why are Ben & Jerry trying to punish the Eastern Seaboard? Those who live in the West seemed to find it in ample supply. Why can't I get some when the big Ben & Jerry factory is in VERMONT?!?

I asked my friends and neighbors to join me in a crusade to receive this Americone treat in our homes on the East. The punishment must end as we did nothing to deserve it but take our unsuspecting tourist friends on a 5 hour car trip to Burlington, Vermont just so they can watch a movie about the birth of the great ice cream empire known as Ben & Jerry's.

My Easter Weekend

Regardless of the massive headache of traveling from JFK, I had a great time heading to a land far away to visit Big Lug, Liver and their offspring. We cruised the city, did some shopping and enjoyed the Easter egg hunt at Church. Mostly we spent time eating and taking pictures. Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for putting me up for the weekend. I had a great time!

Stupid Sheer Shirts

I'm annoyed. I mean really annoyed. It's the kind of annoyed that I can't do anything about because I have no control over my annoyance. The instigation of my annoyance is my quest for a short sleeve brown shirt. My visit to Ann Taylor Loft at lunch was the final straw. It sent my irritation over the edge. Every blasted store is selling shirts that are sheer. It is virtually impossible to find a short sleeved shirt that doesn't have a plunging neckline or is see through. Eerrr!

Drainage

New York City drainage is always an interesting experience. The bathroom in my apartment has a lovely metal tube coming from the floor which acts as the drain. There is no nifty knob underneath the tub spicket. Yesterday my drain wasn't working and I was beyond worried that I had damaged the pipes because of my recent Drano Max Gel usage. Luckily for me it was only the metal stopper on my drain had become unlatched from the drain. A quick and easy fix to alay my fears.

Since moving to the city I have found I am quite the fixer-upper. Maybe not to the level of my sis-in-law Liver but I'm learning...and as G.I. Joe says, "learning is half the battle."

Trivializing the Sacred

Some people just think it's so funny to mock cultures or religions they don't understand. It kind of drives me crazy when people take something that is sacred to a group of people and trivialize it. The latest case in point.

Ed in the Flesh

This one's for you Doc...meet Ed in the flesh.

My Red Coat

Today while walking to work I noticed that I was in a pack of people all wearing black coats. I of course opted for the red coat this morning. It was kind of startling to realize that I was the only non-black clad person walking along Park Avenue this morning. Gotta love my colorful coats. Friends and family can always spot me in a crowd.

Another Great Debate

Last night I had dinner with the soon-to-be Mrs. Breezy as well as her boss and friend. We went to Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man in Union Square. The food was good and company excellent. One of Mrs. Breezy's friends is heading to Europe for his first excursion and asked me which city he should grace with his presence - Budapest or Prague. I was at a lost for words because I loved and adored both cities but for vastly different reasons. This question triggered a great debate in my mind of where to send this Europe-virgin.


BUDAPEST




The city had gorgeous architecture, savory food and plenty of personality. It was also very affordable to the traveler. My favorite thing about Budapest was walking across the chain bridge and taking a Segway tour of the city.



PRAGUE

The Paris of the East certainly lived up to its name and became a mecca for garnets, amber and amazing crystal. All of our meals were amazing and the view from Petrin Hill was breathtaking especially at dusk. Bridges, spires, and cobblestone streets make this a "must" on any Europe excursion.

Loving these cities equally but for different reasons made it difficult to choose one to tell my new Dr. friend which one to add to his itinerary. I did ultimately advise him of which one I would return to sooner than the other. But I'm going to keep my selection to myself.

Anyone who has been to both cities please weigh in on your favorite.

The Announcements

While at BYU in the Provo Bubble I received countless wedding invitations/announcements. My fridge was always covered with pictures, generally in a sepia tone, announcements printed on the same style invitation and inserts telling me where I could purchase the happy couple a gift. For the most part I kept each and every wedding invitation I received from 1997-2002 because I could map my life based on whose announcement I had. Then the great wedding destruction happened in 2003 when I decided to rid myself of sentimentality...I torched the box of weddings. Maybe it wasn't so much the need to become a hardened character but the pressing need of storage space in the garage for Joani. Never since have I wished I could pull out a wedding invitation and reiminsce.

Now a new era has begun. For the first time in about 4 years, I have not one, not two, but THREE wedding announcements on my fridge. Last night I was comparing my reaction when I opened the double envelopes in college to now. My first thought is that I am more than willing to purchase a gift since I can afford it as a professional so it paid to wait for marriage until I could get you something from your registry that was over the $40 range. The second thought was that I am no longer envious of the marital happiness staring at me each time I reach for a carrot stick. Now I can say with absolute sincerity that I am truly happy for Amanda & Tyson, Michelle & Mat and Jina & Breezy. You have each earned the right to a nice little present from me to celebrate your joy. Best wishes!

I'd Like to Introduce...Ed

I have a new member of my electronics family...his name is Ed. He is a 40" LCD HDTV made possible by Sony. I was able to bring him home to my humble abode on Friday, March 9th. For the last year I have salivated over this purchase and finally Best Buy sent me a coupon that allowed me to bring Ed home. I'm sure my life will never be the same. Thank goodness!

It's Game Time!

Sunday night was the first installment of game night with Netter, CA Lady and Artiste. After a fabulous meal of Hawaiian haystacks prepared by CA Lady, it was game time! The game of choice was Settlers since Artiste and Netter were beginners. It gave CA Lady and I a huge advantage. After a brief review of the rules it was on! In the end, I was victorious because of my intelligence, strategy, perserverence and ability to trade with my opponents!