Permission...

So thats it... I hereby give myself permission to be sick... which is good... because man, am I ever... this will be a novel experience tho... one that I may have to work at... I haven't missed a day of work in 5 years due to sickness... I've taken my share of 'mental health days'... you know.. those days when you just feel like taking some time away.. but never because I've been sick... I guess I can't complain too much then... HEY!! Wait.. no.. I'm gonna complain... permission to be sick,remember!

This isn't gonna be as easy as it sounds... but I'm gonna give it my best shot.. I'm gonna lay around... watch tv... huh... actually that kind of sounds like a typical weekend... I guess this permission to be sick thing is gonna need some work... oh well.. I'll keep at it, I'm sure I'll figure it out before I start feeling better... who knew being sick was so much like work...

Later...

Moving....

Well.. that sucked... so we spent the entire day yesterday schlepping crap from one office - up the street one mile - to the new office... and we aren't even done yet! We'll be back at it again today... and just to keep things really fun... the husband is sick... yeah.. he's still helping us move... coughing like crazy as we disassemble desks and haul them out to the truck... NOT fun! Oh.. but it gets better... after a full day of hauling boxes we called off the rest of the move till today.. upon arriving home... and finally getting a chance to sit down... I realized.. huh.. I don't feel so great... wicked achey... (well that's kind of understandable - I hauled a ton of stuff today)... chest feels 'hollow'.. well, it was really cold and I am a smoker.. but man.. I'm FREEZING!!! So I grabbed the thermometer that my husband had registered a 100.1 on the other day... HOLY CRAP!! AND HE'S ACTING LIKE HE'S SICK!!! I pulled 101.5!!! Lovely.. just lovely.. The whole day we kept avoiding him like the plaque thinking he was the contagious one.. turns out I'm contagious too.. I blame being a parent.. it has become so ingrained to be worried about other people (children) that that's what I do... I was so worried about my husband being sick and having to help haul a 1,000 pound server rack through 3 sets of glass doors that I didn't pay attention to how I was feeling.. I almost wish I hadn't picked up that thermometer.. now I've got to go move more stuff knowing that I'm sick too... sicker than him! HA! I win... lucky lucky me..

So anyway... if I don't collapse in a snow banking alongside route 10 today.. I'll be back..

Later...

Extra Extra...

Extra snow... lovely... another snowy day here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... on top of our foot from the weekend we are getting an extra 6 inches, just to keep it fresh and interesting.. The little dog has already been refusing to go outside till it's absolutely necessary and I can't say that I blame her, I've been doing the same thing... the temptation to go out with the camera on a little snow safari is great, but the snow amounts have been greater... greater than the height of my boots that is... nothing is more uncomfortable than a sock full of snow... if this weather keeps up the only thing that'll keep the snow out of the boots is to find a sturdy pair of hip waders - quite the fashion statement... I guess that's what seperates a 'hobby' from a 'profession'... I'm strictly a hobby photographer... but then again... if someone out there wants to pay me to go wade thru the snow drifts with my camera... well... sure... but no money... no photos!

Later...

Back right...

So my back was right... final snow amount on 9 2 Bay 2 9 10... around a foot... it really is amazing that my back new this was gonna happen even before the weather guys did... more than 24 hours before the weather guys did... take that Weather.com... maybe you should fire the computer weather simulators and hire me... cause we all know... I just don't have enough to do! Why just this week alone, I've got 2 newsletters to do, a website to finish up, 3 other websites waiting for updates, a database proposal to get out, and Oh yeah... packing and moving... it's new office space for yours truly, dear Reader... so does that mean no more 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 ride everyday?? of course not... it just means 1 mile less... the new space is still on 10 in Easthampton - just one mile closer to Northampton... so in the midst of all the regular weekly activities - we get to pack it up and move it all this weekend... Oh the joy!

So anyway... that should explain the slow posting here in the next couple of days... but I'll try...

Later....

Pastels...

Jewel tone trees...

Crazy patchwork quilt on a snowy gnarled stand of trees... A little fun with Fireworks..

Still lifes....

A couple of the photo's I took this morning... Some Snowy Still Lifes...






More later...

Snow amounts up...

So... it seems the guys over at the Weather Channel are coming around in their guesstimations of the amount of snow we're supposed to receive here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... their new prediction... 10 -15... HA... exactly my pain prognostication! The snow is still several hours away, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens... in the meantime it's preparations time here... get out those batteries... flashlights... extra candles... camping lantern... move the vehicles into a better configuration for snow plowing.... fill the bathtub with water (with a private well - if the electricity goes, so does the water pressure, and with it the toilet flushing capabilities)... fill clean containers with drinking water... check on the wood supply for the fireplace... and the list goes on and on...

At this point it almost seems kind of silly and unnecessary... it's bitter cold out there, but the sun is shining brightly... if it wasn't for the weather predictions you might not even know there was a storm coming... OH.. but then there is the aches and pains... could they be part of the grand design... is the human body designed to 'feel the weather' in some primal way as a warning system - saving lives in the pre-doppler radar centuries? "Bessie, my back is acheing somethin' powerful, better gather up thou young'ens, and batten down thine hatches..." "Thor leg hurt - move to back of cave"...

Anyway... here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 - we're battening down the hatches... moving to the back of the cave... keeping an eye on the weather channel... and popping Ibuprofin like crazy... Stay warm.. stay safe... and keep the aspirin handy...

Later...

Weather predictions...

According to weather.com we're due for 3 - 5 inches of the white stuff tomorrow... but according to my back, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say "nope.. more like 10 - 15 inches"... As I write this I'm flashing on my Grandparents - how they would predict the weather from the intensity of their aches and pains... so when did this happen? When did I get old enough to start prognosticating the weather from my own aches and pains?

OOPS.. word of the week again...

Main Entry: prog·nos·ti·cate
Pronunciation: präg-'näs-t&-"kAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -cat·ed; -cat·ing
1 : to foretell from signs or symptoms : PREDICT
2 : PRESAGE
synonym see FORETELL

(don't forget to use it in a sentence at least once a day!)

So anyway.. back to my train of thought... I'm so freakin' old and I don't know how I got this way... prognosticating the weather by the ache in my lower back.. thanks so much... I couldn't just read the forecast on weather.com... nope I get to feel every single flake... and it's not just me... complaining about the deep ache yesterday my office mate (who suffers from arthritis as well) chimed in with "Man... mines killing me too.. I couldn't sleep last nite it hurt so bad.." So people... that's 2 of us... I suppose time will tell if those aches and pains are more accurate than some meteorologist sitting at a computer somewhere... my back has been wrong before, but not very often... so we'll see... (and if we do get dumped on in a major way, I'll be sure to post the pictures as well!)

Later...

Kind comment

Thanks so much for the kind comment, new visitor Anne... I always enjoy getting new visitors here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 10... it tends to make me step back and look at the blog with a fresh set of eyes... where is it going... what would the casual visitor see and read... am I being 'user friendly'? It's always gratifying when a new visitor has good things to say - it lets me know that I'm doin' ok... I know I'm pleased with it... just the right mix of my photography and stuff to read... or is there? Holler if you want more pictures (trust me I've got plenty more!)... oh.. ok... you can holler if you want more text too... we're in this together... I'll keep posting and you keep visiting... ok... so I probably would post even if no one visited... but I certainly appreciate that you do!

Later...

Do I need that?

Surfing through a couple of the blogs on Masslive.com there's a discussion going on about "Spam"... those unwanted - unsolicited emails that magically appear in peoples email in-box (that's just in case you've been living in a cave for the last few years!)... being the owner of a computer/web design business I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to become a Spammer... I've even received "anonymous" phone calls from people asking if I would be willing to do an email ad and distribute it to a listing they have... ummm... NO... thank you... Some are a little more discreet and just request a 'little extra code' on their websites.... you know.. stuff that will leave a little code on the viewers computer and track their movements... again.. NO THANK YOU...

With all the attention being focused on spam these days (and yes, I agree, it has gotten WAY out of hand), what people don't seem to realize is we have been the victims of spam all our lives - not just since the internet... Billboards... store signs... advertisement in the newspapers... television commercials... junk mail... and if you go WAY back... Kelloggs even did a campaign to paint the side of peoples barns with their cereal boxes - the farmer got a paint job and Kelloggs got an ad... That unwanted message in your inbox is really no different... You sit down and watch a movie on television... every 15 minutes up pop commercials for Viagra, home loans through companys like eloan.com, even the phone chat line 'where singles meet'.... Did I ask to see these ads? No... Do I need any of this stuff? No... They fall under the topic of "unsolicited - unwanted ads" - HEY.. that's the definition of SPAM!

Frankly... if you think about it... email spam is less intrusive than the average television commercial... the TV commercial goes on for approx. 30 - 60 seconds and unless your watching it on TiVo, your stuck for the full 30 seconds, your only option is to leave the room or change the channel... So you change the channel... and lo and behold.. MORE commercials... how convenient that almost all the tv channels go to commercial at exactly the same time... with email... in that same 30 seconds I can ctrl-click all the nasty messages that have appeared in my inbox and with one fell swoop hit the delete key... no more spam... for now anyway... no sitting there through 5-7 minutes of commercials waiting to get back to the task at hand (watching my movie)I'm back to work in less than 30 seconds..

So does this all mean I'm pro Spam? Hell NO... (I've turned down some very big fast cash to become one!) I just take a different view of it.. yeah... go after those spammers... shut them ALL down... I'll be thrilled.. but you know.. it's not anything new people... it's only the delivery system that's new.. if email had been available in the Dark Ages, gaurenteed, the corner blacksmith would be sending you messages to "Get your sword sharpened here! Don't leave for your next crusade without it!"...

So my point... Andrew.. if you want the Gevalia coffee... buy it.. your not doing anything that anyone else that watches tv - sees a commercial - and makes a purchase because of it does.. (then request that they take you off their Spam list...)

Later...

Fall back...

Fall back in time a little bit and enjoy a little bit of those early fall leaves...

Later...

Wandering in a fog...

Nasty nasty fog yesterday... it was really strange though... usually the fog is settled into the valleys and the peaks are clear.. yesterday it was the opposite.. the valleys were clear, but those hill peaks were socked in like nobodies business.. I suppose it makes sense... fog is created by warm against cold... cold air sinks... so the valleys got the cold ground and the cold air - no fog... whereas the peaks had the higher warmer air and the cold ground - therefore.. FOG... (and that's your environmental science lesson for the day!)

The fog did make for kind of a cool ride in yesterday morning... very surreal.. oops.. I think we just found the word of the week here as well...

SURREAL.


Main Entry: sur·re·al
Function: adjective
Etymology: back-formation from surrealism
1 : having the intense irrational reality of a dream
2 : SURREALISTIC
- sur·re·al·ly adverb

The ride to work was very surreal... The dark, wet - half frozen - trees against the grey fog gave everything an extreme definition... Every branch stood out and screamed to be noticed... really kind of lovely... but the ride home.. well that was another deal... visibility was really low on some of those hilltops.. Anyway... it was a safe ride for me on my backwards ride - 10 2 9 2 Bay 2 9.. I hope you all made it safely as well..

Later

Well Hello...

Well Hello there, Dear Neglected Readers... hopefully I haven't lost you all... it's just been one of those lovely, lovely weeks... between 2 ice storms, and clients back from vacation with a vengence... things are a bit crazy here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... Why is that... clients go away.. have an 'amazing' time... get pissed that they have to get back to work... and take it out on you... I swear they all cleared their desks by dumping their stuff on mine... OH.. but I suppose I should just be grateful that there are clients to get dumped on by... yeah... nice sentiment... but when your pulling 16 hour days and people are still yelling "where's my stuff" it's a little hard to find 'grateful'.... Hey... what good is a job if you can't bi*ch about it right?

On a lighter note... I did get to get away from the desk this afternoon... I got to go to the dentist! Yeah... that's about how my week has been... so tell me... How's your week shaping up?

Later...

Room with a View

Interesting lines and an icy view... but then the view from every room is icy today!

Later...

Icey Rhodes

These rhododendrons have become one of my favorite photo subjects lately... if you head back to Nov. 12th you'll find these same shrubs covered in the first snow of the season... there's just something about the pink stems that fascinates me.. I never noticed the pink till I photographed them for the first time... Very dramatic... I'm almost gonna hate to post an entry up above them they look so nice with my pink template...

Another snow day...

So, it's another snowy day here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... woohoo... although it's already turned to rain/sleet out there... it is lovely tho.. much better than that brown crap... now if we can just keep the electricity on things will be great... I whimped out on my ride again today, so here I sit, safe and sound, in my own little home office, you know.. I should get a break on my car insurance - if it even looks like snow I hang up the driving gloves till another day.. so I have 4 wheel drive and could probably make it no problem, but it's not me I'm worried about, it's the other drivers.. you know the ones... they drive the 20 year old mini vans with the bald tires and still think they can do 50 down Bay Road in a blizzard... Oh.. and the "other" SUV drivers that think 4 wheel drive is "magic" and they have great traction so of course they can still stop on a dime... ummm... wrong! So, I'll just stay here... let the SUV guy rear-end the mini van lady and leave me out of it...

Later...

Quickies...

• Yeah.. it's snowing... not that I really love snow... but anything is better than that brown muddy crap that we've been looking at out the window lately... my 'seasonal depression' has been acting up lately - this normally doesn't occur until March, the normal time for brown muddy scenery... but lucky me, it's snowing, so that should help.. Oh, but then I'll get to go thru it all again come March... *sigh... can't win...
• The 2005 Weblog awards are being voted on right now... 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10? Ignored again... well.. considering that fact that this blog didn't exist for last years awards, I guess I can't say 'again'... so I was just 'ignored'... You can help people... blast all your buddies with this address and turn them into rabid 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 readers... they'll love you for it, or report you to the Attorney General for spamming them... either way I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you...
• New blogging ideas are starting to formulate... perhaps an 'offshoot blog'... one for just the photography? or maybe a give the "Silver Toilet Paper Award" it's own blog.... not sure.. we'll just have to wait and see what solidifies...
• Time to wake the dog "nuts"... so how come I crawl out of my nice warm bed at freakin' dark-thirty and yet the stupid little angry dog gets to stay curled up, cozy and warm? Huh?? Hey... who's stupid and angry now??

More... Later....

Photoshop fun?

Fun with Photoshop and the angry little dog!

A New Blog Year!

So.. Happy New Year! Ok.. so I missed writing yesterday - the first day of the new year - hopefully that's not an indication of the frequency of the posts here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... I've actually been doing really well lately - been posting pretty much everyday - and as I wax nostalgic - I must say that the majority of my posts for 2004 were 'happy' posts.. or at least I didn't bitch too hard or too long.. which is more than alot of my fellow bloggers can say (a few blogs I frequent have taken on that 'train wreck' theme and I CAN'T LOOK AWAY!) , so I guess I'm doin' alright...

With the new year upon us though, it may be time to switch things up... freshen up the blog as it were... try something new... something different... something exciting... something no one has ever done before... ... ... .... .......................................... Damned if I know what it'll be... if you got an ideas - shoot me a note... cause I'm at a loss...

Later....

Thanks for signing up...

Thanks for signing up for my email newsletter... please be assured that your email address will NOT be abused.. sold... or shared with anyone.. I have yet to set a schedule for my new newsletter but I'm hoping for an every couple of weeks deal...

Thanks again,

Laura