Nature drive

It was a regular nature drive on the way home tonite on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... spotted first was a huge hawk - soaring and swooping over rt 10 in Easthampton.. followed by a coyote - skating on the ice on the beaver pond on Rt 9 (in view of the Quabbin tower)... then lastly a herd of at least 20 deer in the farmers field on 9 in Ware... and of course... I haven't been traveling with the camera for the past couple of days... lighten your load and lose out I guess.... typical...

Later....

Might as well...

More freakin' snow!! I might as well rename this blog "9 2 Bay with 9 2 10 INCHES" Oh.. but I still do have my eye on the prize! My cruise... woohoo! I did find a really cool bulletin board... dedicated to the 'web savvy people' that will be on our exact boat at the exact same time... it really is amazing what you can find out here in internet land if you look long and hard enough.. It's been really nice getting to know some of my fellow sailors before we board ship! Even better there are enough of us on there to get a free party out of Royal Caribbean... if you get 25 people to sign up they give you a little "Meet & Mingle" party... pretty cool... so now it's just a waiting game people...

yup... just a waiting game.... *sigh... ayup....

Later...

Fun in the snow!

Look at that smile!

Grand Openings weekend...

We took a ride out to the Hampshire Mall yesterday, it's "Grand Opening" weekend up and down the Mall strip... Dicks... Best Buy... Famous Footwear... Pier One... all are having their Grand Opening celebrations this weekend... boy I tell ya' the area has certainly undergone some major changes in the past year or so... the new Target.. Walmart... Barnes & Noble.. Linin N' Things.. Old Navy... Panera Bread... Mannys... Trader Joes... I guess all the marketing people finally realized that college students aren't the poor people they used to be - living off of instant noodles and the occasional pizza binge... nope... now it's the parents that are living off mac and cheese because we've sent all our money off to college with the kids...

Either way - it's kind of nice to see a revitalization of the old mall/flea market... and the added competition between the stores should be a benefit to us consumers... I'm not a huge fan of row after row of giant corporate box stores but I'm not opposed to benefiting from the price wars... so I may be a little shallow, but I'll look great in my new bargain-priced bathing suit as I float around in the kiddie pool sipping on the frozen margarita I bought with my savings!

Later...

My Boating Experience aka "People were screaming"...

ok... so if you follow along your fully aware that I'm off on a cruise... those who don't know me personally may not realize the irony of it all... so lemme tell ya'... I've been on a boat approx. 3 times in my life... settle back... get yourself a good stiff drink and I'll regale you with my stories of "Me & My Boat Rides"....

Boating experience #1: Those of you familiar with West Brookfield may know Lake Wickaboag... a medium sized lake... pretty... a nice place for a Sunday boat ride... A friend had just purchased a brand new 14 foot boat so we all decided to round up the families, kids and all, and take a nice float on the lake... it was a lovely clear day.. white puffy clouds... very serene... we loaded that boat up with 9 of us... and set off across the lake... about half way across the lake the sky began to darken... about 3/4's of the way across the lake it began to rain... by the time we were on the far-side of the lake it was thundering and lightening... NOT where you wanna be during a storm... so... back across the lake to the boat ramp we go... faster.. faster.. storm is really bad now... EXACTLY in the middle of lake... where the shoreline is an equal distance away in any given direction (as in too far to swim!) - pla.. pla... PLA.... the engine dies... we're dead in the water... the lightening is flashing... the thunder booming... and we've got no power... we had blown a fuse... it took 10 minutes, and the person with the smallest possible hands to reach into that dash and replace that fuse... luckily we HAD a replacement... I've never been so happy to be back on dry land in all my life.... UNTIL....

Boating Experience #2: This one was an ocean voyage... well.. ok.. a Harbor Cruise.. down in Hyannis on the Cape... I was down there for a weekend getaway with big Sister... sitting at breakfast, right at the Hyannis harbor, Sis says "Hey, lets do something touristy... lets take the harbor cruise and see the Kennedy compound"... I reminded her of my last boating experience (she was there) and said "I don't think so"... OH.. but she replied.. it's just a Harbor cruise.. they do it all the time.. what could happen.... not wanting to be a wet blanket.. I reluctantly agreed... yeah.. ok.. what could happen... so.. woofing down the last piece of my french toast we hurried to the ticket office... *phew... we just made the next trip.... For those of you who aren't familiar with this cruise, they have 2 boats.. the Prudence.. and the Patience... they take turns doing the tour... we happily boarded the Patience and set off thru the harbor... as we were motoring across the nice calm bay we encountered the Prudence returning from her tour... "Your gonna get wet!" someone on the other ship yelled... HUH?? What?? Oh well.. maybe it's raining out there... so on we continued to sail... just before approaching the Kennedy compound it seems there's an opening in the nice breakwater line... you know it's like a big damn that keeps the harbor water calmer than the open ocean... so we hit the opening in the breakwater... first we pitched left... then we pitched right... sitting on the top level of this double decker boat we were able to reach out and touch the waves... people were screaming... and I don't mean a little "oh"... I mean blood curdelling - from deep in the lungs SCREAMING!!! Turning around to see the captain in the wheelhouse I was looking for some reassurance that it was gonna be alright, but what do I see?? Just as we hit another HUGE wave the Captain - who was standing at the wheel of the ship went flying... hit the back wall of the wheel house... fell onto the deck.. and proceeded to just about roll completely off the ship... he caught himself at the rail.. jumped up and ran back to the wheel... OH.. so re-assuring... Well... we managed to get thru it... only to have to turn around and go back thru it again to get back to the pier where they promptly cancelled the cruises for the rest of the weekend!

Still with me here? ok... on to...

Boating Experience #3... Again... down in Hyannis... with the same Big Sister... this time it was "Hey... let's take a day trip out to Nantucket.." uummm... "no thanks, last time we got on a boat, people were screaming.." OH.. come on... it's a REALLY big ship, run by a professional company... what could happen? So.. again.. not wanting to be a wet blanket... I caved... alright... so off to Nantucket it is... other than some sea sickness (note to cruisers - DON'T play cards below deck when the water is rough!) our voyage to the Island was relatively uneventful... we had a lovely day and boarded ship for the ride back to Hyannis... approx. half way back... in the middle of the ocean... no other boats in site.. no rocks.. no nothing... the captain suddenly, for no apparrent reason, decided we needed to take a HARD LEFT!!! So hard that it was all anyone could do not to be pitched from their seats... WHAT THE?? nope... no explanation... did a whale swim out in front of us? was the captain letting a 10 year old drive the ship? who knows... all I know is it is just another boat ride in my short but exciting list of boating adventures...

So... now that you know my boating experience... wanna wish me a "Bon Voyage!"

Later....

Had enough yet?..

Ok.. so I'll stop torturing you all with the tales of my up-coming Caribbean vacation... I know it's hard on you.. what with the 4 inches of snow we got on Monday... oh.. and the inch or so we got last nite... I think we've all had enough already thank you... this weather has just been insane... it teased us with a few days in a row of 50 degrees... you could even see the grass... but then it turned it's back and dumped on us again.. so, I'll just keep my glee to myself... I won't mention that it's 87 degrees in Aruba right now... or that it's 81 in St. George's... and I certainly won't mention that wwlp.com is forcasting more snow for this coming Monday and Tuesday... nope... not a word... not a whisper.. not a snide little chuckle... not a single mention that I'm getting out of here for a break and your not... nope... total silence on the subject.... not one mention of 4 wheeling beach parties... my hunt for sun screen with an spf of 300 to protect my pasty white computer complexion from that strong Caribbean sunshine... nope.. not a word... not even about the 5 star catamaran sailing... oh.. and no mention of the 3 different countries my husband is going scuba diving in... nope.. no coral reefs... no brilliant blue beach water.. no palm trees... I wouldn't be that mean.... I'll just suffer through the next few snowstorms in quiet acceptance like the rest of you... nope... not a word! suckers! :)

Later....

Love those sales!

So.. we spent the weekend looking for 'cruise-wear'... and was it perfect timing! Love those Presidents' Day sales... we headed out to the Prime Outlets in Lee... not only do they have great bargains on a normal weekend... throw in the the holiday and we scored big... we pulled out of there with the back of the truck full of bargains... my favorite being the big floppy straw beach hat with mongo flower on the band... VERY cute.. all I need now is a pair of Jackie O sunglasses and I'll be stylin' in my own portable shade on the beaches of St. Kitts... oooo la la...

Anyway... so now that our suitcases are full... oh... that's right... still gotta pick up an extra suitcase from Mom... we're pretty well set... 3 weeks and counting!!

Later...

It's my vacation!

So.. I've been missing for a couple of days here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... no worries... I'm still around... this is just a result of my pre-Vacation work load... you know... pulling together all the stuff that needs to be done before you go on vacation... you think I'm missing now, wait till my actual trip! I've just been busy getting my passport... shopping for cruise-wear... selecting my shore excursions... picking up my tickets... you know... all that bothersome stuff that needs to get done before you board ship for an 11 nite trip thru the Southern Caribbean in a luxurious Junior Suite complete with it's own balcony... I tell ya' it's been rough... Do we want to snorkel with sea turtles or swim with the dolphins in St. Kitts? The 4x4 Beach Party or the Catamaran sailing in St. Maartan? The Pirate Ship that was featured in "Pirates of the Caribbean" sailing or a day at one of the worlds finest resorts in St. Lucia? OH... the horrible choices I've had to make... only one has been really easy... the Pub Crawl in Aruba... that one was a given... of course it doesn't start till evening, so I still had to decide what we were gonna do during the day light hours... *sigh... my work is NEVER done... Vacation planning is such hard work...

Later...

Paying attention..

Just in case you weren't... paying attention that is... it would be really easy to miss this one... it's been over 50 degree's round here for the past 4 days or so... so hang onto your hat (and gloves and shovels and scrapers) we due for a foot of the white stuff tonite... just when you thought it was safe to go back outside...

Later...

Unusually serious...

So an interesting set of developments from yesterday's post... an epiphany almost... In case you missed it, most of the conversation took place on the weblog forums at Masslive.com, I posted a link to my "superbowl fluff" post to the forum and it ruffled a couple of feathers... My first response was a rather informative missive explaining the difference between a bass and a guitar, thus explaining Paulo's lack of instrumentation at the bowl... ok... My Bad and thanks for the info... then I got another reply...

"when I read stuff like Bayblogs post, all I can think is how little a lot of people know about music. As you said HC, you can dislike the guy, but to say he was lame is, well, LAME."

Well.. how rude... and I pointed it out as such... in this person's reply he pointed out that his comment was nothing 'personal' but was a comment on my post, but that my comment on his post was 'personal'... huh? He called me lame and I called him rude... sounds personal to me... Oh wait.. is the difference that he said "Bayblog's POST" and I said "you, 44444's, came off as just rude"? The difference between "Post" and "you"... huh... maybe he has a point... or does he? Are 'we' what we write or do our posts have an identity all themselves? How do you seperate the person from the person's words? Can you? Doesn't a person have to be behind that post? The post doesn't just appear out of nowhere, with it's own opinions... OH.. but what about "fiction"... It's highly unlikely that Stephen King writes from personal experience... so what about that? If you criticize King's books should King take it personally? Crap.. wait... he made up the stories out of his own imagination, so isn't a critique of his book still a critique of his imagination? *sigh... this is getting exhausting...

Are we what we write or can you seperate the person from the words? Good question...

Ok.. so then lets take this a step further... I handed some extreme criticism to Sir Paul... and you know what... I felt it was 'nothing personal'... go figure... I was rating his performance and questioning his professionalism, not him... or was I?? He's a big impersonal music figure... not a person... huh?? Wait... no.... that doesn't make sense... If we are what we write... or perform... isn't a critique of the 'art' a critique of the person?? Double Crap... I hate being guilty... So I did it too... so... we're back to square one...

Performance versus personal... add in the old "people need to take responsibility for their actions" and you've got an even bigger mess... are my posts a 'performance' or is it 'me being me'? Is the guy critiquing my post commenting on my words or on me? Am I calling that guy rude or his words to me rude? Do I think Paulo's performance was not superbowl quality or do I think Paul is not superbowl quality? OK.. now lets add into the equation "Everyone has an off day.." Does one performance or one post or one comment encompass the entire person? Certainly not... Paul could have been having an off day, I could have been experiencing an extreme mind fart, and the commenter could have just been in a bad mood... All perfectly understandable... so... YEAH... we're back to "the performance should stand alone" and can be critiqued without the criticism falling back on the person... and the crap pile just keeping getting deeper...

Well... now that we all have some major food for thought, and I'm confused as hell... What do you think? Are we what write/sing/paint/build.. whatever? Is a criticism of the 'work' a critisicm of 'us'? Or does this post really suck? OH... but then if this post sucks, then does that mean that I suck? CRAP!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I'll just get back to work...

Later....

My bad...

So it was pointed out to me that Sir Paul plays the bass, hence the lack of chordage... well... my bad... and don't we all learn somethin' new every day... so.. we have an explanation for his performance, but sorry, I still wasn't impressed... I will give you that having the entire stadium singing along with "Hey Jude" was pretty cool, but I still can't get past the fact that this was one of the weakest Superbowl performances to date, well, at least to my date...

So, for me anyway, it was a pretty sad version of the Superbowl... weak commercials, and an even weaker 1/2 time show... all and all quite the disappointment... and even though I'm sure all you football fans would have preferred a 'blowout' score for your respective team - from a non-fan point of view, at least the back and forth scoring/fumbles/penalties were interesting... imagine that... the best thing about this year's bowl was the actual FOOTBALL! Go figure!

Later...

Superbowl Fluff....

That's right... Fluff... cause frankly I'm not a football fan... I'm strictly the commercial watching, half-time show Superbowl watcher... so how bout those commercials... eh... I've seen better... amazing how the fear of a little booby can take the fun out of everything... at least Ameriquest didn't get too scared... they had a couple of very funny spots, especially the cooking guy with the knife, the cat, and the pot of tomato sauce... (and their other spot "Your gettin' robbed" was pretty funny as well!)

BUT... my biggest source of Superbowl frustration?? Half-time... Paul McCartney... how long has this guy been around? 40 years, maybe?? You'd think he could play a guitar by now... even if he was faking it way back in the day with the Beatles, you'd think he'd have picked up some chords by now... Hell.. I play a more convincing air guitar with my 6 guitar lessons under my belt than he did with that bowl appearance... if you Tivo'd it, go back and take a look, the man's right hand NEVER moves from it's original position on the neck of the guitar... Oh.. he made the body movements... he made the appropriate "playing guitar is hard" faces... he even pointed it at the sky and dropped it back down in a huge crescendo flourish.. but not once did he change chords... Oh, he plucked a couple of the strings with his left hand, but that was it... Maybe he's so old he's got arthritis and can't play anymore... Maybe he's just so full of himself that he thinks he can phone his performance in now and get away with it... Maybe he figured everyone would be so dazzled by the special effects that no one would notice he wasn't really playing... you know... when you put yourself up on a seperate little stage, on the 50 yard line, during the biggest tv event of the year, you probably should at least try to do the job you were hired to do...

Ok..I'll admit, I was disappointed with the choice of artist for this event, McCartney is past tense in my opinion, and he has been since the Beatles hit that long and winding road, his flight with Wings always seemed second class to me... but this performance... this one was the last nail in his coffin for me... and of course, the coffin is made of Norwegian Wood...

Later...

Positively Balmy...

Finally, a break in the weather... I don't know about you but those weeks of cold were really getting to me... not a single day above 11 degrees... yesterday it managed to get to 53 lovely sunshiney degrees... aahhh... what a relief... it was almost like doing a 20 mile walkathon in a pair of brand new shoes - not a good idea and what a wonderful relief when you get to kick them off at the end of the day... ok... so I haven't done a 20 mile walkaton since I was 18 years old, but I still remember what it felt like... I have an amazing memory for pain... good stuff will be wiped from my brain within days, but the memory of pain lingers in my cerebral cortex like a kid at a candy counter... so many options... so much pain... hence the reason I have but one man-child... OH.. I remember child-birth... yeah.. won't go there again...

So anyway... back on track... these past couple of weeks have been cold... painfully cold... and even with this lovely break in the weather, I'm not likely to forget this years bout of frigid temperatures anytime soon... and even if I am tempted to wipe it from my memory, I have all those outragious gas bills to remind me... it's all been enough to make me consider calling a realtor and talk to them about trading this icebox for nice little bungalow somewhere a good deal closer to the equator... OH... ok... so it may not be that easy to get this born and bred Yankee to move that far away from her ancestral home... but I have been looking for a deal on Expedia for at least a weekends break from the horrors of the cold New England winter... I'm leaning toward Vegas, baby... but then again... maybe I should just pay the gas bill and call it a wash, cause frankly, I think a hot shower is the only 'winter warm-up' I'll be able to afford once I pay that gas bill...

Later...

Friday Quickies...

So I was watching tv last nite, and this montage type commercial comes on with quick shots of 'faces in the news', and who flashes across my screen, but dirty old just-crawled-out-of-a-rat-hole Saddam Hussien... Seeing his face was almost a shock... talk about a lack of information on someone... it's been so long since we've seen anything in the news about him that the image was almost one of those "Oh yeah... I remember him" kind of feelings... Really Strange...

More freakin' snow... they said less than an inch... looks more like 3 to me...

One of my first posts to this blog - way back in July of '04.. I used the title "The Mountains are Missing"... well.. this post could have used that title as well.. only this time it's not the 7 Sister's that are missing, it's the Mountains of snow that used to populate the center of Northampton... all week the road crews have been lining up their big trucks and hauling the stuff outta town... where to? I don't know - but I'd kind of like to find out.. that's gotta be one HUGE snow sculpture!

The new office space is very comfortable - thank you! Very light and bright and the neighbors that we've met have all been very nice... Only complaint... the bathroom... 29 suites in the building and it's got a one seater ladies room... which is where I've met most of the new neighbors - waiting for my opportunity to pee... OH.. and the mini-dumpster... since day one it's been overflowing... I did some calculations.. if all 29 suites were to bring just one half bag of trash to that dumpster when it was empty - the trash would be overflowing by the time the guys from suite #16 tried to put their half bag in... *sigh.. always something isn't it?

Have a wonderful Friday everyone... Later...

Getting settled...

So the horrible move is over!! YEAH!! And for the most part everyone and everything survived.. Oh, there's a couple new dings in the filing cabinets... a brand new scrape up the side of my desk... and the office mates are both complaining of fever and chills - strangly reminiscent of my husband and me and our illnesses... but all and all - it went rather smoothly... Hopefully this office will serve our needs longer than the last one did... it should... this one has a straight-forward flat rent on a non-lease, month to month basis... unlike the old space in which every bill was a surprise adventure... our lease stated that we were responsible for our percentage of water, electricity, and repairs for the building... which was ok.. till the lawn sprinkler system sprung a leak and we got to pay 25% of a $419 water bill... OH.. and then 25% of the Sprinkler system repair bill... OH.. and then there was the salon that opened in the building... tripling the buildings electric bill - of which we were still responsible for 25%... even tho our electricity consumption hadn't changed our bill tripled along with the opening of our neighbors (and landlords) business... add to that snow plowing... gardening... air conditioner repairs... and you've got a regular bill fiesta!

So.. the move was definitely worth the pain.. the dings.. the low-grade fevers... OH.. and if you happen to be looking for office space in Easthampton... drop me a note and I'll let you know exactly what hair salon/beauty school on Route 10 we were located next to... it's gorgeous space that's available there... if you don't mind the cellar flooding out every couple of months... it definitely could be a good space for you and your business... especially if you like the smell of nail polish and you live for a good monthly surprise!

Later...

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

A crappy poem

For a crappy year:

Ode to 2004!

It’s New Year’s Eve,
Let’s raise a glass to 2004,
Say goodbye to the old,
and prepare for more.

We all lost a lot,
that we hold dear,
Ray Charles and Julia Child,
all in one very short year.

A thousand soldiers,
they will not come back.
They gave their lives,
in the war in Iraq.

Indonesia is devastated,
so many are gone.
The world will rally,
and help them to move on.

So let’s raise a glass,
and drink it on down.
Last year was crap,
but let’s not frown.

Soon a new year,
2005, it will be..
So keep the bottle handy,
and hold your breath with me!

A bonus..

Here's a years end bonus for you... if only we could all be that relaxed!

Not so angry now is she?

Later...

Photo for ya'

I'm at a little bit of a loss for words as far as the end of 2004 goes right now... although.. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say later... so anyway.. here's todays newest photo to keep you busy and reward you for clicking on my blog...
Thanks so much...
Later...

How come?

Points to ponder:

• How come some psychic didn't 'see' the devastation in Indonesia months ago?
• Why are pistachio's dyed red?
• Why does my man-child actually know the answer to the above question? Complete with the explanation of the term "caught red-handed"... (leave a comment if you know why too!)
• What exactly is in a Pepperoni?
• If you are what you eat, how come I don't have chocolatey skin and a creamy peanut butter center?
• Why do we make New Years Resolutions? You know they aren't gonna last!
• How come the stupid little angry dog makes 3 times the mess that my regular size dog used to?
• How come you have to tell the pizza guys in Easthampton that your order is 'for pickup' when you call? Isn't that a given? Do people usually call, place an order, and then just say "No.. I'm not gonna pick it up, I just wanted you to make it"... Aren't the majority of phone orders "pickups"... Cut to the chase people.. how about I'll tell you if I'm gonna eat it there, but for the most part, you can assume that if I'm callin'... I'm pickin' up... and that goes for me wanting it delivered as well.. I'll let you know.. otherwise.. it's ok.. you can assume!
• and finally.. for now... Why do Pirates wear earrings?

Later...

Geekdom

I'm sure most offices this morning had the usual gathering around the water cooler with discussions of what super cool/funny/dramatic/reality television show everyone watched last nite... My office was no different - or was it? Turns out we all watched the same program last nite - a riveting program on nothing other than "String Theory" courtesy of Nova and PBS... it really was fascinating, but I've always been a fan of Nova programs... as the discussion turned to the 11 dimensions and membranes in space I could only shake my head and smile... "What a bunch of Geeks we are!" and the really amazing thing is we will all admit it... not too many years ago "Geek" was a curse.. a taunt.. something to be hidden away and not discussed... now we wear it proudly and admit it freely... times have changed... and thank goodness for that... there really is nothing like a good 'quantum physics' discussion first thing in the morning!

Later...

Taking Advantage

Once again I have avoided the 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 drive... My office mates have got to be wondering if they will ever see me again.. Oh.. I'll be back at it, but for the time being I'm going to take advantage.. several of my busiest clients have taken this week off - so the instant messenger is blissfully quiet... my next face-to-face meeting isn't scheduled until thursday... everything else can be accomplished from the home office... the man-child has winter break from college... the husband has the week off from work... so everyone is home.. including me... I tell you, if you haven't switched to a laptop computer yet, do it NOW! Every nite I pack up my work and I bring it home with me from the office.. actually that sounds kind of horrible.. who would sign up for that... bringing work home.. well, let me tell you, it's great... if the next morning I wake up to find that the husband has a flat tire, or the kids car won't start, it's a simple matter to send them off in my truck while I labor from home, never even missing a beat.. Get dumped on by 6 inches of snow - I'm not driving in it! Nothing to wear - I'll work in my jammies! Bad hair day - no one has to know!

Of course it helps that I have my business calls routed to my cell phone - I can talk to clients for hours on end and not one of them even suspects that I'm standing in my kitchen while I discuss their website with them.. the only thing I haven't managed to do is to make sure I take all those paper files with me.. I try to make sure the office is as "paperless" as possible but that never seems to be the case - there's always those pesky scrap notes that I've taken while on the phone - printed receipts for purchases - usernames - passwords - etc. that never seem to be in the same place I am when I need them... there's got to be a better way... so I think for this years New Years Resolution - that will be it.. try and mobilize my office completely... Oh, I'll still have the paper goods mess - you have to... there's nothing like a complete hard drive meltdown when it contains the only copy of the website password for your biggest client (note to self - add more frequent hard drive backups to the New Years Resolution!) but at least if I have both a digital copy and a paper copy of everything, I'll stand a better chance of having what I need, where I need it, when I need it!

So that's it.. a more organized mobile workplace for me for New Years and while I organize for the annual tax time ritual it's a great time to start... I'll call you and let you know how I did, but I'm sure your phone number will be written on the back of an envelope, sitting on a desk at least a half an hours drive away!

Later....

Fireplace cooking - part 2

We seem to be on a fireplace cooking spree lately - Christmas Eve it was a weenie roast - which turned out great by the way - we all managed to get our fill of crispy dogs - without interference from the stupid little angry dog... it wasn't easy keeping the dog away from the dogs, but we managed it.. it was delicious - and fun to boot!

Tonite we moved on to more gourmet type cooking - well - gourmet by 9 2 Bay 2 9 10 standards... Baked potatoes! Very easy.. wash 'em.. poke 'em with a fork a few times... triple wrap them in aluminum foil - and toss them into the coals.. turn them after a half hour... leave 'em alone for another half hour... and eat.... if you like them crispy though - you can take them from the coals and put them into the flames for a few minutes (still wrapped).. so that was dinner.. baked potatoes with broccoli in cheese sauce topping, and a half a loaf of foccacia bread (slightly warmed in the oven)... yummy! A nice warm easy meal for a snowy sunday evening... and light years better than a ham sandwich!

Later...

It's over...

What a lovely Holiday... yes, it was.. Lovely.. and I hope that your celebrations were all lovely as well.. As I sit here typing on my new wireless keyboard and mouse set, drinking my coffee from my new "anti-electrocutionary" coffee pot (nope, not a typo, my old coffee pot was an electrocution waiting to happen!), I am still filled with the wonderful Christmas spirit..

The man-child seems very happy with the selections that Santa made for him. I got to spend yesterday afternoon ensconced with some of the newest 'baby' members of my husbands family - there really is nothing sweeter than babies at Christmas.. The only thing missing was my 'family christmas' and if you read, you know that we did that last weekend instead of Christmas nite.. OH.. but I did get to talk to a couple of them yesterday though.. Seems there was a small gathering of my family at my Mom's yesterday while I was at the in-laws.. How do I know? They called me, on my Father-in-laws house phone because for once I didn't have the cell phone with me... What was so urgent that they had to track me down? Computer problems of course! So there I sat, on my in-laws sofa, surrounded by the love and joy that is Christmas - troubleshooting the old computer that I gave my Mother a couple of years ago - I KNEW I should have made that t-shirt.. you know the one... "Yes, I will fix your computer, but I'm taking your Christmas presents back!!!" So anyway, it's official, I can put "tech-support available 365 days a year" on my company website and REALLY mean it! Truth in advertising.. it's a special thing... I'm already looking forward to next year, I think I'm gonna invite my little brother over for Christmas and ask him to mud the drywall in other half of the cellar, and I'll get sister Jeannette over here too and get her to spot me while I eat my dinner.. I only wish I had a 'mechanic' sibling that I could ask to change the oil in my truck on Christmas day, but I got a construction worker and a nursing assistant instead.. Oh well.. they'll have to do..

Anyway.. here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 - we are all appropriately happy and satisfied and sufficiently exhausted to consider the 2004 Holiday Season a rousing success! I hope you all are still filled with the wonder and joy of the holiday as well..

Later..
OH.. and ps.. Deb.. could I get you to come over next "family Christmas" and get your official realtor opinion on the value of my home? We'll do that computer upgrade to Evan's computer that we discussed at the family christmas this year, while we're at it...

Merry Christmas Eve!

So here at 9 2 Bay 2 9 10 we are a very traditional family.. as in, we have many, many traditions.. especially Christmas Traditions.. So the man-child is 19 (so it was previously reported that the man-child was 20, he actually just turned 19 - bad mommy!) but that doesn't stop him from still wanting the old Christmas Traditions that we've honored since he was knee-high to a reindeer.. oh.. he'll argue that he's too old for a reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" before bed tonite, but if last year was any indication, he'll be smiling by the end of it.. so this year may be a little different seeing Mom & Dad are ready for bed at 8:30pm and the man-child stays up till who knows when.. but we're doing it just the same.. if we have to force him into his room and MAKE him sit and listen while we read, he's gonna get a dose of it tonite.. well... techinically we don't read.. several years ago we gave away all his children's books - and our copy of 'Twas went with them... so we do it from Mom's admittedly shaky memory... you try it some time.. (tonite would be optimal!).. it ends up being a rambling, disorderly, half madeup version that is just too much fun for words.. much more fun than just a straight forward traditional reading..

Another tradition is the annual Christmas Eve weenie roast.. just like it sounds - cut some sticks.. get some hot dogs (natural casing of course, yum!).. the buns and fixings.. and light a roaring fire in the fireplace.. as much fun as a weenie roast is over a campfire, one in the living room over the fireplace is even more special! Although, this year we may have to forgo the weenie roast, frankly, we're a little concerned how the angry little dog will respond to hot meat on a stick.. 2 of her favorite things.. meat.. and sticks.. it's a Corgi-Jack accident just begging to happen.. at the very least we suspect that the only one of us that would actually get fed is the angry little dog.. Oh well.. we'll figure it out..

Presents under the tree! Yeah!! We have a strict rule - NO presents under the tree until Christmas Eve.. this year wasn't too difficult to honor this tradition considering we only put the tree up on Monday.. it just makes the 'present pile' that much more awe inspiring when it does appear...

Christmas breakfast... Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from a can.. these things will kill ya' if eaten on a regular basis.. but once a year never hurt anyone.. and they fill the house with that lovely cinnamony smell for hours afterwards.. an easy breakfast with a bonus.. lovely...

So.. Merry Christmas Eve from 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10!

Christmas Quickies...

So I think I've found the secret to Christmas shopping.. go early in the morning.. and I mean EARLY.. in just 2 days of early morning shopping before work I've managed to get all my shopping done! Woohoo.. now I just have to wrap and bake, and I can sit back and enjoy!

The weather has definitely warmed up.. warm and rainy today.. although the side roads were quite the ice covered mess.. and of course.. driving still is not a picnic.. all that road salt and sand is kicked up onto your windshield.. make sure your windshield washer fluid is topped off! I tell you, I blame the cost-cutting measures by the automakers for this one.. if you notice.. none of the new vehicles come with mud flaps as standard anymore.. next time your on the highway take note of the plume of water coming from the non-flapped vehicle versus the flapped vehicle.. then get behind the guy with the flaps.. the visibility difference is HUGE!

What is with Target? First they refuse to let the Salvation Army bellringers collect outside their stores and now, as I worked my way thru their aisles this morning, dead silence.... not a Christmas Carol to be heard.. not even the 'normal' musac.. nothing... bah freakin' humbug... although they did have a great deal on a Chenille blankie - 25 bucks! Warm, soft, cozy goodness.. Perfect for the mother-in-law that is always cold (and doesn't know this blog exists so there's no chance of her reading it)!

Anyway.. that's it for now.. you may get lucky and get more later.. we'll just have to wait and see if I can blog after a couple of bottles of Christmas Cheer! So if I'm not back here and you are.. Merry.. Merry Christmas Dearest Readers! May your days be merry and brite.. and may all your Christmas' be filled with joy! (I bet you thought I was gonna say 'white' didn't you! HA!)


Later...

Toe Jam?

So, I took my own advice and have been listening to the Windows Media Player "Holiday Pop" Christmas Music... Some of them are very nice.. some are a little 'out there'.. but hey, what do you want for free? But... this one is too much.. Luther, you should be ashamed of yourself.. yes.. Luther Vandross singing "Mistletoe Jam"... it was actually kind of pleasant.. until I realized I was singing "... toe jam"... huh? Toe Jam? Really... would I lie to you? So it's official.. every possible Christmas song has now been written and recorded.. Toe Jam, indeed! :)

Later...

Frozen Assets...

Remind me again why I live in New England? It was a balmy degree out this morning.. no.. that's not a typo.. it was 'A degree' as in ONE... ONE DEGREE! Singular... Un... Uno... ONE! Everything was frozen solid.. it took me 5 minutes to get my frozen truck door open and by the time I did, I was frozen... even the stupid little angry dog, who usually is the first one to bolt out the door, stood in the open doorway, looked out, shivered, looked up at me as if to say "Are you freakin' NUTS Lady? I don't have to go THAT bad!", and promptly turned around and jumped back into her spot on the sofa.. gee thanks.. so I not only have to go out in the cold, but I've got to do it alone now too.. lovely.. thanks so much!

So after much scraping and pre-heating.. I was on my merry frozen way.. only to discover that the 116 and Bay section was glare ice.. after a couple of miles of 20 mph and watching the ugly mini-van in front of me spend more time going sideways than straight I've decided perhaps I'll skip the Bay cutoff tonite and fight my way thru the lovely Amherst traffic.. better slow than crashed I suppose..

Stay warm.. Later...

Welcome, new readers...

Well.. I've heard thru the grapevine.. and email.. that I've got a couple new family member readers.. wonderful.. welcome Ladies! Now if I could just get my own husband to read it as well.. really.. and it's not like there isn't some useful information in here.. take for instance the "Quickie" post" I did.. (scroll down a little).. you know.. the one where I mention how the State Police have been sitting outside of the Old Dorey Jeep.. useful info right? You'd think.. Well.. it seems that the husband and the man-child, off on their annual Christmas Shopping spree - encountered some flashing blue lights.. and no.. they weren't at K-Mart experiencing one of their blue-light specials.. they were passing by, you guessed it, the old Dorey Jeep building... *sigh.. luckily they only got a "Christmas Verbal Warning".. lovely.. I always suspected he ignored what I said - I guess it's spread to what I write now too! Love you too Honey! :)

Later..

Christmasy!

So.. Christmasy enough for ya? If this doesn't get you in the Christmas Spirit.. I don't know what will.. we've got a ton of the fresh white fluffy stuff out there... and it's still coming down.. the kids all got a bonus snow day.. although the Colleges have got to be freaking out.. it's finals week.. STCC already double booked alot of their finals, throw in a 2 hour delay and it's going to be madness.. luckily my man-child wasn't scheduled for one today, so he's home today - and so am I.. not even gonna attempt my 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 trip - I'll be safely ensconced in my new home office (which came out lovely - btw!)

By the way, that is the word for the week "ensconced".. (and yes, I spelled that one right - thank you Merriam Webster..)

Main Entry: en·sconce
Pronunciation: in-'skän(t)sFunction: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): en·sconced; en·sconc·ingEtymology: en- + 2sconce
1 : SHELTER, CONCEAL
2 : ESTABLISH, SETTLE (ensconced in a new job)


So do something Christmasy.. put some carols on the stereo.. build a snowman.. decorate.. make some cookies.. write some letters to Santa with your kids.. and just enjoy the lovely snowy day - safely ensconced in your own little world - and don't forget to use the word ensconced in a sentence at least once a day..
Later...

A Fun Christmas Game...

As you may know we are having our family Christmas today..  wahoo!  I've still got shopping to do..  luckily it doesn't start till 6pm..  It shouldn't be too difficult - only one game gift to buy..  Yes.. we have the traditional "Christmas Card Game" at our gatherings..  most people play this game a little differently than us.. here are the rules in case you have no idea what I'm talking about..

Here's what you need:

   Everyone brings a generic gift (we limit to under 20 bucks)

   2 decks of playing cards (we actually have to use 4 - everyone needs to be able to receive 3 cards from one deck - we've got too many people so we go to 4 decks - 2 decks with different designs for handing out - and 2 decks for 'calling')

 

Ok..  everyone puts their wrapped gift in the center of the table and receives 3 playing cards.. 

 

the caller then begins calling out the cards from the second deck - if your card gets called - you get to pick a gift.. and here's where it gets good..  you can pick from the table.. OR you can steal a gift that someone else has chosen...  great fun.. you get to steal that interesting looking present from your little brother and he HAS to give it to you!

 

UNLESS.. and this is very important..  the gift was chosen with his 3rd and last card.. that is known as his "keeper".. 

 

Alot of people play this game but as the participants select their first gift they unwrap it..  we prefer to leave people in suspense.. keeping all the gifts wrapped until the final person has their 'keeper'.. 

 

We've seen all kinds of things brought as gifts - from really nice blankets and sweatshirts to a 5 pound tin of MRE (military food "meals ready to eat") of peas and carrots..  (that one made an appearance at 4 Christmas games until little brother got really hungry and really broke one year and actually ate it!  Now THATS hunger!)

 

It's great fun..  really like being a kid again, where greed and torment are a natural occurance..  usually there is one particularly attractive gift that gets stolen repeatedly and passed among 3 or 4 people, only to be opened and found to be a roll of paper towels and a bottle of windex..  awesome..

 

So we all get to be mean and steal each others gifts while we have the excitement of trying to guess what's in the brightly wrapped packages..

 

Then.. once everyone has their "keeper" we go around the table one by one and open what we managed to snag..  it's fun not only seeing what you ended up with, but to see what you passed up or had stolen from you.. and then..  the trading begins..  watch as the poor person that got stuck with the tacky chip and dip bowl tries to trade it for that really cool flashlight...  ok..  lets trade the dip bowl for the crossword puzzle book, and then try and trade that for the flashlight.. 

 

Oh the joy..  it really has become the highlight of our family christmas gatherings.. the entire family gets into it.. selecting the perfect gift - either funny or wonderful - wraps them as attractively and as disguised as possible - and sneaks them into the house so no one knows who brought what (that's another fun aspect - trying to figure out who brought the MRE! (it was my husband who started it btw!))

 

Anyway..  I hope you'll consider adding this game to your family gathering - it really is alot of fun - just like being a kid again... 

Later..  I'll let you know what I manage to snag..

ps..  if you need more-better instructions, drop me a comment and I'll clarify..

I have not forsaken you...

Sorry for the lack of post-age here lately, but with the Holidays fast upon us all, my life has gone into hyperdrive...  as I'm sure everyone else's has as well..  oh.. but I got an added bonus this year.. my 'family christmas' has been bumped up a week this year.. as luck would have it my 'missing sister' is going to be in Mass this coming weekend - she hasn't been able to attend a family christmas since moving her clan to Georgia around 10 years ago - so we've decided to do Christmas early so she and her family can participate!  Wonderful idea - but it deducted a week from my shopping calendar.. Oh well.. for the joy of seeing Deb - I can deal.. Add in the extra holiday work from clients (we want 3 newsletters this week - not 1!) my work load has tripled..  thank you so much.. that's ok.. it'll be awesome when I get triple the pay as well!

 

Anyway.. excuses, excuses... I'll try and do better and post every day..  in between shopping.. cooking.. wrapping.. triple work loads.. and putting up the Christmas tree (maybe we'll just have to start a new tradition - the tree goes up on Christmas eve.. yeah.. right!) I'll keep posting.. really I will..

Later...

And our first award...

Goes to:

CINGULAR WIRELESS

Yes.. congratulations to Cingular Wireless.. for making my life a living hell every 31 days.

In December 2003 I foolishly signed up on the internet for Cingular Wireless family plan, complete with 3 phones and their corresponding phone lines.. Upon receiving the new phones, with much anticipation, we booted those puppies up, only to discover that we had no service at our lovely country home.

After receiving the appropriate permission, we returned the phones, per their directions, only to be hit with an 'early cancellation fee'.. I of course called and fought the charges, which, to their credit was removed, save the $50 "Activation fee"... although I argued that "How can you charge me an activation fee, when the phones were never able to be activated!" my pleas fell on deaf ears and I was consequently charged $50 for the pleasure of this hassle...

OH.. but that's not all.. every month since then - for one FULL year! I have received a Cingular Wireless bill for 1 of the 3 phone numbers... I then get the pleasure of calling their lovely tech support people, repeating my story to 5 different people, hearing them apologize for the problem, admitting they have no idea why it won't cancel, reversing my charges, and promising that it will never happen again.. 45 minutes out of my life... every month.. for the last year! So I've started talking to supervisors.. I'm on my third.. Mr. Robert "Thureau" Smith.. He assured me 2 months ago that his middle name is not "Thorough" for nothing.. that he will thoroughly resolve this matter for me.. (yeah, I laughed out loud at him!) and here's my email address just in case.. right.. like a bad penny, my wireless bill appeared in my mailbox last month.. and did I receive even a 'read receipt' from my email that my message was received? ummm.. NO... so.. here I sit.. in my own little cell phone hell.. anxiously awaiting my next Cingular bill (I've already received email notification that the online version of my bill is now available... Oh the FREAKIN' JOY of it all!), that I'm sure will have a late fee on it because Mr. Thorough never got my email and reversed out the charges from last month..

So yes.. Cingular Wireless.. Congratulations... I can't think of anyone else that deserves the honor of the very first "Silver Toilet Paper Award" more than you! So let's all "belly up to the bar" and raise a glass to Cingular... cause you know I'm gonna need a drink!

Later...

New Award Announced!

Occasionally here on 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 I tend to go off on a rant about something or other (surprised?). Well it occurs to me that I should offer some kind of Award for these annoyances and then I received an email that brought it all to a 'head'.. the perfect award was handed to me by Sarge.. So without further ado.. allow me to introduce the all new

"Silver Toilet Paper Award!"

In the truest tradition of all Awards, the Silver Toilet Paper Award shall be used sparingly - and only awarded to the most deserving a**holes.

The committee for nominations of this newest award shall consist of one, ME.

This committee shall not be influenced by outside ranters unless they are able to produce a candidate so worthy, so deserving, that this committee cannot help but nod knowingly in agreement with their assessment of the possible candidate.

The decision of this committee shall be final and irreversible.

The Silver Toilet Paper Award is non-returnable, non-refundable, and non-redeemable. Do not even attempt to notify the committee of the redeemable behaviour of the Award winners, once an award winner, always an award winner.

In consideration of a nominee, this committee promises to perform due diligence on the worthiness of the potential award winner and will only apologize to unjustly awarded awardee's when this committee encounters giant pigs flying thru a raging blizzard in Belize.

All nominations are final and no amount of pissing and moaning shall influence the committee. Should this committee receive a complaint, the complaintant should expect to be the next nominee considered for this award.

Sincerely,

The Nomination Committee for the Silver Toilet Paper Award

A sad detour...

Driving home last nite that damn Northampton/Hadley bridge was just jam packed...  after fighting my way thru I was greeted by a "road closed" sign blocking off the Bay Road cutoff.. luckily I was able to take the next entrance onto my favorite ride, the cops had just blocked off the small cutoff road..  there was a fire engine.. several cruisers, many many people and the place was lit up brighter than a Christmas tree..  Assuming it was a driver that had missed that last curve before the stop, I whispered a little "hope their all right" and went on my way..  Well... reading the news on Masslive.com today I found the real story.. it seems they were searching the woods last nite, looking for the shotgun that was used in that horrible murder up in Amherst the other nite..  from the sounds of what has been released to the press so far..  it was a case of friend killing friend.. so very sad...  22 years old...  one is dead, the other in ruins..  they have yet to release a motive in this case.. although the mother of the alleged shooter has referred to her 'criminal-justice-student son's steriod withdrawal'..  it sounds like the young man will get an education in the criminal justice system - first-hand... 

 

Later...

Dog Tales...

As you may know, I've got a "woman's best friend".. an angry little Corgi-Jack named Gretchen... Gretchen and I have a special relationship... I do everything she wants and things are good.. and that about sums it up.. this 16 pound dog has taken over my home life.. I no longer am allowed to sit on the sofa alone, the little dog has to sit on my lap... I am escorted to the bathroom where she waits patiently outside the door and if I forget the make sure the door completely 'catches' the entire house gets a free peak courtesy of Gretchen jumping at the door and knocking it open.. I cook in front of a very attentive audience of one blonde.. I eat in front of that same audience... we've had to install a makeshift barrier on the stairs so that I may be allowed to sleep in peace.. she was allowed to sleep with us, but the morning I awoke to a fuzzy little body curled up under the blanket next to me and rolled over to come nose to wet nose on my pillow that was the end of that!

Well.. due to schedules and the icey storm I spent the last 5 days working from the house, Oh.. lucky doggie days.. all day attention.. as I plugged away at the computer on the kitchen table the little dog happily snoozed on the sofa taking occasional breaks to come in and see what I was doing, insisting with a determined wet nose, that I pat her... give her a cookie... no, not the cookie, a chewie this time please... let her in.. let her out.. I ended each work day with a pile of stuffed toys scattered around my chair.. brought to me one by one to play tug with.. her favorite being the unstuffed, legless, armless, tailless monkey carcass..

Well... yesterday I actually made it in to the office... went on a couple of outside calls with my office mates.. and as luck would have it.. encountered an office with nothing other than "an office Corgi"... a friendly little girl named Lindy with one floppy ear and a passion for bellyrubs.. and OH.. but how I paid for that little indiscretion.. upon returning home I was assaulted at the door by one very angry, very jealous little pooch.. and the games began.. I must be made to pay.. pay dearly.. you left me alone... you cheated on me... who is she and how could you have rubbed her belly? I was immediately set upon and not left alone for a second right up until bed time.. sitting on my lap was not enough.. no.. not today.. "Today I must sit on her and strategically place my wet nose one inch from hers and stare into those cheating eyes of hers... she will not watch tv... she will not be allowed to drink from her glass.. she will look at me and only me until she realizes the error of her ways.." and so it went.. I was stared at.. stomped on.. made to play 'quadrapalgic monkey' for an hour straight.. sniffed at... swiped with a wet nose.. until I couldn't stand it anymore and strolled off to bed a half hour early.. and what have we learned from all this? Well, I don't know about you, but I learned.. don't leave the dog alone after 5 days of being there for her and never, ever pat another dog and then come home and think I can get away with it... I'll be a good human from now on.. I promise... Can I have a treat now?

Later...

Christmas tunes...

Looking for a good, cheap Christmas music alternative..  Fire up your Windows Media Player - Click on "Radio" - and select your flavor of Holiday Favorites.. there's Pop, Country, Vocal, and Instrumental versions...  and virtually commercial free.. just a deep voice every now and then asking you to subscribe by clicking on the banner, I just ignore him.. 

 

Jingle Bell Rock on..

Addition to Meme List...

I'd really like it if Blogger would post my entries in a timely fashion.. lately the only thing that will kick an emailed post into the rotation is to go into the blogger interface and post another message the old fashioned way... and sometimes that doesn't even work.. but lucky for you.. you get 2 for the price of 1!

Later...

My meme list...

 According to Straight Dope, a meme is:

...is a reproducible idea and as such is the basic unit of cultural transmission. In [Richard Dawkins'] words: "Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches."

This meme is basic. It won't create a new religion or even share how to make pot(s). It's a holiday wish list meme.

 

I list my top ten wishes and if you can make them happen, great. If not, thanks for reading but make sure you leave a link to yours in the weblogs forum so we can help you with your wishes. The exact instructions will follow my list.

1. The name of a restaurant that makes really good Kentucky Derby Pie...
2. Enough time to learn to play piano - and a really good (patient) instructor..
3. An affordable personal chef
4. 15 minute Dinner recipes (in case the chef thing doesn't work out!)
5. An easy way to socialize an angry little dog without risking friends fingers...
6. A receiver for a surround sound system
7. A non-suspicious way to break my son's X-Box so I never have to see or hear Halo2 again.. Flag taken.. Flag returned..  *sigh...
8. A pair (or brand name) of women's jeans that actually FIT! Big waist - no hips.. save me...
9. A sleep number bed. (King size)
10. Throw pillows.. lots and lots of throw pillows..

Now for the meme rules:
Step One

Make a post to your weblog/journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two:

Surf around your blogroll (or friend's blogrolls, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.

If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

Original meme link here.

 

If you can fulfill any of my wishes - leave me a comment.. and Thanks!

Going into the closet...

I'm gonna sue I tell you...  just for the sheer frustration of it all.. AND if their lousy directions doesn't get us an extra million dollar settlement, nothing will..  If you've been reading along here, you know we are in the process of some home improvements, namely, finishing a new room in the basement.. We've been plugging away at this project since that 'tax-free' day when in a fit of madness we went to Lowes and purchased everything for the new room.. from the carpeting, to the ceiling tiles, to the electrical wire.. everything.. right down to the putty knife to spread the 5 gallon pail of wall spackle.. 

 

Now, to be clear, we are no strangers to home improvements.. we built our entire house ourselves...  purchasing what has to be the biggest piece of unfinished furniture in the world, a log-home kit..  my own fingerprints, tears, blood and sweat are on EVERY freakin' log in this house.. I spent 8 month swinging a 7 pound sledghammer driving 10 inch spikes, every 2 feet, in every course of logs..  mark my words, we are not 'virgin carpenters'..  we've done it all.. from building walls, to laying tile, to running electrical wiring..  so what is it that has us so frustrated..  those freakin' bi-fold closet doors..  we spent an ENTIRE day trying to figure these things out..  we built and re-built the closet opening no less than 4 times trying to get these things to fit!  So where were the rough opening dimensions?  Which by the way, is the MOST important part of installing doors..  they must have been the first thing in the instructions right?  WRONG...  one little sticker on the outside of the box and that was it..  we started with their minimum height 'suggestion' - went to install the doors and couldn't get the freakin things in the opening.. there was absolutely NO wiggle room to manuever them into place.. so.. rip that down and make the opening the size of the maximum suggested opening..  well.. we got the doors in, but one of us would have had to spend the rest of our lives holding the doors in place cause as soon as you let it go it would fall out of the little metal holders and crash to the floor.. so.. rip it down and try again..  this went on ALL DAY!  Put them in, take them out, adjust the frame, and put them in again.. hours later, we finally have closet doors..  wonderful you say..  not really..  even after an extra hour of adjusting these damn things we still can't get them level with each other to say nothing of the huge gap at the top of the doors!  I'm gonna sue I tell you or at least make a nasty phone call!  I even looked for the website of the manufacturer of these instruments of home improvement torture.. but no.. no website..  no 800 number.. just an address.. in freakin' Canada...  I'm sure they have a phone, everyone has to have a phone right?  How else can Lowes call them and say "Hey, Dudes.. we sold 10 more sets of your doors last month and all 10 of them were returned by previously happy homeowners, who now have bloody knuckles, high blood pressure, and are missing half the hair off the tops of their heads." 

 

OH.. don't you worry.. I'm gonna track these people down if it's the last thing I do..  even if I have to do it the old fashioned way and take pen to paper and slap a stamp on an envelope..  I'm sure they have a 'special' file bin just for letters like mine..  but just knowing that my letter will, for a few seconds, be on the top of their wastebasket will have to be enough..  Yeah.. I'll do that..  as soon as the broken blood vessel in my left eye clears up and I can see out of it again...

 

Later...

 

 

Sleep in?

And I bet you thought you were lucky that you got to sleep in this morning? The sky was on fire, and you missed it.. You know what they say "Pink in the mornin', Sailors take warnin'"... It sounds like we're in for a storm today, and from the look of the sunrise, they aren't kidding..

Later...

Oh.. ok.. here it is in case you slept in..

Handy Dandy Sidebar

A good friend of mine hooked me up with this handy dandy FREE computer program.. it's called Desktop Sidebar (you can get it here) This thing is awesome.. you can dock this little program on the side of your desktop and it's fully customizable.. it'll deliver the weather, news headlines, memory usage and even a picture slideshow direct to your desktop in an unobtrusive little, well, sidebar... I even subscribed to a few of my favorite blogs (including my own) and it displays the latest 20 entries with full text and pictures when you hover over the subject line.. here's a screenshot of mine so you can get a better idea

As long as your favorite blog has initiated the Atom feed, all it takes is going to the blog and right-clicking on it, in the menu that comes up click on "Subscribe in Desktop Sidebar" and voila'.. that's it.. you get the newest entries automatically and will never miss a post again.. Now that's handy!
Later..

Friday musings...

The unofficial start to the weekend...  oh the joy.. but then I've got quite the list of weekend activities planned:

• Finish wallpapering the new room..  wonderful.. we started this last weekend and quit 3/4's of the way in...  who knew wallpapering was so physical.. we were both so sore we missed a friend's birthday party Saturday nite "I'm not getting off the couch, you getting off the couch?" "I'M not getting off the couch.."  and in unison "We're so freakin' old!"
• Climbing Mount Laundry...  I've somehow avoided that mountain for the past couple of weekends, but I'm down to the cardinal sin of wearing mismatched socks..  well.. not totally mismatched.. the trick is to find two socks that are of the same basic wieght and thickness..  that way at least it doesn't feel like their mismatched.. 
•  Decorate for the holiday..  at least that task is already partially done.. a couple of years ago I ringed the living room with large white christmas lights and loved it so much I've never taken them down..  we use them nearly every nite...  well..  to be perfectly honest, yeah, we love the soft indirect lighting, but mostly it was because the only other light in the room is the cieling fan - 22 feet off the living room floor - and the last working lightbulb in it quit on us about a year ago..  YOU try and change the freakin' bulbs in it - it's TWENTY TWO FEET HIGH!..  ok.. so actually we already did change them, but it's been so long you forget that if you hit the switch on the wall now, something actually happens.. 
• Avoid all sappy Christmas movies...  see the previous post..  I've finally shaken that air of depression and I DON'T need to go back there.. I already almost caved in..  last nite they showed that movie with Olivia Newton-John...  then I remembered.. oh yeah..  2 cute little girls with a dead daddy..  a sick sheep... no money for "real" Christmas presents.. and a house repossession.. Oh.. the joys of Christmas!   
• And last but not least.. try and wrangle a Christmas wish list out of the man-child.. I fired up Amazon.com yesterday, intent on at least starting my xmas shopping and after 5 minutes of staring at the screen not even knowing which section of the site to click on I gave up..  what do you get for a 20 year old male?  He's already "mad" that he got 2 new tires for his birthday, Christmas needs to be a little more 'personal'..   I guess I'll have to ask...

So that's it for now from 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10... 

Later....

Quickies..

A few quickies from 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10:

 

Save the balloon animals!  Those huge wind gusts last nite had a horrifying effect on all the balloon-type yard ornaments..  There is a house in Belchertown (left side just before the Bay cutoff) that has to have 15 of the things in their yard..  Not one was standing upright..  Oh the carnage!

 

Watch the cops!  The Staties are back to their usual spot..  the little dirt lot just before the turn for 21 off of 9 in B-Town (near the old Dorey Jeep building)..  take it slow people, they've got guns and their pointing them at you (radar guns of course)...

 

It's not so bad!  So in an earlier post I complained about the house with the 6 foot wicker snowman..  well.. their side yard still looks like Ticky Tacky Christmas Land exploded all over the shrubbery, but turns out, when you flick the switch on the wicker snow dude.. he's really kind of cute!  Sparkly even..  So I stand corrected on that bit of Christmas tackiness.. 

 

What's up with the center of Northampton?  I'm ready for the christmas decorations now but the center of Northampton seems quite lacking in the Christmas electrification contest...  Oh, someone did hang a wreath around the truck eating bridges "11 ft" sign..  now that's a smart move!  You can hear the truckers now..  "Oh.. look at the pretty wrea.....   SHIT!!!"

 

Anyway..  that's it for now..  gotta head out and do my ride... 

Later...

 

 

How to get a comment!

What's the quickest way to get a comment on your blog? The quickest way to get a comment is to misspell a word:

Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 12:09 PM

Subject: [9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10] 11/30/2004 12:09:01 PM

Odyssey. Oh Dee Why Ess Ess Eee Why. Odyssey.

--
Posted by Anonymous to 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10 at 11/30/2004 12:09:01 PM

 

funny thing is, I'm known as the "Spell-Check Queen"..  I can usually spot a misspelled word a mile away..  but here in 'blog world' I just don't care..  my work is punctuation, grammar and spelling intense so when I write for fun, I just write. Let someone else worry about the "i before e except after c" crap..  as long as you get my point.. perhaps even smile a little.. I'm happy..  no spell-check required..  so..  thanks for pointing out my error.. I promise it WILL happen again..  feel free to point it out again..  after all, a comment is a comment.. at least someone is reading along..   and just for your time, here's a little cheer for you..  :)

"You Pee

Why Oh You Are Ess!"

Let me know if you get it.. and if you do..  'just kidding'..  no really..  :) 

Later...