apricots, apples and plums

Gardening

2008-05-12T09:29:00.002-04:00

I did some gardening this weekend. I bought a book called Hello, Cupcake and made some dirty cupcakes.

Meme

2008-05-02T16:19:00.003-04:00

Eileen tagged me for a Meme. So here goes. 1. The rules of the game get posted on the beginning. 2. Each player answers the rules about him or herself. 3. At the end of the post, the player tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read his [or her] blog.

What I was doing ten years ago:
Ten years ago I was 21 and finishing up my Junior year of college. I can't remember when the last day of class was so I might have already been home and getting ready for summer school in Italy.

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Pack for my trip to NYC this weekend
2. Send out the evite for the Crawfish Boil
3. Finish up various projects at work
4. Get myself to the bus station on time
5. Purchase some snacks and magazines for the bus ride

Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
The usual: quit my job, travel, give money to charities, buy fun stuff, get back at my enemies, (just kidding, well not really). Get serious about being an artist. Start my own company and hire my family and friends and pursue my various business ideas.

Three of my bad habits:
1. Failing asleep on the couch at night and waking up at 3:33 am with my contacts stuck to my eyeballs.
2. Tardiness
3. Chain chewing gum. I can chew through an entire pack of gum in a day and not those small 5 stick of gum packs, I'm talking about those big packs.

Five places I've lived:
1. Several cities in Georgia: College Park, Lilburn, St. Mary's, Lawrenceville
2. South Bend, IN
3. Chicago, IL
4. Houston, TX
5. South Boston, MA

Five jobs I've had:
1. Cook at Pizza Hut
2. Cashier at Target
3. Assistant to the Art Dept Assistant at ND
4. Marketing Assistant to an evil boss (see "Things I would do if I were a Billionaire")
5. Graphic Designer

Five books I've read:
1. Midnight's Children (still in progress)
2. Million Little Pieces
3. The Time Travelor's Wife (I just read they are making a movie of this book due out this Christmas)
4. The Bone Collector
5. The Emperor of Ocean Park

Five people I'm tagging:
1. Mother
2. Jamie
3. Carmen
4. Titi Liany
5. Quique

Invisalign Week 3

2008-05-02T16:12:00.002-04:00

After waiting nearly 3 months after my molds, I finally have my Invisalign. I'm on week 3 and I'm on my second set of aligners and so far so good. I wear them all the time except when I eat, drink, and brush my teeth. They are easy to get used to except for the first day after of my second set of aligners. I was in a bit of pain.

Invisalign

2008-01-31T08:42:00.000-05:00

I'm starting an orthodontic journey, again. I had my braces removed freshman year of college and my teeth didn't stay straight for very long. I'm okay with them being a little crooked but recently my two front teeth have been chipping. The chipping is caused by the way my front and bottom teeth meet. I also clench my teeth at night which is causing unnecessary wear and other problems. I decided that it would be worth the money to fix my teeth because the orthodontist said this will help prevent further issues. She said once you hit 40 your teeth go down hill. Instead of traditional metal braces, she said I was a candidate for Invisalign. So I can take them off when I eat and when I brush and floss my teeth.

Monday I had my first appointment and I had 5 molds of my teeth made, 2 for the orthodontist and 3 to be sent to Invisalign. The Invisalign molds took 8 minutes each and are more accurate than the traditional molds.

Here's a photo my teeth "before". I will post photos of what they look like when I get the Invisalign.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T01:01:00.001-05:00

Carmen and I visiting Santa way back when. Me looking a little sad with my crazy hair and Carmen sporting a nifty hair cut. My mother said that I wasn't too happy about having to give back the present 'prop'.

My Nephew Just Turned One

2007-12-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Jase!

Medieval Times

2007-01-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated my 30th birthday at Medieval Times in Lawrenceville, GA. In attendance were my parents, Jamie, my sister Carmen, her husband Jason and my new nephew lj (little jason). We had a great time watching the horses perform, the knights fight, and the hawk that flew around the arena. I especially enjoyed the flatware-free feast.

Countdown to 30!

2006-12-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

Jamie converted an advent calendar into my very own birthday countdown calendar. He made it when I was in Augusta a few weeks ago. He's so creative.

Argh! I can't believe I'm going to be thirty.

Coming soon...photos from my surprise birthday party at Medieval Manor.

Right Out of the Oven

2006-12-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

Carmen made me a nephew!!
Jason Matthew Ames, Jr.
Born: 12.5.06 14:32
8lbs 1oz 21"

Giant Microbes

2006-12-04T15:16:00.000-05:00

I heard about this site while listening to XM. This company makes stuffed animals that look like tiny microbes—only a million times actual size. My favorites are Red Tide and Scum. Find your favorite microbe at www.giantmicrobes.com.

Evil White Board

2006-11-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

I was in a meeting at work this morning and a dry erase board fell off the wall and onto my head. A coworker accidentally popped it off the wall when he leaned back in his chair. It was a heavy board and it didn't feel very good. I also felt a pain in my neck as it impacted my noggin. Because it was a head injury my employer wanted to err on the safe side, an ambulance came and carted me off on a stretcher. I had to wear a neck brace and they strapped me to a board. I was in the ER for over 4 hours and they performed a cat scan. Luckily no major damage was done and I should live. The worst part was wearing that uncomfortable neck brace the whole time until they could conclude that I didn't have a spinal injury. Also, since I could not get up I had to pee in a bed pan while laying on my back. I had to go so badly that I was afraid it would overflow but luckily it didn't. I'm not looking forward to how I will feel tomorrow morning.
Jamie made up a song for the events of the day and played it on his guitar, he titled it, "Evil White Board."

More Cat Beds

2006-10-10T10:18:00.000-04:00

I stocked up on Simplicity patterns a few years ago when JoAnn Fabrics had a $1/pattern sale. Here's more cat bed patterns I bought. I like how the cat model in the photos has a look on his face like he's too good for this silly cat bed photo shoot. (click on the photo for larger view)

Cat Fish Bed

2006-10-06T16:33:00.000-04:00

I've had this pattern for several years but I haven't actually made a cat bed. My plan was to make the fish cat bed for Sasha out of satin, his favorite material. I just know that I would spend tons of money and time on something he will probably ignore.

Sewing on Saturdays

2006-10-04T15:56:00.001-04:00

After almost 2 years of trying to teach myself how to sew, I've decided to invest in a class. I'm sewing a skirt using a pattern (In the photo it's the skirt in the center). I'm using a brown wool fabric with brown velvety flowers. The fabric photos were taken with my cell phone so the colors are not accurate.

Creative Commuting

2006-10-04T15:56:00.000-04:00

I saw this guy this morning on the way to work. I think someone must have stolen the rest of his bike.

Wilson Farms

2006-10-02T10:54:00.000-04:00

I'm still alive. Here's proof: a photo of me at Wilson Farm in Lexington, Mass in front of some pumpkins taken on Oct. 1, 2006. It was raining so we weren't able to enjoy the outside. They had a cozy grocery inside.

Here are some of the pastries they sell at Wilson Farm. The bottom photo has chocolate bowls filled with chocolate mousee.

Rare Lobster

2006-07-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

My posts on this blog are almost as rare as this lobster.

The lobster caught by Alan Robinson in Dyer's Bay is a typical mottled green on one side; the other side is a shade of orange that looks cooked. Robinson, of Steuben, donated the lobster to the Mount Desert Oceanarium. Staff members say the odds or finding a half-and-half lobster are 1 in 50 million to 100 million.

Ugly Overload

2006-05-25T10:21:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure which came first Ugly Overload or Cute Overload. The Ugly site says...Here at Ugly Overload, we search the Web, seeking out images of the most ugly animals to be found. We avoid the simply tragic, or diseased, or maimed. Rather, these creatures are only as hideous as nature—or their owners—intended.

Be sure to check out the Dog category and look at Sam The World's Ugliest Dog. Beware he is beyond ugly, he is very scary. Straight out of a horror movie. He has his own website at www.samugliestdog.com

Cute Overload

2006-04-19T09:16:00.000-04:00

My new favorite website is www.CuteOverload.com. It's addictive. Eileen recently posted this site on her blog. Make sure you click on the categories on the left side of the page. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the site.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2006-03-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

Carmen and I on St. Patty's Day last year.

Hulk Radios

2006-02-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

I have a couple of coworkers that crack me up all day. They enjoy speaking in military talk and use codes for "emergency situations". They also have 2 Incredible Hulk walkie talkies that they occasionally use to communicate with each other, even though they sit next to each other. Yesterday one of the Hulk radios was taken hostage below are some photos and emails exchanged.

Mr. Heinly and Company...

Attached to this covert communication are two photos I think you would be very interested in viewing. I must emphasize, DO NOT contact the authorities, and that means the EOC if you want to see your green friend again!

As far as the Hulk Style Communication Device we have in captivity is concerned, well just let us say that he is being treated fairly. However, his batteries have been remove, so he is powerless to help himself or to attempt a direct communication with any other Hulk Style Communication Devices.

It would interest my superior officers to know what you would offer our organization for the safe return of your comrade.

P.S. If I were you I would strip the one allowed the Hulk Style Communication Device fall into enemy hands of his rank!

Signed, CPSHUMTO

RESPONSE:

This is a cowardice act!

There will be no negotiating as I know the Hulk style communication device is perfectly willing to lay down his life for the better good.

Please be advised that effective 24 hours from now, if the Hulk style communication device is not returned in safe and good condition. There will be an embargo put in place to halt consumption of ALL cheese balls and various Hostess snack cakes.

Our next step will be Slim Jims and Potato Chip Products.

Please be advised, this is not an idol threat, return the device immediately!

Help! I'm under attack

2006-02-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

A French veterinarian vaccinates a duck with the H5N2 vaccine at a poultry farm in southwestern France.

2006-02-21T22:52:00.000-05:00

Pictures with my parents and Leo before one of their motorcycle rides.

Cat wins again

2006-02-16T09:57:00.000-05:00

Here the lastest Sasha updates from my parents.

Dad:
Came down to the basement a few minutes ago and found my light box on the floor and all my 35mm slides that I had sorted were strewn all over the floor. I began to do search on how to skin cats and I'm getting a lot of knowledge on that subject. When should I start skinning Sasha?

I might close the door to the basement to keep Sasha out, but what if mice or other creepy crawlers invade the basement, who is going to chase them? Damn if you do and damn if you don't. I can't win. Cat wins again. He is over in the corner laughing!

I woke up this morning and he was sleeping in his little bed outside our bedroom underneath the thermostat in the hall. right now he has been rubbing himself on Leo's face. Leo moved and he followed him.

Mother:
Yeah, he is always rubbing on Leo an Leo says..."geeeez, cat, what makes you think I like that, I don't go ahead and eat you because the humans are watching and I would get into deep shit."

Since he can't sleep with us I put that bed in the hallway just in case he wanted to feel comfortable. He enjoys walking around the house at night doing whatever he does......eats his food.....lays on the step next to the bird cage so he can keep an eye on them and terrorize them in their sleep....he especially likes to sleep in Dad's chair in the basement because it smells like Dad's butt and he knows how irritated he gets to come down and see all that white cat fur on his maroon/green cloth chair.

Dad:
I just retruned from walking Leo; however, Sasha instigated it all. He was at the door to the garage meowing wanting to go out. So I decide to walk Leo at that time. We went down by the pool, Leo on the leash and Sasha followed. He stopped to poop at the Brickey's, Leo and I waited for him to finish. When he did he covered the evidence with leaves and ran towards us. He then followed Leo and me to the pool where I unleashed Leo. Sasha followed all the time and when we returned Sasha followed us home. He is outside now.

He walked fast to the pool area but when we finished and started home he was dragging his ass, came back walking slow.

Mother:
Yesterday I saw the frog toy face down in the empty cat food dish.....What makes it particularly funny is that the cat dish is on top of the dryer, making it quite an endeavor to get the stuffed animal up there. I guess he was sharing his food with his lover.

2006-02-15T14:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T15:16:00.000-05:00

My coworkers and me with love bug hats we made.

(Photo Below) Jill using her Photoshop skills to see what we all look like with her face.

Too Cool for School

2006-01-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

My aunt and my father during his senior year of high school in 1962.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

Mini Maria

2005-12-09T09:19:00.000-05:00

Age 6 ready for a ride on my father's Harley. Check out the leg warmers and cowboy boots.

Guess who's back?

2005-12-07T11:14:00.000-05:00

Sasha is glad to be back in Georgia and hanging out with his buddy Leo.
Here's a photo of him licking Leo's face.

Brunettes Have More Fun

2005-12-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

After living with me for a year, Eileen has come to her senses and realized that brown hair is better than blonde. Just kidding. Eileen has been talking about dyeing her hair for awhile now and she finally went to her stylist to have it done. Unfortunately, her stylist didn't agree with Eileen's desire to go dark brown/black and talked her into semi-perm dark auburn. Her hair looks great but I still think she should have gone darker. Here's the photo of Lindsey Lohan that she took to her stylist. I added Eileen's face. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Sasha Went South For the Winter

2005-12-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

Actually, he went south permanently. I brought him with me when I went home for Thanksgiving. As much as a I love the little bugger I couldn't take his abuse anymore. He bites me often and hard. Bringing me to tears on several occasions. A coworker told me I was an abused pet owner. I would make excuses for him and talk about how sweet he can be. I don't think he adjusted to city life very well. He also peed one too many times in Eileen's gym bags. I was sad for about 2 seconds when I came home and he wasn't there to greet me but then I quickly came to my senses. I will miss him though. He was very entertaining and he did fix our little mouse problem. If you know anyone that needs an attack cat, let me know.
Here's one of my favorite pictures of him.

The Food Loop

2005-11-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

Check out this nifty new tool. It's perfect for all the cooking that I don't do.
www.thefoodloop.com

Dresden Dolls

2005-11-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

Last night Eileen and I went to the Dresden Dolls concert with Jon and Heather. It was a great show. Read more about it on Jon's blog: www.spacesandsounds.blogspot.com
Here's Eileen and I ready to fit in at the show.

The Life and Times of Some Chickens

2005-10-17T13:27:00.000-04:00

Very funny chicks.
www.sloanetanen.com

2005-10-17T09:59:00.000-04:00

Saturday's game against USC was one of the worst losses I've experienced watching Notre Dame football. I was in disbelief. I was upset and angry. I was so upset I wanted to slug one of those idiotic BC fans that were cheering not for USC to win but for Notre Dame to lose. Considering that this is the same team that lost to USC by 31 points last year, we've come a long way and we're only going to get better. When we play and beat USC on November 25, 2006, I'm going to remember how I felt Saturday night.

2005-10-14T17:39:00.000-04:00

Thursday Night
I went with Nikki to a Chivas scotch tasting at the Ritz-Carlton.
Highlights include:
• Free drinks. The only one I could stomach was the really yummy Smoky Apple Martinis.
• The crazy Scottish guy hosting the event. www.maninaskirt.com
• Meeting Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox in the lobby who apparently lives in an apartment in the Ritz.

Scotch, by the way, is definitely something I will never drink by itself again.

2005-10-14T17:32:00.000-04:00

Wednesday Night
Eileen, myself, and Brian (a friend from college who is now a brain surgeon which is very weird, I forget that now we are all grown ups and the people who I used to party with in college have serious careers) anyways...We all went out in Southie—Porto Bella, Playwright, and Tom English's Cottage—and Brian mentioned several times, "Are these people for real?" and "I feel like I'm in a movie." I forget how foreign Boston and especially South Boston is for people who are not from the Northeast (I guess I'm used to it now). My sister and her friends have said similar things when they've come to visit.

Go Irish! Beat Trojans!

2005-10-14T14:45:00.000-04:00

2005-10-12T09:17:00.000-04:00

Notre Dame vs. USC
Just 4 days left before the rivals meet again. I think Notre Dame will have a good chance to win. I'm getting very excited about the game. We are all getting together and watching the game at Game On near Fenway Park.

2005-10-12T09:04:00.000-04:00

Cactus Club
Last night I went to the Cactus Club with Eileen and some of her co-scientists. Besides the talk of the proper swift techniques on how to kill a lab rat, I had a good time. Tuesday nights are "Build Your Own Margaritas". I love margaritas but we discovered that it's best to leave the margarita ingredient decisions to the professionals. It was still fun. First you have to pick a tequila, there's about 20 to chose from, a second liquor (10 options), a fruit flavor, plus a choice of juices. Then you get to name your margarita. We ate half price appetizers and now my jacket smells like Mexican food. I wore it to work today and I'm sure the people on the bus and shuttle were wondering what that smell was. Speaking of Mexican food. I've discovered that Boston is deficient in that restaurant category.

2005-10-07T17:43:00.000-04:00

iPod socks
I'm having trouble finding a case to cover my new iPod. Apparently it's bigger than all the others and the only thing that would fit it is the iPod sock. The sales guy laughed at me when I told him I was going to get them, I had to remind him that he just told me that they don't sell carrying cases for the 60GB. Check out the socks. Aren't they adorable? Right now I'm using the green one.

2005-10-07T17:23:00.000-04:00

iPod
I won an 60GB iPod. It has a color screen and it can hold thousands of songs and photos. I'm not sure if that's good news. It's great that I won it but knowing me, I'm going to be spending too much money on music and accessories.

2005-10-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

Monkey See Monkey Do
Today I heard about a chimpanzee in a zoo in China that chain smokes. I did a little research online today and found that there is another smoking chimp in a zoo in South Africa. Check it out.
Ai Ai
Charley

2005-10-04T11:17:00.000-04:00

Subservient Chicken
check it out
www.SubservientChicken.com

You can tell the chicken to do almost anything.
My favorites are:
Rub belly
Fly
Crawl
Juggle
Skip

See if you can come up with other fun commands.

2005-09-29T17:50:00.000-04:00

Something fun to do
StorTroopers
www.stortroopers.com
Here's me and Sasha (close enough).

2005-09-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

Just When I Thought It Was Safe To Go Home
Sasha has been good lately. He hasn't viciously attacked me in days. He was so sweet this past weekend. I thought he changed. I was wrong. Last night he bite me 4 times. I was in bed when he bit me the third time, I pushed him off the bed, and he jumped up and bit my face. I looked like I had fake Halloween blood splatterd on my face. I was ready to strangle the little turd. Instead I washed the blood off, put some band aids on and put an ice pack on my face.

2005-09-28T11:09:00.000-04:00

I've discovered the perfect nail polish
Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish

This nail polish has outlasted any nail polish I've tried before. It will start to wear off on the tips before it every chips.

2005-09-26T15:23:00.000-04:00

A big event happened this weekend. I hit the 100,000 mile mark on my car. It was neat to watch all the 99999s turn into zeros. My car has treated me well during these last 8 years. The following is all the states I have driven in my Sunfire.
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia

2005-09-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

This weekend I pretty much stuck with the schedule I laid out for myself. Except on Friday I ended up reading and falling asleep around 7 p.m. I woke up several times during the night, mainly because of my crazy cat Sasha, but I finally got out of bed around 7 a.m. I guess I needed the sleep. I went shopping for fall work clothes on Saturday and spent way too much money but I did find some great deals. I watched the Notre Dame/ Washington game at Lisa Radden's family's house with Eileen and the Raddens. We had a great time and we won! Next week we play Purdue. I hate playing Purdue. I'm not sure why maybe it's because of their big dumb drum. Sunday I did some chores around the apt. and went shopping for some fabric for one of my Halloween costumes. I've been only sewing for about a year now and I'm mainly self-taught. I spent way too much again, this time on fabric. $40 so far, and I still need to get more supplies. When I'm done it should look something like this.

2005-09-23T12:49:00.000-04:00

My plans were to go rafting in Maine this weekend but after that big car bill, I decided to stay at home. Which is probably a good thing. Last night I went out with some friends to the Gypsy Bar for some Vogue event. So from 7-9 p.m. we enjoyed free apps. (shrimp and crab cakes, yum!) and free Contreau drinks (double yum!). After that we went to Flashes to meet more friends. Good times had by all but I'm paying the price today. Struggling. to. make. it. through. the. day. with help from the magical hangover juice...Gatorade! Three cheers for rehydration, refueling, and replenishing.

My plans for the weekend:
Tonight: rent a movie, read and go to bed early
Saturday: watch Notre Dame football
Sunday: sew

2005-09-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

2 Sides to Every Coin
• I found out this morning that I'm going to have to pay $475 for maintenance to my car
• I dropped a cake I made for an auction at work on the sidewalk.
I could be angry frustrated etc. but I prefer to look on the bright side. Even though that's a good chunk of change, my car is paid off and this is preventive maintenance and will hopefully save me money in the future. It's 7 years old and 30 miles away from hitting the 100,000 mile mark. Regarding the cake, last night when I was making it I started decorating it before I realized it wasn't cooked enough so I had to pop it back into the oven even though there was frosting in the inside layer. I'm not sure of the quality of the cake so it's probably best that it landed top down on the sidewalk outside of car mechanic.