Saturday, May 31

Links that I want to remember to visit again

and that you should visit if you have time.

Six Sentences. Stories told in six sentences. What can you say in six sentences?

Cassette From My Ex.
"They were into you, so they made you a tape. Today you don't have a cassette player, but you still can't toss that mix. We share the stories and the soundtrack to your earliest loves."
[via Jami.]

flickr faves

better late than never.

5/31/2008
1. a brighter day, 2. Amarelinho, 3. Luly Yang Couture, 4. pola01, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. San Angel, Mexico City, 11. STOP (Facing East), 12. cupcake airstream

(Not sure why no. 3 is blank, but you can follow the link below the mosaic to check it out.)

Created with fd's flickr toys.

Simon likes to nap in the sunshine.

Sometimes it is the evening sun



sometimes the afternoon sun



and sometimes the morning sun.



He's quite the handsome boy.



This morning he was waiting to come in underneath the car instead of sitting on the porch. (They don't stay out all night, but they do go out at about 4:00 AM.) I let him in and a few minutes later I saw the neighbor cat, Don Oro, strutting down our driveway. He must have been over here reminding my boys who is the boss of the neighborhood!

My sunburn hurts more today than it did yesterday. I had to skip doing my sit ups because it was too painful.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night
(as usual)
and it felt like my back was stuck to the sheets.
I was worried that my skin was going to peel off.
It didn't
of course
but OUCH.

Sunburns suck.

Friday, May 30

I didn't mean to look mad

when I took this photo.



It was taken shortly after the one I posted yesterday. I was bored
so perhaps this is my look of boredom.

I am mad at myself now though.

Yesterday I worked in the yard for most of the afternoon. I put on sunscreen
but I missed a spot
and so there is a portion of my back that is burnt to a crisp.

Ouch.

It stings and it is definitely not good for my skin.

Next time, no tank tops when Will isn't here to put sunscreen on my back.

Thursday, May 29

I was bored at work yesterday.

So I took some pictures.

I like the way
this one turned out.



The rug I am standing on is called "Cat's Paw" and it's my favorite rug at work.

The little seeds scattered about are elm pods.

They blow in the open doors all day. Yesterday there were piles everywhere. It was so windy, we gave up on sweeping.

They have also taken over my back yard which I think I mentioned before.

Yesterday some of the people who came in said, "oh look how pretty", when they saw all the pods. "They look like rose petals." Um, not really.

People are so goofy sometimes.

Tuesday, May 27

The Garden



This past Saturday morning we got up early to start our garden work. We bought more flowers and four pepper plants and spent most of the day gardening. I love it, even though I do moan and groan a lot when I have to pull weeds. (By the way, the elm pods that are every where are now sprouting and it is going to be losing battle for quite some time. No fun.)

It's looking good in our back yard. I still need to fill in the front and side yards. Plan to plant more tomatoes (Will was gifted a cherry tomato plant), eggplant, lettuce and something else that I am forgetting now. More zinnias for the front beds. This year is kind of an experiment as we don't really know how certain things will do or how big they'll get...we've never had so much yard before! I think it's all going to work out splendidly.

Sunday, May 25

Yellow Ranunculous



Yes, I am still loving the ranunculous. And now I know how to spell it correctly too!

It's funny, some of the photos that I really like are the ones that absolutely no one looks at on Flickr. (My photos, I mean.) Go figure.

Granted, flower pictures are one of the biggest clichés, but you know, flowers are pretty. Light is pretty. Light and flowers are pretty. And I love flowers so I take a lot of shots of them.

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend...

Wednesday, May 21

What was I going to tell you?

I had a post in my head the other day, but I didn't have time to write it. So now it's all fuzzy. And I am fuzzy too because I have once again hit my mid-week lack of sleep slump. The cycle seems to be, sleep well for a few nights and feel great. Sleep poorly for a few nights and totally bottom out by Friday. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

So, yeah, fuzzy.

I just spent way too long babbling about shopping at Target because there aren't many shops in Santa Fe that suit me and blah blah blah, all because I wanted to show you the new swimsuit I got at Target the other day. But noooooo, it's not on their website so I can't show you at all. (And so I cut out all the babbling.) It's a one piece with a halter-style top and a little skirt. Super cute. A vast improvement over the bikini top + dad's swimming trunks from the 1960's that are too big on me combo. Let's face it, no one *really* wants to see my white belly.

I'm excited about the find because I've been looking for a decent swimsuit for the past five years, if not longer. Swimsuits and me, we just do not go well together. So to actually find one that looks good on me and cost less than 40 bucks is the best thing ever. Not that I even need a swimsuit all that often, but it's nice to have one when needed. AND we're actually going on TWO vacations this year that will require a swimsuit. That's where the excitement really stems from...VACATION.

I've been itching to take a road trip because I just love driving out west. And I want to take photos. Lots and lots of photos. So we finally decided on a plan. We're going to spend a few days in 29 Palms and do a little exploring at Joshua Tree National Park. Then we're going to head to California and visit my favorite aunt and uncle in San Diego (who I haven't seen in well over a decade). I can't wait!!

Second vacation will be to hang out with Will's family at the beach. A beach. In North Carolina or South Carolina. I don't think that's been decided yet. I don't care. Tell me which beach house to show up at and I'll be there. Swimsuit in tow.

So there you go. That's some of what I was going to tell you. I've been writing this at work and thus had to get up about a million and one times so please excuse any lack of coherency. Keep losing my train of thought.

Here's hoping for a good night's rest! (A "good" night for me is staying asleep past 3:00 AM.)

Wednesday, May 14

*


Another shot from our anniversary photo shoot.

Tuesday, May 13

The Word on Rocky

We finally got all the test results back from the vet. And guess what, NOTHING IS WRONG! Wooohooo! But that's what we thought anyway since Rocky acts like a perfectly healthy and happy cat.

Apparently the vet started to tell Will that we should run a few more tests, but Will said, no, we're done. Because for now, we are. Rocky is not sick, why should we treat him like a sick cat? Crazy, I tell you. We will take him back in a month or two so she can test his glucose levels again and if they are still abnormally low, we'll go from there. I just feel like at this point they are convinced that something is wrong with him and I don't like them approaching my kitty cat's health care with that mentality.

Anyway, we are thrilled that nothing turned up on any of the tests.

The Internet Blues, Perhaps

I've been spending a lot of time on the internet, mostly looking at photos on Flickr and that sort of thing. And oftentimes, instead of feeling more "connected", I end up feeling super disconnected from it all, friends and strangers alike. And that feeling tends to get me down.

I've never been particularly popular or had a lot of friends in real life and my existence on the internet has not been any different. (I've been doing this for EIGHT YEARS folks. Hard to believe, but it's true. I made my first blog post on my pita in March of 2000.) And it's fine, really. Except when it's not fine. And I start wondering why I never seem to fit in anywhere, even when I actually put myself out there. I suppose I'll never understand social networking. Always on the sidelines, that's me.

The thing is, I don't even *like* attention. So what is it that I want?

A little bit of connecting, I guess. Just a little bit.

We recently watched Into The Wild which we really enjoyed and it prompted me to read the book. It's an interesting read and while it doesn't make me want to disappear into the wild, it does make me dream about living in the woods. And being a hermit. Well, not a total hermit. I would take Will and the cats with me.

As much as I enjoy and use technology, sometimes I think life was more simple without all of it.

Ha...as I type away on MY BLOG.

Sunday, May 11

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom, 1969
My mom on her honeymoon, 1969. I actually don't even know where they went...maybe Mexico? I'll have to ask her later.

Hope all the moms out there have a wonderful day.

Saturday, May 10

5,000

From our anniversary photo shoot...in front of the apple tree, of course.

happy

Also, my 5,000th photo posted to Flickr!!

Friday, May 9

flickr faves

5/9/2008

1. proud, 2. Return to the Family Farm, 3. Fredericksburg Peach Tree, 4. sx-70 catnap, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Lightbeams, 8. Untitled, 9. tulips, 10. mirror image, 11. cabbage for deb, 12. Closed (April 13)

Created with fd's flickr toys.

Duck, duck, duck...shark!


(I took *a lot* of pictures of this ranunculous. Such a lovely and long-lasting flower!)

Oh, I am tired today. Two nights out with rich food and too much drink does a gal in. Particularly when those two nights were also nights of poor sleep.

The anniversary dinner was festive and fabulous. We took pictures, but I haven't had a chance to scan them yet. We went to Mauka, a newish restaurant in our hood that we've been wanting to try. It was excellent...nice atmosphere and delicious food. We started out with the Ahi Poke spring rolls served with pineapple chutney and black tobiko. So good. We also shared the organic arugula salad with local roasted beets, local Sweetwoods goat cheese croutons and maple vin. It was to die for. OMG, those goat cheese croutons were the best thing ever. Yum. And for our entrees, Will had the fish special which was a type of Hawaiian fish that I can't even guess how to spell. It was served on a bed with rice noodles and I forget the rest, but he loved it. I had the duck breast with sweet potato pancetta hash and red curry sauce. The sauce was a bit on the spicy side for me, but the duck was amazing. I've had good duck before, but this was so different, not so fatty. And as if all that wasn't enough, we had smoked paprika carrot cake for dessert. It had cream cheese frosting and was served with roasted pineapple. Wow. The wines were quite tasty too. I had chardonnay followed by cabernet sauvignon and both were the perfect kind of dry for me. Definitely nice spot for a special occasion dinner out.

Last night we went out to eat as well because some relatives were in town for the evening. We went to Mariscos "La Playa" which is a favorite of my parents. I planned to eat light, but no, that didn't happen. I thought grilled fish would be a safe choice, light and healthy...only not when it is served totally doused in butter and garlic. Dear Lord. I chose the Mako shark and it was delicious but way too rich. By the time we got home, we were both moaning and holding our bellies. Too much food! So tonight, salad at home. Definitely.

I've had a super busy week and the weekend ahead is going to be busy as well. We're having the family over on Sunday for Mother's Day so tomorrow we plan to get all the prep work done and the extra tables set up outside. We're cooking out so it's nothing fancy, but still, we've never actually had my whole family over at once! It'll be fun. And then Monday is Will's birthday, but since he isn't a birthday person, he doesn't want to celebrate much. I think we going to go see Ironman.

So that's it for now. I'll have my weekly flickr faves up in a bit. Happy weekends to you all and don't forget to call your mom!!

Wednesday, May 7

Four Fabulous Years!

For my love...

Happy Anniversary my love! Don't we look so young and fresh faced?!

I don't have a shot from today yet, but here are the year's past, just for kicks.

Yesterday
Third anniversary. We had just moved to Santa Fe a few days before.

I don't see to have one from our second anniversary. We had dinner at Umi in Pittsburgh and I believe I had been sick all day. Probably why there is no photo.

may 7 - our first anniversary
First anniversary. At Ray's Marlin in Pittsburgh. We had just moved there a few weeks before!

on the brooklyn bridge
And my very favorite shot from our wedding day, taken with my Holga by Stephanie, the lovely musician in this video.

Will and I got hitched four years ago at City Hall in Manhattan with six friends in tow. It was a wonderful day. This shot was taken before we headed to City Hall via the C train. After the 30 second ceremony (seriously!), we had a photo shoot while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Here are a few more shots that I've posted to Flickr. With everything being all about Polaroid for me lately, it only recently dawned on me that we had Polaroid shots from our wedding that I had never even scanned. So shocking! See, we got married before I joined Flickr...so most of our wedding day is actually not on the internet. Rather, I have a very lovely photo album of the day.

What a lucky woman I am to have such a sweet, loving and talented husband! And one who is totally understanding of my need to compulsively buy Polaroid film. He never complains that all my film is taking over the fridge. Thanks baby!

The traditional anniversary gift for four years is flowers. Rather than buy each other flowers, our gifts to each other will be flowers for our garden out back. Looking forward to all the planting we will do.

Tonight we're going out to dinner and I can't wait! We trying out one of the newer restaurants in our neighborhood. I'll report back on the food later in the week.

Sunday, May 4

Santa Fe on Design*Sponge

Huh. Randomly googling the restaurant Mauka and stumbled across this "Santa Fe Guide" on Design*Sponge - Santa Fe Design Guide. I perused it pretty quickly, but nonetheless interesting that the writer was obviously in the areas that my husband and I work yet neither of our galleries are mentioned even though some of our neighbors were...alas! A bit odd that I totally missed this Santa Fe mention when I, um, LINK to that site. Ooops!

Friday, May 2

flickr faves

Back to our regularly programmed Flickr faves! These are from a few weeks ago as 'Roid Week took over last week. As for Rocky, no major bad news, so *BIG SIGH OF RELIEF*. Too exhausted to write about it all at the moment. Enjoy the weekend ahead!

5/2/2008
1. empty, 2. home, 3. A wish, 4. Goodbye., 5. Onion Cart (Santiago de Cuba), 6. burrito the cat, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. finish it, 10. catgirls, 11. magnolia branches, 12. 寧靜的海

Created with fd's flickr toys.

....

entering mountain time zone

It's been one year since we arrived in Santa Fe! I remember being so excited when we reached the state border. In fact, I almost wrecked because I was trying to take pictures of the "Welcome to New Mexico" sign and the sign above. Not too smooth. It's been a great year in the southwest and we're looking forward to the next one.

I am a very tired girl this morning. The cats never let me sleep, but sometimes it is worse than usual, and this is one of those weeks. The lack of sleep is really catching up to me and starting to affect my spirits. Just. Want. To. Sleep.

Yesterday also took a lot out of me between the news we got at the vet and the six trips to grocery stores that I mentioned over there in the sidebar. Rocky has an abnormally low glucose level which might not mean anything, but it could also mean that there is something going on inside of him. The vet mentioned tumors, cancer...not good stuff. But, considering that he is acting perfectly normal at home, we're hoping that all these tests are for naught and that he is fine. This morning we're taking him in for an ultrasound. They are going to check his heart and now his abdomen as well. He's already been to the vet twice this week so I feel badly about putting him through even more trauma. Hopefully it all goes well.

I'll check in later with an update on Rocky and I'll try to post my Friday Flickr faves as well!