I am currently obsessed with bowls.

Felted bowls, to be precise.



Here's a shot of my very first attempt. I think it turned out quite nicely. (I just need to learn how to take decent shots of my felted goods. I have to admit, it is not my favorite type of photography.)



I was picturing something much smaller than the result, but it's all good. Big bowls, little bowls, why not? I have two more made that are experiments with size and shape, but I haven't felted them yet. Once I get them felted, I am going to go bowl crazy.

flickr faves

1. Untitled, 2. morning shower, 3. day before the ride, 4. Untitled, 5. dining out | may 16. 2009, 6. . . ., 7. Weekend is finished, 8. senang, 9. eucalyptus bark, 10. ., 11. Silverchair, 12. tiny yellow, 13. Untitled, 14. Tabby's nose, 15. fields of gold, 16. Untitled

Created with fds flickr toys.

Pickled peppers.

We have a plethora of jalapeño and cubanelle peppers, more than we could possibly eat all at once. So I pickled them. I used this recipe because it sounded tasty and simple enough for my first attempt at pickling. They are supposed to sit in the refrigerator for a week so I'll keep you posted on how they taste.

I never used to like pickled anything, not even pickles. But when I met Will's granny for the first time and she sent us off with some jars of her pickles, that was it. Granny's pickles were the best thing ever and turned me into a pickle person. So I am all for trying my own pickling. I hope the peppers turn out well as I am going to have lots more ready to pick in another week or so.

And of course anytime I think about pickling peppers, that childhood rhyme come to mind:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Things that go bump in the night.

Last night I woke up at 1:10 in the morning. I kept hearing weird noises. Or I kept thinking I heard weird noises.

So I woke up my husband.

"I keep hearing weird noises."

He got up and checked the house. No one in the house. No one lurking outside the house. All was well.

Except that we were both wide awake. And we woke the cats up.

It's not so bad being wide awake when the person laying next to you is also wide awake. I felt like a jerk for waking up Will, but he was very nice about it.

The cats were restless and kept me from sleep until 3:49 when I finally gave in and let Rocky go outside. (I let Simon out at 3:16. Rocky usually isn't allowed out until after 4:00, but I've been giving in lately. And yes, I remember exact times of the night. I think that's what happens when you have problems sleeping.)

I think that I have an overactive imagination because the past few weeks, all I've been doing is knitting and watching crime shows. Crime shows plant all sorts of scary and gruesome scenarios in my head. I need to start watching sitcoms or something.

I just sat in the car in the driveway

so I could finish listening to Balls to the Walls. It made me inordinately happy for some reason.

The video link is worth checking out. Classic 1980's hard rock cheesy video.

My love for the hard rock/heavy metal of my youth will never die.

Granted, I don't think I could name any other song by Accept.

Rain, rain and rain!

It's coming down steadily and I am not complaining. We've been needing a some rainfall, big time. It also means that I don't have to water the garden. Double yay!

We went to see District 9 this afternoon. I'd heard good and bad reviews of it and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I liked it. It was a good story, touching and suspenseful. But good lord, way too much blood and guts for my taste. It didn't make me not like the movie, but I am just not a blood and guts person. I thought I was going to throw up at one point. Yuck. And yeah, I know that I suck at movie reviews, so I'll just say that this was definitely worth going to see at the theater. No regrets.

I've still in the midst of a knitting frenzy. Today I felted my first bowl. It turned out much bigger than I expected, but it is quite nice. I'll post a photo when it's dry. I think I'm going to knit up a few more bowls, maybe in some different sizes and then get back to handbags as I still have so many new ideas. So much fun!

Hope your week is off to a good start!

flickr faves

1. the world is a much smaller place..., 2. Untitled, 3. Gently, 4. Untitled, 5. ., 6. Evening Swim, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. We are gathered here today, 10. I Know It's Over, No.1, 11. Untitled, 12. And It Was All Yellow, 13. Iris 2, 14. money well spent, 15. goodbye, 16. Untitled

Why is it that people in Santa Fe

are completely unable to use their turn signals? Is it so hard to make it blink, blink, blink so I know that you are going to turn, and when needed, which way you are going to turn, or that you are going to squeeze into my lane? I don't know about you, but when I learned to drive, I was taught how to use turn signals. The habit is so ingrained in me that occasionally I find myself hitting the turn signal when it's not even necessary, like when I am turning out of my driveway and there is no one behind me or anywhere around.

I mean, come on people, turn signals! How hard can it be? It's not like I am asking you to actually yield at yellow lights or come to a complete stop at stop signs. I know that would just be way too much to handle.

It drives me effing insane.

And today we are wishing

p.nut (aka donut) a very happy birthday!! Hope you have some fun celebrations plan and have an excellent day. We miss you and send you much love. (Kisses for the kitties too.)

Another new one.

I thought this one turned out looking very "Santa Fe".

Excuse my language,

but you've got to be fucking kidding me.

Favre likely to return (again): QB meeting with Vikings

Three weeks ago he said he was done. Retired for good.

Dude, give it a rest already. I think he just likes being in the news. How long is this going to go on??

Stripes and checks.

I ran out of wool yarn last week so I switched to cotton and made a couple of baby hats over the weekend.

Note to Alyssa: I really need all of your kids to be hat models for me!!

Wishing a very happy birthday

to CC today. We love you and miss you tons!

flickr faves

1. orange & brown schwinn, 2. Untitled, 3. This rich life., 4. Untitled, 5. Work Storm, 6. El Dorado, 7. alexandria, 8. Untitled, 9. Take Me To The River, No.17, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. silk cocoon , 13. Rabbit Patch, 14. poppies 09, 15. Deep thought. , 16. sc0007943d

Created with fds flickr toys.

So tired it hurts.

One word.

Simon.

New cables and stripes.

Made with all the leftovers.



The cable patterns I chose for the red and the yellow really came out well. The cables show up quite nicely. I think I am also finally starting to figure out which yarns work best for certain designs.



I got a special order for this one today. Someone wants the color and the zigzag but in a larger bag. Yay!

'Tis the preseason.

Of football, that is. This summer is flying by...I can hardly believe we're already a week into August! And today we are officially one month away from the first game of the season. That first game being a Steelers game! Woohoo! (And okay, we're going to have out-of-town guests that evening and miss at least half the game, if not all of it, but still, it's exciting.) Preseason is not so exciting to me, but I do plan to check out the game on Thursday and I'm sure I'll peek at some of the other games that are aired throughout this month. Preseason is a nice little taste of football, but it never gets me revved up. The real football fever never begins until September. I'm looking forward to it.

As per usual, I have mostly taken the summer off. Yes, I read the headlines and follow the big stories, but I don't turn the NFL Network on every single morning and/or evening. So I don't have too many thoughts about the upcoming season. I am dreading the media coverage of Tom Brady, dissecting his every move in a season back from injury. I am curious to see how badly Josh McDaniels chokes on some of the decisions he has made in the past few months. And while I have few expectations about the Steelers season, I have to say that I don't think we are going to have the post-SuperBowl slump that we had after our last SuperBowl win. I really don't see Tomlin letting that happen. I don't know what to make of our schedule. Based on last season's standings, it appears that we have a pretty "easy" schedule, but who knows what those same teams are going to be like this season. Besides, so-called easy schedules aren't necessarily a good thing. I think a challenging schedule brings out more motivation.

August also brings the aroma of green chile roasting. It's one of the best smells in the world. I love it. And I can't wait to stock up on loads of it. Yum.

Lots of August birthdays too. My mom's 70th birthday is later in the month, but we had her party this past Saturday at Rio Chama. (We had to have it before the granddaughters head off to college.) It was a great success. Mom (and Dad) had a wonderful time as did everyone else. I know I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with relatives and old family friends that we don't see that often. And the food was superb. I was positive I was going to end up with a well-done filet mignon that someone else ordered, but nope, my steak was a perfect medium rare. Delicious. It really was a splendid day.

The two days before the party, we had our two nephews staying with us. Our two nephews who barely talk to us most of the time. We weren't sure what to expect, but they were awesome. Super quiet Dylan talked up a storm the entire time. We played some endless rounds of UNO which was fun. We had pizza at Rooftop Pizzeria. Will took them to see the GI Joe movie. And the cats liked them which was pretty shocking since the cats generally don't like anyone under the age of 25. (The nephews are basically complete opposites of my nieces, the biggest difference being how quiet they are.) Of course the main activity was video games. Lots and lots of video games. Including one that Will assured me was suitable for everyone, but after a lot of cursing and prostitutes getting their throats slit, I looked at the box and saw that it was rated "M" for Mature. Oooops. Anyway, it was loads of fun having them here and I am glad we got the time with them.

I've still been knitting up a storm since my handbags are selling fairly well these days. I'll post some shots of a few more new ones tomorrow. That's about all I'll probably do this week. Knit, knit, knit and felt. And maybe pull some weeds. Yeah, I know, I have a rough life.

Cheers!

flickr faves

1. Bodega Spring, 2. Victoria Peak, 3. rain lullaby III, 4. gato mai lindo, 5. me with balloons, 6. Zinnias in early morning light, 7. Untitled, 8. Bluebell Woods, 9. je t'embrasse, 10. Today., 11. cows and highways, 12. lots of mauve, 13. Lights, and the light, 14. Peony love, 15. Untitled, 16. hello, 27.

Created with fds flickr toys.

New design.

I'm super happy with the way this new design turned out. When I knit things up, I am never quite sure what's going to happen during the felting process. I really like the shape of this one and of course the pattern around the middle.

Fun!

Dream.

D is for

Dana. And damn awesome.







Dana is damn awesome and these are three of my favorite pictures from her recent visit.

Tumbling.

I can't guarantee it is going to last, but I have been posting some links and faves on my Tumblr. (Mostly because I can't help but repost all the great things Cat posts!) So take a peek when you have a few minutes!

flickr faves

1. Red Tulips, 2. ., 3. Oh, what would I do,, 4. Blossom, 5. Untitled, 6. Grace April 2009, 7. Once again my heart is torn, 8. magnolia 2, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. guadalupe, 12. Untitled, 13. pretty in pink, 14. looking at the skyline, 15. Cactus at age of 20 years., 16. cherry blossom

Created with fds flickr toys.

Yellow.

Mislabeled plants at the nursery led to having mostly yellow echinacea in the garden.



I spent most of last week knitting. I'm trying out different cable patterns for my handbags. Hopefully the felting goes well!

Happy Monday!

flickr faves

1. A dream of white horses..., 2. Untitled, 3. pour les oiseaux, 4. The Lawnmower Polaroid, 5. more ocean, 6. happy donut day!, 7. into the silver., 8. Untitled, 9. a quarter past ten angels, 10. selfismi, 11. Untitled, 12. Untitled, 13. côte à côte, 14. oh, that blue, 15. Tiny clothes, 16. Halftone #1

Created with fds flickr toys.

Hi.

In case you missed my adventures with ladder climbing and animal rescuing, here's the story.

I'm feeling okay today. The shock has finally worn off. Last night while laying in bed, I kept thinking about all the much, much worse things that could have happened when I fell and it gave me the willies. Big time. I'm really lucky I didn't hurt Rocky while I was trying to rescue him. That would have probably made me feel worse than my own injuries.

The scrape, or rather, the tree rash on my face is not pretty. But there doesn't seem to be anymore bruising. I was a little worried I might wake up with a black and blue face. But no, just red and purple like yesterday. My jaw area is nice and swollen though. Hence, the ice every few hours. I have chipmunk cheek on one side.

This morning I did find a lot more bruises. I don't know how I hit some many different parts of my body. It's weird how our minds block out the details of an accident. One minute I was up, the next minute I was hanging over the fence and I have no idea how it happened. We were looking at the scene of the accident this afternoon and decided that had I not hit my face on the tree, I might have flipped over the fence which probably would have been worse. Of course if the tree hadn't been there, I never would have been climbing in the first place. These things just don't matter, do they?

I didn't really think I needed a doctor, but I ended up going this morning anyway. I decided that an infection on my face would not be a good thing. Nor some sort of retroactive jaw issue. The doctor did actually check my jaw and neck and found everything to be reasonably okay. My jaw is really sore, like I've been chewing gum for way too long, but it doesn't *hurt*, if that makes sense. And he gave me a topical antibiotic ointment for my face wound. He also told me that Neosporin is worthless, meanwhile my nurse friend told me it would work just fine. (Nurse friend should really move to Santa Fe so I can just go see her about these things!) Nonetheless I doled out the forty bucks for the prescription. Here's hoping it kicks in soon.

We also got our new refrigerator today. It's a vast improvement over our ancient one. I can't wait to pack it with all my Polaroid film!

This and that.

Hope everyone had a fun holiday weekend. We had a nice time with friends over on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. Lots of rain which was nice. It cooled things off some and cheered up the garden. It's been threatening to rain today, but so far nothing more than a few drops.

I wore myself out today working in the yard. I pulled weeds for a few hours and then started working on the flagstone in the side yard. We added a bunch of pieces and so none of the path is even. The new pieces need to be dug in. I keep tripping over the high stones and it drives me crazy so today I finally dove into fixing it up. Good lord, it is hard work. I got halfway through before the thunder started and I called it a day. Hopefully I can finish it up tomorrow. I also need to tackle the weeds in the back yard.

This whole week is pretty much about cleaning things up, inside and out. Our friends from Pittsburgh arrive on Friday night and well, I am sure they don't care if there is a little dirt in the house, but it's in my blood to make sure the house is clean before visitors. So slowly but surely I am going to get the cleaning done throughout the week. Of course by Friday we'll have tracked in more dirt and the cats will have shed more fur everywhere, but oh well. Things should be relatively clean. Okay, yes, anal.

We're super excited about having visitors. From Pittsburgh! Our very first Pittsburgh visitors. We've planned a few things but mostly I guess we'll just play it by ear and feel out what everyone wants to do. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

So that's what is happening around here. Now back to my knitting and watching of crap television.

Happy Monday!

Hard to resist.

flickr faves

1. Pineapple, 2. sciàdòu, 3. Dock, 4. Salvation, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. milky soldier #4, 9. 15.03.09, 10. Untitled, 11. Steph | Elizabeth, 12. spring 4, 13. More tinyness, 14. lake_side, 15. mini, 16. Untitled

Created with fds flickr toys.

So tempted

to go see Judas Priest in August when they play here. I mean, good god, look at that place. But concerts are so expensive these days, ticket prices range from $45 to $65. That just seems like so much. I'm still stuck in the 1980's when big concerts were $15 to $25. Now that seems more reasonable.

But that amphitheater..!

This is just so heartbreaking.

Four Santa Fe teens killed in wrong-way collision; suspected drunk driver charged.

This takes me back to the end of the summer before my sophomore year when a car of four teenagers was hit on Cerrillios Road by a drunk driver. Three girls and one boy. The three girls went to my high school and two were cheerleaders as was I at the time so I knew them. In fact, one of them had just made the JV squad and she was so excited about it. I had seen her quite often during the summer at practices. The three girls all died and I remember so well the shock and grief, such a tragic way to start the school year. And so hard to absorb the loss. I can only imagine how the family and friends of these four kids must feel.

These wrong-way accidents happen far too often in this area. And they are usually alcohol related.

Just so, so sad.

Apple Miner Colony.

When I said that I hadn't been to a rock show in a long time, I wasn't kidding. The last real rock show I attended was on September 25, 2007 when I went to see Lowlights at the Lauchpad in Albuquerque. That's a mighty long time for someone who used to go to rock shows all the time. And I have to say, it was quite refreshing to be at one last night. It was like old times, but not, if that makes sense.

Okay, so I ended up leaving before AMC was done, but I was exhausted. My feet hurt, my back hurt and my eyes were so dry that every time I blinked, I thought one of my contacts was going to pop out. But cut me a little slack as we did spend a good part of the day walking around in the heat of the sun at Gay Pride Fest. We also ate crap all day. (Best. Corndog. Ever.) And had a couple of beers in the late afternoon. All of which contributed to my exhaustion. I really would have loved to see AMC's whole set, but with two opening bands, I was shot. That's what happens with old age, at least my old age, it gets harder and harder to sit through the opening acts. Both bands were terrific, but they wore me out. But let me tell you, Apple Miner Colony is absolutely captivating. I wish that I had gone out to see them before their Last Show Ever.





They are a big band. A HUGE band. 25 members. As such, I had no idea what to expect. Well, no, I sort of expected chaos and not a good kind of chaos. But there was not a single bit of bad chaos. Everyone pretty much follows Cole's lead and he's good at leading. He has quite a presence, that one. When he sat down at the keyboards to begin the set, the entire room went dead silent and all eyes were on him. It was kind of mind blowing. And he kept it going the entire night.



I was really impressed with the whole group. And it was an emotional night for them and much of the audience. I was mesmerized by their performance, but since I don't have much of history with them, it wasn't exactly emotional for me. But I could totally relate to the emotions. I could imagine that it would be like being at the Last Show Ever of the Johnsons Big Band. (Which I don't think I was at, actually. Totally blanking on that.) I could feel the intensity around me. And it made me happy. It reminded me of all the good times I had at shows and the love felt for the people in the bands and the music they created. Good vibes. Good times. I was a little sad that my first time seeing AMC would also be my last, but you know, it's okay. I think knowing Cole now made a difference in my reaction to the show. With such a long history of having friends in bands, I think I automatically like bands that I know people in better. At least on a local level. Anyway, I am glad that I got to see them before they all go their separate ways. It really was a memorable evening.



And with AMC, I really only know Cole and a few others. Like Dave, the guy up there playing the accordian. He had the honor of seeing me at one of my more drunk moments. Ah yes, I so know how to make a good impression.



And while Cole isn't T. Glitter, he definitely has his own style and charisma and he's quite easy on the eyes. So of course most of my photos are of him.





Will, who is also easy on the eyes, worked the whole evening, recording all the bands. I swear, he works nonstop, even when he is having fun.

It was a great day and a fantastic evening. We dragged my niece and her friends to the show as well and while they didn't like all the bands, they did like AMC.

If you want to check out the music, you can find Apple Miner Colony here. Will recorded their latest album and it is truly awesome.

The Santa Fe Gay Pride

celebration is today. This year it is being held at the Railyard Park instead of the Plaza which means a lot more space. They are even going to have a Beer Garden! I can't wait to check it all out.

Caroline, my middle niece, and three of her friends are coming down from Albuquerque to join the festivities and they plan to spend the night at our place. Housing four teenagers, three of whom we don't know, should be interesting.

Later today at Warehouse 21, Apple Miner Colony is playing their last show ever. They're freshly back from tour with a brand new album that my dear husband recorded for them. I grew quite familiar with their music during the month or so that they were working here at the house, but I have never seen them live so I am looking forward to it. Not to mention that I haven't seen a rock show in almost two years. Nuts.

So the main decision of the day is what cameras should I lug around with me?!

flickr faves

1. Untitled, 2. magnolia leaves, 3. Mari Day 9, 4. My eyes are for seeing, 5. Untitled, 6. Bar, 7. Burning, 8. rococo, 9. A shout out to Lou., 10. the purple one, 11. A Wolf at the Door, 12. Lonely but together

Created with fds flickr toys.

Sad.

Just found out via dangerousmeta that Farrah Fawcett passed away.

She wasn't my favorite angel, but still, that show was and remains one of my all-time faves. And I remember my brother having that famous Farrah poster on his wall.

Okay, so there are some days that I don't love my garden.

I know I said I love my garden oh so much, and I do.

Most of the time.

But some days, like yesterday, it makes me want to cry. All the weeds, everywhere. Taking over. Spreading like carpet across my garden beds. Pushing up from underneath the flagstone. Mixing in with the cosmos like wolves in sheep costumes. Strangling the dahlias that are still trying to push up through the soil. Mingling with the gravel in the driveway.

Weeds. Everywhere.

I hate it.

I guess there are days that pulling weeds is somewhat meditative. But other days, not so much. I just get frustrated with the endless nature of the task. Pull today, back tomorrow.

And the chive-like things continue to torture me. I worked for so many hours in the early spring, digging and digging, trying to get all the roots out. I even sprained my damn wrist doing it. And guess what? They're all coming back. Slowly but surely. I'd like to strangle the tenant who planted those damn things.

The ants make me want to cry too. Little black ants. Big black ants. Red ants. Black and red ants. All over. Swarming my greens. Chewing holes in all the leaves of all the plants.

Damn ants.

I'm starting to see baby grasshoppers everywhere too which makes me think the grasshopper infestation is going to be back later this summer.

And the fact that when I don't water for 2 days, everything just about falls flat. All my sunflowers fall over. Some of my seeds croaked. The pansies plaster themselves to the dirt. Even the heat and drought tolerant plants get all sad looking. But in Santa Fe, one is only supposed to water 3 days a week and I try to be good about keeping to it. So I water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Which makes the wait until the following Tuesday tough on the garden. Especially now that the heat is back.

June was unseasonably cool and the garden delighted in it. But now we are back to our regularly scheduled heat.

And the damn herbs that require "full sun" don't actually like full sun because they are not so perky anymore either.

So yeah, I get frustrated. I feel like I do all this work so the garden can look good for two weeks and then it all just goes to hell with the heat. And the weeds.

But let's face it, I would probably be really sad if I didn't plant a garden at all. And I'll probably be really happy in late August and September when we have lovely tomatoes and peppers and all the zinnias that made it are growing tall and blooming. Then it's all worth it.

But I still don't like weeds. Or ants. Or grasshoppers.

Pretty as a

peony. Awhile back, I spent a little time playing with the close-up kit for my Polaroid Automatic 250. This shot was the only one that came out exactly as I intended. I thought I had it all figured out, but when I used the same method for another shot, I ended up with something totally different from what I was trying to frame. Go figure. But it's fun playing!


Happy Summer Solstice!!

flickr faves

1. Untitled, 2. Dried Bones, 3. Prima della devastazione totale, 4. do you have a carrot?, 5. teen angst, 6. birdy kitty, 7. Untitled, 8. hummingbird, sakura, 9. seussian cherry, 10. Old Field Tree, 11. boat house, 12. di' piuttosto che un bello spirito ha incontrato un somaro

Created with fds flickr toys.

You should check out

The Uniform Project.

This would be next to impossible for me to do. Not so much the wearing of one thing, but the creative ways of jazzing it up. Very inspiring.

Dorks.

We passed the downtown Hilton on the way home from the post office a few hours ago. Two enormous tour buses were parked in front of the hotel and we saw a guy wearing a t-shirt that said "Wilco Tour Crew 2009".

Our eyes lit up. Wilco? In Santa Fe? No way. No place big enough here. A secret show? Maybe just spending the night between shows? That makes no sense. Santa Fe isn't exactly a convenient stop off between big cities.

Then we started wondering where Wilco would go in Santa Fe. Margaritas at the Cowgirl? And dinner? There are so many good restaurants in Santa Fe. Where do indie rock bands go?

Of course Wilco is not in town. We looked up the tour dates and they are in El Paso tonight. But someone is in town with two big tour buses. Checked the Santa Fe Brewing Company calendar. Open mic night. Nope. Checked the Santa Fe Reporter which has worthless online listings for live music. The Lensic? There we go. David Byrne is playing a sold out show tonight. Wish we had known, maybe we would have gone. (Though probably not since ticket prices started at $42.)

At any rate, it was kind of exciting to spend a few minutes thinking about Wilco being in Santa Fe and where they might go.

I love my garden. Oh yes I do.

Everything is growing quite nicely this year, it's very exciting. All the starter plants and flowers are getting bigger and bigger and the seeds are coming up. I can't wait to have tall sunflowers all along the fence. Granted I am not a big fan of pulling weeds and sometimes I am not in the mood to water, but it's all worth it in the end.


Have I mentioned that I love zinnias? I think so.


Cabbage! And lettuce! Makes me think about Peter Rabbit.

Today we've been inside painting. Fun! Not really. I don't like to paint. At all. And even the smallest bits take me forever to finish. But I am doing it anyway. Thankfully my husband is an expert painter and willingly did the ceiling and the trim for me. So all I have are the easy parts.

So far the new color is a bit shocking to me. I was going to go with the bluer "Reflecting Pool" and then at the last minute decided that the lighter "Spa" would be better. And I am glad I did because the light color suddenly looks so much darker than the sample area that I did. But I think when it's all done, it'll look good.

Oh and our new couch is in! It's being delivered tomorrow afternoon. We are so excited. Of course it means we need to find a new area rug and throw pillows, but that's okay. We'll work it out. I'm just happy that all the house stuff we've talked about is slowly but surely coming together.

Makes me laugh, everytime.

Pittsburgh, The City of Champions!

Seriously! First the SuperBowl, now the Stanley Cup. It's totally awesome and I love it. I bet there are lots of happy folks in Pittsburgh today.

And I have to say, I really enjoyed watching all the games. Granted hockey gives me high blood pressure and sometimes I feel like I am going blind because I can't quite see where the fast moving puck is, but still, it was fun. And so many great players! Simon can't decide if he wants to change his name to Sidney, Maxime or Malkin.

Congratulations to all the Pens fans out there. What a great win!!

Also, I was wondering about stats for winning a SuperBowl and Stanley Cup in the same year and I just found it via Rich Eisen:

Pitts becomes 1st city 2 win Super Bowl/Stanley Cup in same yr. In fact, never happened in history of NFL, which began in 1920.

flickr faves

1. Untitled, 2. buds, 3. Untitled, 4. cherry blossoms & sky, 5. manhatan bridge, 6. Untitled, 7. into_deep, 8. spring in hiding, 9. Untitled, 10. Interruptance., 11. Untitled, 12. neurons

Created with fds flickr toys.

Very pleased that

I get my husband back today. It's too quiet around here without him.

While he was gone, I watched a lot of movies. A lot of "girly" movies as he calls them. (He'll watch just about anything with me, but I figure I shouldn't torture him too much with some of the crap I like to watch.) And some not so girly.

New in Town

He's Just Not That Into You

Revolutionary Road

Bride Wars

Doubt (but I didn't finish it)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The worst of them? Bride Wars. Not that I expected it to be intellectually stimulating, but it was hardly worth watching.

Revolutionary Road was heavy and not as good as I expected it to be.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona was entertaining and made me dream about going back to Spain. Big time. (But good grief, does Scarlett Johansson have to be in almost every movie I watch? That's what it seems like lately.)

And I know I don't have stellar taste in movies. This week I was watching mostly to be entertained.

Anyway, tonight it's back to hockey. Game 7. Do or die. I have the feeling it is going to be nerve racking. Let's bring that Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh! GO PENS!

Primping.

This is Alexandra, my 20-year old niece, putting on make up before Caroline's high school graduation party. Caroline was in the bathroom - their mom's bathroom - putting on make up as well and I just kind of wandered in there with my camera. They kept doing what they were doing and I snapped a few shots. Then Alexandra said something that I didn't understand followed by "Auntie Juli is kind of creeping me out by taking photos."

I thought it was hilarious.

Alexandra does not mince her words. At all.

She also changed her dress before the party. She borrowed one from Cassidy, the 15-year old.

Those girls.

They're the best.

A good morning.

On my morning travels, I found some good tunes, important reminders and a picture that made me smile.

These Days podcast from Susie Ghahremiani. I like it.

This post from Myla Kent.

And this photo from Burn the Industry.

Not a flower!

All's well that ends well.

We had a stressful morning, but Rocky is okay. We had to sit at the vet for about 45 minutes before we even got called into an examining room. That was not fun. I was in anxiety mode and Rocky was in pain. The vet couldn't tell anything from examining him so I had to leave him there for x-rays. (I suspected this would be the case.) I came home and fretted for over an hour before I finally got the call.

They couldn't find anything wrong with him. Excellent news! No fractures, no hip out of socket and no puncture wounds. (I need to keep an eye on him though because his fur could be hiding a puncture, but I don't think he has one. He usually bleeds when he does.) The vet said he must just be really bruised and sore. So he is on pain meds once again and has to stay in for at least a few days if not longer. Once I got him home, he already seemed better. He wasn't favoring his right hind leg so much and just wanted to eat. Who knows, maybe he has a thing for pain meds! Heh.

So all is fine, it was just a stressful morning and sort of changed the course of the day. Hopefully tomorrow I am a bit more productive. I'm just happy to have my boy back at home.

Not exactly how I wanted to start the week.

Rocky came in limping this morning so it's off to the vet for us. I can't find any blood on him so I have no idea if it's another puncture wound or if he sprained his leg or what. Perhaps it's nothing, but I need the vet to take a look at him. I'll update you with a vet report later.

flickr faves

1. Lacrime di cocconiglio @ Tagliamento - an dreij, 2. Summer, please return, 3. Cry Wolf, 4. rooftops and raindrops, 5. Dom Magdeburg, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Tiny Fingers, 10. Polaroid TZ Artistic pansy, 11. longing..., 12. |||||||, 13. Untitled, 14. Untitled, 15. Untitled, 16. Untitled

Created with fds flickr toys.

The Bus.

I will miss seeing Bettis on Sunday nights during football season, although I have to say I am not shocked that NBC is not renewing his contract.

Tony Dungy is going to be a great addition to the show, but Rodney Harrison? Never been a fan. Not to mention there's already enough bias toward the Patriots. Now there will be even more. Ugh.

On the hockey bandwagon.

Yeah, I know, we mocked some of the folks who jumped on the Arizona Cardinals bandwagon when they made it to the SuperBowl and now we're essentially doing the same thing by jumping on the Pittsburgh Penguins bandwagon. It's just too hard to resist. We are compelled to support any Pittsburgh team that makes it all the way.

And I do like watching hockey. We just never got into it because we are so devoted to football, we decided that we would get nothing else done in our lives if we became so fanatical about another sport. And out here, I don't think they air all that many Pens games anyway so we'd be looking at spending god knows how much more money on another sports ticket. No can do.

But the Stanley Cup is on national television. Yes! (Or at least it was Saturday and Sunday. I panicked last night when I didn't see the game listed on a local channel. Lucky for us it was on one of the other sports channels that DirectTV provides us.) And what a game! I was hoping that playing at home would give the Pens that extra kick they needed to win a game and it definitely did. We are anxiously awaiting tomorrow night's game.

Watching hockey is stressful though. Way more stressful than football. It all happens so quickly. Back and forth, back and forth. Cheering and groaning and cussing and cheering. It definitely brings out the sports fan in me. And, um, I have to say, I really like the fights. More fights!

Last night the game made me homesick for Pittsburgh. They showed a brilliant night shot of downtown Pittsburgh and it made me want to be there again. Plus a lot of our friends back there are huge hockey fans and watching the games makes me think of them too.

GO PENS!!!

The latest

baby hats. I think this is my favorite design so far.

I'd love to have Rocky model one for you, but since I do sell them, I figure it's not so good to get them covered in cat hair. Don't want to make any babies sneeze!

*

A lovely interview with one of my favorite photographers, Armando Bellmas.

I can't remember when I started following Armando, but it's been a long time and via his photo/web blog, I've watched him grow into the photographer that he is today. I find his work, his life philosophy and his approach to work very inspiring. So go check him out.

Yes.

POLAROID, THE PICTURES ARE INSTANT!

[via polaroidgirl]