Showing posts with label Manic Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manic Monday. Show all posts

Monday, February 15, 2010

Further Mumblings...



... with some Manic Monday questions and answers ,

and...

...and still no video. It should not take over an hour to load, should it? I have loaded video here before but it didn't take that long. I don't know why this one wouldn't work.





What's your least favorite word?


succulent.


closely followed by moist(related to succulent?) and larvae(let's throw in pupae, too)



Where do you go when you need really good advice?


Mr. F.



I swear, he should be making a living being a motivational speaker, or at least a life coach, or high school guidance counselor(which he is actually looking into).


Of course, I hate it when he gives me advice when I haven't asked for it.



If you could participate in any winter Olympic sport, what would it be?


curling


That's it for now. I am kind of angry about the video that won't load.
My mood might also be affected by the sound of the new version(for Haiti relief funds) of "We Are The World" blaring from the daughter's bedroom right now..
It's for a very good cause--yes, yes,
but... I still hate this song. Hated it then(the bombastic 80's original version)--hate it now.




Monday, December 21, 2009

Music For Monday

A favorite song from probably my very favorite Christmas album--The Squirrel Nut Zipper's "Christmas Caravan":


Carolina Christmas
Ken Mosher, Tom Maxwell
Whats that up on the roof?
**
The snow is falling down
Up in some northern town
But a Carolina Christmas
Is still the best around
**
Wrap up your teddy bear
Hang your stockings up with care
It's a Carolina Christmas
We're chillin' in our underwear
**
Well Old St. Nick's got a bag of tricks
And he's comin' 'round after 'while
This must be his favorite haunt
'Cause we always do it up in style
**
Grandma's got the fiddle
And Grandpa's got the bass
When it's Christmas in Carolina
It's Christmas all over the place
**
Grandma's got the fiddle
And Grandpa's got the bass
When it's Christmas in Carolina
It's Christmas all over the place
***
Yes boy, get that stocking out of yer mouth
*

Monday, August 24, 2009

Muggy Manic Monday


Manic Monday questions time. Go here if you want to play along, too.

*What is the first thing you notice about people?

What they are wearing, as shallow as that sounds.

*What song always makes you happy when you hear it?


This was easy to answer:
"Happy" by Martin Sexton :-)

"..yeah, I'm happy,
like the first day of summer vacation..."


More Martin Sexton music on iLike
(So good, I linked to it twice...actually I did this by mistake, but like that there are two now)



*What fashion trend do you just not get?

Those enorormous shoulder bag-satchel-type things I see everywhere lately(in my local Marshalls' store, they have been trying to sell these in orange and acid green fake leather with giant rhinestone peace signs on them...see them there every time I go in--they don't seem to be moving. Maybe the trend is past?). Usually they have huge buckles on them, too. Not my thing at all...

Monday, June 22, 2009

Manic Monday with new computer(sort of)

Hard to believe I am even posting a new blog entry here today, considering that Saturday morning(when I went to turn on the computer to write about my evening with Jonathan Richman)I discovered our ailing home PC had finally bitten the dust. It wouldn't even turn on. Figured I would have to cease writing for some time until later in the summer...and was kind of okay with that. But, late Sunday afternoon, I discovered my action-oriented husband had found a used Dell for sale right up the road and had it installed and up and running. Somewhat. It has a few glitches and I don't feel quite comfortable with it yet. But I think if I get into a habit of not blogging on a regular basis, I'll most likely stop. So...must...keep...writing...blog.

A Manic Monday, therefore.
I haven't done one of these in a while. Usually my Monday is truly manic enough to not have any time to blog. But today was dull and easy-going. This spooky limbo of gloom and low pressure weather is part of the reason I feel so blah. Lack of sun and below 70*F temps for weeks on end has sucked some of the joy of living out of me, I'll tell ya.

Anyway, I am babbling (if fingers on a keypad can babble, that is..)
Here's my Manic Monday:

Do you usually wear perfume/cologne? If so, what's your current favorite?
I usually do try to spritz or splash on something nice smelling in the morning(or after a shower or before bed...)and my current favorite scent is L 'Eau de Monteil--a beautiful, soft floral that smells like carnation mixed with jasmine. Very nice for summer(not that it is remotely like summer here, with it being a third straight week of low pressure grey skies and rain and wind) and surprising to me as I don't usually think I am the type to like floral perfume--it always makes me think it is something that would give me a headache. And this one certainly does not do that. It makes me feel pretty and girlish and want to keep sniffing my wrist.

What's the last book you've read that you thought was really good? If you don't have one, what looks promising on your to-be-read list?
Northern Borders by Harold Frank Mosher. I felt I "knew" the characters in the book as I read it and would even dream about them. So real. So true. Just a great book from start to finish.

Fill in the blank: I wouldn't be caught dead _________wearing tie-dyed anything.

That's it for now. The computer froze up now a second time. I feel agitated by that and the second time, Blogger didn't save the photo and further text I had typed. Maybe tomorrow I'll have more patience and the right thought processes to write about Friday night at the Richman show.
For now, all I want to say is that I was shocked earlier this evening--SHOCKED--that Alex Trebek shaved off his moustache. When did that happen? Obviously, I haven't watched Jeopardy in some time. He seemed older and wearier and just-not-right, without the 'stache.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Ack!



I'm back.

I feel very behind in everything at this moment.
Work(a back load of jobs to write up from Friday that I could not even touch today because I was busy there, even having to stay late), e-mails, friends, my blog, reading other's blogs, my once-again weedy garden beds...phew!
And the only reason I had a blog up today (the Dali's birthday entry earlier) was that I wrote it a few weeks ago in advance and had it set to publish on this date. I forgot, actually, that I had done that, so was somewhat befuddled when I saw there were comments today!

Does anyone else do this?
Use certain words when writing, like in a blog here, that you would never use in speaking in your day-to-day life?!
I have never ever actually uttered the word "befuddled" aloud in my life, I am fairly sure. But, this is at least the second time that I typed that word here at my blog.
Now...that is somewhat befuddling, isn't it?

So...I will catch up. Hopefully tomorrow on my weekday off--although I have a ton of things to catch up on in the yard and in the house, maybe telling a little about my weekend in Maine ( a memorial service combined with a small family reunion) which was really great, in spite of the reason for going there was for the memorial(it was a unifying thing for my usually scattered, uncommunicative and dysfunctional family--so a good thing) and I am always happy in Maine.


But, now it's Monday and back to the reality of a full calendar, unexpected maddening glitches and situations at work and not enough hours in the day(and an empty refrigerator which means..back to the grocery store).
*************************************************************
** While I am at it, I might as well add a Manic Monday with this week's questions, courtesy of Fleur De Lisa:
How old were you when you learned to tie your shoes?
I have a pretty strong memory of learning to tie my shoes. I even remember the satisfied feeling I had when I was able to say I could do it, after practicing doing it, over and over.
I was five years old, tying my shoelaces and unlacing them, sitting on the bottom step of the staircase in our first house in Maine(which I walked past this weekend-it seems so tiny compared to what it was in my memory)
I also remember it was the morning that my mother was explaining to me and my sister that my grandfather(my father's father) had just died. I hardly knew him, having met him only a few times when I was a baby and have no actual memories of him. We just buried my grandmother's ashes in the plot next to him this weekend. My grandmother-his wife, I knew very well and will always have many memories of her. Too bad he died so young and I never got to know him. Instead, I will always connect learning to tie my shoes with the day I learned he died.
Have you ever snooped in somebody else's medicine cabinet?
Yes, I have. It has been a long time since I have done that, though. It used to happen when I was a young(and slightly wild) thing and at house parties go into the bathroom if I felt too drunk, to chill out a little by myself. While I was in there, in my loopy state, I sometimes looked inside the cabinet. I remember feeling impressed when I discovered things like expensive creams and cosmetics inside, like from Lancome, because I was a cheapie drugstore product gal(still am).
Who do you think you are?
A slightly befuddled (still trying to figure life out every day even at this age), snooping, blogging person who at least once learned how to tie her shoes.
(that question immediately made me think of the old Jean Knight song, "Mr. Big Stuff".
Mr. Big Stuff
Who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff
You're never gonna get my love...

Monday, March 30, 2009

Just another ...

Pink Peach Tree In Blossom, V.Van Gogh

..... Manic Monday:
Do you enjoy brain teasers or do you find them frustrating?
I am pretty lazy when it comes to that kind of thing--especially if it has anything to do with mathematics. My brain freezes right up. Trivia and literary and historical stuff, I usually know and I DO like doing crossword puzzles.

Do you have any unusual collections?
Probably my hedgehog collection. I also have a huge basket full of postcards--I have kept every one I have received since high school. I also collect bookmarks and have little piles of stones, pebbles and seashells throughout the house...


What do people notice about you within the first hour of meeting you (other than appearance)?
I have no idea. I am often afraid to think what people think of me...are my mannerisms annoying? Do I repeat certain phrases?

**It happens to be Vincent Van Gogh's birthday today. Said so on my calender and I found a good video paired with Jonathan Richman's Vincent Van Gogh("the baddest painter since Jan Vermeer..!")--perfect! So, here ya Gogh:


Monday, March 16, 2009

Heavenly Manic Monday

Some questions answered, from Manic Monday:

Are you a saver or spender?

Spend, baby, spend! (My other half is a saver, so don't worry too much)



Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes?

Barefoot or socks. I try to wear slippers but always lose them around the house .


Do you talk to yourself?

Mostly when I am angry at someone or myself.

*********************************
It's Patty Griffin's birthday today, so I thought I would post a little video of her singing one of my many favorite songs by her. More Patty songs here. Have a heavenly day, everyone!

Monday, March 9, 2009


i watch
The fat, wet snowflakes falling and coating the ground in white (yes, it was 60*F here just 24 hours ago and my daughter was walking around practically barefoot)

i need
to fold and sort laundry...soon.

i want
oh..lots of things! But I am going to restrain myself since I gave up any "extra curricular" shopping (meaning anything besides the necessities like food and toothpaste) for Lent.

i listen
Message of Love by the Pretenders on the radio ("oh it's good, good, good...like Brigitte Bardot!")

i feel
lighthearted in spite of the gloomy weather and bad atmosphere at work today

i play

"Find The Treat" with the dog. Today it was a fragrant chunk of Monterrey Jack cheese she had to sniff out--it was hidden on a window sill and it took her about two minutes to find it. One of these days I am going to have to tape her while she plays this game--she is so hilarious. We make her stay in a room behind a closed door while the hiding spot is chosen, and when she hears the "okay!" she comes bolting out of there down the hall and frantically sniffs every spot she can think of in the living area.

i read
re-reading Haven Kimmel's wonderful memoir of her growing up years in Mooreland, Indiana(population 300) in the 60's and 70's, "A Girl Named Zippy".

i eat
pita bread and hummus (ack! I wish the husband had bought plain hummus and not this olive flavored one, though)

Wait! There's more--a Manic Monday trio of questions, courtesy of Fleur De Lisa.


What would you do with an extra hour each day?

I would like to say I would be productive and creative and create art with that extra 60 minutes, but more truthfully--I would just like to sleep that one extra hour.

Do you wear a watch?

No, I don't. I have one but just don't care to wear it and have to remember to wear it. I have always gotten by without one and have developed a pretty good sense of what time it is without one. And with a clock in my car , on the computer, cell phone and surrounded by plenty of watch-wearing humans, I can usually know what time it is, anyway.

If it was possible, would you want to know how many days you had left to live?

That would be too much doom to deal with. I would rather not know. I know my life could end any moment, but would rather think I had some time. Besides, having a clock ticking down on my life's remaining hours would add stress and make life less enjoyable. Which makes me think of those "last request" dinners prisoners eat before an execution. I am sorry--if I knew I was going to be killed, I don't know that I could relish eating anything!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Oh gawd...today WAS a manic, frustrating Monday. And then I come home to having to hear the Grammy Awards Show(R taped it so she could watch it after school today) with Stevie Wonder (always great) singing "Superstition"(good idea) with the Jonas Brothers (bad idea). I have always hated the Grammies (not a fan of awards shows, in general). I shall shut the door now.

That's better. I just want some quiet.

Anyway, here I am back home and thought I would answer some Manic Monday questions.

What is your favorite candy?
I like Haribo Gummi Bears (not the clear "white" ones, though), those Boston Baked Beans candies and Goetz's caramels. * note: I differentiate candy from chocolate. Chocolate is in an entirely different (necessary) food category from candy


Name one thing that you'd want to receive as a gift for Valentine's day.

Beautiful weather up in Boston for walking around, please....
J and I are driving up there Saturday morning and spending the weekend.



Can we truly love someone who loves another ?

Yes, of course, but it is sadly wasted if it isn't returned..

Monday, February 2, 2009

A Mildly Manic Monday

Yesterday was a good day. I never returned to the drawing table, however.
It was nice to return to interacting with my family again, after having pretty much ignored them while I drew and painted on Saturday.
*I made R and J breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs, Montery Jack cheese, sauteed scallions).
*I took the dog for a l-o-n-g walk at the park, where we were the only ones there and she ran across the snowy fields, doing that happy sneezy thing she does.
*We strolled around Wickford, hanging over the bridge to see the ducks and swans that are always there, looking in the shops and shop windows and then had lunch there.
*The temps were incredibly warm--up to 48*F(9*C) and it was sunny out all day. You could actually feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Delicious.
*After we got back from Wickford, J had the great idea to mix up some (spicy!) Bloody Marys. Bloody Marys in the afternoon-they're not just for brunch anymore.
*I watched two back to back episodes of What Not To Wear with R and at one point, J even sat down with us and was watching and commenting on the clothes. If only his "Super Bowl- watching- buddies" could have seen him doing that!
*I did not watch the Super Bowl. I watched a travel show about Wales, instead (seriously want to go there now)
*I read in bed, finishing one of the best books I have read in a long time. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
Synopsis from the Barnes and Noble site

*Now, I want to travel to Guernsey, as well as Wales.....

Some Manic Monday questions and answers:

What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?
Kelly Clarkson's "Because Of You"

How much time do you spend each day in your commute?
10-15 minutes each way

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why? I would have to say ...this is hard to choose just one--hmmmmmm...
A certain pair of jeans. I always feel so good in them, they fit just right and they look good with higher heeled boots or flats or sneakers.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Manic Monday with White Stuff

I shouldn't be doing this even, since I have to get out and shovel/clean off the car--again! We had nice shoveled paths and completely clean cars after the snow ended yesterday afternoon, but I woke up to more snow(another five inches!). So, gotta do it again. And then, work.

So, right. Another Manic Monday.


What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are sick?
Curl up into the fetal position with a warm blanket.

What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?
A thunder and lightening storm a few summers ago. I was driving at night, down a wide empty highway with the whole sky visible in front and the jagged streaks of lightening and lit up sky was almost biblical in its awesomeness! I was partly frightened and partly mesmerized by what I saw as I drove. And just as we reached home and got out of the car, a huge clap of thunder seemed to erupt right over us(R and I) and it started raining down on us right then and there. Oh yeah-we screamed...and ran!

Do you listen to music or talk radio in the car?
Both. Mostly music, though. I have a little plug-into-my-lighter device so I can hear the songs on my MP3 player, or I listen to WMVY or the classical station(they play Mozart every morning around 9:00 and that is a calming way to get to work, listening to that. Forces me to slow down and not speed--ha..ha..).
But, there are times I listen to NPR talk radio in my car, too. Saturdays are good for that--love "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" and "Cah Tawk".

Okay....time to get my boots on.

Monday, January 5, 2009





Another somewhat Manic Monday:

Do you have any idiosyncrasies or unusual quirks when it comes to food and/or eating? If I am eating alone, I have to have something to read while I eat--even junk mail, will do. But I can't simply sit there and just chew.
Have you ever written love letters? Yes--to J, years before we married, though. He traveled and had a few jobs out of state for periods of time in the first year I knew him. This was way before most of us had access to e-mail and I am glad that we wrote snail mail back and forth.
If so, do you still have any of them? Yes, I have the letters--most of the correspondence from both of us because we ended up marrying (duh..) and he gave me the bundle of the letters I sent him a few years ago and I then dug out the letters and postcards he sent me, so we now have the complete set. ;-)

How easy or difficult is it for you to say you're sorry?
At work, if I make a mistake and it is clearly my fault or even partly my fault, I apologise right away. I feel so guilty and want to own up and correct it if I can.
However...in my relationship with J, I get a little stubborn and it takes me longer to come out and apologise. I don't know why that is. (typical power struggle?) If I have done something I feel I should apologise for with my daughter, I almost always make it a point to say I am sorry before she goes to sleep at night.

Monday, December 29, 2008

A (not so) Manic Monday


Starting off slowly and sluggishly this Monday morning, and am trying this Monday meme for the first time today. I found it here.

What is the biggest mistake you made in 2008 and will not make again in 2009?
Eating at any chain restaurant such as Chili's, Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's, T.G.I.F.'s . They are one and the same, really. Same interior, same menu(giant glossy photos, way too many pages), same sucky food.
I swear, the stuff all comes out of a box frozen and gets popped into a microwave back in the "kitchen". We ate at Chili's last night. Somehow, I knew I was going to have some kind of indigestion afterwards. J had a gift card from my parent's (a birthday gift) and we thought we would use it after the movies(we saw Doubt--go SEE it!) since we were up near there(the region of this small state where all the big box stores and chain restaurants are). I knew not to expect anything tremendous and knew to stay away from anything on the menu with the word "crisper" in it(which essentially means extra deep fried breaded chicken), so ordered a hamburger and fries--hadn't had one in a l-o-n-g time. It was good--tasted like a hamburger and fries should and I ate almost all of it. Then, of course, I woke up last night with an upset stomach and even now, I still don't feel quite right. I am sure the Margarita I drank didn't help. Live and learn. I will not set foot in one of those places this year, even if there is a gift card.

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Why or why not?
Sometimes I do. Some years I didn't bother. Last year, I did say I was going to cut out sugar from my diet. Of course, by mid summer, I had forgotten about that, but I did become aware of how much sugar (and evil high fructose corn syrup) is in some foods and did naturally cut down and don't have as much of a craving for sweet foods anymore. I have not even thought of, yet, what my resolution for 2009 might be. Maybe I'll get back on the no/less sugar wagon again. I think, also, that I will stay away from beef(ground, in particular--should not have eaten that Chili's burger). I don't ever eat it at home, but I know now I will not order it in a restaurant, either.

Who do you nominate as “Man or Woman of the Year” for 2008?

Barack Obama, of course!

What was your greatest accomplishment in 2008?
Keeping my cool, always, at work, despite some antagonising and trying moments because of certain co-workers (and certain customers).