Ancient Chinese Art of Yaw Ning

Of course, there's no sound and it's only 16 seconds long, but I've made a video and uploaded it! Sadly, the perfect sound effect I found was not in my budget. But this experience gives me ideas...

Whee! something new and off the beaten track.

The Legend of Chat Noir

'Round these parts some folks tell a story of a wily black scamp named Chat Noir. 'At Chat Noir, he'd left a string of broken hearts all over, never bein' gentleman enough to hang around the next day.

The sheriff and his deputy had their fill of Chat Noir and always being too late to catch him as he slipped out a window, over a fence, under a branch...always one step ahead of th' law.

The Sheriff set his mind on buildin' a wall around the town to protect the wimmin-folk. Folks agreed Something Had to Be Done. Too many folks were losin' sleep listenin' to all that wailin' of a night.

So the town built the wall and charged the Sheriff and the Deputy to patrol it and keep them safe from Chat Noir.

Howdy, folks. I'm the Sheriff of Golden.

'Scuse me, I smell somethin'. Depiddy, you smell anything? You know we've got to keep the wimmin-folk and chirren safe...

Yep, I do, Sheriff. And I've told you time and again, it's 2009 - stop sayin' wimmin folk like you were in some border town out west.


It's him, Chat Noir. That blackguard! What nerve to show his face here!

I see him - put your heart in it Depiddy...BARK! An' I'll run the fenceline. We'll let Chat Noir know we don't need his kind around these parts.

Sheriff, I think he's gone.

All in a day's work, folks. Nothin to see here anymore, move along now. Town's safe.

Moon Shot

This is the photo I wanted to take tonight on the way home when I saw a big fat orange moon rising over Ponce de Leon on my way to pick up the Golden Ones.

Only, the traffic lights were in the way.


Traffic kept moving. And...

I didn't have my camera.

But it did look very much like this. If by this that means no traffic lights, street lights, neon signs and head/tail lights.

And if I'd had my camera.

Breaking News...This Just In:

Glitteratti Party Pups Cotton and Gus usher in New Year 2009 in style...

In related news, Glitterati Pups' owner relegated to sofa on New Year's Eve...Pups declare "meh, owner, schmowner...it's our bed".

Happy New Year, Ya'll!

Be sure to have some black eyed peas and hog jowl to ensure health and prosperity in 2009. This is what my great aunt Nadine always used to insist on...and she did live to a ripe old age.

Taking Stock

I don't know why, but I'm drawn to these lists. So for once, I'm playing along.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

So, I could check of 38 of these. Some of these I don't care if I ever do. But the travel related ones, yes, I would like to do many of those.

But, hey - I'm not getting credit for some things I have done, like these:

101. Been chased by a snake
102. Eaten rattlesnake, turtle and squirrel
103. Eaten scrambled eggs and pigs brains (not sure why my grandmother thought this was a good idea)
104. Been burned on both legs by the muffler of the speeding motorcycle in # 78 (different times, indicates doesn't learn from experience)
105. Been thrown off a horse in my grandfather's pasture, landed on a rock and couldn't breathe for eons (wasn't supposed to be on said horse...)
106. Fed peroxide to a dog to get him to upchuck the latex hamburger he just ate
107. Swept leaves off the carport roof
108. Picked up pecans for money
109. Met best friend at age 7
110. Used sunglasses to win at Spades (on a church trip, no less)
111. Seen the original cast of The Producers on Broadway
112. Seen a shark from the safety (?) of my float (in the gulf)
113. Canned strawberry preserves
114. Took apart something to see how it worked
115. Failed to get #114 put back together so threw the whole thing away and bought a new one

How about you? What have you done that's not on the list?

Belly

What does this have to do with anything, you ask? Nothing. I'm just touching down between Christmas visits...off on a day trip tomorrow to visit family and I think I'll be fasting. How about you? Full to the gills with Egg Nog and Whoville Roast Beast and Great Aunt Velma's casserole and Red Velvet Cake? What's always at your Christmas feast?

The Bridge Tour

Last Friday night was monthly bridge night. My turn to host. I was ready. One of us came down with a bad cold and wanted nothing more to go home and hibernate. That left 3 of us to eat yummy snacks and drink wine.

Then I suggested a light tour.

We started with the major display I pass every night during the holidays when I pick up the most spoiled dogs in the world from doggie day care. It is synched to a radio broadcasted set of holiday songs. This doesn't do it justice as some of the items aren't lit yet.


Next we visited this place. Look familiar? Look harder. No? Okay, click here (and scroll down a bit) and then come back. Yep, presto change-o: converto-decor. What do you think? Notice the nativity on the porch (it's in a papa san chair).

I've never really noticed before, but I've decided I'm not a fan of the candy canes.

Below is my favorite house - it's a couple of neighborhoods over from mine.

I liked this one too. I think it's charming and not overdone.

Careful - this one always gets me when I drive by. I was happy to see the intensity of the blue translated to the photo. If you look at it too long it's sort of mesmerizing. Not good when you are driving by. These lights always go up Thanksgiving night.

Lovelovelove this place. It looks good undecorated, too. (this is a merged photo because it didn't fit in the frame, hence the funny top left corner).

Another merged one: the teeter totter just didn't fit.

Hope you enjoyed the Bridge Tour highlights. I know my passengers did. Right until they drained their wineglasses.

Then they became surly and complained about the chauffer.

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

To save you some time, I made this list at a photo store online. Consider this list a suggestion as I have not been good all year but have been good most of it. You will note I have not asked for anything in several years, so I hope you will average the cost of these items with the no request years, and find it's in your budget, cause it's surely not in mine.

Molly's Wish list
Print Page >>
WishList Name: Molly's list
Items in List: 4
WishList Type: Public

Canon
Price $ 1,099.95
EOS 50D SLR Digital Camera (Camera Body)
• 15.1 Megapixel
• 6.3 fps Continuous Shooting
• Uses Canon EF & EF-S Lenses
• 3.0" Clear View VGA LCD
• Live View Mode
• Integrated Cleaning System
• ISO 3200 - Expandable to 12800
• 9-point Wide-area AF
• Face Detection Live AF
• HDMI Output
MFR# 2807B006 • B&H# CAE50D
Availability: In Stock
Qty wished. 1
Qty received: 0
Note: The instructor said "have two cameras".
Priority: 2 Thinking about it.


Canon
Price $ 2,699.95
EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera (Camera Body)
• 21.1 Megapixel Full-Frame Sensor
• 3.0" High Resolution LCD Display
• Live View Mode
• 1080p Movie Mode
• Dust & Weather-Resistant
• Self Cleaning Sensor
• Broad ISO Range (50-25600)
• 3.9 fps Burst Mode
MFR# 2764B003 • B&H# CAE5D2
Important Notice!

This item is currently not available. Estimated arrival at B&H 2-4 weeks.
Availability: Back-ordered
Qty wished. 1
Qty received: 0
Note: Daydreaming about it is more like it.
Priority: 2 Thinking about it.


Canon USA
Price $ 319.95
Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens
MFR# 2515A003 • B&H# CA5014EF
Availability: In Stock
Qty wished. 1
Qty received: 0
Note: Bought the nifty fifty, but just in case...
Priority: 2 Thinking about it.


Canon USA
Price $ 1,059.00
Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Autofocus Lens
MFR# 8014A002 • B&H# CA247028LEF
Availability: In Stock
Qty wished. 1
Qty received: 0
Note: This'll do everything. See photo below for picture of lens.
Priority: 1 I need this.

Finally, Santa, if you are having challenges with your budget this year, I urge you to read my recent post entitled MollyMath for how to evaluate the purchase price of a camera lens. Many people have advised it helped them, and can be applied to evaluating other purchases.

Your pal,

Molly

P.S. And let's keep that time I pulled my brother's hair so hard it raised a knot on his head just between us. After all, it only happened the once and it was a long time ago.

Official Spokesdog

Hey. It's me, Gus.

You probably can't tell because that new lens cuts off parts of my snout. I figure a few more days, and Molly's gonna get the hang of it. Huh? Cotton says that maybe the framing of that photo was deliberate and I should quit talking about things I don't know about.

Cotton's such a goodie four paws.

Cotton and I are taking care of the blog today, because Molly is cooking. No, I mean really cooking. Not that heat and add salad stuff. Real cooking, as in 5 lbs of potatoes, and these white things she called turnips and peas cooked the old fashioned way (with bacon drippings) and there's gonna be some bacon in something she's doing tomorrow because I smelled it. And there's gonna be roast fowl. Yum. Not that we've gotten any of it.

Yet. bwahahahaha...hush up Cotton, you're such a ninny.

And all that cooking means the siblings are coming. And when the siblings show up, all those kids turn up and Cotton and I nearly throw out our backs wagging. And jumping. And wagging. Oh, and licking.

Cotton and I love when company comes. All those people to shed on is a lot of fun. And the kids drop food. Need I say more?

Anyway, Molly saw this today when she was out buying our dog food. She said it would be good to put in the blog and I should talk about it. Meh, boring is what this is.

What now? Oh. Cotton says that the gold thing must be a big harvest moon but that Molly first thought it was the Great Pumpkin.

Well, that's about it for me, folks.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wait for me, I got dibs on the foot of the bed!

War on Clutter

For Bush, it was the war on terror.

For GHW Bush, it was the Gulf War.

Reagan stared down the Soviet Union.

Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon each faced the Vietnam War.

Honest Abe presided over what is still called in these parts The War of Northern Agression but the history books call The Civil War or more benignly, The War Between the States.

For Molly, it's the War on Clutter. And Molly has won a battle, as evidenced below. You can see the battlefield in its former state here.



As with every war, there are refugees, those misfortunates who are displaced by the battle.

They are expecting packages from the Red Cross any day now.

The Strike

I got an answer!!!! The scales have been removed from my eyes!!! All has been made clear!!

I've overused the exclamation point!!!

Read this from that great American, a high school teacher in Tampa Bay, FSU fan and all round nice guy, Fred:

Here's how you do it.

Before the word, use the word strike surrounded by <>.

After the word, use /strike surrounded by <>.

I had to do it this way, otherwise my comment thinks I'm using a HTML tag that isn't allowed.

Enjoy.

Looky here, folks:

Hey diddle, diddle
The cat and the fiddle
The kowcow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed
To see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Thanks Fred!!!

And how many of you knew that Mother Goose nursery rhymes were written as political commentary?

A Cry for Help

Here's the sitch. It's quarter end. It's 2009 budget time. It's board meeting time. Could there be a more unfortunate confluence of events?


Wait. Don't answer that. I don't need to know.



It's like an oncoming train in all five directions: north, south, east, west and head on.

And every year I manage to forget it's like this so I crash headfirst into the high speed chase that is the third quarter of the year.


They tell me the nature of annual tasks is that they happen every year. They also tell me that Elvis is alive and eating pb and banana sandwiches somewhere and that Sasquatch was sighted just last week. And I've lost my train of thought and it was going somewhere good, I promise.


Budgets = every year. Doesn't that just give you the willies reading it?



And, hello, every year? Could we entertain alternatives?



It's times like these that reading blogs provides a brief but welcome respite from the black hole that is all of the above. All of you sharing your creativity, humor, photos, reminiscences, positive spirit, recipes, and you tube snippets, you are the rock to which I turn for a break from the fever pitch.


And so it is because I am so consumed by my duties as I have rationally and calmly described them above that I choose to focus on a question that has been plaguing me for some time: the line through.



How in the world do you bloggers do it? I have googled. I have actually used the Blogger Help. I have looked High, and I have looked Low. I thought I had it but it didn't work. That's because it was underline. Of course, I haven't actually asked anyone how yet.



Today, that all ends.




Today is the day I will cry out for help.




Today is the first day of the rest of my life. True, but wrong post.




For any of you who know how to type a word with a line through it and have it show up in your blog that way, I salute you.




Please share how you do it. I crave your instruction. I am here, ready to learn.




Please help me.




Otherwise, I'll have to focus on my work.

What does your Halloween Decorating Tell People?

Did you know Halloween decoration can tell you a lot about your neighbors? it's a little like body language for houses...

1 - Wall Flower wants to participate without drawing undue attention


2 - Traditional seasonal without committing to mischief or mayhem.

3 - Separation Issues Keep your family close...

4 - Gone Postal

5 - Dizzy. Is this football or Halloween?

6 - Arachnophobic

7 - Shakespearean: Arachnophobia does Romeo and Juliet, complete with Greek Chorus

8 - Failure to Commit Rats, witch, spider, pumpkins...well, which is it?

Now, go out and look around your neighborhood and see what you can learn about your neighbors!

Two Words

I never knew I'd say: Monkey Joe's. It is a place where you run around in sock feet and climb inflatable obstacles in order to slip slide down the other side.

What goes up...

must come down.

Littles wear a big grin pasted on their faces because they can now manage the big slides.

The kids were having so much fun, the other kids couldn't resist.

Except me. That's right. Willpower, baby.

little grey cells

I thought of something good to blog about today. Wanna know what it was?


Me too.


Bridgette sent me an email today with the Japanese Brain Test. Hmmph.


And then in the eeeNORmous pile of mail I brought in tonight, because I forgot last night and the night before, was a newsletter from a personal trainer who is eternally optimistic I will return. Anyway, it informed me I couldn't remember anything because my brain was shrinking by 1% or so a day. Certainly the cure is to come workout with him. Do you think his prices have shrunk? Maybe he thinks I will forget how expensive he is. Was. Whatever.

Then I googled failing memory and it was even results between laptop and memory stick issues and dementia or alzheimers. If only I could replace the card in slot 2.

Anyone know who always referred to their "little grey cells"? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?


What was I saying? Oh. About my brain. It doesn't feel smaller.


There's no rattling.


Yet.

Birthday Girl wears more than Birthday Suit

Atlanta, GA...Paul's Restaurant was the setting Wednesday night for an intimate surprise 60th birthday party for Cynthia "Cindy" W, originally of Dunedin, FL. Cindy's sister Pam N, just in from Ocala, FL, hosted the lavish affair for close family and friends.

Paul's is owned by chef Paul, formerly of Pano's and Paul's and is a favorite of the who's that? crowd and located just off trendy off off off Peachtree Street.

The honoree was escorted to the exclusive event by her nephew, David N, (yes, that David N) who managed to keep the secret right into the room as the matre d' lead them to a table in the room where the 25 to 30 well wishers waited, clutching their adult beverages.

It wasn't until a hearty "surprise!" that a very surprised Cindy managed to put it all together. While numerous requests for the exclusive guest list were denied to protect the recently released, this reporter was able to confirm that the never before heard of photographer to the masses, Molly, recorded the event.

Fall centerpieces graced the center of each table, where Godiva party favors trimmed in black ribbon with "Cindy's 60th Birthday, October 8, 2008" in gold letters awaited each guest.

The birthday girl wore more than just her birthday suit - a red, black and white top with splashes of green and periwinkle over black slacks set off sparkling eyes and a big smile. Party goers weren't sure if the smile was for all the guests or for current man about town, J , who had turned up for the event.

An open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres preceded a delicious buffet of roast beef, crab cakes, pasta, grilled mediterranean vegetables and stuffed new potatoes. After the birthday girl good naturedly endured a gentle roast by colleagues, and the hostest with the mostest raised a toast to the honoree, guests were treated to a two layer chocolate cake adorned with candles and sparklers as well as chocolate fondue with fruit. One young guest observed "I thought the icing would melt with all those candles on it". It only took about 5 minutes to get all the 60 candles out. A paramedic among the guests was able to administer oxygen when Cindy grew lightheaded following huffing and puffing out the blaze. More than one guest was heard to mumble "I'm surprised there weren't more fire extinguishers handy".

Hugs, laughter and memories were the order of the day. A good time was had by all.

I don't like to think

Now, I've never been a big dream person, mostly because I never really recall them. Every few years I have the snake dream, where I relive in my sleep the snake that chased me when I was 7 or 8 when I stepped off the deck at our cabin. The grown ups yelling "RUN" and my dad and grandad beating the ground behind me with their fishing rods. I never much had any use for snakes after that, except as handbags and belts.

And there's once or twice dreaming I never finished all my college courses and am a fraud, soon to be found out. This was improved on by dreaming a variation on that theme: that the biology lab I was late to that one time as a sophomore I really didn't get credit for, and the school called to tell me my degree was invalid and they only just figured it out (10 years later).

Then there's the one where I would look in the mirror and my teeth would fall out one by one in a perfect arc into the sink. Pedestal sink. With an antique mirror above it. This was sufficiently disturbing enough that when I had it for the 3rd time I looked this one up. It meant I had something to say that I was keeping bottled up - the teeth falling out symbolized expressing myself - although in my family it could have just meant periodontic disease.

Oh and there was the one about falling. Call me crazy, but I kind of liked that one.

And now this.

Two weeks ago I awoke and recalled a most bizarre dream. It went something like this:

Someone gave me a baby. As in, "here, would you like one? That's good then, off you go." Yes, I said a newborn, infant, dependent, helpless baby.

I left the baby everywhere. In the cold. Outdoors. I vaguely recall going outside and on all fours looking inside a large metal box and retrieving said baby from the box. Where I left it. Of course, I didn't dream the actual leaving of, only the retrieving and knowing I left it.

I forgot to feed the baby.

All the while, I was traveling to who knows where by a wagon drawn by horses. I recognized the road I was on, it was the road from my hometown to the state capital, at the point where the road curves to the right and then goes up and down several small hills and the state troopers can wait out of site on the road that runs between the northbound 2 lanes and the southbound 2 lanes.

Traveling by wagon, drawn by horses, on the road to the state capital, in the moonlight. With a newborn. In the cold.

At the end of the dream (day?) I ended up sitting on a sofa in front of the fire, and someone came in from outdoors with a small bundle and said, "you left this outside".

Where did this come from?

I don't like to think.

Weekend Wordle

Courtesy of http://wordle.net/

Unrequited Golden

...Gus wished that she would notice he had feelings, and not just treat him like a towel rack...{sigh}