BackPost 7/26-30/08: A few days at the shore

After the craziness of the workshop I attended (and a lot of other things, too), it was time for a little R&R. We spent the weekend - plus a few more days - down at the shore, and it was WONDERFUL.

On the rainy Saturday, we went bowling, and experienced four power outages while there! Lucky for us, though, the guy in charge was hanging out near us and he was persuaded to take us on a tour of the pin setting area! SO COOL! (Pictures)

Bowling with my "Male Harem" :)

Matt and I also went to Jenkinson's for a bit one day - to play skeeball and eat boardwalk foods, not burn in the sun!

TurtleDuck loves the ocean!

On the last day of our trip, we got up super early to see the sunrise at the beach - something I've wanted to do for a long time. It was hard to get up so early, and was cloudy and hazy, but still beautiful. Well worth it, and something I'll do again!

The calm before the craziness of a hot summer day!

It was a fun time, and I hope I'll get back again once before the summer is over. The ocean calls to me! (more pictures)

BackPost 7/23/08: Marisa & Eric & Monster Golf!

Our friends Marisa and Eric are getting married... tomorrow. We'll be there to celebrate their big day, but we were able to get together more casually before the big day.

We met up for some lunch at California Pizza Kitchen and then planned to head to Monster Golf. Unfortunately, Eric had to go to work, so he could only stay for lunch. But Marisa came with us to play! It was a lot of fun... the vibe is cool and I like the black light concept. Fun times!

Pictures from the wedding will come later... :)

Pictures from the day are here.

BackPost 7/19/08: The Woods come and visit!

The organizational prowess of Rebecca Wood descended on my pathetic room and whipped it into shape before my very eyes! I had a lot of organizational issues and it had completely gotten the better of me, so my sweet friend gave this to me as a birthday present! She is able to work wonders, let me tell you! It was amazing to get to spend some time with her, too - I miss her a lot! We meant to take a "before" and "after" picture of the room, but it didn't happen. It looks wonderful, though - and so much more peaceful! :)

In the evening, we all met together for dinner - Becky, Peter, Catherine, Matt and myself. Fun times, even with a two-year-old who had a VERY long day! She is so curious, and was fascinated by the flashlight on my keyring, leading for a light show!

A future pianist?

Pictures are here.

BackPost 7/12/08: Jenny Leaves Again!

My dear friend Jenny came back to the US to live/work while her husband, Will, was on his third tour with the Army. We had some good times and many cups of coffee... an addiction for both of us!
His tour is just about over (thank God!) and she had to go back to Italy... but before she went, we wanted to hang out one last time, at Cafe Archetypus. Such fun! I'll miss her a lot!

UPDATE: Jenny Will are coming back for a quick visit once Will gets home.... hurray! I'll get to see her at the end of August!

Pictures are here.

A childhood fantasy come true!

I know, I have lots to post about and I've been very lax in actually getting it out there into the great beyond. But I have to share what I did today, as I was exceptionally excited.

I went to Annie's house!


Matt took me to Monmouth University, to see the building used for both interiors and exteriors of Oliver Warbuck's house. Woodrow Wilson Hall, as it is known, has just begun a restoration process, but it is just as I expected it to be! I walked into the great hall and was about five again, believing that I was Annie. (Which had been much to the frustration of my parents... I refused to be called anything other than Annie, if you please!) It was such fun to see it for real!

We wandered all over and took pictures and poked in and out of rooms. While there, I texted my dear friend Marisa, who actually went to school there, and she clued me in to a few key locations... which we snuck into. :)

We also poked around the library, which is apparently haunted! It was exceptionally hot today, but this was such a fun surprise adventure. Yay!
(Pictures are to follow, I promise. I took a lot.)

Thoughts in my brain...

Tiredness, frustration, disgust, fear, anxiety, self loathing.

There is always time for shoes...

...even when you're supposed to be doing schoolwork. ;)

These are my new sandals... they are Birki's Tahiti Paisley Rose. My first pair of Birkenstocks ever. They came home with me from the Windmill in upstate New York. Yay.

Still here.

Hey. Still here. Just taking a graduate class every day for two weeks. It's good and I am enjoying it - Music and Storytelling in the morning and Theatre/Playwriting in the afternoon. Intense sessions and then journaling and fear of the end when all work gets sent away for grading.

I'm around. You can call me or email me and whatever. I am still (somewhat) social. But I'm busy.

There's been a lot to post about and I had wanted to start a project, but it isn't the right time for that... although the overachiever in me wants it all to somehow fit in.

So things like this will have to wait until there's time.

Talk to you soon...

BBQ Family Fun!

On June 1st, we went to a family barbecue at my sister's house. We hadn't seen anyone in a while, so it was good to see everyone and catch up. I had a chance to take a few pictures, especially of the youngest ones. It's not comprehensive, by any means, but several pics in the album were taken by my niece, Kaela. Enjoy!

BBQ at the Donovan's

POTD

Mmmmmm.... Garbage is tasty. Yum Yum Yum.

PS: I know I have a lot to post about, but there is so much going on with the end-of-the-year stuff. I will post a lot of stuff (a lot of pictures!) soon. Stay tuned!

Meh

I am feeling very.... Meh. And I should really go to bed. This weekend will be a busy one, and HOT and HUMID too. I'm not a fan of that. Maybe sleep will improve my mood.

Meh.

Potato-tastic!

I just learned tonight that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato. I suppose I am more in awe of this unusual food item. I read about it first on WikiHow, then I looked briefly at their own website.
It's making me want some Pommes Frites. Mmmmm.....

Yum Yum Yum....

My friend Chris gave me this recipe. She's made it several times for different barbecues and the like, and I finally got to try the recipe myself. I'll be bringing it to my sister's house for a family get-together tomorrow.
It's a Weight Watchers recipe, but everyone will like it - it doesn't taste low-fat. :)


COLD SESAME NOODLES

6 ounces chow mein noodles or spaghetti (I used lo mein noodles)
1/3 cup reduced fat smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian (dark) sesame oil
2 scallions, chopped


1. Cook the noodles/spaghetti according to the package instructions; drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, water, ketchup, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and oil. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until well mixed. Remove from heat and cool about 10 minues.

3. Toss noodles with the sauce, sprinkle with scallions and serve. (I would refrigerate it first to let it cool and meld, but that's me... it's also excellent the next day.)

Makes 8 Servings (For midgets, as Chris says!)
Points value of 4 for a 1/3 cup serving.

A trainwreck.... er, boatwreck.

My mom showed me this gem. Enjoy.

Previous Post....

Can you see the picture in the post below? Please let me know if you can or can't by leaving a comment. Thanks!

POTD

I saw this the other day at the supermarket. It made me smile. (Sent via Sprint Phone)

Prom Queen?

We enjoyed the prom on Friday. It was loud and crazy with kids dancing up a storm. We were going to do the traditional prom thing and head to the shore, but it didn't quite work out, which ended up being fine. If you're interested in pictures they are in my online album along with the few pictures I took on our anniversary when we went to the opening night of the NJ Shakespeare Theatre's production of Comedy of Errors. (It was excellent, and a great surprise from my sweetheart!)

A Blast From My Past... two POTDs!

In my enthusiasm for the upcoming prom, I was looking through old pictures of mine and came across the pictures from the two dances I attended in high school. Let me tell you, it was good for a laugh! The first, with me in the "eggplant" colored dress, is the Holiday Ball my senior year - December 1996. I went with my friend Dante, and we had a fun time.

The second, with me in a "Cinderella blue" dress, was my Senior Prom - June 13, 1997. Friday the 13th. There was a lot of drama of many varieties and pouring rain, but it was still fun and I celebrated my 18th birthday as the prom ended. I attended with my friend Raab, shown here with a cane.... as a prop. But it was funny when we entered the crowded hallway at the hotel - he didn't go to our school, so people didn't know if the cane was real or not. People all cleared out of the way! HA!

I recently bumped into Raab at "free cone night" at Ben & Jerry's, of all places. We haden't seen each other in years! Small world, no?

Enjoy a laugh at my expense. I did!

A Vacation Walk

Whilst here at the shore, enjoying some alone-time, I decided to take a walk to the water yesterday. It's not far, and was nice to get out and enjoy some nice weather. Here are some photos from my journey.....

The album is here if you're interested in seeing the captions.

POTD

It's been a while since there's been a POTD. This one was taken with my phone (my newest camera!) at Ikea a few weeks ago. I will leave off any comments about it at the moment. :) Enjoy!