Eleusis Kore

Wahooo!

2009-03-03T22:54:00.003-05:00

Alright, I'll admit, it's been a long time since my last post. Too long, in fact. I've been working two jobs, fighting power outages, traveling to florida, swimming with dolphins, writing a play, watching/yelling at Legend of the Seeker, seeing MCMD occasionally between rotations, and rehearsing for a show, updating the blog has fallen by the wayside. For the loyal 3 of you that still check it out, thanks for hanging in there. Your patience shall be rewarded.

So, how cool is this....that show I said I was working on....it's Gypsy, and we open Friday, March 20th and run that Saturday night and Sunday matinee and Fri, Sat, Sunday matinee the next week.

Gypsy is based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the most famous burlesque performer. The story also features Gypsy's mother, Madam Rose, who is the epitome of the horrid show-biz mom. There is great music, fantastic characters, and wonderful costumes. And the really cool part...I get to play Gypsy!! It's a role that has light and dark (which as you all know from my blog name, I'm pretty into) she transforms from this shrinking violet, pushed into the background, self-concious girl into a bold, confident, witty, strong woman. And the really, really cool part is that I get to play opposite someone I admire so much, who has been my mentor in theater and a million other ways over the years. And even though she plays my mean mother in the show, and tells her daughter that she has "no talent," she has been such a wonderful support to me and I'm thrilled to be her "little lamb." So, if you want more info on getting tickets to the show, check out www.lcct.org

So, for now I'm hangin' out at the theater, working hard at the high school, hoping to pick up an extra day at the private school, and trying to find time with the husband. Oh, and that dolphin story I mentioned.....I'll save that for another day..... ;)

2008-11-03T22:27:00.002-05:00

This has been such a busy October. We've been to a UMaine homecoming (and got to play on the 50 yard line with the band) and got to visit both family and friends. My class at adult ed. finished up, and things with my middle schoolers have heated up as they tackle a musical. And yeay for Halloween! We had a wonderful time with friends at our annual Halloween party...food, fun, and a freaky movie, "Cloverfield." I can't believe how fast time has flown, it'll soon be time for the holidays and trips to sunny Florida. That's assuming I get through tomorrow first. I can't wait for the frickin' political ads to be over! I've already told my husband that the next person who asks if I know what tomorrow is, is going to get the stock response: "I'm aware, now F*%$ off!" And those stupid signs and annoying ads better be gone after tomorrow. I am running out of patience. I'll be sure to update later this week, if I haven't torn my hair out, or someone elses', and been locked up for it.

Rage much?

2008-10-02T19:42:00.002-04:00

Okay. I realize I have some issues I have to deal with...I hear my husband's voice in my head trying to soothe me with "don't drive angry, don't drive angry," but things are getting riddiculous! I'm going to loose my mind just trying to get to work. I'm not saying you need to drive like a bat outta hell, but come on...at least drive the speed limit. Or, if you can't for some reason (like extreme old age, rusty car, or because you are hauling some kind of cargo, little humans or otherwise) than at least do what many Europeans do...pull the f*#@ over and let the rest of us pass. I used to think that tourists were the worst...driving 5 miles an hour to look at the pretty water and mountains, and oh look honey, a tree, how quaint! But now, ARGH, save me from middle-aged Mainers in pick-up trucks...on their way to a job, and so they'll drive poking along to rack up the clock and do less work! C'mon people, move along, some of us have places to go! And while I realize that people now-a-days (God, I sound like a little old man! "In my day we had to walk uphill to school both ways, in the snow") are not considerate; they think only of themselves and don't care about their fellow commuters, I think it's being taken a bit too far...I was stopped behind someone in the middle of the road for several minutes while the guy yelled to someone standing out in front of their house. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD dude! If you're lost, pull off to the side, get directions, but don't stop traffic and take up so much space that no one can move around you! Between idiots hugging the white line to make a left turn, making turns like a 90 year old woman walks down supermarket aisles, driving 2 miles an hour--or 95, and friggin' tourists cruising around thinking they own the place, and the unfortunate locals who should take drivers' ed for the third time....I think I'd better invent the teleporter so I can cut out my half-hour commute. Come to think of it...that would solve my gas prices issue as well.....

The Working Girl

2008-08-27T21:14:00.003-04:00

So, as the summer winds down, so do my responsiblities for the trolley. (Thank god! My patience for tourists is almost gone) Therefore, I must find new employment. My job at Adult Ed. is resuming, which I'm excited about, but it's only part time and I need to find something to go with it.

Enter my fantastic news:

One of the private schools in the area was advertising for a drama teacher. I am thrilled to say that I was offered the job, and accepted! I'm going to be a drama teacher!! I'll be working with kids ages 4-14 and since the program is new this year, I can shape it any way I want! I am so excited to be able to combine my hobby with a paycheck. Their theater space is brand new and quite beautiful...complete with practice rooms, backstage area, and storage for props/sets. Plus, they were given a gift of lights last Christmas. Nice lights. I can't wait to start doing all kinds of fun activities with the kids--monologues, character development, improv games, backstage etiquette, the list goes on and on....

I never thought I'd be so excited to go back to school!

I love Guys and Dolls!!!!

2008-08-16T23:00:00.004-04:00

What a fantastic experience! I can't believe it took me so long to get back into community theater...I have been happier in the past few months than I have the past few years. I was getting excited about the show as we got closer and closer to opening night, but as soon as I heard that overture, and the hush backstage, and the click click of the curtain sliding across the stage, I felt transformed. All I could think was "there is no place I'd rather be." It was this amazing enlightenment. I've always been a fan of movies, books, any imaginary world that I could immerse myself into and theater is the way to bring that to my ordinary little life. I can't get enough...Dancing with the Stars, romance novels, singing full blast to the radio in the car (or while washing dishes), watching old black and white movies featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers...I crave all of it and getting back into theater is the perfect outlet for my insanity (otherwise my husband may end up shipping me off to the sanitarium!).

Guys and Dolls went really well. We got standing ovations each night, and almost sold out each night, including the unheard of mid-week shows. Plus, we sold out a Sunday matinee! That's making community theater history....record-breaking! The audience said they loved it, the news critics said they loved it, and everyone involved in the cast had a wonderful time...both onstage and off. I gained many new friends, including a long lost sister ;) and a great co-star. Sky and Sarah certainly had chemistry (and a fondness for airports :D which still makes me laugh). Plus, to be back with Nan again, singing "Marry the Man" was pure awesomeness! I can't wait for the next production to come along. I don't even care what it will be, I know I'll be involved. Now there's just that pesky problem of my night job....

Early Reviews are in....

2008-07-31T13:22:00.002-04:00

And they like it! "Guys and Dolls is Brilliant!" And tickets are flying outta here so if you want to see the show, you had better call now. The show is really coming together: energy is great, characters fantastic and the music is wonderful! See you all there! :)

2008-07-23T15:55:00.002-04:00

Yeay for Guys and Dolls! The show is really coming together and we have such a great cast. The amazing Nancy Durgin as Miss Adelaide! The wonderful Don Carrigan as Nathan Detroit! The charming Jamie Merrifield as Sky Masterson! And Directed by the fabulous Ellie Hinds! The ensemble is hillarious! You don't want to miss this show. Tickets are on sale now and are flying out the door. I'm so excited to be a part of such a fun show. The songs from Guys and Dolls are some of my favorites and the stylized dialogue is just great. You gotta love Big Julie, Harry the Horse, Nicely Nicely Johnson, and Benny "The Bookie" Southstreet. And you can also come see me, Miss Sarah Brown. :)

2008-07-12T15:47:00.002-04:00

So, I have a summer job. I'm a trolley tour guide for one of the seaside towns in the Midcoast. All I have to do is smile and point to things and give tourist directions. I enjoy meeting new people and I'm outside getting fresh air. But, it never ceases to amaze me how stupid people are. I had one lady ask me with the advent of fleece, if we still wore our big fisherman sweaters, and where could she get one? I told her we buy from L.L. Bean, just like everyone else. She then wanted to know how to get to a place about 15 minutes north of us and when I told her she said: "Oh, so we are still on the mainland? Still part of the U.S." I just shook my head. What are they teaching in geography class nowadays? I had another gentleman say to me that he had read in a book that people go down onto the shore and dig out clams. Then he asked if we actually did that! For more information on how I feel about stupid people, please see the image above. I apologize for not updating in so long...I have a lot on my plate right now, what with my job on the trolley, my job at the library, and my rehearsal schedule. I will try to be better about letting you all in on the crazy life of me...all 4 of you who read this.

ORIGIN OF THE COSMOS

2008-05-08T23:24:00.006-04:00

Rhea giving Kronos the rock

Engjoy the first installment of the mythos corner.

Sing me O Muse, of how the world came to be. Lend me your voices, graceful daughters of Zeus, so that I might recall the events of long, long ago. For in the beginning there was only Chaos, the dark, spinning void; and out of this void stepped Gaia, the Earth, the All-Mother. With her came Eros, divine love; gloomy Erebus and Night and from them, Aether. Gaia’s fertility knew no bounds and without the aid of love, she brought forth all nature; the mountains and oceans, trees and flowers. She also bore Starry Ouranos, god of the heavens. The sky spread himself over the earth and their love produced both gods and monsters. The immortal Titans were twelve in number: Coeus, Crius Oceanus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Tethys, Theia, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, and finally, the wily Kronos. The monsters were great and terrifying: The Hecatonchires were the hundred-handers: Briareus, Gyges, and Cottus. Their brothers were the Orb-eyed, the Cyclopes: Brontes the thunder, Steropes the lightning, and Arges the bright.
Ouranos feared for his power and so he imprisoned all of his children deep inside the earth. Gaia groaned in pain and grieved for her children. In desperation, she thought of a plan to free them and overthrow her terrible husband. Quickly she crafted a great sickle of adamantium and went to her children with her plan. All cowered in fear at the thought of dethroning their great and powerful father. Only the young and wily Kronos, who hated his abominable father agreed to help his mother. Great Gaia bestowed her son with the sickle and hid him in ambush for terrible Ouranos. When night came on, Starry Heaven came to his wife and spread himself over the fertile Earth. But Kronos, hidden away, reached out with the sharp sickle and cut off the genitals of his father and flung them into the sea, where they mingled and created divine foam, from which arose the golden Aphrodite, goddess of love. The wound of the sky god bled onto the waiting earth and so Gaia bore the Erinyes and the race of monsters called Giants.
Having castrated and thus effectively stripped Ouranos of his power, Kronos became the new lord of the heavens. He released his brother and sister Titans from their confinement in the earth, and took to wife his sister, Rhea, as his queen. Wily Kronos then freed the Cyclopes, but kept the Hecatonchires imprisoned, to secure his rule.
The new sky god and his sister wife were just as fertile as their parents before them. They bore Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Great Kronos had been told by his mother and father that one of his progeny would rise up against him and take his power just as he had done to his father, Ouranos. Kronos would not let this happen, so the powerful god swallowed up each of his children as they were born. Rhea was devastated and flew to Gaia for council when she learned she was carrying another child. They fled to Crete where Rhea bore Zeus in secret. The infant Zeus was taken to Dicte and hidden safely away in a cave at the base of Mt. Aegeum. The young god was nursed by the nymphs and the goat Amalthea in place of his immortal mother. Rhea sent her servants, the Curetes, to watch over her son. They banged their spears against their shields so that the infant’s wailing could not be heard by the Sky god. Rhea went further in deceiving her husband and presented him with a stone wrapped in swaddling in place of the new baby. Kronos did not hesitate in swallowing the stone, and so Zeus grew up undiscovered and safe. When Zeus reached maturity, he was made cupbearer to the great Kronos. Unknowing that his son was alive and well, and in his presence, Kronos took the poison that his cupbearer son offered. Swiftly the poison ran its course and the sky god disgorged his swallowed children. The siblings of Zeus immediately looked to their brother to lead them against their terrible father. War broke out between the old and the new order. The Titans fought on the side of Kronos, with the very important exception of Themis and her son, crafty Prometheus, who chose to aid Zeus and his siblings. Zeus also enlisted the help of his monster ancestors. He freed both the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes on the advice of Gaia. The Cyclopes gave Zeus the use of thunder and lightning, which he mastered as his weapon of choice. They also bestowed upon Hades the helmet of invisibility, and to Poseidon they granted the trident. The Hundred-handers were invaluable in the fighting. They flung hundreds of rocks at a time, pelting the Titans into submission. The immortals fell for nine days and nights, down, down from the heavens to Tartarus, the darkest depths of the Underworld, where Zeus imprisoned them. He saved a greater punishment, however, for Atlas, brother of Prometheus. For being one of the Titan generals, Atlas was sentenced to hold up the heavens for all eternity. For ten years the war raged, Zeus fighting from high atop Mt. Olympus and Kronos from the peak of Mt. Orthys. The whole world blazed in the conflagration from the combat. Finally Zeus was able to overpower his terrible father. The defeated Kronos was banished and Zeus began to set up his new order. First he set out to eliminate any remaining threats and so he imprisoned the Hecatonchires despite the help they provided.
Zeus was still not secure in his new role as supreme lord. The giants were outraged at the imprisonment of all their siblings, and so rebelled against the new regime. Zeus and his brothers quickly suppressed the uprising, banishing the giants under the earth. There they remain, trapped, their anger making the mountains volcanic. Gaia was furious at the whole outrage. How dare her son disrespect her other children! In her rage she bore Typhon, the last of the monsters. Dragon-like with a hundred flame-breathing heads, Typhon stormed up to Mt. Olympus. In terror, the other gods fled to Egypt, but Zeus remained strong. He had the power of thunder and lightning, and thus quickly did he smite the abomination, casting down Typhon under Mt. Aetna.
It was at this point in the early history of the universe that Zeus became secure in his power. The new sky god and his brothers drew lots to determine who would rule what: Poseidon was granted control over the seas, Hades became lord of the underworld, and Father Zeus retained the power over the heavens and earth. He took his sister, Hera, to wife and they ruled over the world and the mortals that would soon inhabit it.

Happy 100 DWTS

2008-05-08T00:31:00.003-04:00

Dancing with the Stars celebrated it's 100th episode on Tuesday. Many former contestants came back to reminisce, and some even performed. The best however, was Julianne and Apolo reunited! Out of all the winners, I think Apolo is by far the most talented. He looks like he could be a professional dancer, and the way he was spinning and flinging Julianne around, you would have thought he had been dancing his whole life. And they are so adorable together! Enjoy their dance to Rascal Flatts "Everyday."

How big a bite is that?

2008-04-24T20:35:00.015-04:00

Remember how I said I was going to be better about updating...I had such high hopes for keeping up to date, but as usual, life happens all at once. I am in the process of trying to juggle 3 jobs, maintain a somewhat habitable living environment, prepare for a class I'm going to teach, spend time with my husband, take a dance class, help my mother, and do a summer musical. All while trying to keep current on Dancing with the Stars. As shown above, my overconfidence is likely to end in disaster. So I plan to take it one step at a time.

First, my job at the YMCA is ending tomorrow. I'm officially retiring from daycare. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!! No more sicky sick catching all kinds of goop and puke from the little buggers. I love all my little ones, truly I do, but it was really time for a change. I've been in daycare, going on my 4th year now, and that's fairly long considering the turn-over rate for preschool teachers. So, I will do some manual labor for my parents until one of my many sent out job applications bears fruit. Mmm, cleaning out the garage...let's just hope we don't have a repeat of last summer's "Tell-tale fire alarm" (Check my old July post if you want to know the story)

I'm also still having a blast at adult ed, and will be starting up my class this Thursday. I actually have people signed up for it! How cool is that!!! I'll be teaching 5 weeks of Exploring Greek Mythology. In fact, look for an new section of my blog, either every Thursday or Friday, retelling a different myth. It's time I spread a little of my passion to the masses. All 7 of you that read this.

Even though I'm really excited about teaching again, the job I'm looking forward to the most is my position at the Appleton Library. I'm bringing in some new collections for us, expanding the childrens' catalog, planning some fun events, and hosting the summer reading program. I also want to develop some new programs, including a linking local libraries traveling lecture series and an infant geared story time.

I'm trying to keep the house clean. We got a new vacuum (I know, how thrilling) and it's actually really cool...has an neat light system on it that tells you when the floor is clean. However, with our cats, the floor is never clean. I'm also looking to refinish an old bureau, and paint some bookcases now that the weather is getting nicer. We've been doing some yard work on the weekends and we brought the grill out of it's hibernation just the other day! Yeay for barbecue chicken!!! That means summer is coming! Even though I want to spend time outside of the house in the warmth, I'd like to find time to finish my current scrapbook, attend each night class of Middle Eastern Dance I signed up for, and break out my oil paints again. (It's been a long time, but they offer oil painting at adult ed and every time I go collect the attendance folder, the smell of turpentine makes me very nostalgic for my pa and the basement easel.)

So, after I find time to do all that...(HA)...I will get to do what I've been losing sleep over for weeks. Losing sleep you ask? Yes, on accounta' dose catchy songs whats been playin' in my head. A good friend of mine has been talking about doing Guys & Dolls this summer at the Lincoln County Theatre and she encouraged me to try out...I've been learning and singing the songs for weeks for this past weekend's auditions. Tuesday I went to the call-back. Those of you around the first week of August will get to see me as Miss Sarah Brown. :) I'm so excited to be back in a theater...I'm such an addict and I've been away too long. The withdrawal was killing me! But now I'll get a chance to work with some of the best people in community theater I've ever worked with. I get to sing "Marry the Man Today" with my dear friend, mentor, and long time director. Is it August yet? I'm so excited!!!

As for Dancing with the Stars...I'm cheering for my childhood idol and American Sweetheart, Kristi Yamaguchi...who is totally kicking some shimmying and shaking booty! I'll leave you with a little taste.

One of her best dances...even though it was only 2 10's instead of 3. Don't worry though...her jive Monday got a perfect score. I'll save that for another post.

I'm a Web Designer! Who Knew?!?

2008-03-17T17:21:00.009-04:00

Like I mentioned before, my job at Adult Ed requires me to be doing more computer work than I've ever done before. My director even asked me to completely re-do the website using Dreamweaver (this heavy duty program with an even heavier instruction manual...which I may have only glanced at a couple of times). So, I said I'd post the link when I was finished so I could have all you computer savvy people give me your critique. I did all of it except for the "course programs" page. Our district web guy did that and he helped me put the site onto the server. (I never could have managed that by myself. Hell, my work computer didn't even have the required programs...he had to download them for me.) Why didn't I change his course guide? After spending a lot of time designing the site, I didn't want to re-invent the wheel and try to do something more complicated like how the classes are listed. And I wasn't going to put in even more time when my director came to me last Wednesday and said that the according to the state, they are going to streamline all adult ed websites to give them a uniform look so that people will understand that there is state-wide adult ed. Since I had already put in a lot of time and effort, he said we'd post my site until the end of the year, and then we'd change over to the cookie cutter template. :) At least it will get a chance to be seen, and I've logged experience points, but I'm actually glad that a professional will be taking care of it.

I tried to be very simplistic with my design, to appeal to the greatest number of people. The font is supposed to be papyrus (to match our course catalog); but apparently certain computers don't recognize papyrus and therefore it might look a bit yucky in a generic font. I apologize for that, and if it were up to me, I'd give everybody papyrus font so the website would look pretty for everyone. Overall though, I'd say it's not too bad, considering my entire computer experience could fit in a shoe box.

So here it is; enjoy and if you live in the area, consider signing up for a course, or offering to teach one.

http://www.fivetowns.net/subsites/adulted/home.htm

Mr. Osborne, may I be excused, my brain is full?

2008-03-02T22:55:00.003-05:00

Thank you Gary Larson.

Some days, this is how I feel.

What's new with you, gumshoe?

2008-02-20T16:20:00.005-05:00

My goodness, a lot can happen in a month. As much as I hate winter, (and believe me, at our house, we HATE winter) and feel that it drags on far to long, I forget just how fast January and February snow by. I haven't updated in over a month because I haven't sat down for more than a few seconds at a time. Let's see if I can catch everyone up (you loyal 5 readers) with a few snippets.

I'm enjoying my time at Adult Ed. I answer phones, make copies, take attendance, and file stuff. I just love putting little stickies on folders! I'm rather anal-retentive/compulsive that way. Sort of like Monica on Friends. Just give me a label maker and I'm a happy gal. The job is also making me learn about computers...something I swore I'd never do. But in this brave new world of technology, not using computers is like not using a phone. Case in point: look at what medium I'm using to stay connected with all of you. Yeah. So for Adult Ed. I'm designing a website. Hee hee, I know! Me, the girl who can barely check her email! But I'm using a big beefy program called Dreamweaver and it's doing the heavy lifting for me. I'm damn near done and when I get it up and running, I promise to post the link here for you all to critique. :)

I got a new job working for a local small town library! I interviewed to be their new librarian (the only paid position as it is a small town library) but they hired someone with an MLS. However, the board of directors liked what I had to say so much, and since my specialty and passion is children's programming/events, they created a couple hour a week position for me do their Children's Programming! I'm so excited because that's what I ultimately want to do. And, this library happens to be expanding to a brand new building this spring, so the position has the possibility to expand as well. I can't wait to plan some fun spring/summer events!

The Mr. and I took our annual vacation to Florida to see his parents. We look forward to our tropical getaway every year...especially this year as both he and I were very burned out. We hadn't had a vacation since January of last year, and considering since then we have moved, started new jobs, and bot have crazy schedules, it was definitely time to kick back. Highlights include, but are not limited to: 80 degree weather, swimming almost every day, mini golfing, eating at this great Japanese Steak House, teasing my father-in-law, marti gras in Town Square, riding around in a golf cart, shopping with my mother-in-law (who is a bad influence ;) at Belk's (awesome department store), laying out in sun chairs, reading good books, going to the Spaaaaa, and 15hours at Disney! (Including hopping from Magic Kingdom, to Animal Kingdom, to MGM, back to Magic Kingdom.) And one of the sweetest things was coming home to find that my mother had gone grocery shopping for us so we wouldn't have to go out after the plane ride. She even left us a Steve Watts chocolate cake (like our wedding cake) and flowers!! A little fun in the Florida sun was just what we needed to recharge, reconnect, and relax. I love spending the day eating fruit and lounging by the pool. I can't wait to go back!

I am way to addicted to CSI. I'm making my way through the seasons slowly but surely. I'm also looking into getting an elliptical machine, because if I'm watching CSI, I might as well be exercising instead of sitting on my rear end. I've also signed up for a Dancercise class at the new Dance Conservatory and have my very own Dancing with the Stars work out video. We're trying to be healthier...exercising, eating right, and I'm even taking vitamins. Who would of thought...

2008-01-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the holidays. We had a nice but different Christmas this year. Mr. MCMD was on call so we had Christmas morning in the afternoon. New Year's was nice and low-key...christmas carols and playing games at Bogland :) So far, I'm trying to stick to my resolution of eating healthier. We are also talking about investing in an elliptical machine so we can do cardio work-outs at home. I'm tired of sitting on my butt watching CSI. I'd much rather watch CSI while burning calories! Let's see, what else has been happening....my job at the high school is going well. Adult Ed. classes start in a couple of weeks so it's about to get really busy, but I'm excited to meet all the new students and instructors. Me and the mister are also excited about our upcoming vacation to Florida to see his parents. We look forward to the trip every year, not just to see our family, but to soak up some sun during the icky winter. (As I'm typing this, the snow is just piling up...it's been snowing since 8 this morning.) I can't wait to see those palm trees!

So, until next time, I'll leave you with this picture of Jack, a bit strung out from the holidays. In their stockings, the boys got a laser pointer, bags and bags of treats, and enough cat nip to keep them high until next winter.

Final Fantasy X is AWESOME

2007-12-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

AWESOMEly sucking up every spare instant of my time... Here's a little peek into what I've been doing lately when not working or racing around for Christmas.

I am not a gamer. Let me say that again. I am NOT a gamer. I have terrible hand/eye coordination. I don't shoot down zombies or beat pedestrians with baseball bats, nor do I careen around a race track or lead a tactical squadron of big men with guns. I don't even have the patience or skill to go-cart with Mario or stomp those little koopa things. But what I am, is a hopeless romantic. Allow me to explain: Final Fantasy is a different kind of game. Actually, it's more like a movie that you interact with occasionally. I love watching the story unfold, especially when there are cinematic shots done in really high quality animation. It's really quite impressive. And the fighting mechanism is great! I don't have to hit 3 buttons at the same time to spin around or jump or zap an enemy. I hit one button and a list pops up of all the things I can do and then I can pick one and my little man goes over and kicks the bad guy. I love it! And what I love even more than the easy action is the ROMANCE of the story. (God, I'm such a sucker for a love story.) It's about a young man named Tidus who gets pulled through time to 1000 years in the future. A terrible evil is sweeping the land and a young woman named Yuna is trying to stop it. He becomes friends with her guardians and joins them in the quest to defeat this monster called "Sin." Along the way, Tidus falls for her, but learns that if she beats Sin, it will cost her her life. Determined to protect his love, he tries to find another way to beat Sin, one that will spare her. He uncovers a different way of defeating the evil, one that unfortunately will cause him to fade from existence. But it will save her. He keeps the secret of his fate to help her win her quest, and she is so devastated that is causes her to search for a way to get him back (thus a sequel to FFX which I'm super excited to play once I finish) The only problem is that it takes so long to play...I've already logged almost 40 hours in the damn game and I'm still not done! But I'm excited for the big payoff in the end of a nice long cinematic between Tidus and Yuna, paving the way for Final Fantasy X-2. Mark shakes his head over the fact that I play it just for the romantic parts. Well, I don't care, I think it's a sweet story. So, here's a little taste of the look of the game and some of those sweet moments from Tidus and Yuna. The music is not from the game, this is just a montage done by fans.

2007-12-12T16:25:00.000-05:00

So, where to begin. Things have been so crazy lately and now the holidays are upon us and will just get crazier. Nothing to do but just dive in, I guess. I'm about to hit you all with lots of information in a short span of time, so brace yourself. And feel free to jump to the parts that interest you.

Job: I finished teaching an adult ed class at Medomak on Greek Mythology. It was incredibly enjoyable, much more so than I thought. My students really had enthusiasm for it and I had such fun teaching them. I can't wait to do it again in the spring at Camden High School. In fact, I just took a job as an assistant in the adult ed office over at Camden. It means working for 3-8 in the evening, but it leaves me mornings Mon-Wed to have time to myself. And I think it will be really worthwhile to help out the adult ed program. This will supplement my now part-time job at the YMCA. I finished my full time stint at the Y working with the infant program (I was filling in for someone who was recovering from an accident) and now I only cover two days off--Thursday and Friday. And this Friday...I'm so excited....I have the day off and am going to the spa with my mom and then the two of us are having ladies night out to see the Boston Pops Holiday concert!!!

House: We are settled in for the first Christmas in the new house. I finally have the space I wanted to put up all kinds of decorations. Not as much as we had at Halloween, but still enough to be fairly festive. And the best part...this year we get to have a real tree. We've had a very sad, Charlie Brown-looking, artificial tree but now that we have the space, we decided to get a real live tree. He took me to Wink's, which is where his family always got Christmas trees. It had snowed so we had to tromp our way through the drifts with a saw, shovel and a broom. After much trekking, we found the perfect tree and cut it down ourselves. We dragged it back, managed to cram it in the element and get it back to the house. Here's where it gets interesting, or should I say, where the debacle begins. We tried to get the tree into the tree stand, but we couldn't turn the little keys, so we had to get the vise-grips to secure it. Well, the damn vise-grips were terrible and kept unlocking so what should have been a simple job, took vastly too long. But, we did it and got the tree into the house. On went the lights, and the garland. Then the ornaments that all have a story to tell, a memory. We had 5 left, when all of a sudden...CRASH!!!! And Jack went running from behind the tree to the basement. That little bugger. Luckily, only two ornaments were broken, and one was fixable. However, the tree had slipped in the stand and we couldn't get it to sit right anymore so we had to try cutting it off more level. We didn't have a real saw so we had to use this dinky little hand saw that should never have been used on a tree. It took us three months to cut through the trunk and we finally had to chew through it with our teeth. Well, that's what it felt like. Then we had to wrestle with the stupid vice-grips again. Picture me standing in the corner holding up the tree, covered in pitch as Mark crawled under the tree swearing every few words. By the time we had the thing back in the stand, and now anchored to the window so the cats couldn't destroy it again, it was 11:00. When we stood the tree up it looked like a hurricane had hit. The garland was hanging every which way and the lights had almost all fallen off. We decided to take everything off and start fresh again the next night. By the end of the night I was laughing hysterically. It would figure that we would magoo our way through our first attempt at a Christmas tree. People often say that our life is like a sitcom...well, that was one of our funnier episodes.

Family: Mr. MCMD is doing his general internal medicine rotation and that means we won't be seeing a lot of each other. In fact, he's on call Christmas eve into Christmas day. This will be the first Christmas morning that we have in the afternoon. It will also be the first Christmas that we don't head to Florida. (We're going, just not until Feb.) So, with the new house and first tree and the fact that we won't be seeing lots of family, we may have to try making some new traditions.

Fun stuff: Okay, so two interesting items to note...

First, Movies. It's been a while since I've done a movie buzzz and it's about time!! New releases that you must have: Pirates of the Caribbean; At World's End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Both I only saw once on the big screen and typically movies like that, that I get so excited about, I see twice. But, the summer was busy and I only caught them once. Hopefully they will look as nice on our big screen tv. Movies that you must see in theaters: Enchanted (which is very well done. Takes a good movie to poke fun at its own genre. It was very sweet and funny at the same time.) and I Am Legend (which opens Friday and I'm super excited about it. I enjoy Will Smith and am hopeful that it isn't just a typical zombie movie.)

Second, Dancing with the Stars. Holy moly, I have my mother to thank for this nonsense. We were riveted this season...so much so that even though I was DVR it, I had to watch it live because my mom and I would call each other during the commercials. It was a very dramatic season, what with the fainting and family passings. But there was some great dancing, minus Marie Osmond and Wayne Newton. My favorite was Helio. He was such a cutie, that smile, that enthusiasm and that accent. I loved watching him perform and take himself by surprise that he could do it. He was partnered with Julianne, last year's winner. She had the speed skater, Apolo Anton Ohno, and I found it interesting that both Apol(l)o and Helio are names for the Greek God of the Sun. (Big surprise that I would notice that. :) So I was convinced he was going to win. And I was right!!!!!!!! Julianne congratulated her partner by giving him a big smooch after their final dance during the Finale. Rumors abound that she and Helio are involved romantically. He's older than she is, but they are so cute together!!! All in all, the season was full of ups and downs and outrageous moments.
Included below are some highlight dances of the season.

Julianne's brother Derek and Jennie Garth perform an awesome Mambo:

Runner up Scary Spice, Mel B and partner Mak do another fantastic Mambo:

Julianne and Helio's Mambo...the Mambos were the best dances, I think. And this shows you how funny they are together.

Julianne and Helio's quickstep with a surprise ending...I love it!

Julianne and Helio's freestyle...very cool!

So, enjoy these little tidbits for now, and there will be more on a regular basis. I promise!

2007-11-12T19:03:00.000-05:00

Okay. Time to catch up...

Halloween was awesome! We had a full house of costumed sillies, including my mom and dad who came as the Blues Brothers! They looked so good :) With lots of tasty treats, a power outage, and a healthy discussion of zombie behaviors, who could ask for a better Halloween!

Mr. MCMD has just finished another pediatrics rotation and is about to start one of the most grueling...surgery. He has no call because the hours are so long, and he has to commute and hour to Waterville. So, I'm going to have a lot of spare time.

Alright...the date on that post was back in November. I think it's time I updated a bit. Sorry to the Florida contingent who have been patiently waiting...

Well, worry no more, my three faithful readers...here we go.

2007-09-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

Okay. I apologize. I did not fall off the edge of a cliff, or get locked in a cupboard, or blown away in a storm, or stuck in another dimension, or held hostage by space aliens in return for chicken salad, or have all my fingers broken in a freak glove purchasing accident. Therefore, I have no excuse for not updating my blog. For those of you still listening, since the last time I posted we have gotten settled in our house, mom and I finished up at my Aunt Isabel's, I got a job, and I've started teaching. So, you haven't missed that much.

So, the most interesting part of this post is that I started it on September 23 and I'm now posting it a month later. I know this is a brief snippet. Oh, hell, it's not even a snippet. But I just got home from work and dinner is ready, so I'll have more of an update later. I promise. I really do. Really really, cross my heart, needle in eye, and all that legal jargon.

Gotta go...yum yum...tummy rumbling...

I love being a turtle!

2007-08-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

Ok party people...guess what comes out tomorrow? Need a hint. There are 4 of them, they love pizza, and they are trained in the art of ninja. That's right my babies, TMNT is released on DVD tomorrow and you can bet you bippy I'll be bringing home a copy. What is it about those fun loving, wise-cracking, foot soldier butt kicking turtles that makes me so happy? I haven't the slightest idea; I just know I've been a fan since I was seven and my brother and I went trick-or-treating as Raphael and April O'Neill. (Ironically, Mark too dressed up as Raphael one Halloween.) Raph was always my favorite turtle. And the new animated movie stays true to the character of all the turtles, but especially Raph and the dynamic between him and brother Leonardo. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Some of the sequences are really well done, you can hardly tell it was computer generated. And the musical score...Awesome.

Yeay for turtles. And for my turtle van. I'm putting COWBNGA on my license plate :)

For your viewing pleasure...a little video from YouTube with clips of TMNT. The song choice nicely provides commentary on the relationship between Raph and Leo

Whistle while you work...ha!

2007-07-24T08:35:00.000-04:00

I'm saving up to buy a haz-mat suit. What could I possibly need a haz-mat suit for? Well, my current job is a bit....grimy. No, that word doesn't really do it justice. More like filthy, moldy, gritty, smelly, and parasite-infested. Those are all good, but I still don't think that covers it. Here's the deal: I'm helping my mom clean out my 100 year old aunt's farmhouse. The house was built in the 1700's and has been in our family the whole time, just sitting uninhabited these past 6 years while Auntie was in the nursing home. However, now the house has sold and we have been given the near impossible, Herculean task of cleaning it out...the house, the cooper's shed, upstairs workshop, barn and carriage house. I think we'd have better luck with the Augean stables. The entire house is full of family heirlooms...furniture, old tools, books, dishes; you name it, it's in there. And everything is covered with a fine sheen of dust and mold, because the drafty house is right on the ocean. And in the cooper's shed and barn, everything has this dirty, grimy, rusty coating. And that's not counting the splinters. So, I spend my day, weeding through the mess, room by room. Some items are in good condition, under the filth, and are going to museums. Other items I stuff in garbage bags or if they are too big, drag them out to the 30 cubic yard dumpster we rented. If that wasn't enough, there are times when I have to crawl into the dumpster, either to rearrange some larger items so there's room for more, or for a more specific purpose, like the Tale of the Tell-Tale Fire Alarm. Perhaps you'd like to hear the tale? Like you have a choice.

So, we get to the house later than we normally do. Sitting in the car, we set our game plan for the remainder of the day. I am distracted, however, by a strange constant ringing noise. Like mom's hearing aid battery is going...only this sound is not coming from the seat next to me. It is outside the car. I think that I'm hallucinating at first, and try to block it out. But it doesn't stop. So, I get out of the car and with my head cocked to one side like a deaf old man, I amble around the yard, pausing every few seconds to verify whether the sound is growing louder. I finally narrow it down to the dumpster and question my mom to see if she hears it too, or if I am, in fact, hallucinating. Mom hears the sound too, and with dawning comprehension she says "oh, it must be the old smoke detector," and turns to go into the house. Hey, hey, I remind her...there is a big sign on the dumpster indicating their "no-no" list, and batteries are one of them. And I think they'd notice, what with all the ringing. So, guess who gets to climb into the dumpster and find said annoying ringing object. Yeah. That'd be me. So, wearing my sandals (the one and only day I do, considering how hot it was...but it really wasn't appropriate footwear in all the gucky stuff) I clamber into the dumpster and pick my way over to where mom thinks she dropped the trash bag containing the offending alarm. "I know it was over on this side," she assures me, "in with the kitchen stuff. It's one of those little round ones...should be in one of those three black bags." So I start ripping into bags, tossing them around, trying to locate the point of origin of the sound, all while making sure my feet don't get poked by metal or broken glass. Everything echos strangely in the big dumpster, so after about 5 minutes searching, I start getting frustrated. I've uncovered something because the noise is now louder, but I still haven't found the damn thing. So, I grab a small mattress that's in there, toss it over the pile of bags, and start jumping up and down like I'm a school girl on a trampoline. Nothing happens. No breaking noise. No muffled noise. No absence of noise. Just the infernal ringing! At this point, my foot jostles a nearby box and the ringing gets very loud. I look into this CARDBOARD BOX (not trash bag) and pull out a few rectangular items...finally realizing that the noise is now coming from my hand. Not a little round alarm, but a big RECTANGULAR one! In fury, I rip out the battery and chuck it over the side. However, the possessed alarm is still making squeaking sounds! What the hell! So I rip out the wires and make to heave it against the side of the dumpster, but in my aggravated state, it sails over the top of the dumpster into the pucker-brush, where my laughing mother almost falls off the ladder as she goes to find it. Several minutes later, she's fished it out of the bushes and given it back to me where I proceed to slam the thing into the metal side of the dumpster. The cover merely springs open. Ahhhhrrrgghhh! I shout in impotent rage and physically rip the cover off. I then pummel it into the wall repeatedly until it finally dies. I then turn to my mother and demand a pay raise.
(This whole thing reminds me of a Friends episode, where Phoebe does battle with a smoke detector in the middle of the night..I can't find the full clip, but you should watch it if you ever have the chance. I believe it's episode 12, season 7)

Incredibly enough, I manage to avoid cutting myself on any hazardous materials in the dumpster. My week has been a bit accident prone...I've managed to give myself a slight concussion, been hit in the corner of the eye with a ladder, and had heavy, rusty, foot long corkscrew drill bits miss piercing through my skull by this much (holds finger and thumb about an inch apart). I felt it was a miracle that I sustained no injuries in my fight with the demented alarm. I should have known better. My first trip out to throw things away, after subduing the alarm, I get stung by a bee. Now, my dad is really allergic to bees, and I hadn't been stung before, so both my mother and I are sort of looking at each other going..."should we call someone or something?" Holy Crap, I have never been in such pain. It felt like I was getting a toe block. So now, in addition to feeling lame because I'm crying like a little girl over a bee sting, my foot is in pain, I'm already all dirty, and we've barely started work. Screw the pay raise or hazard pay...I think I want life insurance.

After I wash my foot in salt water, I feel better, but I resolve to be much more careful in my goings-on. I'd like to stay in one piece.

Putting my crazy stunts aside, the work on the house has been going pretty well. The closing is on August 8th so everything needs to be finished by then. That leaves me just enough time for my sister-in-law's wedding on the 12th, and then job interviewing for the remainder of the summer. I really really really hope to have something lined up before fall. In the meantime, I'm working on our new house and story hours at this little town library. Next post I'll put up some pictures of the Harry Potter Party I did for them, plus some interiors of our new place. I know, I know, I've been saying that, but this time, I really mean it! I've been horribly out of touch and probably no one reads this anymore, but I'm going to try to get back on track blogging, especially with hubby on call most nights. Until then...

And now, for something completely different

2007-07-12T21:06:00.000-04:00

I am a crazy chicken. Running around with my head cut off. I still have no job, but it's not for lack of trying. I have applications in everywhere and have one interview lined up, along with one place who I hope will call me for an interview. But, I'm so busy it feels like I'm not unemployed. I'm working 3 odd jobs right now...planning a memorial service for a great-aunt, cleaning great aunt's house now that it has been sold, and helping clean a house that my dad caretakes for. Plus, I'm doing the story hour at Vose Library and planning their Harry Potter event. (More on that next week) However, I felt that this post needed to be a bit more uplifting than last weeks. I know it was published the same day, but I wrote it last week, hesitating to even put out such drizzle. Anyway, I may be stressed, and negligent on getting back to people by email (Sorry former upstairs neighbors), and not keeping the house maintained or quickly getting it ready to show to family and friends....but I'm so happy to be back in Maine, in a nice place, close to everyone. I'm working with my Mom, helping her out and slowly getting our place more lived in. I wish I could work faster on that (it took me two weeks to buy curtains and I still don't have each window covered!), but in about 3 weeks all this hustle and bustle will calm down and then I'll get caught up. As to that, I must make this a quick post because I have to go prepare for story hour tomorrow. We're making shakers out of paper towel tubes, and I want to get some songs ready to test them out. :) Next time, we'll have a review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie, and a run down of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party. Very exciting!

Post-dated 7/6/07

2007-07-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

Today is a day of disillusionment. I'm sitting here listening to the thunder and the background sounds of "You've got Mail" as I'm watching my gram, waiting for the rain. My morning started out so well, having a story hour at this small town library where I am now helping out. I read a story called "Cock-a-Moo-Moo" about a rooster who forgets how to crow so he imitates the other animals. The six or seven kids there loved it, and the real life chicks that a farmer brought over to show. But after such a lovely morning, my day fell apart. I went back to my former high school, where I'll be teaching an adult ed class on Greek Mythology, to drop of some paperwork, and the place was just a disaster. The art classrooms were all gone to make room for life skills classrooms. I'm glad that there is all this space devoted to kids with special needs, but it makes me so sad that there has to be so much space because that means there are so many kids that need it. The whole building looked quite dilapidated and had this abandoned smell to it. It didn't inspire me to think that much learning goes on in those halls. So, after wanting to cry over that, I arrived here to a nest of tension. My gram is having quite a bad day, which means my mom is having a bad day. So, I put myself "on the clock" and tried to calm things down. Things are so strained that something has to break, and today it was the weather. It's a total downpour, lightening, thunder. A real rip-snorter. I hope that by tomorrow, the all the storms will have cleared.

Maine-iaks again! It's good to be home...

2007-07-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

Holy Moly, what a crazy last few weeks. I'm sorry for not posting an update sooner, and I don't even have a viable excuse, like falling into a volcano, getting trapped in an iceberg, or being lost at sea. However, since my last post I have closed on a house, unpacked all but a few boxes, rearranged furniture, bought some items for the new house...like a paper shredder, and a floor lamp (how exciting), raced back and forth from our new house to my mom's house...helping her out with various things, having dinners with Mark's mom and dad, catching up with old friends in Bogland, graduation parties, meeting Mark's new co-workers and making new friends, and job-hunting. Ironically, I've spent more time driving around doing random errands and networking than at the house doing fun things to fix it up all nice and pretty. Don't get me wrong, I have the majority of stuff unpacked and set up so it looks attractive and livable. However, we still have the basement room to fix up as a game room; we have to get a few items of big furniture that my parents are giving us out of storage; and we have little decorating things to do, like hang artwork, curtains, and pick out a new bathmat. (again, how exciting). And I've been so busy looking for a job and helping out my mom, that I don't have time for an actual job! Not that I've been all that lucky in finding one. It feels like I'm on summer vacation, in a vacation home and that at some point all this newness and light bright weather, and the light bright feeling of no job responsibilities will come to an end. Honestly, it will be nice to have a routine back again, but still keep the awesome house. Mark and I will catch ourselves in the evening, just sort of wandering throughout the house, and one of us will say to the other, "You know, I really like our house!" And being a homeowner comes with putter! More ways to keep busy! I spray painted a lamp last night while Mark weeded the driveway. :) We now have to have tools! Lawn mower, weed whacker, watering can, drill, sandpaper, stepladder, level....and we have projects. Next weekend we want to put in a cat door to the basement! It's an incredibly exciting time, full of moments of stress and relaxation, and Mark and I are trying to enjoy every moment of this summer "vacation." And it's so nice to be back home. My parents are 30 minutes away, Mark's are 10, and we just keep running into old friends around town, and places that we have missed going to, shopping or eating at for the past three years. It's so nice to be surrounded by the familiar, family and friends. As I'm writing from Mom's computer, the pictures I promised of the new house will have to wait until next time. And I'll try to be more coherent in my next post, as well as more timely. Until then, enjoy the summer days.

Quick snippet

2007-06-15T14:49:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update for the loyal readers. All five of you... :) We have moved into our new house and are awaiting email access. Should happen after the 19th and then I will post a proper update. For now, be content with the news that we have a roof overhead, the cats are settling in, and we are wonderfully 15 minutes from Moody's Diner!

More to follow....

Wild Weekend!

2007-06-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

Yet another Wild n' Crazy weekend! We planned our moving sale for this past weekend, making it doubly huge by adding our stuff to our upstairs neighbors' stuff. We advertised in the paper, and with signs around town. Mark was a bit skeptical about how many people would show up, but then again, he hates yard sales. Our neighbors had done big sales before and told us that we had to get up super early to set up because of the "early birds." Even with all the talk about it, and time factored in, we still were not prepared for the absolute chaos that descended on us at 7 in the morning. All the ads and signs said 9-4, but we were putting out tables at 7. Good thing, because we had cars in the driveway and we didn't even have boxes out yet! A pair of savvy sale ladies pulled in as our neighbor Chris was hanging a sun wind chime. Her hand had brought it up out of the box and was reaching for the porch hook, the lady driving opened the door, as the car was being put into park, and yelled "Is that for sale? I'll take it!" These ladies proceeded to paw through our stuff, asking if they could help us set it out! Who are these people!?!? Who would have thought that there would be this fanatic rush to see if someone else's crap was something you just HAD to have! We sold more stuff between 7 and 9 than we did the rest of the day. It was unbelievable. Mark will never doubt the power of a yard sale again. We made a hefty chunk of change which will help us get a new couch for the new house.

We got to spend the whole weekend with our upstairs neighbors, which is a good thing because they are very nice and I only wish we had started spending time with them two years ago instead of two weeks before moving away. Man, we're lame. But in the past few days we've had pizza, Chinese, Applebee's, movies, and this morning, breakfast at Lou's. Yum! Later this week we're all going to see Pirates 3 and get chocolate lava cake. I think I have a problem...I'm addicted to chocolate! And I'm corrupting the neighbors, making them addicted too. :)

As time ticks by, we get more and more excited about moving to our own place. This apartment was nice for the short time we were here, but it's more than time to move on. Mark said last night "I can't wait to be out of here, it's over-priced and has lots of mice." I cracked up...it's true though. The Upper Valley is really expensive, and our apartment though old, drafty, bug and mice filled is still expensive! Our neighbors had been talking about how many mice they'd seen, but in the 3 years here, we hadn't seen a one. That is, until yesterday. Big Jack wanted to show off for mommy and daddy and presented us with a lovely little mouse. Eww. So much for getting out of here rodent free. Only 6 days left and then it's back to Maine, Baby!!! Yippee!!

Scratch Plan A, even though there's very little time left...

2007-05-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

Only two weeks remain and then it's MOVING DAY!! I can't believe how fast this whole process has been. Our apartment here in NH is a maze of boxes, which the cats love. I caught Jack sleeping in an open box, snuggled in with the DVD's. He's also taken to sleeping in the empty bookshelves. I think it's too late now to break him of the habit....I just hope when we get to Maine and get books back on the shelves, he'll realize there's no room left for his body! Today I packed up my scrapbook table, which created a huge space in the living room. That's when it hit us...we're really moving. There are boxes everywhere, only a few kitchen items remain, half our cloths are packed, we've been on the phone almost daily with our real estate broker and various paper pushers, but it took seeing our living room rearranged to make it real. At this point we have done all we can do and now it's up to the bank and lawyers to set up the closing. It's a weird time of waiting to know what's going on, coordinating all these different things. It's all so up in the air. Originally we were shooting for the 1st for a closing date, and the 4th for the move. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are now looking to close on the 12th, after loading up the truck on the 11th. I don't know if we'll have any help in the heavy lifting department from family because they are already coming down on the 9th for graduation, and they would have to turn around and come back the two days later to help on the move. (Hotel stays are not an option...rooms have been booked for months due to graduation) It's not fair for them to do so much driving. So...we may need to break out the professionals. Our king-sized bed alone weighs about two elephants and will need a crew of brae Scottish caber tossers to lift it. As for me, I get the joy of transporting the two cats by myself because Mark will drive the moving truck. Yeay, 4 hours of screaming, crying felines. Well, it's sure to be an adventure no matter what happens. At this point it's all still speculation. Things can change with a single phone call. And everything can be upset again if I have to fit in a job interview...I hope I hope I hope :)

For now, we'll call this Plan B.

Drink up, me hearties, YO HO!

2007-05-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

Yeay!!!! Guess what I just came back from? That's right!!! Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Arrrrgh! And what an awesomely fantastic whirlwind it be. All the ends to the second movie are tied up, with some interesting surprises. I don't want to give away any of the secrets, so I won't discuss the plot, but it was bigger, wilder and more of my favorite, the ever charming Capt. Jack's craziness. The $300 million was well spent...it was some of the most incredible special effects ever. The first movie still remains my favorite, but the third was heart-pounding, action-packed, musically fantastic, visually striking, Jack-packed ;) and full of twists and double crosses. It was great to finally get the end of the story. Or is the end? Disney rumors abound that there could be a 4th movie. With the success of the franchise so far, and the fact that Johnny Depp wouldn't mind signing on for another, I think Disney might not call it quits with the hat trick. I was so excited for the third movie that I spent today watching commentary and deleted scenes from the first movie, and the entirety of the second movie. I know I'd go see more if 4 and 5 were in the future. Between the antics of Capt. Jack and the music that gets me so wound up, I don't care what the story would be...just give me more! After all, I just spent 20 minutes swordfighting Mark throughout the apartment with soundtracks blaring in both the livingroom and kitchen, for crying out loud! I think I have a problem. Perhaps I should ship out, mateys. Tis time for me to rest my bones after all this adventure, but I put the question to ye: Are ya ready to make sail, and prepare for the final battle? Go see the next chapter.

Star-studded Finale

2007-05-22T23:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight was the finale of Dancing with the Stars. After a phone call from my mom at 9 to tell me how excited she was, and to tell me that dad was even staying up to watch(!) Mark and I settled in to watch the results show. Yesterday Laila Ali, Joey Fatone, and Apolo Anton Ohno danced 2 dances, one the judges picked and then a free style. Laila did a Paso, which was fiery and probably her best. Joey did a cha-cha that had some N'sync puppet moves and the judges complained was not cha-cha-ey enough. Apolo did a rumba, without a chair (the judges complained of that the first time they did a rumba) and Julianne wore what amounted to a nightie and Len, the head judge complained that it wasn't romantic enough. I agree with what Bruno said...they practically made love on the floor! But then Apolo and Julianne have great chemistry and are always provoking controversy with the judges. All and all, the first round of dancing wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. But then...then... the freestyle ROCKED!!! Apolo and Julianne did the most fantastic break dance routine, and then Joey and Kym wowed the crowed with "Last Dance" that was full of lifts.

On this evening's results show, they each danced one more, their choice from the season. Laila did her Mambo, which was great, Apolo did the Paso, and Joey did his Star Wars tango. Len gave Joey credit for performing the tango ,which got him 8's the first time around, to show how much he had improved. The two-hour finale tonight was filled mostly with commercials, but they did give a nice look back at finalists, and the comments they made about each of them convinced me that Joey was going to win. They said he has had the most standing ovations, and brought the highest level of entertainment to the show in all 4 seasons. In watching him, his skill and personality just shine and he always seemed to be getting the encore. He's just looks like he's having so much fun on the floor. But Apolo, who has never danced before, looks like he's a pro and the chemistry that he and Julianne have is undeniable. They just sizzle. After the first hour, Laila was counted out and it was down to the boys. My mom called me again to discuss the her dismissal and who she thought it was going to be. We were in agreement over Joey and I even had a dollar riding on this outcome! I was all set to buy a home-made donut with my winnings, and they announced that the Season 4 champions were Apolo and Julianne! I couldn't believe that it wasn't Joey! He's so good. But then, so was Apolo. Both of them deserved to win, and both Kym and Julianne had the best, most challenging choreography. I just felt bad that Joey may have felt like he didn't win over all the people, because of the outcome of the vote. Phone call number three to mom had us agreeing that they were both awesome and so the outcome couldn't be disappointing. Over-all, it made for good television. As much as I hate reality tv, and blame my mom for getting me into watching this, it was really enjoyable and made me want to dance. And after all, isn't that the point,? Time to get up off the couch and move-it, move-it!

Avast me hearties, the Pirating be close at hand!

2007-05-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

Waaaahhhhhooooo!! Okay, that's not a very pirate-like yell, more the sound an excited little girl makes, but whatever, I don't care, because....I just scored 2 tickets to a special advanced showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End!! The Disney website explains that there will be an early opening of Thursday, May 24th at 8:00 in *select cities. We've never been in a *select city...places Maine and New Hampshire are not what people consider *select. Usually that means you have to be in a hip, happening place like Manhattan, L.A., or San Francisco to catch an advanced opening of a movie, especially one this big. BUT NOT THIS TIME!!!! As luck would have it, the tiny, grubby little movie theater not 5 minutes down the street from us is going to have the special showing the night before the regular release! This place is not that big, and I saw what it was like when Dead Man's Chest came out, the place was a madhouse, they sold out fast! So fast that they opened up two later showings which we managed to get tickets to, so that we were there past midnight. So, as soon as I saw the ad for Thursday night, and not knowing how long the information had been posted, I didn't figure I'd even be able to get tickets....BUT I DID!!! They had only sold 11 tickets so far...they must have only just put the sign up for the early open. I can't believe it, in less than a week, I can see Pirates!!! Waaaahoooooo! Just 5 days, 7 hours, 23 minutes, and 18 seconds!

Making the house a home

2007-05-15T10:42:00.000-04:00

We are closing in on the final month of the housing saga. Last week I made another trip to Maine to be there for the home inspection, which went really well. The place is in great condition, and there's nothing that needs to be done structurally to bring it up to code. We didn't think so since the place is so new and so nice! We did get water and air tests during the inspection as well. The water is fine, but unfortunately, we found that there was 3x the amount of radon in the air than the state says is healthy. So, we need to have a mitigation system put in. I was panicked at first, because you hear "high levels of radon" and it gives you pause. Plus I wasn't sure how easy it was to fix. But apparently it's just a small tube that's inserted in the basement under the foundation, and goes out through the roof. A fan in the tube sucks the radon out from underneath the house and vents it into the open air. It's energy efficient too, bringing the level down to well below what the state demands. So, it's one more thing we have to take care of, but it's not the end of the world. We also have talked about moving the closing up to the first of June, instead of the 14th. This would give us time to move in and get a bit settled before Mark starts work on the 18th. That gives us even less time! Assuming that the bank can get their appraiser out and all the paperwork taken care of. I never realized just how much was involved, the many steps to this process of buying a home. And I'm so non-smart in this area...want to know the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, when the Normans invade the Saxons, sure, but ask me to explain liability, comprehensive, deductible, it's all gobblty-gook to me. Or it was...With Mark still on rotation, it's fallen to me to get quotes on homeowners insurance policies. And just as with learning about the house--soffet vents, furnaces, foundation insulation, I can now tell you about liability coverage, comprehensive and collision deductibles, fraud protection, and band-width speeds. Wait..that last one wasn't about insurance, but I've spent almost as much time on the phone last week with phone/cable companies as I have insurance agents. Turns out, Washington is much more in the boonies than we thought and we're lucky to have DSL access at all. I thought Mark was going to cry himself to sleep over the scare of no Internet, but fortunately for him ( I suppose unfortunately for me, I'll have to keep seeing his "computer face," the top of his head, eyes, then back of the laptop screen) we can get service, even out in the boonies. We won't, however, have cable. The current owner has a satellite dish which is staying with the house, so fortunately we won't have to purchase equipment. We talked about going without cable, but we both watch way too much tv for that.
Speaking of tv, we watched the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars last night. I was never into the show, but my mom got me hooked on it, and now I can't miss it. All the remaining dancers are good (with the exception of Ian Zeirling...he's just too stiff, his dancing doesn't look natural). Laila Ali is pretty and has lots of character, but she's not as good as Apolo Anton Ono or Joey Fatone. It's going to come down to those two. I love watching Apolo and his partner Julianne. He's never danced before in his life, but he looks like he's been doing it forever. He has a natural grace and ease about him, maybe it's because he's an Olympic athlete, but they are just great to watch. Joey is also fantastic. He's got a small bit of dancing experience from N'sync, but nothing approaching ballroom. He and his partner Kym, pull out all the stops and do very tricky steps. He's also got this amazing charisma and showmanship. Mark and I have a bet, he thinks it will be Apolo who wins it, I think Joey. I think Apolo is just as talented, if not more so athletically, but Joey has that something extra and the crowd loves him. Below is his jive from the semi-finals last night which was AWESOME! Mark thought it should get an 11...it was so cool, the essence of what a jive/swing should be. I also included Apolo's Cha-cha, which raised one judges eyebrows, thinking it was too raunchy. I think it was fantastic!
Well, enough blogging out of me for now, I've got to carry on with the packing!

Summer Blockbuster Explosion!

2007-05-07T22:45:00.000-04:00

Alright movie fans, every time I turn around, there is another trailer that comes to my attention and I think, man, I need to see that. I don't think I've ever had so many movie trips lined up in one summer! I think it's time for a breakdown of this summer's coming attractions...a wild ride of sequels, magic, pirates and superpower.
I was never into comic books, but I just can't get enough of superhero movies. We saw Spiderman-3 this past weekend, and it was interesting to see the web-crawler take on not one, or two, but three villains, try to get the love of his life to marry him, and deal yet again with his uncle's death. Special effects were great, fight scenes were very cool, but the dialogue was only so-so. The highlight was the snappy banter in the climactic end fight. I'm glad we saw it, but I still think Spidey 2 was better.
June 15---Next up is the family of superheros, the Fantastic 4, Rise of the Silver Surfer. Knowing absolutely nothing about the comics, I enjoyed the first movie, especially Julian McMahon, who I loved as Cole in Charmed, and Dr. Christian Troy in the edgy Nip/Tuck. Rise of the Silver Surfer looks to be packed with even more cool special effects, and more of Johnny, the Human Torch. I can't help it, he reminds me of my brother...very much the hot shot!
July 4---Mark, of course, is very excited for the release of Transformers (Robots in Disguise... said in a very techno-robotic voice:)) Again, I know nothing about the Transformers...it was a boy thing. I was busy watching Rainbow Brite, not mac trucks that turn into several stories tall robot things. But, director Michael Bay is great for action, and the special effects will most likely steal the show. Who knows, instead of humming the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme, I might be humming "Transformers, more than meets the eye."
June 27---Ahh, Bruce Willis. The more you beat him up, the harder he beats back. Cop John McClane is back and saving the world and, apparently, his daughter, in Live Free or Die Hard. This looks to be action blasted with stunts, cars, jets, crashes, explosions, ass-whoopin', you name it, it's in there. It almost feels like Bruce Willis is trying to prove he is still every inch the action hero. Hey, I believe it, and can't wait to see it. My dad has actually agreed to go to the theater to see it with me! (My dad hasn't taken me to a movie since Aladdin!!!) Very exciting. Here's a little preview to get you excited too.

May 18---The summer of sequels starts off with Shrek the Third. I loved the "Holdin' out for a hero" sequence in Shrek 2, so I'm interested to see what they come out with next. Honestly, I didn't think they'd even do a third one. But it does seem like there is an outpouring of sequels, some it seems are just movies for the sake of being a sequels: Rush Hour 3, Ocean's Thirteen (which I'll probably like the best of the lot), The Bourne Ultimatum (sadly, I had trouble keeping up with the first two), and 28 Weeks Later (which I will absolutely NOT see, and damn you, Dan, for making me watch the first one...I still have nightmares...shudder) *Side note*Oddly enough, I am also not interested in watching Disney's new Pixar animation, Ratatouille. Who would have thought I'd say that about a Disney film?

Okay, I had to save the best two for last. And, ironically, both are sequels. Mark your calenders folks, these are the MUST SEE MOVIES!

July 13---It finally arrives, (just in time for Book 7, which is released 7/21/07) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!!!!! I am so excited!! I get goosebumps watching the previews. It makes me want to go back and read all the books, but especially Book 5. With not just the movie coming out, but Book 7 just a week later, it looks to be a Very Harry July! Mark and I have done our share of Potter Party Midnight Madness, and this time around I think it will be the biggest one yet! Hopefully I'll have my dream job by then, and can get the entire town of Camden involved, creating our very own Diagon Ally. Ahh, to dream big... The regular trailer is included below, but be sure to check out the above link to see the other international trailer, which gives an even more delicious look at what the movie holds. Accio Movie!

May 25---And finally, your favorite and mine: Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End.
Yeay!!!!!!!!!!! You can't see it, but I'm clapping my hands! I get chills watching the preview, and get so worked up with adrenaline pumping and feet twitching, that I sit on the edge of the chair or couch or pause in the middle of the livingroom floor,just drop what I'm doing, and fixate on the TV. I'm riveted. Literally. Oh my gosh, I just can't stand it. I can't help myself, I end up either jumping up and down afterward, or smacking Mark on the arm (I have a tendency to arm-smack when I'm excited...just ask my mom when we go shopping!) going, "I can't wait!!!! I love Pirates!!!" I don't usually go on the opening night to really big, highly anticipated movies because the crowds are too intense. But I want to be at one of the first showings. Ha, me and millions of other people. Who knows, I may just bring along my Captain Jack action figure...I did for Dead Man's Chest (And, how lame am I? Not just that I have an action figure, but several. I brought my Raphael action figure to TMNT, and my Rick O'Connell to Mummy Returns. *Another Side note* On the topic of sequels...guess what our friend Brendan Fraser is up to...that's right. Mummy 3. Apparently who's returning is still rumors, but Brendan is a go. Oh yeah!) So, grab on to you eye-patches and get ready for some swashbuckling fun...

Ohh, I love it! Don't you loooove it! It gets me so excited ;) Man, I need to get out more.

Out more? Outside? Who needs the beautiful sunshine and warm weather of summer...I'll be inside at the movie theater!

Sunday Nights

2007-04-29T13:05:00.000-04:00

So tonight was the last installment of the mini-series Planet Earth. I managed to catch them all on the Discovery Channel, and just like I fell in love with Blue Planet, I have loved every minute of Planet Earth. The BBC outdid themselves this time. It's fun learning about the different environments, and I got to spend some quality time with my dad watching a couple of the episodes. This last episode tonight was a "behind the scenes" look. I'm amazed at the shots they were able to capture...of course the filmmakers endured some very harsh and interesting conditions to get the shots. Spending a year in Antarctica to film penguins in the most harsh winter on earth; spending 5 weeks in a cave with a 3oo meter high mountain of bat guano, which was crawling with cockroaches; sitting motionless in a hide 12 hours a day for weeks trying to catch the elusive birds of paradise; camping out in the high Himalayas for months at a time over 3 years to film the snow leopards, an endangered species; using new camera technologies mounted to a helicopter to get aerial views of African hunting dog skills and strategies. Some of the most intense and remote locations in the world were featured by these intrepid filmmakers. But it was worth it! Here's a look at what I've picked as the two most outstanding moments of the show.

Shark Attack

Birds of Paradise

During it's run, you could vote on what you thought was the best moment. They revealed tonight that the most popular was the shark attack. I'm not surprised. Discovery Channel does a whole shark week in June every year; the shark itself is such a powerful and agile predator; and the technology used to capture the moment was so cool--it slowed down a one second attack to over 40 seconds, so you can see every bubble and bite! I had seen it early on in the previews and had been saying to my dad (when I was convincing him to watch it with me)that it was incredible and we just had to watch because the whole show was going to be full of images like that. I wasn't disappointed. The show should still be airing off and on during the next few weeks on the Discovery Channel. If you have the time, I would definitely check it out!

Here's some random fun for you...

2007-04-29T12:51:00.000-04:00

With all this very serious talk of growing up, buying a house, getting a mortgage, getting a job, etc., I felt it was time to lighten the mood. And what better way to do that than being totally juvenile.

Someone should really pass this on to my big Superman friend...I bet he'll laugh as hard as I did...am doing...hee hee hee (Mark gives me a weird look from the couch) hee hee..oh, my goodness...I have to pee!

Crash landing into Grown-up Land

2007-04-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

After looking at several houses in our whirlwind week-of-stress, we found one that was head and shoulders above the rest. This place looks like it should be a model on the showroom floor. It's a two year old house, but the lady who owns it has kept it in immaculate condition. The basement floor was so clean you could eat off of it...I kid you not! It's a small, but very nice ranch house in Washington. Perfect for two people! It has both a front and back porch, master bedroom suite with attached bathroom, 2nd bathroom with a very deep tub :), kitchen with breakfast nook, double living room, additional bedrooms that could be used as offices for each of us or used as a guest room, full roomy walk-out basement with a partitioned workshop (a perfect place for Mark to tinker with the motorcycle), and attached 2-car garage. All the appliances and equipment are essentially brand new so we wouldn't have to do any maintenance...it's turn-key ready. Perfect for the crazy schedules we'll be keeping. The house is set back from the road, surrounded by trees so as to be very private, and it even has a front yard! Being in Washington, it's just about equidistant between Camden and Augusta. We couldn't find anything wrong with this house...it was just fantastic. What's more, Mark and I both, for once, agreed and absolutely fell in love with this place. So, we made an offer. And after a couple days of negotiation, she accepted it. Oh my god, we are going to be homeowners! When our broker called and gave us the news, I actually cried. I couldn't believe that this was really happening. Both sets of parents are excited for us, and my dad is strutting around, proud of the fact that he got to see it before the rest of the family did, as he went with us on a walk-through. Both my mom and Mark's mom have been looking at pictures of the house non-stop. In fact, my dad said he could blindfold my mom and she'd be able to find her way around the house! I'm glad that all of them are so happy and excited about it, and it will be nice to be so close to them all. Who would have thought we'd end up in Washington, ME...of all places. We've got a lot to do before we get there, however.
I've started packing up a bunch of stuff here in our apartment. It's amazing how much wall art and curtains can contribute to making a place feel homey. Our walls are bare and there are boxes piling up in the corners...this is all feeling very real, and happening very fast. We plan to close on the house on June 14th, and Mark starts work the 18th! Hopefully I'll have a job by then :) I'm also getting excited about all the "house stuff" we get to do. We want to screen in the back porch for the kitties, and I want to refinish an old bureau for the bedroom. We might need to buy a lawnmower and a rake for the yard! How grown-up! Truth be told, I actually like to rake leaves, and considering how many trees are around this place, I'm sure I'll get to do plenty of raking. The porch in front is wide enough to have a table and chairs...who knows, we might even get a grill and invite you all over to a barbecue! After all, Summer is fast approaching. Thank goodness for the end of all that rain!
The week we were trying to do all this housing stuff, it just poured. In fact, we were clearly able to see which houses had basement leaks, and which didn't. One place we couldn't even get into because they didn't have power. Roads were closed, power lines were down. My dad was out late every night (he works for the power company). The Union Fairgrounds were underwater, and Aire park in Union (which I probably have spelled incorrectly, oh well) was completely gone. The water was up so high, it almost washed out the road. Unreal! I went out the first day to check the damage around the house in Camden and decided to walk down to Laite Beach. The wind coming off the water was so intense that I could lean into it! Rain and spray was coming in horizontally and was stinging so much I had to stand behind a truck to protect myself. It was so cool! Mark thinks I should get a job as a weathergirl. Hmm, the idea has merit. :)
So, between now and June, we will be hustling and bustling...packing, cleaning, traveling to Maine to do an inspection on the new house, interviewing (fingers crossed),garage sale-ing, and signing lots of papers. Talk about growing-up...I can't believe we're going to have a house!!! Ahhh! :O Yeay!!! :)

Housing update...the saga continues

2007-04-20T13:16:00.000-04:00

I have learned more about houses this week than I ever thought possible. I feel like I'm becoming a real estate broker. I've been examining everything from furnace quality and quantity, flooring, basement conditions, kitchen cabinets, and room dimensions, to boundary lines, yard maintenance, town restrictions, road conditions, rodent population, roof ages, and neighborhoods. Every little minutiae that I had never thought about before. My head is swimming with mortgage rates, insurance policies, and legal jargon. We had a total of 10 houses for sale that we are looking at and a couple of rental properties. Luckily, some have been easier than others to cross off our list. We have our last place to look at tomorrow, as well as one rental. Then we need to decide the next step. I think right now I'm leaning toward buying. Mark feels it would be better to rent, and I agree that financially, we would save money that way, but the thought of buying a house and getting settled really appeals to me. Out of the houses we've looked at so far, there is one that really stands out as being quite a nice little spot. And I think it would retain its value for resale when it comes time for us to move on. I was talking to some family members about it, and all the things I was listing were good qualities, and things that will increase it's value. Like an insulated garage! We couldn't seem to find a downside to this cute little place. I get very excited about it and yes, there is some risk of loosing money 3 or 4 years down the road if we sell it, but I really think this could be a good investment. Anyway, tomorrow will be the last day we learn about our options so then we'll be able to really sit down and discuss. Knowing the two of us, we may come to a decision by the end of next year! :)
As for the job front, I won't know anything until after May 15th, so I'll just have to wait and see. That's another thing to be stressed about. I think it's time for me to go de-stress....time for some Chinese take-out with my folks, talking about anything but houses!

The hunt is on...

2007-04-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

Man, what a crazy few days! After getting the new car (which I still can't believe), a totally new hairstyle (you'll all be so surprised :) it's very different), an awesome trip with mom to Disney on Ice (they had fireworks inside!!!), and a very filling Easter dinner (thanks Dad), I returned to New Hampshire to register the car. However, my title has apparently gotten lost in the Bermuda triangle of mail. I knew I had to be on the road again on Sunday and really needed to get it registered this week before leaving, plus the temp plates ran out today, but no title means no registration. Several terse calls and frustrated fist-shaking later, and they have guaranteed me overnight delivery on extended plates so that I can register it later. Grr. We have this next week packed with house showings in Maine since Mark has the week off from the hospital. I pulled images of just 5 so that you all can vote on your favorite! (Just scroll down the blog) Not that I was very helpful and included interiors, but let there be some surprise when people come to visit ;) It feels very surreal to be thinking about buying a house...I feel very grown up all of a sudden. New car, new job, new hair, new house...who knows, maybe we'll even get a place with a shed, and have to put lawn tools in it...then we'd really be adults! I'm learning that shopping for a house is a very exciting, anxiety-ridden process. And we're trying to cram everything in during one week. And get everything set up for June. Yikes. I find myself pacing the floors here in our apartment, while Mark is in Maine, living in a dorm room with no phone, pacing his floors. We've been coordinating with each other over email (with my cranky computer) and a borrowed phone to pick out a list of places we like (and we all know what similar tastes we both have...ha!) and when to schedule times with various Realtors. It reminds me of all the coordinating and calls and craziness we did to get our wedding together. Only we can't elope with a house. But as stressful as it can be, I'm so excited to be doing it. We're going to be closer to family and friends and we'll both have jobs we really love. I've turned in my application for a very cool job, my dream job actually, and am keeping my fingers crossed. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I'm staying positive.
As for other exciting things, let's see....I saw TMNT and was really impressed. The animation was incredible (especially the fight in the rain), the story stayed true to the characters and their history, and the music was very well done. I'm such a fan of movie music (I seriously want a soundtrack to my own life!) and I loved Klaus Badelt's latest achievement (and we all know he rocks...he composed for Pirates of the Caribbean!)
I had an awesome dinner and a movie with the upstairs neighbors. We watched Happy Feet, and let me tell somethin' to chou...it was very funny. I enjoy anything with Robin Williams. He is so funny..."it makes my tummy hurt, I have to pee!"
I've also gotten a lot accomplished in terms of cleaning. Who knew I had so many random papers and crap in my file cabinet. I don't need to cart this stuff to Maine...It's going to be so much worse when I get to Mark's office... ;)
So, I'll leave you with the reminder to Vote! And Vote often! As of right now we haven't seen any of these house in person, only online pictures. I do have a favorite, see if you can guess...but I'm keeping an open mind because it's a whole different story once you're walking around, seeing it up close. Who knows, maybe I'll be on top of things an actually post an update after we look at them next week! :) Hear the beat of the drums, and the blazing fire...the hunt is on...for a house!

Help us House Hunt!! Vote now on your favorite!

#1 Modern with a porch

#2 It has a pool!

#3 Old fashioned charm

#4 Quiet little house

#5 Brand New House!

I'm Freeeeeeee! Freeeeee!

2007-04-03T19:53:00.000-04:00

Wheeew! What a week! Okay, where did we last leave off in the Adventures of...me (for as arrogant and ridiculous as that sounds). My last day of work was Friday the 30th and I had a very nice send off. We had ice cream cookie sandwiches and I was touched at the nice comments parents and co-workers had to say. Mark and I had a very nice dinner that night with our upstairs neighbors (yeay Margaritias!!) and set off Saturday for Maine. We went straight to Charlie's Motor Mall in Augusta and a few hours later I drove away in my beautiful brand new car!! I'm so excited...it's so pretty! I had a used Subaru legacy sedan in high school and college, and then my mom's used subaru legacy wagon after I got married...so this was my first brand new car, of my choosing. I loooove the Element! It's so quirky, full of personality as well as being safe and reliable. And it's green! I'll always be able to find it in a parking lot! We drove it up to my parents' house and they both are calling it the "Turtle Van." It does kind of look like a turtle. :) My mom and I have been having fun up here in Camden, giggling over the scrapbook and planning little jaunts to Augusta and Portland and Belfast while I'm here visiting. I'm also going to be visiting some old friends while I'm in town, and starting to look for a job and a house. There are some very pretty houses in Jefferson and China... some even have pools! How awesome would that be! I'll be in Maine until Monday and then it will be back to New Hampshire to register my car and check on the Kitties. I'll try to update once more while I'm here in Maine. After all, Friday is going to be very exciting...Maine Mall shopping and Disney on Ice! I can't wait!!! Until later....

Down to the wire...

2007-03-27T21:15:00.000-04:00

Only 3 days left at the center!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. And it's only going to keep fast forwarding. The first week in April, I have plans to visit with my mom. She and I will be giggling and tee-heeing all week...especially since we have tickets to Disney on Ice Friday night! Awwww yeah! We're going to have a healthy dose of Disney because during this visit, she's going to help me work on the last few pages of the scrapbook to finish recording our special Mother-Daughter trip we took to Disney last October. I can't wait to see her and my dad and my grandma. I even have a date with my brother. I saw a preview for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and called him immediately on his cell phone and told him that we HAD to go! We loved the turtles growing up. One year for Halloween he dressed up as Raphael and I went as April O'Neill. Turtles are awesome! In addition to upcoming visiting, I'm hoping for more excitement as I look into getting a new car :) Not the kind of car that Mickey is sporting, but a Honda Element. It's so quirky and unique, I just love it! (Check out the link in my list of "Ways to Waste Time" for Honda's website) I'm past overdue for a change in cars and I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted this one to be. I think the Element is really the right choice for me...it's got 4 wheel drive, front and side airbags, huge cargo room, easy care interior (it's all rubberized!) and it's a bit peppier than the ancient slug I have now. Not so peppy as to get me in trouble with The Man...damn my heavy foot...but zippy enough to make a noticeable difference from the wagon. Plus it will be newer and make me less nervous about breaking down on the side of the road. That makes me very happy. Having all this to think about makes my days fly by. Mom, movies, and Cars, oh my. So much excitement...only 3 more days!

The weekend passes...

2007-03-25T11:49:00.000-04:00

Even though I'm a grown-up and can technically do whatever I feel like doing, there are times when I have to be a "good girl" and finish my work before I can go play. That was the deal this weekend. I had the chance to go up to Maine and visit some close friends who I haven't seen in a while, who I really missed and wanted to see. Unfortunately, I had a lot of work to do at home, and I was a bit under the weather with a cold. I needed to work on my resume, since I'm down to one week of work (yeay!) and then it will be an all points bulletin search for a new job. You wouldn't think that briefly cataloging my various work responsibilities would be hard, but it's trickier than I thought to say it all coherently and succinctly. And my cover letter is only half done. Okay, more like one third done. I feel like the words I want are just beyond my reach...even now when I'm typing this update it feels like it's not completely what I want to say. I did manage to get the house relatively back in order-- laundry done, dishes washed, kitchen scrubbed down and clean sheets on the bed. So at least a little bit got accomplished. Since giving up a nice visit this weekend, I do have a special treat for myself to make up for it. The Discovery Channel has come out with a new mini-series called Planet Earth which looks absolutely fantastic. I was a big fan of the Blue Planet series about the world's oceans and this looks to be even more visually striking. So tonight at 8, I have a date in front of my tv. Then it will be one more early Monday morning. This week is going to fly by, just like this weekend.

1 year old!

2007-03-22T19:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Ethan, Happy Birthday to you! So exciting, my godson is one year old today! I can't believe a year has passed already. I've only gotten to see him a few times; at the christening, again at the end of summer, and then once at Christmas, but he is the cutest little guy! Very alert and happy. :) Especially when you sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider." I work with little kids, I know how popular the song is, but Ethan REALLY loves that spider. I've never seen such a reaction to the song! He gets so excited that his eyes get big and bright, he drums his little heels on the carpet, and flaps his arms like he's about to fly away...all with a giant grin on his face. His parents are both musical geniuses, so maybe that's why he enjoys it so much. He's a joy to watch and I can't wait until the next time I get to see him. Who knows, he may be up and walking by then, as he was practicing standing on his own at Christmas. Happy Birthday my sweetie!

Bloody Pirates!!!!!!

2007-03-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

ARRRRRRRRRRRR!!! I love Pirates! Oh my god, I am so excited after watching the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End trailer that I am dancing around the living room doing what looks suspiciously like the pee-pee dance. I'm actually squirming with excitement. May 25th is so far away, I can't stand iiiiiitt! I'll just have to fill my days with other forms of swashbuckling. Let's see...I can watch the first two movies, drink out of my Pirates glass,and use the Captain Jack Sparrow bookmark my mom just sent me. Hee hee. :) The movie looks promising (scroll down to the end of my blog to watch the full trailer), delivering several more hours where I can watch pirate antics, most especially that of Capt. Jack. Man, I love that character! It puts a chill in me bones knowing I'll have so long a wait; best put hard to starboard and coax the wind to speed up the calender. Send me some good pirate jokes or tales, me hearties, to last me til then. I think I'll start planning a Pirate's release party...oooo, now I'm even more excited! Until next time mateys..

Changing times

2007-03-17T23:00:00.001-04:00

You all know (and I assume you know me or you wouldn't be interested in reading all of this) that Mark graduates from Dartmouth Medical School on June 10th. We celebrated Match Day (a day when all the med students get together and receive an envelope telling them which hospital wants them to come work for them) on the 15th and found out where the next portion of our lives will take us. We will be moving to the Augusta Maine area, where he will do his 3 years of residency in Family Practice. As of right now, I work for the Dartmouth College Child Care center as an assistant teacher. I chase after 12 monkeys of the 2-3 year old variety. It's been a silly, busy, crazy two and a half years there, but now it's time to be moving on. March 30th is my last day (fast approaching!) and then I will be spending some time gearing up for the big move. I plan to go through the house from top to bottom and get rid of some of our excess stuff. It's amazing how much crap one can accumulate! I also need to be on the job hunt, finding something for me to do while Mark is putting in 80+ hours at the hospital. With all these changes, (and the fact that everyone is using a blog to record and transmit information)I thought it would be fun to keep track of this new phase in my life through this electronic form of a journal. I'm very excited to be finding a new house, new job. It's a new beginning and who knows, maybe I can do what I went to school for! How great would that be! The only downside will be spending 3 hours trapped in a car with our cats. Cats who hate the car. Who will cry the entire time. Looks like I'll be adding "Training the cats to like the car" to my to-do list. Jack and Beni will just have to get ready for the changes too.

It's about time!

2007-03-17T22:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, I finally did it. I now have a blog. Most of my friends have blogs, my husband as well, and it seems to be an effective way to keep in close contact. Personally, I haven't been that computer savvy (I can barely check my email) and didn't see the need to have a blog, but now-a-days, not using the computer is like not using a phone, so I really need to join the 21st century. So, as this is my first foray into cyberspace, please be patient with me. It will hopefully get much cooler.