Thursday Thirteen–Number 5

 

Thirteen wonderfully expensive things I got for my birthday this year.

 

 

 1.  My Bentley Mulsanne, in dark Sapphire, of course.

 

 

 

 

2.  This iPad case is handmade in Italy by luxury goods firm Tod’s. They use the finest alligator skin to craft the case and it is available in blue, brown and tan.  (Tod’s Alligator Skin Covers – $4,900)

 

 

 

3. Fratelli Basile’s Hebanon furniture evokes the timeless qualities of 18th century furniture while making use of modern craftsmanship. This bed, with its chestnut structure and ash wood canopy, is no exception. The exterior is lacquered, patinated and decorated with 107 kg of 24k gold. The bed also features the finest Italian silk and cotton. (Baldacchino Supreme – $6.3 million)

 

4.  This wasn’t the biggest, or even the most expensive boat, but it will do.  I just love the rollout resort.  It features a pool with retractable roof, a 75-foot dining table crafted by Viscount Linley and a helicopter. Lady Moura’s most remarkable feature, however, is the beach resort that slides out of one side of the boat. The mini resort features not only sand and deck chairs, but even includes palm trees for a truly authentic resort experience. (Lady Moura – $210 million)

 

5. With that, I HAD to have this: 

This beach towel by Hermès, that hundred-plus-year-old Parisian design house famous for their printed silk scarves, measures 36″ by 60″ and is made of 100% cotton terrycloth. Hermès currently offers twenty different prints, with some designs available in multiple colors. The design shown above can be purchased in blue or red. Other designs may come in hot pink, orange or yellow.

At $530, you’re not likely to find a more expensive beach towel. Will anyone else on the beach know you’re using such a luxurious towel? Maybe not, but you certainly will.

 

6.  You know I’m gonna wanna take some pictures. 

The Hasselblad H4D-60 is probably the most expensive digital camera in the world. This DSLR camera has an astonishing 60 megapixel 40 x 54 mm sensor. Aided by the Absolute Position Lock processor, Hasselblad’s True Focus system allows the photographer to focus on the composition without constantly fiddling with the focus. The camera has a capture rate of 1.4 seconds per capture and shutter speed ranges from an 800th of a second to 32 seconds.

This pro digital camera costs in excess of $40,000, but that price will also get you membership in the Hasselblad Owners’ Club.

 

Then, I got hungry…

7.  The matsutake, or mattake, mushroom is expensive because of its rarity. While its historical prevalence meant it was nearly synonymous with autumn in Japan, the introduction of an insect that kills the trees under which the mushroom grows has caused a dramatic decrease in the number of matsutake mushrooms. A method for farming the matsutake has yet to be developed, which means the lack of trees from which to harvest these mushrooms naturally is a serious problem for the species. (Matsutake Mushrooms – $1000/pound)

 

8.  This bagel, created by Executive Chef Frank Tujague for New York’s Westin Hotel, is topped with white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves. The bagel’s price is justified when you consider that white truffles happen to be the second most expensive food by weight, eclipsed only by caviar. The underground fungus grows only under specific oak trees in Alba, Italy. Their pheromone-like odor is considered to be an aphrodisiac and is the reason dogs and female pigs are used to hunt the precious truffle.  (The World’s Most Expensive Bagel – $1000)

 

9.  This absurdly expensive breakfast item consists of a mixture of eggs, lobster and 10 ounces of sevruga caviar (which costs the restaurant $65 per ounce). On the menu next to the expensive omelet there is a challenge that reads, “Norma dares you to expense this.”  (The Zillion Dollar Frittata – $1000)

 

 

 

 

10.  While Wagyu cattle are raised both in and outside Japan, the Kobe varietal which is raised specifically in the Hyogo prefecture is the most elite. Employing the most traditional production methods, Kobe beef comes from cows that are allegedly fed only beer and massaged by hand to ensure a tenderness and marbling beyond compare. These dishes can be out of range for the average restaurateur, carrying an unhealthy load of fat and a price tag to match. For your next after-work social, you might try taking your associates to New York City’s Craftsteak, where a full Wagyu rib eye was served up to a private party for $2800.

 

11.  To celebrate the DVD release of Slumdog Millionaire, Bombay Brassiere packed this curry platter full of the most expensive ingredients they could find. Devon crab and white truffle and a half tomato filled with Beluga caviar and dressed with gold leaf are just the start of this lavish dish. A Scottish lobster, also coated with gold, four abalone and four shelled and hollowed quails’ eggs filled with even more caviar round out the dish.  (Samundari Khazana, the World’s Most Expensive Curry – $3200)

 

12.  The 12 inch pizza pie is densely packed with an assortment of some of the world’s most expensive food ingredients, such as lobster marinated in cognac, caviar soaked in champagne, sunblush tomato sauce, Scottish smoked salmon, venison medallions, prosciutto, and vintage balsamic vinegar. In addition to all these fine ingredients, it’s topped with a significant amount of edible 24-carat gold flakes.  (Domenico Crolla’s “Pizza Royale 007″ – $4200)

 

Then I had to have something that sparkled…

13,  Colored diamonds can be natural, which are very expensive, and treated, which are more economical. Colored diamonds will definitely add an extra oomph to your piece of jewelry!

 

 

 

 

Now, if you believe I got all that for my birthday, then I also have some real estate I know you will just love that I’ll make you an excellent deal on:

Yes, the whole bridge, the entrance and exit ramps are included.  Contact me when you are ready to discuss payment, I’ll jump into my Bentley and meet you at “Daniel” on the Upper East Side.  I hear the Florida Frog Leg and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup and Tai Snapper Ceviche with Cucumber Vinaigrette are just divine.  We can begin with sipping a $24 Rose Royale in the lounge.

 

Let’s do lunch

 

Got Thirteen things on your mind, share them at:  Thursday Thirteen.

Three Word Wednesday CCXLVII

My Three Word Wednesday, Number 4
This week's words:
Bump; noun: A light blow or a jolting collision; a protuberance on a level surface; verb: Knock or run into someone or something or meet by chance; move or travel with much jolting and jarring.
Knuckle; noun: A part of the finger at a joint where the bone is near the surface; verb: Rub or press (something, especially the eyes) with the knuckles.
Transfix; verb: (Usually transfixed) cause someone to become motionless with horror, wonder or astonishment; pierce with a sharp implement or weapon.



For a moment, we both stood there staring stupidly, transfixed.  Our minds unable to comprehend what our eyes were trying to tell our brains was happening.  Then Dennis’ foot started tapping very fast on the ground.  I heard an odd moan-like wail come from him that I never would have thought it possible for him to make.

“Get the keys!”  He growled at me through clenched teeth.

Quick as I could, I thrust my hand into his pocket trying to fish them out.  It was hard, the way he was kind of twisted.  His bouncing leg did not help any at all.  “Stop!”  I told him.  “I can’t reach them with you all over the place.”

He tried to stand more still.  I heard another strange noise come from him.  I wondered if it was the sound of his teeth breaking, he was gritting them so hard.  I could feel the keys just at my finger tips.  I glanced up, my eyes followed along the edge of the car door.  I didn’t mean to bump it.  It didn’t even seem a big thing.  I didn’t mean for it to close.  But it had, and just enough for the lock to catch.  For the car door to catch, to catch his hand in it.  It was an accident.  I had no doubt he knew that.  It just did not matter all that much right now.

I drug the keys out of his pocket.  My hands were shaking so bad, it took me a couple of jabs before I could get the key into the door lock.  I turned it, the car door swung open, finally.  Finally, his had was released from where it had gotten trapped.  We both just stared at it.  Dennis began making a sort of high pitched, undulating, “oooooooooooo” sound.

His fingers were definitely going to be a bit bruised.  But, oh wow, that one knuckle, it looked squished.

Wordless Wednesday - 6

It's my Birthday, my Birthday, my B-B-B-Birthday :-D

June 28, and I am ............ years old!

Huh, for some reason the graphic of how old I am won't show up! Imagine that...

Peeling Potatoes

Look! I finally got one of these emails!

I had heard about these things! I've seen people talk about them on the TV. I've heard sooooo many warnings to NOT fall for this... But I never ever got one of the thousand-million-jillion of them that was supposed to be lurking around out there.

Till today! Till this morning! I have arrived! I got my own offer to swindle me email! Oh! It's for his client who died and everything I'd ever heard it would be! Even the incredible multi-million dollar amount that really could be mine is there!

I do hope this isn't really from one of my crazy friends just trying to make me think I got a real swindle me email :-/



(⌒▽⌒) Oh, it's a wonderful day in the neighborhood ...

Three Word Wednesday CCXLVI, my #3

The three words for this week are: Gag, Maintain, Omit.


I'm sitting in the floor of my new house, several cities and a lot of miles away from where I used to live. Very carefully I place a round, yellow sticker of a smiley face onto the photograph before me. I want it to line up perfectly. Remembering how happy we were back then almost makes me gag. It's okay, maintain, just keep breathing - in and out.

Stacks of boxes line the walls, most all of my stuff is still packed. But in this little clearing photo albums, pictures, and smiley stickers are strewn from where I've been working. Looking at them all, I wonder if I'll need to get more smiley stickers. I pick up my next album and pull out the first picture where he appears. Then oh so very carefully fit the smiley sticker so that it just covers his face. Perfect. Now onto the next picture he's in. This album is pretty thin, it won't take that long to work my way through it. One-by-one, I omit him from my life. 


P.S. (And for those who are wondering - yes, I did. I still have the albums, pictures, and smiley faces.)


Live a little and give it a try, Three Word Wednesday

Thursday Thirteen, #4

Thursday Things that Really Annoy Me


1.  People with OCD that complain about people with OCD.
2.  When I am driving and stopped at a corner waiting for a car to pass so I can turn, but they turn instead and NEVER signaled. I could have turned hours earlier if they had only let me know what they had planned long before getting to me.

3.  When a person at the register in a store cannot decide if they want to purchase "this" also, or not - so they go back and forth trying to decide.

4.  Something that got done, just to be finished with, that now has to be re-done because the time was not taken to do it right the first time.

5.  When sitting in a booth at a restaurant, the parent in the booth in back of me allows their child to turn around and hang over the back of the booth - that also being over my shoulder.

6.  When someone tries to make their problem my problem also.

7.  A dog on a leash that is allowed to stand a foot or so away, and bark at me.

8.  Dogs that come from another house to my house just to bark at me in my own yard.
9.  Sales representatives that really don't know a thing about what they are selling.

10.  Sales representatives that know waaaay too much about what they are selling.

11.  People who say they are going to do something, then don't. I'm reasonable, I realize stuff happens. I'm talking about... they played video games instead, or "just forgot." :-/

12.  Sales Representatives.

13.  When someone is really, really, really hungry - wants food right now - but has nooooo idea what they want to eat when I ask them.


Got 13 things on your mind?  Come list them here, Thursday 13

Wordless Wednesday - Piewhackits in the Kitty Window

=^.^=

WWW Wednesday - June 22, 2011

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?




Currently, I am still slogging my way through "Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood. I like the book. I am "into" the story. This past week has not been kind to my reading time. I had intended to read it with the 1book140 group on Twitter. But I am about two chapters behind and getting frustrated.




My other book I am currently reading "Shadow of the Silk Road" is sitting abandoned right now as any free moment I have gets devoted to trying to keep up in "Blind Assassin." And that's part, at least, that has me so frustrated. It's a good book. But I feel more like I'm just trying to keep up than really enjoy reading it.

I have not managed to get anything finished :-/




Next, I am thinking about returning to "The Wheel of Time," in Robert Jordan's second in the series, "The Great Hunt."

Thank you!

The Seriously Random Questions Meme, Pt. 2 - A Day Late

I know... I'm a day late. I'm probably a dollar short too ;-)



The Seriously Random Questions Meme, Pt. 2

Cheers to all of us thieves!


21. Have you ever had a garage sale? Nope.

22. What color is your cell phone? Mostly black.

23. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had? Kahlua and cream.

24. Are you happy right now? Mostly yes

25. Who came over to your house last? Dennis. He and Joe are re-building a couple of motorbikes.

26. Do you drink beer? Sometimes.

27. Have your brothers or sisters ever told you that you were adopted? No, we told each other we were dropped off and then taken in out of pity.

28. What is your favorite key on your key chain? My house key.

29. What was the last movie you watched at home? Ummmm. Uuuuhhhhh. Uuummmmm.... :-o Ummmmmmm.

30. What is in your pocket? Lint.

31. Who introduced you to your bf/gf/husband/wife? Himself, when I hit him with my car. By that I mean I nearly ran over him. We were married not long at all after. Yup.

32. Where do you hurt? My hand and wrist joints are in arthritic agony :-(

33. Has someone ever made you a build a bear? Yes, a bear and a bunny :-)

34. What’s something fun you did today? Updated my kitties' Kwee Cats page.

35. What is your favorite aisle at Target? The one that has chocolate for sale.

36. When is your birthday? This month, June 28 - I'm a crabby person ;-)

37. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror? Yes, a red "Remove This Before Flight" tag that hangs on parked Air Force planes.

38. How many states in the US have you been to? 50

39. What kind of milk do you drink? 1% or skim - but I greatly prefer the chocolate.

40. What are you going to do after this? Get some Fritos and Diet Coke to snack on.



(⌒▽⌒) Oh, it's a wonderful day in the neighborhood ...

Irresistably Sweet

I am trying to remember a time when I have been more surprised, but one's not coming to me. Old Altonian, whose writing I am quite fond of, gave me the Irresistably Sweet award. I am so complimented he enjoys my site and what I write down in it.  His poems are fantastic, but my favorites are the Tales from Nether Afton, The Joe Magpie Stories. I do not think he could write too many of them.

Now, as I understand it, for this award one is to list seven pieces of information not commonly known about themself, and fifteen recommendations.

1. I am a frustrated artist. I always wanted to be able to draw. When I was in college, I took an Art class. Not quite two weeks in, the professor strongly suggested to me that I drop the class.

2. Long before there were any casinos there, one night I accidentally sunk a pick-up into Black Lake, in Louisiana. So far as I know, it's still in there.

3. I almost had a degree in Law. But just after starting my last year, it dawned on me that it was not what I really wanted to do. So I left school and for the next two years banded and counted birds in various research projects.

4. I have an older brother that I have absolutely no idea where is or what has happened to him.

5. I love playing Angry Birds on my iPad.

6. I used to be a storm chaser. Years ago, before it was all the rage with TV shows and movies about it.

7. I have a scar on my leg I got when scrambling over a fence, to avoid being squashed between it and the hippo I was feeding.

My fifteen recommendations, (I suppose Altonian would might yell if I re-nominated him, even though he'd truly be my first choice):

1. Colleen even tries to find something nice to say about my awful poetry.

2. Ibeati always reminds me to count my blessings, and his beautiful pictures always make me smile.

3. The Gal Herself, underneath her tough exterior, she is sweet...because she cares, and she cares about the animals.

4. Nancy

5. Izzy

6. {th}ink

7. Simple Catholic Living

8. Daisy the Curly Cat

9. Marg's Pets

10. Zoolatry

11. Momo

12. Hannah and Lucy

13. Brian

14. Fuzzy Tails

15. Willow

3 Word Wednesday - CCXLV

This week, the words are: grip, prefer, thread. Finally, I have this.

My grip on his hand - His grip on my shoulder - my grip on reality. I follow this fragile thread of sanity. What do I do without him? This must be some kind of mistake - a bad cosmic joke. Why am I still breathing when he is not? No, no thank you, I do not wish to come out and be among the guests. I prefer the silence here, where in the stillness I can still hear his voice.

Theme Thursdays - Shapes

This week's theme is shapes.

I am currently reading "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood. These shapely quotes are taken from that book:

"Her hat tumbles off, her arms are around is neck, her head and body arched backwards as if someone's pulling down on her hair."

Then in the next paragraph, "The air smells of dry rot, but also of soap: there's a tiny triangular sink in one corner, a foxed mirror hanging above it; crammed underneath it, the square-edged black box of his typewriter."




(⌒▽⌒) Oh, it's a wonderful day in the neighborhood ...

Booking Through Thursday - Interactive?

Booking Through Thursday

Today's Question:

• With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.
• How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?

I have mixed emotions on this subject.  (It seems that is happening to me more and more.)  I picture myself as an "old school" reader.  I have a Kindle, I also have the Kindle app on my iPad.  I use both for all of my reading.  In the past, almost, five years now that I've owned a Kindle I have not bought a "paper" book for myself.  I am often reading more than one book at a time.  The convenience of being able to carry them all around with me in the light, compact, Kindle is a great benefit.  Also, it is next to impossible, I mean I really have to work at it, to loose my place.  And I even like the "extras" option that comes with most books that list characters, places, etc.  It is information that has been contributed by other readers of the book.  There is even an entry for other books like that one.  I am also far more comfortable in highlighting text in my eBook than I ever was in my actual paper volume.  On paper, it is so permanent.  When there is text I want to reference, it is so easy to copy it out of the eBook, as opposed to having to retype it all from a printed version.  Then too, there is no bookstore in the small town where I live.  The nearest Barnes & Knoble is almost 30 miles away.  With the Kindle, I can have a new book in a matter of moments.

I don't find the advent of video, and a lot of other stuff to be that great of a benefit.  All I really need is just to be able to read the print.  That being said, it is very nice to be able to use the dictionary to look up a word just by clicking on it.  Still, I'm fairly simple in what I need when it comes to a book.  There are, however, people like my son.  He claims to like books and to like reading.  But it takes the internet being down, and a malfunction of his vido game system, and for him to not be able to find anything else to do - all at the same time - before he will consider picking up a book.  He says they just move too slow for him to keep his attention.  For him, and those like him, video, music, and anything else that could be crammed in there might be of a benefit.  And in the video game, fast paced, visually oriented, future we seem to be heading, those types of features may be what's needed to keep future generations reading.

Being a lover of books and reading, yes, I think that does bother me.

Thursday Thirteen - Just 13 Thoughts, Random and Random-er

1. I am amazed at how to some people their pets become such true members of the family. And at how to some people they do not.

2. I have discovered, that when I am struggling with a book, but am being too stubborn to give up on it, listening to it as a audio book while reading along helps far more than I had thought it might. Decadent as that may sound.

3. There is STILL nothing better than iced sweet tea on a hot day.

4. I found a four leaf clover! Brought it inside, and my kitty Pungy ate it. Sooooo, she's the lucky one now... orrrrr she's my new good luck charm and I need to carry her with me from room to room - she is NOT going to the grocery store with me.

5. My son saw a test pattern in one of his video games and got all excited because it was one of the "old style" with the bulls eyes and the indian head... made like they did loooooong ago. Uh-huh, I felt as old then as I did when he got all excited because he'd read about 8-track tapes in his history book.

6. I was told, "Your ignorance is not my problem." My response was, "Your arogance isn't my problem either."

7. I have this friend who keeps referring to her "life changing event" and in writing or conversation she'll refer to something as being "before her life changed." But for the life of me, I have no idea what she is referring to. I absolutely cannot remember anything of any magnitude that ever happened to her, or ever "changed" her life to go in a new direction. I just don't want to have to ask, you know?

8. The odd people the next corner down have now put up a third fence. That now makes three rings of fence around their house. And it seems, I'm not the only one thinking they will never ever understand them.

9. I am learning some of the meme people are just like you and me, it's for fun, they are relaxed, and the point is the exchange of what we've written. While others are wound just a little too tight for my taste.

10. I like how everybody has their own style, their own form of time management and organization. It seems on these subjects, individuality really shows through. I'm still perfecting mine, and that's okay. I am, in the meantime, learning a lot about myself.

11. I am reading "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood. It's in participation with the 1book140 reading group on Twitter. That part is fun and pretty easy. But, at first, I really liked the book and the beginning went really fast. This week it's chapter 5 and I find I am really having to push myself through it. Yes, this is part of what started the whole audio book to listen to while I am reading it thing.

12. I cannot seem to grill good steaks. The outsides get hard. The inside is fairly okay, assuming you can saw your way through to it.

13. I have been trying meditation. And it is just great. I feel so good, so positive, so in balance after. Till somebody does something stupid...then I have to meditate all over again.

Please everybody, these kitties need some help.

Please Help Lil Em and Sapphire Avoid a “Cat”astrophe

These are two sweet kitties, and they need some help. They need a real and true forever home that will always love them.

If you can't, then please help get their message out. Thank you everybody.

a stolen autumn

(⌒▽⌒) Oh, it's a wonderful day in the neighborhood ...

This week’s Musing asks…

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

Robert Jordan's "The Eye of the World" it is the first in his series "Wheel of Time." I had a big love/hate relationship with this book. At first, I could not get into it. Then, all of a sudden something just clicked and I was having to know what happens next. You have the good guys and the bad guys, and of course the fate of the world hangs in the balance. But the characters became very likable to me, even the ones that really irritated me with their decision to be dumb. And the characters I fell in love with... Were still alive at the end of the book :-)

The Seriously Random Questions Meme, Pt. 1

Sunday Stealing

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Your ex's car is on the side of the road, on fire. What do you do?
Get out my marshmallow and find a coat hanger.

2. Your best friend tells you she is pregnant. What is your reaction?
At your age? This has to be something Biblical.

3. When is the last time you wanted to punch someone in the face?
I do not remember. I mean, deliberately, I-do-not-remember.

4. What is the last thing you spent money on?
An app I just HAD to have for my iPad and could not live without.

5. Do you think you gained or lost weight this past month?
I think, like a woman's age, you should not ask. That interprets to: I'm really-really hoping I did not gain any :-/

6. Crunchy or Puffy Cheetos?
Crunchy

7. The first person on your friends list just called you a bitch. What do you do?
Wonder what's their problem all of a sudden?

8. Congratulations! You just had a son. What’s his name?
Alfred

9. Congratulations! You just had a daughter. What’s her name?
Nadine

10. What are you craving right now?
Chocolate, and a Coke

11. What was the last thing you cried about?
That we were out of chocolate.

12. When you buy something and your change is 2 cents, do you keep it or tell the cashier to keep it?
The cashier can keep it, in that little need-one-take-one-leave-one penny thing.

13. What color is your tissue box?
Blue

14. Do you have a ceiling fan in your bedroom, and if so, is there dust on that fan?
Yes and yes.

15. What was the last voicemail you received about?
From Dennis, is whipped butter okay for margarine? (I don't know, men and groceries...)

16. Have you ever blocked someone on Facebook?
No

17. Scariest thing you’ve experienced in the last year?
My son and his girlfriend/relationship troubles.

18. Do you wear a name tag at work?
Nope.

19. What kind of car do you want?
A blue Bentley.

20. What do you order when you go to Burger King?
Chicken fries, onion rings, and a large diet coke.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This is Too Neat

Nick Gentry paints on old floppy disks instead of traditional canvas....

Read more: http://www.underconsideration.com/quipsologies/archives/june_2011/plamen_58.php

between aching and sorrow

Maybe, I have found a way to use my poetic voice.

The Kwee Cats

Well, they've done it! The Kwee Cats have their own blog site now. And they are sooooo happy. I'm glad its done. And I'm excited for our new adventure! Their blog is at Kwee Cats. And yes, I'll be helping them along. Or more likely staying out of the way!

55 Words - June 9, 2011

This is my first try at the 55 Words Writing. So, please, be... patient. And thank you!

My 55 Words:

Okay, I need 55 words to say something. Don't want to mess this up! Nuts! I used a contraction. I think that's one word though. Hope so because I just used another one. Oh no - what about hyphenated words? Do they count as one or two? Better stick with the number 55 then till - oops!

To try one of your own, this is the man you need to see: Mr. KnowItAll.

Thursday Thirteen - Just Thirteen Bits of Stuff

1. As an avid reader, this blog thing is really beginning to compete for my read time. I am also discovering I am no where near as organized as I thought I was.

2. I'm really tired of Weiner's...tweet.

3. E3, the big annual gaming convention out in LA has been really neat. I wanted to see more about games like The Sims 3 though.

4. I confess, I love playing with The Sims, 2 and 3 :-P

5. I know, my son is almost 20. But I still get nervous when he drives my pick-up.

6. When you only work on Saturday mornings, from 8:00am to noon, how can you seriously lack the motivation to go?

7. I like to think I enjoy cooking. But, some days, I just cannot convince myself that I do.

8. I will never understand the neighbors that live on the next corner - ever.

9. Thirteen things really are a lot of things to think of, you know?

10. I am developing a real respect for the people so talented that they can make this look easy.

11. I am finding it a delicate balance for my blog site to not become an only cat, book, bird, nature, travel or biker site. I want it to be a place of connection. Where I am able to connect with other people participating in the experience of living life.

12. How do you keep one interest a part of your time rather than it dominating all of your time, or your blog?

13. I set up a blog for my cats, Kwee Cats...yes, yes I did... It still needs a little bit of work. I'm probably once again over thinking things.

Three Word Wednesday - CCXLIV - My First

This is my first Three Word Wednesday writing. I confess I am quite nervous over it. The three words are: Alter, Fond and Tranquil.


Sitting beside the cool blue tranquil water, her mind drifted.  She thought of time and what had changed since their beginning.  How her heart had raced when she'd realized he was fond of her.  She had been so shy.  He some older, more experienced, and supposedly wiser.  Now, their hair sported shades of gray.  Lines on their faces spoke of past worries, laughter and smiles they'd shared together.  She rested her head on his shoulder.  A leaf floated by smoothly on the calm water.  She could hear his watch softly ticking.  Time, it really does march on, doesn't it?  We change, but it doesn't.  Time passes, our bodies change, so do our thoughts and opinions.  But our love?  Does time alter it?  Yes.  But only to make it stronger and deeper.

Visit Three Word Wednesday to try it yourself, and find other participants. It's a great writing challenge that is fun and will really get you thinking.

Wordless Wednesday - Don't Let It Fall

Patrick Case, keeping it all together, photographed by Steven Gustafson, the two great guys who are GlobalBikers, and just make the world a better place.

A Silky Tuesday Teaser

I would have had this up earlier, but where I live, the Internet is out (it seems) more than it is working. I am very much enjoying all the imagery that is coming from this book.

My Tuesday Teaser for today is:
"Within it's ramparts the town had crumbled from the hill, leaving only the incision of cisterns and drains in it's rock, wandering steps.  A monolithic sarcophagus was filling with water."
From the book: "Shadow of the Silk Road" by Colin Thubron



Home for today's Teaser Tuesday, June 7

Everybody likes New Stuff, you know?

Steven has more new videos up of the Global Bikers trip to Alaska on his YouTube :-)

I hate mosquitoes }:-/
and tickets...

Sunday 160

Quiet wind in the trees, the day is finally beginning to cool off. My mind, with the day slows down. Its been a good weekend. No emergencies...no tears. All ok.

My 50 Books (by the end of the year) Assessed in One Word

My 50 books the end of the year: (Began May 12, about)

1. The First Year Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker
In One Word - Informative

2. Forging the Darksword by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
In One Word - Thought-provoking

3. The Wheel of Time: Book 1 of The Eye of the World Series (1990) by Robert Jordan
In One Word - Average

4. True Stories of Crime from the D.A.'s Office by Arthur Train
In One Word - Boring




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I am HUNGRY

So... my son takes my pick up and goes to the video game store - first. Then to pick up some luch after. Okay, I'm cool. We understood, I'd munch on the roast beef in the frige and be fine... Only, he's left and I discover, ta da, there is no roast beef in the frige any more /:-( Okay... fine, I'll eat the last of HIS summer sausage - ha-ha... Only, I see it's like old, really, really old... Fine! So I ate what was left of the smoked swiss cheese - HA-HA ~:-) Now, he calls and Quizons does not have the chicken taco salad any more??!!??!?!? Is there some sort of plot out today???? How can they just not have the chicken taco salad anymore? FINE! The Harvest Chicken Whatever... I'M JUST really hungry }:-(

Characters Meme

I found this at Sweet Tea and Sunshine. It originated at A Design So Vast And was such fun, I HAD to do it!

1. Rockstar Name (first pet, current car): Inky Pick-up

2. Gangsta Name (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Chocolate Almond  Sneakers

3. Native American Name (fave color, fave animal): Purple Bunny

4. Superhero Name (2nd fave color, fave drink): Blue Coke

5. Nascar Name (first names of your grandfathers): Garth Lowell

6. Stripper Name (name of your fave scent/perfume, fave candy): Lavender Rolo

7. TV Weather Anchor Name (5th grade teacher’s last name, major city that starts with same letter): Miller Milwaukee 

8. Spy Name (fave season/holiday, flower): Winter Larkspur

9. Cartoon Name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Orange Jeans

10. Hippie Name (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree): Donut Hole Weeping Willow

Thursday Thirteen: Thirteen Things from May 2011

In no particular order, they are:

1.  There were less tornadoes in May than there were in April - thankfully.

2.  Memorial Day is not a good day to go to a popular golf course.  Especially if its been a while since you've played golf.

3.  Steven posted a new video of July 28th, 2009 - James W Dalton Highway, Alaska  Yea!  He's one of the two really neat guys that are Global Bikers.  And with people already complaining of the heat, and its only May, Alaska was an even more welcome oasis.

4.  Memorial Day, and remembering not only my Daddy and Uncle, but all the men and women who gave everything for us.

5.  "Spring" now lasts for about 36 hours, and can go from 21 degrees in the morning (at 5:00am) to 96 degrees in the afternoon (at 3:30pm), all in the same day.

6.  After all the time I spent chasing storms and tornadoes, all I really had to do was just stop and stay at home.  Because, now they come to me.

7.  That guy I initially thought was a jerk, is a jerk.

8.  I don't care how easy he makes it look, my Beef Wellington will never ever be like Gordon Ramsey's Beef Wellington.  And I'm now okay with that.

9.  Harley, Secret Agent 007.5 is a very cute Double Oh Agent.

10.  Hamburgers really do taste better when cooked on the grill.

11.  Spooky movies can still make me have nightmares.

12.  The cake really is a lie.

13.  Oh, and there was something in the news about some guy named bin Laden ;-D

Wordless Wednesday: All That Is Left

The bank vault at the Commerce Bank branch at 1804 E. 20th St. was the only part of the structure left standing after the tornado a week ago Sunday.(Joplin Globe/Randy Tobias)