The Three B's

The first of the three B's was: Baltimore. I just traveled there for a work conference, which was great. I had never been that far north before, and I was looking forward to the trip, not only for the educational information that I was going to get out of it, but also for the complete change of scenery. Last year's conference was in Washington, D.C., and that was the farthest north I'd been up until that point.

JF was worried about me being in the Big City, so he told me not to go wandering around after dark, and to try not to walk anywhere alone. Knowing that Baltimore has some...um...*healthy* crime stats, I agreed. Plus, I've been held up before, and it's not a scene I care to repeat ever again.

As a fan of the late, great, and much-lamented TV show "Homicide: Life on the Street", I was curious to experience Baltimore for myself. I wanted to get a chance to take a picture on the station house steps, but, alas, that was not to be. We just didn't have enough down-time. It would have required a bit of a taxi drive, or a jaunt by Water Taxi, and it wasn't in the cards this trip. Maybe one day I'll be able to return, and that will be a must-see. Plus, I was under orders not to go alone, and truthfully, I didn't want to go all over Baltimore by myself anyway.

Our hotel was right next door to Camden Yards. I was surprised to see Camden Yards smack in the middle of downtown. Usually, the ball fields/stadiums are on the outskirts of town. My room was on the other side of the hotel, but some of the people in our group had great views down into the park. If only there had been a game.



The second B was: Binsk, as in La Binsk, an internet friend from waaay back. We were both denizens of a newsgroup devoted to the previously mentioned "Homicide", and have been friends for what seemed like forever, but without any chance to ever actually meet up. This trip provided us with a good reason! We made plans to grab a bite to eat down at the Inner Harbor, which was only a few blocks from our hotel and conference site.



Binsk brought her mother along, and we all had a lovely dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was great to finally meet her, and her mother was a true hoot. Unfortunately, they had to leave early the next morning to drive to Oklahoma so time was of the essence. If Binsk gives her permission, I will upload the photo of the two of us.

I arrived early, a few minutes before Binsk and Mom did, so I stepped out of the back door to check out what the Inner Harbor had to offer. I turned to the left, and saw the beautiful National Aquarium, so I took a picture.


When I turned to the right, there was the U.S.S. Constellation and the Constellation Museum. JF loves sailing ships, so I figured that I would take a picture of museum AND ship for him. I raise my camera to my eye, and I hear a strident voice say. "Ma'am? Ma'am! I need you to NOT do that!" I lower the camera, and realize that there's a security guard talking to me. I said back to him, in a very confused manner, "Um...I'm not taking a picture of YOU, I'm taking a picture of the *museum.*" He says, "I need you to not do that right now."




As I look around, Ol Eagle Eye me realizes that there are quite a few security guards about, and that though this is obviously a pedestrian area, no one's walking through. We're all milling about on the steps. At the end of the walkway, there are sawhorses, preventing the pedestrian traffic. (I'm a quick one!) In front of me, there's a small dock area where there are plenty of paddle boats available for rent. Only, strangely enough -- none are rented out. With this many people hanging around, you think they'd have some business. Hm. Odd.

After a minute, a man steps out of the dock house, and he's carrying a long hook on a pole. It looks like a fireplace poker with a really long handle. As we (the crowd and I) watch, the guy goes over to the corner of the harbor and begins poking around with the pole in the water. After a few minutes, he snags something, and begins laboriously tugging it over towards the dock.

Updated to add: Binsk approved my adding the picture of the two of us, so find it above!

Right about now is when I noticed the news helicopters hovering around. (Nothing gets past me, I tell ya!)

The hook man finally tugs his burden into somewhat of a viewable area. And.....that brings us to our last B: the body in the harbor. As fond as I am of police procedurals and forensic shows, all I had to see was a wet mop of hair to know that I was out of there. I bolted for the restaurant. Maybe my choice of pasta for dinner wasn't the best course of action, now that I think about it.

I called JF later that night to tell him about my first day. When I get to the part about the body, he had the same reaction that I did -- "Welcome to Baltimore!" Later in the trip, we encountered a homeless man in McDonald's who managed to talk the entire 20 or so minutes that we were there without seeming to take a breath. The day after the nonstop talker, we encountered a junkie in full-nod passout mode who was still managing to stand, by some miracle of gravity. She tottered in the doorway, and had occasional bouts of lucidity before she'd appear to pass out again. At one point, she pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between her lips before succumbing again. After a few minutes, she pulled out a lighter. I nudged my companion and told her that I'd pay her ten bucks if Junkie Lady lit her own hair on fire. Unfortunately, I have no idea if Junkie Lady survived unroasted because she left shortly afterward.

All in all, it was an eventful trip. The train ride was long and mostly uncomfortable, but it was an experience. I hope one day to return to Baltimore, despite all the colorful characters we encountered. Maybe the next time, I will have more time to explore.

The Bucket List

I got an email from a school friend not long ago, and in it was her "bucket list." I thought it might make good blog fodder, so I'm passing it along to you. Here are the rules:

Copy and Paste to new email and place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not, and send it to your friends (including me). (Or, in this case, steal it for your own blog...)

This is for your entire life!

(X) Gone on a blind date
( ) Skipped school.
(X) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
( ) Been on the opposite side of the country
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Peed in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with only coins
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere.
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Been skinny dipping outdoors
( ) Gone to the movies alone.

1. Any nickname? the shortened version of my real name. JF also calls me "Boo."

2. Mother's name? Lynn

3. Favorite drink? Cherry Limeade

4. Favorite car? Honda Element

5. How much do you love your job? A lot

6. Birthplace? CityOfMyBirth

7. Favorite vacation spot? Places that I've *actually* been: Germany; places I WANT to go: London.

8. Ever been to Africa? No

9. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? No, but I HAVE eaten just pie.

10. Ever been on TV? Yes

11. EVER steal any traffic signs? Yes

12. Ever been in a car accident? Yes

13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4-Door

14. Can you drive a standard (Manual shift)car? Yes

15. Favorite pie? Chocolate Silk

16. Favorite number? 12

17. Favorite movie? "Twilight" is the most recent one I've seen, but one of my all-time faves is "Better Off Dead."

18. Favorite holiday? Christmas

19. Favorite dessert? Chocolate, in all its forms...

20. Favorite food? fried chicken

21. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

22. Favorite brand of body soap? Ivory "Pure Clean" Body Wash

23. Favorite toothpaste? Colgate Total with mouthwash beads.

24. Favorite smell? roses and rose perfume, especially Victorian and Tea Roses

25. How do you relax? Craft, read a book, take naps.

26. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully, I will be happy and healthy.

27. Furthest place you will send this message to? Maybe Jeni in Scotland will reply!

28. Who will respond to this the fastest? Hm - maybe Marni?

I Finally Meet My (Non-Identical) Twin

CCW and I meet up! (While Offspring hovers in the background.)

CCW and Mr. MFBA at lunch.

CCW and I have long since discovered all the ways that we are alike, and have often joked that we must have been twins separated at birth. (How I got to be four years older than her remains a mystery for the ages.)

She and her family had to travel to a family wedding this weekend in a city only 2 hours from mine. She decided that she was dragging the entire family to HumidityLikeABrickWall for a bloggy meetup since she was within a fairly good driving range.

We met up for lunch and a quick stroll around the touristy area. CCW is just as hilarious in person as she is online. She's bright, funny, and we had no shortage of things to talk about. Mr. MFBA was a good sport, driving two hours out of the way for lunch and being Nonami's nap spot during it. He was, poor man, having to drive 10 hours back home only to get up in the morning and head to work. What fun for him. You truly are a badass, Mr. MFBA.

Kid L and Offspring got on like a house on fire. I actually had to look to make sure that they were eating during lunch, because it seemed like they talked a mile a minute the whole time we were there. They exchanged emails, and will probably be burning up the airwaves as much as their mothers do.

Nonami and NSBH were adorable, and I earned cosmic black marks against my name by showing the two of them the candy store and pointing out the large lollipops they sold. Nonami ate his straight away, and managed to get green lollipop goo all over his forehead. NSBH showed great restraint by not eating hers right away, but bedeviled Mommy for it after lunch. Mommy wasn't so interested in letting her child eat a lollipop as big as said child's head, but I have the feeling NSBH will wear her down on the drive home. CCW spent far too much money on the sugar-crack that we call pralines, and I'm curious to see how many of those make it home. They don't last very long with me.

It was a great visit, if short. I feel that we could have talked all day, but time was of the essence. I hope that CCW and Mr. MFBA are able to make the visit they're planning in October. I also hope they enjoyed the visit as much as we did.

Being A Productive Member of Society

Offspring is in Art Camp during the day all this week, so I've actually had to curtail my nocturnal urges and go to bed at decent hours. She has to be at the camp location at nine every morning, so I'm trying to stay awake and be a real, live contributing member to society while she's gone.

I met a friend for lunch and shopping yesterday, and today, I plan on making a trip to Kinko's to photocopy some documents for my father. I also may make a stop to the local craft emporium for a design element that I need for an upcoming project.

Tomorrow, Offspring finishes camp and JF and I plan on attending the Parent Art Show in the afternoon to see what she learned this week. Saturday comes with plans to attend a little water park in a nearby town for a Girl Scout outing. I have cleaned a good bit of my house, and am no longer quite so embarrassed to open the door to deliverymen and passing Jehovah's Witnesses.

I'm spending time working on craft projects, and getting ready for the upcoming fun stuff that I have planned, including a bloggy meetup with CCW. I'm hoping that we don't scare her and her family off when they visit the area in a week or so. Here's hoping!

For CCW

This is a t-shirt that we found in the window of a funky little shop in Myrtle Beach. I knew *immediately* that I had to take a picture. Of course, it's taken me forever to POST it, even though my long-suffering husband spotted the shirt, took the picture, and shrunk said picture down to a manageable size to fit on this blog.



more cat pictures

Don't you *love* I Can Has Cheezburger?

Please to enjoy!

Playing Catch-Up

It seems like forever ago when Marni visited my area. I promised that I'd get around to posting pictures, and I'm now keeping my promise, albeit very late.

Marni, her lovely husband Carl, and my family all met up at a local restaurant for lunch. We did not even attempt to go to That Restaurant That Everyone Wants to Go To When They Come To Town. It's virtually impossible to get seats there, unless you want to wait for a couple of hours, and we had better things to do with our time.

At the top, Marni and Carl relax after lunch. Middle photo, Marni and I cavort like wild hooligans, and the bottom picture is when we took a pit stop for some ice cream.

After lunch, we spirited the duo off for a walking tour of our area. We had a great time, and I hope we didn't freak Marni and Carl out too much. I really enjoyed their visit, and hope they come back soon!

Still Winner And Champeen!

22

22? Psh! That's *breakfast!* I take on five year olds every day! Now, my number might go down if we were talking fifth graders -- those kids can get pretty darn big!

I had to laugh when I saw this at Amy's site, and knew that I'd rock this quiz. I also laughed further when one of the questions asked if I would feel bad were I to use a child as a weapon -- heck, no! The ankle biters are out for blood, don't you know? Get your licks in where you can, people! If they smell blood, you're toast!

Is It Friday Yet?

I'm looking desperately forward to the weekend, if for no other reason that I can have a few hours in which I do not have sick kindergartners all over me. That would probably be a good thing for my immune system, I think.

Also looking forward to it because Marni is heading my way! We have plans for a meet-up, possibly for lunch, so that will be fun! Unfortunately, the weather isn't going to be spectacular while Marni and her lovely husband, Carl are here, so we'll have to make up for it in other fun ways. I'll keep you all posted, and make sure that we get some pics together!

We Put The "Fun" in "Dysfunction"

Ah, my family. If they were any odder, "Cops" would camp out on our lawns.

JF, Offspring, and I traveled for the last few days to CityOfMyBirth to see my grandmother, father, and uncle. My grandmother, who is 88, is looking better than the last time I saw her. She is looking visibly older, but for Pete's sake, she's 88! The last time we visited, she'd had a heart attack not too long before, and had fallen, breaking her leg and damaging her hip. At the time, she was feeling very fragile, and was depressed with her medical state. This trip, she was much more her feisty self, and spent a lot of the time sniping back and forth with my father. (Just as an aside, can I add here that I *love* seeing my father be on the receiving end of that conflict? I'm used to having all the invective and barbed comments flying in my direction, and it's refreshing to see that he gets smacked down by his own mother every once in a while.)

My father tooled us around town, taking Offspring and JF to ride go-karts and play Laser Tag. He would have taken us to the Zoo, but their hours at this time of the year are very short, and we didn't want to have to rush, rush, rush. Plus, the weather was grey, with the chance of dropping lots of rain at a moment's notice.

Some things I learned about other members of my family over this holiday season:

*That cousin of mine that got married back in October -- three months ago? Already in marriage counseling. Yeah, that was my reaction, too. Apparently, their counselor said that they're the "smartest couple she'd ever seen" because they were getting help early. No -- if they were the smartest couple she'd ever seen, they would not have needed her services.

*Another cousin of mine missed the Thanksgiving part of the holiday because he was in jail. He and his (now ex-) wife were splitting, and she had a restraining order out on hi, which he violated. Therefore, he was a guest of the county for a while.

*My father couldn't let the holiday season go by without making at least one disparaging comment on my weight, though my mother actually managed to say encouraging things this year, rather than hurtful ones!

Other happenings:

*I made little gift bags for all of my coworkers, and passed them out the day we got out for the holidays. Inside was a hand-decorated glass ornament, and a decorated bag of candies. Most everyone oohed and ahhed over them, and I was told several times that I was "sickening", and that my crafting habits are "scary" and even "unholy."

*Juggling Freak's chemical burn is nastily red still, and is being very slow to heal. We finally doctored him with some ointment and gauze pads, and at least he can now walk around without his hand permanently on his hip, or without his side adhering to his shirt, necessitating opening the wound every time he takes off his shirt.

*I have to go back to school on Wednesday, and I really don't want to. Having all this time off makes me lazy. Well, lazier than normal. I just want to hole up in the warm bed and read all my new books! Or, go into my craft room, and play with all my new stuff!

*I totally suck as a pen pal/online friend these days. CCW felt sorry for me because we could never get my cookie swap idea off the ground, so she made me this nice big box of delicious goodies, and while I made her one batch of Crunch Bars that first weekend, I haven't gotten anything further done towards sending her a box back. Like I said, I suck. Maybe I can get my crap together tomorrow and do some baking.

*In addition to that, I also owe boxes to two other online friends, and I've yet to get off my duff about either of those. Sorry, guys. All I can say is, I suck!

Because Stealing Just Screams "Christmas"

While perusing the blogosphere this morning, I ran across this cute Christmas meme that Marni had up. And, being that it's the Christmas season, I figured I'd steal it. Because, as we all know, stealing just screams "Christmas", right?

Here we go!

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot chocolate! Eggnog is evil! It's like saying, "I want to get a *little* drunk, but I also want some pancakes."

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree?
Santa will occasionally be sneaky, and put something under the tree, but mostly, he leaves Offspring's presents set up beside the tree. I think this is a total racket, because JF and I never get anything.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored, and the more the better! We used to do a whole lot more decorating, but we just haven't done all of that this year. JF complains that I like what he terms "a frickin' glow tree", but I figure once your tree looks like it has enough lights, add two more strands, and then you're good to go.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. It's probably full of nargles.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
As soon as my Grinchy husband will let me. He absolutely REFUSES to put up decorations/tree until it is actually December, so we often have a colossal begging/whining session when the first weekend after Thanksgiving falls in November, and not December. That's prime decorating time!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
I don't think I really have a favorite. Most everything is so good at this time of year, I can't pick a particular favorite, and EVERYTHING is hard to resist. Those people who deep-fry a turkey are always welcome to drop by my house. With the turkey.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
We had a large leather strap that had jingle bells attached to it, and this was always hung on our front door with a wreath. Every Christmas Eve, when my brother and I were waging our yearly battle to stay up as long as possible, my dad would sneak out of the house, and shake the jingle bells. My mom would tell us that it was Santa, and we had to get in bed and be asleep as soon as possible, or he'd pass us by. It always worked.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
What truth about Santa?!?! Do you know something I don't? Has he been stepping out on Mrs. Claus?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
When I was little, we used to beg to do that, but now that I'm an adult and we have so many family to see over the holidays, it seems like we're opening gifts for about a week, so it doesn't really matter. For example, tomorrow night, we'll go to my mother's house and open gifts there. On Christmas Day, we'll go to my M-I-L's house, and do gifts there. Then, we may be making a trip to CityOfMyBirth on or around the 27th, so we'll have to do gifts with my Dad at some point. Then, whenever we get a chance, we'll do gifts with JF's dad. (They're not exactly a priority since they forgot both their own son's birthday this year, but also their granddaughter's. I've got a serious case of the humbugs as far as they're concerned.)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
With lots of lights (when I'm allowed) and all those special little ornaments that we've collected over the years. We used to do a whole family decorating thing, but for the last couple of years, JF has put the tree together and strung the lights, and Offspring and I have done most of the decorating. JF will place his few special ornaments on the tree, but he mostly watches while we have "A Charlie Brown Christmas" playing in the background.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Don't get it down here. Too warm. It snows, on average, once every seven years here. The only time in my life that it snowed and actually STUCK, I was in college, and I scraped enough snow together to make a six inch high snowman on the hood of my car. 'Course, it was dirty snow, full of twigs and leaves, but I had a snowman, by God! The local wags called that the "Blizzard of '89." I think I'd like a lot of snow for about three hours. After that, I think I'd hate it.

12. Can you ice skate?
Only if falling down a lot and ending up with a frozen butt can be considered "skating." Then, sure! My parents once took us skiing in the mountains of North Carolina when I was about 10 or so. I was an absolutely abysmal skiier, so I spent most of my time ice skating. I got pretty good by the end of our trip, but that was 25 years ago, and since I've been ice skating a total of two times since then, I'd say I'm a wee bit rusty.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

My favorite gift is my family. I know that sounds totally sappy, but it really is the truth.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
I really love making stuff for people, and I love seeing the looks on their faces when they realize that I've spent all that time, making something specifically FOR them. I think I like giving things more than I like getting them. I mean, the getting of gifts is nice and all, but I really enjoy the reaction of OTHER people who open a gift I've gotten for them.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
My praline cookies. I usually make about a hundred batches of those every Christmas, but I haven't yet this holiday. I did discover a similar recipe that uses walnuts instead of pecans, and also has chocolate. Anything can be made better by the addition of chocolate!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I love them all. Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I love darn near everything about it.

17. What tops your tree?
We're Disney freaks, so our tree topper is a Cinderella Castle that encircles the uppermost branches, and then we have a Cinderella "angel" over that. (Offspring used to be a slavish devotee of Cinderella in her younger days, but now she's outgrown the princess fascination.)

18. What are your favorite Christmas songs?
"Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" by Amy Grant
"The Holly and the Ivy" by Bing Crosby
"Coventry Carol" by Alison Moyet

19. Real tree or artificial?
If I had a choice, I'd pick real every time because I love the way they smell. But, an artificial tree is much more practical, and you don't have the added expense of purchasing a dead tree every year.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or yum?
A little of both. Candy canes I have to take in small doses. I can get tired of them REAL quick, so I limit myself to only a few every holiday. That way, I don't max out on peppermint.


If anyone else is interested in playing along, let me know, and I'll link back to you!

You Guys Are the Best

Thanks to all who responded to my last post. I know it wasn't exactly the most coherent thing I've ever written, but that kind of goes hand in hand with what I was (and still sort of am) feeling.

I sometimes feel like scrapping the blog -- ideas are hard to come by, especially when all you have to say is: "I got up this morning, did a bunch of stuff, and then went back to bed to do it all over again tomorrow." I know that everyone gets to the point where they feel the same way. I've seen many of you post about throwing in the blogular towel, and I've even known some people who've actually DONE it. (As a matter of fact, there are a couple of them still on my blogroll. Note to self: fix that, would ya?!)

I also have the tendency to over-schedule myself, and then I get so flipping tired. That's where the spiraling starts.

I do, however, want to say that the main reason that I keep the blog going is all of you -- my friends. Your support helps me through those harder days, and the friendships that I've made keep me tethered. I already knew you guys were great, but it was confirmed by little things like opening the mailbox to find a card from one of you. I would miss you all too much if I were to chuck it all. So, I guess that means that I'm sticking it out, and you're all still stuck with me a while longer.

Besides, some of you promised to visit. And, then I owe YOU visits, and I can't have things messing up the all-important vacation plans.

Lunch with Liz

I did survive the weekend birthday party, though I have no really good stories to tell. We ended up not going to the beach because the jellyfish were terrible, so we just went to a neighbor's pool. A fun time was had by all. No fights, though everyone got pretty sloshed. (Not me.)

It's a good thing I didn't party myself too hard because Liz was visiting a relative not too far from where I live, so we arranged to meet up for lunch today. Hooray -- blogger meetup!

Liz is a bundle of infectious laughter and has a smile a mile wide. I was a little thrown at first, because I was expecting a short-haired Liz, but she showed up with this gorgeous, long, curling hair. We had a great time talking as we ate. I chose a cafe that had things for the little guys, thinking of things that Muffin Man would enjoy as we dined. Unfortunately, Muffin Man's grandma didn't want to share, and he stayed home with her. Boo. :) So, Liz, Offspring, and I sat outside overlooking the water for lunch. After lunch, we got an ice cream to cool off. Among many of the other reasons that I knew I liked Liz, she ordered chocolate ice cream. After tasting, she sighed with pleasure, leaned back in her chair and said, "Nectar of the Gods." A soul sister to be sure.

We talked about our families, Disney World, school (both hers and mine), books, and all sorts of stuff. Unfortunately, all things must come to an end, and we left each other much sooner than I would have liked. Liz is truly a wonderful person, and I'm so fortunate to not only have her as a blog friend, but now as actual, in-the-flesh friend. I can't wait until she visits again, and I hope that one day, I have the chance to be up in her neighborhood.

** Liz graciously allowed me to take this picture for the blog. She does not show her face on her own blog, so in order to help preserve her anonymity, I am not linking back to her place. Most of you know who Liz is anyway, and know how to find her.

2/287

Who knew that when I started this blog two years and 287 posts ago that I would have stuck with it this long? I certainly didn't!

I have met some wonderful people along the way who continue to make my life that much richer because they are in it. You guys, thanks for hanging out with me, and continuing to come back. I am so lucky to have found you all.

Meeting Marni

When Marni and I learned that we were both headed to Florida right around the same time, we decided that it would be a perfect time for a blogger meetup. Marni had read my post about JF's favorite Orlando eatery, we arranged to meet there for dinner and a chat.

We had a great time meeting Marni, her husband, her two great kids, and her father, the irrepressible Coffeypot, and Marni's stepmother, Sweet Tea. I didn't get to talk with Coffeypot all that much, but we did manage to joke through mouthfuls of pizza. We laughed a lot, even though our dinner was over all too soon. I was worried that something would happen, and our meeting would fall through, but it came off without a hitch!

In this picture, Marni is secretly worried that I am a psycho killer out to terrorize her family. She's only partially right. I probably *did* terrorize them to some extent, but they all survived our meeting, and were unharmed when we parted. And I have alibis for the rest of the week.

Praise Jesus and Pass The Napkins!

We are off this Saturday for our annual jaunt to Disney World. There are so many things that we look forward to, but one of Juggling Freak's favorites has to be the pizza.

We discovered a restaurant called Giordano's on one of our first few trips there, and Juggling Freak about imploded from the sheer ecstasy that is their stuffed pizza. And when I say "imploded", that is no exaggeration. The man begins to dream about the pizza each year about this time. He wakes himself up at night because he's drooling in his sleep. We had to buy an electric cooler/fridge so that we can transport pizza home with us. You see the attachment? I assure you, his love for this particular establishment's pizza is not mere hyperbole. It's almost scary.

On another note, I discovered a few days ago that Marni and her lovely family (including her hilarious father, Coffeypot) are scheduled to be in Orlando the very same time that we are, and we are trying to arrange a get-together, possibly one at this very pizza establishment. I will make sure that JF does not maim them, should they come too close to his conspicuous consumption of pizza. I only hope we don't scare the bejeezus out of Marni and her family.

What could be better? Vacation, pizza, AND a blogger meetup? I'm so excited!

Go. Now. You Will Not Be Disappointed.

In keeping with my tradition of ranting via blog post about being overweight in America, I hereby refer you all to Amy, who has expressed, in this three part series, all I could never quite form into cogent thought.

Go. Read. I promise that you won't be sorry!

Thinking Blogger Award

CCW has very graciously awarded me a Thinking Blogger Award! How neat is that? As we may have mentioned before, CCW is like the other half of myself that I've never met. In long discussions, we have discovered that there are so many similarities between ourselves and our families that we are extremely surprised when something *isn't* just alike. CCW is a wonderful lady, and has been both an inspiration and a support for me through trying times. No matter her own personal strife, she is quick with a kind word and a wicked sense of humor that never fails to make my day brighter.

The rules behind this Thinking Blogger Thing are as follows:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Now, CCW didn't name a specific post of mine, but I will try to tag five specific posts of blogs that I feel have really made me think. And, I'll try to tag people who haven't already been tagged. (What a monumental feat -- it seems like we all have the same blogular friends, and everyone has already pointed out all the most inspirational posts.)

Here are my submissions for Thinking Blogger Awards:

1) Amy at The Texture of Things. This is the best blog you all aren't reading. I "met" Amy through Andrea of Beanie Baby/A Garden of Nma Mmoy during this year's Winter Holiday of Your Choice gift exchange. Amy recently switched to Word Press, and does not have all of her old posts archived yet, but this recent post of hers deals with her daughter's tactile hypersensitivity and shows just what a good, dedicated mama she is, and how she would move heaven and earth if her baby needed her to.

2) Marni at It's a Pug's Life. Marni is a super sweet lady with a heart as big as all outdoors. Marni has been a constant support through the time I've known her, but is firmly in my camp on the issue of weight. This post of Marni's was touching, since she faced a lot of the very same prejudices I faced growing up, and stil face today. Marni underwent gastric bypass more than two years ago, and this past fall, she walked in the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer! I'm proud to know Marni, and I hope we will be friends for years to come.

3) Miche at aboutMiche. Miche is a very talented woman who always has kind words for everyone. Miche had a post not long ago about a mugging that she suffered through when she was young, and how she had the intestinal fortitude to get herself out of a potentially deadly situation. I admire Miche for not only foiling her attacker, but also for myriad other reasons. Miche always has something interesting to say, and often has me returning to her blog again and again to reread things because they were just so compelling. You all know that I'm a big mouth, and it's not very many people who leave me speechless. Miche is one of those.

4) Yankee, Transferred, who is now contributing at Mixter's Mix. YT is one of the most thoughtful, loving, responsible people I've ever had the great fortune to "meet." She is a force unto herself. She not only adopted two children, she also took into her heart and home another child, and a grown child at that, simply because her heart was that big, and that child was in need. Not many people are that giving and unselfish. To her credit, all three of her daughters have turned out to be well-brought-up individuals who would make any parents proud. She writes eloquently about gay rights and is living proof to the "religious right" exactly why and how gay marriage would work, and why giving the gay community those rights is the correct thing to do.

5) Corndog at Blather.Wince. Repeat. Corndog is one of the funniest individuals I've come across in the blogworld. He was instrumental in leading me to start my own blog. Corndog has gone through some tough times lately, but can still make me smile with just a word. In his many incarnations of his blog(s), I have found so much to think about, and mull over, including his posts about battling depression. I thank him for his contributions to the blog world, and wish him all the luck in the world in his quest for happiness. We'll always be your groupies, Dr. Dog.

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These are my choices -- just a few of the many wonderful, deserving bloggers who have helped shape the way I see things. Their contributions have helped me with issues that I face, and knowing them has been to my credit. I am lucky, indeed, to be among such illustrious folk.

Thanks again to CCW for tagging me in the first place. She is my greatest cheerleader, and some days, I couldn't do it without her.

Dad Update

I am home from my trek to see my father in CityOfMyBirth. I am pleased to say that the bypass went well, and Dad is already out of the ICU and into a private room. I was very apprehensive about him coming out of the surgery and coping well with it, given his status as a burn victim, and with all of the attendant medical difficulties that encompassed; but he ended up doing very well.

My brother and I got to talk with his surgeon yesterday, and we were told that Dad ended up having only a double bypass, instead of the quadruple they were fearing that he would need. One of the main arteries of his heart was already completely blocked, and could not be repaired, so the doctors bypassed the other two main arteries, and closed him up. I was very relieved when the surgeon said that there was no lasting damage to the heart muscle.

It's always a very scary process to see one's parents infirm or unwell -- to see those larger-than-life figures laid low. My father, typically a jokester, actually made a fairly good patient -- following the guidelines laid out for him, doing everything that the nurses asked, and being in a good frame of mind. Being my father, he was already hard at work bedeviling the nurses. I got to spend the better part of the day with him before I had to head for home, and was very glad that he come through the surgery so well, and with a good attitude.

Thank you to all who wished him well. It does my own heart good to know that my blog friends were thinking good thoughts for him, and for me. I thank you all for your prayers, and your virtual hugs. I appreciate the support more than you can ever know.

Gift Exchange Wonderful-ness: Incoming

My package for the Winter Holiday Gift Exchange arrived several days ahead of schedule, and I was so, so tempted to open it. This was *not* helped by Juggling Freak who encouraged me to open the gift and lie, saying I'd opened it on the correct day. I resisted the urge, barely. I will confess that I rushed right to Andrea's to see who "Amy" was once I got a look at the return address.

Amy is located at The Texture of Things, and is sure to become a new blog haunt of mine. I have to do some blog admin this weekend, and her link will be going up. I admit that I poked nosily around her place a little bit, wanting to know a little more about her. I learned that Amy is married with one daughter, and has a wickedly sharp sense of humor. I like her already.

Upon opening the box, the first thing I spied was a large plastic container. I opened the gaily-decorated bucket to find a large bag of cookies nestled within. They were oatmeal with (I think) butterscotch chips, and they were simply scrumptious. Unfortunately, the hordes descended like a plague of locusts, and we wiped those cookies out in record time. Yum! (I must beg Amy for the recipe. Pleasepleaseplease...)

Amy also discerned that I'm rather slavish in my devotion to the color blue and penguins, and I got an adorable penguin holiday pin to wear for next year's holiday season, and two lovely (and blue) towels featuring cuddly penguins. Damn the torpedoes, those are going bathroom all year round! Heck with ""penguins don't belong in a tropical clime!"

I don't think Amy had to struggle too hard to discover that I'm craft-mad. I got a penguin stamp, which I will try to work into just about every project I can (he's so cute!) and a holiday-themed candy border stamp. Amy knows me very well already. Or am I just that obvious? That would be a big righty-o!

Encased within colorful wrapping paper also rested a nice "The Fall of Fergal" notepad, which I both need and use copious amounts of; a lovely brass "teacher" bookmark; a CD of poetry (which I plan to peruse this weekend); and a packet of Roaring Radish seeds.

Thank you so much, Amy! I enjoyed all the gifts very much, and I'm sorry that it took me a bit to post! I didn't want you thinking that I didn't like and appreciate my package -- I did, very much. Thank you for participating in the exchange, and for making my holiday that much more special. I can't wait to get to know you a little more! I hope that you keep coming back here to visit, and that we become good bloggy friends. I hope your package arrives soon, and is as perfect for you as yours was for me. You deserve a great gift!

Gift Exchange Wonderful-ness: Outgoing

Sorry I'm a bit late posting my gift contents. Blogger was acting persnickety last night, and I had no time nor opportunity to post then.

At any rate, last year, I participated in a holiday gift exchange that was arranged by Andrea, and I had SO much fun that I couldn't wait to participate again. Imagine my glee when my email with my giftee's name arrived, and it was CCW! CCW and I have determined that we share so many commonalities, that we are actually the *same* person. Of course, she's the skinny and pretty version, while I am the tall and craft-loving version. During recent telephone conversations, we have also determined that we are married to the same man. But, I digress.

I had discovered through my surfing at CCW's all about her faves, and likes and dislikes. I had always figured on making a scrapbook-y type item for my giftee, since Sue liked hers so much last year, but since I knew CCW a little better than the lion's share of the other participants, I was really able to tailor the scrapbook to her family. I added anecdotes that CCW had told me about the family members, making sure that I added a TtFTE page especially for Not-So-Baby-H.

I do have a tale to tell about the black fuzzy socks -- CCW has already shouted to the whole of the internets (*thanks a lot, buddy!*) that said socks were purloined, not purchased. Unfortunately, she's right. I had a number of things in my buggy at the craft emporium where I got said "liberated" socks, and they somehow got snagged between two other items, and didn't end up getting paid for. I didn't discover this until the next day, when I was totalling up what I'd spent to make sure I stayed within the $25 dollar limit, and was confronted with the fact that they were not listed on the receipt. They cost a dollar. Next time I go to the craft place, I'll have to hide a dollar in the sock basket. Ssssh!

So, here are some photos of CCW's gift in both construction and in packing. I had such a good time with making CCW's scrapbook and the cross-stitched brass ornament. I love crafty stuff, and I'm always pleased when someone likes what I've made for them. I was also happy to help foster her rather unhealthy obsession with lip gloss and chapstick. After all, at least Mr. MFBA will benefit from that, right? (Please pay VERY little attention to the fact that my craft room looks like a scrapbooking store threw up. I apparently have to have every sheet of paper I own and then some (none stolen, however) on the desk as I work. There is method to my madness. I think.)

I'm glad that CCW liked her gifts. I hope she was as pleased with the giving as I was with the constructing. Happy Gift Exchange, CCW!