MADCAP MUSINGS

Four Things

wanaki8@aol.com — Mon, 10 Nov 08 01:00:00 UT

Copied this from CajunVegan's Blog, "I Read Banned Books"

Four family members:

Matt, Marlin, Mom, Heap

Four places that I go to over and over:

Chauncey's Surf Shop (heh), Kirby's, Belly Busters, home

Four people who e-mail me (regularly):

Mom, Ryn, Martha, Aunt Lisa

Four of my favorite places to eat:

Fresco's, Carraba's, Plaza Tapatia, Kirby's

Four places I would rather be right now:

Somewhere in Italy, Kauai, at a football game, home

Four TV shows I watch over and over:

Flight of the Conchords, True Blood, The Office, Sopranos

Four things in the room Iâm in:

Uggs, Surfboards, Skateboards, Clothing

Four concerts Iâve been to:

Duran Duran, They Might Be Giants, Blondie, Psychadelic Furs

Four things on my calendar:

The New James Bond movie opening night, Ocean City Gift Show(for work), Ravens / Redskins Game, NY trade show (work)

Four fears:

losing someone I love, the economy, really steep hills (I know, weird), BEES!

Four things in your purse or wallet:

A Book, my camera, my wallet, keys

Four chores you hate doing:

Taking dishes out of dishwasher, scrubbing the bathroom, mopping the floor, making the bed

Four favorite animals:

Heap, Wes, Gidget, Cindy

Four speed dials on your cell phone:

Mattsy, Mommasan, Ryn, Pagina

Four places you have called home:

Baltimore, Ocean Pines, Ocean City, West Ocean City

Four favorite pieces of jewelry:

My engagement and wedding rings, my dragonfly necklace, my red ring, big gold hoops

Four websites you visit:

Facebook, Envisage365, List of the Day, I Read Banned Books

Four people who have been in your car:

Matt, Ryn, Mom, Sara

Four things you are wearing:

purple tee, brown sweater, jeans, brown Emu moccasins

Four things you are looking forward to:

Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, NY in January

Four favorite types of candy:

Cadbury chocolate, Watchamacalits, Delmonico chocolates, Heath Bar

Four sports teams you like:

Baltimore Ravens! Maryland Terrapins! Washington Capitols! Baltimore Orioles

Four things found in your fridge:

Sweet Tea, Lemon Juice, Seltzer water, brown sugar

Four rituals you do daily:

drink coffee, take a shower, check emails, go to blogs

Four things currently within reach:

A pen, a calculator, a calendar, a cash register

Four things you know how to cook:

Mustard Chicken, Pasticio (sp?), kick ass chocolate chip cookies, toffee

Four Halloween costumes youâve worn:

Hula Girl, School Girl (this year in my high school uniform!), princess, clown

The Daily Buzz

wanaki8@aol.com — Fri, 7 Nov 08 14:35:00 UT

Did anyone see the Daily Buzz this morning? The sunset photo from the top of my page was shown on it this morning! I submitted it about 2 weeks ago and they finally showed it! Of course, I asked them if they would let me know if they were going to use it ahead of time, and what did they do? They emailed me at 4 am to tell me it would be on at 8am. Um, thanks, I guess. Anyway, my boss came in to work this morning and said he saw my picture!

Ok, so that's my big news of the day ;-)

UPDATE: If you scroll the bar to 2:08:29, Mitch gets ready to do the weather, but shows my picture right before it! he calls it a sunRISE instead of sunSET, but who cares, right?

In case you've never seen these

wanaki8@aol.com — Wed, 22 Oct 08 21:45:00 UT

If you've never heard of JibJab you definitely need to go check it out and play around with it. Trust me, it's HOURS of entertainment!

Here are a few we've made.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

15 year reunion

wanaki8@aol.com — Tue, 21 Oct 08 20:11:00 UT

Ok, so we had 'THE' reunion this past Saturday. I had a nice time. There were really only 5 girls I wanted to see, and would have been content if they had just come to my house for the weekend. Two, Colleen and Amy, did stay with me while two others were supposed to but had sick kids.

If you ask me, the planning stage was far too involved for the end result. We had seven - yes, SEVEN - conference calls, not to mention all of the emails and spreadsheets we had to go over.

There really isn't much to tell; no drama, nobody got too drunk and did any table dancing or anything like that. We all behaved, slugged back a few glasses of wine, ate some too-expensive-for-what-it-was food and reminisced about old times.

Here's my school

I pulled out a bunch of old albums, yearbooks and random pictures to take along

Here's my graduating class of 1993 (can you find me?)

Before:

And after:

PLEASE!!!! VOTE FOR ME!!!!!

wanaki8@aol.com — Tue, 21 Oct 08 13:32:00 UT

Vote for Heap in the World's Coolest

dog pictures & breed info

Question of the Day

wanaki8@aol.com — Wed, 15 Oct 08 14:02:00 UT

Ok, here's a question that I've often pondered:

Would you rather look good in clothing or naked?

How many times have you seen a celebrity decked out in the finest duds money can buy, all skinny and lookin' good, and then you see a candid shot of them sitting on the beach in a bikini and think, "Whoa, momma! Put some clothes back on!"

I suppose there's a reason why so many actresses use body doubles. While they may have lost X amount of pounds yo-yo dieting, 'exercising', etc., when it comes down to it, they are the epitome of skin and bones. There's something to be said about being skinny enough to fit into that stunning creation by Madame So and So, but having a myriad of skin rolls hanging off of them becuase they strved themselves and have no elasticity left in their skin.

I don't know, i was just thinkin'.

Blogger Awards

wanaki8@aol.com — Fri, 10 Oct 08 11:11:00 UT

I received my award from Jace.
Thank you so much!

The rules for this award are that you need to:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

These are the other bloggers I wish to honour:

1.Netter
You were one of the first blogs I read on Journalscape when I joined a few years back. You have an amazing way of telling stories and your insights and opinions have made me do everything from laugh to nod my head in agreement to cry. I'm very lucky to be able call you my friend.

2.Reenie
You have a kind word for everyone. Well, everyone except for the few creeps that you've had the misfortune of having to deal with ;-). I've enjoyed the little glimpses into your life through being a co-Envisager with you.

3.Jace
I met you through Bookmooch and I'm so glad that I did! I've enjoyed reading your blog immensely. You've turned me on to some new authors that I had never heard of (imagine that!) and shown me some amazing art (including, but not limited to your origami and your brother's sleeping cats!). Thank you again for my award ;-)

4.DFAZ
You amaze me with every post! You have seen and done things I can only imagine. You've shared with us trials and tribulations with friends, lovers, jobs, foreign countries, and god knows what else. You've given me glimpses into a whole new culture and for that I thank you!

5.Lisa Marie
You make me smile with talk of your sweet daughter; you make me angry right along side of you with talks of money woes, family relationships and job hassles. And, of course, I love your Bush countdown timer!

6.Jen
Just being able to read about your day to day life is impressive. No matter what happens, good or bad, you always manage to get it all out. I think Gabriel will be very lucky, when he's old enough to appreciate it, to be able to go back and read about himself and his family in such detail!

7.LA
I've never been one to rant about politics, but this election has brought out the beast in me! I love being able to read your blog (ok, so I'm biased because we have extremely similar views) and let it all out. Plus, you post some great videos, whether they be political or musical! And, as with Reenie, I love that I'm able to share a glimpse into your life through Envisage!

I know I don't always leave comments on your pages, but that doesn't mean I'm not lurking around! Thank you all for allowing me into your web-worlds!!

Banned Books Week

wanaki8@aol.com — Fri, 3 Oct 08 14:11:00 UT

The 27th Banned Books Week: Celebrating The Freedom To Read

Read about it at the American Library Association .

How to play:

1: Copy this list.
2: Highlight the ones you have read (or at least remember reading).
3: Tag five people to play.

Funny thing is, six out of the nine I've read, I read for school.

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddyâs Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. Itâs Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna
20. Earthâs Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine LâEngle
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaidâs Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. Whatâs Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel KeyesM
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald DahlM
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. Whatâs Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
62. Are You There, God? Itâs Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Womenâs Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
77. Carrie by Stephen King
78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Whereâs Waldo? by Martin Hanford

89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Yet another one

wanaki8@aol.com — Mon, 29 Sep 08 15:52:00 UT

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your Friends. 'press FORWARD' then change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends including the person who sent it to you.
The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1.What time did you get up this morning?
9:00 am

2.Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds

3.What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Sex and the City

4.What is your favorite TV show?
The Office and True Blood

5.What do you usually have for breakfast?
Coffee

6.What is your middle name?
Pilar

7.What food do you dislike?
liver and onions

8.What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Mgmt.

9.What kind of car do you drive?
Saab

10.Favorite sandwich?
Rueben

11.What characteristic do you despise?
Ignorance

12.Favorite item of clothing?
Dress that Princess gave me

13.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Italy

14.Favorite brand of clothing?
GrrAnimals

15.Where would you retire to?
Italy

16.What was your most recent memorable birthday?
My 32nd

17.Favorite sport to watch?
football

18.Furthest place you are sending this?
Costa Rica

19.Person you expect to send it back first?
Mom or Ryn

20.When is your birthday?
December 8

21.Are you a morning person or a night person?
night

22.What is your shoe size?
9.5

23.Pets?
HEAP the wonder boxer

24.Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
Monday Night Football is on tonight - Ravens and Steelers!

25.What did you want to be when you were little?
An actress

26.How are you today?
tired

27.What is your favorite candy?
almost anything with chocolate in it

28.What is your favorite flower?
Gerbera daisies and Gladiolas

29.What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
Dec.7th- Ravens/Redskins game

30.What is your favorite pastime?
Sunday fundays at the beach

31.What are you listening to right now?
The Strokes

32.What was the last thing you ate?
Ham and provolone sandwhich

33.Do you wish on stars?
always

34.If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
teal

35.How is the weather right now?
cloudy (imagine that) and 74 degrees

36.The first person you spoke to on the phone today?
A customer

37.Favorite soft drink?
vanilla coke zero

38.Favorite restaurant?
Indochine

39.Real hair color?
brown

40.What was your favorite toy as a child?
sit and spin

41.Summer or winter?
summer

42.Hugs or kisses?
hugs and kisses

43.Chocolate or Vanilla?
chocolate

44.Coffee or tea?
Depends on my mood and the weather

45.Do you want your friends to email you back?
yes

46.When was the last time you cried?
when i was saying goodbye to my mom in North Carolina

47.What is under your bed?
Vicious man-eating dust bunnies

48.What did you do last night?
watched the cowboys lose to the skins :-(

49.What are you afraid of
The big bad wolf

50.Salty or sweet?
salty
51.How many keys on your key ring?
5

52.How many years at your current job?
13 and a half years! Where has the time gone?

53.Favorite day of the week?
Sunday

54.How many towns have you lived in?
2

55.Do you make friends easily?
Sometimes

56.How many people will you send this to?
a bunch

57.How many will respond?
a couple

SWATCH

wanaki8@aol.com — Fri, 12 Sep 08 22:25:00 UT

Kicking It

wanaki8@aol.com — Thu, 11 Sep 08 22:24:00 UT

So last night Matt and I watched the Trinidad and Tobago vs.USA World Cup qualifier game. Actually, I read and glanced up every so often and Matt watched until he fell asleep on the sofa. Once the game was over I just left ESPN2 on as background noise. I looked up once or twice when I heard a semi-distinctive Irish voice - Colin Farrell.

I must say, I used to be a teensy bit into him when he first started becoming popular, but once he did that weird as hell Alexander and started letting himself go, turning into some wannabe grunge-master dirtball, I lost interest. And I didn't really pay any attention to what he was talking about - I saw who it was and went back to my book

So anyway, I went back to reading until some phrase, said in another very Irish accent caught my attention. This time it was just some unknown Irish kid talking about being away from home for 2 years, trying to stay clean and on the methadone and wanting to play football (soccer) - WHA??

Ok, so now I'm intrigued. Come to find out this kid is trying out for some sort of "World Cup" soccer team - but by the look of him (not to mention the heroin-cum-methadone addiction) I realize he's not talking about THE World Cup. He's talking about the HOMELESS WORLD CUP

I start to pay more attention and get sucked in to the film, Kicking It.

This is a film I think everyone should see. However, BE PREPARED. I cried almost the entire time. Sometimes I cried because of the horrific circumstances these people are dealing with; I cried because of the opportunities this tournament brought these people; I cried because of the undeniable joy so many of these people felt being allowed to be a part of something way bigger than they could have ever imagined themselves involved in.

The documentary follows 7 players from different teams around the world - USA, Afghanistan, Russia, Ireland, Kenya, and Spain, just to mention a few of the 48 countries being represented.

This was an unbelievably moving and inspirational documentary. I'm usually not the documentary watching type, but once I started, I couldn't stop.

Envisage take 3

wanaki8@aol.com — Tue, 2 Sep 08 13:18:00 UT

So I'm the third leg of the JS tripod involved in the Envisage 365 project, and I'm really excited about it.

As far as content, it's definitely going to be anything goes. It'll just depend on what grabs me that day. And maybe I'll put in captions; maybe I won't.

I love the fact that there are no rules!!

* * *

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, we're starting our 'second season' here in good ole Ocean City.

The town is slowly starting to clear out - not like in the old days, though. Up until a couple years ago, the day after Labor Day seemed like someone threw a switch. One day the town was packed, the next it wasn't. Now it's more gradual.

I'm just happy the store is only open from 10-6 now, instead of 9-9.

* * *

Sunday is the home opener for the Ravens and Matt and I will be there with bells on, along with a bunch of friends. 6 of us managed to get tickets all together, so it should be a really good time. And, as long as Hannah doesn't screw things up, we'll all be heading to the Renaissance Festival on Saturday.

It should be a fun-filled, photo-snapping weekend!!

This is why you don't show off

wanaki8@aol.com — Fri, 29 Aug 08 20:23:00 UT

Mesmerizing!

wanaki8@aol.com — Mon, 25 Aug 08 20:18:00 UT

Guilt and Validation

wanaki8@aol.com — Sat, 23 Aug 08 13:40:00 UT

I'm home sick again today and in my ever-worrying mind, I feel guilty about it. Why, you might ask? Because it's the end of the summer, we're low on help and I'm at home eating bon-bons and watching Oprah.

Ok, so I can't tell you the last time I actually had a bon-bon, and I HATE Oprah, but that's beside the point. I feel like I'm being a wuss, staying at home.

Never mind, the hideous sore throat I have, the stuffed up nose, or the fact that I have almost zero energy. But when I'm sitting at the computer I feel like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to. When I'm walking around the house fixing myself something to eat or some hot tea (Matt is in Annapolis at a funeral of a childhood friend's mom), I think to myself, 'If I can walk around the house, surely I can walk around the store. If I can make something to eat, surely I can ring a person up. If I can mess around on the computer, surely I can be working'. I feel guilty for smiling about a long-forgotten song I found on the computer to put on that playlist thing.

And never mind that I'm one of the last people at the store to have gotten sick (4 others have had it and had to miss anywhere from 1 - 4 days with it).

But I'm one of the bosses so I feel guilty. (And the owner was the one to send me home yesterday after I told him how bad my throat hurt. I told him I'd stay, but he said not to worry about it. Easy for him to say ;->).

I've been this way my whole life. I even felt guilty staying home from school, and I was SOO not one of those school loving kids - euw!

I guess I just need someone to say, it's ok to be sick. It's ok to stay home even though you can manage to get out of bed (I did sleep for a while yesterday afternoon and I didn't wake up until 12:30 today). You don't want anyone else to get sick because of you.

I need a new psyche. (Did I even spell that right?)