We Are Blending

What's your caption for our feline of the day?

I detest this getting older thing...

Watching the game ... chillin

This is just too sweet!!

Some days very little on the computer seems to go right. This afternoon I wanted to finalize a site I've been waiting to finish for 6, yes, 6 long months!! It was ready to go from my end, but I'd needed content and images in order to get it fully stocked and ready to show off.

Nobody likes a skinny site!!

Since this morning, actually, I've been wrestling with the hosting service, trying to get it to upload the most recent version of WordPress, since I'd created the site in March.  Well .... several hours and a drink, er nice lunch later and more trials and errors and it finally boils down to the fact that Network Solutions, the hosting service in this case, is messed up for the day.  Nice.

On days like this, when nothing all that pressing seems to get done and my soul feels like it's getting sucked out sideways due to all the time wasting technical delays out of my control, I'm beginning to feel that I must

Talk Like A Pirate

in order to preserve any semblance of sanity.

So here goes: 


I am also considering using Google's search page that talks like a Pirate.

Aaarrrggghhh!!! Me Jim Lad or Fair Wench!! Now off to find me some grog .....

My friend Anne is a phenomenal Chef.  If you've ever eaten her cuisine you'd be ruined for life, as I am.

She's as colorful and full of flavor as her food.  Just wanted to share her blog with you.  There's a fantastic looking Chocolate Souffle recipe at the end! :D

The Chef Project: fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck: " Damn, there are just some days when everything locks up, shuts down and refuses to come out.I think It was Bulowski who said something ab..."

Did you ever just decide to do something on a whim, just because it was funny, and then it took off?

Well that's what happened with this Facebook Community Page today!!  Yesterday I posted a funny pic of a road sign by Lake Hartwell and a lot of friends commented on it.  So this morning, on a whim, I created a Page, loaded up a few pics I've taken over the past year, and *wham!*

There are already over 135 fans of the page that got started up this morning!

I guess it just goes to prove that HBO's True Blood series doesn't have a patent on Southern tacky!  

Nearly everybody's either got some or loves it!  

It's going to be a riot as people submit their own videos, pics, and links to "Signs of the South."  Won't you have a look?  There'll be fried pickles and moonshine, I expect. ;)

Signs of the South

Promote Your Page Too

My world got rocked at a Gay Bookstore.  It got expanded, readjusted and I just have to share!!!

At least 90% of the people we meet live in closets, right?  That may or may not have to do with sexuality, I'm talking about hiding who we are, our essential flavor, from the world in an effort to air brush out just what makes us unique and valuable.



Kind of like those women you see in the tabloids who get 20+ plastic surgeries to look like a Barbie Doll.  Really?!  Tragic waste of an authentic human being buried deep under layers of self hatred.  F*ing waste, actually.

Why would you ever do that?! Would the money be enough to keep your soul alive? 

Grace, charm, poise, fitness, quality skin care, and education will always be ideals near and dear to my heart, but that's beside the point.  If you were a glimmering emerald, why would you even think of trying to look and act like a diamond, just because somebody else decided they're worth more?  Silly.

We've all heard this line of reasoning before, but the attention grabber for me was this featured book about the deathly effects of staying in the closet, versus coming out and dealing people's reactions to somebody who isn't geared the same way they think they should be.

Brokeback Mountain also poetically illustrates this truth.



We only get one ride on this roller coaster we call life, kiddies.  Let's come out of the closet with no regrets and make it extraordinary!!!!

This morning I got one of those Nigerian scam letters that you can't believe anybody would have the nerve to send.  In a fit of humor, I responded in kind .... >:~)

Below are the letter and my response.  It will be entertaining to see if he responds, and if so, (and it's decent) I'll post it here!

The Nigerian Letter: (Skim down to get to my response faster!)

Dear Friend, I believe i can call you friend. I am Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei . I am the youngest of the Sultan's three brothers. But its like a joke being called a prince. The Bruneian royal family have turned me into an outcast. I am presently in Europe .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Jefri_Bolkiah My Brother the Sultan of Brunei masterminded and initiated much evil against me. He envied me as a person, he envied my life style, he was intimidated by my way of life, and thus plotted with his infidel advisers to get me arrested for nothing. He leveled all forms of corruption allegations against me. He accused me of taking US$16 billion of the royal treasury's money. He labeled me a criminal and ordered for my arrest. My Brother the Sultan of Brunei did this to me his younger brother. Yes i agree that I spent Money, but I am bewildered by the accusation that i misspent $16billion. It's not that easy to hide, I keep asking the lawyers, where did it go? I have already turned over billions of dollars worth of property, including the Plaza Athénée hotel in Paris , The New York Palace Hotel, the giant yacht, Airplanes, the car collection, and more than 100 paintings by Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani and others. Late last year, I surrendered five rare diamonds, secured in a Euroupe vault, valued at roughly $200 million. My Brother the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, has ruled since 1967. He is the world's wealthiest ruler, with an estimated fortune of $22 billion. DESPITE HIS WEALTH, he still feels intimidated by my little Money. I have turned over the various assets, but my brother the Sultan will not let me keep enough money to maintain a more modest version of my prior lifestyle. Now the Sultan's advisers have started legal proceedings to evict me from my London mansion. We don't know where we are going to live. They want me to give it all back, now i am worried that i may soon be homeless and forced into bankruptcy. While in Brunei , my favorite car to drive was a Ferrari 550, a sleek sports coupe that i used to take for a spin late at night when the roads were quiet. Now, I like the Mini. I drive a black small mini around europe . I am been watched by private detectives employed by my Brother the Sultan. He wants to ruin me, but he cannot. My friend, i don’t know you, but i strongly need you to be of help to me. I want you to take me as a friend in need and do something for me that will also benefit you. Right now i cannot trust anybody close to me. I have been betrayed by my friends and family and I am tired of talking to lawyers. I prefer to take the risk of soliciting the assistance of a stranger. You may think i am going crazy, but i am very sane. As it stands, i am about to go into hiding and this would mean living in worse conditions than i am now but i believe that it would be better of because i am placing faith in this letter that with your help i would live the sort of life i deserve with my family. I have some funds stashed in foreign countries, but i cannot touch these funds hence they are discovered by my King Brother watching my every move like a Hawk. I need you to assist me in these financial steps of securing my entitlements. You will benefit immensely from this financial exercise. I am an easy going gentleman, so please be rest assured that my business relationship with you will be very sincere and this friendship will extend to our children. Yours Sincerely, Prince Jefri Bolkiah.

My Response:  

Just can't seem to get Asian food often enough lately!! Anything you've been craving?

There comes a time in the life of every owner of a goofy, large dog when the issue of discipline rears its unruly head.

Hobbes, Dear Fiance's half Boxer, half Redbone Hound (an adopted animal), is the most lovable, affectionate, and eager to please pet I've ever met.  He amiably lounges with the kids and their friends, wags his tail almost incessantly, and is a joy to have around.

Except when large dogs are present in a public setting.  Then Hobbes transforms into a slobbering, snarling, beast and generally scares the living daylights out of people, myself included.

What to do?! In his brilliance and technological savvy, Dear Fiance suggested electronics. Training was getting us nowhere for a variety of reasons, so with grudging acceptance, I acquiesced to what I now call Hobbes' "Good Boy" collar.

It's fantastic!!!!  With a merciful few corrections, Hobbes has learned not to pull and I'm much more confident that our walks will no longer result in Jerry Springer style canine interactions. Better living through electronics!!

Sitting down with a decaf latte at my favorite cafe, 2 Stories Coffee House, to do a bit of serious writing -What are you up to this afternoon?

It's as though we've entered this sort of greenish yellow alternate universe where all the plants, all the cars, all the streets, yards, driveways, and yes, even kids playing outdoors, are turning into pollen dusted sugar cookies.

It looks like rain, and that would make me very happy, because it's a little surreal!!

But in exciting news, more uplifting and exciting than having to download and learn 2 new applications and work through their different issues so that I can create a good looking slideshow for a client.  Who knew that iMovie would be such a very fancy, but arthritic app? Not me. :p

The thing that makes me most happy at this particular moment, besides having whupped that problem for my client (what was I going to do but to finish and make it right for her?!) is that one of my strawberries bloomed this morning.

It's a little thing and I know that, but the magnificent window boxes I got for my birthday, complete with herbs and strawberries, sit on the windows in the bay window that my desk fits into for my office.  I look out over them from time to time and it makes me smile.  Birds come to visit.  Bees buzz and I watch them grow and think about cooking with the herbs, which I love.

These herbs will be undefiled by the depredations of my terriers and the felines that live outdoors.  Nuff said! It's FOOD, afterall, and I'm uptight about things like germs and fur and much worse getting into my family's food.

So about this strawberry blossom - it inspires me that things do bloom in time.  Everything isn't a battle (like this morning was for me) and that something so beautiful and promising can happen easily and beautifully.  I started so upbeat but degenerated into a crank and needed lots of quiet and space so I could focus on "cudgeling my brain" as Dear Fiance so aptly puts it.

Brain cudgeled.  Nerves recovering. Strawberry blossom making it so much better.  And it does look like it's starting to rain a little and wash this pollen away.

Happy Thursday!

I'm so excited about honeymooning in St. Augustine, Florida and am starting to get images together so I can focus on which places and things to do will be the most rewarding for us.

It's one of the most special places in the world to Dear Fiance and I both, so it was a natural wedding destination.

Here's a question: Would you get married outside by the Fort, overlooking the Bay, or at a very old, well cared for B&B?  The B&B wedding is locked in and planned, but I'm sure we could change it up if we wanted to.

Meanwhile, I'm honeymoon dreaming. *dreamy smile*

OK, we are delving DEEP into BEST BIRTHDAY EVER stuff here!!!!!!!

Dear Fiance, in a total surprise move, got me the Intuos professional writing tablet!!!!!!!!!!!!

In case this doesn't cause your heart to skip a beat or your face to flush with anticipation (which it does for me) then let me explain ...

I guess it was bound to happen.  Start hanging around with high tech drifter, get engaged, and guess what he wants to talk about 80% of the time? TECH! Eventually, even I had to learn some things to keep up.

I already had a stable relationship with InDesign, a passionate love affair with Illustrator that still stands, and a naughty flirtation with Photoshop.  Just knew a few tricks, but it's not like we'd spent months together on end like I have with Illustrator.  Like I said - it's special, sacred.  I don't expect everybody to understand this kind of relationship.

Kinda dark and forbidden, especially when I spend time with them after the kids have gone to bed and Dear Fiance is working on a project. It's just me and the tablet.  In the mostly dark room.  All alone together.  Oh, throw a glass of ice water on me I'm getting hot!! (Could be hot flashes, but that's still a ways away we hope).

I guess this is what happens when you decide to marry an Uber Geek.  You get very cool techie gifts for your birthday and you love them!! And yes, he did take me out to dinner too. :D

What constitutes Tech Porn for you these days? 

Picture, if you will, this scene:

I'm sitting at my desk, responding to a number of emails and about to concentrate on design work.  All of a sudden, a deep rumbling gurgle emanates from the area of the living room.  The dogs start carrying on and whining.



Is it an earthquake? Not in Georgia. Had some wild creature found its way into the house? Not really.  It was Dear Fiance, performing an unprecedented belch for the entertainment of the dogs. And in spite of myself, I laughed.  Hard.

Now this isn't our usual sort of behavior. We're not rednecks who'll swill down a 12 pack of beer and produce gutteral sounds for the lowbrow entertainment of our friends and family.  We walk upright. Mostly. We have never even owned a bug zapper.

What is it about men that causes them to rejoice in their rumblings so much that they must share with the other animals around them?  Is it a modern Call of the Wild?  I wonder ...

This is one of those days where that whole Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus stuff just sucks.  Being a passionate communicator by nature, I, just once, long to be understood without having to s p e l l it out.

He's not stupid.  In fact, Dear Fiance is a mathematical and technical genius.  I am not, but that's another story for another time.

Why is it that we long for loved ones to understand us without having to spell it out all the time?  Does it nearly invalidate an expression when it's effing asked for? I tend to think so.

Not such a happy camper here right now.  At least I have lots of work to keep my occupied so that I don't have to angst over the fact that although we're the same species, men and women are VERY different creatures.

Some friends of ours called to ask us out to dinner this evening.  My stomach growls a little as I type this because Dear Fiance and I were working out earlier, when we were invited. Gotta love those iPhones!

Are we nuts to venture from the house after having worked out and come home for half an hour?

Nah!

They're great friends and now I'm thinking about the name of the place, Hops and Chops.  Might be good.

But here's the thing: a dear friend also used to own and operate a magnificent restaurant where they place is now located.  It's likely to be weird without her presence in there and all the wonderful culinary aromas that accompanied her art.

We shall see ...

Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by!!  Rumor has it there's an indecently hot pepper there that we might be able to get our friend to taste again.  If so, pictures will most definitely follow!!

It's gorgeous outside!!!  It's the first day of Spring and I'm gearing up to grill and then take the kids to the park, perhaps to fly our new (not so) kite that's been sitting, unused and new, for about 3 years.

I kid you not! It seemed so cool and so wonderful and was priced right at the time.  Made a special trip to get it based on a friend's recommendation - and then it got put away and sits there waiting for someone to take it out to play.

So today, this afternoon, this first day of Spring after a long hard winter in so many respects, I'm going with Dear Fiance to take these kids to the park and to fly.  Pictures might get taken if I can remember the camera.

It's Saturday, it's beautiful outside, and I still have 2 kids at home who want to party with me still.  My oldest is far, far away in the military and will probably ship out soon for a long time.  Gotta make the most of these opportunities while they last.  If you're reading this, love you Son.

I have decided that whenever life flings dung in front of me, I'm going to pull on some rubber boots and use that stuff for traction to climb up to something better.

Why take the time and trouble to clear it away, when the lessons learned from it can serve as stepping stones to get me to something much better?
If you will, visualize a big mountain of, well, you know - dung. And instead of trying to clear it away every time a new dropping appears in front of you, you pull on your rubber boots and use it to step up to a better place. Eventually, the disappointments you climbed over turn into fertile ground for flowers, vegetables, and even trees.  

Meanwhile, you're making the most of the situation and not letting it get you down.  

No more wasting time over-analyzing. Sh*t happens. Learn from it and charge forward into what makes you happy. Eventually, things work out and you realize you've grown. Excuse me, I've got some rubber boots to pull on!!

Playing world of warcraft there on a MacBook, she had all the vulnerability and cuteness of a girl and all the uncertain bravado that seems to be there when a young guy decides he wants to dress differently than his Mom and Dad thought he should.

Picture this: it's early the first morning of daylight savings time, you've been up till very late working on an extensive project that hogged most of your weekend, and you have an appointment at 8:00 to present this to the big decision maker.

You've done your homework thoroughly, have a top notch project already done for them to see, and your Dear Fiance has even created a super cool application to add to all that.


You get there right on time and look around.  There aren't even any cars in the parking lot.  Crickets chirp and birds sing.  No cars, no people, no phone call, text, or email.  After reading mail for a few minutes you look at your phone - it's now 8:15.  You decide to call and reach a voicemail.


It's undeniable now: You have been stood up!

That would be me this morning.

It was the kind of thing where it really had nothing to do with me personally, so this helps.

No tears, not even much frustration.  I don't know why I'm so cool this morning. It must be the new blouse and the freshly steamed suit to wear with it.  Oh yes, and I did do an up to the minute manicure last night, but that's just fun anyway.

Even though I devoted my weekend to learning the proprietary, byzantine software involved for this project, even though I didn't get enough sleep last night because of putting the touches on it, even though Dear Fiance lost too much sleep developing a super cool app to go along with all this, for which I owe him greatly, I'm cool this morning.

It must be because I did good and I look good!!  :D  You know what I mean! You know how good it feels when you know you're representing yourself at your best, even if you do get stood up.

So what am I going to do with this energy?  I'm going to check in on some potential clients and go on with my workday.  My work stands on its own merits.  The decision maker who stood me up this morning can see what has been created and decide whether it's something he wants to explore further. There are others who will be interested, even if he can't make the time to see me.

Meanwhile, I'm moving on with my day.  I got a new blouse and things to do!!

Dear Fiance took me and Dear Younger Son out to dinner this evening at the local hibachi place, where the onion soup is hot and delicious.

As we were placing our orders a guy back in the kitchen commented to his friends "Hey Man, Make Love; Not Warcraft!" I shot him a smile when he realized he'd been heard in the dining room.  It was one of the cutest things I've heard all day today!  Turns out, it's from an episode of South Park ...

Who would have thought that World of Warcraft would be the epic cultural phenomenon that it is today? But I have to believe that a lot of the dating with the hard core Warcraft fans is more virtual than real ...

What are your thoughts or experiences?

Ah Spring!!!  Glorious Spring!!!!!  Even though it's rainy and cold outside today, yesterday got to 70 degrees and sunny.  It was bliss.

The terriers seem to think so too.  They respond like crack addicts in anticipation of their next high as they gleefully slither past us at the front door into the great beyond ... or in our case, the neighborhood.

Canine delights abound by the creek in our back yard.: there's sniffing, chasing squirrels, and of course, d i g g i n g.  Lots of digging.  Epic digging for rodentia of any description, because they are, indeed, Rat Terriers.

They mean business.






Only treats and their favorite squeaky bone can induce them to come back inside for their inevitable baths ... *sigh*

Why do we let these adorable monkeys into our homes and hearts?! 

If our dogs were to create their own food pyramid, I think it would involve a lot different stuff than we might imagine.

It's a little unreal, being an engaged Mom with kids:

and ordering a wedding dress!!

It was so sweet, so easy, so uncomplicated, just like this relationship has been after the initial getting to know each other.  At first it was like two porcupines getting together:

very slow and v e r y careful.  But once we each decided it was safe it's been terrific.

So do you think this qualifies as a good, July 4th wedding dress? :D  I'm so excited!!

"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen (my Dear Friends). "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." (- they're starting to happen for me!) - Lewis Carroll

Wow! The very same day Alice in Wonderland comes out in the theaters, my professional website is finally LIVE!!

With a lot of work and some critical help from Dear Fiance, Alpha Geek Extraordinaire, who has my eternal thanks, it went live the same time Alice in Wonderland opened: at midnight.

What a wonderful day!!!!

Want to check it out?


Lots to read and cool illustrations!!

Do ever have one of those days that's good, but you're still going a little bananas?

But it's all good activity and I just wanted to pop in and say Hello before racing off for a long overdue workout, fixing supper, and doing some more work after the kids head towards bed.

Going bananas with stuff to do is SO much more fun than getting laid off, which is what happened to me and so many people last year.  I'm truly grateful for interesting work and people to meet.  It wasn't fun, but if it hadn't happened I wouldn't have had the time and space in which to develop the technical skills that I use every day now.

Here's hoping that even if you're going a little bananas today you'll stop and do something just for you that makes you happy.  For me it centers around the workout.  Love them.  Am addicted to them.  Get crabby without them.  But for you it might be listening to music, reading, taking a walk, or sitting down with a pet for a few minutes.

What's your little indulgence today?

Greetings Dear Readers!!

It's Snow Day.  Here, in Georgia.  In March.  For real.

Don't worry, this picture is from a blizzard somewhere else a long time ago, but it conveys how I feel today while snow falls all around the bay window where I write and work.

Just yesterday, I changed the bedclothes to an ultra pretty, spring/summer theme, hoping to welcome spring's arrival.

Looks like I'm going to have to wait just a little more!!

A portable heater keeps my fingers warm enough to type as I work this afternoon ...  I feel like little Punxsutawney Phil who poked his nose up on Groundhog Day this year, saw his shadow and retreated to his safe, warm burrow, thus predicting 6 more weeks of winter.  Damn Groundhog!!

What's your weather like today?

It's the first of March and time for another Happy Monday Thought.  In a fit of optimism, I changed the bedclothes early this morning to the Spring/Summer ensemble that I splurged on a few years ago at a crucial time in my life.

It's going to freeze every night this week, but somehow it feels more like spring with the lighter fabric and lively colors.  And I smile every time I walk into this room where my office space is nestled in the bay window and I see this beautifully made bed.  At some point during the day I'll cut some french lavender out in the yard and arrange it in vase for my desktop.

What do you keep around your work space that makes you smile?

Rugby is just one of those memorable sports.

You'll just have to figure out for yourself which one of those guys might be Dear Fiance, but let's just say that good rugby players keep themselves  fit.  Very fit.  Nicely fit.

Yes indeed.

Because in a sport where they wear no pads and hit really hard, players have got to maintain some serious muscles to protect themselves.
So - they don't actually play naked, but without protective padding, they might as well be bare.  And that picture was good, wasn't it?

The kids, dogs, and I are just about to leave to watch Dear Fiance play rugby.  They watch for the excitement.  I go to be supportive, but mainly to look at his amazing legs while he plays.  There, I've said it. :D

Happy Saturday, Dear Reader!!

Have you ever just wished you could walk away from your smart phone, your computer, your networking, your work, and JUST BE for a few waking hours?  Yep, me too!  I do disengage, but sometimes there's this nagging, guilty feeling that I'm not doing enough.  I think we call that perfectionism, but I'm sure nobody around here struggles with that ...

Yeah ...

So anyways, there's this amazing article about this global epidemic that demands immediate response time on emails, phone calls, texts, and God-knows-what-else, that's just got to be addressed!!

Here it is!  Hope you enjoy!  It's called time for a cold shower.

Happy Friday!!!  Have a great, relaxing, enjoying your loved ones kind of weekend!!!  I most certainly will.  Even if I might take a nervous glance at the iPhone now and then -

Last night my friend Sue, web goddess extraordinaire, went with me to see this movie at the independent theater where all the cool kids go to watch interesting flicks.

We were there too.

In all seriousness though, the film is absolutely captivating, visually.  As it opened up I leaned over to tell Sue that I never did acid, but if I ever were to, it would be to watch this movie!!  She agreed.  It's a breathtaking plunge into limitless what-if's.  The kind of stuff that blows your mind if you let it.

As we walked out the theater she remarked "well I know what kind of dreams I'll be having tonight!"

This past weekend Dear Younger Son and Dear Fiance spent some time on YouTube studying different Mentos and Diet Coke Missile techniques.  This one, involving untold liters of Diet Coke, looks like the massive fountain at the Bellagio in Vegas.



I think they're really going to create a diet coke bottle missile for themselves, complete with fins superglued onto the bottle, for better aerodynamics.

The cute thing is, they're two peas in a pod.  Their heads together and eyes wide open, transfixed by the YouTube flicks of Mentos/diet coke propulsion technology.  Gotta love boys -

Sometimes food just happens around here.  Accidentally, on purpose.

Case in point:  Dear Fiance and I were grocery shopping and there were these shiny, fresh poblanos being put out just then.  Gorgeous!!

DF tells me how much he loves stuffed poblanos - only if they're crispy - and I decide to give him a little kitchen love.


Recipes abound, but many of them just didn't appeal.  Lots use canned poblanos, which have as much body as a soggy noodle.
 Bobby Flay has one with Chili for filling, which sounded like the peppers would turn out pretty mushy to me.  There were lots of chilis rellenos recipes, but those are roasted, stuffed with cheese, battered with eggs, and *sigh* fried.

So after a little recipe cruising and improvising, this is what I came up with. You can make it as spicy (or not) as you wish by regulating the red pepper and chipotles with adobo sauce or omitting them altogether.  Around here though, we like it spicy!!  Hope you enjoy!

Wahoo!!!  News just in: Afternoon naps boost brain power, study finds."

In my secret fantasy world, one of many, many scenarios involves sitting down to a delicious al fresco lunch with friends and family (instead of downing a protein shake) and then taking a luxurious siesta.  Wouldn't it be glorious to stuff in some earbuds, hang a "do not disturb" sign on your office door, and snooze away for a while?

Fantasyland movie clip now commencing ...

Better brew some tea and get on with business -

Happy Monday!