Beaux Mondes

2010-01-29T14:19:00.002-05:00

TONIGHT I CAN WRITE

I can write the saddest lines tonight.

Write for example: ‘The night is fractured
and they shiver, blue, those stars, in the distance’

The night wind turns in the sky and sings.
I can write the saddest lines tonight.
I loved her, sometimes she loved me too.

On nights like these I held her in my arms.
I kissed her greatly under the infinite sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could I not have loved her huge, still eyes.

I can write the saddest lines tonight.
To think I don’t have her, to feel I have lost her.

Hear the vast night, vaster without her.
Lines fall on the soul like dew on the grass.

What does it matter that I couldn’t keep her.
The night is fractured and she is not with me.

That is all. Someone sings far off. Far off,
my soul is not content to have lost her.

As though to reach her, my sight looks for her.
My heart looks for her: she is not with me

The same night whitens, in the same branches.
We, from that time, we are not the same.

I don’t love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the breeze to reach her.

Another’s kisses on her, like my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body, infinite eyes.

I don’t love her, that’s certain, but perhaps I love her.
Love is brief: forgetting lasts so long.

Since, on these nights, I held her in my arms,
my soul is not content to have lost her.

Though this is the last pain she will make me suffer,
and these are the last lines I will write for her.

- Pablo Neruda

I love the line "Love it brief: forgetting lasts so long". I think that is the best part of love that it can stay with you even after it is gone. I have been accused of being a hopeless romantic. Honestly, I hope it's true.

2010-01-29T13:57:00.001-05:00

"Please." she says, "Tell me what you're thinking."

It's an absurd request.

Our minds, unedited by guilt or shame, are selfish and unkind, and the majority of our thoughts, at any given time, are not for public consumption, because they would either be hurtful or else just make us look like the selfish and unkind bastards we are. We don't share our thoughts, we share carefully sanitized, watered-down versions of them, Hollywood adaptations of those thoughts dumbed down for the the PG-13 crowd.

-Jonathan Tropper
"This Is Where I Leave You"

2010-01-29T13:45:00.002-05:00

we ask ourselves who are we...what are we like...what do we like...why. at least i do. had some extra time on my hands recently and as one does these days i took a look on a few facebook pages and came up with a few time consuming exercises here is one:

- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture from the first 3 images.
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up

2009-02-17T15:21:00.002-05:00

What's in a name:

1. YOUR REAL NAME: You know this one...

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Gizella Edward

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Ference William

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Haaan

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Lion

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Odessa Read

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Red Pepsi

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Anse

9.ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name)
Toby Thirtysix

10. AE NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Gwinnie Cassandra

11.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Anaizzle

12.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name)
Naodisase

13.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Gwinnie

14. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume, fav candy)
Hermes Reeses Pieces

2009-01-07T08:40:00.000-05:00

Talk about determination...

Boy, 6, Misses Bus, Takes Mom's Car Instead
10-Mile Trip to Va. School Ends With Crash but Without Injury
By Tom Jackman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 7, 2009; Page A01

The word "miracle" can be overused. But when a 6-year-old boy drives a Ford Taurus for more than 10 miles, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic, slams into a utility pole and no one gets hurt, well, maybe miracle is appropriate.

That's what happened on Virginia's Northern Neck on Monday morning, when the first-grader missed his school bus and decided to drive his mom's car to elementary school so he wouldn't miss breakfast and PE, authorities said yesterday.

"It's a miracle that somebody didn't get killed," said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins of the boy's drive along Northumberland Highway. "We're a rural area, but if we do have a rush hour, that's it."

The boy's parents were arrested and charged with felony child endangerment. Wilkins said the father, David E. Dodson, 40, was under a court order not to leave the 6-year-old and his 4-year-old brother alone with their mother, Jacqulyn D. Waltman, 26, at their home in the town of Wicomico Church. But Dodson left for work at 6:30 a.m., and Waltman was still asleep when the 6-year-old missed the bus and then drove off at 7:40 a.m. for Northumberland Elementary School, Wilkins said.

Sgt. Thomas A. Cunningham Jr. of the Virginia State Police said the boy is not particularly tall for his age and was "possibly standing" while driving the Taurus. Wilkins said the child had an idea about how to start, propel and steer the car from playing video games.

Once he got going, the boy navigated his way along Route 200 (Dupont Highway), across a bridge spanning the Great Wicomico River and then turned west on Northumberland Highway, which is about 140 miles from Washington. He made it through two intersections, Wilkins said, and then was "doing a pretty great rate of speed" as he passed cars on the two-lane road while not wearing a seat belt.

Other drivers noticed. Two people called the sheriff's office, one called the state police and at least one motorist "shouted at him to get off the road when he came to an intersection," Cunningham said.

The boy had gone 10.4 miles, the sheriff said, and was about a mile and a half from his school in Heathsville when he decided to cross the double line and pass again. But this time, he saw a tractor-trailer coming toward him in the other lane.
He quickly whipped the car back into his lane, but, unlike in video games, the car swerved out of control, skidded into an embankment and then struck a utility pole on the rear passenger side. Wilkins said the force of the impact cracked a wooden beam on top of the utility pole. The Taurus was severely damaged, if not totaled, Cunningham said.

Northumberland deputies Jeff VanLandingham and Roger Briney arrived first. "He was crying, hysterical," Briney said, "not from any pain -- he was just adrenalined up on fright." Briney said another motorist said she was driving 60 mph when the boy zoomed past her.

Briney said he unzipped the boy's coat to check for injuries, found none and zipped it back up -- and the boy turned and walked away. "I said, 'Where are you going?' " Briney said. "He said: 'My school's right over there. I'm late.' I said, 'We'll get you to school.' "

"He was just bound and determined," Wilkins said, "he did not want to miss breakfast and PE." The meal "may have been his primary goal," the sheriff said. The sheriff said the boy told him that he had trained on video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam.

The boy was taken to Rappahannock General Hospital, was released and was back in school for PE that afternoon. He was not identified because he is, well, 6. The boy and his brother were placed in foster care; his mother was in jail, officials said.
"We were just very blessed that it ended the way it did," said Theresa Larsen, assistant principal at the boy's school. Larsen said the school's principal, Arnette Butler, asked the boy, "What were you thinking?" He looked up and told her, "I just had to get to school."

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.

2008-12-04T13:05:00.003-05:00

What Have You Done?
I like the life list idea…Thanks Lacey. I have bolded those I have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check…mortifying
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

2008-11-12T16:10:00.002-05:00

This guy didn't break anything...CRAZY!!

2008-11-12T09:38:00.002-05:00

For Matt and Darci who took some special time out to see HSM3...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

2008-11-05T16:20:00.001-05:00

With a smile...

2008-11-05T09:25:00.001-05:00

Novemeber 4, 2008

OBAMA: Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.

Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton ... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years ... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady ... Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia ... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us ...to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod ... who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics ... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy ... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!

OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

2008-10-26T08:01:00.002-04:00

Oh...Don...you're too funny

2008-10-20T10:47:00.002-04:00

Okay this isn't for everyone...politics and language warning here...but I think it is pretty funny.

2008-09-21T22:10:00.002-04:00

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
d. copy the mosaic image (right click, save image as) to your computer.

Here is my Mosaic:

And these are the questions & my responses:
1. What is your first name? Anais
2. What is your favorite food? Lasagna
3. What high school did you go to? Victoria Park
4. What is your favorite color? Blue
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Sebastian Koch (and many others)
6. Favorite drink? Lemonade
7. Dream vacation? India
8. Favorite dessert? Coconut Cake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Traveler
10. What do you love most in life? Adventure
11. One word to describe you? Conflicted
12. Your flickr name? Anais Odessa (this picture is actually tagged Anais Odessa...i almost want to write them and ask them why??)

2008-09-11T15:27:00.003-04:00

Very Cool Website

I am always trying to figure out how far my walk, jog or bike is this site solves that for all of us.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/create_new

2008-09-05T13:01:00.004-04:00

If you haven't hear of this it is going to blow your mind. THIS IS ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, MY BIRTHDAY, WHATEVER...let's be honest I'm probably going to buy one today. I am in love....with the slingbox.
You can watch your home TV ANYWHERE!!
http://www.slingmedia.com/

2008-09-05T10:49:00.004-04:00

Answers to the never ending question:

Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change!
The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One! that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as
that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace...

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

2008-07-16T10:00:00.003-04:00

If you haven't seen the new Jib Jab video, here it is staring....ME!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

2008-05-29T09:14:00.003-04:00

As this administration comes to an end...a look back on a funny piece from the last administration. And here it is...President Clinton: Final Days

2008-05-20T11:26:00.005-04:00

I went to Canada for a while recently and went a little cupcake crazy...I have this fantastic book called Hello Cupcake and my cousin Anna and sister Laura and I decorated all weekend. Here are some pics from the book so you can see why I was so excited.

Cute pandas....

my favorite...adorable penguins...

2008-05-20T10:58:00.002-04:00

So this week I realized that I could watch the original The Office on the instant play on netflix a) how fun and b)I loved it. Here is a clip of one of my favorite little tunes.

2008-05-18T15:38:00.000-04:00

FUNNY!

2008-05-18T01:53:00.002-04:00

I love Kristen Wiig...I cannot stop laughing at this...just kidding just kidding...

2008-05-18T01:40:00.000-04:00

2008-02-26T20:14:00.002-05:00

George's other job...

Shilling Nespresso in France.

Another funny commercial...hey isn't that...hahaha

2008-02-19T16:21:00.002-05:00

Eight years ago this was hands down my favorite commercial. I have finally found it and now everyone will know what I was talking about...or you will just think it is as silly as when I tried to describe it to you...either way...I hope you enjoy.

2008-02-17T16:23:00.001-05:00

LOVE IT

2008-01-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

2007-12-18T20:06:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Tuesday

My top ten (or eleven) favorite Christmas movies

10. Favorite Cartoons!! A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas

9. Home Alone - Love to watch this one with my brother

8. Miracle on 34th street - for some reason we didn't watch this much when we were kids...but I do love it.

7. Little Women - Not sure if this qualifies as a Christmas movie but it reminds me of the holidays so it's on the list.

6. The Grinch - Jim Carey in all his glory

5. The Family Stone - I laughed I cried it was better than cats

4. The Bells of St. Mary - when the children perform the nativity scene...priceless

3. Love Actually - Loved it actually

2. White Christmas - as in I'm dreaming of Bing...not sure if there has ever been a better crooner

1. It's a Wonderful Life - I could watch this movie every day and not get bored

2007-12-01T15:46:00.000-05:00

This my fiends is Taylor Mali...tanks to my deer fiend in grate white north...look he up him is amazing!! lots love...anais

2007-11-24T17:04:00.000-05:00

Back from Canada

And no...I haven't been gone for weeks. This past Thursday over a spicy plate of Thai food on the first snowy day in Toronto I had an interesting discussion with my sister about happiness. The conversation was sparked by my visit with some old friends from high school. I had spent the evening prior catching up on how each of us have spent the last 14 years. While listening to each story I had wondered, "are we happy." I know…slippery slope…ancient question…what defines happy…yada yada yada. I was curious not because any of us seemed unhappy but because I remembered us being happy back then. Perhaps it is hindsight that made the past just seem better. My sister suggested I figure out what I mean by "happy" and go from there.

This is my second visit back home this fall and yet again I have returned with a few nagging thoughts...1) I have tried to change a lot over the past 14 years, 2)Since I have joined the working force I have left behind various activities that brought a lot of joy to my life when "I had more time." Today I want to concentrate on those little things...I know we are always going to be busy and I need to make time for what has made me happy in the past so that I can be happier today. I invite anyone out there to let me know what they used to do that they miss in their lives…maybe it will give me more ideas .

Top 5 (plus one bonus) things that make me happy…and I need to do more often

1. Exercise…specifically swimming. I don’t know what it is about the pool but life for me is peaceful when I'm in the water. I need to get back in the pool! How many times have I said that to myself?

2. Reading. I remember a time when even though I was laden down with school reading I found time almost every day to read for pleasure. These days I’m lucky if I read one book ever other month. I read a book this week, and while it was not the best book I have ever read, it was by my favorite author and I enjoyed every page.

3. Dancing. I took 4 ballroom classes in University and they were such a joy. My favorites were the Waltz, Samba, and Foxtrot. I haven’t really been dancing since. I do actually have a panic like fear of “going to a dance” but I really like the classes. I would love to learn the Tango.

4. Pottery, photography or painting…arts I have always dabbled in but wish I could really do well. I want to take a class in one or all this year.

5. Travel. This year I have not gone anywhere except home to Toronto. It has been 5 years since I have seen my friends in Utah and aside from that I really want to see the world. This year I am going to plan a real vacation which will include a full day of travel.

Bonus: Last but not least...I need to teach again. Since I was a teenager I have been teaching something from swimming lessons to English classes...while teaching helps others it brings so much happiness into my life.

Tell me...what would be on your list?

2007-10-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

LITTLE VISITOR

So I it has taken me a few day’s to post this because…as funny as some people have thought this was…it was not really funny while it was happening. I should note that at least one friend has commented that they are “animal lovers” and I’m assuming (always a risk I know) that they were implying that I was not an animal lover, and at least one other friend who has confirmed that they perhaps might have even reacted worse. So here is my story…It really starts on Tuesday when I returned from Toronto...there was evidence…more later…here are a couple email I exchanged with one of the women I work for who was out of the office on Friday.

SUBJECT: Little Visitor

MINE:

So if you haven’t heard this morning there was a little visitor…ON MY DESK. There was a small grey mouse making its home for the day under my phone. Needless to say it has been a very adrenaline packed morning. Just didn’t want you to think you had missed out on all the excitement.

HERS:

Oh my god? I am shaking....your desk? Did you scream? My desk is next. Are they putting out traps???oh my god......I am screaming inside.......

MINE:

I did scream...I totally freaked out!! Everyone came running...it will be funny in a week...or a year. The details are these....when I sat down I saw what I thought was a little piece of paper move at the front edge of my phone so I used my finder to swipe it away from the phone making it easier to pick up.....it didn't swipe away and a nano second after is swooshed under the phone...and I jumped up screaming....AHHHHHH THERE'S A MOUSE ...A...A...A...MO.MO...MO...MOUSE ON MY DESK....IIIIIIIIIIIIT'S UNDER MY PHONE....AHHHH....EEEEKKK...OH MY OH MY OH MY....AHAHHH...EEEKKK. after everyone arrived they all started investigating...I kid you not they were moving everything banging the phone....but...no one had actually moved or picked up the phone...so after a total melt down by me I asked "did anyone pick up the phone? How do you know he's still not under there?" So Gina lifted the phone a little and moved it......EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK....AHHHHH...THERE IT IS.....EEEEEKKKKK....everyone saw it and jumped back....anyway we have been wiping down everything and finding more and more evidence. All I can say is this little mouse had better go out of here on a gurney or I might totally lose it!! Gina and I are totally freaked out and Gina has been Clorox crazy...we are both ready to fly out of our desks if we need too...I'm not even sitting really. Okay I have to admit...I'm laughing writing this so the endorphins have definitely kicked in.

The aforementioned evidence was the obvious kind but I hadn’t been at my desk for 5 days and there had been a temp…so maybe she had eaten some poppy seed bagel or something…I know live’n in a dream world!!

The follow-up on Friday afternoon the exterminators came armed with all manner of traps and I convinced Cameron to promise to look at the traps before I came in today. And he deserves a big award b/c they were all FULL!! NOT JUST ONE MOUSE!! EEEEEK. So there was an immediate Clorox overhaul and we filled any little wholes we could find with steel wool. They have promised to come and lay down more traps today…I’m SCARED!! And frankly…grossed out.

2007-10-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

Easy Sudoku

To begin with I want to talk about an old friend Sudoku I have been introduced to this past weekend by a very old friend in Toronto (real person...Aaron). Sudoku has been in my life for many years. I would say 2004 was my first year of pure obsession…I would always have a Sudoku puzzle with me.

I had been obsessing over crosswords for a few years…never underestimate my desire to kick my dad’s butt at something as a great motivator. I couldn’t quite get there with Crosswords but then Sudoku came along…and I realize he couldn’t do them…yet! Aha…a time killer (objective 1) and something Dad tried but had trouble with (objective 2). I don’t remember when exactly but I soon discovered Samurai Sudoku.

Samurai Sudoku

All good things tend to get a little less exciting after a while and a little added spice never hurt. Here’s the spice…Aaron has shown me competitive Sudoku…it is so fun!! Two people sitting side by side play on the same game board and keep track of each square they fill-in with a tally somewhere on the paper...finding a blank spot is sometimes a problem. Rules? Aaron mentioned that we get one point for the correct ones and loose two points for any we fill in incorrectly…although at the pace you are going it is hard to see if your partner has filled one in incorrectly. Anyway once the puzzle is complete the numbers are tallied.

The best part for me is we can complete the harder puzzles quickly because you have two sets of eyes on each one…you are both often working different sections or trying to muscle out the competition when you see you are both looking for the same spot.

The game goes quickly and it is fun. For anyone that has been feeling a little left out because their friend always has their nose in a Sudoku book this is might be a way into their addiction…haha. And for those that have started to feel like Sudoku is boring this definitely adds another dimension.

2007-10-10T18:58:00.000-04:00

Surprise!! Hello everyone. It has been many months…various friends have commented more than once on the lack of updates. I regret this has been in part due to laziness…and by laziness I mean when I finally have some time to myself I simply don’t think of typing up something about my dull but insanely busy day. However, I have come to the conclusion that many find themselves working though dull but insanely busy days and yet find time to entertain me with the funny ins and outs of their day…in light of that I have decided to take a half an hour each day and write about something that has been on my mind.

You will of course still have to deal with my run on sentences complete lack of grammatical skill and the occasional spelling error. But alas you are my friends so we will survive this together.

2007-03-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

There is a new radio station in DC...THANK GOODNESS. I was resently really upset by the fact that I hated every station in the area...but alas I have found peace...and it was recommended to me by Jen. I haven't been able to turn it off all week...I highly recommend 94.7 the globe...they have streaming radio http://947theglobe.com/ check it out.

2007-02-12T09:46:00.000-05:00

By this point last night I was giddy...

2007-02-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

This post is for Sina...she has always been a fan of the top ten list. I really haven't ever locked down my top ten so in honor of the police being on tonight I thought...Sting would be one of my top ten...who would be the rest. So here they are.

2007-02-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

So a week or so ago I was running around the house deperately trying to get to the gym. For any of you that know me you know when I get an idea I have to do it or I will procrastinate...i.e. going to the gym...I don't like going to the gym so when the desire hits...I have to hurry. Okay...back to the point. I'm on the phone with a friend, I'm getting my gym stuff on, and the whole time I'm thinking...'it's been snowing...I really need to put down some salt or i'm going to break my neck on those stairs'. So I hang up the phone...grab my earphones for the gym...pull the salt out of the closet...and realize I didn't even open the salt last year so I need to find some scissors....drawer one, drawer two, drawer three...ah here they are...'okay lets get out of here'...grab the top of the bag with my left hand and start to cut the bag with my right hand...my thought as i'm doing this...I should really make sure NOT to cut the earphones in my left hand...SNIP...PLONK...OH CRAP!!

I did make it to the gym...had a great work out...but couldn't stop giggling to myself...what a GOOF.

2007-01-30T13:57:00.000-05:00

SNL - Two A-Holes at an Adoption Agency

I can't explain it...but I think this is the funniest skit on SNL this year. The new cast includes this woman...Kristen Wiig...she is SO funny!!

2007-01-30T07:53:00.000-05:00

This is how I feel. Sorry for not "updating" lately but I have been tired/lazy. I will get better I promise...in fact am currently on a conference call that I don't have to actively participate in...so maybe I will try to write more now.

2007-01-17T22:02:00.000-05:00

It looks like this guy and his girl have decided to quit Europe and move to lalaland...one question...WHY???

2007-01-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

This is Tony... Hands down the one hour of television I look forward to each week. I read Kitchen Confidential a few years ago...great book...not for the faint at heart...he makes me smile.

Here are some of his quotes from wikipedia:

"Bad food is made without pride, by cooks who have no pride, and no love. Bad food is made by chefs who are indifferent, or who are trying to be everything to everybody, who are trying to please everyone ... Bad food is fake food ... food that shows fear and lack of confidence in people’s ability to discern or to make decisions about their lives. Food that’s too safe, too pasteurized, too healthy – it’s bad! There should be some risk, like unpasteurized cheese. Food is about rot, and decay, and fermentation….as much as it is also about freshness."

"Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demiglace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living."

"I don't like to see animals in pain. That was very uncomfortable to me. I don't like factory farming. I'm not an advocate for the meat industry."

"I have exactly the same work ethic. I don't see writing as anything more important than cooking. In fact, I'm a little queasier on the writing. There's an element of shame, because it's so easy. I can't believe that people give me money for this shit. The TV, too. It's not work. At the end of the day, the TV show is the best job in the world. I get to go anywhere I want, eat and drink whatever I want. As long as I just babble at the camera, other people will pay for it. It's a gift. A few months ago, I was sitting cross-legged in the mountains of Vietnam with a bunch of Thai tribesman as a guest of honor drinking rice whiskey. Three years ago I never, ever in a million years thought that I would ever live to see any of that. So I know that I'm a lucky man."

"Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots of ways that were charming and interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself."

2007-01-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

This is Lynn Cox

If you've never heard of Lynn Cox check her out. This woman is one of the great athletes of our generation. Lynn Cox can maintain a stable body temperature in 44 degree water...and swims in water with below zero amongst the icebergs. I recently read her book Swimming to Antarctica. Honestly she is a bit of a nut...she started swimming long distances in the 'normal' places...the Catalina Island Channel, the English Channel...since then she has been swimming in all the craziest places...Cook Strait, Straits of Magellan, Skagerrak, around Cape Point, the Bering Strait, a mile in Antarctica, among other places. I haven't been to a real swim work out in over 10 years...but now I want to go back...I'm never going to swim a great distance like Lynn but knowing that someone can do what she has done inspires me to get back in the pool. I'll let you know how it goes.

2007-01-09T13:03:00.000-05:00

To continue on my previous Jolie posting I will add the below article...I think she has probably got it right on how her children are going to rebel...sounds a little familiar... let the secret recruitment meetings begin...haha.

Jan. 8, 2007
From the hints Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are dropping, their photogenic, multicultural family is likely to expand sooner rather than later... Jolie says that while their biggest parental problem these days is terrible-two-suffering Zahara tossing a tantrum whenever Pitt boogies in front of her, they're already thinking about the day the kids will rebel.
"They'll go against us one day," she sighs. "We were trying to figure out how, because we shoot guns in movies, we have motorbikes and planes, and Mommy's covered in tattoos. All that's left for them to do is become Mormons." (And somewhere in Utah, the secret recruitment meetings begin ...)

2007-01-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

Ummmm???

2007-01-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

THE POLICE...and music in general

PLEASE BE TRUE. If we have heard this once we've heard it a million times...this is a rumor that will not die...the Police may go on a reunion tour...best news all year ;-) This is a band that really hated each other or rather a guitarist, Steward Copeland, that hated the lead singer and visa versa.

I am a huge music lover. I grew up in a home that was full of music all the time. Jackson Browne, Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Janice Joplin, Perth County Conspiracy, and my Dad on his guitar. One of my favorite stories is one told to me and not in my conscience memory. As a very little girl I used to like to fall asleep listening to my favorite tape...Bob Marley. My mother recounts how I used to sing along to every song. When I hear any of this music today I fell happy and comforted like visiting with old friends.

Maybe it was the move across the country from Victoria to Toronto, maybe it had already started...I couldn't get enough music...my neighbor Soriah had an older brother that had mountains of music and we would listen to it everyday...this is where we found U2, Talking Heads, and others. Another neighbor, Allison, also had an older brother who worship at the throne of a little band called Depeche Mode. Once I had discovered Depeche Mode it was a whole new world, The Cult, The Clash, The Cure...I used to joke when asked "What's your favorite band?" and say any band that starts with 'The'. And then there was Much Music...another alter of worship...I couldn't wait for the coke-a-cola countdown or the new video hours. I will never forget the first time I saw the cheerleaders with the Anarchy symbols and the blond kid with the green striped t-shirt...music was going to be raw and I was looking forward to it.

Don't get me wrong along the way I have enjoyed some guilty pleasures that maybe I shouldn't mention (knowing that Ali Stewart likes boy bands makes me feel a little more free to admit them)...there was a cute red head called Rick Astley, a hot duo called Wham, and a pair called Rob and Fab...say NO more. If it came out in the 80s and wasn't popular with the parents I know or knew the words. The question remains as my Mum often mentioned...why couldn't I memorize my homework like I could all those songs.

When Sting comes to town I go see him...I haven't miss an opportunity. If the Police come to the US I might have to follow them around a little.

2007-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

HELP....is there such this as Movie Goers Anonymous??

Okay...movies...I’m an addict. Hello my name is Anais, and I have a problem. These are the movies I can remember seeing in the last month.

Duchess of Duke Street DVDs - I love this show!! And have just received 1st disc of second season.
Los Ninos Invisibles - very cute
Farewell My Concubine - very disturbing
24hr Party People - informative & a little out there
The Quite American - love parts...hated others
It Happened One Night - very cute
Three Faces of Eve - just okay
The French Connection - great
Crimes and Misdemeanors - LOVED it...I don't know what it is about his movies
The French Lieutenant's Woman - I love both Irons and Streep but I didn't love the movie
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - couldn't get through it without fastforwarding
The Departed - LOVED
Blood Diamond -LOVED
Notes on a Scandal - great acting...left feeling disturbed...was creepy...didn't realize until after it was meant to be
Volver - LOVED
Curse of the Golden Dragon - simply HATED
Casino Royal - Fantastic fun
The Holiday - very cute...could do without seeing Cameron Diaz in another movie
Babel - LOVED
Love Actually - Still love and was greatful to the Jones' for making it a Christmas standard
The Shop Around the Corner - I have always been a huge fan of It's a Wonderful life but this is now up there on the list of favorite old movies...so cute
Nixon - interesting
Sense and Sensibility - is on top ten list (is viewed once or twice a year)

Am thinking of becoming a professional movie watcher...hmmm...

2007-01-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

Okay so today I decided I wanted a new phone. I've had my current phone for three years and I'm ready to join the throngs of people with 'nice' phones. This is the phone I want. It's cute and I get to pretend I am a do gooder because it is one of the RED products. Here's the problem...even with all the rebates that I've 'earned' (note they are saying it will only cost me 60 bucks after $150 off b/c I'm such a great customer...their words I kid you not...and a $90 mail in rebate). Meanwhile the actual advertised price beside the phone is the $60 price. On top of which after I pay sprint the $150 and send in all the paperwork for the rebate...they still want me to pay a 'registration' fee to change phones. I hate this sort of thing...I left...without my phone...frustrated and defeated. OH...oh...I forgot, the new cord is also different, so I will have to get three new chargers...one for the house one for work and one for the car. They are pirates.

2007-01-01T20:40:00.000-05:00

2007...Happy New Year...2007

2007-01-01T20:09:00.000-05:00

This year I spent Christmas with my friends Sina and Nate Jones in Paris. Their daughter Ruby is so darling and I even warmed to their big dog. World traveler Megan was part of this party as well. This picture is from my first day. The Jones clan live in a fantastic neighbourhood and from there I walked all over town.

Paris was perfect.