the blizzard that wasn't

looks like the blizzard is going to bypass greenland (knock on wood), but eamon's flight had already been canceled. but it's looking pretty good for saturday.

keeping my fingers crossed.

snow in greenland

sucks big time.

especially the weekend eamon is supposed to come home.

cross your fingers.
think happy thoughts.
pray.

it's the new chocolate

well, not really. but it is much better for you.

i bring a bag of mann's stringless sugar snap peas to work. it's great to snack on (rather than potato chips that i would really like!), and they are naturally sweet. dip them in a little low-fat ranch if you aren't a fan of crunching on raw veggies. i usually like my vegetables cooked (i will NOT eat raw carrots), but this works for me.

postsecret comes to uconn

Frank Warren (PostSecret)
March 3-4, 2008
7 p.m.

Called “the most trusted stranger in America,” Frank Warren is the sole founder and curator of the PostSecret Project: A collection of nearly 200,000 highly personal and artfully decorated postcards mailed anonymously from around the world, displaying the soulful secrets we never voice, and the creator of the phenomenally successful, New York Times best-selling PostSecret books: PostSecret, The Secret Lives of Men and Women, My Secret, and now, A Lifetime of Secrets.

The deeply devoted and ever-increasing following of the PostSecret books and Web site has made Warren one of the most sought after public speakers. He travels across the country, speaking at universities, museums, conferences, and art galleries about the PostSecret Project. He gives a moving presentation about how he became an “accidental artist” and the power of secrets. His award-winning program is a multimedia presentation in which he shares many of the secrets that were kept out of the books.

In 2007, Warren’s PostSecret Web site (which receives more than 1,000,000 visitors every week) was awarded three weblog awards including “Blog of the Year,” and “Best Community Blog.” PostSecret was also awarded the Webby Award for best NetArt. The National Mental Health Association presented PostSecret with an award for Outstanding Contribution in raising public awareness about issues of mental health and suicide. His traveling exhibition of PostSecret cards was called by the Washington Post, “One of the five best art shows in 2005.”

Warren has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, CNN, MSNBC, CBC, NPR and Fox News. USA Today called Warren, “An award-winning Blogger, a first-time author, an artist with a traveling exhibit, a possible documentary subject, the inspiration for a music video and the all-around media ‘it’ boy of the moment.”

In 2005 the All American Rejects approached Warren about using images of actual PostSecret images in their, “Dirty Little Secret” music video. They offered Warren $1,000, but Warren instead asked them to donate $2,000 to 1(800)SUICIDE where Warren is a volunteer. The donation was made and the music video became one of the most requested on MTV. The National Mental Health Association presented Warren with an award for his work in raising public awareness of Suicide. The PostSecret project has now raised over $200,000 for 1(800)SUICIDE.

Warren continues to receive between 100 and 200 postcards everyday, and he updates his Web site every Sunday. He continues to call himself an “accidental artist” because he does not have an artistic background or training.

bronson arroyo - "slide"

Former Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo sings "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls at the Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theater. He actually sings it twice because they messed up on a chord change

random fun threadless tees

check out threadless

my perfect knife set

i want one.
like woah.

the view from down here

liz has decided to join the geeks really cool kids and become a blogger. my coxswain for both gold medals, we met in college and shared an apartment senior year. there are some pictures of us scattered around this blog.

she asked me to help her come up with a name for her blog, and on my second attempt i thought up "the view from down here," cause, well, she's short. as most coxswain's are.

woohoo for more blogs to read while pretending to work!

fyi: many people don't know what the inside of a rowing shell looks like. liz's (current) header has a pretty picture.

kaboodle

i love to shop.
duh.

i have found an extremely addicting site: kaboodle.
try it out.
you will become a kaboodler too.

my kaboodle wish list

carey's blog

jenniffer carey has officially started a blog, so i have officially added a link on the sidebar. she is just getting into it, but be prepared for some highly entertaining posts.

the engagement ring i really wanted

yes bronson, i will marry you.me wearing the most expensive, wonderful piece of jewelry i will ever wear:

bronson arroyo's 2004 boston red sox world series ring

we make a pretty good couple.

especially since he already has the ring i want close-up of the bling
(we had really good seats.)

more pictures and video to come later. i made it home with cd's, a t-shirt and a set list.

confessions of a pre-teen poet

i just found a bunch of poetry that i wrote in junior high/early high school online. eek. you would think aol would throw this stuff out.

it just goes to show that if you put it out in cyberspace, it's probably going to be there forever. like a time capsule that shows you things you may not want to see.

these wonderful little written memories include (among others): "at arm's length" which ryan later turned into a song, "for my father" which i wrote after his death when i was 11, and a short prayer that i wrote during catechism classes:

i myself am thankful for
everything i have and more
my family, my friends
i hope we never part
i thank memories that never end
they belong inside my heart
i thank you god for being there
and for helping me to grow
as i journey through my life
my memories in tow

as silly as it sounds, i always remembered this prayer, and when i find myself looking for the right words (or any words), this sometimes pops in my head.

ah, to be 12 again. (not in a million years)

bridesmaid niki

with the always pretty ryan and mark in the background

i thought this was interesting...

Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the High-School Interscholastic Level

it looks like baseball is the way to go.
comments?

not sure if i've posted this here

Hymn #365

This is a hoot, but I suspect the minister didn't appreciate it.

A minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

Sermon complete, he sat down.

The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, nearly laughing, "For our closing song, Let us sing Hymn #365, "Shall We Gather at the River."

dear iPod...

...please work this time.

just got my iPod back from the warranty guys. this is the second time i've sent it back to them. i spent FOREVER this morning waiting for all of my music t o transfer over, only to have it freeze on me. i was livid at 9 a.m. this morning.

now that i'm calmer and at work, i googled some quick fixes and got it unfrozen. of course, now the battery is near death, but my speakers in my office will charge the battery.

i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

the next best thing to seeing him in a sox uniform?

hearing him play dirty water. (fingers crossed)mohegan gave us complimentary tickets for bronson arroyo tomorrow night. (the good part about carol being a season ticketholder for the connecticut sun, and grandma being a professional slot player).

Experience some of Rock music's greatest hits through the sounds of Major League Baseball pitcher turned rocker Bronson Arroyo at Mohegan Sun. Former Red Sox pitcher, Arroyo takes his game from the field to the stage as he gets set to jam Rock cover songs for audiences in The Cabaret Theatre.

The multi-talented Bronson Arroyo does more that just throw a fierce pitch for the Cincinnati Reds; he is a dedicated singer and musician with an established career. Coming from a musical family, Arroyo's upbringing was filled with song. In 2005, he teamed up with producer Loren Harriet and music executive Lou Mann to release his debut album, Covering the Bases. The album includes covers of famous Rock songs from bands such as Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and Foo Fighters and has won over sports and music fans alike.

i need to get out of bed

since i've been sick i've discovered that both brad renfro and heath ledger died.
so sad.

go pats!

designhergals.com

friday music video

i am so easily distracted at work.
my favorite off the new(est) tim mcgraw:

my aim profile

click to see it clearer

not quite grammy-worthy but still good

it's funny cause it's true...

uploading pictures like it's my job

now that i have consistent internet in my bedroom (thank you tommy!), i can upload pictures from my computer. i promised you 'the adventures of niki upon her return to the east coast,' and i'll make good on that. these will be in groups, but definitely not in chronological order.

my college boyfriend (jim) was a yankees fan. that may be hard for some of you to swallow, but it's true. one of jim's clients is poland springs, which is a big sponsor of the sox. (i'm even told that jim has worn a red sox hat, but have no photographic evidence to this affect) anyway, jim got a bunch of sox tickets that he obviously wasn't going to use, so he called me up to ask me if i wanted them. (YES!!) so jim gave me four centerfield seats, and eamon's dad had four in his usual spot near right field and the pesky pole. so jayde, greg, carey and i got to sit with all of the drunks in center field (note to parents -- don't buy centerfield tickets). we had a blast!!

awesome choice of apparel

the view
greg is all dressy. he came straight from work.
carey was on crutches after jumping on a power cord.

she offered to throw one at eric gagne for the good of the team.

(and tori hunter, but i said no because he was one of my fantasy outfielders)

in october, carey and i went to check out the pumpkin display at mccoy. we got light-up glow toys and everything. i dropped mine when i went to the bathroom, but the nice guy selling them gave me another one (i think he was just glad to be talking to a girl over 4 feet high.)
we had to say goodbye to carey's car, finny, this fall. evil jeff and sue got rid of it. she now drives around a vw convertible, which just doesn't have the same character. type of character i'm talking about:

go see atonement

i had wanted to see atonement for some time now, but it had a very limited release and wasn't playing at any theaters near me. (of course, it took me forever to realize that it has been playing at the avon on thayer - which apparently doesn't show up in movie theater databases.) when i saw that it was going to be in seekonk this week, i asked samantha out on a date. we saw the late show last night. we both really enjoyed it.



now that it won the golden globe for best picture (with oodles of acting nominations), i'm sure other theaters will be picking it up. go see it if you have the opportunity. i highly recommend it..

i have no friends...

...in my phonebook.

new phone = no contacts.

send me your phone number!

death by dirty martini

my cell decided to get drunk this weekend, and took a dive in my gin martini.
my name is nicole decambra and i have been cell-less for 64 hours.
and i am not happy about it.

obviously, all my contacts have been lost. and all crazy pictures.
so...e-mail me your phone number, or you could just call after wednesday.

savannah bound!

it's official.

march 8-12 i will be at the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations Conference in savannah, georgia. i am so excited!

not only is it a great opportunity, but i've always wanted to visit savannah. i sent sudie a message (sudie transferred from uconn to scad) to see if she can give me some recommendations.

...i'll come finding my original crew...

heading up to connecticut tonight for a mini-reunion, vermont 202-style. Gabbey, jHo, Liz, Heather, Champ, Kali, Nicole and I (and maybe Brooke if traffic isn't bad), are meeting up at Gabbey's house on the lake.

i am just mere hours away from inevitable drunkeness.

glassbooth.org

i don't pretend to know a lot about politics. but it has been sort of my resolution (no, not a new year's one) to become more informed and aware. i know - it's about time.

"let's forget the fact that you're coming a little late to the party and embrace the fact that you showed up at all" (west wing)

a friend told me about this website. while it by no means should be used as a sole source of political information, it does provide a good overview, and jumping off point) for less-than-knowledgeable voters.

how it works: it asks you to divvy up 20 points (based on how important they are to you) among issues like crime and punishment, drug policy, gay marriage, abortion and birth control, education, social security, etc. then, based on those point values, you will answer questions on a strongly oppose to strongly agree scale to see where you stand on those issues. the whole process only takes a few minutes. you are given results based on the candidate that most accurately matched your views.

what i like: the results are categorized by the specific issues that meant the most to you. it will show you how closely you match with each candidate on that specific issue. what i love is the "find out why" link. it will show you examples of speeches, books, or voting histories that led to the match (or mismatch).

here's a tip: the results feature the top three matches, but there is a drop down box on the side with the rest of the candidates. between my third and fourth matches was only one point. explore how you differed on issues with those who are close. you may find that the difference is negligible, or that someone in your top three has little chance of getting nominated (or elected).

also, when you are taking the quiz, they're may be some issues/question that you are unfamiliar with, or unsure of their meaning. they link you directly to wikipedia. the downside: it's wikipedia. let's not forget colbert's "wikiality."

what i don't like: people who expect this site to the be-all, end-all. i don't really like 5-point scales, i don't think it's quite enough to distinguish a persons point of view. it does make it quicker, and simpler, but it leaves more room for error.

as anyone who has ever done research on the internet knows, double-check all the facts. nothing on the web should be taken at face-value. critics of the site have said that there is a left-leaning bias in some of the questions, but most have agreed that the site comes off pretty neutral.

decide for yourself.

random quote

"he wanted to be a poet...
...said he'd only lacked the words to be one..."

holidays with the murrays

all pictures shamelessly stolen from miss molleigh hughes

one of the christmas trees at the murray house

molleigh and mairin. being silly.

shea (pre-zebra haircut) and mairin at lasalette

niki and molleigh

she takes such pretty pictures

kieran, shea, molleigh and mairin on new year's

niki and kieran

molleigh and niki

happy new year