increasing my googleness

i started using google reader to view all of my blogs and google alerts. it has completely changed how i check online news, and how often i do it.

additionally, i have added a widget to the side of the page to make it easier to share some of my favorite posts with all of you. 

just another reason i heart google. 

hooray for me!

"the constant" voted best tv episode of 2008 by TIME

from TIME:

At its best, Lost rips your heart out while it ties your brain in a knot. This season 4 episode did both expertly. Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) has been experiencing premonitions of the future since becoming "unstuck in time" (a la Slaughterhouse Five) earlier in the series. It turns out that he's been time-traveling, or rather, his mind has: his consciousness is journeying between present, future and past. (It makes sense when you watch, trust me.) The unfortunate side effects of this condition are madness and death, avoidable only by focusing on a "constant": a person or thing present in each time one's consciousness visits. Desmond's constant, he learns, is Penny (Sonya Walger), the girlfriend he left behind when he was stranded on Lost's mysterious island. His journey into his own past to find her in the present is tear-jerking and mind-blowing.

visit the original article for a video clip and to see the other nine episodes.

the trip of a lifetime...

2010 World Cruise

See the world in 107 days aboard Princess Cruises. Ft. Lauderdale to Rome. 

Imagine all the shoes I would have to bring... 

prop 8: the musical

quite the star-studded cast

muppet whatnot workshop

how cool is this?

happy christmas

mmm...Chowdah

Venus de Milo New England Clam Chowder

Here is a variation of our clam chowder recipe which was a multiple winner at the Newport, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts chowder festivals. At the Newport chowder festival the Venus de Milo is a two time winner and has been enshrined in the Chowder Hall of Fame. The secret to an exceptional chowder is to not skimp on the ingredients. Canned ingredients may be substituted but the final product will not be the same.

Preparation Time: Approx. 90 minutes

Servings: About 2½ quarts or 12 servings

Ingredients

2 cups 1/2 inch dices potatoes

5 cups fresh chopped surf clams

3 cups clam juice

4 oz. butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced celery

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 1/2 cups light cream

salt as needed

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

3 bay leaves

3 teaspoons dry dill weed

Method

Wash the diced potatoes, drain and place in a stock pot with the clam juice. Bring the potatoes to a boil, add the chopped clams and bay leaves and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

In a separate stock pot melt the butter and sautee the onion, celery, and garlic until the onions become transparent. Add the flour to the butter and onion mixture to make a roux and cook over a low heat for several minutes.

Add the hot clam stock through a strainer a cup at a time and wisk until smooth. Add the remaining potatoes, clams, and stock and bring to a simmer.

Add the light cream, black pepper, and dill weed and return to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning.

Serve at once with oyster crackers.

Other Venus recipes.

happy birthday jayde!

jayde is old now too!

jayde, on her wedding day 10.04.08

picture by melissa coe

on a lighter note...

a pet peeve get's addressed

i really didn't want to follow with this so closely after my rant about homophobia (as this is not what this blog is about), but this was in my inbox this morning and was too good not to post.

a new ad camapign addresses people who say "that's so gay" when they really mean stupid. as this is something that drives me up a flipping wall, i thought i'd share it here. i know so many people, including those closest to me who say this, that i've started not complaining about it anymore. and i know that just makes it worse. if you mean stupid, say stupid. it's not complicated. you sound like a moron.

bittersweet victories

november 5. 

election day is over, and i wish there was some way that i could capture how i feel. the victory for obama was incredible, though not surprising (though i felt that bush would certainly lose in 2004 - and we know how that turned out). as my friend carey and i sat there on the couch (tears streaming down her face), we watched as the first african-american was elected president. an inevitable milestone? maybe. but still a sweet moment in history. 

this morning the results of the ballot measures started coming in. question 1 in massachusetts was shot down last night (thankfully), by a significant margin. but as i started checking results of other states, i started to come down off my high. 

arkansas will ban gay couples from adopting children or serving as foster parents. arizona and florida are banning gay marriage. california looks to be moving backwards.  i don't know what to say about any of it. in an election centered around the message of change, this is beyond me. 

don't get me wrong, i am so incredibly happy that we have jumped this huge hurdle in conquering racism. but how are people fighting for equal opportunities for all not in an outrage over the rampant homophobia made even more apparent by this election? equal opportunity for all, no matter what color of your skin...as long as you're straight. 

this is not a political blog, and i am not a highly political person. and i know that people will never agree on everything, and that the world can't change overnight. but it just seems a bit hypocritical to be celebrating the fact that society has changed when really people have just changed who they are prejudiced against. 

 

monkeys are cute

especially baby monkeys...

happy (belated) halloween

The Independent Florida Alligator: News - Student-made robot promotes Obama on campus

The Independent Florida Alligator: News - Student-made robot promotes Obama on campus

sarah palin as president

sally sent me this link this morning. keep clicking around, it's pretty funny.

why stream of consciousness writing is bad

“I'm writing a letter, I can't write a letter, why can't I write a letter? I'm wearing a green dress, I wish I was wearing my blue dress, my blue dress is at the cleaners. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue, 'Casablanca' is such a good movie. Casablanca, the White House, Bush. Why don't I drive a hybrid car? I should really drive a hybrid car. I should really take my bicycle to work. Bicycle, unicycle, unitard. Hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants"

warm fuzzies

it was a long long weekend, whch i will recap when i have more energy. but for now, some warm cocktails to celebrate the dropping of the temperature. even though it was a zillion degrees in dc this weekend.

one.more.day

and goodbye greenland!

50 reasons to date a geek

In the dating world, geeks are often overlooked. However, many geeks are what you might call a diamond in the rough. Geeks make excellent boyfriends, girlfriends, and spouses. Although many of these are generalizations, we’ve found 50 reasons why geeks have a lot to offer the dating world.

Tech

Dating a geek means opening up a whole world of awesome technological abilities.

1. A geek can fix your computer: If you’ve managed to screw something up on your computer, your geek will be happy to come to your rescue, and will probably find a solution that will ensure you won’t have the same problem again.
2. Geeks can make your electonic life easier: Beyond computers, geeks can fix or improve upon your gadgets, home entertainment system, and any other electronic needs you have.
3. You’ll have the most awesome home entertainment center ever: Geeks have great gadgets, so they usually have TVs, DVD players, and entertainment servers with loads of cool features.
4. You’ll have awesome gadgets: Geeks love to share their passion for gadgets and geek toys, so you may just get a new smart phone for Valentine’s day.
5. They can find you good deals: Geeks make for expert online bargain hunters, so you can always turn to them for help finding the best price for a big purchase.

For more by Jessica Merritt...

jayde and geoff are married: a teaser

things i will not be reading at jayde's wedding - II

"Do you believe in love?" he said.

Sometimes I believe that loves dies but hope springs eternal. Sometimes I believe that hope dies but love springs eternal. Sometimes I believe that sex plus guilt equals love, and sometimes I believe that sex plus guilt equals good sex. Sometimes I believe that love is as natural as the tides, and sometimes I believe that love is an act of will. Sometimes I believe that some people are better at love than others, and sometimes I believe that everyone is faking it. Sometimes I believe that love is essential, and sometimes I believe that the only reason love is essential is that otherwise you spend all your time looking for it.

"Yes," I said. "I do."

-- heartburn by nora ephron

finally

carey: tim burton is directing alice in wonderland
johnny depp is the mad hatter
helena bonham carter is in it
there will be segments in 3d
I am no longer studying for the GRE because it seems the universe has finally decided to make all my literary dreams come true.

1:57 AM

two new blogs for your obsession

apostrophe abuse

passive agressive notes

happy october

things i will not be reading at jayde's wedding

my friend jayde is getting married this weekend, and had asked me to find or write a nonreligious reading for the ceremony. in my searching i have found some wonderful pieces that aren't fitting for them, or a wedding at all, but are still lovely. so i will share some with you.

to start, from anne of the island:

"I think," said Anne softly, "that `the land where dreams come true' is in the blue haze yonder, over that little valley."

"Have you any unfulfilled dreams, Anne?" asked Gilbert.

Something in his tone -- something she had not heard since that miserable evening in the orchard at Patty's Place -- made Anne's heart beat wildly. But she made answer lightly.

"Of course. Everybody has. It wouldn't do for us to have all our dreams fulfilled. We would be as good as dead if we had nothing left to dream about. What a delicious aroma that low-descending sun is extracting from the asters and ferns. I wish we could see perfumes as well as smell them. I'm sure they would be very beautiful."

Gilbert was not to be thus sidetracked.

"I have a dream," he said slowly. "I persist in dreaming it, although it has often seemed to me that it could never come true. I dream of a home with a hearth-fire in it, a cat and dog, the footsteps of friends -- and YOU!"

Anne wanted to speak but she could find no words. Happiness was breaking over her like a wave. It almost frightened her.

"I asked you a question over two years ago, Anne. If I ask it again today will you give me a different answer?"

Still Anne could not speak. But she lifted her eyes, shining with all the love-rapture of countless generations, and looked into his for a moment. He wanted no other answer.

for your funny

new house

brad paisley + andy griffith = good times

check out brad paisley's new video, "waitin' on a woman" featuring andy griffith. it's a sweet piece, and satisfies my obsession with both country and little old men.

at paisley's request, the video can't be embedded, but you can view it at youtube here.

and the award goes to...

ncmpr update: just received word that out of the six entries we submitted to district competition, five have placed. we won't find out which place until the medallion award dinner in october, but as you can imagine, we were dancing around the office with excitement.

we're very proud of the work we've done this past year. and this just goes to show that we're doing our jobs the right way. at least in the eyes of our peers.

walking the walk

On Sunday, September 21, some friends and I will be walking 26.2 miles in support of the Jimmy Fund. Help me by donating whatever you can. You can do it online at my page here, with a credit card, or by mailing in a check.

We spend so much on drinks and dinners and clothes, why not put some of it to a good cause?

Even if you just wander your way to this blog, even if you don't know me, or we haven't spoken in years, you know this is worth it.

Thanks guys.

my life is one big "to do" list

we knew we had quite a few things to do for the relatively short time that eamon was home on leave.

1. find/buy a house
2. talk to priest and confirm church
3. decide menu for wedding
4. eat seafood

of course, number one was a lot more complicated that it sounds. we had to find a place (no easy task), put an offer, get it accepted, get house inspected, get a power of attorney for maryland, set up mortgage, house insurance, etc. looking back, we were really, really fortunate. by the time i had to come back to massachusetts, we had enough settled with the house that eamon could come home with me. i would have gotten to spend significantly less time with him if not. but our realtor is great, and the lender we're using is easy to work with (knock on wood). so i'm able to trust them to get their parts done before i go down to close on September 15.


wedding stuff is coming together as well. my sister (my matron of honor) found a dress. now i just need a couple of bridesmaids to get ,easured so that they can all be ordered together. we went for a tasting at the venus de milo (which is where we are having the reception) and decided on what we would like to serve. a family friend is the owner, and he gave us some good advice and will take good care of us. he even said he would get us a shuttle for the guests from the hotel to the reception. which i think is pretty great.

i finally got the priest on the phone today. he wouldn't confirm anything until he speaks (in person) to both me and eamon. which, given the circumstances, is hard to do. but we have a meeting with him tuesday, so hopefully we can get that straightened out. and somehow mention that we would prefer to use his church, but bring in a different priest...

niki and eamon get a permanent address

...which i am not sharing on cyberspace.

BUT, we did find a house in silver spring, md, made an offer, went through a series of counter offers, and finally had one accepted. the inspection has gone through, and i'll be back down in the d.c. area on september 15 to close on the house.

things are moving quickly. but eamon and i came back up to mass wednesday morning, so now we can just relax and enjoy the rest of his leave.

and i can get back to wedding planning.

craziness.

my cliche southern new england weekend

this weekend was jam packed as ryan and his boyfriend paul came up to visit. he lives in new york so he was trying to do all of the new englandy things that he misses. pictures to come, but here was the agenda:

friday night: out to olives in providence with some former bacardi girls. i had never been before, but the do an excellent dirty martini. and magically, as the night went on, so did the number of olives in my drink.

saturday: jenn and john brought brooke down for a visit (she is getting huge), and we met up with ryan and paul, and samantha. had an early-ish lunch at o' gils (hooray portuguese food!) before i left them to go to amy's bridal shower. ate way too much food there (amy's dad tim is a professional cook, and supplied all of the food), and was not at all hungry for the cookout at ryan's parent's house. i did manage to force down some of friendly's watermelon roll (yum!). then we headed out to providence to attend waterfire. greg and meg met us out as well, for our cliche summer night in providence.

sunday: tried to sleep in to catch up on much needed rest. while i had lofty goals of cleaning my room, i got sidetracked and got absolutely nothing done. then went with carol to see journey, heart, and cheap trick at mohegan sun.

whew. i need a nap. especially since i'll be picking eamon up in baltimore in less than three days!!!

wikipedia: wishing

In practice

Some cultures have customs in which people are encouraged to "make a wish", such as blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, seeing a shooting star at night, tossing a coin into a wishing well or fountain, or breaking the wishbone of a cooked turkey.

Even though such wishes are not magically granted, the act of formulating a wish can be beneficial. The wisher has an opportunity to identify what they most desire of all the things in the world. Often, wishing is a time for first becoming aware of a previously-unarticulated hope. Once identified, these hopes can become personal goals.

4x100

if you haven't seen the men's 4x100 from last night: watch.it.now.

nbc.com story with video

i take to the sea...

harry potter and the half-blood prince trailer

i. can't. wait

i kissed a girl and i liked it*

as promised, here are pictures from shrine last week. i and a couple of other ex-bacardi girls met up and decided to play on a suprisingly fun thursday night in connecticut. we even managed to be paparazzi and snag a few pictures of lindsay lohan, jacoby ellsbury, and samantha ronson. word has it that top model caridee english, as well as melissa etheridge, were there.









*shamelessly copied from lauren's photo album