Flowers don't say cheeeeese

...but I like to photograph them anyway.


Love using the macro mode to catch tiny details....


and I love that these managed to grow in my garden despite my "not really green" thumb.

And that this happened in my kitchen, just before I threw the dead flowers from this arrangement away...

Wii fit update

Things I like / dislike about the wii... which I have been faithfully using for 12 days now, only missing one day.

I hate the female trainer. She is perky and skinny and just not my kind of girl. Also, why are both of the wii trainers lilly-white? Diversity. Geez. I think I would like her more if she was a curvy Latina with a trace of an accent. I'm not even kidding. She would seem friendlier that way. VanillaGirl is very cold and unfriendly.

I like the guy. Don't know why. I don't see him as particularly manly (not to say he's effeminate, just kind of average) , but he's not as threatening to me as IceGirl. I like hearing him say "Way to Go!" when I don't actually fall off the board doing a one-legged balance pose. (Don't laugh. It happens. Then the trainer says "you put your foot down, didn't you?" Oh, right, a computer is now going to give me attitude. Thank you. )

Today the Wii decided I was spending too much time with him and gave me the female trainer. Really - she actually showed up on my screen and said "I hope you don't mind, I 'll be filling in for your regular trainer today. Um, I don't think so! Luckily she went away after one yoga pose. Buh bye, doll. It would be nice to be able to have my son or my daughter be my coach. Well, not my son, because he laughs himself silly over how I do on some of the balance games.

I have been running again. Today is the first day I would charactarize what I did as actually resembling running, because it was almost evenly split between walk a while, run a while, but that's not really the point I'm getting to. You can enter non-wii exercise in the log on the wii fit. It will show up as a gray part of the bar graph showing your daily workouts - almost like they don't believe you. "Well, you say so, but we're not giving it a pretty color. " The other gripe I have is that you can only enter exercise for TODAY. No matter which date you click on the calendar, you log it to today. Losers. Work on that part of the code, wiiGeeks.

I would still recommend it to my fellow couch potatoes though... the yoga feedback on whether you're really balancing well is definitely helping me. And I can navigate a soap bubble through a rocky canyon. No lie.

Random website recommendation

I was in the library with my daughter looking for books on Hitler (oh what a fun time that was...) and I noticed a book called The Gallery of Regrettable Food and managed to find the author's website.

The main site is http://www.lileks.com/ and there are enough interesting things to keep just about all of you busy until I come up with some time to work on this blog!

I am actually doing some work on a web page for a friend of a friend; the web page content is about a recording artist who is working on his second cd. I am LOVING this little project. I won't get paid all that much, but the money will go into a secret hiding place to be saved up for a REAL camera. I'm thinking maybe a Canon digital rebel. Modes, baby. Lots of shooting modes and buttons and fun stuff. And I want a 24-105 zoom lens. Just smile and nod...

Clicks

Just a few random pictures here, with comments... this weekend was very mixed, weather-wise, but I managed to enjoy the good weather and duck the bad. At Country Drive-in I saw a 59 Corvette convertible. I immediately sent a picture of the car to Suzy with a request to have one for my very own; I have yet to hear back from her. I like how the two headlights and the area below make a face.... or am I the only one who sees that?

sigh... yes, I thought so.

Earlier in the day my son and I took in the scenery at the visitor's center at the point where the Hudson River splits off into the Erie Canal... (we were too late for the farmer's market, my bad)

This is an example of some of the clouds that were out and about in the evening, before the thunderstorms moved in. I love clouds. Don't know why. Did you hear they might officially declare a new type of cloud? really ... first Pluto isn't a planet and now they want to declare that there are FOUR types of clouds? I need to lie down. It gives me a headache.

More clouds, earlier in the day, after a trip to Michaels (!) and the market (boooo). I swear that the upper mountains in the shot below are in Vermont, at least it seems that way because I don't usually see them. And, I shoot very CROOKED these days. I need to get a tiny bubble level and put it on the back of my darn camera. But this is, I believe, one of the ones I shot out of the sunroof of my car. SO that may be why it's a little crooked. It's vistas like this that are part of why I like living here, and not in some really flat place where the wind can blow along a tumbleweed for miles. (I'm hurtling downhill here at about 70 mph. Hi Mom.)

And then there are the falls. Pretty huh? You can find these in Cohoes. It's not like they hide them or anything....

Too much to do these days.... that's all the time I have for you, internets... it's not you, it's me....

Attention wildlife

Apparently my property is NOT the place for you to be havin' young'uns.... Just saying.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Found it!

Kudos to Emmay for saying "it's probably under your car seat" in a text message. For the life of me, I don't know how it got there. I guess it fell out of my purse. Unfortunately I didn't find the OTHER missing thing, the paper I need... not under my carseat. Oy.

But... happy Friday. It's rainy and I have no plans, which could sink me down pretty quickly, but I think I'm going to do a little bit around here, and work out, and then go use the Michael's gift card that my sister gave me, after a nice lunch. Because That Bank is still paying me for not showing up. Awesome.

Really really dead!

Sorry about the multiple post on the previous item. I guess my Blackberry was traumatized too. Not as much as me. I took a walk over to ponder how to throw the squirrel in the woods, (shovel? work gloves? ) and it's a baby bunny. Boooo hoooo.

Wild fricken' kingdom

I looked out my family room window and saw a hawk swoop down and snatch up a hapless squirrel. He landed in the apple tree in my neighbor's yard. Three robins immediately freaked out and chased him away (from their nests, I presume, since there was a baby bird in my hedges when I was trying to cut them. He lived. The squirrel ain't looking so good where the hawk dropped him. )

This reminds me, I never blogged about how really stupid the deer are in Pennsylvania. Honestly, there are dead deer all over those highways. I even saw one that had been torn into three pieces by whatever hit it. Yummy.

Enjoy your dinner.

Carly(via Blackberry)

You might say

...She is having a very good day.

I guess that's what the secret wink is all about. I just walked by the room, and saw her sitting on a pile of stuff, winking at me

Carly(via Blackberry)

Tilt

There is a subtle trend in all of my photos. They tilt a leeeeeetle bit to one side. How annoying. I guess I have to tape a level to the back of the camera...

I added about ten of my favorite photos from last night's shoot to my Flickr photostream.

Meet up

Someone forwarded a "meet up" link to me, and it was for a kayak group, but I don't have a kayak yet. I looked around the site and found a photography group, and so I went to the Empire State Plaza to meet some of the other members to take some photos tonight... these are two of my favorites.

I definitely had the baby camera of the bunch - no lens switching for me... but I have at least 15 shots I really like (out of probably 150 +, thank god for digital)

The one above is a long exposure, self timer with a tripod, and then you know I had to show you one that I played with tonal curves because I just can't NOT DO IT sometimes.

For you who are not familiar, this is The Egg.... not the mother ship of an alien race. It's actually a small theater and was the scene of the crime for the recent field trip I chaperoned.

Huh. I had way more fun tonight ;-)

Search Party

I have lost my Road ID. This makes me VERY, very unhappy. In part because I am a clutz and feel a little paranoid about running without this on my arm and a mack truck running me over, and no one knowing who I am. But also because I hate being disorganized. And because I wore it in my first "real" 5 K and I really enjoyed running that summer and want to get back to it again... so many reasons.


So...

if you are feeling psychic and can suggest to me where I might find it (I've looked for 3 days now) and you are correct, I will buy you a road ID. No, really. The original wrist id version or the shoe version ($19 value). One winner. Mine is red, by the way, but you can pick your color.

Help!

To sleep, perchance to dream

So I woke up at about 3:45 from vivid and peculiar dreams that have slid back down into my subconscious.

I worried about money for a little while, the went out to my newly acquired couch(...which, for the record, is not newy purchased; it's from Suzy's former apartment and for the first time in years I can stretch out in my family room).

I read some facebook notifications aboot the PENS on my (bl/cr)ackberry, plus a guest photographer post from scott kelby's blog. Then I looked at AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com - you have to check that out.

I had a small snack, because I'm hungry, so my stomach is feeling off. I wonder what my WiiBtch trainer would say... Snacking at 4 am. Greaaaaaat - that WILL get my BMI down.

Of course the REASON for being awake is the two wines and three sodas after dinner last night, when I met an old friend and his wife who are in town for a short visit. That and the potato skins may not help my stats either.

Did I mention we killed off one of the two new fish already? Whoops. Yes, after a lovely communion breakfast we returned home to the smell of death. I knew I should have changed that tank water sooner.

I think Mr C is less than thrilled with my housekeeping this last week or so. It's not totally unfounded. There are plenty of things here and there. But in my own defense, there are three of them, all avidly watching tv whenever their eyes are open, and so I don't feel the urge to play Cinderella and work like a dog all day, just to have them mess it all up again.

I've been somewhat gainfully unemployed for two (almost 3) months now, depending on how you count. I alternate between "god I'm getting nothing done" and "but I still have x weeks of severance pay and it's ok to enjoy myself a LITTLE" and "I did do the yearbook and all that other school stuff and help her move and....".

So that dialogue doesn't help me fall back asleep. Neither does the snoring. Last night I resorted to Ocean Waves on my ipod, certain I'd strangle myself with the cord. No, I only slept through the alarm that THEY all need to get up to go where they belong.

Good times, my dear friends, good times.


Carly(via Blackberry)

Where does my day go?

The desk still looks like this....

I talked to an old friend. That's important.

I worked out for an hour with the Wii fit. That's important tooo. Hmmm.

Talked to someone who has a project I can work on to get some creative experience. Very psyched about that.

Took some photos of roses. Haven't even done anything with the photos from my trip yet.

Talked to my mom and my sister.

Can you see where this is going??? That's right, dishes in my sink and no laundry done.

Carly(via Blackberry)

The Scrapbook

(pardon me, internet. I had a little two hour wrestling match yesterday with some hedge clippers, and I'm not quite myself yet today... that's my lame excuse for not writing about this sooner)


When I opened the scrapbook my daughter gave to us at her graduation breakfast...

I was looking at a picture of myself... ! and the title "The most unforgettable person in my life"

::::awwww::::::

She wrote things like "there for me no matter what" and "always tried to help me" that most parents try their hardest to convey to their kids, and hope they understand. She wrote a (long) list of things I have done for her school... and that I have taught her to be independent by being able to cook, do things around the house... and that she sees me as being open to what she has to say, and willing to give my honest opinions

As days go, I'd say it was a ten :-)

There were pictures from her first day of first grade, a "happy memory" page (meeting her baby brother for the first time, which was on her 3rd birthday), of our extended family... her first communion...the Christmas tree decorating parties we have every year... There is room left for graduation photos.

Sniffle.

Wiibtch

My daughter has been campaigning vigorously for a WiiFit and I cracked the other day.

I was frustrated by a little trip to the DMV... I didn't have a hair sample from my great grandmother to prove my identity... or actually, one of the 5,000 papers they require. (I am planning to get an enhanced driver's license for our summer road trip - they're fairly new, and can serve in lieu of a passport to drive or go by boat to Canada.) But I wasted about an hour on the trip. Grrrr.

So I tore my house apart looking for that certain paper, and my kids circled. "Can we open the wiiFit?" (snarl) . A few minutes later, "Please?" (growl). Not my finest hour.

After dinner (oh, who am I kidding, WINE) I opened the box and set it up (batteries, attach the little feet extenders to the bottom because we have a thick rug..)

A voice that sounded something like my grandmother sucking helium came from the thing. "Starting up!" Ohhhhkay.

I have a "Mii" set up already (for those of you who don't play, you can make a little characters to represent yourself. My first try came out something like Hilary Clinton, so I had to fix it. Changed the hair, made myself taller and thinner. Heh. )

Well, sHelium was having none of that. When I got on the board for the first time sHe said "Ohhh!" and I wanted to slap it. I get it, b!tch . After weighing me it immediately changed my mii to a shorter, pudger version of me. Dammit.

I am afraid I continued to call the yoga trainer bad names as she put me through my initial routine, saying helpful things like "Your foot touched down, didn't it?" My only consolation is that my current fitness age is 32, according to her. Blahahahaha. It's obviously broken.

Temptation

Oy.

I am still patiently waiting for the scrapbook that my daughter will be giving to us at the graduation breakfast this Sunday.

Today she called me* and said "I really need you to bring my scrapbook over right now, I left it home and we are supposed to be wrapping them at school today."

Now how was I supposed to go and fetch it, while I am alone in the house, and NOT LOOK INSIDE?

Somehow, I managed.

I also managed not to buy any Ben & Jerry's individual ice cream cups at the market. I'm on a roll today...

Google Reader, Post Eater

I'm not clear on why... but it seems as though if I start to write a post and save the draft in Blogger, when I get around to finishing it and posting it, anyone who uses Google Reader won't actually see that post.

So if you use GR (and if not, why don't you???) here is my Crazy Woman at the Kid's Baseball Game story and here is a card I made last week, if either of those interest you.

Foul

Yesterday I got myself some dinner (bruschetta and chicken caesar salad) from the only nice restaurant that's close to my house, and headed over to my kid's baseball game.

For reference, the players on this team are 11 or 12, and it's not even "really" Little League. It's a recreational league run by the town. Nothing to get yourself all tied up in knots about.

When I got there some of D's teammates were saying they might have to forfeit and D's coaches were nowhere to be seen. I found out later one coach's wife has the chicken pox; I'd say he missed all the fun but I guess he didn't, really, now did he????

This woman kind of stomped by from our dugout on the way back over to hers, with her scorebook. I guess she keeps the book for the other team. She's kind of a slob and was dressed in a tacky sort of way, and has a BIG mouth. Genuuuuine White Trash, if you will. I remember two years ago, she sat in her lawn chair and HECKLED 9 year olds with singsong chants like "batter, batter, he can't hit".

GWT was saying something about the game that I can't recall now. Something along the lines of "we need to start now or they have to forfeit." Since she was right in front of me, I looked at her and said "seriously?" in my best "I think perhaps you're an ass" tone and she shot me a dirty look. Get a grip, lady. It was a gorgeous evening and the kids were all there and ready to play, except I couldn't quite figure out where Coach was.


AnotherMom from my son's team walked by me and said "I'm going to stab her in the eye with this pencil" and I thought she meant me, but no, GWT was giving her crap because AnotherMom didn't know really how to keep the book, she was just trying to help since Mrs. Chicken Pox wasn't there to do it. And the whole starting RIGHT now thing... AnotherMom's husband went out onto the field to play coach for a few minutes.


So this was getting amusing, and I sat there eating my bruschetta and CCsalad and enjoying the show heat up. Our Coach came back with his kid's best friend, who is also the same age and in the same rec league. The shit started to hit the fan.


GWT came storming over screaming that he was an illegal player and it was a slimy thing for Coach to go get "a ringer" (who is his neighbor, and his son's best friend, and word from my other buddy is that this kid is not playing well these days on his travel team, being a KID who's YOUNG and not necessarily A PRO BALLER and maybe having an off season) .

GWT was ranting and raving about how this was an illegal game, and Coach started to get hot. He pointed out that he would do anything for his team and the rec league and he just wanted the kids to be able to play the game tonight.

She stormed over to her own chair again. By now people were really noticing her tantrums. AnotherMom's pencil hand was twitching noticably. Awesome.


The backup coach for our opponents came over and told our Coach that the kids could still play, but it wouldn't be an official game. He was a little testy about it, and Coach was getting more upset. He just wanted to move forward without all of the adults bickering.


Blue (the umpire) started the game and Coach went to call the league director. He verified that it was a valid substitution since the kid's the right age and in our little rec league already.


So he called over GWT (who was near me, berating AnotherMom for not knowing that as the home team she had to keep the book for both teams, not just ours) and said "Listen, I called X and he said that this is OK, and it is a valid game" and yada yada.


GWT went ballistic. Told him (two feet from his kids) that he was slimy and just basically stood there screaming at him with her head spinning round. Started walking away from him but was still in a full tirade, and when she got by me I caught her eye long enough while she was yelling and swearing to interrupt her with "You really need to not conduct yourself this way in front of all these kids. "


She told me it was none of my business, and I said "Really? because my kid is out there on the field listening to all of this. Go back over to your dugout and calm down."


She started screaming at me that if I didn't like it ** I ** should be the one to leave, and Blue stopped the game, which the poor kids were trying to keep playing with all of this crap going on. He came over to the fence and looked at her and pointed and said "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the park if you don't stop."

Hee, hee.


I got a GREAT icy glare from her at that point and I laughed in her face and said "You're being ridiculous. " So then she stormed off. Idiot. It was awesome.

GWT later tried to bum a cigarette up by the concession stand from AnotherMom. It was hilarious. She went on and on about how we all started yelling at her. Hello? Really? In NYS a carton of cigarettes is about a million dollars now, with all the taxes. She was irate when AM wouldn't give her one.

By the way... the "ringer" ? Pop fly caught by the other team's shortstop. Although he did make a sweeeet double play when a ball was hit to him and he tagged second base to get an advancing runner out. Final score, 11 - 1 we kicked their asses. But it's only a game. Snicker.

We have to play them again next Thursday, but sadly, I won't be there. I'll be at the dance recital shooting mommies. Um, make that asking Mommies not to use our backdrop.

Boxes, beers, bump into's, and brawls

Quick hits...

Moved S into her third floor apartment on Monday, which required more trips up to the third floor than I dared count. About six hours for the four of us to lug boxes up and squish into what is a cute, bright, clean, but on the small side apartment. Pain from the knees down today, not bad all things considered.

Then recovered, or made myself feel worse ultimately, with several Blue Moon beers and some fantastic pizza in a rooftop bar a few blocks from the apartment. Perfect weather for such an outing and apparently they don't import NY black flies.

On the flight home I had to change planes in Baltimore. While looking for the authentic crab cakes The Boyfriend promised me, I tripped over my own next door neighbors. Reminder, we DON"T live in Baltimore so this was a very freakish event, and required a photograph. Crab cakes were awesome, BTW

The brawl deserves a post of its own... for now, suffice it to say it was Sports Parents Gone Stark Raving Mad and it's probably good that Mr. C wasn't there to poke me and say "shhhh". But then again, I'm not the one the Ump was ready to throw out. :-)

Go Pens!

If u c Nemo

Honk and wave at us....

Carly(via Blackberry)

Sunday Art - Adieu

This is a slightly crooked scan of the card I made for someone who is leaving. Moving. Away. How dare she. :-) Now I have a new place to escape to. Visit. I mean visit. Of COURSE I mean visit.

Inside I have a quote I like quite a bit...

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen

Well

...It's time consuming and I don't have enough of the right color jellybeans to do it. But I guess they're kind of cute. (This is an idea from Hello Cupcake).

Carly(via Blackberry)

Rainbow

Now if I can just find that damn pot of gold....

Carly(via Blackberry)

So! Yesterday I was chaperone for the 8th grade trip to Manhattan. We had the kids almost outnumbered... twelve kids and ten adults. We are friends, after all, us parents, bound together as allies in this war they call "parenting".

It was a long day, I tell you. Especially with one kid, the one who breaks easily and often, who was sneaking Mountain Dew and Skittles behind our backs and bouncing off the walls all day. Catholic school kids, seeing adult video stores (FROM THE BUS ONLY, thank you) and the Naked Cowboy, all in one day.

Speaking of cowboys, I was also keeping an eye out for Marlboro Man and Ree but I didn't see them... if you are a fan of Pioneer Woman, she was/is in Manhattan this week. In a crowd of millions, I somehow couldn't manage to track her down. Phooey. (If you're not a fan, get over there and start reading! I plan to try some of her Photoshop action sets on my photos from the city. )

Ahh... my photos. They suck. They are made of a giant pile of suck. We had a tour guide who had arranged for us to go to the Top of the Rock (which is the tall building in Rockefeller Center). I was eager. I was ready. I had three sets of batteries and I took all of the plane pictures off my memory card after I put them on my computer...and on snapfish... and a few on flickr and... wait, where was I?

Oh.... the Top of the Rock. It shall forever be asterisked in my mind with "That Place We Went That Supposedly Has Fantastic Views But Was Entirely Surrounded by Fcking Clouds." Ahem. And of course, later in the afternoon, when I couldn't go back, it was sunny and clear. (insert cussing...)

I'm not the only one who was slightly disappointed by scheduling... the American Idols are apparently doing a concert on the plaza TODAY. Ooops.

We also went to Madame Tussad's. That was moderately entertaining. Mostly because I could see how tall some of the celebrities are, or aren't. Holy crap, our President is tall. I have a picture of me grabbing Bill Clinton's buns, and one standing next to Brangelina ( Jenn is waaaay over on the other side of the room, blalahahahahaha. ) There was also a George Clooney, in a very nice suit, seated at a cafe table with his hand outstretched. It made a great photo, sitting there holding his hand, what with me in my beautiful, sky blue... windbreaker, and jeans. Hmmph. I went for comfort over fashion. I know. Whatever. There were French girls there who were poking and touching the models (you're not supposed to touch face/hair) and they drove me crazy. Also I swear I spied a real person mixed in with the dolls. My daughter thought so too. His eyes moved. I really think so. Creepy.

I hit the Espn zone quickly to grab something for Mr. Left Behind and Sulking. In the bar there was a soccer game on tv and the crowd went crazy just after I walked in. Aw, shucks, you guys, I didn't even dress up... what? Oh. Who got a goal? I never did figure out. I asked an employee what they were watching and he rolled his eyes and said "soccer" and shrugged. I was hoping for a TEAM NAME, genius.

I need to add a few remarks here about the insanity in Times Square. Part of it is now closed to vehicle traffic, and there are lawn chairs spread all over the street. You read that right. Lawn chairs. Folding metal/ vinyl cheapo lawn chairs. I guess the idea is that it is supposed to give people a place to stop, and sit, and take it all in. Here are my thoughts on that:

• the cab drivers absofuckinglutely hate it
• it's kind of random, giving the effect that there is a blackout going on in the city
• there is not enough hand sanitizer in the city to make me sit on one of those chairs

I didn't see any hookers on this trip. I did see Donald Trump, Jr, I think. He's a tool. I also snuck off from the group and hit Junior's Cheesecake for a slice of cheesecake/carrot cake for the bus ride home. When I rejoined the group they were having none of my nonsense and I had to lead about half of them back to the store so that they could buy some too. Hehee.

I will go through the camera later, and see what I can salvage. For now I'm off to field trip number two, with Mr. Left. Pray for me. Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth graders today. What was I thinking??????

Come Fly With Me

So... someone that I've known for a long time mentioned to me last month that he has part ownership of a small plane, and if I ever wanted to go up to take some pictures, maybe we could do that.

Hello? is the Pope Catholic?

We had one day planned, and the weather didn't work out. Yesterday the weather was perfect. I spazzed a little and had trouble finding the airport, and was a few minutes late. D'oh.

Did I mention it's a really small plane?




Small. As in, a Cessna, which is latin for "propeller on a box with four seats inside", and I'm not convinced the two in the back really count.

One funny moment was when we first went into the (hangar?) and I couldn't figure out how the plane would get out, because it didn't seem like the "garage door" was wide enough. I was tilting my head and looking at it and thinking "Huh. I bet I can stand under the wings of that plane and they'd be practically resting on my head. But they're too wide to go out that section of the wall because they'll hit the door. " Then he hit a button, and the whole wall went up, including the door. Oh.

The point of that story is that I know nothing at all about small planes. Which he proved again by asking me to move (I was indeed able to stand under the wings and almost touch them with the top of my head) so that he could lower the wing flaps without whacking me on the head. (He worded it differently.... )








We had to review a few rules. Seatbelts must be worn. I played stewardess and fingerwaved out the two exits (to the pilot, who knew already, but whatever. )

Then after more checking and testing and whatnot, we were off!



Hey look - there's our wheel - it's still on the plane. Awesome, we need that later. I knew that the wheels would not pull up, because they would be... in my seat. So to speak. And there's the shadow of the plane. Cool. So I took about 60 pictures after this one; I'm not even kidding. Of course I mean of the scenery and sky, not the shadow of the plane on the ground. Just so we're clear.

Here are one or two...

Saratoga Lake...


And Lake George...

and... something... maybe Saratoga Lake again, from the other direction, or part of the Hudson? I'll have to think about this one. But I like it.

Well, that's all for today, kids, but tomorrow Carly takes Manhattan by storm... um, by tour bus. Coach bus. Whatever.

Verse 3

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

(link - America the Beautiful - lyrics)

This is my favorite verse, and you don't hear it all too often. My love for this song was only slightly diminshed today by one of our new choir members, who I call the Merry Wailer. She's too loud, she doesn't blend equally with the other voice parts, and she holds her notes by trilling like a cheesy german opera singer named Helga. I'm only half kidding. Know the expression "sticks out like a sore thumb?" Exhibit A.

The thing is, we don't HAVE stars in this choir. We are treated as equals. In our songs there are no solos - the entire section will sing, not just one person. We do sing the responsorial psalm individually, but we all take turns doing that. There is no paid Cantor who is singled out above the others.

I can fully appreciate the irony of hating someone when we are in a church choir together. I really can. It's just honestly THAT bad. When we finished God Bless America she belted out that last note at the top of her voice and then proudly said to the person next to her "did I shake the rafters?" - I was pretty happy when Patty said gently "well, you shook my eardrums...." because that last note was NOT pretty. It was too loud and too shrill. Not good, do you hear me? Not.

I know my place. I'm usually on the right notes, and can sing a psalm, often with some degree of an attack of nervousness, and I make my share of mistakes. This girl seems to think she is a much better singer than she is. I sooo long to correct her, but that is NOT my place.

We have a small phrase that appears on our programs at Christmas and Easter as a gentle reminder - Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone give glory). I wish she understood.

Busy week ahead. Let's see. Today, family cookout. Tomorrow, adventure (postponed from yesterday). Tuesday, Cheesecake Tuesday. Wednesday, MANHATTAN, BABY! (class trip), Thursday, much less exciting class trip with Other Child, (what was I thinking??? I am chaperoning A FIELD TRIP????????? ) then a baseball game and race to choir rehearsal, Friday, this that and the other thing to catch up and the yearbooks might come any time now, Saturday, a farewell cookout for my sister, and Sunday we have a choir portrait (after singing together for the last time until fall) then I head on down to Pitt again for a couple of days. Got that? Quiz mid week. Updates via Crackberry.

Peace out. Kiss a soldier today.

Spoiler free

This is my daughter's last year in the Catholic elementary school she is attending. There is a traditional brunch in early June. The graduates receive a gift from the PTA. The graduates then present their parents with a scrapbook they have worked on, in school, keeping the contents a secret.

I love scrapbooking so much I carved a chunk out of our newly enlarged family room, and bought a desk that is off limits to everyone else in the house, for my paper and my stickers and my stamps and punches.... So I can't wait for the scrapbook.

Here's the thing. I *SUCK* at not sneaking a peek at gifts. Every now and then, like I don't know, RIGHT NOW, the book is on her art table - right next to my desk - and it's killing me. I can't WAIT to go through the scrapbook. I let my daughter pilfer some recent family photos - I haven't looked to see what she took, but that is only because the snapfish order that she picked from is in a pile on my art desk and I'm avoiding that pile. I'm trying SO HARD not to open the cover of that scrapbook right now.

Additional temptation greeted me when I opened Microsoft Word. Off to the right side of the screen, over there... the list of recent documents: "My most memorable moment at (school)". "A happy Memory". "Dear Mom and Dad"....

.....aaaaaaaaaghhh. :::thud::::

I will not open them. I will not open them. I don't want to ruin the moment of seeing it all together for the first time.

Looks like it's time to leave the house!!!

Being silly

Told my daughter about one of my first boyfriends - I met him at Niagara Falls at a regional Lutheran Youth retreat in 9th grade. He lived on a farm out near Syracuse. He had a wicked allergy to hay. How unfortunate. The duration of our romance, he was stoned on allergy medicine. But he was so cute.

We are planning my daughter's graduation party and talking about handing out badges to honored guests, who will then be allowed a coveted seat on the screen porch. Because everyone will want to be there, and it seats...five.

I luv a parade

There is a four year old boy near me repeating "bow chick a wow wow" over and over in a tiny but somehow really loud voice. YouTube is somehow involved. Great moments in parenting.

The Emo Scout... totally hiding behind greasy bang that hang down past his nose, mortified to be marching.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Mini update

I have resolved (hopefully) my paperwork issue. ::::breathe in, breathe out:::

The town Memorial Day parade is tonight. Who doesn't love a parade, especially one with 30 fire trucks? (I'm so not even kidding)

Mr. Carly brought home a box of Pinot Grigio. I shall taste test on the porch after the parade.

Last but definitely not least, I have some exciting plans for this weekend that I'll share with y'all after it happens, perhaps on Sunday.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Clockwork

Sooner or later, each week I have a day where being jobless gets to me.

Even though I have a bunch of things to finish for the school, plus a few family events that need planning and preparation and doing, and I am (extremely lucky to be)receiving a "severance package", once in a while the blues come by and sit down with me for a while.

I watch everyone leave the house and go where they are supposed to be, and think 'where am *I* supposed to be?' - and it doesn't help that I am routineless, despite my good intentions.

Time is moving quickly and slowly all at once. Almost 22 years of employment seems to have evaporated into being just a dream o had after too many fajitas. All that remains is a pile of paperwork that contradicts itself. I spent at least 90 minutes today sorting out one issue. Giant Headaches.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Big fun

At the library....it's Research Paper time for one of my kids.
(My dad has a typewriter something like this. I've always liked it...)

Carly(via Blackberry)

Proof

...that everything will be just FINE.

Carly(via Blackberry)

More dancing....

The counterpart to my niece dancing would be this one of my nephew. I like the picture of her better, but these will make a cute pair on one of my walls. He danced on and off for a good portion of the party.

I had an interview today, and while the job was much more entry level than what I'd be looking for, I ended up with some potential freelance work on the photography side. I spent the rest of the day cleaning the attic with Mr. C.* Since we have a full attic we (well, the HE of we) just toss things up there in no particular rhyme or reason. Proof of that would be the maternity bathing suit I found. My baby is eleven. Years. Old.

* (Miracle - we are still speaking. )

This Just Finn

Finn has finn-ally had his tank cleaned. Gross. But not as gross as the recesses of a boy's mind.

We talked about how Ted may have been sick because he never turned gold. Or that maybe Finn was tougher because he came from the tough streets of the Petsmart aquarium. Which made me think that Finn is wearing gang colors.

The Fins and the Gills? They are forever enemies. This talk, of course, made my son wonder if they beat each other up, (or if a group of fish just all circle around the new guy and poop, and he eats it?)

Like I said...boys are so gross.
Carly(via Blackberry)

Keep watching

If you wait patiently, a chipmunk face will appear. No really. Keep looking...oh, ...right. Well, you'll have to trust me on this one.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Quick recaps...

My son marched off to work Saturday at 8 am. He dusted a large plant and then my neighbor declared a coffee break. Yes. They gave an 11 year old (some) coffee (in milk). I think he did a LITTLE bit more work for them but perhaps not worth what they paid for. I heart my neighbors.

The party was wonderful. My mother in law is frail these days but she looked beautiful and seemed to have extra energy saved up for the party. I took a few photos of the happy couple with all of their grandchidren, and some with all of the cousins that came from near and far. It went by too quickly... I managed not to whimper too loudly when they carried the cake out of the room to CHOP it into TINY PIECES. (ehhhhhh!)

Mother's day was ok... I tend to buy my own presents and cook for myself on this particular holiday. I'm not a huge fan of it. We can't all be perfect Hallmark commercials, now can we? I did get a shelf set in the garage - - and after asking for it and explaining (twice) what I want on it, I know can walk out from my kitchen into the garage without tripping over shoes, soda, beer, and cleaning supplies. I am going to call it a win.

PS: Just for Poly - the end of Amazing Race really killed me. I wanted him to win. Don't hate me.

Or actually....

This was more like what I had in mind, but I could probably still improve that mess up in the ....nevermind.

Sunday Art

I have been off the grid for most of the day today... but wanted to share this photo of my niece. When you are ThreeAlmostFour and have a twirly dress for a very special party, it is a happy day.

Ignore the ghost in the upper corner... I need to go back and finish editing extraneous junk out...or crop it or... I haven't decided...

Let them eat cake

Here it is.... More details in a day or two.... I'll be busy celebrating two people who still absolutely adore one another after 50 years...... How lucky they are!

Carly(via Blackberry)

Deja vu

I had an appointment near my college yesterday, and so I detoured to go and walk around the campus. I took pictures in a little courtyard that I used to visit once in a while. It was an oasis of peace and quiet and it still looks exactly the same... right down to the single, almost randomly placed, hedge -- clipped to a very specific height because the girls stand behind it with this as their background, for one of their senior photos. (At least, I did. And no, you can't see. It was 22 years ago. I don't wanna.)

Leave me alone...

"Ivy", leaves and flowers (all gum paste)

I am ready for this cake to be DONE. I'm also making daisies and roses.

Carly(via Blackberry)

That's not what you meant

The other day a friend of ours came over to drop off some extra mulch and help us spread it in my flowerbeds. He had been shoveling mulch all morning at school before that and I gave him two Naproxyn, which are for loosening up a backache.

Tonight we are all working at the school concert doing a bakesale. He just turned to me and said, "hey (Carly), do you have any more of those little blue pills?"

I guess it's good for him that we had to explain why we all laughed.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Fiddy

Suzy's plaque...for my cake for saturday. This is color flow, which is like icing with no butter or crisco.

The gold is edible gold dust and is painted on with vodka or lemon extract.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Como Esta??

Hola!

My 11 year old is bringing his Cinco de Mayo project to school today. Did you know that 4,000 Mexican soldiers defeated 8,000 French soldiers in the battle of Puebla? Badass.

May all of your margaritas be salty, mi amigos.

Because I wasn't doing anything, I thought I'd blog

So this week I have to sit in a waiting room and twitch for 90 minutes while my kid gets her braces off. Yaaaay! But I have 1,000 other things to do, people!

We are having a big family party and I need to make an amazing cake so I am pulling Suzy into the effort to help ensure it will be A+. I need to make some flowers and things today (in between making two batches of cupcakes for the school concert, and oh, we have to GO to the school concert, which kills an evening...) and she is going to help me make a "50" plaque tomorrow. Hopefully.

The state wants me to come see them so we can chat about my job search. Yeah. That. Hasn't started yet. Yikes. It's a fairly routine thing but still.

My son was bored and decided to start a business. This required my help to make a flyer, help him make himself a calendar with all of his upcoming baseball games and family events, and so on. He is only allowed to work for neighbors/immdiate family for now, doing things like raking, weeding, car washing, and helping with spring cleaning major tasks; he is NOT mowing a lawn because he's too young in my opinion. But the neighbors all seemed impressed that he was willing to work (and they said yeah, too young for mowing).

I am scanning old photos (holy out of date hairdos!!) for the party and in the meantime I am loading music to iTunes from my brother in law... standards.... to make a mix for the party. My iTunes is used to a steady diet of country and Tween so it is basically going What The F..... ?

Throw in some extra singing at church (icky Dick won't shake anyone's hand because of Swine Flu even though we have NO CASES reported in our area...) and it means Carly is going to be very happy when Mother's Day comes and I can sit and RELAX!!!

Sunday art - old newspaper edition

Here is a shot I took while I was at my friend's house collecting ticks. Blaaagh. Anyway. This is actually their neighbor's property but they all enjoy fishing and boating on the pond. You can see some of the storm damage that hasn't yet been cleared. Chainsaws for everyone!

Jasc Paint Shop Pro Studio is a utility that came on my Dell pc and has afforded me the luxury of not really learning Photoshop yet. It does some of the basic things like autocorrect, crop, clone out people - I mean, things - we don't want in the photo, and so on. It also has a few artistic effects like this one, which is supposed to resemble an aged newspaper photo.

Stop by, bring me a tea or Chai Latte, and we'll swap

Well, friends, I don't think I used enough orange flavor in the cupcake batter. It's not really all that orange-y tasting. Disappointing. Maybe some zest... that's a zen question -- do I need more zest?? I will work on that further. On many levels.

I frosted the cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting and then I made orange frosting - you can use it make a dainty spiral sort of shape on top of the chocolate, if your orange frosting behaves...

Or just put a sort of squishy dot if it doesn't. I decided to add pecaaaaahns to a few. (I love my granite counters.... but these cupcakes are really getting lost in the pattern, huh?)

It really didn't cooperate, so I just took a fork and swirled the two flavors together.

(now THIS is complex cooking - isn't it? Next food network star, right here. I really just wanted to take some close up shots and work on camera settings. Some of the reject shots were pretty rough!)

Swirled frosting cries out for pecans...

Geez. I need to light from more than one angle, don't I ? I just wanted a picture of cupcakes! Sheeeesh.

Hey... there are only twenty-two cupcakes... looks like my son has passed by this way.

Seriously - Earl Grey tea, and I will share...

Things I wonder

Why do cupcake papers come in packs of 50 when a cake mix makes 24 cupcakes?

It's like the whole 8 hot dogs / 10 rolls deal.

Orange flavor added to classic yellow cake mix. Chocolate frosting waiting on standby.... And yes I usually don't like chocolate but when it's with orange I can enjoy it.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Shoulda Used Photoshop

That's what I said! But Kelby says it MUCH better....

http://tinyurl.com/dywwru

It MUST be genetic

I took a long walk today since it wasn't SO HOT.

My son came along for the first loop. For a while, we walked in silence. It was pleasant, but I began to wonder if anything was on his mind.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"What were you thinking about just now?"

He looked to the left and the right, and sheepishly said "Um.... nothing...."

The thing is, I know he was telling the truth....

Living in the Pitt

So the objective of the trip to Pittsburgh was to find an apartment for my travel companions. They found one, but I had my eye on a few others.... not that I am running away from home any time soon of course!!!

This house is not even for sale but I loved it. I could just imagine my baby grand piano in the parlor and the art room up in the attic. (What? No, I don't have a baby grand... yet...)

This next photo was an apartment we actually looked at for TC's to consider. The kitchen was just insane for a one bedroom apartment - it had a wine fridge and full size appliances. You can't even see half of the cabinetry in the shot below. There's also a little area off to the right where a very small table could go for a breakfast area. Unfortunately, to get to this apartment you had to go through the lobby (with a scary spiral staircase open to the basement) and up a winding flight of stairs, or you could go up the back staircase outside the house, stand on the deck (it had a deck!!! I loved it) and then break into the bedroom. I mean, walk into the bedroom.

This one we called the Dino place. (See, the arrow? It's a dinosaur...I don't get it either... ) Do not adjust your monitor - the sheer awesomeness of perhaps living in a purple and yellow apartment building made us call. The owner or agent did not call us back.

Last, the schoolhouse... this has been converted to apartments. Not surprising... no vacancies. But it would be cool to live here. On a quiet day you can probably still hear little voices echoing.

I think I'm finally done talking about Pittsburgh... until I go again....

Music is my love

Melody_Gardot has a new album out, My One And Only Thrill. It is now on my iPod.

So tonight when D's baseball coach yells at me, "heads up, Mrs. S, the ball is coming right at you..." I won't hear him.

Sigh....

Clicked: Coach

We have a running joke about how a certain local college basketball coach looks JUST like Mr. Carly. Truly, he does. Mr. C was even mistaken for him about a year and a half ago.

Today Coach was in the restaurant where I was having lunch with APB and a friend we call The Kid. I noticed him and pointed him out to APB, while the Kid more or less tried to figure out who the heck he was.*

I wanted a picture, preferably one of me WITH him, but I don't have that paparazzi streak quite yet... APB pointed out that "it would be a shame for this to go Unclicked; your kids will be sooooo disappointed..." and I hemmed and I mumbled and was basically a big chicken.

So we waited for him to finish his lunch and then APB more or less said "You know, WE have to get back to work... so I'm right behind you, are you doing this or not?"

I walked over to Coach and said something like "ExcusemeI'msorrytobotheryou butcouldIgetaphoto of youformykids withmethey'rebig fans...>" -- only not QUITE as flustered as that, because I could pretty much sum up my basketball knowledge in one sentence: "Duck when the ball comes at you...."

His dining companion (who was about my father's age) said "Don't you want a picture with ME??" and I laughed and said "would you like to be in the picture?" - that guy was cute. Coach was really nice about it and stood right up, put his arm around me, and patiently waited for APB to snap two shots. Clicked!

Always carry your camera, kids.


*During the course of the conversation the Kid told me he had a dream about me getting a job in a creative field, and that he's kind of like Nostradamus. Then we discussed pushup techniques. You just had to be there.

Bigger move

So while we were in Pittsburgh we went by the new Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh several times. Go figure ;-)

What I want you to think about is this: in a timeframe of ONE day, (this Saturday), they are going to move 150 patients from the OLD hospital to the NEW hospital. In one day. Mull over the planning and drills and trying to sleep nights if you are on the team....

Maybe some time in the Healing Garden will help everyone feel better afterward.

Somehow

...I feel orange cupcakes with chocolate/ orange frosting swirls coming on.

This could be trouble!

Carly(via Blackberry)