While Driving to Work

Something that makes you think WTF?

An express delivery truck passed us on the way into work today. Inside the back of the truck were dead plants.

In other news:

Last night when I got home I had a package in the mail. It was from Tink so of course I was very excited to open it up. Inside was a package that made me smile, left me speechless, and made me laugh so hard I think I pee'd my pants.

Nettie and I had commissioned Tink to design business cards for us. Since we get asked all the time to be personal shoppers we thought it would be a good idea to actually have business cards and maybe get this little venture off the ground.

Not only did Tink make us the coolest business cards in the history of business cards but she actually came up with the name for our company.

"The Girls Next Store" officially opened for business as of 7:00 last night. And Nettie and I have been busy handing out cards every since.

Thank You Tink from the bottom of my heart for kicking off a business that till now had been just a neat thought.

And let me tell you now, if you need a graphic designer, Tink is your girl. Hire her, honest, you won't be disappointed. She delivers ideas, designs, and dreams better than anything in your wildest imagination.

Riding with a long distance friend, books, and a tribute to my friend - a hero.

This morning I drove into work because I had to be at our R&D facility for the day. I popped in my favorite cd in the whole wide world. It’s called Ear Candy and it is a mix that was made by a friend. And even though we have never met it was as if she was sitting in the car with me singing along. We live 2,000 miles apart but for 15 minutes I felt closer to her than ever. What a fabulous way to start out the day.

I am 5 pages away from finishing Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. And I’m very sad that it is coming to an end. My dad warned me I would be. In fact he put the book down and avoided reading the last few pages for several days. This has been a marvelous adventure. One of those epic novels that you don’t just enjoy reading but you fall into. The sights, the smells, and the friends you meet along the way. I can’t say enough about this story. It’s simply a wonderful read. Don’t let the daunting size fool you. At almost a thousand pages it would seem like you would be reading forever. Unfortunately that is not the case. It ends. Despite the fact that you don’t want it to. Honestly, this is going down on my list of favorites.

After finishing the book my dad was trying to figure out what to read. I’m sure if you read a lot you know the feeling. Coming down off such a literary high you want that feeling again. You don’t want to just read a book. You want to fall into a book again. So the book his coffee shop buddies told him to read was Lonesome Dove. I told him that it was on my all time favorites list as well. He called last night to tell me he was only on page 24 but was in love with the story already. Yippee!

In other thoughts:

Over the weekend we had dinner with a group of people. One of the couples we were with have been married some 20 years. I have never been able to figure out how strong their marriage is or if they are even in love because they are not a touchy couple in any way shape or form. No signs of affection what so ever. Not even “honey” or a smile or a kiss on the cheek. Nothing. So I have always wondered………….But while having dinner she choked on a piece of chicken. So seriously that her husband had to do the Heimlich maneuver on her several times to get it out of her throat. In that moment when he had her in his arms trying desperately to help her I saw so much love and tenderness it stopped me breathless. I can’t even begin to describe to you the emotions that crossed his face. The funny thing is when all was said and done and she was settling down he moved away from her and they went back to their separate “bubbles”. He didn’t check on her further, rub her back, or anything. He separated from her completely and they returned to their usual distance. I guess I am sharing this with you because I have a passion for observing people and trying to figure out what makes them tick. I guess I should have thought about that when I picked a major in college eh?

And lastly:

A very very very good friend of ours is a police officer. He was involved in a bank robbery in which the robber was shot and killed. Thankfully the officers were ok. This situation could have gone a million different directions but in this case it worked out for the best. I want to say that I am very thankful that my friend is out there doing the job he is doing. He’s very intelligent and level headed. And he is exactly what a police officer should be. Everyday we are faced with the travesty of loosing our soldiers in Iraq because of Bush’s little war to make his friends rich. And maybe because I get so angry when I hear about another senseless death I forget that there are other American’s putting their life on the line for us every day in every town in this country. So I want to say thank you to all the men and women that have chosen to serve and protect us. Thank You to Officer S of the West St. Paul Police. Thank You to all the police officers in the country. And thank you to all the fire fighters in this country. You put your life on the line for us every day.
THANK YOU!

Lil Ol Lady with moxie

Her Majesty came to the states and I just have to say, she is adorable. And even me the ungirly girl gets all giddy and blushing at the thought of a real queen in our country. It's so traditional, so Renaissance, so princess and the pea. Just so cool. With a dignity and charm no American has EVER been able to achieve. Sure they have their ghosts to hide, their eccentricities, their politics. But the bottom line is they have something we will never have. And I'm not sure we could ever have it. The American spirit has never focused on tradition and dignity. We have focused on taming the wild and doing the impossible. And that's great, don't get me wrong. But I don't think we can ever be what I would call dignified.

We are too obsessed with being on whatever bandwagon happens to currently stand in the 15 minute spot light.

I once read that Paris Hilton thought she was the closest thing we have in this country to royalty. Oh yeah, I SO want that to represent the best we can do for royalty.

I can't even think of one person that I would classify as being close. Can you?

My goal as I grow older:

Have a style all my own

Not blend

Leave people a little confused

But also delighted

Not be crabby

But be eccentric

Have a little dog with a bow in her hair

And a purse with a big flower on it

And maybe a matching hat

And great shoes

I want people to wish I was their grandma

And the guy at the local market to know my name

And when I die

For people to say that I enjoyed life

And surely seemed to get a kick out of everything

Here's to you Queen Elizabeth. You adorably royally you..............

Girl J gives good gift

Yesterday Girl J surprised me with this: she saw it at a thrift store and HAD to get it for me. It's the vinyl version (complete with protective paper sleeve) of the album my Dad raised me on at Christmas time. How sweet is that????? Of course I had to call dad and tell him. And he thought that was the COOLEST thing.

And then, THEN the girl comes up to my desk today to tell me that she was at the post office and stopped at this really cute gift shop. And in the window she saw something that she had to get me. How FABULOUS a purse is this? Hmmm? It's too cute. And so very GIRLY!

And because Girl J has been asking me if I blogged about it yet:

A Minnesota "Nice" Moment:

So, Monday morning I head for the bus and realize sadly and to my horror that my Ipod is out of power as is my back-up battery pack. Dang it! It was just fine Sat. night. What the heck????
So, it's a tuneless walk to the bus and worse, gasp, sigh, a tuneless ride into work. But there is a HUGE silver lining to this.

A woman got on the bus and sat down. As she was getting comfortable in her seat her bus pass dropped out of her bag and landed in the isle. Two people leaned down to pick up her pass for her. TWO people! The woman that got it handed it over to the lady.

Lady: "Thank You so much."
Other lady: "Ya you betcha."

Yes, that's right she actually said "Ya you betcha."

I had to hide my head in my book to keep the giggle to myself. It was just so, so, so midwest.
I loved it.

Look below, if you haven't done my Daemon survey give it a go. Tink says it's addictive.

A special friend

My friend Girl J is an amazing woman. I don't know how to express how much I admire her. She's fearless, passionate, and kind. She will do anything in her power to help a friend. I just adore her for so many reasons. And I'm so very thankful to call her my friend.

On Wednesday when we were at the mall we were sitting down at dinner and a man in a wheelchair rolled up to the table behind us. He moved himself to a regular chair and enjoyed dinner with someone.

One of the girls in our group noticed he had on dog tags. And so we got to talking about going over and talking to him. Saying Thank You for the service he has done for our country. While all the rest of us remained seated, for reasons individually personal, Girl J got up and caught up with him before he left. She thanked him for his service in the military and they got to talking a little bit. They exchanged names and he told her a little about his story.

And then today she sent us a picture and a link to information on him receiving the Purple Heart. This is Shane Parsons. And he is an American Hero. But to me, so is Girl J.

Junk or Funk? and Get'n Goofy with the Goils!

I decided to give up on The God of Small Things. And start reading a book I had picked up at the library. It is a mystery set during the time of Arthur Conan Doyle. And is in fact about him and how Sherlock Holmes came to be. It sounded like a good read, the opening pages seemed to say it would be a good read but I found myself not having the slightest bit of interest in the story.

So then I got to wondering what was going on. It’s such a rare thing for me to have two duds in a row. And the more I sat and thought about it the more I can’t classify this new mystery as a dud. It’s a fast and easy read so far. So what’s up? Am I just in a book funk.

Well, for me there is a pretty easy way to check. I have a handful of authors that can not write a bad book. So this morning I grabbed the next book in a series I have been enjoying. And wouldn’t you know it, I was happily reading along. No funk. So, either my mood is just not right for these books or these books are just not right for me. I always try to keep in mind that there are millions and millions of books out there waiting to be read. Why slow myself down on ones that just aren’t clicking.

But thinking that way opens up another can of worms. My personality doesn’t let me just give up on something. I will read a book all the way through just to confirm that it was indeed crap. Or at least not a book I personally liked. My first example of reading for torture was a book called Smila’s Sense of Snow. It got rave reviews. Everyone had to read it. So, being the good little literary sheep I picked it up. But I never liked it. Not from page one through page whatever at the end. I actually hated the book. But I kept reading hoping to discover what makes it so great.

On the flip side of that coin was Stephen Kings The Stand. I tried reading it when it first came out and I gave up after page 10 or so. It was so mentally graphically disgusting I just couldn’t do it. So I shelved it. Then umpteen years later he came out with an expanded version. And I decided to give it a second try. And I LOVED the book. I couldn’t get enough of it. It comes in at over a 1000 pages and I had no problem whipping right through. To this day it’s still a favorite of mine.

I guess what it boils down to is I worry I am missing something wonderful. So I keep reading. The most annoying part of the whole thing is that I think about the book I put down. Like defeat in battle I go over what I might have done “wrong”.

And this just sounds silly to me. I shouldn’t CARE if I give up on a book. It’s just a freak’n book. My life will not end because I didn’t read it.

Argh………………………..

And now for something a little fun.

It was girls night at the mall.

Girl J’s daughter and I had some fun with the camera. A couple of the girls were trying on clothes so we sat in the dressing room on the floor and got goofy. Then Lil’Girl A got goofy with her mom.

We gave our fashion opinions to Girl C and Girl S. And then a few women that were trying on clothes alone actually came out of their dressing rooms and asked for our feedback. I think we could find a job in there somewhere. Just lounge around in fitting rooms and encourage people to buy. We’d be so freak’n good at it. We’re honest about our feedback. So if something doesn’t look good we tell the person. But we also make suggestions. And help them find things that might look better. Or colors. Or whatever. It’s actually a lot of fun.

So here you go: Goofy Pictures.

Give a big warm blogger welcome

To Ellie who you have always known as "Other Girl J". She started up a blog this weekend. So go over and say Hello!


On a totally different note I went out with Girl J shopping. She needed to get some clothes and she wanted me to come along to help her think outside her fashion box. Plus we both had coupons for a free tote if we bought a pair of shoes. Yep, I know, twist my dang arm.
We both ended up with Guess shoes, both in black, both very sexy. We found a couple pairs of sandals that were simply Divine but it's 20 degrees out. And they were a tad spendy. We'll wait till they go on sale............good excuse to keep going back to check right???

Speaking of 20 degrees. In true Minnesota fashion we finally climbed up out of the negative and single digits today. And as happens every year we were practically naked. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But you'd be surprised how many people leave their coat at home or in the car. 20 freak'n degrees. And to us it feels tropical. The wind was a bit rough but still. It was funny to see.

Now remember, when we get temps that drop into the 60's in September we pile on the warm gear because we are freezing. It's all perspective.

We also went furniture shopping. She found a couch she is in love with. But it's in one of those trendy yuppie shops that sells the most god awful decor that you buy to look fashionable not because it is even remotely attractive or practical. Trust me on this folks, the stuff in that store screams interior decorator that designs a home that you feel you can't even sit down in. SO not my style - or hers for that matter. So we went to another nice furniture store in town to get some perspective. For price and for options. We found one simply yummy couch that we both liked. But the other one still had a few things that made it better. Then of course almost by accident I climbed into a leather couch. OH MY GOD - it was deep. I love that. So deep in fact that when you sat all the way to the back only our little feet stuck off the edge. It was a fabulous couch. I fell in love. If they would let me I would go there every morning with my book and my coffee and read quietly. You know, show how "livable" their furniture is. But I digress. For one, it was 2 grand. And for two, it was deep. The hubster likes to be able to sit on a couch and have his feet touch the ground. WHY????? Couches are supposed to be super cozy. Curl up in it and don't get off till work Monday morning. Oh well. With the 4 furry terrors we can't get nice furniture anyway. Though the leather wouldn't collect dog hair. Hmmmmmm And pee should just roll right off it.

It was a good day.

A good Laugh and a good friend

Ice cream with Girl J today was the most fun I have had at work in ages. We sat at a little cafe table in the skyway and just chatted and giggled, and had fun. Girl J has always teased me that I am way too "nice" and I never say anything "mean" about anyone. She teases me that I need to have more "petty" moments. You know, random acts of making fun of people. Of course they REALLY have to earn it. There has to be a combination of say, big bleach blond hair, bright blue eye shadow, red hot leather pants, and maybe a shirt so tight that a boob is hanging out. Now, before my "education" began, I would just let it go. But Girl J has been encouraging me to at least "enjoy" the moment that deserves just a little mocking.

Newt: Oh, I almost forgot, while you were out of town I had a petty moment. And since you weren't there I had to call Grizo and share it with her.

Girl J: While cracking up: She told me! She called and told me you did that. And then she yelled at me for trying to corrupt quiet sweet Newt.

Newt: I can't remember what I was being petty about though. It was so good. You would have been proud of me.

Girl J: She wouldn't tell me what it was. But I told her that I have worked very hard at getting you to this level and under no certain circumstances was she to undo all my hard work.

Newt: Damn, I wish I could remember what it was.

Girl J: I wish you had been with us on Saturday. There was a girl in the hall that was just screaming - I had to. A perfect petty moment. So since you weren't there I shared it with BigMac and what did he say?

Big Mac: Now darl'n, that's not nice to make fun of that poor girl.

Girl J: That's why I wished you were there. You would have appreciated the petty moment.

Smoothie guy in skyway: Uh, you girls are having a litte too much fun over there.

Life unexpected

Life is relatively steady. We get up, we go about our day, we go to sleep. Sometimes the sameness of life can almost put us in a trance. That's not to say that life isn't enjoyable or boring. Not at all. It's just that there are stretches of time full of routine. And for many people that is the way they want to go about their life. I for one exist just fine in the quiet routine of our life.

But once in a while during those routine days and weeks a bright flash of somethingness brightens up our day.

It could be meeting new friends for lunch and having a great conversation while consuming a basket of fries and a burger. And knowing after lunch that you have a wonderful new set of friends to spend time with. Or perhaps getting together with someone whose in town for one reason or another. Even if it's only a few hours. This is especially nice when you realize the instant that you meet that they really are a friend. And the only sadness is that this perfect friend is too far away to meet for coffee on a regular basis.

Or, that bright flash could be the FedEx man at your door on a VERY cold Saturday morning. A little surprised by his presence you open the door and find that he has a special floral delivery for you. You check the name and the address to make sure he's actually at the right house. And then once you confirm that you are supposed to have the box you go skipping back into the house with your box of flowers. And you open the box and inside is something alive, and beautiful, and green and many colored. And the smell is intoxicating. And then you read the card and tears are brought to your eyes. Because a friend was so kind and so thoughtful and thought maybe during this cold winter that you might like to have a ray of spring in your home. And you are speechless for a while. And every time you look up from where you are sitting you see those flowers and you smile. And your heart is warm and fuzzy.

What I love best about these flashes is that for days you can walk around on some sort of "high". You can bask in the brightness even after it has gone. Because you have new friends, and new memories.

I want to thank everyone for being a flash of brightness in my life.

Thank you for making me laugh
Thank you for writing blogs that always bring a smile to my face
Thank you for writing blogs that let me know that I'm not alone - that everyone has good days and bad, drama, and emotional roller coasters
Thank you for recommending books and movies
Thank you for sharing your children and the wonderful things they do and say
Thank you for sharing your photography and the beautiful pictures that you take
Thank you for a painting so beautiful of my happy place
Thank you for sharing your pets
Thank you for saying let's meet for lunch
Thank you for letting me know I have a place to stay anytime I want to come visit
Thank you for knitting a scarf I wear every day and think of you with fondness
Thank you for the trail mix I munch on while at work
Thank you for being there - for knowing if I need to bend an ear I can email you and you'll "listen"
Thank you for sending me spring.

Thank you all for being my friend.

You truly are a brightness in my life.

Happiness is:

Parking in downtown Minneapolis: $9.00
Tickets to Motorcycle show: $10.00
Food and beverages: $9.50

Getting to meet a blogger friend: Priceless

It was somewhere between -5 and zero here in the cities. The wind chills are hanging out around -15 to -40. So, it's a tad cold. But yesterday, driving into Minneapolis, parking and going to the convention center is felt like 70. I didn't even notice the cold all that much because I was looking so forward to meeting Kell of Tis Herself. As well as her hubby Al. They had come up for the day with a busload of fellow motorcycle enthusiasts to see the show.

We talked about all sorts of stuff. And did some people watching, motorcycle admiring, and for a while we had images of scooters running through our heads. Pretty ones with flowers :-). We talked about family (yes, Jay, for some reason you came up in conversation :-) ). We talked about puppies. And living in England and riding a bike into town to get the makings for dinner.

The time we had went too quick. And before we knew it they had to get on their bus to head home. But we are only about 6 hours apart. And I'm sure somewhere in the middle is the perfect little town to meet in for a weekend or something. Every town has the important things: bookstore, shoe shop, and fabric/yarn store.

Yesterday was a perfect day.

Steve - a tribute to a great man

This post is dedicated to Steve. He's the waiter that I have known for 7 years, or so. He works at my favorite restaurant inside the Mall of America.

My friends and I always eat at the same place and we always ask for him. His level of service is par excellance. But on top of that over the years we have become friends as well.

Steve is a huge Star Trek fan. He and I love to geek out and chat Trek. He also loves to tell me about his garden, his family, and his dessert baking. He always wants to see the latest pictures of our families (including my puppies).

It took him several years but after a while he felt comfortable enough around us to let us know he was gay. He doesn't date. Doesn't want to date. But after he told us that so much more of his personality and of himself seemed to come out during our visits.

Steve had to have a triple by-pass not too long ago so he was absent from the restaurant for a while. It just wasn't the same. We still ate there but it was as if the place was missing it's soul. It was no longer our place, it was just a restaurant.

I might have mentioned it but a few months back I was at the mall walking around and he was working. I stopped to say hello and give him a hug. He dragged me to the back and shared with me some of the cookies and bars he had made. They were delicious and I was touched that he would do that. His friendship and camaraderie are real. It’s not just because I am a tipping customer.

Last night for work we went there for dinner. Steve was our waiter. As always the service was excellent. Some of our guests didn’t take the dessert they offered. So I asked Steve to grab me one of the pieces so I could take it home to the hubster. He grabbed me all the pieces that didn’t get eaten. It was a lot of dessert and the hubster was thrilled when I brought it home.

The gentleman that helped Steve with our table was also a very sweet man. He packed up all of the leftovers for me. Adding sauce to one dish because he thought it was a little “Dry”.

Overall this has always been an exceptional restaurant. But with Steve it’s the best on earth. I enjoyed last night immensely because his kindness and his professionalism just glows.

I am always amazed at the places and situations in which we find our friends. And anyone that dismisses people due to their chosen profession misses out on many amazing people.

I have always lived with the philosophy that you can tell a lot about a persons character by they way they do two things:
Treat animals
And treat service professionals

If you ever come to Minnesota I’ll be sure to take you to dinner with Steve. I know you’ll love him as much as I do.

Gaining a little faith in tomorrow

Perhaps it is the concern of every generation but when I observe kids today I get a little nervous about the future. I fear we are heading toward a society of "me first" people with attention spans shorter than the time it takes the hubster to channel surf. I have noticed that the only place you see the younger generations shopping are either electronic stores or Abercrombie. I can count on one hand the number of under 30's I see in a bookstore. Ok, I understand that not everyone likes to read but I think there used to be a time when more youngsters could be found in bookstores and libraries.

The lack of kids interested in reading is not the only reason I fear for the future. I see a level of violence, and shallow personalities existing at a level unprecedented in history. Or am I just getting old and cranky?

Maybe my parents said the same about my generation? And their parents said the same about them?

But over the last few weeks a few things have happened that helped to ease my fears for the future. And that there are a few good kids out there.

First and foremost there is Tink. She's not exactly a kid but she is a young adult. She is wise beyond her years and she has an amazing gift of observation and contemplation. She is also a responsible person so much so that she owns a home. Not too many people her age do. Nor do they have such a good sense of family values. There aren't enough years between us for her to be my daughter but if she was I would be proud as punch.

Next there is my girlfriends son. Bless his heart he is a seventeen year old boy with a lovely and perfect girlfriend who wants to wait till after marriage to have sex. And he knows that she is such an amazing catch and he respects her so much that he is okay with waiting. Who does that anymore?????? This is also a young man that has found his happiness in farming and in taking care of his mom. He defends his baby sister and makes sure that no one messes with her. He is a young man with values and with his priorities straight.

Another friend of ours has three amazing children. One is heading off at the end of the month to join the coastguard. He is a boy that lives his life to his own tune and his own drummer. He is not a follower. He is not ashamed to call his dad Pappa. And to him having dinner with his family and having days reserved just for his family is ok. He is a very popular kid that hasn't had to give up his values.
He is popular in his own individuality and he would never walk over someone to get even farther. My friends daughter is much like her brother. She is a beautiful child inside and out. She too goes through life with her own private tune in her head. She is also an accomplished harpist. Her beauty and strength has boys falling over her left and right. And she accomplishes all of this just like her brother, with grace and with respect for everyone. Neither of them would EVER put someone else down to make themselves feel better. They don't have a petty bone in their body. The third child is still young but I can see in him so much of his brother that I know he too will be a marvelous adult.

Lastly I met an amazing young woman at the craft show on Saturday. She and her mother were selling candles, soap, and jewelry that they had made. They brought with them Jacob. A 16 year old orphan with Downs Syndrome. This young woman was his caretaker who had him for the week while his foster parents were on vacation. She was infinitely patient with him. And you can see that he adored her. She is in her third year of Sign Language and is teaching Jacob to communicate with her using signing. He is non-verbal so she is hoping to be able to break through with sign language. Jacob is very good at video games. She had to go out to the car to get the power pack for the DVD player. She gave him her little Nintendo game and signed to him to find the red star she needed in her Mario Bros. game. By the time she got back with the power pack he had found the star and handed the game back to her. She thanked him and got him set up with his movie. While we chatted I learned that she is attending the U of M to get a degree in Special Education. She has two other girlfriends at the U that are also learning various aspects of special education. One is going to specialize in speech therapy and one in physical therapy. Then the three girls plan to open up a school for the mentally handicapped. I honestly didn't think there were young adults out there that would have an interest in something so selfless and "unglamorous" a career goal. No hate mail please. I just don't know how else to word what they are going to do. Special Education is a very difficult field that most people prefer not to have to know about or be exposed to. Unfortunately we are a society that likes to pretend that there aren't children out there that need special help. And in a world where the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you wear, and the perfect children you have is the only thing that matters it's surprising to find people that still have their heads screwed on right.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that there is hope. For all the negativity in the news. For all the war, the doom, the violence, and the hate. There are little rays of hope.............

Conspiracy Wednesday

Ok, so just when I thought it was safe to take off the tin foil hat blogger is out to get me again. I type up this whole interesting and must-read post and blogger will only publish half of it. I'm not alone in thinking the world is full of conspiracy. Just ask Betty. Seriously. My house was a total disaster when I got home last night and there was the faintest smell of cat pee (way to go Soc's). So the only explanation I can come up with is the men in black. I mean, there is no way that the hubster and I are just naturally that messy......................

Anyway, here is part two of the stuff I intended to blog today. There is also a MEME below. (hopefully)

Possible names if we adopt Cora:
Shatzi, Lexy, Chloe, Heidi, Abby, Bailey, Charlotte, Hailey
I have a feeling the hubster will want Shatzi or Heidi.

Book Worm stuff:
I’m very excited to start a book called The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. He is one of the most creative and imaginative authors I have ever read. He writes a series based on a character called Thursday Next. I absolutely adore the books. So when he started a new series known as the Nursery Crimes I was thrilled. His books are incredibly fun to read. Give them a go. I know you will be glad you did!

Small Victories:
I accomplished something amazing and truly eventful today. I actually sorted and filed ALL my emails. I have a completely empty in box and sent box. You have NO idea how nice that feels. I have learned through experience to keep everything I send or receive when it comes to CYA at work. Of course someday that means they can hold EVERYTHING against me in a court of law but that’s okay. I’m covered for the immediate petty and pathetic issues that arise.

A Salute to Ben:
As personalized service goes the way of the do-do bird it’s nice when you come across someone that still believe in doing business the “old fashioned” way. In the skyway system here is the most amazing jeweler. His name is Ben and he’s the greatest. He can fix anything. I took a pair of earings in that my aunt had just sent me. It would have broken her heart to hear that one of the posts was bent so I took them over to see if Ben could fix them for me. He did. And he wouldn’t let me pay him for doing so.

A very good friend of mine is getting divorced. She had a mother’s ring with her children’s stones as well as her’s and her husbands. She asked Ben if he could put a different stone in place of the ex’s. He said he would do one better. He would totally design her a new ring if she wanted. He would melt down the gold and make her something new and even more beautiful. He is also replacing the stones because he said the ones in there were “no good”. He said that he wanted her to have a ring that made her happy, not one that reminded her of a past that wasn’t very good. Who does that anymore these days? I mean seriously? Who does that?

So should you need jewelry designed or repaired I know the perfect person. He has a good heart and a kind soul. Not to mention that he designs absolutely gorgeous jewelry.

Blog Stats:
August Blog Stats:
Top Countres outside US:
Australia
Germany
Canada
UK
Ireland
Netherland
I even had a hit from Ethiopia and Croatia

Top Search terms that brought people to my blog:
T&P lead roofing – huh?
The muse: bohemian black-tie event – Apparently other people heard what I planned to wear to the fancy wedding
I love juicy shoegasm – someone with a foot fetish perhaps?

September Blog Stats: (so far)
Top Countries outside US
UK
Australia
Ireland
Canada
Netherlands

Top Search terms that brought people to my blog:
California Newt Coffee Death : I can only hope for a death so cool
Social graces in a good personality: Why, thank you………I’ll take that as a compliment
Newt tink: Well, we are two bloggers that get along just smashingly.

That’s all the ramblings for today kids. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Newt's Back

Wow, what a great weekend!

It was a great trip and that first dinner with my fellow bloggers was WAY too much fun. It's kinda strange to have so much built up in anticipation and then to finally walk around a corner and sit down at a table with people you "know" but have never met.

For me this trip was a reunion with an old and dear friend - Mike. And a chance to meet two on-line friends, Scott and Jay. And then a bonus was meeting Courtney and Charlie. All in all it was wonderful and a lot of fun.

Great conversations and great food seemed to be the theme of the weekend. Not to mention the honor of being a part of the opening of Scott's art exhibit at a local coffee shop. Which we celebrated with fabulous drinks made by the best mocha maker in Indy.

I can't wait to go back and visit again. Until then I have a fabulous momento of my trip. I bought a painting from Jay. It is a picture of what I call my happy place. A girl reading a book by a lake. It's just fabulous. And every time I look at it I will think of all the wonderful people that I met on my trip.

A little bit more........

When I post at work I can't always get pictures to load. So, I wanted to share with everyone my Aunt and Uncle. Behind my Uncles shoulder was their camper. We went everywhere in that little thing.

For day trips we would go up into the foothills near Big Bear in Southern Cal. There was a little town up there who was known for it's apple orchards. There was an amazing little cafe that made the best apple crisp in the world. They also had a little farm with goats. We used to get such a kick out of the little guys. They would come right up to the fence and let us pet them.

If we were really adventurous we would spend a few days camping up at Big Bear. On one trip we took our fishing gear and headed up into the mountains. My Uncle said he knew about a great fishing spot. We walked and walked for hours. He kept promising us that the lake was just over the next hill. At a few of the hill tops we saw some of the most amazing lakes off in the distance. But as night was closing in we had to turn back. Our lake seemed to evade us. But on the way back we stopped at this lodge. It was out in the middle of no where. My aunt and uncle ordered a cup of coffee and the waitress made me a cup of hot cocoa. The nicest people sat down and chatted with us. I remember one of the people was an old cowboy. He even told me I could call him Uncle Jim. It was an amazing end to a very fun day. It didn't matter that we never found that lake.

We had another favorite town that we would go to. Bishop, California. We went up there all the time. We camped or stayed at a Hobo motel. ( I can't remember the name of the hotel but their logo was a hobo) For my Aunt and Uncle's 25th Anniversary we went up there. They asked me what I wanted to do for dinner (it was their anniversary dinner remember) and me, being the total kid that I was said that I wanted to have peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches in the hotel - picnic style. We also needed to have oreos and milk. So my aunt and uncle happily went to the grocery store. Got all the necessary picnic foods and there we sat on the hotel room floor having an anniversary picnic.

For their 50th Anniversary I sent them a package with all of the same ingredients.

They taught me to fish and to take pictures. They bought me my first camera and then took me out on a road trip so I could learn to use it. I have slides of the trip to the elusive lake. Including a picture of Uncle Jim and the lodge we stopped in. I have to have them transferred to film or put in digital form. They actually were amazing pictures.

Because my favorite color was green they surprised me with a little fishing pole that was of course green. Their favorite color is blue. And it has always been a joke between us. My aunt will say "you turned out okay, little Becca, except what on earth did we do wrong that you like GREEEEEEEN?" "You're supposed to like blue."

We have the same joke going about Coke vs. Pepsi. They are hard core Pepsi drinkers. I prefer Coke. When I go to visit them they always get me some coke but they tease me about how hard it was to pick it up off the shelf and put it in their cart. They also make sure there are Oreo's in the house.

As soon as I get to their home I give them big hugs and kisses. And then as soon as I can I do two things. I go into the kitchen and smell their pantry. I don't know what is in there, or why it smells the way it does but it is a smell that triggers a million memories. I have only once smelled it outside their home and the wave of thoughts that hit me was amazingly powerful. Secondly, I go wash my hands with their soap. They use a soap I can't ever seem to find in the store but the scent is so distinct and so them. It triggers the same rush of memories.

Those memories are so filled with love. I think that is why I love to go sniffing around their house. That probably sounds weird. Am I alone in this little freak habit of mine? Or do other people out there experience the same rush of memory from a certain smell.

I thought I had blogged about it but I can't find my old entry so I'll finish this entry by telling you that last fall I happened to come across a reissue of a perfume my Aunt used to wear when I was a little girl. She gave me a bottle of it when I was really young. The bottle was almost empty but it had enough for me to feel like a big girl when I wanted to. I held on to the bottle my whole life. I still have it. And when I missed her I would open the lid and there she would be again. The perfume had been discontinued in the 70's. So I couldn't believe that Vermont Country Store managed to get them to remake it for them due to customer request. So I ordered her a bottle (and me). I couldn't wait for her to get it. I called her a few days after when it should have arrived. I just started the conversation with hi, how are you. And she went on to say "Your Uncle and I got a box the other day. And when we opened it we both stared at what was inside for a very long time. We couldn't believe what we got." then she laughed a little "Becca, how did you find it? I can't believe you remembered."

The more I write about them the more I feel the need to go visit them. I think a trip to Cali is soon in order.