An Unexpected Day Off

We here in New England are once again getting hit with a Winter Storm (and it isn't even winter yet for cripe's sake!) for the second time in a week. Today's mess consists of snow, freezing rain, sleet, and maybe even some regular rain to top it all off. Makes for great driving - NOT!

The storm before this also consisted of snow and freezing rain which made for major nightmares on the roads as well so because of that and the two hills that I live on, I left my car at work Thursday and had someone bring me home in the four-wheel drive pick-up that we have at work for plowing and such. Even that had a bit of trouble making it up the hills here as the City of Norwich didn't seem to have done much plowing at all so I was glad that I hadn't tried driving myself. I've already had to leave my car elsewhere and walk up once and I get the feeling that I'll be doing that more times than not this year if this weather keeps up.

I brought my car home yesterday as the roads had cleared up nicely but was rather worried about getting into work again today and was debating whether I should have someone pick me up and bring me home just in case the roads were bad again. Turns out that I don't have to worry about that as the on-duty supervisor called a little bit ago and told me if I didn't want to come in today, he had my shifts covered and I could stay home. Well, I didn't have to give much thought to saying "YES!" so now I have the whole day ahead of me to work on my Manic Monday post, make my blog rounds, and maybe even think about how I'm supposed to write a post about a "groomsmen gift".

Of course, what I really ought to do is get off of the computer, brew up a nice hot cup of tea, and get my Christmas cards written out but do you think I'm going to be smart enough to do that? Well, maybe after another move or two in Scrabulous!

The Best Mac & Cheese Ever and the Modification of a Meme

I would have to say that last night's holiday get-together was a rousing success based on how much food was not left to be put away and the amount of empty bottles that I need to put out for recycling tomorrow! Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves and Matt, once again, outdid himself with the food. I would have to say that out of everything he made (and it was quite the spread!), the Macaroni & Cheese was the best I have ever had in my life and I am quite happy to say that there was some leftover so that I can enjoy it at least a couple more times.

Rather than making Mac & Cheese with Lobster as I mentioned yesterday, Matt ended up using shrimp after finding out that lobster is going for $32 a pound. $32 a pound??? Good Lord!!! No wonder I've never had it! The shrimp was an excellent substitute, though, and we all raved about the mac & cheese as well as the pork roast which was melt-in-your-mouth tender and good beyond words; sadly none of that made it to leftover status. Matt really outdid himself this year and not a single person walked away hungry. As a matter of fact, most of us sat around holding our stomachs and groaning that we had eaten way too much but it was just so good it was hard to not have "just one more bite"!

Having a high-stress job that sometimes seems like it's non-stop, it's really nice when we can get together outside of work and relax a bit. I think we need it and I also think we deserve it because our whole department works very hard during the year. Oh, and as for "who was answering the 911 calls?" - Kevin and Dane were both working along with one of the schedulers but Matt made sure to drop food by for them on his way over. The only things they missed were the desserts (a chocolate fountain with all sorts of goodies to dip in it, apple crisp, and Flán), the alcohol (of which there is still a lot leftover so I guess I need to have people over again because I won't drink it), and the camaraderie (which by itself was great) but unfortunately someone has to work. Hopefully those that missed the party this year can make it next year.

Now, on to something completely different - Debbie Dolphin of the New England Lighthouse Treasures blog tagged me for the "Crazy 8's" meme awhile ago and I figured that I had best get to it before I found myself spending the holiday season in the dungeon at Bloggingham Castle. Because there are no hard and fast rules about doing the meme exactly as written, at least none that I know of, I'm going to actually make this the "Crazy 8's Divided by Two" meme as I don't believe I can think of eight things for each category without severely taxing my brain.

Is this cheating? Hmmm, I don't know ... perhaps I should consult Queen Mimi about it? Of course if I do that, then I might risk going to the dungeon for some archaic law like an "Improper Meme Change" or something! Better to ask forgiveness later than to seek permission first in this case! So, with no further hemming and hawing on my part I shall now proceed with the new - and what I like to call improved -

Crazy 8's Divided by Two Meme

8 ÷ 2 things I’m passionate about:

1. Last night's Macaroni & Cheese with Shrimp - if you'd had the chance to try it, you'd have it at the top of your list, too! It was to die for I tell you!
2. Fairness in all things.
3. Blogging - go figure but 'tis true, I spend an awful lot of time on my blog and those of other people.
4. Friends - They are the people that you can laugh and cry with and the world would be a sad place without them.

8 ÷ 2 things I say often:

1. I feel like Death eating a cracker.
2. How many more days until I can sleep in?
3. American Ambulance, what's the address of your emergency?
4. Will these stupid phones never stop ringing??

8 ÷ 2 books I’ve read recently:

• I'm going to have to pass on this one because I can't think of one book I've read recently - never mind four! Does reading long blog posts count? I can think of a bunch of those and not just ones written my myself!

8 ÷ 2 things I want to do before I die:

1. Visit England.
2. See Amanda become an established artist.
3. Be told "I love you" by someone really special.
4. Watch my children and grandchildren grow up to become well-adjusted, happy adults.

8 ÷ 2 songs I can listen to over and over again, and probably have:

1. "Come What May" - from the soundtrack for Moulin Rouge
2. "Famous Last Words" - from the Black Parade CD by My Chemical Romance
3. "Not a Day Goes By" - from the I'm Already There CD by Lonestar
4. The following video -

8 ÷ 2 things that attract me to my friends:

1. A sense of humor
2. Honesty
3. Compassion
4. The ability to accept me as I am

8 ÷ 2 things I learned in the last year:

1. Sewing pants on plushies can be tricky!
2. It hurts when your daughter "glomps" you at a concert!
3. People that you meet online can turn out to be absolutely fantastic and fun and good friends!
4. Playing Guitar Hero can be a lot of fun even if you're almost 50!

So, now I need to tag 8 ÷ 2 other people to do this meme so I am going to tag Morgen and Mags because they were two of the wonderful blogging friends I had the chance to spend time with this year, Patti because she's had a heck of a last month or two and really needs the distraction (whether she thinks so or not!), and my very good friend who has a blog but not much on it so this is a gentle (?) nudge in the right (?) direction, MizCyn.

Now, if you'll excuse me there is some leftover Mac & Cheese with Shrimp and Flán calling my name! Ah, bliss!

I've Got a Question, You've Got an Answer

As soon as I can get off of this addictive computer this morning, I have a ton of stuff to do here around the house as I'm having company over tonight and if there's one thing we anal retentive, overly picky Virgos cannot do is have company over without the house being immaculate! Or as close to immaculate as I can get it!

Tonight is the 3rd annual holiday get-together for the Dispatch & Scheduling Department (i.e., the people I work with) that I have at my house as I live in town and am the most conveniently located. I suggested we start doing this a few years ago as a way to relax and enjoy each other's company outside of the stress-filled bubble that we call "Dispatch" and it's always a good time for everyone.

What makes it an even better time (especially for me!) is that Matt, my supervisor and the Lead Dispatcher/Fleet Manager/Jack of All Trades, does catering work on the side with a friend of his so we always have Matt do all the cooking and let me tell you - it is some good stuff! On the menu tonight are coconut shrimp, sausage stuffed mushrooms, Spanish Piaya, stuffed genoa rolls, either a pork or beef roast for sandwiches, assorted bruschettas, baked macaroni and cheese with lobster, and probably a bunch of other stuff that he decided to just whip up. Matt loves to create in the kitchen and he does a damn fine job. He also enjoys basking in the glow of our appreciation for his culinary skills but what cook doesn't? Right, Mags?

The other people who are coming are bringing assorted desserts and beverages so I think we're going to have a great time. It really is nice to get together outside of work and enjoy each other's company and with the jobs that we all do, I think we really deserve a good time once in awhile!

So, that finally brings me to this week's question -

Are you planning on attending or hosting any holiday parties?

Granny Bragging

I'm afraid that I have been failing miserably in the Grandmother Department of my blog and that it's been a long time since I posted any pictures of Christopher and Mathew. Matter of fact, I think it might have been way back in July since I posted pictures from the boys' combined birthday party and surprised a few people with the fact that I am, in fact, a grandmother.

It's not that I have any problems with being a grandmother; after all I can certainly be 39 years old and quite easily be a grandmother, right? Oh wait, you guys know I'm not 39 years old, don't you? Curse me for ever putting that darned birthday counter in my sidebar!

Ah well, be that as it may, these two fine looking young gentlemen who are all dressed up for Christmas (and probably never wore these clothes again once they got home from their photo-shoot!) are in fact my grandsons - Christopher, with the dark hair, is obviously the oldest while that curly-haired blondie is young Mathew Kendall who will be 3 in June and is probably the only child my only son will ever have. Considering that Michael always said he was never going to have any children ever, I guess we can almost call Mathew a miracle child!

Two of my good friends, Rhonda and Cyndi, are grandmothers also and we all have grandsons (where are all the granddaughters?). Naturally I sent these pictures off to both of them (these are copies of the proofs) and the email that I got back from MizCyn was too good not to post here! After all, we grandmothers do like to hear these sorts of things and then share them with the rest of the world!

To quote my dearest friend in California: "All grannies think that their lil' darlings are the cutest use of DNA since Johnny Depp -- but as one granny to another, I'm shocked to say that you might have me beat on this one! Talk about little heartbreakers!"

High praise indeed from one of the proudest grandmothers on the West Coast! I've yet to hear back from Rhonda but she's been having some computer issues as of late and may have had to have the Geek Squad back out for some repairs so she might not have gotten the pictures yet. Rhonda, though, is the consummate grandmother and I'm sure she'll have nothing but glowing things to say.

I could probably take a few "Grandmother" lessons from both Cyndi and Rhonda but I've got a good reason for not posting a lot of pictures - I don't have that many! However, with the Christmas gift that Michael and Laura are getting, I'm pretty sure I'll be getting pictures more often and then can share them more often!

As for these pictures, even though I'd have to say that the picture in the upper left-hand corner of this post is probably my favorite, I just had to post this last one as it really makes me smile as I can just hear what the boys were probably thinking ...

"Are we done yet?"

"Is this the last picture?"
"Oh no, not another picture!"
"Take the shot already, lady!"
"I could really use some lunch right now."

Yep, boys will be boys but I've got to admit, they're pretty durned cute!

The "Big Scoop" Direct from Rachel Lutzker Herself

Regular readers of my blog will remember that I wrote a post this past Tuesday on my All-Time High in Page Hits due to the increased number of people looking for information on former WFSB-Channel 3 Traffic Reporter Rachel Lutzker. Rachel has always been a big draw for people to my blog as she's obviously very popular but in the past three days I have amassed close to 1,500 page hits with the vast majority of them looking for news about Rachel's departure from Channel 3's Morning News Program.

In my post on Tuesday I mentioned that some people seemed to think that there had been a falling out between Rachel and Scott Haney, the weather man that she joked constantly with on-air. I rather doubted that myself but when there's no clear cut reason for something, people always tend to speculate and come up with some of the strangest things. In this case, I am happy to report that I am right and there was no falling out, no arguments, no reason for Rachel to leave other than a career move on her part.

How do I know this you might ask? Glad you asked because I have a really good answer to that! When checking my email after work on Wednesday, imagine my surprise to find an email from Rachel herself! At first I thought, "ut-oh, I'm in trouble!" but it was nothing of the sort at all but rather Rachel telling me her reasons for leaving Channel 3 and taking a position with Fox61, another TV station in Hartford. Just so I wasn't violating any sort of work-related confidential information, I asked Rachel if it would be okay for me to write a post based on what she told me and she said that I could post whatever I felt was relevant. She seemed a little surprised that I had asked permission as I guess a vast majority of people might not have but I try to never assume anything - especially when it comes to people that are in the public eye for one reason or another.

Anyhow, for those of you who are chomping at the bit to know what happened and why your beloved traffic reporter is no longer brightening your mornings on Channel 3, I offer you the following taken directly from Rachel's email:

"I remembered you had emailed me a while back about the holidays and recently a friend forwarded me some chatter about where I had been ... so. .. I figure, I'd let you know from the "horses mouth".

It's actually quite simple, there was no falling out .. no crazy drama! I work for Clear Channel, not WFSB .. never did. A few months back, my company decided to take our traffic product to FOX 61. They let me know of this and other opportunities over at FOX for me as well. That being said, I made the decision to stay with my company and go over to FOX where I will be a part of the new Morning Show in March and (as of this past Monday) I will also contribute Arts & Entertainment stories to the 10pm newscast ... something I had not done at WFSB.

So, as you see it's quite simple ... just trying to further my career and branch out of Traffic a little! I continue to do all my reporting for the radio stations and still have my show Acoustic Afterdark. Feel free to write me back!

Thanks, Rachel"

So there you have it, "straight from the horse's mouth" and I'd have to say that pretty much sums it up now doesn't it? There was no big drama with Scott, no failed salary negotiations, no reason to leave Channel 3 other than a career move on Rachel's part and a chance to advance her career doing something other than simply traffic reports. Were I in her shoes, I'd have done the same thing as I'd love to do Arts & Entertainment stories for a popular TV station. All of the "bigger names" in news have started out at smaller stations and if Rachel has an eye towards someday going National, she needs to make a move like this. It makes very good sense.

In response to the email I sent her requesting permission to use her email, Rachel told me:

"You are so right about people loving the "drama", sometimes things just really aren't as complicated as people think and mostly they will make up whatever they want! The truth is, I just want to do more than just Traffic and FOX is giving me that opportunity. It's a whole new challenge, which is exciting! Ya can't blame a girl for wanting to do more!

To this day I will never understand the interest in me or what I am doing ... but I am glad it brings people to your blog!"

Not only is she nice but she's humble, too - no wonder she has so many fans! No doubt WTIC - Fox61 is going to notice their stats going up just like mine have on this blog (though it's going to take something a little more complicated than a simple Stat Counter to get those numbers!) once their new morning show starts in March but until then if you are going through withdrawals, you can catch Rachel from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on The River 105.9 where she has her Acoustic Afterdark Show.


And not to worry, at the rate that time is flying by, March will be here before you know it and everyone can have their "daily morning fix" of Rachel when Fox61 begins their new morning show or you can try to catch her on the 10:00 news to see if she's doing an Arts & Entertainment report.

I hope that answers some questions that some of you might have had in regards to Rachel's career move and I really want to say a big thank you once again to Rachel for being so nice to email me and give me "the scoop" out of the blue like that. Oh, and another big thank you for all of the page hits! If this keeps up, I'll be passing the 50,000 visitor count in no time flat and when Rachel hits the big time, I'll be able to say "I knew her when!" Well, sort of!

Norwich Free Academy's 2007 Holiday Concert

One of the stained glass windows inside the Slater Auditorium
at Norwich Free Academy

As I had briefly mentioned previously, part of my agenda for Tuesday was to attend The 2007 Holiday Concert that Amanda was performing in at Norwich Free Academy. As part of the curriculum of Concert Band II, Amanda has to perform in several concerts throughout the year - generally a Winter, Spring, and End of Year concert. Even though I can't play a musical instrument (somehow I don't think the kazoo or the peripheral for Guitar Hero counts!) or carry a tune in a bucket, I thoroughly enjoy going to concerts of all kinds and having my daughter on stage simply adds to the benefit.

This is Amanda's second year in Concert Band at NFA and this was the fourth concert that I've attended and I must say that I was once again very impressed not only with the abilities of the musicians but also with the band director - Mr. MacDonald (or Mr. Mac as he is called by his students). This is Mr. Mac's second year as band director at NFA and he chooses some very impressive music for his students to attempt; he sets the bar high and his musicians seem to have no problem in clearing it.

Last night's concert began with a performance by the Jazz Band who played a snappy rendition of "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder. They had only rehearsed twice as the Jazz Band was very recently assembled but you never would have known it as they sailed through the tune with flying colors. After the Jazz Band left the stage, more chairs were added and the Orchestra began their part of the program. They performed four pieces which included two pieces by Bach, one by Beethoven. and one by Tchaikovsky which was the "Waltz From the Nutcracker Suite". All four pieces were impressive but I particularly liked the Tchaikovsky one.

After another change of seating on the stage (bear in mind that NFA has a very small stage as the auditorium is the original one that was constructed when the school was built in 1854 so trying to get everyone comfortably seated is an art in itself!), the Concert Band took the stage and began their portion of the program with "Variations On A Korean Folk Song" followed by "Moravian Folk Rhapsody", and then the "Irish Tune From County Derry" otherwise known as "O' Danny Boy" which is a particular favorite of Mr. Mac as his name is Dan. It was made even more special as his mother was in the audience and it was the piece he performed as his audition to get the band director position at NFA. That particular piece of music never fails to bring a tear to my eye and it did once again last night; it was very well played and Mr. Mac seemed very pleased, as well he should have been.

Next up was what turned out to be my favorite piece of the night "Africa: Ceremony, Song, and Ritual" composed by Robert W. Smith. This particular piece of music had a lot of drum work and even though Amanda plays flute, I really love the percussion section. I wish I had been able to capture this piece on video as it was just excellent and the students outdid themselves with it but I don't think I could have held the camera steady for that long!

The last song that the Concert Band performed is one that Mr. Mac intends to do annually from here on out at the Holiday Concert - "Sleigh Ride". I've always thought this to be a very fun tune and even though Amanda said that it was hard to play, she seemed to enjoy it, too. This song I did catch on video and even though it's not the greatest quality and there are a few glitches here or there I thought I'd post it because that's what proud moms do! Unfortunately, you can only see the back of the flutists but you should have no trouble picking out Amanda's black hair!

There was one casualty of the night as a piece on Amanda's flute broke near the end of the concert but why not? So many other things have broken around here - the washing machine, the belt on the vacuum cleaner, a couple dishes - that it was inevitable that something else was going to break! I hope it's not anything too serious as I really can't afford to get Amanda a new flute at this point and she really needs it as she can't very well go to band without an instrument. Sigh ... why does all of this have to happen at once? I wonder if it's too late for Santa to come up with a flute? Probably ...

At any rate, in spite of the broken flute, it was an excellent concert even though there was no Christmas music so as not to "offend" anyone. That part still galls me and Amanda says that Mr. Mac doesn't particularly like the limitations either but unfortunately it seems to be the way the world is going even though most of us don't seem to like it at all. Oh well, let me climb down off of my soapbox and you can enjoy "Sleigh Ride" - just be kind on the criticism of my cinematography as this is my very first video ever and you try holding a camera steady while you're tapping your foot! I should add that what looks to be a wide black line on the left is actually one of the pillars placed in really bad spots in the auditorium and not a defect on the video. Apparently people in 1854 didn't mind having pillars block their view!

An All-Time High in Page Hits

For updated news on Rachel, check out this post! Just added on 12/13/2007!

Semi-quick post this morning before I run off to the ever-fun laundromat (it so sucks having a busted washing machine sitting in my basement mocking me every time I walk by it!) and then I have a lunch date with my friend Rhonda whom I haven't seen in quite some time due to scheduling conflicts on both of our ends. I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to do blog rounds later today either as Amanda is performing in the Winter Concert at her high school tonight and I will most definitely be in the audience enjoying "Sleigh Ride" and other "winter" offerings (heaven forbid they play anything even close to Christmas music - it might offend someone- but I guess it doesn't count that I am offended that the music I got to listen to at my own high school concerts now offends other people so my daughter can't play it. Of course, that's a rant for another post as this is supposed to be a quick post lest I forget!).

What I waned to mention today (other than that I am proudly featured in this past Sunday's MyBlogLog Sunday #36 over at The Pisstakers!) is that when I checked my Stat Counter last night after getting home from work, I'm glad I was sitting down as it showed a grand total of 446 page hits - yep, 446 page hits - a new record and then some for me! Not bad for a blog with a Page Rank of 0, wouldn't you say?

So what brought such a flock of readers to my humble little blog here in the southeastern corner of Connecticut? It wasn't that I had written anything that was particularly earth-shattering or news-breaking or even all that good - or even all that recent! People were popping by looking for news of Rachel Lutzker, the TV traffic reporter that I have mentioned in the past as being my number one search phrase that brings people to my blog. Most of those looking for Rachel recently have been landing on a post that I wrote last December 5th wherein I had asked Ms. Lutzker what her favorite holiday song was. I had emailed her and asked her that due to the amount of searches I was getting on my blog even back then for her based on when her name came up in a comment on another post.
So why the increased search for Rachel now? It seems that recently Rachel decided to leave her morning show post as the traffic reporter at WFSB-3 in Hartford to take on a similar position at WTIC-Fox 61, a station that hasn't had a morning news show up to this point that I am aware of. Apparently they're going to be starting one and they obviously made Rachel a pretty good offer to come work for them. Of course, there is rumor and speculation that she had a falling out with Scott Haney, the morning weatherman at WFSB, but I find that rather hard to believe as Scott and Rachel were quite the team in the mornings and I believe that they were friends off-air also.

Apparently the news of Rachel leaving Channel 3 has caused a lot of people to run a search for information on her on the Internet so the woman who has been the number one search on my blog for as long as I've had a Stat Counter continues to be a big draw for me. In the past week that big draw has meant daily counts of over 200 page hits culminating in yesterday's major count of 446 page hits. Granted - not all of them were looking for Rachel - some were looking for Christmas shoes, others were looking for disgruntled elves, and a lot of people were still trying to run through the halls of their high school but the vast majority of them were looking for Rachel and they weren't by any means just looking from here in Connecticut. I had a visitor from Surprise, Arizona, another from Dallas, Texas, one from St. Paul, Minnesota, whole bunches from various parts of New Jersey, visitors from Warren, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, the Bronx in New York City, and on and on and on. The list is quite impressive and I think that Rachel would either be very flattered (or somewhat creeped out) to know that so many people are fans and looking for information about her.

So, anyway, as I hie myself and my dirty clothes over to the laundromat and then out to lunch with a good friend, people may continue to flock to my blog looking for Rachel. I'll be happy to take the page hits while I make raspberry noises in Google's general direction and wish that I had such legions of fans that were devoted to me ... or maybe not!

Manic Monday - Ornament

I feel so honored as Mo picked this week's Manic Monday word "Ornament" just for me! Well, technically I merely suggested it because I didn't think that last week's word "Ship" was very seasonal so he picked my suggestion for this week but I'm still going to feel special because I can! Besides, it gave me added incentive to get my Christmas decorations up!

I'm afraid that as I've gotten older, I've gotten pretty lax about decorating for the holidays and don't even do a full-size tree anymore - or a real one either. I always said I would never have an artificial Christmas tree but if there's one thing I've learned in life it's to never say never and now I not only have an artificial tree but it's one that I don't have to do anything with other than take out of the box, set on the table, fluff a little, and then plug in. Poof! Instant Christmas tree!

It's actually a very cute little fiber-optic tree and my only complaint is that it doesn't have that Christmas tree smell to it. That's one of the things I miss about not having a real tree but over the years, it seemed like even the real trees just didn't have that smell I remembered from my childhood. The nice thing is I don't have to worry about knocking it over while I try to water it and there are no needles to vacuum up! The other thing I miss is that I have all these great ornaments that now never leave their boxes because I can't hang them on my little tree. I've got some really nice ones, too but they spend Christmas in the basement.

In addition to my little fake tree, I have a collection of Christmas angels that I decorate with and I guess you could consider them to be ornaments of a sort as they adorn the top of my entertainment center and one of the definitions for ornament is "any adornment or means of adornment." They definitely do that as I clear the usual everyday stuff off and pack it away until after the holidays and then arrange my own little heavenly host upon some angel hair that looks just like a cloud.

The only other ornaments I put up are some garland strands with colored Christmas balls at the ends that I hang up around the doorways and my white light Christmas deer that I put out in the front of the house. I had debated not putting the deer up this year but when Jamie asked me if I was putting it out this year and I told her I didn't think so she sounded pretty disappointed. I immediately changed my mind and put the deer up yesterday so that it would be there when she comes home next Tuesday.

It now officially looks like Christmas around the House of Mouseski and who knows, maybe I'll even break out a CD of Christmas tunes to listen to other than the Nickelback I've been listening to on the stereo this weekend! Well, maybe ...

Want to know what other bloggers think of when they think of the word "ornament"? Then go check out Manic Monday at It's a Blog Eat Blog World and while you're there, tell Mo "Ho Ho Ho!"

Consider the Elf

I had completely forgotten about this song until I was looking through my Stat Counter earlier today and came across a hit to my blog for "Disgruntled Elf Song" and that was when the light went on and I remembered that I had posted it last year after Christmas because I was sure I wouldn't remember it this year! Good thing that someone else found it via a search because, true to form, I had completely forgotten about it again this year! Ah, the joys of growing old - not!

At any rate, I still like this song so I decided to share it again - this time before Christmas!!

Bwaahaahaa Humbug!

It was probably bad enough that I "elfed" myself and the girls in our animated form the other day but when a friend from work sent me the link to Scrooge Yourself, I just couldn't help myself and so here I am -

Scrooged!

And what kind of Mom would I be if I didn't take the opportunity to "Scrooge" my daughter who was so thrilled about the elves? ... even though it was artwork and not a real picture ... even though it could have been ... and should have been ... and now is!

Go ahead and click here to watch Amanda dance, I know she wants you to! She even has a sullen, Scrooge-like look on her face just for the occasion! When you're done why don't you Scrooge Yourself and kick up your heels a bit - I'm pretty sure you won't be saying "Bah Humbug!" because you'll be laughing too much!

I've Got a Question, You've Got an Answer

Way back in the dark ages when I was a kid, long before everyone had a color television set in their house (never mind a HDTV that hangs on the wall!), the thing that most heralded the Christmas season for me was when the Christmas specials would come on. It wasn't Christmas time for me until I watched "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman", "A Charlie Brown Christmas", and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". My two favorites were Rudolph and Charlie Brown, both which could make me cry and laugh at the same time even when I was just a little kid (even then I was pretty sentimental so it must be a genetic trait or something!).

When the girls were young, we didn't have to wait until the television networks aired the programs as we owned them all on video tape and could pop them into the VCR as many times as we wanted to see the Grinch slither down the tree and steal the last can of Who-Hash or see Frosty melt into a puddle in the greenhouse when Professor Hinkle cranked up the heat in order to get his magic hat back. There were other shows added to the repertoire but those four were always my favorites and it just wasn't Christmas without them.

So, how about you?

What's your favorite Christmas special? What show heralds the advent of the Christmas season to you or brings you back to the Christmases of your youth?

While I'm on the subject - just why would a toy be classified as a misfit just because it's called a "Charlie in the Box" or an elephant has spots? I never quite got that whole thing because I would have loved them regardless!

The Art of Teenage Embarrassment 101

So - how does one go about embarrassing their 15-year old? Easy! Just go to this website, pop his or her head onto the body of one of the elves, and then watch them dance! To complete the effect, post a link to your own personalized dancing elves on your blog and tell people to go check it out!

Click here to complete Amanda's embarrassment!

The way I look at, Amanda is fortunate that I used the animated heads from my blog page and not real-life photos like I could have! As for Jamie, I think she's going to get a real kick out of it while I'm quite impressed with my own dancing skills!

So what are you waiting for? Go Elf Yourself! and get your Christmas groove on while I spend the day doing some Christmas shopping with my Mom

*Thanks, Mo, for letting me know about this fun website, though I doubt you're going to get any thanks from Amanda!

Modern Communicating

I was talking to my friend out in California yesterday when I was interrupted by a call from my daughter in Florida whose call beeped in whilst I was in mid-conversation with Cyndi. I called Jamie back after telling Cyndi that I needed to take that call if she didn't mind and while I was talking to Jamie, a call beeped in from my job wondering if I'd like to come back into work (I had left there less than an hour before) as one of the other dispatchers had gone home sick. I politely refused (hey, I was in my PJ's and slippers already!) and then went back to my conversation with Jamie.

In the meantime, I got a text message on my cell phone from another friend so while I was talking to Jamie, I sent a text back to my friend and in the midst of that, an email popped up on the screen of my laptop that I replied to while still talking with Jamie. After finishing up my conversation with her, I called Cyndi back out in California and we proceeded to gab for awhile. I guess that you could say that all of this simultaneous communicating was brought to me through the wonder of fiber optic cables! Does anyone remember when you took one phone call at a time and there were no text messages or emails? I can't possibly be the only one who misses that simplicity!

Happy Birthday to My Ghost

Today is the birthday of a guy I haven't seen in over five years. It's probably just about that long since I've spoken to him on the phone, too, but not a single year goes by that I don't remember his birthday and wonder how life is treating him. Some people you never forget even when you know that you really should. I should have forgotten this guy long ago but apparently my heart is even more stubborn than the rest of me - which I find pretty darned astounding all things considered!

I met Sam (not his real name) well over 20 years ago when I worked as a 911 dispatcher at the Stockton Police Department. The way we met was a fluke - he thought he had sent a message over his cruiser's MDT (mobile digital terminal) to another officer working patrol with him that night but instead it ended up on the screen at my dispatch console. The message read "This is fun, isn't it?" and thinking nothing of it I replied back with "Yes, it has its moments." That message was fate and changed my life forever.

We ended up chatting back and forth (I guess you could say that it was the precursor to instant messaging, something that hadn't been developed yet in 1985) and came to the conclusion that we both had a lot in common, especially our slightly off-the-wall sardonic senses of humor. Even though we worked in the same department and the officers' locker room was directly across the hall from dispatch, I had no idea what Sam looked like. I knew his voice from the radio but other than that I was totally clueless, but if you could get to know a person from just conversations on a computer terminal I was more than looking forward to meeting the man himself.

I got the opportunity about a week or so later when the phone rang at 9:30 at night. As a side note, at that time my son Michael, who was 4, and I were living with Scott, a good friend I had made while attending college in Stockton. Due to the rotating shifts that I worked at the PD, I really needed some flexible childcare and Scott needed a place to live so he moved in and more or less became "the nanny". It was a great arrangement as Michael and Scott got along great, Michael could go to sleep in his own bed at night, and I wasn't paying out the nose for childcare. I really miss Scott, too, but that's a story for another day!

Anyway, as I was saying, I had the chance to finally meet Sam when the phone rang at 9:30 shortly after I had bid Scott a good night and gone to bed. As soon as I heard Sam's voice on the phone, I knew who it was and my heart skipped a beat. He apologized for calling so late and then asked if I'd like to get together to meet. "Sure, when?" "How about now?" "NOW??" Well, who was I to say no when I had been wanting to meet the guy ever since that first errant MDT message popped up on my dispatch screen? I said sure, he said he'd head over, and I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and decided I really needed to wash my hair before he came over. Scott just stood there in amazement and amusement while I ran around the house like some sort of mad woman in an obvious tizzy over meeting a man. Trust me, that sort of behavior is not normal for me and Scott had known me long enough to know that I was excited and nervous at the same time. I suspect he got quite a kick out of the whole thing but I was a total mess!

Finally the doorbell rang, I opened the door, and there stood one of the most handsome men I'd ever laid eyes on (well, in my humble opinion anyway). His smile was exactly as I thought it would be, he had a gleam in his eye that made my heart beat all that much faster, and I honestly think the earth stopped for just a moment or two. Yeah - sappy, I know, but oh so true! After introductions Scott excused himself to his room and I was left standing in my living room with this guy who I had probably fallen in love with as soon as I opened the door. If I remember correctly I was babbling a bit but that became a regular habit of mine when I was around Sam. Please believe me when I tell you that I am not a babbler - at all. Reticent might be a better word if truth be told but that trait had disappeared.

After we had talked for awhile, Sam asked if I'd like to go for a walk. He had hurt his back earlier in the week while on duty and found it more comfortable to walk than to sit so I said "sure" and went to tell Scott that we were going out so he'd know that he was alone in the house with Michael. Scott told me the next day that I was quite the giggling, babbling fool at that point but he found the whole thing horribly amusing. Great - my reputation for being a cool, calm, and collected dispatcher of emergencies had obviously flown out the door when I opened it to let Sam in but I didn't care, I was doing that cloud nine thing that people like to talk about and I didn't care.

The neighborhood that I lived in wasn't the worst part of Stockton by any stretch of the imagination but I suppose it wasn't one that people regularly went out for strolls after dark in too often either however, I figured that considering I was out walking the streets with one of Stockton's Finest, I didn't really have to worry about it. I especially didn't worry about it when he told me that he had an ankle holster and was armed (all off-duty officers in Stockton were to be armed at that time, not sure if it's changed now or not). We ended up walking and talking until almost 3:00 in the morning and I don't know when I have laughed so much either before or since. It was magical. There is no other way to describe it.

There was, however, one thing wrong with this whole picture - Sam was married. He and his wife had been separated for several months, he was living on his own, and was planning on filing for divorce. In retrospect, that should have thrown up all sorts of warning flags but it didn't. Maybe I was still young enough and naive enough to think that when people separated and lived apart that their marriages were over and it was just a matter of formalities as the marriage was over and done with. My first husband and I were separated for over three years before I finally decided enough was enough and filed for a divorce. I had always told him that he was the one who wanted the divorce so he was the one that could file but he had no problem still listing his status as "married" on his tax return and financial paperwork for college. We hadn't been married in the traditional sense for a very long time, there was just no formal document declaring the marriage officially dead. I guess maybe I thought that might be the case with Sam.

For several weeks following that first magical meeting we went out when our schedules allowed us to, talked on the phone almost constantly while finishing each other's sentences, and I was in a total state of euphoria. Then the other shoe dropped and Sam told me that he and his wife were reconciling and giving their marriage another try. For the sake of his children (he had two) and for the sake of his church (he's Mormon) he thought he owed it one more chance. To say that I was devastated would be an understatement. I was heartbroken and even though I had always believed that having a broken heart was more a state of mind than anything else, my heart physically ached. It was the most painful thing I had ever felt in my life up to that point but I understood his reasons and couldn't fault the man for wanting to be a father to his children.

The hardest part was that we still worked together at the police department. Every time I heard his voice on the radio or on the phone, my heart would break a little bit more but I sucked it up and did my best to get over it. The problem is, I never got over him and when he decided to leave his wife again almost a year later I found myself right back where I shouldn't have been - still in love with the guy and hoping against hope that this time he really meant it when he said it was over. It wasn't and when he went back to his wife and children again I was even more devastated than the first time. There was no way that I could stay in California and be near him knowing that I'd be just as likely to cave if he left his wife for a third time. It was at that point that I packed up everything I owned, piled myself and Michael into a Hertz-Penske rental truck, and drove from California to Connecticut - just myself, a 6-year old boy, and a heart that was never going to stop loving a man I couldn't have.

I started my life anew and tried my best to leave Sam in California but the problem was that I had packed up his memory with me in that rental truck. I eventually met and married my second husband and added two beautiful little girls to my family but there was always something wrong, something not quite right. I mistakenly thought that by marrying someone else, I'd forget Sam, that his memory would finally fade away into the mist but it didn't - it was there like a ghost in the house and a reminder that my heart belonged to someone else. When my marriage ended ten years later it really wasn't a surprise to me and I always felt like I did my second husband a major disservice in marrying him when I might have loved him but wasn't in love with him. When we divorced I told him that I sincerely hoped he would meet someone else who would love him the way that I couldn't and he found that woman in his current wife. I'm happy for him, I really am.

I haven't been so lucky. There are times when I think I am still in love with a memory, with a ghost, with a man that I can't seem to get out of my system over 22 years after our first meeting. He's still with the Stockton Police Department and I still worry about him. I still wonder how he's doing and if he's finally happy and I wonder if he ever thinks of me. I'll probably never know. Our last contact was a little over five years ago but that's another long story that I won't bore you with.

So, on this - his 48th birthday - I just hope that he's happy and healthy and safe while I still miss the man who was my other half. Under other circumstances, we would have been ridiculously happy with each other but apparently it's not to be so in this life. Still - I believe that it's better to have loved and lost than to have hated and won and I've also learned that you can't settle in life. It's better to be alone than with the wrong person. Hence, I'm alone.

Shouting About Great Customer Service

First off, let me just say right off the bat that this is not a paid post in any way, shape, or form - it's just a really happy customer telling people about a really great company because when you find someplace that has an outstanding product and even more outstanding customer service then you really need to tell people about it.

Three years ago I went to a local Coldwater Creek store in search of a dress to wear to my company's annual holiday party. I found a dress that I really liked and was even able to buy it in a smaller size as I had managed to lose some weight. Shortly after that I started having some major back problems and by the time the holiday party rolled around, the dress didn't fit as well as I had hoped even though I still really liked it. I decided to keep it to hopefully wear the next year while finding another dress to wear that year. I was up for Employee of the Year and wanted to look my best if at all possible. (I won by the way!)

By the time the next year rolled around, I had been through even more unbearable pain, eventual back surgery to alleviate the problem, and managed to gain back all the weight I had lost while adding even more thanks to all of the Vicodin and other medications I had taken in order to keep the pain under control. No way was I going to fit into the dress yet again so it hung in the closet while I bought another dress. Still, hope springs eternal and I was hoping to lose the weight and be able to wear the dress this year.

Yeah, well, that didn't happen and realist that I am, I finally came to the conclusion that there was probably no way I was ever going to fit into that lovely form-fitting forest green dress that had been patiently waiting in my closet with the tags still attached for close to three years to make its debut. But what to do with it?

While looking on their website, ColdwaterCreek.com, for a potential dress for this year, I read the following in their Customer Service area:

100% Guarantee: If a Coldwater Creek purchase ever fails to meet your expectations for any reason, return it for an exchange or a full and prompt refund of the merchandise purchase price. There's no time limit to our guarantee, so there's absolutely no risk.

A lifetime guarantee? I contacted a customer service representative via their Live Chat function and she told me to mail the dress in using a prepaid shipping label I could print off their website and they'd take care of it. I did just that and without any hassle or questions they issued me a gift card that arrived in the mail yesterday for the amount I paid for the dress three years ago. How cool is that? A credit that I can use to buy a new dress for this year!

Good customer service seems harder and harder to come by these days - gone are the days of "the customer is always right" - so like I said, when you find a company that has it you need to tell people about it and shout it from the rooftops. I'm going to go rest my voice now and you should go check out ColdwaterCreek.com!

Beach Dreaming on a Winter Day

We here in New England are getting a taste of what winter is going to be all about with temperatures dipping into the teens at night and barely making it into the high 30's, low 40's during the daylight hours. According to the calendar it's still Fall but it sure doesn't feel like it outside and I get the sneaky feeling that we're going to be in for a long haul with lots of cold days and cold nights.

So what does one do to stay warm when the temperatures are too cold to barely step out of the door, when you have to warm your car up for at least ten minutes before you attempt to drive the thing for fear of feeling like you're sitting in a rolling icebox, when you've got to bundle up like an Eskimo before even walking out to the mailbox? Well, you stay inside under a blanket or two, spend way too much money on the various methods to keep your house warm, and dream about warmer days at the beach!

Even though I'm not big on lying in the sun and baking, I enjoy spending time at the beach relaxing, fighting the waves, and people-watching. One of the things I'd like to try someday, and I'm sure would be good exercise, is trying out one of those beach cruiser bicycles that I've seen other people riding up and down the beach on. Cruising along the beach with the wind blowing through my hair, the waves breaking along the shore, birds circling and diving, the sun shining and warming my face and shoulders ... that just sounds so nice right now as I'm sitting here with a cold wind blowing outside, the night coming on way too early, and a constant chill in the room.

Is it too early to wish for summer when it isn't even winter yet??

Happy Birthday to Sarge Charlie!

Today is the birthday of my most favorite Army Veteran in the Blogosphere - Sarge Charlie!

Sarge Charlie loves his country -

Sarge Charlie loves his poker games -

Sarge Charlie loves his warm chocolate melting cake -

but most of all Sarge Charlie loves his Empress Bee -

Stop by and give a birthday salute to Sarge Charlie for you won't find a more patriotic American, loving husband, devoted father and grandfather or all around wonderful guy anywhere!

Happy Birthday, Sarge, and best wishes for many, many more spent enjoying your well-deserved retirement in the company of your wonderful wife!

And for you, Sarge, what else but a patriotic cake?!

A Roar for Powerful Words!

Sandee of Comedy Plus awarded me the following award on the 25th of November and - believe it or not - since then I've been mulling over who I would like to forward it on to -

A Roar For Powerful Words!

The originator of this award is Seamus of The Shameless Lions Writing Circle and this what Seamus had to say about this award:

"When I set upThe Shameless Lions Writing Circle, one of things I had in mind was that we as a group could encourage and celebrate good, powerful writing on the Internet/blogosphere. This is why I've come up with a new project to try to do exactly that, while of course at the same time increase exposure for the 48 members and their individual blogs. A Roar For Powerful Words is the chance to scream from the mountains the good news about the powerful posts that are produced every day in the blogosphere, despite what some mainstream columnists and journalists claim. This is also a good chance to examine exactly what it is that makes writing good and powerful."

According to Seamus, this award can be distributed "to those people who have blogs we love, can't live without, where we think the writing is good and powerful." Considering that Sandee chose to pass this award on to me, I am quite honored and flattered both as that means she felt that my writing was worthy of such recognition. Thank you so much, Sandee, that really means a lot! In addition to myself, Sandee passed the award on to a wonderful group of other bloggers:

1. Mo @ It's a Blog Eat Blog World
2. Ian @ EDog's Everything Page
3. Ann @ A Nice Place In The Sun
4. Richard @ Untwisted Vortex
5. Mimi @ Mimi Writes

Needless to say, I am in some most excellent company but now it's my turn to pass this award on to several others. This has been a tough choice because I love all of the blogs that you see listed on my sidebar and feel that they are all written by excellent writers with a lot of different styles and personalities. However, I can't just blanket-award it to everyone so after a lot of painful wracking of my brain and nail-biting decision-making, I award "A Roar for Powerful Words!" to the following powerful bloggers:

• Travis of Trav's Thoughts - Travis writes some of the most detailed and well-written posts that I have seen anywhere in the Blogosphere. I am always impressed and awed when I stop by his blog - plus he leaves some damn fine comments, too! Even though it isn't a requirement of this award, he is a man with a romantic streak who isn't afraid to show it and that speaks volumes because it means he writes from his heart and I applaud that, I really do.
  
• Maddy of both Whitterer on Autism and Alien in a Foreign Field - What an amazing, amazing, amazing woman Miss Maddy is as she not only writes two excellent blogs with thoughtful and thought-provoking posts but she does so while raising two autistic sons and a daughter. Add on the fact that she's a Brit transplanted in the San Francisco Bay area and she deserves a lot more than this little ole' award!
  
• Patois of Whee! All the Way Home! - From Haiku to her Jump One Jump Twosday feature to her Weekly Wonderings and so many other great posts in between, Patois writes posts that are just wonderful and moving and - yes - powerful! She is a most excellent writer and compared to her, I feel a bit like a hack!
  
• Jeni of Down River Drivel - What can I say about Jeni other than the fact that this Old Avon Lady writes from her down-home heart and soul and one of these days I'm going to drive to Pennsylvania simply so I can sit down across from her with a pot of coffee and plate of cookies and just gab, gab, gab, gab, gab!
  
• Jamie of Duward Discussion - Even though she is currently stomping me in several on-going Scrabulous games (which doesn't surprise me in the least as I've no doubt at all that she is a much better Wordsmith than I!), Jamie was one of the very first people who came to mind when I was debating who to pass this award on to. I always learn something when I read one of Jamie's posts and I always feel something which means even more. Knowledgeable, witty, and compassionate are three of the best words I can think of to define Jamie. Plus, she has the same name as my youngest daughter!

These five people are just the tip of the iceberg of wonderful writers that I read on a daily basis but in keeping with the theme of the award, I am limiting the number of recipients to just five and am hoping that they, too, will pass this award on to five of their must-reads.

Travis, Maddy, Patois, Jeni, and Jamie - please go by Seamus's post to choose the color of your award (they're available in three colors) and let's see if we can keep this wonderful award going, shall we? Oh, and keep up the wonderful writing!

Manic Monday - Ship

THE IMPOSSIBLE (by Joe Nichols)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

When I saw that our host of Manic Monday, the inimitable Morgen of It's a Blog Eat Blog World, had given us the word "ship" for this week I was a little on the - how we shall we say - stumped side and wasn't at all sure what I was going to post about. "Ship" is not a word that I use a lot in my life as I'm not a merchant and don't ship packages, I am no longer a Navy wife so I'm not anxiously waiting for my husband's ship to come back to port (not that I was ever that anxious when I was a Navy wife but that's another depressing story for maybe another day!), and I've never had the pleasure of going on a cruise ship so there's another thing I can't write about there either! As far as waiting for my own ship to come in, it seems that I have been waiting at the train station instead all this time and missed it!

Finally I decided to try to think about a song that contained the word ship either in the title or in the lyrics and I remembered that one of my favorite songs, The Impossible, by country singer Joe Nichols contains the word ship. What a delight to find that the video was actually shot on board a ship, too! Dilemma solved and at the same time I get to share one of my favorite songs with you!

"Unsinkable ships sink
Unbreakable walls break
Sometimes the things you think could never happen
Happens just like that
Unbendable steel bends
If the fury of the wind is unstoppable
I've learned to never underestimate
The impossible"

Oh, and for those who are sitting here scratching their heads in amazement that a woman who plays Guitar Hero and listens to the likes of My Chemical Romance, AFI, HIM, and Mindless Self Indulgence also listens to country music, all I can say is - diversification is a wonderful thing!

Here's hoping your Manic Monday is in ship-shape condition and Mo, can I request a more seasonal word for next week, please?? Something like stockings or tinsel or wrapping or evergreen or garland or gingerbread or ... !!

A Call to Arms For the Women of the Blogosphere!

Ladies! Ladies! Wherefore art thou, ladies, with thy cunning remarks and snarky comebacks to make the bravest man huddle in the corner licking his wounds and bandaging his damaged ego? Queen Mimi tells me that so far the only two ladies who have stepped up to the task of taking on the men in this week's Comeback Challenge hosted at Dating Profile of the Day are myself and Polli of Polliwog's Pond. Whereas I think that myself and Lady Polli can certainly put up a good fight against the men there is truth in the saying that "there is safety in numbers" and we need some more women to join us in this battle of the wits against the men.

Come on, ladies, each week Queen Mimi "combs the dating sites, newspaper ads and heresay bachelor sayings to post the looniest bachelor profile headings, the most bizarre, the least intellectual" and all you have to do is email her back with your snappiest comeback to these totally inane and downright ridiculous pick-up lines. These are men uttering these things, not women, and it just doesn't seem right that men are winning the challenge for the snarkiest comeback to another man.

We, ladies, are supposed to be the Countesses of the Comeback, the Princesses of the Put-Down, the Sovereigns of Snide, and the Goddesses of Gotcha! I know for a fact that a lot of you out there have the sense of humor that it takes to not only rise to this challenge but to win it without breaking a nail or batting a mascaraed eye!

I beseech you ladies, sharpen your wits and come help myself and Polli ward off the men who wish to claim the title every week! If you win, the Queen will issue you a lovely badge for your blog and also give you bragging rights that may not mean much in terms of gold but can sure make you feel good otherwise!

Now come on, who's with me?? Let's storm the castle and take away the prize!!