Cyber Chocolate

Fun on the Fourth

2008-07-05T14:34:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I drove to Philadelphia yesterday to see the Mets play the Phillies. The Mets lost, it rained pretty much the entire game, and there were no fireworks. But we had fun and enjoyed the relatively new Citizens Bank Park. The hotdogs came on club rolls that were larger than the hotdogs (no foot long hotdogs like at Shea). The fries were really good. And the restrooms were clean. I just wish the Mets had managed more than 2 runs for Johan Santana.

Got home late last night, or rather early this morning, so I slept late and am still feeling the effects. Since I sat most of the day, in the car and at the ballpark, it wasn't as if I did a lot, but still, it can take a lot out of you.

Now, it's hot, humid, rainy, and pretty much a yucky day, with more of the same scheduled for tomorrow.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: baseball

Where's George?

2008-07-03T00:35:00.001-04:00

A fun site I've mostly forgotten about is Where's George? You can register and follow the trail of paper money on the site. I registered a couple of bills a while back, then forogt to check on their progress. But the other day, I got a bill in change at McDonald's that had Where's George stamped on it, so I checked it and it had been registered out in Long Island. Now, I'm sure there were some steps between that and where I got it, but no one else had entered info for it. I dutifully logged it and I'll be sending it back out in the wild during the next day or so.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: money

Flickr Friends

2008-07-02T22:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, after work, I got together with a couple of flickr friends. One is someone I've known in person for a year, and the other was visiting NYC and we thought it would be nice to meet. All 3 of us enjoy taking pictures, especially of toys, and we really hit it off. It's really fun getting to meet people I know online.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: friends

A Computer Poll

2008-07-01T00:03:00.001-04:00

Now that I have my new laptop, I need to replace my desktop computer, and no, I won't be getting a Mac/Apple. So, I've put the two main choices in a poll in the sidebar, so please vote. And if you would recommend something else, leave your suggestion in the comments here.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: polls

Ringo

2008-06-30T23:48:00.000-04:00

Do I need to explain? Do I need to say more? Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band was on the bill at Westbury last night and hubby, I, and a couple of our friends went to see them. Got home late, was nearly a zombie at work, but it was so worth it. The band this time included: Colin Hay, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart, Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, and drummer Gregg Bissonette. Edgar Winter was amazing, as usual. The man is an orchestra unto himself and his long white hair is nicer than my shorter, dark hair with scattered white. The rest of the group was wonderful, too. And with no intermission, it was a rocking night.

No photos because last time, they were really enforcing the no-photos rule, so I didn't bring my camera this time. So of course, they were ignoring all the picture taking. Though at the mid-point, Ringo did go after someone recording the concert and that person was escorted out.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: Ringo Starr

Observations

2008-06-27T10:09:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, I compose wonderful posts in my mind while walking to work or on the way home, then forget to post them.

Stupidity sighting: I'm used to seeing people hose down streets in Manhattan instead of sweeping. Yesterday, I saw someone doing it in the rain.

Coolness sighting: Necessity is the mother of invention. It is also the mother of inspiration. During the rain yesterday morning, an umbrella-less young man held his skateboard over his head.

Blogger in Draft (draft.blogger.com) has wonderful new features. I haven't tried them all yet, but I love the ones I have. Blogger keeps getting better and better.

The guy with the hose was at it again today. No rain, but no dirt on the street by the time I went out to lunch and he was still hosing. I'm starting to wonder if some guys equate water hoses with other longish things that squirt.

I've completed labeling (or tagging, if you prefer) the old posts on this blog. I wasn't as specific (ie, there are plenty of "miscellany" posts) as I am now just so I could get it done. I also noticed that I'm far from clever most of the time when it comes to titles. Even the title of this post is a bit lame.

Working with the public is both a blessing, as when they thank me for all my help, and a challenge, as when, during a telephone call today, after finally figuring out the person on the phone was asking, among other things, for the library's address, which I gave her, she then asked if she could call Monday for the address. Really, you can't make this stuff up. And yes, I'm sure she had a reason for the question, but I'm not going to spend time thinking about it.

I took an online survey earlier this year and was in one demographic and took another one yesterday and was in another. I am now in the "55 and over" demographic. Eek. I need to fill out a survey where there's still more above me. I want to be in "55-62" or some such.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: thoughts

Chocolicious Day

2008-06-25T22:34:00.002-04:00

Had the day off, so after picking up this week's comics, I walked around the Village and into SoHo, taking pictures, browsing in stores when I got hot and wanted some a/c to cool off. I did find this tiny chocolate shop called Kee's Chocolates and bought 2 dark chocolate truffles. They were amazingly rich and yummy and I had to eat them fairly quickly, because while the started out cool, they were melting fairly quickly once outside in the heat.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

George Carlin 1937-2008

2008-06-24T22:52:00.004-04:00

By now, everyone must know that George Carlin died of heart failure.

I don't recall exactly when I first saw George Carlin. I do know that I saw him on a lot of TV variety and talk shows, going back to the late-'60s. Back then and through the 1970s, I bought comedy albums as often as I bought albums by my favorite rock 'n' roll groups. As you can see, hubby and I have a lot of George Carlin's comedy on vinyl. Just about all the early ones were mine.

We were fortunate to see him in concert a couple of times, most recently, a few years ago. He was a force on stage in his quietly manic way. He was the ultimate Everyman. So many people have talked/written/blogged about his routines. About Al Sleet, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman ("Tonight's forecast is dark, followed by partly light at dawn." I might not be remembering that exactly right.). About the 7 words you can't say on tv (see pic above from one of the albums). About his wonderful Baseball vs Football monologue, which is one of my favorites.

But I have a memory of a silly little bit he used to do. I'm sure it was him. Who else would have thought of such things? He had a way of taking the little things in life, the things that we did that shamed us, that we figured no one else did and that made us odd, and brought them to light in the whole "we're all alike" way. The one that stands out in my mind, because it was oh so true, was when he asked if we do what he does: do we dig and dig with our tongue to dislodge a piece of stuck food, and after we succeed, do we chew it and swallow? Oh, how he had a way of holding a mirror up to our foibles, and to the bits of life that made us human. Not just politicians. Not just the silly things in life that didn't make sense when examined closely. But everything that distinguished us from all other organisms on Earth. And then he made us laugh about them.

I'm going to miss his humor, but more, I'm going to miss his viewpoint.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: george carlin

Color Me Relieved

2008-06-24T13:08:00.002-04:00

Because, really, if the results had been anything other than this (and no, I didn't need to take this quiz more than once), I would have had to hand back my chocoholic credentials.

You Are a Chocolate Shake

You are a total hedonist. You are drawn to pleasure.

You are an expressive, over the top person. You're naturally dramatic.

You're the type of person who always chooses quality over quantity.

Life's too short to not have optimal experiences. You're proud of being picky.

What Flavor Shake Are You?

However, the description leaves much to be desired. Picky, yes, Dramatic? Not so much. Hedonist? Hell, no. As for quantity vs quality, yes, with reservations. I used to have a Cathy cartoon on my fridge back when I was single. Cathy is eating what looks like candy from a bag, possibly of the M&M type chocolate variety. A report on designer chocolate is on her TV. In the next panel, she upends the bag into her mouth. The last panel has her thinking, "For some of us, it's quantity, not quality." Which is me. As long as it tastes good, to us, it doesn't have to be the best there is.

I like quality. I prefer things that are well made and will last a long time to those that aren't and don't. It's all relative. Chocolate is to be consumed. Even if sometimes savored, it's an ephemeral experience. As long as it satisfies. So, in that regard, I'll take a bag of M&Ms over Godiva. It's cheaper and satisfies, and therefore, is more cost effective.

Oh, and I prefer chocolate malteds to chocolate shakes. Which regular readers have probably guessed by now. But I think I'm due for a nice root beer chocolate float. heh

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Silly Survey

2008-06-24T12:16:00.002-04:00

I saw this on one of Cat's blogs.

1. What was the highlight of your day? So far, today, it was walking from the subway to work on a beautiful morning.

2. How many meals do you usually eat a day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. You do the math.

3. What's your favorite movie? Don't have 1 favorite.

4. Have you ever thought George Clooney was hot? I have and still do. Although I prefer the word, "sexy."

5. Have you ever doubted your sexual orientation? No.

6. How long has it been since you have seen an ex? I don't have any.

7. Name 5 of your best friends. J and D are my best friends. Other friends are C, C, and oddly enough, C. (Yes, those are 3 different Cs.)

8. Would you ever consider moving to Zimbabwe? No. I wouldn't really consider moving from NYC, unless circumstances changed a great deal.

9. What would you do if someone dyed your pubic hairs bright pink permanently? This assumes I won't be aware to stop it before it happens. Which it, y'know, wouldn't. So, the question is moot and I don't have to come up with an answer.

10. When was the last time you had Starbucks? I had a cookie from them a few times, maybe a muffin. I think I had a muffin from a road stop Starbucks back in May.

11. Are you single? No.

12. What is your opinion on global warming? We're screwed, cuz it's here and we'd better deal with it if we want to stay here. The planet can survive without us just fine, but can we survive if the planet continues to dramatically change?

13. What about abortion? MYOB.

14. Which would you rather star in: High School Musical or Striptease? Neither.

15. What's the worst movie you've ever seen? Uh, there are plenty of B or worse science fiction movies that apply. I don't as a rule see movies I don't think I'll enjoy and I see very few movies, so nothing in recent years comes to mind.

16. How many times do you sneeze a day? I never thought to count.

17. Are you an "adult"? A middle-aged one, thanks.

18. Where do you live? In NYC.

19. Have you ever thought Micheal Jackson was going to kidnap you? If you mean "Michael Jackson," uh, no. Why would I?

20. What color hair do you have? Dark brown, with more white in there each year.

21. Would you rather have a hybrid vehicle or a Hummer? A hybrid, but I don't drive, so I guess this is also moot.

22. Who is prettier: Angelina Jolie or Kate Bosworth? Neither appeals to me, though maybe Kate B. I think Angie Harmon is more attractive.

23. What do you think about the tabloids? I don't, as a rule, think about them.

24. Have you ever been to Texas? Once, a whirlwind tour that covered Dallas, Corpus Christi, Austin oh so briefly, and San Antonio.

25. Would you want to go? Again? Not so much.

26. Do you wear a watch? I have a new one that I wore last week. I'll probably start wearing it now. I wear one on my finger. Yes, a watch ring. I have a bunch.

27. Have you ever had the sensation that you were falling while asleep? Sometimes. I used to have falling dreams more when I was a kid. Once, when I was 12 or thereabouts, I felt like I was falling and I woke up and was on the floor. Now, that was freaky.

28. Would you rather work at Goodwill or McDonalds? Goodwill, but they'd have to pay me a living wage.

29. What do you think about Britney Spears' 16 year old sis getting pregnant? None of my business. Why should I give a... well, you know.

30. Do you recycle? By law, I have to, but I try to go beyond what is required.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: questionnaires

Return of the Linkies

2008-06-21T09:29:00.003-04:00

From Boing Boing:
These snowglobes and sculptures are very cool, odd sort of way.

From The Presurfer:
Another reason to download Firefox 3. And if you have already, something fun for you to find.

From J-Walk Blog:
Pillow rings! They're called Pilo-Pilo and I think I need one. Or more. Hmmmm..... One for each finger would make for Fabric Knuckles! Or Pillow Knuckles, if you prefer.

I've been assured socks from Teko are wonderful. I'll be getting a pair to see for myself.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: links

Chocolate Egg Cream A Summer Treat

2008-06-20T23:19:00.002-04:00

It's not quite the summer, yet, but there's nothing like a nice cold chocolate egg cream to see out spring and welcome summer. The restaurant left the seltzer bottle, little pitchers of chocolate syrup, and glasses with a bit of milk so my friend and I could make them ourselves.

One thing about having new staff to help train: it sure helps make the time pass quickly. Not a bad work day at all.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

A Non-Post Post

2008-06-19T23:31:00.002-04:00

Part of an ongoing series.

To update:

Work is hectic. We're rearranging the collections. Things are a mess, should settle down in next week or so.
Been busy trying to catch up with stuff at home. Which isn't easy as new stuff keeps piling onto the old stuff.
Still feel congested, but started back at the gym.
My knee hurts. Probably because I whacked it on my desk at work the other day and it's bruised.
Bought wallpaper and flooring for my new dollhouse. I need to electrify it before I can finish the walls and floors, tho.
Got some more retrospective labeling done here. Might finish by the end of the year.

Guess that's it for now. It's all I can think of, anyway. I'm reading blogs, but haven't had much time for commenting. But I am reading.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: personal

Quizzical

2008-06-17T00:11:00.002-04:00

Your Attention Span is Medium

Your attention span is just about average.

You may think that you have a short attention span...

But being distracted is something most people struggle with.

The most important thing is that you're aware that your mind wanders.

If you find yourself daydreaming, you can usually snap out of it.

It may be tough to concentrate at times, but you can do it... if you want to!

How's Your Attention Span?

What the House Test Says About You

You consider yourself important, but no more important than anyone else. You love attention, but you don't feel like you deserve more of it than anyone else.

You aren't against being community oriented, but it's not really your thing. You tend to prefer to focus on your family and not the neighborhood around you.

You are a calm, contemplative, and smart person. You take ideas very seriously.

You look good in a low maintenance sort of way. You do the minimum required to be attractive.

You are moved by your own inner sense of peace. You spend a lot of time reflecting on the meaning of life.

The House Test

Because I felt I should post something. These results aren't exactly earth-shattering or all that interesting. ;)

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Cleaning Aid

2008-06-15T18:40:00.003-04:00

I love these machine washable, microfiber cleaning mitts I got at Williams-Sonoma. According to the website, they're exclusive to the store.

The verso is the opposite color, so the lavender mitt is yellow on the other side and the yellow one is lavender. They also have green and pink ones.

I got the lavender one a month or so ago and love it so much, I got another for when one is in the wash. They're soft and fun to use, and almost make dusting a pleasure instead of a chore. What I really like is how they fit into tiny spaces. I've even run them along my computer keyboard.

I don't have stock in Williams-Sonoma or the maker of the mitts, so I have nothing to gain here by raving about them. But I hate cleaning enough that when I find something as good as these mitts, I have to tell folks about them.

In keeping with the theme of today's post, I did the laundry. Go, me.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: cleaning

A Week of Speculation

2008-06-14T00:51:00.004-04:00

If you don't give a crap about Battlestar Galactica, you're excused from reading this post.

Okay, now, if you haven't seen tonight's episode yet and don't want it spoiled, you, too, may be excused from reading further.

So, they all reach Earth, humans and Cylons, in some sort of truce. And find a dead world. I'd been thinking, only half in jest, they'd find the Statue of Liberty half buried in the dirt and a bunch of sophisticated, clothed apes running around. My other theory, in case I was wrong about the devastation, was that they'd be attacked by the Earthers defending their home.

Talk about a tense hour. I thought it would take Kara forever to race through the ship with the news about the Viper. But the biggie is next week's final reveal. Who (or perhaps, what) is the last of the 5 secret Cylons?

I love the show and doubt I'll ever watch it again. It's brilliant. It's dark and it delves into the human psyche like no show before it. And yet, it isn't fun and when it comes to rewatching tv shows, I prefer an element of fun. There's been precious little humor. There's been hope. In the midst of all the pain and fears and destruction, there was the bit of hope the last of humanity held onto as they sought the fabled Earth, hoping to find a home, to find sanctuary there. Now, that appears to be dashed and what I'd hoped was going to ultimately be a tale of human survival and hope looks to be something far darker by the time the last episode draws to a close. Which is fine. It should be what it needs to be. But I don't think it's a place I would want to revisit, no matter how well done, no matter how brilliant.

Gonna be a long week, though.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: tv

Women's Stuff

2008-06-12T00:39:00.003-04:00

Annual visit with my gyn. I was reminded today how much I prefer morning appointments, when I have decent odds of not waiting more than 15-20 minutes on average past my scheduled appointment time. But alas, my appointment for today was moved from the morning to after noon, and I ended up waiting over an hour to get into the exam room, then another 20 minutes once in it. Which meant I didn't leave til well into rush hour. feh.

At least, all is well, pending the annual PAP test, which all women of sexually active age should have done. The doctor and I also had our now annual discussion of bone health, now that I'm in the menopausal transition stage of my life. Despite a lifetime of drinking milk, and now years of taking calcium, my bone density sucks, because basically, I'm short and small boned. So I developed osteopenia and there's concern I'll develop osteoporosis. My doctor told me about the National Osteoporosis Foundation (I think that's the one, but it's what came up when I Googled and it has useful info, so all looks good) and that there are exercises for healthy bones on the site and other good stuff. I do exercise, but I need to add more weight bearing ones, not just walking. Of course, I need to shake this cold/cough thing first.

And that was basically my day.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: menopause

Cupcake Chocoliciousness

2008-06-09T19:16:00.003-04:00

I went to a local Duane Reade drugstore to pick up some cough syrup. It's a new store in a brand new building, and much cooler inside than outside (where it was hovering around 100 degrees F.), so I wandered the aisles for a bit and discovered these yummy looking goodies. I've always loved Entemann's, so figured I'd give these a try.

They look a lot like Hostess Cupcakes, and it appears Entemann's is going after the Hostess/Drake's Cakes crowd, but these don't have the chemical flavor of Hostess and they are moister than Drake's (if that's possible). I recommend them. They were quite yummy.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

Hotter Than Hell

2008-06-08T14:18:00.003-04:00

It's in the 90s F, in early June. *sigh* I'm not melting. It only feels that way. Still sick with whatever it is I caught. Still not sure it didn't start as allergies. One week back at work and I'm all stressed out again. All my vows to myself to not let all the crap I can't change get to me went right out the window and burned in the hot sunlight. I guess, what with feeling like crap, my defenses were down for work nonsense. I don't blog about work as a rule, but anyone who has to deal with bureaucracies will know what I mean.

Didn't mean to let so much time go between posts. I've just been tired and cranky.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: personal

Mini Movie Review

2008-06-03T22:43:00.002-04:00

A friend and I went to see the Indiana Jones movie after work today. We'd postponed the excursion from Saturday because I was still feverish then. Anyway, it was worth seeing. Nothing great and there really were no surprises, except possibly that Harrison Ford is getting too old for this nonsense. No, wait. That's not a surprise, either. But Shia LeBouf is a worthy successor, should he be called on for another Indy romp.

Even tho the rumors and theories were pretty much all true, there was a nice, comforting quality to the movie, lots of action, adventure, and neat ancient ruins just like the old serials I occasionally saw while growing up. They'd play along with travelogues and short subjects and cartoons before the main feature at the little movie theater not far from my house, til it finally was closed (amidst rumors of being mobbed up).

So, I was entertained this evening, and even if there were no surprises, that's still a good thing. And even the absence of sound for the first few minutes didn't ruin things. Oh sure, it would have been nice if, once alerted, the theater would have started it over, but no, they just got the sound on and things continued. But during the silence, many of us in the audience got a chuckle when the guy in front of me started whistling the Indy theme music. :)

And it was sure a nice way to end the day. Being back at work sucked.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: movies

More than Selling Music

2008-06-01T23:20:00.003-04:00

I ordered some CDs from a company called CD Baby that specializes in music from independent producers. Nice little site, not as much to choose from as I'd like, decent prices, and I found stuff to order. But the main reason I'll go back is this email I got giving me my shipment tracking number. Here's the non-private bits:

"Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with
sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make
sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over
the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money
can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party
marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of
Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in
our private CD Baby jet on this day, Sunday, June 1st.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.
Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all
exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sigh...

--
Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby
the little store with the best new independent music
http://cdbaby.com cdbaby@cdbaby.com "

I have to love a company that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy with an email response to my spending money with them. *Sigh* indeed!

Anyone else find an online company that enthuses them?

Feeling: but still stuffed and sniffly.

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: shopping

Spam, I'm Not

2008-05-30T18:13:00.002-04:00

I've been noticing a new trend in my spam lately. "You Look Really Stupid, [my email name]" reads the subject line. Now there's an enticement for me to click through, not. I've gotten this a dozen times in the last few days.

The offers of penis enlargement still don't come with offers of the actual penis, which I would need before I could get one enlarged.

And why would I be interested in a college degree from a site that spells bachelor "bacheelor" in the subject line? I guess that fact that I can recognize a wrongly spelled word means I don't need further education. Or is that, "edukashion"?

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: spam

Runny Nose Day

2008-05-30T11:46:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I feel like crap. So much for catching up on stuff. I can't decide if I have a cold or this is just a really bad allergy thing going on. But I did have a fever yesterday, so that might mean a cold. feh.

To tide folks over, here's a video I made and posted on YouTube, filmed during the art auction at the fan con I was at last weekend. It'll give you a taste of the lunacy that goes on at that con.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

Home Again Home Again

2008-05-29T00:32:00.002-04:00

And back to real life. So to speak. Also came home to 1500 unread posts in Bloglines. Yikes. And until Monday, I'd been mostly keeping up. Then I had a scare with the laptop. Seems to have been a problem with the outlet I'd plugged into because it's now working fine at home. Whew.

Saturday, I saw Iron Man. Wonderful. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent. And very sexy. Then dinner with friends, then what we call the Hall Crawl, which means walking through the entire hotel, taking photos of the decorated doors. Then a romp in the pool. We had rubber duckies and other rubber toys, and big water pistols this year. Fun times ensued. There's a nice hot tub there, too. So relaxing.

Sunday, I got in another session in the exercise room, then we had dinner and went to the art show auction. Great fun as always, and I got a YouTube worthy video out of the hijinks. I just need to put the thing together.

We headed out Monday after lunch, staying overnight in Pennsylvania. Today, we did some shopping, then I caught an Amtrak train back to NYC. And I don't have to go back to work til next Tuesday! Which means maybe I'll catch up with some of the stuff that's piled up in my absence. And maybe my sudden allergy attack will subside by then.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

Vacation Update the Second

2008-05-24T11:34:00.003-04:00

Didn't do much during the day, although I got in a half hour in the hotel's exercise room. The real fun was dinnertime, when 5 friends and I gathered at the Outback for our annual dinner/party. Gifts were exchanged, yummy food was eaten, lots of chocolate was consumed, including a Chocolate Chocolate Tower (pictured) and a Chocolate Thunder Down Under.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation