Thursday, August 26, 2010

Momma didn't raise no fool.....

They say necessity is the mother of invention and last night I necessitated the need for a book light.
Ed was exhausted and I didn't want the lamp on the night stand to keep him awake while I read. I had my beloved BeamGenie handy, but I'd misplaced the ear piece attachment. That left me 3 choices.
  1. Hold the light in my mouth
  2. Use the 3" Velcro strap attachment to make a BeamGenie barrett of sorts or
  3. Use the suction cup attachment and stick that sucker to my forehead

The picture says it all.



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I know I should be mortified that my forehead is big enough to accommodate this contraption, but let me tell you something... IT WORKED.. I read for almost 2 hours and that thing didn't budge once!!

PS: Mike, if you're reading this, I'm free for the next infomercial should you choose to market the forehead/suction cup idea to the masses! ;)

My Man Gene... Part I

Yesterday, I took the kids to peruse around at a local antique store. The store itself is as old as the goods they market, smells like the 70's and is a collection of stalls that offer everything from antique butter churns to collectible smurf lunchboxes. And it's a lot like going to Goodwill, in that you have to sort through the stalls to really find what you're looking for.


Dominick always wanders toward the collectible metal trucks, Diana usually skips over to look at vintage Barbies, and I found myself in the "antique kitchen utensils" stall. (You just can't find a good flour sifter these days...) Anyway, while I sorted through the ladles and graters and churns, a little black book caught my eye. It was about 4.5" x 6" in size and had the word "Record" written in gold on the front.


I was weary to pick it up thinking that maybe it was the record book for whomever operated that particular stall, but lucky for me the weary feeling only lasted a millisecond and was replaced by a much stronger sense of curiosity. So, with a quick look over my shoulder I reached down and picked up the little black book. I don't often go snooping around in other people things (OK, so not all the time) but after skimming the first page of the book I realized what it was: A Diary. The last time I'd actually gone looking for a diary I'd been around 15 and was trying to dig up dirt on my then 8 year old sister. (Not exactly the stuff of Anne Frank.)


But holding THIS diary was intriguing, the first page was written in a beautiful blue loping script and there in the front cover was a price tag. $3.00 to take home the diary with pretty handwriting. Three bucks didn't seem like a lot to ask, but the idea of BUYING someones innermost thoughts and secrets , while intriguing, seemed a little tacky, even for me. Which is why I hid it in my purse just as soon as I'd coughed up the dough for the little treasure.


The book is small, about 30ish or so pages and while I originally thought it was written by a women, it's actually the handiwork of a man called Gene V-----, and most of the diary is about his admiration and love for a woman called Linda.

Page 1:
November 03, 1981
The last few weeks have been miserable for me and my mind. Crazy things have crossed my mind I convinced myself that you no longer care or need my love any longer. But in truth, I know she cares and I feel to look at your circumstances.
Linda, I am sorry for doubting you so much at times but I care so deeply and at times it hurts so much.

November 04, 1981
Today, like many of the past few days, I am longing to be with Linda. Damn, how can a man stand and love someone so much and still know that in reality she can never be there always?

But today I have the hope of being with her and spending some time with her.
-Something happened tonight and we never had that time together. But I went to her home and she was as good as being with me. For as long as she is near me, I am being satisfied.


Am I the only one who's picturing Gene sitting in Linda's rosebushes peeping through her bedroom window spending "quality time with her?" I've only read page 1 thus far and Gene already has a 7 on my Creep-o-meter. Let's hope there is more to this story!! :)

Stay tuned in the upcoming days for more pages!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Your Daily Dose of Tears

My dearest teenagerhood friend, Julisa, posted this today on her facebook wall, and once I was finished dabbing the tears away I thought it was precious enough to want to share with the masses. Or in this case, the 5 people who follow my blog! LOL

As Danny says this "stirred my heart":

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Friday, August 20, 2010

I *heart* Stephanie Plum

Last week, I was in desperate need of a new book and through dumb luck stumbled across "Lean Mean 13" by Janet Evanovich in a bargain bin at the grocery store of all places! The cover art was less than inspiring and I wasn't sure if I'd really be able to sink my teeth into it. 13 hours later I was thoroughly entertained and wanting more! Lucky for me, the book is just one of about 20 in a series featuring the hilarious antics of bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. I've absorbed books 1-10 in the span of 4 days and I'm now nursing a permanent stitch in my side as a result from all of the laughing.

Now, being the uber dork that I am, I just HAD to sit down and scour the internet for the actors who would best portray the main characters for when the books become a huge cinema phenon! (Twilight ain't got nothing on this...) Probably, I'm a day late and a dollar short and there is a crack team of casting agents out there right now already doing this, but JUST IN CASE they need some help, here is my expert advice:



Stephanie Plum: Katherine Hiegl
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Joe Morelli: Jeffrey Donovan
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Ranger: Adam Rodriguez
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Lula: Niecy Nash
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Vinnie: Micheal Imperioli
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Connie: Lainie Kazan
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Grandma Mazur: Estelle Harris
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Rex: As himself
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Monday, August 09, 2010

First Day of School! First day of School!!

If you hadn't guessed, today was our first day of school!

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We've turned the dining room into a makeshift classroom, it's the only room big enough to accomodate three computers, books, binders, pencil boxes and the mountain of other paraphanalia that comes with homeschooling.

We had a nice big breakfast and then I got them started on their individual lesson plans. Brooke dove right in and and was able to get all of her lessons done in just a few hours. Diana also loved getting on the computer and completing her assignments, the only real resistance came from Dominick who just wanted to go outside and play with his friends. Once I explained that all of his friends were in school as well, he buckled down and got all of his lessons done. I have to tell you, that for about an hour while the kids were immersed in their studies, the house was dead quiet, and I loved every single minute. I was able to get the laundry done, get all the beds made and still had enough time to make the kids lunch before they needed my help with their worksheets. That, right there, is my kind of domestic bliss! :)