Pi(e) Day

Yesterday was March 14.     If you use the number notation to designate your calendar days, it would be 3/14  but you would say, “Three Fourteen”, right?   OR…  3.14.

Thus PI, π, the symbol for the mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to it diameter; the ratio of a circle’s area to the square of its radius.   [I lifted these words from Wiki:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi]

I love it because I love PIE and not because I’m a mathematician.

I made a Strawberry one yesterday:

Pie assembly just about to start...

I tossed in a small handful of golden raspberries that I found in the freezer.     They baked away into the gooey mess.

Before going into oven - I 'carved' a few strawberries on the top and wrote '3.14 pi day' but it's hard to read.

I also sprinkled sugar and brushed on some half-n-half on the top to make it pretty-pretty.

Oops - I put my mitted hand into it when the pie attempted to get away from me!

I had pulled the pie out of the oven and placed it on a trivet.   When I attempted to move pie AND trivet to show my guests the lovely hot pie, I turned a bit too quickly and the pie started to scoot off the trivet I was holding.   I had to put my paw right onto the top to slow it’s inevitable crash onto my buffet and into the wall.     Everyone laughs, ha ha.    DARN IT.

It still tasted good.

The hub had cooked a tremendous Irish feast of corned beef, colcannon, baked Irish cod and all the trimmings – so GOOD!   Our complementary beverage was Murphy’s Stout.    The guests brought an Orange Creamsicle Pie which was a very refreshing treat, as well.

Thus concludes our pre-St. Patrick’s Day and PI Day celebration.

People Are Crazy

“God is great, beer is good.   And people are crazy.” I love this song by Billy Currington.   It makes me laugh and it makes me cry;  just like a good country song should.

Nothing to Say and All Day to Say It!

WELL, well well.

Well.

I love this little blog, ya know?    And I kind of like this new quiet over here.  Waxes and wanes, this little obsession and I wonder sometimes if I could seriously put my butt into writing-mode-chair and draft something, anything.

Sure, I could!   I so could.   I’m smart enough, bright enough, not-quite disciplined enough, plenty of TIME enough – but still.   Those funny little naysayers that sit in the balconies of my most personal thought spaces pop up and yell – or maybe they whisper?

The blue words will now be those awful voices…

“Ya know, very few published fiction writers actually make enough money to live on.”

“Yea right, you gotta be open to CRITICISM.  You hate criticism, no – you actually LOVE criticism and eat it for breakfast as justification for your sorry sad do-nothing life.   Your thrive on being sad and lonely and misunderstood and

UNWORTHY.   Bring it on.”

“Ya know, discipline is hard.”

“Ya know, plenty of good writers can’t even get their stories published!!!!!!”

“You know that you don’t have any idea how to craft a friggin’ story?  OH yea, you’re real good at spitting out crappy blog posts of random nothingness but you know nothin’.”

Yes, but, I could be the next great thing!   Couldn’t I?    Just because yesterday didn’t happen for me, maybe tomorrow is MY TIME.    Gotta just keep puttin’ it out there.

“Yea right.   and then some day, you get famous and they find this blog.  ha!   You’ll be ridiculed beyond ridiculedness.  ridiculous. How do you spell that, anyway?   How come I never put those two words together before?  Huh.“

Isn’t my brain a fun place to be?   Golly gee graciousness.    I need another beer.

Hey – have you ever noticed that when you do spell check in wordpress, that the system doesn’t like the word ‘blog’?   WTF?

Dear Potential New-to-Me Doctor,

Dear Potential New-to-Me Doctor,

I found you in the list of doctors that accept my insurance.   I liked your name and the fact that you are close to my age and have been an official doctor for almost 20 years.     What else do I have to go on?!     They should make you list favorite color, astrological sign and if you prefer pie or cake.

I am writing to you because I have made an appointment and wanted to save the who/what/where/blahblahblahs so we may have a productive meeting.   I have no physical complaints to present to you and I hope not to have any in the near future.

Also, I’m curious if you will respond.   Knowing you are busy and my letter to you a bit unorthodox in the ‘Choosing-A-Doctor’ process, I wonder if you will write me back.   I’m enclosing a SASE to make it a bit easier.

I’m giving you the opportunity to NOT ACCEPT me as a new patient if you decide I’m not someone you want to know.

Let’s start, shall we?     I have no kids – never quite got around to it and have since decided that our family of wife plus husband plus adorable dog is just fine.     I work out occasionally, would love to lose 5-10 pounds but don’t really care, I try to eat right, I admit to smoking cigarettes on occasion but can easily go weeks or months without one, and I partake more beer and wine than is recommended.    I’ve just started yoga and I’m liking it way more than I expected to.    Over all, life is really great and I have no complaints.     Other than my hypothyroidic condition and nasty cold sores on my upper lip every so often, I’ve got nothing wrong with me that I know about.

I love to read – do you?    What’s your favorite book?    I am recommending The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, especially if you love dogs.    Do you like dogs?     It was just a wonderful read.     I’ve set a goal to read 100 books this year and not sure I’ll make it but I’m reading quite a variety – it’s fun.      I work as a substitute teacher because I love the flexibility and because it gives me something to say when people ask me what I do.     I also volunteer at the nursing home and do free tutoring through the library for math, language and computers.

So, is this enough?   Would you like me as a patient?   If not, please save us both the time and effort and send this back with a big red line thru it.     Or fill out my little survey.     Click the appropriate circle:

O   –    Yes, would love to have you as a new patient.    I will remind myself to read this again as your appointment nears.

O   -     No, you sound really weird.     Find somebody else.

O  –      I’m passing this around the office and we’re all getting a good laugh.

O  -     Do you have no idea how busy I am?!   I’m an extremely important health professional and I do not have the time to be writing patients or filling out silly forms.   I’ll just hand this to some poor sap in the office and see if they will fill it out.

Thank you for your being open to my process of finding a good doctor.  I would love to know more about you and your philosophies of patient care and personal health and well-being.      Do you think you would be a good doctor for me?

Sincerely,

CuriousC

Got the Time?

I’m Sorry, People! NOT that I need to apologize but I feel bad.   I have been fighting my PC once again – it’s just as annoying to read another post like that as it is for me to fight it, I’m sure.   But that is why I’m not blogging much.  and visiting you all.   I can’t seem to get any webpages to load.   I thought Firefox would fix this.    SO, I’m having technical difficulties.      BORING! Moonbeam gives warning for posts that might be depressing, maybe I should have a boring rating…      I’m just so terribly annoyed with sitting here WAITING…

Let’s try to think up something fun, shall we?

Yesterday, I was supposed to take my hub’s watch in to the jewelry store to see if they could fix it.   It doesn’t have a battery so that’s not what is needed, but anyway.    I THOUGHT I had put it in my pocket but when I got out of my car, the watch wasn’t there.   I searched the car but no watch.   OH NO!   Did it fall out while I was at the bank?   darn it!  WHAT TO DO.

Well, I thought I would just go on in and see if I could price a new watch.      Of course, the first question was “What price range are you thinking?”     I don’t know, try me.    “Some excellent watches can be had for $2000.”

After he picks me up from the floor, I told him to drop a zero.

I am not into the fancy watch thing.   Certainly, my husband isn’t, either.    I thought ROLEX was the big name but the sales guy mentioned quite a few I had never heard of and I had no idea Omega was such a ritzy brand.

Anyway, I went ahead and bought a Tissot Swiss something-or-other and it will be his ANNIVERSARY gift, his Christmas present and next year’s birthday gift as well!    SHHHEEEESH!   Who spends five figures on a watch?   not me.

Happy 20th Babe.     It’s pizza and beer at home tonight (so I can save up to pay for that damn watch.)

More Reflections

The last post got me tripping through that calendar…   imagine that Hollywood technique of the pages of an actual calendar as they start flipping and we are whisked away into the past.   

Except.  I’m not sure where I was going with that.   Did you really imagine it, though?    Can anyone name a movie where they do that?    the spinning newspaper is another trick to transport one into the past.   I’m thinking It’s a Wonderful Life, but I could be wrong.  

Reflections.   I’m here to give you some more reflections and I always think of memories when I consider the WRITTEN word of ‘reflection’.   Contemplation, mind-wanderings.   I’m really good at those. 

I’ve had ever so good of a day.   I didn’t have internet connection – the rain and my DSL don’t get along.  Plus I had some errands to run.    I’m the honey-doer around this house.   It’s part of my ‘paid’ position to be hub’s assistant.   And believe you me;  I know how to pour on the honey around here.  heehehehehe.

(yes.   I’ve had one two glasses of wine.)   

Last Saturday was supposed to be a trip to the beach.   Please don’t even get me started.  I could allow myself a whole big stupid pity party on that, but I’m a big girl and I choose my battles.   SO, I went fishing with the Hub instead.   We really did have a truly lovely love-filled day and it was all goody goody.  I read (and laughed out loud A LOT) to the book I was reading:  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz.   Oscar (Oscar my dog NOT the book Oscar!!!!!)   was a little strung out and sleepy due to a hornet sting (we gave him a Benadryl) and Hub caught a bass or two.  I lost count. 

I took a photo of my reflection on the water!!!!

  Man,  do I look hippppy?

(what is really  scary, is that I did take a photo of me in my bikini but don’t have the guts to show it to you.)

and here’s a reflection of clouds on the water – is not the New England sky just Blue Blue Blue?

  Maybe it’s the white whiteness of the clouds for contrast?

and I have to show you my dear pup O Pup!   He’s my baby…

and where I sit when Hub is fishing and I’m doing my reading?  (notice the can of Coors Light…)

  I angled the viewfinder like that on purpose.    Not sure why exactly, but I’m sure I thought it would be ‘artfull’…    Sometimes, the Hub (Captain) allows me to bring my sun umbrella on board which I have no doubt makes him the laughing stock of the other fishingmen – but I am ALSO of no doubt that they are just jealous that they don’t have wives that go fishing with them and look so HOT in their bikinis.   or, maybe not.   THAT is truly what is great about hitting 40 finally – I just don’t care.  nor does Hub.  Point was is, I didn’t bring my umbrella this trip – I wanted some sun.  (no, not the point at all:  HOT is in the eye of the husband of the bikini wearer and so he tells me – he’s a dearie, this one.  I’m keeping him.)

oh,

of course, that begs the …

ah shit.  I can always delete it out later if I sense you laughing, right?

Here it is then:    I warned you.   I mean, I’m hot(-per-Hub’s opinion) but I am still normal.  or not surgically altered nor is this picture airbrushed up.  {snort!   what an ego!?}

oh f&*%k.  sorry.  I don’t have the guts to post it!   I guess I do care.  whatever.      (bare with me as I argue with myself to go drink some water and then post the pic or not…. or have a beer.   and/or post or not)

Then again…  those asshole fisherdudes who were (I imagine) laughing at my husband cuz he has to go fishing with ‘the wife’ (me) reading on the back of the boat.   in my bikini.     they got to see me – why not YOU!?

.

.

.

  oops – this is a reflection of a dead tree branch over the greenish water.    I took a lot more pics of the water lilies…    

and here is another of Oscar with me and my new cool reading glasses that are also sunglasses.   LOVE EM!   (all of you who haven’t had your eyesight change as you get older – yet?  a pox on you all.   I so hate that my eyes don’t work anymore – I didn’t need glasses until I was brave enough to wear a bikini.)

and finally.

with thoughts that I will likely delete it out in the morning….

here:

 

 

and I’m off to go drink some WATER and go to bed.

g’night.

(this photo really makes me laugh…)

* The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.   Very Good.    I had my worries that I wasn’t going to ‘get it’ until I made it to about page 75 and it just got better and better and better and better.   It’s one of those books that almost inspires you to read all the references to other books (there are more than plenty) but honestly, I doubt I will.   Which is sad, I suppose.   I am inspired to learn more Spanish and I am very VERY glad I had at least a working nerdy knowledge of LOTR.   If you do not have a working nerdy knowledge of LOTR – skip this book.    and that is self-explanatory.   Wait a darn minute.  I somehow don’t think that is accurate.   The self part of that last sentence might make it all moot.   I mean, if it was self-explanatory, you would know what LOTR means and thus you would ‘get’ it, but if you DON’T know what LOTR means….   have I thoroughly effed this up!?   Have you read it?!

Summer Solstice

Did you frolic naked in the dew of the Summer Solstice?   (If your lawn still has some morning dew – go get out there!)

I only kicked off my slippers and wandered around my front yard this morning as the Hub hooked up the boat and got ready to go chase a few largemouth bass.    So my feet should be soft and lovely.   (I have a pedicure scheduled anyway.)

(Read Author’s awesome post about Summer Solstice here.)

♦

On other notes…   I have over 350 posts to read in my Google Reader Feed.   ugh.   I’ll try to get through them today!   Most are book reviews so they go quite fast – read the post title, don’t care, click off, next!  

♦

I so love weekends with ZERO plans!    Of course, I still have laundry, grocery-shopping, dog food prep (I package my pup’s meals into individual containers – a story for some-day-not-today.)   

Hopefully some movies will get watched (my Netflix in-house movies are Stardust, The Kingdom and Elizabeth II) and I’m sure I’ll be able to read some of my book.    So nice…

Have a great day!   Blog at ya later, C 

Happy St. Pat’s!

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

To celebrate this craziness, I offer you a glimpse of Wilhelmina O’ Hannigan in all her holiday finery.   (Yes, she seems to be a Red Sox fan…)

 And, also, to recommend a favorite libation:  The Black & Tan.  

A few of my favorite beers are Bass, Harp, and Guinness.    Though it’s undocumented, my Hub has some Irish blood in his veins.  I base this purely on how his mother looks and how she can behave (which is probably extremely politically incorrect) but I KNOW she is Irish!     She was adopted and has zero papers nor leads on where she came from.   She only knows her mother’s name was Mary.   

Back to the beer:    According to this website that I found when I googled ‘How To Pour a Black & Tan’, there is no definitive correct interpretation of what beer is required to make a true Black and Tan, so feel free to use Bass or Harp or Smithwick as your ‘first’ beer.

This source claims that the Bass/Guiness combo is referred to as Black & Tan, and a Harp/Guinness combo is called a Half & Half.     As long as you use a pale ale and then a dark stout…    Wikipedia gives a very good description of the history of this drink and other stuff… 

I will quote the Wikipedia HOWTO here:

“To prepare a Black and Tan in the American way, first fill a glass halfway with the ale, then add the Guinness Draught (from the can, bottle, or tap). The top layer is best poured slowly over an upside-down tablespoon placed over the glass to avoid splashing and mixing the layers. A specially designed black-and-tan spoon is bent in the middle so that it can balance on the edge of the pint-glass for easier pouring.”

Please enjoy your beer responsibly and have a great day.  

Winter Doldrums, Upcoming Travels

I leave this weekend for Kansas.    A lovely state, really, with much to offer.   Yes, there are many flat parts.   There are also some lovely hilly rolling terrain parts.

I think what makes the flat parts feel so especially flat are the endless fields.  and NO TREES.    Oh, Kansas has trees.   Just not the kind that hide roads and Walmarts.   For THOSE kinds of trees, we enjoy New England.    You can’t see anything from the highways around here…

It’s cold and damp in my part of New England.   Dreary, gray, and depressing.    [and no, I'm not hungover.  I didn't drink THAT many beers during Project Runway last night!   It's just that I'm really focusing on cutting down, doing pretty good at that goal, and now I'm turning into a lightweight.    So when Hub is OOT, well...   one too many perhaps.   But I'm home, not out driving anywhere, and taking in lots of clean cold water, as well.   In fact, I'm proud to announce that I jumped on the treadmill ~ 7 am this morning and went 2.5 mile.   so there.]

 We fly out tomorrow and have one stop in a part of the country that had airports closed on Wednesday due to snow.   I’m thinking it will all be worked out by Friday.  Hope.

Then, later this month, Hub and I ‘take a HOLIDAY’!   I’m very excited to show off my somewhat svelter bod to the lads of Central America;  we’re going to Costa Rica and will be zip-lining, sport fishing, jungle touring, etc.    SUN!    WARMTH!    It’ll be a good time.   [woo hoo!  I only lost 1 pound in January but I lost an inch around my hips, waist, thighs!??!   whatever, it's cool.  or I don't know how to measure.  snort.]

After that?    I want to visit my Mother-In-Law.   and she wants me to visit her so I can help them go through years and years and boxes and boxes of crap.   They are moving from the farm to a smaller dwelling and….  omg.   It ain’t gonna be pretty.    I won’t be much help – I will be wanting to hear every story and probably squeal with delight at the treasures!     I can only imagine the decades of vintage sewing patterns AND FABRICS that she has stored away!    She calls it her ‘fibbermcgee’ closet.   I really don’t know what that means but I do know it has 40+ years of collections!  

I so bet that they will end up throwing things away that the ebay world love to get their hands on.    They are planning an auction, but still….       What treasures will be tossed into the smelly rubbish container that is soon to sit in the driveway?   It’s best I not think about it.  It’s not that I want any of this junk treasure…   I hope we get back for the auction only to show support, if nothing else.    I think it’s scary for my in-laws.  I know it.

And we have babies due to be born in March!   (no, not me.)  and we have… relatives in Colorado we should visit…   and my wonderful great aunt in Florida would love to have me come see her (and bring her beer – she’s so fun!)

Crap.   I need an income.   Such a drag.

Project Runway – Lady Wrestlers!

OK – I soooo picked the winning tiers and the losing tiers tonight!   Hub is OOT  (Out of Town) and I had a beer.   a FEW beer(S).

And was so wise to remember that it was, again, a Project Runway night!   I did NOT remember that Wednesday is my day to water the houseplants, however.  oh well.

SO….    I loved Jillian’s!   Loved the Royal Blue!   LOVED the sportiness of it!   and agreed with the winning design for Chris.   Based on how much it fit not just physically but in style, too, and how much it was loved by the lady that was the inspiration.

I was worried about Sweet P.   and then….   NOT.   A gal with tattoos?!  not loving and embracing this challenge?!   Why that blows all preconceived notions about gals with tattoos enjoying a little wild-side.   Doesn’t IT!?!!?!!    This should have NOT been the stress test that she made it out to be.

                         [I'm sorry....  too many punctuations?]

SO….  again.   SO….   this is the beer talking…

Which, btw, I’m currently in love with Sam Adams WHITE, which requires a slice of lemon.  In a frosty mug.    AND also Guinness Extra Stout – low calories and yummy!

Where was I?   Drunken reviews of Project Runway, oh yes.

Rami’s pink disaster.  ugh.    If you didn’t know before, you could have picked it was his.

AND?!   How cute were the guest judges?  (Maybe ‘cute’ isn’t the correct word here…)    Another terrific reminder that success and what you really want to do is not at all worthy of considering what other’s think of you.  And I mean that in a good way.   Glitter!  Makes me smile.

Well.   That about covers this episode.

G’nite.