The theme this week is Traditions!     Click here for all the Photo Friday details:  Photo Friday

One tradition we have is to eat lobster on the 4th of July.

 I took this photo in 2005 and had to cut/paste from my online photo storage account and thus it takes a few steps to re-create back into a *.jpg file.    Or maybe I don’t know a better way, but anyway, it’s pixelliness is somewhat distorted but not unpleasantly, imo.

This next photo is me in my traditional lobster dress.  

I have lobster flipflops from LL Bean to match.   Oscar is just a baby here.  The setting is a lake in Maine.  We’ve been able to spend this holiday here since we moved to New England.   It’s lovely as lovely can be.

A few fun family photos more…   Enjoy.

 Of course, PIE!!   Though I used my lobster cookie cutter to decorate the crust, it only has rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and typical pie ingredients.   No crustaceans were harmed in the baking of this pastry.

 Oscar is all about the swimming and retrieving sticks.

 It is idyllic.

  The Hub!   This was last year.

  Me and a lobster friend…  I think this is 2006.

Happy US Independence Day!   

Tagged for some memes!  so fun…   However, my PC is fighting me today.    Here goes:

FIRST
The Google Image Meme.   I was tagged by Wearing Stilettos and Living on a Farm, click here to see her awesome collection of …. shoes!  NO, that’s a few days back - but still fun.   Click here for the meme.

I only made it to this shot.      Which is what popped up when I entered the number of how old young I will be on my next birthday.   It’s likely a random sequential number assigned to the title of the pic and not anything really to do with how many years I have traveled around the sun.   “A Woman Who Will Tell Her Age Will Tell Anything.”   I’ve never quite understood that quote.  So what?

The pic represents my mood today, though.   I’m mad at my computer.  ARRRRgggghhHHHH.

SECOND
The Love of Your Life Meme. aka THE HOT SEAT.  I wasn’t specifically tagged, but JavaQueen played and invited anyone and all.  HOWEVER.   If I’m still fighting the slowness and uncooperative nature of this electronic beast, I won’t be adding all those links.   Sorry for the loss of link love.   I will try to visit them all tho, just to be nice?

Are you deeply in love with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend? If you are, let’s try how well you remember the moments of your life with him. But before you put yourself in the hot seat please read the rules of this tag first.

1. This tag should be passed on to your friends.
2. Visit the blog of the person you’ve got this tag.
3. Leave a comment on her/his tag post. Be sure to thank her/him for this tag.
4. Highlight and link all the list of people who accepted this tag by visiting their blog site.
5. There are 10 questions that you need to answer but you will be the one to write the 10th question for the next person you want to pass this tag. Here are the questions. Be honest with your answers.

Let’s Start:

1. How did you meet your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend?
I met my Hub in a class in college.  We had the same major.

2. Where did you go on your first date?
Our first date was a dinner at his house.  He had two friends, one being his roommate, who were treating the girlfriends to a lovely spaghetti dinner.   Since my Hub didn’t exactly have a girlfriend, he asked me.   In fact, I can remember clearly that he asked me with these words, “My roommate is having a dinner party and they are making me bring a date.   What are you doing Friday night?”

3. When was your first intimate kiss?
Define ‘intimate’.   Our very first kiss was later that night?   I drank a lot of red wine.  A lot.   Did I mention that I had a lot of wine that night?   But to answer the question with my thinking that this guy might be special, it was 2 days later.  

4. How many girlfriends/boyfriends he/she had in the past? Do you honestly know?
I honestly don’t know.  or care.     He was my first “true” boyfriend.  

5. What is his/her ethnicity?
Both of us are of German heritage.

6. What is his/her favorite food?
I’m at a loss.    We love food.   Love all of it.   Nothing comes top of mind as a ‘favorite.’   If I start listing, it could get long.

7. What is he/she like if he/she is mad?
I can give the very same answer JavaQueen gave!   “He gets an “irritated look” about him. He doesn’t say much, and when I ask what’s the matter, he starts to bitch about it. He is RARELY moody, so I allow him his moments…”

8. What are the things he/she did you thought is the most romantic thing he’d/she’d ever done?
My man is amazingly sensitive and charming.    We hadn’t been dating very long (3 weeks maybe?) when he sent me a poem/present through some crazy college Greek fundraiser where they would deliver a gift for Halloween.   His poem said, “Pumpkins are orange, cats are black.  At Halloween, strange things are known to attract.”   I as smitten, let me tell you! 

9. Describe how he/you proposed to you.
I’d rather not.   Let me just say that I’ve never told my mother.  Of course, if I can’t tell it on an anonymous blog, who can I tell?   and that’s what is so weird about the silly “blug” (as the Hub calls it.)  I feel like you guys KNOW me and I don’t want to appear strange!    Ok, we had just had a very lovely intimate moment (we were naked) when he exclaimed without really thinking about it, “will you marry me?!?!?!”  and I giggled in joy, “oh yes!!!!”     It was 8 weeks to the day after that spaghetti dinner.    We married one year later and we’ve been hitched almost 20 years. (It’s amazing how easy it is to deflect that question at innocent social gatherings…)

10. What has been the biggest surprise about your signifigant other since you’ve been together?

We now live in our 7th house and this is the first one he’s given a rat’s ass about how the lawn looks.  WTF?   What. ever.   But to be serious and mushy, he promised me over 20 years ago: NEVER A DULL MOMENT, and it’s been an awesome loving ride. It’s our theme slogan. Oh, and that scene with Demi Moore where she is a blonde - can’t remember the name of the movie… where she talks about love and falling stars and how your lover/spouse is… “YOUR SPLIT-APART BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.” That describes us, too.

♥

Though I KNOW my blogging addiction will bring me by here during the weekend, I’ve signed up on my other blog to be a cheerleader for the Read-A-Thon that is going on in the book-blog-osphere starting at Noon EST today.

Yep, I have MBPS.         Sure, it’s time consuming but I think I’m benefitting the world in some small cheerful way, I’ve just gotta be!

(If you must know what the other blog is, I challenge you to be creative in finding out.   It really isn’t too tough…   a few choice words in the main WP search box will bring you right to it, probably….)

I have some 70 book blogs to visit in the next 24 hours!     I would have signed up for the reading part but I was doubtful that I would be able to just stick to reading!    If I combined it with blogging, I would end up reading everyone else’s post and POOF!  the 24 hours would be over and I would have read 10 pages of my book.

So, I’ll visit you all on Monday!  or before.  who knows!  ha.

For more Info and to see the list of other participants, pls click here.

The theme this week is supposed to be Sunrise And Sunset  but since the sun gets up way earlier than I do (and I was up by 5:25 am today), I am going to present my latest sunset pictures.    Hub and I were fishing in Buzzards Bay, having launched from Pocasset, Cape Cod, MA.   We hired a guy and his not-too-big skiff to take us chasing the Stripers.    This was sort of a Father’s Day present for the Hub;  he had a good time.   I tried to keep the camera level but it was quite windy.

Next week, the July 4th Photo Friday is to be TRADITIONS.  Share yours!

I have a thing for the alphabet.  

I am grateful for:

A - Apples and Angels

B - Beauty in the world:  butterflies, buttercups, bluebirds

C - Cake, courtesy

D - DOGs

E - Elephants

F - Flowers

G - Giraffes and the flavor Ginger

H - my House

I - imagination

J - cranberry JUICE

K - kindness and Krispy Kreme donuts (and the fact that I don’t even think I can buy them around where I live, whew!)

L - LOBSTAH!

M - my mother

N - nickels?

O - oranges

P - purple flowers

Q - the word queue (I think it is a cool word…)

R - Rachel

S - sprinkler systems

T - time for travel

U - understanding

V - the word VERY

W - whispers in the dark

X - ugh, I can only think of xylophone

Y - bright YELLOW colored…  FLOWERS

Z - my Zany Zazzler highlighter collection.

Gotta do this as fast as possible so you don’t think too hard!   Happy Thursday… “C”

I could choose this Windows Internet Explorer Error as my Six Word Meme!  I get this error a lot.  But not consistently, so I’m not sure of any pattern…

“Out of memory at line: 1″

It’s six words! Can I use this?   ha…  

Yippee!  I’ve been tagged for a meme.   Not just any meme - that extremely difficult SIX WORD meme that has been going around.    Thanks Annie aka Writer Chick (click here for her wonderful blog and her meme post.)

This one is difficult.   I’ve done it once already but it was awhile ago so I’m going to give my brain a chance to construct a new one, more relevant to this mid-2008 time in my life…    Here we go - by the way, I consider myself extremely well-skilled at brainstorming.   

Loving Life But Scared to Live

Why Must I Always Add ‘But…”   ?

Life is Grand, My Miniscule World

Caring and Committed, Courageous and Consistent  (the first line to an affirmation I wrote 10 years ago!)

Yea, But…  I Always Have Excuses

Easy Choice Generation, Difficult to Choose

Can’t Make It, Sure Can Spend!

Hanging Around, Enjoying Life, Waiting, Watching.

Lots To-Do, No Motivation to Start.   (I cheated and made “to do” one word?!)

All I do:  Blog, Read, Laundry  (not really, I could keep adding a ton more words.   Hey, maybe I do more than I think.   figures…)

Great Ideas!  So Why Not Jump?

Ah, I see a negative attitude pattern.   Looks to me like I need to challenge myself to think a little more positively, to dare to reach out and DO something.    SO.   That said, this post about to be published, I’m off to start my day.   I have to do a little dog maintenance, a little self-beauty maintenancy (you know, get presentable) and then visit the Rehab Hospital.   I also have to pick up dog food, take Oscar for a few hours of playing with his friends, and buy vitamins.    I also have my English-Improvement Tutoring late this afternoon which I’m enjoying quite a bit.     I suppose I should develop a few more hand outs for my Elderly Computer Training Course which is first thing Thursday and work up a questionaire for the dude who wants to hire me.  (ugh)     I also want to investigate Firefox more and actually attempt the download.    and, of course, I have blogs to visit, my other blog to post on/at, those blog buds to vist, and pay bills.    So let’s attempt a twist to that last Six Word Meme Result:

Great Ideas and I’m Jumping NOW.

XOXO,  CuriousC

“Far away there in the sunshine are more highest aspirations.   I may not reach them, but I can look up at them, see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.”

-Louisa May Alcott

I am very content to play and piddle with my wordpress.com blog and don’t go too much for all that fancy plug-in stuff.    I’m seeing quite a few blog-buddies ‘upgrade’;  I’m assuming to wordpress.org?  am I right?  and I’m curious as to why?   I thought the only reason was to include advertising?   I’m wrong, aren’t I?

I love the personalities of these bloggers (you know who you are) and I don’t mind having to sign in every time I leave a comment.  You are worth it to me.   

I suppose that might beg the question why I don’t have auto-form-fillers or some such and the answer to that is ‘I don’t know.’    I recently changed the security system on my PC and I can’t get the form filler to work even though everything tells me it is setup for it.    I have yet to punch numbers on the phone (do we still say ‘dial’?) to call support and see what’s up but I did notice that this security suite of products is only to be used with Microsoft IE.  

So, that puts off my decision to investigate FireFox.  

Am I in the dark ages?    Do I need to take a class in…   what, exactly?

Then, yesterday, I met a very nice man who requested some PC help through our library’s tutoring program.   He wanted an overview of WordPress which is why they asked if I could help him.  They know I am a bit enthusiastic about all this blogging nonsense so the match was made.

However, he has it all setup with wordpress.org and I haven’t a clue how to help him.     He really doesn’t want help - he wants to HIRE someone to do it.      Should I have him buy the WordPress for Dummies book for himself or make him buy it for me?    Would you recommend this book?     I’m afraid he might have to buy me a whole new upgraded all-the-bells-and-whistles latest COMPUTER, too.     Now, that  might make it appealing…   

Swiped from Joan Harvest!    These are all movies I’ve seen quite recently.   Last Sunday was an unplanned movie marathon.

1.  One movie that made you laugh:

Thank You For Smoking  starring Aaron Eckhart - it was much better than I thought it would be!   Plus, it features Maria Bello - one of my fave actresses.   (Payback, anyone?!)

2.  One movie that made you cry:

Pride and Prejudice  with Keira Knightley.   I didn’t think I was a Jane Austen softie, but maybe I am…   However, I wasn’t all that impressed with the actor who played Mr. Darcy.   

For an obscure but wonderful movie that ALWAYS makes me cry and you’ve probably NEVER heard of is The Nephew.   It’s set in Ireland - lovely scenery, great story, I cry every time and recommend this to everyone.

3.  One movie you loved when you were a child:
Escape from Witch Mountain?  All those Kurt Russell movies when he was really young?    I remember the very first ‘adult’ movie I saw was Smokey and the Bandit.    Then I saw Rocky - what a thrilling experience THAT was to see in the theatre!

4.  One movie you’ve seen more than once:

Gladiator comes to mind as one that I’ve seen more times than I care to count.   But using the guide of recently viewed movies, I would have to say Legally Blonde.   Reese Witherspoon reminds me of a good friend from college who I am no longer in contact with which makes me a bit sad…  But then, some friendships are for seasons, some for lifetimes.   She was just a season that ended in cold hard winter.   Oh well.

5.  One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:

I can’t think of any!   (Pride and Prejudice?   Legally Blonde?)

6.  One movie you hated:

Something About Mary.     I can’t help it:   I cannot stand Ben Stiller.   Something about that innocent clumsy idiot persona that grates on me.   But, I’m not one of those people who won’t go see a movie just because I don’t like the actor(s).   My favorite Ben Stiller movie is Dodgeball because I do have a hot love for Vince Vaughn.   Go figure.    

7.  One movie that scared you:

I do not watch “scary” movies.   Unless they are more cerebral than slasher/gore/horror.    OK, here’s the scariest movie I saw lately:     In the Valley of Elah.   War sucks.     and to reinforce, that drugs suck, too. go see:   Requiem for a Dream

8.  One movie that bored you:

Frantic with Harrison Ford.   ZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

9.  One movie that made you happy:

Stardust!     so cute!!  Almost as good as the Princess Bride.  (Hub says no way - Princess Bride MUCH better.)

10.  One movie that made you miserable:    See answers to #7.

11.  One movie you weren’t brave enough to see:
I still haven’t seen any of the 9/11 movies;  I even OWN them and I have yet to watch them.

12.  One movie character you’ve fallen in love with:

Sir Walter Raleigh in Elizabeth:  The Golden Age or Tristan in Stardust or Emmit (Luke Wilson) in Legally Blonde…   Or the John Cusack character in Must Love Dogs,  I could go on and on.

13.  The last movie you saw:  Stardust!   Last night.    It was storming and we have DirecTV so the feed was breaking up - only thing to do is put in a movie…    Must Love Dogs was on TV right before that so it was breaking up and we only saw pieces/parts.

14.  The next movie I hope to see:   

Iron Man!  at the cinema even!     Hopefully, this week (tomorrow?)

I chased the dog around the yard the other day with a camera.    Enjoy.

 Oscar de la Hunta

 Oscar is a 3 year old Griff.   I don’t think I realized what setting my camera is on.   Apparently, it was not the AUTO setting;  these all look a bit grainy.

 Oscar!  Look at me!  (notice cairn in background)

  “Griff” is short for WireHaired Pointing Griffon.   We had never heard of it, either.   This breed was recommended to us by one of those online “Find which breed is perfect for your family” surveys.   I think it was AnimalPlanet.com.

  The newer Cairn.

  Oscar and my feet (pre-pedicure.)

 The iris.

  For Moonbeam.