Don't let the sun go down on me...

I don't know about you, but I'm all set with the sun setting at 4pm.
It's exhausting! I walk out the door at the end of the day and even if I wasn't tired before I get into my car, I am the minute I sit down. It's too early to be pitch black!

What if we didn't turn the clock back? Wouldn't the sun naturally rise earlier and set later?
Couldn't we just leave things alone?
Wouldn't that be organic, in the truest sense?
Just throwing it out there....

Please don't go...don't go... I'm begging you to stay...

I am trying really hard to disregard the news that three teams are interested in bringing Jason on as a mentor.

Why can't he stay here and mentor?!?!
(Yes, I'll admit that there is a slight whine in that statement.)

He hasn't even made it to my store yet! Surely he drinks wine now and again.... he can't leave Boston without making a stop there... can he?

No, of course not.
I just refuse to believe that he's going to leave.
Refuse.
(Slight stomp of the foot. Okay, maybe a slight hair toss too.)

Food is the key to happiness...

So, I'm already on a quest to finalize my Christmas dinner menu.
I want to do Turducken - it was delicious a few years ago.
But I may do goose instead. And of course, ham - you know I'm all about the double main course.

I love my goose recipe. It's never greasy - and it's an Emeril Lagasse recipe which I've made twice now, so it's technically "tried and true". It's definitely not a simple recipe, but mostly because of the time that goes into making the glaze which is done the night prior. And it's so worth the work....

I typically make a soup each year, and the last time I made goose - I also made an artichoke soup which was fabulous; but I'm wondering if I shouldn't make something else. It's not that anyone would remember, or even care - it's just that I like to try new and challenging things. So, if anyone has a suggestion, don't hesitate to share - I'm all ears.

Ham. Goose. Soup du Jour. Stuffed peppers. Pasta (of some sort, always a last minute thought - maybe raviolis in a pumpkin creme sauce? Oh yes, the idea has been born!!), Salad, and so much more....menu to be announced when finalized, natch.

Did I mention that I definitely need a double oven in my new house, when the time comes?
Yes. Yes, I do.

Freedom has a taste to those who fight and almost die, that the protected will never know.

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stewart Mill--

Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
--Winston Churchill--

Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war.
--Thucydides--

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
--George Orwell--

Freedom isn't free.
--Anonymous--

Thanksgiving comes first...(formerly "You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch"...)

I'm all about Christmas, but....
I just drove home and saw a house with Christmas lights on it!

I'm sorry...
but this is far too early.
That's just craziness!
******************
To further expound upon my post from yesterday, Suldog wrote a post in October that I'm going to piggy back upon today in this post scripted post.

As kids growing up, there was a transition to the Christmas season that we all anxiously looked forward to -- and it came after Thanksgiving. I remember a day when the radio stations didn't play Christmas songs until two weeks before Christmas, and at they were intermingled with regular music at that. Not now... now, stations play them as early as November 1st! What is that all about?

Some retailers have Christmas decor out in July! In my opinion, that's obnoxious. I even think November is a bit early, truth be told.

I'm a consumer and a retailer. I prefer to keep the transition magical...the lights on my house come on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, as does my house decorating. In my shop, the Sunday morning before we open becomes the transition point from Autumn to Holiday - and it's nothing short of spectacular when you walk in.

Personally, I find if you change too quickly - the magic is lost. If Christmas is abundant in July - or even October - you're almost bored of it all by December. What fun is it at that point? There is nothing special about it at that point.

And what of Thanksgiving? Sure - it's not a commercialized, money guzzling holiday so it doesn't get the love from most retailers as it deserves - and that's unfortunate. But that isn't what Thanksgiving is about....nor should Christmas be, but yet there we are.

There can be too much of a good thing. Too much chocolate makes you ill; too much Christmas makes us jaded. Just as we should embrace aging with grace, we should celebrate the holidays as they appear on the calendar.... and congregate and enjoy in the feast of Thanksgiving.

Get into the groove....

Today was my first day back to yoga.
I know, I know....I said I was going to do it last week - but truthfully, the cold came on too quickly -- but fortunately left just as quick, so today was day one.

My God how I've missed it.

What I did notice, however...is that while taking two months off isn't a horrifically long time - I didn't bounce back so strongly as I usually do. A few Warrior Two's and my quads were singing to me. Singing...! What's that all about? Could it be that turning the "big 4-0" makes that much of a difference? I defy the aging process... defy it I say.

Well, that's not entirely true. I'm all about aging gracefully, and embracing who we are naturally. But that's on a purely superficial level. That doesn't mean when it comes to my physical abilities I'm going to lay down and wither away. Au contraire mon frere. As a matter of fact, I was so irritated with my legs burning that I was determined to run three miles when I got home.

However, I opted to have a glass of wine and blog instead. We'll save that run for another night.
But I will do it. And it will be this week.

This girl swears on it.

I'm ENTJ....what are you?

Meyer's Briggs Personality Test

Your Type is:
ENTJ
Extraverted Intuitive Thinking Judging

You are:
slightly expressed extravert; distinctively expressed intuitive personality;slightly expressed thinking personality;very expressed judging personality

Of the four aspects of strategic analysis and definition it is the marshaling or situational organizing role that reaches the highest development in the Fieldmarshal. As this kind of role is practiced some contingency organizing is necessary, so that the second suit of the Fieldmarshal's intellect is devising contingency plans. Structural and functional engineering, though practiced in some degree in the course of organizational operations, tend to be not nearly as well developed and are soon outstripped by the rapidly growing skills in organizing. But it must be said that any kind of strategic exercise tends to bring added strength to engineering as well as organizing skills.

Hardly more than two percent of the total population, Fieldmarshals are bound to lead others, and from an early age they can be observed taking command of groups. In some cases, they simply find themselves in charge of groups, and are mystified as to how this happened. But the reason is that they have a strong natural urge to give structure and direction wherever they are - to harness people in the field and to direct them to achieve distant goals. They resemble Supervisors in their tendency to establish plans for a task, enterprise, or organization, but Fieldmarshals search more for policy and goals than for regulations and procedures.

http://keirsey.com/4temps/fieldmarshal.asp for more on this personality type.

An early request for Christmas....

Dear Santa,
I don't ask for much....truly, I don't.
But please, please, please...let the Red Sox keep Jason on for what will probably be a final year.

Listen...
He's more valueable to us - then to anyone else at this point. He's a leader, a mentor - and if he is our "back up" catcher, then my God - does it get any better than that?!

C'mon.
Give a girl just one last year of Summer time with the Captain.

Fall back, spring ahead...

I don't know about you -but I am really, really happy about turning the clocks back.
Couldn't we all use an extra hour of sleep...?

So, I just got through watching the debut of "Walking Dead" on AMC.
Not so sure what all the hype is about.

Outside of spectacular makeup - the plot seems like it can only go so far... I mean, it's like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on endless loop. There's only so much ammunition in the world available, and where 99% of the population is going to require a bullet to the brain - I'm not so sure our heroes can really survive.

I get this was a comic book....but can it really have a surviviable plot line?
Only time will tell....

Seen it? Thoughts?

Finally..it's Friay!!

Despite my best efforts, the cold won and I couldn't fight it off. The good thing is though - it's just a cold and nothing that seems to be crazy and turn into bronchitis or even worse - pneumonia. So, though I've had a good week -- I'm tired, and happy to be home. Cheap Chinese food for dinner....and though I shouldn't have a glass of wine, I'm going to do it anyway. I deserve it, god damn it.

Speaking of dinner...it's not here yet, and this girl is H-U-N-G-R-Y.

Thoughts for Tuesday....

Conversation between my son and I at the WWE Event:

T: "You suck (wrestler's name), you suck!"

Me: "Ssh, stop - don't be rude. It's not appropriate..."

T: "Mom, I'm at a WWE Event, we're supposed to heckle the bad guy."

Me: "We're right in front of them, it's got to be tough to come out and have people be rude all the time..."

T: "See Mom, this is why you can't come to wrestling shows anymore. It's not real okay...You know that right? Not everything has to be "sunshine and hearts"... you're all about "sunshine and hearts and rainbows". This is wrestling, and he's a bad guy. It doesn't hurt his feelings, I'm supposed to tell him I don't like him....He can handle it - he's an actor."

A scene from Halloween:

And finally...all in a day's work:

Yesterday was G's birthday. The big "40".
What do you get someone who has everything????

Two tickets to the Patriots v. Colts, 25th row on the Patriots sideline, on the 30 yard line (thereabouts, I can't tell exactly which line it's on -but it's somewhere between the 50 yard and goal) and a stadium view room at Patriot's Place. The goal is for him to have a good time with one of his friends, and just relax.

I try to be really creative when I get gifts for him because he's just so difficult; he has everything so it's truly hard to surprise him - esp. since I can't really hide money from him - he's the "money guy". But I think he'll enjoy it.

'tis the season.....

Okay, so a year ago this week - I came down with a cold, and eventually had pneumonia.
But of course, last year I was opening the store and under tremendous stress and pressure so clearly I was worn down which didn't help.

This year though -- what's my excuse?
Because I am once again....coming down with a cold. Sniffles and stuffed, sore neck, dry throat, really tired.
I have three words for you.... and they begin with a WTF.

Tomorrow - back to yoga. Hot soup for lunch. Lots of fruit....
Beacause I refuse to get sick.
REFUSE to.

On this day, I see clearly...everything has come to light

Today, I had my first WWE experience.

Seriously - it was so much fun!!

I never really watched wrestling until my son liked it - and now of course, I enjoy it as well. My son has gone to quite a few matches -but today was the first time that Princess Petunia and I went as well. It was really fun - and it's wild to see everyone up close and in person. If you think they look big on television - you really get the perspective of how large they truly are when you see them. (Of course, sitting in the second row makes it that much easier, but still....)

We all have our "favorites" - and mine has been Edge. It was so fun because he had a match, but then came out again in the end. It wasn't a televised match, just what they call a "house show" - but I don't think that makes much difference outside of less fireworks, drama and maybe shorter matches. It still was with all top performers and just a good time.

It might sound silly - but I have to tell you, if you've never watched, give it a shot.
It's really very fun .

The falling leaves, drift by the window...the autumn leaves of red & gold....

I don't think it gets much better than foliage in New England.

I wish I took photos of my backyard this season because this has been one of the nicest autumn leaf peeping we've had in years. My backyard is about 1/4 acre of uncleared land - and then all conservation woods, and so when I tell you it looks spectacular - I'm not kidding. Every where you look is just gorgeous fiery reds and oranges and golds.

There are often times that I wish I lived in other areas for fleeting moments -- but trust me when I tell you, I wouldn't trade living here for anything in the world.

Tease-y does it!

I ran out quick today and got my nails done.
Typically, I either do French Manicure, or a dark color such as Vampire State Building, Linkin' Park After Dark, Suzi Says Da - really very dark colors. I wish that I could wear bright colors but they just don't look right on me. And typically, I prefer a flat color - I'm not big into glitter.

Well.
Until today....

Though I did pick the most subtle of the Burlesque collection - it's a little glittery. And I love it!

You have to check out the line that OPI put out in honor of my girl Christina's new movie "Burlesque". I almost wish I was a glitter kind of girl because the polishes are so fun! The salon has them painted on nails so you can see what they look like - because how many of us have picked out a color and been like "oh, it looked different in the bottle...."

Crazy, fun glitter polish.
Love it! And you will too. Check it out!

Today's thought brought to us by the letter: "I"

IRRITATED

Main entry: irritate
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: upset, anger

Synonyms: abrade, affront, aggravate, annoy, bother, bug*, burn*, chafe, confuse, distemper, disturb, drive up the wall, enrage, exasperate, fret, gall, get, get on nerves, get under skin, grate, harass, incense, inflame, infuriate, irk, madden, needle, nettle, offend, pain, peeve, pester, pique, provoke, put out, rankle, rasp, rattle, rile, roil, rub the wrong way, ruffle, sour, try, vex
Notes: aggravate means 'to add to' an already troublesome or vexing matter or condition while irritate means 'to vex, annoy, or chafe'

irritate means 'inflame' (originally 'excite, rouse'); aggravate means 'worsen'

She comes from Boston....

You know you're from Boston when.....

You think of Philadelphia as the Midwest.

You think it's your God-given right to cut someone off in traffic.

You think there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R's).

You think three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heatwave.

All your pets are named after Red Sox, Celtics or Bruins.

You refer to 6 inches of snow as a "dusting."

Just hearing the words "New York" puts you in an angry mood.

You don't think you have an attitude.

You always 'bang a left' as soon as the light turns green, and oncoming traffic always expects it.

Everything in town is "a five minute walk."

When out of town, you think the natives of the area are all whacked.

You still can't bear to watch highlights from game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

You have no idea what the word compromise means.

You believe using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.

You don't realize that you walk and talk twice as fast as everyone else.

You're anal, neurotic, pessimistic and stubborn.

You think if someone is nice to you, they must want something or are from out of town.

Your favorite adjective is "wicked."

You think 63 degree ocean water is warm.

You think the Kennedy's are misunderstood.

Weekend Roundup....

Seriously, this weekend went by far too quickly. It's Sunday already and I have yet to have a decent cup of coffee all weekend. Can you imagine? I don't have any Keurig in the house that isn't Mocha Latte - and for instant, I only have Taster's Choice Robust which is not nearly as good as the original. But if that's the worst problem of my weekend, I'm doing okay.

So, nothing new on the house front - we still have yet to find anything. Time is a ticking on the offer we have, otherwise it's rental time. And G flip flops on his thoughts on that - sometimes he figures no biggie - then other days he says "no way." Although....I did get an email from an aquaintance of mine who has a beautiful home on one of my favorite streets in our town - and she's thinking about selling. So we may take a look at the house this week, she's going to get back to me on Monday. She's a realtor herself, so I tend to think that if she didn't already have a place in mind, she wouldn't have raised my hopes and sent the email - right? Her house is actually right next door to a house we looked at three years ago that we really loved - but someone beat us to the offer. So, I'm cautiously - cautiously - optomistic. I'm really hoping to get in and see the inside, though truthfully - even if it needed work, I wouldn't care just to be in that neighborhood.

Today, the kiddies and I are heading to visit cousins who are also our best friends. They have a crazy amount of cats - like 9 or something? So the kids are besides themselves with excitement to see them and play with the little furry felines -- I think that 4 of them are kittens actually. I swear, they aren't crazy - they have a huge house, you'd never know there are that many animals there. Though this girl would not love the cat box situation that must be going on. Ugh, that would be impossible I think. I have two cats and their cat box is enough to keep up with.

I had my 1 year "thank you party" at the store last week - and we had a fantastic turnout. I was beyond touched at the response because there were many different fundraisers going on that night, so to have such a strong turnout at my little store - was great! We got some really nice publicity out of it and everyone had a great time. It was a nice little glow to end the week on - though I was crazy tired on Friday, I'm not going to lie.

And on that note, this girl is off to go enjoy the rest of the day! Because it's back to the grind tomorrow....

Hats of to my girl Christina....

For writing lyrics that I wish I had written - but not only did she write them well, she sings them perfectly.

Sorry you can't define me...
Sorry I break the mold.
Sorry that I speak my mind ...
Sorry - don't do what I'm told.
Sorry if I don't fake it...
Sorry I come too real
I will never hide what I really feel.

How's about a little blog fun?

Your Taste in Music Says You're Philosophical

Your musical tastes are reflective and complex. You are intellectual to the point of being cerebral. You are very open to new experiences, and even more open to new ideas and theories. Wisdom and personal accomplishment are important to you. You are naturally sophisticated. You are drawn to art, especially art by independent artists. You are likely to be financially well off... and not because you were born that way.

What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?

You Are Italian

Ah, you are a true romantic. You enjoy all of the sensual pleasures in love - delicious food, soul stirring music, a beautiful sunset... And you always seem to be able to find the words to describe each experience perfectly. You are a charming and seductive person. You just have that certain something that draws people to you. You are passionate about words. Words can easily inspire, delight, or anger you. It's sometimes all about how something was said.

What Language Are You?

Just another manic Monday....

....and so, the aforementioned offer has been placed.
We're counter offering - and then we have to find something, relatively quickly it would seem.
Otherwise - we give them their deposit back.
Stay tuned.....

I am crazy tired these days. I think it's the whole change of seasons and it getting darker earlier - it makes me feel just wiped by 8pm. Of course, it's now 10 and though I'm exhausted - I can't shut my mind down just yet to be able to go to sleep. So, I write...

Tomorrow is the actual one year anniversary of the second store and my official career change. Amazing how on one hand it feels like it was yesterday - and yet, I feel like I've done this forever. It's funny how that works....

Also tomorrow, an appraiser is coming to give me an estimate on fixing the door that was literally gouged last week. I don't know of any good body shops - so if any of you who know me, have any recommendations for a good one - please feel free to share! I would hate to just Google one, when I could go on a tried and true referral. Word of mouth is what keeps the economy going and helps the small businesses.... pass it on!

So what's a girl to do...

If an offer is placed upon her house....
but yet, there's nothing on the market for her to move into in turn?

Its difficult because I'm adamant about staying in the town we live in; though I could potentially move across town, I'd prefer not to - who wants to deal with school redistricting? Ugh, I don't want to put the kids through that. Although.... my son would traipse to the Intermediate school for only one more year; he goes to Middle School in the next 1.5 yrs which is a centrally located school. My daughter though, would have to change because I can't see traipsing over to the other side of town for the next 4 years.

Truthfully, our side of town is more convenient and readily accessible; moving to the West side would be the least of all options.

But what if there aren't any other options to choose from?
*sigh*

Thursday's Random Thoughts....

1. Zahra Clare Baker, who used hearing aids and a prosthetic leg because of bone cancer, was reported missing over the weekend by her father and stepmother. Except, the authorities are looking for her remains because they believe she is dead. At the hands of her stepmother, and possibly even her father. Can you imagine?!?! Kill, kill, kill....! That's my opinon. Does the death penalty avert crimes like this? Those opposed to capital punishment may suggest that it doesn't - but I'm telling you, make the taking of a life with malice and forethought punishable by death - and people just might think twice before harming others -- especially the young and innocent.

2. It's still rather surreal for me when I think about my Mom. I know that I was rather fortunate in having the ability to say goodbye - but you know, I'm still really haunted by that last day. Really, I am. My daughter talks about her alot - she mentioned her again today, and how that last day was the last time we saw her; about how the last time we took her out, it was out for ice cream, only 10 days or so prior to her passing. It's just a weird, strange feeling when I think about that period of time. I wonder if when she stayed with me, she knew how much of a gift she gave the kids for them to be able to spend time with her. I know I'm certainly not the only person to lose a parent, but trust me when I tell you - it's an unsettling feeling to not have your Mother, at least at this stage in life. Many have lost sooner, I know; but it never is really the right time I suppose.

3. I think I need to make a little time for me soon. The holidays are coming and I'm going to be crazy busy at work -- I've yet to make a Wrentham run (can you imagine?!), I never got that massage I wanted over a year ago now -- and Mommy needs a little R&R. I think the week after next I'm making a Monday Wrentham Run (insert angels choiring HERE), and maybe the week after will be a spa day. My problem is - I really love my job, and I hate not being at the store. It's an extension of who I am, in the best way - so I really don't mind being there during the day, as opposed to being at an office. Now, if only I can stick to the plan of taking a day off....

What I'm loving these days....

A really big Zinfandel. Autumn scented Yankee Candles. Episodes of Dexter on Sunday nights. Lavendar and Rosemary scented lotion on my hands at bed time. Cocoa dusted steaks. The crisp, cold smell in the air at night and first thing in the morning. Crisp apples. Namaste incense. Any song by Ray Lamontagne. Peppermint Soap. Big, bright, vivid red sunflowers.

Lyrically speaking, of course....

(This is my opinion in part of why teenagers shouldn't be involved in social media. We all knew the "couple" who beat each other up in school - but at least back then, they could go home and cool off - break up with each other, avoid one another. There is no escape today...constant texting, IM'ng, Facebook....it's never ending. Children are too young to be immersed in constant connectivity.)

I can't tell you what it really is
I can only tell you what it feels like
And right now there's a steel knife
In my windpipe
I can't breathe
But I still fight
While I can fight
As long as the wrong feels right
It's like I'm in flight
High of a love
Drunk from the hate
It's like I'm huffing paint
And I love it the more that I suffer
I sufficate
And right before im about to drown
She resuscitates me
She fucking hates me
And I love it
Wait
Where you going
I'm leaving you
No you ain't
Come back
We're running right back
Here we go again
It's so insane
Cause when it's going good
It's going great
I'm Superman
With the wind in his bag
She's Lois Lane
But when it's bad
It's awful
I feel so ashamed
I snap
Who's that dude
I don't even know his name
I laid hands on her
I'll never stoop so low again
I guess I don't know my own strength....

You ever love somebody so much
You can barely breathe
When you're with them
You meet
And neither one of you
Even know what hit 'em
Got that warm fuzzy feeling
Yeah them chills
Used to get 'em
Now you're getting fucking sick
Of looking at 'em
You swore you've never hit 'em
Never do nothing to hurt 'em
Now you're in each other's face
Spewing venom
And these words
When you spit 'em
You push
Pull each other's hair
Scratch, claw, bit 'em
Throw 'em down
Pin 'em
So lost in the moments
When you're in 'em
It's the rage that took over
It controls you both
So they say it's best
To go your separate ways
Guess that they don't know ya
Cause today
That was yesterday
Yesterday is over
It's a different day
Sound like broken records
Playin' over
But you promised her
Next time you'll show restraint
You don't get another chance
Life is no Nintendo game
But you lied again
Now you get to watch her leave
Out the window
Guess that's why they call it window pane

Now I know we said things
Did things
That we didn't mean
And we fall back
Into the same patterns
Same routine
But your temper's just as bad
As mine is
You're the same as me
But when it comes to love
You're just as blinded
Baby please come back
It wasn't you
Baby it was me
Maybe our relationship
Isn't as crazy as it seems
Maybe that's what happens
When a tornado meets a volcano
All I know is
I love you too much
To walk away though
Come inside
Pick up your bags off the sidewalk
Don't you hear sincerity
In my voice when I talk
Told you this is my fault
Look me in the eyeball
Next time I'm pissed
I'll aim my fist
At the dry wall
Next time
There will be no next time
I apologize
Even though I know it's lies
I'm tired of the games
I just want her back
I know I'm a liar
If she ever tries to fucking leave again
I'mma tie her to the bed
And set the house on fire...