Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday in my City - Fall Leaves
The Highway 44 corridor provides some incredible color in the fall. We ventured west to snap these pictures totally for you...
Friday, October 26, 2012
Friday Fragments - October 26, 2012
I'm not exactly sure which strain of the plague I've contracted but I've missed several days of work. Today I'm ready to get back in the saddle. It kills me that I've wasted the last three days sitting on the couch when we have had some of the most wonderful sunny weather. Of course today is going to be blustery and COLD. Yesterday our temps went from 80° down to 40 something.
Last Saturday we took advantage of a free shredding service at the bank. We drug in four boxes with documents I've been keeping over the last twenty-five years. I don't feel so bad clinging onto old tax returns, but my ex-husband's paycheck stubs from 1991? Yeah, those could have gone in the trash... in 1992. 1993 at the most. Holding onto them until 2012 was really unnecessary. We won't even mention that those boxes have moved to three or four different houses. In my defense, I knew better than to simply toss sensitive documents like that in the general trash. It had to be shredded. And I never owned a shredder until recently. And then I blew out the motor trying to chew through the mounds and mounds of old crap I've accumulated over the years. A free shredding event was the only way to preserve the new shredder we bought that now only eats current documents in small doses.
Sunday we finally graced my brother with a visit to his new house. They were celebrating a combined birthday party for two of their children. People from both sides of their families attended so it was a fairly crowded affair. Hubby and I enjoyed the visit and are more than a little envious of their spacious house and quiet piece of land. Ian really liked the opportunity to hang out with his cousin. The boys are two years apart in age, but that's about the only difference.
Wedding bells are ringing. We are only 50 days away from my older son getting married. I had the great opportunity to design the invitations. I can't wait to see how they turned out.
Last Saturday we took advantage of a free shredding service at the bank. We drug in four boxes with documents I've been keeping over the last twenty-five years. I don't feel so bad clinging onto old tax returns, but my ex-husband's paycheck stubs from 1991? Yeah, those could have gone in the trash... in 1992. 1993 at the most. Holding onto them until 2012 was really unnecessary. We won't even mention that those boxes have moved to three or four different houses. In my defense, I knew better than to simply toss sensitive documents like that in the general trash. It had to be shredded. And I never owned a shredder until recently. And then I blew out the motor trying to chew through the mounds and mounds of old crap I've accumulated over the years. A free shredding event was the only way to preserve the new shredder we bought that now only eats current documents in small doses.
Sunday we finally graced my brother with a visit to his new house. They were celebrating a combined birthday party for two of their children. People from both sides of their families attended so it was a fairly crowded affair. Hubby and I enjoyed the visit and are more than a little envious of their spacious house and quiet piece of land. Ian really liked the opportunity to hang out with his cousin. The boys are two years apart in age, but that's about the only difference.
Wedding bells are ringing. We are only 50 days away from my older son getting married. I had the great opportunity to design the invitations. I can't wait to see how they turned out.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sitting Through Boring Movies
Part of this whole agenda of mine to watch all of the movies nominated for an Oscar (best movie, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, and full-length animated feature) means I have to endure some truly boring shit.
For the most part I can sit through them. Even during interesting shows I manage to play on my laptop and multitask. During less exciting films I put more focus on my computer than the TV screen. However, there are a few that were unbearable even as background noise. Immediately Tom Jones and Becket come to mind. I had to turn them off. Tom Jones simply annoyed the hell out of me and Becket was incredibly boring. No, I did not watch them all of the way through. Are you disappointed in me?
Too bad.
I did discover, though, that if you want to catch the overall gist of a movie, watch the last 20 minutes. You may not know all of the players and why they are there or who might be missing or major plot discussion-points, but most movies seem to summarize themselves quite neatly near the end.
For the most part I can sit through them. Even during interesting shows I manage to play on my laptop and multitask. During less exciting films I put more focus on my computer than the TV screen. However, there are a few that were unbearable even as background noise. Immediately Tom Jones and Becket come to mind. I had to turn them off. Tom Jones simply annoyed the hell out of me and Becket was incredibly boring. No, I did not watch them all of the way through. Are you disappointed in me?
Too bad.
I did discover, though, that if you want to catch the overall gist of a movie, watch the last 20 minutes. You may not know all of the players and why they are there or who might be missing or major plot discussion-points, but most movies seem to summarize themselves quite neatly near the end.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Acorn Drop
Not too long ago, maybe last month, I posted how the squirrels like to pluck the tiny bartlett pears from the trees in my front yard and toss them to my roof where they roll down over the aluminum awning making an annoying noise. And as I said in that post, bartlett season was coming to a close and acorn season was about to start. Well, we are now full-on in acorn tossing season.
Fortunately, the oak trees are in the neighbors yards. Unfortunately, we park under them. I know for a fact that some of the dings on top of my car are not from hail, but from acorns. The other day we noticed they particularly like jettisoning the nuts into the bed of our pickup truck. This has a double bonus for the tree rats - satisfying bangs that annoy the humans AND the fruit gathered in one spot. I don't think, however, they have figured out how to get into the truck to retrieve their nuts. That means we drive around with what equates to marbles rolling back and forth in our truck, further annoying the humans.
Fortunately, the oak trees are in the neighbors yards. Unfortunately, we park under them. I know for a fact that some of the dings on top of my car are not from hail, but from acorns. The other day we noticed they particularly like jettisoning the nuts into the bed of our pickup truck. This has a double bonus for the tree rats - satisfying bangs that annoy the humans AND the fruit gathered in one spot. I don't think, however, they have figured out how to get into the truck to retrieve their nuts. That means we drive around with what equates to marbles rolling back and forth in our truck, further annoying the humans.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Storm Clouds
Wind in St. Louis means bad weather is coming. We had strong winds all day Saturday and then an expected storm Saturday night. But the wind didn't go away.
Yesterday was warm and sunny and windy. We took advantage of the sunny afternoon by going to Tower Grove Park (pictures posted yesterday). I very literally said, "what a perfect day to be at the park."
On the way home we noticed the big, black, ugly clouds in the west. Something was blowing in...
We pulled into Dairy Queen before it started to sprinkle. While we ate we watched sideways rain pelt our truck and then ease up. By the time we left the restaurant the rain stopped. Two hours later sun was shining and the big ugly clouds went away.
Yesterday was warm and sunny and windy. We took advantage of the sunny afternoon by going to Tower Grove Park (pictures posted yesterday). I very literally said, "what a perfect day to be at the park."
On the way home we noticed the big, black, ugly clouds in the west. Something was blowing in...
We pulled into Dairy Queen before it started to sprinkle. While we ate we watched sideways rain pelt our truck and then ease up. By the time we left the restaurant the rain stopped. Two hours later sun was shining and the big ugly clouds went away.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sunday In My City - Tower Grove Park
I think it's safe to say Tower Grove Park is by far the prettiest park in the area. It's filled with lots of gazebos and a fabulous set of "ruins" created by Henry Shaw in the 1870's. Several wedding parties go there for pictures and I took my daughter there for her senior pics.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday Fragments - October 12, 2012
Sorry I'm posting this on Saturday - I feel like I'm cheating or something.
Last night my Facebook feed was lighting up with posts about the Cardinals pulling ahead in the game... we were playing? So hubby decided to pull up the game. Clearly neither of us are fanatics. He actually has a certain level of disdain for the St. Louis Cardinals, but is amazed how this team consistently "pulls it out of their ass" every year. At some point between discovering there was a deciding game in the works with the Cards behind at 5-7, and finding who was airing the game, the Cards somehow managed a few hits and were ahead 9-7 at the top of the ninth. Even for little ol' me, the non-sports fan, this was a nail-biter.
A quick look to Facebook and all of my St. Louis friends were posting their building excitement, burying any other topic. And then... and then... WE WON! Literally seconds later I could hear fireworks being shot off in my neighborhood. No, these aren't professional displays. Some yahoo stocked up during 4th of July sales. That same guy who put on a big block party despite it being illegal in the county, managed to save back a few sticks of dynamite or whatever for just such an occasion. And he still hasn't exhausted his supply because there are a few more celebrations to be had in baseball land alone. Imagine if the Rams do something amazing. Of course he will set them off for New Years too. Better yet, "he" somehow lives in every single neighborhood in the metropolitan area as everyone was reporting fireworks going off near their homes.
St. Louis LOVES its sports.
I can only imagine the melt-down old St. Louie would suffer if the Blues actually won a Stanley Cup!
By the way, NOBODY here calls this town "St. Louie". We cringe when newscasters from other towns say it and we know in a heartbeat you're "not from here" if you say it. So please, never ever call this town St. Louie Missouri. It's Saint Lou IS.
Speaking of out-of-towners, a Facebook friend I met a year ago was in town again so hubby and I met him for dinner. I knew he liked microbrews so I thought we should go to Schlafly Brewry as they have pretty decent burgers at their restaurant. But there happened to be a baseball game in town so I suggested something NOT downtown. We ended up at a different microbrewery, Trailhead in St. Charles. Anybody who visits the region really ought to find time to visit old town St. Charles. All of the shops are in buildings from colonial days. This is where Lewis and Clark launched their expedition and up on the hill is the first Missouri state capitol. We had a good meal and fabulous conversation. You all know what a shutterbug I am yet not a single picture was taken!
So here's a picture I took several years ago
Oscar movie recommendation for the week? As I write this I'm watching French Connection (1971) and it's a decent cop/chase movie. Going My Way (1944) was with Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley. I liked the movie but found Bing's bursting into song not really necessary. Cactus Flower (1969) had Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn in a complicated May-June romance/love triangle as he asked his dental assistant Ingrid Bergman to pretend to be the wife he was divorcing. It was funny and filled with twists and best of all had a happy ending.
Last night my Facebook feed was lighting up with posts about the Cardinals pulling ahead in the game... we were playing? So hubby decided to pull up the game. Clearly neither of us are fanatics. He actually has a certain level of disdain for the St. Louis Cardinals, but is amazed how this team consistently "pulls it out of their ass" every year. At some point between discovering there was a deciding game in the works with the Cards behind at 5-7, and finding who was airing the game, the Cards somehow managed a few hits and were ahead 9-7 at the top of the ninth. Even for little ol' me, the non-sports fan, this was a nail-biter.
A quick look to Facebook and all of my St. Louis friends were posting their building excitement, burying any other topic. And then... and then... WE WON! Literally seconds later I could hear fireworks being shot off in my neighborhood. No, these aren't professional displays. Some yahoo stocked up during 4th of July sales. That same guy who put on a big block party despite it being illegal in the county, managed to save back a few sticks of dynamite or whatever for just such an occasion. And he still hasn't exhausted his supply because there are a few more celebrations to be had in baseball land alone. Imagine if the Rams do something amazing. Of course he will set them off for New Years too. Better yet, "he" somehow lives in every single neighborhood in the metropolitan area as everyone was reporting fireworks going off near their homes.
St. Louis LOVES its sports.
I can only imagine the melt-down old St. Louie would suffer if the Blues actually won a Stanley Cup!
By the way, NOBODY here calls this town "St. Louie". We cringe when newscasters from other towns say it and we know in a heartbeat you're "not from here" if you say it. So please, never ever call this town St. Louie Missouri. It's Saint Lou IS.
Speaking of out-of-towners, a Facebook friend I met a year ago was in town again so hubby and I met him for dinner. I knew he liked microbrews so I thought we should go to Schlafly Brewry as they have pretty decent burgers at their restaurant. But there happened to be a baseball game in town so I suggested something NOT downtown. We ended up at a different microbrewery, Trailhead in St. Charles. Anybody who visits the region really ought to find time to visit old town St. Charles. All of the shops are in buildings from colonial days. This is where Lewis and Clark launched their expedition and up on the hill is the first Missouri state capitol. We had a good meal and fabulous conversation. You all know what a shutterbug I am yet not a single picture was taken!
So here's a picture I took several years ago
Oscar movie recommendation for the week? As I write this I'm watching French Connection (1971) and it's a decent cop/chase movie. Going My Way (1944) was with Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley. I liked the movie but found Bing's bursting into song not really necessary. Cactus Flower (1969) had Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn in a complicated May-June romance/love triangle as he asked his dental assistant Ingrid Bergman to pretend to be the wife he was divorcing. It was funny and filled with twists and best of all had a happy ending.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
New TV Show - The Neighbors
I am so excited new sitcoms are finally being produced. The "reality show" seems to be here to stay as yet more and more keeping rolling out. I'm fairly sure they've reached their apex, but I doubt they will ever go away. They're just much too popular. Unfortunately, TV execs latched onto this hot format at the expense, and near death, of the old standby sitcom.
The Big Bang Theory was the lone funny show for far too long. Others tried and failed. Then Raising Hope and another show Mike and Molly came out. I was almost surprised when friends and coworkers also followed these shows. By the way, if you haven't seen these two, and you really enjoy sitcoms, look them up. Oh, and Two Broke Girls, that's funny too.
Last night I happened across another one, The Neighbors. It's brand new and is pretty funny. It makes me think of Coneheads without extra cranium space. A human couple has moved into a neighborhood inhabited by extra-terrestrials. All of the aliens have sportstar names, like Jackie Joyner-Kersey and Larry Bird. Hubby thought it was stupid, I heehawed all the way through. It has promise, I hope they keep up the momentum.
The Big Bang Theory was the lone funny show for far too long. Others tried and failed. Then Raising Hope and another show Mike and Molly came out. I was almost surprised when friends and coworkers also followed these shows. By the way, if you haven't seen these two, and you really enjoy sitcoms, look them up. Oh, and Two Broke Girls, that's funny too.
Last night I happened across another one, The Neighbors. It's brand new and is pretty funny. It makes me think of Coneheads without extra cranium space. A human couple has moved into a neighborhood inhabited by extra-terrestrials. All of the aliens have sportstar names, like Jackie Joyner-Kersey and Larry Bird. Hubby thought it was stupid, I heehawed all the way through. It has promise, I hope they keep up the momentum.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Corrupting My Kids
Found out tonight yet another thing I've done to warp one of my kids.
When I hang out with my friends we gather at someone's house and let the kids run wild. So they have seen and heard plenty. Evidently when our nights devolved into the Solid Gold Dance Hour our favorite tune has become permanently etched in the memory of my youngest. It came up on my playlist driving home and I flipped past it and he stopped me. And admitted HE LIKED THE SONG!!!!
So for your listening pleasure, the mandatory song played at any drinking gathering of my idiot friends.... Be My Lover, by La Bouche:
When I hang out with my friends we gather at someone's house and let the kids run wild. So they have seen and heard plenty. Evidently when our nights devolved into the Solid Gold Dance Hour our favorite tune has become permanently etched in the memory of my youngest. It came up on my playlist driving home and I flipped past it and he stopped me. And admitted HE LIKED THE SONG!!!!
So for your listening pleasure, the mandatory song played at any drinking gathering of my idiot friends.... Be My Lover, by La Bouche:
Monday, October 08, 2012
Freezing My Chukkas Off
We had dinner last night with a friend from Oregon. He observed how quickly the weather turns here. On another trip to town he said he was driving around with his windows down when he got a call from the airlines about moving up his flight home - an ice storm was expected. Sure enough, the next day he was on the last flight out of town. We were iced in and many people lost power.
Yep. Last week we were skipping along with temps in the 80's and upper 70's. On Thursday a cold front blasted into town and now freeze warnings are being issued.
Of course we aren't ready to turn on the furnace quite yet. Just close the windows and pull out some more blankets. Put some socks on for Heaven's sake!
My son is convinced this is a rare form of child abuse. All the while he keeps the fan running in his room.
The furnace will be stoked soon enough, but in the meantime we cling to the tender hope that an Indian Summer will surge before Halloween.
We can hope, right?
Yep. Last week we were skipping along with temps in the 80's and upper 70's. On Thursday a cold front blasted into town and now freeze warnings are being issued.
Of course we aren't ready to turn on the furnace quite yet. Just close the windows and pull out some more blankets. Put some socks on for Heaven's sake!
My son is convinced this is a rare form of child abuse. All the while he keeps the fan running in his room.
The furnace will be stoked soon enough, but in the meantime we cling to the tender hope that an Indian Summer will surge before Halloween.
We can hope, right?
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Sunday In My City - Lone Elk Park
We made another trip to Lone Elk Park this week. We have a favorite pizza place that's a decent drive away from our house. It was drizzling and we were hoping to find a someplace scenic to park where we could to dig into the yumminess sitting in the backseat.
Neither one of us anticipated seeing ANY animals and yet we managed to see everything the park has to offer!
Right off the bat we spotted deer. You can barely see them, but they are in the very middle of the picture.
Immediately I encountered the crappy lighting conditions. I zoomed in and caught two males trying to lock horns, one very young with nubs for antlers and the other with a full rack.
We stopped to eat in the truck and then around the next corner saw elk. This is the best shot I could get as the canopy made it way too dark for my camera.
Then we ventured into the bison area. I used a flash and you can see his spooky eye glaring back.
They stood in the street completely unaffected by our presence
Here's a calf standing next to the truck
I love fall colors and they are beginning to burst in St. Louis.
Neither one of us anticipated seeing ANY animals and yet we managed to see everything the park has to offer!
Right off the bat we spotted deer. You can barely see them, but they are in the very middle of the picture.
Immediately I encountered the crappy lighting conditions. I zoomed in and caught two males trying to lock horns, one very young with nubs for antlers and the other with a full rack.
We stopped to eat in the truck and then around the next corner saw elk. This is the best shot I could get as the canopy made it way too dark for my camera.
Then we ventured into the bison area. I used a flash and you can see his spooky eye glaring back.
They stood in the street completely unaffected by our presence
Here's a calf standing next to the truck
I love fall colors and they are beginning to burst in St. Louis.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Friday Fragments - October 5, 2012
So I got thrown a curve ball earlier this week - a five week video course starting.. today. I'm a little miffed over the communication and approval in my office over this, but it's an incredible opportunity for me and our agency. Every Friday for five weeks I attend an all day session working on compiling and editing a 3 minute video. It is sponsored by our local PBS station and will be published on their website.
Today, was our introduction class. This morning was mostly a waste of time for me as it was "introduction to the macintosh computer". uh yeah, I don't exactly need a refresher course in THAT. But I behaved as my classmates learned basic navigation. On the upside, I got a tour of their facilities, including their on-air studios.
Oscar Movie recommendation this week: The Mirror has Two Faces (1996). Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand in a quirky but sweet love story. This is totally a chick flick as Barbara transforms from frumpy to gorgeous. So if you're not a chick flick fan then skip it, but I liked it.
1
Today, was our introduction class. This morning was mostly a waste of time for me as it was "introduction to the macintosh computer". uh yeah, I don't exactly need a refresher course in THAT. But I behaved as my classmates learned basic navigation. On the upside, I got a tour of their facilities, including their on-air studios.
Oscar Movie recommendation this week: The Mirror has Two Faces (1996). Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand in a quirky but sweet love story. This is totally a chick flick as Barbara transforms from frumpy to gorgeous. So if you're not a chick flick fan then skip it, but I liked it.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Ninety Naughty Nautical Knots
Okay I'm just being silly. I just wanted to share how I manage the huge wad of extra power cables I have to store in my office.
The skinny end has a doohicky that you can wrap around but the other one dangles and tangles up with other cords. People freak out because there's some rule somewhere about your cords. Here's the thing, I'm not kinking the line like the blue ethernet cable that runs through my house from the office down the hallway up around three doorways and into the livingroom (and now my son's room because wireless here sucks) that keeps getting caught in the door.... THAT is wrong. I still do it, but I won't advocate anyone else doing it. My tangle averting knot, however, I DO advocate. It's a gentle twist that I give enough length to so it can be plugged in without untying it. That means for the five laptops on my desk I also avert a tangled mess at the surge protector. But I started this for the box of spare cords. Now it provides an endless source of entertainment seeing how the spare cords get returned to me. Usually, they come back a big jumbled mess, but occasionally somebody figures out that they don't have to be untied.
The skinny end has a doohicky that you can wrap around but the other one dangles and tangles up with other cords. People freak out because there's some rule somewhere about your cords. Here's the thing, I'm not kinking the line like the blue ethernet cable that runs through my house from the office down the hallway up around three doorways and into the livingroom (and now my son's room because wireless here sucks) that keeps getting caught in the door.... THAT is wrong. I still do it, but I won't advocate anyone else doing it. My tangle averting knot, however, I DO advocate. It's a gentle twist that I give enough length to so it can be plugged in without untying it. That means for the five laptops on my desk I also avert a tangled mess at the surge protector. But I started this for the box of spare cords. Now it provides an endless source of entertainment seeing how the spare cords get returned to me. Usually, they come back a big jumbled mess, but occasionally somebody figures out that they don't have to be untied.
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