Today's Action

Took a walk with my cousin and her dog at a very nice park near her house. It's a nature center where they conduct class visits. And there's a duck pond!

Then we had lunch in Beverly Hills (a corned beef sandwich in a nice, old, Jewish deli), and went to the movies with a friend of hers. We saw Law Abiding Citizen because my cousin likes Jamie Foxx. It's not as bad as some of the reviews I saw said it was, but it wasn't good, either. It was fairly predictable and gory and implausible, but I don't hold implausibility against a movie if it's entertaining. This one was borderline in that regard. There were some nice bits, especially the intricacies of the villain's scheming, and I enjoyed seeing Bruck McGill and Colm Meany in supporting roles, but Jamie Foxx seemed too generic in the role. I was expecting a bit more fire from him, I guess.

Dinner was at a ribs place with a varied menu, so I had a yummy hamburger and fries. Now I'm stuffed. I've eaten so much this trip I'm sure I've gained weight, so I'll be dieting when I get home for sure.


Feeling: stuffed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: movies

Another Quickie Update

For some reason I can't fathom, Blogger isn't fully loading on my cousin's computer. Or rather, the New Post window comes up with half the features missing and an error message. It's just another internet annoyance about this trip.

Anyway, we went to the Grove mall and had a yummy lunch and did some shopping and walking around. I saw the old Farmers' Market, now 75 years strong. I'd been there in 1969 and recognized it despite all the new things built up around it (it's by the Grove outdoor mall).

Dinner was with a couple of other cousins in a nice Italian restaurant and I had Veal Picata and we all shared dessert: a chocolate chip bar heated, with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Photos will be posted after I'm home because I need my own computer for that and the netbook can't connect to my cousin's network.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

Posting Might be Sporadic

I'm on my cousin's PC because my netbook can't access her network. And the internet connection is slow and annoying, so more than a quickie update might be delayed til I get home.

Yesterday, I had a massage -- so nice -- then we went to an outlet mall, walked around the Vegas strip, saw Penn and Teller, then went walking around Downtown Las Vegas.

Today (well, technically yesterday, making the above the day before), I flew to the Los Angeles area to visit relatives for a few days.

Feeling: content

~~~o0o~~~

Viva Las Vegas!

Had this yummy chocolate cupcake in the airport while waiting for flight to Las Vegas.

So far, hubby and I went on a Hoover Dam tour (conducted by a "dam guide." Yes, that apparently is a running gag there. Then we saw Jersey Boys at night which was truly wonderful and now has me wanting to read up on Frankie Valli and the history of the Four Seasons.

Had a massage this morning, and we'll see Penn and Teller tonight. We've seen them before, a few times, but not in many years, so we're looking forward to seeing them.

And that's today's update!
Feeling: relaxed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

We're Off!

V A C A T I O N !, originally uploaded by ShellyS.

Well, tomorrow, but I wanted to get this posted before we leave. I'm in the middle of the pre-trip excitement/anxiety. Excitement from anticipation of new adventures. Anxiety from the fear I've forgotten something.

I used to just pack for trips. Now I have to charge batteries: for the cellphone, netbook, camera, Kindle... and there are all the cables/chargers to remember to bring. When/how did life get so complicated? So... techie? ;)

Posting until I'm home will depend on wifi connections, but I'm sure I'll be able to post something, even if it has to wait til I get to my cousin's and use her computer.

See ya!

Feeling: excited/anxious

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

V A C A T I O N

I am now officially on vacation for the next 3 -- count 'em, 3 -- weeks! Let's have a WhooHoo! 

Feeling: happy

~~~o0o~~~

A Fortunate Answer

Because I love Beef and Brocdoli

You Are Beef and Broccoli

You are a smart, no nonsense type of person. You are very low maintenance compared to most people. You are often thinking of everyone else but yourself. You feel the most comfortable when you are putting yourself last. You tend to order quickly yet carefully from the menu of life. You don't have a lot of time to agonize over decisions. By doing the best you can in each moment, you've done pretty well in life. People truly respect and admire you.

What Kind of Chinese Food Are You?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

It sure looks yummy.

Feeling: stressed

Countdown to Vacation: 4 days

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Concert Season

Last night, hubby and I saw America at the Nokia Theater and tonight we saw three acts at Westbury: The Turtles, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, and Tommy James and the Shondells.

No pics from the America concert, but I got shots at Westbury.

The Turtles


Felix Cavaliere

Tommy James.

America was wonderful, performing a nice variety of their hits and not hits for over 90 minutes. They're one of my favorite "classic" bands, not "oldies" (as they put it). Seeing them perform is more like hanging out with friends who sing and play instruments rather than sitting in an audience.

The Turtles were, well... The Turtles. They're manic and funny and thoroughly entertaining. They once performed with Frank Zappa and now usually work some hard rock into the mix.

Felix Cavaliere is a fine singer and great musician who seems to put his whole self into his music. He puts on a great show.

Tommy James and the guys currently the Shondells also put on a great show. Tommy's a wonderful showman and singer. He has a book coming out: Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells, about the music industry back when payola was the norm. Tonight, he sang a song he hadn't performed in 42 years: Little Latin Lupe Lu. I know it from the Righteous Brothers (Bill Medley wrote it) and Tommy sang it with another song I can't recall now (memory? what memory?) and did a bang up job with it. It's a fun song, good to dance to and singalong with. I couldn't tell how many other people besides me were singing along, but it was a lot fewer than his other songs. It was nice hearing him do something different, too.

If not for having to work today (well, now, technically yesterday/Saturday) and being dead tired all day, it was a perfect couple of days.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: concerts

Too Tired to Blog

Been too tired to do much of anything. Looking forward to my fall vacation in 10 days. Every time I start to feel energetic and start getting stuff done, work gets super stressful and I end up vegging when I get home. And I want to freshen this blog up a bit, even if it's just to get the template in line with Blogger's page elements layout and to clean stuff out of the sidebar. Once upon a time, I got very caught up on all the fun things one can stick in a sidebar, but as with a lot of things, many of them have lost their appeal for me.

Think I'll go find some chocolate. :)

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: miscellany

Musical Seasons

Hubby and I went to see Frankie Valli and the 4 sexy guys who are now the Four Seasons. A good show, as usual, but I could've done without the brief political interlude to introduce a song called "Harmony." The sentiment is nice, that we should all just get along, in harmony. But when he talked about the message we send to the world about how divisive we are and that we should all get behind our leaders and if we don't like them, to just vote them out next election so misses the point of a democracy. The message we send to the world is that we can have dissent here and no one is arrested or killed for it (well, not officially, because we do know that some people do get violent in their disagreements with people) as long as no laws are broken. Our Constitution allows freedom of speech and that includes disagreeing with the people in office. We have that right and our country has survived for more than 200 years despite our disharmony. That's the message we send out to the world. I don't usually get political here, but Valli's comments really bugged me. He should just stick to singing. He was in fine voice.

Hubby and I could've done without the lame comic who opened for Frankie Valli. We've seen the guy for a few years now (he and Frankie are friends) and the jokes are well beyond stale by now. They weren't really funny the first time we heard them, either.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: concerts

New Addition

Her name is Ruby (for no particular reason other than I like the name) and she's an HP netbook, much more convenient for travel than a heavier and larger laptop.

On the TV front, Stargate Universe and the season premiere of Sanctuary rocked tonight.

Feeling: stressed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: netbooks

Chocolate Power

Chocolate fuel? Seems to me to be a waste, but if it can help the planet, it might be worth it.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

Touching Second

Hubby and I went to the last Mets game of the season, a nice 4-0 shutout that reminded us that the season held so much promise before everything fell apart. After, we got to walk around the field with hundreds of other people. Here I step on second base. And now, in our usual refrain, "wait til next year!"

Feeling: happy and relieved and eager for next year

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: mets

Close Enough

You Are Most at Home in the Living Room

You're the type of person who always feels relaxed at home. In many ways, it's where you're at your best. You love to chill out at home. You are not the biggest homebody in the world, but you appreciate the time you spend there. There's nothing like having a few friends over to watch a movie or just talk in your living room. You are proud of the home you've created, and you love to share it with others.

What Room Are You Most At Home In?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

I would have said "den."

BTW, I watched David Letterman's show, as usual, last night and listened to his tale of being extorted over affairs he had with female staffers. The front page headline of the Daily News calls this a shocker. They devoted pages to it. Why would anyone be shocked that a man in showbiz had sex with people who worked for him? Surprised, maybe, but shocked? It's the 21st Century. Nothing like that should be much of a shock, anymore. What was shocking was that someone thought Letterman would pay $2 million to keep quiet about it, given how Letterman has demonstrated over the years that he will report criminal acts or threats against him.

Feeling: stressed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes