Happy Valentine's Day! :)

"When you smiled, you had my undivided attention. When you laughed, you had my urge to laugh with you. When you cried, you had my urge to hold you, when you said you loved me, you had my heart forever."

-Unknown

Happy Valentine's Day!

Alan and I are making a cheese fondue for dinner, followed by a chocolate fondue for dessert, then we are going to put the babies to bed, snuggle into each other, with a big warm blanket around us, and watch monster movies, while the rain pours outside. It's not everyone's idea of romance, but it works for us.

:)

Happy Valentine's Day

Love, Carly

Reading Wicked...

"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it."

-William Styron, interview, Writer's At Work, 1958

The play "Wicked" is once again in San Francisco, at the Orpheum theater, and I would love to see it, but with the two furloughed days being taken out of Alan's check twice a month, it means that we are losing about $400 monthly. It's really not a good time to spend money on the theater, which is sad not just for us, but for the performers who are facing this recession right along with the rest of us. But just for the sake of argument, I took a look at the schedule to see if maybe we could go in a few months, and it turns out that if we went in June, a couple days before my birthday, to a matinee, it would be about $200 for two tickets, plus a convenience fee! We might be able to swing it, if we plan, but it doesn't seem like it is the most practical thing to do with our money, given the present circumstance.

Sigh.

Governor Schwarzenegger is planning on keeping the furlough days on the schedule until June of 2010! That's going to be hard on everyone. It will have the ripple effect of 238,000 state workers having even less to spend, but it's this or face the layoff notices of some 20,000 state employees. Alan has been in his job long enough that it is unlikely that he would be one of those facing a pink slip, but we know folks it could happen to, so everyone is just holding their breath and hoping for the best. Whatever that is. One thing is for sure, no one we know is spending money on trips to movies, let alone trips to broadway shows.

Sigh.

Oh well, I might not be able to see the play "Wicked" but I can read the book... right? I was just mentioning the other day it had been about 2 years since I had visited my favorite little book store, so I decided to drop in there and pick it up. I have always identified with the characters from the Wizard of Oz, particularly Dorothy, so why not jump back into the fantasy, this time as told from a different perspective, so I bought "Wicked, The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West" by Gregory Maguire, the book on which the play "Wicked" is based.

My reading usually consists of biographies, and non-fiction, the last book I read was Valerie Plame Wilson's book, Fair Game, I also enjoy reading mysteries, especially Mary Higgins Clark, and on occasion I read books with a humorous take on things such as "Bridget Jones' Diary" but fantasy isn't really a genre I have been too interested in. I read "The Hobbit" series when I was in high school, but that's been about it, well except for a few books by Alice Hoffman. "Practical Magic" remains on my desk as one of my favorite books of all time, but I think it will be having a little company with the book I am reading right now... I can't put it down.

"Wicked..." is a dark read. I will just say that. It turns out that the wicked witch of the west, and I, have a lot in common. I won't say what exactly, but I can identify... we'll leave it at that. What I will say is that she is a strong woman, who doesn't sit around waiting to be led... she makes decisions. She knows who she is, and makes no apologies. I admire that. :) I am about 2/3 of the way through, and I bought it a little over a week ago. I can't wait to buy more books in the series, because I want to find out what comes next. I always knew there just had to be more to the story. This book has been out for quite a while, and because of my reading snobbery I am only just now discovering it. MY BAD. Take it from me, if there is a genre of book you have been avoiding for whatever reason, take a step out of the norm and buy a book you might have never considered before, you never know what gem you might find!

If you haven't read it yet... go read it! If you have read it, tell me what you think! What was the last book you read? Do you have a favorite genre of book? If you have to choose one book to have the rest of your life, which book would it be?

Tell me everything! Let's talk books!

Wicked, The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West.

-Carly

Kitten? Cat? Kitten-Cat? He's Just Hendrix For Now

"Of all animals, the cat alone attains to the contemplative life. He regards the wheel of existence from without, like the Buddha."

-Andrew Lang



You can sit and watch Hendrix grow. Honestly, I don't know what Purina puts in it's Kitten Chow, but my little ball of feline fluff, it now a sleek, fast, chubby cheek CAT... of about 9 lbs or so. I don't know for sure mind you, he will get weighed in next week, but he might even be bigger then my estimate. He hasn't even reached 6 months old yet! At this pace he will be more panther then domestic cat~ LOL.

That would be a good thing I think. Hendrix is more then anything else... a love bug. He is respectful, and had already learned the words, BAD, NO and LOVE. Like with Elvis, I try to say the word LOVE more then BAD. He knows his name and can make the distinction between his name and Dylan's when I am calling them. He knows when I am trying to get his attention specifically, and responds.

He loves his brother... and drives him crazy. LOL. I have to separate the boys once in a while, but not for very long, as Dylan immediately misses his brother and cries for his companionship. When they are in the yard together, they stay with each other, so I never have to worry about one of them getting lost. It is a huge yard, so I stay with them to make sure they are ok. I am a mommy. :)

Hendrix loves watching TV and sometimes I put on a children's show for him. Just something calm and peaceful like Max and Ruby. The other day he dragged his favorite blanket and his favorite chew toy, Chip the Squirrel onto the bed, and fell asleep watching Max and Ruby. Dylan likes TV too, and usually follows his brother's lead when it comes to playtime. If Hendrix takes a time out, then Dylan does as well. They are brothers.

:)

My babies.

Life is good.

-Carly
"Hendrix The Kitten-Cat"
February 12th 2009

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #24: The Color Red

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way... things I had no words for."

-Georgia O'Keffee

Thanks for all your wonderful WINTER DAYS/COLD THINGS photos this past week. As I type this there is a fair amount of rain falling, with more on the way, and there is also a hint of snow for Bay Area mountaintops in the forecast. Well done! Now, on to this week's assignment...

EMPS #24: The Color RED.
With Valentine's Day next Saturday, and February being Heart Health Awareness month, what better time to focus our attention, and camera, on the color RED. As always, feel free to step outside the box as far as interpretation goes. RED Beans & Rice, RED hearts, RED roses, RED dogs, a RED crayon, RED cream soda, RED meat, RED rubies, RED cars, RED clothing, Rhode Island RED chickens. You get the idea.

Extra Credit: Show me something Valentine's Day related that isn't RED!

**Please Read**
You have until next Sunday evening, at 9:00 PM ET to do the assignment, post it to your blog or journal, and comeback here with the direct link. Remember, it must be the direct link to the entry specific to this week's photo shoot assignment, not the general link to your blog or journal. No hyperlinks accepted! Also, if it is your first time playing, be sure to let me know so I can give you a proper welcome! And please remember to link back here, so other folks can play along as well.

Linking List for EMPS #23: Winter Days/Cold Things 02/02/09

NOW CLOSED!

1. Judi

2. Suzanne

3. Tammy

4. Gwenlyn

5. Jama

6. Karen

7. Greg

8. Wammy

9. Mike

10. Steven

11. Terri

12. Connie


It was a wonderful turnout this week, thanks for playing along folks! Ok, that's it for this week, so, GO BE PHOTOGRAPHERS! I will see you next Monday, with an all new EMPS assignment!

-Carly

It's Still A Chihuahua Stupid!

"Ah - good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness."

-Pablo Picasso

Here, as promised, is a picture of my latest artwork gone awry! LOL. I swear, I thought it was a cat. LOL. The lady at the glaze studio was so sweet, she just grinned and admitted it looked a little like a cat to her as well. Tee Hee. I guess the customer is always right. Oh well, the real point to the day out was to have fun, and I did, I enjoyed the creative outlet a lot, so I think I will be going back to make something else soon. Next time I will take pictures so I can share it with you here. I have the perfect piece in mind... a nice vase... at least I think it's a vase... for all I know it might be a candelabra. LOL. Or a horse!

(Insert crossed eyes here)

You can read more about this adventure here.

-Carly
"Zen Chihuahua"
Berkeley, California
February 8, 2009
Morning