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"May love and light fill your home and heart at Hanukkah."-UnknownHanukkah begins tonight at sundown. Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends. :) I am getting the Latkes ready for tonight, as well as some Turkey and Rice soup, but in today's edition of my About.com newsletter there were some really delicious sounding recipes for the holiday. Check them out here. I will have to try them out!It's going to be a low-key holiday around our house. The weather is going to be really bad all weekend, with thunder and lighting promised for tomorrow with record breaking rainfall, but we will have fun at home. Tomorrow night we are making Dreidel cookies! YUM. :) Hopefully we will get over to Union Square next week to see the lighting of the Menorah. Like I said, hopefully. :)HAPPY HANUKKAH!-Carly
"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."-Oscar WildeDo you know this man? One day in early December, 2005, this little lost man appeared on the brick fence that lines my drive-way. I have NO idea where he came from, or who he could be, but I know he has a name, I just don't know what it is. There are no children where I live, and no one else on the property has any idea how he got there. It was as if he appeared magically in the night. Perhaps he was a gift from Krampus, or maybe he is a spirit pausing on his journey elsewhere. It's a mystery. I have written about him in December's past, and some have offered their stories of explanation, but the mystery lives on. If you know who he is, please leave me the information in the comment thread, but if you would like to offer a short (2 paragraph) explanation on who he might be, feel free to be creative. If I don't find out who he is, I am considering writing to Del Monte and asking them to put his picture on cans of Lima Beans, my favorite vegetable. He looks like he would enjoy Lima Beans too. ;)-CarlyYou can read some of my past postings about Mr. Unknown by following the links below...Goodnight Mr. Unknown Wherever You AreMr. Unknown Since 2005
Mystery is the heart of creativity. That, and surprise."-Julia Cameron
"Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost."
-Robert Southey
It's December 10th. EEEGADDDs! If you have been reading me for a while, you know that I pretty much stay inside, under the covers, each December 10th. Why, you ask? Glad you asked... BECAUSE IT'S CURSED! It's a cursed day in the universe. You see, each year on December 10th something odd happens to Alan and I. One year we were robbed. One December 10th Alan was nearly arrested for stalking, when a neighbor thought a strange man was up on our roof, when in fact it was Alan who was on the roof of our house checking shingles because of a wind storm the previous night. I laughed, but Alan didn't find it funny and the cop didn't find it funny either! LOL. The one year we thought we had beat the CURSE OF DECEMBER 10th, I got a phone call from a rental car agency, the following March, regarding the car accident I had on... you guessed it... last December 10th! I hadn't rented a car that day!
It's an odd day. I really believe it's an odd day for the Universe in general.Don't just ake my word for it, ask Bernie Madoff... he was arrested last year on... December 10th! Now I don't have much sympathy for Bernie Madoff, but I do for his victims. For them, December 10th will always be the worst day in the history of forever. Sigh.
Alan and I kind of watch for the day, kinda like a weird experiment.It's become another of our very own made up holidays. What will happen this year? Will it be something minor? Will it be something silly? Will it be something profound? Only the Guardian of December 10th knows for sure, but whatever it is, it will be interesting. I will let you know how it goes on Friday. Wish me luck.
So tell me, do you believe in curses? Have you ever had something strange happen to you on December 10th? Do you have a different day some time in the year that you believe might be cursed? Tell me what you think!
Good Luck, and beware the CURSE OF DECEMBER 10th!
-Carly
"Sex is like snow. You never know how many inches you're going to get, or how long it will last."
-Unknown
LOL! Don't you just love that quote? Yeah... me too. As you can see, it's still COLD here in the Bay Area, and it is causing pockets of mayhem here and there. Brrr...
Sigh. All it takes is a little bit of snow to make me a very happy girl. I don't even mind that my arthritis is hurting me just a wee bit. :) Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.In an unrelated story, the Bay Bridge is at it again. It seems that workers on the bridge "accidentally" found another potential hazard that had gone undetected. Scary. I am not too sure that I feel comfortable using the Bay Bridge any longer. Sheesh. Spooky stuff. -Carly
"It isn't what they say about you, it's what they whisper." -Errol FlynnWeekend Assignment #296: The press and the public always seem to be obsessed with one scandal or another, from Tiger Woods, to Balloon Boy. Do you eagerly follow such stories, try to avoid them, or something in between? Does the identity of the celebrity (or would-be celebrity) affect how interested you are?Extra Credit: Have you ever purchased a supermarket tabloid?-Karen, of the blog, Outpost MavarinScandals... Well, there never really seems to be any short of them... does there? I don't know if it is a much more popular phenomenon in this decade, or if interest in the sordid seems that way because I am now on the Internet, and you can get the scoop in the blink of an eye? My AOL Welcome screen rotates between several sections including NEWS, LIFESTYLE, SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT and sometimes, Travel. Oddly enough, I have seen what would count as "scandalous," on each of these screens! Can one really avoid the scandalous? Well I suppose, but it can be mighty difficult to do so.I suppose my particular interest in such stories would fall into the "In between" category. I don't think I obsess, but there are some types of scandals that capture my attention more then others do. I tend to follow the political scandals much closer then... say... the latest he said/she said with John and Kate Gosselin. Although I have to admit, there is something about the Gosselin's that intrigues me on some level.
Maybe it is because their bickering reminds me of my own parents, and the horrible marriage they had. I don't know. I do know that I have for the most part shied away from most celebrity tabloids since the O.J. Simpson murder trial back in the mid 90's. That situation was so sad. It was infuriating at times, but most of all it was just plain sordid, and I found it, in it's entirety, completely depressing. Another thing that about tabloids that left a bad taste in my mouth, was the relentless pursuit of Princess Diana. Enough said.I do glance through the occasional People issue, but I don't know if they count as a tabloid. I have never purchased a National Enquirer, not even for someone else. Once in a while, my pal Beth and I would pick up groceries for each other. We lived in the same apartment building and it was just what pals and neighbors did, but the one thing I wouldn't grab for her at the store was her favorite guilty pleasure, the latest issue of the National Enquirer. Period. Not in my cart! LOL.
She reluctantly understood, but I think she considered it my main character flaw! LOL.The truth is, I find pop culture interesting to keep up with, but I have a lot of interests beyond that. I enjoy a bit of a rumor about celebrities from time to time, but unfortunately the rags that start the rumors, or spread the sordid truth, never know when to stop. You know? Sometimes less really is more. I like to pick up a magazine to see what Michelle Pfeiffer is wearing because I love her style, or what the fashion trend will be for the winter and spring, but I don't really care if Chris Brown has hurt feelings because Rhianna doesn't like him anymore. It might be boring, but it's true.
Besides, sometimes real life can give you and up close look at what everyone else is thinking. Just look at this lady's costume from Halloween 2008. It was right before the election and she is dressed as Sarah Palin. This past Halloween the Kate Gosselin wig was all the rage. I suppose if you have a scandal during any given year, and the following Halloween sees a costume representing you, then you have truly made it!-Carly
"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world, and wake up in another quite different, and id this is not enchantment, then where is it to be found?-J.B. PriestleyIt snowed last night. Come have a look...South Park Drive at Grizzly Peak BoulevardNear The Steam Trains (Tilden Park)Water Fountains In TildenThere might be a few more snow showers later today, but tonight is supposed to be even colder! Perhaps as low as the high teens. I LOVE it! I am already missing my beautiful autumn leaves, but the snow is so lovely, and so much fun. Is there anything better then grabbing a Hot Chocolate, and watching it snow outside?;) Carly
Update: My local ABC affiliate KGO 7 published one of my photos on their website slide show! Click here to view it!
"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken."-Fydor Dostoevsky
EMPS # 67: PEOPLE AND PLACES. NOW CLOSED!Let's have a little fun this week, by getting lost in a crowd! Grab your cameras and show me PEOPLE AND PLACES! Anywhere you see a people will do. Parks. Malls. Church. Concerts. Art Galleries. Museums. You get the idea. Photographing a crowd is be good, but it can be a crowd of as few as 2. And yes, archived photos are fine, but, as always, I would enjoy seeing something brand new as well! Also, please tell us a little about the place you found the people for your photographs.Extra Credit: Photograph your favorite place to get lost in a crowd.**PLEASE READ** This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. That means you have nearly a week to get your photo, post it to your blog, journal or website, and comeback here with the direct link back to it. PLEASE REMEMBER... the link you leave in the comment thread, must be a link which is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment. NO HYPERLINKS ACCEPTED! PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK THE LINK YOU LEAVE FOR ACCURACY. Also, please link back to the photo shoot assignment, so others can participate along with us.
Linking List for EMPS #66: Under The Hood. 11/30/09NOW CLOSED!
1. Mike
2. Karen
See you next week with an all new assignment!
-Carly
