Another Year, Another 365 Days

As a farewell to 2007, I pilfered a meme from Bleeding Espresso. I'm doing it again this year. Read on!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Eddie and I took a cruise and went snorkeling in Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico. Traveled to the maritime provinces of Canada, including Newfoundland! Had to evacuate the city I was in for two hurricanes (Gustav and Ike). Voted for and GOT the President I was hoping for! And finally, ended the year putting a deposit down on a brand spanking new truck – the one we’ve been wanting for several years now!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept only one of them and I guess I'll make more for the new year. I can't promise I'll keep 'em though.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! My cousin and his wife gave birth to a GORGEOUS baby girl named Julianna Rose (such the girlie name!) and my other cousin and her husband gave birth to the happiest little boy I've ever seen, Jason Robert.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Canada, Mexico and Honduras.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Once again, I'd like time alone without distractions or interruptions.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Can't be anything other than the election of Barack Obama on November 4th. A day I will never forget.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I didn't have any big achievements this year.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not organizing my writings in the capacity I was hoping and not keeping up with the damn scanning of our receipts!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just this stupid pulled muscle or whatever the hell it was. Which is still bothering me, by the way!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The best thing I bought was my new cell phone, but the best thing Eddie bought me was my Kindle!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'm not really sure who celebrates behavior other than a parent, but I guess Barack Obama held his tongue pretty well during his Presidential campaign against Senator Have-You-Heard-I-Was-A-POW-My-Friends and Governer I-Can-See-Russia-From-My-Front-Porch. I don't think I would have been able to be as restrained. I'm sure I would have been heard mumbling idiot! under my breath more than once during those last few months; something every news channel definitely would have covered.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'd have to say the racist, hateful behavoir of the people standing in line for the Republican presidential rallies. Have you SEEN the video of those people?

14. Where did most of your money go?
Same place as always: dining out, vacations and entertainment (which includes movies, books, iTunes, Kindle downloads, etc.)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I don't get three "really's" kind of excited about anything, but shopping for a house was fun.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
2008 was THE YEAR of Sugarland, so any of their songs will bring me back.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
Same as last year: Happy, Fat and Rich.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eat.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With Eddie and family in Arizona.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No one new on the romance front since I have my Eddie, but I have continued my love affair with cheese.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I didn't watch enough TV this year to have any favorites.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope, no one new.

24. What was the best book you read?
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Such A Pretty Fat; Bright Lights, Big Ass; and Bitter is the new Black, all by Jen Lancaster

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Adele. She's just fantastic.

26. What did you want and get?
A Kindle, snow and several new purses.

27. What did you want and not get?
That damned trip to Europe!

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Probably the one I just saw; Yes Man with Jim Carrey. Laughed at almost every line!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 41 this year and didn't do anything special on my birthday.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Same as last year: Taking a trip alone with my brother and spending more time in snow and cold weather.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Three words: Velour Track Suits

32. What kept you sane?
My best friend.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Barack Obama. I can't get enough.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
This year I was up in arms about almost everything. Election year, you know.

35. Who did you miss?
My father. As always, mostly at night when I have driving think time.
My best friend. I didn't see her nearly as much this year as I did last.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Hands DOWN it has to be Hedon and Stace from The Highway Hags. They don't know it yet, but I am SO stalking them this year.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Once again, I have two:
1. Some people will never change.
2. Time passes anyway. Don't put off doing anything.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
This comes from one of my favorite groups, Sugarland. The song is called Settlin’ and can be found on their "Enjoy The Ride" album.

“I ain't settlin'
For just getting by
I've had enough so-so
For the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low
So raise the bar high
'Just enough', ain't enough this time
I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything”

Next year I plan on adopting my brother's slogan for the year: Shine In Oh Nine!

Don't settle for anything less than everything, my friends. Shine on!

Have Wet Saw, Will Travel

My brother owns his own company. If you asked him what he does, he’d probably say “I’m a tile guy.”

He’s more than a “tile guy”. He’s a tile genius. A master. An arteeest.

He’s been in business for over twenty years (a span in which I’ve probably had about twenty jobs), one that he built from nothing, scratch. He works by referral only and has never in twenty years had the need to advertise. Getting an appointment for him to do your home is like requesting an audience with the Pope; except you have to pay him and you don't get the papal blessing. Come to think of it, getting in to see the Pope might be easier.

My brother's work has been published in several coffee table books and several magazines. His typical client is the multi-million dollar custom homeowner. It's not uncommon for people to have upwards of $60,000 in tile alone for a job, and that's just for materials. Surprisingly, none of this has gone to his head. He's still down to earth, funny and normal.

With the exception of a company whose showroom he tiled out in California, he rarely travels for a job. He has enough work close to home and doesn't like to leave his family.

In order to get him to travel, you have to pay him. Handsomely. Well, unless you’re family. And he likes you.

Just before Christmas, my brother spent ten days in upstate New York tiling the new home of my cousin and his wife. The home is in the process of being built and is both huge and gorgeous. It's not quite finished yet, but with my brother’s tile installation, they'll be as close to these multi-million dollar homes as they can get, without forking over a small fortune for the "tile guy". Sometimes it pays to have family connections; and I mean that in the so not mafia kind of way.

Braving the cold and intermittent snow, my brother showed up for work ready to get down to business; he had an ad hoc crew just waiting to be told what to do. The benefit of being part of an Italian family are the great meals waiting for you at the end of a hard work day and the ocassional eggplant parmigiana sandwich being brought to the job site by your doting aunt. Who cares about the cold when homemade food is being delivered?? The job went off without a hitch and my brother made it back home in time to play Santa for my three nephews. One would never know he was such a jet-setting contractor.

These photos are not from my cousin's home, but from another house my brother and his crew worked on. It's a 7,000 square foot house located in Oro Valley, Arizona, complete with a view of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Any surface where you see tile or stone, be it floors, walls, countertops, shower stalls, etc., my brother did.

In addition, my brother's best friend of over twenty years will often work with him, as he did on this house. He’s a metal specialist and in this home you can see his work in the kitchen (the first photo, where he did the ten foot long double arch light fixture over the island and the nine foot tall iron hood above the stove), the powder room (the second photo, where he did all the iron work over the windows and the sconces on the mirrors and the fourth photo, where he built the vanity and the wall sconces that hang above it) and at the front entry (where he built the iron and glass front door that stands over twelve feet high!).

This home has so many unique elements to it, sitting atop a three acre lot overlooking the mountains. Although it's a tremendous space, with everything in it feeling oversized (the master bathroom alone is 450 square feet. That's bigger than some NYC apartments!) it feels cozy and warm.

You can click on the photos to enlarge them and if you reaalllly like what you see, I might be able to find a way to get "the tile guy" to your place.

I've got connections.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Well, it would be looking a lot like Christmas, but since video didn't cooperate when I originally wanted to post it, I missed the deadline for the big day. So let's just pretend this is a gift that came late in the mail. Woo Hoo! Christmas again! What fun.

This scenery thrills me to the core. I'm never happier than when I'm seeing snow! And since I saw lots of it during our last run, I'd like to show you what Christmas looks like from the windshield of a big rig as Eddie drives us through the Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California.

We were listening to the "all Christmas, all the time" music on XM Radio which is why you can hear Johnny Mathis in the background. And if you listen closely, you can even hear the "whine" of the engine.

Enjoy!

The Queen Of Copper

This is me about 12 years ago taking the Queen Mine Tour in Bisbee, Arizona. I do believe I was the cutest miner on that thar train.

We Don't Eat Gefilte Fish But We Do Like The Multi-Cultural Birthdays

This week we celebrated my nephew's birthday. My mother was in the grocery store picking up a few last minute items when she passed by the mylar balloons. The word "Happy" caught her eye, as did the bright blue and silver colors on the balloon. She decided to get it to tie to the back of my nephew's chair when they came over for his birthday dinner.

When she got in the car and began to back out of her parking spot, the balloon floated into her field of vision and she saw what it actually said on it; Happy Chanukah. Here's where I might want to bring a little something to your attention: We're not Jewish.

She sat there for a minute thinking. Who will even notice what the balloon says? and then, well, Salena will definitely notice (that's for sure) and following that, I'm sure she'll probably even blog about it (right again) and finally, the kids will probably make fun of me (she knows my brother and I all too well).

So she went back into the store and told the woman at customer service that she wanted her $2.99 back because she got the wrong balloon. The woman didn't understand what she was talking about because the Chanukah balloon she held in her hand was free, she said, and she shouldn't have been charged anything for it.

"What do you mean free?" my mother said.

"Well, they're free. Chanukah is over, so we're giving them away."

She told my mother to go over to the balloon department and pick any Happy Birthday balloon she wanted since she had already paid for it. My mother did just that and brought both balloons home for the party and tied them both to my nephew's chair.

The birthday dinner went over well, we all had a really nice night. My mom made a wonderful dinner, a homemade cake (with ten glowing candles!) and the gifts everyone brought went over big with the guest of honor.

I can't wait to see what she has in store for his Bar Mitzvah.

Angelic Eddie Friday

He's such a good guy, that occassionally, he's surrounded by an eerie, angelic glow.

A Meal Of Delicious Cheesy Goodness And A Day Of Good Delicious Cheeriness

Well, I have good news; today was a huge success. My gifts went over swimmingly, which is good for the kids since that means they won't be getting coal next year.

More importantly, the lasagna my sister-in-law made was DEEEEEEE-LICIOUS!!! This photo isn't the best I've taken of food (I photograph a lot of food) but I didn't have a lot of time to set up the shot before my brother started cutting pieces to pass around. And for that, I'm glad. I didn't want to wait ONE second longer for my share. I even took a piece home for lunch tomorrow!

It was a fabulous day with good food, lots of laughs and great memories. Now I'm going to sleep with visions of sugarplums (and my piece of lasagna in the fridge) in my head.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

The Team Finally Takes A Rest

We are finally done with the 2008 No Fun UPS Run. Three weeks of driving/sleeping/eating/driving/sleeping/eating/driving/sleeping/eating; all to deliver packages for the Christmas holiday. The truck never shuts down, the wheels almost never stop rolling and when they do, the stops are always brief. All this, and we don't even get to wear those fetching brown uniforms.

I have heard enough talk radio for the last three weeks to last me all of next year. As a result, I hate most of the show hosts except for Thom Hartmann (brilliant man) and Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks. Of couuuurrrrse. (if you listen to his show, you know how the "of course" sounds)

I have eaten more fast food in the last three weeks then I care to think about (or admit) since we had no time to stop for any delicious Italian or even a juicy little steak.

I did have several latte opportunities, but none of them came with enough time to comb through stacks of magazines, which is usually how I like to enjoy my steamy beverage.

The one thing I can't complain about is the weather. It was icily cold, with snow and an occasional patch of ice. Now typically I don't love driving on ice or in freezing rain, but bring on the snow and the COLD. The cold was THE. BEST. PART. of the entire run. We hit many areas, but Oregon, Northern California, Chicago, Philly, Virginia and northern New Mexico provided the best cold and the most snow sightings. I despise the southwest, but in the northern part of those states this time of year, it's cold, so I like it.

We are now ready to take a few days off and rest. All my shopping was done before we left and I wrapped all my gifts, so all I have to do is go home tonight, wake up tomorrow and haul everything to my brother's house for the festive opening of presents and my sister-in-law's ROCKIN' lasagna. For a white girl, she knows how to wield a mean lasagna and I can't wait to sink my teeth into a piece (or two)! I'm already starving.

My nephews will hopefully be thrilled with the unique gifts Eddie and I got this year, some of them from as far away as Newfoundland! If they're not happy with my purchases, next year they get coal from West Virginia.

It's late, it's Christmas Eve and if I hurry, I think I can make it home before Santa gets there.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Weighing In

Hyde Park, New York

Keeping The Mountain On The Right Side Of The Fence

Text Me

Every once in a while I post text messages that were sent and received on my phone. Often, as I go along, I erase certain messages and leave others, so when I go back and read them they either don't make sense or just plain crack me up. Here are some of my recent ones:

Or maybe rural West Virginia.

I love, love, LOVE Kentucky!

U can come back now.

Shit is everywhere. Do NOT come out.

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad.

How many years have you been a sheriff?

Is it against the law to call a cop an asshole?

Did you see the Jungle room?

I'm only home for 25 days before then which is soooo nuts.

Yes and FUCK YES!

We are having a blast but the Elvis/Graceland thing, eh!

We've wasted 30 minutes here. WTF???

3. Ouch. Headed to the city. TTYL. Ciao!

Hell yeah, they DO! I LOVE them.

How do you catch a unique rabbit? Unique up on it. How do you catch a tame rabbit? The tame way.

OK, all done.

In front of Starbucks.

Mr. & Mrs. Javelina And The Carb Encounter

My mother was walking through her house when her outside motion detector light went on. When she looked out, she saw a Javelina.

In the telling of the story to me, she explained how first there was just one, then two, then all of a sudden, seven. She and my stepfather threw out some bread for them to eat because they were "concerned" they didn't have enough to eat. Since when are desert animals carb junkies?

Anyway, she went on to tell me, "They were really big ones. At first I saw a medium baby, a big guy and his wife."

"His wife??" I said. "Javelina get married?"

"Well, you know what I mean - the mother, father and the baby. It must have been his wife, because they were with each other. And of course, they had a baby."

Oh riiight. The baby. And I'm sure Javelina don't have babies out of wedlock.

"OK, Mom...what I'm saying is that you called it "his wife" as if they get married."

"Well," she said in an exasperated tone, "you know what I mean. They were together."

So here's a picture of the medium baby, the big one and his wife; along with the rest of his extended family. Or maybe they're just his friends, following him around the neighborhood looking for carbs.

Eddie's Adoring/Bored Girlfriend Friday

Eddie took this picture of me with his camera phone. I was either very bored or very entranced by what he was saying. Since I don't remember this day, I guess I'll have to go with whichever one he thinks it is.

Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens

Here are some of my favorite things:

1. The cold side of the pillow. Ahhh, how I love to flip it and flip it and flip it; each time getting a fresh, new, cold place to rest my cheek.

2. That Aha! moment when I figure out the word in the crossword puzzle I was having trouble with. Sometimes this happens while I'm driving and not even actively doing the puzzle anymore - it'll all of a sudden come to me. Also, I often do a crossword puzzle on the phone with my mother. She gives me the clues to the ones she can't get and I give her the answers. Fun!

3. A southern accent. Most times I can be sucked in by that beautiful honey drenched drawl. My favorite is Paula Deen with all her darlin's and sweetheart's and y'alls (plus she puts butter in everything). I'm also easily sucked in by listening to the slow, easy manner in which Matthew McConaughey speaks; although he could not speak at all and I'd be sucked in. When I don't like it is when the southern accent is spewing something ignorant or racist; then it's just plain 'ol redneck.

4. Cold, crisp air. I love how it assaults my nose, the purity of it almost hurting my nostrils. I don't think it actually even has a scent, but I think you know what I mean; it just smells clean.

5. Untouched snow. Clinging to delicate branches, weighing them down, flake by flake. Even more of a treat for the eyes are when the delicate branches are covered in a layer of twinkly ice, glistening in the sun and reaching far from their trunk to hover precariously over the pristine, untouched snow.

6. The satisfied feeling of a scratched itch. Ahhhhh. Better yet, if someone is scratching it for you.

7. My brother's "laugh till his eyes tear up" laugh. I don't even have to be in his presence to know he's laughing so hard he's almost crying; I can hear it.

8. The smell of Drakkar Noir. Always has been, always will be one of my favorite male scents. And oh how it brings me back.

9. The memory of me, spitting Big Mac lettuce all over the steering wheel of my Chevy Monte Carlo (first car) because my best friend made me laugh SO hard. We were stalking a guy together, and on the way to his house, pulled over to get a bite to eat. We sat in the parking lot down the block from the stalkee's house, eating our Mickey D's and laughing like we were getting paid to do it. High-jinks like this make one hungry and goofy.

10. Sitting on the stoop at 1628 Seddon Street, the house I lived in after I was born and where my grandparents lived until the end of their lives. I can see the silvery grey pebbles of the stone in the steps and the silver aluminum railing down each side. You could watch the whole neighborhood go by from these steps. Those are the days when people actually talked to their neighbors and walking the streets of the Bronx were safe.

11. The sound of the ice cream man. No matter what neighborhood we were in, you could hear him coming from blocks away. At the first sound of the music, we'd run inside and get our money, ready to buy a Bomb Pop or a Toasted Almond. Choosing from the visual menu on the side of the truck was almost as much fun as eating the ice cream itself.

12. The scent of lemon-verbena; most often, in a candle, but recently I found the same scent in Oscar Blandi's dry shampoo. Fresh!

13. Coming around the bend on Interstate 64/77 in Charleston, West Virginia and seeing the stunningly BEAUTIFUL gold dome of the capitol building. Takes my breath every time. Here's a better picture of the gold dome.

Bite Sized Yummy Goodness

A bag of Chips Ahoy on the dashboard; these and a cup of tea kept me company for the lonely, snowy ride across the country while Eddie snored the night away.

What's Next, Reporting Your Maid In The Middle Of Her Dusting The Living Room Tsochkes?

Do we really need the average moron getting in on border security?

When a reporter can sneak over the border in under six minutes undetected, I'd say border security has enough trouble doing their job with trained agents; there's really no need to include the less-than-competent masses.

Besides, I thought we already determined that Homeland Security was a "reality" destined for cancellation.

The Trees Help Guide The Way

The view from the windshield while driving through Lassen Volcanic National Park, Northern California. If I can figure out how to do it, I'll post a video of this area too.

Be Wary Of Women Wearing Skull Panties

These are my cousin's panties drying on a windowsill of a hotel in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Four of us were there for a "Girls Weekend" away; sorta makes it seem like things got a little wild, doesn't it?

The photo was taken by her and I don't need to tell you that boring girls don't wear skull panties.

Southwest Sunset

The sun setting over McDowell Road in Avondale, Arizona.

My postings may be a little light this coming week since we're still doing the UPS run which allows for very little time on the internet. Expect skimpy text content and less than stellar photos.

No Rig Too Big

IMBD lists the plot of this movie as, "A mother and daughter who run a brothel for truckers fight back when the Mafia tries to take over their operation."

Since I've only been out here for four years, I can only speak of my experience, and I have never, ever, EVER seen any "working girl" who look like the women in this movie poster. If any of you drivers out there with more miles under your belt want to weigh in, please do!