Is it really Monday again??

Saints be praised, the weekends go by quickly, don't they?!?!?

We had a great weekend, in spite of the hideous weather we had on Saturday.

As I mentioned before, we were having a BBQ/Pool Party on Saturday that ended up being a BBQ/"talk about the pool" party. :-)

From the time we woke up on Saturday morning, until about 7pm it was POURING.

That being said, Jim and I had the foresight (ok, it was Jim's idea) to set up one of those pop-up shelter thingys over the grill, so that I wouldn't have to deal with grilling in the rain. Talk about a life saver!!

All in all, it turned out to be a super-fun time. We had a great group of people over who managed to have a lot of fun being confined to the indoors, as opposed to being outside, enjoying the pool. Even the kids that were there managed to have a fun in spite of being stuck inside.

Yesterday was a very lazy day at home......which was nice for a change.

So here I am, back to work and getting ready for my meetings today at 10 and 11....I'm actually going to begin testing this morning on the system I've never even logged into.

Good times people, good times.

Here are just a few of the beauteous pictures that B took of our BBQ.

Jim and I never even took out the camera, so if it weren't for B, we'd have no 'proof' of the event. :-)

After she took this picture, I made a comment about the fact that every time she takes a picture of me, I've got my mouth open....so she took this one to make up for it...

I LOVE this picture.....that's Lara and Dave. Dave is Lara's brother-in-law, and in spite of the look she's giving him, she really likes him. Really.

Pretty People!!!!! (MB, Emilee, and John)

Karen and Emilee

Ben and Jim playing on the porch...

John, Scooter, and Michael

So much to talk about....

It's Friday, and I have a lot to say.

First thing...how about that CRAZINESS in California??? I'm referring to that woman who was abducted when she was 11 and was found 18 years later, alive and well. Although, I'm not so sure about the 'well' part. I hope the poor thing gets herself and her two kids to a therapist, STAT. They're having a family 'reunion' on Good Morning America today and I can't wait to see how that goes. I'll miss it because I'm at work, and we don't have DVR (I know, I know!!) But I'm sure it'll be all over YouTube by lunch time, so I'll see it eventually.
I can't even imagine what her parents are thinking....

All of us in New England are preparing ourselves for a lil' storm called 'Danny' that's coming our way tomorrow afternoon.
As it turns out, Jim and I are also preparing ourselves for the BBQ/Pool Party that we're having tomorrow afternoon.
Excellent timing, Danny!
Whatever. We have a really fun group coming over, so even if we end up stuck inside it'll be a good time. I'm going to speak with Jim about a possible alternative to grilling. Not that I mind grilling in windswept rain and getting soaked to the skin, but I think our guests would prefer not to be eating water-logged food. But that's just a hunch.
Either way, we'll definitely have fun and I can't wait to see everyone.


Our 'visitor from beyond' paid us another visit last night. Nice.

Our niece, Molly made me a 'bracelet' for my birthday a few years ago. It's similar to one of those Livestrong, yellow bracelets, but it's just plain yellow and she glued little, white letters on it that spell out my name. Cute, right?
I keep it in the 'catch-all' container on my bureau (which is actually a big, green coffee mug, a la 'Friends') along with loose change, extra buttons, etc...etc...
Well, last night when I went up to bed, the bracelet was placed in the center of my bureau...odd. I asked Jim if he moved it and he (naturally) had NO idea what I was talking about. I explained it to him, we had a moment of "Well if you didn't move it and I didn't move it, who did?" and then he said out loud. "Thank You very much for taking out the bracelet, that was very nice of you. Thanks!!"
We've heard from several people that when we notice 'things' happening around the house, we should acknowledge them, out loud, with a 'Thank You'.
As many of you suggested, it's always a good idea to keep the ghost (or whatever it is) on your good side. :-)

So....that's my latest ghost story. Fun, fun, fun....

I started going through some of the pictures on our home computer last night and I created a couple of new 'sets' in my Flickr account. They're titled 'Summer fun 09' and 'Misc Stuff' (creative, I know).
In the 'Summer Fun 09' set, are pictures of our 'new' backyard (since we had the two giant trees removed) the beginnings of the vegetable garden from earlier this summer as well as pictures of the pool and the pool area, our trip to P-Town, and various shots of some of the BBQs we've had this summer.
In the 'Misc Stuff' set at this point, the only pictures in there are the ones that I took of my old desk in Boston, before I was moved to the suburbs. I have yet to take pictures of my new desk, but I will eventually, and then we can play 'Before and After....which is the better desk??"
:-)


Here's the link to my pictures on Flickr, and here are a few to get you 'started'.

Have a GREAT weekend!!!!!

xoxo

Holy Smokes!!!

I just looked at my 'counter' and I have over 10,000 'hits'.

Jinkies, that's a lot. :-)

And I owe it all to you.

I was so sad to wake up this morning to learn about Senator Ted Kennedy's death. I know that a lot of people weren't necessarily fans of his, but I certainly was and I know that Jim was as well.

He will certainly be missed. :-(

Adoption Update: Over the past few weeks Jim and I have been toying with the idea of taking the MAPP classes outside of our region or at another location....mostly because we were tired of waiting. However, we just found out that if we do that, we would have to close out our 'family file' with DCF and essentially start over from the beginning with whoever we were taking the MAPP training with. (there's a little bit more to it, but that's the Reader's Digest version)

Soooo...at this point we're staying where we are. BUT the good news is, that I spoke with our case worker yesterday and she guaranteed that Jim and I will be in the next session, which is due to start up in late October, early November. We should be getting a formal invitation letter a few weeks before the classes are due to begin. I know it's a little thing, but it feels nice to be in contact with them and have some assurance that we're not lost in the system. Our case worker was very nice, understanding and above all else, she returned my calls!!!! Most excellent.

I think we should send her a muffin basket as a thank you...or perhaps an edible arrangement.

That's all for today...I've actually got a meeting this morning...for WORK.

I'm going to have to re-train myself so I remember how to do my job.

Seriously.

Happy Wednesday!!!!!!

I Scream, You Scream!!!

Don't worry...this isn't another entry about me screaming.

Last night Jim, Scooter and I met up with Karen, Barrie and Ben for ice cream. Since we were being ATTACKED by the bugs at the ice cream place, we ended up going back to our house to finish the ice cream and catch up for a bit.

The ice cream was delish and visiting with the three of them was a treat as well. Ben and Scooter were both on crazy sugar highs and had a great time chasing each other around the house.

I know I promised you some pictures, but since I still haven't gone through mine, I'll post some that I swiped from Barrie. :-)

Enjoy!!!

Jim showing Ben the cows....

Scooter desperately trying to get a better look at the cows...

Yum!!!

Scooter patiently waiting for his ice cream....

Spoiled rotten.

The neighborhood watch back together again...

Hooray! It's Monday!!!

How is it that I had a three day work week last week and it felt no different than a regular five day work week?
I have a feeling that this week isn’t going to go by quickly….
Maybe (hopefully) I’ll be wrong about that.

At the very last minute I decided to take Friday off, which would explain why there was no Friday blog entry.
I spent the day Friday helping out at the call-backs for [title of show] at SpeakEasy Stage Company. As you all probably know by now….I have spent the past couple of years, pretty much in love with this show. From its pre-off-Broadway run….to it’s off-Broadway run and finally to its Broadway run, I’ve been a BIG, BIG, fan. Granted, I didn’t ‘discover’ it until it had already closed off-Broadway – but that hasn’t stopped me from loving it. :-)
Anyway – since the ‘powers that be’ at SpeakEasy know that I’m a huge [title of show] fan and that I’m quite knowledgeable about the show’s past, present and future, they asked me to help out at the call-backs for the day. I love helping out at any and all auditions and I’ve been doing it at SpeakEasy for YEARS, so it only seemed right that I come in and help out when they’re trying to cast the show that I’m obsessed with. Naturally.

It wouldn’t be fair of me to give specific details about what went on in the audition room, but I will say that I had a great time. I knew several people who were called in for roles in the show, and that always makes things a little more difficult. When you’re dealing with a show that has a cast of four people, and know a good number of the people that are in the running, you know that you’re going to have to give your friends some bad news. It sucks, but it’s one of those things that you just have to deal with. I’ve been on the ‘other side’ of the table PLENTY of times and it really is awful, but in the end, you accept it and move on. That’s not to say you can’t be pissed and angry - but you can’t let it get you down. If I’m up for a part and don’t end up getting it, I call a friend or two, complain about it for a little while, and avoid the CD at all costs.
I know that I’m over it 100% when I can get myself to listen to the show again without wanting to hurt someone. HA!!

Jim and I went out for drinks with our friends Charles and Jerry on Friday night to one of the (few) local gay bars in our area. It’s always interesting to go to a local gay hang out that isn’t in the city. They tend to attract a very interesting crowd. It certainly wasn’t mobbed by any means, but it wasn’t entirely empty either. We had fun, but ended up leaving fairly early and headed back to our house for a few more drinks before we drove them home. It’s been fun getting to know them….they seem like a nice, fun, normal couple….which is always a good thing.

Saturday morning, Jim and I got up and decided to go out to breakfast. We had to run out and buy a wedding present for the wedding we were going to that afternoon (last minute shopping, anyone??) and decided that going out for breakfast would be a great way to start the day.
We went to a local place (that Charles and Jerry suggested to us) and shortly after we sat down in walked Jerry and the twins!!! Funny.
The kids were adorable and were so incredibly cute. They’re just about three years old (if they’re not three already) and were very excited to be out and about.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of the wedding because this entry is long enough.
Jim loaded all the recent pictures onto the computer, so I’m sure that ‘picture day’ entry will be happening soon….. Really, it will.

Have a GREAT Monday, and pray for a quick week…..

I've got a lot of screaming to do....

For some strange reason, several times this week I've found myself in situations that have caused me to run around and scream like a banshee. Most of these situations have also been accompanied by a severe case of 'the willies'.


I looked it up on line and here's the definition of 'the willies':


A state of nervous restlessness or agitation: fidget (often used in plural), jitter (used in plural), jump (used in plural), shiver1 (used in plural), tremble (often used in plural). Informal all-overs, shake (used in plural). Slang heebie-jeebies, jim-jams. See calm/agitation, fear/courage.


From now on, I will not say "That gives me the willies!" I will now say "That gives me the jim-jams!"

Love it.


Anyway...first I had the incident with the chipmunk, which wasn't necessarily jim-jam inducing, but certainly made me scream. Then the other day at lunch I had a brief encounter with a bumblebee that caused a mini-screaming fit accompanied by a minor case of the jim-jams.

Last night however was the capper, as I suffered a major jim-jam attack, complete with screaming and running around in a circle....seriously, I was a bit out of control....in fact, I'm still showing some jim-jam symptoms whilst typing this....


Unlike most places on the planet, our town doesn't allow us to just put our trash on the curb in any old trash bag. In order for them to pick up our trash, we need to buy special 'town trash bags' and put any and all trash in those 'special bags' for pick up. If you happen to have something that won't fit into a town trash bag... say, a couch for example, you can buy a 'bulk sticker', throw that on said bulky item and they'll take it away for you...as long as you only put out one bulk item per week!!
Normally it's not an issue, because Jim and I only generate one tall kitchen trash bag per week, and we can fit three of those tall kitchen bags into one town trash bag. Throughout most of the year, we only have to put out the trash every three weeks, and in the weeks where we don't put trash on the curb, the trash is kept hidden away in the covered trash barrel where it's 'safe' from animals and other things that may want to get into it (fans, stalkers, etc...).


So...last night I requested Jim's help in transferring the trash bag from the covered barrel into the town trash bag. Since we had the BBQ over the weekend, there was a TON of trash in the barrel, so immediately following the BBQ, I crammed everything down and tied the bag so that when trash day came, it would be easy to deal with. Well, Jim and I went outside last night and I had the BRILLIANT idea of laying the trash barrel on its side so I could just slide the bag out and into the awaiting town trash bag.

WELL - as I pulled out the trash bag, I noticed that the entire bottom of the barrel was filled with HUNDREDS of squirming, writhing maggots.


I promptly let go of the bag and went into some sort of tribal, primitive circle dance throwing my arms and legs into about 15 different directions all the while screaming and yelling.

Jim stood there and watched.

While I was in mid-fit, Jim calmly walked over to the shed and got a giant container of bug killer that we use to keep the local ant population under control. He sprayed the hell out of the trash can, but since they aren't really living breathing insects at this point, they weren't really affected and continued their creeping and crawling.

It's kind of like spraying an egg with chicken killer....it ain't gonna do much.

Jim decided that we should just put the trash bag back in the barrel, cover it up, put a 'bulk sticker' on the entire thing and be done with it. I agreed with him 100%, so I ran into the house, grabbed a pair of winter gloves (not even kidding) and shoved the bag back into the barrel. This too was accompanied by more screaming and reprise of the previously mentioned tribal dance.

Once the barrel was tagged and on the curb, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and was able to continue on with my night.


It's always something...

UPDATE!!!!

I just heard from Jim, and apparently the BRILLIANT folks that collect our trash took the bulk sticker off the barrel, emptied it, and left the barrel behind. Seriously?!?!? Do they think that we don't know how to put trash in one of their bags? How much clearer can we be? I put the sticker on the barrel. If I couldn't fit our bag into one of their bags, I would have put the bag on the curb and put a sticker on that.

I'm hoping that the barrel is emptied and maggot free so maybe we can rinse it out and use it once again, but either way, they owe us $2.50 for the wasted sticker.

And they wonder why trash collectors sometimes get a bad rap.

I've been a bad blogger...

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but I have a good excuse.

LAZINESS! :-)

Actually, I've been pretty busy at work and I was partially hoping that I'd have some pictures from the weekend to share with you. Since the picture thing isn't happening (today, anyway) I didn't want to go another day 'blog-free'.

So....we had yet another great weekend. The weather was EXCELLENT and everything went off without a hitch.

We hosted the BBQ/Pool Party for my nieces and nephew on Saturday afternoon, which was a great time. The food was delicious - thanks to my amazing gill work :-) - and the pool was a big hit with everyone since it was so H-O-T out. I made whoopie pies once again and they ended up being a crowd favorite. As a someone who doesn't consider himself a cook, it's always nice to have one of the few things you can make get a decent reception.

On Sunday we spent the morning cleaning up/recovering from Saturday and then we headed out to go grocery shopping. By the time we returned from the supermarket the temperature had risen to a yucky, uncomfortable level, so we opted for some quality time by the pool. Before heading out to meet our friends for dinner, Jim and I had an unexpected guest stop by.

This guest was a lil' chipmunk who ended up hanging out for a bit in our TV room.

Seriously.

I was in the middle of shaving and Jim came knocking on the bathroom door telling me that he need my help because there was a chipmunk in the den. Say what?!?!?

I ran down the hall (in my boxers, mind you) and he had placed Scooter's crate in the doorway to keep Scooter out and the chipmunk in. Jim then asked me to run out to the screened-in porch and make sure that both the doors were open so he could try and lead the chipmunk out. I politely asked if I could run back and throw on some shorts and shoes before completing my task, and he kindly obliged. I quickly threw on some shorts and sandals, ran outside into the back yard and onto the porch. Immediately, I JUMPED onto a lounge chair while Jim went into the den, broom in hand, and tried to shoo the chipmunk outside. As soon as the little thing saw Jim coming at him with the broom, he took off towards the porch. I saw him running towards me, so I had no choice but to scream like a girl.

Once I saw him and realized that he was terrified and trying to get the hell out of there, I was able to relax and tried to get him heading towards the exit. After a few minutes, we guided him out the door into the back yard and we never heard from him again. Phew....

After that ordeal, Jim and I finished getting ready and headed out to dinner with our new friends (Charles and Jerry) whom we met at the gay parents BBQ I talked about last month. It was our first time meeting Jerry so we weren't sure what to expect. As it turns out, they're both SO much fun and we had a great night with them. We had dinner at one of our favorite places and then the four of us went out for a drink at.....you guessed it....Ye Olde Standish Grille.

Of course, we walked in and the bartender knew exactly what Jim and I were drinking so, clearly there was NO denying the fact that we were 'regulars'. Charles and Jerry kind of harassed us for that, but we had a really fun time getting to know them. Hopefully we'll get to hang out with them more often....

On Monday, Jim and I got up early, picked up our friend Katie, and headed to P-Town for the day! Yahoo! We decided against the whale watch, mostly because I have little interest in going on one, and there are plenty of days when Jim and Katie can do that if they want while I'm at work.

We got to the beach around 10:30-11:00, stayed there for a few hours (yes, I went swimming again in the ocean...it's a record breaking year!) and then we all showered, changed, and headed to P-Town for the afternoon. We walked around for a bit and did some shopping, then decided to have a few drinks at a Pied Bar, right on the water. The weather was beautiful. It was hot, but there was such a great breeze on the water that it really didn't matter. After having a few drinks, we grabbed a quick dinner, walked around a bit more....got an ice cream and headed home.

Yesterday was a busy day here at work and we were still pretty tired from the weekend, so it was an early night.

That brings me to today. Work is busy, but not CRAZY busy, s I decided to take some time and fill you in on all the exciting things I've been up to. I hope you're happy. :-)

I'll have to have a 'picture day' soon, since it's been a while....but I promise I'll post them once there all uploaded.

Happy Hump Day!!!

KILLER!!!!