Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Evil Gnomes, Bloggiversary, Paintbuckets & Mattresses



It's Monday still right? No?
I'm all screwed up today. This weekend was just crazy busy. We saw a movie (see sidebar), ate at Cheesecake Factory and a new Japanese restaurant, B worked on Saturday, we bought a new bed, and helped out a friend in her new home.




I woke up this morning absolutely thrashed.
Although it feels like someone secretly visited my bedroom last night and beat me up and down my legs and butt with a paint bucket... I know that this couldn't have been what happened. I suspect what actually happened is that my legs and butt muscles were not quite ready for the surprise of standing, squating and stretching for 5 hours while painting 2 bedrooms in a friend's house. Still.... I did look for signs of the aforementioned attack, but found no quantifible evidence.





Apparently, there are also evil invisible Gnomes punching me in the thighs when I attempt to climb my stairs. I need to call Gnome Control.





But I do love putting color on a wall. We got to paint ice blue and ice green walls. Very cheery. Loved the colors. Also loved the donuts and the pizza said friend plied me with (best pizza I've had in years). And her home is beautiful now!



Monday was my 3 year Blogiversary. I celebrated by not going anywhere near my blog. I continue to find value in blogging. It keeps my writing muscles active, it serves a great networking and resource provider, and I've met some wonderful people out there. My goal for this year is to share more personal stuff, not just the deeper thoughts. So, 3 years ... and counting.




The Not-Really-Prince & The Pea

We bought a hew mattress set this weekend.
For those wondering how I could ditch my S*lect C*mfort Sleep Nu*ber bed after only a month... let me illuminate.


1. We roll to the middle every night.
2. I can't find my farking sleep number. The bed is either too soft and my back kinks, or it's too hard and grinds into my hipbone.
3. Our bedding drags on the floor and the sheets don't fit snuggly.
4. If the a/c or heat goes too far in either direction, the bed responds by contracting or expanding like a balloon. I wake up wondering why my back hurts, check the damn bed only to find it has adjusted itself 15 notches in either direction!
5. For this kind of money, I'm tired of the hassle and lack of dependability. So... our new Stearns & Foster mattress & box-springs arrives this Friday.

In addition to paint-bucket wielding fiends and tempermental air-beds sabotaging my sleep... our white-noise machine died this weekend (we use it to cover up the silence. Hard to sleep in total silence). It freaked out when we unplugged our power-strip from the wall, and started making all kinds of heinously alarming noises. It just went nuts. I couldn't find any in stores, and had to order a new one from Target dot com. I hope it arrives soon. The silence is deafening.



I've stalled long enough. In spite of the evil invisible gnomes, I really need to go upstairs and do laundry.



Hope your Tuesdays are good-news days,

Shephard :)

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Strenuous Activity



Utterly exhausted by his day of lounging, playing, eating, yawning and sleeping, Golly retires early.
It was just that kind of day.


~S

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

13 on May 22nd, 2008

A Quick Post, done mostly out of boredom:


1. iTunes at the moment: Natasha Bedingfield, Pocket Full of Sunshine... "...take me away, a secret place, a sweet escape, take me away."

2. L.A. Weather: Spazzing from 99* to 59* in the same week, with thunder and rain just to make it interesting. Wth? How the hell am I supposed to dress for these kinds of days??

3. Last Night: A lot of really average singing that we thankfully fast-forwarded thru after we got back from dinner with friends.

4. My Cats are currently: inquiring about mail-order mice.

***

5. Idol. Bah. Bunch of Sheep. Oh well. Eight months to go til it begins again.

6. This weekend: One Singular Sensation. Every Little Step You Take.

7. Our Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed is going bye-bye. I had such high hopes for it. It's the Alice-in-Wonderland-Caterpillar Syndrome. This side's too soft, this side's too hard, but nothing in the middle. Speaking of middle, that's where we'd meet every night when we'd roll to the center of the bed! I dreamt I was sleeping in a funnel. Next stop: Macy's Memorial Day Weekend Mattress Sale!

8. *National Gas Gauge* at Gas Buddy. Find the cheapest gas near you.


9. B says the movie is 50% animated. They'll finish animation by about August, then post production and the crazy race to the finish and he'll be doing press (as a director, he will continue to do press even after the movie is released at Thanksgiving). Oh, and FYI, there will be a sneak-peak movie trailer along with the theatrical release of "Wall-E" in June. After that, maybe I'll be allowed to show you more. This week, the crew/cast got the crew T-Shirt (that B drew/painted/designed). And we're allowed to give a few away.... I wonder if that means it's okay for me to put a photo of the shirt on the blog? I'll check into it. Stay tuned.


10. For god's sake just give the poor thing his Elmo!
*THIS* is so strange... it just makes me laugh.


11.

Doesn't this just compel you to run right out to Big Lotz? 99c panties. Believe it.


12. So close... and yet so far:



13. I love *THIS* song. Really beautiful. Nice video too. (thanks, Mike)


Have a great weekend. And if you missed my Adventure in the Universe, see post below this one. :)


~Shephard :)

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Sky's the Limit

...



I wanted to do something special for B's birthday this year.

I had no idea this was even possible.

But... if I got anything from the random airings of Oprah I've caught, it's that you should always ask for what you want. Because you never know when someone might be able to help you out.



And that's exactly what I did.
I phoned two different Astronomical Observatories, and long story short, we spent six hours under the stars up on a mountain-top, looking at the Universe and all it's clusters, nebulae and planets.




I took a lot of photos, mostly of people enjoying themselves. But these select pix ought to give you an idea of what the experience was like. Enjoy! :)

Entry. A lot of steps up to the platform of the 60-inch telescope. The red light? Red light doesn't mess up your eyes when you're trying to view sensitive images through telescopes.


Here's the birthday boy taking a photo of the 60-inch telescope. He was so beside-himself.


This is Don, the Session Director. Don is 89. He is the oldest living astronomical observer who has looked through this telescope (built in 1906, I believe). His father before him was an astronomer. Don was not only spry (taking the 30 or so steps up to the observatory with no problem), but he was lucid and full of passion for his job. Can you imagine a lifetime of star-gazing?


The eyepiece... which you often had to get to by climbing a giant yellow ladder on wheels. There was also a telescope operator named Tom, who was very friendly and knowledgeable.


We couldn't take a lot of photos through the eye piece... imagine pointing a digital camera lens at a TINY eyepiece and hovering in circles til the image came into view. But we did manage these moonshots.


You're not looking at the full moon... you're looking at a circular piece of it... the moon is too big to get the whole thing visible with a 60-inch telescope. So we looked at different areas of the moon.


Well, you can't have a birthday without a spread. Caprese, roasted potatoes, salmon-wraps, finger food....


And a double-decker veggie lasagna that was to die for. To. Die. For.



Romesco & Brie on a cracker ~ I bet Sara knows what that is (Romesco is almonds, hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and peppers), cucumber with salmon mousse on crackers, and smoked-salmon veggie wraps tied with scallions.


Our friend Theresa even made sure the table decorations matched the theme... sparklie star table cloth, battery-operated candles and big glittery stars!


B's favorite dessert... home-made Apple Pie.


... and my favorite... Chocolate Cake.... this one decorated with flowers & raspberries.



Back to the star-gazing.
Since our group was tiny (barely a group really), Don said he'd take us next door and show us the giant 100-inch telescope! And as luck would have it... someone had left the lights on for us!


Doesn't look that big in this shot, does it. It was 40 feet tall. The 100-inch mirror, built in 1917, is 5 FEET thick and weighs 4.5 TONS. That's TONS, People.


See that red yoke-like thing? It cups the telescope, supporting all that weight. Massive.


I took a photo of the walls of the dome... it felt like a Star Wars set. Which B also got a kick out of.



Some of the original controls for the 100-inch telescope, which I thought were kinda cool-looking. No, we didn't get to view anything through the telescope. But getting to see it was impressive enough!


Parting shot of the 100-inch, 40 foot tall telescope, Mt. Wilson Observatory.


Tom told us that Saturn was spectacular that night, possibly the best viewing of it he'd seen. This is a photo through the eyepiece, so it is fuzzy. What we saw was not fuzzy at all. We could see actual bands in the rings. It blew us away... it was as if someone had stuck a Saturn sticker on the glass... it was so perfect.


What's so special about this old wooden locker? It belonged to Hubble. Yes, THAT Hubble. Don said he kept his shoes in it. Note the name Hubble on the door.


The night was cool and breezy, and the company and food were stellar.



Here's the happy birthday boy. Altho I don't show his face on my blog... I thought a blurred head just wouldn't do... so I added a smilie face and a top hat. lol

Oh, and that top photo... that was an accident.. me taking a photo of the moon through the eyepiece... and I forgot to turn the flash off. I thought it was a fun effect.


Once upon a time, there was a little boy who wanted to look through a real live telescope. And one day, his dream came true.

Another "Parade of Every Moment" for my Shutterfly books.

~Shephard :)

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

GratiTUDESDAY

Attach of the Memes, I know. You'll forgive the lack of content while I continue to get rid of the ooky virus that has stollen my taste buds.



Borrowed and modified MEME
from Gerbera Daisy:




Outside My Window…I'm grateful for a fountain and hummingbirds and no big-girlie panties hanging from my neighbor's line.


I am thinking… of going to the store to buy Diet Coke. And so grateful that today is only 75* (it's been close to 100* for several days).


I am going… to look for opportunities to make a difference this week.


I am thankful for… the annual blooming of the giant purple Jacaranda trees. They are truly a sight for sore eyes. Never seen them or want to see them again? Click *here* for an older post to see them.


I finished… my second short-story submission today. If the contests all go no where, I've still made progress as a writer, and have two new stories to show for it this year. As well as the knowledge that professional (and quite famous) authors actually read my submissions (even if they hated them, lol). Big Gratitude.


I am wearing… comfy clothes that fit that I bought in a "normal" store. I couldn't be more grateful for that. (cheery orange stripes from Eddie Bauer, if you're wondering... horizontal stripes... eat that, Fat-Police!)


I am creating… more space in my life for making smart choices. I'm listening to the clues that the Universe sends me (wink to Wendy-Lu). And remembering the motto: "When people tell you who they are, believe them the first time."

I love it when I get clear confirmation from the Universe that I made the right choice.


I am going… to New York City again!! Maybe in late July or August. Yes, there will be theatre... expressly to see a musical that I have been hoping would show up on Broadway for over a year. I am so grateful for that.


I am reading… between the lines.

I am hoping… David Archuleta wins.

I am hearing… in the last 20 minutes: Katie Melua, Michael Buble, Toni Braxton, Kristy McNichol and David Archuleta on my iTunes (and I am expecting that one of those is going to get a reaction out of Sandra, lol).


I have to tackle… the phone lines tonight to vote for David Archuleta. Why Archuleta instead of Cook? Because there are a dozen voices on the radio just like Cook. And only a couple anything like Archuleta. Plain and simple.


One of my favorite things… this week: is Gratitude Tuesday. I get to remember why life is worth living. No matter how high gas prices go, no matter how the economy ping-pongs back and forth, no matter what laughing-baboon is currently president, no matter what candidate isn't being given a fair chance, no matter what virus holds my taste buds (two words) hostage, no matter what challenges loom on the horizon... I'm still alive. Which means I'm stronger than all of the above and then some.


~Shephard :)


"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
~ Alexander Chalmers


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Monday, May 19, 2008

Sandra's Six


I got this from *Sandra*

The Rules

 1. Link to the person who tagged you.
 2. Write six random things about yourself.
3. Curse the demon-seed-virus that raped & destroyed your tastebuds.
4. Refuse to separate "tastebuds."
5. Tag six random people at the end by linking to their blogs.
 6. Marvel that our galaxy contains 100 Billion stars.
7. Let people know they've been tagged.
8. Always tag humanely, and release back into the wild.
9. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.
10. Live gophers are not a sufficient mattress-stuffing material. But how cute would it be watching them run around under the mattress? Hours of entertainment for the kitties.

 Can I possibly find 6 things that would utterly astound you? We'll see. Doubtful.

1. I was one of millions of people who owned a pair of Mork & Mindy Rainbow Suspenders. I think I wore them once. But even at that early impressionable age, I knew that rainbows would somehow factor strongly into my adulthood. I just didn't know how. ;)


2. I've never been camping.
I don't know... I'm just not a commune-with-the-bugs-on-the-ground kinda guy. But if I had gotten the chance to go to Broadway camp as a teenager, I would have gladly gone.


3. I've had fancy and large. I got over it pretty quickly. I prefer simple. I prefer clean. I prefer openness... 1 part sparkle, 3 parts color, 2 parts newness and 4 parts organization. I get high on the combo of charm & practicality. I've learned what I want by having. There's no other way, it seems. Lots of mistakes. Things I couldn't have known. What I have now is fine for now. But it's not what I want. It took so long to figure out what I really want. I thought I knew. But I really didn't. Still, I am very grateful for what I have. But... it's kinda like being grateful for clothing, even if it isn't your favorite color. All of this refers to my preferences for a home.



4. My father was a rodeo-circuit rider. He wanted to be a cowboy. He was obsessed with all things cowboy. The only way I could have pleased him as a son would have been to wear chaps and shoot things. Not happenin', People.


5. As a kid, my parents had to force me to spend time outside in the sun. They plotted to disrupt the natural translucence of my Irish/Welsh complexion. Had I been a Goth-kid, I wouldn't have needed pancake make-up. Now that I live in SoCal, I actually enjoy spending time outside a lot (for the first time in my life).



6. My mom once bought me (cuz I begged her) an electric-blue satin jacket... it had a red satin stripe that ran the length of each sleeve, white piping, slantways pockets, and blue elastic cuffs and waistband. It was the most gorgeous shade of blue. I wore it to school once: "...just to find the others laughin' and makin' fun of me." It was my roller-disco jacket that I never wore again because the kids made fun of me. "They didn't understand me, and I tried to make them see... that one is only gay, only if he chooses to be. Now I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be... in my coat of red & blue satin... my mamma bought for me."
Thank you, thank you very much.




I tag Hill*ry Clint*n and Bar*ck Ob*ma.



Happy Monday!
~Shephard :)

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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Sick Food

Look at all the healthy food in that photo.

It's enough to turn my stomach.


I've been eating a very healthy diet now for a year and a half and am very happy with the results of limited sugar and saturated fat content.

But I gotta tell you... when I'm sick, the last thing I want is something healthy to eat. Total contradiction? Sounds like it to me. I suddenly crave baloney sandwiches. Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup. Ice Cream. I don't do ice cream very often. But I wanted it. And I felt better after eating each of the above. And even better after I ate Sandra's suggestion:



Grilled Cheese & Campbell's Tomato Soup.
Nothing like it.


I tried some home-made vegetable soup today. Blech. I could barely taste it. Rather have the Litpon, with only 3/4 the amount of required water. Stronger flavor that way. And I felt better.



I don't drink orange juice. It's too intense for me.
I will eat oranges. And I like it in Jamba Juice. But I won't willingly drink it otherwise. Unless I'm sick. Then I drink Orange Juice. But... I dilute it in half a glass of water. I also drink V8 when I'm sick.



I am repulsed by the thought of one sip of Diet Coke. That's how I know I'm not well yet.

But I'm almost well. :)
I'm thinking being sick alters taste-buds pretty significantly...
and then there's the psychological aspect. The power of comfort-food.

Back to my baloney and ice cream.
Hope you all have a great weekend!


~Shephard-on-the-mend :)
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Sick List

The Wasteland of Daytime TV + Movies

Enchanted
Torchwood
Millionaire
Cloverfield
Mary Poppins
Outing Riley
Good ole Spongebob
Hannah Montana
The Lake House
Regis & Kelly
Phineas & Ferb
Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Growing Up Black Leopard
2001: A Space Odyssey
Entertainment Tonight
Two and a Half Men
Samantha Who?
How It's Made
Jeff Corwin rescuing animals
Groomer Has it (ack)
Press Your Luck (no whammies)
New Now Next



The sofa holds me prisoner.
Feeling whoozy and tired still.
I'm looking forward to Idol tonight.
Last night, dinner was a baloney sandwich.
That's all I've eaten today too.
Miss reading your blogs, but I'm too weak.
I'm not getting any writing done. Same reason.
Bea Arthur turned 82 today. Wow.
I love my laptop.
We have a lot of cold medicine.
Kitties are a great comfort.
They're working B 12-hour days.
If he gets sick again, they'll be hearing from me.
Never seen an ep of Sex and the City.
Wish I knew where Charlie Sheen got his shirts.
Food is unappealing. Uck.
Need to be well by Friday. Theatre Tickets.
Me tired.
Not sure when I'll blog next.
Need to get better faster.


~Shephard

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Sunday, May 11, 2008

We Interrupt Monday....

...and our normally scheduled post for a fun guessing game! Oh boy!




Your clue is the movie Freaky Friday. And the question is:

Can you guess what B & I had in common with that movie this weekend?




~Shephard :)

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Thursday, May 08, 2008

13 on May 8th

1. iPod Today: quiet, so B can watch movies
 2. L.A. Weather: cloudy w/a chance of left-over carrot soup
 3. Last Night: a quiet evening of TV & rooting for David A
 4. My Cats are currently: watching "Cloverfield" on DVD with B

 5. That pot of Spaghetti Sauce yesterday... the one Sandra said was the biggest she'd ever seen (lol). . . it is saving me a lot of energy today, and likely tomorrow and the next day. We never tire of our recipe. It has two things in it that you may not have considered adding to a spaghetti sauce: honey ~ just enough to balance the tartness of the tomato sauce, and curry ~ just enough to give it a savory under-current, but not make it spicy-hot. (other ingredients: gr. turkey -not the extra-lean kind that tastes like rubber, onions, shrooms and the usual spaghetti spices).


6. *Wrong Cards* ... for when you want to say something a little differently than others:


And for Marianna in Iraq (lol):

7. I was at two stores yesterday looking for mustard pretzels. . . ya know, the packaged kind with a dusting of delicious dijon? It's been a while. It's possible that they don't exist anymore. . .?


8. Lolcats. If you don't know what they are by now... you should visit. You might think of it as "If Cats Could Talk." And they have their own broken English. It's not always just cats, and there are running gags with a bucket-obsessed walrus and cats who deeply desire cheeseburgers. Some captions are kinda dumb, some are funny, some are beyond cute, some are very clever with great photo captures, and every once in a while, a couple make me howl with laughter. *I Can Has Cheeseburger dot com*. Here are my favorites this week:


9. A couple more:



10. Often, they're not even cats...




11. I almost never watch daytime TV. I do tivo Ellen. That's it. But since B has been home, we've been watching Cash Cab (we've seen the night-time version too). It's a NYC cab where unsuspecting passengers climb aboard, only to find out they're in a Game Show (lights flash inside the cab and everything). They have until their destination to answer questions for money, and they have two life-lines ~ a mobile (cell phone) and Ask Someone On the Street. But 3 Strikes, and they are forced out of the cab wherever they are along the route! Okay, I admit I think the host Ben is handsome, but the show is fun to watch and answer along. :) (Discovery Channel)


12. I got nuffin this week. I went shopping, got B some fun DVD's to watch and a Jamba Juice with an immunity boost and antioxidant powder (take that, cold!). I'm home, still playing nurse, working on my 2nd short-story submission due soon, and taking care of whatever comes up, so you'll forgive if this 13 isn't exactly up to par. Not that you're expecting brilliance.


13. We did go see "Iron Man" last weekend. I thought it was just okay. Entertaining enough. Robert Downey Jr. is... the same as he always is. But that's why they cast him. I guess it's just not my kind of Super Hero film (but then again.. neither was Spider Man). B is watching "Cloverfield" while I'm at the computer. It's providing very interesting background noises, let me tell ya. I'm not watching!


I have a feeling we're in for a very quiet weekend. And that's aok. B needs it. We're stocked up with soup and supplies, we have BBC's Dr. Who 2nd Season on DVD, and a piece of Red Velvet Cake to share. It's a good day.

~Shephard :)

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Nurse Shephard, On Duty

....


That ought to get a lot of weird hits. lol




iPod Today: The Hoosiers, David Archuleta
LA Weather: 58*, cloudy with a chance of meatballs
Last Night: Painful Idol episode and Tivo'd Torchwoods
My Cats are currently: radiating comfort.


Well, B contracted that achey coughing bug, and today is day 2 of home-recuperation. It's going around the studio. Lots of folks at the Mouse are out. Even the other director on the film. Production has ground to a stall, a fact which I'm sure guarantees some late nights in the near future.

I've made store runs and stocked up on wonder-drugs, cough-suppressants and groceries. Today, I've cooked up some home-made spaghetti sauce for lunch to sooth the savage breast.

He's on the couch, wrapped in blankies and his favorite sweatshirt, drinking tea and watching movie after movie. And he has Golly to sit on him and make sure he stays put.


As for Monday's post... I'm making progress and on schedule. My spirits are buoyed, and it's a productive and optimistic day.



~Shephard :)

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Monday, May 05, 2008

As the Crow Flies



"Caw, caw, squawk-squawk," said the crow.
It got my attention, but not at first.
He hopped about, and then hopped right into my path, making me stop, then hopped away.


I went into the grocery store and got my groceries, and when I came out, there he was again. I thought to myself, "Okay, I get the message. Read Crow from The Medicine Cards when I get home (actually... I just use the handy link here in my sidebar now, since all the cards are there)." I turned the key and my car started up, and my music resumed. It was Indigo Girls singing the song "Watershed," and I heard the following lyrics:


"Standing at the fork in the road
You can stand there and agonize
Till your agony's your heaviest load.
You'll never fly as the crow flies,
get used to a country mile.
When you're learning to face the path at your pace
Every choice is worth your while."


Well, I sat there a moment, thinking about what "country mile" I might be lamenting. Where was it in my life that I wished I could e flying as the crow flies? Winged animals symbolize the mind, so it's always an issue of awareness and attitude and perspective. Where was I agonizing?


I'm so scattered today. Where's my head?
Crow is all about remembering that human laws, beliefs, and rules are not universal ones. Where did I need objectivity?

My own words from my post on Crow: "It is often much harder to choose to be brave, choose to be real, choose to focus on the higher truths."

Ah. Bravery.

My short-story submission. It's due to be sent in to my editor at the end of the week. I'm dragging my feet, and lamenting the process (the country mile). I'm telling myself it's a lot of effort for no return. I'm telling myself I can't tell if it's good enough, if it's solid enough. I'm agonizing, and it's become my heaviest load.
But if I just stand here and agonize, I am defeating myself before I begin.

I need to choose bravery. I need to choose to finish the story and let my editor help me get it ready for submission at the end of the month. I need to be brave enough to live with the fact that my voice may not be what they're looking for.

The process is a country mile, not straight as the crow flies. As the song says, "Ending up where I started again makes me want to stand still." But I can't let that get the better of me. My greatest strength and weakness are the same... not giving up.
...

~Shephard :)

If you want to hear the song, *click here.*

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Thursday, May 01, 2008

13 on May Day 2008


1. iPod Today: Pocketful of Sunshine (N. Bedingfield); After Tonight (Justin Nozuka)
2. LA Weather: High of 74, Low of no chocolate, with a slight chance of potatoes
3. Last Night: Chumbawumba Squash soup, Green salad, and hormonal women voting for Jason (wink)
4. My Cats are currently: recycling oxygen and hugs.



5. Observe: a rare photo capture of Oboe the Fridge Monster in his natural habitat. Alas, he's too quick even for my S*ny - Cybersh*t.



6. B did the following art for an unusual book to be sold at the up-coming San Diego C*micCon (100,000 Geeks in one location, buying and selling and having a blast). The product is by D*sney artists, but they're doing this independently of The Mouse. They were given the task of creating an illustration or a comic strip using just the theme "Rock*t J*hnson" ~ anything their imaginations can come up with, no limits! B's piece below will be a full page entry. Sneaky Peak (asterisks to keep looky-loos away). Zoom in.



7. Wendy has me coupon searching every time I order stuff online now. It really works. I'm surprised how often I find coupon and promo codes on the internet. Well, how about free shipping? This site compiles free shipping codes for over 600 retailers. *Free Shipping*


8. You have to laugh. *This site* will tell you how long it will take you to become a millionaire based on current savings and what you sock away. I'll be a millionaire when I'm 81. Yippee!! Think of all the teeth and hair that will buy!


9. I spent Sunday evening in Malibu, and the drive thru Kanan Dunes Canyon was decorated with Scotchbroom. :)


10. Mike fixed up my *Theatre Alley* (link in pink) this week! It's tidier and easier to use and read now. A big thank you to *Mike the Magician and all-around generous-and-helpful guy.* I owe ya one.



11. Oprah says ask for what you want (don't argue with her). Now apply this to that vacation you've been wanting. Go where you want, see what you want, don't see what you don't want to see, and spend what you want (within reason). *Zicasso* will circulate your Trip Request amongst pre-qualified travel specialists, and you'll get responses in 3 days, and can further negotiate from there. Painless Personalized travel.


12. I can't let May Day pass without flowers. I took this a couple days ago in the yard. Our yardful of roses is in full bloom.



Our succulents are doing fine in all this heat.



Our Trumpeter Roses are blooming.
The most cheerful red rose I've ever seen.


13. Hope everyone's weekend is warm and breezy, with a chance of chocolate.


~Shephard :)

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