Mission Accomplished...

...another trip around the sun.

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!

According to the earliest information about this year's wine is that it is going to be more expensive, and the crop was "dismal." On the bright side, we can all rush right out and get some as of today. The wine is also reported to have "raspberry tones." It's delish with Thanksgiving dinner in case you are looking for a special wine to have on Thursday.

It Must Be True

For the Love!

There are two radio stations in our area that are already playing Christmas music 24/7. Geesh.

Guess What I'm Doing This Weekend?

I'm travelling to Philadelphia this weekend to meet one of our very own blogger buddies that I've never met before. Besides Bone and NittanyBri, anyone care to guess who it might be? C'mon! Here's you giant clue if you haven't figured it out by now!

Really?

It seems like only yesterday that I in high school and was trying to convince my parents that the punk movement was really nothing to be concerned about. Sure, my guy friends from school wore eyeliner and leather and that a few earrings in their ears, but they were really nice guys. Matter of fact, they still are!

The real punk movement of course started in the 70's, way before I was in high school. That's when CBGB's had its heyday in NYC, The Sex Pistols were shocking the world and Madame Wongs in L.A. kept the punk scene going on the West Coast.

This past weekend I got to see a photography exhibit by Theresa K. who shared some candid moments with punk's most notorious characters; Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell, Joey Ramone, and The Cramps just to name a few. Sadly most of them are dead now, which was the theme of the exhibit I saw this weekend. This exhibit honored these musicians and celebrated the fact that punk is turning 30 years old!

Theresa K is a blogger, check her out and reminisce about the good old days. This is one of my favorite images from the show.

Happy Halloween!

One Thing I Love About Fall

I love to celebrate the season with the different wines that become available. Right now we're enjoying:

Me and the Galpals....

We've all read the book and the cast of the movie looks incredible. I best be sure to take some tissues.

Going to see...

Should be a great night in Hershey, PA!

Oh-My-God!

Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

...and so I went there this morning because I just HAD to have one. I place my order and I hear "I just have to let you know that we're out of the salt." WHAT? There is no point to this drink unless there is salt. Ugh! So, I had to go with my standby. Not that that is a problem.

So How 'Bout Those Phils???

Remembering A Special Birthday

I Am Sooo Happy...

...that Notre Dame doesn't suck this year. Hope your team is winning too. Well, except if you like Penn State.

God Save the Queen

I received this in my in box, hope you did too, so this entire election thing can be put to rest.

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II:

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-'ise.'Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').
2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S .English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'
3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
4.You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.
5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

Picture Pages

This IS the job that I want! We were walking along Beacon St. and heard a whole lot of barking. Turn around and find a short school bus full of dogs. They were being dropped off at their homes after a day at doggie day care!

Mt. Auburn cemetery. This was one of the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen.

This stone almost brought me to tears. I'd love to work on this image with Photoshop and see what I come up with.

I'm no math wiz, but there seems to be something amiss with this one.

Old North Church

Anyone want to venture a guess as to what this is? It was in the church.

Copp Hill Cemetery

It's True Folks....

...we got to hang out with the coolest guy in Beantown! That's M (from Smoke and Mirrors), me and Nittanybri from our recent trip.

For those of you that have never been to Boston, you need to go. It is a pretty cool place. It's the big city without becoming overwhelming like NYC can be.

• The "T", super simple and it takes you everywhere
• Have a beer or two at Cheers, it's wicked fun! And not the one in Faneuil Hall, go to the one on Beacon St.
• Definitely relax in Boston Common and enjoy all the doggies!
• Have chowda at Union Oyster House, just get the bowl and be done with it.
• See Mt. Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, it is just stunning. Maybe you can catch a glimpse of a coyote or two.
• Challenge your brain at the MIT museum, it's not just ho-hum nerd-dorkery! Be sure to check out the exhibit from their artist in residence Arthur Ganson, absolutely fascinating. The exhibit is called Gestural Engineering. You'll find yourself mesmerized!
• The Old North Church, it's a great place, everyone should see it.
• And while you are in the North End for the love of God, don't forget to eat. If you did, your nose musn't be working. The odors that come out of these restaurants is sinful. On the list of things to eat is definitely cannoli's. You can grab one and run or sit and have a cappucino and take in the sites. Either way, delish!

There will be many pics to share in the near future. We had a super time!!!

Wisenheimers

You have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool you guys! Yup, it's true, we're heading up to Boston this week. It will be fun-fillled for sure. This will be NittanyBri's first time in Bean Town, it has been years for me so I am looking forward to being there again. We also get to meet, live and in person, one of my long time blogger buddies Mr. Smoke & Mirrors!!! Lastly, after we spend a few days in Boston whooping it up with M, we'll be finishing up our trip in Vermont to visit with my nephew who is currently attending Norwich Univ.

Neither I nor Bri has been to Vermont before. We'll be about an hour away from Ben & Jerry's, YUM! Also, Friday is my nephew's birthday. His 21st birthday. You see where I'm going with this? I may need to pack extra Advil for the morning after.

Can You Guess?

Where we're going next??

Remembering....