Where life takes you...

6:26:14 AM EST
Feeling Angry

Yes...still on strike. I have moved. I will be moving the content of my journal over to blogspot. Think of the next few weeks as a BEST OF as I start from last April and come up to the present day. I won't bother with the MeMes or other junk.

My new blog: http://ryanagi.blogspot.com/

As soon as I get my journal moved, favorites saved, and find a way to back up my address book, I will cancel AOL.

10 years with the same email address. It just makes me cry the way AOL has shafted their members by opening up all their content to the internet at large, letting any tom/dick/harry post on the message boards (paying member or not), giving away free email, ftp space and JOURNALS, and now they are whoring out my journal with advertising.

I sent an email to www.blogbinders.com to see if they can add AOL Journals as an option. It would save me a TON of effort if I can just get a printed and bound copy of my entire journal. What a cool service.

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11:19:21 AM EST
Feeling Angry

I may lose readers, but it seems like a ton have already bailed.  This will be my last post to this journal unless AOL removes these suck-ass banner ads.

I AM ON STRIKE!

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12:13:17 PM EST
Feeling Happy

Another historic face-to-face has happened in J-Land!  I got to meet Margo of MagogoS's Musings on Saturday!  She was visiting her parents at their cabin in the Poconos. That isn't too far from my house, so off I went to meet her for lunch!

I love the Pocono mountains. What a beautiful area! The cabin is modest and charming. (What a great place to spend summer vacations as a kid, Margo!) Margo's parents were also charming. It was a pleasure sitting and chatting with them.

After sitting a spell, Margo and I went off to explore the Pocono Lake Preserve. The views around the area are just breathtaking. I could have sat and stared at the water for hours. Margo is great company and we chatted avidly about life, relationships, children and the differences in our respective childhoods.

I never had the experience of a cabin or vacation home when I was growing up. We never vacationed in the same spot twice. It's all a blur of endless road trips with my Dad behind the wheel of our old Thunderbird, my mother asleep in the front seat, and my brother, me and the dog battling for space in the back.  A nightmarish blur of oppressive heat, stench, super-heated navy-blue vinyl seats that could melt flesh, flying fur, shoving matches, and dog drool.  Add to that the endless stops at every battleground or military memorial on the eastern seaboard and the cut rate, flea-bag motels and motor lodges...ugh. 

It was fine, once we finally REACHED our destination; it's just that the journey there was the stuff of nightmares.

Any way, I am rambling again. It was lovely to meet Margo and I look forward to hooking up with her again soon. Especially since I found out she lives not too far from the casinos! *very big wink*

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10:44:03 PM EST
Feeling Mischievous

In my previous entry, you'll see my offering for the latest Round Robin Photo Challenge. The NEXT challenge will be on November 30th (no posting before then!) and *I* got to pick the topic!! 

I'm a huge fan of the reality TV show America's Next Top Model. Every week these super model wannabes are photographed by elite photographers doing some pretty outrageous things for the sake of fashion.  I decided the challenge topic would be "Super Model". 

Take a photo of a stranger, friend or family member that has that high fashion "super model" look and flavor or reminds you of a magazine ad. It can be serious or silly! Here is the ANTM gallery: UPN to use for some inspiration.  I'm looking forward to putting on my fashion photographer's hat for a while. I've often thought it would be a fun job to do!  (I, myself, am certainly a classic example of a fashion "don't".)

Want to join the fun? Check out the latest challenge and click the link at the bottom for the rules. Go get snappy!

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12:28:27 PM EST
Feeling Happy

In my quest for the perfect Christmas Card photo, Tyler and I paid a visit to Lake Musconetcong to feed the ducks, geese, swans and sea gulls. I wasn't intending to take pictures for today's Round Robin Photo Challenge, but happy accidents sometimes occur.

A little background info about the lake... During the mid-1800s, the Morris Canal and Banking Company created Lake Musconetcong as an additional water source for the Morris Canal. Completed in 1837, the Morris Canal was an engineering landmark that relied on canals, locks and inclined planes to lift and carry canal boats from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Jersey City, the Hudson River and New York Harbor. The boats transported coal, iron ore, manufactured goods and agricultural produce. However, as the more efficient Morris and Essex Railroad was established, the canal was abandoned.

 
        Rocky remains of the dismantled Morris Canal.

This lake, which is located four miles west of Lake Hopatcong, was deeded over to the State of New Jersey with the other parts of the Morris Canal System in 1924. Today boating, fishing and ice fishing are popular recreational activities on the lake.

In this relatively barren area of the shoreline, peaking out from the tumble of man-made boulders, I spotted a splash of color. It seemed so odd to find this bunch of wild flowers growing out of a crevasse at this time of year. The imperfect beauty of the hand-hewn granite coupled with the perfect simplicity of the little purple blossoms struck me. That's Wabi-Sabi for sure!

I got a bunch of great photos yesterday, but that perfect Christmas Card photo still eludes me.

Round Robin Participants

Coy...Dancing in the Rain POSTED!

Karen...Musings from Mavarin POSTED!

Sara...Photographic Memories POSTED!

Kimberleigh...Life As I Live It

Renee...Timeless Calligraphy Studio POSTED

Carly...Ellipsis POSTED!

Kat...From Every Angle POSTED!

Nancy...Nancy Luvs Pix POSTED!

Betty...My Day My Interests POSTED!

Deb...Sassy's EYE

-rRose...WAIT-NOTYET/ POSTED!

Steven...(sometimes) photoblog POSTED!

Alan...F-Stop POSTED!

Tess...First Digital Photos POSTED!

Phinney...Paragon POSTED!

Marie...Photographs & Memories NEW POSTED!

Derek...Picture Of The Day NEW POSTED!

(Oh, and my apologies to the State Fishing and Gaming Authority! We didn't see the sign that feeding the water fowl is prohibited until we were leaving the boat landing. The sign is facing a little wonky and wasn't visible on the way in. We saw it on the way OUT. Oh well.)

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11:52:47 AM EST
Feeling Mischievous
Hearing Why...my own journal music, of course!

After dropping Tyler off at school this morning and spending some time taking pictures of his class romping on the playground, I decided to try something *gasp*  different for breakfast (yes, Sara, I am actually TIRED of sausage McMuffins!)

I cruised over to the trade center mall to see if Panera Bread was open for breakfast. I hoped they were. I've eyeballed their pastry a couple times when I've stopped in there to pick up some soup for lunch. This place is a pretty recent discovery for me. Until they opened this new one in the trade zone, I'd never even seen one before.

Heck yeah, they were open. The place was PACKED with coffee drinkers munching on muffins and whatnot. I spotted two things I wanted almost instantly. A spinach, bacon and egg souffle and a cinnamon roll. Wow, they looked amazing.

I raced home smelling warm pastry all the way. Once I got myself set up back at my desk (I am always eating at my desk), my new furry side-kick made an appearance. He was aware I had something good the moment I came in the door and was just biding his time waiting for me to leave my breakfast unattended. His chance came when I paused in my eating to comment on a journal.

He only got a few sniffs in. I snagged him (and some photos) while he was still in the exploratory stages. He did get a few bites of my souffle. Who could resist that face???

I know. I am only encouraging the marauder.

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6:14:06 PM EST
Feeling Worried

My brain is buzzing and I don't know where to start. Last year right after Thanksgiving, I volunteered to host Thanksgiving at our house for a change (especially since my SIL then kindly hosted Christmas last year - most of you know how THAT went). My SIL trumped me by saying she had already offered to host Thanksgiving (which she hadn't). Then she recently doubled trumped me by having an adorable baby girl, backing out of Thanksgiving and asking that my MIL host it. Totally ignoring the fact that I still had my offer to host on the table. Yes, yes...I know she doesn't want to come here because the pet stains on my carpet gross her out. [insert big eye roll here]

So fine. I swallowed my pride and called my MIL to see if I could invite my parents to join the celebration at her house. She very graciously said "Of course!" Surprisingly, my parents were amenable to this arrangement. (I honestly thought they were going to insist that *I* do it.) 

I don't even want to think about how I will cope with being in the same house as my SIL and BIL, never mind eating at the same table with them...with my parents there...having NO idea about any of the crap that has gone down between us. Lovely.

That's just some of my worry. I've also procrastinated the planning of Tyler's birthday party a little too long. I was hoping he would make some new friends in his class for us to invite. I think he has a couple in mind...but I have NO IDEA what to do for his party or where.

I owe a gift to Tyler's cousin...but what to get a 6 year old who has everything. I'm clueless.

And then MY PARENTS ARE COMING HERE. FOR A LONG HOLIDAY WEEKEND. Oh Lord help me.

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11:43:06 AM EST
Feeling Happy

Eventful morning! Tyler came with me to Spartacus' latest vet appointment. Sparty received his last distemper booster and his first rabies shot. Poor kitty! He did well. Then we all went to breakfast at McDonalds.

Did you know that one McDonald's Deluxe Big Breakfast can feed:

 * 1 hungry Mommy

 * 1 hungry almost 4 year old

 * 1 hungry kitten

 * and about 10 hungry seagulls?

Tyler and I ate the hash browns and hot cakes...Spatacus and I shared the scrambled eggs...I ate the sausage patty...the seagulls ate the big biscuit with jam.

Why do seagulls hang out in so many shopping mall parking lots (so far from the ocean)? It's a mystery. But they sure do like buttery biscuits with jam.

Later today Tyler is scheduled to receive his first flu shot. He is NOT happy about this, but I think having him see Sparty get shots today too has helped his fear a little.

I've been meaning to post a Halloween wrap-up entry, but time seems to be slipping away from me since we got home from vacation.

Honestly, I didn't have a very good Halloween this year. Between rushing Tyler to school, running home to see if I had everything I needed for my costume, realizing I didn't, running out to Walmart, running back to pick up Tyler from school, taking him home for some lunch, putting his costume on him, running him BACK to school for their big Halloween party, running home again, realizing that the trick or treaters were ALREADY OUT in our neighborhood, scrambling to get Tyler's treat bucket ready and the rest of his costume found, running to fetch the big cauldron of treats...only to have the handle break loose and the 80 lbs of candy (slight exaggeration) go flying down the steps, trying to pick everything up as the doorbell is ringing, scrambling to get some of the glow bracelets assembled, glowing andready to hand out....whew. 

I just flopped into the chair in my entryway, waved goodbye to husband and son as they left to go from door to door, and could barely muster the energy to finish making the bracelets.

*sigh*

I never had a chance to put on the cool green makeup and purple eyeshadow I got at Walmart to go with my costume. My costume is still hanging in the bathroom waiting for me to put it on. Ah well. Maybe next year.

I did have a little fun when I put one of the green glow bracelets around Sparty's neck. He's so small it fit him perfectly...like an eerie collar. He is the first cat we've ever had that is brave enough to answer the door with me. My other 2 never wanted anything to do with Halloween. They hid.  Which is a shame since my black kitty, Sheba, would have been a perfect Halloween cat.

What did Sparty do when he heard kids coming?  THIS!

I swear I think he was trying to open the door for me! Then he noticed the cute bat chimes I had hanging from the screen. The kids got such a kick out of him and his glowing collar.

Sparty was also my candy guardian. Oh and here is a shot of my little Buzz Lightyear coming home from collecting treats. He got tired quickly this year (probably from all the fun and running around we did earlier in the day) so he didn't make it to very many houses before he asked his Dad to bring him home. So much for going out twice in both his costumes.

Lastly, I'd like to announce the arrival of Charles Samuel, first born of my friends Norman and Danit. Born on the 21st at 3:51AM (ouch) and weighing 9 lbs 7 ozs. Isn't he cute?! Norman has already given over control of the remote. Now THAT'S a good daddy.

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3:26:04 AM EST
Feeling Quiet

Once upon a time there was the world's most perfect dog. She was intelligent, loyal, playful, sweet, sensitive and loving. She was the best dog I've ever known.

Princess was a mutt and a stray. She just wandered into our yard, lives and hearts one sunny day and with the shake of a paw and a gleam in those big, expressive brown eyes, she made herself at home and became a member of my family for the rest of her life.

My heart broke the day I packed up my things to move away from home for the last time. I missed my dog horribly. My heart broke again when, several years into my happy marriage, my mother called to chat one day. She broke the news that my Princess was gone. Her health had failed to the point where my parents made the decision to put her to sleep. I cried bitter, angry tears. My mother should have told me ahead of time. I would have driven the 5.5 hours home to be with my puppy in her final moments.

Time passed and I got over most of my hurt and anger.

One weekend, while home for a visit, my parents went out to run some errands and I was left alone in the house for a while. I decided to sit in the family room by the fireplace and read a book.

I was enjoying the quiet and the warmth of the fire. I felt a familiar nudge at my knee and then the pressure of something laying on top of my foot. I smile and murmured, "Hi Princess...come for a snuggle?"  She would always poke you in the knee with her nose and then lay her head on your foot until you would bend down to scratch her ears and pet her. It took a couple minutes for the realization to hit me. How could that be Princess? She was long gone!

My heart skipped a beat and I looked down at my feet. At that moment, I saw what could only be described as a vaguely dog shaped shadow moving away from me. I held my breath while the shadow seemed to pause and look over its shoulder at me and then moved again before fading from view.

I was frozen. I wasn't exactly afraid. It was Princess! I have no doubt of that. The moment I felt that reassuring pressure on my foot, I was filled with a sense of peace and contentment.

I've never really spent much time in self-analysis over what my beliefs are with regards to ghosts. But after that weekend, I no longer had any doubts that sometimes...something is left behind that lingers beyond death.

I didn't say anything to my parents when they got home. I didn't want them to think I was nuts!

Some time later, my mother and I were once again chatting on the phone and we happened to be talking about a TV program that had a supernatural theme. I asked my Mom if she had ever experienced anything...odd...in her house. Without hesitation, she said, "Oh, just Princess. I see her or feel her here sometimes. Do you think I'm crazy?"

Well, yes I do, actually. But not because you've seen a ghost or two, Mom. But that is another story.

This story is the absolute truth, I swear it.

Happy Halloween, everyone. May all your hauntings be as friendly, safe and warm as mine was.

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9:00:51 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing A recording of The Amazing Race

We're back! Of course, leaving on vacation and having my journal go entryless during the Vivi Awards was NOT the best of timing...but it couldn't be helped. Our first log cabin awaited!

We had a fantastic time, but all the things I THOUGHT we were going to do, never got done. I'll just have to visit Dollywood another time. Ha! What did we do?? We took the kids to play miniature golf the first day and Tyler was totally HOOKED. We ended up taking the kids to play golf every day! Did we play every course in Pigeon Forge? Nope! That place seems to be mini-golf heaven! Every where you turn, there's another course to play.

Some highlights from our trip:

 - The cabin was amazing! All that wood! All those windows! Waking up at dawn every day! Oh wait. I am NOT a morning person. Ooops!

 - Tyler cheats at mini-golf. Blatantly! He will pick up his ball, walk to the hole and drop it in. Meanwhile, his pal Maddie was playing strictly by the rules. No one touch her ball! She wants to do it herself!

 - Tired and hungry children do NOT play nice. We discovered our son has quite a mean streak. I think some more lectures about the evils of bullies are in order.

 - After dinner one night, I was approached by a time share hawker (there are a LOT of them trying to sell vacation property in the area). He asked the ages of all my children, including my oldest (my friend Kim). Poor Kim! I guess there are worse things than being mistaken for my teenaged daughter.

 - That worse thing came a couple days later when a worker at one of the mini-golf places was attempting to take a souvenir photo of all of us. He said "OK everyone, move over and make room for Grandma!"  Grandma?! Who was he talking about? "Squeeze on in here, Grandma!"  Oh...my...Lord... He was talking to ME!!!! Grandma?!?!?!?!?!?! Someone get me some hair dye, QUICK!

 - John volunteered to baby-sit all the kids while Kim and I had a rare kid-free afternoon. We hit the outlet mall and shopped 'til we were ready to drop. I called John once to check on him. He was doing great! Then Kim and I went out for leisurely dinner. I got to try chicken 'n dumplings for the first time. Yum! John finally called and asked us to come help with bed time. Poor guy was worn out! But he did fine and said he would do it again. That's my guy!

I think that's a good place to stop. Time for some sushi! Want to see more photos from our trip? Visit my Shutterfly album here.

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