Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

May the New Year bring you happiness, health and peace! 

MC

Bloggers and Blogging and BlogReading, OH MY!

In a previous post, I wrote about
http://lifeisgood-mc.blogspot.com/2009/10/ok-now-im-hungry.html
reading Julia Childs book, My Life in France.   (I do have to learn how to make words into links...  anyone have a simple explanation?)  It was interesting, and made me hungry!  Well, today I watched the movie Julia and Julie.  It was cute, and definitely worth a rental!  (Thank God for Netflix on snow logged days)

It's been a good weekend, (so far).  Friday night a much beloved niece graduated from college, with a major in Nursing.  There was a lovely ceremony for just the Nursing department grads.  Afterwards, there was a family party.  Everyone was relaxed and really seemed to have a great time.  Saturday was shopping in the next state, at this HUGE mall.  I've been looking for a converter to play my old VHS-C sized home movies in a regular VCR, so I can get someone to load them onto DVD's for me.  I hate the technology change overs....especially when it's old home movies.  I've already done the Super 8 to VCR conversions in the 80's  LOL   Isn't once enough?  Anyway,  Best Buy had one!  SCORE!  I helped a faux niece find a lovely dress for New Years Eve, she's a TALL girl, and everything seems like a micro mini on her....  this dress was short, but cute, a liitle formal but she looked like a million in it.  Isn't it great that I can get as excited over her dress as I would be if I had found one????  We hit a coat outlet, where she found a Micheal Kors long coat, and her sister found a dressy P  Coat style, so shopping was a success.  We went to a family party (the faux family) and saw folks I haven't seen in a year or two, and came back to our state to watch the Devils hockey game on a big screen.  I left for home about 10p, just as the snow was really hitting!  After a quick stop to ShopRite for snacks for today, I hunkered in.    

I got up today, dug out the car, scrubbed the bathroom, (oh the mundane chores of life) and read blogs for a LONG time.  I watched 2 movies while I played on the computer.  I am now (seriously) going to log off and write Christmas cards.  If they don't hit the mail tomorrow morning, they'll turn into New Years cards!!!  Thanks to all the interesting peopkle who blog....  You made my day!   Hope you all had a relaxing weekend, are staying (or getting) stree free for the holiday, and are taking time to enjoy the 'now'!  MC

Pioneer Woman's Booksigning in NYC

I've read other blogs, but I keep reading Pioneer Woman's on a daily basis.  She has the BEST recipes, a wealth of knowledge about photography, and just plain interesting stories about her family and their life.  She wrote a cookbook, and has been on a book tour recently.  I went to NYC to Chelsea Market to meet her.  She was warm and humerous, and the crowds were great.  We chatted with another woman behind us in line....and I confess, I wanted to ask her a million questions about herself.  Why is it when I meet a blogger, I want to fill in the gaps, and get waaayyyy too person very quickly?    If you ever get a chance to visit Chelsea Market, do so!  It's a collection of food stores, bakeries, gift shops, etc.  There were wonderful finds to be had!  What a good day!  Have you ever met someone in person after you've read their blog?   Do your perceptions of them from their postings match your in-person impressions?  Are all bloggers as curious about people as I am?  Let me know!

I'm Excited!

I'm just back from a laundry/dinner/shopping kind of evening.  I went to pick up a few copies of the Pioneer Woman's cookbook because she's doing a meet and greet in NYC tomorrow, and I'm going!  Should be fun!  I wanted to bring my camera, so I had to (finally) upload all the photos on it to my laptop...and it's not my strongest skill.  I had over 200 photos that needed to be sorted and filed.  Whew.  That's done...
   I've always been interested in photography....  Sheesh, was it really a decade ago????,  I had a Pentax SLR that seemed attached to me at all times.  My oldest nephew was married in early December, it seems soooo long ago by now.  I had a bunch of rolls (undeveloped) in the bag, and a half used roll in the camera.  My home was robbed, and everything was taken.  I mean, they unplugged the answering machine and took it.  They left the furniture, and my clothes...but everything else was gone.  I mourned the loss of the family photos, especially of such a joyous occasion.  (Get the tissues ready....)  My next oldest nephew was killed in a train accident that February.  JP was gone. I totally lost interest in restarting my 'hobby'.  It was pointless.  Of course, little by little, point and shoot cameras crept into my life, then a digital, then a slightly better one.  (Tissue time over)   For the past 2 years, I've had some serious digital SLR envy.  This year, I broke down, and bought the Nikon D5000.  Well, not just this year, just a few weeks ago, so I would have it for Thanksgiving, and my glider flight.....  I love it.  I am so happy with this 'new toy'. 

I bought the 2 lens package, and should have gotten another memory card (or two) to keep things organized.  So far, we've done a photo shoot for families at a local nursing home, and have been requested to return on New Years Eve, to photograph other families.  I think I've changed again!  I have another hobby, one I've let go dormant for a decade, but one I love and have missed!  HURRAH for taking a step backwards occasionally.  More posts tomorrow after the book signing!  MC

Citizens on Patrol!

Last night, I 'graduated' from Citizen Police Academy.  It's a course taught by the local Police department.  It's to make you more aware of the Police activities, and to be a better citizen, more aware of your community.  It was about 7 or 8 weeks.  Each night we did something different (always under their supervision).  We ran mock traffic stops, and were given scenarios that had actually occurred to officers.  We saw tapes of their stops, and some tragic outcomes from around the country.  We were allowed to the local academy computerized firing area, and had to decide in a split second, if to pull a gun, and to aim, and fire and see our results on the life sized screens.  We also later went to an indoor firing range at the headquarters, and under MUCH supervision, shot at targets.  For a peace loving child of the 60's, I was AMAZED at how much fun shooting was.  I don't know if it would be as good if I was hunting animals, or God forbid, shooting at a person, but target shooting was really challenging!
     We also spent an evening with the medical examiner, who walked us through an autospsy (in photos), and then showed us the equipment used in investigations.  She also showed us slides of some of her more 'interesting' cases. WOW.  A forensic detective spent 3 of the most intense hours reviewing slides of his cases, and investigations.  People's inhumanity towards each other still shocks me.  A gang expert spoke on the current situations, and we were horrified to see that my Beloved Barnes and Noble sells a coloring book portraying gangs and their lifestyles.  For real!  Who would buy this for a kid? Seriously????  Can there be that big a gangster market for coloring books?  As a grand finale, we visited the State Prison, the maximum security one.  We were cat-called as we walked through, shown the infirmary, living areas, showers, etc.  It ended with an hour long session with members of the Prisoners Speakers Bureau.  These are long timers, with good behavior, who volunteer to meet with civic groups and spend some time with us in the library there.  We were in groups of 3 Academy students to 1 prisoner.  We could ask them anything about their crimes, prison life, reforms needed, drug use 'inside', etc.  Eye opening.
   Well, that was my Wednesday nights for the past couple of months.....  Have you ever taken a course for just no reason at all other than it tickled your fancy?  Try it sometime....  change is good for the soul!  MC

Ugg Boots Contest

I have seen EVERYONE and I mean everyone wearing Ugg Boots for the past few years. I just couldn't see me wearing them, until I saw the chocolate short boot on this website (Wooga website). AND there was a contest, and I do so love contests. In order to win, you have to publish a post about their website, boots, and here it is!
Do you own Uggs? Love, like or hate? Socks or no socks? Do you wear them in the rain and snow, or are they for 'show'? Fill me in! MC