BUSTA(ANDMAEVE)MOVE!

You can see the family resemblence!

MISSED CALLS

These are 2 of many calls we get on our home phone, which we basically only maintain so telemarketers have a place to reach us.

I feel sorta bad for this guy

I sorta feel bad for Republicans

Glass Practically Empty

Tom and I met a young attorney last night – he was our closing attorney, and lucky for us, he makes house calls.  Really nice guy, mid 30’s, has a couple kids under the age of 3, a total Boston Irish Boy, including his inability to manage his liquor thus his decision to quit drinking 8 years ago.

Anyway, he told us a couple of funny little stories about how he a) doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut and b) tends to say the wrong thing when he does speak.  The stories probably won’t elicit a belly laugh, but I thought they were funny enough to share.  I suspect they sound better when delivered by Sean. 

Story #1:  He was having a conversation with a woman that he didn’t know that well, the woman was pregnant, so Sean went on and on about how terrible childbirth was, how she is in for a nightmare experience, etc.  The woman (and Sean’s wife), just looked at him like: “shut the F up?!”.  He then found himself in a conversation with ANOTHER pregnant woman, not too much later, and AGAIN, inexplicably, he went on about how horrible the experience will be for her, except THIS time he was able to identify to the woman and her husband that he had made this social gaffe before and was aware that it is completely inappropriate and unwelcome.  But even after announcing that, he CONTINUED to detail why they would never want to have children again.  He was amazed at his own inability to stop himself.

Storey #2:  He was talking to his neighbor, apparently her father had been battling mightily for some time with cancer, chemo, radiation, repeated hospitalizations, etc.  However, she was happy to report that he had BEATEN the cancer, was diagnosed cancer-free!  A cause for relief and celebration!  NOT if you are talking to Sean, Sean thought it was necessary to add to the conversation by stating “Well, you know, with cancer, it never really goes away, it always comes back……….”  Thank you Sean.

While recounting these stories, I am reminded of a recent conversation my friend (name rhymes with “Taffy”) had with a total stranger.  Taffy and I had decided to take an overnight trip up north, and while at the bar one evening, Taffy decided to step outside for some air.  While relaxing on a bench outside, she struck up a conversation with a gentleman that had a dog with him.  Taffy proceeded to ooh and aah over the dog, asking about the dog’s name, breed, etc.  Taffy also queried about the dogs age.  When she learned the dog was 11, she was a little surprised at the dogs advanced age, which led to her to follow up with “how long do those dogs live?”.  I can’t help but believe that there was a hint of incredulity in Taffy’s voice when she asked that question, but that has not been confirmed.  The owner of the dog noted that this is something he would rather not think about.

So there you have it, a few examples of people that REALLY know how to look on the bright side of things.

Holliston Wildlife

Our Neighbor's Cat "Squeeky" welcomes birds to our birdfeeder

Ringo Relaxes After a Day Full or Napping

Buster Too Takes This Time to Catch Up On His Napping

IT'S OFFICIAL

I am now a member of TWITTER SOCIETY

You will notice a few things:

1) I am following only ONE person, and that person is Lindsay Lohan!
2) So far, Lindsay has advised that I "Do it".  I think I will.
3) The powers-that-be at twitter feel that I might be a good fit to follow the likes of Jessica Alba, Karl Rove or Oprah Winfrey.  Nothing Doing.  My heart and my tweets belong to Lindsay.

As a native Long Islander

She makes me proud!

My GOD, she is a fountain of wisdom & calm in a time of despair.

I DO believe I am going to have to join twitter for the sole purpose of following her.  I foresee a new "feature" in our future....."What's That Lindsay?"

Where dat Ringo be at?

Not surprisingly Ringo has put his life on the line, yet again, to help those in need.  As soon as he heard about the devastating toll that Hurricane Sandy was predicted to inflict upon the Northeast, specifically the New York City Area, Ringo hopped the last Acela train to Manhattan.

Ringo can be seen below boarding a raft en route to the ravaged are in search of stranded victims.

"Where's the F-ing Water?"

Contradiction

Do you see it?

Daily Disappointment

65+ MPH Hurricane Force Winds and my Whirly-Gig is neither Whirlying or Gigging.

#%#!&$!!!

FRANKENSTORM?

BRING IT ON!!!!!

A Cautionary Tale

I spent a really wonderful Sat/Sun with my pal Cathy in Portsmouth NH.  It was a quintessential New England port town in the peak of the Fall season.  Good Shopping.  Good Dining.  Good Friends*.

We started the afternoon shopping in the surprisingly bustling little town. We found the PERFECT restaurant for lunch, The Oar House, in a cool alley on the waterfront.  We had a couple drinks w lunch.  We walked around a bit more before we headed back to the hotel for a quick cat nap....right after we stopped into the port-view lounge for a drink or two.  Napped.  Freshened up, headed out the door for dinner.  Our new favorite haunt was jammed - not even seats at the BAR!  So, we went to our back-up dining option....don't remember the name :-).....had dinner.  Had a couple glasses of wine with dinner.

Then, THEN we went shopping.  We were surprised, and pleased, to learn the stores were still open!  We found this GREAT shop, FILLED with AWESOME stuff - I was overwhelmed by all the COOL stuff they had to choose from.

THIS is what I walked out the door with (AFTER paying...wise-asses.....)

Kids, let Auntie Ann's mistakes be a lesson to you.  We all know we are not supposed to drink or text and drive, but has anyone talked to you about drinking and shopping?  I thought not.  It's the silent killer.    

I live, so you can learn.

*  I use the term "friend" loosely in this context, a true friend would not a) allow me to make such a purchase and b) not insist, repeatedly, the next morning, that I show her that "thing" again, while laughing hysterically.

AND it starts.....

"I'd get it myself but......"

Poor Tom??!!

Okay, so about 6 weeks ago Tom injured himself running, he was training for a half marathon in Boston. 

So, Tom has been hobbling around ever since.  The 5K he was going to run with his brother John?  Tom walked.  The half marathon Tom was going to run last weekend?  Tom was a no-show.  So Tom FINALLY broke down and went to the doctor.  He sent me this picture this afternoon:



Tom has a fractured Ankle


According to the Doctor, Tom is supposed to use crutches for the next 2 weeks and wear the boot for a couple months.

You see where I am going with this don't you?  I mean sure, you could focus your concern on Tom's recovery. . . if you want to be selfish.

But have you given a moment's thought as to who is going to walk the dogs at 5:30 every morning and again every evening?   Of course you haven't, that burden is left to me.  Yeah, you got it, I'LL be the one to take on this task.  I have always reserved this "act of generosity" to Father's Day and Tom's birthday.  This will TOTALLY ruin the "specialness" of this gesture.

I guess this is where I wish my husband a SPEEDY RECOVERY!

A Night of TERROR!

I entered the Colonial Inn in Concord, MA at 6 p.m. on Friday October 12th.  I left the next day a changed person.

Room 24.

Haunted:  CLICK HERE FOR PROOF!


Tom and I spend a night in Room 24.   We laughed at the concept of a haunted room.

We aren't laughing anymore.

If you are faint of heart, you may not want to watch the videos below.

Awesome Parent Moment

Put together a really cool October/Halloween Care Package for Maeve.  Lots of cool stuff in that box (even snuck in some VT cheddar/mustard and pretzels!).  Neither Tom nor I take the blame for the Avril Levigne DVD - she ASKED us to send some old DVD's...that one was the scariest so we put it in the clutches of the skeleton.

CAMP IS CLOSED!!!!!!!

As much as I prefer to open camp vs. close camp, there is something bittersweet about closing up camp that I also enjoy.

Tom and I spent Saturday doing all "our" (read:  MY) favorite things - lunch at Simon Pearce and a stop at Scotland by the Yard in Quechee, Chapman's for some holiday gifts and to say good-bye to Mrs. Chapman & Alita, pick up some cheddar at Bev's farm stand to mail to Maeve at college, wander around Farmway in Bradford, and dinner in Lyme.

My brother Al joined us on Sunday around 10 am, giving Tom and I a chance to have breakfast at the diner first

I can't BELIEVE how fantastic my wife looks this early in the morning!

There was a period of stress in taking in the dock - as regardless of best efforts, the boat wouldn't start.  AAARRGH!  Boats suck.  OUR boat sucks.  We were supposed to meet Celia from the Fairlee Marine at the boat landing at 11, clearly that wasn't going to happen.  No one was answering the phone at the marine and they had no answering machine, so I drove over there - closed on Sunday.  I knew our contact there was named Celia - found her on linked-in, she lived in bradford, but isn't listed.  SO, I drove to the landing to meet her to let her know that the boat was not moving off our dock.  We were all done with close-up sans taking in the dock, which we couldn't do until we got the boat out....so, Tom and Al decided to ROW the boat over to the landing.  Fast forward, It's now 11:30, I am still at the landing...still no Celia and the boys continue their strenuous row....what if they FINALLY get there and Celia doesn't show - they have to row back - we can't take in the dock....what the F are we going to do?  "Good News" - Celia had a flat on her truck, was delayed, but DID meet us at the landing eventually.

LUCKY Tom and Al got to take in the dock after all:

Thanks for helping Ann!

AND,  then, we say our final good bye's!

Good-Bye summer of 2012!

SIDE NOTE:  Jack and Nancy got this TOTALY cool sign for Camp:

It's good to have a back-up plan

See Ya Suckers!!!!

I got this little gem in my inbox today:

Apparently, all I need to do is confirm receipt of the email and I am good to go.  ONE point FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!

I'm going to go tell my boss to F-OFF right now! 

Who WOULDN'T Want This Job??!!

I came across this job that was posted on Monster last year:

Looking for an experienced personal assistant who is a jack of all trades, loves to work with children and has mechanical, construction, landscaping, driving, housekeeping and child care qualifications.  Working knowledge of diesel engines a must. Responsibilities include servicing diesel MTU boat engine, first mate boat responsibilities (docking, cleaning, navigation, upkeep and maintenance), house and yard maintenance, child care for a young children, housekeeping (laundry, cooking, cleaning, ironing), driving and other chores. Flexibility and understanding and conversant in English a must.  CPR training preferred.  Must be willing to spend extended time living on boat at sea and from time to time at our house to help with children. Overnights, weekends and evening work will be standard and therefore flexible hours a must. Starting pay $8.25 per hour.

(SLIGHTLY better pay than McDonald's)

Low Maintenance?

I don't THINK so!

I got this freebie garden mini-mag/coupon-provider in the mail today - I appear to be on some sort of 'Bernie Madoff' gardening ponzi scheme list.   

My instant reaction?  Thank You No.  

Gimme a: 

• "This Garden Will Kick-your-Ass" column ?  I'm there!  
• "Why Are All Your New Expensive Shrubs Dead"?  Count me in!  
• "You married for 'better or worse', but really, look at that lawn"?  You're singing  my tune

Low Maintenance??!!!  

Not my gig. 

Yes, as a matter of fact, I was born in a barn

Tom is very security conscience; he likes to have all our doors and windows locked up.  I'm a Jackman, I don't lock my doors.

So, I was the last one to leave the house Monday morning, a little distracted, a few out of the norm commuting events happening.

I was the first one home.   This is what it looked like as I approached the porch door:

Look how nice and welcoming :-)

That's right - C'mon in!!  :-)

Need a Car?!  Help Yourself!!!

now I'M angry!

I'm ashamed to admit I have been somewhat apathetic about the violent protests cropping up across the globe in response to an anti Islamic video created by some loser in CA.  Don't get me wrong, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of a U.S. Diplomat and 3 others following an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya.  By all accounts the Diplomat was dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Libya.  But, like a typical American, it's not until an event hits home that I start to pay attention.

Well, I'm paying attention NOW!





When I saw this image on MSNBC showing protesters defacing a Hardees and KFC in Tripolo, well, I knew I could no longer sit back and pretend this wasn't about me.  I am ALL fired up now!  I haven't formulated a plan yet - Tom and I have dinner reservations tonight, and then tomorrow Cathy, Sue and I are going to Cathy's cousins house for the day/night (3 million dollar pad, right on the beach, weather is supposed to be fantastic), and Sunday, well, Sunday is my time to relax.  But when I get to work on Monday, if I'm not too busy at the office, well....well...lets just say I'll probably have a plan by then!



WTF??

I just heard on the "news" last night that Kim Kardashian has over 16 MILLION followers on  Twitter!
 

When I look at the stats for MY blog it looks like I only have 4 followers?

I repeat, WTF??

I've pored over thousands of Kim's tweets from last week, reviewed my own 13 or so blog postings over the last 18 months....hoping to glean some insight as to how I might expand my audience beyond my 4 rabidly loyal followers.

Nothing.  I come up with nothing.

So, you know what?  I took a random sampling of both our "styles" and laid them out below.  If you see anything, anything at all. . . .

Kim's September 2012 Tweet

Ann's September 2012 blog entry

 

 

 

Kims June 2012 Tweet

Ann's June 2012 blog entry

 

 

 

Kim's February 2012 Tweet

Ann's January 2012 blog entry





BUSTAMOVE!





One for you, two for me

I was doing a little early xmas shopping while out and about on a road trip. Saw this in a store and thought that my daughter MAEVE would really love it!!

And I still think she would.

BUT, it turns out, it ALSO looks really good in MY house!

Sorry Maeve!

BOLOGNA

No, really.......BOLOGNA.

YUMMY!

It's true, I love a bologna sandwich, white bread, French's mustard....I'm all set.

But to share my culinary delight with others, it's as if you just shared:  "I'm fond of kicking toddlers".  People are disgusted (rightfully so with the toddler thing), and I GET IT....I mean, I know that Bologna is kinda dicey in the "ingredients" department.  An interesting line from Wikipedia on Bologna:   'U.S. government regulations require American bologna to be finely ground,^[2] and without visible pieces of lard.'

OK, so while I have become used to the blatant discrimination leveled upon bologna sympathizers, (and I am an ex-smoker, so I KNOW what I am talking about), I have to bring to task a certain friend who is unabashedly a bologna hater.....let's just call her FLOSSIE for the sake of this story.

FLOSSIE and I were together in the car on a recent weekend road-trip, catching up, sharing stories and insights into what is happening in our lives...mostly we laughed, sometimes we cried.  It was during one of these moments that I shared with FLOSSIE that I had recently had the opportunity to have a bologna sandwich as a sort of "brunch" item at work; that is, it was eaten after 10, but before noon.  I thought I could share this with FLOSSIE, I felt "safe" in that car at that moment.  FLOSSIE recoiled in disgust.  I paraphrase, but she said something to the tune of:  "OOH THAT'S GROSS, THAT'S DISGUSTING"", and then she sort of shivered.

It was THEN that I had the flash back to all those many years ago.  

THIS is a TRUE STORY.  Circa 1990...

FLOSSIE and I along with 2 other girlfriends, all recent college graduates, were living in a 4 bedroom apartment in Brighton MA.   It was the first apartment FLOSSIE and I shared,  and for the most part, the first time we had all lived outside the dorm life. Which means it was the first time we had shared kitchens.  It was there that FLOSSIE and I learned of our divergent thoughts regarding bologna.  

Things came to a head one night.  

I was MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, assembling a bologna sandwich in the kitchen, when that BUSY BODY FLOSSIE came into the kitchen and proclaimed AGAIN how vile the bologna product is.  At my breaking point, I CHASED FLOSSIE with a piece of bologna as my weapon/protector around tiny circles .....kitchen, dining, living, kitchen, dining, living, etc.....until it came to a head when she became cornered in the kitchen.  It was THEN that I tossed said bologna into her general direction....as if on gossamer wings, the Bologna floated across the room and landed MAGICALLY between the eyeball of FLOSSIE and her eyeglass lens.  Almost as if she were a BOLOGNA PIRATE with a BOLOGNA PATCH.

It was a wonder to behold...and that really is a true story.

Little Passive Agressive FUN on a Friday!

This BOLD note is taped to the inside and outside of the women's bathroom door in my office.  Mind you, this particular bathroom only allows for 1 person to be in it at a time, so I'm not sure why someone feels the need to post this directive....have there been instances where people have kept the door open while they avail themselves of the facilities?  In my 12+ years here at Monster I have never once happened upon that particular door open, with or without someone in it.  And it's in a remote part of the building near no one's desk, so not sure who's life would be affected by an open bathroom door, 

Anyway, it's a Friday before Labor Day, the rest of the universe (aka, a 10 mile radius of my present location) has already started their long weekend.  But because I foolishly chose a career in sales, and it is the last day of the month, I am here to the bitter end.

As you can see, I am using my time, and my sharpie, wisely.

A TALE OF SURVIVAL

Driving back from VT this summer Tom and I decided that it would be nice to take a scenic route back vs. the usual highways that lack the charm of a country road.  If you are married and value your commitment to your spouse, might I STRONGLY suggest that you never do this. 

It all started out fine enough, we did, in the early part of the trip, comment to each other more than once what a great idea this was…look how pretty the river/trees/villages are, etc.  THEN, we got into an ugly part of NH and THEN, the road my GPS INSISTED we take was closed due to a bridge out…that’s when it turned bad.  Tom and I have always had different driving styles – I am a “natural” while Tom is not.  Anyway, I won’t get into the gory details, we ultimately got home in an efficient 6 hours.

There was a bright spot in our trip however, when the GPS landed us here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtPk5IUbdH0

BEFORE AND AFTERS

No, this won’t be a dramatic tale of growth and redemption, it some pictures of my dogs.

BUSTER BEFORE VISIT TO GROOMERS



BUSTER AFTER





RINGO BEFORE AND AFTER
(trust me, he looks exactly the same)



NO, I WILL NOT BE

commenting on my 2.5 months hiatus. 
It's personal. 
None of your beeswax.

Chef for a Day

Tom was responsible for 1 meal over the weekend.  Tom clearly is out to impress.

Maybe he got some tips from the book he is reading

It runs in the family

It's official, the Jackman's have NO ego as it relates to the cars they drive.  THIS is what my niece Mary is driving around Wilbraham!!

Road legal?

Is this Blue Jay o.k.?

This Blue Jay was at our window yesterday at the bird feeder, I was watching it for a while and was thinking that it didn't seem "well"...it was kind of wobbly, didn't seem to have a lot of control over it's body, actually FELL into the feeder at one point while eating...and it's odd that it would put up with all the little sparrows.  I tried to film it (without scaring it away) and I got a little bit of film....of course he wasn't flailing around as much while I was taping, natch.  I feel bad for the little guy, wondering if he is pregnant (looked a little "fat") or injured?  Or maybe ate some fermented berries and was drunk?  I know the video isn't that clear here, it's better when viewed via my phone, I'll have to figure out how to make that better.  But figured I would share and ask around....he was at the window again this morning, so at least we know he can fly!

BUSTA MOVE!

And this time Maeve makes a guest appearance!

Feel sad for me....

I know most of you look at Tom and I and assume we must live a glamorous life.  What with the house in Holliston, the dogs, the picket fence, the endless hours of home renovations and landscaping.  You probably think our life is a whirlwind of excitement.

It will surprise you to know that you are wrong.  Case in point:  We have house cleaners that come every other week.  I had started to become a little dissapointed in their work, so I sent an email to the owner of the business sharing my "concerns".  I included pictures :-)

Yesterday was the first cleaning since my email, and the place was spotless.  OH JOY!  The BEST part was the toilet paper in both bathrooms.  CHECK IT OUT!

LOOK - just like a hotel!

When I went to the upstairs bathroom after I got home from work I noticed it.  Because I was SO excited I reached over to under the sink to use a new roll of toilet paper so I could preserve the toiletry art for Tom's viewing pleasure.  I found Tom in the bedroom and told him the exciting news!  Guess what?  Tom TOO had already used the bathroom since he had been home and he TOO had reached under the sink for another roll of toilet paper so as to not spoil the opportunity of such a moment for me!
Little did either of us know at the time that the downstairs bathroom was graced with the same artistry - we ARE blessed.

So, there you have it, that was, by far, the highlight of my week.

How did you spend your day?

This is EXACTLY how Ringo and Puss spent much of Sunday.

BUSTA MOVE!

We each contribute in our own way

Tom and I both took 2 days off of work last week to make a 4 day weekend.  We both had our own ideas as to how to best spend our time off.

I chose to meet up with friends in CT for a couple of nights at a country Inn.  The weekend started with me meeting my Long Island chum Amy on the coast of CT for lunch.

The afternoon starts out innocent enough

The champagne clearly has an effect on Amy

Luckily, I am able to maintain my dignity

Amy and I continue on to the Inn and meet up with our friends Ann Marie and Connie.  Two full days of fine dining and spa treatments ensue.

Quote of the weekend:  "Another round please"

Tom took a decidedly different approach to his time off:

Isn't this fun dad?

24 hours of back-breaking work later and Tom's halfway there!

Lest you think I didn't contribute in a useful manner at all, I DID take the pendant lights that hang over the stove down to clean them.  Feel free to admire the fruits of my labor:

The replacement should run us a couple hundred bucks