Minor Update

             Well readers, I know it has been a very long time since I have posted. There are a few reasons for this actually. The first is that most of my posts are about my weekly picture game. We have temporarily stepped back from the game until the end of the year. In all the chaos of the holidays and everything that happens this time of year, we have decided to take a moratorium until the new year. A few people had stopped posting and even more had stopped voting. So we decided it was time for a break and we would attack it with fresh ideas in a fresh year. People always say the new year is a time of new beginnings, so we will apply that concept to our game. Also, I happen to work at an ice skating rink so the Christmas season is our busiest time of year. Thus, on top of typical holiday craziness, I am also super busy at work. Then there is, of course, that holiday craziness itself. I have been so busy with shopping, and making holiday plans since I don't live in the same state as my family anymore, and making cookies, and running my normal life on top of it. So my posts have been few and far between because of my hectic schedule. There is also one other, rather large, reason I have not posted. At the beginning of the month, there was a death in my immediate family. I know that a blog is a great place to get out all of one's thoughts and feelings about important things but it just wasn't possible. I am not sure what I want to sure with other people just yet, and I am also not ready to write it all down. I can tell any of you that may be worried that I am fine and dealing with things as best as I can. It's a weird situation for me so I am just trying to find my way. So for now, I am also going to continue my sabbatical from the blog. I ask that you not desert me, but be patient. I will be back, I promise. I just don't know when. More than likely, I will resume posting after the holidays. So in the mean time, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I can't wait to start fresh in 2013. Hopefully I'll see you then.

Baby It's Cold Outside

                Well readers, as I’m sure you know it is time to reveal the secondary theme from last week. This was another interesting week. The theme was very broad and not one particular item. For our secondary theme, we found pictures of cold things. There were some obvious choices such as ice and snow. But we also managed to find some cool pictures. For example, I pictographically represented the idea of cold hearted by using pictures of frozen hearts. This theme was fun for me too because I got to use a photo I had taken myself. The house across the street from me has a decoration in its yard that I think is adorable, and it fit the theme perfectly. It is a blow up decoration shaped like a snow man but it shivers and is holding a sign that says brr. It is sitting right next to a creepy Santa that waves, moves its head, and talks. But that is neither here nor there.  This week’s secondary theme is one of the many that involves more showing than telling. Therefore, I will leave you with pictures and remind you to stay tuned for more.

                       

 

      

  

Suck My Kiss

                Well readers, I did it again. I waited until the very last minute to tell you about last week’s theme. I have no excuses this time, or even any good reasons. It just happened this way. And to be honest, I’m a bit surprised by my absence. I was very excited for last week’s theme. It was one that has come up in the votes multiple times. And many people have actually voted for it, it was just never enough to beat out other choices. Last week, though, the timing worked out and our theme won the vote. Last week’s theme was lips. It was a great deal of fun to find pictures because there are so many ways to take it. You can do plain lips, things shaped like lips, decorated lips, lip art, and more. I found more pictures than I needed so I ended up using the app on my phone to make collages. And oddly enough, I made them by theme. I found lips with fruit, candy cane lips, lips decorated like animals, candy lips, and more. I will show you some of the pictures that I found below. Now, this theme was one that was fun for no reason. With things like seasons and holidays and such, there are always personal reasons behind the enjoyment. This was a theme that was different, potentially colorful, subjective as to enjoyment, and just all around fun to do. There is nothing spectacular about lips really. They are attached to the mouth, and aren’t used for much. Yet women focus on them, men are attracted to them, and they are used every day. People are always licking their lips, biting their lips, putting on chapstick, rubbing their lips, and so on. Lips are responsible for the sounds we make. You cannot whistle without lips. Lips are also crucial for one of my favorite activities: kissing. I love kissing! Anyway, lips are also used in pop culture. A mouth with red lips and a long tongue is the logo for The Rolling Stones, and a mouth biting its lips is the main image on the cover/posters for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Much like the past themes of doors and stairs, lips may not always be noticed even though they are everywhere. So here are some of my better lip pictures from last week. Enjoy and stay tuned for the secondary theme.

   

A Rambling Love of December

        Well loyal readers, I hope I haven’t lost too many of you. I have neglected you guys yet again. I really don’t do it on purpose, I swear. And this time I am not here to tell you about themes, though those posts are coming soon. I am here to write a post similar to a previous one. I am here to tell you how excited I am about the new month. While October is my favorite month, and autumn is my favorite holiday, I still have a great love for December. Yes, it is for the glaringly obvious reasons. I am a fan of Halloween, but I love Christmas. And yes, I absolutely love autumn but I am also a fan of winter. I can honestly say that it drove me nuts to see Christmas stuff being displayed as early as November 1^st. I am a big lover of all things Christmas but it has become a joke. No, I am not going to sit here and spout things like Jesus is the reason for the season. I am aware of the nativity story, and like every good Protestant I do know the Christmas story. However, I am also one who loves Christmas for the commercial reasons. I love the presents, Santa, the decorations, the music, and so on. But even I think that things have gotten a little ridiculous. In an attempt to make more money, Christmas began being advertised for at the beginning of November. Black Friday sales began at 9 pm on the night of Thanksgiving. In case you didn’t know, when Black Friday started, stores opened at 6 am with deals for early morning shoppers. It has been continually pushed back every year until it finally hit midnight, and this year, 9 pm. Then, there is cyber Monday. One shopping day is not enough, but we now need a second special day that emphasizes the importance of gifts at Christmas. When I was a kid, trees and decorations were not put up until at least the second week of December. Older generations put the tree up on Christmas Eve. Now, people had their trees up before Thanksgiving. I cannot say much because I do officially have a tree up. However, I at least waited until December 1^st to do it. There were people on street corners in NYC selling trees on the day after Thanksgiving. It is nuts! But this post is not meant to be a rant. Instead, since it is finally December, I am here to talk about how excited I am about the month. Yes, it mostly because of Christmas. I do have a real tree that is decorated. My apartment now smells like Christmas, and it is awesome. I must explain that I have a real tree for a couple reasons. While it is a tad expensive to have a real tree in the city, it was the only way for us to get one. We do not have the storage space for a fake tree. I, however, am in no way upset by this fact because I actually hate fake trees. I can concede their efficiency and merit, but there is nothing like a real Christmas tree. I must also explain that I am extremely excited about having a tree because I haven’t had one in about five years. And I have never had one of my very own. We always had one as a kid, but I have been on my own for a few years now and it is the first time I have had the space and the money to get a tree. So this tree is special for a few reasons. This year will also be my first Christmas ever away from my family. I have always gone back to my home town for Christmas, but this year that just isn’t possible. While my boyfriend and I will visit with our families around the holidays, we will actually be in our apartment for the days themselves. I am rather excited for this as well. Christmas is not only a tree though. There is Santa Claus, Christmas movies, Christmas music, and cookies. It has always been a tradition in my family to make cookies every year. Although this is a practice that has somewhat lapsed, I thoroughly enjoy baking and intend to start it up again. I made some last year that went over so well, and I can’t wait to do it again. There are so many kinds of cookies in the world, and I generally make way too many. But it is always so much fun, and there are always people that will eat them, so it can’t be a bad thing. Another part of Christmas that will be relatively new for me this year is presents. Don’t misunderstand me; I am no stranger to presents at Christmas. But this year is the first in many that I can remotely afford to give them. They won’t be much, but I love giving people gifts. In an attempt to step away from the commercialism of Christmas, I must point out that I love how the holiday brings people together. It is often difficult to see everybody in the family, but around Christmas time people make the effort to come together. Now I am getting a bit ahead of myself. While Christmas is awesome, December is about more than just Christmas. First of all, there are more holidays. There is Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and the Winter solstice (and I’m sure there are more I am forgetting or don’t even know about). Many cultures have a celebration of some kind this month/time of the year. I am not one that cares about being politically correct, and I think it’s stupid that we have to say Happy Holidays. If I celebrate Christmas, I am going to say Merry Christmas. I will not be offended if somebody wishes me a Happy Chanukah because perhaps that is the holiday they celebrate. I think people are just too sensitive about differences between cultures. Everybody should accept the differences and just be happy at this time of year. December also marks the beginning of winter. The Winter Solstice is a pagan celebration that honors the change in seasons. I personally am merely excited for snow. People are always complaining about snow because it impedes daily activities and is really cold. But have you ever just stopped to watch the snow fall, or gone out to play in the snow as it is still falling? I mean since you were a kid of course. Children have an entirely different view of the world, but sometimes I think they have the best view there is. Snow is beautiful. For children it means no school, snow ball fights, snow men, and more. Next time it snows, I dare you to look at it from a child’s perspective. Don’t think about the morning commute. Don’t think about having to shovel the next day. Just look at how beautiful it is, and enjoy the magic of the weather. Make yourself a nice mug of hot chocolate, turn off all the lights, and just look out the window and watch the flakes fall. There is something about winter and Christmas that, if you stop to actually enjoy it, makes you believe in magic. Maybe only for a second, but that one moment in time is something everybody should treasure. So this December, look past the commercialism of the holidays, stop hating the differences in cultures, and stop stressing over any snow. Take the time to enjoy the magic of the holiday, the season, and the month. I think that is a great way to end the year. Remembering there really is magic in the world.

Thanksgiving in a Nutshell

                Happy belated Thanksgiving! This is going to be a post unlike all the rest. This post is going to, in a way, combine what would normally be three posts. I am going to tell you about my primary theme, my secondary theme, and talk about Thanksgiving. As usual, there is a method to my madness. My first reason is to consolidate posts. Since I haven’t posted all week and the themes are similar, it makes more sense this way. So let’s get the ball rolling. As I am sure you have guessed, the themes this week are both Thanksgiving related. The primary theme this week has been Thanksgiving recipes. Some ladies posted recipes they enjoy every year. Others, like me, posted recipes they thought looked good or would like to try. This was a good theme for the week for many reasons. First, most of the ladies already had their recipes out in order to prepare for Thursday or had to find new ones anyway. This also gave each lady the opportunity to see recipes they may not have come across on their own. Second, it was a bit different from the normal routine of just pictures. And lastly, it was great because it wasn’t a big deal if any of the ladies missed a day. Of course that is never a big deal, but this theme is one that nobody would mind missing. If a person doesn’t like to cook, finding a recipe would be no fun. But because of the holiday, many people couldn’t participate for whatever reason. Thus, it worked out well. And it was great because the secondary theme tied in too.

                Our secondary theme this week was simply Thanksgiving. It was, as usual, pictures. The obvious choice would have been to use pictures of food. I went a different, though just as obvious, route. I started with pumpkins, though in a more Thanksgiving-like setting. I followed that up with a cornucopia and some food. There was also Indian corn and a scarecrow. They all seemed appropriate. Then, on Wednesday, I created collages with cakes and turkeys. I did, admittedly, miss a day due to the holiday. But my other pictures include pilgrims and Indians, a November picture, and Charlie Brown. It appears as though there is a Charlie Brown special for all major holidays. My aunt’s pictures were similar. There aren’t very many options for Thanksgiving. Although in a lot of ways, it is a major holiday, there are some aspects that are more minor. For example, it is rare for cards or gifts to be exchanged. Also there aren’t really any Thanksgiving specific decorations. Anything that could be associated with the holiday could also be used to simply decorate for fall. It is, by no means, a holiday to completely brush off, but there isn’t too much hoopla about it.

                Here is the part where I talk about the holiday itself. As I said, Thanksgiving is a major holiday, but not as big as others. Oddly enough, only minor holidays seem to have parades. There is always a Memorial Day and St. Patrick’s Day parade. Here in NYC there is also a Halloween parade. The reason I bring this up is, of course, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is a huge tradition here in NY and is watched on TV all over the country. Thanksgiving is also great because many people get the day off from work and school. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a day off? For many, it is a holiday with a deeper meaning. It is a time to reflect on their life and be thankful for the things they have seen, done or have. It is also a day for family, lots of food and football. Personally, my Thanksgiving contained none of this. I took an alternate route to avoid the crowds from the parade as I headed in to work. After working all day, and missing the first two football games, I went home to a solitary meal. I had stuffing, salad and some wine while I watched a Jeff Dunham marathon on TV. I got to eat the best part of the holiday meal while relaxing on my couch in my sweatpants. And while I didn’t get any pumpkin pie, I did have pumpkin ice cream for dessert. All in all, although maybe not traditional, my thanksgiving wasn’t bad I hope everybody had a happy thanksgiving of their own.

Here are some of my recipes:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-gingerbread-trifle-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/bacon-cheddar-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/caramelized-butternut-squash-recipe/index.html

And here are some pictures:

Two a Day!!

                I know that I posted earlier this afternoon. Due to my time constraints this week, I still fell behind on my posts. Therefore I am writing this post to tell you about my secondary theme from this week. I also felt that a second post was acceptable since it will be short. Since I was in Connecticut over the weekend, my aunt and I were both a bit busy and forgot to choose a theme. Thus, we just decided to pick a random picture that fit in with our mood each day. We also missed a day because of our uncertainty of a theme. Thus there isn’t really much I can tell you. I have no quotes, facts, songs, stories, or anecdotes to go along with the theme. None of the pictures matched or followed a pattern really. I started with pictures about being tired, threw in some tropical paradises, some music and some day specific cartoons. But none of them are really similar, unless they were done on the same day. So this post will pretty much be pictures. I will post the cooler of the random photos. Enjoy. 

      

        

 

Bridging The Gap

        Now that you are all caught up, let me tell you about this week’s theme. For the main game this week, the theme that won the election was bridges. Not many people actually voted, but the ones that did mostly chose bridges. I found a few pictures before the week started, and thank goodness I did. My picture choices have been just so-so because I found them quick. But for the most part, this week has been so crazy that I haven’t really been able to pay much attention. The bridges have been such a blur. I will admit that this theme was not my first choice. I cannot say, as I often have, that it has grown on me. Nor can I say that I disliked it. If I am being honest, I have to say that I was ambivalent to this theme. I think the biggest reason for this is that I was so busy. I will say, however, that the pictures I saw were pretty interesting. The other ladies really did well with their picture choices this week. Living in New York, I am well acquainted with bridges. Unless you live in Manhattan, you are considered a bridge and tunnel person. I cannot even close to afford an apartment in the city and thus I live in one of the other boroughs. Therefore I see bridges often. In fact, I recently traveled across one by bus every day. After the hurricane hit the city, the subways weren’t running. Therefore I had to take a bus to work every day since I do actually work in the city. One of my pictures this week was actually a shot taken during one of those bus trips. The rest are just random photos I chose. Since I love my city so much, I did of course use a few bridges from the area. I found tattoos of the Brooklyn Bridge and a shot of the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park. I also found, but did not use, a nice shot of the Manhattan Bridge. All of these pictures are shown below, as well as some of the cooler bridges I managed to find. And so, I will stop rambling and show you the pictures. Stay tuned for the secondary theme this weeks. 

 

Play With Fire

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire,

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if I had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

 To say that for destruction ice

 Is also great.                

        And would suffice.        ~ Robert Frost

          This is one of my favorite poems. Admittedly, I first read it in one of the Twilight books, but please don’t hold that against me. Yes, I read (and enjoyed) the books, no I am not a fan of the franchise. I am, however, a fan of Robert Frost. So naturally, I liked the poem. So why am I talking about Twilight and Robert Frost? No, it is not because the movie came out this week. (A fact I only know because it is advertised for everywhere.) I am telling you about the poem in order to tell you about last week’s secondary theme. Our theme was candles/fire. I love fire. I am not a pyromaniac, nor am I obsessed with it. It is just one of my favorite elements (I also love water). I love the way it moves, its colors (depending what is burning), and even the way it smells. It is one of the five basic elements on earth. There is nothing more enjoyable than curling up next to a fire on a cold winter night. Or more fun than a summer bonfire on the beach. And contained fire, such as candles, is awesome too. They make any room smell great. And it is so relaxing to take a nice hot bath with aroma therapy candles lit around the room. The low light, heavenly scents, some soothing music and the calming warm water provide such a great experience. I love candles and fire, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed having them as a theme for my game. I like to believe I used a nice mix of the two throughout the week. It was even better because it got extended. Due to Halloween being on a Wednesday, that week got split in half. Therefore the Halloween theme lasted ten days and the candles/fire theme lasted for eleven. Due to the chaos of my life, I was a bit distracted so the pictures may not have been as good as they could have been, but they were still pretty cool. Or I suppose hot would be a better term. You be the judge.

             

Wind's Secret Tellers

                              The first theme I will tell you about is the main theme from last week. If you have been following my posts, it may seem like a repeat. A few weeks ago, my secondary theme was autumn. It was a broad theme but the pictures generally tended to be of leaves and foliage. This week’s main theme was leaves. They didn’t have to be autumn leaves, which was the key difference. It was also an option because there were more people involved. My aunt and I are just two of the people who participate in the main game. Plus, we loved the autumn theme and this gave us the opportunity to find more pictures. We did not have to limit ourselves to just autumn leaves though, which was cool. Many of the women found autumn leaves, but my aunt and I were good at finding other leaves too. One day, I used pictures of frozen and snow covered leaves. They were rather appropriate pictures too since it had snowed the night before. This theme was interesting because of the magnitude of options. I alone found pictures of leaf piles, animals with leaves, leaves with books, wet leaves and leaves in water, and more. Some other pictures were sketches, tattoos, designs on leaves, leaves painted on rocks or nails, plus multiple kinds of leaves. It was definitely a fun and interesting theme. I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed finding them. Check back for our secondary theme from last week. I will reveal it soon.

                 

 

             

Reasons, Excuses and Apologies

       Hello long lost readers. It feels like it has been forever since I have posted. I apologize for my absence. I do miss you all and think about you every day. Things have been a bit crazy around here and I just haven't been able to post. As you may be aware, the east coast was hit by hurricane Sandy a couple weeks back. I was very fortunate in that my area was largely unaffected. The city as a whole, however, was not as lucky. I was only out of work for two days but my boyfriend just returned after two weeks off. And he isn't even doing his normal job, he is cleaning up the damage from the storm. A great deal of people in the city are still without heat, internet or power. Many people got their power back but the after effects are abundant. And none of this includes the many residents of Staten Island, Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and New Jersey that lost everything. Then, to add insult to injury, we had a nor'easter that blanketed everything in heavy rain and snow. Thankfully the temperature rose the next day so the snow melted quickly. The city is still trying to recover from the damage, destruction and devastation. Although my home was unaffected, the world around me has been in chaos. So, on top of adjusting to being back at work, I have also been adjusting to and dealing with the craziness around me. And that, my friends, is why I haven't been around. Things are still a bit nuts and with the holidays coming show no sign of slowing down. But I am slightly more adjusted and swear I'll try harder to post every week. So stay tuned to be updated on themes, which I've managed to keep up with albeit barely, and the other goings on in my life.

Knockin on Heaven's Door

                Well folks, it is time for me to reveal this week’s theme. I know the week is over and I should have told you sooner. Nothing like waiting until the last minute right? No matter how old I get, I think I will always be a procrastinator when it comes to certain things. It looks like this blog is one of those things. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right; this week’s theme. The theme this week was one that has come up more than once as a voting option. A few people picked it, but there was always something better in the mix. This week, I suppose, it was the best of the bunch. And so, this week our theme was doors. Now I know what you are thinking; that doesn’t seem like a very interesting theme. When it was first proposed, I would have said I agree. Even this week when it was chosen, I was a little skeptical. Yet as usual, I was pleasantly surprised by this theme. The pictures some of the ladies found were great. Even some of my pictures were pretty good. My initial problem was that I just wasn’t thinking enough outside the box. I mean doors aren’t anything special. Every house, apartment, car, and building in America has at least one. You walk by a row of houses and often times the doors are similar. Even in New York, walking down a block many times the houses/apartments and doors are all the same. A door in a building may have an aesthetic role as well as a practical one. It can separate rooms or provide privacy. Practically, a door can keep in or out noise, block off or contain a fire, or keep a person in or out of an area. There are also symbolic uses for doors. Giving a person a key to your residence is considered a forward progression of a relationship. Doors can symbolize opportunity as well. There are multiple sayings that demonstrate this idea such as “when one door closes another door opens”, or “opportunity knocks”. In the world of music, there is a band called the Doors, the song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, or even the song “Let My Love Open the Door”. I found some good pictures this week. For example I found doors leading to Heaven, fantastical doors, doors from different countries, and more. I even personally took some pictures of interesting doors in my neighborhood. And so, without further ado, I shall show you some of the cool doors I found this week. Enjoy and stay tuned for this coming week’s themes.

       

   

Happy Halloween!!!!

              Good evening everybody. I know it has been a while since my last post. I am here to report last week’s secondary theme. There is a method to the madness however. My post, while technically late, is delayed due to the timing of the theme. Last week’s secondary theme was Halloween. We extended it to include the actual holiday and therefore ended yesterday instead of ending over the weekend. I picked this theme which I’m sure surprises none of you. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I am normal and love Christmas like most people, but my absolute most favorite holiday has been Halloween for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, we would go all out each year. Our yard was always heavily decorated. Over the years we had tombstones, dry ice in cauldrons, spider webs, skeletons, zombies, lights, and more. We always had elaborate costumes that involved heavy make-up or masks to go with the outfit. When I was a kid, being a witch meant a long black wig, long plastic nose, green face, warts, long cape, etc. When I was in high school, being a witch involved a hat, short skirt and striped tights. Times have certainly changed. My love for Halloween, however, has never wavered. This year I had my apartment in the city as opposed to a house in the suburbs. We don’t have a yard to decorate but we made the best of what we had. We carved pumpkins and strung lights. Although I did not dress up, I gave candy out to the kids who did. Watching all the little kids running around in their costumes was great fun. There were some awesome costumes as well as some duds. It was rather chilly so some kids just wore layers with a mask. We were visited by countless Batmans and Captain Americas. There were witches, princesses and a fairy. There was even one little boy dressed as Santa Claus. As I grew up, I started to look into the history of Halloween. While I love all the decorations, costumes, treats, and festivities, I also enjoy the actual holiday. Halloween is based on the ancient European All Hallows Eve. This is the evening before what is now known as All Saints Day. The festivities of the holiday were actually adapted mainly from the pagan celebration of Samhain. It is a day to honor the day. In Mexico, it is celebrated as Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It is said that on this day, or night, the veil between the living and dead is thinned so the souls of the dead can visit us. It is customary to set an extra place at the table for a loved one to join. It is also customary to carve a face into a turnip, or more recently a pumpkin, to keep away the evil spirits. Samhain is a festival celebrating the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. The concept of the thinned veil us accepted in various ways by each holiday. While Halloween is the holiday celebrated most in America, Day of the Dead is still a modern holiday. All Hallows Eve and Samhain are less contemporary though they are still practiced in some cultures. With this, I now present to you some of my favorite Halloween pictures. It is difficult to convey the best parts of the holiday through photos, but we tried. The spirit is mostly in the activities, but the pictures capture the themes and general ideas of the best holiday of the year. I know it is a day late but Feliz Dia de los Muertos,Blessed Samhain, and Happy Halloween.