Turtle Power

                    Ok guys, back to business for a moment. This week’s theme has been turtles.  It was one of those themes that was not fantastic but was still fun. My week was absolutely crazy so it went by in a blur. I actually did not remember what pictures were posted. Before I wrote this, I went back through to look at them all again. The ladies did a good job this week and posted some very cute turtle pictures. I recently read an article that pet turtles are illegal because of the germs they carry on their shell. In fact, there was a recent string of deaths resulting from the germs on a turtle. Despite this fact, they can be interesting creatures. If a person were to say turtle, the first thing I would think of would be Finding Nemo. Crush and Squirt were two of my favorite characters from that movie. There is also the story of the tortoise and the hare. Yes, I know this is a tale of a tortoise and not a turtle. This raises the question of the difference between the two. Well, a tortoise lives on land while a turtle thrives in water. That is why a pet turtle is put into a tank with water but a pet tortoise, which is rare, can be left to walk around like a cat or dog (in theory). Tortoises are also bigger and live longer. Your average turtle is a smaller reptile, which is why having them as a pet is illegal but tortoises are perfectly legal. I should also mention the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you were around in the 90’s, you know what I’m talking about. The four cartoon teenage turtles that fought crime and ate pizza. I imagine every boy of the 90’s was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween at least once in his life. As children, they were awesome just because they were awesome. As I got older, I always thought their names were cool too. They were each named after a famous artist. There was Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. The creators managed to slip a cultural reference into a kick butt kids cartoon, which I commend them for. So now I will leave you with some new information, a 90’s flashback, and some cute turtle pictures. Stay tuned to see what else comes up in my world.

                          

 

                                     

 

Random Kindness

I want to talk about the state of our world today. I have heard comments about how little people talk to each other in New York. It is so true. Complete strangers pass each other every day, lost in their own world. It is rare for people to interfere in the goings on around them. For example, on a subway, if something bad or off were happening most people would watch and assume somebody else will step in. More often than not, however, nobody ever steps in. An argument could be made that New York is just like that. I am willing to bet that this kind of thing occurs everywhere. These days, nobody can be bothered with another person’s problems. Kindness, politeness, chivalry, and even basic manners have all but disappeared. Even when it comes to dating, things are not the same. There are constantly articles published about whether or not it is acceptable for a guy to open doors, pull out chairs, or pay on the first date. A decade ago that wasn’t even thought about, it was just done. In spite of how this post started, I am not here to complain about the state of society. I am here to tell you about the exceptions to the rule. A few days ago, a friend of mine posted the following story to her Facebook wall: “I came into my usual Starbucks, books and computer in hand, and asked the guy at the end of the bar if he minded if I took the seat next to him. Well-dressed, handsome, but utterly miserable. I sat for a bit, filling out some paperwork for school, then closed my laptop, looked him dead in the eye and asked if he wanted to talk. He said no, that he didn't want to burden me with his pain, that he'd already burdened his friends. I told him it's a good thing I'm not his friend. And out came his story. I won't tell you what he said, as it was quite private and meant only for the ears of a random stranger. But please, be kind - everyone is fighting their own uphill battle.” … This status made me smile because she is truly a beautiful person in every way. Not many people would do what she did, and the fact that I know a person who would do that makes me want to be a better person myself. I will also add that a couple days later, a gentleman on the train acted kindly as well. He allowed me to exit the subway first, get on the next train before him, and even offered me a seat when it became available. As I sat down he told me that was three that I owed him. He was not looking for anything in return however. He followed that remark by saying “just pass it on”. He did not want recognition for his kind deed, but he wanted to pay it forward. Both of these people are spreading kindness through our little slice of the world. I personally feel the need to be kinder because of these people. Each of them, in their own way, is making the world a better place. I hope that by reading this, you were touched in some way too. So with that, I ask you to take each of their advice. Do as they say and spread the kindness.

Vero Amore

                Today, I want to tell you all a story. Once upon a time, there was a girl. This girl was always shy and stayed focused on her studies. In her eighth grade year, her school went on a class trip to Washington D.C. She knew who everybody in her class was but didn’t really talk to a lot of them. During this trip, she mostly stayed with the friends she knew, but she also spent a good chunk of time with a boy she had never officially met. When they got back home, it was as though nothing happened. At the end of the year, they both left and attended different high schools. During their junior year, their mothers hung out and gave the girl the boy’s screen name. So one day the girl’s best friend invited the boy to a party. After that, the boy and girl talked all the time and became best friends. They, of course, fell for each other too. But the girl couldn’t stay in their area for various reasons. So after high school, she moved away for college. They tried to talk a bit but their lives became busy with classes and work. One night, they had a big fight and stopped talking altogether. Over time, she missed him and would occasionally reach out. The boy, however, had been hurt too badly and eventually found another love. It seemed as though the friendship were really over forever. The boy had a new life with his new love, and the girl once again focused on her school work. After college, the girl felt the need to move again. So she packed up and went to try to make it in the big city. She didn’t worry about being alone in a new place, but after a short time she became lonely. One day, she got a call from the boy’s mother. The boy had broken up with his “love”. It turns out that things had gone wrong and she was not a very nice person. The boy’s mother had always liked the girl better than the new “love”, so she called as soon as she heard. So in her lonely state, the girl reached out to the boy. To her great surprise, he actually responded to her message. They talked on the phone every night for a few weeks, but it had been so long that they had to see each other. So the boy went to visit the girl for a weekend. After some initial nervousness and awkwardness, it was as if the years apart had never happened. Although they had grown, been through a lot, and changed a bit, they meshed well together. They visited each other for many weekends, and after about four months, he started talking about moving. So they got a place together in a cute neighborhood in her big city. This week, the boy and the girl celebrated their two year anniversary. They are so happy and she loves him more than anything. The End…

Technically, this is not the end. It is the end for now. I meant to post this earlier in the week. The actually anniversary was on Monday. So I would like to say happy (belated) anniversary to the best thing that has ever happened to me. I definitely love him more than anything and look forward to our future together.

Happy Birthday

                So I want to take the time out to tell you about somebody special. This past Sunday was the birthday of a very special person in my life. It was my father’s birthday. When I was a kid, I lived with my grandmother. My mother and father each moved away. My mother moved down south but came back after a year. My father moved from Connecticut to Rhode Island, which eventually became my home too. Even though he was in a different state, he always found time to be there for me. Every time he visited, he always spent his whole trip with me. And he never missed a Christmas. My dad is important to me for one big reason though. He is my hero. My whole life, I have been Daddy’s little girl. He has always been the smartest, coolest, most awesome guy in the world. He knows everything. He does the New York Times crossword and the hardest Sudoku in pen, knows the answers on Jeopardy before anybody else even reads the question, can guess any song after the first few seconds, can make anybody laugh, and can draw beautifully. Despite having dropped out of high school, he is smarter than anybody I know. He is also an incredibly hard worker and successful man. He has a great work ethic and is every boss’s dream employee. He also started his own business that was pretty successful. I get my smarts, love of puzzles, and some musical interests from him. He has always encouraged me in everything I have wanted to do. Even if it was silly or I only stuck with it for a short time, he was always supportive. Now, he lives down south with his fiancé and is expecting his second child. I wish him nothing but the best with everything he has going on in his life and I hope he knows how much I admire him. I may not be little, and I may not be his only child anymore, but I will always be Daddy’s little girl. When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad.

Not So Spooky

                It is now time for me to tell you all the secondary theme of our game. I am, of course, more excited about this theme than the first; though surprisingly not by much this time. This week’s secondary theme was haunted houses and cemeteries. Just like the sun and moon theme, it seemed like a good idea in theory. The idea is that they are spooky and good preparation for Halloween. Unfortunately putting the idea into action did not work so well. It turns out that most haunted houses, or even haunted buildings, just look run down. There is nothing truly discernible about a haunted house. Therefore, there were no really spooky pictures to use. Cemeteries were a bit easier, but how many pictures of tombstones can you really look at? After a while they all tend to look similar, if not the same. Don’t get me wrong, my aunt and I still found some creepy pictures, it just not easy. I guess the creep factor of these places is in the feelings they evoke, not just how they look. So while you are looking at the pictures below, pretend to be scared. Maybe that will make them better. Or, you can just see what my searches produced. Next week’s secondary theme will be better for sure. We already have it picked out and I can honestly say I am very excited to start. You, however, do not get to know what it is until next week. So stay tuned and keep checking. You never know when I’ll reveal the new theme….

 

Sole e la Luna

                Well happy readers, it is time to get a bit back on track. I delayed a post, and then went on a tangent. Now, it is almost the end of the week and therefore time to reveal this week’s theme. I believe this week’s theme was one I proposed to the group. I am not sure where the idea came from, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. It also seemed to be one that the group as a whole seemed interested in, which is probably why it was chosen when it came up in a vote. This week’s theme is sun and moon. It is one of the broader themes we have done, which was on purpose. Each lady could choose a photo of the sun, the moon, or both together. I admit the idea was originally of them both together, but being general makes the game less stressful and opens the pool of potential pictures. As a kid, my step mother at the time had a big thing for pictures of the sun and moon together. I therefore used to see lots of artwork with that theme and when I started drawing or doodling, I would often draw one or both of them. A sun is rather easy to draw. In fact, it is probably one of the first things little kids learn how to make. Surprisingly, a non full moon is difficult to draw. Mine never come out right for some reason. The theme seemed like a good idea in theory, and there have definitely been some great pictures. But it was a challenge to find pictures. There were about 15 that came up on the initial search, but it took some digging to find more. Usually, I can easily find really good pictures but I will dig to find different or more interesting ones. This time, the digging was needed more. Some of my pictures actually played off the theme, but didn’t include an actual sun or moon. For example, one was of sun and moon gods. The colors were there, and the concept, but not the actual orbs. It has all worked out thus far, and I don’t expect that to change for the rest of the week. So now I will show you some of the cool pictures I found. Enjoy and check back soon for the secondary theme of the week.

               

 

The Pea in a Pod

                        This week will be a record breaking week for posts. I normally just post about my game which results in only two posts a week. This week, I have posted about last week’s game, plus I have to tell you about both of this week’s themes, and then there is this post. I am writing this post to tell you about my weekend. Not the whole weekend, but I want to tell you guys about what I did Saturday. This past weekend my aunt, 2 cousins, a baby, and I took a road trip. On this trip we visited a few places. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffees, we visited a beach to take pictures, and we attended a baby shower. All of these things were great, but it is the last event that I want to talk about most. I want to tell you all about the pea in a pod themed baby shower, or more importantly about the baby. The expectant mother is actually my father’s fiancé. I am very excited to announce that I am going to have a new baby brother. Now, my father is very wary of technology so there have not been fifty million posts on Facebook about the baby. He is a private kind of guy who does not broadcast his life to the world. I can absolutely respect this, but I want to announce to the world that I am going to be a big sister again. I very much love my little sister who is nine years younger than me. The way that my life turned out, we got very close despite not necessarily living together all the time. Thus I cannot wait for the arrival of the new baby. Even though we live far away from each other (I live in the north while they live in the south), I know that he is going to be awesome. It is also great to see how excited my father is for the new baby. I should provide some back story here, without telling you my life story, so you can understand why this is all so great.  I should first mention that my parent divorced when I was real young. They both have remarried. Unfortunately neither of those marriages worked out. However, out of my mother’s second marriage I got my sister as well as three step sisters. I don’t talk to the step sisters much, but my sister and I are extremely close. I would do absolutely anything for that girl and am so proud of the woman she is becoming. As for my father, he has moved a few times and now has found somebody who I think is perfect for him. I think that everything happens for a reason, and every step he took in life led him to her. Now he is happy with his life and excited about the new happenings. I personally am so happy for both of them because they make each other happy and are good for each other too. So this baby, no matter what, will be loved by at least the three of us. I am also excited for the baby because it is a boy. As I said, I love my sister, but I can’t wait to have a brother. Now I will have the best of both worlds. My sister is musical and athletic but isn’t really into professional sports. Growing up in a house with my dad and his fiancé, there is no way this baby will not like sports. So I will be able to share my own love of sports, even if they are raising him to hate the Yankees. I am still trying to find a way to sneak a love for the team into his life. But not matter what team he ends up rooting for, I will love him. So now you know why I needed to tell you about my weekend. I just had to spread the news of the baby on the way!!!!

The Great Pumpkin

                          Do you guys feel ignored? I swear I did not forget about you last week. I know that I only revealed one theme. The reason for this is that I have returned to work and had family obligations last week. This timing actually works in our favor though because the secondary theme will be running longer than seven days for a few weeks. Since Halloween is on a Wednesday, it screws with our pictures. Therefore, we have decided to extend two weeks in order to have Halloween themed pictures on the actual holiday. So this week’s theme will last longer than 7 days and I will therefore reveal it later than normal. So while this post may seem like it is late, it is merely preparing you for the shift you will experience until November. But fear not because I am here to reveal last week’s secondary theme. It follows the general October theme, and therefore is awesome. Last week’s theme was pumpkins!! I absolutely love pumpkins and all things pumpkin related. As a kid, my mother loved to watch the Charlie Brown holiday specials, so I have a love for the story of The Great Pumpkin. Besides being in cool stories, one of the great things about pumpkins is their versatility in October. A pumpkin is merely a gourd-like squash. They are native to North America and are used for so many things. Naturally, a vegetable grown is something to be eaten. Thus when they are ripe, they are harvested and used to make many yummy treats. When somebody says pumpkin food, the first thing people think of is pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is delicious, but there are so many more things that are made out of pumpkins today. There is pumpkin bread, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup, pumpkin raviolis, and even pumpkin coffee; just to name a few. In fact, these days I start each day with a cup of pumpkin coffee and either a pumpkin waffle or a bagel with pumpkin cream cheese. I can admit that I am a tad pumpkin obsessed. My theory is that since some of it is only offered for a limited time, I have to eat/drink as much as possible before it is gone. Can you blame me though? It is all just so delicious. Even the seeds are good enough to eat. But eating them is just one thing, albeit a great thing, to do with a pumpkin.

                Pumpkins, while tasty are also used in America for decoration. A pumpkin is a symbol of October and Halloween. Every year millions of pumpkins are drawn on or gutted. That’s right, I said gutted. It is a Halloween tradition to cut open a pumpkin and scrape out its insides. That of course gives you lots of slimy pumpkin guts and seeds you can turn into those yummy treats. It also makes the pumpkin ready to be carved. Jack o’ lanterns are a Halloween tradition that every child loves. Even adults love them too. Pumpkin carving has become an art form. Every year in October, the Food Network has a special called Halloween Wars. Each week teams work to make creations out of cake, candy and carved pumpkins. Some of the things these people carve are works of art. The rest of us non professionals can carve cool pumpkins too. In fact, I myself will be carving pumpkins this week. I can guarantee they will not be works of art, but I can also guarantee that I will have a great deal of fun carving them. I love carving pumpkins. I haven’t done it in years, but I used to have so much fun with it as a kid. Maybe it is the act of carving, or maybe it is the symbolism behind it. Whatever the reason, it is just plain fun.

                I mentioned symbolism of carved pumpkins. There is of course the obvious Halloween decoration, but it is so much more than that. The first carved pumpkins were not actually used for Halloween. Originally, they were merely lanterns duplicated by Americans. In Ireland and Scotland, other vegetables were used around this time to carve the lanterns. Once people immigrated to North America, they continued this tradition with pumpkins because they were more readily available and bigger. The carved pumpkin was often found on the Thanksgiving table but later became a symbol of Halloween. This is believed that have come from the custom that was used during Samhain. In Celtic countries, Samhain is celebrated during what we now call Halloween. It can also be known as All Hallows Eve. During Samhain, it is said that the souls of the dead could come back to visit. This could mean you will be visited by a loved one, or even an evil spirit. In the old days, they would carve a turnip and place it in the window to ward off the evil spirit. This is why we now have jack o’ lanterns made of pumpkins in America. So in a simple vegetable you get history, lore, entertainment, and yummy treats. I’d say that makes a pumpkin a pretty awesome thing, wouldn’t you agree? Check out some of the cooler pumpkin pictures from last week, and go carve your own or eat some pumpkin goodies. Enjoy, and stay tuned for this week’s themes.

 This is from Halloween Wars on The Food Network -- Before and After.

 

  

Fight Like a Girl

                Well ladies and gents, it is a little late in the week but time for me to reveal this week’s theme. While I am super excited about all my October and autumn themes, I am excited about this week’s theme for a different reason. This week’s theme holds a special place in my heart. I mentioned it in a previous post, though you may not have known it. This week’s theme is breast cancer awareness. I am so excited about this theme because there are multiple ladies that participate and thus show their support for the cause. There have been so many great pictures so far. This theme is near and dear to my heart because of my family history. I spent the beginning of my life (after the age of 3) living with my grandmother. She was an amazing woman who instilled in me most of my good qualities, and some of my bad. I get my stubbornness from her as well as my strong will. There is more of course, but that is hardly the point. She was a great woman who had seen and done many things. She was often selfless and was always helping those in need. She was also a fighter. In 2008, she succumbed to her third round of breast cancer. The first two times, she fought hard and often suffered in silence through the treatments. The third time, she just couldn’t fight it anymore and unfortunately in May of that year we lost her. Her loss is something that is never forgotten and for a lot of us, not even something we have gotten over. It is a loss that is still acutely felt by most, if not all of us. As if that weren’t bad enough, her daughter also battled the disease multiple times. I am extremely happy to report that my aunt inherited that fighting spirit and has been cancer free for six years. This is exceptionally good news for my personally because if there is one person who I have always been able to turn to for anything in my life, it was her. While losing my grandmother, a woman who pretty much raised me, was hard; losing my aunt would be just as hard if not harder. And so I applaud all of the support that this cause has been given in this month alone. People have commented on the NFL players wearing pink accessories. I have heard that it is silly, ugly, ridiculous and more. Personally, I think it is amazing. The NFL reaches millions of people every week. Those people are therefore made aware of breast cancer. And even if one person each week looks into it and tries to help, that is one more than there was. While this is a disease that has struck my family hard, it is not just us who suffer. Breast cancer kills more women each year than any other form of cancer. In fact, one in eight women in the U.S will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. But there is hope out there. In 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in this country. It is due to extensive fundraising and a constant battle to find a cure that those women are still alive. There are foundations, and centers, and walks every year. This month alone there are at least 3 walks for breast cancer in New York City. I’m sure there are so many more, but there are 3 I know of for a fact. And last time I checked the website, one of them had over 100,000 people raising money and walking. If you would like to find out more, there are a few websites that you can check out. I will include walk sites, and a site for statistics at the bottom of this page. Please, find a walk in your area and donate. Even if you can only donate your time, every effort helps. So enjoy some of the pictures and please, check out the websites. Lend a hand, and save the ta tas.

   

-http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics
-http://www.avonwalk.org/
-http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MSABC_FY13_findanevent
-http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer
-http://gabbysgab.com/landmarks-go-pink-for-breast-cancer/ --Check this out!!

Delicious Autumn

                    I am coming to you now from under layers of clothes and heavy blankets. It is a bit chilly today. Our normally open windows have been closed and the word heat was uttered. I personally hate turning on the heat, but it has gotten that cold. I’m sure you are asking why you should care about the temperature here. I suppose you shouldn't, but I swear it is relevant to this post as a whole. I am here to tell you the theme in my secondary game this week. No, it was not cold weather. It was autumn. While autumn is not supposed to be a freezing weather season, it is still a colder season. I love cold weather. Even being bundled right now is making me happy. I love when the air is cold and I am wrapped in warm clothes/blankets and drinking a nice hot beverage which at the moment is a nice hot cup of tea. If any of you know me, or have been paying attention, then you know how excited I was about this theme. In fact, I picked it. Since October is my absolute favorite month, I am being allowed to pick all the themes for this game. Thus the first week of my favorite month was a tribute to my favorite season. We both came up with great pictures of autumn foliage, fruits, grains, and scenery. Autumn is such a beautiful season. For my first picture, I chose one with a poem by George Cooper on the side, which you can see below. I chose this picture because the beauty of autumn deserved to be celebrated with the beauty of a poem. There is not much that I can say about the season, the pictures speak for themselves. And so, here is my celebration to the gorgeousness of autumn. Enjoy, and stay tuned for more October themes.

 

                          

Yummy Yummy Fun

Ok, it’s time to reveal this week’s theme. This week’s theme, much like shoes, is something that we deal with everyday but probably don’t think much about. The theme is food. This is a very general topic that could be taken a number of ways. Technically, I could use a picture of a slice of bread. It would be food. The idea, though, is to provide interesting pictures. If you were to simply search interesting food, you would get so many results. There are weird and exotic foods, dyed foods, carved foods, shaped foods, and more. It has been a good week so far. The first day this week happened to fall on October 1^st. If you have been paying attention you will know that I was very excited that day. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that for my first day of food I used Halloween themed pictures. I also used exotic fruits and colorful foods. Yet I have some fun pictures saved for the rest of the week. I will give you a sneak preview of the fun to come. Enjoy the pictures below and stay tuned for my secondary theme.

                

I'm So Excited!

                We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this update. Today marks the first day of my favorite month of the year. It is officially OCTOBER!!!!! This means many things. First, it is the epitome of autumn. Technically the first day of autumn is in September and the last is in December but for the most part it is still semi warm in September and starts to get cold in November. Thus, October is the middle and the prime example of autumn. And as you all know, autumn is my favorite season. October also means pumpkins. While apples start to become in season and pumpkins start to appear in September, they are best in October. Plus, the best part about a pumpkin, besides its taste, is carving it. This provides guts to make yummy treats such as pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Carving them also is a tribute to All Hallows Eve. This is a pagan holiday that is better known now as Halloween!!! I love Halloween. It happens to be my favorite holiday. Shocking, I know. I love the old traditions of All Hallows Eve as well as the pagan Samhain and even the modern day Halloween; trick or treating, costumes, decorations, lots of candy, awesome movies, autumn baking, candles, smells, etc. October also brings us 13 Nights of Halloween on ABC Family. It is a different Halloween movie every night for 13 nights. The great part about ABC Family is they are family friendly movies, which is great for me because I am a big scaredy cat. Also, October means Disney channel movies like Halloweentown. Yes, I am aware that I am a big kid. Besides great things like pumpkins, fall, and Halloween, October is a good month for personal reasons as well. It has been my favorite month for as long as I can remember. My mother’s theory is that this is because it is the date of her and my father’s wedding anniversary. While the marriage did not last, and my parents have been divorced for most of my life, I still have things from their wedding and marriage. I have their rings, the wedding certificate, their cake topper, and zillions of pictures. I also have me, which is the best thing that came out of that union. So even though they aren’t together, their wedding was important and so I take pleasure in it being in October. October also means the birthday of a few of my favorite people. One of my very favorite cousins and my father has their birthdays in October. This month will also be my anniversary with my boyfriend who I love very much. And lastly, October is an amazing month because it is breast cancer awareness month. Everywhere you turn, you see pink. The NFL is a big supporter of this cause. Many players have pink somewhere on their uniform for the month, and the entire website is pink. Also, here in New York there are multiple walks for breast cancer. Avon holds their big two day walk as well as various other groups. These walks raise so much money for such an important cause. You may wonder why this is an important cause to me. Well, the woman who raised me for a good portion of my life, my grandmother, passed away from breast cancer about 4 years ago. Also my  favorite aunt, who has been a big part of my life has had it, and beat it, multiple times. So you see breast cancer awareness is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. So if you are reading this, look for a walk in your area and donate some money, or even just your time. Be aware that millions suffer from breast cancer every day and it is a constant struggle to beat it. Remember those that were lost to the disease, and help keep fighting. I hope you all enjoy October as much as I do. Thanks for reading.