Random Ramblings

Long Time, No Blog!

2010-09-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, I can't believe I haven't updated this blog since January. It's been quite a year, so it doesn't really surprise me. When I had time, I focused on my photo blog rather than this one. So what made me think of posting here again? It's a bit of a long story, so bear with me and I'll try to hit the highlights...

Ten weeks ago tonight, I had dinner with my dad for the last time (at the Outback Steakhouse in Surprise, AZ). He had an AVM (arteriovenous malformation) in his brain that ruptured not quite a week after that dinner that eventually led to his death. Today I was craving Outback as I left work, so I decided I'd head there for takeout. I had purposely avoided going to that specific Outback for a while, but wasn't really thinking about it tonight. At least, not until I was driving along on my way to pick up the food. I don't really drive to Surprise very often, and as I was driving along, I realized the last time I had made the drive was with my dad exactly 10 weeks ago tonight.

As I mentioned, it's been a rough year. My dad was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer (it had spread to his liver and his stomach wall) back in November of 2009. He had major surgery the day before Thanksgiving in San Diego and started chemotherapy at the Cancer Treatment Center of America (CTCA) hospital here in Goodyear, Arizona in January. We all thought it was a sign that the center was just about 2.5 miles from my house. So since January, my parents had been flying out here every other week, and I got to see both of my parents more regularly than I had since I moved to Arizona. As my dad said, it was great getting to see each other so often, but we wish it was under better circumstances.

Though he was determined to beat the cancer beginning the day after his surgery, we all had a rough January and February as my dad started his treatment. He tolerated the chemo well, but he just wasn't his usual self because he didn't feel well. After a few months, though, he showed great improvement and kept getting better each trip. That night in July that I had my last dinner with him, he seemed pretty much like his usual self (the way he was before the cancer). That trip he was by himself. After 6 months of flying out here every other week and with my dad feeling better, my mom had started coming out every other trip back in June.

It's hard to ever think of cancer as something positive, but the memories of our times together and hours long conversations during the last 7 months of his life are some of my most cherished memories of him. I just can't believe that he's really gone. It's hard to think that he's not there when I want to talk to him; that he won't be there if (when?) I ever get married and have kids. I miss him like crazy, and some days I don't know how I'll manage to go on without him. Tonight after my trip to Outback has been one of those times, so I thought maybe blogging about it would help...

2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge

2010-01-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

Here's my last update for the Support Your Local Library Challenge. I'm not really good with doing reviews, so the links are just to where you can purchase the books. I have enjoyed those I've read, though!

Here's my updated list:

1. The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird
2. Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy
3. 7 x 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills
4. Out of Order by Betty Hicks
5. Science Fair by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
6. Triple Trouble by Lois Faye Dyer
7. Valentine Frankenstein by Maggie Twohill
8. His Brother's Secret by Debra Salonen
9. Kiss and Tell by Suzanne Brockmann
10. The Fairy Tale Detectives (Sisters Grimm Book 1) by Michael Buckley
11. Nanny to the Billionaire's Son by Barbara McMahon
12. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I finished the challenge (a while ago actually) and am just now posting! I like having discovered my libraries and I plan to keep visiting them.

Fun Contest...Win a Nook!

2010-01-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

Anya Bast and Lauren Dane are having a contest to win books and a Nook to celebrate their releases on January 5th. Click here to enter their Curl Up with a Book…and a Nook Contest

Deleted???

2009-12-18T20:08:00.003-07:00

Deleted? I received an email today that my blog had been deleted. It's still here for now...

Cow Parade Part VII

2009-07-24T23:06:00.014-07:00

This is the last of the Cow Parade posts. It's been months since I first took the photos, but I've really enjoyed going back through them and re-discovering each of the cows!

Flower of Life

Cherry

Moo Jack

There's More Than One Way To Milk A Cow

Ribbons & Bovine

San Dieo MOOves You

Cow Parade Part VI

2009-07-23T23:25:00.012-07:00

Second to last cow parade post!

emoo A Reason to Survive

Tribal Bovine

San Diego Nightlife Cow

Moo Indigo

It's a G Thing

Running of the Bulls

Cow Parade Part V

2009-07-22T23:43:00.017-07:00

Here are more of the cows. I plan on 2 more posts and then that should be all of them! Enjoy :-)

Cowsablanca

Vibrant Village

Fearless

Crazy Quilt

Prime Cut

Cowmunity

Another Update: Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

2009-07-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

Here's my latest update for the Support Your Local Library Challenge. I'm not really good with doing reviews, so the links are just to where you can purchase the books. I have enjoyed those I've read, though!

Here's my updated list:

1. The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird
2. Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy
3. 7 x 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills
4. Out of Order by Betty Hicks
5. Science Fair by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
6. Triple Trouble by Lois Faye Dyer
7. Valentine Frankenstein by Maggie Twohill
8. His Brother's Secret by Debra Salonen
9. Kiss and Tell by Suzanne Brockmann
10.
11.
12.

I feel like I'm farther away from my goal, but I guess I'm pretty close. If I finish all of the books I have currently checked out (which I've had for longer than I should have taken), I'll be done and even over the quota!

Cow Parade Part IV

2009-07-20T23:41:00.013-07:00

And still more cows! Enjoy :-) There are even more to come later on!

Beautiful Life

Crow Cow

From Wild to Weighed

CloWds

Cow With a View

See One, Be One

Cow Parade Part III

2009-07-19T23:15:00.012-07:00

More cows from the La Jolla Cow Parade...

Senorita Flora Fauna de Vaca

Digesting the News

My Ancestors' Village

Designer Jeans

(This cow was robbed the day before this shot and so her jewelry -- necklace & earrings-- are missing. The man sitting by her made sure we knew! Also, in case you can't see it, there is a double helix on the "jeans" and this cow was sponsored by a genetics company...)

Cow Parade Part II

2009-07-18T23:15:00.005-07:00

I decided to dedicate this post to just one cow from the parade. It's my mom's overall favorite and one of my favorites as well. To get all the detail, I took quite a few shots close up.

Here's A Triumph of Will (that's the cow's name in case you were wondering):

Cow Parade Part I

2009-07-17T23:56:00.008-07:00

I'm not done going through all my Cow Parade photos, but I do have some of them ready, so I figured I would post them in parts over the next week or so. Here are the first of the bunch!

Just to warn you, I only had one day to get as many of the cows as possible and the light wasn't great. I just had to do the best I could. I am including the official names of the cows given by the artists. The only sad thing about them is that the charity auction was canceled due to poor ticket sales. I wish I could afford to buy one, because there are quite a few I really love!

Milano Cow

Mad Cow Wild Style

Psychedelic Cow

What NOT to Do in Public

2009-07-16T19:04:00.002-07:00

I ate lunch at a local Panera today and heard something disturbing. A lady next to me was on her laptop (free Wi-Fi access at Panera) talking on her cell phone. The problem? She was talking to a rep at a credit card company about an error on her credit report and she verbally gave her social security number... twice! Then she went on to give her full name and address. Hopefully the other diners at Panera with us are not identity thieves because she'd would have made their job so easy! I probably wouldn't have paid any attention except her SSN starts with the same 3 digits as my sister's area code, so I thought she might be from Boston.

I'm usually paranoid anytime I have to give out my social security number. Even when I'm on a cell phone at home or in my car, I worry someone will somehow get it. I hope those of you reading this are more aware of your surroundings when relaying any personal information. With identity theft such a big problem these days, it pays to be careful!

Up To Date?

2009-07-15T22:54:00.008-07:00

So summer school kept me incredibly busy and I neglected this blog and my daily photo blog. I've finally caught up on my daily photo blog, but I still feel bad for neglecting this blog. It's been on my mind, but I just haven't had time to post! I do have ideas for upcoming blog posts, though. Once I get my act together a bit more, I have more updates about my reading challenge. I've been reading a bit more often lately. And I'm finally catching up on my Cow Parade photos (yes, I know I've been promising them for ages!) For today, I'll leave you with these shots of some interesting cars that I've taken recently.

I saw this Chevy truck while out running errands and I stopped to take photos on my way back home. The light wasn't great, but I'm glad I stopped.

Here's a car my mom and I parked next to at Plaza Bonita. I guess someone likes Swarovski Crystals!

Update on Support Your Local Library Challenge

2009-06-05T23:57:00.004-07:00

Okay, so if you remember, I took on a couple of challenges regarding my reading habits as New Year's Resolutions. I decided to keep better track of the actual books I read in 2009. And I decided to join the Support Your Local Library Challenge as well.

It's been way too long since I updated my efforts, so I wanted to give a report. I have been tracking the books I've read (even though I haven't been posting them here). I will try to post a list when I figure out how to easily export it from the database I've been using to track them.

The main purpose of this post is to update the status of my Support Your Local Library Challenge. I've discovered that my local libraries are pretty small and have limited hours (out of the 3, none are open on Sundays). I have made a few trips and read some books, though! After browsing the adult section, I was drawn to the juvenile section, so a lot of these are more young adult/juvenile fiction books. Here's my updated list:

1. The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird
2. Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy
3. 7 x 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills
4. Out of Order by Betty Hicks
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

I'm not quite half-way there, but hopefully over the summer months I can catch up!

Out and About

2009-05-26T07:47:00.007-07:00

I went out to the Otay Ranch shopping center with my mom today. I got lots of different pictures of various things, so it was pretty hard to decide which one to use for my daily photo journal. I decided to post the rest of them here!

On the Road Yet Again...

2009-05-24T18:43:00.006-07:00

I hit the road to visit my parents in San Diego. There are so many places along the drive that I'd like to stop to take photos, but it's not exactly safe most of the time. In fact on my way back to Avondale from my spring break visit, I decided that what I really needed was a camera mounted on my windshield (maybe on the other side of the rear-view mirror?) so I could just click a button and take a photo!

Anyway, just west of El Centro, the road winds through these rocky hills. The rock formations are so interesting, especially on the way down (from San Diego to El Centro). Unfortunately, there are no pull-off areas on the road down hill (and the roads each direction are totally separate).

On the road uphill (from El Centro into San Diego), however, there are many stops and pull-off areas. Why? Well, with the long, constant incline, it seems cars have a tendency to overheat, so they created a bunch of areas along the way where you can pull off the road and get water for your radiator.

The trip was a pretty dusty one (due to high winds), but once I got to the uphill climb outside of El Centro, the sky was pretty clear. I decided to pull off the road at one of the radiator water stations and take some photos. I was pretty careful, though, because I know it is still pretty dangerous. I stayed well off the road and didn't take any photos anytime a car was within sight.

I had more photos than I could use for my daily photo journal, so I figured I would post the photos here!

The view up the hill

This shot is one I took looking back down the hill. It caught my eye since I kept turning around to look for cars coming up the hill before taking my uphill shots. I was careful never to turn my back on an on-coming car.

Supremely Bad Blogger

2009-05-24T02:18:00.003-07:00

Once again I have been a very bad blogger. I got the flu and it all just went down hill from there. I've been thinking about my blog, though! I have pictures to post, and will make sure to do it soon.

I also still plan to post my Cow Parade photos, but I still haven't gotten through them all. Stay tuned!

Cool Contest!

2009-04-10T16:49:00.004-07:00

Check out this great contest thanks to HelenKay Dimon, Jill Shalvis, & Alison Kent.

I would so love to win the Sony eReader, wouldn't you? Make sure to get your chance!

Spring at Estrella Mountain

2009-03-28T21:23:00.007-07:00

It's definitely spring around here! Everything's in bloom and I love taking photos of all the plants and flowers. I'm still getting used to all the differences between the plants in Arizona and Southern California.

I used this cactus in bloom for one of my daily photos, but I had the other photos of the Ocotillo plant that I love as well, so I'm posting them all here.

Enjoy!

Jury Duty!

2009-03-26T20:21:00.013-07:00

I had jury duty this past Monday. Arizona is a one day-one trial state. I called the night before, and they told me I didn't have to report at 8:00am but I did need to call at 11:00am to see if I would have to report. I thought that was a bit odd, and others (who were more familiar with Arizona jury duty) thought so too. Evidently it was just an extremely busy day because I did have to show up in the afternoon (12:45pm).

They called 6 panels (one of 50 people!) in the first 30 minutes after I checked in, but luckily I wasn't one of them. Normally I'd like to serve, but it was a bad week (and as I'm a teacher, a bad time of year period). So after a couple hours, I got released.

I noticed some photo ops on the way in, but I had left my cameras in the car because I wasn't sure if they'd be allowed in the court building. Since I got out early, I walked the 5 blocks to the parking garage (we had just missed the shuttle), got my camera, then walked the 5 blocks back to the courthouse. The light wasn't the best, but I got some interesting shots. I hope you enjoy them!

Just outside the Superior Court Building

Looking up at the court building

The Forensic Science Center which was next to the parking garage

State Archives & History building that I drove by on my way out of downtown

Cow Parade...Coming Soon!

2009-03-26T03:33:00.004-07:00

Before I left San Diego, I spent a day (in different segments) with my mom going around La Jolla taking photos of the Cow Parade Art Exhibit. You can read more about it here (http://www.cowparadelajolla.com/).

It's something that's taken places in other cities before, but it's new to San Diego (the exhibit runs from March 15 through June 15). Basically, 40 local artists got blank white cow statues that they were able to alter to fit their vision. Each cow is sponsored by a local business as well. At the end of the exhibition, the cows will be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity. I have a few favorites, but nowhere to put them, so I won't be bidding, but I enjoyed photographing the ones I was able to get to this time around :-)

I took a ton of photos, and this week is insanely busy for me, but I'm posting to say I will have them up hopefully sometime this weekend! Stay tuned for my Cow Photography Parade...

Backyard Bench

2009-03-22T11:58:00.005-07:00

My mom loves garden sculptures and accessories, and it makes the yard interesting. Here are some photos I've taken this week of two pieces she bought separately that she has together out on what used to be the back lawn (my dad gave up watering it when the rabbits had eaten most of what was there though there is a bit of grass left).

Ice Plant Flowers

2009-03-21T14:42:00.008-07:00

I've been walking around my parents yard taking photos quite a bit this week. I've also ended up with lots and lots of pictures! Some of them I've used for the daily photo, but most I haven't. Below are some ice plant flowers that I've captured throughout the week. Most are during the day when it's been pretty bright (almost too bright), but one I took as the flowers were just closing up for the night.

Silly Sophie!

2009-03-16T17:41:00.005-07:00

I'm home in Bonita visiting my parents this week during my spring break from school. Yesterday in the afternoon, I tried taking my book outside to get some reading done, but that didn't work out so well. I first got distracted taking pictures of the flowers in bloom.

Then Sophie came out to join me. Since she doesn't see well, I watch her to make sure she doesn't get too close to the pool and fall in (which she has done before). She purposely gets close to the pool because she likes to drink the pool water. When she got tired of me telling her she was too close and shooing her away, she wandered off around the side of the house.

I thought she was going to eat some grass (her second favorite thing to do in the yard), so I followed her. Boy was I surprised when I followed her to the pool pump and saw her stick her head into the container collecting the water leaking from it. Here are a couple shots I got while I could:

Moon Photos

2009-03-15T00:24:00.007-07:00

As I think I've mentioned before, I am fascinated by the moon. I've been experimenting with moon photos even without a better telephoto zoom lens. Someday I will get that zoom lens, but it may be a while. The economy is part of it, but I've also been thinking of getting a new camera, and I don't want to buy a new lens and have it be incompatible with the new camera (since I'm thinking of switching from a Canon to a Nikon).

Anyway, here are a few shots of the moon that I've taken over the last week or so (some during the day and some at night). One day I'll get that perfect moon shot under perfect conditions!

Riding On Instinct Contest

2009-03-15T00:07:00.003-07:00

Click here to enter The Riding On Instinct contest!

Jaci Burton is holding a contest for the release of her new book, Riding on Instinct. Feel free to check out all the details by clicking on the link above :-)

Holy Cow!

2009-03-14T21:10:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it's been over a week (closer to 2) since I've posted here. I know I've been busy, but sheesh. I've been playing catch up a lot over at my Daily Photo Journal as well, but I've still been taking my photos daily.

Anyway, I've had quite a few good photos that I haven't used at my daily photo journal, so I'm going to post them here shortly. Hmmm...Maybe I'll even set them up to post on different days!

Photos from Saturday

2009-03-02T00:22:00.011-07:00

I had lots of "left over" photos from my daily photo journal this last Saturday, so I figured I would post them here!

Here are some shots of a mural on the side of a building in Avondale near the library (why I was there in the first place...)

And here is the sunset from my backyard. It's the first one that I was able to capture that I liked from my backyard here at my house!

Album Cover

2009-02-28T17:45:00.005-07:00

To Walk Very Far by Flaminio Ponzio

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I discovered this on Facebook and posted it there, but I figured I would post it here as well. I thought it was kind of fun and I really like the results (though I might have chosen a different picture if I had the option...)

Here are the "rules" if you want to try it:

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it with this text and TAG the friends you want to join in.

Afternoon at Paradise Valley

2009-02-27T01:44:00.009-07:00

I've been taking a professional development class out at Paradise Valley Community College on Thursday afternoons for the last few weeks (with 2 more to go). I've found that I really look forward to my project 365 Thursday's because there are so many great things to capture at PVCC. This week I had a few too many to choose just one, so I'm posting the one I chose to represent the day at my Daily Photo Journal (http://michellebphotojournal.blogspot.com) along with my others here.

Enjoy!
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World Champion!

2009-02-26T01:04:00.017-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts lately! I've been really busy and then tired when not busy. I've been trying to get some more Monday Music Mania posts together, but haven't been too successful to finish before Mondays the last few weeks.

Anyway, last weekend, I went to see Summer compete at the Scottish Highland Athletic Games here in Phoenix and it just so happened to be the Women's World Championship. Did I mention Summer was the reigning World Champion (twice over) going in? Well she won her third and will (hopefully) be going for her 4th a year from now! Woo hoo!

Anyway, I'm not great at people photography, and I was pretty far away for a lot of these photos, but I figured I would post what I ended up with anyway. Enjoy :-)
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Throwing Weight Over Bar...

Trying to turn the caber (she succeeded all 3 times!)

Satisfaction after turning the caber

Waiting for the awards to begin...

It's official!

Summer is the 3-time (in a row) World Champion!

Chocolate Festival!

2009-02-10T16:47:00.016-07:00

As I mentioned previously, Summer and I went to the Chocolate Festival in Glendale, AZ on Saturday. We had quite an adventure! It was pretty crowded in the main area where all the booths were, so we ended up going to take a tour of a candy factory first and by the time we got back it was a little less hectic at the booths.

Here are some photos I took while wandering around Downtown Glendale and the Chocolate Festival. There are things I didn't get this time that I'll be going back to get some time soon!
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Waiting outside Cerreta's, the candy factory

Inside Cerreta's

The chocolate dipped strawberry assembly line

Chocolate dipped Jalapenos!

A giant 300-pound chocolate heart being raffled off (tickets cost $1). Since I had no idea what I'd do with it, I didn't buy a ticket as I figured that would be a sure-fire way to win!

Yet another "naked" tree outside Cerreta's waiting for the shuttle back

Here are some signs from local businesses that I found had interesting names and signs

A Mad Hatter's Antiques

Bitzee Mama's Restaurant

The Wonderful Wacky Women booth at the festival

Week in Photos (2/2 through 2/8)

2009-02-09T22:54:00.019-07:00

I've been taking tons of photos again thanks in part to my taking part in Project 365. I truly agonized over what photo to choose for the day the last few days, so as I suspected when I started this project, I have lots to post here!

These are some random shots from my week last week (most of which didn't make it as the photo of the day). I'm going to devote an entire post to the Chocolate Festival that I went to with Summer on Saturday, but it probably won't go up until Tuesday or Wednesday. For now, enjoy these photos!
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Here's the church across the way from my house

I took a walk around campus Friday afternoon as I was leaving...

The branches on this tree are really intertwined in an odd way, but I need to get the shot when the light is at a better angle

I've been really intrigued with "naked" trees lately...

More "naked" trees from Thursday night at Paradise Valley Community College where I'm taking a professional development class

Sunset at PVCC Thursday night

Monday Music Mania: Spanish Edition

2009-02-09T20:47:00.003-07:00

Sorry this post is a little late. I forgot to set it to post in advance. This week, I decided to focus on music in Spanish. When I took advanced placement Spanish in high school, my teacher had us listen to a song every day (a different song each week) to become more immersed in the language. At the end of high school, Liana, one of my friends who was in the class with me, surprised me with the best gift ever: a mix tape with all of our favorites from Spanish class! She borrowed all the tapes from our instructor to make it! We had quite an adventure in that class. I still remember a crazy story we made had to write to incorporate all of our vocabulary lessons one week about needing help because a barracuda bit someone and we ended up getting a ride to a hospital on a motorcycle. Ah those were the days :-)

Since tapes have become obsolete for the most part, I've tried to re-create my mix tape digitally. While I haven't come close to finding them all, I did find quite a few. I also added in some Mana favorites from their album that I bought when I saw them in concert at age 16 and from La Ley who I discovered more recently. Enjoy!

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Signs

2009-02-04T22:27:00.002-07:00

I've definitely been getting not so subtle hints today that it is time to put my Christmas decorations in storage. Not from people, but from music. At work, I listen to Launchcast radio and at home I've been listening to iTunes. I don't have all that many Christmas albums on my playlists compared to other music and I've heard probably 10 today!

The decorations are down for the most part, but not packed up. I've been so busy with work and grading even on weekends that I just haven't felt like dragging out the storage stuff from the garage. It's time I suppose. Sigh...

Monday Music Mania: Disco!

2009-02-02T01:22:00.003-07:00

I absolutely adore Disco music. I think it's my favorite genre of all time. My favorite parties in college were the disco themed parties. I don't know why I love disco music so much. Sure I was born in the 70s, but I was much to young to get into Disco then. I'll have to ask my mom if she listened to Disco a lot while she was pregnant with me.

Here are just a few of my favorites. Note I excluded Kool & the Gang since I devoted a previous Monday Music Mania just to them...

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

The Week in Photos!

2009-01-31T23:31:00.019-07:00

Wow, it's been a crazy week. I've been busy at work, and believe it or not, I've actually been going to bed at a normal hour-- like before midnight every night so far this week!

Anyway, I've been taking my pictures daily and I finally got them uploaded and posted to my daily photo blog ()-- well through yesterday anyway. Today's photo will have to wait.

I found myself taking quite a few photos on some days this week, so I thought I'd post them here. Enjoy!
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Here are some shots of the turtles in the pond on campus near the building where I have my classes:

Can you spot the turtle in this first picture?

They really loved this incoming stream of water. It was so funny watching them!

Hibiscus flowers in my front yard

Looking back at campus as I'm leaving on Friday...

Clouds from Monday

Monday Music Mania: Disco Mickey Mouse

2009-01-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, I still can't seem to get away from my childhood memories theme. I started out doing a disco themed Monday Music Mania, but got sidetracked when I got to my Disco Mickey Mouse songs. While they are "disco," they are just not quite the same as the other disco songs, so I decided to make my favorites from the album into a Monday Music Mania of their own!

I loved this record (yes, I owned it as a record) as a child. A few years back, I was able to locate a used CD on half.com for a reasonable price and snapped it up! I know they're kind of cheesy, but I still love listening to them and singing along :-)

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Monday Music Mania: Babyface

2009-01-19T00:24:00.001-07:00

We stopped taking regular family ski trips once I reached junior high since it was just too hard to keep me out of school for so long and have me keep up with assignments. We did take one last trip during our winter break when I was in 8th grade though. We went to Whistler, British Columbia just before Christmas and then we spent Christmas in Oakland with my dad's brother and his family. And that year, we actually flew.

Back then, we could listen to portable electronic devices (a walkman for me) on take-off. So I listened to my new Babyface album "Tender Lover" on the plane and an in the car on the drive up to Whistler from the airport. So naturally, any time I hear the songs on that album I think of that trip!

Here are some of my Babyface favorites, including many from "Tender Lover."

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

More Favorite Commercials!

2009-01-18T12:24:00.007-07:00

I usually don't watch the commercials on TV because I watch everything delayed and fast forward through them. I have caught a few recently though. Here are a couple of my favorites:-)

Happy 2009 From Pepsi

What if Delivery People Ran the World?

IBM's Why Do We Need Math?

New Photos!

2009-01-17T19:38:00.008-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted here since Monday! How time flies. I've been taking my daily photos for my photo journal and have been pretty good with posting them to my Daily Photo Journal blog (or at least catching up every few days).

Today, I had a couple of photo options for my daily photo and my favorite ended up being just a piece of the Ocotillo Fountain. Here is the fountain and the close up of the top of the glass sculpture that I chose as my photo of the day:

I've also been meaning to post this photo for quite a while. I took it at a little Mexican restaurant my parents frequent in San Diego. I hadn't seen one like it before though I'm sure they're out there!

Monday Music Mania: Lionel Richie

2009-01-12T00:24:00.005-07:00

Lionel Richie is another artist that brings back memories of those same ski trips that I posted about last week with the Quincy Jones playlist. The actual album we listened to was Can't Slow Down, but I've added a few other of my Lionel Richie favorites.

And I realized I'm not the only one who has memories of these two albums. I'm actually writing these posts and creating the playlists ahead of time while I'm home for Christmas. Just now as I was playing the music, my dad said to me "Remember we used to listen to this as we were driving to Park City!"

Anyway, enjoy the Lionel Richie playlist. There will be one more ski-trip-memories playlist next week and then maybe I'll move on to other memories :-)

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Sophie Under Cover

2009-01-10T01:57:00.011-07:00

I've been back in Arizona now for a couple of days. The first couple days back are always the hardest. I miss having my parents and Sophie around, though I don't miss not having much privacy and the constant allergy issues I seem to have when I'm around Sophie.

I have a few photos I took at the end of my trip that I didn't use for my Project 365 Photo Journal, so I'll be uploading them here. I decided to start with Sophie and her crazy antics.

We adopted Sophie from another family who originally got her in Hawaii. It's obvious that she loves the tropics because she craves the sun and being warm. She likes it so much that she'll do just about anything to stay warm in the winter. Now, keep in mind my parents live in San Diego so it's not like it's snowing outside.

Anyway, when she just can't get warm enough, she likes to burrow or hide under covers, blankets or anything that will keep here warm.

Here's a few pictures I took of her burrowed under a blanket on my parents bed. Obviously, you can't see anything but the lump, but she's there. We can always tell by the way the covers are disturbed and the lump. Also, if you touch call her name, she'll often meow at you from under the blanket.

The night before I left, I caught her trying to burrow under the blanket on my parents sofa. After her first try, she gave up because the blanket was falling off the sofa. I picked it up and she tried again, but she gave up because I think the leather under the blanket wasn't warm enough for her. I was able to catch a few of her tries as shown below:

She was not a happy kitty there at the end. Poor Sophie.

Project 365: Another Challenge (of sorts)

2009-01-05T05:00:00.002-07:00

I heard about Project 365 at Angie's blog earlier today (well, yesterday now) and thought it was a great idea! Basically, the project challenges those involved to take a photo every day for 365 days and post them somewhere online. Read more about the project here (or by clicking on the project name at the beginning of the post). I'm joining in a few days late, so I had to go back and take photos that represent my first 3 days! There's still time if any of you would like to join.

Because it will be a daily thing, I've decided to start a separate photo blog (http://michellebphotojournal.blogspot.com/) for that project. I'm still planning to use this as my primary blog (both for photos and other regular posts). Knowing me, if I have to take 1 photo every day, I'll end up with a ton more that I can post here. I just didn't want to confuse the posts at this blog with my Project 365 posts.

In 2008, I really neglected my photography. I think it was the first year my camera bag actually had a chance to gather dust! And I've always wanted to keep a journal, but I'm just not good at writing every day. Hopefully by participating in this project, I'll end up with a great photo journal of 2009 and even the years after that.

Again, if you'd like to follow my Project 365 photo blog, you can find it here (http://michellebphotojournal.blogspot.com/).

If any of you decide to join in, please let me know!

Monday Music Mania: Quincy Jones

2009-01-05T00:24:00.002-07:00

For those of you who've read my Monday Music Mania posts or my other ramblings on music may have noticed that I tend to associate songs with memories. When I listen to a certain song or album, it brings up very vivid memories for me. I don't know why it is that certain memories get cemented to certain songs and albums when I listen to them many times. Anyway, for me music is a complete experience beyond just listening. I not only listen, I enjoy, re-live memories, and often times sing along :-)

Anyway, the reason for my ramblings is that for the next few weeks, I plan to focus my Monday Music Mania posts on artists/albums that bring back memories from childhood, particularly those from winter times.

This week's spotlight is on Quincy Jones. When I was in elementary school, my parents took us out of school for 2 weeks after our winter break to go skiing (of course we'd take all our homework along). Instead of flying, though, we'd drive from San Diego to Utah or Colorado. One of the tapes (yes, tapes) we listened to a lot during those long car trips was Quincy Jones's The Dude. I included some of my favorites from that album (along with one other) on this week's playlist.

Enjoy!

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

99 Things Meme

2009-01-04T02:21:00.003-07:00

I saw this over at Anne McAllister's blog (well, via Google reader really) and thought it would be fun to do. You all get to learn more about me and I have something to blog about!

I won't tag anyone in particular, but feel free to do it. Let me know if you do decide to play along so I can come read your list :-)

THE 99 THINGS MEME

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped. (no way with my fear of heights!)
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (not really sure on this one, but I'll leave it as something I'd like to do)
15. Adopted a child. (I'm undecided on this one)
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables. (I have a black thumb)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run. (not that I don't want to, but I doubt it will happen if it hasn't already!)
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke. (if I can ever get up the nerve!)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted. (I don't think I could sit still long enough)
48. Gone deep sea fishing. (I'd like being on the water, but skip the fishing part)
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (I learned things are much farther away than they appear from the top of the tower)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. (again, not sure about this one-- maybe with my photography)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood. (needles and I don't mix)
65. Gone sky diving. (don't think so, though I'd rather do this than bungee jump!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (for how long???)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar. (ewwww)
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby. (again, undecided on this one)
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Support Your Local Library Challenge

2009-01-03T05:07:00.006-07:00

This year, as one of my New Year's Resolutions, I've decided to keep better track of the actual books I read in 2009. I'm going to try to post which books I've read at the end of each month.

I've also decided to join the Support Your Local Library Challenge as well. Since I moved to Arizona, I haven't even applied for a library card which is really quite amazing for me since it's usually one of the first things I do when I move somewhere new. I think this challenge is a great way to get better acquainted with my local library!

Since things tend to get crazy quickly for me, I'm going to start off small and do the 12-book challenge. I'll post the books here on this post as I read them!

1. The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Clean Laundry Radar (and Happy New Year... a little late)

2009-01-02T02:44:00.009-07:00

Happy New Year (a day or so late!) I'm still home in Bonita for the holidays, but I go back in just a few days. I can't believe how fast time flies.

Anyway, since I've been home for a while, I've had to do laundry. With all of us (my sister, her boyfriend and me), I had to finish the load of towels my mom started before I could finish my own load. The second I walked in from the garage, Sophie, our cat came walking down the hall. She absolutely loves laundry fresh from the dryer (especially dark clothes which she gets her light hair all over!) And we've noticed that no matter where she is or what she's doing, she knows exactly when the laundry is coming out of the dryer. We call it her clean laundry radar.

And given the chance, she will sit on the laundry as you fold it. Sophie (being her usual self) followed me to the master bedroom where I went to fold the towels. I knew she was going to try to sit on what I folded so I purposely started with a big towel (a pink one that you can barely see behind the basket) that she could sit on. Here's what happened while I was folding the other towel for her:

Did I mention that she gets very territorial with laundry? If you try to take it away from her, she makes this throaty growly noise and often tries to bite you. So instead of moving her, I ran for my camera :-)

And here's one more of her that I took on Christmas:

She loves to be warm, so my mom bought her a warming bed. It's currently on the fireplace (and not plugged in). She slept in it a lot since all the people took over her usual spots (on the sofa or in the chair with the nice warm blankets).

Monday Music Mania: Kool & the Gang

2008-12-29T00:24:00.007-07:00

Once again, I've decided to start up with my Monday Music Mania posts. I have a passion for Disco Music, but if I just had a Disco Week, the list would be ridiculously long with repeat artists (especially this one). So I've decided to focus this week on Kool & the Gang. One week down the road I will probably have a Disco Week though:-)

I love Kool & the Gang more than words can say! Their CD Emergency is the first CD my dad bought and I still have it to this day. It's also one of my favorite albums. I once had the chance to see them in a reunion concert with JT Taylor, but it conflicted with my summer school class when I was in college. Being the good student I am, I went to class. I've also regretted it ever since. I did get to see Kool & the Gang a couple times after that, but both times without JT Taylor, and it's just not the same (no matter what other people claim!)

Anyway, here are some of my favorite Kool & the Gang songs:

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Christmas San Diego Style!

2008-12-25T00:24:00.009-07:00

Merry Christmas
Or Happy Holidays if you celebrate something other than Christmas.

As many of you know, I grew up in Bonita, California which is a suburb of San Diego. Even though I no longer live in Bonita, I spend Christmas there with my parents each year. For the past 2 years, I've driven by the Christmas decoration in the photo above.

I've wanted a photo since the first time I saw it, but I either never had my camera or didn't have time to go back home to get it. I finally remembered my camera and found a break in the rain to get the shot this year. To me it's the perfect way to represent a San Diego Christmas :-)

As I was taking photos, the woman who lives in the house came out and told me it was made by a local artist who lived just down the street. When he and his family moved a few years back, it was too big/heavy to get in the truck and so they left it with the neighbors!

See my posts below to see some favorite holiday songs and photos of decorations at my house :-)

Special Non-Monday Music Mania: Holiday Music Favorites

2008-12-24T00:24:00.011-07:00

In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I'd do a Holiday Favorites edition of Monday Music Mania. Of course since it's Tuesday as I'm writing this (and Wednesday by the time I post it), it's sort of a special Non-Monday edition.

Anyway, here is a playlist of some of my favorite holiday songs (some of them may be just 30 second clips due to copyright issues):

Christmas Favorites

Christmas Decorations & House Pictures

2008-12-23T12:32:00.049-07:00

Since I sent out my holiday letters, I realized I pointed people here to my blog to see photos of my new house. Those I have posted, I posted a while back, so the posts are a bit buried. I wanted to post some photos of my Christmas decorations (not much but I'll add to it every year!) so I figured it would be a good idea to post some additional house photos to my blog

It was hard to get good shots with the lights on, but I gave it a try. And I apologize in advance for the glare in the flash photos and the messiness inside (in the kitchen especially).

Front of the house with Christmas decorations out

Santa close up

Close up of the "Santa Boots"

The outside front entry way with Christmas decorations up

Here are some photos of inside the house I took back in August. I've made a few changes, but most of it is pretty much the same.

The living/dining room area which you can see I use just as a sitting area

A 5 1/2 foot tall nook along the entry way--finally filled thanks to Hobby Lobby!

A metal jazz band sculpture on my living room wall

The Great Room
(the TV & stand that are randomly in the room at the right side are now gone)

The messy kitchen

Here are a few photos from when the landscaping was first completed:

Here are some photos I took of the house when I first bought it (before I moved in):

Holiday Contest: Win a Kindle!

2008-12-02T00:15:00.005-07:00

In the spirit of the holiday season, Samhain Publishing is giving away lots of great prizes in a month-long contest! I love the holiday season and contests, and this combines two of my favorite things.

You can win some great prizes. They're giving away 2 Kindles, books (yes, Dad, more books that I have nowhere to put, I know), and lots of other cool stuff. Samhain is my favorite ebook publisher, so you know I'll be entering as much as I can :-)

Be sure to check out all the details over at Angie's blog by clicking here or on the picture below!

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Summer Photos!

2008-11-22T21:49:00.023-07:00

I know, I know. It's November and I'm just now posting photos from summer (the beginning of June to be exact). I'm telling you, Google Reader and RSS feeds are evil! They suck me in and I read/skim through other people's blogs every day. But it means I rarely visit my own blog and time gets away from me between posts.

Anyway, here are some photos I took on my trip to the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get Together. A few of these photos are from near the hotel (the sunsets), but most of them are from the drive I took into Indiana.

One of my "bucket list" goals is to visit each of the 50 states in the US. Since I'd never been to Indiana and I was just a few miles from the border, I couldn't pass up the chance to visit! Of course, I felt that just driving on the freeway into Indiana and then turning around and coming back to Ohio was cheating. So I pulled out the handy-dandy AAA guide (thank goodness I remembered to go and get the guidebook before I went this year!) to look for places I could visit in Indiana.

Of course I wanted to attend the events of the day, so I had limited time. Luckily I found an interesting destination that was close enough that I could leave after a short time at the book fair and still make it back by dinner (difficult, but doable). That destination was Metamora, Indiana. It was a quick visit after over an hour driving, but I enjoyed it. The drive was scenic too!

One thing I had to deal with that was new to me, though, was the incredible humidity. In fact, after being in the air conditioned car for so long, the first thing my camera lens did when I tried to take a photo after getting out of the car was fog up! It made getting the horse pictures nearly impossible, but I did the best I could.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Here are the photos...

Most of you who know me won't be surprised that my first stop was the bathroom. I parked close by and happened upon these horses in the field just next to the lot...

After my pit stop, I drove back into the heart of the little town. Here's the post office...

The main attraction of Metamora is the canal system. It's amazing! I got there very late in the day and wasn't able to take a canal tour, but I still had a great time looking around and taking photos. Here are some shots of the canal through the main part of town...

The ducks were everywhere! They cracked me up with their crazy antics. One duck (you can see him in both the above and below photos in the background) just stayed in the water swimming against the current for as long as I watched him! I suppose it's a form of duck aerobics...

At the far end of town was the Duck Creek Aqueduct...

Here are some shots from later that same night but back in West Chester, Ohio at the hotel...

Monday Music Mania-- Back Again!

2008-10-06T01:18:00.004-07:00

I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging more regularly, so I figured I would start back in with my Monday Music Mania posts. This week, I thought I'd post some of my current favorite songs in a random play list. I got to thinking about this since I'm giving exams in 3 of my classes this week and I decided to add on a non-math related getting-to-know-you question for my students. The first one I thought of is "What is your current favorite song?" I'm hoping to discover some new music as well as get to know my students!

Anyway, for now, here are a few of my current favorites:

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Photo Contest & Why Being Sick Stinks...

2008-10-02T23:30:00.018-07:00

So I obviously didn't get to post the poll about what photo to enter in the "contest" (which is really a show not a contest). I've been trying to fight off a cold, so I've been trying to sleep a lot. I was pretty successful at fighting it off and never got as sick as I have the last couple of times. But between all of my sleeping, I didn't get a chance to post the photos here.

Since I didn't have time to post a poll, I made a frantic email and then call to my parents asking their opinion. My mom originally voted for this one:

(though my dad probably wouldn't be very happy to have this one hanging in a Los Angeles gallery!)

Eventually they both voted for this sunset photo:

In the end, I just couldn't decide so I entered this one as well:

Here are a few others I also considered entering, but ultimately didn't:

Here's the info on the show:
Each year the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (LACDA) is hosts a show called SNAP TO GRID: The UN-Juried Exhibit. The show is really an opportunity for anyone who wants to show their work in the gallery because all of the entries are shown in their downtown gallery. This year the even takes place from October 9 through November 1.

You can get more information here: http://lacda.com/juried/juriedshow.html

If anyone is in the Downtown Los Angeles area during that time, be sure to check it out!

Why Google Reader is a Bad Thing...

2008-09-23T23:15:00.002-07:00

I'm just as addicted to blogs these days, but because I now read mostly via Google Reader (thanks to RSS), I rarely even visit my own blog anymore! It's so bad. When I used my own blog to follow links to blogs, I could see daily when I was neglecting my blog. Now I can go for weeks and months without realizing that I haven't posted!

I was so excited last spring when I finally understood RSS and how it works, but now I kinda wish I had never heard of it. I've been wanting to post a blog for a while, but keep getting distracted and/or tired. And I still have photos from the beginning of summer to post!

I have a topic now (other than this one), but it may take me until tomorrow to get it posted. I learned of a really cool photo "contest" that I'd like to submit a photo for, but I'm just not sure which one to submit! I thought maybe I'd post my final choices here and get some input. I don't have much time though because the deadline is next Tuesday.

Oh well. Anyway, I haven't forgotten blogland. I've just been busy, distracted, and lazy...

Giveaway Winner!

2008-08-03T01:50:00.002-07:00

Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway for the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival!

I used random.org to generate a number between 1 and 45 (since there was one duplicate commenter). The winning comment number is 10 which is

Jacqueline in Atlanta

Congratulations!! I've emailed the winner already.

Thanks everyone for all your kind words about my photos. And remember you can always check out my Cafe Press Shop at http://cafepress.com/michellebphotos

Another Bloggy Giveaway Carnival!

2008-07-30T01:08:00.006-07:00

I really had fun with the last Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. Even though I'm insanely busy these days and I'm getting a late start, I can't pass up the chance to participate!

What You Can Win
Instead of offering products from my Cafe Press Shop this time, I decided to offer up some extra photo products from various online photo services that I've ordered over the last year. I had a hard time describing them all in words, so I took a quick photo (sorry for the not so great quality).

The items include:

A Photo Calendar
8 photo stickers
10 photo postcards

As last time, these are all photos I've taken!

How to Enter
Just leave a comment on this post and make sure I have a way to contact you (either via a blog or email address)

Who Can Enter
Contest open to anyone, anywhere on Earth :-)

Deadline
Contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time on Saturday, August 2nd. I'll post the winner on Sunday.

And if you like my photos, please feel free to browse through my Cafe Press Shop (http://cafepress.com/michellebphotos). I have various photo products using many of these same photos there for sale.

Enjoy the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival!

A New House, a Sparky Car, and a Giveaway Coming Soon!

2008-07-29T18:37:00.006-07:00

I can't believe my summer break is almost over! I go back to work in just over 2 weeks for the fall semester. So much has happened that I haven't blogged about, I don't know if I have any hope of catching up. I'm going to at least try to catch up photo-wise (though it's been a while since I last took any photos).

The major difference since I last blogged is that I am now living in my new house! My mom was here for most of July (she just called to tell me she made it back to San Diego) to help me move in. I still have boxes to unpack, but it's been so nice having help! And wow, do I have a lot of crap. I can't believe how much stuff I've accumulated over the years. I must admit a lot of it is books. I'm a book-a-holic, I admit. I'm using one of my 4 bedrooms primarily for my books!

And then I had a fun eventful weekend with my car this last weekend. One of my spark plugs decided to disintegrate and explode the cap off creating a hole in the fire lining of my hood, a dent in the exterior, and a horrendous noise that made me pull over to the side of the road immediately. Thank goodness I did since with the sparks shooting out from the plug wire, the engine could have caught fire.

This was my first major mishap with my car and the first time I ever had to call AAA to have it towed-- a major accomplishment since we (my car and I) just celebrated our 10-year anniversary on July 15! Anyway, I was thankful to not be alone since my mom was visiting. It was after dark, but in Arizona in the summer, that is really a blessing since we couldn't start the engine safely.

We had just gotten off the freeway when it happened so we weren't stranded on the side of the highway. And a Good Samaritan stopped to help (he noticed the missing spark plug before my mom or I did). He told us he had just come from the lake and his boat had to be towed earlier that day so he stopped to help thinking it was karma. I am definitely a big believer in karma!

The tow truck arrived quickly and we got the car home safely. My luck along with my positive visualizations helped along the way. The dealer was open for me to drop off my car on Sunday (a rare occurrence), and I got my car back yesterday and only spent $400 on it rather than the $10,000 of my dad's dire prediction.

All in all, it's been a very eventful month for me!

This week is the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival . I wasn't quite as prepared this time with the all the craziness going on, but I hope to give away at least a little something this week. I hope to have the post up tonight or tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

Bad, Bad Blogger!

2008-07-04T00:54:00.006-07:00

I've been such a bad blogger lately! And I have so much I should be blogging about. I can't believe it's been over a month since I've blogged. Things have just been a bit crazy with crazy events, visits, and buying my new house. Yes, that's right...I'm officially a new home owner! There have been some issues to work through and time has flown.

My landscaping was completed Wednesday, and since I had to be up at the ungodly hour of 6:45am (for me when I'm not teaching at least), I took some photos of the yard. I'm including the best two so far below.

I have more pictures to post when I get around to sorting through them all and such. It may take a while since I'm planning the big move in the next 2 weeks and well I'm not even packed! Yikes!

Anyway, enjoy the photos and Happy 4th of July!

Front Yard (most of it anyway)

Back Yard (as much of it as I could get in one shot)

Long Time, No Blog

2008-05-28T17:40:00.002-07:00

Wow, it's been ages since I last blogged. Things have been a bit crazy with the end of the semester, getting sick, and trying to work out things with my new house.

I don't really have a plan for this post other than to say I'm going to try to post more. I'm going to try to come up with a Thursday Thirteen this week if I can think of a list quickly!

Hope all is well with everyone.

New House Pictures!

2008-04-27T18:55:00.022-07:00

I've been thinking about buying a house for a while now, and since I moved to Arizona, I can actually afford one! I started looking online back in January and got more serious in the last month. I've gone out looking the last 3 weekends, and last Sunday I found one I really liked.

It's a brand new, quick move-in home. The development is already built and just a few homes aren't sold, so there are some great bargains! And even better, I could literally walk to work if I wanted to (though with the heat here, I probably won't want to most days!)

After showing my parents (who were here visiting) the house and making sure they didn't think I was insane for choosing that one, I signed the paperwork yesterday!

Today we went by to take some pictures, and I thought I would share here at my blog!

It was a little bright when we went by, so the pictures aren't the best. Also, they may be a little distorted because I used my wide angle lens to get as much of the rooms in the pictures as possible.

I hope things go smoothly with the closing and escrow process and that I'll be moving in soon!

Front of the House

Back of the House

Backyard from 2 Angles

Entry way and front of Living Room/Dining Room area

The rest of the living room/dining room

The kitchen from the family room (no appliances yet)

The family room

The master bedroom (it has a bay window)

Master bathroom

Laundry room

Giveaway Winner!

2008-04-27T14:09:00.003-07:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this week and left comments. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by!

Courtesy of the "random" number generator at random.org, the winner is.....

Erin (comment #4)

Congratulations, Erin and thanks again everyone for your interest:-)

As I have more time and take more photos, I will add to my Cafe Press Shop (http://www.cafepress.com/michellebphotos), so feel free to take a look around!

I'm Giving Away More Free Stuff!

2008-04-21T00:24:00.025-07:00

Comments are now closed! I will draw a winner and post the results tomorrow!

I heard about the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival just as the last one ended. I've been pretty lucky with winning things these last few months, so I really wanted to participate in the next one. I'm so glad I didn't miss this one!

For those of you who know me, you know that photography is a passion of mine. I recently opened a Cafe Press Shop (http://www.cafepress.com/michellebphotos) with some photo products using photos I've taken. I'm offering some photo note cards and a keepsake box (shown below) to the lucky winner of this giveaway!

Here are the details:

What You Can Win
Since I couldn't decide on just one thing to give away, I'm going to give away 3 things! One lucky winner will get the 3 items noted below:

A set of 10 Stormy Winter Sunset note cards (blank inside)

A set of 10 Windmill note cards (blank inside)

A Floral/Garden in Bloom Keepsake Box (front pictured below)

Updated to Add: The keepsake box is in fact a box, but isn't necessarily meant to hold the note cards (it's not quite shaped right).

How to Enter
You must leave a comment (including your name) on this specific post to be entered. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you or that you check back on Sunday, April 27 and email me if you win!

It's easiest if you leave your email address in your comment (if it's not on a blog or profile). That way I can contact you directly if you win!

Who Can Enter
This contest is open to anyone, anywhere on planet Earth. I'll pay for shipping nationally or internationally, but sorry, shipping to the moon, the international space station or beyond just isn't practical :-P

This contest ends at 11:59pm on Saturday, April 26. I'll draw the winner and post the result on Sunday, April 27.

Monday Music Mania: Mix It Up!

2008-04-14T00:24:00.002-07:00

I decided to do something a little different this week! Sometimes I fall in love with 1 song by an artist long before I get a chance to listen to their complete album. And sometimes I like 1 or 2 songs a lot more than the others on the album.

So here is a mix playlist of some of my favorite songs at the moment. There aren't many repeat artists, mostly because many of these artists are new-ish to me, so I haven't had a chance to really listen to their whole albums. Enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen #24: Math Awareness Month Themes

2008-04-10T00:24:00.008-07:00

As a math teacher, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a TT to let everyone know that April is Math Awareness Month! Every year, we celebrate with a new theme of how math relates to life. Here are 13 Math Awareness Themes that have been used so far!

Oh and the photo before the list is from the poster for one of the Math Awareness Month themes below. Can you figure out which one (without clicking on the links for each year)?

Thirteen Math Awareness Month Themes

1. Mathematics & Voting (2008) A great topic in an election year! Visit http://mathaware.org for more information!

2. Mathematics & the Brain (2007)

3. Mathematics & the Cosmos(2005)

4. Mathematics & Internet Security (2006)

5. Mathematics & the Genome (2002)

6. Mathematics & Art (2003)

7. Mathematics & the Ocean (2001)

8. Mathematics & the Environment (1992)

9. Mathematics & Medicine (1994)

10. Mathematics & Decision Making (1996)

11. Mathematics & Imaging (1998)

12. Mathematics & Symmetry (1995)

13. Mathematics & Biology (1999)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Monday Music Mania: Eric Benet

2008-04-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

Eric Benet is another artist that I've blogged about off and on for the existence of this blog. And chances are, if you've known me for any length of time, you've heard me rave about Eric Benet's music.

I discovered his music thanks to my sister, who played a tape of his album True To Myself on a road trip from San Diego to Phoenix in December of 1997. I've loved his music ever since; even in the long gaps between albums (and through all the mess with Halle Berry).

I can't wait for his next CD! It should be out soon (crossing fingers). For now, here are just a few of my favorites.

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

Thursday Thirteen #23: Favorite Commercials

2008-03-27T00:24:00.004-07:00

I watch commercials less often than I have in the past even though I watch more TV these days. I usually use time during commercials to do things or read email, but every so often I still find a favorite. Here are 13 of my all-time favorites.

You may notice a musical theme with a lot of these commercials. I'm a musical person, so these are the types of commercials that tend to stick with me. Most of these I remembered, but I rounded out my list by searching online (I refused to put in more than 3 PC/Mac commercials since I've already done an entire TT on those).

Thirteen of Michelle B's Favorite Commercials

1. Cingular Misunderstood Commercial

2. HP Picture Book Commercial (2 versions!)

Original

Later

3. HP Out of the Picture Commercial

4. Gap Mellow Yellow Commercial

5. PC/Mac Cancel or Allow Commercial

6. PC/Mac Fatal Error Commercial

object height="355" width="425">

7. PC/Mac Webcam Commercial

8. Honda Cog Commercial (a Rube Goldberg machine)

9. Target Good Buy Hello Commercial

10. Target "Less" Commercial

11. Folgers 80s Christmas Commercial

12. Hershey Kiss Christmas Commercial

13. Lost in Translation (I hadn't seen this one, but I found it online and it cracked me up!)

Photos of Sophie & Ron!

2008-03-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

I've said this before, but I just have to say it again. Taking photos of cats is anything but easy. Sophie and Ron are challenging enough if they'd cooperate because of their color (Sophie so light and Ron so dark), but they rarely cooperate.

Ron is particularly challenging since he just loves attention. If I get close enough to get his picture, he comes up to rub against me as soon as he notices me. Add to that the fact that my auto focus doesn't focus well on him (I think it's because he's black) and that just makes it even more fun! I'm nowhere near fast enough with the manual focus because as soon as I get focused he's moved enough that I need to refocus. Argh!

And Sophie, well, she's so light she blends in or blinds you when the sun reflects off her fur. She has beautiful blue eyes, but when using a flash, she gets terrible red-eye. And she's not usually very happy with me when I continually shoot flash photos of her. See the examples below if you don't believe me!

Shots of Sophie

I thought she looked so cute on this chair. If only it weren't for that dreaded red-eye and her impatience with my flash. Can you see the difference in her expression between the photos?

Here's the 4th photo I took

Below is the 18th photo I took (and yes, I took more than 18). This is her "If you take one more *&%@ photo with that *&%@$ flash, I'm going to jump off this chair and bite you!" look. I've seen it a lot. I think it's more obvious in the bigger picture (click to enlarge it).

One of the latter photos that was better with the red-eye

I generally have better luck when she's sleeping since I don't have to worry about red-eye. Sometimes I wake her up though...

Here she is asleep on the sofa

After a few shots, she woke up. I can just hear her saying "Are you at it AGAIN?!"

And here she is less than a minute later back in almost the same position she started in.

Here are a few more of her curled up in another chair from last March (2007)

And some of her in a pink basket my mom bought for her. Of course, she didn't get in it until my mom put other stuff in it (after Sophie had ignored it for months). She climbed in right on top of a doll and curled up LOL!

Here are the few decent shots of Ron I got recently

Ron sitting in the garden

Ron on the prowl in the garden

Ron curled up on the sofa one night

Monday Music Mania: BBMak

2008-03-24T00:24:00.003-07:00

This week's artist is BBMak, who are actually no longer together as a band. I have very fond memories of BBMak that are partially non-music related. Because of BBMak, I met some of my closest online friends. BBMak also provided me with the opportunity to visit the infamous Viper Room during their launch party for their second album. It was quite an experience.

This week the playlist is from imeem since I had better luck finding songs there. As always, enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen #22: Thirteen Things on My "Bucket List"

2008-03-20T00:21:00.008-07:00

I've thought about starting a "Bucket List" ever since I saw the previews for the movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. After seeing the movie last weekend with my parents, I decided to make it my Thursday Thirteen this week!

Here are 13 things from my "Bucket List" (i.e. 13 things I want to do before I die)...

Thirteen Things from Michelle B's Bucket List

1. Take flying lessons. I go back and forth between fixed wing air plane and helicopter lessons. I never really thought about helicopters, though, until my first helicopter ride back in 2001. I loved it!

2. Fly a fighter plane in a simulator. Though I never wanted to join the military, I always wanted the chance to fly a fighter plane growing up. I used to watch the Iron Eagle movies over and over! A flight simulator is about the closest I'm going to get! I feel so weird having 2 flying things on my list since I'm a bit afraid of heights. I do love to fly though (and am perfectly fine on commercial flights).

3. See the Matterhorn in Switzerland. I've been to Switzerland, but didn't make it to the Matterhorn.

4. Travel to each of the 50 states. So far I've been to 22 (not including those that I've only seen via their airports). A couple I've only driven through and made brief stops, but hey, as long as I've stopped and not just flown over, I've counted it.

5. Take a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands stopping at each one (for photo ops!) I've been to Oahu, but not any of the other islands, so I listed it separately from #4.

6. Make a meaningful difference in some one's life (even if I don't know it!)

7. Inspire someone who previous didn't like math to enjoy math and maybe even think of a math related career. (A difficult one, but hey, I'm thinking big!)

8. See the pyramids and other ancient ruins in Egypt.

9. Visit the ruins at Machu Picchu.

10. Own my own home. I've always wanted to own a home, but living in California, that was just a distant dream because of the cost of homes. Now I'm in Arizona, and it looks like it may happen before the year is out. Now I just have to find the perfect house for me:-)

11. Own/Lease a Porsche...at least for a short while. A Porsche Carrera has always been my dream car, but my practical side says it'd be a nightmare to own one. I'd be so paranoid for someone to scratch it or steal it. Not to mention the repair costs. But at least for a short while, I'd like to own my dream car before I die :-)

12. Do something on a grand scale to thank my parents for all their love and support throughout my life.

13. Write a book about my family history.

My First Sale! (and other random stuff)

2008-03-18T23:30:00.005-07:00

As I mentioned before, I decided to open a Cafe Press store (http://cafepress.com/michellebphotos) recently using some of my photos. I figured that since I've gotten a lot of compliments on my photos, I would make the products available for those who want them.

I was so excited last night when I logged in to my account and found out I made my first sale back in February! I didn't realize it earlier because it takes 30 days for the commission to post.

I hope business will pick up, but this sale was pretty much luck. The person found my stuff through a search of all products on Cafe Press. There are so many items and so many sellers, it can be difficult to be noticed.

I pretty much stink at promoting myself and my stuff. I included a link to my shop in my Holiday Letter in December, but I felt guilty even then. I hate feeling like I'm pushing stuff on people. I am so not a natural born sales person. I'm thinking of getting some business cards printed (probably one of those free trial sites at first). Who knows...

And for those interested, I ordered the photos on canvas this last weekend. For size reasons, I decided on the Butterfly (rather than the Bird of Paradise) and the two sunsets. Then I got a call yesterday from Canvas On Demand about using custom sizes for the sunsets to better fit the proportions!

I was happy to hear this because in discussing photos to use with my Mom, we worried the Bird of Paradise wouldn't translate well if anything had to be cropped to make it fit the canvas. So we decided on the butterfly instead. Now I know that if I want to get the Bird of Paradise in the future, I can just ask for a custom canvas size!

I've forgotten to post Monday Music Mania for a couple weeks even though I have posts just waiting to be posted. Monday just comes and goes before I realize it! This is why Wordpress would be nice. I could schedule in advance! Oh well. I do plan to do a Thursday Thirteen this week and I have lots of pictures to go through. I hope to post some of them soon.

Have a great week!

Happy Pi Day!

2008-03-14T02:08:00.012-07:00

Today is Pi Day--as in pi, the Greek symbol used in math, not the pie you eat!

Why?

Because the date is 3/14 and the approximate value of pi is 3.14!

It wasn't until I started teaching and one of my students told me about it that I began to celebrate pi day. I've even read about one teacher celebrating with her class specifically at 1:59pm (because pi to 5 digits is 3.14159)! In fact, in doing some research for this blog post, I found a site that does a Pi Drop at 1:59pm on 3/14. To see the replay of last year's Pi drop click here. You can watch this year's live drop on the site at 1:59pm today!

Pi is a number that many mathematicians and even many of my students find intriguing. As a result of questions from students, I did some research to discover that the "World Record" for digits of pi calculated is over 1 trillion digits.

You can learn all sorts of fun facts about pi at the Joy of Pi website (which is based on the book of the same name). I got the pirelated cartoon created by John Grimes below there as well.

I hope you have a wonderful Pi Day!

No Thursday Thirteen This Week

2008-03-13T01:21:00.002-07:00

As the title indicates, there'll be no Thursday Thirteen for me this week. It's been a crazy one since I posted last week's TT.

I was actually in Arlington, Virginia at a conference when I posted it. I hadn't been feeling well before I left, but was feeling a bit better until the long day on Thursday. Since Friday, I've been feeling pretty blah until yesterday. That plane ride home was miserable and I spent Friday night through Monday in bed.

I made my way to San Diego (from Phoenix) yesterday since this week is my Spring Break. I haven't had time to come up with a new TT this week, though. I'm planning to have a new one next week.

Hope you are all doing better than I have been this last week. I still have papers to grade, my taxes to finish, and my class reunion book page to finish before Sunday. Yikes!

Thursday Thirteen #21: Favorite Misheard Song Lyrics

2008-03-06T00:24:00.000-07:00

I love music, especially singing along in the car. I must admit there are times that I don't know the lyrics and make them up. A few years back, I bought 4 books by Gavin Edwards on misheard lyrics. Many of them crack me up, so I decided to share 13 of my favorites with you. I find them even better when I sing the misheard lyric in place of the correct one in my head.

I'm convinced people pay no attention to song titles or they'd know some of these lyrics LOL. The correct lyrics are noted after the misheard one and the song it comes from. I have many more favorites, so I may post more in a future TT someday down the road...

Thirteen of Michelle B's Favorite Misheard Song Lyrics

1. You make me feel like a rash on a woman. From Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin
(Correct lyric: You make me feel like a natural woman)

2. Wake me up and pour me cocoa. From Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go by Wham!
(Correct lyric: Wake me up before you go-go)

3. I'm the leprechaun gangster. From Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze (I've blogged this before and had multiple hits from searches on this phrase LOL!)
(Correct lyric: I'm the lyrical gangster)

4. Sweet land of liberty, Off-key I sing. From My Country 'Tis of Thee
(Correct lyric: Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing)

5. Wake up, I might sit on you. From Got My Mind Set on You by George Harrison
(Correct lyric: I've got my mind set on you)

6. Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul. From Drift Away by Dobie Gray
(Correct lyric: Give me the beat, boys and free my soul)

7. Let's give them something from Taco Bell. From Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt
(Correct lyric: Let's give them something to talk about)

8. Take me down to the prairie dog city. From Paradise City by Guns N' Roses
(Correct lyric: Take me down to the paradise city)

9. I got shoes, they're made of plywood. From You're The One That I Want by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
(Correct lyric: I got chills, they're multiplying)

10. Sweet dreams are made of cheese. From Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics
(Correct lyric: Sweet dreams are made of this)

11. Totally blitzed by a fart. From Total eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
(Correct lyric: Total eclipse of the heart)

12. Take your pants down and make it happen.From Flashdance...What a Feeling by Irene Cara
(Correct lyric: Take your passion and make it happen.)

13. Baking Carrot biscuits. From Takin' Care of Business by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
(Correct lyric: Takin' care of business)

Monday Music Mania: Maroon 5

2008-03-03T00:24:00.001-07:00

I've posted about my love of Maroon 5 a few times on this blog before, but I just couldn't leave them out of my Monday Music Mania posts. They're pretty well known now. When I first discovered them, they had more of a local following out in the LA area.

The first time I heard a Maroon 5 song was live at the Roxy in LA. They opened for Michelle Branch (who I was there to see). I remember going home and looking at their website and being so bummed that they album didn't come out until June and here it was only February!

It's been years since Songs About Jane came out, but I still love it just the same. Their new album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, is a bit different, but I still love it. I've mixed songs from both albums in the playlist below. Enjoy!

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

Thursday Thirteen #20: "Famous" People I've Met

2008-02-28T00:24:00.010-07:00

I took this TT idea from Nicholas, who used this idea last week for his Thursday Thirteen. You may have noticed that I put "famous" in quotes. That's because many of these people aren't household names, but it's the best I can do:P

Thirteen "Famous" People Michelle B has met

1. Tiger Woods when we were freshmen at Stanford. We had freshman writing class together for 2 quarters. He was known then, but nowhere near as famous as he is today. We walked home from class together sometimes and would say hi when we ran into each other on campus. He's a nice guy! And yes, that is a picture of us; taken our freshman year (after a track meet).

2. Robert Weir who is a 3-time Olympian and even held a world record at one time (in the 35-pound weight throw). He also played pro football in Canada. Robert was my throws coach in college and I'm lucky to say he is still a friend :-) Some of my fondest (and wackiest) memories of my time at Stanford involve Robert.

3. Ste McNally from BBMak (a band who is no longer together). I've actually met all 3 members of the band, but I've only really spent time chatting with Ste.

4. Maroon 5 (the original members) at a private show back when they first released Songs About Jane in 2001. They mingled with the small group of us before the show (we were all eating pizza). I'm a bit shy around people I don't know though, and well, I wasn't really sure what to say! I definitely enjoyed the music!

5. Fred Savage in a tipsy moment in college at Stanford (he was tipsy, I wasn't:P) Just in passing though. I can't even remember where I was going, but it was late one weekend night. He said hi and stumbled by on the sidewalk.

6. Jimmie Walker who is most known for his role as JJ in Good Times. I met him at LAX a few years ago while we were waiting for the same flight to Salt Lake City. We chatted on and off for quite a while. He was debating whether or not to volunteer to give up his seat when they announced the flight was oversold and we discussed the pros and cons. We both ended up on that original flight. He's a very nice, down-to-earth man!

7. Steve Garvey (who played for the San Diego Padres) at the Hard Rock Cafe in La Jolla at one of my birthday parties growing up. My friends made a big deal of it. They went over and got him to sign my birthday card. I was so embarrassed that I spilled my water in my lap!

8. Dan O'Brien. Yes, I know you're asking yourself "Who?" He's an olympic decathlete and the first person whose autograph I (myself-- not my friends) ever asked for (at a track meet in college). It was so embarrassing! I had a hat that he had signed that day up until a few years ago. I let my mom to sell it at a garage sale.

9. Mark Madsen (basketball player who has played for the Lakers and currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves) while at Stanford my senior year. We had a class together and chatted casually from time to time.

10. Alex Smith (QB for the 49ers) when he was in elementary school and I was a junior in high school. We both grew up in Bonita, California. I went back to my old elementary school as part of a chemistry outreach day and he was running around on the playground when I was making oversize soap bubbles with the kindergarten kids! He definitely won't remember LOL. I had a couple classes with his older brother, Josh, in 8th grade. I had a major crush on Josh back in my junior high (and I suppose even high school) days.

11. Christ Draft who currently plays for the St Louis Rams. We were set up on a date for a "screw-your-roommate" type date while at Stanford. "Screw-your-roommate" was Stanford speak for set your roommate up on a blind date and pray s/he doesn't kill you afterwards LOL. The whole dating (really non-dating) phenomenon is legendary at Stanford. Anyway, Chris was a good sport about the "screw-your-roommate" date and is an all around nice guy.

12. Condoleezza Rice when she was the Provost at Stanford and I was an undergrad there.

13. Summer Pierson who may not exactly be famous yet, but she's got a significant following in certain circles :-) Along with being my best friend, she's the Scottish Highland Games Women's World Champion (for both 2007 and 2008), and a 2008 Olympic hopeful in the discus! She's been to the past 2 Olympic Trials and represented the US in the Pan American Games in Brazil last summer. For a shot of her in mid-spin throwing the discus, click here.

Photo Poll Winners!

2008-02-25T21:04:00.006-07:00

The results of the photo poll are in! Thanks to each and every one of the 33 people who voted. In terms of the photos, it was very close between photos 1 and 4 (the two sunset photos). In fact, it ended in a tie! Coming in next was the bird of paradise photo followed by the butterfly photo. I've decided I'm probably going to use both sunset photos for a photo canvas and possible the bird of paradise as well. At least that's the plan for now:)

And now on to the winners! I am going to try to contact you, but if your name is listed below and you haven't heard from me, it means I don't have your email address or any way to contact you. Please email me your snail mail address so I can send you your winnings:) If the prizes are still unclaimed on March 8, I'll draw again.

Winners

Robin wins the oversized 2008 wall calendar of Scenic California Photos
The Mama Bear (Penelope Anne) wins the set of 6 (different) sunset mini posters
Anne wins the set of 6 (different) floral/garden mini posters
Elizabeth wins the set of 6 Hawaii photo coasters and 9 photo stickers
Kathy wins the set of 6 Floral photo coasters and 9 photo stickers
Kelley wins the set of cloud notecards, a butterfly photo pillowcase, and 9 photo stickers
Di wins the set of 16 photo postcards of places I've been around the US and 9 photo stickers
The following 5 people win the set of 9 photo stickers:

Heather M
Vonne
Jeff
Skittles
Jill S.

I've reorganized and added some products to my Cafe Press Store (http://www.cafepress.com/michellebphotos), so feel free to check it out. I've used many of the photos from the poll on various products!

Oh, and I skipped my Monday Music Mania post this week, but it will be back next week!

Photo Poll Results Coming Soon...

2008-02-25T00:42:00.001-07:00

Okay, so the photo poll is over and I need to post results and draw winners. It's been a busy day today, and I'm headed off to bed. I promise to draw the winners and post them when I get home from work tomorrow (well, really later today since it's already after midnight). If you're looking for results, check back a bit later!

STICKY POST: Photo Project Poll

2008-02-24T00:59:00.001-07:00

NOTE: SCROLL DOWN TO SEE LATEST POSTS. This post will remain at the top of my blog until February 23 even if I post other stuff after this goes up.

Update: Thanks to everyone who has voted so far! Keep the votes coming:) And remember to comment here on the blog or email me to be entered into the contest!

Help! I'm terrible when it comes to making decisions. I waffle for ages and it drives me (along with everyone else in my life) batty!

I've been wanting to create a photo canvas through Canvas On Demand (http://www.canvasondemand.com) for years. I finally made one of our family cat (who we lost in October) for my family members as a Christmas present.

Now I have a coupon for $25 off another canvas, but I can't decide which photo to use! And of course the coupon comes with an expiration date. So instead of waffling any longer, I decided to enlist help via my blog.

I've narrowed down my choices to the 10 photos in the poll below. You don't even want to know how long it took me to narrow it down that far:P Anyway, I'd like your input on which photo to use. So if you could take a look at the photos in the poll and then vote for the one you think I should use, I would truly appreciate it!

And to show my appreciation, I'm going to give away some of the various photo gifts (created with my photos) that I have floating around my apartment. More details after the poll!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Edited to add the two things below:
1. If for some reason you can't vote in the poll, feel free to either comment with your vote (letting me know that the poll wouldn't work for you so I count it manually) or email me your vote at lilikoi44@gmail.com
2. If you'd like to enter the contest and can't comment for some reason, please email me at lilikoi44@gmail.com and I'll be sure to enter you!

Wait! Don't leave yet...Here are the details on the photo gift give aways:
I'll give away the following in a drawing on February 24th (the number of people I'll draw for each one is noted in parentheses):

Oversized 2008 wall calendar of Scenic California Photos (1 person)
A set of 6 (different) sunset mini posters (1 person)
A set of 6 (different) floral/garden mini posters (1 person)
A set of 6 Hawaii photo coasters and 9 photo stickers (1 person)
A set of 6 Floral photo coasters and 9 photo stickers (1 person)
A set of cloud notecards, a butterfly photo pillowcase, and 9 photo stickers (1 person)
A set of 16 photo postcards of places I've been around the US and 9 photo stickers (1 person)
A set of 9 photo stickers (5 people)

I'm using the poll as an easy way to count votes (and praying that it works without any technical glitches), but I'll draw for the photo gifts on February 24th based on the comments on this post (one entry per person) so that I have the names of the people participating. Your comment doesn't have to be long or profound; even just a "Hello" will do:) I'll post the winners here, so please be sure to check back so I can get your contact info if you win:)

Thanks so much for stopping by and helping me make my decision!!

Thursday Thirteen #18: Thirteen TV Shows I've Watched the Last Week

2008-02-21T00:24:00.014-07:00

I'm a total TV junkie! I can find something to watch on TV at almost any time of the day (even with the writer's strike!) I've been bummed by the lack of new shows lately, but at the same time, I've discovered some great new shows and even re-discovered some old favorites.

I decided to dedicate this week's TT to my love of TV. Here are 13 of the TV shows that I've watched in the last week.

Thirteen Things about YOUR NAME

1. Smash Lab. I just discovered this show and I love it! I even added the Smash Lab blog to my links!

2. Myth Busters. I'm so glad I've had more time lately to watch this show.

3. Lost

4. Kyle XY

5. Wildfire

6. Medium

7. Monk

8. Psych

9. Stargate Atlantis

10. Kim Possible-- the episode where the evil nemesis is the Math-ter!

11. George Lopez

12. Murder, She Wrote

13. Walker, Texas Ranger. Cheesy and *very* annoying at times, but the GTE building in Irving, TX where I used to work was in the episode and I just couldn't help watching.

Monday Music Mania: Seal

2008-02-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

Seal has been one of my favorite artists since I was in high school. I still remember going to see him in concert with my sister the summer after my freshman year in college.

I had a hard time finding MP3's of some of my favorites from his album Human Beings, but I have plenty of favorites to go around! I wanted to focus on Human Beings because I think it's one of his lesser known albums.

As always, enjoy the music!

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

Thursday Thirteen #18: Favorite Romance Novels

2008-02-14T00:24:00.005-07:00

Since today is Valentine's Day (oops, almost typed Valentime's Day...an inside joke with my dad:P), I decided to do this week's Thursday Thirteen on 13 of my favorite romance novels.

I'm not only a book-a-holic, I am also a romance book-a-holic. A majority of the books I own are romances. I have waaaaay more than 13 favorites which is why I have a second bedroom in my apartment just for my books. Really, I'm not kidding. Here are the first 13 to come to mind. I may post more of my favorites in a later TT.

Thirteen of Michelle B's Favorite Romance Novels

1. Ready by Lucy Monroe. I wasn't sure about this book when I first read the back cover copy, but Lucy is one of my favorites, so I decided to give it a try. I loved it and quickly couldn't wait to read the other 2 books in the trilogy (#s 2 and 3 below).

2. Willing by Lucy Monroe. I was so happy I had this book on hand as soon as I finished Ready! I think this is my favorite of this trilogy.

3. ...And Able by Lucy Monroe. I had to wait a few months for this book and it was torturous! I ended up buying it as a grad school graduation present for myself. Hotwire and Claire's story is a close second fave to Nitro and Josie (in Willing)

4. Jude's Law by Lori Foster. I've never really been into the fighting scene(boxing, MMA, wrestling, etc.), but this book turned me on to Lori's collection of stories on the SBC. It's definitely one of my favorite Lori Foster books.

5. Wildly Winston by Lori Foster (which actually includes 4 Winston brothers stories!) I first discovered Lori Foster by reading Tangled Sheets in a multi-author anthology, Hot Chocolate. I can't imagine a better first story of Lori's to read. I love those Winston brothers:D

6. My Best Friend's Lover by Shiloh Walker. This is the first of Shi's books I read. It not only hooked me on Shi's books, it hooked me on ebooks!

7. The Hunters: Eli and Sarel by Shiloh Walker. Eli and Sarel's story is my favorite of all the Hunters. I really went through the emotional wringer with both characters. To me, that makes it a great story!

8. The Hunters: Byron and Kit by Shiloh Walker. Though it's a shorter one, I love Byron and Kit's story. More emotional wringer stuff:)

9. Hunters: Heart & Soul by Shiloh Walker. Can you tell I love this series? Especially since we finally get to see Leandra and Mike as well as Mal and Kelsey get their HEAs.

10. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann. I was late to join the Seal Team Ten TDD (Tall, Dark, & Dangerous) bandwagon. I started with the re-issue of Prince Joe and I was hooked. I still re-read this one from time to time. I can't wait until Suz is able to write another TDD book!

11. Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann. This is the second book in the TDD series. I love it just as much as the first one!

12. Thin Ice by Jaxine Daniels. This was the first of Jaxine Daniels' books I read. I had been in a bit of a reading slump, but once I picked this up from my electronic TBR mountain, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down! Shortly afterwards, I bought just about every other book I could find by Jaxine Daniels!

13. The Last Place You Look by Jaxine Daniels. This is the last book in a series about a team of PJs (Air Force Pararescue). Eric and Kit's story starts in the first four books in the series and ends this book centered on their story. It's my favorite in the series (even with a minor inconsistency!)

Last of the 2007 Sunset Photos

2008-02-13T00:49:00.001-07:00

I've been playing around with creating photo products again! While making a calendar, I started sorting through some of the photos I took over my winter break. Here are a few sunset photos I came across (all taken on the same evening within 10 minutes of each other).

Which 5 Books Would You Save?

2008-02-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, being sick seems to prompt me to post a lot! I'm off to bed in a minute, but I wanted to post this to my blog after seeing Shi's post over at her blog.

She was pondering which books she'd choose if she was running out of the house because of a fire and could only save five (or six:P). I responded there on her blog, but as I'd already done a book themed meme today, I decided I'd post my response to her topic here as well.

As I mentioned there, I love all my books and wouldn't want to be without any of them. If I had to choose, though, I'd go by sentimental value.

Here are the 5 books I'd take with me first when fleeing a fire or other natural disaster that forced me to evacuate:

The Giant Who Liked Chocolate Cake by Estella Hitchcock Lane which belonged to my maternal grandparents. I remember them reading the stories in it to me and my sister when we visited as kids. It's sort of falling apart now, so I have to be very careful with it!
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. Another one that belonged to my grandparents. I've always loved Winnie the Pooh and I think that may have started with my grandparents:)
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck. Yet another of my grandparents' books. I used this one for a book report in junior high. It's an illustrated edition with very nice watercolor type illustrations.
Choices by Shad Helmstetter. My dad gave me this book to read the summer after my 9th grade year. I needed a book to read in summer school (we had a required reading period), so I used this book. It has really shaped my outlook on life!
He's Got the Whole World in His Pants...and More Misheard Lyrics. I had a hard time choosing the fifth book. I ran out of sentimental faves, so I went with one that would make me laugh in such dire circumstances (losing all my books, house burning down, etc) I have 3 other misheard lyrics books, but I've read this one the most.

So which 5 books would you save?

Nearest Book Meme

2008-02-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

I saw this meme over at Jill Shalvis' blog. Since I'm a book-a-holic, I thought it would be a fun meme that's also representative of me.

I hope to post again in the next couple of days as well as a Thursday Thirteen this week, but I'm fighting off a cold. I keep repeating to myself "I will not get sick .I will not get sick..."

Anyway, on to the meme!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The directions:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open it at page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence/ phrase.
4. Blog the next four sentences/ phrases together with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book.
6. Pass it forward to six friends

The nearest book is Jim Butcher's Storm Front (Book One of the Dresden Files). Here's the bit I'm supposed to blog (I went with counting sentences):

She had a furry, velvety voice, something tactile. "Who's this?"

"My name is Harry Dresden. I was wondering if I could talk to you."

I won't tag anyone specifically. If it sounds interesting, just join in and let me know when you've posted it in the comments so I can hop over and check it out:)

Monday Music Mania: Teddy Geiger

2008-02-11T01:24:00.000-07:00

This week's Monday Music Mania artist is Teddy Geiger. I first discovered his music on the short-lived TV series Love Monkey. I really liked that show, so of course it was canceled! I've discovered quite a bit of new music via TV shows and commercials over the years. Enjoy Teddy's music below!

Oh, I meant to mention how to control the player as it took me a little while to figure it out. I just couldn't resist the throw back cassette tape :) To control the player, the Play/Pause button is at the bottom of the cassette tape (under the + like sign) and the forward/back buttons are to the right and left of the "tape" wheels.

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

Thursday Thirteen #17: 13 of My Favorite Movies

2008-02-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

I love movies! My goal with going to the movies is to be entertained (not necessarily to think or get some profound meaning out of the movie). I'm pretty easy to please with movies. I'll see almost anything that's not too scary or too gory, so I have a lot of favorites.

Also, if you haven't voted in my photo project poll, I'd appreciate it if you could go to my blog post here (http://lilikoi44.blogspot.com/2008/02/sticky-post-photo-project-poll.html) and vote for which photo I should use to create a photo canvas! If you vote and leave a comment on that post, you'll be entered to win some of my photo stuff I have floating around my place.

Anyway, here are 13 of my favorite movies...

Thirteen of Michelle B's Favorite Movies

1. Monsters, Inc. I think Monsters, Inc holds the record for movies I've seen the most times in the theater (possible tie noted in #9). I lost track after the 5th time, though. I just love Sully, Mike, and Boo. Sully being my favorite color might have something to do with it too:)

2. Rush Hour I didn't go in expecting to love this, but boy did I! This along with #3 holds my record for most times I've seen a movie on DVD.

3. Rush Hour 2 I've seen this Rush Hour more times on DVD than I have the first Rush Hour movie. In fact, at one time, I was watching it so often, I had memorized half the lines in the movie! LOL. I can still say the lines along with the characters in some scenes.

4. Cars I love Disney-Pixar films. I wasn't too sure about Cars since I'm not a big race fan, but I just loved it. I saw this one 3 times in the theater:)

5. The Green Mile I didn't really know what to expect when I went into this movie. I honestly don't even know what made me choose to see it. Had I known I would sob uncontrollably through most of it, I probably wouldn't have seen it. I'm glad I did, however, because it was an incredibly moving film.

6. The Usual Suspects My sister and I saw this one together when it first opened. It was the only movie playing at a convenient time, and though neither of us had heard a thing about it, we decided to give it a try. I remember telling her that I was going to blame her if it stunk. It didn't. We both loved it!

7. The Cutting Edge Yes, I know it's cheesy, but it combines my love of skating with my love of romance. I still watch this one periodically:)

8. Just Like Heaven I saw this playing in the store last night when I was shopping for Valentine's cards. I really like this movie! I'm thinking of adding it to my collection:)

9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl I think I saw POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl the same amount of times in the theater as I saw Monsters, Inc. I went in with low expectations just wanting to see any movie that day. I was blown away. I like the sequels as well, but this one is my favorite of the three.

10. Superman 2 My dad was a big fan of the Superman movies, so we had the first 3 on Laser Disc (yes, Laser Disc...we had a laser disc player long before we had a VCR). My sister loved watching the first one over and over again, but the second one is still my favorite.

11. The Sound of Music Another one I've loved for ages. I watched it over and over growing up. It was one of my mom's favorites and we had it on Laser Disc.

12. Pete’s Dragon I've loved this movie since I was a kid. I was so happy when Disney released the soundtrack on CD a few years back!

13. Iron Eagle I can't remember the first time I saw this movie, though I do remember it was on TV. It made me want to learn how to be a fighter pilot (even though I'm way too wimpy to fly in combat). I'd still love to learn, but these days I'd settle for a simulator. I thought about trying the one at the Mall of America when I was there in November, but I just didn't have time:( Maybe someday!

Monday Music Mania (Take 2): Travis

2008-02-04T01:24:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, I've decided to start my Monday Music Mania posts again starting today! I'm going to run it a bit differently this time to keep the posts a bit shorter. I'm creating a playlist with some songs from the artist (or genre) that I choose each week.

This week, I chose to spotlight the band Travis, a Scottish rock band. They are pretty well known, yet still not as well known as they should be! I fell in love with their music thanks to an online friend of mine (Tony) from Scotland. They are also one of the groups I saw in concert as I posted on my recent Thursday Thirteen.

I hope you enjoy their music in the playlist below!

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

New Year's Resolution, A Little Late!

2008-02-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

I posted a comment on a blog yesterday joking that I should make it my New Year's Resolution to blog at least twice a week. Then I got to thinking that I should actually do it! The only problem is (like many people), I suck at sticking to my resolutions:/ But I'm determined to do it!

I've decided I'm going to start my Monday Music Mania posts again. I'm sure any of you reading this are wondering what the heck I'm talking about LOL. A while back, I decided to share my love of music on my blog and call it Monday Music Mania. I apologize for the name. I have an obsession with alliteration thanks to my 7th grade English teacher (Mr. Fickett) and the poetry project I did in his class. But I digress...

I have pretty eclectic taste in music, and not all the artists I love are widely known. After my recent Thursday Thirteen about concerts I've attended, I started thinking about it again since the comments indicated that many weren't aware of the artists I'd seen. So every week on Monday, I plan to post a playlist of some of my favorite songs by my favorite artists.

I even started creating playlists last night to stay on top of things should I get too busy. I wish I could schedule posts in advance with blogger, but oh well. Maybe I'll make switching to Wordpress one of my summer projects.

Anyway, with Monday Music Mania and Thursday Thirteen, I should be able to post at least twice a week (here's hoping I don't run out of things to write about for TT)! Hopefully, I'll be able to post more often:)

Ok, I've rambled waaaayyyyy too long on this post. I'll be posting again shortly about something I need your help with, so please come back to visit soon:)

Thursday Thirteen #16: Thirteen Cloud Pictures I've Taken

2008-01-31T02:04:00.001-07:00

Wow, I've been busy the last few weeks with the start of the spring semester. I've been wanting to post quite a bit, but I haven't had a chance! I never did get to set up that play list I wanted to with artists from my last TT.

I'm also planning to post a poll in the next day or so about a photo "project" I'd like some input on. I'm just holding off in order to do this TT this week:)

I decided to do another photo themed Thursday Thirteen this week. I'm always fascinated by the sky, clouds, and especially storm clouds. Therefore, this week's TT is 13 cloud pictures I've taken!

Thirteen Cloud Pictures Michelle B has taken

1. A stormy summer day in Bonita, California

2. Looking through the trees on a stormy fall day in Goodyear, Arizona

3. A stormy fall afternoon in Gila Bend, Arizona

4. A hot and stormy summer day in Bonita, California

5. The same stormy day as in #4 but closer to sunset and out in El Cajon, California, at Grossmont College

6. Another stormy afternoon in Bonita, California

7. A stormy fall day in Litchfield Park, Arizona

8. A stormy summer day in Claremont, California

9. An odd cloud formation one fall evening in Litchfield Park, Arizona

10. Another shot of the odd cloud formation from #9

11. A close-up shot of a summer thundercloud in Claremont, California

12. More fall storm clouds in Litchfield Park, Arizona

13. Late spring storm clouds in Claremont, California