Friends.. Today was very full and exhausting and that’s just what I am…exhausted.
I hope you will forgive me but I need to pass out now. More tomorrow!
I hope you all had a great holiday! Happy July 4th and g-d bless America!
{July 4, 2014}
A Marathon of a journey….zzzzz
{July 3, 2014}
Atlanta Day 1…What a day! First class, Beetle, good food, good friends, expo, walking!
Are you ready? I’ve had a long day, you might need a nap!
The day started way too early, as it always does when I fly out early and today was no different. I opened my eyes at 6:10am, unsure why my eyes were open at 6:10am, when I had just fallen asleep a few hours earlier. Then I remembered that I was flying to Atlanta at 8:30am so it was time to get up.
First thing I did was call Ryan at the front desk and say “Ryan, I have a 6:30am wake up call…I’m awake”. I had already packed last night, so I showered, dressed and walked out the door to get into my new black Beetle, I miss my Annie! Headed to the airport, waited for the shuttle for what seemed an eternity, finally got to the airport and checked in for my first class seat! I got the email yesterday that my request for upgrade was granted. I didn’t have to pay, I am automatically on the upgrade list. Go me!
I got to Atlanta got my bag, which I saw later one of the sipper pulls is broke, pook, and headed out to Avis to get my car. I looked at the reservation which I had made for today through Monday and for some reason it only showed today to tomorrow. Huh? I talked to the woman at the counter and she said it’s all good, I’m not just Avis Preferred, I’m Avis First, that seems to hold some weight. The very nice woman at the counter said I can give you an upgrade for no extra charge, but it’s a Beetle! Go figure! I’ll take it!
I headed downtown to meet CKM for lunch. The place we originally picked out was closed so we found something better, a cool NY deli where they yelled and it made me feel at home! A fantastic egg salad sandwich and a potato knish..yum! http://www.reubensdeliatlanta.com/about-us
Next, it was over to the Georgia World Congress Center to pick up our race packets for the Peachtree Road Race tomorrow. Then we followed tradition, ours, and walked around the expo looking at the different vendors and picked up a few things. I’ll show you pictures soon, I’m so beat! Bottom line, we had fun, tried stuff on, bought so some stuff and laughed a lot
After we were done with the expo I took CKM back to her car and headed to meet SDL and Miss A for dinner. I felt really bad that I wasn’t able to meet them at the pool earlier, I love watching Miss A swim!
We met at Smokerise Pizza where I got baked eggplant and pasta, it was tasty. We caught up while we ate and SDL fed Miss A and then, i held out my hand to Miss A, she took it and began walking like a champ! She even let go of my hand, walked a few steps and then pushed my hand away and stood on her own for at least ten seconds! I almost burst out crying!
Anyone who knows Miss A knows what a big deal this is! So…I walked around with her for about thirty minutes and her mom, SDL, said “you know you can’t leave now, right!” I’ll take it! What a joy, so much laughter!
After dinner, we headed back to SDL’s house, had a bath, read a book and then it was time for night night and here I am telling you about my day. Ok, enough? Nap time?
Yes, definitely nap time, I have to get up at FOUR AM to meet CKM at Phipps Plaza so we can participate in our fifth year volunteering for the Peachtree Roadrace, we get a special pin for our five years! And then we are going to participate in the Peachtree Roadrace.
Now it’s time for lights out! Good night!
{July 3, 2014}
Transformers-Chicago Tour…who’s with me?
How cool would that be? Go to all the places they filmed and BLEW UP!
I watched Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon…again and had a different take on the movie after visiting Chicago. I think I posted a few of the pictures from my tour and I’ll post them again.
But…my thinking was, how cool would it be to take a tour of Chicago strictly going to the locations that they filmed the movie, take pictures of the buildings, streets and bridges and then show you shots from the movie. Ooh yeah! I so need to do that!
I was inspired by two things, seeing the movie again and my good friend TS, who took her daughter KS on a Madeline inspired tour in Paris when KS was a child, how wonderful is that! I hope you know Madeline “In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines …” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeline
I wonder how many movies or tv shows we could do this with, the possibilities are endless!
{July 2, 2014}
Who do you think might be waiting for us?
Do you believe in heaven? Do you believe our loved ones are waiting to welcome us?
Two very dear friends lost souls that were important to them and it’s made me wonder. I have always enjoyed watching those shows where people claim that they can talk to the departed, John Edward and Theresa Caupto, but can they really talk to the dead and what’s waiting for us when we cross over?
The first call came earlier today from a dear friend of mine, JSAC, who’s grandmother had passed. He was happy about the fact that he had gotten to see her before she died and knew he needed and wanted to see her; he had been out of town for a few days and knew that when he got back, no matter what was happening, he was going to see her on Monday and that’s just what he did. She wasn’t very responsive, but he talked to her for quite a while and knew, in his heart, that she was listening to all he was telling her.
Today, when he called to tell me, I said the same thing his sister did, Grandma Peaches, as she was affectionately called, was waiting for him to see her, almost as if it was her last bit of business to be completed before she could be at peace.
About 10:45 tonight, I got the text I was dreading from my sweet friend, MM. His sweet boy, Toshi, a spunky, stubborn, loving cat was gone. As you know, I was with MM over the weekend and we talked about Toshi, who had lost a lot of weight and was moving a lot slower but was holding on. MM told me, even before I asked, that he had talked to Toshi a few months ago and then he told me Sunday that he talked to him again Saturday night, giving him permission, if he was ready, to go and that he would be alright, he would see him again someday.
Our pets are known for staying around for us, until either they just can’t move anymore or they know we will be ok and it’s time to move on. I had a wonderful therapist who said the greatest gift we can give our loved ones is the permission to go if and when they are ready.
The people who talk to the departed say that some people are waiting to welcome their loved ones to the other side. Do you think Grandma Peaches was waiting for Toshi, to keep him company until MM was ready to be with him again?
Maybe he’s bringing her love and peace to her heart and a mouse as a token of his appreciation. I know that wherever they are, they are happy, healthy and at peace.
{July 1, 2014}
My walk downtown
A story in pictures.
Today I took a very nice walk downtown and I saw Mother Nature at her finest and I would love to share the pictures with you.
White and blue Heron, at least that’s what the guy who pointed them
White heron, taking in the sun.
Just a really weird flower
Daisies make me happy
Sunflowers make new very happy#
Baby Buny! This is for LG, and her squuuuueeeer
Teeny tiny frog
{June 30, 2014}
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Optimus Prime!!! Bumble Bee!!! Optimus Prime!!! Bumble Bee!!! Optimus Prime!!! Bumble Bee!!!
Oh yeah…and Marky Mark!
Today, I went to see Transformers, Age of Extinction, with MM and we both had mixed emotions. I’m a purist, so to speak and I love the first and third Transformers movies, the second one didn’t do very much for me, but I still watched it and I think I own it, but I have Dark Side of the Moon on my iPad and I watch it when I fly frequently, although, I don’t always finish it because some of my flights are not long enough! They are trying to revitalize the series and Michael Bay is a fantastic director, but I’m not sure I would watch this one again, if not for Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee. I think I’m still working through the fact that Shia LeBouf wasn’t in it, you get used to and comfortable with certain characters and that’s what made the movies so great!
Of course, we love Mark Wahlberg, he was good in it, all muscled and the “everyman”, just a dad trying to help a friend and protect his daughter. I’m shallow, I liked the way he looked in the tight t-shirts wielding a welding iron. What I didn’t love was his stunt double who was very noticeably not Mark Wahlberg in some action sequences.
His daughter was kind of annoying, typical teenager, more focused on the boyfriend she wasn’t supposed to have and forgetting it was her dad who really saved her life all those times. Her boyfriend is cute, but really annoying, even with the Irish accent, and we know how I feel about those. I’m not sure how he added to the plot, but I guess there has to be a love story in all of these movies.
There was a strong supporting cast, Kelsey Grammar and Stanley Tucci, I’m not telling you who was the really bad guy and who was the sort of bad guy who turned around in the end and became a good guy. The voice actors for the transformers included, of course, Peter Cullen playing Optimus Prime and Frank Welker playing Galvatron, also the voice of Megatron and John Goodman was Hound, all great actors for the roles, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker being the original voice artists from the original cartoons.
We both thought the movie was a bit long and I know I should not have had the 32 oz bottle of water, as I had to get up and use the facilities twice and anyone who knows me knows I do not like to get up during a movie for that! Luckily the bathroom was right next to the theater.
There were a few good fight scenes and a lot that might not have been necessary, but it was the Transformers after all. The government is paranoid and feeds mis-information to the public and incites panic. The working man rises up against the government and the people trying to hold them back and put fear in their hearts and minds. The Decepticons want to destroy the earth, fun.
There were explanations to the ice age and extinction of the dinosaurs, bad transformers, metal hyenas, with fur!, transformer dragons and dinosaurs, oh my! Optimus Prime took his rightful place as leader of the Autobots and brought himself to his true ‘height and strength’ the leader he truly is. The personalities of the Autobots, more than the Decepticons, fit their body style and personalities. The Decepticons are all bad, so who cares what their personalities are like!
The bottom line is that no matter what, we should always have faith in ourselves, you may lose it in others, but never yourself.
I hope MM was ok, I kept hitting his leg every time Optimus Prime first came on the screen and when he transformed, kicked arse, got a new body and paint job and generally was Optimus Prime. Not to mention when Bumble Bee hit the screen, so happy to see him!
I enjoyed the movie because it was The Transformers, yeah, that’s pretty much it.
{June 28, 2014}
Landmarks and what they led to!
I grew up on an island in New York City, Staten Island to be exact.
There are five boroughs that make up NYC and I thought everyone everywhere had to know what they were, even in the south, not so. You have Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staten_Island.
There are a lot of good qualities about Staten Island and some not so good qualities, but can’t that be said of everywhere? You’ve got Snug Harbor, the Staten Island Ferry, The Staten Island Yankees, the Arthur Kills Dump [at one time Staten Island claimed to have the largest landfill in the world, it is now on its way to becoming NYC’s largest public park, oh goody!
Two of my favorites and almost anyone else who grew up on Staten Island know, Denino’s pizza, established in 1937 and has, by far, in my opinion and most everyone else from Staten Island and possibly the planet, ha ha, one of the greatest pizza joints ever! They make an amazing white pie [ricotta, mozzarella, garlic and olive oil, yum!] and a killer garbage pie, for those of you who eat everything and of course, regular pie. They only take cash, so be prepared, but not to worry, there is a cash machine by the front door. This is a Staten Island landmark and I was lucky enough to grow up near it, within walking distance. There are now several locations throughout the NY/NJ area, lucky dogs! I even have Statenopoly, which comes in a pizza box and I bought from Deninos. http://www.deninos.com/
One of my other favorites on Staten Island, which happens to be across the street from Denino’s is Ralph’s! Ralph’s Famous Ice and Creams. They opened with their first store front in 1949 and it has been a huge hit ever since! On a nice spring or summer day, you can stand in line, 5-10 deep, even waiting 30 minutes, but it is so worth it! Besides, it’s another NY institution, people come from all over the world to have some of Ralph’s famous ice cream. http://www.ralphsices.com/ 1949
The reason I am telling you this is I was at a restaurant in Charlotte, NC, discussing with two friends, who also happened to grow up on Staten Island and while we were talking about Denino’s, one of my friends hadn’t been in a long time, but you can take the girl out of NY, but you can’t take the NY out of the girl. Then the woman sitting behind us said “They’re talking about Denino’s!” and that sparked an entire conversation, where are you from, what brings you down to the south, stuff like that.
So, how small is the world? Three former Staten Islanders meet up with three more ex Staten Islander in a restaurant in North Carolina! The world is small and keeps getting smaller every day!
Anyone else hungry? Meet me at Deninos!
{June 27, 2014}
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Go see this movie! That’s all I have to say, go see this movie!
I loved the first How to Train Your Dragon, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/?ref_=nv_sr_2, about a boy viking who is being brought up to hunt and kill dragons and discovers there may be more to them than he realized and forms a bond that cannot be broken with a night fury dragon he names Toothless.
In the first movie, which came out in 2010, Hiccup, our main character and hero was about ten, I believe and in this movie, he is twenty. Isn’t it amazing how fast kids grow up! [And I just took a peek and the next movie is coming out in 2016! You bet I’ll be there and adding it to the collection, like this one!
This story is about responsibility, family, love, understanding, forgiveness and courage. The courage to stand up to those who will hunt you and take you down, courage to stand up for what you believe in, courage to face even your family for what you know is right.
There is love, unconditional love, long lost relations, family, a major heartbreaking loss, the realization that you are stronger than you realize and we really are made up of both of our parents, we get both good and bad from them equally. I can’t tell you how difficult it is not to tell you everything, but there would be too many spoiler alerts! Did you know that in the dragon world, there is hierarchy, just like in almost any society; an alpha and all stem from them and must pay heed to them and do their bidding. Which can be both good and bad…
Lastly, there are dragons, I mean a lot of dragons, all shapes, sizes and colors and baby dragons, it turns out, are just like any other kid, they don’t listen to anyone. But, everyone’s favorite dragon is there front and center, Toothless. Toothless is a great friend and companion and protector for Hiccup and Hiccup is nothing but fierce about Toothless. And just when you think the movie can’t get any better…Toothless finds his footing, does what he does best in protecting his best friend and discovers something inside him that no one knew was there. Especially Toothless!
Everyone has to find their own way, make their own path in this world and it’s interesting to watch the journey that Hiccup goes through to find out what everyone else could see in him already.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646971/?ref_=nv_sr_1,
{June 26, 2014}
Oh, the people you meet
Isn’t it amazing how the world turns? Yes, I know that was a soap opera, but it fits!
The world works in mysterious ways. Tonight I was at Boba House, vegetarian restaurant in Greensboro, NC and let me just tell you, it was FABULOUS! I would eat there every day if I could! I had a sampling of lots of things including “chicken” drumsticks, “crab” blossom [like a crab ragoon], spring rolls and pho soup with “chicken”, let’s just say it was YUMMY! I hope one of the other veggie places I try in Ann Arbor is just as good! http://bobahouse.com/
At the table across from me was a family, older parents, young son and when I say young, I mean, out of college. The father and I started talking and some good natured bantering over the menu and I heard, as he liked to call it, a northeastern accent. Clearly he had spent a great deal of time in New York, I just knew and when we started comparing notes, we were spot on, both originally from Brooklyn, his wife from Manhattan and his son started off there but moved with his parents when we was five to North Carolina.
It was nice to talk to someone from NY, reminisce about places we knew and loved and what we missed about NY and what he didn’t and of course, being New Yorkers, we talked about the fact that you can’t get good bagels or pizza anywhere outside New York! And bialys, forget about it!
It made the evening more enjoyable and it’s always nice to talk to fellow New Yorkers! Whoever said New Yorkers aren’t nice have no idea what they’re talking about!
{June 25, 2014}
A little bit of history
Today, I stood and strolled on my dad’s college Alma mater!
I am in Greensboro, North Carolina for a few days and the first place I had to go was Guilford College. It is such a beautiful campus, exactly what you think a college campus should look like. Older buildings, lots of green grass and lots of trees scattered throughout the campus and open walkways to each building.
I will admit, it was not easy to find the bookstore, but I did and got my dad some treats and something for myself, of course! The weather is a bit toasty, but it was so nice under the trees to walk around and just reflect. And daddy, I still couldn’t find the library!
The college was started in 1837 by Quakers, or ‘friends’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers. My dad went to Friends Select in Philadelphia, http://www.friends-select.org/, which was a Quaker school as well, is there a theme going here?
One of the coolest things about my dad, and there are SO many, is that he was part of the group that started the soccer program at Guilford College! How cool is that?
It really was awesome to be able to walk some of the same paths that my dad took, I felt very close to him!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilford_College
Peaches Prattlings 