** Monday, Monday

well, here is it, 3pm and i am waiting on others...when i say "others" i am referring to our title company. i have a deal closing tonight and i swear it doesn't take 3 hours to get a HUD!! i know it doesn't...

it is frustrating because i need to know the amount that the clients need to get a cashier's check for to close. anyway, enought of that. i am calling in 15 minutes and lighting fires if i need to.

friday was low key. left work at 130ish and went home briefly. finally had a haircut too! i really needed it...it had been close to 10 weeks and it was looking like a "rat's nest" (term from g-mom). now i just need to color it. ahhh, the things women have to go through...

saturday i went with cougar and her new son...we will call him "baby W" to a BBQ on the eastern shore of MD, Kent island. her husband "J" was already there setting up and there were lots of families with many kids. we had a good time and the weather was sooo much better than last year! probably close to 15 degrees cooler and that made all the difference. we stayed for about 3 hours and headed home as "baby W" (at 4.5 months) was needing a nap or food, or both. he is very cute. light hair and really blue eyes. he did well being passed around to people and mom and dad were very happy to show him off!

sunday i went to the gym and then headed over to caps' for lunch. we went to belvedere sq. and i got a delicious greek sandwich. i love feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, onion etc. we followed that up with some "uncle wiggly's" ice cream! the rest of the day was pretty low key for me. i read the paper, did some laundry, took mick out, etc.

** GRUNTS r US!

yes, i said grunts~!

i usually don't vent too often but i have to devote a small amount of time on this subject. the gym is always an interesting time. lots of sweaty people in all shapes and sizes wearing all different kinds of interesting get-ups to work out in. for example, there is a man in his late 50s that ALWAYS wears jorts (that's jean shorts for those that are a little slow)! there is also a man in his mid 40s, that is literally what i am sure he thinks is a BRONZE god! very, very, very tan and always wears faded black tank tops and baggy pants and work boots!! enough of a visual though..

my issue is the fact that sometimes these folks get so wrapped up in their AARP conversations and crowd around the weight machines that nobody is actually working out! this effects me because i am patiently waiting to use certain machines. they yap about the war, the baseball game, their next vacation, etc. PLEASE people, work out or move to another area! be courteous of others and take your "coffee talk" elsewhere. there is no need to hold up others that have a "job" (using that term lightly) that they report to 5 days a week!

the other topic of discussion today is the "grunting"! i know i have heard about this very topic recently on the news (some guy in a NYC gym got into a physical fight with another because he wouldn't stop the loud grunting, one sued the other, etc). this guy today (haven't seen him before) was running on the treadmill fast with headphones on doing his thing (good for him). i was cracking up and losing my focus because he was grunting so loudly i could hear him with my headphones on!! i seriously thought he was behind me having wild SEX, not running!! very odd indeed and i just about lost my grip and dropped my weights! anywoo, at least someone was benefiting from their $35/month gym dues!

** R.I.P **

this will be a short one...

RIP- Estelle Getty (of the Golden Girls)..she was 84. She reminded me quite a bit of my G-mom. She has been gone for 10 years now.

RIP - Morgan Feldman (Cougar and Jon's dog)...I just learned of this today. He left this earth about a month ago...

** Weekend re-cap!

happy HOT monday all! another 95 degree day in Balto-land (wipe brow)!

friday night, caps and I took mick to my cousins house in mt. washington for dinner. the girls, Ella (almost 6) and Freckles (10) were there as well. my cousin by marriage who we will call NY (that is where she lives) was also in town and there with her significant other (ni chi bi kai). this meeting was more so for mick and their dog dutch to "meet". dutch, however, wasn't too excited about another canine in his backyard! i went to put a bowl of water down and dutch went crazy! he was growling and batting at mick who countered with the same snarl (totally out of character for him). this happened again maybe 45 minutes later. not too comfortable with them rooming together if i do decide to go out of town for a long weekend...

dinner was great, we had veggie kebabs and couscous. we followed that up with a chocolate torte (to celebrate 4 b-days.. including caps). it was so AWESOME, i like to call it "hot love" or "my new boyfriend".

sunday i gave mick a bath outside (with my DOVE frizz control shampoo)! he looks shiny and smells great! in the afternoon, i caught the lightrail from mt. washington into the city for Artscape 2008! always a good time and ALWAYS super hot!!! met up with meggy, irongirl & hubby, baby n, dom and his 2 wild friends. i am happy to report that i used my SPF 15 and didn't burn...i do have more freckles on my arms though..

we walked around and checked out some of the displays: lots of paintings, jewelry, pottery, t-shirts as well as some interesting "street performers" including a grown woman in a cat suit with a collar and leash being "spanked" by her owner (this was slightly creepy and she had to be HOT in all that black spandex)! we also saw the "art cars" which are pretty cool. one was literally covered in about 100 of those "singing bass" fish and had animated lobsters swaying and flashing red lights in time to a popular song.

after i had a rockin' crab cake and ice tea/lemonade, we caught a group of break dancers performing. they were impressive especially the guy that had a mechanical leg! we all parted ways shortly thereafter and i caught the lightrail back to my car.

caps' invited me to dinner at his casa. he made a delicious sesame wasabi salmon grilled on cedar planks. don't think i had ever had that before but it was great! we also had some tomato (the salmonella ban was lifted), mozzarella and balsamic salad and sweet corn! yee haw, that is was summer food is all about! to end on a high note, i had a leftover cupcake (from caps b-day saturday) with about 2 inches of butter cream frosting! that pretty much put me in a food coma!! zzzzz

** Just because...

**just thought i would answer a few questions before i blow this pop stand today** u must only use one word though...
1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your significant other? home
3. Your hair? frizzy
4. Your mother? KY
5. Your father? quiet
6. Your favorite thing? food
7. Your dream last night? nada
8. Your favorite drink? rita's
9. Your dream/goal? success
10. The room you’re in? office
11. Your hobby? crafts
12. Your fear? snakes
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? hawaii
14. What you’re not? thin
15. Muffins? delicious
16. One of your wish list items? health
17. Where you grew up? columbia
18. The last thing you did? internet'd
19. What are you wearing? capris
20. Favorite gadget? phone
21. Your pets? dog
22. Your computer? ok
23. Your mood? okay
24. Missing someone? indeed
25. Your car? dirty
26. Something you’re not wearing? stilettos
27. Favorite store? huh?
28. Like someone? many
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? tuesday

** Scooter-ific!

yes, i said scooterific! pretty sure that is a made up word but i am going with it! it is mid 90s here and HOT, HOT again!

i know that with the high price of gas people are turning to alternative resources to get to and from wherever it is that they need to go....scooters included!! i'm sure they can be fun, after all they come in a bevy of fun colors (mint green, powder blue, electric blue, etc)!

i was coming out of the gym today this am and there was one (in maroon) parked on the sidewalk (actually the 2nd time i spied it). the man that sauntered over to it was really tall, bald on the top, reddish hair, in his late 50s and reminded me of the music teacher that will ferrell did skits about for years on SNL!

about an hour later as i was driving into the office, i passed yet another "scooter lover" on york road! here's where is gets interesting...she was in her mid 50s, wearing a bikini top and khaki shorts, and kelly green flip flops with plastic flowers. she had the skin of a leather bag and thankfully was wearing a nice red helmet! she was just bouncing all over the place and wasn't particularly fit. most people were just shaking their heads. i was thinking, why in the world would you put your life in danger on a super busy road?! at least wear a t-shirt and tennis shoes. it's hard to recover your skin from the asphalt when wearing little clothing and inappropriate shoes!

i really cannot believe i wasn't quick enough to snap a pic of this site on my phone! when i thought of it she was 50 feet behind me and i had already goosed her at a green light!

HAPPY TRAILS TO ALL!

** Odd and Sad day

well, it has been a year since my cousin Brian took his own life. so awful. it is still hard to believe and today it feels like it happened just last week. he would have been 34 now while his son Fergus is now 5. our family is determined to never let him forget who his dad was and all of the wonderful people whose lives he touched. it is just such a waste and shame that he felt so alone and helpless back then....i kind of have that weird feeling in my stomach. it kind of hurts and flutters all at the same time. it started yesterday and comes in waves. maybe just more of a reminder to how i felt last july. as they say, he is gone but not forgotten...

enough sadness for now. i am going to focus my energy more on reflecting on life and relationships. since this occurred, i don't take things nor people for granted. i try to let those around me know that they are a special part of my life as we all know that life can be far too short.

Brian Rubin 3/27/74 - 7/15/07

** Ole!

hola all...this weekend has been pretty low key so far. that is a great thing compared to the flood last saturday! yesterday was spent doing typical weekend things...going to gym, taking mick out (twice), laundry, cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming.

caps' came by here at 630 last night and i met his son. i will call him "alaska" since that is where he has lived for the last 3 years. he is being transferred to andrews air force base starting this week. he is a nice guy, typical 22 year old with spiky hair and laid back personality. i could see some resemblance to caps...similar in height and body type...

the 3 of us then headed over to his friends house for dinner (s & m's and little blonde guy). they have known each other for about 4 years and own a bike shop nearby. we had an awesome "mexican" casserole with beans, cheese, onions, tomatoes, peppers and soft tortilla shells. of course it isn't a complete mexican meal without the sour cream, avocado, chips, salsa and corona! it was really good! i give it 4 tamales! little blonde guy was entertaining and of course full of energy! he was running around, throwing toys, singing and hanging from the kitchen table as he was "sneaking" tortilla chips...he also was very comfortable around me although i had only seen him once before. he kept coming over to me and wanted to sit on my lap. think that had something to do with the fact that he saw my cookie and milk...

after dinner we had some rockin' double chocolate chip macadamia cookies from safeway. in my opinion, the best to end a good meal is with something sweet and preferably, chocolate!

today will be low key as well. i plan to take mick to the robert e. lee park for a mini hike! we haven't been over there in about a year and it is a perfect day for it! mick is all about running free and swimming and playing with the other canines along the trail...

** All Hail Monday!

that is what is sounded like late last night! at least outside my casa! lots heavy rain, deafening thunder and bright flashes of lightening! i was really impressed that mick wasn't phased. he got up and moved to a new spot on the floor and went right back to sleep. i, on the other hand, was hoping that my basement stairwell wouldn't be flooded this am. thankfully, it wasn't!

that brings me to the weekend activities. did lots of kitchen cleaning (stove, fridge, sink, etc)earlier on friday then went to ellicott city & columbia for a "non BBQ". no grilled meats, just good ol' dips, salsas, fruit, brownies and alcohol! my kind of party! iron girl, hubby and baby "n" hosted the small get together. the 10 of us headed over to the columbia lakefront around 7 and waited through 3 or so small bouts of rain before the fireworks started at 930. a good time was had by all...

woke at 745 saturday to let mick out and sure enough, it had HAPPENED AGAIN! my fridge water line had split and was spraying water all over the place! i knew that downstairs would be UGLY. the leak traveled down into the basement, through the floorboards. as i opened the utility door (which is always open), it was literally raining from the ceiling! water was everywhere...it covered half of the washer/dryer area, went all the way to the back door, & into "richmond's" bathroom. the 3 cardboard boxes that were stacked behind the door had collapsed from the weight of the water soaking into them. luckily, the top box was more empty boxes. the other 2 were my g-mom's china! they were spared though...

lots of bath and dish towels later...as well as a workout at the gym, i called kneecaps and he came over to inspect the damage. i was truly stressed about this. mostly because i thought it was fixed 2 weeks ago! we made 2 trips to home depot and 2.5 hours later, i think (knock on wood) that it is fixed. we replaced the entire water line and assuming the old one was as old as the fridge (93), it was absolutely necessary. just want to give caps' a shout out THANKS again! and for the leftovers and coffee double shot from starbuck's! you rock.

yesterday was low key for the most part. went the gym again and did laundry. played on the computer a while, took mick out and watched way too much FOOD tv Network! i really should be a pro by now but alas...

went over to caps' after 6 and we went to bahama breeze in towson. usually a good meal but we weren't really feeling the "island love" last night. a guy that looked like a younger, more fit (pre botoxed) kenny rogers was playing all the old buffett classics and we sat outside but it was kind of muggy. we ordered the coconut covered onion rings. they were ok. a little too greasy and the special sauces that came with them weren't great. my grilled veggie sandwich was a 7 out of 10 and caps' was sweating literally from his tostada salad! too much spice! it is hard to eat a big salad that has been coated in some sort of thousand island -like hot dressing!

anyway, that is all for now. got to get some sh*& done now!

**Red, White and Blue!

yeah, it is that time again! i still cannot believe the year is half over! it is hot again today...mid 90s but that is what the "4th" is all about! BBQ's, pool parties, pyrotechnics in all shapes, sizes and places, mosquitoes, etc.

slow day here at the office. boat man and buffalo bill are out. i am not doing much, spoke to 2 clients and don't plan to be here until 5, let alone 3! i have already caught up on CNN, weather.com, tmz, perezhilton, myspace, etc. the roomie, "richmond" is gone for the 3-day weekend so it will be a nice, quiet weekend for me and mick.

had an interesting tuesday evening. mick and i headed over to kneecaps' place for some grilled veggies and fish. when i got there, i took him out of the car and walked him around the side of the house. i let him in the chain link fence and locked the door. i went back to the car to get my kabobs and went inside. about 2-3 minutes later i walked from the kitchen out onto the patio. i couldn't find mick anywhere!! it was still daylight out and although the yard is a decent size, it by no means is a half acre! i called his name and then heard a weird noise...kind of like heavy breathing. to my amazement, mick had fallen into the pool! it wasn't, however, filled with water!! it had an old blue cover that was ripped half way across and i guess he just walked out onto it and tumbled to the bottom! i was clearly nervous. my first thought was that he hurt himself, maybe broke his leg. caps and i ran over to the cover and "unhooked" the sides. mick was happy to see us! he was wagging his tail and kind of running from side to side to try and get a running start to climb up! no luck though...

caps had to jump in (about 5 feet down) and hoist all 100+ lbs of dog out! he was wet and had gotten into the nasty, dead leaves and dirt and whatever else managed to get under that pool cover in the last 5 years! it smelled a little funky too! i thanked caps for "saving" his life and he was happy to be back on solid ground. i gave him some water and a treat. he stayed pretty close the rest of the night..probably more so because he was hoping for some dinner scraps but also since he had taken a tumble and probably knocked himself silly!!