Our Morning View - Pelican On the Dock Pole

The new camera has a nice zoom.  This is through the window.  

Florida Sunset from Our Lanai

Taken with my new camera I got for Christmas from Shane's mom and stepdad.  Thanks Sharon and Jerry!

Christmas Dinner at the Waffle House in GA

Riding to Florida on Christmas

We're in NC. I'm wearing the new sweater my mom gave me this morning.
Love it!! Thanks mom!

Christmas On the Road

We had planned to go Florida tomorrow by driving 5 hours south to
Greensboro, NC, flying on cheapo Allegiant Airlines directly to Punta
Gorda, FL. Mother Nature had her own idea. Greensboro is predicted
to get 6-10 inches of snow by tomorrow. We decided not to chance
driving out if our way to Greensboro just to find a canceled flight.
We left this morning right after opening presents. We're missing
Christmas dinner, but we spent last night and this morning with my
mom, sister, and her girls.

At 2 today we're just north of Richmond and hope to make it to
Georgia, and miss the worst of the weather. We did stop in and checked
on Maude very quickly. She got a turkey and gravy dinner, which is
more than we got. We are munching on a bunch of cookies my mom made.
Mmmmm!

The Reason for the Season

Some of the Walton's Homecoming Reposted

I posted this last year, but here it is again.  This is one of our favorite Christmas shows that we watch each year at Christmas.  This predates the TV series and the cast is a bit different.  Patricia Neal is amazing as Olivia Walton.  It might be that she reminds me of my grandmother, but I love her.  Richard Thomas still plays John Boy -- in fact all the kids are the same as the series cast, but only Ellen Corby, who plays the grandmother, did the series of the family adults.

Shane and I use many of the lines from this show in much of our everyday conversation.  For example, if one of us suggests we should buy something, the other person usually says, "That's the first thing I'm going to do once this Depression is over!"  (Olivia was referring to a getting a phone.)  "Favorite line:  What were you doing in your room John Boy with the door locked?"  I realize this is a long show, but it is worth it.

UPDATE: Some of the links no longer work, but you can still see parts of it.  Sorry.

A Christmas Song Dedicated to Shane and Me

Shane's step brother and his wife are a little bit insane in a fun way.  Trent is an amazing professional trumpet player and his wife, Laurie, also is very musical.  They collaborate on an album of holiday music each year, and this year they dedicated a song to Shane and me.  I had suggested they do a Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme duet, and they took that suggestion and ran with it.  They also redid the original album cover of the Steve and Eydie holiday album.  We almost wet ourselves with the result.  These guys are Hell airy ass!  It is so fun to listen to the other tracks with Laurie's attempts at playing trumpet and them cracking up.  Thanks Trent and Laurie!!!! Listen to their song dedicated to us below!  Also, download the whole album (this one is free) and other albums by Trent at http://trentaustin.bandcamp.com or click here.  Enjoy!

 

Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

This was as close as we could get. The crowd was crushing and starting
to get a little scary. I'm not claustrophobic, but it was very
crowded. Very.

The Evening Show & After

We liked Time Stands Still much better than Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Seeing Laura Linney live was amazing. The whole cast was awesome. The subject matter was a bit depressing, but it was a good play. It was much better than that Bloody Bloody silliness.

We went out to a piano bar at Don't Tell Mama, which we had gone to the last time we were in the city. Before, it was a sparse crowd of die-hard theater lovers listening to show tunes. Tonight, there was a big crowd of loud, obnoxious straights talking over the music. It was so good before and so not good tonight. We're back in the room after a wonderful day despite some disapointments.

Getting ready for bed and hearing lots of car horns outside our window. Yikes!

Dinner at Wolfgang's

Dinner with Wolfgang

We had diiner at Wolfgang's Steakhouse in Midtown. They tricked us by having the lunch menu outside on display. We suffered sticker shock once we got inside, because the prices were substantially higher--Substantially. I had the salmon and Shane had a filet mignon. It was good though. Not sure if this restaurant is associated with Me. Puck. I saw no sign of him.

Free Concert by the Gin Blossoms

We happened upon a free concert by the Gin Blossoms, who were taping a segment for Fox News's New Year's Eve Show. We were right near the front and should be on camera, so look for us on December 31st on Fox News (I never ever thought I would write that sentence!). I wanted to give Shane a big kiss while on cam on Fox News, but he wouldn't go for it. The trio of bimbos...I mean reporters (2 blonds and a brunette--i didn't think they hired non-blond spokes models)introducing the band looked like vacant-eyed Miss America contestants. The Gin Blossoms sang Hey Jealousy and a couple other songs... Very cool. I'm not sure why the band would agree to appear on The evil Fox News, but they did talk about their recent trip to Iraq and how happy they were that things were winding down over there. That probably will get cut though, since it is outside the Fox News talking points.

Our Next Show: Time Stands Still

We're seeing a regular play--a non-musical with Laura Linney and
Christina Ricci... Time Stands Still.

My Review of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

We could have seen Donny and Marie! BBAJ reminded me of those singers
from the FreeCreditReport.com commercials... For 90 minutes. Big
mistake.

Street View from Our Hotel

We're only on the third floor, so Shane is concerned about street
noise. The Hotel seems nice (clean) though. Posted this while in the
theater waiting for Bloody Bloody to start.

A Quick Bite Before the Show

Where else but Mickey Ds.

Time Square Crowd

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

This is the musical we got tickets for at TKTS. I heard it was
good... We'll see.

Shane Checks for Bed Bugs

We arrived at our hotel--a Courtyard Marriot in lower Manhattan.
We're trying to get up to Time Square in time to see a matinee.

Inside the Tunnel

I'm driving Shane crazy with all this blogging. Listening to NYC from
Annie.

Even the Tunnel Is Festive

Approaching the Holland Tunnel

Heading Into New York City

Shane and I are driving to NYC for the weekend!

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Annie Lennox

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #267

I will be requiring a Braille menu.  Didn't you notice my seeing-eye bees?

This is my submission for the the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #267.  Let me know if you come up with a caption too! 

Maude Is Not Always Ladylike

There's Still My Joy by the Indigo Girls

Celebrity Siting: Mary Poppins?

At the Magic Kingdom

Surprisingly, Disney World is quite crowded the day after Thanksgiving.

Three Generations at Thanksgiving

Shane's grandmother, his mom and him get ready for their Thanksgiving
feast. The glass door behind Shane and his mom reflects the view.

Thanksgiving in Florida

I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner and i'm thankful that it turned
our pretty good. The turkey was moist and tender--the best I ever had
actually... if I do say so myself. We started with Butternut Squash
and Apple Soup. The second course was an Apple Salad with craisins,
blue cheese crumbles, toasted pecans in a spring mix of greens with
either blue cheese or pomegranate vinaigrette dressing. The main
course was a buffet of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, glazed
carrots, cheesy corn medley and biscuts. Shane's mom made a delicious
apple pie for dessert. She also did the hors d'oeuvres, including her
yummy deviled eggs. The photo is, from left to right, Shane's
stepdad, Jerry; Shane's grandmother, Jesse (Nana); Shane's mom,
Sharon; and Shane. We ate out on our Lanai. Hope everyone's day was
as nice! Happy Thanksgiving!

Beach Sunset

Have I mentioned I'm at the beach lately?

Beach Read: Here We Go Again by Betty White

I am reading this on my Kindle at the beach. I just started it today,
but I love me some Betty. It is basically a re-issue of a book she
wrote in the 90s about her early career in TV.

My Monday Afternoon View

The water, the sand, the gulls, and some fat guy looking for shells--
almost paradise... Almost.

Blogging from the Sky

The WiFi is rather slow on my AirTran flight, but it is free (for a
limited time), so I can't complain. Plus, they gave me a whole can of
soda! Flying to Florida for Thanksgiving vacation! So why do I look
so grumpy?

Running the Cranberry Crawl 5K in DC

This is actually a re-enactment of me approaching the finish line.

My co-workers, Sara and Karlye re-enact their finish.

This was the most unorganized race I've ever run. It was at Haines Point in SW DC, so it was a pretty run along the water, but there wasn't any bagels at the end. There wasn't even a clock to indicate your time. That's what you get when you pay $6 for a race--next to nothing. Live and learn. It was my co-worker Karlye's first race, so several people from the office came out to support her. She did great, and I am sure she will always remember her first race as being very ghetto. Way to go Karlye! I hope your next race is a bit more classy.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #264

How can you have lost the key? 

This is my submission for the the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #264.  Let me know if you come up with a caption too! 

Top 10 Favorite Tweeters

This is a list of my top 10 favorite famous Tweeters that I follow on the Tweeter Machine.  I didn't include actual friends and family I follow.

10.  @SteveHayesTOQ  Each week actor (Trick) and old movie lover STEVE HAYES comments on and dishes the classic movies he loves. You can also see his Tired Old Queen at the Movies segments on Joe. My. God. each week.

9.  @instant_netflix  Breaking news on what's just been released to Netflix's Watch Instantly library.

8.  @RIPLEYTHEBAND  Broadway star (Next to Normal) Alice Ripley Tweets in ALL CAPS!

7.  @paulapoundstone  I think NPR comedian Paula Poundstone and her many many cats are a hoot.

6.  @TKTS TKTS Discount Booths offer tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays at up to 50% off.  These Tweets help me pretend I live in NYC!

5.  @QRANK This trivia game gives a daily hint to help me rack up a high score.  

4.  @SarahKSilverman  She makes me laugh hard (or at least as hard as I would laugh if I were a laugher).

3.  @BroadwayGirlNYC She has all the dirt about the great white way (man, that sounded racist).  I want to move to NYC and be her best friend.

2.  @arjunbasu He posts Twisters, 140-character short stories.  Always interesting.

and my #1 Favorotie Tweeter is. . . @BreakingNews The latest breaking news alerts around the world.  

Dinner Party Aftermath

We had our friends, Honey and the Boyfriend, over for a practice Thanksgiving dinner. I am cooking dinner on actual Thanksgiving for Shane's family in Florida, and I wanted to do a dry run. This is the result. Our DC kitchen is tiny, but we got her done! I learned the hardest thing about this is coordinating it so everything is ready at the same time. How do you do it?

Honey took this shot of Shane and I at Practice Thanksgiving.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #263

Are you sure you're straight?  It's just a vagina. 

This is my submission for the the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #263.  Let me know if you come up with a caption too! 

Top of the World by Patty Griffin

Just because I love this song. So it may play a bit out of synch. So what, who cares?

Goodbye Jill Clayburgh

This is from Running with Scissors and features Jill Clayburgh as Agnes, the semi-sane wife of Brian Cox, who plays the shrink. Jill just died yesterday of leukemia at age 66. She was battling the disease for 21 years.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #262

No, this is your 10 o'clock.  The leprechaun is at 10:30. 

This is my submission for the the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #262.  Let me know if you come up with a caption too! 

Signs from the Rally for Sanity and/or Fear

We Attend Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

Shane and I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear yesterday on the National Mall.  It was quite the well-attended event.  It was VERY crowded.  Of course, it probably didn't help in our quest to get a good view that we started out after the event already began.  We walked down from our house and squeezed our way into the crowd.

I have to say that I was not that impressed with the entire thing.  I realize it was staged by a comedy show and their primary intention was to entertain, but it seems to me they wasted an opportunity to do something much more meaningful.  There were an amazing amount of people that I think were expecting something more.

I have to say that I did get goosebumps when Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) began singing Peace Train, but then they turned it into a silly bit.  They had Cat Stevens!!!! and they wasted him.  When they introduced him, I thought someone was going to come out dressed as Cat Stevens, but I was amazed it was really him.  They didn't even let him finish his song.  Unforgivable.  

The rest of the show was not very memorable.  Perhaps I'm having memory loss from inhaling large amounts of pot smoke that was around us.  It was fun seeing all the young people,  many who were dressed up for Halloween.  There were lots of older people... even older than us, that braved the crowds. Another bummer was that my camera died... I took the shots below with my iPhone.

This was our view.  We could see the Jumbo-Tron a bit.

At least the weather was nice.

Why are we here?

This guy said he pitied the fool that didn't restore the sanity.

But we did find Waldo. 

My Army 10 Miler Results

I ran the Army 10 Miler today to mixed results.  I actually ran it faster than I did 2 years ago, but I didn't run as fast as I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler earlier this year.  I ran the Cherry Blossom in 79 minutes, 35 seconds, but ran the Army 10 Miler today in just under 82 minutes (81:57).  My pace was 8 minutes and 11 seconds, while my pace was under 8 minutes at the Cherry Blossom.

I knew I wasn't going to do as well today.  I haven't been running longer distances, and just didn't feel great today.  It was warm out there today too for the end of October.  I needed my blue sponge.  However, I did a bit better than I thought I would.  I ran it as hard as I could.

My division results were pretty good though, considering I'm at the high end of my division -- I'm 49 and the division is for 45-49 year olds.  I came in 411th out of 1609 finishers.  Overall, I came in 4,216 our of 21,636 finishers.

Gun / Net Overall Sex Div  6.5Mi Split   Net Time   Pace   1:26:11  /  1:21:57    4216 /21636   3416/12040   411/1609   0:54:29   1:21:57   8:11

Virtual Run from DC to Punta Gorda, FL

"A" is my start, "B" is my current position, and "C" is the goal.

It has been many months since I updated my virtual run from DC to our house in Punta Gorda, FL.  It all began as a New Year's resolution before we even owned the house in Punta Gorda.  I'm still running, but time is running short.  I went through a streak of 25 days in a row running at least 3 miles a day and also have gone days in a row not running.  Now, I have to buckle down if I'm going to make my goal. 

The good news is that I have crossed the border into Florida!  The bad news is that there are still 265 miles to run to get to Punta Gorda.  I ran the Army 10-Miler today and as of today, I have run 738 miles since January 1, 2010.  My goal for the year is 1,003.  With 68 days left in the year, that means I have to run just an average of just under 4 miles a day, everyday, or about 28 milies a week to meet my goal.  I have got to quit pussyfooting around and run to make my goal, and I intend to do just that. 

I'm in the part of Florida (virtually) that is famous for its speed traps... Starke, Waldo, and Lawtey.  These are secondary roads that provide a shortcut between I-95 and I-75, which is the highway that crosses the west side of the state.  Be careful if you are driving in this neck of the woods, as you will get a ticket for the slightest offense.