A policeman turns his lights on…

Graph by: jimbomcgee via Graph Jam Builder

I was afraid the icicle lights alone would look kind of piddly, but the house actually looks great! Todd says he feels like he’s in an Italian restaurant, and that’s not a bad thing.

Our first flocked tree since…well….ever. AJ tried to eat it, but we were able to steer her on to more nutritious fare.

Last night we said a toast to the Christmas season (the girls were thrilled to have sparkling grape juice to toast with), and I have decreed (haha) that we will have turkey pot pie for all future tree-trimmings. I wasn’t prepared to make it myself this year, but now I’ll know to make a couple extra pie crusts at Thanksgiving next year!

I know I’ve been saving the photo posts for the Daily Photo blog, but I’ve been taking too many photos.  (I also need a new, bigger hard drive.  A few extra terabytes should cover six months’ worth, I reckon…)

We headed down to my parents’ place this weekend, and drove back in the pouring rain today.  I’ve been experimenting with long- and shorter-exposure pictures on the motorway.  These are the pick of the bunch.

As much as I’d love to, I won’t promise that any other posts are coming this week, as I’m still up to my eyeballs.  There will be posts on the Daily Photo, and I’ll try to write something here.  In the meantime, you could make some herb damper, or some cherry-cinnamon cookies, and then you could read about recovery from depression.  See you when the madness has ended!

Whitney and I put up our Christmas lights over the Thanksgiving break.  First time that we have had Christmas lights and they look awesome!  But I must admit, I would love to add additional lights, but it is sort of cost prohibitive! 

‘Tis the season! Woo Hoo!

Whitney untangling the lights

All done!

Go team Crespo/Ronan!

There is no moon
Reflecting in your eyes
No romantic midnight skies
No motive to disguise

*jules

bought a fresh cut fraser fir christmas tree and decorated it with lights! my apartment smells like orange peel!

West Loop, Chicago.

1/22/10 School of Rock – South Hackensack, NJ
1/23/10 Webster Underground – Hartford, CT
1/24/10 Crazy Donkey – Farmingdale, NY
1/26/10 The Loft – Poughkeepsie, NY
1/27/10 Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
1/28/10 Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY
1/29/10 Eldolyn Terrace – Altoona, PA
1/30/10 Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
1/31/10 Beat Kitchen- Chicago, IL
02/02/10 Eagles Club/The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
02/03/10 Mixtape Cafe – Grand Rapids, MI
02/04/10 The Basement – Columbus, OH
02/05/10 Diesel – Pittsburgh, PA
02/06/10 Crocodile Rock Cafe – Allentown, PA
02/07/10 Ottobar – Baltimore, MD: Tickets
02/09/10 Greene Street Club – Greensboro, NC
02/10/10 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
02/11/10 Backbooth – Orlando, FL
02/12/10 Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
02/13/10 Swampgrass Willy’s – West Palm Beach, FL

Which show(s) do you plan on attending? We’re going to the January 22 one in South Hackensack, NJ! Our friends, Hart Attack, will be playing the show as well!

Welcome back!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday festivities as much as I did and got a little break from work and such. My travels consisted of a visit to Kansas to see my family. There was much eating to be had and unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the delicious spiced pumpkin cheesecake with caramel-bourbon sauce that I made. BUT, I do have photos of one of my favorite places to go there, called The Plaza. It’s a great outdoor shopping area and during the holidays it’s all lit up with lights on all of the buildings. I went there in the evening on Thanksgiving Day as the lights were officially turned on:

Fountain @ Cheesecake Factory

Kansas City is known as the “city of fountains” and believe me, there are many.

Fireworks

After the lighting ceremony takes place there is a celebratory fireworks display as well.

Sky On Fire

City Lights

I heard later that a crowd of about 500,000 people attended. Though I’m not so sure that’s accurate, the streets were quite crowded.

Red Light District?

Just kidding. So festive.

Statue and Light

Now that I’m back in NY and the sidewalks are finally lined with pine trees for sale I need to break out my decorations, and I can listen to non-stop Christmas tunes without judgement. Haha.

By the way, all of these photos were taken without flash, and I believe at f2.8. I hadn’t really tried taking any photos late at night in such dark conditions so it was interesting to test it out and see what the outcome would be.

-B

Today, me and my family put together out Christmas tree. It was tradition for us to do so after the Santa Clause parade. So today consisted of a lot of ornament hanging and ribbon wrapping. You know how in some trees people put a theme to it, not ours. Ours is filled with whatever ornament we thought was cute at the shop. It’s nice though, the different memories and colours. Also, a few days ago, my dad put up the Christmas lights on our roof. Many peopls go full out with their lights, but not my dad. He puts one string across the roof, and thats it. Simple, sometimes a little too simple.

All the Christmas decorating got me thinking about the different songs I used to love~

The Christmas Shoes~ It’s such a touching song. I remember I used to make fun of it when I was younger, but once I sat down and listened to the lyrics, I realized that the song wasn’t stupid… I was for laughing at it…

Another one is Faith Hill’s Where Are You Christmas~She’s an AMAZING Singer~

…I hope those work….

Currently: Bored… which is why I have two posts today~

Reading: Same thing as this morning

Listening to: Where are You Christmas by Faith Hill

NOVEMBER 29 – Joining hundreds of other decorated fire vehicles, Oakland FD made a proud showing at the Wallington Christmas Parade.

Animoto.com

Sponsored by Kitty Hawk Kites, Kites and Lights was a hit last night on the Outer Banks.  People gathered on the dunes of Jockey’s Ridge under a wide array of kites with lights attached, and the beautiful sunset was a perfect backdrop for the evening.  Kites with Lights is an OBX tradition that is a perfect way to start the holiday season.

The infamous “Christmas House” has returned to the Outer Banks again this year.

The Paulos family has gone all out with Christmas decorations again this holiday season, and they invite young and old to take in the spectacle.  Feel free to park your car and wander around the yard to get the full effect and boost your holiday spirit.

In recent years, the home has been featured on the Today Show and HGTV.

A night viewing is optimal to get the full effect of the lights.  Time and effort this family puts into their decorations is astounding.

Directions:

The house is located in Kill Devil Hills near the Nags Head Woods entrance

Heading South on Rt. 158 into Kill Devil Hills
1. Proceed to light at Ocean Acres Dr. (opposite MacDonald’s)
2. Turn right at Ocean Acres Dr.
3. The road will change from paved to gravel as you go up a hill. Just over the top of the hill you will find the Poulos home.

Peek-a-boo!  Let’s see what Hottywood has in store for you. 

Below are Hottywood’s cookie fortunes, as revealed by the moon and the sun, in addition to the itch on the bottom of his foot.   

Take heed.  Knowledge is power.

___________________________________________________________

 Capricorn

December 22 – January 19 

You will be remembered for one thing this week; FARTING.  It will not be a good week for romance.  Lay off the cheese.

___________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                                        Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

One of your front teeth will be more yellow than humanly possible.  You should make friends with a Capricorn.  Lonliness is the one thing you two will have in common. 

___________________________________________________________

Pisces

February 19 – March 20   

You’ll think you’ve been bitten by a swarm of mosquitos.  Rest assured, it’s just bad acne.  Get an extra brown paper bag from the market to cover your face.

___________________________________________________________

Aries

March 21 – April 19 

1 and 2 will be your lucky numbers if your name is Sam, otherwise 1 is the number of booty calls you’ll get this week and 2 is the number of times you’ll be pulled over by a mall cop.

___________________________________________________________

Taurus

April 20 – May 20 

There’s good news and there’s bad news.  The good news is someone will throw raw eggs at your front door.  The bad news is that you’ll be standing in the doorway.  Avoid anyone named ‘Karma’. 

___________________________________________________________

Gemini

May 21 – June 20 

You’ll be expected to give a presentation to a bunch of midgets.  You will also only be attractive to people with mustaches, three breasts and straight out of the big house.  Don’t wear perfume or cologne.  Good luck.

___________________________________________________________

Cancer

June 21 – July 22 

Your lover will be horny as a toad this week…just not for you.  Start looking for an AA support group.  You’re gonna need it for the road ahead. 

___________________________________________________________

Leo

July 23 – August 22 

Someone will refer you to a position within a prestigious dog-walking firm.  The sad part is all dogs will pee on your shoes.  Your future boss will be a dog with two legs instead of four.  Make cautious decisions. 

___________________________________________________________

Virgo

August 23 – September 22 

You will lose two things this week:

1.      1.  Your mind and
2.      2.  Your, um….

I forgot. 

___________________________________________________________

Libra

September 23 – October 22 

Your phone will be disconnected at the exact moment you climax during a phone bone.  The person on the other end will think you’re either uninterested or gay and will start rumors about you.  It’s time for a fresh start. 

___________________________________________________________

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21 

Any movie you view will be blank.  You will be considered a cheap date and an even worse lay.  Relax, you’re just having an off week.  Stay away from one eyed giants. 

 ___________________________________________________________

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21   

Your Christmas tree will lean for the entire month of December and your only holiday season lights will be the street lamps outside your bedroom window.  You may be tested for Athlete’s Foot by a dentist. 

___________________________________________________________

Quote of the Week:    “Reality is a hallucination brought on by lack of alcohol.”

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Aux rayons enflammés de l’astre, par cette matinée de jeunesse, c’était de cette rumeur que la campagne était grosse. Des hommes poussaient, une armée noire, vengeresse, qui germait lentement dans les sillons, grandissant pour les récoltes du siècle futur, et dont la germination allait faire bientôt éclater la terre. (Fin)

E. Zola, épilogue de Germinal.

Erinnerung auf Nackenheim, June 2009.

I’m not going to try and glamorize the activities I chose to do on the weekend, because well, I didn’t really do much. There was however one epic night out. And for all of you that stalk me on Facebook, you have probably already seen the pictures. Here’s that night:

So – it all started with an invite from a contact of mine that I had made back in late September. Pre-drinks at his place and then off to a Club Sandwich ZOO party. Me being completely oblivious to what the hell a ‘ZOO’ party was, showed up in a black shirt and grey jeans. It took me 1.5 hours to put together my outfit on Saturday because everything I decided to put on suddenly looked hideous on me. Anyhow, a ZOO party is a huge amazing spectacular and ridiculous soirée where all the guests dress up like different animals. And they go all out! Full sequined outfits, feathers flying out from everywhere, masks covered in glitter and one guy had a ‘dead fox’ in his purse. Yes – I said ‘purse’.

Here’s Michael dressed up in his full-body leopard unitard. Nothing short of amazing. Oh the confidence one must have to pull this outfit off. And he had a lot of it! Damian had a wicked courtyard patio with lots of foliage and brightly colored leaves. This (and a bit of alcohol) ultimately led to a spontaneous photo-shoot and a lot of yelling ‘Tequila!’.

I hijacked Martin’s tiger mask for several reasons. One: I have a secret obsession for masks, and I particularly liked this one. Two: Well, there is no ‘two’. I just really wanted to put the mask on – and so I did. The boy peeing all over Paris seems to like it.

Lobster shirts were in full affect. Seriously – where does one find this kind of shirt? I love it. Not to mention Damian’s full sequined sea-foam green shirt that he found at the Marais Flea Market for his snake costume. These guys were so much fun and extremely dedicated to their craft.

We arrived at the club somewhere around….oh, lets say….2 in the morning. The first thing I do when I get there? Roll my ankle on the stairs. And on the LAST step. So, there I am, sprawled on the final stair of an elaborate staircase, worried about my camera being broken more than I’m worried that my ankle might be broken, and all I can say is ‘ca va’ as I limp off into the dark distance. Both my ankle and camera were fine in the end.

I left the club early – at about 3:30 a.m. Yes, that’s considered early. Why I decided to walk home after rolling my ankle on the stairs, I’ll have no idea. But I’m sure glad I did because once I reached Concorde, I saw this! The ferris wheel has returned – and with enclosed riding pods. Add this to my list of things I have to do.

Not only did I get to see the Ferris Wheel in all its fantastic glory, but after I rejected a group of drunk ’sailors’ who wanted me to take their picture, I took a sharp turn towards Place Vendome (another historic square that I get to pass every day). In the early hours of the morning, a few workers were busy setting up all the Christmas lights for the street. It was spectacular! In the silence of the night, you could hear the lights and pearls lightly clanging as they swayed in the wind. And the streets were empty. I’ve never wanted to be a homeless person more in my life – they have chandeliers! I have burnt out pot lights.

Here’s a close-up of what the chandeliers and ‘walls of lights’ are made out of. Oh, and me wearing my cat mask (which gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘cat-call’ – guys kept ‘meowing’ at me the entire night). Now I realize this entry was a bit disjointed, and you probably still have no idea what I did on Saturday night or why I’m wearing several different masks. Long story short: Animal theme party, fell down stairs, walked home and envied the homeless, then fell asleep around 5 in the morning.

Oh – and I’m convinced that gin is the cure for swollen lymph nodes. Because I swear to you, moments before I took a cautionary sip of gin, my lymph’s were sore and swollen. Minutes, nay, seconds after I  bravely consumed my drink, the soreness and swelling went down by about 7300%. It was probably just pure chance.

Plans for this rainy Monday: Pick up my new glasses and proclaim ‘I can see!’ to the world. Or maybe just read a book.

]]> http://alyssapersaud.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/winter-festival-of-lights/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:25:30 +0000 alyssapersaud http://alyssapersaud.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/winter-festival-of-lights/

Winter Festival of Lights has returned for another year of excitement!  It began on November 7^th and will finish January 4^th.  This year they have introduced another addition to the festivities, a skating rink – Rink at the Brink!  Winter Festival of Lights takes place in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  The festival is free to attend and enjoy – if one is able to donate it is greatly appreciated.  Every day the lights turn on at 5 pm and continue until 12 am.  The Winter Festival of Lights is 5km long and one is able to walk or drive the entire or part way – whatever one prefers!

Winter Festival of Lights receives support from numerous different organizations and companies, such as Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, Niagara Peninsula Energy, Disney, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Global, Toronto Sun and many others.  These sponsors help with anything and everything that needs to be done for the Winter Festival of Lights.  The Winter Festival of Lights is a not-for-profit corporation and do not charge admittance to view the festival therefore they heavily rely on their sponsors and media partners for assistance.

Although Winter Festival of Lights is an Ontario festival to celebrate their culture and winter it also receives a lot of visitors and attention from the international front due to the international popularity of Niagara Falls.