Here is a picture of the littlest pilgrim. Isn’t she cute? We had an awesome Thanksgiving. Our family from the Northwest drove over the river and through the woods to be with us in California for the Holiday. And we did cook more than cold cereal and toast for dinner. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed taters, salad, rolls, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, and Rex’s Famous Sweet Potato Flambe! It was a feast fit for kings and queens and three bulldogs.

Lucy and Winston, Cookie’s cousins from Seattle, were great fun to play fetch with in the back yard. Too bad Cookie wanted to be the Alpha Dog, as usual, and didn’t want them anywhere near her house! We almost had a Thanksgiving Day Dog Ass Kicking when Cookie realized that she was going to have to share her space with Winston and Lucy! That’s okay. We made it work by delicately balancing bulldog locations throughout the day so that the visiting pups didn’t have to interact with “The Queen”. It was a great visit, with lots of laughs, games, great food and drink.

“But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving,’ Charlie Brown. –Marci

Yes, truly a time for which to be thankful. Thanks, Mom, Robert, Winston, Dionne and Lucy for driving all the way to California to see us. We miss you already.

These photos were taken November 21, 2009.

We haven’t/hadn’t yet had a frost so our banana tree is still alive and at least 12 feet tall.

All the rain has caused some beautiful moss to grow in one of our bamboo plants.

Our fire pit has seen some good use this year.

The giant pine tree in our front year provides an endless amount of pine cones, pine mulch and shade. The lavender is still going strong. Although I’ve seen a few birds go in and out of our birdhouse, no one has made a permanent home there.

I love this frosty blue-green sage. Lucy, our chocolate cocker spaniel, just turned 5 and has been scaring us a bit with some strange health episode.

We are so crazy about her. Isn’t she just adorable? She’s as sweet and as soft as she looks. (She found a new “bed” in the throw blanket storage box behind the couch.)

The heavenly bamboo out front is producing lots of pretty red berries.

Es ist immer deutlicher zu spüren,
das Staffelfinale rückt immer näher.

Schon in zwei Wochen ist auch die zweite Staffel vorbei und so werden langsam einige Fragen beantworten, doch wie immer gibt es auch immer wieder neue Fragen. Wer damit zu tun hat und wieso Jonathan wieder verschwindet, das erfahrt ihr nur durch die Folge.
Also viel Spaß beim Lesen.

Eure Samra

Dawn Treader recently wrapped filming in Brisbane, Australia and is set to hit theaters December 2010. Can’t wait to see it! -JJ

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Hello again

So I’m going to be honest: last week, I really wasn’t in the mood for writing. Which was a strange feeling, since I’m nearly always in the mood for writing and I’d been looking forward to posting my first entry, but I guess the stress of planning to drop out of university – plus the fact that I’d had a pretty dull and uninspiring day – had made me feel sort of lethargic and unenthusiastic and pretty unlike myself. Today, it has to be said, probably hasn’t been any more exciting than last week, but I’m now feeling way more positive about the whole being-a-university-dropout thing (as soon as I’d signed the papers and given back my student card I felt this huge weight lifted off my shoulders) which means that I’ll probably ramble on a bit this evening. And every other Saturday evening. I hope you’re in the mood for reading.

I’m in the university computer cluster right now, using Christopher’s account whilst he does his homework on the desk next to me. Every so often, he leans over, grabs the keyboard, and types something mathematical and, to me, completely incomprehensible into Google. I have never been a maths person. Will, some day you should definitely teach me how to “abstract what they teach you in English class to mathematics and chemistry”… I actually suck at chemistry even more than I suck at maths. I got an E at A-level, and when my teacher heard that I wouldn’t be carrying the subject on to A2 she apparently said something along the lines of “Well, thank goodness.”

So yeah, I’m a dropout now. Which means that I’m currently both in the process of signing on to Jobseeker’s Allowance, and trying to find a job. I don’t know if this is the case everywhere, but the Jobcentre in my city is weird; like, when you go in you go to the Welcome Desk, who direct you to a security guard, who directs you to another security guard, who in turn directs you to another, and it goes on like this until you get to the place you’re meant to be: it sort of reminded me of a Pokémon gameboy game? Like, one of the bits where you’re in a Team Rocket hideout? I don’t know, maybe that’s just me.

I’m not even sure how the job hunting is going, since I’ve never done it before and don’t know what to expect. I handed out 16 CVs about four days ago, and so far I’ve had one call back from a fragrance shop for an interview on Monday. I am not someone who really knows anything about perfume – occasionally I wear some vanilla scent that I got from Boots because it’s Christopher’s favourite, but I know nothing about the main brands and stuff – so I’m not feeling particularly confident about this. In fact, I’m pretty nervous. We’ll see what happens.  

So I got my tragus pierced on Thursday. It hurt more than my other piercings (mainly because my other piercings barely hurt at all), and I did wince a little, but it was a very tolerable sort of pain and I thankfully didn’t hear a crunch when it went in as some people on the Internet had reported (I pass out really easily over gross stuff like cartilage crunching: pain doesn’t bother me so much, but I can get pathetically squeamish >.< Like the time I did work experience at a vet’s because of some crazy childhood conviction that being a veterinary surgeon was my Ultimate Dream Job: I had to watch them remove an abscess from a cat’s throat, and I blacked out almost instantly. Apparently I was very graceful, though). I love how it looks The tragus piercing, I mean, in case the long-winded parenthesis confused you and you no longer have any idea what I’m going on about / thought I was talking about the abscess (which looked horrible, for the record). I also got my hair cut and dyed, and the lady was sehr nice and gave me the 45% student discount despite us having discussed at length how I’d dropped out last Monday, and my hair is now much nicer looking than it was before (which is not hard, admittedly, since for a long time I’d cut my own hair haphazardly with a pair of fabric scissors). Hooray!

I could type more, I really could, but I have a feeling that you’ll all start to hate me if I go on any more about the inane events of my week Looking forward to reading the next lot of entries, take care everyone,

Lucy

Oh yeah, one more thing. In the fiveawesomegirls vlog project (which I mentioned in my LJ post – it’s almost exactly like what we’re doing here, for anyone who doesn’t know, except it’s vlogging and there are only five people) in every video they say something that has been ‘awesome’ about their day. I’m not suggesting we do this, because that would be copying (and also it’s a bit lame?), but it’d be nice to have something similar that gave all our entries a bit more cohesion, I think. Anyone else agree/have any ideas?

Also – whoops, it’s five past midnight. This still counts as on time, right? D:

Edit: these stupid emoticon things are really annoying me. Would you guys mind if I turned them off?

Second Edit: I’m sorry, but they were annoying me way too much for me not to turn them off. I think I now know what it’s like to have OCD.

Lord I am thankful for a little girl to have tea parties with.

And a little boy who loves to vacuum.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Did I post this same completely perfect and lovely Charles Schulz cel illustration last year for Thanksgiving? Yes. Suck it up, because it’s the best.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving in all of it’s meanings for you.

I know later tonight will get busier as I actually start to cook again in my kitchen, so I wanted to post this greeting to all my friends in cyberspace now. I wish for all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and many things to be thankful for now and in the future.

I would love to meet each and every one of you — maybe someday! Enjoy those you are with, and live each Thanksgiving as if it might be the last time you were together. Experience it to the fullest extent, and most important share it with others who may not have family to share it with. May God bless and keep all of you and those you love this Holiday Season.

Oh, and if your turkey should suddenly go missing, you might check out any new lamps in the house!

A Thanksgiving Poem

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway,
Thanksgiving comes again.

          [Author: *Unknown]

P.S. TOO FUNNY:  I just had to add this comment from my blogger buddy, Lucy. She is just too funny. You can check out her blogs under It’s Always Something and Arizona Photos. Here is her comment and my response too.

LUCY:  I think you will be having a very nice Thanksgiving day if you’re starting to cook this ‘early’. I’m sure you will. I haven’t cooked on T-day in years. What’s that bird called now???

ME:  Lucy, you are so funny! I bet you have several of those turkey bird lamps hiding in your house. Better check around.

Actually I am going with Phil to his brother and sister-in-law’s home where the whole family will be there. It is so much fun because they have such a large family, everyone has a blast, we play cards a lot, and Paul and Jeanie have this beautiful large glass room in an octagon shape (like a conservatory) where we sit up tables and enjoy looking out on their beautiful backyard with a lot of natural wooded area in the back. It really feels like the country. They are such a gracious host and hostess as well, and I adore all of them very much. It will be lots of fun. Hopefully by this weekend I may be over this cold and through with my antibiotics and can go see my mother. I will sure miss her this Thanksgiving. But we can celebrate this weekend together, I hope. I’m just preparing a couple of things for tomorrow, but Friday I am going to make dressing, roast a turkey, Spanish rice, and a green bean casserole for Phil and I to enjoy around here the next few days. I am looking forward to it (and putting up a Christmas tree – a small one above the doggies on my credenza). I got off work early today, and we went grocery shopping. It was so strange. First time I have been in the grocery store since my accident on July 13th. Phil got a good laugh out of me saying it was exciting to me. He pushed the cart, and I wheeled me along in my wheelchair.

Have a good one, and make sure Hank gets a treat please. Wish you could be here and go with us. I would really enjoy your entertaining humor, and so would everyone else. Hugs to you and Hank.

I know later tonight will get busier as I actually start to cook again in my kitchen, so I wanted to post this greeting to all my friends in cyberspace now. I wish for all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and many things to be thankful for now and in the future.

I would love to meet each and every one of you — maybe someday! Enjoy those you are with, and live each Thanksgiving as if it might be the last time you were together. Experience it to the fullest extent, and most important share it with others who may not have family to share it with. May God bless and keep all of you and those you love this Holiday Season.

Oh, and if your turkey should suddenly go missing, you might check out any new lamps in the house!

A Thanksgiving Poem

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway,
Thanksgiving comes again.

          [Author: *Unknown]

P.S. TOO FUNNY:  I just had to add this comment from my blogger buddy, Lucy. She is just too funny. You can check out her blogs under It’s Always Something and Arizona Photos. Here is her comment and my response too.

LUCY:  I think you will be having a very nice Thanksgiving day if you’re starting to cook this ‘early’. I’m sure you will. I haven’t cooked on T-day in years. What’s that bird called now???

ME:  Lucy, you are so funny! I bet you have several of those turkey bird lamps hiding in your house. Better check around.

Actually I am going with Phil to his brother and sister-in-law’s home where the whole family will be there. It is so much fun because they have such a large family, everyone has a blast, we play cards a lot, and Paul and Jeanie have this beautiful large glass room in an octagon shape (like a conservatory) where we sit up tables and enjoy looking out on their beautiful backyard with a lot of natural wooded area in the back. It really feels like the country. They are such a gracious host and hostess as well, and I adore all of them very much. It will be lots of fun. Hopefully by this weekend I may be over this cold and through with my antibiotics and can go see my mother. I will sure miss her this Thanksgiving. But we can celebrate this weekend together, I hope. I’m just preparing a couple of things for tomorrow, but Friday I am going to make dressing, roast a turkey, Spanish rice, and a green bean casserole for Phil and I to enjoy around here the next few days. I am looking forward to it (and putting up a Christmas tree – a small one above the doggies on my credenza). I got off work early today, and we went grocery shopping. It was so strange. First time I have been in the grocery store since my accident on July 13th. Phil got a good laugh out of me saying it was exciting to me. He pushed the cart, and I wheeled me along in my wheelchair.

Have a good one, and make sure Hank gets a treat please. Wish you could be here and go with us. I would really enjoy your entertaining humor, and so would everyone else. Hugs to you and Hank.

Of the dogs.

Lucy has been entered in the Hallmark “A Dog Named Christmas” photo contest.  If my brother and FSIL win they’ll get $1,000 cash {hello Honeymoon!!!} and Lucy will be featured on a Hallmark card.  And you can say you knew her when.  All you have to do to vote is follow this link and click on “Vote for this Pooch”!  You can only vote once but make sure to send the link to pretty much everyone you know to vote!

Have you ever entered your pooch in a contest?

Okay...here are two of the three. Ollie will hang with the group...but it's not easy to catch him on camera.

The animal farm is such a joy! I’ve been able to take many photos over the last few weeks…and the challenge is to share them all. I am getting very close to having a photo of all three….but for now it’s still that Lucy and Stan show.

Stay tuned for more photos…the dog park (Pt Isabel) and Metro Dog. Lucy has so much dog social interaction. She meets so many dogs…and thus I meet so many more people!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am more than grateful for Stan, Ollie, and Lucy…and of, course, my people family and friends.

Lucy turned 7 months old on Thursday November 19th. With the help of Grandma Ruth, we documented 24 hours of her life. I thought this would be fun to go back and look at some day. Enjoy.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long
And wouldn’t it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
You know it’s gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together”

(Wouldn’t It Be Nice - Beach Boys)

Em Como Se Fosse a Primeira vez (50 First Dates), Henry Roth, interpretado por Adam Sandler, é um solteirão que não quer assumir compromissos. Vive no Havaí, onde trabalha como veterinário, em um aquário, cuidando de morsas e outros seres marinhos, e é famoso pelo grande número de turistas que conquista – sua maior especialidade é mentir para conhecer as mulheres que visitam a região e sumir da vida delas quando as férias chegam ao fim.

Mas sua vida muda completamente quando encontra Lucy (Drew Barrymore) no café local. Henry logo percebe que não está diante de apenas mais uma missão de seduzir e abandonar: primeiro, porque ela não é turista; e segundo, porque Henry parece ter visto algo mais nela. A primeira abordagem é um sucesso – os waffles do café da manhã dela e as mãos dele cheirando a peixe se tornam o elo da conversa -, mas no dia seguinte a jovem moça age como se nunca o tivesse visto antes.

Logo Henry descobre que Lucy sofreu um grave acidente que tirou sua memória de curta duração, ou seja, ela se esquece dos fatos recentes durante a noite e passa a viver sempre o mesmo dia. Dessa forma, ignorando sua própria regra de não namorar garotas da cidade e esquecendo o seu lado Don Juan, Henry sente-se apaixonado e percebe que será obrigado a conquistar Lucy, dia após dia, para ficar ao seu lado. E para isso, não mede esforços e vive muitas loucuras.

Mas nem tudo sai como planejado. O jovem veterinário tem o sonho de navegar para o Alasca para estudar a vida submarina das morsas, mas com as conquistas diárias, precisa abandonar o seu plano. Lucy, percebendo o esforço de seu ‘namorado’, resolve acabar o relacionamento com o rapaz. Apaga-o de seus diários e passa a viver como se ele nunca tivesse aparecido em sua vida.

Dessa forma, Henry pode viajar (mesmo com o coração partido) e Lucy passa a ensinar arte – sua profissão antes do acidente que a deixou sem memória – na clínica médica que recebe tratamento. Só que o amor acaba sendo mais forte e os dois vão descobrir isso, de alguma maneira.

O final do filme, obviamente, emociona os mais românticos e mostra que o amor – independente de todos os problemas – consegue sobreviver quando é realmente verdadeiro. Pode ser clichê sim, mas este longa-metragem tem muitos aspectos positivos. Reúne dois ótimos atores (Drew Barrymore e Adam Sandler), tem bons diálogos (ingrediente essencial para o gênero comédia-romântica) e participações bem especiais, como no caso de Rob Schneider, no papel de um velho havaiano muito bobo e, às vezes, engraçado.

Para encerrar, há dois personagens fofíssimos: o pingüim e a morsa. Um mais engraçado que o outro… A-DO-RO!

Lucy: “Nothing beats a first kiss”
Henry: “That’s what I’ve heard.”

First off, a Thanksgiving news alert:  I don’t plan to post on Thursday, November 26 or Friday, November 27.  I’m headed off to visit my in-laws in Detroit, and they have these crazy ideas about people sitting in the same room and enjoying each others’ company.  :)

It’s been a quiet week as the US readies for the holiday.  

Well, not entirely quiet.  The second Twilight flick,  New Moon, premiered.  Names spotted among those turning out for the festivities included designer Rachel Roy brought her 10 year old daughter Ava.  Rachel and husband Damon Dash also have a toddler called Tallulah Ruth.  (via Celebrity Baby Blog)  It’s interesting to see parents who embraced Ava ten years ago, when she was still on the rise, using Tallulah more recently.  Anyone else think that the once-outlandish name that had everyone abuzz when the Moore-Willis clan used it will go mainstream?  And if a search for “baby names Twilight” brought you here, check out this post: Not Just for Vampires Anymore.

In other celeb news, Tiffani Thiessen tells Extra that she and her husband aren’t considering “any freaky names.”  She doesn’t mention whether going through life as Tiffani-Amber colored her view.  We’ll have to wait and see.

On to some real life name-spotting:

• I just returned from Target.  I was buying toddler tights while another mom was trying to persuade her daughter to try on a coat, but the daughter?  Was fleeing to the just-steps-away toy department.  The name the mother was calling?  ”Miracle!  Miracle, come back here!”  Insert your own joke about it-taking-an-act-of-God to distract a 3 y.o. from the toy department here;
• Bewildertrix has spotted Leonidas George.  My baby brother swears Leonidas will be the name of his firstborn son, should that happy event ever come to pass.  She also uncovered an Elisabetta Ivy.  And a Zuma.  (No Gwen Stefani isn’t in New Zealand – he’s Zuma Louis, a non-celeb baby brother for Ava and Remi.)
• For Real Baby Names spotted Dafne.  It may be a valid foreign variant, but to me it is like Jorja/Georgia - this one just looks better as the more familiar Daphne. 

Now for two Language Lessons from that sage font of wisdom, Nancy:

• Hard G vs. Soft G – Sometimes they’re interchangeable – as in Jorja/Georgia – but other times, swapping a J for a G leads to confusion;
• Doubling consonants – Ditto doubling a consonant.  It’s another popular way to make a name “unique,” but it can also cause confusion.

Truly unusual names are always found at Nameberry, and this week’s posts were no exception.  Check out the Lost Boys’ Names of 1880.  Why aren’t more boys named Zeb?  Or Hardy?  Others – including titles like Squire and Commodore – are best left to history.  (I work with a man in his 50s named General.  I don’t get the impression that he thinks much about his name one way or the other.)  For a change, the girls’ list is almost less interesting – maybe because I wouldn’t raise an eyebrow if I met a 2 y.o. called Mahala or Texas. 

Let’s end on a controversial note: the shortcomings of the Baby Name Wizard.  I recently noticed a post on Swistle (a big BNW adherent) that troubled me.  Just a few days earlier, Nancy recounted a similar story on her blog.  

An expectant mother, mom to Sophia, wrote to Swistle about the name Allegra.  She and her husband loved the name Allegra.  Loved the way nicknames Allie and Sophie sounded together.  But she worried about the allergy medication association.

Swistle wrote: “I love the name Allegra—and every time I want to suggest it, I back away because of the allergy medicine. I’m ANGRY at the company that stole it.”

Swistle’s poll was evenly split: 52% no to Allegra; 48% yes.  But here’s the thing: Swistle’s framing of the question – “Is the name Allegra too associated with allergy medication to be used for a baby?” made it pretty clear that she thought Allegra was beyond consideration.  (Swistle is usually so judgment-free that I was really surprised by that.)

The mom herself recently wrote in:

“We ended up naming our daughter Lucy. I love her name, but I regret not being gutsy enough to go with Allegra. Personally, I’d encourage anyone considering the name to go for it. No matter what name you choose some people will like it and others will hate it.”

Lucy is a fine name.  I like it lots.  But how sad that much naming advice often tends to push parents to the middle, rather than embracing the names that we really love. 

I suspect the allergy medication reference is fleeting.  When the blogger at For Real Baby Names spotted a Dexy Adelaide, I mentioned the 80s pop hit “Come On, Eileen” – and sent ForReal running to Google.  Dexy, it appears, no longer means “one-hit wonder responsible for lodging the phrase too-rye-aye in my brain.”  And it hasn’t been that long.  It makes me think Allegra will be free of medication association by the time Allie hits the teenage years, if not sooner.

Thanks for reading!

READING:

BULLYING AT SCHOOL

‘’My classmates have been bullying me on non-stop for two years. I haven´t done anything to get blamed for, and I still don´t know the reason I got picket on. I am not any wealthier or poorer or a different race… What if I was?

I cry myself to sleep every night. I am miserable. My parents know and they have talked to the headmaster, but he isn´t interested and say he can´t do anything about it. My parents know all the bullies ´parents. One girl even even lived in the same street and we had been friends since we were two year old. But we are not friends any more. I don´t want this to happen to anybody in any part of the world. It´s just one of t he most horrible things someone can live.’’

• Answer these questions about of the reading.

1. 1.      When did Emily become a victim of bullying?

When she was studying

1. 2.      Why did her classmates bully her?

Because she was very noble a girl.

1. 3.      What sort of things did they do?

They bullied her

1. 4.      What did her parents do?

They talked to her headmaster.

1. 5.      What did the headmaster of the school do?

They don´t do nothing about it.

1. 6.      How did Emily feel?

She feels miserable an she cries to sleep every night.