Summer weather

Oh, at long last, we have warmth and sun! O happy day!

I love this time of year, because all of a sudden, I have a burst of energy. Tonight I got the cushions brushed off and put on the patio furniture, and then of course I had to try it out! I got some good reading time out on the deck. But I also got some stuff done, including a couple of loads of laundry. There is much to be done in the next couple of days, so I'm pleased that the warm weather has given me a boost!

I took a walk in the yard today and checked the status of my bulbs. The crocuses are the prettiest little things, and I got some great pictures with my new camera. The macro function makes for some wonderful close pictures, and I couldn't be happier with these. Look at this one:

Isn't that pretty? I sure think so.

I hope to start my seeds in the next couple of days. Have I mentioned that I love this time of year?

Overdue update!

Whew, I can't believe how long it's been, but it's a hectic time at the moment. Back from vacation, getting ready for a visit from some out of town friends (lots of cleaning to do!), it's getting warm so there's yard work, and best of all, it's close to seed-starting time! I feel like the next month is going to be way too busy, but it will definitely be fun!

A couple of comments on our trip. First, I was so happy to see the Tut exhibit. It was beautiful, and there were a few things that just took my breath away (like the full-size sarcophagus of Queen Tiye, and the tiny sarcophagus that held Tut's liver). I think my favorite things were the calcite unguent jar (with the lion on the lid, sticking his tongue out), and the calcite canopic jar stopper. The canopic jar lid was a head, and the features were just lovely. I don't know if it was male or female, but it was beautiful. I'm so pleased I finally got to see it, and God love Ken for suggesting that we go to Philly when we couldn't make it in time to see it in Chicago. It also got us to talking about one day taking a trip to Egypt to see the monuments and temples in person...I think things will need to settle down a bit, but it really is my ultimate dream for a trip, even more so than--dare I say it?--Route 66. We'll be doing Route 66 soon, so it's an achievable goal. Egypt will be a little harder, which makes me want to work for it even more. Hmmm!

Second trip note: meeting RaQuel in NYC. We've corresponded for years, and what a pleasure to finally get to meet her. She's a total peach, and I like her even more after meeting. (Her toy room is awesome! One word: Godzilla!) I was as happy as could be. She treated us to a wonderful dinner at a great Italian restaurant, and I was gabbing so much that I couldn't finish my dinner. Ken will laugh at that, because although I'm not a real talkative person most of the time, he knows that I'm an extremely slow eater. Get me to talking--like to a newly-met longtime correspondent--and I'm like a glacier with my food. Here's to you, RaQ!

Philly/NYC trip

luvrte66's AOL Pictures Public Gallery. 

More soon, but you can check out the pictures by clicking on the link above.

Another one bites the (star)dust

The Stardust Resort & Casino  1958-2007

I was saddened today to see the implosion of The Stardust. Progress and all that, I suppose. Whatever. Part of the Cool Factor when it comes to Vegas is thinking of its glamorous days, and even its dangerous days of Mob involvement. (Not that I think that's okay, but there is a certain fascination in this country with that particular Organization, don't you think?)

I hate to see the old places coming down. At least I got to see The Stardust before it went, and got some nice pictures of the sign. Thank goodness Vegas realized that it can't completely raze its past, and has preserved Fremont Street. I know the Strip is the big draw, but give me the old casinos any day. I hope someone will step in and save El Cortez, one of the first casinos in Vegas. Despite my love of the old casinos, I have to admit that the air of desperation there felt almost creepy.

Anyhoo, that made me sad today. I'm a big fan of retro architecture and signage, and it's tough to see some of these things be destroyed. That makes me think of Route 66, and I promise I'll write more about that one of these days!

On a happier note, Tut is coming up this weekend. I was paging through a book I have, one that has plenty of photos of the original tomb and the condition in which it and its artifacts were found. Oh, it just gives me chills. I'm so excited!

I'm going to start attaching tags to my posts, and they will appear at the bottom of the posts. Do not be alarmed. They're just a way to identify what I write about (including in my previous posts).

Tags: Stardust, Vegas, El Cortez, King Tut

The Big Picture

I haven't written for a bit, longer than I like. Sorry about that, but in the last few days, work has managed to drain every bit of lifeforce and energy from my poor little body. It has destroyed my will to live. Okay, I exaggerate. But it HAS made me extremely tired, and not a happy camper. I'll spare you any details, but it hasn't been a pleasant few days, except for when I've been home in our little sanctuary. One question. How many people have to quit before a hiring freeze is lifted? I can tell you it's not one...or three. Is the magic number five? Seven? This little turnip is just about out of blood. Please don't squeeze me anymore.

As for The Big Picture...I've been writing to an email friend (Yo, RaQ!), and after some discussion on various topics, I told her my feelings about the BP. I'm not sure if I'm delusional or just in denial, but I still believe that everything will work out okay. My folks get upset about things, too, and there are certainly things that get under my skin. But I just think it'll all work out in the wash. We have a saying in Indiana. "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few hours." That's so true, and not just for Indiana weather. While we may not like whatever is happening, things will change. There is always an eventual shift in power, and we need to realize that while we may be impatient for things to change immediately, it may move a little slower than that. But if you consider the span of our lifetimes, it's not even a blip on the cosmic radar screen. In the Big Picture, we don't even rate an honorable mention, let alone an Oscar.

I know...when we were young, and all that. Yeah, I wanted to change the world, too. But average Joes and Janes like us don't really change the world, and don't have a snowball's chance of doing so. But you know what? We all have the opportunity to make a difference, even if it's something little. A friend of mine recently told me that he was working on changing his eating habits, and working on losing weight, and told me that my quitting smoking was "inspirational" to him. He said it made him realize that you can make up your mind to change things in your life. Knowing that something I did in my own life made a difference in that of someone I truly care about means a hell of a lot to me.

By the way, both Ken and I are now close to eight months without smoking. We ROCK!

I mentioned that we're off soon to see the Tut exhibit. Still excited, still looking forward to it! I found this picture that pleased me very much. The King Lives....

 

Got a condo made of stone-a

Oh wonderful boy king, I can't wait to see you!

In a week or so, we're making a pilgrimage to Philadelphia to see the Tutankhamun exhibit. Well, I call it a pilgrimage, Ken would call it a "long weekend."

This is so exciting for me, because when I was little, I was fascinated by ancient Egypt and I wanted to be an archaeologist. I loved the story of Howard Carter lifting his candle to peer into the tomb and seeing "the glint of gold." Read this:

At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold—everywhere the glint of gold…I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, “Can you see anything?” it was all I could do to get out the words, “Yes, wonderful things.”

Oh, just magical stuff for me. When the exhibit toured back in the seventies, my folks took me up to the Field Museum to see it, but by the time we got there, it was sold out. (This was back in the days where we didn't have the Net, or pre-sales on tickets, or anything like that. Man, I feel like an old fogey!) Tut is back, and while we fully intended to go see him at the Field Museum, circumstances and schedules made it impossible. Ken said to find out where it was going next, and we'd go. Thus, Philly! (Next stop is London, and we did briefly consider that.) I can't believe I'm finally going to get to see it! Yes...wonderful things.

A favorite CD is found

I got a pleasant surprise the other day! While looking through a pile of CD's by the stereo, I kept coming across the jewel case for one of my favorites. Apparently I'm Mrs. Short Term Memory, because every time I saw it, I'd open it and want to play it. But just like the previous half a dozen or so times, the CD was still not there. It wasn't in my car, it wasn't in Ken's car, I wasn't able to find it in any CD holder...I was stumped, and disappointed every time.

Finally, when Ken and I were in the basement to play some pool, I turned on the basement stereo, and there it was! (No, I hadn't thought to look there before. I don't know why.) I took it upstairs and cranked it up, and I remembered again how much I love it. Hey, that's a pun, because here it is:

Yep, Lyle Lovett's "The Road to Ensenada." Ken didn't care for it too much, said it's a little too much twang for his taste. I suppose that's true for a lot of folks, but there's a lot more than twang there. I love his songwriting, and there are a couple of songs on there that still bring a tear to my eye because they're just so dang pretty, like "I Can't Love You Any More." Lovely. I took it into work the other day, and one of the couriers who loves music looked through my stack of CD's for that day. He wasn't familiar with Lyle's music, but I recommended him highly and I hope he checks him out. He said he's heard that a lot of women find Lyle attractive for some reason. I said, well, not really, or at least not in the traditional sense. More like in a poetic way, because he really does write some beautiful songs and lyrics.

On another musical topic, Cousin Shane was unsuccessful in his attempt to get tickets for the Police show in Detroit. When he tried for the Chicago show at Wrigley Field (how cool would that be?), the lowest-priced seats still available were $275. Get real. While we haven't given up yet, we're slowly becoming resigned to watching the concert DVD at home. Of course, we both have big new flatscreen TV's, so it probably will be quite good! The same as being at the show? Of course not. But at $275 a pop, the show just ain't happenin' for me.

A fairly productive weekend, but also a chance to relax and sleep in. Ahhh! More snow yesterday, though, so I was thinking some more about our cruise. At the moment, July seems a long way away....