Friday, September 17, 2010

TVs and Other Furniture Issues

It's been a nice day and evening. With the windows open to let in the fresh air, I watched a lot of programming, either live or taped, like the Big Brother season finale, which was pretty interesting, and the current episode of Project Runway which was more confusing than anything else.

I'll tell you what is odd, though, is that so much now I prefer watching shows on my monitor for the computer because it's so dang much clearer than my old projection TV screen. I love that TV, but it's just old and it's not sharp or true to color anymore. I am really hoping to somehow manage buying a new TV at the end of the year. It'll be an up to date flat screen.

Of course, that brings its own problems because I need a table or stand to put the new TV on. I don't want to hang it on the wall and where it needs to go, there really isn't room for it.

So, that means it will also be time to go shopping. Furniture shopping can be fun. I don't want anything too crazy and it has to be inexpensive. It would be nice to have a somewhat slender (by that I mean less than a foot deep) unit to rest the new TV on. If it had a couple of shelves for DVD and VCR units, that would be cool.

I also desperately need a new office chair. The only I have is broken and won't stay in place. It slides down all the time. The bad news is that I can't afford any of this right now, but soon, I do hope.

Friday looks to be a busy day here. Keep it safe, folks!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Cooking and Swayze

Welcome to another Wednesday, and that means halfway through the big work week. For me, it's been a little different. September 14th was the one year passing of Patrick Swayze. I'd met him several times, and he was such a nice, fun man. I miss him, and it's just hard to believe that he isn't still out there making movies.

So, deep breath, and on we go to other things. I've been watching the new Home segment on the Hallmark Channel. This is daytime block of roughly three hours that will be expanding in January. Right now, it's begun with Martha Stewart's show, then some ridiculous talk show by these two thirty-something women who annoy me greatly, and then it has a couple of cooking shows, but the best one is called Mad Hungry, featuring a woman named Lucinda.

I love Lucinda. She's the most likable cooking host I've seen, though I must admit to not really being a fan of cooking shows. However, I have gotten more experimental over the last couple of years, and I am learning some things from her. That says a lot.

Of course, the more involved in cooking like some of these chefs we see on TV, the more complex the shopping becomes, rather you're buying ingredients or equipment, online or in retail stores. For me, I like quick and easy, minimal prep time, and little or no cleanup, and that is not easy to find.

Lucinda cooked up two dishes today that I really think I'm going to try at some point, and that's hard to believe for me. One was an egg/bacon/cheese breakfast sandwich that has a twist to it that her son added and the other is a spaghetti carbonara, and I adore spaghetti.

So, who knows. Maybe I'll tune in some more. She's been the spark of midday for me this week.

That's it for now. Remember Patrick and donate to Stand Up 2 Cancer or the Pancreatic Cancer Network. Patrick's widow, Lisa Niemi, is now an official spokesperson for them.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

From 9/11 to a Swayze Remembrance

Hello everyone. First, I would be remiss not to acknowledge this day. 9/11 is a solemn day. Any time I hear that date, my heart sinks. I've watched some of the programs about the tragedies of that day in 2001, and each one makes me feel lucky to be alive to be a part of a nation with such wonderful heroes. So, please pause to remember, and then honor those who lost their lives by moving forward and being the best we can be. Let's roll with life!

There was a story on the news this past week about relationships and it talked a little about how times have changed and how so many people now meet online via dating groups. There are numerous ones of those and apparently these sites are definitely leading to romance and marriage.

I remember when social networking was before the internet as we know it now. People needed to be very suspect and protective when meeting strangers from all over. That's still true, but a lot of the dating sites have more security than they used to. It is hard to meet new people today as well. It was just interesting to me to see this news story discussing it.

Stand Up 2 Cancer aired last night, and I was so deeply touched to see Lisa Niemi there talking about her husband, Patrick Swayze. It caught me a little off guard, and I must admit to shedding some tears when they showed a clip of Patrick from the original telethon special two years ago. He was such a wonderful man. I can't believe he's been gone a year (as of September 14th). He and Lisa had one of the best romances ever.

It is truly a weekend of memories.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Gotta Love Being in Love

Good morning, Campers! It's Thursday, and it's a pleasant day here on the west coast. We're having my kind of weather right now, and I am definitely enjoying it while it lasts.

There is an abundance of romance in the air around here. No, not in our house. Well, there's some of that, of course, but I am really referring to friends and even those in our local media market. Several of the female anchors, for example, are either engaged or pregnant. Something must be in the air of that newsroom

Of course, maybe they are just utilizing their resources. We have a lot of advertising for matchmaking sites. It's not hard to imagine that singles with commonalities want to meet up and end up falling in love.

This world is so crazy that it's easier to go through it with someone special, and happy endings are just the best.

I love love, as they say. Cliche or not, it definitely makes the world go round!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Personalize It!

Recently I was looking at my stamps as I pulled out one to mail a letter. The stamps are in the image of my dogs. They just make me smile big time. Of course, I don't know that anyone else who handles the mail realizes who is in the picture, but I do.

Personalization is something most of us love to see. I haven't often gotten them, but personalized Christmas cards with photographs and such have been most fun to receive. There's something about getting a card with a friend's photo on there that gives it an extra zing.

I also like photo postcards. They really make it special. One of the ways is to pick out that favorite vacation shot and then put it on a postcard and send it around. I did that once, a long time ago.

Okay, I'm a sucker for the personalized things, be it T-shirts, pencils, or postcards. We're so commercial today that when something can add personality to a communication, I'm all for it.

As for my dog stamps, I plan on keeping at least one just for the fun of it!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Mountains and Air

What a day it was today. We almost reached triple digits, but not quite. Meanwhile, it was hard to ignore the troubled east coast with Hurricane Earl beginning to beat down on them. The place to be in my book was the Sierras.

The mountains had the best weather, in the seventies. Now that's my style.   It all evokes images of Yosemite or even Mount Diablo. Peaceful moments, open air, and Mother Nature. That works for me. Wouldn't it be nice to be part of an Ansel Adams photograph?

I'm definitely ready for those hot days to roll on by and let's get back to the fun days of fall.
 
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