ipod touch arrived

I've been wanting an iphone for a while but I had service from that certain provider in the past and it just was not that great. So I bought an ipod touch. It just arrived and it is so very cool.

My long time friend Chris Browne is very psychic and drew a picture of me - and posted it his blog. Check it out!

Spring preview

This wonter has been the most strange I can remember.  So far, we have had only snow 1 day. Otherwise it's been rain, rain , rain.  My first crocus has peeped out.  many of the bulbs are poping up, too early.

my favorite places

One of my favorite places in NYC is The Gingerman.  I used to work a couple blocks away, and it was a great haven after work to find some interesting beers. They have 60 taps.  The other week I splurged and went twice.  They had 3 Philosophers form Ommegang on tap , which is very hard to find. More happy birthday to me!

A fabulous meal!

A friend treated me to dinner for my birthday. I wanted to go to a restaurant owned by some friends which I had not been to in some time, The Brothers Moon, in Hopewell, New Jersey.  What a wonderful meal. The food is really elegant and the portions are quite hearty. Chef Will had a moment to come out of the kitchen and greet all the diners.  I really can't describe how delicious every tidbit was, you'll just have to go yourself!

Martha's Set

As part of my birthday celebration, I obtained tickets for The Martha Stewart Show.  It was fun. Joey was the best part. The set was impressive, the seats comfortable.  Plus, the show was being broadcast live! Here's a view of the set.

Winter blooms

A friend gave me an amaryllis for Christmas.  I haven't had one for many years, so it was wonderful to watch it emerge from the bulb and flower.

NYC sights

I had a day in NYC to walk around. Spotted a gentleman with 3 Scotties! Here's to my Scottie friends!

A better mouse trap

Second mouse was caught. I took him up the Delaware and let him loose at Bull Island. I bought a TOMCAT live capture trap at Lowes. It's a little tube on a pivot so that when the mouse runs in to the food at the far end, it snaps shut without causing any harm. One of the perils of living in a very old house, it's almost impossible to keep them out in the winter, even with the cat!

Scenes

New Jersey is surprising rural for one of the nation's most populated states. This year I found some of the roads that run through cranberry country. The bogs don't look like much in the summer, but everything changes in the fall. Unfortunately it was a gloomy day and I only had my camera to snap a picture... will have to try for better views next year!

Animal stuff

Igor had his stitches removed on Tuesday , so he spent a good part of the day washing his face.
The first mouse was caught in the trap, and released about 5 miles away. Hopefully he won't find his way back here...

Visitors

I have a mouse who has invaded my kitchen. Living in a very old house, this is a frequent annoyance when cold weather moves in, so does the mouse.
Unfortunately, Igor, my cat had lost an eye so he is not such a great hunter.
I had a bag of carmel soy crisps and discovered that someone had ripped a big hole in the bottom. I was not me. It was not Igor.
That leaves only one suspect.....!

thought for the day

I'm reading Gregory Maguire's "Mirror, Mirror"

a thought to ponder:
"Always kill the fatted calf, lest it grow to become a cow and produce in its time a bull who will gore you"

My Thanksgiving tale

My cat, Igor, has had an eye problem for a while. like glaucoma, it was swollen and had started to become bloody. The only solution was to remove the eye. He had adjusted to losing the eyesight very well and was fine running around the house. He has a heart murmur and is not a young lad , so surgery was a big risk.
Last visit to the vet, I had pretty much decided that surgery was too expensive for such a risky situation, and that I would say goodbye when the situation became too severe.
Saturday morning he did not look too well. I had an important meeting, and said a prayer to make it through the weekend. I had called a very good friend and persuaded them to take me to the Ship Inn, one of my favorite places , for dinner. The food and beer are always very good and I was looking for comfort in the sad situation I was facing.
out of the blue, I spotted some friends I had not seen in almost 2 years at the door! They had stopped 2 other places, and were unable to get dinner, so headed to The Ship. They got a table for dinner, and we joined them for some friendly chat. They told me a story about one of their cats who was almost lost but survived due to an unexplained miracle.
It came to me later that it was divine intervention that brought them to the Ship to save Igor!
He had his surgery Tuesday, is doing very well, and I will bring him home Wednesday.

QUESTIONS THAT HAUNT ME

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered
assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. but it's only a "penny
for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you
were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it
would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake
up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in
binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to
see you naked anyway.

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a
horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song
about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a
coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?
They're both dogs!

If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why
didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from
vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same
tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere,
but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad
at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the
window?

End of summer

I always know when it is the end of summer. I have to bring all my plants that enjoyed the summer out into the house. My orchids, which I bouht as orphans after they had bloomed, surprised me this summer. Three of the 5 have bloomed so far.

Sunsets

Anyone who lives near a body of water knows how marvelous the sunsets can be. I just caught the very end of this on- the hill looked as if it were on fire!

doggy don't!

This funny metal dog on a lawn... wondering where on earth the owner bought it!

New Laws

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee.
Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.
Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. (works every time)
Bath Theorem: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will. Law of Bio mechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. Theatre Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last. Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your Boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.
Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's really ugly.
Oliver's Law: A closed mouth gathers no feet.
Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

A Day in Cape May

One of my friends had moved to Cape May about 2 years ago. I had not made the jpurney to visit, until last week. Had the grand tour from bay to Wildwood by auto. A wonderful crabcake dinner, walk on the bay for sunset before my trek back to Trenton.

A wonderful day was had by all!

Starbucks encounter

One of my friends met the love of his life at Starbucks...Me? well her's my starbucks story.
I was called to work in Atlantic City. Went to the Starbucks by the convention center for a pick-me up. I had my transit id on because there were many police around the station for some reason. Ahead of me in line was a boy, about 6 with his grandfather. He had a "conductor" hat on and a pocket full of seat checks. He spotted my ID and started pointing and tugging at his Grandpa's hand. He could not believe I was an engineer! I have to wonder if he will be able to grow up and still have his dream of working on the trains......