Friday

tip-o-day

It's a good idea to carry some paper towels and a small plastic bag in your car. Stick them in the trunk or under the seat out of the way. This way you are always ready for the unexpected to happen.
You never know when you may need to wipe up a spill, and you be totally prepared if say... a passenger succumbs to a little motion sickness.

Just waiting for the phone to ring

I just posted signs around the neighborhood.

As soon as I can get this cat off my lap perhaps I can post more pics of the whole story.




For now... here's just one more... for Val. :)

meow

It's a good thing I don't have a job yet.

For the last couple days my attentive wife and I have been hearing a cat meowing somewhere close by. It's not our feral ... she makes absolutely no sounds. If you're feral - that's just smart.

Today I sighted the cat.
He is in a tree in our neighbors yard.
o dear.
I think he may have been up there for days.
And its been below 10 degrees at night.
o dear.

I've called the police. I hope they show up soon.


UPDATE:
I got the cat out of the tree.
He was VERY hungry.
He is in my kitchen now.
eek.

Friday

tip-o-day

Today in New England we are having a mini January thaw. It's just the one day, so we'll have to make time to take advantage of it.

Try not to miss these little gifts. Be sure and get outside on days like this to soak up your fair share of vitamin D. Even if you happen to have a job... where you might have a busy work day, take a walk to get your lunch - or if you have a luncheon meeting - steal 5 minutes from your afternoon to step outside the office and walk around the parking lot.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how much better you feel after just a short time in the sunshine.

a new economy

So what would you do if you had no job and alot of time on your hands?

Home improvment?
Well, that's what I would do of course.

Current projects include, but are not limited too, revamps of our basement and attic.
You know... keeping your basement and attic spaces free of clutter and organized is good for your Chi. When these areas are not kept tidy it can have an effect on your mood, your attitude and your well being. These in turn affect all aspects of your life.

Also - I am doing my part for America. Its important in these hard economic times to keep the economy moving along. To pull our weight I am internet shopping today for major appliances. These include (and are also not limited too) a refrigerator, a laptop, a shopvac, and a sewing machine. (If anyone has sewing machine advice - please let me know. This is uncharted territory.)

Now I've got to go apply for unemployment. I mean... somebody has to pay for all this stuff.

One man's garbage... is still really garbage.

Sometime back in the 70's there were these ad campaigns to get dumb Americans to stop tossing their trash around. I am sure you remember the commercial made famous by the single tear rolling down the weather beaten face of a Native American.

Personally, I never really understood why people would toss around trash in the first place. Why is it we need to be told not to be slobs?

Anyway... it was around that time when I read an article about the dangers of those plastic ring things which hold a six pack of soda cans together. These were invented because Americans are evidently too lazy to purchase individual cans of soda. Well these items of 'convenience' were wreaking havoc out in the Nature. Animals were becoming entangled in them or even strangled by them. The plastic was too strong for them to break free of. And of course - plastic lasts forever.
This broke my heart.

Since that day, if I ever encounter one of those little nasties - I cut them into several pieces. Granted - it's still evil plastic, but at least little animals won't get hurt by playing with it.

Ok.. so now here we were last month setting up our Christmas tree. And it was wrapped in that ubiquitous tree 'netting'.

This netting totally freaked me out.
I mean just look at it.
This is clearly some dangerous stuff.

I kept thinking of the baby animals.




















I had to save the animals.


And so I started snipping... and snipping... and snipping

Until I had a pile of teeny tiny little plastic bits.

The bits were everywhere. They were all over the table, stuck to the chairs, spilled onto the floor... they were on my socks and my sleeves. They were very tiny bits.

I am still finding them -a month later.
But the baby animals are safe.
So I feel better.

when endings can be beginnings or beginnings end up as endings...

Yeah... I quit the new job.
Now I need another new job.

Really I think I just preferred being unemployed. Hey - I am married now, so my wife has to support me... right?

...and endings

We lost this huge birch in the ice storm last week.

We actually sorta 'stole' this tree from some field somewhere. We had just moved into our house (about 20 years ago) and really wanted a birch tree. So we plucked a little sapling and took it home. Over the years my green-thumbed wife has moved it around the yard a couple times.
It finally ended up in on of our favorite spots in the back yard. We had a bench there, placed so strategically that you could sit naked and not be seen by any or our neighbors.


Looks like our spring projects are starting to line themselves up.

new beginnings

no no no... not about the marriage.
We've been at that a long time, remember.

Oh, but ... thank you all very, very much for your well wishes. And know that we want to have a celebratory cocktail with each and every one of you. Seriously.

ok... about the beginnings.
I am totally wiped out tonight. Why?
I started a new job today.
whew.

My head nearly exploded by the time I came home this evening. My legally- married wife poured me a glass (or glasses) of wine.
I am sipping that now.
I am decompressing.

And I am very, very behind on all your blogs... going to catch up now.

It's all about the beni's

When I lost my job in November... hmm, "lost" - I didn't technically 'lose' anything.
I mean..you 'lose' your keys, you can 'lose' weight...but if I lost my job -- wouldn't that mean I might find it again.

Anyway... I digress.

Technically, I was an employee until Friday, January 2nd. Which means that our health benefits were good until that date. Years ago when I started with this company they were very progressive in their support of domestic partnership benefits which even allowed us to have Ferris on the plan.

So, the week before Christmas my hard working wife inquired at her job only to find that since Connecticut laws have changed - companies now require same sex couples be married to be eligible for benefits.

Hmm, ok - no problem. We'll visit the town hall sign some papers and hey... what the heck we'll take the kids out to dinner to celebrate.
It would be our 'marriage of convenience.'

Welp... when our dearest friends Betsy and Sammy heard of our plans - they would have none of that.

With a week to plan and organize and acquire - these two warm and wonderfully amazing people, with artistic help from Sue (and accomplices Kate and Karen) turned our home into a veritable marriage wonderland.

We then contacted our oldest friends in the world, Elaina and Alan, who knew us when we were first falling in love - back in the 80's with our big hair and parachute pants. Elaina is a Rabbi and we wanted to know if she would be able to marry us in a civil ceremony.
After some legal investigating - she left a simple message on our machine days before the wedding.
"Yay, yay, yay!"


And so on January 2nd, 2009 in front of our families and a small group of friends-
we were married by a Rabbi

In our home - made magical with tasty food, stunning flowers and love
























put together by

Sammy

and Bets.









We love them more than we can express.





We exchanged ALL of the rings we have given each other over the years.

Our kids helped out by holding all the rings...
























And we took turns telling the story of each one.



And now... finally, when I speak of my many-adjectived wife - she really is, legally and binding, with all the benefits...
my wife.






the special, stunning, sexy, sultry, silly, seven

in birth order no less...
sue, my wife, weese, karen, bets, kate, sammy

maybe later in the week I will tell you about the beer pong game...