I WON!

I’m usually NOT a winner at anything. However, I actually won something. Funny it should be a contest hosted by my dear friend Cherrye at My Bella Vita. When she told me I won, I picked the “Calabrian and Italian goodies package” because I know it’ll be a little while before I make it back to Italy, so I didn’t need the room right now, and I love surprises (in present form preferably!) Let’s check out what all I received in the mail on Friday. (you should be able to click on the picture to make it bigger if you need.)

Starting on the far left I’ll try to go in a clockwise circle. Lemon ice cream stuff…it was yummy, I already popped them in the freezer and have eaten one of the two little packets. Nice note from Cherrye. Mafioso oven mitt. Some postcards. Chocolate! Cornutto/longhorns to ward off the malocchio so I don’t die! (Read all about the malocchio and the little red horns here.) And some bath and body goodies! The glass of wine, naturally not sent through mail, but I know Cherrye would have wanted me to feel like I was back in Italy.

Thanks a bunch for the package! And now everyone knows Cherrye sends good gifts, so if she has another contest you should enter. Or wait, maybe not…so I’ll have a better chance at winning again!

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Fab Friday

I should have written sooner but I didn’t. Anyhow, Friday was an awesome day of random photo blog fodder.

I left my car at the school over night, and went to lunch the next day with friends, only to find that the birds in the trees had something close to Montezuma’s Revenge all over my windshield.

Then, in traffic on my way to a “mevening” (which is a lame-o term for just hanging out by yourself for an evening, even though I do like the concept) I saw this…

which I assume is meant for all the intersection cameras going up in Texas (and presumably California too, noticing their California plates.) I’m not sure what the vvampyr really is about…vampyr with a stutter???

Then, I stop at the local area grocery store to grab a few things for dinner on the way home and have the opportunity to photograph (on the sly) a few things that only a southeast Texas grocery store would sell. These aren’t an outfit, but together they are the quickest way I can photograph without being caught.

Then I get to my apartment, seeing something I’ve been hoping to take a picture of FOR-EV-ERRR.

This is the Poder y Gozo (power and joy) van that moonlights as the security van. However, for several days now it’s been broken down in the same space it parks at night, thus, allowing me to photograph it in the daylight. (special note…since Friday, it has been moved to another spot and for some reason the hood is now being held down by two bungee cords.)

Friday had even more photo awesomeness that I promise to share with you tomorrow! Happy Monday!

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Top Five Friday – Random Fact Edition!

It’s Friday and you know what that means…(besides girls nights, sleeping in tomorrow, and not having to work for two days!)…it’s Top Five Friday. Today you get five random facts about me and my life.

1. I fractured my skull wake-boarding and had to get stitches, stay in neuro trama ICU for a night and then another night in a regular room. Normally not the athletic type.

2. Stuff like the following picture used to kinda piss me off but now makes me laugh and somewhat miss living in “the country”. I can barely trust my post office to actually deliver packages, and since I live in an apartment they definitely don’t “leave them at the door.” I almost wish for the days that when I ordered a package I knew it would get to my house and be waiting, rubber banded to the mailbox. (That’s so 1. the mail person doesn’t have to go to the door. 2. and so dogs and other animals don’t eat it before you get home.) How clever!

3. Lolcats makes me LOL and I find myself getting distracted for up to 20 minutes looking at the pictures and captions. And I’m not really a pet person. I even laugh at the website address icanhasacheezburger.com…It’s the little things.

4. I read Dear Abby every morning when I am checking my emails and reading my blogs. I also read Hints from Heloise too to see what the “hecklers” are going to say. The hecklers make sure to point out how obvious/bad some of Heloise’s hints are. For example one of today’s hints was this “I hated throwing away those large, plastic coffee cans, so I use them in the kitchen. Instead of going to the trash can every time I peel an onion or have something to dispose of, I line a can with a plastic bag from the produce department (another recycled item). When I’m done, I take the bag out, line with a fresh bag, and I’m ready for the next meal.” One of the hecklers commented “I have 4,782 of those plastic coffee cans and I couldn’t figure out what to do with them. The garage is full and I was thinking I might have to rent one of those private storage places. You have given me a use for them, thank you and thank God for Heloise, who else would spend time thinking up this crap.” Sometimes, the hecklers are pretty dang funny! You can find both Abby and Heloise’s columns here.

5. I graduated with my bachelors degree 5 years ago. Time sure has flown. And it’s nearly been 3 years since I finished my masters too. AND it’s almost time for my 10 year high school reunion. Sometimes I feel too young for any of it.

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So many random things….

….so little time.

Ok, so I’m taking an afternoon break to check my emails and blogs and such, when I stumbled upon a few things.  As a little background info, I read a few money savings type blogs that tell you about freebies and specials at various places.  Well, I saw these two things in posts today that made me laugh.   Hope you enjoy.

1.  It is Wedgie Free Wednesday!!  That’s right ladies, in a crusade against wedgies, Hanes is sponsoring the giveaway of 500 pairs of No Ride Up Panties every week…on WEDNESDAY!  Click here to enter to win.

2.  Kum & Go “is recognized as the top rated c-store chain in the nation for delivering the ideal customer service experience.”  All I can say is TERRIBLE…and shake my head.     

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Art Car Parade – Photomania!

I know I hyped this up so much, that you probably figured that I forgot about it. NO WAY! I certainly made sure to attend the Houston Art Car Parade this weekend while I was in Houston, and I had so much fun. Not that walking a mile from where we parked to get to the actual parade or standing in the hot sun with little shade was fun but there were so many interesting cars and people. When we first got there, my sister and I (Burt’s Bees addicts!) made sure that we found the Burt’s Bees Experience tent.

We thought we were going to get awesome goodies…we got seeds and baby wash.

The Starbucks booth was giving out free samples of iced coffee so I got some, for the ice!

The parade had officially started, but we decided to let it make it’s way back to our side of the street before we really started paying attention. While waiting, we saw this avid art car fan.

My mom said her bra size was probably “44 Long”. Poor thing.

I seriously took pictures of almost every car (there were 200+ cars)…even some that were sucky, because I didn’t want the people to see me taking pictures of other cooler cars, but not their car. Or sometimes I’d take a picture of cars with kids in them to make the kids feel special. I know, I’M SPECIAL! Anyhow, here are some highlights of the actual parade.

This big thing is “Our Lady of Transportation” and it was AWESOME…that’s why they won the top two highest awards in the parade.

Shattered Vanity, little mirrors neatly arranged all over the whole car.

Billy Basses and some lobsters that sang and danced in unison.

The Rocket was a political statement, complete with Satan, Dubya, and many other people complete with mini “rockets” protruding out of their “lower front waist areas.” The other pictures I have of the Rocket aren’t suitable for children’s eyes. Moving on.

The peacock’s feathers fanned up and down.

At some point, we saw this guy, with a spinner hubcap around his neck. It actually spun.

My dad LOVED the Land Yacht!

The chicken was pretty cool.

I do think it takes talent (in some cases A LOT of talent) and imagination. But to build an art car, I think you’ve also got to have commitment. From what I’ve read, some people get sponsorships to build their art cars, so I realize it could be a pretty big monetary commitment. However, you’ve also got to have the actual commitment to building or decorating and actual automobile with whatever you think is artistic.

Unfortunately, slapping a piece of plastic with some spray paint squiggles over your car does not constitute commitment since you can stop after the parade, ball up the plastic, and throw it away (or re-use it next year for those of you who are “going green”). I’m not impressed by your art car wannabe. Sorry guy!

Check out some of the other 2008 Art Car Parade entries at http://www.orangeshow.org/v2008/ and tell me… which ones do you like??

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Travel Tip Tuesday

For today’s post, I was asked to share a favorite travel tip by Cherrye of My Bella Vita, and instantly I knew what my tip would be. Enjoy Travel Tip Tuesday!

Everyone who has traveled with me could tell you that I LOVE taking pictures. And thanks to the digital camera I can take plenty to make sure I get just the right shot I was hoping for. Even with up to 800 pictures on from a trip, inevitably, I sometimes don’t have the shot I was looking for, or the lighting was bad, or there were too many people. So I always make sure to buy post cards of the places I visit, not only to give to friends and family as souvenirs, but also so I have a great picture to add to my scrapbook in case mine didn’t turn out.

So, I leave you with a “postcard perfect” shot of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.

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