Six 8s

From Greeble Monkey

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8 Things I'm Passionate About


1. My dogs. Even when Wolf picks a fight with Max on Christmas Day and he gets banished to the outside, I still love him, stupid feisty shiba!

2. My friends. I don't ask for much from them...just be there for me and they are.

3. Photography. I've loved taking pictures since I was a kid, and I love it still, after a bit of a longish break. I may not be that good, but damn it, I enjoy it!

4. Recycling. It's such a small thing to do...but so important! Things aren't like they used to be, people :-)

5. Food! I love to shop, cook, create, taste, touch, smell.

6. Dreaming. My dreams used to be incredibly interesting and detailed, but lately they've been full of death and scary things. I MADE myself wake up and get out of bed this morning cause the dream I was in the middle of was so ... NOT pleasant!

7. Scents; in particular, spicy scents. I love perfumes, lotions, and natural scents, too, such as the woods on a very hot day, lilacs, the ocean, freshly shampooed hair, baking bread, etc., etc..

8. I asked some friends what they thought I was passionate about and these are their answers "traveling", "photography", "Snape and Johnny Depp! Photography. Friends.", "loving life and enjoying it", "photography", "experiencing life", "the reading experience", "photography and the filthiest martini you can find", "Books! Dogs!!", "animals", "...photography...quickly followed by the puppies, traveling, johnny depp...", "photography, with Snape and Johnny running neck-in-neck for second. ;-)", "Japan", "WOLF".

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8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die


1. Become a godmother!
2. Go back to Japan for at least a month.
3. Swim with the dolphins
4. Right some wrongs
5. Be accepted
6. Talk to an old friend again
7. Dance in the light of a full moon with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop with my lover
8. Be in love again!

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8 Things I Say Often


1. Sweet pea
2. Crikey
3. WOLF! NO!!!
4. Um...I don't remember/I forget/forgot...
5. I know not. [10 points if you know where's that from and 20 points if you know who said it!]
6. WTF!
7. Sorry!
8. MFer!!!

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8 Books I've Read Recently


1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
2. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
3. Heat by Bill Buford
4. The three Twilight series books by Stephanie Meyers
5. Rises The Night by Colleen Gleason
6. Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant by Jenni Ferrari-Adler
7. Come Back by Claire & Mia Fontaine
8. The Problem With Murmur Lee by Connie May Fowler

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8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over


1. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
2. The Show by Doug E Fresh
3. Almost anything by Led Zeppelin, especially Ramble On
4. I'm So Tired by the Beatles
5. Suffragette City by David Bowie
6. Jeepster by T. Rex
7. Lola by the Kinks
8. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love by Van Halen

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8 Things That Attract Me To My Best Friends


For those of you I didn't have pictures of (cough, Deb, Laura, Lauren, anyone not pictured that I adore, etc., cough)...next time you'll LET me take your picture, right?!
1. Sense of Humor
2. Intelligence
3. Spontaneity
4. They "get" me
5. They like to talk; I like to listen
6. Acceptance
7. Adventurous
8. They make time for our friendship, no matter what
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That's it for the year! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog, looking at my pictures, commenting...and most of all, for your friendship! I hope you all have a fantastic, happy, healthy, prosperous and FUN 2008!

2007: The Year in Review

January:

- Had one day early in January where the temp hit 70 degrees...in JANUARY!
- Got lots of new scents from BPAL
- Bought new eyeglasses
- Traveled to CT to visit ME and watch her skate; got to see Deb & Laura, too!
- Visited my cousin and the new puppies!

Movies:

- Night at the Museum
- The Departed [excellent movie!]
- Notes On A Scandal [very good, but I went around calling myself Judi Dench for a long time afterward...also, it was FREEZING that day!]
- Little Children

Books:

- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- S Is For Silence by Sue Grafton


February:

- Decided to keep my Honda Civic Si and buy out the lease
- Bro's 17th anniversary
- Heather's birthday
- Tried a new tomato sauce recipe that has since become my standard!
- Started working my way through the alphabet on Thursday Thirteen!
- Joined WeeWorld and made my first WeeMee
- Dad's birthday

Movies

- Hannibal Rising [eh on the movie, but the actor who played Hannibal was hot!]
- Music and Lyrics [cutesy type movie]
- Pan's Labyrinth [beautiful but sad]

Books:

- Predator by Patricia Cornwell
- For One More Day by Mitch Albom
- Next by Michael Crichton
- Hard Truth by Nevada Barr


March:

- Went to the Boston Flower Show

Movies:

- Venus [good...but a bit freaky!]
- The Host [lol loved this one, a Korean horror story]

Books:

- no books, at least none that I can remember!


April:

- Took a photography class
- Visited ME in MD
- Visited my cousin and the puppies
- Went to DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park

Movies

- Hot Fuzz [eh]
- Snow Cake [eh]
- Blades of Glory [eh]

Books

- nada [i.e., can't remember, didn't write it down!]


May:

- Visited MB (my cousin)

Books:

- Nada [i.e, see above lol]

Movies:

- Shrek 3 [cute]
- POTC 3 [fantastically trippy eye candy!!!]


June:

- Trip to Vegas with friends to celebrate my 50th!
- Cirque du Soleil's LOVE
- Got my first poppet!
- Had my first taste of Cucumber, Mango and Black Bean Salad

Movie:

- Ocean's 13
- The Astronaut Farmer
- Bridge to Terabithia

Books:

- The Good Guy by Dean Koontz


July:

- Trip to MB's w/Michelle
- 4th of July at my cousin's
- Day trip to Portsmouth, NH
- Fuller Gardens
- Trip to VT w/Diane & her two girls to visit Mo, and then Betsy & her three girls!

Books

- Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
- Heat by Bill Buford

Movies:

- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [first time I liked the new Dumbledore]
- Hairspray
- Sunshine
- Ratatouille [saw it at a drive in!]


August:

- Hosted, all month, Photo Thursday at Create a Connection
- Megan's birthday
- Got a new tattoo (mandala)
- House & dog sat for Diane
- Photographed & attended Diana's wedding!
- got a new phone with GPS and named her Jessamyn
- Finished working my way through the alphabet on Thursday Thirteen!
- My Tivo died!

Books:

- nada!

Movies:

- Stardust [loved it!]




September:

- Went to see the comedian Lewis Black w/Pat in Hampton Beach, NH
- First anniversary of A Girl Must Shop; have you checked it out? Cool site! Happy shopping!
- Bought my first laptop
- Got a replacement Tivo
- Bought a Dyson vac
- Took Dad to his adopted grandchild's wedding
- shot Krista's wedding
- Krista's birthday
- Shot Aislinn's wedding in St. Thomas; took a day trip to St. John

Books:

- Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
- Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer [LOVED them!]

Movies:

- Into The Wild [so damn sad]


October:

- Michelle's birthday
- Aislinn's birthday
- Visited Mo in VT
- Great new tv shows like "Pushing Daisies" and "Reaper"
- Started a new home for "What Is It Wednesday" and "Friday Fill-Ins"
- Paid off all my charge cards
- Saw Van Halen in concert!!!

Books:

- Strangers by Taichi Yamada
- Rises The Night by Colleen Gleason [one of the sexiest passages I ever read are in this book!]

Movies:

- Gone Baby Gone [excellent and thought provoking]
- Some old horror movies with Krista [one was an old Vincent Price movie!]


November:

- Participated in Carla's My Sacred Life and NaBloPoMo
- Pat's birthday; went to her surprise party in NH and on my way home got pulled over THREE times because one of my brake lights was out
- Maribeth's birthday
- Laura's birthday
- Started an Etsy Shop; sold one picture so far :-)
- Heard a rumor that Led Zeppelin might tour!
- 11/28/07 - fondofsnape.com crashed...and it WILL be resurrected!

Books:

- The Problem with Murmur Lee by Connie May Fowler

Movies:

- Wild Hogs
- Live Free or Die Hard [great adventure flick]
- Sicko [makes one sick to see what goes on in the states, medically speaking]
- American Gangster [I forgot how sexy Denzel is!]
- Fred Claus [abysmal]
- The Song Remains The Same (an old Led Zeppelin movie)


December:

- the house next door caught fire was rebuilt!
- blogging at http://fondofphotography.blogspot.com for the time being
- Visited ME in MD; went to her work Christmas party...hoity toity!
- Saw Hall & Oates in concert
- Yes!!! The Hobbit will be made into a movie!!! Jackson will produce!

Books:

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
Sundays With Vlad by Paul Bibeau

Movies:

- The Golden Compass
- Sweeney Todd! [that man can sing!]
- I Am Legend [I heart Will Smith!]
- The Kite Runner [made me want to read the book]
- Juno [an adorable movie, go see it!]
- Charlie Wilson's War [ahhhh, reminds me of the 80s!]
- Enchanted [a bit slow at the beginning, but ever so cute later on!]

Onward to 2008!

Photohunt #88: Messy

Here are the rules for Photohunt!

1. snowdog, 2. stuck, 3. shell littered beach, 4. cluttered city view, 5. dump heap in the woods, 6. purple berry stained paw

Last night I went to a Yankee Swap; while there, we played a game called "What would Fred do?". These are the rules:

Players take turns drawing cards that require them to pass a test. There are six types of tests: uncomfortable, revolting, awkward, mischievous, easy, and self-serving. When players pass a test [and some ARE truly revolting], they receive Credit or No Credit. If a player does not pass a test, he may be eliminated from the game. If a player cannot pass a test due to circumstances outside of his control, the test is declared a dud and the player draws again [however, if she refuses to do what the card asks of her, she is out...and I was out after the first card!]. The goal is to remain in the game and collect 4 credits.

It's vile! But...it made me laugh my rear off! Having to say Sacageawea for two minutes, having to take a 3 minute shower while singing nursery rhymes, having to mix butter & jelly in another player's hair...getting the drift? It gets worse...but human nature being what it is, it's great for a laugh.

Round Robin Challenge: "Going, Going, Gone"

I've been away from the Round Robin Challenge for awhile, but I'm back and happy to be here! The topic is "Going, Going, Gone!" as suggested by Nancyluvspix.


Going...


Going...


Gone!

Or...

Captain Jack Sparrow has decided to give up the rum as it has started to give him hallucinations...

Going...


Going...


Gone!

Friday Fill-In #52

Here are the correct quotes:

1. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses." [Professor Snape, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]
2. "Why is the rum always gone?" [Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest]
3. "Harold, *everyone* has the right to make an ass out of themselves." [Maude, Harold and Maude]
4. "Nine companions, so be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." [Elrond, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]
5. "Nonsense, I have not yet begun to defile myself." [Doc Holliday, Tombstone]
6. "Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere." [Forest Gump, Forest Gump]

These are MY answers:

1. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, turning you into a vampire, the vampire of your dreams."
2. "Why is the freaking toilet paper always gone?"
3. "Harold, *everyone* has the right to make an impressive meal out of chips and chocolate."
4. "Nine companions, so be it. You shall be geekiest of the geeks."
5. "Nonsense, I have not yet begun to fill my magic goblet."
6. "Mama says they was magic shoes. They could work like a magic carpet, taking you wherever you want."
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to whatever comes up, tomorrow my plans include a good old-fashioned Yankee swap and Sunday, I want to do whatever moves me!


Wolf, enjoying his Christmas presents!

Thursday Thirteen #100!!!

Thirteen Things That Make Me Happy

1. My dogs, Wolf and Max!
2. My friends
3. A really good filthy martini
4. Cobbie's Mac & cheese
5. Photography
6. Traveling
7. A full moon
8. Driving
9. Led Zeppelin
10. My new blog design [For those of you reading on Google reader or similar, or those of you that have been pining away for the good Professor...come see the new design, courtesy of the ever-talented Heather!]
11. Reading
12. Swimming in the ocean
13. The thought that things aren't always as they seem :-)


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Fairy

One of the gifts I received this Christmas is a Canon Extension Tube (EF25 II) for my 50mm f/1.8 lens...and it's amazing!

Merry Christmas!!!

Hope you and yours are having a great day and that Santa was very good to you :-)

"When happiness shows up, always give it a comfortable seat." - Mr. Fezziwig

The Trickster

Had a lovely dinner Saturday night with Michelle at a place that's been on my list to go to for awhile now...Elephant Walk and it was as delicious as I'd hoped it would be! Started off with Potage aux Champignons, Coulis d'Epinard, a wonderful wild mushroom soup with sherry and brown rice...yum! The entree was Coquilles St. Jacques au Gingembre, the scallops were great and the mashed edamame was out of this world! I also had a delicious drink; cognac mixed with pear liqueur...a delight to sip!

Afterwards, we went to see The Kite Runner. I've never read the book, but after seeing the movie, I really want to! It was sad, inspiring and eye opening, all at the same time. See this if you get the chance!

Sunday, Megan and I went on a search for Max's & Wolf's Christmas present, crack biscuits (aka Innova Health Bars). Finally found them at the second pet store we went to (they were almost sold out, these things are fantastic!) and then we headed off for a sushi lunch. Won't say where, as I was quite disappointed with the meal. Maybe it's under new ownership or something, it used to be fantastic. Afterwards, we went to see the movie, Juno. Go...GO see this movie! I loved the girl, quirky and smart and funny. The parents were fantastic, especially the step-mom in the scene with the ultrasound tech. Then we did a bit of last minute shopping (for me lol) and headed to Megan's for dinner. We'd planned on fondue, but the cheese was an utter disaster and so I put together dinner from the things we'd planned to dip in the cheese (garlic sausage and fingerling potatoes sauteed with onions in a little olive oil, and a bit of white wine & mustard). During dinner we watched Love Actually, because I haven't seen enough movies this weekend ;-) Dessert was one of Megan's delicious haystack cookies!

Today I'm baking cookies, and in a bit I'll go out and get a few more things for tomorrow. Are you ready?

Saw this over on Lisa's blog:

Your Score: The Coyote

You scored 41% domestic, 42% gregarious, 53% trickster, and 29% intellect!

Wild, Solitary, Emotional Trickster: you are the Coyote!

Coyote is a complex symbol of humor, cunning, and survival. Coyote is often portrayed as the ‘wise fool’, helping people to see the truth in difficult situations. Coyote medicine is often strongly tied to learning to be adaptable, seeing the humor in even the worst situations, and being able to cope with even the toughest things life can throw at you.


This test categorized you based on four different axes of personality, which were then associated with a different animal. The four axes, as well as all possible results are explained below.


Wild/Domestic: This first axis categorizes you based on how much you are drawn to the outdoors, versus how much you are drawn to civilized situations. Domesticity has many shapes and forms, and varies from the joy of dolphins leaping next to a ship to the steadfast loyalty of a family dog.


Gregarious/Solitary: This axis measures how solitary you are. If you scored high, it means that you enjoy the company of other people, while a low score indicates that you prefer a more solitary lifestyle.


Trickster/Serious: This axis measures how well you line up with conventional trickster archetypes. People who fall into this archetype have a sense of humor and an excitable, highly chaotic streak. Scoring low doesn't mean that you don't have a sense of humor; it just means that you probably don't think dynamite is very funny.


Intellectual/Emotional: This last axis determines whether you are more emotional -- acting based on feelings and instinct, or rational and intelectual -- acting more on thought than on your gut feelings.

Wild	Gregarious	Trickster	Intellectual	The Hyena
Wild	Gregarious	Trickster	Emotional	The Otter
Wild	Gregarious	Serious	Intellectual	The Antelope
Wild	Gregarious	Serious	Emotional	The Wolf
Wild	Solitary	Trickster	Intellectual	The Weasel
Wild	Solitary	Trickster	Emotional	The Coyote
Wild	Solitary	Serious	Intellectual	The Raven
Wild	Solitary	Serious	Emotional	The Frog
Domestic	Gregarious	Trickster	Intellectual	The Fox
Domestic	Gregarious	Trickster	Emotional	The Dolphin
Domestic	Gregarious	Serious	Intellectual	The Horse
Domestic	Gregarious	Serious	Emotional	The Dog
Domestic	Solitary	Trickster	Intellectual	The Rat
Domestic	Solitary	Trickster	Emotional	The Ferret
Domestic	Solitary	Serious	Intellectual	The Cat
Domestic	Solitary	Serious	Emotional	The Squirrel

Link: The Animal Archetype Test written by crumpetsfortea on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(crumpetsfortea)

ps. major blog design change coming up...a little Christmas present for those who requested some Snape :-)

Photohunt #88: Light

Here are the rules for Photohunt!

I'm sure I'll be in the majority here, but I couldn't resist:


I went to see Sweeney Todd last night and OMGOMGOMG...not only is he beautiful and talented, but the man can SING! And to see him in a duet with Snape Alan Rickman...well...if I didn't have to live to see The Hobbit, the next Pirates and the last two HP movies, I could just die and go to hell heaven right now! Seriously...he's got a great voice!!!

We snuck in and saw I Am Legend afterwards...Will Smith is just amazing.

Friday Fill-In #51

1. Snow is really pretty but dang, c'mon now, enough is enough.
2. I'm looking forward to seeing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
3. Salty chocolate is the best chocolate ever!
4. One of my favorite old tv shows is The Munsters [been watching TV Land while I've been home sick].
5. I'm done with my Christmas cards (finally!).
6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is doing things with friends and family .
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Johnny Depp Sweeney Todd!!!, tomorrow my plans include going out to dinner with a friend and Sunday, I want to finish shopping and buy stuff for dinner on Tuesday!

Friday Fill-In

Thursday Thirteen #99

Thirteen Books on my To Be Read List

1. The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
2. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Blaze by Richard Bachman
4. Smashed by Koren Zailckas
5. The Psycho Ex Game by Merrill Markoe
6. My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman
7. Good Grief by Lolly WInston
8. Many Bloody Returns
9. The Good Guy by Dean Koontz
10. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
11. Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
12. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
13. I am Legend by Richard Matheson




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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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blech!

I woke up at 1230 last night sick as a dog...then again at 230...then again at 430...you get the picture. So I'm at home today relaxing and every so often making a beeline for the bathroom.

While up at 230, I heard a plane fly overheard and thought...where are these people going to or coming from at 3 am? What adventure were they on or had they been on, what sights would they see or had seen, etc., etc.

I think I have the travel bug, in addition to the 24 hour bug that seems to have taken up residence in my guts.


I think I'll crawl back into bed...yaaaaaaaawwwwnnnn!

By the way, What Is It Wednesday is up!

What great news!!!

I couldn't ask for a better Christmas present: Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit"

Jackson said: "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."

Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.

It's Monday! That means it's time for Lisa's Manic Monday meme :-)

What is your idea of a perfect romantic evening? Sitting by a fire during a blizzard, sipping spiced wine and talking and kissing and talking some more.

Imagine you had to take part in the winter Olympics. What sport would you do? Figure skating or speed skating...both are appealing to me!

What's something that people do in traffic that really bothers you? Just one thing? I'll say drive too slow. That's what irked me on the way in to work this morning!

The weekend!

The good:

- Flying into Baltimore 10 minutes early
- Had a great Italian dinner
- Opening Christmas presents!
- Breakfast at the Diner
- Visiting the mansion where ME's son will get married next April and taking tons of pictures
- Finding a toy store just when we needed one
- ME's work party in DC...cheese and rice, was it amazing! 1,000 people, many different rooms (kids' room, disco, mohito bar, etc., etc.) and every type of food you can imagine (curried butternut squash shots were AMAZING), and a great R&B band
- The hotel we stayed at and where the party was ... very nice!
- LOTR trilogy on TNT (which I got to watch from Boromir's death scene in the first movie to 1/2 hour into the second at the airport)
- holing up in a hotel in Manchester NH and watching the entire third LOTR movie

The bad:

- the flight home, specifically the landing *shudder*
- the roads (I ended up staying at a hotel near the airport)

Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

Photohunt #88: Small

Here are the rules for Photohunt!




small photographer Santa, small laptop, small bear making an ice sculpture!

Thanks so much to tnchick for making me site of the day last week! Big hugs to you :-) And thanks to all who visited!

Friday Fill-In #50

1. Away in a manger, no room for a diaper genie.
2. Dashing through the snow, in a sports car that needs new tires is scary.
3. Hark! The herald angels call to me.
4. It's coming on christmas and I can't wait.
5. When I was small I believed in Santa Claus, Though I knew it was the tooth fairy in disguise.
6. That Christmas magic's brought this tale to Maryland for the weekend.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Enchanted with MaryEllen, tomorrow my plans include visiting the Corcoran and going to a Christmas party at a swanky hotel in DC and Sunday, I want to not have to drive in a raging snowstorm on the way home!

Thursday Thirteen #98

Thirteen Pictures on the Christmas Cards I sent out this year




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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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