The "Other" SJ's Blogging Brilliance

On a wild trip through the black holes of the internet a few months back I discovered another SJ. As you may know she and I have been enjoying reading one another's blogs, as well as discovering the similarities between one another. Today she posted a wonderful little blogging assignment, that inspired me to follow in her footsteps.


I am...
A strong willed independent woman, who cherishes my friends, family and cats.


I want....
Do you want the short list or the long list? A never ending supply of wonderful books to read, all the cool technology gadgets, and all the money that I want to give to all sorts of great organizations and causes, to earn my Ph.D


I have
An amazing life, an amazing family, amazing friends, a great guy in my life, the best cats, a wonderful job, and my dream house.


I wish...
That every day I could get through all of my "to-do" list, that every week had a three day weekend, and that my house cleaned itself.


I hate...
Olives, slow internet, bad windshield wipers.

I fear...
That my computer will take over my life! No just kidding, honestly I fear drowning.


I hear...
The Music Man talking on the phone with family, frogs chirping, thoughts running in my mind.

I search...
Google and Wikipedia all the time for instant gratification for the answers to the questions that I need/want to know. (Thanks SJ!)

I wonder...
Why you all want to read my answers to these questions, what ever happened to Amelia Earhart, when will I get my very own iPhone, will I ever sell my car and get a Yaris?

I regret...
Not returning phone calls in a more timely manner, being a poor speller, not backing up my laptop and loosing all of my pictures (including Aimil's graduation pictures).


I love...
My great life, my family, friends, cats, taking pictures of my feet, and my positive outlook on life


I ache...
From all of the strawberry and pea picking that I have been doing over the last few days.

I always...
Have my laptop and camera with me and carry more "just in case" stuff in my backpack than I really need.


I usually...
Talk to my mother daily, have a book with me, can be reached by phone, wear contacts

I am not...
Going to regret things in life, or going to eat chicken feet

I dance...
Only when I am drunk

I sing...
In the car when I'm alone

I never....
Want to know life without the supportive network of friends and family that I have.

I rarely...
Misplace objects (even though my cell phone voicemail message says I must have lost my phone), go a day without checking my email, talking to my Mom.

I cry....
Oh let's not go there again..... life is getting better!

I am not always
Going to remember the words to a song but I can remember all sorts of other things.

I lose...
Nothing

I'm confused...
For short periods of time until I can think it through

I miss...
The Simmons Gals, take-out food delivery, Sterling

I need...
Time to myself everyday to "re-charge" the batteries, a few bits of ice cream every day, more time in the day, and more sleep

I should...
Follow Miss Martha's house cleaning advice - my switch plates are being neglected.

Newsworthy!

Other than a deep appreciation for popcorn, we Irish's also carry the genetic marker for sending newspaper clippings to each other. It is not uncommon to open my mailbox and find a card from an Uncle, Aunt, Grandmother, or my Mother with a quick note telling me that I must read the enclosed articles. My Mother actually told me the other day on the phone that there is a package arriving for me at the house, but to not throw the newspaper away that it was packed in. Yes, My Mother has used the newspaper articles to pack the package with - that is another level of Yankee ingenuity!

Well, this genetic marker has traveled to my generation of the Irish's. Yesterday I was in the car with Mi Prima and she showed me a newspaper clipping of lectures and concerts that she thought I might be interested in. I must admit though, I have been known to find a website on the internet and send out an email to all the people that I think would enjoy it. I also have a folder in with my magazines where I place articles of interest for certain people to read.


Here is my link for today, it is filled with logic puzzles (thanks Aimil for showing it to me!)
Enjoy ~SJ

Charming

My Grandmother is known for a lot of wonderful things, but my favorite has to be her charm bracelet. This isn't the regular type of charm bracelet like my mother and I have where we get a new charm when we visit a memorable place. Grammy has a charm for each of her five children, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. That is a total of 19 charms, with another on the way! Each charm has our name on it, as well as our birthday. Maybe this is how Grammy never forgets to send us our birthday cards!



Like many people are known for a always wearing a specific piece of jewelry, my Grandmother goes no where without her charm bracelet. When I was little and she would come to my viola recitals (she came to all of them) I always knew where she was in the audience by the sound of her charm bracelet. Whenever I hear the bracelet, I know where my grandmother is. Also whenever I hear a charm bracelet I think of her. This is one of the many reasons why she is such a charming person to me!
Here is the Matriarch with all of her great-grandchildren!

Enjoy ~ SJ

An Irish Favorite

Popcorn is an Irish family staple. I know that most people think of it as a salty dry snack that gets their hands messy at the movies. But for the Irish's it is a staple of a well stocked refrigerator- the kernels keep better if they are refrigerator says my mother. For us popcorn is more than a movie snack. When I was little (ok, and still now) popcorn can be everything from a snack to an entire three course dinner.

One of my most fond family memories involving popcorn took place in the summer when my grandmother rented a cottage in Ocean Park and it rained for most of the week. So since we couldn't enjoy the sun and ocean, and after days of staying inside and reading we decided to go to the movies. Now this meant that every member of the family needed their own ration of soda as well as popcorn. Now a ration of popcorn for an Irish family member isn't the normal small popcorn at the movies, it is the giant bucket - each! So instead of buying all of the this food for the 15+ people, we decided to go in classic Irish fashion and smuggle it in. This was when you could bring bags into the movies. Good thing we decided to go to the movies early in the day because my mother and I got put on popping detail - it took what seemed to be hours! Once all the popcorn was made and rationed out, along with soda we had to decided how to smuggle it into the theater. The movie theater was near the mall - so we used a couple of Macy's bags and put the food in. Then came the big decision, what movie to go and see. As popcorn is an Irish staple - so is disagreeing. In the end we decided to go and see two different movies. Well, I'm sure you can see where this is going. In the end, all the popcorn ended up in one theater while the soda made it to the other. One group was thirsty with no snacks, while the other had plenty of snacks, but nothing to drink!



There are many different ways to pop popcorn. Some schools of thought prefer an air popper. Any true popcorn lover only eats microwave popcorn when there is nothing else left. I stick to the traditional on top of the stove popper. I think that the popcorn has more flavor, then again it could be because you use oil! According to wikipedia popcorn pops because of the moisture inside the kernels. The moisture heats up and explodes - thus creating the part we eat.

Enjoy! SJ