100 Miles

People ask why I run. I say, "If you have to ask, you will never understand". It is something only those select few know. Those who put themselves through pain, but know, deep down, how good it really feels.
Erin Leonard

 

He's put in the time and the training.  I tried to feed him well.  We'll see if it pays off tomorrow when he's battling to maintain the delicate balance between hyperfitness and physical collapse. 

 

 

Loved This Book

My rating:

add to my books

11/22/63

by Stephen King

4.26  ·  rating details  ·  40,492 ratings  ·  8,075 reviews

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever.

If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you?
Would the consequences be worth it?

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time

Greg Laswell's New Album. Landline......WOW!!!

This song does thing to me.  I love this album so much.  I think it's his best ever.

Loving This Song

(Greg)
I know now you gave your best
That is all I ever really asked
And how it all went down
I'm all through putting all of that on you

And how I threw myself around
Trying to find the man I am outside of you
And how it goes is like this

All that I am and have these days can all be traced
Back to you


(Elizabeth)

I wonder if my best
Would have ever been enough for you
And how it all went down
I'm all through putting all of that on me

And how I watched you thrash around
Trying to right the wrongs that don't belong to you
Once and for all it's like this

All that I am and have these days can all be traced
Back to you

Where Have I Been???

                                                                            Here!

                                                                          Here!

                                                                     And here!
Although I highly recommend these books, they are not for the faint of heart. It's chalk full of kinky sex with a little S&M thrown in for good measure but don't let that scare you, it's a very good story!!  I personally loved them all and I hear tell that husbands all across the USofA love them too.  Well, they love that their wives read them.  From what I understand E.L. James (nam de plume) took Twilight's Bella and Edward and rewrote the story her way.  She was a member of fanfiction.net where lots of creative writers take popular books and change the ending or change the whole direction of the book just for fun.  Her take on Twilight was called "Master of the Universe."  It took off like wildfire and got noticed.  She then had to change the names and some other things to avoid copy rite infringement.  Ms. E.L. James just sold the movie rights!!  Oh my, I wonder how that will turn out.

March Pics

                                                                     Justin, newly 22.

                                                    Lanterns.  A Christmas gift from Jeff.

First picked rose of Spring.....a week ago.  And my new little bird. A birthday gift from Dani and Jessica.

Jim James and Woody Guthrie Love

Happy Birthday to Me

 In the beginning there are balloons, clowns and lots of giggling little girls.  Then comes the skate parties, whether ice or roller.  The teen years bring dancing and just being as crazy as possible.  Then it's twenty one and Vegas and........you know the saying.  Now it's 48.  Or twelve in leap years. 

 Now it's beautiful, warm and ever so lovely dinner parties.  It's great food and the best champagne and the sweetest of friends. 

 It's laughing and singing (karaoke) and talking about totally inappropriate subjects that are under the "Vegas" rule. 

 It's sharing and caring and being comfortable even in the momentary silences. 

 It's feeling completely at home and at peace when surrounded by kind and giving friends.

 It's having open and honest conversations about what kind of "procedure" you would like to get and to hear your friends say "oh, you don't need that!"  It's a hug when you've berated yourself for eating that second or third cupcake. 

 It's being deep and quoting Hemingway when he wrote, "Hunger is the best gravy," just to be proved wrong by Ruth's "Gravy is the best gravy."   Right you are Ruth, right you are.

 It's having exceptionally talented friends that can make tea towels for my travel trailer by hand.  Isn't that the cutest towel.  Can't wait to hang them in L.T.

 It's the magic of capturing photos that we will always treasure.  I love this one.

 And this one.

 Now it's being grateful for everything and wondering what you did to have such a great life. 

Now it's having great friends that can give you that party that only girlfriends can. 

THANK YOU

Kim (our wonderful host and kick ass cook)
Carmen
Ruth (co-host extraordinaire)
Pam
Andra
Dianna
Jodi
Sandy
Lena
Our similarities bring us to a common ground; Our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.

The "I've let myself go bun."

I wear my hair like this everyday, so how come I don't look this good?

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.  I'm the one with the fro (and no I'm not expecting.)  And I didn't get the "wear a print" memo.  So since today is my birthday and it's leap day (so that means it's extra special....I made that up) I bought myself the keratin blowout.  I go tomorrow and I can't wait.  I'll do the before and after thing.

Just some new pics.

Loved it !!!

I wish I had the gift that all great writers have.  It's not the mechanics of writing, it's the depth of feeling and the gift of being able to move one so deeply with the choice and cadence of the words.  Am I stating the obvious?   I loved this book not for the "other worldliness" of it that I'm so fond of but for the way Anne Rice tackles the human condition.  On the Kindle you can save certain passages in Notes and Marks.  "Willie's death gave the affair a certain gravity, a musical accompaniment in the minor key." A musical accompaniment in the minor key.  I love that.

Just before "The Wolf Gift" I read "The Breath of God," by Jeffrey Small.  If you were a fan of "The Di Vince Code,"  you'll love this book.  I saved this particular passage in my "notes."  "A Chinese Zen teacher one said, ' When you are full of doubt and uncertainty, even a thousand books of scripture are not sufficient; but when you truly understand, even one word is too much."  I was talking to a friend that was also reading "The Breath of God" and I mentioned that paragraph to her and she said it moved her too and she saved it in her notes. 

I would recommend both of these books to you and would love to hear what you thought.

Somethin' Somethin'

 I can't remember how long ago this group started the Somethin' Somethin' but I think it's been more than 15 years.  Maybe even closer to twenty.  Our first S.S. was on Valentines Day at Matt and Robin's cute little Tempe bungalow.  I could take the time to dig out the pictures from that night but that could take all day.  We try and do this about three times a year. Jeff and I hosted last weekends dinner party.  We started with olive and white truffle oil topenade and hummus on toasted crostini.  The caesar salad was made with romaine fresh from my garden and I made the best dressing ever which I will share with you. We had filet mignon with wine sauce, swiss chard and baked potato's with rosemary.  For dessert we had yellow cake with chocolate ganache (which my husband said was dry.  I think it was because I waited until the next day to pour on the ganache. Oh well.)

 We always have such a great time when we get together.  Always good food, good wine and champagne and great company.  The conversation is always interesting. 

 While we ladies retired to the conservatory to belt out the latest hits on the karaoke machine the gentlemen.......

enjoyed cigars and more talk of the plight of the country and their ideas on fixing it.  We were shocked when we discoverd that it was after one a.m.  Teresa, Robin and I were not done singing but apparently the guys had saved the world and it was then time to go.

Caesar salad dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 anchovy fillets or 1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
1 T lemon juice
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper

Put all ingredients in blender and while it's blending add in 1/4 cup olive oil.

In Vino Veritas

 My mom and I took a little trip to California over the weekend.  We went to visit my cousin's daughter, Monica.  She would be my second cousin but I think we kinda decided we're just cousin's.  Monica's grandmother manages this quaint French restaurant called the Beaurivage.

 It's in Malibu just a stones throw from Cher's house.  It has a spectacular view of the ocean looking towards Catalina Island.

 We were very pleased to meet Daniel Forge, owner of the Beaurivage.  He's the sweetest little Frenchman I've ever met.

 When I walked by this case full of wine and champagne I got trapped.  I was craning my neck to read all the labels.  Only the best in French Champagne is offered at the Beau. 

 I can't even tell you how excited I was to be invited to go down into the wine cellar.  All the bottles you see here are empty.  The good stuff was kept behind a thick wooden door with a padlock.  Damn.

 The food was exquisite.  I had the sole with a heavenly caper sauce.  Swiss chard is my new favorite veggie. 

As we sat at the "Johnny Carson" table and indulged in champagne, wine and Jack Daniels we toasted à notre santé.  French for "to our health!!!"  Thank you Monica, Annette and Daniel for my French lesson and a wonderful meal.