5) Matt & Nat bags: Forget Coach. I have never really had an afinity for name-brand purses...but the day I discovered Matt & Nat, my stubborn ideal that a purse should never cost more than $30 went flying out the window.
I discovered Matt & Nat while house-sitting for Judy Bruzza in Kalamazoo. I went out with my fabulous Aunt Susan (who rates an enthusiastic number ONE on my list of favorite relatives)for lunch at Food Dance Cafe (I could write a very lengthy blog extolling the virtues of Food Dance, but considering that I have no audience in Kalamazoo I will spare you another restaurant review)and then to do a little shopping downtown at Susan's friend's store, Earthly Delights (on the off chance that I DO have readers in Kalamazoo, please visit Earthly Delights - it is simply amazing).
I immediately fell in love with the Jorja bag, which Aunt Susan bought me as a moving-to-Connecticut present. But there was another bag that haunted me, my second choice...so imagine my delight when it showed up on my doorstep, cushioned in bubble wrap and packed in a Magnavox box. Thanks, Aunt Suze!(PS - One more quick shout out to K-zoo - as long as I am talking about stuff I like, I have to say that Water Street Coffee Joint still makes the best coffee/late/iced coffee I have ever had.)
4) Kickboxing: There is nothing better than whaling on a bag after a long day at work. NEMAA (New England Martial Arts Academy) Karate and Kickboxing is the best thing I have discovered in Connecticut. I had never taken bag classes before - just the Tai Bo-type stuff. But now every Tuesday, Thursday, and the occasional Saturday I get to put on my Everlast boxing gloves (pink ones!) and beat the crap out of a bag for 45 minutes. And as an added bonus, every class finishes with a kick-ass ab workout. If I hadn't signed up for that half-marathon, I might forgo running altogether in favor of kickboxing.
(And I recently tried out Hip Hop Hustle - as if I needed to be reminded of how white I truly am - and will be blogging about it in the very near future!)
3) This picture from Becky and Steve's wedding:
2) Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King: Quite possibly my favorite book of all time. I read it for the first time about six years ago, a few months after seeing the subpar movie of the same name. (Mind you, I thought the movie was OK until I read the book and realized there were four more stories that were not even touched upon in the movie. But Anthony Hopkins was a very good Ted and Hope Davis was perfect as the mom. But I am off topic, as usual.)
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of four intertwined stories all concering the 1960's and the Vietnam war and their lasting effects on America...with a heavy dose of supernatural weirdness thrown in for good measure.
Now, Stephen King is not usually my author of choice. But Hearts in Atlantis proves to me that Stephen King IS a talented writer, even if he doesn't write the things I would normally choose to read. Ironically enough, instead of inspiring me to read other Stephen King books, my love of Hearts in Atlantis has had the opposite effect. I never want to read another Stephen King book because I don't see how I can not be disapointed after loving this one so much.I will not bore you with a review; just let it be known that the second story (the title story) is my favorite. In fact, every time I read it I think I want to learn how to play Hearts (and my feelings about cards are similar to my feelings about board games.) Just give it a try, OK?
1) My House. Even if I never learn to love anything else about this state, I am truly, madly, passionately in love with my house. I don't even care that being a homeowner leaves me with about zero disposable income and I haven't bought new clothes since 2005. (At least I have Noe to pay for dinner and movies - not to mention the more substantial of the two mortgages...) Although I miss the yard at Noe's old house, there is no love lost for the whale-and-dolphin wallpaper in the old bathroom. The two houses don't even compare. And once I finish painting and furnishing my office, I will love my house even more. (I'm sure that project will be good for a blog or four.)
So there you go. A one hundred percent positive blog. Don't get used to this - it ain't hapenning often - but enjoy it for the time being.
1 comment:
I was so happy to see that that lovely photograph of the "family portrait" was included in your top 5..It is a pretty awesome picture...It really captures how my family is, truely!
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