scarf search

You never know when a simple gift is going to end up being the 'wardrobe go-to item' and that is how it was with the scarf I received this Christmas from my sister-in-law.   It instantly became a staple in my wardrobe.  I wore it almost every day because it seemed to go with my vibe (as she told me when she gave it to me) and it was like wearing a piece of art.  Over a week ago, Tom, Juli and I decided to check out some of the 'second hand' stores that are very popular around here.  There are two -  both sell furniture and one of them happens to be also like a clothing thrift shop.  The place is a bit of chaos with everything packed in really tight and on a Saturday, it gets a lot of people traffic rifling thru the racks.  So I was wearing my coat and favorite scarf and I was trying to squeeze my way closer to take a picture of a lamp I was interested in, and I felt like I was going to self-combust (hot flash?) so I took off the scarf for a minute and put it down on a dresser while I took the picture.  I'm sure anyone can guess what happened - I left the store shortly thereafter and forgot to pick up the scarf.  The place NOT to leave behind something you really like is a THRIFT SHOP because after realizing my error and going to back to get it, I found that they sold it to someone lucky lady who is now the owner of my most special christmas gift and she probably got it for a song.  I have searched the web and found one on Etsy, but it seems to have been sold.  I finally decided to reach out to my sis-in-law to find out where she bought it so I could go get it again!  Now I wonder if I want it back so badly just because I can't have it, or was it really that amazing? (see photo to the left) Not quite sure, but the 'tree branch scarf search mission' continues....

the 80's flu

Sometimes I want to write, but the days pass because there are so many thoughts jumbling around in my head that I can't believe I could actually organize them into any reasonable piece that would be worth reading.  In an effort to get past it, please excuse the brief ramble of random thoughts which I will blame on post-flu-syndrome since that is what truly rendered me useless for an entire 24 hours (which is equivalent to 4 days for any other member of the family).  I got up on Saturday morning ready for the usual routine - dressed in my running clothes and headed to drop Jonathan off at basketball practice where I run while he practices.  After parking the car and trying to talk myself out the door, which is usually never an issue, I had the strangest sensation that I should just stay put and there I sat for an hour, turning the car on every 15 minutes to warm it up while I beat myself up for being lazy.   I was too cold.  I was too tired.  I had too many excuses, but I knew I had to just go with it because it's never that way.  I sat and I sat like the cat in the hat or something like that.  By the time we stopped for the routine post-practice scratch-off lottery tickets and made it home, I made a bee-line for my unmade bed (also a clue that something was amiss this particular morning) and I was so paralyzed that I did not bother to change out of the constricting uncomfortable running bra and lululemon insulated shirt because I was freezing from a fever (confusing).  I stayed in bed all day.  I literally didn't move, or more accurately I couldn't move.  I have to mention that about a year ago when Juli was sick and I told her I'd sit with her while I worked, she admitted to me that the sound of me typing on my laptop was soothing to her.  Funny enough how it all comes full circle because she came up while I was in bed and brought her laptop to do her homework.  As I dozed in and out of feverish delirium,  the sound of her speedy little fingers typing away was, in fact, very soothing!  I put that moment right in the helen-vault because it was special.  After complaining enough about the chest-squeezing undergarment, the little presto-change-artist talked me through how to get out of the running bra without taking off my shirt.  (Daughter becomes mother.. another vault moment.)  Sleeping it off all day and then night, by the morning I was achy but regrouped enough to get back to motherhood in time for the sunday events, and just in time because Tom had left that morning for a business trip, so the races were mine alone to run.  A birthday party at 12:00, following by a basketball game at 2:00, a quick grocery store run and off to meet the HS girls for dinner and a night out to see the 80's heartthrob Rick Springfield in concert!  Good times!  Ha. I learned that sometimes it's best to leave those heartthrobs in the past because this was a big yawn for me as he sang only 3 songs that were even remotely familiar and proceeded to pump himself up so much I wanted to vomit without the flu - and oddly HE had a head cold flu thing and every time he blew his nose on stage, he held up the disgusting tissue and said "ebay"... really Rick????  c'mon.   Humility and connecting on a somewhat more real level would have been a better strategy for him as he looked pretty good, but his 'teen heartthrob' routine was so lost on me and (I hope) most of the crowd.  Unbelievably, there were some screamers and die-hard FANS and I put that word in caps because  there was a woman in front of us with a japanese-style fan and she was fanning away her hot flashes throughout the entire concert!!  (explains alot about the crowd - see photo below) And the real show was off to the right where a very happy couple, clearly older relations to snookie and the situation, were fist-pumping and singing every word to every song!  Very impressive!  One of my friends looked at them and then said to me "I cannot imagine for a minute that my husband and I could have a connection on this on any level what-so-ever" and I would have to agree with her!  So yes, there was some entertainment to be found in the whole thing after all.  Then to finish off the throwback weekend, today in my office, another production company was renting the space for a wardrobe meeting and the guy they were fitting looked vaguely familiar.  I met him briefly and we chatted, and then after he left, I googled his name only to find out he was one of MTV's famous early VJ's - Alan Hunter!  I guess there is a recurring 80's theme going on here... what will tomorrow bring?  Fingers crossed for Bon Jovi.

My Best Nurse

Rick-get-over-yourself-Springfield

Rick's biggest FAN!!  Literally.

the crew

After watching the Golden Globes the other night and listening to all the thank you speeches, I get especially touched when the actors thank their crew.  It really hits home for me, having been in production for so many years.  Here's the thing:  when you spend days on end with people on a set or on location, it's inevitable that you become like a little 'family' of sorts in a different way than if you are working side by side in an office setting.   Even in the commercial world, when the shoots are often only a few days long, you somehow get to know these people really well really fast, even though some of them are complete strangers when you start the job!  It would not make sense to say it's like going to war, but I used to work with a creative guy who used the word "triage" alot when talking about prioritizing the crazy things that would go wrong and what to fix first, so maybe there is the slightest parallel in a much less horrific way.  We are all in it together, committed to accomplishing the bigger project at hand and it is probably better compared to playing a team sport where any one person can't succeed without the other players.  Each person brings their own special something to the party for example:

Brandy and Sean, the production team extraordinaire, making any little request happen with a smile, even when I email them at 1:00 am to ask for 'wedding style place cards' to be set up in the client area the following morning as a little joke for the last day.  (was I SERIOUS?  oh yes I was)

Michael, the extremely quiet production coordinator who makes ME a cup of tea after I spend the bulk of my time running around taking care of everyone else's needs.  and I am speechless and then find the words to thank him so much for that simple act of kindness.

Peter, the DP (camera and lighting guy) who manages to keep me laughing all day even when I try to rush him along, pointing at my watch and insisting we stay on schedule.

Shane, the Swing guy (not because he's a swinger, that is what his job is called) who got me started on instagram and became the muthership poster child sporting the beanie. 

Elysha, wardrobe stylist who blended into the fold seamlessly bringing her special personality along :)

Jenny, hair & makeup artist who cries with me about anything mildly emotional.  Sometimes we just look at each other when something is said and we have to run away because we both start to tear up.  love that about her.

Jianca, the petite set designer and pro surf photographer who works her ass off and then randomly pirouettes down the hallway making me smile.

Will, the quiet PA (production assistant) who keeps the clients happy with their starbucks orders in the morning and afternoon.... we bow to him, this is NOT as easy as it sounds.

Jose, the mysterious tech guy who drives a porsche and appears to own multiple cars, homes and boats... who are you really Jose?  

Rob, the still photographer from San Fran (or Hawaii?) who flies in for every job to wait around all day until he BIG MOMENT where he gets all of 5 minutes to take some stills of what we just spent hours and hours videotaping!  He is kind enough to provide us with awesome behind the scenes shots, some of which I have shared below.

Danny & Dean from Columbus who follow the muthership from city to city with a truck full of lights, equipment and good karma.

Dave, the sound guy whom I've known for years and announced sadly at the end of the shoot "if we start the year off with the muthership, there is no where to go but downhill".

I could write a little something about every single person, I adore them all, but you get the idea.  What was especially nice on this last shoot is that we had 'family night' where we took the whole crew out to dinner and bowling.  It was even more fun to spend some time NOT working but in a low key no pressure setting.  The guys got a little too competitive and the girls enjoyed bopping to the music and trying to keep the ball out of the gutter, but it was what I would imagine a 'team building' session would be if I had ever attended one.  The day after, it seemed that the symmetry was even better since everyone arrived at the location with a little smile on their face.  Many years ago while shooting locally, my dad stopped by the set to see me at work and after sitting pretty quietly watching most of the day, he made the most concise observation about it all.  He said that although it appeared that there were a lot of people standing around all day doing nothing, when something specific was requested or needed doing, the very person responsible would jump into action and he could clearly see that each person had a special purpose.  That about sums it up and if I ever have to make an acceptance speech, aside from my parents, my husband, and my kids, I will definitely thank the crew.

stranded biker

While out for a bike ride over a year ago, I got my first flat tire and I had no clue about how to change a bike tire but I had all the 'stuff' to do it in my little bike pouch and hey, I have an i-phone - I googled it.  I went step by step and got that *&$^& rear tire back on the bike (amazing!) ....and with my one canister of air, the tire did not inflate. I was deflated. (could not reist)  I was gearing up for a long walk home... but then a good samaritan arrived in the SMALLEST car.  Owner of a new deli in the neighborhood called MARIE'S - Carl pulled over, stuffed my bike into his trunk and with the hatch open, drove me home.  I could not thank him enough, so I told him I would tell all my friends and neighbors about his new place which I did via a massive email blast.  That weekend he was swarmed with customers telling him 'the stranded biker sent him'.  The next time I stopped in for lunch, he asked me in his comedic way 'how many friends do you have anyway???!!" because they had done 2 weeks' worth of business in a single weekend. More than a year and many Marie's meals later, Juli now works there and when we dropped by to pick her up the other night, Carl told me that he told our story to the Daily Record and they wrote about it!  Good karma gets published - yay:  Daily Record Article 

florida angel

 So the shoot is going well... the location is overall dull, meaning, not much to do after work, but I can use the time to decompress and as usual when I travel, go for a run to explore the 'city' in quotes because it is barely that and more of a village, but it is quaint. Last night, one of the sweetest girls on the crew who is from Orlando joined me for a run out in the cold.  Vicky had only seen snow once before and mentioned that she wanted to make a snow angel, so after running no more than 5 minutes, we came upon some fairly clean snow that was angel worthy and I gave her the lesson, falling back, slam, and it was a little 'crunchy' so it required more pressure to create the wings, but it was doable.  Then it was her turn and she went for it and on her second try, made a great looking angel in spite of the less-than-ideal conditions.  I have to admit that it has been quite a few years since I've made a snow angel myself and we were like 2 little kids - she was so joyous about it and I was happy to live it through her eyes.  

the 'do list' is done

The tree is down, ornaments and decorations are put away, the outside lights are stored, the laundry is done, the groceries are stocked, the meals are planned, the meds are set up for Jonathan, the lists are written (for Juli, my trusty assistant on the home front), the errands are run, the house is straightened (somewhat), Molly is at the doggy hotel, the bills are even paid (while I was on a roll), my bags are semi-packed and I'm ready for lift off tomorrow after the kids leave for school and I head out for the first shoot of 2013 in Middlebury, Connecticut.  Tom is making steady progress and can even walk a short distance without crutches!!  Such a relief, the new hip is working, but wow, the bruise and the gash on his leg look scary.  He had a minor set-back today with an intense case of vertigo which is not good timing since the dizzies could make him fall and let's face it -  falling is a bad thing normally and an even WORSE THING RIGHT NOW!  But hopefully it clears up quickly.  I'm not exactly jazzed up for a week in the courtyard marriott, but I'm hoping there will be a little bit of time to exercise in the evening and decompress.  Here's hoping for a smooth shoot with some of my favorite agency girls and most definitely the nicest client.

new year new hip

My husband said that this was the year he was going to get aggressive about his health and fix all his physical problems, and as can be seen from some of my previous postings "knee repair" and "my aching feet" where I mention his knee surgery and elbow surgery, he was not kidding.  And getting it in right under the wire, today he is going bionic with hip replacement surgery.  It probably sounds like he is 75 years old, but no, I am not a trophy wife.  He has just been dealt a bad medical deck.  I get a knot in my stomach every time they take him in for the anesthesia and let's face it, I have the easy job since there is no pain involved for me.  He took some time to mentally prepare for this one, reading all the doctor's information pages more thoroughly than usual and he was ready to go... as ready as anyone can be, I suppose.  Now that I am a seasoned medical assistant, I would like to comment on the much improved surgical experience today thus far.  First off, note the date - yes it is New Year's Eve!  So guess how many other people are having surgery today?  There was only one other operation scheduled which was right before his (knee replacement on a 43 year old woman).  As well, we are not in a hospital, but rather a "surgical center' which is owned by the surgeon himself, so you can imagine how much more pleasant it is because the staff here is comprised of happy, upbeat, friendly people who welcomed us and explained every step in detail.  The environment is warm (LITERALLY) so I'm not freezing my butt off with blankets on in a cold waiting room jammed with people and the recovery area is also 'different' and more home-y feeling. I give this one a big gold star for 'feng shui', but I should reserve my final review of the entire experience until after the surgery.  It's hard to believe that after a full hip replacement this morning, he will be going home at the end of the day today!  As I type this post, the surgeon just came out to say it went well and that he can walk on it immediately and even though there was an incision, there are no stitches because the incision is held together with GLUE!!  Yes, you read that right.  I nearly fell off my chair in this cozy comfortable empty waiting room that is fully equipment with a tea machine and an electrical outlet right nearby for my laptop and internet.  Updates on the patient to follow soon, I'm heading in to the recovery room now with my confetti and noise maker to welcome the new hip in my new man for the new year!

the holiday card thing

When I had my first child 23 years ago and that first special holiday season arrived, I thought I had a great 'old school' idea - to send a photo Christmas card!  At that time, I don't even think I received any photo cards personally, but growing up, I remembered my family getting photo cards from far away relatives in Seattle, so I thought it would be creative and "original" to send a photo card and of course everyone would want to see a picture of my cute little baby with a santa hat on!  Little did I know that this is just like when you buy a car and suddenly you see so many similar cars on the road, or when you become pregnant and you find yourself smiling at all the pregnant women that seem to come out of the woodwork.  Yes, just like that I started receiving photo cards from everyone I knew as they all began having families.  So it began.  I printed the 'old school traditional' version with a photo and some 'white space area' to write in and I hand wrote a little message on every card to my friends and relatives.  The list grew year by year, as I added people I worked with in all the places I traveled for shoots, new friends I met thru the kids and school and sports and etc... and my plan was that once a person was on 'the card list' they would never leave the card list!  You can imagine how the list began to grow year after year, but still I would find time (meaning make time in the wee hours of the night) to write each one out by hand.  And as the cards I received grew more and more creative with printed messages and collages of photos of trips taken and multiple shots on the front and inside, along with the printed page outlining the events of the year, sometimes humorously and sometimes not so much, I dug my heels in further and refused to succumb to the temptation set before me... would I finally cave and do the fancy printing thing too?  Let's fact it, here I am in a creative business and yet my cards remained as basic as they get - a simple photo (sometimes not even a particularly good one) and a hand-written message.  I do admit that I had to finally print the address labels themselves because I am realistic when it comes to the fact that I do need a few hours of sleep per night at a minimum to function, so I had to let that go... but no sireee-bob I will NOT print the cards with our names typed out and some fancy design of holly and ribbon, along with a canned message, or even an original message that I create because the same sentiment cannot possibly be written to every person on the long and winding holiday card list!!  In the most intense of holiday-stress-out-years, and there have been some doozies with young kids and shopping and wrapping and cooking, where I was so close to the edge I thought I would hit the looney bin for sure (that year the cards didn't actually get mailed until after christmas) but through it all and even this very year, I sat with that crazy stack of cards in front of me and little by little night after night, I thought about each person/family and wrote a little note JUST TO THEM to send them special wishes for the holidays.  And even if they don't give it another thought and just toss it after reading, at least I know it was meant especially for them.  Apologies to the perfect-holiday-card-people who might be reading this - no guilt trip intended - print away and I will still enjoy seeing the perfectly shot and designed holiday card and I will be happy you took the time to keep me on your list because it is fun to see how your family has grown and hear about the exciting things you have done during the year, and please know that I DO NOTICE that you may have actually taken the time to hand-write the address on the envelope! 

newtown

It is beyond the realm of horrifying to watch and read the news over and over about the Newtown CT shooting.  When I think about how those families must feel, it overwhelms me with sadness and I know they are all thinking 'why my child' and there will never be a adequate answer.  It is just unbelievable and I have not been able to write about it because I just can't find the words.  My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families who will never fully recover from this intense and senseless tragedy.

perky clerky take 2

ok, so with the holiday shopping in full swing, I thought I would revisit my earlier posting called "perky clerky' (see August archives) and while hitting the mall tonight in an attempt to make a big dent in the ho ho ho list, I decided to try a different tactic with the happy greeters that stand at the entrance of each and every store to welcome us in.  Instead of secretly dreading their insincere 'hello how are you', tonight I walked in with a whole new attitude and when the perky salesgirl greeted me with "Welcome to insert-store-name-here!" in that bubbly voice, I came right back with my 'oh-so-perkier' voice and said "Thank you, I feel welcome!!" and then when the 'can I help you with something?' followed, I was right there with my pleasant answer of 'not at the moment' or 'sure I'm looking for.....'  and guess what?  They were actually helpful and I ended up with a few new happy friends that made my shopping a little bit better, as much as I hate to admit it!  So the moral of my Christmas story is that it's all about how we react to things that can make the difference in our experience.  I am a jolly holiday example of it and I am a changed shopper!  I might just try the same tactic on the next telemarketer that calls the house, though for some reason, I'm skeptical that it will go as smoothly.

magical meteors

Who doesn't love shooting stars?  When you see one, you just have to see another and another and so it goes with me and meteor showers which I actually put into my calendar so I don't miss them.  Tonight it's clear and there is no moon so the stars are shooting all over the sky!  ahhhhh!!!!   It's always better in the late night hours, so I stay up purposely to see it at its peak.  I am bundled up so only my nose is cold.  I want to wake Juli up so she can see it - she loves it too, but I know it will be too painful (but I still might try).  I had to come inside to warm up a little, but I'm going right back out there because the moment one flies, it's breathtaking and so worth it and it's best when I'm looking exactly in the right spot so I can watch it go.  I hate when it flies in my peripheral vision so I don't get a good eye on it - it's like a game to try to be looking in the right spot at the right time.  And I keep forgetting to make a wish!!  Off I go, the stars are calling.  Sleep is also calling, but I have to see just one more... or maybe two... 

my aching feet

There are some days where I just feel like I don't have a minute to sit down and by the end of the day my feet are screaming 'stop the madness'!  Today is one of those days and I often wonder why I go running for exercise - it seems like a very unkind thing to do to my feet since they are already busy enough all day long.  ouch.

Anyway, Tom had his 2nd surgery yesterday:  the repair of his elbow from cubital tunnel syndrome!  Who has ever heard of such a thing?  Not me, but Tom managed to develop this and the only way to fix it is through surgery.  So back we went to our favorite place where he had his knee surgery and back injections, and we are like family over there now.  They know us by name when we walk in and that is saying a lot for a busy hospital with many nurses doing different shifts all the time.  It went well, but today he is so dizzy and nauseous, it just does not seem right so I finally caved and called the doctor tonight to see if something can be done for him.  So yes, I am finally SITTING and resting my feet while I wait for the callback.  Earlier this evening, in the midst of him being so ill and in pain, Juli had a few friends here to bake for some event tomorrow and then get dressed and done up for a sweet sixteen party they were attending tonight, so you just can picture that scene - kitchen turned upside down, baked goods decorated the area and then poof, they were doing hair and make-up and taking pictures of themselves looking like they were 21 in their dresses and heels and then omg their ride arrived and whoosh off they went!   And deeper in the midst of all this, Tommy was getting ready to head into the city to stay overnight because tomorrow he is taking the CFA test for which he has been studying diligently for the past several MONTHS (and I admit being very impressed by his focused commitment to the task), so of course he wanted to eat something before he left, then in walked his girlfriend to wish him well and join him in the 'eating something' event, then came the cry of 'help where is my passport' and 'ok bye gotta catch the 9:00 pm train'... so then double whooosh off he went!  If you do the math on this whole thing, that leaves me and Jonathan since Tom is basically out for the count trying to stop the room from spinning while I'm waiting to hear from the doctor and the final miracle is that Jonathan decided that he was tired and went to bed so I do not have to hear the far away sound of xbox 360 in action as he chats and battles on line..... sooooo....after doing my tornado move through the kitchen to get things in order, I am finally plopped on the couch at last with my feet up listening to the sound of silence because I never turn the TV on when I am alone.  I usually have music playing, but for tonight I want the quiet of the house with whatever little creaking, buzzing or humming noises it provides, along with the heavy breathing of the dog who is fast asleep and quite frankly too close by - I want to send her semi-snoring-self downstairs, but my feet are too weary to pick myself up to wake her because not only is she blind at the age of 13, but seemingly deaf as well since she does not budge when I call her name.  Now if only the phone would ring so I can hear from the doctor about what to do for Tom because I am really worried, this does not seem right to me that he should be so sick from elbow surgery!  The fact of the matter is that there is a reason I'm a producer for a living and that is because I was not meant to be a nurse, but somewhere down deep my nurturing instincts are telling me something is wrong here.  Tick tock goes the clock, please call me back, doc!

fast fingers

I have often thought about how lucky I was to have taken a typing class back in high school.... at the time, I thought that I would never really need the skill since I don't remember having any intention of becoming a secretary which was why many girls learned to type 'back then', but the class was required so of course I did as I was told to do... fingers on the home row, and everybody say it with me "a-s-d-f-j-k-l-semi" - that was the mantra and yes I learned it good.  Looking back, I realize that I partially owe my rate of productivity in today's world to Mrs. Phillips - the very dry and monotone typing teacher that could be a character on a sitcom - because I can get more done in a shorter time because I type fast!  I watch other people as they hunt and peck around with a few fingers, yes, often pretty fast, but they cannot possibly crank it out at the speed at which I can communicate with my fingers and thank god my fingers can keep up with my high speed brain!  And just when I thought I was the master of the keyboard, along came my first born child.  I don't know exactly when he learned to type, but I guess they gave the kids some limited typing instruction in grammar school and I've often thought that there should be more emphasis on typing now than ever before, but somewhere along the way, he really learned to type fast.  Let me give you some some point of reference - what was considered a fast typist in the days of hiring secretaries was 80 words per minute or so.... I'm proud to say that thanks to the on-line typing tests, I have been able to clock in my skills at 96 words per minute (and the web site DOES take into consideration errors and subtracts for them) so I was pretty excited to confirm the fact that I am indeed speedy on the keys... but look out because here comes Tommy and he has seriously clocked in at 123 words per minute and I AM NOT EXAGGERATING!! I have seen it with my own eyes.  He is incredible.  How on earth does he do it?  I dare you to try it yourself and be amazed!!  He even said that when he types, he does not think about the letters one at a time, but it's as if his fingers are moving on auto-pilot in more of a whole-word fashion.  I actually understand because I have often thought the same thing when I'm writing these blog entries, or just regular emails, etc.  It's as if my fingers take on a life of their own and yet I'm not nearly as good as the king of the keys - aka Tommy the Terrific Typist!  It really brings up the question "are people who can type faster more productive than people who cannot?"  I would imagine that slower typists do not depend upon typing emails and communications in order to be productive, but rather they find other ways to be efficient, but in this day and age with email communication being such a large part of so many industries, it really does make you wonder if more emphasis ought to be put on proper keyboard skills.   And as I think about my speed typing son, I'm sure he types even FASTER when he doesn't have to read and type what he is reading - in other words, if he is just strictly typing his thoughts and removing the 'reading' part from the equation, I'm SURE he would clock in even more than 123 words per minute!!  It's mind blowing!  Of course this all turns to poop as things move to our smartphones because here is where I am 'all thumbs, pun intended LITERALLY.  I am utterly handicapped without all 10 fingers and I resort to Princess Siri to get it done correctly.  And I hate to admit it, but here is where Tommy becomes the ultimate enigma - he is as fast with his thumbs as he is with all 10, I'm sure of it because I have seen the madness.  I'm not sure there is a test for thumb-typing, but maybe there's an app for that?

back in the fast lane

After 2 week of virtual 'nothingness', once the high speed internet went back on, it was like the world went back to regular speed and it has been a whirlwind that would normally require 3 or 4 posts, but I am going to condense it all into one so buckle your seatbelt.  Friday morning started off with Juli getting her 4 wisdom teeth pulled!  Poor baby girl or "puppy dog #5" as we call her (inside joke too long to explain).  After playing nurse all day and trying to work amidst the internet interruption while the FIOS got installed, I was then off to the Justin Bieber concert with Jonathan.  When I purchased the tickets,  I knew the seats were on the floor, but pretty far back.  Despite that, the happy energy at the concert was contagious with the Victoria Secret models sitting near us, Perez Hilton strolling in and then we saw the 'runway' in the middle of the stadium and wow, great news because our 'far back seats' suddenly became FRONT ROW as the bulk of the concert occurred right in front of us!  It was sooo incredible - and per my post back in June, I already have bieber-fever so add that on to the night and what was a bad day for Juli was a "10" night for both myself and Jonathan!  The following morning started off with the annual Halloween set-up which was delayed 2 weeks due to the hurricane, but that did not stop Jonathan and I from setting up the porch with the mannequins, and due to the trick-or-treating being during the daylight hours per the mayor, I opted to wear a gorilla suit and hand out bananas in lieu of my scary night costume, which will be saved for next year.  I managed to  "play dead' pretending to be a stuffed gorilla and then came to life randomly to scare the poop out of the neighborhood kids pretty successfully.  It would also require a separate post to include all the funny and cute things the kids say as they approach the black curtain.  And I cannot forget to mention the most ridiculous thing of all - before the trick-or-treating began, I drove up to Kings and went in to buy bananas WEARING THE GORILLA SUIT!!!!  I thought I was the funniest person on earth and the joke was on me because NOT ONE PERSON SEEMED TO NOTICE!!  I was hysterical laughing inside the costume as the check-out guy actually asked me if I wanted "paper or plastic?" and I almost fell on the floor laughing but simply shrugged and he said "ok, I'll go with plastic" - and I bought 10 bunches of bananas so just take a minute and picture that scene.  I felt like I was on candid camera.  Seriously?  No reaction?  C'mon people of chatham, get a sense of humor!!  hahahahah  I should mention that when Tommy and Juli saw the Halloween episode of Modern Family, they could not stop saying how much I am like the mom on that show (she is also obsessed with making halloween an interactive experience).  So in my opinion, the belated Halloween was a success and then on Sunday, we were off to LBI to finally see the hurricane damage at the beach.  It was very quieting to see the devastation from town to town, and in some cases it looked as thought there was no damage and then a few blocks away looked like a post-war zone.  Tommy was sure that the Chegg would be open for business, but even they couldn't overcome the extent of the damage which was unbelievable.  It was unusual to be there altogether (100% polise attendance, very rare these days) as we drove around, checked out both houses, and fell in love again with the little bay haven in Harvey Cedars which just exudes a vibe of "serenity now".  We are very excited to move forward with it now that the dust, or sand, has settled after the storm.  We met our soon-to-be neighbors - Jack and Jill (haha, actually it's Jim and Jill) and it is all around good karma.  Whew.... that is the whirlwind weekend and back to the city I dashed today to catch up on the work scene after being stranded in NJ due to the lack of gas and trains. I will not go into details about the nightmare commute but to give you some idea, it even made the news tonight - 3 consecutive major accidents in the lincoln tunnel causing massive delays both ways.  So now that I am living at 'normal speed',  I wanted to take a minute to recap some of the things I did during my 2 weeks as a recluse:

- Socialized DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS with neighbors and made new friends who came to do laundry (since we had the big ass generator)

- Cooked and baked like a crazy person

- Tried NOT to gain 10 pounds due to above cooking and baking so I went running or walking really far every day (until the snowstorm arrived, oh my!)

- Realized I was unsuccessful at the above because I was eating more than I was running or walking.

- Made Matzo Ball soup for the first time (and I'm not even jewish!)

- Backed up my computer onto drives and organized all the files (major task)

- Slept in........EVERY MORNING (wow)

- Had music playing all day long and discovered that my iPod nano will last the entire day without needing to be charged.

- Used the neighborhood email list to keep everyone up to date with any new information that was released (or more accurately NOT released) regarding the status of the outage and other important information and I have apparently been voted the unofficial new mayor (no thank you very much) - a producer has to produce, it's the nature of the beast.

- Cleaned out closets to donate as much as possible to the relief effort.

- Thought a lot about starting the holiday shopping on-line, but didn't.

I'm sure as the holidays approach, I will regret that I didn't get to the last item on the list, but dear diary I promise that I will not get stressed out this year.  And below is the brief photo recap of this posting.

gorilla in the midst

my very first mannequin

jonathan lovin the bibs

beiber fever selfie

yes, we were THAT CLOSE

and he has perfected the MJ crotch grab

king of the world

tommy enjoying a much bigger beach

the power of the sea lifted this house off its pilings

wishful thinking big T

ouchie

sad chipmunk eating soup

wacky weather

I am barely able to finish the 'happy dance' now that the power is back on as of last night... and whooop here it is... the first snowstorm of the season!  I cannot believe it.  It looks like 6 or more inches have fallen already and it is still snowing hard.  The kids have missed a week of school, and we already got the call for a delayed opening tomorrow, so I dread the 6 am call and pray that school is not cancelled!!!  I am sitting here in my warm house, watching Jerry Maguire (you had me at hello), cozy as can be and I can't help but think about the people who don't have heat or electricity tonight.  I know that people are cold and uncomfortable all around the world all the time, but when a situation hits so close to home, it is truly a wake-up call.  So even though I got a little cranky, ok a little bit more than a little cranky, with the Comcast woman on the phone today about our non-working internet (annoying), and the FIOS installation department who didn't show up to install the replacement internet as scheduled yesterday, I know that deep down, things could be so much worse.  I will kiss my little mifi card and say thank you that I am connected at all.... and I will hope that the weather warms up quickly to melt the snow and warm up the homes that are cold! 

humming

Still no power.... as we all wait day by day for the lights to go on so that we can have power without hearing the post-apocalyptic HUMMMMM of the generator outside the window and all around the neighborhood.  It is so bizarre, "they" (whoever "they" are) don't provide any specific information about when power might be restored.  I guess "they" figure we can process it better one day at a time, rather than hit us with the big ugly truth that it would be an entire week or maybe 2 since that's where we are headed.  But I think it would be less painful if we knew up front what we were facing so we could better prepare and absorb it.  But here we sit, listening to the on-going HUMMMMM and the funny thing is that I'm getting so used to the HUMMMMM that I don't always hear it.  And that fact rather freaks me out because I wonder what else I don't hear on a daily basis?  I think when the HUMMMMM finally stops, I will listen more carefully to the quiet and see what else I have been missing.

frozen in time

It's as if time is standing still until the power goes back on... I'm not sure why, since we have the previously mentioned big ass generator still running and keeping us powered up, but the whole situation with so many people being powerless, combined with the gas crisis and the lack of perishable items in the grocery stores is just causing an eerie sense that time standing still.  I have literally not left the house in a week, except to go for a run, and today I went for a 5 mile walk to CVS and actually ran into several people I knew along the way.  But I have not gotten into a VEHICLE to go anywhere since last Sunday!  With Tom around and always itching to go somewhere, he has done the grocery runs and I am the homebody.  There is something rather calming about it all.  I cannot really tell you where the days are going.  I had thought I would get so much done with so much time around the house, but it's like the days are a blur and nothing gets done other than making meals for everyone and checking my neighbors who are an older couple with no power at all - I've been helping keep the husband's laptop charged so he can play solitaire - a big priority!   Our laundry room is getting some extra activity from the neighbors in need of throwing a load in - it's the least we can do and I wish more of them would take advantage of the offer.  We keep watching the news over and over and it's hard to process the level of devastation.  I know we are so lucky only to have been 'inconvenienced' by the storm and I am trying hard to figure out exactly why I'm actually in a holding pattern, but I guess maybe deep down I just needed a break from the rat race.  Oh and we get an extra hour to do nothing because the clocks go back tonight!