Well, I have some interesting situations developing as a result of the snow. Around 2:30pm yesterday afternoon we lost heat and around 4:00pm we lost power. The power loss is being blamed on some underground feeder cables, that were scorched from the chemicals, salt and melting snow near my home, Its currently 18F and feels like 4F and that will drop to below zero overnight.

The good news is that power should return by tomorrow night. Also good was the purchase of a small solar powered generator after the 13 day power outage I went through this past summer. I also bought sleeping bags that stay warm below sub-zero temps. The generator is currently powering a small heater, which combined with our sleeping bags should help us sleep comfortably tonight.

So I will leave you with some interesting and fun links for you to visit and be entertained. First, here's an interesting sports site that is chock full of the latest interesting sports newsAmerican Legends. Oh and itÂ’s not just sports, thereÂ’s also a link for the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.

Next is a link for the recent Fall Fashion Week in NY. There youÂ’ll find photo galleries for all the designers that participated in this event.

Finally, thereÂ’s a link for AmericaÂ’s Test Kitchen, one of my favorite shows on public television that educates the consumer on all things culinary.

Enjoy!

Posted by: Michele at 01:13 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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UPDATE: 10:30pm Just spoke to Tammi and she's finally home! Yay! Well, almost. She was still 20 miles, out but she was almost there. She sounded awful though, high fever, chills, aches.

UPDATE: 3:30pm Major prayers needed for Tammi, who's stuck at LaGuardia Airport in NYC trying to get home while dealing with a fever and a cold that's coming on. Thank you.

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Yesterday, most of the northeast was buried under snow. Parts of Orange County, New York received 30 inches of snow in a single day. My area got 6 inches of mostly ice & some snow, which really concerned me because I had a wonderful dinner date planned.

Well, after a slight delay, caused by the ice that was everywhere, I made it into Manhattan by train. My date arrived just as I was about to sit down and I was stunned by this beautiful person before me. Pictures do this individual no justice. Folks, I couldnÂ’t stop staring through most of dinner. Then add a witty and sparkling personality, throw in some wonderful stories, and great conversation, and itÂ’s a great recipe for a wonderful time. I, on the other hand felt like I was a bit of a drag being truly in awe of this fun and exciting person before me. You see I had spent the entire day in bed keeping my nausea at bay from my chemo treatment from the day before and was focused on saving all my energy just so that I could be there that evening. After all, who turns down an exciting fun date on Valentines? Not Moi!

And a wonderful time it was. I was truly hoping that my quietness didnÂ’t make the date end early. Two hrs just wasnÂ’t enough time for me, so to keep the fun going I suggested we do something else. So my date suggested we go to the Empire State Building. [Hmmm, did my date know that one of my favorite movies is an Affair to Remember?] Well, big points were scored there. I love a lot of the classic movies of the 30Â’s & 40Â’s.

Even though IÂ’m a native New Yorker and have gone to the Empire State Building many times, IÂ’ve never been to the top at night. As always, my city was ready for the occasion, dressed in her most resplendent and shimmering lights. The only drawback, we only had a 10 mile of visibility because of the bad weather

The only negative of the entire evening was when we still werenÂ’t able to get a cab after 20 min. Thankfully, after much prayer, some walking around and some cursing (on my part) after seeing plenty of cabs out of service, we were able to get one. Yay! After dropping off My Wonderful Date, my blog sis Tammi of Tammi's World at her hotel, I continued on home. BTW, the reason I don't say more about last night is that what happense in NY stays in NY... that is until a book deal comes along.

I was glad that traffic was light because it mant that I would be able to get home only a little late, or so I thought. After only 2 min of being on the bridge, the car 30 ft in front of us slid into the right lane (we were in the center). Luckily no one was driving fast and we managed to avoid a collision. But we weren't so fortunate either. As an idiot tried to pass us it slid into our car and tapped us. I simply braced myself for the impact. Not only did we spin slightly as we glided forward, that tapping action caused us to drifted first to our left and then back to our right eventually climbing the accumulated shoveled snow which softened the impact as we hit the concrete protective barrier and came to a stop. Hey, at least we didnÂ’t spin out of control!

Relieved that we were both Ok I called 911. The lanes on the bridge are just too narrow, so we sat there with our hazards and the driver put a flashing light on the hood to alert people to our presence. All we could do was wait for either the police or the tow truck, whichever came first. I was talking to my sitterÂ’s mom, letting her know I was going to be very late getting home and so was her daughter when the police arrived. It was from them that I learned they were short handed so they couldnÂ’t give me a lift to the other side of the bridge. Okay I thought, no problem, so I called the car service IÂ’ve been using lately and begged them to come pick me up.

Having had a great night I settled into the back seat to kill some time and used my cell phone to surf, send out text messages and write a few emails. An hour later a car finally pulled up and the police escorted me to my awaiting chariot which finally got me home safely, or so I thought. I had worked out with my sitter to come down just as I arrived so the cab could then drive her home.

Although a wonderful idea, itÂ’s execution unfortunately didnÂ’t go as smoothly as I had planned. You see, the driver was from the south, and had never driven in snow or on icy roads like the hill I live on, so he naturally got stuck. It turns out he and I not only had to use my cane to break the ice and move the chunks out so he could get out, some passersby tried to help as well. When I saw that he really didnÂ’t know how to drive on the ice I asked him if he would let me help him get unstuck and drive the car out for him. After 20 minutes he finally gave up and let me get behind the wheel. You see these were the conditions I learned to drive in many years ago and as a result I got him out in just a few minutes. YAY!

So, I finally got into my apartment shortly before midnight. All in all an exciting evening. So though IÂ’m sore and stiff this morning, thereÂ’s one thing I have to say, evenings with Tammi are definitely NOT BORING! And after all that happened last night, I wouldnÂ’t hesitate for a moment to have some Tammi Time once again! IÂ’m praying youÂ’re able to get home safely and soon kiddo.

Posted by: Michele at 02:16 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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This post was inspired by Drunken Wisdom's controversial Valentine post and the interesting commentary left thereafter. I like to be supportive of those I care about and being the self-appointed Queen of Heart Ache [or is that heart break?] I thought I'd give those in the Anti-VD camp something to help alleviate their frustration with VD by providing them with anti-love themes of darkness, apathy and heart break.

So here's a special playlist for those who feel as T1G! May you enjoy A VD - free of love day!

First up we have Vertical Horizon saying Goodbye Again as T1G suggests we do.

Next we have Vertical Horizon telling their undesired ex-love (and potential stalker) to Get on Outta Here in their song Give You Back Again.

To Close off this set, we have Seether with THE REMEDY for love, as shown in this intense rock Anime video.

Finally, if the person that loves you still doesn't get the message, that you are no longer interested or in love, then feel free to send them one of these cards and that should seal the deal!

Posted by: Michele at 03:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Hah!!! I love that Seether song! I'd never heard of Vertical Horizon... not too shabby!

Posted by: That 1 Guy at February 13, 2007 07:18 PM (RKy5R)

2 I thought you would blog-bro. My Anti VD gift for you! May you have a loveless day tomorrow... and I mean that in the nicest of ways.

Posted by: michele at February 13, 2007 07:56 PM (Po6a+)

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Tammy Tales

I’ve spoken to Tammi briefly three times since she arrived. Last night she called while in a limo going north of Manhattan close to the end of a 20 mile ride, to find replacement samples for the ones that did not arrive in time for the show. When I asked her what store she was looking for she said “Michael’s”. I immediately blurted out without thinking: “Oh Tammi, there’s a Michael’s just 3 miles from your hotel near me.” Of course in my defense, my head cold is not letting me think clearly.

When she called back an hour later she was on her way back to the hotel after 16 hrs of being awake and having had no time to eat. It was then that I learned the bad news: it seems the driver had no idea where he was going and didnÂ’t speak enough English to communicate well with anyone. Though they reached MichaelÂ’s just before closing, they discovered upon getting there they didnÂ’t have the items they needed. Already this trip is sounding like a trip from hell, so I asked what I could do to help.

We worked out a back up plan so if the samples didn’t arrive she would call my local Michael’s store and order them and I’d go in a car and pick them up and then go and deliver them at the show – a 10 mile round trip which would be done by car so it would have been no big deal. After saying a prayer for her I went to be early and told my son that we might have to go into Manhattan and briefly visit the Toy show—again not thinking what that means to a 7 year old after watching the news briefs of the show for the last few days showing off the new toys that will be displayed by Tonka, Mattel, etc.

This morning I spoke to her again, and was given the good news: The samples had arrived, to the relief of her and her boss. YAY!!! Now how do I break the news to my son, that we’re not going to the “Toy Fair” as he calls it. Sigh! When my head is clogged like this I can’t self-edit or think clearly.

As she was talking with me she began to chuckle at a Fruit Band walking bye. “A fruit band?” I asked checking to make sure that my stuffy head hadn’t misheard what she said.

“Yes, a group of people dressed in fruit costumes carrying musical instruments.”
“Okay!” But in that moment I was trying to muddle through my head and figure out the connection between Toys and Fruit. Nothing was coming.

Anyway, she’s looking forward to having dinner with this wonderful gentleman, and said I’d be welcome to join them. Oh how I wish I could, but I’m in the same predicament as this lovely lady – who’s all dressed up and unable to go- because we are at the mercy of our sitters. I however, will be anxiously waiting to hear Tammi’s exploits of the day when she calls next. Since I plan to stay home she will be my eyes and ears out there in this great big city.

Posted by: Michele at 10:56 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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