Kareneh

BWAH!! My tea just went through my nose. Thanks for asking. I got about 5 hours. Oh gosh, I'm not a huge TV watcher in general. My viewing tends to come in spurts depending on where I am and what I'm doing. I've gotten into watching entire series on DVD, something which started when I was in Baku and didn't have a lot of options. I think I watch more news and movies than anything else.....but as far as shows go.....my taste runs the gamut from Flip This House to just plain House. I don't think that I have a like or dislike for any particular genre of programming, I just like what I like I guess. I could watch What Not to Wear back to back for hours but 10 minutes of 10 Years Younger is 10 minutes too long for me. When I think of John & Kate all I hear is crying kids....but those Duggars, they're weird enough to be fascinating. Maybe because there was a family up the street, when I was a kid called the Duggans, who had 11 kids........ but they were Catholic and knew when enough was enough. I agree djs111 it's hard to find the snark these days, priceless stuff out there in the archives. Thanks for the link. That was hilarious. Sometimes, when I've got nothing to do, I'll go back and read some of that older stuff. With the benefit of an aging brain, some of it seems new when I read, even though I know full well that it's not. About the three different outfits, I don't know how many times I've left a Clay show to debate the color of a suit, or a tie, or a shirt on the way home with the person who brung me. Sometimes we can't even agree on the hair color......which happens to be totally divine at the moment.....no matter what color anyone says it is. (WHEE!! I got a smiley-like-Clay-in-the-banner-emoticon!)

You mean mah ass kissing pic? Awwwwe, I'm touched **Currently listening to some guy singing The Real Me and it's pretty fucking good treenuts, your photoshop cracked me up! cha cha, those shots are beautiful! Welcome to my side of the world. One day I'd love to get to Ireland, too. I think every ancestor I can claim came from some part of the Emerald Isle. I caught 30 Rock on a download since I haven't figured out what we get on TV or what we don't. It looks like the English channels are the same, or very similar, to our Baku ones. BUT my internet is nice and speedy....I'm loving it. Bring on those great big files, I'm ready for 'em! We should be settling in a little by now....I'm approaching the end of my first week here in Denmark but there's been a wee hitch. Grab a coffee, a tea, or something harder for me, and check out Sally's. This just proves that you're never to old to have fresh new experiences. I swear I am so ready for a hammock and the beach. In the meantime, I guess some hard drugs will do. Since I'm going to be up for a while, I think it's time I tried to come up with some question for Clay. Maybe it will get my mind off my current predicament.....I swear I will NOT ask him for advice or hard drugs. Honest.....

I think I'm a day late....by an hour or so..BUT! Happy Birthday Solo!! Made it to the new digs, in the new town, in the new country, safe and sound on Wednesday. The internet wasn't working my first day but it's humming along fine and dandy now, so I can enjoy this week's bounty of clack. It was so good to hear him sing again, even if it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Teasing is fine with me. What a treat to have gotten Unchained Melody, though. It was gorgeous....just like Clay himself last Saturday night. I'd better git.... There seems to be a bit of work to be done around the house before our stuff gets here next week..... .....not that I REALLY believe it will get here as promised. We're out shopping this weekend for a car, closet space, curtain fabric, and groceries. I also need to find someone who shampoos upholstery. Pretty white sofas aren't so pretty when they aren't so white....ugh! At least I got the landlord to come and collect his personal belongings.....and his wife's collection of Buddhas.

I'm so sorry, ldjy. My deepest condolences on the loss of your mother.

I love treats. Yesterday, I took the dog to his new temporary home. Had enough car trouble on the way to warrant a trip to the dealer and a rental car for the weekend....BUT.....that's okay! After I went back to the dealer last night (minutes before they closed) to retrieve my missing house key.......I came home to find my boyfriend waiting for me....with a prezzie no less! The bottle of cheap wine in the fridge wasn't his fault (I owe my kids for that one), but I have some kind of seven hour hangover this morning. Whee! That was fun! All in all it was a great day. I had a nice long phone conversation with one of my best friends ever, one I owe to Clay. We talked about how much fun we've have had touring and being silly fan girls these past 6 years.....how much we missed that. Thank you, Clay, for a nice big dose of silly fan girl last night. Even though I couldn't think of one darn thing to ask....

Oh, he looks fab in those pictures! Thanks for the well wishes for our trip. Kenai and I are happy to report that we made it to Halifax just fine. He did great for any dog, let alone an 11 year old one, on his 28 hour journey. I am especially grateful to the absolutely adorable Canada customs agent who did his import inspection in Toronto. He couldn't have been nicer. He had just started the paper work, when he stopped and said..."He's probably thirsty, I can get him some water." So he left his station and got Kenai some water. Then when everything was done, he helped me out of the customs area because I was dealing with two luggage carts. He didn't just get me out of there and leave me, he stayed with me until I found bonnechance who was meeting me for a quick coffee between flights. We never did get time for that coffee but I am so glad she came to the airport to meet me, I'd have been in real trouble without the extra pair of hands. I had to check in at Air Canada from scratch, baggage and dog. I wonder if she thought I was being arrested or deported when she saw me coming with the border guy in tow. He was such a nice young man.....I should have asked him if he wanted to marry my daughter.

I am officially jealous. My days in Baku are now officially done. I'm sitting in Frankfurt waiting for my connection to Toronto. I'm halfway through my 8 hour wait! Then it's only a few hours of clearing customs with the dog (who was a great trooper in the airport last night), meeting bonnechance for a coffee, and on to Halifax. I hope Kenai is enjoying the doggie digs here in Frankfurt, I hear they are quite nice. Movies....well I remember I saw The Sting, and Star Wars on their opening days, and without seeing any advance hype or trailers. I thought they were both great. It's strange but I like Science Fiction movies way more than I like the books....usually it's the other way around with me. I read the Lord of the Rings when it was doing the rounds while I was in high school. I never went back and reread them. One of my favorite movies is Almost Famous, another is Terms of Endearment. I prefer Jezebel to Gone with the Wind. When I was a kid I my most favorite movie of all was Imitation of Life, I loved spending Saturday afternoons curled up in a chair watching movies on TV. I think it was the only time during the week everyone was too busy to watch TV so I got it all to myself. Mostly I like movies that make me laugh, though.....Four Weddings and a Funeral and I loved both Bridget Jones movies. And I rather liked Barefoot in the Park.....come to think of it, anything by Neil Simon. Phantom of the Opera? Meh! Les Miserables? I saw it in London last year and it was the best thing I have ever seen.....next to Robert Redford that is. End of my treatise on cinema and other stuff. I need a nap very badly. Maybe a banana will do instead.

Right you are, Lotus. That is a fruit juggling penis on a box of condoms. I had to do three passes up the cookie aisle, to the end cap at the front of the store, to take that pic without a big audience of Saturday shoppers. In the end, I had to accept that the girl giving out the Lipton tea mugs wasn't going on break and I was leaving town anyway.

Clay, honey, I have to choose some suitcases this weekend, too. This girl could really use a hand with her.....um....selection. Those guys are too cute for words! I hope Reed continues to update his photos while on tour. He has great sense of humor and I'm enjoying the photos even without Clay's comments. Heck, even without the sense of humor, photos of drop dead gorgeous Reed are always welcome. Sort of related to photos of Reed......I was packing up our clothes the other day into boxes for the move. As I folded John's navy blue blazer, I noticed the label......Hickey Freeman. Well, that was a surprise! Where the heck would he have gotten a Hickey Freeman sport coat when he's only allowed to shop for clothes at J C Penney? A year ago the label wouldn't have meant a thing to me, but I think it has to be the one I picked up on Dillard's sale rack last year for $125. I do believe I done good with that one. I also removed the jacket from the box and checked all the pockets to make sure there were no wayward ball point pens or pieces of gum. Whew! There was nothing but a boarding pass. Can't wait to tell him he can go skiing in it! I am quite content with the condition of his blogger these days. I'm glad he's letting us know that he is on good terms with his management. That gives me a lot of confidence for good things to come. Yesterday, the movers were here. I sort of survived, though I was dizzy and light headed over dinner. Things look brighter today. I've accepted that some of our things have been hijacked for ransom. I blogged about it at Sally's but left out a few good parts. I nearly had an apoplectic fit when I saw the truck that came to load our things. The guys were laughing at me because I was probably the first person who had come out of their house to take pictures of them loading up.....but I had news for them! I was laughing at their truck. I don't think one of them understood me when I took one look at it....said, "Holy Shit!! I have to get a picture of this!" I also discovered, with a lovely turn of the stomach, that the guys were drinking out of the glasses in the kitchen, rinsing them with water under the tap, and then putting them back up on the shelf as if they were clean. I found this out when I went to get a glass for some juice and my hand touched a wet (and sticky) glass in the cupboard. I know they didn't use soap because I had hidden the dish soap. There were two guys left in the kitchen by this time, and 5 sticky wet glasses. I doubt they would have taken another sip from my glasses had it been 90 degrees in the shade. With my thumb and my forefinger, I moved them from the shelf to the sink one by one, made and audible UGH!!!!!! to match my facial expression, gave them each a good dose of the evil eyebrow, and left the room. Hmph!

Count me in as well......along with 3 others.

I keep getting these email messages about people following me on Twitter.....following me what? I tried to sign in once and I didn't even remember how. I don't even remember getting twitter-pated in the first place. Doesn't mean I didn't sign up.....I just have no recollection. Sounds like fun, though. I do believe I have neglected to comment on the eye appeal of the new banner. Great design! This is one of cindilu's creations, right? Smack me if I'm wrong.....sometimes I enjoy that. Being wrong that is....

{{{00lsee}}}, Here's hoping Jack will be fine. Congratulations, claylove, on the new job. There's nothing quite as refreshing as starting something new! Bringing such great enthusiasm is sure to get you off on the right foot. I see the Gala tickets are going on sale this week....well, the $1000 ones.....I was so sure I was going to go for it this year and get the big ticket. However, this week I don't have the energy figure out how to smooth the way to the cocktail reception and group photo....with the only working member of the household. (He's still fretting over the cost of living in Denmark). I have to admit, though, I can't justify it either. I may have to board the dog for 4 months.....But enough of that whining! I am thrilled to see the date up and I've got my hotel rooms booked and I can't wait to go see my friends again. It seems like so long! And that Clay guy will be there, too. And he'll sing to me and be funny. Okay, back to my second last assignment of the semester and more semi-packing. Movers in two days! I am not exactly ready for this. Isn't weird how "off" you feel when your home is torn up? I want my books back in the bookcase where they belong!

I think I have one, too. I was saving them all but they're in a storage unit in Houston. Someone must be putting together a scrapbook or something.

CLAY BLOGGED

I don't think I've figured out how to live outside of the country yet....I'm just winging it as I go. I forgot to spell out the pronunciation of that fuzzy dog's name....it's Kenai....pronounced Keen-Eye.....it's the name of a town in Alaska where we used to live. He doesn't come from there, he's actually born and bred in Moncton, but I left it up to the kids to name him and this is what he got. Kenai has never been to his namesake town. It means "mouth of the river" in Athabaskan Indian. I betcha you all are excited to learn that, right? Bear with me it's almost 2 in the morning and I'm so tired I'm beginning to get giddy. I should shut up now and go to bed. He is a very good dog and he just celebrated his 11th birthday this week. He's worth it all for sure. We love him madly. Denmark and Copenhagen have excellent trains and bike paths on all the major streets and then some. We are getting a company car though, so I think I'll make the attempt at the license. I have a feeling it will be me who passes first since John doesn't have time to go to driving school.....and he isn't the best at making time. After 60 days his Texas license will no longer be valid in Denmark. One of us is going to have to drive I think. What's really cool is that you can take your dog on the public transportation (and into restaurants). I saw a Yorkie eating Chicken McNuggets at a table in McDonalds when I was there. Here in Baku the neighborhood pups eat what they can find in the garbage. I have a lot of Alberta beef left in the freezer, so there is going to be some fine doggie dining out on the road come next week.

I've been playing around at Sally's lately....mostly because I have other more important things to do and I like to go all perverse on myself. The latest babble is here Sally Rand McNally. I just didn't feel like shedding old papers today or packing clothes. I refuse to let a bunch of guys try to fold my clothes into a box, so I had them drop off boxes and I'll do it myself. When our things got here last summer they were in quite a state and there won't be any maid in Denmark to fix it this time. Hmmph! Cinderella gets a pool and it looks like she'll be using it to fill the steam iron. Someone in this household needs to remember that ironed socks and underwear are not the norm for most people. I mean, seriously, if I can give up nicely pressed dish towels , he can do without creases in his MacGregor's. :o

Scarlett , I hope you make a full recovery very soon! We will miss you until you are back up to speed again. Congratulations on the new job, Fear! It sounds like a great arrangement. Speaking of arrangements. I've finally completed making the arrangements for the dog and me to fly to Canada next week...though it ended up being the Monday of the week after that. No easy task to get a critter out of Baku, as I found out, but the travel agent came through....and I won't have to take him by the leash and walk him out through Iran (Georgia's too hilly). We got back, Tuesday morning, from Copenhagen. We got a house in a small town north of the city. It has a pool. The pool has no heat......ponder the irony of that one for a while. We should get 6 weeks out of it in the summer. But, unheated pool notwithstanding, I'm happy with the house and have come back to Baku in full moving gear.....well, sort of....I haven't actually done anything yet. But I did look into a closet or two. The movers will be here one week from today to pack.... Time to decide what I can live without for the next couple of months. Denmark was quite lovely, though. I think I am going to like brushing my teeth with tap water again. And broadband internet! I finally got to watch Clay on ANTM.....it took 3 hours for the large wmv file to downoad with my tied-together-like-shoelaces-over-the-road "fast" phone connection. I thought he was great!! Adorable!! Handsome!! Funny!! Can't wait for 30 Rock.

cindilu, I'm afraid all the mommies have been incapacitated. No one can save you, now. It's too late.

I tried to order one from Amazon Canada about an hour ago and it said it was unavailable and they didn't know if and when it would be. I ended up having one sent from the US instead. I looked at walmart.ca but it wasn't there either. Does anyone know if the Walmart stores in Canada are going to have it? Or where else it might be available north of the border? Have fun with your new puppy, luckiest one!!! Congrats on gbmifan on the new grandson!! The GLAAD Awards are tonight??!! Where is the time going? I need to pay more attention to life......but how I love waking up to new pictures!

I posted the second part of the carpet blogs tonight (well it's tonight here, anyway). Sally Rand McNally. Glad your getting a kick out them. Yes, the prices are excellent! And if I had of known we would be leaving before our two years were up, I would have started collecting a few before this. Luckily (I think) credit cards are not an option in the Old City.

I got the first of two blogs about the carpets done and posted at Sally Rand McNally. Couchie, I think you asked me for this link a while ago, but I kept forgetting about it. Sorry! I must have done a few blogs since I last posted about them. I hope to finish the last part of the carpet one tonight. It was getting too long so I broke it up. I had a request overnight from Scarlett to post some pix from Frisco. Nothing new but I kind of liked these ones, too. Ooops!!!!! That's more than a few isn't it?

Looks like the party was a blast! Love that smile! And those puppies!! So freakin' cute. I want one! Carpets? I hear if you get just the right one, you can save a ton of money on airfare. I'm supposed to be there today on a house hunting trip, but I'm on my second delay.....John had to suddenly pick up and go to Houston this morning for two weeks. The movers were booked for the end of this month, but now the house hunting trip is booked for the 6th of April and the move for the 18th or 25th. But come to think of it, I'm going to Canada first.....that makes Denmark about the first week of May. We picked up the carpet for our dining room last week and then, on the weekend we got 3 silk Sumaq's about 1.5 m X 1 m. Two of them are supposed to be Christmas presents, but it's going to be hard to give them up. I also got a Suzani wall hanging from Uzbekistan. They are embroidery on silk or cotton. I got a silk one that's about 8' X 5' and I think I'm going to give it to my daughter....i think....or maybe I'll get another one for her and keep this one.

Three most favorite TV shows? Oh God, this is tough......I reserve the right to change my mind as more memories pop into it. 1) Absolutely Fabulous - Couldn't get enough of Patsy and Edina even if they didn't have one redeeming quality between them. 2) E.R. - Dr. John Carter had lots of redeeming qualities. 3) The Daily Show - that's a TV show right? I've been carpet shopping the past week and I need to stop!! It's getting be a very expensive habit....sort of collecting fabric and yarn except that most of the time your husband is with you to do the heavy lifting. Speaking of yarn, I'm going to investigate a yarn shop I have heard about here to see what they might have to offer that's a little bit different. There are some spinners and dyers here among the expats and I know you can buy unwashed fleece at the bazaars by the kilo.....not that I want any of that but it's kind of neat. I've already scoped out the fabric market, there wasn't much in the way of cotton but there were a lot of other tempting things. I have to go back and satisfy that little appetite before we leave Baku.....in about 3 or 4 weeks. I want to put some pictures up from the carpet shopping experience on my blog. I'll post when I've done it in case anyone is interested in my newest obsession.

Have to post and welcome my girl headoverheels!! I'm so glad to see you posting her at FCA. We always seem to cross paths during concert times and even Spam once or twice. I know we will do so again. A fake Facebook, eh? Well that explains the little notes I was getting under "People You Might Want to Add" or some such thing all week. I thought that kinda hinky. I must say you Ontario gals are making me want to visit Toronto this summer. I could use a Cluncheon.....and a day at Yorkdale. Still don't have a moving date. But that's something we'll probably get next week. I really am not ready to move yet but I will be so happy to get a high speed internet connection again! Then again a nice regular one would be nice, too. They are building a new house next door to us (practically on top of us really) and every time a truck comes up the road to dump of bricks or dirt, or what have you, we lose our phone and internet. The trucks scrape along the wires which are tied together like shoelaces across the road. They don't tear the wires all the way down, but they do enough damage that the phone line master has to come out and fix it. My Hero!!!!

Yes, I was zooming that thing since I first saw it. Zooms in nice and clear, not a pixelation in sight. Actually, they are Sable Island Horses. You can't ride them though, they are protected and no one is allowed to interfere with them. I think there is only a half dozen or so permanent residents...mostly meteorologists. In order to even go there you have to have permission from the Canadian Coast Guard. Does your teammate work out of Halifax? I did some preliminary work on Sable (the project, not the island itself) with the Dept. of Mines (as it was known back in the day) when I worked there in the summers during college....crikey! That was about 35 years ago! Okay.......that remark makes this seem like a good day to start reducing the stock in the liquor cupboard.