Sniff.

Today.  Price Costco. Checkout.

"Senior discount, right?"
"No! Well...how old do you have to be for a senior?"
"Ummm..."  (She knows she's in trouble now.)  "Maybe 60?"
"What?!  I'm not even close! Groan." (Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration.)
(Backpedaling as fast as possible.) "I think I got you mixed up with another lady.  Same haircut...white....."

"Yeah.  We all look alike."

And More Changes...

Well, not huge changes, but a little change.  We have a 6 bedroom home--which sounds big--but the living room, dining room, and kitchen are all in an open floor plan.  The living room is really just a seating area within that space and that seating area is small and hard to arrange (for me anyway).  Anyway, I figured new curtains, new furniture arrangement...  We all agree that it feels better.  It's kind of interesting how furniture placement can make a room feel cozy or stark or can determine how much a room gets used.

...and MORE changes...

I wanna play tooooooo!

Time for a Change

Here's the thing...we've lived here 10 years.  When we first came the landlord had these blue/white/pinky drapes that I didn't want because 1- they were blue/white/pinky, and 2- because of this:

which is The View from the living room

 and the dining room. 

I didn't want to cover up The View!  However, I also had the noise.  Oh, the noise, noise, noise!  Marble-tiled floors, concrete walls--aye-yi-yi! 

 I've stood it for 10 years, but now as our house settles into less kids and more contemplation (?!) I want a more muted sound.  A year or so ago we got a bigger area rug for the living room and I think we're just about ready for a rug under the dining table (no more spilled jars of pickles, etc.), but I just don't know what to do about the windows. At one time I did put up some curtains and when I think about those curtains now--they were gross.   Maybe I've just gone so long with naked windows that I can't picture them with clothes.

I'm open to suggestions...  

Another Day at the Conner's

Well, I've talked about baking on Sundays, done an FHE post...probably the only other day of the week that really stands out at our house (other than Wednesdays, which is Youth Night so we aren't even here), is Friday night.

Friday is like this big release--you made it through another week. Ahhhh. Time to kick back, relax, maybe watch a movie, have a little free time when it's okay to put off whatever needs to be done for another day or another week.

Maybe that's what it's like for some people, but not here. Friday is ... fun! The kids invite bunches (yes, bunches) of their friends over, if I want I make pizza, we order out if I don't. The Wii, computer games, music--the limits of the week are off! Oh the noise, the smells, the noise, the eats, the noise, the sights, and the NOISE! It's a blast!

On Friday nights, I'm living the dream of having a home where the kids would want to bring their friends to hang out and have fun. We talked about that many years ago when we only had one kid. I wanted them to come to OUR house--I wanted to know what they were doing and where they were and I didn't want to miss out on the fun of knowing my kids' friends.

Tonight, Friday night, is no exception. I've been making pizzas since 3:30 this afternoon when Kait called to ask if Ashley, Christina, and LaKell could come home with her from school. Then Jershon called to see if Christina was here and I told him someone would come down and pick him up. Then when the girls arrived LaKell had her little sister with her. Then Arthur showed up. Then Solofi. Then Sam said Joe and Jenny and Daniel would be coming up with him tonight....

I'm tired. I've been up since 5:00 this morning. But I'm old enough to know that when this is all over I'm going to miss it. Memories--that's what I'm after here.

Preparing for the Pioneer Trek

Is it possible that 5 years have gone by since the last time we studied D&C/Church History in Seminary? My, my, my...

Well, anyway, we went out yesterday and today to work out a route. It's not easy to come up with a 20-25 mile route on a 14x6 island! Several people have given suggestions, so we went and checked out a couple of places, but today we retraced the route that was used 5 years ago and I think we will most likely end up with a modified version of that. When we did the trek then, we basically mapped out an approximately 18 mile route in the northern part of the island (Marpi area) and walked it. This time, however, we are really getting into the spirit of the trek. Last week the Seminary girls met on Saturday afternoon with Sister Smith who helped us measure and cut materials for bonnets and skirts (!!!), then she took everything home and sewed them up for us. Also, last time we just spent part of one day, but this time we're going for two days, overnight. One of the students is making a couple of handcarts to satisfy requirements for his Eagle Scout award--YES! we're actually going to have 2 handcarts!!! Gulp.

Will we go down this trail and up over that hill?

Or another swing around Bird Island?

Stay tuned...

On the Wagon--An Update

Remember the personal pledge not to eat junk foods or sweets for 6 months? Well, I'm about at the half-way point (or will be as of June 27), so I thought it was about time for a little report on my progress and findings.

What I have found is that I seem to have better control over my eating, which makes sense because I've heard that sugar can actually stimulate appetite. Of course, I haven't given up all sugar, just sweets and junk, but still I'm sure that it cuts my sugar intake significantly (I definitely have a sweet tooth!) At first, I think I was eating a little more, but it was easy to stop and I pay attention to portion control.

Another thing I found is a sense of freedom. That probably sounds weird, but it's true. It feels good not to think about what I can eat or can't eat. That decision has already been made and I don't think about or consider it at all anymore. Everything else--anything that doesn't fall into the categories of sweets or junk--is available. At first it was like, well, okay, what constitutes "junk food"? For me, it's chips, soda, candy, and that kind of thing. Mega empty calories.

I think I have a better disposition. I think. I probably should ask the kids, but just in case they disagree we'll just go with that.

It probably goes without saying that I'm eating a lot better--I have a tendency to grab something to eat on the run, but now it's almost always fruit--an apple, grapes, whatever. Or a piece of cheese. Or a handful of nuts. It's so much better than a couple of cookies, or one of the donuts I bought for my class, etc.

And here's the kicker--7 lbs. down with no increase in activity. Oh yeah.

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FMF, Day 3: A deal and the sounds on Orange Avenueposted by JimAbbott on May 16, 2009 3:11:39 AM

Abit of a late start, relatively speaking, because of a Fringe commitment and a visit to the rooftop party at the Plaza. On the roof, I got a chance to meet Matt Maroone of Universal/SRC, who was singing th praises of Million Year Echo. That band, led by Levi Conner, has moved from Central Florida to New York, but is still managed by Sean Perry of aXis Promotions and, of course, FMF.
(Orange You Glad folks: Be sure to look for updates from Kelly Fitzpatrick and Mary Frances Emmons, who were taking in the action on Mills Avenue tonight.)
On Friday, the band reached a handshake agreement with Maroone and his partner Jon Rifkind (Loud Records) on a production deal with Cartilage Records, a new spinoff company that Maroone and Rifkind are launching. The team will be working to produce a demo that will eventually get the band to a major label.
"They have stepped up their game to a whole new level," Maroone said of the band, which performed Friday on the Wall Street Main Stage. "I think Levi Conner is a once-in-a-lifetime talent."
On Wall Street, the band banged out an exuberant, high-energy 30 minutes laced with enough big, melodramatic hooks to put them in the ball park with Fall Out Boy, if that does anything for you.

Go Levi!

FMF: Million Year Echo signs label deal...posted by JimAbbott on May 15, 2009 4:36:16 PM

Million Year Echo, the latest band featuring singer-songwriter Levi Conner (Leave Calmer), signed a deal with Universal/SRC over lunch today, which gives the band something to celebrate at its 10:30 p.m. Wall Street Plaza FMF slot tonight.
"We're pretty happy," says Sean Perry, who manages the group. Universal/SRC is the team behind the success of Asher Roth, the no-show headliner on Thursday at FMF. "This is the way to break a band," Perry added, "This is the new formula."
With Million Year Echo in a sweet slot just ahead of Filter tonight, it's the kind of Cinderella scenario that is sure torankle those in the local scene already cynical about FMF's approach and motives. And a deal doesn't mean much unless something eventually happens.
Still, it should make for a happy vibe on Wall Street around 10:30 tonight.
Speaking of Asher Roth, he will be doing a make-up gig on Wall Street Plaza next month, Perry told me. No details yet, but I will pass along when available.

Hello Kids - Million Year Echo

by FFTL Productions

Do You Facebook?

Have you ever been looking over the feeds on your Facebook home page, clicked on the thumbnail photo of a friend and suddenly realized that you have access to someone's Facebook that you've never met? It happens--what I didn't realize when it happened to me is that although the photo I was clicking on was of my friend, it had been posted by a friend of theirs that I didn't even know. By clicking on it I had access to all of the photos and all of the comments on photos in that album. Hmmm...
So I happened to be checking out the news on msnbc.com today and here's an article on "10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know." Good information on using features that I didn't even know existed (no great revelation--I'm not exactly an internet pro).