On Easter, my mom gave me a little box full of little mint chocolates. I’ve been very good at not gobbling them up. That is until this evening. I grabbed a handful and I looked at it and thought, “Gosh that’s a lot of chocolates, I really should put some back!” I kept them in my hand and proceeded to eat all of them. I then got up and grabbed another handful and as I looked at the chocolates in my hand, I thought, “Wow, that’s a lot of chocolates, I really should put some back.” The only place I put them was into my mouth. I THEN WENT BACK AND GRABBED A THIRD HANDFUL AND AGAIN, I THOUGHT, “WHOA, THAT’S A LOT OF CHOCOLATES, I REALLY SHOULD PUT SOME BACK” I then ate the handful. Wanna know something? I want to go back and grab a fourth handful.

FINALLY! Palast Orchester mit seinem Sänger Max Raabe is FINALLY available on Rhapsody!

Here’s a playlist link

Sadly, I can’t seem to find the album he did in which he covered Sex Bomb and Oops, I Did It Again!

I am back home. Rob just dropped me off. I went to Rob’s place right after the User Group on Wednesday and that is where I’ve been for the most part. Yesterday I drove home in the morning and did some yard work. I had other chores I planned on doing but Rob came by and picked me up and took me to a party in the city. It wasn’t a rollicking party. It was a party thirty and forty-somethings attend. People sat around in a circle and everyone just talked to one another. There were a lot of Star Wars and Blade Runner references. Afterward, Rob and I went back to the farm. Today we took a nature walk and then we walked around Skippack. We had a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant where we ate outside. The weather has been absolutely perfect the last couple days. I hope it stays this nice out. The last few hours we just sat outside at the farm, swinging on the porch swing, walking around the fields, watching deer, etc… Rob will soon be moving and I can’t tell you how much I am going to miss the farm. I don’t think I will miss the Carriage house too much. It’s the farm and the porch swing that I love. Oh well, all good things must end.

I got back to the Donnavilla and I made a shake with my new blender that I got at Walmart the other day. I used Mango juice, a banana, vanilla Activia yogurt, a splash of Midori and loads of ice. Can you say, YUM? It was so tasty. Now I really need to do a couple loads of laundry and get this house back into order.

Tonight I am going to a user group meeting. I have found that there are certain people I simply can’t get on the phone, so instead, I sacrifice an evening, go where they go, and just get in their face. That should be in a sales book. Probably is.

After the user group I am going to Rob’s place. It’s right next to where the user group takes place which is very convenient. The user group always goes late and the thought of driving back to the donnavilla is daunting. I think it’s knowing I will see Rob later that has me forging ahead with the day.

I’ve been feeling a thousand times better although I need to get back into my mantra/law of attraction schtick. Positive thoughts attract positive things. I believe that. Maybe I need to start thinking about nicer weather. I can’t take this cold any longer. I want to see leaves on trees and birds in the sky– a warm sun overhead, a gentle cool breeze! No more ice and snow and wind and rain. PLEASE!

Nathan links to a cool Youtube video. Check it out.

Don Ho died today. As a little girl, I loved to watch the Don Ho Variety Show. I remember watching the show and asking my mother, “Why is Mr Don Ho sticking his tongue into those women’s mouths, Mommy?” As part of his act, he would give kisses to the women in the audience and he liked to slip them a little tongue. Yuck! I wonder if he tasted like poi?

Yesterday was a reunion of sorts. My dear friend, Suzette, came out of a half decade of hiding and graced me with her presence! She and her husband Mats came to the Donnavilla on Sunday and had lunch with us. Suzette warned me on the phone that I wouldn’t recognize her– she had gotten gray and pudgy and somehow lost her chin since it could no longer be found on her face. It certainly is sad when friends age terribly but Suzette wasn’t one of those casualties- she looked fine.

I served a terrific meal, one that was both easy and tasty! Appetizers consisted of grapes, mini pitas and hummus for dipping. Although I am capable of making hummus, this time I purchased it ready made. Lunch was salad topped with chicken, grape tomatoes, feta, olives and my homemade salad dressing. I even served dessert! It was sliced strawberries with cool whip. Food preparation and service went smoothly. Certainly the smoothness was owed to Rob who helped me the entire time.

Although it had been years since I last saw Suzette we seemed to resume right where we had left off– provided the last time I saw her we got along swimmingly. I can’t rightly remember what happened the last time we saw each other and why she fell off the earth. I very much liked her new husband Mats especially because he took our silly questions in stride– most of which consisted of references to Ikea, Bjorn Borg and how in the world was Alfred Nobel able to amass a fortune under Swedish tax laws? Did I mention Mats is Swedish?

After lunch we adjourned to the parlor where Robert brought up a subject he tends to bring up when we are with friends. I will usually mention what a wonderful musician he is and without fail Robert mentions how he bought me a guitar which I never touch. This of course is not true since I do take it out of its bag to lightly stroke its neck and run my fingers along its body. The real truth is I never practice and I have forgotten the one chord that Rob taught me. I usually just smile when the subject is brought up and then I try to introduce a new subject such as Calvinist theology. The thing is, as much as Rob insists that I told him I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, I only remember saying I wish I could play the guitar. There’s a big difference there– one means practicing, the other is just a deluded wish that I might wake up one day with the gift to strum. Regardless, I realized that Rob really wants me to play the guitar and the more I think about it, practicing isn’t such a bad thing. Heck, it might be fun! And so I am throwing my cap into the musical ring. I will try to learn to play the guitar. This time I will actually put effort into it. I just hope Rob will work with me.

I decided to send my taxes via mail. Why make it easy for them? Saturday morning I printed everything out, signed the two different forms, wrote a check to the PA Dept of Revenue and mailed everything. I can’t tell you how happy I am now that it is finally out of my hair. The only thing that will make me happier is when I get a check for all the money NJ collected from me. We shall see.

I must reclaim my positive emotional state. The last few days I have been struggling with a dark mood. It’s due to hormone levels, I know, but I still can’t allow myself to dwell. Of course, dwell is exactly what I have been doing. Dwelling on my issues and angst and thinking over and over thoughts that just aren’t healthy. Men should every day thank God that they aren’t affected by the same cycles that rule women. When was the last time a man sat drinking a cup of a coffee when suddenly a wave of unutterable sadness descended upon him and he had to put down his mug and have a little cry? I am going to hazard a guess that this has only occurred once to a man and his name was Liberache. That’s not a gay joke, I just think that people who wear so many sequins must be plagued by demons.

Check out this Web site and notice the ad on the right. I love the typo– 2007 Moon Dairy. (You may have to refresh a couple times to see it)

Okay, let’s practice some positive thinking:

• I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow!
• I just know that I am going to have a great time at work!
• Mondays are my favorite day of the week!

I am already feeling better.

Last night I made Chicken, Rice and Beans. I was really happy with how it came out. It was pretty easy to make. The only adjustment I made to the recipe was instead of using cayenne pepper I used a couple squirts of Sriracha sauce. I have the feeling that this is one of those meals where the leftovers will taste even better.

After dinner, Rob and I watched an episode of Blackadder II that I had never seen! Rik Mayall had a cameo! I just about fainted. I laughed so hard when he said, “I like girls with beards, gives me something to hold on to!” After Blackadder I went through my eclectic collection of DVDs and I gave Rob a couple of movie choices, Immortality, Myra Breckinridge or The Wicker Man starring not Nick Cage but the Equalizer. Rob chose The Wicker Man. OH MY GOSH WHAT A CRAZY WEIRD ASS MOVIE! Was not expecting the end although the signs were there all along. I can’t imagine this is an easy film to find unless you have NetFlix but do check it out. I really liked it.