Home again

Back from a fun trip to Vegas, and lovely to be home.

Was really surprised at the full flights - usually it's a perfect time to fly with very little crowds. The Southwest flight attendants are refreshingly funny - for some of the fun things they say check out flight attendants on YouTube.

Boxing Day

It's been real fun hanging out with my nieces. They are old enough to have longer conversations - too cute for words. Have been playing Go Fish and Chutes and Ladders - whatever happened to Snakes and Ladders? It's certainly more dramatic being swallowed up by a snake then simply sliding down the chute.

Explored the wonderful creations at the Bellagio - simply magnificent. The girls loved the scrapbooks - we'll be embellishing the books with stickers later tonight. It's in the 50s - a pleasant change from the Boston winter.

Merry Christmas!

HO HO HO

Up before the animals. Huge full moon. Must have been excellent lighting for the reindeer.
Headed out to Las Vegas this morning. More from the city of sin later (oh wait, that is Lynn isn't it?).

Visual Journal

Some recent pages:

Happy Winter Solstice!

The great news is that this is the longest night of the year - we are headed towards more light. Just back in from a walk - why is everyone on their roofs shoveling off the snow? Is there an alert that I missed? Hmmm.









Looks like we're in the midst of a snowy wilderness.

A neighbor has an interesting decoration they put out each year. Rudolph stands at the top of the chimney and helps Santa up - imagine Santa going down and popping out with that grin. Not sure that this is PG rated!

Africa

Graffiti can be really creative public art. Here is a homage to my homeland found in Old San Juan, PR.

Snow Records

We've had the 2nd highest snow fall for the month of Dec - and winter does not start until tomorrow. It looks like the gift of the warm winter we had last year will not be repeated - though at least we are getting snow to play in.

The problem becomes where to put all this snow. When the snow banks are as tall as I am, it makes shoveling a cardio sport. And did I mention that winter does not officially start until tomorrow?

Inspiration

Several months ago I stumbled onto this website . It is absolutely incredible and I dip in on a regular basis for inspiration. Drop in and see what some of the most talented minds are thinking about.

Book of Jonah

Here is the photo book for Jonah. 4 down, 1 to go.



















This book was created with some 2 page LOs.
You can see the entire book here.

Children's Books

There is something magical about reading children's books, and lately, I've been immersed in the magic as I read books in search of ones that I think my n's would enjoy.

Here are my fave ones this week:

1. The Dot - this one is a gentle reminder to little artist who might be buried deep inside us.
2. Ten Little Mummies - an Egyptian counting book.
3. Flotsam - I love this book. It has no words, so the story changes each time.
4. Museum ABC - lovely way to explore the letters of the alphabet.

Winter Wonderland

Let it snow! We've had 2 winter storms in the past 4 days, each showering us with about 8 inches.

Yesterday we had a mailbox at 10 and the mailbox disappeared by 11:30 - not due to the amount of snow, but because the plows banged into it. I guess it is rather easy to miss the black box surrounded by all that white. Sigh. Am starting to understand why people have concrete mailboxes.

Too bad had to come in to work today - would be a lovely day to play in the snow - yes a bit cold, but brilliant sunshine. The world is white and sparkling new. Beautiful!

Quote of the Day

Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.

- Spencer Johnson

Amazon versus Sony

The battle of the e-readers is on! Currently the Sony reader is about 100 bucks cheaper than Amazon's Kindle (which is currently sold out and selling on ebay at twice list price!)

I've been waiting for technology to catch up, and it looks like it finally has. I for one am thrilled. But where does one get one's hands on these devices to see what they look like?

Well, at Comp USA I found the latest Sony - and boy oh boy is it awesome! The text looks like the written page! Very cool. I've been reading up on technology behind this, and it's really interesting. Have read all the reviews on the Kindle - certainly see some of the advantages over the Sony. Love that you don't have to be connected to a PC. I've been looking at upgrading my iPod but the fact that I can listen to audio on these devices is compelling. Yes, they have totally different use models, and I can see why I would love having both, but am holding out for the moment on the iPod upgrade.

Issues I still see that need to be resolved:
1. Will libraries carry the right format for these e-books?
2. DRM implications. Can I transfer the book to someone else? Can I re-read the book several years down the road?
3. The audio is currently in "shuffle" mode - this prevents listening to audio books.

Despite these current limitations, I am thrilled to finally see e-readers that I would use. Almost walked out of the store with one!

*
Have gotten several requests, so have added my wish list to the blog (under LINKS on right).

Latest Audio Book

Just completed The Alibi Man.

This is the first time I've been exposed to the books of Tami Hoag. Her thrillers are very popular, and I found this one enjoyable. Not great, but good commuting material.

Lola

Her name was Lola
She was a showgirl
On the streets of Old San Juan ...













It really is amazing what you see if you take the time to look.

Book of Maya

Here is the photo book for Maya. 3 down, 2 to go.















You can see the rest of the album here.

Book Club Reading List

Here is what my book club is reading the first part of 2008:

Jan - The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
Feb - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
March - The Gathering by Anne Enright
April - Name All The Animals:A Memoir by Alison Smith

Book of Sophia

It's always fun to go back and look at old pics. I completed the photo book for Sophia - 2 down, 3 to go.















You can see the entire book here.

Visual Journal

Had an incredibly creative day yesterday. Felt in the mood for holiday cards this year, and loved how they turned out - will post a sample soon. In the meanwhile, continue to play in my art journal - I have a goal to complete this book by year end, and have only a couple more pages to go. (Click in images to enlarge).

Bowling

For someone who has not bowled since college days (that is a story for another time), it has come up twice this week. Not the big balls bowling - I'm sure it has a formal name - but the little ball type - Candle Pin.

How it come up - a trip to the lanes with my brother and nephews and yesterday as a work "bonding" event. It actually is quite fun. I had never seen the little kid lanes before - they have guard rails up so you cannot have a gutter ball. Very cool. Strikes, spares - great jargon too. And oh the shoes! If I took this more seriously I would have to invest in entire new outfits and equipment - that in itself would be interesting.

Recent Reads

Have read several books lately and here is one that I really enjoyed.

I love reading journals of all types, and this one is a visual journal of sorts. Personally, I find that when I look back at the pages of my visual journal, I can recall so much more than when I record the experience in any other way - written entry, photography, etc.

I have read some of the author's children books, and they are really imaginative. Would recommend them for the little and not-so-little ones in your life.

PC Club

I sure do miss it. Had really great ones in PR.

Snow Days

We had our first snow a day ago - not much, only about 4 to 5 inches. And yet traffic came to a stand still. This happens every winter - it's as if people forget how to drive in the white stuff and there are accidents everywhere. I really don't understand it, and yet there you have it.

I am lucky in that I can work at home when weather makes traffic simply not worth plowing through. A great perk.