Melyssa-with-a-Y

Someone pointed out to me last week that I hadn't been blogging in a while. It's true, I've gotten so addicted to Facebook that I post just about everything over there. But there's not enough room at FB to really delve into anything... I just post a link and make a little comment, and it's done. So back to Blogger. And you'll notice I've changed the design of the page a bit... I'm going to keep playing with it until I find a design that I really like. Comments are welcome. It's July. Half the year is over. Sometimes I really wonder where time goes. I know I go to work every day and get stuff done, and move forward... I just hope I'm making enough of a difference in the world. We read " The Next Thing on My List " in book club last month (good choice, Maria!) and it got us all to think about what would be on our "lists" -- like a bucket list, only with a slightly shorter time line. The list below was modified from Cassie B...

(I refuse to use Larry the Cable guy's catchphrase. Bleh.) This weekend, I managed to finish a bunch of things that were just sort of hanging around in limbo. For starters, I finally completed the crochet caterpillar for Nicky W. I'm hoping to get to the post office on Tuesday to ship it off to Boston. I also finished re-installing (mostly) my printer/copier/scanner so I could use it to scan photos and such. (see photo, right --> ) More of those will be posted shortly. There are so many to choose from! And, I cleared out a ton of cardboard boxes that have been filling my garage... I need the space -- my new B&D electric mower is coming on Thursday! (it's so cute!) There are so many things I can get done outside, now that it's not going to be 104 degrees every day. I also started a few new things - a new pot of basil is growing, some new parsley seedlings are peeking out, and I made an apple granola crumbly-thing for breakfasts this week. I'm sure this bu...

Last month, I decided to organize a "Biggest Loser" contest at my office. I've since dropped out, but not because I am giving up. I'm taking a new path. Over the past... 20 or so years, I have spent a lot of time thinking about food. What to eat, what not to eat, how many calories (or WW points) everything is, how much I have to exercise to burn off whatever I ate for dinner, writing down what I've eaten -- and deciding whether to write something down at all (like those miniature york peppermint patties that I keep in my freezer)... and somehow, it never seems to end. I have been brainwashed by WW, so it's not a "diet" it's a " lifestyle change " -- I haven't used the word "diet" in forever. In the last year, I've been working with a nutritionist and a personal trainer (three years with the trainer), and although I know I'm in much better shape than I was when I started -- I definitely have more stamina, and I ca...

Having a whole bunch of movie channels (and a DVR) is great, though sometimes it keeps me from watching my Netflix movies for months at a time. I can watch some of my favorite movies whenever they're on, over and over again, and quote most (if not all) of the lines. The list is long: Star Wars/Empire/Jedi, Princess Bride, Pretty Woman, Hunt for Red October, French Kiss, Footloose, Crimson Tide, Bridget Jones, Unforgiven... occassionally Dani and I try to build a complete list, but we can never think of all of them. I think it's a comfort thing. I know I can do just about anything around the house - work, laundry, build bookcases, hang pictures, knit, and even nap - and know exactly what's going on in the movie. It's actually harder for me to do these things when I'm watching a new episode of something, like Countdown on MSNBC, or CSI, because I want to concentrate on what's being said. But these movies are my comfort food. Speaking of which, tonight, Fie...

Sunday afternoon, I took another load of boxes up to my new house (yay!) and discovered new little friends: pillbugs! also known as roly-polys! EVERYWHERE! Well, ok, not everywhere. Around the kitchen and the bathrooms -- apparently they like dampness. When I went back tonight, they were mostly dead in corners. Not to worry, though, I bought Ortho MAX, and will be spraying it around the outside of the house and in the kitchen and bathrooms, before move-in day. :) I also picked out a fancy new fridge (it was on sale) and a garage-door opener, both of which should be installed later in the week. And then on Saturday, I'm moving in! OMG! Photos from move-in will be posted... when I recover.

This afternoon, I did seven interviews with Canadian Broadcasting Corp stations all over Canada - from British Columbia to Saskatchewan to Manitoba to Ontario to New Brunswick to Yukon ( not geographically in any particular order ). They asked me questions about collecting political memorabilia -- how I got started, why people collect, what's valuable, and what's out there for Obama. I talked about my flasher collection , Cox-Roosevelt buttons , and the Obama Chapter of the APIC. The station in Victoria, BC (6th go-round) sent me an MP3 recording of the interview. I've asked for recordings of the other ones, but I actually think this one was the best. One of the producers I spoke with likened the experience to "Groundhog Day", and she was right! The station in New Brunswick also offered to send me a bobblehead doll of one of the DJs. :) If I can figure out how to post it here, I will. Otherwise, if you want to hear it, email me and I'll send you the 6MB ...

Yet another "about me" list that I've stolen from Phyl : The things I have done are in bold. 1. Started my own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than I can afford to charity 7. B een to Disneyland/world 8. Climbed a mountain (Not sure if hiking counts but it was a moutain) 10. Sung a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched lightening at sea 14. Taught myself art from scratch (does knitting count?) 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown my own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitchhiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29 . Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Fa...

It's 2009! How did that happen? 2008 was a fun year, and I can only wonder at what 2009 holds for all of us. Hope y'all have a happy, healthy year, full of pleasant surprises. :) And now, for a trip down memory lane: I found this on Phyl's blog , and I love it! IF YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 70'S... 1. You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked. Hmmm. Don't remember this. 2 You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. Uhhh, Nope. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 13. By then, it was the mid-80's. 3. You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. Oh yes, and skated through some dogsh*t the first time my dad took me out on them. 4 You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!) Sigh. ok, I admit it. 5. You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island. EEEK!! I thought Scooby Doo was too scary. I didn't even watch Fantasy Isla...

Dani did this meme today, so I thought I'd steal it. :) Where is your mobile phone? Sofa Where is your significant other? undetermined Your hair colour? Mahogany Your mother? Funny Your father? Stubborn Your favourite thing? Cooking Your dream last night? weird Your dream goal? Peace The room you're in? Living Your hobby? Knitting Your fear? Loss Where do you want to be in 6 years? Austin Where were you last night? Wake What you're not? JAP One of your wish-list items? House Where you grew up? Washington The last thing you did? Cook What are you wearing? Jeans Your TV? Small Your pets? None Your computer? Old Your mood? Spent Missing someone? Joel Your car? PT Something you're not wearing? makeup Favourite shop? Target Your summer? Hot Love someone? everyone! Your favourite colour? Red! When is the last time you laughed? 8pm ...

The rules of the meme: bold those you have tried, strikethrough those you wouldn't eat on a bet. The Omnivore's Hundred is a list of foods the gastronomic Andrew Wheeler thinks everyone should try at least once in their lives. 1. Venison 2. Nettle tea 3. Huevos rancheros 4. Steak tartare 5. Crocodile 6. Black pudding (aka blood pudding or blood sausage) 7. Cheese fondue 8. Carp 9. Borscht 10. Baba ghanoush 11. Calamari 12. Pho 13. PB&J sandwich 14. Aloo gobi 15. Hot dog from a street cart 16. Epoisses [ahem. lactose intolerant] 17. Black truffle 18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes 19. Steamed pork buns 20. Pistachio ice cream 21. Heirloom tomatoes 22. Fresh wild berries 23. Foie gras 24. Rice and beans 25. Brawn, or head cheese 26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper 27. Dulce de leche 28. Oysters 29. Baklava 30. Bagna cauda [never had it, but it sounds good !] 31. Wasabi peas 32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl 33. Salted lassi (is that a different version of ...

Phyl double-dog-dared me. (well, indirectly. She dared all of us!) 1. Who was your first prom date? Jeremy W., junior year in high school. (we had a junior-senior prom -- two, in fact -- we had one, and the boys school had one.) 2. Do you still talk to your first love? Not since I ran into him in my apartment building 7 years ago. eek! 3. What was your first alcoholic drink? Hm. Probably Manischewitz! ha ha 4. What was your first job? does babysitting count? Otherwise, summer camp counselor, when I was 16. 5. What was your first car? I drove Dad's gold Chrysler Town & Country convertible for a while, but then I got my own car, a cherry red Pontiac Grand Am. zoooooom! 6. Who was the first person to text you today? No one has texted me today... yet. 7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning? Someone at work. (and NOT in that way...) 8. Who was your first grade teacher? I had two. Mrs. Leesfield and Sra. Sagranichini. (try saying that name when you're 5 y...

Taken from Dani's blog Accent: When I went to college in New Jersey, people thought I had a southern accent. Now that I live in Texas, I'm starting to pick up the accent for real, but I'm still more middle-of-the-road basic eastern US. Breakfast or no breakfast: Gotta have breakfast. Usually some starch (toast, whole wheat english muffin, or flax waffles), some protein (sun butter or cottage cheese), and some fruit. Keeps me going even if I don't get a chance to eat lunch until after 1pm. Chore I don’t care for: cleaning the bathroom. bleh. Dog or Cat: Dogs, mostly, but it depends on the cat. Essential Electronics: Unfortunately, my blackjack is now an addiction. I can get mail, directions, news, weather... it's bad. Favorite Cologne: I always liked Davidoff Cool Water on a guy, but that was a long time ago. On me - Jo Malone 's Grapefruit or Pomegranate Noir. Gold or Silver: Gold Handbag I carry most often: The black and red Nine West purse with the...

There are parts of my past that I don't talk about often. Other than my junior year in Spain, I don't talk about college much, and I hadn't spoken to anybody from Rutgers in many many years. Lo and behold, one of the guys I used to hang out with at RU looked me up on LinkedIn and sent me a message. And presto! I have three old friends back! So here's a little of my backstory, brought to you by the reminiscing I've been doing since I heard from Arc two weeks ago. --- At the end of my freshman year in college, I made friends with a bunch of odd guys in my dorm. And when I say odd, I mean, interesting, different, funny, strange, goofy... They were mostly roommates -- Chuck and Adam, Bill and Chris (aka Arc), Tom, Ken (Clubber), Jason and Chad. I don't know how I hooked up with them, but by the time I left for my trip to Spain after sophomore year, I couldn't imagine how I was going to live without them. We watched a lot of Star Trek: TNG and played a lot of ca...

Another year, another Oscar /Birthday party! Le menu: Bloody Marys (for There Will be Blood , and Sweeney Todd ) Spicy bread-dipping sauce (also TWBB , it was part of the theme menu I found online) French bread ( Michael Clayton ) Beef and bean chili ( No Country ) Mac & cheese ( Juno ) I didn't have anything for Atonement . I was going to make sticky toffee pudding, but I did that last year for The Queen . I also bought "meat pies" (well, empanadas) for Sweeney Todd , but forgot to serve them. The party crowd was larger than last year (I know more people now!), including Rebeka, Marcia, Henry, Faith, Matthew, Paul, Atesha, Janie, Rachael and Andy. Good thing I went out and bought some extra folding chairs ! (they were on sale) Somehow, I managed to guess wisely on my Oscar ballot, and got the most correct answers! How did I beat Andy? I have no idea. He's seen everything. In fact, this is the first year in a while that I've seen more than one of the best...

I started a new program at my gym, which includes bi-weekly sessions with a nutritionist, continuing to work with my trainer, plus a pedometer and a food diary. The nutritionist is very nice (much better than the woman who was there before). At our first appointment last week, she started suggesting that I lean more toward natural foods -- real butter instead of margarine, almond butter instead of JIF (waaah!), etc. She was impressed that I already knew how to keep a food diary, but after all these years on Weight Watchers, it's really second nature. She took me to the (regular) supermarket yesterday, to talk about what to buy and what not to buy. We looked at organic everything , from apples to cereals to milk to energy bars. We talked about the nutrition content of the stuff that I had been buying, which was full of chemicals and preservatives. I always look at the fat and calorie content of the foods (to count WW points), but I have to start looking at the ingredient list and a...

Dani sent me a link today to the Political Compass , a site that gauges your left- or right-leaning tendencies, and your authoritarian vs. libertarian views. The questions are really thought-provoking... in some cases, I would have rather had the option to say "no opinion" or "neither agree nor disagree," but you have to pick one way or the other. Sample questions: (strongly agree/agree/disagree/strongly disagree) Charity is better than social security as a means of helping the genuinely disadvantaged. In a civilized society, one must always have people above to be obeyed and people below to be commanded. There are no savage and civilized peoples; there are only different cultures. Governments should penalize businesses that mislead the public. My results: (no one is really going to be surprised) ;) Economic Left/Right: -5.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.44 See that red dot? That's me. In case you're wondering, here's how some of the world's...

Dani sent me a link to the "Nerd, Geek or Dork?" test. My Score: Pure Nerd 56 % Nerd, 47% Geek, 30% Dork For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd . [How does 56% make me a "pure" nerd?] The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations! Your turn: Take the test here .

Meme Stolen from Stick: I've come to realize that my last kiss was… lovely, but possibly not with the man of my dreams. Ah well, he's out there somewhere. I am listening to… Large Texas bugs (okay, saying "large" and "Texas" is probably redundant) smacking into my living room window as they try to "go towards the light." I talk… a lot! ha ha. I talk to Dani and Rebeka and my mom every day. I love… my family, my job (yes, really!) and my friends. And I love Austin! My best friends… help me keep my sanity, more than they could ever know. My car… makes me smile. It's gone just over 8,300 miles since I left DC last year. I think I'll reset the trip odometer next week when we get to the one year mark. My love life… is a little roller coaster-ish right now, but I'm expecting that to improve. I hate it when people ask… if I'm glad I moved. Yes, I love it here, and I'm glad I left DC. Yes, I still miss my friends, but I'm ...

Dani tagged me with this (I guess knew it was coming...), so here goes: The Rules: 1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. 2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules. 3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names. 4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog. 8 Random Facts/Habits: 1. I have to wash my hands one last time before I go to bed at night. I don't know why, I just do. 2. I'll watch The Princess Bride, the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Star Wars any time they're on, with or without commercials. And because of Dani, I have to watch the Bond movies too. (Can't wait to see Daniel Craig on Spike!) 3. I wish I were able to turn off my brain to go to sleep easily, and stay asleep. The room has to be quiet (except for the fan noise) and close to pitch black! Little bumps in the night make me ...

THIS is ridiculous! Dutch researchers are reporting that "women who are left-handed have a higher risk of dying." Specifically, ...lefties had a 40 percent higher risk of dying from any cause, a 70 percent higher risk of dying from cancer, and a 30 percent higher risk of dying from diseases of the circulatory system. Left-handed women also had a 2-fold increased risk of dying from breast cancer, close to a 5-fold increased risk of dying from colorectal cancer, and more than a 3-fold higher risk of cerebrovascular mortality. So on top of my familial history and pre-dispositions to things, now I'm in trouble because I'm left-handed? Yikes. Here's some fun trivia: It seems lefties perform well in the arts and sciences. There are plenty of well-known lefties in Sports (Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Bobby Orr, Dorothy Hamill, Mark Spitz); Politics (Bill Clinton, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson); Entertainment (Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Dan A...