Man, once school starts, it's far too busy. Too busy for my computer time! And that's just not right. = ) Well, I've been keeping busy, at least, in the yard and cleaning all that stuff that never gets touched in a normal day. And my laundry bins are empty! Empty, I say! No word on the job yet. I hear they're doing background checks...but, alas, they haven't requested any references from me. *sniff* If it doesn't work out, maybe I'll temp somewhere. Not quite ready for a full-time job yet. We don't have the balance-of-housework/babysitting/soccer practice/cooking thing down yet, that's why the part-time thing was going to be good. So I'm keeping busy writing anyway...little stuff...letters to the editor...a political blog...articles of Impeachment, etc. and I decided to email a piece I wrote about "hope" and the return of 41-yr old QB Vinny Testaverde to my local paper's sports editor. He liked it, couldn't use it and we ended up tossing a few funny/biting emails back and forth. I think I'm on his good side. = ) Hopefully that translates into some future freelance work. I've sent this email out to my general email list...it's about the Endangered Species Act and a bill that's been introduced in the House to change it. If you got it, sorry about the repeat. If you didn't, check if out if you can. If you got it and live outside the US...sorry! I'll try to edit better!

( House Bill Info )

So...I'm sitting at the ice cream parlour, furiously licking my son's ice cream cone, my daughter's chocolate one with sprinkles and holding the neighbor's kid's cone while they go on the slide for "just one more ride!!"  Ok, ok...*ice cream well down the arm now*...hurry back before I drown in the puddles!

They came back, 1/3 of a drippy cone later, and we all watched three little kids spinning on the coin-op merry-go-round.  What precious faces.  All happy and giggly because they were, quite simply, spinning around in a circle.   My kids are 9 and 6(and a half, she makes me say it) and my neighbor's daughter is 11.  They almost looked sad because they didn't "fit" on the kiddie rides anymore.  Then they'd sluff it off like it didn't matter anymore..."Doesn't go fast enough anyway..."

I remembered how my kids, not too long ago, would find the same enjoyment from spinning round on their own or on a kiddie ride.  I think it comes from the same internal kid energy that makes them skip spontaneously or wiggle about uncontrollably in their chairs at the dinner table.  The simple joy of being alive, I suppose, being channeled physically. 

Now, now, put your tissues away, they still have those same smiles when I toss them in the pool or drive over a hill on the road fast so their stomachs feel funny.  Same smiles, a bit bigger, different ride.  Lots of bumpy roads to smile at in the future. ;-) 

When you first have kids, other older, (sometimes) wiser, parents tell you, "Oh, enjoy them now, they grow so fast..." And you wonder, still bleary-eyed from the two hours of interrupted sleep you got last night, "What the hell are they talking about?!?!" Like, "Uh yeah, kids grow...that's like..what they do."  lol...but then all of a sudden, they're too big for the merry-go-round and it hits you.  GASP!  They were right!! They grew!!! lol...

Happily, I dropped a lot of quarters in the merry-go-round when they fit on them.  And I have video and a zillion pictures and, until dementia sets in, memories of them with big smiles on their little, cherub-like faces.  It's all good.

btw, the little kids got off the ride before it was done...and my kids and their friend ran, no, sprinted over to finish the ride.  They squished in together, knees up to their chins, happily spinning.  Just one more ride! 

Ah, the French Open.  So civilized.  So...French.  Even the grunting seems more...posh. Passez les croissants, s'il vous plait.  I laughed the other day when Tim Henman got in trouble for cursing, in English.  His complaint was that when other players cursed in Spanish or French, they were given more latitude.  Maybe he should've cursed in English but with a French accent.  When in Rome, Tim, or is it Paris.....  ;-) 

btw, I found an electric sno-cone maker...I'm getting one:

Been enjoying the photos at WPD.  Over 79,000 hits in two days. Whoa.  Some amazing shots there, both technically impressive and enlightening from a social standpoint.  Even though my photo wasn't great (only one comment, *sniff*...lol), I'm glad I participated.

Here are some notable shots I found: (click to enlarge photos)

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1 (the desperate family)

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1382

http://photogroup1.com/albums/userpics/10821/normal_Fishing_edit.JPG

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1570 

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1204

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1534

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1227

http://photogroup1.com/profile.php?uid=1307 (the group shot)

I just spent half an hour as a Sno-Cone vendor for my kids and some neighbor's kids.  What fun!  What tennis elbow!  What icy, cherry-flavored summer fun!  *crank, crank, crank, FLING!* Off comes the handle every 10 turns or so...man, it needs a redesign!  lol...I decided it might be worth buying an electric one...do they have those for home use?  Could throw some tequila mix in there...whoosh, whoosh...MARGARITAS!  They could throw a sombrero on Snoopy there and watch the party happen!! 

Ok, maybe I got too much sun today.  ;-)

Started rehab for my shoulder and knee.  Shoulder:  severe biceps tendon strain, maybe tear...not sure yet.  Knee: probably meniscus tear, not sure, MRI results not back yet.   Nothing serious..a few weeks of rehab with the nice rehab, stim-happy lady and I'll be back to my old, er, former 39 yr old self.

Yes, an electric sno-cone maker is in my future, I think.  Can't afford an elbow injury, too...

* Indianapolis, IN

* Tampa, FL

* Tulsa, OK ??? (see earlier post...)

http://www.stockvisuals.com/artist/submit.asp

Make some money off of them!  StockVisuals, the site I list my photos with, asked for some skyline photos of the various cities (see list below).  It's free to join and you can make some quick money.  If you join, tell them I (Carolyn Torella) referred you so I can be entered to win a memory stick) thanks!

Sample pricing (you get half of the sale price)
Low (RGB) 4"x6" 150 dpi $95.00    
Med (CMYK) 6"x8" 300 dpi $125.00    
High (CMYK) 8"x10" 300 dpi $175.00 

*  Auckland, New Zealand
  *  Boston, MA
  *  Brisbane, Australia
  *  Calgary, Canada
  *  Chicago, IL
  *  Dallas, TX
  *  Hamilton, Bermuda
  *  Hong Kong, China
  *  Los Angeles, CA
  *  London, England
  *  Melbourne, Australia
  *  New York, NY
  *  Paris, France
  *  Oklahoma City, OK
  *  Salt Lake City, UT
  *  Seattle, WA
  *  Sydney, Australia
  *  Toronto, Canada
  *  Wellington, New Zealand
  *  Zurich, Switzerland

Good luck!

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Carolyn
2. Mom
3. Hun

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. Lynnie
2. Lefty
3. Sexy (HAHAHA!) ahem.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My eyes
2. My feet
3. My smile..

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Filipino
2. Italian
3. English

( more meme )

Just found out that our Empire State Games Masters volleyball team probably won't make it into the games this year.  TPTB are limiting the number of teams entering to one per region.  If there is a conflict with how many teams want to play from each region, they have to play off.  Unfortunately, even though we played last year, two new (stronger, taller, younger) teams have surfaced to challenge us.  We don't have a snowball's chance in hell.  lol.  They didn't play the past two years because the games were held in Buffalo and Ithaca and they didn't want to travel.  This year, it's here in the Hudson Valley.  Now everyone wants to be the "It" team.  Alas.  I think we're done before we even start. At least I won't have to drive far to watch good volleyball.   Hubby's team will be playing, however.  They always medal.  *sigh*

Glad I played last year at least.  Ok, we came in fourth place (out of, ahem, four teams), but hey, at least we played.  And, I got a cool ESG warm-up suit to prove it.  = )

To make myself feel better, I bought a Canna plant.  I have no idea what the flowers will look like, but I liked the leaves.

Dentist appointment for mommy today...woo!  Only one tooth issue, but I knew about this one.  Quite the thorough hygenist today, a bit too thorough.  I'll remember to thank her next time.  Again, she grilled me for not coming for cleanings more often.  Gee, *stab, poke, scraaaape* I don't know why I don't come all the time...*poke, jab, squirt* it's really quite relaxing here...

Having lunch with some moms today at the new Mexican restaurant.  Our sons are having their Mexican Hat Dance presentation tonight and Mexican lunch on Thursday, so we thought we'd get in the mood.  Apparently I'm cooking tacos as a supplement to the lunch they'll get catered from this restaurant.  The organizing mom worried there wasn't enough food (do all moms do that??!), so she asked me to cook.  She said, "When I thought of Mexican food, I thought of you!"  Uh, ok, but I'm Filipino, Chinese, Italian, English...I guess that's kind of like Mexican...  ?  Whatever, it'll be fun.  My son will be happy I'm there, until I don the Mexican hat and make a fool of myself!  "Hola, hola!"  I'll say in my best Mexican/Filipino/Chinese/Italian/English-American accent!  "Hola!!!"

Dutchess County Fair, August 2004

...at the garden center. Ha! You were thinking, "Oh, she's lost it again!"   ;-)

Bought far too many plants...I always forget that I'm the one who has to dig the holes for all these little guys.  Tried to get different species this year...they had some nice double-petunias that I've never seen before.  I'm also trying some portulaca, gomphrena, calendula and zinnias this year. I have no idea what this garden will look like, but it should provide some nice cutting flowers at the very least.

This is a Mother's Day tradition in our family.  ( more on mother's day & gardening )

Took my car in this morning for an inspection and he said I needed a new power steering pump, ( car woes ) I just want my poor baby minivan back!  *sniff*  I hate being stranded. 

Orlando's on Regis today (taping!) and I've seen him in a few KoH interviews already.  I have to say that he handles himself pretty well in the interview chair for such a young actor.  I'm sure all the LOTR madness turned him into a pro.  ;-) All of the KoH previews I've seen make me think "Whoa! ROTK ripoff!"  The KoH battle scenes remind me of the Pelennor Fields battles complete with catapaults (sans cave trolls), horse battle scenes and even the walk up to the Black Gate.  Course, that means I'll probably like this movie a lot...and if I squint a little, Orlando kind of looks like Strider with that scruffy beard thing...perhaps a bit taller...ok, and younger...okok and not at all, but he reminds me of Strider (see side by side comparison below) and that's a good thing.  lol

Regis is asking him about how he's handling being the lead role...he says, "You're the star!!" Orlando says, looking down, "Yeah....yeah................................(like "crap, I am.") But he deflected nicely and threw all the credit onto the director, Ridley Scott.  Also thanked all the fans for their support...a pro, indeed.   = )

Eye Candy anyone?

I was out taking pictures last week and came across some fiddleheads, those cute little baby ferns that are, apparently, edible.  Not all fiddleheads are edible.  Further research about how to prepare them, etc, brought me to a website about fiddle heads...on actual fiddles.  Nothing to do with these cute little plants, but interesting to see how violin/fiddle heads (scrolls) are made...

This is only funny for the LOTR folks...( the rest of the geeky story )

(cross-posting from the blog)

I'm participating in "World Photo Day" this year on June 1st. The idea is to record your day visually and share the photos with...the world. No pressure! I think it's a great idea. I just hope their site doesn't crash!! *crosses fingers for Drew and WPDsite*

Their objective is cool, too: "uniting humanity through the art of photography." 

All photographers are welcome to participate! My photos will be listed in an album called "Carolynvb." They are testing their BETA site right now, so I'm not sure that will still be my album name in June. Go! Click! Join!

( More on WorldPhotoDay )</em>