Buddy

Is leaving a magazine lying around what's commonly referred to as "planting the seed"?

After years of ogling other people's dogs and hearing from the hubby what a PITA dogs are, I came home on Friday afternoon to this little bundle of joy! Shock and awe!

He's so cute! Aside from peeing and pooping in the house and gnawing on everything in sight, he's awesome. He's already learning how to fetch, sit on command, drive a car, do our taxes . . .

Son #2 finally has a puppy so he's happy. Son #1 is a cat person so he's not too thrilled especially since the cats are a little freaked out. However, it's only day three and the cats are acclimating. They've gone from puffed up, hissing, fur balls to quietly sniffing the puppy and checking him out while he's sleeping.

Look at this act of bravery above the cage.

Interesting from Buddy's vantage, too.

Next step, naming him. Instead of just calling him Buddy, should we officially name him Buddy? Duke? Sparky? (Or as the kids suggested, Captain Sparkles?) Dr. Love (Calling Dr. Love)?

Skinner?

The Milk Man

Check out the only goaltender in the world who is possibly cuter than Henrik Lundqvist (a.k.a. new dad).

I and Love and You

Drove with my sis to Brooklyn last weekend. FUN. My uber-generous mom is there staying at a friend's apartment and treating us to all sorts of goodies; my nephew, also in Brooklyn, hosted us, took us to restaurants and basically catered to our every whim. He's a keeper.

My favorite stop: The Brooklyn Flea Market. Check out the ornate ceiling!

I wanted everything there. Instead, I bought a few metal letters that I plan to affix to the bathroom wall and spell a nice little reminder to the fresh batch of boys that visit on a continual basis, "Wash your hands."

We had fun with these letters over lunch making all sorts of useless phrases.

We bought lottery tix (fingers crossed!) and picked out houses that we wanted in my girlfriend Abby's neighborhood where my mom is staying. My mom and sis are going to split the brick duplex. I'll take the white townhouse, thank you very much. 

Had fun shopping, eating and just spending time with family. So so so so awesome.

The only drawback was the complimentary Sopranos tour of NJ that our GPS unexpectedly provided on the way home. Hello industrial park . . . hey, what are those Hefty bags scattered across the road filled with? Body parts?

Oh, and looky here: it says "Child Molester" on the green fence. Lovely. Let's stop and take a picture!

All in all, a great weekend. Ah Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.

Another Month | Another Year

Wow, can't seem to post lately. What's new lazy bones? Hmmm.

My birthday: Gone.

Christmas: Past. (Gosh, think it's a hockey stick?)

Wallet: Empty.

Kids: Happy. (Hello new laptop. Hello $700 summer camp for video game development.)

New Year's Eve: Fun.

Work: Busy. And in the midst of the madness, I moved to a small office in my little town. No indoor parking. No fire place. No coworkers.

Here's a snowy view from the side window of my new office. Bleak yet still charming somehow as the street wends along the canal. Now I can run next door for a cup of coffee or across the street for new Birkenstocks (as if). There's also a cute, cobblestone fire-placed, chandelier-laden crepes restaurant right here. Two awesome Greek restaurants. And one of my favorite places for fun cocktails just a few doors down.  Of course, I haven't ventured out yet. Too cold.

And here's a picture of the view out the front window above my desk. Until I snapped this, I had not noticed the prominent telephone lines! Instead, I watch everyone out jogging along the canal (even in the dead of winter) or walking their dogs and I get jealous. Wait 'til spring when they're in the sunshine enjoying ice cream cones and I'm sitting up here. Maybe I'll start throwing reams of paper at them.

Oh well. Happy 2012. The year of the Dragon. YEA! Good luck for me, Son #1 and my nephew Tim: all dragons.

Photo Per Day #20: Gingerbread House

By the time young boys masterfully glue the roof and walls of a gingerbread house together using a thick, sticky, viscous confectioners' sugar and water combination, thereby staving off structural collapse by a thread, they've lost total interest in decorating. Eat a disgusting green, mint, jellied candy. Spit it out. Throw the rest of the gummies on the roof (or at least the parts that you've bothered to frost). Open the other bag of candies and and throw it on the "ground." Call it a day.

Less Martha Stewart. More foreclosure.

Photo Per Day #19: Frozen Ropes

Yesterday was Son #2's last indoor baseball game for the season. With the exception of the other team's coach loudly and continually criticizing (er, I mean coaching) his team, Frozen Ropes is eerily quiet. The sound of the ball hitting the metal bat echoes off the walls. And since it's shrowded in nets to keep the bystanders safe, the rules are somewhat bizarre. Hit the nets on the ceiling directly above the pitcher? Assumed catch. You're out.

Son #2 up to bat and, later, on second base.

Photo Per Day #18: Oh Crap!

Last night, six sets of neighbors gathered for our annual gag gift swap. The kids did their secret santas. Son #1 got a GameStop giftcard; Son #2 got an iTunes card along with a bucket of faux snow balls that he loves and continues to chuck at us all day today.

My favorite pic, however, is of my girlfriend's chocolate dip with animal cracker poised atop. Yum? Thank heavens it wasn't steaming . . .

I asked if I could snap a photo. She responded, "If you must." (I must.)

Photo Per Day #17: Pittsford Wines

Tonight is our annual neighborhood Christmas party and gag gift swap. I shopped at my neighbor's fabulous wine store. Great wines at reasonable prices and right smack dab in the village. No need to navigate the mall. Amen. Amen.

I didn't just buy anything; I bought local. In this case, I purchased a bottle of Cherry Liqueur from Finger Lakes Distilling. Just this week, I discovered this local distillery via my good friend Google after being entranced with the idea of establishing my very own distillery. Alas, someone beat me to the punch (pun intended, really). It just sounded so enticing in a recent article about a moonshine business that was published in my favorite magazine, Garden and Gun (where everything sounds so damn romantic). Maybe, at a later date, I'll try the Finger Lakes whiskey or gin. I want them to be successful, after all, right?!

Altruism never sounded so good.

Photo Per Day #16: American Picker

Would have posted last night but got home from Christmas with the bible study girls too late. Before the party, my girlfriend Meg and I stopped for a happy hour cocktail at Abilene . . .

. . . to see this guy. Fun!

Photo Per Day #15: Fly Rabbit Press

Why, when I am out shopping for gifts, must I always buy something for myself? Oh, I know the answer! I know exactly what I like! In this case, I recently bought a cute chartreuse print for my new office from local letterpress/graphic design artist Fly Rabbit Press.

And if you look through her posters, many of which were made for my favorite watering hole, Abilene, you'll note that she created the local poster for one of my favorite singers Eilen Jewell. It's a triple whammy!

Photo Per Day #14: 80's Perm

Sure, you can dress me up with a red nose and antlers (that have since fallen off ) but there's no escaping the 80's perm.

Photo Per Day #13: Les Misérables

Sorrow found me when I was young . . .

Son #1 may not think he looks or acts like me but he does (on both accounts)!

Photo Per Day #12: Ornaments

Tis the season to decorate the Christmas tree. As such, it's that time of the year when I open a box filled with my very own, unique ornaments. Ornaments that my loving friends and family created and hung on the tree at a surprise party for my 30th birthday 17 years ago this month. (Sheesh!) You know that you're loved when everyone, bar one, selected the worst possible pictures of me. (It's really not that hard.) Ornaments of me as a baby with food all over my face. Looking miserable as a kid. Kicking my leg in the air at parties (i.e., knickers shot) as an adult. Holding cocktails at parties. You name it, I have it.

After almost two decades in a box, they're not faring so well so I decided to capture a few on "film." Today's image may explain why I am shorter than the rest of my 6' tall family.

Photo Per Day #10: Plum House

Last weekend, TGI Fridays. This weekend, Plum House. More urban. Less gentrified. Tastier. Well worth it. All's fair in the game to remind the kids that there's more to life than Crapplebee's.

I've Been Waiting

This morning, on the way to the gym, I heard a song on WITR that I've liked whenever it came on the air for years but never bothered to pay attention beyond that. I never even knew what band played it. And, for the first time ever, I suddenly realized that it is a man singing. A man. Now it's so obvious. Especially when he starts screaming. How could I have ever thought otherwise?

It's the room, the sun and the sky. The room, the sun and the sky.

Photo Per Day #8: Thursday Night Football

I sometimes wonder: 1) Is everyone else's entire house one giant playground? 2) Do other moms come home at night and relax?

Photo Per Day #7: Oh Conference Tree Oh Conference Tree

So why is the quality of my iPhone pictures getting worse? What am I doing wrong? Anyhoo, today's picture hails from Monroe Country Club -- the location of today's offsite. I've decided that there should be a Christmas tree present at all corporate functions to make the atmosphere more festive.

Photo Per Day #6: OMJeeb

The box containing our nativity scene as labeled by the hubby.

Photo Per Day #5: Genesee Beer

Went to see itinerant artist Jim Mott speak yesterday at the ROC-ART exhibit at High Falls. This exhibition contains local paintings which I loved: Irondequoit Bay, Gibbs Street, the Little Theater. I wanted them all! And the paintings hang perfectly in the gallery which overlooks the falls and the High Falls Brewery.

Afterward, my girlfriend and I walked along the bridge at Pont du Rennes and snapped pics.

Makes me wanna sing. I got a Genesee beer at home, in the fridge, with my name on it.

Photo Per Day #4: Keuka Christmas

Spent the night last night at my girlfriend's house on Keuka Lake. We sat in the hot tub for hours and drank a lot of wine. We thought we might go swimming (in December!?) but we all chickened out when we got down to the dock.

Mary's front deck is covered with white Christmas lights . . .















But her tree is not yet adorned.

'Twas very, very peaceful this morning.