Blue is the MAN!

I'm not referring to Joseph "Blue" Patowski from Old School. But I am referring to his namesake. My dog Blue. You're my boy, Blue!!

Blue turns 1.5 this December... what is that, about 10 or so in dog years? I got a new digital camera in Sept and have been using Blue as my subject to test different settings. Since over the 1.5 years I've taken many a picture of Blue, he has grown accustomed to being my model. He gets excited for it like he does any trick like roll over, shake, etc. He's very good at it too... you'll see from some of these pics.

Click here to see pictures of Blue.

Still Searching for My "Will"

For some reason, I have always wanted a male gay best friend. I'm not sure when this feeling began, but I've wanted one for as long as I can remember. I have 4 brothers and I have even, on occassion, hoped that one of them would turn out to be gay. What is my deal?

Then a little show called Will and Grace came on the air and I realized: damn it, I want a Will too! Tonight I picked up my dress from being altered by a little man named Alex. He gave me an etiquette lesson and explained that with a full length formal gown, a lady only walks forward, as to not trip on the back of her dress. If she needs to go in reverse, she must turn in a cicle, and then he acted it out as if he were wearing a ball gown himself. Then he gave me fashion tips and suggested a pin at a gathered place near the waist - and by the way you can get them for a steal at Steinmart. Then we discussed the reno wedding dress business and how lame it is b/c it caters only to the low end shopper.

Later on this evening I got my nails done (it is obvious that I'm going to a xmas party tomorrow night?). A guy gave me both a mani and a pedi. He inquired as to why I was so pale, and then proceeded to give me makeup tips to hide my peaked look. Red lipstick he said, it will disguise your otherwise purple and half-deadly lips.


I love it. I love it b/c I don't think women talk to eachother like that anymore... at least with strangers. If I really want a good opinion from now on, I will seek out these men that are so willing to give a real one - and 9 times out of 10, they know what they are talking about. Some day, I'll find my Will.

Turkey Day in Tampa: Fun in the Sun

4 seasons are overrated. Nothing beats going to the beach for a Thanksgiving holiday. Though crisp day by Florida standards, the beach was SO beatiful, claimed by my brother in law to be one of the top 10 beaches in the world :)

I thoroughly enjoyed my brief trip to Tampa. We missed a large feast because we flew in on Turkey Day arriving in the evening - we saciated our appitites on 7-11 hot dogs and "lunchables." But the important thing was that we were with our family.

I was able to shoot some pics at the beach... I just sat in my chair and put on my long lens and shot like I was a papparazzo. It was fun! We buried a few of the kids in the sand, where they felt quite at home... hysterical.

Click here to see pics!

Santa Wasn't Expecting Such Excitement

Luckily, we got to meet Santa the other day in downtown Reno. He was willing to take a picture with Dan, Blue and I... as long as proceeds went to charity ;^)

It was a calm day at the North Pole until the Flowers family arrived. Somehow Blue freed himself from Dan's half-hazard grasp, and galloped into Santa's workshop - barely skimming quickly by a few little children, he went straight for the 3 blue haired old ladies in the corner and almost flipped them all. Running like the night after him, I almost broke my back, but I was able to save the all people from our freakishly excited, and hyper little doggie. Once Blue saw the tennis ball, all was OK again. His obsessive personality comes in handy once in a while, particularly when you want a good picture. Just hold the tennis ball next to the camera and you are assured a happy dog looking right into the lens.

What's the Deal with Trader Joes?

Anyone been to Trader Joes recently? Busy, right? I don't get it.... is it only a Reno thing? Why is Trader Joes ALWAYS crazy full of people? As a consultant, I'm loving my flex time these days - the fact that I can run errands in the middle of the day as opposed to lunchtime, after 5 p.m., or on weekends - it is outstanding! It's liberating to shop and not have to stand in line. But Trader Joes is another world.... no matter what time, no matter the day, it is SLAMMED. What is the deal? I love it there I just can't help but feeling that people are always in my space!

The 3 Stooges

My brothers (one is missing) goofing off, dressed in Gramps' old coats and hats. I thought these were hysterical.

Bear Down!

I had to post a recent email that my cousin sent me. My cousin Joe (or Joey as I call him), who currently lives in Wyoming, could be considered an outdoorsman. As a city/suburban gal, some of the stories I hear of the wild tend to shock me a bit from time to time. This is one example...














Joey writes, "I shot a bear last night at about 6:30. She is about a 200lb bear. Will probobly rug out somewhere around 51/2 and 6 foot, I am not 100% sure.

Sorry if i have not called anyone about it. Been so busy. I have to go to a work dinner tonight, was up late last night getting home, and skinned it most of the afternoon.

The coat was amazing, as you can see it was winter at the bait site for about 2 weeks. Baited for about 2 and a half weeks, and she came daily but i never seen her. She was coming in at dark.

After the big storm i started feeding her less and she came more in the day. Last night was the first time i had seen her. I knew from the tracks that it was a good bear. I didnt even hesitate. 1 Shot and she ran about 20 yds and started the death moan."

So-- I'm not exactly used to seeing cold blood on top of snow like that. While I'm clearly a wimp, I know this is a big deal for Joey! I can't wait to see the rug even though I may very well shed a tear when I do... :)

An Epiphany: Well, Sort of.

The other day, I had an epiphany: I expend entirely too many brain cells keeping up with celebrity gossip. When is the last time I watched the news? When is the last time I read a credible paper? When is the last time I read an intelligent magazine? My mind is craving real data about the world. We're at war and yet I am just like the masses who know more about Britney Spears' love life than my own candidates for the next election. So, I'm now reading Time, Money, watching CNN, and driving my husband crazy with questions like: what is our retirement plan? What do we need to be investing and saving now so we aren't bankrupt and on welfare at age 65? Ha! I am way too tense about life in 30 years. But I think I'm getting closer to at least being a responsible citizen. Now I just have to organize the kitchen so we can start recycling again... one thing at a time.

Italy: 3 of 3

Chianti, Southern Tuscany

The last portion of the trip was arguably my favorite. Probably because it was mostly new territory for me. Got to see areas of Italy that artists have captured for centuries... I felt special just to be there among all the beauty. The people in the small towns of Tuscany were so warm and open -- Our host in Greve, Cecilia, made us feel like one of the family. We went wine tasting in the Montalcino region where Brunello is popular - this was very fun b/c it was a true exploration: no one spoke English and we literally just drove blindly onto family properties and they welcomed us with open arms.

View pictures here.

Italy: 2 of 3

Lucca, Florence, Montecatini Terme

Entering into the 2nd phase of the trip, we now felt pretty comfortable with transportation, speaking Italian, and generally getting ourselves around. This part of the trip went by in a flash because we stayed in each of these towns for only 1 night each. The reason this happened was because we wanted to surprise Dan's parents and sister during their European tour during the same time frame. Since we didn't get their official itinerary until right before we left, we needed to move a few things around. We tracked down the their tour guide and arranged to surprise them in the middle of Florence!! The surprise was a success and it was one of our best days in the trip. I also have to say that Lucca was a place I had never been before and it is a beautiful old roman walled city. Dan's ancestry is from the area so it was great to see his "roots" and to just enjoy this enchanting little town. I felt similarly for Montecatini - we only stayed there to be near the Flowers but this town requires more study -- particularly because there are thermal baths all over the place which I MUST discover in the future :)

Click here to see pictures.

Italy: 1 of 3

First 5 Days: Torino & Cinque Terre

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I've written. Since my last post, one of my life goals and dreams has come true: to return to Italy. Dan and I were there from Sept 25 until Oct 11. I enjoyed myself immensely!! We couldn't get to the city where we met nearly 11 years ago fast enough: Torino. Some minor changes since then, but overall it looked exactly the same. No better feeling than to come to this beautiful city after that many years and feel comfortable and familiar with your surroundings. As we turned each corner, as we took in each sight, memories were flooding back. But our time in Torino was WAY too short, particularly b/c it was here where our jet lag kicked in. From Torino we visited one of our favorite haunts: the Cinque Terre along the coast. It is still breathtaking, even though I found it unfortunate how many American tourists were buzzing about. I'm happy the locals are profiting off us tourists after living so poor for centuries, really, but I felt it to be a little less special, perhaps because the secret was "out"! But that happens to all great places I suppose.

Click here to see pictures.

Tahoe in September

The highlight of my week? Blue and I took an excursion up to the lake to explore. September is supposed to be the best month up at the lake and I believe it. WAY less people and great weather.



I've heard of these beaches on the east shore that you can hike down to...have always seen cars on the sides of the windy road along the cliffs, but never got to explore myself. I also did some research and found out these are practically the only beaches on the entire lake that allow dogs. So, off we went. My god -- hike we did. I made the mistake of taking only flimsy flip flops, underestimating the sheer incline/decline of the hike. YIKES.



But, we made it to a couple beaches, the names, I'm not sure. I "think" I made it to Hidden Beach, which, for those who don't know, is a well-known nude beach. Since we were the only ones there, only I will ever truly know whether or not I partook of that adventure! Nonetheless, there is not much "beach" at these beaches. Mostly big boulders, which makes the color of the water crystal clear and the most stunning blue-green.



So, there we were: swimming a little, catching a few rays, playing fetch with Blue, watching him improve his swimming technique. Couple of shots here.... this blog only allows me to upload a few.... Anyway -- I left in a great mood! Nothing like a shot of nature in your system once in a while :)

The Sutton's Come to Visit

What a fun weekend!

Dan's best friend Jed, his wife Jen, son Parker and chocolate lab Cabo came to visit us for the weekend!

See Pictures here.

Everyone arrived Friday afternoon...... first thing's first, Cabo and Blue went right to playing like they were old pals in the backyard, even though it's the first time they met. They didn't stop for 3 days straight.

We are so lucky to have friends like Jed and Jen for many reasons. They are 100% real and have great senses of humor. Plus, they really care about us as we do them. And what is better than seeing your husband with his best friend? When they are together they are like teenagers.

Saturday night, the boys decided to stay up ALL NIGHT LONG and play dice and drink as many bottles of beer as possible. At 5 a.m. in the morning, dan woke me up to let me know it's time for him to go to the airport... YIKES. Later on I asked him how the flight was and he said it was rough. I asked, "because you were hungover?" He said, "No, because I think I was still drunk." But, I could hear in his voice that he had the best time ever b/c he got to spend the last hours before his trip with his best buddy jed.

Sunday we took Parker to the sierra safari zoo where he got to see lions and tigers and a LIGER, the biggest animal on earth, geez. It was kind of a sad place, animals in chain link fences with not the best houses and stuff, but on the flip side, I think we got within 5 feet of the liger.... up close and personal.

Jed/Jen if you're reading -- next trips on the table are: 1) us to come visit you in LA so we can see parker again! 2) San Inez (sp?) for wine tasting in a limo (Jen, your 30th?) 3) Savanna/Charleston. Let's start figuring out dates in 2007. Can't wait!

Bob Ross

One activity I really enjoyed during the "Summer of Nicole" was taking an oil painting class. I think the best thing about the class was coming home with a nice prize for my effort. Can't really compare it to a trophy, but more like a nice 3rd place heat ribbon at a swim meet. Solid!

I was a huge fan of Bob Ross' "The Joy of Painting" when I was a kid. Who could resist the sweet, mild mannered, middle-aged white man with a huge fro? Anyway, the class is fool-proof for a beginner like me. And now I'm on this buzz of painting and the impulsive side of me just wants to go out and buy some paints, brushes and some blank canvases and have at it like a two year old and see what happens. But the practical side of me wants to wait for another class or two so I can at least pics up some techniques :) Only thing is: what am I going to do with a bunch of random landscapes? I'm going to try and talk the professor into some florals or portraits :)

Just tried to take a pic of the painting and G-R-E-A-T, my digital camera officially does not work at all now. Lovely! But the good news is that catapults me into the market of new digital cameras which I've been eying for sometime. Always a silver lining ;^)

My first entry

Hello!

I am 31 years old -- going quickly into year 32 -- and I am still a little uncomfortable with the idea of a "blog" even though I've been reading them since 2000. It just seems a bit narcissistic doesn't it? I mean, the idea that what you have to say is THAT interesting? I am thinking of this blog as more of a diary than anything. In the computer age I am finding that I have no muscles anymore in my fingers and hands, which makes keeping an offline diary quite difficult. I figure this will be it for me.