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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Brother update - Jaw saga

Michael is hanging in there! His surgery went well, however, they did have to make an incision near his ear down to his chin but that should heal just fine. He had fractures in 3 places. Wow. They only put one plate in. His mouth will be wired shut for 6 weeks. I can't imagine how weird that must feel. He is in a lot of pain today but that is to be expected. In a week or so he should be feeling, at least somewhat better.
I love my brother. He had a BIG HEART to match his BIG personality. Michael reminds me of a professional wrestler. Like someone who would hang out with "Dog The Bounty Hunter"...lol. Mike may have a "wresting's haircut", tattoos and peircings, but he is so sweet and loving inside. Do not judge a book by its cover!!! I know Michael would do anything for me and vice versa.


Michael - My bro


Dog - The hunter

Anyway, here's to a speedy recovery Michael!


I love you!


-Des



Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Pray for my brother

My brother has jaw surgery today. To make a long story short, he managed to get his jaw broken, but as bad as that may sound, he is alive and well and that is what truly matters. My brother is a gentle giant. He is a "strong" guy with a soft heart. What amazes me most about him, and this situation, is how brave and adult like he is handling everything (he will be 36 Aug 29). He seems to finally get what is "most important" in life. His kids and his partner, Liz. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. When you find that peace in your life, within yourself, there is nothing else like it. Peace, calm, comfort, support, friendship -- these are all part of being in a great relationship or settled place in your life. He enjoys his home and the people around him. I am so proud of him. It must be nice have someone like Liz always there for him and his kids. What a big change for him.

Anyway, his mouth will be wired shut for like 5 weeks, ugh. So this won't be fun, but he can do it. He has a sense of humor about it. You HAVE to laugh in this life. You just have to.

For as strong and brave as he has been, he did admit he fears "going under", but I assured him - they give you "GOOD STUFF" and you wake up not remembering anything and very giddy...lol.

My mom, me, Elizabeth, Liz, his kids and God knows who else will be there.

Oh Michael.

Wish us luck.

-Des

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Payback...

Oh and if you are thinking this is just a bit too politically incorrect and I am going to hell, I have a story to share.

Last night I woke up around 3:15am and was a "wee bit munchy" so I spotted the loaf of Cinnamon Amish Raisin Bread I bought from 'Bird In Hand' Farmers Market. YUMMY. So there I am 99.9% asleep, ripping pieces of the bread and carefully removing the raisins (don't ask). I had a GOOD AMOUNT of this bread when out of the corner of my eye I see, in the bag, a small ant. MUTHFUCKINGAMISHTOTINGBULLBALLGOATSHIT! I almost died. Literally. I tried to talk myself down and not yak, telling myself that people must "accidentally" eat weird little insects without knowing all the time. I thought about Survivor, the Brad Paisley special I saw about him eating fried bugs, Thailand -- I thought of everything and 'til this very second I feel like I have an Amish fucking ant in my throat. So I am forever cursed.

Karma is a bitch.

Yah.

Peace,

Des

OH MY AMISH, I FOUND IT!

OH MY! I found the real thing. Now if you don't at least giggle there is something wrong! :)

PS: Be sure to watch "White & Nerdy" when this video ends. So funny.

Amish Paradise - Weird Al Yancovic

Still Not Over the Amish!!


I am not a big Weird Al fan, um, I am actually not a fan at all, lol, buuuuuuuut his 'Amish Paradise' song is hilarious and extremely fitting. I tried to get the "real" version to post on my blog at http://www.youtube.com/ but the copywrite law wouldn't allow me to, SO, I found the next best thing -- an Amish Hampster singing the song! Oh yeah. That's right. I MEAN NO DISRESPECT, honestly! I just found this very, very funny. I love the Amish people I met in Lancster. They were so gentle and kind. At one point I though, hmm, I WOULD LIKE TO LIVE THE AMISH LIFE, but that was fleeting! :)

This is my tribute to them! Enjoy!



LYRICS:
As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grainI take a look at my wife and realize shes very plain
But thats just perfect for an amish like me
You know I shun fancy things like electricity
At 4:30 in the morning Im milkin cows
Jebediah feeds the chickens and jacob plows... fool
And Ive been milkin and plowin so long that
Even ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone
Im a man of the land, Im into discipline
Got a Bible in my hand and a beard on my chin
But if I finish all of my chores and you finish thine
Then tonight were gonna party like its 1699
We been spending most our lives
Living in an amish paradise
Ive churned butter once or twice
Living in an amish paradise
Its hard work and sacrifice
Living in an amish paradise
We sell quilts at a discount price
Living in an amish paradise
A local boy kicked me in the butt last week
I just smiled at him and I turned the other cheek
I really dont care, in fact I wish him well
cause Ill be laughing my head off when hes burning in hell
But I aint never punched a tourist even if he deserved it
An amish with a tude?
You know thats unheard ofI never wear buttons
but I got a cool hatAnd my homies agree
I really look good in black...
foolIf you come to visit, youll be bored to tears
We havent even paid the phone bill in 300 years
But we aint really quaint, so please dont point and stare
Were just technologically impaired
Theres no phone, no lights, no motorcar
Not a single luxury
Like robinson carusoIts as primitive as can be
We been spending most our lives
Living in an amish paradise
Were just plain and simple guys
Living in an amish paradiseT
Theres no time for sin and vice
Living in an amish paradise
We dont fight, we all play nice
Living in an amish paradise
Hitchin up the buggy, churnin lots of butter
Raised a barn on monday, soon Ill raise anutter
Think youre really righteous?
Think youre pure in heart?
Well, I know Im a million time as humble as thou art
Im the pious guy the little amlettes wanna be like
On my knees day and night scorin points for the afterlife
So dont be vain and dont be whiny
Or else, my brother, I might have to get medieval on your heinie
We been spending most our lives
Living in an amish paradise
Were all crazy mennonites
Living in an amish paradise
Theres no cops or traffic lights
Living in an amish paradise
But youd probably think it bites
Living in an amish paradise
Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahhAhh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-yecch!





Peace,

Des

Monday, July 28, 2008

Photos from Trip!














































Peace,


Des

A tale of the Amish, Jersey Shore, Mom & Me.


So last Wednesday my mother and I ventured out on our GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP - we were ready to SEE THE COUNTRY, HIT THE OPEN ROAD and then, err, somehow we changed all that and decided to visit the Amish and elderly in Atlantic City. Yah. Let's be honest, my mother and I were secretly thinking, "Shit, I sure hope we don't kill each other and turn the other into Amish cheese." Both of use wearily look at the other, smiled and began our adventure (after a 45 minute hug from Melanie and a send off from Elizabeth).

Things started off quite well, music playing (Ditty Bops, Girlyman, Brandi Carlie, Indigo Girls, Classic Rock, Southern Rock etc.,), pee-stops at the numerous travel plazas that run up and down I-95 toward New York, you know, the usual. THEN, woah, THEN, my mother and I switched drivers. See, I have many "seagull shit blessings" bestowed on me, driving over bridges being one of them. For some half-cracked reason I am able to drive over SOME bridges and others scare the IBS out of me. Tappan Zee Bridge in New York is one of them. I had no choice but to switch with my mother. No choice I tell you. My mother, half begrudgingly, gave in with the look of a 16 year old boy in her eye. She knows it is a common rule in our family that "da mama" avoid driving when possible. Elizabeth usually drives, or I. NOT THAT MY MOM CAN'T DRIVE (calm down MA) - it's just many times she doesn't use her blinkers, rear view mirror or side mirrors. My mother pretty much thinks she owns the fucking road. There, I said it. She jokes that she has no sense of direction, I think it is A.D.D. more than anything, but after this trip, I would have to, um, agree. BUT EVEN THAT WOULD BE OKAY - what isn't okay is the side of my mother that comes out when she is "befuddled" (more on that later).

Okay, so my mom is cruising the highway, going close to 90, no lie, and I am looking for anything to grip on to. Of all fucking cars, her's doesn't have a little hand grip on top. Fucking squirrel ball shit puffs. Already I am thinking I am going to have the shits in Amish land. At one point my mom looks at the speedometer and says, with a smile no less, "WOW, I'm going close to 90!" - the look on my face was like I saw someone yack up racoon and then eat it back up. But of course, I had to laugh. My mother IS friggin funny.
We finally make it over the Tappan Zee Bridge and I squeak out that I had to "squirt out" some urine. We take an exit in JOY-ZEEEEEEEEEEE, which OF COURSE, doesn't allow many left turns (it's land of U-turns). Not a good mix for my mom. I don't know what happened but it was somewhere between yelling at my mother to stay to THE LEFT and seeing her bear to THE RIGHT that I saw her transform into fucking 'Mommy Dearest'.


Her cheeks puffed out and vulgarity spewed out as fist pounded the steering wheel. I think I may have blacked out and seen heaven, but of course, I don't remember. Her eyes literally turned RED. Not just any color red, a blood red. Being the Italian I am, I of course told her to "calm the fuck down". Yeah. THIS is why we chose to do a 2-night trip verses a 2 week trip. Both slightly shamed, alarmed, and grateful to have found our way back on the highway, with me now driving, we continued on.

After that awkward silence of like 20-30 minutes, the stress dissipated and we were off to good times in Lancaster County! Yee-Ha! By this point it was POURING out, but the scenery grew increasing more and more gorgeous. Being a city girl, I completely lose myself in country scenery. It mesmerizes me. I love it so much. Seeing corn fields is the most exciting thing in the world to me. Before we knew it we reached our hotel in Elizabethtown, PA. Talk about being in the middle of the country! The Holiday Inn Express we stayed at was practically in a corn field. In my best Rhode Island accent I said to my mom, "This is friggin cool!" ... yup.

There are some simple pleasures in life that I enjoy immensely, one being, checking into a hotel. I love the feeling of walking into a hotel room for the first time. Happy from surviving the ride with my mother, I walk in with a big smile on my face to the most ANNOYED LOOKING, hotel guest service clerk. I don't know how else to explain her except that she looked like Apple Jack Cereal. Like Apple Jacks with some oatmeal with Strawberry Shortcake serving it. Only in an angry, dark, comic-book sort of way. Not a pleasant person at all. She was huffing and puffing and sighing and rolling her eyes and even talked sarcastic to a (gentle) giant of a man! I was appalled. Luckily she was "okay" to me, but wow, that poor thing needs a night at a Comedy Club or something. Instead of ElizabethTOWN they should've called this ElizabethFROWN. A'hem. Moving on.....

The room was very nice, modern, flat screen TV, high speed Internet - not bad for a small Amish town, but we weren't here for this - I WANTED TO SEE SOME AMISH PEOPLE - or at least eat their food! :-D

Driving back toward Lancaster (about 15 minutes away), we stopped for dinner at an "Authentic Amish Smorgasbord",
MILLER'S SMORGASBORD. Before I explain dinner, let me explain what I saw, up until this point. Route 30 is in the "heart" of Amish Country, however, THIS IS NOT THE AMISH AREA. You HAVE to get off this highway and head to towns such as, Intercourse (I kid you not), Bird in Hand and (hahahaha) Blue Ball (there are tons of other towns as well - visit http://www.padutchcountry.com/ for more info). Route 30 is lined with tacky tourist attractions like Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park and Dutch Haven Shoo-fly Pie Bakery (which is actually quite cute and their shoo-fly pie is deeeeeeeeeelicious), as well as Target and famous chain restaurant's etc.,. To really experience Amish Country you have to get on Route 340 east toward Intercourse (hehehe) and go down as many SIDE ROADS as you can. You won't get lost, most roads lead back to Route 30 (quick fact - Route 30 East would take you all the way into Philadelphia which is only like an hour away). It was on these side roads that I saw the gentle, kind, friendly Amish people (whom I completely fell in love with). Anyway, back to dinner!

The thing with PA Dutch Country is this --- it reminds me of dollies, knitting clubs, quilt groups, bake-offs and stuff like that. The "average" person I saw there was over the age of 65. Not everyone, but the AVERAGE person. This is what Miller's reminded me of. They had green carpeting and lots of dark brown wood, flower's hanging and a small bake shop and gift shop in the front. You know the type restaurant I am talking about. Not very modern or charmingly retro, just outdated, but consistent (they've won "best smorgasbord restaurant" in the area for many years now). But be warned, they are VERY expensive. Dinner was $21.95. A 2nd option of just meats and bread was $14.95 and their salad bar w/ bread was $9.95. I got the 2nd option and my mom the salad bar, but I FUCKING WANTED THE $21.95 ONE but couldn't bring myself to pay all that money just to have access to the desert bar!!!! I wasn't going to pay that money to only feel guilty after! LOL! I will tell you this --- IT IS WORTH IT! The food was DELICIOUS and for me to say that, trust me, it was. I had roast turkey, baked cheese macaroni, stuffing and raisin bread w/ some white frosting. SO good. My mom had (and puked up, only to make room for more - for those who don't know - she had the "stomach band" thingy which has basically turned her into a bulimic) a delicious salad with all different kinds of pastas such as macaroni, turkey etc., as well as some bread. The quality was top of the line so I can only imagine how the desert was. After dinner we drove around a bit, stopped in some stores, including the "must do" Dutch Haven Shoo-Fly Pie Bakery and then headed back to the hotel.

The next morning both my mother and I felt like kids at Christmas time, but for completely different reasons. My mother lives for one thing ---- taking free stuff, or at least getting her money's worth. I am surprised she was able to sleep as visions of "free" breakfast danced in her head. Like an athlete before a game she was in top form. She had her game plan. She would head down first thing in the morning and grab stuff for (::cough cough::) the two of us and THEN we would go down again before leaving and grab MORE stuff for "later". She was almost giddy as she headed downstairs. I heard a pound on the door about 10 minutes later and saw my mom balancing a bagel, 2 cinnamon rolls, eggs & bacon, possibly toast, roast duckling and Foie Gras. I don't even think she cared what was there (the poor thing can't eat more than a rabbit) but the fact that she could TAKE it meant everything. Oh mom. Before we were to check out, my mother said, at least 74.3 million times, that we should go downstairs and grab something else. We went down and I had some apple juice. My mom made (at least) 10 slices of toast, got some cheese danish and some dish I saw on Iron Chef!? She barely ate anything but wrapped all that darn toast up in a napkin to take back up to the room (which later, on the ride home, she confessed to leaving in the small fridge in the room - I don't know why but this made us laugh so hard we almost peed).

Finally done with the breakfast heist we were FINALLY going to see some Amish countryside. I followed 283 to 340 and there it was! Rolling hills, expansive farm lands, corn field, quilt shops, farmer's markets, horse & buggie's, cute little Amish kids, friendly Amish adults, shoo-fly pies, everything you could hope for and more! Even home-made Rootbeer! It was PERFECT. I recommend this drive to anyone looking to relax and enjoy nature. One of the highlights was stopping in the Farmer's Market in the town of 'Bird-in-Hand'. Not only were their friendly Amish (or meninites) working there, there was was FRESH fruits, veggies, meats, spices and deserts. But most importantly ---- FREE SAMPLES! LOL! My mother and I had never really been to a farmer's market before we were like little kids. My mother's mouth didn't stop since we got there, same with me! We had different kinds of sausage, crackers, cheese, spreads, nuts, deserts --- heck, it was almost like lunch! :-) We bought tons of veggies and I also bought some raisen bread and pretzels (both famous in this area). I thought it was so cool/funny to see the Amish (or were they the damn meninites...so confused..lol) selling their products with pop music playing in the background. Every single person I met was so down-to-earth and friendly. I just loved it all.

The best part, however, was driving down random country side roads. We passed authentic Amish homes and saw laundry hanging everywhere (Friday is laundry day). We saw adorable kids selling corn and home made root beer and adorable farm animals. I swear my mother is like the horse whisperer, only with --- COWS. I was pulled over, taking pictures, when all of a sudden I hear my friggin mother MOOING out her window. There was a heard of sleeping cows in the distance. When she started doing this, one of the cows looked right at her, stood up and pranced her way toward her. I couldn't believe it. This cow totally crushed on my mom. It was the cutest thing ever. I felt bad because it's ear was tagged, which I believe means it was heading for burgers at a smorgasbord! :( Ugh. We continued on and drove past several Amish men in their buggies and some young women in theirs and on scooters (the foot kind). So cute! You aren't suppose to take pictures of the Amish, it is a sign of disrespect, unless if you ask them, but I did manage to capture a couple. I'm a disrespectful bastard apparently! :)

It was truly a great afternoon. We were only 2 1/2 hours from Atlantic City, so we left the area around 3:30pm. It's amazing how much you can do in one afternoon.

I drove for awhile, but, (::suspense music playing::), my mother had to take over because their was a new bridge we'd be crossing (The Ben Franklin Bridge I believe it was called). We were on the Pennsylvania Turnpike when my mother decides to eat a piece of shoo-fly pie.


She had the dish in her hand, with the fork and was feasting on that baby and paying 1-2% attention to the road. Foot at the pedal, she was rearing 90 mph again and swerved off to the right and left several times. I almost looked like Anderson Cooper I was so scared.


But she had to have her desert and the highway wasn't going to interfere with that.

We also had another near-death experience when we missed an exit in Philadelphia, right before the bridge. Holy crap. This is when it really sunk in my mom CANNOT listen or understand directions. I don't mean this is a BAD WAY AT ALL, she will be the first to say it. She panics and forgets what left and right means as well as straight and my favorite, "that way"...lol. But she did it! She got us to Atlantic City in one piece - thanks mom!!!!

Ah, Atlantic City. Really what can I say? You always approach gambling destinations with such hope. That "what if" feeling. That "maybe I will win" thought and 99.9% of the time you leave crushed, defeated and more poor than when you arrived, so why do we keep going back? I have never been a fan of Atlantic City. I am a Vegas girl. I love Las Vegas. I love the scenery, the shopping, restaurants and hotels. Atlantic City IS trying and it is much better than it was a decade ago, but it has a looooooooong way to go. There is a new area with lots of great outlet stores, including a Banana Republic. There are new restaurants such as The Melting Pot, Ruth Chris Steakhouse, P.F. Changs and more. These new areas are incredible and worth checking out. The mega resorts are also worth checking out. The Borgata, Tropicana's Havana section, Harrah's new pool area, Caesar's new shopping area - I mean there are things to see, but of course, my mom and I didn't see any of this! LOL! We checked into our new and quite snazzy Courtyard by Marriott hotel on the Boardwalk. This new hotel, although beautiful, has a lot of snags to work on. The Internet didn't work, the front desk didn't answer their phones, valet lost our ticket, the elevators took forever etc., BUT - the room was gorgeous. I would give it another shot in 6 months or so. I bet if my mother and I did Atlantic City RIGHT we would've had more fun. We should've gotten dressed up and went to a cool restaurant, listen to live music and checked out the NEWER attractions. Instead we went to the old part of the Tropicana and had dinner at 'Corky's BBQ', which I liked, but my mother did not (anything over $10 is crazy to her...lol). Of course the original in Memphis, TN is MUCH better, but their turkey did not disappoint. After we searched for some .25 Wheel of Fortune machines and quickly lost money. Ouch. Not good. At this point my mom was starting to turn into "Mr. Hyde" side. She searched out the penny machines. I, of course, followed. Let me tell you, penny machines can be VERY boring when you put $5.00 in and play 1 penny per pull. Wow. Very painful. But my mother was having fun, err, I think? I occupied myself with text back and forth between friends, one who basically "came out" but I believe went back in!? LOL! These girls, Dawn & Kim, are so hilarious. They almost make me laugh and have a good time. I use to work with them at Liberty Travel and miss seeing them, so this was lots of fun. It made the night go by. I am still not sure what is going on between them....this shall be continued! ;-)

After hours of the penny machine, my mother and I, poor and defeated, headed back to the hotel room. My mom was also sad because the hotel didn't have free breakfast. Sniff. Poor Mama.

The next day we were more angry at Atlantic City. We realized that NO ONE seemed to be winning. There were 90% elderly people around and everything seemed to be 10x more expensive then usual. Do you know they actually charge for valet parking now? $5.00 at Tropicana and get this, $15.00 at Taj Mahal. Wow. Shame on you! :( At one point I stopped in Hard Rock to grab some lunch only to find the chicken and mashed potatoes dinner I get was almost $18.00 (up from $10.50)! What the fuck??? No No No No Nooooooooooooo. I settled for a side salad and my mom settled to watch. lol. Atlantic City was SO disappointing. We went on the boardwalk a bit, which was cool, but kind outdated. The beach was kinda dirty and the vibe of the area just wasn't happening. We lost a bit more money and decided to head home.

I missed Melanie and mom missed Elizabeth. The only difference was Mom was going home to Elizabeth. I was going home to the pets because Mel was in Jersey until Sunday! :( Oh well. It made it all the more intense to see her Sunday night. We hugged just as long as when I left.

I did learn a very important lesson on this trip. A.) I could travel with my mom, yes for short amounts of time, but very cool and I love her very much and B.) for the first time in my life my desire to be HOME and with someone, Melanie, was more strong then my need/desire to Travel. Wow. That's true love. That makes this trip one of the best ever.

Although winning 7.7 million dollars would've been cool! ;-)

Peace,

Des

Another quiz..

LOL, Okay so I got a bit sucked into quizzing!

This one was called 'What Musical Instrument I should Play'.


Again, how funny?

You Should Play the Guitar



You're very independent - both in spirit and in the way you learn.

You can teach yourself almost anything, even if it makes your fingers bleed.

You're not really the type to sit patiently through a music lesson - or do things by the book.

It's more your style to master the fundamentals and see where they take you.

Highly creative and a bit eclectic, you need a wide range of music to play.

You could emerge as a sensitive songwriter... or a manic rock star.

Your dominant personality characteristic: being rebellious

Your secondary personality characteristic: tenacity



Peace,
Des

What a perfect quiz...

I know I still have to blog about the small road trip I've taken with my mom, but I was on one my my NEW favorite blogs: Lyrical, Lavender, Life Blog, and I am completely mesmorized by this young woman's (she is 31 year old I believe) blog. I am entranced by it and how uplifting and personable she is. I think we should be friends! :) Anyway, she had this quiz on her blog that I just fell in love with and wanted to share with everyone. It is called "The Road Trip Quiz" and this is what came up:

The Road Trip of Your Life



You see romantic love as what's most important in life. A deep connection with someone else is the primary thing you crave.


You live a life of leisure. You take your time in every aspect of life and enjoy it to the fullest.


You are all about risk and randomness in your life. You travel off the beaten path... in fact, you're often the one carving the way!


Eh, work is not really for you. You're all about playtime! You'll work if you have to, but you really don't like it.


You could have owned an indie bookstore or boutique in another life.



All I can say is wow. Have I actually found another person out there that feels about travel the way I do?
Peace,
Des

Sunday, July 27, 2008

LAFFING MY ASSSS OWF!

Yes, I haven't blogged in eons! I have much to catch you up on including lunch with the Amish, getting into an altercation with a handicapped woman in Atlantic City and seeing my mother's head spin like the exorcist. In the meantime I found this video on You Tube and laughed my ass off. These girls are nuts. This is the kind of music I enjoy writing and listening too. As a matter of fact I have many similar songs. I will be posting videos of these in the near future. This one kinda reminds me of a song I wrote called, "Da Mama Came Out Today". Yeah.

It fills my heart with such joy knowing there are other "crazy/fun" dykes out there. ROCK ON!!!


Song: My Mom Things I am a Lesbian



Peace,

Des

Monday, July 21, 2008

My Nutty Professor

So Melanie and I discussed it this weekend and we have come to the agreement that I should refer to her as 'the nutty professor'. I mean this in the most loving, endearing sort of way possible. Melanie is like Bambi with glasses. Picture that. Aw.


What the fuck is that butterfly doing?

I wish my camera was working because I would take a picture of the inside of her purse and show you just why I call her the 'the nutty proffesor'. The girl refuses to zip up her bag, put away her credit cards/debit card, money, receipts etc.,. The bag is a mix of papers, cat fur, unknown sticky substance, several (what appear to be) bitten pennies, lip gloss with fuzz growing around it, a parking ticket and maybe a tampon or pad. It stresses me out. Bags in general stress me out, especially with my OCD, but Mel's really pushes me over the edge. I love to clean, sick but true, and I just can't bring myself to clean out her bag. What does this say? I don't know. It's that bad. Ironically her wallet is missing with her license, birth certificate etc., -- honestly I don't know where this is.

Another reason why Melanie has earned the title 'nutty professor'? The girl could cook. She has a knack for seasoning that is a talent. Everything she makes is flavored perfectly, HOWEVER, when using the stove Mel refuses to move anything near the burners (i.e. candles, incense burners, paper plates, cats etc.,). She turns that baby up and cooks away. I can't tell you the number of melted candles that have seared their way through the oven or dented dishes, flowers, vases etc., (hey our apartment is small - we have to make use of all space..lol). I do find this endearing but, um, it worries me so.

Melanie is the type woman who will bring her LSAT book with her to a restaurant, concert, nightclub or market. She is like "Mrs. Robinson" --- only younger. She is sexy and smart and dear I say, a tad bit dangerous -- and allll miiiine! Melanie recites women studies facts to me in the same sentence of a dirty rap song. Her latest venture is taking me around the "illegal spas" that take part in sex-trafficking. If you aren't aware of what this is please visit
http://www.riagainsttrafficking.org/. It's a horrible epidemic that happens everywhere, especially in Rhode Island. I try to explain to Mel that she could, oh I don't know, BE SHOT by some angry "spotter" or whatever they are called (similar to pimps). "I know" she says. Sigh. Melanie. Melanie. Melanie. She promises me she'll be safe, but I have noticed several more gray hairs on my head.

This weekend Melanie was all domesticated - which was wonderful! She cooked, cleaned, put together a book shelf, bought stuff for the house and even said she wanted a tool belt. I am too sure about that! ;-) It amazes me how much this young woman can do. I so appreciate it.

Anyway, Melanie may be lovingly nick-named 'the nutty professor' but there is nothing TRULY nutty about her. She is a well-rounded, smart, loving woman who I love very, very much.

So yeah, the weekend was spent doing stuff around the house and just enjoying each others company. Much needed!

On a side note, my mother and I are heading out on what I hope to be a crazy/fun road trip. We leave Wednesday. We are going to take it one day at a time. Destinations include: Lancaster, PA (Amish Country), Nashville, Destin, Savannah and possibly Williamsburg, VA or Atlantic City, NJ. God knows what my mom will take from the poor Amish...she'll find something though. Who knows maybe we'll see Porter Wagner's ghost at The Grand'Ol Opry - I'll need 3 pepcids for that.


We may only make it to CT, who knows, all I know is my mom deserves to get away and have some fun!! I will, of course, blog about this.

Anyway, I have so much to finish up over here so I better get back to work! I just wanted catch up on how things are going.

Here are some pictures from my # 1 beach destination here in the United States, Destin-Florida. I took these particular pictures several years ago.













Ciao,

Desiree