1. So my father turned 80 years old this week.  That’s quite a milestone you know.  He’s 80 and still hitting on women.  What’s so funny is that NO ONE is surprised by that!

2.  Yeah, I’m so done with seeing ice water dumped on people. I am glad it helped to do something awesome, raising money and awareness for ALS, but come on already!  It really became a PR opportunity for people.  Now if we can have George or Brad in a white T, or even shirtless do this on video, I might actually pay for that.

3.  Shortly after my divorce I had a date with a man I had a crush on.  It was my first crush and only one for almost ten years after my marriage ended.  We had one date and then that was all.  I felt bad that he never asked for a second date until I spotted him in a grocery store this week.  Honestly, he was not really handsome then, but since he completely let himself go…well let’s just say it looks like I dodged a bullet, and that other expression WHICH I HATE, actually makes some sense for this occasion, “Everything happens for a reason.”

            (Josh McNutt, Charles Lloyd, Dorothy Darr, Adam Randall and myself)
4.  I attended a screening of the documentary, “Arrows Into Infinity” about the life and career of Charles Lloyd.  Both Lloyd and the director/life partner of Lloyd, Dorothy Darr, were in attendance and did a Q&A after the screening held at Squashed Grapes.  It was a privilege to meet Lloyd and his life partner Darr.  He will be receiving the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award in 2015.

5.  I’d like to think that none of my friends watch “reality” TV shows like that Honey Boo Boo thing.  Seriously.

6. Speaking of scary things, this post happens to fall on Halloween 2014 so I thought I would share another one of my favorite Halloween pictures with Sydney when we’d go out trick or treating together.  She was so freakin’ cute!   This particular year we went as Madeline and Miss Clavel from the Madeline book series, and then later of course the movie starring Frances McDormand as Miss Clavel.
I love Halloween for a couple of reasons:  kids costumes are adorable but mostly because I get my fill of black licorice and candy corn for the year.

7.  Did you ever see that movie “Julie and Julia” about a struggling writer who starts a blog and works her way through Julia Child’s cookbook?  Seemed like a good idea, so while I was perusing through a recently acquired “Beginner’s Cook Book” from Home and Gardens (circa 1984), I thought maybe I would do the same thing!  Well, I probably wouldn’t blog on each recipe, but how great would it be to finally learn how to make my own spaghetti sauce or make pot roast and gravy?  Yes Maggie, I will cook for you.

8.  Not only do I get grossed out, but I get a little indignant when I discover a spider or mosquito bite, like I’ve been violated somehow.

9.  From the “Really Bad Ideas” file comes this news story, “Mom Bakes Vagina Cookies for Second Graders, Can’t Believe Teacher Has the Nerve to Refuse Them.”   Best line from the article is when the author wrote, I think vagina-inspired art is actually quite beautiful. I still wouldn’t bake a plate of vagina cookies and bring them to my grade-schooler’s class, because I’m not bat-shit crazy.”

Too funny!!!  Here’s the story for reference:  http://www.mommyish.com/2014/09/23/mom-bakes-vagina-cookies-for-second-graders/ I found it originally on the Huffington Post.
Warning:  Clicking on photo is not for the faint of heart.

10.  I saw an MSN story with this title (I copied & pasted it):  “5 People Who Only Vowed to Eat One Food”

Not to nitpick or anything, but shouldn’t it be, “5 People Who Vowed to Eat Only One Food?”   What they’re saying is they only made one vow, which was to eat one food, as opposed to vowing to eat only one food.  You get it, right?

11.  My knee has been really giving me trouble the past month or so and as a result, I can’t exercise at lunch so I’ve been reading. I typically have a book going at any given time, but I’ve been going through more books more quickly now. Nice for mental stimulation, not so nice for my midriff.  Next step, Orthopedic surgeon and most likely an MRI.

12.  From my favorite quotes files, “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” –Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Thanks for listening.