b l o g o r e l l i

Hearth

“A little House well fill'd, a little Field well till'd, and a little Wife well will'd, are great Riches”
– Benjamin Franklin

C O N G R AT S  to Jeffé and Claire Voyant on taking advantage of that 2009 tax credit and BUYING A HOUSE! I've been lucky enough to see the new manor and it is a very charming place indeed, with lots of nooks and crannies, quirky historical details, and a big yard with almost any kind of plant imaginable, including strawberries. YUM.

(Here is the nested couple with the letter "O" that Sarah won at the BoNE Show Opening. She said that the piece will hang in the office, like "O for Office.") 

Ay! (and Bye!)

The idea that two of my favorite Ohioans, The Polish Princess and Mad Hungarian, have already come and gone -- plus a week -- stuns me! I also cannot believe that Amy and I haven't seen each other in person for two long years of weekly phone dates. Plus, now the Heir is in the picture (literally -- see below) so I can't help but feel like a third party was hanging out as well for our Northeastern weekend.

We had a great visit -- lots of beer for "the Marks," wine for Blogorelli, and spritzers for the PP. Took PP and MH to all our favorite local haunts, and even a not-so-local one -- Salem. There's something about seeing truly "ode" friends that makes a gal remember the now-distant days when she was table dancing to the Go-Gos in Cincinnati like yesterday. Le sigh.

A grey day near the sea in Salem -- but I love our Spring-y citrus bursts of color (purse and scarf.)

Me: Sorry that I bitched at you about parking.
Murf: It's ok, just don't push me into the harbor...Harpy.

We learned this gesture from Asian tourists in Europe eight years ago...and have yet to let it go. Aaargh!

Eastern European triumvirate, brunch version

Bump! Buuuuuump! B U M P !!!!!!

Hat Trick

BIG NEWS came yesterday morning:
P Natty proposed to Lil' Kim this past Saturday and she accepted! Yipppppeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

I (and many others, of course) feel completely and utterly thrilled for fiancé and fianceé! Now, there are officially three couples in The Gang who are engaged (Patrick/Kim, Me/Prof, The Nachos). I sense an excuse for a get together with many champagne toasts.

Best wishes and Congratulations to the happy couple...we've all had so many adventures together over the past six (!) years, and this may be the biggest one of all!

Lots of lovies,
Blogorelli

Weekend of Labor (and Leisure)

The past looong weekend seemed to hold so much time that I managed to cram in a ton of fun and productive activities...

On Friday night, The Prof and I bid a fond adieu to his friend Beth as she prepared to begin her adventure in the Princeton Libraries (starting today!) As a tribute to 'DaVille, we brought Dial-a-Pizza; the pie was a hit -- and gone before I could snag a slice. Beth had a bookshelf of "free" items that partygoers could take (great idea to shed belongings pre-move,) and we got a vegetarian one pot recipe book, which I'm excited to try come fall.

Saturday morning, I headed to Sofra in Cambridge solo to meet up with Half Pint, Mr. Car, and baby Will P. Unfortunately, the bakery was mobbed and didn't have any tables, just benches along the windows (not so baby friendly;) we met at Vicki Lee's instead for some breakfast goodies. Will Parker slept the entire time <le sigh> but I was happy to visit with the slightly tired parents and see their new VW Jetta sports wagon, which I now covet after Mr. Car showed off the massive amount of cargo space.

The bright Sunday morning offered the perfect day to head out to Walden Pond with the Dairy Queen/Skydiving in Stilettos. We hung out, swam (her,) read wedding planning books (me,) and just enjoyed the uniquely New England-ness of our surroundings. The evening brought a cookout at The Prof's friend NPY's apartment, where we finally got to play Wii! After a little drumming in Rock Band and a few sets of tennis, I declared that if The Prof registers at Home Depot, then I'm making my wild card location Best Buy. The only things on my registry will be a Wii and Wii accessories.

When I woke up on Monday, Friday seemed about 100 years ago -- not a bad thing. The Prof and I suited up and went to meet Cho and the BBK for a little adventure at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester. The weather cooperated perfectly again, and watching the BBK manically run into the waves and back onto shore in concentric circles, stopping only to bring little handfuls of saltwater to his mouth and take a hearty lick (how much do I love this kid?), I had to admit the weekend worked New England's trifecta on me: great weather, beautiful scenery, fun activities. I don't often admit the thought, but sometimes I simply love living in Boston. There, I typed the words, put it in your pocket for the next six months (during which time I'll be bitterly hating the winter weather. Harumph.)

The day ended with hot dogs in Rockport, car washing at home, beers on the porch, planting some mums for fall, and a delicious dinner while watching Season 3 of Lost. What a life, sometimes...what   a   life.

Rockport Harbor

 

Peg Leg Inn or Motel Peg Leg? Guess that choice depends on preference and means.

 

End-of-summer garden

Happy Day To Cho!

Today is Cho's birthday -- yea! As a preamble, last night I planned a surprise girls' night out. First, we went to Inman Oasis for an hour soak in the Japanese wooden tub. Though no 10,000 Waves or Shoji Retreat, the facilities were  clean and our time there relaxing. We then proceeded to the bar at Oleana to wait for our table outside.

There's more to this story...but I'll have to wait until I get home tonight to tell because lunch hour is over.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHO -- Glasses Up to You!!!

Omedetou

That's Japanese for "congratulations"...
well wishes to Jeffé and Sarah (Ms. Clairvoyant), who got engaged during their vacation in Tokyo!

Road Race Queen

How much do I love feeling inspired by my friends' accomplishments?

A big and proud shout-out to The Dairy Queen, who not only finished the New York Road Runners' Half-Marathon last weekend, but logged in her best time yet!

She's working towards running a full marathon in the fall. Me? I'm working towards running, period.

CONGRATS, DQ!!!

Edgar Allen Cat

The words "Elizabethan," "collar," and "midnight" usually evoke a different meaning to most people than this:

The Dairy Queen's poor cat Midnight! She has an ear isssue and has to wear this horrible-yet-amusing-looking plastic funnel when her owner is out. I gotta say, though...besides pets in outfits, nothing raises my mood more than a good old Elizabethan (pet) collar photograph.

Auntie and Uncle Murforelli

For 28 years, I've called exactly three woman on Mother's Day: my own dear Mam, my Italian Nona, and my Hungarian Gammy. This year my call volume just skyrocketed, I mean, it was absolutely obscene, basically doubling. I guess it's a change of life...like, the one before you are 'flashing' hot and not growing leg hair any more.

Speaking of little ones, The Professor and I babysat for his niece last weekend so that his sis and her hub could catch an afternoon movie:

The Prof and Niamh bond through Dr. Seuss:

I've always been a bit 'different' in relating with, well, everyone. ARGH! :

Guest Writer: The Polish Princess

by The Polish Princess

"Everyone who knows me, knows that I secretly <3 pop music. It's shameless. I absolutely delight in purchasing $.99 singles of the current "Pop Hit DuJour". Somehow, I think my father forbidding me to purchase cassette singles back in the day lead to this obession. I've always justified these purchases by balancing them out with indie selections. This makes me feel like the combination of my great taste and "bad" taste somehow make me "even" in the end.

I'm 28 years old, I've love bubble gum pop, and it's helping me become popular with the 17 year-olds at work. So it's all good. And with the confession complete, I present my list of current Top 40 "must haves". Feel free to secretly download them...and enjoy. };)

1. Lost Without U, Robin Thicke : This song is an unbelievably catchy R&B *groooove*. What makes it sweeter is that Robin wrote the song for his wife while he was going through a difficult time (namely, poor record sales on his Grammy award-winning debut album). His gorgeous wife appears in the video with him. Also interesting to note: his father is everyone's favorite TV dad, Alan Thicke. (BLOGORELLI NOTE: I was wondering about that last name!)

2. U + Ur Hand, Pink : Pink just kicks ass and this song is no exception. It's particularly good if you feel yourself starting to slack on the treadmill. Put this song on, and you'll be back on top in no time.

3. Glamorous, Fergie : I know, I know...Fergie??? Seriously? Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of "The Dutchess". In fact, I find her pretty obnoxious and didn't realize this song was hers until after I was already hooked. But my Top 40 rule is this: love the song regardless of the artist. When it comes to pop music, there are often songwriters and producers who do a lot of the leg work. Case in point: "Since you've been gone". This track would have been great, regardless of who recorded it.

Here's one more sort of 'indie' pick...to balance out all that pop

4. Don't Feel like Dancin', Scissor Sisters : Quite simply if you don't feel like dancin' when you hear this song, then something is seriously wrong."

(BLOGORELLI NOTE: I have a little 'confession' on my own...that I lifted the boombox graphic in the header from Fred Flare's pocast, which everyone should definitely check out to rock out!)