We bought our house in the spring and coasted through a warm summer. Two home buying highlights of our purchase was the brand new roof and the two year old furnace. Well, the furnace worked for a couple weeks . . . then quit. It cost $230 to replace the thermostat and we had heat for two days and then it quit again. It cost $280 to replace the transformer. $500 and our heat has been on all weekend, I hope that is the end of repairs for this winter. We cannot afford to keep dropping $500 a week to keep the heat on. Heat and hot water were included in the rent of our last place. . . hmmmm, but I hated the neighbors, and my car was hit on the street because we didn't have off street parking . . . . I guess it's a toss up.

WOW, has it been a while since I've made a post. Over a year I think. In a nut shell, the Clampets, a.k.a., Williams & LeRoux, bought a house, packed up their worldly belongings and moved to Schenectady, The Electric City. Here is Jack enjoying the living room carpet. I've less than 10 minutes before Beauty and the Geek comes on so I'll be brief and promise to write more soon. Thanks for checking in.

Bbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrr

Okay, the winds are blowing anywhere from 20-40 mph today, remnants from that storm that hit west of us last week. We got about three inches of rain yesterday and I'll be honest, I didn't go anywhere. Here at Jack's Diner, there was a whole lot of cookin' going on . . . cookin' comfort food that is. This weekend you could have had anything from baked mac & cheese, to bourbon bread pudding here. Billy got out the crock-pot and fired up a batch of chili as well. That was just a little taste of the weekend's menu.

I got my pumpkin carved first thing yesterday morning. I paid homage to our patron cat, Jack, and carved him and a mouse onto the largest pumpkin I could find. I must say, it came out very cool. One inocent mouse, one cat, claws, and a sinister glow for affect.

Our newest mouser just woke from his nap, right on queue as it's dinner time. Oops, Jack just made an appearance as well. This ends my blogging session. Gotta feed the boys:)

So, I just remembered to update my "STATUS" on myspace to MARRIED. I do like the way that feels. There is a strange sense of security that comes with that title. It tells the public at large that I am off the market so don't bother me if all you are interested in is my ass (*).
This is one of my favorite stickers. Truckers put these on their cabs so prostitutes know not to bother knocking on the door when they're parked at truck stops.

Well, here is a practice pose at the wedding of a friend's a few weeks before our own. She too had been landscaping and urging her gardens to bloom like it had never bloomed before, and she was not dissappointed. Her wedding was beautiful and it allowed Billy and I some practice posing for our wedding.

February, 2005, 66 degrees in Central Park, NY. The saffron gates looked like camp fires and all the people who could escape their offices for the day did, and we all sat there with our faces to the sun, charging our batteries, enjoying the overall elevation in mood. Was it the sunny day or was it the power of the saffron gates?

Our BIGGEST event yet!!

This is where it all began in the winter/spring of 2001 . . . live music with a great friend. St. Patty's pub crawl, a lot of laughs and more fun in one night with one person than I had ever experienced in my life, it made me dizzy. After standing in front of so many stages over the last five years together, the stage is finally ours. This is it, NO REFUNDS/NO EXCHANGES, rain or shine, this is gonna be the longest set ever played.

Office Space, you heard me . . .

The Summer of Affirmation

This has been the summer of affirmation for me. I feel like my life is separated into two parts, that is, life in VT and then life in NY. The trials and tribulations of growing up in a small rural town, the usual level of family disfunction, friends who step in and fill the voids that family can't . . . . Then came college, and then NY. My move to NY marked an emotional and mental transition for me, the first step in many that would elevate me to where I am today. My summer of affirmation comes with the reconnection of old friends from those fragile early days in VT. Two of my best friends, Michael, now residing in Seattle, WA, and my dear friend Curt, in CT, who is bound for the lights of Las Vegas, have both resurfaced. I was able to do lunch with Mike in the spring, and it felt like we had come full circle. The crazy awkward kids that we were somehow managed to find focus, and to finally be comfortable and content with ourselves. I liken it to a natural dissaster where you think that all of your family has been lost and then one by one they turn up, changed, with a new appreciation for what is truly important in life. Thank you to my dear friends for these moments of affirmation and for your lifetime of friendship. Thanks for all your mental hugs and ego stroking. The next round is on me:)