Silly Site o' the Day

As a dutiful admin with OCD tendencies, I like when things line up. I'm not the only one.

Silly Site o' the Day

With the storm coming tomorrow, we figured we'd better get up to Macy Park for our annual foliage photos before the rain and wind stripped all the leaves from the trees. So we got through the little shopping we had this morning, rested a bit, then had a lovely afternoon drive up the Saw Mill Parkway and back down the Sprain Brook. Photos posted on Facebook tomorrow but, in the meantime, some more Hallowe'en type stuff, in the form of some brilliant tombstones.

Silly Site o' the Day

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in. Today was a special photo day for our new NY-area hires, and apparently not a single person on the HR onboarding team could handle sitting in a room for 3 hours and keeping track of everyone's name and choice of photo. I mean, really. But it was great to see Joe again and I'm in very good standing with everyone I helped out, so I guess that's something. I also like these photos of amusing street art. And now, back to the Yankees game.

Silly Site o' the Day

Today was Photo Day at the office, so I'm pretty wiped after almost five hours of people parading in and out to get their headshots. In their honor, I present Nick Sullivan's collage of photos from the past superimposed on the same present-day locations (via Laughing Squid).

Silly Site o' the Day

Today was photo shoot day at the office, where I schedule and coordinate over 60 people within a 4-hour space to get head shots for business purposes. I found it very similar to working a booth at a convention, in that I noticed I was sort of "holding court" with my coworkers as they readied themselves for the photographer. And just like a convention, I had fun but was very exhausted afterwards. Maybe if the surroundings had been more like this artist's studio (via Laughing Squid) I might still be awake. Like, forever.

Silly Site o' the Day

At my cousin's house today after my aunt's funeral, when discussing Kenie's broad ear-to-ear grin, Mom mentioned that she has never smiled open-mouthed (i.e., teeth showing) in photos. So I went through all my iPhoto shots and, lo and behold, she was right. All the photos I have of her smiling, it's genuine and her eyes are twinkling and all that, but no teeth-baring grin. Far more dignified than the facial expressions on these silly Victorian-era photos (via BoingBoing), to my mind.

Silly Site o' the Day

Ever wonder what the people in stock photos are thinking. Sad and Useless lets you know. Via Stephen Palinkas at Brand Flakes for Breakfast.

Silly Site o' the Day

Today was our annual sojourn to VE Macy Park to take fall foliage photos, which have been posted to my Facebook page. Ever since the hurricane a few years back the park just isn't that spectacular. Now we get a lot of trees still green and others that have already lost their leaves; the harmony of past years is no longer in evidence. We might try again next Sunday if I'm up to it. The foot is coming along fine but I'm still recovering from so many body aches as a result of having to walk differently because of the ingrown nail that my body hasn't been up to ironing, so I plan to do that before and after my cardio appointment tomorrow, if the sun stays bright long enough (our living room overhead light is currently on the fritz awaiting landlord repair). I wouldn't mind making a dent in my DVR watching and blog reading either, but I think that'll wind up waiting until after the World Series. At least I can watch clever Sesame Street segments, though:



Via The Mary Sue. Love them Rube Goldberg machines, and love the way Sesame Street gets kids jazzed about science!

Silly Site o' the Day

Today was our last visit to Mom's house this year, as she snowbirds to Vegas in a few days. I insisted on a photo, as I do:

It's always weird saying goodbye to Mom for another half-year, I still get this weird separation anxiety. I mean, come on, this is the woman who used to make my meals every day when I was a kid! Except I don't remember her ever doing Little Nummies (via Laughing Squid)...

Silly Site o' the Day

We're off to visit Mom today, for the first time since we visited Rob's Dad in England. We're hoping to do somewhat the same task in the Land of Dial-Up as we did in the Land of Two iPads, take some photo albums to scan the photos therein so my relatives can be as digitized as Robin's are. Maybe I'll even see some backgrounds of how New York (and New Jersey) used to be, like in this photo series of New York City Then and Now (via Kristien).

On the Bus to Brighton

Just a sneak preview of the photos I hope to put up on my Facebook page when I get home:



Today we're headed into Lewes so Robin can finally close his British bank account.

Silly Site o' the Day

I'm gradually improving, although Robin's going through a much rougher recovery. Fortunately I was able to procure some LemSip, and some other English stuff that should make him happy as it's now on display as part of our holiday table:


I'd tell you more about the table in detail, but there's no time to explain:



Via The Mary Sue.

Double Nickels

I had a lovely 55th birthday today; I lucked out in that this year it fell on a weekend, so I got to do exactly what I wanted to. Some of which was, admittedly, seasonal errands. I bought most of the stuff I wanted to get, had myself some conveyor-belt sushi, and Robin and I had a wonderful drive, albeit a bit spooky in the morning with all the fog. Oh, and he took this photo of me with Amy:



This is the first year I haven't had Datsa in my arms on my birthday, and I still ache to hold him. Amy tolerates me, but doesn't really like being picked up. Aside from that little twinge, it's been a terrific day! Thanks to all my Facebook friends and relatives for your lovely wishes!

The Celebrations Begin

The Black Friday plague may be upon us, and for a select discerning few it is of course Buy Nothing Day, but I prefer to think of today as Second Breakfast Thanksgiving. Yesterday we went to my cousin's house, today I made a feast at home for the two of us. Here's the menu:


And of course the obligatory shots of the table...



...and of my plate:


No idea why I forgot to put the cran sauce on it. Everything was yummy, both here and there! Which reminds me, Mom, this photo's for you:


Spoiler alert, your sister won the wishbone! For everyone else, the whole set is up on my Facebook photo page.

Silly Site o' the Day

What a perfect day! I got a few local chores done early, then Robin and I were off to Macy Park for our annual fall foliage photo shoot, which I've put up on as a Facebook album along with, finally, the photos I took last week at NYCC and a few weeks back at my cousin's 30th birthday party. This is for Mom, who said my blog is getting boring. :)



So there, lady! And here, just for good measure, have some women holding vegetable guns. Go on, you know you want to click on it.

Belated Friday Cat Blogging*

As I mentioned awhile back, now that it's spring I have the camera out again, and have been creating my Facebook albums at a rapid pace, at least for me. This morning we check out VE Macy Park to see how the blossoms are doing there, but yesterday and today I took photos of the cats:


Datsa this morning.


Amy yesterday. They're both so accommodating to let me snap photos of them without me ever leaving my computer chair...

*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

Belated Friday Cat Blogging*

Just got finished taking the "official" photos of the Riggs Residence holiday table and card wreath:



I love the oranges, the birthday balloons, the lit Chanukah candles by the fiber-optic Christmas tree, all the crackers, the pressies, just about everything!



See there, enough people still send cards in the mail that it makes this wreath worthwhile. In the middle you can see part of Robin's big 50th birthday card that I had our friends sign at the New York Comic con (Neal Adams insisted his signature be at the top, he's definitely the John Hancock of this particular document!).

But that's not why you're reading this. You came here to see kitties, and kitties you'll get! First is Datsa, wearing both of the crowns we got in the Christmas crackers we opened today:



Amy, on the other hand, has far more dignity, and has decided to lay out on my old poncho on the couch:



Nice and cozy! Oh, and Tony Ricketts has now returned with a new Jingle Cats video, here's an ITN report about it:



*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

Friday Birthday and Cat Blogging*

I'm liking the ease of Facebook photo albums more and more. I hit one button to take all the photos from my iPhoto album and make a Facebook album out of it, and I can link to individual photos from here as I like. Meanwhile, Facebook itself seems to be where it's at in terms of friends - I remember the days of actual physical cards, then e-cards and blog comments, now it's mostly people there wishing me many happy returns of the day, throwing up their own e-cards and videos... it's a great little town square for me! I'm up to 100 friends and relatives sending along their best wishes, including folks I've known since childhood, cohorts from my INSIDE JOKE years, actual Famous People... I'm really blown away!

But back to the photos. I got out of work at 3 PM (last month my company reinstituted early Friday departure through the end of the year so people could do their holiday errands and such, and this is the first week I actually got out on time, I've worked OT the last three times) and Robin and I walked up to Central Park. Here he is at the Artists' Gate, naturally:


No, I don't know why there's a lamppost growing out of his head. I guess because having a lightbulb there would have been too cliche? Anyway, we walked over to the Columbus Circle Holiday Market to "window" shop and enjoy some no-sugar-added hot apple cider; yum! I took a few photos while we were sitting and sipping; this one's my favorite, showing a Central Park path leading away from the kiosks:


We then headed down to Midtown Comics in the Times Square area to pick up a fairly substantial haul, as for some unknown reason we seem to have dropped off DC's comp list, then dined on surf and turf at Red Lobster; yum again! After that we took in just a bit of the Bryant Park Holiday Shops, as that's where we had to get the express bus back home anyway:


It was still pretty early when we arrived home, about my usual weekday arrival time anyway, and before feeding the cats Robin took this photo of me, Datsa (with his arms around me as usual) and my birthday present, a lovely wildcats metroyshka from here (I collect nesting dolls):


My birthday blouse actually looks a little better than it seems to here; I got lots of compliments on it at work today! Oh, and while we're on Friday Cat Blogging, here's an adorable one of Amy from a few days ago, caught in mid-grooming:


This has probably been one of the easiest pictorials I've ever posted here. Hats off to the iPhoto/Facebook album interface!

*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

Thanksgiving 2011

As promised, my annual Thanksgiving photos! Yesterday we went to my cousin's house, and all the photos I took from there are up on my Facebook page. But today we had another Thanksgiving for just the two of us. Here's the menu:



I forgot to put potatoes on the menu, because Robin made those for himself. Here's how the spread looked after everything was cooked:



And my plate:



Kitties were intensely interested:



Robin just seemed confused:



I'm grateful for so many things - that we have a roof over our heads, that I have a good job that I love with people whom I admire and like quote a lot, that we live in a nice quiet neighborhood and house, that we have our health, that we have such wonderful family and friends, and that I'm still excited about writing this blog 9+ years in. I hope your Thanksgiving was terrific, and that the coming holiday season is everything you wish it to be.

Foggy Morning, Breakdown

Yeah, I've been taking photos lately. Here's a set from my phone's camera, which I took on the way to the bus yesterday. Note that the last three, from on the bus, are sans fog, as we were in Manhattan by that time. For those who don't like to click to Flickr, here's my favorite:



Not too shabby for a little phone camera! The next set, which I've put on Facebook, was taken this past Sunday, when we returned to Macy Park to assess the damage the freak pre-Hallowe'en snowstorm had caused. This one here is my car parked amid some of the major fallen branches:



Pretty scary. No use in taking a panorama photo, either - the trees were either bare or had too many branches down or were stubbornly refusing to change.

The trees around us are currently peak or a little past peak, with that wonderful russet color I wait all year to see. Here's a photo snapped from my camera phone around 4:30 this afternoon from outside my ophthalmologist's office:



This one's exclusive to Blogger. I like to spread around where I store my photos cloud-wise (although I'm leaning more and more to Facebook, that was a pretty easy upload from iPhoto). Oh, and I passed my visual field test and all other eye exam stuff with flying colors, in case you were wondering.