Squinked in the Phoenix Light Rail

Squished in the Phoenix Light Rail, originally uploaded by ckschweiger.

We took a ride on the new light rail in the big city yesterday, apparently they were surprised by so many folks going "after" the grand opening (even though the rides are still free). It was crowded, but it is about time we had mass transit of this kind in town!

On a side note, who else finds it ironic that there is a bagpiper in a ancient Roman ruin Click here: YouTube - Il Divo - Amazing Grace ?

One of "The Seven Deadly Virtues"

or "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood".

December mosaic

December mosaic, originally uploaded by Blair Necessities.

I am trying out the 365 self portrait a day project... again!

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said...

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said..., originally uploaded by Blair Necessities.

No more Squinkies jumping on the bed (or getting pushed off the slide)!
It was just a sprain.
Thank goodness!!!

Squink QOTD

"You are bacon".
After I told him he was fast becoming my nightmare adolescent child
and he hadn't hit 4 yet (he has been a bit full of burps and some such
today).

Sent from my iPhone

Squink QOTD

"My baby is a piccolo" said during a discussion on the horses my
cousin Aimee and I had.

Sent from my iPhone

This can be what 40 looks like (1/365)

1/365

One - Tcho - Three

I have always thought that I was among a small cohort of folks that loved dark chocolate. I knew my paternal grandmother liked it... but that was about all I knew in terms of folks that like this manna of the gods. It turns out a friend of mine from high school also enjoys this treat.

Two months ago (I started this post on 9/27/08), I invited the only other person (besides my grandmother) that I knew liked dark chocolate and we did a taste test. I pulled some tasting charts off the web and we sat down and tasted.

This was two months ago, the tasting notes are so well placed for safekeeping that I am unable to find them and have to resort to the notes he wrote when he posted the photos of our dark chocolate event!

This one was our favorite; though I will sadly have to find a way let TCHO know not to send chocolate to AZ in the summer.

TCHO - Fruity, Peru, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

This one arrived as the weather was getting cooler and the delivery person handed it to a real person rather than leave it on the porch. This one was a close second and showed the potential palate pleasure if the first one had not bloomed. Tcho makes some awesome chocolate.

TCHO - Nutty, Peru, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

Plus their packaging rocks.

TCHO!, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

TCHO!, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

This one had bloomed as well and while third in terms of which we liked, it was still a close call. All these chocolates are excellent!

TCHO!, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

This chocolate, was not chocolate in my opinion - bleeeeah.

Green and Black's Dark, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

and the same goes for this...

Green and Black's "Milk", originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

We did not even open these, but I know they are a great dark chocolate bar (especially for the price).

Trader Joe's, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

Chocolate truffles, from Hershey, that did not suck!

Truffles, originally uploaded by iaincaradoc.

Now, maybe my friend will load up the pictures he took of the "youbars" samples we tested so I can write that review as well!

Yeah, my one and only guitar solo

yeah, my one and only guitar solo, originally uploaded by Blair Necessities.

If you facebook you might know that I spent my Thanksgiving playing Rock Band.
I can't tell you enough about how much fun this was. I think once we did the first song we played for hours. I started out by singing to the Go-Go's (We got the beat). I also sang to Alice In Chains... I played the drums, the most fun of which was to Kids in America and then, at the end of the night I got on the guitar and played some Fleetwood Mac.
It is so much fun, it is worth every embarrassing photo that was taken!
Here, however, is a cute one of Squink:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pizza Bite, originally uploaded by ckschweiger.

meme's have invaded facebook

The Game - from a facebook friend

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall, and post your sentence in a comment here as well.

When he died, his funeral was attended, in the words of one contemporary newspaper account, by "troops of people."

That is if I count 5 full sentences; if I include the partial one at the top of the page it would be:

He was, for example, gregarious and intensely social.

Sent from my iPhone

Oh dear!

This is Squink's rendition of his family...

Seven flower pop-up

Squink QOTD

"Mom, there is a skull inside my head".

Sent from my iPhone

This is planet earth...

Did my vote count?

Montezuma's Castle

more from last night's stroll along the lake

A blue heron, it was too dark to get the toad.

Desert evenings, lakeside

Fall nights are completly delicious in this part of the woods (erm,
cacti?).

Best. Mirror. Ever.

I love school art projects.

This morning, Squink insisted that this was a portrait of me.

Today,

I cried with someone I have not met and who resides somewhere far from me.

The internet, it is an interesting place.

.

Squink-nesses

Squink just told everyone in the elevator to dance... The only one
that looked a mixture of "that's cute but what do I do" was a young
male in his twenties.

Sent from my iPhone

Pet Rock - first art project

Pet Rock - first art project, originally uploaded by Blair Necessities.

A piñata can even make a bad mom haircut better.

Spiderman is in time out.

Squinks first day of preschool

Photos courtesy of Schatzy's iPhone

Day 6/7 - Vienna (my memories from other peoples photos)

So this is what the downtown area of Vienna looks like... This is near where we met "TG-TE" for coffee. Frankly, it all sorta looks alike in a way, so I have no idea how far or how close this is from where we met "TG-TE".

Shopping in Vienna, originally uploaded by Kliefi (on vacation).

Somewhere nearby is this plague memorial: (one of three I was to see on this trip)

plague column - Vienna, originally uploaded by Thomas Reichart.

Another view here.

The plague columns are fascinating in that they were placed as an object of art of thanksgiving for the end of the plague (though there were many others placed without reason of the pestilence). AS a form of what would now be coined "public art" it is fascinating and brings to mind these thoughts I have had lately of how, until very recently, science and religion were linked together... but that may be a can of worms I don't care to open.

Since I can't remember the order we saw things... I am presenting a randomized view of things Viennese...

Isn't this beautiful? I would love to say I lived in a house that was decorated this way.

Vienna_Linke Wienzeile, originally uploaded by regina_austria (away for 3 weeks).

I have always been a fan of Art Nouveau and this is an incredible example of it incorporated into architecture. This photo does not do this building justice:

Vienna Secession Building, originally uploaded by kimbar.

Here is the medallion building, it too is lovely and what a hoot to have an "award" on your home at all times!

Medallion House, Vienna, originally uploaded by Senex Prime.

This here is the Viennese state park, long and lovely with all sorts of things in them. I can say that it was crowded with folks and had loads of benches... "TG-TE" said that it is often filled to capacity... what a nice concept a park full of people.

im Stadtpark Vienna, originally uploaded by together8 <away for a while>.

I loved the market street, it is a place I want to go back to and spend hours at...

wien:naschmarkt, originally uploaded by dolcedo.

Aside from the lovely produce, where I could find all sorts of fruits that one can't find in AZ farmers markets, there were teas and spices and goods from around the world, and restaurants and cafe's that looked lovely and like I could spend hours at pretending to write my young adult novel... really, have this is a must return to for the next visit.

fresh & clean, originally uploaded by reenoreluv.

We also went by the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, This was a somber place: books facing out which is a metaphor that speaks volumes.

Holocaust Memorial, Judenplatz, Vienna, originally uploaded by Robert Scarth.

The father of one of my mothers good friends in South America escaped, with his brother's, in the hull of a boat and landed on the Galapagos Islands... the rest of the family was lost, I never heard if any news of what happened to them was found, the family was Jehovah's Witness.

[a moment of silent contemplation]

One of my favorite things to do in a new place is to ride the public transport. It was not running the last time I was in Vienna so aside from being able to rest my wickedly painful feet, I did realize a long time wish.... was able to ride in this:

Vienna, originally uploaded by Roberat.

The best place to sit was in the front, it is more responsive part of the tram (akin to the back of the school buses like when we were in grade school).

I am a big fan of public art, in that often they are nice things to look at, but it also reveals a lot about the people in what gets chosen to be displayed. Needless to say (perhaps), there was a lot of statuary around. This was one of my favorites, but similar ones were everywhere

Vienna VI, originally uploaded by vortex_kl.

Remember how I said my feet hurt, I really wanted to take one of these. They used to be free, until they noticed that they were all gone and had somehow reappeared in other countries... imagine that! Now, a credit card is required.

Vienna City Bikes, originally uploaded by Bachspics.

Apparently when this building was built it upset pissed Franz Josef off (who did not like "modern architecture"), but its impertinence is more in its location to where Franz Josef lived (across the street) than in what it looks like:

Adolf Loos House in Vienna, originally uploaded by Istvan.

One of my most fond recalled events is when "TG-TE" took us by this water feature with a Henry Moore statue, you see we have a Henry Moore in AZ too. Of course, when "TG-TE" stopped there he said he asks people what they see, I think I may be one of the few that sees the same thing he does...

Henry Moore Sculpture, originally uploaded by Miss Kim.

Another view here. And another, perhaps the more interesting view here.

So, I was always a fan of those Jesuits... and went by here.

No, I did not see this... but I would like to see it next time:

Vienna - Hundertwasser Haus, originally uploaded by MiaRossy.

And while I do order a coffee roast based on this restaurant, we did not go there.

We did not go here either, though it is on my to do list since I would like to check out the zoo and attend the famous apfelstrudel lesson.

Schönbrunn Palace (Vienna, Austria), originally uploaded by <geek> Daniel </geek> @ 127.0.0.1.

We did not go here either, though I have promised to try a "fresh" Sacher torte... but apparently you have to be Austrian to get one, maybe IFF I am with an Austrian I can get one.

Vienna - Sacher Torte, originally uploaded by tg81.

The name of this place compels me to go there too

Gasometer, Vienna, originally uploaded by ec1jack.

And Nettie, as I was searching for places in Vienna with merely the search word "Vienna" I came across this: We did not see this place though (NSFW - maybe?).


Up next: Day 8/9/10 - Hungary like the wolf or why my heart belongs to Budapest.