Mighty fine, little Nicky and common ground

- My carbohydrate-laden takeout lunch from nearby Figo. A Caprese panini and some bruschetta, with a bite taken out of it already. :) The man at the counter is recently in from Italy and has a delightful accent. I got to choose between a number of different spreads on the bruschetta. He rattled them off rapidly and then said, "You want me to choose for you?" I did. And it was mighty fine (whatever it was.)

- Walking into the plant manager's office at work and being confronted by an indignant little poodle, barking madly. She is the plant manager's dog and visiting for the day, very protective and totally devoted to him. I loved seeing the interaction between this tiny dog and this big tough man.

- Attending a focus group to study the amending of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977. Because the subject matter is so dry and to get us in the mood to talk, the moderator asks us to interview the person next to us to see what we have in common. Rob and I find that we both watched the film Inception recently and are both still scratching our heads over it. The only common ground, but it gets us talking and ready for the discussion.

Three fun things that came in the mail

- My good friend makes gifts for the holidays to send to friends and family and uses the money she would have normally spent on gifts to donate to various non-profit organizations that are dedicated to helping others. A lovely idea and I am tickled pink with my hand-painted stationery.

- Over at Funsterment, Inc., there was a contest to win CDs with the song stylings of the most fun blogger in the blogosphere. I don't remember what it was I did to win it, but it sure was fun to get this package in the mail with CDs, lollipops and a hand-written note from Jannie's sidekick, Blue Bunny, who tells me I am "Awsim." You are awesome, too, BB.

- And my sister spotted this ceramic business card holder with a dragonfly on it and sent it to me, because she knows I like dragonflies. I like that it is holding all the things that come in the mail dedicated to the tax man.

Festive lights, love and name calling

- My neighbor Beth's windows with the tiny white lights left up after Christmas. I quite enjoy seeing her lit up window in the early morning and after dark and hope she keeps them there.

- Her son is a teenager who is blind and autistic and is very, very sweet. I asked about him on Sunday and he was off with his dad. She said not to be surprised if he tells me he loves me next time we meet; it's his new thing. I tell her I think that is something I would welcome.

- Up the street, my annual visit for the car emission testing by the big guy with the Barry White voice. Ramón opens the door for me, says Hello Sugar and sends me inside to wait. He looks surprised and pleased when I thank him by name as I am paying. I vow to do more of that with people in the future.

Darkness into light, good neighbor and anniversary

- "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

- A neighbor pulling in front of my car at the trash compactor at the condos wordlessly reaches for my bag of trash to throw in with his.

- Feeling a bit wistful at the thought of leaving a warm house at 7am this morning for the commute. But remembering how many people I know who are out of work and remembering what that is like. It is my three-year anniversary week at my current job.

The photo was taken the Friday before the big snow in the back of the building in which I work.

Cabin fever, synchronicity and the sisterhood

Enough with the snow. Seriously!

- So I have gotten a bit of a case of cabin fever now, but have been grateful for the opportunity to stay home while other peoples' cars are crashing into each other in the aftermath of the land of the ice and snow. Also - my ex-father-in-law passed away yesterday. He had Alzheimer's disease. He was a lovely man, a veteran of a foreign war who came back home and ran the family dairy farm after the war was over. I liked to help him count cows at the end of the day, something I only got to do now and then. A sweet, sweet man.

- Maybe my dinner of Steak au Poive was appropriate. :) I don't eat meat often, but I sauteed a little steak and made a remoulade sauce to go with it, along with some caramelized onions. Yum.

- Stellaaahhh!!!!! A Streetcar Named Desire. So much yelling that I'll be watching the remaining 1 hour and 16 minutes another time. What else was there on the DVR to watch? Hmmmm. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Yep. That was just the ticket. A nice little film - not gritty, but just what I needed for this night.

“Whoever you are,” Blanche DuBois said, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Best line ever! I hope you experience kindness from everyone around you this weekend, my friends.

Winter scene, films with yelling and well-rested

- It looks a bit more beaten up and slushy now from this scene on Monday afternoon. My neighbor poured some of that ice melt stuff on the sidewalk to make it easier for her to walk her dog in and out. We have a fair amount of young children living in the condos and they have enjoyed playing in the snow.

- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Oh my - the yelling! I watched it over the course of two days. I can't imagine why Paul Newman wouldn't have gotten an Oscar for his performance. Today - A Streetcar Named Desire, which promises a bit more yelling. :)

- Having the time to make food has been fun. I guess the difference is - having the time, and feeling so well-rested while doing it. Yesterday - it was hummus. Yum.

Life inside, snowpocalypse and Roman Holiday

- Life inside. Somehow adapting with three computers going and the television. The laptop in the front is my up-to-date computer, the one behind it is an ancient one that has a Mahjong game going and there is a desktop computer back in my home office that has some age on it. And I am glued to the news. I am talking to clients from home, too. And still feeling fortunate to be able to stay home.

- Someone coined the term Snowpocalypse and looking it up on Google, only to find that it is already in the online urban dictionary. So it is not all about us. :)

- Watching the delightful Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn's first film. The lead-in from Turner Classic Movies said she almost didn't get the part because her screen test was so subdued. But when it was over, they left the cameras running without her knowledge and asked her about her life. Her animation while chatting with the director won her the role.