Java

Java, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

I feel a bit bad admitting this, especially while looking at the picture above. Nonetheless, there are times when I think of opening my front door and bidding farewell to my beloved german shorthaired pointer, Java. Today was one of those days. Like her innate ability to track birds, she seems to have an innate ability to drive me insane.

It started this morning on our way back from our morning walk. As we climbed the three flights of stairs to the apartment, she spotted a bird sitting on the second floor landing. She stalked it until it flew away, and then she watched it fly down to the first floor stairs. I coaxed her up to the apartment, but she wasn't too happy about that. The bird was right outside the door and she knew it. For about an hour straight she paced between the front door and the patio door whining. That lasted until...

I decided to hard-boil a couple eggs. She adores eggs and was in the kitchen before I even had them out of the cardboard container. The next forty-five minutes were a combination of whining, pacing, jumping up to the countertops, and finally begging for the finished product. There's nothing that annoys me more than dogs begging for food.

Next up was the toy pile next to my desk chair that seemed to grow exponentially as the day passed. Working from home is both a blessing and a curse because to Java this means I'm available to play all day long. Soon it wasn't just toys she was bringing me but washcloths, dust cloths, flip flops, shredded kleenex and paper towels, and a potholder. My apartment looks like a tornado blew through, or at the very least, a two year old toddler blew through.

The whirlwind of activity lasted until about 9:30 tonight. In between there was also the barking jag at some perceived noise outside the door, standing on the arm of the couch staring at me while I ate dinner, and pulling my bath towel around the living room. But she finally crashed. And when she did I fell in love with her all over again.

Today I narrowly avoided it, but tomorrow if you see a brown and white dog whizzing by you on the street chasing after a bird with a smile on her face, you'll know I crossed off #156: let Java runaway from home.

Netflix

Netflix, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

Sometimes, for no logical reason at all, a movie will arrive from Netflix that you just don't feel like watching. It was on your queue and at the top, no less, but still, you're not in the mood. You hang on to it for a few days thinking that the time just hasn't been right. You hang on to it for a few more days thinking what a waste it would be to send it back now. And before you know it, you've had the movie since June 1st. At this point there's no way you are returning it without watching it, and so you buckle down, pop in the dvd and get comfortable.

The movie is L'Homme du train/The Man on the Train, a French film made in 2002 starring Johnny Hallyday and Jean Rochefort. When it comes to foreign films, French films are among my favorites. In French films you can expect the old standby's of breathtaking scenery and the lovely poetic sing-song quality of the language. L'Homme du train did not disappoint. The cinematography was striking from the first frame and never relented. It was an integral part of the storytelling and perfectly conveyed the moods of the characters and the film in general. It also ensured that even the shots of bathroom toiletries were gorgeous. The story was interesting and the storytelling straightforward and simple. No fancy twists or turns, no overly complex storylines or complicated characters. Just well written and nicely delivered lines. And the characters, they were an unlikely and charming team. You'll fall in love with Rochefort's kind and generous heart, and will be simultaneously mesmerized and creeped out by Hallyday's blue eyes, gruff exterior and tender interior.

Out of five stars, I'd give this one three and a half. It was a great afternoon movie, and I'm proud to send it back having actually watched it, even if it did take me three and a half weeks!

Yesterday Mr. & Mrs. Smith left me unsatisfied, but today I am happy to report I've seen a good movie, a movie worth recommending. And so I cross off #108: watch my damn Netflix.

Mr. & Mrs. Boring

Mr & Mrs Boring, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

Being a woman and having a pulse pretty much means I think Brad Pitt is uber good looking. It also pretty much means I'll see whatever crap movie he's in, which is what I did today.

Maybe saying Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a crap movie is a bit harsh, but I thought it had some pretty huge flaws. The first being character development. You leave the movie hardly knowing the characters at all. Is that part of the whole 'we're spies and we're married and we don't even know each other' aspect of the movie? Cause if it is, that was idiotic. We're the audience, we're supposed to know these characters. And speaking of knowing the characters, that brings me to my second issue with the movie: story development. In a word, it sucked. The story was so unclear- are they spies, are they assassins, are they good guys, are they bad guys, who is Vince Vaughn's character, and more importantly, what the hell is Adam Brody doing in this movie?! All questions that deserve answers, and none of which are answered through the course of the movie. Now, maybe I should take a second to pause and remind you of the previously mentioned adoration of Brad Pitt. It's entirely possible that I was so enraptured with his presence on screen that I missed out on the finer (and broader!) details of the story, and for the sake of the movie let's hope this is true.

But, that doesn't explain my third issue with this movie- bad acting. Brad Pitt may not be the best actor in Hollywood, but he's done a good job in some great movies: Kalifornia, Seven, Fight Club, Snatch and Ocean's Eleven, just to name a few. I was trying to think if I'd ever seen an Angelina Jolie movie, and the only one I could think of is Gone in 60 Seconds, which hardly qualifies as an Angelina Jolie movie, but merely a movie she was in. So, I have nothing to compare her acting to. Is she normally a good actress, or is she just a nice pair of legs and great tits? I'm not sure. But in this movie, I'd say that's all she was. Between the two of them, I was so bored. It was as if the director said 'in the majority of the movie you're going to act disinterested in each other' and they took it to heart, resulting in flat acting and an audience who was totally disinterested in them. Where is this 'chemistry' everyone is buzzing about? I must have missed it.

For me, the best part of the movie came during a scene where John (Brad Pitt) shows up at Jane's (Angelina Jolie's) office. Jane flies off on a zip cable between two skyscrapers. They'd both had the chance to kill each other but John hesitated and Jane ran. From across the building John yells 'Chickenshit!'. To which Jane yells 'Pussy!'. To which the 6 year-old kid across the aisle from me says 'She's a pussy!'. 'Shhhhh', his mom said, but too late, we all heard it and we all cracked up. And this was the best part of the movie.

Out of five I'd have to give this movie two and a half stars. Brad & Angelina should be grateful Brad's marriage broke up because I think that's why people are going to see this movie- to check on the 'chemistry' between them (okay, how pathetic is that?!). At least that's what I've heard. I wouldn't say people are going to see it because it's good.

So with a Brad Pitt craving satiated and a good movie craving still in the lurch I cross off #145: see Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Orzo + Fruit = ?

Orzo + Fruit = ?, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

I've had a box of orzo in my pantry for about a year now. When I saw it on the shelf at the grocery I couldn't resist buying it- a tiny box of even tinier pasta- it was so cute! But, I had no idea what to do with it. I'd never made orzo, except in the form of my favorite Lipton Rice Sides mushroom packet with rice and orzo. So to the back of my pantry it went never to see the light of day until...

Last weekend in a fortuitous conversation with my sister she told me about a new favorite recipe she was making for fruit salad featuring an unusual ingredient, Orzo! I was instantly excited to try it because I love fruit salad, and I already had the star ingredient. But, I had none of the other ingredients, and we all know of my recent issue with going to the grocery in a timely manner. With each passing day I dreamt about the fruit salad: how delicious it would be, and how great to have finally found a use for my beloved orzo!

Last night I began part one of the fruit salad recipe since it required an overnight chilling in the refrigerator. I had high hopes, and was actually a little ticked that I couldn't eat it right away. But, I was patient. This morning I completed part two of the recipe, and still, I had to wait for it to chill another 2-3 hours. Finally after an hour I was fed up of waiting and dug in. But to my surprise and disappointment, I didn't like it! I couldn't identify what it was I didn't like, but there was a flavor I just wasn't crazy about. All day I moped over the fruit salad- what was I going to do with the vat of it in my fridge, how could I not like it since I liked each ingredient individually? I mourned the disappointment and started plotting how to pawn it off on friends. Then I decided to give it another try. Low and behold, I liked it much better this time. I didn't love it, but I think the flavors had more time to mellow and get to know each other a little better, and it resulted in a pretty interesting dish. So while this won't be my go-to recipe for orzo, I will keep it in mind. And for all my friends who are nearby, look out- a tupperware full of fruit salad will be coming your way!

In case I've whet your appetite with all this orzo talk, following is the recipe. And caution, I halved the recipe and it still made a huge quantity. Those orzo may be tiny, but they soak up liquid like a sponge and become quite plump little fellows.

Rosa Marina Fruit Salad

1lb box orzo 2 large cans crushed pineapple 2 large cans mandarin oranges 2 beaten eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tbsp flour 1 tsp lemon juice 1 large tub cool whip

Cook & drain orzo. Combine eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and the juice from the canned fruit in a saucepan. Heat until boiling. Combine with the orzo and refrigerate overnight. Next day, mix in fruit and coolwhip. Refrigerate another 2-3 hours (or longer, that made a huge difference to me).

I will continue looking but for now I cross off #289: find a use for those adorable boxes of orzo.

UPDATE 6/28/05:
The salad is getting better each day, or maybe I'm just getting used to it. A few suggestions though, if you're going to try the recipe: Unless you really love canned pineapple, you may want to try fresh pineapple and supplement some pineapple juice for the liquid portion of the recipe. Or, I can see it being really yummy with no pineapple and double the amount of mandarin oranges. Or maybe a variety of fresh fruit and some fruit juice for the liquid. Mix and match, and let me know how it works out!

Groceries

Groceries, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

Remember the aversion I had with going to the post office recently? Until tonight I had one going with the grocery store too, but worse, far worse. I hadn't been to the grocery in nearly three weeks. With each passing day the refrigerator and pantry grew more bare, and my food options grew more bleak. There were lots of cherry chocolate chip bread (yes, I still have some!) breakfasts, cereal or cheese quesadilla lunches, and hamburger helper dinners. I ran out of fruit and vegetables, and still, I wouldn't budge.

I set lots of dates with the grocery: we'll do lunch tomorrow, how about Thursday after dinner, I could squeeze you in after drinks tonight. But I broke them all, and without much regret, until it came time to make the 5th quesadilla of the week. I even contemplated the idea of shopping online. I was told a certain local grocery chain offered free delivery on your first order. Sign me up, I said! But online grocery shopping, at least at this particular store, was a pain in the neck. And so I broke that date as well. But tonight on the drive home from work, enough was enough. I couldn't bear the thought of one more pasta dinner, and so I braved the after work grocery crowd, the sweltering grocery carrying heat, the three flights of stairs with grocery bags looped on both arms from wrist to shoulder, and I went grocery shopping. Now, I figure I'm good for another three weeks.

And so, with a fridge and pantry stocked to the rafters, I cross off my tri-weekly #201: go to the damn grocery store already!

Drinks

Drinks, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

Sometimes drinks with a friend are just drinks. And sometimes they're not. Sometimes they take you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes they reveal more than you expect. And sometimes they change your perspective. Sometimes you laugh, and sometimes you cry. And sometimes they make you admire someone for asking a friend to have a drink.

To do #29: have drinks with a friend.

Oasis

Oasis, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

Thanks to the clever Play Count feature in itunes I discovered today that I've listened to the latest Oasis album, Don't Believe the Truth, 30 times. I usually keep the play count feature hidden. This is because I like to pretend that I'm not an obsessed music fan, and thus I hide the evidence from myself. But every now and then curiosity gets the best of me, and I peek at the play count, or worse, at my top 25 most played songs.

Not surprisingly, at 30 plays the Oasis album is nearing the top of my top 25 most played. But, the 30 plays is only counting the times I've played it on my computer. Add to that the times I played it on my ipod, in my car, and on my stereo, and I'd say you could conservatively add 15 more plays. But maybe I should put this in context. The album was officially released on May 31, 2005. Twenty-three days ago. Now that's not to say May 31st is the day I got my music-grubbing hands on it. I have to admit it was in my possession a few weeks prior. So, I'd say that I'm averaging a play a day, and let me assure you, I see no end in sight.

With each play I love this album more and more. You couldn't ask for more from an album: a diverse collection of songs each with something unique to offer. There are love songs and fast rockers and flag waving anthems. Their beauty is in their ability to take you back to the Oasis that you knew and loved. For me it's like 1995 all over again: Oasis were kicking ass and taking names. Ten years later they've matured. They may give you a sidelong glare instead of kicking your ass. But their music is still going to kick your ass, in a good way, of course.

So if you've been living under a rock the past twenty-three days and haven't heard this album, I suggest you get it asap. You won't be disappointed. And if you are, well what do you know?! As for me, I've got my headphones on and am working on crossing off #47: listen to the new Oasis album another 30 times.

Prayer

Prayer, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

It came to me with good intentions. The best of intentions, actually. And love. Lots of love. It's not the sender I blame; they were just passing on a message, and clearing some clutter off the kitchen table. No, it's the writer. The anonymous writer. Who could this person be? What sort of life and experiences have they had? But most importantly, what were they thinking when they composed 'A Prayer For Those Who Live Alone'?!

At first, it was amusing. Then, insulting. Then assaulting. Who does this guy (likely) think he is?! Has he ever lived alone? If so, what was so terrible about the experience that it required writing a prayer for those in the situation? An informal poll conducted amongst some of my (single) girlfriends revealed a consensus that the prayer should have been written for those that live with someone, not those living alone (surprising?), for their job is far more difficult. There are challenges to both living situations, and as a person who has lived both, I can assure you that living alone isn't a scary situation in need of a special prayer. It's freedom. It's liberation. Or is this just me trying to justify my lonely existence?! Maybe. So in the end, I suppose I will just take the prayer in the spirit it was sent to me: that it's nice to know God is looking out for me (no matter what my living situation may be!).

And so without further ado, I present the (highly anticipated, I'm sure) Prayer For Those Who Live Alone, author unknown...

I live alone, dear Lord, stay by my side. In all my daily needs, be Thou my guide. Grant me good health, for that indeed, I pray, to carry on my work from day to day. Keep pure my mind, my thoughts, my every deed. Let me be kind, unselfish in my neighbor's need. Spare me from fire, from flood, malicious tongues. From thieves, from fear, and evil ones. If sickness or accident befall, then humbly, Lord I pray, hear Thou my call. And when I'm feeling low or in despair, lift up my heart and help me in prayer. I live alone, dear Lord, yet have no fear, because I feel Your presence ever near. Amen

With head bowed and hands clasped in prayer, I cross #167 off my list: debunk the myth living alone requires a special prayer.

Fan Mail

Fan Mail, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

Fan Mail. Not something I've ever written and hardly something I've been encouraging others to write. But this is different. Sure there are similarities; your fan mail could be going to a handsome young guy (or lovely lady), and they may not mind if you profess your love for them, or at very least your admiration. But where this differs from the typical fan mail experience is that these letters are going out to active duty US troops. A pretty interesting concept, huh? Probably not something I'd have been motivated to do on my own, but it didn't take much to convince me (men in uniform, you need say little more!).

My Gran, along with a group of her friends, each wrote a 'fan letter' and then turned them over to an organization, who in turn distributed them to active duty soldiers. A few weeks ago a letter arrived from three sailors who'd received her letter. You can't imagine her excitement, and it was a bit contagious. Reading their letter made this endeavor real for her. These sailors are practically kids. They're out on a huge ship, in the middle of an ocean, far away from their family and friends, and they're doing it for us (and the college money of course, but let's not get off track). No matter your feelings for our current president and his foreign policy, your heart has to go out to these troops. They are fellow Americans who are far from home and could use a little company (and a care package wouldn't hurt!) to remind them of home.

And so, with the names and stories of three mighty sailors in mind (Mark, Nick & Daquan!!), I crossed #264 off my list: write fan mail.

Update...
I can't attest to these organizations, but here are a couple doing the work I described above:
A Million Thanks
Letters From Home

As well, you can send mail to the U.S.S. Jarrett which is the ship that recieved my gran's letter at:
U.S.S Jarrett (FFG-33)
Div. OC (Troop Fan Mail)
FPO, AP 96669

One last word of advice, if you are sending a package you'll need to fill out a detailed Customs Declaration form, which you can pick up at the post office.

Happy fan mail writing!!

Traveling Pants

Traveling Pants, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

When it comes to movies, the chick flick is not my genre of choice. It's not my back-up favorite, or even the back-up for my back-up. But every now and then we all love a feel-good movie, including yours truly, so this afternoon I grabbed a fellow chick and we went to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Out of five stars, I'd give the movie three. It was successful as a feel-good flick, and apparently to the majority of the audience it was quite a tear-jerker. But it also required the audience to suspend a pretty sizable chunk of disbelief, which is where I have to take issue. The story itself is good, albeit one you've likely seen before: a gang of friends from varying backgrounds form a bond of friendship which is tested and survives adversity whereby making each individual and the gang stronger. Add to that the classic coming-of-age story, and you have the Traveling Pants in a nutshell. The story is engaging; the characters are very different from one another and therefore the audience can easily identify with a particular character or her situation; the cinematography is average (though the scenes in Greece are pretty stunning); and the dialogue, well here's where the aforementioned suspension of disbelief is required. The characters in the movie are 16 years old, yet if blindfolded, you'd think they were Yale intellectuals. Okay, this may be a bit of an exaggeration, but c'mon, I was sixteen once, I know what the conversations with my girlfriends sounded like, and they were nothing like this. Wise beyond their years, and beyond the likelihood of any sixteen year old. They had amazing depth of thought, clarity of emotion and articulation of those thoughts. Pah! I'm twenty-nine and rarely have these sorts of exchanges with friends. But maybe I'm just jealous. Oh, and don't even get me started on the sage twelve year old in the film, it's so far beyond the scope of reality, it's laughable.

Having said all that, I did enjoy the movie. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon movie to share with a girlfriend, and was successful at injecting a bit of feel-good into my life (along with a healthy dose of cynicism!). And so with a nice balance of the two I cross #357 off my list: see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Writing

Writing, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

With only five posts to my name, I am suddenly feeling the pressures of blogging. Have I run out of fodder so soon? This is an almost laughable thought, yet it feels very real. I'm going to blame it, in part, on being a Pisces. I have the tendency to begin a project with a full steam ahead attitude, only to find myself running out of steam, and interest, pretty quickly (I think some people also call this adult ADD!). Nevertheless, there are plenty of constants in my life, and no reason my blog can't be one of them.

Last year, for the first time in my life, I kept a journal on an almost daily basis. Many days, especially near the beginning, writing was a chore, but there were many other days where writing was a catharsis. And almost every day writing gave me a sense of accomplishment: that I had followed through on something I'd set out to do, no matter how tired I was (my preferred journal writing time was right before bed). Looking back, I'm pretty certain that keeping it helped me to work through a difficult time in a pretty healthy way. And so, I know the possibilities for reward in keeping my daily blog date.

I'm also feeling the pressures of keeping to my format. It started with the title of my blog which I hardly gave any thought to. Then a few days later with my first blog entry. And before I knew it, the angle on which I had been wondering what my blog would take had grown organically right before my eyes. However, I'm now finding myself thinking throughout the day, what am I going to blog about today? What can I accomplish, take a picture of, and blog about in an interesting way today? Whoa, talk about over-thinking something that began with the very idea of not over-thinking. The only remedy I can think of is to chill the fuck out!

Keeping up with my blog is important for a number of reasons, the most practical of which being, it gives me a ready answer to the question I dread receiving the most- 'What have you been up to lately?'. So with a sixth post now to my credit I cross off a daily #221: write.

Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

In general, I find the thumbs up sign to be a very annoying and trite gesture reserved for use only by morons, and typically accompanied by a wide and toothy grin. But, today I am giving myself a big two thumbs up (get it, the shadow), along with a pat on the back, a round of applause, a stamp of approval and every other cheesy euphemism for doing something well. I dealt with an issue today that has been plaguing me for a while and which, up until today, I chose to privately bemoan instead of taking action and doing something about. I didn't kick anyone's ass or anything, if that's what you're thinking. But I did stand up for a pretty important person, myself, and I like to think I did it with professionalism and grace to boot. It feels good.

So with thumbs high in the air I cross #107 off my list: you know what you are.

Correspondence & Conspiracy

Correspondence, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

For some reason, I've had a particular aversion to the post office lately. I've been driving around with a package to be mailed in my car for at least two and a half weeks and a graduation card to be mailed (and written in) for almost a month. But with Father's Day looming and a stack of cards to be mailed, I couldn't avoid the post office any longer.

On the drive over to my local branch I pondered why I'd been avoiding my dear friend the post office. Anyone that knows me knows that I adore receiving mail. Recently a close friend has sent a few unexpected cards and each time I relished them, saving them to be opened after all the junk mail and bills. And I love knowing that I may bring the same experience to my family and friends with the cards and packages I send them. So what's my excuse? I boiled it down to two things: One, email and instant messenger are just too darn convenient. Why spend the time getting out a card, my fancy pen and address book when I could send an email from my computer that is likely already turned on? And two (or maybe this is just an extension of one), I am lazy. Not always, I do have my moments, but in general I am. There, I've admitted it.

Now, onto the conspiracy. I did my Father's Day card shopping a few days ago while the selection was still good, and picked up a variety of cards appropriate to each person (I'm lazy, but when I am going to make the effort to send a card, I take pride in doing it well!). Most of the cards were the typical greeting card size, but two were slightly larger. Nothing fancy, just normal cards. I filled them out, licked 'em closed and off I went to the post office. (I should preface the rest of this by saying, if I had a book of stamps, I would have put a stamp on each and sent them merrily on their way.) After my package was weighed and posted, I requested 5 stamps for the cards. The man behind the counter eyed them suspiciously and asked if any of them were heavy. 'Nope', I replied confidently, but he wasn't convinced and took the stack to weigh them himself. And what do you know, one of the two larger envelopes required TWO stamps! There were no photos or clippings enclosed, nothing at all except my well wishes, and apparantly those wishes weighed an extra stamp on this particular card.

What's more disturbing is the man behind the counter told me this is often the case with larger cards and when they only have one stamp affixed they'll attach a postage due sticker for the receiver to pay the difference. So now the receiver of the card has to pay for the happiness of receiving it! I'm sure I've been guilty of afflicting this double-edged sword of card receiving happiness on my family and friends more than once. All because I had no idea of the conspiracy between Hallmark and the US Post Office to milk us unsuspecting well-wishers out of an extra stamp just because the larger cards are sometimes cuter! Well I've blown the lid off that little secret, feel free to pass it on.

With a new conspiracy theory under my belt, I cross (for now) an on-going #32 off my list: be a better corresponder.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Bread

Cherry Chocolate Chip Bread, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

It all started last week when I bought a bag of cherries, an innocuous purchase, or so I thought. The gorgeous bag of cherries quickly turned into The Cherry Dilemma: what is one person to do with so many cherries?

They were delicious- juicy and sweet with an ever so slight tart tang. A few days and a few handfuls didn't make a dent in the bottomless bag of cherries, so I turned to friends and the internet for ideas. I found there are surprisingly few recipes featuring fresh cherries, most call for the jarred or dried variety. And so it was with a leap of faith that I decided to re-work my favorite banana bread recipe into cherry bread. Then I remembered one of my favorite icecream flavor combinations: cherries & chocolate. Cherry bread evolved into cherry chocolate chip bread.

I had originally thought all my friends were going to be receiving a loaf of my experimental bread, but once pitted (my fingernails were stained red for days) the yield was far less than I expected. It was just enough to produce twin loaves. However, as you can see, the loaves are most certainly fraternal twins. The first loaf was the guinea pig, and though it left half it's goodness in the bottom of the pan, it paved the way for a near perfectly formed second loaf.

With crumbs on the keyboard and chocolate on my fingers I cross #79 off my list: what to do with way too many cherries.

Kasabian

Kasabian, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

I was entertained by the band Kasabian tonight at The Clubhouse in Tempe. They are the most danceable band I've ever seen live. If you have a pulse I don't see how you can't help but groove- you have no choice, your body makes you.

This was the second time I've seen them, the first being back on March 15th of this year. I don't think I've ever seen the same band twice in the same year. However, if things go well, I'm slated to see Kasabian three more times this year. I think I will have full groupie status by that point. And who can blame me, just look at Serge.

Cause I'm a geek, the setlist:
1- I.D.
2- Cutt Off
3- Reason is Treason
4- Test Transmission
5- 55
6- Butcher Blues
7- Processed Beats
8- Nightworkers
9- ??
10- L.S.F.
11- Ovary Stripe?
12- Club Foot

Oh, ah ah ah ah ah ah...

And so with ears still ringing I cross #294 off my list: See Kasabian (again).

Numero Uno

numero uno, originally uploaded by carriemcm.

It's my first blog entry.

I know I'm a little late to the party, a lot late actually. Does better late than never apply to blogs? I hope so.

What am I trying to accomplish with this blog? What's my angle? I haven't quite figured that out yet. Will I remain anonymous or will I give the blog address to friends & family? Will I wax poetic on a single subject or will I be all over the place? Will I use this as an online journal or will I edit myself? All questions that deserve answers, or consideration at the very least. I didn't think much about the title of my blog, it was just the first thing that popped into my head. Which may be indicative of my current mindset. I have a running to do list a mile long, and it doesn't seem that much is being crossed off.

So, for now I will bask in the happiness of crossing #368 off my list: create a blog.