New Camera

Recently we bought a new camera. While I have pretty much no idea how to use all the fancy settings, it's been fun trying them all out. Following are some pictures we've taken, no rhyme or reason to them, just things that have been going on lately.

The Girl made some beautiful chocolate covered strawberries. They were perfect subjects...

Alex had some of his art shown at the annual art show....The Kid has a knack for Modern Art!

My first attempt at raspberry turnovers. They were not pretty and they weren't as good as my mothers but, not bad.






The Girl baked and decorated my birthday cake. Clearly, this is my all-time favorite birthday cake. Shocking, I know!


We had some trees cut back and the tree guys were like monkeys!


I hope to get out and take lots of pictures this summer. My plan is for us to spend time with Sandy andJimmy and pick their brains about the camera. Those 2 seem to have a LOT of knowledge and I think, if I play my cards right, they'll help us out.

Missing the Boat....

During Tax Hell there was a thing going around on FaceBook, 25 Random Things. Being knee-deep in Hell, I was unable to post MY 25 things. I thought I would put them up as blog post. Blog Worthy? Probably not. A prime example of the narcissist that these blogs turn us into? HELL YA.

25 Random Things About ME......

1. I once worked Security at Logan Airport
2. Pop Rocks freak me out.
3. I tend to give most people the benefit of the doubt.
4. My Mini-Cooper had a name. Cupcake. That seems ridiculous now. But it was cute then.
5. Harriet was the best dog ever.
6. The Girl is my Constant. (Lost fans will get that)
7. I could live on pizza. And sushi.
8. Starbucks over Dunkin Donuts.
9. I was home tutored for 2 years of High School.
10. Tax Hell might be crazy busy. And I think I like it!
11. I loathe winter and love summer.
12. I want to get RockBand for WII. But only for the drums.
13. I wish I had gone to cooking school when I was younger.
14. The things that are important to me are not "things"
15. I miss Lenore, I must call her!
16. My first job was at a store called, "Candy, Nuts and Books"...very descriptive.
17. Coke over Pepsi
18. My family is very close and somewhat crazy.
19. Not a fan of birds that talk.
20. I thought I was allergic to alcohol for over 20 years.
21. Topsfield Fair will always be special to me.
22. Some days I feel old.
23. My nephews and Niece are the best.
24. I have a love/hate thing going with my Blackberry.
25. I was 44 years old when I met the love of my life. Totally worth the wait.

This One's for Alison...

The Scene:

The Girl is playing on the computer and I am flipping around, watching tv....CNN is doing a piece on the Hubble Telescope.

CNN Anchor: The Hubble Telescope is in need of some very serious repairs.

Me: Your girl is lovely Hubbell.

The Girl(distracted and not really listening to me): What did you say?

Me: Nothing.

HERE'S TWINKIE!

I know it's been a long time since my last post. Tax Hell kicked my ass this year and I still don't have a camera. I have to fix that toot suite! We have a new addition to our extended family....TWINKIE! Brenda and family welcomed this bundle of joy 3 weeks ago and it's been a lot of fun having a dog around again. This is the best of both worlds, really. I get to play with the dog and I have none of the responsibility! The Girl is not a dog person but I think she likes Twinkie. It's impossible not to! Such a sweet little girl. She's a Golden-Doodle, part Golden retriever/part standard poodle. Quite a combo. The Girl thinks she's going to be a "horse". I think she's going to be a medium sized dog, probably 60-70 lbs. Judging by the size of her paws I think she'll easily hit 65lbs. Right now she's 15 lbs of sweet doggie. She's nine weeks old and just about house-broken. The whole Gharabegian clan are going to puppy-training class today, so that should be interesting.

Random things, in no particular order......

• Lucas figured out the Easter Bunny is a fraud. At the same time he was relieved that Santa Claus is real!
• The Girl and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Best 2 yrs of my life, no doubt.
• Had both families for Easter Dinner. And we all lived.
• From January to April 15th all I did was work. Literally. The Girl did EVERYTHING else..Laundry, cleaning, cooking, shopping. Everything! I could not have made it through such a tough time without her support. Don't know if I say it enough (or too much?!?) but she really rocks.
• Found a new sushi place, Oksana Sushi in Saugus. A little hole in the wall but the sushi is fantastic.
• Swine Flu pandemic? Great.
• Accidentally started watching In Treatment on HBO. Can't recommend it highly enough.
• Looking forward to having a vegetable garden this year. Also, the rabbit that lives in our back-yard is very excited about it too.

I said, They said......

I have had some interesting conversations with clients lately....here are a couple that seem funny NOW...while I was involved in them, not so funny.

First up, an older woman with bright red hair we'll call Lucy:

me: do you want to efile?
her: no, i don't believe in it. and my son said massachusetts is not accepting anything electronic
me: that's not true, exactly the opposite but, you don't want to so, fine, paper copy for you!
her: i don't BELIEVE in all that electronic internet crap. what's the point anyway?
me: so, paper copy for you then.

Second, is an older gentleman we'll call Bob:

me: i see you had some luck at the casino, do you want to take some losses against your winnings?
him: who is this again?
me: Your Accountant....i'm preparing your taxes
him: OH...you know, your father did my taxes YEARS AGO, i was his first client
****note****MANY OLD PEOPLE TELL ME THIS SAME THING EVERY YEAR. EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
me: yes, i know....so, do you have any losses to take against the winnings?
him: what?
me: did you lose anything gambling last year, losing lottery tickets...any gambling losses at all?
him: i remember you when you were a baby
me: yes, i know...(I HEAR THIS A LOT TOO)
him: so, i went to mohegan sun and i HIT the slots!
me: i see that....that's great. did u have any losses?
him: oh, i don't want to get into all that....lets just call it a loss and call it a day, ok?
me: it's not a "loss" though...you have winnings, they're taxable. if you want to use losses against the winnings, it will lower the tax you pay.
him: really?
me: yes
him: i think we better leave well enough alone. how's your father? can i talk to him?
me: he's retired....i'll tell him i spoke with you. thank you. you'll be called when the taxes are ready to be picked up. ok? thanks again, good bye
him: wait!!!!!
me: yes?
him: whatever i lost, i lost, i don't need to report it, do i?
me: not if you don't want to, no.
him: i don't any trouble. i like things simple. you know, mohegan didn't want to withhold any tax when i hit the slots!
me: ok, thanks again.....
him: you all set now? any more questions?
me: no, i have everything i need.
him: ok....i better go.
me: yes, me too. bye.

11 Degrees.....

I am just trying to keep this picture in my head. It helps to get through the 11 degree days....sorta. Tax hell has really heated up....I have many individual returns, corporations and partnerships to prepare. Most are in English, however, one "special" client gave me some of her information in French. I don't speak or read French. I understand it's the language of love but it's not the language of tax preparation! This client is an artist and she showed her work in China, France, Canada and Italy. The works that sold, that income is in various foreign currencies...so, FUN WITH FOREIGN CONVERSIONS! I know how delightful this all sounds and really, I'm such a nerd that I kind of enjoy it. A Tax Nerd, that is.
I am looking forward to spending time with The Girl this (every) weekend....had to get my ODE in!

Finally.....

Most Awesome Thing I Saw This Week......

Ryan high-fiving the blind guy.
I am still laughing.

Also, it came to my attention that my previous post about Oprah didn't have any Ode to The Girl! How is that possible?
Well.....since I can't go TWO posts without an Ode....The Girl and I have been together for 21 months now (I know this sounds gross) and I am happier than I ever thought I could be in a relationship. We don't agree on everything and we're just different enough that boredom is not a problem. We also don't have any drama in our life, we DO agree on the important things and I still get the "butterflies".

End of Ode.
For today.

I Hate to Complain but......

Oprah? SHUT THE F**K UP! I am so over it! We get it....you lost weight, you gained weight, you lost weight, you GAINED weight! Enough! I know, this is a universal problem, people listen to you, they look up to you, they IDOLIZE YOU....just SHUT THE F**K UP about it, will ya? When you took, like a week of your show to talk about this I thought, Ok, fine..it's your show. Then, the magazine, ok....again, YOUR magazine. But last night on Larry King, he took a half hour and had on your "team." Seriously? A "team?" He had Dr Oz, Bob Greene the trainer, and the obligatory "spiritual advisor." I think it was the spiritual advisor that pushed me over the edge. Granted, I was hanging on the precipice, but still. Just take your personal chef, personal trainer, personal physician and personal SPIRITUAL ADVISOR and SHUT THE F**K UP!

It's probably hard to tell but I think Oprah is amazing. She came from literally nothing, got an education and worked her way from a local tv reporter to one of the most powerful women in the world. I might have skipped a bunch a steps there but she is clearly a brilliant business-woman who owes her success to no one but herself. I admire that. A lot.

I just want her to shut it before I have an embolism.

And The Winner Is.....

Sunday night The Girl and I went to Brenda's to construct gingerbread houses with the kids. This is a holiday tradition that has evolved into a "contest" of sorts. Brenda gets the graham crackers, mixed the icing and prepares the base. We bring the candy for decorating and an enthusiam to WIN! Just kidding....we also brought wine. This year was a little different with my father getting into it as well. I kept my house small (everyone else tried to build large houses, and they promptly fell apart....too bad for them!) and concentrate on the decorating details. Tha above pic is before the final touches. Oh, yes. It gets better!

Brenda had the most trouble with keeping her house standing.....she was getting very aggravated, as you can tell by the look on her face.

I just noticed that her house in that pic looks good. Trust me, it kept collapsing and she threw it in the trash soon thereafter. The big BABY!!

My father built a house. Hard to really tell in that pic but his decorations were haphazard at best.

Obviously he was extremely proud of his accomplishment. Eh...it was ok, I guess. My mother was just hoping the whole didn't end up on her head!! Now THAT would of been funny!

Here is another picture of the winning house (my house). The judging was totally impartial....I declared myself the winner and that was that. I think I did a pretty, pretty, pretty good job.

Of course I had some help from The Girl...she was sort of the runner...helping out where necessary. I find doing the holiday stuff with The Girl so twinkley....and it's a reminder (you think I need one??) of how lucky I am to have her to share it all with. I'm very lucky.

And I build a mean gingerbread house.

Things To Be Thankful For....

There are so many things....thankful we have Dana-Farber so close and accessible to us. Alan is making very small steps towards recuperating. Brenda just told me he ate a small cup of jello last night. That is a very big deal for him. I'm thankful the kids are all healthy and happy, growing like weeds and each smart and funny in their own ways. Watching them go from babies to PEOPLE has been amazing. Not having kids, I feel very fortunate to have them in my life. My mother turns 70 yrs old in February. Wow! That sounds old but she doesn't seem that old. My father will turn 70 soon thereafter and he really doesn't seem that old. He golfs every day, is incredibly active for ANY age. He never stops. My mother has some minor health issues but for her age, she's very healthy. They spend the winters in Florida and I think that might be what's keeping them healthy and youngish. They certainly enjoy their life and their grandchildren. I was very close to my mothers parents and I love seeing Alex, Lucas and Ella having that same closeness with my parents. They're a big bunch of nuts but they're my nuts, and I'm thankful for all of them, even when they're driving ME nuts.
This is the second Thanksgiving for The Girl and me. I know I've said it many (very many) times before but I'm thankful for her every single day. My life is better in so many ways with her in it.
We are having the whole nutty bunch for dinner tomorrow and there's lots to do. But it'll be fun and I'm looking forward to cooking a big dinner in the new kitchen.
I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. And tell people how much they mean to you. People like that!

I'm a "bit" behind.....

Ok, it has been a while. I know. Lots of things have been happening since the last post. I think it might be easier to just bullet point it. So, it no particular order:

• Alan finished his radiation therapy at the end of August. He has a feeding tube and is still, for the most part, unable to swallow. He has good/bad days. Thankfully, more good than bad. We saw him the other night and he was trying to swallow a VERY small teaspoon of sherbert.


• In August we made final plans for our kitchen remodel. We bought the appliances (refrigerator, stove, wine fridge, range hood) and decided on a contractor. Cabinets and granite was picked out, light fixtures and new paint color for walls.


• It took us about 6 trys for the paint color. The Girl painted the walls at least 6 times before we decided on one.


• On Sept. 11 our house was robbed. Various items were stolen, windows broken/damaged, door lock jimmied. Luckily, no one was home and the robbers didn't make any mess or cause the house any real damage. We had just bought a new tv and Wii system, neither were stolen. However, my digital camera WAS stolen and accounts for the lack of pictures accompyning this post.


• I have to replace the camera, it's making me nuts not having one. I have my eye on a Nikon SLR.


• We were very into the whole election process, watching lots of analysis. And, needless to say, are VERY pleased with the outcome.


• Things with The Girl are great, as always. I know it sounds disgustingly gross and obnoxious but the longer we're together, the more I realize how lucky I am to have her in my life and how right we are for each other. I always knew, in some part of my compromised brain what I wanted a relationship to be like and now, with her, I have it. It just grows stronger and gets better as time goes by. I have never loved someone so completely and I couldn't be happier with her.


• In mid October the remodel started. It took about 3 weeks, which is not that long. It felt longer but, it was SO worth it. If I had a camera, I'd post pictures. But I don't. Soon.


• We went to a great Halloween party at a client of The Girl's. Sharon and Tommy had a big party and it was so nice of them to include us.
• The Girl turned 38 on 11/06. We had thai food (her choice) and I gave her a gift certificate to a spa for a massage. She GIVES massages everyday so I thought it would be nice for her to receive one for a change. Alison was horrified that I'd give her a gift certificate but The Girl was very happy with it.
• We are hosting Thanksgiving and all my family will be there. Not sure if Alan will come over or not. It might be too hard for him to smell all the food and be unable to eat. He has been avoiding smelling food if he can. I hope we're able to see him but will totally understand if he just can't.
• After the house was robbed we decided to install an alarm system. From the time of the robbery to the installation of the alarm, I don't think we slept through the night! Every noise would put us on high alert. Now, with the alarm, we feel safe.
• My friend Deb shared something last week and I was not only surprised to hear but I was also a bit concerned. She told me she subscribes to this website, flylady.com. It sounds a bit cultish to me and we might have to stage an intervention. Deb, please, step away from flylady. Followers of flylady call themselves flybabies. I'm afraid she's a short step from redhats. I was surprised because Deb and I have coffee together most Saturday mornings and she had never mentioned flylady before. Usually, she just talks about the craft fair she's organizing...her other obsession.
• As for Tax Hell....I'm in Tax Heck right now. Lots of things with a 12/15 deadline. I've also been doing more Foreign tax projects than usual. I had one client that inherited property in Switzerland and she wanted me to review the paperwork. Ok, fine. Except it was in german. Sorry, I need English. I was able to convert the Swiss Franc's to $$ but that was about it. Another woman called and wanted me to review her 2007 tax return. She had a rental property in Paris and wasn't confident the accountant had handled it properly. I was able to alleviate her fears, convert the Euro's and retain her as a new client for 2008. I'm just that good. : )
• In late October I had a client call and ask me who he should vote for! That was a new one. I explained to him that I couldn't, in good conscience, tell him who to vote for. I was quietly whispering "obama...obama...obama..."
• I'm being sued by a pool company I had a dispute with in 2005. I'm trying to get all my paperwork together for the court date of 12/15/08. We'll see how that goes.
• OH...and Monday, Alison was arrested! The scofflaw has bounced a check in 1987, for $29! She was stopped for speeding, her warrant came up and she was handcuffed and taken to court. By a state trooper. Then her fun really began. She was shackled. Brought before a judge and it was eventually dropped. Her car had been impounded and the whole thing was a goat-f**k of the worst kind. I am so sorry she had to go through that, honestly. And I might never stop laughing.
• That's most of it, for now. I do enjoy blogging. I just got so far behing that it seemed impossible to catch up. Hopefully, I won't let 3 1/2 months go by until my next post!

Girls....

For her 5th birthday present, The Girl and I gave Ella a day of clothes shopping and lunch at her favorite place, The Cheesecake Factory. The Girl had a cell phone to exchange so Ella and I went on ahead to The Children's Place to begin the shopping. I had been warned that Ella is very finicky about her clothes. She knows what she likes and there is NO changing her mind. We started looking around and she was immediately drawn to a display of tee shirts. Not just plain tee shirts, no. These were PINK and PURPLE! They had butterflies and princesses on them. Very sparkly. She was sure she wanted one (they were 2 for $15, I told her to pick out 2) Next, she spied a rack of skirts. I, on the other hand, was looking at a table of cargo pants. These were very cute and I thought she would like them. I called her over and pointed them out. She took one look at them and said, "Auntie, I take my clothes very seriously. I know what I'm doing, let me do this myself." Ok!! I guess she knows what she's doing then! Ella was able to find her sizes, match the clothes and give me the things to hold she wanted to try on. Glad I could be of some help. The Girl eventually met us in the store and for some reason, I'm not sure why, was able to help Ella pick out some sweater/shirt thing to match one of the skirts she had. Hmmm....wonder why MY picks were no good and The Girl was able to help?

Naan

I made Indian Pizza's for dinner last night. I know that sounds odd but I used Naan as the dough. I had done this once before and went with the traditional toppings of tomato sauce and cheese. This time, I wanted to do something different and zippy. Zippy is good! So, I topped The Girl's with carmelized onions, ham and mozzarella cheese. I think goat cheese would of been a better choice but, The Girl is not so much a fan of the Zippy as I am. For my Indian Pizza, I chopped some garlic, cleaned some shrimp and combined that with olive oil and grated romano cheese. This mixture I spread on the naan and topped it with some shredded Mozzarella. Into a
450o oven they went for about 15 minutes. OH my. This was so good I wish I had made an extra one for lunch.
Live it.
Learn it.

FIVE!

My blogging has been spotty, at best. I have not been feeling very well lately. Since we came back from Vegas I've had some kind of bug that I just can't shake. This week is Ella's birthday....she's FIVE. Last night was her family party which was a cookout and cupcakes in Topsfield. Today is her friends party, theme....UNDER THE SEA! And Friday is her ACTUAL birthday. Brenda decided to celebrate a little early because Alan starts round three of Chemo on Thursday. I have pictures of the family party, the cupcakes Ella made herself and the beautiful fruit salad The Girl assembled.





That Girl....she was quite a catch!

A Few More....

I still have a few more pics from Vegas. I've been sick and got a bit behind. I am on a high dose of Prednisone so that's always fun! Let's increase the dose and see what happens. I know I've outlined the side effects of the Pred. In all their fun and glory. This time, in addition to the sweats and hunger and puffiness, I seem to be somewhat depressed. I know I'm not really depressed and it's just a short-term effect but, wow. I get things in my head and they go round and round. Like a loop. Fun times.

I Love Lucy....The Lucy Show.............HERE'S LUCY!!

Trevi.....Lunch at Caesars.

I enjoy making The Girl stand and point at things. Here she is, pointing at things, at The Wynn. And her and Abe. For some reason, she's pointing at herself!

My least favorite pic. Funny but not. I'm kidding. It's funny.

I guess.

Leaving Las Vegas...

I did like the "Wheel of Fortune" slots......FREE SPIN, FREE SPIN!!!

Me and Georgie.....

The Girl and her Cats!

It was so hot out when I took this pic, I wanted to jump into that fountain.

Us at M&M World

She's a natural daredevil.

The BlueMen freak me out a little.

I prefer Mini-Golf....I LOVE the windmill!

The Girl and Jessica Simpson...I have to say, not Madame Tussauds best effort.

The Girl in Fake Paris. It was very cute there. Just like her!

We went, we saw, we played, we ate and we came home and BOTH got sick! The Girl and I are not great travelers. I had to go the dr and get the meds (HELLO Prednisone!) and The Girl is feeling like crap and running a fever (she still will work and most likely mow the lawn). The pictures show us when we were young, carefree and still had our health! Before Vegas kicked us in the ass.....

And We're Back......

Lots of pics to post....I'll start with these few for today. I am very tired and I think I'm getting sick. I still need to grocery shop and do some stuff around the house. I got caught up at work so I think I'm leaving here soon....I need to pick up an inhaler and breathe!

What Happens In.......

Will not stay there! We are off to Vegas for the weekend and I plan on taking lots of pictures. We have our roll of quarters and we are ready to hit the casino.

Big gamblers? Not so much. We'll see a show or two, eat at some great restaurants and hopefully have lots 'o fun!

This is the first "real" trip for The Girl and me so I'm very much looking forward to the time alone together. A little anxious about all the flying/travel. Vegas is WAY out of my circle but it's good for me to push the circle a bit.

Pucci/Trull OUT!

Wordle.Net.....Try it!