Shamrock Shuffle Event Alert Status Update

Breaking news: 
According to the advance local weather forecast, the weather on race day is projected to be mostly cloudy with a chance of mixed rain/snow showers, a morning low of 32 degrees (F) and an afternoon high of 40 degrees (F).

Based on this forecast, the Event Alert Level is Yellow/Moderate, which suggests less than ideal shitty running conditions. Please be aware that this is based off the advance local weather forecast and conditions may change prior to race day.

Big bummer.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

It's a great day for the Irish, and everyone has their Irish going today.  The blogfriends Sarah, Page and Logan leave today for an adventure of a lifetime.  The girls are off to Japan, Thailand and Hawaii for about five weeks.  They are conducting a survey with one question in mind, "What is the most important thing in your life?"  They will be blogging the adventure, so keep them company and follow along here.

Nine Blonds and a Brunette

A friend from my Wall Street days, Melissa, turned the big 5-0 yesterday. I assembled eight of her friends and hosted a terrific luncheon. It was a relatively easy menu, starting with two of my favorite dips, tzatziti and grilled eggplant spread paired with whole wheat pita triangles.  For the entrée, because it was a Friday in Lent, I roasted salmon and served it with red pepper and corn relish.  I lightly seasoned newly discovered Israeli couscous with pine nuts and parsley (Whole Foods carries the pearl-size morsels in bulk).  Mesculin lettuce with asparagus, chives, grated carrots and honey mustard dressing rounded out the meal.  For dessert, I made the most amazing cake!  What was most amazing is that I made it without the aid of my Kitchen Aid, which after 18 years of regular use had to be sent in for repair.  I pulled together a basic yellow cake with ten eggs and a pound of butter, folded chopped strawberries into a basic pastry cream for the center filling, whipped up some heavy cream with powdered sugar and Voilà!  The best strawberry shortcake ever.

Cool Picture of Brad Pitt

From Access Hollywood

Woohoo: Mad Men Barbie Dolls

Coming soon to a toy store near you!

Teen Son Starts Legally Driving Today

Aside from driving down lone country roads and pulling in and out of the driveway, the teen son officially begins driving today.  He has his first behind-the-wheel lesson scheduled for after school.  Ruh roh.  They say getting a driver's license is the most significant event in a teen's life.  It was for me. 

iPhone Fully Operational After Immersion

All functions on the iPhone are working as usual since being dropped into the toilet.  Incredible.  I'm not sure if it is a testament to quick response and the drying out methods employed, or simply the iPhone's ingenuity.  Either way, I'm happy to have my appendage toy back.

iPhone Down the Toilet

My most favorite gift of all time, the iPhone, fell in the toilet yesterday.  Luckily, the toilet was filling after a flush, and I swooped the phone up within the two second rule.  It was, however, fully immersed. Hopefully, it can be salvaged,  It dried out in a low oven before I propped it up on the heating vent over night.  I'll keep you posted.  Bummer.

Spring Can't Be Too Far Off

Oscar Picks

Just in case you're dying to know my thoughts on the Academy Awards, here's what I selected in an Oscar Pool today (I've seen three movies on this list, The Hurt Locker, Up and Julie and Julia):
Best Picture: Avatar
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
Best Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
Best Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino
Best Adapted Screenplay: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: Geoffrey Fletcher
Cinematography: The Hurt Locker: Barry Ackroyd
Editing: Avatar: Stephen E. Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
Art Direction: Avatar: Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
Costume Design: Nine: Colleen Atwood
Original Score: Up: Michael Giacchino
Original Song: Crazy Heart: T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Best Makeup: Star Trek: Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow
Best Sound Mixing: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Geoffrey Patterson
Best Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker: Paul N.J. Ottosson
Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andy Jones
Best Animated Feature Film: Up: Pete Docter
Best Foreign Language Film: El secreto de sus ojos (Argentina)
Best Documentary Feature: Which Way Home: Rebecca Cammisa
Best Documentary Short: Music by Prudence (2010): Roger Ross Williams, Elinor Burkett
Best Live Action Short: Miracle Fish: Luke Doolan, Drew Bailey
Best Animated Short: La dama y la muerte: Javier Recio Gracia

Teen Rivalry

Me to Young Will:  "Well, does he know that you are going out with her?"
Young Will to Me:  "Yeah, Mom, he's not dead."

Quote of the Day

"In this age of information, information should not be aged."

-K.F. Rogers         

As I write a web maintenance proposal for Sleepy Town's public high school, I just coined my tag line.  Good, eh?

Compartmentalizing those Pesky Thoughts

In an attempt to keep my Mac organized, and mind clutter-free, I drag unwanted files into the trash bin regularly.  They are out of sight, out of mind.  I never, however, empty the trash.  There may be some remote need for the file in the future, I think.  Today, with some anxiety, I ceremoniously emptied the trash.  Even if I wanted to revisit something, I can't.  It's gone.  From now on, I'm moving all of those unnecessary, pesky and negative thoughts, which can sometimes consume my day, into the trash.  Then, immediately, I'm going to empty the trash.  Gone.  I just can't think that thought any more.  Gone.