How I love this man.

You know all the strange attraction that is Tony Soprano/James Gandolfini - it's inexplicable but true. This video just makes me love him like 15 times more for some very, strange, odd, weird way.



First, there's the whole shoving the guy in the face thing - that man is huge & he's coming at you. You best be scared. Then he gets in his face & whispers something. I would pay good money to hear what he said. THEN you hear him say "fine, fine" and gives a 1/2 assed apology to him. THEN when he was told "I just wanted to know how to be a Soprano" he gets rightfully told "that's how you do it".

And then I marry him & we live happily ever after.

The End.

Strange little rant

Sometimes I browse pictures on Flickr just to see what's "interesting" and all that...and I almost always walk away pissed off & really, really annoyed.

Almost every single picture is "photoshopped" & I'm left wondering what is the original exposure & what is manipulated. And that pisses me off. I love untouched photos. Sometimes I like the effect of photoshopped photos but what's really left of the essence of the photo? Not a whole lot, it seems to me. But yet everyone is so impressed with the picture when you should be impressed with the software skills. It's still art, don't think I don't recognize that but at what point do we have to start labeling photos as manipulated art? It's no longer in its true, original format & like I already mentioned that's fine & still a "legitimate" form of artistic expression but it is no longer photography. You are using the medium of photography as your canvas for digital manipulation.

And then, in its most selfish form this rant will include pieces of "why can't I take pictures like that?" or "wonder how much you'd have to spend on a camera/lens/filters to get that shot?" only to realize that this is no longer anywhere close to what it looked like originally. And that pisses me off!

I really think there should be a separate category for manipulated photographs and "raw/untouched" images. And that's not simply because all I know how to do is delete red-eye, change to black & white and clone out flash showing up in mirror & windows...

Matias says "we're all doomed"

82% Joe Biden
79% Chris Dodd
77% John Edwards
77% Barack Obama
75% Dennis Kucinich
74% Hillary Clinton
74% Mike Gravel
70% Bill Richardson
44% Rudy Giuliani
36% John McCain
30% Mitt Romney
28% Mike Huckabee
27% Ron Paul
23% Tom Tancredo
19% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Not my husband!

Matias' mother has taken to wearing colored contact lenses & Matias thought it would neat to see what he looked like with different colored eyes. I, personally, could not stand it - couldn't even look him in the eyes - this was not my husband! Liam couldn't even look him in the face either!

Decked Halls

I still don't have a perfect picture of the tree but this is good for now!

Here is Liam exploring around the tree (supervised)

My Snowman Mantle (with white trees)

I decided to start Liam on his collection last year! The one in the right is his first year one & the red and green one in front is this years. That other guy in the back is just trying to get in the shot ;)

The stockings were hung...

What I've, miraculously, gotten accomplished in the past 4 days! GO ME!

1. Christmas tree is up & decorated - LeNelle came over for dinner last night & wanted to help decorate so it got done!
2. Stockings up
3. Snowman mantle done - complete with those white feather trees we got last year, Mom!
4. Cards ordered, addressed & mostly stamped!
5. Shopping done! Minus one I have to get at B&N today!
6. Winter dishes switched out & snowmen mugs brought out

WOOT! 6 things doesn't seem like a lot but I'm very thankful it's all completed cause we (and I mean ME) were kind of in a time crunch after our vacation! I just really, really hope I'm not forgetting something or someone! I don't feel like I am so I should be in good shape.

God Bless List Makers of the world!

Onto more mundane things, I fear though. I have to finish my laundry, put it away & put Liam's laundry away. Clean the floors, vacuum the rugs & put finishing touches on holiday decorating. And shower. A shower would be nice. LeNelle & I are going to finish up some errands today after the Pats game so a quick trip to Michaels, B&N and Giant are on tap for later. I also have to clean up the dining room table and clear it of all my CM stuff so that I can put my fantastic centerpiece on it - LeNelle & Matias couldn't believe that I was just making it up as I went last night - insisting that I was copying it from somewhere!

I'll take pictures of it all later (minus the laundry) & post for y'all to see how the Ninos decorate for Christmas!

Buenos Aires, in snippet format

Your days tends to go like this -

coffee, meat, wine, ice cream, coffee, meat, wine, ice cream, coffee

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Matias said once while on the train in a funny accent "this is my country" where upon that then became our "motto" of the trip

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Liam's days tended to go like this -

bottle, vintina, car, stroller, bottle, yogurt, nap, bottle, car, playtime, bottle, dinner, nap

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Jasmine - fresh, tight, little sachets of pure delight
If I could have video taped that scent, I would have left happy

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Blue sky - Celeste - the color of their flag

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Green greens - the color of Spring turning into Summer in December

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Shutters on the bedroom windows that slammed against the house when opened & letting in a spectacular breeze

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Me telling Matias that the breeze was my favorite thing about Buenos Aires, to which he responded "the city is named after it, you know"

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Taking pictures with scrapbook layouts in mind. It's an obsession I know, but I love it, so there.

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Taking Siestas

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Speaking French instead of Spanish just about every single time I attempted to respond to someone properly

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Having our son's passport stamped for the first time

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Jumping a horse over the tallest fence in the arena because Pepe trusted me to

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Watching Liam fall in love with family & them in return - despite the language barrier

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Watching our boy turn into a Little Trooper & become a World Traveler so young in life

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Being able to walk around and know places & knowing that I want to return