Back-to-Back Dreams & Being Snowed In

We are snowed in on the East Coast, which means a nice & cozy day indoors. I woke up at 11:45am...yes, I got 11+ hours of sleep, and it was awesome. I had two dreams, back-to-back...weird, huh? The first dream ended when my phone decided to wake me up in the early morning hours, which I promptly shut off rather than hitting the snooze button. The second dream, I believe happened the moment my eyes closed again.

What were the dreams about?

In the first one, I was heading to a subway station, when a guy looked like he was having a seizure or something. A crowd was gathering watching him. No one really appeared to help him, but I do think someone had dialed for an ambulance. I offered him my bottle of water, which he drank gratefully, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. He later either died or went into a coma...not sure, as I had already left. I looked at my watch, and realized I was running late, so I went to get on a train. Unfortunately, everything had been closed off. So I was furious, I was going to be late.

The second dream, I was in a bookstore or library, and found audio tapes (yeah, the old fashioned ones) of my favorite childhood cartoon characters. The next scene I was on a highway (in the backseat), with two or three other people (I can't remember exactly), and we were talking about change happening in life, and that nothing lasts forever. I saw a lot of white BMWs or Mercedes Benz's passing us. I wondered if we were sitting in one of those fancy cars as well. Then I woke up.

I wouldn't call the above two dreams nightmares exactly, but they sure weren't "happy" dreams. If anyone could shed some light of what these dreams mean, that would be great.

Anyway, after getting up, I took a shower, had lunch, and then proceeded to put on my TV on Channel 4 so I could watch Days of Our Lives. But, I was disappointed to note that all that was showing was the news...the weather news. I'm amazed how a network can waste soooo much time covering the weather. I think by now, everybody knows it's snowing outside, and we should stay indoors if we can. Anyway, just found out that today's DOOL will be airing on Sunday at guess what time, people? 4:30am. Are you kidding me. I am so not a morning person. So I will probably watch it online.

Anyway, I love snow days, provided I don't have to step outside to run errands. Hope your snow day (if you're on the East Coast) was pleasant. If you had to go outside, I do hope you watched your step carefully.

Shutter Island...uhhhh!!!!

So the much-awaited Martin Scorsese film was released on Friday, and I headed to the theater this weekend to catch this psychological thriller flick. My main reason? Why, because Leonardo DiCaprio starred in it, of course.

My adoration for Leonardo DiCaprio goes back to the days when he was just a teen, and became a cast member on "Growing Pains."

Then came "Titanic," which brought him to the A list of actors...especially in the eyes of all teen girls, who couldn't get their hands on YM (a teen magazine) soon enough, because that adorable, dimple-smiled face graced the cover.

So, anyway, I digress. I went to see "Shutter Island," which was a really long movie (with trailers, I was in the theater for 2hrs 35 minutes). Leonardo DiCaprio did not disappoint. He put his heart and his soul into each scene, and his presence is worth watching the movie. While personally, this movie theme is not my cup of tea, the storyline was interesting (barring a couple of cringe-worthy scenes...like that one with all the rats...yikes...I couldn't look). The most shocking part for me was the ending...yes, there was a twist....if the word "thriller" and Scorsese are in the same sentence (e.g., "Departed"), then yes, expect a twist in the end.

134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Today I went to Madison Square Garden to watch the 134th Westminster Kennel Dog Show. The place was packed. I had no idea there would be so many people. I had tickets for the general admission seating, but was allowed to go to the Dog Benching area and the main floor where the judging took place.

The Dog Benching area was where all the dogs hung out, while waiting their turn for the judging to begin. Owners took this opportunity to groom their dogs, and also allow any people to pet their dogs.

The highlight of my day was when I stopped by the Briards section, I saw one of my favorite authors - Jeffery Deaver. We shook hands, and I told him that I had read his books and really enjoyed them. He thanked me, and mentioned that his dogs had been in the show earlier today, but that they hadn't done so well. He was heading out, and so I told him to continue writing and doing such a great job :)

I watched a few of the judging sessions, which were quite interesting. At lunchtime, I headed out, and came back an hour later to stay another 2 hours or so.

Below are some pictures I took. Enjoy!

-> Waiting to be judged

-> The judging begins

-> A Pomeranian

-> Blue, a pug, whose b'day falls on Feb 25th

-> A Golden Retriever

-> Dog keeping cool in headwear

-> Dog getting brushed

-> Dog getting excited when owner shows him a treat

-> Don, a Briard - one of Jeffery Deaver's dogs

-> German Shepherd Dog - this one won Best of the Best

-> Dog relaxing with his owner in the Benching area

-> A Bulldog

-> Dog having its hair straightened

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today, the Roman God Cupid (Greek: Eros) makes his appearance around the world to spread some love. Cards, flowers, and chocolates are the common gifts presented to loved ones.

Valentine's Day has a sort of magical feel to it. So it's only appropriate that wizards and witches celebrate this day as well.

I decided to give Hallmark a run for its money, and created a Valentine's Day card that can be marketed to the magical community. See below - a snapshot of the front cover, as well as what's inside.

Enjoy :)

The Super Bowl

I attended a get-together today to watch one of the most anticipated sporting events in the US - the Super Bowl. The teams: the Colts vs. the Saints.

Opening Ceremony - Queen Latifah sang "America, the Beautiful", and Carrie Underwood sang the "Star Spangled Banner."

Most of the people in the room were rooting for the Saints. Me personally? I didn't really have a strong opinion one way or the other, but when someone mentioned that the Saints were the "underdog" and that they had never won a Super Bowl before, I began cheering for the Saints. What can I say? I have always been a bit of a sucker for the underdog.

So while muching on tortillas and salsa, and drinking lots of soda (not club soda, mind you), and taking in a lot of empty calories, I watched the game. I am not too familiar with how the scoring works, but someone was kind enough to explain the game to me....and I got most of it :)

Half-time - a musical group called "The Who" performed. Not familiar with them, but apparently, they were a real popular group from back in the day.

I enjoyed the commercials...my favorites were E Trade with the little babies acting like traders, the Doritos commercials (especially the one where a "living" guy rolls out of a coffin with tortilla chips falling with him), and the Snickers commercial, when Betty White (you know, the one who played Rose on the Golden Girls) was tackled by a football player.

The game ended at 9:45pm, with the Saints winning 31-17. It was a good game, and I think almost everyone around me was happy.

Good night.