Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year....you are given the chance to dress up in a costume and prance around showing your stuff. While I haven't really celebrated Halloween the past few years with a costume....either due to laziness or just the fact that I was too busy to attend any Halloween bashes, I do enjoy seeing the streets filled with vampires, witches, ghosts, pirates, Disney characters, etc.

While Halloween isn't celebrated in all countries, some countries do have equivalents (e.g., carnival), where donning of costumes is popular.

Halloween also makes me nostalgic. It brings back memories of the various costumes I have worn throughout the years:

a) Kindergarden (2 years): clown, gypsy

b) 2nd Grade: clown. i.e., it was just a clown mask, but the overall outfit was just jeans and a sweater...sigh...I know, not too creative....I got a lot of teasing for that mask from my classmates

c) 4th Grade: magician...I loved this outfit; it was a long pointy hat and a cape with different colored stars...my favorite accessory was the wand

d) 5th Grade: magician...I know, you're thinking, "AGAIN?" Well, do realize, that I switched schools, so no one knew that I had worn this outfit the previous year.

e) 7th Grade: pirate...I had a sword and an eyepatch, and a fake tattoo of a scar. My family wasn't too happy about this outfit for some reason...hmmm.

f) 9th Grade: a witch....the black hat I wore didn't look like a witch's hat...it looked like something else, and a classmate (who I thought was my friend...and she still was, but I was furious), made a lot of fun of it, and called it something that is not worthy of mentioning in print.

g) 10th Grade: the uncle from the Addams' Family....this was supposed to be a group effort for a costume contest, but we didn't win. I had wanted to be the mother (i.e., the character played by Angelica Houston), but my friend was very insistent on being her. Oh well.

So there you have it. Perhaps I shall one day wear a costume again. I would be most interested in having one of those creatively designed masquerade masks with the glitter and all. Let's see. Maybe next year. Until then, have a Happy and Safe Halloween.

Dog Day Masquerade

If you are a dog lover, then attending the Dog Day Masquerade on October 18th was a must. If you are not a dog lover, but were encouraged or forced to attend due to a family member's overexcitement for the event, I hope you had a chance to sit/stand back and enjoy the show.

Due to terribly cold weather conditions (brrr...), as well as a steady stream of rain, the masquerade was held indoors at Times Square.

Proud dog owners had the opportunity of dressing up their dogs in interesting costumes, and walking the runway (aka the stage) with cameras flashing wildly and people cheering for them. Not sure what the judges criteria for winning was....my guess was for creativity and stage presence. If I had a chance to vote, I would have given it hands down to the recruiter for the army :) This little pup looked quite distinguished with his sunglasses. I managed to capture quite a few other interesting dog masqueraders (see pictures below).

Once the 57 dogs did their walk, prizes were handed out (pet related products). The winner was the sanitation worker; runner-up went to a dog dressed up as Miracle on the Hudson. Another winner was a lobster who had been put in a bucket (the picture taken was after he jumped out). There were also a few dogs dressed up as witches (i.e., either to emulate the Broadway Show "The Witches" or just because we are indeed so close to Halloween). Please note, my favorite breeds are the pugs and the bulldogs. They didn't win. Oh well. Still managed to capture an adorable pair dressed up as pirates.

- Yes, I am a witch with green hair dye.

-Proud owner and pup dressed up as witches.

- The Phantom of the Opera. In the carriage, the Phantom had a Barbie doll (not visible from here) dressed in white.

- Help! I may be a lobster, but I'm not getting back in this can.

- I love my rolled-up blue jeans.

- Hmm; this stage smells so good. Who was here before me?

- Accepting applications to the army. Make us proud.

- dressed up as a Sanitation Worker.

- Another witch

- Okay, take a picture quick. We need to set sail ASAP.

Jun - Sep 2009 Reading List

Here are my ratings of the books read between June - September 2009. My rating is 1 (excellent) to 6 (horrible).

1. The Girl with the Dragoon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson - Thriller: 1
2. Blood Promise: A Vampire Academy Novel by Richelle Mead - Young Adult Fantasy - vampires: 3
3. Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver - Thriller: 2
4. Evermore by Alyson Noel - Young Adult Fantasy: 2
5. Blue Moon by Alyson Noel - Young Adult Fantasy: 2
6. Sidney Sheldon's Mistress of the Game by Tilly Bagshawe - Drama, Thriller: 1
7. Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast - Young Adult Fantasy - vampires: 1
8. Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast - Young Adult Fantasy - vampires: 1
9. Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast - Young Adult Fantasy - vampires: 2
10. Evernight by Claudia Gray - Young Adult Fantasy - vampires: 3

Images within & around the Louvre

DOOL - Peter Reckell

Being a huge fan of Peter Reckell, who plays Bo Brady on Days of our Lives, I was really disappointed that he did not win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series during yesterday's Daytime Emmy Awards. I mean, come on. The acting was awesome and consistent year-round. I just hope DOOL keeps Peter Reckell for a long time, and gives him adequate air time and a good story line, because fans like me just can't get enough of him. I would appreciate it if the next story line moves toward a reuniting of him and Carly Manning. God, I would love for them to get back together. They were last together in the early 1990s.....those were the Days :)

Anyway, here's a picture of Peter Reckell when his hair wasn't quite as short.

VIA Starbucks Coffee

In case you haven't heard, Starbucks recently introduced "instant" coffee called VIA in three cities - Seattle, Chicago, and London. VIA means "on the road." I managed to get my hands on the two coffee bean varieties currently being sold in this "instant" format - Colombian and Italian Roast.

With great excitement, I boiled a kettle of hot water, placed a satchel of the instant coffee mix in my mug, added the hot water, and finally some cream....and voila, it was ready. I took a sip...and WHAM, my senses were enhanced.....it was absolutely amazing. The coffee was delightful, considering it was instant. It had a nutty flavor (which Colombian coffee, a medium roast, usually has), and the fragrance was very appealing.

On another day, I tried the Italian Roast. Unfortunately, here, my reaction was the opposite. The taste was gag-worthy. Granted, I don't really like dark roast in the first place. But usually, if I am drinking dark roast, and add a sufficient amount of milk, it is fine. In this case though, it still tasted unpleasant......I didn't finish it.

I guess another coffee drinker may feel differently. I, however, have a very low tolerance for bitterness....so, if you are the same, stick with the Colombian Roast and add a sizable dose of milk or cream. Happy Drinking :)

Those "Dreadful Shoes"

About two months ago, I purchased this wonderful pair of adidas sneakers. They are the most comfortable, make running more enjoyable, and I love the dark grey/rave pink color combination. Plus, these sneakers don't get dirty easily.

Anyway, it turns out that I have been receiving quite a lot of flack from a certain someone, who keeps going on and on about the fact that these shoes are absolutely horrendous. I thought this person would snap out of it in the forthcoming weeks, but no, no, this person is most stubborn, and has been insisting that I not wear these shoes in the presence of this person. Ha, ha. It has come to the point where I have been told that I must get a new pair PRONTO. Oh all right, I say. I have no intention of discontinuing wearing this pair, but will interchange it on a regular basis with a new pair...preferably also the adidas brand, because they are just made right.